Angelic Gamble 1
By Snow Tigra
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Pairings: 2x1, 3x4/4x3, 13x6, 13x5... am I missing any?
Author's note: This fic was inspired by the huge amount of pix there are of the Gundam pilots with wings. Being that I already love angels I only found it fair. Warning: Quatre torture. I apologize but I started this around finals, which means that I picked one character to have a really shitty time, that character just happened to be Quatre. To be honest I love the little Arabian, but he turns out to be the most hurt in this story. I apologize to all Quatre fans. Don't worry, this is not a death fic.
LIMY LEMON (which means I describe but not too much :P)
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Heero raised his sword and glared at his opponent, his mind completely focused on the battle about to begin. As the two angels stared each other down in the cool night air Heero took in all the information he could from the other boy. The black angel was strong, quick and angry. His anger was his weak point...
The black angel dove forward with a yell, swinging his curved sword in large arcs. Heero deflected the blows with expertise. In truth he probably didn't even need to deflect any of the sword swipes being that his armor was the strongest in the land, but the black angel had challenged him and he'd accepted. Besides, overconfidence usually got his kind killed.
"Fight back! Or are you afraid?" The black angel sneered.
Overconfidence indeed. Heero deflected the next blow hard, knocking the sword out of his opponents' hand, this duel wasn't worth his energy or time. The black angel reacted with surprise and Heero took the advantage, resting the tip of his blade against the angel's neck. Heero's eyes narrowed.
"Leave, you've lost and you aren't welcome here."
The black angel gave a small cry of rage and dove down to catch his falling sword. Then he turned and flew away.
Heero watched the black winged angel go away then turned to leave himself, flying back down to earth. He landed among the trees and as his feet touched the ground his large white wings retracted into his back, disappearing under his skin. A single thought and his silver and green highlighted armor melted into his skin as well, revealing normal clothing underneath. The blue jeans and dark green tank top made Heero look completely human. After making sure no evidence of his presence remained in the area he ducked around the trees and raced silently to the doors of a small house. He quickly ducked inside before anyone could see him. Once inside the house he shut the door securely and flipped the lock, peeking out the window to double check that he hadn't been followed. From behind him he heard footsteps.
"Heero? Is that you?"
"Hai." Heero said as he turned away from the window, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword which still hung at his side. The sword was the only piece of his armor that refused to sink and hide itself beneath his human form. Heero ran a hand through his dark brown hair and turned to see Quatre standing in the doorway, his golden blond hair slightly rustled. Behind him, by a foot or so, stood another taller boy who's dull brown hair dropped down over one of his eyes. Heero met the boy's green eyes and frowned. He could tell immediately, by the way the other boy stood and looked back, that he was also not human. Heero's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
"Matte!" Quatre yelled quickly, not missing Heero's small response. Heero paused. "Eniki, this is Trowa. He's a friend."
Heero frowned and stepped forward. "Show me your wings."
Trowa simply nodded and there was a strange snapping sound. Large white wings extended from behind Trowa's back. They gleamed with their own light, as white as they were. They were not nearly as large as Heero's, but their size was still impressive. Heero gave a small nod and the wings retracted, disappearing without a trace.
"Don't take any offense, Trowa, that's just the way my older brother is. He just got back from a challenge from a black angel." Quatre said quickly, smiling into his companion's deep green eyes.
"Understandable," Trowa said softly.
Quatre looked back to Heero. "Do you mind if he stays for a while?"
"Hn."
Heero grunted a neutral answer and walked into the kitchen to get a drink. His mind drifted away from Quatre and Trowa back to the black angel. More and more of them were appearing. Why? Was something special going to happen? Why were all the black and white winged angels appearing here? What was so special about this area? And why hadn't they informed him of it? Heero frowned down at his mug of steaming hot chocolate. He hated how the elders played with his life. However he was in this city for a reason, a mission that could not be given up for matters of annoyance. Sipping the hot chocolate he considered all his options and finally decided to stay on the lookout. Whatever the black angels were after couldn't be good.
*
Wufei stomped into the large candle lit hallway, his entire body shaking with rage. How could he have lost?! Wufei turned and slammed his fist into the marble wall in a futile attempt to vent his anger. From behind him came a soft chuckle.
"Problems Wu-man?"
Wufei whirled around, his dark black wings rustling. "Shut up Duo!"
Duo stepped out of the shadows, his double pair of black wings wrapped around his slender form like a feathery cloak. Beneath he worse a dark black robe with only a small hint of white at the top of his collar, an ironically placed square of white in a priest's collar. A waist length cloak of purple and matching sash held the robe in place around his body and prevented him from completely sinking into the shadows without a trace. The dancing candle light made him seem to glow with a strange white light, setting off the long chestnut colored hair that was his pride and joy, hair that reached just past his waist in loose and free waves.
Duo grinned tauntingly. "So you fought against the Great Silver Prince." Duo's grin grew. "He kicked your butt didn't he?"
Wufei pulled out his sword in one fluid movement resting the tip at the nape of Duo's throat. "I swear-!"
Duo rested a finger on the blade and lightly pushed it away. "Calm down, bro, I sympathize, honest I do. They say no one can beat the great Heero. Perhaps I should give it a try."
At that Wufei gave a smile, he couldn't help it. Wufei sheathed his sword and tilted his head slightly. "He'd mop the floor with you. You wouldn't stand a chance."
Duo frowned in thought and played with a lock of his long hair. "Perhaps not with the sword. But if I challenged him on my own grounds..." Duo closed his eyes and creased his brows.
Wufei's smile dropped away. "What are you babbling about?"
Duo opened a single eye and smiled. "Oh nothing. How about a gamble then, ne Wufei? What will you give me if I beat the great Heero? If I find is weak spot?"
Wufei crossed his arms. "It won't happen."
Duo only grinned.
"Fine." He muttered after a long silence. "If you win you lead the attack and I'll step down from first in command."
Duo grinned at that. "Yoshi!"
"But-" Wufei added quickly with a scheming smirk. "If you lose you cut your hair."
Duo's jaw dropped for a second. "My hair? You've got to be kidding!"
Wufei shook his head, indicating he was perfectly serious. "And you lose that ridiculous priest's outfit."
"Cut my hair?" Duo smirked slightly. "And my favorite outfit? I never knew they bothered you that much." The surprise melted away with a shrug. "Sure, why not. I'll take you up on that gamble, but only because I know I won't lose."
"We'll see."
Duo only grinned.
*
"Ne, Trowa?"
"Hm?"
"You're going to attend school with me and Heero tomorrow?"
"Course, it would be suspicious for someone 'my age' to wander around town when I should 'be in school'."
"Yo kata." Quatre snuggled closer, burying his face against Trowa's bare chest. Trowa's long elegant fingers ran endlessly through Quatre's short blond hair, a sweet comforting motion of love. The two lay silently in the bed, Quatre snuggled close and Trowa perfectly content to hold him. The last time he'd seen Quatre the two had been good friends, but that was a very long time ago. Trowa had expected, at most, a friendly smile when he'd knocked on Quatre's door. Instead Quatre had immediately recognized the silent boy and embraced him in a tight hug. It was more then he could have even hoped for, but he wasn't about to complain. Perhaps his luck had finally changed.
Trowa stopped stroking Quatre's hair and wrapped his arms around the boy's naked body under the warm sheets, holding his close. Quatre looked up in half surprise and question but Trowa simply offered one of his rare smiles and then their lips met in a soft kiss. The blond boy seemed to melt in his embrace, snuggling closer as the kiss continued. Neither wanted to break away. They both wanted the moment to last for eternity.
As the kiss deepened Trowa found one of Quatre's hands slowly wrapping around his waist, the small blond pulled as close to Trowa as he could. The simple movement was an answer, an invitation that his feelings for Quatre were mutual. Trowa caressed Quatre's back with both his hands.
A small sound emitted from Quatre and he jerked away suddenly.
Trowa's eyes snapped open and he slowly pulled away. "What's wrong?"
Quatre shook his head, a soft smile of pleasure on his face. "Nothing I-" his body jerked and he winced, pulling his arms back from around Trowa's waist to hug himself. Trowa pulled away completely and sat up quickly in worry.
"Honest it's nothing, just-" Quatre gave a small cry as his body shuddered violently. Quickly he rolled onto his side. "Itai..."
"Quatre..."
Quatre gave a sudden yell and curled into a ball, his face twisted in pain. Trowa watched with wide eyes as the skin on the boy's back ripped.
"What the...?"
Quatre cried out again and suddenly his wings emerged, shooting out from his back so fast that Trowa was forced to throw himself off the bed to avoid being hit. He rolled onto the ground and quickly stood up to rush to Quatre's side, but the sight before him made him freeze as his blood ran cold.
"Heero!!" Trowa called out as he raced around to the other side of the bed where Quatre was lying, curled in a small, whimpering, shivering ball. Quatre's brown haired brother burst into the room seconds later, sword drawn, yet as soon as he saw Quatre his sword clattered to the ground.
Before him, on the bed, lay his younger brother's shivering naked body. Tears streamed from his tightly shut eyes as he hugged himself and bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. Extending from his back his two large white wings should have been a magnificent sight, yet they weren't. Instead of being bright white and glowing with unearthly energy his feathers were a dull white. Yet it wasn't the lack of glow which had caused Trowa and Heero's reactions. It was the scattered spots of red that were slowly glowing among the feathers, like blood seeping into a cloth. It wasn't blood though, Quatre's wings were actually changing color and by the looks of it the process was very painful. Heero tried desperately to get a hold of himself while Trowa knelt by Quatre's side, holding the boy tightly as if his touch would make the pain disappear. Heero took a few steps toward them.
"What happened?"
Trowa shook his head. "I don't know. They suddenly shot out and started to shift colors."
"Quatre?" Heero touched his brother's sweat covered forehead.
"Hee... ro?" Quatre's eyes slowly opened but closed again as his body shook with pain. "Taskette... help me... please."
Heero's face remained completely blank, betraying none of his feelings. But inside he felt completely helpless, what could he do? He had never heard of this happening before, much less seen anything like it.
Trowa held the shivering boy tightly until he stopped. Mercifully he did stop soon after Heero had arrived. Quatre stopped shuddering and crying out in pain as his wings stopped changing colors. Eventually the red stopped increasing and Quatre calmed down, his body shivering now for the cold and exhaustion. Trowa slowly pulled away, afraid it would start again.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly.
Quatre took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I... think so."
"What happened?" Trowa asked.
"I... don't know. My body started hurting and suddenly it felt like I was being ripped apart." Quatre coughed to clear his throat and get rid of the rough edge of his voice. "It's gone now." Quatre met Heero's eyes. "I'll be all right."
Heero nodded slowly and stood up. Without a word he left the room shutting the door quietly behind him. Quatre sighed softly and allowed his body to relax, knowing that the pain was gone. As he relaxed his wings slowly melted back into his back beneath his skin. Trowa placed a small kiss on Quatre's forehead and stood to leave.
"Don't."
Trowa glanced back over his shoulder in question.
"Don't leave me alone. Please." Quatre's light blue eyes were soft and pleading. Those eyes spoke volumes, but mostly they said how afraid he was. Quatre was afraid it would happen again and he didn't want to be alone. Trowa nodded and crawled back between the sheets next to him. Pulling the covers tight around them he wrapped his arms protectively around the boy. Trowa closed his eyes and held tightly onto the boy. This couldn't be happening. He'd finally been able to return to Quatre and the blond had been so happy to see him. To lose that again...
"I'll protect you Quatre, I'm not going to lose you."
Quatre smiled softly and his eyes drifted shut from exhaustion. "Arigatou."
*
Heero kicked open the door, a glare set firmly across his features. He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at his younger brother. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Quatre stood in front of the full-length mirror fixing the tie on his school uniform. "Getting ready for class," he stated innocently.
"No. You are not." Heero emphasized his words clearly and blocked the door with his body.
"Eniki, I'm fine. I need to be in class or they'll be suspicious."
"No." Heero repeated flatly. It was his 'absolutely not!' tone of voice. "You're staying home." And with that Heero left the room shutting the door quickly behind him. He left and walked into the kitchen where Trowa was sipping a cup of coffee, already dressed in his school uniform. Quatre rushed into the room after Heero a minute later.
"Demo eniki, I need to go to class, I can't just sit around the house all day waiting for it to happen again."
Heero turned his worst icy glare on his younger brother plainly stating his displeasure with a single look. If looks could kill Quatre would have been six feet under before he could have blinked. Quatre quickly shut his mouth out of fear but swallowed his fear and was suddenly glaring back, something he had never done before.
"I'm going!" he stated firmly, his voice hinting at only the slightest quiver.
Trowa raised his eyebrow just the slightest bit and watched the exchange with mild interest. The Quatre he knew was timid but determined. However Quatre usually took the role of quiet acceptance of his older brother's orders, not rebellion.
"Quatre..." Heero's voice was low and very threatening.
"Heero, I'm fine, honest! Besides, Trowa will watch over me. If it starts again I'll head straight home."
Heero glanced to Trowa for confirmation of that statement and Trowa nodded. "I won't let anything happen to him." Trowa promised. Heero turned back to his younger brother.
"If it starts again, anything at all, you will leave immediately. We can't have the humans learning of us. Understood?"
"Hai," Quatre agreed.
Heero nodded and grabbed his school bag, heading out the door. He wasn't admitting defeat, instead he as giving Quatre his own life. The two were brothers but Quatre had his own life and had to make his own decisions. Heero couldn't act as Quatre's keeper and protector forever and it seemed that Quatre was in good hands with Trowa. Heero allowed himself a small amount of satisfaction from the fact that Quatre had finally stood up to him after all these years. It was a good sign even if now was not the best time for Quatre's backbone to appear.
*
Heero walked silently across the school grounds, his hands shoved in his pockets minding his own business. He didn't pay any attention to the other students around him, they weren't important. Instead he was racking his brain about the others of his kind. The other angels. As far as he could remember, and that was saying a lot, there had never been an incident like this before. Quatre's wings were turning red, and the process was very painful.
In the back of his mind he vaguely remembered rumors of one particular angel. What had they said about him? One day his wings had lost their shine and then he'd completely disappeared. Yet such stories were usually as reliable as human rumors. Still it was a place to start and Heero couldn't afford to overlook any possibility. Heero frowned as he did his best to remember the name of the other angel, the one whom the rumor was about.
Suddenly, out of no where, something came flying toward his face. Heero's hand came up and he caught it without much of a second thought. However his private thoughts were shattered by the cry of another.
"Itai! Let go!"
Heero blinked and realized it was someone's braid of hair he was holding, a rather long braid. He quickly let go.
"Thanks a lot! You could have ripped my scalp off!"
"Watch where you're going." Heero said flatly and continued to his classroom, not giving the person a second thought. He didn't even take the time to figure out if it had been a male or female, it didn't matter.
Upon reaching his desk he sat down and pulled out the previous day's homework, giving the appearance of studying. Instead his mind was back on Quatre's condition. Millardo, the other angel's name had been Milliardo. If he remembered correctly, and he always did, Milliardo's sister lived not too far from the school. Relena.
Heero frowned at the thought of her name. Relena, there was a name that didn't bring up pleasant memories. But there wasn't much he could do about that, Quatre was more important then old annoyances. Find Relena and he'd find Milliardo.
Heero's frown deepened as the same long braid dropped right in front of him on his desktop. The owner quickly pushed it off the desk so it hung behind his chair. "Gomen," he said twisting around to face Heero. "Gomen about earlier, it was my fault, I didn't notice I'd flung my hair in someone else's face. My name's Duo. What's yours?"
"Hn."
"Hn?" Duo gave a grin. "Not much of a talker are you?"
Heero didn't respond, only glanced back at his homework, hoping the boy would take his hint and leave him alone. He wasn't in the mood to play 'greet the new student', he never was. All he wanted was for class to be over so he could find Relena and Milliardo; there was no telling if the incident from last night would repeat and when. Better to learn more about the problem before it happened again.
In the front of the class the teacher proceeded on with the lesson and Heero kept himself busy jotting down scattered notes, just to not draw suspicion. However, strangely, he found himself watching the long braid in front of him more then the teacher. Something about it… something about it just begged to be looked at. Heero soon found himself wishing to reach forward and undo the braid, wishing to run his fingers through the long shining strands of chestnut colored hair. He blinked and shook his head slowly, what was he thinking?! And about a human none the less!
Heero opened his notebook to a new page and started to sketching a map of the city, laying out all the major landmarks. He tried to concentrate on the black angel he'd met the night before, what could he have been looking for? But he soon found that once again he was staring at the braid, his hands itching to reach forward and touch it. Itching to move through the thick locks. It was almost as if he didn't trust that it was there, wanting to touch it to see if it was real.
Finally class ended and the boy in front of Heero stood up and started placing books in his bag. When he was done he turned to face Heero. Heero placed his books in his bag and quickly glanced at the boy's face, mentally memorizing it in a single glance. He had the face of an angel, and not one of Heero's kind. Instead it was what the human's would have called a cherub face, bright smiling eyes and smooth clean skin. Long chestnut brown bangs hung down halfway shading those beautiful violet eyes. Heero closed his book bag and blinked, surprised to notice that the image of those violet eyes was burned onto the inside of his eyelids even just after one look.
"You going to tell me your name now? Or are you just going to sulk around like a depressed little boy?"
Heero met the boy's eyes with a completely blank face. For a second the two stared each other down, one's face blank and the other one grinning happily. Finally Heero broke eye contact and muttered a single word, then headed for the door.
"Heero," he muttered. As soon as the words escaped his lips he regretted saying it. Why? Why had he said his name? What business did he have talking to this boy? This human? Why bother? He had more important things to worry about, and besides, he wasn't the type to make friends. Heero set a frown on his face and stepped out of the door, yet Duo still followed behind him.
"Heero, you said?" Duo chuckled softly. "Well, ja ne! See you tomorrow, Heero."
Against his better judgement Heero turned and watched the other boy rush across the schoolyard to the building that held his next class. In spite of himself he couldn't pull his eyes away until that long braid disappeared through the doors and into the wave of students. How very strange. Heero turned away from the building and pushed Duo from his thoughts; it was time to find Relena.
*
Wufei frowned as he knocked on the large oak doors.
"Enter." Came the voice.
Wufei pushed the doors open and stepped into the bedroom, disliking the scene even more then the last time he'd entered this room. Before him stood a room decorated beautifully in dark silk, holding a strange gothic mood while looking completely comfortable. The long pieces of red silk made it look like rivers of thick blood ran across the floor from the large bed in the center of the room. A shining figure was perched on the bed; the covers positioned strategically across his lean body. Wufei immediately dropped into a bow to avoid staring at the scene before him with wide eyes.
"My little dragon, what have you to report?"
Wufei frowned even more. "I challenged Heero as you requested... and I lost."
In front of him the sheets crinkled and another figure could be heard moving. There was a second person in the bed? Wufei's eyes darted up quickly then back down to the floor, catching a glimpse of the other man in the bed. Yet there was something very strange about this man, his body was completely covered in shadows though candles lit the entirety of the room. Wufei dismissed the image quickly from his mind.
"You failed?" His master's voice asked softly.
"Hai."
"And where is Duo?"
Wufei couldn't help but smirk at that question. It would prove very interesting to see what would come of their little... gamble. "He has set out on his own. He plans to confront Heero as well, on his own terms."
"How very intriguing." The sheets rustled more and the first man stepped out of the bed, slipping on a thin embroidered black silk robe. "Do you believe he stands a chance?"
Wufei thought for a moment. "If he keeps his wits about him, perhaps. But not likely."
The man nodded. "Very good, keep me informed."
Wufei nodded and stood up, turning quickly to avoid the scene. Yet the man's voice stopped him at the door.
"Wufei, what caused Duo to think he could defeat Heero on his own?"
Wufei smirked but did not turn his head. "He offered to make a bet. If he fails to defeat Heero he will cut his hair."
"And if he wins?"
"I promised to step down."
The man grinned. "Very well. However, I wish you would reconsider, we have been waiting for you to join us."
Wufei shook his head and opened the door. "Some other time, perhaps." He quickly retreated from the room, shutting the door behind him. Sometimes that Treize was too much.
*
Quatre sat silently in his class, bored out of his mind. He squirmed in his seat, staring up at the clock. Maybe Heero had been right, maybe staying at home would have been a good idea. All he could think about was how much it had hurt the night before and how much he didn't want it to start again. Every single itch around his back made him freeze from fear, afraid it was starting again. But it wasn't. He was just getting paranoid. Quatre took a deep breath to try and calm himself, causing Trowa to glance sideways at him.
Quatre responded with a sweet smile to reassure his fellow angel, no need for Trowa to become paranoid too. He sighed softly and looked across the classroom to the window, watching the bright blue sky beyond the confining glass. He wanted to be outside, he wanted to be in the air, his wings spread and the air rushing against his face as he flew around. But he knew he couldn't.
He and his brother had been assigned to this city, to watch over it. Recently the black winged angels had been showing up in the area, and no one was sure why. So Heero and Quatre had been ordered to watch the city. The only interesting thing that had happened since was the challenge from Wufei for Heero and the appearance of Trowa, Quatre's old childhood friend. And then of course his own wings.
His wings. Quatre frowned and leaned back in his chair, stretching his back, he yelped slightly as a small pain shot through his body. Looking around he made sure no one had noticed, they were all watching the teacher at the front, even Trowa. Quatre reached behind himself and rubbed his back, then leaned forward again to look in his notebook, the pain shot through his body again, only worse this time. Quatre froze and his eyes grew wide.
"T-Trowa..."
Trowa glanced over at Quatre without moving his head, just in time to see Quatre shudder slightly. Immediately he forgot about the teacher and raced to Quatre's side. Picking the smaller blond boy up he moved for the door, murmuring some half thought out excuse to the teacher as he shut the door. All the while Quatre bit his bottom lip as the pain became worse.
By the time they reached an empty room where it would be safe Quatre's body was shuddering uncontrollably and he had to bite his fist to keep from crying out. Trowa shut the door without a moment to spare as Quatre's wings shot out of his back, filling the room with a light rain of white and red feathers. Quatre rolled up into a ball on the floor hugging his sides. His mouth was open in a silent scream but somehow he managed to keep from making any noise.
Trowa stood by the door, watching in mute horror as the red leaked from one feather to another. Silently he reached up and locked the door to the classroom, then laid down on the floor next to Quatre, wrapping his arms around the shuddering boy.
"I'm right here Quatre," he whispered softly. Trowa held Quatre close, running his fingers through Quatre's soft hair, anything to calm him down. Trowa closed his eyes and held Quatre tight, not wanting to see the wings, it only made him feel worse. After all those wings were a sign of possibilities to come. The possibility that he might lose Quatre… Trowa pushed the thoughts away quickly. No, neither he nor Heero would let that happen, they'd find a way to fix this problem so Quatre could return to normal. They'd find a way to fix his wings and let Quatre smile again.
Eventually Quatre stopped moving in Trowa's arms and his breathing became even. He must have lost consciousness from the pain, mercifully. Trowa slowly sat up and looked down on the multi-colored wings. Once again the red had stopped moving, but now his wings were almost half one color and half the other. Not to mention the fact that a large number of the feathers lay on the ground. Whatever was effecting Quatre was taking its course fast, and there was no telling what would happen the next time it attacked him.
"Quatre..." Trowa moved to wake the boy but then decided against it. Better to let him sleep while he could. For Trowa had a bed feeling that the next 'attack' would come soon, and it would be a lot worse.
By Snow Tigra
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Pairings: 2x1, 3x4/4x3, 13x6, 13x5... am I missing any?
Author's note: This fic was inspired by the huge amount of pix there are of the Gundam pilots with wings. Being that I already love angels I only found it fair. Warning: Quatre torture. I apologize but I started this around finals, which means that I picked one character to have a really shitty time, that character just happened to be Quatre. To be honest I love the little Arabian, but he turns out to be the most hurt in this story. I apologize to all Quatre fans. Don't worry, this is not a death fic.
LIMY LEMON (which means I describe but not too much :P)
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Heero raised his sword and glared at his opponent, his mind completely focused on the battle about to begin. As the two angels stared each other down in the cool night air Heero took in all the information he could from the other boy. The black angel was strong, quick and angry. His anger was his weak point...
The black angel dove forward with a yell, swinging his curved sword in large arcs. Heero deflected the blows with expertise. In truth he probably didn't even need to deflect any of the sword swipes being that his armor was the strongest in the land, but the black angel had challenged him and he'd accepted. Besides, overconfidence usually got his kind killed.
"Fight back! Or are you afraid?" The black angel sneered.
Overconfidence indeed. Heero deflected the next blow hard, knocking the sword out of his opponents' hand, this duel wasn't worth his energy or time. The black angel reacted with surprise and Heero took the advantage, resting the tip of his blade against the angel's neck. Heero's eyes narrowed.
"Leave, you've lost and you aren't welcome here."
The black angel gave a small cry of rage and dove down to catch his falling sword. Then he turned and flew away.
Heero watched the black winged angel go away then turned to leave himself, flying back down to earth. He landed among the trees and as his feet touched the ground his large white wings retracted into his back, disappearing under his skin. A single thought and his silver and green highlighted armor melted into his skin as well, revealing normal clothing underneath. The blue jeans and dark green tank top made Heero look completely human. After making sure no evidence of his presence remained in the area he ducked around the trees and raced silently to the doors of a small house. He quickly ducked inside before anyone could see him. Once inside the house he shut the door securely and flipped the lock, peeking out the window to double check that he hadn't been followed. From behind him he heard footsteps.
"Heero? Is that you?"
"Hai." Heero said as he turned away from the window, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword which still hung at his side. The sword was the only piece of his armor that refused to sink and hide itself beneath his human form. Heero ran a hand through his dark brown hair and turned to see Quatre standing in the doorway, his golden blond hair slightly rustled. Behind him, by a foot or so, stood another taller boy who's dull brown hair dropped down over one of his eyes. Heero met the boy's green eyes and frowned. He could tell immediately, by the way the other boy stood and looked back, that he was also not human. Heero's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
"Matte!" Quatre yelled quickly, not missing Heero's small response. Heero paused. "Eniki, this is Trowa. He's a friend."
Heero frowned and stepped forward. "Show me your wings."
Trowa simply nodded and there was a strange snapping sound. Large white wings extended from behind Trowa's back. They gleamed with their own light, as white as they were. They were not nearly as large as Heero's, but their size was still impressive. Heero gave a small nod and the wings retracted, disappearing without a trace.
"Don't take any offense, Trowa, that's just the way my older brother is. He just got back from a challenge from a black angel." Quatre said quickly, smiling into his companion's deep green eyes.
"Understandable," Trowa said softly.
Quatre looked back to Heero. "Do you mind if he stays for a while?"
"Hn."
Heero grunted a neutral answer and walked into the kitchen to get a drink. His mind drifted away from Quatre and Trowa back to the black angel. More and more of them were appearing. Why? Was something special going to happen? Why were all the black and white winged angels appearing here? What was so special about this area? And why hadn't they informed him of it? Heero frowned down at his mug of steaming hot chocolate. He hated how the elders played with his life. However he was in this city for a reason, a mission that could not be given up for matters of annoyance. Sipping the hot chocolate he considered all his options and finally decided to stay on the lookout. Whatever the black angels were after couldn't be good.
*
Wufei stomped into the large candle lit hallway, his entire body shaking with rage. How could he have lost?! Wufei turned and slammed his fist into the marble wall in a futile attempt to vent his anger. From behind him came a soft chuckle.
"Problems Wu-man?"
Wufei whirled around, his dark black wings rustling. "Shut up Duo!"
Duo stepped out of the shadows, his double pair of black wings wrapped around his slender form like a feathery cloak. Beneath he worse a dark black robe with only a small hint of white at the top of his collar, an ironically placed square of white in a priest's collar. A waist length cloak of purple and matching sash held the robe in place around his body and prevented him from completely sinking into the shadows without a trace. The dancing candle light made him seem to glow with a strange white light, setting off the long chestnut colored hair that was his pride and joy, hair that reached just past his waist in loose and free waves.
Duo grinned tauntingly. "So you fought against the Great Silver Prince." Duo's grin grew. "He kicked your butt didn't he?"
Wufei pulled out his sword in one fluid movement resting the tip at the nape of Duo's throat. "I swear-!"
Duo rested a finger on the blade and lightly pushed it away. "Calm down, bro, I sympathize, honest I do. They say no one can beat the great Heero. Perhaps I should give it a try."
At that Wufei gave a smile, he couldn't help it. Wufei sheathed his sword and tilted his head slightly. "He'd mop the floor with you. You wouldn't stand a chance."
Duo frowned in thought and played with a lock of his long hair. "Perhaps not with the sword. But if I challenged him on my own grounds..." Duo closed his eyes and creased his brows.
Wufei's smile dropped away. "What are you babbling about?"
Duo opened a single eye and smiled. "Oh nothing. How about a gamble then, ne Wufei? What will you give me if I beat the great Heero? If I find is weak spot?"
Wufei crossed his arms. "It won't happen."
Duo only grinned.
"Fine." He muttered after a long silence. "If you win you lead the attack and I'll step down from first in command."
Duo grinned at that. "Yoshi!"
"But-" Wufei added quickly with a scheming smirk. "If you lose you cut your hair."
Duo's jaw dropped for a second. "My hair? You've got to be kidding!"
Wufei shook his head, indicating he was perfectly serious. "And you lose that ridiculous priest's outfit."
"Cut my hair?" Duo smirked slightly. "And my favorite outfit? I never knew they bothered you that much." The surprise melted away with a shrug. "Sure, why not. I'll take you up on that gamble, but only because I know I won't lose."
"We'll see."
Duo only grinned.
*
"Ne, Trowa?"
"Hm?"
"You're going to attend school with me and Heero tomorrow?"
"Course, it would be suspicious for someone 'my age' to wander around town when I should 'be in school'."
"Yo kata." Quatre snuggled closer, burying his face against Trowa's bare chest. Trowa's long elegant fingers ran endlessly through Quatre's short blond hair, a sweet comforting motion of love. The two lay silently in the bed, Quatre snuggled close and Trowa perfectly content to hold him. The last time he'd seen Quatre the two had been good friends, but that was a very long time ago. Trowa had expected, at most, a friendly smile when he'd knocked on Quatre's door. Instead Quatre had immediately recognized the silent boy and embraced him in a tight hug. It was more then he could have even hoped for, but he wasn't about to complain. Perhaps his luck had finally changed.
Trowa stopped stroking Quatre's hair and wrapped his arms around the boy's naked body under the warm sheets, holding his close. Quatre looked up in half surprise and question but Trowa simply offered one of his rare smiles and then their lips met in a soft kiss. The blond boy seemed to melt in his embrace, snuggling closer as the kiss continued. Neither wanted to break away. They both wanted the moment to last for eternity.
As the kiss deepened Trowa found one of Quatre's hands slowly wrapping around his waist, the small blond pulled as close to Trowa as he could. The simple movement was an answer, an invitation that his feelings for Quatre were mutual. Trowa caressed Quatre's back with both his hands.
A small sound emitted from Quatre and he jerked away suddenly.
Trowa's eyes snapped open and he slowly pulled away. "What's wrong?"
Quatre shook his head, a soft smile of pleasure on his face. "Nothing I-" his body jerked and he winced, pulling his arms back from around Trowa's waist to hug himself. Trowa pulled away completely and sat up quickly in worry.
"Honest it's nothing, just-" Quatre gave a small cry as his body shuddered violently. Quickly he rolled onto his side. "Itai..."
"Quatre..."
Quatre gave a sudden yell and curled into a ball, his face twisted in pain. Trowa watched with wide eyes as the skin on the boy's back ripped.
"What the...?"
Quatre cried out again and suddenly his wings emerged, shooting out from his back so fast that Trowa was forced to throw himself off the bed to avoid being hit. He rolled onto the ground and quickly stood up to rush to Quatre's side, but the sight before him made him freeze as his blood ran cold.
"Heero!!" Trowa called out as he raced around to the other side of the bed where Quatre was lying, curled in a small, whimpering, shivering ball. Quatre's brown haired brother burst into the room seconds later, sword drawn, yet as soon as he saw Quatre his sword clattered to the ground.
Before him, on the bed, lay his younger brother's shivering naked body. Tears streamed from his tightly shut eyes as he hugged himself and bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. Extending from his back his two large white wings should have been a magnificent sight, yet they weren't. Instead of being bright white and glowing with unearthly energy his feathers were a dull white. Yet it wasn't the lack of glow which had caused Trowa and Heero's reactions. It was the scattered spots of red that were slowly glowing among the feathers, like blood seeping into a cloth. It wasn't blood though, Quatre's wings were actually changing color and by the looks of it the process was very painful. Heero tried desperately to get a hold of himself while Trowa knelt by Quatre's side, holding the boy tightly as if his touch would make the pain disappear. Heero took a few steps toward them.
"What happened?"
Trowa shook his head. "I don't know. They suddenly shot out and started to shift colors."
"Quatre?" Heero touched his brother's sweat covered forehead.
"Hee... ro?" Quatre's eyes slowly opened but closed again as his body shook with pain. "Taskette... help me... please."
Heero's face remained completely blank, betraying none of his feelings. But inside he felt completely helpless, what could he do? He had never heard of this happening before, much less seen anything like it.
Trowa held the shivering boy tightly until he stopped. Mercifully he did stop soon after Heero had arrived. Quatre stopped shuddering and crying out in pain as his wings stopped changing colors. Eventually the red stopped increasing and Quatre calmed down, his body shivering now for the cold and exhaustion. Trowa slowly pulled away, afraid it would start again.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly.
Quatre took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I... think so."
"What happened?" Trowa asked.
"I... don't know. My body started hurting and suddenly it felt like I was being ripped apart." Quatre coughed to clear his throat and get rid of the rough edge of his voice. "It's gone now." Quatre met Heero's eyes. "I'll be all right."
Heero nodded slowly and stood up. Without a word he left the room shutting the door quietly behind him. Quatre sighed softly and allowed his body to relax, knowing that the pain was gone. As he relaxed his wings slowly melted back into his back beneath his skin. Trowa placed a small kiss on Quatre's forehead and stood to leave.
"Don't."
Trowa glanced back over his shoulder in question.
"Don't leave me alone. Please." Quatre's light blue eyes were soft and pleading. Those eyes spoke volumes, but mostly they said how afraid he was. Quatre was afraid it would happen again and he didn't want to be alone. Trowa nodded and crawled back between the sheets next to him. Pulling the covers tight around them he wrapped his arms protectively around the boy. Trowa closed his eyes and held tightly onto the boy. This couldn't be happening. He'd finally been able to return to Quatre and the blond had been so happy to see him. To lose that again...
"I'll protect you Quatre, I'm not going to lose you."
Quatre smiled softly and his eyes drifted shut from exhaustion. "Arigatou."
*
Heero kicked open the door, a glare set firmly across his features. He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at his younger brother. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Quatre stood in front of the full-length mirror fixing the tie on his school uniform. "Getting ready for class," he stated innocently.
"No. You are not." Heero emphasized his words clearly and blocked the door with his body.
"Eniki, I'm fine. I need to be in class or they'll be suspicious."
"No." Heero repeated flatly. It was his 'absolutely not!' tone of voice. "You're staying home." And with that Heero left the room shutting the door quickly behind him. He left and walked into the kitchen where Trowa was sipping a cup of coffee, already dressed in his school uniform. Quatre rushed into the room after Heero a minute later.
"Demo eniki, I need to go to class, I can't just sit around the house all day waiting for it to happen again."
Heero turned his worst icy glare on his younger brother plainly stating his displeasure with a single look. If looks could kill Quatre would have been six feet under before he could have blinked. Quatre quickly shut his mouth out of fear but swallowed his fear and was suddenly glaring back, something he had never done before.
"I'm going!" he stated firmly, his voice hinting at only the slightest quiver.
Trowa raised his eyebrow just the slightest bit and watched the exchange with mild interest. The Quatre he knew was timid but determined. However Quatre usually took the role of quiet acceptance of his older brother's orders, not rebellion.
"Quatre..." Heero's voice was low and very threatening.
"Heero, I'm fine, honest! Besides, Trowa will watch over me. If it starts again I'll head straight home."
Heero glanced to Trowa for confirmation of that statement and Trowa nodded. "I won't let anything happen to him." Trowa promised. Heero turned back to his younger brother.
"If it starts again, anything at all, you will leave immediately. We can't have the humans learning of us. Understood?"
"Hai," Quatre agreed.
Heero nodded and grabbed his school bag, heading out the door. He wasn't admitting defeat, instead he as giving Quatre his own life. The two were brothers but Quatre had his own life and had to make his own decisions. Heero couldn't act as Quatre's keeper and protector forever and it seemed that Quatre was in good hands with Trowa. Heero allowed himself a small amount of satisfaction from the fact that Quatre had finally stood up to him after all these years. It was a good sign even if now was not the best time for Quatre's backbone to appear.
*
Heero walked silently across the school grounds, his hands shoved in his pockets minding his own business. He didn't pay any attention to the other students around him, they weren't important. Instead he was racking his brain about the others of his kind. The other angels. As far as he could remember, and that was saying a lot, there had never been an incident like this before. Quatre's wings were turning red, and the process was very painful.
In the back of his mind he vaguely remembered rumors of one particular angel. What had they said about him? One day his wings had lost their shine and then he'd completely disappeared. Yet such stories were usually as reliable as human rumors. Still it was a place to start and Heero couldn't afford to overlook any possibility. Heero frowned as he did his best to remember the name of the other angel, the one whom the rumor was about.
Suddenly, out of no where, something came flying toward his face. Heero's hand came up and he caught it without much of a second thought. However his private thoughts were shattered by the cry of another.
"Itai! Let go!"
Heero blinked and realized it was someone's braid of hair he was holding, a rather long braid. He quickly let go.
"Thanks a lot! You could have ripped my scalp off!"
"Watch where you're going." Heero said flatly and continued to his classroom, not giving the person a second thought. He didn't even take the time to figure out if it had been a male or female, it didn't matter.
Upon reaching his desk he sat down and pulled out the previous day's homework, giving the appearance of studying. Instead his mind was back on Quatre's condition. Millardo, the other angel's name had been Milliardo. If he remembered correctly, and he always did, Milliardo's sister lived not too far from the school. Relena.
Heero frowned at the thought of her name. Relena, there was a name that didn't bring up pleasant memories. But there wasn't much he could do about that, Quatre was more important then old annoyances. Find Relena and he'd find Milliardo.
Heero's frown deepened as the same long braid dropped right in front of him on his desktop. The owner quickly pushed it off the desk so it hung behind his chair. "Gomen," he said twisting around to face Heero. "Gomen about earlier, it was my fault, I didn't notice I'd flung my hair in someone else's face. My name's Duo. What's yours?"
"Hn."
"Hn?" Duo gave a grin. "Not much of a talker are you?"
Heero didn't respond, only glanced back at his homework, hoping the boy would take his hint and leave him alone. He wasn't in the mood to play 'greet the new student', he never was. All he wanted was for class to be over so he could find Relena and Milliardo; there was no telling if the incident from last night would repeat and when. Better to learn more about the problem before it happened again.
In the front of the class the teacher proceeded on with the lesson and Heero kept himself busy jotting down scattered notes, just to not draw suspicion. However, strangely, he found himself watching the long braid in front of him more then the teacher. Something about it… something about it just begged to be looked at. Heero soon found himself wishing to reach forward and undo the braid, wishing to run his fingers through the long shining strands of chestnut colored hair. He blinked and shook his head slowly, what was he thinking?! And about a human none the less!
Heero opened his notebook to a new page and started to sketching a map of the city, laying out all the major landmarks. He tried to concentrate on the black angel he'd met the night before, what could he have been looking for? But he soon found that once again he was staring at the braid, his hands itching to reach forward and touch it. Itching to move through the thick locks. It was almost as if he didn't trust that it was there, wanting to touch it to see if it was real.
Finally class ended and the boy in front of Heero stood up and started placing books in his bag. When he was done he turned to face Heero. Heero placed his books in his bag and quickly glanced at the boy's face, mentally memorizing it in a single glance. He had the face of an angel, and not one of Heero's kind. Instead it was what the human's would have called a cherub face, bright smiling eyes and smooth clean skin. Long chestnut brown bangs hung down halfway shading those beautiful violet eyes. Heero closed his book bag and blinked, surprised to notice that the image of those violet eyes was burned onto the inside of his eyelids even just after one look.
"You going to tell me your name now? Or are you just going to sulk around like a depressed little boy?"
Heero met the boy's eyes with a completely blank face. For a second the two stared each other down, one's face blank and the other one grinning happily. Finally Heero broke eye contact and muttered a single word, then headed for the door.
"Heero," he muttered. As soon as the words escaped his lips he regretted saying it. Why? Why had he said his name? What business did he have talking to this boy? This human? Why bother? He had more important things to worry about, and besides, he wasn't the type to make friends. Heero set a frown on his face and stepped out of the door, yet Duo still followed behind him.
"Heero, you said?" Duo chuckled softly. "Well, ja ne! See you tomorrow, Heero."
Against his better judgement Heero turned and watched the other boy rush across the schoolyard to the building that held his next class. In spite of himself he couldn't pull his eyes away until that long braid disappeared through the doors and into the wave of students. How very strange. Heero turned away from the building and pushed Duo from his thoughts; it was time to find Relena.
*
Wufei frowned as he knocked on the large oak doors.
"Enter." Came the voice.
Wufei pushed the doors open and stepped into the bedroom, disliking the scene even more then the last time he'd entered this room. Before him stood a room decorated beautifully in dark silk, holding a strange gothic mood while looking completely comfortable. The long pieces of red silk made it look like rivers of thick blood ran across the floor from the large bed in the center of the room. A shining figure was perched on the bed; the covers positioned strategically across his lean body. Wufei immediately dropped into a bow to avoid staring at the scene before him with wide eyes.
"My little dragon, what have you to report?"
Wufei frowned even more. "I challenged Heero as you requested... and I lost."
In front of him the sheets crinkled and another figure could be heard moving. There was a second person in the bed? Wufei's eyes darted up quickly then back down to the floor, catching a glimpse of the other man in the bed. Yet there was something very strange about this man, his body was completely covered in shadows though candles lit the entirety of the room. Wufei dismissed the image quickly from his mind.
"You failed?" His master's voice asked softly.
"Hai."
"And where is Duo?"
Wufei couldn't help but smirk at that question. It would prove very interesting to see what would come of their little... gamble. "He has set out on his own. He plans to confront Heero as well, on his own terms."
"How very intriguing." The sheets rustled more and the first man stepped out of the bed, slipping on a thin embroidered black silk robe. "Do you believe he stands a chance?"
Wufei thought for a moment. "If he keeps his wits about him, perhaps. But not likely."
The man nodded. "Very good, keep me informed."
Wufei nodded and stood up, turning quickly to avoid the scene. Yet the man's voice stopped him at the door.
"Wufei, what caused Duo to think he could defeat Heero on his own?"
Wufei smirked but did not turn his head. "He offered to make a bet. If he fails to defeat Heero he will cut his hair."
"And if he wins?"
"I promised to step down."
The man grinned. "Very well. However, I wish you would reconsider, we have been waiting for you to join us."
Wufei shook his head and opened the door. "Some other time, perhaps." He quickly retreated from the room, shutting the door behind him. Sometimes that Treize was too much.
*
Quatre sat silently in his class, bored out of his mind. He squirmed in his seat, staring up at the clock. Maybe Heero had been right, maybe staying at home would have been a good idea. All he could think about was how much it had hurt the night before and how much he didn't want it to start again. Every single itch around his back made him freeze from fear, afraid it was starting again. But it wasn't. He was just getting paranoid. Quatre took a deep breath to try and calm himself, causing Trowa to glance sideways at him.
Quatre responded with a sweet smile to reassure his fellow angel, no need for Trowa to become paranoid too. He sighed softly and looked across the classroom to the window, watching the bright blue sky beyond the confining glass. He wanted to be outside, he wanted to be in the air, his wings spread and the air rushing against his face as he flew around. But he knew he couldn't.
He and his brother had been assigned to this city, to watch over it. Recently the black winged angels had been showing up in the area, and no one was sure why. So Heero and Quatre had been ordered to watch the city. The only interesting thing that had happened since was the challenge from Wufei for Heero and the appearance of Trowa, Quatre's old childhood friend. And then of course his own wings.
His wings. Quatre frowned and leaned back in his chair, stretching his back, he yelped slightly as a small pain shot through his body. Looking around he made sure no one had noticed, they were all watching the teacher at the front, even Trowa. Quatre reached behind himself and rubbed his back, then leaned forward again to look in his notebook, the pain shot through his body again, only worse this time. Quatre froze and his eyes grew wide.
"T-Trowa..."
Trowa glanced over at Quatre without moving his head, just in time to see Quatre shudder slightly. Immediately he forgot about the teacher and raced to Quatre's side. Picking the smaller blond boy up he moved for the door, murmuring some half thought out excuse to the teacher as he shut the door. All the while Quatre bit his bottom lip as the pain became worse.
By the time they reached an empty room where it would be safe Quatre's body was shuddering uncontrollably and he had to bite his fist to keep from crying out. Trowa shut the door without a moment to spare as Quatre's wings shot out of his back, filling the room with a light rain of white and red feathers. Quatre rolled up into a ball on the floor hugging his sides. His mouth was open in a silent scream but somehow he managed to keep from making any noise.
Trowa stood by the door, watching in mute horror as the red leaked from one feather to another. Silently he reached up and locked the door to the classroom, then laid down on the floor next to Quatre, wrapping his arms around the shuddering boy.
"I'm right here Quatre," he whispered softly. Trowa held Quatre close, running his fingers through Quatre's soft hair, anything to calm him down. Trowa closed his eyes and held Quatre tight, not wanting to see the wings, it only made him feel worse. After all those wings were a sign of possibilities to come. The possibility that he might lose Quatre… Trowa pushed the thoughts away quickly. No, neither he nor Heero would let that happen, they'd find a way to fix this problem so Quatre could return to normal. They'd find a way to fix his wings and let Quatre smile again.
Eventually Quatre stopped moving in Trowa's arms and his breathing became even. He must have lost consciousness from the pain, mercifully. Trowa slowly sat up and looked down on the multi-colored wings. Once again the red had stopped moving, but now his wings were almost half one color and half the other. Not to mention the fact that a large number of the feathers lay on the ground. Whatever was effecting Quatre was taking its course fast, and there was no telling what would happen the next time it attacked him.
"Quatre..." Trowa moved to wake the boy but then decided against it. Better to let him sleep while he could. For Trowa had a bed feeling that the next 'attack' would come soon, and it would be a lot worse.