Dear Readers,

Sorry this is taking so long to post. I just got to the end of all of my previously written work and am now writing from scratch. Right off the top of my head. Right now I'm listening to a song by AFI... I am in love with that group. The song is Miseria Cantare... It's to a Kingdom Hearts music video. It so fits. "Nothing from nowhere I'm no-one at all, radiate, recognize one silent call..." Wow... I love it.. Anyway, it's late and I digress...

I don't own Gundam Wing.

Thanks to Everfire and Foggy... I love you both. I have warm squishies from your call and I hope to see you both on Saturday. I will fly to you as fast as I can.

Thanks to all my reviewers who give me the confidence to continue one.

Stay safe
Stay healthy
Sincerely,

Starr

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When the war had ended and Duo truly had time to think about the future the question he had was obvious. It was the question that every soldier asks once all injuries are healed and most nightmares had faded:

What do I do now?

The answer for Duo was obvious. When he had been little the one man he had truly looked up to as a father figure had been Father Maxwell. Even though Duo had no intention of becoming a priest he did want to work for the church. In that line he had gone back to school and gone into the city with mission teams to help the poor. As an ex-streeter Duo connected with the poor and the homeless. He even taught pick-pocketing on the side, reasoning that to survive you had to use all the gifts that God had given him. Pick-pocketing just happened to be on of those gifts. Even though the missionary stuff didn't pay very well, if at all, he did get free meals and experience under his belt.

One of the jobs that Duo felt was the best for him and he had planned for even before the end of the war was that of being in the hospital, during the graveyard shift, giving last rights. He felt that it was his duty. His need for retribution against all that he had done during the war. It was one of those conscience things that had nagged at him until he had finally given in. That he chose the graveyard shift had just been a masochistic tendency on his part. But his personality and the piece of him that remained Shinigami did help the dying be more at ease with themselves and with what was about to happen. It was also a comfort to those who were left behind.

What had pained Duo the most about Heero's death was that Heero had been an atheist. Had never had the comfort of any religion. Never knew the safety that faith could give. Faith in anything for that matter. Didn't have to be Christianity. Could have been Voodooism for all Duo cared. But Heero had lived without religion and died never knowing religion. A sad fate indeed in Duo's state of mind. So it was one of Duo's missions in life. To help dying atheists see the light, any light at all, before they went. Even though he never believed the stories of how atheists never get to go to heaven but remained trapped in an eternal limbo. That was bullshit to him. If you were a good person and tried to do good in your life and felt guilty for the sins you had committed you will go to heaven. But he still thought it was sad that the poor souls still never got to experience that comfort of having something to lean on. Something to blame and hold onto. Duo had always blamed his shitty life on God. It made him feel better. And it was also a philosophy Father Maxwell had lived by and Duo now paraphrased.

"Life may be the consequence of God taking a shit, but it will help you grow." Duo said, smiling down at the six-year-old who had lost her baby brother in a car accident not an hour before. He had blessed the boy seconds before the barely-two-year-old had breathed his last. The little girl looked up at him and glared through a black eye.

"Not s'posed t'swear." She lisped through her missing front teeth, thank God they had been baby teeth and would grow back. Duo smiled.

"I know. But lets just say that I may be one of the messengers of God, but that doesn't stop me from sinning. I just live with it and beg His pardon before I go to bed." He said as he looked up at the clock, "And speaking of bed, I think it's time for little girls to go to sleep now..."

"Wanna see m'mommy..." She whimpered. Duo's smile became soft. Ever since he had been named leader of a gang at the age of six he'd had a weak spot for children weaker than himself. It made him turn to mush every time he saw a kid give 'hurt-puppy' eyes.

"Your mommy is sleeping right now, just like you should be. They called your dad and he's on his way... You know what happens when you try to wait for something that seems far away... It takes forever... So, you know what I do when things seem to take forever?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I sleep." He answered, "And by the time I wake up it's morning and I'm rested and willing to get through the day."

"Really?"

"Yep." Duo said, tucking the blankets in, careful not to bump her broken leg, "I'm sure your mommy will be awake by the time you do and your dad will be sitting right in this chair I'm sitting in, waiting for his little girl to wake up."

"Okay..." She yawned. Then she watched as he folded his hands and recited.

"Now I lay me down to sleep..."

"Now I lay m'down t'sleep..." She echoed, fascinated. Duo smiled at her and continued,

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep."

"I pray th'Lord m'soul t'keep.."

"That if I should die before I wake."

"That if I should die b'fore I wake..."

"I pray the Lord my soul to take."

"I pray th'Lord m'soul t'take..."

"Amen."

"Amen... G'night..."

"Good night, sleep tight, God will make sure the bedbugs don't bite." He said. She giggled and was soon fast asleep, the pain medication she was on ensuring her a dreamless night. Reaching out he gently brushed her bangs back with a finger, careful of her cuts and bruises. Then standing he stretched until his spine popped and glanced up at the clock. Two in the afternoon. It had been awhile since he had taken a two AM shift... But since he was now taking care of Relena, he had been changing his schedule around drastically. Closing the door silently behind him Duo made his way down to one of the main break rooms for a cup of caffeinated sludge. It was actually really good sludge. Either that or he was too used to rag coffee from a gym sock because all the coffee filters in the safe houses hadn't been replaced.

"Oi, kid!" A raspy voice called from a doorway. He turned to grin at the old man who was using his IV as a cane.

"Trying to run away on me already?" Duo asked cheerfully, giving a mock leer at the man's hospital gown, "I don't think you'll get very far like that." The man scowled.

"I dun care nuthin' 'bout that! Where can I get some real drink in this hellhole?" He snapped. Duo smirked.

"Awww... You mean the nice, clean, clear water you've been getting hasn't been enough?" He teased, "I'll go see if I can get the nurse to bring you a nice, refreshing glass of orange juice." As the old alcoholic began to protest Duo held up a finger and winked, "Just pretend it's a screwdriver and quit your bitching old man."

"And they call you a man of god." The man snorted. Duo shrugged.

"I don't claim to be anything. If people want to slap a label on me that's their problem."

"Brat."

Duo stuck his tongue out in reply and sauntered over to the nurse's station to see if he could get some OJ for his 'buddy'.

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It was some time later, when the doctor had shooed him away from the old man, that Duo finally had the chance to sit down and actually think. All things considered it was a regretfully slow day at the hospital. Regretful for him at least because then it meant he actually had time on his hands. That meant he had time to think. What it really meant was that his brain immediately went to the past night when he had kissed Relena. She hadn't seemed offended. She had smiled at him at breakfast and made small talk until he had to leave for the Salvage Yard. His brain skipped automatically over too Hilde. In his pocket was an invitation. A copy of seven other invitations she had sent to everyone else. Hilde wanted to kareoke. She wanted to see everyone again. She wanted to party. And as her 'brother' he wanted to make his baby 'sister' happy. That and he thought it would be good for Relena to go out and have some fun. Maybe it would help her forget all about what he was mock-affectionately calling 'The Incident'... Hopefully he could keep a better reign on himself that it would never happen again. Alas he had never been a very good liar... Not even to himself...