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"Ringu"Written By: iniq Disclaimer: Ringu is not my story. The original storyline was developed by Koji Suzuki who wrote the book "Ringu" in 1990. Later, this book was adapted by Takahashi Hiroshi, slightly altered and put on screen in Japan in 1991. The movie "The Ring", which was aired in the USA in fall 2001, is also a cast off of that book, though – again – with a slightly different plot. The idea for this fanfic is not mine. I merely mixed plot elements of the book with plot elements of the two movie versions and altered the storyline where inconvenient. Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: OOC, yaoi, horror, AU, fusion Pairings: 3x4x3, 5x?, 1+2+1 (get together) Summary: After watching a video tape people begin
to die and it is upto Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell to find out why. "Ringu " Part 3 +
The night had been way too short, Duo realized stifling yet another yawn. He had stayed up very late to look at the video some more, and he was tired now, as well as being a little late due to a traffic jam on his way in. The black messenger bag at his side poked against his hip when someone brushed past him and he glared in annoyance. With his right hand, Duo tugged the handle up his shoulder. With his left, he took a sip of the coffee he had gotten filled at the vending machine in the parking garage. He rubbed at his eyes and left the elevator cabin as they parted on his floor. Duo's eyes widened as he looked at his watch, and he hurried toward his bureau at a much quicker pace. As expected, Heero already stood in front of the door, waiting for him. "I'm sorry. I slept in and then traffic decided to act up too." He mumbled another apology and waited for the other man to verbally rip his head off. His partner, however, seemed to have other ideas because he saw a grin wash over Heero's face. "What?" Duo drew his eyebrows together in annoyance. He usually was a morning person, but not today. He watched Heero point a finger at his shirt and he followed the line to his chest. A blue-green toothpaste stain decorated his gray shirt. Duo sighed and let his fingernail scrape over the stain which was already hardened. "Thanks for telling me. Now I know why Sanako-san grinned that wickedly at me this morning when I left our building." He grabbed a key card out of his pocket and, after he had unlocked the door, opened it while stepping aside gracefully to let Heero enter first. He watched as Heero took a seat in the guests' chair and immediately went after him, taking a seat in his computer chair behind the desk. "Any news?" Heero looked up and watched his partner place the cup and the bag on the desk. He hadn't found out anything when he had watched the video again the night before, but this was just what he had expected. He lacked the technical and electronic equipment at home to really look at the individual scenes. "No. Nothing." He expected Duo to immediately jump in and tell him about something he had discovered, but the other man just opened a drawer and took out a clean white shirt, obviously collecting his thoughts before speaking up. "I found something." Duo stated, after he had taken the shirt out of the drawer and had locked it again. He quickly opened the bag he had brought with him this morning and searched for something. Heero looked at him expectantly, waiting for whatever Duo had prepared. "Here. Take a look at that." Duo shoved a sheet of paper across the desk and waited for Heero to make a grab for it before he unbuttoned his shirt. "What's that?" At that point Heero made a mistake. He looked up to meet his partner's eyes for the question and was captured by the other man's looks as he opened his shirt and let it drop over the back of the chair. Duo didn't notice and leaned over the desk, bare-chested, to point at the lines and figures on the sheet. Heero tried to concentrate and bit on his lip, taking his eyes off the muscled chest in front of him. "That, Heero, is a listing of the scenes and as you can see, those curtains we saw flashing across the scenes are only in the ones that are marked 'real' - for example, the one with the woman combing her hair. In the scenes that were abstract, like the scene with the chair tumbling upside down, a short scene that we almost missed, there are none of those shutting movements." He straightened again and looked Heero directly in the eye. He blinked once, slowly, and let Heero think for a minute while he donned the white shirt. "It's almost like 'blinks'." Heero didn't hide his confusion, and he openly looked to Duo to help him out. This couldn't be the solution. It was too weird; but Duo had hinted at it. "Exactly." Duo smiled and buttoned the shirt up. "Eye shutting movements. And considering the fact that a female blinks 15 times a minute and the average male blinks 20 times, we can safely assume that the person who did this video was a woman." "But not the woman in the mirror, because-" Heero looked down on the sheet but was disappointed by what he saw. "Why are there no blinking movements in the scene in which the woman jumps off of the cliff? If the blinks are in the scene with the woman combing her hair, and the woman smiles at the 'camera-person', we could assume that the person who made the video is /not/ the woman combing her hair, but-" He stopped and thought for a moment before continuing. "what about the woman jumping off the cliff?" "That one had me too. I don't know. That's one of the things I want to ask Professor Gilmore today. The woman jumps off the cliff, but the person who 'sees' that scene doesn't really 'see' it. Do you know what I mean?" "You're trying to say that the woman who made the movie saw the woman jump off the cliff in her mind, but couldn't see it because she wasn't there?" "Precognitive. Right. Well, actually either precognitive or cognitive. Maybe she didn't see the woman jump off the cliff /before/ the woman did it, but as she did it." "This case gets more confusing every minute. I understand, but it sounds like something from a fantasy tale." Duo agreed with a sigh. "We'll probably be even more confused after Professor Gilmore tells us what he thinks. He can be rather exasperating in a way." "Like you?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, but there is one difference. I am maddening people consciously. He doesn't know he's frustrating people. The man is just too intelligent for us lowly minions." Duo winked and grabbed his keys after shoving the paper back into the messenger bag. "Ready to go?" Heero looked at his partner's attire and realized that the shirt Duo wore was almost two sizes too large and he hadn't tugged it into his pants. "You're really going to wear that shirt?" He felt the urge to smooth the shoulders of the shirt, but held his hand back. This was something he felt comfortable doing with Quatre or another close friend, but not Maxwell. Why, he didn't know. "Sure, I know it's too large, but I don't have any clean ones here. This is Wufei's." "He knows?" "Let's just say it has happened before." Duo smirked and went toward the door. "Come on, the appointment is at ten, and I don't want to be late." Heero followed silently, wondering again why he hadn't said anything. He used to hate the other man. He had fought with him on the mat in the gym on a regular basis. He had been angry that Lady Une had put them on the same case. What exactly had changed his mind? Heero pondered the situation, going back in the case to find a point where he had started to almost 'like' the other man, but he couldn't pinpoint it to one moment. He knew one thing very clearly, and he wasn't about to deny it. He liked Duo as a partner. He didn't know enough about the other man to like him as a friend, but that could be changed. He sighed and looked up, only to see Duo in front of him in the elevator cabin, his back turned. His eyes trailed down the braid he had despised so much and wondered why he didn't anymore. Annoyed at himself, Heero shook his head and continued the ride with his eyes on the floor. Only when the elevator doors parted in the parking lot underground did he look up, directly into the concerned eyes of his partner. "Everything okay?" Heero raised his head another notch and nodded. "Yeah, I just had to think about something." Duo nodded and didn't ask further. Heero followed his partner to the back of the large lot where the black car had been placed due to Duo's lack of punctuality. He subconsciously searched for cars he knew as Duo suddenly inclined his head and asked over his shoulder. "Have you already found some poor assistant to get your car from south Hakone?" "You wouldn't believe it, but Lady Une spoke with the flight department and they'll take her assistant with them. They'll train for a point blank landing near the resort next weekend and – Mitsuko I think is her name - will be the lucky one to fight her way through the undergrowth to the parking lot and drive my car back." "What will you have to do to make up for that strenuous task?" "I had to promise her to ask you to go out with her." Heero said it most casually, and as Duo turned he watched his partner's face intently for a reaction. As expected, Duo's eyes widened and he stopped. "You promised what?" Heero walked a few steps farther and pretended to be surprised by his partner's reaction. "You said it yourself. It was technically your fault that I had to leave my car in South Hakone, and I thought you liked Mitsuko." "Heero, I'm gay. The girl is nice when I give her my bedraggled reports to type up, yes, but she just has too much chest!" "Duo, you're being irrational. Mitsuko is as flat as a surfboard." Heero smirked. He wouldn't tell his partner that this revelation somehow made him happy. "Still too much!" "Is that a pout?" "No." Duo stated vehemently and Heero watched as the other man consciously tugged back his bottom lip to where it naturally belonged before he resumed walking. Heero smiled, deciding not to tell his partner that the secretary had originally asked him to buy her a beer after work the next time he decided to hang out with the other agents of the department. Knowing that the probability of him hanging out with the others was slim, they had finally agreed on him buying her lunch for a week. He silently followed his partner, who had brushed past him and bit back the low chuckle threatening to leave his mouth. As soon as Duo had unlocked the doors, Heero got in and searched through the CDs. He didn't look up when Duo buckled up and started the car but picked a case and held it up so Duo could take a look at the cover. He had never heard of the band before, but Duo seemed to approve, so he pushed the disc in and waited. Seconds later, electronic bass filled the car and a scratchy voice filled the car. Duo turned up the volume. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and flashed the man at the booth a smile before he drove out of the garage into the sunlight, only to be immediately halted by the heavy morning traffic which caused both passengers to be thrown into the seatbelts. "I hate this damn traffic!" Duo cursed as the car to his right swerved into his lane and he had to slam on the brakes abruptly. "Then why do you work here if you don't like it?" "Whoa! I never said I didn't like the work. I'd sacrifice a lot to be able to work here. Even my sanity in this car hell." "You like working in Tokyo?" "Yes, although I won't stay here for much longer. A unit in America offered me a place in the exchange program, and both departments already agreed on the contract. Nothing's keeping me here anyway." "A transfer? Does Wufei know about that already?" "Of course he does. You'll get an exchange agent transferred into the team, and for the profiling, Lady Une has already asked around in the Psychology department. You won't even know I'm gone." Duo smiled and to Heero's surprised it seemed like a genuine one. Trying to talk over the noise coming out of the speakers was hard, so Heero turned the volume down, again almost muting the sound. "A new agent and a new profiler? Why couldn't they get one for both?" Heero didn't want to let Duo know that he would, in fact, really miss him. At least he thought so. He looked at his partner and decided that the thought of losing a newly gained 'friend' would make him indeed a little sad. "Well, most agents who are profilers are just that, profilers. They are psychology students with a diploma, good degrees, who get special training for profiling. Not many have the field experience to get the clearance for active fieldwork. You need to do a lot of extra classes to do that, and for most people it's not worth the trouble. In the Tokyo Headquarters, I'm the only one. In the homicide department that is, because they got a new one in the CPU. That's why I no longer work there." Duo fell silent and Heero wondered if Duo really wanted to leave the department. He voiced his question. Duo just shrugged and explained his reasoning in a small voice. "I'm uncomfortable." Heero waited for more, but Duo didn't continue. Instead, he appeared to be fully concentrating on the road. Heero raised an eyebrow. No, he wouldn't let the other man escape like that. He sighed and wondered silently if he was the reason for Duo feeling uncomfortable. After all, they'd had this vicious circle of fighting and hate going on for about two years already. Surely Duo wouldn't decide that it was too much, not out of the blue. Heero tried to remember any recent cases that could have triggered it off, but none came to mind. He cursed himself for never listening to the gossip in the break room. "Uncomfortable? Why?" "Have you ever been in America? Europe?" "No." "Then you wouldn't know what it's like to have people constantly tell you to go back where you came from. You can't even tell them that 'here' is where you came from. Heero, I look like a Yankee and a lot of people make sure that I know it." Heero wanted to say something, and Duo obviously sensed it because he continued coldly, "Don't pretend you're any different." Heero's shoulders slumped, and he reclined in his seat. He was surprised as Duo flicked a battered and partially torn photo into his lap. Heero took it, carefully only touching it at the edges to avoid more smudges, looked at it, and immediately flinched. Why had he never thought of that? Why had he automatically assumed that Duo was nothing more than a gaijin, with his brash behavior, his jokes, and his attire? Ashamed, Heero realized that he had never even considered the other option. He stared at the two people on the picture some more and wanted to throw it away, discard it as fake evidence, hate it for the truth, but it was as clear as glass. "Do you understand now?" The voice was barely more than a whisper. Heero slowly nodded and gave the photograph back. "She's beautiful." "That she was." Heero bowed his head at the implication, but didn't comment on it. He knew that sometimes it was best to let the dead rest. + The two agents arrived at the University of Tokyo at a quarter to ten, they had enough time to get to the classroom where Professor Gilmore was holding a lecture. Both men were already nervous about the meeting, because this talk would either undermine all their theories or add to their already formed suspicions. Heero followed his partner's lead and waited in front of an auditorium until Duo finally opened the door. He let Heero enter before he walked in himself and closed the door behind him. "-and that is what Murphy wanted to tell us all along. Please take your script, open it to page 65, and look at the diagram-" Heero immediately toned the voice out and looked around the auditorium, which was filled with students who were intently listening to their professor. Curious as to what the professor was like, he looked down to the desk in front of the blackboard and saw a small man with a strange hairstyle in his early sixties sitting on the desk, casually licking a green Popsicle. Heero blinked. "That man is Professor Gilmore?" Duo smiled, not looking at him, but at the man in the front of the lecture hall. "Yeah. That's him." He stepped down to the front of the hall, waiting for the lecture to end. A lot of students looked at them, curious as to what they were doing in their lecture. Gilmore smirked and saluted mockingly before continuing to relate his theories on Dr. Murphy to his students. A few minutes later, he ended the lecture and let his students leave the class. He immediately turned his attention to the two men waiting for him. He stepped closer and embraced his former student. "Duo! So good to see you again." "I'm glad you found the time to talk to us, Professor. May I introduce you to my partner, Agent Heero Yuy?" Professor Gilmore greeted Heero with a formal handshake and bowed. "Nice to meet you, Yuy." "A pleasure." Heero bowed and stepped a step back, motioning Duo to take over the conversation. "Professor, as I told you on the phone last night, my partner and I are working on a very unusual case and we would like to hear your opinion as well as your advice." "You've been taking rhetoric lessons?" "Yes, I have. Being polite isn't so hard anymore." Heero looked at his partner and saw a wry smile on Duo's face. Apparently this was a sore spot for him. "Can we talk in your bureau or in the archive? I haven't told my partner why I've decided to drag him here to talk to you. Maybe your 'collection' will show him what exactly he's getting himself into." "Of course. If you will please follow me?" Professor Gilmore led the way, Duo and Heero following closely at his heels. Heero was slightly confused. Of course Duo had told him what this was all about. The professor was an ace in his field of study, and he had a vast amount of information. He followed the two men, surprised at how similar in behavior they seemed. They didn't act just like teacher and student. He was sure they had a closer relationship - more like father and son. Gilmore was American, and if his assumptions were right, Duo's parents had been dead for a while. It was highly possible that the man had taken Duo's education into his own hands. Heero decided to listen to their interaction more closely. He wanted to get to know his partner better and if possible, become friends again. Maybe he could even give Duo a reason to stay in Tokyo. Suddenly, the professor stopped in front of a door and unlocked it with an old-fashioned key. When the door was open, he stepped inside and flicked on the lights, waiting for the two agents to follow him. Duo motioned for Heero to go in first and he did. Before him extended a vast amount of shelves, filled to the rim with files and folders. "What the hell is that?" "Those are almost all reported cases of parapsychology in Japan since 1950. Collected by professor Gilmore and before him, Dr. Hiwatari. This is where we will hopefully find our murderer." Professor Gilmore looked at Duo in surprise. Heero didn't know what exactly Duo had told the professor, but apparently it hadn't been all that much, judging by the old man's slightly shocked expression. "Duo, would you please tell me what's going on here? You didn't really tell me much last night, you know. Please, have a seat and tell me. I'm getting curious." "Of course." "You see, we received a new case about a video tape that supposedly killed four teenagers and, a short time before that, a little boy. We found out that the little boy had recorded the tape, but due to a frequency hole in that particular area he should have only recorded static. Instead the video tape showed a few short and very weird scenes. The theory is the following: When you're finished watching the tape, the telephone rings and a voice tells you that you have seven days to live. After seven days you really die. We have both watched the video and we both got a phone call. Even though Heero didn't pick the phone up, it rang." Duo paused and Heero nodded in agreement. These were the facts. Gilmore didn't react at all but saved the information to comment on later. Visibly pleased that the case had captured the old man's attention, Duo continued. "Now, we assume the video is made with nengraphy powers. I know that it sounds impossible, because we're no longer talking Tomokichi Fukurai here, but about a much more advanced phenomenon which includes some kind of subconscious suggestion to make those people die after seven days." "Duo, I will ask one question." Professor Gilmore looked at his former scholar intently and voiced the only question for validation he seemed to need. "Do you believe in the theory?" "Yes. Yes, I do." "Good. We can start working on a solution. Assuming you still have that wicked sense of honor, you won't let me watch this video, but I'd like to know a few details. Those kids did die after seven days?" "Yes, as did the little boy." "When did you two watch it?" "I watched the video two days ago. Heero did yesterday." "Good, that gives us some time. I will have to think about that 'subconscious suggestion' part a little more." "Didn't you talk about Joseph Murphy in your class today? Did he even say anything on that topic? Malevolent suggestion, or hypnosis? Anything?" "No, Murphy wasn't really a great philosopher, he just talked about auto suggestion. How to save your sick kid by unconsciously getting your arm hacked off." Heero blinked. Now he knew why Duo had said that Gilmore was more intelligent than his followers. He remembered what his teacher had once said. 'You know a truly intelligent and educated man by the way he talks about the great classics.' Gilmore obviously could summarize Murphy's whole philosophy in one sentence. Heero liked him already. Gilmore paused for a minute. "You said you don't know what exactly killed those teenagers and you don't know how to avert the curse." Both young men nodded. "And you still watched the tape." Again, the agents bobbed their heads in agreement, slowly realizing what the professor was hitting at. "You two are more stupid than I would've expected from two elite agents of the CIU. Did you even think at all about the consequences?" Duo shook his head while Heero glanced at Gilmore with a sigh. "Obviously not. I suggest you tell me the details about the scenes on the video itself, and I'll help you find out what time span we're talking about so we can start looking for the ominous person." Heero took that as his clue to explain the scenes. "Well, we know it's a woman because of something Duo has found out. There are eye-shutting movements in the scenes that seem to be really 'seen' with her eyes. On the video, there are two kinds of scenes. First, we have real scenes, for example a woman brushing her hair. It looks as if she's looking at some kind of camera, the camera being the woman who made the video. On the other hand, there are abstract scenes, like a gigantic bug crawling out from under a white table in a completely vast, white room." "So, the video shows a woman brushing her hair. What does her clothing look like? Any evidence as to when the scenes were seen by that person?" Duo's eyebrows shot up and he threw his hand in the air in a defeated gesture. "Why didn't we think of that?" "You're not old enough to remember some of the more embarrassing times in the fashion world. Wait; you were born before the eighties. I take that back." Gilmore commented dryly and stood up. He walked back to a bookshelf and searched for something. Shortly later, he came back to the desk, a book in his hands. He put it on the table and opened it, pointing at a gallery of thumbnails. "Take a look at these pictures and tell me what the dress looks like. If we know when the video was made or originally seen, we can start to look for a file in the archive." Heero looked up while Duo already flipped through the pages. "We don't know if the woman wore a modern dress. What if she wore an old-fashioned one, even for her time?" "It's just one possibility. We will have to start somewhere, and this is a good start, whether we find the woman by looking at her dress or not. Do you have a girlfriend, Heero? Women always want modern clothing. At least most of them do." Heero sighed, beaten by the professor's logic. No, he didn't have a girlfriend. He wouldn't even want one, but that was something he surely wouldn't tell Gilmore. Shaking his head, he turned to Duo and looked at the pictures while Gilmore searched for a book on furniture. Searching for a picture of a table was probably a worthless idea because furniture didn't change as dramatically as clothing, but it was worth a shot. With a shudder he remembered the seventies and revoked his thoughts about exceptional-looking furniture. He raised his voice. "Do you guys think it was before the seventies?" Duo looked up and nodded in agreement. "Almost definitely. I'd guess the fifties or sixties." "Sixties." Heero guessed and pointed at a picture. "That's it, just like that one." "1969. Looks like we have a match." Duo agreed. "Now we know that the woman in the video lived in 1969, but what if the person doing the video saw the scene when she was a five year-old and did the video in her seventies?" "Did you see any references as to why she did the video at all? You have to consider one thing, I bet you haven't thought about. You were fixated on the person doing the video while she was alive. Have you ever taken into consideration that it might be an angry ghost?" "Please. No poltergeist." Duo closed his eyes and propped his head up on his hands. Heero watched his reaction and sighed. Again, something he didn't understand. Poltergeists were mischievous spirits, that he knew, but how could a ghost make a manifestation on film? He doubted that theory and voiced it. "Don't poltergeists usually torment the living with manifestations of themselves? Like ghostly appearances and chain rattling? I don't know if a ghost can actually produce pictures on film, much less produce a whole video. They're mischievous spirits, but who knows if they're that powerful." Heero looked at Professor Gilmore expectantly who waited for Duo to confirm or deny his suspicion, but his partner didn't say anything. "Yuy, I'm not sure if we can exclude the theory that easily; it is a possibility. I'd very much appreciate it if you told me more about the scenes as they could explain the age of the woman we're talking about. One, if the person was five years old in 1969, we might be able to find her somewhere, but it's unlikely since she made the video. If she's still alive, she wouldn't have to; she could just kill with her own hands. The actions are way too drastic for someone still alive. I suspect she's dead and wants to be put at rest. That's what she's trying to tell you." The professor's theory seemed reasonable, which didn't make Heero happy at all. The existence of a poltergeist defied his own logic. He saw Duo wince, apparently he didn't like the theory of a poltergeist either, why, Heero didn't know. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Duo agreed. "I think you're right, Professor. She has to be dead. A living person with that much malice would kill consciously." Heero blinked, now confused. "That means we're trying to catch a ghost?" "No. We're trying to save our asses before seven days are over. This isn't about catching a murderer anymore. It's about finding out how to escape the curse, if we want to live." Heero's eyes widened at his partner's statement. Subdued he asked, "How?" "First, we have to find the woman. Find out who she is and what she could possibly want. Then, we hope we can find the magical spell to remove her curse. Most ghosts and poltergeists just want to be put to rest, we have to believe that this one is no exception." "I hope you're right." "Aren't I always?" Heero knew better than to answer that question and just shrugged. Professor Gilmore smiled at him and winked. Obviously, his choice of not answering was a good one. Duo rubbed his temple pensively, obviously thinking about the woman and how to find out more about her, when suddenly, the professor cleared his throat and looked at his watch. "I have another class now, but if you two want to look at the files some more, I'll leave the door open." "Yes, please. Are you going to drop by again later? We could go for lunch or something." Heero looked at his watch and calculated the time that lesson would take. He wondered if an hour was enough time to go through those files. Professor Gilmore nodded eagerly. "Of course, I'm curious to hear more about this case. Let's meet at the canteen, I don't want to come back all the way up when my lecture is down on the ground floor." "Sure. When is your lecture over, twelve thirty?" The professor looked at his watch again and nodded. "Canteen, twelve thirty it is." Duo smirked and Heero rolled his eyes. Professors and their students. Weird and weirder. When they were alone, Heero turned to Duo. "Do you really think it's that easy? Search for a few pictures and that's it?" "No, I doubt it's that easy. If we're lucky, she's one of the patients in those files. She might just as well not be among them. When have you ever solved a case in two days? Heero, today is our second day of research, you mustn't concentrate on the fact that it has to be solved in seven days. Tomorrow we'll talk to Midii's friend, the one who found her body. Maybe she knows any details that will help us. We will find that woman." Heero nodded, feeling uncomfortable because his partner had obviously so much more control over himself than he did. His face must have shown some of that discomfort because Duo patted him on the shoulder and spoke softly. "I just have more experience in those cases, Heero. Otherwise I would react in the same way. We'll talk about the other possibilities at lunch. Are you going to help me search the files now?" Heero nodded and looked at the picture of the woman's dress again. "Let's start with 1960 and work our way up to 1975, then we should have it covered." "Right. I'll take the odd years. I just hope the woman who did the video can be found in the same time period as the woman in the video." Heero turned toward the rows and waited for Duo to direct him toward one of them. Duo motioned him to follow him and went to the back of the room where the older files were stacked. "You'll be surprised when you see some of those cases, but there's proof for every one of them." + They worked silently, only the shuffling of paper announcing that they were really doing something. Suddenly, Heero let out a gasp and went over to where Duo was flipping through files. Duo immediately turned his attention to his partner and let the file he was looking through sink back into the box. "Could that be her?" He showed the file to Duo. "Shizuko Yamamura. Female, prognosis: psychic photography." "Could be her. We'll definitely check her background. We have to know if she's still alive and where she lived if she's dead. There has to be a connection to south Hakone." "Of course." Duo looked at the file and frowned. "Her file doesn't mention that she can do nengraphy. That's strange." Duo flipped through the pages as if searching for something definite and Heero couldn't help but wonder again why he was asked to take part in that chase when it was so obvious that only Duo knew what to do. He raised a questioning eyebrow, but Duo didn't look up. "Could it be that she wasn't able to do it until something set it off? That something happened to make her take that leap?" Duo nodded, apparently he had thought of that too. "Could be. The mind often does the most surreal things." "What do you suggest we do?" "Before we do anything about that file, I want to check the rest of them. If we discover that she wasn't the only one and that we're hunting the wrong woman, we're screwed. Tomorrow we'll interview Midii's friend and ask her if she knows anything. Then we'll take the tape to the big media lab and print out pictures of the scenes that might help us in our search." Duo placed his index finger on the file. "Until we've found a second person matching her description, this is our last trump. If she isn't the one we're looking for, we're seriously screwed." Heero nodded gravely. This file was their last hope? Thousands of 'what if'-questions flooded his mind. What if it wasn't her? What if they couldn't find the woman? What if they didn't- He looked at Duo who was still reading through the file, frowning. He didn't want to watch Duo die. He didn't really want to die either. He didn't want to not solve a case. He caught Duo's stare and only half listened to the other man speaking. "Let's search the rest of the files. That's 1973 right? Only two years left. We should easily manage that before twelve thirty." Heero nodded and took the file out of Duo's hands. "You're right." He went back to the desk, taking deep, even breaths. He had to calm down. He was supposed to be level headed, unbreakable, and confident. The one who never quit. He put the file on the desk and looked over at Duo who was already searching through the next files. Five days left. Only five days. He smacked the file down onto the desk and stomped back to the file drawer he had left. They would find that ghost. Easily. And within their deadline. Confidence was the key. He wondered how often Duo had already had to solved cases such as these. Living on the edge, his finger always on the trigger, finding a killer before he killed somebody else. Of course he himself had worked on a lot of cases like this one, but he had never thought of the guilt that came with not finding a killer in time. He broke into computer systems and went undercover to burst smuggling rings, drug cartels or prostitution rings. He jumped into his car when the unit yelled that they had the suspect confirmed. He ran after the killers and shot them when they were about to escape. He was behind the sniper rifle when hostages were in danger. Had he ever sat night after night behind a desk staring at severed limbs to find a pattern? Had he ever spent days behind the computer dragging up old files, trying to match one copycat killer with serial killers from the past? Had he ever listened to a serial killer on the phone, trying to get only one more hour for the victims? Had he ever opened a little box buried six feet under just to find that he had been too slow? Too slow to get the kids out alive? Had he ever come to a crime scene, knowing that the victim had been tortured to death in the most painful way possible because he hadn't been able to find the murderer in time? Heero looked over to Duo and wondered how the other coped with the guilt. Lady Une had assured him that Duo was the best and he believed her. He wasn't angry at the other man anymore. Never again would he let other people's prejudices become his own. He wanted to make it up to Duo. He had treated him like shit for almost three years; it was time to end this. Seeing his partner sigh heavily, raking his hands through his hair, Heero decided that he didn't want Duo to leave. He remembered Wufei's words that he couldn't hurt him physically, but rather mentally and emotionally, and it made more sense than ever. He had spent three years pushing the other man away; it was time to draw him closer. They had almost been 'friends' before, and the chemistry between them was still there. Wufei hadn't let go of Duo and that had obviously been the right decision. He had believed Relena and it had been a mistake. Maybe his mistake could be forgiven. He sincerely hoped so. He had apologized and Duo seemed to have forgiven him a long time ago. The only one to forgive was himself. Could he start anew? While he searched the files of the last two years, he thought about it and he decided that yes, he could. He didn't want to die without letting Duo know that he valued him deeply as a person, and not just as partner. Duo's voice brought him back to the task at hand and he pulled the last two files out. "Are you done? I didn't find another one matching her description. There aren't many people with psychic photography in their file. I'm glad we found at least one." "I'm almost done. Two files." He paused and flipped through them. "No. Shizuko Yamamura is the only one. I can hardly believe it." "We'll see if that's good or bad." Duo looked at his watch and nodded contentedly. "We're on time. Let's go to the canteen, I can't wait to eat those rice balls again." "So tasty?" "Yes!" Duo grinned and dragged Heero toward the table where they had their things stored. He packed the file and the books into his bag before speaking again. "At least I hope they still have this stuff. Who knows?" Then Duo waved him out and switched the lights off. He walked ahead slowly, listening to Duo locking the door. When he heard Duo rattle the handle for reassurance, he stopped and turned, waiting for his partner. "Do you think Gilmore knows the woman?" "He might, but I wouldn't bet on it. He doesn't like nensha all that much, he's more interested in Hauntings." Heero snorted, clearly stating that he didn't believe in that sort of psychic thing. He stared at the walls which were covered in posters announcing and advertising scientists students contests. Science was all he had ever known. He had been brought up without ever hearing stories about fairies or tales about magic and princesses. Now he was after a ghost which was intent on killing people by means of a video tape. Unsure, he glanced back at Duo. "Do you really believe in all that psychic stuff?" +
Duo looked at Heero and judging by the look in his eyes he guessed that this question wasn't for him to answer. He knew nothing about Heero's past, or his childhood. When he looked at Heero through the psychologist's glasses, he could find quite a few pointers as to what Heero's past must have looked like. He tried not to. He wanted to get to know Heero and that included getting to know him through being with him. He had gotten to know Heero Yuy three years earlier through Wufei but they had never been close. Mostly because he had never felt at home in the department before his friendship with Wufei had strengthened. That was before he had gotten to know Trowa and Quatre, realizing that it wasn't wrong to have an official relationship with another man. And it was before he had gotten to know Lady Une closer, realizing that she wasn't half as scary as people made her out to be. He had been transferred to the department when their only profiler had been killed in duty. By the time he had made a few tentative friendships, the hacker case had rolled along, and with it the short affair with Zechs Merquise, and the following debacle with the other man's sister. He had lost Heero before ever really getting to know him. Was this case a second chance? Would he die before getting to know Heero better? "I don't know. Do you?" This case, those five days, the time until his death were his only chance. He looked at Heero and waited for an answer. "I don't know." Heero shrugged and turned. "Come on, I'm hungry." Duo nodded wearily, and followed his partner to the staircase. It was obvious that Heero didn't want to believe. He probably didn't even really believe in parapsychology. Maybe he was just afraid that it might be true. Maybe all he wanted was to solve the case and be rid of the psychologist who had dragged him into it all. Maybe he had enough of psychology, maybe he had enough of psychologists- Duo shuddered. What was he thinking? What did he want from Heero? What did he wish for? He looked at Heero's back while they were descending the stairs and his shoulders sagged. Yes, Heero was an attractive man, but that didn't mean he loved Heero. He /liked/ him but there was a big difference between love and friendship. So, what did he want from the other man, that he wanted Heero so much to accept him? Friendship. 'More', whispered something in the back of his head, but he ignored the voice. + Heero stood at the entrance to the canteen and waited for his partner who walked along the corridor as if in trance. "Duo?" "Hm?" Duo raised his head and saw that Heero had stopped in front of the canteen while he was still a few feet behind. He apologized for his absence of mind and quickly stepped up to Heero. "Ready?" He smirked at Heero and opened the door to the canteen for him. The canteen was full. Students of all age groups were gathered around the tables and the buffet. Kitchen staff were handing out food and others were trying to clean up the mess the students were leaving behind. There were hardly any free seats but Heero's trained eyes spotted a table immediately while Duo was eyeing the buffet. "Why don't you get us a seat while I try and find something edible? What do you want?" Heero looked at the buffet briefly, but then shrugged his shoulders. "If they have those rice balls I'd like to try those. If they don't, whatever you have is fine." Heero didn't wait for Duo to confirm his order, but immediately went to the tables in the back where he had spotted free seats. He sat down and took a good look around. He could see Duo chatting with students at the line. He couldn't help but smile at the other man's antics. They were partners, yet so different. He was watching the figure in the line when suddenly, the chair opposite him was taken. He was startled that he hadn't seen Gilmore approach. "Yuy, this is my assistant, Yoshino. He just came along to meet Duo. He won't be long." Heero gave Gilmore's assistant the once over and dismissed him as lab rat. As suspected, he was more Gilmore's secretary than his assistant. "Yoshino, why don't you go and fetch us some food, I see that Duo isn't even here yet." Heero smirked as he saw Yoshino nod stiffly. Obviously he wasn't happy that he was Gilmore's personal slave. Heero doubted that the professor even needed an assistant. When Yoshino had left, he looked at Gilmore skeptically. "Assistant?" He tried to make small talk; there was no need to wait for Duo in silence. "Yes, and he's all mine.", Gilmore grinned evilly and put his pinky finger to the corner of his mouth, mimicking the Dr Evil pose. Heero couldn't help but laugh out loud as he imagined Gilmore in a space uniform. "What are you two laughing about?" Heero looked up to see Duo eye his former mentor curiously. Apparently the evil twinkle in Gilmore's eyes made him reconsider and he rephrased his question. "Whom are you laughing about? I sincerely hope it's not me." Heero stood up politely and took the tray out of Duo's hands. Then he tilted his head. "Has Gilmore ever made you get his food?" "He should've tried." Duo took one set of chopsticks and dramatically broke the ends apart. "I wouldn't have done it." Gilmore grinned. "Oh, you did. Whenever I was bedridden, sick with the flu." Then the old man looked back at the 'food chain' and thrummed his fingers on the table. "Duo, it's impolite to start eating before everyone on the table has something. I thought I taught you all the rules." "I would wait, but I don't see the point in it. By the time you have your tofu rolls, I'll be starving and the food will be cold." "I didn't say anything!" Gilmore held his hands up but was rewarded by a tray being placed in front of him. He looked to the left and saw Yoshino walk around the table to sit next to Heero. While Duo was eating, the assistant looked at him curiously. "Are you Dr Maxwell?" Heero looked up. That he wanted to see. Gilmore put the chopsticks down too, and turned to Duo as if prompting him to answer with 'no'. Duo nodded and held his hand out for a formal handshake, but Yoshino grabbed his hand with both hands and shook his vigorously. "I'm glad to meet you, I've heard so much about you and I've read all your articles." Heero raised an eyebrow at Gilmore who just winked back. "Thanks, I guess." "I want to become a profiler too and catch the bad guys." Heero didn't think that Duo's expression could get that dark in such a short moment. He winced as he heard Duo's cold voice answer. "Good luck, then." + Another one? Another one of those gung-ho students who thought that profiling was an easy way to catch murderers, serial killers, kidnappers? He felt his shoulder sag as he heard his own flat answer. Was this what he was like, only a few years before? He wanted to stand up and grab Yoshino by his collar, and yell at him for making it sound like some sort of hobby. He'd seen death creeping up on the victims because he had been too slow to find the right connection in the nick of time. He looked at Yoshino and sincerely hoped that that man would choose something different as career. Happy, outgoing, smiling. He wouldn't keep that smile on his face for long when he waded in bodies, trying to find a murderer who literally left no trace. He wouldn't keep that smile on his face and not think of the taunting cackle of a caught murderer who was laughing in his face. Duo looked at Yoshino and imagined him on the couch of a psychotherapist, or 'supervisor' as the business world called them. Would he spend half of his paycheck on his insurance, just to be able to pay the therapy lessons? He imagined Yoshino in his flat, with his girlfriend, not able to talk to her because she wouldn't understand the nightmares. Did he have a wife? Would she try to understand, or would she just pack and walk out one day because she couldn't cope with his guilt anymore? Would he be there for himself? Would he drink himself into oblivion every night, or would he start sniffing drugs to escape the reality? Duo hadn't. He hadn't started doing drugs, he hadn't become an alcoholic. He knew that there was no way out of his daydreams. He had long since accepted that he would always see the Nagoya girl in his neighbor's daughter. He would always wonder what she would do now, what grade she would be in. Slowly, but surely, Shizuko Yamamura crawled into the picture. What had been done to her that she was out to kill even after her death? What was so horrible that she wanted her victims to see? Themselves? Their grotesquely deformed faces. Masks of their former selves. Would Shizuko end up to be like all the others? Would he see her, years from now, wondering why? Or would he die in five days, never even getting the chance to find some little piece of heaven on earth? "Duo, everything okay?" Heero looked at him with an unsure expression on his face. Had he guessed what was wrong? "Of course. Don't mind me, I was just thinking about something." He looked at Yoshino and smiled a reassuring smile. He had no idea if Yoshino had said anything, or if he had said anything to the other man. Gilmore seemed to sense his discomfort and interjected. "When do you two want to leave?" Still thinking about where to start with the search for that woman, he let Heero answer. "I don't know. Soon, if possible. We found a woman in the files that matches our profile. Do you know a Shizuko Yamamura?" "No. Never heard of her. She's your suspect?" This time, Duo answered. He didn't want a curious psychology student on their backs, and Yoshino seemed like he was one of those who wanted their name to be seen everywhere. "Not really, I just wanted to know if you've heard of her. If you excuse us, professor, we have to get going. We need to conduct some interviews." +
"Visit again some time, will you?" Gilmore stood up and moved around the table, apparently not wanting his 'son' to leave without a hug. "And think about that offer I made you, okay?" "Of course." Gilmore wrapped his arms around Duo and whispered "Be careful.". This was a different case. This visit could be the last one. This hug could be their goodbye.
They left the canteen, and as soon as they had passed a few corners, Heero raised a questioning eyebrow which Duo immediately caught. "Yoshino was too nosey. I didn't want to risk him sniffing around." Heero agreed and opened one of the doors to the outside. "You didn't like Yoshino, did you?" "No. He doesn't realize that profiling is not a game you play from nine to five. I doubt he even knows what responsibility he takes on in deciding to do it seriously. I don't like his attitude, that's all. He's probably a real blast to have as a friend. I just wouldn't be one of them." They continued their walk in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. At the car, Duo automatically got in at the driver's side and started the car. Heero was surprised that Duo wanted to drive, but didn't say anything. Maybe Duo just liked to drive. He settled back and looked at his watch. It was barely two PM. Calculating the drive back they could think themselves lucky if they got the reports done before their shift was over. Heero yawned and leant back. His eyes dropped closed and he was aware that he was about to fall asleep when he did. Two hours later, he woke up, feeling someone shake his shoulders and whisper something. "Heero, wake up. We're back." Heero blinked dazedly. Had he actually slept all the way through Duo's cursing about Tokyo traffic? He straightened and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry." "That's okay. Let's go upstairs, we have stuff to do." Heero spent a few more moments to wake up properly, then he unbuckled and opened the door. Duo was already walking toward the lift when the elevator doors opened and Heero could see Zechs Merquise, the head of the computer department walk out. Duo immediately went out of his way to not have to pass him. Heero jumped down from the seat silently and watched the two men interact curiously. Duo didn't seem to be happy about them being alone that moment, but Merquise was the complete opposite. Heero had rarely seen the other man smile openly, but he had an almost happy aura around him. The older man leaned over to hug Duo close, and Heero's eyes widened as Duo almost seemed to be squashed by Merquise. They exchanged a few words, a conversation which seemed almost sadly one-sided.
Heero didn't want to be glad that Duo had no interest in Merquise. He'd heard the stories, of course, he had believed them at the time, but now it seemed an unfortunate misunderstanding. He closed the door loudly and walked over to the elevator, where Zechs was trying his best to keep Duo occupied.
"Duo, you coming?"
Zechs flashed him a glare, but Heero didn't let on that he noticed. He smiled at the other man, and greeted him politely. There were a few things he couldn't understand about what was going on between the other two, but he wasn't here to defend anyone. Duo pried himself lose from Merquise and followed Heero to the elevator. Heero noticed the sad head shake when they were inside, but didn't comment. Some things were better kept private. He pushed the button and waited for Duo to compose himself.
"We have to call the mental institution where Amy is treated. If we want to have that appointment tomorrow, we'll have to make sure it's okay with her doctor first. Those people don't like surprise visits." The elevator doors parted and they got in. At this time of the day, hardly anybody went down to the parking deck. Heero pressed the button for the homicide department. "I told Wufei to call ahead, let's stop by his desk and ask him." "Oh, okay. I hope it's not too early, I want to get some more sleep tonight." "Tough night?" "You wouldn't guess how many times you have to watch a scene in slow motion until you're sure that you counted the blinks right. Yes, you could say tough and long night. I think I kept Kage awake all night." "Your dog?" "My chameleon." "You don't keep a chameleon in your apartment." "Well, I do." "A chameleon." "Yes." "You're kidding." "One foot long, eats crickets, loves to play hide." "Yuck." Duo smirked. "She's pretty though, you'd like her. The silent killer. I give her a little bit more character than she actually has, I have to admit that much." He waited until the elevator doors parted. "I even have her picture in my wallet, if you want to see her?" "Please." Duo smiled and took his leather wallet out while walking toward Wufei's desk. Heero saw a flash of the photo Duo had shown him earlier and credit cards before Duo's nimble fingers dragged one photo out and gave it to his partner. Heero smirked as he looked at the picture Duo gave him. It did indeed show a baby chameleon sitting on Duo's shoulder. The photo was older; the chameleon was only a couple of inches long. Duo waved at Wufei who was looking at them expectantly and walked toward him, grinning wide. "Hey, Wufei, my man!" "Maxwell, when will you stop calling me yours? You know I'm a kept man." He teased back, then he paused for a moment, frowning. "Is that my shirt?" "As soon as you find a better reply to it and yes, it's your shirt. I'll get you a new one tomorrow." Duo took a picture frame from Wufei's desk and looked at it before placing it back on the same spot where it had stood before. It showed Wufei with his wife. "What's up with you anyway? No calls, no flowers, no chocolate. I'm almost afraid you don't care about me anymore." Duo took the photo back from Heero and stuck it into his wallet; his eyes didn't leave Wufei when he tucked it away. He smirked and winked saucily. A flustered Chang Wufei looked at Heero for help, but Heero did nothing but watch as Duo grabbed Wufei's chin softly, tilting his partner's head toward himself. "Did you call the mental institution, honeymuffin?" Heero chuckled but didn't keep Duo from his show. He saw Quatre stare across the room and waved before turning his attention back to Wufei who, taking a step back to escape Duo, bumped into his desk. "Yes, Maxwell, I called, but they want to talk to the person who's going to do the interview. They want to know what you're going to ask." Duo stopped purring and flirting and took a step back as well. "Chang-babe, all I wanted was one lousy call, a little help! Is that too much to ask?" He theatrically tilted his head back and held his hand up. Heero immediately took the clue and gave Duo a tissue from a box on Wufei's desk. Duo overdramatically blew his nose and looked at Chang from under his lashes. Wufei grunted. "Maxwell, I really wanted to avoid this scene, but I've found another." Duo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Who is it?" "My physiotherapist. His name is Flavio, he has wonderful hands and probably as much muscle mass as you weigh." Suddenly, Quatre's lithe voice surprised them all by adding, "Now, that can't be all that much then." He appeared at Wufei's side and politely shook hands with Duo and Heero. "Any good news?" "Yes, we have a suspect. Now we only need to confirm her death, examine where she lived, find out where she's buried and what she wants and why she made the video. Most importantly, we have to find out what the hell her relationship is to the woman in the video." Heero winced as his explanation didn't sound very enthusiastic at all. Duo's facial expression was nearly unreadable. He looked crushed. Quatre looked skeptical and voiced his doubt. "That's good news for you? You really have to be desperate then." Heero looked at him, stating clearly that that was exactly the case. They had to be desperate, they had to call that 'good news' because anything less could mean their death. Quatre seemed to understand because he averted his eyes. "I apologize. I'm sure you're doing your best to find the killer." Duo smiled, but it was obvious that it wasn't completely honest. Wufei nodded and gave Duo a card with the telephone number of the medical center. "Will you call Amy Miller's doctor? You can use the phone on Quatre's desk if you want a little privacy." Duo took the number and went over to Quatre's desk, leaving the small group of people behind. As soon as he was out of hearing range, Wufei looked questioningly at Heero. "How is he really? He seems drained." Heero shrugged his shoulders. "He's tired because he had a long night. I don't think there's anything else." "Nothing else? The pressure you're under is immense, I want you to take care of him. He's not always as stable and sure of himself as he seems to be." "I know." Heero paused for a moment, thinking about how to explain. "We've talked a bit." He looked at Quatre and saw a quiet smile on his partner's lips. Wufei just nodded and turned back to his files he was working on. Quatre looked back and searched for Duo who was still talking on the phone. "Heero, if he's only tired, then that's fine, but I don't think that's it. Lack of sleep usually makes him think, and then you know there's something else. Take care of him anyway?" "Of course. He's my partner." Quatre smiled and changed the topic when Duo came back. "Khushrenada gave Wufei and me a new case. A drug dealer was murdered, not very exciting. We already have a couple of leads and some promising suspects. Along with the usual eye witnesses of course." Duo waited until Quatre had finished and then interjected. "Heero, we have a date with Amy Miller tomorrow morning at eleven, they don't want us to talk to her earlier, because it would put too much strain on her morning routine. They're a bunch of liars." He smashed his fist against the desk plate and sighed. "They put a lot of pressure on me. I can't ask this, mustn't ask that. I have to think about the line of questioning later." He brushed one hand over his face before turning to Heero. "Let's do the reports, and then go home. I'm tired." Quatre looked at Wufei, a worried expression on his face. He looked at Heero pointedly and spoke up. "Wufei and I have to get going anyway. Our case isn't waiting." Heero nodded, understanding the subtle hint. "Let's do the reports then. Duo, are you coming?" "Hm? Where to?" "To your bureau. It's nice and quiet in there." "You're just jealous." Heero indicated a goodbye to their colleagues before gently laying his hand on Duo's shoulder. He led Duo toward the door and waited for him to wave his goodbye for the night. Duo's bureau was comfortable with the large desk and the small couch in one corner. It was crammed, but Heero wasn't surprised, he'd seen it before. Duo had not even reached his own chair, when Heero already flopped into the guests chair and moved aside the calendar and the pen holder in his way. He unpacked and got his writing pad out, because thankfully Lady Une never demanded her agents to type their reports. She was so glad that she got the reports she wanted on time that she didn't ask for more than the necessary.
Heero refrained from any comment as he saw Duo reaching for his glasses. He thought they looked damn sexy on the other man, but he would never go and admit that aloud – at least not yet. He sighed and looked down. The reports would take more than two hours of their time, but they had to be written; they needed the notes and proof of their work. If they didn't survive, someone else would have to start the research. Heero saw that Duo was already writing, shoving his glasses up his nose in an automatic gesture. Heero cleared his throat to keep himself from smiling and bent over his work. They worked silently, the rustling of paper the only disturbance. + "Duo?" Heero looked at his partner curiously. They had been writing on their reports for quite some time, but Duo had been silent for a few minutes now. Slowly, Heero leaned over the desk and looked at Duo's slack face. The black framed glasses were halfway down his nose and in danger of being squashed between his cheekbones and the table. Heero suddenly remembered the information Duo had given him that morning; he had obviously worked late last night. Silently, he stood up and moved behind the other man. He pried the pen out of Duo's fingers and put it aside. Then he stood behind his partner and pulled Duo's upper body back by crossing his arms across the other's chest. When he heard Duo murmur he waited for a moment, not wanting to wake the other man. He softly pulled the glasses from Duo's nose and placed them on the table, and smiled softly when he saw that the frame had left a red imprint on the pale skin. Having moved Duo's body away from the table, he knelt and wrapped his arms around the other man's knees and shoulders. "Here we go," he whispered and lifted his partner up in his arms. Surprised that the other wasn't as heavy as he had imagined, he carried the sleeping man to the couch in the corner. That Duo didn't wake up was just a sign of how tired he had to be. As soon as Duo was on the couch, he twisted and curdled up in an almost fetal position. Smiling, Heero pulled a blanket over him and crouched down low. Surprised at his partner's youthful looks, he studied Duo closer. A small scar grazed his forehead, half covered by a lock of hair. Heero subconsciously whisked the irate strand away before abruptly standing back up. Shaking his head, he went back to the desk. He had, after all, work to do and since the other obviously wasn't up to it, he had to finish them alone. There was no time to wonder about soft skin, or long eye lashes, or about how kissable Duo's cheekbones looked. +
A while later, a low grumble disrupted the silence Heero was working in. "Heero, what-?" Duo turned, pushing the blanket off his shoulders. "Oh God, I'm sorry." Heero watched as Duo struggled awake and sat up, still groggy from sleep. "It's okay, you wouldn't have gotten much done anyway in the state you were in." Heero cocked his head and deemed his partner awake. "I finished our reports; if you're ready we could go home. I don't think either of us is much up to the shooting match we had planned." Duo rubbed his eyes and swung his legs off the couch. "You finished all reports?" "Yes." "Then I'll treat you to coffee and sweets." He stood up and went over to the desk to pick up his bag. "Not tonight. Coffee always keeps me awake way too long." Heero thought about it for a moment. "If we have to be at the institution at eleven, we could meet at eight thirty and eat breakfast on the way." Duo grabbed a few things and put the glasses into their case before replying. "I'll pick you up, then we don't have to go to the office." Heero shuffled the reports together and put them loosely in a binder. "We have to drop them off in Lady Une's office before we go." They shouldered their bags and left the bureau for the night. The blanket lay discarded on the couch; neither of them had bothered to pick it up and fold it. Duo didn't like the idea of some stranger rummaging around his office, one of the reasons why he never let the cleaning staff clean it at night. He locked the door, waiting for the red light before he turned to follow Heero to Lady Une's office. + There they were coming again. Mitsuko sat behind her
desk and smiled at the two men entering. The longhaired man in one
of Agent Chang's sexy shirts, the shorthaired one with a bunch of
files under his arm. She groaned as she saw the reports. Yuy's scary
writing style and his sharp handwriting were sure to give her gray
hair some time soon. "Hi, Agent Maxwell." He seemed more nervous now that she was talking to him. "Is everything okay?" "Mitsuko, about that date…" She raised an eyebrow as he trailed off, uncomfortable. Date, what date? She voiced her surprise. "What date?" "The date Agent Yuy promised you." His gaze seemed to fall on the picture frame on her desk because he frowned. "Yuy didn't promise me a date. He offered to buy me lunch for a week for the trouble I'll have to go through. I have a boyfriend." She stared at him. What had Yuy told him? She watched his expression change into a mischievous smile and backed away." "Mitsuko, could you do me a favor?" She nodded cautiously and gave the man standing opposite of her a questioning look. "If I brought you some terrible flower perfume, could you spray the car's upholstery with it before returning it to Heero?" "With delight." She smirked. She had always liked the agent with the long hair. Ever since he appeared in the doorway the first day, she had imagined him in Calvin Klein ads. Preferably with the dark haired other agent who was now in Une's office. She loved her boyfriend, but a little fantasy at the workplace had never hurt anybody. Just then, the door opened and Heero came back out. Duo grabbed the opportunity and smiled at Mitsuko openly. "Mitsuko, that would be great. Your brother would really want to-?" The secretary immediately caught on the lead. "Yes, of course. He'll love you madly." Heero paled, something in that picture was not right. Had they talked about the date? He looked at Mitsuko closely, but she only smiled at him honestly. Duo equally, looked sincere. Mitsuko couldn't help but smile her most innocent, honest smile. In her imagination, Heero would be jealous. He would confront Duo and… She looked down at the screen of her computer, but only saw boring mission status data. Life was just not a gay porn. "Duo, are you coming?" "Of course. Mitsuko, tell your brother I said 'hi', will you?" Mitsuko winked and watched the two men leave the office. As soon as the door was closed, she let out a sigh. They would look good together in a Calvin Klein ad. Before she could delve deeper into her fantasy, Lady Une beeped her and she had to go in. // +
"Oh, I think there was a misunderstanding. I explained the thing about the date to Mitsuko and she said that she wasn't interested, but her brother would be." Heero looked up, surprised by that change in events. "Anyway, was Une pleased with the reports?" Heero snorted. "Of course. She was glad she even got them, almost wanted to make a positive note in your file. You seem to never get them in on time." "Wufei usually makes sure I don't bring them too late. I heard Quatre talk. You're really lax about reports too and they usually sound like Rambo trying to write short stories. I won't go into imitating the example he gave." "Thank you." Heero tried to look sincere, but the smirk wasn't helping much. They went to the elevator and waited in silence for the carriage to arrive. When the doors parted, Heero entered and turned. "Does Mitsuko even have a brother?" Duo stepped in and pressed the button for the parking garage. "Of course, he's half Chinese and his name is Hung Long." Heero raised his eyebrows. "Must be a real treasure then." "I sincerely hope so." + The parking garage was pleasantly cool and they made their way to Duo's car which was now closer to the elevator since their trip to the university. They didn't rush to the car, both being tired from the long day. The laser remote opened the doors for them before they even reached it. The drive to Heero's home was quiet with no music playing; Duo didn't even have to curse the traffic. Heero watched Duo lead the car elegantly through the streets of Tokyo and thought about what Quatre had told him earlier. He hadn't seen any other odd behavior, Duo was just tired and probably needed a good night's rest. He wasn't aware of the car coming to a stop in front of his apartment building and Duo had to remind him with a subtle cough. "You're welcome to sleep in my super-comfortable car, you know that, don't you?" Heero snorted and opened the door before unbuckling. "Your car isn't comfy. It's… just big." He thought about that for a moment before adding, "You know what they say about men with big cars." "The same what they say about men with large feet?" Duo waggled his eyebrows playfully, and tried to look hopeful, waiting for Heero's answer. Heero opted to say something biting, but when he saw Duo's twisted face, he theatrically answered, "Why yes, how did you know?" He stuck out his tongue and hopped down onto ground level. "Your car just has big tires. Otherwise it wouldn't be more than a Micra." Duo's eyes widened. "Take that back!"
Heero just waved and slammed the door shut. Duo stared at his partner's retreating back. He had not just exchanged innuendos with Heero. He had not just joked with Yuy the Serious. Smiling, he pulled out of the parking lot. They were definitely on the road of becoming friends. Somehow, he didn't want to leave Tokyo anymore. Not before he had the opportunity to get to know Heero better. He wouldn't let that chance slip away again. He steered the car toward his home and parked it in the lot reserved for his car. His home wasn't nearly as comfortable as his bureau. It was in an anonymous apartment building, the only person he knew was the housekeeper, Sanako. The woman insisted he use her first name, even though she was twenty years his elder. She was always outside, tending to her flower garden. They had a ritual together and he would hate losing her. Another reason to stay in Tokyo. Shaking his head, Duo realized that the reasons to stay were building up the more he thought about moving. She straightened her back and waved at him as he jumped out of his car. He jogged up to her and greeted her with a kiss. She was the most unusual woman he had ever met. She was a widow and yet, she was full of energy. He envied her for her happiness and soaked up as much as he could whenever they talked. "How have you been today, Sanako-san?" He loosened their embrace and sat down on the stairs to the building. The sun was still up and he didn't really want to see his own four blank walls yet. He would wait until sunset. "As always, my back hurts, my parrot was mocking me and the flowers complain about the lack of water. But everything's right with the world, isn't it?" "Of course." He tilted his head and grinned. He didn't know if it worked with her, he just hoped it would. "You shouldn't smile when you don't mean it, Duo. Something is bothering you?" He lost the grin and resorted to smiling, this time far less intense, but it was honest. "How do you always know when something is bothering me?" "I just know. You remind me of my son, that's all. He used to hide his problems too." Duo didn't ask. He had never asked her about her husband, and she appreciated it. She had never asked about his family either. "I just had a bad day at work, nothing serious." "Something bad happened?" Duo had never told her about his job, but she somehow had guessed. Or just read the newspaper. Whenever he came home, crushed, and would not leave his apartment for days, she would come upstairs with some cooked dinner and would talk him out of his guilt. He wasn't at fault, it wasn't him slaughtering prostitutes and ripping their hearts out. It wasn't him raping and killing underage boys. Their deaths weren't his fault. It never worked. She would try and talk to him, knowing that sometimes, he didn't listen at all, that sometimes he would drink himself into oblivion. He hadn't become an alcoholic, he hadn't become a drug addict. He simply coped. Coped by sometimes sloshing himself. One night without decayed faces staring at him, asking why he hadn't saved them. Just one night of dreamless sleep. Sanako knew that sometimes it was best to leave him alone. "No, nothing bad. Just no progress. I'm okay." He propped his face up on his hands and stared at her work. "You know that I appreciate everything you've done for me in the past years, don't you?" It was an unexpected 'thank you', Sanako didn't know how to react. She just straightened again and went over to the steps where he sat. She sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him, drawing him closer to her. "I know, Duo." She sensed that this wasn't at all the casual gesture for him. He had never said that before. It sounded like a goodbye. "Duo? You're not okay at all, what happened?" He couldn't tell her that he would probably die in five days. He couldn't tell her that she was the closest thing to a mother he ever had. He couldn't tell her that the daily talk at night was like an anchor to him. "Really, it's nothing." He drew away and looked at her skeptically, trying to distract her from that serious topic. "You wouldn't mind me bringing a friend home, do you?" Sanako smacked him across the back of his head. "Not if you introduce him properly." She smirked. "Are you in love?" "No, I just found somebody who might become a really good friend." "What does he do for a living?" Duo gaped for a moment. He had no idea how she had guessed about his sexuality, but maybe it was obvious. Maybe she just had a feeling. "He catches bad guys." "Another agent?" "Yes." Then Duo smirked and waggled his eyebrows. "He has handcuffs and lots of muscles." "Chang?" "Sanako!" Duo shook his head, as if devastated by her dirty mind. "I hate to disappoint you, but my partner is married and they're very happy together." "Sorry. What's his name then?" She was curious, but considering the fact that she had nothing to do all day, it was predictable. Duo smirked. "I wouldn't tell you, you'd just embarrass me if you met him one day." "I thought you were going to introduce him." "I might. If you behave yourself." Sanako snorted and stood back up. "I still have some tulips to plant. I'd ask you to help me but I don't want you ruining Chang's shirt." Again, Duo wondered if she was a secret agent. She was very attentive and soaked up information like a sponge. "I'll have to be careful then. Or undress." "As much as I would appreciate the view, I think it's getting rather cold. The sun is setting too." She wrinkled her nose and took her basket. "The tulips can wait till tomorrow." "You want to get rid of me, don't you, Sanako-san?" "Never. I just don't want to miss my daily dose of soap opera." Duo rolled his eyes and pouted dramatically. "So, now your soap opera is more important than me?" "It has always been and it will always be. You know, you're welcome to join me. Jenna will tell Rob about-"
"That's okay, honey. Goodnight and sleep well." "I always do, when dreaming of you." He waved a goodbye and opened the door. He heard a silent "Prince Charming." biding him goodbye and ascended the stairs. His apartment wasn't at all nice and cozy. He had put extra effort into decorating his bedroom, but that was the only room he had put time and money in. He had painted the walls orange, ignoring the warnings in his lease that he would have to pay for the paint job that would have to be done when he was moving out. If having a warm and cozy-looking bedroom for three years meant losing the cost of the rent for one month, then so be it. Duo unlocked the door and switched the security system off. He didn't bother calling out a greeting to Kage; the chameleon had already looked at him with its small, black eyes. He pushed his black shoes off with his feet and let the bag drop to the floor. Smiling at his pet, he went over to the terrarium and opened the lid. The chameleon immediately turned its head toward the opening and tilted its head. Knowing that food was awaiting it, it softly stuck its tongue out, as if licking its lips. "One moment, honey." He grabbed the box of crickets and opened it. He didn't like how the crickets were chirping for their life. They reminded him of victims, begging their pursuer not to hurt them, not to kill them. He took one out and looked it in the eye. Then he dropped it into the terrarium. Two more followed, then he closed the lid again. He left before Kage ate the first one. He didn't really need to see that. However, his thoughts wandered to the video tape, remembering the maggots crawling in the mud and the disgusting scene of the monkey coughing something indefinable up. He shuddered and went toward the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. These were not thoughts he needed before going to bed. He threw the shirt onto the dressing chair and made a mental note to buy a new one. If he had had a secretary he could have sent her to the boutique in her lunch break and not worry about it. He looked at the brand name and swallowed. He would have to look more carefully the next time he borrowed one of Wufei's shirts. He couldn't afford to buy a new Daniel Hechter shirt whenever he scrounged one. He absently wondered if Wufei's sense of fashion had become elegant when he had married or if it had always been that exquisite. He shook his head and stripped down to his boxers. Yawning, he took a fresh pair of sweat pants and went to the bathroom where he turned the water in the shower on. It would take a while to get warm and he used the time to brush his teeth. Frowning as he saw his image in the mirror, he brushed harder. He had to eat more. By the time the water was hot enough for his taste, he had spit the toothpaste into the sink and stripped off the silken boxers. He tested the water again before stepping into the shower stall and closing the door. He let the hot water caress his body and slowly unraveled his hair. He lost himself in washing his hair, finally able to forget all that had bothered him that day. He didn't think about the case, didn't think about Heero, didn't think about moving to America. He forgot the troubles of trying to find the killer, forgot the fight with Relena and Zechs. After he had thoroughly soaped himself, he just let himself being soaked by the hot water. Minutes passed, he didn't care how much water he used up, he just wanted all those troubles washed off. It was another ritual. When Duo felt the water growing a few degrees colder, he shut it off and squished the water out of his hair. He stepped out of the stall and wrapped one of the black towels around himself, the other he used to dry the long tresses. When he had dried his skin, he pulled the sweat pants up and went back to his refuge - the large bed in the bedroom, with its freshly changed sheets, just waiting for someone to fall into. Duo threw the wet towel to the floor and grabbed another fresh one to place on the pillow. Then he let himself sink into the cushions and draped his hair onto the towel. Nothing would keep him from thoroughly enjoying this night's rest. Before he sank into his own personal dreamland, he casually wondered what Heero's bedroom looked like; a thought never to be thought through. + End Part 5 + Footnotes: Dr. Tomokichi Fukurai: famous Japanese professor who
gave nengraphy its name and experimented with it. Dr. Joseph Murphy: /not/ the "Murphy's Law"
Murphy Poltergeist – originally a German word which is stuck together from the words 'poltern' - which means 'to make a lot of noise/ a racket' - and 'Geist' - which means 'ghost'; even though poltergeists usually don't cause serious physical injury, they can do so by breaking objects or setting fire…
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