Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dimension Gate ❯ Go Into The Light... ( Chapter 5 )

Author's Notes: Well, here it is - the first meeting between Trowa and Quatre in quite some time. Oh, by the way, I've dropped Relena, Duo, and Zechs into the magical world along with Quatre. Why? Because this story wouldn't be any fun if I didn't, that's why!

 

Warnings: The usual, along with Duo's foul mouth.

 

Disclaimer: Still don't own them. (Authoress sulks, while Quatre and company look very relieved.)

 

Chapter 5: Go Into The Light…

 

“It's always nice to know things aren't one hundred percent hopeless. Just ninety-nine percent.”

 

Zechs pressed his foot down on the accelerator hard. Duo watched as the speedometer crept past seventy, then eighty, and didn't say a word. Duo had been the one to answer the phone when Relena had called, fairly hysterical, and babbled something about Quatre's power getting out of control. Remembering what had happened to Quatre - and to the surrounding twenty-foot radius around him - the last time his powers had surged, Duo had literally dragged Zechs out of bed.

 

Duo's eyes, always the sharpest of the siblings, spotted Quatre's old gray Buick, barely visible in the shadow of an old oak tree. “There, Zechs!”

 

Zechs pulled to a screeching halt, and Duo winced, thinking of the damage such a sudden stop had most likely done to the car's brakes. He saw his younger brother crumpled to his knees, and Relena standing beside him, waving frantically. Zechs leaped out of the car, Duo not that far behind him.

 

However, since Duo was the last to reach Quatre, he was the only one that saw the glowing white light begin to build behind Zechs. “Shit! Zechs, his power's -“

 

Duo's yelled warning was cut off as the entire group was engulfed in light.

 

****

 

“Oh, shit,” Trowa breathed, well-hidden in the shadow of a crumbling bar. He was watching a crowd of what seemed to be several master demons and a whole crowd of minor demons - all summoned by the thrice-blasted Andra - plot his death. “What did I ever do to deserve this?”

 

Wufei crouched by his side, eyes intent on the demons. The infamous mage's eyes held a dangerous light, and he was caressing his bow with lethal intent.

 

“Don't you dare,” Trowa hissed at him. “Neither of us have the power to take on several masters at once. One or two, maybe, but not that many.”

 

“I know,” Wufei murmured back, but the feral glint in his dark eyes did not fade in the least.

 

Suddenly, there was a commotion that caught both their attentions. Treize Kushrenada and Heero Yuy had walked up out of nowhere and were moving with clear intent toward the crowd of demons.

 

“What are those idiots doing?” Trowa breathed in disbelief.

 

Yuy reached the demons first. He smiled, a cold, merciless smile, and gold fire poured from his hands. Trowa caught his breath as a demon fell, screaming in agony, dying almost instantly.

 

The others turned as one to face the warrior, and the feeling of menace that had been bothering Trowa since he'd entered the city intensified tenfold.

 

The man smiled again, mockingly. “Why do you simply stand there?” he asked, his voice clear and contemptuous. “I'm waiting.”

 

One of the demons stepped forward, murder in its intent. Instantly, a spell of fire rained down from the sky upon it, and it fell, screaming with the same agony as its former companion. Still hidden in the shadows of a crumbling building some distance away, Wufei and Trowa both whistled.

 

“Nice,” Wufei murmured. “That's the neatest use of one of the words of fire I've seen in quite a long time. I wonder…”

 

Trowa looked at her companion, startled by the mage's speculative tone. “What are you thinking about those two?”

 

Wufei raised an eyebrow at him. “Two? I see only one - Yuy.”

 

Trowa blinked, then turned his gaze sharply on the fight, focusing his magical sight. Now he could see the cloaking spell that shielded the royal demon from Wufei's vision. It was powerful enough that he could not even see him, only the magic that signified he was there. Trowa was impressed. It took a tremendous amount of power to create a spell of that quality; the man was definitely a master.

 

“Kushrenada is there,” he murmured to Wufei. “He is a master mage, to be able to cloak himself from the sight of his own kind. It was his fire spell, not Yuy's.”

 

Golden power swirled about the Yuy, building into a cyclone of protection that the demons now surrounding him did not seem to be able to penetrate.

 

The man folded his arms. “This is going to take all night,” he said in a bored tone. The demon, still hidden, chuckled softly. Instantly, half of the demons swung toward the sound of the voice, seeking its source.

 

The demon laughed again, full and earnest. “Come,” he invited the creatures. “If you can find me.”

 

Trowa shifted. The demons were too close for his comfort. He moved out of hiding, his own power lashing to take out the nearest of them. A hissing sound behind him almost made him flinch, but he forced herself to hold still, and Wufei's magical arrows tore past him to bury themselves in their targets. Several demons let out roars of pain, and the crowd's attention turned away from the two fighters to Wufei and Trowa.

 

Trowa smiled tightly at the man who was raising his eyebrows in inquiry. “You looked like you were having fun,” he called to him. “Thought I'd join you.”

 

Yuy returned his smile briefly. “There's certainly room at this party,” he agreed. Golden magic swirled from his hands to drag away a demon that was about to leap on Trowa. A deft flick of his hand sent the demon sailing up to join several of its comrades in a much larger magical cage, from which they could not, no matter their efforts, escape.

 

“Handy trick, that,” Trowa observed, blocking a spell thrown at him from a master and flinging it back upon it with a reflection spell. “You'll have to teach me sometime.”

 

Yuy smirked. “Perhaps later.”

 

A tremendous lash of power from the still-shielded demon sent two master demons, caught off guard, wailing and screaming into the realm of death. Trowa whistled admiringly, letting his eyes rest on him directly. “Very nice,” he called. “Where did you learn that spell? I haven't seen it used in many years.”

 

The demon cast him a startled look, then smiled. “An old friend taught me,” he answered easily. “Your eyes are very keen, I must say.”

 

Trowa showed his teeth in a feral grin. “Practice.”

 

The remaining demons were all masters, summoned by the Andra and bound with slave spells. They pulled away from the four fighter, gathering their power about them like an immense cloak, shielding them from any of the four's more weaker attacks. The mages would have to use master spells to combat the demons that were left. Wufei moved out of the shadows for the first time since the fight had begun, his own cloaking spell falling from him as the Dark Defender gathered his power deep within him.

 

“This isn't going to be easy,” Wufei cautioned Trowa softly.

 

“You don't have to tell me that,” Trowa retorted.

 

Wufei, in the meantime, was watching the demons with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, realization flashed across his face, and he grabbed Trowa, bodily hauling him flat to the ground. “Shield!” he commanded.

 

Trowa obeyed because that was the way they worked on a hunt; if Wufei sensed something before he did, Trowa obeyed his commands, and vice versus. It had saved both their lives more than once.

 

Trowa's shimmering golden shield leapt up to protect all four mages; the mighty blast of dark, evil power struck it and was absorbed harmlessly. Now Yuy was the one to whistle.

 

“You'll have to teach me that one,” he called to Trowa from his position of lying flat on his own belly. “I've never seen a spell that could absorb a demon's power.”

 

Trowa spoke a word that made the air hum, and the black power that had been hurled at the shield was thrown back at the demons, shattering their shield and scattering them. “I'm an esper,” he called shortly in explanation. “Other mages can't use the spell.”

 

Yuy blinked. “Oh.”

 

“Can we have this conversation later?” Treize called. “Not that I'm not fascinated, mind you, but perhaps we should take care of the pests first.”

 

Wufei smiled evilly. “A man after my own heart, you are,” he called, his voice ringing clear in the night.

 

Trowa saw the man blink, then laugh.

 

Wufei called out, “Hey, do you know the -“ A crash of demon magic and a series of enraged howls when the attack produced no effect on Trowa's shield drowned out the rest of Wufei's words.

 

The demon smiled. “I know what you're thinking,” he called. “You and your friend take the bottom, and we'll take the top.”

 

Trowa frowned at Wufei. “What's he talking about?”

 

“A spell intended to kill several master demons at once,” Wufei answered matter-of-factly. “It takes the power of at least three master mages to attempt it, and it's only been successfully cast twice in all the time that it's existed. Care to give it a shot?”

 

Trowa blinked. “And I'll just bet those two times, you were involved,” he murmured. Wufei smiled. “All right, what do I do?”

 

“You'll have to weave your power into mine,” Wufei instructed. “You're not a trained mage, so I'll have to channel your strength instead of you linking into the spell.” Trowa hesitated at this. “What? Come on, Tro, we don't have time.”

 

“I do not want to blind you,” Trowa said softly, for Wufei's ears alone.

 

Wufei blinked. “Your magical aura is that powerful?” Trowa nodded. “Well, watch mine, then match your power to my aura. That should be enough to control the forces called upon by the spell.” Wufei's body began to glow, rapidly becoming brighter as the skilled mage reached deep within himself.

 

“Forces?” Trowa murmured, calling up his own magic. He could see their two companions doing the same. They both had extremely bright auras, the mark of powerful mages with even more untapped potential.

 

“The spell taps into the wild magic of this land,” Wufei said absently. Trowa's eyes widened.

 

“Experience isn't worth horseshit when you're dealing with wild magic,” Trowa said sharply. “You can't predict what will happen.”

 

“Then we will have to take precautions,” Yuy called calmly. His own power rose in a perfectly-controlled cyclone about him. Wufei's own power twisted and turned, narrowing into a straight line that lanced across the field to interweave with the two enormous threads of power coming from the other two.

 

“Come on, Trowa,” Wufei said, a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead the only indication of the strain he was under to keep so much of his power channeled. “We don't have all night.”

 

Trowa studied the magical pattern of Wufei's power one more time to make sure he had it right, then carefully wove his own power into the great net the four magics were forming.

 

The other three mages caught their breath in awe as Trowa's strength joined their own. Yuy and Kushrenada could both feel how little effort it took Trowa to match his strength to Wufei's, and the Dark Defender was surprised. Trowa had been in deadly seriousness about his aura. I suppose it's a good thing he didn't show his full power, Wufei thought in awe. The way he is now, if he went any stronger it'd hurt my eyes. And this isn't even a quarter of his true strength. I can feel that much.

 

Trowa stood to one side and smiled grimly, focusing all of his attention on the web spell, which was closing tighter and tighter about the remaining demons, who were shrieking in impotent rage, uselessly trying to escape with their own brand of magic. Trowa's power simply absorbed their spells into its own weaving, then threw them back at the demons, leaving the other three mages free to complete the destruction spell.

 

“We should work with him more often,” Yuy said to Treize when both of them paused to take a breather from chanting. “This is the easiest time I've ever had casting this spell.”

 

Treize cast a glance toward the elven man, who was standing on the opposite side of the field looking almost bored. The reflections of the demons' spells back upon the creatures were starting to get more fanciful, swirling into complicated, beautiful patterns before actually striking the monsters.

 

Treize shook his head. “If I had that kind of power, I wouldn't waste it tormenting demons with pretty swirls and patterns.”

 

“Whyever not? I've always found that fun,” Wufei called, sounding puzzled, then resumed chanting. Treize shook his head again and joined him.

 

“Get ready,” Wufei warned Trowa. “The spell's almost done. There's going to be a tremendous pull toward the demons. When that happens, sever the connection between yourself and the power you've put into the net. It'll be painful for you if you don't,” his grimace clearly stating that he had learned from experience.

 

Trowa nodded. The voices of Yuy and Kushrenada rose in a shout, speaking a series of words that made the air shriek. There was a crack, and all four mages severed their connections to the web just barely in time. The group of master demons let out a uniform scream of agony and hate and simply…vanished, along with the web of power.

 

Trowa blinked. “Well, that was…anticlimactic. I was expecting a big boom, a backlash of some sort.”

 

Wufei threw himself at Trowa at the same time as the other two mages dropped flat on their bellies. Trowa swallowed as he felt the hurricane-force winds tearing through the area where he and Wufei had recently been standing. There was an area of about a foot off the ground that held dead air, but above that, a terrible windstorm, powerful enough to tear a human in two, raged.

 

“Haven't you ever heard the saying about tempting the gods?” Wufei breathed, his heart pounding at how close a call that had been.

 

Trowa blinked at him from his position of being thrown flat on his back. “You could have warned me, you know.”

 

“Are you two all right?” Yuy called from the other end of the field. The storm seemed to have been only temporary, already dying down.

 

“Yes, we're fine,” Wufei called back. “All right, Treize?”

 

The man had dropped his cloaking spell during the casting of the death web, his entire focus on the task in front of him. Now he gave Wufei a wan wave. “I'll be fine. I'm just tired. Although I have to say, that was the easiest time we've ever had casting that thing. Your friend is something special.”

 

Wufei smiled, a quick flash of flawless white teeth that held no charm or humor whatsoever. “Yes, he is, isn't he.”

 

Power cracked through the air, making all four of them wince. “Heero! Lord Barton!” Sally Po's voice cut through the sudden silence.

 

The four fighters turned to see Sally and Epyon hurrying toward them.

 

“We've found the gate!”

 

***

 

Dimly, Zechs heard Duo shout something, then blinding light filled his vision. Cursing, Zechs instinctively pulled his youngest brother into his arms. “Quatre! Lock it down!”

 

Quatre couldn't see anything, not even the brother that held him, but neither could he sense anything with his empathy, and for that he breathed a sigh of relief. “It's not me,” he called weakly, hoping Zechs could hear him. “My power's…dropped off.”

 

Quatre felt another set of hands grope their way to his shoulders. “Then what the fuck IS this?!” Duo - his other brother had joined them.

 

“I don't know, but we need to get out of it!” That was Relena, and she was speaking with an urgency none of her brothers had heard before - not from her, anyway.

 

Quatre's senses flared to life again - painfully - and he groaned. “Something's…going to happen.” Insight flared briefly, and he gasped, “Grab onto me!”

 

The terror in his voice had all of his siblings acting. Zechs' arms tightened around him immediately, Duo's arms slid around his shoulders fiercely, and Relena's arms slid around his waist -

 

-just in time, as the four of them, clinging to one another, abruptly fell through a giant black hole that suddenly appeared directly under them. Their reactions were pretty much the same:

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

 

***

 

Wufei, Trowa, Sally, Treize, Heero, and Epyon raced towards the center of the city. As they ran, there was another surge of magic, and Wufei and Heero let out identical elven curses. The others glanced at them in surprise.

 

“What…was that?” panted Sally. The only woman in the group was keeping up, but the pace was harder on her than it was on the others.

 

“You don't want to know,” Heero growled at his friend. “Keep running!”

 

“I didn't…stop!” Sally complained.

 

“Then run faster!”

 

***

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

 

“Damnit, Relena, stop screeching!”

 

Relena stopped screaming long enough to glare at her suddenly visible brother. “You were screaming, too!”

 

Duo stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it. “Yeah, but I stopped,” he pointed out. He wiggled his finger again. “Sheesh, I think my eardrum's broken.”

 

Outraged, Relena opened her mouth to shout at her brother, when she suddenly looked down -

 

-and saw nothing but black nothingness below her.

 

“AH-!”

 

Relena's new scream was abruptly cut off by Zechs' hand slapped over her mouth. “We're not falling anymore,” the oldest of the four hastily pointed out to his sibling.

 

Relena blinked, then looked around again. Zechs was right; they weren't falling anymore. She pulled his hand from her mouth. “Where are we?”

 

“Ding, ding! The prize for the most obvious question goes to RELENA!”

 

“Shut up, Duo,” the slender form still in Zechs' arms groaned. The attention of the three was immediately focused on him.

 

“Took you long enough to wake up, Rebel.”

 

Quatre pressed a hand to his temple and groaned again. “Duo, please, you're too loud…”

 

Duo frowned. “I'm not raising my voice.”

 

Quatre whimpered. His senses were back in full force, and his normal senses - hearing, sight, smell, touch - all seemed to have been intensified tenfold. Duo's voice sounded like he was screaming right next to Quatre's ear. “Duo - whisper - please -“

 

Duo took a closer look at his brother. Quatre seemed to be in real pain. “This better?”

 

Duo's voice was now barely audible to the others, but to Quatre was just down to a tolerable volume, as if Duo was speaking in a sharp, clear tone. “Yes…please, everyone use that volume…my hearing's somehow been increased.”

 

Zechs and Duo exchanged looks, then Zechs said - careful to keep his voice a bare whisper, “Are you sure it's your hearing that's increased, and not…your empathy?”

 

Quatre nodded. “I can…barely sense you're there.” His words were still coming haltingly, as if with great effort. “It's everything else that got stronger…this time.”

 

Relena's brow furrowed. “Have you tried opening your eyes, Quatre?”

 

“No,” Quatre said. “I'm not certain….I want to, judging from my hearing.”

 

Duo raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you haven't realized we're not on solid ground?”

 

“Wh-what?” Quatre asked weakly.

 

“We're still in that black hole we dropped through, babe. We just stopped falling, that's all.”

 

Quatre swallowed. “Duo, if you're screwing with me-“

 

“Never with a brother, baby,” Duo drawled. “That's a bit much, even for me.” Every single one of his siblings - including Quatre, who still had his eyes shut - glared at Duo for that comment. “Shit, no senses of humor, any of you. No, Quatre, I'm not screwing with you. We're seriously still in the black hole.”

 

There was a moment of silence from all four of them. Then Zechs voiced the thought that was in all of their minds.

 

“How do we get the hell out of here?”

 

***

 

The group had made it to the gate, finally. Unfortunately, they were much too late.

 

Seven Andra sorcerers turned and sneered at the panting warriors. “You're too late,” one of them called mockingly.

 

Magic was swirling through the center of the city like a hurricane. Thunder crashed and the ground the beneath their feet shook. “No, really?” Wufei couldn't help muttering, even as he slid into a defensive stance. “I thought we were early.”

 

Suddenly, half of the Andra gasped in pain. The other half turned to stare out their counterparts. “What is-“ one of them began to demand.

 

“People!” one of the moaning Andra cried out in anguish. “There are people caught between our world and the one that is closest to ours! Their presence is destroying the balanced pathway between the two worlds - the gate must have opened too soon on their side!”

 

“WHAT?!!” came the panicked cry of six of Andra. One of them babbled, “If the counter-gate opened before the one here did, then…”

 

“THEN WHAT?!” Heero roared at the hapless man. “You fools, you could be ripping the fabric that holds our world together apart!”

 

“No fabric ripping, but whatever was near the gateway in their world will get dragged into this one!” the sorcerer cried. “We could have summoned monsters beyond our wild imaginations, instead of creating the path to conquering hidden lands!”

 

“You asses!” Wufei bellowed back. “Why do you think we were trying to stop you?! There's too many ways for this gate spell to go wrong!”

 

“There's no point in screaming any more!” Treize's voice cut across all the rest.

 

Heero and Wufei turned to glare at him. “WHY?”

 

Treize simply pointed upwards - where a giant black hole had suddenly appeared in midair.

 

***

 

This time, Relena was the one to notice the power build-up. “Not again-“ she wailed, her voice abruptly cutting off as she and her brothers were dropped through yet another black hole.

 

***

 

Trowa knew he should be fearful - knew he should be gathering his power to initiate some sort of defense against whatever came through that black hole, but somehow couldn't bring himself to feel any sort of anxiety. Instead, he felt a strange peace settle within him - a peace he had not known since he was a small child. Brief memories of a childhood friend flickered, and Trowa shook his head. He wasn't sure, to this day, if Quatre Winner had even been real.

 

Cries caught his attention. “There's something coming through!” cried one of the Andra. The battle between the Andra and themselves had been completely forgotten by this point; all anyone was worried about was what kind of monster would be the result of the now completely-out-of-control dark spell.

 

The black hole flickered and shimmered - and suddenly vanished - along with every ounce of magic that had been stirred up by the spell. Trowa knew better this time, and dropped flat, and watched in interest as the lashback winds picked up the Andra sorcerers and threw them unceremoniously into the neighboring sea. After all the trouble the sorcerer assassins had caused for Trowa and his companions, the esper spared a brief hope that maybe they couldn't swim…

 

There was a loud crack that made all those still present - and flat on their bellies - look up at the spot where the black hole used to be.

 

Four people - apparently clinging to one another in a very tight embrace - appeared in midair. For a moment, they appeared to float, in an almost delicate fashion.

 

That lasted precisely half a second.

 

“OWWW! Fucking bloody goddamn fucking hell!!”

 

“You said `fucking' twice, Duo,” one of the four pointed out wearily, as he tried to climb out of a taller man's lap. The speaker's voice struck a cord within Trowa, and stared the boy - no, very young man. Golden hair, fair skin, blue eyes from what Trowa could tell…

 

There's absolutely no way…

 

The one girl in the group of four rubbed her head and whined, “Couldn't we have at least landed on our feet?”

 

“No, Relena,” came the voice of what appeared to be the eldest man, tiredly. “That would have been far too kind to us, and our luck hasn't exactly been kind, now has it?”

 

“Fucking SHIT!!”

 

“Duo, if you're not going to say anything besides curses, shut up, will you?” commented the boy who had caught Trowa's attention. He caught sight of Trowa and the esper's companions then, and blinked. “Ah, guys…”

 

The rest of the group of four abruptly fell silent when they caught sight of what the boy was staring at. Trowa took the sudden quiet to rise to his feet and dust himself off, without taking his eyes from the boy. “That was quite an entrance you made,” he told the stranger, as Heero, Wufei, and all the rest stared at him bug-eyed.

 

The blond smiled a little. “Yes, well, it wasn't on purpose…” His voice trailed off as he took in his surroundings. “Umm…where are we?”

 

It was a reasonable question, seeing as he and his three companions had just dropped out of the sky - literally.

 

“This city is called Terrestria,” Trowa told the stranger, watching him closely for reaction.

 

“Terrestria,” the boy murmured. “A sea-port, right? The Black Sorrow ruined it, though…” He blinked. “Wait…” he said slowly. “Terrestria was a city I…imagined when I was a child!”

 

Trowa felt triumph rise within him. It was his old friend. “Quatre?”

 

The boy backed up. “How do you know my name?” he demanded, beginning to sound hysterical.

 

Trowa brushed his hair behind his ears to expose their pointed elven tips, and pulled his wild bangs out of his face to show his bright green eyes.

 

Quatre focused on those eyes. Those Bright. Green. Eyes. “Trowa,” the name slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. “How is this possible? I made you up - you're not real. This isn't possible.”

 

Trowa laughed at this. “Obviously it is, since you're here,” he told his friend. “As to how you got here - that would be the mystery.”

 

Quatre felt his legs giving way beneath him, and decided that now would be a good time to sit. So he did. With something of a jolt.

 

Duo's voice interrupted again, this time spewing something other than curses. “I hate to break up the little love-fest here, but WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!!!”

 

Heero growled roughly, “That is what we would like to know.”

 

Duo glared. “Well, don't look at us, bub! A feakin' giant black appeared underneath us, and we fell through it! That's all we know!”

 

“Enough, Duo,” spoke the eldest again, sounding tired. He stared at Trowa and his companions. “Are any of you planning on killing us?” Negative headshakes all around. “Imprisoning us?” Negative again. “Well, that's something, at least.”

 

Treize chuckled at the resigned tone of the taller blond, eyeing him with interest. “So pessimistic for one so young.”

 

Zechs stared at the auburn-haired - person - who'd made the comment. He wasn't a man, given the point ears, claws, and fangs, so person would have to do.

 

Treize saw the disbelief in the stare, and chuckled again.

 

Trowa cleared his throat. “Perhaps, we might all get off the street? I'm sure there are questions you and yours wish to ask Quatre, and I know my companions will wish to question you.”

 

Quatre blinked, and tried to focus. His world had just rather been neatly turned upside down. “Yes…that would be best, I think.”

 

TBC….

 

Author's note: I just wanted to let all my readers know that because summer's starting, I won't be able to update as often, `cause of my parents (read: maybe once a month). That's the bad news. The good news is that when I do update, I'll most likely be adding three or four chapters at once, so keep a look-out! Thanks once again to those who have reviewed, and to those that haven't - PLEASE do so. I would like input on couples, since I'm still not sure on anything other than Quatre and Tro.