Author: Andrea Weiling
A/N: This fic's kinda angsty. I got in a fight with my mom; it seemed only appropriate I write an angsty fic.
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Heero looked up as Duo tromped down the stairs. "Morning."
"Yo, Heero! Good mornin' to you!", Duo grinned his infamous happy-go-lucky smile.
Wufei looked up from his mug of coffee and nodded in accord to the braided pilot. Trowa tipped his head in a greeting. Perhaps Quatre was the only one who said more than enough.
"Oh! Good morning Duo! We have toast with jam and butter, topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Or you can have an English muffin with cereal and milk. Duo? Duo, have you been listening to me?"
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, Quatre. I'll have the toast with butter but has strawberries and whipped cream. Cup a' strong coffee, if ya please. Say, what's today's date?"
4 heads answered. "October 24, of course."
"Here's your coffee, Duo." Duo took the white mug and froze. He spilled coffee over Wufei as he whipped around to face Heero."What's today's date?" He hissed between gritted teeth.
"October 24."
Duo searched Heero's face to see if he was lying, then straightened. His eyes grew wide and tears filled the violet orbs that seldom showed sadness. Duo dropped the mug. It's contents splashed over the floor and the porecelian cup lay in all directions, broken beyond repair. Before they could even blink an eye, Duo was up the steps to his room. 4 people stared at the rapidly retreating back, not knowing what it was running from.
*A few minutes later*
The front door slammed so hard it rocked the house. Quatre ran and cut his foot on a pane of glass that had fallen on the ground. Nevertheless, he stared as Duo ran towards town.
"He's gone, isn't he?" Quatre was grateful to the 2 strong arms that helped him out.
"Yeah, Duo's gone. Why?"
"I'll call Sally", Trowa left Quatre on the white couch and his foot propped on the glass table.
Trowa knocked, and hearing no answer, opened the door.
"I know Duo's out. Thanks anyways, Trowa. Make sure you call Sally soon, though. Glass trapped in skin infects quickly."
Trowa left and did as he was told. All 4 remaining pilots piled into Heero's room, surprised that Heero hadn't already started without them. They did not ask a question, either; all of them knew Duo was a delicate subject for anyone. Soon a website popped up, labelled "Maxwell orphanage." Heero clicked it eagerly hoping to find something. He was rewarded by a picture of a ruined church.
"Heero, please get out of this." Quatre shielding his eyes from the picture.
Heero made no motion to stop. He clicked down and found out it was a news report labelled the "Maxwell Church Tragedy." The Japanese pilot read the report out loud.
"Maxwell Church Tragedy. Alliance and OZ troops took the pretense of wanting provisions, and made the church into a temporary hospital. The officer in charge claimed one of the mobile suits that had been stolen. The church denied this act of thievery, and the Alliance destroyed the church, governed by Father Maxwell." He read the final lines."Casualties: 245 Survivors: 1." Heero clicked on the place labelled "picture."
Quatre gasped. Wufei's eyes buldged. Heero and Trowa's eyes widened ever so slightly.
It was a picture of a boy, not just any boy, but a boy dressed in black smock, holding the keys to the truck beside him. In the other hand, he held a gun. Nothing special, for a boy defending his home, Maxwell Church. But the boy had long, chestnut colored hair, held back by a black hair tie. It was Duo.
Quatre's eyes volutarily filled with unshed tears. "It's......Duo..."
***
Duo threw open the door. He had been running toward his destination for the last half hour. He was rewarded by the sight of an altar with a statue of Maria surrounded by glowing white candles. Panting, he took a minute to catch his breath, then seated himself on the furthermost pew. He began to pray, his lips moving but no sound coming out. He ran his thoughts over.
My life a, Gundam Pilot. The war's over. So why is my heart still empty. No. This isn't right; I'm supposed to be praying for Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. Unwitting he drew the knife Heero had given him, his memories drifting...
"Here. Take it", Heero handed Duo a knife. "Use it to protect yourself."
"Wow, thanks Heero-man, I didn't think you'd remember my birthday. Obviously the others didn't."
Heero opened the door, and the other pilots surged in. Duo smiled as he heard Heero's voice. "Happy birthday, Duo..."
Duo frowned. I don't even feel sorry for the souls lost because of me. How does Dr. G expect me to live anyway? He gritted his teeth.
I'm totally unfit to live at all!
He took the knife and plunged it into his chest.The white candles burned on, oblivious to the suicide committed.
***
"Any sign?", Wufei shouted to Quatre in the down pour. He was answered by a faint "No..."
"Yes", said a voice behind Wufei. The Chinese pilot wasn't surprised to find it was Heero.
"Where?"
"Someone saw him go into that church", he pointed to a tall steeple, faintly silouhetted against the sky.
Wufei nodded."Let's regroup the others and go in together. No sense in being risky."
As they entered the church, they spread out and began to search. The Reverand came out, surprised to see them. "What is it, my sons?"
"We're looking for a teenager with long, chesnut brown hair in a braid? Have you seen him?", Quatre was the only one who bothered to even look at him.
"I did see him. I went back in before he left. I suppose he's gone home by now..."
"Thank you Father."
They were about to leave when they heard it. "Drip....drip....", echoed around the room.
No one said a word. The faint smell of blood panged the air. Heero was the first to look in the pews. He drew a shocked breath and fell to his knees. "Duo..." The other pilots turned their heads away. "Why....Duo?"
The church was silent, except for the sound of crystalline tears mixing with blood.
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Comments: This has got to be the darkest GW fic I'll ever write. Not even I imagined I could write such angsty stuff. *wails* Duo-kun's dead! I can't believe I made him commit suicide like that! Injustice, as Wufei would say.
All images and content belong to Black Ink on White Scroll
