Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Pieces of a Puzzle ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )
[ 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: 11.20.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 281 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.20.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 281 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: Okay, so I took almost a month to get this chapter out -- sorry. It's not very long compared to my other chapters, but I've run into a bit of writer's block. I can't quite figure out how to get from this point to the next big part of the story. The next chapter will definitely be slow coming out since this week is Thanksgiving. So just to warn everyone ^_^.
Also, I've changed my updating to a week between the posts, going up to at the most two weeks in between them. Having on a definite day was interferring with school and life related things. (not like I have much of one ^_^) Anyway, they should still be a week apart, but just on random days now. My writer's block isn't that bad, so I think after one more chapter I should get rolling again.
Warnings: Angst
Status: COMPLETE< br>
-----
“Bring him back!” Heero grabbed tightly onto Sally’s kimono and shook her.
“Heero-kun, I’m sorry -- he’s gone. There’s nothing any of us can do.” Heero backed away slowly and looked at the faces surrounding him. Trowa was close by and inching closer to the distraught man ever so cautiously. The tears began to blind Heero as he stumbled backwards, Duo’s body was being taken away from him. It took some effort to right himself, but as he did Heero flung himself forward trying to snatch Duo away from the shinigami escorting him back to the hospital.
“Duo!” Heero’s anguish filled sobs drowned out the chatter amongst everyone. He held out his hands trying to touch Duo one last time, but Trowa’s arms wrapped around Heero’s quivering body, holding him so that he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else. “Duo!!”
“Heero ... you don’t need to be here.”
“What?” Heero turned his bloodshot eyes upward to look at Trowa. “You’re right.” His voice had taken on a calm note, which worried Trowa. “I don’t need to be here. I need to be there ... with him.” Heero pushed free of Trowa’s embrace and began to walk away from the commotion. He walked down the streets in a daze, only concentrating on his destination, and what he planned to do. Heero was completely unaware that Trowa was following closely behind him.
Heero entered into his apartment and walked into the kitchen. There laying on the table was what he needed; the instrument which would bring him closer to Duo. Heero picked up the knife and rolled the handle in his hand a few times to get a feel for its weight. He placed it against the unmarred skin of his arm and pressed down until a small trickle of crimson began to emerge from under the blade.
Trowa burst through the door to find Heero slowly beginning to pull the knife upwards along his arm. “Heero!” Trowa grabbed Heero’s wrist and pulled it away from his body. “You can’t do this! It’s not what Duo would have wanted you to do!”
“I can Trowa! I don’t want to be here without him. I can’t do it.” Heero’s face was stained with tears, and his hopelessness was evident in his eyes.
“Don’t do this. Please.” Heero collapsed against Trowa, the sobs racking his strong body. He seemed so small and fragile now, as if the slightest thing could shatter him into a million pieces. Trowa just simply held him, and allowed him to cry as much as he needed to.
-----
Heero could feel Trowa’s sharp eyes upon him, waiting for a response to the tale which he had just spun. After a few moments of silence, Heero cleared his throat. “Was that all?”
“Well, I thought you said you had remembered everything after that ... was I wrong?”
Heero stood and dusted off the seat of his pants. “No, you weren’t wrong.” He felt sick to his stomach; it wasn’t as if he could remember all of that, but yet it felt so familiar to him. Obviously everything which Trowa had relayed to him was the truth, but that left many questions which had yet to be answered. “I have a few questions ...”
Trowa and Quatre exchanged a look before Trowa nodded to Heero. “That’s fine.” He glanced around them, and apparently found their position to be to his liking. “Go ahead. But mind your voice ... there may be ears in the nearby woods.”
“I understand. I’ll start in the beginning ... how did you know so much? And how do I have any proof that what you’ve just told me is the complete and utter truth as far as the incidents in which you were not involved?”
Trowa hid a smirk behind his bangs. “I thought you would ask me that ... it’s all Duo’s word. Here ... take these.” Heero was handed a large heavy box; inside were Duo’s journals. “Those are all his. His sketch books, journals, even some letters he wrote to you when the two of you were split up.”
A sudden feeling that his and Duo’s privacy had been invaded washed over Heero. “So you read them?”
“I had to. Let me answer the unasked question I see in your eyes. After Duo was killed, Quatre did some research. Although he was unable to find the leader of the coup, he was able to find out that there was a young boy that was being investigated by an undisclosed shinigami. Namely ... Relena Peacecraft. The leader of the secret order. The group which was going behind the back of even the military investigators of the second gotei to discover who was behind the plot to overthrow order in Soul Society. She found him. Duo -- I mean. He matched everything ... all the way down to his looks. We knew he had been reborn on Earth when his zanpakutou handle disappeared.
As you know, when a shinigami passes on, their zanpakutou blade vanishes. However, sometimes ... in rare instances the handle will vanish if the shinigami is reborn with their powers intact.”
Heero starred at Trowa, still a bit confused on the finer points, but things were becoming a bit clearer as to why he had been assigned to Duo. He was there to protect him if he was discovered by the members of the coup. “So the handle made you investigate. I suppose I should say thank you. Even though I feel I owe him an apology -- he must think that I’m cold hearted since I continually fought my attraction to him.”
“Oh, he doesn’t remember anything from this life. Anything he feels for you is strictly his soul recognizing its mate ... your soul. I read everything that Duo had wanted me to hide when the handle disappeared. I knew something was going on -- and I needed all the information I could get, since you had clearly had your memories erased. I still don’t understand why you did that ... I thought that you hadn’t wanted to have that operation done.”
“I didn’t. Someone did it without my permission.”
“It was probably Akimori-san.” Quatre spoke up from behind Trowa. “She always wanted you ... without Duo’s memories in the way then you could easily be hers. Yet ... I don’t think she realized that you would lose everything that had made you the Heero you were when she had met you.”
Heero scoffed angrily at the mention of Aya’s name. So that had been why he didn’t trust her, she wanted him to be her lover. As if he’d ever crawl into bed with her. Heero sighed heavily and looked at his two friends. “I’m going back to Earth. If you want to come you can.”
“Really!?” Quatre jumped up and down excited about the prospect of a journey.
“Yeah. I’ll meet you outside your place early tomorrow.” Heero waved goodbye and walked back to his apartment. Heero’s memories were still a complete blur, but somehow with what Trowa had told him and Duo’s journals, he knew that his memories would return quickly.
Heero laid in bed that night reading the journals, letters, and skimming through the sketchbooks, which Duo had placed all of his thoughts and feelings into while he was alive. Thankfully, Duo had been found again, and Heero couldn’t wait to take him into his arms and tell him how much he loved him.
-----
Heero knocked softly on the hospital room door. Duo was sleeping in the chair next to his father’s bed; he was curled up into a ball with a grin upon his charming face. Heero gently brushed a lock of Duo’s hair away from his eyes. “You love him ... don’ you?” Heero jumped and turned in the direction of the voice. Duo’s father’s eyes were focused on Heero, and held a twinkle of humor in their depths. “I don’t mind. I just want my son to be happy.”
“Yes ... I do -- love him.” Heero tried to repress the blush which was starting to creep across his cheeks.
“His mother would be happy. You seem like a very good person.” Duo’s father began to cough, and Heero grew concerned for him. “D-don’t call the nurse.” After a deep breath, he was able to stop the coughing fit and speak in a less stressed manner. “I’m fine. It’s just this old heart of mine. It’s never been all that good -- even though Duo swears that I’ll out live him, and that I’m full of health.” Heero smiled at the old man. He looked very much like Duo, which may have thrown Heero off when they had first met, if he had been in possession of all of his memories. “Tell me, Heero-kun ... what are your intentions toward my son?” Heero coughed lightly and looked down at the still sleeping Duo. “If you’re hoping he’ll save you -- he can sleep through a typhoon ... there’s no saving you. Just answer me.”
“Well ... I said I love him. I want to be with him -- always.”
“Excellent. Then I give you permission to date him ... and if anything happens to me -- I want you to take care of him. Promise me!”
“I promise. You have my word. Nothing will ever happen to him -- I swear on my life.” Heero knew that Duo’s father had no idea how much meaning and emotion was behind his promise, but the smile on that gentle face caused one to break out on Heero’s own.
“No need to be so serious.”
“He’s alw~ays ... serious.” Duo stretched and yawned as he joined the conversation. “Hey stranger.” Heero choked back the emotions which rushed to the surface when he looked upon his love. “What’s wrong?”
Duo’s father chuckled softly. “I believe, son, that the two of you need to go and be alone. At a restaurant of course.” His eyes dared Heero to try anything sexual with his son upon punishment of death.
“Sorry, Dad. We’re going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Duo brushed a quick kiss upon his father’s cheek and grabbed his school uniform’s jacket. “C’mon Heero. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“You’re always hungry.” Heero closed the door behind him, the soft chuckles warming his heart even more than it already was. The two boys went to Duo’s favorite restaurant and sat down to talk about what happened in Soul Society. “You want to hear the whole thing?!”
“Yup!” Duo smiled as he bit happily into his chicken nugget. “Tell me it all.”
“Duo -- I’m not sure if you should hear ... everything.”
“Whattaya mean? You didn’t cheat on me -- did you?” The fear which flashed across Duo’s face made Heero’s stomach wad up in a knot.
“No! Of course I didn’t cheat. It’s just ... some things that -- well ...”
“You mean your memories?”
“Yeah ... did I tell you about that?”
Duo looked a little sheepish as he revealed his little secret. “Trowa told me. He showed up the day after you returned to Soul Society. Just long enough to explain to me why you left.”
“Hmm. I see. Are you saying you want me to fill you in on what I remember?”
“Yeah. Because I’m afraid I’ll lose to that ghost that’s following you around. I’ve seen you almost open up completely to me, and then instantly retreat. Why?”
Heero looked out the window and watched the people walking along the sidewalk as he formed his response inside of his head. “I guess ... that I should tell you what I know mixed with what I remember ... and then I’ll show you something when we get back to your house.” Duo chuckled as an apparent dirty thought passed through his mind. Heero ignored the laugh and began his tale, only slightly abbreviated from Trowa’s. “... You’re the Duo I fell in love with, only reborn.”
“But I have no memories of that ... I mean -- I felt like I had known you my whole life when I met you, but ... I don’t know Heero -- reincarnation?” Duo’s voice betrayed his lack of confidence to Heero. He knew that Duo had grown up in and had been raised by a man whose religion taught that reincarnation was not truthful; despite that belief being ingrained in Duo’s mind, Heero was hopeful that Duo would eventually agree with what he was being told.
“It’s okay, when you’re ready I know that you’ll accept it as true. But right now, Duo -- I want to start a new life with you ... here on Earth.”
Duo looked up from his food, a stunned expression on his face. “What about your job?”
“I’ll quit. Relax, let me handle that and don’t worry.” Heero smiled to reinforce his words.
“I’m not worried Heero, it’s just that -- how are you going to live here?” Duo looked around the near empty restaurant and sighed.
“In a gigai. There have been others before me who have done this. I know what I’m getting into. Besides -- Treize can help me.” Duo may have looked skeptical, but Heero ignored it and continued to eat.
“Heero, I just want to know one thing -- why?”
“‘Why’ what?”
Duo leaned across the table so that only Heero could hear his words. “Why did you come after me? Is it because I look so much like your dead lover? Or is there another reason?”
Heero’s heart began to beat more quickly; was Duo questioning Heero’s feelings for him? “Duo, what do you mean? I was assigned to watch over you.”
“But why Heero? I guess ... do I look like him?”
The doubt in Duo’s eyes upset Heero, but he wasn’t sure how to erase that look. Heero searched his mind trying to find some sort of comfort other than just the facts. He knew that Duo being Duo would not be consoled with only the simple statement that Heero had been ordered to watch over him. Unfortunately, Heero could think of nothing else to say to Duo, so he told him all that he could. “I was ordered by the Central 46 to watch over you. You had a special energy signature ... that’s what I was told at least. You see -- in reality, some friends of mine had stumbled upon you. And yes -- it was because you looked so much like him that they took notice of you. After closer evaluation, they determined that I should watch over you. I’m still not sure why. I think it was because you are him -- my late lover.”
Duo leaned back in his seat and began to gaze out the window. He appeared to be lost in thought for more than a few minutes. Heero sat quietly, waiting and praying for Duo to say something to him. “I don’t like it.” The response was curt and there was a slight quivering in Duo’s voice. Heero couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through Duo’s mind at that moment. In fact, he was worried that Duo was about to say goodbye to him. “How can I be jealous of this other person if he’s actually me? I don’t like it, Heero. I want to be the only man in your life. I -- I wanted to be your first.” Duo wouldn’t look at Heero as he spoke, but Heero could see the raw emotion in those bright indigo eyes.
“I’m sorry Duo. I can’t change what happened -- anymore than I can change my age.”
Duo’s chuckle held very little humor within its depths. “Over eighty years, huh? So it’s been ... what -- roughly sixty years since I died?”
“Time moves differently up there than it does down here. It moves more slowly. When I begin living down here, I’ll age the same way you do.”
Duo turned his face to Heero. Heero didn’t look a day over twenty-three. “It’s amazing you know? You look older than me, but not by much.”
“Duo ...?”
“I know, you want to hear me say that everything’s fine and that we can be a couple now ... am I right?” Heero nodded his head. The moment in between his answer and Duo’s was an excruciating few seconds. “The answer is yes. On one condition ... you treat me as if you don’t know anything about me. I’m a new and different person ... not that guy you were in love with before. I’m not him. I’m me, Christopher William “Duo” Maxwell -- got it?”
Heero smirked. “That’s your name?”
“What of it? I don’t see anything wrong with it ... it was my grandfather’s name.” Duo crossed his arms against his chest in a playful pout. Heero began to laugh with carefree abandon. No matter what Duo said at this moment, this was his Duo, and everything was going be all right. No more wondering why he was still living. No more lonely nights. The hole within his heart was now filled.
Legal stuf ... Bleach and Gundam Wing don't belong to me, they belong to Kubo Tite, Hajime Yadate and Yoshiyuki Tomino respectively.
geovisit();
Also, I've changed my updating to a week between the posts, going up to at the most two weeks in between them. Having on a definite day was interferring with school and life related things. (not like I have much of one ^_^) Anyway, they should still be a week apart, but just on random days now. My writer's block isn't that bad, so I think after one more chapter I should get rolling again.
Warnings: Angst
Status: COMPLETE< br>
“Bring him back!” Heero grabbed tightly onto Sally’s kimono and shook her.
“Heero-kun, I’m sorry -- he’s gone. There’s nothing any of us can do.” Heero backed away slowly and looked at the faces surrounding him. Trowa was close by and inching closer to the distraught man ever so cautiously. The tears began to blind Heero as he stumbled backwards, Duo’s body was being taken away from him. It took some effort to right himself, but as he did Heero flung himself forward trying to snatch Duo away from the shinigami escorting him back to the hospital.
“Duo!” Heero’s anguish filled sobs drowned out the chatter amongst everyone. He held out his hands trying to touch Duo one last time, but Trowa’s arms wrapped around Heero’s quivering body, holding him so that he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else. “Duo!!”
“Heero ... you don’t need to be here.”
“What?” Heero turned his bloodshot eyes upward to look at Trowa. “You’re right.” His voice had taken on a calm note, which worried Trowa. “I don’t need to be here. I need to be there ... with him.” Heero pushed free of Trowa’s embrace and began to walk away from the commotion. He walked down the streets in a daze, only concentrating on his destination, and what he planned to do. Heero was completely unaware that Trowa was following closely behind him.
Heero entered into his apartment and walked into the kitchen. There laying on the table was what he needed; the instrument which would bring him closer to Duo. Heero picked up the knife and rolled the handle in his hand a few times to get a feel for its weight. He placed it against the unmarred skin of his arm and pressed down until a small trickle of crimson began to emerge from under the blade.
Trowa burst through the door to find Heero slowly beginning to pull the knife upwards along his arm. “Heero!” Trowa grabbed Heero’s wrist and pulled it away from his body. “You can’t do this! It’s not what Duo would have wanted you to do!”
“I can Trowa! I don’t want to be here without him. I can’t do it.” Heero’s face was stained with tears, and his hopelessness was evident in his eyes.
“Don’t do this. Please.” Heero collapsed against Trowa, the sobs racking his strong body. He seemed so small and fragile now, as if the slightest thing could shatter him into a million pieces. Trowa just simply held him, and allowed him to cry as much as he needed to.
Heero could feel Trowa’s sharp eyes upon him, waiting for a response to the tale which he had just spun. After a few moments of silence, Heero cleared his throat. “Was that all?”
“Well, I thought you said you had remembered everything after that ... was I wrong?”
Heero stood and dusted off the seat of his pants. “No, you weren’t wrong.” He felt sick to his stomach; it wasn’t as if he could remember all of that, but yet it felt so familiar to him. Obviously everything which Trowa had relayed to him was the truth, but that left many questions which had yet to be answered. “I have a few questions ...”
Trowa and Quatre exchanged a look before Trowa nodded to Heero. “That’s fine.” He glanced around them, and apparently found their position to be to his liking. “Go ahead. But mind your voice ... there may be ears in the nearby woods.”
“I understand. I’ll start in the beginning ... how did you know so much? And how do I have any proof that what you’ve just told me is the complete and utter truth as far as the incidents in which you were not involved?”
Trowa hid a smirk behind his bangs. “I thought you would ask me that ... it’s all Duo’s word. Here ... take these.” Heero was handed a large heavy box; inside were Duo’s journals. “Those are all his. His sketch books, journals, even some letters he wrote to you when the two of you were split up.”
A sudden feeling that his and Duo’s privacy had been invaded washed over Heero. “So you read them?”
“I had to. Let me answer the unasked question I see in your eyes. After Duo was killed, Quatre did some research. Although he was unable to find the leader of the coup, he was able to find out that there was a young boy that was being investigated by an undisclosed shinigami. Namely ... Relena Peacecraft. The leader of the secret order. The group which was going behind the back of even the military investigators of the second gotei to discover who was behind the plot to overthrow order in Soul Society. She found him. Duo -- I mean. He matched everything ... all the way down to his looks. We knew he had been reborn on Earth when his zanpakutou handle disappeared.
As you know, when a shinigami passes on, their zanpakutou blade vanishes. However, sometimes ... in rare instances the handle will vanish if the shinigami is reborn with their powers intact.”
Heero starred at Trowa, still a bit confused on the finer points, but things were becoming a bit clearer as to why he had been assigned to Duo. He was there to protect him if he was discovered by the members of the coup. “So the handle made you investigate. I suppose I should say thank you. Even though I feel I owe him an apology -- he must think that I’m cold hearted since I continually fought my attraction to him.”
“Oh, he doesn’t remember anything from this life. Anything he feels for you is strictly his soul recognizing its mate ... your soul. I read everything that Duo had wanted me to hide when the handle disappeared. I knew something was going on -- and I needed all the information I could get, since you had clearly had your memories erased. I still don’t understand why you did that ... I thought that you hadn’t wanted to have that operation done.”
“I didn’t. Someone did it without my permission.”
“It was probably Akimori-san.” Quatre spoke up from behind Trowa. “She always wanted you ... without Duo’s memories in the way then you could easily be hers. Yet ... I don’t think she realized that you would lose everything that had made you the Heero you were when she had met you.”
Heero scoffed angrily at the mention of Aya’s name. So that had been why he didn’t trust her, she wanted him to be her lover. As if he’d ever crawl into bed with her. Heero sighed heavily and looked at his two friends. “I’m going back to Earth. If you want to come you can.”
“Really!?” Quatre jumped up and down excited about the prospect of a journey.
“Yeah. I’ll meet you outside your place early tomorrow.” Heero waved goodbye and walked back to his apartment. Heero’s memories were still a complete blur, but somehow with what Trowa had told him and Duo’s journals, he knew that his memories would return quickly.
Heero laid in bed that night reading the journals, letters, and skimming through the sketchbooks, which Duo had placed all of his thoughts and feelings into while he was alive. Thankfully, Duo had been found again, and Heero couldn’t wait to take him into his arms and tell him how much he loved him.
Heero knocked softly on the hospital room door. Duo was sleeping in the chair next to his father’s bed; he was curled up into a ball with a grin upon his charming face. Heero gently brushed a lock of Duo’s hair away from his eyes. “You love him ... don’ you?” Heero jumped and turned in the direction of the voice. Duo’s father’s eyes were focused on Heero, and held a twinkle of humor in their depths. “I don’t mind. I just want my son to be happy.”
“Yes ... I do -- love him.” Heero tried to repress the blush which was starting to creep across his cheeks.
“His mother would be happy. You seem like a very good person.” Duo’s father began to cough, and Heero grew concerned for him. “D-don’t call the nurse.” After a deep breath, he was able to stop the coughing fit and speak in a less stressed manner. “I’m fine. It’s just this old heart of mine. It’s never been all that good -- even though Duo swears that I’ll out live him, and that I’m full of health.” Heero smiled at the old man. He looked very much like Duo, which may have thrown Heero off when they had first met, if he had been in possession of all of his memories. “Tell me, Heero-kun ... what are your intentions toward my son?” Heero coughed lightly and looked down at the still sleeping Duo. “If you’re hoping he’ll save you -- he can sleep through a typhoon ... there’s no saving you. Just answer me.”
“Well ... I said I love him. I want to be with him -- always.”
“Excellent. Then I give you permission to date him ... and if anything happens to me -- I want you to take care of him. Promise me!”
“I promise. You have my word. Nothing will ever happen to him -- I swear on my life.” Heero knew that Duo’s father had no idea how much meaning and emotion was behind his promise, but the smile on that gentle face caused one to break out on Heero’s own.
“No need to be so serious.”
“He’s alw~ays ... serious.” Duo stretched and yawned as he joined the conversation. “Hey stranger.” Heero choked back the emotions which rushed to the surface when he looked upon his love. “What’s wrong?”
Duo’s father chuckled softly. “I believe, son, that the two of you need to go and be alone. At a restaurant of course.” His eyes dared Heero to try anything sexual with his son upon punishment of death.
“Sorry, Dad. We’re going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Duo brushed a quick kiss upon his father’s cheek and grabbed his school uniform’s jacket. “C’mon Heero. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“You’re always hungry.” Heero closed the door behind him, the soft chuckles warming his heart even more than it already was. The two boys went to Duo’s favorite restaurant and sat down to talk about what happened in Soul Society. “You want to hear the whole thing?!”
“Yup!” Duo smiled as he bit happily into his chicken nugget. “Tell me it all.”
“Duo -- I’m not sure if you should hear ... everything.”
“Whattaya mean? You didn’t cheat on me -- did you?” The fear which flashed across Duo’s face made Heero’s stomach wad up in a knot.
“No! Of course I didn’t cheat. It’s just ... some things that -- well ...”
“You mean your memories?”
“Yeah ... did I tell you about that?”
Duo looked a little sheepish as he revealed his little secret. “Trowa told me. He showed up the day after you returned to Soul Society. Just long enough to explain to me why you left.”
“Hmm. I see. Are you saying you want me to fill you in on what I remember?”
“Yeah. Because I’m afraid I’ll lose to that ghost that’s following you around. I’ve seen you almost open up completely to me, and then instantly retreat. Why?”
Heero looked out the window and watched the people walking along the sidewalk as he formed his response inside of his head. “I guess ... that I should tell you what I know mixed with what I remember ... and then I’ll show you something when we get back to your house.” Duo chuckled as an apparent dirty thought passed through his mind. Heero ignored the laugh and began his tale, only slightly abbreviated from Trowa’s. “... You’re the Duo I fell in love with, only reborn.”
“But I have no memories of that ... I mean -- I felt like I had known you my whole life when I met you, but ... I don’t know Heero -- reincarnation?” Duo’s voice betrayed his lack of confidence to Heero. He knew that Duo had grown up in and had been raised by a man whose religion taught that reincarnation was not truthful; despite that belief being ingrained in Duo’s mind, Heero was hopeful that Duo would eventually agree with what he was being told.
“It’s okay, when you’re ready I know that you’ll accept it as true. But right now, Duo -- I want to start a new life with you ... here on Earth.”
Duo looked up from his food, a stunned expression on his face. “What about your job?”
“I’ll quit. Relax, let me handle that and don’t worry.” Heero smiled to reinforce his words.
“I’m not worried Heero, it’s just that -- how are you going to live here?” Duo looked around the near empty restaurant and sighed.
“In a gigai. There have been others before me who have done this. I know what I’m getting into. Besides -- Treize can help me.” Duo may have looked skeptical, but Heero ignored it and continued to eat.
“Heero, I just want to know one thing -- why?”
“‘Why’ what?”
Duo leaned across the table so that only Heero could hear his words. “Why did you come after me? Is it because I look so much like your dead lover? Or is there another reason?”
Heero’s heart began to beat more quickly; was Duo questioning Heero’s feelings for him? “Duo, what do you mean? I was assigned to watch over you.”
“But why Heero? I guess ... do I look like him?”
The doubt in Duo’s eyes upset Heero, but he wasn’t sure how to erase that look. Heero searched his mind trying to find some sort of comfort other than just the facts. He knew that Duo being Duo would not be consoled with only the simple statement that Heero had been ordered to watch over him. Unfortunately, Heero could think of nothing else to say to Duo, so he told him all that he could. “I was ordered by the Central 46 to watch over you. You had a special energy signature ... that’s what I was told at least. You see -- in reality, some friends of mine had stumbled upon you. And yes -- it was because you looked so much like him that they took notice of you. After closer evaluation, they determined that I should watch over you. I’m still not sure why. I think it was because you are him -- my late lover.”
Duo leaned back in his seat and began to gaze out the window. He appeared to be lost in thought for more than a few minutes. Heero sat quietly, waiting and praying for Duo to say something to him. “I don’t like it.” The response was curt and there was a slight quivering in Duo’s voice. Heero couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through Duo’s mind at that moment. In fact, he was worried that Duo was about to say goodbye to him. “How can I be jealous of this other person if he’s actually me? I don’t like it, Heero. I want to be the only man in your life. I -- I wanted to be your first.” Duo wouldn’t look at Heero as he spoke, but Heero could see the raw emotion in those bright indigo eyes.
“I’m sorry Duo. I can’t change what happened -- anymore than I can change my age.”
Duo’s chuckle held very little humor within its depths. “Over eighty years, huh? So it’s been ... what -- roughly sixty years since I died?”
“Time moves differently up there than it does down here. It moves more slowly. When I begin living down here, I’ll age the same way you do.”
Duo turned his face to Heero. Heero didn’t look a day over twenty-three. “It’s amazing you know? You look older than me, but not by much.”
“Duo ...?”
“I know, you want to hear me say that everything’s fine and that we can be a couple now ... am I right?” Heero nodded his head. The moment in between his answer and Duo’s was an excruciating few seconds. “The answer is yes. On one condition ... you treat me as if you don’t know anything about me. I’m a new and different person ... not that guy you were in love with before. I’m not him. I’m me, Christopher William “Duo” Maxwell -- got it?”
Heero smirked. “That’s your name?”
“What of it? I don’t see anything wrong with it ... it was my grandfather’s name.” Duo crossed his arms against his chest in a playful pout. Heero began to laugh with carefree abandon. No matter what Duo said at this moment, this was his Duo, and everything was going be all right. No more wondering why he was still living. No more lonely nights. The hole within his heart was now filled.