Disclaimer: This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

Thank you to everybody who reviewed this story.
A special Thank You to Kt for beta reading.

Quiet Man Cometh: thank you for your review. Any kind of feedback is always greatly appreciated. I think you won't be disappointed when the storyline swings back to Treize and Milliardo. So, bare with my introduction of the other characters just a little longer :) Thanks again for reading and for commenting.

Blood Ties

Chapter 10

Quatre was being chased by a headless body. He wasn't sure why the corpse was after him until he realized he was holding it's severed head in his hands. Terrified he dropped the bloody body part. As it hit the ground, a pair of sightless eyes fluttered open. Quatre tried to scream but no sound came from his mouth. Suddenly the head burst into flames...

Sweat drenched and trembling the young man woke from his nightmare. Beside him the bed was empty. After driving him home Trowa had left without a word. Quatre had not tried to stop him.

Watching the blades of the large, ornate ceiling fan turn slowly above his head, the young man spent a few minutes trying to calm his franticly beating heart. He still wasn't absolutely sure what had surprised him more about the incident on his way home from work, the attack itself or the violent ferocity with which Trowa...Triton had reacted.

Somehow Quatre had always known that Triton was more than just your average demon, but he had never imagined how powerful and fierce... and possibly dangerous he truly could be..

His ability to sense demons and otherworldly creatures had steadily grown over the years, and with it his thirst to learn more about them and everything magical. At first he had had only his mother's diary, and her books that had been stored away in a large trunk in the attic. But once he started working at Howard's he suddenly found himself surrounded by a nearly limitless supply of reading material and information. He sometimes borrowed books or read them at work. But more often than not he bought them when he thought them interesting enough to be read more than once. Those books were added to the pile in the attic, until even the trunk eventually became too small to hold them. In an effort to make some more room Quatre finally decided to look through the whole pile and perhaps take some of the books back to Howard's store. As he shuffled around leather bound first editions along with paperbacks the young man had came across a small pouch made from soft leather and decorated with tiny beads and pearls. When he checked it he had found it contained a collection of semi precious stones, rocks and crystals. Remembering what he had read about the use of crystals and rocks in rites, spells and rituals he wondered what his mother might have been doing with them.

With the idea of checking them more thoroughly later Quatre had taken the pouch downstairs into his room, tossed it under his bed and forgot all about them... until one day he had found his sister cleaning up his room when he came back from a jog at the park.

::: Begin feedback:::

"What are you doing in here, Damya?"

"What does it look like?" His sister, hands at hips, almost glared at him. "You know it wouldn't kill you if you would pick up after yourself, every once in a while. Or at least bring your dirty clothes down to the laundry room."

Using two fingers she picked up a pair of socks from under his desk and tossed them into the laundry hamper she was carrying.

"Wait, take this one, too." Quatre told her, as he pulled his sweaty t-shirt over his head before heading toward the bathroom to take a shower. "Thanks."

Suddenly Quatre noticed the little leather pouch on his writing desk. Wait a second!

"Did you put that bag there?"

"Yep. I found it under your bed, along with a plate of something that looked like a science project gone terribly wrong. Where did you get it?"

"Found it in the attic amongst mom's things. Why?"

Damya smiled softly. "I gave her that pouch one year for Mother's Day. We made it in arts class in school. I had no idea she had kept it."

"Oh yeah, I remember now." Her brother smiled as well. "She was so proud of you when you gave it to her, and told everyone how good a job you had done. I wanted her to be proud of me too. So I gave her something we made in wood-working class."

"Yes, I remember that too. It was a neck tie holder."

Both siblings burst into laughter at the memory.

Then Quatre grew serious.

"I still miss her."

"I know. We all do." His sister ruffled his hair. "Say, Cat did you put those rocks and gems into the bag?"

"No, they were in there when I found it."

"Strange. I was looking at some of them. There is Quartz, Tourmaline and Amazonite... Quatre," she looked up at him. "Did you know many of those rocks are believed to have certain powers. In fact I believe in the middle ages some people thought they could be used for magic rituals."

"Amazonite - used for healing and to dispel negative energy...Black Tourmaline - protects from black magic and negative energy...Quartz- amplifies and focuses energy..." she explained as she separated some of the stones from the rest. "Amethyst - protects and shifts energy... Hematite enhances concentration and focus... Fluorite - helps finding truth that has been concealed..."

"What are you saying; that our Mother was some kind of witch." Quatre asked tongue in cheek, even though that idea had started to cross his mind of late. "That would surely explain a few things about this family."

Slapping her little brother on the back of the head Damya shook her head.

"Quatre Raberba Winner, you are such a smartass..."

"I know." He smiled at her sweetly. "But you love me anyway."

His sister gave a huff of fake exasperation.

"Anyway," she said. "Crystals, minerals and rocks are also used in healing and metaphysical rituals. Maybe mom was into meditation and yoga, not witchcraft and spells ?"

"I can see that. I'm sure she didn't get a lot of peace and quiet with the whole bunch of us around."

::: End Flashback:::

After this conversation his mother's pouch went back into the attic, but never truly left his mind. Quatre started to read up on the power of crystals and gems and their different uses. His sister was right; many of them were said to balance and rejuvenate the physical body as well as the mind, or were simply tokens of good luck or enlightenment. But he also found other purposes.

Amazonite could be used for healing and to dispel negative energy...Black Tourmaline to protect from black magic and negative energy...Quartz- amplified and focused energy...Amethyst protected and shifted energy... Hematite enhanced concentration and focus... Fluorite helped finding truth that has been concealed... and most all of those could be used in one way or another in the enhancement of spells.

So, Quatre wondered, had his mother just believed in the practice of alternative medicine, or was she a practitioner of far darker and more controversial arts. Could this have anything to do with his strange 'powers'? He was determined to find out.

Quatre couldn't remember if it was at around that time, or somewhat later that he started to notice a presence near him that seemed more than just a random occurrence. At first, the young man had to admit, he had found the idea of an invisible stalker somewhat unnerving. But he could sense no malice or aggression from the presence. Still, he was more than just a little curious why a demon would choose to follow him around like a lost, little puppy dog. There was really no way to know for sure...unless he asked.

So, how does one have a conversation with a creature, that doesn't even seem to be part of this world? Well first of all, Quatre figured, it would help to be in the same room, or at least the same dimension. If he could bring the presence out into the open he was sure he could find some way of communication.

For several weeks Quatre spent more time than ever with his nose buried in texts about demons and summoning rituals. Unfortunately most of these books were rather vague on the subject. It seemed they were mostly written in a time when 'magic' was considered 'cool', after shows like Charmed and Buffy and books like Harry Potter had created countless wannabe witches and warlocks.

He did find one book though, in a section of the store that was off-limit to most customers. It certainly had seen better times. The pages were yellowed and frail, some had come loose and a couple were missing. A few of them even showed signs of teeth marks from a mouse or other little rodent. The book looked old, it was handwritten...in Latin, (For the first time in his life Quatre was glad his father insisted on him learning what he always had considered a dead and boring language.) and included a detailed pencil drawing of what seemed to be a summoning circle. He recognized a pentagram in the center of two circles and several crystals or stones arranged between its points.

Knowing that Howard might not allow him to take the book home Quatre had managed to sneak it out of the store in his backpack, run it through his father's office scanner, and slip it back into its place in the store shelf the next day, without anyone ever knowing.

It took him nearly two weeks to translated the manuscript, but when he was done he had a good understanding of the summoning basics, and was almost certain he would be able to pull it off.

:::Begin Flashback:::

On a Saturday near the end of summer Quatre climbed up into the attic to retrieve the bag with his mother's gems and crystals, and slipped it into his backpack along with the other items mentioned in the book. Grabbing a beach towel from the linen closet on his way downstairs, he announced that he was going to go down to the lake.

The lake, actually more like a pond, was located on the furthest region of the Winner property. It was large enough to sustain a good population of fish, and the water clean enough to swim in, but it was barely used anymore since the large new swimming pool was much closer to the house. Quatre could be sure that he wasn't going to be disturbed.

The young man found himself a patch of soil in the shadow of an oak tree, probably as old as the land itself. He hesitated briefly before dumping the contents of his backpack onto the ground. Kneeling down he placed the printout of the summoning circle within reach and secured it with a fist-sized rock. His fingers searched for the silver letter opener he had 'borrowed' from his father's desk set. The book said, although the circle could be drawn with anything, precious metals helped to amplify it's energy.

The young man hesitated again, questioning for just one moment if he really should be doing this. Demons, spells magic... a few years ago he would have laughed about it all. And even today, after everything he had seen and learned he still wasn't sure how much of it he truly believed. Was it really possible for someone like him to perform a rite like this? It was curiosity more than anything else that had prompted him to give it a try.

Carefully Quatre drew the circles, leaving only about an inch or so of the outer circle open, then the pentagram; using a compass to ensure that all five elemental peaks, fire, earth, water, spirit and air, pointed into the right directions. He placed the quartz pieces into the center to amplify and focus the circle's energy and used Amethysts and Black Tourmaline for protection. He surrounded himself with Hematite to enhance his own concentration and after one last deep breath he closed his eyes, cleared his mind and waited.

It didn't take long before Quatre could feel the familiar demonic aura approaching. It's presence became slowly stronger. When he was sure the demon had entered the binding circle he quickly completed the drawing. Instantly he could feel something happening. A gust of wind, strong enough to blow away the paper printout and his towel, flared up. The sky darkened as though the sun was suddenly covered by heavy clouds. Quatre couldn't tell for sure; he did not dare open his eyes and break his concentration. He could feel the demon trying to break the circle. But it was no physical battle. More like a tug-o-war- of minds.

Brows narrowed in concentration as Quatre whispered quietly:

"Show yourself, Demon, and submit!"

The wind blew stronger, the resistance increased. Something like a giant dark shadow spread in front of his mind's eye. It startled Quatre for a moment. His attention faltered and he almost lost his connection to the demon.

No! he shook his head and suddenly his concentration was back.

"Show yourself, Demon, and submit!" he demanded again, as the book had told him to.

The wind was howling now. He had to brace himself against its fury. The shadows changed in shape and size, shifting from one form to another in an enormous display of power.

But Quatre, determined now not to lose this battle, pushed back with his own force. Eventually the resistance seemed to fade a little. He took it as a sign that it was time to complete the binding.

"Show yourself...TRITON!"

All the power, all the sensations had suddenly merged into one thought, one word in his mind. He wasn't sure how and why, but he instantly knew it was the demon's name.

The wind died down, the clouds vanished as sudden as they had appeared. Slowly, cautiously Quatre opened his eyes and gasped. Before him, only a couple of feet away stood a striking, young man about his age, with brown hair that partially covered his handsome face and eyes the color of emeralds.

Do demons wear blue jeans?

"Did I startle you?"

"No...yes... I mean, actually you surprised me rather. I was expecting something more...umm demonic and unsightly, to tell the truth."

"No, you didn't." Triton replied calmly.

Quatre frowned, and suddenly realized the young man...demon, was right. Strangely enough. Even after having felt the creature's immense power he wasn't frightened. He still could not sense any evil from the demon nor any ill will toward him.

"But...How?!"

The ghost f a smile crossed Triton's face.

"I appeared just the way you imagined me. You see, I can be whatever you want me to be."

"Anything?"he sounded skeptical.

"Anything," the demon confirmed.

His frown only deepened as Quatre closed his eyes momentarily and concentrated on the image of a small dog, something akin to an Akita puppy he had seen in the window of a pet store downtown. He could feel the demon's aura change somewhat and when he opened his eyes the young man had disappeared, replaced by a puppy with thick fluffy, white and silvery-gray fur and a darker mask, a perfect copy of the one he had imagined, down to the dark gray tip of its tail.

The dog was just sitting there, peering up at him with large green eyes, its tail brushing back and fourth across the ground.

Quatre smiled. As he bent down to touch it, the puppy jumped up to greet him. Picking the little bundle up and pulling it into his arms the young man was rewarded with a series of sloppy dog kisses.

Suddenly he could feel his knees shake with exhaustion and he plopped down onto the ground with a deep sigh. The puppy squirmed, freeing itself from his embrace, jumped into the grass and shook it's body. A soft glow enveloped the creature as its body grew and changed, slowly shifting back into the form of the young man.

"Who are you?" Quatre demanded to know.

"I believe you already know that."

"I know your name and that you are a demon, but that's about it."

"That's more than most mortals will ever find out about me."

"So, what's next?"Quatre asked. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea that he was sitting here talking to a creature most would consider a product of someone's twisted imagination.

"YOU summoned ME." Triton sounded almost amused, as he leaned against the large oak tree, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, technically I didn't really summon you," Quatre insisted. "I just brought you out of the shadows you have been lurking in for a while already. Which brings up the real question. Why have you been following me?"

"Strictly speaking I have been with you since the day you were born, it just took you a while to realize it."

"Since I was born." Quatre frowned. "But why?"

"I was sent to protect you."

"Protect me, from what?"

"From anyone and anything that might want to cause you harm."

"Then I guess you are not a demon, but rather a guardian angel."

The brunette actually snorted in amusement. "Demon, angel...what does a label truly mean?"

The remark left Quatre a little puzzled, but he had too many other questions to wonder about it right now. Like...

"Who sent you?"

Who would be interested in safeguarding him and at the same time formidable enough to command a powerful demon. His mother perhaps? Did she know that he would inherit her abilities, and wanted to make sure he was watched over? But then, she couldn't have known that she would die and wouldn't be around to protect him herself, could she?

"I'm afraid, that is one of the things I'm not permitted to tell you. In fact neither was I supposed to show myself, but since you summoned me through your own power, I have had no choice but to submit."

"So, you are not going to get into any kind of trouble because of it, are you?"

"I don't believe so."

"Oh, that's good." Quatre let out a sigh of relief.

"You are strange." The demon gave another amused noise.

"So I have been told. But say, now that I did summon you, does it mean I will be able to talk to you whenever I want?"

"Summoning spells are only temporary," the demon explained. "You only have control over me as long as the spell lasts. To make it permanent you would have to bind me."

"Bind you? Not literally with ropes or chains, I assume? And when I do that you will remain in this ...ummm realm?"

"That's correct."

"But wait. There is something I don't understand. Most demons are able to cross from the other world to this one as they please, don't they? I mean, I can't imagine that every demon in the human world has been summoned and bound by someone."

"You are right. A path from the other world to this can be opened by anyone who has a fair amount of power."

"Anyone but you..?"Quatre added.

"No, I can travel between realms just fine," the demon replied. "Just not anywhere around you."

The young man frowned. "And why is that? You are sent here to protect me but can't get near me. It seems rather contradictable, doesn't it?"

"One has nothing to do with the other. I was ordered to protect you. But I made a contract to not show myself unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

"A contract," Quatre echoed.

"There are many different ways to bind a demon, but the easiest would be to make a contract."

"Why would anyone make a contract with a demon?"

Triton shrugged. "Demons have many powers mortals might desire to use. It has been done throughout history."

"Okay, that makes sense. But why would a demon make a contract?"

Another shrug.

"Demons will only enter into a contract when it is in our best interest. We are selfish creature, don't ever forget that."

The blonde snorted. "Who would have thunk; we are not that different after all. Most humans aren't exactly selfless nobles either.

"Aren't you rather cynical for someone your age?"

Quatre was about to counter that sounded rather strange coming from someone not much older, but then he reminded himself that Triton's human appearance, just as the little puppy, were only that, appearance. There was really no way of knowing how old the demon really was.

"So, when you say you Demons only enter contracts when it is in their best interest, that means you must get something out of it. What is it, if I may ask?"

"Power!"

"Power?! Exactly what are we talking about? Magic power?"

"It has many different names; spirit, ki, energy, inner light, mana..."the demon smirked slightly. "...the force?!"

He didn't just say that, did he? Quatre nearly rolled his eyes.

"The more powerful the person who makes the pact with a demon, the greater the reward, Because after that person dies it's powers go to the demon. We absorb them and make them our own."

"And therefore you become more powerful yourself," the young man nodded. "I think I get it. I guess it's not that bad, considering I won't need my powers anyway after I'm dead. But, hypothetically what would prevent you from just hurrying things up a little and kill me?"

"We can't harm the person we have a contract with without breaking the contract."

"Hmm..." Quatre mused. "Not even a little? I mean, what about a little friendly slap on the back while standing at the curbside, and oops little old me falls onto the street just in front of a big delivery truck? Would that be considered an accident?"

"Very few true accidents happen. It's a term mortals like to use to disguise their own blunders. Your example clearly wouldn't be an accident."

"That's good to know."

"I take it you are considering completing the binding and making a contract with me?"

"I think I'm pretty much done considering." Quatre nodded. "But I have one more question for you."

The young man looked at the taller demon. "You said you were sent to protect me. What about my sisters. Are they under your protection too?"

"My orders lie only with you. The rest of your family and other mortals are not my concern."

I guess that takes care of the idea of Mother being behind this.

"Why only me?" he wondered aloud.

"That is another thing..."

"You are not allowed to tell me. I get it." Quatre nodded. "But still. You would have no reason to harm my family, would you?"

"My only orders are to keep you safe from any harm."

In other words, there would be no reason to worry unless one of my relatives would try to hurt me. Well, chances are that's not going to happen. Father never even spanked me as a child. Not even the time when he almost caught me playing with a lit candle, and I set my dresser on fire trying to hide it.

I suppose, that puts my concerns to rest...

"Wait!" something just occurred to him. "if I make a contract with you what happens to the old one, the one which doesn't allow you to come close to me."

"It becomes void." Triton explained. "A demon who makes a pact with a mortal accepts the mortal as his master. One cannot serve two masters. Therefore any new contract will cancel out the old one."

The blonde frowned. "What guarantees do I have that you won't cancel out our contract as well, if something better comes along?"

"There are no guarantees," the demon replied. "I already told you demons are self-serving creatures. But perhaps it helps to know that for that reason it is very unlikely for us to take a step back. We would only make a new contract with someone even more powerful than our current master."

Fair enough, I suppose, Quatre thought. Of course, he had no idea how, in the great scheme of things, his own power compared to other's.

"Alright, I made up my mind." the young man finally announced. "What do we do to complete the contract?"

"You understand the terms and ramifications?"

Quatre nodded. "I become your master, you get to eat my spirit when I'm dead."

"Close enough," the demon agreed. "To accept the contract you have to name me."

"But you already have a name. Oh, you mean, give you a new name?"

The books hadn't been very clear about it. But it was rather simple really, and in a way it made more sense to him now. Names do have power. Just as the demon's name had brought him out of the shadow it was also strong enough to keep him bound to him. As his new master he would be the only one who knew Triton's new name. Until, of course, someone more powerful came along.

It took the young man only a few moments to make a decision.

"As the one who summoned you, I also claim the right to name you... TROWA," he declared firmly.

He wasn't sure what he had expected, but nothing seemed to happen. Did I fail? Did it work? Was there anything else to it?

When he looked up he noticed the demon was smiling, ever so slightly.

"Is it done?" he asked.

Trowa nodded in confirmation. "It's done!"

"That was a bit anti-climatic, wasn't it?"

For a moment the demon looked at him bewildered. Then he asked calmly. "Would you prefer I'd put our contract down on a scroll of parchment and have both of us sign it in blood?"

"On second thought...I can live with anti-climatic."

::: End Flashback:::

T.B.C.

Author's Note: