I've been devouring Gundam Wing fiction lately, and stories where Duo's mom really is Death got me thinking (always a bad thing where I'm concerned). This is the result.

I have the feeling that Heero is acting OOC, but I couldn't work it any other way.

Comments and Criticisms welcome.

I claim rights to this version of Death, as she just popped up in my head when I started this story. She might show up in other places... All other characters, and the concept of the Gundam Wing universe belongs to Sunrise, Bandai, and others. No money was made from this story; this is just for fun.

Refusing to acknowledge the cold, he strode through the fog-enshrouded forest, keeping a sharp eye out for any threat. He came to the edge of a clearing. Not trusting the way the fog avoided the grassy circle, he edged his way among the trees surrounding the perimeter, trying to reach the opposite side.

"Oh, stop skulking around in the trees and get over here," a female voice called out. "I don't have much free time."

Startled, he turned to the supposedly empty clearing to see a woman wearing a low cut, tight fitting black dress, her hands on her hips. The only part of her body he could see was her lower face and upper chest as the sleeves of the dress covered her hands and the dress's attached cowl covered the majority of her face.

"So, you're the one he's fallen for," the woman continued. "Well, get over here!"

He looked down in surprise as his feet moved of their own accord towards the figure.

"You're handsome enough. At least he has good taste," she said. He suddenly felt under scrutiny, even though he couldn't see her eyes. "I never got a good look at you before."

"Before?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You wouldn't remember," she replied, waving an arm in the air. "I was only there for a few seconds, and I'd be surprised if you had seen me."

"Where?"

Leaning forward slightly, the woman smirked. "Did you really think you could survive self-detonation without help?"

He glared at her. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. He cares about you too much for me to take you away from him so soon. Even though, why he'd want such an unemotional, cold bastard is beyond me." Pausing, she changed topics. "What are your attentions towards him?"

"Towards who?" he replied, slightly confused.

"Duo, of course," she said, exasperated.

"Why do you care?"

"There's a reason he calls himself 'Shinigami'."

"You're being cryptic," he growled. "Who are you?"

Her mouth stretching into an almost mirror image of Duo's maniacal grin, she waved her right arm. A scythe with a black crystal blade appeared in her hand. "Can't you guess?"

He took an involuntary step back as her cowl slipped to reveal her eyes, the purple irises glowing faintly.

Heero's eyes snapped open as he went from asleep to consciousness in seconds. Turning to glare at the other bed in the room, he saw that Duo wasn't sleeping peacefully. Tangled in his sheets, the American pilot was tense and tears tracked down his sleeping face.

Padding across the room, he laid a hand on Duo's shoulder and softly shook it. "Duo, wake up," he called softly.

Duo's eyes shot open as he instinctively wrapped his hands around Heero's neck. After a few moments, he recognized his 'attacker' and his hands flopped to the bead. "Sorry," he muttered, not meeting Heero's eyes.

"Hn," Heero replied, turning away and returning to his bed.

Both stared at the ceiling from their respective resting-place. After five minutes of silence, Duo's assumption that Heero had fallen asleep was proven wrong by a quiet question.

"Do you remember your parents?"

"Huh?" Duo replied, slightly startled. Turning in bed to face the other pilot, he rested his head on one hand and stared across the room. "My parents?"

"Yes, your parents." Heero continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Not really. I have flashes of them. Why?"

"Anything... unusual about them?"

Furrowing his brows in thought, the American pilot replied, "Unusual, how?"

"Well, what do you remember?"

"Why are you so curious?" Duo asked with a snort.

Giving his roommate a quick glare before returning to stare at the ceiling, Heero said, "Just answer."

"Well, I remember walking and holding mom's hand. Being tossed into the air by my dad and him catching me. Things like that, nothing major."

"What happened to them?"

"They were just gone one day." After minutes of quiet, Duo broke the silence. "Why the questions?"

"Nothing," Heero replied, rolling in bed to face the wall.

Removing his head from the hand it rested on, Duo flopped back onto his pillow and blew a puff of air, making his bangs flutter. "I do dream about her," he said softly. "My mom, I mean."

Heero's body stiffened as he turned away from the wall. "What dreams?"

"You sure are curious tonight," Duo commented before answering. "Actually, they've changed over the years. The earliest one I remember, my mom's cuddling me. Over the years, I still get hugs, but we also have conversations. She's always in a black dress. That alone makes me think she's a figment of my subconscious. I never remember her wearing black when she was alive. But, it's a comforting dream."

"Thank you."

"What?" Duo sat up in bed and stared at his roommate. "You said, 'thank you'!"

Heero ignored him and turned to face the wall again, pulling his blanket over his shoulders.

"I really hate when he has nightmares," Death mused from the chair she was sitting in, her elbow resting on one knee and her chin in her hand. "He has so many, and I can't talk to him when he's in one."

Heero, who had been staring at the figure seated before him, sat down in the grass. "What do I call you? Shinigami? Death?"

She shrugged, her chin still resting on her palm. "It doesn't matter. I answer to all forms of the word Death." Straightening up, she glared down at the gundam pilot. "What are your intentions towards my son?"

"How can he be your son? Who's his father?"

Death shook her head. "I'm given leave to live a mortal being's life when I wish, I usual don't though. I'm never given any choice in who I become or how long I live, and I never know that I'm truly Death until I die. Before now, the Gods and Goddesses who give me my leave make it so that I live at least mostly happily, but I don't harm the paths of other lives. In fact, until this last time, my favorite 'vacation' was living as a jellyfish. Now, that was interesting."

Getting a far off look in her still glowing eyes, the woman leaned forward. "This time was different though. I fell in love with a man, we got married, and we had Duo. Then, we died and left Duo behind. I wish there was some way for me to have prepared Duo. If only I knew it was going to happen." Shaking her finger at Heero, she glared. "But, you're avoiding the question!"

Heero glared back.

"Oh, can it. Now, will you answer the damned question?"

"What happens if I answer that he's nothing more than a friend, or less?"

"Ah, so you're afraid I'd retaliate against you and decide to take your life," Death said with a nod of her head, which caused her cowl to fall forward to cover her eyes. "You should be. You were supposed to die when your Gundam blew up. Since I refused to free you, you're now considered a... What is the term? Oh yes, a 'loose cannon.' Basically, you'll live until I decide you should die."

"Isn't that the way with everyone?" Heero interrupted.

"No. The majority of people don't need my help to die. I only come when the person dies before their time or misses their appointed time. Of course, there are exceptions, but I try to keep them down. I made sure to be there at your appointed time so you wouldn't die." Pausing, she leaned over so she was inches from the young man still sitting in front of her. "But, to make it honest, I hereby state that no matter what you tell me, I won't retaliate. The worst I'll do is set your soul back on the 'normal' path, so you'll just survive like any other normal person, and die just like any normal person. And, knowing you, you'll be dead within the week." She sat back with a snort.

Heero stared at the ground between him and the seated Death, thinking hard.

"Come on, all ready, give me an answer!"

Looking up and staring at where her eyes would be if not covered by her cowl, Heero answered. "I love him."

Death gave a large sigh. "Right then. That wasn't so tough, now was it?" Standing up, she waved a hand and the chair she had been sitting in disappeared. "Now, you're going to wake up soon. Get up, and go to him. Comfort him like I can't."

"Mission accepted."

Death gave a giggle, causing Heero to look slightly startled. Shaking her head, the Goddess of Death turned away and started to walk into the mist that was curling past the edges of the clearing. "I'll be in touch."

Coming awake naturally this time, Heero turned over to see Duo still peacefully asleep.

Staring at the braided pilot, Heero gave a small smile. His smile turned to a frown as Duo started to frown in his sleep, his fingers twitching where they rested on his blanket.

Sliding out from under his covers, Heero padded over to the other bed and lifted the blanket. Crawling into the bed, he pulled Duo against him and rested the other pilot's head against his shoulder. Duo relaxed against Heero and both fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

And Death nodded, knowing she could go back to work without having to worry about her son for a bit.

Wow! I finished it! And, it only took a month to write itself! For me, that's a near miracle for something that isn't a parody or zany fiction.

Sorry for the sappy, unoriginal ending. I kept trying to steer it away from being written that way, but the characters wouldn't have it.

I've got ideas for a continuation for this, but I don't know... <scratches head>. I'm pretty notorious about starting stories and not finishing them. <Pushes 60+ unfinished stories from different fandoms across creation under rug>.