kei_fic_untitled2

      Whew, that was close. I've got to be more careful with what I say when I talk to myself. Duo thought as he sped down a deserted highway. No, scratch that, I just won't talk to myself anymore... I'll make it to the battlefield around four in the afternoon. There's a chance I can make it back in time for dinner.
       An hour later, Duo arrived at the battlefield. It was littered with MS debris, and in many spots the metal wreckages still smoked. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Opening his eyes again, he held up his hand, which had become transparent, like the rest of his body, and a ghostly scythe flared into existence within his grasp.
       Holding the scythe, Duo began to walk through the battlefield. Every time he came across a dead body, he reached down, drew the trapped soul out, and cradled it in his hands until it stopped quivering with fright. One by one he released them, and watched as they floated up into the air and out of sight. When the last soul was gone, flitted away in the darkening sky, he sat down with a deep sigh and let the scythe fade from his hands. Solidifying, he laid back to view the sky, and maybe to take a minute to just close his eyes and...
       When he woke up, it was full dark, and he had a hard time finding his way back to the jeep. He was almost tempted to transform back into Death so the light of his scythe could guide him. I almost wonder how the others would react if they knew the truth about me. Duo mused as he drove back to his temporary home.

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       By the time he got back, it was too late to hope that he could still join the others for dinner. So instead, he headed for the kitchen to make a sandwich for himself. He rummaged around in the huge fridge and came up triumphant with a hunk of ham.   Sticking his head once again into the fridge to look for more edibles, he didn't notice Quatre come into the kitchen.
       Quatre stopped short at the sight of Duo trying to fit himself into the fridge.
       "Hello, Duo, I didn't know you were back. Um...Duo?" Quatre sweatdropped. Duo was wholly engrossed in searching the fridge from top to bottom and hadn't heard a single thing Quatre had said. "Duo?" Quatre tapped Duo lightly on the shoulder. Duo, with his head inside the fridge, jumped up so fast his head slammed against the ceiling of the fridge. "Itai!" Duo yelped. "Gomen nasai, Duo, gomen nasai!" Quatre quickly apologized and immediately began to bow repeatedly.
       Carefully withdrawing his head from the fridge, Duo said with relief, "Oh it's just you, Quatre. I didn't hear you. You scared me."
       "Sorry, Duo, so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry." Quatre repeated. "I came in here to put away leftovers, and I didn't know you were back and when I said hi you didn't hear me..." Duo rubbed his head ruefully, "Er... yeah, I had something on my mind. I was just going to make a sandwich." Quatre hovered anxiously, unsure. "Do you need any help?" Duo grinned and began to slice the vegetables he had found in the refrigerator, "No thanks, I can handle a sandwich."
       Quatre smiled and opened his mouth. Duo didn't hear whatever he had been about to say, because in that instant, everything blurred before his eyes, and the room he was standing in vanished.
       A dark voice spoke out from around him, it's black whisper touching his mind gently.
     "In a week's time, there shall be a gathering for all the children of the eternal night."
      Duo's hand missed the tomato he was cutting and the sharp knife embedded itself painfully in his finger. He gasped. The room returned in a blind flash of light, and it was as if whatever had happened never did, for Quatre was still chatting away at him.        A sharp pain brought his attention to his hands, where a kitchen knife was currently sitting in the middle of his thumb.
       Duo carefully removed the knife from his finger. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the knife come out of his thumb, leaving no blood, no wound, no trace. He stared with some morbid fascination at the unmarred hand. It never failed to amaze him, no matter how many times it happened.
       Quatre paused, and looked up to see Duo staring at his hands. "Duo? Are you all right? You didn't cut yourself, did you?" Quatre asked, slightly alarmed by Duo's unnatural stillness. He got up from his seat at the table. Time returned to its normal speed for Duo. "Huh? What did you say?" Duo blinked, a little dazed, the vision all but gone from his memory.