Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Stone ❯ Chapter 4

GW and its characters don't belong to me but to Sunrise/SOTSU Agency Bandai etc. etc.

Here is another installment of Blood Stone. I must thank everyone who has reviewed this, despite their pleasure or disdain for certain events that's taken place or how certain characters have been portrayed. I have an idea of what I want to happen chapter to chapter but then, during the process of writing, something similar but not exact, or something totally different or unexpected develops after I'm done writing. So even my control of events is limited. But thanks to everyone who is sticking by this story; I'll try my hardest not to disappoint.

Also I know I've spelled Mariemeia (sp?) wrong on several occasions as well, so thanks for putting up with that error too.

Enjoy.

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

"So there you have it. I'm not going to lie to you, about it."

With a scowling glare, Hildie's eyes bore into Duo's. "How could you have disgraced me with her? You want to touch me, after…how dare you!"

"Well, you weren't exactly giving me the signs I needed to stay faithful to you. Besides, we weren't even bound then. And, how do you think I felt when you would go to Heero at his beck and call?"

"I'm not the only one; every female in the running to be his mate shares his bed at different times. It's how it has always been, for ages, but for you…with that human filth!"

"Oh please, Hildie. You're not so much upset with what I did with Relena then you are at the fact that Heero booted you out of the running." Duo snorted a laugh as he spoke some more, yet under his breath. "Though I don't think it's a coincidence the night he kicked you out was the same night me and Relena…"

"What was that, Duo?"

"Nothing." The cousin of Heero sunk his head in depression; his dark bangs concealing the pain in his eyes. "I thought you loved me, Hildie. Even a fraction of how much I loved you."

Midnight blue eyes softened as they looked upon the defeated form. "I do love you Duo, but the honor, the power that comes with being the mate of the clan's leader. It's so enticing and all consuming, and well, I guess I forgot about everything, even the fact that I loved you, but really cared nothing for Heero."

"What?" Duo gasped in pure surprise, lifting his head and looking upon on her this time. "But Heero, he's…"

Curling her arms around his narrow waist, Hildie pressed her cheek against Duo's solid chest.

"To be honest, I could never love anyone else."

"And what about what I did with Relena?"

She pulled slightly away, her hands smoothing up his body until they clasped his shoulders. "I'm not happy about it, but, you took pity on the poor thing, I mean, seriously, she's no hope of ever getting mated, plus I know that some male wolves do have a fascination with human females, which you've gotten out of your system, so I don't have to worry about you being with her in that way anymore, or any other way."

Hildie began to slide her body provocatively along Duo's, managing to snake her way up until her lips were a breath away from his. "Especially, now that you have me…you never need to have anything to do with her, ever."

Closing his hold upon his betrothed even tighter, Duo agreed to her command as gave into the kiss that she gave him; the two then slowly began to drag one another down to the floor of cave.

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

Upon her arrival and initial examination of Milliardo she had grown very confused. He had always been a person of great strength and excellent health, with even the slightest of colds never having to be able to get their hold on him. She had no clue as to why the illness had come so sudden and was so severe but she did know she did not like the queen or her treatment of the man she was still very much in love with and hoped that he still had felt the same towards her.

"Milliardo…love…here, take a sip of this, it'll make you feel better."

The king tried his best to sit up on his own as he opened his eyes to the familiar voice.

"Luc…rez"

"Sh,sh, sh. don't try and talk, you're very weak. Just drink this." She steadied her arm behind his broad shoulders helping him sit up.

He gagged down a sip of the dark bitter liquid, his eyes focusing enough now so that he could see his angel of mercy clearly. Her eyes were as bright and as blue as ever, her complexion, though olive in tone, still smooth and flawless. Her hair was the color of the night itself, its highlights sheens of dark lavender. He gagged again, but not from the taste of the medicine.

"You, you cut your hair."

Blushing slightly Lucrezia lowered her eyes from his. "It's easier, being in my line of work, with so many diseases and messes…you don't like it?"

He raised a large, shaky hand to the top of her head and once it was placed there, palm flat, he smoothed it downward until his fingertips were resting to the side of her chin.

"It's just hair, it doesn't matter…you will always look beautiful to me."

Lucrezia licked her lips nervously as she fought back tears that threatened to fall when she heard his words. She took the empty cup from him and placed it on the stand beside the bed. Seeing his lids growing heavy once again she eased him back down onto the bed where she then laid her head upon his chest, allowing a few tears to escape this time.

"I promise, you, Milliardo. I will find out what the witch of woman has done to you and I will heal you, and then, I don't know, but we will be together again, somehow, I promise you."

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

Tousling her damp hair with her fingers tips, Relena sighed as she sat down in the mid-day sun on the same hill where just two nights prior she and Duo had made love. She couldn't help but smile slightly as she lay back in the sweet smelling grass, memories of that wondrous night filling her head. With those thoughts she relaxed completely, allowing the heat of the sun's ray melt through her skin.

Suddenly the warmth of the sun was gone, replaced by shade. She partially covered her hand over her forehead and blinked open her eyes to see standing above her Hildie. The she wolf looked less than pleased by the glare in her eyes and her stance complete with balled fists planted on her hips.

Relena sat up and scooted back slightly to get out of Hildie's shadow.

"Don't bother standing. Just lie there on the ground like the snake you are. It'll be easier to squash you that way."

She rose to her feet in spite of Hildie's threat. "I can guess why it is you're here."

"Maybe you're not as dumb as you look, Runt."

Relena's eyes followed her the best she could as the other girl circled around her and spoke.

"You might have gotten Duo to fuck your pathetic ass, but if you think it was because he really wanted to you're wrong. He was merely feeling sorry for you, and being a male he was willing to tell you anything so that you would allow him to satisfy his urges."

"That's a lie. Duo is my friend…he wouldn't…"

"Oh, wouldn't he? Duo! Come here!"

The male wolf came forth out of the grove of nearby trees to face Relena.

"Tell her Duo," Hildie began. "Tell her what you told me."

Duo raised his eyes until they were staring directly into Relena's.

"The other night was just a way for me to release my pent up lust. I, got what I wanted and now, I have no more use for you."

Her bottom lip trembling, Relena rapidly blinked away her tears. "I never expected a commitment, I knew you didn't love me in that way…but you said we would always be friends, no matter…"

"I lied Relena, I lied!" He closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing that the only way to have his Hildie was to cut things off with Relena, permanently, though his heart felt traitorous knowing the pain he was creating in his friend's heart. He opened them again and continued. "I no longer want anything to do with you. We're no longer friends and I don't even want to see you in my sights ever again. You disgust me. I only wish I had had more self-control before even thinking of sleeping with you."

Relena closed her eyes feeling light headed and dizzy. No, no, no, he's lying, he told me I was special to him…he was my friend. How could he…? She balled her sweaty hands open and closed rapidly even as she tried to breathe. "No! Duo! You're lying!"

"You heard what he said, Relena. It was mistake. A moment of weakness for him…he really cared nothing for you." Hildie's words seemed to echo in her ears and she clasped her hands over them to try and shut out their sound. But she was not fast enough and she heard Duo's parting words.

"Good-bye, Relena. I wish I had never met you."

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

"She's making me nervous being here, Dorothy. She seems like a smart woman and she may figure out our plans. She's already limited his diet to a few things and sneaking the poison in is getting harder."

Cocking a forked eyebrow, Dorothy tapped her chin with her forefinger. "Well, it's obvious she's attracted to your husband, who knows what their relationship was before you came into the picture…though it seems suspicious if you ask me. Also, if she is a past lover she might prove quite influential in any doubting thoughts that the king may have."

"How dare he send for her behind my back? How did he even get the message out of the castle without my knowledge? There is someone here, a servant no doubt, who's assisting them."

Mariemeai sat down at her writing desk and began to scribble on some parchment. After she was done she burnt into it the royal crest and handed the document to Dorothy. "Go, take this to the head of security. Tell him we have a traitorous servant among us and that he can use whatever means necessary to extract information until the person is found."

Dorothy clasped the scroll to her chest and sighed a giggle. "Well, one good thing about having her here, cousin, is that she provides a fresh new challenge." She then placed a hand on top of Mariemeai's head and stroked her fire red locks. "And to see your eyes lighting up with such a spark of excitement, cousin, is the most thrilling and wondrous thing I have ever seen."

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

Resting on the side of a tree trunk, Relena dozed on and off in sleep. Her tears had long stopped but the proof of their existence still lingered as dry spots upon her cheeks. She wanted to sleep, just sleep and never wake up. Duo had been her only true friend, or so she thought. "It just can't be true…he's always been so kind to me…helped me…it can't be true."

"It isn't Relena."

Her breathing literally stopped when hearing his voice; soft and gentle and caring as it had always been towards her.

"What are you doing here?"

She closed her eyes but froze every other part of her body at the feel of his arms curling around her from behind. "Relena." He kissed her temple, licking away traces of salt left by her tears. "My destiny lies with Hildie, it is she I have always loved…but I never regretted what we did…I wanted it…very badly…and I want it again. I need to get you out of my system."

"What in the hell?" She pushed away from him and spun around to face him. "Why are you here? One minute you tell me you want me, the next you hate me and now you want me again? You asshole!"

Duo's face jerked to the side from the force of her open handed slap. He smoothed his cheek. "Glad that wasn't your fist."

"Just go away! I'm in no mood for you, especially your jokes!"

He grasped her wrists and jerked her to him. "I'm not joking. Tomorrow I will be bonded to Hildie, for life, so tonight I just wanted to be with you again…I need you. After tonight I'll leave you alone, I promise. We're good at keeping secrets, no one will ever know."

She shook her head, her blonde hair streaked with dirt and salt. "You can't have me! I won't allow you!" She kicked his shin and he flinched at the pain but it did little to deter him as he grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking back her head so that he could force a kiss on her.

"Relena, I promise, I'll be as gentle as that night…it'll be more amazing…just do this for me…please."

Relena's heart fluttered as she felt herself melting into his arms. No! I can't give in…but his words are so kind, just like…and he felt so good…no, no!

She pushed against him a once more, digging her fingernails into his cheek and ripping them downward. He tore away from her, proclaiming her a bitch.

"Stay away from me! I hate you!"

"You best listen to her, Duo or would you rather deal with me?"

It seemed as if complete silence overtook the woods as the two that had been fighting were stunned by Heero's presence, only a few feet away from where they stood.

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

Lucrezia raised the vile up to the candlelight as she gently swirled around the tiny piece of mutton in the clear liquid. Her eyes widened slightly as she witnessed the clear fluid turning blue. Damn it! Why didn't I think of this earlier!

She rushed over to the window where she poured out the blue water, and then even quicker she scurried over to the tray of food that the servants had brought for their king to eat.

Filling a little of the testing fluid in different vials, she checked a tiny bit of each piece of food, grateful that it seemed that only the meat had been tainted with poison. She continued to berate herself that in the last two days she had not even thought about poisoning as a possibility, but instead had been filled with girlish daydreams that had distracted her from performing her job adequately. Oh Milliardo, I'm so sorry, I should have…

But her thoughts of regret were short lived as Rigor's entrance into the room brought her to attention. She saw along the older mans cheek a serious bruise and that his left eye was almost swollen shut. She hurried over to the man and told him to sit where she then began to tend to his wounds as he relayed to her the story of the queen's latest proclamation.

"I'm so sorry, Rigor, I promise you will be richly rewarded for your loyalty to the Peacecraft house. But for now, it's too dangerous to let on that we even know of any of the queen's hideous plans."

"But Lady Noin. We are alone here, who is to help us?"

She smiled sweetly and warmly at the balding man as she squeezed his hand gently. "We have friends who are closer than you think, Rigor, and their leader has promised to help us in whatever it is we need."

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

"You should leave now, Duo, your bonding ceremony with Hildie is tomorrow and I would hate for you to be too tired to enjoy yourself.

"Heero, I, it's not what it…"

"It most definitely was, what it looked like. Now go and I will handle this situation with Relena."

Obeying his cousin and leader Duo gave one last longing gaze to Relena, in which she threw it back to him with a glare of her own. Once she was gone, her glare turned towards Heero.

"So you've finally come to kill me as you've always wanted to? Then just try it! I'm not taking any more abuse from you, verbal or otherwise! Kill me if you want but you won't walk away totally unscathed!"

His face suddenly lost its anger to be replaced by amusement as he folded his arms and threw his head back and laughed. "I guess I should be scared."

"Don't laugh at me."

He continued his maddening roar only to have it halted immediately when he felt a hard fist make contact with his chin. Unprepared, he was knocked off balance and fell backward onto his butt.

Relena stood above him, still in her fighting stance her bottom lip quivering with anger. "I told you not to laugh at me!"

A growl bore deep in his throat as he wiped his blood from his mouth were one of his teeth had sunk into his lip.

"Why you little…" He lunged for her but she dodged his attack though he was still too fast as she tripped, slamming into a tree, where he cornered her, his nails digging into the tree's trunk, caging her in.

"That was a mistake." He hissed sounding suddenly more like a snake then a wolf.

She still refused to shrink back, looking straight into his dark blue eyes. "Then kill me. But I won't make it easy." With those words she snapped at him, her teeth catching and sinking into the cartilage of his nose. He pulled back instantly with a cry of pain, giving Relena the chance she needed to take off into a run. She briefly remembered Duo's words along with his smile as he told her to never run away in fear, though, if it is to gain higher ground and come back to attack, then run as far away as you can.

And that was what she was doing now, but could she pull it off? Heero was the best of the best when it came to tracking and hunting and she was still a novice in many aspects of the word, she stopped suddenly and looked around. Sensing that he would be upon her momentarily she jumped up and began to climb the highest tree, if she could escape the lower breeze, maybe her scent would be harder for him to find and if he did find her she could easily jump down upon him unaware and maybe knock him out cold.

Please, please let this work. She clung to the high branch of the treetop her eyes closed as she prayed to whatever spirit would hear her.

"Duo may have taught you well, but no one can best my skills."

She gasped a fearful breath, her voice gone as her eyes sprang open to see just a few feet above, leering down at her, Heero, his eyes glowing yellow, even as he stood on a higher branch above her in human form.

TBC…