Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any of its characters, so don't sue me!
Pairing: I don't know yet.
Plot: AU, with vampires/ vampire councils, vampire hunters, you know, the usual.
Chapter one - Meeting
I stand before the assembly, I see their faces staring down at me. I'm scared, make that knee-tremblingly terrified. If I screw up I will die. If I don't try, thousands will. I'm new. Less than a year old. But I know. That's my secret, something none of them realise. And I've got to keep it that way.
They can smell fear. But I can block it. That's another of my secrets. To them I appear to be a cocky upstart who can only just hunt on my own. I'm here to change that, and yet keep it the same. I need them to respect me, but I can't let them know me.
This meeting place is ancient, and I know that the ones who first met here, in the very beginning are probably present tonight. That is why I fear. Their powers are legendary, as are their tempers. If they knew just how much I was dampening them…You get the picture.
The cave walls are cool, but no damp reaches this place, thanks to the spells They set aeons ago. Flickering torchlight casts shadows almost as dark as the unnatural ones. I stand on a circular stone floor. Too flat to be a natural occurrence. In front of me is nothing, a solid blackness from which thousands of eyes glint. Every colour of the rainbow, and yet, here, they all look black.
Positioned around the circle are four of them. The Guards. Vampires like me, with one difference. Their minds were destroyed, deliberately, when they were made, and in its place their maker planted a little bit of their conscience. This made them the perfect tools, following telepathic orders immediately, without question. And that is yet another secret I shouldn't know, but I do.
As I try to swallow, feeling the oppressive weight of the millions around me, I notice The Guards twitch. It is very minute, most fledglings wouldn't notice it, but I do. And I know it means their conscience has been filled with their master's presence. If I don't speak soon I will be dead. Again.
I clear my throat, knowing they will interpret it as my usual style since they can't sense any nervousness.
"I tracked you all down, found this place, for a reason. Not to prove that I am worthy, despite my age, of your respect, although that does come into it. But to show you. To show you what I have learnt."
"I may be young. Not yet even a full year old. But I know things, things you will never know. Things you can't know, or are incapable of knowing. I have seen things you won't see, or if you do see, won't understand. If I died again tomorrow I would know far more then you ever could, and ever will. I am like you, yet I am different. Each of us know things the others never will. But do we share these things? No, we hide them, stash them away. Using them for our own gain, not for us as a whole."
"I came here, to try to open your eyes. I have seen the Hunters. I know their purpose. I also know our methods of dealing with them. We never try to co-exist. It is all about killing. Eventually one will wipe out the other, and I am here to tell you, it will not be us who survive."
"I see you're reaction, or lack thereof. I understand your scepticism, I even share it. But I don't block out what you choose to block out. You feel safe here, in your ancient cavern. But rock wears away, even magic rock. I found you, and I did so because you are the ruling body of our existence. The Council you are called, and the Council you once were. You ruled with a just hand, you kept us in order. Now, the fledglings consider you a myth. They are taking over. They are killing humans, even though we don't need to. They are stirring the Hunters."
"The skill we are capable of exhibiting has been lost. Thousands have been careless, doing what they want when they want. They view this existence as freedom from existence, not as an alternative one. I come to you to ask you to take up your mantle once again. I know others have come, and others have been turned away."
"But I know. The legends that used to be guarded so carefully have been lost, for years. But now they have been found, just not by our kind. The Hunters have the legends. They know your weakness. They know how to find you, and they are angry."
"If you don't take action they will wipe each and every one of us out. If you don't reign in your wandering children a compromise will never be reached, and as I said before, we will not be the ones to survive."
I stopped talking, letting my voice ring through the cavern. There was a rustle, and I knew they were conversing telepathically. I knew that if I used the senses I shouldn't have developed yet I would be greeted by a cacophony of voices. But I refrained, allowing them their privacy, and concentrated on shielding myself.
Eventually a figure stepped forward. The darkness cloaking the figure dissipated, revealing a tall male. He had long black hair, and piercing yellow eyes. His clothes were something out of a history lesson, all dark colours, with burgundies and blacks seeming to be the predominant colour theme.
He stepped closer, and I felt him scanning me for emotions. I let him feel a vague sense of anxiousness, which was appropriate for someone waiting for their idea to be approved. In return I felt his slight disappointment, and confusion over my lack of reaction.
I honestly didn't feel any fear about him though. I mean, sure, he cut an impressive enough figure, but I could feel how powerful he was and I knew, instinctively, that I could take him should the need arise.
He inclined his head to me, and I returned the acknowledgement.
"We have decided to accede to your request. Your speech was eloquent, but we will decide how to go about handling the Hunters. We will definitely take the fledglings into consideration, and we will monitor their activity. Giving them a long overdue lesson on manners, and proper etiquette."
I nodded, allowing my relief and pleasure to be easily readable, then waited for my dismissal. It came quickly enough.
"Allow us to give you an escort to the entrance, and hopefully we will not be seeing you about your behaviour anytime soon."
I smiled and inclined my head, before allowing myself to be led out of the winding tunnels by The Guards.
I felt the vampires examine how I reacted out of their presence, via the Guards, and allowed them to catch the cheeky thought that I was glad to be out of that stuffy cave. After all, I was just under a year old.
How was this for a beginning? I just started typing and this is what came out, so what'd'ya think? Please R+R.
I haven't actually decided which of the Gundam pilots that was up there, so I'm open to suggestions. Plus I really need to think up a plot, this was just meant to be a break from 'Duo gets PMS', but I quite like the idea now.