Disclaimer: GW is not my show, I had no part in helping create this glorious piece of anime. But I’ll keep dreaming ^_^
Author’s Note: As much as it may seem like it, there is nothing going on between Heero and Duo. Also, before you get into this fiction, I want the readers to actually consider what I am writing about today. Don’t just think of this as a story some 17 years old girl wrote late one night, I’m sending out a message that everyone should here. I will talk more at the end of this story. Please remember, think while you read.
“Stop! Stop! Please, someone make her stop! Help me! Help me! HELP ME!”
“Who are you!?” Quatre screamed as he shot up from his sleeping position. I could hear him panting, shaken up once again by one of his nightmares. “Trowa, Trowa wake up. I had that dream again. The one with the brown haired girl who cries.” He shook our friend, the tallest out of all of us.
“Too tired, can smell colors,” he mumbled as he pushed away Quatre’s hand.
It was roughly three o’ clock in the morning. It was completely dark in our room except for the green glow of the alarm clock. We had been placed in an foreign exchange program and ended up getting transferred to America from Japan, but the accommodations weren’t promising. We had been cramped into a three room apartment: one bed, kitchen, one bath, and a tiny living room. Just like every other night we were all squished together on the mattress that lay on the bedroom floor. Trowa on the far right, then Quatre, Wufei, and I lay on the edge on the left. Obviously it wasn’t much, but it was home.
“Wufei, you believe me don’t you? What if someone out there really is in trouble?”
“We have to get up in three hours and you’re disturbing my sleep over a dream you had? Go back to sleep Quatre it’s nothing.” Our Chinese companion yanked the quilt over his head.
“What about you Heero? Do you think it’s just my imagination?” He climbed over Wufei and put his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t respond, but merely pretended I was still sleeping. When he realized I wasn’t going to answer he sighed and wriggled back into his place between Trowa and Wufei.
The other’s didn’t think much of Quatre’s dream, and I didn’t either at first, but lately I had begun to wonder. I mean, does someone have a dream like that over and over again without it meaning something? Next to Wufei I had been labeled as the largest skeptic and I’m not sure what they would think if I suddenly abandoned that fisad. I lay there the rest of the night thinking about this mystery girl, I stared into the dark void until the sun began to rise and the alarm clock buzzed.
It was lunch later that day, we all sat at our usual table in the courtyard. While the other’s ate I stared at a boy who sat under a nearby tree. I had noticed lately that he sat there everyday and that he was always by himself.
“Hey Heero, you haven’t touched your noodles. Are you feeling okay?”
“Tell me guys. What would you think of a kid who always looked tired? Who always ate with plastic utensils instead of the metal ones the cafeteria offers? Who never talks? Who doesn’t seem to have any friends? Who always wears really baggy clothes?” The table was dead silent and I turned to see them all staring at me in an astonished way. “What?”
“Where did that come from?” Wufei asked me.
“That kid over there. Don’t you think it seems kinda weird? I mean the way he acts.”
“Since when are you one to judge people?” Trowa said.
“I’m not. It just, doesn’t seem right.”
“Maybe he just isn’t a people person.”
“Well, what about the way he wears such bright colors all the time?”
“What on earth does that have to do with anything?” Wufei asked irritated.
“Even Quatre wears black every once in awhile. I think he does it so people won’t notice him.”
“That doesn’t even make sense. If you want to stay unnoticed you should wear dark colors, like Goths.”
“But Trowa, we know who every Goth is in school *because* they dress like that. Think about it, if you don’t want people to noticed how messed up you are, why not dress in colors that make you appear to be a happy person? As long as you wear bright colors, no one will think anything is wrong.”
Wufei rubbed the arc of his nose between his eyes, “What’s your point Heero?”
“Do you think there’s something wrong with him?” asked Quatre, starting to catch on.
“There’s a possibility.”
“Oh my gosh, your theory is so crackpot. I don’t want you saying another word about it.”
“But, Wufei, what about the plastic utensil thing?”
“I said no more!”
And so that was the end of it. The others resumed their lunches, as did I, but I didn’t enjoy it that much.
I walked into literature class and spotted the boy sitting by the window. I made my way over to the table and put my backpack on its surface. “Hi.”
His head cocked in my direction, brown hair shimmering in the sunlight, “Hello.”
“Mind if I sit here?”
“No go ahead.”
I took my seat and decided to keep the conversation going as long as possible. “My name is Heero Yuy, I was transferred here from Japan.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Duo Maxwell.” He turned and smiled at me.
I had never seen a smile like that before, it was as warm as the sun that bathed the two of us through the window. It was so sincere but it was also sad, concealing a broken heart. My attention was drawn from his smile to the dark heavy circles that hung beneath his eyes. It almost seemed as though he could pass out from exhaustion at any moment.
“Do you like America?” he asked me.
“Yes, but I’ve noticed that you only have flowers in front of houses and office buildings. Trees are very scarce. Why is nature so uncared for?”
“Progress plain and simple. Big businesses make money with more offices so they keep cutting down trees. It makes me sad. I like flowers, my favorite flower is a camellia. We had lots of them in the backyard at my old house, but then our neighborhood was bought by an insurance company and we had to move so they could pave it over. Now we have to live in an apartment. I’ve always had this dream, to move into the mountains where there are no people. I would live up there, and grow peach trees and camellia bushes, and I would have some cats, I like cats, and I would be happy.”
“That sounds like a nice dream,” I said as I smiled back to him. It was then that the bell rang signaling the start of class.
“Alright class, open your books to page 123. Today we are studying the Cavalier poets.” There was a untied moan from the class but I noticed Duo’s eyes light up as he skimmed the pages of poetry. “Now who will read ‘To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’ by Robert Herrick?” Since nobody else showed any signs of willingness, I raised my hand. “Heero, are you sure you can read this successfully?”
“Yes,” I replied irritably. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Old time is still a-flying; … … That age is best which is first, when youth and blood are warmer, … … For having lost but once your prime, you may for ever tarry.”
“Good. Now lets take some notes. Now who can tell me what the author means when he refers to time and the smiling flower that ‘Tomorrow will be dying’?”
Duo raised his hand. As it lifted into the air the sleeve slid back revealing a thin, bony hand. I couldn’t understand why it would look that way, maybe it was a birth defect or a handicap.
“Yes Duo?”
“He means that even though things may be beautiful, they will age with time and will soon cease to exist.”
Duo had a odd, high-pitched voice for a boy his age, soft spoken too. A lot like a girl’s voice.
“Good. What does the author mean by ‘That age is best which is the first, when youth and blood are warmer’?”
Again Duo raised his hand. I was surprised, this was the most I ever remember Duo speaking in class all year. “He means that when it comes to falling in love, men prefer women who are young and beautiful. Once they become old, men won’t care for them anymore.”
“Very good. So from this information, what can we determine the them of the poem to be?”
Duo raised his hand again.
“Doesn’t anybody besides Duo know? Anybody?” There was no response, the teacher sighed, “Yes Duo?”
“The theme is to marry while you are young, or you will end up waiting forever.”
Suddenly it hit me, his appearance, his voice, his brown hair. Could Duo be the crying girl from Quatre’s dream? Could there really be a possibility that Duo was so desperate for help that his cries could reach out to someone who was willing enough to care?
“Once again, very good. Well Mr. Maxwell, your test grades seem promising for this quarter. Perhaps you will be able to pick you grades up.”
The class snickered.
“Duo, do you have a hard time in literature?” I whispered.
“Sort of. It isn’t that it’s hard, I just have a hard time concentrating.”
“Well, you really seem to like poetry.”
“Oh, I do. Poetry is emotion in words, you can express yourself anyway you want and it can turn out beautiful.”
“Duo…”
“Heero Yuy!”
I cringed, “Yes ma’am?”
“I don’t know what kind of behavioral trash they’ve been teaching you back in Japan, but in my classroom you keep your mouth shut unless I’ve asked you a question.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“I heard you got in trouble in lit. class today,” Trowa smirked.
We were all huddled in the living room, cardboard boxes of Chinese takeout lay scattered about, our dinner. The radio echoed with the addictive sounds of ‘My Chemical Romance’ it wasn’t too bad for American rock.
“Yeah, I got caught talking. No big deal.”
“You’re going to give us a bad reputation,” Quatre scolded. “Japanese students are highly respected for their intelligence and work ethic. Don’t ruin that for us.”
I scrunched my face up mimicking Quatre.
“Stop that!”
“Who were you talking to anyway?” Trowa asked, scrimmaging for some sweet and sour chicken.
“Duo Maxwell.”
“Who?”
“The kid who was sitting under the tree.”
“Heero you didn’t.”
“What? It’s not like I asked for his life story or anything. I just asked him if he liked poetry, he seemed to.”
Wufei joined us, snatching the chicken away from Trowa.
“Hey!”
“I haven’t eaten yet. Besides it’s your turn in the bathroom.”
“I bet you used all the hot water again didn’t you?” Trowa mumbled as he got up.
“Quatre, did you ever get a good look at the girl’s face? The one from your dream?”
“No, just flashes. Usually from the back.”
“No this again …”
“Shut up and eat. Quatre, do you think there’s a possibility that the girl is actually a boy?”
“I suppose it’s a possibility. Why… you think it’s Duo!?”
Wufei choked loudly, “Wait wait wait! Heero, you actually believe that the Maxwell kid is the weepy damsel in distress!? You have *got* to be joking.”
“Well, yeah.”
“What if he’s right Wufei? What if Duo is in some kind of trouble?”
“It isn’t our business. We’re only going to be here another four months, even if there was a problem what are a bunch of Japanese exchange students gonna do about it?”
“I don’t know…” I said quietly, not able to argue with the point he was making.
We all went to bed that night not saying much else about Duo. It was obvious that if I were to voice my concerns I would just get my head bitten off, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t worried.
I didn’t see Duo until second period the next morning at gym. We all stood in a line as the coach called role. We all wore the same uniform, blue draw-string short and yellow t-shirts with the school logo printed on the front. Duo, however, wore jogging pants and a long sleeve shirt, still sticking to school colors though.
“Okay boys. We start a new subject today, basketball. You’ll get handouts on the history, rules, and conduct at the end of class, test is in three weeks. I’ll be splitting you up into four teams. Team A and B will play first, team C and D will play next, then the two winning teams will play against each other. Understand? Lets move!”
I was one the D team so I was forced to sit out, but unfortunately Duo was on the B team. It was painful to see him play, I couldn’t help but get the feeling there was something wrong. He seemed even more tired than he was yesterday. His movements were so uncoordinated, feet crossing and swaying as he walked. It was hard for him to keep up, whenever the teams moved towards the other end of the court he had to look around to actually realize they were moving. The ball was passed to him once or twice, but every time he caught it, the ball dropped right out of his hands.
“Hey Coach, don’t you think you should take Duo out? He doesn’t seem to be playing all that well.”
“He’s weak. It’s my job to turn boys like him into men, that’s what gym class is for. Don’t you agree Yuy?”
“I suppose.” I had always though of the man as a thick headed dictator, but I never spoke my feelings, knowing it would just get me in trouble. I turned my attention back to Duo, whose situation had grown worse. The other guys had started pushing him around, purposely ramming him to the ground. It took Duo almost a minute to get up off the floor only to be so cruelly knocked down again. “Coach, are you just gonna let them get away with that?”
“It’s good for him,” the man grunted without even looking up from his clipboard.
I heard shouts and laughter from the court. I turned just in time to see Duo vomiting on the gym floor as he tried desperately to stand. “Duo!”
That of course grabbed the coach’s attention, but his reaction wasn’t exactly that of concern. “Geez Maxwell! Couldn’t you have gotten off the court before you did that!?”
“Sorry coach,” he apologized wearily.
“Bentle, go tell the janitor we need a clean up in here. As for the rest of you, go hit the weight room. On your feet Maxwell, that includes you!”
“But Coach he’s sick-”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion Yuy. Now get your scrawny, pale, Asian butt into that weight room,” he growled.
I stared angrily at him, but with a snort I submitted. “Yes sir.” On my way I helped Duo up and we went into the weight room.
When gym ended we all herded into the locker room, I lost sight of Duo in the mass of bodies which worried me because he had actually thrown up again while on the lifting machine. I didn’t find him until all the others had left. As I was putting my tennis shoes on I noticed one of the showers was still going. When I walked over to it I heard the sound of painful moans and crying. “Duo?” I knocked on the stall door. There was no answer from the other side so I looked underneath the door. I could see the water running over his feet, but I quickly noticed the blood that also skimed over his flesh. “Duo! Are you okay in there? Open the door,” I jerked on the handle repeatedly.
The lock clicked and it slowly swung open. He stood there, casually, dressed in the soaking wet black boxers. “Hi Heero.”
“Hi? That’s all you have to say?” Behind his dripping locks of hair I could see multiple open cuts, all of which were bleeding to some extent. “Why didn’t you tell anybody you were hurt? Coach might have let you sit out.”
“No he wouldn’t. He doesn’t like me. You know that.”
As he was talking to me I noticed his eyes wandering in random directions, like he was trying to look at me but just couldn’t find his focus. “Duo, are you sure you’re alright?”
“I feel sick…”
“Oh crap!” I managed to move him over the drain just as he began to vomit. I worked desperately to move all of his hair out of the way, he had a lot of it. In the act of pulling his hair back I felt a large bump on the back of his head. You can imagine how worried it made me.
“You’re going to get us kicked out of school Heero. We’re guests here, or have you forgotten?” Wufei was scolding me… again… having heard word of my “back talking” in gym class.
“You weren’t there, he looked like he was going to die.”
“Oh c’mon, it couldn’t have been that bad.”
I sat and fiddled with my bucket of noodles.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I think he has a concussion.”
“Concussions are hard to get Heero. You worry too much.”
“You know, he did keep falling asleep in Chemistry class,” Trowa chimed in.
“Oh and I suppose he puked in the sink too?”
Trowa didn’t answer which kind of made me smile, at least now someone would start to believe me.
“Gaaah! We are in a foreign country, in an exchange program, for four months, and one day you all just wake up and say ‘Hey let’s plunge ourselves into the life of this random American kid. It’ll be fun.’ What is wrong with you people!?”
“I guess you’re the only sane one left Wufei. You’ll still be here to greet us when we come back to the land of sanity won’t you?” I laughed and patted him on the back.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
“Guuuyyysss!” We heard the all too familiar high voice of Quatre call out to us, “Look who I found.” He walked to the table, holding Duo’s hand the whole way there and then sat him down on one side of the table, himself on the other.
“Hello,” Duo said, smiling that same warm smile from yesterday.
“Duo, I brought and sandwich for you. I hope you like peanut butter and jelly, unoriginal I know,” Quatre took a wrapped sandwich from his sack lunch and handed it over.
“Thank you very much.” Duo took it and ate it greedily but gratefully.
“Wow, you must be hungry. Do you want my yogurt?” Trowa asked.
“Is it banana?”
“No, blueberry.”
“Sure,” he took the cup, eating it quickly also.
“Is banana flavored yogurt your favorite Duo?” Quatre asked, as he emptied the rest of his lunch in front of Duo. Quatre was always the generous type.
“Yes, but my mom doesn’t buy it that much any more.”
“How often do you eat?” I asked.
Duo got quiet, slowing down in his eating a bit. “I eat like I’m supposed to. It’s just… my mom… well she hasn’t… been to the store in awhile. There isn’t much food at the apartment right now.”
“How long is ‘awhile’?”
“Heero stop it,” Wufei elbowed me.
“Just a day or two. Really…”
None of us could imagine what Duo faced when he went home that night, and every night for that matter. It’s creepy how moms always have a way of knowing what you did that day, whether it was lying, or cheating, or going out with your friends, they just know. Unfortunately, Duo’s mother was no different, and she could see right through his lie.
“Where did you get food!? Don’t I feed you enough?”
He stood there staring at his feet, “There hasn’t been anything to eat for weeks. I was hungry, I’m sorry.”
“You think I’m a bad mother don’t you? That’s what you tell people isn’t it? Isn’t it!?”
“No. I’ve never said that about you to anybody I swear.”
“Don’t you lie to me!” she hit him across the face, his skin immediately bruising. He stumbled a bit but didn’t lift his eyes. “You look at me when I’m talking to you! You’re father and I raised you better than that! If he were still here-”
“But he’s not! He left and he’s never coming back. I wish he had taken me with him, then I wouldn’t have to deal with you… It’s your fault he left!”
“DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!” she screamed and hit him again. This time Duo fell to the floor, curling into a ball. “I work all day to provide for you! I work my tail off so that I can have a happy son and you’re nothing but an Ungrateful Brat!” she brutally kicked him repeatedly.
Duo vomited on the floor then uttered, “Mamma… you-you’re hurting me.”
Her whole character changed in an instant. “Shh, it’ll be okay baby,” she knelt down beside him, stroking his hair and cheek, “We’ll make it. I promise.” She became very quiet and comforting, but you could still see the insane woman she truly was in her eyes. “As long as we have each other.”
“Ahhhh.” Trowa sat at the table, his mouth gaping open making the droning sound. He had banana yogurt filled spoon in his hand and putting it in Duo’s mouth, who was mimicking Trowa’s.
“Honestly Barton, you’re treating him like a baby, let the man feed himself.”
“I think it’s cute,” Quatre giggled.
“I don’t mind,” Duo said as he swallowed, “More please.”
Trowa repeated the sequence of baby feeding the braided boy.
“This is embarrassing…”
“Leave them alone Wufei, at least their enjoying themselves,” I said.
“I have a question,” Duo chirped.
“Yes?”
“I know you all are from Japan. Heero and Trowa, you two look the part, but Wufei, aren’t you Chinese?”
He cleared his throat, “Well yes, my family is indeed Chinese. I come from a long line of temple leaders actually. I was however, born in Japan, so legally I am Japanese. My family owns a Zen Buddhist Temple in Kyoto.”
“Oh, and what about Quatre? I’ve never seen a blonde Japanese person before.”
“He dye’s it,” Trowa laughed.
“We told him it makes him look like girl, but he continues to bleach it regularly,” added Wufei.
“Yeah, but I look pretty good though don’t I?” Quatre playfully elbowed Duo in the side, but quickly regretted it.
“Ow!” he cried out and his arms quickly wrapped around himself.
I jolted up, “What wrong?”
“I’m so sorry!”
“No, it’s okay really. It wasn’t your fault,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Let me see,” I moved around to his side of the table.
“No really, I’m fine. Just a little tender.”
“Don’t lie, you’re hurt.” I knelt down and lifted the corner of his shirt, I can easily say I was stricken with shock. His body was covered in big, dark, purple bruises. “What happened to you?”
“I fell down the stairs at my apartment building last night. I’m a bit of a klutz.”
“Are you telling me the truth Duo?”
“Hey, I’m still hungry. Can I have something else to eat?” his avoidance of my question was painfully obvious.
“Let’s go get some ice cream from the cafeteria,” Quatre took his hand and they walked off.
“Wow, that was gross and scary all at the same time,” Trowa said.
“You don’t get bruises like that just from falling down,” Wufei stated thoughtfully, his arms folded across his chest in a very serious manner.
“You see!? You believe me now right? There is something wrong!”
“Well yeah, but he won’t admit to it. And without proof, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Trowa is right Heero.”
“Dammit!” I slammed my fists on the table, “What is he so afraid of!?”
I went home with Duo that afternoon. He said that he rarely had friends over, and that it would be a nice change to have company. I eagerly agreed. He lived in the downtown area, a very clean and populated area. We went up to the second floor of the building where his apartment resided.
“Mom, I’m home,” he called out when we walked in.
“There you are, I was worried, you’re fifteen minutes late.” She came out holding an old fashioned wooden rolling pin, she came to a halt when she saw me. “Oh, you’ve brought some one with you.”
“Yes, this is my new friend. His name is Heero Yuy, he’s a foreign exchange student from Japan.” He shifted backwards a little when he saw the giant wooden object she held tightly in her hand.
“Hello Mrs. Maxwell, it is very nice to meet you,” I bowed deeply.
“What I polite young gentleman.” She smiled kindly, “It’s so nice to see Duo with other boys his age. Will you be staying for dinner Heero?”
“No ma’am. I will need to go back home before it gets dark, but thank you for the offer.”
“You boys have fun then.”
“C’mon, let’s go to my room.” As Duo passed by his mother he looked down at the floor, afraid to make eye contact with her. He knew what she was thinking.
“So what do you wanna do?” I asked once we were in his room.
“I have some movies we can watch. I’m afraid I don’t have any board games or anything like that.”
“That’s cool.”
We sat on his bed which was just a mattress and a quilt that lay cock-eyed on the floor. He put a little 12-inch television on the floor in front of us and out a tape in the VCR. “It only plays in black and white.”
“That’s okay. What movie are we watching?”
“Forest Gump, my aunt sent it to me for my birthday a few months ago. It’s my favorite.
I looked at his video collection, he had a lot of the old classics. Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Phantom of the Opera, Willie Wonka, Romeo and Juliet. “You like fantasy and romance don’t you?”
“Yes. They’re a nice escape.”
“Escape from what?”
“Oh, anything and everything. You don’t have to worry about anything inside a movie, because it all works out.”
We watched the movie in silence for the next hour, the movie came toe part when Tom Hanks runs across the country without stopping. That was when Duo spoke up.
“I wish I could do that.”
“Do what?”
“Run. Just run. Run away.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Where would I go?”
“To the mountains, grow peach trees and camellia bushes, and have cats.”
He smiled, “You remember. I guess I could do that, but I can’t leave my mom. Dad already left us once, it would break her heart if I left too.”
“Duo, does your mom take care of you?”
“Of course she does. We’re all the other has, we love each other.”
“Are you sure?” I brushed the back of my hand over the bruises the hid underneath his clothes.
“Yeah… I’m sure…” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he leaned back against my torso. “I’m glad you’re my friend.”
I nodded and we just stayed like that for the rest of that movie.
Duo got in big trouble after I left. Even today I don’t understand why he brought me home, knowing he would be punished.
“What have I told you about bringing people here!?”
“I know mom, but I just get so lonely sometimes.”
“Am I not good enough company for you? You hate me don’t you?”
“It was just this one time, can’t you let it slide?”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re trying to get me in trouble aren’t you? Aren’t you!? I’ve told you before no visitors!”
“If you would just get help, if you would just stop beating me, I could have more friends.”
“So now it’s my fault!? And don’t you tell me I need help! There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“You beat me mom!”
“Shut up! Shut up Duo! I won’t let you talk to me this way!” she grabbed the rolling pin and swung it against his head, the wood cracked and shattered into a hundred pieces instantly.
Duo fell to the floor unconscious.
The next morning at gym I notice Duo wasn’t at school. I asked the coach why Duo wasn’t there and he told me that Duo’s mom called in to say the he was sick today.
I had every doubt in my mind that that was true, but it’s not like I could just walk out of class.
All day I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and in my heart. It’s just a feeling you get when another human being you care about is in danger. I found out the rest of the guys felt the same way.
What felt worse was that we didn’t know what to do.
Duo shivered, his whole body going numb. His mother had beat him all night, now she had forced him into the bathtub. The shower knob was turned all the way on cold, the icy water pelting his battered form. What was worse was that his mom was dumping ice into the tub with him.
“If you’re going to complain about it hurting so much, we’ll just dull the pain away.”
“I feel sick. The cold is making my head hurt,” his lips were blue and his skin was turning a pasty grey.
“Don’t worry sweetie, all the pain will go away soon.”
Duo was so desperate to get out, he would rather take a beating than sit in the freezing tub. He watched his mother, then the door, then looked back at his mother. When he saw an opportunity he scrambled out of the tub as quickly as he could and staggered out the door.
“Duo! Get back here!” she chased him out into the living room.
“I told you I felt sick,” he ricochet off the wall and ducked behind the couch, “I didn’t want to sit in the tub anymore.”
“I was just trying to help Duo. But you just don’t appreciate anything I do for you!”
He crawled across the floor into the kitchen hoping to find something he could defend himself with. Duo told me later, that during that time, all he could think about was why he let me go home. Why he didn’t ask me to sleep over and watch movies all night and walk to school in the morning. All he could think was, “Why?”
“Duo, sweetie, please don’t run from me. I only want to help, you know that. Now why don’t we both calm down and -”
“Stay away from me!” he pulled a frying pan from the cabinet, “You stay the hell away from me! You’re crazy mom! You’re sick! You were trying to freeze me to death in there, and I won’t let you keep hurting me like this!”
“Would you shut up about being cold!” she turned a knob on high, grabbed his hand and thrust it on the stove top. She then took a carving knife and shoved it through his hand, pinning it to the stove. “Is that better!?”
Duo screamed, his flesh burning, turning black then red. Then, without even thinking about it, he swung his arm and the frying pan collided violently against his mother’s head.
It was a few hours after school let out when we all were startled by a loud knock at our door. I got up to answer it, the others wandering behind me at a close distance, just out of curiosity. When I opened the door, it was Duo.
“Heero… she beats me. My mom beats me. Every day and every night it’s the same thing! Help me! Help me please Heero!”
“I will Duo. We all will. Come inside, hurry.”
The poor child was beaten to a pulp. His whole body was bruised and bleeding, and I noticed that his ankle was grossly swollen. Turns out, after he whacked his mom he’d thrown on his pajamas and just jumped out of his bedroom window, afraid to cross her path, and he sprained his ankle. I wasn’t so much worried about that as I was his hand, which was bleeding profusely.
“Quatre, rip up the bed sheets to bandage his hand. Trowa get him something to drink. Wufei, call the police, I think we have enough evidence.” I sat Duo on the couch, trying to calm him. We didn’t need him having a panic attack. He just cried, clinging to me, not wanting me to go anywhere. So I didn’t.
Wufei said the police should arrive in thirty minutes. I asked him for the phone, and I called home.
The police escorted us to Duo’s apartment to make the arrest. They insisted Duo should stay in the car, to stay out of harm’s way, but he said that it was his responsibility to see this through to the end. He knocked on the door, then opened it, knowing it was unlocked anyway.
“Mom…”
“How dare you hit and then leave your mother!” she came at him with a carving knife, but the police were right behind him, and got to her first. They pinned her to the floor, thrashing and screaming.
They told her she was under arrest for extensive child abuse. They told her she would be going to prison. They told her she would never see Duo again.
“You can’t take him from me! You can’t! You can’t!”
Duo said he was ready to go, so I took him back down to the car. We could hear his mother’s shrieks the entire way down.
“You can’t take my baby! He’s my baby! He’s my baby! MY BABY!”
“Hey Heero, what’s going to happen to me know?”
“You’re coming home, with me.”
“To Japan?”
“Yes, I spoke with my family and they spoke with some government people. We’re adopting you.”
“That quickly?”
I chuckled, “Yes. We’ll be brothers, you and I. We live by a park that has camellia bushes. My mom cooks dinner every night, and my dad takes us to the arcades on weekends. Oh, and we have three cats.”
“I like cats.”
Author’s Note cont: Child Abuse is a serious crime. As much as people don’t realize it, child abuse occurs all the time. Child abuse does not have to be physical, it can be verbal and psychological as well, which can make it harder to detect. We are called by law and by God, whichever you choose to follow, to call these abuses to attention. Whether they are 3 or 13, 7 or 17, child abuse is child abuse and must not be tolerated. Please, if you know of a child who is being abused you can call:
Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline
800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453)
or
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233)
Help a child today. Thank You and God Bless.