Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ❯ Part One ( Chapter 1 )

Part One

Duo wandered down the dank halls of the Academy as his golden, dimond-studded bands clanked against one another in the quiet of the building.

He hated it how they did that. It was so noisy. It upset him. He liked the quiet. He didn't like the screaming or the pain or the anguish or the tears. He liked it to be nice and quiet.

Silently he cursed the Bands. He would never be free as he wore those. Even if some how he managed to destroy the force keeping him at the building, everyone would know what he was because of the Bands. And even if he could physically take them off, it wouldn't matter because he would die if they were removed.

Die or go insane.

He'd seen people who were insane in the pit of the school. Sometimes at night they'd laugh their creepy laughter and it would carry to his room and he shuddered. He didn't like the laughter. It was hollow and filled with anguish and a cynical feeling that would make him cringe and the little hairs along his arms and the back of his neck would stand on end.

He didn't want to laugh like that.

He reached the library and walked down the rows of books.

'Hmmm.... Where to begin, where to begin....' he thought to himself, the dusty covers making him want to sneeze.

He pulled out one. The label was completely worn away and the dust so thick on it you could trace words into it with your finger.

He sneezed as he brushed off the cover.

Hey, Duo.

Duo smiled at the familiar voice. Quatre was in the room somewhere.

He wanted to answer but he knew he couldn't. Quatre knew this too. He wouldn't be offended. Technically he wasn't even supposed to be using his power on the vicinity without a good reason, but no one really cared that much unless you were being destructive or plotting against the Council.

What are you up too? They have me in here to read them some stupid script in Yuotain. I don't really want to translate it because it is highly embarrassing, but they all think it's some great prophecy. Actually, it's just a stupid guy who was trying to impress his friends by...well...writing a little story about...eh...sex.

Duo tried not to, but he had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. He could see the librarians now as Quatre, with a twisted look on his face, translated what he read. They wouldn't believe him and probably beat him until they got a second, third, and fourth opinion on it. Quatre was the best in the school with that language, growing up there and being the only pupil from that part of the country. They always go to him when they notice the language.

He felt sorry for Quatre because he wasn't all that strong of a boy. He didn't want to be involved in all this Art nonsense, but he was. He'd much rather write poetry or press flowers or court a woman than learn an Art, but he really didn't have a choice and tried to make the best of it.

But classes took a lot out of him, and he really couldn't stand too many unnecessary beatings. It wasn't fair, but Duo couldn't do anything to change it.

Boy, Duo, you should see how mad they are now.... I know what's coming, but it will be worth it when they see I'm right in the end. I'm always right, but they *never* believe me. What can I do?

Duo wished he had the power to send a message back to his friend and tell him to be strong, but he couldn't and he felt so hapless standing there staring at the book in his hands.

Poor Quatre.... He always did tell the truth, but he could never convince the teachers. They didn't care about him. They lumped him into every other boy. His individual actions didn't matter. He could be vicious, or he could be sweet, they didn't care. They still hated you.

But poor Quatre didn't understand that. He thought that if he tried hard enough to please them, he eventually would, but he wouldn't. He'd never please them because they didn't care. Anything nice you did was forgotten by the next day, if not the next half hour.

Oh boy.... I'll talk to you later Duo. Tomorrow, at lunch, if I'm feeling well enough. They're pretty mad this time. I can just imagine what they'll do.... Bye.

Duo knew his friend was leaving when he heard the door slam loudly and winced.

"Poor Quatre," he muttered as he sat down with his book and opened it.

He tried not to let a smile too wide form across his face as he looked at the language it was in.

One of those languages they thought that no one could read.

One of the ones he could.

H'sung.

He began to read and really started enjoying it too. It was a book. An actual *book*. Not a prophecy. Not a spell. A book.

The H'sung people were avid traders way back when before their country was destroy and taken over by the Uots 16, 000 years ago. They loved literature and wrote tons of it. They sold it to people, who thought it would be worth something. Anyone they sold their works too didn't understand the point of writing a story on paper and basically got rid of the things as soon as they could. Some believed they were cursed, some who couldn't read the language thought that they were incantations, both such peoples burned them.

Over all, very little of the H'sung literature was saved, and even less people knew how to read it.

Oh, the wonder of being an Incarnate.

If any of the teachers found out that he was an Incarnate or that one of his past lives was as an H'sung trader, they would go into orbit and study him for all he's worth.

He had to be careful not to let them find out.

He didn't want to be hurt any more than he had to be.

Though he knew that was a foolish wish.

"Duo Maxwell," he heard a voice speak and froze.

Teacher Le'phur. Double Band Master of the Wind Element. Hell of a Teacher.

"Yes?" Duo squeaked.

"What *do* you think you're doing?"

"Looking at this."

"Are you, by any chance, *reading* this?" he asked, his voice colder than the icy halls of the bottom floor of the school.

"No."

"Oh, so you're looking at it, flipping pages, smiling, but *not* having a clue what you're looking at?" he asked skeptically.

Duo held up the book innocently. "Don't you think it's a pretty picture?"

Teacher Le'phur sighed grandly and grabbed the book from Duo, closing the fragile pages carefully and resting it on the desk.

"I always knew you were hopeless, Maxwell," he muttered. "It's not a picture, Maxwell, it's a language. It's also a book you shouldn't be touching. It's very old and you'll most likely wreck it if you're deaf and dumb hands get a hold of it. Just stay away from any picture books and only look at stuff you can read, okay," he commanded, shaking his head as he walked away to put the book back on a shelf out of Duo's reach.

Duo was a little upset, but he snickered anyway.

'Asshole,' he thought. 'Thinks he's so much better than me. We're both Double Band, even if my second Band was just added, and he's never going to get any higher, where as I have the potential to become Triple Band, if I try hard enough. Not to mention I'll probably have a better sex life than he will, or ever *did*, have.'

These musings made him feel a little better and he stood once more and exited the room.

'They give us all this free time after Fourth Block Class, but there's nothing to do but go back to your room and contemplate suicide. You have to wander the halls just to stay sane. Until you get lost and then you go insane.'

Duo giggled to himself as he began to skip stupidly down the hall.

Suddenly he stopped as he crossed one of those doors that made the little hairs on his neck stand. Slinking a few feet down he used his knowledge of Wind Art to make the voices inside the door clearer as they wafted in his direction.

"He's new, yes, but he's already on Double Band power. It's creepy. What if they find out?" an older male voice asked worriedly.

"Who, the students? Yeah, right. Like they care anyway. They can't remove the Bands themselves and they know it. What does it matter? Besides, he won't talk. He's barely said two words to us and look at what we've done to him. There is absolutely nothing to worry about," another voice comforted.

"Where will we assign him?" the first voice picked up again, not sounding much more reassured.

"Hmm.... That pesky kid still goes without a roommate."

"True."

"Why don't we stick him there? The least they can do is kill each other."

"Besides," the first spoke, rationale in his voice, "that stupid brat is Wind anyway, Double Band. He can balance out the other and the other can balance him. You know how Wind and Earth work together."

"Yes. Besides, even if this guy had any good plans to over throw us, that Maxwell shit is too stupid to understand anything. It's a wonder he made it to Double Band."

"True.... Some people just have the gift."

Duo cut off his power, turned, and forced himself to walk.

What if they knew he was there? What if it was a sign? What would they do to him?

His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his feet. He choked for breath and the cold hallway seemed to get a lot colder as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Oh, boy, this wouldn't be fun. If they knew, they would beat him to the brink of death.

But they wouldn't let him die. He might be pesky and 'dumb' to them, but they wouldn't kill him.

Duo assumed they had a sick plan for anyone who reached Double Band.

When you reached the age of twenty-five, you disappear. If you're Single Band, they let you go. Hell, if you were twenty-five and Single Band, you weren't going anywhere. You just had the mishap of getting a little Power into you. Nothing serious. However if you're Double, ha. Who knows? If you're Triple.... Duo had never seen a Triple Band before in his entire life. He imagined they had to exist, but never, never had he seen one.

He wanted to be one, but he was also scared.

What would they do to you?

He still had a good ten years to become a Triple Band, but the fear of finding out still ate at him.

It didn't bother him so much when he realized how slow the next ten years would be. Beating, raping, beating, beating, raping, beating....

Yes, the next ten years weren't looking up, especially if the next day was going to be a near death day.

In all his fear, he had completely forgotten about Quatre.

It took a lot in Duo to forget entirely about the only friend he ever had in the entire world.

~Til Then~