******* WARNING *******
*** extremely alternate universe
*** YAOI, mature content, semi-darkfic
I need HELP! I can't decide on the right tone for the conversation between Heero and Duo, so here are two rough teasers for the same scene. They're very different in tone so please tell me which teaser you think is more interesting and plausible, huh? pathetic look Just please remember that these are just very rough teasers/sketches that are for flavor more than content, okay? ^_^;
The other parts of "Dominion Road" and my other GW fics are located at:
http://www.geocities.com/madamhydra/GW.html
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DOMINION ROAD
A Gundam Wing fanfic by Madamhydra
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alternative teasers for Part 5
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Short Disclaimer: (Full Disclaimers at the end)
Gundam Wing is copyright of its respective creators and all distributors
of their work and used without permission.
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There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack
That's my soul up there
There's a black winged gull with a broken back
That's my soul up there
There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
-- "King of Pain" by The Police
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UMBRA - [noun; Latin for 'shadow'] 1. a dark area, especially the blackest part of a shadow from which all light is cut off; 2. shadow, shade; 3. (astronomy) the darkest region of a sunspot.
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start of Teaser - version 1
"That's an order, Yuy."
Heero froze for an instant when he heard the cold steely tone in Duo's voice, then almost angrily knocked the other pilot's hand away from his neck. Apparently unruffled by the Wing pilot's actions, Duo turned away and looked thoughtfully at the fireplace as Heero snarled, "What the hell's gotten into you!?"
The other pilot murmured softly to himself, "Hell indeed...."
"What sort of stupid game are you up to, Duo?"
The long-haired pilot glanced toward him and gave him a cool smile and a look of mildly scornful amusement.
"No game, Heero. Just a test. I wanted to know if you were capable of living up to your words." Duo's smile became just a touch colder. "But evidently not. So much for that oh-so-important self-control and discipline you keep harping about. You're a hypocrite, Heero."
"What!?" the Wing pilot demanded furiously, startled by Duo's unexpected verbal attack.
With a raised eyebrow, Duo said evenly, "You received your orders. You stated that you clearly understood those orders. You said that you intended to follow those orders, but then disobey the very first command I give you. A hypocrite is a person who professes beliefs, virtues, or feelings that he does not hold or possess. Tell me how that definition fails to fit you."
Heero glared at the other pilot, oddly shaken by his words. He snapped angrily, "I fully intend to follow serious orders, but if you think I'm going to waste time and energy blindly obeying every damn frivolous whim of yours...."
"And how are you going to determine what's frivolous or not?"
"I can tell," Heero retorted sharply. "Your orders are frivolous if they have nothing to do with our current mission.... We're here to stop Crawford's conspiracy and destroy the virus. Letting you grope me has nothing to do with our mission!"
"Doesn't it?" came Duo's chilling reply.
"That's bullshit."
Duo turned to fully face the other pilot, his movements gracefully precise.
"Really? You'd be amazed how much can be accomplished with a whisper, a touch... even a kiss... at the right place, at the right time."
Shifting uneasily, Heero muttered, "That's not what we do...."
"Incorrect. That's what *you* wouldn't do. It's rather amusing, isn't it? You'd kill people or blow up buildings to accomplish your mission, but I can tell that you won't lower yourself to using other, more 'sordid' methods. I suppose you're like so many other soldiers -- people who have few qualms about risking their own lives, but are too proud to make the more personal, intimate types of sacrifices, hm? Fortunately, I'm not nearly as... fastidious... as you are."
Heero went slightly pale as Duo's words seemed to slice at him like a razor. Of all accusations and criticisms that had been leveled at him, selfishness had never been one of them and it stung like a brutal slap in the face.
Duo languidly raised a hand just as Heero started to protest.
"Well, they say the mark of a good leader is knowing how to work around other people's limitations. I have no intention of forcing the issue, Heero. Now that I know the sort of orders that you're capable of obeying, I can adjust my plans accordingly," the Deathscythe pilot said in a smooth, velvety voice.
"Duo, I...."
"Don't worry about it." The long-haired pilot shrugged dismissively. "Unlike you, Trowa is willing to do whatever's necessary. He and I will manage just fine. All you have to do is behave like your normal sullen, uncooperative self until we give you the necessary information and opportunity to locate and destroy the target."
"You... and Trowa? And just exactly will the two of you be doing?" Heero asked in a sharp voice.
"We'll be providing the distraction, of course. A show to keep the members of Crawford's little cabal... entertained," Duo said, a cryptic little smile curving his lips.
"And how are you planning to do that?" the Wing pilot demanded, feeling an sudden rush of jealousy. Surely Duo wasn't planning to....
"You might call it a type of sex show, but that's really none of your business, is it? All you need to know is that I'll take care of all the necessary dirty work."
"Damn it, Duo, I have a right to know why...."
Violet eyes darkened and grew frighteningly cold. "It's very simple, Heero. You've made it abundantly clear that you're going to obey my orders only if they fit your idea of relevance to our current mission. Fine. That's I'm giving you very simple, very straightforward set of orders. I will get you within striking distance of the virus research lab and I will pry the information on its location from Crawford and his associates. How I do it is not your concern. All you have to do is refrain from doing anything that will blow Trowa's and my cover and wait for the right moment to destroy the lab and all traces of the virus research. It's what you do best. How hard is that?
"It comes down to this." Duo stalked forward until he was standing only a few inches from Heero. "Basically, I can rely on Trowa to do what needs to be done much more than I can rely on you. No matter how much you've preached to me about the necessity of obeying orders, I can't trust you to do exactly that."
Heero said bitterly, "And you were the one who was always telling me not to blindly obey orders."
"Wrong. I told you that there are times when you need to ask the question of 'why?'. But you didn't even bother to do that, did you? You could have given me the courtesy of asking me why I gave you that order. I would have answered. I would have told you why I'm doing all this and why I'm acting this way. But instead, you instantly assumed I'm playing some sort of game or a joke." Duo smiled coldly. "I think you found it incredibly galling that you had to be under my authority for once, so to make yourself feel better, you decide that you won't obey my orders unless you think that it relates clearly and directly to your mission."
Heero shook his head slowly. "That's not... I...." There was a sick churning in his gut. Duo had never spoken to him like this before. No one, not even Dr. J, had done that. To be treated so dismissively with such cool, dispassionate scorn... Duo's words seemed to slash at his innermost core
Duo walked away and opened his closet. As he removed his robe and hung it neatly, he said in soft, contemptuous tones, "That's not what you thought? Add dishonesty along with hypocrisy to your list of faults, Heero."
Standing naked in the opulent bedroom, Duo looked like an erotic vision, with his slender, yet finely muscled body, and the silken mass of lightly damp chestnut hair that draped over his shoulders, down his back, and ended just about mid-thigh. But it certainly didn't feel like a pleasant dream to Heero. Instead, it felt like an horrible waking nightmare.
A part of the Wing pilot wanted to howl from an incredible sense of betrayal. He had only known Duo for just over a year, but he had had no idea how much he had relied upon Duo's emotional support... his compassion... his warmth... the friendliness and camaraderie that could easily become so much more... not until all those things had been torn away and by Duo himself. How could Duo know exactly what to say to cause the most pain? All the doubts, the fears he kept deep inside.... But worse of all was the air of clinical detachment as the other pilot branded him as selfish proud, conceited... unfit and unwilling to do anything except create havoc and destruction.
"Damn it, Duo! Why are you doing this to me!?" Heero shouted, unable keep the pain out of his voice.
Pulling on a long-sleeved shirt of emerald green silk, Duo said in that cool, dismissive voice, "Do what? Tell you the truth about yourself?"
"That isn't the truth!"
"Isn't it? The truth is that you're too stiff-necked to act submissive and obedient, even if it could help us accomplish the mission." Removing a pair of black leather pants from the closet, Duo added, "I don't have time to coax and coddle you into doing something that you obviously have problems accepting. This mission is too important for allow for the mistakes that you're bound to make, so I'm giving you a job that I know you can manage." As he spoke, he gracefully pulled on the sleek black leather pants.
Heero took a few deep breaths to steady himself, before saying, "I can do anything that needs to be done to accomplish the mission."
"Anything?" Duo said with a mockingly skeptical look.
"Anything."
end of Teaser - version 1
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start of Teaser - version 2
"That's an order, Yuy."
Heero froze for an instant when he heard the cold steely tone in Duo's voice, then almost angrily knocked the other pilot's hand away from his neck. Apparently unruffled by the Wing pilot's actions, Duo turned away and looked thoughtfully at the fireplace as Heero said coldly, "What the hell's gotten into you?"
The other pilot murmured softly to himself, "Hell indeed...."
"What sort of stupid game are you up to, Duo?"
The long-haired pilot glanced toward him and gave him a cool smile and a look of mild amusement.
"No game, Heero. Just a test."
"A test of what?"
"I simply wanted to know if you were capable of living up to your stated intentions." Duo shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't think you could."
Heero shook his head irritably and replied irritably, "What are you babbling about?" There was something very wrong with the situation... with the way Duo was behaving....
"You said that you were going to follow your orders and obey me," Duo reminded the Wing pilot in a velvety voice that contained an oddly dark, almost sinister undercurrent.
Heero said testily, "I'm well aware that you're in command of this mission, Duo."
"So I'll ask you again. Are you going to obey me and follow my orders, regardless of what they are? I want an honest answer, Heero. Because if you can't, I need to know and make my arrangements accordingly."
The subtly skeptical tone in Duo's voice made the Wing pilot stiffen with stung pride. Feeling surprisingly annoyed, Heero gritted his teeth and said in a near snarl, "Yes, I fully intend to follow your orders, regardless of how ludicrous or frivolous they happen to be. Does that make you happy?"
Duo turned to fully face the other pilot, his movements gracefully precise.
"That's gratifying to hear."
Heero glared at the long-haired pilot and bit out, "I'd like to remind you that we're on an extremely important mission. We're here to stop Crawford's conspiracy and destroy the virus. We don't have time for playing games...."
Duo's smile developed a bone-chilling edge as he said, "There no way I could possibly forget that. Believe me when I tell you that for once, I may be more fanatically dedicated to completing this mission than even you are." He prowled forward until he was standing just a few inches away from Heero.
Taken aback by the cold, ferocious intensity in Duo's voice, Heero could only watch speechlessly as the other pilot reached up and lightly brushed his deceptively slender fingers along the Wing pilot's right cheek.
"I will do anything -- use any method necessary... exploit anyone I have to -- in order to succeed. Anything and *anybody*. Remember that, Heero."
Shifting uneasily, Heero muttered, "Duo, I don't...."
The Deathscythe pilot smiled slowly. It was a seductively beautiful, yet strangely terrifying expression.
"No, you don't understand. How can you? You and Wufei are warriors, soldiers. You fight and you kill, but you don't become personally involved with your targets or victims. That's why you found it so hard to kill Relena even when it was the most expedient thing to do. That's why Wufei has such problems dealing with Treize Khushrenada. You need that emotional distance. Quatre's even worse -- he feels qualms even when fighting complete strangers."
Almost mesmerized by the intensity of Duo's gaze and his words, Heero remained frozen as the other pilot placed his hand on back of the Wing pilot's neck.
"You've never gotten to know your victims intimately... never burrowed your way deep into their hearts or souls in order to use them and/or destroy them. But mind games like that are my specialty, Heero. That's why I'm in command of this mission. Because I'm familiar with the terrain of this particular battlefield and because I'm extremely good at this type of warfare."
There was no arrogance or pride in Duo's voice, only a disturbingly firm confidence in his abilities.
"I know how people like Crawford and his associates think. I know what makes people like them tick. I speak their language."
In a near daze, Heero whispered hoarsely, "What... what are you planning to do? What do you want ME to do?"
In a dark, yet curiously gentle tone, Duo said, "Don't worry, Heero. All you need to do is wait and act innocent until I give you both the necessary information and the opportunity to destroy the target. Trowa and I will handle all the dirty work."
"You... and Trowa? And just exactly will the two of you be doing?" Heero asked rather sharply.
"Providing a private show that will keep the members of Crawford's little cabal... distracted and isolated," Duo said, a cryptic little smile curving his lips.
"And how are you planning to do that?" the Wing pilot demanded, feeling an sudden rush of jealousy. Surely Duo wasn't planning to....
The Deathscythe pilot purred, "Crawford and his associates are sadistic bastards who enjoy nothing more than watching another person being tortured. I'm simply going to give them exactly what they want to see."
Heero stared blankly at Duo for a long moment, unable or perhaps unwilling to comprehend what the other pilot was so calmly planning. But when it finally sank in, the Wing pilot recoiled -- or tried to, except for Duo's firm grip on his neck.
"You're... you're not going to...!"
"Oh yes I am. Trowa has already agreed. Reluctantly, of course, but he sees the necessity. He'll be a very interesting subject."
"You can't! Damn it, Duo, you've got to have a good idea what Trowa's past was like! How can you possibly even think about deliberately hurting him even more!?"
With unshakable determination, Duo said, "I can. And I will." An ominous, predatory gleam appeared in his dark violet gaze as he paused, then added, "Unless you feel strongly enough to take his place. I know you care a great deal about Trowa. How far are you willing to go to spare him more suffering?"
Heero stared mutely at the other pilot, a sickening chill gripping his insides. He simply couldn't understand how Duo could suggest such an atrocity with such... such total calm. No, that wasn't right. He could sense a tightly controlled sense of... eagerness? Malicious anticipation? Hunger? This entire conversation felt like an horrible nightmare that he couldn't escape from. This wasn't the Duo he knew and trusted... the person whose understanding and camaraderie he had come to depend upon so much.
"Is that what you want... *sir*?" Heero said in his flattest monotone.
However, despite the Wing pilot's effort to strip every bit of emotion out of his voice, the wrenching sense of betrayal and confusion he felt must have been evident in both his words and in his expression. Duo become still, then calculating coldness in his gaze seemed to seep away, to be replaced by a look of anguish and guilt.
The Deathscythe pilot closed his eyes, then suddenly buried his face in the startled Heero's neck and whispered, "DAMN it."
end of Teaser - version 2
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Keeper of Duo's Dark Side ~~~ Duo no Seishi
Co-Keeper of Duo's Scythe & Bat Wings
Co-Keeper of Little Grim Reaper Duo
Keeper of Saitoh's Sex Life ~~~ Saitoh no Koibito
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madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E
http://www.geocities.com/madamhydra/
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The Full Disclaimer
All rights and privileges to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing are trademarks
and property of Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. The
characters of these works are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of
entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole
property and copyrighted to the author.
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