Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Raven - Death's Companion ❯ I won't let you fall ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer - If I owned Wu-kun life would be a beautiful dream. But life is EVIL! EVIL I SAY! Therefore own GW or it's characters I do not.

Warnings - Same as before, plus I gave you an extra warning at the end of the last chapter.

Rating - PG-13 bordering on R.

Archived - No where but here so far.

Notes - Thanks for the reviews. Keep it up. ^_^; And Mystik-Chan, Ain't it great to know we're not the only 2x5 freaks out there? Sorry this took so long I've been busy over the past few weeks with my school's production of Just Like Cagney.. school every day for a month just isn't healthy. But I'm back now.

Oh and I know that it makes no sense to have a weird dream sequence in here.. in fact I hate the idea as this fic was me trying to be realistic.. ah well. It popped in my head.. and demanded to be included…

Chapter - 3/??

/\/\

Raven - Death's companion.

He didn't know how long he'd been awake, but he'd given himself plenty of time to regain his senses before he even thought of opening his eyes. He lifted himself into a sitting position on the large bed and a sharp jolt of pain went through him. Treize must've gotten impatient. That still didn't explain why he was still within the devil's domain. He placed his feet onto the carpeted ground, pressing forward a little to make sure that his joints could take the strain of his body weight. He lifted himself to his feet before he looked around the room again. Whatever Treize had given him, it had been very poignant. Even at this time, which was… he scanned the room once more, spotting a window he walked upto it and pulled back the drapes, the horizon had turned into a dark inferno as the sun crept beneath it. So… he'd been here almost twenty four hours, too long.

He turned back to the room, looking for his crumpled clothing and finding it soon after. As he passed through the room he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Shit. No wonder Duo had looked so concerned for him. His already slender frame was drawn in on itself from malnutrition, his skin was dull and bruised. He looked dead on his feet. Oh well, he would worry about that later. He placed the disturbing image into the back of his mind before he pulled on his clothes, he actually had a mission. He could take vengeance for what had happened to him on the small OZ base north of his position. They would taste the fury of the dragon in all its distressing beauty.

He walked back to the window and lifted the wooden frame until it wouldn't go up anymore. He decided the best way to do this was to just get out as fast as he could, worry about the pain it caused later. He swiftly jumped through the opening, bending his knees a little in preparation of falling to the ground. As his left foot hit the floor a jolt of pain traveled up his body, causing his leg to buckle under his weight. Hissing painfully he placed his hands on the floor to balance himself, taking a few seconds to push the pain from his system before he stood and closed the window after himself, disappearing into the quickly approaching night.

He had no clue where he was, or how he got there, or who the hell stole his clothes. But there he was, staring over a chasm, towards what he didn't know. Just staring for the longest time, the flames between him and the other side were immense, but no matter how much he wanted to step back he couldn't. He felt suddenly aware of a weight in his right hand. Tearing his eyes from the hypnotic beauty of the dancing flames he saw a staff entwined in his fingers. Following the staff up he was met by the soft glint of the metallic blade, the flames beneath him seemingly swirling in it's reflection. The cloak that adorned his body made the heat unbearable, yet he didn't want to take it off. The crucifix he always wore was lying on his chest, the scolding metal burning into the cloth of his cloak and yet making no marks.

For the first time he notices that his hair is down, cascading over his shoulders and out over the fire filled space, yet his hair doesn't even singe. Though the flames were hypnotising he was starting to become restless. A figure immerged from the other side's darkness. Well.. an outline anyway, he couldn't really see a figure, it was more like.. feeling a figure there. Staring at him as he stared back. The figure seemed to turn, looking up and away from Duo then. A slightly confused expression past his features as he decided to follow the gaze, looking up at a stone pillar, placed precisely in the middle of the chasm between himself and the other figure.

Standing on the top of this pillar, which seemingly had a very small surface area, was Wufei. Well the body was of Wufei, everything seemed as normal, his eyes, his hair tied back even his customary attire. He was perched silently, his eyes cast downward into the flames beneath him. Duo tried calling out to him but no sound left his lips. Wufei slowly lifted his gaze, looking first to his right, to look at the figure across from Duo. He stared for at least three minutes before lowering his gaze and turning to his left. As their eyes met a fear crept up on Duo, no, more a sheer panic. But he didn't know why. What the hell was going on? After only a few short moments Wufei broke their stare to look back out infront of him. At the abyss of flames. Yet again Duo tried stepping forward but to no avail. Wufei crouched slightly, holding onto the thin pillar beneath him for support as two, pure black wings ripped through his flesh, their dark feathers glittering thanks to the moisture still on them. Onyx eyes were closed tight as he obviously struggled to regain himself. Cartilage and blood dripping down his back and over his pedestal. As the crimson liquid touched the rock beneath him it began to crumble. As if that the strength seeped out of Wufei in that transformation was also taken out of this stone structure.

Yet Wufei stood strong, lifting his gaze to stare at the figure on the other side of the opening. "'Fei!" Duo shouted, well mentally anyway. "'Fei.. you're going to fall.. please.." Wufei seemingly heard his mental pleas as he turned toward him. A soft, real, smile passed over his lips, before he closed his eyes and bowed gently. As he did this the thin structure he was standing on collapsed beneath him. His body seemed to flow into the action, as if he was expecting it, and as he fell, he didn't look back once. Duo, finally able to, sprang forward. "'Fei!" He shouted as the form of his friend disappeared into the flames. He could feel tears prick at his eyes as he clung to the side of the chasm. "..'Fei.." he whispered softly before looking up to feel the presence disappear once more, the same despair that he felt trailing behind him.

Closing his eyes Duo went with a feeling, he stood up and moved his foot over the heat of the flames. It was a scorching heat, but he'd have to put up with that. He took that first step forward, he could feel his body falling, but nothing was happening to him. Suddenly he heard something, it kept getting louder and louder until the tone was almost deafening. He groaned and crouched down onto the nothing beneath him, placing his hands over his ears to try and block out the sound. When he finally opened his eyes again he was met with a multitude of coffee cups strewn over the table next to his laptop. His beeping laptop. Duo was tempted to throw the thing across the room until he realised why it was beeping. It had completed the codes, it had located Wufei.

He had fallen asleep sometime in mid afternoon. He really wasn't kidding himself when he said it would be a long night. It would've went a lot faster if he had a secure internet line that wouldn't give away his location. He had to program it to be extremely careful, every precaution had been taken. But now, after all those hours the computer was beeping at him. Well at least Wufei wasn't totally lying, he was further east. According to the screen, a little off the position of an OZ base. Maybe Duo was jumping to conclusions about `Fei dying. But he should've been on his way back by now. It didn't seem that hard, or that far away. So Duo knew that Wufei was atleast trying to avoid him, avoid having the conversation. "Hm.. we'll see about that.." he commented drowsily before lifting himself from the kitchen table and shutting down his laptop. He went upstairs to freshen up before grabbing his back pack for the second time in two days and disappearing out of the door. His strange dream still in his thoughts, no matter what he would not allow the great solitary dragon to fall.

Wufei was scaling the metallic fence for the second time in his efforts to escape. Every inch of his body screamed out in pain, but he ignored it. Taking his usual confidence in each of his actions. He had been careless while he was inside the base, almost walking into the soldiers' hands on at least two occasions, but luckily they were more careless than he was. He fell to the ten feet to the floor below him. A feat easily accomplished if he were on best form. But he wasn't. For the second time that night his knees buckled, and he allowed himself a soft growl as he pushed himself back off the floor. His performance was bordering on embarrassing. Nevermind, soon this place would be up in smoke and any survivors would meet him and Nataku head on. The two were furious when paired together, it was a shame they never realised that while she was still living.

He made his way carefully through the trees that surrounded the base in a poor attempt to cover it up. He paused momentarily at a few of the wooden posts, resting his aching limbs. If he was like this on foot, the gods only knew how he would be able to pilot Nataku. Growling at himself, he pushed all thoughts of pain from his mind and focused yet again on his mission, the pain would go away when he started to wreak his revenge upon those who would oppose him. He quietly traced his steps back to his Gundam, lifting his hand when he believed himself to be a safe distance away to press the little button. The resounding explosion seemed to lift a little of the pressure from Wufei's shoulders. He knew he shouldn't take pleasure in this, but it was the only thing he could think of to get back at Treize. He knew how much each and every soldier meant to the faction's leader. He trekked the remaining distance to his Gundam and made his way into the cockpit.

The systems booted up without much effort, each screen almost burning his eyes with it's intensive brightness, unlike Yuy, he didn't enjoy spending time this close to computer screens. "Nataku.." he whispered affectionately to the panels. "..I know I have failed you.. and my ancestors.. but please.. give me strength.. aid me against those who will stand before me as my enemy.. I..I can't do this without you.." He admitted, almost silently, his eyes closed. "Please… Mei - Nataku.. just for a little longer." The soft beeping indicating a suits arrival sounded shortly afterwards. Onyx eyes glanced up before he moved his hands to the controls. "It seems more of you survived than expected.. Just another thing I have failed in.." he mumbled more to himself than anyone, even his own deity. With swift, rehearsed movements the Gundam launched into graceful motion. Only his experience and feeling of regime keeping the burning pain at bay.

The Dragon Claw on the right arm of his Gundam ripped through a mobile suit, the left arm intricately spinning the staff before burrowing it into another Aries. As soon as it had destroyed a few systems he tore the staff out and to the right, ripping apart the next suit along. Three down, only another, four, by his count, to go. Now, you must understand, for a Gundam pilot four mobile suits is no heavy task. Especially a Gundam Pilot like Wufei. But when you're operating a giant creation like a Gundam, and you're not at your optimum efficiency, (no matter how much your mind tries to tell your body that you are), four suits closing in is a pretty big problem, especially after wasting most of your energies taking out their three friends.

Growling loudly at himself to try and keep his mind focused he armed the Dragon Claw once more, aiming it into the direction of three of his assailants. Wait - Three? He damned his lack of concentration to hell before his eyes desperately scanned the screens for any sign of his last enemy. He felt them before he saw them. The whole of Nataku shook, her front leg dislodging from the ground, only Wufei's quick reflexes caught them both in time.

He closed his eyes, heaving as he hung over his controls. His insides were screaming, every bruise and cut on his skin was screaming in pain from the sudden jarring of the machine. This wasn't good. This seriously wasn't good. He pulled himself up, his arms almost buckling under the stress of pulling this usually so natural weight back to her feet. He forced his eyes open, the screens were beginning to blur. "Not yet.. damnit. Not yet..". He slammed Nataku's right arm back, striking the mobile suit that was about to attack him again. His eyes were following the shapes over his screens, his mind racing to try and decipher when would be the best time to launch another attack. Another beep sounded. "Another one?.." he sighed, defeated. `I can't keep this up..'

He prepared to launch one last attack, fumbling for Nataku's systems under his fingertips and then readied the Dragon Claw to use it's flame attack. As he lifted his eyes he began to press down on the ignition button, only to see his enemies destroyed in front of him. A mix between confusion, anger and relief passed over him as he saw the suit that had helped him out. "Maxwell!.. What do you think you're doing?!" His voice sounded strained, tired, but the anger certainly came across in the transmission. "Good to see you too `Fei." Duo's voice was also tinted with anger, his violet eyes barely visible over the communication screen, covered by chestnut bangs. "I don't need your help."

"I don't suppose you do.. But you're getting it anyway." Duo responded as he destroyed the third suit out of four. The beam scythe span skillfully before he turned it off, watching Wufei deal with the last of their assailants. Both the Gundams traveled in silence, moving a safe distance away from the battlefield before both were shut down completely. Only Wufei's pure stubborn streak stopped him from collapsing before he had the chance to shout at Duo. He took his time climbing out of Shenlong, his eyes watching the black-clad figure that emerged from his suit with ease, compared to him with his right hand clinging to the metallic thread while his left wrapped around himself.

As he touched the floor he immediately moved towards Deathscythe's pilot. Knocking him to the floor before the braided one had a chance to say anything. "Damnit Maxwell! I didn't need your help.. why did you come out here?!" Not even he was sure whether he was asking these questions because he was genuinely angry, or because he was concerned about the American's safety. After recovering from the initial shock of their formalities Duo sprang to his feet and looked down at the Chinese boy. "Look `Fei.. you can carry on with all your damn arrogant talk. But we both know I wouldn't have stepped in if I didn't think you needed it." Both boys were refusing to back off. "I didn't need it.." Wufei spoke quietly, his tone betraying the words as he conceded.

After the rush of adrenaline left his body the dizziness kicked back in with a vengeance. Wufei's left foot went back in an effort to support himself. "Hey `Fei.. you okay?" The Chinese boy waved him off as he began walking back toward his Gundam, steadily lowering himself into a seated position at her feet. "I'll go get the First Aid kit." Duo said, making his way back to DeathScythe. "No.. I'm fine." A laugh escaped Duo's mouth before he could stop it. He waited a few seconds for Wufei to try and rip out his jugular before he turned back to the Chinese boy. Wufei was glaring at him but didn't do much else. Something was seriously wrong. "Just wait here `Fei.." Then the boy in black disappeared to find the small kit. Wufei placed his fingers at the bridge of his nose, trying to find a focus point. The sharp pains had becoming more of a numbing torture but his damn eyes still wouldn't focus properly. "..Fei.. Fei.. hey! `Fei!"

The Chinese boy winced slightly from the volume of the call. "Maxwell, be quiet." He mumbled quietly and then almost jumped to his feet when a hand pressed against his screaming ribs. Only the pain from his rear stopped him. Instead his left hand grabbed the straying one, almost crushing it with the intensity of the grip. "Don't. Touch. Me." He growled out while Duo tried to pull his hand away. "Ow `Fei.. Ow!" he finally released his grip. Duo shook his hand out a little, then checked gingerly for broken bones. "Warn a guy before you try to break his hand will ya?" Wufei looked up, shaking his head only slightly to avoid the eye complaints of before. ".. I apologise.." His voice remained quiet as Duo watched over him. "Right now.. lay back so I can check your injuries.."

"I can handle this on my own Max-Duo." The Chinese boy took the small box from Duo's hands and proceeded to open it, ignoring the violet eyed boy staring at him. "'Fei.. I think it'd be better if you let me.." Duo started only to be interrupted. "I can handle it on my own.. now.. If you'll excuse me.." Wufei left the sentence hanging hoping Duo would take the hint and leave him alone. But Duo stayed where he was. "Fine." The stubborn Chinese boy murmured moving to try and bring himself to his feet only for his breath to hitch as he pulled his injured body from the ground. "Damn `Fei. You'd think you'd know better than to move yourself too much when you're injured." Duo moved to steady the smaller boy. "Leave me alone!" Wufei pushed away from Duo again only to fall directly onto the floor. His backside slamming against the ground beneath him. He called out in pain, instinctively curling around himself, breathing heavily for a few seconds as he ignored Duo's pleas from the outside.

`God `Fei..' Duo thought to himself as he tried to lift the other boy into his arms only to have the proud boy struggle against him. "Accept the help that's being offered `Fei." Wufei folded his arms over his chest but leaned in closer to the American boy, letting him place him softly onto a blanket over the wet floor. After a few moments Duo moved to silently tend to whatever wounds he could find. "Wufei.. can I ask you a question..?" The American asked softly, as he pulled a twisted ankle into a supposedly more comfortable position. "Do I have to answer it?" Wufei answered keeping his eyes closed from fear of the dizzy spells returning. "No.. Don't have to.." Wufei getting a little impatient, lifted his less injured leg and kicked Duo with a slight amount of force. "Well ask it then."

"Do you love him?" Silence quickly descended onto the both of them before Wufei let out a long sigh. "No." violet eyes stared at him for around a minute before their owner continued to bandage him and apply anti-septic creams. "Then.. why don't you leave him?" `a.k.a. why aren't you with me?' Duo translated in his mind. "Because it isn't that s-s-simple.." Wufei hissed as Duo ran his anti-septic covered hands over a particularly nasty serrated opening on his leg. "Why not?" Duo asked, pressing down lightly to try and find any broken bones. The silence engrossed them for several more minutes before Duo forgot about the questioning and just concentrated on treating whatever wounds Wufei would allow him to. The silence carried on for another ten minutes before Duo realised that the Chinese boy had drifted to sleep. He moved to place another blanket over him before he climbed into his Gundam cockpit, leaving the door open so he could watch over the serenity of the woods.

A soft beeping interrupted his reverie followed by the voice of an OZ soldier over the `secured' communication lines. "General there is no sign of pilot zero five as of yet." Duo's attention was now piqued as he waited for the reply. "Keep searching. He's out there somewhere, what's your current position?" Damn that man sounded angry. "No offence General, but what makes you so sure it's zero five we should be looking for?" For a short moment there was silence before an obviously forced calm voice answered. "The damage was comparable with other areas destroyed by zero five in the past. Now.. What. Is. Your. Current. Position?" The other voice hesitated a while before answering. It was obvious he knew just how pissed off he had made his superior. As the less experienced voice talked, Duo's eyes grew wide. "Shit.. Shit Shit!" Duo chanted to himself as he quickly got up and out of the cockpit of his Gundam. "Wufei! Wufei wake up!" He ran to the boy's side as he tried to sit up. "They're less than five miles away.. Come on buddy… we've got to get you out of here." He tried to lift him up but Wufei stubbornly pushed him away. "Did they mention your intervention?" He asked groggily as he clambered to his feet, using whatever he could as support. "No."

There was a soft chuckle before Wufei spoke again. "Then you go.. I'll stay.. They're only expecting to find me.. it'll make more sense if you use this as an escape opportunity. There is no point in escaping when I am like this. I'll only handicap the both of us." Duo stared at him in shock. "How hard did you hit your head? You honestly believe that I'll leave you out here?" Wufei nodded slightly. "It does make the most sense. You said yourself it's too dangerous to move me too much while I'm injured like this." He looked down, disgusted at his own body. "So.. if I stay here.. you can make your escape unnoticed.." Wufei didn't even wait for a reply before he turned and began to walk in the direction of the incoming soldiers, even if it was at a slow pace. "Take care of Nataku for me.." he called out before disappearing into the woods. "Wait! `Fei!" shit. Why didn't his mouth ever work when he wanted it to? He climbed into his cockpit, quickly typing in commands before he reached out using the controls and clamped DeathScythe's grip onto Nataku's body. "Right buddy.. I'll see you later.." He saluted his suit as he retrieved a gun and jumped outside, hitting the initiation button as he left and began sprinting into the woods after his injured friend.

Less than five minutes walking passed before he was almost blinded by a light. He cast his eyes downward and held his body close. "Lift your arms above your head." Was heard and he struggled to do so. His arms visibly shaking with the effort. His eyes were closed so he could lift his head up and he could hear the approaching soldiers. "Look at him" some of them whispered. "The General wants him alive, why?" some of them asked one another. He didn't have time to contemplate this as his arms were roughly pulled down and bound at the small of his back. He tilted his head up to try and ignore the pain that these movements were causing him. Staying silent to all their questions. The butt of a gun was swiftly placed to the back of his head and he fell without complaint onto his knees. His eyes opening as much as they could to focus on the floor. And that's when he heard it, the soft click of a gun being cocked.

The semi-loud sound of gunfire not too far away alerted Duo's senses. `Oh shit! `Fei! `Fei!' Duo's heart raced as he skipped over roots and twigs in the direction of the gunshot. "Be okay, please be okay.." he whispered to himself. He silently leapt over a fallen tree and then made his way to look into the clearing not too far away. Blood was dipping over Wufei's silent and still form as soldiers carried him to one of their many trucks. "..Fei.." Duo whispered. There was way too many for him to take out alone so he waited until they had taken his friend away before he began following their path and plotting their deaths, their slow and painful deaths.

/\/\/\

As you can probably tell. This is not beta read in any way. It's just me typing at random times in the day and night to create something that to the best of my knowledge makes sense.

Please review.. Chapter 4 on the way.

Ja matte Ne!

^_^ Avenged Suffering ^_^