Wakai Kyoushu
Young Assassins
Sutoomu
Here is Duo's Reunion, as promised! I hope you like it, and I hope you review because you like it. Anyhoo...read on and enjoy. And I'll reply to reviewers!
Duo poised the pencil just above the paper and paused, thinking. He made a decision and began to draw. It was a simple sketch of the five of them, all the assassins. He made Heero all stoic in the middle and made him with his arms around Heero and Quatre on the other side. Trowa was crouched beside Quatre with his hands under his chin in thought, and Wufei was standing beside Heero with his arms crossed. He looked at the finished piece of art and noted it was an okay piece. He shrugged and crumpled it up. It went into the wastebasket, and Duo began to draw Miss Harone. She ended up as straight and strict as a ruler, with her eyebrows forked and her mouth shouting something as she slapped a ruler on a desk. He added a vein in her head as he heard the door open behind him.
"Wow, Duo," Hilde jumped over the couch and fell onto it beside him. "That's an exact likeness of her, really." She laughed.
"Yeah, I guess," Duo shrugged with a grin on his face. "I couldn't make her any more stiff. I should have made her pupils tinier, though."
"So is this my long lost little nephew, Duo?" a voice said from behind the couch.
"Oh, yeah!" Hilde grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch to face the man. "This is Howard, Duo."
Duo took one look at the old man and grinned, knowing he liked him. He was dressed in a loud hawaiian shirt, with sunglasses on his nose and crazy grey hair. He wore a wide smile as he looked at Duo.
"I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie!" Duo introduced himself. "Duo Maxwell."
"Last time I seen you, you was a tiny kid," Howard said. "Only four years old and stealing cookies from Sister Helen."
"I had a sister?" Duo asked.
"No, no," Howard explained. "Sister Helen was the nun who took care of you an' your bro at the orphanage, dude."
"Orphanage?" Duo's eyes crinkled in thought. "I was at an orphanage?"
"Yeah, man," Howard said. "That's when you disappeared. The orphanage was destroyed and you were gone. It's good to know you're okay."
"Howard couldn't believe it when I told him about you," Hilde smiled. "His mouth was hanging open for an hour at least before he shut it."
"Well, I thought the dude was dead," Howard grinned. "Who'd have ever guessed Solo was right?"
"Right about what?" Duo asked.
"That you were alive." The three of them turned to see another person entering the room. He closed the door and pushed back his hood.
"Hey, you're that guy from earlier!" Duo said. "Hi!"
"Hi," the boy said. "My name's Solo Maxwell."
Duo paused and looked at him. Solo had Duo's large bright eyes, but his were a deep blue color. His hair was chestnut brown like Duo's, and it hung around his ears, the lower half of it pulled into a small tussock ponytail.
"Nice to see you again, Solo," Howard said. "It's been four years since I last saw you."
"So you're my brother, then?" Duo asked, staring at Solo.
"Yeah, I'm your brother," Solo said. "I've been looking for you for four years."
"You have?" Duo asked, and Solo nodded. "Wow." They fell into silence where Duo simply stared at Solo until Howard suggested they sit down and talk.
"Howie said we lived in an orphanage," Duo prompted. "I can't remember anything, you know."
A pained look fell across Solo's face. "Well, mom and dad died when you were two, and then I took care of you on the streets for a year until Father Maxwell took us in..."
"Maxwell?" Duo asked.
"Yeah. That's where we took our last name. I couldn't remember our last name, so I called us Maxwell's. And it stuck. Sister Helen took care of us at the orphanage for a year, and then it was destroyed. Almost everyone was killed, and they all thought you were, too. But I knew you were alive. You can't die."
Duo blinked. "Was...was Father Maxwell an old guy with a beard who always dressed in black? He sort of makes you think of santa claus?" Solo nodded. "And...did Sister Helen braid my hair?" Faint memories were playing around in Duo's mind.
"Yeah, although you didn't have nearly as much as you do now," Solo smiled.
"And...and...," Duo closed his eyes, trying to remember. "You," he pointed at Solo. "You always called me kid."
Solo blinked in surprise and his mouth opened and closed. "Yeah, I did. I started calling you that on the streets."
Duo didn't speak for a moment, thinking this over. His brows furrowed as he thought, and then he put his hand down his shirtneck and pulled out a tiny silver cross. "Who gave me this? I've had it for forever, but I don't remember how I got it."
Solo's eyes widened and he chuckled. "I can't believe you kept this all this time," he said with amazement. "Sister Helen gave this to you the day before she died. She said you were allowed to wear it for a day to be closer to God."
Duo looked at the cross. "I think it's broken," he said.
"What do you mean, Du?" Hilde asked.
"It brought the wrong god," Duo sighed. "All I've ever known is the God of Death. Shinigami."
"C'mon, Duo," Hilde said. "You're not an assassin anymore."
Duo looked at Hilde. "Yeah, I guess so," he said uncertainly. He lapsed into a dark silence again, then spoke again. "What was mom and dad like?"
Solo looked at Duo and smiled. "I can't remember that much, but I know that mom was always laughing and talking. She was really happy. And dad used to take us outside past our bedtime and let us watch the stars with him. You have mom's eyes."
"That reminds me," Howard said. "I brought along a picture of you guys. It's the only one of you two I have, and it's kind of old, but you can have it, dude." He handed Duo a folded up picture. He unfolded it slowly and looked at it. It was of two boys, one younger than the other. The older one who was Solo was tickling the younger one, who was laughing his little head off. It was obviously Duo, with messy hair to his shoulders. It wasn't braided yet.
"This is me," Duo fingers trailed over his face. "Where was this?"
"I got that in a letter your mom sent to me," Howard said. "You're two and six, I think."
"I can have it?" Duo asked.
"It's all yours, dude," Howard said.
"Thanks," Duo smiled.
"Can I see, kid?" Solo asked. Duo handed it over, and Solo laughed. "This was at christmas. I remember this. You gave me a black eye, I think. You always were a tough little scrapper." Solo handed back the picture.
"What're you gonna do now?" Howard asked Solo. "The kid's alive."
"If it's alright with Duo," Solo said. "I'd like to become his official gaurdian. He could come live with me."
"I can't do that," Duo protested.
"Why not?" Solo asked.
"Well, you're vaguely familiar to me and all, and I do believe your my brother," Duo said. "But I can't just leave the guys. I gotta be here for them. Quatre isn't completely used to sunlight yet, and Trowa still barely talks, and Wufei needs to have fun and I gotta teach Hee-chan how to relax. I have to stay with them, at least for now. I can't just leave them."
"How long will you have to stay?" Solo asked.
"As long as they need me," Duo said. "They're my fellow assassins. They understand. They're also my best friends. I've only known 'em for a while, but we can relate to each other."
"Then I'll stay here until you're ready, Duo," Solo said seriously. "I spent six years stuck with Howard before I ran away to look for you. I'll wait."
"I suppose you wanna come and live with me again?" Howard said.
"I ran away to look for Duo against your wishes, Howard," Solo said. "I'm not going to just come back and live with you again. That would be rude."
"I insist!" Howard laughed. "C'mon, dude!"
"Yeah, it'll be cool," Hilde added.
"I thought you'd be angry at me," Solo said.
"I was," Howard explained. "But you're an adult now, and you're responsible. We could call it an extended visit from an old relative."
"Then you can come and see me again," Duo grinned.
"I'll be here so much you'll want to get rid of me, kid," Solo laughed, ruffling his hair.
"Never!" Duo laughed.
Well, did I do a good job with our Duo's reunion? I hope so. Please review/begs and begs/ Next is Q-Q's reunion!
Storm