Edges of the Mind by jmi
Chapter 4
**Disclaimer** Gundam Wing characters are owned by Sotsu/Sunrise.
He stopped and watched his fellow pilot and the former Princess continue down the hall. Something was VERY wrong, he could feel it. He never discussed it with the others but, like Quatre, he could feel things; though not nearly as acute as the Arab boy. He'd ignored the dark shadows that had filled his mind in the last half hour. He attempted to write them off as the shock of again losing a woman he loved. But.... this was more than grief for Sally. Something was not right with the others.
"Duo," he called out.
The braided pilot finally realized his companion had stopped following them, and stood several yards back down the corridor. He noticed the stiffness in Wufei's stance, as if he were expecting the shadows themselves to attack. "Wu? What's up?"
"I'm going to back track towards the front of the house."
"No Wufei! Don't go!" Relena cried. She wasn't sure why. She and the Chinese pilot had never been close and spoke rarely beyond the pleasantries of acquaintances, but after seeing the emptiness in his black eyes she feared for his life.
A strange calm look had filled his face when he turned back to them, "Please remember Princess, 'though justice be thy plea, consider this, that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation' [1]." He turned, katana in hand, and headed back down the hall.
"Duo we can't let him go by himself," Relena gripped his arm tightly.
"Wufei's big enough to take care of himself,' Duo shrugged and headed in the opposite direction. "Besides, he wouldn't appreciate us tagging along while he's on a mission for justice. It's something he prefers to do alone. Come on." He put his arm around her as they continued their search.
Moving quickly and silently, Wufei made his way back to the main entrance in no time. The uneasy feeling in the back of his mind was stronger now. He'd felt it when he was coming down the hall. Quatre was gone. He knew it. This thing that had been their friend was just as lethal and efficient as ever. He moved under the shadow of the staircase balcony when he felt something hit his head. He ran a slender hand over his hair and gasped when he saw his fingers returned crimson. He backed out from under the balcony and cursed at the sight that greeted him. Catherine Bloom was hanging over the edge of the railing. Her outstretched arms tied with cords and pierced at the wrists by her own knives.
"What devil..." Wufei mumbled. "You deserved better than this," he whispered a prayer to Nataku to watch over the strong spirit of the circus performer.
"She died because she was a weak onna. Isn't that right Wufei?"
The cold voice calling to him from the darkness of the landing immediately filled Wufei with rage. "Come down and face ME coward. Or can your skills only claim the unaware and the weak, soft hearts?" He was surprised to see Heero emerge holding a sword of his own.
"I think my skills will surprise you Chang Wufei," he glared and abruptly leaped over the railing landing gracefully in front of Wufei. His stance immediately straightened and he held the sword in a position ready to fight.
"Humph," Wufei huffed and readied his own sword. The two circled each other tensely. Any assumptions or observations Wufei had made on Heero's abilities over the years could not be counted on. His mental state made him too unpredictable. Suddenly Heero charged. Wufei dodged the first swipe and blocked the second. As Heero charged again Wufei twirled to the side; a move he made sure to master after his first duel with Treize Khushrenada. His own counterattack sliced Heero on the arm.
"Hn," Heero actually grinned as he inspected the blood flowing down his arm. "You've improved Wufei. I'll admit, you're better than me at this."
"Then it's time to end it. Time for you to receive the justice you've earned," Wufei raised his katana for another attack.
"I said you were better than me with the sword Wufei," Heero's grin widened. "I didn't say you were going to win." Heero seemed to produce the gun from thin air, and before Wufei could react he felt it's burning kiss tear through his left shoulder. The floor greet him violently and an uncomfortable weight settle on his chest. His vision recovered enough to seen the Cheshire grin of Heero sitting on his chest holding his katana. He spat Mandarin curses with his remaining strength. Heero simply laughed. "Oh come now Wufei, you'd be surprised at the things I know about honor, even though I never had much use for the stuff." He smiled again as he raised the sword over his head.
Trowa was angry and frustrated. He'd searched the entire western wing and turned up no signs of Heero. He returned down the same hall that he had walked earlier. He paused at the door of Dorothy's room. His mask of indifference slipped along with a tear as he glanced at the simple white sheet that he had used to cover Quatre's and Dorothy's bodies. "You were the best part of all of us my friend. How will we go on without you?" He closed the door and continued towards the stairs. He stopped when he saw several of the emergency lights had been broken, and the upper half of the stairs and landing were completely dark. He readied his gun and moved towards the shadows. As his eyes adjusted he saw the stairs were empty. A dim presence of red hair caught his eye over the railing. For the second time that night, Trowa's heart shattered. He calmly walked over and leaned between the spindles to look at Catherine's still face. "Et tu, Catherine? I wonder if it truly is Duo who is cursed by Shinigami. Now all of my loved ones are dead." A soft moan below him drew his tearing eyes from his sister. In the faint light he could see Wufei sprawled on the floor. Hoping for a chance to save someone from this madness Trowa flew over the balcony rail to the floor. His hopes were crushed quickly when he realized the amount of blood Wufei was lying in. The cuts to his forearms and legs were surgically precise; severing the tendons and rendering his limbs useless.
"I'm sorry Wufei, there's nothing I can do," Trowa knelt over his fellow pilot.
"I'm glad you're here... Trowa," Wufei's voice wavered in tone and strength. "Heero wanted to deny me an honorable death in battle.... left me to... bleed to death. Help me Trowa...."
The visible green eye widened in horror at the request.
"Please... Trowa... let me go to Merian and Sally.... with honor."
Trowa nodded and picked up the discarded katana. With his unnerving grace he spun the blade and shoved it through Wufei's heart. The accompanying escape of breath followed the spirit of the pilot as his body stiffened then relaxed.
"I cannot promise that I will follow your path of justice Wufei, but you will all be avenged," Trowa promised quietly.
[1] The Merchant of Venice, act IV, sc. i, l. 184