From Far Away
Part 1
"Damn, that dream again!", Duo sat up in his bed. His violet eyes
still half-open while he thought about his dream. //Why do I always
dream about strange animals and plants that I have never seen?
Moreover, they live and run on green grass under a beautiful blue
sky.// Duo chuckled. //I wish I could live in that world.// He rose
from his bed and took a shower.
After half an hour of struggling with his long hair, he finally
finished the shower. He wore his priest-look-alike-outfit and braided
his lovely chestnut hair. //Now, time to face reality. // He plastered
a grin on his face and went out. His waist-length-braid swinging
behind him.
//The sky in L2 is always gray because of all those damn factories'
smoke.// The braided boy lifted his face to the gray sky above and
then he turned his gaze to the house he just came out from. //An
orphan like me is really lucky to find this abandoned house. The owner
of it must've been in a hurry since they left the door unlocked.....//
Duo's mind trailed off to the day he was asked to leave the orphanage.
The government was only supporting the children until they were 16
years old then they were forced to live by themselves. //I wonder what
Sister Helen is doing now...// Duo was so lost in his thoughts that he
didn't notice a black dot in the sky that was growing bigger and
heading towards him, until it was too late.
"WHAT IS A MISSILE DOING HEREEEEE????" Duo, surprised, ran for shelter
as the missile hit the ground and exploded near him. //No wonder the
owner of the house didn't bother to lock the damn door.// That was the
last thought in Duo's mind before darkness claimed him.
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"Ugh..." Duo slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes. He was
lying on something hard. //I am laying on the ground?// He blinked and
then blinked again, not trusting his own eyes. "Have I died and gone
to heaven?" Duo mumbled then looked around him. The place was very
unfamiliar to him. //Gold is definitely the dominant color in this
place. Golden grass, a golden
tree......wait a minute....tree?//. Knowing that not a single plant
could survive on L2 brought Duo fully awake.
Duo stood up abruptly and looked up. Tree branches were high above
him, preventing most of the sunlight from shining through. //I'm in a
forest? How did I get in here? Oh, right. There was a missile....//.
While Duo was pondering this strange occurrence the tree's branches
started to wiggle and a creature fell right smack in front of him.
"A giant worm???" Duo stepped back. The creature, which was taller and
bigger than him seemed to notice his movement and approached. Not like
a usual worm, it had spikes around its body and its front was covered
with fangs.
"WHOAAA, don't come any closer!!!" Duo stepped back again. The worm
launched itself toward Duo. // I am so dead meat this time.//
Surrendering to his fate, Duo closed his eyes but suddenly he felt a
strong hand shoving him away. He opened his eyes in surprise and
watched as a man in a strange outfit unsheathed his sword and slashed
the worm in two. Part of the worm landed beside Duo, completely
freaking him out. Without thinking, he jumped and glomped onto the
man. His arms were around the man's head and his legs encircled the
man's waist.
//OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod, thisisnotreal
thisisnotrealthisisnotreal//, Duo repeated his litany over and over. A
minute passed in silence before Duo calmed and became aware of his
surroundings again. Feeling soft breath on his chest, Duo realized
what he was doing at the moment.
//Shit. I glomped onto a man. He must be angry//. Hesitantly, Duo
looked down to the man. Violet eyes met cobalt blue ones. Duo was lost
in the eyes that were the same color as the sky in his dream. //What
beautiful eyes he has... but why are they so cold and
expressionless?//
Duo turned his gaze to the man's face. The face of a young boy with
messy brown hair met his gaze. //He is around my age and ...God, he is
beautiful. His lips are dry and his short hair feels so good against
my fingers.......huh? my fingers?//. The realization that he
unconsciously had let his fingers brush the soft brown hair made Duo
blush. He grinned nervously and forced some words out of his mouth.
"Uhm, hi?" //Great! Is that all you can say, Duo no baka?!// Duo
suddenly wanted to slap his own head. The boy whom he was still
clinging onto just snorted and then shoved him down.
"ITAI!!", Duo landed on the ground, bottom first. //So much for glomping a boy//
He looked up and opened his mouth to protest about the boy's action
but when he got a full view his blue-eyed savior he was struck
speechless. The boy was putting his sword back into the sheath, which
hung on the waistband of his green tunic. He had a well-built figure
and his black leather boots and pants made his appearance perfect. The
boy turned his back and walked to his bag, which he had thrown off
earlier before saving Duo.
Duo gulped once and finally found his voice. "Look, maybe you are
uncomfortable being glomped by another boy but I'm scared to the
death, man. I don't know how I got here. One thing for sure, this is
not my world and while I was thinking, that worm suddenly attacked me.
I was really surprised and scared so I jumped onto you. I hope you
understand my reason for clinging onto you."
The boy just kept silent, taking his bag then slumping it on his
shoulder. "Oy, can you hear me? I'm trying to ask for your forgiveness
here. It's not polite to have your back turned when someone's talking
to you!" Duo wanted to add more but one glare from the boy made his
jaw lock.
The boy said with a cold voice, "Omae no kotoba wa ore ni wa wakaranai" *I didn't understand your words*
Duo was stunned. //His language is different from mine.......of course
it's different. This isn't my world anyway.// Duo looked up and found
the boy staring at him. "Uhm, why are you staring at me?" Duo asked
nervously. //God, his eyes are so beautiful and his lips are tempting
to be kissed. Gah, kiss? I'm thinking of kissing him? KISSING A
STRANGER?? I've really lost my mind.//
He was too drowned in his thoughts and failed to notice the fire that
flickered in those sea blue eyes for a second before they became cold
again. The boy shook his head and mumbled, "....konna hazu
jyanakattanoni" *...I didn't expect it to be like this...."
The boy then grabbed Duo's arm, "Koi". *Come here* (Not koibito :p)
"Huh? What are you saying?". Still confused, Duo didn't move from
where he was standing. The boy released Duo's arm and grabbed his
braid then pulled it. "Itaiii! Hey, that hurts!!"
The boy yanked Duo's braid again and walked in a certain direction, still grasping it.
"What? You want me to follow you? Okay, okay, just let go of my
braid." Duo followed the boy, not wanting to have another yank on his
braid. The boy didn't release the braid though and instead he walked
faster, closer to running now.
"Hashire" *Run*. The boy started running.
Poor Duo, the boy still held his braid. "Ow, ow, my braid! Arghh, let
go of my braid! Why do you have to run all of sudden?" Duo was trying
to keep his running speed equal to the boy when he heard some noises
above him. He looked up and his eyes widened in horror. It was another
giant worm. Correction, there was a bunch of giant worms.
"NO! NOT THOSE WORMS AGAIN!!" Duo used his full speed to run now. He
passed the boy and missed a little smirk that appeared on the boy's
face. A worm fell in front of Duo at the same time he felt a tug on
his braid.
v
This time the boy yanked the braid harder and made Duo lose his
balance. He fell into the boy's left arm while the boy's right arm
unsheathed the sword and cut the worm. "This is a nightmare!" Duo
whined, also taking note that several worms blocked their path. "Ugh,
now I think L2 is better than this place....HOAAAA".
The boy lifted Duo on his shoulder and began to run toward the worms.
"Oyyy, stop it! You will kill us both!" Duo struggled to free himself
but the boy's grip was too strong. "Stupid boy, you're gonna kill us
you suicidal freak!" The boy just ignored Duo's curses and jumped
high.
//WHAT???? He jumped over the worms???// Duo was surprised. It felt
more like as if they were flying rather than jumping. They landed
behind the worms and the boy kept running, carrying Duo on his
shoulder. //He is really fast. I never thought it was humanly possible
to run this fast.// Then Duo noticed a big hole in front of them.
"Watch out! We're gonna fall into the hole. ARGHHH". The boy jumped
into the hole and hugged Duo tighter. //We will be damned.// thought
Duo, but the boy landed on his feet with Duo in his arms safely.
Though the boy jumped from an almost 4-stories-building-height, he
didn't show any signs of injuries at all.
v
'Huh? What happened just now?' Duo blinked and looked up where the
worms gathered around the hole's entrance.
"Mou otte kuru koto wa nai" *Those worms will not jump in*
'Huh? What is he talking about?' Still hugging the boy, Duo pulled
his head back to stare at the boy. //Looks like the worms won't chase
us anymore.// A safe feeling seeped into Duo and suddenly he felt very
sleepy. The continuous feelings of being shocked, surprised, and
scared had worn him out. Those blue eyes that stared at him just made
him feel warm and protected. As he lowered his head and nuzzled around
the boy's neck, his eyes closed slowly.
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"Duo!" Duo turned around to see a woman in a white outfit calling for
him
"Huh? Sister Helen?"
" Why do you look like as if you've seen a ghost, Duo?"
"Where am I? What is this place?"
"This is the orphanage, your home. Are you still half asleep?"
"Huh? Asleep?........God, so all of those things are just a dream!",
Duo jumped up happily and hugged the woman. "Thank God! IT'S JUST A
DREAM!" Duo hugged tighter, he felt his hair being brushed gently by
fingers, "It's just a dream...."
"Whoa, Duo. You're heavy!" The woman fell down, bringing Duo with
her. Duo landed on top of her and could feel his head against a flat
chest.
//Flat chest???// Duo's eyes snapped open. He looked up and a pair of
blue eyes met his gaze. //This is not a dream!! This is real!!!!//
Duo hoped he was just having another nightmare. He closed his eyes,
refusing to take the fact that it is real.
"Omae o korosu" (Do I have to translate this one? ^_^;)
The soft breath, which touched Duo's nose and that cold voice brought
Duo back to reality. He then realized his awkward position. His face
was just a mere inch from the boy's and the boy lay on the ground with
Duo on top of him. "Agh, sor...sorry!" Duo blushed and tried to
stand up but fell aside instead. The boy just snorted and stood up.
He unsheathed his sword and walked away.
//What is he going to do?// Duo wanted to follow the boy but he found
his feet tangled in his hair. "Since when did I undo my braid??" Duo
was confused and he tried to braid his hair again.
When Duo finished with his braid, he turned around to find the boy had
finished making a raft and sheathed his sword. //He is really fast!
But why did he make a raft?// Duo looked around and noticed that
there was an underground river near them and the boy was pushing the
raft into the river now. //He didn't leave me when I fell asleep, I
guess I can trust him.// Duo eyed the boy carefully. The boy had saved
him and he felt no reason to not trust the boy.
"Ikuzo" *Let's go*
"Huh?? I don't understand your language, remember? Your cold voice and
lack of words don't help much. Can't you make any gestures that show
what do you want from me?"
The boy grabbed Duo's braid and yanked it.
"ITAIIIII, oucchhhh. I understand, I understand. You want me to follow
you?" Duo came near the boy, following him as he walked onto the
raft. "Gee, when I said a gesture I didn't expect you to use my braid.
It hurts to have your braid yanked, you know? Someday I will cut this
braid and....hmmmpph." Suddenly Duo found his braid shoved into his
mouth. Duo spat it out. "Does this mean you want me to shut up? I told
you not to use my braid. You look like you have a hair
fetish or some..."
The boy growled and reached for the braid again. Duo quickly shut his
mouth with his left hand while his right hand held his braid
protectively. He sat on the raft nicely while the boy controlled the
raft with a pole he had picked up while Duo was busy braiding his
hair.
They entered an underground tunnel and slowly the light disappeared.
"Whoaaaaaaa, it's so dark here! I can't even see my own hands. How
long does the tunnel last?" A light from the boy's direction attracted
Duo. He turned his head and saw fire emanating from the boy's palm.
Duo's jaws dropped as the fire burnt the stick he held in his other
hand, making a torch.
"Urusai", said the boy while giving the torch to Duo.
Duo received the torch and stared at it. //Hello? Excuse me, where
was the fire from? Is it magic? I know you are stronger than an
ordinary man, but I never thought about magic//. Duo turned his gaze
and stared at the boy, who had turned his back to Duo. //Can I trust
you?//
After a minute of silence, Duo couldn't keep quiet and started talking
again. "Uhmmm". The boy turned his head to Duo and glared at him. "I
just want to know your name. My name is Duo", Duo pointed to himself,
"Duo Maxwell".
The boy still glared at him, making Duo nervous. "It's true! I run, I
hide, but I never lie. I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell", Duo pointed to himself
again. And then he pointed to the boy, "What yours?"
"......."
"Uh...oh..." //Is he pissed off? Does he understand?//
The boy turned his head back and mumbled, "Shinigami to wa kono se o
souran ni michibiku mono nohazu." *The legend says that Shinigami is
the person who can control the world....*
Duo was totally confused. "What?"
"Souzourashii yatsu wa omowanakattana." *I never thought Shinigami was so noisy*
"Huh? Pardon me?"
"Ore no na wa Heero. Heero Yuy. " *My name is Heero, Heero Yuy."
"Heero....."
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They stopped at a bank and got off the raft.
"Sokoni iro" *Stay there*, said Heero to Duo and pointed to the ground. //I hope he understands.//
Then Heero left and examined the wall that blocked their way. A sound
of splashing water was heard behind him and he turned around to see
Duo walking out from a puddle. //I guess he didn't understand at
all.//.
"Geez, I didn't think puddles got that deep!" Duo grumbled while he
was trying to wring his clothes and saw Heero's glare. "Look, I'm
sorry, but I thought I heard a sound. It's so dark around here so I
can't see where my foot had stepped...."
//Here he goes again.// Heero opened his bag and searched for something. //I have to find a way to make him shut up.//
"....I like the dark, but....HMPPPHH", Heero pushed some clothes into Duo's mouth.
"Kigaero" *Change your clothes*
"Huh? What is this? Is it a towel?" Duo held the clothes and stared at them.
Losing his patience, Heero began unbuttoning Duo's shirt. But since
Duo's outfit wasn't familiar to him, he didn't know how to unbutton it
so this left him with one option. Heero ripped Duo's outfit.
"ARGHHH, pervert! What are you doing?" Duo was surprised, angry, and embarrassed all at the same time.
"Kigaero", Heero repeated and pointed at the clothes in Duo's hands.
"You want me to change? Geez, you didn't have to rip my clothes
first. That's...", this time Duo noticed Heero's hand was approaching
his braid. He shut up at once and walked to find a safe place to
change into the clothes.
Heero didn't follow him, instead he leaned on the wall, arms crossed.
//Looks like I can use his braid to make him shut up.........His hair
is really soft, especially when the braid was released.//. Heero
remembered feeling the soft-like-silk hair when Duo fell asleep in his
arms. He didn't know what had gotten into him but he found his hands
undoing Duo's braid and caressing the hair. Heero shook his head.
//Why did I think about his hair? I must not think about unimportant
things like that. He is Shinigami after all, the one who is being
wanted by all the rulers in order to control this world.//
"Is this the right way to put on these clothes?" Duo's voice brought
Heero's attention back. He looked up and held his breath.
Duo was standing in front of him, looking stunning in the purple tunic
and black leather pants. Heero growled and detached himself from the
wall and turned around to face it. //Don't think about him, he is
Shinigami.// Heero concentrated and then pushed the wall.
The wall cracked. //I still don't believe that this noisy person is
Shinigami.//
Heero pushed harder and the wall collapsed, welcoming the sunlight to
enter. "Wow, finally I can see the daylight," said Duo.
//If he is really Shinigami....// Heero stared at Duo who was looking
at the blue sky. //Someday.....I have to kill him.//
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