CHAPTER I- Opening Doors

"Heero, what's the point of me visiting if you don't talk?" Duo was loud. He always had been, during the war and afterwards. They were seated in Heero's studio apartment, Duo on the unmade bed, and Heero was leaning on the windowsill. Duo had a long braid and bright eyes. He was also known as the God of Death: Shinigami.

"I don't know what the point is, Duo, you're the one who invited himself over." Heero replied coldly, "Maybe you should leave." It was more a command than a question.

Duo shrugged off the implied warning and leaned on Heero's pillow, "Nah, the suppressed frustration on your face is priceless. Seen Relena around recently?"

"Not for six years."

"She has a kid now, you know." Duo said distinctly.

"I know."

"Her name's Sidra. That means 'From the Stars.' All in all, it seems like a clue as to who the father is, don't you think?" he asked stubbornly.

Heero's face was carefully bland.

"Man, Heero, you're so cold!"

Cold. Heero waited for Duo to stomp off and slam the door, which he did. People were so predictable.

Except her.

Sighing, Heero walked over to his desk and opened the bottom drawer. This was his therapy, he assured himself, not a sign of weakness. In that drawer was a small, battered box, and with careful hands, Heero pulled it out and brought it to his bed.

Pictures spilled out onto the bedclothes, news clippings, security camera footage, and candid shots of a little girl and her mother. The little girl reminded him of himself, wild and stubborn. His gaze rested on a picture released for the press, and image of the mother and baby girl. The headline covered half of the mother's head, big and red and threatening: 'Vice Foreign Minister Gives Birth At Seventeen.' It had almost cost her her career in politics. He sat there for sometime, watching over the two women he loved.

Finally he let out a stale breath and piled the photos and tenaciously arranged them into neat piles.

Photos were a poor substitute to the original.

"Quatre, you own every singly colony-born senator," Duo argued reasonably, "if you want something arranged, they'll do it, no questions asked. Go on, pull in your favors."

"Duo, I still don't see the point-"

The braided man adjusted his priest's collar angrily, "Look, Quatre, you don't need to understand. I'm just trying to help a friend."

"Heero would not want-"

"You haven't seen how....how lonely he looks."

"And Relena-"

"She won't have to know." Duo muttered, "Look, Quatre, I'm a father. I know what it's like. He needs to see her."

The blond boy he was speaking to suddenly broke out in a cheerful grin, "You're a father? You and Hilde finally got your act together?!"

Duo looked at his feet, "Yeah."

"Well, Duo, I guess I could try."

He looked up suddenly, excited smile plastered across his face, "Thanks, man!"

"Duo, once, when Heero and I were visiting the Sanc Kingdom, we reflected that peaceful places weren't proper for people like us, people who had killed. Maybe that's why he left her. I don't think he wants a reminder."

"Don't worry, bro, it'll be fine!"

Quatre suddenly realized that Duo had hung up on him and sighed, there was nothing worse than Duo in a generous mood.

"What do you mean, Senator Hawthorne?" Relena asked over the vidphone, rubbing her eyes wearily.

"We all want a peace summit to discuss the coming years, Minister Darlian, and we want you to chair it."

"What? Why?"

"Well, Minister, we all know that you would be president now if it hadn't been for that....umm....scandal."

"Senator! I'm only twenty-three!"

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's just, you have to be there."

Relena glared at the man. This was her holiday time during the adjourned session of the senate house to be with her daughter. She had sent Pegan (the retired butler turned nanny) off for some well-deserved vacation time. Where was she supposed to put her daughter?

"I have some other responsibilities-"

"Are you saying that the peace of the ESUN is less important than something else?! Pray, tell me what that thing is!" He paused, "If it's about your daughter, just leave her with some friends."

The conversation ended.

Duo opened the door wearily to the single most important woman in the world and almost slammed it in her face.

Duo hadn't shaven yet, and a baby screaming could be heard in the background.

Relena Darlian was standing there, her daughter's hand in hers and an overnight back in another. She smiled wanly, "Uh....surprise?"

"Relena?!" At this, there was a mutter and Hilde's footsteps could be heard down the hall. "What are you doing here?"

The reader must admit that Duo was a very good actor. It came with casual lying. Hilde approached them and threaded an arm around her husband's waist.

"Sorry to disturb you two-"

"Three," Duo corrected smugly, "For two months."

Relena smiled for them, her face lighting up with pure goodness, "Congratulations!"

Duo shrugged, "Hilde did all the work." He said, trying not to wince as his wife pinched him on the arm, "She went through twenty-two hours of labor and won't let me forget for a min-OUCH!"

Sidra looked up questioningly at her mother, "What's 'labor,' mommy?"

Relena looked down hastily. Why did children have to ask such embarrassing questions? She decided to ignore that one, "Duo, Hilde, I was wondering if you could take care of Sidra this week. I have a peace summit I have to attend and there's really no one else. You were on the way and, I mean, we have kept contact so I thought...."

"We'd love to," Duo said quickly. Too quickly, but Relena wasn't really paying attention. He took Sidra's bag eagerly, "Come on in, Sid, let Uncle Duo show you your cousin."

"Cousin?!" she squeaked, and was off like a lightning bolt.

Relena gave them one last, fleeting smile before she turned and left.

Hilde leaned on the doorframe and stared after her. There was something different about Relena, as if she was holding within her a quiet, painful sadness.

"Hey, Heero!" Duo shouted jubilantly, carrying a little girl piggyback style into the room before he could threaten to kill them.

He recognized the child instantly, that crown of messy hair, that little smile so akin to Hers. And those eyes. He could never forget those large, curious eyes. But still, meeting her like that stole his breath away, and even he needed a moment to recover from it.

"Duo. Sidra," He said by way of greeting.

Duo dumped a bag on Heero's bed and looked around appraisingly, "Well, Sidra, this your new home!"

Heero cocked an eyebrow, "Hilde kick you out so soon?"

"She will when she finds out how much I spent on travelling fees." Duo rubbed his shoulder, "Even fourth class tickets to the nearest colony suck you dry."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting. She's staying." Duo replied absently.

Sidra looked up at both of them inquisitively. Uncle Duo had told her to be quiet for this part. This man Duo was taking her to seemed very nice. She liked the silent sort of look in his eyes. In a way, he reminded her of her mother.

"She cannot stay." Heero stated coldly, "Did you kidnap her?"

"No," Duo replied testing the dust on Heero's table, he sighed disapprovingly, "Relena had to attend a peace meeting and left Sidra with me. Since the summit was on L1, I thought it would be more reasonable if Sidra stayed with you."

Heero opened his mouth to argue, but Duo had already managed to get to the door and scramble out. He settled for a scowl, that man was far too talented in running away for his own good.

Heero turned around and found himself facing a pair of deep, trusting eyes. Sidra smiled (in a way far too cute to be fair) and asked, "Will you play with me?"

Heero Yuy had met his match.