Hello again!
I'm very glad so many people liked the last chapter! I personally didn't think it was that great, but if all of you out there liked it then it couldn't have been that bad…
A big thanks to PATTY 40, Indi-Scarga, Serenity Maxwell, Jjinks, moonpixi, deppforever07, and tyleet88 who all reviewed the last chapter. THANKS!!!!
A special thanks goes to moonpixi, who faithfully betas this fic and tries very hard to manage my writing to make sure I get everything out in a timely manner, and whom I can bounce ideas off of. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these anymore? I don't own Gundam Wing. Period.
Enjoy!
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Guardian
"What do you think?"
Duo felt himself turn to look at Quatre. "The wind… carries death." He murmured.
Where had that come from? He didn't speak like that.
"Are we too late?" Quatre asked.
He tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps."
Quatre's eyes hardened. "Then perhaps we should repay them in kind." He hissed.
No, that's not Quatre. Quatre couldn't achieve that look if he tried…
And yet, he felt himself nodding.
Then the wind screamed at him–
"They're coming, Ca–"
"Duo! WAKE UP!"
Duo opened his eyes. . .
To find Heero holding him by his shoulders and shaking him. He stopped as soon as Duo's eyes opened.
"Hi?" Duo asked, still trying to wake up.
Heero sighed and dropped him in disgust. "You sleep like a rock, Duo. I've been trying to wake you for ten minutes. How did you survive the war? I'm surprised you didn't sleep through it."
Duo shrugged. "I wish you had woken me up earlier. I had this really weird dream, where I was with Quatre, only he wasn't Quatre, and we were doing… um… something…"
Heero raised an eyebrow.
"Not that, Ro. I think it was tracking something, or somethings, and then I think that whatever we were tracking was going to attack us, or something was going to attack us, anyway; then you woke me up." Duo shuddered.
"You were with… a Quatre who wasn't Quatre." Heero stated.
"Yeah!" Duo said enthusiastically.
The other eyebrow rose to join the first.
"Umm… it's kind of hard to explain." Duo said sheepishly.
"Do try."
Duo thought back to the dream. "Well, he looked exactly like Quatre, but he was very cold and mean looking. Quatre… can't look cold or mean, even if he wanted too."
Heero sighed. "I think he could surprise you. Now get up, Duo. You're going to miss breakfast."
Duo jumped up. "Like Hell." He retorted, shoving Heero out of the room. "Now let me get dressed." He raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Unless you want to watch…?"
Heero grabbed the door and shut it.
/ I will never understand him, Virginia. /
: Do you have to? I don't think Duo can be understood. :
/ It would be easier if I did. /
: Do you really think so:
Heero sighed, looking at the closed door. / A mean Quatre… kind of describes Calem. /
: Calem was never mean. He actually reminds me of Duo. Couldn't be serious to save his life, a touch insane… :
/ Do you know anything about the dream he had? Why would he see Calem, if that was who he saw/
: If the dream was sent, then it was not by me. I can tell you that it was not prophetic in any way. But… :
/ …But/
: Prophetic dreams are not the only kinds of dreams that can be sent. Be careful, Guardian. :
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"Th' foad hre 's erry goo."
"Chew and swallow, Duo."
He complied. "I said 'The food here is very good.'"
Heero simply sighed. He had finished eating ten minutes ago. Duo however was now on his thirds.
"You eat a lot."
Heero blinked at this reflection of his own thoughts. He looked up to see Tlea standing next to their table with her hands clasped behind her back looking at Duo. Her ever-present shadow Tela was actually not around for once.
Duo grinned up at her. "Of course I do. How else do keep up my never dwindling energy supply?"
"If it's never dwindling, why would you need to keep it up?" She asked curiously.
"Umm…"
Heero sighed yet again. It seemed like he did that a lot around Duo. "How can we help you, Tlea?" he asked.
"Well," she started, pulling out a chair to sit down with them, "in two weeks I am going to visit my uncle, who lives in the capital, Taliama. I wanted to know if you two wanted to come with me."
"Is Blackie going?" Duo asked.
Silence. Heero and Tlea stared at him.
"'Blackie'?" Tlea finally asked.
Duo laughed a bit sheepishly. "Oops! Did I really say that? I've been referring to Tela that way in my mind and you as Whitey, to, you know, tell you two apart."
They continued to stare at him.
Duo just shrugged. "Well, is she coming?"
He thought he saw just the slightest bit of a frown flit across Tlea's face. "No, Tela's not coming with me."
Duo's eyes lit up. "She should come! It will be lots and lots of fun!"
Damn. He probably won't drop it…
Duo blinked. "Sorry?"
Tlea looked at him in confusion. "For what?"
"Did you just say something?" He asked.
She looked at Heero, who simply shrugged. "No, I didn't." She answered.
Okay, I must be loosing it… though Heero would say I already have…"Well, can she come?" Duo asked again, changing the subject.
Tlea nodded. "I'll ask her." She said, standing up. "But I can't guarantee anything. Enjoy the rest of your meal."
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(Two weeks later)
"So this time we're going to be staying in settlements at night, right?" Duo asked dryly. "Not attempting to shelter next to rocks?"
"Right." Tlea answered. "Just because you two suicidal idiots did things the hard way doesn't mean that we are going to do the same thing. Dying at night is not on my list of things to do."
Tela simply scratched the ears of her yamaru, looking up at them. The question had been directed at her.
For what felt like the six billionth time since they had come to Milish, Heero sighed.
Duo had been trying to get Tela to speak ever since the twins had met them that morning with the fuzzy llama/horse-like creatures they called "yamarus". However, every time Duo spoke to Tela, Tlea would jump in to answer or to try to draw the conversation towards her.
/ I'm going to kill Tlea. /
/ That's a bit extreme, Duo. Do you not have someone who is willing to talk to you now/
/ But that's just it! I'm getting the weirdest feeling that she doesn't want to talk to me; she just doesn't want me to talk to Tela. /
/ Then how about you shut up so none of us have to speak/
/ Thank you. /
/ … That was very mean, Heero. /
/ You're always telling me I should joke more. /
/ That … was a joke/
/ Hai. /
/ O God… /
Heero smiled to himself as Duo fell into what seemed like a disturbed silence.
Suddenly he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to find Tela holding out a canteen with water in it. She handed it to him.
He raised an eyebrow and drank from it. The water tasted sweet, but Virginia raised no alarm like she had on the few occasions he had been given something drugged or poisoned, so he figured it was pure water.
It really was amazing how much his predecessor watched out for him…
He finished and handed the canteen back to Tela with a nod of thanks and received a nod of acceptance in return.
Duo sighed as he watched the two interact. They really were two of a kind.
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"As you can see, Taliama is much bigger than Icchi."
"Indeed." Heero stated dryly as he watched Duo, who was looking around with a spark of mischief in his eyes that Heero did not like one bit.
"Taliama is also the only true city we have. The other places are all just settlements." Tlea continued, leading them all through the city with practiced ease.
As they traveled on, Tlea pointed out things she thought they should know, and gave them bits of information about different places. As they walked, they passed a very crowded square near the center of the city. A man was up on a high balcony, giving a speech.
: I see his death. :
Heero blinked, then stopped and stared. "Who is that?" He asked.
Tlea looked. "This is High Square, where all the speeches, decrees, etc. are done. That is the High Associate."
"High Associate?" Heero asked.
"Our government is run by a High Council. Each Councilor is elected from one of the eleven provinces. Out of those eleven, one is elected to be High Associate. That one has the ultimate authority in everything." Tlea said.
"He looks young." Duo observed.
Tlea shrugged. "He is. He is actually one of the youngest High Associates we've had." She began to walk away. "Come on. Our uncle's house is this way."
Tela and Duo immediately went to follow her. Heero remained still for a few more seconds, watching.
: It won't be long now. :
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Well? You all like?
Another special thanks goes out to my brother, who ate two waffles covered in twizlers and one drenched in syrup to help me discover how "The food here is very good" sounds with a full mouth.
Reviews are much appreciated!
DarkLady