Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Of thieves and Magi... ❯ Chapter 5

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

A.N.: Expect revisions of the first chapters of this story, something in the near future. I feel like I'm losing the point of the story in the details, these days... my Muses are apparently anal-retentive and like to swamp me with background information. So. I'll be doing some editing.

Basically I just wanted to say sorry if the plot seems to be going slowly. I promise, the real story will start soon. ;)

Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcomed with open arms. A huge thank-you goes out to those who have already reviewed!

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FIVE:

True to his word, Wufei was waiting when a groaning Duo opened his eyes the next day. Forgetting awe and fear, Duo greeted the Shade with a ferocious scowl, and was given in return a smirk that made him groan again and hide his head under the pillow.

The building, as Duo had discovered the day before, was far larger than he might have thought. There were whole floors below that were completely empty, just four stone walls and the barest hint of dust. Nonetheless, the former thief had carefully checked through each one, a task which had taken a large chunk of time and most of his energy.

On the very bottom floor was a carriagehouse and storage rooms for tack and other related supplies. Upon poking around, Duo didn't see any doors that might have led to an actual stables-- or any that might have led outside at all, to his immense frustration-- but after a while he reluctantly shrugged it off and left that mystery for another day.

The first occupied level was a good ten floors up, and consisted of two bedrooms much like his own-- which he assumed belonged to Quatre and Trowa, though neither man was on hand to confirm or deny the claim-- and a much larger room with a large fireplace, ring of chairs and other casual comforts, frequently used by the feel of it.

He searched through these rooms just as carefully as the empty ones below, perusing shamelessly through the various items there. The doors had been unlocked, after all.

The next level up was where Duo's own room was located, as well two more unused bedrooms, furnished as the rooms far below were not. There was also a small storage room, containing blankets and pillows-- some of which were immediately appropriated to add to Duo's own growing nest-- and other general supplies.

One more level found him in the kitchen, where he was met again with the smiling Quatre-- who immediately took over his self-guided tour and began explaining the various things lying around. An oven, heated by magic instead of fire, and a closet that actually stayed cold inside. A spout that poured out fresh, drinkable water. A box that cleaned the dishes after a meal. A dozen and more odd devices, all with some spellwork attached, that left Duo's head spinning.

Then Quatre dragged him upwards, and showed him the bathing room. Demonstrated how to work the dials that poured hot water into the vast, white tub. Opened a closet filled with neatly folded towels and bottles of oils and wrapped cakes of soap. Took him aside to the chamber across the hall where the used towels were cleansed by yet another magic-fueled device.

"Everything in a Mage's household is expected to be spelled, of course," the blonde had explained casually, running a hand over the washer's smooth surface. "It'll be strange to you, I expect, but that's just the way things have to be-- and it certainly isn't any hardship," he concluded with a grin and a wink.

Duo attempted a smile in return, but his mind was reeling and so he was fairly sure it fell somewhat short.

Quatre then showed him the small lavatory closet beside the main bathing room-- the explanation of which immediately had Duo squirming, reminded quite suddenly of that aspect of nature. Quatre laughed good-naturedly and excused himself, heading downwards again as Duo hurriedly closed the closet door.

Some moments later found Duo headed upwards again, but most of the fire had gone out of his curiousity, and he ended up more often than not just standing in the middle of the rooms and staring. Those upper floors contained libraries and sitting rooms, and storage rooms filled with riches that made Duo's fingers twitch even in his numb state. The sight, coming on top of Quatre's well-meaning but fast-paced explanations, was simply overwhelming.

He gave the stairs leading upwards into forbidden territory only a cursory glance before beginning the weary trek downwards again.

A stop at the bathing room tempted him into a bath, which resulted in an overflowed tub, several broken bottles, a large pile of soggy towels and a very long and frustrating struggle with his hair. He returned to his room damp and exhausted, and was already half-asleep when he fell into the mess of blankets and pillows.

Only to be awakened seemingly moments later by a relentless shake to his shoulder and smirking black eyes.

"Go 'way."

There came the sound of a snort, and then the pillow shielding him was torn away.

Duo made a small sound of protest, then blinked blearily up at the dark figure looking down at him. "Look," he began, hopefully. "There's no reason we have to do this now, is there? Why don't we both just pretend this never happened, go back to sleep for an hour or two, and start this when it's actually daylight out?" He case a quick, sour glance towards the room's single tall window, paned with smoky glass that transmitted just the barest hint of dawn light.

The black eyes might have rolled slightly. "I don't sleep," the Shade replied, shortly. While Duo was blinking in surprise and trying to digest that tidbit, Wufei turned and began walking back towards the open door. "Get up, get something to eat, and meet me upstairs where we were yesterday," he tossed over his shoulder, and then was gone.

Duo stared blankly after him for a moment, then turned a longing glance to the bed beneath him and the massive, tangled pile of pillows and blankets upon it. Best damned sleep I've ever had in my life, he thought sourly, and I have to get dragged out of it. Surely-- just a few more minutes--

He swayed in place, eyes locked on the dent his head had made in one particularly plump pillow, half-heartedly fighting the urge to just lie back down.

Then, with a pained groan, he pulled himself out of his nest and tumbled to the floor, putting some distance between it and he before the temptation became too great.

There were several changes of clothes sitting in a carefully-folded pile on the chair-- all in black, to his approval. Glancing down at himself, Duo saw the sleep-wrinkled appearance of his current attire and shrugged, reaching out for a new set.

Moments later found Duo staring at the rolled-up wad of wrinkled clothes in his hands, remembering Quatre's instructions from the day before. I'm fairly sure he said I should take dirty clothes upstairs to that room I put the towels in. But-- these aren't really dirty, really. I only wore them for the one day. I might need them again.

The old clothes were rolled up and tucked away under the bed.

A short stop in the empty kitchen gained him several handfuls of breakfast; another stop in the bathing room saw him looking somewhat ruefully at himself in the polished silver mirror while he quickly smoothed down and rebraided his hair.

I could really get used to this, he admitted to himself in the privacy of his thoughts. This is dangerous; I'm getting to the point where I don't want to leave. And that's not good. I don't belong here. These people kidnapped me!

To save your life, some corner of his mind whispered to him, and he scowled.

I have only their word for that.

Have they given you any reason not to believe them?

His scowl deepened into an outright glare as he met his own eyes in the mirror, but he couldn't come up with a reply.

His feet dragged as he trudged up the stairs to the specified room.

When Duo entered, Wufei was sitting with a book in the deepest of the chairs, one leg casually drawn up underneath him. It was a pose that looked comfortable and familiar, not posed for the benefit of the viewer-- unless this man was a far better actor than Duo was used to seeing-- and actually had one corner of his lip caught between his teeth as he read.

He glanced up as Duo slipped through the door, though, and the relaxed posture was immediately lost. The book was closed and carefully set aside; the tucked foot was lowered to the floor as its owner straightened in his seat.

"Sit."

Gaze narrowed slightly, Duo eyed his would-be instructor for a moment before complying. Wufei watched him with a bland, blank gaze of his own while the thief settled himself across from the Shade.

"Now that you've had some chance to accustom yourself to the situation, do you have any more questions?"

Hel yes, Duo thought fiercely. His thoughts whirled chaotically, throwing questions from all directions. But some part of his mind had apparently been sorting through them all while his attention was elsewhere, because several immediately floated to the top of the pile and the tip of his tongue. He opened his mouth to let the first one escape.

"What was that thing you did yesterday? Where you changed your face, I mean."

A hint of surprised approval might have flickered across the surface of the black eyes. "It was one form of Mask spell, the crudest of three."

Duo quirked an eyebrow in inquiry. "If it's 'crude', why do you use it?"

Wufei seemed to weigh his words carefully before replying. "Two reasons," he began. "One, it was the most suitable to the situation. That particular form molds light and air around a physical surface, allowing the illusion of a changed appearance. It's quite easy to detect if one knows what to look for, but you didn't, so it was more than enough to suit." His expression seemed to open slightly as he warmed to the subject, giving Duo a glimpse of what was in store when the Shade started instructing him in earnest. "The second form is much more subtle; it manipulates the actual transmission of images to the viewer's mind, rather than the object viewed. And the third doesn't affect physical images at all, but is used to disguise magical talent." The dark gaze sharpened significantly. "You'll have to master that form before you can set foot outside this building again. And I do mean master-- you must be able to maintain it under any circumstances. You will never be able to let it slip."

Blinking under the weight of that look, Duo nodded faintly. "Yeah, okay. Guess I'll have to work on it, right?" He waited a moment, then gave in and prodded. "So what's two?"

The black eyebrows lifted, not comprehending.

Duo cracked the slightest hint of a smirk. "You said there were two reasons, and you just lectured me about one. So what's the second?"

The Shade's expression closed off again, the brief hint of open animation that had slipped through going back under control. Duo nearly scowled, but managed to suppress it. Just when I think I might be making some progress--

"I use magic differently than humans," Wufei finally said, the words leaving his lips only reluctantly. "On a much more basic level. I have access to far more raw power but am all but incapable of shaping it into a spell, and thus the crudest form of Mask is all I can use. The control required for anything more refined is beyond me." The dark eyes were hard, challenging. "Is that sufficient answer?"

He's defensive. Duo identified the behavious with a touch of disbelief. But he's still talking. He's not avoiding my questions like he did yesterday. I could press this--

But maybe-- maybe I shouldn't.

With a purely mental frown, Duo quickly organized his thoughts again, and spoke as one particular bit of information clicked. "Is that why you're teaching me for the first part, instead of the Mage?" he asked slowly. "Because I'll be dealing with things on that kind of level, and learning the finer control later on?"

Wufei blinked, and a parade of ghost emotions flickered across his face-- but Duo was long used to reading people, as such was necessary in the Warrens, and managed to pick out the main sentiments as they passed. Surprise; I think I've managed to shock him again. Good. Relief; definitely a good plan to not have made a big deal over that earlier bit. A bit of that earlier warmth, and-- Fates, was that a little flash of respect?

This gets stranger and stranger all the time.

"That is one of the reasons, yes," Wufei admitted. "There are other considerations, but that is the main one." The Shade hesitated momentarily before continuing. "Your intuition is commendable."

That flash of approval and near-respect appeared again, and Duo felt a thrilled warmth pass through him at the sight, followed immediately by startlement that the first emotion had occurred at all. To cover himself, he let his mouth take over on its own again, the cheerfully abrasive tone sounding only slightly off to his own ears. "Well like I said, I'm not stupid. It's not really that hard to figure out, if you think about it." He snorted. "You guys must have had some really winners come through here before me, if you think that's something special."

Another question occured to him, and without thinking he tacked it on to the end of his ramble. "How many people have you gone through this with, anyway?"

Another flash passed over the carefully controlled face, and this time Duo identified it as something like sadness. "More than you might think," the Shade replied quietly.

Duo's eyes narrowed sharply. "There's only the two guys downstairs, I know that. So where are the rest?"

"There is one living in the middle city; she runs a business there." The black-haired head tilted a fraction to the side, consideringly, which Wufei paused. He held the silence for a tense moment, then sighed quietly and his shoulders slumped marginally. "None of the other potentials have survived to the end of their training."

"I see." Duo brought his arms up to cross defensively over his chest. "What happened to them?" He growled faintly when it looked as though the Shade might not answer. "Hey, I have a right to know what I'm getting myself into, don't I? What the risks are?"

Wufei frowned a little, then nodded slowly. "You do, at that." He shifted in his chair and let out a breath that was not quite a sigh. "One died from a perfectly ordinary illness, shortly after he arrived here. Several were burned out by their power when their talents fully awakened; not everyone is suited to work magic, even if they do have the ability."

The Shade directed a hard stare at Duo. "But most of them died by their own choice, one way or another," he continued bluntly. "They either refused Heero's terms, tried to escape the building on their own, or proved themselves unwilling to learn."

"And just how would that lead to death?" Duo was quick to ask.

Wufei's challenging stare never shifted or faltered. "We killed them," he said flatly. "Once they knew about our plans and actions, they could not be allowed free. They would have been a threat to us." He gestured vaguely with one fine-boned hand. "What we're doing here would see us all killed if the rest of the Magi community were to find out. The fact that Heero himself is a Mage wouldn't matter."

Duo blinked in shock, then started to frown in confusion. "But-- what? Why would he take such a risk?"

"That, I think," Wufei replied quietly, "is for Heero to tell, if he chooses to tell you."

If or when he trusts me enough to tell me, Duo immediately translated. He felt himself nodding slowly in acceptance of the deferral, as the surprise started to wear off and his mind began racing once more. "So when will I actually get to meet him?"

"Heero?" Wufei appeared to think for a moment before replying. "He has other business to attend at the moment; it will likely be a few more days before he can spare any great amount of time."

Duo just nodded again, absorbing the new information. His mind whirled as it tried to reconcile the concept he'd had of the Magi with the things he'd learned since waking in a real Mage's home. From the stories he'd heard and the little he'd actually seen, the life of a Mage was one of comfort, ease and riches. It certainly didn't involve extensive training, or breeding programs, or strict rules that could result in the death of one of their own--

I wonder what else is going on that I've never heard about? I wonder if anything I thought I knew is actually right at all?

"Did you have any more questions?"

The sudden sound of Wufei's quiet voice startled Duo out of his thoughts, and only then did he realize how long he'd been sitting in silence. "No," he said slowly. "Not right now, I think. I want-- I need to think about things for a while."

The Shade nodded his understanding, and then pushed himself smoothly to his feet. "In that case, I'll take you upstairs and show you the workroom you'll be practicing in. And then perhaps we can actually get started on your excercises."

Still feeling a bit numbed around the edges, Duo followed Wufei from the room.