Well although I am kind of in lurkermood, I started this story, long,
long ago and now I would like to share the first part with you guys.
Hope you will like it although if this first part sounds very, strange
and non GW. ^^ You'll will discover there is more soon.
And notice: YAOI friends! This means boyxboy love!!! Don't like, don't read!
For now, happy reading! *crawls back to not wanted homework*
Title: Heero and Duo
Part: 1/3
Author: Usagi-chan [[email protected]]
Warnings: Dog love, sap, bad language, angst, OC POV
Pairings: HxD (means HeeroxDuo but you know the meaning why I wrote it
not in numbers then you read ^^)
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, I don't make money from fanfiction. I
write only for fun and to get better at English. ^__^
Description: Sets on after EW
A little girl lives a happy, peaceful life with her grandma and her two
dogs. But one day her whole happiness becomes destroyed and she has to
fear about her true best friends. Will she save them from the worst and
find a place for them where they can live in happiness?
Uhm well, I know by first reading it doesn't sound much like GW but you
will see it is. *g* I think it's the first part of a little arc (if you
like to read more). The idea came to me because of my own great love to
dogs and my wish to have an own one some time.
Feedback: Hai, hai! Pleeeeeeease. ^____^
Archive:
-
Anyone want it? Just ask me so I can give credit and you can have it. ^^
And I mustn't forget, many thanks to Helen for helping with my
translation from German to English.
Dedicated to the dog I will meet somewhere in the future and who will
win my heart with one look. His name will be Duo ^___^
"..." = Speaking
*...* = Thinking
~...~ = Review
*****************************************************************
Throughout my whole live, ever since I can think, I knew the only thing
I always wanted was a dog. I can barely remember that I used to take
every stray home with me when I was very little. My parents were never
very happy with this behaviour so I take them back to the streets.
Grandma told me I always cried that I had to say goodbye to one of the
sweet dogs I brought home. Pets were not allowed in the flat where we
lived in.
My parents. I can't remember them very well. They died when I was still
very young. By the way, I am seven years old now. So I am still very
young I guess. My parents died during the great war between earth and
the space colonies. They were two of the many, many other war victims.
I remember my mother had long blond hair and a sweet voice. My father
had also blond hair but it was short and seemed to have its own life.
That's everything I can remember. It isn't much so I'm not sad.
After they died, I lived with grandma. It was a good life. She was
always very kind to me and we had lots of fun. Although at the
beginning I was too quiet. Grandma thought it was because of the death
of my parents. I don't know if that was the reason; I can't remember.
What I remember very clear was the day my quietness suddenly ended. The
day of my fifth birthday because my greatest longing came true. My
grandma gave me the present of two dogs.
I found them in front of the door to my room. Two little cute puppies,
one barking as soon as he noticed me, the other half asleep. I never
felt so happy in my life before and I fell in love with them at the
first sight.
Grandma smiled warmly then I danced around the kitchen table. The
barking one seemed to like this because it didn't take much time and he
joined me dancing, still barking loudly. The other one padded under the
kitchen table and laid down, looking a little grumpy at his companion.
This was the first meeting of my two best friends.
I named the dogs Heero and Duo. Strange names, I know, but I always
liked the Gundam pilots and these two names were my favourite. The
Gundam pilots. They were the reason why people judge me so wrong. In
this town where I lived, many people didn't like them. They said it was
their fault that we had this war. But I knew, if they didn't fight,
earth and the colonies would be still at war and more innocent people,
like my parents, would have died.
Grandma thought the same. My problem though was, that I always had had
a big mouth. If someone behaved a way I didn't like, I told him. That's
why I often got into little fights with the other children in
kindergarten. The parents hated the Gundam pilots and so did their
children. And because I made it very clear that I didn't agree with
them, they started to tease me till they end up with black eyes and
bloody noses.
Still there were some kids who dared to play with me. But I had no real
friends, no one I would meet with at home, outside the kindergarten. My
grandma was a little worried about this, but I didn't mind. But at
least now I have two best friends - Heero and Duo.
It was fun to grow up with the dogs. Grandma used to say that we three
count for 20 children and dogs together. I believe it was true when it
came to Duo and me. But not for Heero.
Duo was a chestnut brown dog. He was also a half-breed, like Heero. And
he was very wild but also friendly and attached to everyone. We soon
became best friends and often cuddled the evenings in the living room,
when grandma allowed me to watch a little TV before I had to go to bed.
When he first lived at our house, he used to bark loudly at every noise
he heard outside. Grandma and I tried to get rid of his behaviour. But,
it didn't matter what we tried; nothing worked. Nothing till we
discovered how much influence Heero had on Duo.
Heero had a darker colour than Duo, more a chocolate brown. And he was
the exact opposite of Duo. Where Duo was loud and wild, Heero was calm
and always wearing a look of reproof on his face. Really, you have to
see him when Duo is acting like a maniac again, running through the
garden and trying to catch the cats from the neighbourhoods. You can
only describe the look as one of reproof.
He also wasn't as open like Duo was. At the first I feared that he
didn't like me or Grandma because mostly he acted very distant. He
didn't like to be cuddled and was very quiet and calm, never barking
nor running around like Duo. He never greeted me at the door when I
came home from the kindergarten. But soon I got used to his behaviour
and I learned to understand his little hints he gave here and when then
to show that he at least liked us.
One of his hints was his obedience. He learned quickly to follow every
command we gave him. And this was when we discovered the high influence
he had on Duo. Duo saw how Heero followed immediately to 'sit! '
and 'stay! ' and he wanted to be as good as Heero was. And soon we had
two well trained dogs. The only thing we still couldn't change was
Duo's barks to every noise.
It was till I had this idea one day. It was meant as a joke and I
didn't expect it to be taken seriously. When Duo barked again one
evening, I asked Heero to make him quiet down. Heero, who liked to sit
a close distance from my grandma, got up and went to Duo. Seconds later
our loud one was quiet. Curious we looked for what had happened and
found them cuddling in a corner. Since then, Grandma and I let Heero
take care of Duo's noise problem.
Speaking of the cuddling, I have to admit that Heero and Duo weren't
brothers. They just grew up together and were very used to each other.
My grandma didn't have the heart to tear them apart. So it was not
brotherly love they felt for each other.
First it was deep friendship, I think. But later grandma meant they
acted much more intimate than two good friends. She said that it seemed
they like each other like my mother and father had. I didn't understand
that really. I can't remember how it was like my mother loved my
father. But I sure knew that it seemed Heero and Duo wanted to marry
each other, as soon as they are old enough. OK not exactly that way,
because they were dogs. They can't marry, can they? But this was the
way they liked each other as far as I knew.
And I didn't mind when my grandma told me it was quite unusual for two
male dogs to like each other. As long as they were still my friends I
didn't care at all. Well, the opposite. As long as they were happy with
it, I was happy too.
And we were happy, really happy. Two years of having fun, playing after
kindergarten in the park and coming home so dirty that Grandma had to
first clean us outside the house with the water-hose.
Life changed a little just after I turned seven. I went to school. This
meant I would be home much earlier than during kindergarten, but I had
to do my homework first and sometimes also work on little projects we
did at school. Still I tried to share my school-life with Duo and Heero
as much as I could. I showed them what we learned and my first tries
for writing. I also drew a picture one time. A picture with my grandma,
Duo, Heero and me. I think they liked it because their tails waved
eagerly.
I didn't know that drawing the picture was one of the last happy times
I had before everything changed, changed forever and opened a nightmare
of fear that a seven year old girl shouldn't have to bear. I had to
fear about the lives of my best friends.
Everything happened suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a school-day,
normal as every other. I got up a little earlier because I wanted to be
at school soon. We had a nice project in process at the moment and I
was eager to continue my work. I tried to be as quiet as I could
because Grandma didn't feel well the last two days and I didn't want to
wake her up.
"Good bye, sweethearts," I barely whispered at Heero and Duo, who used
to accompany me to the front door every morning. Yes also Heero decided
to show me a little more of his friendship ever since I went to school
and it made me very happy.
At school, everything was normal but, a very bad feeling also started.
Something was wrong, very, very wrong and I couldn't tell what it was.
I soon lost my enthusiasms at the school-project and all I wished was
for school to end so I could go home again.
After what seemed like eternity for me, the last lesson was done and I
ran out of the classroom. I headed home as fast as I could. From far
away I heard the loud barking. This wouldn't scare me if it were only
one dog barking, because Duo usually barked when I came into sight of
the house. But this time it was two dogs that were barking. Heero
barked too and he never did this before. Something was very wrong.
Fortunately I had a key for the house. Grandma gave it to me ever since
I went to school.
I opened the door and screamed for my family.
"Grandma? Heero? Duo?"
Duo came out of my grandma's bedroom looking like a maniac. I could
hear Heero barking from inside the bedroom and also Duo even barked
louder when he saw me. I stormed into Grandma's room and my little
heart sank from the sight that I saw.
Heero stood in front of Grandma's bed front paws on the bed. And he
kept barking without stopping. On the bed laid my grandma, eyes closed,
looking as if she was still sleeping. But I knew she never would be
able to sleep when two dogs kept on barking that loud. I panicked.
"Grandma! Grandma wake up!" I shouted and ran to the bed shaking her
wildly, begging her to open her eyes while my first tears rolled down
my face. I already knew it was useless. She would never open her eyes
again. I ended breaking down on the bed, sobbing into Heero's soft fur.
Duo came to me and rubbed his whole body at my side. They had stopped
barking and just winced quietly. We grieved together and at the same
time my two best friends tried to comfort me.
***
One of our neighbours found us hours later in Grandma's bedroom. I had
forgotten to close the front door and Mr. and Mrs. Norris, who lived
next to us, thought this was odd. They immediately called for an
ambulance when they found us, but it was too late. The only thing which
gave me comfort was what the doctor told the Norris'. He said that my
grandma died peacefully in her sleep. She didn't feel anything.
The Norris' were nice people. They tried to comfort me as best as they
could and offered me and the dogs to stay with them till it was clear
what would happen to me.
But it was already clear that they couldn't keep me forever. Both of
them worked and they didn't have enough money for a child, not to
mention two dogs. They already had hard times saving their money to buy
the house itself just a year ago.
But at the moment, I had other things to worry about. The sudden loss
of my grandma hurt me deep. She was the only person I ever had in my
life. She was more my mother than my grandma. I never knew my parents
nor did I meet other relatives, if they even existed in this world.
And now I had lost the person I loved so much. With the death of my
grandma, it seemed that a part of me had gone with her. Yes, it hurt
that much; my heart ached. The only thing that gave me a little peace
were my two best friends who never left my side - Heero and Duo. They
were on my side every second, never leaving me alone as if they knew I
would feel so sad that I would cry.
These two dogs were everything I had now and they, in return, had my
whole love. The three of us were family now, the only left. I knew as a
full orphan without any relatives left, I would have some problems from
now on but together, we would get over everything. I was sure about
that. And this kept me going.
***
After the burial of my grandma, I fell asleep on the couch, exhausted
when we reached Mr. and Mrs. Norris' house. And as always Heero and Duo
stayed at my side next to the couch.
I woke up again when I felt Duo nudging against my arm urgently. I felt
so depressed and tired that I didn't want to open my eyes any time
soon.
And my mind, still foggy from sleep, needed a while till it became
aware
that there weren't only my dogs in the living-room. I heard the quiet
voices of Mr. and Mrs. Norris and another deep male voice I didn't know.
The first sentence I heard very clearly was spoken by Mrs. Norris and
she sounded very desperate.
"But is this really necessary? I mean, there is no other way? It will
break her heart; she loves the dogs very, very much. It's everything
that is left for the poor little girl now that her grandma is gone."
Suddenly my heart began to race. They were talking about Heero and
Duo! I heard the man sighing.
"I am very sorry Mrs. Norris, but there is no other way. The girl has
no relatives as far as we know. Her parents were both victims
of the war and the husband of her grandmother died years ago. If you
are
not willing to adopt the girl, she has to go to an orphanage. And there
are no dogs allowed."
"We would love to adopt her," Mr. Norris said now with a sad
voice, "but we don't have enough money to offer her a happy and good
life. We
bought this house with our last money. Then my wife lost her job and
had
to take a new one that isn't well paid. What we earn right now is
barely enough for the two of us."
"And also if we could sell our house; the money will only help for one
or two years," Mrs. Norris added. "Not only that if we take the girl,
we are
still not able to take two dogs as well. It wouldn't help them at all."
"Then it's decided," the man said in a tired voice. "A man from the
orphanage will come tomorrow morning to take the girl. Later that same
day someone from the pound will get the dogs. And don't worry, it will
go quick. Just a little prick and the two will die peacefully in their
sleep."
That was it! At this moment all I wanted to do was scream like I always
did when I had a nightmare and wanted to wake up. But my throat was
tied and I couldn't even get out just a wince. Instead my hand, which
had dived into Duo's fur, clawed together tightly.
I barely noticed how Mrs. Norris, obviously shocked, pleaded for more
time for me to accept all of this and say goodbye to my friends. But
the man seemed to be a heartless bastard and only acting like he was
sorry. He said something about: "... the rules of the government"
and: "... can't do anything". Hearing this I dived my head deep into
the pillows so no one could see my tears. I don't know what they would
have done if anyone noticed I was awake and heard everything.
I wished I could had screamed out why. Why do Heero and Duo have to
die? But I knew the answer. Grandma told me this when she bought Heero
and Duo. The pet orphanages in this region were full with homeless dogs
and cats. Most of them lost their owners during the war and some ran
away in panic when there were attacks. The funding for these kinds of
orphanages were low and after war, the new government decided that
every homeless pet should be killed if there wasn't enough place for
them to hold.
I felt deep sympathy for the poor pets during that time. But I never
thought, not even in my worst nightmares, that I would ever have to
fear about my two best friends because of this problem. But now I had.
And it was just as horrible as losing Grandma.
***
That night I couldn't sleep. The man had gone. I acted like I just woke
up and immediately ran to the guestroom where the Norris' asked me to
stay in. I think they didn't suspect anything. I mean I was still sad
because of Grandma's death so it was only natural for me to look
exhausted, sad and also start to cry every minute.
Heero and Duo followed me into the room and like always since Grandma
died, they tried to comfort me as best as they could. But how can I
smile again when every time I look at my friends I remember that they
had to die the next day?
I lie awake till midnight. Then I couldn't stand it anymore. I made my
decision. I would run away and take Duo and Heero with me. I knew that
I was too young to hide forever in this little town but, I hoped I
would get enough time to search for a new owner for my best friends. If
I could find someone who would keep them both, they would be safe. I
didn't matter to me if I had to say goodbye forever to them as long as
I knew they would live. Well, at least at that moment, I thought it
wouldn't matter to me.
I waited till Mr. and Mrs. Norris went to bed. And I still waited
another full hour to be sure that they were asleep. Then I started to
silently pack some things in the little bag I took with me then I moved
to the Norris'. I didn't need much. Most of what I needed was food for
myself and for Heero and Duo. The only other thing I took with me was a
pair of fresh clothes. That was everything I needed and it was time for
me to leave.
Heero and Duo followed every movement as silently as I did. It was as
if they knew what was going on. Well I was sure they knew; they were
much more intelligent than some people I met in my short life.
We left the Norris house through the door, silently. Then we were
outside and my first impulse was to go to Grandma's house and sleep a
little longer. But I was sure as soon as the Norris' discovered that my
friends and me were missing, the first place the police would look for
me would be my past home. I didn't want to risk it before I found
someone who would keep Duo and Heero safe for me.
So I started to walk along the street into town. Heero and Duo followed
just a little behind me, quietly. I didn't know where to go, where to
search for new owners. And after all it was not long after midnight and
this meant there weren't much people outside anyway. But still, I
couldn't risk being found before I knew my dogs were safe. So all I
could do was walk and never appear in the same place twice, never let
anyone see me for too long.
I didn't know how long I was walking but at last, I reached the nearby
town. At this point I started to become a little scared. In the darker
streets, there were people who didn't look very nice. They stared at me
with strange and dangerous eyes. But then I discovered that there was
no need for me to be afraid, because nobody dared to come near me as
long as Heero and Duo were by my side. They growled menacingly at every
person who came too near to me and the person backed away, not eager
enough to try and pick a fight with two very protective dogs.
So I continued walking around till I felt I couldn't go on anymore,
because of too little sleep and too much exhaustion. If I had been
alone, I would have fainted in the middle of the street. But I had my
friends by my side. When I stumbled for the first time, Heero was there
to steady and help me walk. I looked around, trying to find out where
we were.
To my greatest joy, the street was very familiar to me. It led to a big
park. I often visited this park together with my grandma and sometimes
alone with Heero and Duo for a little walk and a little playtime. My
dogs seemed to recognize the park as the place of happiness as well
because they started to lead me to it.
But we needed a lot of time to reach the familiar place, because I was
so exhausted and almost couldn't go anymore. The park was dark, just a
few little street lamps lighting the way. We followed the path to one
of the little lakes the park had. There we left the path and went into
the bushes. I let my friends stop at the first best hiding spot between
the bushes that I could find and collapsed to the ground. I can't
remember anything after that because I was asleep before I reached the
ground.
TBC...
*UsagiLOVESDuo-chan /'^^'\
long ago and now I would like to share the first part with you guys.
Hope you will like it although if this first part sounds very, strange
and non GW. ^^ You'll will discover there is more soon.
And notice: YAOI friends! This means boyxboy love!!! Don't like, don't read!
For now, happy reading! *crawls back to not wanted homework*
Title: Heero and Duo
Part: 1/3
Author: Usagi-chan [[email protected]]
Warnings: Dog love, sap, bad language, angst, OC POV
Pairings: HxD (means HeeroxDuo but you know the meaning why I wrote it
not in numbers then you read ^^)
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, I don't make money from fanfiction. I
write only for fun and to get better at English. ^__^
Description: Sets on after EW
A little girl lives a happy, peaceful life with her grandma and her two
dogs. But one day her whole happiness becomes destroyed and she has to
fear about her true best friends. Will she save them from the worst and
find a place for them where they can live in happiness?
Uhm well, I know by first reading it doesn't sound much like GW but you
will see it is. *g* I think it's the first part of a little arc (if you
like to read more). The idea came to me because of my own great love to
dogs and my wish to have an own one some time.
Feedback: Hai, hai! Pleeeeeeease. ^____^
Archive:
-
Anyone want it? Just ask me so I can give credit and you can have it. ^^
And I mustn't forget, many thanks to Helen for helping with my
translation from German to English.
Dedicated to the dog I will meet somewhere in the future and who will
win my heart with one look. His name will be Duo ^___^
"..." = Speaking
*...* = Thinking
~...~ = Review
*****************************************************************
Throughout my whole live, ever since I can think, I knew the only thing
I always wanted was a dog. I can barely remember that I used to take
every stray home with me when I was very little. My parents were never
very happy with this behaviour so I take them back to the streets.
Grandma told me I always cried that I had to say goodbye to one of the
sweet dogs I brought home. Pets were not allowed in the flat where we
lived in.
My parents. I can't remember them very well. They died when I was still
very young. By the way, I am seven years old now. So I am still very
young I guess. My parents died during the great war between earth and
the space colonies. They were two of the many, many other war victims.
I remember my mother had long blond hair and a sweet voice. My father
had also blond hair but it was short and seemed to have its own life.
That's everything I can remember. It isn't much so I'm not sad.
After they died, I lived with grandma. It was a good life. She was
always very kind to me and we had lots of fun. Although at the
beginning I was too quiet. Grandma thought it was because of the death
of my parents. I don't know if that was the reason; I can't remember.
What I remember very clear was the day my quietness suddenly ended. The
day of my fifth birthday because my greatest longing came true. My
grandma gave me the present of two dogs.
I found them in front of the door to my room. Two little cute puppies,
one barking as soon as he noticed me, the other half asleep. I never
felt so happy in my life before and I fell in love with them at the
first sight.
Grandma smiled warmly then I danced around the kitchen table. The
barking one seemed to like this because it didn't take much time and he
joined me dancing, still barking loudly. The other one padded under the
kitchen table and laid down, looking a little grumpy at his companion.
This was the first meeting of my two best friends.
I named the dogs Heero and Duo. Strange names, I know, but I always
liked the Gundam pilots and these two names were my favourite. The
Gundam pilots. They were the reason why people judge me so wrong. In
this town where I lived, many people didn't like them. They said it was
their fault that we had this war. But I knew, if they didn't fight,
earth and the colonies would be still at war and more innocent people,
like my parents, would have died.
Grandma thought the same. My problem though was, that I always had had
a big mouth. If someone behaved a way I didn't like, I told him. That's
why I often got into little fights with the other children in
kindergarten. The parents hated the Gundam pilots and so did their
children. And because I made it very clear that I didn't agree with
them, they started to tease me till they end up with black eyes and
bloody noses.
Still there were some kids who dared to play with me. But I had no real
friends, no one I would meet with at home, outside the kindergarten. My
grandma was a little worried about this, but I didn't mind. But at
least now I have two best friends - Heero and Duo.
It was fun to grow up with the dogs. Grandma used to say that we three
count for 20 children and dogs together. I believe it was true when it
came to Duo and me. But not for Heero.
Duo was a chestnut brown dog. He was also a half-breed, like Heero. And
he was very wild but also friendly and attached to everyone. We soon
became best friends and often cuddled the evenings in the living room,
when grandma allowed me to watch a little TV before I had to go to bed.
When he first lived at our house, he used to bark loudly at every noise
he heard outside. Grandma and I tried to get rid of his behaviour. But,
it didn't matter what we tried; nothing worked. Nothing till we
discovered how much influence Heero had on Duo.
Heero had a darker colour than Duo, more a chocolate brown. And he was
the exact opposite of Duo. Where Duo was loud and wild, Heero was calm
and always wearing a look of reproof on his face. Really, you have to
see him when Duo is acting like a maniac again, running through the
garden and trying to catch the cats from the neighbourhoods. You can
only describe the look as one of reproof.
He also wasn't as open like Duo was. At the first I feared that he
didn't like me or Grandma because mostly he acted very distant. He
didn't like to be cuddled and was very quiet and calm, never barking
nor running around like Duo. He never greeted me at the door when I
came home from the kindergarten. But soon I got used to his behaviour
and I learned to understand his little hints he gave here and when then
to show that he at least liked us.
One of his hints was his obedience. He learned quickly to follow every
command we gave him. And this was when we discovered the high influence
he had on Duo. Duo saw how Heero followed immediately to 'sit! '
and 'stay! ' and he wanted to be as good as Heero was. And soon we had
two well trained dogs. The only thing we still couldn't change was
Duo's barks to every noise.
It was till I had this idea one day. It was meant as a joke and I
didn't expect it to be taken seriously. When Duo barked again one
evening, I asked Heero to make him quiet down. Heero, who liked to sit
a close distance from my grandma, got up and went to Duo. Seconds later
our loud one was quiet. Curious we looked for what had happened and
found them cuddling in a corner. Since then, Grandma and I let Heero
take care of Duo's noise problem.
Speaking of the cuddling, I have to admit that Heero and Duo weren't
brothers. They just grew up together and were very used to each other.
My grandma didn't have the heart to tear them apart. So it was not
brotherly love they felt for each other.
First it was deep friendship, I think. But later grandma meant they
acted much more intimate than two good friends. She said that it seemed
they like each other like my mother and father had. I didn't understand
that really. I can't remember how it was like my mother loved my
father. But I sure knew that it seemed Heero and Duo wanted to marry
each other, as soon as they are old enough. OK not exactly that way,
because they were dogs. They can't marry, can they? But this was the
way they liked each other as far as I knew.
And I didn't mind when my grandma told me it was quite unusual for two
male dogs to like each other. As long as they were still my friends I
didn't care at all. Well, the opposite. As long as they were happy with
it, I was happy too.
And we were happy, really happy. Two years of having fun, playing after
kindergarten in the park and coming home so dirty that Grandma had to
first clean us outside the house with the water-hose.
Life changed a little just after I turned seven. I went to school. This
meant I would be home much earlier than during kindergarten, but I had
to do my homework first and sometimes also work on little projects we
did at school. Still I tried to share my school-life with Duo and Heero
as much as I could. I showed them what we learned and my first tries
for writing. I also drew a picture one time. A picture with my grandma,
Duo, Heero and me. I think they liked it because their tails waved
eagerly.
I didn't know that drawing the picture was one of the last happy times
I had before everything changed, changed forever and opened a nightmare
of fear that a seven year old girl shouldn't have to bear. I had to
fear about the lives of my best friends.
Everything happened suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a school-day,
normal as every other. I got up a little earlier because I wanted to be
at school soon. We had a nice project in process at the moment and I
was eager to continue my work. I tried to be as quiet as I could
because Grandma didn't feel well the last two days and I didn't want to
wake her up.
"Good bye, sweethearts," I barely whispered at Heero and Duo, who used
to accompany me to the front door every morning. Yes also Heero decided
to show me a little more of his friendship ever since I went to school
and it made me very happy.
At school, everything was normal but, a very bad feeling also started.
Something was wrong, very, very wrong and I couldn't tell what it was.
I soon lost my enthusiasms at the school-project and all I wished was
for school to end so I could go home again.
After what seemed like eternity for me, the last lesson was done and I
ran out of the classroom. I headed home as fast as I could. From far
away I heard the loud barking. This wouldn't scare me if it were only
one dog barking, because Duo usually barked when I came into sight of
the house. But this time it was two dogs that were barking. Heero
barked too and he never did this before. Something was very wrong.
Fortunately I had a key for the house. Grandma gave it to me ever since
I went to school.
I opened the door and screamed for my family.
"Grandma? Heero? Duo?"
Duo came out of my grandma's bedroom looking like a maniac. I could
hear Heero barking from inside the bedroom and also Duo even barked
louder when he saw me. I stormed into Grandma's room and my little
heart sank from the sight that I saw.
Heero stood in front of Grandma's bed front paws on the bed. And he
kept barking without stopping. On the bed laid my grandma, eyes closed,
looking as if she was still sleeping. But I knew she never would be
able to sleep when two dogs kept on barking that loud. I panicked.
"Grandma! Grandma wake up!" I shouted and ran to the bed shaking her
wildly, begging her to open her eyes while my first tears rolled down
my face. I already knew it was useless. She would never open her eyes
again. I ended breaking down on the bed, sobbing into Heero's soft fur.
Duo came to me and rubbed his whole body at my side. They had stopped
barking and just winced quietly. We grieved together and at the same
time my two best friends tried to comfort me.
***
One of our neighbours found us hours later in Grandma's bedroom. I had
forgotten to close the front door and Mr. and Mrs. Norris, who lived
next to us, thought this was odd. They immediately called for an
ambulance when they found us, but it was too late. The only thing which
gave me comfort was what the doctor told the Norris'. He said that my
grandma died peacefully in her sleep. She didn't feel anything.
The Norris' were nice people. They tried to comfort me as best as they
could and offered me and the dogs to stay with them till it was clear
what would happen to me.
But it was already clear that they couldn't keep me forever. Both of
them worked and they didn't have enough money for a child, not to
mention two dogs. They already had hard times saving their money to buy
the house itself just a year ago.
But at the moment, I had other things to worry about. The sudden loss
of my grandma hurt me deep. She was the only person I ever had in my
life. She was more my mother than my grandma. I never knew my parents
nor did I meet other relatives, if they even existed in this world.
And now I had lost the person I loved so much. With the death of my
grandma, it seemed that a part of me had gone with her. Yes, it hurt
that much; my heart ached. The only thing that gave me a little peace
were my two best friends who never left my side - Heero and Duo. They
were on my side every second, never leaving me alone as if they knew I
would feel so sad that I would cry.
These two dogs were everything I had now and they, in return, had my
whole love. The three of us were family now, the only left. I knew as a
full orphan without any relatives left, I would have some problems from
now on but together, we would get over everything. I was sure about
that. And this kept me going.
***
After the burial of my grandma, I fell asleep on the couch, exhausted
when we reached Mr. and Mrs. Norris' house. And as always Heero and Duo
stayed at my side next to the couch.
I woke up again when I felt Duo nudging against my arm urgently. I felt
so depressed and tired that I didn't want to open my eyes any time
soon.
And my mind, still foggy from sleep, needed a while till it became
aware
that there weren't only my dogs in the living-room. I heard the quiet
voices of Mr. and Mrs. Norris and another deep male voice I didn't know.
The first sentence I heard very clearly was spoken by Mrs. Norris and
she sounded very desperate.
"But is this really necessary? I mean, there is no other way? It will
break her heart; she loves the dogs very, very much. It's everything
that is left for the poor little girl now that her grandma is gone."
Suddenly my heart began to race. They were talking about Heero and
Duo! I heard the man sighing.
"I am very sorry Mrs. Norris, but there is no other way. The girl has
no relatives as far as we know. Her parents were both victims
of the war and the husband of her grandmother died years ago. If you
are
not willing to adopt the girl, she has to go to an orphanage. And there
are no dogs allowed."
"We would love to adopt her," Mr. Norris said now with a sad
voice, "but we don't have enough money to offer her a happy and good
life. We
bought this house with our last money. Then my wife lost her job and
had
to take a new one that isn't well paid. What we earn right now is
barely enough for the two of us."
"And also if we could sell our house; the money will only help for one
or two years," Mrs. Norris added. "Not only that if we take the girl,
we are
still not able to take two dogs as well. It wouldn't help them at all."
"Then it's decided," the man said in a tired voice. "A man from the
orphanage will come tomorrow morning to take the girl. Later that same
day someone from the pound will get the dogs. And don't worry, it will
go quick. Just a little prick and the two will die peacefully in their
sleep."
That was it! At this moment all I wanted to do was scream like I always
did when I had a nightmare and wanted to wake up. But my throat was
tied and I couldn't even get out just a wince. Instead my hand, which
had dived into Duo's fur, clawed together tightly.
I barely noticed how Mrs. Norris, obviously shocked, pleaded for more
time for me to accept all of this and say goodbye to my friends. But
the man seemed to be a heartless bastard and only acting like he was
sorry. He said something about: "... the rules of the government"
and: "... can't do anything". Hearing this I dived my head deep into
the pillows so no one could see my tears. I don't know what they would
have done if anyone noticed I was awake and heard everything.
I wished I could had screamed out why. Why do Heero and Duo have to
die? But I knew the answer. Grandma told me this when she bought Heero
and Duo. The pet orphanages in this region were full with homeless dogs
and cats. Most of them lost their owners during the war and some ran
away in panic when there were attacks. The funding for these kinds of
orphanages were low and after war, the new government decided that
every homeless pet should be killed if there wasn't enough place for
them to hold.
I felt deep sympathy for the poor pets during that time. But I never
thought, not even in my worst nightmares, that I would ever have to
fear about my two best friends because of this problem. But now I had.
And it was just as horrible as losing Grandma.
***
That night I couldn't sleep. The man had gone. I acted like I just woke
up and immediately ran to the guestroom where the Norris' asked me to
stay in. I think they didn't suspect anything. I mean I was still sad
because of Grandma's death so it was only natural for me to look
exhausted, sad and also start to cry every minute.
Heero and Duo followed me into the room and like always since Grandma
died, they tried to comfort me as best as they could. But how can I
smile again when every time I look at my friends I remember that they
had to die the next day?
I lie awake till midnight. Then I couldn't stand it anymore. I made my
decision. I would run away and take Duo and Heero with me. I knew that
I was too young to hide forever in this little town but, I hoped I
would get enough time to search for a new owner for my best friends. If
I could find someone who would keep them both, they would be safe. I
didn't matter to me if I had to say goodbye forever to them as long as
I knew they would live. Well, at least at that moment, I thought it
wouldn't matter to me.
I waited till Mr. and Mrs. Norris went to bed. And I still waited
another full hour to be sure that they were asleep. Then I started to
silently pack some things in the little bag I took with me then I moved
to the Norris'. I didn't need much. Most of what I needed was food for
myself and for Heero and Duo. The only other thing I took with me was a
pair of fresh clothes. That was everything I needed and it was time for
me to leave.
Heero and Duo followed every movement as silently as I did. It was as
if they knew what was going on. Well I was sure they knew; they were
much more intelligent than some people I met in my short life.
We left the Norris house through the door, silently. Then we were
outside and my first impulse was to go to Grandma's house and sleep a
little longer. But I was sure as soon as the Norris' discovered that my
friends and me were missing, the first place the police would look for
me would be my past home. I didn't want to risk it before I found
someone who would keep Duo and Heero safe for me.
So I started to walk along the street into town. Heero and Duo followed
just a little behind me, quietly. I didn't know where to go, where to
search for new owners. And after all it was not long after midnight and
this meant there weren't much people outside anyway. But still, I
couldn't risk being found before I knew my dogs were safe. So all I
could do was walk and never appear in the same place twice, never let
anyone see me for too long.
I didn't know how long I was walking but at last, I reached the nearby
town. At this point I started to become a little scared. In the darker
streets, there were people who didn't look very nice. They stared at me
with strange and dangerous eyes. But then I discovered that there was
no need for me to be afraid, because nobody dared to come near me as
long as Heero and Duo were by my side. They growled menacingly at every
person who came too near to me and the person backed away, not eager
enough to try and pick a fight with two very protective dogs.
So I continued walking around till I felt I couldn't go on anymore,
because of too little sleep and too much exhaustion. If I had been
alone, I would have fainted in the middle of the street. But I had my
friends by my side. When I stumbled for the first time, Heero was there
to steady and help me walk. I looked around, trying to find out where
we were.
To my greatest joy, the street was very familiar to me. It led to a big
park. I often visited this park together with my grandma and sometimes
alone with Heero and Duo for a little walk and a little playtime. My
dogs seemed to recognize the park as the place of happiness as well
because they started to lead me to it.
But we needed a lot of time to reach the familiar place, because I was
so exhausted and almost couldn't go anymore. The park was dark, just a
few little street lamps lighting the way. We followed the path to one
of the little lakes the park had. There we left the path and went into
the bushes. I let my friends stop at the first best hiding spot between
the bushes that I could find and collapsed to the ground. I can't
remember anything after that because I was asleep before I reached the
ground.
TBC...
*UsagiLOVESDuo-chan /'^^'\