Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Living Shinigami ❯ Chapter Two - Calm Choas ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: I don’t own Yami no Matsuei or Gundam Wing. They belong to nice people in Japan who can draw a heck better than I can. On with the chapter.

“Living Shinigami”

Chapter Two

Calm Chaos

Duo was oddly calm the next day, with the exception of whenever his phone rang or office door opened. When either of those two events occurred, violet eyes would flash brightly for a moment before he realized that whomever he was waiting for was not the one calling or entering. At that point, a little disappointment would flit across his face for the brief moment it took to return to the peaceful expression that looked so strange on the former thief.

“Who is he waiting for?” Quatre asked when Duo had declined his offer for lunch for the first time in any of their collective memories. To the pilots’ knowledge, the young Shinigami never passed up the opportunity for free food, especially sweets.

“Perhaps one of the people who sent him the gifts,” Wufei suggested. “If they found him after fifteen years, it would make sense that they’ll want to see him personally soon, and he them.”

“There’s also the man he was with last night to consider,” Heero put in, glaring at his coffee as though all the world’s problems were its fault. He didn’t like not knowing what was happening to his partner. “Did you find out anything in his background check?”

Quatre sighed, shaking his head. “All I have is that he goes by Solo and grew up on L2. Apparently, he and Duo were really close when they were children. I couldn’t even find anything when I sent a picture from the security cameras through records. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”

“It’s most likely that he doesn’t,” Trowa commented quietly. He explained when he noticed the disbelieving looks the others gave him. “Chasing a person from L2 is like chasing fog. It’s everywhere, it’s nearly impossible to miss when you see it, but it slips right through your fingers when you try to grab it and leaves no traces that it was ever there when it leaves. In essence, it’s a colony of phantoms. The only reason we could ever build a file on Duo was because he let us.”

The four looked up as the door chimes rang, signaling the entrance of a blond woman and child, who couldn’t be any older than twelve, and his small size made that stretching it. Oddly enough, it was the child who was speaking angrily on a cell phone while the woman ordered two coffees at the counter.

“Yes, I know he isn’t dead, but-” the child growled as he was clearly cut off by the person on the other end of the call. “Now listen, he’s the son of the guardians from sector two of the Japanese ministry. Ring any bells? By birth, he’s Japanese.” There was a pause before he started to snap into the phone again. “I don’t care if you have him listed as American! That’s just because none of you bums ever bothered to check when you discovered the kid’s existence! Look, just tell your boss that Solo from sector L2 of the American ministry’s summons’ department called and that I’ve really got to have a chat with him.” The boy smirked slightly. “Yes, that’ll be all for now.”

“How’d it go?” the woman, who Quatre now recognized from the club, asked as she and her companion moved to sit at the table behind the pilots’.

“Stupid, bird-brained secretary tried to pull the ‘sorry, but there’s nothing we can do and my boss is a very busy man’ act on me,” the kid grumbled, wrapping his hands around the steaming mug. “And that was after I convinced her that I wouldn’t accept being treated as a child just because-”

“Just because you are one?” Sam asked, ignoring the glare sent to her by the child. “You should be used to it by now, Solo.” Facing in the opposite direction as them, Quatre nearly choked on his drink upon hearing the child addressed by that name. “You’ve worked with us for what now, ten years?”

“Fourteen,” Solo said with a sigh. “Fourteen long years. Started when I was twelve, and I’m twenty-six now. To think, some people pay millions of dollars to keep their youth. Mine sticks to me like a leech.”

“Well, let’s just hope for the best for your friend,” the woman said. “He seemed like a nice guy. Besides, if he gets where he needs to, maybe Duo can introduce me to his godfather.”

Unable to resist any further, Quatre turned around in his seat. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help but to overhear. I’m Quatre-”

“Quatre Reberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, and Wufei Chang,” the kid finished. “Yeah, I know, Duo told me. I’m Solo.”

“He’s named after his uncle, who was with me at the club last night,” Sam said quickly before anyone could ask. “His father, my husband, was going to take me, but was called away, so my brother offered to instead.”

“What’s your father’s name?” Quatre asked the child, mindful not to speak down to him.

Solo answered before Sam could open her mouth. “Jack.” (1)

She shot him a dirty look before forcing a nod. Solo noted to remind himself to hide when they got back, from both Sam and her old partner.

“Break’s just about over,” Wufei pointed out, checking his watch. “Une will have our hides if we’re late again.”

When they had returned to the office, Duo wasn’t there. Looking over his desk, it was Heero who decided that the apocalypse was indeed upon them. Duo’s completed reports were stacked neatly in the center of the desk, which was otherwise clear of all clutter, with the exception of a collection of cards left over from his birthday.

“I think he mentioned something about going to Chinatown,” the man at the desk said when they asked. He backed up a step nervously as Heero stared closely at his face. Either the lobby lights had been tampered with, or the man’s skin had become lightly striped.

“Did Maxwell give you anything yesterday?” Wufei asked suspiciously.

The young man looked surprised. “Um, yeah, he did. I think it was a cookie. Is there something wrong, sir?”

“Look in a mirror on your next bathroom break,” Quatre said, holding back a laugh, but badly. “It would appear that one of Duo’s friends is a chemist, and he sent those cookies.”

“I’ll see if I can find him,” Wufei volunteered as they stepped away from the dismayed test subject. “I have the best chance at fitting in and gathering information. Tell Une where I’ve gone.”

“You do realize that Duo’s going to sulk for days when he finds out that we’ve been digging,” Quatre said, worried, as Wufei left them.

“After which time he’ll double his prank load for a week. Yes Quatre, we know,” Heero said, nodding. A small smirk appeared on his face. “We’re just lucky that he’ll catch Wufei first.”

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter; so don’t forget to push the little blue button!

1. If you’re a Stargate fan, you’ll get Solo’s joke. If you don’t, it doesn’t really matter to the plot at all.