Haunted Life
Part 7
by: Tigress Pern
Archive: GW Addiction (thanks Tyr!)
Warnings: Alternate Universe
Disclaimer: I don't own GW.
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Part Seven

"Now, I know Halloween is coming up." The teacher
began. She was about to start a lecture on the
absurdity of the holiday and already the class was
ignoring her. This happened every year. No matter
how hard she tried to communicate the dangers of it,
most of her students still planned to do ridiculous
things on Halloween. The nerve of some of them!
Didn't they know anything about the origins of
Halloween and how any good Christian wouldn't
participate? Fortunately for the class, they weren't
"good Christians" and planned to celebrate anyway.
"Have you given any thought to having a party yet?"
Wufei whispered to Trowa practically leaning across
the aisle in order to be heard.
"No."
"I think it would be fun to have a séance then. Just
the four of us. What do you think?"
"I don't know."
"Halloween is said to be the day when the border
between the living and the dead fades the most. We
might actually be able to see Duo." Wufei hissed. He
was really excited about the prospect of seeing a real
ghost. Trowa wasn't so sure.
"Let me talk to Catherine." Trowa said after a
moment. "If she disagrees, then it's off."
"Right, she's the boss."
"Mr. Chang, Mr. Barton. Would you like to share with
the rest of the class what you are saying?" the
teacher asked, her eyes cold.
"No ma'am." They chorused. Prude thought Trowa.

* * *

"A party on Halloween? I don't know Trowa."
Catherine said. "The house really isn't furnished
yet."
"It would just be Quatre, Wufei and Meiran over, plus
you and Heero." Trowa said calmly hoping the small
number of people would help persuade her.
"You've been seeing an awful lot of them recently."
Catherine commented. "In fact, they've been here
every Saturday and Wednesday for the past couple of
weeks. Why? Have you been plotting this that long?"
"No, not exactly. They've been helping us clean."
Trowa quickly covered. He didn't want Catherine to
know about the séances. She narrowed her eyes at her
brother.
"Trowa Barton, you know that I don't believe that.
You've been up to other things. I ran into Kari
Winner the other day and she mentioned something about
if the ouija board was helping at all. What exactly
are you doing up on the third story?" Trowa fidgeted
for a moment. Kuso! Damn that Kari and her big
mouth.
"They've probably been holding séances." Heero broke
in. Catherine looked up from Trowa to nod to him.
"Séances? As in trying to contact the dead?" Heero
nodded. "Trowa, I'm waiting."
"Yes, we've been holding séances." He admitted.
Curse that Heero! What was his problem anyway?
Couldn't he just leave Duo alone? Trowa had more than
once found him lurking about on the third floor as
they finished their séance. Duo normally warned them
if Heero was close, but still.
"For pity's sake! What has been going through your
heads? Séances! Look for the last time, this house
isn't haunted. There are no such things as ghosts!"
Trowa clenched his fists. For the first time in what
was probably years, Trowa lost his temper.
"This house is haunted! I've seen the evidence
myself! Things move by themselves, stairs creaking,
the radio flipping stations when no one is around!
They all equal up to a ghost! Hell! We've even
talked to him through the ouija board! The ghost of
Duo Maxwell haunts this house! Believe it Catherine!
I've even fucking heard his voice!" Before she could
speak, Trowa spun around and faced Heero down. "And
as for you! I don't know what crap your grandfather
told you about him, but Duo Maxwell is not an evil
spirit! Leave him the fuck alone and stay off the
third floor. Yes, I know you've been snooping around
up there."
"That ghost has to go. Look what it's doing to you.
You're not acting normal." Heero said. Trowa's eyes
narrowed even further.
"Like hell!"
"Trowa!" Catherine snapped, but Trowa was beyond
reason. He glared at them both.
"Leave me alone!"
"Trowa!" But her cry fell on deaf ears. Trowa
stormed out of the kitchen and into his room, slamming
the door behind him. Catherine stared after him in
shock.
"I think you should consider believing ghosts." Heero
said at length. "He's being controlled by one."
"I don't believe it. No, this isn't right. God,
what is going on in this house?"
"It's the curse." Heero told her. "My grandfather
warned me about it. Look, I seriously think we need
to get someone to exorcise it or at least tell it to
move on." Slowly Catherine turned towards him.
"You're that certain?"
"Hai."
"I'll think about it."
"Think quickly. Halloween is coming up in a five
days and that's the day when spirits have the most
energy."
"All right. Let's go to the library and look up
exorcisms."
"I suggest we use the Internet." Heero informed her.
"More books are on it and we won't have to leave the
house. We have to keep an eye on him."
"Agreed." Catherine said. She took Heero to her room
and they both sat in front of the computer for several
hours checking various sights and emailing experts.

* * *

Trowa sat on the floor of his room; his knees tucked
up to his chin. He'd lost his temper and he felt
ashamed for it. He shouldn't have yelled at either of
them, but he had.
"You didn't have to do that." A voice said. Trowa's
head snapped up. He hadn't even felt the air
temperature drop. "Heero is bound to get rid of me.
Damn Hiroshi, filling his head with all sorts of nasty
thoughts. The coward just couldn't handle it."
"Duo?"
"Hai?"
"Why did Hiroshi Yuy hate you?" There was a long
pause.
"I don't want to talk about it." Duo replied. "Let's
talk about what's up with you instead. You haven't
been the same since you saw my picture. Are you
okay?" Now it was Trowa's turn to be silent. "You
said I was handsome, did you mean it?"
"Yes." Trowa admitted. The picture probably didn't
do you justice though, Trowa mused. Shit, he was
doing it again. It's not like his little fantasies
could ever come true. Yeah, right the ghost and me.
"Trowa, this world is more open minded than it used
to be right?" Duo asked cautiously. Trowa could sense
the apprehension in the air. "I mean you have those
computer things that let you talk to people all over
the world and television. I heard about the sixties
and the counterculture movement. Women's liberation,
the civil rights movements, and the Vietnam War. I
know about them all, not in great detail, but enough.
Tell me, please. Is this world more tolerable?"
Trowa didn't completely understand the question. Duo
seemed to be almost talking in riddles.
"Yes, it is more open than it used to be." Trowa said
cautiously. "We talk about sex in school and other
things that were once taboos. The world is connected
through the Internet and people share ideas freely."
"I wish I'd been born in this time, I think I would
have fit in better." Duo sounded depressed. "I hate
being dead. I should have lived a long life, but I
didn't. I died. It wasn't my time. I wish I could
move on, but I can't."
"Why?"
"Because."
"That isn't an answer." Trowa told him. The air
about him quivered and Trowa thought he saw the
outline of someone pacing back and forth.
"I can't talk about it…it's too painful. You
wouldn't understand. You've got a wonderful life! A
loving sister, friends who care about you…"
"My parents are dead. My life isn't that wonderful
Duo."
"At least you don't have to pretend to be something
your not!"
"Maybe I am." Trowa replied. "Now, what is holding
you here?"
"I…I…I…NO!" Suddenly an erratic wind blew about
knocking everything over. Trowa's stuffed lion flew
off its self, hitting the computer with a dull thwack.
Covering his head, Trowa was pelted with falling
books from his bookshelf. Uncurling, he found his
room in shambles. Slowly he rose. Looking about him,
he wondered what was Duo's problem. Why had he been
so interested on the world today?
Picking up the lion, Trowa cradled it for a moment.
Why? Why had Duo said he was pretending to be someone
else? Impossible! Trowa thundered out of his room
and tore up the stairs to Duo's. Throwing open the
door he was confronted by a stack of furniture that
had once been neatly placed in the room. Duo had put
up a barricade, a barricade Trowa wasn't going to let
stop him. He began to dismantle it, casting the
chairs and table into the hallway. Once they were
gone, he climbed over the bed and stalked about.
"Duo." No answer. "Duo?" Trowa stood still and
listened. The air was definitely cooler here than
outside, which meant that he was near by. Something
caught his attention. It was soft and barely audible.
Trowa slipped over to the closet and opened the door.
There was nothing in there, but Trowa could clearly
hear the sound of someone crying. "Duo?"
"Go away."
"No."
"Can't you just let me be?"
"No."
"I don't want to talk."
"Duo, answer me truthfully. Do you like women?"
"That's ridiculous…I refuse to answer." Duo began to
exclaim, but Trowa cut him off.
"Just answer the question. Remember I'm very open
minded and won't criticize you." Trowa hoped he'd
answer.
"Why in the world would you ask if I like women?"
"I mean sexually. Could you picture yourself in bed
together, with a woman?" There was a long silence.
"No."
"That's why you're still here isn't it? You can't
admit you prefer men."
"Yes, no…I don't know! All I know is that I'm here
and can't move on. I hate myself. I hate myself for
the way I am or was! I'm not normal! Can't you
understand that Trowa? I am a freak! I hate myself
for having these urges. Urges I'll never be able to
satisfy. Why? Because I'm dead!"
"Duo…"
"No, you should stop being friends with me. It was
good while it lasted, but I'm not worth having as a
friend. I'm different…"
"So am I."
"I can't stop looking at you without fantasizing!
God! What am I saying? It's not fair! I want to be
a normal boy. To look at a girl and think she is
sexy, but no!"
"You fantasize about me?"
"I have to think men are sexy! Shit! If my father
ever found out! Why wasn't I born a girl? Why did I
have to be so stupid! I hate being dead! I hate it!
Hate it!"
"Duo are you even listening to me!" Trowa practically
shouted. The air stilled. "Duo you're not alone. I
understand, more than you realize."
"Trowa?"
"Duo, I'm not that found of women either. At least
sexually. I can't believe I'm having this
conversation with a dead guy, but…Anyway. I know what
you mean by trying to act normal, but I've come to the
realization that I can't pretend anymore. Last year I
confessed to Quatre that I had a crush on him. It
nearly cost us our friendship, but we both began
pretending like it didn't happen. Then I let it slip
that I thought your picture was gorgeous, right in
front of Quatre. The glass tower we'd built
shattered. That's why I walked out that one day.
We've talked about it and I've admitted I'm not
interested in him anymore. He and I are going to go
on being friends, but he needs some to sort out his
own thoughts. I think my confession has made him
reassess his own life. I don't know what will come of
it, but I want to be supportive. Quatre has been and
hopefully will always be my best friend.
"I know that the forties and fifties were very rigid.
Anything that went against what was perceived as
normal, was wrong both morally and spiritually.
Children born out of wedlock, divorce, abortions,
homosexuality, inter-race marriages, all of that was
deemed wrong and that you were an outcast if you did
or were any of those. That's why you're having such a
hard time accepting what you are. Even I have trouble
accepting what I am and it is the dawn of the 21st
century. You're not alone, not anymore."
"Trowa…Thank you. I think a part of me was hoping
you understood." Duo said slowly. "I wish I'd met you
fifty years ago. Then I wouldn't have been home alone
on Halloween night. My parents had gone out for some
sort of social event." Trowa felt something slide up
next to him. A light pressure pressed on his
shoulder, then wrapped itself about him in something
that resembled a hug. "Thank you. For coming after
me."
"Will you be going?" Trowa asked softly.
"I don't know." Duo's voice was right next to his ear.
The ghost was hugging him, tightly. The collar of
his shirt was growing damp from Duo's tears. "I think
I still have something else to do."
"Hiroshi?"
"Yeah. Listen, Halloween is coming up in a few days.
I've been saving up my energy the best I can and
since you and the others have been holding séances, I
have more than usual. Contact with people does that
to a ghost. Anyway, I want to appear to you, all of
you. You'll be able to see what I used to look like
and I'll be sort of solid. At least people won't be
able to look through me right away."
"Some how I'll get the others over. I blew up at
Catherine and Heero."
"I know. Even if they have to sneak over, see if you
can get them here. I have to do this on October
31st."
"I understand."
"Thank you Trowa. Thank you for being my friend."

On to Part 8

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