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"Friends "Written By: Karina
Series: Friends Pairings: 2+6 Ratings: M 15+ [In Australia] Rated in the event of bad language and violence. Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing or the characters. That’s the way it is. Warnings: Not a death fic despite how it starts.
Aussie spelling and unbetaed. Summary: When Milliardo Peacecraft is abducted
and left to die a solitary death Duo Maxwell decides to take a hand
in the proceedings.
Chapter 13 “He called me Peacecraft.” Duo glanced up from coaxing the fire to life. The interior of the tent was lit by the lantern, burning low to conserve fuel. He could see Marquise propped on one elbow, looking thoughtful and delightfully sleep mussed. When Duo had woken he had abandoned the sleeping bag as carefully as possible, hoping not to disturb Marquise. It seemed he had been partially successful, though as yet he had not completed the day’s preparations. “Sorry to wake you.” “You did not.” Blue eyes shifted from thoughtful distraction to interest in an instant, the blonde head turning to face Duo. “I presume the cabin is still standing?” “Parts of it are.” Duo had left their secure pantry to relieve himself, and discovered the room in which they had previously sheltered had collapsed during the night. Where the tent had formerly stood was now a mass of heavy support beams and the remnants of the roof. Had they remained in the room they would have died. Even had they been spared being crushed by the support beams, they would have died of exposure having lost vital equipment. “I’m surprised we never heard it collapse.” Duo settled back on his heels. “Guess we were really exhausted.” “Yes.” Zechs nodded slowly, eyeing the door propped securely against the doorframe. “I believe we were quite fortunate to escape unharmed.” Duo motioned to a pile of wood stacked neatly to one side of the fire. “I brought some more wood in while I was moving around out there. To me it doesn’t seem as though the blizzard has let up at all. Given we will be stuck here for a good few hours at least, I thought we might as well be comfortably warm.” The blonde head inclined slightly, and Marquise pull himself carefully the few inches required to allow him to rest his head against a pack. Duo considered him for a moment and turned back to the fire. “I’ll be there in a sec. I just want to get the fire going properly. I’ve left us a decent gap around the door for fresh air to circulate and to vent the fire. The main room of the cabin seems secure; at least I’m not hearing any particularly threatening groans and creaks. I’ll check you over and then get us some breakfast. How are you feeling?” “Better than I have a right to be.” Came the low response. “Yeah, well be thankful for that. I was taught we all have a designated day to die, and until your time is up, you enjoy life to the full. Guess it’s not your time.” “It never is.” Duo glanced over his shoulder, uncertain he had actually heard the quiet whisper. It might have been his imagination, the howl of the wind, or it might have been his companion. He could not say for sure, but if it was the blonde it was worrying. Duo had gone through his own dark time following the war, indeed he was still dealing with it. He thought over the night before and the morning thus far, and he was not sure he liked the conclusions. He needed to remind the man he was alive and life was meant to be lived. Zechs was undoubtedly a bit down at the present time; understandable given he knew someone wanted to kill him in a rather perverse fashion. It was never settling to know you had a sicko out for your hide. “So what exactly do you do now?” “I am an… agent.” Duo considered the pause, brief though it was, and could not say he was delighted with the possibilities it engendered. Something in the quiet voice more than the hesitation, suggested the topic would be a hairy one to pursue. Marquise had psychological issues which, given he was working for Preventers, must have been dealt with before he had been assigned his position. Surely it was just the after effects of near death making the man so difficult to read. Deciding to tread with care Duo turned his attention to getting the fire to burn, and not only provide them with life giving heat, but a light source as well. Their lantern only had limited fuel and he was loath to waste it. It might also pay, he reflected, to distract Marquise from his melancholy. “My friends want me to join Preventers… Well, most of them do. Me, I’m not sure being a Preventer is what I want to do with my life.” “If not a Peace Keeper, what would you prefer to choose as a career path?” There was genuine interest in the deep voice, and glancing around Duo watched Marquise wriggle himself into a position where he could more comfortable see what was going on. Feeding the growing flames more substantial fuel he dusted off his hands and settled his backside in the doorway of the tent. “Well, I’m not really sure, you know? I never expected to survive the war, and finding myself alive was… a bit of a surprise. All I was trained to be was a street rat and Gundam Pilot. I have skills, loads of them, but I’m not sure where I want to apply them. I don’t particularly fancy becoming a thief, and don’t want to become a Preventer either. I’ve tried a few things, but nothing seems right. I thought I might hook up with the Sweepers for a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Howard.” After a moment Marquise closed his eyes and turned his face away. “I hope you find what it is you are looking for, Duo Maxwell.” Duo stared at the still figure. He had expected more. Expected something along the lines of the lectures he received periodically from Heero and Wu Fei. Even Trowa expressed his opinion on what Duo should be doing with his life. Only Quatre had not pushed a career choice on him, seeming to understand he needed time to find himself. He had visited psychologists, sorting out the mess his head had been in from the war. He felt better about himself since those visits, but he was, at this time, unable to choose one set path to follow. “Enjoy your freedom while you have it.” Duo pursed his lips and considered his companion. “I don’t rightly know what it is I’m looking for, you know? Nothing seems quite right, but I sure as hell know I don’t want to go around killing people. That counts Preventers out. I’ve had enough killing, but I can’t see myself behind a desk shuffling papers. Boredom would have me ripping the plaster off the walls in no time.” “You will return to space?” “I guess. To be honest I’m not particularly fussed about that idea either, but Howard said I was welcome and he would help sort me out. He said until I understand the inner me I won’t find what I want. So, what made you join up with Preventers again? I thought when you disappeared after the Barton incident you had left Preventers and gone to ground.” For a long moment there was silence and Duo felt the weight of it. Marquise seemed to be a statue, rigid in the soft lantern light. “It seems conquering the Red Planet was deemed to be of secondary importance in certain circles. I was… requested… to return to Earth and take up a new position.” Duo shifted uncomfortably. Certain circles, eh? He could well guess who would consider it too dangerous to have the Peacecraft son running loose. If the man had threatened to destroy the world, and had the means whereby he could actually achieve such destruction, he could see why certain people in power wanted to keep an eye on him. Marquise, or Peacecraft, which ever name he cared to use on the day, had taken no suspicious or threatening action since the fall of Dekim Barton and his granddaughter. Was that because he was contained and controlled by high authority, or because he willed it so? “People in power have long memories, Mr. Maxwell, and are not always inclined to be magnanimous. When you are referred to as a planetary threat, you understand where you stand, and where you may not tread.” There was a wealth of suggestion in the quiet voice, and Duo, having seen the mechanics of politics at play, could read between the lines. “Sucks, man. I thought you and Miss Noin had a thing going and you had eloped; or something like that.” “That was Noin’s intention.” The soft breath of air held the weight of the world in its quiet sound. Duo picked up on the tone and dared to further question. He had nothing much else to do and it would while away a few minutes. Marquise was too weak to do him any mischief anyway, and Duo loved to gossip. He would not, he promised himself, spread this sort of gossip around. Marquise had enough to deal with from the sounds of things, without him adding to his burdens. “Things not turn out so well, huh? I thought for a time I would settle down with Hilde, maybe have some kids and have a proper family home. It didn’t work out.” He had wanted it to, but it had not been right. He had realized that fairly early on in the relationship, but had tried despite the mounting evidence to the contrary. “Guess I’m not ready to put down roots yet.” “We need to conquer our perceptions of ourselves before we can chart a new course.” Milliardo rubbed his cheek gently against the rough canvas of the pack. “Noin should not have to deal with my past constantly, and she refused to acknowledge I would never be free of it. It is better she finds a new life; a normal life.” Duo rubbed at his cheek, considering the word ‘normal’ with a jaundiced view. “It would not be so easy to find a new life. Not even for a woman like her.” “It is better she try than become embroiled in my current occupation. We all had to make a new beginning after the war, nothing was the same, or would be again. For some of us it is unfortunate it requires more than one attempt to start something new. Something worthwhile.” “And for some of us nothing seems right, and we just have to bumble along as best we can. Life can suck big time.” Duo rose slowly and stretched. “Guess I had better get you checked over and see about breakfast. I don’t know how long we are going to be locked in the mountains, but I guess it can’t be for much more than a day or so.” Zechs chuckled ruefully. “Colony bred.” “Huh?” Duo ducked into the tent proper and arched an eyebrow at the blonde. “We are in the mountains surrounding Sanc, I take it?” “Yeah, North East of New Port City.” Duo had forgotten Milliardo had no real concept of their location. “Blizzards have been known to blow here for up to ten days, without relief.” “Ten days?” Duo sagged in the doorway. “Ah man, I hope this isn’t one of those.” “We are early in the season for a full scale blizzard. Listen for the Elves singing after sundown; that will tell you if we are in for a long stay.” Zechs refrained from laughing at the look on Duo’s face. He had seen such expressions before, and given what he had said he could understand the look. In these days of technology and space travel who believed the old tales? Myth and mythology, fairytales and superstition. These was the stock in trade of the mountain people, isolated and wishing no part of the wonder of science over the traditions of their past. “Excuse me? Listen for Elves?” “This is Sanc and we are in the high mountains. Here pagan rituals are more common than technology. It is said by the mountain folk during a storm, if the Elves sing as the sun sets, the blizzard will blow itself out by dawn.” Duo looked almost cross eyed at Zechs. “So how the fuck do you hear Elves sing?” Zechs chuckled. “You hear their voices in the wind.” “Weird.” Duo snorted. “Now Duo, they say magic is simply science, undiscovered and misunderstood, by the mind of man.” “You are getting me worried, Marquise.” Duo grinned. “I am beginning to think you are living in the wrong time.” It was a melancholy smile that answered his rescuer. “Ah, I am, Duo. I belong in another time entirely.” End ~ * ~
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