"SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND"

Written By: Stone Angel

 

Please see Prologue for disclaimer, ratings and explanations. ^_^

AN: Can anyone guess what the first game is? Anyone? As for the second, your guess is as good if not better than mine as I don’t play video games. The first one is a classic with my friends though, so it got put in here cause I could use it.

And the reason I make such a huge point of the fact that Duo hates vampirism so much is that it plays a big role later.

 

 

SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND:

CHAPTER 38: SHAME

"Wait. So stealing the car is a good thing? And why the hell are the police after me?"

"They think you're an outlaw." Supplied Heero.

"Oh. Aren't I?"

"Yes, but you're only breaking the law to save your ass."

"Ah...hah... And I have to steal cars to save my ass?"

"Ah."

"Oh. Ok. I wanna steal a Jeep. Where's a Jeep?"

Trowa snickered softly. "You just steal whatever is there, Duo."

"Mou. That's no fun. I want something with muscle. All these cars are even wussier than Wu-man's." He ignored the growl from his left. "I want a car that ROARS."

Trowa chuckled. "I do have a cheat that you might like."

Heero all but bounced in his seat. "Is that the tank?!"

Trowa smiled and his emerald green eye sparkled. "Hai."

Duo felt his lips form into a smirk. "Tank? I like the sound of that. What do I do?"

"Hand me the controller." Said Trowa as he held out a graceful hand.

Duo surrendered the plastic device immediately.

Trowa punched a combination of buttons and then handed the controls back to him.

Duo watched and then laughed so hard his wound hurt as a tank fell out of the sky and crushed a pedestrian. "Woo-hoo!" He pushed forward and his man ran towards the large weapon of mass destruction. "Hahahahahahaha!!!!" He cackled maniacally as his character got into the cockpit.

Heero nearly spit out his beer with giggles as Duo laughed insanely.

"Careful, Hee-kun. You don't wanna spray beer from your nose."

Heero began to shake harder with silent laughs at the mental image Duo's words painted in his mind, barely managing to swallow before he burst into ridiculously hard laughter.

Duo smirked as he ran over cars. A group of police cars circled around him in an attempt to halt his progress. He laughed as he mowed down the one directly in front of him and rammed the one on his side into the cement wall on the side of the hill. "This is great! How come no one told me how fun this was?" He asked no one in particular as he continued to wreak havoc left and right.

"You didn't ask." Trowa said simply.

"Oh." He shrugged.

Heero spoke with amusement. "And if I did, you probably would have been either uninterested or confused. Or if I bought the system and brought it here, you would probably hop around, poking it with a long stick."

Duo giggled. "That could very well be." He mowed over a few pedestrians, not finding it as fun as squashing cars. "What other games do you have?"

Trowa pointed to the gray trunk. "Too many to list. Go see yourself."

Duo handed the controller to Wufei who smirked and began to push a button Duo had left alone.

The tank on the screen began to fire its cannon.

"Woah. Gimme that back! I didn't know it had a weapon! Gimme!"

"Too damned bad, Maxwell. You had your chance. Now it's my turn." Said Wufei as he, keeping his eyes riveted to the screen, kept the controller away from Duo's insistent swipes in a "keep away" fashion.

"Mou!" Duo gave in after one more swipe and stalked to the gray chest, opening it and peering inside. "Wow. I don't know that much about video games but this looks like a lot."

Heero came up behind him and put an arm about his waist. "Ah. Sao ka. Here, you might like this one." He said, taking a game out of the trunk and handing it to Duo who looked it over.

"What's it about?" He asked as he read the title.

"You run around, blowing shit up. It's a military game." Heero said with a grin.

"Explosions? Cool." Duo said as he handed the game to Trowa with a hopeful smile. "Can I try this one?"

Trowa smiled and shut off the system, earning an indignant noise from Wufei as his game was ended abruptly. He exchanged the discs and a new start menu appeared on the screen.

Wufei handed the controller back to Duo who smiled at him as he took his seat.

He played the game for a few moments, alternately blowing things up and killing people who got in his way as he sped towards his goal. The goal was to keep the president safe. "Why do they want the president safe? I mean, honestly, am I the only one in the country that wants that guy's head on a stick?"

Wufei actually chuckled. "Iye. I as well, Maxwell. He is... His service is an injustice."

Duo smirked. "For once, I agree with you." He played for a few more minutes, enjoying setting off bombs before he was given a new mission. He was sent abroad to the Middle East where he killed militia and civilians alike to keep his presence unknown. He wondered at the justice of the game for a moment. "Is it right to kill so many innocent people for a mission?"

Quatre chuckled wistfully. "Ahh, the age-old question." He said as he shook his head slightly for a moment. "What is expendable for the greater good? Did you know that more people have been killed in the name of God than any other reason in all of history?"

Duo nodded solemnly even as he purposefully shot a civilian. "Ah. But what I mean is, is it right to fight for justice if you betray your ideals during your battle to attain it? Is it right to fight if you don't honor what it is for which you do so?"

There was a long moment of silence while everyone pondered the question.

At last, Wufei spoke gruffly. "No. And Yes. It is justified. But it is not right. And it never shall be."

Duo nodded. "I thought so." He continued to play the game for a moment before handing the controller to Wufei. He had a headache and wanted to go and get something to ‘eat’, but with everyone right there... He did not like the idea. He stood up. "I'll be right back." He said as he walked to the door. A hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned to look up into Heero's eyes.

"Doko?"

He grinned convincingly. "I'm just gonna go for a walk. I'll be right back. Chigiru."

Heero thought for a moment before dropping his hand to his side and nodding.

Duo smiled and turned to step outside the house. He took a deep breath and walked to the forest behind the house.

There was a particular tree there that over-hung the ground like a living cave and he found it absolutely serene to sit beneath the drooping branches and simply breathe and clear his head. And after the last few days, he needed that. He crushed the pain in his heart as he walked to his favorite Oak and sat on the flat rock under the branches, drawing his knees to himself and resting his arms on them. He felt something on his cheek and wiped at it with a hand, thinking it was some sort of insect. His fingers brushed liquid and he brought his hand back to see that it was a tear. 'I should NOT be crying over this. He's dead now. I can stop looking for him.' He thought angrily. 'I can't believe I was sired by a mark. God, if I knew that all those years ago, I would have just killed myself then and there.' He wiped at more tears as they trailed down his cheeks. 'This is ridiculous! Stop acting like a child!' He cursed himself as the tears continued despite himself.

*

Heero felt a twinge of pain and was up and running out the door before he even formed a thought. He stepped outside and waited. He thought he heard something from behind the house but was unsure. He waited.

It was real. He had not imagined it. It sounded like sobs. He ran to the back of the house to see nothing. His eyesight had returned to almost normal, as normal as it would be again, and he was left with nearly no night vision. 'Kuso.' He walked forward, only able to make out the shadow of the trees from the moonlight. He walked forward slowly, feeling with his hands to make sure he did not run into a tree. After a few paces, he stopped and listened.

The sobs were closer now. "Duo-kun? Where are you?"

The sobs died down to hitched breaths and to Heero it seemed they were only a few yards away. He walked towards them, keeping low to the ground and feeling in the air to ensure he was not about to walk into a low branch or trunk. "Duo?"

"Ah?"

Heero reached out and his hand met soft, plaited hair. "Duo-kun." He trailed his hand to Duo's cheek to find a tear. He sat next to him, still unable to see anything under the trees, even the pale light of the moon unavailable. He put his arms around Duo, stroking his back, as Duo buried his head in Heero's shoulder.

"Hee-kun." He whined pitifully.

Heero tightened his hold on him. "Shh, Duo. It's Ok. I'm here." He rocked back and forth and pet Duo's hair softly. He bit his lip at the pain he felt radiating off him as Duo sobbed for a few moments, bringing up his arms and holding Heero tightly to himself.

After a few moments, Duo gently pushed Heero back to the ground and attacked his lips, kissing furiously as his hands went to the front of Heero's shorts, trying to pull them down.

"Duo. No." Heero said as he broke away from the kiss. He knew what was going on.

Duo wanted to take his mind off his thoughts and sex was a very effective way to do so.

When the hands didn't stop trying to remove his clothing, he put his own hands on Duo's and stilled them. "Duo. No." He said gently but firmly. He was aroused but at that moment he wanted to take it no further than that.

Duo froze and moved back off of him. "Gomen nasai, Heero."

Heero heard him move and recognized the sounds as Duo standing to leave but stopped him, sitting up again and wrapping his arms tightly around Duo, pulling him back to the ground where he sat perfectly still. "No. Don't leave. Don't leave me."

Duo nodded, his bangs brushing Heero's cheek in an up and down motion. "Ok."

Heero rubbed his back and kissed his cheek. "What's wrong, Duo-kun?"

Duo shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just stressed is all."

Heero nodded. "I understand." He kissed his hair. "It's Ok, though, ne? We are alright and the mark is dead."

Duo nodded as he began to shake lightly and Heero rubbed his back anew.

"You can cry, Duo-kun. I did. I cried and you held me. You can do the same. I'm here for you, Shugotenshi." He whispered as he kissed Duo's hair.

Duo did sob silently then. ‘"You haven't called me that in so long."’ He said as he continued to sob.

Heero smiled sadly. 'He needs to hear it.' "Watashi no Shugotenshi." He whispered in his ear. "Itsumodemo."

Duo nodded against him. "Hai." He sobbed harder then, allowing Heero to hold him as he cried.

After long moments, Duo pulled away from him and Heero reached forward, blindly stroking Duo's bangs away from his eyes in a tender gesture.

"Are you Ok?"

Duo nodded against his palm. "Hai."

Heero knew it was a shameless lie but dropped it. He felt his lover's brow and found it cool to the touch. "Duo." He said softly. "Let's go in. It's cold and this rock is biting into my ass."

Duo chuckled. "Yosha."

Heero felt him stand and kept his arms around him, unable to see anything and instinctively not wanting to move for lack of desire to bump into anything.

Duo obviously sensed this for he took one of Heero's hands in his and pulled upwards gently. "You can stand. The branches are low but not THAT low."

Heero stood up slowly, instinct getting the better of him, and felt Duo's hand tighten on his.

"I'll guide you." He said as he squeezed Heero's hand.

Heero smiled slightly at that. "You always have."

Duo sent him a mental caress as he began to walk forward slowly, out of the forest and into the pale moonlight.

Heero followed, holding Duo's hand in a death grip until he was able to see the ground. He looked to Duo who had his eyes cast to the ground. Cupping a cheek in one hand, Heero wiped away the last tear and leaned forward and kissed him.

Duo responded immediately and circled his arms about his neck, ensuring that he could not pull away.

Heero smiled. 'I'm not going anywhere, Duo-kun.'

Duo smiled/sobbed in his mind and the two kissed for a few moments before breaking for air.

Heero rested his crown against Duo's and held him tightly, just letting him know he was there.

Duo pulled back after a moment and smiled weakly. "I'm really tired, Hee-kun."

Marveling at how much the hair shimmered in moonlight, Heero nodded and ran his fingers through Duo's bangs. "Hai. Let's go to bed." He took his hand and the two walked to the front door.

Duo stopped him and, at Heero's confused look, smiled. "You have leaves in your hair and clothes." He said as he began to remove said annoyances. "They give you a nice elven look, but they're prickly and they break and you ain't getting into my bed covered with them." He smirked.

Heero smiled and let Duo remove the last leaves from his hair.

Duo surveyed him and then smiled and opened the door.

Heero followed.

Wufei and the others glanced at them when they entered but they were currently all playing a game.

Quatre had a bit of his tongue sticking out between his lips as he concentrated hard on the game.

Trowa looked passive.

Wufei was scowling as usual. He then turned his glare to Duo. "Maxwell, there's a heater and a fresh stock. You are much too pale. Go get some." He turned back to the game.

Heero saw Duo scowl as well as his frame stiffened. "Shut up, Chang." He growled.

Wufei looked surprised but it soon turned to anger as his pride got the better of him. Heero knew he had a flash fire temper and now it was being ignited. "Excuse me?"

Heero felt anger flowing from his lover and assumed it was stress induced. And he knew that Duo did not like talking about stuff like this and especially not with him present. "Duo, let's_"

"I said ‘Shut up’." Snapped Duo to the Chinese vampire. "I know damn well what is in the kitchen. Stop ordering me around."

Wufei snorted. "Well, if you fed the way you SHOULD, I wouldn't have to, now would I?" He shot Duo a look. "I'm right about this and you know it."

Duo became slightly angrier. "Shut up."

Wufei ignored him and threw the controller onto the coffee table, leaning back to rest against the back of the couch with his hands behind his head in a gesture of insolence and brazenness, a show of not being afraid in the least. "At least I hunt the way I should."

"Oh yeah?!" Duo was really pissed now. "Excuse me for having a conscience! At least I have better control than you! I don't like killing! Excuse me for having morals, you heartless bastard!"

Wufei glared daggers at him. "At least my sire wasn't a MARK!!!"

Heero knew the second he had said "sire" that it was a bad move. The proverbial gauntlet had been proverbially thrown.

Duo was running at him in all the time it took to blink and Wufei was up and running towards him as well. The two met and fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and hair. Wufei growled while Duo practically roared. It was hard to tell who was winning the fight.

Heero was torn between running to the corner of the room or trying to help his lover. He was not given a chance to make a decision as Trowa and Quatre intervened.

Quatre hauled Duo up away from Wufei by his waist, even as he kicked and clawed the air to try to get back to him, snarling viciously as the blonde dragged him back a few feet.

Wufei got up and tried to move to continue the fight but Trowa took a hold of one of his arms and pulled him back as well.

Duo violently thrashed and pulled to get away from Quatre, fire in his eyes and all of it aimed at Wufei. "Let me go, Q!"

"Not a chance, Duo." Said the blonde as he continued to hold him and Heero realized just how strong Quatre was.

"Come on, Maxwell." Goaded Wufei. "Let's finish this." He said as he struggled against Trowa who was now holding him with an arm around his ribs. He was trying to get to Duo as well, hindered only by his temporary weakness. "You know I'd win. I out age you by over a century. And your sire made you weak. He was a fledgling when he did. He must have been if you could have killed him now. He was a young mark. You are low class. Come on. Fight me! Prove me right!"

Duo roared as he struggled against Quatre's hold on him, looking like he desperately wanted to wipe the smirk off Wufei's face. His eyes held so much anger aimed at his friend and Heero saw the betrayed look he had in them, well covered by the temporary hatred that he all but threw at Wufei with his violet eyes. If looks could kill, Wufei would have been dead where he stood.

It seemed the two vampires wanted blood and neither would settle for less than that of the other.

Quatre growled, something Heero had never once heard him do, not even in the basement, and shook Duo hard to get his attention. "Would you two snap out of it and stop trying to kill each other?!

Duo continued to struggle. "He can't say that! He can't just say things like that and get away with it!"

"What are you going to do about it, Maxwell?!" Wufei sneered. "What CAN you do? You_" He was muffled as Trowa covered his mouth with a hand. Wufei looked like he was about to bite him when Trowa moved his other hand up to his throat.

"Don't even think about it, Chang."

Duo, on the other hand, was not about to be silenced. "Kutabare! Wufei! I did you a HUGE favor, letting you stay here! I could have kicked you out when Noin left you and you showed up at my door! But I didn't! I let you stay! And this is how you repay me?!" He said, talking about the below-the-belt emotional blow the Chinese 'boy' had dealt him. "Fuck you and get out of my house!" He had tears spilling from his eyes by that point and his lower lip was trembling. His struggles had died down and were now very weak. "You bastard." He sobbed as he closed his eyes and Quatre spun him around to embrace him tightly.

Wufei looked stunned more than anything else as his struggles ceased. It was obviously not the reaction he had been expecting.

Heero saw Quatre glare death at the Chinese over Duo's shoulder as he sobbed. He whispered something into Duo's ear and Duo nodded. Quatre picked him up and was gone from the living room with the door agape, leaving Heero alone with the other two.

Heero turned wide eyes to Trowa who shrugged and released Wufei who merely stood there and blinked.

Wufei was silent for a moment before speaking. "I think I may have gone too far." He said with an expression dazed and angry at the same time.

Heero nodded. "You did."

Trowa spoke with a slight scowl as he stared at the floor. "Duo's sire was a mark?"

Heero nodded.

Turning his eyes up to Heero, Trowa looked sad. "I am sorry." He said softly.

Heero was confused but didn't say anything.

*

"Goddamnit, Q!" Duo shouted as Quatre ran, holding him, to a far part of the property. He struggled against him. "Let me go!"

Quatre came to a halt in a meadow and set Duo down on his feet.

Duo managed to glare at him before falling over, his struggles of the last few moments having seeped his energy away like so much water. He merely lay on the ground, staring at the stars and breathing heavily.

Quatre sat heavily by his side as he looked up to the stars as well, also out of breath. "Duo. You really are strong when you are angry."

Duo snorted. "Hn."

Quatre looked to him for a moment before gazing back to the stars. "Is that how you beat the mark? Sheer anger?"

Duo wanted to feel insulted but he knew Quatre was right. ‘I felt like I was about to rip his head off when the bastard kissed me. I guess it’s a good thing he did that or Heero and I might not be here now.’ "Hai."

Quatre sighed, waiting a long moment before speaking. "He didn't mean any of those things, Duo." He said, speaking of Wufei.

Duo shook his head. "Yes he did. He didn't mean to say them, but he meant the words." He struggled to remain in control of his tears.

There was a moment of silence before Quatre paid him a measuring look and spoke. "Did you mean what YOU said?"

Duo thought about it for a moment. "I did. But I regret it."

Quatre looked back to the sky. "That is because you are a good man, Duo. ...Don't let this define who you are."

Duo was confused. "What do you mean?"

Quatre sighed and pulled a clump of weed grass out of the earth, studying the blades in his hand idly. "Do not think that because you were made by a mark, you will become one. Do not give in to that pointless class thing that only matters if one is evil. You are by far not evil. And I am glad to have you as a friend, despite your class, tomodachi." He smiled to him.

Duo felt the tears trace paths down his face to fall into his hair. He gazed at the stars with a blank expression, his mask, though he could not stop the tears.

"Duo. Don't let him win. YOU killed HIM."

Duo shook his head. "No. I killed him. But he sent me to Hell. ...He wins." He said in a bare whisper. He got to his feet with some trouble and started walking. He heard Quatre stand as well and footsteps following him.

"That is because you let him, Duo." Said Quatre. "You are letting this beat you."

Duo shook his head. "I don't care."

Quatre stopped him by standing in front of him. "You are more than just the spawn of a mark, Duo! You are kind, and funny, and giving, and gentle, and good. Do not think that you are any less. You are a man. A good one. You are not, and never will be, a mere kyuketsuki. You're better than that."

Duo looked up from the ground and placed a hand on his oldest and best friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Q. But I really need to be alone right now."

Quatre nodded. "First, you will hunt. Then you can stay out until dawn of you like, though please don't because Heero would be very worried indeed."

Duo nodded solemnly. "Yosha."

"He really loves you, you know?"

Duo nodded. "Wacataio."

Quatre was silent for a moment before speaking in a childish tone, not out of place if coming from a six-year-old. "What do you want, Duo?"

Duo was confused. "What do you mean?"

"What do you want out of life?"

He shook his head, biting back a bout of cynical laughter at the question. "It doesn't matter."

Quatre turned and the two walked forward again. "How can you say that?"

Rolling his eyes, Duo answered. "Easily. And honestly. It doesn't matter. I'll never get what I want."

Quatre stopped and turned to him again, pinning him with a calculating look. "And what is that?"

Duo looked down to the ground. "....I want to grow old. I want to see the sun again, watch it rise every morning, set every night. I want to live a normal life. And I want it all to be with Heero." Not looking up, he walked around Quatre to continue in the direction in which he had been walking for no particular reason. He looked to his side as he passed his friend to see him merely staring at the weeds. "And THAT is why he won." He said over his shoulder.

After a moment, Quatre began to walk after him, and caught up to him, matching his strides but not saying a thing.

Duo glanced at him from the corners of his eyes to see Quatre staring at the ground thoughtfully. His stomach growled and he cursed it.

Quatre sighed next to him. "I'll call a deer. Then you should go back to bed. And talk to Heero. You scared him pretty badly."

Duo nodded as he gazed at the ground. "I know. I'll talk to him."

Hearing Quatre stop, Duo looked up to see a small herd of dear grazing on the sparse grass within the dead weeds. He looked to his side when he felt a small surge of Ki and watched, spell-bound as Quatre's eyes glowed the most amazing light blue and one of the larger does with no fawn raised her head to them and started walking to stand before them. Duo felt ill as the beast stood there and waited. "Q, that is SO wrong on SO many levels."

"I know, Duo." Quatre turned sad eyes to him. "But it is justified."

Duo recalled the conversation he himself had started and applied it to this situation. The doe had to die so he could live and protect others from marks. It was wrong. But it was justified. He bit back his tears and walked to the animal, whispering an apology in its ear before giving it a swift and painless death.

* * *

Heero waited in the dark room, sitting on the side of his lover's bed and holding a pillow to himself in an embrace. He had been sitting there for half an hour. 'Maybe they went to San Louis.' He thought as he hugged the pillow tighter. 'God. I wonder if part of the reason he blew up like that was hunger. He overreacted, but he was stressed, humiliated and hungry. He was cold. And I'm not too much fun to be around when I'm hungry either. But then Wufei said those things to PURPOSELY provoke him. Why are they all so upset about Duo's sire being a mark?'

At that moment, he heard the door open and quiet footsteps enter the room before the door clicked closed again. There was a short silence before the person who entered the room spoke. "Hee-kun?" The voice was timid.

Heero got up and threw himself into Duo's arms in the dark.

Duo gasped and Heero realized that he had hit his injury. "Gomen. Duo, are you Ok? I was scared."

Duo kissed his hair and rubbed his back and Heero felt the warmth of his hand. "Yeah. I'm Ok. Sorry, Hee-kun. I'm sorry you saw that."

Heero shook his head. "It's Ok. Just surprised me."

Duo chuckled dryly. "When I told you that Wufei and I go at each other's throats, I meant it literally. It's not all play."

Heero nodded. "So is he leaving?"

Duo shook his head, his hair brushing Heero's cheek as he did. "No. I apologized. He's staying until he's healed. Or Noin comes crawling back. Probably the latter." He kissed his hair again. "I promise not to let that happen in front of you again."

Heero shook his head dismissively. "It's Ok." He said into Duo's shoulder. He felt Duo swaying slightly and walked backwards to the bed, holding him, and sitting down.

Duo sat next to him and Heero felt for the hem of his shirt to draw it over his head. "My bandage got changed already, Hee-kun. Q did it." Duo said with a little humor in his voice and Heero knew he was smiling.

Knowing Duo could see him, he nodded and pulled the shirt off anyway. He gently pushed Duo down onto the blanket and did the same for the pants and shoes, leaving him in only his boxers. He stripped to his underwear as well and then held Duo tightly to himself, content to just lay there with him in his arms.

Duo kissed his hair and circled his arms around him as well.

Heero waited until he fell asleep to trace his features with blind fingers, painting a picture in his mind's eye for him to see, and smiled.

* * *

"So why are they all upset about his sire being a mark?"

Doug put down his soda next to his ever-present, two inch thick, black and white notebook on the table in the cafeteria. "It's complicated. But to them, it's like saying 'Your mom was a whore'. It's insulting. And it ranks them low." He looked back to the food he had bought in the kitchen and poked at it with a spork. "I can't believe I paid six bucks for this crap. I've found more appetizing looking stuff on the bottom of my shoe." He stalled having to eat the horrendous stuff by taking another large gulp of his soda, only to be confronted by the glaring food again when he was done. "Damn."

Heero rolled his eyes. "You were saying."

Doug poked at his food some more. "Oh. Yeah. They have classes too. But it's not money for them like it is for us. It's a matter of low-borne, high-borne, strong, weak, old, young. And if they are good or evil of course. So, a vamp made from a mark who was just a fledgling... Damn. That sucks. Literally." He poked the food some more, shuddering when it jiggled. "Another thing is that marks are extremely dishonorable. And to be sired by one is also dishonorable."

"But it wasn't his fault!" Heero almost yelled.

Doug waved his hands in front of himself. "Hey, hey, I hear ya buddy. I ain't saying it was. But people are judgmental. And since, technically, doci's are people..." He let Heero finish for himself as he began talking for his food in a small, squeaky voice. "Please don't eat me! Look at me! I'm the stuff they cleaned out of the pipes!"

Heero looked at his friend incredulously. "Jeez, what are you Five?"

Doug grinned. "You should try it, Yuy. Having fun. It's pretty nice. But, again, big step. Wait a while and have supervision."

Heero rolled his eyes again. "Yeah. So are you going to eat it, or keep talking to it?"

Doug took out a few gummy bears and made them do a bastardized bunny hop/congo line on the table top while he made tiny noises of enjoyment, little "Woo-hoo"s and "yay"s.

Heero wanted to laugh at him but it would be too weird for his friend. So he smiled. Slightly.

Doug dropped the gummy bears and stared at him in open jawed wonder. "Wow. Is this Maxwell's work? I didn't think you had the necessary facial muscles to smile. Thank him for me." He looked back to the avoided slop on his styrofoam tray. "This stuff is blue. Food should not be blue." He poked at it some more and then grinned. "Hey. What if I put this in Ms. Parrish's chair? You know how she's ALWAYS glaring at us? Even when she sits down? She's just asking for it."

Raising a brow, Heero smirked slightly at that. "That would be a day I'd want to be absent."

Doug laughed. "Yeah, you're right. I'd have to be at least five miles away by the time she sat down. Just to be out of the immediate vicinity to avoid the shock wave when she exploded." He took a bite of the food and grimaced. "Aw! Crap! Yuck!"

Heero snickered silently. "Why did you buy it if you didn't know what it was like?"

Doug continued to gag melodramatically at the food. "I didn't. They just slopped it onto the plate and then forced me to pay for it. It must be a conspiracy."

Heero rolled his eyes at that. "Oh right. It's the government trying to poison college students so only high school graduates or other equally uneducated people can take places in Office."

Doug laughed heartily. "Ack! And a sense of humor! Wow! Having a sex life has done wonders for you, Yuy. I'll have to thank him in person." He said as he took a large sip of his soda. "How come you never eat, anyway? You used to. I haven't seen you eat anything in weeks."

Heero shrugged. "Once I had Duo's cooking, I never really wanted much else."

Doug stared at him. "He cooks? Wow. There's a twist. An ironic one. *I* actually HAVE to eat and I screw up just boiling water. Huh." He chuckled as he wrote something down in his notebook.

Heero scowled. "What is that thing anyway? You've been writing in it for months."

Doug smiled wryly. "I'm writing a story."

Heero took a sip of his soda. "About?"

"My life."

One of his eyebrows cocked and he gave his friend a curious scowl. "Isn't that dangerous?"

Doug mocked a hurt look. "Aw. It's not THAT bad."

Heero shook his head. "You know what I mean. Isn't it risky writing about it?"

Doug shook his head. "Naw. I'm just gonna pass it off as fiction. Who would believe it was anything else?"

Heero nodded. "Ok. And they won't attack you? For exposing them even if no one believes you?"

Doug shook his head again. "Nope. They can't meddle in mortal affairs. I could spout this shit on the front page of the newspaper, and THEN they would break the rules and come to get me and ensure I never do it again. Not hurt me, just take away my memories or make me just not want to do it again. But writing a fictional story is safe. Plus, I'm changing things a little. And it's not like it hasn't been done before." He said with a frown as he looked over the pad of paper. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the words. "My god this is morbid."

Heero rolled his eyes again. "Go on."

Doug spoke as he continued to scrutinize the paper before him. "Um... Oh. So if Maxwell was made by a fledgling mark, then he is not only weak in their eyes, but also kind of... Untouchable. In a bad way. Like the caste system in India. It's a good thing he's known his friends for a while, especially Winner, so they won't give him too much grief." He erased something on his paper while muttering to himself.

Heero scowled at the table. 'I guess that makes sense. I don't want it to, but I can't change that. Hn.' He looked up to Doug who was watching him from beneath his lashes. "What?"

Doug shook his head. "Just how involved are you two, anyway? I mean..."

Heero nodded. "I care for him."

"Love?"

He nodded without a second thought.

"And him?"

He nodded again.

A small smile on his lips, Doug leaned back and sighed quietly. "Well, Yuy, that could be one of the weirdest relationships I've ever heard of. But, hey, if it can make you this happy, it can't be bad, right?"

Heero nodded and graced his friend with a real smile. "Yeah." He checked his watch. "Shit. I have to go. Later?"

Doug smiled up from his paper and then glared back down at it.

Heero waved slightly and began to walk to the door. He was stopped by a human wall.

"Hi, Heero. Where ya goin'?"

Heero glared up at the boy with the mentality of a child. "Home. Later." He sidestepped away from the six-foot boy who was only there for the sports.

Leo sidestepped with him to block his path again. "In a hurry?"

"To get away from you? Always." He ground out, suppressing the urge to knock some sense into the other 'student'. 'Can they call a person who attends classes but does no studying a student?' He wondered.

"Ooh, a joke." Said Leo with the low, stupid and sarcastic voice he always used as he gazed down at him from behind his coke-bottle glasses that were almost as thick as his head.

Heero was sorely tempted to huck a Ki ball at him. 'He'd leave me alone for the rest of my life.' He reasoned. 'But he also could die and I would be put in jail or worse and I don't want to risk exposing anything.' He glared ice at Leo for another moment before moving away from him quickly, wanting to leave before he did anything he may or may not regret and Leo would REALLY regret.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wow. A long chapter. I’d forgotten what that was like. ^_^’ Who loves Doug? I do, I do! What a character. ^__^ He cooks about as well I do. Lol.

Protecting innocents is all Duo really cared about before Heero, so that's why he was all tearful when Heero called him Shugotenshi even after he knew he was mark-spawned. (Just incase of the confusion thing.)

Ok, you might be confused about the deer thing so here I am to explain. Quatre Called, Duo hunted. Reason? Duo wants to give them a chance. It’s kind of sick to not give anything a chance, granted even sicker to make it think it has one when it does not, but that is the reason he sneaked up on one earlier rather than call it or move too fast for it to escape. Does that make sense? ^_^’

Chapter 39

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