22-Nov-2002
Title: House of Khushrenada
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and von (sablexo1@yahoo.com)
Category: yaoi, AU, sequel, horror?
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 1 + 2, 3 + 4, 5 + 6
Spoilers: None
WARNINGS: Darkish. Weird premise, AU, possible lemon later, knowing us.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: welcome.
NOTES: Another in the Classic Monster Series. Previous fics in the series are American Werewolf in Space, Bloodline, Broken (Silver) Arrow, and Name of the Pharaoh. All can be found at GWA.
The title is a nod to classic horror movies, 'House of Frankenstein' and 'House of Dracula'.
Noin was dreaming. Sitting slightly slumped in a chair beside the bed where Relena also slept, she'd closed here eyes, still not positive if the scene in the room before had really happened.
Zechs... she'd been trying to locate him for what seemed like a long time. And the whole time she'd been secretly positive that he was in some kind of trouble. If she could find him, help him... maybe he'd see her as more than simply a close friend and sometime competitor. But even if he didn't, just knowing he was all right would be better than not knowing at all.
Of course, if she did find him, there would be no more reason to stay with Treize. For some reason, this idea didn't feel the way she'd thought it would. He could be obtuse, infuriating... but he was also magnificent. A man who simply radiated power, and charisma, even when everything seemed to be going against him. He'd said he wanted to be a loser... She thought she understood a little of what he meant. Being on the bottom simplified things, and having all the odds against you required the greatest courage to fight. To be honest, she'd considered his ideas a bit archaic in the past, but being with him had shifted her feelings without her being aware of it.
She was dreaming... because in the dream, she was thinking of Zechs, but she could feel herself being held in someone's arms, and she knew they weren't the Lightning Count's. However they were strong, holding her against a wonderfully solid and well-made chest. It felt good. She could relax. An aristocratic head bent over her, a smooth cheek next to hers, and then lips brushed the sensitive skin of her shoulder. It made her shiver, but the sigh that escaped her lips was one of pleasure. A flush seemed to rise in her skin, she felt warm. The soft lips were cool against the fever and felt good. Traveling up, they pressed against her neck and she felt a tongue move lazily, and gentle suction. Then a sudden prick, making her shift restlessly, but it didn't hurt, not really. And then the fever rose a little more. She could hear her pulse pounding in her ears as the kiss on her neck extended. Her eyes drifted open and she saw ginger-colored waves of hair. Her gaze lifted a little higher and she thought she saw, standing a bit further away, a familiar figure, watching her. That beautiful platinum hair, those beautiful features that she had waited so long to see... But the expression on those patrician features was... cold. Why did it have to be cold?
The mouth against her neck sucked, and she felt a soft grayness rising. She couldn't see Zechs any more. But maybe that wasn't so bad.
Relena woke, to someone gently but firmly shaking her. At first, she wasn't sure she was awake because the room was dark. Her eyes adjusted a little, but there still wasn't enough light to make out much. A figure bent over her. The hand shaking her awake was firm, but feminine.
"Wake up, princess," a woman's voice, in a low tone, close to a whisper.
Relena blinked and then covered her mouth as she yawned. It took a few moments for her to remember where she was. "Miss Noin," she said, sitting up.
"No," the soft voice answered. "Now get up, quickly, and please be very quiet. Miss Noin means you well, but she is not in a position to help herself, much less help you, princess. Now please come with me, there isn't much time. *He* means you no harm but... it's better to remove temptation."
The figure took Relena's hand and gave it a tug.
Relena stood and moved as directed. She had many questions, but the situation was not unfamiliar to her. The same thing had happened to her when her father had been killed. "Excuse me," she said, remembering her conversation with Treize. "I need to speak with Treize Khushrenada. He's making a mistake. I promised to help. How am I temptation?"
The woman led her carefully through the darkened room and to a gap in the wall. Behind her, as the passage was opened, she thought she heard a soft gasp and an even softer moan, quickly smothered. Then she was pulled through the concealed door and it closed behind her. Her benefactress led her on for a little while before answering. "You are temptation because you are pure, and young, and full of life and innocence," the soft voice seemed a little sad. "All things he loves. So you think you will set him straight? Perhaps. You may have a chance to speak with him later. I am not taking you out of the House. I cannot go that far, and it would be too dangerous for you right now."
Relena frowned. "I'm sorry. This is confusing. Where are you taking me, then?" she asked.
"To another room. You can wait there. By morning, if not before, someone will find you who can take you away from here."
"Someone... Heero! Is Heero here?" Relena asked, feeling her heart beat faster. If anyone could restore order and make things less confusing, Heero could. She just knew it! "And who are you?"
"Your guess is true, but there is someone else who is much more concerned about you," the woman said, as she opened a door and took Relena inside. It was also dark, like the last room and the hall. "I am not someone you need to worry about, Relena Dorlan. If you do see Treize again, take care you don't tempt him."
Before Relena could say anything else, the woman moved back out the door and closed it behind her. And then Relena heard the soft sound of a key turning the lock.
Relena's eyes widened at the sound of the lock. She didn't quite understand everything the woman had said, but she knew a warning when she heard one. Feeling a slight chill down her spine, she sat down on the floor, folding her arms around her. For a while she contemplated who the woman might have been talking about. Who would know her well enough to come for her? She discounted Pargan or Dorothy due the to fact she'd written her letter. And who was the mysterious woman?
Moving through the northeast wing of the mansion, Wufei found himself thinking about the creature they had just encountered. His own senses told him that he knew the wolf, but not as a wolf. The vision of a Gundam, white and black, carrying a large thermal scythe, filled his thoughts. How could the pilot of 02 be a... a wolf? But then, how could he have ended up like... this?
The presence of another Gundam pilot unbalanced his internal compromises. It reminded him of what he had come to Earth for. What Treize had taken from him. But... was that really true? What if it was not? Could he... return to space? Could he... go home?
Not if it meant leaving Zechs. But there was certainly room in space for a warrior of his caliber. In time, the Colonies would realize that OZ was simply the Alliance under a new name. And then, they would be needed.
Wufei glanced at the tall man beside him, and then ahead of them suddenly. He stopped. "We're there, but..." he pointed to a door at the end of the hall they were in, "But there's something...."
Zechs stopped as well. "What is it?" he asked, quietly.
Instead of answering, Wufei opened the door and went into the room. He looked around. One of the two occupants he had located earlier was missing.
"Damn," he growled.
Zechs followed him inside. The room was dark, so he searched for a light source. Finding a lamp, he turned it on and hoped that it would work.
The wash of light illuminated the room and Zechs saw the form of Noin slumped in a chair near the bed. "Noin," he said, softly.
The position Noin was in was somewhat unnatural. As he got closer, Zechs could see the puncture marks on her neck. He recognized them immediately. He had marks of his own.
Working quickly, he lifted Noin from the chair and placed her on the bed. He also made note of the fact that the bed had been slept in.
"We're too late," he said, thinking about his sister.
Wufei stood back, his arms folded over his chest. After a moment, he said, "That depends on too late for what. She's still alive."
Noin's eyes opened a little and she stirred weakly. "Wha...?"
"Noin!" Zechs said, urgently. Sitting next to her on the bed, Zechs gathered Noin in his arms. "Are you all right? Where is Relena?"
"Relena? She's right... here...." Noin looked around, disoriented. "Zechs? Is it... it is really you, or am I dreaming again?"
Zechs' features softened. "I'm here, Noin," he said. "You're not dreaming."
An expression of relief crossed her features, followed by something that cause her to tilt her face so that her sweep of dark hair shielded her expression from his gaze. "What about... before? Was that you? You were angry with me...."
Watching, Wufei tried not to roll his eyes. He failed.
Zechs sighed. "I'm not angry with you, Noin," he said. "But you need to get away from here... from Treize. You don't understand what's going on. Has he taken Relena?"
"What do you mean, I don't understand what's going on?" Noin said, glancing up with a frown. She realized belatedly that Zechs was holding her... he was actually holding her... but something about his words caused a spark of irritation to penetrate the fuzziness that was lingering around her waking. "I understand that you disappeared! Where have you been?" she said, her voice strengthening into something close to a demand.
"Noin!" Zechs said, surprised. There was something in her tone that he was not accustomed to hearing. Certainly, he and Noin had been at cross-purposes before, but this seemed a little more personal than usual. "If you must know, I chose to leave OZ, no, the General's service, when he tried to use me to execute one of the Gundam pilots. The Gundam pilot in question had already had his life taken and then destroyed by Treize. So far, I've only been able to guess, for his Excellency's amusement," he added. Pulling Noin up to meet his gaze, Zechs looked into her eyes. "Open your eyes, Noin. Can't you see that the man you serve is no longer human? The marks on your neck are testimony to that fact, that is unless Otto did this to you," he said.
Her eyes widened. "What.... what are you talking about? What... marks...?" Her hand reached up to her neck. She looked confused. "I've never heard you say things like this before! What do you mean, you chose to leave his service...? The Gundams are OZ's enemy. You mean you... no, Zechs... I can't believe you could be a traitor...."
"OZ, the Gundams and the Alliance have been rendered irrelevant, Noin," Zechs said. "Treize is holding all of the strings now. Case in point. You are a decorated officer. What the hell are you doing wandering around the General's dark mansion in an evening gown?"
"I'm... I'm...." Noin found herself at a loss to come up with an answer. "You make him sound like some kind of monster! That's not fair!" Her hands balled into fists but she was too weak to do much more than patter against his chest ineffectually.
Zechs pulled Noin against his chest, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry, Noin," he said. "But that is what he is. And he will create others."
Wufei growled softly, turning his back to the two. The picture of Zechs embracing the woman was faintly disturbing to him but there was something else that aroused his sense of injustice.
Noin heard the sound but she was marveling at the sensation of being held tightly by the beautiful man she had been fixated on for years.
"Zechs," she breathed softly. She wanted to see what it felt like to rest her head against his shoulder, for just a minute.
It felt... nice.
"I think you've lost your mind," she said softly. "Are you sure you didn't just have a quarrel? Men can be stiff-necked... whatever it is, if you talked, couldn't you work it out? He's... he needs you now. Romefeller has turned their back on him. He's lost everything he worked so hard for. Don't you have any compassion for that?"
Zechs listened to Noin's words with some dismay. Very gently, he moved her back. "I think you should re-check your facts, Lieutenant. The General didn't lose anything. He voluntarily gave it up. And no, I don't have compassion for him. He killed my companion, changed him into a vampire, summoned my sister into this dark, dank place and turned you into some dependent lackey."
"I am NOT a lackey!" Noin exclaimed with something of her usual fire, sitting up with her eyes flashing. The nice feeling of resting against Zechs' shoulder evaporated with a snap. "What do you mean by 'companion', Zechs? Turned into a what? It is NOT dank!"
Zechs stood. "I think you heard me, Lieutenant. I said, a VAMPIRE! Treize is a vampire! Now, will you help me find my sister and return with her to Sanc Kingdom? I'm sure she could use someone of your caliber to help protect her," he said.
Noin blinked as he repeated the nonsensical word. She glanced suspiciously at the Chinese boy who had his back to her now, and noticed he was shaking a little. Hmmm.
Then as if the spurt of irritation helped clear her mind a bit more, she looked around. "She was... right here..." She looked up, an odd sinking feeling starting. "Right here..."
"Perhaps she's escaped," Zechs said, turning to Wufei. "Can you help?" he asked.
"I can try. But you should tell this woman... tell her how you know about the marks on her neck," Wufei did not turn around to answer.
"Of course," Zechs said, without hesitation. Tossing his hair back over his shoulder, he knelt down so Noin could see. "I know what your marks are, because I have some of my own," he said. "I met Wufei after Treize had changed him. I don't know if you heard about the attacks against OZ a while ago, but it was Wufei. He came to kill Treize. The General set me up, challenging me to meet whoever it was that was causing the attacks. He knew full well it was Wufei, and after he shot Wufei with a crossbow, he instructed me to finish him off. I refused as a matter of honor and compassion. Do you understand now?" he said.
Noin's eyes flew to what Zechs was showing her and widened in shock. "You... he.... you...." She closed her mouth and swallowed. "S-so... if... if Treize is a m-monster... what is that?" she said, lifting an unsteady hand to point at Wufei.
He turned around and met her look. "A monster," he said, his fine eyebrows drawn into a scowl. "You are still making decisions like a woman, not a warrior. Zechs Merquise trusts you. Do better."
Zechs looked towards Wufei. He knew that some of his conversation hurt the proud Chinese warrior. Looking back at Noin, he said, "I could knock you out and carry you away from here across my shoulder, but it would do no good. The decision must be yours. I need to find Relena and get her out of here."
Noin scowled back at Wufei and then turned to Zechs. "I'll help you... until I figure out what the hell is going on here," she said, taking a deep breath and getting to her feet. She felt tired and a bit weak but she wasn't going to let Zechs see it, not now, not after the things he'd said. And not in front of this.... no, she still couldn't think of him as anything other than a boy. A boy who somehow managed to pull the rug out from under her every time they met.
Without looking at Zechs, Wufei turned his back again. He felt reluctant to use his abilities in front of the woman, but they were here to find Zechs' sister. He wrapped darkness around himself and then melted into it, starting the search as he had done before.
It didn't take long, Relena wasn't that far. For a moment, he hesitated. He could simply materialize in the room and bring her out, lead her back to where her brother waited. But she didn't know him. She would probably be frightened. She might scream... and faint....
He decided to return, it would be quick enough to lead Zechs to the room. But as he withdrew, something happened. Another darkness seemed to wrap around his. It was cold and it was ungodly strong. Instantly he tried to fight it, but in this form he had no experience of how to fight such a thing. A will he'd felt once before wrapped around him like strong tentacles.
/Wufei... time to come to your master./
In the room with Noin, Zechs waited, expecting Wufei to return as he had on the previous occasion.
But as he waited, he felt something. It was as if something came between him and what he only now realized was his sense of his lover. Wufei's presence, which he hadn't realized he felt even when the vampire left him, shredded and was gone, as if torn away from him. He felt the faintest flicker of a rage he recognized as the Chinese boy's, and then nothing.
"Wufei!" Zechs cried out, suddenly. A bewildered expression crossed his face for a moment. It was then replaced by one of cold rage. "Treize," he snarled, feeling a deep twist in his heart. He turned in Noin's direction, wanting to tear the room apart. "He's taken Wufei," he said, heading for the door.
Noin blinked, wanting to say something, protest, demand answers, but this time she gritted her teeth and simply followed. Zechs wasn't getting out of her sight that easily. As she swept through the door on his heels, she twitched the long skirt out of her way and wondered what she was doing in an evening gown...
The room bore an uncanny resemblance to the tomb they had both been in once before. They found it on one of the lower levels, guarded by enough security to keep out a casual intruder, but hardly a Gundam pilot. Everything had been laid out just as it had been in the tomb, and even the walls had been painted with copies of the murals, right down to the chisel-obliterated face of the pharaoh. His new home bore no more record of his identity than had his last.
The sarcophagus occupied the central position in the room. The only difference from before was a beam of light, square-shaped as if to mimic a shaft, which threw illumination across the lid.
Quatre looked around the room before moving to the sarcophagus. He had begun to feel weary, so very weary, after witnessing his father's death. Now, a familiar warmth spread across his chest and he felt somewhat at peace. Reaching inside his shirt, he removed the scroll from its hiding place. "Safe or not," he said, "You belong at home."
Trowa watched the blond, with his arms folded across his chest. The uncanny resemblance of the room to the original resting place was not lost on him. Treize had spared no detail. Trowa could see that finding this made Quatre feel better, but now they had another problem to think about.
"Have you thought about what we are going to do now?" he said quietly. "I admit, I hadn't at first. But it seems like it might be rather difficult to carry out of here, just the two of us."
"You're right," Quatre said in agreement. "I don't like it, but unless I can get Sandrock and peel open the house, this might have to reside here for awhile. At least, he attempted to preserve the original order of the tomb."
Trowa nodded, relaxing a little. That having been agreed, there wasn't anything keeping him from looking more closely at the "tomb" and its occupant. When he had been in the real tomb, he hadn't been in any shape to examine the contents, but the events that had taken place afterwards...
He took deep breaths, but tried to make sure nothing showed on the outside. He let his eyes travel across the paintings on the walls and the other artifacts set around the room. After a moment or two, he said, "How close is it? How accurate did he get with this?"
Glancing around the room again, Quatre sighed. "It looks to be a perfect replica," he said. "Treize Khushrenada seems to be somewhat of a perfectionist, so I guess it makes sense. Why?"
Trowa didn't answer. He simply let his eyes pass over the paintings one last time, the imprint of each desecrated face of the pharaoh edging itself on his mind. He'd kept his distance from the sarcophagus, but now he turned and walked closer, his steps not quite betraying his reluctance. He looked down at the stone lid, which had once been thrown off and cracked into pieces. The pieces had been rejoined but the cracks had not been disguised.
Trowa looked at the lid for a long moment. Then he said, "I need to see."
Quatre watched Trowa closely. It occurred to him, finally, that the green-eyed pilot had not seen the tomb as he had. He understood the need for him to see everything, especially the sarcophagus, for himself. Nodding his agreement, he placed the scroll to one side. "I'll help," he said, placing his hands on the re-formed lid.
The stone lid was heavy and should have taken several men to move, but Trowa seemed to find the strength needed to slide it off and set it against the side of the sarcophagus, with Quatre's help.
The mask had been found and placed over the mummy's head and shoulders but beneath it, the wrappings of the body were plainly visible. Trowa became very still, looking at it.
It didn't look to Quatre like it had in the desert. There was no indication of any kind of animation in it. It looked as if it had not moved in four thousand years.
Quatre moved closer to Trowa. Touching the taller pilot's back, he said, "It looks different now. It's almost as if what happened in the desert was some fantastic dream. It wasn't though. What happened *did* happen."
"Or surreal nightmare," Trowa said, his voice very soft. He looked at the mask - it, too, had been defaced, more than half of the features obliterated. Unable to quite stop himself, he found himself reaching down, into the case, and lifting the mask away to gaze at the linen-wrapped face below.
The sense of presence that he felt within him sometimes was very quiet. But it wasn't a quiet of absence. It was a quiet of waiting.
Trowa's eyes closed. He stood that way for long moments. Slowly, his right hand bent at the elbow and lifted, hand slowly closing and unclosing for a moment. Then he turned and took Quatre's hands, and drew them into the sarcophagus, placing them around the dry, wrapped right hand of the mummy.
Quatre felt the dry, ancient cloth beneath his hand. He looked up at Trowa, feeling tears at the back of his eyes, but not knowing why. Looking back down at the mummy, he remembered everything that had happened. He remembered feeling safe in the twilight time and then resignation when it had all ended. What happened after that, Quatre could not have believed in a million years. He found Trowa, the real Trowa and had thus begun his next life.
Quatre bowed his head in respect for a moment, and then looked up to Trowa.
As his hands were placed around the mummy's hand, he felt something beneath the wrappings over the palm. As his hands withdrew, the object slipped from between the linen strips and fell into his hand, cool and smooth. Looking down, he saw it was an amulet made of faience and glazed, in she shape of an eye.
"Trowa," Quatre said, softly. "Look."
He opened his palm and showed Trowa the amulet.
Trowa looked down but he did not seem surprised. "I know. Keep it. It's a... a gift."
Looking back down into the sarcophagus, Quatre bowed again in respect. "I am honored," he said, then tucked the amulet away. "Do you still feel his presence?" he asked quietly.
The green-eyed boy was very quiet and still. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes," he said. "He's here. And... here," he added, touching his chest very briefly with his fingertips. "The *akh* stays close to the body, it is the *ka* that keeps it there unless something happens to loosen the tie." Trowa's eyes seemed a little distant from time to time as he spoke. "There's something we need to do... but not yet. And a warning... Treize brought us here... and it has to do with something we are a part of. It's not clear."
"Then, we will wait and find out when the time comes," Quatre said, taking Trowa's hands.
Trowa seemed to blink and then he nodded. Carefully he replaced the mask, but did not try to put the lid of the sarcophagus back. "You felt Duo... before?"
"Yes," Quatre answered, watching the changes in Trowa's face. "Back at the staircase and when we heard that cry." Reaching up, Quatre touched Trowa's face. He brushed back the long bangs that perpetually fell over one eye.
"He's here, and so are the others," Trowa said. "At least that's what I think."
"Hn," Quatre answered, "Then, let's find them and the Princess."
"Maybe if we're lucky," Trowa said, moving towards the door, "They'll find us."
Quatre nodded, silently praying that Trowa was all right.
Being immersed in his feral form extended Duo's senses in amazing ways. The fact that he could detect any scent at all from the man known as Treize Khushrenada was part of that gift. But following the scent taxed his powers to the utmost. It was less a sure plan likely to bring him what he wanted and more a course of action taken out of desperation and the fact that he had to do *something*. Doing nothing wasn't acceptable and would have only fueled his rage and driven him further into the beast.
The house was large and complex, and the entity he trailed was not confined to using his feet to travel. In time, Duo lost the scent that had been guiding him.
It angered him and it made him feel the beginnings of panic. He had to find Heero. As far as what might happen to his lover in the hands of the old scientist, who had already done too much, he had nothing to go on but his fears.
With a snarl peeling back his lips, he moved through the dark hallways seeking. At one point, he came across a human scent that seemed only remotely familiar, but it led to a locked door, and it wasn't the one he wanted anyway. After sniffing and scratching about the door, he left and went another direction.
Inside the room, Relena found herself frozen into immobility as she heard the sounds outside the door, only breathing again when they ceased and the slightly musky smell dissipated.
At another juncture, he caught the scent of one of his enemies - Otto. It ended at another panel and the frustration of not being able to follow it and rip the throat out of the one who had carried his mate away inflamed his reactions. Then he realized that there was a vibration coming from the wall. Violet eyes took on a cunning gleam and he padded back, crouching in a deep shadow to wait for the panel to open.
When it did, he was already in mid-spring and barely had time to register two figures instead of one, both shorter than the prey he'd been hoping for, one topped with gold hair that gathered the meager illumination like a halo.
With a startled, half-whine, he managed to deflect himself in mid-leap and landed somewhat heavily to one side, his tail brushing the blond-haired figure as he spun around to face the two, panting, and suspicious.
Quatre's eyes widened as he looked down at the wolf. A moment later, he knelt down to one side of the great animal. "Duo," he said, with absolute certainty. Those violet-blue eyes could belong to none other than the God of Death.
The wolf blinked up at him. The last thing he expected was to be recognized on first sight. Breathing deeply, he found that the Arabian pilot's scent was comforting. Turning to look at Quatre's companion, he recognized the pilot of HeavyArms. The next thing Trowa knew, he was being sniffed. There was something about his scent, something Duo couldn't quite sort out. It was Trowa... but... there was a hint of something, barely there, but rich, exotic, which conveyed a sense of... of age...
Trowa blinked and stood very still. He heard Quatre call this large beast by name, and remembered the cry from before. But it was still strange... Looking at the wolf, which was larger than any wolf he'd ever seen before, he felt himself relax suddenly. He lifted his hand and offered it for examination.
Duo accepted the invitation and gave the taller boy a thorough imprinting, amending his memories to include the new enhancement. He didn't know what it meant. It wasn't as startling, or as profound as the change he'd found in Wufei but it spoke of unknown events.
After a moment he turned back and looked up at Quatre, wondering how the blond had known who he was. Then it hit him, right between the eyes. They were all here. Treize had managed to get all the Gundam pilots in one place somehow.
"The others are probably here, too," Quatre said, unconsciously placing his hand on Duo's head and petting him. "Perhaps if we're lucky, the Princess will appear around a corner as well."
"Perhaps she'll have the Cheshire Cat with her," Trowa said dryly. "Or a rabbit who is terribly late."
Duo tilted his head for a moment, and then suddenly alerted. He reached out and took Quatre's sleeve in his mouth and pulled him along. When he was sure the blond would continue to follow, he dropped the hold and simply led the way back to the room he had found with the locked door.
Quatre turned the doorknob, finding the door locked. "Princess Relena?" he said, quietly. "Are you there?"
Hearing the quiet voice, Relena unfolded her arms and moved to the door. "Yes," she said. "I'm here, but the door is locked."
Trowa pulled Quatre away from the door gently. Then he took a switchblade out of somewhere and opened it with a click, reaching down to the old-looking lock. A couple of deft twists and the lock surrendered.
Duo padded back from the opening door, glad to have found people he knew but restless again with the need to find his primary target.
Relena felt her heart beat fast in her chest as the door opened. Seeing the tall young man, she frowned. "Thank you," she said, moving out of the room. "I don't know you, do I? I'm..." she added, stopping in mid-sentence as she saw the large wolf.
"I'm Quatre Reberba Winner, Miss Peacecraft. This is Trowa and... umm," the Arabian pilot began and then stopped. Noting that the girl's attention was on the large wolf, Quatre added, "Oh don't worry. He won't hurt you."
Relena looked from the two young men and back to the wolf. "Again, thank you," she said, relaxing a bit. "Do you know Heero Yuy, and is he here?
Duo growled, a low angry sound. He looked up at Quatre, then turned away, pacing back and forth in the hallway. Strategically it might be a better idea to stay, but he wasn't going to be able to keep himself from going to search for Heero, any more than he had before.
"Go," Quatre said, sensing Duo's impatience. "And be careful."
Duo was about to take off, when he remembered something. Zechs... Zechs had said they were looking for 'my sister Relena'. Sister? But those had been the words. He glanced at the girl, whom he remembered clearly from seeing her at a school when she'd followed Heero. He had no way to relay that her brother was here somewhere.
Frustrated, and with his anxiety rising about Heero, he once again attempted to change back and once again, failed. A low growl voiced his reaction to that.
Certain of only one thing, that there were areas he hadn't searched yet, he glanced from Quatre to Trowa and then took off.
Quatre turned to Relena. "I think that Heero might be here," he said, "But I'm not certain. This house is not a safe place for you to be. In fact, we came here, in part, to find you to see if you were in danger."
Relena looked up at the golden-haired pilot. "I'm not leaving here until I see Heero," she said, firmly.
"But he might not even be here..." Quatre began.
"That wolf looked pretty convinced," Relena countered, interrupting. "He growled when I said Heero's name and just took off into the darkness. I think he's going to find Heero. Now, that might sound pretty strange of me to say so, but things in this house are pretty strange too. Won't you agree?"
Quatre looked up at Trowa, then back to the girl. "Are you sure I can't convince you to let us take you back to Sanc Kingdom?" he asked.
Relena shook her head. "No," she said, decisively. "I'll go back to Sanc when we've found Heero. I must know that he is alive and well. "
Quatre sighed. "All right, then," he said. "We'll do our best to protect you. Stay close."
"Fair enough," Relena said, falling into line behind Quatre.
Trowa tucked the switchblade away silently and took up the rear.
Duo padded through the hallways, trusting his senses to keep him from retracing over ground he'd already covered. His senses also told him that there were things going on in the house, things besides the movement of the three humans he'd just left. However, these things were pushed to the edges of his mind by the beat of need to find Heero that seemed to echo the pulse of blood through his veins.
Turning down a corridor not far from the elevator where he'd met the two Gundam pilots, he slowed, aware of something in the darkness ahead of him. His eyes were capable of seeing clearly with very little light, but what was up ahead was far enough that he couldn't really make it out. The only impression he could form was of two flat, circular disks that reflected what little light there was. They seemed to fix on him, positioned at the level of human eyes. His first reaction was a flash memory of the goggle-eyed old man and he growled, fur rising as he tensed to spring. Then the scent came to him. It was a human scent, like the scientist, but different within that classification. It lacked a certain astringency that he associated with the old man, giving a hint that was softer, clearly female. And it was mixed with another scent, earthy, strong, which he could not place but which he found attracted him in a far different way than the compulsive aroma of the liquid they had used to force the change.
The shadowed figure backed up a little, hearing the growl which would have sent stouter souls running, but then held her ground, waiting.
Rising slowly from his crouch, Duo took several slow paces forward. As his posture changed, she seemed to nod.
"I have something for you," she said quietly. "Something that will help. But you have to do something for me in return."
The reflective lenses bobbed down as if she were putting something on the ground and she back up further.
Pacing forward, he found a small fabric pouch containing the new scent, sitting on top of some folded material.
"It's vetivert," she said softly from her position further down the hall. "It will clear the effect of the elixir. Beneath it is a cardkey, which will get you into the wing that is being used by the doctor. Now remember, you have to do something for me."
After a moment, he sat on his haunches, waiting for her to tell him what that something was.
She seemed to understand what he wanted. He saw a slight movement as she raised her hand and removed the glasses, leaving her face and figure in deep shadow.
"Promise not to hurt *him*, if there is any way to avoid it," she said, and her voice, while calm, seemed to carry a touch of sadness. "You know who I mean. If you don't agree, then just walk away."
Another low growl came from Duo's throat and he rose to his feet as if to do just that. But she'd bargained well. He needed what she'd brought - the urgency to find Heero was too great.
When he lowered his nose to sniff the bag of what she had named vetivert, she nodded, and then disappeared down the hallway and was gone.
The scent was very different from the intense one that had forced his body into the feral condition. It was earthy, a little woody, it tickled his nose a bit, but there was nothing about it that overpowered or overwhelmed his senses. Instead, it seemed to calm his nerves. A sense of peace eased through his body for a few moments. Closing his eyes, he reached down inside himself, seeking his own identity, not apart from the beast, but in balance with it.
The aroma of the herb gently soothed him, dispelling the last effects of the strong liquid. Breathing deeply, Duo rose gracefully from the floor to his feet, head tilting back as he regained human form.
However, the change had claimed his concentration, preventing him from hearing the approach of the small group that had been attempting to follow him from back at the locked room, and had actually managed to catch up.
As Quatre, Relena and Trowa came down the hall, they saw the back of a slender figure straightening, pale skin seeming to glow a little, a mass of snarled tendrils of hair down his back and not another stitch of anything to cover his naked body.
Quatre stopped short as he saw the figure in the hallway. Blinking a couple of times, the young Arabian felt his cheeks warm. In his limited experience, he had only seen one other naked form that had the ability to affect his body as this one... Trowa.
"Umm," he said, glancing to his left, noting that it was too late to prevent his young female companion from seeing what he saw. "Duo," he said, swallowing hard. His voice sounded a little strange to his own ears as he totally failed in calling out a warning.
"Oh my," Relena said, softly. She felt her face warm as she saw the figure in the hallway. She had never seen a boy naked before, but there was something even more captivating about this sight. The long mass of hair blanketing the boy's body as well as his stature gave him the appearance of something that was only found in fairytales. Breeding told her to look away, but the young diplomat could not help a long last glance to remember when she was alone. Finally, she turned, looking down to allow the young man some dignity.
Only a half-step behind Relena, Trowa blinked and then a slow smile curved his lips. "Cool," he said.
Quatre took a few steps closer, further acting as a shield. "Are you all right?" he asked, hearing his voice stronger.
Duo heard the voices behind him and realized he was not alone. "Fuck," he said reflexively. First thing: don't turn around. Casting a look over his shoulder, he saw the three some feet away but certainly close enough to see what there was to see. He also caught a glimpse of the mass of his hair, which was tangled into a mess as if it had been half-pulled out of the braid hastily and incompletely. "Talk about bad hair day," he muttered, remembering the first time *that* had happened. "Yeah, Quatre, I'm fine. Do me a favor and stay there for a minute, ok?"
Dropping to his heels, he quickly looked over the small pile that the mysterious woman had left. He saw the little bag of herbs, and next to it the card key, but he'd noticed that they were sitting on something. Muttering a prayer to whatever gods might be listening, he pulled up a fold of the material beneath the items. Well, whoever she was, she seemed to know her stuff. Quickly, Duo pulled the black stretchy material over his upper body and then pulled on the matching pants. Pulling his hair out of the back of the clingy shirt's neck he felt for pockets and then tucked the herbs and cardkey away in one. Turning around, he absently started raking through the mass of tendrils with his fingers.
"Hey," he said, looking at each of the three. He made a note of Quatre's flush, a matching one on the girl from Sanc, and Trowa's direct look and slight nod of acknowledgement. "Seems there's someone running around here that might be friendly, in a limited fashion," he said by way of explanation. "Sorry but I have to go. You can come if you can keep up. I think what I'm looking for is down this way." It better be, he thought fiercely.
"We'll go with you. We might be able to help," Quatre offered. "Who is this friendly person?"
"I have no idea," Duo said. He hesitated for a moment. "Listen, if, no, when I do find him, if... if you see or hear anything... weird, you will keep it to yourself for the rest of your life. I hope you understand because I won't say it twice." His look lingered on Relena for a moment, then he turned and moved down the hallway at a quick trot.
Quatre chuckled. "Not to worry, Duo," he said, following.
Relena nodded, feeling that the words that Duo had said were directed at her. She remembered Duo. He was outgoing and friendly, unlike Heero had been. She also remembered that he'd shot Heero twice on the dock. She had no illusions that he wasn't just as deadly as the Japanese pilot.
Trowa frowned as he followed the other two. He could sense something in Duo's tone that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He had a feeling the words had been intended to protect Heero somehow, not from exposure, but from something else. Considering what he had seen so far, and experienced, he wondered what unpleasant twist destiny had kept for Heero Yuy.
They found the entrance to the northwest wing only thirty yards or so further down the hallway. There was a door with a security lock similar to the one on the elevator. Without hesitating, Duo pulled a cardkey from somewhere. As he passed it through the reader, he added another afterthought to the earlier conversation. "05 is here somewhere, along with a... friend." He glanced briefly at Relena, his features unreadable. "He's not quite the same as before. I don't know what is going on but it looks like His Excellency is collecting Gundam pilots."
The door slid open and Duo went through it, without waiting for comments.
Relena frowned again as she saw the violet eyes land on her again. She didn't say anything, but once again, found Duo's words resonating within her. Clearly, there was something going on with the Gundam pilots other than Treize gathering them all here, but she had no idea what that could be. Once again, like in space with her father, Relena felt somewhat out of her element. This time was different. This time she wasn't quite so naive as before about danger. Taking a step forward, she entered the hallway behind Quatre as well.
Once beyond the portal to the northwest wing, Duo found his nose twitching slightly as he tested the air. His sense of smell was dimmed a bit in his human form, but still quite a bit more powerful than it had been before the first change. He smelled chemicals, machinery, ozone, and other things, sharp over the quiet scent of age the building kept. It made his hackles rise. Then he caught the other scent, the one he had been looking for.
All the others saw was Duo lifting his face to take a deep breath through his nose, and then he turned and simply ran down the hall, passing a number of other doors to get to one.
He blew through the lock without even pausing to think how he was going to do it.
The room beyond was well illuminated, the first one in the house with a lot of light and it cause him to wince slightly and shade his eyes with his hand. It was anyone's guess what the room had originally been used for but it had been turned into a lab, filled with all kinds of equipment and computers.
Duo barely noticed any of that. What he was seeking was lying on a table with dark crescents of lashes closed over deep blue eyes. There were no restraints on Heero's limbs, like the time Duo had found the Japanese pilot in that Alliance facility. There were no signs of injury. But he felt like screaming simply because Heero was quiet and still.
"Heero," he said sharply, hands closing over the other boy's shoulders.
Sound traveled over his senses and the pilot on the table heard the name he had been given. His fingers flexed in response once. Then slowly, his eyes opened and he blinked. Maxwell, Duo, he thought, clinically. "Duo?" Heero queried, softly.
Duo stared into Heero's eyes as if he could crawl into the Japanese boy's head and get rid of everything he didn't want to find there. "The one and only," he growled. "If the son of a bitch has done anything to you, any one little thing, I am going to find him and rip his intestines out through his nose..."
Heero contemplated what Duo had said. "Highly improbable," he said. "Although you could get the brain," he added as memories filled in more information.
Another low growl emerged from Duo's throat as he heard the cool tone of voice and literal words. Part of him wanted to scream, another part wanted to slap Heero's face so hard he fell off the table. The expression that took over his elven features was slightly demonic. "I'm not going to let you go back to being a machine, you asshole," he hissed. Then he wrapped his hands around Heero's face and covered the Japanese pilot's mouth with his own, demanding entrance in a none too gentle but ferociously passionate kiss.
Relena's eyes widened as big as saucers. She looked away, feeling a myriad number of conflicting emotions. A part of her felt hurt and betrayed, even though she knew she had no bindings on Heero. Yet another part felt shocked and excited by the vision. Taking a step back, she looked down again from the intimate sight. He's ... she thought, unable to even think the finishing word to her statement.
She was not the only one in the room with wide eyes. Quatre's teal eyes widened as well and then he smiled, looking towards Trowa. He felt relieved. It would make explanations, if it came to that, much easier.
Trowa's eyebrows lifted a centimeter or so and then he slipped his arms across his chest and directed his gaze elsewhere. He could feel Quatre looking at him but it wasn't the time to acknowledge that. He found himself wondering why Heero was lying here in a makeshift lab in the first place.
Heero closed his eyes, allowing the kiss to fully blossom. It gave his mind some time to catch up and process. Finally, he opened them again and reached up. Before Duo could react, Heero pulled the violet-eyed pilot down against his lap on the table. Breaking the kiss, Heero looked down at Duo. "You're safe," he said, relieved. Other things crowded into Heero's head, but he held them back for the moment as his hands slid into Duo's hair to see how badly he'd been hurt.
"Uh, oww," Duo said, matter-of-factly. "Yes I have a nice knot, no, the skull is not cracked. Welcome back, Heero."
Heero smiled. "It's good to be back," he said, then looked beyond Duo into the room. "Dr. J," he said, suddenly.
"Not here," Trowa said from a little distance away. "You were the only one in the room."
"What he said," Duo added, unnecessarily. He climbed up to a sitting position, straddling Heero's lap. "What. Did. He. Do."
Heero blinked up at Duo. "Briefing. Remember light switch off O86, light switch on O22," he said, then looked into Duo's eyes. "Nothing much," he added. "Took readings and talked to me. Can't remember... it will come back, though." Suddenly, the Japanese pilot sat up. He adjusted Duo on his lap and glanced around the room at the others.
"Quatre... Trowa... Relena?" he said.
"Hi Heero," Quatre said, with a little wave and a shrug.
Duo sat back comfortably. He was still examining Heero closely. "Yeah and Wufei's here somewhere, but something weird is going on with him. Zechs is here. Nothing much, huh? It was no good, watching you collapse like a bunch of broccoli. He will not get an option to do that a second time," Duo murmured, a deadly promise under the mock-jovial tone.
Heero's hand slid over Duo's rear in a familiar way. The strong fingers squeezed the American pilot's flesh and Heero felt his body warm immediately. "Roger that," he said, answering Duo's response.
Relena blinked, not quite believing her eyes. She didn't understand why she wasn't as mad as she would have thought herself to be... Perhaps, the jealousy will come later, she thought absently. She nodded over at Heero, acknowledging his recognition of her.
Duo relaxed infinitesimally. He glanced over and noticed Relena.
Looking back at Heero, he said softly, "Oops. Three people know you're gay. Besides me, I mean." Then he winked and climbed off Heero's lap, grabbing his hand and pulling him off the table.
Shit, Relena thought, shocking herself at the coarse explicative. Well, that would do it, she concluded, glancing at the two young men. For a half a second, she had the thought that perhaps all Heero needed was to be shown the influence of a woman's touch. That thought made her blush red. And just who is going to show him, Relena? she thought to herself. Like you would know how, anyway.
Quatre heard the declaration and kept his mouth shut.
Jumping down from the table, Heero stretched. He then slid his arms around Duo and hugged the pilot against him in a crushing embrace before letting him go. "It wasn't easy seeing you get your skull bashed either," he said.
Duo offered Heero a little smirk as if to say, serves you right. Then his expression became more serious. "Wufei's with Zechs, and Zechs is looking for her," he said, nodding to Relena. "We could just cut out of here, but I'd really like to know what the hell this was all about. "
"Me too," Heero said. "There are... things. We'll talk about them later. J didn't do much this time. He really did want to check me over. But, we'll talk again," he added, looking into Duo's eyes.
Much, huh? Duo thought. "He doesn't own you, and he doesn't get to check you out if you say no," he growled. "I'm not entirely sure he gets to keep breathing but we'll talk about that... later," he said, ending with a little mimic of Heero's words. Looking over at Quatre and Trowa, he felt things inside of him relax a little more even as another part geared up for 'business'. "So, what the hell are you guys doing here anyway?"
Trowa placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder as the blond opened his mouth. "It's a long story," Trowa said. "Treize got us here, that's all that's important. I think we better find Wufei. I want to find out why you keep saying he's 'not the same'."
"Excuse me," Relena said, "But why would an OZ lieutenant be looking for me? I don't understand. I don't know him, personally."
Duo shrugged. "That's not what he thinks," he said, opting not to give details.
"I see," Relena replied. She could see that Duo had more information, but perhaps it wasn't his to say. She respected him for that. Still, the intrigue made her feel ill at ease. Glancing towards the doorway, she wanted to go and find out for herself.
"I've been over damn near every inch of this mausoleum and there are only a few places where they could have wandered off to," Duo said. "Come on, I want another go at that elevator, for starters. I know Otto went down there, and I don't suppose he was simply there fixing a tea tray for his lordship."
"Lead on," Heero said. He took a last look around the room, picked his gun up from a nearby table and tucked it away.
End of Part Four
TBC
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sablexo1@yahoo.com,
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