Payment on the Past

By Shadowed Seas

Author's Note: I don't really have anything new to write about the story. Got this chapter out a little faster than expected, mainly because it seems that my muse has decided that it likes to work on these more than my physics homework… Oh, and just wanted to say thanks to Thursday's Dove and twitchyfingers for reviewing. I am glad that the story went over well. And to Thursday's Dove: Whoops…well typos do make things interesting. I meant to put AC 201 not AC 121, thanks for the pointer, I went back and changed it so it should make sense now. I do my own betaing, so little mistakes might slip under the radar. If you or any other readers happen to notice any errors, whether they be grammatical or informational, please let me know. Thanks again.

Summary: Back before the war, when Duo was the only survivor of the Maxwell Church Massacre, some soldiers speculated that he had made a deal with the God of Death. Though they didn't know it, their figure of speech was a truth, a truth that had Duo referring to himself as Shinigami during the war. But now, in AC 201, Duo's part of the deal is due, and payment isn't going to be easy.

Warning: This story contains violence, questionable language, and death. There is still no yaoi, yuri, or any real relationship that goes beyond friendship between the characters, and it doesn't really look like there will be, but continue to check the warnings if you don't like to read about certain types of relationships. There may be a few spoilers, mostly general stuff about the story. This fic is set in the future of the Gundam Wing world, kinda. There will be supernatural phenomena that doesn't really fit in the original Gundam Wing universe, so it might be considered AU. As with my other fic, characters may seem a little OOC, and for that I apologize to Gundam Wing fans.

Disclaimer: I own very few things. Sadly, Gundam Wing is not one of them. Fortunately, a bag of chocolate is. Thanks for reading, now I must answer the call of my one true love: dark chocolate.

Chapter 2: When the Dreaming Ends

Duo's wide violet eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling as he tried to calm his breathing, confusion and the dregs of fear still on his face.

"What the fuck was that!"

The edges of the window shade glowed a bit as the predawn light seeped through, dimly lighting the room. The clock at the side of the bed proclaimed it to be 6:09 standard time in glaring red neon, but the room's only occupant didn't seem to care that he had been awake for over five hours.

Duo had spent the rest of the night lying uneasily in his bed, unable to get back to sleep. Nightmares weren't uncommon for him, he had seen too many things to not have nightmares, but this dream was different. He usually saw faces from his past in his dreams: Solo, Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, hundreds of nameless soldiers from the war, a parade of guilt. But this was a new one. He hadn't recognized anything in the dream, neither the people nor the location, and the dream itself had been more intense then usual, more…real.

Duo groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. Okay. So, he had had a weird creepy nightmare in technicolor and surround-sound. It was just his brain going over all the extra junk in his head. Maybe he had eaten something last night that caused strange dreams…or something.

Whatever.

Since it was starting to get light out, and he doubted that he would be able to get back to sleep if he tried – after all, he had been trying to get back to sleep for the last five hours, he didn't think another two would change anything – he decided that he might as well get up and go for a jog. But first, there was his morning ritual, his daily worship.

Duo wandered out to the kitchen and dug into the cabinets for a moment before emerging with a large can. Popping the lid open he stuck his nose in the opening and inhaled the scent of what he considered one of the earth's most precious substances, coffee.

Pouring double the proscribed amount of grounds into the filter, Duo started up the machine and then tried to think of something to do while his coffee was brewing. He looked around his apartment, studying the haphazard clutter that always formed wherever he lived. The apartment was finally starting to look less like an apartment, and more like his apartment. That was partly due to his stuff being strewn all over the floor and furniture, but it was more because the apartment was starting to feel lived in, comfortable.

He hadn't minded his previous place on L2, it was actually a little bit bigger than this set of rooms, but he really liked living on earth. He had missed having real weather and fresh air when he was on the colony. There was just something about being on earth that made him feel better, almost calm, though no one who knew him would believe it.

He smiled and leaned back against the counter. No, none of the people who knew him would associate Duo Maxwell and calm, the two just didn't mix. The people from the University would especially protest that word being used to describe the student who had managed to blow up a lab, fill the school pool with jell-o, and paint all the mascot costumes pink, all in his first few weeks.

His eyes grew a little distant again as he thought about the University. It had been about two months since he had come here. The government big-wigs had finally gotten most of their paperwork and treaties all written up between each other, and then – since they had nothing else to worry about – they had gotten nervous about the ex-terrorists who had made their positions possible. They wanted to keep all the Gundam pilots from ever considering going against their government, so they offered all five of them compensation for the war in the form of a free college education at the institution of their choice as well as a few other benefits, like fully paid health care and tax exemption for the rest of their lives.

Quatre had declined the offer to go to school, saying that the family business wouldn't allow him to dedicate the necessary time to his classes. Wufei had just scoffed at the idea of wasting his time learning what he already knew, or didn't need to know, and stayed with the Preventers. Trowa decided to take online courses instead of actually going to a college, so that he could still stay with his sister and the traveling circus. Duo thought that he had said he would be majoring in animal science or veterinary science or something. Well, whatever each of them had decided about college, all three had accepted the tax offer.

Duo had taken the full deal, deciding that it was time for a change. There hadn't been anything wrong with running the savage yard with Hilde, the work had been interesting and it was great being able to spend a lot of time with a friend, but he had been starting to get restless. When he was growing up on L2, he lived wherever he could find shelter on the streets until he was brought to the Maxwell church, and he only got to live there for a little under two years. After that he was constantly moving, first on his own, then with G, and then as a pilot with the other guys. The fact that he had managed to stay on L2 with Hilde as long as he had was surprising.

As for the last pilot, the officials hadn't been able to find him in order to give him the offer in the first place.

Heero had been installed as Relena's head of security almost as soon as he recovered from his injuries after the Mariemaia incident, and had led her security team right up until eight months ago. Duo didn't know exactly what had happened, he obviously hadn't been there, but he had heard that Heero had just come in one day, talked to Relena in private for about fifteen minutes, and then walked out of the residence. His second was immediately promoted, and everyone went on as if nothing had changed, but the fact that Heero Yuy had apparently decided to just up and disappear one day had everyone who knew him in shock. All of the other pilots had tried several times to track him down, or to at least get in touch with him through email, but there had been nothing. They had all finally decided that since Heero had made it impossible for anyone to find him, they would respect his wishes and stop their search. Heero would find them when he was ready to come back.

Duo sighed and checked the coffee maker, willing it to go faster by the power of his glare, muttering derogatory comments when the flow didn't change. He really wanted to get going, this train of thought was getting melancholy, and he was going to have enough problems today with the whole lack-of-sleep thing without being depressed too. Luckily today was a light day, only two classes, so he could just crash as soon as he got home. He had started to go over his homework schedule in his head, trying to remember if a lab was due this week or next when the beeping of the coffee maker interrupted his mental debate and sent all thoughts of school running.

Grabbing a large mug with one hand and the coffee pot with the other, Duo plunked himself down at the table and shoveled several scoops of sugar into the mug before filling it to the brim. A quick stir and then a sip of the still scalding hot liquid had Duo in his own personal nirvana.

He loved running just for exercise, especially since until recently running usually meant that someone was chasing him. Running while being chased is always nerve-wracking, and usually involves rapid changes in direction, dodging bullets, and lots of adrenaline pushing you forward. On the other hand, this kind of running, especially when done in the early morning, was soothing and almost meditative with its steady pace.

Duo followed his normal path, going a few blocks down to the park, and then following a twisting route through the trees that was not used by the majority of park-goers as it went in the opposite direction of the playground and picnic tables. Once in a while he would pass another runner or someone with a dog, but mostly he was alone.

It was because of this that when he noticed the shadow he didn't dismiss it as another runner. It was only in his peripheral vision, and as soon as he turned his head to look at it, it disappeared, but he knew he had seen it. Suddenly a little more cautious as he kept his steady pace, Duo began slowly scanning the trees, looking for potential danger areas.

He was probably overreacting. The shadow was probably a dog or a bird or some other animal, and his paranoia was most likely making a big deal over something trivial, but…but he felt almost uneasy about it. The shadow had looked big, bigger than most animals that would be in the park. And anything that big would have been easily seen when he looked over, and it would have made noise had it moved away. It might have been a tree's shadow moving in the wind, but the sun was still too low on the horizon for the angle to be right.

His scan revealed nothing of any help. The trees here weren't tightly packed, and the underbrush was mostly very low bushes and ferns, leaving few hiding places. He couldn't see anyone or anything that might be considered a threat, but he still felt edgy. It felt almost like someone was watching him, but the shiver that slid down the back of his neck was...off from the usual someone-is-staring-at-you feeling.

Duo spent the rest of his run constantly watching his surroundings. He saw two runners, an old man feeding some birds, a woman walking her dog, and a bicyclist, but none of them did anything out of the ordinary and the shadow didn't put in another appearance. As he unlocked his door and went to get ready he tried to put the whole thing out of his mind as just a trick of the light, but he strapped on one of his wrist mounted throwing knives before he grabbed his books and a last cup of coffee on the way to class.

The door swung open and smacked into the wall with a bang as Duo half staggered into his apartment. Kicking the abused door closed behind him, he managed to make it to the living room before he collapsed on the coach, dropping his bag by the coffee table. His face burrowed into a pillow, while he absently kicked off his shoes and then did his best to melt into the cushions.

He didn't know why he kept forgetting Professor Martnik's apparent goal to win the monotone voice award, but the struggle to stay conscious for the hour and a half lecture had left him completely drained. Even though the coursework was almost too basic for him, he knew he should probably do at least a little of it or maybe read the assigned chapters, but he currently couldn't care less, and the desire to just close his eyes overcame everything else. Within seconds his breathing evened out, only the gentle rise and fall of his chest showing that he was still among the living.

The world swung slightly as she contemplated the wisdom of having those last few beers, her feet moving slowly as she struggling to walk a straight line. Finally reaching the corner without too much trouble, she paused and blinked blearily up at the traffic light. Contemplating the glowing red hand, she tried to figure out how much farther there was left to go before she reached her dorm. The party had been several streets beyond the main campus grounds and she had walked a few blocks already, so it shouldn't be too much longer. Pleased that that was figured out, she absently blinked at the light before realizing it had changed to a white stick figure.

She crossed the empty intersection with the carefully swaying walk of the very drunk, her steps sounding loud in the empty early morning streets. A siren sounded dimly in the distance and then faded as it moved away, the silence reigning once again. The sky was still dark, but the slightly graying horizon hinted that dawn would not be long in coming.

The girl's meandering path drew her slowly closer to campus, until she was only a little over a block away from the green. A sudden change in her surroundings caused the college student to frown and pause as she looked around. The street around her had grown very dark, as several of the streetlights had gone out. Looking ahead she could see the bright lights of the campus promising safety and a warm bed, and with no more thought to the odd darkness she started forward again.

With a drunken haze clouding her senses and her mind occupied with thoughts of sleep, it wasn't surprising that the footsteps that suddenly started up behind her went unnoticed. It wasn't until a hiss of metal against metal sounded from only a few feet behind her that she noticed anything, and as she turned, sudden fear managed to break through the alcohol, but it was far too late for her to do anything but scream as she died.

The darkness came down on Duo again with the girl's death as he was left breathing hard in shock, but unlike the last dream, he did not wake-up. Instead a glowing mist rose up from the darkness around him, limiting his visibility to maybe fifteen feet in any direction. It was hard to tell exactly as his only reference was the wall of mist, and that kept shifting. To make it all even more disorienting, the mist contained glowing multi-colored lights that would brighten and dim randomly as they moved around.

Pushing thoughts about the disturbing dream and his current surroundings aside, Duo looked down, almost startled to see himself instead of somebody else. He frowned a bit as he noticed he was dressed in his old black priest's outfit, but dismissed it as unimportant. Turning in a slow circle, Duo found himself at a loss. Should he stay where he was, should he walk through the mist and try to look around, or should he just screw the dream and make himself wakeup?

His debate was cut short when the mist-lights all flashed once and then froze as a voice suddenly broke the silence.

"It is time to complete the deal."

Duo spun around, looking for the source of the voice that echoed around him in the mist.

"What?"

"It is time to complete the deal."

"What deal? Who's there? Dammit! Stop hiding and come out where I can see you!" Not being able to pinpoint the source of the voice was making Duo edgy, and Duo really didn't like being edgy.

A dark chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The creepy laugh slowly grew quieter and stopped echoing before it ceased.

"Don't get angry little one," The amused voice was still deep, but it no longer had the creepy undertones and echoes that had been freaking him out. Duo froze as he suddenly sensed someone right behind him. "I'm right here."

Duo spun around again, only to stare in shock as he came face-to-face with…himself. Slowly overcoming the initial surprise, he realized that while the person in front of him did have a strong resemble to him, the stranger was not an exact replica. Their black clothes were the same, but while Duo's hair was still restrained in a tight braid behind his back, the stranger had his flowing loose around him. The hair itself was also different, a darker shade of brown that bordered on black instead of Duo's lighter chestnut. His skin was impossibly pale, almost like it had never seen sunlight, and his fingers ended in claw-like points instead of normal nails. The bastard was also several inches taller Duo noted with irritation. It seemed that everyone was taller than he was, even weird, clawed look-alikes who hid in creepy fog. His annoyance disappeared as he stared at the stranger's face, or more specifically, his eyes. While he had often gotten comments on the odd coloration of his eyes, his were completely normal when compared to the pair in front of him. Instead of the normal coloration there was nothing. There wasn't any iris or whites; it was as if there was an endless void where the eyes should be.

Duo quickly focused his gaze on the stranger's nose and mouth, he really didn't want to think about those eyes…things were creepy enough as it was.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Resorting to irritation seemed like the best choice in this situation, especially since the only other option he could think of involved him running away as fast as he could.

"Aw, don't tell me that you have forgotten me already little one. I would have thought you to have a better memory than that. Especially after all we've done together." The mocking grin on the creepy stranger's face made Duo want to deck him, and it was a tribute to his self-restraint that he was able to keep his hands fisted at his side as the source of his irritation continued speaking.

"Still can't remember me? I'm hurt, really I am. After all, I only give the honor of sharing a part of my consciousness to a very select few, so it makes perfect sense that I should expect them to recognize me."

Duo froze at those words, staring wide eyed at the figure in front of him.

"Shinigami…" His voice came out as a barely audible whisper, but the recently identified God of Death smirked wider, showing that he had obviously heard the name.

"So you haven't completely forgotten me little one. I'm so relieved."

Duo had just managed to pull his jaw off the floor, and at the sardonic words he bristled and promptly forgot his stunned amazement of moments ago.

"What the hell are you doing in my head? I don't need to fight anymore, you're supposed to be gone!"

Shinigami shook his head slowly, the smirk never leaving his face. "And when did I ever say that? You wanted me to help you make sure that those who had killed your loved ones paid for it, you never brought up anything about afterwards."

Duo glared at him but gave in grudgingly. "Fine. But that still doesn't explain what you want." He paused at the memory of the Death God's previous words. "And what the hell does 'It is time to complete the deal' mean?"

At this Shinigami lost his smirk, his expression becoming serious. "You made a deal with death, and death's part has been fulfilled. Now it is time for your half of the bargain to be paid."

The God's serious expression in exchange for his earlier superior smirk made Duo uneasy, and his nerves weren't helped any by the new topic.

"Okay. So what's my payment for the bargain?"

Shinigami just gazed at him with his freaky eyes, his expression unchanging. After an endless moment of silence the God tilted his head and spoke almost tonelessly.

"Well little one, I need either your death, or your life."

TBC…

Well, sorry about the cliffhanger-esque ending, but that was the best idea I could come up with for ending the chapter. I really liked writing Shinigami, he was so much fun to do. Really hope you enjoyed the longer chapter, I plan to do most of them at least this long if I can. I have no idea when the next chapter will come out, there needs to be some major plot planning sessions before I get anything else out. I'm not sure if I should pull any of the other pilots in just yet, eventually at least one or two of them will be brought in, but I don't know who or when. The full explanation about the deal will probably be in one of the next two or three chapters, I think. Oh well, until next time, Ciao!