Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chupacabras Synchronicity ❯ Chpater ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

Trowa didn't like it. He wasn't used to it, wasn't comfortable with it, and it certainly made him nervous. The question was why? Why was he doing it?

`It' was Duo's complete attention to Professor G. They were at their first Physics class, only a day after Duo had decided they were facing some little green man theory. Trowa wasn't sure what to believe. All he knew was that Duo, who was usually dozing in his seat by now, was ramrod straight, eyes glued on the professor, attention complete. He wasn't moving, mumbling or showing a single sign of restlessness. It wasn't right.

Duo, Trowa knew, was thinking. Knowing this, Trowa sighed and took the plunge, opening his mind to whatever the Professor had decided to ramble about today. Last year it had been social activity. Duo had not needed to pay attention; he knew it all. Trowa on the other hand had struggled. It didn't seem like his predicament was going to improve as he listened intently. No, Quatre would be spending many a long night trying to explain it to him, as usual.

"What is he talking about?" Trowa mumbled under his breath. So far it had all been gibberish. Heero didn't look like he was enjoying it either, but he would put in an effort just because Duo was finding it easy. Anything for Duo, Trowa thoughts sarcastically.

"Something called Synchronicity," Quatre whispered in his ear. "It's almost like two personalities. The conscious and the subconscious. It's interesting, but weird."

"It's Heero and me," Duo whispered in awe, eyes still focussed on the professor.

Trowa looked at Duo sideways, then past him to Heero and finally understood. The boy in chains, and the boy who broke the lock. The subconscious minds that had performed actions to change the physical world. Subconscious minds that had become conscious at the body's greatest need. But was it worth it? Trowa looked at his hands and sighed. He had almost no Psionic ability left, his talent not overly interesting to begin with. He could hear conversations happening in hushed tones on the other side of the wall, but that was all. He could almost say it wasn't worth it. But then he felt the heat radiating from Duo where their shoulders touched in the cramped seats and he smiled. Duo was alive. Duo was sitting next to him. Heero was happy.

It was worth it.

"Why can't he just finish already!" Wufei hissed, onyx eyes narrowed at the professor as if he were still an enemy, though Duo had explained they no longer possessed Psionic ability.

"What's your problem?" Quatre asked innocently. Trowa rolled his eyes, knowing no one else could have gotten away with asking Wufei such a thing in his current state of mind.

"I told you, I had to see G after class and I need you guys to come."

"Yeah, Fei has a greenie in his school bag," Duo added quickly, his attention never completely leaving the professor despite the fact all four of his friends were now looking at him like he had grown a second head.

"How did you know?" Wufei demanded.

"The ice is melting," Duo replied quickly, pointing to the small wet patch under Wufei's bag. "And it's starting to smell."

Professfor G suddenly finished, dismissing the class. Duo was on his feet, looking down at them all expectantly. He wavered on his feet a little, but Heero's hand snapped about his wrist and held him in place until he was standing at Duo's side. Trowa smiled a little at that, amused as how Heero had taken to Duo. He had glimpsed the extent of his devotion to the braided boy several times during Duo's recovery last year, but nothing had prepared him for the longing in those Prussian eyes when he had returned from vacation.

"Come on," Quatre urged, pulling at his arm. Trowa obeyed and followed the others down to professor G's desk.

"What the hell did you bring into my class Chang Wufei!" Professor G bellowed at him. "Your roadkill?"

Duo was trying very hard not to laugh. Trowa didn't think it was funny. The professor was right; the thing stank!

Wufei emptied a lot of ice onto the table before a small, shrivelled blue corpse fell out on top of it all. It was coated in frozen drops of green slime, the eyes covered in ice. Dead, Trowa's mind confirmed, as if it were about to leap up at him. Not that that was possible considering the fact it was also cut cleanly in two, straight through the middle.

"What...?" Professor G just stared at the thing. After several minutes he reached for the phone on his desk and called his protege.

"J? It's G. You better come see this right away."

G didn't say anything to them after that, waiting for J, who arrived in record time. He took in the students standing around the desk, took in the creature on the desk, and the questions started.

"Where did you find it?"

"In my room," Wufei replied quickly.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Chupacabra," Duo replied easily, in a tone that said that should have been obvious.

"How long has it been frozen?"

"About thirty six hours," Wufei again replied.

"And you used your katana to kill it?"

"Yes."

"How many of you have been bitten by it?"

Silence.

Both professors looked up at the stony faces. They sat quickly in their chairs and waited. Trowa could tell by the gleam in their eyes that they were very interested. Maybe a little too interested. Finally, he would be of some use. He started to listen, letting all other senses drift away. He listened to their breathing, their hearts, the way the blood pumped through their bodies, listening to their words only on the most basic and primitive of levels. The truth of their words was inside their forms, not without.

"Trowa was bitten when he first arrived, but not by this one," Quatre finally replied, grabbing Trowa's hand and holding the old mark up. It was almost gone, only a soft purple indent in the skin visible.

"I was bitten by this one," Wufei finally admitted, revealing his own bite. It was a day behind Trowa's and still a dark purple.

"I was bitten twice, not by this one," Duo finally admitted. He held out his hand.

"Where is the second bite?" J asked quietly, and Trowa sensed much more interest beneath the question than he liked. J was looking straight at Duo, inspecting the small human form, taking in more details than Trowa could fathom. He wanted something, but Trowa could not tell what.

Duo finally pulled down the neck of his shirt to reveal the bite. It was still a savage hole in his neck, the teeth marks fading, but the central hole deep and only recently closed. It looked painful. Trowa wondered how Duo kept himself from complaining about it.

G was on his feet, poking at the wound, inspecting it from every angle.

"It is different from the others," he observed to J and the older man was nodding knowingly.

"I believe it disables with the bite to the hand, and then goes for the neck, yes?"

All five boys nodded. Trowa was listening intently now, following the path of each thump of blood through the body, listening to how the body reacted. J was sweating in excitement. Whatever was happening, it fitted his plans. Trowa finally heard what he was looking for.

The desire to catch one of these creatures. The desire to finish his life's work.

Shuddering, Trowa pulled away. He knew the extent of his abilities enough to know he was not going tog et anything more from J today. Still, he had enough. He wanted to leave, right away. They had to get away from the professors. Psionic ability or not, they were still a threat.

"The other one that bit you. Where is it?" J asked, looking straight at Duo knowingly.

"It is dead."

"Its body?" Thrill was evident in every aspect of J's form.

"Unavailable," Duo ground out, seeing the professor's excitement and not liking it one bit. Trowa noticed the way Duo had stepped back, only slightly but enough to put him behind Heero. He was unconsciously seeking protection. Trowa decided to help out, stepping forward lazily and leaning on the desk. He was now fully between Duo and the professors. He heard Duo breath a sigh of relief and wondered if the boy was even aware he had been uncomfortable.

"We would like to keep this for further study," G waved at the corpse.

"Sure. We don't want it. But you have to tell us everything you find out," Quatre replied easily.

`Always the diplomat', Trowa thought with a smile, and then they were leaving, filing out of the room one at a time behind Heero.

Trowa hurried to catch up with Heero.

"Duo is nervous," he whispered lowly, knowing Heero would hear. Heero did, looking at him knowingly, sensing he had been using his gifts back in the room. Heero dropped back immediately and wrapped an arm about Duo's waist, pulling the slightly smaller boy into his side. Duo automatically relaxed into Heero, leaning his head on the other boy's shoulder as one sleek arm went behind Heero to rest on the other shoulder. Satisfied Duo was not going to panic and try to send them all to hell, Trowa moved closer to Quatre.

"We need to talk."

It was enough for Quatre, who made up a polite excuse for them and started heading for their dorm. Heero didn't mind because it meant he could take Duo off alone, and Wufei was eager to find Treize and tell him what had happened.

Trowa did not relax until he was back in his room, the door locked, calmly sitting on his bed with Quatre's head lying in his lap.

"So, what did you hear?"