29-Apr-2002
Title: Bloodline
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and von (sablexo1@yahoo.com)
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 6 x 5
Spoilers: Series
WARNINGS: Lemon in Part 2, AU, violence, some gore
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments welcome, be they short or long.
NOTES: This fic takes place in the same Alternate Universe as another story by us, "An Amercian Werewolf in Space". In some ways it is a sequel, as it takes place almost immediately after American Werewolf, but it has a different set of main characters. It is the second installment of what I am calling the "Great Monsters Series". Other fics will probably be forthcoming, including a true sequel to American Werewolf, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy this one.
The night was at once full of sound and then silent. Zechs felt his heart pound in his chest as he made his way through the darkness. Under the baleful eye of the full moon, he stopped as he heard the rustle of the underbrush. He was not a man who frightened easily. He had stared death in the face more times than he could count... but this was different.
Turning, his eyes widened. Standing before him was something out of myth and born in hell. The wolf was easily three times the normal size of a normal wolf. Its eyes were an unnatural blue. As Zechs' face settled into a deep frown, he saw the intelligence in the beast's eyes as they glinted at him. As it took a step towards him, its muscled back rippling with power, Zechs understood how this would end. Fight or flight, he said to himself as his body made the decision for him. Even as he prepared to fight, Zechs saw the beast suddenly crouch low and then spring for his throat...
Zechs awoke in a dark room. The sheets were damp from perspiration and his long platinum hair was disheveled. Breathing hard, his hand slid to his throat as he unconsciously checked for damage. Perhaps his superiors had been right. Maybe he needed some time off from his duties.
However it seemed he wasn't going to get any after all. A message from Col. Une was waiting for him, the code urgent, blinking in a cadence that he could almost hear as her foot tapping in impatience.
Zechs growled as the dream-spell was broken. Though he never would admit it, the distraction was most welcomed. He accessed the message and like a good soldier, awaited his orders.
"Report to Sachsen Base immediately, but do not disclose your destination to anyone, it is highest security," Lady Une's demeanor in the message was, if anything, even more forbidding and uptight than usual. "Orders of His Excellency," she snapped and the message ended.
"Yes... sir," Zechs said to the vid and turned to head for the shower.
Stripping the pajama pants from his tall frame, he threw them towards the bed. The cold tile on his bare feet felt good and just uncomfortable enough to wake him up. He hadn't even bothered to check the clock as he stepped under the blast of hot spray. The stinging drops of water felt good on the knotted muscles of his back.
Sachsen Base, he thought, snagging the military issue soap from its stainless steel dish. Wonder what could be going on there?
Replacing the soap, Zechs leaned his head under the liquid barrage. What does it matter, he thought, as he reached down to turn off the water. It's a world away from here.
Squeezing the water from his long hair, he wrapped it up in a towel and grabbed another to encircle his waist. Half an hour later he boarded a military transport to take him to his mobile suit carrier and away from the Twilight Zone.
Or so he thought.
Security on the base was indeed surprisingly tight. Once his carrier was cleared through he was surprised to be met by the Colonel herself. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. It looked a bit like her 'why does he need Zechs when he has me?' face. But as he debarked and got closer, he noticed there was something else layered into her annoyance. It wasn't obvious what that something else was. Some kind of emotion other than annoyance, irritation or ambition, which made it exceptional.
"This way," she didn't bother to offer any pleasantries or greeting.
"Colonel," Zechs replied with a salute to her back. He then followed close behind.
After they passed the third pair of sentries *inside* the base, he began to get the feeling something was... wrong. He found himself in a small office with one door going in and one other door on the other side of the room. Lady Une stopped and turned around.
"We seem to have a slight problem," she said, her voice tight. "His Excellency has requested that you be put in charge of it." Clearly those words tasted extremely bitter on her tongue. She picked up a stack of folders from the desk in the room, waved them, and dropped them one by one back onto the desk as she continued speaking. "Hastings Base in Britania. Springfield Base, Unistats. Shanghai Base, China." She rattled off another four bases as she dropped more folders. "All have been attacked, security breached, heavy casualties, extensive damages. It's as if the Gundams were back, but no Gundam sighted at any incident. The casualties include some... peculiarities. Details, reports and photos are in the folders."
A slight frown appeared on Zechs' brow, but it was nothing unusual. He picked the folders up from the desk and nodded towards the Colonel in acknowledgement of her report. "Peculiarities?" he asked, watching her.
"Some of the soldiers were... ripped limb from limb," Une said, without looking at him. She sounded almost as if she didn't quite believe it. "Others appear to have had their throats torn out." And there are the others, she thought, but didn't add. Let him find out for himself.
Zechs froze momentarily as visions of a blue-eyed wolf-beast filled his mind. Une's description was uncomfortably close to the accounts of his previous mission, but a more rational part of his brain chided him for *going peasant* by comparing the two incidents. They were far away from the mountains after all and the locations of the attack were widely divergent. "So, what is the enemy after? What is the common denominator to all of the attacks?" he asked, skimming through the folders.
Une crossed her arms and glared at him sourly. Her voice when she answered was low. "His Excellency... was at each of those bases during or just prior to each attack."
Ice blue eyes looked up to the Colonel for a long moment. The implications were clear. Treize was being targeted. "I understand," Zechs said. He came very close to divulging the details of his prior mission, but made the decision to wait for further information.
"I hope you do," Une said. It was now clear to Zechs what had the Lady cranked up to such a degree. A threat to Treize. And one that she had evidently failed to stop. "If anything should happen to His Excellency, there would be no point to any of this."
Giving him a look, half antagonistic, and half something else - perhaps she was actually desperate enough to hope he could do what she had failed to do, for the sake of Mr. Treize - she indicated the door behind her. "Go in," she said.
Zechs saluted again and then walked past Une to the door. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside.
Treize was standing with his back to the door, looking out a window. Not the best position for a man who might have an assassin after him. "Zechs," he said in greeting, before turning around. His expression was anything but tense, anything but worried. He seemed totally relaxed. "The Lady has briefed you. I know you, you must have questions."
"Sir," Zechs said as he moved closer. "Do you have any idea who or what group is targeting you?" he added. The contrast of Treize's demeanor and Une's had the blond pilot wondering if the lady might not be suffering from PMS. Of course, the grisly pictures in the files lent more credibility to her panic, but Zechs knew that he was no scholar when it came to women.
"It's not some rebel faction," Treize replied calmly. "At least not a new one. What is causing the Lady so much concern is that her own formidable intelligence network is not providing any feasible suspects. The efficiency of the attacks hints at the Gundams... but the types of physical damages inflicted... such savagery doesn't seem to be their style, don't you agree?"
"Yes," Zechs agreed. "Though unorthodox, their methods do seem to conform to known battle practices. I take it, animal attacks have been ruled out?"
Treize's eyebrow lifted. "Animal.... um, is this a new side of you I'm not familiar with - humor? I suppose it's never too late to develop a sense of it. They are intelligent attacks on armed military bases, my friend."
Zechs straightened up a bit. "Then, I would suggest that it is the work of a new faction with a personal vendetta. My recommendation would be for a personal bodyguard assigned to His Excellency round the clock and stepped up intelligence to see who's behind this."
Treize walked over to stand in front of Zechs. "Let me make something very clear," he said. "Those are things the Lady thought of after the first attack. It won't serve. I don't need you for those kinds of tactics - strategies of prudence. I need you for what you do best. Meet it head on, Zechs. Stop it. Too many good soldiers have lost their lives defending mine. I don't want to keep sacrificing them. I can't think of anyone else who could do this. Just you."
"Sir!" Zechs replied, with a salute and acceptance of the responsibility. A darker portion of his mind reminded him that Treize had just placed him on the altar in place of those good soldiers. Still, the proposition satisfied his ego and his aristocratic vanity. Of course he would do it.
Treize smiled. He placed his hand on Zechs's shoulder. "Excellent. By the way, I haven't seen the report from your last mission yet. I've had to do so much moving around that things sometimes aren't catching up with me. Was there anything of interest?"
Zechs glanced over at Treize. "Just superstitious peasants, a lot of fog, bad food and a great deal of incompetence," he answered.
Zechs thought Treize's smile widened just a little, but he couldn't be sure. "I see. Very well. Carry on. Col. Lady Une will get you anything you need and see to it that your orders are obeyed without question." He turned towards the window again. "I'm sure you have preparations to take care of or I'd suggest we have a drink and relax for a while." Walking back over to the window, he added after a moment, "If he's on schedule, he'll be here tonight. Better rest now if you need it."
"I'll be ready," Zechs replied. "Excellency," he added, with a salute before turning to for the door. "We'll have a drink when this bastard has been captured."
He heard a soft sound behind him as he reached the door. "A drink... perhaps we will, Zechs. Perhaps we will."
Zechs stiffened slightly at the tone. Walking out of the door, he realized that Treize had more of an idea of who is enemy was than he was letting on. No, perhaps about it, Zechs thought. He intended to still be standing after all of this was over.
The Lightning Count looked at his reflection in the mirror as he recalled some of the literature concerning his adversary. What the Lady Colonel neglected to mention in her report was that while some of the bodies indeed had been ripped limb from limb, a few others had been found exsanguinated. The attending physician had listed the cause of death in those cases as rapid, sudden blood loss. Though no major wounds could be found on the bodies themselves, save for ragged puncture marks at the neck and throat area, the cases were labeled as suspicious.
Zechs adjusted the collar of his coat and made certain that the white scarf he wore was secured tightly. This just gets stranger, he thought as a slight scowl appeared on his forehead. I will do what I must and god help him if this is one of his sorry tricks. Retrieving his mask, he placed it over his face and head. He glanced at himself from head to toe again, noting the pearl-handled gun in its ornate holster, his saber in its scabbard and the general foreboding look of the mask. All right, Mr. Monster, meet your enemy, he thought to himself as he turned to leave.
It turned out to be a long night, allowing a lot of time for reflection. Inspecting the security, Zechs secretly thought the arrangements were formidable. Disagreeable she might be, but Une was not incompetent. She treated him with brittle courtesy, and again he felt that her antagonism was being tempered by her need for protection for Mister Treize.
It was close to dawn and the Lady had almost begun to think the attack was going to be deferred for that night. Perhaps her latest security plan had actually foiled it.
Then the alarms began. Whatever it was, it moved fast, caused a lot of destruction, and seemed to have an unerring sense of the location within the base of its prey. It also seemed to like traveling over the rooftops when available.
The base comms were shortly snarled with alarms and conflicting reports.
Sitting in an inner room without windows and only one door, Treize meditated over his steepled fingers with a slight smile on his handsome features.
Zechs was on his feet and at the ready at the first alarm. Hearing the comm reports, he moved quickly to the roof. He wanted a glimpse of his adversary and hoped to cut him off before he got anywhere near Treize.
From his vantage, Zechs watched Lady Une's troops converge in a spot, but it was impossible to see what they were converging on. He heard weapons fire, saw the muzzle flashes, smelled gas, heard the crackle of electricity. In the midst of it all, he heard a cry that was unlike anything he'd ever heard before. It sent chills down his spine. Because it was human. And because it was not.
A wall collapsed, burying most of the troops he could see. He saw a projectile - the body of a soldier - flying away. Then from the sudden stillness, a shadow, moving with uncanny swiftness towards the building he stood at the top of. Looking down, he saw something look up, but it was only a dark, vaguely human shape, the suggestion of red flickers where eyes should be. Then it began to climb the wall. At first he could not see how it was doing it, but a sound at regular intervals clued him in - whatever it was was gouging handholds in the wall as it went.
Zechs ground his teeth together as he grasped the weapons in his hands tightly. He concentrated on what was before him and attempted to tune out everything else. He simply could not afford to think about it. Sound focused his attention. As whatever it was got closer to his space, he stood his ground with a rigidity that gave him the appearance of a stone statue attached to the roof. You... shall.. NOT... pass! he thought, commanding his will to the forefront.
The shadow slithered over the edge of the roof even sooner than he'd expect. When it stood, he realized it was slight in stature, smaller than himself certainly. However there was a visible aura of darkness that clung to it in a way he had never seen or imagined. It blurred his sight, foiled his perceptions. It gave the shape an air of menace and power that far exceeded its size. Through that dark aura, a pair of eyes that seemed to glow with a red inner light were the most distinguishable features. Its posture was slightly hunched, like an animal preparing to spring. At the same time, a sense of magnetism seemed to sweep out from the figure as it stalked towards Zechs, and he felt a tug, a pull that tried to draw him closer.
As it got closer, he could see white clothes, or what had once been white clothes, before they had been covered in the gore of the soldiers below. It held its hands slightly extended, and Zechs could see that the fingers were distinctly clawed with formidable talons.
"Merquise," a voice growled as the face resolved into an almost human one, with distinctive Asian features, dark, shoulder-length hair hanging around the face, half veiling it. "So he finally called his attack dog back to save his miserable existence...."
Zechs' eyes narrowed behind the mask. Half on a hunch and recalling the incident at Victoria, he looked down at the disheveled entity before him. "What the hell happened to you?" he said.
The smile that answered that question was enough to send a second chill along his spine. Something about those white teeth... they seemed a bit too long... too pointed... but at the same time, dark eyes with deep flickers of red seemed to draw him. "Come find out."
Zechs felt a slight breeze lift his hair as he watched the unearthly young being before him. "You have no weapons," he said, reasonably, even as he advanced a step or two.
His enemy snarled. "Don't underestimate me!" One taloned hand wiped at the side of the being's mouth and Zechs realized that both the hands, and that mouth were stained with... blood.
Ice blue eyes widened at the visage as Zechs was both drawn and repulsed at the same time. Many things about this encounter struck the Lightning Count as wrong, but he had no intention of running away. "Never again," he said, recalling Victoria. Moving closer, Zechs felt his heart pound in his chest. Whatever this creature was and however he got this way, Zechs felt that the most humane thing he could do was to take him from this world... Then, he would have a talk with Treize.
Raising his gun, Zechs aimed it at the creature's forehead. "I don't know how you became this, but I will end it for you." he said.
His answer was a laugh. The dark figure continued to advance, decreasing the distance between them.
"Be at peace, Gundam pilot," Zechs said, then squeezed the trigger. He would deal with his regrets with a bottle of whiskey later.
The figure reached up and swatted the bullet from the air like a fly.
"Poor Merquise," it said. "If you only knew the truth about the man you are going to die for."
Zechs heard the report and saw the bullet veer from its path at the last moment. His eyes widened appreciably behind the mask now as stark reality touched his mind. Still, he felt rooted to the spot as his mind attempted to grasp the totality of his situation. "Truth?" he heard his voice say.
"You disappoint me, Zechs," a familiar voice behind him said. He heard a click behind him and felt something pass by. The advancing figure in front of him plucked the projectile from the air easily, and then looked at it, puzzled. It was a crossbow bolt. The second one buried in the figure's chest. He looked down in some surprise.
"There are still many things you have yet to learn, boy," Treize said.
Dropping the bolt in his hand, the figure grabbed the end of the bolt sticking out of his chest and pulled. As he did so, blood, as black as sin in the moonlight, gushed from the wound. The figure dropped to its knees.
"If you want to kill it," Treize said to Zechs as he moved next to him, "Use your sword. Take its head."
Zechs blinked he watched the events unfold before him. His sense of fair play was offended and he had already planned taking whoever it was that had the effrontery to attack his enemy in the middle of his own confrontation. Knowing that it was Treize only deepened his anger. Glancing over his shoulder, Zechs' lips pressed into a thin line. Removing his sword from its scabbard, he tossed it down at Treize's feet. "Since you know more about this, why don't you do it yourself, Excellency," he said, then bent down to check on the fallen creature.
"Tch, tch," Treize said. "I never expected you to lose your nerve, Zechs." Bending down, the OZ general closed a gloved hand over the sword with a slow smile.
The wounded creature lifted its head, pressing one hand against the oozing hole in its chest. "Is it possible there's one with honor?" the low voice growled. "No... if you had that, you wouldn't hide your face..."
Zechs looked at the fallen one and made a decision. Removing the mask, he set it down and then pulled the white scarf from his neck. Carefully, he lifted the young Asian and pressed the scarf against his wound. "What did he mean about the truth, Treize?" he said, distinctly.
"There's only one way you will ever find out, my eternal friend," Treize said in a low purr. Zechs felt something brush his neck from behind, but at that moment the creature in his arms reached up and pulled him down abruptly.
Sprawling on the roof, he saw the dark creature snatch his helmet from where he'd placed it and throw the metal object.
Treize snarled and jerked backwards, raising his arm to his face. "You are no longer amusing, Chang!" he hissed in a chilling voice.
"Good," Wufei said. One hand still pressed to his chest with Zechs' scarf, he looked at the blond. "I think I need a hostage," he said. Grabbing Zechs's wrist, he launched himself over the edge of the roof, taking the Lightning Count with him.
Before Zechs could realize he was about to be splattered on the ground below, the slighter figure beside him moved under, hitting the ground with an impact that should have shattered bone, and caught him, the force driving breath from his body. The steel grip never releasing his wrist, he was pulled along at the same unearthly speed he'd witnessed, through rubble, past torn and dismembered bodies, hearing the alarms and shouts, even as a strange darkness began to wrap around them. At some point it occurred to him he was probably asleep and dreaming. In fact he was probably back at the base in the Transylvanian Alps dreaming. All of it...
When the darkness finally began to fray and shred around him like a torn cloak, he realized he was some distance from the base, with grass under him, trees around him, and a near unconscious boy collapsing as his wrist was finally freed.
Zechs felt the sudden deceleration as a wave of nausea which cause his stomach to lurch. Seeing his abductor begin to fall, Zechs reacted by launching his own body to the ground underneath him. Raising his arms up, he managed to catch Chang before he hit the ground and used his body as a buffer. Grimacing as the weight of Chang's body fell on top of him, Zechs immediately wrapped his arms in a protective gesture around the small body and guided him to the ground. What's the use? he thought, feeling himself settle. He's probably dead.
Looking down, Zechs shook his head. "Of course, he should have been dead with the fall," he said, aloud. Shaking his head at the too many things that didn't make sense, he looked down at the young man against him. He felt the strongest urge to shake him until he got the answers he needed, but figured that the shaking would probably kill him for sure. One thing he did understand... This all had something to do with Treize.
After a moment or two, the figure stirred, turning to look at Zechs. In the slowly growing dawn, the face seemed young, the eyes looking at his dark and slanted at the corners, the weird red glow gone as if it had never been there. But the white clothes stained with darkening blood were still quite real. Breathing with some effort, he raised one more normal looking hand to wipe his hair back. The look on Zechs's face made him smile for some reason. It wasn't an entirely sane expression.
Lifting his hand, he pointed at Zechs's face. "Why do you cover that up?" he said his voice low and exhausted.
Zechs looked down at him, noting the smile and the way it changed his face. The exotic features, even through the smears of blood, captured the blond's attention. "I wear a mask because I am unworthy of my heritage," he said.
"Ha." It wasn't much of a laugh. "What is this heritage? You are a famous warrior."
Zechs growled. "Why don't you answer a question for me," he said, "What is this truth you spoke of?"
"Later," Wufei said, dropping the scarf from his hand. It was soaked through with black-looking liquid. "The woman who has no honor, like most of you OZ, will send out searchers this time. He'll tell her to do it." With a great deal of effort, he made it back to his feet.
"You're dying," Zechs said, standing up. "... Or you should be. Come on. I know a few places and people that she doesn't. Once we get somewhere out of sight, you're going to do some talking," Zechs said, getting his bearings.
Watching the tall blond, Wufei found himself feeling an incredible weariness, and something that was far more alien to him. A strange sense of trust. "If you betray me, I'll kill you," he said as an afterthought. Then he waited for the man to do whatever he was going to do.
Zechs shook his head and then went into action.
Lady Une rushed to Treize's room the moment the reports of the disturbance came in. She had an uneasy feeling about the whole plan. From what she knew of the enemy, allowing Zechs Merquise to face the menace down alone was nothing short of sending him to his death. Men could be such a bother at times.
Moving quickly, she opened the door, silently praying that Treize was there. Looking around, she confirmed her worst fears. Treize was gone.
On a hunch, Lady Une made her way to the roof. Movement out of her periphery caught her attention and directed her feet. As she made her way to the roof's edge, Une stopped short as she saw a pool of blood and Zechs' mask nearby. She had never seen Zechs without his mask and the implication hit her hard. But where was Treize?
Looking around, Une started as she saw the regal General standing a short distance away. She frowned deeply as she felt fear transform into anger. Stalking over to Treize, she forgot station, rank and position.
"What the hell are you doing on the roof? You were supposed to be in your room. Where is Zechs?" Une said in a rush. Reaching out she gripped Treize's arm as a flood of relief filled her. Treize was alive.
The General looked down at his arm where the Lady had seized hold. His face held a very faint smile, an enigmatic expression she'd seen so many times, and was no closer to understanding.
"Zechs... is gone," he said softly. "I think it's over for tonight."
The simple words fell on Lady Une's soul like lead. Turning, she looked away as the news sank in. "I'm... sorry," she said, trying to restore her composure. "Please forgive my ... outburst. Are you all right?"
"You worry far too much about my... mortality, Lady," he answered. "Zechs... may turn up again." He picked up the helmet. "Let's keep this for him, shall we? Although I wonder if he will want to put it on again, once he's had a taste... of a kind of freedom he doesn't allow himself."
Lady Une gasped as she looked back up to Treize. "You mean he's..." she began, then looked down at the mask. "Yes, sir," she said, not understanding all of the words. It didn't make sense to her, but Une felt that she would figure what it all meant later. For right now, Treize was fine and it seemed as though Zechs might be alive after all.
Treize studied his assistant for a moment. "This has kept you busy, Lady, hasn't it?"
Lady Une stood up straighter. "Yes, but these are my duties." she said.
"Your duties are whatever you are told to do. My intention was to send you away from me. To St. Petersburg. Even to Space."
Looking up at Treize non-plussed, Lady Une felt her chest constrict. "But why?" she said, before she had an opportunity to catch herself.
"Because it is the next logical move in the game," Treize answered. He gazed at her, the little smile still on his handsome lips. "But I made another move, just a little while ago. One that wasn't... logical. And now another game is in motion. And do you know what the strange thing about it is, Lady?"
"No, what?" Une asked, quietly.
"I find myself more interested in this new game. And wearying more each day of the other. Have you seen the reports from Romefeller about the new technology?" Treize gazed down into the polished surface of the mask.
"Yes, I have," Une answered, watching the tall, handsome man. "Mobile dolls."
"It's a deceptively harmless sounding name for something that will render the courage of soldiers in battle obsolete and meaningless. If we succeed in our plans for the colonies... they will hand it all over to the machines, the mechanics, and the money makers."
Listening carefully, Une turned the words over in her mind. "But would that not ultimately fail? Human intervention is needed in human matters," she said.
The smile on Treize's face increased fractionally. "Perhaps... perhaps inhuman intervention would be better. They create dolls. I have created something else. It if survives, it might be powerful enough to... destroy the doll house..." he chuckled, and there was something very odd about the sound.
Lady Une frowned again. Something in Treize's words, his laugh disturbed her. Something he created, she thought as her eyes fell to the pool of blood on the roof. "Why don't you come inside, sir? I can have a bath drawn and a drink made for you, if you wish?" she asked.
Reaching up with his empty hand, Treize lifted Une's chin and turned her face towards him. "Of course," he said. "Have I told you lately that I find your loyalty admirable... if occasionally inexplicable..."
Lady Une smiled a little sadly. "It's not really inexplicable," she said. "Thank you, sir. I am honored."
"No, I suppose it's not," Treize said. "Come, let's go in. It's possible Zechs may buy us some time. Put a guard on Tallgeese and then come to my quarters. We'll find something to do."
"Yes, sir," Lady Une replied, smiling briefly. Turning, she went to carry out her duties.
Some time later, the Lightning Count stood shirtless in a small, dark room looking down at his abductor. "You look a little better, cleaned up," he said.
His brows drew together as he applied a compress to the wound in the center of Chang's chest. Impossibly, Zechs noted that it appeared to be trying to close without benefit of medical attention. He also noted that despite Chang's nocturnal appearance, the former pilot appeared to have lost his more bizarre looks, namely the claws and pointed teeth. Resting on the bed, the young man looked very much like a wounded and tired boy.
"So were you one of OZ's failed laboratory experiments or what?" Zechs asked, sitting on the bed beside him.
Wufei opened his eyes and glared at Zechs. He didn't have enough energy to maintain it for very long. "I suspect you would know more about that than I would," he snapped. The glare eased back to a tired scowl. "Ask Treize," he finished shortly. Then he paused and looked back at Zechs, slightly troubled. "I suspect he might not be willing to tell you, and let you live. I don't know how he got the power to do this. I only know what he did... and that he is not what he presents himself to be, unless it's common knowledge in the ranks of OZ that he likes to drink blood."
"What?!" Zechs exclaimed at the last statement. Even so, he felt something akin to a lock snapping into place. The thought that he might apply some of the details in Chang's dossier to His Excellency caused yet another chill to creep down his spine and take his mind into areas he would rather not go. "That's... absurd," he said, finding the words ringing hollow in his own ears.
"It's the truth," Wufei snapped. He felt too hot and the glare in the room was giving him a ferocious headache. "Could you close the damn curtains?!"
The curtains were only open a tiny bit and in truth the room was a bit dim.
Zechs looked from Chang to the curtains and stood. Being a European native, he was all too familiar with the ancient tales and myths. He had only just completed a mission involving something that sounded very much like the old myths of the werewolves. His education and upbringing had him dismissing the ideas as superstition and rubbish until he had been faced with something unexplainable. Now, it was happening again and as the Lightning Count closed the curtain with the sliver of sunlight shining through, he asked himself... Why me?
Rubbing his forehead, Wufei locked his gaze on the tall figure as it returned. He didn't know exactly why he had made the insane decision to trust this enemy, but having done so, he found that he was almost desperate not to return to his former solitary state. He'd been alone most of his life, preferred it that way, but what Treize had done to him had separated him even from the rest of humanity. It was a feeling that tore at his soul.
"I came to finish him," he said slowly. "After he tricked us into killing the pacifists of the Alliance. He challenged me to a duel and I accepted. He beat me," it was still bitter, always would be, but the truth was he realized now that he'd been fighting an opponent with greater than human abilities. Still he hesitated to describe the rest. It was the most terrifying and humiliating experience of his life. "Before I could leave, he... did this to me. And let me go. I thought I was dying. Then the changes began."
Zechs moved on the bed, placing himself between the window and Wufei. Without effort, he lifted Wufei onto his lap, holding as he had held his baby sister so very long ago before the bad times. He listened carefully to what Wufei was telling him, the words altering his perception of Treize and explaining some things he had begun to suspect even though they were outside the realm of rational.
The pain in Wufei's voice was apparent and it was that pain tinged with loneliness that drew Zechs. Barely conscious of his actions, he stroked Wufei's forehead gently as he pondered these new events. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he heard Treize's words on the roof to him again. 'There's only one way you will ever find out, my eternal friend,' Treize had said and the true meaning of it took root in Zechs' mind. Looking down briefly, he shook his head. "You saved my life," he said to Wufei. "He was going to do that to me too. Correct?"
The soft touch on his forehead, let alone being pulled in the lap of a man he assumed to be, if honorable, still his enemy, left Wufei feeling a little confused. Everything about the man who turned out to be behind the mask of the Lightning Count was confusing him, yet at the same time he felt an inexplicable easement in his presence. As if, impossible as it was, he could understand, better than anyone else Wufei had ever met.
Scrupulously, Wufei answered the question. "I don't know. Perhaps he was simply going to... feed," he explained in a low voice. That was only the first half of the process he'd completed with Wufei. An altered Lightning Count would be an incredible weapon for OZ, but Treize might not be confident any more of his loyalty. The truth was he couldn't guess what motivated Treize. Even after the change, it had only served to enforce how many things about the man he could not begin to understand even now.
The subject of feeding, once raised, caused a slight sense of nausea to slither through Wufei's nerves. He needed... His body was attempting to repair itself but it took resources, and he'd lost so much blood, even more than he'd taken in the brief battle. He was in infancy for what he had become, and had mastered much of the new power with unprecedented swiftness, but that power came with a price.
Zechs frowned again. "Feed," he said. "I'm not getting the distinction. I assume you mean he would drain me of blood. Not a pleasant thought. Would I not be just as dead?" he asked, remembering the reports of exsanguinated soldiers. The thought of Treize Khushrenada *feeding* on his person caused another shiver up Zechs' spine not to mention the thought that it seemed quite undignified.
Wufei turned his head, placing a hand over his mouth. "If he took it all, yes," he answered, his voice muffled. "If he then resuscitated you by making you take some of his... I *think* that is what causes the change." He refused to look at Zechs. "If... he took just a portion it wouldn't kill you." Behind his hand, he clenched suddenly actively extending teeth together, trying not to shudder at the ache that shot through his canines at the mental picture that came to him unbidden as he spoke. Beautiful face, strong body, pale skin, flowing pale hair... biting his lower lip, he licked the small rill of blood to help his iron will remain in control of his actions.
Zechs mulled the words over and then nodded. "So, the infecting agent is in his blood," he said, working with a concept that was more familiar and comforting to him. Vampires, evil spirits and goblins were things he found hard to discuss. Practical applications and science, he understood. "I see," he said, looking down. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You don't look well."
Wufei's shoulders shook slightly, the sick humor of it overcoming his will for a moment. "I suppose not," he murmured, still covering his mouth with one hand. He tried to take a deep breath but the partially unhealed wound in his chest caused the sensation of knives through his body at the effort. "I think you know your way home," he said. "Be careful of him."
Somehow the words Wufei spoke seemed a bit incongruous to Zechs. He looked down. "What is this, now? You really expect that I can just waltz home and act as though nothing has happened? You're not the only one Khushrenada will be looking for. I've seen quite a lot and my mission was to kill or be killed. The way I see it, I have two possibilities. You or him. So far, you've not exhibited signs of wanting to remove me from this Earthly coil, so I'll stay here for the time being. Besides, you're looking far more worse for wear. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"You can get out," Wufei growled, a touch of the inhuman tone returning to his voice. "Don't go back to him if you choose not to. Or... finish your mission and go back. Just don't sit here in this room waiting for me to lose my honor and become what he has made me."
The tone of Wufei's voice startled Zechs, but it did not cause him to flinch. Looking down at the young man in his arms, he felt an overwhelming sense of simpatico. Though he knew that he had not been nearly as compromised as Wufei, Zechs understood violation and the loss of honor. "I'm afraid we both know it's too late for that. You have become... something entirely different," he began, then tilted Wufei's chin up as he was hit by a sudden revelation of his words. "You are suffering because you need to feed," he said, looking into the dark depths of Wufei's eyes.
Wufei attempted to glare at him, but already in the ebony pupils he could see the kindling of a flame of red. Meeting the ice-blue eyes looking down at him, Wufei was overcome for a moment with the impact of Zechs upon his altered senses. The living scent of youth and strength in its prime, the physical beauty of the man. A hot, raw hunger to taste this enigmatic and formidable warrior brought his tongue out to lick his lips, revealing the lengthening of his fangs. Hoarsely, he said, "Go and let me die or finish the job quickly and mercifully, but do one or the other... quickly!"
Zechs gasped as the dark eyes focused on him. Wufei's simple action of licking his lips and revealing the elongated white teeth seemed to mesmerize the Lightning Count in a way that no classic beauty had ever done in his life. No, this is wrong, he thought vaguely. It's entirely wrong. Suddenly, he did not want to go. He wanted to stay. Common sense shouted to him from some far-away corner of his mind to heed the words Wufei spoke, but it did not alter his actions. "And if I don't kill you, you will keep attacking him until one of you dies," Zechs heard himself say. "You... need me."
"I need justice!" Wufei said, his voice cracking. The flickering red in his eyes seemed to strengthen. "I've told you three times to leave. Unfortunately for both of us, my instinct to survive is stronger than my honor. Perhaps there wasn't anything left of it anyway," he added, his voice taking on an almost purring quality. Sitting up, but not moving away, he reached up slowly and brushed the curtain of platinum hair away from the left side of Zechs's face and neck.
TBC
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