20-Mar-2001
Miniscule Ranma 1/2 ref. hee. ^.^v i amuse myself...
Note: The arc is currently under a massive revision, and will be under revision for at least another four to six months, so there will be some discontinuities until I can get everything fixed.
Author: Dan
Genre: epic AU
Pairings: NA
Disclaimer: not mine, don't sue.
Warnings: AU, a positive plethra of OCS, high
supernatural and yech factor, angst
Further Note: terms from such literary gems as Laurel
K. Hamilton are used and then twisted beyond all
recognition.
The 'boys' weren't making the situation any better, but at least they didn't stare at us as we came into the room; they were too busy glowering at each other. Duo's face had slipped into the perfect blank that I remembered from the war. The first time I'd seen it, he'd been trying to pump Heero full of lead. And people wondered why I'd chosen to trust Heero over Duo. I understood the look in Heero's eyes back then; I'd understood that soul-killing loneliness, but I hadn't understood that sociopathic blankness. I did now. God help me.
"Aidan, knock it off."
He didn't reply. He was too busy trying to make Duo squirm.
"Aidan..."
He turned his head to me like a timber wolf scenting prey. I didn't even think about it; I backhanded him hard enough to send his head rocking backwards. Then I caught his chin in one hand and forced him to stare up at me. His eyes were deep yellow.
"I am your alpha. Never forget that." I said the words slowly, enunciating clearly with unmistakable bite.
We stared at each other, and I felt my eyes bleed into perfect amber. The longer I was around Aidan--the less human I became--the greater cruelty I was capable of. I want to say that the cruelty was from my beast, that alien part of me. But deep down, I had this nagging suspicion that it was me. That the will and ability to hurt so easily was me. Later I would lock myself in my room and cry for a long, long time, but right now I didn't have time for it. I needed Aidan to obey me without giving me any problems. I was sure trouble would find its way to us soon enough without us looking for it. For right now I would allow myself to be cruel because it would protect us. I was making concessions, and it terrified me.
"You are Geri, my alpha. You demand my respect, my obedience, and my life. In return you are my life, my refuge, and my protection. My enemies are yours, my battles are yours; in return, I give you my life." Aidan's words were more formal than normal; he was reciting pack law to me. We stared at each other and then I sighed, tired and a little frustrated.
"Point taken, Aidan."
"Is it?"
"Aidan." I shot him a look and he shut up. It was a first.
The humans were watching us with large eyes. Duo was curious; Dorothy. I think Cat may actually have been scared. She could see my humanity falling away from me, piece by piece. It was like gripping a handful of sand; the harder I tried to hold onto it, the faster it slipped away from me. I still had problems killing, but cruelty.cruelty was something I was beginning to get very good at. That could be a problem, considering my chosen profession.
Duo was watching me with bright, intelligent eyes. I had never really noticed that about him; I had never really seen that razor-like intelligence lurking behind that mask. I wondered if I was getting more observant, or if Duo was showing more of himself. He cocked his head to the side. "Was that little demonstration for us, or were we just bystanders?"
I blinked and then turned to glare at Aidan. " That was unnecessary, Aidan."
"I disagree respectfully, Geri." He smiled. "Our little necromancer needs to learn that you aren't human anymore; you don't think like one."
"I think more like a human than not." I smiled at him. It wasn't friendly. "And I wouldn't call Duo 'little.' It's a wonderful way to get yourself hurt."
"You wouldn't protect me?" Now there was a loaded question if I ever heard one. The whisper of challenge and undercurrent of hurt rode his voice like lightning.
"If he were going to hurt you, no. Right now you deserve it." I reached out and cupped Aidan's face in both my hands. He smiled guilelessly at me. "But if he killed you, I'd kill him. You are lukoi, after all."
Aidan pressed a kiss to the palms of my hands, and the gesture meant more than it seemed. That was just the way of the pack. "Thank you, Geri."
"Between the three of you, this is just a wonderful magic vibrator." Dorothy was rubbing her arms, and her eyes were a little wide, but besides that she seemed to be taking everything fairly well. I wanted to kiss her for the show of support.
Aidan took her measure, slow and lazy. His gazed raked over her shining hair, the proud swell of her breast, the soft plane of her stomach, and the smooth line of her thighs. Dorothy merely arched one eyebrow in mild amusement when his brilliant green eyes returned to hers. A faint smile played around his lips. "Perhaps I should chase you instead."
The chill smile that Dorothy graced him with was reminiscent of the ones she used to give me during the war. "You would have better luck with her, perhaps."
The subtly-voiced challenge rang in my ears. Unless I was very much mistaken, they were gearing up to squabble over me. I pressed two fingers to my temples. I didn't need this. I really didn't. Duo made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "You know bickering over her isn't going to do either one of you any good if she's dead."
I gave Duo an exasperated look from under my lashes, but his statement had the desired affect. Aidan blew Dorothy a little kiss, and she looked as if she didn't know whether to be irritated or amused. I laughed at them both, which made them glare at me. "At least we know that we don't have a all out war on our hands."
Both of the humans blinked at me. "The vamps would have made it abundantly clear that that they were working for the Master of the City, if they had been. But they distinguished between their master and the Master."
Aidan made a small humming noise in the back of his throat. "The Master of the City may not take too kindly to having a rogue group operating on his turf. Tends to make one look weak."
"Would the Master of the City help us hunt down these rogues?" I asked.
"Do we really want to for ask their help? We'd simply be trading one set of vampires for another." Aidan sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Originally, Victor an-"
"Victor?" Duo asked.
"Ulfric," Aidan and I responded at the same time. I glowered at him and he smiled sweetly.
"Pack leader," Dorothy explained to Duo. She pointed to me. "She's now Geri, the second in command, and," She gestured to Aidan, "from what I've gathered, he's their Skoll, or pack enforcer and bodyguard."
"Skoll and Hati are the two wolves that chase the sun; if they ever do catch it, they will bring about the end of everything." Aidan smiled slowly. "Skoll and Hati are the two members of the pack who enforce the Ulfric's commands."
Duo nodded. "Okay. Interesting vocabulary, but okay. Is there any other pack positions that I should know?"
I thought about it and shook my head. "No. I don't want you getting in any deeper than you absolutely have to be. It'll be safer if you limit your involvement with the pack."
"Why Relena, I didn't know you cared." Duo shot me a mockingly simpering smile.
"For the lukoi."
That shut him up. Dorothy watched me with guarded eyes. "Your priorities have changed."
I didn't reply. It was understood. I'd deal with the problem that my shifting priorities represented later. She'll probably be after me to quit my job, and she'd be right: I couldn't focus on both the human world and the world of the lukoi at the same time. I wasn't sure I wanted to. "Duo, call Heero and have him pick you up."
"Who said I was leaving here in the first place?" He was smiling, but his eyes were deadly serious. "Until you are no longer the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the key liaison between the colonies and Earth, you are my responsibility, whether we like it or not."
"This is not your problem."
"You, Relena, are my problem. Whatever problem you have is mine."
"He sounds serious, Geri." Aidan was on his feet and standing before Duo in a movement so quick it seemed magical. Duo blinked up into his deep green eyes. "Are you really willing to stand by the pack in this?"
"Aidan, no. He doesn't understand what you're asking."
"Yes."
I turned to Duo in near-panic. "NO! No, you don't."
Dorothy wrapped her arms around my waist and held me still. "Shhh. Relena-sama."
"Yes. I'll stand by her, and I'll stand by the pack." He smiled crookedly up at Aidan. "Same difference, isn't it?"
"It is now."
"I stand by the pack as well." I turned to glower at Dorothy and she simply smiled at me. It was that little smile that said everything and nothing once. I hated that smile. "I've always stood by you."
I sighed and rested my head against hers. "You two are determined to be stubborn, aren't you?"
"You can't protect us all, Relena. Sometimes we need to protect you." Her eyes had darkened into that brilliant shade of cerulean that I loved. It also meant that she'd made up her mind--and no matter what I said, she wouldn't change it.
"I don't think I have much say in the matter," I replied ruefully. Aidan grinned at me and shook his head. I sighed, and it came out in a little frustrated huff of breath. "Typical."
Duo's stomach made a low rolling growl, and he smiled sheepishly. "Before we get back to vampire extermination plans, can we eat?"
Aidan sniffed very deliberately over Duo's head. "Sure, you look tasty enough."
I scowled and smacked him. Sometimes I wish I had a mallet.
End Part 9
(:./dan/wolf9)
