Haunted Memories

Chapter 6

A/N: Yeah, I know it took forever for this update. But I was out of state without a computer for a month and then when I came back, I blew up my computer. And, another thing, my fiancé is making me build myself another one instead of buying another one… So her it folks, thanks for sticking with me.

Oh yeah, who is ready for some yoai? I'll get it in here sooner or later, but any takers on guesses for the couples?

Disclaimer: Yeah, if I owned them, they would be in my bed. Yes, all of them including Zechs…

Warnings: None. Well, kinda. Becomes a little cultish weirdness. If you don't like then don't read. :-

Deciding that the God of Death shall reign again was not a decision he could take lightly. It was a decision that brought with it responsibilities that were almost overwhelming. Returning to his old self, the darker, more sinister part of himself, was not going to be the hard par. There will be factions wanting to know why it had taken him so long to take responsibility for his actions, or lack there of. Death demanded payment in return for the help he lends. Lady luck also rolls her dice trying her hand for those that tempt fate.

Duo knew that his fellow pilots did not fully understand what his self-proclaimed title entailed. Most of the time that he had shouted his title in battle he said it with a laugh and smile. It was far from laughing matter. Duo had to pay for the power he received. He only hoped that this time it wouldn't kill him.

Duo sighed and brushed his bangs from his eyes. Several books lay opened in front of him along with many loose papers. He intended to do a small ceremony later that evening and he was reading up on some details he was a little unsure about. He also had to write some things to fill in some blanks. Every word he would use later on would be taken literally along with his intent. One wrong word or thought could cause a disaster.

A loud knock startled Duo. It had to be Hilde. She just had to show up when he was studying. He ran to open the door before she could knock again. Wufei was snoring lightly as he slept on the spare bed. All they needed was a grumpy Wufei.

Duo opened the door just as Hilde had reached up to knock again. He stepped back to let her in.

"Take long enough?" she asked shortly. Her hair was in complete disarray as she stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind her. Duo winced at the loud noise, but she hardly seemed to notice.

"I meant to come earlier, Duo, but it seems that nobody in this stupid town knows how to be on time or stay out of a fight. Tonight's bartender was late. My order of supplies for the next month decided to show up as I was trying to walk out the door." Hilde had an armful of bags containing Chinese food. She shoved them at Duo and started to look for dishes.

"Then, as I Tried to leave again some stupid drunk decided that it was the perfect time to start a brawl. I had to break that up because they figure that I own the place so it's my job to take care of the idiots," Hilde finished exasperated. She said all this loudly while slamming cupboards shut.

"Are you finished yelling?" Duo asked. This seemed to upset her more.

"No, I am not done. I was waiting for Wufei to come back by the bar today. And of course he doesn't. You didn't do anything to him did you?" Hilde snapped at him, her hands on her hips. She stopped moving around long enough to look at him. She noticed what looked like a rug burn along one side of his chin and a bruise forming on his cheek.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"Hey don't get on my case. And would you mind trying to keep it down? He's sleeping." Duo told her.

"Was trying to sleep is more like it," Wufei interrupted.

"Where have you been?" Hilde practically yelled.

"Where does it look like, onna?" he threw back at her. She threw up her hands in frustration. She turned back to the task of dishing out food for the three of them.

"Do you really let her invite herself over whenever she feels like it Duo?" Wufei had to ask. It was no use trying to go back to sleep now. His stomach was reminding him that he hadn't ate since that morning anyways.

Duo shrugged. "She feeds me and cleans my apartment." Wufei just mumbled about the injustice of women invading men's privacy.

"Duo helped Hilde carry the food over to the two beds. Sitting the food down, Duo picked up his books to make more sitting room.

"What in the world are you doing with books like that?" Hilde asked in between mouthfuls after catching a couple of the titles.

"I was studying" Duo said simply. He put his materials under his bed.

"Necromancy? Why?"

"Revenge. And the God of Death shall reign again."

All eating had ground to a halt as Hilde studied Duo trying to determine how serious he was. It had been a long time since she had seen such determination in those violet eyes. She gave a small smile.

"I can't really say that I agree with your methods, but you were a gundam pilot. The way I see it, is that you can take care of yourself. I guess I should be happy to see you out of your slump." With that said, she resumed eating.

"I take it that you told him everything?" she asked Wufei. He nodded in answer. She saw that he was eating carefully around a split lip. "So why did you guys get into it so bad?" She obviously did not know all of what Wufei had told Duo.

"We had to work out some differences," Duo answered after clearing his throat.

"Uh huh," she muttered. "So you're done now, right?"

"yep," Duo said with a mock smile.

"So let me see some of that stuff you are reading," Hilde said reaching for a stack of papers.

"No," Duo said shortly. He moved the books and papers out of her reach. Wufei arched an eyebrow in his direction. She drew back away from Duo.

"Okay. What was that about?"

"I don't like people looking at my things."

"Oh come on, it's not like I really believe that kind of stuff anyways," she said. Duo glared at her, his mouth set in a grim line. Wufei held his breath, not sure how the braided pilot was going to react. Hilde should have known that the subject of religion of any kind was a touchy subject for Duo.

The room grew darker as the sun slid behind a cloud. The air seemed to shift and cool considerably. Hilde watched something change in Duo's eyes. She couldn't describe it really, but it seemed as something was moving, lurking, underneath the color of his irises. And then he grinned. It was more like bearing his teeth though.

"Do you really want to look at my notes Hilde?" Duo asked in a monotone voice. "I rather you didn't, but I guess it couldn't really hurt anything since you don't really believe that kind of stuff." As he spoke, Duo slowly leaned closer and closer to her. She was trying not to let her anxiety show, but failed miserably.

"Umm, actually, that's ok." She stood up and grabbed her jacket. "I think maybe I should be on my way. Early day tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply or saying another word, she left the small apartment. The room brightened with sunshine and the temperature returned to normal.

"What did you do?" Wufei asked as Duo cleaned up the remains of their short dinner.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Duo said innocently.

"Don't give me that crap Maxwell." Duo's face was blank of any emotion.

"Really, it was nothing, just spooked her a little. Maybe next time she'll be more careful of what she says about other people's beliefs."

"Hn. Didn't think that you were that sensitive about it," Wufei said calmly. Duo had his back turned towards him, straightening the kitchen. Wufei reached over and grabbed a book out from under Duo's bed and started flipping through the pages. He was so engrossed in the book he didn't hear Duo walking up until the book was yanked out of his hands.

"Why is it so hard for you people to leave my stuff alone?" Duo asked angrily. He closed the book and shoved it back under the bed.

"I thought it would be ok for me to see. I'm not some silly onna."

"No."

"Why?" he asked. "What do you have to hide?"

"Nothing to hide."

"Then why?"

"Why you ask? I'll tell you whey, Wufei. I don't want it to do to you what it has done to me," Duo said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Wufei asked raking his brain trying to remember anything that stood out about his friend. Nothing came to mind, although they hadn't been around each other for years and during the war he didn't pay too much attention to the loud-mouthed baka.

"Once you start, you're hooked. It demands a price to be paid and you have no choice but to obey. For the use of its power, it demands a sacrifice each and every time. It changes you from the inside, makes you into this monster until there is no humanity left within you. But when you try to stop, you find out that you can't. You can't ignore the pull and then you become lost and alone," Duo explained. He seemed sad, but there was an underlying current of contempt right below the surface.

"Then why are you doing it again?" Wufei asked laying a comforting hand gently on Duo's shoulder. "You are not alone."

"I can't stop Wufei. I can't break away. It has a too tight of a hold on me. The payment is going to be greater this time Wufei. I don't know what it is, but it scares me. But no payment is too great to avenge what has happened to us." When Duo looked up, there was a manic gleam in his eyes.

"Nobody messes with my friends Wufei. Nobody. I've already waited too long to take care f my responsibilities. I seemed to have forgotten about them when Heero disappeared. Trieze will pay for taking the people we had come to love away from us. I just hope I live long enough to see it through."

"Is it really that demanding?" Wufei asked. Duo nodded and didn't say anything for a while.

"Just because I won't let you read any of this stuff doesn't mean that you can't see me in action. Do you want to come with me?" Duo asked his friend, grabbing their jackets.

"Sure," Wufei said surprised. He took his jacket from Duo and put it on. "Where are we going?" He watched as Duo seemed to be picking up random things throughout the room.

"To the cemetery," Duo said with a big smile. "For the fist part of my revenge and the first sacrifice I have to make," he said when Wufei gave him a questioning glance.