Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters. I just borrow them for my nefarious and fictional purposes.

Living The Lie

Chapter Five: Aftermath

"Why can't you do this for me?"

Cobalt blue eyes regarded her dispassionately. "No. I won't change for anyone. Not even you."

"I didn't ask you to change. I only asked you to take things a little more seriously. This isn't a game, Duo!" Her face was flushed in frustration as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

He stared at her, unblinking. "I am being serious, and the answer is still no."

She glared at him fiercely and he imagined he could see the steam rising from her ears. He resisted the urge to laugh and kept his face blank.

"Fine." She moved to the closet and grabbed her coat. "Then I'll just leave."

He crossed the room quickly and reached the door before she could. "Don't bother. I'll save you the trouble." He pulled open the door and slammed it shut, abruptly cutting off her protests.

Duo awoke with a start, blinking rapidly as the disorientation of the dream slowly wore off. He shook his head, chasing away the final cobwebs of sleep. He stared at the far wall as the dream replayed over and over again in his mind. He hadn't thought about that day or the ones that had followed for quite some time.

"It was so vivid," he mumbled dropping his head into his hands. He could clearly remember the look of shock on her face just before he slammed the door. If he'd known that would be the last time he'd ever see her, he might've done things differently. He realized now that what he'd said and how he'd acted had been completely idiotic. But he hadn't really thought that she'd actually just leave him. That in the following years she wouldn't even try to contact him. Sure he'd tried to find her once, but the search had turned up nothing. Considering the resources at his disposal, that said something about her efforts to remain hidden. Because that's what she was doing: hiding. Some part of him knew she was alive somewhere. So if she was putting that much effort into remaining anonymous, he wouldn't try looking for her. He owed her that much.

Duo dragged himself to his feet and stretched his stiff muscles. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, glancing at the clock. "Nine-thirty," he muttered. "Time to wake up sleeping beauty." He smirked as he climbed the stairs and opened the door quietly.

She lay sprawled on her back. The sheets were tangled around her knees and her tank top had risen to expose the flat expanse of her stomach. Her sleep was anything but restful, he noted, as he watched her toss and turn. He rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "Yumi, wake up." Duo frowned as he received no response besides her low moaning and mumbling. Another nightmare, he thought grimly.

"Why…why…" She shook her head from side to side, struggling in his grasp.

Duo watched her with growing concern as she refused to wake up. "Yumi—"

"No…never…never! I'll never help you hurt him!"

He gripped her shoulders tightly and shook her again. "Yumi! Please!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at him for a moment. Her next movement was so fast, Duo almost didn't see it. In a second she had freed herself from his grasp and had reached under her pillow to pull out a small pistol. She pressed it to his forehead and watched him with unseeing eyes.

Duo quickly concealed his shock and controlled his instincts. Raising his hands in front of himself slowly, he studied her face and body language. Her body was taut, yet the muscles in her arms shook slightly and her face was flushed but expressionless. However, it was her glazed over blue eyes that worried him the most. "Yumi, it's me, Duo. You can put the gun down. I'm not going to hurt you."

"No. I won't help you…"

Dammit, she's still stuck in that forsaken dream. "It was only a nightmare. You have to wake up now. Try to remember, Yumi."

Her brow creased in confusion. "Don't call me that," she whispered, blinking a few times. "That's not my name…my name is…is…"

The gun wobbled in her trembling hands and Duo took the opportunity to snatch it from her. Tossing it to the floor, he turned back to her.

The young woman had collapsed in on herself. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest and rocked back and forth. The hot tears rolled down her cheeks silently from wide blank eyes. "I don't know who I am…I don't…" she mumbled.

Duo watched her hesitantly, wavering between letting her be or trying to comfort her. Even though he didn't know if he could help her, Duo couldn't stand to watch her suffer. Scooping her into his arms, Duo deposited her in his lap and tucked her head under his chin. He shifted so that he could lean his back against the wall and cradle her body to his chest. One arm held her securely to him and the other stroked her soft, blue-black hair.

"Duo?" asked the small voice quietly.

"Shhh…" he scolded lightly. "Don't think anymore. Just relax."

She nodded her silent agreement and after a few moments he felt the tension start to leave her muscles. Duo couldn't hide the slow smile that crept upon his lips as her body all but melted within the circle of his arms. He listened intently as her crying eventually became soft hiccups and her tears stopped flowing entirely. He rubbed his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth of her body pressed to his. As he ran his fingers through her soft locks, he breathed deeply of her scent. She smelled of something sweet and exotic, coconut maybe, with a hint of vanilla.

"Do you feel better now?" he whispered near her ear.

Not trusting her voice yet, she nodded mutely. She could feel the blush begin to rise in her face as the gravity of the situation finally dawned on her. Without the pain and sorrow to occupy her mind, she finally registered the other emotions that had been there just under the surface. For instance, how safe and content she felt in his arms. It feels…so good, she conceded. The young woman had to resist the temptation to bury herself further into his embrace.

Frustrated with the warring emotions swirling in her head, she pushed aside his arms abruptly and crawled out of his lap. When she looked up and met his eyes, she saw some emotion flicker across his face before it was replaced with a grin. Was that hurt on his face just now? She narrowed her eyes as she studied his goofy grin. Maybe I just imagined it…

"I'm going to take a quick shower," Duo said, as he grabbed some clothes before quickly leaving the room.

"Okay, I'll make breakfast then!" she called after him. She padded down the stairs to the kitchen and opened the fridge. After a quick perusal, she decided to make pancakes. She was glad that she had a bit of time to herself so she could gather her thoughts.

The dream… She frowned as she recalled the scene from earlier. This nightmare was different than the others she'd had before. She could remember some of it this time around. They'd been steadily getting more vivid, especially as of late. But this one had been incredibly so. Her brow furrowed and frown deepened as it replayed before her eyes.

She glowered at her captors, having given up on her bonds for quite some time. "What the hell do you want?" she spat. But the two guards merely stood there, oblivious to her screaming and demands. Just as she opened her mouth to begin another tirade of obscenities, the door to her cell was thrown open. Anything she'd been about to say died in her throat at the sight of the man looming above her.

His grey eyes gleamed down at her with something akin to hate. She watched him cross his arms over his wide chest while his lips curled in a smug grin. "Welcome back."

She bit back an angry retort, her eyes narrowing. "Why did you kidnap me?" she demanded through clenched teeth.

His grin grew wider. "I suppose it won't hurt to tell you since we're going to wipe your memory anyways." He chuckled to himself. "You're going to help us exact our revenge."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "No…never…" She shook her head slowly. "Never! I'll never help you hurt him!" She glared up at him with renewed fury.

The tall man just threw his head back and laughed. When his chuckles finally subsided, he smiled down at her mirthlessly. "You'll do whatever I tell you to, girl." He slapped her across the face, snapping her head to the side. He grinned in satisfaction and turned around. "Erase her memory," he told the guards as he walked from the cell…

"Who is he…" she murmured, frowning thoughtfully as she returned her attention to the stove. Who's the guy that Stryker wanted me to hurt…?

"Who is who?"

She spun around quickly to find Duo leaning casually against the doorframe to the kitchen. "Breakfast is almost ready," she told him, flashing a quick smile before turning back to her cooking.

He nodded and wandered over to her left. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked, already retrieving the coffee and filters.

"Please." She stole a quick glance over her shoulder at him. The woman chewed on her lip as she finished up with the pancakes. "All done." She put the plates on the table and sat down across from him.

"These are really good," he conceded, around a mouthful of pancake. "So, tell me. Who were you talking about earlier?"

"Oh…I…I was just thinking about my dream." She kept her eyes lowered, unable to meet his gaze as she felt a blush rising in her cheeks at the thought of what had happened that morning.

"Really? What did you dream about?" He asked the question casually, his mouth still full.

"It was about my past," she said quietly.

Duo acknowledged her confession with a nod, studying the bit of her face he could see through the raven-coloured hair. "Did you learn anything from it?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, not really." She finally looked up at him, her eyes betraying nothing of what she was feeling. "At least, nothing I didn't already know."

"What about that dream the night before? Do you remember anything from that one?" Duo didn't dare to breathe as he watched her expression falter into confusion.

"Other dream…" The young woman tilted her head and wracked her memory of the previous night. After a few seconds she finally shook her head. "No, I can't remember anything about that one. Why? Did I say anything in my sleep?"

Duo hesitated. What am I supposed to say? "Yeah, in fact, you called me a jerk. I just wanted to make sure you didn't hate me"? Duo gritted his teeth and pushed that thought to the back of his mind for the moment and decided on a different question that had been bothering him. "Do you think it might have been about your past too?"

She shrugged her slender shoulders. "I couldn't say for sure, but it's entirely possible. I've been having a lot of dreams about my past recently. It seems like my forgotten memories are resurfacing slowly."

That thought gave him reason to pause. If the dream was from her past, then that meant he must have met her before…unless she knew someone else by the name Duo. He looked back up at her and watched her play with the food on her plate. But I'd definitely remember her if I'd met her before…wouldn't I?

"I…I'm sorry…"

Duo looked up quickly. "Sorry, about what?"

"About this morning, and…last night," she murmured, not meeting his eyes.

Duo chuckled, giving her a wry smile. "You remember last night, huh?" She just nodded in response. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You're a great kisser." He winked at her.

She scrunched up a napkin and threw it at him, biting back a grin. At least he wasn't angry with her about it. Not that she regretted it or anything even close…she was just worried she'd gone too far. She bit her lip, trying not to think about the things she'd had in mind last night while she was perched on his lap. She cleared her throat and looked up at him, knowing her cheeks were probably redder than ever. She smiled at him, twisting a lock of her short hair behind her ear. "What are you doing today?"

"Don't you mean what are we doing today?" he replied, grinning as she came up beside him to help clean the dishes. "I thought we could go for a spin. I'm sure you're going stir-crazy being cooped up in here."

She smiled, poking him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. "Am not, but the thought does hold a certain appeal. I'll go take a shower and get dressed then."

He just nodded and watched her walk out of sight.

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An hour later she found herself flying along a deserted highway in his jet black Mustang GT. Damn do I love fast cars. She closed her eyes and grinned as she relished the feeling of the wind in her face and hair. "Kinda makes me miss my bike."

Duo looked over at her in slight surprise. "You had a motorcycle?"

The raven haired woman opened her eyes and looked over at him with a wry smile. "Yeah. Is that so hard to believe?"

"No…not at all." Duo flashed her a smile of his own. "I'd love to see you ride it sometime."

She smirked, placing her hand on his knee. "Oh, would you now?" She cocked her head to the side and slid her hand higher up his leg.

Duo shifted slightly under her touch, trying not to let himself be distracted. "Of course. I'm sure you're very talented."

She grinned at the implication and squeezed his thigh lightly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"And if I would?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Then, I'd have to say you're out of luck. I sold my bike before I came here to L2." She gave his leg another friendly squeeze and pulled her hand away.

Duo caught her hand and brought it up to his lips. "What if I bought you a new bike?"

The woman looked over at him in surprise. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because, it would make you smile," he said, kissing her palm before relinquishing her hand.

She tore her gaze away from his and stared out the window, speechless. Is it that important to him? She bit her lip, and rubbed her fingers over the spot he had kissed. Is it that important to me? One little kiss and he sends me reeling. What the hell is wrong with me?

I believe they call it "love". You might want to try it sometime.

She scowled at the sarcastic little voice in her head, swearing silently. I can't be in love with a guy I've only known for two days!

"Yumi? Are you okay?"

She turned and flashed him a quick smile. "I'm fine."

Duo gave her a questioning look. "Are you sure – "

He was cut off by a sudden insistent beeping. Duo's expression immediately turned grave, and without a word of notice, he had pulled a U-turn and they were headed back in the direction they'd come from.

"Duo! What's going on? Why are we going back?" He remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. She bit her lip. "Duo!" She had to repeat his name a few times before he would even look at her.

"The alarm at the house," he muttered under his breath. "Someone's tripped it."

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Duo made record time, pulling into his driveway less than fifteen minutes after the alarm had gone off. He turned off the car and jumped out, racing to the front door and throwing it open. The woman raced in after him, weapon outstretched and eyes alert.

Duo shook his head and waved his hand at her. "Put it away. They're gone. They must've left when they heard the alarm."

She looked around the room, hesitantly lowering the small firearm. "What makes you so sure?" she asked, her voice hushed.

Duo glanced at her, flashing her a wry grin. "Trust me, will you?"

Frowning, she watched him make a quick circuit of the lower floor. "Anything missing?" she asked as he walked up the stairs.

"I don't think they were here long enough," he muttered as he surveyed the second floor.

She let her eyes roam over the room and found her gaze drifting to her duffel bag. Did I leave it like that? The bag was open and a few items appeared to have fallen out onto the floor. She knelt down and sifted through the contents of her bag, trying to ignore the tightness she was starting to feel in her chest. She shuffled quickly through some more items, her brow furrowed.

"What is it?"

The woman frowned, sitting back on her heels. "It looks like something's missing from my bag…" she mumbled.

"Something…?" he asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Yeah. One of my USB memory keys." She bit her lip as she continued to rummage through the bag.

"Well, what was on it?" He walked around the bag and sat opposite her, trying to meet her gaze.

"Stuff…" she replied, keeping her eyes adverted.

Duo narrowed his eyes and caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What kind of 'stuff'?"

The dark-haired woman pulled away from him and stood up. "Stuff about my past; what I could remember of it. The different names I've used in the colonies. There was some intelligence that I'd managed to gather on them. And…" she trailed off, turning her back on him.

"And what, Yumi?" Duo resisted the urge to grab her shoulders and shake the answer out of her.

"And all of the files I'd managed to make a copy of the day I ran away from the compound. The files that would've helped me prove their existence to the world. Then there was the information they had on me." She covered her face with her hands.

"You didn't make a copy of it, did you?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement. When she silently shook her head, Duo's suspicions were confirmed. All her hard evidence against them was gone.

After a few moments of deliberation, he made his decision. Walking up the stairs, he called down to her, "Get your stuff together, we're leaving."

She whirled around, looking up after him. "What? Leaving? Why?"

"It isn't safe here anymore. We're taking the first shuttle out of here."

"Where are we going exactly?" she asked, running up the stairs after him.

He turned around and gave her one of his mischievous grins. "A place neither of us has gone for a very long time."