Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / GetBackers Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Consequences of our past ❯ Chapter 24 ( Chapter 25 )

 

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Chapter 24

 

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“We need to go! NOW!” Schuldig demanded, dragging the smaller assassin to his feet.

 

“W-What's coming?” Omi groaned as his head and stomach protested against the sharp movement.

 

“Oh, just the sort that is loads of fun.” The German replied sarcastically. “Oi! Lightening Rod!” He shouted at Ginji, who was packing up their supplies.

 

Ban bristled. “Hey! Only I can call him that!”

 

“Get your ass in gear! We're going to need to move quickly!”

 

“What's going on?” Quatre demanded, returning from the abandoned apartment where he had awakened his partner. Wu Fei emerged moments later, his sheathed katana strapped to his waist.

 

“You were wondering where the attacks were?” The telepath sneered at the younger blonde, pulling out his weapon and checking its ammo. “Get ready for a big one.”

 

The empath swallowed. From the sparse time that he spent with the foreign newtype, Quatre accustomed cocky confidence as the man's typical emotional state. Now, however, the German reminded him of a skittish rabbit that knows it's being hunted.

 

“Shit.” The blonde gasped, before darting back inside and snatching the rest of their supplies, also checking his weapons. “We should split up.” Quatre announced. “One passive and one active with one non-active.”

 

“Damn it, you bastards!” Ban growled, glaring at the other newtypes.

 

“Will you tell us what's coming!?” Ginji pleaded, concern reflecting in his chocolate orbs.

 

“They've deployed the Hunters.” Schuldig shuddered.

 

“Quat-“ Wu Fei began.

 

“I'll explain later, Fei!” Quatre interrupted. “Schuldig, you go with Ban and Omi. Take the eastern route through the Belt Line. The rest of us will head west and meet you at the gateway to Babylon City.”

 

“Why should we listen to you?” Ban demanded. “We're on a retrieval job to get our friends back!”

 

“Something you can't accomplish if you're dead!” The strategist snapped back. “Whatever happens, keep moving and remember the best option is not to get into a fight with these guys!”

 

The Jagan-wielder started as if he was going to protest again, but his partner stepped in, “Please, Ban-chan.” Ginji whispered, his voice strained, his face pale. “He may be young, but Quatre has seen almost as many fights as you. He's helped the Volts before… I trust him.”

 

Cold blue eyes bore into innocent chocolate. “If you're even five minutes late in meeting me I will kick your ass from here to L4, do you understand me?”

 

“Hai.” The electric teen smiled, before his partner pulled him into a searing kiss.

 

“Ginji!” Quatre pressed, his normally lithe body tense and jumpy. “We must go now!”

 

“Call me if you get in trouble.” The Jagan-wielder ordered. “I'll be there.”

 

“You worry too much! I'll be fine.” The older blonde promised, “See ya in Babylon City, Ban-Chan!” He called, a big carefree grin on his face as he turned and followed the Preventers as they disappeared down an alley.

 

/”Why does it feel like I won't see him again?”/ The foreboding thought made his heart sink even as he turned to follow the two assassins into the shadows of the Belt Line. /”Ginj…”/

 

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Wu Fei growled in frustration as they twisted and turned down alleys and abandoned buildings, “Winner, will you please tell me what the hell is going on!?”

 

Azure eyes flicked to his partner. “Keep your voice down.” “I'll explain everything…I promise, but for now, please trust me.”

 

The Chinese Preventer reached out and snatched the empath's wrist, pulling the boy to an abrupt stop. “I do trust you, Quat.” He whispered before the smaller teen could protest. “I just… I don't like not understanding the danger we-you're in.”

 

Quatre offered a small smile, “I'm sorry.” He apologized, placing his hand over the other's heart. “I know how frustrating this is for you.”

 

“Then make it less frustrating.” Chang hissed, his ebony eyes swirling with impatience.

 

“Guys…” Ginji interrupted, anxiousness in his voice, electrical sparks buzzing around him like a bug zapper.

 

“We must go.” Quatre insisted, tugging on the arm that Wu Fei still held. “Release me.”

 

With a small growl, the taller Preventer complied.

 

The blonde shook his head, “Ginj, I promise Ban will be alright. You need to settle down. Your electrical aura will give us away if you don't get a reign on it.”

 

Sheepishly, the human eel nodded as he took a deep breath in effort to settle down.

 

Satisfied that the Recoverer would be more mindful of his power, the strategist motioned for them to continue moving, while he tried to address some of Wu Fei's many questions. “The Hunters are just that.” The empath explained to his lover in hushed tones while his eyes darted back and forth warily looking for threats as Ginji continued to lead them through the back alleys of the Belt Line. “They are Esselte's ultimate killers with incomparable hunting and tracking skills. They are proficient in all known fighting skills as well as some secret arts. They make our Perfect Soldier look like a novice. To fight one is suicide.”

 

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“Are these Hunters the ones after Quat now?” Duo inquired, adjusting himself when his lover had returned, so that the Japanese pilot could sit beside him once more.

 

“Yes.” Trowa answered quietly.

 

“And they'll be coming here?” Hiiro demanded, pulling the braided teen closer to his side.

 

“Yes.” Wu Fei held the sleeping blonde tighter earning a moan of protest.

 

Former pilots, 01 and 02, contemplated that for a moment, before the American hesitantly asked the question they didn't want to hear the answer to. “A-ano… If Quat didn't think he could stand up to these Hunters three weeks ago… what's changed to make him think he can stand up to them now?”

 

“Nothing's changed.” The banged teen shook his head.

 

“It's why he's been hiding.” “Why he's pushed us all away.”

 

“To protect us.”

 

“WELL, WHO'S PROTECTING HIM!?” Shinigami exclaimed, angrily jumping from the couch, his fists clenched at his side while his eyes flashed a furious swirl of dark amethyst. “WHO'S STANDING BY HIS SIDE?”

 

“Duo…” Hiiro warned, “Sit down before you wake Winner up.”

 

Wu Fei shook his head. “We didn't know! I thought this shit had been left behind in the Limitless Fortress! If I had known, I wouldn't have left him by himself!”

 

“Neither would I.” Trowa agreed.

 

“It wouldn't have done any good.” A quiet voice whispered, causing the other pilots to look to their fourth as the teen stirred from his slumber. “Only a Triad has any hope of surviving a Hunter's attack.”

 

“What's a Triad, Q?” Duo asked, moving to kneel by his friend.

 

“A balance of power between three people.” The blonde yawned, blinking sleepily. “Earth-Water-Wind. Fire-Ice-Electricity. Needles-Thread-Cloth. Mind-Body-Soul. There are hundreds of combinations, usually formed by siblings or lovers. Some are rarer than others… Some are stronger.”

 

The empath blinked a couple of times before he seemed to become aware of just where he was sitting. Blushing a dark red, the smaller teen tried to move.

 

“Stay.” Wu Fei's command was as soft as his embrace, but left no room for argument. Neither did Trowa's imploring look or the gentle caress on the blonde's knee.

 

Fear flashed across those expressive azure eyes.

 

“Let's eat.” Hiiro suggested, breaking the tension. “Rashid informed me that dinner will be ready soon.”

 

“Sounds great!” Duo grinned, glomping his lover. “I'm starved!”

 

With an agreeing nod, the banged teen stood and pulled Quatre to his feet so that Wu Fei could also stand.

 

“Guys… please…” The blonde pleaded, resisting as he was led into the dining room. “You have to leave! I can't… I can't let you get killed! PLEASE!”

 

“Master Quatre.” Rashid's booming voice echoed through the hall, effectively silencing the teenager, which surprised the other pilots. “What happened to `not giving up without a fight?'”

 

“That hasn't changed.” The strategist snapped at his most loyal bodyguard as he finally yanked his arms free from his former lovers' grasps, “I will give them hell until the last breath is stolen from me -however, I have no intention of allowing anyone else to suffer the consequences of my decisions!”

 

“Then we will suffer the consequences of our own decisions.” Trowa smiled lovingly.

 

“If we are killed, it is because we chose to stay.” Wu Fei added.

 

“We won't leave our friend hanging.” Shinigami promised.

 

“But you have no idea of what you're up against!” Quatre tried to reason before he tried to make a run for the door.

 

“If we held back at every uncertainty that popped up in life, then we wouldn't be standing here now.” Hiiro pointed out, standing in the empath's way. “We wouldn't have been Gundam Pilots, we wouldn't have fallen to earth, and we wouldn't have defeated Romefeller, OZ, White Fang or Libra. Nor would we have stopped Operation Meteor twice.”

 

“This isn't anything like you've fought before!” The teen's eyes brimmed with tears of frustration, “Why won't you listen to me!?”

 

“You can't live out of fear, Quat.” Duo offered reassuringly as he joined his lover in blocking the Arabian's escape. “And you can't protect us.”

 

“You can't protect me either.” The blonde whispered, hanging his head.

 

“No.” The braided death agreed, “But we can certainly even the odds.”

 

“Face it, Quat.” Trowa smiled, slipping his arm around the empath's waist, preventing him from running again.

 

“You're stuck with us.” Wu Fei finished, tilting Quatre's face so that their eyes could meet. “And that is that.”

 

The blonde was at a loss for words. These four young men were closer to him than his own flesh and blood relatives. He couldn't stand to have anything happen to them, and was incredibly frustrated at their insistence of staying in harm's way. However, as their degrees of love filtered through to his soul, for the first time in weeks, he didn't feel cold.

 

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To be continued…