Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Shade Darker ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing are trademarks and
property of Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. The characters of these works
are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is
not meant for sale or profit.


Author's Note: This is an alternate reality fanfic where vampires, witches, werewolves,
zombies, etc. exist. Also, all the scenes in the cartoon with Trieze standing out in the daylight,
they never happened. The events of this story take place after the Gundam Wing series last
episode and before "The Endless Waltz". Thanks. Please send all comments to Jennifer
Bratcher, at slaybrat@aye.net and/or slayerbrat@yahoo.com. Thank you very much. I hope you
like my serious stuff as much as my comedy.


A Shade Darker: Part 2


Duo was sensing something strange, really strange. He had about two hours to kill before he had
to head to the next shuttle. His destination was Earth. That's where his body was calling to. He
looked around and groaned. Two hours to kill.


Not enough time to go to a rave, but more than enough time to become board out of his mind.
Unless he sensed a vampire, he wasn't going to go hunting. He groaned as he leaned against the
space port couch. It was overstuffed and the fabric was blue and scathingly rough. Duo cursed
as he struggled to get comfortable.


He leaned up and slammed his fist into the cushions, cursing loudly. People started to look at
him. He stared at them and shouted, "What the hell are you looking at?" They took one last
look before they scurried away.


He was tense. He didn't want to go through this. He was going to die. That was inevitable.
There was no way he was going to cheat Death this time. It was going to take him and be happy.
Duo didn't care that he was going to save the human race. He was only 16, too young to die.


"Damn," he cursed as he leaned back on the couch, finally getting comfortable. Which was not
an easy feet considering that he was wearing a four foot long scythe under his duster. He drifted
off to sleep in a moment.


******

"Where are you taking me, Trieze?" Trowa hissed as they drove in the Limo that Trieze had
been waiting for himself.


Trieze smiled and said, "Do you truly hate me that much, Trowa Barton?"


Trowa didn't answer him. He just made his expression unreadable. He didn't trust him. He
respected him on some level, but he couldn't trust him.


Why don't you trust me, Trowa? Trieze voice asked inside his head.



"How did you do that?" Trowa asked, making sure that nothing could be read in his face. He
was curious and just a little startled.


Trieze answered, still using the mental contact, It's called telepathy. All vampires can do this.
You've probably noticed that you can hold things with your eyes.


Trowa nodded, remembering the doe in the woods. He told Trieze, not feeling right about
talking about this to Trieze of all people, "I'm stronger and faster than I use to be."


Trieze smiled and said, "Ah, the physical attributes of being a vampire. Those are always the
first to be noticed, Trowa. There are so many other things about the Dark Gift that you'll find
rewarding without being corrupt."


"How do I feed without killing?" Trowa asked suddenly, tactlessly. He realized he was sounding
like Duo and Heero combined. Quatre, I wish you were here, my friend, Trowa thought. Quatre
had a way of making things seem better. He radiated calmness and kindness. He was too kind,
too sad. He was also Trowa's closest friend.


"Stay away from Duo Maxwell from now on," Trieze told him.


"Why?" Trowa asked confused. Sure, they didn't get along, in fact, Duo had good reason to hate
Trowa. After all, he was the one who had destroyed his Gundam, but Duo forgave easily. He
was just annoying as hell. He often wondered why Heero put up with him. He was an excellent
pilot, and Trowa was glad to have him on his side, and a kind friend. Duo as a threat? No way.


Trieze told him, "It's in his blood to hunt us."


"What do you mean?" Trowa asked sharply.


Trieze sighed and said, "You don't even know about your potential yet, and here I am talking
about vampire hunters. We are immortal but silver, a stake through the heart, sunlight,
decapitation, and fire will kill us. We heal incredibly quickly, but we have weaknesses. The
cross. Holy ground. We can't go into a mortal's home unless we've been invited."


"What about a silver bullet to the brain?" Trowa asked. Maybe he could end his existence.


"No, it wouldn't. It would just hurt like hell, and you don't want to do that," Trieze told him.


Trowa was angry that Trieze was in his head. He told him sharply, "Don't do that."


Trieze smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Trowa. It's just that your thoughts are so easy to read."


Trowa looked out the window. He noticed that he didn't cast a reflection. Trieze said, "One of
the prices to pay for immortality, my young friend. You don't have to be evil, like you were
thinking. You can learn to control the bloodlust and master the Dark Gift." He paused. Smiled.
He said, "With help of course."


"Your help, I don't need," Trowa told him, about ready to jump out of the limo. He could
survive that with no problem when he was human, now it would be nothing to him.


"What about Catherine? Would you like to see what you saw in your mind play out in real life?"
Trieze asked with a bitter smile.


Trowa froze and turned around to face the elegant Oz leader. A vampire had ruled the world for
such a short time. He couldn't believe that. It was strange that he was thinking that, but it was
true. Trowa asked, "What about other vampires?"


Trieze smiled and answered, "Trowa, one thing at a time. I will teach you proper vampire
etiquette later, but now you need to learn the gift."


Trowa said nothing as they drove.


******

Heero had to find someone first. He knew that now. He had to find Duo Maxwell of all people.
The thing was, he wasn't getting on a computer and looking up all of Duo's whereabouts. No,
he somehow knew where the braided baka that he could call friend was at.


He hadn't seen the redhead girl since leaving the shuttle. He had another shuttle to catch in
fifteen minutes. The one he knew that would take him to Duo. Heero almost smirked, he was
going to Duo Maxwell for help. He knew somehow that Duo could help him.


All off Heero's training had told him not to trust anyone and to kill anyone that got in the way of
his mission. He had failed with the latter with Relena, then Duo had came along with his grins
and breaking into the hospital to save him. He had even recovered Heero's Gundam for him.
There had been an instinctual trust there, but Heero had to fight it, even though he didn't want
to.


Then they kept running into each other after that. Different missions, ending up helping each
other than killing one and another. Then there was Duo trying to reach him when the others
didn't. He tried to include Heero in everything, tried to make him feel welcome while the others
didn't. It was annoying, but touching none the less.


"Boarding call for flight 123, first call for flight 123," a mechanical voice called over the
intercom.


"That's mine," Heero said to himself as he shouldered his bag and walked to the boarding
station.


******

Duo got off the shuttle and his shuttle to Earth had been delayed for twelve hours! Twelve damn
hours! There was a lot one could do in twelve hours, but that was still a long time to wait for a
damn flight to Earth. "Damn it," he cursed as he got off the terminal. At least now he had time
to go to a rave.


It wasn't that he just liked to party. It was just that there were a lot of vampires getting free
meals at raves. Really. He walked out into the colony, breathing in the generated air. He
opened up his senses. He could feel all the emotions of the people around him. It was a mixture
of happiness, sadness, greed, anger, love, lust, all kinds of neat stuff around him. The feelings of
normal people. Duo envied them.


Bright lights glittered around him. He whistled softly as he walked, swishing his duster behind
him. He was really glad that he had gotten the coat. It was really cool. Besides, it was a good
way to hide his scythe. Father Kincad disapproved of him using the scythe, saying that Duo
should stick to more traditional methods. Duo told him cheerfully to shove it up his ass.


He heard the heavy, pounding music of a club. He walked to it and saw darkness and bright,
glittering, red strobe lights. He grinned and looked around. There was no bouncer, there fore, it
was a rave. He walked in.


He moved through the shadows as natural habit. The throbbing beat of the music pounded
around him, he didn't bounce along with it because he sensed something. He looked around, it
was faint through the den of people and it felt an awful a lot like a vampire, but different. He
walked outside and frowned.


He searched for it, it was close, but he couldn't see it. Then he finally pinpointed the location,
an ally close by. Big surprise there. He rushed into it, running blindly into the ally. He saw a
figure around his height and tackled it.


******

Heero turned around right into the flying tackle. He and his attacker rolled to the ground. Heero
didn't get a clear look at the person, but whoever they were, they were strong. He rolled away
and stood up, taking a stance. Then he got a clear look on who it was.


"Duo?" he asked.


Duo stopped, his braid not stopping with him, swinging wildly behind him. Huge, violet eyes
blinked as he looked at Heero. "Heero?" Duo asked, sounding as confused as Heero felt.


"Yeah," Heero replied, looking at him.


"The hell?" Duo spat, sounding even more confused.


Heero watched him, good he had found the braided baka. Duo started to pace, his braid
twitching in frustration behind him. He asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"


"Looking for you," Heero told him in a clipped tone. He had a feeling that Duo had answers to
what was happening to him.


"Okay, why?" Duo asked in a frustrated tone. He went on, "I could have killed you, Heero. Ya
know? I know that you have a death wish and all of that, but I don't wanna kill you." He kept
pacing.


"Because I have a few questions and you have answers," Heero answered in his clipped tone. He
was having trouble believing that guy he had been fighting just a moment ago was Duo. He
moved to fast and was stronger than Heero knew Duo was. Unless, Duo had been hiding things
from them, like they all did, with the exception of Quatre.


"Like what? How did you know how I was here?" Duo asked.


Heero sighed. He didn't know where to start. Duo placed his hands on his narrow hips and
glared. Heero looked Duo over. It was a Duo he had never seen before. Sure, the priest's
uniform was familiar to him, but the cross and the duster wasn't.


Heero simply answered, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."


Duo grinned and leaned against the ally wall. He replied, "Try me."


"I had to find you," Heero began, but they were cut off by a girl's scream.


Duo smirked and said, "No rest for the wicked." With that, he started to run and Heero took off
behind him.


******

Duo ran, and Heero was keeping pace with him. What was that all about? Heero may not be
Mr. Humanity, but he's human . . . I think. There's nothing supernatural about him. Or is
there? Duo thought as he looked at Heero. The pair ran toward the scream.


It was another ally, no big surprise there. There were two male vampires, really good looking
ones. That was the strange thing about vampires, they were mainly good looking. Just a mask to
hide what's on the inside, Duo thought with a sneer. Heero was about to see him at work.


Heero pulled out his gun. Then Duo noticed the girl. She was petite and delicately formed,
elfin. She looked up at them with wide silvery, grey eyes. Long golden blond hair fell into her
face. Duo's hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The girl was something more than what she
seemed.


One of the vampires said, "You're coming with us, sweetheart."


The girl's eyes weren't frightened. They were dangerously determined. She said in a cool
voice, "No chance in hell."



Duo regained himself long enough to draw his scythe. Heero said, "Back away from the girl."
He looked over at his fellow pilot, the one who had mastered the ZERO system. Heero actually
looked angry. His eyes were flashing dangerously in the light.


"The hell," the second vampire said as he turned around to face Duo and Heero.


"The God of Death," the first said.


The girl snapped, "It's not him you have to worry about, fang face." The vampire started to
convulse, and his companion soon joined him. They dropped to the ground, withering in pain.
The girl's elfin features where composed, her eyes were like molten silver, glowing. She
defiantly wasn't normal.


Heero went to go attack the vampires, but Duo reached out and held them back. The girl took
out a stake from her large windbreaker she was wearing and dropped it on the ground. The first
vampire, with shaking hands, picked it up. The girl was sweating now and fine tremors were
wracking her small body.


She said, "Stake him." He did. The second vampire exploded into dust. She said, "Now
yourself." Duo watched as the vampire plunged the stake into his own heart. Then it came to
him, Necromancer, t his chick is a necromancer.


Duo kept his scythe ready. Heero was still tense and seething. She turned her silver eyes at
them and asked, "What the hell do you want?"


Duo asked, "What the hell are you?"


She dusted her hands off. She was still trembling slightly. She answered, "That's none of your
concern." With that, she ran off.



Duo ran to catch up with her. Heero spat on the ashes before he began to run after them.


******

The limo pulled up to a huge, Victorian mansion. Trowa looked at it, unimpressed. He figured
that Trieze would live in a place like this. Trieze smiled and said, "Ah, home sweet home,
Trowa."


Trowa didn't say anything as they pulled into the huge, circular driveway. He asked, "What do
you want?"


Trieze sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He answered, "I just want to help you. I can
show you that you can become more than you think. Don't think of being changed as a closing
of doors, just think of it as an opportunity."


"That image of Catherine, you did that didn't you?" Trowa asked, slightly disgusted.


Trieze smiled and answered, "Yes, I didn't want to see you spending the rest of eternity in that
gutter, livings solely on rats."


'Who said that I was going to live forever?" Trowa spat, looking at anything but Trieze.


Trieze laughed and answered, "I did, and so did the person who changed you. If I had an idea of
whom the person was, maybe I could help you."


"All I need is for you to show me how to get by. Nothing more, nothing less. Then I'm gone,"
Trowa replied. He wasn't going to trust Trieze. Never. He was just going to learn what he
needed to know to survive without hurting his friends.


The limo stopped at Trieze gracefully stepped out into the snow. He held out his hand and
asked, "Join me?"


Trowa got out of the limo as well, making sure that his hair covered his face so Trieze couldn't
see into his eyes. They walked into the dark manor. A single light came on in the fashion of a
lantern. Trowa made out a female's form walking down the stair case.


He almost smiled. It was Lady Une. Her long brown hair flowed down her back and her clear
brown eyes took Trowa in. She did smile and said, "Trowa, it's good to see you again."


Trieze glided up to her, seeing nothing but her. He took her hand and kissed it. She smiled. He
said, "My beloved Lady, something very misfortunate has happened to Trowa."


Trowa scowled, actually letting an expression on his face. Une looked at him, sorrow and pity in
her brown eyes. He tried to ignore the slender column of her throat, and the pulse beating there.
His hunger was stabbing at him again.


"He was changed, wasn't he?" Une asked Trieze as he gently wrapped his arms around her.


"Yes, unfortunately, he was," Trieze answered her as he let her go just as gently. Trowa kept
everything guarded as Trieze walked toward him.


He asked, "What are you doing?"


Trieze smiled and said, "You're hungry."


"No, I'm not," Trowa told him in a clipped tone. He was angry that Trieze could see right
through him.


Trieze said, "Follow me." He began to walk down the hallway, and Trowa followed him into a
study. There was a black box, a refrigeration unit. Trieze indicated a plush, green velvet chair
and said, "Sit down, Trowa."


Trowa didn't. He watched as Trieze pulled out a wine glass from an ornate wooden cabinet
beside the refrigeration unit. The cabinet was old and carefully engraved. Trowa thought that it
could have been from the 18th century, it was that old. Then Trieze grabbed a green bottle from
the unit. He uncorked it and Trowa smelled blood.


It wasn't that fresh, but it was tantalizing none the less. His fangs lengthened despite themselves
and began to throb with anticipation. He watched the thick, rich, red liquid fill the glass with a
sort of manic hunger. His whole body was starting to hurt again.


He reached out and grabbed it from Trieze's elegant hand. He put the glass to his lips and
greedily drank its entire contents. The blood wasn't as satifiying as before, but it slated the
hunger momentarily. He put the glass down on the table and looked up at Trieze.


Trieze smiled and said, "Lesson One, Trowa: You don't need to drink of the living. This isn't as
satifiying, but it keeps the craving at bay. You can't deny the hunger Trowa, if you did, your
vision would come to pass."


Trowa didn't say anything about that. He sat down and looked at the other vampire. He asked,
"What do I need to do to keep the craving away?"


Trieze sighed and said, "There is nothing you can do to keep the craving completely at bay,
Trowa. It will always be there, under the surface, but you can learn to control it. One way is to
keep yourself fed, never let the bloodlust overcome you. Feed at least once a day, more if you
are injured, which can happen."


Trowa nodded, his attention was slipping. He was growing weary. Trieze said, "As a new
vampire, you need to sleep during the day. Which you are feeling. The sun is starting to rise.
I'll supply you a place to make sure that you're protected during the day."


"What makes me think that I can trust you?" Trowa asked bitterly, fighting for his well-earned
control.


As his eyes began to close, Trieze smiled and said, "Because, my young friend, you have no
other choice." Then the world fell into darkness.


******

Quatre Raberba Winner wearily rubbed his eyes and yawned. The endless amounts of projects
stretched across his desk. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and picked up the plans to rebuild
Space Fortress Barge as a scientific research point. After all, scientists flocked to the colonies
for a chance to be seen and heard, and Quatre wanted to give them that chance.


Still, the kind hearted young man was tired. He had been spreading himself too thin lately
without any rest. He started to dose on top of the papers when the comlink rang. He blinked and
turned it on. He unintentionally yawned and said, "Hello, this is Quatre Raberba Winner."


The auburn haired young woman seemed slightly familiar. He blinked and realized it was
Catherine Bloom, the girl that Trowa cared for like a sister. She looked upset, her pale violet
eyes were flashing with unshed tears.


Quatre automatically asked, "Did something happen to Trowa?"


Catherine glared and replied, "So you haven't seen him then?"


"No, what on earth makes you think that?" Quatre asked her.


Catherine huffed. Quatre blinked, Catherine wasn't that nice a person. She had snapped at him
when Trowa had amnesia and he had found him, then drove him away. She said, "You're the
only Gundam pilot I could get in touch with. Knowing Trowa, he would have run off to fight
without telling me."


And I can see why, a voice in his head, which sounded surprisingly like Duo's, snidely said.
Quatre kept quiet though. He wasn't about to let anything happen to Trowa. He patently asked,
"When was the last time you saw him?"


"About two nights ago, he just went out. You know how Trowa is. Well, anyway, he didn't
come back. We've been worried sick about him," Catherine answered.


Trowa could be in trouble. No, he is in trouble. I have to help him, Quatre thought, wide awake
now. He said, "I'm coming to Earth, now. I'm going to look for him. He's my friend, and he
would do the same for me."


"You're really going to come here, aren't you?" Catherine asked in disbelief.


Quatre only stared at her, how would he do any other wise? He asked, "What are your
coordinates?"


She sent them to him. He took the printout and looked at them. They were near the Carpathian
mountains. He said, "I'll be there very soon. I promise. Good bye, Cathrine." He turned off the
vidcom and turned it back on again.


He typed in the coordinates to his secretary. A pretty girl named Casey. Casey blinked and said,
"Hello Mr. Winner, how can I help you?"


He looked at her and answered, "I need my private carrier and Sandrock delivered to these
coordinates on Earth. I need to get transport there myself."


Casey nodded and asked, "That remote a region, sir?"


Quatre nodded and replied, "A friend is in trouble, I have to help him, Casey. He'd do the same
for me."


"Which pilot is it, sir?" Casey asked as she began typing on her computer.


Quatre blinked and asked, "Is it that obvious?"


Casey cheerfully nodded as she answered, "Yeah, we all know that you would die for any of
your fellow Gundam pilots."


Quatre smiled despite the graveness of the situation. He answered, "Yeah, it is."


Casey smiled and said, "Well, go help your buddy, War Hero." She gave him a little salute as
she studied the computer screen. She said, "It's all set, sir. Ready to go when you are."


"Thank you, Casey," Quatre told her.


"Anything else?" She asked him.


"No, I don't think so," he answered her.


"Okay," she said as the screen went dead. Quatre turned off his comscreen and walked to the
elevator. He road it up to his quarters, went to his bedroom, and grabbed the prepacked suitcase
that he had for emergencies.


He rode the elevator to the main part of the building where Casey met up with him. She said,
"While you're gone Mr. Winner, your sister Rebeka said that she would take care of everything
while you are gone."


"Good," Quatre said as he slipped into his expensive leather jacket. It would provide him with
warmth in the cold Carpathiean region at this time of year.


Casey asked, "Anything else you need taken care of before you leave?"


Quatre thought for a moment and answered, "Get Rebeka to sign off on the merger with Outer
Rim."


"Got it, sir," Casey said as she wrote it down in her notebook. As he stepped out of the perfectly
controlled climate of the office into the perfectly controlled climate of the colony, Casey
shouted, "Good luck, Mr. Winner!"


"Thank you," he called back at her, waving gayly. He turned around and entered his private
limo, wishing that he would be going to his private airport in something other than a limousine.
As they drove, Quatre took a last look at the colony. Personally, he preferred Earth.


He said, "Hold on Trowa, I'm coming."


To Be Continued In Part Three!