Title: Thestrals

Author: Lady Akita

Rating: Story – R; Chapter – PG-13

Warnings: Wufei-centric, Adventure, Mystery, Mayhem, Wise-cracking Heero, etc...

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing AC/Endless Waltz are the property of Bandai, Sunrise and other large corporations both Japanese and American that have no idea I am writing this. I am making no money from this. My personal characters, those not from the TV show, are my property. As is the present storyline. Take it and die. "Thestrals" are the property of J.K. Roling and her Harry Potter franchise.

Summary: Sequel to Shinigami, Come Home. A beaten and almost thoroughly broken Chang Wufei is a Preventer Agent Third Class, unlike that of his former -fellow pilots, all of whom have risen to high ranking places within the organization. When he is partnered with smart-mouthed, devilish Preventer First Class Heero Yuy after being pulled from a six month assignment that has taken over his life, he finds himself being transported to the main colony of the L2 cluster where he is forced to find out just who he is able to trust. What he finds may force him to return to a life he thought he'd left behind forever.

Notes: To understand the background of this story, especially after Wufei and Heero arrive at L2, it is essential that you have read Shinigami, Come Home. Otherwise, you will find yourself lost and I'm not going to explain anything. Rupert Gelding, his secretary, and Lucifer are all my personal characters. Any similarities to any persons living or dead are merely coincidental. "Thestrals" are winged, horse-like creatures who are invisible to those who have not seen death and are visible by those who have.

Chapter One – Compound Misery

It wasn't up to him to question Une in anyway, she was the Commander after all, and he just a lowly Preventer Third Class. Lowly as in he hadn't earned the right to a fancy title like the majority of his social circle. But even his normally stoic, expressionless mask had to drop when she just pulled him out of the assignment she'd placed him with six-months ago. To send him to L2 none the less, a colony cluster that 'Commander' Rupert Gelding had turned in a complete 180 from where it had been prior to the post-Alliance/Oz/White Fang days.

As soon as he was back inside his 'office', one of dozens of cubicles on the main office floor of Preventer Headquarters, he allowed himself to feel a bit of his relief for the simple fact that Une hadn't tired to pip him a new one for questioning her. Though he was enough of a man to admit that perhaps 'questioning' was putting it far too mildly. Perhaps 'ranting and raving' would be a better, more accurate way of phrasing it.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and moved to his desk chair, absently avoiding the large pile of boxes, all full of back files he had been logging through, automatically straightening the photograph that Ermine, the agent next-door, kept jarring. He also noted that the tree-plant that had been a gag-gift from Evans needed to be watered again before he sat down at his cluttered desk.

He had to resist the overwhelming temptation to drop his head to his hands, but he managed to push to temptation away in order to start working on a summary of his conclusions thus far of a case that had become his life these last months. He only had a few hours until he had to report for his shuttle and the files, along with his work and the summary had to be to his replacement agent prior to that or he'd have even more trouble falling around his ears.

"Yo, Chang! Still swamped?" Agent Mercy, aka Charles Evans, laughed as he stuck his head into the cubicle. "That's too bad, looks as though you'll be here forever!"

Behind Evans, he could hear the rest of, what he called, the 'Laugh Pack' chuckling along with Evan's and his comments. It took what was left of his resolve to refrain from doing anything stupid, like killing or otherwise injuring Evans and his buddies. He didn't need Une or the rest of the Board thinking he lived up to what they thought of him. And they all believed that he was blind and otherwise unknowing to the rumors that circulated around him and his past experiences.

Instead, he continued on with his work without a word to Evans, now transferring what data files he had on the case into a folder with the summary so that it all could be sent off together. He'd grab a rookie or two to lug the boxes to wherever they were needed. It was too bad Une hadn't reassigned the assignment to Evans. Watching him fail with flying colors would have been beautiful. Though having it sent to Trekton would be just as amusing.

"What is this, Chang? Cat got your tongue?" Evans taunted.

He turned from his desk to glare at Evans. "I don't have time for you today Evans. Get lost." He watched, more amused than threatened when Evans' face began to turn a dark shade of red.

"There a problem here Chang." A new voice broke in. It was Heero Yuy, dressed in civilian gear. Wufei noted that the question wasn't really a question when he shook his head.

"No Yuy, nothing I haven't handled before."

"Really?" Evans asked with a smirk, his coloring returning to normal now that he was so sure that Heero Yuy was going to lay into Chang. "Are you implying something about your superior agent, Chang?"

"No, merely a higher ranking agent, Mercy." Heero drawled. "In experience alone, Chang's got three-fourths of this building outclassed. Especially you and your friends. That's not even mentioning that he's forgotten more about this job than you'll ever know." Evan's face was back to that splendid color of crimson as he stared at Heero in shock. He'd been expecting Yuy to light into Chang for insulting a higher ranking agent. Heero just smirked at his expression. "Best get lost Mercy, before I decide to hand out overtime to you freeloaders."

Evans face darkened at the remark as he glared at Heero before turning away. The agents knew better than to attempt anything with Agent Cold. The last agent was still healing his broken bones from his 'training session' with the former Wing Pilot. But Evans sent a warning glare to Wufei before he disappeared behind one of the other cubicles. Wufei rolled his eyes at the threat, knowing that if anything or anyone attacked him, they'd end up in worse shape than if Heero got a hold of them. Chang Wufei wasn't the best trained martial artist in the building after all.

With Evans gone, Wufei turned his gaze to Heero, who was looking around the crowded space with thinly veiled surprise. Wufei's expression turned almost pained as he watched the First Class Agent take in the boxes, plant, photo and clutter. Normally the small space would have been regulation clean, but with the case he'd been on, Wufei had had no time to clean or organize the space.

"Une hasn't moved you to an office yet?" He was asked.

Wufei didn't try to hold back the snort. "Only Second Class and higher ranking agents have offices Yuy. You know as well as everyone else in this damnable building that I'm a Third Class Agent." He kept his tone polite, but harsh, hoping the other agent would leave so he could finish his work. "If you don't mind Yuy, I've been reassigned and I've paperwork to finish before my shuttle."

"Our shuttle." Heero corrected absently, stepping into the cubicle and taking the photograph off of the wall. It was a photograph of the five Gundam Pilots that Sally Po had taken at one of the celebration parties after the reinstatement of the ESUN government. It was one of his most fond memories, depicting a time when he and the other pilots had been on the same level; when he had believed that he had found a family that he could actually put his trust in. He had another copy of it sitting on his bedside table back in his quarters elsewhere in the building. Whenever he couldn't sleep, or the stress of life and the job got to him, he'd take it out and stare at the five young men, just entering their twenties, who had been at the top of the world. The carefree smiles on Duo's and Quatre's faces, the knowing grin and smirk on Trowa's and his respectively and the devilish smirk on Heero's often helped calm him. Often it would also remind him of a time when there was still hope for him in the world, though he had relatively little of it now.

"I remember that party well." Heero remarked. "We were almost a family." Wufei cringed at the world 'almost'. "Too bad time and bureaucrats stepped in." Heero ran a light finger over the frame before hanging it back on the wall. Then he turned to Wufei.

There was a noticeable shift in the other man's demeanor when he turned to face Wufei, and he couldn't help tensing, waiting for a snide comment or reprimand. What he got surprised him and caused the faint hope left in his heart to flair.

"I'll have a long talk with Une when we get back from L2 Wufei. It's high time that you were recognized for what you've done and respected for your skills." Heero stated, nonchalant. "Until then, we've a job to complete." He held a small object out to him and Wufei recognized it as a data-ring immediately. Data-rings were used only for the topmost top-secret information, which he knew well enough because he wore one on his right hand that contained all of his personal data, files and musings.

"This contains our mission specs. Une swears that she forgot to give it to you." Heero rolled his eyes. "We have a private cabin on the shuttle, so you'll have a chance to go over it in detail there. We have an escort to the shuttleport leaving from the main entrance at 0600. Anything you want to add?"

"No sir." He said, barely managing to hold back a scowl.

"Not 'sir'. Heero or Yuy, Wufei." Heero sighed. "I've a few things to do prior to lift off. I'll meet you in the lobby at 0545 for the escort."

He nodded. "Of course..Yuy."

Heero nodded in return and left, though Wufei could hear him muttering something along the lines of, "A very long talk with that bitch."

As soon as Heero Yuy had left, Chang Wufei gave a silent curse and finally let himself give into his earlier desire. As he cradled his head in his hands, the new data-ring gleamed obscenely from his left hand.

End Chapter 1