Chapter Seven:

 

Cromwall

Present Day

 

“I want your body, Heero. For one day…give me reign to become you and to enjoy your freedom. If you do that for me…then…I just might give you what you truly seek.”

 

In the deep recesses of his mind, Duo’s words echoed over and over again like a relentless hummingbird seeking its freedom from an inescapable prison. He trembled within the embrace, his sight almost non-existent as Duo had done a fine job of making his eyelids swollen from the force of his punches. Dare he allow the ghost a chance at ‘living’ all over again? He really had no idea of what it entailed, but Heero was sure that subjecting his body to Duo’s every whim was a very risky proposition. But yet, he found that his need to know more about the petulant ghost’s past was one of the many reasons why he was even considering his offer. Wufei’s plaintive cry of ‘Haven’t you humans used him enough?’ made Heero wonder just what Duo had gone through to make him this angry at the mere mention of the cursed elixir. Just what had happened in this mansion a century ago? Heero wanted to know more – needed to know more about what lay beyond the damned walls.

 

He felt Duo’s grip around his neck tighten and he struggled not to choke knowing full well that his captor was getting impatient. He lifted his gaze to stare into the violet one before him, wondering why it was so hard to understand and to read Duo’s thoughts. Besides his extreme emotions of either anger or passion from a session of lovemaking, Heero really didn’t know what to think of Duo Maxwell. The long-haired boy was a complex enigma that he wanted so much to solve. In fact, all four boys were a complete mystery to him. Heero didn’t know if their intentions were really honorable or not. Their ability to fluctuate between moods could be quite trying on a lesser man. Perhaps it was the house that was responsible, he deduced thoughtfully as he trembled and tried to lower his gaze. But a firm grip on his chin had him staring into the now irritated depths before him.

 

“Well?” Duo drawled with barely concealed impatience. “What do you say? Or don’t you want to find out the truth about the elixir?”

 

Heero forced moisture into his swollen and bleeding mouth, his mind working fast as he tried to choose his next words carefully. Finally, he croaked out in reply. “How do I know that you aren’t going to use me until I’m dead?”

 

For a long moment only the whispered sounds of the wind moving within the trees around them and the faint drone of a neighbor’s lawnmower in the distance, filled the silence that had fallen amongst them. It took Heero only a second later to realize that Duo was beginning to shake against him. He felt a dull sense of alarm and tried to move away only to suck in a harsh breath as the other boy’s head fell rather heavily upon his shoulder. There was no denying the unmistakable sound of low laughter that reached his ears. He could hear Trowa and Wufei’s soft chuckles and Heero was sure that Quatre was doing the same. Feeling his cheeks redden with embarrassment, he tried to move away again but Duo’s arm around his neck caused him to rethink his decision.

 

“Don’t worry, dear master,” Duo crooned between snickers as he lifted his head again to pin his amused gaze upon the scientist. “I’ll take good care of your body. You’ll see.”

 

“And what about…well…what happens to my mind if you take over…?”

 

“Consider it this way,” Duo explained with a grin. “You’ll be taking a backseat while I handle the wheels, got it?”

 

“I can’t…”

 

The ghost shook his head vehemently. “Your mind will still be intact…I hope.”

 

Heero raised a brow at the afterthought but remained silent as he continued to listen.

 

“Usually, I take over your…well…bodily functions. I become you in a way. You can only watch but you can do nothing.”

 

“It’s much better than the other method,” Wufei stated matter-of-factly. His expression was unreadable and gave nothing away.

 

Heero eyed him warily. “The…other…method?”

 

“Where your mind is completely erased and I have ultimate control of you. Quatre’s good at that,” said Duo with a curt nod towards the blond who was still leaning out of the window. “He did it one time with some unfortunate soul he managed to pick up off the street and the poor guy could barely…”

 

“He died,” Quatre finished flatly with a light wave of his hand. “I had underestimated him.”

 

“You used him for too long,” Trowa muttered, feigning interest in a clump of rose bushes on his left. “If you had only returned him back…”

 

“And what would you know about it?” came the sharp retort from the head servant, which had all the boys including Heero flinching in response. “I don’t remember you being willing to help at the time, Trowa.”

 

For the first time since his arrival to the mansion, Heero saw a genuine look of irritation flicker across the taller man’s face. He was yet to see Trowa upset and he was sure this was as close to such an emotion as he was bound to get.

 

“What could I do?” Trowa asked a bit coldly. “You had already made up your mind to stay and you knew there would be no way to revive him!”

 

Quatre’s beautiful aquamarine depths flashed with malice for a moment before he gave a light snort and closed them. “You’re still bitter over that, aren’t you, Trowa? You’re just jealous that I didn’t take you with me.”

 

For a moment, Heero was sure that Trowa was going to say something incredibly rude or possibly punch the blond’s lights out, but instead the taller servant settled for clenching his hands into tight fists and sticking them deep into his pockets. He was practically trembling with the force of his anger.

 

Duo gave a dramatic sigh and laid his head upon Heero’s shoulder again. “Oh, such jealousy and bitterness between two lovers who are too dumb to admit they care for each other.”

 

Simultaneous cries of ‘WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” sent a flock of birds scurrying away from their hiding places as both servants glared at Duo who was pretending to be in grave danger by clinging to Heero.

 

“See what I mean?” Duo whispered with a mock pout. He slid his hand towards Heero’s torso, surprisingly gentle fingers brushing and caressing the tightly clenched muscles as his smile widened. “But enough about them, master. So…what do you say? Can I take control of your body? For just one day?”

 

His hands slid a bit lower, almost teasing the small tufts of brown hair around Heero’s groin. He smirked at the responding sharp intake of breath, crooning in delight while feeling the undeniable swell and movement of Heero’s arousal against his knee. The Japanese boy swallowed tightly and struggled to shift his position but each time he did, it only gave Duo more access to tease him. He shook his head slowly, willing his wandering thoughts to stay focused on what he had set out to do. It was only for one day, wasn’t it? All he had to do was allow Duo to enjoy the ‘outside’ and then he would be able to get the one thing that the professor was looking for.

 

“All…all right,” he finally whispered in near plea as Duo’s knees deliberately brushed against his throbbing organ again. “All right…for…for one day only…”

 

“Yes!”

 

“But on one condition…”

 

Duo’s grin of jubilance became a light scowl of consternation. “And just what would this condition be?”

 

Heero tried to think of a nicer way to put this but all his mind could come up with at the moment was something he had overheard several students at the university saying amongst themselves between classes. It had seemed utterly ridiculous to Heero at the time, but oddly, the word seemed appropriate for what could possibly happen to him. He stared deeply into Duo’s curious eyes, trying hard to ignore the soft tingle in his spine he was prone to feeling each time he did so and stated flatly.

 

“Don’t brainfuck me.”

 

If it weren’t for the enormity of the situation, Duo’s comical look of disbelief would have had Heero bursting into hysterical laughter. However, it seemed as if the ghost wasn’t the only one floored by the choice of words. The other three servants exchanged curious looks with one another before Quatre broke the silence with amused laughter.

 

“Brain fuck you, huh? That’s an interesting way of putting it.” He waved towards Duo, who was still staring at Heero as if he had never seen the boy before. “You heard the man, Duo. Don’t mess around with his mind, okay?”

 

Duo shook his head quickly to snap out of his light trance. He hated to admit that Heero’s behavior was doing quite a number on his psyche. And so mumbling something along the lines of knowing someplace better he would like to mess around with, Duo was rendered speechless as he found himself suddenly pulled within Wufei’s strong embrace. He barely had time to call out his lover’s name before warm and very hungry lips claimed his in a rather bruising kiss that left no room for argument. Wufei’s dark eyes met Heero’s blue ones and even without words there was the unmistakable warning and yet understanding between them. Heero was not to touch Duo in any way – controlled or not. It seemed to be a rather foolish request as there was no way such a thing couldn’t take place. However, Heero’s eyes darkened at the challenge while helplessly aware that his body was betraying him by responding to the sight of the two young men engaged in such an intimate act. He forced his gaze away and tried to get to his feet. He staggered and stumbled clumsily only to find himself being held by Trowa’s familiar strong hands.

 

“Light is fading,” Quatre announced coolly with a pointed look at the couple. “Hurry up, Duo if you hope to get anything done today.”

 

Several stars had begun to twinkle in the early night sky and Heero tried to crane his neck a little to see them. It hurt – no thanks to Duo – and he settled for leaning heavily against Trowa while waiting for the long-haired boy to be done. He could feel something hot and fiery burn in the pit of his stomach as he listened to the dull murmurs and whispers exchanged between the lovers. The wet sounds of tender kisses being exchanged and a low whimper, which became a low moan of need, filled his senses and almost sent Heero growling in response. Would they ever finish with their goodbyes? He really was getting a bit tired of waiting.

 

Quatre coughed a bit loudly and with a reluctant sound of resignation, Wufei released Duo, his lips curving into a hint of a smile.

 

“Be careful,” he whispered in Chinese so that only the two of them could understand. “I will be waiting for you…”

 

“Even when the crow has left its nest to roost,” Duo finished with a similar smile. After being together so long, he had definitely learned a lot from his lover, partner and friend. He stepped away from the dark-haired boy, eyes still locked as they realized that this would be the first time – well for almost a century – in which they would be separated in such a manner. Duo licked his lips and forced a cheerful grin on his visage. He looked a bit paler than ever before and to his dismay, he realized that he was actually…

 

Afraid.

 

He had never left the house and had really seen no need to. Being here – in this mansion, on these grounds – had been his only refuge. Trowa had found a body to possess once and had returned in only half a day with a report that the humans of today had not changed much from the past. Everyone knew of Quatre’s debacle, which had caused an uproar in the local news the following weeks. He had chosen the mayor’s son as his vessel, after all. Wufei and Duo had been the only ones to refuse the chance to see the ‘outside’. Their bitterness towards humans in general had made them immune to their desires for freedom. But things had begun to change after a while. Duo had become restless, his temper tantrums worse than ever before, his mood swings so erratic that it had taken all three men at one time to hold him down from charging after a group of inquisitive teenagers that had come to visit the graveyards.

 

It wasn’t until Quatre made it clear that he needed to be released for a while, did it finally sink into his troubled mind. Had he really been giving in to his need for freedom? Had all of his ‘rebellious’ acts just been a product of his agitation at being cooped up indoors for so long? Very reluctantly, Duo had finally given in and had accepted his fate. But then there had been the trouble of finding just the perfect body to use as a host. He had waited for two long years and no one suitable had walked through those gates. Duo’s strength – both in mind and body – would have been too much for any mere human to deal with. Quatre had almost given up the search to find someone perfect when Heero had come waltzing in with the others.

 

Perfection would have been the understatement of the year for the blond’s reaction at seeing him.

 

A vulture’s lonely cry jarred through his thoughts and Duo blinked in slight disorientation at the beat up body before him. Heero was just about as tall as he was, muscles – well toned and in shape – and his mind…

 

There was no doubt in Duo’s mind that Heero was smart just like his former master had been. They both had that same inquisitive look in their eyes – that undeniable thirst for knowledge and that need to be the best at whatever they did.

 

Master Joshua…perhaps you have come back to me after all…

 

“Duo,” Quatre called out a bit sharply. “Hurry up! Once the light fades completely you know you can’t…”

 

“I know! I know!” Duo replied just as quickly, his heart pounding a mile a minute as he took a deep breath. He watched as Trowa stepped away from Heero and almost winced as he felt Wufei leave his side.

 

Just…close my eyes…and let go of all thoughts and emotions. Just close my eyes and let go of all thoughts and emotions.

 

His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides as he lowered his lashes while chanting the soothing mantra over and over again in his mind.

 

Heero, who had to lean against the low wall to steady himself again after Trowa’s departure, could only watch in growing worry as a small gust of wind begin to form around Duo’s body. The once solid form of the young servant was slowly becoming non-existent. He squinted to try to see what was really taking place; rational thinking eroding quickly as he stared at the floating afterimage of what was once Duo Maxwell.

 

So this is what a real ghost looks like, Heero thought wildly. He who had never believed in such things was being reawakened to the harsh reality of what was happening to him now. Perhaps, if he were lucky, he would pinch himself and be reminded that this was all a bad dream after all. He barely had time to brace himself before the ethereal figure flew straight towards him. Something cold and clammy were placed upon his cheeks and Heero’s eyes widened in understanding at what was happening. His mouth fell open in shock and for one brief moment he felt an incredible chill race down his body. It was very uncomfortable and…

 

“Argh!”

 

Painful.

 

He fell to his knees, arms wrapping themselves tightly around his waist as he rolled around on the cold earth. He failed to notice the concerned looks on the other servants’ faces as they waited with bated breath for the possession to be completed.

 

As for Heero, he felt like screaming and perhaps he did but he was no longer sure. Something hard, almost like someone was pounding away at his heart with a sledgehammer, had him spinning backwards and slamming hard against the wall again. He tried to breathe…to force some air into his lungs but it was becoming incredibly difficult to do.

 

Oh shit…I’m going to die! I’m going to fucking die! Duo…he’s…killing me…

 

He screamed again, his body arching into a taut bow, feeling as if his insides were being turned into molten lava. Every muscle in his body seemed to protest the presence of something else as they seemed to expand and contract erratically. It was too much for his body to take. The pain was too excruciating. He really wasn’t the one after all. His body was not the one Duo needed and for some reason, Heero felt incredibly disappointed with himself.

 

Hang on…hang on, Heero! Someone cried out desperately.

 

But as he felt himself begin to slip into deep unconsciousness, Heero found himself apologizing to Duo at not being able to give him what he wanted.

 

I’m so…so…sorry for failing you…

 

 

~*~

 

 

The fire spattered in the fireplace, causing the girl to jump a little and give a small cry of surprise. She realized that she must have dozed off in weariness. The doctor had excused himself for a while and so she had remained in the now quiet living room, waiting for his return. Slowly, her gaze drifted towards the window, unaware of the wistful look that had come into her eyes.

 

Cromwall was her home and has been for eighteen years now. She had been born into a relatively well to do family – one could almost place the Peacecrafts in the upper echelon of society to be precise. Her father had been the Dean of the local college and her mother had been one of the better socialites in the town. Her parties were always one to be attended by the select few and they were usually talked about for days afterwards.

 

Thanks to her father’s love for Ancient History, Relena inherited his curiosity and avid interest of all things related to the past. She studied for nights on end in his extensive study, reading up on everything and anything she could get her hands on. Although her mother had wished she could be more ladylike and graceful, her father seemed all too pleased to be able to share his talent with his daughter.

 

Against her mother’s wishes, Relena had enrolled into a small college in a neighboring state to further her education on geology, anthropology and history. Needless to say, tempers had flared between both parents over their daughter’s future and on one sunny July afternoon, Relena had returned home from school, to find that her mother had moved away.

 

Despite her father’s soothing words of reassurance, Relena had always blamed herself for causing the rift between her parents. In atonement, she had spent a few months at the girl’s college her mother had wanted her to join. But her restless spirit had been unable to cope with the tight schedules and nearly nauseating nuances of the ‘cultured’ women she had been forced to live with. The funny thing was that her mother had not even bothered to stop by to see how she was faring. It was as if she no longer cared what happened to her only daughter. Relena had tried to speak to her over the phone but to her immense disappointment, Magdalena Peacecraft no longer seemed to want to be a part of Relena’s life anymore.

 

She had had to watch her usually vivacious father deteriorate into poor health and finally in August of last year, the Peacecraft patriarch passed away in his sleep with a warm smile and a book of Edgar Alan Poe’s poems upon his chest. It had been a very public funeral as many of the townsfolk had wanted to pay their final respects to their beloved administrator. Relena decided to put her education on hold and had gotten a job at the local library. Here, amongst the many books her father had loved, she could finally find the peace that she had always wanted.

 

She wondered if her mother had even known about it. Relena hadn’t bothered calling her.

 

She stared at the simple gold band on her finger with a small smile. It was Adrian Bates, the shy but lovable young man who had attended college with her, that had taken the plunge and proposed to her earlier this year. She could still remember the shock, surprise and yet delight at the emotion he had carried in his words. She hadn’t hesitated to say ‘yes’ even before he was through. Everything had seemed so perfect then…no…everything was perfect now and will always be –

Except for the fact that for the first time in months, Adrian had actually stood her up. Adrian had never stood her up before. He usually called to let her know if he would be coming late each and every time.

 

Sighing heavily, she curled upon the couch and caressed the leather bound book upon her lap gently. For the past hour or so, she had been transported to a time when four young men with seemingly multiple lives, had been brought to this place she called home. She was genuinely interested in the four Dunhill servants and had even imagined herself being a part of the household. She closed her eyes and allowed her wandering thoughts to become centered on them again, while wondering just why the eccentric professor seemed so intrigued with knowing about the history of their deaths in the first place.

 

Everything’s…so strange, she thought wearily. The living are so very strange…

 

 

~*~

 

 

A heavy silence, filled with dread and yet palpable tension, fell upon the courtyard as the three boys stared at the immobile figure on the ground. Quatre pushed himself away from the window and leapt down to the ground in a move so quick and yet graceful that it seemed almost unreal to the naked eye. He walked up to Heero’s prone figure and raised a brow. The wounds were beginning to heal slowly right before their eyes. Dull purplish bruises and trails of blood on broken skin seemed to be sucked up by some invisible vacuum within Heero’s body. In mere seconds, Heero’s skin looked completely…flawless. One could hardly tell that just minutes ago, this same boy had looked like a human punching bag.

 

“Do…do you think it worked?” Wufei asked thickly, his features in an uncharacteristic look of worry.

 

“His body is healed, isn’t it?” Quatre replied flatly as he stooped to his haunches to tap Heero’s shoulders lightly. “Duo? Hey…Duo!”

 

The body remained immobile and both Trowa and Wufei exchanged concerned looks over the blond’s head.

 

Trowa opened up his mouth to say quietly, “I don’t think he’s…”

 

“…moving,” Quatre mumbled with something close to a sigh of relief. “Look…his hands…”

 

Sure enough, Heero’s long, slender fingers twitched ever so slightly as if someone was pulling unseen strings trying to force them to move. Quatre called out Duo’s name again and this time the hands moved a bit more. A low groan escaped the Japanese boy’s lips and as the servants watched, long lashes fluttered weakly before glazed blue eyes were slowly revealed to their gazes.

 

Heero licked his lips and croaked out weakly. “Wha…is…did it work?”

 

The boys frowned and before Heero could say another word, Wufei was in his face, his black eyes now frantic with anger and yet dull fear. “Duo?! Where is Duo?! Why isn’t that Duo’s voice?!”

 

“Calm down, Wufei!” Quatre barked out sharply. “Give them some time! See…?” But there was a slight tinge of doubt in his tone as he held Heero’s gaze with his. If everything went well, then Duo should have been the one to…

 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaarggh!!!” Heero held his head within his hands, eyes screwed together tightly as his body began to tremble violently. “Stop it! Stop it, goddamn it!!”

 

And then from the same mouth, the undeniable voice of Duo retorted back angrily. “I’m supposed to take over your body, you bastard! Now let me out!”

 

Quatre, Wufei and Trowa watched in amazement as the two boys struggled within Heero’s body. Finally, with a loud curse, Heero fell back to the ground only to sit back up again just as quickly but with a thunderous scowl on his visage.

 

“Damn him! He’s such a stubborn asshole!” Duo complained as he ran Heero’s fingers through his hair. He automatically reached for his braid but then remembered that he was now stuck with Heero’s shorter and much more unruly hair. “Damn…”

 

“Duo!” Wufei cried out in relief as he made an attempt to reach for Heero…but he froze in mid-stride as he eyed the eager look in the dark blue eyes before him. They didn’t really belong to his Duo. If he wrapped his arms around Heero, he would only be touching the Japanese boy instead and that was something he wasn’t willing to give in to just yet. Wufei stepped away quietly and without saying another word, made his way back into the house, which in turn seemed to embrace him almost lovingly.

 

Duo stared after the Chinese boy longingly. He had an idea of what had made his lover hesitate in displaying his affections for him. Technically, he was Heero now and Wufei was yet to allow anyone else to touch him so intimately. He rose to his feet slowly, testing out his ‘new’ legs, which trembled a bit as he took a tentative step forward. He glanced down at Heero’s jutting cock and found himself reluctantly comparing their lengths for the first time. From this vantage point, Heero was clearly the bigger of the two of them –

 

His thoughts were cut short as a smiling Trowa flung several items of clothing in his face.

 

“You should get dressed and go now, Duo,” he said quietly.

 

“Time waits for no man,” Quatre finished with an enigmatic smile as he watched Duo begin to struggle with a pair of jeans which had once belonged to some wayward and curious teenager. “You look good if I do say so myself,” he added with a mischievous wink and if he noticed the tension that had seeped into Trowa’s body at the compliment, the blond paid him no mind. Instead, he rose to his feet to cup Heero’s chin gently within his hand, his beautiful eyes now filled with a warmth that Heero had never seen before. Caressing the full lips slowly, Quatre leaned closer to whisper thickly against them.

 

“Have your fun for today and tomorrow, Duo. But don’t forget that you can never be a part of them, no matter how tempting it becomes. You are one of us and will always belong with us. Do I make myself clear?”

 

Duo nodded slowly in understanding, although a glint of rebellion had flashed within his eyes for a moment. He allowed Quatre’s lips to brush against his and catching Trowa’s darkened gaze, Duo smirked and deepened the kiss much to the blond’s surprise but yet delight.

 

Heero watched in amazement. Duo had been right in saying that he was to take a backseat to everything that was to go on from here on out. It was incredibly strange to know that his hands and lips were the one upon Quatre’s supple flesh. He could feel, taste and sense everything that Duo was going through – the dull pleasure that flared through his body, the sharp jolt of pain ecstasy as he felt Quatre’s teasing hands caress his inner thighs.

 

Oh dear, god…Quatre was going to stroke his cock soon and Heero wasn’t sure that he could…

 

/Ah!/

 

It was a sharp searing pain that felt as if someone had given him a mental prod with a rather sharp object.

 

/Stay away from my thoughts, master./ Duo warned with barely concealed impatience.

 

Heero scowled. /As you will stay away from mine!/

 

/Deal./

 

The kiss finally ended with a slow lick of Heero’s lips. And with a final whisper of ‘Come back to me soon…’ Quatre released them with a light push against Heero’s chest. They watched as Trowa was pulled rather roughly back into the house and as it had done for Wufei, the mansion seemed to enclose the two servants within itself as if welcoming them back to their rightful places.

 

Duo took a step forward in conditioned readiness to enter as well but a mental slap from Heero had him crying out in pain.

 

“What the hell was that for?!” He all but screamed into the night sky.

 

/Let’s go back home./ Heero retorted coldly as he forcefully made Duo begin to walk down the path that would lead them towards the gate . /I’ve got a lot of explaining to do to the professor./

 

/The professor, huh?/

 

/Yes, so you’ll listen to everything I say and repeat it, got it?/

 

Duo sighed heavily as he pushed open the small wicker gate. “And I thought I was the one supposed to be controlling you.”

 

About to say something witty in response, Heero asked in bemusement instead.

 

/Why…why have you stopped?/

 

Duo swallowed tightly, his palms sweaty, his heart racing with a fear he had not felt in a long time. He felt so…vulnerable…and he hated himself for feeling this way. He wanted to run back into the house – his refuge and shelter from the foul elements that seemed to assail his senses all at once. He trembled and held onto the gate so tightly that a dull crack was heard. It was different all right. Of course he had seen the town undergo its changes from daily views with Wufei from the rooftops. He had seen the advent of the automobile and the most astonishing of all – the airplanes. The first time the monstrous flying object had gone overheard, Duo could still remember how terrified they had all been at the time. But they had gotten used to it along with the mannerisms, language and style of clothes. Society had changed over time and Duo had been through it all – but he had always been in the house.

 

Within the house, time had always stood still for them. There had been no reason to fear the ‘outside’ where the living seemed to race through time. In the house, they were welcomed and they knew they belonged. It was their personal prison for all eternity and Duo had come to accept that.

 

But this…this was too much. He wasn’t sure he was ready to take the plunge just yet. Why had he allowed Quatre to talk him into this in the first place?

 

/Duo…/ Heero called out quietly as he finally understood what the other boy was going through. Duo’s anguish and concern was (whether he liked it or not) seeping into his own sub-conscious and it was rather disconcerting to be going through such a tumultuous range of emotions at once. For a moment, he wished he could wrap his arms around Duo. And as if his mind had willed the thought again, Heero watched as they did wrap themselves around his waist. It looked to any onlooker that he was in pain, but Duo’s small gasp of surprise was all it took for Heero to know that his mental embrace of encouragement had gotten through the stubborn ghost’s thoughts.

 

/You’ll do just fine, Duo./ Heero reassured him quietly. /Just don’t try to…/

 

Whatever Heero had planned to say was ignored quickly as a ball bounced off Heero’s head causing both boys to cry out in surprise and pain. That seemed to snap Duo out of his melancholy reverie. He cracked his knuckles and glared at the two teenage boys who had been playing air baseball, his eyes darkening with mischief and pleasure at the sudden rush of adrenaline that flowed through his body. And before Heero could say a word of caution, Duo was already hot on their tails with a whoop of delight.

 

“Get back here, you weaklings!” he cried out as he ran with the powerful legs that seemed to make him soar through the street. “Please allow me to kick your asses!”

 

Heero groaned in disbelief at what was happening. Duo was completely ignoring the fact that both boys were apologizing profusely for the accident. But as they continued to make their way down the street, Heero figured that there was really no point in trying to stop Duo now. For the long-haired boy’s genuine cries of happiness made him feel a dull thrill of satisfaction inside.

 

This was the first time he was sure Duo had ever felt this way in a long time and so closing his mind, he allowed the ghost a second chance at living all over again.

 

…provided Duo didn’t get him locked up in jail tonight for attempted assault.

 

 

TBC…