So, i've ben rather busy. A lotta crap has happened to me since i last updated. lost my best friend, dropped calc and chem lab with satan, made myself a part time student, found out im homeless for next semester and my father doesnt want me rooming with a bunch of guys, so yeah. I have finals next week. i should be studying for my finals, but i figured since i finished the lastt chapter, i said, "screw studying for the moment, i have over a week." and i decided to put up this chapter. I'm so happy to be going home tho. i miss NJ. PA is very different. I miss my friends. lol!! oh well, ill see them in about 2 weeks. I probly wont update for a while depending on how long i work when i get a job and how long im with friends and family. So, enjoy this chapter. :)
disclaimer, i dont own the g-boys.
-Chapter the thirtieth-
"I can not believe you!! What exactly would be the purpose for your attacking those soulless people after we left Meryl's?!" Alex wrapped the bandage around his forearm, pulling tightly and making him wince.
"Ouch!! Do I need a reason!? It was attacking you!!" Duo yelled, trying to pull his arm back.
They were in one of the Alex's rooms on the God's Ledge. The black and blue comforter gave the white, silver, and gold room a distinctive look. Duo was sitting in a chair next to the bed.
"We're immortal, numb nuts!! What the fuck is it gonna do?!"
"Well, obviously, we've already figured out that being immortal has absolutely NO point when we look at me. I'm the living example."
"You came back to life for gods sake!!" She finished off the wrapping with a purposely strong yank making the God wince again. "and how do you know it was trying to kill me, huh?! How!?"
Duo sighed, standing up and flexing his arm. "It was attacking you."
"You blew it up with a fire ball. I'm pretty sure I have zombie gunk all over me."
"It's distinguishing."
Alex grunted, "It's disgusting is what it is. And, on top of that, I'm sure you were just waiting to use your godly powers again."
"Maybe I was and maybe I wasn't. It has been one thousand years. Come now, Anarhria, don't be so crass."
Alex turned away, walking to the other side of the room. "The name is Alex not Anarhria. Your name might not have changed but mine did. Sorry, but, I'm not your wife anymore."
She turned just in time to see his face fall. Immediately, she felt guilty. This god from another time only knew of his love for her. Its been a thousand years and he still believes they're married. He still loves her.
Trying to salvage the mood she said, "Not yet….at least…."
"Not yet," he conceded.
She turned back to him. "I have no idea what I want right now. I'm still trying to become used to the fact that there is one body in front of me with two distinctly different personas inside. I can't make the decision of marriage this…early in our being together."
He crossed the room quickly to her. Taking her hands in his, he looked straight into her eyes. "You will think about it though, right?"
"Of course." Alex broke the eye contact walking towards the door. "Come on, let's get something in your stomach other that rancid heart burger."
"Food?" He asked, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. "Actual food?"
"Uhh, yeah. Real food." She shook her head and walked out, Duo following her close behind. He was looking at his surroundings.
"Heaven really has changed a lot." He commented, watching as a bunch of angels in white gowns came out of a room with an assortment of things.
"This isn't Heaven. This is the God's ledge. If you want Heaven, you're gonna haveta go look somewhere else. All the souls that pass into the afterlife begin here and work their ways into Angelic City."
"What's that?"
"The equivalent of New York City in the afterlife."
"…what's New York City?"
Alex stopped. She hadn't thought about her time for eight years. Why would she think about it now. New York didn't exist anymore. She shook her head, confused as to why it happened.
"Come on, Duo. You need food."
She pulled him into the cafeteria, the hustle and bustle stopping as the two gods entered. Maneuvering him to the front of the line, she filled up a plate with random foods, including a regular looking cheeseburger, a piece of Lasagna, as well as chicken fingers.
Duo followed her back to a table in the middle of the room. She deposited the tray on the silver surface and sat down, folding her dress under her. Duo flopped onto the chair across from her. She pushed the plate of food towards him, cutting the lasagna in half and giving half to him while keeping the other half for herself. The God sat regarding his food.
He picked up the burger, holding it in his hands, " Why must I eat this?"
"Because your pale." Alex replied, cutting her pasta dish and eating a bite.
"I'm always pale."
"Alright, then your too pale."
"I'm always too pale. I'm the God of Death. It comes with the job."
She looked up in time to see him open his mouth wider then it was supposed to stretch eating the entire burger in one bite. He looked like Duo. His face was the same, his bone structures, the way his fingers moved. Even the cross gave the idea of Duo. But the eyes, the facial expressions, the body movements, all of them weren't Duo.
He caught her watching him. "What?"
"your jaw…"
"Oh, that. It's just something that my father taught me when I was a young child. Do you suppose there is any cheese and wine over there?" He motioned to the table behind him.
"You haven't eaten your chicken fingers."
"Chicken Fingers? Since when do chickens have fingers?"
"They're not actually chicken fingers. They're chicken strips that are called chicken fingers because they look like fingers."
"No, they don't."
"Just eat them. Please. I don't know why they're called chicken fingers. They're just breaded and fried chicken cutlets."
"Ok…"
They ate in silence until the doors opened up and Vicky walked in, her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. She immediately spotted Alex and Duo, moving around the tables and various angels towards them. She plopped down next to the goddess effectively taking the fork out of the Goddess's hand and eating the rest of the lasagna.
"Oh my god!!" Vicky exclaimed around mouthfuls, "Do you have any idea how long the two of you have been gone?!"
"A day?" Alex said, taking back her fork and trying to pierce a chicken finger. Vicky's hand though moved and grabbed a piece of chicken and went to pull it back only to be jabbed by the plastic fork in Alex's hand.
"Ouch! What was that for!?"
Alex gave the Warrior Woman a stern look. "The chicken tenders are his."
"You were going to eat one though…"
"You ate my lasagna, Vicky."
"So…"
"So what? You ate my lasagna."
The God watched the two woman go back and forth before clearing his throat and saying, "I'm going to go find bread, cheese, and wine from those fine ladies over yonder in the kitchen."
Vicky's jaw dropped as she watched him get up and move towards the line of angels waiting for food. "What the fuck?! Did he just say yonder?? And fine ladies?? And since when does he drink wine and eat bread and cheese??"
Alex remained silent. Vicky looked at her even as he returned with a plate of food, his bread and cheese, and a golden goblet filled with red wine. The warrior woman stood up suddenly, pointing down at the god.
"Who are you and what have you done with Duo?"
He looked up, his eyes darkening. His face held no emotion even as he answered. "I am Duo."
"Like hell you are!! Duo Maxwell does not do bread and cheese and wine. Duo Maxwell does not say 'yonder'. And explain to me what the whole, 'fine ladies' thing was."
Duo sighed again, muttering to himself, "I don't know why nobody believes that I am Duo…Do I act that differently?" Out loud he said, "My name is Duelias Maxwellius. I am Duo Maxwell but I'm also Duelias."
"Duelias Max-who-ius?" Vicky had a look on her face that was extremely confused.
"Maxwellius." Alex supplied. "It's his last name from god knows when."
The Warrior Woman sat down for a moment before Alex reached over and took the goblet from the God. "You're too young to drink."
"I'm over a thousand years old."
Alex looked at him, "Your soul is. Your body isn't. You've still got Duo Maxwell's body."
"I'm still over a thousand years old. Can I please have my wine back, love?"
The goddess stiffened, "Don't call me love."
Vicky leaned back, watching the two with a cautious eye.
"I'm sorry. It's a habit. You do know, the last time I saw you, you were my wife."
"I'm well aware of that. Habit or not, don't do it anymore."
The God gave his supposed wife a strange look. He wondered why she was so…aloof to him. She was never this completely disregarding of him. Not even when he met her in the tavern all those years ago. Her face was fuller, her hair seemed thicker. It still looked like it was silk, her eyes still sparkled when she smiled, and her voice still had that magic to capture him and drown all his sorrows resurrecting his happiness again. There just seemed something…different about her.
She noticed him staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing," he replied, "I'm simply thinking of the past and comparing you to your past self."
"And?"
He sat watching her. Once again it was a battle of wills. Vicky leaned forward, wanting to catch every word. He sighed.
"Look wise, you're the same. Slightly different, yes, but still the same. Emotion wise, attitude wise, everything else, there is not a trace of my beautiful wife of so many years ago. It's like she's vanished from this heavenly plane."
Alex leaned back. "Well, if you hadn't noticed, Mr. Maxwellius, it's been five hundred some odd years since I was reborn. I was not poor when I went into my half century slumber. I was well fed and well taken care of. Times have changed, hun, I'm not the same person I was before. And you? You were a completely different person to. You do know, all of his….your friends are going to barrage you with questions."
Almost as if on cue, the door to the cafeteria burst open and in walked the four other pilots along with Kaori. Kaori looked rather flustered and when she spied the Warrior Woman, her eyes narrowed noticeably.
Alex turned to Vicky as the water elemental angel came thundering towards them followed by the pilots. "What exactly did you do, Vicky, and you never did answer my question of how long we were actually gone." She raised an eyebrow as the Warrior Woman hid behind a plate when Kaori slammed a pale hand upon the table.
"What exactly was the purpose of dumping me on Earth?! Hmmm!? Answer me that, Warrior Woman, answer me that."
"I-"
"Duo!!" The warrior woman was cut off as Quatre ran around the table, hugging the Death god. "Your okay!!"
Kaori looked slightly miffed that she was denied her answer as Vicky shot as triumphant look at the dark haired angel. The blonde haired woman was oblivious to the glare Kaori sent her way.
Duo disentangled himself from the blonde pilot, giving rather nervous smile. "Hello Quatre." He looked at the other pilots. "Wufei, Trowa, Heero."
Wufei's eyebrows shot up. "What? No Wu-man?"
Duo shook his head, "No Wu-man."
Quatre's smile had gradually waned. "Duo, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, Quatre."
The pilots didn't look to believe that answer. They all sat down at the table, giving all their attentions to their fellow pilot. Said pilot was just sitting with his eyes pleading with Alex to help him. She returned the look with equal ferocity.
She shook her head and stood up, mirrored by the angel and the Warrior Woman. "I did say that you were going to need to answer questions by them. I'll be back in a bit. Catch up with your friends. I'll set the both of us up in my room…for now, just talk with your friends. Good luck." She turned to leave.
"Your leaving me with these people!?" He had the decency to look a tad bit shocked.
"These people are your friends. I told you, you look like Duo Maxwell, but you are not him. Talk to your friends. Update them on your status. I'll find out what came to pass while we were in the Land of the Dead."
She turned to leave, her face blank as she walked away from the protesting god. With the angel and the Warrior Woman flanking her, the three head women of the God's Ledge lead the way into Angel City.
When the three of them walked into the Angel Café, all heads turned. Aurora came bounding out of the kitchen, her wings bouncing on her back. She attacked the Goddess, hugging her tightly.
"Mistress Lady Goddess of Death! How marvelous that you are safe and sound from your trip into the Land of the Dead! Everybody was so worried about you, but where is your mate?"
Alex hugged the waitress fairy back, "He's getting drilled by his friends. Seeing as your café is always useful for information, tell me, what has happened in the time I've been gone?"
"Oh, nothing much has happened in the month you've been gone. Work was work and everything was boring."
Alex looked at the waitress fairy. Inclining her head, she raised an eyebrow saying, "We've been gone for a month??"
Aurora stopped talking, becoming very quiet. "Yeah, why? How long do you think you were gone?"
"…A day…"
The water elemental goddess, Fairy, and Warrior Woman all answered at the same time in varied emotional pitches.
"A DAY!?"
"Haha, no."
"So time goes differently there…"
Alex looked at all three, motioning towards an empty table. "I think we need to sit down. We're gaining a lot of popularity from the other patrons here."
After sitting down and ordering desserts and beverages, the four set to talking. Aurora left to go take care of a few of her tables halfway through the conversation. Vicky and Kaori informed Alex of how demons had attacked the God's Ledge, of how there was a general fuss over everything from the Maiden Angels, of how everything had just been a mess with her gone. When Aurora came back to the table, she told Alex that the Dress Maker had been asking for her. She said that he had been bragging about the amazing dress he had created for the Goddess of Death. She also spoke of how they were thinking of expanding the borders of Angel City.
Aurora shook her head, blue shadowed eyes downcast, "Honestly, I don't understand why they need to expand the already infinite borders. It's pointless. The city will never fill up and the darker side of town can't exactly overrun the lighter side."
"How exactly does it not fill up?" Vicky asked, biting her cheesecake daintily.
Kaori shifted, folding her left leg over her right, "Angel city and The God's Ledge are what people down on Earth call Heaven despite the fact that Heaven doesn't exist at all. It's The God's Ledge, where people come after death, and Angel City, where they move to live after they've been acquainted with being dead, or Hell, where they go if they've been bad in life."
"So the basis of Heaven and Hell is the same except it's just not called Heaven." Alex finished off for Kaori, sipping her mint herb tea and loving the taste of the chocolate cake she was eating. It had been way too long.
The four of them sat talking for a bit more before there was a slight disruption outside. They watched as a few patrons, angels, and just random people of heaven backed away from the door, shocked looks on their faces. The farther they stepped in, the more the darkness outside seemed to glow stronger until outside the door stood Duo.
"Anarhria, I was looking for you." He calmly said to her, disregarding the looks of the occupants of Angel City that he was getting.
"For the last time, Duo, please, don't call me Anarhria. My name is Alex now. Ok?" She huffed and finished off the last bite of cheesecake.
The god stepped inside the small café and Aurora immediately hopped to his side. "Hello, and welcome to the Angel Café. How may I help you, Lord Master Death?"
"Papaya juice. Please."
The blue haired fairy raised an eyebrow. "This is a café…not a food store. We don't have papaya juice. You want papaya juice, your going to need to go to the nearest restaurant or food store."
"Then I'll have a tea."
Aurora physically cheered up. "That I can definitely do." She smiled and motioned him towards Alex before moving off into the kitchen and yelling for a cup of their best tea.
When the god moved towards the table, the other occupants of the café, minus the Warrior Woman, Water Elemental angel, and Goddess, all seemed to move away from him. As he sat down, everybody held their breathe. Alex exhaled first setting her cup down on the saucer and turning towards him, setting both of her legs on the floor.
"What brings you to Angel Café, Duo?"
He sighed. "I was lonely and those questions were hurtful. They were glaring at me like I shouldn't even exist. I tried to explain to them that I was in fact Duo. His persona just changed a bit."
Vicky laughed quietly to herself, muttering under her breath. "Ha! A bit he says. A bit my ass-Ouch! What was that for?" She turned an accusing look towards Kaori who calmly hid behind her black hair, cradling her drink to her.
"What the hell did you kick me for?" Vicky accused the Water Elemental woman even as the accused raised golden shining eyes to bright blue.
"I have no idea what your talking about." Kaori said in all innocence.
The Warrior Woman glared at the Elemental Water angel, swiftly turning herself to the side and engaging in a conversation with Aurora.
Kaori turned to study the God and goddess sitting across from her. The two looked similar. Since Duo had come inside the medium sized café, his darkened aura was the all more dark and Alex's matched his but with a tinge of white at the point closest to her body. She was glaring at him and he was looking at her like she was the reason he lived. It was, dare she think it, very sweet in an uncharacteristic way.
"I told you that you needed to have a talk with them. It was bound to happen anyway." Alex said, rolling her eyes at his comment.
"You left me. You deserted me."
"I didn't desert you."
"You came here. Your drinking and eating. You left me."
The goddess sighed, "I found out that there were repeated attacks on The God's Ledge by Hell and that we were gone for a month as well as the fact that the dressmaker has a new gown for me. You will accompany me to retrieve it."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Oh will I?"
"Yes, you will considering he gets very touchy-feely when I go to see him."
The god scowled. "I will protect you."
"I know you will. Just don't tear him limb from limb or blow him to bits. He's the God of Love and Temptation." Alex replied with a grimace on her face.
Duo noticed and immediately grabbed her hand. "Has he ever put a hand indecently onto you? Has he ever hurt you?"
The goddess looked down before answering, even going as far as to grab the God's hand as well. "I wouldn't say hurt, but he definitely makes me feel used like he only does nice things for me because he's the God of Love. Truthfully, he makes amazing dresses, but he's very…touchy feely."
"When I am there, he will learn to not put his hands on you unless he wants to lose those hands."
This time, Alex did smile. Her face brightened completely. Her hair seemed to glow even more and her skin became all the more pale. The aura around her seemed to darken and curve towards the god sitting across from her while his seemed to do the same towards her. His answering smile looked the same as if he was actually still Duo, not some duplicate with an opposite persona.
The young god suddenly stood up, sweeping his cloak back and offering a hand to the young goddess. "If I may be of assistance, milady, I will do my duty as your husband or husband-to-be and protect you from this vile God of Love." He grimaced, "I did hate Cupid back when I was alive previously. He was a pest who couldn't keep his hands off of you."
Alex grasped the god's offered hand and he pulled her up. "That sounds exactly like Joseph."
"Joseph? What happened to the roman names of olden times?" Duo lead Alex outside and into the street where a variety of people were walking. Some were floating by while others drifted. Some were hidden behind newspapers even though they steered around every obstacle that came in their path. Cars of all shapes went by in the street. Old cars, new cars, hover cars, horse and buggies, even the occasional random horse and rider swept passed the death deities.
The two stopped in front of a beige colored building with silver trim, frosted windows, and a silvery pink set of shades in each window. When they walked into the office, the secretary looked up, her bubble gum pink hair bouncing in her white clip and the red dress rising as she sat up straighter.
"Goddess of Death?" The pink haired fairy gave the dark goddess a once over before turning her gaze towards the god. "Gundam pilot?"
"Yes, I'm the Goddess of Death. Joseph wanted to see me?" Alex stared down the fairy in front of her, who in turn narrowed her eyes at the Goddess. It was a well known fact that Love deities didn't like Death Deities and that was well followed by anything that was in the Hierarchy of Love. As the love Fairy moved around her desk towards the coffee machine behind the two death gods, they both noticed the floor length dress which was red at the top and strapless, blending to pink and finally blending into white at the bottom. While the three were standing silently regarding each other, the pink haired fairy pressed a button on her headset and motioned them through the door in front of them.
As the two walked through the door, Alex turned to Duo. "Why are you suddenly so quiet? Your very tense right now."
His eyes hardened, becoming darkened gems in an aura of darkness. "I don't. Like. Love Deities. I didn't like them when I was alive previously and I do not like them now."
"Well take a chill pill, alright?"
"…What's a chill pill…?"
The goddess sighed and opened the door at the end of the lightly pink hallway. "Never mind, Duo. God, we need to get you acquainted with your human side again."
They walked through the door into a dress shop where the dark haired God of Temptation was standing. He looked up, his face immediately lighting up and his bright golden eyes glistening.
"Alex! Darling, I've been dying to see you for ages now!" He stepped forward as she stepped back, laying both his palms on her cheeks and pulling her face towards his.
His motions ceased though when from behind Alex came a sort of feral growling, almost animalistic. Over her shoulder came a whipping blackness, snapping at his hands and making him jump back in shock cradling his hands. As he looked behind the dark goddess, he came face to face with the God of Death.
"Cupid." This simple word coming from the mouth of the dark god seemed to make the God of Love and Temptation pale and take an intentional gulp making his Adam's apple bob.
"Mr. Maxwell…..I had no idea I'd find you here…." The love deity laughed unsurely even as he remained in Alex's six-inch-space.
Duo's eyes seemed to darken even farther when he heard what the love deity had said. "First off, the name is Maxwellius not Maxwell. Secondly, you touched my wife, and thirdly, unless you want to start losing limbs I'd suggest backing away from my wife…RIGHT NOW!!"
The God of Death had the satisfaction of watching the dark haired God leap back as if he'd been burned. Joseph glared at the death deity.
"Is there a reason why you're here, my lord Death?"
Duo's eyes narrowed further. "To keep you from doing what you were just going to do a few minutes ago. You scared my wife and I will have to bring about some salvation for her. You've aged surprisingly well from the boy fairy you were before."
"I haven't been a boy fairy in a very long time. Plus, as you very well know, I'm not a fairy anymore. I am a god now. The God of Love to be more precise."
Duo smirked, his smile lethal like dripping acid, "I thought you were the God of Love AND Temptation?"
Joseph physically bristled, "That too."
"I see." Duo turned away while still staying close to Alex to survey the room. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay and catch up on old times with you, your very presence makes me want to…what's the phrase…hurl chunks?… and I do believe we should be getting on our way now. Can we have the gown that you've made for my wife, perhaps?" Duo turned his head a bit to give the love deity a stare out of the corner of his eyes.
Joseph seemed to stomp across the room, much to the amusement of the God of Death. The Love God pulled a dress bag off a wrack and drifted back over to the pair, holding out the bag to Duo quite quickly.
"For your information, my Lord God of Death, we're both old, not just me. If memory serves me correctly, you far surpass me in age."
Alex suddenly seemed to come back to the conversation with that statement, saying to the God of Love, "His soul may be old, Joseph, but his body is not." She laid a hand on Duo's arm. "Come on, Duo. Let's go now." Turning back to Joseph she said, "Thank you again for the dress."
"Yeah yeah, sure. Whatever." Joseph flew back to a row of sewing machines, waving a hand and reveling in the sound of twenty motors flaring up as the pair left.
Outside of the building, back in the steady flow of traffic, Alex looked at Duo and raised an eyebrow. "Catfight much?"
Duo sighed, "You have no idea," and he led the way back to the coffee shop where Kaori and Vicky waited.
-end 4 now-
So, howd you like it? Be sure to drop me a line and tell me. i'm gonna need it after this week. Until then, cya later.