Title: Halloween Masquerade

Author: Avel

Summary: When darkness consumes two youths, will they accept it? Light and day will never be the same and nights of feverish bloodshed are just a bite away.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I make a profit from these works.

Pairings: 1x3x2, 5x4, and 6x13

The dim light from the room that Trowa had awoken to, cast an almost haze like surrealism to the room. His head wouldn't permit much movement, but from what he could tell he was in a bedroom. As his mind cleared he gave a startled intake of breath as he realized that this was the bedroom he had been caught in.

His memory brought an inevitable sense of dread throughout his nervous system. What is he, a demon?Taking care not to move his aching head too much, he brought himself up to a sitting position, supporting his back with the decorative pillows resting against the headboard. He tensed when he heard a heated voice outside the bedroom door, taking defensive actions he began, albeit painfully to search the night stand for an envelope opener or any other sharp object. All the while, cursing his current position for not being closer to a bathroom, where a useful shaving utensil would have done him a great deal of good.

He waited feeling his breath hitch inside his throat, only then realizing just how chilled he was. It was a cold that went straight to his core and made him shiver in response to the fact more than the feeling. Finding no sufficient weapon, he froze as the door to the bedroom opened, and with it the same braided thief that he had seen murdered shortly before his memory cut out.

"A Ghost?" The braided youth spoke scornfully, "Or maybe a devil!" Duo, his mind recalled, growled as his face twisted in a grimace. Trowa could only imagine he was trying to supply the name Trowa thought of him but neither were correct. Looking into the heated eyes of his fellow captive, he replied.

"Dead." He breathed in contemplation, "How?" he finished in confusion.

"Bastard." Duo gave a jerk of his thumb toward the door, implying the man that had captured them. Heero, his mind once again supplied, their captor's name was Heero Yuy.

"What happened," Trowa asked trying to get out of the bed, he paused as a cold sweat formed from the effort of standing. "…Have to get out of here."

"We can't." Duo offered solemnly, "Lest we encounter the light of day." He continued spitefully.

"Light of day…?" Trowa trailed off softly as he stood feeling a wave of biting nausea hit him immediately.

"We're trapped here," Duo took a long glance around the bedroom before looking Trowa straight in the eye. "Eternally."

"Eternally?" Trowa echoed his mind starting to clear and Duo's words started to sink in. A flash of a campfire and music flashed before his mind.

"Cathy." Trowa jolted as if he'd physically been hit, and running off of adrenaline made it to door, Duo following close behind him. "We leave in three days, she'll be worried." He breathed more to himself than Duo.

"Look, it's already been two days since... I don't think you understand what I'm tellin' ya." Duo caught up with him at the door, preventing Trowa from opening it.

"I understand that you're in the way." Trowa gritted out before moving backward as the door opened. Both men staring at Heero who gave a more agitated look at Trowa in return.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." He stated sternly, making a move to usher him back, however Trowa took a more defensive stance in response.

"Stay back." Trowa growled, inwardly wondering how he could possibly make it out of the room in his condition.

"You're right, you can't make it past me, not in your condition." Heero raised his hands, gesturing around the room as he continued.

"And where would you go?" he questioned, "You haven't fed and the moment the sun rises outside you will be burned alive." Heero stated calmly as Trowa felt his throat tighten, lungs constricting in his chest in realization. He was dead.

No! His mind echoed almost painfully. A throbbing at his temple seemed to worsen as he stumbled in order to keep himself on his feet. He felt stricken with guilt? Grief? Anger? He wasn't sure which at the moment. Duo seemed to be much calmer about the situation, because he was now looking at him with something akin to pity? This had to be a dream, some type of horrible nightmare he would wake up from soon. Finding his emotions to be too overwhelming he retreated back into himself.

"I wish it were a dream." Duo commented, surprising Trowa with the acknowledgment of his own thoughts. "Because than it wouldn't seem so abnormal to read someone else's thoughts."

Trowa looked at him sharply, he was feeling cornered despite the fact that Duo was as much a prisoner in this house as himself.

"Once you've fed than you'll probably be easier to reason with." Heero stated simply as he opened the door, moving aside to allow Trowa access outside the room. Trowa's eyes narrowed, he didn't like the implications of Heero's words, nor did he feel too comfortable walking into a trap.

"You don't learn from past incidents do you?" Duo remarked to Heero from the wall he was now leaning tensely against.

Heero simply turned to stare at Duo about to reply to the comment, when Trowa saw an opportunity and acted out instinctively. Catching Heero off guard, he used some of his now unnatural strength and pushed past Heero as he ran for the stairs and jumped over the balcony, completing a trick landing a bit awkwardly as the pressure from the throbbing inside his skull increased. The landing had disoriented him slightly and he turned as he heard Duo yell to him to turn left. He didn't know where Heero was so he opted to follow Duo's instructions, mind supplying the map of the house, going left would send him out the same way he had snuck in. Panting and hissing at his body's complaints he made it through the door and off the estate.

He used his sharp vision to locate the nearest street and took off down the alleyways as if his life still depended on it. Using the moonlight as cover he kept to the shadows of buildings, ears especially sensitive and alert for sounds of oncoming footfalls. Cathy. His mind pleaded as he finally hit the end of the street where his troop's tents were set up. He had to find Catherine…and then what? He stopped dead in his tracks, what would he do once he found her? He looked around at the tents and felt the world sway as he took a few unsteady steps forward toward the one in the back. He suppressed the sense of crippling hopelessness aside as he found Catherine's tent, reaching for the flap only to find it already ajar.

"Cathy?" he called weakly as he opened it fully, heart sinking as he found it empty. He felt his legs give out from underneath him as he fell to his knees. He felt feverish as he placed one hand down on the cobble-stoned street to support himself, a stronger wave of nausea plaguing him once more as an unwelcome voice sounded behind him.

"I would have expected something less predictable from you." Heero called softly from behind him.

Trowa gritted his teeth as he turned his head back to look at his tormentor, only to gasp as he saw the other figure he was currently holding against him.

"Catherine!" He rushed to his feet before staggering forward from the exhaustion brought on by his half dead state.

"I figured you'd come back to her," Heero referred to the red haired girl, hand wrapped warningly around her neck to prevent her from making any noise. Her eyes were wide as a few frightened tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at Trowa.

"Now, if you'd accompany me, I'd like to discuss this a ways away from these tents. There's no use in involving more pedestrians." Heero stated calmly as he guided Catherine in time with his own steps, Trowa following diligently after them. Once they were at a more secluded alleyway Heero stopped turning invitingly to Trowa to come closer.

"Let her go, she isn't a part of this." Trowa gritted out, he could see from the corners of his eyes the black patches that were forming. He was going to black out soon, and it scared him to know end.

"Unfortunately, she is now." Heero's lips turned upward in a cold smirk. "By coming here you unintentionally involved this young miss in a situation that could have been avoided had you not ran away."

"Where's Duo?" Trowa asked suddenly, if Duo escaped as well…Trowa's thoughts were interrupted abruptly by an offhanded answer.

"I left him at home." He smiled.

"If I go with you…" Trowa looked at Catherine's pleading eyes. "You'll let her go?" He asked.

"Yes." Heero answered softly.

Trowa gave a shaky sigh as he nodded shortly.

"I'll go."

Heero nodded once before releasing the young gypsy. Though a moment later, he had slammed her against the building behind him, exposing her neck in a few strategic moves.

"No!" Trowa yelled in horror as he saw Heero repeat the same action he had seen two nights ago at the estate.

"Trowa!" Catherine cried out as Heero bit down on her neck, a sickening choked gasp escaping her open lips a moment later as her knees buckled. Her eyes floating upward as she spent her last moments listening to her brother's pained cry and her own staggered breathing slow to a stop.

Heero let the girl's body crumple to the ground as he felt the warm blood of his victim course through his veins like fire.

"You said you'd let her go!" Trowa sobbed, cradling his sister's body closer to him as silent tears streamed down his face.

"I didn't say I'd let her live." Heero responded coolly, taking a moment to assess the easiest route to his estate. If he had to than he would carry Trowa back to his house. He had already caused more than enough complications for one night. And judging by the cursing he had heard from upstairs as he had left, he was certain he would have more problems to face when they arrived home.

"We're leaving." He looked down at Trowa's huddled form, still clutching desperately to his sister's corpse. When he didn't get a response he bent down to grab his companion's arm only to have the boy flinch and send both him and the corpse backward away from the offending hand.

"Don't touch me!" Trowa let out a harsh growl, his vision was finally fading and he no longer had the strength to stand.

Sensing the vulnerable state Trowa was in, Heero approached him cautiously, aware that Trowa was still dangerous, especially now that he had provoked him by killing off the girl. Trowa didn't make any moves to resist him, so he slipped a hand to Trowa's neck pressing on a certain point that sent Trowa unconscious.

Arriving back at the estate Heero was rewarded with the sound of silence, however it was short lived as Trowa started to wake up and promptly panicked at the close contact.

Duo had been devastated when he had finally risen from his dead sleep, the realization that his life had ended sent him into a dark pit of despair and left him with a burning anger solely focused on one Heero Yuy.

He had yelled and screamed at his tormentor who had taken it all in with barely a hint of emotion. Why had he killed him? Why had he chosen him?

Sick bastard from fucking hell! Duo had cursed inwardly as he had listened to Heero's explanation of how it was imperative that he "feed" soon. Duo quite frankly was not thrilled with the idea and he made that clear to Heero the moment the man took a step toward him. Duo was already reaching for the lamp on his right side, intending to throw it at his tormentors back, when he heard Heero's thoughts.

I wouldn't do that. Heero's voice filtered through his mind warningly. He paused in dark astonishment, bewildered by this unimaginable occurrence. However, the trauma that Duo experienced only minutes later made him question his actions. Wondering what might have happened had he tried and if it could have prevented the outcome of that day.

"Since you insist on making things difficult, I'll have the maid bring you your meal to you." Heero had relented after Duo had flat out refused to go through the open door. From what he had read through Duo's body language, it was because he was weary of this becoming another trap. He couldn't blame him there, after all he had been killed that way.

"Meal." Duo repeated, eyes narrowing at Heero suspiciously. "Why would the dead have any need for food?" He questioned spitefully.

He wasn't given a proper answer, because a moment later a young maid entered the room holding a silver tray topped with some rolls of bread and cheese. Offering the tray to her master who in return shook his head and spoke in a collected voice, "We have a guest." Before nodding in Duo's direction.

Duo looked at the tray slowly and then back at the girl. Something wasn't right with situation he pondered before finding the right words to describe the feeling. It felt staged and preset, he admitted to himself unnervingly. As if he were re-experiencing the nightmarish incident in the office room, Duo watched in a stunned stupor as the young maids neck was grabbed at a pressure point and pressed down onto the bed. The only sound that was made was the clattering of the tray and plate along with her startled gasp.

The silence that followed was awkward. She wasn't dead, Duo figured, because otherwise Heero would have released his grip from her neck already.

"Eat." Came Heero's gruff command, when Duo made no move toward the offered sacrifice.

"No." Duo whispered in a sick tone, from where he stood he was now ready to try going through the open door.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Heero replied coolly as he leaned down and punctured the girl's skin, causing the wound to bleed steadily. Duo was overwhelmed by the metallic scent of blood from his overly sensitive sense of smell. And just like that Duo lost control of his body to the instinctive need to feed.

When he had finished and his senses came back to him he let out a whimper as he jumped away from the girl lying dead on the bed before him. What have you done! His mind screamed, as he stood where he was, body paralyzed with dread.

The memory was still too fresh for Duo to finish his train of thought, so now he concentrated on his current situation. Aftershouting out directions to Trowa Duo had found himself being dragged toward the same wretched den that he had been trapped in the night he died. Once inside, Heero had quickly closed the door on him and left.

"Like a door will stop me?" Duo remarked with cold humor, as he strode to the door grasping the handle. A sharp yell escaped him as the handle burned his hand mercilessly.

"Fuck!" Duo hissed as he held his wounded hand toward him. What is wrong with that door? He fumed silently as he sat down in front of it. The thought occurred to him a moment later that he needed a mirror. Standing he went to the desk, scanning the surface briefly before checking the drawers. On the second drawer he was rewarded with a small compact mirror in a silver case. He flipped the latch open and approached the door, lying on his stomach on the floorboards as he slid the mirror out under the rather large crack beneath the door. Tilting the mirror to the side with his fingers he focused the reflection toward the handle. What he saw caused him to drop the mirror with a start. Wrapped around the handle on the other side of the door was a silver dangling necklace. It was his cross he realized with a sickening feeling.

"God's forsaken me." He whispered hollowly, as he retrieved the mirror and noticed for the first time that he no longer held a reflection. He spent the rest of his time sitting on the floor, back toward the door, mirror half open and ignored.

Thirty minutes later the door downstairs opened and Duo sensed the arrival of both his captor and Trowa. The screaming that started downstairs brought him to a nervous pacing across the room he was currently locked in. However he stopped in mid pace as the screaming drew closer and a moment later the door flung open and Trowa was shoved none too gently in before the door slammed shut.

Taking the initiative, Duo crossed the room toward Trowa's trembling form. Tentively reaching out to touch the gypsy's shoulder and immediately jolting back as a flash of Catherine's death hit him. Trowa continued to stay where he had fallen and Duo sensed a detached vacancy in Trowa's despondency. Having nothing to reconcile the other boy, he sat down next to him, spacing in and out as his thoughts wondered how things could have possibly gone so wrong.

Trowa had struggled violently upon awakening, causing Heero to fight back, but in all reality Heero really hadn't meant for his plan to go so awry. His chosen companions were not behaving at all how he had expected. And to frustrate him further, Trowa still hadn't fed. This was a major concern because he was already seeing the effects it had on Trowa. His strength and energy were deteriorating rapidly much to Heero's dismay. And to top it off, he hadn't gained either of the boy's trust—Though he claimed all responsibility for that matter.

The initial proposal in the den had failed and seeing no other options he had taken advantage of the situation and turned both boys. He had known in that moment that that had been the first mistake made on his part. The second was forcing Duo to feed on the young maid he had provided. Third was allowing Trowa to escape. He knew now that he would have to build the relationships with a one sided effort.

Though on a second thought, Heero admitted that Duo was partly to blame for Trowa's escape. Duo had played the right cards, positioning and distracting him before he could realize what had happened. If he weren't so aggravated with his problems, Heero would have smiled at that wonderful quality Duo possessed.

He could also feel the damage he had done to Trowa and he hated the fact that he was now feeling quite guilty for killing the girl. He also realized that now he had shattered any hope of gaining Trowa's trust in the next coming months. Especially when he considered the fact that Trowa would have gone willingly had he not harmed the girl. However, no matter how he looked at his actions, he knew the reason he had killed that girl. It had been done out of pure jealousy and nothing else.

When Trowa had escaped the anger and resentment toward the boy's actions had affected him because of the fact that he knew Trowa was seeking a loved one. Indeed he was not in love with Trowa but when he had decided to take him as his lover, he held onto the hope that the pure attraction he felt for the boy would become something much more meaningful. This was also the same reason he chose Duo, thinking along the lines of companionship. Two lovers that held two very distinct characteristics might be better when it came down to socialization.

Indeed, Heero didn't want to trap the boys and introduce them to an afterlife in solitary confinement. No, he had just wanted to keep them both entertained by having one another as company. He wasn't sure how they would react to each other or if they would even get along, but this plan of his had come as an irrational need to fill the empty void that had been plaguing him for the last century or so. In retrospect, his plan was filled with gaping holes and question marks. To his standards, this was an incredibly undeveloped mess. But he was willing to handle it.

"I believe that when death closes our eyes we shall awaken to a light, of which our sunlight is but the shadow."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

A/N: For those of you who are still reading, I apologize for the wait. I personally like this chapter and it was by far the easiest to write, so hopefully you all will enjoy it as much as I did. This should give you guys a little more clarification on the threesome relationship, as well. By the way the offer still stands for anyone who would like to proof this story. Like it? Hate it? Review and let me know. Until next time, ja matte ne!

Comments: For My 4 reviewers!

Keren Keddle: I'm glad you're enjoying it, hopefully you'll keep reading.

Jenihenpen: Sorry for the wait, college has taken up most of my time lately. Though I'm afraid this wasn't that long of a chapter to compensate for the months of neglect.

Kittycat: Well I apologize that it got a little confusing, but if you were reading an actual book, chances are it would be in the same format as mine. Don't worry there shouldn't be too much spoken Japanese in this fic. Hope you continue reading!

Drowning Faith: Basically as the story progresses you can see why there are so many instances that this relationship becomes so rocky. It's a key part of the plot line, so hopefully it doesn't drive you that crazy.