Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Night's Redemption ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own either Gundam Wing

"blah" speaking

/blah/ thoughts

`blah' telepathy

-

Duet ran through the streets, laughing, her long braided hair flying behind her, the sun glinting off its golden-brown locks. The boys chasing after her stumbled to a stop when they saw her disappear around a corner three blocks ahead.

"There … is … no … way … we … can … catch her," one of the boys, scraggly dark brown hair now thoroughly messed from running full speed for half an hour, gasped out, hands braced on his knees as his head hung down.

"How can a girl run that fast?" The only blond in the group asked after regaining his breath. "She even outran Antonio and he's the fastest of us!" The blond boy gestured to another boy, clearly Hispanic in origin, who had completely collapsed, chest heaving. Antonio had chased Duet, steering her towards where the others lay in ambush. But somehow the lithe little girl had slipped through and evaded them, leading them on a merry chase.

"What do we do, Jake? She just keeps mocking us!" The first boy asked the blond as the rest of the gang, seven boys in all, gathered around.

"I don't know Nate." Jake looked around at the rest of his gang, their faces displaying their frustration. "But it's not just our gang that she annoys. Maybe," Jake looked thoughtful, "maybe we should contact all the other gangs and together we'll deal with her."

"I'm not sure even that will work," Antonio called out as he struggled to his feet. "My brother has friends in the older gangs and they've tried to deal with her, both as separate gangs and as one big group. You saw how effective they were." Antonio gestured down the street to where Duet had vanished. "If the older gangs couldn't stop her when she was younger, what chance do we have now?" The boys gloomily nodded to each other.

Jake looked down at his feet, scowling. "Fine." He raised his head and stared at all of his followers. "From now on we ignore her as best we can. Do nothing to annoy her and she should go away. We can't afford to confront her again. Now let's get back." The group nodded and started to walk back the way they had come. "Antonio, Nate, wait a second." The two boys glanced at each other and headed back, looking puzzled.

"What do you want?" Nate asked. Antonio merely waited, arms crossed.

"I want the two of you to track her down and find out where she lives. After that, we'll plan to get her there." Jake looked at the two of them, suppressed rage burning. "We are not letting her get the best of us!" Nate and Antonio nodded and headed off in the direction Duet had vanished.

-

Duet ran into her favorite playground, heading straight towards the mass of interconnected pipes and bars. She clamored over the jungle gym, confident that she had lost her pursuers. The other kids on the gym allowed her to perch on the top, having long ago established her right to be there. Occasionally she would have to teach a new kid but the regular kids would often warn the newcomers. She surveyed the playground, wondering what new scheme Jake and his gang would come up with. /If they stick with what the other gangs have tried then they'll try to find out where I live./ She snorted. /Like that will ever happen!/ She swung down, lightly landing on the balls of her feet.

Duet ran off, weaving among the people on the street, a breeze amongst them. She gloried in her speed, running full out. Father Mendelssohn didn't like it when she showed off. Something about the proper authorities taking notice and doing tests. She slowed down the closer she got to the orphanage. Sister Katherine and Father Mendelssohn had mentioned this morning about telling her something important when she got back from school, something about how, now that she was ten, she was old enough to know. As she turned the corner, she slowed down to a mild walk, fingering her necklace as she went. Father Mendelssohn told her it was a gift from her birth mother, that and her name, Duet, were the only things that her mother had left. Duets fingertips traced the carved lines, outlining the yin-yang symbol on the pendent. Well, that was the symbol that everyone else saw. But on the reverse side was a different symbol, one that only Duet had ever seen, one that she had yet to find the meaning to.

Pulling the gate open, she made her way to the main building. Father Mendelssohn and Sister Katherine would be there, waiting for her in the office.

"Duet, you're back!" A young child, only five years old wearing clothes that fairly screamed `hand-me-down' with black hair that defied all attempts of taming it, raced across the sparse yard to slam into Duet. Duet laughed, holding the young boy in a tight embrace.

"Yes, yes, I'm back. But I don't have time to play right now, Nicholas. The Father and Sister need to see me. I promise that I'll play later. And you know that I always keep my promises!" Nicholas pouted at her words, his face scrunching up.

"Oh, all right. But you better come right back! Me and Daniel want to try a new game and we need a another person." Nicholas drew back and started to kick at some rocks. "Sure you need to see them?" he asked, looking up at her again, eyes hopeful.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Duet gave Nicholas a quick hug. "Now get. As it is, I'm sure everyone is gonna hear Sister Katherine yelling." Nicholas nodded and ran back the way he had come. Duet sighed as he ran to the left side of the main building. The small playground was there, sandwiched between the dormitory for the older children and the main building. She shook her head, unsure when she would be able to keep her promise. Making sure her green tank top was tucked in, Duet bent down and brushed what dust she could from her cutoff shorts, washed so many times that they had faded to a light blue. Straightening her shoulders, she walked up the steps and into the orphanage. Duet quickly made her way over to the office and knocked.