Relinquish the Soul

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by The Manwell

Sequel to Savor the Darkness

- Six -

It's just as well Quatre had discovered and identified some heretofore unacknowledged diplomatic quality in Wufei Chang... because the instant Heero identifies the driver of Wufei's sleek, grey car, diplomacy is all that keeps the other man from emptying his entire weapon of sedative darts into the dusty but otherwise unblemished sculpture that is what Duo had so-recently termed a "babe-magnet."

"What in the hell is he doing here?"

Those words, so dangerous in their equally weighted, softly spoken growl, appeal to Wufei's survival instincts.

"He's here because he's necessary, Yuy. He turned up just after the three of you had left on assignment and I couldn't very well leave him in my apartment. Without people to boss around, I was concerned Winner would chew on the furniture. Where's Duo?"

The abrupt demand elicits the truth effectively; a soldier never refuses a comrade necessary information. "In the shuttle with the Maguanaqs."

"He said something about a sedative to me. What's his condition?"

Heero blinks and transfers his attention from the still-seated Quatre. Focusing on Wufei, he seethes, "How could you know about the sedatives?"

"I had another vision. Several, actually. Duo has been calling for help since just after you started out for Zanoah."

"That's ridiculous. He was fine. Better than he'd been in months."

"I'm sure he had to be. You were about to enter hostile territory. How did you expect him to seem, Yuy?"

Heero glares his answer.

"I repeat: What is his condition?"

In short, clipped sentences, Heero relates his Keeper's relentlessly weakening state.

"You have to dissolve the Oath."

Both Heero and Wufei look toward the car where Quatre Reberba Winner now leans against the roof in the open doorway.

"I told you not to move," Wufei reminds him sternly just as Heero nearly shouts, "No one, the least of all you, will tell me what I have to do!"

"Don't eviscerate him, Heero," Trowa advises in a tightly controlled voice. He finishes his previously unobserved approach to the group and touches his shoulder to Heero's. "Facts are facts. Independent of the source. Unfortunately."

Wufei's eyes narrow at the hostility these two are deliberately pouring on Quatre. "Do we have time for your little temper tantrums? I was under the impression that Duo's life is in danger."

Heero counters, "As long as Winner's in the vicinity, that is certainly the case."

"Don't insult my abilities, Heero. I could have killed him as easily from the middle of the desert as I could if I were standing right next to him."

"For all we know, you have been killing him for the last six months!"

"And for all you know, I've been feeding him energy to keep him from having to contact the Bedouin as soon as they'd predicted he would!"

"Were you?" Heero demands.

Quatre frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. "No. I couldn't have. I was too volatile. And I was unaware of the Bedouin's plan to acquire Duo until only two weeks ago. That's when I sent for Rashid and the others. But, obviously, I was unable to wait until they'd arrived."

Trowa observes, "I'm sure it was much more gratifying for you to kill every single one of them yourself."

Quatre grins. His dark sunglasses flash in the waning sunlight. "Actually, yes, it was."

It happens in an instant. Wufei sees the flash of something bright and fierce in Trowa's eyes. Something so wild he can feel the air crackle with heat around the man. As he turns back to the car, he's just in time to see Quatre leap clear of it immediately before the remaining fuel in the tank explodes.

Wufei has never been a big fan of pop culture action films. After living through a war and having witnessed real violence, he has never had a need for the obviously fake, dramatization of it. The explosion of his new and still-beloved car is therefore something he cannot compare to modern movie pyrotechnics, but he can compare it to his memories from the war.

And he finds that there is no comparison. The fire consuming the shiny, new addition to his seldom-indulged adrenalin addiction burns hotter and brighter and taller than it has any right to. Even after the fuel is rapidly exhausted, it persists. It rages. It melts and twists the metal. The windshield itself boils.

Wufei is still struggling to find his voice when Heero, still staring into the flames, speaks with absolute finality: "You will explain yourself now, Trowa Barton."

"He doesn't have to," Quatre replies very calmly from where he's picking himself up off of the rocky sand. "It should be fairly obvious."

Heero ignores Quatre and stares hard at Trowa. Wufei is the one who growls, "What is fairly obvious?"

Voice void of conceit or satisfaction or even awe, Quatre says, "He's a djinn. A firestarter."

Trowa himself says nothing. He simply turns and walks away.

oooOOOooo

"I could use some good news, people," Agent Riley directs his team as they plug the last connecting wire into the single in-tact black box they'd discovered.

The computer screen mounted in the back of the solid black and otherwise unremarkable field van flickers. "We live to serve," Arelli assures him as the agent types in the access codes. The screen flashes blue and the precious phrase CONNECTION... ACCEPTED precedes the equally precious SYSTEM ONLINE.

"Yes..." Riley hisses under his breath. "Morely, set up the satellite connection. We need to download this data to HQ immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"Er, sir, shouldn't we attempt to decrypt it ourselves first? After all, the suspects might still be in the vicinity and within our powers to apprehend..."

Riley doesn't turn his gaze away from the screen to answer Walker's question. "No, we should not. This data is for Director Une alone. We'll act on her directive after it has been given."

"But the suspects –"

"Cannot hide indefinitely, Agent. After HQ decodes the visual surveillance files, we'll likely have a positive ID. There's nowhere on the Earth or in the Colonies where they can escape."

"Sir, satellite hook-up is online and ready."

"Code the data and send it, Agent Arelli." Riley smiles for the first time today. "With any luck, we'll have an answer to this mystery within the hour. In the meantime, let's repack our gear and get mobile again."

oooOOOooo

"Thank you for your assistance, Wufei."

Wufei glances away from the open shuttle door and furious conversation that must be happening just over that distant threshold. But at least Heero and Trowa had agreed to consider Quatre's offer of help. Wufei arcs a brow at his companion and states blandly, "Am I under a false impression? Are you not the one who can return Duo to consciousness, if only for a few moments?"

Quatre's smile is wan. "Yes, that's me all right. But I couldn't have gotten to this point without you. And not just for the mediating you've been doing. After the vision you had at Zanoah and you allowed me to transfer a little energy to you… Well, at least now I know it's possible."

"What is possible?" Wufei demands and instant before the truth hits him. "You mean... back at the base... that was your first time to try giving energy to another person?"

Quatre hums affirmatively.

"Son of a bitch!" Wufei hisses. "Damn it, Quatre. You could've–"

"Now just hold on a minute!" Quatre interrupts firmly. "Let's just get one thing straight here: I'd turn my power onto myself before I'd ever hurt you again. So you can just–"

"Would you just shut up and let me finish, you impossible brat?" Wufei thunders. "That energy transfer was a supremely stupid thing to do without a mentor present because you might have hurt yourself! And what good would that have done me – lying unconscious amidst smoking ruins in the middle of the desert? And what good would it have done Duo? You completely self-sacrificing zealot! You never think of the consequences of your own actions, at least where your own welfare is concerned!"

A long moment of silence settles around them, punctuated with the soft puffs of breath resulting form Wufei's elevated respiration. Eventually, Quatre softly asks, "Are you done?"

"No," Wufei grinds out. "You ought to have more care for your own health. Despite what you may believe or how they may be behaving at the present, your old friends do still hold you in high regard and would be saddened should any harm come to you."

"Do you really believe that, Wufei?"

"Why wouldn't I? I can speak for myself, after all." He glares hotly at the object of his seemingly eternal frustration and, even with the obstacle of those damned sunglasses, he can read the young man's shock.

"You... you still..." Pausing, Quatre swallows before forcing the remainder of his sentence out. "Still respect me? Even after...?"

Wufei is not comfortable having this conversation, but he knows it is necessary. Quatre needs to hear this, especially in light of what must happen if Duo is to have any chance of survival. Communicating his sincerity with his gaze as well as his voice, Wufei says, "I have always respected you Quatre Winner. And I now have even more respect for you because of what you have endured and conquered these last few months. I know no one else who would be capable of surviving such an ordeal with his honor intact, as I believe you have done."

He pauses a moment to allow Quatre a chance to comment, but the other man's silence provokes: "Or am I wrong about you, Quatre Winner? Are you only manipulating me for your own personal gain?"

That softly spoken inquiry jars Quatre to reply, "No, no, I'm not using you, Wufei. Not like that. Although… I have been, ah… feeding on your, uh… emotional tension."

Wufei snorts. "Better that than to let it go to waste."

"Wufei! You're not listening to me. In order to control the hunger, I must also give into it. I must compromise constantly. To save a friend, I must promise it prey. I've never been able to tame the hunger. It's always there. It twists my thoughts. Heero and Trowa are right: it… I see Duo as a target. Sometimes, I get so caught up in it, I…almost forget…"

Wufei studies the anxious young man before him. After a moment of consideration, he says, "Perhaps it would be to your advantage to articulate what it is you fear forgetting. Perhaps, in telling me, it will not be so easy for the hunger to distract you from it in the future."

Quatre nods. "A good idea." He draws a deep breath and gathers his thoughts. "Duo is my friend and I have to help him. I mean, I was angry with him at first, but I soon realized how very much I owe him. He placed himself in great danger to save me from causing irreparable damage to the people I love the most. I never would have forgiven myself if I'd taken the soul of a friend. It would have killed what little humanity I would've had left. And Duo saved me from that."

"I understand," Wufei replies, laying a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "And I apologize for not being there when you needed an ally these last few months. I am sorry you were left alone to face that madness."

"It's all right, Wufei. It's as you say: I survived it. And maybe I had to endure it alone. A sort of test of my integrity. And if I'd never faced it, I'd always wonder if my nature was truly that of a dark, parasitic monster…"

"Say no more, Quatre. That creature you'll never be. And I know this because I know you. I know my friend. And although he is not an angel, he is all the more inspiring because of it." In answer to the slight confusion Wufei senses in Quatre's silence, he elaborates, "You are only a man, as fallible as the rest of us, but you do not allow these failings to become your excuse to cease striving for anything less than perfection in word, deed, and thought. Your immovable faith in the existence of goodness in this world inspires all who know you to be better people."

"And you truly believe this, don't you?" Quatre whispers, amazed.

"I believe it is sufficient to say that I believe in you, Quatre Winner."

Daringly, Quatre grasps Wufei's hand as it starts to slip from his shoulder. "And I swear I'll do my utmost to give you no reason to doubt me again."

Wufei smiles. "Welcome back, Quatre. You've been missed."

Still holding his hand, Quatre returns the sincere smile and says, "Thank you, Wufei. It's good to be back."

oooOOOooo

In what he suspects will become an unfortunate habit, Wufei places himself between the combined force consisting of Heero and Trowa and the pale vampire leaning over Duo's inert form. His attention periodically attempts to drift in Trowa's direction, as the question of exactly what a djinn is has not yet been addressed. But his first duty is to protect Quatre from Heero and Trowa and, if necessary, protect Duo from Quatre. He knows that Heero and Trowa are both unconvinced of Quatre's sincerity and stability, but they have little choice. Even by shuttlecraft, the nearest hospital is hours away. Duo will not last that long.

Quatre settles himself on the floor next to the bunk. "It may happen quickly, Wufei," he warns.

"I am ready."

With a small nod, Quatre closes his eyes, exhales, and presses his hand against Duo's forehead. For an instant, Wufei thinks he glimpses something menacingly predatory in Quatre Winner's expression, but then it is gone. And then Quatre and the bunk and the shuttle are gone.

"Wufei!"

The exclamation pulls Wufei through to the other side of an explosion of light and silence.

"Wufei!"

"I'm here!" he manages to shout back. And with those words, his quarry materializes before him.

"Man, you have no idea how bad it sucks here. And I'm totally missing the MacGyver re-runs."

Wufei ignores this complaint. "Duo, Quatre is here now. He will help you regain your strength for a short time."

Duo nods. Under normal circumstances Wufei would expect him to appear both wary and hopeful at the mention of their exceptional comrade, but now he is too tired for that. "Thank him for me, if I can't."

"I will," he promises.

"So it's that bad, huh? I won't have any time to spare for a round of thanks?"

Wufei nods. "You must use all of your energy to dissolve the Oath."

Duo sighs. "So it is the Oath that's sucked the life outta me. Did I screw it up when I invoked it?"

"No, my friend. The ritual was perfect. It is you whose nature is unsuited to the bonds of Ownership. The Bedouins did not warn you of this because they hoped to gain an advantage from your weakness. I am sorry."

"Me, too. So, I've gotta dissolve it, eh? Have you talked to Heero and Trowa about this?"

"And have narrowly escaped with my life."

Duo smiles. "Finally, a joke. I should have known you'd wait until I was dying."

"You will not die. You will rest. You will recover. And when you can, you will return to those who care deeply for you. Are you ready?"

"Just make sure Trowa and Heero are."

"They have prepared themselves. Their greatest wish is for you to live, and since that requires the dissolution of the Oath, they wholeheartedly wish for that also."

"Then let's get this over with, Wufei."

Wufei lingers a moment longer to study the spirit of his friend. "You will be well and with us again, Duo Maxwell."

A small, lopsided smile is his reward for those words. "You can bet on it, Wuffers."

Wufei is nearly smiling when he opens his eyes. He looks at Heero and Trowa and nods. It is time. He looks at Quatre, kneeling beside the bunk, and says, "He's ready."

A soundless drumbeat pulses through the air, penetrating sternums and aching hearts. It does not occur to Wufei that this is the wake of the energy with which Quatre has infused Duo's body until Duo opens his bright eyes and smiles.

"Heero. Trowa." His voice is quiet, but strong. "Wufei tells me there's something important you want and that, as your Keeper, I must give you. Tell me."

For a moment, no replies are forthcoming. All of the words are still hopelessly tangled up in their guts. But then Trowa steps forward.

"I wish to be free of the Oath, Duo."

Heero manages. "As do I, Duo."

Duo smiles. "So it shall be done. I free you both from my protection. Go and prosper and remember what we once shared. Draw upon the memory of our combined strength and find peace."

The young man on the bunk takes a deep breath and releases it.

"It is done."

"Yes, it is," Trowa confirms. Wufei turns toward him and is startled by the intensity of profound loss emanating from every line of his body.

"We are free," Heero declares, his body a dangerously taut capsule for all of his emotions.

"All righty, then," Duo says. "I gotta go now. But I'll be in touch." Briefly, a beautiful, luminous grin lights his features and then he is gone.

Quatre groans and slumps forward against the bunk. And Wufei is there to catch him. He thinks nothing of wrapping his arms around the shivering, shuddering young man. It is the fulfillment of some deep, unacknowledged need when he hears himself whisper, "Take from me what you require. I care for you and this is not a great burden for me."

"You forget," Quatre rasps. "I am still a monster. The hunger will never be satisfied. It almost overtook me when I placed my hand on Duo. It burns for … for souls."

Wufei deliberately focuses on his feelings for the amazingly gifted man in his arms. "And you did not give in to it. You are no monster. You are my friend, Quatre Winner. Honorable and strong."

Quatre gasps. The color swiftly returns to the young man's features and Wufei can only guess it is the influx of his own freely offered emotions which are the cause. "You would have me be more than that," Quatre marvels. "I can feel it."

"You speak of something which I am unable to deny."

A small, tenuous smile plays across Quatre's lips. "It appears that I am once again in Duo Maxwell's debt."

At the mention of Duo, Wufei redirects his gaze to the bunk.

It is empty.

"He is… gone," Wufei whispers.

"So you noticed?" Heero barks, his anger all but sparking in the air.

Trowa says nothing. He slouches onto the foot of the bunk and runs the palm of his hand over the place where Duo's feet had lain.

Wufei thinks, There is a very long road ahead of us now.

A pale hand curls around his bicep and tightens its grasp. Wufei glances down and receives Quatre's slight nod. "Together," he says.

"Together," Wufei agrees.

A sound at the doorway draws their attention. Rashid gazes sadly at the empty bed and says, "A transmission has just gone out to every Preventer station on the Earth and in the colonies. The Preventers have identified Heero, Trowa, and…" In the awkward pause, Duo's name is left unspoken. "You are wanted for questioning with regards to the destruction of the Zanaoh Base. Unless you're interested in having that conversation, we must leave now."

Wufei replies, "Get ready for launch, Rashid. I'm sure you have a heading in mind."

Rashid nods once and disappears.

"So this is it. We run," Heero grinds out, his anger not yet spent but cooler now. Perhaps because the heat of it had been skimmed off by a slowly recovering empath.

"We do what we have to so that Duo will find us when he is ready," Wufei admonishes him.

Wordless, Trowa stands and strides from the room.

Quatre's fingers curl tighter around Wufei's arm. "We must help him. To be a djinn… it is not a power, but a curse. It will kill him if he cannot control it."

"Then we shall see to it that he does."

The shuttle engines begin their takeoff whine and the bulk of the craft lurches forward in a reluctant crawl. What path awaits them, Wufei does not know. But he knows that they must all face it.

"Together," Quatre repeats.

"Together," Wufei agrees.

oooOOOooo

The view from the Preventers van passenger window is bleak. And the future is equally so. He'd had this one chance to protect them. This one chance to extend their thankful anonymity. The Guardian had counted on him to complete this one, single mission. And he has failed.

I am sorry, Trowa Barton. Now you must fall under the watchful eyes just as your comrades, Duo Maxwell and Quatre Winner, have.

"You look a little tired, Agent Walker. Why don't you catch a nap on the way?"

Agent Walker does not look away from the bleak landscape. "Thank you, sir," he replies. He retreats from the world he has spent his entire life hiding within and he struggles to control the frustration that boils his blood. The hands that had held five of the base's black boxes curl into hot, tight fists.

"It's getting a little warm in here. Mind if I turn up the air?"

"Not at all," Walker mumbles.

The kilometers of baked road blur past and Walker struggles – as he has always struggled – to control the fire within.

End of Relinquish the Soul

Author's Note: Oh, bugger. This one's not conclusively finished, either. Damn it. Well, I guess you can expect me to start working on a fourth installment. Witness the Phoenix… coming right up! (I hope.)