Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Pieces of a Puzzle ❯ Chapter Eighteen ( Chapter 18 )
[ 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: 09.15.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 256 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.15.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 256 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is a new chapter of Pieces of a Puzzle. I hope everyone enjoys this one, and be on the lookout for the next and final chapter next week. :)
I've included a brief summary of the story so everyone doesn't have to go back through and re-read everything. I hope it helps!
Warnings: Subtle violence
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
The story so far: Duo is turned into a Shinigami by Heero in order to save Duo's life. It then comes to light that Duo is Heero's late lover reincarnated. Heero discovers that Duo was a spy prior to his death in Soul Society, and that it may have had something to do with his death. Heero's memories had been erased and this was why he did not recognize Duo as such before he learned everything from Trowa. Shortly after speaking with Trowa about his past, he learns that Duo kept journals and is given them by Trowa. He in turn gives them to Duo, who begins to read them, but cannot remember anything from his previous life.
Aya shows up and both boys know this means trouble, so to try and clear everything up, Duo seeks out the help of Treize. While recovering from the mishap with Treize's device, Duo is shown by his zanpakutou who it was that helped erase him from Heero's memories. After seeing this, he goes to Trowa to find out why he had a hand in this, and what exactly is going on.
-----
Trowa paused and Duo had a gut feeling that he was trying to figure out a way to not tell him. “Trowa, you have to tell me -- my head’s spinning with all the glimpses of my memories and frankly I just can’t take thinking that you may have had something to do with wiping me from Heero’s memory.” Duo was trying his best to believe in the person who had said he was his ‘friend,’ but the guilty expression which was slowly forming on Trowa’s face was more than enough proof. “Why?”
“I had my reasons.” Trowa turned his back on Duo and walked a few paces away from him before he turned back to face him. “Did you see who was with me?”
“Yes.” It was all he could do to keep himself from shaking the truth out of Trowa. Why wasn’t he being cooperative? What was the big secret that everyone seemed to be trying so hard to keep?
“Duo, I -- Laurie asked me to not speak of this to you.” Duo’s heart began to pound within his ears. She was still alive? So he hadn’t been seeing things last night. At least he knew now without a doubt that Trowa, Laurie, and Relena had been the ones to erase Heero’s memories. “We only erased you. There was nothing else that we removed -- if we had then he wouldn’t have been useful.”
“Huh?” Trowa turned and lowered himself next to Duo. He glanced around, a worried expression upon his face. “What is it?”
“Those that aren’t loyal to Relena ... they’re against us, and one of them was close to Heero.”
“Aya.” Duo’s head suddenly began to hurt. He had known that she must of had something to do with his death. So she did want Heero for herself, but it was her bad luck that found him reincarnated. “Was she ... she killed me -- didn’t she?”
“I’m not sure. We were never able to find any connection between your attacker and her. Laurie looked, but there was nothing. It was as if your attacker had a personal grudge against you.”
“Go figure.” With a heavy sigh, Duo leaned back against the cold stone of the fence which surrounded his house.
“Duo, I have to tell you that you’re still in danger, whether you remember the past or not. I know what you were doing for Relena, and whoever killed you the first time will come back again to protect their interests.”
“I’ll be careful. But if you know what I was doing ... then why won’t you tell me? Maybe if I know, then I can protect myself and Heero better.”
Trowa gazed intently at Duo, who could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not to give away what he knew. “It’s all in your last few notebooks ... everything.”
“It’s coded, and I don’t know how I did it. Trust me, I’ve tried to decipher it, but I just can’t figure it out.”
“Duo, you were very close to finding out who the leader was. That is what was written in those notebooks, and if I’m not mistaken ... there is a letter in them from Jackson which points in the direction of the leader.”
“All of that’s great ... if I could remember everything about my old self. Trowa, you tell me I’m being hunted, but you won’t give me the means to help myself. And Heero’s no help either -- he’s been in the dark on everything apparently.” Duo studied his old friend, trying desperately to find a sign that he still knew more, but he was keeping himself very well guarded. “Maybe I should speak with Laurie.”
“No!” Trowa reached out and stopped Duo from standing. There was a panicked look upon his face, and his voice had been unusually loud.
“What? You won’t tell me anything ... so why can’t I --”
“Because Duo ... we’re not sure if she’s -- we can’t trust anyone.”
Duo swallowed hard, he wasn’t trying to say that she was in on the plot to overthrow the old order of Soul Society, was he? “Trowa ... you’re joking right? She can’t be --”
“We don’t know. But we do know that Zechs is one of the enemy.”
His mind reeling, Duo chuckled to try and hide his disbelief. “So you’re saying that her brother is against her?”
“They didn’t grow up together Duo. They do have different view points, but yes ... that is what I’m saying.”
“Damn. No wonder you’re afraid to speak about this. That’s pretty high reaching then.”
“We wouldn’t be so concerned about it if it weren’t.” Duo ran a shaky hand through his thick bangs. Why couldn’t this just go away? All he wanted was to live quietly with Heero, but no, things had to go back to the way they were before he died. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Just peachy actually.” He rolled his eyes at the small snort of a laugh which Trowa gave him in response to his sarcastic tone.
“Have I told you enough?”
“You answered my question. Why you erased Heero’s memories ... that was why I asked you here.”
“Be on the lookout. Quatre and I will stay close, but we can’t be too close. It would give your location away.”
“Do they know that I’ve been reborn?”
“We’re not sure. Aya has a suspicion, but as far as anyone else goes ... you’re just a look-a-like.” He had been surprised to hear that, but by the look upon Trowa’s face, he knew that it was only a matter of time before they were found.
“I have one more question ... why did Hilde die?”
“She -- was one of them. I was the one who assassinated her.” Duo’s heart sunk into the pit of his stomach. He wanted to cry in agony and strike out at something all at the same time. Why did she have to be on the wrong side? They had been friends, good friends. Why? “You remember how easily she could be persuaded -- they’re offer was just too good to pass up I guess.” Duo nodded, and walked back inside his home without saying goodbye to Trowa. He couldn’t trust himself to open his mouth at the moment. It was true that she tended to go with whoever had the best sales pitch, but why did she turn her back on everything that she had been taught? Those members of the coup were not trying to create something better, they simply wanted Soul Society to themselves. Wait. Duo paused. He had just remembered some of the things which he had learned while investigating for Relena.
Holding on to those few memories which had just returned, Duo made his way into the living room and pulled out the box which held all his journals. He rummaged through them until he found what he was looking for, the letter which Jackson had given him. He read through it several times, but could find no clue except that the leader was a person in power; logic indicated that would have to be Zechs. There had to be something somewhere that had solid proof, a reason why he had been killed to start with -- unless, they had been trying to get rid of all the spies. However, if they had simply been doing housekeeping, then why were Trowa and Quatre still alive, and Relena, if she was the leader of the underground police and spy network, then why was she still breathing too? He leaned back against the cushions, completely baffled by everything. The answer was somewhere, it had to be. Perhaps the reason he was killed had been because of Aya. If she truly wanted Heero for herself, then killing him and erasing his memories was the perfect way to do so, but what she didn’t know was that Heero would turn into an emotionally closed off soldier, only concerned with his work. Duo smirked a bit thinking about how frustrated she must have been with him.
As he began to place his notebooks back into the box, a thought -- no a memory -- popped into his mind. Hadn’t Laurie mentioned that she had been with Zechs? Duo forced his mind to recall the forgotten memory, and slowly the haze surrounding that part of his old self began to recede. She had told him that, and in fact it had been common knowledge. They had been very close, but because Zechs was a member of a noble family, they couldn’t be together. That was why she had found her way to him, and then gained his trust. Cold realization flooded Duo’s body as he concluded that she had been planning everything even then. It had all been an act. “But how did they know I’d become a spy later on?” He quickly began to search through his notebooks again. This time he found the entries which dealt with Laurie.
He had written that she had approached him first. His theory could be plausible. Duo squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for being so stupid. She had laid out her plan well, and executed it flawlessly. He had been completely fooled. He had to wonder if she had still been with Zechs at the time, and he wondered who was really the person leading the rebels. Was it Zechs or Laurie? A noise pulled his attention away from his thoughts. Heero was walking into the room, yawing. “Did you speak with Trowa?”
“Yeah,” Duo’s voice sounded distracted, and he hadn’t wanted it to.
“What’s wrong?”
“Heero ... I -- I need to speak with Relena.”
“What?! Duo, she can’t just leave Soul Society. You do know who she is -- right?”
Duo rose from the couch and crossed over to where Heero stood. He gently cupped his lover’s face in his hands and looked directly into those deep blue eyes which trusted him completely. “I know why I was killed and why your memory was erased.” Heero’s brow drew together in puzzlement as Duo began to pace before him. “I have some solid evidence, but no absolute proof. Just ... pieces which fit together to form the truth behind the coup -- and my death.”
Heero grunted softly. “I’ll see if I can get her to come here.”
“Hee-chan, be subtle. Don’t tell anyone not even Trowa what you’re doing. Promise?”
He grinned crookedly. “I promise.” Duo kissed him quickly and then returned to his notebooks.
-----
Laurie stood upon the roof of a high rise building staring down at the rushing traffic below. “It all seems so pointless, don’t you think -- Aya, Noin?”
“Yes, sir.” The two ladies recited in tandem. Aya stepped forward and gazed at her leader, hero worship filling her dark eyes. “Sir, if I may --”
“What is it?”
“I’ve found him.” A smirk began to spread across Laurie’s flawless tanned face. They were one step closer to becoming the owners of the two most powerful zanpakutou ever made.
“I don’t want any mishaps this time. Last time when we killed him it disappeared. We must take it from him before he dies. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Aya bowed deeply before stepping back to stand beside Noin, who was the only other person in the rebel ranks, whom Laurie trusted enough with her life.
“Noin, has Zechs been notified?”
“Yes, sir. I told him personally that we’re almost in possession of Seikousen and Shikousen.”
“Excellent. Only one more thing to do then. I have to charm Duo out of his precious soul.”
-----
Relena was sitting on the couch watching Duo pace back and forth. He was nervous about telling her what he had figured out, but it had to be said. If he didn’t voice it then he could die again, or worse Heero could die. “I know why I was killed, and why everyone else connected to me died.”
“You know about Laurie then, right?”
“Yes. She’s still alive, and I know that she’s searching for us -- for me and Heero.”
“What?” Heero’s voice told Duo he wanted to know what he was speaking of, but he ignored him and continued.
“It’s our zanpakutou. They want them ... they must have known that I was going to be reborn. My only guess is that they never intended to kill me, only hurt me enough to be able to --”
“Duo-kun, wait a minute. You can’t just take a person’s zanpakutou. Their soul is connected to it ... if they do then it’s just an ordinary sword. Unless they bind their soul to it, but it then becomes a completely different zanpakutou.”
“I believe I can answer that question.” Everyone turned to see Treize standing in the doorway, a guilty look upon his chiseled face.
“Heero ... why is he here?! I told you --”
“He didn’t say anything to me. I thought you should know that Laurie is here, in town. Obviously she’s planning another attempt on Duo’s life.”
“But how can they --”
“I created a device which allows someone to bind another’s soul to a zanpakutou -- in essence keeping that user’s zanpakutou intact.”
“You what?” Relena breathed, anger radiating from her being. “How could you do something like that!? A person’s zanpakutou is unique and precious. It’s their soul! I cannot believe that you -- wait yes I can. You were always trying to find ways to make things which would allow for us to continue on in our job of keeping the balance. But this goes against everything which we hold dear. You created something which would stop a shinigami’s soul from passing on! How dare you!” She paused briefly and took a deep breath to steady herself. “Banishment from Soul Society was apparently not enough for you.”
“M’lady, if I may -- the existence of this device was why I was banished.” Treize smiled, but it was not his usual dashing smile, it was one of shame.
“Oh. I see. Why was it not destroyed then?”
“That would be because your dear brother was in charge of that. Or have you forgotten? He is after all the captain of the second gotei -- the police force.*”
“Great. Now what?”
“If I were you, I would get together an army and I would be preparing for war.” Relena lowered her head into her hands and groaned out of misery. Duo knew that the only solution was to find Laurie before she found them. Surprise was the only thing which was on their side at the moment, and he wasn’t even certain that they had that anymore. With Aya there, surely Laurie already knew that he was alive and living nearby.
“Heero ...” Without saying a word, Heero slid his hand into Duo’s and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.
“Tell us what you need for us to do.” Heero’s soft voice eased some of Duo’s fears. He was going to be by his side this time, it wouldn’t be like the last time when he was all alone.
“Just stay here. I’ll post some guards nearby and they’ll alert you if and when Laurie gets close, but for right now this is all we can do. I’m afraid I have no idea how many people she and my brother have been able to convert.”
“So it is true -- they are trying to change the way we do things.” Relena glanced over at Treize and nodded. “Why? We’ve been doing things the same way for ages, why now?”
“Perhaps Une can answer that. She’s spoken with Laurie, and even though she probably didn’t reveal anything related to the coup, she may have spoken of something else.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “I’ll return tomorrow at the same time. Hopefully I’ll have some information for you.”
That night Duo paced back and forth as Heero watched him from the bed roll. “Will you please sit down, I’m getting tired watching you.”
“Heero, she knew ... she tricked me. And she killed Jackson to drive a temporary wedge between us so that Aya could get closer to you. Which she did. I just -- I’m afraid that if they fooled us once they’ll ...”
“Duo, we know what happened the last time now. We shouldn’t be fretting that it’ll happen again. We know what to expect.” Heero gently tugged Duo down onto the bed roll and held him in his arms. “I won’t let them take you from me again. I swear that I’ll see them dead before they can ever get to you ...”
-----
Relena stared at Une as if she had gone mad. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. There’s no doubting what she told me. Laurie Waters remembers her life as a human. And she knows how she died ...”
“By a Hollow.” Relena leaned back in her chair and stared blankly at the rough ceiling above her. “If she remembers that, then it would explain why she believes that Hollows are evil, and should be murdered. But what she doesn’t seem to understand is how that would throw off the balance of everything.”
“True. I wish you luck trying to put a stop to this.” Dr. Une rose from her seat and opened the door, a silent hint that Relena needed to be leaving.
“Thank you again, doctor.”
“My pleasure. If there’s anything else that you need, please don’t hesitate.”
Relena’s smile felt a bit forced, but she managed to produce one for appearance’s sake. “I won’t.” As she walked outside into the streets of the Seireitei, a strong hand grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Well, well ... my dear sweet little sister. How are you today?” She could feel her eyes widening in surprise, a sign of fear that she could not afford to give her brother. If he figured out that she knew, everything would have been in vain.
“Zechs, you startled me. I’m fine ... you?” She forced a cheerful voice as she quickly recovered from her initial fright.
Zechs regarded his younger sister with a raised brow. The smile which slowly began to creep across his face chilled Relena’s blood deep within her. He knew. There was no mistaking that look, he had figured it out. “I’m excellent. Listen, there’s something I need to show you back at my office, will you please come with me?”
“I’m afraid I can’t. Please forgive me, but I have business I must attend to.” She turned to leave, but that same strong hand stopped her short. “Please -- brother.”
“I’m sorry, little sister ... but this is very important. You see I can’t let you go.” Zechs’s comment lit a bright defiant fire within her steel blue eyes, and she turned with anger raging inside her.
“I’ll scream. You’ll not succeed ... I swear to you that you and Laurie will be stopped.”
“Really now. How very cute. My little, tiny sister thinks she can stop the inevitable.” Relena tried to back away as one of his hands reached for her long blonde hair, but his other hand held tightly to her arm, threatening to break it. He leaned in closely and pressed his mouth against her ear. “I’ve always loved you -- but sadly you have this rebellious nature that I can’t control. Therefore, the easiest thing to do would be to silence you.” She froze for only a moment out of fear as her mind quickly worked to think of a way to escape. A sly smile lit her face as a sharp boney knee met with Zechs's soft maleness causing him to collapse to the ground, his hold on her broken.
Relena quickly unsheathed her zanpakutou and raised it to strike Zechs. He stared up at her with pure hatred lighting his silver eyes, but then something different quickly flashed through them, making her pause. There was someone behind her. Relena turned to face her new opponent, but it was too late. She tried to focus on who it was that had struck her, but everything was becoming more and more blurry. She had to hold on, she couldn’t die. If she died then neither Heero nor Duo would know what she had discovered, and there was no way Zechs could be allowed to win. She wouldn’t let him.
“Is she dead?” That was Noin’s voice! How could her number one pupil do this!? Relena tried her best to slow her breathing so that it looked like she had died. She quietly prayed that they wouldn’t check for a pulse, but then again, her brother was no idiot.
“I think so. She’s stopped fussing. Even if she’s not, there’s no way she can survive that ... and if she talks it’ll be too late anyway. Especially since you said that they’ve been found. As soon as we have Shikousen and Seikousen in our possession -- everything will be over for those who oppose us.”
Relena listened as they walked away from her. She had to get help and quickly, or she would die. She tried to call out, but her voice was only a whisper; her only hope was that someone would be walking by and see her.
“Please, please someone see me ...” Her body was beginning to feel numb and she was growing cold. It was only a matter of moments before she passed out, and then death would find her. She struggled to move her hand. The least she could do was leave a message that hopefully someone would understand.
-----------------------------
* In Bleach, the second gotei is the military police. They basically keep the order within the Rukongai (the outer rim of Soul Society) and the Seireitei (where the Shinigami live)
** Seikousen = Life light/ray Shikousen = Death light/ray
Legal stuf ... Bleach and Gundam Wing don't belong to me, they belong to Kubo Tite, Hajime Yadate and Yoshiyuki Tomino respectively.
geovisit();
I've included a brief summary of the story so everyone doesn't have to go back through and re-read everything. I hope it helps!
Warnings: Subtle violence
Chapter Status: COMPLETE
The story so far: Duo is turned into a Shinigami by Heero in order to save Duo's life. It then comes to light that Duo is Heero's late lover reincarnated. Heero discovers that Duo was a spy prior to his death in Soul Society, and that it may have had something to do with his death. Heero's memories had been erased and this was why he did not recognize Duo as such before he learned everything from Trowa. Shortly after speaking with Trowa about his past, he learns that Duo kept journals and is given them by Trowa. He in turn gives them to Duo, who begins to read them, but cannot remember anything from his previous life.
Aya shows up and both boys know this means trouble, so to try and clear everything up, Duo seeks out the help of Treize. While recovering from the mishap with Treize's device, Duo is shown by his zanpakutou who it was that helped erase him from Heero's memories. After seeing this, he goes to Trowa to find out why he had a hand in this, and what exactly is going on.
Trowa paused and Duo had a gut feeling that he was trying to figure out a way to not tell him. “Trowa, you have to tell me -- my head’s spinning with all the glimpses of my memories and frankly I just can’t take thinking that you may have had something to do with wiping me from Heero’s memory.” Duo was trying his best to believe in the person who had said he was his ‘friend,’ but the guilty expression which was slowly forming on Trowa’s face was more than enough proof. “Why?”
“I had my reasons.” Trowa turned his back on Duo and walked a few paces away from him before he turned back to face him. “Did you see who was with me?”
“Yes.” It was all he could do to keep himself from shaking the truth out of Trowa. Why wasn’t he being cooperative? What was the big secret that everyone seemed to be trying so hard to keep?
“Duo, I -- Laurie asked me to not speak of this to you.” Duo’s heart began to pound within his ears. She was still alive? So he hadn’t been seeing things last night. At least he knew now without a doubt that Trowa, Laurie, and Relena had been the ones to erase Heero’s memories. “We only erased you. There was nothing else that we removed -- if we had then he wouldn’t have been useful.”
“Huh?” Trowa turned and lowered himself next to Duo. He glanced around, a worried expression upon his face. “What is it?”
“Those that aren’t loyal to Relena ... they’re against us, and one of them was close to Heero.”
“Aya.” Duo’s head suddenly began to hurt. He had known that she must of had something to do with his death. So she did want Heero for herself, but it was her bad luck that found him reincarnated. “Was she ... she killed me -- didn’t she?”
“I’m not sure. We were never able to find any connection between your attacker and her. Laurie looked, but there was nothing. It was as if your attacker had a personal grudge against you.”
“Go figure.” With a heavy sigh, Duo leaned back against the cold stone of the fence which surrounded his house.
“Duo, I have to tell you that you’re still in danger, whether you remember the past or not. I know what you were doing for Relena, and whoever killed you the first time will come back again to protect their interests.”
“I’ll be careful. But if you know what I was doing ... then why won’t you tell me? Maybe if I know, then I can protect myself and Heero better.”
Trowa gazed intently at Duo, who could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not to give away what he knew. “It’s all in your last few notebooks ... everything.”
“It’s coded, and I don’t know how I did it. Trust me, I’ve tried to decipher it, but I just can’t figure it out.”
“Duo, you were very close to finding out who the leader was. That is what was written in those notebooks, and if I’m not mistaken ... there is a letter in them from Jackson which points in the direction of the leader.”
“All of that’s great ... if I could remember everything about my old self. Trowa, you tell me I’m being hunted, but you won’t give me the means to help myself. And Heero’s no help either -- he’s been in the dark on everything apparently.” Duo studied his old friend, trying desperately to find a sign that he still knew more, but he was keeping himself very well guarded. “Maybe I should speak with Laurie.”
“No!” Trowa reached out and stopped Duo from standing. There was a panicked look upon his face, and his voice had been unusually loud.
“What? You won’t tell me anything ... so why can’t I --”
“Because Duo ... we’re not sure if she’s -- we can’t trust anyone.”
Duo swallowed hard, he wasn’t trying to say that she was in on the plot to overthrow the old order of Soul Society, was he? “Trowa ... you’re joking right? She can’t be --”
“We don’t know. But we do know that Zechs is one of the enemy.”
His mind reeling, Duo chuckled to try and hide his disbelief. “So you’re saying that her brother is against her?”
“They didn’t grow up together Duo. They do have different view points, but yes ... that is what I’m saying.”
“Damn. No wonder you’re afraid to speak about this. That’s pretty high reaching then.”
“We wouldn’t be so concerned about it if it weren’t.” Duo ran a shaky hand through his thick bangs. Why couldn’t this just go away? All he wanted was to live quietly with Heero, but no, things had to go back to the way they were before he died. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Just peachy actually.” He rolled his eyes at the small snort of a laugh which Trowa gave him in response to his sarcastic tone.
“Have I told you enough?”
“You answered my question. Why you erased Heero’s memories ... that was why I asked you here.”
“Be on the lookout. Quatre and I will stay close, but we can’t be too close. It would give your location away.”
“Do they know that I’ve been reborn?”
“We’re not sure. Aya has a suspicion, but as far as anyone else goes ... you’re just a look-a-like.” He had been surprised to hear that, but by the look upon Trowa’s face, he knew that it was only a matter of time before they were found.
“I have one more question ... why did Hilde die?”
“She -- was one of them. I was the one who assassinated her.” Duo’s heart sunk into the pit of his stomach. He wanted to cry in agony and strike out at something all at the same time. Why did she have to be on the wrong side? They had been friends, good friends. Why? “You remember how easily she could be persuaded -- they’re offer was just too good to pass up I guess.” Duo nodded, and walked back inside his home without saying goodbye to Trowa. He couldn’t trust himself to open his mouth at the moment. It was true that she tended to go with whoever had the best sales pitch, but why did she turn her back on everything that she had been taught? Those members of the coup were not trying to create something better, they simply wanted Soul Society to themselves. Wait. Duo paused. He had just remembered some of the things which he had learned while investigating for Relena.
Holding on to those few memories which had just returned, Duo made his way into the living room and pulled out the box which held all his journals. He rummaged through them until he found what he was looking for, the letter which Jackson had given him. He read through it several times, but could find no clue except that the leader was a person in power; logic indicated that would have to be Zechs. There had to be something somewhere that had solid proof, a reason why he had been killed to start with -- unless, they had been trying to get rid of all the spies. However, if they had simply been doing housekeeping, then why were Trowa and Quatre still alive, and Relena, if she was the leader of the underground police and spy network, then why was she still breathing too? He leaned back against the cushions, completely baffled by everything. The answer was somewhere, it had to be. Perhaps the reason he was killed had been because of Aya. If she truly wanted Heero for herself, then killing him and erasing his memories was the perfect way to do so, but what she didn’t know was that Heero would turn into an emotionally closed off soldier, only concerned with his work. Duo smirked a bit thinking about how frustrated she must have been with him.
As he began to place his notebooks back into the box, a thought -- no a memory -- popped into his mind. Hadn’t Laurie mentioned that she had been with Zechs? Duo forced his mind to recall the forgotten memory, and slowly the haze surrounding that part of his old self began to recede. She had told him that, and in fact it had been common knowledge. They had been very close, but because Zechs was a member of a noble family, they couldn’t be together. That was why she had found her way to him, and then gained his trust. Cold realization flooded Duo’s body as he concluded that she had been planning everything even then. It had all been an act. “But how did they know I’d become a spy later on?” He quickly began to search through his notebooks again. This time he found the entries which dealt with Laurie.
He had written that she had approached him first. His theory could be plausible. Duo squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for being so stupid. She had laid out her plan well, and executed it flawlessly. He had been completely fooled. He had to wonder if she had still been with Zechs at the time, and he wondered who was really the person leading the rebels. Was it Zechs or Laurie? A noise pulled his attention away from his thoughts. Heero was walking into the room, yawing. “Did you speak with Trowa?”
“Yeah,” Duo’s voice sounded distracted, and he hadn’t wanted it to.
“What’s wrong?”
“Heero ... I -- I need to speak with Relena.”
“What?! Duo, she can’t just leave Soul Society. You do know who she is -- right?”
Duo rose from the couch and crossed over to where Heero stood. He gently cupped his lover’s face in his hands and looked directly into those deep blue eyes which trusted him completely. “I know why I was killed and why your memory was erased.” Heero’s brow drew together in puzzlement as Duo began to pace before him. “I have some solid evidence, but no absolute proof. Just ... pieces which fit together to form the truth behind the coup -- and my death.”
Heero grunted softly. “I’ll see if I can get her to come here.”
“Hee-chan, be subtle. Don’t tell anyone not even Trowa what you’re doing. Promise?”
He grinned crookedly. “I promise.” Duo kissed him quickly and then returned to his notebooks.
Laurie stood upon the roof of a high rise building staring down at the rushing traffic below. “It all seems so pointless, don’t you think -- Aya, Noin?”
“Yes, sir.” The two ladies recited in tandem. Aya stepped forward and gazed at her leader, hero worship filling her dark eyes. “Sir, if I may --”
“What is it?”
“I’ve found him.” A smirk began to spread across Laurie’s flawless tanned face. They were one step closer to becoming the owners of the two most powerful zanpakutou ever made.
“I don’t want any mishaps this time. Last time when we killed him it disappeared. We must take it from him before he dies. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Aya bowed deeply before stepping back to stand beside Noin, who was the only other person in the rebel ranks, whom Laurie trusted enough with her life.
“Noin, has Zechs been notified?”
“Yes, sir. I told him personally that we’re almost in possession of Seikousen and Shikousen.”
“Excellent. Only one more thing to do then. I have to charm Duo out of his precious soul.”
Relena was sitting on the couch watching Duo pace back and forth. He was nervous about telling her what he had figured out, but it had to be said. If he didn’t voice it then he could die again, or worse Heero could die. “I know why I was killed, and why everyone else connected to me died.”
“You know about Laurie then, right?”
“Yes. She’s still alive, and I know that she’s searching for us -- for me and Heero.”
“What?” Heero’s voice told Duo he wanted to know what he was speaking of, but he ignored him and continued.
“It’s our zanpakutou. They want them ... they must have known that I was going to be reborn. My only guess is that they never intended to kill me, only hurt me enough to be able to --”
“Duo-kun, wait a minute. You can’t just take a person’s zanpakutou. Their soul is connected to it ... if they do then it’s just an ordinary sword. Unless they bind their soul to it, but it then becomes a completely different zanpakutou.”
“I believe I can answer that question.” Everyone turned to see Treize standing in the doorway, a guilty look upon his chiseled face.
“Heero ... why is he here?! I told you --”
“He didn’t say anything to me. I thought you should know that Laurie is here, in town. Obviously she’s planning another attempt on Duo’s life.”
“But how can they --”
“I created a device which allows someone to bind another’s soul to a zanpakutou -- in essence keeping that user’s zanpakutou intact.”
“You what?” Relena breathed, anger radiating from her being. “How could you do something like that!? A person’s zanpakutou is unique and precious. It’s their soul! I cannot believe that you -- wait yes I can. You were always trying to find ways to make things which would allow for us to continue on in our job of keeping the balance. But this goes against everything which we hold dear. You created something which would stop a shinigami’s soul from passing on! How dare you!” She paused briefly and took a deep breath to steady herself. “Banishment from Soul Society was apparently not enough for you.”
“M’lady, if I may -- the existence of this device was why I was banished.” Treize smiled, but it was not his usual dashing smile, it was one of shame.
“Oh. I see. Why was it not destroyed then?”
“That would be because your dear brother was in charge of that. Or have you forgotten? He is after all the captain of the second gotei -- the police force.*”
“Great. Now what?”
“If I were you, I would get together an army and I would be preparing for war.” Relena lowered her head into her hands and groaned out of misery. Duo knew that the only solution was to find Laurie before she found them. Surprise was the only thing which was on their side at the moment, and he wasn’t even certain that they had that anymore. With Aya there, surely Laurie already knew that he was alive and living nearby.
“Heero ...” Without saying a word, Heero slid his hand into Duo’s and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.
“Tell us what you need for us to do.” Heero’s soft voice eased some of Duo’s fears. He was going to be by his side this time, it wouldn’t be like the last time when he was all alone.
“Just stay here. I’ll post some guards nearby and they’ll alert you if and when Laurie gets close, but for right now this is all we can do. I’m afraid I have no idea how many people she and my brother have been able to convert.”
“So it is true -- they are trying to change the way we do things.” Relena glanced over at Treize and nodded. “Why? We’ve been doing things the same way for ages, why now?”
“Perhaps Une can answer that. She’s spoken with Laurie, and even though she probably didn’t reveal anything related to the coup, she may have spoken of something else.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “I’ll return tomorrow at the same time. Hopefully I’ll have some information for you.”
That night Duo paced back and forth as Heero watched him from the bed roll. “Will you please sit down, I’m getting tired watching you.”
“Heero, she knew ... she tricked me. And she killed Jackson to drive a temporary wedge between us so that Aya could get closer to you. Which she did. I just -- I’m afraid that if they fooled us once they’ll ...”
“Duo, we know what happened the last time now. We shouldn’t be fretting that it’ll happen again. We know what to expect.” Heero gently tugged Duo down onto the bed roll and held him in his arms. “I won’t let them take you from me again. I swear that I’ll see them dead before they can ever get to you ...”
Relena stared at Une as if she had gone mad. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. There’s no doubting what she told me. Laurie Waters remembers her life as a human. And she knows how she died ...”
“By a Hollow.” Relena leaned back in her chair and stared blankly at the rough ceiling above her. “If she remembers that, then it would explain why she believes that Hollows are evil, and should be murdered. But what she doesn’t seem to understand is how that would throw off the balance of everything.”
“True. I wish you luck trying to put a stop to this.” Dr. Une rose from her seat and opened the door, a silent hint that Relena needed to be leaving.
“Thank you again, doctor.”
“My pleasure. If there’s anything else that you need, please don’t hesitate.”
Relena’s smile felt a bit forced, but she managed to produce one for appearance’s sake. “I won’t.” As she walked outside into the streets of the Seireitei, a strong hand grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Well, well ... my dear sweet little sister. How are you today?” She could feel her eyes widening in surprise, a sign of fear that she could not afford to give her brother. If he figured out that she knew, everything would have been in vain.
“Zechs, you startled me. I’m fine ... you?” She forced a cheerful voice as she quickly recovered from her initial fright.
Zechs regarded his younger sister with a raised brow. The smile which slowly began to creep across his face chilled Relena’s blood deep within her. He knew. There was no mistaking that look, he had figured it out. “I’m excellent. Listen, there’s something I need to show you back at my office, will you please come with me?”
“I’m afraid I can’t. Please forgive me, but I have business I must attend to.” She turned to leave, but that same strong hand stopped her short. “Please -- brother.”
“I’m sorry, little sister ... but this is very important. You see I can’t let you go.” Zechs’s comment lit a bright defiant fire within her steel blue eyes, and she turned with anger raging inside her.
“I’ll scream. You’ll not succeed ... I swear to you that you and Laurie will be stopped.”
“Really now. How very cute. My little, tiny sister thinks she can stop the inevitable.” Relena tried to back away as one of his hands reached for her long blonde hair, but his other hand held tightly to her arm, threatening to break it. He leaned in closely and pressed his mouth against her ear. “I’ve always loved you -- but sadly you have this rebellious nature that I can’t control. Therefore, the easiest thing to do would be to silence you.” She froze for only a moment out of fear as her mind quickly worked to think of a way to escape. A sly smile lit her face as a sharp boney knee met with Zechs's soft maleness causing him to collapse to the ground, his hold on her broken.
Relena quickly unsheathed her zanpakutou and raised it to strike Zechs. He stared up at her with pure hatred lighting his silver eyes, but then something different quickly flashed through them, making her pause. There was someone behind her. Relena turned to face her new opponent, but it was too late. She tried to focus on who it was that had struck her, but everything was becoming more and more blurry. She had to hold on, she couldn’t die. If she died then neither Heero nor Duo would know what she had discovered, and there was no way Zechs could be allowed to win. She wouldn’t let him.
“Is she dead?” That was Noin’s voice! How could her number one pupil do this!? Relena tried her best to slow her breathing so that it looked like she had died. She quietly prayed that they wouldn’t check for a pulse, but then again, her brother was no idiot.
“I think so. She’s stopped fussing. Even if she’s not, there’s no way she can survive that ... and if she talks it’ll be too late anyway. Especially since you said that they’ve been found. As soon as we have Shikousen and Seikousen in our possession -- everything will be over for those who oppose us.”
Relena listened as they walked away from her. She had to get help and quickly, or she would die. She tried to call out, but her voice was only a whisper; her only hope was that someone would be walking by and see her.
“Please, please someone see me ...” Her body was beginning to feel numb and she was growing cold. It was only a matter of moments before she passed out, and then death would find her. She struggled to move her hand. The least she could do was leave a message that hopefully someone would understand.
-----------------------------
* In Bleach, the second gotei is the military police. They basically keep the order within the Rukongai (the outer rim of Soul Society) and the Seireitei (where the Shinigami live)
** Seikousen = Life light/ray Shikousen = Death light/ray
geovisit();