(comes out of a VERY long hibernation) I am so sorry everybody! I really apologize for making everyone wait for -months- for an update on MM! I had started this chapter during Christmas break, then as soon as school started back up it was homework and college applications to fill out and scholarship forms and exams and internal assessment projects and working in the photography lab and the theater nonstop...I haven't had hardly any time for myself, let alone time to write. (sigh) Good news is that I graduate soon, and the work load is dropping off, all I really have to worry about is getting scholarship stuff together so I can afford to go to college this fall without being in debt for the rest of my life. X.x;; I got accepted into International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa! Yaayness! But yes, as you can see, very busy. (sigh) I'm still busy, but at least not as much. I'll be 18 in eleven days! I have all Spring Break to celebrate, and I'll be using all that free time to whatever I want, so look out for another update (hopefully) in about 2 weeks.
But yes, without further procrastination...Chapter 4!
"How long are we going to keep this charade up?"
Quatre sighed, sitting heavily down onto their king-sized four poster bed as Trowa slid in behind his blonde haired lover and started massaging his tense shoulders.
"Duo knows nothing of any of this. To have given in to Wufei's incessant questioning and telling him what is really going on and have him go running back to Duo and spilling everything we've been working hard to protect him from...he would hate us Trowa."
"However, this situation would be the perfect time -to- tell him," Trowa pointed out. "If he's acting up again, it has to mean they've returned, and we need to tell him what's going on before they have the opportunity to get their hands on him and tell him themselves. -That- would be worse."
The empath paled considerably. "Much worse. I have never liked keeping this act up...But...How can we possibly tell Duo? He is bound to get into one of his rages and run out, and that would give them the -perfect- opportunity to do as you suggested."
Quatre leaned back into Trowa's embrace, the cold knot of foreboding hanging like an unbearable weight in his stomach. "Either way, we will most likely lose him forever."
"We took the risk of becoming too attached when we accepted the mission to protect Duo," the green-eyed slayer replied quietly. "We knew it would come down to this someday, but we still got attached."
"I didn't know it could hurt this much..." Quatre's hand went over his heart.
"I know, my angel, I know...but maybe..." Trowa trailed off thoughtfully. "We do have Wufei. We didn't anticipate anybody like him coming along, or Duo falling in love. Maybe Wufei will be Duo's saving grace in the end. We can tell Duo everything, and Wufei can keep him from running off and doing anything too brash. Or at least follow him and keep him safe. They are fiercely loyal to each other."
A brief flicker of hope came into the empath's expression. "We can only hope so."
The flicker of hope died as soon as his thoughts returned to the matter, returning instantly to a visage of misery.
"But Trowa, if the coven has returned and the Lady is here...how can we possibly tell Duo that he is on the verge of being turned into one of the creatures he detests and kills every night? How can we tell him he is tainted by Her?"
His unibanged lover tightened his embrace. "Don't even think about it Quatre. Wufei did want to talk to Irea and the others...so we can set it up so that we didn't know and they're just now telling us for obvious safety reasons. They'll help us make sure that Duo is safe."
"I hope so. I'll go call Irea."
"Quinze, is everything locked up for the night?" Une asked as she walked up to the bar. The silver haired man sitting behind the counter nodded silently as he stood and walked around, leaving a quietly as he had answered.
The grand reopening of Midnight Masquerade had been more phenomenal then either herself or Noin had imagined; she had had to literally threaten with death by sunlight if they lingered too long to get the crowds to leave. Une gave the club one more glance before entering the stairwell behind the bar.
Unfortunately, she had been unable to celebrate the success she shared with her partner, because she hadn't seen Noin since Heero had left early in the evening. Her conversation with the arrogant Japanese vampire had made the heavy weight in her stomach worse, because for Heero to unreservedly show his concern over a situation, it meant there was some serious trouble. Mixing that with the ill feelings she already had over the secretiveness of Noin the past few months...Well, it makes a woman really question her relationship.
As if to serve as a catalyst to her turbulent emotions and the entire situation, she opened the door to the flat she shared with Noin and walked right into the middle of an apocalypse waiting to happen. It was the entourage of one of the greatest sovereigns in the underground, with her lover sitting at the Lady's feet like an obedient dog.
Noin smiled brilliantly in response to her look of pure shock, her eyes gleaming slightly with a touch of madness.
"Isn't this wonderful, Middie? Dorothy has come to help us get revenge for Sally, Milliardo, and Treize's deaths."
The aristocratic blond woman petting Noin's purple hair as she spoke stared coldly at Une for a moment before a disturbing smirk settled onto her pale features.
"A new war has begun. No one is safe until everyone who has betrayed and killed our kind is annihilated, vampire and slayer alike. I will rise the entire underground world if I must. It is time for us to collect our rightful retribution."
Wufei awoke to the feel of warm hands sliding down his bare chest, fingertips lingering teasingly over his nipples while everything else was a mixture of smooth skin and silky waves of hair. Exquisite pleasure.
"Mmm...I love it when you wake me up like this, wo ai," he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
He opened his eyes as the caresses suddenly stopped and was met with the horrifying sight of Duo hovering above him nailed to the ceiling like the bloody Christ, tears of blood running down his cheeks, gaping wounds slashed into his once flawless body. His screams flooded all other senses, shattering the room like delicate glass as he was swallowed into darkness.
Wufei practically flew out of the bed as he woke up for real, his heart pounding painfully against his ribcage as he gasped for air. Sweat drenched him as he pushed his wet hair out of his face and turned his head to make sure Duo was still lying there next to him, which he was, death gripping his pillow in some semblance of slumber.
He rolled onto his side and pulled his braided lover to his chest in desperate relief, willing his racing heart to calm as he placed feather light kisses all over Duo's face and whispered 'I love you' after each kiss.
'Gods, I pray that I never, ever have a dream like that again,' Wufei thought, feeling sick to his stomach. Once he regained control of his body, he rationalized the dream with the stress of the last few days and tried to ignore the nagging dissent in the back of his mind that wanted to make him believe it was a premonition of things to come.
Duo stirred, his tense muscles relaxing in the warmth of Wufei's embrace as he snuggled in closer. "Please don't tell me it's time to get up already," he said sleepily.
Wufei glanced over at the clock. 'Damn.'
"Yes, unfortunately, it is. But we don't have to get up until Quatre or Trowa comes in and forces us up, if you don't want to."
"Good, I like the sounds of that."
"I love you, Duo."
He looked up at the Asian with a gentle smile before he went back to sleep. "I love you too, 'Fei."
'Please gods, let it just remain a dream...'
(hides) Horrible, I know. It's been so long since my fingers have sat at my keyboard to write something I actually want to write. Not another essay or experimental write-up or school notes...just pure fanfiction. (purr) I hope you enjoyed it! It'll only get better as I get back in my groove and write more! So many more ideas and horrible cliffhangers have begun to formulate in my mind...I don't think I can write a story that'll get as twisted as Midnight Masquerade will be by the time I'm finished with it. Unless I do a sequel to Fatal Asphyxiation...
Hmmm... (pondering)
Anyway! Reviews!
ZmajGoddess: Heh, well you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out what happened to Heero. I kinda forgot about him this chapter. (sweatdrop) I'm glad you enjoy my story!
Avenged Suffering: LoL! Yes, any mention of yaoi goodness and I stop paying attention to details too. I know these chapters are little short, but it's the best I can squeeze with my time constraints and lack of motivation to write. After spending 8 hours every night for the past three months doing nothing but type essays and experimental write-ups and resumes and crap...there's just no want to sit at the computer even longer to write on a fic. As much as I would have rather spent the 8 hours writing on my fics...but now that things are dying down, then I'll be writing more and more and putting up some fanart on my website and stuff too, so I'll get back into the swing of things. Heero will come back into the next chapter, hopefully. It all depends on what I'm inspired to write about in the chapter, he might not even show up until his meeting with Wufei and Duo at the Dragon...where ever the plot goes, I write. I am really sorry it took so long to update!
Nelia: Heh, Duo will be surviving a LOT more than just having his foster family killed in front of him. Wait until you hear the WHOLE story behind the attack. And as for Heero...I'm working on that one. I can't say anything because it'll ruin all of my fun surprises and cliffhangers! I'm glad you enjoy my story though!
Mako-chan: I know exactly how you feel! I really apologize for taking so long to update! I just blinked and all of a sudden it's March and my last update was back in November or December...I am truly a horrid person. (cries) But I should be updating sooner now! As for the fic comments...Noin is only going downhill from here. And as for Heero, I can't give away what J told him, that's why there was no scene there with him! I can't give away a good portion of the plot! And now everyone knows it wasn't only Odin that Noin called, it's also Dorothy! (evil cackle) Oh the horrible evilness of it all...Trowa and Q-bean aren't backseat characters, on the contrary, they've got a huge part in the twistedness of the fic! And now obviously everyone knows why their conversation was cut short. But yes, a lot of things are purposely unexplained, it all has a purpose! There is a method to this madness that I have! Buwahahaha! And as a final note...There -will- be 1x2x5, I promise you! But first they must suffer more and I must unveil the mystery surrounding Heero and all that good stuff.
LadyDragonKnight: I'm glad you enjoy the story!
W00t! Now if you would be so kind as to leave me a review...it would be greatly appreciated! I know I don't deserve it, because I took such an ungodly time updating...
And as always, all flames will be used to roast my marshmallows.