Honest Love

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Freecloud' is from the song title 'Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud' and is the property of David Bowie.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----part 1-----

The plane landed and the passengers stepped out. Amongst them stood a young man with Chinese clothes and black hair tied back into a braid.

"At last." he let out a sigh of relief. Here was where he'd find true happiness... and maybe true love.

He saw signs on the walls of the airport. Some disaster relief organization was looking for volunteers. At first he dismissed the idea. The thought of working hard and not getting paid didn't appeal to him. But then he noticed they weren't exactly giving nothing in return. He'd get three meals a day and a roof over his head in exchange for his help.

It wasn't a bad trade-off, he decided, writing down the phone number at the bottom of the poster.


The phone call went well, he spoke with an enthusiastic young man, who sounded to be about Ranma's age. The young man told Ranma all the benefits and drawbacks of the job, explaining each with a brutal honesty that Ranma found refreshing.

"I hope he's cute." Ranma found himself saying as he headed to the taxi curb.

"Where to, mac?" the cabby asked.

"Name's Ranma." Ranma replied. "And I'm heading to the Freecloud Disaster Organization Building."

"Ranma, eh?" the cabbie asked. "Pleased to meet cha. Name's Phil." he winked a deep blue eye. "So, you're working for Freecloud, huh?"

"I hope to be."

"You'll get it." Phil assured him. "Max is pretty relaxed when it comes to hiring. Course, he's pretty talkative once he gets started."

"So he seemed." Ranma recalled the extensive phone call with the previously unnamed young man. He also wondered at the name, he didn't sound like someone who'd be called 'Max'. Not to Ranma at least. He supposed he'd work that out later.

"Well, here we are." the cabby told him.

Ranma paid the man, then grabbed his bag and headed into the building.

It was a typical brick building, the kind seen in most cities. But to Ranma, who'd grown up with small houses and Japanese dojos almost all his life, it was a novelty. He touched the side of the building, admiring its sturdiness, then stepped inside and noticed that the interior needed a lot of work. //It's like me,// he thought, //Strong outside, but inside...//

"Hey! You must be the guy who phoned a short while ago!"

The semi-familiar voice (voices always sound a little different on the phone) shattered Ranma's train of thought.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Ranma offered his hand. "Ranma Saotome, formerly of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. You're Max?" he hoped to Kami-sama he wasn't being rude.

The other boy smiled. "Sort of." he admitted. "It's a nickname, actually. Short for Duo Maxwell. Please, come on in."

"Thanks." Ranma replied, noticing that the other boy had a braid like his. No... much longer than his. 

"Like it?" Duo asked, proudly. "Been growing it all my life. Anyone who touches it without my permission gets a black eye, and anyone who cuts it dies!"

Ranma flinched, but only momentarily.

"Relax," Duo smiled. "I'm easy to get along with as long as you don't touch the braid. You must be hungry if you just got here. I know the airlines don't exactly give high quality meals."

"Actually, I am a bit hungry, but..."

"Then it's settled. We'll discuss your employment over lunch. Pizza sound good to you?"

"Sounds fine." Ranma smiled. 

Duo picked up the phone and dialed for a delivery. "There." he said, once the order was placed.

"Are more people coming?" Ranma asked, noting the size of the delivery.

"Nah." Duo grinned. "I just love pizza. So... while we're waiting, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

-----part 2-----

Ranma took a seat on the desk. "Whaddya wanna know?"

"Why the braid?" Duo asked.

"Why do you wear one?"

"You first." Duo smiled.

"Okay." Ranma replied. "Well, mostly habit these days, I supposed. And because it's easier to do martial arts with it this way. But in the beginning I wore it this way because I had to. It wouldn't stop growing if I didn't. You see, there was this stuff I I ate, I barely remember what it was or why these days, and it made my hair grow very long if I didn't tie it up with a dragon whisker. But I got that cured. So now I just got one problem to worry about." He figured Duo might as well know now. 

Duo watched as Ranma picked up the pitcher of ice water that was sitting on the credenza and overturned it onto himself. He blinked as the boy suddenly transformed into a girl who looked both exactly the same as him and different. The braid, hair-length, and basic structure were the same. But her eyes were of a different color and her hair was dark red instead of black. "You got any hot water?" she asked.

"There's a bucket in the janitor's closet in the hall." Duo replied. "It's a walk-in and there's a sink there. I assume that hot water changes you back into a boy?"

Ranma nodded, then went to take care of the matter. He returned a moment later and leaned against the wall. "So, your turn."

"Well," Duo replied, "my hair was braided the first time by Sister Helen. She was a nun who worked at the Maxwell Church. The most beautiful woman in all the world. And I don't just mean in body. She had the prettiest face I ever saw. it was always full of kindness, even if she was angry, and her voice was the prettiest I ever heard. She used to sing me lullabies when I would have nightmares about my parents."

"They used to fight all the time?" Ranma asked.

"I wish." Duo sighed. "No. They died when I was very small. Soldiers..." he closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears. But they began to trickle down anyhow.

"Sheesh, man. Ain'tcha got over it yet? I mean, you said it happened when you were small, right. That had to be years ago."

Duo nodded. "It was. But I guess it'll never stop hurting. At any rate. I was a street thief after my folks were killed by the soldiers. Took up with a small gang and did all kinds of things to stay alive including..."

Here Duo blushed, but did not say more. Whatever it was, it was something he was embarrassed about.

Ranma didn't know whether to feel sorry for Duo or disgusted. The idea that the boy could've give up so much for...

Duo noticed the look in Ranma's eyes and shook his head. "Oh, no..." he shook his head. "I didn't give *that* much. I'm still a virgin. But I did other stuff. Blow jobs mostly. Got pretty good at it, too." he added with a tone of mixed shame and pride."

The door buzzer sounded and Duo raced downstairs to get the pizza, leaving Ranma sitting alone in his office.

Ranma wondered, for the moment he was alone, what it might be like to have Duo's lips around his manhood, working him over, the other boy's head bobbing up and down over his erection, his fingers entwined in Duo's hair, moaning as...

"Eat it while it's hot!" Duo exclaimed cheerfully, as he set the pizza down on the desk along with the complimentary sodas.

Ranma and Duo dug in.

"Anyhow," Duo said, clearing his mouth with a swig of cola, "after a while, we moved to the L2 colony. That's where Freecloud is based, by the way. This is just the recruiting office. There was a plague there, everyone caught it... well everyone except one person. And that person's talking to you. So once again, I was orphaned. My best friend, the first person outside my parents who loved me, a man named Solo, was one of the ones who died. That was my fault. I didn't get the medicine to him fast enough. It was my job to steal it, you see. I got my first name from him. Cause he's in here." he tapped his heart. "Part of his soul anyhow. Anyhow, I was very weak from hunger, barely alive, when Father Maxwell found me. He was the one who ran the Maxwell Church. I got my last name from him."

"He adopted you?" Ranma asked.

"Oh no." Duo shook his head. "He couldn't do that. It would've been mean to adopt me and not all the other orphans. I never got adopted. I have no family even now. Anyhow, at Maxwell Church, Sister Helen wanted to cut my hair. But it's been the only thing that's been with me all my life, so I was, like 'no way'." he smiled. "I put up a real fuss about it, too. So finally, she decided to braid it. To make it neater. I'll never forget it. I looked her right in the eye, and I told her thanks, 'cause it made it easier for me to steal stuff that way."

Ranma spluttered in shock. "You said that to a *nun*?!"

Duo shrugged. "I run, I hide, but I never lie." he grinned.

"Don't you get worried that someone might get mad at you if you're too honest? Like if someone asks if they look fat and they do?"

"Nah." Duo shrugged. "Why should I worry? I'm Shinigami." he took another slice of pizza and smiled as he wolfed it down.

Ranma helped himself to another slice, wondering what the proper response was to a person who had just, in a casual noncombative way, told you he was the God of Death.

-----part 3-----

Duo smiled. "Relax," he told Ranma. "I don't bite... unless you want me to."

"Um... no thanks." Ranma said, a bit more anxiously than he would've liked.

"Don't worry. I don't force myself on other guys, even if I do like them." Duo sighed. "Besides, I already have a boyfriend... sort of."

Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"It's more than a crush, at least on my part. But I'm not sure about him."

"It's not me, is it?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, Good Lord, no." Duo shook his head. "Not that you're not attractive, but we just met. I mean paid sex or something is one thing, but a relationship needs time."

"Wish my old man knew that."

"He tried to set you up with someone you don't love?"

"This uncute tomboy. She and several other girls ended up being my fiancées because of my stupid father. So now I had to leave Nerima and come here to get away from all that."

"Fiancées?" Duo asked. "Plural?"

Ranma nodded. "Every time the idiot ran out of food. Though at least I didn't have to do anything involving sex. He'd trade me, then we'd eat and later he'd sneak me right back out again." He sighed. "Stupid old man." he complained. He frowned and sat there, sulkily, until Duo unexpectedly kissed. "Whoa.. what the..?!"

Duo smiled. "You looked like you could use some cheering up." he shrugged. "You're more than welcome to use me if you need to. I'm used to it."

Ranma blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you feel like venting your anger on me, feel free. Go ahead. I can take it." Duo shrugged. Inside he thought. //I can't. Not really. Not any more. I'm getting tired of it.//

Ranma must've sensed Duo's thoughts because he did something at that moment that surprised both of them.

He leaned over, closed his eyes, and kissed Duo firmly upon the lips.

"You're not the one I'm angry at." He whispered as he felt Duo return the kiss.

-----part 4-----

They finished the pizza and threw away the box.

"Ready to head off to L2?" Duo asked.

"Sure am." Ranma grinned. He wondered where L2 was. Probably a commune or something like that. He'd find out soon enough. And did it matter really? After all the traveling he'd done, he figured he'd have no problem fitting in anywhere on Earth.

They headed outside and Duo lead Ranma over to a clunky looking station wagon, that didn't seem to be the type of vehicle someone like Duo would drive. At least, not until he read the name.(1)

Duo started the motor. It came to life and then the old car began heading down the road, Duo at the wheel singing 'Fire of Unknown Origin' along with his Blue Oyster Cult cassette which also included, of course, 'Don't Fear the Reaper', which was the next song on the tape.

Ranma blinked as the car Duo was driving arrived at a clearing. Blue Oyster Cult was singing 'Heavy Metal: The Black and Silver'. It was fitting song under the circumstances. There, in the middle, was the biggest robot he'd ever seen in his life. It looked like one of those toy mechas he sometimes saw at anime conventions. Only this one was bigger. A lot bigger. And yes, it was black and silver all right.

//Falling matter from the cross// the song got to the bridge, //Freedom that was never lost...//

Duo cut the engine and got out of the car, racing toward the large robot and giving it a hug, like one would give to an old war-buddy.

Ranma got out and joined him a minute later. "What the...?!"

"Ranma," Duo said, with a gesture like a carnival barker inviting the crowd into the tent to see the latest freaks, "this is Shinigami. He's been with me through thick and thin. Never let me down once."

"Um... hi." Ranma said, sweatdropping nervously.

"He doesn't actually speak much," Duo grinned as he opened a panel and keyed in a code. "Don't bother trying to read it over my shoulder. It'll only respond to my finger prints. And it's biorhythm encoded too. That means if I'm nervous or someone cuts my hand off, it won't work either."

Ranma smiled, and not entirely at what Duo was saying. The smile was directly mostly at the large sign Shinigami was holding up.

"I'd *like* to be able to speak once in a while, but as you can see Duo never shuts up."


Duo turned and the sign was quickly hidden before he was facing the mecha again. "Shini-chan's a Gundam." he said, proudly. "Fastest one of the bunch. Good thing, too. The self-destruct button always fails." At this he leaned on the Gundam's massive leg and failed to see another sign.

"Of course the self-destruct button always fails. If it didn't, my precious Duo would die. I can't let him die. I love him."

"It's been looked at, but no one can figure out why it won't work."

Ranma pointed, and Duo turned, but by the time he did, the sign was gone again.

//A shy war machine.// Ranma thought, and smiled at the irony.

They both piled into the machine and Duo powered it up.

"Shinigami lives!" he cried out, triumphantly, as they soared upward.

"Where are we going?" Ranma asked.

"L2 Colony." Duo replied. Then, with a smile that was so manic it would've made Zaphod Beeblebrox green with envy, he added. "You didn't *really* think it was on Earth, did you?"

-----Owari-----

(1) I don't know what Duo drives in the series, if he drives at all, but for those of you who haven't guessed, the car is a Ford Prefect.