Shinigami

Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Characters so please don't sue me for borrowing them

The stink of stale air filled the room among other scents that made his hair stand on end; dark splatters of blood lined the corridor walls. Weak light barely lit the room. Many would call this place unlivable, but for the past five years this place had been unknowingly inhabited. So close to the sun, no one had ever come across it before now. Wufei coughed as the smell of bile and shit mixed together, someone had decided to make art with the stuff all over the walls of the room. The weak hum of power running through the base came from this room. Wiping his eyes with one hand he reached out to flick the light switch on.

A slender hand reached out and grabbed his at the same time pulling him foreword into the stench with startling strength. Having seen the others that they had managed to capture, Wufei had been certain that none of them could overpower him and had gone on ahead of the search team to try running more power through the base from the control tower. Believing he had nothing to fear he had made his way to the control tower, but this new unseen foe was not what he had expected to find. The others had all been weak and skeletal, having nearly nothing to feed on but each other. They were despicable beings but they had done what they could to survive this hell; now however he could see the folly of his decision to go on alone.

A dirt caked hand, he did not wish to envision what else was on that hand, clamped itself over his mouth when he would have shouted. The other hand held a jagged piece of metal to his neck, one swift flick and it would all be over for him. A shameful way to go if he had ever dreamed of one, to be taken by surprise and cut by someone he had never seen.

"Who are you?" The harsh voice seemed somewhat familiar but he could not place it, nor could he speak with his mouth covered. He made grunting noises and tried to pry the hand away, until then he had not taken a breath, the smell that invaded his nostrils was worse then the smell outside. Slowly the hand came away but the edge of that metal remained on his neck so he dared not move.

"My name is Wufei I'm a Preventer and I'm here to help you." He replied calmly. A slight laugh echoed through his chest from the person holding him.

"Help me? You're a little late for that, aren't you Wu-man?" Wufei felt his eyes trying to climb their way into his forehead at the sound of that voice. He knew that voice, he had not heard it in six years but he knew that voice and that annoying laugh!

"Duo!"

"That's right, but everyone here calls me . . . Shinigami."

Duo, he had not heard that name in such a long time but it seemed to float through him as if awakening a long lost memory. No, he had not been called Duo in a long time too often he had been called Shinigami by the other prisoners for him to even remember that particular name. Cobalt blue eyes stared at the figure standing before one of the computers. A frown appeared on Wufei's face as he concentrated on feeding more power through the base. He could almost remember a time when that frown had been directed at him for what he could not recall.

"It won't work. If you try to feed more power into the base you're liable to blow us all to hell." He chuckled at his own words as if he had made a great joke.

"Then what do you suggest I do? I have men down there fighting people we came here to help." Wufei growled slamming his hands down on the keyboard. "And you're not doing anything to help!"

"I don't help those I can't. You're on your own in this one Wu-man. I just can't bring myself to care about others anymore." He smiled leaning back against the wall. The truth was he did not want help, Wufei's or the Preventers.

"Don't you want to get out of here Duo?" Wufei whispered.

"After five years of this joint? Hell yeah I wanna get outta here. I just don't plan on helping anyone else that's all. I tried helping them before and they nearly killed me for it." Duo's eyes seemed to glow from the malice hidden behind that cheerful smile. Wufei took a step back when Duo moved towards him, the hairs on the back of his neck trying to separate from his skull from the sheer fear that pulsed through his body. This was not the Duo he knew, this was someone else someone far more deadly then the lack wit he had known. "You really wanna get outta here don't you . . . Wufei? I can tell you're afraid." That slow smile spread across his lips as he moved closer until Wufei found himself backed up against the wall.

What was happening? Why did he feel so afraid? Wufei forced himself to swallow as his back hit the wall; he was trapped, trapped with a madman. Duo chuckled softly as he placed his hands on either side of Wufei's head and leaned in close. Wufei found himself staring into those deadly cobalt blue eyes unable to turn away; like prey caught in the gaze of a predator he was trapped.

This isn't Duo; this isn't the person I once knew! His mind screamed at him to run but he was trapped there was no way he could escape.

"Duo . . . ." He couldn't move, fear had paralyzed him it was a fear that Wufei had never felt before in his life but it was there, stopping him from doing anything. Something moved out of the corner of his eyes but all he could see was Duo's eyes as they moved closer to his face. His heart beat frantically in his chest as he shut his eyes not wanting to see anymore. It was as if his courage had returned, his arm came up to grab Duo's wrist, twisting it hard enough to hurt, his fist came up between them knocking Duo backwards.

"Not one of your brighter moments, Wufei . . . letting the enemy get so close to you." A soft chuckle echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

"Enemy? Is that how you see me Duo? As your enemy?"

"Everyone is my enemy, the light is my enemy, those people outside are my enemy . . . even you are my enemy Wufei."

Something clattered to the floor at his feet and he stared down at it warily, slowly he bent down to pick it up. An information Disk? Why would he give this to me?

"You really think you can save those people out there Wufei? Do you really believe they're worth saving?"

"Yes, it's my duty as a Preventer to -."

"I'm not asking if it's your duty Wufei! I'm asking if you really believe those people are worth saving!" Duo snapped. Wufei's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze to the shadows, what was Duo getting at? Why was he asking such a question?

"If you're so unsure . . . ." A hand crept out of the darkness reaching for him.

"Wufei!" The sound of Sally's voice ripped through him like a wave as she suddenly appeared. Duo's hand seemed to disappear at the sound of her voice, sinking back into the dark as Wufei's eyes centered on the silhouette of his partner standing in the doorway. "Are you okay? You're as white as a sheet!"

"I'm fine . . . how's the progress on the evacuation?" He replied moving towards her before she could take more then a step foreword.

"So far everything's going just fine; we've found most of the refugees and there's been no reports of injuries from any of the teams spread out around the base. So far this has been the easiest operation we've had to undertake." Sally sighed as she turned her eyes towards the single computer in the room, "How's the progress on your end?"

"I'm almost done here, why don't you go and help one of the other teams?" She turned her gaze on him, her eyes sharpening in such a way that told him he had said too much.

"Wufei? Are you sure you're okay?" She repeated reaching for him.

"I said I'm fine!" He snapped turning away from her touch, he sighed clinching a fist around the disk in his hand, "Here, I found this in one of the computers I think we'd have better luck deciphering it back at HQ." He placed the disk in her hand and turned her around forcing her from the room.

"I'll report back in a little while don't worry about me okay?" He replied somewhat gently.

"If you're sure . . . ." She gave him one last look before leaving. Wufei watched her leave with a sense of relief; at least it solved one of his problems he did not want Sally to see Duo as he was now.

"How chivalrous of you Wufei, never imagined you would become such a . . . lady's man." The sarcastic chuckle echoed from behind him and he swung his arm intending to knock Duo away. A slender hand grasped his elbow just before the blow could land. "You've got to learn to control that horrible temper of yours Wufei; I have a feeling you're going to be here for quite some time."

"What are you talking -?" He didn't get to finish his question as the entire base shuddered as if it were going to break apart. Wufei caught himself on the edge of the doorway gritting his teeth around the shock of the heaving ground beneath his feet.

"It would have been better if you had never come here at all Wufei . . . it would have been so much better, if you also hadn't touched that computer." Duo shrugged as he took a step back that slow smile spreading across his face widened enough that his teeth showed.

"What -?" The world seemed to leap up and engulf him in a blanket of darkness yet all he could hear was the sound of Duo's laughter as it followed him into the darkness.

"They call me . . . Shinigami . . . ."

The sound of familiar voices pulled him from the darkness. Wufei groaned as he sat up, one hand held against his forehead where the pain seemed to be centered. Dim sounds whispered in his ears as he stared blankly at the faces of people in front of him. He could not think with all that noise!

"Will everyone please be quiet for a moment and tell me what's going on?" He replied calmly as the noise dimmed into silence. The men and women standing around looked at each other uncertainly, then as one their gaze turned towards something that Wufei just could not see from where he sat. Getting to his feet, a helping hand steadied him as the world seemed to spin out from under his feet, Wufei turned his gaze towards what they where looking at. The dim lighting illuminated a single spot in the room and in that light stood Duo or at least he thought it was Duo, the smile on the other boy's face did nothing to remind him of the person he knew. What was even more shocking was the sight of what Duo was leaning back against. A tall circular tube seemed to grow out of the floor, a strange dark liquid filled the tube, and the tube itself was the source of the dim lighting.

"I told you Wufei . . . you should have left, should have high-tailed it out of here while you had the chance." Duo's dark eyes centered on him and that same fear spread throughout his body. This was not the Duo he knew, this was someone else entirely.

"Who are you?" Wufei snapped his eyes narrowing as he gathered what remained of his courage to meet Duo's gaze.

"I told you already Wufei . . . they call me Shinigami. Oh, and by the way . . . welcome to Hell."

"What do you mean we've lost contact with them?"

"They were there one minute and the next thing we knew the thing just . . . disappeared." The soldier on the other line sounded young as she paced up and down the inside of her office. What could have gone wrong? What had happened to Wufei and Sally's team?

"How could an entire colony just disappear?" She knew she sounded angry she could almost see the poor man on the other line flinch at the tone of her voice but she needed answers and the ones he gave were not logical in the least. An entire colony just disappears from all line of radar without an explanation? How could such a thing happen?

"I – I don't know ma'am . . . we'll get right on it and report back as soon as we have more information, I'm really sorry about this." The man replied nervously, oh she really must have lost her temper if it was like that. She highly doubted it would be the same one delivering the report.

Une sighed rubbing her temples as she reluctantly returned to her seat. She had sent Wufei and Sally to that colony under an investigation and what they had reported back had been more then a surprise. She could not imagine what it had been like to live on that colony for five years without anyone knowing. It had probably been longer then that but the thought still made her shiver. There were so many rebel factions out there that it was almost a relief to know that the people found on that colony were not rebels but rather people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you'd call being trapped on a colony for that long without food a relief. But now the entire search and rescue team had gone missing, including Wufei. Sally must be in a panic over that little fact; she had been the last ones able to get off the colony when it had disappeared. There were still forty-nine men and women left in that colony when it had . . . disappeared. What am I going to do? A soft knock on her door caught her attention just as it opened. Illuminated by the bright lighting outside of her dark office, stood the one person she never expected to see . . . at least not unless something drastic happened.

"Heero?" The young man that stood in her doorway nodded as he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. His dark brown hair looked longer then it had been the last time she had seen him, but no one could mistake those calm blue eyes after the first time.

"I've come to ask you a little favor . . . ." Heero looked behind him drawing her attention to another person standing behind him. She had not noticed the girl at first because Heero was so much bigger then she but now Une could take notice of her.

Much smaller then Heero with long golden brown hair tied into equally long pigtails, she wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white shirt around her forehead hung a rather tiny gem suspended by a silky thread of gold. Her dark red eyes were what startled Une; they seemed to absorb even the tiniest fraction of light in the room. It was as if all the light in the room was gathered in those eyes. The girl moved to stand beside Heero, her hands clasped behind her and her head held high.

"This is Luna and she has a rather . . . unusual story to tell you."

Une's eyes centered on the girl at Heero's words. It's not that Heero hid her, if this girl wanted to be seen she could be . . . .

"What's the meaning of this Duo?" Wufei shouted pushing past everyone until he was standing in front of Duo. The relief he felt at not seeing Sally was a short lived one.

"I mean just what I said, welcome to Hell." Duo replied calmly giving a slight shrug. "If you can't understand even that little sentence, then maybe you were hit harder then I thought." Duo reached foreword and tapped Wufei on the forehead with his knuckles that sickening smile remained on his face.

"Knock it off Duo!" Wufei replied hitting Duo's hand away as he stepped closer and grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me what's going on here! I want to know now!"

"Do you really want to know Wufei? Or are you just saying that because you're not used to being kept in the dark? Can't stand not being in control, can you?" Duo laughed as he stared into Wufei's eyes with that same intense look. Wufei gritted his teeth as he pulled back his fist and slammed it into Duo's gut before shaking him as roughly as he could.

"Are you awake now Duo? Tell me what's going on here right now!"

"My, but he's a noisy one . . . isn't he Shinigami?" A whisper soft voice echoed from somewhere in the darkness catching Wufei's attention. Wufei gave a grunt as Duo's fist slammed into his gut, the sound of bone breaking and the flash of pain made him gasp.

"Yeah, you just needa know how to shut him up is all." Duo replied calmly as Wufei fell to his knees. The sound of moving feet as the rest of his men tried to move foreword to help him was stopped so suddenly Wufei was not entirely sure he heard it to begin with.

"Don't take too much of the fun Shinigami, leave some of them for us." The harsh whisper sounded barely human.

"Oh, don't worry guys . . . I'd never do that." Duo bent down his hand wrapping around Wufei's neck forcing him to get up or run the risk of being choked. "I really have to thank you Wufei . . . the others were near death when you guys came along. I was at my wits end thinking of way to feed them, even resulted to cannibalism . . . you really saved us."

"Duo . . . ." Wufei gasped as Duo's hand gripped tighter around his neck, pulling Wufei close enough so that the only thing he could see was Duo's eyes. Those same hypnotic eyes that had caught him the first time.

"I told you already . . . my name is Shinigami."