DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. All characters but Kat and Salaehya belong to their respectful owners. Salaeyha belongs to...well...Salaehya...and Kat's mine. I am not making money off of this story, just writing it because I'm a hopeless fan girl.
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GUNDAM WING
"Kat"
By Angelikat
Treize Khushrenada stood at the desk of an elderly man. He was nearly on his death bed, late eighties, early ninties no doubt. He was nothing but skin and bone. He seemed dwarfed by the large wooden desk before him and small compared to the high backed leather arm chair. The room was dark despite a single desk lamp and it was cold to the OZ general. The windows were large and looked out on the L2 colony below.
"What is it you wish of me?" The old man rasped.
"Master Zinn, I need you to do me a favor." Treize said.
"It must be an important favor if you come to me yourself." He told him.
"It is. I need your best assassin to fulfill the execution of Relena Peacecraft." Treize said. "She an asset to the Earth Sphere Alliance, if we get rid of her, we destroy it's main source of money and support. Will you help me?"
"Name your price and my best assassin is yours." He said.
"1,000." Treize offered.
"I will not settle for less than 10,000." Zinn said.
"10,000?!" Treize gasped.
"You want the best, you have to be willing to pay the best price. Take it or leave it." He said, and coughed a little.
Treize pounded on the desk and turned his back toward Zinn. The old man sat back and steepled his fingers. Treize turned back around. "Very well, 10,000 it is. But this prize assassin of yours better do his job or there will be Hell to pay. You can count on it." Treize growled. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the office angrily.
Zinn chuckled deep in his throat. "Fool." He muttered. "Did you hear that?" He asked the darkness. Across from the desk a shadow moved unseen by Treize or anyone else but Zinn. The shadow walked toward the desk and stepped into the light. The dim lamp revealed a young, sixteen year old girl with brown hair and green eyes. She was Zinn's most skillful and beautiful assassin. She wore a black tank-top that ended below her bust and exposed a flat mid-driff. She wore khaki pants that clung to her legs, then flared out at the bottom. There was a large hole in the right knee of her pants, but that didn't phase her. Her name was Katarina Maxwell, but Zinn called her Kat. He had taught the goregeous young woman everything he knew and she had repaid him. Repaid him, by taking the lives of those she was to take.
"Every word, Kian." She said emotionlessly.
"The you know what to do?" He asked.
"I will kill this Peacecraft girl. And if you will me too, I will kill that pompous general as well." She said, venom dripping from her voice.
Zinn chuckled. "Wait until we are paid first, my dear, then you may take the lives of whomever you wish." He said. "I must...I must rest now, child. You have your assignment, now go." The old man said, waving a bony hand in a dismissive manner.
She bowed respectfully and left the office silently, ready to fulfill the task set before her. She didn't approve of the life she led, but she didn't have much of a choice. Though the girl prided herself in her ways, she still always felt guilty. But nine years of training, as arduous as that of an Assassin was supposed to teach her not to feel that guilt. Unfortunately, the beautiful girl failed in that respect
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Duo Maxwell spat once more on the chest cavity of his custom gundam, Deathscythe Hell, and wiped it off again with a rag. He gave his mech one last looking over before leaping back down to the hanger floor.
"Lookin' good, Big Guy." He muttered appreciatively. He threw his rag off to the side and stretched tired back muscles, accompanying his stretch with a tired yawn. He looked down at his watch...One o 'Clock in the morning. He sighed and shook his head, amazed at himself that he had finished his matinence check earlier than usual. Normally it would take him till three or four in the morning.
Duo turned and walked toward the hanger door, with a pull of a large lever, the hanger lights turned off. He left the dark, gray casim and went back to his room. As soon as he arrived, he dropped face first onto his bed and fell asleep there.
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The Palace was dark and riddled with the kind of shadows to hide Kat from her unsuspecting quarry. With her left hand she caressed the ivory handles of her dagger, not one for guns to begin with. She traced the intricate carvings with her finger and walked through the hall silently. She listened to everything around her, the sound of a breeze from a nearby window, the silent murmuring of voices farther down the hall.
She did everything as she had been taught all those years ago. She was young when she was taught to silently, but quickly kill a person. Seven, she recalls. Taken away from her family to undergo aurdous training with knives, acrobatics and how to keep blood off of your person when you killed. They had brought in live specimens, mostly criminals, but sometimes another Assassin's bounty. They were called The Dragons. But after the people of Earth migrated to the colonies, the faction died out, all that were left was herself and Kian Zinn, her teacher, employer, friend. But he was due to die any day now, not at another person's hand, but old age was consuming him, taking its toll on the once vibrant and skillful man.
"We need the Gundams."
A female voice said. Kat cursed herself, letting her thoughts distract her from what she was to do. She ducked into the shadows and unsheathed a dagger, awaiting the coming threat. A person walked by Kat's hiding place. A young woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a pink blazer with matching slacks. She was with two other women, handmaidens Kat assumed. The young assassin listened intently to their conversation.
"Have Sally and Noin contact the Gundams. Oz is within their range over L2, if we wait a moment longer, that colony will be destroyed." The young woman said.
So, that foolish General hasn't left L2's Atmosphere yet. Kat thought to herself.
"But Heero and the others are here on Earth, it would take them hours to get to OZ's destination. Shouldn't we contact a Gundam Unit already in that general are?" A woman said, she had teal-green hair and blue eyes. She wore a silk blue dress that skimmed the floor.
"I don't care. I just need a message relayed to Sally and Noin. Let THEM worry about whom to send." The young woman said. "Heero and the others are coming here tonight to a party I'm having. I will not have that ruined by a battle."
"Yes, Queen Relena." The girl said and bowed. The she, and her counterpart, a girl with black hair and blue eyes, donned in a purple dress; left the Queen to her thoughts. The young woman walked over to the window and looked outward toward a star-filled sky. Kat watched as the young Queen dwelled in her thoughts. The perfect opportunity to do what she had been told to do, but Kat hesitated and just looked on.
"Oh Heero." Relena sighed as a shooting star went by. She turned and walked down the hall. Kat came out of the shadows and stood by the window, looking at her reflection in the glass. A young blonde girl with green eyes and the perfect stature stared back at her. Who was she? What was she doing killing people? Taking lives? And for what? Some man's thrill? Money?
Kat sighed and lowered her head. This was it. After Relena Peacecraft, she wasn't killing anymore. She was finished. Zinn would be dead in a few days, two at most, after that she would be free. Free to be a person, maybe a Gundam pilot for the Alliance. Then she remembered, after the death of Relena Peacecraft there would be no more Alliance, no more Gundams. Kat looked up and down the hall where Relena had gone. Oh well, she could go into hiding, maybe do freelance work. She returned her focuse and melted back into the shadows and followed her quarry.
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"Duo! Get up you braided baka!" A loud female voice yelled into his room. Duo groaned and buried his head in his pillow, pulling the covers up. But all too quickly, the covers were pulled back down and he was exposed in nothing but black silk boxers.
"Ah!" He yelped and woke straight up. He looked up and peered into the cold, cobalt eyes of Salaehya Yuy ((AN...Salaehya belongs to Salaeyha...she's not mine. ^_^)) The twin sister of Heero Yuy gave Duo a crooked sneer. She was just as cold and heartless as her brother. She was definately attractive, with a shapely body and long maroon/brown hair. She wore a black one piece outfit that had become her normal array, which just made her look even better.
"What?" Duo asked groggily.
"We're going to be late for Relena's party if you don't get your ass out of bed and dressed." Salaehya said.
The self-proclaimed God of Death turned over and looked at his alarm clock, he groaned and looked back at Salaehya. "It's only noon, the party doesn't start till seven."
"Get up or I'll castrate you." She threatened.
"Okay....okay. That's a low blow, very low. Threatening my manhood like that. You're a terrible person." He joked as he slowly got up out of bed.
"Just get up, get downstairs, and eat." She said and sauntered teasingly out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"That girl just won't quit." He muttered and shook his head. "Ah well. Too bad she belongs to Trowa, we would have made a cute couple, she and I." He got up and went to his dresser, pulling on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He pulled his long, brown braid from the inside of his shirt and let it hang freely.
He walked downstairs and met the others in the kitchen. Salaehya was at the stove, making herself and Quatre a cup of herbal tea. Quatre Winner sat at the table reading the newspaper, the blonde boy looked up and smiled at Duo.
"Good morning." He said kindly.
"Yeah, yeah." Duo grunted. He walked toward the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal and poured himself some.
"What kept you awake this time? Monsters under the bed?" Wufei commented. He was sitting crosslegged on the floor, his eyes closed and his arms resting on his legs.
"For your information, I was working on Syke." Duo said and sat down at the table, a bowl of cereal in his hand. Salaehya sat down to Quatre's right, setting a cup of tea in front of him.
"Thanks." He said. Salaeyha smiled kindly at her friend.
"Hey, don't forget the party tonight." Heero Yuy said, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed an apple and leaned against the counter.
"How can we? You keep reminding us." Duo said. "I'm surprised you're even going. This doesn't seem like your thing at all."
"Well I am. So get over it." Heero retorted.
"No fights. Wait till after the party." Trowa said as he walked into the kitchen, a book in his hand. Duo saw that it was Shakespeare, very un-Trowa-like. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and walked toward the table. Kissing Salaehya's cheek softly and sat down across from her.
"I'm eating." Duo said.
"Very good." Salaeyha replied smartly.
"Smartass." Duo mumbled. "So, what kind of party is this? Formal? Informal? Toga?" Duo asked.
"It's formal, so wear something nice." Salaehya said.
"Yes dear." Duo retorted. Salaehya smacked him in the back of his head. "Owwww." He hissed and rubbed the sore-spot.
Hours later, Duo was showered and in his room. He brushed his long brown hair, which he had hanging loose, out of it's usual braid. He braided it again and finished getting dressed. He pulled on a pair of black tuxedo pants, a dress shirt and a jacket. He looked himself over once more in the mirror and hurried outside.
Heero was behind the wheel of his jeep, staring straight ahead. The engine revved and ready. Salaehya sat in the passengers side. "Hurry up!" She said. She was donned in a navy blue gown, her hair up off of her neck. The dress was cut low and showed off more skin than usual. Trowa, Wufei and Quatre were also dressed in tuxedos. Duo hopped in the back of the car and Heero sped off.
When they arrived, they parked the jeep and entered the palace. Once inside, they beheld a wonderful scene. Other guests were dressed in the same fashion as themselves. Tuxedos and dresses of all styles and colors swirled around the dance floor to a moderately fast waltz and orchestra played.
"Heero!" A kind female voice said. The pilots looked toward it and saw Relena walking toward them, donned in a long white gown, her hair done up professionally, a single curled strand by her face. She smiled and hugged Heero. "I'm so glad you could make it. There are cocktails that way, and the dance floor this way. Make yourselves at home." She said. She smiled sweetly at Heero. "And I hope you save me a dance?"
"Of course." Heero said and gave her a smile. He didn't smile often, only when he was around Relena. Which didn't surprise Duo very much at all.
"I have to go greet other guests. I will see you later." She said. She smiled once more at Heero and walked off.
"Well, it's a nice place. Not my kind of party though." Duo said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What is your kind of party, Duo?" Wufei asked.
"Half naked chicks dancing on tables, loud music, GOOD music..." He rambled.
"Whatever, Duo. I think it's nice." Quatre said with a smile.
"Of course you would. You're used to this kind of thing." Trowa said. "Give me a circus any day."
"Just let's go in there, be nice, dance, schmooze with the other guests then go home. Cause I don't know about you, but these clothes are so uncomfortable. There's no place to hide my gun."
"I'm sure I could find a place for you." Trowa said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. He kissed her lips passionately, which made Duo turn away in disgust. He walked onto the dance floor and looked at the pretty girls that danced by him, but not one interested him.
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Kat stood on the catwalk above the ballroom floor and watched as the guests danced below her. She leaned against a marble pillar and watched, lost in the music and the flurry of dancers below. It was all a dream to her. So close, but so far away. She wished she could join them, but she couldn't. She watched as a young man with long brown hair walked on the dance floor, looking at the girls that danced beside him. He was attractive and dignified in a black tuxedo. He seemed lonely and downtrodden.
Kat focused her attention back onto the Queen, mingling with dignitaries. She excused herself and went into a seperate room. Now was Kat's chance for freedom. She followed behind her and leapt down off of the catwalk, landing silently on one knee. She got up and followed Relena.
When Kat entered the room she saw the Queen at a desk, rummaging through it's drawers. The Assassin closed the door silently behind her. Relena chuckled without looking up.
"You didn't have to follow--" She started, then looked up to see Kat there.
"Hello Your Highness." Kat said in a sultry tone.
"Who-who are you?" Relena stuttered.
"I have a message from OZ." Kat purred. She leapt forward over the desk and pinned Relena against the wall, in the blink of an eye, a cold steel blade was at Relena's throat. "They don't like you. They don't want you alive."
Relena pushed Kat roughly away, knocking the Assassin over, she went to run for the door, but Kat got up quickly and leapt off of the desk, flipping in the air and landing right in Relena's path.
"Leaving wouldn't be such a good idea." She said evenly.
"HELP!" Relena cried.
Kat fell to her knees and clamped a hand on Relena's mouth. "That's not a good idea either." She said. Suddenly, the door burst open, hitting Kat in the back of the head. She rolled away and held her head in her hands. She looked up and into the barrel of a gun. She looked back at the weilder and saw a boy, her age, with brown hair and cobalt blue eyes. With him were two other guys, both handleing guns.
"Heero!" Relena said.
"So you're Heero, huh?" Kat commented. "You're the guy that she keeps muttering about."
"What do you want?" He asked evenly.
Kat pointed at Relena. "Her life." She said.
"She works for OZ." Relena told the boy.
Kat laughed. "I don't work for OZ. I work for my Employer, who has no ties with OZ or the Alliance for that matter." She said. "We're independent."
"Well good for you." Another boy said. She looked toward him and saw it was the boy with long brown hair. He was much cuter in person, even though Kat was staring down the barrel of three guns. She glared at them, and kicked the guns out of the boys' hands in three kicks. She knocked the braided boy backward into the door, the first boy retaliated, firing kick after kick at her. She dodged everyone of them, she did a back flip and punched forward, knocking her opponent on his backside.
BANG!!
Soon, pain ran through her arm. "AH!" She cried and a hand went to her wound. She looked up to see a young woman, holding a smoking gun out toward her.
"That's my brother you just knocked over." She growled. She fired again, hitting Kat's leg. She bit back another yelp and fell to her side. "I can make this easy, or I can make it hard. Your choice."
"NO!! Salaehya please!" A braided boy shouted. The girl looked at him. "Don't hurt her anymore." He said, he went to Kat's side and knelt down beside her. He put his arm around her back, she was too pained to move away.
"Duo, what are you doing?" The blonde boy asked.
"Are you alright?" The braided boy asked Kat.
"Duo?" Heero asked.
"Do you know her or something?" The girl asked, lowering her gun.
"Yes. She's my sister. Katarina Maxwell." He said to the gathered assembly. "She was kidnapped when she was very young. I thought she was dead."
Kat looked up at him. "My..." She said, and hissed as she moved. "My brother?"
"Yes, yes Katarina. Everything's okay now. We'll take care of you." He said.
"Maybe you will, but I won't." Heero said. He put an arm around Relena's shoulders and left the room. Salaehya glared at the two of them and left with Heero and Relena. The blonde boy followed after them, leaving the briaded boy and Kat alone.
"You'd better....better go with them. They'll leave you." Kat said.
"It's not like they haven't done it before. My name is Duo." He told her. "C'mon, I'll help you out of this mess." He picked Kat up gently and left the office via a window and headed toward a jeep. "Unfortunately for them, I have extra keys to their jeep." Duo laid Kat gently down in the back seat and climbed into the front. He sped off and headed back to a house. Kat couldn't see the direction or their surroundings. She was constantly blacking out and waking up again. Fighting to hold consciousness.
Duo pulled into a driveway and stopped the jeep. He went around to the back to find Kat there, blood dripping from her wounds. He lifted her out gently and hurried carefully into the house. He laid Kat down on his unmade bed, pulling the covers away roughly and quickly went into the bathroom, fetching a basin of hot water and a rag.
"Kat, are you still awake?" He asked her.
"Barely..." She whispered.
"Just hold on okay? You lost a lot of blood...but I think I can fix it." He said. He put the rag into the basin and squeezed out all of the extra water and pressed the damp cloth down on her arm.
"AHHHH!" She screamed in pain.
"It's okay." He said, she grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "Yeah...just hang onto me." He continued to press the cloth gently, soaking up the blood quickly. Soon, her hold loosened and she fell unconsious. Her hand dropped and Duo continued his work.
Within a few minutes, both wounds were cleanly bandaged and she was covered up. Her breathing was regular, Duo sat by her bedside, a can of soda in his hand and a book on his lap.
"MAXWELL!!"
Someone yelled. Kat shot up. "AHH!" She yelped. The yell having awakened her from her sleep.
"It's okay. It's alright." Duo said. He set the soda down and the book fell from his his lap. He went downstairs only to be met with the stern faces of Salaehya and Heero. Wufei, Quatre and Trowa hung back.
"You took the jeep." Heero said.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Duo joked.
Kat heard the voices and eased her way to her feet slowly. She limped over to the doorframe and leaned against it for support. Her brown hair fell over her arm as she leaned into the hallway. Her clothing was stained with blood and her job was unfinished. But in her condition she couldn't even kill a fly, she had been so weakened.
"Where's the girl?" A female's voice asked.
"Upstairs. Why do you even care?" Duo retorted. She looked at the braided boy, now revealed to be her brother. Twin brother, no doubt.
"She almost killed Relena." Heero said.
"Truthfully, I wish she would have. But that's not my place to say so." Duo said. Kat stumbled outside of the room and leaned on the railing, over-looking the kitchen where the six were assembled.
"Duo..." Heero growled.
Kat watched as her only family, her brother, fought with uneven odds. She went downstairs, stronger now, and stepped into the middle of the fray.
"I haven't killed anyone. Why do you hold ill will against me?" She asked them smoothly. As if she was unphased by her pain.
"You could have killed someone." The female said.
"I could have, but I didn't." Kat told her. "Why do you care anyway?"
No one said anything to that. She looked at them and crossed her arms, letting a wince slip on her face. Maybe, just maybe, if she could join these people it would free her from her bonds as an Assassin. Maybe it would save her life.
"My name is Katarina Maxwell, and I wish to join you." She said.
"Oh no." Wufei spoke up. "No more stubborn onnas."
"Stubborn I may be, but I proven fighter I am." Kat retorted. She looked at Heero and the female. "What do you say?" She asked them.
"Fine." Heero said and left it at that. He left the kitchen and walked upstairs. The female looked crossly at Kat.
"My name is Salaehya Yuy. You know Duo and my brother Heero. Behind me are Chang Wufei, Quatre Winner and Trowa Barton." She said pointing to every one. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't cross us on a bad day." She said.
"As long as you promise to do the same, I believe we have a compromise." Kat said evenly. She watched as Quatre Winner walked over to a table and moved an newspaper out of the way. The headline caught Kat's eye. She walked toward it and lifted it up.
The headline read: "FUGITIVE MAN FOUND DEAD IN HIS HOME". Next to it was a picture of an old man. She read onto the article. "'Noted Assassin Guild leader, Kian Zinn was found this morning dead at age 85. The cause of death is unknown. He was a fugitive from the law and the best at what he did. He had taken the lives of over 1,000 people. Zinn's funeral will be held at private cermony.'" Kat sighed and set the paper down.
"What is it, Kat?" Duo asked, putting an arm around her shoulder.
Kat looked at him. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She said and threw the paper away. "It appears that Ms. Peacecraft gets to live one more day." She muttered under her breath. She looked at the paper in the trash and turned away. A feeling of relief washing over her person as she realized that her bonds had been broken. She was free. She did not have to take anymore lives.
She was free.