Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Strange Fellowship ❯ Part Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

This is a story from Duo's POV. Duo is a Kitco - a race of cat-people that are viewed as 'lesser people' and trouble-makers. Following his Sixth Sense (something all Kitcos possess) he finds himself foiling a kidnapping of a young noble. Little does he know that that was only the beginning, the encounter is going to change his life forever and lead him in a direction he NEVER expected.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Fantasy | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 09.03.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 890 | Status: Work In Progress

Strange Fellowship: Part Four
by Kai

Giftfic: for Enna (because she deserves it!)

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Gundam Wing and I get absolutely NO money for doing this.

Ratings: NC-17 (sexual content and language) this will likely be happening in the future so it'll be the rating for the entire fic

Warnings: AU, fantasy, action, yaoi, violence and language, etc.

Pairings: 2x5x6 (main pairing) and maybe a side order of 1x3x4 (not sure yet, we'll see...)

Summary: This is a story from Duo's POV. Duo is a Kitco - a race of cat-people that are viewed as 'lesser people' and trouble-makers. Following his Sixth Sense (something all Kitcos possess) he finds himself foiling a kidnapping of a young noble. Little does he know that that was only the beginning, the encounter is going to change his life forever and lead him in a direction he NEVER expected.

A Strange Fellowship: Part Four
by Kai

Duo's POV

Wufei and Zechs came running out of the Inn seconds later, swords drawn and looking decidedly unhappy. I couldn't really argue with that because I wasn't too happy with the situation either. I stepped a bit into the doorway so that they could see me.

Their eyes darted over the buildings as the two of them scrambled towards me. They slid into the stable and forced me away from the door, as if expecting more arrows to fly through the air and do their best to turn me into a walking pin cushion. The two of them pushed me back until I was encircled by them, Quatre, Heero, and Trowa. It was like being engulfed by an overly protective, suspicious, and VERY pointy cocoon. "It's alright, whoever they were, they're gone now."

There was some unspoken communication thing going on between the others. My Sixth Sense helpfully informed me that Quatre had a telepathic link with the others, one that had evolved into a link between them and wasn't dependant on Quatre or his abilities any longer. It made me wonder why Quatre hadn't used it to get help from them when he'd been in the ally.

I could sort of understand how they were reacting but I could take care of myself. I would have thought that had been obvious considering what had just happened as well as the time that I'd helped Quatre. My tail was twitching in agitation as I pushed out of the circle despite their best efforts to keep me inside it. Once outside it I glared at them. "I'm not some naive or stupid kit! I don't need your protection, I managed to protect myself just fine and I've been doing a good job of it all my life. And if you know anything about what Kitcos can do, you'd know that when I say whomever tried to kill me is gone; then they're gone!" They flinched visibly when I said 'kill' but I didn't ease up. My Sixth Sense told me that if I did that then I'd be treated like some fragile doll for the rest of my life. "Do you know anything about Kitcos?"

Quatre looked a bit sheepish as he pulled away from the others enough to try and show that he trusted what I said. "Only stories and rumours. There isn't much known about Kitcos really."

I sighed and couldn't keep my ears from drooping slightly. "Then I'm going to have to explain a few things later."

The other four put their weapons away, though they didn't look too happy about it. I couldn't tell if Quatre had ordered them or if it was their own decision and my Sixth Sense had decided to take a break at the moment.

"Sir?" One of the men in the stable was watching me in distrust; he'd gone so far as to take a step to place himself between Quatre and I. I turned to look at Wufei and Zechs, feeling too many things to try and label them. "This is why I wear the hat." With that I turned back towards the Inn, but before I could get through the door, a burly man blocked the entrance and watched me in unmasked distrust.

"No Kitcos allowed."

Behind me I heard a gasp and I knew the others had followed me. I just stared at the man, I knew he was security at the Inn, I'd seen him before, and I had a strong feeling he was wishing that those arrows hadn't missed. Finally I just shrugged but not until he started to squirm under my gaze. "Fine."

I spun and started stalking away from the Inn, when a strong hand gently caught my wrist. Without looking I knew it was Zechs. "You still have to have a bath."

Looking over my shoulder at him, my eyes wide and ears straight up in confusion, I caught sight of an interesting confrontation back at the Inn's Entrance. "What...?" I came to a stop so quickly that I nearly tripped over my own feet, and if Zechs hadn't been hanging onto me, I might have eaten a mouthful of dirt.

Zechs just smiled down at me. "Quatre threatened to leave and find an Inn that would allow Kitcos. I believe the Innkeeper is having a change of heart. Now, while they take care of those unpleasantries, I believe you and I have a date with a bath."

My ears went flat against my head as I stared up at him pitifully. "Do we have to?"

He brushed my bangs out of my eyes and lightly stroked my cheek with his thumb before pulling his hand away and tugged me forward with the hand that was still on my wrist. "Yes. We have to. Now come on."

As we walked back to the Inn, I slid in behind Zechs and moved as close to him as I could without actually touching him. There was no point to stirring up more trouble by rubbing people's faces in the fact that a Kitco was going into the Inn. I hadn't realized that I'd grabbed a fistful of Zechs' jacket until he'd pulled me close to his side and wrapped an arm around me in a bit of a hug.

I barely noticed I was indoors. Then, just like that, we were inside Quatre's room. I'd forgotten that his Numina was teleportation. "You didn't have to do that." It came out a bit mumbled, since I was still pressed up against him. I couldn't help but blink at his sudden smile.

"Maybe not but I wanted to." Suddenly I found myself shirtless and staring at my shirt in his hands. He was really quick, though... I suppose he'd had practice even before he'd gotten together with Wufei. Despite my sudden embarrassment, I noticed he was frowning slightly - just as his hand started to move lightly over my chest. "You're so thin I can see your ribs and you have so many scars..."

I tried to fight down the urge to purr as he absently stroked my skin, running his fingers over old scars as well as recent ones. It'd been a long time since I'd been touched in a friendly or loving way. There was a story I'd heard; it'd said that a Kitco would fade away if they were never touched. Considering how much touching and being touched meant to me, I had no trouble believing it. And it'd been so long... when Zechs finally pulled away from me I couldn't keep from whimpering; feeling suddenly so unbearably alone that I was shaking. It was so easy to ignore needs so long as you never had to be reminded of them.

"Duo...?" And suddenly he was holding me to him, sinking slowly to the floor near the wall and pulling me into his lap. I couldn't keep myself from rubbing every part of me against him that I could. I knew I shouldn't, he wasn't mine and neither were any of the others. I shouldn't be marking him like I was doing, but I couldn't help myself. A kind hand smoothed down my braid, he probably had no idea what I was doing. It took me a few minutes before I eventually stopped. "Duo?"

My face was buried in the front of his shirt. He smelled so good. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Are you okay now?"

I didn't bother pulling away and just nodded into his chest.

He chuckled slightly and gathered me to him, lifting me easily and before I fully realized what my Sixth Sense was screaming at me, I found myself sitting in a tub of warm water, coughing and hissing angrily as I tried to brush wet hair away from my face. My claws were trying to extend but I managed to keep them in check as I glared and pouted at Zechs. "You could have let me take off the rest of my clothes and my shoes first."

He just shrugged, unrepentant. "I thought it might be better to do it quickly, like when removing a bandage."

I just crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him as water dripped from my ears.

He leaned forward a bit and winked at me. "Besides, I didn't want to risk you running away."

He disappeared before the wave of water I sent his way could actually hit him. Arrogant bastard... why the hell had I marked him again? I deftly ignored my Sixth Sense as it took out a scroll and unrolled it to show a list a few yards long. Stupid Sixth Sense.

********************************

I stripped off the rest of my clothing and quickly wiped clean my numerous hidden blades and lock picks. They were all spelled against rusting but it wasn't good to take chances with the things your life could depend on.

Once I was done with that, I found myself scowling at the wooden tub, but, considering the way Zechs had dumped me in the water the first time, trying to avoid it would likely be a bad idea. So, I climbed back in slowly, if anyone had seen me they probably would have said that my approach to the water was similar to a person who expected something to suddenly jump up and attack them. I still got in though...

Since I'd had to unbraid my hair to remove some of my lock picks and a couple of my knives, I didn't have to worry about it beyond washing it. I scrubbed down so quickly I probably broke all kinds of records. Still, by the time I was done, I was clean and hopefully wouldn't have to do a repeat performance for a few weeks. Somehow, even without my Sixth Sense laughing at me, I knew that with my current companions that going a few days without bathing in some way would make me a very lucky Kitco.

Once I was finished, I dried of and shook out my ears and long, black tail, trying to ignore how sensitive it was to the touch. Once done I combed out my hair, choosing to leave it down for a little while so it could dry a bit before I braided it. Then I grabbed the bundle Sally had given me, the one that had somehow managed to stay with me through everything, and pulled out the clothes. I was expecting to have to do some sewing on the pants to account for my tail as clothes weren't made specifically for Kitcos after all. I froze when I saw that the sewing had already been done. My Sixth Sense came at me swinging. Sally had known. She'd known what I was and she still said she was glad that they'd finally found me and what was more shocking was that when she'd said those words, she'd meant them. My Sixth Sense was leaving no doubts as to that. I felt strangely humbled by that. I'd only met a handful of people that even tolerated my people and only two that had actually managed to love us. It always put me off-balance when I encountered anyone like that. And considering Kitcos had an amazing sense of balance, I couldn't say I'd ever come to enjoy the feeling.

I put the clothes on, marveling at how well they fit. I was thankful they were dark colors because even though Wufei and Zechs may have been right about not hiding the fact that I was a Kitco, I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself. At least, I didn't want to draw attention I had no control over.

After I was finished dressing, I sat on the window ledge, letting the sun and the slight breeze dry my hair. I had an urge to climb to the roof but squashed it. I wasn't used to people worrying about me, but my Sixth Sense told me that if the others came to get me and I wasn't where they expected me to be, that things would get a tad bit chaotic. And considering what had already happened, that was the last thing any of us needed. So I stayed where I was and tried not to think too much about the unexpected turn in my life. After a few minutes, I decided my hair was dry enough and deftly braided my tools back into it before putting my knives back on. All I needed was for my boots to dry.

I shouldn't have worried because Quatre came in with an almost new pair. They were worn just enough that wearing them for long periods shouldn't hurt my feet. "Are you ready to go?"

I frowned as I looked up from putting the boots on. "Aren't Zechs and Wufei going to bathe?"

He smiled at me as he sat down on the bed. "They took a bath in their room. Everyone's ready to go, we're just waiting for you. Do you have anything you need to get before we leave Thungral?"

Everything I owned I had with me at all times, and I'd learned early that the less you carried, the easier it was to get away. "No."

Quatre didn't seem to like my answer but, from what I'd seen, none of them seemed to like any of my answers. "Well, come with me then and we'll get you a horse and on your way to the Oracle."

My ears dropped a bit at the mention of the horses, but I tried not to let it bother me. As I bent to collect my wet clothing, Quatre stopped me. "What?"

"Leave them. I saw that new clothes were packed for you."

Yet again I was frowning at him. "I can't afford all that."

"You don't have to pay for any of it, Duo, it's already taken care of."

"I didn't ask you to buy me anything. I'm not a kept boy or a pet, I can provide for myself when I need to." It ended in a hiss.

He took a step back, startled, before raising his hands in a calming gesture. "I didn't actually pay for it Duo, the Alliance did. You're a Guardian, so the Alliance automatically provides for you. Though, I hope, if I or the others wanted to give you a gift out of friendship that you wouldn't think we were trying to buy you with it. We wouldn't do that to you."

And my Sixth Sense helpfully informed me that he was speaking the truth. I felt like I'd tried to kick a kitten in a fit of anger. "Sorry."

He was quick to smile reassuringly; he was always quick to smile. "It's okay. I know this is all new to you and that it'll be a while before you get used to it and feel more comfortable, so do the others. It took us all a while to accept everything and deal with it and we've had years. You're only known about everything for a couple of days. Now, if you're ready to go we probably shouldn't keep the others waiting. A couple of the horses are a bit high-spirited."

That's what I was afraid of.

**************************

Back at the stables, everyone was saddled and read to go and there were a lot of them. I found out from Quatre that the Guards were called Maganacs and they'd been with Quatre since his birth. Apparently, they went nearly everywhere he did. According to him, if he wanted to do something without them, he actually had to lose them, but he shrugged as he said that - saying it was just easier to let them accompany him.

When we arrived a couple of stable hands brought a horse to each of us and as I took the reigns, I eyed mine wearily. The horse seemed to have similar reservations about me. We continued to eye each other; until the stable hand, a boy no older than nine spoke softly to me under his breath. "She's a right gentle sort, sir. Her name's Bella, and she's not dropped a rider yet, she hasn't."

It was the fact that my Sixth Sense confirmed it as truth that helped me relax, though only a mere fraction. I let the boy help me get on the horse, though it was far from an elegant ascension. Once on the horse I clung to the horn of the saddle with both hands, the reigns tangled around them. The boy didn't say a word as he slid my feet into the stirrups, something I was grateful for. I was doing my best to ignore the murmured comments from the others; murmurs I could hear as well as if they'd been shouting the comments. My ears were rigidly sticking straight up from my head in a mix of agitation, embarrassment, and anger. The fur on my tail and ears was sticking straight out.

Wufei pulled his horse up next to mine. He looked upset as he held my hat out to me. "I shouldn't have pushed you about your hat. May thoughtlessness could have cost you your life and for that I have much to atone for. I should have listened to you."

I wanted to snatch my hat back and slam it over my ears but I didn't; I couldn't. If I did, it would look like I was ashamed of being a Kitco and I wasn't. Besides, if I took it back, Wufei would continue to blame himself for what happened, my Sixth Sense was adamant about that. So I shook my head and offered him a shy smile. "No. You were right. I'm a Guardian and what good is a Guardian who's afraid to be himself. Besides, maybe, by being a Guardian I can help change things a bit. Make them better."

Wufei watched me carefully for a while before grinning and stuffing the hat into his saddle bag. Then he turned back to me and, leaning over the gap between us, he gently untangled the reigns from my hands and fingers. Long fingers caressed my skin as he did. I'd caught his hand in my own before I quite realized it.

I ran my fingers over them and, if we weren't surrounded by so many people, I was fairly sure I would have tried marking him as well. What was wrong with me? As was quickly becoming the norm, my Sixth Sense was stubbornly quiet when I really wanted it to answer.

"Duo?" He said it so softly that only a Kitco could have heard it.

My face burned and the best answer for my actions I could come up with didn't help. "You have nice hands."

He touched my shoulder as he took my horse's reigns, getting me to look at him. He also had a nice smile. "Thank you. If it's okay with you I'll be guiding your horse today, alright?"

"Sure." I tried to ignore my heart's fast pace, as well as the insane, happy bouncing of my Sixth Sense.