Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Shade Darker ❯ Chapter 13

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.

A Shade Darker Part 13

By: Elf

They were an unlikely foursome. A vampire, a Damphier, a necromancer, and one of the Called, and here they were, getting into a shuttle together. The shuttle was going to take them to London, where they would wait around a day before they would go to the Carpathian Mountain region. Heero had been surprised that Duo had made the plan so efficiently. He had found the flights, all in dark hours so Quinn wouldn't have to brave daylight, and all in this short time with each other.

All Heero had done was hack them onto first class without buying tickets and bumping some public officials into coach. Not really a task, but, deep down, it amused him. Maybe he'd been around the braided baka for too long. He didn't know. He looked at Duo and Aurora, who were sitting next to each other on the couch.

She had a sketchbook and a set of colored pencils that Duo had "acquired" for her. Duo was leaned back on the couch, sleeping softly. The girl looked up at him then back at her sketchbook. Heero suddenly knew what she was drawing then.

Quinn said, "We better get moving. It's about an hour before our flight."

Heero ignored him as he typed on his laptop. He was looking in the world news. He wanted to know what was going on, other than the supernatural events, around him. There was a headline: "Vice-Minister Relena Darlin Kidnaped by Unknown Faction." His eyes widened as he read on.

There had been an attack at her school and several students had been killed. It had been, reportedly, one man. He had taken Relena and simply disappeared. The article actually said disappeared.

Rage flashed through the young man's mind as he stood up. Quinn asked, "What is it?"

"Heero?" Aurora asked in a concerned voice, looking at him. Duo was still asleep.

He said, "I'm going."

"We're leaving together," Aurora said, her voice betraying her uncertainty.

Heero ignored her and walked away, carrying his laptop with him. He slid into his pilot's jacket and slid a couple of silver clips into his pockets. He checked for his gun and kept walking. He walked right out of the hotel, strait into the night. He had to get to the Sank Kingdom as soon as possible. He didn't know how, but he knew that he did.

He felt Quinn following him. Heero said, "You're not going to stop me."

Quinn said, "Lilith is the one that did this. Don't you know that?"

"I don't care," was Heero's curt reply. He kept walking in the snow and cold, ignoring the man who was his father. He was going to hijack a shuttle from the airport and fly to the Sank Kingdom. There, he had a plan now.

"Odin." Heero froze as Quinn said, "Odin, it's a trap."

Heero spun around to face Quinn. He said, in his coldest and most detached tone, "Try to stop me and I will kill you." He turned around and began to walk again.

"Odin," Quinn said again. I hate that name. There is no Odin anymore. Odin died a long time ago. I hate Odin. I hate Quinn, Heero thought as anger surged through his being. Every instinct in him screamed for him to make sure that Quinn was dead. It was his mission programed into his blood. He couldn't deny it and he didn't want too. He wanted to kill Quinn, despite the fact that Quinn was his father. In fact, that made Heero want to kill him more, and slowly.

Heero stiffened momentarily before he quickened his pace. Quinn was keeping up effortlessly. He said, "Odin, listen to me. This is a trap. I don't know what this girl means to you, but Lilith is just going to use her against you."

"I won't give her the chance," Heero told him curtly as he began to walk.

Quinn sighed and said, "Look, Odin, I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I want to fix things between us incase something does happen."

Through clenched teeth, Heero hissed, "Don't call me that."

"What?" Quinn asked, blinking.

"Odin," Heero spat, like it was rotten. Then he spun back to face Quinn. He asked, "Why the hell should you care, Dad? You left my mother to die and let them take me. Do you have any idea what it's like to grow up in a lab with everything stripped away from you? Emotions, everything." He gave him his Death Glare, surprised that he had said too much too fast. He was surprised at how long he had been holding everything in and how simple it was to let everything out.

It felt good. Damn good.

"I had no control of that!" Quinn snapped at him.

"You didn't try," Heero told him icily.

Quinn said, "You can't go after her. If Lilith's using her for bait, then most likely, she's alright."

"Why would she be using Relena anyway?" Heero asked coldly.

Quinn said, "I'll show you." With that, he walked into the crowd. Heero, mildly curious, followed him. Quinn said, "There's more danger than you think about being a Damphier, boy, much more. And I'm going to show it to you."

******

Zechs watched the sleeping form of the young woman below him. Her dark purple hair fell in soft waves around her face and her chest rose and fell softly as she breathed. He leaned close to her and she sighed and shifted in her sleep.

Noin's slender, pale neck was exposed as she moved. He could see the faint blue artery pulsing right under the skin. He knew that her blood would be pure. He reached out and lightly touched her throat.

She was part of the reason he went vampiric. The vampire nature in his blood had wanted this young woman ever since he first saw her all those years ago. He hadn't touched her, thinking that she was too good for him. He thought that drinking from some nameless, faceless woman would help ease that craving.

It only complicated matters worse.

He became a vampire without all of the weaknesses. The cross didn't bother him, sunlight didn't burn his flesh, holy water didn't faze him, and he could go into homes without an invitation. The problem was that he craved blood and he couldn't stop it. He watched her as she swallowed, that slight contraction of the throat.

No, he thought, swearing to never drink from her. He reached out and lightly caressed her cheek. She turned to face him and her dark violet eyes opened. "Zechs," she whispered as she sat up, "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing, I thought I heard something," he answered smoothly. He was an accomplished liar. After living a lie for the longest time, it was only a matter of time before one would start to be unhonest to everyone.

"Liar," she told him in a tone he knew all too well. It was her teasing tone and her lips quirked up in a crooked grin.

An accomplished liar to everyone but her.

She asked, "Why were they after your sister, and why would any of the Gundam pilots be involved in this?"

Zechs asked, "Didn't Minerva tell you anything?"

Noin smirked and said, "Only that vampires and other supernatural beings exist and that the end of the world is coming. And Duo Maxwell is some sort of God of Death to vampires. And something about him sleeping with a virgin."

Zechs froze and asked, "What about a virgin?"

Noin shrugged and answered, "Well, we went to go see Dorothy, who happens to be a witch, anyway, she did a Tarot reading. It mentioned Death taking innocence. Duo sleeping with a virgin."

"I wonder why?" Zechs asked himself as he sat down beside his former follower.

Noin curled her legs to her chin in an innocent gesture. She rested her cheek on her legs as she studied Zechs. She answered, "I don't know." She reached out and touched his sleeve. She whispered, "I'm so glad that you're not dead."

The temptation to hold her, claim her, and take her was great. He told her, "It's good to see you, Noin."

He was tense. So very tense.

She scooted over to him and asked, "What's wrong?" He looked into her wide eyes and stood up abruptly. She gave a startled whimper and crawled back under her covers, watching him the whole time.

He told her in a curt tone, "I have to go." With that, he exited the room.

******

Heero followed Quinn as he walked into a rave. The lights pulsed around him as bodies crushed together. Then, suddenly, in the crowd, Quinn disappeared. Heero looked around for him, his eyes narrowed.

Then he heard Quinn's voice in his mind, Feel them, Heero? Can you? Their heartbeats, their life, and, most importantly, the blood running in their veins?

Heero froze and caught whiff of it. The people around him were so full of life. He could hear their heartbeats almost deafingly loud as he looked around. He could smell the sweet, coppery smell of their blood.

It was a feeling slightly familiar to him. He had felt it a couple times before, both times with Relena under extreme stress. That was one of the reasons he had put so much distance between them.

In the dark colored lights of the club spiraled around him as he looked around. He took a breath and found that his canines were highly sensitive and slightly throbbing. Heero spun around in the club, looking for Quinn.

Quinn told him, This is what I was telling you about. This is the danger. You can go vampiric, Heero, and this is the reason that Lilith took Relena.

A trap, Heero thought to himself as he took a hold of whatever it was he was feeling. His body felt tingling and strong when that feeling washed over him. He felt powerful.

That's my blood in you talking, Heero. That's what it means to be a vampire. Power. This is the trap that Lilith wants to spring, Quinn told him. Heero looked up and saw his father looking down at him with his dark blue eyes. Quinn asked, Do you understand?

Heero said nothing. He only stared at the vampire and turned out of the club. As soon as the cold air hit him he gave a momentary shiver. He felt something warm wrap around his shoulders and noticed that Quinn put his black leather jacket over his pilot's jacket.

Heero asked, "So how do we get Relena back?"

Quinn smirked for a moment and answered, "Kill Lilith."

******

It seemed like he was standing on the edge of the world. His scythe was clenched in his hand, dripping with blood and gore. He reached up and, in vain, attempted to wipe the blood on his face, succeeding into only smearing it further. His gleaming violet eyes were in startling contrast to the crimson blood on his face.

He shouted, "The God of Death is back from Hell!" He jumped over the chasm, his duster flying behind him. His rage was directed at one person. He couldn't let her win.

She was the Queen of Darkness. The Dark Mother. The First. Lilith.

She was what every Called hungered to fight, to kill. Killing Lilith would make any Called One the most skillful in all of history. He heard the soft femine cries of the small blonde bound to the altar.

The sky was a hellish black with red streaks. Fire raged around him. He rushed to the altar and Aurora looked up at him with her huge silver eyes. He cut the leather thongs that tied her up and gathered her in his arms. Her body was warm and wonderfully alive against his. She sobbed into his shoulder as he stroked her hair and held her.

Then he felt the presence. He looked up, expecting Lilith, but instead it was a witch that he had encountered long ago. Blond hair fell into golden eyes as they stared Duo down. Aurora turned to face him as well, still holding onto Duo.

The scene was familiar. A virgin sacrifice and that witch. He cradled Aurora close to him. The witch laughed and held out a finger. He said, "You don't know what you're dealing with, boy. Lilith isn't your worry. I am."

In the background he saw Heero fighting several vampires by himself, silently. Heero made eye contact and nodded. Duo grinned and said, "Where's the bitch?"

The witch smirked and said, "She isn't your death. I am." Then he snapped his fingers.

Duo flinched. It felt that he was being ripped out from the inside out. He screamed in pain as his insides twisted inside of him and the witch smiled. Heero froze, his sword drooping as he watched in disbelief. Duo cried out as collapsed to the ground. Aurora gave a startled cry as she tried to catch him.

He felt coppery liquid rise from his throat. He coughed a thick, bloody flem as he held himself on the ground. Aurora was still trying to hold him, tears spilling out of her silver eyes. Heero shouted, "No!" The Perfect Solder ran to him, his mouth twisted up in a snarl, bearing fangs.

Aurora cried out, "DUO!"

"WAKE UP, DUO, WAKE UP," a familiar voice told him as he regained consciousness. His eyes opened to see a pair of huge, anxious silver eyes looking at him. He reached out and lightly touched her features. She smiled brightly with relief as she said, "You were having a nightmare. You okay?"

Duo nodded and said, "Another nightmare."

"You've been having these a lot?" she asked, the concern plain in her tone.

He smiled at her for a moment, enjoying her concern for him. It was tempting to pull her into another kiss right now. He said, "I've had nightmares all my life. I either ignore them or wonder whats making me have them."

Aurora put her pad and pencils down as she turned to face him. She said, "Bad memories."

"You're whole family and friends were killed, weren't they?" he asked softly.

She nodded and answered, "Yeah, by Damon."

Duo's eyes narrowed. He was personally going to give the vampire a painful death. He had seen, in a moment when he wasn't in dilrium, when Damon had sniffed her over. Hot hatred had bubbled up in him at that moment. He wasn't going to let that bastard hurt her at all.

He asked, "What happened?"

She chewed on her lip and her hands absently went to a locket. There was a cross on the same chain as well. They were both silver.

The metal gleamed in the light as she fingered the locket. She opened and looked down at it. She took it off and handed it to Duo. He took it from her slender, short fingers as he looked down at it.

There was a photo of a woman who looked strikingly like Aurora except that she had brown eyes instead of silver and a man with copper skin, black eyes, sharp features, and black hair. Her parents he expected as he studied the photo. Aurora sighed and looked down at her hands as he held the locket.

He could feel an emotional residue from it. It held very intense emotions: fear, sorrow, guilt, grief, and an overwhelming sense of love. He closed his eyes and focused on it. He wasn't a physic, but, sometimes, if the impressions were strong enough, he could get a picture of the object.

He felt a sense of age around it. Power and tradition locked into it. It was a family legacy. He opened his eyes and studied it. It was silver with a circle with feathers trailing from it. The circle had an almost spider web design on it. There was something slightly magical about it.

He asked, "Is there magic on this?"

Aurora chewed on her lip again. The motion slightly drove him crazy. It was tempting to just grab her and kiss everything away. To bury himself into her soft warmth and forget everything. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

She answered, "It's a Dream Catcher."

"A what?" Duo asked, looking at it.

"It's an Indian thing. Almost all the Indian cultures had them. It catches evil spirits that cause nightmares. You saw my father," she said, nodding at the locket.

"You're half Indian, cool!" Duo exclaimed to her.

She laughed and shook her head. He realized that he had never heard her laugh before. It was a soft sound, tinkling, pleasant to listen too. She answered, "No, I'm not. I'm a quarter. My dad was half. The other half was German. My Grandma, Ohma Hunting Wolf, had powers. She passed those powers down through the line. On my mother's side, there was Druids from Scotland and Ireland. That combination made me a necromancer somehow."

"Whoa, just by your blood line the Church would have had you burned," Duo said in amazement. She glared at him and he flinched. He said, "But we both know what kind of idiots they are, Aurora." He rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "Do you think you have other powers?"

She shook her head and answered bitterly, "No. Out of all the powers to get I had to get damn necromancy. Why couldn't of I been a telepath, a telekinetic, or a healer? A healer would have been better than being a damn necromancer."

She crossed her arms as she grumbled. Duo chuckled and shook his head. She was so damn cute. She looked at him and he smiled. He handed her back her locket and cross with a chuckle. He told her, "Maybe you need the protection from dreams."

"I'm not the one who's been having nightmares," she told him as she glared at him.

He leaned back and absently asked, "Was I the only one to ever kiss you?"

She turned bright red as she looked away from him. She stuttered, "Why you . . . Damn you . . . YES."

He chuckled and said, "I thought so."

"What do you mean?" she snapped, turning to face him.

He chuckled again, enjoying her frustration. He leaned close to her and looked directly into those amazing silver eyes of hers. He leaned even closer when she didn't back away, making sure that their faces were mear inches away from touching.

He answered, "You just are so innocent it's cute."

"Listen you, I'm not the one who ran off and slept with a girl I didn't know," she snapped at him, her eyes darkening.

He smirked and quipped, "I hope you weren't sleeping with another girl."

She blushed bright red and began to stammer, "I'm not a lesbian."

Duo leaned in and whispered, "I know. You want me."

"You bastard," she hissed.

Duo smirked and replied, "Yeah, that may be true, but you still want me."

"Do not," she denied, even though he could sense the heavy falseness in her lie. He smirked as he leaned in, lightly brushing his lips with hers. He waited for a reaction and she lightly brushed her lips with his. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, hard, fast, long, and hot. He felt with satisfaction that her hands reached round his neck and entwined themselves in his hair as she timidly responded to him.

He moved his mouth to her cheek, down her throat then strait back up to her mouth again. As he kissed her with growing heat he ran his hands up and down her spine, hoping to relax some of the tension there. She was afraid of many things. Damon, her dying, the end of the world, and, strangely enough, him dying. She didn't want him hurt.

He pulled back, touched for her concern and protectiveness. He held her, tucking her head under his as he lightly kissed the top of her silky head. He took a deep breath and realized that she smelled like cheep hotel shampoo with a hint of lavender of all things.

The smell of magic, he realized.

He held her tightly and promised, "I won't let anyone hurt you." He lightly stroked her hair as they sat in silence.

She looked up at him and whispered, "I tried."

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

She played with her locket and cross. She answered, "Sleeping with other guys. I couldn't even kiss any of them. I couldn't . . ." She sighed and went on, "Couldn't be like that with someone that I didn't love."

Duo smiled at her and stroked her hair. That was a quality rarely found now a days. A Good Quality, an honest, pure, simple quality. He made a promise to himself. No matter how much he wanted her, he wasn't going to force her in anyway. If something was to happen between them, then she was going to start it. Not including kissing though.

Her innocence was important to her and, he'd be damned, he was going to make sure that she'd get through all of this still intact.

******

The shuttle ride to London went without incident. None of them sensed something out of the ordinary, except that Duo swore that he caught wind of a werewolf. Quinn told him if it didn't attack, then don't worry about it.

So, the four of them stood at the London Airport, looking at Ole London Town. Aurora smiled and said, "I always wanted to visit here." Then she gave an ironic snort, "Just not under these circumstances."

Duo looked around as he spotted Big Ben and Winsidor Palace. He pointed and said, "Cool, Big Ben. Amazing that it's in such good condition after all of these years."

"And still keeping time as perfectly as before," Quinn said with a smirk. He looked around and said, "Surprisingly, its not raining either."

Aurora sighed as she huddled into her jacket. She said, "I wish I could get a chance to look around this place." Then, Duo sensed something. Apparently, so did his three companions.

Quinn said, "Stay here." With that, he snuck into the shadows. The three teens looked at each other.

Duo sighed and said, "I hate it when they do that."

Heero said, "Follow him." Duo rolled his eyes and was about to complain about taking orders when he felt the glimmer of concern coming from his friend. He sighed as he pulled his scythe from his duster and looked at Aurora. He pulled out his gun and handed it to her.

He asked, "Do you know how to use one of these?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, if not, I'm a quick learner."

******

Quinn entered the alley with a sense of forewarning. He knew this was going to happen to him and how this was going to end. He called out with his mind, Joshua, I know that you're there.

You're right as always, Quinn, Hunters replied as he stepped out of the darkness. The dim lights of London glinted off of his dark red hair and made his eyes appear like liquid silver. Quinn faced the Dark Hunter.

He asked, aloud, "Who sent you?"

"Lilith, unfortunately. This is very hard for me," Hunters told him softly.

Quinn smirked, he understood. Hunters had been hunting him for a long time. He said, "So this is it then? We're finally going to see which one of us it the better."

Hunters told him, "I always wanted to fight you, to hunt you. You were actually a challenge. It's a shame that I finally have to end this."

Quinn sighed and pleaded, "Hunters, you don't want the world to end as much as I do. You don't have to do this."

Hunters sadly smiled and said, "Quinn, I have no other choice."

Quinn smiled dryly as he rushed the other vampire.

******

Heero was ahead of Duo and Aurora as they ran. He could hear the sounds of two people fighting in a near by alley. He drew his gun and ran into the alley with Duo and Aurora a heartbeat behind. Then what he saw chilled him.

Quinn was lying on the ground, his eyes closed, the look on his face peaceful and excepting. The vampire above him had a wooden stake in his hands, ready to plunge it into Quinn's heart. Heero shouted, "STOP!"

The vampire looked at him with silvery-blue eyes. The look in his face was apologetic as he turned back to Quinn. Duo swore, "Dammit, we're too late." Then, the vampire stabbed Quinn right threw the heart with the stake.

Time froze for a moment as Quinn looked over at Heero and mouthed the words I'm sorry. Then, with a sort of a gentle smile, he exploded into ashes. Heero sent the other vampire his best Death Glare.

The other vampire gave an apologetic smile before he ran off in the darkness. Heero took off after him. He knew Duo and Aurora weren't following him, which was all the better.

He ran after the vampire silently keeping pace with the redhead. He pulled out his gun and prepared to shoot. Suddenly, the vampire was gone. Heero felt something behind him and was about to spin around when he felt someone take a hold of him.

He recognized the hold. It was inescapable. The vampire whispered, "I'm sorry." Then, with a harsh shove, Heero tumbled forward a few feet. He quickly regained his balance and spun around. The vampire was gone.

He heard Duo and Aurora come up behind him. He ignored them, and the tears stinging his eyes. Aurora asked, "How long before our next flight."

"Twenty hours," Duo said grimly.

Twenty hours was a long time to dwell on something, Heero realized.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: I know I usually have these posted at the beginning of the story, but I wanted Quinn's death a surprise. Okay, still looking for fan art. Yes, I am a Zechs/Noin fan, btw.

I'd like to thank Marce, Katrina, Sam, Trio, Misty, and Shinny-Chan. Hey, Shinny, give me an e-mail at slaybrat@aye.net, will ya?