Chapter 7: The Eye of the Storm
The next day dawned with a bright red sun and a partially clouded sky. Over the forest that surrounded the tiny outcrop of house, that seemed rather small and insignificant to the large brick hotel connected alongside it, sunlight tried with meager results to pierce both the gray obstruction of clouds and the immense foliage below it. The end result was cochlear mixture of color that flittered along the forest floor like fairies welcoming the day. And although the house had been constructed with main sleeping rooms towards the East, the hotel blocked in any and all morning light. This however, did not keep the five trained men within the house walls from waking on time, a life learned lesson and habit so unbreakable that none of them had so much as thought to disturb the schedule. Thus the former gundam pilots woke and went about their separate morning routines as normally as possible in a new area.
Heero woke immideately at five in the morning, sun or not. The perfect soldier was at once alert and extremely aware of his situation. He was not in the dorms at Preventer HQ and the smell of utter cleanliness and bleach had been removed and replaced with that of a wet, moist, humid, and musky scent that Heero would later identify as both the natural odors of the mats in the house and the bamboo outside it. A warm body curling into his side caused him to stiffen for only a few seconds before the scent of well washed steel and his boyfriend reached his nose. Heero relaxed and turned his head to gaze at his lover. He sat up slowly and turned his upper body towards Duo and began run his hands through the long bangs upon the other teen's forehead.
Duo sighed and opened his violet eyes slowly. When he became a bit more coherent and was able to see Heero after blinking the sand from his eyes, Duo smiled. The smile was not the long-haired teen's large and obnoxious happy-smile, but rather a small genuine smile that went perfectly with the shadowed eyes of his past. It was this smile that called to Heero, the secret smile that Duo presented to only one other person, Father Maxwell. With slow movements and controlled grace, the Wing pilot bent to tease the boy's mouth below his, pressing a soft warm kiss to his partner's before nibbling gently at the corner of Duo's mouth. The violet eyes closed and the smaller teen groaned, opening his mouth to allow the tongue licking at the seam of his lips in. What commenced was not a battle of dominance, nor did escalate an intense heat. It was a very sweet and loving kiss, which assured both teens of the other's love and commitment. The kiss ended with a contented sigh from Duo as Heero pulled away to rest his head at the crook of his lover's neck, breathing that singular scent known as Duo, along with the scent of steel, from the many weapons that the boy carried upon his person all day and night, the exception only when the two slept together. They held each other and drifted back into a sea of bare consciousness, the known factor of no missions or HQ disturbances leaving both teens with nothing better to do.
In the room across the hall, Quatre and Trowa woke simultaneously. The taller man lay partially on top and curled tightly around his smaller companion, hugging the blonde to him like a child squeezing their favorite toy in their sleep. To some the positions might seem odd- that a man as tall as Trowa had yet to suffocate the smaller teen in his sleep seemed surreal. But because of his training, Quatre easily withstood the weight of his boyfriend as they slept, using his body heat as a second blanket (for the tiny blonde was easily susceptible to the cold nights anywhere). Trowa on the other hand, had an almost animal-like attitude during the moments where he let his guard down, and many of those moments happened during his sleep. Every night the tall teen would sleep lying prostrate and stiff next to his companion. Only when he was sure that Quatre had fallen asleep did the auburn haired man allow himself to relax. During his fourth cycle of sleep, right before REM, Trowa's instinct would lead him to turn and wrap the tiny body next to his into his arms. Quatre figured the idea was similar to how a wolf protects a pregnant mate, usually wrapped around them or laying guard at the front of the den. And even in the new environment of the hotel Trowa still managed to maneuver their bodies with Quatre against the wall, and Trowa's back against the door, so that in the case of an attack, Trowa would be hit first as well was be in the better position to reach under the pillow for his gun and shoot, while knocking Quatre to the side of the bed for a more solid shield. It was the moments like those, waking up to see Trowa wrapped tightly around him, that Quatre felt the love for his boyfriend well up from deep within his tiny body, almost spilling over in tears. That instinctual protective and loving embrace that Trowa's body conducted on its own without the conscious mind truly making the decision was a moment of absolute truth for the young men. At the moment of their wake, both teens blinked away the dust in their eyes and smiled at the other. Their surroundings were taken in with a quick glance around the room before Quatre leaned over to capture Trowa's lips in a small but loving gesture. The taller teen quickly deepened it and turned Quatre onto his back, moving his own body to pin the smaller man down. Quatre almost groaned, but chocked in surprised when Trowa quickly tickled his side. The blonde glared balefully at the man above him.
Trowa grinned. "If you want to continue uninterrupted then this game will have to be played silently, my little one."
Quatre almost moaned again at the implications, but was quickly hushed by Trowa's mouth. The young blonde couldn't help but let loose a tiny whimper.
"Well, I suppose that means we will have to change the rules a bit." Trowa said when he pulled away. Quatre almost cried when the other man stood up and walked across the rooms to their bags. Instead, the blonde lay on the futon, panting and trying to get his raging erection under control. A sudden hand stroking his member caused Quatre to gasp in surprise, and his eyes widened when a balled up bandana was stuffed into his mouth, another one quickly being tied around his head to keep it in place. The blonde shivered and looked at Trowa with lust filled dark blue eyes.
"There is one more for your hands if you even think about trying to untie the gag." Trowa said with a sadistic smirk before continuing to kiss his way down his lovers' milky skin. Quatres' groans were stifled by the obstruction in his mouth and his eyes rolled back into his head as his boyfriend pulled delightful shivers of pleasure from his body.
No matter how well Trowa could stifle his and his lover's sounds of pleasure, the insistent rocking noises against the floor through the thick futon managed to rouse Wufei from his bed, grumbling the entire time. He had awoken at roughly the same moment as the others had, but was willing to lie in bed and consider his options for the coming months of leave. He supposed he could learn a bit more about Japanese life, since he had yet to truly comprehend the lifestyle outside of his ancient Chinese morals and militant years. Unlike Heero, Wufei had not been trained to be a killing machine. His studies in life focused on becoming the perfect soldier with a taste for Justice and perhaps a bit of vengeance. Heero was a man who in the past would willing listen to orders from a machine and carried them out with deadly precision. He neither questioned nor doubted the objective of the missions or what they would achieve. He was raised a mindless killing machine, and for almost a year Wufei had believed him incapable of having emotions or a heart. And then Duo had banged his way into the soldier's life, literally, shooting him twice upon their first meeting. Wufei smiled at the story of how the two met. The American had been able to rip off Heero's shell and disintegrate his emotionless façade. It had almost driven the Japanese man insane, but Duo had been there to pick up the pieces and rearrange them to create a mosaic so unique, that now no one could doubt that Heero was a human being, though stoic and stiff most of the time. In the end Heero had drawn them all together, Duo had been the glue that made them stick, Quatre had the means to make their lives more convenient, and of course where Quatre was Trowa went. So where did he fit in?
Wufei snorted. He had no clue. But he could tell you where it got him- Right next to a room with very thin walls where stifled sounds of pleasure and vibrations along the ground that reached outward from its inner room. So there he was, up at dawn once again, getting dressed in a light weight, loose, black tank top and flowing white meditation pants, tied at the top with a sewn in string, and quickly hurrying from his room as silently as possible, knocking on Heero and Duo's door to let them know he was heading out. Quatre or Trowa would make breakfast later, or Duo would call for it and Wufei knew better than to try creating food after he had burnt the toast…and set the second floor west dormitory kitchen on fire. He accomplished nothing but tea and he only made that for certain occasions. So his only options were to wait in the living area for someone to call or make food (since Wufei refused to speak to anyone in the hotel without at least calming down), or he could travel outside and meditate somewhere. The hostess had said that the gardens for these rooms were magnificent. Perhaps it was time to prove that theory with practical evidence he himself would collect.
Wufei slid the doors leading to the large garden open, stepping through them quietly and landing on a wooden porch, before sliding the doors closed. The garden was a combined sea grasses and forest flowers with a few currant bushes and long grass clusters shuffled along a stone path that led upwards along the mountain side and surrounded by a thick crop of bamboo, of which stray stalks had been cut away and removed so as not to overpower the softness and variety of the garden structure. He walked along the main path before branching off to follow a set of large stones leading around one of the largest koi ponds within the bamboo circle of the garden. His reason for doing so was perhaps the unerring fact that the side path was one of two that came with a foot of the bamboo fence. Wufei knelt along the rocks, his toes bent almost in half by the crouch, but his body flexible and well balanced as a dancer, kept him from falling over. He inspected the electrical wire that ran throughout the long green stalks and frowned in contemplation. The design of such a fence usually included at least three to four electric wires: one near bottom, a second at thigh height, a third at elbow level, and a fourth wire at about five feet off the ground is the buyer was paranoid enough to buy the extra wire and have it placed so far in the air. The fourth wire didn't matter as much and the other three, and what had caught the Chinese teen's attention was the fact that lowest wire, the ground level one, meant to knock out a seven year old child, or in most cases to hinder the advancement of grown adults seeking treasures beyond the fence, was missing. It might have been a mistake in the set up, but Wufei doubted that the prestigious hotel at which the five teens were stationed would have made such a tactical error on their part, especially if one considered the advanced security systems just within the entrance way and lobby.
With a raised eyebrow, Wufei stood quickly and set himself a mental note to ask Ms. Miyazawa about the fence later and perhaps inform her of the missing wire. The Chinese man took a sweeping look across the garden, his black eyes pausing to rest on some of the more colorful flowers and plants, such as the white and pink lotus that rose elegantly from the garden floor to stare haughtily up at the sky as if demanding the oncoming clouds to part and allow the rays of the sun to drench them. Or the Yuki Yanagi, whose twisted stems reached outward towards the path and Wufei amused himself with the idea of the white branches coming to life and reaching out to snap at his slippers. He shook his head.
"I'm starting to catch some sort of psychological disease from that American." He said with a scowl.
Wufei glanced back at the sky and noticed the every darkening dawn as the grey clouds moved ominously through the red depths.
"I don't think anyone will be hiking today." He glanced at the mountain path heading upward and then back at the house where the two couples had yet to remove themselves from their beds. "Exploring never hurt me. The worst to come would be getting drenched while returning." With that thought the curious boy began a brisk walk up the stone pathway.
Eventually the stones began to lengthen in distance from each other before dwindling to nothing but a dirt path. The sound of bubbling water reached his ears, and he sped up his pace, a little eager to be seeing a natural hot spring. He walked through an entrance of tsutsuji of all colors, gaily tickling the bottom of his pants, while the bamboo overhead drooped in a sort of natural arch under the weight of the heavy leaves at their tops, unable to be trimmed because of their height. Only a few feet from such a grand entrance, and Wufei stood looking at an outcropping of rocks with a small spring lying within their depths. The steam and scents of the plant life gave the Chinese man a feeling of such utter peace, that he had almost changed his mind about going back just so he could strip and feel the warmth of the healing waters on his war beaten body. However, it was going to rain soon, and although the spring was warm, there was still a chance of him catching a cold if he was to mix within the two different temperatures of the tepid water and the freezing rain.
Giving an uncharacteristic sigh, he turned to move back towards the house when something in the water caught his eye. A dark shape seemed to be getting larger under the thin film of the waters' surface. Wufei stepped back until his body was shadowed with the help of a few large bamboo stalks. He watched in shock as the black shape broke the water in a graceful movement, to reveal a man.
Wufei, being a raised soldier studied the intruder thoroughly. He was small, probably about the size of Quatre, with almost the same body build as well, slender, but not lacking in a good size of muscles. His raven hair fell in a wet mess down his back only to disappear into the water, but if Wufei took an educated guess we would assume that the man had the same length of hair as Duo. The Chinese man narrowed as he tried to get a look at what seemed an assortment of scars on the man's chest when a flicker on top of the strangers head caught his attention instead. Wufei almost fell backwards in shock. Ears? Similar to a fox because they were too large to be a cats and too wide for a dogs. He watched, caught in some sort of spell as the ears moved of their own accord. They were real?! He stopped that train of thought immediately. That was not right. Where did my analytical skills go? Probably out the door alongside a certain man with a braid. Wufei thought bitterly. I should go cut it off. When Heero isn't around. Or alive. Yeah. I'll leave Maxwell alone for now while the perfect soldier is occupying the same country.
Suddenly one of the ears swiveled within seconds towards Wufei's hiding place. The intruder's head turned just a quickly and piercing emerald eyes stabbed at Wufei's heart.
"Wo cao!" whispered Wufei in a state of absolute awe as he stared back at those eyes from the shadows. Then there was a burst of wind so strong that Wufei had to close his eyes lest a foreign object get caught and damage them. When it stopped he lowered the arm he had raised to fend off some of the wind from his face, and looked over at the spring. There was no one there. He quickly scanned the area and felt a shiver of fright run down his spine. There were no wet foot prints on the rocks, and the water was eerily still, as if no one had occupied them that day. What was most disturbing for the Chinese solider was the fact that the strong wind that had blown through the bamboo encompassed hot spring chamber had created to debris. The flowers were in perfect shape, just as they were when he had entered, and the bamboo looked untouched. With a calculating look he turned and walked back down the path, trying to work out if he had truly seen something unreal or if he truly had gotten the crazies from Maxwell.
"Fucking shit!" Mamoru cursed. "What are my brains made of? The arse of a horse? How the bloody hell did I not sense him!" The small man flowed through the forest naked, cursing all the while, sometimes speaking in different languages if he ran out of things to say in others. Finally he reached the shrine and entered the protective circle of stones. He relaxed immediately, allowing the ancient magic to wash over him, welcoming him back to his home for over a good few centuries now.
"Sssaleen?" He called out. The garden snake untangled from her camoflouge among the bamboo and slithered along the leaves until she reached one that lay hanging over the shrine roof. She dropped gently onto the tiles and gazed at Mamoru with unfathomable black eyes.
"Yesss masssster?" She answered.
"How isss the hunt?"
"Much better now that the el-lick-table thing hasss been removed. More prey hasss chosssen to return to the area around the ssspring. I have managed to sssatiate my ssstomach with a wondering mousssse."
"That isss good, and it isss 'electrical' not el-lick-table." Said Harry. "I have encountered a human today for the firssst time in asss many asss two centuriesss." The kitsune began to pace between the shrine and the entrance rocks.
"Ssso? You have ssseen them before. You even went lassst night to inssspect the hotel."
Mamoru growled. "This was different." He whipped around the stare at her. "The human… he wasss able to sssee me." Seeing that Saleen had no idea why that was important, he continued. "Humansss ssshould be unable to sssee me at all, essspecially when I am sssso clossse to the family ssshrine. Magical beingsss and Ssspiritual beingsss may be able to detect my presssence and pinpoint my location in a room if I am far enough from the ssshrine and not paying attention. But to sssee me isss almost unbelievable. But he wasss ssstanding there! Ssstaring sstraight at me!" Mamoru let out a random hiss of anger. "How isss that! How isss it that a human hasss ssseen me? One who I am sssure carries no magical nor ssspiritual power?!" He ranted out, knowing the Saleen would not have an answer for him. His tirade had been spoken so fast that Saleen had a hard time discerning the sounds of parseltongue that were rolling from the messenger's mouth. Still, she understood the gist of it, but was useless in the area of knowledge that her master needed. So she wisely kept quiet, watching Mamoru stand quietly as he calmed himself once again.
His ears perked up and his tails twitched before he turned to look at Saleen with a contemplative expression gracing his face. "Not that it isn't a bad thing. The man probably believes himself insane and me a figment of his imagination. But still," and here Mamoru frowned, "for there to be a mortal with the all seeing eyes is disturbing especially one without any manifested power. Ah well." He waved his hand has if tossing aside an annoying fly.
"Forget that for now. We have more important things to accomplish." He gave the snake a small grin. "I believe it is time to reintroduce ourselves to this year's hotel employee's ne?" The snake gave a hissing laugh and quickly slithered onto Mamoru's arm when he reached out for her. The kitsune ran on swift winds to the large brick building. He paused for a moment within the roiling clouds, sensing for any mortal with an ounce of power. There was a Catholic priest within the lower left wing of the hotel, but he had not the power nor the care to search for evil while on vacation. Smirking, Mamoru fled swiftly down into the crowd. The humans could neither see no sense him. There were a few who did wear certain amulets or signs to ward off evil, the usual superstitious group, but Mamoru avoided them anyways. Touching a holy protection usually disrupted his spells and allowed a few people with a small bit of inherited power to be able to see him, if only for a few seconds.
He noted that it was almost lunch time and eagerly fled into the cafeteria. He called the winds to darken the sky with the soot colored clouds. His emerald eyes becomes slits as he grinned, showing off very pearly white and shiny fangs, his kitsune side bringing out the more mischievous part of him. He snapped his fingers and watched with glee as the lights flickered before going out completely. There were a few screams, but mainly just a lot of hushed whispers. Figures, Mamoru frowned. They probably thought it was lightning. Ah well, more the surprise then when…
The lights suddenly flashed back on and people screamed before running from the cafeteria in a panic. Women fainted left and right, and children cried loudly, afraid because their parents were. Many people even began to puke after seeing the new items on their plates. The hotel attendants were shouting for order and for people to calm down, but it truly was a gruesome sight, causing quite a few of the uniformed men to go white. One even passed out.
Mamoru laughed at his crude joke. Upon every plate being eaten from was an assortment of insects, blood, and human body parts. One woman, who had yet to touch her meal when the lights had gone out, had received a full human head with gouged out eyes. Ah, fox fire illusions were the best. They seemed so realistic when Mamoru thought about it, especially after witnessing an elderly man withdraw a severed and half chewed finger from his mouth before screaming like a girl and pissing himself. The smell of puke, bile, piss, and even feces finally drew a frown to Mamoru's face. Gross. Couldn't people control themselves?
He snapped his fingers again and the lights flickered back off and on in a blink, the illusion disappearing just as quickly, leaving nothing but food on the plates (or the ground for those who had knocked the hideous scene away from themselves). There was a moment of complete silence before a woman shrieked, demanding answers. The banshee was like the bell of a fight, setting the other hotel inhabitants to start picking themselves up and cleaning up as much as possible before storming through the lobby towards the reference desk and the manager's office.
Those who had not been within the cafeteria at the time look at the mob with confused eyes, until a woman, who could barely control herself, began the gossip mill. Mamoru laughed as within forty minutes every single visitor to the hotel had heard of the outrageous scene on the lobby floor, most of them very farfetched from what had actually happened.
The kitsune floated on air and giggled as he heard a man tell his wife that he had heard from his neighbor who had overheard his son talking on the phone with his girlfriend that someone had told him about there being zombies in the cafeteria. It was a grand moment. Humans were just so fun to mess with. And although it wasnt in his nature to be so grotesque, Mamoru believed that by strategically making a grand entrance the mortals would be one edge and all they would need after that is some random occurence or coincedence to send most of them packing. Hopefully he wouldnt have to intervene for a while now. With that thought, Mamoru flickered out of existence, traveling back on the winds towards the shrine, thinking of even more awesome tricks to accomplish on the mortals residing too close to his home.
Almost there. I promised to try and get at least eight chapters in before the end of the year. Let's see if I can keep to it.
I would like some feed back on the story and my writing please. And I am considering writing in the rest of the Trowa/Quatre sex scene... still undecided on that one yet.
I replaced the chapter titles in the scroll bar with the actual chapter titles rather than just numbers.
Cheers.
~Kitara Kujin
