Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chupacabras Synchronicity ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Duo looked up at the collared priest and nodded. It was not a lie. He was fine. He was going home…That felt good. All his life he had considered himself homeless, living off the charity of the church that was kind enough to take him in. He had loved that church and always would, and considered the people there his family, but it was not home. Not any more.

Home was where Heero was.

It had taken less than ten minutes for Duo to shove his clothes in a suitcase before he was ready to go. All his electric toy things were stashed in a shed at the college. All that he owned was a few mangas, his clothes, which consisted of school uniforms and priests garb, and his gold cross. There wasn't exactly much to pack.

"Remember to behave Duo! I don't want any phone calls from hospitals this year."

A cold shiver ran down Duo's spine as he listened to Father Maxwell. He knew the priest didn't blame him for what had happened, especially not after Duo had had a chance to explain about the Psionicists. That didn't stop the priest from worrying. In fact, Duo thought it had increased his concern.

"Don't worry Father. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." He smiled, his best `I'm happy, please leave it at that grin'. Father Maxwell sighed and gave in.

"Very well. Just tell Heero that I expect you back in one piece this time."

Duo frowned. He didn't want anyone blaming Heero for what had happened. He knew Father Maxwell didn't blame Heero, that he was just teasing, but…It just wasn't right. Heero just wanted to give life, to preserve what he was. He wanted peace as much as Father Maxwell. If there was anyone to blame, its was Duo himself.

Shinigami.

Duo acknowledged the whispered thought. Yes, he was Shinigami, the god of death, and he lived in a church. The irony was ridiculous. But not for long…

Grabbing his suitcase and slinging it over his shoulder, Duo whistled as he walked down the church steps to the waiting taxi, waving to the statue of Saint Helen, the patron saint of Music, on his way past. He loved that statue. It reminded him of the mother he had never had.

The taxi took him to the bus station. From there it was a six hour bus trip to the college. Duo took the back seat, sprawled out with a manga in his lap as he watched the world go by, dreaming of Heero and the things he would do when he got home.

"Such a strange line…"

Duo looked up to find an old woman sitting on the bus set in front of him. She looked native American. He nodded in acknowledgment, hoping she would leave him alone. No such luck for Duo Maxwell.

The old lady's hand struck like a snake, grabbing his hand and staring at the palm.

"Hey!" Duo protested. "Lady, let go!"

"The line has ended, but you're still here…And the stars are aligned…What could it mean, do you think?"

Duo stared, dumbstruck. She was asking him? Why did everyone ask him? Why did he actually know the answers most times? Shaking his head, Duo twisted his hand hard and ripped it from the woman's grasp. She smiled, a crooked toothless grin.

"I…Well, you see…" Duo stumbled for the words, then clicked his brain into gear, smiling wickedly. This would stump her! "I died last year. So, you see, of course my life line is finished." He pointed at the smooth skin where a line should have been. "As for the stars, they're in the sky. That's all I know."

The lady was nodding. Duo was confused. He had just told her he should be dead, that he had died! And all she did was nod, as if that were completely normal.

Weird old lady…

Duo rested his head on the window and closed his eyes, falling asleep to the mumbling of the old lady.

"If you comply for too long, you'll disappear."

Duo's eyes snapped open, searching for the old lady but she was no more. Confused, he looked out the window and realised it was his stop. Grabbing his suitcase, he hurried to the door, stopping at the driver's seat, thinking hard.

"Excuse me, but…that old lady…when did she get off?"

The driver looked at him, puzzled.

"What old lady?"

"The old Indian one! She was sitting on the back seat."

"No old lady got on the bus today son, sorry," the driver replied, shaking his head, eyes bemused.

A little shaken, Duo jumped off the bus and started walking toward the school.

He felt it before he saw it; a mass of electric waves clustered in one place, pulling him in. He let it, his feet hurrying to meet it as he ran around and corner and they came into view.

Duo was vaguely aware of Trowa and Quatre holding hands, aware of Wufei and Treize leaning against the wall together. He didn't care. All his attention was focussed on the one standing slightly apart, prussian eyes sparkling as Duo rushed forward and threw his arms around Heero.

"Missed you, love you, home…" Duo said over and over as he covered Heero's face with butterfly kisses.

"I missed you too," Heero whispered in his ear when Duo stood still long enough.

Looking over Heero's shoulder Duo saw Trowa pick up his discarded suitcase and mouthed a thank you as he moved to greet the others, Heero's hand still firmly held in his own.

Duo caught site of a bandage on Trowa's hand as the other boy started walking toward the dorms.

"Tro, what happened to your hand?"

Trowa looked out from beneath his bang and frowned. He did not answer Duo's question, which made Duo frown.

"Later," Heero whispered in his ear, wrapping a firm around Duo's waist as they followed Trowa toward the dorm.

Duo kept looking back at the bus, unable to get the old lady's voice out of his head. What had she meant? Comply…it was too similar to Duo's experience in the past year with annual complicity, but the chances that that had anything to do with what the old lady was saying was so slim it made even Duo give it up as an impossibility. That didn't help him figure out what she had meant.

"What's wrong?"

"Weird old lady who wasn't on the bus has me paranoid," Duo replied, annoyed by the old lady, yet amused by the complete confusion clear on Heero's face. He saw the moment when Heero shrugged it off an unimportant and smiled. He had missed Heero more than he cared to admit. Something in him had missed Heero…

Duo rubbed the skin over his heart and winced. There was a pale blue mark there; the remnants of an experience he would rather forget. He had never felt anything quite like the pain he had faced when he woke that first time. It had taken hours to choke his screams and he remembered every one. He simply couldn't make his body stop, couldn't turn off his feelings. The only thing that kept him sane had been Heero's hand, grasped tightly in his.

Duo squeezed the hand in his own, needing that small comfort as much now as he had then. He had the strangest feeling something was watching him, listening to every word he spoke, maybe even his thoughts. It was disconcerting to say the least.

"Heero," Duo finally whined. "Something's watching us, I can feel it."

"I know," Heero replied stoically and pulled him toward the dorms a little faster.

Curiosity piqued sufficiently, fear left Duo, replaced with inquisition. Duo wanted to know, so he lifted his feet, increased his pace and hauled Heero to their room.

Trowa and Quatre were already there, standing by the window, Duo's suitcase tossed on his bed.

"Thanks Trowa," Duo nodded at his suitcase and Trowa nodded in reply. It was all the thanks he needed.

Heero was pushing Duo toward the window.

"Trowa and Quatre are directly above us. The ledges are wide, so sneaking between the rooms won't be too hard. Wufei and Treize are across the field in the larger dorms again."

Duo nodded in reply to Heero to show he had remembered all the information. He was surprised when Heero pushed him right against the window. He was about to ask what he was meant to be looking at when he had the strange impression something was watching him. Again.

Eyes narrowed in a way that would have had anyone else wincing, Duo scanned the landscape outside, sensing…something. He reached out with his Psionic ability and came up with the strangest feeling ever. A prickling apart from everything he was made from.

"Can you feel that? I can't even touch it!"

Heero was nodding by his shoulder. Duo tried harder to focus on the feeling, but it kept running away, just slipping through his grasp.

"I can't get at it!" Duo snarled in annoyance. A soothing hand ran down his spine.

"We almost can. It's just a lot faster than us," Quatre butted in pointing down at the hedge below. Duo looked where Quatre pointed and noticed there were large glowing eyes looking up at him. Straight at him. Those eyes were hostile.

Duo stepped back from the window, alarmed. The old lady popped into his head, the feel of her finger tracing his palm. Dead, Duo reminded himself. I should be dead. Even my palm says so. Does that thing know?

Courage renewed, Duo stepped up to the window once more and glared. The eyes sunk back into the hedge and disappeared.

"Well that's a first!" Quatre piqued. "How did you do that?" He was looking down at the hedge in confusion.

"I don't know," Duo said more to himself more than the others. "But I think I know where to find out."

Moving away from the window Duo headed for the door, aware of Heero on his heels.

"Duo?" Quatre called from the window but Duo just waved to tell them not to come. He needed time to find what he needed. He just hoped the library lady had taken his hints over the holidays and ordered some new books on certain subjects.

"Library?" Heero asked, practically reading his mind.

Duo nodded, still holding Heero's hand tight in his own.

If you comply for too long, you'll disappear…

Duo shuddered and picked up the pace. He wanted to get to the library, find what he needed and go back to his room. There was something he needed to put on that he had stored away too long.

End Chapter One.