Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Seven Letter Word ❯ Seven letter word ( Prologue )

7 letter word. One-shot

Right events vary every nanosecond generating eventualities. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but neither is it good.

Duo Maxwell sat on an abandoned swing in the rundown backyard of what he assumed was meant to be a safehouse. The coordinates had been sent by J and Duo had taken them from Heero, along with Heero's mission. They all knew Duo was better at stealth, and they were right. The mission was flawless. All that was left was the post-wait. Waiting for the air to clear, for OZ to clam down. Waiting for that perfect moment when no one sees you leave the battleground.

Only Duo didn't want to leave, completely absorbed in thoughts that led him to believe he didn't want to go back. Not to that house, with that person, sleeping in that room.

He was trapped in memories. Things he didn't want to remember, but couldn't bring himself to forget. After all, what is a person without a past? Duo wished he could say they were someone, but he had nothing left but the past to carry him forward. Without a past he had no future and he knew it. His past made him Shinigami, and Shinigami was immortal. That didn't lesson the pain.

"Father Maxwell…You tried so hard to teach me, but I never understood. Not then. But now…I think I finally see."

Duo let the memories come.

//flash//

"Duo?"

"Hmmm?"

"You…I…"

"I know. I'm beautiful and you love me. Sleep!"

"Hn."

//flash//

Pride…why does it hurt?

//flash//

"Duo! Stop it!"

"NO! It's not fair and you know it! I want to go!"

"You're being irrational."

"Irrational! I'll show you irrational!"

"I just want to keep you safe…"

"Screw you! I'm not made of fucking china!"

//flash//

Anger…why does it still burn?

//flash//

"Duo…"

"No."

"I didn't…"

"You can't have any, it's mine."

"But…"

"There are no buts Heero!"

//flash//

Greed…why don't we feel guilty?

//flash//

"Duo! Look!"

"It's just a new part for your gundam, Heero. It's not that great."

"But Duo…"

"I mean, it's not like we've never seen one before!"

"Hn."

//flash//

Envy…why does such a simple thing hurt so bad?

//flash//

"Duo!"

"Heero!"

"Scream for me."

"YAHHHHH! Don't ever stop!"

"Hn."

//flash//

Lust….why does it blind us?

//flash//

"Duo, learn to pick up after yourself!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why Heero? It's not like I'm not going to just go get it all out again!"

"Baka!"

//flash//

Slothfulness…why does it make things easier?

//flash//

"Duo, slow down, you'll make yourself sick."

"Then don't cook stuff that actually tastes good!"

"That's no excuse!"

"Back off and let me eat, or I'll chew on you!"

//flash//

Gluttony…why does the hunger never go away.

//flash//

"Duo?"

"What?"

"You're bed is over there."

Simple as that. `Our' bed becomes `his.

//flash//

Tears. He's not sure why they're there, and he can't make them stop. It's his one weakness.

"Father Maxwell…" he whispers faintly to the night, gulping down his sobs. "I'm a sinner…in every way."

Duo watched the moon rise and fall and watched the sun rise, traverse the heavens before it too fell and the moon for some unexplainable reason returned. He did not move from his place on the swing, too numb to notice that while his mind has stopped time had continued on without him. He was, in the greater scheme of things, irrelevant.

"What does it mean?"

//flash//

"Why do you fight, Duo?"

"For the dead."

"But they will never know."

"I'll know."

"And that's enough?"

"Yes."

"You're certain."

"It has to be enough."

//flash//

Duo watched the moon wane once more and wanted to cry, but all the tears were gone.

"It's not enough. Not any more." Was it ever enough…

//flash//

"Mission!"

"Where?"

"Base a hundred miles off. Infiltration and Demolition."

"That's me!"

"Duo…"

"It's mine!"

"Hn."

//flash//

Duo stood and walked away from the swing. Mission complete. He walked, but his mind slept, thoughts slowly circling like a pride of lions waiting to pounce when he woke. They would eat him alive, he knew. He couldn't bring himself to care. He was at a breaking point. One wrong step and he knew it would be too late.

Deathscythe was well hidden and undetectable due to its cloaking device. Escape was easy. Returning to the safe house was easy. Too easy. Duo was not tired enough to fall comatose into bed and he was in no state to talk…to anyone.

The light was on. Trowa was at the table. Waiting.

"You made it." State the obvious.

"…" Blank.

"Duo?" Confusion.

"…" Still blank.

"Are you injured?"

The words penetrated the fog. They were what the lions had been waiting for. Duo saw them coming but didn't try to stop them. He knew this was his last chance to succeed; It had to be enough.

Pulling the gun from its holster in the side of his pants, Duo aimed it at Trowa, only vaguely aware of what he was doing.

"Duo?" Worried.

"…" Fury.

"Duo, put the gun down!" Panic.

"…" So very cold."

"Duo, please!" Desperate.

"Duo?"

Duo turned at the new voice and stared numbly at Heero before turning the gun on the perfect soldier. He was unaware of the gun Heero pointed at him, despite the fact the barrel stared him in the face.

"Seven sins," Duo murmured. "Seven deadly sins…"

"Duo, put the gun down!" Heero snapped. Annoyed.

"Revenge…" Duo hissed. "Is a seven letter word."

BANG.