Maybe Angels

Author's Notes:

Disclaimers: *sigh* No part of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, or it's characters, belongs to me. Any references to Dogma are just made because I adore the movie and Kevin Smith, and are meant only out of love and affection for both. Not a single cent was made off of this piece of fanfiction. Suing would be inevitably pointless, seeing as how I have no money. Flames *will* be used to keep my hands and feet warm for the rest of this bitterly cold winter.

A/N: Yes, yes, where is Wufei? What happened to Duo and Wufei interacting? When is Wufei going to be old enough for Duo to play with? These questions have been asked, and eventually, I will answer them. Just as soon as Neko lets me know. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. *hugglz and chocolates for everyone*

Dedication: To Leela, for listening to certain people's 'suggestions', and reading my fic. Welcome to the dark side (AKA, my mind). To Duo-chan, because she's just a cutie. To Yuki-chan, new chapters are good, aren't they? *gigglz*

Symbols: *~*~* change in scene, POV, or time
*~~~* minor change in scene or flashback
~ blah ~ remembered quotes

*~~~~~~~*
Boy today I saw you smile
And I wondered if you knew
That you are the one that took my heart away from me
I can't get you off my mind
Cuz I'm falling for you boy
All my dreams and all my thoughts are all for you |
I feel you day and night
Whether its black or white
There's nothing more to me
Than you boy cant you see? |
I just want you to know
You are the one for me
And I cant stand to live my nights with you boy
I dont know just what to do
Just cant take my eyes off you
I can hardly breath when you come walking close to me
I sit home and cry at times
Thinking that we'll never be
Will you love me like the way I do for you?
Sunny or stormy skies
My love will never die
I'll be right by your side
Run to you when you cry
Boy if you feel the same
Please come and call my name
I see me searching high and low to find you boy
~ Sara (English), BoA
*~~~~~~~*

*Sunny or Stormy Skies*

So, just when I thought things were fucked up, I ended up in one of the lower sections of Heaven, looking upon the face of the Guru, who I had only left about ten or so days before. I nearly wept in relief. I needed to talk to him. No distractions, no thoughts about the other, no Wufei. Just the Guru and myself, sitting on the ground talking. I didn't know what I would talk to the man about, but at that point I really didn't care.

I made my way wearily to him, ignoring all the other souls who stared as at my near-drunken state. As if I could consume alcohol. God has decreed that alcohol can not be imbibed by angels. Humans and demons were welcome to it; I hadn't had a drop at that point in time. I paid attention to only Mahatma, searching his face for any sign of disappointment, encouragement, fear, love, anything. I needed to talk to a human, and right away.

"Duo?" he asked, his face a mess of confusion and fear.

"Guru..." I whispered, before collapsing at his brick-red feet and losing consciousness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I don't remember waking up clearly. One minute, I was standing in front of Mahatma. The next, I was awake, feeling refreshed, but still incredibly tired. I looked around, and nothing seemed familiar. All I could see was the blinding serenity that is so easy to find in Heaven. I was alone, and that scared me a little.

"Hilde? Quatre? Trowa? Noin? Heero?" I called, trying to find *anyone* familiar.

"They are not here, Duo. You would be in the wrong place for that company," the Guru replied, his thickly accented, but warm-honeyed, voice calming my frayed nerves.

"Guru?" I looked around for the source of his voice. I found him sitting off by himself, in a meditative position. "What happened?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me that, old friend. You appeared in front of me, looking quite distraught, and then you collapsed at my feet. I had to have someone help me move you to a more comfortable position."

"Thank you," I whispered, my senses returning to me fully. "I'm free..."

"What?"

"I... I'm free," I stated, tears welling up in my eyes. I think it was then that everything truly hit me. The whole scene with Solo, the talk with God, the homecoming from my friends, the conversations with Sally, Quatre, Noin, and Hilde. I was free, and it scared the hell out of me.

"You're free? What do you mean, Duo?"

"I broke my soul-bond with Solo finally."

"You... did?" He stood and moved over to sit next to me. "And how did it go?"

"Abysmally. He was understandably upset, and when he found out I wasn't going to change my mind, he threatened Wufei." I looked at him, seeing encouragement for me to continue in his warm brown eyes. "Heero and Quatre... I think they will try to move and ask me about bonding with them. But I can't. I feel no great connection to their souls."

"Then do not bond with them. That would be worse than staying bonded with Solo, would it not?"

"Yes," I replied, looking for the correct words for what I wanted to say to him. "Guru, do you remember what you said about my new charge maybe being my new 'soul-mate'?"

"Yes, I do recall that," he said, a smile crossing his face.

"Do you think it could be possible?"

"Anything is possible, my friend. A word of advice. Do not try to seek him out as a new soul-mate. Let things proceed as they will. Be patient, and if you and he are meant to be tied to one another, then it will occur. Do this for me?"

"Okay..." I whispered. "You know, he looks totally different now."

"Whom?"

"Solo. His wings, hair, and eyes are inky black. In fact, his wings look like he plucked them off a rather large bat. And his face is so cold. Not to mention his voice is full of bitterness and pain."

"How did it make you feel?"

"I... I pitied him. I saw what his choices had made him, and all I felt was an overwhelming sense of pity. His anger and resentment rolled off him in waves. All I wanted to do was comfort him and talk to him. There was no amorous feeling anymore. Just the same feeling I get around a non-charge human in pain. He wasn't *my* Solo any more."

A few minutes of silence stretched out between us. I was trying to process everything that had happened, and a look into his soul told me that he was trying to make sense out of what I had said. (Yes, angels can still do that with charges that are in Heaven. It's part of our 'gift', you might say.)

"God told me that when she created the bonding ceremony, she made it so when two souls were no longer compatible, or they became tired of one another, that the two beings in question to break free from one another. What she failed to tell me is that one of the pair can break the bond, even if the other doesn't want the sever. It just takes a whole lot more energy than it normally would," I said, trying to get that out.

"So, this is what you did with Solo?"

"Yes."

"Then it explains why you collapsed before me."

"Guru, how long have I been out?"

"In Earth time?"

I nodded an affirmative, and he sighed.

"I'd say about two weeks, closer to three. I also spoke with Quatre, who was quite worried about you. He said that before you came here, you had slept for about a month, Heaven time, trying to replenish energy sources."

"You... you mean, I have been asleep for almost five Earth months?" I asked, scared about what I could have missed. That meant that Wufei and Meiran were over two years old, that Quatre had been worried sick the whole time, and that I had been very neglectful of my charge for the first time in... well, forever. I could have cried.

"It explains everything though, my friend. Do not worry about it. Why not... speak with old charges once more. You were welcome the first time, and still are. We miss you, you know," he said, his warm voice sounding almost saddened.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You are a busy angel. Now, come and play with me. I have a plan to get Olaf Ericsson from Sweden to blush," he said, winking conspiratorially and elbowing me softly.

"Ok, you have my full attention."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I stayed with my former charges for a much longer time that time around. I couldn't even stand to be around the other angels. Not until I couldn't get out of having to be around them. It wasn't that I didn't like them any more, far from it... I just couldn't take Heero and Quatre's feelings, Hilde's clinging, Sally and Cathy's aloofness, Noin and Zechs' cute bonding, and Trowa's cold and bitter dislike. Nor did I want to be around Giselle and Jean-Paul. It was time for me to not depend on them to entertain me. I had to do it by myself, and the Guru and my former charges helped me do that.

The whole time I was there we pulled pranks on other angels and human souls. I couldn't have asked for better company. When we weren't being infamous, we were sitting around talking. Occasionally, I would check in on Wufei, but only while I was around other people. I needed the extra lifeline to keep my defiant being in check.

Not that I didn't see any of my friends. Quatre would steal away with Hilde to help me pull pranks. Cathy would sometimes drop by while Meiran and Wufei were sleeping with amusing antidotes about what Quatre did to Trowa, Heero, or Sally. The Grigori came by to check on me, but never alone. They always came by all together. Heero looked as if he was lonely, but a few words from Trowa in his ear seemed to perk the chocolate-haired angel up a bit.

To be honest, Trowa's whole attitude changed towards me. When he stopped by, he shook my hand, embraced me loosely, talked to me like we hadn't in a few millennia, and seemed to consider me a friend once more. I believe he felt my distance was a blessing for him to pursue Heero all he wanted, and in fact, I wished him luck with his fellow Grigori.

As far as Wufei was concerned, the boy was growing up quite nicely. His father, Xu, allowed him to grow his hair as long as he wished, study all the time, practice many forms of the martial arts, and to have whomever he wished as a friend. Wufei seemed to be rather close to his sister and two of the neighboring children, Relena and the boy from before, Takai Hiroshi, and in essence, Hiroshi's little sister, Yukari.

The five were nearly inseparable, Wufei and Meiran the most attached, as was expected. A few times I caught the two children conversing about how their aunt and uncle, who had come to live with them after their mother's death because their father was busy with his work at the university and helping out Relena's father with foreign affairs, were out of line. It seemed that there was talk of an arranged marriage between Meiran and Hiroshi, although Meiran had no use for the boy besides as only a friend. Wufei seemed to think that his sister should do as she was asked by the family for the sake of honour, but a look into his soul told me that he wished to never be parted from his sister.

They were both growing into enchanting creatures. They were slight of figure, fair of face, striking in appearance all over, and, totally, gorgeous. I was glad that the Guru, or Hilde, or both, was with me when I watched over him. Occasionally, if I had been watching too long, Wufei would start to look up, pulling his gold-rimmed reading glasses off of his nose, to find the source of the disturbance. He had not forgotten me, as a few times, he would write down glimpses of memories that he could recall, although he assumed they were nothing but scraps of dreams. I didn't reach out for him, but to tell you the truth, it was very hard.

His eyes remained that almost blackish brown and they were still as riveting as they had been as a child. They made me almost weep more than once. After a long watching, I would become more restless, and found that pulling pranks on Une and Dorothy were the only remedy. Needless to say, I had become their number one enemy soon enough, and it was fine with me. I cut Dorothy's hair every chance I got, and eventually, I had enough of the mass to make a nice golden noose to slip around her throat. I made a mental note to leave it with Quatre when I descended to Earth.

*~~~~~~~*

Finally, the time for me to leave the Guru came, and I felt apprehensive. I knew what it meant, and while I was thrilled, I was terrified to be left alone with Wufei. But, I was an angel, and I had a job to do, so I sucked it up, hugged Mohandas with a kiss, and left to go see God before I left.

I arrived to see the throne area empty of everyone, even Metatron, and I was worried. "My Lord? You called me?" I said, trying to fight down all the fear and trepidation that was threatening to take over me.

"Ah, Playful One! How I have missed talking to you," God said, smiling widely, and opening Her arms to embrace me. I could never have refused Her, and found myself sitting in Her lap, smiling and kissing Her beautiful face.

"I have missed speaking with you as well, My Lord," I whispered.

"So, are you ready to visit with Wufei yet?" She pulled me against Her chest tighter.

"I am... not sure, My Lord. I knew that this day would come, but it seems that time has passed by too quickly for me to remember anything."

"Oh, no it hasn't. Diachriel, there have been reports about you, Karemiel, and Hildariel. It seems that you three have been exceptionally misbehaving around Dionyzial and Uniciel. Would you like to tell me about it?"

"My Lord, Une and Dorothy are mean, bitter, and just plain nasty. I know that they must be good at their jobs because they are still here, but that does *not* make them pleasant. From what I've seen, Dionyzial's charges are more likely to turn evil than stay good. She's just not nice. Besides, she goes out of her way to antagonize both Quatre and myself, while saying nasty side comments about Hilde, Noin, Zechs, and anyone else she feels the urge to. Une is... insane."

"I am aware of Dionyzial and Uniciel's attitudes and track records. They are under review by Raguel as we speak. Do not worry about it now. So, tell me how Gandhi and the others are doing?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I spent as much time as I could with God before I left. I needed her guidance to keep me grounded and focused. By the time for me to leave had come, Metatron was there, wishing me luck with the enigmatic charge that was ahead of me. I should have known that at that time, there was something fishy with all the attention I had been getting, but I paid it no mind.

I went back to my friends, found Hilde fidgeting and chatting with Sally and Trowa. "I'm kinda scared. She's such a tomboy, and look at me?" she nearly yelled.

"Hilde, I've seen you handle men easily. There's no way *one* human girl is going to get in your way," I whispered in her ear as I moved behind her.

"DUO!" She spun around, wrapping me in a large hug. "You've come back!"

"Of course, silly. You thought I wouldn't?" I said, smiling as widely as I could. Heero's head started out of the corner of my eye, and Zechs moved over to the small cluster where we were standing.

"Ready yet, Duo?" Zechs said, his smooth bass voice making me tremble a bit.

"I... I'm not quite sure, but it's not like I have much choice, do I?"

"No, you don't. Noin will be grateful for the company though. She's missed you the time you were away. It seems that Relena is starting to become a young woman, and well, Noin never did take well to girls." The blond finished with a hearty laugh at his soul-companion's expense, but I knew that the moment that Noin came back crying or complaining, he would be taking care of her.

I stole a look at Trowa, who had his book out and was looking at me. "Are you ready, Diachriel?"

"More than I will ever be, Traiel," I replied to the green-eyed angel. "Are you ready to write down all the horrible things that I encourage my charge to do?"

"Haven't I always?" he said with a laugh, which was so uncommon then, and everyone gaped at him. "What? Am I not allowed that simple pleasure?" He looked around the group.

"That's not it, Trowa," a familiar female voice cut in.

"Of course not, but I think they have forgotten what your amused laughter sounded like," a familiar male voice added.

"Bien sur, mon frére.[1] It *has* been a rather long time since it occurred." Giselle's form came into view, two seconds before I was swamped. I landed on my arse, with the two identical muses on top of me. "We came to wish you luck with the boy," she whispered, kissing me on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"De rien,[2]" Jean-Paul replied, standing and helping his sister and I to stand.

"Would you two *stop* speaking in French all the time?" Hilde asked, sounding as if her nerves were as frayed as my own. "It gets rather old quickly."

"We're sorry," they said at the same time.

"Giselle! We need to get back to Treize! He has to write that darn play for class, and we haven't be *any* help," Jean-Paul yelled, panic evident.

"Merde! Au revoir, Deux! Bon chance![3]" Giselle yelled, dragging the other away with her. I shrugged at Hilde, took her hand, and looked around.

"Well, it's time for us to leave. We promise to send Quatre and Cathy back," I said, looking at Sally and winking. The blonde Grigori smiled and waved back to me.

"See you all later," Hilde and I chorused, focusing our minds on the rooms of the children we were bound to.

I saw Quatre for a few moments before he left. He only gave me a hug, told me that Wufei was asleep, and then he was gone. And I was alone with the boy who I hadn't truly seen in over eleven years. Swallowing, I sat down in the comfortable leather chair at Wufei's desk and watched the boy as he slept. He was peaceful, and I felt some of my nervousness die as I looked at the gorgeous creature before me.

Slowly, I started to drift off, but I was awakened by a sword pressed to my throat.

"Who are you? And what the hell do you want?" a deep voice growled in my ear. The very sound of the voice made my body tremble.

"My... My name is Duo."

"What are you doing here?"

"Can you please put the sword away? You can't kill me, you know?" I said, turning my face to look at the Chinese boy who held the sharp blade against my throat.

"What are you?" he asked, stepping away from me slowly and sitting on his bed. "You... you look familiar..." he whispered, disbelief painted across his delicate features.

"I am Duo, your Personal Angel. Didn't Quatre tell you about me?"

"You are the one who will take his place, are you not?"

"I am."

"So, you have wings just like he does?"

"Of course! Would you like to see them?" I asked, feeling a little better at this turn in events.

"That is not necessary," he said, looking totally pensive for a moment. "So, Duo..."

"Yes?"

"I... I have met you before now, have I not?"

I took a deep breath. This was going to be a long morning if all he did was question me. Besides, how could I explain to him that I had been attracted to him since he was born? Not to mention the fact that his ageless, wizened eyes were focused sharply upon me.

"You have..." I whispered.

TBC...

Notes:
[1] Bien sur, mon frére - French, "Of course, my brother"
[2] De rien - French, "You're welcome; It's nothing."
[3] Merde! Au revoir, Deux! Bon chance! - French, "Shit! Goodbye, Duo! Good luck!"