My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. Yes, that Quatre, the owner of Winner Enterprises, successful businessman, all of that. But that is not what's important. What's important is that I was the best friend of Duo Maxwell.
We had been pilots together, back when we were younger. It was difficult for all of us. After the war, I was afraid that Duo would be unable to pick up the shattered remains of his soul, a soul broken both by the war and his troubled past. But if anyone could do it, it was Duo. Always laughing, joking, that big grin on his face... I should have known that grin was a mask for the pain hidden underneath. Of all people, I should have known. I should have been able to help him exorcize those demons that populated his secret hell. If only...
But life cannot be made of "ifs" and "should haves". We are forced to live by and die by the consequences of our actions.
It truly seemed as if Duo had been able to pick up his life and move on.
It truly seemed as if this story would have a happy ending.....
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There's a face that we wear in the cold light of day
It's society's mask, it's society's way
But the truth is that it's all a façade...
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"I can't believe this is really happening...."
Quatre put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Well, you'd better believe it," he said with a smile. "I don't think your fiancee would appreciate it if you went around telling everyone that she's a figment of your imagination."
Duo shook his head with a laugh. "No, she wouldn't, would she?"
"It's bad enough that you arrived late to your own engagement party. Now go and have some fun!"
"Mission accepted!" With that, Duo sprinted off into the crowd, instantly becoming the center of attention and enjoying every bit of it.
Quatre smiled, large aqua eyes shining with tears. His friend was simply so happy. A couple years ago, Quatre would have never thought this day to be possible.
"Hey, you," came a soft voice. "Don't start crying now. You need to save some tears for the actual wedding."
Turning around, Quatre quickly wiped his eyes and faced the tall young man next to him. "Trowa! I didn't know that you were coming."
Emerald eyes glistened behind a soft curtain of brown hair. "I couldn't miss our friend's engagement party, could I?"
Quatre laughed. "A little while ago, I was afraid that our friend himself was going to miss his engagement party!" He paused for a moment, the laugh dying away to a slightly concerned expression. No, he thought, shaking it off, Duo was probably just held up by traffic or something like that, don't go making up imaginary troubles like that.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," Quatre shook his head. Then, with a slightly mischievous smile, he took hold of Trowa's hand. "But right now, we have a mission: to warn the bride-to-be of what she's getting herself into."
A shadow of a smile formed on Trowa's lips. "Lead the way, Mr. Winner."
Hirde Schbeiker was standing over by the punch bowl, chatting with a couple of guests in her usual energetic manner. Watching her talking rapidly, her eyes sparkling brightly, her hands gesticulating wildly, her movements only interrupted occasionally by her brushing her spiky bangs out of her face, then resuming their motions without losing a beat, it was easy to see how Hirde and Duo had gotten together. It would take such a lively, energetic person to be able to keep pace with Manic Braid Boy.
"...and suddenly this guy with this giant braid came, like, crashing- literally- into my engineering class. Needless to say, Professor G wasn't too pleased, but Duo just picked himself up, threw the Prof a grin and an apology and carted himself out of there. Anyways, I ran into him- Duo, not Professor G- in the cafeteria later on, so I said hi and I asked him what that little incident in engineering class had been all about. Then I asked him what was up with the funky hair. We got talking and- Oh, hey there!" Hirde waved as she saw Quatre and Trowa approaching.
"Good evening, Miss Schbeiker," Quatre greeted her, smiling politely.
"You must be Quatre," she said, eagerly seizing ahold of his hand and shaking it vigorously. "Nice to meetcha. Duo's told me all about you."
Quatre laughed. "Nothing too revealing, I hope?"
"Oh, only one or two dirty little secrets."
With another laugh, Quatre pulled Trowa, who had been standing slightly behind him, forward. "Miss Schbeiker-"
"Hirde," she interrupted him.
"Hirde, I'd like you to meet my friend Trowa Barton."
"Nice to meetcha!" she said, giving Trowa's hand an energetic shake. "Like the hair," she added with a wink. "In any case, now that you've done your introductions, I should probably do mine."
Hirde turned to indicate the young women she had been chatting with. "Quatre, Trowa, this is my friend Lucrezia Noin. We were in the military together; she's still in there, though I've decided that military life isn't for me. And this is-"
"Mr. Winner, what a pleasant surprise!"
Hirde's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "I take it that you two already know each other...?"
Quatre nodded, both in affirmation of Hirde's statement and in greeting to the honey-haired young woman at Hirde's side. "Yes, Miss Darlian and I have been aquaintances for a number of years now."
"What a coincidence!" Hirde laughed. "This is great! So you two are already friends..." She paused to take a breath and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry if I'm acting a little giddy. I'm just sorta excited..."
"Quite understandably so," Quatre responded.
"She's also put away a bit too much punch," Ms. Noin added with a smirk.
"Hey!" Hirde cried in protest as everyone laughed. "It's not my fault that somebody spiked it! But it does taste pretty good..."
"I should have a chat with Duo. Getting his fiancee drunk at the engagement party is hardly good form..."
Speaking of Duo, where exactly was he? Quatre glanced around the room with a puzzled gaze. He couldn't find his friend anywhere.
"Excuse me," he said with a polite nod, then separated himself from the group and began the search. First, Duo had been late to his own party... Then he disappeared...
Hearing what sounded like an argument coming from somewhere, Quatre followed the voices, one which he recognized and one which he did not, out into the hallway.
"-and you know that if this falls through, then-"
"And you know that I don't give a damn as to whether- Oh... hey, Quatre."
Quatre froze. "I'm not... interrupting something... am I?"
Duo laughed. "Aw, hell no. Just..." He glanced at the stranger with whom he had been arguing. "Just relay my apologies onto Hirde and everyone else. I have to go now."
And without another word, he stalked out the side door. The stranger followed him, only pausing to look over his shoulder and fix Quatre with a darkly curious gaze.
Quatre ran to the door. "Duo, wait!"
But his friend had already climbed into his car and driven off, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of exhaust staining the crisp autumn air.
[Chapter Two]