One year.

It had been one year since the fight, one year since Duo died.

Only one year.

As the wind shifted and blew Heero’s dark hair into his eyes, he looked up at the sky. He barely registered the sound of the traffic, the people walking past, the life the city literally pulsed with.

Why did it feel like forever?

Heero sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, hunching against the cold wind.

Cold.

Maybe that was why.

Finally, after 15 years of existence, he had understood what it meant to care about someone.

To want to see their smile.

To wish them happiness no matter what.

15 years to find someone who would brave his cold, dark stare and touch the soul beneath.

Heero couldn’t believe it, really. When he thought about it, only one year had passed during knowing Duo anyway.

15 years of loneliness, 1 year to break his mask, and only 1 fucking mistake to make it all shatter and crash around him.

Heero stared off the bridge at the river that moved violently in the darkness of the night. The light from the city gave the dark waters an unnatural violet glow that only served to remind Heero of a certain pair of bright amethyst eyes.

A voice behind him as the people passed by caught his attention.

“... totally lost the nerve the second I came close,” laughed someone and Heero froze. Could it—?! It sounded like—!!!

Heero whipped around, eyes frantically searching the crowd as the people of the night passed by in a shower of murmuring conversations. He scanned the heads but didn’t see the telltale chestnut hair shining in the dim lighting. Unable to ignore the familiarity of that voice, he pushed his way into the crowd, ignoring the startled squawks from nearby.

He didn’t care.

All he cared about was...

There!

Across the crowd he could see someone who was short and had a color just like he remembered! Heero pushed through the crowd roughly, shoving people aside, not caring how much damage he caused in the process. He only had to get to that head... to...

“Duo!” he yelled, cutting in front of a couple and nearly making them fall. “Duo!” He didn’t care how desperate he sounded, how panicked and torn. He’d been wandering for a year, feeling only now how life felt so useless without someone to laugh at it with. Someone to watch a movie and comment how unlikely everything was while they threw popcorn at you.

Someone who could promise you forever and give it to you, wrapped in the warmth of their breath and cherished by their heart.

Heero was thinking of this as he bolted through the crowd, following the head that continued to move, praying to whatever deity he could think of (including Shinigami since it seemed so appropriate when thinking of Duo) that he find Duo and could keep him this time.

5 more people and the way was clear.

Heero ran at the head blindly, not taking in any details, not even realizing he was still yelling “Duo! Duo!” until he caught up and grabbed the person by the shoulder.

Startled, the person turned around abruptly. Heero found himself staring at a girl about his age with hair a chestnut that was a shade more brown than Duo’s and eyes the color of chocolate. She stared, shocked, at Heero, while her friend, a girl with short black hair, eyed him suspiciously.

“...Oh,” Heero muttered, taking his hand from her shoulder as soon as he remembered, “Sumimasen.”

The girl blinked and said, “Excuse me?”

Heero smacked himself inwardly. How had he reverted to Japanese?? “Excuse me... sorry....” he translated morosely, beginning to turn.

“Oh!” the chestnut girl said, startled, then said immediately in a rush, “Oh, no, it’s not problem....”

Heero nodded half-heartedly, lost in his thoughts, not entirely listening.

“Are... are you looking for someone? Maybe I could help....” The girl looked at her friend, who shrugged helplessly. Heero shrugged slightly, stopping only because he didn’t want to be more rude to the girl. “My... name is Cassidy. And this is my friend Rikki.” The chestnut haired girl introduced herself first than her friend.

Heero turned with a sigh and nodded. “Heero.”

Cassidy blinked. “Huh...?”

“Heero. My name is Heero.”

Cassidy looked slightly embarrassed. “Oh! Oh, hi, Hero.”

He frowned slightly then stressed the ‘e’ more. “Heero.”

She ducked her head with a blush and mumbled, “Heeero. Right. Anyway, who were you looking for...?”

Heero blinked and nodded. “My... my friend. His name is Duo. He’s my age, about my height... He has hair a little lighter than yours but it’s really long... he wears it in a braid.... His name... his name is Duo....” Heero trailed off, staring at Cassidy’s hair in the moonlight. Cassidy glanced nervously at Rikki, who gave her friend a ‘he’s nuts let’s bolt before he rapes us!’ look. Cassidy fidgeted then finally spoke.

“Oh... well... if I see Du—if I see ... Duo?” She said the name slowly as if wondering why anyone would be named that “I’ll tell him Heeero is looking for him.”

Heero nodded, not even bothering to correct her mispronunciation, knowing how hopeless it was. “You probably won’t see him,” he said as he turned, “He’s dead.” He walked away, leaving two very nervous girls, neither of which was sure how to take that.

Finally Cassidy turned to Rikki and continued, “Anyway, as I was saying, this physics test tomorrow should be pretty hard so I was wondering if you wanted to study after the rave?”

Rikki grinned and shook her head as they walked away, “Cassi, Cassi, Cassi... always thinking of school. Y’know, all work and no play makes a college girl very pissy. Like yesterday. When you threw the Jello packet at me because I said the last batch was too thin.”

Cassidy scowled. “I LIKE my Jello ‘thin’ and it was a light toss AND we WILL play... see, it’ll be play then work! Come OOOOONNNN Rikki! You HAVE to!”

Rikki sighed and laughed, shaking her head again. “You’re hopeless.”

Cassidy pouted.

“Fine! Fine, fine, fine, fine FINE! We’ll study for the damn test... AFTER the Rave.”

By then they were arriving at the nightclub and flashing their IDs. Both had already forgotten about Heero’s request.

to be continued...