I do not own Gundam Wing.

Chapter Six

When Heero woke again, it wasn't just Duo and Jina who were talking in the kitchen.  By the barrage of voices coming from that room, he knew that everyone was awake.  Frowning a little because he'd overslept everyone else, he got up and huffed off to the bathroom.

"Heero's awake," Duo announced after hearing the bathroom door slam. 

"This should be interesting," Roddy said, now up to date on the current dilemma of Heero wanting to kill Quatre.  And Jina more than willing to kill Heero in order to protect Quatre. 

"Interesting isn't how I'd describe it," Catherine said in a worried tone of voice.  She held tightly onto Quatre's hand as she ate her breakfast.  Jina snarled and went upstairs. 

Everyone ate in silence.

"Where is she?" Heero asked when he came back into the kitchen, freshly washed with a foul look on his face. 

"Upstairs," Duo answered.

Heero glared at Quatre.  He glared at the way Cathy was holding his hand.  He glared back at Quatre.  He began to reach for the hilt of his sword.

"Quatre," Jina called from the kitchen doorway. 

"Yes?" he asked, voice shaking from the venomous glares he was still receiving from the Japanese hunter.

"Eat."

"What?"  Quatre forgot all about the glares from Heero. 

"You heard me."

"No.  Not now.  You need your strength," Quatre was able to tell her, finally getting control of his more than surprised mouth. 

Jina shook her head.  "I don't know if I'll be coming back…" this got even Heero's attention "…so you need to eat before I go."

"No."

"Quat…" she warned.

"I said NO Jina, I'm not going to feed on you before you go out to fight with Chang.  You need all the strength you can get.  I weaken you…" he babbled, not caring if the hunters heard his worst secret. 

"Nothing about you weakens me," she said quietly. 

"This time, Jina, I know you're lying." 

She was silent, hurt by his accusation.  Hurt more by the way he called her on her lying.  She never lied.  But she'd tell him that he never hurt her, that he was never a burden as long as it kept him happy.  She lived to make him happy.  His mother had made sure of that. 

"Jina," Quatre said, taking a few steps closer.  "I'm sorry…"

"I won't come back, Quat.  You'll have to live alone," she told him, barely keeping control of her wavering voice. 

He didn't have an answer for that one.  He couldn't think of anything to say that told her how much he believed in her, how much he truly believed that she'd do all in her ability to make it back to him after facing Chang.  But Quatre wasn't stupid.  Jina's assault on Chang's castle was suicidal, even for a god-like vampire.  She was most likely not coming back.

And he decided he should do what she wanted.  He walked closer, his mouth barely an inch away from her neck when he finally stopped approaching.  Glancing back at Cathy with apologies in his eyes, Quatre bared his fangs, feeling them grow longer and extend from his gums.  Jina tilted her head slightly, giving him better access to his neck.  It made him sick to do this, but she would allow no other way.  She had never let him feed on any other living being.  Never. 

Heero heard Cathy gasp as Quatre's teeth came in contact with Jina's neck.  He felt his own stomach surge at the sight.  Jina's eyes rolled back in her head before she shut her eyelids tight, blocking out everything but Quatre and the pulsing of her own heartbeat.  Her mouth opened and closed a few times, her own elongated incisors coming very close to Quatre's neck.  But Heero knew she restrained herself from biting back.  He could sense her inner struggle as he watched; he could see her fists clenched tight enough to draw blood from the pressure of her fingernails, and he could see her lips tremble as she attempted to cover her teeth. 

Finally, Quatre stepped back, wiping the back of his hand against his mouth.  He nimbly licked off the blood that he'd wiped, looking at Jina with large sad eyes.  She put a hand to the side of her neck, stopping the slow spilling of blood before her skin healed completely and left not a mark to show what had just happened.  Her eyes opened, seeming the slightest shade of red.  Her gaze ran across everyone in the room.  Cathy's shocked expression as she clung to Hilde.  Duo's wide eyes and Trowa's ever-stoic steel eyes.  Roddy's sickened facial features and then to Heero.  She watched him for a while.

He watched back.  He saw it there.  The pain and sacrifice behind her eyes.  The sacrifice she'd make for Quatre.  The many things she'd already given for him.  And in that most personal and vulnerable moment, she was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. 

Jina wobbled, caught herself on the cabinet and then made her way out the kitchen door.  Heero followed her.

*******

"What was that?" Trowa asked, his strong quiet voice the first to speak after witnessing such a disturbing play of affection and care between two vampires.

"She makes me," Quatre said with his head down.  No more blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and the blood on his hand had been washed away under the steady flow of water from the faucet. 

"Why?" Duo asked. 

Quatre took a deep breath.  "Jina refuses to allow me to kill.  This is her way of making sure I'll never experience the death of others, like she does each night.  It haunts her, to kill all those people, whether they're vampires or not.  She wakes up screaming sometimes.  She insists that I only feed from her."

"But I don't understand," Cathy said, coming closer.

"What don't you understand!?" Quatre yelled, making Cathy and the rest of the Hunters jump back a step or two.  "I'm a VAMPIRE, Catherine.  A horrible, blood-sucking vampire and I have to feed on my only friend to survive.  What is there to not understand?"

Cathy looked tense, but she walked back closer to him, just out of arm's reach.  "I don't understand why you do something you hate."

"There is no other way."  Quatre looked down at the ground in shame.  "Would you rather that I die of starvation?"

"No, Quatre, I'd never wish that upon you…"

"Then there is no other way," he said with finality.  He turned to leave, but Cathy's hand on his shoulder stopped his progress out of the kitchen.  "Why do you care about a vampire?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I just do," she said as she spun him around to face her.  He kept his head down so he would not have to look in her eyes. 

"You two stay here," Trowa commanded of his sister and Quatre.  "We'll go out.  I'll see you in the morning, Cathy."  He bent down and whispered something into Roddy's ear, and they left with Duo and Hilde.  Neither Cathy nor Quatre moved again until they heard the front door close. 

"Why do you care about me?" Quatre asked again.

"Why do you care about me?" she repeated.

Quatre looked thoughtful for a moment.  "I just do."

"Then my answer stays the same as well," Cathy said with a smile.  She pulled Quatre close and threw her arms around his neck.  After a moment, Quatre reciprocated the hug, lifting his arms from where they hung limp at his sides to around Cathy's waist.  She kissed his neck, softly, as they pulled apart.

The shocked look in his wide eyes made it hard for Catherine to contain her laughter.  His hand went to the place on his neck where her lips had touched. 

"Why did you do that?" he asked, voice still quiet and betraying the surprise he felt.

"I don't know.  It seemed like a good idea at the time," she replied with a shrug.  She flashed a smile and took a bold step forward.  Poor frightened Quatre took a step back.

"I don't think Jina would approve of…" his voice silenced as Catherine's lips pressed lightly against his own.  He couldn't think straight anymore.  All that he knew was that he wanted more, to be closer to this beautiful woman who was not afraid of the terrifying vampire.  The horrible beast that they both knew he was.  He took a half-step forward, pressing harder against her soft lips and opening his mouth slightly.  The kiss deepened, and Quatre couldn't remember which way was up anymore. 

"Nice," Cathy said after the kiss ended.  Quatre's eyes opened slowly to find her standing back from him, looking at him appreciatively.  He was confused.  What was nice?  She came closer and put her hand on his bare chest, feeling his wiry muscles.  Her fingers tickled against his skin and felt good, making him close his eyes and moan lowly. 

His eyes snapped open and he looked at her even more confused than before.  He'd come downstairs fully dressed, and now she was rubbing her hands on his bare torso.  Quatre looked down to see his shirt ripped and at his feet.  Embarrassed and not wanting to confirm the truth, he had to force himself to look to the side. 

"Do all vampires do that?" she asked, amused.

"No," he sulked. 

"I think they're beautiful," Cathy said, reaching out to touch one of the wings that spread from Quatre's back.  They were warm, feeling and looking like human skin.  Quatre let Cathy satisfy her curiosity, standing still as she circled him to see his wings from every angle.  She reached out and touched them as she walked around him again.  Quatre moaned.

"Wings are sensitive," he told her through ground teeth. 

"Are they really?" she asked with a bit of mischief in her smile. 

"Yes," he managed to say as she touched the place where they merged with his back.  "Though I didn't know it until now…"

She kissed the back of his neck, and then kissed the spot between his shoulder blades, between where his wings emerged from his spine.  Quatre shuddered and his wings flexed, knocking over one of the kitchen chairs.  It felt so good, he wasn't the least bit upset when Cathy started to laugh out loud at him. 

"So is this a natural reaction to sex?" she asked, unashamed.

Quatre blushed.  "I don't know," he admitted.  "I've never…felt this way before."

"Never?" Cathy repeated, her seductive mischief becoming more and more evident.  She walked back around to face him.  "You mean you've never…"

"No," Quatre interrupted quickly.  "Jina's helped me lead a very sheltered life."

Cathy placed three small kisses on his collarbone.  "Then this should be a fun learning experience," she said, pushing him back until he bumped the counter.  Quatre was pinned, keeping him from escaping the tall redhead's advances.  But then again, even if he could escape, he didn't think that he would.

*******

Heero followed Jina up the stairs and into her bedroom, watching as she kicked off her shoes pulled off the clothes she'd been wearing and opened her wardrobe doors.  She slid into black leather pants and hiked up the legs to pull on tall combat boots.  Lacing them expertly, she pulled the pant legs back down and turned back to her wardrobe.  Grabbing a backless halter top that had more material missing than present, she tied the dark blue garment on and shrugged into her black wool coat.  She quickly braided her long dark hair and turned around, facing Heero.

"You dressed like me," he said with no emotion in his voice.

She was annoyed.  "My shirt is blue, yours is black," she pointed out.

"Your shirt is the color of my eyes," Heero told her.

"So?  What does that have to do with anything?"

"You aren't going to deny it?"

"It's true."  She walked closer to him, her sheathed sword firmly in her hand.  "Why else do you think I picked this shirt?"

"Backless," he said.  "Room for wings."

"True.  But that's only a functionary reason…"

Heero came closer to her, invading her personal space.  But she didn't back away.  "What other reason do you have?"

"You're a reason."  She could feel his breath on her face as she looked up at him.  His features blurred for a moment, and she felt herself waver slightly on her own two legs.  Hopefully, he wouldn't notice.  Jina regained her senses and ignored her energy and blood loss. 

Heero's hands clasped firmly on either of her shoulders, holding her upright.  He noticed the way she seemed unsteady on her feet. 

"You're not well.  You should stay here," he told her.

"Bullshit," she spat back.  Jina tried to worm away from his grip, but Heero wasn't as weakened as she was.  She didn't succeed. 

"You should stay here," Heero repeated.

"And let them come?  I can't.  They know that we're here."

"How?"

"Chang knows.  Somehow, I know he knows," Jina said, giving in to the fact that Heero wasn't going to let go of her anytime soon. 

"What will we do?" he asked, accepting her explanation for the time being.

"Kill him."

"Why does he want you?"

"You know why.  Vampires accumulate the power of other vampires when they feed on them.  I've feed on vampires for hundreds of years.  He'd gain all that power in one drink if he ever caught me…"

"But he's caught you before.  Why didn't he kill you then?"

"He wants a Pureblood.  Quatre," Jina explained.  "Quatre has even more power than me.  There's an ancient tale of Purebloods containing the power to control the world.  That is what your friend Chang is after."

"Wufei should know that's not true.  What are you not telling me?" Heero demanded.

"That Chang is desperate.  He promised the Triad he'd bring them the last Pureblood within three years of his takeover.  If he does not deliver, they will tear him apart."