Heero’s heart beat at an incredible rate as Duo slid his card key through the heavy lock on his apartment door. Three lights blinked instantaneously and something clicked. Heero’s gaze met Duo’s. He was so calm. It took the Wing pilot every last ounce of his training to keep his face straight and his eyes empty. Serenity came so easily to the God of Death. Another thing Heero had yet to understand about him. Duo smirked and his eyes lit up with compassion for just a moment. Heero had never noticed it before, but Duo was a beautiful person, inside and out. All this time, he had a family and hadn’t realized it. The more he contemplated, the more ignorant he felt.

God, I’m a bastard... His thoughts were interrupted when Duo pushed the door open. It resisted a little, but soon gave way willingly to the American’s strength. Heero’s feet refused to move and his body froze up. Naturally, Duo was welcomed into the surroundings, as he was everywhere, when he walked through the door. Unlike Heero who immediately detached himself from any form of society. It was like there was a wall there, instead of an open door. Heero couldn’t cross the threshold.

He was afraid. It all came back to that.

Shaking his head, the Japanese youth squared his shoulders and entered the cozy little apartment. At first glance, it looked rather small and shabby. But with another look, Heero saw just how nice it was. A narrow hallway veered off and out of sight to what he assumed were the bedrooms. One entire wall was made of glass and overlooked the city in all its glory. A large entertainment system was set up against the opposite wall, a few feet away from a bar with tall red stools up against it. Behind the bar was the kitchen, slightly blocked by dangling pots and pans. A small fireplace, crackling amiably dimly lighted the main living room. Little end tables and old chairs encircled the fireside. Directly across from the hearth, a humble worn-out sofa was stationed. And on the sofa sat a young girl, reading an old book. The title read Ender’s Game.

With her legs dangling over the armrest of the couch, the girl was absorbed in the pages of the tattered book. Her brow was furrowed in a deep concentration and she was biting her lip. Heero zeroed in on her cherry soft lips. His gaze moved up her face and took in the gentle slope of her nose, carrying a hint of pride, but not enough to give her a severe appearance. And finally her eyes. Heero was caught off-guard by the intense shade of the green orbs hiding under dark thick lashes that brushed the bridge of her nose every time she blinked. Midnight wisps of hair swept over her body, hanging loosely around her delicate shoulders. It encircled her face in a dark halo. Her skin was fair and a strangely golden pale.

Heero was captivated by how slender and quiet all her features seemed to be. The Wing pilot was also surprised at how contrasting her eyes were to the rest of her. He had never seen this color before. Perhaps he could blame the poorly lit room and the lashes that cast ghastly shadows on her face. But those were just excuses. They were so dark; verging on black, but never stopped glowing. Glowing was the only description he could put on the eerie tint. If Heero didn’t know any better, he’d have said she was from another world.

“Hey Shini! Lookie what followed me home!” Duo jumped on the couch beside the girl, throwing her off balance at the sudden shift in weight placement. Her book sailed through the air, and she toppled backward into Duo’s lap. The dream-like child’s breathing was heavy as she attempted to regain her composure. She remained on her back, looking up at Duo. “Well... What do you think of him? He’s Heero Yuy, Gundam pilot.” The braided baka nodded toward Heero. “Can we keep him?” The Japanese boy watched in amusement as Duo gave her ’the look’ and got minimal response.

Heero cringed when those deep green eyes finally fell upon him. Her stare was sharp and icy. The perfect soldier was reminded of his own empty emotions, as she looked him up and down from her belly-up position on the sofa. Her movements were swift and performed like liquid. Heero hadn’t the chance to prepare.

“Ooooo.... Not bad...” her serious air completely forgotten. She circled him, never taking her eyes off of him. Heero felt like those eyes were dissecting him. Not just his body, but his memories, his beliefs, his buried emotions... He flinched when she touched him. Her fingers nimbly searching and roaming over him. The ex-pilot hadn’t the chance to grab her, or hold her back or even hit her. She moved so fast... Just as soon she had begun, the extraordinary girl was standing just out of his reach. In her hands she held Heero’s pistol and a belt of grenades.

“Great job, Shini! I wasn’t sure you’d be able to do Heero... he’s so vigilant...” The girl giggled while she proceeded to deactivate the explosives. The sound flowed in a strange melody, just like everything else about her. He was still trying to keep up with the situation. Everything had been quiet and calm right up until he had been robbed by Duo’s roommate, Shinira, ‘Shini’ for short, apparently.

“Duo...” she softly scolded, “...nobody be faster than Shini!” Her smile came just as naturally as Duo’s. Heero’s breath caught in his throat as she broke out into giggles once more. It took all his self-control to stay calm. For once in his life, the perfect soldier was glad to be so totally mechanical. Give him an order. He’ll carry it out without error.

Shinira, the mystic child, held up the belt of grenades and let it dangle in Duo‘s face, wiggling her hips in a playful manner at the same time. Heero’s grasp on control was slipping as his eyes swallowed her liquid movements. His throat went dry and he licked his lips.

“These’ll make good fireworks, ne?” The two of them broke into fits of hysteria. Shini twirled Heero’s pistol on her finger. “Shall we take it outside?” The little girl taunted. The Japanese pilot accidentally let a smirk touch his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Why couldn’t he keep himself in check? The miraculous child had some ability to leave him completely distraught. He had to get her out of his head. They hadn’t spoken two words to each other and already, he had fallen under her spell. No! She’s like any other person. She means nothing to me.

But she did mean something to him.

“Hell yea... I want that security deposit.” Heero’s train of thought was once again interrupted when both teens burst out laughing again. His heart sank when the proposition of Duo and Shinira being lovers crossed his mind.

“I think we blew that the last time you were here...” this comment from Shinira didn’t help stifle the laughing. “There’s still a hole in your wall!” Duo waggled his tongue at her. She yanked his braid.

“You mean you didn’t fix it while I was gone?” Sweetness. Innocence. Not even Heero believed Duo’s tone to be sincere. Shinira tugged harder on his braid and was rewarded with a yelp. “Fine, fine... I’ll have it fixed...” a growl reverberated through Duo’s vocal chords.

“We can take care of that later. First, let’s go start some fireworks!” The emeralds brightened and she pulled Duo out the door by his hair, which served as a leash. There really wasn’t any doubt in his mind that she and his best friend had some kind of intimate connection.

“Hey, Heero!” The Wing pilot blanched at the honey-like sound calling his name. “You coming or what? Me and Duo have the best fireworks you’ll ever see! Blowing ’em up’s half the fun!” She winked at him and dragged the braid down the hall. A little overwhelmed, Heero shook his head and followed Shinira out the door, shutting it behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shinira carefully pulled a grenade from the belt that had been strapped on Heero, just above the waistband of his spandex shorts, hidden beneath his loose tank top. The little mechanic had taken the backs off the explosives, deactivated the timers that went off when the pin was pulled, and then put them back on again. She was familiar with the design of the grenades since Duo was always well equipped and Shini played a major role in his missions. As much as Shinigami had hassled her to come out and make her services to him, as well as the other pilots, known, Shinira had not wanted all the media attention. The pilots could take some of her credit, as long as peace had been obtained.

“Sheesh Shini... Why’d you have to pull so hard?” He groaned, rubbing the back of his head and holding on tight to his precious braid. Shinira knew how important his braid was to him and what it represented. Despite her guilt, the little mechanic couldn’t help but smile at his childish distress. The braided pilot lay back and watched the stars as he snuggled his hair.

“Why did Heero have grenades on him anyways?” Duo looked over from where he lay cuddling his pride and joy, and thought for a moment, scrunching up his nose. This evoked a giggle from the final and most effective pilot.

“Maybe afterwards he was going to blow up his Gundam...” The American shrugged it off. Shinira knelt down and laid out all the explosives along the edge of the roof. ‘Fireworks’ were one of Shini’s favorite things to do. It improved her shot and gave the people below something to talk about.

“He only had eight on him. That’s not even enough to leave a mark.” Silence. “You don’t think he was planning on killing anyone... was he?” Again, Duo shrugged it off.

“He’s Heero... who knows what goes on inside that perfect mind of his. They might have just been there out of habit. Or for security. It doesn’t matter... No one was hurt. Besides, now we get our fireworks.” Although she wasn’t looking at him, Shinira could feel the smile pass over his features. “Speaking of the bastard, here he comes now.” The little mechanic choked on her laughter. Duo never could deepen things. Blunt. The perfect word for the hyper pilot. It was pleasant to be around someone who was always happy and spread the light to anyone nearby. But every once in a while, Shini had to remind herself of his tattered past and that it was all an act. He did it to blind himself of the struggles taking place in his world. She frowned and pulled out Heero’s pistol. If only it was that simple... The little mechanic shook her head and pulled out the clip of the gun.

Point hollow bullets? He’s harsh...

Tucking the clip into the elastic of her pajama pants, Shini brought out a less severe pistol clip. When living alone, one could never be too careful. Shinira was always armed, even in her sleep; she kept a blade under her pillow. Hearing the satisfying click of the clip locking into the butt of the gun, Shini looked up to see Heero glaring down at her.

A blush rose in her cheeks as his eyes captured her in wonder. They were a particularly beautiful shade of blue. Dark and intense. Tinted slightly gray and slightly purple. His eyebrows seemed like they were cemented to his eyelids; he was always glaring. Shinira bit her lip, attempting to hold back a smile at the funny image that surfaced in her mind. The bridge of his nose sloped outward a little, but brought little attention to itself, as the main focuses of his face were his eyes. His lips were constantly tugged into a sexy frown. Heero’s cheekbones rose high and sharp. His beautifully tanned skin smoothed all the way down to his pronounced chin. Thick brown bangs fell in an unruly mess over his eyes, but somehow let the fire in his soul shine through.

Hurriedly bringing back her ability to speak, Shinira cleared her throat and smiled sweetly at the disgruntled boy before her. He always seemed to be in a grumpy mood. The hero of the earth was incredibly moody and hadn’t even spoken to her all evening. “Hey, Heero! Glad you could join us in our post-war celebration!” Duo sat up from where he had been fondling his plaited hair and reminiscing about what their lives would be like now that the war had ended and looked over at Shinira and Heero.

“Awwww... Shini... He’s not here for the fireworks.” The American boy leaned back on his elbows and stretched his legs out in front of him. He yawned deeply and a sly grin passed over his features.

“Then what is he here for?” Shinira cocked her head to the side, confused. What was he talking about? Of course, sometimes Duo could be a little weird.

“I’m not sure... but he’s definitely not here for the fireworks... celebrations don’t suit him...” he spat. Shini still had yet to understand what he was talking about. Duo’s sudden mood change was a little startling. Her brow furrowed.

“You know what he’s talking about?” She looked back over her shoulder at the silent youth who was glaring at Duo because of his smart-ass comment. A frown touched her lips. When he eventually acknowledged her question, all he did was nod. “Well... what’s he talking about?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Heero sighed. She was stubborn like Duo, but in a softer kind of way. This girl didn’t demand things; she only requested them quietly and in a way, was more influential with that method. Heero felt more obliged to answer to her. Duo’s forward manner was easier to brush off because he didn’t seem as serious about what he asked.

“It’s irrelevant.” The little girl before him frowned deeper, which brought Heero to a higher plane of despair than he’d ever experienced. Such a beauty didn’t deserve to be left in the dark. He sighed once again. “I’ll explain later...” he muttered just loud enough for her to hear him. Her eyes brightened and the frown was immediately replaced with a grin. A rush of relief passed through him and his lips threatened to form a smile.

“Okay!” Shinira knelt down and picked up the grenade she had removed from the belt earlier. Both Heero and Duo watched as Shini launched the grenade far and high into the air. What was she doing? The Japanese youth wondered. Duo had never been normal, but his sister had stranger ways of doing things. It made no difference, he decided. She still got the job done, and that was really all that mattered.

She didn’t really take careful aim, but she pointed his pistol in the general direction of the plummeting explosive. Heero heard the shot ring out and saw the grenade detonate, but he didn’t believe it. How could she have hit it from such a distance? He might have been able to hit it, but it would have taken him a second to calculate the arc and the rate at which it was falling. All she had done was taken a random shot. His mouth hung open for a moment, but he shut it as soon as he realized he had been gawking. It was just fool’s luck. She certainly behaved enough like the fool Duo was.

“Good one, Shini! My turn! My turn!” Duo scrambled up and snatched the gun out of Shinira’s hands. He did the exact same thing. The two of them whooped and hollered while the last of the embers floated gracefully to the city below. They danced along the edge of the roof in happiness. Heero’s wonder was disrupted by the flowing moves of Shinira. Her body moved like the wind. His lips parted in greater marvel than ever experienced with the enigmas within the OZ motives and plans. She was so beautiful. So painfully beautiful...

“Heero, you wanna try it?” He was startled yet again out of his train of thought. Shini had a way of doing that. Before he had time to reply, she had placed the butt of the gun in his hand. When her fingers grazed his, a chilly fire flew up his spine and he shuddered. “C’mon, it’s fun!” She tugged on his arm and led him to the edge of the roof where she and Duo had taken their miracle shots. Shinira launched a third grenade into the air and the Wing pilot, unlike the other two, did take careful aim. He fired.

Mission Failed.

Before the explosive was able to hit a building or a person, Duo whipped out his own pistol and it blew up in a lovely array of sparks, flames and smoke. “Whew! Close one!” The braided baka wiped his forehead and Shinira released the tight grip she had on his arm. Heero looked down at her, watching her shiver in worry for the civilians below. All he wanted now was to stop the fear that was coursing through her body...to hold her...

And without knowing it himself.... to make her his own...