Notes: Written for the "Devil with an Angel's Face" Contest 2004

Follow the Lights

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by The Manwell

- One -

The vision comes to him just as many have in the past. They usually begin the same:

The muffled percussion of a human heart.

The fluid, endless dance of smoky fog.

The flash of light as his senses ascend to the level of awareness which has summoned him.

Only this time... this time, the vision is different than the others. It's darker. Much, much darker. And even in his trance, he shivers.

As he approaches the shadows, the sound of a voice becomes clearer. A smooth, soothing, seductive voice. A soft murmuring. Although he can make out none of the uttered words, he can feel the power of that voice. It is so commanding that only when it ceases does he notice the presence of another. He catches a glimpse of almost-white hair in the light of the moon. A pale had reaches out to a figure completely cloaked by the darkness.

"Please..." the pale man begs, his voice so different from the first. "Please leave them be. Please..."

A glimmer among the shadows becomes a wide, satisfied smile, "What will you do to stop me, Quatre?"

Quatre shakes his head. "Don't turn this into a game, Duo. It's too dangerous."

"So now you're afraid of a little danger?" Duo laughs darkly from the shadows. His voice is silky and warm when he promises, "It's the race of your life, Quatre. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"No! Duo!"

Wufei opens his eyes, almost gasping at the suddenness with which he'd reentered the here and now. He casts his gaze around him, taking in the reassuring sights of the temple, inhaling the calming incense, listening to the wind slithering through the subtly creaking rafters. He closes his eyes briefly, trying to recapture the essence of the vision before it evaporates. He can feel himself frowning as he deliberately recalls the glimmer of Quatre's pale hair and the pitch of his concerned voice in strong contrast to Duo's barely discernable form and dark promise.

Once more, Wufei opens his eyes but this time, he is not alone in the meditation room. Slowly, he bows to the head monk who now stands before him and receives a courteous nod in reply.

"You are confused over what you have seen," the older man observes simply.

Wufei nods slowly. "Yes. I have never experienced a vision such as this one. I am not sure..."

"Do not doubt what you have seen" is the immediate advice. "For there is always a reason for why it is you come to know these things."

Wufei says nothing in quiet agreement. After a moment, he glances down at the faded rug beneath his knees and draws a deep breath. "If that is the case, then a... friend is in need."

Against his thighs, Wufei's hands curl into fists. He is not sure how literally he should interpret that vision. He is not sure what to think. He is sure, however, that he will be taking a good number of personal days in an attempt to sort this out. And Wufei intends to find out exactly what is going on.

As he rises from his crouch in the empty room, he doesn't bother to dwell on the strange and sudden disappearance of the monk. He simply smiles to himself and thinks about the number of lectures Une has given him an attempt to get him to take a vacation.

It appears she is about to get her wish.

...ooo...

"Duo? What are you doing here?" Trowa frowns thoughtfully, blinking tired eyes at his unexpected visitor. He gazes down at the slender figure at the base of the trapeze, his curiosity piqued even though his expression remains as mellow as it ever is.

"Hey, Tro! Nice to see you, too, dude! I'm just fine; thanks for asking! The flight was great and I saved you some peanuts!" To illustrate this, Duo tosses an unopened, complimentary package of airline snacks in the air and catches it in his fist easily.

Trowa snorts and repeats, "What are you doing here?"

"Weell," he drawls, "if you'd get yourself down here so I don't have to scream at the top of my lungs, I might just tell you!"

With a shake of his head, Trowa glances in Cathy's direction with a shrug before swinging over the edge of the platform and descending to the ground below. Once his feet touch the compacted earth, Trowa sighs and turns toward his visitor. "All right, Duo. I'm here. What's so..."

Trowa's voice trails off as he looks up and finds himself facing nothing but empty space.

"Duo?"

How odd... Trowa's gaze roves over the room and the effort reassures him that Duo is no longer in the tent. But where...? And why...?

Then a shadow shifting against the material of the tent, just beyond the door supplies him with an answer. With another, heavier sigh, Trowa almost rolls his eyes. If Duo hadn't wanted to talk in here, why hadn't he just said so?

"Is everything okay, Trowa?"

Trowa doesn't pause as he starts toward the entrance. He calls over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a few minutes, Cathy."

Perched on the trapeze platform, Cathy wraps her arms around her waist as a sudden chill causes her to shiver. She stares after Trowa and idly wonders if she's coming down with something. The air is hot, humid, and heavy up here beneath the canopy. She should not be chilled.

But she is.

...ooo...

Une looks up at her most dedicated and overworked agent with an expression of cynical disbelief. "You want to take a leave of absence effective immediately?" she repeats slowly. "Am I hearing this correctly, Agent Chang?"

Wufei attempts to keep his smirk to himself as he nods in reply. "Yes, ma'am. You are."

She leans back in her chair and shakes her head. "Well, when it rains it pours, doesn't it?" She sighs. "And if it weren't for the necessity of you using up your excess vacation time before the first of the year and the fact you're positively exhausted, I would require considerably more notice than this, agent."

"I understand, ma'am."

Une glares at him as if somehow able to sense his carefully concealed humor over the situation. "Leave your contact numbers with Sally and myself before you go, Chang."

"Yes, ma'am."

Une waves her hand at him in a clear but resigned dismissal. Wufei quickly ducks out of her office and begins the trek back to his cubicle. Before he's completed more than a dozen paces along the worn carpet runner, his thoughts have already veered away from Une's displeasure and back to the strange vision he'd experienced at the temple that morning.

He shakes his head as once again each possible scenario makes less sense to him that the one preceding it. Why had Quatre been so desperate? What had Duo been planning and why had it threatened Quatre? And what had he meant about the race of his life?

With a heavy sigh, Wufei ducks into the bathroom, prolonging his return to his desk. He wanders over to the line of sinks marching along the wall and places his hands on the countertop. He regards his reflection in the mirror carefully, noting the slight pallor of his skin, the bruises beneath his eyes which seem to grow darker every day, the reddened whites of his eyes. If he hadn't known better, he would think he hadn't slept well in months.

But then, as he meets his own gaze in the mirror of the empty men's room, something approaches him. He tenses as the presence draws closer but he can see out of the corner of his eye that no one has entered the room. He thinks he can feel another being sidling up next to him. He tenses. And that's when he hears the soft, dark whisper:

Hungry... always hungry... Circling beneath... Waiting... Impatient and waiting... I need... I need... Give me what is mine...

Wufei jerks away from the mirror and the motion dissolves the foreign presence. He finds himself shaking, staring into the surface of the glass.

What in the hell had just happened?

Wufei scowls in an attempt to burn away the disquieting sensation. Had he just slipped into a trance? And if so, what had he heard? A voice? The thoughts of another?

He shivers.

Suddenly chilled, he returns to the sink and turns on the hot water tap. Submerging his hands, Wufei wills the heat of the water to seep into his body. And, after a few minutes, the small, involuntary spasms of his muscles have subsided along with the chill. Briefly, Wufei wonders if he'd imagined both the presence and the sudden drop in temperature. He then attempts to explain the events as his own subconscious alerting him to unrest in his friends' lives. Just that and no more.

But the vision stays with him, clinging to his mind and infecting his thoughts until Wufei accepts the fact the he will not be able to wait until the day is over to begin his newest assignment.

...ooo...

Trowa wearily follows the shadow as it winds its way through the maze of tents, trailers, and cages. He frowns at Duo's behavior. He can't imagine what could have brought Duo here, let alone what would compel him to act so strangely.

The trail leads Trowa to his own trailer and he pauses in front of it, staring at the open door and the shadows beyond. He considers the state of the door, knowing that he'd locked it this morning and also knowing Duo couldn't have had enough time to pick the lock after disappearing from the tent and leading him on this merry chase. Obviously, he'd done that first and then come to find Trowa in mid-rehearsal. But what truly causes Trowa to pause is the presence of the complete darkness on the other side of that threshold. Is it a trick of the bright sunlight that makes the interior look as black as pitch? Or something else?

"Duo?" Trowa calls softly.

Only the soft breeze replies to his inquiry.

He glances around him at the state of the grounds, noting the strange absence of another living soul. For a moment, he actually thinks about the eerie quiet, wonders where everyone is on a beautiful day when so much work could be done. But then something shifts in the shadows within his trailer.

Trowa finds himself with one foot on the lower step as he leans closer to the inky darkness.

"Duo? What is this all about?"

Silence.

The breeze rustles Trowa's long bangs.

"Duo?"

He takes another step and rests his palms on the doorframe. He's only an inch away from the interior of his own trailer and yet he hesitates to enter it.

Trowa takes a slow breath and allows his instinct to speak to him. It has nothing of particular interest to say. It senses no hostility, no danger, no fear, no rage. Only Duo.

The scent of the other young man is carried to him by the shadows and, for the first time, Trowa notices it as something more than simply Duo's unique essence. It seems... richer. Darker. Compelling.

"Duo?" This time, Trowa's voice is barely more than a whisper. His blood is warm and tingling with anticipation. The shadows appeal to him, offering soothing comfort from the glare of the sun.

He thinks he feels the touch of a warm hand on his arm. He thinks he hears the soft whisper of his friend's voice, beckoning him closer. He thinks no further and steps into the room.

As Trowa disappears into the darkness, the trailer door gently closes and the breeze is left to play with the less pliant objects strewn about the camp.

- End of Part One -

Author's Note: If you feel the urge to visit the website for the "Devil with an Angel's Face" Contest, please refer back to my bio page. Thanks for reading!