Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mistaken Identity ❯ Mistaken Identity ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Mistaken Identity

Author: Niere

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Crossover (Gundam Wing/Xena Warrior Princess), AU, action/adventure, angst, humor

DISCLAIMER: None of these characters belong to me. I'm just succumbing to the rabid plot bunny that bit me with this "what if…?" This is written purely for fun, no money is made, nor would be accepted if offered.

Summary: Ares, the god of war, has summoned Shinigami, the god of death, to aid him. Who did he get? Duo Maxwell, and his fellow Gundam pilots instead.

Warnings: Definite AU here!! This is my first attempt at a Gundam Wing fan fic, and I haven't seen Xena in years, so if anyone is OOC, please forgive me.

A/N: Wufei is always ranting on how weak women are. I was reading a lovely fanfic (sorry, don't remember which one, now) and he was doing it again. A thought ran through my head….. "Maybe, but Xena was cool…" And the rest is to follow. (Ok, I know the thought was about Wufei, but I identify more with Duo, so…..)

* * * * *

"All right!!" Duo's excited voice came over the comlink, "that's the last of them."

The five Gundam pilots maneuvered around the wreckage to regroup and discuss their next move.

"Heero, Wufei, did you get the information?" Quatre asked, concerned.

"Ninmu kanryou," Heero assured him.

"Great! Now we can get some well deserved rest. Race you back to Earth!" Deathscythe turned and shot away from the group.

"Baka," was the muttered comment as the Wing pilot took off after his partner.

The others quickly turned to follow. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over Quatre. It seemed to be coming from ahead of them. "Heero! Duo!" he called. "Watch out! There's something….." His eyes widened as a black hole appeared right in front of Duo's gundam.

The hole appeared so suddenly and the boys were traveling so fast and close together, all that was heard was their shouts of horror as, one by one, they disappeared into the darkness.

* * * * *

The fire crackling merrily was the only sound in the clearing. Xena sent a glare at Joxer and continued to sharpen her Shakrum.

"How many times can I say I'm sorry?" he asked.

"Next time, we'll leave you there," Xena told him.

Joxer cringed and edged closer to Gabrielle who rolled her eyes and gave a long-suffering sigh. All eyes shot skyward when a loud booming sound was heard and they could see a circular, dark shape. Five objects appeared from the shape, falling quickly toward the ground. In a flash, Xena was on her feet and running in the direction the objects would land. Gabrielle snatched up her staff and was hot on her heels.

Joxer remained seated at the fire. "I'll just keep guard here," he murmured sheepishly.

* * * * *

The girls entered the newly-made clearing cautiously. Scattered there was what appeared to be giant…. men? No, not men….exactly. Man-shaped, yes, but very odd, very….. angular man-shaped objects. They appeared to be made of some sort of metal. The girls' guard was intensified at a sound from across the clearing. Two, more normal, men appeared.

"Friends of yours?" Xena called with a wry smirk.

"I was hoping that you knew them," Hercules called back.

Carefully, the four made their way around the edge of the clearing.

"Long time, no see," Hercules said, clasping Xena's forearm.

"Too long," Xena agreed, returning his clasp.

"Who are they?" Gabrielle asked, nodding in the direction of the strange objects.

"A better question would be. what are they," Iolaus stated.

A slight movement caught Xena's attention and her head turned toward the clearing. An annoyed look appeared on her face. "Ares!"

"Xena, my love!" the dark haired god of war called, walking over to the group. "Somehow I knew you'd be here."

The warrior princess stalked up to her nemesis. "What have you done this time?"

The giants suddenly started moving, causing the five in the clearing to hurry to the safety of the trees. As they watched, the giants slowly maneuvered into standing positions. The group's eyes widened when the abdomen of each giant opened.

Ares straightened his tunic and squared his shoulders. "Welcome, my friends," he called, striding into the midst of the metal giants. "I'll admit that I wasn't expecting so many, but any and all help is highly appreciated." He turned in a slow circle, eying the newcomers. "Now, which one of you is Shinigami?"

"MAAXWEEELLLL!" Wufei's voice echoed across the clearing.

"Don't look at me!" Duo yelled back. "This wasn't my idea!"

* * * * *

The group eyed each other uneasily as Ares finished his explanation. Well, most of them. Duo and Xena just stared at the god of war: his expression incredulous, hers exasperated.

"You brought me….I mean us….here to fight demons?" Duo all but yelped.

"Ares, they're children!" Xena exclaimed at the same time.

Ares just shrugged sheepishly. "How was I supposed to know?"

Quatre had been listening, paying close attention to the impressions coming through his space heart. He leaned closer to Heero. "Maybe we should help them," he whispered. The Wing pilot glanced at his comrade. "I don't think they mean us any harm, besides, how else are we supposed to get home?"

"Hn." Heero looked thoughtful.

Duo overheard the whispered conversation. "That's right," he interjected, "how are we supposed to get home?"

"Um," Ares blushed a bit then stood. "Well then," he said, talking quickly, "I'll leave the planning to you talented people." With that, he disappeared.

"Ares!" Xena jumped to her feet, staring at where the god of war had been standing.

The gundam pilots looked at each other. "It looks like we may as well help these people, since we seem to be stranded here," Quatre offered. "It shouldn't be too hard with the gundams helping."

"Nope." Everyone stared at the braided pilot where he had flopped onto his back and was staring at the stars.

"What do you mean?" Wufei asked.

"No can do," Duo told them. "Can't use the gundams for this one."

"How else are we supposed to defeat demons?" Wufei snapped..

"I don't know, but we can't use the gundams." He propped himself up on an elbow and looked at his fellow pilots. "I don't know about you, but 'Scythe is running a bit low on go-juice and I sure haven't seen anything resembling a gas station around here."

"He's right." Duo brightened a bit at Heero's affirmation. "Since most of the last fight was in space, we are well stocked on explosives and ammo for the handguns. However, none of us have unlimited supplies."

"And there's no telling how long we'll be here," Trowa agreed.

"Not to mention 'Scythe could use a bit of work." The other pilots agreed with Duo on that point. The fight had been rather light, all things considered, but all of the gundams had been slightly damaged and needed repairs.

Xena had been listening closely to their conversation, even though she had not understood much of what they were talking about. "Your machines need to be repaired?"

"Exactly," Wufei told her. "Stupid onna," he muttered under his breath.

Xena shot him a look, then sighed, rolling her eyes. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow you boys can work on your toys while we," she indicated the older warriors, "will scout where the demons are. Then we can come up with a plan for how to destroy them."

"Toys!?" Duo and Wufei sputtered.

Heero silenced them with a gesture. "Ninmu ryoukai. Duo, you've the first watch." Then he laid down to get some sleep.

* * * * *

Duo cautiously woke Heero for his watch. He froze until his partner recognized him and lowered the gun. That didn't bother him….much. After all, he was rather used to it. "What are we gonna do?" the braided pilot asked.

"What we planned," Heero told him. "In the morning we are going to repair our gundams while they scout the demons." He noted the surprised look on Duo's face. "They do know the territory."

"Oh," understanding dawned. "They are the best choice for scouting, then." Duo thought a moment. "With the gundams in full readiness, we'll be set to go. That is, if that Ares person figures out a way to send us back."

"Get some sleep, Duo."

"Huh?" Duo looked at his partner, then grinned. "Yeah, good idea. I'm sure someone will figure something out, right?"

"I sure hope so," Heero thought, turning to scan the surrounding area.

* * * * *

The next day proceeded according to plan. The pilots worked on repairing their gundams, helping each other as the need arose, either with parts or just an extra hand. The warriors left just after dawn to scout where the demons were located and how many there were. Joxer stayed behind…."to guard the children" he had said. In actuality, he was making a total nuisance of himself more than 'guarding' anyone.

"Are you sure I can't help with anything?" Joxer asked.

Heero just glared at him from where he was laying underneath the control panel he was working on. "Baka," he muttered before turning back to his work.

"Hey Heero!" Duo's voice was heard. "My calibrator is acting up. You have one handy?"

Heero sighed then reached for the requested piece of equipment. Wiggling out from under the panel, he handed the calibrator to Joxer. "Take this and go help him."

Joxer looked at the unfamiliar object he held, then shrugged. "Ok." He made his way down Wing and climbed up Deathscythe. Upon entering the cockpit, he saw Duo in a similar position as Heero was; buried under a control panel with just his legs showing. An open hand was extended and Joxer placed the equipment into it.

"Thanks Heero."

"Um, your friend said I should help you."

There was a banging sound and a yell from under the panel followed by a muttered "Gee…thanks, Heero." The pilot wiggled out from under the panel and regarded his visitor with a disarming grin. "Well……Joxer, right?" Joxer nodded. "It's not like I don't appreciate the offer, but….."

"Hi-yi-yi-yi-yi!!" The boys turned toward the sound.

"What the….?" Duo exclaimed.

Joxer turned toward the braided pilot. "It's Xena!" he explained. "That's her battle cry."

Duo grabbed his gun from where it lay on the pilot's seat and shoved a spare clip in his pocket. Turning to Joxer he instructed, "Stay here!" then headed toward the hatch. He paused and looked over his shoulder adding, "And Don't. Touch. Anything!" Then he slid down the lift cable, yelling, "Incoming!" The other pilots heard Duo's cry and, weapons in hand, joined him in the clearing.

Iolaus broke through the underbrush with Gabrielle close on his heels. "They're coming this way!" Iolaus panted, as he came up to the boys.

"Where are the others?" Quatre asked.

"They were right behind us," Gabrielle told him. "They must have stopped to try and slow them down."

"How many?" Heero inquired.

"There's only a small group of them following us," Iolaus said, pulling his sword, "about 20 or so."

Xena appeared from the edge of the forest, flipping over the surrounding bushes. Hercules followed her on foot. Together they ran up to the group. "Well, we discovered that they can be killed," Xena told them.

"That's right," Hercules agreed. "All you have to do is cut off their head."

Upon hearing that remark, Wufei darted over to ShenLong and shimmied up the lift cable, disappearing into the cockpit. He reappeared a moment later, buckling on his katana. Xena nodded as he rejoined the group and pulled his sword. "Nice," she stated, then turned to the other pilots. "Any of you others know sword work?"

"Hai, I do," Heero told her.

Xena pulled her own sword and handed it to him. Heero hefted it and tried a couple of practice swings. He nodded in agreement, then turned toward where they could now hear growling coming from the forest.

Quatre turned toward Heero and Wufei. "Trowa, Duo and I will cover you from the Gundams."

"Gabrielle, go with them," Xena told her partner. "Your staff is no good right now."

Gabrielle nodded, then looked around. "Where's Joxer?" she asked.

Duo's eyes widened. "Oh, shit! I left him in Deathscythe!"

"Which one is that?" Gabrielle asked. Duo pointed to his beloved Gundam. "I'll go protect him," she said with a smile.

Duo paused as he passed by Xena. "Lady," he said, eyeing her Shakrum, "cool Frisbee, but I don't think the demons will be interested in playing." Xena just looked at him while Gabrielle smirked. Right then, the demons appeared, pushing their way through the underbrush. Xena took aim and flung her Shakrum. It ricocheted it off a tree and decapitated the lead demon. Reaching up, she caught it as it flew back on rebound. Duo's eyes widened. "Forget I said anything," he muttered as he took off toward his gundam, Gabrielle hot on his heels.

The bladed warriors assessed the demons while the snipers took their positions, firing at the advancing hoard as they moved. The demons were tall, towering almost seven feet in height, but rail thin. Their only weapons seemed to be their long teeth and sharp claws. They moved with determination toward their prey, shuffling slowly through the bushes surrounding the clearing.

It was quickly determined that the bullet wounds only seemed to anger them, doing little in the way of real damage. Duo became frustrated with the situation as he watched his comrades and new-found friends enter the fray, swords flying. Although their shots wouldn't kill, they did slow a slashing arm long enough for a killing swipe to be given.

This wasn't enough for the braided pilot. He wanted to do more to help and protect those he cared about. Thinking furiously, he suddenly had an idea. He changed the clip in the handgun, exchanging the one with regular bullets for the hollow-points in his pocket. He aimed carefully at the throat of one of the demons heading toward Heero, and fired. He was gratified when the demon's head fell forward and it's body collapsed as most of it's neck disappeared with the blast.

"Hey, Duo!" Quatre called from his perch on HeavyArms' shoulder. "How'd you do that?"

"Hollow-points!"

"Smart thinking!"

Duo grinned at the blond pilot. "Shinigami's back in action," he said to himself turning back to the battle.

The battle was short, but fierce. Hercules and Iolaus ended up fighting back to back as did Xena and Wufei. Xena was using Joxer's sword that Gabrielle had tossed to her when the demons got too close for her Shakrum to be effective. Duo watched Heero's back from his perch on Deathscythe. Trowa and Quatre, not having hollow-point bullets available at the moment, slowed the demon's blows as best they could.

In a matter of minutes, it was all over. The clearing was littered with demon parts and the fighters were all panting and blood-spattered. The snipers climbed down and helped with the clean-up, piling the assorted parts in the center of the clearing for incineration. Even Joxer was bullied into helping.

The local warriors were surprised when Trowa sprinkled the pile with a liquid before setting it aflame. "To cut down on the smell and help it burn faster," he explained. Even he was surprised at just how little smell the burning flesh caused.

The sun was getting low in the sky by the time the bodies were nothing but a pile of ashes. Wearily, the group made their way to a near-by stream to clean themselves up. The demon's blood, having dried on their skin and clothes, was rather tenacious and hard to remove.

Duo was coming up for air, having lathered his hair yet again. He was beginning to wonder if it would ever come clean, when he noticed Heero scrubbing at his arm and wincing. Worried, he made his way over to his partner. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Heero had a laceration on his forearm. It was only about two inches long, but deep. The edges were gapped open and already becoming very red and swollen.

Duo gasped and caught the Wing pilot as he swayed then fell, unconscious. Yelling for help, he dragged his friend to shore.

Hercules came running up and spied the unconscious teen. Quickly, he scooped Heero up and carried him back to camp. There, he laid him carefully on a blanket that Quatre spread for him.

Duo started digging through his pack, looking for his first aid kit. Remembering Murphy's law, he upended the pack, dumping the contents. There it was, at the bottom. He grabbed the kit and hurried back to Heero.

Xena was kneeling next to unconscious pilot examining the wound. "It looks like a claw mark," she said.

"Poisoned?" Gabrielle asked.

"Probably."

Duo knelt beside Xena and opened the first aid kit. He took out a bottle of solution and some sterile gauze and began carefully cleaning the wound.

"What's that?" Gabrielle inquired.

"Antiseptic."

The Amazon frowned. "What he needs is something to pull the poison out."

Duo turned toward her, his expression thunderous. "What he needs is a fucking hospital!" he growled. "But since I don't happen to have one handy, I'm doing the best I can!"

Gabrielle backed up, startled by the vehemence of his tone.

Xena opened the bag of herbs she had retrieved from her pack, and crushed some together, making a poultice. Gently she laid her hand on the braided pilot's shoulder. "Put this on the wound. It will help to draw out the poison."

Duo eyed the mixture suspiciously.

"Try it, Duo," Quatre said softly. "It can't hurt."

Nodding, Duo moved back, motioning for Xena to proceed. She placed the herbs on the open wound and wrapped it carefully. She placed another bunch in a cloth, and wrapped it up, then handed it to Duo.

"I'm going to look for more herbs," she said, standing. "That will have to be changed every couple of hours." She looked at the worried teen. "Just crush them together, then put them on the open area. Keep it wrapped," she instructed, then turned to the older warriors. "Come help me look."

Hercules, Iolaus and Gabrielle nodded. They understood that the young pilots had been through a lot in a very short amount of time and needed some time alone to deal with things. They picked up packs and headed into the forest to search out the herbs needed. Joxer yelped as Gabrielle grabbed his hand, dragging him along.

Quatre came up and placed a damp cloth on Heero's forehead. Duo just sat there, staring at his partner's face. "It wasn't your fault," the blond pilot said quietly.

"None of you would be here if it weren't for me. I'm the one Ares wanted."

"Not exactly," Wufei pointed out, coming up behind them and placing a hand on Duo's shoulder. "But we are who he ended up summoning. And we will get through this."

Duo looked up, his eyes bright with unshed tears. He covered the hand on his shoulder with his own and gave a shaky smile. "Thanks, man."

Trowa knelt next to Quatre and looked down at their fallen leader. "He is strong. He should pull through." He looked up at the Chinese pilot. "You take the first watch. Duo will stay here with Heero." Wufei nodded and Trowa and Quatre stood. They left the two alone.

"You have to pull through," Duo whispered. "We need you." He covered his partner's hand with his own. "I need you."

* * * * *

Xena and company soon found an ample supply of the herbs they needed. Upon returning to camp, Hercules, Iolaus and Gabrielle began preparing a stew while Xena moved to check her patient. She stopped and a small smile crossed her face as she observed the sight before her.

Duo was dozing where he had been watching over Heero. He was curled up next to his friend, his gun clutched in one hand and Heero's uninjured hand in the other. Xena started toward the pair. She was moving silently until Trowa caught her arm. She looked at him in surprise. "He's a soldier, ma'am," he explained. "Make noise." The warrior princess nodded in understanding. She proceeded toward the pair, calling the braided pilot's name softly as she approached.

Duo became instantly awake at the sound of his name. He spotted Xena and visibly relaxed, slipping the safety to his gun back on.

"How is he?" she asked, kneeling beside them.

"Restless," Duo answered. "He hasn't shown signs of regaining consciousness yet."

Xena began carefully removing the bandage and soaked poultice. "How many times has this been changed?"

"Just the once."

Xena smiled as the last of the poultice came off. "Looks like we caught it in time." The wound had much improved. The redness was almost gone and the swelling was greatly decreased.

Just then, Heero twitched. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he sat up. His expression was confused as he looked around.

"Heero, good buddy!" Duo exclaimed. "Welcome back."

"Duo? Is that you?"

Duo placed a gentle hand on Heero's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm here." His voice turned harsher. "Why didn't you tell anyone that you were injured?"

"Hn."

"Heero, this isn't like setting your own leg this time. You were poisoned!"

Heero's eyes widened. He looked at Xena who nodded in agreement. "He's right. You were lucky that he noticed the damage so quickly." She finished wrapping the injured extremity, then stood. "I'll go check on dinner." With that, she turned and left the two alone again. The two boys sat in silence.

Duo looked at his partner when he heard him mutter something. "What was that?"

"Arigato, Duo."

"You'd do the same for me."

"Hn."

Duo grinned at Heero's usual response. "Hey, we still need you back home, you know."

Heero glowered at the braided pilot. "Baka."

Duo chuckled as he flopped onto his back and lay staring at the stars. Heero reclined next to him. Together they lay there, just watching the sky above them.

"It's so strange, you know?" Duo said after a time.

"What is?" Gabrielle asked, coming up to them.

The boys sat up and Duo indicated the starry sky above them. "The stars."

Gabrielle handed them each a bowl of the stew and sat beside them, looking up. "Are they different than where you're from?"

Duo considered the question. "Yes and no." He continued in explanation. "The stars are the same, but yet there are differences."

"Like what?"

He pointed toward Orion. "You see that constellation over there?" Gabrielle nodded. "The stars are the same, but the colony is missing. There should be one more light in the belt."

"We use the stars to navigate," Gabrielle offered.

Duo chuckled. "So do we," he said with a grin. "We just get a bit closer to them than you do."

Gabrielle just shook her head. "You really go up there? To the stars, I mean?"

Duo sighed, wistfully. "Yeah, we really do." He made a wry face. "Well, sort of, anyway. We haven't actually made it to other star systems….well, not yet. But we have gone past the moon." They began to eat their dinner when Duo thought of something. He turned to Gabrielle. "Hey, sorry about yelling at you earlier….."

"Forget it," she told him. "You were worried. I understand." They smiled at each other and continued to eat.

* * * * *

"Anthill to moles...report." Duo grinned at the embarrassment in Quatre's voice as he heard the small puff of air blow into the mic, both acknowledging the faint whisper and signaling for 'Anthill' to stand-by. He double-checked his own surroundings adjusting his night-vision goggles through the spectrum. Other than the tall figure of Trowa visible in infra-red, there was nothing to be seen. Apparently his current partner agreed as the signal for "nothing" came over his head-set. He breathed a similar signal as he made another mark on the wall.

The two pilots were currently deep underground, checking out a cave system where the demons had been sighted. They were in total stealth-mode: maintaining extreme radio silence, thus the "breathed" signals from the recon team and operating in the total darkness of the cave. Duo was measure-marking their back-trail with a special magnetic paint that couldn't be seen with "normal" vision. With every mark he made, he would send up a quick prayer that the demons' vision didn't include anything outside the visible spectrum.

They had been cautiously making their way through the tunnel for the last hour, moving carefully and silently. There had been nothing…..no demons, no off-branching tunnels, just smooth, uninterrupted stone. It was as if someone had punched a straw through solid rock to form the passageway. It was featureless. It was eerie. It was BORING!! The tension was starting to get to the hyper-active pilot. He briefly considered painting something on the wall to break it up. 'Duo was here' or 'Shinigami Rules' would do nicely. Duo shook his head with a grin. Maybe not. Heero would kill him for sure if the demons didn't.

Slipping the paint stick back into his pocket, he looked up to see Trowa was just ahead. Duo hurried to where the Heavyarms pilot was waving to him. There was a sharp bend in the tunnel. Finally! A change in the monotony, however small.

Cautiously, they peeked around the corner to find more of the featureless tunnel. Duo wanted to scream until he noticed the light flashing at the end. It was a dim light, but a light none-the-less. Suddenly, they could hear growls coming from ahead, as if the demons were cheering something.

The boys plastered themselves to the sides of the passage and inched their way forwards. The tunnel ended on a ledge that snaked it's way down the side of a large cavern. Crouching low, they peered over the edge. What they saw on the floor far below turned their blood to ice.

The demons were there, alright. Hundreds of them. They could see a portal on the wall across from them, similar to the one they were brought through. Every minute or so the portal would flare and another demon would step out.

Trowa raised the video camera and quickly taped the cavern and scene below. Once he had scanned the area, he nodded to Duo and the boys backed into the tunnel. They moved quickly this time, ending in an all out run. They had to let the others know about this immediately!

* * * * *

The older warriors watched curiously as the young terrorists gathered around a strange flat object. Joxer started slightly as Heero broke it open before setting the thing on a stump for all to see. "What is that thing?"

"Laptop," was the grunted reply,.

They looked on in amazement as the thing slowly lit up. Heero quickly pressed several buttons on the bottom portion and a tray slid out of the side. Trowa dropped a shiny disc into the tray which then slid back in. A picture formed of the interior of a large cavern.

"Oh, my," Gabrielle breathed, reaching towards the picture.

Heero grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch." Gabrielle smiled sheepishly and reclaimed her hand.

Growls were heard. The warriors jumped up, looking around for the demons. Iolaus spied them on the small screen and gasped, "A portal!" Swords were quickly drawn.

Hearing the sound behind them, the terrorists grabbed their own weapons and whirled to find themselves at sword-point. Everyone stood there, waiting for the others to make the first move.

Suddenly Duo noticed something. The warriors' eyes weren't on them, they were fixed on something behind them. He glanced over his shoulder and snickered, lowering his gun. He reached out and pushed Heero's gun down also. Heero stared at him in amazement. Duo nodded at the laptop. "Guys," he said with a grin, "it's just a picture. The demons aren't here. Well, not yet, anyway."

Xena's eyes snapped to his. "What?"

"Hey Heero, show them 'rewind' why don't you?"

* * * * *

"But we have to use the gundams," Wufei argued. "We don't have enough manpower or weapons to kill them all by hand!"

"And there's no guarantee that the gundam's weapons will cut off the heads instead of just cutting them in half or removing pieces," Duo shot back. "Those things may tower over us, but they're barely even ankle-biters compared to 'Scythe."

"But Deathscythe could take them all out alone gathered in that cavern like they are."

Duo glared at his friend. "And just how am I supposed to get him in the cavern, huh? That tunnel is large, but not that large! What are we supposed to do? Blast our way in? And there's still the fuel problem, you know. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to walk back from space!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know!" Duo stalked off raking his hand through his bangs.

Heero watched his partner begin pacing in frustration. "What about the explosives? We could seal the tunnel, blocking them in."

Hercules shook his head. "They would just dig their way out in another direction. You'd have to almost level the mountain."

"I thought you were supposed to move mountains not level them, bro," a curvaceous blond said with a grin as she materialized. She glanced at the pilots who were staring at her wide-eyed. She smirked and reached out, gently closing Quatre's mouth.

The Arabian blushed, then remembered his manners. "Hello there. I'm Quatre Raberba Winner," he said offering his hand. His blush deepened slightly as the beautiful blond accepted his hand with a seductive smile, then turned and introduced his companions.

Hercules reached over and rescued Quatre's hand from his sister's. "Aphrodite, leave them alone."

"Aphrodite?" Wufei looked thoughtful. "The Goddess of…"

"Love. You got it sweetie." She giggled at the look on the Chinese pilot's face then turned to Hercules. "So, who are your new traveling companions?"

He motioned for her to have a seat and proceeded to recount the tale.

"Shinigami?" Aphrodite looked around. "Where?"

Duo's face flamed as fingers pointed in his direction. "Um, that would be me," he said, wiggling his fingers in greeting.

Aphrodite's eyes widened. "You're the God of Death?"

Wufei rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't ask."

The blond Goddess shrugged. "Whatever. Ares brought you here, huh? Well you're definitely stuck then."

"We've found the demons and are working on how to get rid of them," Quatre told her. "But we don't know yet just how we are supposed to get home."

Aphrodite thought for a moment. "Athena might be able to help. I could ask her if you'd like."

Quatre smiled at her. "Thank you. We would surely appreciate it."

"Sure, honey buns. Anything for a sweetie like you." She stood, then leaned over to Hercules. "Hey bro," she said in a conspiratorial stage whisper, "if Athena can't send them back, can I keep them? They're cute!"

Quatre, Wufei and Duo gaped at her, eyes wide and faces flaring. Trowa just looked at her, his cheeks pinked.

Aphrodite laughed merrily. "I was just kidding. Tootles!" She blew the boys a kiss as she disappeared.

"Hn," Heero grunted, looking away to hide his own darkened cheeks. He began typing on his laptop.

Trowa blinked a couple of times then shook his head. He looked over Heero's shoulder at the inventory of explosives that had been called up to the screen. "We couldn't get the entire passage," he pointed to the screen, "not enough explosives."

Quatre sighed. "That won't work, then."

Duo, who had continued pacing throughout the strange visit, suddenly stopped short. "Hey Heero. How's the charge on your beam cannon?"

The teen looked up. "Fully charged."

"That's it then!" He noticed the blank looks directed his way. "The gundams won't fit, but a beam shot should do the trick."

Heero considered then nodded. "It just might work. Good thinking." Duo beamed at the praise.

The older warriors looked on, listening in confusion. The discussion held by the teen terrorists became rather technical as they discussed the logistics needed to target the awesome weapon.

* * * * *

"Why me?" Duo whined.

Quatre gave him an exasperated look. "You've already been there and know the route."

"Besides," Trowa pointed out, "you know where you painted the markings. Anyone else would have to look for them.

"But it's a straight shot…." Duo slumped in defeat. "Fine," he sighed grabbing the electronic locator that Heero would use as a focus for Wing's beam cannon. He started out of the clearing then stopped, turning toward Heero. "Just wait 'till I'm clear before you fire, 'k?"

The corner of Heero's mouth quirked slightly. "Baka," he muttered.

Duo grinned. "Thanks buddy!" he said and took off toward the cave.

* * * * *

"FIRE!"

Quatre jerked the headset off, his ears ringing.

"Duo, where are you?" Heero's voice was faint, but audible through the head phones. Trowa reached out and flipped a switch on the communication system. Duo's heavy breathing could now be heard by all through the system's speakers.

"They're starting to mobilize," came Duo's panted response. "Dammit, Heero! Fire!"

"You're not clear."

Quatre grabbed the microphone. "Duo, is the spy cam in place?"

"Yeah. Eye's open."

The blond turned on the monitor. A slightly grainy, but adequate view of the cave mouth appeared on the screen. "They haven't reached the entrance yet. Heero, is Wing powered up and ready?"

"Hai. Target locked in."

"Good. Wait for my signal. Duo, keep moving. We'll try to hold out until you're clear."

"'K"

Eight sets of eyes remained anxiously fixed on the view of the cave's entrance. Worry for the braided pilot was clear in their expressions. Duo's precise location was unknown. Was he headed straight back, directly in the line of fire? Or was he moving on a tangent, losing himself in the forest to avoid the beam's path? They could tell from the sound of his increasingly labored breathing that he was running at full speed. They could also hear him crashing through the underbrush.

Movement on the screen tore all focus to the monitor. A figure slowly shuffled into view.

"Oh, Allah," Quatre breathed, then his voice firmed. "Here they come. Heero, fire."

"Duo, where are you?" The worry was audible in Heero's voice.

The spectators stared in horror as more and more of the demons oozed from the mouth of the cave.

"Heero," Duo's breathless voice was heard, "the mission *pant* comes first. *pant* I know that. Get home *pant* if you *pant* can." For a moment they heard nothing but harsh panting. "If you *pant* can't, *pant* take care *pant* of 'Scyth *pant* for me. *pant* 'K?" They could hear that trademark grin in those final words.

"Ninmu ryoukai, Duo," was the soft reply.

A blinding flash of light was accompanied by a wash of searing heat. There was only a brief glimpse on the screen as the deadly laser beam totally annihilated the emerging demons, along with a good portion of the mountainside.

There were no smiles in the group. No sounds of congratulations for a mission accomplished. All that could be heard was the faint echo of Duo's agonized scream.

* * * * *

It was a long time before the pilots finally managed to extract Heero from Wing's cockpit. Quatre looked over to where the silent figure sat, dead eyes gazing sightlessly into the fire. The Arabian's space heart ached with the intense grief and guilt that radiated from the Japanese pilot. He longed to comfort his friend, but what could he say? There was no doubt that Duo was dead, by Heero's own hand, however unintentional it had been. The blue-green gaze shifted as a tall figure crouched beside him. "He's in so much pain," he whimpered, another wave of emotional agony washing over him.

"I know." Trowa pressed a warm mug into cold hands and pulled the trembling form into a comforting embrace. "We all cared for Duo. Give him time."

"Hey everyone, what's up? Why all the long faces?"

The couple winced slightly at the cheerful voice.

"Aphrodite," Hercules nodded in greeting.

The Goddess of Love dropped gracefully to sit beside Hercules. "So" she said cheerfully, "tell me what happened. Didn't you get all of the uglies? I noticed the mountain is sort of, you know, missing."

Hercules waved at her in a shushing motion. He then proceeded then to tell her about the disastrous mission. His voice quieted as he recounted the part about Heero firing the weapon, destroying the demons and inadvertently killing his partner.

"Shinigami's dead, huh?" She grinned impishly at the almost catatonic teen. "You sure about that?"

A rustling noise caught everyone's attention, accompanied by a low moan of pain.

Heero's head shot up at the familiar voice.

Quatre spotted the ragged figure struggling in the brush at the edge of the clearing. "Duo!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet.

Heero was faster. In a flash he had jerked the braided pilot out of the bushes and into a crushing embrace.

"Oi, Heero," Duo gasped. "I do need to breathe, you know."

Heero's arms tightened briefly, then he reluctantly released the breathless American and stepped back. He eyed the thin form. The teen's clothes were torn and slightly bloodied from a multitude of scratches and abrasions. The worst was his back. He had been severely scorched, progressively worsening from his head downwards. Heero's eyes narrowed as he took in his partner's damaged condition. "Status?"

Duo thought a moment, evaluating himself. "Some burns on my back, cuts and scratches, and I think my ankle's broken." He grinned at his partner. "I'm a little cooked, but I'm ok." His grin turned sheepish. "Maybe using that beam cannon in the atmosphere wasn't such a good idea, ne?"

"Interrogate him later," Quatre chastised, coming up to them. "Help get him to the fire.

Heero grabbed one of Duo's arms, draping it over his shoulder. Trowa slipped under the other. The two all but carried the wounded teen towards the others.

Several minutes later found an exasperated Xena and an irritated Quatre arguing with the wounded and extremely stubborn patient.

"Duo," Quatre pointed out yet again, "we can't treat the burns if you won't take your pants off."

The death-grip tightened. "But I'm fine," the red-faced teen insisted, "just a little scorched is all."

"Duo," Heero said with a glare, "enough is enough. Drop them."

Duo's eyes widened, then he smirked. "Oh, Heero," he drawled, "I appreciate the offer, but," he glanced around at the others and his voice dropped to a loud whisper, "not in public, eh?"

Heero's eyebrows shot up and his face reddened. "Hn," he growled, turning away, arms crossing across his chest. A small movement from Trowa caught the Wing pilot's attention. With his single visible eyebrow raised in inquiry, Trowa surreptitiously brought into view a small, sharp-bladed knife. He was careful to keep the weapon hidden from the keen-eyed, soon-to-be "victim". Heero considered, then with a sigh, nodded slightly. Trowa caught Wufei's attention and cocked his head, motioning the other to join him. The two moved to speak with Hercules and Iolaus to obtain their assistance in the "attack".

Heero sat quietly, watching Duo's histrionics. He could understand the teen's skittishness. None of the pilots would willingly show vulnerability among strangers, allies or not. But Duo needed his injuries treated. The burns on his back had been bad enough, but they obviously worsened further down his body. There was no telling just how bad the lowest ones were if they couldn't get those pants off of him!

Heero looked up as Trowa and Wufei came up beside him. "Ready?" Heero nodded at Wufei's inquiry and stood. He turned to say something to the Chinese pilot, then froze. He didn't much care for the excited gleam in those dark eyes. He caught the other's arm as he started forward. Glaring blue eyes caught surprised black ones. "Restraint only. Don't hurt him."

Wufei looked shocked for a moment at the accusation, then nodded. More subdued, he turned to follow the others.

The five men didn't "stalk" over to Duo…..exactly….but an onlooker could see how he would perceive it that way. "Uh, guys?" Duo looked up at them, panic creeping over his features. "What are you doing?"

"The pants have to come off, Duo," Trowa told him. "One way or another."

Xena stared at the men. "Five against one? Are you sure that's necessary?"

"I just hope it's enough," Wufei said, never taking his eyes off the braided pilot.

Duo's face paled and he started scrabbling backwards, heedless of his injuries, as Trowa lifted the knife. "You don't need that," he babbled. "Don't come any closer! I didn't do anything!" Duo's exclamations became progressively incoherent as the men launched themselves at him. They managed to grab the teen, sitting on him to attempt to keep him still. Duo bucked and wriggled like a wild thing. Hercules ended up sitting on his chest, using all his extraordinary strength to contain the teen's hands. Iolaus was in position behind him. Heero planted himself on Duo's upper thighs with Wufei straddling his knees. Trowa sat on his lower legs, facing his feet. Knife in hand, he tried to grab the end of Duo's pants leg.

Quatre, Xena and Gabrielle stood by watching the comical sight. Five men against one small, wounded teen….and the teen seemed to be winning! Trowa looked up to see Quatre smirking at them. "A little help here, please?"

"I would," the Arabian said with a snicker, "but I don't think there's room on Duo for me."

Trowa rolled his eyes and continued to grab at the wiggling ankles. "Duo, hold still!" he shouted. "I don't want to cut you!"

"I don't want you to cut ANYTHING!" Duo screeched, redoubling his efforts.

"Gentlemen, I don't think that will be necessary," a quiet voice offered. Everyone looked up to see the newcomer. Even Duo stilled for a moment, panting heavily.

"Nataku?" Wufei whispered, eying the dark hair and slightly almond shaped, dark eyes.

"Athena," Hercules greeted her, "nice of you to join us."

"Which one are you?" Heero asked.

"Athena," she said with a small bow, "Goddess of War.

"Great, another one," Duo muttered.

She waved the men off of the teen and assisted him to sit up. "Drink this," she instructed, giving Duo a small flask.

"What is it?"

"Something to ease your hurts."

Duo frowned at her. "But you're the goddess of war."

She smirked slightly. "Also of knowledge, little one. I knew who to ask." She winked at the braided pilot.

Duo eyed her for a moment, then shrugged. "Why not?" He took the stopper off the flask and downed the contents in a single gulp. "Not bad."

Athena turned towards the men that had "attacked" Duo. "There was no justice in your treatment of him."

Wufei bristled. "Justice?!" The rest of the pilots winced. "I'll have you know…..!" Wufei and Athena spent the rest of the night engaged in conversation. They debated the concept of justice, and compared and contrasted Wufei's version of Nataku and Athena herself. The others left them alone, knowing it would otherwise be a long night.

The elixir Athena gave to Duo soon had him giggling and totally relaxed. He no longer gave them any trouble about treating his injuries. In fact, the main trouble they had was keeping him from twisting around trying to watch what was being done. Quatre and Xena were treating his burns with a salve that Athena provided.

"Ewww," he stated, once the burned material was removed from his legs. "Looks like someone overcooked dinner." He looked up a bit, giggling helplessly. "Hey Q!" he called. "Who's turn was it to cook? Yours or mine?" Quatre just sighed and continued his ministrations.

Heero rolled his eyes and tried to distract his currently stoned partner. "What happened?

"Hmm?" Duo struggled to focus on the face before him. "Oh. I figured that I was in the line of fire, so I headed off to the side. I guess I was almost out of range, when I stepped in a hole or something. Man! That thing was hot!" He thought for a moment then started to giggle again. "Too bad I didn't have any marshmallows with me, 'Ro. Instant s'mores!" Suddenly, he gave a sigh and collapsed. Heero and Quatre started to jump up, when they heard the quiet snores. Duo had fallen asleep.

* * * * *

Two days later, Duo had healed enough to travel. The salve Athena had obtained from Paean, the God of Healing, worked it's magic well. What had been horribly burned flesh was now pink, slightly sensitive skin.

It had been a very long two days. Duo was not the best of patients. Keeping the loud, motor-mouthed and hyperactive pilot still and occupied while his injuries healed was a chore for all of them.

Finally, Xena deemed him well…..at least well enough to go home to finish healing. She and the others had enjoyed his sense of humor and he really was a good conversationalists, but long-term exposure was simply exhausting! She didn't know how the other pilots could stand it.

Athena returned to see them off, as well as to open the portal to send them home. She apologized for taking so long, but she'd had to corner Ares to find out exactly what he'd done to bring them there in the first place. That had been no easy task in itself.

Wishing final good-byes, the pilots climbed into their gundams for the trip home. The locals stood back at the edge of the clearing and watched as the machines powered up. Athena had told them that she was aiming to send them back just outside of the Earth's atmosphere, but couldn't guarantee their exact exit location. The pilots assured her that if she would send them back to the proper time, they would take it from there.

"Are we ready?" Quatre asked over the comlink.

"Hai."

"Ready to go," Wufei acknowledged.

"Ready."

"Let's rock and roll!"

Sandrock turned toward the group and nodded. All the gundams lifted a hand in farewell. The group on the ground also waved. Athena spoke an incantation and a portal appeared at the edge of the clearing. As one, the gundams turned and filed through.

* * * * *

Better than hoped for, the gundams appeared in mid-air over an uninhabited wooded area close to where their safe-house was located. It was easy for them to land and hide their gundams. Before long, the pilots were walking toward "home."

"Man, it's good to be home," Duo exclaimed, breathing deeply. He winced as he tried to put weight on his still-fractured ankle. "Heh, guess I'm still gonna be laid up for a bit."

Heero smirked slightly. He really didn't mind the thought of a "captive" Duo.

Duo grinned at his partner. "You gonna take care of me, Heero?"

Heero reddened at the thoughts that flashed through his head at that comment. "Baka."

Duo gave the Japanese pilot a one-armed hug. "You're so good to me, you know that?"

A flash of light ahead of them caused both pilots to look up. "Shinigami my friend!" Ares greeted brightly. "I'm so glad you made it. Thanks for all your hel….. Eeep!"

Without missing a beat, Heero had his gun out and pointed at the God of War. "Omae o korosu," he said as he started to pull the trigger.

Ares paled and quickly disappeared.

Heero replaced the safety and put his gun back in it's holder. Duo's broken foot hit the ground, again, and he winced. Heero stopped in the middle of the path and looked at his partner thoughtfully.

"What's up, 'Ro?"

"Baka," Heero said with a smirk as he scooped the braided pilot into his arms. "Let's go home."

The woods rang with Duo's delighted laughter.

~ Owari ~