Hi!
A huge thank you goes out to all who reviewed: deppforever07, Hitokimi, Vwolf Yujutsu, moonpixi, Crysania Fay, Jjinks, spirit-gun, tyleet88, and Sutoomu.
BTW, for all of you who guessed elements to people a "good try" goes out. For those who tried, they got at least one right. However, I won't tell you who is what, you have to read!
Thanks also for those who keep on telling me they love/like/enjoy my story. Reviews like that keep me writing.
Yes, moonpixi, I will go into all of that as I go…
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I'll try to continue to update as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gundam Wing. Is there anyone out there who thinks I do?
Enjoy!
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Shinigami
(Last time)
"Indeed, I am of the Order of the Moon. I have a warning for you. That thing – it is no girl – will cause great trouble for you all soon. Eileen was an immortal, who chose to walk what we call the Dark Path."
"Basically, she went evil." Duo explained.
"Yes. But she means to destroy our Eldest."
"So? Why tell us." Wufei asked.
"Because you are in her way."
"What do you-" Quatre stopped. The woman had disappeared.
(Now)
Kitten had kept Virginia company almost all day while the boys were out, basically helping her do chores and other things. After they had finished cleaning up, they went to the living room to talk for a little while before Kitten had to go.
That was when things got interesting.
"Are you Shina?"
(Space)
On the way home, Duo was unnaturally quiet.
Why me? Did I do something wrong and anger a deity of some sort? Because if these dreams continue I am going to collapse one day. I just don't have the strength to keep on going with so little sleep.
Duo felt someone staring at him. He looked up, and saw it was Heero.
"What?" He snapped. He knew he wasn't acting like he normally would, but he figured a lack of sleep would do that to a person. Unfortunately, his uncharacteristic outburst made the others stare at him too. Heero looked away.
"Duo… are you feeling OK?" Quatre asked.
"No, I'm not. What clued you in?" Quatre looked struck at Duo's tone.
"It was a question. There was no reason for you to snap at him." Wufei said.
"Well maybe-" Duo stopped, feeling suddenly dizzy. Oh shit, not good.
"Duo?" Quatre's voice held concern.
"I'll be… fine. Just give me… a few minutes…" He managed to get out.
Right before he passed out entirely.
(Change point of view)
Heero watched Duo collapse. I'm going to kill that woman. Queen or not, she should control what she's sending, and allow for some sleep.
"Duo!" Quatre yelped, catching him before he hit the ground. "What happened?"
Just as Heero was about to open his mouth to speak, another voice cut him off. "He's exhausted."
They all turned, and for the second time that day saw someone appear out of nowhere. A man with reddish-brown hair and black eyes watched them.
"Who are you?" Heero knew his voice held a small amount of exasperation, but seriously, what was with all of these people?
The man smiled at him slightly. "Right now, it really doesn't matter. But what I can tell you is that I am the Guardian of the element of Healing."
Quatre looked at him, confused. "What is a Guardian?"
The man looked at Quatre, slightly surprised. "You don't know?"
They all shook their heads, except Heero. The man looked at him quickly, but said nothing to him directly.
"A Guardian does exactly what the title says. He or she guards. In particular, they guard one of the nine elements." He paused. "You do know what the elements are, right?"
"I know of Water, Fire, Air, and Earth, but I have no idea what the other five are." Wufei commented.
The man looked slightly confused, but replied, "Yes. Those are four of them, though Air is usually called Lighting. The other five are Empathy, Mind, Fighting, Chaos, and Healing. Which I am going to put my knowledge of to use right now. Your friend is suffering from exhaustion. He needs to get in more sleep, and I wouldn't bother him for the next few days. If he doesn't want to sleep, make him. Healthy, awake people don't collapse."
Quatre was looking at him oddly. "I use Empathy, don't I?"
"You would know that better than I would."
Heero spoke up. "What if he can't sleep?"
The man turned to look at him. "He's sleeping now. Well, not really, but close enough."
"No, I mean… what if someone was keeping him from sleeping by sending him dreams? Is there anyway to block that?" Heero tried.
The man regarded him solemnly. "What makes you think that someone is sending him dreams?"
The others were looking at him oddly now, too. "I have it on excellent authority." He ground out.
"If you are so sure, then, try to ask whoever told you that to shield him, or you can, if you know how. If the dreams do indeed originate from an outside source, that would stop them."
"What if my source is the one sending them?" Heero was getting slightly annoyed.
"Well then, perhaps he or she will take pity on your friend and let him get better before continuing to send him dreams." He tilted his head to the side. "Who are you? You speak of things as though you should know them, but don't."
Heero glared at him.
The man's eyebrows went up. "I see. I wish you well, then, cousin." He disappeared. No puff of smoke, or sparks, or even a popping sound. He just disappeared.
"Heero – what was that about?" Quatre asked.
"What do you mean?" He asked flatly, going to pick up Duo.
"That guy called you 'cousin'" Wufei said.
"And when you glared at him… your eyes seemed to glow red. It was… just a little, but I could have sworn I saw them glow red." Trowa put in.
"Which element am I?" "You will figure it out with time." She had told to him.
Am I fire?
"I highly doubt that my eyes glowed. And who knows why he called me cousin?" Heero countered. In all truth, he didn't have the slightest idea why the guy had called him cousin. Had he figured out Heero was one of the other Guardians? He was not one of the few Heero remembered.
Though he did remember a figure in black, like the man had been in.
Heero sighed, and began carrying Duo home.
(Space)
"Are you Shina?"
She didn't even bother to turn around. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"
A devil materialized into the room. "I am Devron, a devil."
"Why are you here? Just so that you know, I don't usually entertain devils or demons of any kind." She replied.
"Be careful what you say, Devil, and remember who you are speaking to." Kitten warned him.
Devron through a glare at her, then turned back to Virginia. Carefully, he took the required three paces towards the Eldest, then bowed stiffly.
Virginia and Kitten traded looks. He's trying to make an impression, Virginia thought. But what would make him do so? She caught the look of disgust on his face when he bowed to her, and laughed to herself. He'll do it if it means my attention, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.
"Lady Virinia of the Guardians." It came out as more of a hiss, though she could see he was trying to control himself somewhat. "The woman who has deemed herself Queen of the Demons is trying to kill you."
She raised an eyebrow. "I knew that."
"No, I mean kill you. Destroy you if she can achieve it. And to do that, she has to go through your precious Guardians." Ok, now he was really trying to control himself.
She merely gazed at him for a few moments. It was very rare that a devil attempted to contact her. And, she reflected, I'm making no effort to make this easy. The fact that he hasn't attempted to rip off my head says something in his favor.
But still. "Why do you care?"
He was not happy with her. "Because the balance must be maintained. I have no plans on seeing myself destroyed because the balance got thrown off." He managed to hiss, sounding barely civil.
She smiled dryly. "Well then, I thank you for your warning." She paused, was there anyway to reward him?
"Don't bother." He muttered. "There is nothing I want that you could grant me. Legally, anyway." He disappeared.
"That was interesting, Shi." Kitten commented. "It's not every day that a devil comes to say hi. And he managed to do it rather civilly, too."
Virginia rolled her eyes. "It never happens, Kit. Not unless they want my head to take back with them, anyway."
Kitten laughed, but was cut off as another being appeared in the room. "You're popular today, Shi." She sighed.
Virginia shook her head and looked at the new visitor, and smiled. Reddish-brown hair, black eyes. "Gene! What are you doing here? You should visit more often."
He frowned at her.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" She winced.
"Yes, you are. I assume you're the one sending Duo dreams?" She nodded. "Then for the love of light, please stop. Just stop, even if for a little while. Lady, he collapsed. He's not getting enough sleep."
She looked upset. "He collapsed? Where?"
"I don't know, on a beach somewhere. He was with four others. Lady, is one of them the Fire Guardian and one of them the Empathy Guardian?" He questioned.
"They are all Guardians, and yes, one of them is the Fire Guardian and one of them is the Empathy Guardian. Why do you ask?" She grinned at him. "And how do you like your cousins?"
He shook his head, probably at her enthusiasm. "Because when I asked him who he was, his eyes glowed red briefly. And no offence meant, but they are a little… odd."
She chuckled softly. "Odd really doesn't begin to describe them. But look on the bright side! When I finally kick the bucket, you get to teach them all about being Guardians."
They both stared at her.
"What?"
"Do you really have to refer to your death that bluntly?" Kitten asked, wincing a little.
"And how is that the 'bright' side? I'd hate to see what your idea of the dark side is." Gene muttered. "Trust me, I am not looking forward to that. Maybe you can stick around a bit longer than you originally intended to?" He voice seemed to be pleading with her.
"Gene, as a Healer, you know that even if I wanted to stay my body will fail eventually. It can no longer really function as well as it did when I was linked with my circle, and even though you've all been reborn, too much damage has been done in the interval. As it is, my magical strength is also much weaker than it was." She replied soothingly. "And since it's my death, I can refer to it however I want!" She grinned.
They both sighed.
Gene shook his head. "Back to the original point. Can you make sure Duo drinks this somehow?" He asked, giving Virginia a small packet of herbs. "It will help him sleep better. And please, either take a break from sending him dreams or shield him against them, because the next time he collapses it will probably be much worse."
Virginia took the packet from him. "I promise, he won't receive any more dreams until he is better. And I won't overburden him again, either." She looked at the little packet sadly. "I didn't know it was that bad."
Gene gave her an incredulous look. "You didn't know? He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks!"
"I knew it was affecting him, I just didn't know it was that bad. I would've gone a little easier on him if I had known how bad it was." She said mournfully.
"What's done is done, Shi." Kitten said softly. "Learn from it, and try not to make the same mistake again."
Gene suddenly blinked, and looked at Kitten. "And on that note, we should be going. The five cousins should be here soon."
Kitten smiled at him. "Well, then, goodbye Gene, and goodbye Shina." She gave Virginia a hug, then disappeared herself.
Gene looked back at Virginia. "Watch out for the Fire Guardian. He knows you are the source of the dreams, and he is not happy about it."
"Did he tell you that?" She asked curiously.
"No, but they do not know how to shield themselves, and I just pick things up." He winced. "It gets really annoying sometimes."
She smiled softly at him. "Good bye, Gene."
He gave her a hug, and she could feel a little of his Healing energy flow from him to her. "Good bye, Lady." He murmured, and disappeared, leaving Virginia alone.
(Space)
As soon as the boys got home, put Duo in bed and settled, Heero searched Virginia out of her hiding spot – her room.
"Do you have any idea what you are doing to Duo?" He snarled at her.
"I didn't, but someone I know came and informed me of his condition. I won't be sending him any dreams until he is better, and even then I won't send them so often." She replied, not meeting his eyes but choosing instead to look out the window.
Heero's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"You met him earlier today. The Healing Guardian, remember?" She said.
"Yes." He said slowly. Then, "Am I the Fire Guardian?"
She turned from the window to give him a very small smile. "Yes, you are. The most powerful Fire mage living and the Fire Guardian."
He paused. Now what? He wondered. I guessed right, what happens next?
She winced suddenly. She muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Gene was right." Then in a louder voice she said, "Now I teach you how to shield, so I'm not being pelted with thoughts. Well, from you, anyway."
"Isn't mind reading under the element of Mind?" He asked.
She smiled. "Most immortals have enough mind magic to communicate with each other and to pick up the stray thought, if they are not shielded. Now, where shall we begin?"
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So, how was that?
Here's a hint for you who like to guess: Chaos and Fighting Guardians are OCs, along with Gene. The rest of the Guardians fall under the Gundam Pilot category. Brownie points with whoever matches them all up right (except for the OCs).
Anyway, please review, and thanks for reading!
DarkLady