Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ My Reality Is Twisted ❯ Judgement ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

My Reality is Twisted

By Lady Lye
(c)2001
Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Oh for crap's sake! It's not mine!! Hell, I admitted that even the original concept for the story ain't mine! … Wait, why am I writing then? OH, right! The whole 'be like Shakespeare but a woman, cleaner, and not dead' thing. Ah. Yes. See, the Bard didn't make up the stories- he just knew how to tell 'em. Thus is me. I want SAP, damnit!! So me'n my lil Beanie Bard are gonna write this ficcy. Ciao.


-Her Ladyship



She talked and talked and talked, telling them everything. How she had grown up in the dirt with other children, and awkwardly reached the stage where it became dangerous to be who she was. It was a sad fact that even then, girls between 12 and 20 were the most targeted age group for crimes and assaults, having a reputation for being 'weak' and 'easy'. (AN: This is true. Very vulnerable. Damn stereotypes. Be careful out there.) Until one afternoon she had accidentally stolen a boy's clothes off a laundry line. She had been in desperate need of clothes at the time and beggars couldn't be choosers, so she had worn them. And suddenly, the leering creeps had thought twice about messing with her. They had even backed away from other girls when they saw her coming, not knowing she was a she. It was perfect. A new liberation. Until the day she had snuck into Dr H's (AN: ? Damn alphabet…) lab. And had been offered the chance to pilot gundam. There came a purpose in life. And of course, she could never go back to being a girl while she still had missions. So she had not outright lied- after all- no one had ever asked her 'are you really a boy?'. She had just… let it be.

"Technically that's called lying by omission," Sally said gently. The better part of an hour had passed and the table was littered with the debris of their snack.

Duo blew her nose one last time. "I know. I just… Especially after meeting you all… I couldn't wreck it…" she looked at the boys pleadingly. "Would you have treated me the same way if you knew?"

Silence met the question.

Wufei coughed. "I think that if we had known, we would still have treated you like an ally."

"Oh, Duo…" Quatre had the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

She smiled weakly. "I'm ok, Q. I'm happy, really. I'm starting again here- I want to be a girl again. H- Hilde and I went shopping today and bought stuff- it's fun," she tried to sound encouraging, but for her own sake or theirs? "We do all the things teenage girls do and-" her face crumpled. "And I miss you all so much!" she burst into tears.

Wufei and Quatre were closest, the small Arabian immediately putting an arm around her and then grabbing a tissue, the Asian hesitating before pulling her over to lean on his shoulder and cry.

"It's been a rough two and half years, hasn't it?" Trowa said gently when she had calmed down a little.

She nodded, head still resting on Wufei's shoulder and tissue still clutched in her fist. "You guys… I don't know if you realize how much you four mean to me… Please- just-" she bit her lip and sat up. "I don't want to lose our friendship."

"You baka onna!" Wufei said, and Duo whipped around to stare at him. His tone didn't quite have the same quality though. Actually, it was just starting to hit home that she had b- been crying on HIS shoulder. Wufei's. The misogynist. The irritable one. The one who seemed to dislike her immensely at all times. He was glaring at her now, but it was somehow different to glares she had received in the past.

She blinked. "Nani?"

"Stupid girl- do you really think we would abandon you just because you're female?"

She stared at him disbelievingly. "You mean you're not going to?"

"NO!" all three of them cried, making her jump.

"Duo! How can you think that!?"

"Well… it's not just that I am… I LIED about it…"

"You're forgiven."

"But-"

"You. Are. Forgiven."

"Trowa-"

"Listen to him, Maxwell. Don't make him break his silence record. You're forgiven. Stop objecting, it's what you want, isn't it?"

She looked between the three of them incredulously. They meant it. They really, really meant it. She looked to Sally for reassurance and was greeted by a knowing smile. "You knew they would react this way, didn't you!" she accused.

"You mean you didn't?" Sally continued to smile.

"Enough. You're forgiven and that's that." Wufei said firmly and the other two nodded, equally unyielding.

Duo's eyes welled with tears once more as she remembered those cold, hard eyes so close and so unwelcome. "Not by everyone…" she whispered tearfully.

A hand reached out to touch her arm and she looked up at Trowa. "Heero's not good with people. He doesn't know how to handle his emotions. He was probably just shocked, and I doubt he ever has been before. Just give him some time and he'll be alright."

She smiled at him gratefully through her tears and Wufei held a tissue up to her face. "Blow," he ordered.

"I can do it myself," she said irritably, taking it from him and wiping her eyes. "I'm not a frigging baby…-" she caught sight of her watch. "Oh crap! I was supposed to meet Hilde at seven!" She leapt up and headed for the door, then remembered she was wearing Sally's jacket. She shrugged out of it and gave it back to her. "Thank you, Sally. All of you," she flashed around a grateful smile. "Really. Thank you."

"Don't hide again, Duo," Quatre said warmly. "Call us, come see us, keep in touch. You know where to find us."

"I will, Q." she smiled.

"Is Hilde still living in Grassland Lane?" Wufei asked.

"Yeah- why?"

"I'll walk you home." He rose.

Duo stared at him. "You will?" she blinked.

"You're not paying attention and that's a rough neighborhood after dark. I'll be back in a little while," he nodded at Sally and the others.

"ExCUSE me!?" Duo waved a hasty good bye and promised to keep in contact before hurrying after him. "Are you implying that I can't take care of myself!?" she scrambled to keep up.

"I never said that." He shot her a side-ways glance as she finally fell into step with him.

"You didn't have to- you implied it. You DO think differently of me now!" she said, voice quavering. She could feel her balled fists shaking. "You think I'm just some stupid onna who doesn't know right from left!"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Well you called me one! 'Baka onna!'" she mocked. "And Grassland Lane is NOT that dangerous."

"I know it's not. That was just an excuse."

She stared at him, dropping back as he continued to walk. Now what in the hell did THAT mean!? "What the hell does that mean!?" she hurried to catch up.

He looked at her again calmly. "It means what it means."

She could feel color rising in her cheeks under his gaze. Shit. Girl instincts kicking in again. She was really going to have to find a way to deal with this whole coming into contact with hotties every two minute thing. Ooh but he was SO nice looking… Eep and the way he was looking at her… She looked away and muttered. "I'm NOT just some onna."

"Of course you're not," he said, as though it were obvious.

"I'm not?" she was forced to look at him again, but he was looking straight ahead now. "But- but you're always annoyed with me. You're always yelling at me and telling me I talk too much. You think I'm just some loud-mouthed American who eats too much and doesn't think and is full of himse- herself. I'd think you'd be glad to finally be able to just write me off like you do every other girl," she finished bitterly.

He glanced at her again. "Do you really think all of that of me?"

"Well- yes!" she blurted.

"Then I'm sorry. I've behaved badly towards you and I ask your forgiveness, Duo."

She stared for a moment, but didn't get much of a chance to, as they had to cross a road. On the other side she spoke. "I forgive you. Thank you."

He laughed wryly. "What for?"

"For having the decency to apologize. I appreciate it." She fiddled with the end of her braid. Damn. Now it would be all kinky instead of nice and blow-dried straight. Sigh. Life was so tough.

"You're welcome."

They walked the rest of the way in silence in the dimming light given off by the simulated sun. Street lamps lit their way as the overhead lights gave out and darkness filled the colony, signaling that it was time for sleep.

They came to the gate of the house and stopped, a brief feeling of awkwardness. Duo fiddled with her braid again.

"Wufei… WHY am I not just some onna to you?" she asked. The question had been bugging her for the last twelve blocks. She needed to know.

He gave that pause, looking for the right thing to say. "I always knew there was something different about you. You're just- different. Special. And different." He said simply.

She found herself staring up into his dark, compelling eyes, drowning in their limitless depths. She felt a little weak-kneed, captivated as she was. She took in every detail- the slant of those eyes, the soft line of his lips, the firm line of his jaw, and the few lone, stray hairs that had slipped free from his strict ponytail to ever so lightly frame his face. She suddenly found she couldn't breathe.

With a secret half smile, he rocked her world. "I'll see you again soon, Maxwell. Just call HQ tomorrow and they'll find us all for you."

"O-Ok."

"Good night, Duo," he nodded and walked away.

She stared after him, watching him gracefully move from circle of light to circle of light. It was then that she realized he had used her first name TWICE.

"Hil-DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"



~End Chp 4~

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