Part One.
[6 months later]
[Boarding school between missions]

Duo shuffled into the dining room to join the breakfast queue, grunting a near incoherent 'g'morning' at anyone he recognised. He hid a yawn behind a lightly clenched fist, and stared blearily at the slop on offer. Porridge, which looked like something that wouldn't have even been given to Oliver Twist, or scrambled eggs on toast, a strangely greyish colour that conjured up images of mushy brains. Duo grimaced, and opted for cereal instead. At least he knew that came from a box and hadn't been scooped out from under the kitchen units.

Dumping a bowl of cornflakes, a small carton of milk, several packets of sugar, and a mug of coffee on his tray, the American boy silently handed over his breakfast token to the cashier, and shuffled his way over to where Heero and Trowa were seated. They both looked obscenely cheerful for eight in the morning. The fact that the pair of them rarely looked more cheerful than a brick was beside the point; it was still more cheerful than Duo was at the start of the day.

The two boys shared a quick, amused glance at the sullen glare Duo shot at them before Heero returned to his half-finished breakfast, and Trowa to the newspaper he had been reading. Duo wondered vaguely how Heero had managed to wrestle fruit from the old bats behind the counter. Something that fresh was the equivalent of gold dust in this school.

"Good morning," Heero said in greeting.

"If you say so." Duo muttered. He'd been kept up half the night by a cat in heat. The damn thing had chosen *his* window to yowl under. He'd thrown a textbook out at it after two hours, only to have it return an hour or so later. Sleep was something he hadn't gotten much of that night.

Now he thought on it, he'd have to remember to go and retrieve the book before class.

"I do," Heero was saying. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's the birth of a whole new day."

Duo scowled at his teasing. "Mornings should be spent in bed, sound asleep," he groused, pouring milk and sugar over his cereal.

"But it's mornings like this that make you realise that you're alive." Duo pinned the scowl on Trowa. Traitor, siding with Heero in his merciless teasing.

"No, breathing makes me realise I'm alive," the braided boy explained, a touch acerbically. "Mornings make me wish I was dead. Believe me, I've experienced enough of them to know this." He spooned some cornflakes in his mouth and began munching loudly.

"You're just in a bad mood because you have to get up and go to class." Heero observed.

Duo nodded, entirely in agreement with his Japanese partner's observation, and swallowed his mouthful quickly in order to respond. "See, mornings used to be fine when you didn't have to go to school. But then some idiot decided poor kids deserved an education, and that school should be made compulsory."

"It has it's benefits," Trowa pointed out. "Education is a good thing."

The braided pilot snorted. "Sure, yeah. Education is a good thing. But," He shot Trowa a pointed look before continuing, "I bet you wouldn't be saying that after having to take Physics at eight-thirty am for *three hundred freaking years*," he hissed. He pointed his spoon at the pair of them, punctuating his words with a wave of it as he spoke. "Do you have any idea how boring it is to have to go to school and take the same classes over and over for eternity?"

Trowa watched, fascinated, as a cornflake dislodged itself from the tip of the spoon and flew across the table to land in Heero's eye.

Duo shut up instantly, blinking at his spoon, then at a squinting Heero. A grin blossomed on his face, shortly followed by laughter.

"So pleased to amuse you." Heero scraped the soggy cornflake off his face, and flicked it back at Duo.

"Mm. Tasty," Duo said as he scooped it off his own cheek with his tongue. "So, what're the plans for today?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful of coffee.

"Physics at eight-thirty am," Heero promptly replied.

"Har har," the Immortal glowered at his companion. "Seriousness, please? Haven't we got orders for even one *teensy* mission yet?"

"No," Heero said tersely. Duo asked the same question most days, and guessed it was getting on Heero's nerves by now.

The American sniffed, "Probably going senile in their old age and forgot we're even here."

"It's not like we often get time off. I say use the time while we have it to rest up," Trowa said as he pushed his finished breakfast plate away from him. Violet eyes watched some of the remaining egg, ready to swear blind it moved.

"It's infuriating just keeping our heads down without anything to do. I'm starting to get bored," Duo grumbled, swirling his cornflakes with his spoon.

"I would have thought a guy as old as you would have limitless patience," the banged pilot remarked.

Duo shrugged, "I have patience enough when I need it. I just think we're wasting time here doing nothing."

"I'll do some creative investigation when I get some time alone with my laptop later," Heero suggested, an attempt to mollify the braided pilot.

"Ooh, gonna play kissy-kissy with your one true love?" Duo asked, fluttering his eyelashes. Heero kicked him under the table and shot him a warning look.

Duo smiled back sweetly, and turned his attention to Trowa's paper for lack of anything better to do. "Another one?" he frowned, snagging the paper and turning it the right way up to make it easier for him to read. The front-page headline screamed out at him about the progress (or lack thereof) in the investigation of a series of local murders. "Yeesh, how long have they been investigating these things? A month?"

"That would be about right," the green-eyed pilot confirmed. "I hadn't finished with that," he continued, then sighed as he was completely ignored.

"You'd think they'd have got *some* leads by now." Duo's eyes scanned the paper, absorbing the details of the most recent tragic killing. It had taken place two days previously, and knocked the total up to nine dead, all victims being students from schools around the city. No one from their school had been murdered yet, but Duo didn't for one minute believe they'd be left alone. He just hoped they'd be out of there blowing up Oz bases before the nutcase arrived.

"Duo? Duo!"

"Huh?" Violet eyes blinked at Heero, who had obviously been trying to get his attention for a while.

"I said, didn't you have to be at your Physics class five minutes ago?" the Japanese boy repeated patiently.

Duo glanced at the cafeteria clock, then at his watch to be sure. Eight thirty-five am. His eyes widened. "Oh, *shit*," he cursed, leaping out of his chair and running as fast as he could to his lesson on the opposite side of the building.

***

Heero arched a brow as Duo dumped his tray of food sulkily on the table. Something was obviously wrong with his friend, and he waited patiently to find out what trouble he'd managed to get himself into in the short space between breakfast and lunch.

"Can you believe it?" Duo groused. "I got double detention! Creedy held me back ten minutes after Physics to lecture me on my tardiness, which made me late for History, so then Brownlie gives me a detention for being late for that, too! And when I tried to tell her it wasn't my fault because Creedy kept me behind, she just told me that I deserved it!"

Heero resisted the urge to display his amusement at Duo's situation, and the self-pitying expression on his face. "They do have a point, Duo. You *are* late on a regular basis."

Violet eyes looked even more pitiful and hurt.

"It would probably help if you did your homework, too," Heero pointed out.

"But it's *boring*," Duo whined.

"It would keep the teachers off your back. Let's face it, Duo. You're intelligent. You've studied these subjects countless times - you should be able to do your homework in your sleep."

"Why are you so damn practical?" the braided boy asked morosely. "Its no use trying to get sympathy out of you, you always side with the teachers."

"Because they usually have a point."

Duo glared at Heero, then stuck his tongue out at him.

Heero repressed a sigh as his companion angrily speared a carrot and shoved it forcefully into his mouth. It was somewhat vexing to him that Duo always seemed to get into trouble over school issues. Usually the pilot was solid and reliable, but when he was left to his own devices in a school situation, he became lazy regarding attendance and work, and was, on occasion, surly to those in authority.

Heero was actually sympathetic. It wasn't as if any of the subjects held any interest for the other pilot, and he knew most of the subjects in detail by now. Heero himself didn't find most of his lessons particularly inspiring, but he endured them. But the fact remained that Duo was getting a lot of bad attention.

It wasn't that he worried that Duo would blow their cover - god knew that after fifteen hundred years the boy was a master at making sure no one saw through his fake identities. And the Prussian-eyed pilot had to admit that Duo was far more experienced and thorough at getting new identities set up than any of them.

No, what Heero worried about was Duo. It perplexed him to see the usually cheerful boy in sultry and angry moods over some minor incident with a teacher. It annoyed him that doing the work would make life ultimately easier for him, yet Duo refused to see this. He spent so much time in detention that Heero was convinced that Duo would have more time on his hands if he just did the work.

"Double detention means you'll miss dinner," Heero noted.

Duo's eyes scowled up at him from a nearly empty plate. "Well, duh. Like I hadn't thought of that already."

Heero could sympathise with Duo on that count - the braided boy was always ravenous. A downside to being an eternal teenager, feeding a fuel-hungry body that was never going to grow. The thought somehow depressed him, and he wondered how Duo had coped with being stuck as a teenager for so long.

"I'll make a point of saving something for you," he told the other boy in an attempt to appease him.

Some of the hostility left his partner's face. "Thanks, Heero, I'd really appreciate that. I'd hate to have to resort to something from that damn vending machine."

The Japanese pilot grimaced mentally. He generally avoided the machine in the common room at all costs. It stocked sandwiches, fruit, yoghurts and the like for those students that missed a main meal for whatever reason. Not only did you have to spend extra money to get food, but the food itself was terrible, too. So terrible that Heero, supporter of the ration bars that Duo referred to as tasteless cardboard, wouldn't eat anything from there unless he was desperately hungry. It was testament to Duo's immense appetite that he actually did eat from the machine on a fairly regular basis.

He'd probably be eating from it tonight, too. Heero doubted that he'd be able to save enough dinner to satisfy his ravenous friend, even if Trowa were to help him. Still, it would be better than nothing.

He glanced at his watch, noting they had ten minutes until their next lesson. "Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want a triple detention?"

Duo grimaced. "No way."

"We have ten minutes until the start of our next lesson. You could try being early for a change." Heero rose from his seat, and looked pointedly at the other boy until he sighed and followed suit.

As they arrived at their Maths class, the Wing pilot reflected that it wouldn't hurt to try and get Duo to his lessons on time, even if it meant escorting him there himself. Even if he didn't do his homework, just being more punctual would make the other pilot's life a little easier.

***

The soggy brown casserole stared up at Heero, challenging him to work out a solution to his little conundrum. "Trowa?" he asked after a while, perplexed.

The banged boy looked up from his own plate in response.

"Mission: To retrieve sustenance from school cafeteria in order for Duo devour upon returning from his double detention. Suggestions on accomplishing this?"

Trowa looked down at his own plate again, then back up at Heero. "Unless you have a Tupperware tub stashed in your pants, I think this is one mission you don't stand a chance of completing."

Heero sighed, nodding. "I agree. We're reduced to plan B, then."

"Plan B?"

"Stash as many bread rolls as you can," Heero said gloomily. "And hope dessert doesn't involve custard."

It wasn't going to sate Duo's never-ending appetite, he knew, but it was better than nothing. With a casual swipe from the basket, and a flick of his wrist, Heero stashed another roll in his jacket. If he hurried, he could deposit the food in their shared room before Duo returned from detention, and then escape the inevitable complaints of starvation. He was sure he could find something to occupy himself with long enough for Duo to stop whining that he was hungry, and how unjust the school system was to let growing boys skip essential main meals. He'd heard it too many times before to want to endure it again.

***

"Alison was in detention again," Duo said conversationally to Trowa as they ambled in the direction of the common room. "She is *so* obvious. That's the third time she's been in there the same time as me. That's too often to be a coincidence." He shoved the last piece of the blueberry tart Heero had saved into his mouth, wishing he'd actually managed to be there at dinner so he could have had seconds.

"So you think she has a thing for you?" Trowa asked absently, not particularly showing any sign of interest in the subject.

Duo swallowed hastily. "Unless she has a thing for that old sourpuss Brownlie - which I seriously doubt. I'm the only other person in detention on a regular basis. Why else would a straight A student end up in detention three times in one month, unless she was following me around?"

"Why indeed." Trowa's attention suddenly seemed to snap into focus, as if something had just occurred to him. "So if she has a thing for you, why not make her day and ask her on a date?"

"Heh. No thanks. Not my type."

"What's not to like? Blonde, blue-eyed, intelligent, curves to die for "

"Hey, you want her, you take her, bud," Duo laughed. He opened the door to the deserted common room, gesturing Trowa through before him.

Standing in front of the vending machine, violet eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Now, what evil substances shall I pollute my body with tonight?" he mused, rubbing his hands together.

"Anything so long as I don't have to watch you," Trowa commented, collapsing gracefully onto a couch. He picked up a discarded magazine and flicked idly through it.

Duo pushed at the vending machine button, making the rack rotate, displaying it's contents. To his disappointment, a miracle hadn't happened, and the machine was filled with the same old items it usually was. In fact, some of the sandwich packets looked pretty familiar, and were probably weeks out of date by now.

Glancing quickly at the doors to make sure that no one else was going to burst in, Duo fished in his pocket and dug out a coin with a piece of wire soldered on. Deftly, he inserted the coin, tugging it back out with the wire just as he heard the machine clicking in acceptance. He chortled to himself as he punched in the numbers for his free meal.

Repeating the process several times resulted in a satisfying pile of food to be collected from the tray. After unwrapping a muffin and securing it in his mouth, Duo gathered up his bounty and turned to Trowa. "Re-ey oo o?" he asked around his mouthful. Even if he hadn't understood what he was saying, Trowa got the idea and rose from the couch, taking some of the food from Duo's arms.

Jiggling the remainder so he had a hand free to hold what he was eating, Duo took a bite from the muffin, then followed Trowa back to their room. The muffin was meant to be chocolate, but tasted more like paper. He tried to ignore the stale taste and the rubbery texture, reminding himself that it was better than nothing. But not by much, he had to admit. It felt like lead in his stomach.

After a few more mouthfuls, Duo's taste buds detected something else under the overwhelming staleness. A sharp bitterness, a taste that shouldn't have been in a chocolate muffin, even one as bad as this.

It was a taste that, with a sinking sensation in his stomach, Duo realised he recognised.

"Uh, Trowa?" he said, black spots dancing in front of his eyes, stomach suddenly cramping. "I don't feel too well." His legs gave out, and he collapsed gracelessly to the floor. Trowa was by his side in seconds, concerned. "Get me back to our room?" His vision blurred, eyes drooping shut as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Poison wasn't high on his list of preferred ways to die.

***

Inhale. Gasp painfully. Attempt to breathe normally without lungs burning like hell. It was a procedure that Duo knew far too well for his liking.

He opened his eyes, relieved to note that Trowa had left the main light off and had turned one of the desk lamps on instead. Reviving from death and opening your eyes to bright light was just the same as waking up and trying to see when you switch the light on. It hurt like hell, and left you feeling grumpy and sour with one heck of a headache.

Trowa had risen from his seat by the bed, startled by Duo's sudden resurrection, eyes wide, a combination of shock and curiosity. "You know, you're one heavy guy to move when you're dead," he said conversationally after a few moments, trying to inject some normality into the situation. For his sake or Trowa's, Duo wasn't sure. Both, probably.

Violet eyes glared at Trowa's barely visible smirk. "Please, no 'dead weight' jokes. I've heard them all before," Duo rasped tiredly.

Expression now concerned, Trowa asked, "Are you alright?"

"No," came Duo's sour reply as he sat up carefully on his lower bunk. The room contained two bunk-beds. Heero and Duo shared one, Trowa had the other to himself. "Reviving sucks almost as much as dying."

Trowa nodded. Considering this was the first time he'd seen Duo revive, he was taking it remarkably well. "You were poisoned?" he asked, jerking his thumb at the pile of food he'd obviously thought to retrieve. The remainder of the muffin that sat on the corner of the desk. It reminded Duo of a vulture, sitting there, hunched over, and waiting for him to die. He felt a stab of satisfaction that he'd survived it.

"Yeah," he answered his companion. That was one of the things he liked about his fellow Gundam pilots. They had brains, and given the facts they could work things out for themselves.

"Deliberate?"

"Tasted like it. I've been killed by that shit before. Although given the state of some of the stuff in that machine, I can't be sure that it wasn't a case of severe food poisoning."

The door rattled, then opened as Heero unlocked it and slipped in quietly. Duo was again impressed with Trowa's consideration. First the light, then locking the door in case someone walked in on him dead.

Heero frowned at the pile food on the desk. "Not hungry?" he asked, scooping up the uneaten half of the muffin and raising it to his mouth.

With a look of sheer horror on his face, Duo yelled wordlessly, launched himself from the bed and collided with Heero. They both tumbled to the floor, the cake falling from the Wing pilot's grasp, and rolling under the desk. For a few moments, all Duo could do was lie there on top of Heero, stunned with relief that his friend hadn't eaten any of the deadly food.

The wind knocked out of his lungs, it took Heero a few tries to gasp, "What was that about?"

"The muffin is poisoned," their banged friend informed him as Duo scrambled off of Heero, then helped him up.

Heero's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He looked at Duo.

"Tro's right. I ate it, I died," he confirmed.

Heero looked at the muffin. "Is that from the vending machine?"

"Yeah, along with the rest of the stuff on the desk." Duo threw himself onto his bed, looking suddenly mournful. "I don't think I'll be able to eat a chocolate muffin ever again."

Heero ignored him, a troubled expression on his face as he stared at the food. "You're sure it's poison and not just the state of the food?"

"Uh huh. Someone deliberately poisoned that baby."

"But why?" Trowa mused.

Duo shrugged. "Either the teachers have finally decided to get even with the students, or," he intoned ominously, "that student killer guy has finally hit campus." It wasn't a particularly appealing thought, and he wasn't sure he entirely believed it He frowned as Heero looked even more troubled. "What's eating you?"

Heero looked at him. "Duo, what are the odds of you getting the only poisoned item from the vending machine?"

"I dunno, pretty slim I'd guess..." He stared wide eyed with sudden realisation at the pile of food. "That's not the only fucking thing poisoned, is it?"

"Probably not," Heero agreed.

"But how can we be sure?" the braided pilot asked.

"You could always eat the rest of the food. If you dropped dead again, we'd know for sure."

Trowa's suggestion was met by a filthy look from Duo. "Forget it, buddy. For. Get. It."

"It doesn't matter if it is or it isn't," the Wing pilot pointed out. "We can't risk other students getting poisoned. Unlike you, they're not going to spring back to life."

It was a sobering thought.

"We have to raid the vending machine," Trowa sighed.

Heero nodded. "Raid it, and get rid of the food."

Duo chewed his bottom lip as a thought occurred. "Guys, if this is that wacko serial killer, he's not gonna stop at poisoning the vending machine. He'll keep trying to bump off students. And I'll bet he won't be happy when no one drops dead from eating his mutant muffin."

"Looks like we have a mission after all, Duo," Heero commented. "Find the killer and disable him."

Duo scowled, cursing himself for thinking boredom was a bad thing at breakfast. Raiding vending machines in the middle of the night and tracking psychotic student killers wasn't exactly his idea of fun.