"SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND"

Written By: Stone Angel

 

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

AN: Ok. This chapter is not quite as crappy as the last ones. I introduce one of two Original Characters who don't have very much in this fic but are very necessary for the ending. (This whole thing is just for the ending. But I was told it was good; The two who have read it loved it.) Anyway, in my twisted(and at the time, drunk) mind, this scene was oddly funny. Don't ask. I don't have an answer except I'm weird when I'm drunk. ^_^' Sorry. Anyway, we meet someone who Duo becomes close to later but they get off to a rocky start. You'll see

 

SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND:

CHAPTER 4: DINNER AND OBLIGATIONS

Heero awoke to the sound of dishes being done. He rubbed his eyes and felt for Duo, only to realize that he was alone. He sat up and looked about blearily. He took in the window, the dresser and the fact that he was in a bed, rather than the couch. 'Why am I in my room?' He wondered. He walked into the kitchen and smelled something wonderful. He saw Duo standing in front of the sink, scrubbing something. "Ohaiyo." Heero said with a yawn.

Duo startled and spun around. He grinned at Heero, composing himself. "Iye. Koban wa." He said before turning back to the sink.

Heero looked at the clock on the microwave. 'Eight o'clock?! Fuck! Oh, well. I can't even hope to do that assignment now. I'll have to make it up in extra credit.' "What's that smell?" Heero asked, sniffing the air.

"Dinner." Replied Duo, shutting off the water and turning from the sink to face Heero, drying his hands with a washcloth.

"Dinner. You cook?" Asked Heero, amazed.

"I dabble." Said Duo with a small smirk.

"Wow. A vampire that cooks, never thought I'd see...well...the first part, but also the second." Heero said.

Duo glanced at him before opening the oven, checking something inside and closing it again.

Heero saw in his eyes the disgust for the word. "Gomen, ne?"

Duo shrugged it off. "Hey, no big."

Heero watched Duo move about the kitchen with ease. 'I guess he's done this before.' "So what's for dinner?" He asked.

Duo grinned at him. "Stir fry beef and broccoli, and rice. And for desert, a peach pie."

Heero gaped at him. "Wow. Just so you know, that's not dabbling, that's Iron Chef worthy. Where did you learn to cook, anyway?"

Duo grinned. "I watched Martha Stewart and a whole lot of other cooking shows. Not much else on in the day."

"Except soap operas." Said Heero.

Duo's eye twitched.

"Duo? Are you Ok?" Asked Heero, stepping forward.

Suddenly Duo began convulsing and sounded like he was choking.

Heero grinned; Duo was playing around.

"I fucking hate soap operas." Said Duo, having recomposed himself from his sudden seizure. "I mean, wow, talk about crap. Same goes for talk shows. Watching how to cook wasn't out of choice, it was out of necessity."

Heero laughed. "You know, those new fangled television sets they make these days have an off switch."

Duo grinned. "But where's the fun in that?"

Heero grinned back at him. "Duo, you're one of a kind."

Duo bowed and then shooed Heero out of the kitchen so he could finish cooking.

Heero laughed back at him. "You're gonna spoil me." He called over his shoulder. He laughed as he walked over to the table to pack up his things so he could eat at it. He then gaped at his paper. His fully written, three page long, and in his handwriting paper. He picked it up and sat down in his chair, reading it quickly. After finishing, he looked back into the kitchen to see Duo scraping most of the stir-fry onto a plate with a mound of rice already on it. "Duo." Heero said as Duo turned to him, holding a plate with a fork on the side and walking towards him.

"Ah?" Duo set the plate down beyond Heero's books and took his seat next to Heero.

"How did you...? This is my handwriting. How did you do this?" Heero looked up at him.

Duo grinned. "It was easy. In that incredibly weird paragraph you wrote_ by the way, you get a ten for effort, and a ten for originality, I've never heard anyone describe Eisenhower so_ you had written nearly every letter in the alphabet. It was simply a matter of mimicking the style and lines. I had to improvise for the rest of the letters. Like J, Q, V, X and Z. I also took the liberty of doing an outline and rough draft like you said before. I just had to write a copy of this for the second draft with a few misspelled words so it looked real. All you have to do now is type it up. Does it look Ok?" He asked leaning over the paper to examine it.

"Yes. It's... Duo, this is great. I really appreciate this. I... This was worth a lot of points, a big part of the final grade. And I've been kind of behind in that class. This... Thank you. My grade in history is horrible. I’ ve been trying to keep it up, but it’s tough. I mean, I have enough trouble trying to remember what happened last week."

Duo grinned and laughed in that silent way Heero loved. “Oh, nothing happened last week. Trust me, I was there. And this is nothing. It was my fault you got drunk and lost so much sleep in the first place. I had to make that right at least a little."

"Hn. Is that why you made dinner, too?" Asked Heero with a quirked eyebrow.

"No. That is because you're too skinny." Duo smiled, poking Heero's shoulder. "But, Heero-kun. I can't always do your work. I will when you are unable, Dieu forbid, but I can't learn things for you. You understand, right?" Asked Duo timidly.

Heero nodded. "Hai."

Duo smiled. "And I hope you will learn what is on these pages. Otherwise you get nothing out of it but a single grade on a single paper. You should be thankful. I never got to go to school. I wanted to very badly. You are privileged in that way."

Heero smiled. "You know, I think you're the only person I'll ever meet that would consider Cuesta Community College a privilege." He chuckled. "Yes, Duo, I will learn this. Even though half of it wasn't taught in the classroom or written in the textbook. I think my teacher will be pleased. Thank you again."

"Hekki." Duo waved it off. He picked up Heero's books and papers, placing them on the vacant chair to his left, and pushing the steaming plate of food towards Heero.

Heero looked at it with hungry eyes. He glanced at Duo. "Arigato."

"Hai, hai, eat." Duo grinned.

Heero picked up the fork and speared a piece of beef and a piece of broccoli. He blew on the forkful to cool it somewhat. He glanced to his side to see Duo watching him anxiously. 'He's worried I won't like it. If he cooks as well as he writes thesis papers, this should be pretty good.' Heero bit the food off the fork and froze, eyes going wide.

Duo looked like he was about to die of nerves alone. "What's wrong? What did I do? Is it that bad? Too salty? What?"

Heero looked back to him. Around his mouthful he spoke seriously to Duo. "This is the best food I've ever tasted in my life." He swallowed.

*

Duo smiled and blushed, relieved. "Arigato. You must not have been to very many places." He said modestly. "Plus everything tastes better when one is hungry." Waltzing back into the kitchen, he scraped the remainder of the food into a bowl then began waging war with the pan and pot he had used to cook, scrubbing them quickly and roughly to lift the remnants of the food before it dried and became cement-like.

Heero was nearly finished with his meal when Duo regained his seat beside him, watching in awe as Heero stuffed the food into his mouth with vigor.

'Woah. I think Mikey likes it.' He grinned. "I'm glad you like it that much, but is it really necessary to try to choke yourself?" He asked in good humor.

*

Heero chewed what he had and swallowed, allowing himself a break before he would resume. "So. Have you already...? Did you...? Are you...? I mean..." Heero glanced at Duo who was confused but seemed to find his flustered half sentences amusing to a degree, a small smile teasing the corners of his lips upwards. "Well. You...obviously went out. I mean, you had to have. I know I didn't have rice here. And I sure as hell didn't have any stir-fry. Or things to make stir fry from scratch. Or a pie." Heero paused looking for the right words. "Did you...hunt? Do you need to?" He glanced at Duo, taking in the solemn expression before looking back to his food and eating more, in smaller, much more polite bites.

"I'll be going out in a little. I won't be back for a while." Duo answered quietly.

Heero looked at a small scratch in the table, picking at it with a nail. "Anou... Can I come with you?"

A long silence ensued before Duo spoke softly. "Hee-kun. ...No. I'm sorry. I just... I don't want you to be there. I think that would be unpleasant for both of us. I'll be back by Ten-thirty. I promise." Duo grasped Heero's hand gently for a moment. "I'm sorry." He released Heero's hand and walked back into the kitchen.

"Iye, Duo-kun. I'm the one that should be sorry. It was wrong of me to ask." 'I still want to go with you. Are you afraid that I'll see you as you really are? A vampire? Duo, I don't care. I love you for who you are. Not for someone you pretend to be. Don't you see that?' Heero wondered. 'I guess he needs time to deal first. But I will go with him someday. I swear I will.'

Heero watched as Duo put on a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven. A wonderful smell permeated the air and Duo brought the aforementioned pie to the table, grinning and placing it on a potholder to protect the wood from the heat. Heero looked at it as if it had fallen from the heavens. "Duo-kun. Martha Stewart should take pointers from YOU. That looks great."

*

Duo grinned wider. "Of course it does. *I* made it." He winked.

Heero laughed. "SOMEONE'S full of himself."

Duo chuckled. "That has to sit for a while. If it cools, it'll be much more solid." He put the oven mitts back in the drawer from which they came and sat by Heero as he finished his meal, eating every last grain of rice. Duo stood and placed the dish in the sink. "I'll get that when I get back." He said, walking to the door. 'I have to get out of here. My head hurts and I feel weak. I don't want to fuck up. Again.' "Why don't you type up that paper?" Duo looked back at Heero for a moment.

Heero's gaze could have been a glare but it lacked the necessary anger.

Duo instantly felt guilty. 'I have to be firm on this. I can't have him watching me hunt. He'd never look at me the same way. I can't have that happen. I don't want to scare him away. I wouldn't survive. He means so much to me.' "Hee-kun... I... I'm sorry." Duo finished weakly before wordlessly stepping through the door.

Duo shut the door behind him and walked to the stairs, jogging down them to his car. He opened the door and quickly sat down in the driver's seat and started the car. 'So where am I off to tonight?' He wondered. 'I guess down town would be my best bet. It's Sunday and most the big baddies will be in. I could try to find a dealer in down town at this time, though, see how that goes.' He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the freeway.

*

Heero watched him leave from where he stood at the window. He placed his hand on the cool glass before him as the tail lights of Duo's car vanished from sight. He turned back to the pie. 'Later. First, type up that paper. Then make that list. The pie should be cooled by then.'

Heero walked to the door and stepped outside, descending the stairs to his motor bike to retrieve his laptop from the small compartment over the hind wheel. He unlocked it and took out his computer, carrying it carefully up the stairs to his door. Heero sat down at the table once inside his apartment. He plugged in his laptop and opened it, automatically starting it.

He began to type up his paper, silently thankful that all he had to do was type up words he read, as his mind never left Duo.

*

Duo cruised along the down town streets of the nearest city. He had a CD he loved in the player, was driving his car, looking at all the neon signs in the windows of the bars and restaurants, and was thoroughly enjoying the ride. He looked at the few people who walked the streets. 'Man. This place is deserted. And the few people who are here are all clean.' He looked closely at the auras of the people. Oranges, greens, golds, blues, violets and any color in between. 'Not a trace of red in any of them. ‘ Damn. Alright. I'll park and check the allies. I'm not in the mood for refrigerated donor bags tonight. Although that would be easier...' Duo considered simply driving to his house and taking a few pints out of the refrigerator. 'Goddamn, I'm lazy. That sunlight this morning really took it out of me. No. I have to hunt. I can't ignore my duties.' Duo thought before his stomach growled loudly. 'Or my bottomless pit of a stomach, apparently.' He felt a twinge of something from the left side of the street. 'Dinner.'

Duo pulled into the parking lot of a closed book store. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. Stretching his legs, should he have to run, Duo closed the door and set the locks. 'I need to fix that security system. I'm tired of Shinigami's alarm going off when I'm trying to hunt.' He thought idly, making a mental note to work on that first chance he got. 'Ok. So where are we?' He walked to where he had felt the twinge, following the feeling that grew stronger. It led him to a dark alley, and he blinked, eyes adjusting to the dark with ease. He saw movement in the corner of the back of the dead end alley. He approached silently, trying to keep the element of surprise. He reached his target.

A homeless man sat, curled up between a dumpster and the brick wall on a collapsed cardboard box. He was thin and elderly, a long and dirty gray beard hanging from his chin. He didn't look up at Duo as he approached.

Duo stood for a moment before crouching before the man.

He was shaking, his breaths coming in painful sounding wheezes and gasps. His eyes were open, glancing around the cement before him in an obviously ill way.

Duo examined his aura thoroughly, checking once, twice, thrice to be certain.

The old man's aura was a deep red with wisps of orange fighting to become larger before the red covered them.

Duo looked into his eyes again. 'He's insane.' He thought sadly. 'He's killed. Recently. And he probably doesn't even realize what he's done. I hate it when this happens. I always feel horrible.' He thought as his fangs grew to be of a useful length. 'From the looks of it, he's dying. Sounds like tuberculosis.'

He watched sadly as the man began to mumble about people watching him. Then, slowly, the man lifted his head and looked Duo in the eyes. He seemed to study Duo for a moment before asking softly. "Are you an angel? God abandoned me. Are you an angel?"

Duo smiled sadly, fangs showing. "Yes. I am."

The man smiled as tears came to his eyes. "Take me away. I'm tired. I want to go home. I want to rest."

Duo looked at him sadly for a moment before speaking softly in a comforting tone as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Alright. Close your eyes."

The man smiled at him and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Duo whispered softly in the man's ear, before leaning forward and swiftly but gently piercing the man's corroded artery with his fangs, determined to end it quickly, as if to give the man as little pain as possible, though he knew he would feel none.

The man gasped and shuddered before becoming limp beneath him.

Duo drank as quickly as he could, hating himself. 'I'm going straight to Hell. I just know it. Unless this IS Hell. I wouldn't be surprised.' Once he determined that he had taken enough that the man would die but not be too suspicious, he released him. He looked down at the man who was shivering violently, breaths shallow and quick. Duo bit his tongue with a fang and licked at the wounds on the target's neck, causing the man to moan and shudder beneath him. As the wounds disappeared, Duo stood and sucked on his own tongue, feeling it heal quickly and looking down at the man who looked up at him with half-mast eyes.

"Th...Thank...you..." The man breathed, unable to speak in more than a whisper so quiet Duo was certain he must not have been able to hear it himself. The man smiled sadly to Duo as he gasped for his final breaths.

' "Thank you."?' Duo thought, puzzled. 'He must be delirious.' He concluded.

Yet when he looked down into the man's eyes, he beheld nothing but perfect clarity there.

'I can't be here.' He turned and ran to his car as quickly as he could. He unlocked it and sat inside in the driver's seat, setting the locks once the door was closed. He simply stared at the dashboard for a moment, taking hysterical breaths to try in vain to keep the tears at bay. 'Boys don't cry. Boys don't cry. Boys don't cry.' He finally conceded and gave up the battle as he felt a tear fall from his eye, sobbing and holding his knees to his chest tightly. Duo continued to sob for an unknown amount of time, rocking back and forth and shaking his head slowly. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Duo's fangs glinted in the lights of the street, his hunger still not sated.

* * *

Heero finished typing his thesis paper and set up his printer to make a hard copy. 'Yosha. Now I can make that list of questions.'

Heero took out a notepad and grabbed his pencil as he sat at the table and began to think of questions he wanted to ask.

After writing for what seemed like a mere few minutes, he looked up at the clock. 'Ten twenty-three.' Heero thought to himself. 'I wonder if he's going to be late.'

He looked over his list, reading it silently to himself.

Priest uniform?

How often do you have to hunt?

Can you die?

How strong are you? Fast?

Coffins?

Dirt?

Holy water?

Is there a god?

What is the meaning of life?

Mirrors?

Where do you live?

Where are you from?

How much blood do you need nightly?

If you bite someone, do they die automatically?

What are your hunting habits?

What happens if you're trapped in the sunlight?

Finger prints?

Fangs. More details?

Garlic?

How come you can move with the grace of a tiger?

Source of money?

How come I get hard if you just kiss me or touch me the right way?

What does it feel like to be bitten?

Can you have sex?

Heero looked over the list a few more times. 'Ok. I think it's safe to say that Duo's going to hate this list.' He thought wryly. 'But these are good questions and I want answers.' Heero looked up from the paper to the pie that was no longer steaming. 'That looks good.' He stood up and took a bowl out of the cupboard, retrieving a knife and fork from a drawer on his way back to the table. He sliced himself a piece of the pie and used both the knife and the fork to scoop it into his bowl. He placed the knife on the table and took a forkful of the pie and stuffed it into his mouth. He groaned and closed his eyes. 'How can Duo not consider himself a good cook?! This is incredible.' He finished the piece and cut and served himself another, quickly eating that one as well. 'There's no explanation to it. Unless that's part of his lack of confidence thing.' Heero took a third piece when he completed his second. 'This is sooo good.' He thought taking another bite.

After finishing as much pie as he could eat, he went about tidying up the house a little bit for Duo's return.

*

Duo unlocked his front door and stepped inside, turning on the light as he did. He threw his keys over his shoulder on his way to the kitchen, hearing them land on the table by the door. He walked quickly to the refrigerator and opened it, glancing around at the bags of blood that hung from the ceiling of the small refrigerator. 'I need to put a lock on this thing. My landlords are getting a bit too nosey for my tastes.' He selected a bag and tore it open with a fang as he took a pot out of the cupboard. 'Oh, it doesn't really matter.' He thought exasperatedly. 'He and his wife probably already know.' Duo poured the blood into the pot and set it on the stove, lighting the flame to low and leaving it to heat. 'Scratch that. I know that they know. But do they know that I know that they know? They know. Everybody knows. But nobody bothers me. I wonder why? They've probably realized that I'm the one who's been keeping the deer out of their vineyard or something. I'm pissed that they decided to let themselves in last month, though. Did they think I wouldn't know? I'm sure they were confused about why all the windows are covered with tin foil.'

He walked to the bathroom and examined his reflection. 'My hair is all messed up.' He took the small black binding out of the bottom of his braid and set it to the left of the bathroom sink. He felt his braid come partway undone and reached back to shake the rest of the plait from his long hair, undoing the parts that refused to shake loose. Duo then brushed all the tangles from his hair. He examined his reflection again.

He stood with his hair framing his form, reaching well past his hips. 'I look horrible. My eyes are puffy, my cheeks are red while the rest of me is pale, my hair looks like crap. This is why I hate mirrors.' He thought as he gave the finger to his reflection. In no mood to deal with his hair, he plaited it quickly and neatly. 'You know? Give it a century or two and you get rather good at braiding your own hair.' He smiled, his fangs poking over his lower lip. 'I hate these things.' He thought, feeling the point of one and looking to the bead of blood on his thumb as a result. He sucked on his thumb as he walked from the bathroom to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen he tested the temperature of the contents of the pot on the stove with a finger. 'Good enough.' He took a large glass out of the cupboard and poured the blood into it, filling it to the brim. He set it on the counter and washed the pot quickly, putting it away when he was done. He then stood and glared at the glass filled with dark red. 'Do I really have to do this? Maybe if I wait, I won't be hungry anymore. Che! That's a lie and I know it.' He thought bitterly as he reached for the glass. He swallowed it all in one drought, grimacing afterwards. "Ech!" 'If there's one thing worse than refrigerated blood, it's gotta be reheated blood. Refrigerated is bad. This is obscene, plain and simple. Unfortunately I need the body heat.' He quickly washed the glass and waited to see if his fangs would shrink back to merely sharp canines. 'I hate doing this. I wonder if there are other vampires who hate this as well. It's like I'm anorexic or something. If there are others, we need to form a support group.' He chuckled silently. 'Yeah, that'll go well. We'll all start bickering over century old disputes like old men. And the fact that we're territorial by nature doesn't help either.'

He heard a knock at the door. 'Who the hell at this time of night...?' He walked to the door and felt for who was on the other side. 'Oh SHIT! It's Mrs. Jones! What-am-I-gonna-do?! My-fangs-haven't-gone-away-yet! SHIT-SHIT-SHIT-SHIT-FUCK-FUCK-FUCK-FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!'

"Duo? Are you in there?" Came a sweet feminine voice from the other side of the door.

"Yes! I'll be right there!" Called Duo. 'Kuso!' He scanned her mind briefly. 'She's come to see if she can catch me doing anything weird. She does know. Lucky me. But she doesn't seem to be afraid. How odd.' "Hang on a sec, please!" Duo racked his brain for an excuse. "I'm, um, cooking dinner!" He called. 'Oh, smart move, Einstein, you don't have a scrap of food in this place. And no plates. Goddamn, I suck at lying.'

He opened the door to catch his landlady trying to peek through the crack between the door and the wall. She quickly composed herself and smiled at him. "Hello, Duo. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Jones. And you?" Duo smiled, keeping his lips closed as much as possible.

"I'm well." She said, still smiling but keeping an eye on his lips. "I made a few extra pies this year and I was wondering if you'd like one." She held up a pie.

Duo nearly shouted with relief as he felt his fangs retract, the pain meaning salvation, and once sure that they appeared normal enough, he grinned widely at her. "Thanks. I would love one." He took it from her when she held it out to him and eyed it hungrily for effect before smiling at her.

She looked back expectantly at him.

"Um, won't you come in?" He asked, stepping to the side and opening the door wide in a gesture for her to enter.

She smiled and stepped inside. "So what were you making for dinner?" She asked, still smiling.

Duo faltered. "Um, chicken and rice with broccoli." He blurted out.

"Oh. How lovely." She sniffed the air. "Is it good? I can't smell anything."

"It's a...uh...microwave...TV dinner." Duo said.

"Oh. Well, I understand. It's hard being a boy your age. Paying for school, rent and insurance. A big meal is hard to come by." She smiled wryly.

"Yeah. Don't I know it." He said uneasily.

"Um, Duo. Elmer and I were wondering, why are all the windows covered with tin foil?" She asked, dropping the smile to show concern and confusion.

'Oh, Christ.' "I work nights. This way I can sleep when I have to in the day. When I don't have classes. Weekends and such." Duo said as convincingly as possible. 'Please leave. Please leave. Please leave. I'm about to have an aneurysm. Just go. You're not going to catch me off guard. I don't like lying, please go so I don't have to anymore.'

"Oh." She said, smiling. "Won't you have a bite?" She asked, loosening her shirt collar.

Duo froze, feeling his skin grow cold and he knew he must have looked quite pale. "E-excuse me?"

"The pie, silly." She said with a grin. "Won't you try some? Humor an old woman? Duo, are you alright? You look very pale. Are you sick, Dearheart?"

Duo grinned and waved it off. "I'm fine. And the pie smells delicious. I think I'll save it for tomorrow."

"I'd really appreciate it if you tried some now." Said the woman, pouting slightly.

Duo stared at her for a moment before looking down to the pie in his hands. 'She's determined to prove that I'm not human. Why, oh why couldn't I have said "Goodnight" and shut the door?' "Alright." He said, resigned to his fate. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon from the silverware drawer that consisted of a pair of spoons. He walked back into the living room and took a piece of the pie into the spoon. He looked to his Land Lady who smiled back, yet seemed curious and nervous, and then back at the food for a moment before stuffing it into his mouth and chewing with some difficulty as he had not done so in many years. 'This is fucking gross.' He swallowed, nearly gagging but forcing himself to follow through and shuddered inwardly but grinned, barely showing any disgust. "It's delicious. Apple?"

The woman looked back at him with a relieved AND disappointed look on her face.

Duo scanned her mind for her thoughts on this new discovery.

'Well, this doesn't rule it out outright. I know something's going on here. I know he's not human. It's obvious he doesn't eat. I saw that grimace. And my pies are the best in the county. Plan B.' "Duo, can I ask you a favor?"

Duo was suspicious and looked it. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you would be willing to do some vineyard work with Elmer. His back hasn't been the same for the last few months and the 'to do' list has been getting longer and longer. We'd pay you well. It's mostly morning times; it's light out but not too hot yet. What do you think?"

Duo smiled at her. "Mrs. Jones, you know I have classes at that time of day."

"Why does your car stay here, then?" She asked, dropping the act for a moment.

'Shit. I'm not smart enough to think my way out of this one. Well, I've made it thus far. I can do this.' "That thing?!" Duo grinned. "It's a total gas guzzler. I have an hour commute to the campus so I hitch a ride with a buddy. He picks me up early in the mornings and drops me off at night and in return I fill his tank every other week. Then I get four hours of sleep and then go to work. I get home at four in the morning, get a couple more hours and then I'm back off to school again."

"Hm. A friend, huh?" She asked, eyes narrowing. "What's his name?"

"Heero Yuy." Said Duo, wanting to kick his own ass. 'WHY DID I SAY THAT?! Because lying doesn't come naturally to me. I hate doing this.'

"What a lovely name." Said the woman. "I'd like to meet him sometime. I'm glad that you're making friends already, Duo. Won't you invite him to dinner Saturday?" She asked with a smile. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Sure thing." Duo smiled back. "I'll tell him." 'Oh please, god, why do you never cease to punish me? Not more food, please.'

Mrs. Jones smiled at him before checking her watch. "Oh, I have to go, it's late. It was nice seeing you again, Duo, you're so hard to get a hold of, you know?" She walked to the door and Duo opened it for her politely. "Good night." She said, smiling sweetly as she waved a little.

"Good night, Mrs. Jones." Duo said, grinning. He closed the door, waited as she walked towards her house until he felt her far enough from his house and then turned and collapsed against the door, sagging to the floor and setting the pie down beside him. "I can't keep doing this!" He cried to no one. 'Maybe I should move. Get an apartment in town even though it would be risky. But I like it here. It's convenient, if I don't want to go out, I can just catch a deer or two. Although, game has been scarce as of late. I guess they learned that they get bitten when they cross the fence. But I don't want to move yet. Not yet.' Duo stood up and walked to his bedroom, picking up a heavy blanket off his bed and then walking to the bathroom, knowing what was coming. He picked up the small bottle of mouthwash on his way in, opening it, knowing that he would not be capable of such a task when the time came.

"Ech! I'm never eating anything again." He vowed as he sat on the floor in front of the toilet, waiting for his body to reject the food. "I don't care WHO'S threatening WHAT!!! I am NEVER eating AGAIN!!!" He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. "This is bullshit. I don't have to put up with this crap!" 'Maybe I should just make her and her husband forget their suspicions. No. If they managed to unlock the memories, they'd know for sure. Well, I'd better buy some food to keep in the freezer for effect. I'd better buy a second refrigerator, too. I can keep one filled with food in the kitchen, and one with blood in my room in the closet. It's not so hard, it's a decent sized closet. And it's not like I have an overabundance of clothes.'

After nearly half an hour, Duo felt himself begin to shake lightly. 'Here comes the fun.' He thought sarcastically. The fine tremors became quakes right before a stabbing white pain shot through him, originating in his lower torso. He yelled in pain before he felt himself heave and leaned over the toilet, evacuating the small amount of food from his stomach. Even though he was done, he continued to heave for a few moments, the pain never stopping or even lessening. He raised the mouthwash to his lips with a violently shaking hand and rinsed the foul taste of pie from his mouth, spitting into the toilet. He lay on his side in a fetal position, shivering violently as if he were covered in ice, gripping his stomach in pain. He looked up at the roman numerical clock on the bathroom windowsill. 10:23. ‘Gomen nasai, Heero-kun, I'm gonna be a little late.' He thought as he tried in vain to keep his body from going into shock right before everything became black.



Chapter 5

Back to Stone Angel Fics
Back to Gundam Wing Authors Main Index