Canine Instincts

By AlantisB

Prologue

"Dog-Gone It!"

**

Darkness was all around him, a soundless void where he could see nothing for as far as the eye could see. Loneliness radiated off his soul as he waited for who knows how long. All he remembered was the brief times before he entered this void, the times where he would get flashes. One flash stood out amongst all others in the void. He remembered something glowing, a whispered prayer, and a hot burning pain, then nothing. What was it, it didn't remember. All he knew was he was trapped in this place with no where else to go.

He stayed like that for centuries as the world around him changed.

At times he could see flashes of what had to be the outside world, for how could his imagination think up such as humans flying in metal birds and carriages with no horses pulling people where they wanted to go? When these flashes came to him, he watched them and studied them to learn from. He may need the information later and it was better he learned them now when he had nothing to go. He waited for the time when he could escape from this place, this never-ending nothingness.

Soon the flashes came to him more frequently and lasting longer then before. He watched them as he always did and stored pieces of information away. Sometimes he would contemplate these images and spend time wondering what it all meant. After a while he came to the startling realization that he was no longer in a void, but in a place full of images constantly sending him information and causing him to think upon those images. He was conscious! Now, he just needed to wake up from this dream.

It was slow a process, and it took countless amounts of energy but soon he could feel the light on his eyelids. He could feel the wind tangling her fingers through his hair like gentle caresses. Scents reached his nose as he cautiously sniffed around him as he became used to the stenches that were previously not existing. Some of them stank and hurt his nose but others were colorful, drawing in his attention as he tried to figure out what they were. He became excited as he started to recongize the earth beneath him, the tree he was hugged against, and the cloth he could feel wrapped around him. He knew he was waking up and he could go explore the world around him now. All it took was to open his eyes and then he could leave the place his mind had been existing on for so long!

He struggled to climb towards the white light in his mind. His strength waned but when he was about to give up hope he remembered the new smells of the world around him, the prospect of traveling that New world and learning about everything. His climb was hard, the journey was long and unforgiving but he could make it! He would reach that outside world! He was stronger then before, he knew that somehow. He would make it! His soul cried out in joy as he reached the light and he jumped into the blinding whiteness.

His eyes snapped open.

**

Duo gave a startled puppy-like yelp as he fell out of bed, shaken out of his sleep by the annoying loud blare of the alarm clock. He lay on the floor for a few minutes trying to blink the sleepiness from his eyes and stared up at the cracked tile called the ceiling. Absently he rubbed at his eyes and stretched his body out amongst his rumpled covers. He was tired. But it wasn't because of morning laziness like his fellow pilots thought was the cause since he was so hard to get out of bed in the morning. He could never fall right to sleep at night, he always wanted to go out and prowl, to guard his land. As tempting as it was, he never let himself get out of bed at night and do such a thing.

He stood up and reached down to pick up his covers and threw them onto the bed in a messy way. A pain tweaked his back and he rubbed at it unconsciously as he muttered curses under his breath. Stupid alarm clocks and stupid loud machines! They shouldn't be allowed to suddenly wake him up and make him fall out of his bed at five in the morning.

He half stumbled, half limped across the room to the a-joining bathroom. He shut the door, covering his mouth as his yawn widened showing the whites of his teeth as he struggled to wake himself up at such an ungodly hour. It wasn't right, I spent all of my young life waking up with the sunrise and I lived on a colony for four years and suddenly it screws up my internal clock.

Automatically, his body moved to his usual morning functions such as turning on the shower, adjusting the knobs to make steaming –almost burning hot- cascade of flowing water. White steam rose to the ceiling as the hot temperature of the water as it evaporated into water vapor. He striped from his boxer and wife beater shirt and let loose his hair with a quick tug of the band holding it in place before he stepped into the steaming shower.

He purred in pleasure as the hot waters caressed his tense back muscles leaving him completely relaxed and in a happy mood. Hot water always made him happy, having grown up where there was never an easy way to get such temperatures of water he enjoyed the time he was able to have using one. Sure people called him a hot water hog but you would not like to take baths in cold water either and you would jump at the chance of using hot water. The guys will hate me for leaving them no hot water. He grinned knowing the two pilots that would hate no hot water the most.

Soon the water started to run cold and he reluctantly shut off the water. Duo stepped out of the shower and onto the cold tiled floor. He sighed, he missed the numbing feeling of the hot water already, the drops of skin numbing heat rolling off his body giving him a massage so gentle only water could have such skilled fingers. His skin tinged reminding him that it had almost fallen asleep and was trying to wake up. He loved that feeling. The sensation reminded him that he was indeed alive and not in the void living out those unremembered images of times long past.

He grabbed the white towel from the shower rack and ran it through his hair getting rid of excess water clinging to his thick hair. He dried off the rest of his body with smooth and unconscious grace lining his every movement. With great care, he wiped away at the fog clouding the mirror over the sink with the towel, he was careful not to scratch the surface.

He grabbed the ragged toothbrush he had for years, squirted some toothpaste on the bent bristles before he shoved it into his mouth and brushed his teeth. He hated the taste of mint on his tongue because it made him want to gag at the strong smell emitting from the cleaning paste. He made sure to brush thoroughly near his wisdom teeth in the back of his jaw and the canines towards the front of his set of teeth. Toothpaste – he thought to him self as he brushed his teeth - made my breath smell fresh and that was the only good quality the nasty chemical paste have in my eyes.

He spat the used toothpaste into the sink. He bent down and leaned his head so that his mouth was open towards the pipe and gulped down the water, swishing it around in his mouth to get rid of the after taste. The water was cool on his tongue and it felt quite refreshing. Not as good as pure spring water but it was good all the same. He stood up straight again and took a quick glance at the mirror before he leaned down and spat out the water in his mouth. Suddenly, the image he saw in the mirror caught up with him and his head snapped up to study his reflection.

"Oh SHIT!"

He bit his lips with his inhuman canines and the sharp points poked at his bottom lip, drawing a bit of blood. The tip of his red tongue darted out to lick away the small drops of blood. The sugary-sweet taste of his demon blood made him shiver in excitement, the blood lust stirred in him for the first time in years. For now he ignored it and instead occupied himself in studying his reflection.

Golden, slit pupil eyes stared back at him from under the bangs of his silvery-white hair. His ears - had he been a normal human - would be located near his nose and eyes. The ears he had now were in fact located at the top of head on either side, no longer made of the soft bone covered by weak human flesh. Now they were white furred dog-ears that flickered at the slightest sound around him. As if a light switch had been turned on for his senses, he could smell the unmistakable human scents in the house that were his fellow pilots.

The scents of oil and grease drifted to his nose -which he knew came from the hanger where the gundams were located. Even though he had just washed, the scent of mechanical oil clung to his hair and skin. His senses no longer dulled by his human guise could distinguish the smell from his normal scent of the forest and nature, to the oil and grease one that covered him now. He reached out with a claws hand and touched his mirror reflection in disbelief. He was seeing for the first time in four years since he woke up from his forced sleep, his true hanyou self.

The dog demon in the reflection looked back at him with the same disbelief painted on his features. The proof of his heightened senses showed him this was no illusion but he couldn't bring him self to believe it was real. He had locked him self in his human form with the strongest spell he knew. Damn it! The spell was supposed to last forever! But it wore off somehow. What would cause such a disruption in the spell as to return me to my half-demon form?

He glanced up at his reflection again to study it. Could he cast the spell again or would it be disrupted and do something horrible to him? He sighed as his shoulders slumped. The risk was too great. It would be dangerous to cast the spell again unless I figure out just what caused it to stop being in effect.

The only problem was how was he to hide it from trained terrorists that looked for that sort of thing on a daily basis? The others wouldn't be fooled into thinking his looks were a costume so what could he do to make himself look more like "Duo"? He looked around the bathroom and in the cabinets. The dog demon's face brightened into a rare, real smile as he came across an old box of brown hair dye he had.

I have a plan!

**

Ten minutes later, Duo walked out of the bathroom looking almost completely like the old Duo except for some minor differences. His braided hair was a bit lighter from the original chestnut color it had before. He doubted the pilots would notice since his hair looked darker while wet. They would chalk it up to it being lighter from the sun bleaching it when they saw it dry. His eyes were still the startling golden color however that was no problem because he knew of an easy way to fix it and keep it from his friends.

For instances such as this, he always had a spell handy that could cast minor glamour fields on his person. The glamour he cast were on his eyes to make the golden color appear his violet shade it had been in his human form. He couldn't do anything about his claws, but he already came up an excuse for them. He could just say that he needed them for his new mission. For his fangs, he decided that he just wouldn't smile showing his teeth and wouldn't open his mouth so wide to speak.

He slipped on his priest wardrobe and on his way out of his bedroom he grabbed his black baseball cap and put it on. His ears felt uncomfortable pressed flat against his head. He couldn't really do anything about that. The hanyou was sure the others would notice a pair of dog-ears on his head so he needed a way to cover them up somehow. This was the only solution he could come up with in such a short time.

Duo checked his reflection in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. He nodded in satisfaction at the sight staring back at him. The illusion was perfect, no flaws except for his clawed hands. No one would notice hopefully. After he completed his mission, he'll have to leave for a while from the guys. If he didn't, he feared they would discover his secret and that could cause a huge mess. One he couldn't have happen because two certain pilots he had feelings for. He knew he could never act on those feelings, especially how he was now. But he vowed not to expose the pilots to his hanyou form or they would cast him away like all humans and demons did so long ago when they found out he was only a lowly hanyou.

Time to put up the normal act, he thought as he shifted into the well-worn mask of cheerful exterior. He ran down the stairs and turned the corner before he barely dodged running into Trowa. "Hey Tro!" He grinned but carefully manuvered his lips so that they covered the sharp points of his canines. "What's up? You have a good night sleep last night with Q-man?"

Trowa raised an eyebrow in silent amusement at his fellow pilot's enthusiastic demeanor. He carefully sipped at his tea and gave the Deathscythe pilot a nod. Duo's face brightened and he gave the silent pilot a wink. "Good for you man! I got a mission today so tell the Perfect Soldier and I-have-a-stick-so-far-up-my-ass-I-taste-bark-in-my-mouth Chang that I unfortunately can't play the wonderful pranks I was going to deploy this fine day. I'm saving those for another day. Okay? Okay! Thanks man!"

Duo ran out of the hallway leaving the Heavyarms pilot to his own thoughts. Poor Heero and Wufei, the silent pilot thought to him self in amusement. They always received the blunt end of Duo's practical jokes. He contemplated on actually telling the two oriental boys what the braided pilot had told him be decided against it. Let the two sweat it out, he smiled in the privacy of his own company. Entertainment was so hard to find out in the country.

**

It was well after midnight three days later when Duo managed to reach the front door of the safe house. Rather thick-looking blood dripped a steady stream off of the large cut on his arm that ran from his elbow to his wrist. He leaned his forehead against the door as he struggled to control his harsh breathing. He scent of blood was driving his instincts wild but at the same time he was in desperate need of sleep.

If he were still trapped in his full human form he knew he wouldn't be alive from all the blood he had lost. He had been careful not to let any blood drip onto the ground where hounds could lick it up. The last thing he needed was a pack of wolves hot on his tail to be his servants.

His eyes started to drift closed of their own accord as his mind started to drift towards the relaxing darkness in his mind. Sleep, yeah that sounded good right about now.

He jerked himself upright as he forced himself to stay awake. This is not good, he realized. He couldn't fall asleep, not with such a large cut and leaving it untended could lead his death. So tired was he, he wasn't sure his hanyou body could take the strain of constantly trying to pump blood through his arm where it flowed out in huge streams and heal his wound at the same time. It was deep like he had been cut by a katana but it was really a cut from a wayward shard that struck him unawares while his back was turned after he blew up the base. He grabbed the doorknob with his uninjured arm and opened the door as quietly as he could.

Duo jerked back to stop himself from walking into the gun barrel pointed at his chest. He lifted his eyes to stare into the ice blues of the Wing pilot that was currently glaring at him with fierce coldness. Heero stared Duo down for a moment before he clicked on the safety again and put his gun out of sight. His gaze traced over Duo's body looking for injury that could hinder any future missions (and to see if Duo was all right although he won't admit to that). Heero spotted the rather wicked looking slash on Duo's arm that was bleeding profusely and now that he noticed the slashed arm, he realized just how pale Duo seemed.

Footsteps reached Duo's ears and he looked up just as Wufei walked out of the kitchen with the first aid box in hand and headed over to the two pilots. "Hmph. Can't even handle a simple mission Maxwell?"

Duo's eyes started to close as his exhaustion finally caught up to him. He crumpled to the ground too tired to focus anymore energy to keep his glamour up that covered his unusual eyes. The last thought he had before unconsciousness was how had the wooden floor was so soft and smelled like mechanical grease.

**

That is the conclusion the teaser for my new story. I hope you all enjoyed this teaser. If I get enough reviews I will update with a new chapter. However I warn you the chapters may be slow since I have many other stories to work with! ^.^

-AlantisB