Disclaimer: Many organizations have come together to bring you this fanficiton fusion. Among them are: Bandai, Sunrise & Sotsu with Gundam Wing. Hans Christian Andersen and Disney with The Little Mermaid. Douglas Adams with A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hiro Mashima, Kodansha and TOKYOPOP with Rave Master. PIXAR with Finding Nemo. Satoru Akahori, Ray Omishi, Media Works, Mixx Entertainment & ADV with Sorcerer Hunters. ROBOT, JFN, STEP, A.T. Interactive, AIC & VIZ Video with Trouble Chocolate. Rikdo Koshi, SHONENGAHOSHA & ADV with Excel Saga. You Hyun, DAIWAN & TOKYOPOP with Faerie's Landing. Yoko Matsushita, Hakusensha & VIZ for Yami no Matsuei. Kazuya Minekura, ISSAISHA, TOKYOPOP Inc., & ADV with Saiyuki. Yuu Watase, SHOGAKUKAN, VIZ & Pioneer with Fushigi Yuugi. 95.5 fm Detroit for Tic Tac and the Hot Girl Check In. And Ladybug Oblivion for forcing the project on me, denying me TV time, video game time, eating time (apparently I can type with one hand) and sleeping time until the thing was finished.
Warnings: Gratuitous cameo appearances (as you can see from the extensive disclaimer), numerous (and quite unnecessary) quotes, and minor character bashing (including but not limited to Quatre, Catherine, Hilde and most especially Relena.) Shonen-ai.
The legs weren't a total loss, but Duo was unwilling to allow another, possibly serious, mishap to occur simply because he couldn't control his new limbs. Duo had plenty of faith in his arms, however, and he used them to relieve some of the pressure.
And then he lost his breath as he fell into Heero's blue, blue eyes. The world outside of those beautiful jewel-tone spheres ceased to exist.
A hand touched his cheek, breaking the contact.
"Duo," said Heero in an almost reverent breath, "You're Death."
Duo arms faltered in shock, so he pushed himself to the side to avoid falling on Heero again landing hard on his shoulder.
Heero knew. Heero knew who he was, that he was the Death Prince, the Shinigami. Heero knew that Duo was destined to bring a Great Death to the sea, that he was the Great Death of the Sea and for the first time in his life, Duo felt ashamed of that destiny. Who would ever love someone drenched in death? Who could? Heero would never love him back.
Duo caught Heero's eye and then mouthed, "Yes, I am." He sealed his eyelids shut. He wouldn't look at the disgust, the hatred that Heero would direct toward him. It was a cowardly act, but it wasn't like he owed Heero anything. There was no commitment, no friendship, between them. There was barely an acquaintance.
"If you're Death, why did you save me?"
Duo's eyes wrenched open. Heero was looking at him without disgust or hatred. The human prince's features showed nothing more condemning than mere interest.
"You swam for miles to get me to shore. If you truly are my Angel of Death, then why didn't I die? Why am I still here?"
"The little tramp!" she spat and then looked around the room to make sure no one was around to hear her curse. Before now, Relena was confident that Heero wouldn't have given the brat a second look. But now...
Now, she realized that it had been a mistake to send in that slut. After all, she didn't need to force Heero to love her. He already did. He just didn't know it yet.
She picked up the abused coral. "He loves me," she whispered breaking off the last limb and smiling.
Quatre tore his eyes away from the scene on the beach. "What?"
"Don't look too hard, but..." The crab pointed across the shallows where Quatre spotted two very familiar eel-women scoping out the princes.
"I think we need to look into that." Trowa nodded. "You too Wufei. And stop pouting."
"I do not pout," pouted the seagull. "I brood. You would brood as well if that inconsiderate prince tried to sit on you and then proceeded to ignore your calls."
"He didn't try to sit on you." Quatre earnestly strove to be as serious as he possibly could. "He shoved you aside and ignored your squawks. To him, you're just a bird. I told you that you're a seagull. You're lucky he didn't sic his dog on you. Now, let's go take care of those interlopers before they can do any real damage."
The fish swam off, confident that his friends would follow, setting a course that would bring him up behind the twosome.
{Heero, do you want to die?} There was something in the Angel's posture, something akin to defeat.
He didn't want to die, Heero knew that much. He didn't really know himself what answer he was searching for in his angel. "No. I don't want to die."
{If you didn't want to die, you idiot,} the Angel beamed in a most un-angel like way, {Then why'd you use the stupid self-destruct? That kinda almost guarantee's death, don'tcha think?}
"Hn." Heero had nothing to say to that.
{I saved you because I could--because I wanted to. I'm not your Angel of Death. I'm just Duo Maxwell, a guy who was in the right place and time, to save a brilliant Dancing Angel of Battle. I saved you because you didn't save yourself.}
The eels whipped around to the new arrival. They sneered in stereo.
Quatre nodded to each in turn. "I know it's a lovely sunset to take in, but I'm going to have to insist that you depart. You see, that is my best friend you're ogling and I really can't allow you to interfere."
"You think we're afraid of you?"
The fish shook his head once. "Miss Catherine, is it? You seem only to see me as a harmless sidekick to the heroine and have forgotten that this is indeed a Gundam Wing fanfiction."
The women blinked incomprehension.
"I am a Gundam pilot. There is no way in Hell that I will lose a fight against the both of you," Quatre explained in small words. "And if you're still not convinced..." He held up a hand and Trowa and Wufei swept in. "I believe you're outnumbered."
"Damn you!" spat the redhead calculating an escape route.
"And forget the Sea Hag. She's nothing more than a spoiled child who will never amount to anything. Find a new line of work, expand your horizons, just don't let me catch you anywhere near either Duo or Heero again or I will graphically show you the meaning of the phrase, 'Silent but deadly.'"
He'd said entirely more than he had intended. None of it was damning exactly, but it did paint a picture of obsession. The fact that he was obsessed didn't mean he had to go and declare it to the universe or to his desire.
"I'm not an Angel of Battle," said Heero. "Dancing or otherwise. I'm just me."
Duo couldn't help but like that line. {I'm just me, too.}
"So, you don't know how to wear a coat," began Heero suddenly, a glint of, was that mischief, in his expression, "Does that mean you have nowhere to go?"
{I thought I'd just sit on this beach for a while,} Duo admitted. {Kinda tired.}
"I think I've got a room to spare. If we can get you on your feet, you can come with me."
Duo didn't have to act surprised. {Really? 'Cause I know I can manage this whole walking thing! Just give me one more chance, Heero!}
"One," agreed the human, climbing to his feet. "After that I'm leaving you."
{Wai! Wai! Heero, one chance's all I need!}