Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Night of the New Moon ❯ The Next Death ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and all it's drop dead gorgeous bishounen don't belong to me. -.- Sigh.
Warnings: Shounen ai, AU, 1+2, a tiny little blood, angst, violence, & Death? ^.^;


Night of the New Moon
Part 5 'The Next Death'
by: Lotus-chan

It wasn't until Heero climbed out of the cove that he realized how exhausted he was. The
morning dew seeped through his jeans as he knelt at the top of the slope, waiting for the
world to stop spinning before attempting to stand. He had been down there all night. A
soft breeze passed him and Heero shivered, bringing his arms about his chest.

Vaguely, he thought he heard someone call his name and looked up. A white-clad figure
was running toward him from the Inn. Wufei. Heero blinked a few times and managed to
stand up a bit awkwardly. The only thing he could think of at the moment was that it was
a relief to see that Wufei was alright.

Wufei was yelling something as he ran to him and roughly took hold of his arms. Heero
frowned tiredly, not quite understanding. Was something wrong? Suddenly Wufei stopped
and began speaking more softly and Heero thought he heard... concern? That's when
Heero's knees failed him and he collapsed into Wufei's alarmed embrace.

----------

Heero drifted back into consciousness slowly. The first thing that came to him was sound.
The low hum of an air conditioner was the only sound distinguishable. So he was inside.
The feel of sheets against his skin and a pillow under his head told him he was in a bed...
but where? Slowly he opened his eyes. His room was slightly dark, but it was the room
he'd rented in the Cliffside Inn.

"You slept like the dead." Heero turned his gaze to the other side of the room and found
Wufei sitting in a chair. He put down the book he had been reading to give Heero his full
attention. "What time is it?" Heero asked. Wufei looked at his watch, "five." Heero cursed
under his breath. He'd slept the day away. "You slept as if you hadn't had a decent nights
sleep in weeks, Heero." he eyed him suspiciously, "and I've never known you to be so
careless as to collapse from exhaustion. "That I know of, you haven't been doing anything
so strenuous that it would bring you to that level of fatigue... just what were you doing
down there all night?" Heero sat up ignoring Wufei's question and realized he was only in
his tank and boxers.

"Where are my clothes?" Wufei sighed, "Okada took your muddy jeans downstairs to be
washed and your jacket is in the closet." Heero nodded and was about to get out of bed
when the door opened. A women with shoulder-length blonde hair and sea-green eyes
entered. She was carrying a tray of food and stopped when she saw him, "Oh, I was
hoping you were up by now. Are you feeling well dear?" She set the tray down on the
night stand and placed a hand over his forehead in a very motherly fashion. Heero had to
fight the urge to pull away.

"Well, you seem better rested. I'll go let Kenji know you're up. He'll want to come see
you. He was very worried." Sofie gave him a reassuring smile and walked out. When
Heero looked back, Wufei was grinning. Sofie, the Inn's cook, was known to be a very
affectionate person. With twelve kids of her own, in varying ages, she seemed to play the
mother with whom ever she pleased and luckily, besides all this, she was also a nurse.

"The moment Sofie heard what happened this morning she came right up. She insisted on
taking care of you all day until just a few hours ago when I convinced her to go and leave
me here." Wufei's gaze shifted to the tray, "I guess we know now what she was doing all
this time." Heero also turned his attention to the tray on the night stand. The smell of hot
soup reminded him of how hungry he was and his stomach growled in response.

Wufei watched as he picked up his utensils, "You didn't answer my question," Heero gave
him a side long glance, spoon half way to his mouth. "I thought Sofie stayed the nights
here." Swiftly changing the subject. Wufei gave him an exasperated look but shook his
head and answered the unasked question, "Only when the Inn has more than two guests
and definitely not on New Moon nights. She's also a believer in Okada's stories."

As if on cue, Kenji Okada walked into the room. His expression brightened dramatically
when he saw Heero up. "Thank the heavens, boy." Heero raised an eyebrow but said
nothing- the spoon still in his mouth. "I was so afraid you'd been drained completely when
Wufei-san brought you in. You gave me quite a scare. But it was all my fault. I should
have warned you never to stay the entire night in the cove."

Wufei rolled his eyes, "Okada is convinced that the ghosts were responsible for draining
you of energy or something like that." The Inn Keeper turned back to Wufei and although
Heero couldn't see his face, his tone was firm and unwavering. "I am serious. You treat
my warnings like the ramblings of an old man but they are as true as you and I." Before
Wufei could open his mouth Heero intervened, "Okada-san, let him believe what he
wants."

Wufei turned a curious frown upon Heero. He had the distinct feeling just then of having
been treated like an ignorant child. Okada grumbled something under his breath then
turned back to Heero. "I warned Master O not to send him here... That he's no safer here.
But he doesn't believe me either..."

Heero nearly choked on his spoon. "You alright there?" Heero nodded wordlessly. "Well
then, I need to have a few words with Sofie. I'll be back to check on you later." And
before Heero could say another word, he left. He turned to Wufei who read him instantly
and sighed. Standing up, Wufei walked across the room and sat on his bed. It was only
then that Heero noticed the sword strapped to a belt around his waist.

"I forgot that when you told me Doctor J hadn't sent you here, that meant you didn't
know about Okada either." Wufei explained before Heero could ask. "Master O and
Okada-san are childhood friends. They've kept in touch ever since Master O left Earth to
the colonies many years ago. Okada knows all about Operation Meteor, the Gundams and
consequentially: us."

"You told him about me as well then." Heero said. Wufei nodded, "Just this morning. He
hadn't known either beforehand." He considered this, "and the cook?" "She doesn't know
the details but Okada seems to trust her anyway." Heero thinned his lips, "Anything else
you forgot to mention?" Wufei frowned, "no, but speaking of the scientists, Master O told
me that Doctor J has been looking everywhere for you."

Heero was incredulous, "What are you talking about?" Wufei was silent a moment, then
stood and walked over to the sliding glass doors. He pulled open the curtains and the
room was flooded in brighter daylight. It was evening but there was still plenty of light left
in the day. He leaned against the wall casually, looking out beyond the balcony.

"Last night when my alarm went off I thought it was because something or someone had
tampered with my Gundam. With the threat of bounty hunters still fresh in my mind, I
forgot that I had also set the alarm to go off if any message from the colonies ever came.
A message from Master O was waiting for me when I reached Altron."

He looked back at Heero then and his face was solemn, "The bounty has gone up 3 million
credits." Heero closed his eyes and rested his forehead in his hand. Wufei's eyes drifted to
his sword, "that's not the worst of it. It seems Relena Peacecrafts people have found out
about this and begun to meddle. They too are looking for us. To... 'protect' us."
"Shimatta..." Heero cursed under his breath.

"Master O also asked about you, Heero. It seems that Doctor J has been trying to find you
since the destruction of Libra. You destroyed your laptop?" Heero looked at him sternly.
"I told you that I cut myself off from everyone long ago. I meant *everyone*." Wufei then
said more quietly. "Do you want to be found?"

Heero frowned and shook his head, "no." Wufei nodded once, and walked to the dresser.
Opening the bottom drawer he reached under Heero's clothes and, to Heero's surprise,
pulled his gun out. He tossed it toward Heero who caught it. "Then I have not seen you
since the end of the war."

-------------

Heero didn't need Wufei to insist he start carrying his weapon again. He had been
reluctant to leave it under a pile of clothes in the first place. Now it rested more familiarly
against the small of his back, half tucked into his jeans. Even though it bore into his back
sometimes, he felt more comfortable with it within reach. Besides, that problem would be
solved the moment he found an inner-pants holster.

After their talk Wufei had disappeared again, either to his room or the library Heero
suspected, and he had brought his empty tray downstairs to the kitchen. Heero half
expected to find Sofie inside but the kitchen was empty. After leaving the kitchen he was
walking through the halls toward the lounge when he passed a door that was cracked
slightly open and heard hushed voices from inside.

"Did you replace the lock?"
"Yes, and I added another... although I'm not sure what good it will do. Considering what
she did to the last one."

Heero halted outside the door, curiosity getting the better of him. The voices from inside
were unmistakably that of the Inn keeper and the cook and that was the very thing that
held him there. It seemed so out of the ordinary for the two to be speaking privately, and
in hushed tones that he was curious to know why.

"That doesn't matter. Any effort is worth it." the Inn keepers voice responded.
"I suppose so. Still, I'll be spending the next few nights at my brothers place in town if
you don't mind."
"Hai, it's a good thing you get as far from here as you can."
"Why don't you come with me?? You know there's always room in our place for you...
onegai?"
"No, I can't leave those boys here. Besides, Selena will not kill me. She knows that
without an Inn keeper to bring her victims, she cannot continue."
"Don't talk that way. This isn't your fault."
A pause.
"Maybe I should listen to the authorities and shut this place down..."
"Perhaps, but that is still no solution for the time being. You can't very well close the Inn
while you still have guests. Specially under their circumstances."
"No... I can't. I suppose the only thing I can do is hope she does not rise until they leave...
but by Kami I hope she never sets eye's on Yuy-san..."


Heero's ears perked up and he inched a little closer to the door.

"Oh, yes. I forgot about that... Heavens, what if she already has?! You told me yourself he
has been spending a lot of time in the cove. What's stopping Selena from looking around
the bend. Her grave is right there after all!"
"Calm down, you'll be heard!"

Heero heard footsteps approaching the door. Quickly he walked back a few steps and
slipped into the kitchen. Okada opened the door a little ways more, looked around then
went back inside and closed the door behind him.

Heero leaned against the kitchen door, scowling in his thoughts. What did they mean by all
that? They had been talking about Selena, but what did he have to do with any of that? He
replayed the conversation over and over in his mind but there were still things that didn't
make sense. He glanced out the kitchen window and noticed the sky was beginning to turn
a soft, sunset orange. Night was coming and he suddenly knew the perfect person to ask...

-----------

A few minutes later Heero searched the lounge for the keys to the patio doors but they
weren't on the bar counter where they usually sat. He tried the doors anyway but to his
frustration they were already locked. Turning around again, he nearly bumped into the Inn
keeper who stood right behind him.

"Where were you going Yuy-san?" He asked in a kindly tone. As if the previous
conversation had never happened. "I can't find the keys to the doors. I ne-, I want to go
outside for a moment." Okada hesitated, then took on an apologetic demeanor, "Please
forgive me Yuy-san but it is important you do not go out tonight."

Heero frowned. Okada had deliberately hidden the keys. The Inn keeper placed a hand on
his shoulder, "Please, Heero. I know you believe the other one exists so for your own well
being, I beg you not to go down to the cove tonight. Onegai." Heero was surprised by the
Inn keeper's pleading tone. "Are you that sure the ghost will rise tonight..?" Okada
winced. "I never know when she will rise. It has always been random but... that doesn't
make it any less dangerous. This is one opponent you could never defeat with a gun
Yuy-san."

Heero sighed... and nodded. The relief on the Inn keepers face was palpable. "Domo
arigato." And almost as if afraid Heero would try to burst through the doors anyway,
Okada led him away from the lounge and into the hallway. Heero glanced back to the
lounge almost longingly. The sun would not set for a time still, but either way it did not
matter any more...

-------------

Hours later Heero found himself in the library, looking through the walls of books
available. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised when he began looking through the
shelves only to find that *every* book had something to do with either ghosts or the
supernatural but it still seemed a tad overwhelming. He had never known so many books
could be written on the subject.

Heero had arrived quite a while ago. The Inn keeper had been determined to see him to his
room but Heero had slept more than enough and was not looking forward to going back
to bed just yet. With some reluctance Okada had left him to his own devices and went off
to bed himself. When Heero asked, he just mentioned he was eager to put this and the next
night behind him as quickly as possible.

The wind whipped about fiercely outside and thunder roared in the night sky above the
Inn. Heero glanced out the window briefly but couldn't see anything but the dark. He
hadn't heard a sound since Okada left him except that of a car pulling out from the empty
parking lot right before sunset. It could only mean the cook had left for town. Wufei was
also nowhere to be seen. Heero could only imagine he was in his room.

He found a book that looked mildly interesting and took it back to his bean bag. A pile of
books that he'd discarded or already read lay at his feet and he had to be careful to step
around them before sitting back down. A good portion of these books looked as old as the
Inn and stepping on them would certainly not improve their aged and almost ragged
appearance.

He yawned opening the book and began shifting through the pages boredly. A glance at
his watch told him it was much later than he'd thought but he still didn't want to go
upstairs. Stifling another yawn he leaned back in the bean bag and stared at the pages of
the book blindly. His mind wandered to the cove outside and his last thought as the wind
whipped against the window more forcefully was if Duo might be cold...

--------

Disembodied laughter filled the bottom the cliff outside. Thunder roared threateningly in
the sky and the laughter became less distant and much more feminine. Lightning struck in
the distance as a body formed around that maniacal sound and a girl appeared over the
waves that crashed on the deadly jagged rocks. Selena grinned as she picked up her dress
and looked at the sky.

She wouldn't be able to see a moon even if there were one out to be seen. Almost giddy,
she floated to the top of the cliff and stepped onto the ground. This promised to be an
exciting night. Her senses had long since alerted her to the presence of new ki signatures
in the Inn that felt so tempting she thought she would die again if they left before this
night. But the fools were still here, undoubtedly paying little attention to the ravings of an
old man.

She laughed again and began walking toward the back porch of the Inn. Her steps so light
over the ground she nearly glided across it. Holding onto to her golden hair as the wind
whipped around her she walked up the few steps and went through the door. The moment
she entered and felt the difference between the cold outside and the cozy warmth of the
lounge she shivered and sent her chill all around her. The chill followed her as she walked
down the hallway.

Selena paused abruptly, outside one of the doors in the hall. Vaguely she remembered this
as the library and gently placed a hand over the wooden door, not quite touching. There
was someone inside. She smiled mutely but began walking down the hall again. She had to
do something else first.

Selena passed the lobby and entered the right wing of the Inn. In this hallway she stopped
outside a door and peered in through it. The Inn keeper was snoring loudly in his bed. The
blankets were rumpled and he was tossing and turning. He had his cane in his hand despite
that and was grumbling incoherently. Selena had to bite back a laugh as she watched him
struggle with a nightmare. "Sleep well old man..." she said mockingly as she pulled herself
back out into the hall.

Curiously, Selena walked a bit further and looked passed the open door of the kitchen.
The drawer where the knives were kept was locked again but this time there was a second
lock and nothing sharp had been carelessly left outside. Devilish smile never wavering, she
shrugged absently and walked away. She wouldn't be needing a knife tonight anyway.

-----------

Heero came awake with a start. He could've sworn the temperature had gone from
comfortable to freezing and back again within a few seconds. After a moment he dismissed
it as his imagination and stretched. Rubbing an ache in his neck that falling asleep in an
awkward position had left him, Heero checked his watch again and discovered he had
spent almost the entire night asleep in the Library.

Shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position, Heero looked out the window. The
wind was still as fierce as it had been before he'd fallen asleep but no rain seemed to have
fallen. Most importantly though, it was still dark out. There was still time to go down to
the cove if he wanted.

His mind made up, Heero got up and walked to the front of the Library. He opened the
door and walked out into the hallway in the direction the lounge. When he got there
Heero stopped short in front of the still-locked doors. How was he going to get outside?
He looked around the lounge and spotted a window set above and behind a couch. Heero
grinned and walked to the window to check if it would open. It did.

He raised the window open all the way, stepped over the couch and climbed through the
window onto the patio. Heero immediately regretted having left his jacket behind when
the full force of the storm winds hit his bare arms. Thunder clapped in the sky and Heero
ran across the patio, onto the grass and away from the Inn.

Upon reaching the edge he looked down and searched the cove. Duo was no where in
sight. Heero thought he remembered him mention something about gaining all his energy
from the moon, which would explain why he couldn't see him at the moment. Either way,
Heero choose to slide down the edge.

When he reached the bottom he looked around again but in the dark he could see the cove
little better now than he had from the top. Still, he did not see anyone else. Heero walked
across the length of the cove to the large boulder, rubbing his arms in a feeble attempt to
stay warm, all the while looking around. The ocean churned almost violently in the storm
and waves continuously crashed against the sides of the cliffs. It was the only movement
Heero could see until the rain finally fell.

A sound behind him caught his attention and he turned around to look behind the boulder.
There, sitting in the sand was Duo. He sat hunched over, clutching his chest almost as if in
pain. Alarmed, Heero kneeled next to him, "Duo? Are you alright?!" but Duo didn't hear
him. He was muttering something to himself in-between sobs. Something in too low a
voice for Heero to hear. Thunder clapped again and Duo became solid.

As if finally realizing he was getting wet, Duo straightened and looked directly at Heero
with tear-streaked amazement. Heero's eyes widened in shock when Duo sat up. His
white shirt was torn and completely drenched in blood from a wound Duo was clutching
over his chest. "Duo what happened to you?!" Heero struggled to remove Duo's hands so
he could see the wound.

Duo's amazement quickly turned to near outrage, "What the hell do you think you're
doing here?!" Heero's head snapped up in surprise when he heard the forcefulness of
Duo's words. Duo looked to Heero's now bloody hands and back to his face as if he were
insane, "what do you think you're gonna do, Heero? Help patch me up??" Heero looked
back to the wound. It was a long deep cut, directly over his heart. He let his hands fall
away. "I forgot... I'm sorry."

Duo shook his head, dismissing it. "That's not what matters right now. I want to know
what the hell you're still doing here! The moon is gone! I'm not even supposed to be out
and you...!" Duo cut himself off in mid sentence as his eye's widened in fear. Removing a
hand from his wound and placing it on the boulder, he struggled to stand. Heero leaned in
to stop him but a glare from Duo kept him back.

Duo looked over the top of the boulder to the edge of the cliff's bend. When Heero
looked, he saw nothing out of the ordinary but evidently Duo had seen... or not seen,
whatever he was looking for because he slid back down to the sand dejectedly shaking his
head. Heero stared as the rain began to wash away the bloody palm print Duo had left
behind. Seeing him like this and being able to do nothing about it was unsettling. He
couldn't help his reactions. Duo just seemed so... *alive*. And since when did he ever
hear of ghosts bleeding in the first place!?

"Stay with me." Heero looked back to Duo who was leaning heavily against the boulder
and gazing at him pleadingly. Duo winced and clutched his chest tighter. "If you stay here,
behind the boulder, maybe she won't see you and come down here. At least you're not in
the Inn." Heero looked at him in alarm. "The ghost rose tonight?!" Duo nodded as best he
could, "There is not much of the night left and she can only rise once every new moon.
After tonight, you're safe."

Duo stopped and gasped painfully. Heero couldn't keep himself from gathering Duo up in
his arms. It hurt to see him this way; in so much agony. If there was nothing he could do
then he would just provide comfort the only way he was able. When Duo calmed a bit he
took in a deep breath and said, "As selfish as it is, I'm actually a little glad you're here." he
tried to chuckle but winced again and gave up the effort.

Heero's eyes were stinging and with his arms still around him he pulled Duo a little closer
against his chest and lowered his head to the top of Duo's as he whispered a silent, shaky
"baka". Duo smiled a bit at that but the smile soon faded when a thought entered his mind.
"Gods I hope she never sets eyes on you, Heero. Never." Heero frowned curiously and
mumbled, "that's what the Inn keeper said. What do you mean?"

Duo closed his eyes and tried to focus on breathing for a moment. When he opened them
he replied, "Do you remember I told you that I didn't know how I was ever going to leave
this place? Well, during all that time I spent trying to figure it out I realized exactly how
Selena was supposed to leave. She is bound to her grave because her revenge was never
fulfilled. She tried but failed to kill Katsuhiro that night and her outrage was enough that it
kept her here. It's the reason she keeps killing people. In a way, she's still looking for
him."

He held his breath and sat back up again. When Heero tried to make him lean against the
boulder, at least for support, Duo waved him away and looked him directly in the face,
"Heero, you look too much like him. Almost too much for this to be coincidence. She
could even claim you are Katsuhiro's reincarnation, whether you are or not. Either way
would be good enough for her." Heero stared in consternation, "Are you saying she would
try to kill me?" Duo nodded, "If she ever sets eyes on you she would do anything within
her power to kill you. Your death would mean her release."

Heero looked back over the boulder to the top of the slope. He couldn't see the Inn from
here but... the thought that she was in there now searching it for... his eyes flew wide so
suddenly the rain momentarily obstructed his vision, "gods..!" Duo looked at him
questioningly. "What is it? what's wrong?" Heero got up abruptly, his gaze never leaving
the top of the cliff as he whispered, "Wufei..."

-----------

Reaching the lobby again, Selena gracefully climbed up the main staircase. As it split to
the right and left she climbed up the left side confidently, already knowing where her
target would be. Upon reaching the third floor she walked to the end of the hall and gazed
wonderingly at the rooms before her. C36 was the same room she had hunted the last
time. It was empty now, it's occupant no doubt the one she'd left downstairs but the room
next to it was not so disappointing. C35. Grinning, she walked through the door.

The room, like the rest of the Inn was dark. It looked a lot like all the other rooms she'd
seen. The decor little changed in several years with the exception of one thing. The
impressive sword that sat unsheathed on the nightstand next to the bed. She gapped at it
as if she had never seen anything of the sort. It was a lot different from the swords soldiers
of the continental army used to carry through town.

She almost wished Okada had a sword lying around. It might've made things much more
interesting in the past. Selena reluctantly left the sword alone and turned to the bed. If she
had been amazed by the sword it was nothing next to what she felt when her gaze fell onto
the bed. A boy in his mid teens slept soundly under the covers. His chest rose in a steady
rhythm with every breath, completely unaware of her presence. His straight black hair lay
spread over the pillow, unbound and she was struck by his exotic features.

"My, but you're a beauty." she said silently as she looked into his sleeping face. She had to
contain her excitement or risk waking him but within she felt like screaming in joy. She
finally had her male pray. Selena kneeled beside the bed watching as he shifted
uncomfortably in the now much cooler room. "It's almost a shame to kill you," she
whispered tilting her head slightly to the side. She smiled almost giddily and decided she
might as well begin it.

Selena stood and leaned down over the bed near his ear. She blew softly into it and
giggled when she saw him flinch in his sleep. She tucked her hair behind her with a hand
and whispered into his ear, "I need you to get up, handsome." He frowned in his sleep and
shifted again. She smiled innocently at him and lay a hand on his forehead. Refusing the
energy she would normally take she searched his mind for what she wanted. It wasn't long
before she had it.

She whispered again, "Wufei is a lovely name. I need you to get up for me, Wufei." Wufei
frowned again in his sleep and rolled over. Selena stood up straight and glared at his
sleeping form. *No one* refused her more than once! No one! She stalked over to the
other side of the bed and bent down near his ear, "I said get up!" She whispered between
clenched teeth. Wufei almost seemed to struggle with himself in his sleep. She took a deep
breath to try to calm herself, failing miserably, and forcefully whispered, "now!"

All expression of struggle or discomfort fell from Wufei's face and without waking or
opening his eyes, he sat up. Selena smiled, happy with herself. She walked to the other
side of the bed and leaned close to him again, whispering sweetly. "I need you to get out
of bed now, Wufei." Mutely, Wufei did as asked. Letting the sheets fall away by
themselves, he stood up next to the bed in gray sweatpants and a white tank waiting for
her next word.

Selena's eyes flashed in almost crazed delight when he no longer resisted. She circled him
momentarily. Inspecting, admiring and mused that it really was almost a shame to kill him.
She stopped in front, noticing the way stands of his unbound raven black hair fell over his
still sleeping face and sighed dreamily. Then, no longer needing to get so close, she
whispered, "follow me." Wufei did as he was told.

----------

Duo grabbed onto Heero's leg. "Heero, where do you think you're going?!" Heero looked
at him as if he were out of his mind. "There's no one up there except Okada and Wufei. I
can't just leave them up there with her!" Duo shook his head, "You'll just get yourself
killed! It's you she really wants..." Duo voice began to trail off at the determined look
Heero was giving him. He let go of his leg but tried one last time, "Please don't go back
up there." Heero shook his head, "I'm sorry Duo." He began to walk away.

"Matte!" He looked back and saw Duo standing up against the boulder. One hand
supporting him, the other clutching his bloody wound. "I'm going with you." Heero
looked at him skeptically, "I thought you said you couldn't leave this place." Duo
trembled in the rain and Heero found himself running back to help support him. "So
cold..." Duo muttered to himself. Heero looked at him worriedly, "You're in no condition
to go anywhere."

Duo placed an arm around his neck stubbornly, "don't you understand that my condition
doesn't matter? I could bleed all the blood there is in this spirit body and it wouldn't make
a difference." He stopped as another wave of pain washed over him, "and... about me not
being able to leave the cove: that's what I wasn't able to tell you last night. As long as you
have something of mine we have a bond together. I can go where ever you go so long as
I'm no more than five feet away. A couple more and I lose solidity. Any more than that
and I fade away completely." Heero frowned at him, still reluctant to take him anywhere.
Duo glared, "just help me to the top." After a moment Heero sighed but relented.

------------

Selena walked backward, preferring to watch Wufei as he walked down the hall in his
sleep. This would definitely be marked among her favorite kills. Certainly, no ordinary
young boy could've refused her so many times... and she had definitely never come across
a kill as handsome as he in quite a long time. It had been getting tiresome, killing old men
and such. She had to cover her mouth with her hands before she laughed out in her
contentment.

Soon, they were in the lounge and Selena had Wufei stop. She approached the double
doors that led to the patio and looked in-between, only to find them locked. Normally this
wouldn't be a problem for her but Wufei wasn't dead yet. She searched the lounge for
another way out and to her great satisfaction, found an open window above the couch.

She walked back to Wufei. "Wufei-chan, I want you to follow me, ok?" A barely
perceptible nod confirmed his assent. She grinned and slowly walked back toward the
couch. As Wufei followed she moved through the couch and straight through the wall.
Wufei hesitated a moment, and began to sway slightly as if he would fall back onto the
couch and continue his sleep. Selena noticed and reached through the window to place a
hand on Wufei's cheek. As if being led away by the hand, he climbed over the couch and
through the window.

Selena had not noticed the rain at first but once Wufei was outside she panicked. He
stopped directly outside the window, shivering and slumped against the side of the Inn.
She almost ran to him when he looked about to awaken and embraced him in her ghostly
arms as best she could without going through him. If she was just a *little* closer, perhaps
her power over him would be strong enough.

Her cold, ghostly body only encouraged his shivering but his arms stayed at his sides and
his eyes remained closed. She sighed in relief and whispered into his ear, "don't you dare
think of waking up, Wufei. Your life is mine now. I won't have you ruining things when
I'm this close to finishing it." She felt a barely noticeable tug in her chest and looked at the
horizon. She couldn't see it quite yet but dawn was approaching. Damnit, she had waited
too long.

Quickly she looked back at Wufei, "c'mon, follow me. There isn't much time left." Wufei
stood up straight and followed her as she led him across the patio. Selena watched, much
closer to her victim this time, as the wind bat at his sleeping form and the rain plastered his
hair to his face. She worried that at any moment, in such a distracting atmosphere, that he
would stop and begin to wake up again. She had to admit that this one had been more of a
challenge than usual. He certainly had a strong will to live.

Selena looked down as her body passed through a railing. She had reached the edge of the
cliff without realizing it. Wufei had stopped on the other side, as it bared his path,
separating him from the steep edge. She smiled in a satisfied manner, looking back at the
horizon that was beginning to brighten with the approach of dawn. There was still plenty
of time for what was left.

She leaned over the railing to his ear, "I need you on this side, Wufei-chan." she
whispered. Another barely perceptible nod and he climbed over the railing, settling next to
her on the very edge. Scarcely containing her excitement she walked off the cliff's edge
and floated in front of him. "Now Wufei..." she said placing her cool hands over his
cheeks.

"Selena!!" Her head snapped up when she heard her name and looked in the direction of
the slope. Duo kneeled at the top, clutching his still bleeding chest with one hand while the
other lay flat on the ground, supporting him. She was surprised by the venom in his voice
when he had said her name. Surprised because the ghost who had feared her for years was
now looking at her with murder in his eyes.

Then she looked at the boy who stood next to him and gasped, all thought of Wufei left
behind. She floated back to the edge, next to her victim and stared agape at the boy who
held her at gun point. "K-katsuhiro..??" Heero squinted in the rain at her and his eye's
flew wide as he got a better look, "Relena..?"

Duo struggled to get up, "leave Wufei alone!" Selena reluctantly tore her gaze away from
Heero to look back at him. When she took in his condition she smirked, "My but I haven't
seen you in a while. Does that hurt?" Duo glared at her and got a few steps closer. Selena
raised an eyebrow, "You think you can stop me from taking what I want?" she looked
back to Heero, "you've been hiding him from me. Maybe I should just take advantage of
the opportunity then."

Heero scowled and clicked off the safety. She laughed, "do you honestly think you can
hurt me with that?" Wufei grumbled next to her and she gave him a wary glance before
slipping in front of him again, then said a little softer, "Go on then, shoot me." Heero
cursed under his breath. He knew it wouldn't do much good to point a gun at a ghost but
this is the way he worked. When he was threatened he felt safer with a gun in his hands
than without, his enemy being of the living... or dead.

Duo glanced back at the horizon. It was clearing fast. He might last past sun rise if Heero
was around but she would not. He began walking toward her and within several steps, lost
solidity. Duo was only a few paces from the edge now and despite his pain, he grinned.
"Selena." She looked up from Wufei's ear, "I can't let you take him." Selena looked at
him as if he had exhausted her patients with his ignorance, "you can't stop me. You've
never had the guts to do it before and you can't do it now."

Duo walked a few steps and began fading. He looked back to Heero who seemed to
understand and took a few steps forward. Selena glared and clutched Wufei to her bosom
like a prized possession. Her eyes flashed, "stay back or I'll make sure you regret it." Duo
sighed, "I don't care anymore." and passed a hand through Wufei's back. Wufei woke
with a gasp to the unfamiliar chill. Selena backed away with an enraged scream.

Wufei looked down at the rocks below and eyes wide, tumbled over the railing. "What the
hell's going on?!" Selena looked at him with fire in her eyes and he backed away out of
the shear shock. Heero walked a bit closer and pulled Wufei to his feet. Selena's gaze
went from the two of them to Duo, "you will pay for what you've done!" she shrieked and
thunder roared louder as if backing her up. "I think not," and with that Duo ran through
the railing off the cliff and straight into her.

"No!" Heero ran to the edge when they fell, but dawn finally came and the two ghosts
disappeared half way to the bottom. Wufei soon appeared beside him, "Yuy?" Heero
looked down at his hands. They were no longer stained with Duo's blood. It had
completely vanished. He sighed, "you hadn't believed there were ghosts here before.
Maybe this is enough proof." Wufei looked back down and shivered, raising his hands to
his arms. "Let's go back inside... I need you to explain what just happened." Heero
nodded, but as he began heading back to the Inn he couldn't help but wonder what had
happened to Duo...

-------------

As a car parked in the empty parking lot of the Cliffside Inn, narrow eyes watched from
within as the bus it had followed stopped in front of the main entrance. A lone figure in a
raincoat stepped off the bus and waved back at the bus driver before running to the
entrance. He watched as the focus of his attention opened one of the massive front doors
and walked inside. The man grinned from within the darkness of his car. Perhaps his
search was finally over.

-------------

The hooded figure closed the door and entered, shaking the water droplets off it's
raincoat. It spotted the front desk in the dark and walked toward it. Dropping it's travel
bag onto the floor, it rang the bell for assistance. When no one came the figure rang it
again... and again until finally it heard a door open from behind and turned around. Within
a few moments, the Inn keeper came walking down the hall with his cane, still in his
pajamas. "Oh, a new guest." He smiled, slightly embarrassed and turned on one of the
lamps in the lobby as he made his way to the front desk.

"Please forgive my attire, I was not expecting to receive guests this time of day... or
month for that matter. I'm the Inn keeper here." He reached the front desk and looked at
the door momentarily as his other hand unconsciously moved to turn his desk lamp on. He
could've sworn he'd locked that door. "Oh, don't worry about it. The bus driver told me
all those silly ghost stories but I don't really believe in ghosts."

The Inn keeper raised an eyebrow at the response. "However, the bus driver did tell me
something else that I thought was rather interesting. You see, I'm looking for someone
and he told me that someone fitting the description of the boy I'm looking for came down
here a few days ago." The figure paused, "Oh, how rude of me. I haven't even introduced
myself!" She held out a hand and pulled her hood down with the other. She smiled at the
Inn keeper, who thought he would have a heart attack right there. "My name is Relena
Darlian, it's a pleasure."

-------------
End of part 5