Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Abode of Demons ❯ Abode of Demons - Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Authors Notes: Well now, I hope those of your who are loyal enough to me to keep reading this even though its not Mended Wing are enjoying yourselves. I really don't know why some people just don't want to read anything by me that has nothing to do with the Wing Trilogy. I mean… I DID write those other fics under my name, didn't I? You may have to remind me… yes, I did! ::sighs:: Anyways, I'm gonna stop complaining now. ::sniff, sniff:: Some of you may be wondering WHY I always beat up on Relena even though I'm supposed to be a 1+R/1xR fan. Well, this simple truth has two parts: 1) She's just a very easy character to beat up on and, 2) She's a good character to beat up on because all of the GBoys will leap to her aid should she need it because she's so important to the United Earthsphere government. Makes for great plot. Don't worry, I've got something in the planning stages that will give Relena the power and respect she deserves. I won't beat up on her too much in that one, I promise. ::winks:: And I'm sorry this took so long. With school and work and everything else, I haven't been in much of a writing mood. But I started again last night and figured what the heck! I'll give ya'll a little to go on. Hey, a thankies out to Marika Webster and Trenchcoat Man without whom none of this would be possible… oh, no, wait that's my Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech… hehe. Silly me. Here's a thought, since there are more of you people than I can count… I'll just save ALL the thankies for the end, okies? Okies.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. I DO own the mess they're in though. HAHA!

Fanfic recommendations: Marika Webster's A Time to Laugh is shaping up to be odd and completely blasphemous, as usual. It's a great read! On a more serious note, Cherry Blossom's Bleeding on the Inside is a serious fic about the healing process that takes place after a rape. The difference between this rape fic and all of the others? This one is based on the author's own experience. Show Cherry Blossom that there are people out here who care.

Abode of Demons - Chapter Two

Birds chirped merrily. The sun shone down a rain of bright gold sunlight. The sky showed deep blue without a cloud in sight. The lake water matched that hue and took sparkles from the sun as accessories to it's own beauty. Peace reigned so supreme that deer and other furry creatures dared the trek from the nearby forest to see what goodies the human village had to offer them.

So why did Quatre feel so jumpy? He felt the need to run, to hide, to cover his face as though something marked it shamefully. Indeed, he pulled away from the window and the burning sunshine to swipe the drapes closed with one great motion. The little blonde jumped when he heard a sound behind him and whirled.

"Are you alright?" Trowa stood in the doorway, arms crossed, emerald eyes settled on his lover. Anyone else would think him stoic, but Quatre saw the gentle emotion beneath those green surfaces. Trowa was worried about him.

"I'm fine," he answered, then gave a smile, shaky smile. "I think so, anyway."

Trowa lowered his arms and stepped forward, looking down into Quatre's face. His hands lifted, settling possessively on the smaller boy's delicate shoulders. The green of his eyes deepened with the force of his uneasiness.

"Don't tell me you're alright when you obviously aren't." He frowned. "I thought we were past the point in our relationship where you try to placate me by pretending to be fine all the time."

Quatre sighed.

"Something's wrong. I feel it, I just can't tell who it is yet. But they're getting closer."

"Then we'll find out soon enough who it is."

"Yes, but I can't help but feel as thought I should be doing more to try and find out who it is and help them get here. They're obviously in trouble; someone could be after them and they may not make it here." Automatically Quatre leaned into the comforting circle of Trowa's arms and closed his eyes to the images of the world outside his own feelings. Within that sacred space there could be no worry or wrong-doing, so long as the tall acrobat kept his embrace whole.

"They'll make it. If it's someone who knows enough to come to you, then they know enough to protect themselves."

"You're right," the Arabian replied, biased by the warmth of his position. He tilted his head upwards, turning the azure gaze to his lover's face. He knew Trowa could never resist his eyes, or the invitation of his upturned lips. Within seconds the two captured each other in a kiss meant to draw attention away from all that threatened their happiness.

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

Duo jumped when she touched him. Dorothy withdrew her hand quickly, afraid of the nervous and disturbed boy who replaced the man she loved. He sat beside her in the row of shuttle seats, hands shaking and eyes turned away. He recoiled away from her, but also from the people who walked the aisles between rows of seats, so seemed to have shrunk into a miniature version of himself. The large and colorful personality Dorothy had become so accustomed to showed no signs of reemerging.

On her other side, near to the window, Relena stared out over the L4 colony, which grew larger beneath them with every minute that passed. Dorothy, bereft of Duo's strong presence to argue with her, had decided it would be best to put Relena as far from other people as possible. She and Duo stood between the princess and anyone who might have a mind to hurt her. Looking on her pale and jittery companion, Dorothy had to wonder how much help he really would be should anything happen.

What happened? she wondered in an anguished thought. Duo did not look at her, nor had he spoken since their arrival on the shuttle. Dorothy sighed and turned her gaze away, to the back of the seat in front of her. She couldn't force him to speak. But she couldn't let him drown in this sea of whatever kept him struggling to regain himself. Be patient. Let him come to you.

Great. Patience was never one of my strong points.

"Attention all passengers," came the tinny voice of their pilot through the speakers, "we are now approaching L4. You will be asked to please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts for the descent. Also, I am required by the authorities on L4 to remind you that this is the home base of the Winner Corporation, and absolutely no vandalism or criminal activity will be tolerated. Thank you." The voice cut off with a loud, staticky click.

Dorothy heard Duo snort, and smiled at the sound.

"We're going straight to Quatre's, right?" she leaned slightly closer to him to ask. To her dismay he shifted into the corner of his seat farthest from her.

"Yeah. I don't see any reason why not," he replied in that voice of his that hadn't been able to stop shaking. "He probably knows someone's coming anyway. You know Quatre."

You know Quatre.

Not Q-chan or Q-ball. Not even Q-man. Quatre.

Dorothy took a long, deep breath to calm herself. No sense in trying to strangle information out of him. Ironically, Duo could be the most tight-lipped person in existence, when he felt the need. Something told her that he felt the need now, and getting him to talk would be difficult at best and impossible at the worst. The most she could hope for would be calming him enough for him to let her touch him. For perhaps the millionth time she asked herself what he had done, what he had let himself go through, to help Relena.

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

The colony grew larger and larger. She heard the speech made by the captain and the pathetic conversation between her escorts. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She was a big girl, after all, the Vice Foreign Minister of the United Earthsphere and the former Queen of the World to boot. True, she hadn't been Queen for very long, but that was a minor detail. It didn't mean she wasn't perfectly capable of getting on a shuttle by herself to visit one of her closest and dearest friends.

Their nearness gave her a headache. Strange that the back of her head pounded so badly; her headaches usually overcame her head from the front. Well, she would just have to lose her guards once they set foot on the colony, wouldn't she? After all, she wasn't exactly dressed like a Queen, or even a Vice Foreign Minister so she could easily slip into the crowd. Relena looked down at her clothing and frowned. She gazed on her rumpled, dirty trenchcoat and wondered why on Earth she wore such a soiled garment. Why had her escorts let her leave the Earth wearing such a thing? It almost seemed as though . . .

Relena screamed as her head exploded into agony. She felt thin, gentle arms curl around her but couldn't respond. A thin buzzing entered her ears and she sobbed, hands fumbling to cover them so she wouldn't hear that noise anymore. Her head thrummed out a chorus of pain, sending a jolt of white hot electricity through her head each time it pounded. Between the flashes of physical pain came backslaps of emotional pain as her mind replayed the events that brought her here.

"Who were you talking to?" Hiiro asked as she clicked off the vidphone. Relena turned to him and smiled, glad to see him home so early.

"Just the head of L7. I think convincing him to sign the United Earthsphere constitution won't be so difficult after all." Exhilaration passed through her, for what could be better than victory and someone to share it with?

"Don't lie to me, Relena."

"W-What?" She blinked, not comprehending his words for a good moment. Why should he question her? She'd told him the truth. As she looked into his Prussian eyes she saw something there that caused her to take a step backwards. A mistake that brought him charging towards her, scowling in a manner she'd never seen before.

"I said DON'T LIE TO ME!" he yelled as his fist first came down on her face. Her head snapped to the side. Relena stood there, head turned, eyes wide, unable to speak. He couldn't have hit her. Not Hiiro, not her stoic yet loving Hiiro who would protect her with his own life. The thought caused a shudder through her body.

The fist came down again, this time breaking open her bottom lip. Blood welled there, dribbling down her chin and onto the floor.

"H-Hiiro . . ."

"Relena, c'mon, wake up." The arms shook her gently, the voice pleaded with her in a familiar, lukewarm tone. "Relena, we're on L4 . . . we're going to see Quatre; you've got to wake up so we can get out of here."

The bright crack of white light that shone through her barely open lids did not resemble the dim on-board lights of the shuttle. Relena dared to open her eyes wider. Around her she saw the clean, sanitary whiteness of a hospital and Dorothy's worried face. Behind the platinum woman stood a quiescent Duo who looked as though he thought the entire world wanted him dead. Her mind raced through her last memories, trying to figure out how she'd gotten here. For her life she couldn't remember.

"Get up," Dorothy said again, hissing under her breath. She tugged urgently at the princess' arm. "We've got to sneak out of here before the doctors come back and recognize you. We're lucky none of them took a good look at you."

Without replying Relena let the other woman drag her from the uncomfortable hospital bed and out the door, Duo following them in uncharacteristic silence. A busy night kept the doctors and nurses from noticing them as they slipped out. The air outside chilled her a little more than it should; she assumed the colonies environmental controls were on the blink. They often were.

"Where are we going?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She had the feeling she should already know the answer, but Dorothy only gave her a patient and even grateful smile.

"It's good to hear you speaking. We're going to Quatre's, remember? He's going to help us."

"Help . . . us?"

Relena felt herself blinking uselessly. Her head throbbed but she didn't know why. Her lip felt three times too large. Her entire body ached. A tiny bead of panic welled in her stomach.

"Don't worry about it right now," Dorothy assured her, "it can wait until we get to Quatre's."

"And we'll get there faster if some people stop talking." Duo snapped from the lead. His tone made Relena's spirit flutter and shrink into the back of her heart. This wasn't the Duo she remembered, and it made her wonder if she'd slipped into some horrible alternate universe. Awareness of the world around her dimmed as Relena allowed herself to slide backwards into the place she inhabited before her moment of remembrance. The last sound she permitted herself to hear was Dorothy's pleading voice.

"Duo, please be gentle! She's been through a lot, why did you have to snap . . ."

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

Trowa rolled over in the bed, watching Quatre rise and retrieve his clothing. The blonde's hair fell in a mussed halo around his head, making his appearance even more angelic than normal. Through his own disheveled brown bangs, the acrobat watched his lover's graceful movements, each one seeming the gentle beat of a heavenly wing. As he lifted the white dress shirt over his shoulders, Quatre turned luminescent aqua eyes towards Trowa. Though still soft and beautiful, their blue surfaces were steely with a serious look reserved for emergencies.

"They're at the gates," the boy said in his gentle tone.

"Do you know who it is?"

"Dorothy for certain. I can tell from her strong inner core of emotion. But she's hurt and confused. And angry." The Arabian paused and gazed to the window and the orange cast the lights gave to set the mood of sunset. "The other two I can't be sure about. Both are too conflicted for me to read them properly. One is so confused he or she is willingly slipping away from reality. The other is a tight ball of many emotions: fear, anger, shame, hatred . . . hatred both for some outside source and for themselves."

"You go down and meet them," Trowa suggested, rising from the bed to put on his own clothing, "I'll help Rassid determine if anyone's followed them. After we rule out any danger of attack, I'll join you."

"Always looking out for my safety." Quatre walked to him and rose on his toes, placing a soft kiss on Trowa's lips. "I love you."

Trowa smiled.

"I love you, too."

Quatre turned and left the room. Trowa pulled on the rest of his clothes, grabbed his gun from the nightstand, and went out to find Rassid. The head Manguanac stood leaning over Abdul's shoulder in the surveillance room, pointing out different areas from which attackers could approach. When Trowa entered Rassid gave him a curt nod, which the banged pilot returned.

"Who is it?"

"Miss Relena, Duo, and Dorothy," the burly man replied. He straightened, crossing his arms. "Miss Relena is dressed strangely."

"Did anyone follow them?"

"Not that we can see so far, however there has been a report from a local hospital about the disappearance of a patient and her two companions. Apparently they left before the doctor could take a look at her."

"What was she there for?" Trowa took a moment to scan the video screens for any unusual movements outside the premises.

"She had some sort of episode on the shuttle from L2. Screamed, grabbed her head, and fainted after a few seconds."

Trowa frowned and thought on this. The fact that the patient came from the L2 shuttle made the possibility of "her" being either Dorothy or Relena much higher. In fact, his intuition told him that trouble followed any of the pilots and the people associated with them, so the percentage of that possibility rose to one hundred percent.

"Do you think they'll send a search party?"

"Most likely not." Rassid harrumphed. "They've given the authorities a description of the three people, which hasn't been released to the public. None of the police will come here, and if they do we'll turn them away."

"Good. I should go join Quatre and find out what's going on."

Trowa turned and left, travelling a few feet down the hallway to the parlor where Quatre always took his closest friends when visiting. He tucked the gun into the back of his jeans and turned into the room, not quite sure what to expect.

Quatre sat in his favorite chair, leaned back and eyes hard. On the couch directly across the coffee table, Dorothy sat with ankles crossed and hands in her lap. Her dark eyes, filled with fire and rage, turned to him when he entered. Beside her cowered a lump of human being that used to be Relena Darlian/Peacecraft. The strong, proud leader of nations was gone, replaced with a fearful, shuddering girl who apparently didn't even know where she had been taken. And Duo stood away from the others, violet eyes staring out of the glass door. In the air a palpable sense of rage made breathing difficult.

"What's going on?"

Quatre looked at him, blue eyes ablaze.

"We've got trouble."

End Chapter Two.