August 14 1999
Howdy! ^_~ This is a PWP-type story I wrote for Tzigane as a Christmas present. It's my first Gundam Wing story ever, so there were some big inconsistencies as I tried to get a grip on characterization. Feel free to point out any OOC behavior you see, as I'm still learning and hope to make my next GW fic better. ^_^ I hope I don't really need to warn you that it's both yaoi and a lemon, meaning that it has sexually explicit boy/boy interaction. It also features some really mild B&D type stuff - but if lemon, yaoi or B&D offends you, please feel free not to read the fic. ^_^
Just for the sake of pretending like I have a legal leg to stand on, I figured I should mention here that I did not create either Gundam Wing or Ranma ½, that I have no rights to either series and that I mean no disrespect whatsoever to the creators, nor is this story meant to be taken as a claim to either the characters or the situations which were not created by me. Also, I not only have no money, I'm in debt past my eyeballs, and suing me would be pretty durn pointless since there wouldn't be anything to gain by it.
Gee, I hope that does it. ^_~
Duo Maxwell was having a very bad day.
"Shit," he muttered, as the last of his Gundam's emergency lights started flashing. Ten well-piloted mechs he could have handled, but eleven was just one too many. "Shit, shit, shit!!!" The other pilots were almost as good as he was, and there were just too damn many of them for him to handle alone. "Shit!"
"I can be there in five minutes," Wufei's calm voice announced over the intercom.
"Five minutes, and there might not be anything left," Duo muttered. His attention was distracted by the oddest thing... between blasts of staticky interference, he could swear his vidscreen showed a lone person walking through the battlefield.
"He's gonna get himself killed!" Duo gasped.
"Heero is nowhere near here," Wufei answered. "Four minutes."
The vidscreen showed a mech's huge foot landing straight on top of the guy. Duo winced at the carnage, then stared in disbelief as the foot exploded. The guy was still walking!
"What in hell...?" Duo muttered. "Can't be." His Gundam was rocked by another blast, and the machinery squealed in protest. "Shit!" There was no way he could hold on till Wufei got there. He'd have to destroy the Gundam to keep the enemy from getting their hands on it. "Shit, shit, shit!" Duo quickly set the self-destruct sequence and started to extricate himself from the doomed Gundam. The last thing he saw on the vidscreen was a bright sphere of light rising up from where the lone figure stood. Duo ran for the exit and paused, staring down at the earth far below. It was a hell of a long jump... but Heero did this kind of thing all the time. With one second left before detonation, Duo jumped for all he was worth, feeling the first of the Gundam's self-destruct blasts tossing him forward. The thought occurred to him that Heero did this stuff all the time, but then again Heero was crazy.
"Oh, shit," Duo whimpered, as his wide-open eyes took in the sight of the ground fast approaching.
Ryoga flung a ShiShi Hokodan at one of the annoying robots and snarled at it as the ki blast tore right through it. He didn't know where the hell he was, but any time he saw an individual being ganged up on, it infuriated him. He glanced up at the lone robot just in time to see a door open in its chest and a human figure leaping away from it as it exploded. He saw slender limbs flailing and a long braid whipping out...
"My God, it's a girl!" he gasped, and leaped up, catching her and taking the brunt of the impact as they fell awkwardly to the ground. One of the offending robots tried to step on them, and Ryoga quickly rolled them away from it, scooped the girl up and started bounding out of harm's way. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her amethyst eyes widened in horror, giving him all the warning he needed to see the giant robot foot descending on them.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" he shouted, leaping up with his finger outstretched and blasting the appendage into so much scrap metal. The girl's eyes were scrunched shut, but she opened them again to see that they were still in one piece. Looking up at the vehicle Ryoga had just damaged, the girl started to smile. She turned to look at him, still smiling angelically, and he fainted dead away.
"Hey, that was Wufei's- whoa!" Duo exclaimed as the stranger collapsed under him, bleeding at the nose. The battle wasn't going to wait for his benefactor to wake up again. Wufei was handily dealing with the remaining three mechs, even with his Gundam crippled. Duo dragged himself to his feet, a little bruised and very tired but none the worse for wear, really, after five hours of battle and losing his Gundam. He draped the unconscious guy across his shoulders and started staggering off of the battlefield. He had a million questions to ask this guy. Who was he, and where had he come from? What kind of bomb was it he had used? How had he damaged Wufei's Gundam with his bare hands? Whose side was he on, exactly, since he had helped and hindered both sides in this skirmish? And, perhaps the most perplexing of all, why had he kept going around the battlefield in circles instead of just getting out of the danger zone?
"I still say we shouldn't have brought him here," Wufei grumbled for at least the twentieth time as Duo deposited his burden on one of the king-sized beds in the Gundam pilots' temporary quarters. "He's obviously the spy Heero was looking for, and a dangerous one at that."
"He doesn't look all that dangerous to me," Duo answered cheerfully, his eyes drinking in the innocent, sleeping face. Just adorable. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Making sure he can't cause us further harm," Wufei asserted grimly, as he quickly fastened handcuffs around the unconscious man's wrists and ankles. "I don't know how you can say he's not dangerous. You saw what he did to my Gundam."
"Yeah, I wanna know how he did that!" Duo said enthusiastically.
"I want to question him as well," Wufei said with a menacing glower of which the stranger was blissfully unaware.
"Ngh," the young man mumbled, slowly opening his eyes. Wide brown eyes, foggy and confused as the boy took in his surroundings.
"Hey, you're awake!" Duo observed.
"Y-you're a guy?!?"
"Last time I checked... aren't you?"
"Uh... yeah." The stranger was unaccountably blushing.
"Who are you?" Wufei asked sternly.
"Hey, why am I... What is this!" The young man's eyes widened fearfully, and he started struggling against the steel bonds. Wufei grabbed a fistful of the stranger's shirt and pulled him up into a sitting position on the bed.
"Who are you?" the Chinese man growled.
"Hibiki Ryoga," the stranger answered, wriggling ineffectually. "Where the hell am I?"
"I'll ask the questions," Wufei spat, dropping Ryoga and letting him fall back onto the bed. "Who are you working for? What's your mission?"
"I'm trying to find the Tendo Dojo," Ryoga answered, confused. "I work wherever I can find a job, to make money to get back home."
"And where is home?" Duo asked.
"Nerima."
"Nerima! See, I told you he was a spy!" Wufei shouted.
"Aw, c'mon!" Duo said, shaking his head in disbelief. "What kind of spy would say he was from Nerima?"
"Well, what kind of civilian would say he was from Nerima?"
"I AM from Nerima!" Ryoga shouted. "Now let me out of this-!" His cry of protest was cut short as Wufei hauled him upright again.
"Nobody is from Nerima," the irate Gundam pilot hissed into his face. "It was destroyed a long time ago."
"Wha-?" Ryoga glanced at Duo, who was nodding in confirmation. "Th-that's impossible!" His eyes widened as horrified realization slowly dawned. Nerima was gone. That meant...
"He's lying," Wufei snarled, dropping Ryoga and stalking over to the dresser to get his gun. "I say we kill him now."
Duo crossed the room quickly and laid a hand against Wufei's arm. "I don't think he's lying," he whispered, gesturing with a toss of his head toward the bed. Wufei turned to see that the young man was weeping, choking on his sobs as if trying to silence them.
"Akane..." Ryoga whimpered. "I never got to say goodbye..."
"I still think he's a spy," Wufei whispered. "That could all be an act. I've seen Quatre turn on the tears, too - and no way is this guy old enough to have lived in Nerima."
"Ok," Duo answered wearily. "Why don't you go find Heero, then, and tell him you've found his spy? I'll keep an eye on him until you get back."
"Good idea," Wufei said. "I'm going to search him first, though." He pulled out a large, sharp knife and approached his bound victim.
"No!" Ryoga gasped, horrified.
"He's only going to cut your clothes," Duo said. Ryoga's eyes were wide with fright and sudden anger, and he tried to wriggle away as Wufei grabbed him by one manacled ankle.
"Hold still," Wufei gritted out through his clenched teeth. In a few moments, the knife had easily sliced through the sturdy fabric of the boy's shirt and trousers, leaving his boxer shorts intact. Wufei peeled the remains of the cut garments aside, then flipped Ryoga over onto his stomach. Resheathing the knife, he cautiously ran his hands up under Ryoga's arms, inspecting even his ears and hair for hidden weapons or tracking devices.
"Let me go!" Ryoga shouted, his voice muffled by the pillows. Wufei's hands traveled efficiently down to the waistband of the boxers, and Ryoga squealed in protest as the Gundam pilot pulled the garment down his thighs. Unaware of Duo's sudden interest, Wufei spread the prisoner's buttocks apart and pushed a dry finger up inside him, searching. Ryoga cried out hoarsely and kicked out with his manacled feet, struggling to get away. Wufei quickly finished inspecting his victim's privates, then moved on to his legs and even his toes. Duo mercifully pulled the boxer shorts back in place.
"I'll bring Heero back as soon as I can," Wufei announced, and stalked out of the room after one last glare at the weeping Lost Boy. Duo waited until he heard the sound of the front door latching shut before he turned to Ryoga with a compassionate expression.
"Hey, don't get all upset about it," he offered gently, crossing the room to lay a hand on Ryoga's shoulder. "It's just standard procedure."
"I- I can't..." Ryoga sniffled. Duo went to the bathroom and came back with a tissue.
"Here," he said, gently wiping the tears from Ryoga's face. Ryoga glanced up at him, and Duo watched as fresh tears trembled for a moment, sparkling on his long eyelashes before tumbling down his cheeks.
"Are you sure Nerima's gone?" the Lost Boy whispered.
"Yeah. I've seen it."
"You might as well just kill me, then," Ryoga said quietly. "I don't have anything to live for now."
"Nobody's gonna kill you," Duo answered, exasperated.
"That other guy-"
"He's just having a bad day. That Gundam you messed up was HIS."
"You mean that was him in the big robot?"
"Gundam. Don't call it a robot in front of Wufei."
"Serves him right if his robot got messed up. He was going to step on me," Ryoga sniffed. "I was only defending myself." Duo tried not to smile.
"How did you do that, anyway?
""I hit the Breaking Point," Ryoga answered matter-of-factly, unaware of Duo's confused reaction. "Could you let me loose, please? I'd really like to get out of here before that guy comes back."
"You don't have to be afraid of Wufei-"
"I'm concerned that he'll give me no choice but to hurt him," Ryoga interrupted with a touch of arrogance. "I'm not afraid of anyone."
"You and Heero," Duo answered with a wry grin.
"You remind me of Ranma," Ryoga said suddenly. "Always smiling. Can you undo the handcuffs, please?"
"I can't do that," Duo said, spreading his empty hands to indicate his regret.
"I have to see Nerima for myself." Ryoga's focus had turned inward, to a nightmarish vision of Nerima in chaos, the Tendo Dojo destroyed, nothing but charred corpses where his beloved Akane had lived... "I have to go now."
"Sorry, I can't let you go."
"Umm... have you ever heard of the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo?" Ryoga asked suddenly as an idea occurred to him.
"No. Sounds like something Wufei would know, though."
"Could I please have some cold water?"
Duo nodded his assent and went to the kitchen to get some ice water. Ryoga was certainly taking his captivity well. No excessive pleading for release or attempts to escape... Duo knew that it would take Wufei and Heero the better part of the day to come back. It certainly made his job of watching over the captive easier, having him cooperate so readily.
"Here ya go," Duo said cheerfully, helping the bound Lost Boy sit up and holding the glass to his lips. Ryoga turned his head aside at the last second, causing the cold water to spill down across his broad chest.
It can be said to Duo's credit that he handled the following events rather well, all things considered. Ryoga's body shrunk down to that of a small black pig, his tiny feet sliding easily out of the human-sized cuffs. Duo clutched the Lost Boy's soggy boxers, goggling in absolute incredulity as it appeared that Ryoga had vanished into thin air. In his place, a tiny black blur of a piglet was bounding off the walls looking for the exit. Having goggled for perhaps longer than he would admit, Duo jumped up and grabbed the piglet midair. It squealed furiously at him, and he noticed that it sported the same checkered bandanna Ryoga had worn.
"Ry-Ryoga?" he mumbled. The piglet stopped squirming and nodded disconsolately. "How? Magic?" The pig nodded again. "Listen, I don't want to hurt you or anything, and I won't let my friends hurt you, either. I really just want to talk to you. Um, is there any way you could switch back?" The pig nodded, and Duo cautiously set him on the ground. "Just please don't try to run away again, Ok? I'd shudder to think what Heero would do to me if he got all the way here and found you gone," Duo said with an unintentional shiver.
The pig led the way to the bathroom and jumped into the tub.
"You want to take a bath?" Duo asked, confused. At the pig's nod, he turned the tap on. The first splash of hot water transformed Ryoga back to his human form. His hard, muscled, naked human form.
"Wow," Duo said, staring. Ryoga blushed and covered himself with his hands. "Sorry, I only mean... I've never seen a shape-shifter before. That's really cool!"
"You wouldn't think so if it happened to you. Please, I really have to see Nerima for myself - I don't want to get you in trouble or anything, but I have to go there!"
"Tell you what," Duo said after having thought a moment. "I'll take you there myself, if you swear you'll come back here with me. That way Heero can see you and tell Wufei you're not the one they're looking for, and everything will be settled. Ok?"
Ryoga nodded. "Thanks. I promise, I won't try to run away again. Just don't let him do...that to me again."
"So, tell me how you did that magic trick," Duo suggested. Ryoga explained a little about Jusenkyo and how the curse operated, and Duo had to experiment for himself, pouring hot and cold water alternately on an embarrassed Lost Boy as he sat in the tub. The transformation into P-Chan was interesting, but it was seeing him turn back into Ryoga that had Duo fascinated. All those perfectly sculpted muscles, the smooth skin and silky mop of hair... Duo realized with a start that he was having an entirely different reaction to all this than mere curiosity. Hoping to keep Ryoga from noticing the hard-on tenting his trousers, Duo asked the first question that came to mind.
"So, who's Akane?" It was the wrong question. Ryoga's eyes filled with tears, and within a matter of moments he was crying uncontrollably. He mumbled a few incoherent phrases between heartbroken sobs, and Duo mentally kicked himself. He gently pulled Ryoga into his arms and patted his back, holding on as Ryoga made a token resistance to the intimacy.
"She- she-" Ryoga gasped. "She was perfect! And now she's-!"
"Shhh..." Duo whispered, grateful to have the tub's cold porcelain side between his aching shaft and Ryoga's warm, naked body. "Ok now, it's Ok..." The Lost Boy rested his head against Duo's shoulder and slowly began to wind down, and Duo drew a deep shaky breath as he tried to bring his racing pulse back under control.
"You need to get dressed," he said at last. "I'll take you to Nerima." Ryoga nodded, and backed out of the embrace to wipe his eyes. Duo took advantage of the opportunity to dash out of the bathroom and try to calm his raging body. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't as if his feelings for Heero had changed any. He just wanted Ryoga, too. Wanted to comfort him. Wanted to drive himself over and over again into that perfect, perfect body... Duo groaned and banged his head against the wall a few times. Here the poor guy was mourning over some lost love, and all Duo could think about was getting into his pants.
Ryoga stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his hips and his tears dried.
"Um..." Duo said, trying not to stare at the chiseled muscles of Ryoga's belly, the bulge in the towel at the juncture of his thighs. "Here, I think you might be able to wear some of Heero's clothes. They'll stretch." He tried not to watch as Ryoga struggled into the skin-tight clothing, his mind's eye seeing Wufei's finger invading the Lost Boy's tight body. Duo stifled a groan and tried instead to conjure up an image of Heero. Ah, Heero, his deep eyes, his stern face... Actually, thinking of Heero wasn't doing much to still Duo's raging hormones. Maybe Relena-sama...
Duo grimaced. Well, thinking of Relena had certainly broken that mood. He'd have to remember that trick, any time he wanted to deflate a hard-on. He turned around to see that Ryoga had managed to squeeze into the borrowed clothing. The tight, long-legged shorts left very little to the imagination, and the tank top strained to contain the Lost Boy's broad, thickly muscled chest. It wasn't at all that Heero had a bad build, Duo concluded. It was just that there was more mass to Ryoga. He was sure as hell heavier than any of Duo's comrades.
Duo smiled at Ryoga, who looked more than a little uncomfortable. The clothes Wufei had cut off of him had been baggy and concealing, so Duo concluded that Ryoga's problem was one of excessive modesty. After all, it was a shame to have a beautiful body like that and hide it under a ton of clothing.
"You ready?" Duo asked cheerfully. Just think about Relena-sama, he reminded himself. Relena, Relena, Relena...
"Uh... you don't have anything a little bigger?" The Lost Boy hardly dared to sound hopeful.
"Sorry. I don't think you could fit into any of my clothes," Duo answered honestly, but without any real regret. He was glad there wasn't anything else for Ryoga to wear. He was rather growing to like the sight of him bulging out of the skin-tight clothes... Relena, Relena, Relena...
"H'rm. Let's go," Duo said abruptly, leading the way down to the street. Ryoga followed him meekly, looking around to be sure nobody could see him and shivering in the November chill. He'd probably die of embarrassment any time now. Then again, if Wufei's inspection hadn't embarassed him to death... Ryoga blushed so hard his cheeks smarted. The tight little shorts were riding up on him obscenely. He just hoped to God nobody he knew would see this. If Ranma saw him dressed like this, he'd never hear the end of it...
Duo hopped onto a motorcycle and waited. After a moment's hesitation, Ryoga gingerly climbed on behind him, wrapping his arms around the slender boy's waist as directed. Duo started the engine, and Ryoga almost jumped off again, at the feeling of the thrumming engine between his thinly-clad legs. Blushing furiously, he held on tight as Duo drove off, his long braid snaking back in the wind to trail over Ryoga's left shoulder and thump across his back.
"Is it far?" Ryoga shouted into the wind.
"Only about 10 minutes. Hold on!" Duo shouted back, the wind of their passing tearing the words away almost before Ryoga could hear them. Duo accelerated even more, and Ryoga clutched him tightly in sudden fear. They didn't even have helmets on. What if they crashed? Not that Ryoga hadn't survived trauma before, but it would be unpleasant and probably painful to be in an accident. Especially in these clothes. The wind tore at Ryoga's hair and wrung tears from his eyes. He shivered and pressed up against Duo, aware that as they drove even faster, the slender boy's hair whipped back and forth in the wind, lashing at him with its silky length.
The motorcycle slowed after a while, and Ryoga peered over Duo's shoulder in horror. Nerima was worse than his worst imagination. Where once had been bustling streets and charming houses, there now was nothing but a charred mess. Duo brought the motorcycle to a halt and Ryoga climbed down, staggered with the horror of it all. He stumbled over to the ruins of the nearest house, and saw among the charred rubble a small flat wooden duck shape. Through the soot and grime, the name "Akane" could still be read.
End Part One
Yoiko ^__^
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