Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A new future ❯ Chapter Twelve: Solo? ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter Twelve: Solo?

 

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Duo woke up with a terrible headache. He'd barely slept last night, waiting for Heero to return. However, one glance towards the other bed in his room showed him it had not been slept in. Even the pillow was exactly as Duo remembered it before he fell into a restless slumber.

 

Without Heero there to make sure he'd get up in time, it seemed even harder to push himself to get out of bed. His head felt worse with every movement he made. He forced himself to get dressed and took an aspirin against the pain before he went down to breakfast. How he hoped the three missing ones would show up now.

 

But alas, no such luck.

 

Sally wasn't very helpful either. Though she called Duo apart to tell him she'd called the police and they'd come over, she also told him that it would be best if he just went to class. No use in missing any lessons. To Duo, the usually nice headmaster sounded more like a cold bitch today. After much protest he realised he wouldn't get it his way and went back to his room to get his bag ready. One glance out of his window told him the cops were here. Duo narrowed his eyes as he saw who was obviously in lead.

 

Marquise?

 

Damn it! Why did it always have to be him? He'd accused Duo of hiding Solo somewhere, he wouldn't be surprised if the blonde cop accused him once more, this time of hurting his very own friends! Duo was more worried than Zechs could possibly understand. He didn't need this shit now.

 

But then what? Run away? Where would he go? He had no idea where his friends could be. He just hoped they would be all right.

 

Knowing he wouldn't be able to keep his attention to class, he started for the school halls to meet up with Wufei.

 

#*~*#

 

Not having been able to stuff anything down his throat this morning didn't help Duo any with concentrating during physics. He kept unconsciously zoning out the tone of the teacher's voice to stare outside and let his thoughts wonder. Every time he realised he wasn't listening he tried to get his attention back, but he just couldn't keep it there. Wufei noticed his friend's odd behaviour and decided to ask him what was going on. But just when he did so, movement outside had caught Duo's attention. Squinting his eyes to see if he were right he ignored his Asian friend's concerned question. When Wufei asked him again, Duo turned back to him, but not to answer what he had been asked.

 

“Hey Wufei, can you get my stuff to the cafeteria after this class?”

 

Wufei frowned, unsure of what this meant. “Yeah but. . .”

 

“Thanks.” Duo gave no time for explanation as he quickly waved his hand in the air to gain the teacher's attention. “Sir, can I please go to the bathroom?”

 

After being excused, Duo wasted no time getting out of the building. Right now he didn't care much about getting caught, he just had to get out there and fast. He left the orphanage grounds and rounded a corner, to be eye to eye with...

 

Solo.

 

The elder boy nodded in acknowledgement but instead of friendly hugs or something, he cut right to the case.

 

“Where's Saria?” Duo blinked at that, but adapted just as easily.

 

“Solo. . . She's gone missing.”

 

Solo swore under his breath. “'S worse than I expected.” He muttered.

 

“Solo?” Duo narrowed his eyes. Worse than expected? What was going on here? Did Solo know anything more about this?

 

But the elder boy didn't answer anything. Instead he turned around and stated walking. “No time to explain.” He said. “Come with me.”

 

“But,” Duo didn't understand. “Hey, wait a minute!”

 

Solo whirled around and gave his friend a stare more serious, more intense than Duo remembered ever having seen coming from the boy. “Do you trust me?”

 

“W-what?”

 

“Do you trust me?”

 

“Of course I do.” Duo answered startled.

 

“Then come with me.”

 

Confused, Duo followed.

 

#*~*#

 

The room wasn't exactly what one would call `clean', seeing as how stuffy it was inside and how their dirty footsteps left marks of mud on the wooden floor, but at the least it was `tidy'. The wooden furniture -a couch, a chair, a table with 3 other chairs and a closet holding an old tv- looked as if it was transported here right from another century after it had been about to be discarded there, but Duo didn't care. It was still good enough to be used for another year or so and that was all that mattered. Three pictures -one of the whole gang, one of the gang without Solo and one of Solo and Duo together- were taped to the wall in a very unprofessional way and the wallpaper that covered two-and-a-half of the walls seemed ready to come off tomorrow, if not today. The place was small and had only two windows, but at least it was dry and it offered a protection against the cold winter winds. That was all that Solo really needed for this to be his `home'.

 

Solo didn't give Duo much time to look around as he sat himself down in the one chair beside the couch and motioned for Duo to sit down as well. When he was seated, Solo decided it was time to tell.

 

“Duo, do you remember Treize?”

 

The braided one snorted. “That punk who tried to get us out of `his' area?”

 

“Yes, that's the one.”

 

Sure Duo remembered him. He remembered him very clearly. Solo had saved him from one of Treize's gang members and he'd done the same for Solo who got into a fight with Treize himself later. In the end Treize had left, most likely thinking it wasn't worth it. They hadn't seen him since. But what did he have to do with the missing others?

 

Suddenly Duo got suspicious. “Solo, what's going on here?”

 

Solo moved his hand over the arm of his seat. “See this chair I'm sitting in? That's all that was left when my previous `cottage' burned down.”

 

Duo narrowed his eyes. His previous place was burned down? Why? Did someone want revenge or something? “Are you...?”

 

“Going criminal?” Solo sighed. “Not really, I got myself a job at a nearby snack bar, but the neighbourhood still ain't much. You hear enough things from customers there. Usually I only half listen, but lately I've been hearing the name Treize pretty often. Seems like he's getting more `n more in favour by the bigger fish, doin' their small jobs and such. One time he showed up at my work, as just a customer. He ignored me and I did the same, but when he left the place, he suddenly turned and winked at me. Barely a week later I came home from work to find my place all burnt down, stupid shit.”

 

“So he got back at ye, why would he be in this now?”

 

Solo turned his back to Duo and scratched his head. A clear sign there was something he didn't really want to tell.

 

“Solo...?”

 

“Yeah, well, about a month ago one of his pawns who didn't recognise me decided to choose one of my tables to order lunch at. I saw they were carrying some white stuff to I replaced it by flower from the kitchen and sent their stuff down the drain.”

 

“You didn'!” Now Duo was really getting worried.

 

“I was angry, `kay?” Solo tried to justify his actions. “Stupid git burnt my house down. It's not like any of you were still under my protection!”

 

“But how could you possibly be so stupid as to get involved with drugs! Solo, you know how them addicts and junkies are, you've seen it!”

 

Solo looked down. “It's a bit late for that now... But besides the point, the little ones are missing from the orphanage they were placed in now Saria's gone too. Non of the old gangs would be as stupid as to try that, we never even gave `em a reason to.”

 

“You basically you're sayin' Treize is behind all this?” Solo confined to nodding. “Damn, this is worse than I thought.”

 

“`M sorry.”

 

“Me too, but that ain't gonna be enough this time.” Duo looked his friend straight in the eye now. “Solo, Saria is not the only one missing.”

 

Solo blinked. “She's not?”

 

“Two other guys of my orphanage have been gone since yesterday as well.”

“Damn.” Solo shifted in his chair and Duo leaned back into the uncomfortable couch. So the rest of the gang was missing and Solo suspected Treize who was set on making his way higher up in the underworld? This was just too much. How could the elder boy possibly have been so stupid as to get involved in this? And what would Treize possibly want with those kids? Unless he just wanted to use them to punish Solo... If those kids ended up hurt because of Solo...

 

That moment was chosen by Solo to interrupt his friend's musing.

 

“Duo, I'm...”

 

But the braided boy knew exactly what Solo was going to say. He didn't gfeel like dealing with his best friend's guilt right now, not when he wanted nothing rather than to blame him. So he interrupted the sentence before the words cold be spoken. “You got a lead?”

 

Solo slumped back in his chair, sensing the other boy's anger. “Just rumours,” he sighed,
“shouldn't we perhaps call the cops this time? It is kidnapping.”

 

Duo shook his head. “Marquise is investigating. He'll get both our asses in jail b'fore we get a chance to speak.” If they wanted to save their friends, they couldn't possibly wait for the cops to take action, they had to take it as soon as possible. And as soon as possible was right now. “Let's go check your lead.”

 

#*~*#

 

From the outside it looked just like any other building in the area, old and boring. It didn't have many windows, two on this side and four around the corner, but those were covered well with dark materials.

 

The two boys spared each other a glance. This was it, this was where they hoped their friends would be.

 

“Now what?” The younger one asked in a hushed voice.

 

“We scout.” Solo answered. “Find any way in, any place to hide for if there's trouble, but don't go try anything stupid just yet.”

 

“All the information you can get, huh?” Duo grinned. It wasn't as if he hadn't done this before. They always used to do it when they were preparing a break-in. The only difference here was that this time they would be taking living beings instead of lifeless goods. “You take that side, I'll try over here.”

 

Solo agreed. “Back in half an hour?”

 

“Same place.”

 

The elder boy nodded and they took off.

 

Half an hour later the two boys were back together. They started for Solo's place, but waited until they were out of earshot of anyone near the building before Solo decided to speak. “what'd ya find?”

 

Duo glanced back and sighed. “Wooden back door, probably blocked though. One window blocked from inside's view, only big enough for the little ones. Also, a drain pipe leading to second floor, some kind of storage room from what I could see.”

 

“Any sign of the kids?” Solo asked.

 

Duo shook his head.

 

“Anything else?”

 

“Not many places to hide outside though it will become pretty dark at night.”

 

“Hmm.” Solo seemed to think for a moment as he bit his lower lip. “Not many places to hide on my side either. Front door, as expected is an electric garage door. No way we can open it from the outside and it is way too much in sight of the other industrial buildings so that's really no good. It does make a nice road to escape if only we had a car or other fast enough vehicle but it'll be tricky. Only for a last resort, I'd say, unless it can fit in a very good plan which, at the moment, I can't think of.”

 

Duo sighed. “So basically, this isn't going to be easy. We'll have to think it out, perhaps sleep a day on it instead of acting tonight?”

 

Solo nodded. “We gottao remember it'll only be the two of us, we don't know for sure if the others are there and if they are, in what kind of condition they are.”

 

So basically, and Duo knew Solo was thinking it as well, this was a pretty hopeless case. Too little information, too few facts to rely on. “Perhaps if we come back tonight we can see some movement going on? That might just give us any clues on where the kids are.”

 

Solo thought about it as they rounded another corner. “Perhaps... I'm just not fond of there bein' only two `f us even if all we do's scout. Kushrenada might be expecting us, if he catches us, it's over.”

 

They let a silence fall in which they both worried over their situation. Their options were limited by their number and they had to think this one out if they ever wanted to pull it off. Mistakes could really not be afforded.

 

Before he realised it, Duo was looking up at the cottage Solo called `home' again. Silently, they both entered. But before they had pulled off their jackets, Duo felt something was wrong. He glanced at Solo, whom had stopped in mid-walk and was now staring that the couch in the back of the room. The occupied couch?

 

The occupant took in the sight of the two younglings who had just entered and smirked, tossing a strand of long, blond hair over his shoulder.

 

“My my, welcome back, Solo, or should I say Simon Davids now?”

 

Duo raised an eyebrow. Simon Davids? He glanced at Solo who remained unmoving, before he turned his attention back to the visitor.

 

“And, what a surprise to see runaway Duo Maxwell is here as well.”

 

Solo gritted his teeth, as he spat out that one word, glaring at the man facing them now.

 

“Marquise.”

 

~ T.B.C. ~

 

I was going to end it in one chapter, just like I ended `a new life' with an abrupt plot and ending. But then I found a plothole and then I thought up a story and found another plothole and then I figured out this whole plot and it just grew bigger and bigger. Now I like it so much, I'm stuck with writing at least another chapter, maybe even two, having to leave you guys waiting even longer before this damned story finally gets finished. So I'm sorry to leave you all (whoever is still with me) waiting for this a little longer. Anyway, I have it pretty much thought out, but not 100% yet so any suggestions will be welcome.

 

~little princess