What’s Really In The Dark Of Night

 

Chapter Seven; Duo POV:

 

          “So… Duo we leave or what?” Heero asked. My eyes were wide in shock. He knew everything about me now. He knew I was a crazy female who was in love with him and yet he still called me friend. Maybe he was really the crazy one and I was actually sane. I grinned and stood, dusting my own pants off in a mimic of his previous actions.

 

          “We leave,” I answered. A plot was forming in my mind and I wanted to work a few more details out before placing it into action. I smirked slightly as I caught sight of Relena’s best photographers. Young paparazzi that’s what they really were. I reached out and took Heero’s hand, dragging him off to my bike. Surprisingly, his car was now parked beside it.

 

          “Smart move, Hee-chan. Those girls are terrified of touching my bike. The parking spot is even more ominous to them,” I commented.

 

          He chuckled. “I know. That’s why I…” he trailed off as he realized what he was saying. I waved it off.

 

          “No more of that Hee-chan. Don’t tip-toe around the issues. I know what everyone thinks and says and I don’t care. You shouldn’t either.” Heero smiled at me then, causing my pulse to race. No wonder his fan club was so into him. One smile like that could kill a girl.

 

          “All right. I’ll try not to,” he told me, making me grin back in return.

 

          “Don’t just try, do.” I then pulled on my helmet and looked expectantly at him. He grabbed the helmet from his car and instantly pressed the button to turn on the microphone. I smirked at that. My Heero would become a great motorcyclist someday.

 

          That drew me up short. My Heero? He wasn’t my anything. Besides, now that he knew a lot more about me, I was certain he’d want nothing to do with me. Well, besides being friends with a similar secret, that is. There really wasn’t all that much we shared in common.

 

          Besides our gifts with the spirits, there was our dislike of Relena and her fan club junkies. Add to that our wealthy families and I suppose we had a lot more in common than I first believed. Well, hell, that didn’t help me at all with the ‘we have nothing in common’ argument.  I couldn’t use the speech that went with it either. We had plenty as it was. Yet if we looked a little closer and got to talking some more, I’m almost certain that there would be even more in common between us some where.

 

          “So, where are we going exactly,” Heero asked me. I grinned, even though he couldn’t see me.

 

          “Someplace you’ll love,” I commented. “By the way, you should smile more often. You just might kill off a few of those unwanted fan girls in the process. They’d just sit there, see you smile, and suddenly be all… Oh my god! He just smiled at me!! He’s so handsome! I can’t take it! OH!!’” I murmured in a good imitation of the many fan girls. I then proceeded to swoon backward, instinctively trusting that Heero would catch me. Which he did with one of those killer smiles I had been talking about. Even his beautiful blue eyes showed that he really meant that smile since I could see them clearly through the open visor. I grinned in return, my heart seeming to skip a beat. “See, instant death.” Heero laughed at that one, making my cheeks warm and nearly undoing my whole casual attitude. That laugh needed to be on the killer list as well.

 

          I struggled to get up and Heero’s strong, yet deceptively slim arms helped me up easily. I found myself reluctant to end such a closeness, but I wasn’t about to ruin the first real friendship I had ever managed to keep for more than a day. Instead, I gave Heero a wink and revved up the motorcycle. “I think I see what you mean. Yet it would also manage to gain me even more fan girls at the same time.”

 

          I chuckled. “Oh well, no one said it was a perfect plan. So lets shoot it before it grows any larger.” I felt Heero’s comforting arms slip around my waist as I moved to lead us away from the school. It was obvious he was a lot more comfortable with me now than he had been when we had first met. I couldn’t quite figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I didn’t speak up until we had arrived at my destination. This time it was a place I had been planning on visiting.

 

          “Another cemetery?” he questioned, his voice skeptical. Not like I couldn’t blame him for that. “Planning on killing me with more daisy popping spirits so that the last thing I need to worry about is the fan girls?” I held back my laughter. Sometimes it was just better to show someone something than try telling them. It just was easier all around in my own opinion. I drove along until I got to a rather large building. Beside the mausoleum was a white marble stone with a beautiful statue of a young woman on top. The tomb read Maxwell across the top. The stone read ‘Helen Maxwell. Beloved wife and mother. Died A.C. 193. Forever will her smile shine upon the hearts of those who love her.’

 

 

          “This is my parents grave. Well, actually it’s a crypt. I used to hear my mother when I was younger. After Aunt Helen died, I couldn’t hear her any more. Instead, I began to hear Helen.”

 

          “You have a cousin?” Heero asked, doing as I had just done and placing his helmet on the bike. I shook my head.

 

          “I was adopted by my Aunt Helen and Uncle Damien. To them, I had become their daughter. Helen used to believe I spoke to my mother because I was having a hard time accepting that I had lost both of my parents at such an early age. She was wrong, but I wasn’t about to try to correct her. Now, she knows the truth first hand. When Helen died, my mother knew I’d still be cared for. Her unfinished business was complete. She didn’t want to stay away any longer. She couldn’t stand being away from my father any more either.”

 

          Heero stepped up beside me and placed a comforting arm around my shoulders. I was amazed by how grateful I was for such a simple action. “So the woman I saw at school?” he asked. I nodded.

 

          “It was most likely my Aunt Helen. She must have pointed you in my direction.”

 

          “Actually, he asked me where you were,” Helen said softly. I blinked in surprise, even as I shivered slightly. I hated it when she just popped up out of nowhere like that. Heero had jumped from beside me as well, his arm falling from my shoulder.

 

          “I heard her, Duo,” he whispered, his beautiful eyes wide in shock. I blinked once more. How in the world?

 

          “He heard me?” Helen questioned. This time around, Heero seemed confused.

 

          “What did she say?” Heero asked.

 

          “She said ‘He heard me?’. Apparently it must have just been a fluke. A one time deal.” Helen must have been staring at Heero, because the poor boy was squirming around like he was uncomfortable with the attention. I had been on the receiving end of that glare far too many times myself. A thick swallow caused his throat to move nervously.

 

          “Does she always stare people down like this?” Heero asked, his voice showing his nervously. I laughed, taking his hand into both of mine.

 

          “Auntie, be nice. He’s my friend,” I told her.

 

          “Some friend! He’s managed to turn the entire pink fan club after you!” Heero dropped my hands as if I had burned him.

 

          “I didn’t mean for her to get caught up in this!” he exclaimed. I looked from where Heero’s gaze was to Heero and back again. I then thought back over what had been similar in both cases. I smirked as my mind came up with two and two to make a beautiful four.

 

          “Well, I’ll be damned,” I muttered. Heero stared at me.

 

          “Don’t use such language dear,” Helen scolded me softly. I couldn’t help but smirk despite the lecture.

 

          “You’ll be damned what?” Heero asked.

 

          “The reason you could hear Helen was because you were touching me at the time.” I could hear Helen scoff at those words.

 

          “I’ve never heard of a more absurd reason to touch a boy, let alone hold hands with one,” she said. I shook my head.

 

          “Can we just give this a try?” I asked. Without waiting I took Heero’s hand and looked exactly to where Heero’s gaze was. All I could see was a faint baby blue aura, which seemed to shimmer with a gentleness. I guess I wouldn’t be as lucky as Heero.

 

          “Duo, you are about to prove you are as nuts as everyone believes you are, dear,” Aunt Helen said gently. Heero smirked at those words.

 

          “Or prove she’s smarter than all of us,” Heero remarked back, causing Helen to gasp.

 

          “You’ve got to be joking. You can actually hear me just by touching my niece?”

 

           “It seems so, Mrs. Maxwell,” Heero answered.

 

          “Oh, please call me Helen. Its been so long since I’ve had anyone talk to me. Well, besides Duo and the other spirits, that is.” I grinned at that.

 

 

          “Perhaps I should try this on Uncle Damien. Then maybe he wouldn’t work so much.”

 

          Helen harrumphed at that. “That’ll be the day. Your uncle will be the death of me.” Heero and I laughed at those words. “Well… you know what I mean.” Heero and I nodded at that. Heero’s fingers moved and were soon threaded through mine, causing a flush to creep up my throat and into my cheeks.

 

          “We know, Auntie,” I answered. We spent the next hours talking and joking. The whole while, Heero’s hand never let go of mine.

 

~~~

 

          After returning to school and gaining his promise to meet me here in the morning, I left for home. It would take a lot of planning and a lot of work on myself to do what I had eventually planned. Yet it would be worth it, if it was successful. Stepping into my walk-in-closet I pressed a button to access clothes that I had never ever dreamed of wearing. I planned on giving the Pink Princess and her crew a run for their money tomorrow. There was just a few adjustments to be made first.

 

~~~

 

          Morning dawned bright and early for me. Far earlier than I was normally used to. I slowly unbraided my hair before brushing it out. I then pulled it back and up into a high ponytail, letting the rest of it fall in a shimmering brown waterfall effect around my shoulders and down my back. I then applied just the barest amounts of make-up. Eyeliner and mascara were used to make my eyes stand out more. A lite amount of foundation and blush was used to highlight my natural coloring. My violet eyes were now the first thing someone’s eyes would be drawn to on me. That’s what I wanted.

 

          After the make-up, I pulled on a long, ankle-length skirt with slits that ran along either side to my knees. This would allow me freedom of movement for when I needed it. My top was a rich velvet material that seemed to fit like a second skin. While I had rather small, firm breasts, it molded to the peaks that were confined in a bra instead of being taped down. It merely complimented the entire package and finished showing off my ethereal beauty. At least, that’s what Aunt Helen told me once.

 

          Today was picture day at the academy. I was determined to look my best. This was quite possibly the only time Heero would catch me like this. I wasn’t big on going through the whole routine of looking like a woman, especially everyday. This honestly was most likely a one time affair. I slipped on a pair of scythe shaped earrings and black high heel shoes over black nylons. Looking at the finished product I couldn’t help but smile. The boys at school would forget everything that Relena had ever written about me. Hell, they’d even forget about Relena at this rate. Granted, I wasn’t conceited over my looks, but I knew I could look better than that Pink Menace any day of the week.

 

          I grabbed up a girlish black back pack that Helen had bought me one year and then headed downstairs. There I was pleasantly surprised to see my Uncle Damien sitting at the kitchen table, staring at me over his newspaper. “Uncle, what are you doing home?” I asked.

 

          “I got your note about needing money for school pictures and figured I should see you before you left instead of just leaving it in an envelope.” I blinked in surprise.

 

          “But I have the credit card you gave me. I can just use that to pay for them,” I remarked, surprised that he had forgotten. He smiled softly at me, his dark brown hair showing signs of his age with a sprinkling of gray through it. He was working himself into old age and that made me sad. His charcoal gray suit was tailor made and matched his eyes perfectly. Even now, I still felt a calm when I looked into those gray eyes of his.

 

          “Then explain this,” he murmured, holding up a note. I read it over and noticed Aunt Helen’s neat handwriting. One of these days I’d have to yell at her for such interference. At the moment, though, yelling at her in front of my uncle would only succeed in making me the next candidate for the funny farm. Which was something I most certainly didn’t want to do in front of him. Instead, I thought it over really hard.

 

          “Oh, I let it completely slip my mind. The company doing senior pictures has been having troubles with credit cards lately. Something about not clearing half the time. So they asked for cash when possible.” I breathed a sigh of relief when my uncle nodded. While I wasn’t lying, because I refused to do that, I wasn’t being completely truthful either.

 

          “I’ve had several clients come to me with that kind of trouble as well. So I should have realized this sooner. How much are they?” he asked.

 

          “The package I want is only thirty-five “

 

          “Does that happen to include an eight by ten?” I shook my head in answer. Why was he even asking? He had never paid any attention to me like this before. At least, not since Aunt Helen had died. You see, Damien was my father’s brother. My father’s name had been Xavier Maxwell. He had married my mother, formerly known as Ehlana Winner, and together they had me. Yes, before you say anything else, she was one of THE Winner’s. Only mother had decided to marry below her station and was cut off from her family, disowned so to speak. At the time she didn’t have a brother, you see. So leaving behind twenty-nine siblings had to have been hard. Yet apparently she never regretted it. When my parents died, grandpa Winner tried to tell me how sorry he was. Yet I simply accepted the apology and told him to never bother me again. If mom hadn’t been family to him anymore than neither was I.

 

          Oh, the fan girls would flip if they knew all that. Poor little Quatre would possibly go into hysterics when he realized he was the uncle of the school loon. Yet I wasn’t sorry I didn’t know my mother’s family. Not much anyway. It just wasn’t worth knowing people who would look down on me. I suppose I’d get to know them if I lost Uncle Damien. He’s the last living relative I have on my father’s side of the family, after all. Although I am almost old enough to take care of myself, the state wouldn’t see it until I legally was.

 

          “Duo,” my uncle called, bringing me back to the present. I looked up at him then.

 

          “Yes?” I asked.

 

          “How much is it to get one?” I felt black for a moment until I realized he meant an eight by ten picture added to the package.

 

          “Oh, just the next package up, which is forty-eight,” I answered. He smiled as he handed over the money, which I slipped into a zippered part of my bag.

 

          “You’re so like your father,” he said suddenly, surprising me. I couldn’t help but smile softly at that.

 

          “Am I really?” I asked.

 

          “Yeah. Xavier always had his head in the clouds too. That’s why he chose to be an author.” I laughed softly. I had several of my father’s books in my room. He had been very good at writing supernatural thrillers.

 

          “I know I have dad’s hair,” I commented. Damien nodded.

 

          “And your mother’s eyes. I miss them both. I miss your Aunt Helen as well. I suppose I haven’t been a very good parent lately, working such long hours. It’ll change, though. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your boyish appearance lately.” I swallowed at those words. Aunt Helen was messing with his dreams again in order to get me into trouble. I really, really needed to yell at the woman.

 

          “Its nothing serious. I just don’t feel like dressing to impress the boys all the time, that’s all. Today’s special because I want to look special for my senior pictures.”

 

          “Not to mention tying to knock the socks off of one Prince Heero Yuy,” Helen added. I almost choked. I hadn’t even realized she was in the room till now.

 

          “All right then. If you want to stay looking your best take the car.” If I took my hearse to school, the gossips would flip and just have a field day with the whole scene.

 

          “That’s all right. I’ve got everything under control,” I said, trying to get away. I then jumped as he tossed me the keys to Aunt Helen’s silver Jaguar. Nobody, and I mean nobody, drove her Jag.  My shock must have showed because Uncle Damien spoke up.

 

          “Take the Jag. I’m certain Helen would have wanted you to knock them dead in style. Granted your hearse is better suited to carry the bodies you’ll rack up, the Jag will make a better statement.” I laughed and impulsively moved forward to hug him.

 

          “Thank you,” I whispered, even as he hugged me in return.

 

          “Go get ‘em, Duo,” he replied. I rushed out before he changed his mind.

 

          “Use my camera in the glove compartment. I want to see Heero’s face when he see’s you.”

 

          “I’ll try,” I told her. I then got into the silver Jag and started her up to purring. Pulling out of the driveway, I headed off to school.

 

~~~

 

          Arriving at school in such a vehicle drew many an eye. I laughed softly at the sight. Oh what they didn’t realize. They had always been staring at me before. Now it was just for an entirely different reason. The silver Jaguar must have seemed like a rarity in this parking lot full of Porsches, Mercedes Benzes, and Mustangs. In fact, it was the only Jag around. I parked one spot over from my usual parking spot. As per our agreement, Heero would be parking there today. As I noticed, his car was already there and he was paying no attention to me. Typical Prince Yuy behavior. I pulled out the camera and set it to snap his picture when I hit the cordless remote. Helen had been a photographer when she had been alive… so any camera of hers was more than extravagant.

 

          Stepping out of the car earned me several whistles before I even looked up. Once I was fully standing and looking out at the crowd I gained a few more whistles and some cat calls. One of those whistles came from Wufei, whom I happened to know hated me. Too bad no one really knew who I really was. I gave the Chinese boy a wink before leaning against my car, well out of the way of the camera. Once that was done, I spoke up.

 

          “Is this more your style, Hee-chan?” I asked in a soft voice, catching his full and undivided attention. He turned and looked at me, his Prussian blue eyes wide in disbelief and his jaw seeming to fall slack.

 

          “Duo?” he questioned as I snapped the picture. I smirked, knowing he’d recognize it.

 

          “The one and only. What say we take some senior photos and then give Relena’s fan club something to write about?” I asked, praying I didn’t become too nervous and fail being completely confident in myself. After all, startling people was my one true passion and I did it well. There was no way I could mess this up and continue to hold my head up high in later days. I would have to do this perfectly… no matter what came my way.