POSTED: 8/28/00
REVISED: 12/27/00
AUTHOR: Jay / carboxylated@yahoo.com
ARCHIVE: Gundam Wing Addiction (Tyr), Desolation Angels (Ashura, if
she wants it)
[Full fiction index @ http://www.geocities.com/fenris_wolf0]
Disclaimer: Scroll down (invariably at the bottom)
Title: Eden
Category: AU, yaoi, shonen ai, angst, horror
Timeline: Adapted Post-EW (Treize is alive to serve my purposes...
^^)
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+13, 6+9
Rating/Warning: R. Violent, and graphic descriptions of what is best
describe as "icky" situations. AU somewhat confusing, especially with flashbacks
and whatnot. YAOI = little anime boys snuggling. You've been warned.
Feedback: Craved, desired, wanted, coveted, yearned for, wished for,
and longed for. C&C will be repaid with dancing G-boys, my endless
adoration, as well as a nice slice of karma.
Note: It gets much more violent later on. ^^;; Right now, I'm, uh, building up! Yeah... that's it.
/... .../ = thoughts
It was taking shape.
It-- he, presently-- had always been beautiful. He could remember the very beginning of his existence. He smiled, his dark hair swept over his eyes, so disarmingly innocent-- wide, grey-blue-- and he could remember his title. His smile was effervescent. Son of the-- he laughed, the sound like bells ringing, and corrected himself: Lord, not Son. Lord.
He laughed again. One third, fallen in a blaze of light and glory. His eyes were misty and vague, drowned in memory...
The form beside him was still wrapped in shadow. He stroked the darkness with parental pride.
Ten bedraggled forms climbed off the shuttle.
"Early flight, my ass," Duo grumbled. "It's-- it's so early... it's... yesterday."
Zechs shot him an amused look. "Actually, it *is* yesterday. We're in colony time right now."
Duo looked horrified. "You mean I'm not any closer to sleep?!"
"I'm afraid not," Noin said, sympathetically.
Duo moaned, leaning against Heero for support. "Shoot me! Shoot me now!"
Heero reached into his carry-on bag--
"Eep." Duo looked profoundly uneasy.
--and took out a breath mint. "Here. Suck."
"Oi, not now, Heero-chan."
Wufei only pulled Treize closer to him, a horrified expression in his eyes.
"Oh, don't tell me *you've* never--" Duo began, when he was cut off by Relena.
"No innuendos until we get to the hotel. I feel like hell run over twice." The blonde girl stretched, listening to her bones crack and pop. "Probably look like it, too."
Quatre yawned. "We'll hail a taxi." He looked at the group-- they had added Zechs, Treize, Relena, Noin, and Dorothy to their little vacation. After all, there was no sense in wasting a free invitation for all. "Several taxis."
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Hn. No reception?"
As if on cue, a musical voice called, "Master Winner?"
The small group turned and stared at the young woman who waved, rapidly approaching them.
She was tiny, no more than a few inches over five feet, with dark hair that fell in waves around a body that managed to be fleshy as well as lithe. She had lush, verdant eyes that spoke of Asian ancestry mingled with European blood, and fair, pale skin. A Roman nose and an easy smile, matched with the seemingly casual attire of jeans and a plum shirt, made this newcomer seem slightly... otherworldly.
She looked faintly amused and delighted by their reaction. "Master Winner? My name is Lucy Gables. My father's the one that sent you the invitation? Lukyan Gables? I'm here to escort you to the hotel."
Duo broke the silence. "Well, come on! Let's get going then!"
Lucy laughed and nodded towards two sleek black limousines behind her. "We can get your luggage in one and pile into the other. Free pop and whiskey," she winked. "Gotta love it."
"So why is it that we warrant such special treatment?" Trowa's voice was light, but there was just the barest hint of an edge. Dorothy shot him a cautionary look, frowning.
"What, the five gundam pilots? Saviors of the universe? You mean you've never gotten seats in a restaurant by casually mentioning who you are?" Lucy teased, and then added in a serious voice. "You are who you are. Besides," she added lightly, "we've got some Preventer bigshots and the Queen of the World, too. Not exactly everyday company." She opened the door of the limo for them, smiling. "If you don't mind...?"
Quatre stared into the dark interior. /Not a trap... but something else... I.../ He absentmindedly tightened his grip on Trowa's hand. The taller boy tensed.
Aloud, he said, "Yeah, come on guys, get in."
He could feel Trowa's relief, somehow.
Duo bounced in, hands entangled in Heero's shirt collar. Everyone else followed, if not at a slower pace. The tinge of unease remained. Quatre shifted around uncomfortably.
Lucy noticed, and said, "It's just a short ride over. And then you can relax, Master Winner."
"Please, call me Quatre," Quatre smiled.
"As you wish," she simply replied. She turned to Noin, who was sitting next to her. "I'm sorry, they only forwarded your last name..."
"Lucrezia. Lucrezia Noin."
There was a long, unexpected silence. "Lucrezia." Lucy repeated faintly. "Lu... " She recovered, and flashed a smile. "Why, we're just two of a kind. My-- mother's name was Lucrezia."
"Was?" Trowa asked, quietly.
"She's... no longer here." Lucy gave Noin a brilliant smile. "But I'm sure we'll be good friends. All of you-- I'm sure we'll become good friends."
Heero caught a glimpse of her eyes in the darkness. He wasn't sure if they shone with pain or fury.
Dorothy spoke up, uncharacteristically calm, "Oh, I'm sure." Then her eyes gleamed. "After all, we're such a companionable lot. Look at Heero."
The rest of the trip was punctuated only by Duo's occasional snores.
When the car stopped, Lucy opened the door and stepped out, waiting for everyone to emerge before she spoke. One pale arm swept towards the sky in a delicate arc. "We're here."
Relena looked around her, and tried to form a coherent thought. There were tall skyscrapers, extending towards the skyline; they were all metallic, crisp steel and glass, hauntingly beautiful, like a graveyard but bustling with soft sounds of life that contrasted with the harsh lines. It was everywhere, a veritable hum of activity as subways passed beneath them, people walked by, cars and traffic screeched to halts and geared to motion, all lit in the sunrise.
The City was waking, and suddenly, she shivered. /So cold,/ she thought, /it's so cold./
Quatre murmured, "By Allah..."
Even Duo had lost the tired look in his eyes: now they only gleamed at the sight around them. Suspended steel was everywhere, and the sound of feet on pavement. It was all intricate and beautiful and deadly and-- cold. The last thought returned.
She caught her brother by the arm. "Milliardo," Relena whispered, "I... do you feel it? Like we've just... I'm so lost, and it's so... cold... do you feel it?"
Lucy said warmly, "Welcome to Eden. Welcome to Paradise."
He pouted, and swirled the crimson drink in his glass.
There was a young man tied up in the chair in front of him, his formerly bright eyes beginning to glaze over with death.
"Oh, pretty one, don't die," he cooed. He held up the wine glass to the boy's neck. A stream of blood filled the crystal. He took a sip and his lips curled into a smile. This was a mere appetizer, just to tantalize his senses. But this wasn't what he needed-- he needed them, with their souls that would blind a man who could see. These pitiful little creatures in the City were nothing compared to them... souls barely flickering; the taste was just a little above bland. But one ate where one could. He sighed. He was still thirsty, still hungry...
His lips curled into a smile as the boy died. His hunger was far from sated.
And this boy's brother was in the other room.
His white teeth gleamed.
Heero shot up in bed.
/I... I thought I heard a scream,/ he thought. He looked at Duo, who was snoring softly. "Duo no baka," he said affectionately. He glanced at the clock. The red digits read 10:34 a.m.
/Maybe I was dreaming,/ he mused. But something inside of him refused to listen. /Oh, you heard a scream... a scream of someone dying, suffering... you heard it./
/Nonsense,/ Heero thought irritably, /it's just my damn nerves. I need this vacation more than I know./
Blinking, he looked at the communicator on the desk nearby. He got up and eyed a silk bathrobe speculatively; smirking, he donned it and settled into a chair. He gave himself a second to look around their suite, still wearing a satisfied smile. Lukyan was generous with his guests; there was a suite for every two guests. But, if a man could buy a colony, maybe this wasn't so much. His eyes drifted over the grand piano, eyebrows arching sharply. It was still pretty damn decadent, though...
He flipped the communicator on.
A pre-recorded message began to play. Lucy smiled, onscreen. "Hi! I guess you guys have woken up. Lunch is at 12, but feel free to call room service at 110 at anytime. My room number is 1009; call if you need anything! I hope you can make lunch, though, so you can meet my father. He has some exciting things planned for you. I'm out." The screen went black.
Lunch at 12 meant that he still had another hour and a half. Shedding his robe, Heero crawled back in bed with Duo.
He never heard the second scream.
He was watching them. All five, at one place, at one time... memories flooded back to him.
The one with the dark hair and blue eyes had been the first one to die, the first ever. It was an honor. He'd found him after the battle, inexplicably dying. They were all inexplicably dying... they weren't supposed to; they weren't made to. But this one lay there, his back broken, his eyes wide, his-- his blood dribbling down his chin, glowing with a light that could dwarf the sun... that would dwarf... no, not that.
He sighed regrettably. It had been too long.
Ah, but he'd seen him. He'd bleed him, and looked into the dying boy's eyes and saw it repeated, again and again, throughout history. His soul was trapped; this boy had been forever dying since he first laid eyes on him.
He emptied his glass. That was the first time he had done such a thing. The only time that he had fed off of all five of them, drained them of their light, and damned their souls. After that, it was one every few centuries or so. He would take shape, find them, and the meal would carry over into the darkness, sustaining him until the next hunt.
It would be so sweet, this time, so sweet. To be able to feast on something he had been denied since the beginning...
Or was it the end? He dismissed the thought. It had been denied too long.
But he could wait a few days, now. Now that they were here, he could wait for them to ripen. He had waited an eternity already.
"Trowa?"
"Yes, little one?"
"This-- place. It feels... wrong. I-- I can feel it. Can't you?"
Trowa considered. There was a certain tension in the air, and the musk of anticipation, but...
"Quatre," he said soothingly, "go to sleep. It's just post-flight jitters."
Quatre curled up by his lover but never closed his eyes, even as Trowa's breathing evened off and the taller boy fell into a slumber. He trembled, and scolded himself.
/Trowa's right... just nervous... nothing... Paradise... this is Eden... City of Paradise... City of.../
The City waited, bright under the sun.
End Part 2
Jay
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