Duo grimaced, yet another school.  He glanced over at his roomate who stared at his laptop's screen, typing swiftly on the keys.  The sight only made Duo's frown deepen, always Heero.  Just once he'd like to have a roomate who could speak more than two words at a time.
    With the constant bickering between them he wondered why it was Heero continued to put them together.  It was, after all, Heero who made up the room assignments... maybe he'd gotten used to him.  The idea made Duo grin in amusement.  Not likely.
    His feet began to itch and unable to stay still a moment longer he got off the bed and grabbed his black leather coat, "I'm going for a walk."
    As usual there was no indication from Heero whether he heard him or not so with a shrug he turned and left closing the door behind him softly.
    He stepped out of the dorm and into the simly lite street, no destination in mind he turned and started along the road, his mind registering that he was moving towards where the less desireable people... more precisely...  his people lived and roamed.
    He had probably been walking for a half an hour, most of his body numb from the cold when he saw a quick glimpse of a face he should never have seen again.  Staring at the shadows he swallowed against the lump in his throat, his mind sluggishly making his voice work.  "S-Solo?"
    No answer came and he chuckled self-mockingly.  "Guess I'm going crazy after all."  Shaking his head Duo decided it was a good time to go back.
    He hadn't gone two steps before he heard a voice.  "I always said you were crazy."  Duo's heart stopped as he whirled around only to be greeted by darkness.  His feet gained a life of their own as he backed up a couple of steps before whirling and running like his life depended on it.
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    Wufei stalked into Heero's room, Quatre and Trowa on his heels.  Quatre was obviously trying to calm Wufei down but the chinese boy was ignoring him.  Heero watched impassively as Wufei scanned the room, "Where is he?"  He marched over to the closet door and yanked it open, "Where's Duo?"
    "Out for a walk."  Heero replied evenly.
    Wufei sat down on Duo's bed.  "FINE!  I'll wait till he gets back before I kill him."
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    The voice kept echoing in his head.  "Why are you running?  Don't want to say  hello to your old friend Solo?"
    Duo was running all out in a near panic, flying blindly up the stairs toward his room.
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    Quatre heard someone cursing out in the hall just beforee a sweating and panting Duo stumbled into the room, head bent.
    Wufei struck like a coiled Cobra, pinning Duo against the wall.  Growling, "You're joking days are... Duo?"
    The change in Wufei's demeanor startled Quatre into moving forward to look at his long-haired friend and his eyes widdened even as he did, gently laying a hand on his shoulder and noting how pale his skin was and how wild his violet eyes looked, "Duo?"
    Duo's hands flew over his ears, eyes closed, "Shut up!  Leave me alone!"  The tone was choked panic.  Quatre, wanting to comfort his friend, reached back out only to have Duo sink to his knees, shaking.
    Taking a deep breath Quatre did the only thing he could think of, he slapped Duo, hard.
    Duo's eyes snapped open, a hand droped to his cheek.  He blinked a few times, "Q-Quatre?  You... he... I..."  Duo's mouth snapped shut with an audible snap.  And for a brief moment he stared straight ahead looking lost and confused.
    Slowly Quatre knelt next  to him, "Duo, tell me what's wrong."
    Almost immediately Duo bounced to his feet, a grin plastered on his face, "Wrong?  Nothing's wrong I just, uh, was joking around.  Yah, that's it.  Gotta go, bye."
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    Turning he moved swiftly towards the door but he barely stepped into the  hallway before the voices, that had left him the moment he'd stepped inside the room, bombarded his mind with such force that his mind wheeled and the world spun at a dizzing pace.  A whimper escaped his lips as he fell backwards, letting his battered mind shut down.
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    With Quatre's help Wufei placed Duo on his bed.  Wufei frowned as the American pilot moaned, his face contorting in a grimmace.  Quatre was already looking him over and when the blond finished he leaned back with a puzzeled look.
    Crossing his arms over his chest Wufei glared at him, "Well?"
    "There appears to be nothing wrong with him."
    Wufei was about to grumble something about incompentence when Trowa moved forward, gently brushing bangs away from Duo's forehead.  "He looked afraid."
    "Duo's not afraid of anything."  Wufei nodded, agreeing with Heero's statement.  In the whole time he'd known Duo he'd never seen him afraid, annoyingly cheerful, loud, manically happy and on a rare occasion even dead serious and resigned but never afraid.
    "Yes he is."
    Wufei's eyebrows rose at Quatre's statement, "Oh?"
    Quatre sat holding Duo's limp hand and watching the struggle play over his features.  "He's afraid of loosing his mind.  It's the only thin that he's afraid of, REALLY afraid of."
    "Loosing his mind?"  Wufei mumbled in disbelief.
    Quatre continued quietly, "Did you ever notice how he never talks about his past.  He won't even talk to ME about it.  I had to go behind his back to find out."
    "WHAT!?"  All three of them said in unison, shocked.
    "Don't seem so surprised and yes I've gotten information on you too.  Each of us has a role in this group of ours and in the war; our own little missions.  Mine is to look after you, my friends, and anyone else.  I fight to protect those I love.  But it isn't easy to help you when none of you talk to me, and I'm not a mind-reader so... I did what I had to do.  And I would do it again."
    "You never tell us about yourself."  Wufei accused.
    Quatre sighed, "My life is an open book, all you have to do is ask."
    It was Heero who brought the conversation back.  "So what's wrong with Duo?"
   Duo sat bolt upright, his whole body rigid,  "S-S-Solo?"
    Quatre's head snapped up, but his voice was soothing.  "Sh... rest Duo.  You've had a rough day..."  With a gentle but persistant hand he laid Duo back down, covering him with a blanket.
    "Quatre?"
    The blond looked down at the half asleep pilot, "Yeah?"
    "I've killed lots of people and people have died because of me but... I never killed him... I tried to save him... with him I was Duo, without him I'm alone..."  The words trailed off as he slept.
    For a moment Quatre just sat there then very slowly he got up and went to the window.
    Wufei and the others waited but the Arabian didn't say anything and Wufei, who's patience had already been streatched to it's limits, snapped.  "Well?"  At Quatre's blank look the Chinese pilot let out an exasperated sigh, "Who or what is Solo?"
    Quatre turned, looked at Duo's sleeping form and then at them.  "I..."
----------------------------------------
    Trowa could see his friend's struggle, and spoke softly in an attempt to relieve his obvious discomfort.  "If we want to help him, we have to  know.  He may not want us to but the colonies need him to be well, and so do we.  The need out weighs the cost and besides, Duo would never hold a grudge against you."
    Quatre smiled sadly.  "Yes.  You're right about the need at least.  I'm sorry Duo."
    The young pilot squared his slim shoulders, dealing with the situation as he dealt with everything, with maturity and intelligence.  "Solo was a person.  A boy a little older than Duo. They met on the street before Duo ended up at the Maxwell Church.  Wuo had been nameless until than.  He was given the name Duo by Solo and Maxwell from the Church.  He never met his family.  At the age of six..."  Trowa watched Quatre faulter and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, inhaling a shaky breath he continued.  "At the age of six he killed his first man in... self-defense.  At seven the plague struck his colony and Solo died.  He went to spend about a year at the Maxwell Church where he became part of the rebel forces.  At eight he had been on his way to a meeting of the rebels at the church after his sentry duty.  When he got to the church it was quiet, he went inside carefully and-and found everyone, including his new family hanging from the rafters, their bodies showing the signs of torture.  By himself, he cut them all down and buried them.  There was about twenty."  His blue eyes went to Duo's slumbering form.  "He stayed active with the rebels and about age nine he was caught, tortured and... r-raped savagely for about two months before he killed the guards and escaped."
    "Raped!"  Trowa's own shock, though less vocal then Wufei's shout or Heero's low growl, was just as violent.  Duo had been nearly two years younger than himself when he'd experienced that particular abuse.
    Quatre nodded sadly.  "For about a year I don't know what happened to him right after that.  He seemed to disappear though he's credited with many OZ deaths.  At twelve he became Doctor G's protege after withstanding numerous tests that put him against others for the privilege of becoming a Gundam pilot.  It wasn't much of a contest, Duo won hands down.  It's said that at the very end of the last trial his first words to the Doctor were... 'I've experienced Hell and survived and I have nothing to loose not even my life... so for the colonies I will gladly become the God of Death and when I'm through, there'll be peace, one way or another.'"
    A tear slid down his cheek.  "I have my sisters, Wufei has his justice, Heero his missions and Trowa has Catherine but Duo... all Duo had was death."
---------------------------------
    Heero stared at the always cheerful Duo trying to make what he had just learned about the braided pilot fit with the personality he'd come to know.  "That doesn't explain what's happening to him except that it has to do with Solo and his past."
    "Do you want to wake him and ask?"  Quatre said quietly.
    Without a second thought Heero reached out and shook him.  Duo's eyes fluttered open then closed.  "Come on Heero let me sleep."
    "Tell us about Solo."
    Duo's eyes flew open and he moved faster than Heero had ever seen.  His hand grabbing Heero's green tank top so tightly it choked him slightly.  Violet eyes flashed with a blazing anger he'd never seen in his friend but due to his training his face gave no signs of his startlement.  "Leave him outta this!"  Then just as suddenly Duo let go and backed up, a strained smile on his face.  "How do you know about him?"
    "Quatre told us."  Wufei mumbled from where he leaned against the wall.
    "Quatre?"
    The smaller boy blushed in shame.  "I had information of your past collected so that I could help you more, I never intended for anyone else to know but... they needed an explaination."
    Duo stared at him in disbelief.  "You must have one heck of a spy network.  I could have sworn I'd erased all proof of my past.  So care to enlighten me on what you know?"
    Quatre stared at the floor, "I told them about Solo and the plague...."
    Wufei fixed his chocolate gaze on the wall.  "The Masacre at the Maxwell church."
    Next to Heero, Trowa finished it up.  "Your capture and rape."
    Heero watched Duo carefully as the Heavyarms pilot spoke.  His smile slipped slightly, eyes dimmed and his skin paled.
    "Man Quatre.  That network of yours is good, they didn't miss much."
    Heero's heart thumped painfully at the wistful tone in his friend's voice, "There's more?"
    Duo's grin widdened but his eyes seemed dead.  "Quite.  You missed a considerable amount actually, but you got most of it."  His violet-blue eyes focused on Heero.  "So if you already know about Solo.... what can I possibly tell you?"
    "Why were you acting like you'd seen a ghost?"
    Duo's smile completely disappeared, his skin paled even more and his legs gave way as he fell back onto the bed.  A pang of worry wiggled it's way into Heero's gut but he pushed it away and waited.
    Duo laughed mockingly.  "That's easy.  I've gone crazy."
    "Oh?"
    "That's right Heero.  I'm nuts.  When I went for that walk I could've sworn I saw Solo and than I heard him all the way here."  He frowned slightly.  "As soon as I got here though it stopped."
    Quatre moved slowly and sat down on the bed.  "What did he say?"
    Duo's eyes seemed haunted, "I didn't know about medicines and things then, Solo got sick and no matter what I did I couldn't save him... h-he says I killed him."  For a brief moment Heero saw something else he'd never seen on Duo's face... self-doubt.  "I-I didn't did I... I mean if I did than maybe I killed Father Maxwell and..."
    Heero grabbed Duo's shoulders and gave him a hard shake.  "Baka!  You didn't created the plague so you didn't kill him, now pull yourself together, you're a soldier."
    Heero saw an unusual shutter fall behind Duo's eyes canceling out all emotion except his normal cheerfulness.  Too late Heero realized he'd done exactly the wrong thing.
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    Inside Duo felt his mind and thoughts spinning in confusing circles but he smiled at Heero.  "Sure Heero all you had ta do was ask."
    "Duo don't do this."
    He grinned at the Arabian.  "Too late but don't worry I've got everything under control."  Watching his fellow pilots he bounced to his feet and moved to the door, gritting his teeth.  Almost hesitantly he stepped out of the room, facing his friends.  Immediately the voice returned and despite his better efforts he stiffened.
    **Friends?  Your friends die Duo, they all die.  The more you care the worse their deaths will be.  You're the reason they die, you're a plague... death and pestilence follow you everywhere you go."
    Duo blinked and fought through the onsault, a grin still on his face as he met the other's concerned gazes but his words meant strickly for Heero.  "You keep threatening to kill me, I think you should follow through on that."
    Heero's forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Hn?"
    Duo laughed, "Heero struck speechless... I said I want you to use your gun to end my life."
    "Duo!  Don't talk like that!"
    "Quatre... if you could hear what I'm hearing now you'd know it has to be done.  I'm a danger, a liability to everyone around me.  Killing me will be for the better good."
    Quatre stepped out next to him, "What do you hear?"
    Duo's eyes rolled shut, "Solo."
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    Quatre saw a glimpse of metallic light behind Duo's ear and without a thought he reached out and touched it.  An electrical shock ran through his arm causing him to jerk back and Duo's eyes snapped open both hands raising to cradle his head as he gasped in pain.
    Turning back towards the room Quatre held his throbbing hand.  "Heero, take a look at this thing behind Duo's ear."
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    Anger welled inside Heero as he took in the device Quatre had pointed out.  It took every bit of his control to keep his rage from being seen.  "Duo, you aren't going crazy."
    Duo blinked.  "Huh?"
    "Someone, somehow managed to implant a chemical mind hallucinagin mechanism into your head, it's what's causing you to hear and see things."
    Duo's eyes widdened but there seemed to be an inattentive light in his face.  "So someone's doing this to me on purpose."
    "Hai."
    "Well, take it off."
    Heero looked Duo directly in the eyes.  "I can't, not without killing you.  But Doctor J can."
    Duo rolled his eyes heavenward, "There is DEFINITELY no God, and if by some small chance there is he must get some strange satisfaction out of making my life a living Hell."
    Heero couldn't hide the small twitch of his lips.
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    Both Docter J and G had been working for nearly four hours and Heero's patience had all but disappeared.  Staring at the door seperating them he began to think of the things he would do to the long-haired pilot for making him worry.
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      Duo felt light-headed as Heero helped him to their room.  Both scientists had told him the side effects of the chemicals should wear off in a few days but that didn't make his stomach stop doing flipflops or make the room stop spinning.
    He stumbled and Heero's arm around him tightened to keep him upright, "Sorry."  He mumbled into the stiff form's shoulder.  To which Heero meerly grumbled 'Baka'.
    The darkness he'd been fighting for a half an hour seemed to swarm over him all at once and unable to fight it anymore he gave in.
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    Wufei shook his head absently as Heero explained the mission.  "Who'll watch Duo?  If we need all four of us..."
    "I'll stay by myself."
    Wufei cocked his head at the braided pilot.  "You haven't been feeling well."
    Duo grinned as he played with his braid.  "Ah, Wu-man I didn't know ya cared!"  He batted his eyelashes playfully.
    Wufei's eyes narrowed, "You know what I mean."
    "It's the week-end.  Whle you're gone I'll sleep.  The door'll be locked and I have a radio to contact Quatre's maganacs if I need any muscle power.  Everythings covered."
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    Duo locked the door as soon as Heero left and moved to his bed with every attention of doing exactly what he'd told Wufei.
    He didn't see the fist until it was too late.  Dimly he berated himself for not checking their room before locking the door and the rest was silence.
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    Duo's head throbbed as he slowly opened his eyes, in his mouth was some kind of cloth that was held in place by duct tape.  He was sitting upright in a straight-backed wooden chair in his room, arms tied behind him.
    Across the room a shadowy figure chuckled as he readjusted his position on Heero's bed.  "So Duo?  Do you recognize me?"
    Duo's violet eyes widdened as he once again heard Solo's voice, coming not from inside his head but from that figure on the bed.
    "That's right.  It's your old friend Solo.  You know the one you left to die.  That wasn't a nice thing to do, Duo."  The figure stood, moving gracefully and silently, like a cat.
    A beam of light from behind the curtain momentarily lite up a face Duo had thought he'd never see again.  But the friendly features were twisted in anger and the warm brown eyes glowed with physcotic intentions.
    "It's your turn to suffer Duo.  Suffer like I have."  His voice was no more than a whisper but the menance in it was as sharp as a knife.  In his hand he held a rusty razor.  "It's just you and me Duo.  Just like it was before.  No one cares about you.  They left you behind and alone."
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    Quatre was already at the rendez-vous spot, having completed his part of the mission early, when his screen buzzed to life and Rashid's face appeared on the screen.
    "Master Quatre, I've just received the background on young Solo you requested."
    Quatre stared blankly at the screen before remembering, "Oh yes, of course."
    "Both parents have been dead quite a while."
    Quatre's heart sank.
    "But it appears he has a brother, a twin brother, named Duo.  It seems he wasn't very stable and he was sent to an institution shortly after their parents died."
    Quatre had already powered up his Gundam, "Rashid, radio the others with that same information as soon as possible."
    "Master Quatre!  Where are you going?"
    Quatre gave his servent and friend a tight smile.  "To hopefully save a friend from a past that just won't leave him alone."
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    Duo's mind refused to let him acknowledge the pain he was experiencing and his daring smirk remained on his lips from force of habit.  The fact that he wouldn't scream only seemed to enrage Solo more.
    Once more the boy weilded the razor blade making another paper cut incision into Duo's bare chest, grinning maliciously at the thin trickle of blood that welled up.
    "Look Solo, there has to be..."
    "Shut up!"  Duo's blood froze at the look he tossed him.  He'd really lost his mind, the phsycotic gleam in his eyes showed that.
    Guilt tore at Duo, raking sharp talons over his already scarred heart.  "God Solo.  I'm sorry!  I swear if I knew..."  A voice inside Duo grinded on a familar thought... boys don't cry.
    Solo laughed, a laugh that sent chills up and down his spine.  "You're pathetic!  And I'll show everyone just how much..."
    The rest was a blur of red hazed pain.
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    Quatre's radio buzzed, and Heero's face flashed on his screen.
    "Don't do anything till we get there.  The bastard who's been messing with my Duo... I'll take care of him myself."
    The transmission immediately cut off.
    Quatre's blue eyes widdened in amusement.  "MY Duo?  If Duo survives this there may actually be some hope for them yet..."
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    Heero had Wing's thrusters at the maximum, as his mind whirled with concern.
    If Solo named Duo and Solo's brother was called Duo.  Then Solo named Duo... Duo in order to replace his twin.
    He growled low in his throat.  If he hurts Duo... "Omae wo korosu..."
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    Wufei nodded to Heero and as the latter broke the door open he leapt into the room sword drawn.  Quatre and Trowa came in through the window.
    Solo's twin had a razor blade against Duo's throat which caused Wufei to feel sudden panic.  Despite their treatment of each other, Wufei looked at the braided pilot as though he was a younger brother.  Somehow the Baka always managed to raise his protectiveness.
    He just hoped Heero left him enough of this jerk so that he could take out some of his frustrations as well.
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    "Duo?"
    Turning his eyes only, he looked at Quatre.
    "Duo he's NOT Solo.  He's Solo's twin.  His name is... is Duo."
    His very existence seemed to diappear with what those words implied.  The persona of Shinigami he adopted during battle took over, his heart surrounded by a wall of ice.  Death meant nothing, Life meant nothing, pain was a feather's touch.
    He'd worked on the rope and now he pulled his wrists apart, noting with satisfaction the snap of them breaking apart.  He brought up one hand to 'Solo's' wrist and squeezed hard enough to bruise, changing his footing he anchored his body and tossed his tormentor into the opposite wall.  'Solo' didn't get up.
    "Duo?"
    He narrowed his eyes in Quatre's direction, "That is NOT my name.  It's his!"  With a hand he indicated the fallen boy.  "I'M Shinigami.  That's it."
    Angrily he turned on his heel and moved towards the door.
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    Heero grabbed his arm before he was able to move out of the room.  "Duo what...?"
    To his amazement Duo yanked out of his grasp and eyed him with a death glare that was worthy of Death himself.  "I'm not Duo.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go blow someone up."
    "No."
    Duo glared back at Heero's comment.  "Oh?  And who's going to stop me?  You?"  He chuckled darkly.  "Not bloody likely.  Unless you wanna fight me?  I won't curl up and let you win either so if you want to... it'll be all out, no stops."
    Heero felt an ache in his chest.  "If that's the only way to stop you."
    Duo grinned, "It is."  He backed up a few steps, casually shutting the door before settling into a fighting stance.
    "Heero... Duo... you can't do this!"
    Duo's eyes never left him, but he growled at Quatre, "Shut up Q, unless you wanna get hurt too."
    Duo shot forward, faster than he ever had when they were sparring and Heero just barely managed to avoid his fist.  Dropping he brought his leg around in a circle, catching Duo's ankles.  But instead of falling, the braided boy used his hands to vault into the air, did a somersault worthy of Trowa, and landed on his feet facing him.
    "How?"  Was Wufei's stunned comment.
    Duo's grin widdened, "Law of the Streets.  Eyes and ears open at all times, learn all that you can and never let on.  Trowa practices late at night... lots of things happen at night... if you don't sleep you come to know about even the most hidden of secrets."  He brought his leg around in a high arching kick, seeing it Heero grabbed it but the other leg struck it's predecessor's mark which happened to be his head.
    Heero stumbled back.  Bringing his hand to his mouth he looked down at the red smear the action had left.  Duo wasn't holding back and if he wanted to be the winner he'd have to do like wise.
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    Duo got a foot in the chest but the flash of pain that followed it was welcome.  The pain of his injuries seemed to take his mind off of the betrayed emotions he'd held for Solo... his very first real family.
    He sneered at Heero.  "Is that the best you can do?"
    Heero's fist caught him unaware and he flew backwards, skidding across the carpet which only served to reopen the tiny cuts 'Solo' had inflicted.  Angry at his weakness he flipped to his feet and followed through with a series of diversified kicks and punches that, connecting with their targets, sent Heero backwards until Duo's final kick knocked the Wing pilot's head against the wall.
    With a deranged smile he turned disappearing out the door, "Don't wait up for me."