Quatre was jarred awake by the squeals emanating from Duo’s room. Groggy and still half-asleep, he forced himself to get up and investigate the cause of the noise. He could not interpret the emotion behind those squeals and really hoped that they were not the result of Heero doing something unpleasant to Duo. He was having a very hard time figuring Heero out. Half the time, the Japanese boy acted as if he wanted to tear Duo to pieces while other times he was… almost protective towards the other boy. Quatre never thought it possible that one human being could present so many contradictions.

As soon as he stepped out of his room, he turned towards the direction of Duo’s room- just in time to watch an exuberant Duo launching himself straight at him. The momentum behind forty-five kilograms of muscle and bone knocked him backwards and he became increasingly panicked as both their bodies skidded dangerously close to the edge of the staircase.

His right hand shot out to grab hold of the railing and he breathed a sigh of relief when his quick action managed to stop any further backward movement. However, the heart hammering in his chest hadn’t slowed down its pace as they were still balancing precariously at the top of the stairs. He was about to demand a reason for the ambush when Duo cut him off with joyful cries of “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…”. Quartre was trying to puzzle out exactly what Duo was thanking him for when Duo did something that could only be deemed as suicidal. Duo hugged him, pinning his arms to his sides.

Quatre’s heart sank as he felt his grip on the railing slipping and his feet losing their purchase on the ground. His legs went out from under him and he stepped down hard… into empty space.

Both of them winded up at the bottom of the stairs with Duo half-sitting on him as if he was a human sled. Quatre was lying on his back, on the clammy floor, with his left leg doubled beneath him. Every part of his battered body was sending intense pain signals to his brain, causing a lump of nausea to form in his throat.

“Uh… Angel?”

Quatre did not answer him immediately for fear of throwing up. He was also finding it increasingly difficult to breathe with Duo’s weight pressing down on him.

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to…I…” babbled Duo, his voice genuinely contrite. He even appeared to be on the verge of tears. “I’m very sorry! Very, very…”

“Ge…get…o…fff,” gasped Quatre with the little air remaining in his lungs.

Duo ‘eep’-ed and quickly scrambled off the dazed boy that he was sitting on. Duo continued to apologize profusely while Quatre silently did a systematic examination of the damage done to his body by the fall. He tried wriggling his toes. They moved- which was a good sign as this showed that his spinal cord was still intact. He tried to straighten his left leg and winced when his ankle was moved. No grinding sensation, so it wasn’t a fracture. Most likely it was a sprain. Between a sprain and a fracture, he’d prefer the sprain any day. He was a bit grateful for getting the lesser of two evils.

Heero’s face soon hovered above him when he was mentally assessing his condition. Duo eyed Heero warily but made no move to leave his side.

“Any serious injuries?” asked Heero curtly.

“No… at least I don’t think it’s that’s serious… just a mild…” Quatre’s voice trailed off when he saw that Heero had not bothered to wait for him to finish his reply. There was a sound of a chair being pulled back and the clicking of keys on a laptop resumed. “… ankle sprain.”  He exhaled softly and propped himself up on his elbows. Contradiction again. For a moment back there, he was almost convinced that there was a look of concern on Heero’s face. He turned his attention to Duo who was still kneeling next to him with a worried expression. “Now will you mind explaining why you want to get both of us –or at least, just me– killed just now?”

“That wasn’t my intention! I swear!”

Quatre rotated his left leg to a more comfortable position. “So why did you do it?”

“I just wanted to show my gratitude! For.. for… this!” Duo held up his left hand eagerly to reveal the sapphire ring worn on his middle finger. “It was on my table this morning and I just knew that it was you! Oh Angel, thank you so much for the trouble you’ve gone through to….”

“Hold on a minute,” interrupted Quatre quickly before Duo could ramble on. “I didn’t put any ring on your table.” He remembered seeing Heero going out to the lake again after he brought Duo in last night. Could he be the one…?

“What? It wasn’t you?” Duo was beginning to sound unsure of himself.

Quatre shook his head in reply.

“Then who could it be?” asked Duo in a quiet voice.

Quatre suspected that Duo himself knew the answer to that but was unwilling to acknowledge it. “There is no one else.”

Both of them turned to gaze at the boy who was typing away on his laptop. Heero did not even look up from the computer screen. “If that’s the way you show gratitude, I don’t want any of it” was all he said.

* * * * * *

Stoneface? Stoneface was the one who retrieved the ring?? But why?! He was suddenly very annoyed, even a bit angry. Just when he thought that he could hate Stoneface with abandon, the psycho had to do something to make him feel so grateful. To make him feel that… he mattered.

He grudgingly admitted that he owed Stoneface his thanks but all thoughts about it vaporized when he heard Stoneface’s snide remark. If that psycho thought that he should be grateful, he would go all the way out to prove that he wasn’t. He refused to give Stoneface that satisfaction. He walked towards Stoneface, his face set in a determined expression. He could hear Angel’s soft pleadings behind him to get him to turn back.

Stoneface briefly glanced at him over the top of the laptop screen before returning his attention to whatever it was that he was doing.

“Why did you do it?” he asked.

Stoneface gave no indication that he heard anything and continued typing on the keyboard. The nonchalant way in which Stoneface brushed him aside triggered a flush of anger. Without knowing exactly what he was trying to achieve with his brash action, he slammed the screen down. Stoneface managed to jerk his fingers back before they were crushed between the screen and the keyboard. Stoneface stood up slowly and directed a chilly glare at him.

Too late for regrets now. “I asked you a question and I expect an answer,” he said, with more bravado than he felt. Stoneface still studied him quietly with those cold, blue eyes of his. So cold… like shards of ice. Shards of ice that cut and draw blood.

“You want an answer?” It was a rhetorical question. “I’ll give you an answer.” From Stoneface’s tone of voice, he could tell that he wouldn’t like the answer being offered one bit. “I did what I did for Duo.”

He blinked confusedly at Stoneface. The reply came as quite a surprise to him.

Stoneface continued, “Yes, Duo. Not you. And do you know why?” Another rhetorical question. “Because you aren’t Duo. You may look like him. You may sound like him. But you are not, and never will be, him.”

He himself had said that the name ‘Duo Maxwell’ meant nothing to him. So what if Stoneface decided to remind him that he wasn’t the old Duo? It shouldn’t bother him at all. He knew that all along. Damn, his chest was starting to hurt. He could also feel tears rushing into his eyes but he held them back grimly. He’d rather die than to break down in front of Stoneface… rather die than to show Stoneface that those words had hurt him.

“That’s also the reason why I prevented you from cutting that long hair. It’s his hair, not yours, and you have no right to cut it. You’re merely an impostor taking over a body before its rightful owner returns.” He could see contempt in Stoneface’s eyes. “So don’t ever think that you can demand or expect anything from me.”

He could stand it no longer. He wheeled and ran up the stairs.

* * * * * *

Heero closed his eyes, feeling a bit disgusted with himself. That was just so… petty of him. He wanted to hurt Duo, just as the braided boy had hurt him. He felt that it was unfair for Duo to be so blissfully ignorant of how his actions had been affecting him. Treating him like a complete stranger… sometimes, even like a mortal enemy. Not even willing to call him by his real name. Being so damned close to Quatre… Heero opened his eyes suddenly, shocked by his own train of  thoughts.

He saw Quatre standing in front of him with a stern look of disapproval on his face. “Why don’t you slap Duo while you’re at it?” said the Arabian pilot angrily.

“What?”

“Heero Yuy, not everyone has a heart of stone like you,” reprimanded Quatre. “Normal people have feelings – feelings that can get hurt easily. What you just said to Duo a  moment ago was downright mean.”

“Now hold on…”

“No, you hold on!” snapped the usually gentle-mannered boy. “Are you so blind that you miss seeing the devastated look on Duo’s face? It was worse than the one he wore after you hit him a few days ago. Heero, he needs our support and care now more than ever. He doesn’t need your punitive behavior.” 

“Have you finished yet?” Heero had sat down and was pretending to be absorbed in his laptop.

Quatre said nothing. Heero was half expecting him to slam the screen down like what Duo did. He was relieved when Quatre simply limped away.

* * * * * *

Maxwell was crying. Shang approached the sobbing young boy tentatively.

“Maxwell? What happened?” It pained him to see his wingmate in such a state. Whoever did this to Maxwell would pay dearly.

Maxwell crumpled onto Shang’s shoulder and cried softly, “Sh-Shang? D-do you… s-see me a-as an impostor?”

“Whatever made you think that?” asked Shang, surprised by the question.

“I-I mean, I’m p-presently not the person I used to be, am I? I’m just some sort of a freak with no recollection of his past. I’m just a redundant pain in the…” 

Shang silenced him by cupping Maxwell’s tear-streaked face between his hands. “Maxwell, no matter how you change, my feelings for you will never change. To me, you are never ‘redundant’.”

Maxwell’s pinched face lit up upon hearing his reply. He buried his face in Shang’s shoulder and let warm tears soak into the fabric. “How…” whispered Maxwell wistfully. “How I wish that he would say those same words to me.”

Shang tensed up. “He?”

“I don’t want to talk about him… not now,” said Maxwell drowsily.

Shang did not pursue it any further but was nonetheless very troubled. He suddenly had this strong desire to get Maxwell away from his comrades before… before what? “Maxwell, have you given some thought about the question I asked you last night?”

“Hmmm?” mumbled Maxwell incoherently as if he was having difficulty focussing. It was a sign of troubled sleep on Maxwell’s part. “You mean… the one about us seeing each other? In the real world?”

“Yes. If you feel that you can no longer stay with those people who are taking care of you now, come to me.”

“I told you that I’ll think about it only after I’ve found my ring…” Shang’s face fell upon hearing this, but not for long. “…and I have found it.” Maxwell pulled back to gaze intensely at his face. “Tell me where I have to go to meet you.”

* * * * * *

“Angel?”

Quatre sat up from he had dozed off beside Duo’s bed. He had fallen asleep waiting for Duo to wake up from his slumber. “Yes, Duo, it’s me. Are you okay now?”

Duo looked at him with downcast eyes. “Yeah, I’m alright.” He did not sound, or look,  alright at all.

Quatre glanced at the small alarm clock on Duo’s table. It registered the time as 11 a.m. “Say what… why don’t you and I go out to the city for the rest of the day? It sure beats getting cooped up in this house and the fresh air will do you some good.” Quatre could see that the suggestion had pleased Duo. Those flat, downcast eyes brightened up slightly.    

“Brunswick Mall,” was Duo’s unexpected reply.

“Huh?”

“There is a place called Brunswick Mall in the city, isn’t there?” asked Duo hopefully.

“I’m not sure, but I can find out where it is…” It was strange that Duo was able to remember an area in the city even when he had totally forgotten everything else. “It’s that where you want to go?”

Duo was silent for a moment before looking away and replying, “Yes, I want to go.”

Quatre caught a glimpse of the guilty look that flashed briefly across Duo’s face but could not fathom the reason for it. “Get dressed then. Meet me downstairs in ten minutes.”

* * * * * *

“I am bringing Duo out to the city.”

Heero typed random commands into his computer. In actual fact, he didn’t have any real work to be done with his laptop. It was just a way for him to carry out his promise to Trowa without looking suspicious.

“We’ll come back before dusk.”

Heero still gave no indication that he was listening.

At that time, Duo came down the stairs and followed Quatre out through the main door. Duo deliberately avoided looking in Heero’s direction.

3 minutes… 2 minutes… 1 minute…With Quatre’s limp, they shouldn’t be able to move too fast. Heero left the house, making sure that he locked the door behind him.

* * * * * *

“Look, I promise I won’t take long. I just want to have a walk around that shopping complex across the road. Alone,” he told Angel. As he said this, Shang’s words whispered in his mind. I will meet you at the indoor water fountain on the ground floor. I won’t appear unless you come alone.  

Angel was still reluctant to leave him by himself. “I still think that it is better for me to come along with you.”

“No, I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “Besides, you have injured your ankle and it is best that you don’t move around too much.” Angel had assured him that his ankle was fine but he was fooling no one. Angel’s left ankle had become increasingly red and puffy with each step and his limp more pronounced.

“Duo, I’m afraid that you’ll get lost.”

He stiffened in spite of himself. So that was why Angel wanted to keep a close eye on him. “You really think so, don’t you? You think that I can’t take care of myself.”

“Don’t take this wrongly. I’m just concerned…”

“If I’m still the old Duo Maxwell, will you be mothering me like this?” He saw the sad look on Angel’s face and immediately regretted what he just said. Angel did not deserve to be tongue-lashed like that. “I’m sorry…”

“No, I should be the one apologizing,” said Angel. “For not realizing that you feel that way.” Angel smiled at him, more for his benefit than out of any real feelings of merriment. “You go ahead while I wait for you here.”

Angel was so kind and understanding that it hurt to betray his trust. Before his resolve to meet Shang could crumble, he muttered his thanks and crossed the road quickly.

* * * * * *

Damn. Why do they have to split up? This made his task so much more difficult. Heero did some mental calculations in his head before settling on following Duo. Between the two, Quatre was more capable of taking care of himself.

Heero put on a pair of sunglasses and adjusted the cap on his head. He tried not to think about how idiotic he looked. Unfortunately, it was necessary in order to keep most of his face hidden from view. He saw Duo standing beside a water fountain and looking around. It almost seemed as if he was waiting for someone.

* * * * * *

Quatre squirmed on the bench by the roadside. He never should have let Duo go off alone just now. In Duo’s present condition, anything could happen. Ten minutes had passed already and Duo was still nowhere in sight.

There is no use in sitting here and waiting. Quatre got up and limped slowly to the zebra crossing. He only started to walk across the road when he saw the flashing green man. With his limp, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to avoid an incoming vehicle even if his life depended on it. As if to prove how true that statement was, a motorcycle rushed at him from the narrow space between two stationary cars. The motorcyclist did not have any intention of braking.

Seeing the danger that he was in, Quatre tried to leap out of the way. It was unfortunate that his left ankle was sprained, thereby slowing down his movements considerably. He could feel his body being lifted off the ground as the motorcycle plowed into him. The next thing he knew, his battered body was lying on the asphalted road. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as he slowly lost consciousness.

* * * * * *

Heero could not believe his eyes when he identified the teenager who was approaching Duo. What shocked him even more was the way Duo greeted Shang, jumping up happily and wrapping his arms around his neck. He was so utterly confused by the sight that for a moment, he could only stand and stare. Then instincts took over and he made a beeline for the pair, a murderous look in his eyes. There are civilians in this area. You’ll attract attention to yourself. Do not pull out that gun…Like hell! Heero ignored the warnings ringing in his head and reached for his weapon. He wanted to blow Shang right off the face of the earth right then and there.

Shang seemed to have detected his presence and spoke something into Duo’s ear. Duo nodded and walked away obediently. Obediently. And Heero could not even get within five feet of Duo without being brained by the flying projectiles thrown at him by the American pilot. The image of Duo embracing Shang flashed in his mind again, intensifying his murderous thoughts. It was just as well that Shang had sent Duo away. What he intended for Shang would be very messy.

The very air seemed to crackle with tension as Heero faced Shang, his gun carefully concealed under his jacket but nonetheless deadly and aimed right at Shang’s heart. 

“What the hell are you doing here? You have ten seconds to answer me before I kill you,” demanded Heero in a deadly, quiet voice.

“Please put that gun away before you attract the security guards,” said Shang amiably. It was evident that the boy was not the least bit threatened by either his gun or his words.

Heero was very tempted to pull the trigger, but years of training as a soldier had taught him not to take unnecessary risks. Shang did not appear to be armed. “Five seconds.”

Shang looked at him straight in the eye. “I have come to take Maxwell away.”

“And you really think that you can get away with that?”

Shang smiled, in a way which Heero found unsettling. “Do you hear the sirens outside?”

Heero frowned and listened intently. He heard the faint sounds which Shang wanted him to hear. “So what about it?” asked Heero, slightly annoyed.

“That’s an ambulance siren. A blond-haired boy just got hit by a motorcycle a few minutes ago. I think you know him…”   

Heero rushed forward and grabbed the lapels of Shang’s coat roughly with both hands. He immediately realized his mistake when he felt the touch of cold steel against his neck. Shang had a small razor hidden between his fingers. It was a thin, even flimsy, piece of metal, but it was sharp. A few droplets of warm blood were already seeping out from broken skin even though Shang did not apply any extra pressure. Heero silently cursed himself for allowing his hands to leave his gun. Just as he was thinking that, he felt Shang’s hand – the one that wasn’t holding the razor – searching his jacket and relieving him of the weapon. Shang neatly tucked the gun in his coat and slowly backed away. In this fight, Heero knew that he had lost and therefore, made no move to attack Shang again. The Oz lieutenant could have easily taken his life if he had a mind to.

Shang continued from where he left off, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “I’m not sure how much you Gundam pilots want to keep your identities secret, but don’t you think that you’d better rescue that poor kid before he’s sent to a hospital and nosy people start to question his origins?”

Heero was clenching his teeth so hard that his jaws ached. He managed to unclench them long enough to voice his parting words to Shang. “I am not done with you yet. Not by a long shot.”

Shang cocked his head in acknowledgement that he heard before walking away.

* * * * * *

He waited patiently at the underground car park for Shang. He felt guilty for leaving Angel like that. No doubt Angel was still waiting for him beside the road, becoming more and more anxious with each passing minute. Why is Shang taking so long? He said he’ll be joining me shortly.

He was about to go up to the ground floor to look for Shang when the lift door opened and Shang stepped out. Shang was holding two packets of white, globular stuff. Shang thrust one packet into his hands. “Sorry to make you wait. The queue for the buttered popcorn took longer than I expected.”

He looked down curiously at the ‘buttered popcorn’ and hesitantly put one into his mouth. It tasted so much better than space rations. With a contented smile on his face, he followed Shang to his vehicle.

It was a motorcycle.

                                                                                                                             < To Part 2 >