Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Pieces of a Puzzle ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: siberianknight 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.15.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 290 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.15.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 290 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: Sorry about the week long delay. I needed a small break because of hectic things in life (aka school). So, here it is chapter eleven. Oh, I changed the way Jackson speaks in this chapter because my Beta reader said that the other way did things to her brain. I've removed the punctuation marks, so his sentences are now run-on sentences. Hopefully it reads more easily. Also I didn't properly introduce Jackson, he is losely based off of a more insane version of my own father. I ran out of Gundam Wing male characters, and needed an important male figure for this part of the story, so I used an original character.
Warnings: Slight sexual innuendoes
Status: COMPLETE
-----
Duo yawned loudly; the presentation had been going on too long for his mind to stay focused. “Duo!” Heero snapped quietly. Groggily Duo sat up straight in his chair and frowned at Heero. “This is our first mission, I don’t think you should be napping.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s just I had no idea that our captain was so long winded.” Duo folded his arms across his chest and began to squirm.
“Duo.” Heero yet again called him down.
“Sorry.” Duo hissed. He wasn’t in the best of moods. He and Heero had been right in the middle of playing, when Akimori had pounded on their door demanding that they get up and come to the squad meeting. Duo had to cure his frustrations by himself because mister perfect had jumped at the command. Jackson was sitting beside Duo, and was stone still. Duo was beginning to wonder if he was still alive.
Finally, the briefing concluded and Heero, Duo, Jackson, and Aya were sent on their first mission together as a group. According to the eleventh’s captain and vice captain, there was a hollow located in downtown Osaka and was wreaking havoc with the tourists. They had stated that it was a low class hollow and so it was perfect for Heero and Duo to cut their teeth on. The group of four decided to materialize on one of the rooftops late that night, so that there would be less chance of people being involved. Even if it was Osaka, there were fewer people on the streets at that time than during the day. It had been agreed to locate the hollow and destroy it immediately. There was to be no dallying on this mission.
Luckily for the group, the hollow was attracted to their spiritual energy and showed himself on the same rooftop. Aya looked at Heero and Duo. “Well, it’s all yours.”
“Huh? I thought we were here to observe.” Duo looked to Jackson for a more sane answer. It wasn’t as if he and Heero couldn’t handle the hollow, it was just that this was their first real fight.
“Duo, Akimori is right You should try to handle this yourselves It’ll be a good learning experience.” Crazy as usual, Duo thought. Heero had already began to engage the hollow when Duo turned to face the spirit.
Duo watched with pride and annoyance, as Heero swiftly used a demon art to stun the hollow, and then cut through his mask. The hollow vanished with an anguished cry and then Heero turned to smirk at Duo. “Showoff!” Duo’s day just kept getting worse.
Heero walked over to Duo and rested his hand on Duo’s shoulder. “Sorry. You were so busy talking, that I thought I’d go ahead and send the hollow.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore today.” Duo backed up a few spaces and drew his zanpakutou. He mumbled the words to open the gate to Soul Society and then with a frown stepped through the opening.
“What’s wrong with him?” Aya asked curious.
“Me.” Heero sulked through the opening after Duo, and then was followed by Akimori and Jackson.
As soon as Heero and Duo got home, Duo locked himself in their bedroom. With a sigh, Heero pleaded with Duo to come out, but there was no response. Heero decided to allow him time to calm down before he tried again. Two hours later, there was still silence from the other side.
Duo’s self imprisonment continued until late that evening when Heero couldn’t take it anymore. He walked up to the door and pounded on it. “Duo! I’m coming in.” With a swift kick, Heero busted in the door and found Duo hiding under the covers.
“Why’d you bust down the door? Now we don’t have a bedroom door -- Heero.” Duo flung the covers aside and stalked up to Heero.
“You wouldn’t talk to me.”
“I know ... but Heero I had a rough day. I -- fell asleep.” Heero began to chuckle softly. He should have known that was why Duo hadn’t answered him; after all, Duo did sleep like the dead. “Ya know, I’m kinda hungry.”
Heero raised his eyebrow. “Hungry? Sorry, I gave the rest of the food to Quatre and Trowa.”
“Not for that silly. We never finished this morning ... I want to finish now.” Duo pulled Heero into a searing kiss which warmed him all the way to his toes.
“I think I can help you with that.” Heero mumbled against Duo’s lips.
-----
Duo walked up to the grassy hill where he always met Jackson on their training days. “Duo-kun Come on up here I’ve got sake!” Jackson held the bottle up in the air a little shakily, spilling some of the alcohol in the process. “Oops.” He stared a little puzzled at the small puddle of sake on the ground; his expression that of a small child’s.
Duo walked up to Jackson and took the bottle from him. “I’ll pour.”
“How’s Heero-kun?” Jackson hiccuped immediately after his sentence causing him to fall over in a fit of laughter. Duo just shook his head and sighed; his mentor couldn’t hold his liquor if his life depended on it.
“He’s fine. He was sleeping when I left.”
“Aah ... sounds like a good night.” Jackson stared out over the view before them. The hill overlooked all of the Seireitei, which was why this was his favorite spot. “I love this place I love what we do for people We help them Duo-kun We truly do Why ... if it weren’t for us everyone would’ve died from hollows.” Jackson sipped on his small cup of sake and chuckled softly. “You know there are those who don’t agree with what we do.”
“Yes, I know -- the Quincies.”
“Very good m’boy But there are some inside as well.”
Duo smiled at Jackson, he was concerned for the man. He hadn’t quite been himself lately. Duo had tried to pry some sort of information out of Jackson, but the stubborn man always became suspiciously closed mouth and would state that everything was just fine. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Duo mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that Jackson’s inebriated state would cause him to reveal something about what had been troubling him.
“Yes there are those of us who want change Who think we’re doing the wrong thing by helping these lost spirits -- hollows -- yes they think they should die and not be allowed into Soul Society They should be sent to hell according to these people.”
“But a spirit can’t help it if we get to them to late and they turn. It’s not as if they asked for it.”
Jackson lifted his hand into the air and lost his balance. Duo righted him, and then Jackson lifted his hand more slowly. He pointed his finger in order to make certain that Duo understood everything that he was told. “There are those that do ask Those who want to remain in the mortal world They don’t want our help.”
“I thought that was because they didn’t realize many times that they were spirits.”
“They know according to these people But I don’t agree with them Everyone should have a fighting chance for salvation They should not be condemned because they became an evil spirit That’s what I think And someone’s trying to make us change our minds Damn politics getting into our job It shouldn’t be like that.” Jackson’s jaw began to work angrily as he clinched his teeth together.
“Who told you this?” Duo glanced around him, praying that there was no one else listening. To his relief, they were alone on the hilltop.
Jackson took a deep steadying breath before he turned to look Duo in the eyes. “Our dear sweet captain.”
“Does he buy into it?”
“Not that I know of -- Duo-kun,” Jackson placed his hands on Duo’s shoulders, and held him in as strong a grip as he could muster under his drunken haze. “Do not share this with anyone Under any circumstances Do you understand me? -- Not even Heero-kun.”
Duo nodded in agreement slowly, but was puzzled as to why he couldn’t tell Heero. However, if Jackson said that he couldn’t tell anyone, then he would remain silent on this subject. Duo seriously doubted that Jackson would even remember telling him this once his alcohol wore off. “Jackson, if we’re going to train today, we’d best go now. -- So you can walk off your buzz.”
Jackson attempted to pat Duo on the shoulder, but missed entirely, nearly knocking himself to the ground. “Good idea Duo-kun You’re really smart You’ll be captain soon.”
“Heero said the same thing to me the other day, but somehow I think that Heero will be captain before I am.”
“Don’t put yourself down like that You’re every bit as good as he is.”
“Thanks.”
-----
Heero stood still in the alleyway just as Aya had instructed. She was attempting to force the hollow into the alley so that Heero could perform a surprise attack. After some chasing on Aya’s part, the hollow finally turned down the alley, where Heero was prepared to pounce. The hollow was dealt with quickness and ease; with a strong swelling of pride in his chest for his work, Heero watched as the spirit floated up to into the heavens.
“Enjoy your work, huh?” Akimori walked over to Heero, a warm smile on her face as she gazed at her pupil.
“Yes, I do. I feel good helping these spirits.”
“Come now ... there’s more to it than that. You enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I can see it in your eyes when we go for patrol.” Aya’s brown eyes sparkled at Heero as he turned to look at his superior.
“I do enjoy that. I won’t lie about it -- it’s fun chasing the hollows down and then taking care of them.”
“That’s good, because I feel that I’ve taught you all that I can. You’re an excellent shinigami, and I feel that you should be nominated for the captain’s position.”
Heero was shocked to hear Akimori propose such a thing; it had only been six months since he had become a member of the eleventh gotei, and he had just recently become completely comfortable with releasing his zanpakutou in its first level. “Why do you say that? I can’t materialize my zanpakutou’s spirit. How can I achieve bankai if I can’t do that?”
“I’ll help.” Aya smirked and draped her arm across Heero’s broad shoulders. The unwanted touch caused Heero to tense, but Aya seemed to be oblivious to his reaction. “I know some people who once helped someone in another time achieve bankai in only three days.”
“That’s a myth, Akimori.”
“A...ya.” She stressed, obviously aggravated with Heero’s unwillingness to call her by her given name. “Look, it may be a myth, but I think I’ve found a way to help you. Let me try? Please?”
“I’m ... not sure.”
“Look, I’ll be training too. You didn’t think that I’d help you, and not try to get the position myself?”
“Did the captain say that he was retiring?”
“Yes. He said that anyone who reaches bankai and can best him in a match -- will be our new captain. Of course this will all be happening three months from now.” Aya held her zanpakutou out and opened the rift to reenter Soul Society. The two stepped through and then walked back to the eleventh’s headquarters. “So, Heero, before you run back to your boy-toy ... tell me, are you in or out?”
Heero thought about what Aya had offered him. It was a chance to actually be the head of the eleventh, but did he really want that? Being captain meant that Heero would most likely would be unable to patrol on Earth, but it was also full of prestige. Heero didn’t care about the honors or accolades he would receive or not receive as captain, but it did present itself as an interesting challenge. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you outside of the eleventh headquarters tomorrow at six in the morning.”
“Understood.”
** ***
Warm yellows and reds spilled out across the morning sky as Heero waited for Aya. He arrived at the meeting spot early so that he could spend some time alone. Duo had been acting somewhat distant the night before, and it had seemed as if he had something on his mind; however, Duo had assured Heero that everything was fine. Duo’s behavior wasn’t the only weight on Heero’s mind this morning, he was also thinking about several rumors he had heard recently. The one which stood out in his mind concerned the hollows, one in particular. There was a rumor that stated new evidence pointed to a new type of hollow which was formed from a spirit almost immediately after death. It was said that these spirits had chosen to become hollows.
Heero knew that it was just a rumor, and he didn’t really understand why it was a problem. If it were in fact an evil spirit, the spirit would be sent into hell for what he had done on Earth. He sighed heavily and glanced around to see if Akimori was nearby. He spotted her walking toward him a bright smile lighting her face. “Are you ready to begin training, Heero-kun?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Follow me.” Aya led Heero away into the woods so that they might be alone and train without any interruptions.
-----
Three weeks passed, Duo had heard nothing about what Jackson had told him. He was beginning to think that it was just the ramblings of a drunken man. Although, in another bout of intoxication, Jackson had blurted out several names connected to the movement, but there again, they could have only been ramblings. Duo wasn’t sure what to do. He tried to ignore it, but he had this intense feeling like something really was happening. He could tell that some of the shinigami were becoming restless and concerned with the mortals on Earth, but no one had any viable evidence that there was in fact an organized movement within the shinigami ranks.
Duo was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about what might happen and what might not. It was his day off, and Heero had left earlier that morning for training. He was seriously considering just staying in bed, when a loud pounding sounded on the front door. Duo slipped his clothes on and moved to open the door. Jackson was standing on the other side, a panicked expression creasing his young face. “What’s wrong?”
“Duo-kun ... no, it was wrong of me to come here.” Jackson looked around at the small two room apartment, his sea blue eyes glazed over with worry.
Duo gently grabbed his mentor’s arms and turned Jackson to face him. “Jackson, tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Laurie, I was told you knew her.” Duo’s heart leaped into his throat, the look on Jackson’s face scared him. “She’s missing They can’t find her anywhere.”
“They? They who?”
“Duo-kun, Sit I’m about to tell you something that I swore not to, but I fear that I’ve already told you too much when I was drunk.” Surprised that Jackson had even remembered his drunken ramblings, Duo slowly sat down at the small table and awaited Jackson’s information. He hadn’t kept up with Laurie; the last thing he had heard was that she had decided against joining any of the gotei, and was instead going back to her family’s home in the second district. Jackson began, but he was no longer speaking quickly as he normally did; instead his words were even and pronounced so that Duo would not miss one bit of information. “Duo-kun, Laurie was working for a special division within the Center 46. She was an undercover investigator. She routed out the bad shinigami from the good, and gave orders to the other undercover agents who were members of the various gotei. I am one of them.
“I last made contact with her three weeks ago. Then last week I was to meet with her and give her the information I had gathered on a few individuals, and she never showed. I contacted the shinigami above me, and he told me that they were going to begin an investigation into her whereabouts. However, as of this morning no one has found her.” As Jackson finished, a small hell moth fluttered in through the open window. It perched upon Jackson’s outstretched finger and its wings moved as he absorbed its news. “Dammit.” He muttered as he stood. “I have to go.”
“Let me go too.” Duo rose from his seat, but was shoved back down by Jackson’s hand.
“No. You’re not to become involved in this at all. Do you understand me, son?”
“Yes.” Duo watched as Jackson left his apartment. It wasn’t fair, he wanted to help; it wasn’t just because Laurie was missing, but there was a prickle at the nape of his neck that told him something sinister was happening.
Duo paced in his apartment for the next ten to fifteen minutes, and then decided to leave to help. Just as he grabbed his zanpakutou, the tinny clang of the alarm sounded. Something had happened, and Duo’s stomach knotted up out of fear. He ran out of the apartment building and all the way to the meeting hall of the thirteen gotei. Once there, he shoved past other shinigami until he found his own group huddled in the far corner. They were busy speculating what the alarm was for and why they were just standing around without any orders from their captains.
After minutes of waiting in the crowded room, Zechs Marquise captain of the sixth gotei walked in, an expression of disbelief and horror on his face. “Quiet down everyone!” His voice boomed out over the cacophony of sounds inside the room. “I have an announcement to make. A former student of the academy ... a once promising shinigami, has been found dead tonight. It appears as if Laurie Waters was killed by a hollow.”
Duo failed to hear the gasps and the speculating whispers. His mind was stuck on the image of Laurie laying dead on the ground. A strong hand startled him out of his visions, when Duo turned he found Heero standing beside him. “Heero ...”
“Let’s go home.” Heero held Duo’s cold hand as they wove their way through the crowd and out of the building.
“I can’t believe she’s dead.” Duo’s eyes were glazed and he couldn’t focus on where he was going. He was thankful that Heero was there for him to lean on as they walked through the deserted streets of the Seireitei.
“I know.” The remainder of the walk to their apartment was silent. Once home, Heero helped Duo into bed. He then fixed Duo a warm cup of cocoa. “Here, this’ll help you relax.”
“I’m not that upset, Heero. Just stunned -- and sad.” Duo sipped on the warm drink and then curled up under the covers. Heero gently tucked Duo into the bed and then crawled in himself.
-----
Duo sat alone on top of the hill where he and Jackson had always met. He held his journal in his lap, but was not looking at it. He was looking out over Soul Society and wondering if Laurie’s death had anything to do with her investigations.
“There you are, Duo-kun.” Duo turned to see Akimori standing behind him. “What’s that?” She reached out to take the journal from him, but Duo slammed it shut and stood.
“It’s just my private journal. It’s nothing special.”
“Oh ... well then, I came here to see how you were doing. This Laurie tragedy has everyone a little on edge. I’d imagine that someone who knew her as well as you, would be more upset.”
Duo’s brow creased as he answered. Aya was up to something, he could see it in her mischievous eyes. “I’m certain I’m not as upset as her family is.”
“You were close to Laurie, am I right?” Aya bent over to pick a small blue flower.
“Yes I was, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“I just wanted to express my deepest sympathies for the loss of your loved one.” Aya gracefully stood on the tips of her toes so that she could place the flower in Duo’s long hair.
“She was a friend. Nothing more.” Duo certainly didn’t appreciate Aya’s insinuation with her remark, but there was no proof that she was trying to be anything but sincere in her sympathies.
“Oh. Sorry, I thought that -- I am truly sorry.” Aya bowed politely and then begged to be excused. Duo stared at her as she walked away from him, wondering why she had been acting so strangely.
Duo sat back down on the lush green grass. He had learned from his captain that a hollow had somehow broken through their defense and entered Soul Society. However, there was no evidence of the hollow, nor had anyone on patrol seen even a glitch on the hollow tracking system. With a deep sigh, Duo opened his journal open to an empty page and began writing down the events of the past few days.
Lost in his thoughts, Duo failed to feel the first signs of a strong spirit force approaching from behind. The hollow was upon him in no time. Duo threw down his journal and unsheathed his zanpakutou. There was no question in Duo’s mind that the hollow before him was the one who had murdered Laurie.
It’s laugh sounded like glass being scraped against itself. “Another tasty morsel for my belly.” The hollow’s mask was slightly ajar, and added to clown-like markings upon its face. The hollow’s tongue eagerly licked it’s nonexistent lips and moved closer to Duo.
“Did you kill a blond shinigami recently?”
“What if I did?” The hollow and Duo began to circle each other as if locked in a dance of death.
Duo’s soft chuckle held a dangerous tone. “I’m gonna enjoy this then.” Changing stances Duo removed the first seal on Seikousen. “Moeru*, Seikousen!” The next sound heard was that of steal hitting the hardness of the hollow’s body.
*moeru = to burn, so his call to relase shikai on seikousen is "Burn, Seikousen!" -- sounds better in Japanese ^_^
Legal stuf ... Bleach and Gundam Wing don't belong to me, they belong to Kubo Tite, Hajime Yadate and Yoshiyuki Tomino respectively.
geovisit();
Warnings: Slight sexual innuendoes
Status: COMPLETE
Duo yawned loudly; the presentation had been going on too long for his mind to stay focused. “Duo!” Heero snapped quietly. Groggily Duo sat up straight in his chair and frowned at Heero. “This is our first mission, I don’t think you should be napping.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s just I had no idea that our captain was so long winded.” Duo folded his arms across his chest and began to squirm.
“Duo.” Heero yet again called him down.
“Sorry.” Duo hissed. He wasn’t in the best of moods. He and Heero had been right in the middle of playing, when Akimori had pounded on their door demanding that they get up and come to the squad meeting. Duo had to cure his frustrations by himself because mister perfect had jumped at the command. Jackson was sitting beside Duo, and was stone still. Duo was beginning to wonder if he was still alive.
Finally, the briefing concluded and Heero, Duo, Jackson, and Aya were sent on their first mission together as a group. According to the eleventh’s captain and vice captain, there was a hollow located in downtown Osaka and was wreaking havoc with the tourists. They had stated that it was a low class hollow and so it was perfect for Heero and Duo to cut their teeth on. The group of four decided to materialize on one of the rooftops late that night, so that there would be less chance of people being involved. Even if it was Osaka, there were fewer people on the streets at that time than during the day. It had been agreed to locate the hollow and destroy it immediately. There was to be no dallying on this mission.
Luckily for the group, the hollow was attracted to their spiritual energy and showed himself on the same rooftop. Aya looked at Heero and Duo. “Well, it’s all yours.”
“Huh? I thought we were here to observe.” Duo looked to Jackson for a more sane answer. It wasn’t as if he and Heero couldn’t handle the hollow, it was just that this was their first real fight.
“Duo, Akimori is right You should try to handle this yourselves It’ll be a good learning experience.” Crazy as usual, Duo thought. Heero had already began to engage the hollow when Duo turned to face the spirit.
Duo watched with pride and annoyance, as Heero swiftly used a demon art to stun the hollow, and then cut through his mask. The hollow vanished with an anguished cry and then Heero turned to smirk at Duo. “Showoff!” Duo’s day just kept getting worse.
Heero walked over to Duo and rested his hand on Duo’s shoulder. “Sorry. You were so busy talking, that I thought I’d go ahead and send the hollow.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore today.” Duo backed up a few spaces and drew his zanpakutou. He mumbled the words to open the gate to Soul Society and then with a frown stepped through the opening.
“What’s wrong with him?” Aya asked curious.
“Me.” Heero sulked through the opening after Duo, and then was followed by Akimori and Jackson.
As soon as Heero and Duo got home, Duo locked himself in their bedroom. With a sigh, Heero pleaded with Duo to come out, but there was no response. Heero decided to allow him time to calm down before he tried again. Two hours later, there was still silence from the other side.
Duo’s self imprisonment continued until late that evening when Heero couldn’t take it anymore. He walked up to the door and pounded on it. “Duo! I’m coming in.” With a swift kick, Heero busted in the door and found Duo hiding under the covers.
“Why’d you bust down the door? Now we don’t have a bedroom door -- Heero.” Duo flung the covers aside and stalked up to Heero.
“You wouldn’t talk to me.”
“I know ... but Heero I had a rough day. I -- fell asleep.” Heero began to chuckle softly. He should have known that was why Duo hadn’t answered him; after all, Duo did sleep like the dead. “Ya know, I’m kinda hungry.”
Heero raised his eyebrow. “Hungry? Sorry, I gave the rest of the food to Quatre and Trowa.”
“Not for that silly. We never finished this morning ... I want to finish now.” Duo pulled Heero into a searing kiss which warmed him all the way to his toes.
“I think I can help you with that.” Heero mumbled against Duo’s lips.
Duo walked up to the grassy hill where he always met Jackson on their training days. “Duo-kun Come on up here I’ve got sake!” Jackson held the bottle up in the air a little shakily, spilling some of the alcohol in the process. “Oops.” He stared a little puzzled at the small puddle of sake on the ground; his expression that of a small child’s.
Duo walked up to Jackson and took the bottle from him. “I’ll pour.”
“How’s Heero-kun?” Jackson hiccuped immediately after his sentence causing him to fall over in a fit of laughter. Duo just shook his head and sighed; his mentor couldn’t hold his liquor if his life depended on it.
“He’s fine. He was sleeping when I left.”
“Aah ... sounds like a good night.” Jackson stared out over the view before them. The hill overlooked all of the Seireitei, which was why this was his favorite spot. “I love this place I love what we do for people We help them Duo-kun We truly do Why ... if it weren’t for us everyone would’ve died from hollows.” Jackson sipped on his small cup of sake and chuckled softly. “You know there are those who don’t agree with what we do.”
“Yes, I know -- the Quincies.”
“Very good m’boy But there are some inside as well.”
Duo smiled at Jackson, he was concerned for the man. He hadn’t quite been himself lately. Duo had tried to pry some sort of information out of Jackson, but the stubborn man always became suspiciously closed mouth and would state that everything was just fine. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Duo mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that Jackson’s inebriated state would cause him to reveal something about what had been troubling him.
“Yes there are those of us who want change Who think we’re doing the wrong thing by helping these lost spirits -- hollows -- yes they think they should die and not be allowed into Soul Society They should be sent to hell according to these people.”
“But a spirit can’t help it if we get to them to late and they turn. It’s not as if they asked for it.”
Jackson lifted his hand into the air and lost his balance. Duo righted him, and then Jackson lifted his hand more slowly. He pointed his finger in order to make certain that Duo understood everything that he was told. “There are those that do ask Those who want to remain in the mortal world They don’t want our help.”
“I thought that was because they didn’t realize many times that they were spirits.”
“They know according to these people But I don’t agree with them Everyone should have a fighting chance for salvation They should not be condemned because they became an evil spirit That’s what I think And someone’s trying to make us change our minds Damn politics getting into our job It shouldn’t be like that.” Jackson’s jaw began to work angrily as he clinched his teeth together.
“Who told you this?” Duo glanced around him, praying that there was no one else listening. To his relief, they were alone on the hilltop.
Jackson took a deep steadying breath before he turned to look Duo in the eyes. “Our dear sweet captain.”
“Does he buy into it?”
“Not that I know of -- Duo-kun,” Jackson placed his hands on Duo’s shoulders, and held him in as strong a grip as he could muster under his drunken haze. “Do not share this with anyone Under any circumstances Do you understand me? -- Not even Heero-kun.”
Duo nodded in agreement slowly, but was puzzled as to why he couldn’t tell Heero. However, if Jackson said that he couldn’t tell anyone, then he would remain silent on this subject. Duo seriously doubted that Jackson would even remember telling him this once his alcohol wore off. “Jackson, if we’re going to train today, we’d best go now. -- So you can walk off your buzz.”
Jackson attempted to pat Duo on the shoulder, but missed entirely, nearly knocking himself to the ground. “Good idea Duo-kun You’re really smart You’ll be captain soon.”
“Heero said the same thing to me the other day, but somehow I think that Heero will be captain before I am.”
“Don’t put yourself down like that You’re every bit as good as he is.”
“Thanks.”
Heero stood still in the alleyway just as Aya had instructed. She was attempting to force the hollow into the alley so that Heero could perform a surprise attack. After some chasing on Aya’s part, the hollow finally turned down the alley, where Heero was prepared to pounce. The hollow was dealt with quickness and ease; with a strong swelling of pride in his chest for his work, Heero watched as the spirit floated up to into the heavens.
“Enjoy your work, huh?” Akimori walked over to Heero, a warm smile on her face as she gazed at her pupil.
“Yes, I do. I feel good helping these spirits.”
“Come now ... there’s more to it than that. You enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I can see it in your eyes when we go for patrol.” Aya’s brown eyes sparkled at Heero as he turned to look at his superior.
“I do enjoy that. I won’t lie about it -- it’s fun chasing the hollows down and then taking care of them.”
“That’s good, because I feel that I’ve taught you all that I can. You’re an excellent shinigami, and I feel that you should be nominated for the captain’s position.”
Heero was shocked to hear Akimori propose such a thing; it had only been six months since he had become a member of the eleventh gotei, and he had just recently become completely comfortable with releasing his zanpakutou in its first level. “Why do you say that? I can’t materialize my zanpakutou’s spirit. How can I achieve bankai if I can’t do that?”
“I’ll help.” Aya smirked and draped her arm across Heero’s broad shoulders. The unwanted touch caused Heero to tense, but Aya seemed to be oblivious to his reaction. “I know some people who once helped someone in another time achieve bankai in only three days.”
“That’s a myth, Akimori.”
“A...ya.” She stressed, obviously aggravated with Heero’s unwillingness to call her by her given name. “Look, it may be a myth, but I think I’ve found a way to help you. Let me try? Please?”
“I’m ... not sure.”
“Look, I’ll be training too. You didn’t think that I’d help you, and not try to get the position myself?”
“Did the captain say that he was retiring?”
“Yes. He said that anyone who reaches bankai and can best him in a match -- will be our new captain. Of course this will all be happening three months from now.” Aya held her zanpakutou out and opened the rift to reenter Soul Society. The two stepped through and then walked back to the eleventh’s headquarters. “So, Heero, before you run back to your boy-toy ... tell me, are you in or out?”
Heero thought about what Aya had offered him. It was a chance to actually be the head of the eleventh, but did he really want that? Being captain meant that Heero would most likely would be unable to patrol on Earth, but it was also full of prestige. Heero didn’t care about the honors or accolades he would receive or not receive as captain, but it did present itself as an interesting challenge. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you outside of the eleventh headquarters tomorrow at six in the morning.”
“Understood.”
Warm yellows and reds spilled out across the morning sky as Heero waited for Aya. He arrived at the meeting spot early so that he could spend some time alone. Duo had been acting somewhat distant the night before, and it had seemed as if he had something on his mind; however, Duo had assured Heero that everything was fine. Duo’s behavior wasn’t the only weight on Heero’s mind this morning, he was also thinking about several rumors he had heard recently. The one which stood out in his mind concerned the hollows, one in particular. There was a rumor that stated new evidence pointed to a new type of hollow which was formed from a spirit almost immediately after death. It was said that these spirits had chosen to become hollows.
Heero knew that it was just a rumor, and he didn’t really understand why it was a problem. If it were in fact an evil spirit, the spirit would be sent into hell for what he had done on Earth. He sighed heavily and glanced around to see if Akimori was nearby. He spotted her walking toward him a bright smile lighting her face. “Are you ready to begin training, Heero-kun?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Follow me.” Aya led Heero away into the woods so that they might be alone and train without any interruptions.
Three weeks passed, Duo had heard nothing about what Jackson had told him. He was beginning to think that it was just the ramblings of a drunken man. Although, in another bout of intoxication, Jackson had blurted out several names connected to the movement, but there again, they could have only been ramblings. Duo wasn’t sure what to do. He tried to ignore it, but he had this intense feeling like something really was happening. He could tell that some of the shinigami were becoming restless and concerned with the mortals on Earth, but no one had any viable evidence that there was in fact an organized movement within the shinigami ranks.
Duo was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about what might happen and what might not. It was his day off, and Heero had left earlier that morning for training. He was seriously considering just staying in bed, when a loud pounding sounded on the front door. Duo slipped his clothes on and moved to open the door. Jackson was standing on the other side, a panicked expression creasing his young face. “What’s wrong?”
“Duo-kun ... no, it was wrong of me to come here.” Jackson looked around at the small two room apartment, his sea blue eyes glazed over with worry.
Duo gently grabbed his mentor’s arms and turned Jackson to face him. “Jackson, tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Laurie, I was told you knew her.” Duo’s heart leaped into his throat, the look on Jackson’s face scared him. “She’s missing They can’t find her anywhere.”
“They? They who?”
“Duo-kun, Sit I’m about to tell you something that I swore not to, but I fear that I’ve already told you too much when I was drunk.” Surprised that Jackson had even remembered his drunken ramblings, Duo slowly sat down at the small table and awaited Jackson’s information. He hadn’t kept up with Laurie; the last thing he had heard was that she had decided against joining any of the gotei, and was instead going back to her family’s home in the second district. Jackson began, but he was no longer speaking quickly as he normally did; instead his words were even and pronounced so that Duo would not miss one bit of information. “Duo-kun, Laurie was working for a special division within the Center 46. She was an undercover investigator. She routed out the bad shinigami from the good, and gave orders to the other undercover agents who were members of the various gotei. I am one of them.
“I last made contact with her three weeks ago. Then last week I was to meet with her and give her the information I had gathered on a few individuals, and she never showed. I contacted the shinigami above me, and he told me that they were going to begin an investigation into her whereabouts. However, as of this morning no one has found her.” As Jackson finished, a small hell moth fluttered in through the open window. It perched upon Jackson’s outstretched finger and its wings moved as he absorbed its news. “Dammit.” He muttered as he stood. “I have to go.”
“Let me go too.” Duo rose from his seat, but was shoved back down by Jackson’s hand.
“No. You’re not to become involved in this at all. Do you understand me, son?”
“Yes.” Duo watched as Jackson left his apartment. It wasn’t fair, he wanted to help; it wasn’t just because Laurie was missing, but there was a prickle at the nape of his neck that told him something sinister was happening.
Duo paced in his apartment for the next ten to fifteen minutes, and then decided to leave to help. Just as he grabbed his zanpakutou, the tinny clang of the alarm sounded. Something had happened, and Duo’s stomach knotted up out of fear. He ran out of the apartment building and all the way to the meeting hall of the thirteen gotei. Once there, he shoved past other shinigami until he found his own group huddled in the far corner. They were busy speculating what the alarm was for and why they were just standing around without any orders from their captains.
After minutes of waiting in the crowded room, Zechs Marquise captain of the sixth gotei walked in, an expression of disbelief and horror on his face. “Quiet down everyone!” His voice boomed out over the cacophony of sounds inside the room. “I have an announcement to make. A former student of the academy ... a once promising shinigami, has been found dead tonight. It appears as if Laurie Waters was killed by a hollow.”
Duo failed to hear the gasps and the speculating whispers. His mind was stuck on the image of Laurie laying dead on the ground. A strong hand startled him out of his visions, when Duo turned he found Heero standing beside him. “Heero ...”
“Let’s go home.” Heero held Duo’s cold hand as they wove their way through the crowd and out of the building.
“I can’t believe she’s dead.” Duo’s eyes were glazed and he couldn’t focus on where he was going. He was thankful that Heero was there for him to lean on as they walked through the deserted streets of the Seireitei.
“I know.” The remainder of the walk to their apartment was silent. Once home, Heero helped Duo into bed. He then fixed Duo a warm cup of cocoa. “Here, this’ll help you relax.”
“I’m not that upset, Heero. Just stunned -- and sad.” Duo sipped on the warm drink and then curled up under the covers. Heero gently tucked Duo into the bed and then crawled in himself.
Duo sat alone on top of the hill where he and Jackson had always met. He held his journal in his lap, but was not looking at it. He was looking out over Soul Society and wondering if Laurie’s death had anything to do with her investigations.
“There you are, Duo-kun.” Duo turned to see Akimori standing behind him. “What’s that?” She reached out to take the journal from him, but Duo slammed it shut and stood.
“It’s just my private journal. It’s nothing special.”
“Oh ... well then, I came here to see how you were doing. This Laurie tragedy has everyone a little on edge. I’d imagine that someone who knew her as well as you, would be more upset.”
Duo’s brow creased as he answered. Aya was up to something, he could see it in her mischievous eyes. “I’m certain I’m not as upset as her family is.”
“You were close to Laurie, am I right?” Aya bent over to pick a small blue flower.
“Yes I was, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“I just wanted to express my deepest sympathies for the loss of your loved one.” Aya gracefully stood on the tips of her toes so that she could place the flower in Duo’s long hair.
“She was a friend. Nothing more.” Duo certainly didn’t appreciate Aya’s insinuation with her remark, but there was no proof that she was trying to be anything but sincere in her sympathies.
“Oh. Sorry, I thought that -- I am truly sorry.” Aya bowed politely and then begged to be excused. Duo stared at her as she walked away from him, wondering why she had been acting so strangely.
Duo sat back down on the lush green grass. He had learned from his captain that a hollow had somehow broken through their defense and entered Soul Society. However, there was no evidence of the hollow, nor had anyone on patrol seen even a glitch on the hollow tracking system. With a deep sigh, Duo opened his journal open to an empty page and began writing down the events of the past few days.
Lost in his thoughts, Duo failed to feel the first signs of a strong spirit force approaching from behind. The hollow was upon him in no time. Duo threw down his journal and unsheathed his zanpakutou. There was no question in Duo’s mind that the hollow before him was the one who had murdered Laurie.
It’s laugh sounded like glass being scraped against itself. “Another tasty morsel for my belly.” The hollow’s mask was slightly ajar, and added to clown-like markings upon its face. The hollow’s tongue eagerly licked it’s nonexistent lips and moved closer to Duo.
“Did you kill a blond shinigami recently?”
“What if I did?” The hollow and Duo began to circle each other as if locked in a dance of death.
Duo’s soft chuckle held a dangerous tone. “I’m gonna enjoy this then.” Changing stances Duo removed the first seal on Seikousen. “Moeru*, Seikousen!” The next sound heard was that of steal hitting the hardness of the hollow’s body.
*moeru = to burn, so his call to relase shikai on seikousen is "Burn, Seikousen!" -- sounds better in Japanese ^_^