| I am not dead. I�ve just been�� very busy. First my Internet server died and I had to get a new and SLOWER one, then RL decided that I should work every single day for about two weeks straight, and then my college was nice enough to inform me I had to come back soon. Oh, through in visiting different relatives ever weekend and you get one very tired and busy DarkAngel. But fear not, ye who read this, I have not forgotten. I�ve worked on my stories when I got a chance and I�ve managed to finish at least one! Dedicated to my cousins. Isabelle (the first inspiration), Tiffany and William (who critiqued and encouraged me to continue), Zack and Shannon (the twins who�s cuteness made me pick up my pen to write)�� but most of all, Keriann, who literally sat down with me and dictated ideas to me. We had a sucker party because they came to town to celebrate the twins� B-day and she took time out from enjoying her candy to help me brainstorm. The last part of this section (and almost the entire next story) are possible because of her. Arigato all. P.S. Since I�m web-only still, send all comments directly to me. Otherwiese, I won�t see them and think no one loves me anymore and stop writing. Somw people might think this is a good thing, but I�m betting someone out there doesn�t. Title: Downtime to Delivery (4th in the Children Series) Author: Lady DarkAngel [email protected] Archive: Lady DarkAngel's Gundam Wing Fanfiction Library http://ladydarkangel_1.homestead.com/Main.html, Darkflame's (if she'll take it.) and anywhere else is fine, just ask me first Category: POV, angst?? Pairing(s): If there here, I didn�t see them�� Disclaimers: Gundam Wing or Shinkidousenki Gundam Wing is copyrighted and trademarked by Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency and associated parties with all rights and privileges. The characters were used without permission for the purposes of entertainment only. This is not meant for sale of profit. Any characters not created by those listed above are mine and hereby considered the sole property and copyright of the author. Anyway, I'm just a poor college student. So can I play with them? I promise I won't break them...much. Rating: PG for luck Warnings: Minor language, Quatre�s POV. And he ain�t happy. Maybe minor OOCness because of that. Feedback: Kami-sama, YES!!! [email protected]; any and all comments are welcome like the sweet ego-sustainers they are. I want to know how he gets himself into these messes. I really do. Do you have *any* idea how *hard* it is to find something Heero Yuy wants to keep hidden? Do you? Most likely not since anyone stupid enough to try and hunt him down finds an unpleasant demise waiting. Well, let me inform you it took the Magaunacs NINE days to even confirm that Duo was here. Four more to wait for the right time to act. That poor boy has been stuck in Heero�s clutches for almost two weeks straight now. I�ll be lucky if they haven�t killed each other yet. No, I�m not being fair. Heero really doesn�t want to HURT Duo, at least not physically; he truly thinks he�s helping him. I�m not entirely sure I follow his reasoning but our Japanese friend is under the impression that children plus Duo times adoption equals unparalled disaster. He has no faith in Duo�s ability to pull this off successfully. Heero is 100% completely against this entire situation and has made his position *abundantly* clear. I honestly think the idea itself is charming. I may have a problem with the delivery, however. Perhaps I should further explain why I�m crouching in the dirt with the rest of my men while we wait for Abdul to come back from recon of Heero�s newest deathtrap�� err, safehouse. Two weeks ago, Relena called me at exactly 2:47 in the morning (L4 time) to inform that Dorothy was a coward, Duo was missing and she was going to kill Heero. To be honest, I didn�t follow her at first and in my sleepy haze, dismissed her rather rudely and hung up on her. It took her pounding on my door personally three hours later to get me to pay her serious attention. And what she told me wasn�t good. Not at all. I was on my sixth cup of Lemon Green Tea before she finished. Contrary to popular belief, I do not like Darjeeling (bleah!) and do occasionally enjoy a nice fancy cappuccino blend. But for stressful times, I stand by my brand. It has yet to fail calming my nerves when I want nothing better then to strangle my friend for his well-meaning incompetency and gut the other one for causing this mess in the *first* place. Honestly, why am I always expected to be the SANE one? Relena was quite upset to my surprise. I hadn�t realized that she and Duo were on such good terms. But stranger things have happened (not much, though) so I volunteered my efforts in locating the wayward American. She was panicking something awful, convinced that Heero�s soldierly instincts would cause Duo bodily harm. She went on and on about how this was completely unfair to that �poor, poor, POOR boy!�, as she called him. Tears flooded her eyes as she related the story Duo told her and his reasons for going with this insane scheme. In theory, they are ideal. In theory, they should have worked. In theory, I am supposed to be the gentle and harmless Winner heir and not one of the most efficient terrorists in the World Sphere. Shows you what theory is good for, ne? Dorothy was absolutely no help at all, refusing to speak for fear �that the Yuy will get her.� The psyches say she�ll be fine in a few months but try to avoid mentioning a few key words in her presence. Like �C4�. Or �Heero.� Personally, I think she was faking (and superbly at that) but it was a waste of time to pursue that line and we went hunting. If I were her, I�d have kept my mouth shut, too. After all, he DID blow a rather large hole in the side of her home in his enthusiasm to �stop Duo�s mistake.� Luck was on our side or Duo�s guardian angel finally decided to get off its feathered behind and give us a hand. Heero missed something when covering his tracks, a truly rare event indeed. Either he thought no one was going to come after them and relaxed or someone somewhere most graciously bequeathed us with a divine gift. I don�t know which one to hope for. Anyway, we had to wait for just the right moment to strike. No one here is interested in dying just yet, even if we *are* dying of curiosity to find out what in Allah�s name provoked Duo to DO such a thing! Heero is leaving to get some supplies. We assumed Duo is under some heavy-duty lock and key; he�d have to be, to keep the master escape artist imprisoned for so long. Too bad Heero�s been his partner for so long, he must know most of Duo�s tricks by now. But not all, we pray. Abdul returns with the all-clear sign. Time to move in. We are careful in how much damage we do breaking in. It won�t do to have Heero on our tails before we are a safe distance away. Once inside, I order half the Magaunacs to stand guard while the others fan out and search for Duo. We only have a short amount of time. Minutes, really. I have no doubts whatsoever that the room Duo is in will be bobby-trapped somehow to prevent escape and when it goes off, I want to be off-colony. Oh, did I forget to mention that? That psycho actually dragged Duo off Earth and to a colony, all for the sake of �protection�. I do believe I am going to smack him one when I see him. And then they will either admit me to the asylum or the hospital, depending on Heero�s mood. I sigh when we find him. I was right. Poor Duo is looking extremely bored and drawing some sort of obscene picture on the wall. Rashid comments that it looks like Heero and Wing Zero in a compromising position. He then ponders the likelihood of that. I remind Rashid to mind his own business and open the damn door. It appears I�m not very patient today. Duo notices us and looks like he�s ready to jump for joy. In fact, he does. On the cot Heero left for him. One that looks like it couldn�t hold a butterfly�s weight, let alone a nearly grown boy�s. I swear, that boy doesn�t have the sense Allah gave a camel. Or a sand dune for that matter. He�ll be lucky not to break his neck. He bounces off, somehow miraculously landing on his feet intact, and runs over to the door. Even though the thick titanium-metal mix, I can hear his cheerful exclamations. �Dude, you came! About damn time, too! Get me outta here, will ya? I can�t stay here much longer; I�ll go insane!!� I hate to be the one to say this out loud, but most of us think that�s his normal state of mind. He bangs on the door and whines pitifully. I resist the urge to tell him he makes more noise then a kicked puppy (I suspect that�s what he�s going for) and tell him to back off. We inspect the door and as I thought it is indeed wired. Heero, being the demented bastard we all know him as, rigged the entire parameter of the cell with a charge sufficient to render even the hardhearted American unconscious. Easy enough to disable on the outside but impossible from within. Releasing him results in one very happy Duo glomping on me and knocking the wind straight out of me. I can hear Rashid and the others laughing. Someone remind me to give them a pay cut. After letting him squeeze me for a bit, I decide I�ve donated as much oxygen to the cause as I can. I politely tell him to get the hell off of me now or I will tie him to the bottom of Sandrock�s foot and go tap-dancing across the desert. I think I surprised him because he lets go immediately. I already mentioned I was in a bad mood, didn�t I? Rashid decides that it would be a good idea to get Duo out of my sight as soon as possible. I sigh and look around the room. Heero managed to make it a bearable hellhole this time, at least. It was almost livable. But Duo simply insisted upon adding his own homey touches. There were drawings literally *everywhere*. I�m not even going to *ask* how a mural of Wufei and a shockingly unmutilated Shenlong got on the ceiling. But what really catches my eye is the one that is the most detailed and obviously the one that took the longest. Almost a foot high, it was an extremely realistic image of Duo. I approached the wall to get a better look. It was done in alternating light and heavy strokes, giving it an ethereal appearance. The Duo in the picture looked solid compared the washed out background; the most concrete image in the mural. He was kneeling, facing what I assumed to be a sunset. There was an indefinable emotion of that face: somewhere east of sadness, to the west of nervousness and just an inch short of hope. He was looking at a figure coming out of the approaching darkness. I couldn�t make out any details; I have the distinct impression I�m not supposed to. The person is small, but that could be a trick of the distance. They are faded and insubstantial, ghostly in appearance. But they are distinctly holding their arms out in welcome. I stand and admire the picture before me. The simple symbolism of it strikes a deep chord within me. I have no doubts that the person emerging from Duo�s growing darkness is the child he craves. I thought I understood how he felt about all this but now�� My friend really put his heart and soul into this portrait of the future. Just like he put his heart and soul into this adoption bid. The longing so plain on his face�� The vagueness that indicated uncertain outcome�� The faint hope that clings to his bent frame�� With a wave of my hand, a Magaunac appears. I tell them to have the mural brought back to the estate with us. I don�t care if they have to rip the damn wall out and cart it with us, I won�t leave such a treasure behind. Especially with an unsympathetic barbarian like Heero. He just might do something to it. In his confusion and misunderstanding, he might decide that this visual representation of his fears may be a threat. Art, in particular the kind that is soul-driven, is too precious and rare to abandon like that. Duo expressed something that his words, copious as they may be, have failed to convey. My chest hurts. Damn uchuu no kokoro. I think I may understand now. Insight can be such a bitch sometimes. I may not totally agree with Duo�s plan but since I�m his friend, it�s my job to help him out in any way I can. Perhaps it will not turn out the way he hopes�� maybe it will be better then all of our expectations or it will be an unprecedented disaster. And how are we to know if it is? Don�t these things take years to see how they turn out, anyways? How do the parents know they failed their child, when do they realize that all of their efforts were in vain? I think that Heero is mistaken if he believes that the immediate results of this endeavor will be the final ones. After all, didn�t we do badly for the longest time against OZ? We lost the colonies support made many bloody and regrettable mistakes and generally screwed things over and up. But in the end, we won. It isn�t the concept that the ends justify the means but rather that you can�t judge the end by the beginning. It would be foolish to not expect any complications or crises. Children are living panic-inducers. But we will preserve. We will be able to overcome the trials and tribulations that come our way to make this dream a reality for all involved. Wait. Did I say �we�? �� Damn. I think I just committed myself to a cause smack dub in the middle of a warzone. Stupid empathy. Stupid conscious. Stupid Duo. Stupid me. What did I just get myself into?! And will someone get Duo away from the carhorn?! Does he want the whole neighborhood to know we�re here?! Tell him that if he doesn�t stop playing �Jingle Bells� on it, I�ll play soccer with his skull! Great. Now I have a headache, too. Just one question, Allah�... WHY ME?!? ~ ~ Owari ~ ~ Up next: Wufei�s thoughts on all of this mess and we finally meet the kid! Write me! And to everyone who asked about my other fics (Misuzu and G-Girl Moon among others), THERE COMING, I SWEAR!!! Lady DarkAngel ---------- Chibi Duo's Babysitter Moderator of Duo's Sugar Intake Keeper of Duo's Nice Rear-end Co-Keeper of Shinigami's Wings (with Meela) Keeper of Heero's Homicidal Intentions Keeper of Quatre's Teacup Keeper of Trowa's Mask Keeper of Wufei's Sense of Honor Co-Keeper of Duo's Chatter (with Tomanaiya) Co-Keeper of Heero's "Hn" (with Tomanaiya) Co-Writer of Wufei's Rants (with Tomanaiya) Leader of the Inspirationally-challenged Muses: Alisande, Rynvi, and Kiagara Co-Keeper of real-life hamsters named Heero Yuy (Hee-chan) and Shinigami Eagle Vision (Shini Eagle)(with Tomanaiya) Keeper of the Hit List Proud Owner of two sets of chibis: Chibi Angel Duo and Heero in leather (twins of Tomanaiya's) and Chibi Angel Duo and Heero in black flight gear with stripes from the final GW episodes Acting GOD in Charge of The Anime Muse Adoption Center and WSCT of the AMAC Proud member of SDDI, the Society of Defending Duo's Intelligence Member of the Society Against the Complete Bastardization of Heero Yuy Occupant of the Happy Hentai House Master Hacker of the Shinigami Organization Assistant Mob Psychologist for the Shinigami Organization Founding Member of Saa-EEP!!! Happy to be a member of the DuoML Member of 1x2, 2x1 Fan Club and ML Many more MLs but you don't want to know... Lady DarkAngel's Gundam Wing Fanfiction Library http://ladydarkangel_1.homestead.com/Main.html |