Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Shade Darker ❯ Chapter 7

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 Notes: I've had several people ask me why I haven't worked on "A Gundam Quest". The reasons are simple: 1.) I'm too busy with work, school, and other things to finish it. 2.) I'm having Writer's Block with it. I can't figure out how to finish it. 3.) This story is truer to my writing abilities than "A Gundam Quest". This story is simply better to write. Comedy gets boring to write time after time, but a saga like this doesn't. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll finish it soon, exspecaly with the new season of "Angel" about to air and "The Endless Waltz" ready to air on Cartoon Network in October. I'm really sorry. I really am. Please forgive me.

Oh, Shigniami Sam, give me an e-mail at slaybrat@aye.net! Please! I'd love to talk to you.

A Shade Darker Part 7

The furry figure jumped at them. Aurora jumped behind a garbage can and held the lid out in front of her like a shield. Heero grunted as he lay on the ground, trowing his legs up and kicking the creature over his head. He easily stood up as he got a better look at it.

It was a wolf. A huge, grey wolf. It was a beautiful animal, bread to hunt and kill. It had long legs trimmed with lithe muscles and a long muscle. It snarled at Heero, brandishing sharp, white fangs. The golden eyes glowed in the dark, watching Heero carefully. Then they darted to where Aurora was hiding behind the trash can with the lid held out in front of her like a shield.

The look in the wolf's eyes didn't belong to a wolf though, the emotion there was purely human. Satisfaction. The wolf looked like it was smirking. Then it threw back his head and howled. Its body began to change. It stood up right on two legs. The front legs became shorter and thicker. The paws became hands with sharp, long claws. The body became more humanoid and Heero now knew the werewolf was defiantly male.

He threw his head back and laughed. Heero stood his ground and asked, "What do you want?"

The werewolf pointed at where Aurora was crouching. He answered, in a growling tone not suited to a human's voice, "The necromancer." Heero watched in disgust as the wolf licked his mussel with a long, red tongue. Heero disconnected with his human part of himself. The werewolf was a threat to his mission. The werewolf had to die. Simple as that.

Werewolves could be killed by fire, beheading, and silver. They were stronger and faster than vampires. They were purely instinctual. There was no logic to this being. No strategies except get the girl away alive and kill the Perfect Soldier. Heero knew he was doomed to failure in this task. The werewolf would slip up somehow. Heero would see to that and take it to his advantage.

Heero knew that Aurora was a calculated risk in this battle. He told her, "Run. Now."

She stood up, her blond hair swaying around her. She looked at Heero and the wolf once more before she ran out of the alley. Heero turned back to the werewolf, waiting for him to make the first move.

The werewolf sniffed at him and said, "You're not human. Not entirely."

Heero stood motionless, his legs slightly apart and his arms loose at his side. The cold wind ruffled his dark brown hair into his eyes as he watched the wolf. The wolf took one look at where Aurora had ran too and started to turn.

Heero was automatically in motion. He rushed up to the werewolf and punched him hard across the mussel. The wolf snarled in agitation and backed up, shaking his head to clear the effects of the blow. He studied the werewolf, trying to figure out where the weakest spots would be to attack it.

The mussel. Hitting the chest would be useless. It's too strong. Same rule applies to the arms and legs. They're not vulnerable. The head and the groin. Also, when exposed, a gut shot. Heero nodded to himself as he formed his plan of attack. This wasn't like sneaking through some Oz base methodically killing Oz soldiers. This was a real head-to-head battle. Heero Yuy knew he could handle it.

The werewolf snarled and charged at Heero. He didn't have enough warning. The wolf had him in his clawed hands, snarling down at him. He could feel his breath hot on his face, hot saliva dripped on his chest. Heero curled his hands into fists and slammed them up into the wolf's pointed ears.

The wolf snarled and brought his jaws in close, ready to clamp onto Heero's throat. Heero grabbed his mouth and pried it open. The werewolf was strong. He was having difficultly keeping the wolf's mouth open. He grunted as the werewolf snapped his head up.

******

Aurora was running. They had sent a werewolf after her now. And Heero was fighting it in the alley. He was Heero now, and not the Dampier. She knew fully well that he didn't want to protect her, but he was anyway. Now he might be killed or cursed because of her.

"Damn it," she cursed as she turned to run the opposite direction.

******

The werewolf was about to bring his jaws down on Heero's throat. Suddenly, he jerked backed and howled in pain. Heero looked up to see Aurora jab a slender, sliver object into the werewolf's hide.

The werewolf spun, sending his arms flying. His back hand connected with the necromancer's chin, sending her flying into the air. Heero slid through the werewolf's grasp like water. He stood up in one fluid motion and pulled out his gun.

The werewolf said, "Those bullets aren't silver."

"Try me," Heero said, bluffing. It was a tactic that he was unfamiliar with, but he decided to use it anyway.

The werewolf laughed and replied, "You're bluffing. I can smell it."

Aurora rose up on her hands, shaking off the fall and her long hair off her shoulders. She said, "So what. People lie all the time. I'm not a virgin."

The werewolf threw back his head and laughed louder. Heero took advantage of the moment and tackled it. The werewolf and the pilot both tumbled to the ground in a roll of limbs. Heero managed to land on top, pummeling the werewolf with his fists across the mussel. Blood leaked out of the wolf's nose and mouth before it gave an anguished growl.

Its arm snapped around and caught Heero across the chest. He went staggering backward. He landed smoothly on his feet and grunted. The wolf's blood stopped trickling down his mussel and he chuckled at Heero as he whipped the blood from his face.

Aurora was looking at the burning building. She took off running toward it. Heero cursed, "Damn it." He took off after her and the werewolf. The creature was laughing as she ran to the burning building at full tilt. She vaulted up onto the fire escape and pulled her slight body up. She began to run up the ladder with the werewolf behind her.

Heero climbed up the ladder with ease. She jumped into the still burning room. The wolf stopped and looked at the fire fearfully. Heero stood behind the creature, feeling the fire on his face. It was hot and almost touchable, and the small blond was standing in the fire, it swirling all around her.

He sprang at the werewolf, sending it crashing into the flames. The fire licked at Heero's skin hotly as he and the creature rolled into the inferno. Aurora rolled back onto the fire escape, holding onto it with one hand, dangling on the edge.

Heero heard the wood cracking around them. It wouldn't be soon before this place went up. He rose up easily and sent a roundhouse kick to a burning pillar. As he jumped out of the way of the wall of falling flaming debree, be heard the werewolf cry out in pain. His fingers caught on the railing and both Necromancer and Gundam Pilot watched as the werewolf burned.

"Hey, what the hell happened?" Duo's voice called out from below. They both looked down at the braided Baka then back at each other.

******

Dr. J calmly limped around his laboratory. He knew fully well what was going on, but he was just going to sit back and watch this time. He knew about the Supernatural, what Heero was, and so forth, but it defied the logic that the engineer had been taught.

His cybernetic hand clicked together in frustration. His boy was going to be helpless in this upcoming battle. Heero was strong and sure, but how would he handle against supernatural forces. Vampires and witches were the worse. The others could be taken by force, but vampires and witches had something else against a normal Dampier: power. Spells and just mental powers in general. How could Heero stand up to that?

Dr. J sighed, "This world has gotten too mad for an old man like me."

"Yes, it has, Old Man," a voice that was very much like Heero's said to him. Dr. J turned around to see a tall young man that was the spitting image of Heero, just older. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, and his dark hair was just as unruly as Heero's. His dark blue eyes narrowed as he walked to the cybernetic scientist.

"Who are you?" Dr. J asked as he watched the young man approach him.

"You're thinking I look a lot like Heero, don't you?" the young man asked, his voice that same monotone as Heero's.

"Yes, how did you know that?" Dr. J asked, hobbling to the other side of his desk. The young man smiled, flashing growing fangs. Oh, dear Lord, it's a vampire, the ancient scientist thought as he curled his good hand around a pistol.

The vampire leaped over to the table, slammed his hand down over the pistol and stared at Dr. J with fathomless, emotionless dark eyes. He said, "It's useless on me. Were's my son?"

"Heero?" Dr. J asked with mock surprise, trying to buy himself some time.

"Odin. But, Heero's good too. His mother named him Odin, after the Nordic King of the Gods. What happened to Serphina, anyway?" the vampire asked as he advanced, his dark blue eyes begging to glow.

Dr. J looked up at the taller vampire and sadly sighed. He answered, "Serphina was killed by the Alliance. That's how we found Heero."

"How do you know what Heero is?" the vampire asked, his eyes starting to return to normal.

Dr. J sighed and answered, "Professor G. He's a . . . I'm thinking of the word here . . . wizard of some sort. Had been for a long time. He knew who Duo Maxwell was. It's just that the Little Demon doesn't know that we know."

The vampire nodded and asked, "What about the other scientists, did they know?"

"No, G only told me," Dr. J answered as he carefully watched the vampire.

"Where is Heero?" the vampire asked again.

Dr. J shrugged and replied, "I'm not really sure. G gave me a message the other day talking about the End of the World and such nonsense."

"The Ending of the Cycle of Darkness is not nonsense, Doctor," the vampire replied.

"Himm, but I still do not know where Heero is," the ancient doctor told him.

The vampire sighed and asked, "Can you get a hold of him?"

"Perhaps, but Heero isn't one to be controlled. He'd kill you if he found out that you left him to all of this," Dr. J told him.

"I don't care. I made a mistake with two sons already, I don't want to make a mistake with Heero," the vampire replied.

"What is your name?" Dr. J asked as he logged onto his computer.

"Quinn," the vampire answered in sullen tones, leaning against the table in a way that reminded him too much of Heero.

Dr. J blinked. Heero was disconnected. He said, "Well, that's odd."

"What?" Quinn asked as he walked over to the computer screen.

Dr. J pointed to the screen with a cybernetic hand as he answered, "Heero's not on the Network. He's disconnected and cannot be found." The scientist typed some more with his good hand. I've taught Heero all too well. I can't trace any of his tracts. It's almost like he's disappeared, Dr. J thought as he looked at the glowing screen.

Quinn simply said, his voice hinting at pride, "He's good."

"Yes, I've taught him well," Dr. J replied proudly. The vampire's eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen. Quinn stepped back with his arms crossed and his expression thoughtful.

He said, "What about the shuttle records? Certainly someone like Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy wouldn't be that hard to miss."

Dr. J blinked, surprised at the vampire's intelligent thinking. Well, he is Heero's father. That keen mind of his had to come from somewhere, Dr. J thought as he studied Quinn. He nodded and chuckled, "Right, right, I did not even think of that."

"Then contact the shuttle ports in the L1 and L2 colonies, damn it," Quinn snapped.

Dr. J said, "Well, young man, it isn't that simple."

The vampire reached out, faster than lighting, and lifted the cybernetic scientist off the ground. Dr. J's heart began to pound as the vampire's fangs lengthened and his eyes transformed to the fathomless blue to burning crimson. Quinn hissed, "Do it damnit, or I'll rip you into shreds."

"Very well, you needn't go into a fit about it," Dr. J told him as Quinn dropped him to the ground.

******

Minerva opened up her French window. She dropped her leather jacket onto the ground and picked up her pistol from under her bed. She gracefully crept onto the ledge and shut the window. She stood to her full height to see a pair of golden eyes looking at her.

She said, "Show yourself." The figure was tall and slender, definitely male shaped. It walked so she could see it better. Her keen night vision picked up the fact that he was handsome with dark blond hair and golden eyes. He was in his early thirties, but he was mortal. With powers though.

His energy crept along her skin like a hot wind. She knew that he wasn't a necromancer. Necromancers felt like another vampire, except colder. Shape shifters and witches felt hot. Minerva was gathering that he was one of the later.

She slid her pistol in her jeans' pocket. She wouldn't have to use her gun to deal with him. If she needed to, that was. She asked, "Okay, what the hell are you doing here?"

He smiled as he drifted over to her, his feet not touching any surface. That's when she knew she was dealing with a witch. He answered, "Watching, observing. Why is a vampire at a school for pacifism? Exspecaly one who works for Forest Anderson?"

Minerva wanted to slap that smile off of his face. She answered, "Well, because I have too."

"Why?" he asked in his sing song voice.

She glared and immediately looked into the witch's mind. He was powerful and full of knowledge from everything from amulets to necromancy. Dark necromancy. He played with magics that terrified the ancient vampire. He had already lost his soul, in her mind at least. And he was one of Lilith's most trusted advisors. He wasn't a flunky. He was an alley. There was a difference.

Power was one of the main ones.

She answered, "Whatever you want, or rather, the Bitch Queen, wants, you're not gonna get it."

"Really?" the golden witch asked as he raised up a hand.

Minerva didn't even see it coming. If she had time, she could have used her own powers to defend herself, but she didn't. The power rushed at her like a hot fist, knocking her off balance. She fell off the ledge.

Grunting, the vampire spun her slender, young body and flipped so she landed on her feet, just like a cat. She licked her fangs as they grew. Her sight became clearer and her other senses even sharper as she stood up in the snow. She pushed her long, burgundy hair off of her face as she looked at the witch.

He cupped his hands together. She could hear him chanting as red fire gathered in his hands. She tensed up her body and waited. He shot the power at her with a grunt. She fluidly flipped out of its way and landed in the soft snow.

There was a problem, though. The snow. If this had been normal, dry ground, or even the ledge, Minerva would have had no problem dodging the fire balls shot in her direction. She knew if she caught on fire and didn't put the flames out immediately, she was dead.

She rolled in the powdery whiteness, her clothing becoming heavy with the snow. She pulled out her gun and crouched in the snow. She took aim and pulled the trigger. He held out his hand, and the bullet dissolved into nothing in front of her eyes.

He laughed and said, "You may be older than me, girl, but I'm more powerful."

He raised his hand at her, his lips moving in a chant. Minerva stood up and took off running. She leapt onto the sill and was about to open the window when she felt some invincible force wrap around her.

She was lifted off the ledge and dangling in the magic rings. She was spun to face him. She concentrated, building on her own natural power as a vampire, and released it. The magic bonds didn't even budge. She snarled in frustration as she looked at him.

He motioned for her to come closer. She was drug over to his direction. He smiled and said, "My name is Jason, and I'm not your ordinary magic user."

She squinted her eyes and looked at him. She sensed what he had, that spark of dark energy that wasn't exactly his. It felt out of place in his aura. He had payed a great price for his power though. She whispered, "You sold your soul."

He laughed and replied, "Yes, that pathetic thing. Question, Minerva, do you have a soul?"

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you don't drop the girl, I'll kill you now," Noin's voice said very cooly to him. Minerva saw Noin standing there, in jeans and a leather jacket, her dark violet hair slightly mussed and her dark violet eyes narrowed in anger. She held her gun easily in her hands.

"Run," Minerva told her, not quite shouting. If she doesn't run, I'm going to make her run, she thought as she looked at the woman who had captured Zechs' heart. Jason dropped Minerva to the ground.

He said, "You, my dear little leech, were only a distraction."

Then, he snapped his hand, and Minerva went crashing into the palace wall. She rose up quickly enough to see Jason raise his hand and Noin go crashing into a tree. The branches of the tree wrapped around the Mobile Suit pilot and held her there. Noin grunted and cursed as she struggled.

Jason flew into the palace, chuckling. Minerva leapt onto the balcony, after the witch.

******

Relena placed the brush down on her dresser. She looked at the photo of Heero she had found in Dorothy's room. She smiled slightly as she looked into that scowling face and dark, endless blue eyes. She reached out and brushed Heero's brow with her fingertips.

She stripped out of her school uniform and put on her flannel nightgown. It was a simple, white nightgown with a high collar that covered her slender throat. She looked out into the beautiful night, and at the snow below her. She smiled as she walked back to the bed.

She yawned, stretching, ready for bed. She looked at the Teddy Bear that Heero had gave her and said, "When am I going to see the boy that gave you to me again?" She picked it up as she snuggled into her covers.

Then she heard a scream. Relena bolted out of her bed to see a tall man dressed all in black holding one of her students in his hand. The girl screamed and thrashed helplessly in his clutches. Relena swallowed and shouted, "Noin!"

The man turned to Relena. His hair was a bright shade of gold as well were his eyes. He smiled and the girl screamed as her body was enveloped in a golden glow. She started to disintegrate before the Princess's eyes and all Relena could do was watch in horror.

She asked, "What are you?"

He bowed slightly, brushing his hands off, and he answered, "My name is Jason."

He hovered off the ground. Minerva Celestine ran the corridor with her long, burgundy hair flying in a witchlike tangle behind her, a gun in her hands. She shouted, "Don't think about it, Witch!"

Jason laughed and flicked his wrist back. Fire erupted from his hand, right at Minerva. Relena shouted, "Look out!" Minerva rolled out of the way, and Jason was beside Relena in an instant.

She looked at the golden man and asked, "What are you doing?" Her voice became shrill with terror as she went on, "What are you? Why are you doing this?"

He smiled angelically. He answered, "Because my lady wishes this of me." With that, Relena felt something wrap around her and hold her in place. She screamed as she was drawn to his body. He held her like there was nothing there and he began to run out of the palace.

******

Noin knew something was wrong. She could sense it in her very being. She struggled and shouted, "Damn it! Let me go!" The tree's limbs were still holding her tight. Then she saw the bastard run away with Relena.

"No!" Noin shouted as she thrashed harder. The wood cut into her jacket, slicking into her skin with stinging scratches.

Minerva Celestine emerged from the house, her clothing smoking slightly, her hair a wild tangle, and her eyes glowing crimson. Noin swallowed. She knew the girl wasn't human by any stretch of the imagination.

Minerva smiled, flashing fangs, and said, "You're right to be afraid."

"What the hell are you doing?" Noin shouted, "Relena needs help."

Minerva grabbed the branches and broke them with ease. Noin fell to the ground. The snow was like a cold pillow as she tried to stand up, the cold cutting into the scratches on her body. She looked at the girl before her and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

Minerva jerked her up with the greatest of ease. Noin looked into those crimson eyes that slowly turned back to their original bright, light green. She answered, "I'm gonna need your help to get Relena back, and you're going to have to listen to me very carefully."

Noin grunted and crossed her arms in front of her chest, ready to listen.

She had no other choice.

******

"The Cycle of Darkness," Treize simply said as he walked into the study. Quatre looked up at him from where he was sitting with Lady Une, getting some questions answered about the supernatural, and his latent gift. Lady Une looked at him, pushing strands of her chestnut hair out of her face.

She asked, "What, Treize?"

Treize stood in the middle of the study, looking every inch the commanding figure he was dressed in a tailored blue shirt, black pants, and black knee high boots. His cerulean blue eyes flickered over to Quatre. Quatre watched him. Then, he looked back at Une.

He knew that Trowa was still asleep. The sun was still up. He was afraid to go check on his friend, to see if his sleep was as like death as Une had said. She had told him that Treize only slept a couple hours a day because he was so ancient. Trowa had no control over his sleep at this point in time. When daybreak came, Trowa was asleep and he didn't wake up until the sunset.

Treize smiled briefly and answered, "The end of the world."

Quatre froze. The world was going to end. Treize added, "As we know it. Everything will change if the Cycle ends."

Apocalyptic images came to the young pilot's mind. Cities in ruins, smoking in a hellish landscape, corpses rotting littering every corner. Treize went on, "The gates of Hell will open, and the Dark Ones will inherit the earth."

Une swallowed uncomfortably. Quatre looked up into the ancient vampire's angelic face and brilliant, blue eyes. He was about to ask him the question when Treize answered it for him, "The Dark Ones are the truly evil forces of the world. Demons, truly evil vampires and witches who have sold their souls. Humanity would be enslaved for Lilith's desire."

"Lilith, the vampire who changed Trowa," Quatre thought with anger burning through his fear as he looked up at Treize.

Treize nodded and replied, "Also, the first vampire to ever live."

"What do you mean?" Une asked, slipping on her cup of tea.

Treize sighed and pressed a finger between his eyes. He rubbed the area as he answered, "She was the first vampire. Only she knows her true origins, but there are many stories behind The Queen of Darkness."

Quatre sat uncomfortably in his chair. There was an image of Lilith drinking deeply on some girl entering his mind. He swallowed. Treize looked at him.

Then he began his tale, "When the world was new, and Adam was created, Lilith was his first wife. She wouldn't obey him, so she ran off. She apparently went to one of the Dark Ones. She became the first vampire. She also has powers that other vampires do not have, or can even comprehend.

"She is death. She's killed everyone whose came up against her. She's an unstoppable force of nature. If only one vampire can end the Cycle of Darkness, it's her."

"What is the Cycle of Darkness?" Lady Une asked.

Quatre sat there, clutching his cup as Treize answered, "You humans run around without any force keeping you in check. Vampires keep you in check, in theory, but something keeps vampires in check."

"What?" Quatre asked, wanting to kill Lilith with every breath in his body. There was a voice telling him that vengeance wasn't the answer, and that he should remember his experience in the Wing ZERO.

"You're right, Quatre," Treize said with a smile.

"What?" Quatre asked innocently, not knowing what Treize was talking about.

"That Lilith must be killed immediately. But, who could we find to kill her?" Treize smoothly replied, leaving Quatre to ponder the question.

******

Duo watched as Heero and Aurora landed on the snow. He noticed the circle drawn in blood and the lingering power held there, and the blood clotted on Aurora's hand. He looked up at the burning building and groaned.

He asked, "Ghouls?"

They both nodded. Duo sighed and said, "Come on, I know some place else where we can go." The two looked at him as he began to walk off. He could sense them following him to the SUV. He got into the driver's side as Heero sat in the passenger's side and Aurora in the back.

He looked at the blood clotting on the wound. It was serious. He asked her, "Your hand, is it okay?"

She looked at him with burning, silver eyes, framed by strands of golden hair around her face. She answered, "Yeah, its okay." She was shivering from the cold, so Duo cranked up the heater.

The Deathscythe pilot was tired and hungry. The drugs had worn off a long time ago, but he was weary from the conversation with Forest. He didn't know how to tell his best friend and the young necromancer that he was protecting that the world's First Vampire was planning to end the world. Yeah, that would be great, just go up and say, "Heero, Aurora, Lilith, the most powerful and first vampire is going to end the world."

Yeah, that would be really smooth.

He grunted as he began to drive, looking at the road. He looked at Aurora from the mirror. The elfin blond was looking out of the window, absently holding her injured hand. Duo felt a twinge of lust as he looked at her, the long, silky blond hair, those beautiful, wide, silver eyes, her rose petal mouth parted ever so slightly, the curves of her body as she sat.

I could save her life really easily, Duo thought as he looked at the road, And I'd get something out of it too. He smiled wickedly for a moment as he drove. Heero looked at the back compartment and asked, "What's that?"

Duo grinned and answered, "Supplies."

Heero looked at Aurora and said, "I told you."

Aurora raised a graceful eyebrow and replied, "You're right. I'm surprised he came back alive."

Duo grunted and looked out the window. He replied, "Well, I guess you just don't know me very well, Baby."

She shrugged and looked out of the window. Duo sighed as an image of her laying on a bed, her long hair faired around her, her eyes darkened with passion, entered his mind. Then, he felt something.

Dark power. It caught onto his mind and wouldn't let go.

He listened to the laughter of the solders as he returned to the church. It was in ruins, burning to the ground, bodies littered everywhere. Duo looked around, spinning, looking for his mentor. He felt the weight of his braid as he moved frantically, his mind concentrating on that simple movement.

"Father Maxwell!" he shouted, running frantically, "Sister Helen!" He kept running. He made sure he didn't trip over dead bodies as he moved. He knew something was wrong, he could sense it as he moved.

Then he came upon the two corpses. Sister Helen was lying on the ground Spread Eagled, blood staining her habit crimson, trickling down her mouth and forehead. Duo felt sickened. Not even vampire kills were this savage.

Duo looked over to see Father Maxwell, his guts spilling out of his body in a purplish mass out of his robes. He looked away, vomiting the contents of his stomach onto the ground. The acid burned his throat and teeth as he vomited. He dry heaved for a few moments before he could turn around and . . . .

"Duo!"

Duo was slumped over the wheel. He looked up to dimly see Heero fighting off some ghouls and Aurora poking him in the shoulder. She shouted, "He's gonna die!"

One of the ghouls grabbed Heero and he spun around, tossing it over his shoulder. Duo moaned as he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. A cold thought hissed at the back of his brain: The Massacre was worse than any vampire attack he ever seen. Were humans truly that monstrous?

"Heero," Duo grumbled as he stepped out of the car. He got out his scythe and coldly headed toward the swarming mass of the dead and his best friend.

Heero was holding his own, but there were just too many ghouls around. He stepped into the fray and started to swipe, taking off heads as he did. Heero stepped back and watched him as Duo methodically took heads off.

He stood there, in the midst of the bloody bodies as Heero looked at him. Heero asked, "What happened back there?"

Duo stood there, panting, half stooped. He couldn't explain what had just happened to him in the car. He answered, "I don't know Heero." Then, he felt whatever it was take over his mind again.

He sat in Deathscythe's cockpit, smiling at the carnage he had caused. Duo grinned as his scanners indidicated that there were no survivors in the Oz base he had just anhiliated. He chuckled, "whoever sees me has a date with their maker."

He throttled Deathscythe's thrusters as he burst into the sky like some angel of death, ready for the next target.

Are you really much different from them, Duo Maxwell?

"Duo, Duo," Heero's voice called him from the vision. Duo noticed he had pitched forward, Heero supporting him. He looked into his best friend's dark blue eyes, and was surprised to see concern in their jewel colored depths. With his defenses down, Duo could sense that Heero was concerned and afraid for his friend.

Duo straitened up and panted, "Something's in my head." He was angry. He was supoce to be protected from mind control, not having someone bringing up memories that he didn't want to see again.

The rest of the Maxwell's Church Massacre played out in the God of Death's mind . . .

Duo turned around, the sweet stench of the broken organs filling his nostrils. There was a soft choking sound from Father Maxwell. He bent down, listening to the priest's quiet gasps for air as he clung to life for a few stray moments.

Duo could feel his overwhelming pain and fear as he took the old priest's hand. He held it gently, tears stinging his eyes like the smell of fresh vomit and broken intestinenes wafting to his nostrils. He whispered, "Father, don't move. I'll go get help."

Father Maxwell smiled for a brief moment and said, "Little Duo, you know as well as I do that this can't be helped." The kindly priest's normally sparkling eyes were growing dimmer as he went on, sorrow tinging his voice, "I can't believe people did this, Duo. The world doesn't need a projector from the Dark Ones now. It needs one from itself."

"Father, please, don't," Duo whispered, choking back on a sob. He wasn't going to let himself cry out, no way in hell. He could feel Father Maxwell dimming.

Then, he felt a bright flash of determination in the priest as Father Maxwell said, "Help them. You're a hope for humanity in more ways than one, Duo." Then, the priest's eyes dimmed. Duo held his hand and sat there quietly, not sobbing, his violet eyes bright with tears.

As the flames of battle raged on behind Duo, he took Sister Helen and Father Maxwell's rosaries from their cooling corpses. He stood up, the hot breeze from the flames playing at his clothing. "People did this. Maybe I'm supoce to help the good people and not just people in general," Duo said aloud as he ran from the burning church that he had felt at home in.

Duo whispered, "Heero, you drive." Heero only nodded as he took the keys from Duo.

******

Aurora felt a dark power that called out to her natural abilities. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat as Heero and Duo got back in the car, with Duo sitting in the passengers side this time. She checked out Heero, making sure that he was all right. The Dampier had saved her life twice so far without even a thank you.

Hell, Heero wanted to kill her because it made sense. Aurora knew that made perfect sense, if she died, then whoever was hunting her wouldn't be able to use her as a sacrifice, as Duo thought. It wasn't because they needed a virgin necromancer for a spell, she was going to be a sacrifice.

She played with the locket around her neck. There was a dream catcher carved in the silver, a symbol of her Native American heritage. Her grandmother's full name was Ohma Hunting Wolf, a pure Cherokee who had powers. She was a physic and a healer. Powers were passed down through the Hunting Wolf line through the female. Her aunt, Laurel Winters, was a clairvoyant as well as a telepath. Necromancy was the rarer power of the Running Wolf line, and, from the Druid ancestry of her mother's side of the family, Aurora was born a necromancer.

She had other latent senses as well, and with just power of will, she could break wards, fell the magic crashing around her. The trick she had pulled earlier with the blood circle had worked. There had been theories about it before, but it actually worked this time.

She froze, sensing a dark power blanketing them in the SUV. She peered out of the window to see a young girl standing on the side of the road, her platinum blond hair blowing in the breeze with an older woman with dark hair standing beside her, wicked smiles on both of their faces. Then, the shadows swallowed the pair.

Aurora swallowed.

******

Zechs stood in the airport, ready to go. He was headed to the Carpathiean mountains, one of the most mystical areas on the planet. Lilith was there, ready to end the world as man knew it.

And Zechs wasn't about to let it happen. As he was about to board the plane, he felt something watching him. He spun around, seeing silvery-blue eyes watching him. He went after the person, being lead into the shadows.

Zechs looked around and drew his sword from his cloak. He said, "Show yourself, damnit."

A hand reached out, wrapped itself around Zechs' neck, and thrust him into a wall. His bones rattled as he was slammed into the wall. He swung his arm out, hoping to injure his enemy with the sword, but a slender, but lithely muscled, arm, reached out and caught his sword blade. He slammed it into the wall and Zechs growled as he felt the bones in his wrist break.

He looked into the pair of icy silvery-blue eyes in a pale face and sensed the power coming from the vampire. He was tall, dressed all in black, with dark red hair. His expression was emotionless as he said, "Boy, have you seen Quinn?"

"Don't call me, Boy," Zechs snapped as he prepared to throw the vampire away from him. The vampire tightened his grip and Zechs choked as he constricted on his windpipe. He was slammed into the wall again.

The vampire asked, "Have you seen Quinn?"

"Why do you care?" Zechs choked.

He answered, in emotionless tones, "Because I was ordered to kill him."

"Yeah, but you won't be able to find him," Zechs snapped.

The vampire let go of him and stepped back. He was a little taller than Zechs, and there was an elegance to his movements that frightened the Dampier just a bit. There was something almost familiar to him that Zechs didn't like.

The vampire stepped back into the shadows, saying, "Thank you. I'll let you live. You're not my prey. At least, not now."

Zechs rubbed at his throat absently as he growled. He started to run after the vampire, but he sensed nothing.

******

The ghouls curled themselves around the little girl's leg. She looked to be around ten years old with her flaxen hair and huge, violet eyes. She absently petted one of the ghouls as she looked up at the woman with the dark brown hair. She was beautiful with sea blue eyes and slightly curling, long, dark hair.

The little girl asked in her singsong voice, "What did you do to the God of Death?"

The woman smiled and replied, "He has memories that can easily be pushed."

The little girl chuckled and said, "Lilith will be pleased, as am I, Faye."

Faye smiled, bowing slightly as the little girl stroked one of the ghouls lovingly beside her. The ghoul looked at her with red eyes before it licked the little girl's hand. The little girl chuckled girlishly as she playfully pushed the ghoul away.

Faye told her, "Thank you, Illiana."

"Now, what about the Necromancer?" Illiana asked cheerfully as the powerful vampire went down to her knees, scratching a ghoul like a normal child would scratch a favorite pet.

Illiana smiled and said, "Faye, you could go up against her, couldn't you?"

Faye only smiled at that comment. She turned around to a pillar and picked up a crystal ball. She waved her hand over it, felling her power flair out. An image of Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, and the young necromancer sitting in a car dissolved into the quartz.

Illiana reached up with one of her small hands and traced Heero's face. She giggled, "This should be fun."

To Be Continued!