Running away from the past

The jet-ski was putting up a fight, but Mina soon climed onto the dock. Hayley's words ran through her mind over and over again. Mina could see her Guardians' death. The looks on thier faces...so much pain... Her wet body lay on the cool wooden floor. The school's bright lights luminated the coutryard as the poor grief stricken girl walked to the front gate. She sighed and pulled her hair away from her face. Great. The others are probally going to be up. Shit. I can't explain my odd behavior to them, espically Abbey. This side of me really isin't supposed to show, it will be hard to explain. She walked to the main doors and slowly dragged her self down the hall to her room. She opened the door to the room expecting Duo's smiling face and was greeted with nothing. No smiling Duo, No loud Doris, Nothing but silence. She smiled at the fact that she could take a long bath without being bothered by Duo's many knocks on her door. Wow, it's kind of cold in here. I'm thinking it's time for me to slip out of these wet clothes... Mina flicked on the light beside her bed and sighed. She slid her hand under her bed and pulled out a bottle of Sake. And into some dry Sake...

Loud music soon filled the little room as Mina slipped off her clothes and practially dove into the steaming water. The bottle of Sake was already close to being empty, which caused the tipsy girl to swear. "Shit..." She leaned further back into the tub and looked up to the ceiling. It may seem odd, but sake was the only thing that could restrain her, and she was already out. Thank god the others aren't here, wonder where they went... The bath was over flowing all over the floor, creating a major saftey hazard. Mina was oblivious of this, still thinking about what happened earlier. Well they aren't your real parents...Not your family. Solo was your family, not them... Mina closed her eyes for a brief moment, struggling with her will to fight.

The entire atmosphere stood so dark, so still, shadows dancing off the leaves in the giant colony park. Laughter was heard below their canoby, 3 figures moving through the shadow and light. Mina laughed along with her guardians, the three of them sharing an inside family joke. Her guardian father's smile was so comforting, his laughing eyes dancing through their happy gleam. Her guardian mother laughed along with her, taking the time to brush a strand of long brown hair from Mina's eyes and smooth her cheek lovingly.

They were the perfect guardians to Mina, she could ask for no other. They took care of her and her needs, and made her feel like she belonged, that she was special, that she had the power to challenge the galaxy with their love at her side. If only she had payed attention to what was in front of her.

The three of them suddenly found themselves in a clearing surrounded by soldiers shrouded in black. The three of them just happened to stumble onto the place in time to witness a girl shoot at a bound man's head, the helpless figure falling limp on the ground. The soldiers immediately surrounded the three and the girl looked up in annoyance at the intruders. Mina could only stare in shock between the girl and the dead man at her feet. That...that was Hayley! She knew her!

And suddenly Mina was fighting back, fiercer and harder than she ever had in her life to protect her guardians behind her. Soon all she could see was the black of the soldiers as she threw punches and kicks at all directions in a frantic ferociousness. Only when she had taken down every last soldier was she able to see around her, just in time to see Hayley lunge at her guardian father's throat as another soldier held him down. Her guardian mother was already dead on the ground, a crimson pool spreading from her neck.

"Nooooo!" Mina screamed, tears stinging her eyes as she darted towards a blank-faced Hayley. Something strong suddenly grabbed her from behind, halting Mina from coming any closer to the murderer. She kicked and thrashed behind her, but nothing she did seemed to effect the huge, overly-muscular man holding her back. "You bitch!" she screamed into the motionless air. "You didn't have to do that!"

Hayley sighed, twirling her bloody knife listlessly as she thought. "No," she decided. "That would be too much of a waste of skill and talent. I respect her for that. Besides, knowing that she will never see her precious family again for the rest of her little life will be better than any quick death."

Mina jerked and cursed angrily, the tears never stopping from her eyes. Hayley only flashed her an eerie smirk, so arrogant, eager, and strangely superior. Then there was a sudden sharp pain to the back of Mina's head, and the surroundings around her started to spin and fade, out of control...

Mina woke up with a start, splashing water on the already soaked floor as she frantically regained her bearings. She looked around her wearily, calming down, and realizing that she must have fallen asleep while in the bath. The bottle of Sake was still clutched in her hand, empty.

Mina slowly stood up, still drowsy and tipsy from the drink, and climbed out, wrapping a towel tightly around herself. Her mind clouded with thoughts of Solo and Hayley as she carefully pampered her long, dampened hair, loose and falling neatly around her shoulders and back. I thought I had put the past behind me, she furiously thought. I thought I could forget. Then that bitch Hayley comes around and ruins everything. I know she's here for a reason, probably to screw my life up more than it already is. Well, if I get her out of the picture before she does too much damage, then I won't have to worry so much... Her mind raced as she flew open the door and marched towards her room, running right smack into...

"Hey, *you* watch where *you're* going," the great destroyer complained. He opened his mouth, attempting a debate with the murderously glaring Mina when he froze...and just stared. My god, she's beautiful, he realized as he stared at the slim-figured girl in a skimpy red towel, her shining brown hair framing her curves like chocolate silk of a goddess. And to think she looks cute when she's mad, he added in his mind.

Why the hell is he looking at me that way? Mina thought in annoyance, trying to scare the bishounen down with her glare. He looks like he's... Then it suddenly hit her and she blushed, realizing how little she was wearing and the situation that they were in. And they were so close, close enough for her to want to brush back his soft bangs and get lost in those eyes of his.

Hayley crouched lazily on a tree branch, tiny, expensive-looking earphones to her ears. She smirked, glad that she had decided to bug the place. "Sounds like Mina has a little crush," she muttered, chuckling softly. Then she turned her attention to a guy with a long, cascading braid walk out of the building, a wallet at hand. *So that's Duo Maxwell.* He strolled right under her, never realizing the peeping tom above. Not as cute as my Vince, but close enough.

Hayley leaned back against the trunk, removing her earphones as she stared out at nothing, deep in thought. I bet I can really piss her off if I steal her little man away, she contemplated. Not 'cause I want him. No one's better than Vince. Just to see her squirm She snickered at the thought. Oh, and I bet nothing will make Mina squirm more than to have her see sweet little Duo siding with ME. Yeah...Duo, Vince, and I, kicking the crap out of poor little Mina. Hayley gathered her things and jumped off the tree, landing gracefully in a crouching position. She sauntered off in the quiet of the night, smug and giddy with her developing plots for Mina.

Sheesh, Mina sure was acting strange, Duo walked out to the courtyard and sighed, still thinking of thier closeness earlier. He smiled and thought of the wonderful bounty (of food) he was about to recieve, mumbling about how he wasn't going to pay for everyone else's. Duo continued walking and realized he forgot to lock the door. "Damnit! I forgot to lock the door! I'll never get a chance to eat..." He quickly turned around and bolted back to the school.

Mina closed her door and free-fell onto her bed, the towel barely hanging off of her. The room was silent, except the wind blowing through the open window. Her hair was barely dry, and was dampening the pillow. Oh this is Abbey's bed.....Guess I'd better- She reached for her locket and gasped. The place where it always hung, was empty, leaving her clutching desperately to the hair that was hanging over her shoulder. Mina let out a silent yell and ran to the door. Before she left, she realized she had left the towel in a clump on the floor. THAT wouldn't have been good....NOT good at all. You don't need all of the boys in this school to obsess about you, now do you? I'm sure Duo would have a hard time beating all of them up. She rolled her eyes, grabbed the towel and bolted out the door.

Mina walked slowly to the bath house, snapping her head form side-to-side, expecting the dean or someone with authority to come walking by and expelling her for walking around half naked and being under the influence. Kids didn't really notice the half naked girl, they had thier eyes on a group of kids sitting at a table. Just take it slow...almost there.... Mina swiftly spun around and found herself in Duo's arms. "Shit!" Duo shot out as she ran directly into him. The two stared at eachother as Mina growled. "Don't look down or so help me....." The towel was loosely being held by Duo's arms which were around her.

"Cool it, I was just comming back to lock the door, I wasn't expecting you to be galavanting around here in your stinkin' towel!" He closed his eyes and fixed it, trying hard not to peek for fear of his death. Not thinking, Mina shoved away from him and ran to the bath house. I have to get away from him...too close! As she turned the corner, Duo began running after her. "You forgot your keys! Aw man..." Before he could manage another yell, he tripped and landed on his face. The over-stressed pilot, grumbled to himself and got up. A shiny locket caught his attention. What's this? Isin't this Mina's? He grabbed it and began chasing after her. "Mina!! Get back here!" Mina turned as she heard his yell, paused and thought of a battle plan. She adjusted her towel and growled. "Stupid Duo...Just HAD to run into me...."

Duo had turned the corner and was running at full speed towards her. The kids in the rooms came out to see what the commotion was and stood out in the hall, staring at Mina. Adam began to lead the hollering: "Hey Mina, the bath house is the other way!" He smiled and turned around to go to his room. Mina dashed down the hall and yelled at Adam. "Go to hell!" Just as she ran past him, he reached up and grabbed the end of her towel, leaving her naked as a jay bird. "GGAACCCKKKKKK! DAMNIT! YOU'RE SO-"

Great...now what do I do? Duo and Heero's room is nearby and unlocked.... Mina inched her way to Duo and Heero's room, still covering herself. The kids in the hall were hollaring and hooting, causing Duo to begin to turn red with anger. "KNOCK THAT OFF!" Silence filled the hall as what seemed like 95% of Mizu-iwa's male students shuddered in fear at account of Duo's angry yell. "You guys are acting like a bunch of IDIOTS!" A group of still giggling boys were met with Duo's death stare."WHAT did I just say?" By the time everyone got over Duo's little outrage, Mina was already in his room, sulking and plotting Adam's demise.

That stupid bastard! Oh- OH! He is so dead! I don't care if he's Abbey's brother...he's going to die! Mina tried to calm her self and sighed. Duo's yelling at the other boys could be heard through the door, along with a couple of thuds as he continued to kick the crap out of some of the lingering boys. Mina closed her eyes and just began to cry. Not at the fact that just about all of the boys in the school saw her totally naked, just the fact that she had gotten drunk in the first place. Her long brown hair fell around her face as she let out all of the anger that she had been holding all day.

"Mina...are you decent? May I come in?" Duo lightly knocked on the door, adjusting him self and smirking at the numerous boys whining on the ground. He knocked again only to have the door open and be dragged in by his braid. "You! Here! NOW!" Mina spun around and slammed the door behind her. She had grabbed Duo's blanket off of his bed and wrapped it around her, leaving the clothes and his videogames on the floor. Her chestnut hair once again surrounded her, comming over her sad and tear-streaked face. "Thank you..." Mina smiled slightly and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Uh....I guess...you're welcome. I don't really know what you're thanking me for, seeing how you blame everything on me and kick my ass anyway." Duo smiled and looked down at the crying girl in his arms. The thoughts of eariler flooded his mind as he held Mina. "Hey, Mina! Come on...snap outta it! Aw, the guys are going to be here soon and-" Duo was cut short by Mina's quiet mumbling. "Duo...I'm so sorry for being rude to you the last couple of times, well okay, most of the times you've tried to talk to me...it's just I have alot of things on my mind and..." Aw don't go telling him all of that. He dosen't know what the kind of hell living my live is. You shouldn't do this... Mina struggled against her sobs and continued talking. The two have moved from standing up, to kneeling on the floor, Duo still trying to keep calm and Mina cuddling in his arms. "I had to come here...It was just too much for me. My guardians were killed about a month ago, my brother died back when I was very young. Before he went away, he gave me this silver locket...I was running to the bath house to go find it..." Duo lifted up his head and began to grab the locket in his pocket, This has to be hers. Why is it so important? This girl has so many faces, and this one is showing alot of pain. She seems so familliar, where have I seen these sad eyes?

Mina leaned her head back and began to gather the blanket around her, trying to control her need for physical contact. Her hair fell off her shoulders and to the floor, creating a chestnut pool around her. Why is he staring at me like that? That's the closest I've ever been to him and I want more... Mina leaned against the bed and closed her eyes. "Well, I guess I'd better just leave, I DO need to find my locket and all." She stood up and began to walk to the door as Duo shot back. "You don't have to run away from me all the time! You seem to act as though you're too damn good for having friends- people even! You're such a cold person, get a life!" Duo's anger was focused on the floor, which he hit as hard as he could, causing the kids in the room below them to yell. His eyes, now truning an angry blue. Mina began to loosen her grip on the blanket, but regained her grasp in time to keep it from falling. She tucked a few strands of her flowing hair behind her ear.

"Duo, I... You... It's just that...well, I'm not trying to run, but I have to find that locket, it really means a lot." Duo reached in his pocket running his finger over the locket he had picked up earlier. He pulled it out and gingerly began to untangle the chain. "My locket! Where did you... How did you..."

"I found it on the ground after the we ran into eachother. I tried to stop you, but you were too busy running away." After he had gotten all the tangles out, he reached around Mina placing the necklace on her. Mina sighed in relief to have her keepsake safely back where it should be.

"Really? I was hoping you'd tell me a bit more about you...Ya know?" He lightly hugged her and lead her to the box window. "Here, take a seat and tell me all about you..." The moonlight luminated the room , reflecting off her hair. Wow...she's so beautiful... He raised his hand to her face and was cut short by her pulling away. She paused for a second and let his hand brush across her face. The feeling brought back memories of the warmth she used to have, which caused a single warm tear to fall down her cheek. "Mina, don't cry...just tell me everything, okay? You can trust me..." He wiped the tear away and looked deeply into her eyes. "Im sure your brother want's you to feel better."

Mina bowed her head and smiled slightly, speechless after the touch. "Well, this is a long story...I lived in the l2 colonies just recently with my guardians. We were happy, and it seemed that right when I think I've created a nice life for my self, it's ruined." Mina looked up to him and began to leave, but was stopped by Duo's hand. "Mina, don't just go. Please..." She glared back at him. I'm tired of running away...just stay. Clouded with thoughts,Mina ran over to him and fell in his arms. "I don't want to run anymore..." She hugged him tightly and began to cry. "She killed them, my family...And I am going to get her back. So help me..." Her quiet sobs began to stop as Duo started to cradle her. I can't believe this...Hayley killed her parents? He squeezed her tightly in the moonlight. "Mina, don't you worry. You have us, we'll never go away...Besides-"

You must stop this, NOW! You can't be this close to him! A look of pure anger met Duo's and he just smiled. "Don't go doing that again...sheesh, can't a guy try to help you out? Girls these days...-" Mina had his braid weaved in her hands and was contemplating a tug when Duo sighed and leaned over to kiss her. What the hell?! No.... Just as thier lips met the room seemed to spin. The kiss was a long one, basically a fight over who should be leading. Mina pushed Duo to the floor and was leaning over him, her hair slowly falling to the floor around them.

After much of a struggle, Duo regained his balance and continued to fight untill Mina just gave up. The two were now laying next to eachother on the floor. Mina smiled slightly. "You do know I'm going to have to kill you, right?" Duo placed his hand on her head and laughed. "Just don't push your luck..." Duo and Mina layed there holding eachother and Mina soon fell asleep.

Duo looked down at her and ran his fingers through her hair. In a deep sleep, Mina began to mutter. "Solo..." Duo looked at the sleeping girl and gave her a confused look. Did she just say Solo? Maybe now would be a good time to look at what's in her locket... Reaching to her neck, Duo opened the locket and gasped in shock. A faded out picture of Duo, Solo, and a very young Mina was carefully placed in the delicate locket. Solo...What? She was there? She's Solo's sister...how did she get here? Over come with a wave of mixed emotions, Duo mumbled and situated himself next to her. A chilly breeze came through the window, and Mina shuddered and cuddled up to him. "Sheesh, you kiss a girl and she thinks you can take all of the blankets..." Duo muttered. He wrapped his arms around her and was lulled to sleep by the noises of the night.