Disclaimer: I in no way own Gundam W or AD&D. Don't sue; I'm simply an E5 in the USN, therefore I have no money. Ha.

A/N; dream sequence, telepathic communication in dream sequence:psionic power:

A/N 2; QuickEdit is kicking my ass, so here's another formatting note. /magical spell/. Still.

-BEGIN FIC-

Wufei lounged amongst the lush flowers and soft grass, his eyes closed to block the bright light of the sun, his face warm with its heated touch. A soft, whispering breeze playfully stole along the soft rainbow of delicate flower petals, coercing them to sway with its touch even as the grass rustled merrily, causing the light that shined upon its lush green expanse to skip from stalk to stalk. Another warm, gentle gust of air brushed past, tussling loose strands of raven- pitched hair and cooling sun-bronzed skin. A smile took Wufei's lips even as a content sigh escaped him. "This is pleasant," he whispered to himself, "especially with no nightmares. Just a relaxing, rejuvenating slumber with no interferences."

The sky of the lush dreamscape darkened to match the turn in Wufei's mood. White rolling clouds slowly blackened even as the pale blue expanse of sky fell into its midnight coloration. The flowers shuddered as the previously warm, playful breeze growled, its delicate and gleeful touch and caress replaced by a harsher stroke as it sought not to pet the petals and stalks of the thick plant life but to strangle them.

"However, right now I'd welcome those nightmares. It would indicate that he is here with us, safe in our custody. That his mood would be supportive of tormenting others instead of being focused on self-incrimination.

"It would mean that Trowa wouldn't be so very crushed - his heart, while leaning towards destruction, would not have already toppled over the cliff's edge into the abysmal misery of heartbreak. It would mean that Duo's spirit would still be whole; that his eyes would sparkle with that mischievous mirth they always shine with when he's found an idiot friend to get himself into trouble with. It would mean that Heero wouldn't be so overwrought with stress; he wouldn't be weighed by concern for his strangely lackadaisical partner, nor bogged down with worry for our Realms. It would mean that I wouldn't be so miserable with the knowledge that I was the one who has successfully plunged everyone into this disastrous comedy of emotional disarray."

The black sky shown white for but an instant, as did the sprawling hills of grass and flowers. Electrical fire left its strong acrid scent hovering in the heavy air as the lionic roar of rolling thunder chased the heels of its lightning-strike mate, crashing and booming with such force as to cause the very earth to shudder and the flowers to shiver before the awesome display of heavenly fury. Heavy drops of rain started to race towards the empty, inviting ground, hurtling from the clouds in which they were created into their suicidal plunge to meet with what lay below. They struck all without mercy - plant, petal, earth, man.

Eyes closed, feeling the harassing attack of his dreamscape's rain soaking him, Wufei scowled. "And no matter how hard I try or how far I attempt to extend y reach, I can't sense him. His aura is lost to my eyes. He's probably got his defenses up to elude me."

Chang...!

"Or maybe not."

Instantly on his feet, his boots sinking slowly into the mud that was forming around him, Wufei looked wildly about the drenched hills. Onyx eyes wide, he stared at every flicker of light, every created aura that hovered around him, desperately seeking the pale blue aura he'd found lacking from both his dream and waking worlds. Staring, he turned on his heel, grinding soft stalk and helpless flower carelessly into the mud. As desperate moments passed, he let his voice sound into the howling storm's wind, "Where are you? I hear you Quatre, but I can't locate you."

Chang...

Scowling, anger beginning to overtake his misery, the young Easterner gritted his teeth. "I'm right here!"

Where...? I can't see you...

Brow knitted, he huffed, "Here. In that same little village you left us in."

Long tenuous moments passed before Quatre's psionically projected voice softly whispered, How far?

"From where?" Wufei growled in frustration.

... Ormath?

"Ormath?" a brow arching over an onyx eye, he crossed his arms over his chest, staring off to what he recalled being his imagined South East from their current real world position. "Ten days, as the raven flies. Why?"

Both brows arched as he heard Quatre's quiet voice whimper in dismay. Then, with a triumphant cry, he ran towards the pale blue aura that had erupted into being in the distance before him, his eyes fixated on the lush swirling feathers that encompassed it like soft bands around a planetoid, sparkling as the dreamscape's dire rain pounded into the fluffy hovering devices.

His desperate run came to a sudden halt and his eyes widened as the intensity of that aura slowly faded and the speedy swirling of its feathers slowed. Mouth opening, he softly mouthed, "Quatre, what's happening?"

Hurry. Please. I can't...

"What's happening!"

I can't hold on much longer. Hurry!

Staring, he swallowed as the pale blue aura flickered, dying from existence for a moment before reforming, its presence a weak flicker superimposed on the vicious landscape.

"QUATRE!"

The dreamscape suddenly changed. Wufei stared at his new surroundings, his wide onyx eyes absorbing every detail he could see.

Dark brown stone surrounded him, the rectangular shapes of the blocks suggesting a structure intentionally built to serve some purpose rather than a haphazard array of rock, each block held into place by centuries old mortar. Lichens and dark brown moss coated the walls that he could see, filling in the cracks that had formed in the heavy rock. Centuries old, rotting tapestries cascaded down those walls, their dusty brown tendrils doing nothing to add life to the chamber he was trapped in. A desk was set upon the wall to his left, holding upon it an open tome who's pages he could not read from the distance at which he was being held and a vast array of colorful beakers filled with a plethora of wildly tinted liquids and odd pieces of material filling them, ivory candles' flickering flame illuminating the work bench's contents, adding their light to that cast by the torches held in the iron rod stands sporadically placed upon the walls surrounding him. Before him, iron shackles hang morosely from the stone wall, a single age-darkened bone held loosely in one and the other being free of content, the remaining construct of the unfortunate victim of those devices resting in an abandoned heap on the floor below them.

The sound of dripping water met his ears, as did the chattering of rats hidden and scurrying within the walls around him. He could hear the crackling of the torches' flames around him, the hissing of the candles as fire heated and melted wax, the creaking of strained metal.

He flexed his fingers slowly. Finally, the feeling of biting shackles holding him firmly upright dawned on him. Staring up, wild shock flooding his eyes, he stared at his raw wrists and the iron rings that were clamped down upon them. It was then that he felt the sting of his bleeding wrists, the wetness of filthy water that soaked his back, the lack of solid ground below his feet. And it was then that the smells accosted his nostrils - the rotting scent of the tapestries, the smell of decay flowing from the heap of bones across the room from him, the musty musk of the dying moss surrounding him, the horrid stench of the raw flesh that rested upon the workbench in one of those beakers and whatever it was that littered the floor below him, the odor of rat droppings flooding the atmosphere.

He stiffened as he heard the creak of a door opening beside him, just out of his viewing range. And he screeched, terrified out of his mind, as he stared at the skeletal, rotting face of a scraggly haired robe- wearing creature.

"Lich..." he hissed, breaking into a cold sweat even in the depths of his dream as the aura of cold and fear that oozed from the nightmarish creature penetrated his very being, caressing his soul. Eyes wide, he stared as the undead wizard lifted a boney hand, the dark crimson glow of the points of light that flickered within its eye sockets and served it in death as eyes glistened upon the twisted, serrated blade of the dagger it held.

Wufei screamed as the weapon plunged down, sweeping through his abdominal wall, freeing his intestines from his body even as it harshly ripped through thick muscle and flesh. Shivering against the shackles which held him upright against the cold, damp stone wall behind him, he closed his eyes and whimpered as he felt the hot, slippery mass that was his guts slide around his legs and feet as the lich poked and probed through them, muttering about how fascinating it was that his construction was so very similar to that of mortal humans, then happily proclaiming that it was time to see if his wings were truly still present and simply reduced in size as he suspected the /Alter Self/ spell cast upon the bands that graced his arms lead him to believe they'd be.

He wailed in agony as his body was turned and that knife flew again, leaving a hot, burning gash seeping blood across his back.

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Wufei bolted upright, a blood-curdling scream ripping from his throat.

Instantly, hands were upon him. Struggling vainly to get them off, the Eastern boy sobbed, "Stop! Please!" repeatedly, his gasping voice scratchy and thick with tears.

More hands entered the fray, pinning him down. He felt one upon each shoulder, one upon each wrist, one on his chest and one on his stomach along with the soft bed underneath him. Cracking open wary, wild onyx eyes, he stared at the concerned faces of his friends, his mind barely registering that they were present at all.

"Where... where am I?"

"Right here in the Inn, Wufei. Neh, what the hell was that all about?" Duo instantly blurted, his violet eyes huge and scared as he shifted his grip on Wufei's shoulders, his braid pooling beside the Eastern man's head upon his pillow, its tip resting upon his bronzed cheek.

"Quatre..."

"What about him?" "You know something!" "Do you know where he is?" erupted from three throats at the same moment.

Selecting Trowa's desperate voice, he nodded. "He's near Ormath. I don't know the exact location."

"How...?" the bewildered acrobat breathed, releasing Wufei's wrist and lifting his hand from his stomach.

"He contacted me."

Duo's voice suddenly cut in, "Neh, neh! So why were you screaming?"

Shuddering, the warrior closed his eyes. "Because he established contact. Because I saw what he's seeing. I felt what he's feeling. And let me simply say that if we don't find him quickly, his captor is going to find out whether or not a Solar can truly die on the Prime Material plane."

"Then let's go."

Everyone turned to face Duo.

Lifting his gaze, the mage looked them over, his brow furrowed, his chestnut bangs overshadowing his amethyst-hard, deathly serious eyes. Grimacing, Duo nodded.

"Let's get to Ormath."

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Trowa's hands shook as he packed his bag. 'Quatre, we'll reach you. Please, please hold on! I'm coming for you!'

'Because I don't care if you are some extraplanar creature. I don't care if you're not mortal. I don't care if you're a Solar, if you're a Pit Fiend. Demon, angel, it makes no difference. What you are doesn't determine who you are.'

'And it's your soul that I'm attracted to.'

'I don't care if the mandates of your God prevent you from loving me. I will always love you, no matter what you are, where you are.'

'Wait for me! Please!'

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Duo frowned as he sat at the table, Heero at his side, staring into the crystal ball that rested before him. "I'm just so iffy 'bout usin' this, you know? Don't know how many charges it has left."

Placing a hand lightly upon Duo's shoulder, Heero sighed quietly. "But remember Wufei's words? We must locate him as quickly as possible."

"Yeah... but this'll take a long time."

Turning his cold Prussian stare to the large crystal orb that sat in its small golden ring at the table's center, he nods. "One hour, Duo. You should be able to locate him within one hour. I will have to discuss with Wufei how we're going to get to Ormath; it's a long journey, and if what he says is true, Lord VonWinner doesn't have that much time to spare."

Glancing over his shoulder at his lover, violet eyes sparkling, Duo smirked and chuckled. "Ask him if he can :Dream Travel:."

":Dream Travel:...? Why?"

"Because if he can, that'll save us a shit load of trouble. Trust me on this, honey."

"Very well. While I interrogate him, will you please just use that?"

"Fine, fine. But if it runs out of charges and crumples to dust, don't blame me! And don't you DARE expect me to go on another fucking goblin-lair raid with you to fetch you another one. I almost died the last damned time."

"Right."

As Heero left the room, Duo sighed and lightly laid his tapered fingertips upon the crystalline orb. Violet eyes narrowing, he frowned and nodded. "Let's do this."

Conjuring a picture of Quatre in his mind, he let his eyes lose focus, staring deeply into the perfect sphere that he held between his fingertips, staring into the twisting colors formed by the Weave in the endless center of its being.

Soon his eyes were witnessing the flow of grass that was the Shining Plains, gazing down upon them as if he were a bird upon the wings of magic.

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Heero nodded as he entered Wufei's room. "Duo's using the scrying orb."

"Excellent. How long do you think it will be until that incompetent mage finds him?"

"It shouldn't be long. An hour or less."

Sighing softly, the Easterner calmly shouldered his pack. "Very well."

"So, how are we planning to get there?"

Stopping in his motions, Wufei glanced over at Heero, noting the crossed arms and easy posture of a man intent on not going anywhere any time soon. "Horseback, most likely."

"It'll take us nearly two weeks to reach him."

"Do you have any brilliant ideas?" Wufei snorted softly. "I can only take so much with me when I :Dimension Door:."

"Duo said something about :Dream Travel:."

Staring, Wufei's onyx eyes widened. ":Dream Travel:..."

"Ah, so you do know of the power. Can you utilize it?"

Snorting quietly, Wufei sighed. "I can try. It's incredibly unreliable, though... if anything happens within the dream, we could end up completely off our mark and lost. Or maybe not travel anywhere at all. And, in the worst possible scenario..."

"It could kill us?"

"I don't think so. But... stranger effects have not been unknown."

"You mean madness."

"Aa. Also, it will be very draining on me. Especially to take all four of us."

Heero nodded slowly. "But would you be willing to do it? The very fate of the Realms may be at stake. And..."

"And?"

"Duo has been speaking to me. About Quatre."

Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly, even as Heero's head bowed.

With a soft sigh, the brown-haired warrior shook his head. "And I think we may have been royally mistaken about his intentions. He may not be one to be loathed and feared, but rather an innocent who we should have attempted to protect and shelter from the cruelty of the world. Rather, we thrust him into the cruelty that awaits all unprepared for reality, angered by his disposition. We didn't realize that, perhaps, he couldn't control his reaction towards us and thus reacted inappropriately. So..."

The Easterner arched a brow, nodding encouragement for the other to finish.

"So I'd like to find him. And apologize."

"I understand."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair as each reflected upon their own reactions and intentions.

"Let us see how Duo is progressing."

"Hai."

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Duo had progressed surprisingly well, pointing happily while chattering to Trowa how he knew exactly where the blonde Solar was being held captive.

Leaning over Duo's shoulder, Wufei peered into the orb. "Very good, Duo. Thank you."

The violet-eyed mage toppled over on his bench, hand grasping his chest. "Holy... holy Cyric! He... he complimented me! Gaaaa, I'm dyin' here!"

And, rolling his eyes, Wufei clipped his ear with a shortly swung fist before marching back to the stairs that lead to his room. "All of you, pack. We :Dream Travel: tonight."

":Dream Travel:" Trowa quietly mouthed.

Duo grinned happily, before chirping, "Wicked cool!"

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Carefully and cautiously checking his companions to ensure that they were asleep, the Eastern psionisist tiptoed between them. All of their equipment was in order, as were their weapons. Curled on the stable hay with them was a pair of horses, resting fitfully under the /Sleep/ spell Duo had managed to cast over them.

Wufei slowly slid under his own cover upon the incredibly soft mattress of hay and closed his eyes, reaching into the depths of his mind to access the growing pool of psionic strength that he'd discovered existed not long ago.

Tapping that power, he let his mind drift into slumber.

And that power erupted over all of them, twisting all of their minds into its single effervescent aura, plunging them into the chaos of the land of dreams.

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Trowa was the first to open his eyes.

Glancing around, he stared, completely stunned with the beauty that surrounded him. "Wow," he softly whispered, his emerald eyes absorbing the vision of the sprawling hills of grass buried under the blanket of spring flowers that sprouted from the rich earth below his feet. Taking in the rainbow of reds and whites laced with yellows, purples, pinks and oranges mixed with nearly every other color he could ever remember having seen across the span of his nineteen years of life, he felt his jaw hang loosely open yet made no effort to close it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Swallowing a startled yelp, he turned sharply, setting his gaze upon Wufei who stood calmly behind him, his arms crossed loosely over his chest and his eyes absorbing his surroundings much as Trowa's had but moments before.

"What is it?" Trowa ventured to ask, returning to staring at the sprawling expanses around them.

"Home."

Duo sat up from the bed of flowers, stretching and yawning before letting his tired eyes open. "Mmph. We there yet?"

"Baka. We've yet to go anywhere."

"Dammit! What're we waiting for?"

"Your dumb horses and Heero to get into the dream. Or, more appropriately, your dumb horses and Heero to awaken into the dream."

"OYE, HEE-CHAN! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP!"

As the warrior was kicked firmly in his sides and the horses stirred thanks to Duo's loud, unwarranted yell, the sky suddenly turned pitch black, the flowers withering and dying as an icy wind blew across the rolling hills.

"What's happening?" Trowa quietly whispered, looking about, his eyes widening with fright.

Everyone stared as Wufei swallowed harshly, watching as masses of white began to ooze out of the ground.

One particular figure formed at the head of the skeletal forces that clawed their way free from the earth, standing tall over all but Trowa, its bony frame encased in blackened armor, its eyes red points within its skull, its bony hands holding its darkened, tainted, unholy sword in its clutches.

Slowly drawing his weapon even as Heero did the same, Wufei held it nervously in shaking hands, his mind not so fearful of the battle as it was of the power wielded by whoever had done what he had thought to be impossible.

"The dream's been invaded."

tbc...