Snow Falling On Embers:

 

Duo Maxwell walked down the snow-filled streets with a song on his lips. He was feeling quite good today and work had gone by in a breeze. There hadn’t been much paper work and Lady Une had been kind enough to give him the rest of the day off, since he had finished so early.

 

He sunk his hands into the pockets of his jeans, cursing himself for forgetting his gloves again. He knew that his partner would complain about how cold and numb his fingers would become later on in the evening, but Duo was more than ready for his lover’s usual tirade. He was used to it after all and if anything, the braided American was more than willing to listen to his lover talk all night if need be.

 

“Hiya, Duo! Want your usual tonight, man?!”

 

Duo smiled warmly and waved at the plump hotdog vendor that stood on the sidewalk in front of their apartment building. “Nah, not tonight, Big Dog. I am stuffed.” He patted his stomach for emphasis, but still stopped to chitchat with the dark-skinned man. “So, business good today?”

 

“So, so. You know how it is. I guess since this damn snow started falling, people hardly come out to buy stuff anymore. It sucks you know.”

 

Duo nodded and sighed softly. “Yeah, it’s okay, Big Dog. I am sure that something will turn up sooner or lat…”

 

“Coco…Coco…where are you, Coco?”

 

The sniffling girl’s voice had stopped Duo’s words and the young man felt a tinge of emotion fill his chest as he watched her rub pink-gloved hands across her tear-streaked face. She was dressed completely in pink. Her snowcap covered chestnut-colored curls that fell down her shoulder and into the pink parka she wore. White leggings stuffed in black boots, completed the picture as shimmering green eyes glanced around the street apparently searching for something. She couldn’t have been more than eight years old and Duo wondered why a little girl like her would be wondering the streets on her own with no supervision.

 

“That’s Pagan.” Big Dog explained as he noticed Duo’s curious glance. “She lives with old Mrs. Davis who lives on your block.”

 

“Mrs. Davis? I thought she was too old to have kids.”

 

Big Dog nodded and began to clean up his stall. “That’s her granddaughter. Pagan’s ma died in an accident about a month ago and the old lady decided to adopt her.”

 

“How sad…” Duo whispered softly, his eyes never leaving the still sobbing girl. “What about her father?”

 

Big Dog shrugged and pulled down his umbrella. “Heard that the bastard left ma and daughter to fend for themselves. Don’t have a clue where he is now. Not that it matters anymore. She seems to be happy here…”

 

“Coco…where are you, Coco?” The girl walked up to the stall and not sparing a glance in Duo’s direction, she stared up to the kind-looking face of the vendor. “Big Dog? Have you seen Coco anywhere? I was playing with her and told her to go fetch her ball and she disappeared. I…I need to take her back home. It’s so cold out here.”

 

Duo stooped to her level and placed a charming smile on his face. “Hi there. Why don’t you let me help you find Coco, hmm? I bet he could be around here somewhere. Whaddaya say?”

 

Pagan blinked at the long-haired man before her with something akin to fear in her eyes. She turned to face Big Dog, a question in them.

 

“Hey, s’okay, Pagan.” Came the reassuring tone. “Duo is a good friend of mine. He lives right next door to ya. So, he can help you find Coco, okay?”

 

“Mmhmm!” Pagan nodded with a bright smile, before turning to face Duo. Any friend of Big Dog’s was a friend of hers too. “My name’s Pagan. What’s yours?”

 

Stifling a chuckle, as Big Dog had already done the introductions earlier, Duo bowed slightly and held out his hands. “The name’s Duo Maxwell. At your service.”

 

“Are you a girl?”

 

Big Dog’s laughter rang out in the evening air and Duo could not help the color that filled his face. “Ah…no…I am a guy, Pagan. Pagan…that’s a beautiful name.” He said with a soft smile, his voice filled with a quiet wistfulness.

 

Pagan blushed and placed her hands on her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “No, it’s not. The boys at my school say it’s weird.”

 

Duo laughed and got to his feet, holding out his hands for Pagan to hold onto. “The boys at your school are just jealous.” He leaned down to whisper into her ear. “Just tell them that I am your boyfriend and they will stop laughing at you, that’s all.”

 

“Oooooooooo….” Pagan’s face went even more crimson as she slapped her hands to her cheeks again. “You are so bad, Duo! Hurry, let’s go find Coco!” She tugged on his hand and began to lead him towards the playgrounds.

 

Duo managed to wave back at the smirking black man in the background. “See you around, Big Dog!”

 

“Right back atcha, Maxwell!” was the cheerful reply, as Big Dog shook his head softly. “Good kid, that Maxwell is. A damn fine kid.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

They searched beneath playground equipments, park benches and even in garbage cans. Coco (which Duo finally figured out to be a cat after Pagan’s careful explanation) seemed to have vanished without a trace and Pagan’s earlier cheerfulness was slowly dissipating. Thirty tired minutes later, both sat upon the swings and stared morosely at the empty grounds.

 

Duo stole a glance at the silent girl swinging beside him and sighed softly. “I am really sorry, Pagan. Maybe he went back home…”

 

Pagan shook her head. “No…he’s a kitten. He can’t go home by himself.” She rubbed her hands across her eyes and sniffled softly again. “My mom gave him to me and I lost him! I want Coco back!!”

 

Duo gasped as Pagan flew into his arms, her sobs growing louder as she clutched his jacket in a tight grip. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to soothe her with gentle words. The snow was beginning to fall again and fearing for her safety, since it was getting dark and the roads were bound to become even more slippery, Duo held her up and stared into the tearful eyes. “Hey, I know. Why don’t we go to my place and I could make you a cup of hot chocolate, then you can call your grandma and tell her where you are.”

 

Pagan nodded softly and followed the American. The walk to the apartment was quiet as both kept glancing around in hopes that they would spy the little creature. Duo noticed the lights on and figured that Heero was already back home. He led them into the elevator, which quickly took them to their designated floor. Smiling softly at Pagan in reassurance, Duo opened up the door and led her into the cozy room, shutting the door behind them softly.

 

“Yo, Heero! I’m home! And guess who I have with me!”

 

“Meow…”

 

“Huh?”

 

“COCO!!!”

 

Pagan’s shyness disappeared in a flash as she dashed for the tiny furry creature that was being held in the arms of the Japanese ex-pilot.

 

Both boys exchanged glances as they watched the cat fly into the outstretched arms of the pink-clad girl. Duo couldn’t help smiling at the scene as he walked up to his partner. He placed a soft kiss on Heero’s lips, who by the way, was now staring at the girl and cat with frank curiosity.

 

“Her name’s Pagan and she lives next door with Mrs. Davis.” Duo explained quietly. “How did you…”

 

“Oh, thank you so much, mister!!” Pagan cried out happily as she ran up to hug Heero. Duo slapped a hand over his mouth to contain the laughter at the expression on his lover’s face. Heero could handle explosives, gundams and guns with ease but with a sniffling, extremely happy young girl’s affections…he was a goner.

 

“Uh…it…it was nothing…” He stuttered weakly, trying to hide the blush that came to his face.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Half an hour later, Duo lay with his head upon Heero’s lap on the couch as they watched the girl and cat play in front of the fireplace. It was a homely scene and the silence was disturbed ever so often with the happy laughter from Pagan and an accompanying mewl from the cat.

 

“So, where did you find him?” Duo asked lazily.

 

“It was waiting in front of Mrs. Davis’s apartment.” Heero replied. “I knocked on the door to see if the lady was home, but no one came. So I assumed that they must have locked it out. It was shivering too.”

 

“And being the nice guy that you are, you stopped to help the kitty. Who knew you had a soft spot in you, koishii?”

 

Heero snorted and got to his feet. “We had better call the old lady to tell her Pagan is here. Wouldn’t want her to get worried now, would you?”

 

Duo nodded and moved over to join the playful couple on the floor. Heero dialed the number and tapped his fingers restlessly as it continued to ring. Five minutes later…

 

“Where are you going?” Duo asked as he watched Heero walk towards the front door.

 

“I am going over to Mrs. Davis’s place. She isn’t picking up and I know she doesn’t sleep that soundly.”

 

Duo could feel the tension seeping out of his lover’s body. Something was clearly not right and noticing that Pagan was still focused on Coco, he got to his feet and followed his mate, watching him make his way to the door a few feet away from theirs. Heero’s knocking didn’t seem to be doing much of anything either and Duo’s worry grew with each passing second. He nodded as Heero motioned that he was going in with force. A light nudge, made the door give way and Heero disappeared through it.

 

Anxious minutes had Duo biting his nails in agitation. That feeling of dread was growing by the second. He jumped as he felt something tug on his shirt. Pagan held Coco in her grasp and had innocent green eyes trained on his pale visage. Her chestnut curls framed her beautiful face and Duo suddenly felt like falling on his knees and crying out in sorrow before her. He heard Heero return and he didn’t need his lover to open up his mouth to say the words. It had happened. The inevitable had finally happened. Mrs. Davis’s heart problems had finally caught up with her.

 

“Can I go home now?” Came the singsong voice. “I want to show grandma that I could take care of Coco all by myself! Can I, please? Can I?”

 

Heero turned away, while Duo swallowed the lump in his throat. The sounds of the sirens could already be heard. It wouldn’t take long before they would come upstairs. “Pagan…there is something we have to tell you…”

 

The girl lifted up her cat and smiled brightly…a bit too brightly. “See, Coco is all right, isn’t he? I want to show grandma Coco now. Can I?”

 

“Pagan…”Duo’s eyes shimmered as he bent down to stare into the sparkling green eyes before him. He recognized the look. The look of denial. The look of ‘everything is really alright, even though it looks bad now’. He was all too familiar with that emotion. “Pagan…you knew, didn’t you? You knew all this time…”

 

The girl shook her head and smiled. “Grandma is fine! She is just sleeping. She said so herself. She said that she needs to rest and that I could go out and play with Coco.”

 

“Pagan…”

 

The elevator doors opened up and the medics rushed through the doors, following the stoic Heero into the old lady’s home. Pagan saw them and the brightness faded from her eyes a bit. She bit her lower lip and began to shake her head slowly, her feet beginning to lead her towards the apartment. “Who are those people? What are they doing with my grandma?”

 

“Pagan, wait!” Duo tried to reach for her, but she was fast and was soon outside, running alongside the stretcher that was being brought out.

 

“Where are you taking my grandma?!! Leave her alone!! Leave my grandma alone!!”

 

She tried to reach for the cloth that covered the still figure, only to find herself pressed against the taut body of the dark-haired boy. She struggled fruitlessly for several seconds, before going limp in his arms. Not a sound escaped her lips. Her body didn’t even tremble any more. She looked resigned and tired, something that seared through Duo’s body like a knife.

 

A young woman walked up to Heero and spoke quietly to him, before bending down to lift the passive Pagan into her arms. They were about to make their way into the elevator, when the soft ‘meows’ caused Pagan to jerk back to reality.

 

“Coco!” She cried out, struggling and jumping down from the woman’s arms. “I have to get Coco!!”

 

“Sweetheart, we can’t allow you to have pets. Why don’t you let these nice men take care of it for you and then they can bring it over whenever they come to visit.”

 

Pagan brushed the furry creature that purred against her chest and sniffled softly, refusing to acknowledge the woman’s words. It wasn’t until she felt the figure before her, did she raise her eyes to stare into warm amethyst depths.

 

“I will take care of Coco for you, Pagan and I will make sure I bring him to visit you, okay?”

 

Pagan stared into his eyes, as if seeking confirmation that he would keep his promise. She turned to stare at Heero too, noticing that the Japanese boy did not really have any expression on his face. Turning back to face Duo, she nodded softly and handed the kitten to him.

 

“He likes to play with his fur ball and my grandma’s yarn and fetch. And he likes his milk warm and he likes to sleep in his basket in front of the fire.” She rubbed her hands across her eyes, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall again. She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Duo’s neck. “Take good care of him for me, Duo.” She whispered. “And when I grow up, I will come and get him back.”

 

Duo swallowed the stubborn lump in his throat and nodded. “I will, Pagan. I promise.”

 

A gentle nudge from the woman, caused Pagan to remove her arms from his neck and with another smile, this time directed towards Heero, she followed the adults that waited for her into the elevators.

 

The last image that Duo saw was the beautiful face that would forever be filled with an emptiness that time would never heal.

 

~*~*~*~*~

The police were relentless in their questions and it was almost an hour before Heero was finally allowed to go back to his apartment. He sighed and shut the door softly behind him, noticing that the living room remained dark except for the glowing fire from the fireplace.

 

His eyes narrowed as he saw his lover standing silently beside the window. Walking up to him, he wrapped his arms around the lean waist and leaned his head upon the tense shoulder, sharp eyes watching the blank reflection in the glass.

 

The snow was falling heavier now and on the streets below, the excitement of the evening had finally worn off. Most of the ambulances and police cars were gone and only a few curious onlookers remained.

 

“She knew all along, Heero.” Duo muttered softly.

 

“Hai. She did.”

 

“Poor kid, huh?” he croaked out, refusing to allow the tears that longed to spill out.

 

“Duo…”

 

“It’s okay, Heero. At least…she got to find her cat before she left, ne? It was the best Christmas gift we could have given to her, wasn’t it?”

 

Heero nodded and turned his partner around to cradle his trembling body gently. He knew what Duo was going through at this point. The memories of his empty childhood were beginning to take its toll and Heero swore to himself that he would do anything to make the feeling go away, no matter how long it took.

 

He raised his eyes to stare at the snowflakes that dusted their window panes and the street below them. And although it gave one a sense of peace and tranquility, the soft mewling sounds of a lonely cat, calling for its lost mistress, filled the lonesome silence.

 

 

~ Owari ~