Duo ran his finger under the white collar around his neck, fretfully chewing on his lower lip, �I don�t know Jess, I think the blue wire would be a better option.� The timer reached a minute, not much time left now. The short redhead beside him shook her head, �No, it�s definitely the red wire, or maybe the green.� The death of darkness squeezed his cobalt eyes shut, �Just cut one!� She clipped the red wire and the bomb exploded. Eight letters flashed across the blank screen, �Game Over.� Duo groaned, �Thanks for killing us, Jess.� Pilot seven tossed the game controller at her boyfriend in annoyance, �Shut up! Like you�d do any better!� Grinning widely, he turned off the gaming council and pulled the small girl into his lap, �Sure I would�ve, it was the blue wire.� Jess kissed him lightly on the lips, �I thought I told you to shut up, Duo.� He grinned, �Ok.� Their mouths met again, this time, for longer and with more passion. If there had been any doubt before, it was gone. Duo was positive that there could be no one else, now, the next question is how to change her. The silver arch that monitored his every movement wouldn�t allow it, Duo was well aware of that fact. It will have to be in secret. Even that, he knew, would be in vain. There were no secrets in this house, not with Heero�s little mind reading crony. Then again, it wasn�t really Quatre�s fault either, Helios preferred to control everyone in the house. He would have to speak with Quatre first, if Heero didn�t ask him directly, the secret would be safe. Shinigami trusted the low-level angel that much at least.
Quatre could feel Duo�s dark presence long before there was a knock as his door; thoughts were racing through Duo�s head. The blonde Arabian could only catch snatches of them. He crossed his room and pulled open the door, �Yes? What can I do for you Duo?� The darkly clad teenager glanced around the hallway nervously and entered, �I have something to ask of you.� Quatre motioned Duo towards a chair as he shut the door behind him, �Go ahead.� Pilot two�s darkness was nearly overwhelming, but Quatre knew better than to fear this demon. Duo had never given him a reason to. His thoughts seemed to clear a little and Quatre knew what he�d come for, �If he doesn�t ask me, I will not tell him.� His words were kind, soothing as they came. Deathscythe�s pilot visibly relaxed, slumping down in the high backed chair, �Thanks Apollo, I knew I could count on you.� Pilot four seated himself across from the longhaired demon, �Is she really the one for you? Is it really that easy to find them?� Duo laughed warmly, �You should remember, little angel, that I have been alive and searching a good eight hundred years longer than you. I was among the non believers for a while, but she is.� Quatre cast his eyes to the floor, �I thought I�d found mine, but I suppose I was wrong.� Duo laced his hands behind his head, �Well, Poseidon may have seemed to be, but he couldn�t have been. Your other half is most likely going to be a girl, Quatre.� The sweet tempered pilot blushed and turned his face away, �How did you know about that? Not even Helios knows.�
The death of darkness shrugged, not seeming to notice the younger immortal�s embarrassment, �It�s kind of obvious, the way you act around him, the fact that he lightens up around you. You two really seemed to care for each other, what made you change your mind?� Pilot four sighed, his sky blue eyes growing sad, �We agreed that it would be best. After he fell, when I had contact with him, you know, my flesh against his, I began to taint. It was small enough at first that no one could notice, but we knew that over time it would get worse. If Heero noticed, well�� �You were afraid he�d send Trowa away, cause he�d blame him like he always does,� Duo concluded. Quatre nodded, his gaze still cast to the floor, �Yes, so we had one last night and swore each other off.� The young angel pulled his knees up to his chest, something he�d stopped doing as he�d grown up, �Sometimes I really miss him, even though he�s in the same house. He�s changed, somehow, I think it�s what Heero�s control is doing to him. Or maybe it was growing up on earth all over again; he�s just so different. He�s less sure of his power. If he was in his right mind, he wouldn�t let Helios walk all over him.� Duo stood with a sigh, �Well, there�s really nothing we can do about it. If I say anything to him and Heero finds out, there goes my head.� He made a slicing motion across his neck with his hand, sticking out his tongue as he did so.
Amber made a quicker recovery than expected, with a little help from Trowa. Her nights were filled with dreams of blood and demons; she rarely slept through to morning. One night, a particularly familiar image presented itself to her, an angel with black wings tipped in gold. He was fighting off a different angel, an angel that reeked of death. She tried to yell a warning, but the liquid of her life filled her throat, choking off any words she could utter. A piece of metal protruded from her side, she was dying.
The German pilot violently shook her head from side to side to rid her mind of the images. All at once, it stopped; she sat up in her bed. No, not her bed, as it was not her room. Slowly, memories returned to her, she was in Trowa�s room. Even though her body screamed to lay back down, Amber swung her legs over the side of the bed, �That wasn�t a dream.� It had been to real and to familiar to be a dream, and the angel that was guarding me� Pilot six staggered to her feet, �Was Trowa.� As she made her way out into the hall, other images lost their fog. Duo had massacred hundreds and bathed in their blood, she�d witnessed that too. The question now was, why did I forget all of this in the first place? I have to get Jess out of here.
Pilot seven tapped her chin with her index finger as she tested the soup she was cooking, �Hmmm, still needs something.� She was adding some garlic as Amber pushed open the door with her shoulder, �What are you doing up? I thought Trowa was still keeping an eye on you.� A familiar process occurred as Amber grabbed her friend�s arm and started to pull her towards the hall that lead to the garage, �We�re leaving.� Dreamchaser�s pilot broke her hold angrily, �No, I thought we�ve been through this! I�m not leaving!� Eyes flaring, the huntress took hold of the younger girl�s braid, wrapping it around her hand several times, �We�re going.� Using her hair as a sort of leash, Amber dragged the redhead behind her. Jess called her boyfriend�s name desperately as she fought pilot six�s iron grip. They were outside before he reached them, �What are you doing to Jess?!� His words were shouted more from the factor of anger than a need to be over some other sound. Amber turned, her mouth open to return the retort, but her eyes saw something that wasn�t there. She could see his wings, his glowing eyes, but none of this was really there, �What in god�s name are you?� Duo smiled wickedly, �Not in god�s name, I won�t be found there. That�s a place for angels. Let her go Amber.� Jess struggled from her cohort�s slack hand and ran to Duo�s side, he placed an arm around her waist. Amber took a single step forward, but nothing more, �You� you�re a demon!� He shrugged, �What�d you expect, a scrubbing bubble brush?� She pulled her handgun from its holster at her waist, �You will die!� Seeing the gun, Duo pulled his soul mate behind him to keep her from harm, but he was unable to dodge anything this way. In fury, the clip was unloaded on the dark boy, the gun smoking heavily after. Jess�s screams outlasted the shots as Duo collapsed onto the cement, bleeding from to many wounds to count. The small girl desperately attempted to lift the dead weight of his body into her lap, �Duo! Duo! Say something!� He groaned as she moved him, sitting up slowly, �Oh shit, I forgot how much that hurts.� Jess�s tears dripped onto his face, her eyes wide with surprise, �You�re alive?!� The huntress smirked, �Not for long.� Her cocky grin faded as the wounds she�d caused began to seal themselves up.
The back door was thrown open as Trowa and Heero piled from it, both running for the sound of the gunfire. They stopped in the driveway just as Duo�s dark ebony wings unfurled themselves from his back, the tearing of his shirt the only sound in the open space. Heero cursed that demon under his breath as he grabbed the back of Trowa�s shirt, �Stop him and get Jess away from him so I can do what I need to.� He nodded and stepped towards the feud. Amber backed away as Heero approached her, �You�re like him, aren�t you?� The silver arch continued advancing, �No, not like him.� An image flashed through her mind, Heero standing over her. Once his fingers touched her head, everything beyond it was blank; �You were the one that clouded my memories! You tried to erase them!� The massive bulk of his wings burst from his back, �And I will do a better job of it this time.�
Trowa walked towards the bristling demon cautiously, �Duo, calm down. This needs to stop.� He watched the silencer with bright crimson eyes, his pupils narrowing into cat slits, �I won�t let you take her from me either! Not her or you! She�s part of my soul, damn you!� Jess clung tighter to his back, nestling herself carefully between his two claw tipped wings. Pilot three summoned forth his own wings, knowing this was going to be difficult. Duo spoke softly over his shoulder to the trembling girl, �No matter what, hang onto me, alright?� She nodded; wondering what he had in mind.
As she gripped his waist, Shinigami�s form began to alter. A tail sprouted from his backside, accompanied by the crunch of his extending spine. Black fur spread like fire across his bare flesh and across the edges of his wings. His ears crawled up the side of his head as his face extended into a rounded muzzle. The next thing he gained was bulk, his shoulders widening and massing with an unnatural amount of muscle. Duo fell forward onto paws that had once been hands and roared his warning to the fallen arch before him. He�d become a beast of mass proportions, with teeth that could easily back up his growls. His body was that of a large predatory feline, the only white fur on his body formed the symbol of evil on his chest. Still clutching a fistful of fur, Jess scrambled onto Duo�s back to gain a better place of protection. The white collar he wore was the only remnants of his clothing, but Jess noticed that there was no break in the collar. It had expanded as he had grown.
Trowa sighed, �Duo, please. This would be a lot easier if you�d cooperate. For you and her.� A growl more menacing then that of a lion rolled from the creature�s throat, he would not give her up without a fight.
A dull thud admitted as Amber was thrown down to the cement driveway; Heero pinned her there. Pilot one allowed a demonic smile to etch into his stone features, �It�s easier if you give in like everyone else does, I have control of even Duo. You will not challenge me.� She continued to thrash furiously even as he placed his fingers against her head. P.C.�s pilot became limp almost instantly, her eyes dulling to the same color as Heero�s silver. The arch nodded in satisfaction, �Good, listen carefully to me Amber. You�ve decided to stay and have already told Jess so. You haven�t been awake very long, you just decided to watch the news. Got that?� She confirmed him with a lifeless yes and he let her go.
Jess stared at Heero�s wing burdened back, he�s one too, and Trowa? As Duo jerked to one side to avoid Poseidon, Jess had to grasp his fur to remain put. Everything was spiraling out of control. Jess knew that, even in the beastly form he�d taken, Duo would not be able to stop both Trowa and Heero. Helios had climbed to his feet and was coming towards them now. Shinigami whimpered softly as he realized this as well, his thick muscles tensed beneath pilot seven�s flesh. Trowa flared his wings out as the black creature attempted to dash past him; Duo veered away. As Heero grew nearer, pilot two became more desperate, launching himself into the sky. The fallen arch took off after him, cursing under his breath.
Helios smiled again in faint amusement, he�s trying to get out of my range. With this thought in his head, he raised his hand towards the fleeing demon. The white band around Duo�s neck tightened, digging into his fur and flesh. Jess�s emerald eyes widened, �Duo!� She slid her fingers under the shrinking collar to keep it from his windpipe, but could only flinch with the pain it caused. Duo strained to continue beating his wings, his lungs burned from lack of air. Without warning, Trowa swooped down on them both, taking the redhead from death of darkness� back. Shinigami tumbled towards the earth, changing as he fell. Jess screamed, turning her face away before he hit. Pilot three let the struggling girl go as he reached the ground, �Why must we do this?� The answer was cold as it left Heero�s mouth, �The rules will not be argued with, no mortal will remember seeing our kind.�
Trowa returned his wings to the hallow in his back, watching Heero approach the pair of teenagers on the ground, �What of Relena then? How is that not breaking the rule?� He regretted the words even before they�d finished leaving him. The silver arch turned slowly, his hard gaze contained an inferno. He strode the few steps back and viciously punched the tall boy across the mouth, his fist came away streaked in blood, �Say that again and you�ll have more than a split lip.� Poseidon nodded, gingerly fingering the bloody mess.
Tears streaked Jess�s face as she lifted Duo�s still form from the ground. One wing was crumpled awkwardly underneath him; the bone no longer appeared straight. She slid her legs underneath him so she could cradle his head in her lap, his expression still seemed strained even in the darkness of unconsciousness. �You tried Duo, please don�t regret this,� her words fell on deaf ears, but she spoke them anyway. The small girl jumped at the voice from behind her, �Isn�t that so sweet, the demon has found some one who loves him. Pretty foolish and quite stupid if you ask me.� Jess glared at the Japanese youth furiously, �I thought you two were friends, why the hell are you treating him like this? What did he ever do to you?� The cocky arch shook his head with a faint smile, �A demon and angel just don�t get along, a mortal such as you couldn�t understand it. Besides, I am a high arch and am well respected, if I was to be �friends� with a descendent of Lucifer himself, well. I�d be demoted at the least. As for what he ever did to me, he existed.�
When Duo managed to make his way into the living world again, he was laying on the floor in the kitchen. Quatre was kneeling beside him, attempting in vain to set the demon�s wing, �Shoot, why does this have to be so difficult? If you were a fallen, this would be more simple, or an angel even.� He kept feverish attention on not allowing the wing to touch anything but the cloth in his hands as he pulled the two pieces of bone into place. Duo flinched at the grinding shift and sudden crack of it returning to the correct position, �I don�t think I�d want to be an angel for the world, then I�d really have to listen to Heero. That and I wouldn�t be able to tell lies. I kind of like that quality in myself, very useful�That�s good Quatre, I can fix it from here.� The blonde Arabian nodded and sat back on his heels as Duo got up, knowing he�d heal it internally. Pilot two flexed the fresh wing carefully, �Where�d they take Jess?� The noble of the desert made sure that no one had entered the room in the past few minutes before speaking, �She�s in your room, napping and Amber�s watching TV on the couch. Heero wants to keep an eye on both of them so he told Amber that she�d decided to stay, Jess already knows that though. He didn�t erase very far into her memory, just far enough to get the past event. She still knows Duo.�
