Sequel to 'Have You Ever...'
It had been over a week. Over a week and he was still angry. No. He was furious. Raging mad. And his fury was taken out on poor, unsuspecting mobile suits. Slews of them fell beneath Death's scythe. Legions. Oz, Romerfeller, White Fang. They all suffered his fury. His rage.
"Oiya! Duo! That's enough for today! We're gonna have enough trouble hauling all this scrap in as it is!"
"Roger that, Rex! I'm turning in!" the braided pilot of 02 called through his com before whirling the dark gundam around and heading back to L2. All around him floated scrape. A mobile suit graveyard. An hour before it had been a squad of soldiers.
The cold spray of the shower rained down over him. The tiny pinpoints, needles against his skin. He didn't care. The colder the better. Besides, it was still water, and his memories from childhood were still fresh enough that even this luxury--as shower everyday--was well appreciated.
"Oiya! Duo! Don't stay in there too long! Your dinner will get cold!"
"I hear ya, Hilde! Thanks!" he called as the freezing water rained down over his bare skin, completely soaking the braid that slap and clung to his ass. He stood there for another minute, letting the water wash away the ickiness he felt, before reaching for the soap bar and scrubbing at it.
He emerged twenty minutes later: hair washed, cleaned, and rebraided; skin pink and shiny; manic grin firmly in place. "Oh, Man! Hilde, this looks great!"
"I could set any old charred piece of flesh in front of you and you'd think it's great," the short, dark-haired teen replied, flashing him a smile before sitting down at her own plate.
Duo just laughed at her. "You're probably right--but that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy every minute of it!" He winked and she laughed.
"Eat up before it's no good," she ordered. He promptly did as he was told, digging in and cooing in delight about how good it was. All his compliments rolled off her like water off a duck. It wasn't that she thought he was teasing her or was insincere. She knew he liked the food she made him, and it pleased her that she could do something for the colonies--even if it was only making sure that this one pilot had enough to eat. But right now, there was something heavier pressing on her mind.
"So... you gonna tell me what's going on?" she asked, watching him put his dishes in the sink.
"What cha mean?" he asked without turning around to face her. He ran the water hot and watched the flowing stream wash away the crumbs left on his plate.
"I mean... why you back here, and by yourself, Duo?" She tried to sit calmly in her seat, to not show how anxious she was about the answer. "You just show up here one day, saying you need a place to crash, and here I thought you and the other Gundam pilots had teamed up or something!"
The water turned off. "Do you want me to go?" he asked lowly. "'Cause if you do, just say the word, Hilde, and I'm gone."
"NO! Dammit, Duo!" she frowned. "You know you're more than welcome here, anytime. I just wanna know what's going on! Is that too much to ask?"
"Right now...?" He looked over his shoulder; she caught the corner of one violet eye. "Right now, yeah, it is." He wiped his hands dry on a dishtowel, tossing it back down on the counter without folding it. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go check on Deathscythe right now."
His voice caught, cracked. The kitchen door banged shut behind him.
"Duo... what's going on...?" Hilde questioned the empty room.
He was running the fifth diagnostics check when a message came in. He spared a glance at its origins before flipping a switch.
"Hey, Q-man! How's Hawaii?" he chirped, putting out the charm.
The blond and very-red boy on the screen beamed up at him. "Duo! Hawaii was... interesting. Definitely a worthwhile trip. Where are you guys? Trowa and I thought you'd all be here when we got back..."
"Well, I'm up in L2 right now," the braided boy answered, flopping his braid over one shoulder so he could play with the end. "Not sure where Wu-man and Perfect Soldier-boy are hidin' out right now. We--uh, decided we needed to get outta the place." Duo forced a smile for his friend and co-pilot.
But Quatre was frowning. "I don't understand... Didn't..."
"Hey, Q-man, I'm sorry but, uh, I'd really rather not talk about it right now, kay?" The end of the braid was being twisted around one finger.
"Uh, okay, sure, Duo, if that's what you want," Quatre returned, but the blond boy was clearly not satisfied. "Do you have anything interesting to report?" he changed the subject instead.
"Yeah, actually. Glad you asked." Duo typed in a command and sent battle footage of some of his most recent encounters. "Things have been getting pretty busy up here. Me-thinks someone's planning a little surprise party."
Quatre frowned, watching the footage. "Hmmm... it does seem a little heavy, huh?"
"I'd say..."
"Well, Trowa's going up tomorrow. He'll be on L3 and can help you out," Quatre said, his mind clearly chasing down other thoughts. "I'll make sure he has where he can reach you."
"Thanks, Q-man, but it ain't necessary."
"Maybe not, but still, it would make me feel better knowing you weren't facing anything alone," Quatre returned. He looked directly into the link then, marine eyes catching on amethyst. "Don't do anything crazy up there, Duo."
The braided boy's maniacal grin spread. "Who? Me?" One violet eye winked. "I'll be a good little boy, I promise," he said. "You watch your back, too, Q-man. I'll see you on the flip side!" he wrapped up with a nod before flipping the switch.
He sat in the cockpit for several minutes, just staring at the blank screen. "Heero... Wufei... what are you guys up to...?"
End of Part 2: Disputes
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com