Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz, nor do I own any characters from Dragon Ball Z. Wish I did, but I don't, so there's no point in suing me.

Ta da! A new chapter! Thank you to the people still reviewing and faving this fic and any fans still following it. It's 4 in the morning but i'm determined to post. My eyeballs feel like they're melting so i've given up proof reading. Point out any mistakes and i'll gladly correct them.

Enjoy! ~PFF

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Chapter 15

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Steam swirled in the humid air and stuck to his skin cloyingly.

Heero took a steady breath and reached across the sink to twist the hot tap off.

The last of the scalding water circled down the drain, tinted pink by diluted blood.

The skin of Heero's hands and arms felt raw from where he'd methodically scrubbed away the blood that had dried there, but it was a good kind of pain. He felt clean and somehow lighter now.

But his green tank top was still stained with Duo's blood and no amount of washing would ever remove the evidence. Blood was notoriously hard to wash out of clothes. He'd have to burn it.

Taking another steady breath he dried his arms on the nearby towel and exited the bathroom, plunging the room into darkness as he tugged on the light cord.

The moment the bathroom door opened out into the bedroom the smell of fresh blood hit his nose sharply. The wretched heavy atmosphere hit him a fraction of a second later and he felt it settle heavily on his chest.

As he swung the door shut behind him Heero's eyes involuntarily went to his bed where Duo lay.

Quatre had cleaned him up as much as possible. His shirt had been cut completely away, exposing his chest. The two gauze pads taped over his bullet wounds were already soaked through with blood even though they had only just been freshly replaced before Heero had left the room to clean himself up. It was the third time Wufei had been forced to change the gauze in the past hour they'd been working on him. Their only positive achievement was that the wound in his arm had finally stopped bleeding. The bullet had been expertly removed by Trowa and neatly stitched up by Wufei, but there was nothing they could do to divest him of the two other bullets. They were lodged too deep inside to simply take out with tweezers.

They had done all they could possibly accomplish. Heero knew that it was not enough though. Duo had lost too much blood.

Quatre was a universal blood donor but it would be a waste to attempt a transfusion.

Duo's lung had collapsed not more than ten minutes ago. With every laboured breath he took, a terrible wheezing wet gurgle issued forth.

Heero was glad that Duo remained unconscious. It was better that he wasn't aware of his own slow agonising death.

Sitting vigilant at Duo's bedside, Quatre reached out to measure the Deathsythe pilot's pulse. His findings must have been grim because his mouth pinched and his aqua eyes despaired. He glanced up and caught Heero's gaze. He gave a minute shake of his head and turned away again, giving Duo's limp hand a reassuring squeeze.

It wouldn't be much longer now. Duo's complexion was chalk white. Surely he would bleed dry or even suffocate due to the blood slowly filling lungs.

The only sound in the eerily quiet room was the slow and painful draws of breath from the dying boy on the bed.

Trowa was leaning rigidly against the far wall with downcast eyes, his arms tensed across his chest, fists clenched.

Wufei was sitting cross legged on Duo's bed reorganising what was left of the first aid supplies. His brow was drawn into a permanent deep-set frown and his movements seemed almost angry.

He must have sensed Heero's fleeting gaze because he looked up from his task. He regarded Heero for a long moment then narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Tell me, Yuy," he said in a deceptively tranquil tone of voice, "How did this come about?"

Heero's throat closed even as he instinctively shifted his stance to stand taller and defiant in the face of Wufei's indirect accusation.

Trowa's gaze lifted to pin Heero, his gaze flat and pitiless.

Quatre didn't turn but his neck muscles tensed signifying that he was paying rapt attention to the conversation.

Heero couldn't remain mute on the issue. He pondered the honest answer before committing to it.

"He took the two bullets meant for me. My awareness slipped and I almost paid for it with my life. Duo placed himself in harms way to save me." The words tasted bitter in his mouth and he couldn't deter his instinctive glance over at Duo's still form before his eyes snapped back at the sound of Wufei's scoff.

"The Great Heero Yuy dropped his ever-vigilant defences? I don't believe it."

Heero gave Wufei a cool look of superiority. "Believe what you will."

Quatre twisted on his chair to break up the thinly veiled argument.

"Duo wouldn't have risked his own life if he didn't think yours was worth saving, Heero. I know he would lay down his life for any of us. It's in his nature to protect those close to him. I would gladly die for him in return. I'd die for any of you." His conviction was so sure that it astounded Heero. How had he earned such unwavering loyalty? "If anyone is to blame for this injustice, it should be OZ. Wufei, your anger is misplaced." He scolded the Shenlong pilot and Wufei scowled impertinently, his pride too resilient to allow him to instantly admit that he was in the wrong.

There was a long edgy silence until Wufei's anger receded naturally. "It would be an honourable death," Wufei humbly conceded, "to die for a comrade."

Trowa nodded wordlessly; whether in agreement or just simple acceptance of their belief, Heero couldn't determine.

Heero chose to remain silent on the matter. He doubted that he would choose to die for any one of his comrades; his survival instinct was too strong. Beside, he wasn't supposed to have attachments to anyone or anything. That had been his first rule all throughout his life…and yet apparently Duo had managed to slip past his defences that he had built up so high. Now, all of the cracks in his armoured wall were visible and he was unpleasantly surprised by his self-indulgence. He was sentimentally attached to Duo even if he mildly resented his new dependence on their growing friendship.

Heero's eyes were unwillingly pulled to Duo's bloodied body once again. His chest was barely moving anymore, the rattling breaths coming few and far between. He wouldn't live for much longer. He'd already beaten the odds by managing to endure this long.

Heero resigned himself to watch Duo die in morbid silence.

In a sudden move that caused Heero's breath to catch and his hand to spasm to his holster, the bedroom door burst open with a violent flourish, knocking it half off its hinges from the force.

A single figure stood framed in the doorway.

It was a boy of around 16 or 17 years of age with wild windswept black hair. He was wearing the odd choice of a dark purple fighting gi and Heero noted that he looked of Japanese origin.

His onyx eyes were wide with desperation and fear.

"I'm not too late am I?" He asked urgently in rapid Japanese as he strode boldly into the room.

In an instant four different guns were trained on the intruder's head.

He paused uncertainly for a moment but then decided to slowly raise his hands in a sign of peace, finally conscious of the dangerous territory he'd walked into.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Speak quickly!" Wufei barked in English, unable to speak Japanese fluently beyond a couple of phrases.

The older boy licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted to Duo's still form. His body twitched forwards as if to go to him.

"Don't move." Quatre warned evenly, his aim unwavering from where he sat.

The unknown stranger sighed in exasperation, dropping his arms to his sides and also dropping the pretence of uncertainty.

"I haven't got time for this," he bit out in exasperation, flawlessly managing to switch to the English language.

He took a step further into the room in frank defiance of their demands to remain motionless so Heero had no qualms in releasing a bullet at his forehead.

But the bullet never made contact.

The boy's form blurred, then flickered and vanished causing the slug to pass harmlessly through empty air before it splintered into the solid wood doorframe.

There was no trace left of him.

There was a beat of silence where no one dared to breathe.

"Was that an image?" Trowa asked uncertainly.

"A hologram maybe?" Wufei added his guess.

An astonished gasp from Quatre and a heavy thump made them whirl around with their guns raised.

The tousle-haired teenager was now kneeling next to Duo's bed.

Quatre was sprawled out across the floor looking dazed with his chair upturned next to him. By appearances it seemed that he had tipped his chair over backwards in his surprise.

The blond quickly rolled to his feet, his wide eyed stare fixed on the older teen even as he repositioned his aim.

"How-?" Wufei started to question but the boy's frantic murmurings cut him off.

"Where is it? I know it's here somewhere -ah ha!" He pulled out a small object from the side pocket of his gi. It looked strangely like a small green bean.

"Stop right there!" Wufei shouted in fury. "Don't you dare lay a finger on him!"

The anonymous teenager threw a daring look back at them. "If you want him to die then go ahead and shoot me, for what little good it will do. I can save him if you let me."

"We don't even know who you are." Trowa reasoned.

"Does it matter?" He huffed and turned his attention back to Duo.

His spine visibly stiffened and he sucked in an audible gasp. He wavered forwards on his knees to hover a hand over Duo's mouth and nose, and then quickly moved to press an ear to Duo's chest. He straightened again with his frame full of tension. "He's not breathing, and his heartbeat is slowing."

The horrifying declaration made Heero's gun aim waver slightly before he pulled his focus back.

"Get back." Heero ordered wrathfully.

"No!" was the sharp retort, "I can still save him, he's not gone." He pried open Duo's mouth and squeezed the juice of the green seed past Duo's lips before popping the rest of the mashed up bean in. He then tilted Duo's head back to stroke the throat muscles causing the body to reflexively swallow.

He rocked back on the balls of his feet and clasped Duo's hand in both of his own, pleading under his breath, "Come on, this has to work. Please stay alive…please don't tell me I'm too late…please…"

The seconds ticked by and Heero's entire being sank with grief. For an absurd moment Heero had almost believed that this stranger really could help.

But then in a move that staggered everyone, Duo's chest suddenly expanded and he sucked in a desperate lungful of air.

After a few choked gasps his breathing evened out and he sank down into what appeared to be a peaceful sleep. Colour slowly ebbed back into his skin until he had regained his natural healthy complexion.

The stranger slumped against the side of the mattress in relief, his breath leaving him in a shaky sigh. "Phew, that was close."

"Wha- h- how?" Quatre gulped back his stutters and tried to steady his words. "Who are you?" he finally managed in flabbergasted disbelief.

The stranger stood with confidence and turned to face them flashing a friendly smile that was completely out of place when at gun point.

"Hello, I'm Gohan Son, it's nice to meet you,"

Heero didn't detect any sarcasm. He was being perfectly pleasant.

Quatre gave an unsure smile back, cautiously accepting the stranger's easy smile and greeting.

Heero had had enough of this.

"Back away from Duo." He growled out, emphasising each word with lethal sting. His protective instincts were in overdrive now that Duo had been snatched back from deaths door.

Gohan looked to Heero with a baffled frown, but then obeyed and slowly moved over to Duo's unoccupied bed to sit down on the edge. He proceeded to inspect each their faces in turn.

"How did you do that?" Trowa asked. His eyes stared suspiciously at the unusual boy down the sight of his handgun.

"Do what?" Gohan asked with a hint of naivety.

"Everything. The hologram, reviving Duo, finding us?" Trowa tone suggested that he was irritated by the boy's casual ease.

"You keep calling him Duo, is that what he's going by now?" Gohan puzzled, neatly managing to avoid answering any of the questions posed to him by countering with questions of his own. "I thought he liked his original name so I'm surprised he changed it. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised by anything."

The pilots exchanged quick confused glances.

"You know him?" Heero asked doubtfully.

"Yep," Gohan replied with a wide grin that they all recognised instantly as Duo's- dimples and all. "I'm his brother."

There was a ripple of disconcert through the room.

Wufei leant fractionally into Heero to mutter in a low voice, "That smile does look remarkably familiar," He speculated. "Do you think it's feasible that he could be related to Maxwell?"

Heero didn't get to reply because Gohan spoke up instead.

"We really are brothers, but I can see that he'll have to confirm that for you before you believe me." He cocked his head to the side curiously. "I thought that his name was Duo, but you called him Maxwell- which is it?"

Wufei stared with surprised eyes at the teenager, amazed that he had heard the whispered words from the other side of the room.

Heero was impressed with his hearing ability but was now all the more distrustful.

"His name is Duo Maxwell," The Shenlong pilot responded tartly. "As you claim to know him I thought that his name would be basic information."

"I haven't seen him in years," Gohan gave a regretful frown. "He's made a new life for himself here; he even changed his family name."

"So you claim to be his brother?" Heero asked sceptically. "Duo doesn't have any remaining family. He spent most of his life orphaned on the streets so I don't see how you could be his brother by blood."

Gohan's eyes went wide in dismay but then his expression darkened with self deprecation. "Damn it," he cursed in a low hiss. "Well I'm here to take him home to his family. I don't even know if we'll ever be able to make up for his life here, but we can try."

"Take him home?" Wufei repeated in appalled disbelief. "No, you can't do that. We need him in this war, our side can't afford to lose him!"

"A war? He's fighting in it?" Gohan asked looking slightly dazed at the new information.

"Yes, a war. Where have you been lately?" Wufei criticized.

"Er…well I guess I'm a little behind in the times…" He replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck- another of Duo's well-known gestures that Heero recognised.

A soft groan from Duo caught everyone's attention and Gohan leapt to his feet in anticipation.

"Duo?" Quatre called hopefully.

Duo twisted his body, stretching out his muscles as he was roused from sleep. His eyelashes fluttered and his eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head away from the glare of the overhead bedroom light that disturbed his rest. He gave a sleepy huff of displeasure and grudgingly squinted one eye open to peer at them blearily.

"What do you want?" He grunted with displeasure. "I was sleepin'."

Heero's heart bobbed like a helium-filled balloon in his chest. To hear his voice was overwhelming.

Duo was alive. Heero could temporally overlook the 'how's and why's'. All that mattered was that Duo was in the here and now and not relegated to past tense.

Duo could hear the murmur of voices. Goddamn, they were annoying him; he couldn't block out their sharp argumentative tones. They weren't even trying to keep their voices down. Couldn't they see that he was trying to sleep here?

He groggily gave a low groan of frustration at being disturbed from his deep sleep and started to enter the world of the living again.

Why did his mouth taste like something had crawled in there and died? He flexed his throat muscles to try and clear the nasty tasting gunk from behind his tonsils. It tasted like blood. Had he had a nose bleed in his sleep? Reopened a split lip? It wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

"Duo?" Quatre's voice beckoned. What did he want?

He carefully squinted open an eye.

Gah! Were they trying to blind him? Who the hell had put the light on at this time of night?

"What do you want?" He grunted with displeasure. "I was sleepin'."

He cautiously opened his other eye to try and understand the scene before him.

"We having a pyjama party or somethin'?" He asked in bafflement as he realised that his comrades were randomly standing in his room.

His brain jolted awake with the realisation that they all had their guns in hand.

He bolted upright in his bed but was distracted and confused as the bed sheets came with him during the transition. They were stuck to his bare back by something sticky that was drying to his skin, and damn it itched something terrible. He folded an arm back and tugged the sticky sheet loose. His fingers met a gloopy liquid coating his back and he brought his hand around to inspect it.

He hoped to god that he hadn't had a wet dream during the night. That would be a whole new level of embarrassment.

But the substance was coloured a dark red.

He rubbed it between his fingers with a grimace.

Wasn't this congealed blood?

He urgently reached back again to find the source of the injury he was sure he had.

He didn't feel any pain but what other explanation was there for the blood?

"What-?" He started to ask but he glanced down at his chest as the felt a pull on his skin. His eyes widened as he blatantly stared at the blood soaked gauze taped in two places to his own body.

He couldn't feel the wounds. It was either the best morphine he'd ever experienced, or something wasn't quite right with this picture.

"What the hell?" He uttered in bewilderment as he raised his eyes back up to meet those of his fellow pilots.

They were staring at him with wide disbelieving eyes and they also looked a few shades paler than normal.

"Someone please explain."

There was an unsure pause.

"I have absolutely no clue, Maxwell. Ask him." Wufei said feebly, pointing over to Duo's side of the room where a black-haired teenager was standing looking hesitant.

Duo blinked in stupefaction having not noticed the house's new occupant before now.

He had a mental flap over not being within reach of a gun. He felt exposed sitting in (Heero's?) bed, unarmed and without a shirt on. "Er, hi…who are you?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten me so easily, Shin Son," the older boy said with a shy playfulness, a smidgen of hope, and a large undercurrent of uncertainty.

Duo stared blankly. "Shin Son? I haven't been called that since…since…" He gawked, eyes roving over the figure once again. "…Gohan?" He asked in a tremulous voice that sounded laughably childlike to his ears.

Duo quickly scanned the teenager's ki signature to double-check his guess and was rewarded with the undeniable evidence that it was Gohan Son.

Gohan nodded and gave a huge Son smile banishing away any of Duo's remaining insecurities.

An odd sound escaped from the back of Duo's throat that sounded like a strangled gasp and he lunged for the older teen.

Gohan opened his arms at the last moment and Duo dived into them. They collided together and fell backward onto Duo's bed in a tangle of limbs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Duo saw Heero raise his gun with the assumption that the Deathsythe pilot was attacking the stranger but Duo let out a joyful laugh and Heero sharply lowered his gun again as he realised that they were just having an emotional reunion.

Duo clung to Gohan as if he was trying to bodily meld with him and he was reassured by Gohan's equally tight embrace.

Feeling that they had reached the maximum bodily contact limit before it became awkward, he pulled back and stood back up, offering a hand to pull Gohan up with him. He tilted his head to stare up into the beaming face of his taller and older brother with a matching grin on his face and unshed tears in the back of his eyes making his sight blurry. He refused to cry though.

The memory of Solo's motto 'Boys don't cry' kept the tears at bay.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Duo choked out hoarsely. His throat was burning with suppressed tears. "I thought that you'd forgotten me."

"You idiot," Gohan rebuked softly as he ruffled Duo's fringe. Gohan's onyx eyes were shining with unshed tears as well but his smile had gained a bitter sweet twist. "How could we ever forget about you?"

Duo flushed as he remembered that he was in the presence of his comrades. He was losing manly pilot pride points. "Look at me; I'm acting all sappy," He grimaced in jest and sniffed back the tears that were trying to escape via his sinuses.

"So am I." Gohan gave a subdued chuckle. "Vegeta would blow his top if he saw us now; two supposedly fearsome Saiyans behaving sappily."

Duo turned to his four friends who were tactically trying to give Duo and Gohan some privacy without actually leaving the room.

"Hey, guys, this is my brother, Gohan, he's cool so you can put your guns away and chill."

Heero reluctantly holstered his gun and gave Duo a heated glare. "I wasn't aware that you had any living relatives left."

"I didn't," Duo answered truthfully and his smile slipped fractionally. "I mean, I didn't know either. Not until just now."

Duo remembered with a start that Gohan hadn't come alone so he opened up his senses and felt for Mirai's ki. He pinpointed him, needlessly, just as Mirai walked through the open bedroom door which Duo noticed with a quirked eyebrow was half hanging off one hinge.

Mirai appeared taller (or had he always been that tall?) and officially an adult. He must have been in his mid to late twenties by now but he hadn't changed very much in appearance going by memory.

He was wearing a loose fitting black fighting gi that showed his muscular build, with his identifiable sword sheath strapped to his back.

His straight lavender hair was just long enough to fall loosely into his icy blue eyes.

All four of his comrades' guns rose again at the new intruder.

"Down boys," Duo grouched. "I know him."

The guns lowered again one by one.

"Hello, Mirai," Duo greeted neutrally, not too sure where he stood with the man. Last he'd seen of him, Duo had been making off with his Time Machine. Never mind that they didn't share many fond memories between them, what with Mirai trying to kill him and all that baggage.

But he needn't have worried because as soon as Mirai's gaze locked with Duo's his face broke out into a wide grin that Duo couldn't place with his faded memory of the cold and serious teenager that he had known in the past.

"You're alive?" His keen eyes pinpointed the two bloody patches on Duo's chest and darted to his arm as well.

Duo followed his gaze and belatedly realised that he had blood dotted dressing wrapped around his upper arm. He flexed the muscle and felt nothing unusual, but the memory of receiving this wound was crystal clear. He'd been shot, he knew that for certain.

"Just barely, I see." Mirai said dryly. "Wow, this feels surreal. You're not a little kid anymore; you've really grown." His tilted to the side slightly so his eyes could curiously trace down the length of Duo's braid, wordlessly implying that Duo had grown more than was expected in the hair department.

Mirai's stare drifted back to the evidence of his injuries. "What happened to you? We sensed you slipping away and got here as fast as we could. We had to give up the pretence of being normal and fly the last leg of the journey but I don't think we were seen."

"I almost didn't make it in time," Gohan intoned gravely at Duo's side.

Mirai grimaced and gave Duo a mild look of disapproval. "Are those gun shot wounds? What trouble did you get yourself into?"

"Er, that's a big question 'cause I don't really remember." Duo looked to Heero for answers. "I'm guessin' the mission went even more ass up?"

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"How?" Duo fished with mild annoyance at Heero's reluctance to expand on that short statement.

"It's because you're an idiot." Heero said flatly. Duo didn't miss the sideways scowl that Wufei pitched at the Wing pilot.

But Heero's vague answer still managed to trigger the memory of being shot in the chest. His hand rose to hover weakly over his chest as he remembered the ghost of searing pain. "Oh yeah, now I remember. I'm an idiot extraordinaire for saving your life." He smirked smugly, but then pulled a face at the weird sensation of de ja vu. "Wait, have we already had this conversation?"

Heero gave him a frown. "Are you recalling the conversation we had in the jeep?"

Duo thought hard but no memory came forward. "Uh, Maybe? I don't really remember that bit, I'm drawing a blank. I've no clue how I got from base to safe."

Heero's brow furrowed further and he looked off to the side, his eyes distant.

Duo's felt off kilter as he poked at one of the gauze pads which was squidgy with blood. It left a coating of red on his fingertips which he queasily wiped away on his pants. "So if I was shot, why am I not feeling it?"

"Magic," Gohan smiled mysteriously.

"Oh, OK," Duo accepted the reply easily enough. He had heard and seen stranger things. Green aliens and three eyed human warriors for example.

"Someone needs to start explaining." Wufei said testily with his eyes pointedly fixed on Duo.

Duo purposely averted his gaze and rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily.

He looked to Gohan. "Why are you here?"

Mirai chose to answer. "We're finally here to take you back home," he seemed so pleased to announce.

Duo's stomach dropped away.

He'd waited for this moment for years. So why didn't he feel any joy? All he could feel was disappointment.

"You've got lousy timing," He said with a weary sigh and dejected eyes. "I can't go back; not yet. I'm needed here, and I can't just abandon the war. If I leave now all I've fought for will be for nothing." He couldn't even look at Gohan because he didn't want to see the crushed expression that he knew would be on his face.

"War?" Mirai asked puzzled.

"Do you people live under a rock?" Wufei asked ludicrously.

Mirai didn't seem to appreciate Wufei's tone if the look he gave him was anything to go by. "So where do we go from here?" He asked Duo.

Duo heaved another deep sigh. "I honestly don't know." He glanced around the room at a loss. "Will you at least stay for the night?"

"Of course we will," Mirai agreed without hesitation. "We came prepared to stay for however long it might take to find you…though we did only pack for two, not four."

Duo had been purposely ignoring Gohan's slumping posture during the conversation but he paid attention when Gohan suddenly snapped upright and tense. "Er, Mirai, where are the Troublesome Two?"

Mirai glanced back through the open bedroom door. "Honestly? I've no idea. They were right behind me last time I looked."

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Oh great, well I guess I should search for them before they destroy anything."

Ah yes, the two other ki signatures that Duo had sensed alongside Gohan and Mirai. "Who else came with you?" Duo asked curiously.

"Goten and Trunks." Gohan said wearily. "They stowed away with us in the Time Machine. I can guarantee that they are both in a lot of trouble when they get home."

"Er, who?"

Gohan perked up and gave him an animated grin. "You wouldn't know them; they weren't born until after we lost you. Your family has expanded a bit since then. Goten and Trunks are your younger brothers."

Duo stared. "Really?"

"Bulma and Vegeta got together and Trunks was born six years ago; and Mom and Dad had Goten a year and a bit after that, so he's going to be five next month."

Duo was rendered silent for a moment but then whooped for joy. "I'm a big brother!"

Mirai smiled indulgently. "At the latest count you have two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a little sister."

"Woah…" Duo couldn't comprehend it all. So much had happened in the time he'd been gone.

There was a muffled crash from below, sounding from the kitchen that caused everyone to tense. Gohan scowled down at the floorboards. "Excuse me," He uttered and exited the room. His footsteps thumped down the stairs at a run.

"Krillen married and had a daughter," Mirai continued unfazed, "Her name is Marron. She's a sweet little thing. She's almost two now."

Duo grinned happily. He'd always known that Krillen would make a great Dad.

He mentally ticked her off the list of siblings that Mirai had counted. So that left…

"Wait." He frowned. "You said two older brothers. That's not right, there's just Gohan."

"Not quite true. Don't forget to include me." He smirked teasingly.

"Ha, good one," Duo chuckled. "Did you initiate yourself into the fold?"

"No, what I mean is that I am your brother by blood. 100% related."

Duo floundered for a moment, unsure if he was pulling his leg, yet he seemed entirely serious.

"How?" He asked bewildered.

A flare of ki from downstairs below their feet distracted the newly introduced brothers. A child's mocking laugh floated up the stairs and Gohan's shout for Mirai's immediate assistance followed shortly after.

"We'll discuss this after a brief interlude." Mirai said quickly, "I've got to help round up the brats. They're a handful at the best of times and a complete nightmare at their worst. We'll be back in just a moment."

There was an awkward silence where Duo shuffled on the spot, waiting for the verbal blow up that was sure to come.

Heero's eyes were narrowed dangerously at him and Duo could tell that he was furious. It didn't take a genius.

The messy brown-haired pilot strode across the carpet and stopped inches from Duo's face. Almost nose to nose.

"Enlighten us," Heero growled lowly, "Why should we allow four civilians to stay under this roof for the night? Especially two children."

Duo gazed back blankly, trying to keep up the façade that Heero wasn't managing to intimidate him, because honestly Heero was doing a really good job.

"They're my family and I'd rather they didn't sleep rough after coming all this way to see me. Besides, it's only for one night. After that, I swear they're gone."

Wufei suddenly advanced on Duo in a move that startled him. The Chinese pilot lashed out with an open palm that hit Duo in the shoulder, repelling him backwards and causing the back of Duo's knees to hit the side of his bed. The momentum forced him to sit down heavily.

"Fei!" Duo snapped in stunned surprise.

"Shut up." He retorted back, looking murderous. "You were fatally shot so why are you walking around as if nothing is out of the ordinary? Lay down, now."

"But I feel fine!" Duo protested as he tried to rise from the bed again.

Wufei pushed him back down unrelentingly. "Stay down!" He snarled.

Duo gave in without further resistance just to placate him. He lay down like a good boy.

And he was rewarded by Wufei ripping off the medical tape without warning, almost taking skin with it. "OW! Son of a-" He bit his tongue. "Try that again and I'll rip something of yours off!" He threatened through clenched teeth.

But Wufei didn't appear to be listening in the least.

He'd pulled away sharply as soon as the gauze had come away, his body stiff and eyes wide as he stared down in disbelief at Duo's chest.

The other pilots clustered closer to look as Wufei didn't explain his odd reaction.

Trowa and Quatre gaped silently whilst Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"It's a miracle!" Quatre gasped in awe.

Already knowing that he would find nothing wrong with himself, Duo sat upright. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and glanced down at his unmarred chest which was still stained with itchy drying blood.

"Ha, what'd ya know," he ran his fingers over where the non existent bullet wound was, his fingers coming away with flakes of dried blood. "Completely healed. Good job too or else I'd be six foot under by now." He was honestly amazed but he'd had so many shocks to the system today that he couldn't dredge up the needed outward emotion that this situation demanded, and the result was a slightly bored drawl.

Wufei looked down at the gauze in his hand and his eyes widened just a fraction more. He carefully plucked out a lump of metal that was embedded in the bloodied gauze.

"Is that-?" Trowa hesitated to ask, his voice horse.

Heero reached over Wufei and ripped the other gauze pad off. Duo yelled crossly as he flinched away in pain from his tormentors. "Stop doin' that!"

Heero carelessly tossed away the soiled pad, his prize pinched between his thumb and forefinger. He scrutinised the spent slug he was holding and the one in Wufei's open palm. "Military issue."

"Could his body have naturally rejected and expelled them?" Quatre grasped for any plausible explanation.

"Not with how deep they were in his body," Trowa shot down. "And that doesn't explain how his wounds have healed in an instant with no discernible scar."

Duo held his hands up to regain some personal space. "Hey, hey! Back up a few steps, fellas. I know I've got a hot bod but a guy can only flash the flesh for so long before he gets uncomfortable being ogled." He waggled his eyebrows in jest but his comment was delivered with a serious request to give him some breathing room.

The pilots hesitated, questions clear on their faces, but they eventually complied.

"How is it possible that you've healed?" Wufei asked, his eyes dark and intense.

"Gohan said it; Magic. But really, I don't know how they did it. Its best not to question the miracles those guys can pull off. They are secrecy in a box of obscurity wrapped in mystery and things get crazy weird when they're involved."

Wufei's jaw worked, more questions trying to fight their way free, his expression drifting between anger and intrigue.

"So…" Quatre tried valiantly to start a diversion. "They were your family? I really didn't see a resemblance between you all, but I know that doesn't mean much in this day and age with test tube children."

"Except the smile," Wufei accepted. "The black haired one had your smile."

"Ah, actually I have Gohan's smile, I copied it off him when we were young." Duo admitted with a quick sliver of a nostalgic smile.

"Are you really an orphan?" Trowa accused. "Or was that a lie?"

"I am…but then again…eh…it's complicated." Duo tried to run a frustrated hand through his fringe but got his fingers knotted in the blood crusted strands. "Oh yuck. I need a shower, pronto."

"You are not making sense, Maxwell," Wufei said impatiently as he gathered the two blood soaked gauze pads and placed them in the bedroom bin which was already at risk of overflowing with more bloodied gauze and cotton pads.

There were small but rapid running footsteps on the stairs and everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the bedroom door as a small blur of orange, blue and black entered the room.

The little black haired boy froze under the aim of Heero's gun.

"Heero!" Quatre admonished.

"Don't shoot!" The boy's small hands shot straight up into the air with a comical flair.

"Bang!" He suddenly shouted with a smile and lurched dramatically with a hand to his heart as he collapsed flat on the carpet with a soft thud; but not a second later he jumped to his feet with a showy grin that revealed that he was missing a lower baby tooth.

"Ha! I'm not really hurt!" He made a sloppy gun shape with his fingers. "Bang! I got you!" He crowed at Heero who stood dumbfounded.

"Maxwell?" Wufei asked Duo unsurely.

Duo couldn't stop staring.

This had to be Goten. It couldn't be anyone but Goku's son. His resemblance to his father was uncanny. The same gravity defying black spikes, wide honest onyx eyes, the same wide smile and boundless energy.

Goten's smile dimmed slightly as he realised that no one was joining in with his play acting. "Hi, I'm Goten, nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Goten, it's a pleasure. My name is Quatre." The Arab teen smiled softly down at the young boy in greeting.

"Cater…Catre…" Goten giggled, "Ha, you have the word Cat in your name. Meow!"

"It's Quatre," The blond repeated with a patient smile. "Are you hiding from your brother?" He prompted.

"Nuh uh," Goten's hair swayed as he shook his head sharply. "I'm trying to find 'im."

"I think you're looking in the wrong place. Gohan is downstairs,"

Goten frowned cutely. "No silly, not that brother. I'm trying to find my big brother, Shin, he should be here. We came a loooong way, through space! It was so cool! But I was kinda scared," He pouted. "But don't tell Trunks that! He thinks I'm a baby and I'm not!"

Duo felt a tremor of emotion quake his insides at the utterance of his old name. Goten lost interest in Quatre and his gaze skimmed over the others.

His eyes stuck on Duo. He squinted and cocked his head to one side. "You look a bit like him. You have weird purple-y blue-y eyes and brown hair like in the picture Mummy has."

Duo smiled wanly. "And you look just like your Daddy."

"You knew Daddy?" Goten perked up. "Gohan and Mommy say I look just like him."

Past tense.

Something inside Duo detached and fell like a slab of concrete to land heavily in his gut, sucking the air from his lungs with the impact.

"Yeah," He croaked out with dread. "I knew him. Don't you live with him?"

Goten shuffled on the spot glumly. "No, Daddy died before I was born so I never met him."

Duo stood rooted to the spot, trembling as he fought back tears. It was stupid really. He hadn't known the man for long at all, but the bond they had made in that short time was something that Duo had held onto for all these years.

To have it so suddenly severed was soul-shattering.

"Duo?" Quatre asked hesitantly with a hand fisted to his heart.

Rage filled the void.

Why hadn't Goku come to get him sooner? They might have had more time together. Why hadn't Duo been there when he had died? How had he died? Should he have felt something at the moment of death- like a resonating sadness, or a longing for something lost? But he couldn't recall a momentous surge of emotion that seemed out of place in his memory.

Duo hadn't had any reason to believe that he was waiting for a dead man to come and rescue him.

In a move fuelled by an intense surge of grief and rage, Duo swiped the lamp off his bedside table, savagely smashing it against the wall, shattering glass and plastic all over the floor. He sat down heavily on his bed and dropped his head into his hands, angrily gripping at his hair with clawed fingers. He focused on breathing steadily though clenched teeth as he stared with narrowed eyes at the floor.

"Are you OK?" Goten's timid voice asked.

Duo gaze flicked up, guiltily noting that Goten was half hidden behind Heero's legs, his body langue tense and unsure after Duo's random act of violence.

His anger drained away leaving him feeling tired and hollow. "Yeah, I'm OK." He replied softly. "Sorry about your Daddy. He was a good man."

"Everyone always says that," Goten nodded sagely. "He was a hero."

Duo smiled sadly. "Yeah," he agreed. "He was to me too."

"Duo-" Quatre started in a faintly pained voice but was interrupted by Gohan and Mirai as they re-entered the room. Mirai was carrying another small boy tucked under his arm. The boy was obviously protesting as he kicked and squirmed in Mirai's grasp, trying to free his pinned arms.

Gohan's gaze fixed on Duo as the braided boy raised his head further to look at his two older brothers mournfully, his hands dropping limply to hang between his legs. "What's wrong?" He asked Duo, his brow crinkling with concern.

Duo bowed his head again and muttered, "Goten told me about Dad."

Gohan stiffened slightly and a look of sadness flashed across his features but it quickly changed to understanding.

He walked over and sat at Duo's side, throwing an arm around his shoulders and drawing him closer.

"Dad died almost six years ago," Gohan explained in a low voice. "He gave his life to save the world."

Duo glanced sideways at Gohan and gave a weak smile. "Should I have expected anything else?"

"He might be dead, but he's not gone from our lives. He gave us Goten as a surprise parting gift." Gohan held out a beckoning hand and Goten sprung forwards at the invitation to climb into Gohan's lap, a pleased smile on his lips. He snuggled into Gohan arms and peered up at Duo with continued curiously. "You've always got the rest of your family and we'll go to any lengths for you. Through Time and beyond even."

Duo sniggered. "That sounds so corny, but thanks anyway." Duo bumped his shoulder against Gohan's and let his lips curve into a content smile.

"Are you my brother?" Goten asked.

"I am."

"But Cat-man called you Duo." The five year old argued. It took a second to decode Cat-man as Quatre.

"I've had a few names. I like the one I've got now so I'm keeping it."

"Put me down!" a new voice ordered irritably. It was the boy tucked under Mirai's arm.

Mirai jumped having completely forgotten that he was still holding the boy and sheepishly lowered him onto his feet.

He imperiously straightened the twisted front of his forest green gi and then inspected the people in the room around him.

His eyes rested on Duo and showed recognition.

"It's you!" He pointed. "I saw you in a picture at home. Mom says that you're my older brother, and Goten's too. And you stole my name!"

Duo chuckled lightly. "Definitely Vegeta's son." he said to Gohan, who laughed, before he focused his full attention on the boy.

"I take it that you're Trunks, yeah? Well you can have your name back because I've got my own now. It's Duo."

"Duo? What type of name is that?" Trunks scoffed.

"What type of name is Trunks?" Duo shot back grinning.

"It's better than yours!"

"If you want to believe that then go ahead."

"I'm with the chibi here, Trunks is a good name," Mirai agreed strongly with Trunks. He sounded almost affronted.

"You would say that," Gohan smiled knowingly at Mirai.

Duo inspected Trunks closely, noticing the lilac hair that was cut so it just about fell into his eyes, which were an icy blue.

Duo's gaze flicked back and forth between Mirai and Trunks.

"Are you two related? Because you're so similar it's eerie."

"Er, sort of. We have the same blood." Mirai smiled secretly.

"What he means is that we have exactly the same blood since we're the same person," Trunks huffed and rolled his eyes. "He's me from the future."

Duo's jaw dropped comically.

"Oh man! So your name is Trunks too?" He directed at Mirai.

Mirai nodded. "Yeah, that why I never called you 'Trunks' when I first met you. It felt awkward; as if you had stolen my identity and replaced me. I wasn't born in your Time yet so I couldn't say anything until I was; unless I wanted to risk changing the Time stream any more than I already had and end up not existing."

"So that's why you're my older brother," Duo concluded. "That is so awesome."

"'Time stream'?" Trowa directly quoted with an eyebrow raised in interest. "'From the future?'"

"They don't know, do they." Gohan stated to Duo who was cringing.

"Nope."

There was no way that he was going to be able to keep it a secret anymore. Gohan's and Mirai's tongues were too loose on the topic, but he supposed that Time travel was everyday conversation to them and that they weren't used to censoring what they had to say.

Duo turned his eyes to the four pilots and licked his lips nervously before taking the plunge. "Would you believe me if I told you that I'm originally from the distant past and that I used a Time Machine to travel to the future, which is now the present that we are currently in?"

"No chance, Maxwell." Wufei snorted in reply. "What game are you trying to play?"

Duo shot Mirai a peeved look, annoyed that he'd started this ball rolling.

The elder man shrugged back, looking honestly contrite.

"You're serious." Trowa said gazing intensely at the Deathsythe pilot.

"Never been more so," Duo said without a trace of a smile in an attempt to seem sincere.

"You don't expect us to believe this tale do you?" Wufei asked doubtfully.

"No, I don't expect anything from you." Duo could hear how crazy he sounded.

"Wufei speaks for himself. I'm listening," Trowa offered, momentarily throwing Duo for a loop.

He didn't even know where to start. He had fought to keep his past buried and had never repeated a word of it to anyone before, not even Solo. He didn't know if he could re-tell everything in its entirety. Besides, the past was the past and there were parts that he didn't want to remember, never mind verbalise.

"Duo," Gohan nudged his knee to hasten his decision.

"Fine. But first I think we should introduce ourselves properly. S'only polite."

"That's a good suggestion," Quatre agreed. "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner." He gestured for the turn to pass to the next person.

"Trowa Barton,"

"I am Chang Wufei."

"Yuy."

"Heero Yuy." Duo corrected. "Be nice Heero, we can trust them with our names."

Heero frowned in disapproval.

"I've already introduced myself but I'll say it again for everyone's benefit. My name is Gohan Son. My little brother here is Goten Son. Nice to meet you all. Even if you did try to shoot me." The last part was said in good humour.

Heero remained unfazed by the remark but Duo turned his head to glare sternly at the Wing pilot, guessing that he was the one to shoot at his brother.

"Hey, I'm Mirai Trunks Briefs," Mirai gave a friendly two finger salute at his temple. "But I'm just known as Mirai. My chibi self is just Trunks."

"I am not a chibi! Stop calling me that!" Trunks protested hotly.

"And I'm Duo Maxwell," Duo introduced. "Formerly known as either Shin Son or Trunks Son by family." He wavered with nervousness. "I don't feel like doin' this tonight. Can we wait till morning?"

"No." Heero intoned with no room for indecision.

Duo's jaw tightened in a quick flush of anger at the Wing pilot. "My past is personal." He resorted to digging his heels in firmly like a stubborn mule. He didn't want his wretched history to skew the pilots' opinions of him. He was bound to be viewed as certifiably insane.

"Your past is standing in the room with us, so I think that it's imperative that we know the basics." Trowa stated quite frankly.

Duo's temper cooled in the face of that logic. He couldn't leave them with a sleepless night of questions. He had to conclude this; he owed them that at least for the situation they were all in now.

"Fine. My story starts when I'm seven, in the year 764 AD when I'm happily living with my family." He ignored his comrades' confused frowns and shocked faces, and he doubly ignored the sharp looks he got from Gohan and Mirai as they silently questioned as to why he had skipped an important section of his life story.

Duo was not willing to tell the other pilots about the circumstances of his birth. As long as no one asked any questions then his secret would remain untold.

"Mirai," he gestured at the lilac-haired adult. "Appears in a Time machine from the future to warn a few select people in the past that evil androids will take over the world and slowly kill the entire population, unless someone destroys them. Sort of like in the film Terminator, but not quite."

He turned his focus to Mirai, his curiously a welcome distraction. "Did that all work out? You're still alive so it's good news I take it?"

"We had a lot more trouble than anticipated," Mirai replied honestly. "We lost a fair few people but it still turned out well in the end for the most part."

Duo quirked a smile for the victory. "Wish I'd been there to see you kick ass."

Gohan shifted uneasily. "Actually, it was for the best that you weren't there. 16, 17 and 18 came looking for you the minute they were released, and at that point we wouldn't have been strong enough to protect you."

Duo felt the blood drain from his face as he shot a panicked look to his brother. "Please tell me that you destroyed them."

Gohan hesitated strangely but he must have read the growing skittishness in Duo's body language because he quickly reassured, "You're safe now."

Duo slumped in relief. He remembered Gero's vow to sic the androids on him if he ever tried to run, and the threat had hung over his head his entire life. Different scenarios of the moment they might catch up to him had played out in his nightmares.

"Gero?" He had to ask.

"Dead." Mirai answered coldly but with satisfaction.

Duo felt the ghostly chains on his soul release and he lifted free. "Thank fuck for that," He breathed out under his breath.

Goten slapped his hands over his own ears. "Bad word!" He squawked in horror. "Mum has to wash your mouth out with soap now!"

"Sorry," Duo mumbled apologetically, but the smile on his face ruined the sincerity somewhat.

"Who is Gero?" Heero asked.

"The creator of the androids." Mirai supplied in a dark tone. "He was an insane genius that took offence against the world and decided that he wanted to see it burn along with his enemies."

Heero's gaze pinned Duo. "And how was he in acquaintance with you?"

Duo's eyed him suspiciously. "What makes you think that I knew him?"

"I fail to see how you could have nightmares about him if you never knew him," was the dry reply.

Duo's furious eyes swung to Quatre. "You had no right-!"

"No!" Quatre cut across indignantly. "He found out about Gero through his own methods. Apparently you're quite vocal during your nightmares."

Duo simmered at Heero, but he had to concede that he could have said anything in his sleep without knowing.

To defer the question about Gero that Heero had posed, he continued with this recollection of his past. "While Mirai was staying with the family, Gohan and I decided to play hide and seek. I chose to hide in my Mother's laboratory, using Mirai's Time Machine as my hiding place."

Quatre opened his mouth to most probably ask why there was a laboratory in his house, but Duo cut him off with a quick, "She's a scientist and mechanic." Quatre seemed appeased by the explanation.

"I got trapped inside, panicked, hit a few wrong buttons and launched myself into the time stream. Next thing I know its 187 AC, meaning I'm roughly 2000 years in the future on the L-2 Colony in the middle of Space! I'd never left Japan, never mind Earth!"

"Wait. You're of Japanese origin?" Wufei asked in surprise.

Duo tilted his head unsurely. "Well I guess I am. I'm not really sure to be honest. I know I've got Japanese blood in me, but I don't look Japanese. I'm a weird mix of a few races. I dubbed myself American because L-2 is an American colony and I hung around with a bunch of American kids for a few years. I managed to pick up a few habits and an accent. I speak a load of languages, but Japanese, and English with an American accent, are my specialities. And yes Heero, every time you cursed me under your breath in Japanese I understood every word of it, thank-you-very-much. I just pretended to be oblivious for the fun of it." Duo grinned smarmily at him.

Heero's brow slammed down into an incensed scowl. "Omae o korosu"

"Now how did I guess that you'd say that?" Duo rolled his eyes.

All of the pilots knew Heero's well-known phrase of 'I'll kill you' even though they knew little to no Japanese. They might have known all of the languages of the human race between them but the pilots always stuck to the main language of English. It was the most common tongue on Earth and the Colonies so it was the easiest way to get your words across.

"Actually, you are part American," Mirai seemed almost reluctant to reveal. "I managed to recover a few of Dr. Gero's files on you. Your unknown mother was Doctor Hannah Williams. She was a famous medical scientist and her genius rivalled our mother's. She worked for a short while with Dr. Gero on human anatomy many years before you were born. He must have saved her DNA somehow because there is definitely a resemblance between the two of you. You inherited her chestnut coloured hair and face shape. She was never married to anything but her work."

"She's dead, isn't she," Duo said a no-nonsense tone. "You're talking about her in past tense."

"Yes," Mirai admitted. "There was a lab accident two years before you were born…a contagion outbreak."

Duo wasn't that saddened to hear of her death. Sure, it was an unfortunate death for her but it wasn't so emotionally painful for him because he hadn't ever known her.

It was a plausible theory that Gero had chosen to give him her hair and face genes just so he didn't look like the obvious offspring of one of his other gene parents. If he had looked too much like a miniature clone of Goku (like Goten did), it would have been a lot harder to infiltrate the Son household without drawing heaps of suspicion.

Did that mean that his entire appearance had been put together like a carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle? Like Frankenstein's monster.

It was a demoralizing thought but it was one that he had already considered in the past because he hadn't known anyone in his family with his hair colour and had pondered over it.

"…Anyway, I tried to get back to my time but couldn't work the machine. I kept it safe for about a month before the Time Machine was destroyed." He gave an apologetic glance in the adult's direction. "Sorry 'bout that Mirai."

"Don't worry about it Duo, at least you're safe, that's all that matters. Besides, I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"Er… Yeah." Duo pulled an 'I-didn't-do-it-you-can't-blame-me' face. He wasn't going to mention the fact that he'd dismantled it and shopped the machine parts for food and supplies after deciding that he wasn't going to get home in it.

"And then what? How did you get from that moment to here?" Gohan asked with intense curiosity. "I know that you lived on the streets. How did you survive?"

"What?" Mirai squawked in disbelief even as Duo swept a peeved glare over his comrades, trying to pin the one to blame for blabbing.

He singled out Heero. Of course it was him.

"So?" Gohan pressed.

Duo sent a more discrete look at the other pilots. Did he really want them to know about his life on L-2?

The answer was a firm no.

Some things he'd experienced were meant to be kept close to the heart. It was going to be hard enough to spill his guts to his family, never mind the guys he rarely worked with.

He made a split decision, harassed by the expectant look on everyone's faces.

"So," He began unevenly, absolutely sure that he was making a grave mistake but committing himself to it anyway. "I was left stranded on the back streets of L-2 with no food, shelter or money. I was completely clueless about how to survive on a space colony and I was just a scared little kid in a rough part of the neighbourhood. I wouldn't have lived longer than a day by myself but right off the bat I met Solo, an older streetwise kid who had lived on the streets his whole life. He treated me like his kid brother, and I learnt to trust him with my life. He gave me confidence in myself and taught me the ropes on how to survive L-2. I made a new family 'cause Solo ran a small gang of homeless kids who were just trying to get by. It wasn't an easy life, but considering the circumstances I was happy."

Duo's fond smile faded and he sobered dramatically as the graphic dark memories of Ace wasting away to nothing and Jimmy coughing blood till he choked to death came to the forefront.

"Everything ran smoothly for two whole years, but then the plague that was sweeping through L-2 like wildfire finally hit us. We lost two of the gang within the first week, so when Solo contracted the virus I was determined to save his life at any cost. There was a cure available against the epidemic," He paused to sneer contemptuously. "But it was only granted to the people who had the money to pay for it. No one on the streets had that kind of cash so it was out of reach. I couldn't steal enough in such a short amount of time to pay for even a single damn dose, so I felt desperate enough to break into the nearest military base hospital where I stole the medicine instead. I gave it to the other sick kids' and it saved their lives, but I couldn't save the one most important to me. Solo didn't make it. But I made damn sure that he didn't die alone. It was the least I could do after everything he'd done for me."

Duo took in a shuddering breath. "I never caught the plague even though I never took the inoculation. I can only guess that it's because of my freakishly strong immune system," he said dolefully as he glanced sideways at Gohan, then to Mirai. They both nodded in understanding, coming to the same conclusion that Duo had made all those years ago.

His Saiyan blood had kept him alive and healthy.

"I couldn't mourn forever though; I had to take care of the remaining street kids. I became the replacement leader of the gang and they relied on me to stay alive. Up until that moment I was just known as Shin on the streets, or Kid to Solo, but to make sure I never forgot him, I changed my name to Duo in his honour. Solo and Duo, soul brothers."

He sighed.

"But I wasn't leader material. I tried to be just like Solo and I got too cocky for my own good, and everyone else's as it turned out. A month after the plague had just about run its course, things were still rough. The colony was trying to recover and food and supplies were scarce.

I planned a food heist from the same Federation base that I'd stolen the medicine from. I thought it would be a cake-walk so I drafted the gang in to help me carry out as much as we could get away with. It was meant to be an in and out job, but it went wrong from the get-go. They had increased their security after the last time someone had broken in and stolen their medical supplies a month before. Once they found us they didn't hesitate to open fire. I think their logic was that we were just homeless kids so who would miss us if we died, right? I lost two more of my family. They trusted me to look out for them, but I let them down by getting them killed."

Skip had gone down in the first hail of bullets because he was closest to the soldiers and the easiest target. Tommy fell next as he took two shots to the back, mid turn to run. His little brother, Scrapper, still no older than six, stumbled to the concrete floor next to him, their fingers still linked together. Tommy didn't rise again no matter how much Scrapper screamed for him to get up. He didn't let go of his brother's limp hand until Duo ripped him free as he passed at a run and forced him to run with him. Unlike Ace, Jimmy and Solo; Skip and Tommy's bodies were never recovered to be buried. The Federation disposed of them as they saw fit.

"The Federation contacted the local Police about us breaking and entering so they tracked the rest of us down and demolished the place we called home to flush us out before shipping us off to an orphanage. The Maxwell Church Orphanage."

Heero shifted slightly on the spot, but the Wing pilot's face gave nothing away.

"They gave me shelter, food and a better life altogether. The down side was that I had to wear clothes that I didn't want to, I wasn't allowed to steal anymore, and I was forced to go to school. Even worse, the school was run by the Federation army where they were trying to brainwash kids with Federation propaganda. It didn't work on me though. I never fit in there. Sure I had the best grades around, but I was the opposite of a model student. I was in more fights than anyone could count. I was a rebel, through and through.

Two out of the three of my gang were adopted out over a short period of time, but no one wanted me or the other kid. Everyone knew me as the untameable wild child, and the other kid was mute."

Bolt and Jo went to good homes; Duo had made sure of it. But there was nothing he could do for Scrapper. The kid hadn't spoken a word since the death of his older brother and he never left Duo's side if he could help it. It was as if he'd chosen Duo as his replacement brother and he threw a fit if anyone tried to adopt him without taking Duo as well.

"I liked it at the church despite all the bad stuff that came with it, so whenever someone tried to adopt me I'd give them hell and I'd be sent back within one or two days tops. I grew attached to the owners of the orphanage, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. I adopted them as my guardians and all of the other orphans became my older or younger brothers and sisters. It was Sister Helen who came up with the idea to braid my messy long hair because I didn't want to cut it off since it was the only consistent thing in my life."

Duo drew his braid over his shoulder and played with the tip fondly.

"Two more years passed and I was happy again, but war tore our colony apart and it even affected the Church. The Federation was oppressing all of the colonies just so the military organisation could rule over everyone, so some of the L-2 colonists chose to rebel against them. Being the kind man that he was, Father Maxwell couldn't turn them away when they asked to use the church as a makeshift rebel hospital. The rebels took advantage of the hospitality and ended up taking over the church and turning it into a main base camp.

When Father Maxwell suggested to them that they shouldn't fight and instead solve everything peacefully, the rebels lashed out at him, and then Sister Helen when she tried to intervene, accusing them of being spies for the Federation. I stepped forwards before things could get messy and offered to steal what they wanted, a Mobile Suit, to show that we were on their side. I was really hoping that it would keep my family safe and make the rebels back off."

Duo noticed the baffled expressions on all of his brothers' faces at the name 'Mobile Suit' so he quickly elaborated. "Mobile Suits are huge machines, like robots, that you control manually from inside the cockpit. You use them to fight."

"Coooool…" Trunks expressed in honest interest. Until just now he'd looked quite bored. His young age meant that he couldn't grasp the emotional depth of Duo's tale. To him it may as well have been a bedtime story.

Duo suppressed a shiver and fought back the terrifying image of Trunks in control of such a destructive weapon.

"I managed to break into the same Federation base that me and the gang raided before. I knew my way 'round the place so that part was easy. The tough part was dodging the hail of bullets being fired at me by the Federation soldiers. Luckily I managed to nick a transport truck that had a suit in it and I drove it the best I could back to the church…but when I finally got there…"

Duo's eyes glazed over as he relived the horrific memories in his mind and stumbled over his own words.

"…The church was in ruins, collapsed in on itself and on fire. There were bodies everywhere and-"

Duo fisted his hands so tightly into his bed sheets that his knuckles turned white and his arm muscles trembled slightly with the tension.

The images assaulted him mercilessly making him close his eyes shut in misery.

To all outward appearances he managed to look fairly calm, but on the inside he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He wasn't sure if the strong stench of blood was all in his head or if he was smelling his own stale blood in reality. He knew for certain that the smell of burning flesh was fabricated from memory.

He jumped in shock as he felt small arms encircle his chest. Duo's glanced down in time to see Goten transfer himself from Gohan's lap to Duo's, snuggling close in a comforting hug.

Duo's heart expanded with affection and it gave him the courage to continue.

"I found some of the orphan kids' bodies with Father Maxwell lying next to them. It looked as if he'd died trying to protect them, but they'd all been gunned down. I- I found Sister Helen because she called out to me. She was barely alive and fading fast. She said something about the Federation arriving, and stuff about Father Maxwell preaching peace till the end, then she died.

In memory of another lost family, I gave myself the adopted surname Maxwell on the spot and then ran as far away from the church as possible."

Actually, he'd mourned two lost families that day. He'd lost Scrapper, the last of his old family overlapping into his new family. He'd sworn to look out for him just as Tommy had but Duo had failed spectacularly once again to fulfil an important promise to himself, at the price of Scrapper's life.

"I didn't have anyone left after that. It was recorded that there weren't any survivors in the massacre known as the-"

"Maxwell Church Tragedy. Estimated 245 killed. " Heero finished matter of fact.

"How'd you know? They didn't broadcast it." Duo asked cautiously. Heero had been very knowledgeable about Duo's closely held secrets so far today. Had he blabbed about this in his sleep as well?

"Word of mouth." Was the stiff reply. He didn't expand on it.

Duo tore his eyes away from Heero to search out his older brothers' faces.

Gohan gazed back at him helplessly with self-blame in his eyes, as if he thought that it was his entire fault for not being around to protect his brother from the cruelty of the world. Duo didn't blame him at all, it was no one's fault but his own that things had gone the way they did.

Mirai stared at him with hard eyes. The eyes of a learnt survivor. The unforgiving look of someone who had seen death in huge doses and knew exactly what Duo had been through. No soft comforting words could bring back the dead and Mirai knew that so he just gave Duo a look full of empathy, his mouth in a tight grimace.

Duo couldn't even look at the other pilots.

He instead glanced down at the tiny boy in his lap and gave a fond smile as he saw that he was sound asleep, snoring softly and curled slightly into Duo's stomach.

Looking to Trunks he saw that the lilac haired half Saiyan was starting to drift off as well, sitting on the bedroom floor, half slumped against Mirai's leg, blinking up at Duo slowly with glazed eyes.

"Hm, I don't know if I should be offended or not," He said to Gohan lightly, gesturing at his two tired brothers. "Am I boring to listen to or something?"

Gohan smiled softly, almost painfully as he tried to push away his heartache for Duo. "No, they're just exhausted. They've had a long and exciting day, plus its way past their normal bedtime. Do you want me to hold Goten?" Gohan asked.

"Nah thanks, he's fine where he is. Besides, this is the first time I've ever held him. I completely skipped his baby years, but better later than never, right?"

"He's been waiting to meet you. The few epic childhood misadventures that we had have been the source of his bedtime stories for years."

"I bet he's disappointed with the real me." Duo gave a weak smile down at Goten, laced with sadness. "Nothing ever lives up to the hype."

A weighty silence followed as no one had anything to say. Duo broke it to continue his recollections, his tone low and gloomy.

"So I'm eleven, back on the streets alone after leaving the church behind. I went through a dark patch with my thoughts circling around revenge for the deaths of everyone I cared about. My sanity had a few holes in it; holes that you could fly a shuttle through with wing room to spare.

Sister Helen had mentioned the Federation but I found out on the streets that it was the OZ Special Forces' fault. They had raided the church and then obliterated it just so they could stop the rebellion in one easy swoop. I'd always had reason to hate them but that was the first time my eyes were opened to the truth behind the so-called 'Peace Keeping Organisation'. They just used military force to accomplish their noble cause." Duo spat. "So I came up with a plan to bring the nearest Federation base down from the inside. I snuck inside, easy as pie, for the fourth and final time and planted bombs. Home-made; I did my research.

I got out and watched from a distance as I detonated. I turned that base into a fireball.

But I didn't feel any better and it didn't bring my family back. And with the need for revenge gone, I just felt sorta hollow. I didn't really know what to do with myself.

I stood in the same spot for hours straight staring at the fire and chaos as the fire crews tried to put it out and rescue services pulled survivors and non-survivors out of the rubble. Evacuating soldiers came across me and I must have looked suspicious because they searched me and found the detonator.

I was, not-so-gently, handed over to another Federation base and thrown in prison. While in there I had time to re-evaluate my life, or what I thought I had left of it. That was a bit of a turning point for me."

A devilish smile tugged at his mouth.

"Jail is mostly shitty but I still had some fun times. At first they tried to interrogate me thinking I was a rebel or mercenary, but they found out the hard way that I'm not an easy person to handle. They asked me to talk…so I did. I talked about everything from my favourite colour to the weather. Ha, it drove them nuts and I loved every moment of it!" He chuckled wickedly.

"I almost feel sorry for the Federation," Trowa's eyes crinkled slightly in humour.

"Only you, Maxwell," Wufei sighed with a suffering edge, and yet he looked satisfied with Duo's creative defiance.

"How did you get out of jail?" Quatre asked in anticipation. "Did they let you go, or did you escape?"

"Heh, neither, though the records say that I escaped. I think it was two months after I was first captured, but I'm not too sure because there weren't any windows and no clocks so time blurred a bit – but, whatever, it doesn't really matter anyway because it was an average day. I was cuffed to a metal chair in the interrogation room being questioned for the millionth time after a week of sleep deprivation treatment. But this time I sorta went a bit too far with my habit of being an ornery little shit, finally causing my interrogator's short fuse to blow. In an attempt to shut me up the guy pulled his handgun on me and shot me twice at point-blank range in the gut."

Duo shrugged half-heartedly. "I'm still not sure how I survived that one. I just remember the sound of the gunshots, then the delayed pain hit, and then I was waking up in a medical bed. The chart on the end of my bed said I'd been in an induced coma for four days. I'd been operated on to remove the bullets and patched back up again, but I couldn't feel much of it cause of the ridiculous amount of morphine they had me on. I couldn't think straight but I knew that I had to run, so I did. I was in a civilian hospital which I thought was a bit weird at the time because the base had its own hospital, but I didn't question my luck and hightailed it out of there.

But just last year I finally got curious and I hacked into the medical files of the hospital and looked up the police report. Turns out that I was found alone and bleedin' out on the side of a road. Can you believe that? That bastard must have dumped my body and claimed that I'd escaped just so he didn't get court-martialled for my murder.

And it almost was murder. I was so close to dead when I was taken into intensive care that my doctors wrote me off as a goner as soon as they looked at me, but I proved 'em wrong and I survived against all odds." He thumbed his nose proudly. "I'm pretty good a doing that."

"We saw the scars." Wufei admitted. "You healed well."

Duo nodded. "I always do. It's in my genes."

Quatre looked troubled. "It must have been terrible for you after the morphine wore off. It's a miracle you survived infection after leaving the hospital."

"Yeah, it was tough to keep moving but I managed. I found food and shelter and planned my next move while I let my body heal.

It wasn't safe on L-2 anymore and I didn't have anything left to tie me to the colony, so I stowed away on a Sweeper salvaging ship that was heading for deep space.

To survive I stole food from their storage and managed to keep hidden. Their security system was the best that I'd ever seen but I still got past it with a bit of brains and patience. But this one time I made a stupid mistake that got me caught in the process of stealing." He grimaced at the memory of being dragged, kicking and swearing, out of the storage hold by three burly members of the sweeper crew.

"That's when I met Professor G. He was working on a project with the Sweepers and happened to be on the ship at the time. G has the weirdest hair imaginable, it looks like he's got a gray umbrella on his head, and his nose is huuuuge! He could take an eye out with that thing.

He was the one who had built the security system and was majorly impressed that I had managed to get past his 'flawless' system.

He gave me the choice to either become his protégé or to be jettisoned into space without a suit. It's obvious which one I chose.

G's a tough teacher but I coped. He taught me everything I now know about computers and electronics; including making them, disabling them, and hacking them. I think he wanted me to originally become an infiltrator or something along those lines because he refined my skills in how to blend in and how to be misleading without lying.

For a period of time he placed me under the wing of the Sweeper engineers. I was just doin' little jobs at first, like getting' coffee, carrying stuff to and fro, that sort of thing. But I watched them work and they taught me how to do everything they did.

In my spare time I practiced wiring, which the mechanics showed me, and system programming, which G taught me. It caught the eye of G, so he monitored me, and after a while, he announced that my training was over, but his plans for me had changed.

From then on I was placed on the mechanical team and they let me in on a secret project that Professor G had them working on. Project 'Gundam'."

Duo smiled at his fellow pilots and then explained for the sake of his brothers what a Gundam was.

"A Gundam is basically just a Mobile Suit but its technology is waaaaaay more advanced, with better weapons, power, speed and cool things like that. They're made of Gundanium metal which is very tough, and really hard to make so it's limited stuff. Only six Gundams have ever been built so far. Five of them are owned by us pilots." He gestured with a sweeping arm to his friends.

"I worked for a year on the nameless Gundam. I was a valued member of the team; my age didn't matter most of the time. Sometimes it helped because my small hands could get into places that theirs couldn't. I worked hard to piece that Gundam together, but I had strict boundaries with what I could add thanks to G, the old coot. I could have made it so much better in some places if he'd been a bit more adventurous. The only thing G let me change in the plans was the propulsion systems which improved the Gundam's speed by 12%, and the main thermo weapon. It was originally meant to be an axe, but I didn't like that idea so I designed the scythe instead. My version was more powerful and streamlined, and it allowed the thermo energy to work under water, something that's not been possible before."

He looked proudly up at his friends who in turn looked dumbfounded.

"Are you trying to tell us," Wufei stared at him absurdly, "that you actually contain brain power on par with the scientists?"

"Yes." Duo frowned mulishly, disappointed by their disbelief. "There's a lot that you don't know about me. I was good enough to become a Gundam pilot wasn't I? You can't be a dumb pilot or you end up a dead pilot."

"You were at deaths door not long ago, were you not?" Wufei asked archly. "so what does make you?"

It was Wufei's version of a joke, Duo knew that, but it didn't stop his flush of anger because it hit home to the truth. He had been extremely dumb today. He'd risked his life to save Heero when he'd always been about being smart and a survivalist, but today he'd abandoned it all in one moment.

"You can never see past outward appearances, Fei." He said sneeringly. "Everything is just black or white to you. Well I'm the darker shade of grey in between."

Wufei stilled in surprise but a heartbeat later his eyes smouldered with anger, yet he remained silent and didn't take the bait for the verbal fight that Duo was gearing for.

Duo took a breath to calm himself down, knowing that he was being irrational. He wasn't going to apologise to Wufei though because what he's said to him was true. It needed to be said. Duo only regretted the tone he'd used.

"Anyway, after the scythe was installed I dubbed the Gundam 'Deathsythe'. Then G tried to find a willing test pilot, but most people couldn't handle the intense G-forces in the cockpit and they couldn't grasp the complex system. The Prof. practically gave up after a few months, thinking that the Gundam was beyond human use.

But one night after I'd finished installing the update to the propulsion system I thought I should test it out, so I took Deathsythe out on an unauthorised flight into space and had a go at doing a few complex manoeuvres.

Little did I know that I was being watched.

I docked once I'd had some fun, but the moment I was out of Deathsythe, G was practically standing on my toes, demanding that I should become his new pilot. He said he would train me to fight against the Federation."

He smiled darkly.

"That was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Plus who knows the Gundam's systems and controls better than the person who put it all together?

I accepted and I threw myself into training again.

I easily passed the stealth, resistance to interrogation, explosives and the survival courses. I had already had a lot of experience in those areas.

Learning different fighting techniques came naturally to me and offensive weapons, like knives, became my speciality. Learning how to shoot was tough since I'd never held a gun before then so it was awkward but I picked it up after a while and found out that I was a crack shot.

G always said that I would have been perfect in every way if I wasn't so stubborn and spontaneous and if I actually listened to the orders I was given."

Duo started to count a list on his fingers. "I could absorb all the information around me with just a glance. I had an uncanny ability to sense the hidden enemy." He smirked at Gohan, and Gohan smirked back knowing that he meant his ki sensing skills. "I knew Deathsythe inside and out and could fix any mechanical or electrical problems that cropped up. I was a good fighter, in and out of the cockpit. And my life didn't hold much value."

He held his hands up to stop Gohan's oncoming protest. "Don't get me wrong, I really like being alive but it's not as if I had any close friends or family that would miss me. I was, and still am prepared to die in this war. You showing up doesn't change that."

Gohan's mouth thinned unhappily but he didn't argue further.

Duo continued. "G was an oddball. He encouraged me to act on my gut instinct and my emotions. He knew that he couldn't take my past from me and those experiences influenced my actions and motivation, so he basically let me run loose and only tried occasionally to nudge me in the direction he wanted.

He never seemed to know if he wanted to praise me or strangle me on the spot because I infuriated him so much, but we tolerated each other pretty well considering. Some days I hated him for how hard he'd push me, mentally and physically, but I never left because I knew that he was doing it for a reason and it would all be worth it in the end.

But after one and a half years of training I found out the true purpose of it all. I was supposed to carry out Operation Meteor, which I discovered was nothing more than a plan to drop a space colony on Earth to create a climatic catastrophe and global chaos. Then I would be sent in with my Gundam to help some stupid power hungry pompous jerks seize control of the planet, so the space colonists would become the rulers of the human race.

"I don't like being used." Duo said narrowing his eyes. "Especially for genocide. So I rebelled.

I planned to blow up Deathsythe, shoot G, and finally kill myself, taking the Sweepers ship out at the same time in one last big bang. It was too dangerous for any of us to be captured and used, so self-destruction was the only logical option I could think of.

My master plan didn't work though. I tried to detonate Deathsythe, but G, the sneaky old man, knew what I was going to do, properly before even I knew what I was going to do, and he had disabled my detonator mechanism, so there wasn't even a small explosion. To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

But then G approached me and offered me a better deal. He suggested that I should steal Deathsythe and fight the Federation on Earth of my own free will. Operation Meteor wouldn't happen if I weren't there to carry it out.

So I took Deathsythe and went to Earth as 'Shinigami', the God of Death.

G sent me to a guy called Howard in the Pacific Ocean on an ocean Sweepers ship.

Howie is a great guy. His dress sense is something to be desired, but he's like a favourite uncle to me. He helped me get started with targets I could destroy.

That's when I first met Heero on the coast. We got off on the wrong foot though since he was about to shoot an innocent civilian girl and we both thought that we were on opposite sides…so I happened to shoot him." Duo flashed Heero a perfectly innocent smile. "But we're best of buds now, aren't we pal?"

"Hn," Heero grunted in response.

"That means 'yes' in Heero speak." Duo translated. "I met the other Gundam Pilots in stages and then we just kept colliding into each other. It was a bit of a mess at first just deciding who was a good guy and who was a bad guy but it all ironed out after a few bumps. Nowadays we sometimes come together to work as a sort of team. Personally, I think we work better together than apart on the battlefield, but living together in one house is a whole new challenge that we're just getting the hang of. I'm a bit surprised that there hasn't been a death yet. The bet is probably on me."

He grinned roguishly at the other pilots in challenge. "I've never tried to survive a bullet to the brain before but I could give it a go. I think my chances are good."

"I wouldn't tempt us," Quatre teased right back.

There was an easy silence for a long moment where everyone seemed to take stock of their thoughts and impressions after Duo's rehash of his life.

Duo suddenly felt emotionally and physically tired and said as much. "I'm in desperate need of some shut eye'cause I'm wiped out."

At his side, Gohan yawned heavily in agreement.

Duo gaze flickered over Heero's blood soaked sheets and mattress guiltily.

"Heero, you can have my bed tonight since I messed yours up. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't bother, I'll take the couch." Heero replied getting up off the chair and walking out of the room without another word.

It was a rather abrupt departure even for Heero.

"Okaaaay then." He let his frown linger on the empty doorway for a second and then he turned to Gohan. "Er, I'm not sure where you guy's can sleep for the night. One of you can have my bed if you want it."

"My bed is free also," Quatre spoke up. "Please feel welcome to it."

"Thanks for the offer, but we have camping gear with us. We came prepared since we didn't know what to expect in the Future." Mirai said.

"Where is your equipment?" Trowa asked.

"Right here," Mirai replied, reaching into his gi pocket and pulling out a small capsule.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about those!" Duo smiled and leant forwards in interest, careful not to jostle Goten awake as he did so. "It's really strange but capsules faded completely from history. They don't exist in this Time and I can't find any history records mentioning them."

Mirai frowned. "Well that's not good news for the family business."

"What is it?" Wufei asked suspiciously, glaring at the capsule in Mirai's hand.

"I'll show you," Mirai said cheerfully. "Duo, can I set up camp in here for tonight?"

"Sure man, it'd just be me by myself anyway since Heero's not here. I'd enjoy the company."

"Great. Could you all stand back please," Mirai instructed to the pilots. Gohan had already got up off the floor and picked up the sleeping Trunks, moving them both backward to make room.

The pilots stood and obeyed, watching curiously.

Mirai threw the capsule at the floor having activated it with a click. A small boom and a large puff of smoke later, a perfectly made tent sat in the middle of the room. Prepared for two, but with room to spare.

"Amazing!" Quatre gasped.

"Yeah, I guess so," Mirai shrugged. "It's everyday technology to us though. My Grandfather created them and then mass produced them when they became so popular. I could explain how they work but it would involve Quantum Physics,Statistic Mechanics and Thermodynamics. It'd turn out to be a long explanation."

"I'm tired after chasing you all day, Duo," Gohan muttered wearily. "Our coordinates landed us on a colony in space and we had to sneak onto a space shuttle to get to Earth. Then we had to walk part of the way here because flying would have attracted too much unwanted attention."

"Not that we didn't stand out enough with our fighting gi's on and my sword." Mirai scoffed with a smile.

"How did you know that I was here?" Duo asked.

"Oh that was easy." Gohan grinned. "We could never forget your odd ki signature. It stuck out a mile and acted like a beacon. You have among one of the most distinct life forces on the planet. It was a huge relief when we first arrived and managed to lock on to you. We didn't know if you were dead or alive until that point."

"Well… Surprise! But how did you know my whereabouts in Time? I could have been anywhere."

Mirai decided to answer as Gohan went about putting Trunks to bed in the tent. "My mother came up with a tracking device that can follow the unique ion trail that the Time Machine left behind. As soon as you disappeared we worked fast before the trail dissipated and we managed to trace your co-ordinates to this time. When we built the new Time Machine we just programmed in the information and followed you." He frowned. "Though, it didn't allow us to travel to the exact place in Time where you landed. The ion trail travelled through Time exactly parallel to ours, like an unbendable ruler, so because eight years has passed for us, the time difference was mirrored here. If we could have, we would've just jumped to the exact moment you landed in this future."

Well that explained Duo's question of why they were eight years too late.

"One more question before we call it a night," Duo bargained. "When did you arrive?"

"We left home at 7.40am and the journey took about an hour, so it would have been around 8.40am that we re-materialised in this Time."

"Ah ha! So it was you sensed this morning at breakfast! Your power levels were mind blowing! I haven't felt anyone that strong for a long time and you sent my senses into overloaded. My brain just about short-circuited in protest and it gave me one hell of a headache. It put me off my food all day."

"Sorry," Gohan apologised deeply. "We'll keep our power levels suppressed while here. I know how much food means to a Saiyan." Gohan and Mirai looked amused at Duo's frenzied nod.

"What is a Saiyan?" Quatre asked.

Duo groaned dramatically and quickly avoided the topic. "No more questions! Perhaps I'll answer that in the morning."

"It is morning in precisely five more minutes." Wufei smirked, glancing at Duo's alarm clock. It had been knocked askew by Duo's unprovoked attack on the lamp that used to share the same bedside cabinet, but it had dodged destruction.

"Don't go all smart ass on me, Fei. Questions will be answered only after breakfast. Now get out of my room!"

Trowa stalked out of the door with a simple, "Goodnight." And Wufei followed with out saying anything. Quatre paused looking reluctant to leave, but then he exited, turning at the door to politely say, "It's been a pleasure meeting you. Goodnight and sleep well." Then he was gone.

Duo sighed and his shoulders sagged wearily.

"Nice choice of friends you have there," Mirai commented to Duo.

"Yeah, I wouldn't change them for the world." Duo smiled. "Hey Mirai can you please take Goten off me? I need a quick shower and some clean clothes so I can go to sleep. I hate the smell of blood and I hate being covered in it even more."

Mirai stepped around the tent to take the lightly snoring boy out of Duo's arms.

"Thanks. Night, guys. I won't keep you awake; I shouldn't take long in the shower." He said walking towards the bathroom. "Oh and you had all better be here in the morning because I don't want to wake up and find out that this has all been some bizarre dream, OK?"

"No problem," Gohan poked his head out of the tent door and flashed a smile. "Same goes for you though. Night." And he retreated back into the tent.

"Night Duo," Mirai said before stepping into the tent with Goten secured in his arms.

Duo grinned like a loon as he moved to the side bathroom. He couldn't believe they were actually here!

Luck had been against him for years but perhaps it was finally turning around?

He wasn't going to voice that hope in fear that he'd jinx it.