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.

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A special Thank You to Kt for beta reading.


Blood Ties

Chapter 29

"Wufei?!"

Milliardo's voice sounded somewhat distorted over the phone. Wufei figured it was the new, stronger wards interfering with the reception. He had come home a good two hours earlier to an empty apartment, with no sign of his 'landlord'. Of course he could have called Milliardo himself, but the last thing he wanted was for the other man to think he was trying to keep tabs on him.

"Yeah. What's up?" he replied, and then added innocently. "Where are you, anyway?"

"On my way home now. I was meeting with someone regarding that charity art show I am going to participate in. I told you about it, didn't I?"

"You did," Wufei confirmed. He remembered the conversation vaguely.

"Anyway, you got any plans for the evening yet? My dinner date canceled on me. So I was thinking maybe we can go somewhere together, instead?

His dinner date? The incubus? Did he call off their dinner date to give Milliardo and I a chance to talk? Wufei wondered somewhat surprised and at the same time impressed. Probably not. I might be giving him too much credit there.

"How about staying home and ordering take-out instead?" he suggested. "There is something we need to talk about."

There was a moment of silence at the other end then he could hear Milliardo take a deep breath.

"Alright, tonight we will have take-out and talk," the blonde agreed. "But only if you promise to go out with me this weekend. And I don't mean going to the movie theater at the corner and having pizza across the street afterward. We are going to hit some bars and maybe a dance club, get drunk and have fun."

Now it was Wufei's turn to hesitate. He was almost tempted to ask why it was necessary to get drunk in order to have fun, but in the end he bit his tongue.

" Alright, I can live with that."

"Promise!" Milliardo insisted.

"I promise," Wufei replied somewhat exasperated.

" Great. I will be home in about 30 minutes. Think about what you want to eat."

"Okay. See you then." The younger man mumbled before hanging up.

He sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. That was the easy part. Now comes the hard one.

####

"Is there anything else you would like me to take care of before I leave, my Prince?"

Nichols looked questioningly at the older incubus who had just finished signing the contract for the caterer they had decided on for the Grand Opening gala.

Closing his fountain pen meticulously before putting it into its holder on the desk, Treize looked up at his aide.

"No, I don't think so. I'm about to head home myself." The incubus prince replied.

Now that his dinner with Milliardo had fallen through, he was planning on spending the evening at home with a good bottle of wine and a book. It wasn't often that he found time to indulge in small luxuries like that.

"Oh?!" He suddenly remembered something. "Did you cancel my dinner reservations at 'Mastro's Steakhouse', and order the birthday cake I asked for?"

"Yes, Sir." Nichols nodded. "I had Sebastian take care of it."

"Then I suppose I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night, my Prince."

The dark-haired incubus retreated with a slight bow. He entered his own, adjacent office briefly, to pick up his leather jacket before heading for the garage.

"You're leaving already?"

Sebastian's voice reached him when he was almost at the door.

"I have an appointment with a realtor."

"I want to come," the younger incubus declared firmly.

"You are still working."

"Diego can take over the desk. His 6 o' clock appointment canceled her two hour massage."

"But…"

"I want to go. After all I'll be living there, too. I should get at least a vote as to the kind of place we are getting."

"Beggars can't be choosers. You are not even paying rent."

"Then I'll start paying rent." Sebastian shrugged.

He was kind of glad the subject had come up. He had intended to talk to Nichols about that anyway. A few days ago he had received his very first paycheck. Not that it was a fortune or anything, but for the first time in his life he had actually earned money, rather than having it handed to him. He had bought some groceries and taken Leigh and Luther and a few of the other guys he had become close to, out for a beer that night. It had gone a long way in making him feel like he wasn't just sponging off of others. The next step, of course, should be for him to actually learn to take care of himself. And since the prince wasn't willing to let him live on his own yet, paying his share of the rent was the least he could do.

"Fine," Nichols finally sighed in defeat. "Go, clear it up with…the boss."

####

"Alright, so what do you want to talk about?" Milliardo asked as he set the basket with the garlic bread down on the table.

He tried hard to keep any uneasiness out of his voice, but couldn't help but remind himself that the last time Wufei decided that they 'needed to talk' was when he learned that he was some kind of monster his own mother wasn't willing to deal with.

Be fair, a little voice in his head pointed out. That's not the reason she gave you up. It was to protect you. Not every demon is a monster, just like not every human is fit for sainthood.

Wufei didn't answer right away. He brought over the salad he had thrown together while Milliardo had gone to pick up the rest of their meal, soup and pasta, at the Olive Garden. As he set the bowl down next to the bread basket he looked up at the blonde.

"I'm sorry, Milliardo."

"Sorry?" Wariness crept into Milliardo's voice. He opened one of the take-out containers as he looked at the guardian questioningly. "About what?"

"I know I promised there wouldn't be any secrets anymore. I should have told you this before, but I was afraid you weren't ready… to learn everything at once, I mean. I wanted to give you some time to adjust before…"

"Dropping the other shoe?" Now the blonde didn't even try to suppress the anger in his tone.

"I suppose."

Wufei just dropped his gaze, effectively taking all the wind out of the other man's sails, and Milliardo sighed.

"What is it you haven't been telling me?"

'This might be a little difficult to explain," the younger man rubbed the back of his neck as he settled gingerly into one of the dining chairs. "I assume you know of prophecies and oracles and such."

"Like Nostradamus and his predictions?"

"Well, yeah in a way, I guess. There are many humans born with powers that give them certain foresight. It can reach from as little as feeling unease about something that might be happening, over foreboding dreams to clear predictions like those of Nostradamus," Wufei nodded. "And then there are oracles, divine beings whose only purpose is to foretell things to come; make prophecies."

"Why?" Milliardo asked as he continued to open the plastic containers.

The younger man blinked at him.

"I mean why do we want to know those things?"

"So that we prevent bad things from happening."

The older man thought about that for a moment whilst he filled his plate with lasagna. Then he shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense. If the oracle can see the future, it knows what is going to happen. If we were to prevent it we therefore would change the future, wouldn't we? And the oracle would have predicted that 'new' future, wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Wufei shook his head as he reached for the Ministrone soup. "You see, the future isn't written in stone, there are always several different outcomes to every situation. When the oracle sees the future it sees all of the many different possibilities. Which of those possibilities becomes reality in the end depends on our actions and reactions."

"Like one of those 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books." Milliardo noted as he took the first big bite of pasta.

"More or less, I suppose." Wufei nodded.

"Okay, I get it…I think. But what does this have to do with me?" Milliardo's voice was still laced with caution.

The younger man hesitated again for a moment. "Long…very long before you were ever born, the Oracle of Time, one of… no, the most powerful oracle, made a prophecy regarding the offspring…" he paused to reach for a printed piece of paper he had put earlier onto the counter, and handed it to Milliardo. "Here, I made a printout of it in modern English if you want to read for yourself."

The blonde frowned as he reached for the paper. His eyes flew over the text, recognizing his mother's and his father's name in the first paragraph. he looked up, bewildered.

"This is about me?!"

Wufei just nodded.

Milliardo turned his attention back to the paper, reading it once… then a second time. He could feel the blood drain from his face and the lasagna suddenly tasted bitter in his mouth.

"… cause men to pick up their weapons and slay one another…. bring upon the last great conflict… Does this mean what I think it means?"

"Remember what we just said about the future not being written in stone and alternate possibilities? This prophecy is only the worst case scenario; it doesn't HAVE to happen."

"Yeah? Maybe I would believe you if you wouldn't look so damn scared right now," Milliardo snorted. He pushed away his dinner plate, suddenly not hungry anymore.

Wufei looked away. "Maybe I am scared, but for you, not of you, Milliardo. I do believe in what I said and I will do whatever I can to prevent this prophecy from coming true."

"Can you? Prevent it, I mean? Apparently my mother didn't think she could. That's why she turned me over to the guardians, isn't it? This might sound weird, but why didn't you guys just kill me back then?"

His friend looked at him as though he was suddenly speaking some alien language.

"I'm just saying, it would have been easier… safer, wouldn't it?"

"How can you even think something like that?" Wufei shook his head. "This isn't about easier. You were a child…an innocent child for god sake."

"An innocent child that could grow up into a monster powerful enough to destroy this world," he pointed out.

"We don't know that for sure!"

There was a long moment of silence as Milliardo thought things over in his mind, then he suddenly looked up. "You said you wanted to wait before telling me this… What changed?"

"Something we had feared and tried to avoid for a long time," Wufei admitted. "Someone else found out about you."

"Who?"

"Treize Khushrenada. Your powers which had been sealed when you were an infant are manifesting. The seal is weakening and you have become able to use those powers, as you have noticed. But this also means that other beings… demons will be able to pick up your aura and identify you as not being human. And then there are some, like the incubus prince, who know about the old texts and prophecies and are smart enough to put two and two together…"

"And that could be dangerous?"

"Potentially," the guardian nodded. "There might be those who want to use your powers for their advantage. But also others who are afraid of your powers and would rather kill you than let you become, what they perceive to be a great danger." Is that what the Incubus meant by ' Whether you believe in destiny or not doesn't matter as long as others do.'...?

"Treize wouldn't harm me, I'm sure of it," Milliardo replied, his voice very confident.

"That's what he tried to assure me, too."

"Just what do you mean?" Milliardo frowned, then suddenly it hit him. "The two of you really met today, didn't you?" And here I thought he was just trying to be funny.

"Yes." the younger man nodded. "It wasn't my choice but I think it might have been for the best. He suggested that between the two of us we have a much better chance to safeguard you."

"Between the two of you?" the blonde echoed, then huffed. "Does this mean you are putting aside your plan to kill one another? How ironic is that? I thought I was supposed to inspire men to pick up their weapons not to lay them down," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"He is a demon and I still don't trust him, but he seems sincere in his desire to protect you. Besides, this isn't about him or me; it's about you…," Wufei broke off when he realized that he was actually paraphrasing the incubus prince.

Milliardo just swallowed and managed to choke out a somewhat muffled: "Thanks."

He was silent again staring down at the table in front of him, musing. Wufei gave him all the time he needed, without pushing the conversation. When Milliardo looked up again there was something in his eyes that looked resolute, as though he had made a decision.

"I guess we can't put the genie back into the bottle, re-seal my powers and go on how things were before?"

The younger man shook his head. "It took 13 of the Long elders to put up that seal 24 years ago. Today I don't think we could find 13 guardians anywhere powerful enough to perform the spell again. You have already grown too strong."

Milliardo nodded as though he had pretty much expected that. Then he looked at Wufei. "Between you and Treize, do you think you are powerful enough…"

"To protect you?"

"No." The blonde shook his head. "To stop me. If I ever were to… I mean if I became the thing mentioned in that 'prophecy' would you be able to stop me? You have got Nataku and he has… his own sword; that should do it, shouldn't it?" his voice turned almost into a whisper. "I don't want to hurt anyone… and as sure as hell, I don't want to hurt everyone. I want to be sure that there is someone who can prevent me from doing so."

Wufei swallowed, then nodded with as much conviction as he could muster. "I promise, I won't let that happen."

"Good…. Good! What are friends for, right?" Milliardo managed a little, lopsided grin. Then he rose to his feet, walked into the hall and grabbed his leather jacket from the coat hanger.

"Milliardo?!" Wufei's voice sounded more than just a little troubled.

The older man gave him a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just need to be alone for a bit. I'll take a ride and be back later."

"What about dinner?" the guardian asked carefully.

Milliardo shook his head. "Not hungry right now. I'll have something when I get back. But don't let that stop you. No need to wait up for me."

He slipped into his jacket, then into his shoes, and left the apartment. Even after the door had closed behind the young man he could still feel Wufei's eyes on his back.

He is worried about me. He walked toward the private elevator and hesitated for just one moment before pushing the button to call up the car.

####

"Will you stop that!" Nichols had grabbed Sebastian by his left arm pulling him back beside him and away from the real estate agent, as she turned away from them to check something in the apartment brochure she was carrying.

The woman was in her mid 30s, brunette , with little laugh lines around her eyes and cute little dimples that showed when she was smiling, or laughing. Something she had been doing a lot tonight, thanks to Sebastian's boyish charm and wit which he was putting on as thick as cream on a Boston Cream pie. She was obviously smitten with the younger incubus.

"I can't help it." Sebastian shrugged. "I'm hungry."

"Then go and find something to eat." Nichols' voice was all but a snarl.

"Like hell." the younger man snorted.

He was convinced that Nichols was going to pick the apartment with the tiniest bedrooms he could find, just to spite him, if given that chance. In fact, the flats they had been looking at so far resembled glorified cages more than apartments. It was almost laughable that mortals were paying such outrageous sums of money to live in these little cement boxes

"I'm sorry," the realtor looked up, her face somewhat flushed, her eyes slightly dilated. "I don't think any of the apartments on my list are equipped with a Jacuzzi or hot tub. But that doesn't mean you couldn't install one yourself when you live here."

"Darn the luck," Sebastian sighed and gave her another little grin. "And I was hoping you and I could test the tub… just to make sure everything is working, of course."

She blushed a little more and averted her eyes coyly. "As I already told you, I'm a married woman."

"And that is a problem…argh!" Sebastian swallowed the rest of the sentence and yelped in pain as the other man's heel came down on his left foot…hard.

Nichol's eyes widened in feigned shock. "Oh, I'm sorry. How clumsy of me; that must have hurt. Try walking it off, outside…in the fresh air."

He grabbed Sebastian by the shoulders, prodding him toward the front door and pushing him outside with moderate force.

"And don't you dare come back in!" he hissed before closing the door behind the blonde, then turned back toward the realtor with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Is he…okay?"

"Ah, yes, he is fine." he assured the young woman with a smile. "He is tougher than he looks. Now if I'm not mistaken we were going to look at the master bedroom."

###

Sebastian snorted and mumbled something under his breath that sounded like a vague threat as he limped slowly along the sidewalk. After a few painful steps he stopped to turn. His eyes fell upon the house across the street; moving first over the building, then across the front yard. It wasn't an apartment building like the one he was standing in front of, but a much smaller duplex, the size of a one family dwelling. The house was split into two identical parts, with two separate entrances that mirrored one another.

A thoughtful sound escaped the young man's lips. He honed in on the black and red 'for rent' sign like a dog on his favorite toy and crossed the street quickly, ignoring the ache in his foot. Attached to the wooden sign was a small box filled with fliers. He grabbed one of the black and white leaflets and read it quickly.

Two unit duplex, 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms per unit, living room with dining area, large, homely kitchen, 1 car garage, all modern amenities included… he read, his eyes brightening with every line. Bingo!

The young man hurried back across the street and ripped open the door to the ground level apartment with such force that he startled both the realtor and Nichols. The two of them had just walked out of the larger of the two bedrooms.

Nichols threw the other incubus a glare that might have killed a lesser man. Sebastian just ignored the murderous look.

"I've got it!" he waved the real estate flyer in his hand. "This just sounds perfect."

Nichols' gaze changed from angry to wary. "I thought I stepped on your toe, not on your head? What are you mumbling about?"

"Oh, shut up and read this." Sebastian pushed the leaflet into the brunette's hand.

The incubus frowned but started to skim over the text, his expression turning more pleased the further he read.

Two separate units, two separate entrances… Hell, he is right this does sound perfect. No more dusty shoes on my coffee table… no more dirty dishes stacking up in the sink when I come home… no more walking in on Sebastian and his prey in my shower… And yet, we would still be living under the same roof, close enough for me to keep an eye on him. My prince can't argue with that.

Nichols looked up. He had noticed the logo of the Real Estate company on the flyer.

"You are selling the duplexes across the street as well?"

The young woman nodded. "Yes, but… The rent would be a bit higher than what you wanted to pay," she pointed out.

"I do realize that. " The incubus nodded. But it would be worth every penny. "Can we take a look at the house while we are here?"

"I don't have the keys with me."

"But you could get them, couldn't you?" Sebastian asked.

She hesitated. "Umm yes…I suppose but…" She threw a brief look at her watch, obviously concerned about the time.

This time it was Nichols who put on the charm, giving her a dazzling smile that made her flush again.

"You don't know how much we'd appreciate it."

"Well, I guess I could be back in an hour," she offered. "If that's convenient."

"Very convenient," he assured her, his voice all but a purr.

An hour was perfect, actually. It would give Sebastian time to find something to eat. That way he wouldn't try feeding on her when she came back, before they even had a chance to sign the lease.

####

Milliardo wasn't sure how long he was driving or where he was heading, but eventually found himself down by the ocean. He drove the Corvette as far onto the beach as he could without fear of getting stuck in the fine sand, lowered the top and reclined the driver seat.

The sun had almost complete set and only a few last streaks of orange light spread across the slowly darkening sky. The evening breeze had picked up and there was a definite chill in the air. It was not cold enough yet to make one shiver, but rather a nice reprieve from the heat of the day. There were very few people on the beach; only a couple walking their dogs near the water's edge and a group of surfers packing up their boards. Further up on the boardwalk tourists were checking out stores or waited outside restaurants for a free table. A pair of security guards from a private security company drove slowly by in their patrol car, making sure everything was alright, or perhaps just enjoying the evening.

The young man closed his eyes and for a few moments just sat there, listening to the sounds of the waves breaking on the shore and the cries of seagulls soaring above them. Everything was peaceful and beautiful.

Why would I want to destroy such beauty, Milliardo thought. Why would anybody want to destroy it? But maybe the answer isn't as simple as that. Maybe I should ask myself, what would it take to make me actually want to destroy this place?

It doesn't have to happen, he reminded himself. At least that's what Wufei said. And yet, I can tell he is worried it might. Do I really have that kind of power? Sure, I have been able to throw Wufei off me, and zapped Treize a few times without even meaning to, but that's mainly due to the amulet, right? Being able to 'heal' Treize didn't seem so bad a power to have, but once again it's not something I actually controlled. It just happened. And then… those other times… he thought of the motorcycle accident and the day when he brushed the vase off the counter in his bathroom. Not even Wufei had been able to explain what had happened. Hell, he is younger than I am; he doesn't have all the answers either. I wonder, if anyone actually has?

Milliardo continued watching the waves break on the shore. Only when the orange ball of the setting sun had completely sunk behind the horizon did he start his car and turned it toward the road. Still musing the young man headed towards the Pacific Coast Highway. He had driven for only a few miles when his stomach started to churn.

No wonder, he thought. I haven't eaten dinner yet.

The young man was still considering whether to just keep driving and eat once he got home, or to stop at one of the many roadside restaurants for a quick meal, when he suddenly realized that it wasn't hunger that made his belly tighten but dread. It started as the unsettling feeling one might experience while standing in line to ride a new and especially crazy rollercoaster, then turned into the sense of anxiety that accompanied important tests and job interviews. But in the end it all concentrated into one big lump of fear and one single word jumping into his mind. Treize!

For a split second Milliardo saw the image of the incubus prince being attacked by someone or something. He felt the blood drain from his face.

With shaking hands he turned the steering wheel and pulled to the side of the road. He managed to pull out his cell phone and dial the by now familiar number without dropping it.

Please, pick up!

####

Treize Khushrenada was sitting in his library over a novel he had started to read ages ago. An open bottle of wine and a half empty glass sat on the little table beside the heavy leather chair. Crackling flames from the fireplace flickered gently, giving the room a cozy and peaceful feeling. In front of the fire, stretched out on a thick rug, Snowball was sleeping like a big, lazy cat.

The incubus reached for his wine, as he turned the page. His fingers had barely touched the glass when the atmosphere of peaceful tranquility was suddenly broken by a buzz. He glared at the ringing cell phone on the table, then let out a sigh as he put down the book and reached for the phone.

"Yes?" he asked calmly.

There was a big sigh of relief at the other end of the line.

"Treize, you are alright. Thank god."

"Milliardo?" The incubus prince frowned. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." The younger man gave an almost embarrassed laugh. "Just me being silly, I guess. Say, are you still at work?"

"No, I'm home. Why?"

"Do you mind me coming by for a bit… just to talk?"

"No, of course not," Treize replied, still frowning. " But are you sure everything is alright? You' re sounding…"

He broke off as Snowball's head suddenly jerked up. The white tiger roared and jumped to his feet, dashing out of the library and into the living room in an instant.

"Hold on!" the incubus set down the phone and reached for his weapon as he cautiously followed the large cat.

Snowball was facing the windowed wall to the patio; his ears laid back, fangs exposed. The roar had turned into a vicious snarl, directed at something outside in the dark.

Treize sensed the movement in the garden more than he saw it. Then suddenly something the size of a fully grown gorilla on steroids, threw itself against the window. The beast crashed into the ward-reinforced security glass and bounced off, only to jump back to its feet, shake it's head and try again, but this time with the assistance of two similar creatures.

Security glass, in general is designed to stop bullets, not rampaging ghouls. Even the wards wouldn't be able to stand the onslaught for long.

The blade in Treize's hand flickered to life. Blue eyes darkening as he summoned his powers.

###

Through the still open connection Milliardo could hear noises, low and thumping. Suddenly there was the sound of glass shattering, followed by a roar and a clearly inhuman scream.

"Treize?!" he yelled into the phone as though he was hoping for some kind of response.

His heart was pounding in his chest and his stomach twisted. He threw the phone onto the passenger seat without turning it off. As long as he could hear the distant sounds of battle he knew that Treize was still alive…still fighting.

Milliardo started the car again, grabbing the steering wheel with shaking hands. He checked the road, pushed the gas pedal to the floor and made a U-turn over a double yellow line. At that moment he didn't care whether he broke every traffic law on the planet or not.


T.B.C.

Author's Note: