"Hope
Everybody needs hope
A little peace of mind that they can call their own
And everybody needs love, just a little trust
'Cause sometimes eatin', sleepin' and breathin' just ain't enough..."
"Somebody's Out There Watching" - The Kinleys
Une poked experimentally at her microwavable ravioli with a plastic fork. Obviously, it had been sitting in the Preventers freezer for a bit longer than she had thought, if the freezer burn was any indication. She had thought she was saving time by not ordering out for lunch...it was just turning out to be an incredibly crappy week.
Or maybe "crappy" wasn't the word she wanted. Une eyed O'Toole over the rim of her glasses. He was no longer fidgety or nervous, in fact, he stared right back down at her with a startling intensity. After hearing his report, Une was ready to turn in the paperwork and resign. This was just...bizarre.
And crappy.
Sally, still sitting in one of the office's cold plastic chairs, had disregarded her own ravioli and was looking at Michael with a mixed expression, "A demoness came into the office and took Wufei away," she said skeptically. From her point of view, Wufei wasn't the only one who needed to be in the infirmary.
Michael nodded.
Sally shook her head in mute disbelief, "How did you get hired...?" she muttered under her breath.
Michael heard her anyway, "Same way you did, sweetie," he said flippantly.
Une set her glasses down on her desk so she could rub at the bridge of her nose without an obstacle, "My two best agents are either dead or trapped in Hell. This stuff never happened with I was working for Treize-sama."
Sally's head snapped around to her employer, "You believe him??" she asked incredulously, "Une!"
"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not," Michael folded his arms and didn't bother to look at Sally. "I've talked with a lot of disbelievers in my day, that's nothing new. I'm just here to tell you the truth and help you get Wufei back."
Now he looked at Sally. "You do want him back, don't you?"
"Of course we do!" she snapped at him. "But this is so bloody absurd--"
"Absurd though it may be," Une interjected, "it's our only solid explanation into Wufei's mysterious illness so far."
"There's got to be another reason. Stress? Mental anguish? Something!" Sally poked at her ravioli viciously with a fork. "No way I'll be that a demoness was behind it. I'm a medical professional."
"Oh, right. The presence of things like science and medicine automatically cancel out the possibility of Someone Down There," Michael said snidely. "I'd forgotten."
"Agent O'Toole, I realize that Major Po is unfairly dismissing your theory, but that gives you no right to speak to her in that manner," Une was dangerously close to reaching for her glasses.
Michael pointed a finger at her. "With all due respect, I think we've passed the point where I need to take orders from you."
Une was about to shout something very nasty at the white-haired agent, but before she had the chance, Michael started to...glow.
Now look, I don't have much time to explain this," Michael said, watching the two women gape as his jacket ripped and large white wings ripped from his back and fluttered twice. "So I'll give you the sound bites version. I'm an angel, and I'm here with a message from God."
Michael locked both women down in his blue gaze, "Duo Maxwell was not supposed to die," he paused a moment to let the statement sink in, "The guy down there sent a guy up here to kill him which pisses the guy waaaay up there off to no end."
Une blinked. Once. Twice. Then, "...and...? Why Duo?"
"He," Michael made a disgusted snort indicating just which "he" was being referred to, "wants to take over the world. He needs a buffer. And what better buffer than an emotional train-wreck called Wufei?"
"And the demoness...?" Une prompted.
"That's Raven. The henchman. Woman. Whatever. But her only interest isn't just taking over the world," Michael's eyes glittered dangerously, "She wants him for a consort, and she's willing to do ~anything~ to make him hers. She tainted him with a kiss, even. Mentions of Duo, just thinking about Duo, literally tears Wufei up," Michael nodded once, "Comprende?"
"And you were sent under cover to keep an eye on Wufei..." Une mused thoughtfully, glasses forgotten.
"Essentially, yes."
"What can we do?"
Sally slammed her ravioli bowl onto Une's desk, "This is insane!" she declared, "Une---!"
"Sally..." Une pointed to the wings protruding from Michael's back, "I know you're not the best at the obvious..."
There was a soft knock at the office door.
"Michael? Do you want me to come in yet?"
Sally turned in her seat to see if Une was as white as she felt. Une was even paler than she had been during her coma. Une looked...frightened? And Sally couldn't say she blamed her. After all, since when could the dead knock on the door and talk?
"Yeah, come on in. I've already fucked up my cover anyway," Michael shrugged. The door creaked open, and a familiar set of amethyst eyes and chestnut bangs, with a few stray white feathers hanging over his eyes.
"Um...hey, Une, Sally," he said, unsure what a formerly-mortal said to their former-boss and -confidante. "We've gotten mixed up in some pretty crazy shit, haven't we?"
"I believe that counts as an understatement," Une managed to get out feebly. "Aa...how have you been?"
Duo came in the rest of the way and shrugged. "As well as you could expect. I mean, my 'Fei's being ripped to bits by a maniacal demoness, and I'm an angel..."
Sally couldn't get any words to form on her lips. Duo was dead, but here he was, in a lovely white suit with gorgeous white wings, talking to her...oh, this was just way out there.
"I can't really stay too long. The longer we leave Raven alone with 'Fei, the longer she has to..." Duo didn't want to finish the sentence, because he didn't want to think about it. "Things are just getting out of hand."
"If that doesn't count as an understatement, nothing will," Michael sighed. "Ladies, I know this is going to sound stupid, but if this could stay between the two of you...?"
Une nodded, massaging her temples. "Of course. If I started telling my staff that Wufei had been kidnapped by a demoness and our new recruit is really an angel, they'd send me home and tell me to get a nice weekend of rest."
"Would they now?"
Once again, everyone, humans and angels alike, turned to see who the voice at the door was.
Heero stood in the doorframe, a manila envelope in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. While most people in Heero's situation would at the very least look flabbergasted, he just stared into the office with his usual Heero Yuy Indifference.(tm)
Michael looked ready to bash his forehead into the nearest wall. Instead, he settled for Une's solution of rubbing his temples, "Shut the door before someone else comes in," he moaned in exasperation.
"Um...hi, Hee-chan..." Duo said with a feeble wave.
Heero stepped into the office, and the door shut behind him with a quiet click.
"I know this is going to sound stupid," Michael repeated, face still in his hands, "but if you could just keep this between the three of you...?"
"What do we have to do?"
Michael looked up in irritation at Heero, "You think charging down into Hell in a rescue attempt is so simple?? Just hop down, tap Raven on the shoulder, and sprint Wufei out?? Honestly---"
Michael was silenced by Duo placing his hand on his shoulder, "It's Hee-chan," he said quietly, "Hee-chan can take on the universe and win."
To the layman, Heero's features didn't change in the slightest. But if someone with plenty of practice under the belt...like, per say, Sally, looked, the slightest flicker of warmth, affection, and just general love flickered in Heero's cobalt eyes. Sally chewed thoughtfully on a cold, freezer-burnt, ravioli. Indeed, everyone had loved Duo, hadn't they...
What do we have to do?" Heero repeated, taking a sip of the official Preventers sludge. Une was impressed; if there was one employee who could actually stomach her concoction, it would definitely be Heero.
"Hee-cha~~n, don't you get involved too!" Duo whined. "First 'Fei, now you! I don't want any more people getting hurt on my account."
The faintest outline of a smirk crept up Heero's face. "It's hard not to."
"There might just be a way..."
Everyone - well, except Michael and Duo - jumped at Smoke's unannounced entrance.
"A way to do what?" Sally finally got her mouth to move. "And who are you?"
"I'm Smoke, another angel, pleased to meet you." Smoke looked at Heero, the gears beginning to turn. "There might just be a way Heero can help us."
"Anything," Heero said automatically. "Anything I can do."
Duo groaned. "No, Smoke, don't encourage him! They have 'Fei, that's enough! We have to get him back without other people getting hurt!"
"That's a lot to ask in this situation, I'm afraid," Michael said. "One way or the other, someone is going to get screwed."
Duo winced and grasped for the end of his braid. Michael scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Duo. Didn't mean it that way."
"He could be a sort of...distraction," Smoke was obviously ignoring the both of them. "Get Raven's attention. Michael and Duo will keep an eye on them, while I free Wufei."
Heero set the manila folder down on a nearby chair, and stared at a point on the floor, appearing to ponder the idea. He was good at distractions...
"Please, Hee-chan, don't," Duo pleaded. No, not Heero too. Raven wasn't going to get both of them. "Please, don't do this. There's another way! I don't want you to get hurt..."
"Duo," Heero said quietly, "I'm going with you. You've said it yourself; I could probably take on the universe..."
"Why??" Duo scrubbed at the tears that were starting to make their way down his cheeks. It wasn't fair! He was shot, then 'Fei was gone, now Heero was going to go kamikaze yet AGAIN?? Wufei was right; there was no justice.
"Because I..." Heero trailed off and was silent for a moment, groping for the right words, "...I want to," he finally settled on.
Smoke nodded curtly, "Good. It's settled then-"
"WaitjustaMINUTE!!!" Duo exclaimed, but was promptly ignored.
"-if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way," Smoke inclined her head towards Une and Sally.
Sally continued to chew on her ravioli, at a complete loss for words. Her beloved Wufei was in Hell, Duo was an angel, and Heero had volunteered to get him back. What was one supposed to say in such circumstance?
Une, ever the eloquent diplomat, found the answer, "Good luck," she said quietly, "Bring him back. And yourselves," she fixed Michael with a steely look, "I don't like losing new recruits, O'Toole."
Despite himself, Michael smiled. "Yes, ma'am."
Duo was Not Happy. He didn't want Heero to do this one little bit. But obviously, he was going to have no say. In a flurry of paper clips and feathers, the three angels and one suicidal Preventer faded away to the depths of Hell.
"I hope they come back in one piece," Sally said softly. Une only nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Can't you ever do an assignment right?"
Raven would have spat at Kiran, if she wasn't leaning heavily against a black crystal and healing her mangled arm. It wasn't going nearly as fast as she had hoped, and although the outer wounds had healed, her arm wasn't going anywhere.
Remember, Kiran, the only reason you're out of jail is because I got you out. I'll happily put you back in.
Kiran gulped, and Raven snickered, which only made her arm hurt more. She brushed a few stringy strands of hair away with her talons to get a better view of her prize.
Oh, and what a prize he looked like now.
In the interest of "the larger, the better", Wufei's body had changed substantially since his arrival in Hell. His face had become longer and more chiseled, and he was quite a few inches taller. His muscles were clothed in nothing more than a tight black tank top and even tighter black leather pants. It was obvious who had gotten to choose the outfit.
He was also dangling, unconscious, by his wrists from an enormous ominous iron gate, but that hadn't been Raven's idea.
"How long will it be until we open the gate?" Kiran asked, looking at the intricate gate with awe.
Four hours after the time he wakes up. That will be enough time for the taint to take full effect.
"Until then?" Kiran found himself asking.
Until then... there was a slight chuckle that chilled both of the demons, Until then, he dreams until he breaks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Treize looked just as he last saw him.
Well, no, that was technically a lie. The last time he saw Treize, Treize was a thousand tiny particles floating amongst the debris of the TallGeese II. So Treize looked like he had the next to last time he saw him. Tall, oh-so-full of himself, and smirking.
"Hello, dragon," he greeted in the voice that managed to be both quiet and grating at the same time, "It's good to see you again."
"Can't say the same, Khusherenada," Wufei spat. He wasn't scared. No, oh no. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't move because he was tethered to something behind him, and he was talking to a man he had killed himself, but he wasn't scared. Worried...maybe. But not scared.
Treize eyed him under the fop of blonde hair falling into his face, "I've missed you dragon."
Wufei sighed in bemusement, "Must I repeat myself?"
"How have you been?" Treize continued as if Wufei hadn't spoken, "Besides having the love of your life killed and all?"
"Considering the circumstance? I could be better."
"The same could be said for me, I suppose," Treize reached out a hand to touch Wufei's beautiful face, and he jerked his neck to get away. "Still as passionate as the last time..."
Wufei growled low. "Don't touch me."
Treize pulled his hand away slowly. "As you wish."
"As the song said, only the good die young," he said, and Wufei was unsure whether that was for his benefit or not. "'I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners have much more fun'..."
"That depends on who you ask," Wufei smirked. "Of the immortal beings I've had the pleasure of meeting, the angels seem a much cheerier disposition than the demons."
"Maybe you're just meeting the wrong ones," Treize shrugged.
Wufei really wanted to know why he was here...wherever "here" was. He thought he was being carried away to Hell...although maybe this was it. Being chained up and listening to Treize speak for all eternity was Hell? Wufei wouldn't put it past them.
"Can we get to the point?"
Treize actually looked hurt, "I thought you wouldn't mind chumming it up..."
Wufei rolled his eyes, "We were never 'chummy' Treize. 'Chums' don't try to kill each other."
Treize's face lit up at Wufei's last statement, "'Try'! Oh yes. 'Try'," this time, he did manage to caress Wufei's cheek, despite Wufei jerking his neck this way and that, "Oh, how you tried, little dragon. But you weren't quite good enough, were you?"
Wufei froze and Treize continued petting him with his gloved hand, "No matter what you did, pretty one, it wasn't enough. You wanted to protect your colony...what happened?"
Wufei's eyes narrowed into onyx slits and he yanked against his restraints, to no avail, "Fuck you," he growled in his throat, "Fuck you, Khusherenada...what do you know??"
Treize paid the flails and curses absolutely no mind. The only sign that he was paying attention to Wufei was when he drew his hand back to keep from being bitten, "What don't I know, dragon?" he kissed the tips of his gloves and brushed his fingers across Wufei's lips.
Wufei felt his stomach clench. This was wrong, why wouldn't Treize go away?...
"Does their screaming ever haunt you?" Treize cupped Wufei's head in one hand, and the boy found that he could no longer move. Their eyes locked and no matter how hard he tried, Wufei could not look away.
"Do you ever feel an ache, where Meiran used to be?" He started to lose himself; everything was going numb. Treize just smiled as he saw the fear and anger in Wufei's eyes. He lost the feeling in his hands, his legs, his chest, until finally Treize let go of his head and he flopped forward like a rag doll.
"Ever miss your innocence, little dragon?"
Suddenly, he was yanked from behind, and Treize disappeared into a thick blackness. He landed on a hard floor with a thunk, rolling head over heels before landing in a strange, sprawled position.
"They lied to you, 'Fei."
Duo's voice! Wufei tried to sit up, tried to see where it was coming from, but try as he might he couldn't move at all.
"What do you mean? Who lied?" he said, more to himself than to Duo's voice.
"Michael. Smoke. God. They don't want to help us; we're just pawns in an immortal power struggle. They don't want to help us. They're just going to whap the Devil on his knuckles with a ruler and give him a warning. But...they're going to take you away from me, 'Fei."
Duo sounded pained, distraught. "We deserve a second chance, but they won't give it to us. Doesn't that make you angry, 'Fei?"
"They lied..." Wufei whispered to himself, "No, wait! No, Duo! Duo, they didn't lie!"
"'Fei, if they wanted to help us, they would've done something! Don't you think it's strange that the All-Mighty can't fix something so minor? Just a snap? 'Fei! Think about it! They're using us to stab at each other!"
It made sense. Why taunt him with something he could never have, if they weren't just using him? Gods. Even the Divine wanted to use him. Master O just wanted to use him to pilot that Gundam. Une just wanted to use him as a Preventer. Chang Wufei, the universal appliance, that was him!
It wasn't fair.
He had done everything to the best of his ability, and he STILL wasn't good enough?? What more did they want of him? His will? His SOUL??
His soul...
"Don't let them get away with this, 'Fei," Duo's voice pleaded, "Please don't let them get away with this..."
Everyone just wanted to use him in their own petty power struggles. No one cared about Wufei, or how Wufei may have felt! Them, them, them!! And the one time, the one bloody time he had wanted something for his own, it had been ripped from him. He wouldn't stand for this. He couldn't stand for this.
But something kept holding him back...
"Don't you want happiness, 'Fei?"
That did it. Wufei let out an inhuman scream, flying off the ground without any effort to do so. The dreamscape shattered, and so did he.
At the same time, the real Wufei stirred. His eyes shot open quickly, revealing that they were no longer chocolate brown, but a very violent shade of red. He stared blankly at the ground below him, where Raven was grinning and Kiran was gasping like a fish out of water.
"Did you hear that scream? Amazing," Kiran whispered, running a hand through his hair and holding his head in it. "He's totally ours now."
Raven let out a triumphant laugh. "I did it! I did it! We have our chance!"
Raven...if there's anything left of him when we finish, I suppose, if you wanted...you could have him. I mean, I don't need any more demons, and he's been so much of a headache...
Raven couldn't believe it - The Boss was giving her something? That was new. But it was just what she wanted, and although she knew there would be consequences, she didn't care.
"Thank you, sir," she said, grinning even wider - now the smile went up to her eyes. Maxwell may have been the God of Death, but she was victorious. And ooh, pardon the pun, but there was hell to pay. Both of them---Maxwell and her pretty Wufei---were in for it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Getting into Hell was not as easy as it was made out to be. Especially when one wasn't invited.
First of all, there were physical barriers. Doors, gates, spikes, tar pits, cesspools...but nothing unusual. Each were easily averted for the small party of angels and kamikaze human. It was the other barriers---the ones that couldn't be seen---that caused the problems. Those, and the fact that Smoke had gotten them lost. Hopelessly and irrevocably lost.
The quartet stood inside a small cave literally in the middle of nowhere, while Smoke consulted the map that had been generously provided.
"Nice going, Smoke," Michael muttered, obviously beyond irate, "We got lost in a straight line DOWN!"
"Shut up," she muttered, and flipped her map upside-down in the hopes that it would make more sense, "Just shut up. If you're so smart, YOU should've been the navigator."
Duo idly plucked a loose feather from his wing, "'Fei's about to die horribly, and they're fighting," he murmured, "And they're not fighting the guy they should be fighting!" It wasn't fair. After everything that had happened, he was going to lose his 'Fei anyways, because his guardians were too stubborn and frustrated to work together!
"Look, can you argue like a married couple later?" Heero snapped. "Right now, Wufei is probably Justice-loving toast."
He snatched the map away from Smoke, and began to study it carefully.
Smoke sighed irritably. "Look, Heero, that's a very nice gesture, but the whole thing is written in ancient Hebrew, and--"
"We go that way." Heero turned Michael's wrist so his torch was pointing toward a craggy road below them and to the left. Far off at the end of the road, there seemed to be a large black gate, with a lone figured dangling from its highest point.
"Ohhh...fuck," Duo remarked, staring at the ominous sight and trying so very hard not to wet himself. This was it, now was his chance to save 'Fei.
Duly noted," Michael swallowed. There it was - The Gate. Behind that monstrosity, thousands and thousands of years of negative energy was pulsing and writhing, waiting to be let out.
"Looks like we arrived just in time," Heero said. "What's our plan?"
Smoke and Michael exchanged looks.
"You have a plan, right?" Michael asked hurriedly, at the same time Smoke said, "You know what the plan is, don't you?"
Heero sighed exasperatedly. "Great. Maybe I should just run down there and give the demoness a wedgie?"
Duo suddenly coughed very loudly, and Smoke resisted the urge to snigger.
"Not unless you want to die really, really fast," Michael said. "One look and she'll make you tomorrow's dinner for Cerberus."
The cave floor shook as a low rumble passed through, reminding everyone assembled of just how much time they didn't have. Heero sighed again, and yoinked Michael's torch from his hand, "I have an idea," he declared as he started to march determinedly for the Gate, "Wait until you see the opening."
"Opening? What?" Duo's eyes widened and he took a step forward, "Hee-chan, what are you planning?"
Heero paused and turned. Duo could've sworn he saw a slight smirk playing across Heero's features. But that couldn't be. This was Heero!
"Duo...do you remember that contest Une and Sally organized a few months ago?" he asked.
Duo's brow crinkled in confusion, "The Preventers Bishounen Choice Awards?" he blinked rapidly, "Yeah, I remember...you won Spandex God of the Century. So?"
Heero was definitely smirking now. The torchlight was giving his features an eerie glow, almost making the smirk seem slightly...devilish, "You think a mere demoness can stand up to the Spandex God?" he didn't wait for an answer. Rather he turned and jogged down the cave, on the way to the Gate.
The three angels gaped at his back.
"Spandex...god...?" Michael croaked and then turned to face Duo, "What kind of job did I get myself into?"
Smoke spoke before Duo could, "I want in on that action," she declared, "Oh, do I want in..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Koi, please. Turn that off."
Quatre either didn't hear his lover or didn't care, because he made no move to change the channel. His eyes, still red-rimmed and sticky with salt, were glued to CNN, watching yet another press briefing. Sure, he knew all the facts, but he was just masochistic enough to have them mercilessly pelted at his head over and over and over.
"Koi. Turn. It. Off." Trowa's hand on his shoulder startled him and he jumped away, as a look of worry and hurt flashed quickly over Trowa's face.
"You're hurting yourself," Trowa continued, nuzzling into his smaller companion. "I don't like it when you take burdens upon yourself like this."
Quatre let out a noise that was part whimper, part sigh. "I know, Trowa, but I can't help it. Now Wufei's missing too..."
Trowa hugged him tighter, and Quatre was so close he could inhale the scent of spices and shampoo and mothballs. "This too will pass, koi."
Quatre could only nod in agreement.
"How about I make you a snack?" Trowa offered quietly, "Cookies? Tea? Sandwich?"
That prompted a groan and a shudder, "Trowa, I love you but..."
"I can't make a sandwich to save my life," Trowa finished with a slight grin. He gave Quatre's forehead a small kiss before he started to pull away, "Cookies, then?" Quatre gave a mute nod, "Okay."
Trowa stood up and stretched. Cookies. Nothing could cheer up a depressed Quatre like cookies. Actually, there were other things---Trowa clamped down on that thought before it progressed. Cookies. He would stay focused on the cookies.
"...Trowa..."
Quatre was clutching at his shirt, breathing heavily. The color had fled his face, but his eyes were still red from crying, giving him a feverish look. And he was shaking---shaking so hard that Trowa was convinced he was going to tumble off the couch.
Trowa spun on his heels and came back to the couch. He put one hand on Quatre's back, to steady him, and the other hand on his lover's clenched hands and wad of shirt.
"What's wrong, Quatre?" he asked softly, although he knew already what it was. Stress had finally caught up with him, giving his chest yet another reason to cramp on him...
"It's so dark..." Quatre's eyes began to lose focus, glassy blue orbs looking past Trowa and past the TV to a spot he couldn't place. "Hard to breathe. All he wanted was happiness..."
"Quatre!" Trowa knew he had to get to a phone and call Sally, but it was in the other room and he wouldn't dare leave Quatre. "Koi, what are you talking about?"
If it was possible, Quatre began to shake harder as he began to cry again in soft, whimpering sobs. "They took Duo from him, and now they have him too. And Heero...Heero's going to, oh God, no..."
Trowa patted Quatre firmly on his back, to knock him out of his shocked state. "Koi, come on, snap out of it..."
Who is this 'they' he's talking about?, Trowa wondered. And what's happening to Heero? I hate when this happens, he's in so much pain...
Quatre looked up at Trowa, but Trowa didn't believe that he was what was being looked at. Quatre was staring at something else. Something beyond Trowa.
Icy hands clamped down on his shoulder with a surprising strength. Trowa had no doubt that his shoulders would be peppered with small, oval bruises in the morning. It didn't matter. He had to get through to Quatre and snap him out of his trance...
"She's going to kill him..." Quatre whispered harshly, "She's going to ravage him and kill him...both of them..."
"Quatre," Trowa said firmly, giving his lover a slight shake, "Who?"
Quatre stared at him with his glassy eyes, "Raven," he said simply and fell forward.
Fortunately, Trowa had been holding onto him and had saved Quatre from a face full of floor. Quatre was still hyperventilating, even unconscious, nor had his color returned. His eyes were scrunched shut and he was still shaking violently. Trowa couldn't wait. He had to get to Sally.
He carefully laid Quatre down on the couch, giving his lips a quick kiss. He tried to ignore the fact that they were getting cold. As fast as his long legs could carry him, he sped to the kitchen and hastily dialed the number of Sally Po's Preventers office.
"Preventers infirmary, Sally Po speaking. How can I help you?" The voice at the other end of the line was obviously strained and stressed.
"I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now," Trowa said, tucking the portable phone under his ear, "but Quatre is having a Spaceheart thing."
The noise Sally made sounded like a "GRAH!" as she slammed down papers.
"I'm sorry?" he added lamely, though he wasn't quite sure what he was sorry for.
"First, Duo is dead. Then Michael turns out to be an mrphgle--" the word was mumbled as Sally shifted the phone, "and then Wufei is kidnapped by Raven and by God what the fuck am I supposed to in a situation like this, at least in the war there weren't--"
"Did you just say 'Raven'?" Trowa felt his stomach drop to his knees.
On the other end of the line, he could almost hear Sally blink.
"Uhhhmm...why?" Sally cursed to herself. Damnitall, so much for keeping it between the three of them...
"Wellll...Quatre said something about a raven killing Wufei..." Trowa said somewhat lamely as he tried to envision a small black bird pecking Wufei to death. It made for an amusing spectacle, but a small niggling feeling told Trowa that his vision was not the raven being referred to.
"For crying out loud---!" the voice in the background was muffled, but Trowa recognized it as Une's. There was the sound of what seemed to be a scuffle for control of the phone, and then Sally was replaced by his employer, "Hello?" she snapped irritably.
"Une-sama..." Trowa started, not quite sure what he was going to say after that.
"Barton??"
"Give me that! Quatre--!" there were more scuffling noises, but the phone seemed to remain in Une's control.
"My building, my phone!" Une harrumphed for good measure, "Now, Barton, what do you want? We're in a bit of a crisis-"
"Quatre knows about Raven!" Sally's disembodied voice said.
Trowa could just imagine Lady Une's expression. Her eyes would widen under her glasses (considering how cranky she sounded, she probably had her glasses on), her lower jaw would fall down ever so slightly---"HOW??" she screeched. Trowa winced and held the phone away from his ear. Next time there was a medical emergency, he was using the Vid-Phone...
"Spaceheart-"
That was all Une seemingly needed to here, "Barton!" she snapped into the phone, "Stuff Quatre into that cute little Jeep of yours and bring him down to headquarters. We'll fill you in when we get there!"
The phone went dead.
Trowa stared at it for a minute before hitting the "off" button, "Quatre's Spaceheart is acting up," he muttered to himself as he dug his keys from the pockets of his jeans, "Could Sally please take a look? She can? Oh, thank you..." he sulked out of the kitchen.
He returned to the living room without a moment to spare. The TV was still on, a rather unflattering picture of Wufei being shown blown up to fit the screen. Quatre was barely on the couch, writhing in agony that Trowa could only begin to not comprehend.
"Shit," he said conversationally, and scooped up Quatre. He stalked toward the door, slipped on the nearest pair of "things that could count as footwear" (his slippers), and nudged the doorknob with his elbow until it finally opened. Snatching his car keys off the rack with his teeth, he kicked the door shut with his foot and dashed away.
"Iz jush going to be one of doze daysh," he decided, and opened the passenger-side door of his "cute little Jeep" as he chewed on his keys.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Spandex God was realizing that, bishie though he may be, he didn't have a plan. Of all the times to lack a plan, this was a really bad one.
He was hiding behind a seven-foot crystal, his torch long extinguished for fear of drawing attention. There was enough...well, it wasn't exactly light...visibility, perhaps, that he could see the demoness and her companion well enough. Some considerable damage had been done to the region around her arm, and he presumed Wufei was the culprit, because it was just the sort of mangled state that his prized katana could inflict.
Raven ran her talons through her thick, black tresses of hair and stared up admiringly at her handiwork. To think, this beautiful, lovely, and exotic boy was going to be hers for the taking in less than an hour! Justice was a wonderful thing. Raven sighed in contentment---
---which lasted for another three seconds as Kiran sidled up next to her, "There's a human just over yonder," he whispered hoarsely in her ear.
Raven resisted the urge to slap him. Did he think she was so dense that she wouldn't notice an unauthorized presence?? She just had better things to think about! She eyed Wufei again and wet her lips. Much, much better things to think about. And if she had much, much better things to think about, she had much, much better things to do. Humans were so squicky!
"Take care of him," she said in a normal tone, "No, wait," she held up a hand, "You'll screw up."
"I will not!" Kiran huffed indignantly, "Unlike some of us, I complete my assignments ON TIME."
"You lack class," with a flick of her wrist, the crystal that Heero had been hiding behind shattered. Raven blinked in surprise. She hadn't been expecting him! Two pretty mortal boys in Hell? She grinned viciously.
Heero fell back into a defensive stance at the loss of his cover, "Let him go," he growled lowly and nodded his head at the trussed up and leather-clad Wufei.
"Or...?" Raven prompted and flicked her wrist again. Heero let out a very uncharacteristic yelp as what felt like an invisible collar ensnared his throat.
"Or..." Heero wished he had a plan. "Or you'll have the wrath of Spandex God on your nasty little head."
Raven raised an eyebrow; the collar tightened and Heero coughed. He reached up to pry it loose, whatever "it" was, but yelped again and let go as he got a not-so-nice electric shock.
Hee-chan...be careful... Heero nearly jumped a foot in the air as Duo's voice rang crisp and clear in his head. Raven's sick, and she won't stop at anything to get what she wants, especially when she wants...you know...
Heero gulped. He'd wondered what that gleam in her eye was.
Michael huffed impatiently. Are you just going to stand there? I thought you had a plan.
"Ooh, you scare me, bishie," Raven mocked, yanking an invisible chain. Somehow, Heero managed to stay standing, although he did scoot quite a bit forward.
I thought I had a plan, too, Heero sighed. I wonder where it went.
"Now, I wonder what we do with you..." One of Raven's arms still hung rather limp from her side, and her shirt was a yicky mess.
"Who fucked up your arm?" Heero wheezed conversationally. "Looks like you were run clean through."
Kiran winced as whatever was around Heero's throat constricted even more, eliciting a very un-Heero-like "yurk!". Raven's eyes were nothing but tiny slits, and if she had known the spell for calling up a scary glowing aura, Kiran was pretty sure she'd be glowing. He shook his head. It must be hard being constantly reminded that your new toy hated you with every fiber of his being and wanted to run you through multiple times with sharp, pointy objects.
As quickly as her tantrum had come, it faded. Raven smiled broadly and loosened the collar just enough to allow Heero to breathe, "Look up, Spandex God," she said with a nice, mocking tone, "See what's left of your Wufei?"
Heero looked up. Besides from his change in apparel, Wufei seemed...darker. No, "darker" wasn't the word he was looking for...
Broken.
Heero wasn't gifted with Quatre's Spaceheart or Duo's knack for reading people, but he knew a broken heart when he saw one. Wufei's red eyes stared blankly back down at him, and Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier, felt a chill run down his spine. The being of Chang Wufei...his essence, his very soul...had simply shattered.
And it was all making sense to him now.
Duo had never been the target of this plot at all! The whole fiasco...the murder, the seizures...was all part of some plan to break Wufei.
Mr. Owl...instead of telling me how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop, why don't you tell me how many hits it takes to destroy the spirit of the solitary survivor of L5? some insane voice inside of Heero asked politely.
This wasn't fair.
"You're going to turn him into the world's largest nightlight?" Heero asked coyly, "Make a bundle on the fangirl market, I guarantee you that."
"Fangirls? Puh-leeze," Raven rolled her eyes. "First off, no one lays a hand on him but me. He said so."
"He?"
Raven ignored him. "Second, we've got bigger plans for him. This is the chance we've been waiting for."
Feeling, for a moment, generous, she dropped the collar. Heero rubbed his throat gingerly; it was turning a very nice shade of purple.
"And who gave you the right to use Wufei as property?" he said, smirking nastily. "Or did you skip the formality and go straight for that romantic first impaling?"
"He'd made a cute nightlight," mused Kiran, from his safe hiding place behind a dead tree. He winced as Raven screeched in anger and lashed out at Heero. Something akin to a sonic boom slammed into him full force, and he went skidding into the dirt.
Heero! Duo wailed, but Heero grunted and stood up shakily, indicating that he was fine. Well, sort of.
I'm fine, Heero lied, gritting his teeth. How's Smoke doing?
Oh, just peachy dandy, Smoke drawled sarcastically. It helps that Wufei is only dangling seventy feet above my head, and I can't exactly hover that far up.
"Did you ever think that maybe Wufei doesn't want you?" Heero reached around feebly for something like a weapon, but found nothing. "That maybe he wants someone else?"
"I don't care what he wants," Raven snapped. "All that matters is what I want. And I want him."
"So you killed Duo to do it?" Heero shook his head. "What a fucking cowardly onna you are."
Raven did not like being called a "fucking cowardly onna" twice in one day.
"There are people who loved Duo," Heero continued, "and you took him away from them. You took him away from me."
Heero suddenly felt very, very angry. All the emotion he'd been keeping in since the funeral began to gnaw away at his insides.
"And all that just to get to Wufei. So you could have a kinky playmate." Heero was seeing red. "It's no wonder men don't like you."
It's a well known fact that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Not only had Raven been scorned, but mocked, degraded, insulted, and impaled. And, as an added bonus, she was from Hell, as well. And she was ~furious.~
Heero...well, Heero could be quite scary when angry. There were OZ soldiers who could attest to that, had they still been alive. But first of all, Heero had had a Gundam with a buster rifle. Or at the very least, something capable of producing an impressive explosion. Right now, he was in Mere Mortal Heero Mode, spatting with a peeved demoness. And the only thing that hung in the balance was the entire world.
That, and Duo's happiness.
And, as insane as it sounded, Heero cared much, much, much more for Duo's happiness than the fate of the world.
He didn't see Raven's energy blast, but he knew it was coming. He didn't even feel it as it enveloped and promptly fried him into a nice crisp. He didn't care. He smiled toothily up at Raven from the crumpled heap he was in, "You'll never have him," he informed her with an insanely perky voice that shouldn't have been coming from such a mangled form.
Raven's second blast was even more powerful than the first.
"You'll lose," he informed again, noting all the little places where he was bleeding. And the big places. But he was still smiling. He was burned, he was mangled, and he was probably dying...but he was going to die with style. It was the Heero Yuy way to go.
"And you want to know why you'll lose?"
Raven thought about frying him again. "Why?" she said mockingly.
"Because you're easily distracted."
Everybody needs hope
A little peace of mind that they can call their own
And everybody needs love, just a little trust
'Cause sometimes eatin', sleepin' and breathin' just ain't enough..."
"Somebody's Out There Watching" - The Kinleys
Une poked experimentally at her microwavable ravioli with a plastic fork. Obviously, it had been sitting in the Preventers freezer for a bit longer than she had thought, if the freezer burn was any indication. She had thought she was saving time by not ordering out for lunch...it was just turning out to be an incredibly crappy week.
Or maybe "crappy" wasn't the word she wanted. Une eyed O'Toole over the rim of her glasses. He was no longer fidgety or nervous, in fact, he stared right back down at her with a startling intensity. After hearing his report, Une was ready to turn in the paperwork and resign. This was just...bizarre.
And crappy.
Sally, still sitting in one of the office's cold plastic chairs, had disregarded her own ravioli and was looking at Michael with a mixed expression, "A demoness came into the office and took Wufei away," she said skeptically. From her point of view, Wufei wasn't the only one who needed to be in the infirmary.
Michael nodded.
Sally shook her head in mute disbelief, "How did you get hired...?" she muttered under her breath.
Michael heard her anyway, "Same way you did, sweetie," he said flippantly.
Une set her glasses down on her desk so she could rub at the bridge of her nose without an obstacle, "My two best agents are either dead or trapped in Hell. This stuff never happened with I was working for Treize-sama."
Sally's head snapped around to her employer, "You believe him??" she asked incredulously, "Une!"
"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not," Michael folded his arms and didn't bother to look at Sally. "I've talked with a lot of disbelievers in my day, that's nothing new. I'm just here to tell you the truth and help you get Wufei back."
Now he looked at Sally. "You do want him back, don't you?"
"Of course we do!" she snapped at him. "But this is so bloody absurd--"
"Absurd though it may be," Une interjected, "it's our only solid explanation into Wufei's mysterious illness so far."
"There's got to be another reason. Stress? Mental anguish? Something!" Sally poked at her ravioli viciously with a fork. "No way I'll be that a demoness was behind it. I'm a medical professional."
"Oh, right. The presence of things like science and medicine automatically cancel out the possibility of Someone Down There," Michael said snidely. "I'd forgotten."
"Agent O'Toole, I realize that Major Po is unfairly dismissing your theory, but that gives you no right to speak to her in that manner," Une was dangerously close to reaching for her glasses.
Michael pointed a finger at her. "With all due respect, I think we've passed the point where I need to take orders from you."
Une was about to shout something very nasty at the white-haired agent, but before she had the chance, Michael started to...glow.
Now look, I don't have much time to explain this," Michael said, watching the two women gape as his jacket ripped and large white wings ripped from his back and fluttered twice. "So I'll give you the sound bites version. I'm an angel, and I'm here with a message from God."
Michael locked both women down in his blue gaze, "Duo Maxwell was not supposed to die," he paused a moment to let the statement sink in, "The guy down there sent a guy up here to kill him which pisses the guy waaaay up there off to no end."
Une blinked. Once. Twice. Then, "...and...? Why Duo?"
"He," Michael made a disgusted snort indicating just which "he" was being referred to, "wants to take over the world. He needs a buffer. And what better buffer than an emotional train-wreck called Wufei?"
"And the demoness...?" Une prompted.
"That's Raven. The henchman. Woman. Whatever. But her only interest isn't just taking over the world," Michael's eyes glittered dangerously, "She wants him for a consort, and she's willing to do ~anything~ to make him hers. She tainted him with a kiss, even. Mentions of Duo, just thinking about Duo, literally tears Wufei up," Michael nodded once, "Comprende?"
"And you were sent under cover to keep an eye on Wufei..." Une mused thoughtfully, glasses forgotten.
"Essentially, yes."
"What can we do?"
Sally slammed her ravioli bowl onto Une's desk, "This is insane!" she declared, "Une---!"
"Sally..." Une pointed to the wings protruding from Michael's back, "I know you're not the best at the obvious..."
There was a soft knock at the office door.
"Michael? Do you want me to come in yet?"
Sally turned in her seat to see if Une was as white as she felt. Une was even paler than she had been during her coma. Une looked...frightened? And Sally couldn't say she blamed her. After all, since when could the dead knock on the door and talk?
"Yeah, come on in. I've already fucked up my cover anyway," Michael shrugged. The door creaked open, and a familiar set of amethyst eyes and chestnut bangs, with a few stray white feathers hanging over his eyes.
"Um...hey, Une, Sally," he said, unsure what a formerly-mortal said to their former-boss and -confidante. "We've gotten mixed up in some pretty crazy shit, haven't we?"
"I believe that counts as an understatement," Une managed to get out feebly. "Aa...how have you been?"
Duo came in the rest of the way and shrugged. "As well as you could expect. I mean, my 'Fei's being ripped to bits by a maniacal demoness, and I'm an angel..."
Sally couldn't get any words to form on her lips. Duo was dead, but here he was, in a lovely white suit with gorgeous white wings, talking to her...oh, this was just way out there.
"I can't really stay too long. The longer we leave Raven alone with 'Fei, the longer she has to..." Duo didn't want to finish the sentence, because he didn't want to think about it. "Things are just getting out of hand."
"If that doesn't count as an understatement, nothing will," Michael sighed. "Ladies, I know this is going to sound stupid, but if this could stay between the two of you...?"
Une nodded, massaging her temples. "Of course. If I started telling my staff that Wufei had been kidnapped by a demoness and our new recruit is really an angel, they'd send me home and tell me to get a nice weekend of rest."
"Would they now?"
Once again, everyone, humans and angels alike, turned to see who the voice at the door was.
Heero stood in the doorframe, a manila envelope in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. While most people in Heero's situation would at the very least look flabbergasted, he just stared into the office with his usual Heero Yuy Indifference.(tm)
Michael looked ready to bash his forehead into the nearest wall. Instead, he settled for Une's solution of rubbing his temples, "Shut the door before someone else comes in," he moaned in exasperation.
"Um...hi, Hee-chan..." Duo said with a feeble wave.
Heero stepped into the office, and the door shut behind him with a quiet click.
"I know this is going to sound stupid," Michael repeated, face still in his hands, "but if you could just keep this between the three of you...?"
"What do we have to do?"
Michael looked up in irritation at Heero, "You think charging down into Hell in a rescue attempt is so simple?? Just hop down, tap Raven on the shoulder, and sprint Wufei out?? Honestly---"
Michael was silenced by Duo placing his hand on his shoulder, "It's Hee-chan," he said quietly, "Hee-chan can take on the universe and win."
To the layman, Heero's features didn't change in the slightest. But if someone with plenty of practice under the belt...like, per say, Sally, looked, the slightest flicker of warmth, affection, and just general love flickered in Heero's cobalt eyes. Sally chewed thoughtfully on a cold, freezer-burnt, ravioli. Indeed, everyone had loved Duo, hadn't they...
What do we have to do?" Heero repeated, taking a sip of the official Preventers sludge. Une was impressed; if there was one employee who could actually stomach her concoction, it would definitely be Heero.
"Hee-cha~~n, don't you get involved too!" Duo whined. "First 'Fei, now you! I don't want any more people getting hurt on my account."
The faintest outline of a smirk crept up Heero's face. "It's hard not to."
"There might just be a way..."
Everyone - well, except Michael and Duo - jumped at Smoke's unannounced entrance.
"A way to do what?" Sally finally got her mouth to move. "And who are you?"
"I'm Smoke, another angel, pleased to meet you." Smoke looked at Heero, the gears beginning to turn. "There might just be a way Heero can help us."
"Anything," Heero said automatically. "Anything I can do."
Duo groaned. "No, Smoke, don't encourage him! They have 'Fei, that's enough! We have to get him back without other people getting hurt!"
"That's a lot to ask in this situation, I'm afraid," Michael said. "One way or the other, someone is going to get screwed."
Duo winced and grasped for the end of his braid. Michael scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Duo. Didn't mean it that way."
"He could be a sort of...distraction," Smoke was obviously ignoring the both of them. "Get Raven's attention. Michael and Duo will keep an eye on them, while I free Wufei."
Heero set the manila folder down on a nearby chair, and stared at a point on the floor, appearing to ponder the idea. He was good at distractions...
"Please, Hee-chan, don't," Duo pleaded. No, not Heero too. Raven wasn't going to get both of them. "Please, don't do this. There's another way! I don't want you to get hurt..."
"Duo," Heero said quietly, "I'm going with you. You've said it yourself; I could probably take on the universe..."
"Why??" Duo scrubbed at the tears that were starting to make their way down his cheeks. It wasn't fair! He was shot, then 'Fei was gone, now Heero was going to go kamikaze yet AGAIN?? Wufei was right; there was no justice.
"Because I..." Heero trailed off and was silent for a moment, groping for the right words, "...I want to," he finally settled on.
Smoke nodded curtly, "Good. It's settled then-"
"WaitjustaMINUTE!!!" Duo exclaimed, but was promptly ignored.
"-if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way," Smoke inclined her head towards Une and Sally.
Sally continued to chew on her ravioli, at a complete loss for words. Her beloved Wufei was in Hell, Duo was an angel, and Heero had volunteered to get him back. What was one supposed to say in such circumstance?
Une, ever the eloquent diplomat, found the answer, "Good luck," she said quietly, "Bring him back. And yourselves," she fixed Michael with a steely look, "I don't like losing new recruits, O'Toole."
Despite himself, Michael smiled. "Yes, ma'am."
Duo was Not Happy. He didn't want Heero to do this one little bit. But obviously, he was going to have no say. In a flurry of paper clips and feathers, the three angels and one suicidal Preventer faded away to the depths of Hell.
"I hope they come back in one piece," Sally said softly. Une only nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Can't you ever do an assignment right?"
Raven would have spat at Kiran, if she wasn't leaning heavily against a black crystal and healing her mangled arm. It wasn't going nearly as fast as she had hoped, and although the outer wounds had healed, her arm wasn't going anywhere.
Remember, Kiran, the only reason you're out of jail is because I got you out. I'll happily put you back in.
Kiran gulped, and Raven snickered, which only made her arm hurt more. She brushed a few stringy strands of hair away with her talons to get a better view of her prize.
Oh, and what a prize he looked like now.
In the interest of "the larger, the better", Wufei's body had changed substantially since his arrival in Hell. His face had become longer and more chiseled, and he was quite a few inches taller. His muscles were clothed in nothing more than a tight black tank top and even tighter black leather pants. It was obvious who had gotten to choose the outfit.
He was also dangling, unconscious, by his wrists from an enormous ominous iron gate, but that hadn't been Raven's idea.
"How long will it be until we open the gate?" Kiran asked, looking at the intricate gate with awe.
Four hours after the time he wakes up. That will be enough time for the taint to take full effect.
"Until then?" Kiran found himself asking.
Until then... there was a slight chuckle that chilled both of the demons, Until then, he dreams until he breaks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Treize looked just as he last saw him.
Well, no, that was technically a lie. The last time he saw Treize, Treize was a thousand tiny particles floating amongst the debris of the TallGeese II. So Treize looked like he had the next to last time he saw him. Tall, oh-so-full of himself, and smirking.
"Hello, dragon," he greeted in the voice that managed to be both quiet and grating at the same time, "It's good to see you again."
"Can't say the same, Khusherenada," Wufei spat. He wasn't scared. No, oh no. He didn't know where he was, he couldn't move because he was tethered to something behind him, and he was talking to a man he had killed himself, but he wasn't scared. Worried...maybe. But not scared.
Treize eyed him under the fop of blonde hair falling into his face, "I've missed you dragon."
Wufei sighed in bemusement, "Must I repeat myself?"
"How have you been?" Treize continued as if Wufei hadn't spoken, "Besides having the love of your life killed and all?"
"Considering the circumstance? I could be better."
"The same could be said for me, I suppose," Treize reached out a hand to touch Wufei's beautiful face, and he jerked his neck to get away. "Still as passionate as the last time..."
Wufei growled low. "Don't touch me."
Treize pulled his hand away slowly. "As you wish."
"As the song said, only the good die young," he said, and Wufei was unsure whether that was for his benefit or not. "'I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners have much more fun'..."
"That depends on who you ask," Wufei smirked. "Of the immortal beings I've had the pleasure of meeting, the angels seem a much cheerier disposition than the demons."
"Maybe you're just meeting the wrong ones," Treize shrugged.
Wufei really wanted to know why he was here...wherever "here" was. He thought he was being carried away to Hell...although maybe this was it. Being chained up and listening to Treize speak for all eternity was Hell? Wufei wouldn't put it past them.
"Can we get to the point?"
Treize actually looked hurt, "I thought you wouldn't mind chumming it up..."
Wufei rolled his eyes, "We were never 'chummy' Treize. 'Chums' don't try to kill each other."
Treize's face lit up at Wufei's last statement, "'Try'! Oh yes. 'Try'," this time, he did manage to caress Wufei's cheek, despite Wufei jerking his neck this way and that, "Oh, how you tried, little dragon. But you weren't quite good enough, were you?"
Wufei froze and Treize continued petting him with his gloved hand, "No matter what you did, pretty one, it wasn't enough. You wanted to protect your colony...what happened?"
Wufei's eyes narrowed into onyx slits and he yanked against his restraints, to no avail, "Fuck you," he growled in his throat, "Fuck you, Khusherenada...what do you know??"
Treize paid the flails and curses absolutely no mind. The only sign that he was paying attention to Wufei was when he drew his hand back to keep from being bitten, "What don't I know, dragon?" he kissed the tips of his gloves and brushed his fingers across Wufei's lips.
Wufei felt his stomach clench. This was wrong, why wouldn't Treize go away?...
"Does their screaming ever haunt you?" Treize cupped Wufei's head in one hand, and the boy found that he could no longer move. Their eyes locked and no matter how hard he tried, Wufei could not look away.
"Do you ever feel an ache, where Meiran used to be?" He started to lose himself; everything was going numb. Treize just smiled as he saw the fear and anger in Wufei's eyes. He lost the feeling in his hands, his legs, his chest, until finally Treize let go of his head and he flopped forward like a rag doll.
"Ever miss your innocence, little dragon?"
Suddenly, he was yanked from behind, and Treize disappeared into a thick blackness. He landed on a hard floor with a thunk, rolling head over heels before landing in a strange, sprawled position.
"They lied to you, 'Fei."
Duo's voice! Wufei tried to sit up, tried to see where it was coming from, but try as he might he couldn't move at all.
"What do you mean? Who lied?" he said, more to himself than to Duo's voice.
"Michael. Smoke. God. They don't want to help us; we're just pawns in an immortal power struggle. They don't want to help us. They're just going to whap the Devil on his knuckles with a ruler and give him a warning. But...they're going to take you away from me, 'Fei."
Duo sounded pained, distraught. "We deserve a second chance, but they won't give it to us. Doesn't that make you angry, 'Fei?"
"They lied..." Wufei whispered to himself, "No, wait! No, Duo! Duo, they didn't lie!"
"'Fei, if they wanted to help us, they would've done something! Don't you think it's strange that the All-Mighty can't fix something so minor? Just a snap? 'Fei! Think about it! They're using us to stab at each other!"
It made sense. Why taunt him with something he could never have, if they weren't just using him? Gods. Even the Divine wanted to use him. Master O just wanted to use him to pilot that Gundam. Une just wanted to use him as a Preventer. Chang Wufei, the universal appliance, that was him!
It wasn't fair.
He had done everything to the best of his ability, and he STILL wasn't good enough?? What more did they want of him? His will? His SOUL??
His soul...
"Don't let them get away with this, 'Fei," Duo's voice pleaded, "Please don't let them get away with this..."
Everyone just wanted to use him in their own petty power struggles. No one cared about Wufei, or how Wufei may have felt! Them, them, them!! And the one time, the one bloody time he had wanted something for his own, it had been ripped from him. He wouldn't stand for this. He couldn't stand for this.
But something kept holding him back...
"Don't you want happiness, 'Fei?"
That did it. Wufei let out an inhuman scream, flying off the ground without any effort to do so. The dreamscape shattered, and so did he.
At the same time, the real Wufei stirred. His eyes shot open quickly, revealing that they were no longer chocolate brown, but a very violent shade of red. He stared blankly at the ground below him, where Raven was grinning and Kiran was gasping like a fish out of water.
"Did you hear that scream? Amazing," Kiran whispered, running a hand through his hair and holding his head in it. "He's totally ours now."
Raven let out a triumphant laugh. "I did it! I did it! We have our chance!"
Raven...if there's anything left of him when we finish, I suppose, if you wanted...you could have him. I mean, I don't need any more demons, and he's been so much of a headache...
Raven couldn't believe it - The Boss was giving her something? That was new. But it was just what she wanted, and although she knew there would be consequences, she didn't care.
"Thank you, sir," she said, grinning even wider - now the smile went up to her eyes. Maxwell may have been the God of Death, but she was victorious. And ooh, pardon the pun, but there was hell to pay. Both of them---Maxwell and her pretty Wufei---were in for it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Getting into Hell was not as easy as it was made out to be. Especially when one wasn't invited.
First of all, there were physical barriers. Doors, gates, spikes, tar pits, cesspools...but nothing unusual. Each were easily averted for the small party of angels and kamikaze human. It was the other barriers---the ones that couldn't be seen---that caused the problems. Those, and the fact that Smoke had gotten them lost. Hopelessly and irrevocably lost.
The quartet stood inside a small cave literally in the middle of nowhere, while Smoke consulted the map that had been generously provided.
"Nice going, Smoke," Michael muttered, obviously beyond irate, "We got lost in a straight line DOWN!"
"Shut up," she muttered, and flipped her map upside-down in the hopes that it would make more sense, "Just shut up. If you're so smart, YOU should've been the navigator."
Duo idly plucked a loose feather from his wing, "'Fei's about to die horribly, and they're fighting," he murmured, "And they're not fighting the guy they should be fighting!" It wasn't fair. After everything that had happened, he was going to lose his 'Fei anyways, because his guardians were too stubborn and frustrated to work together!
"Look, can you argue like a married couple later?" Heero snapped. "Right now, Wufei is probably Justice-loving toast."
He snatched the map away from Smoke, and began to study it carefully.
Smoke sighed irritably. "Look, Heero, that's a very nice gesture, but the whole thing is written in ancient Hebrew, and--"
"We go that way." Heero turned Michael's wrist so his torch was pointing toward a craggy road below them and to the left. Far off at the end of the road, there seemed to be a large black gate, with a lone figured dangling from its highest point.
"Ohhh...fuck," Duo remarked, staring at the ominous sight and trying so very hard not to wet himself. This was it, now was his chance to save 'Fei.
Duly noted," Michael swallowed. There it was - The Gate. Behind that monstrosity, thousands and thousands of years of negative energy was pulsing and writhing, waiting to be let out.
"Looks like we arrived just in time," Heero said. "What's our plan?"
Smoke and Michael exchanged looks.
"You have a plan, right?" Michael asked hurriedly, at the same time Smoke said, "You know what the plan is, don't you?"
Heero sighed exasperatedly. "Great. Maybe I should just run down there and give the demoness a wedgie?"
Duo suddenly coughed very loudly, and Smoke resisted the urge to snigger.
"Not unless you want to die really, really fast," Michael said. "One look and she'll make you tomorrow's dinner for Cerberus."
The cave floor shook as a low rumble passed through, reminding everyone assembled of just how much time they didn't have. Heero sighed again, and yoinked Michael's torch from his hand, "I have an idea," he declared as he started to march determinedly for the Gate, "Wait until you see the opening."
"Opening? What?" Duo's eyes widened and he took a step forward, "Hee-chan, what are you planning?"
Heero paused and turned. Duo could've sworn he saw a slight smirk playing across Heero's features. But that couldn't be. This was Heero!
"Duo...do you remember that contest Une and Sally organized a few months ago?" he asked.
Duo's brow crinkled in confusion, "The Preventers Bishounen Choice Awards?" he blinked rapidly, "Yeah, I remember...you won Spandex God of the Century. So?"
Heero was definitely smirking now. The torchlight was giving his features an eerie glow, almost making the smirk seem slightly...devilish, "You think a mere demoness can stand up to the Spandex God?" he didn't wait for an answer. Rather he turned and jogged down the cave, on the way to the Gate.
The three angels gaped at his back.
"Spandex...god...?" Michael croaked and then turned to face Duo, "What kind of job did I get myself into?"
Smoke spoke before Duo could, "I want in on that action," she declared, "Oh, do I want in..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Koi, please. Turn that off."
Quatre either didn't hear his lover or didn't care, because he made no move to change the channel. His eyes, still red-rimmed and sticky with salt, were glued to CNN, watching yet another press briefing. Sure, he knew all the facts, but he was just masochistic enough to have them mercilessly pelted at his head over and over and over.
"Koi. Turn. It. Off." Trowa's hand on his shoulder startled him and he jumped away, as a look of worry and hurt flashed quickly over Trowa's face.
"You're hurting yourself," Trowa continued, nuzzling into his smaller companion. "I don't like it when you take burdens upon yourself like this."
Quatre let out a noise that was part whimper, part sigh. "I know, Trowa, but I can't help it. Now Wufei's missing too..."
Trowa hugged him tighter, and Quatre was so close he could inhale the scent of spices and shampoo and mothballs. "This too will pass, koi."
Quatre could only nod in agreement.
"How about I make you a snack?" Trowa offered quietly, "Cookies? Tea? Sandwich?"
That prompted a groan and a shudder, "Trowa, I love you but..."
"I can't make a sandwich to save my life," Trowa finished with a slight grin. He gave Quatre's forehead a small kiss before he started to pull away, "Cookies, then?" Quatre gave a mute nod, "Okay."
Trowa stood up and stretched. Cookies. Nothing could cheer up a depressed Quatre like cookies. Actually, there were other things---Trowa clamped down on that thought before it progressed. Cookies. He would stay focused on the cookies.
"...Trowa..."
Quatre was clutching at his shirt, breathing heavily. The color had fled his face, but his eyes were still red from crying, giving him a feverish look. And he was shaking---shaking so hard that Trowa was convinced he was going to tumble off the couch.
Trowa spun on his heels and came back to the couch. He put one hand on Quatre's back, to steady him, and the other hand on his lover's clenched hands and wad of shirt.
"What's wrong, Quatre?" he asked softly, although he knew already what it was. Stress had finally caught up with him, giving his chest yet another reason to cramp on him...
"It's so dark..." Quatre's eyes began to lose focus, glassy blue orbs looking past Trowa and past the TV to a spot he couldn't place. "Hard to breathe. All he wanted was happiness..."
"Quatre!" Trowa knew he had to get to a phone and call Sally, but it was in the other room and he wouldn't dare leave Quatre. "Koi, what are you talking about?"
If it was possible, Quatre began to shake harder as he began to cry again in soft, whimpering sobs. "They took Duo from him, and now they have him too. And Heero...Heero's going to, oh God, no..."
Trowa patted Quatre firmly on his back, to knock him out of his shocked state. "Koi, come on, snap out of it..."
Who is this 'they' he's talking about?, Trowa wondered. And what's happening to Heero? I hate when this happens, he's in so much pain...
Quatre looked up at Trowa, but Trowa didn't believe that he was what was being looked at. Quatre was staring at something else. Something beyond Trowa.
Icy hands clamped down on his shoulder with a surprising strength. Trowa had no doubt that his shoulders would be peppered with small, oval bruises in the morning. It didn't matter. He had to get through to Quatre and snap him out of his trance...
"She's going to kill him..." Quatre whispered harshly, "She's going to ravage him and kill him...both of them..."
"Quatre," Trowa said firmly, giving his lover a slight shake, "Who?"
Quatre stared at him with his glassy eyes, "Raven," he said simply and fell forward.
Fortunately, Trowa had been holding onto him and had saved Quatre from a face full of floor. Quatre was still hyperventilating, even unconscious, nor had his color returned. His eyes were scrunched shut and he was still shaking violently. Trowa couldn't wait. He had to get to Sally.
He carefully laid Quatre down on the couch, giving his lips a quick kiss. He tried to ignore the fact that they were getting cold. As fast as his long legs could carry him, he sped to the kitchen and hastily dialed the number of Sally Po's Preventers office.
"Preventers infirmary, Sally Po speaking. How can I help you?" The voice at the other end of the line was obviously strained and stressed.
"I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now," Trowa said, tucking the portable phone under his ear, "but Quatre is having a Spaceheart thing."
The noise Sally made sounded like a "GRAH!" as she slammed down papers.
"I'm sorry?" he added lamely, though he wasn't quite sure what he was sorry for.
"First, Duo is dead. Then Michael turns out to be an mrphgle--" the word was mumbled as Sally shifted the phone, "and then Wufei is kidnapped by Raven and by God what the fuck am I supposed to in a situation like this, at least in the war there weren't--"
"Did you just say 'Raven'?" Trowa felt his stomach drop to his knees.
On the other end of the line, he could almost hear Sally blink.
"Uhhhmm...why?" Sally cursed to herself. Damnitall, so much for keeping it between the three of them...
"Wellll...Quatre said something about a raven killing Wufei..." Trowa said somewhat lamely as he tried to envision a small black bird pecking Wufei to death. It made for an amusing spectacle, but a small niggling feeling told Trowa that his vision was not the raven being referred to.
"For crying out loud---!" the voice in the background was muffled, but Trowa recognized it as Une's. There was the sound of what seemed to be a scuffle for control of the phone, and then Sally was replaced by his employer, "Hello?" she snapped irritably.
"Une-sama..." Trowa started, not quite sure what he was going to say after that.
"Barton??"
"Give me that! Quatre--!" there were more scuffling noises, but the phone seemed to remain in Une's control.
"My building, my phone!" Une harrumphed for good measure, "Now, Barton, what do you want? We're in a bit of a crisis-"
"Quatre knows about Raven!" Sally's disembodied voice said.
Trowa could just imagine Lady Une's expression. Her eyes would widen under her glasses (considering how cranky she sounded, she probably had her glasses on), her lower jaw would fall down ever so slightly---"HOW??" she screeched. Trowa winced and held the phone away from his ear. Next time there was a medical emergency, he was using the Vid-Phone...
"Spaceheart-"
That was all Une seemingly needed to here, "Barton!" she snapped into the phone, "Stuff Quatre into that cute little Jeep of yours and bring him down to headquarters. We'll fill you in when we get there!"
The phone went dead.
Trowa stared at it for a minute before hitting the "off" button, "Quatre's Spaceheart is acting up," he muttered to himself as he dug his keys from the pockets of his jeans, "Could Sally please take a look? She can? Oh, thank you..." he sulked out of the kitchen.
He returned to the living room without a moment to spare. The TV was still on, a rather unflattering picture of Wufei being shown blown up to fit the screen. Quatre was barely on the couch, writhing in agony that Trowa could only begin to not comprehend.
"Shit," he said conversationally, and scooped up Quatre. He stalked toward the door, slipped on the nearest pair of "things that could count as footwear" (his slippers), and nudged the doorknob with his elbow until it finally opened. Snatching his car keys off the rack with his teeth, he kicked the door shut with his foot and dashed away.
"Iz jush going to be one of doze daysh," he decided, and opened the passenger-side door of his "cute little Jeep" as he chewed on his keys.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Spandex God was realizing that, bishie though he may be, he didn't have a plan. Of all the times to lack a plan, this was a really bad one.
He was hiding behind a seven-foot crystal, his torch long extinguished for fear of drawing attention. There was enough...well, it wasn't exactly light...visibility, perhaps, that he could see the demoness and her companion well enough. Some considerable damage had been done to the region around her arm, and he presumed Wufei was the culprit, because it was just the sort of mangled state that his prized katana could inflict.
Raven ran her talons through her thick, black tresses of hair and stared up admiringly at her handiwork. To think, this beautiful, lovely, and exotic boy was going to be hers for the taking in less than an hour! Justice was a wonderful thing. Raven sighed in contentment---
---which lasted for another three seconds as Kiran sidled up next to her, "There's a human just over yonder," he whispered hoarsely in her ear.
Raven resisted the urge to slap him. Did he think she was so dense that she wouldn't notice an unauthorized presence?? She just had better things to think about! She eyed Wufei again and wet her lips. Much, much better things to think about. And if she had much, much better things to think about, she had much, much better things to do. Humans were so squicky!
"Take care of him," she said in a normal tone, "No, wait," she held up a hand, "You'll screw up."
"I will not!" Kiran huffed indignantly, "Unlike some of us, I complete my assignments ON TIME."
"You lack class," with a flick of her wrist, the crystal that Heero had been hiding behind shattered. Raven blinked in surprise. She hadn't been expecting him! Two pretty mortal boys in Hell? She grinned viciously.
Heero fell back into a defensive stance at the loss of his cover, "Let him go," he growled lowly and nodded his head at the trussed up and leather-clad Wufei.
"Or...?" Raven prompted and flicked her wrist again. Heero let out a very uncharacteristic yelp as what felt like an invisible collar ensnared his throat.
"Or..." Heero wished he had a plan. "Or you'll have the wrath of Spandex God on your nasty little head."
Raven raised an eyebrow; the collar tightened and Heero coughed. He reached up to pry it loose, whatever "it" was, but yelped again and let go as he got a not-so-nice electric shock.
Hee-chan...be careful... Heero nearly jumped a foot in the air as Duo's voice rang crisp and clear in his head. Raven's sick, and she won't stop at anything to get what she wants, especially when she wants...you know...
Heero gulped. He'd wondered what that gleam in her eye was.
Michael huffed impatiently. Are you just going to stand there? I thought you had a plan.
"Ooh, you scare me, bishie," Raven mocked, yanking an invisible chain. Somehow, Heero managed to stay standing, although he did scoot quite a bit forward.
I thought I had a plan, too, Heero sighed. I wonder where it went.
"Now, I wonder what we do with you..." One of Raven's arms still hung rather limp from her side, and her shirt was a yicky mess.
"Who fucked up your arm?" Heero wheezed conversationally. "Looks like you were run clean through."
Kiran winced as whatever was around Heero's throat constricted even more, eliciting a very un-Heero-like "yurk!". Raven's eyes were nothing but tiny slits, and if she had known the spell for calling up a scary glowing aura, Kiran was pretty sure she'd be glowing. He shook his head. It must be hard being constantly reminded that your new toy hated you with every fiber of his being and wanted to run you through multiple times with sharp, pointy objects.
As quickly as her tantrum had come, it faded. Raven smiled broadly and loosened the collar just enough to allow Heero to breathe, "Look up, Spandex God," she said with a nice, mocking tone, "See what's left of your Wufei?"
Heero looked up. Besides from his change in apparel, Wufei seemed...darker. No, "darker" wasn't the word he was looking for...
Broken.
Heero wasn't gifted with Quatre's Spaceheart or Duo's knack for reading people, but he knew a broken heart when he saw one. Wufei's red eyes stared blankly back down at him, and Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier, felt a chill run down his spine. The being of Chang Wufei...his essence, his very soul...had simply shattered.
And it was all making sense to him now.
Duo had never been the target of this plot at all! The whole fiasco...the murder, the seizures...was all part of some plan to break Wufei.
Mr. Owl...instead of telling me how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop, why don't you tell me how many hits it takes to destroy the spirit of the solitary survivor of L5? some insane voice inside of Heero asked politely.
This wasn't fair.
"You're going to turn him into the world's largest nightlight?" Heero asked coyly, "Make a bundle on the fangirl market, I guarantee you that."
"Fangirls? Puh-leeze," Raven rolled her eyes. "First off, no one lays a hand on him but me. He said so."
"He?"
Raven ignored him. "Second, we've got bigger plans for him. This is the chance we've been waiting for."
Feeling, for a moment, generous, she dropped the collar. Heero rubbed his throat gingerly; it was turning a very nice shade of purple.
"And who gave you the right to use Wufei as property?" he said, smirking nastily. "Or did you skip the formality and go straight for that romantic first impaling?"
"He'd made a cute nightlight," mused Kiran, from his safe hiding place behind a dead tree. He winced as Raven screeched in anger and lashed out at Heero. Something akin to a sonic boom slammed into him full force, and he went skidding into the dirt.
Heero! Duo wailed, but Heero grunted and stood up shakily, indicating that he was fine. Well, sort of.
I'm fine, Heero lied, gritting his teeth. How's Smoke doing?
Oh, just peachy dandy, Smoke drawled sarcastically. It helps that Wufei is only dangling seventy feet above my head, and I can't exactly hover that far up.
"Did you ever think that maybe Wufei doesn't want you?" Heero reached around feebly for something like a weapon, but found nothing. "That maybe he wants someone else?"
"I don't care what he wants," Raven snapped. "All that matters is what I want. And I want him."
"So you killed Duo to do it?" Heero shook his head. "What a fucking cowardly onna you are."
Raven did not like being called a "fucking cowardly onna" twice in one day.
"There are people who loved Duo," Heero continued, "and you took him away from them. You took him away from me."
Heero suddenly felt very, very angry. All the emotion he'd been keeping in since the funeral began to gnaw away at his insides.
"And all that just to get to Wufei. So you could have a kinky playmate." Heero was seeing red. "It's no wonder men don't like you."
It's a well known fact that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Not only had Raven been scorned, but mocked, degraded, insulted, and impaled. And, as an added bonus, she was from Hell, as well. And she was ~furious.~
Heero...well, Heero could be quite scary when angry. There were OZ soldiers who could attest to that, had they still been alive. But first of all, Heero had had a Gundam with a buster rifle. Or at the very least, something capable of producing an impressive explosion. Right now, he was in Mere Mortal Heero Mode, spatting with a peeved demoness. And the only thing that hung in the balance was the entire world.
That, and Duo's happiness.
And, as insane as it sounded, Heero cared much, much, much more for Duo's happiness than the fate of the world.
He didn't see Raven's energy blast, but he knew it was coming. He didn't even feel it as it enveloped and promptly fried him into a nice crisp. He didn't care. He smiled toothily up at Raven from the crumpled heap he was in, "You'll never have him," he informed her with an insanely perky voice that shouldn't have been coming from such a mangled form.
Raven's second blast was even more powerful than the first.
"You'll lose," he informed again, noting all the little places where he was bleeding. And the big places. But he was still smiling. He was burned, he was mangled, and he was probably dying...but he was going to die with style. It was the Heero Yuy way to go.
"And you want to know why you'll lose?"
Raven thought about frying him again. "Why?" she said mockingly.
"Because you're easily distracted."