Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Mended Wing ❯ Mended Wing - Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Authors Notes: Dooby! Hey, how's everyone since the last chapter, ne? Well, all I have are my thankies. Marika Webster: hey… I want those chapters of PATT!! NOW!!! ::starts whining:: Fuuzaki-chan: Just remember… everything's fine. I promise. As of this note, I haven't gotten a chance to speak with K-chan yet, but I will. Girl-chama: Lookit! ::does a little happy dance:: I'm happy! I'm hyper! See, see! Trenchcoat Man: Now, why are you here again? Oh yeah, I'm not pissed at you anymore. ::grin:: Well, TCM, since I write these stupid notes before I actually start to write the chapter, let's see if your attempted SSP makes it into the story, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own GW or SM, but I did make up the alternate personalities of the GBoys so in a round about way I do sorta own them. Hehehe.

Mended Wing - Chapter Four

Hell never seemed so empty. In all of his classes with Father Maxwell, Hell had come to his imagination as a place of fire filled with the screaming souls of those too damned to see past their own pain. Or if not fire and brimstone, then Hell usually had at least a devil or two, skittering about with pitchforks, threatening horrible things to souls who had chosen the absence of God rather than His love.

This place, however, pulsed with an emptiness so vast it seemed to invade his very heart, the heart he had given to his Lord and Savior as a young child. He clutched his Bible close as he did when afraid and stepped away from the people who had brought him to this lowly location.

"This is it," the raven Jezebel, in her sluttish sailor suit, said to him and the other men made his companions by simple fact of being just as lost as he. The girl waved a hand about in an introductory manner and sighed. "Not much to see, we know, but somehow Setsuna-san manages to live here alone most of the Time." In this place the word "Time" automatically became capitalized, even in speech, as if Time were a god unto Itself. A blasphemy, to be certain, and he deserved penance for even thinking such a thing. Oh, dear and merciful Lord, if he didn't get out of here soon he surely would give in to temptation. Then there would be no salvation for him.

"Hey, Father Dowling, snap out of it."

Father Duo blinked himself from thought to find the fingers of the vicious tall one, complete with sharpened nails, snapping not two inches in front of his face. A strangled and rather pitiful "meep" escaped his lips and he stumbled backwards, falling through a pool of white mist to slam into an invisible but all too solid floor. When he found the courage to look up, the girl stood above him in a most menacing manner, hands to her hips, feet wide apart. He imagined one of the others standing behind her with a ready spear, the glittering spearhead engraved with his name.

"We don't have time for anyone, least of all you, to stand around here lost in thought, especially if those thoughts involve fire and eternal damnation."

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie. You're a priest. Not only is fire and eternal damnation constantly on your mind, but it's a mortal sin to lie, isn't it?" She sniffed down at him in total disgust. "I thought Duo Maxwell never lied, or at least that's what Usagi-chan always said." A deep shadow crossed her face and he couldn't tell if the darkness had spread there, or if it was genuine sorrow that tinged her features. "Things have changed because of her death. That's why we're going to bring her back."

"Why involve us in your hopeless endeavor?" asked the Chinese man, stepping forward to confront the Amazon demon with much more courage than Duo himself felt. "We have no involvement with you or this, 'Usagi-chan'."

"You do, more than you remember." Ami-chan began, but was interrupted by the only one who truly seemed demonic.

"We don't have Time to tell them the whole story. Hopefully, if we find Setsuna-san, we can bring Usagi-chan back and won't have to explain their real futures to them."

"You're all insane, and I demand to be taken home right this instant!" The pale blonde screamed, his words echoing through the emptiness. "Maybe the little snot-nosed priest is right and you're all evil little demons who took us from our homes to-"

"Shut up!" The tallest woman, whom Duo had mistaken for a man before, stepped through the crowd and scowled at all of them, friend and lost one alike. "Mako-chan is right. Let's get going and find that crazy Guardian before something else happens."

"Wait," pleaded the smallest of them all, a girl whose eyes reflected the loneliness of this place, "where is the Time Gate?" She cast a violet gaze about, and the others followed suit. Duo looked as well, though he wasn't sure what exactly it was he searched for.

"Could it have been moved?" The blonde asked.

"Does it move?" the serene one known as Michiru-san returned.

"It's possible," Ami-chan replied as her gloved finger typed on her computer's keyboard, "and that would explain why the coordinates Setsuna-san programmed didn't take us exactly there."

"Unless we were blocked from the Gate," the Amazon growled. Father Duo winced, thinking it a good and right thing not to even think her name. The others, perhaps in Time. This one, never.

The blonde leaned down and grabbed him by the arm. He yelped. Oh Lord, did it never stop?!? But she gave him a strange looked and pulled, hauled him to his feet and as soon as he steadied himself let him go and turned away without a second glance. In fact, she turned her attention to the Chinese man.

"Wufei-san," she said, "why aren't you wearing white?" Minako-chan proceeded to pick at the crimson silk shirt the man wore. He scowled and carefully, without violence, removed her questing fingers from his clothing.

"Woman, has no one ever taught you manners?!? It is impolite to touch another person without permission!" Haughtiness dripped from him, and Duo could tell it was all completely natural. "As for your question, it too is impolite. Not only that, but it is idiotic. Why on Earth should I be wearing mourning white?" With that, he jerked his arm from her grasp. Any normal person would get the hint, Father Duo thought, but this girl stuck to Wufei like a leech.

Duo found himself standing beside the tallest of his misplaced comrades, who stood with his arms folded and curious green gaze floating over the expanse of this black and misty Hell. At length, the emerald orbs found their way down to Duo, and the priest decided that the expression in those eyes came too close to that of the Jezebels for comfort.

"Tell me, Father," the man began in a languid tone, as though he were bored with the proceedings and everything about them, "what made you want to be a priest?"

"I-I-I was saved from the life of an orphan by a p-priest," Duo stuttered his response. "He s-showed me the unconditional l-love God gives his people for their own and for him." His voice smoothed out as he began to speak of things he knew, of things he had been taught to say without hesitation. "Father Maxwell was kind to me when no one else that I could remember had been." A small lie, not really anything to be concerned about, really. What business did this man have in knowing about Solo, when the life and death of that boy had no bearing on the current situation? "He and Sister Helen taught me about love, when all I'd known before that was the loyalty of a street rat for his fellow street rats." But hadn't that been a sort of love in itself? Duo didn't believe so; he thought it couldn't be true.

"So you became a priest to make them happy, then?" The man turned the full impact of those green eyes to him, and the appreciation in them almost made Duo tremble violently in fear. "You don't really believe in God."

"That's not true! That's pure audacity to tell a priest he doesn't believe in God!" That had to be a sin, he was sure it had to be written somewhere in the Bible. But the man shrugged and laughed.

"I'm not worried about being damned for telling you the truth you won't see for yourself. By your religious laws, Father, I'm already damned."

"I'm telling you it should be right here!" came the exasperated voice of Ami-chan in the distance. In the second in which Duo flicked his eyes to her and back, the other had made his way towards their spoiled blonde companion, the infamous Quatre Raberba Winner. Duo sighed and wondered when this nightmare was going to end.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

This nightmare had to end. It had to. It couldn't possibly be real. The Time Gate didn't just get up and walk away, and Usagi couldn't truly be dead. Such an idea defied all known logic, because Usagi had to become NeoQueen Serenity. Destiny can't be rewritten and Fate can't be denied. That's what Luna had been telling them since the beginning, since that long ago time eight years ago when they had been awakened to their power and their mission. Luna knew everything, so she had to be right about Fate. Didn't she?

Makoto shook her head against the childish thoughts running though her mind. She and the other Senshi realized long ago that Luna most certainly did NOT know everything, though the feline still tried to make them believe it on occasion.

Luna . . . Artemis . . .

"Oh, Kami-sama!"

"Nani?" Rei leaned towards her, questioning expression in her violet eyes.

"We forgot about Luna and Artemis!" Makoto gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath. "How could we do that?!? They don't even know about Usagi-chan, let alone where we are! They must be worried sick about us!"

"Calm down, Mako-chan," Minako grinned and gave a knowing glance towards Ami. "The two fur balls are probably still out cold at Ami-chan's place. She got a special heat warming blanket for them to sleep on when they visit."

"That doesn't change the fact that when we get back, we're going to have to tell them." Makoto saw the fallen expression of her blonde friend and felt slightly sorry for ruining what little good mood Minako could muster. But the deep sense of duty within her drove her on, told her that her leader was dead and she had to do something about it. A brief image of armor flashed through her mind, the smallest of memories of her home planet. The memories came more often in recent years, but always in short bursts. She had yet to call up the courage to ask the others if they experienced these flashes as well. If she were the only one it would make her special, which she couldn't stand, or insane . . . which she couldn't tolerate.

"I feel terrible," Minako murmured. "We should have told them first thing. Poor Luna."

Makoto took a breath and made an executive decision.

"Alright, we don't need all of you here anyway. Venus, you will go back and take the whiner," she pointed at Quatre, "with you. Afterwards you'll take him to Mercury's apartment and make him at home, because that's where he'll be staying. Gomen, Mercury." Well, that rid her of one extra Senshi and an annoying brat. But whom else did she really need? "Mercury-"

"I know."

"Good. Mars, I think that my lightening will be enough to handle whatever we might find here, so you go back as well, and take Hii . . . I mean, Masurao-kun with you. He'll be staying with you. While you're there I need you to see what you can get from the Great Fire."

"Hai." Rei nodded and walked over to the man they knew as Hiiro, but insisted he be called Masurao-kun.

"Tuxedokamen-sama . . ." Makoto sighed and closed her eyes, kneading the bridge of her nose carefully to massage away the quickly blooming headache behind her eyes. "I need you to carry Usagi-chan. Since Duo-kun will be staying with you and no one else has a key to your place, he'll have to stay with us." Besides, she couldn't shake the feeling that as annoying as he may be, they might actually need the young priest. "Saturn, you will go back with Venus and Mars."

"Demo-"

"Hotaru-chan," she spoke softly, allowing a bit of tenderness for the younger girl to enter her tone, "we won't need you here. There is nothing dangerous enough for us to need to destroy it so utterly. We really should have separated ourselves before we came. Now, I need you to go home and wait. You can help Venus with Luna and Artemis."

"Okay," the girl replied, but a little hesitantly.

"Uranus and Neptune, you'll stay here with Mercury and me. Trowa-kun-"

"Triton."

Makoto blinked then shook her head.

"Triton-kun, whatever. You'll be staying with Minako-chan, so you go back with them."

Triton shrugged. He didn't seem to particularly care one way or the other.

"Wufei-kun-"

"I will remain here."

"I'm glad you feel that way, because I was going to recommend that anyway. We might need your skills . . . I'm assuming you still know martial arts?"

"Of course, woman."

"Makoto-san, if you please." Somehow she didn't see him calling her that anytime soon, however. "We may need you to pose as a distraction for any youma or other baddies that decide to wreck our party."

He paused for a moment, then his face flushed red and he stepped forward.

"You will use me for BAIT?!?"

Makoto grinned.

"You got it."

"I refuse! I warrior of my quality should not be wasted as-"

"YOU DON"T HAVE A CHOICE!" She completed the closing of the gap between them in one step, putting her nose directly in front of his, their faces separated by less than an inch. This close she saw that his eyes really were a very dark shade of brown that only seemed black. And she saw the shock, disbelief, and anger in those eyes. "You are NOT in your own Time where you might be able to treat women any way you want. You are in MY Time, and here I give the orders and you WILL follow them because if we fail to bring Usagi-chan back because you decided to be an arrogant asshole, I swear to Kami-sama that I will rip out your rib cage and wear it as a hat! And that's only the LAST thing I'll do! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Silence. Not only from Wufei, but from all around. Vaguely, from the corners of her eyes, Makoto became aware of her friends' stunned expressions. A shudder began in her stomach, an urge to retch from embarrassment. But she stood her ground, knowing that if she backed down now, even an inch, she would never get from Wufei the respect she needed, and he would never help them. So she clenched her jaw shut tightly, stared him point blank in the eye, and waited.

"I understand," he conceded at length, stepping away from her. The Chinese man put his palms flat together and bowed in the manner of his people, and Makoto returned with her own bow, hands to her sides. She had won a victory, and a truce of sorts. She knew, however, that such a truce could be fragile and lost at the slightest jarring.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Triton felt the smallest of smirks tugging his lips upwards at the thought of going back with the little blonde. Pale the boyish man might be, and obviously tired, but that did not take away from the blatant cuteness that lurked not far beneath the surface. How bright would those blue eyes be after a good night's sleep? Oh sure, they glared out from a white face with unveiled contempt for everyone and everything, but there had to be a good explanation for that. After all, the man's father did banish him to a border colony out in the middle of the farthest nowhere of the nowhere of space. Probably not even a designer store anywhere in the vicinity.

Amidst the blackness and the mist, with girls in sailor suits chattering all around him, Triton decided that he had found his new project.

"Hey," he heard from over his shoulder the voice of the blonde who harassed . . . Woofer? Woofay? Ah well, how could he be expected to remember all of these names accurately? "What do you say after we break the bad news to Luna and Artemis that we go shopping? We lost all of your new clothes when the energy wave hit."

Shopping! The magic word!

"That's a great idea!" he replied, feeling a sudden rise of enthusiasm. Boredom no longer seemed a certainty here in this strange place. Shopping cured all boredom. "We can take Quatre with us!" Triton grinned at his reward: a glittering glare from the little one. "It'll be fun!" he assured his new companion cheerfully, slinging a long arm about those skinny shoulders. Too skinny. A pang of shock and dismay ran through Triton as he felt Quatre's shoulder blades and knew that not much muscle separated those bones from the skin. Good Lord, what the hell went on inside the Winner family that they couldn't- or didn't- feed their only son and heir?

"Unhand me," Quatre growled, but without the pomposity he'd shown from the beginning. He shrugged Triton's arm off ungently and moved away, turning that small face so that the shadows covered whatever expression might be there. "I don't want to go shopping," he muttered just loudly enough to be heard, "and I certainly don't need a friend like you."

Triton swallowed, and turned to look at the girl when she placed a hand on his shoulder. Her expression was kind.

"Don't worry," she whispered to him mildly, "he just needs some Time to get used to everything. He'll be more amiable soon."

"I hope so," he returned, daring a small glance at the little one. So small and adorable. So perfect, given the proper Time and patience. Triton wondered at his attachment to the arrogant boy, who seemed to have captured some part of him without his knowing. Did those sullen eyes really hold that much power, or did something else about Quatre Raberba Winner call to Triton Bloom?

Time would tell.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Ami saw her friends and their new companions off, then turned back to the form of Makoto. She had to admit that even though no one had asked the pony-tailed one to take over as leader, Mako-chan really had done a very good job, and did look very formidable as she towered over Duo. Poor Duo. It wasn't his fault that his altered Time had changed him so drastically. As many times as she tried to remind Makoto of that, however, the Amazonian Senshi just didn't seem to understand.

"Don't you have ANY backbone at all?!?"

Ami sighed and turned her eyes down to her computer, her dearest friend in all the world. Her computer would never yell at harmless, cowardly priests.

"Can we stop bullying the mouse and get going?" Haruka asked, hands on her hips in one of those rare moments she seemed a woman. Impatience sparked in those dark blue eyes, an impatience shared by them all. Save Makoto, who seemed to feel only rage.

"I just want him to know that he's got to pull his weight around here."

"He knows," Ami assured her, "you haven't let him forget it since the Time shift. Now, I think I've gotten a direction for the Gate, if anyone's interested." Her fellow Senshi nodded, Mamoru cradled Usagi's body closer, and the two remaining pilots glared at Makoto.

Silence drew closed around their group as they made a path through the mist. Tendrils of gossamer white drifted ahead, parting as warm bodies came close to their iciness. The air itself was not cold, but the more time she spent in the mist the more Ami felt a creeping chill fall on her, as though the mist were crawling into her pores and settling underneath her skin. She felt that she might never be warm again. The barely audible chattering of teeth from behind revealed her companions were affected by the surroundings as well. How had Setsuna ever survived in this place for thousands of years? She had not even had a friend to keep her company. Only the chill and mist. Mist and chill. Floating ice in all directions.

Ami shook her head to clear it.

"Careful," she called back, "this place seems to have an effect on the mind. Don't let it get to you."

"Understood," Makoto replied in militaristic fashion.

"No kidding," Haruka growled.

"We're fine," Michiru asserted, though the waver in her voice said otherwise.

"My mind is perfectly sound, no matter the conditions." And Wufei truly did sound fine.

A whimper came from Duo.

"Someone cover . . . him . . . oh my . . ."

Ami stopped, eyes widening beneath her visor. Protestations came from behind as the others questioned her reasons for stopping. But soon they too fell silent as the reason became obvious.

Before them stood the Time Gate. Not the one they remembered. This Gate stood in ruin, the purity of its white form corrupted by what looked like eons of dirt and grime, though how it could get so dirty in such a place could not be understood with logic. Pieces of whatever material it was made from crumbled as they watched, adding more to the pile of dust at the ground. And leaning to one side was the Time Key of Sailorpluto, dull and rusted.

The Time Gate had not been seen by eyes in millennia.

End Chapter Four.