Deathscythe In The Eyes

Quatre left a long distance away before he called. He bought a phone at a random store and started a new number. It always delayed him some time before a call would go through. Afterward he would leave it behind on the street and head away from the area right away. He didn't take much risk, he didn't want anyone trying to track him if Duo was exposed.

He called Duo's number. No one answered at first. He had no choice but to wait and try again. This time, he got an answer. Duo wouldn't announce himself, he had to start. "Duo."

"Quatre. What is it?"

"I just wanted to know if you were doing okay?" Quatre started.

"Yeah, I figured. You are the one who cares. Thanks for caring. I haven't found Hilde yet, but I am getting closer. I've also got an x-ray of myself, I'm clean. They don't need to have me just to let me know things. They'll know I'll find her. They just want to control when I find her, so I gotta figure things out faster than they think I will. Has Trowa gotten a hold of his mom? If he can, I need to know about any defunct former prisons or containment centers RTL had. I think that's where Hilde is."

"Trowa hasn't found his mom at all. She really distanced herself from everyone. I'll let him know about that though." It would be a good place to keep Hilde. An old place they once used.

"Yeah, I figured. I'm going to get there before they want me to be there." Ominous.

"Duo. I know the justice they are taking are wrong, but these people are still just mistaken," Quatre tried again. "Please don't go overboard. They are just seeking justice in the wrong way."

"Talk to Duo Maxwell from a month ago. I've been in places and gotten a hold of too many horror stories. Even women that used to be a part of it. Mistaken in their pursuit? Great, then you probably shouldn't be chopping off fingers or shooting people in your warnings. That's not mistaken, that's orders, that's soldiers, and that's an enemy. My enemy. I don't care whether they are women, mothers, sisters, if they have the gall to hurt someone, then they risk getting hurt themselves, and lord help the ones that hurt Hilde, because there's nothing that's going to save them from the God of Death!"

He hung up. Quatre looked back at the phone. Duo was losing hope. Quatre ditched the phone and started to return back. While he did, he called Trowa to let him know about Duo.

"Sounds like he's picked up more than a few things about RTL," Trowa said to Quatre. "Did he give you anything more?"

"He was breaking down. He didn't say anything else," Quatre said, "just that your mother might be able to help. Has she made any contact at all?"

"No," Trowa told him. "No one has seen Crystalia Bloom, her whereabouts are still unknown.

"Yeah, I thought so. If you hear anything, we need to let Duo know. He thinks RTL is keeping Hilde in a really old hideout of theirs that wouldn't be used anymore. Somewhere your mom might know, but wouldn't broadly be on her tablet." Darn. "I hate the fact that RTL corrupted Duo. We went years not killing or hurting anyone."

"Duo is doing what he has to, to save the person he most cares about. We all know that feeling. He is living the best he can, how he can, with the choices presented to him. No one is perfect, especially us. I'll ask Cathy if she has seen anything and I'll let you know. She usually doesn't want to contact me for anything. She's extra protective, always has been."

Yeah, that was true. "Thanks, Trowa."

"How is Dorothy Catalonia so far?" he asked.

"She's doing great. She's healthier than she was a month ago. She has a cold right now, and she does get some light nausea, but it comes and goes. It's mostly pregnancy related," he said. "It's okay. We are doing okay. She'll be fine. Everyone will see that she will be fine. Wufei says she's fine."

"I understand, Quatre. I hope that continues for you. Trowa out."

Trowa took a moment to call Catherine. She didn't like to bother him or Middie at all. There was no contact at all with anyone from the circus, except one time she gave him what she had saved so she knew him and Middie would be taken care of.

They used most of it for the rooms. They ate the lowest thing they could get their hands on since neither of them could risk working. Even her art tools was just cheap lined paper, pencils, and crayons. It didn't matter to Middie, she still did things the same way. If they could get better products, she might be able to get something online. So far, their resources were holding out well.

Trowa had no problem with simple meals, and Middie had done her own share of not eating the finest meals or being in the finest places. Trowa still tried to make sure she got a decent amount because she was eating for two, and that was more prominent than it had ever been.

Three more months, and his son or daughter would be born. It was a strange feeling the more he looked at her stomach. Instead of two, he would be watching over three. He had really hoped that they would have taken on RTL so they would be free to live again. It wouldn't be easy to take care of an infant. Figuring out how to handle the birth. Trowa always tried to stay prepared, but there wasn't much he could do. The best he could plan was Quatre would allow him to connect to his own doctor if he trusted in him. Since the doctor was compromised, but willingly told Quatre about the problem, it didn't seem like the worst or smartest option.

Their best bet would be to go to a nearby hospital when it was time, get emergency help, and then get her in and out. It still wasn't a guarantee. Middie wanted to just stay there and get it done, but so far they had not gone to a genuine hospital once. If something went wrong, Trowa wouldn't know what to do.

He could break her out of a hospital, but he couldn't perform immediate surgery. He had to work within his elements. Quatre was going with his doctor, he trusted in him. Heero was letting Zechs expose Relena since she was already found to be not guilty. After she was helped, he was taking her back along with him until they took care of RTL.

They weren't the best plans, but it was all they had. Heero would be the first to test his plan since Relena was only a month from being due. Heero and Relena were actually hiding with Noin of all people, deep in her home. Heero didn't want Relena to go to any of their options left, and he didn't want to go to Zechs. He was actually trying his best to track any information on Hilde, just like Trowa had been.

The more they could gather on anything, the better the chances they could finally take down RTL. Trowa stared at her stomach a few seconds longer before he left the room to call Cathy. She wasn't happy he called, but she did have some news for him. She just didn't want to share it.

That alone was troubling, Cathy knew how important it was to keep sharing information. He had to give her more time than usual, before she confessed she found a piece of paper. On it, was a simple message.

She told him that he shouldn't tell Duo, just to tell him that he didn't have to run or hide anymore. That it would be better not to tell him, but Trowa could not do that. He had to retrieve it.

Trowa went back to the room Middie was working in. "I have to see Cathy and then contact Duo with some information, and then I'll contact Heero. Cathy got something outside her tent." He didn't like leaving her alone, but this was too risky to take her on, and so far they had been safe.

She headed toward the room they shared and crawled into the bed. She'd remain there with a key to the room only she had as he locked the room. He also locked the doors to the rest of the house, to give her that much more of an edge if something happened. Worst case scenario she could crawl through a window if she was able to. The plan seemed to work better when she wasn't as big as she had been. She might still be able to get it to work safely. He piled up some things to reach the window safer, just in case.

Then, he headed out. "It'll probably be fine," he assured her. "Everything is set up. I won't be gone long, less than a few hours." He would get to the circus, and then see Duo. He didn't deserve this over the phone. After that, he would give Heero a call afterward. It was almost time to exchange the tablet. "I'll be back by dinner."

"Ham or turkey?" she teased him. "Just kidding, we are out of turkey."

"Ham sandwiches sounds fine," he said right back. "I won't be gone long."

"I know, Trowa. I'll be here," she promised.

---

Duo stared at the computer. He was just tapping his finger next to it. He was out of ideas, but he still got behind it every day to search for anything. Any scrap. He searched out all the people he found that rejoined. He had even used the little information Trowa had given him on the tablet to help.

Trowa was probably being smart that way because Duo wasn't doing well. Hilde's bright smile. Her laugh. Her quirky little hats she used to like to wear. What a weird start for them, in After Colony 195. He could have sworn someone like her would be dying real soon if she stayed a soldier.

Not only did she make it, but she had means to help him with his gundam. It probably should have been temporary, but she felt . . . fun and safe. He could never really describe it. She was someone that accepted the consequences all the time if they were caught, she had put her life on the line by being a mobile suit pilot in the first place.

A few weeks to fix Deathscythe turned into months, and that turned into years. There was just no reason to pursue anything else. She even dated sometimes, but never really got serious with anyone.

Pizza. Movies. TV. Laughing. Joking. Hilde. It was a lot easier to stay positive when things got rough, when she was with him. He'd been on his own before, for a long time. Most of his life before he met her. Now though, that simple comfortable feeling. It wasn't there anymore.

He knew now, that even if she disappeared from his life, it wouldn't just snap back. Her being okay with something happening to her life, didn't make it hurt any less. She could risk her life, or put her life on the line. He didn't want to.

Peace. Soldiers. War. In the big picture, in the past, that's what mattered. Their lives, how they conducted themselves, and the end to mobile suits. That's what mattered. None of them had to take one more innocent life. None of them.

He was remembering how he felt toward the end with Deathscythe. No more lives lost. Death did nothing. He was trying to remember that a whole lot as he heard a knock on his actual door.

He didn't know anyone, but when he heard the word 'Duo' at the door, he knew this was going to be bad. He didn't want to answer that door. There is no reason any of them would take the time to knock on the door to see him. Unless, they needed to share something in person.

And whatever that had been, wouldn't be good. Up, he had to get up. The news wouldn't change. He reached for the door and answered it. "Trowa." He left the door open for him to come in and closed it. He stayed near the door, relaxing his body behind the door. "Please tell me that there is some kind of god damned miracle good news that made you come to my door?"

No. Not that look. "I'm sorry, Duo. Cathy got this from the circus. Only our mother knows the location." Trowa held a paper out toward him. "She doesn't know what is going on anymore, she thinks Hilde might have been unable to have kids."

"Then why didn't they just release her and pick someone else?!" He probably shouldn't have yelled at Trowa but he couldn't help it. If she was useless to them. Duo took the paper.

"Duo," Trowa began. "Maybe one of us could get this done for you?"

"Don't you dare!" Once again, shouldn't yell. "I've got it." He held the paper tightly.

"Remember what you've accomplished," Trowa said to him.

"Sure, I'll remember that. Like that isn't what I've been thinking about for this long." Hold it together. "Hilde was just one life. She was just one individual, one breathing being. Just one person." He squeezed the person. "Just one person that meant the fucking world to me!" He slammed it on the ground and lowered his cap down. "Fuck it. I'm getting it."

"Duo." Trowa called to him. "I understand that you are angry, but you should be careful. I can call up Quatre-"

"No one is involving that innocent guy, just to make sure I'm a good boy," Duo countered. "If you really even believed we should do that, you would have brought the desert prince with you."

"Just remember, there's nothing concrete given except an address," Trowa said.

Trying to keep him from going overboard? Sure. "Look?" Duo put his hand on Trowa's shoulder. "You get it?"

"You've got Deathscythe in your eyes," Trowa said back to him. "You brought it to peace by destroying it."

"It's one person," Duo said to Trowa. "It's just one. Out of everyone we killed, out of the risks I took, even not caring if I died." He felt it. Deep inside. "I can't do shit for Hilde, and all of you guys are too great now to kill. I know none of you want to do that, but by staying on the fringes, the bad guy keeps getting away. And I? I just . . ."

"Don't let the God of Death take over," Trowa warned him. "Think before you do anything, Duo. They are mistaken. Just like in the fight with Mariemeia. I really should have had Quatre come instead of me."

"Yeah," Duo said, "you probably should have, but if his sweet little heart couldn't turn me away from the thought of killing whoever I find near her body when I get to her, it would have only hurt him. And newsflash? He couldn't." Duo just tried to give him a morbid smile. "But hey? If it makes you all feel better, shortly after I take out RTL, I'm putting an ending on my own. I've always been kind of a sore loser I guess."

Trowa didn't know what else to say as Duo started to leave. There wasn't anything to say. "RTL won against me Trowa!" Duo yelled to him. "But that bitch is not winning against anyone else! Relena. Middie. Dorothy. Every one of them is going to be safe because I'll take that whole damn place down to hell with me!"

Trowa stopped him from swiping the tablet from him. "Not with this, Duo. Not everyone in here has taken a life, and some are just mistaken women, victims who got pulled into the wrong thing. The law will decide their fate."

"Fine then, the God of Death will go it alone," Duo agreed. "I'll find them all still and take care of them like I took care of Oz." Just like Oz. Just like the Alliance. Just like White Fang. Just like all of them. He'd take them all on, just like all of them!

Duo got in his car and took off at high speed. Innocent people getting hurt by the enemies all over again. He squeezed the wheel. Not for long. He'd take care of this. He should have taken care of it with Hilde, but each of the pilots were being kind.

Heero could have had Relena out of it all real fast. Quatre, definitely, it'd be pretty quick. Wufei, super easy. Even Trowa, no problem. Enough information dwelled that with the right amount of pressure, they could have discovered more and pulled RTL's strings apart. It was just a magic show, with really light strings. "Only reason Revenge of the Lost survived this far is because we were all too kind."

Well, not anymore.

They wanted revenge against a gundam pilot? They wanted to make one break? Well, they'd get their wish.

They'd see how much they got their wish.