Precious pt.11

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. You got that? I don't own it already!!! Get off my back about it!!!!

Author Notes: I don't know what to say. So, I'll leave this lank for now. Check the bottom though. I might have remembered something I wanted to say down there. Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!!

The keys clanked on the kitchen top as a man threw them there. The door slammed behind him, and he slumped against the wall.

~What am I going to do? ~

He snorted.

~ What can I do? ~

Slowly, the man got up and headed towards the bathroom for a shower. After shedding his clothes, he turned on the water taps and waited for it to heat up. While he waited, he stared at the mirror in front of him.

His chest was flawless, except for one, lone scar that ran from his torso all the way back around to his back. Slowly, he traced it as if in a trance. G hadn't thought that he'd live through the incident, but he did. Then G had suggested that Duo might not be right for piloting, but Duo had put up a fight.

Duo looked up into the foggy mirror, before turning and getting in the hot shower. His memories, however decided to follow him as well.

*Flashback*

Duo skipped down the hall, and laughed out when he did a cartwheel. He wasn't really happy though. He just laughed as a show of defiance to the Shroom Head. After getting upright, he continued on to the lab. Once he got there, he searched for his mentor among the workers.

"I'm right here."

Duo jumped, turned around, and glared.

"Boy, you're going to have to learn to sense people near you. A mistake like that could get you killed."

Duo snorted and chose to ignore the ending part of his comment.

"I'm not a boy anymore. I turned thirteen just two weeks ago."

" Don't get your hopes up Kid. You're probably still twelve. I know for a fact you don't know your real birthday."

"Well Father Maxwell and Sister Helen gave me one, so I am thirteen!!"

"Well Father Maxwell and Sister Helen are dead."

Duo's fists balled up and he glared with all of his might at the man who trained him. The doctor, as usual, ignored him.

"Listen up. I have a simple training mission for you. Go out into the streets and listen for word on the enemy. Return here in 8 hours."

Duo scowled harder before turning and leaving. G shook his head.

"That boy's got a lot to learn before he can pilot a Gundam."

Duo sighed as he moved between the people without a problem. It had been three hours. Three long, boring hours. What he didn't know was that this quiet would not last for much longer.

He looked up as he heard a low rumble above. To his dismay, mobile suits lined up in his vision. The people around him stopped in horror, and some ran. A couple of gunshots later, they were stopped. A loud voice spoke.

"People of L2, please do not move. We are here for your protection. It was said that a Gundam pilot lived here, so we are here to…exterminate him. There are too many people though, so we'll have to use an extreme method.

We've decided to set a bomb, which will destroy everyone and everything within a five- mile radius. That's just perfect, because we were tipped off the pilot lives nearby here as well.

The Federation thanks you for giving your life for the Cause. Please do not panic, and accept your deaths honorably. You will be remembered."

With that, one MS landed, but the others took off.

"Honorable my ass."

Duo took off for the MS, intent on stopping the bomb. He ignored the people around him as they looked on surprised.

"Do you wanna die early or something?"

I will not have these people's deaths on my hands! I won't! He continued to run full force until he finally reached it. Climbing into the hatch, he saw that it was indeed an intricate bomb.

"G's gonna kill me if this bomb doesn't first."

Working quickly, he rerouted the wires, making sure not to disconnect the wrong ones. Thirty minutes later, he looked at the timer, only to find he had fifteen minutes left.

"Oh shit."

With one last cut, Duo jumped out of the hatch and yelled to get the people's attention.

~Why are the being so stupid? No one's stopping them from leaving…~

"Hey! Get out of here!!! You have about 12 minutes to get as far away from here as possible!!!"

One woman cried out.

"But the Feds said not to move!"

Another joined her.

"Yeh Kid! They said they'll kill us if we move!"

Duo sighed at their ignorance.

"Fuck the Feds!!! They'll kill you if you don't move! At least you have a better chance of surviving if you leave now!"

Someone else called out.

"He's right! We gotta get going!"

With that, a full out stampede began. It came complete with screaming people and everything. Duo cursed as he spotted a little girl trapped in an alleyway not far from him. Running and pushing his way through, he finally reached her. She looked up in fear.

"Who awe you?"

"I'm Duo. Come on, we hafta get out of here."

He pulled her, but she pulled back.

"Lemme go. The gang said not to go wit stwangers."

Duo looked at her, exasperated.

"Listen here. If you ever want to see your gang again, then you gotta leave now."

The young child looked at him solemnly.

"They're dead. We got attack-ed and they hid me. The mean sowdiers kiwt them."

"I'm sowwy- I mean, I'm sorry, but we need to get out of here!"

The girl with the dirty, blond hair sighed.

"I guess so."

Duo didn't have the chance to reply, because a giant beep was heard, and without thinking, he threw himself over the girl. The bomb went off.

Duo stared at the forgotten rag on the tiled floor of the shower stall. The soap lay in the drain, and his hair was soaking wet.

~ I woke up in the lab, and G nearly killed me. Somehow, I had survived that blast. Thankfully, my tampering rendered the bomb nearly ineffective, so it went off pretty much like a normal bomb. I wonder what happened to that girl though…~

Duo finally turned the water off and got out of the shower. As soon as the cool air hit him, he started to towel off.

* Flashback *

"What the hell did you think you were doing!?! Your life is top priority! Casualties are a part of the job."

Duo groaned. Didn't this man ever shut up?

"I couldn't let those people die."

"Oh but you could nearly blow your cover and kill yourself in the process? That's exactly what they want!!!"

G sighed in disappointment at his young prodigy.

"Perhaps you were not cut out for being a pilot."

Duo turned his head and glared at the wall.

Duo swiftly made his way to his room, where he changed into his black boxers. Then, he finally headed for the fridge for some food. However; before he could make it there, a red flash caught his eye. Groaning, Duo headed towards the vidphone. After plopping on his barstool, he turned it on.

" You have 5 messages."

BEEP

10:50 a.m

"Hello? Duo? Are you there? It's almost eleven Duo! Pick up. This is Quatre. Come on…..-sigh- I guess you're sleeping in today then. Call when you wake up."

CLICK

BEEP

12:00 p.m

"Hello, Duo? This is Quatre again. Please pick up….This isn't funny Duo! ….Well, call us. Une's about to blow. Bye…"

CLICK

BEEP

12:45 p.m

" The is Lady Une calling…Duo! What are you doing! Get your ass on this phone now!!! -growls- I swear Duo if you don't get your butt down here quick you're going to regret it. …You won't like me when I get nasty…"

SLAM! CLICK

BEEP

4:35 p.m

"Duo where are you? If you don't pick up this damn phone, you'll see why they called me the Bitch General! -huffs- DUO! ….Duo? Come on, pick up…..-sigh- What's going on with you these days? ….Bye."

Click.

BEEP

6:15 p.m

"Duo? What's wrong? If you're there, pick up. It's me, Mari. Did Mum do something? I know she can be mean or confusing sometimes, but give her a chance. But maybe it's not her…maybe it's me. Is that it? You haven't called or anything since Christmas. Please call back Duo…"

CLICK

"That is the end of your messages."

BEEP.

Duo sighed and slumped his head against the cool counter. Man, Mari's even more messed up because of me. I swear I don't know how she got so weak in self- confidence when she lives with Une.

He picked his head up and looked at the vidphone. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he turned the phone on once more and dialed Une's number. It was only two rings before the Lady picked it up.

"Duo?"

"Hey Une. Look, I kno-"

"WHERE WERE YOU!?!"

"Lemme expl…"

"NO! Everyone in the office was worried about you! Quatre was a nervous wreck! Heero was just plain off! What excuse do you have that makes this okay?"

Duo sighed.

"None. Just listen to me."

Une scowled.

"I had an urgent email come to me this morning. I had to leave immediately, so I didn't have the chance to call. I'm sorry, but that's what happened."

The scowl was still there.

"You could at least tell me where you went or why."

"I'm sorry Une. It's nothing against you. I just can't tell you anymore than I have.

Duo sighed.

~ It kinda looks like there's two Unes. A lot of good that'll do me. Both of them look angry…~

He shook his head.

~ Shit! Not now!~

"….Do you understand me?"

"Wha?"

"Duo, were you even listening?"

"Hey Une, call me back. I gotta go do something."

"Oh no you don't. You're going to sit there and listen to me! I am si-"

CLICK!!

Duo stood up and stretched. He put a finger right beneath his nose to find a slight moisture.

"Shit."

Duo took one step before his world suddenly got dizzy. Without the counter to support him, he fell backwards, banging his head on the floor before he passed out.

One second later, the phone rang. It kept ringing until the answering machine came on.

"Duo pick up! I know you're there!!! Pick up now!!!"

(You hear a voice in the background)

"What'd you do to drive him off again this time? Quit pushing him away!

(Someone stormed up the stairs, leaving Une alone)

"Mari…"

(Her head was bowed.)

"Duo…It's times like this that…that I hate you."

Click

"Message recorded."

BEEP

Luckily or not, Duo didn't hear her, for he lay unconscious on the floor. He lay there for hours afterward, not waking until the next day…

…………………& hellip;……………………&hel lip;……………………&hellip ;………………………&h ellip;……………………&hell ip;……………………… ………………………&he llip;……………………&helli p;………………………& hellip;………………….

Tsuzuk i

What do you think? Was it okay? I hope so. This was pretty long too. Wow. Oh, the earlier words when the little girl was speaking were not mistakes. I was trying to spell it as a little girl would say it. Lol. Not much else to say, so I'll see you in my next chapter. Until then, Ja!!!