Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Outlaw Star Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Bounty Hunters, Outlaws, Pirates and Princesses ❯ Reunions, Both Joyful and Hateful ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I do not own these respective characters or settings. They belong to Pioneer, Sunrise/Bandi, and Fundimation.

Bounty Hunters, Outlaws, Princesses, and Pirates

Part Three: Reunions, Both Joyful and Hateful

By: Elf

Heero walked around the Outlaw Star, the XGP originally. The ship that Hilda had described to him as he recovered from his implants. Hilda had let him on his own after she had no hope of finding where Duo had disappeared to. He guessed that Gene Starwind was her replacement, but he seemed to be another Duo, except not as intelligent or devious. I guess that's what sort of personality makes one a pilot, he mused as he wandered around the ship.

Well, not a mobile suit pilot anyway, but the sort of pilot that Gene was and Duo had been.

Heero crossed his arms and walked around the ship, letting his hair dangle in his face. He heard a slight, female grunt. Thinking that 18 or Hotaru was in trouble, he kicked down the door of the room he heard the grunt. He pulled out his pistol and pointed it directly at the lovely young woman dressed in a white kimono with a red vest and a violet sash.

Twilight Suzuka looked at him from under the fall of raven hair that escaped her high pony tail. Her dark, sloe eyes had a mixture of intrigue and surprise in their onyx depths. She swung her bokken down and her kata posture relaxed. She smiled and stated, "You must have been a soldier or a body guard at one time."

"Both," Heero confirmed with a nod.

She smiled, her crimson lips a startling contrast to the ivory of her skin. She said, "You must be an interesting person. I've heard that you're looking for a ship that's been stalking Kei pirates. Rumor has it that an old friend is on that ship. Even more interesting."

Heero stiffened at that comment. She smiled again and said, "18 told me last night while you were looking at all the controls. Well, complaining rather."

His lips turned up with that. He said, "18 needs to learn to keep some of her comments to herself."

"Ah, but Heero, the question is, would you tell her to do that?" she asked as she swung her sword up again into position.

He actually did smile at that, feeling something that he hadn't felt in a long time, since looking into Relena's eyes on Libra. "I don't think any man could," he replied.

Her smile grew more secretive as she looked at him. She said, "You seem like a very interesting person, Heero Yuy. I would like to have a nice talk with you in the future."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Heero found himself truthfully saying. He blinked in surprise as he looked at her. She started swinging her sword again and he decided to leave her alone.

******

"Did you hear Suzy?" Ashia asked innocently.

Jim Hawkings made a responsive grunt at his friend as he continued his calibrations on the Outlaw Star.

"Did you?" she pestered, leaning her head over where he was lying. Her long blonde braid fell to one side of her head, weighed down by the ritual gold ring secured at the end. He twisted his wrench as Gilliam's mobile port floated around and watched.

Jim sighed, blowing strands of his dark blond hair away from his face. He scooted out of his hiding place and looked at the Cartal-Cartal before him. "What did she say?" he asked, curious despite himself and knowing that Ashia wouldn't leave him alone until he asked.

"She was flirting with that creepy Heero guy," Ashia answered in a loud whisper.

Jim's eyes widened four times their normal size and felt especially dried out when she informed him this. "What?" the boy genius squeaked.

"Well, flirting for Susuka anyway. Very interesting she called him and his voice even changed tone just a little bit," Ashia told him.

"Who, Monotone Boy?" Gene asked his mouthful of something. Jim was about to scold him about talking with his mouth full when he remembered what they were talking about.

Jim looked up at the redhead and nodded. Gene took another bite of his apple as Jim said, "Ashia claims that Suzuka and Heero are getting friendly. Now, I don't know this is true, because we all know how she is, but . . ." He shrugged and shifted in his way to big jacket.

Gene swallowed and stated, "Well, it's good for Suzuka to get out and talk to people. She had been a little down lately."

"Yeah, after she caught you kissing Melfina," Ashia gleefully pointed out.

Gene blinked and replied, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"That Suzuka liked you, Gene. Dammit, Gene, you can be so pig headed sometimes," Jim chided as he started going back to his work.

Gene blinked in surprise and said, "She could have fooled me. Man, talk about your jump down in quality though. From me to Monotone Boy."

******

No one touched Duo Maxwell's baby to make repairs except him. If Howard and the Sweepers crew, who he knew and trusted with his life, were still alive, then he would have no qualms about letting them touch his beloved Shinigami. But, since they were dead, Duo made repairs himself, with the occasional help of Trunks' brute strength.

He wiped grease off of his fingers as he looked around with a smug grin. He walked over to the console and cracked his knuckles. He could hear Heero's annoyed monotone in his head as he did that, how Heero claimed that he would ruin his hands if he did that. Duo frowned and shook that image out of his mind.

Heero was dead. Pure and simple. Dead because of him.

Duo shook that thought out of his head as well as he sat down at the console. He turned the ships systems on. He smirked. Soon he would be able to appear as silently and magically as he did before with his Gundam. Rising like a demon from Hell to slaughter the wicked and take their bounty.

He tried the stealth equipment and smirked. It had worked perfectly. Washu was a genius, but he wouldn't tell her that to her face. The little pink haired imp had a big enough ego as it was and Duo didn't need to help her on that.

He smirked and pressed the com system. He said, "Trunks, it worked out." He waited for a moment and tried again, "Hey, buddy, it worked." There was no response and that was pretty unusual for the violet haired Sayan. Trunks responded very quickly, no matter where he was.

"Trunks?" he called again. He frowned. Washu would have answered if Trunks was indisposed at the moment. Like eating or seeing any new training devices that Washu had created, like the gravity chamber on the ship that Trunks constantly placed himself at 500 times Earth's normal gravity. Why he wanted to do something like that, Duo didn't have a clue, but he could if he wanted to.

"Little Washu," Duo called in a singsong voice that would annoy the scientist enough to tell him to shut up. "Oh, little Washu," he sang out. He waited for a moment and heard nothing. What the hell is wrong? He thought as he stood up. He wiped the rest of the grease off of his hands and the little smudge that always seemed to show up on his nose.

He decided that he should go see what was going on. Maybe Trunks and Washu were making out in one of her little closet dimensions that she liked to suddenly create. After all, Trunks needed to get laid, seriously. Duo wondered if he even had sex before or that blush was just natural.

Then again, what woman could handle a Super Sayan. Probably Ryoko and Washu, and Duo wasn't about to give up Ryoko to Trunks. There were some things in this universe that Trunks couldn't handle and Ryoko was one of them. Duo wasn't even sure that he satisfied her sometimes, which was a killing blow to his male ego and skills as a lover.

Smirking to himself, he walked through the wild menagerie of pets that Washu kept, including the Mass that swirled in its liquid prison. He tilted his head and looked at the pure life form. Ryoko was created from this stuff and Washu. He thought it hard to believe that he was screwing a construct, but he didn't mind it. Ryoko was worth it.

Their relationship was uncomplicated. They were friends outside of the bedroom and they thought nothing of their bedroom trysts. It was just comfort until Tenchi got his sense back and he somehow got over Hilde. Or fall in love again, but Duo thought that was highly unlikely.

Maybe he was destined to be alone. Or maybe he was destined to be the good will and joy for people like Trunks and Heero. Or maybe he was just the God of Death. He shrugged as he wandered around Washu's lab, looking for the two of them.

As he entered the commons, he froze when he saw what the hell was going on there. There was a small girl with her long, blond hair pulled up into a pony tail dressed in crimson robes. She had a slender, small hand pointed at Trunks as he writhed in agony.

Duo, gritting his teeth, rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists. He didn't have time. He didn't have ingredients. He was just going to call on his own sheer power. He slowly began to chant in Gaelic, calling on Druadic magics instead of the usual Wiccan he usually practiced. He also had a faint knowledge in necromancy, but that was something he didn't want to touch.

He felt the energy charge within him, surging in his ready body. He shouted with the release as he pointed it at the girl. He didn't want to hurt her, just get her away from Trunks. A pair of surprised blue eyes looked at him in a round, pretty face framed by blond hair. She was blasted against the wall.

Then he looked over between the strands of hair that was blowing in his own face because of the power he was still keeping at a hideous creature standing before Washu. She was sprawled on the ground, a trickle of blood on her pink lips as her emerald eyes were shut tightly.

The creature was hideous and huge. It was a bright green with molted dark green splotches. It had bands of white around it's limbs and a huge, horned head. It had huge wings and looked sort of like an insect. It also had a funnel shaped attachment on it's back for some strange reason.

"Hey, fucker!" Duo shouted this time. He could blast the fuck out of a monster like this. The creature turned and looked at him with a ghostly pale face and amused, pink eyes. Duo blinked and thought, Oh, I better do this quickly.

"Release!" he shouted, pointing both palms at the creature. The black tinged purple energy rippled from his body and struck the creature. Duo gasped for air as he felt his body grow weak. He managed to stand though as the creature stood up and smiled at him.

"Interesting," the thing said in a very cultured voice.

Duo shrugged his shoulders and licked sweat droplets off of his mouth. He tasted the saltiness there and stood up. He stated, "Come on, I'm just getting started."

"Then why does it look like your limbs are about to collapse from under you?" the thing asked, "You do have power, human, but not enough to fight me."

Duo squared his shoulders and stood to his full six feet and one inch height. The part of him that never gave up had been awoken. The part of him that beat up bullies in school. The part of him that kept him at Heero's side for so long. The part of him that wouldn't let OZ kill him.

The God of Death was buried for now and Duo Maxwell was in full force.

He smirked and held out his palms. He shouted as he let out the influx of pure energy. The thing simply held out his palm and the energy disappeared. Duo blinked as the thing smiled. "Not good enough, boy. Want to try again. I've got time," the thing mocked.

Now Duo was pissed and the God of Death was rearing his head.

Duo threw up a hand in the air and chanted,

"By the power of Three Times Three

By the force that calls Death from Life

For the power given to me by Nature's hand

Give me the means to stop this fiend!"

The hex ripped from his lips in an angry wash. He smirked as the red tinged black magic rushed toward the creature. The thing hovered away from it on its insect wings. The thing said, "You do have talent. Still, it's not enough to stop me."

It held out one finger and shouted, "Gallic Gun!" The energy ripped at Duo in a golden wave. He froze. It felt like the stuff Trunks did and the thing glowed like Trunks did when he went Super Sayan. He barely had time to force the barrier around himself like a shield.

The effort was in vain. The power shattered around him, not harming him, but he was quickly becoming exhausted. He didn't have enough energy to call upon another attack spell. He looked up to see the bastard fire at him again. Duo managed to dodge out of the way on heavy limbs.

He didn't have time to dodge the second blast. The wards erected themselves and shattered once again. Duo screamed as he collapsed to his knees. He pressed himself up on his palms, trying desperately to stand up. What the hell is this guy?

"Not bad, for a human weakling," the thing taunted as he held his hands at his side, cupped together.

Duo looked up weakly as the thing smiled down at him. His vision was growing blurry and darkening. He was fighting to stay awake. "Kahmeha . . ." the thing began.

"Fatal Flash!" an arrogant voice shouted. The thing's pink eyes grew wide as the blue tinged, focused, golden energy wave rushed at him. The thing flew against the wall, a hole ripping through it.

Duo turned his head to see a guy who looked remarkably like Trunks except much shorter. He had that pale blond hair that stood up on his head and intense aqua green eyes. A Super Sayan. "Wha?" Duo managed weakly.

The armored warrior stepped up and looked at the creature arrogantly. "Cell, how did you get back from Hell?"

Cell, the creature, regenerated from the blast. He looked at the little man and snorted, "Vegeta, just the person I wanted to see."

Vegeta! Trunks' father. The Prince of All Sayans. One of the baddest mother fuckers to walk the galaxy. And he was defending Duo.

Vegeta smiled and pointed his hand again. He stated, "I'm much more powerful since the last time we fought. I'm even more powerful than my son. And how did you hurt Trunks."

"He didn't, I did," the little girl sang as she raised a finger at Vegeta. Washu was behind her and drew an energy blade from her hand, holding it ready to strike. Duo thought that he would be better just resting now. He could cast spells as soon as his head stopped spinning and he didn't feel like he was going to throw up.

Cell turned to Washu and held out his hand. Vegeta growled and his aura intensified as Cell blasted Washu. There was a silver flash as the attack was deflected and standing there was Trunks, already in Super Sayan mode, holding his sword.

"How did you come back?" Trunks growled as he held his sword in combat position. Duo knew that they were only at the first stage of being Super Sayan, that there was three more stages after that, all which Vegeta could easily ascend to. Trunks could go as high as the second level, but that was it. Still, from the stories that Trunks told him, the second level was more than enough to finish Cell.

Cell smirked and asked, "Wouldn't you like to know, Trunks? Like how did you two become immortal?"

Vegeta snarled, "That is none of your concern, Cell. How I am going to kill you is."

Washu started to strike, but her young body was thrown away from the even smaller girl. The little girl chided, "Washu, we didn't give you permission to move, did we, Cell?"

Duo was starting to feel better. Meaning that he didn't feel like he was going to lose his lunch. He made it to his feet and snapped, "I don't know what the fuck is going on here, I'm going to be very pissed!"

"You are nothing," Cell replied.

Duo turned to him and snapped, "Silence." Cell blinked and opened his mouth. The simple spell rendered him silent, unable to speak or shout or cry or scream or whisper. Duo smirked and quipped, "You weren't exspecting that, were you?"

Then he noticed the nimbus coming off from Cell. "Dammit!" Trunks shouted as the energy readers went through the roof.

"You fool! You'll kill yourself too!" Vegeta shouted as he placed his arm up to block himself from the high winds that were suddenly building. Duo ducked down and shielded himself, but his braid swung wildly around him. Cell only smiled.

Duo asked, "What the hell is he doing?"

"Self destructing, but he knows that he'll survive!" Trunks shouted.

Washu said, "We need to get out of here!"

Duo stated, "The ship is repaired, we could leave in that."

Washu looked around as the energy started to destroy her lab equipment. Her eyes welled up as she cried, "My lab!"

Trunks grabbed her arm and said, "Come on, Washu, we've gotta get out of here!"

Washu sighed as she drew up her index finger and drew a doorway. "You three take the Shinigami. I'll be fine," she stated as she walked into the doorway.

Vegeta hovered off the floor and Trunks flew over to him. Duo gave a shocked cry as Trunks picked him up. The three of them flew to the ship and boarded while Cell was self destructing.

******

"So, you navigate the ship?" 18 asked Melfina. The dark-haired girl smiled and nodded as she drank her coffee.

Melfina asked, "Are you a construct too?"

"Yeah, made by a mad man named Dr. Gero. I guess we have that in common," 18 told her.

Melfina sighed and said, "I don't know who made me or why they did."

"But I'm glad they did," Gene Starwind stated as he walked into the mess. 18 rolled her eyes as the couple hugged and kissed. Gene rested his red head on Melfina's darker one and asked, "So, what are you two lovely ladies talking about?"

"Our creators, or lack there of. Can you fly?" 18 asked.

Melfina smiled and said, "I'm more or less human, 18. Not like you."

"So you were grown in a tube?" 18 lilted her voice so it would sound like a question.

Melfina looked distressed as Gene snapped, "You know, lady, I don't like your line of questioning."

"I was just being curious, Gene," 18 replied with a smile, enjoying his unease.

Suddenly, the ship's alarms were starting to blare. "Everyone to the bridge," Gene commanded, in charge. 18 snorted and looked at her coffee. Melfina was already on her way, getting ready to go in her tube. Gene glared at her and snapped, "Even you, beautiful." Without warning, he jerked her to her feet.

"I wouldn't try that again, human," she growled, snatching her arm back.

Gene glared before he started running to the bridge. 18 sighed as she flew after him.

******

The Shinigami left Eather drive and settled into the stillness of space. Duo sighed and took a deep breath of air as he eased off the controls. He stated, "Well, I think that we're safe now."

"Good job getting us out of there, Duo," Trunks stated.

Vegeta looked him over and asked, "Who's the human?"

"This is my partner, Duo Maxwell," Trunks introduced, "Duo, this is Vegeta, my father."

"Yeah, the last pure blooded Sayan in existed. Cursed with immortality by his sick wife. I've heard the story, but don't get pissed off if I don't jump up and shake your hand," Duo stated.

Vegeta told him, "You did a stupid thing standing up to Cell like that. Incredibly brave, but very stupid."

"Trunks and Washu were in trouble. I really wasn't thinking about myself," Duo replied as he started to go into stealth mode.

Vegeta smirked and told him, "I can see why my son chose you as his partner though."

"Thanks. I think," Duo replied as he started flying again.

Trunks called out, "I've got a skirmish, Kei pirates attacking a Gatling class ship."

"How far?" Duo asked.

Vegeta looked at both of them. Trunks explained, "We're trying to stop the pirates."

"Noble actions," Vegeta stated as he looked out into space.

Duo sighed, "Trunks, distance, can we skip the Father/Son bonding experience for now?"

"A lightyear away. We'd be able to make it in seven minutes," Trunks answered.

"Fine, let's go kick some pirate ass," Duo stated, pushing back the problem of Cell and the kid away from his mind for a moment. They went into Sub Eather drive to the area Trunks had found. After all, the pirates were their main concern.

******

Wicked Lady stood on the pirate ship with her arms crossed. She stated to the small fleet she had taken over, "We want to board the ship without any problem. Now, attack!"

*******

The XGP was swarmed and Gene, Suzuka, and Ashia were doing their best to attack the myriad of pirate ships trying to make contact. Jim stated, "They're trying to board us."

Heero, 18, and Hotaru watched with dread as Melfina and Gilliam called out where the ships were attacking while Ashia snarled and attacked while Suzuka put more concentration on her side of the ship. Gene was firing away missiles, but there was just too many.

18 stated, "I'm powerful enough to start blowing up ships. Do you have an extra suit?"

Before anyone could answer the android's question, the ship was shaken as one of the grapplers grabbed hold of the Outlaw Star. "Son of a bitch," Gene shouted as Suzuka tried to smash them away.

Heero walked over to her and gently placed his hands over hers. Gene looked over as the two matched eyes, seeing only each other for a moment before Heero started directing Suzuka's hands. "Don't think of the controls as foreign and your movements are too jerky," he told her as he crippled the ship holding them.

Gene stated, "Well, that guy just earned his keep, now what about the rest of you!"

Melfina stated, "Gene, there's another ship approaching, uncloaking. Gatling Class."

"Shall I bring it on screen?" Gillian asked.

Gene nodded and along with the pirate ships that they were descending was a sleek, black Gatling ship that started tearing into the pirates. Over the com system a voice called out, "The God of Death is back from Hell!"

Heero swirled around, letting go of Suzuka's hands. The look on his face was hopeful and surprised as he turned back to Gene. "Can we hail them?" he asked, hope shining in his voice.

Gene replied, "Uh, Heero, we're kinda in the middle of a battle here."

******

"Damn," Wicked Lady cursed as most of her fleet was destroyed by the XGP and the new ship. She commanded, "Retreat! All of you retreat!" Then she turned back to face the ship. Her dress flew around her bare legs and she smiled. "I'll take care of you first though."

******

Duo smirked as he tore into the ships. Trunks was targeting them with his heightened senses and blowing them up with their missiles. Vegeta watched, almost board, as they did all of this. Duo snapped, "You know, you could do something you know. Instead of just standing there!"

Trunks flashed him a warning look. Vegeta chuckled, "But you're just doing fine on your own."

Right as he said that, his systems crashed. "Fuck!" Duo shouted as he tried in vain at the controls.

"Shit!" Trunks shouted as he typed faster. He hit the console and said, "Duo, we're dead in the water."

Vegeta frowned and closed his eyes. "One of those ships holds someone with great power. Nothing that we couldn't handle, but different from what we are."

Duo frowned as he noticed that they were losing life support as the ship started blowing sparks. His newly awakened sixth sense told him that something magical had something to do with this. His ship was dying and there was nothing he could do. What was left of the ships were retreating, leaving the Shinigami and the red ship alone.

He shouted, "Fuck!" Then he slammed his fists into the console and shouted in pure rage.

Trunks said, "Duo, we have to abandon ship."

"I'm not abandoning, you and Vegeta can go, but I'm not," Duo said stubbornly as he crossed his arms and glared.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't really one of your choices," Vegeta stated right before everything went black.

******

Duo awoke to a pair of lovely violet eyes looking down at him from a white face framed with raven hair, the color of India ink. Long fingers on a white, delicate hand was touching his face. He looked up at the angel looking down at him with those large, violet eyes and sighed.

"Duo! Talk to me!" Trunks cried. His fists were clinched in rage as he snapped, "Father had no right to do that to you."

Duo sat up and looked at Trunks. Standing beside him was Vegeta. Vegeta snorted and stated, "The boy's too stubborn for his own good. It would have only gotten him killed."

The girl spoke in a celestial, beautiful voice, "You could have snapped his neck with a blow like that." Her voice made Duo tighten with pure, sheer, undiluted lust. He ignored the two Sayans as he studied the girl. She was slender, slight, waif like with long raven hair, white skin, and those beautiful, shadowed, violet eyes. He had the urge to touch her, run his fingers down her slender curves, hear her scream his name in need. He fought the image that came unbidden to his brain.

Then Vegeta stated, "He's awake."

Trunks knelt at his and the girl's side. He asked, "How are you?"

"Like a ton of bricks it my neck," Duo moaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Did you have to hit me that hard?" he asked Vegeta.

Vegeta grunted, "You're alive, quit complaining."

"My ship?" Duo asked, afraid of the answer.

Trunks looked down and stated, "We salvaged most of what we could, Duo, but . . ."

Duo closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead. "Shit," he moaned as he settled back to the floor.

"Is he awake?" a cold, husky voice asked. Duo opened his eyes to see a beautiful blond standing there and looking at him with slanted, icy blue eyes. Trunks froze as if he saw a ghost before anger blossomed on his features.

Trunks hissed, "You . . ."

"The android 18 isn't the monster that you fought in your time, son, so don't attack her," Vegeta told him.

18 stated, "Listen to your father. I'm not in the mood to battle a Super Sayan."

The girl shouted, "He's awake!" The first one to walk in was a Kartal-Kartal with long blond hair pulled back into a braid down her back. The second one was a tiny, shy but beautiful girl with unruly black hair and big brown eyes. A twelve year old boy walked in, looking at them from under a fall of dark blond hair with bright blue eyes. A woman wearing a white kimono with a red sash walked in, her raven hair pulled back into a pony tail. The captain of the ship walked in, a tall guy with a head of unruly dark red hair and merry, dark blue eyes. Finally, a lithe guy dressed in jeans and a green tank top walked in.

Duo's breath left his body as Heero Yuy looked at him with those unfathomable dark blue eyes. Duo managed to draw himself up on shaky legs as their eyes met. Heero spoke first, "I've looked everywhere for you."

"I thought you were dead," Duo whispered, tears stinging his eyes. He blinked them back. He did not cry. Boys do not cry.

Then, suddenly, the two best friends were reunited, partners once again, hugging in a brotherly embrace to the eyes of everyone on the ship. The thing was, they could have cared less of what everyone thought. Heero was the first to let go and said, "It's good to have you back."

Duo only smiled and hugged him again.

To Be Continued!