Emerald Phantom
Fates Illusion
Summary: Voldemort's defeat leaves the world with a lot of questions, most of them revolving around the Boy-Who-Lived. As they wonder, little Harry is left in the hands of the Dursley's but he won't stay there for long. The world needs him and who is he to deny that call?
Disclaimer: I own nothing! I am merely playing with other people's toys, using them in my own twisted games. Anything you recognize most probably belongs to somebody else, except the plots, those are mine.
Dialogue Key:
"Blah…" – Talking in English
"Blah…" – Talking over radio/telephone/communicators
Blah… - Thoughts, emphasis, writing/e-mails, flashbacks/dreams, spells
Additional Notes: The story will follow parts of the anime, manga, and books for all of the series' involved and then it will take a steep nosedive away from canon.
Last Major Update: 06.09.2013 – Added about a page's worth of text to give the chapter a little more detail and corrected some minor typos.
Chapter 1:
Requiem for Peace
Rocks and dirt flew high in the sky as he was propelled across the ground. As soon as he slowed down he launched himself to his feet and dodged away from his landing spot, just barely managing to avoid the stream of gunfire aimed at him by ducking behind a nearby tree.
"That's not going to get you anywhere, you know!"
He scoffed at the sing-song tone his opponent adopted as the menace traipsed across the field, weapon swinging wildly as he seemed to casually explore the terrain. He wasn't fooled for an instant, if push came to shove he knew that gun could be up and firing in a split second. Leaning back against his cover he took a deep, steadying breath, gripped his pistol, and charged out firing with an almost frightening accuracy at his target.
Duo Maxwell wasn't fazed in the slightest.
Amethyst eyes sparkled in mirth as he dodged out of the way of the paint balls and made his own shot with a similar aim. Biting back a scowl, he only just managed to avoid the hit by jumping, using a small boulder as a launch-pad.
He didn't get very high but it was enough to avoid the hit that would have forced him out of their game.
The landing wasn't very smooth and he felt his knee, still recovering, protest at the awkward way he landed but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind and forced himself to move.
He felt like a mouse waging a miniature war with a panther and he absolutely hated how helpless it made him feel. Stifling a snarl he pushed against another boulder, missing another smattering of paint pellets, and hunkered down to take stock of the situation.
He was low on ammo, the last member on his team (of course the same could be said for Duo, so he was somewhat mollified), his injuries were starting to build upon each other and slowing him down, and his phone was ringing. Biting back a number of curses he fished in his pocket for the cell phone, unburying it from under his two ration bars.
For a second he fumbled with the touch screen before he managed to answer the call, all the while he flashed a mirror in Duo's direction signaling for a time-out.
Placing the speaker to his ear he answered with a stiff, "hello?"
As he waited for a response from whoever was on the other end Duo came around the rock, his weapon stowed away, and an eyebrow raised in question when he took note of the phone.
"If you're done playing games, Phantom, I have a job for the both of you…"
Garnet eyes narrowed and his back instinctually began to straighten at the familiar voice of their commander. He hadn't seen or heard from Lady Une in almost two months, ever since she had put him on medical leave. "Am I off leave then?"
The surprise his sometimes partner directed at him was quickly masked as Une spoke again with a tired tone, "if I had any control of the situation you would still be playing paintball with everyone for another month, unfortunately I don't. I want you all in my office in two hours!"
The line clicked as she gave an abrupt end to the call without a word of farewell. Rolling his eyes he hid the phone away in a side pocket of his cargo pants once more and turned to the braided agent practically teeming with curiosity.
"Well, Raven?"
"We have two hours to get back…" He didn't bother reminding him that they were at least three hours out from London HQ; Duo would get them there in time.
Exactly one hour and forty-five minutes later saw Duo skipping down the hallways of the Preventers main headquarters based in London, leading a slightly queasy looking Raven behind him.
"So, did I do it?"
Violet eyes, dancing with mirth, focused on his companion.
Shooting him a mild glare, Raven swept his long black hair back up in its leather band with a practiced hand. "No, but you came pretty close this time…" Pausing a moment, he considered how Duo would take that comment and hissed a low curse before quickly adding, "Don't do it again!"
Hands behind his head, he turned around to fully take in his partners slightly green face, "What I don't understand is how a pilot can get motion sickness in anything that doesn't fly!"
It had been a long-standing source of amusement for the thief and he made sure to bring it up whenever he ended up driving.
"Maybe it's just the way you drive…" Raven shot back with a huff.
"Please, I drive like a professional!"
He bit back a grin when he spotted the twitching in the brunet's right eye and caught the mumbled, "yeah, professional getaway driver!"
They bickered back and forth all the way to the fifth floor, where they stopped in front of a door that looked like it led to a broom closet. It was one of the ploys devised in case there was a breach in security. Each door and tag outside of the doors was incorrect. In fact, everyone made it a game to shuffle at least two tags to other doors in the building every day or so and try not to get caught. So far only Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Raven had managed it successfully each time.
The "broom closet" they stood before was in all actuality the office of the head of the Preventers: Lady Anne Une.
Sharing an amused look the two let themselves in without knocking, earning them a mildly annoyed stare from the secretary who was busy arranging some appointment over the phone. Without a word to them she gestured to the Commander's door and buzzed them in.
Without another look back, they both marched in, their postures automatically straightening in the presence of their boss who was staring them both down from behind her large aspen desk. The steady gaze didn't stop them from taking in their immediate surroundings, an in-grained habit thanks to the war.
Lady Une allowed them enough time to register the two escape points, one window to her left and the door behind them, as well as any likely weapons or places to hide weapons. Her oversized desk could obviously store at least two handguns, maybe even a shotgun if she preferred (she didn't). The two bookcases over her left shoulder also carried small handguns on the third and fifth shelves. Her seat was another good place to find a weapon; at least it would be, once she was done repairing it.
As they observed the over-the-top room with its lush neutral colored furnishings and her thick green and yellow rug with matching curtains, she looked them both over taking note of the patches of dirt and grass that still clung to their clothes. There was some paint splattered on their shoulders and legs but the amount suggested that they weren't actually hit. Hiding an amused smile behind one slightly folded hand she gestured for them to take a seat.
"It's nice to see you back in uniform, Harry."
Emerald orbs, masked behind wine-colored contacts narrowed for the briefest of moments at the use of his birth name before he sketched a short bow, his lips tilted in a sardonic smile.
"It's great to be back…"
Deciding to cut the idle chit-chat, Duo dropped into one of the six chairs in front of her desk, discarding his soldier persona with a huff.
"What's this all about, Une?"
Quirking an eyebrow she shuffled a few sheets of paper that still needed her signature and then pushed them to the side, there would be no beating around the bush with these two, "We'll get to that once the others get here."
Glancing around as if he expected them to pop out from behind the curtains or just climb through the windows (despite it being the fifth floor, it was entirely possible –at least with the two already before her), "Where are they anyways? I figured they would be here already seeing as we were the furthest out…"
Looking pointedly in Duo's direction, Une hid a small smirk behind her tented hands. "They'll be here shortly, they're escorting the reason I called you all in."
Before either of them could try and wheedle any more details out of her the door slipped open one more time to admit five other people into the large office.
Most of them were familiar faces but among them was a definite unknown. Duo straightened from his slouch while Harry leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles while he watched the dark-clad figure.
The first to enter was Heero Yuy, stoic as always or at least he would appear to be to the casual onlooker. To the three already in the room they could recognize the warm acknowledgement his gaze held for the two boys.
Following Heero was a short blond with brilliant blue eyes and an even brighter smile. Quatre Winner wasn't a full-time member of the Preventers, mainly because he headed WEI, but he still took cases in his spare time when he was needed.
On Quatre's right was Trowa Barton, part-time agent, part-time clown. Between his two jobs he traveled a lot but he always made time to relax with his friends. He was silent in the presence of the one they were escorting but he wasn't tense enough that Harry or Duo viewed him as a potential enemy; he was simply uncomfortable in the presence of the unknown man.
At their shoulders was the man they were meant to be escorting. He was a complete stranger, with the darkest glare Harry had ever seen. That didn't bother him though. No, what really set him on edge was the tint of magic he could feel edging the frigid aura he wrapped himself in.
Duo watched, undeniably curious, as Harry stiffened in the presence of this newcomer. There were a couple of reasons why but when he saw his partner bury all of his emotions behind a blank wall Duo lost any chance of figuring out which one it could be.
The last to enter was Wufei Chang; ever aloof he remained standing in front of the now closed door, eyes still trained on their guest. Like Harry he seemed to be on edge but his mask wasn't the same as their Raven's, Duo could make out a hint of distaste and maybe some contempt but he still couldn't pinpoint why.
Une ignored the behavior of her agents already somewhat aware of what was occurring. Instead she focused on the man positioned in front of her. Greasy chin-length black hair was swept away from his face to reveal the very real scowl he bore. Black eyes, just as dark as his hair, were narrowed on the obviously important woman before him trying to judge how best to begin this meeting.
Leaning back in her chair she decided not to give him that opportunity.
"Now that we're all here, this meeting can begin. Severus Snape, would you care to explain why you're asking for the help of the Preventers and just who it is you're asking for?"
And so begins a new story!
I know this chapter is a little short but it's an introduction of sorts and if I carried on any further it'd be difficult to find a good place to stop. By now you're probably wondering what's Harry doing in the Preventers or why is he so different? All in good time!
I hope you've enjoyed reading this so far, as I'm having a ball writing it! If you have any questions or comments leave a review or shoot me a PM!
Happy reading,
Fates Illusion
Next Chapter:
Chapter 2: Twist My Arm