Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Savior ❯ Chapter 4
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Arigatomina 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Action / Drama / Hentai / Police / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.20.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 506 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Action / Drama / Hentai / Police / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.20.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 506 | Status: Work In Progress
Category: Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, AU
Warnings: slight language, shonen ai, reference to minor angst/violence
Pairings: 3+2, will be 1x2, 3+4/4+3, possible 5x3
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatomina@hotmail.com
Website/Complete Archive: http://www.geocities.com/arigatomina
Savior
Part 4
Hours of dark endless silence passed before the door whispered open, shadowy eyes peeking outside. Trowa didn't look up from where he sat in the hall, and Joey crept out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The candles in the hall weren't lit. If it hadn't been for the dull flicker from the dining area he wouldn't have been able to make out anything with the painted windows. He'd never been able to purposely sit watch in the dark, but Trowa wasn't the sort to fall asleep. The brown-haired boy didn't look up when he slid to the floor across from him, lighting the candle set below the window. Bending a leg, he mimicked the older boy's position and stared at the bowed head, hoping he would glance up. After a few moments, he gave up. He kept his voice down to a soft whisper that wouldn't reach through to where the others were sleeping. "It's really late."
Joey nearly sighed when silence was his answer, and he wrapped his arms around his chest, unconsciously mimicking the elder again. "He's never stayed out this late before." He couldn't even hear Trowa's breathing. Gritting his teeth, he barely kept his voice soft. "Aren't you going to look for him?" The boy moved sharply, green eyes glinting in the semi-light, and Joey flinched. That bruise looked black in the shadows, making Trowa's eyes seem to glint dangerously. Heat rushed to his face as he dropped his eyes. "Sorry..."
"Don't be."
Blinking quickly, Joey looked up again only to find that the boy had once more lowered his head. But it didn't really matter. "I followed him, too," Joey whispered, his eyes narrowing in anger for his friend. "He shouldn't have punished you alone."
"I broke my promise," Trowa said, his eyes aimed on his folded arms. "You didn't."
"What does it matter?" Joey muttered, blinking when Trowa moved so one dark green eye glinted at him. "If we're old enough to leave, why aren't we old enough to help? It's stupid." The boy shook his head at him, and Joey glowered at his arms. "We were doing really well, too. Nothing for months, and then some stupid rich-kid has to get lost."
"It's not his fault," Trowa cut in, his tone holding a hint of sharpness. "You know that."
"Right," Joey sniffed, rolling his eyes, "the *parents* are to blame." Neither spoke for a few minutes, the silence creeping over the hall. Pressing his forehead into one hand, Joey tried to keep quiet. Trowa wasn't the sort to invite conversation, and he knew the boy would never allow any complaints about Duo. From what he'd heard, Trowa was one of the first, making him one of the most loyal. But they were all loyal. The incident proved that. Even after he left with Hilde, Joey had every intention of keeping in touch with his family. He wanted to be there if they were ever called to the defense again. He'd never forget that day in the jail. That was one of the only times he'd ever seen Duo laugh, especially like that. Remembering the rescue made his worry return, along with his impatience. "I wish he'd come back."
"He will," Trowa murmured, his hands clenching around his arms. "Michael's leaving in the morning. Duo won't miss that."
Joey's head snapped up, and he barely kept from moving closer to the boy. "Michael? He never said anything about leaving so soon. I thought he was going to wait a month. He was just talking about-"
"Tomorrow, at first light." Trowa looked up, taking in the shadowy fear around Joey's eyes. He knew what the boy was thinking. That only left two besides themselves. But he was wrong about that, as well. "He's taking Dan with him."
"Why?!" A cold shiver passed over his back, making Joey tighten his arms. "Both of them? They *know* now's a bad time. Kenneth is going in two weeks! What if something happens? I was..." Guilt washed through him, and Joey closed his mouth quickly, his face heating.
"I know," Trowa said, a faint smile tinting his eyes. "Hilde is a quick learner."
"I won't go. That's all there is to it, I won't go. If Mike and Dan want to just abandon us, that's their choice. There's no way I'd-"
"Sh." Wide dark eyes blinked at him, but Trowa merely shook his head. "Why do you think I confronted him? You've seen what I have. This is killing him."
"I...know. I know." Leaning against the wall, Joey stared at the paint-stained glass, watching the blurred darkness outside. That nervous energy that had kept him wide-eyed before fell into a curdled heaviness. He sighed softly, not glancing at the boy across from him. "Trowa? How many years have you been here?"
Green eyes flicked up to stare at the candle-lit boy, Trowa's expression dark. "Too many." That soft, monotone reply made Joey glance to him, and he nodded toward the door. "Sleep. It's my watch."
Joey wanted to argue, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but there were two people none of them argued with, and Trowa was one of them. That didn't make him like the dismissal any, but he stood quietly, snuffing the candle. He hesitated at the door to stare at the shadowed boy.
A few seconds passed before the younger boy obeyed, and Trowa looked at the closed door with dark eyes. There was a reason he didn't want Joey waiting up with him. It was the same reason he had decided to keep watch rather than Kenneth, despite it being the boy's turn. Hours marked exchanges, but this was different. How long depended on Duo's sense of repayment. And judging by those angry violet eyes, Trowa knew what Joey only feared. Their leader wouldn't be back that night.
* * *
Fingers brushed over his cheek, moving thick strands of hair away from his face, and Duo sighed, dull eyes flicking open in a vague glare. He could easily have given in to much needed sleep, but the bastard was far too energetic. His eyes closed in a tight frown, and he curled an arm near his head, pushing a few inches off the bed. That hand shifted, tracing over his back, and he tensed with a sharper glare. "Enough." Brief silence was broken by a soft laugh, and he turned onto his side, dark eyes glaring through the fall of hair that masked his face.
The tone was pure dangerous hatred, but the blurry eyes weren't nearly so scary as Duo probably meant them to be. Tristin smirked, shifting on the bed so he could lean over the glaring brunette. "I don't know why I should listen to you," he commented, picking at bits of the long mahogany hair that lay near him. "The boys wouldn't mind if I kept you here. And it's not like you could put up a fight. I could do whatever I wanted to you, as much as I want, and there isn't anything you could do to stop me."
A tight smile curved Duo's lips, and he snorted at the boy as he pushed himself up a few more inches. "If you're so eager to die, go ahead and try." Tristin's expression changed into a scowl, and he let out a cool laugh. "I'm sure Chris would be more than happy to take over after you're gone. We both know that's why he joined you." There was no need to look at the boy after that comment. Duo winced as he tried to lift himself into a sitting position, his worn muscles making his arms shake. He might have dropped if a stronger arm hadn't caught his chest, but he didn't thank the assistance. Eyes narrow, Duo bared his teeth and shot a hot glare at the pale-eyed boy. "Stop touching me. My debt is paid."
"Stubborn bastard." Tristin shoved off the bed, his arms crossing over his chest as he glared at the longhaired boy. He'd never understood where Duo got his strength from, but the slender youth was upright within seconds. Those eyes didn't even turn in his direction. "I'm not afraid of your army, you know that, don't you?"
"You should be," Duo said, tossing the comment over his shoulder. He felt odd to be in Tristin's base. In all of his years on the streets, Duo had never gotten into a position where he owed the enemy. A simple trade was easy to negotiate, but this was very different. No matter what he'd told Trowa, he owed the gray-eyed boy for saving both of them, not just him. Their way of life centered around his resilience, so Tristin would naturally stop any outsiders who threatened him. But Trowa was off limits. The boy had no reason to protect one belonging to Duo. That made the debt enormous in Duo's mind, but he'd repaid it. What bothered him was that in order to do so he'd agreed to enter their territory, to walk right into their base. And now he had to walk back out again. It was more than odd, it made him decidedly nervous. One thing was certain, though, he wasn't about to let Tristin know. "Your people would turn on you any chance they had."
"No," Tristin smirked, watching the boy's stilted movements. "As long as I share a certain percentage of the...gains...they're satisfied. Besides, you don't have a ready-made army. Your 'people' take hours to assemble. If I cared to, I could take you away from the city and they wouldn't even know where to look."
It hurt to stand, but Duo hid that, turning to raise an eyebrow at the taller boy. "What makes you think I'd let you take me anywhere? I'll never leave this city, Tristin. You know that. I'd die first." A glare flashed over the boy's face, and Duo gave him a dark smile. "If you want to take a vacation, be my guest. The only place I'm going is home."
As if he'd hit a switch, all vulnerability was gone from Duo's expression, the boy's long black coat giving him that dangerous look that was his signature. The change was so complete, Tristin lost his feeling of superiority and fell into a lightly taunting tone. "You don't look so good," he commented, his eyes glinting when Duo paused long enough to braid his hair. "I'll escort you home."
Years made for quick and deft motions, and Duo had his hair bound in a few short moments. Finished, he straightened the collar of his coat and shot the boy a violent smile. "Do it and die." With that, he left the room at a slow pace, ignoring the taunting looks as he passed the others on his way out. Trowa had once asked him how he managed to remain unafraid, even when he was completely unarmed. He never answered that question, but it was a simple answer. He showed no fear because he couldn't. The moment he did, everything would fall apart.
The slow pace took him away from the small corner building that marked his enemies base, and he didn't pause until he was certain Tristin had ceased stalking after him. Only then did he allow the weakness to swamp over him. He sank down against the brick wall, ducking in the deepest shadow of the alley. Light would be reaching him in little more than two hours, but that rest would be enough. He'd never missed a send off, and he wasn't about to start now. Besides that, he had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be a busy morning. His premonitions were rarely wrong.
* * *
TBC
--notes--
This short/late-written part is dedicated to Dreamweaver for kicking my lazy butt into writing. Arigato~
Warnings: slight language, shonen ai, reference to minor angst/violence
Pairings: 3+2, will be 1x2, 3+4/4+3, possible 5x3
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatomina@hotmail.com
Website/Complete Archive: http://www.geocities.com/arigatomina
Savior
Part 4
Hours of dark endless silence passed before the door whispered open, shadowy eyes peeking outside. Trowa didn't look up from where he sat in the hall, and Joey crept out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The candles in the hall weren't lit. If it hadn't been for the dull flicker from the dining area he wouldn't have been able to make out anything with the painted windows. He'd never been able to purposely sit watch in the dark, but Trowa wasn't the sort to fall asleep. The brown-haired boy didn't look up when he slid to the floor across from him, lighting the candle set below the window. Bending a leg, he mimicked the older boy's position and stared at the bowed head, hoping he would glance up. After a few moments, he gave up. He kept his voice down to a soft whisper that wouldn't reach through to where the others were sleeping. "It's really late."
Joey nearly sighed when silence was his answer, and he wrapped his arms around his chest, unconsciously mimicking the elder again. "He's never stayed out this late before." He couldn't even hear Trowa's breathing. Gritting his teeth, he barely kept his voice soft. "Aren't you going to look for him?" The boy moved sharply, green eyes glinting in the semi-light, and Joey flinched. That bruise looked black in the shadows, making Trowa's eyes seem to glint dangerously. Heat rushed to his face as he dropped his eyes. "Sorry..."
"Don't be."
Blinking quickly, Joey looked up again only to find that the boy had once more lowered his head. But it didn't really matter. "I followed him, too," Joey whispered, his eyes narrowing in anger for his friend. "He shouldn't have punished you alone."
"I broke my promise," Trowa said, his eyes aimed on his folded arms. "You didn't."
"What does it matter?" Joey muttered, blinking when Trowa moved so one dark green eye glinted at him. "If we're old enough to leave, why aren't we old enough to help? It's stupid." The boy shook his head at him, and Joey glowered at his arms. "We were doing really well, too. Nothing for months, and then some stupid rich-kid has to get lost."
"It's not his fault," Trowa cut in, his tone holding a hint of sharpness. "You know that."
"Right," Joey sniffed, rolling his eyes, "the *parents* are to blame." Neither spoke for a few minutes, the silence creeping over the hall. Pressing his forehead into one hand, Joey tried to keep quiet. Trowa wasn't the sort to invite conversation, and he knew the boy would never allow any complaints about Duo. From what he'd heard, Trowa was one of the first, making him one of the most loyal. But they were all loyal. The incident proved that. Even after he left with Hilde, Joey had every intention of keeping in touch with his family. He wanted to be there if they were ever called to the defense again. He'd never forget that day in the jail. That was one of the only times he'd ever seen Duo laugh, especially like that. Remembering the rescue made his worry return, along with his impatience. "I wish he'd come back."
"He will," Trowa murmured, his hands clenching around his arms. "Michael's leaving in the morning. Duo won't miss that."
Joey's head snapped up, and he barely kept from moving closer to the boy. "Michael? He never said anything about leaving so soon. I thought he was going to wait a month. He was just talking about-"
"Tomorrow, at first light." Trowa looked up, taking in the shadowy fear around Joey's eyes. He knew what the boy was thinking. That only left two besides themselves. But he was wrong about that, as well. "He's taking Dan with him."
"Why?!" A cold shiver passed over his back, making Joey tighten his arms. "Both of them? They *know* now's a bad time. Kenneth is going in two weeks! What if something happens? I was..." Guilt washed through him, and Joey closed his mouth quickly, his face heating.
"I know," Trowa said, a faint smile tinting his eyes. "Hilde is a quick learner."
"I won't go. That's all there is to it, I won't go. If Mike and Dan want to just abandon us, that's their choice. There's no way I'd-"
"Sh." Wide dark eyes blinked at him, but Trowa merely shook his head. "Why do you think I confronted him? You've seen what I have. This is killing him."
"I...know. I know." Leaning against the wall, Joey stared at the paint-stained glass, watching the blurred darkness outside. That nervous energy that had kept him wide-eyed before fell into a curdled heaviness. He sighed softly, not glancing at the boy across from him. "Trowa? How many years have you been here?"
Green eyes flicked up to stare at the candle-lit boy, Trowa's expression dark. "Too many." That soft, monotone reply made Joey glance to him, and he nodded toward the door. "Sleep. It's my watch."
Joey wanted to argue, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but there were two people none of them argued with, and Trowa was one of them. That didn't make him like the dismissal any, but he stood quietly, snuffing the candle. He hesitated at the door to stare at the shadowed boy.
A few seconds passed before the younger boy obeyed, and Trowa looked at the closed door with dark eyes. There was a reason he didn't want Joey waiting up with him. It was the same reason he had decided to keep watch rather than Kenneth, despite it being the boy's turn. Hours marked exchanges, but this was different. How long depended on Duo's sense of repayment. And judging by those angry violet eyes, Trowa knew what Joey only feared. Their leader wouldn't be back that night.
* * *
Fingers brushed over his cheek, moving thick strands of hair away from his face, and Duo sighed, dull eyes flicking open in a vague glare. He could easily have given in to much needed sleep, but the bastard was far too energetic. His eyes closed in a tight frown, and he curled an arm near his head, pushing a few inches off the bed. That hand shifted, tracing over his back, and he tensed with a sharper glare. "Enough." Brief silence was broken by a soft laugh, and he turned onto his side, dark eyes glaring through the fall of hair that masked his face.
The tone was pure dangerous hatred, but the blurry eyes weren't nearly so scary as Duo probably meant them to be. Tristin smirked, shifting on the bed so he could lean over the glaring brunette. "I don't know why I should listen to you," he commented, picking at bits of the long mahogany hair that lay near him. "The boys wouldn't mind if I kept you here. And it's not like you could put up a fight. I could do whatever I wanted to you, as much as I want, and there isn't anything you could do to stop me."
A tight smile curved Duo's lips, and he snorted at the boy as he pushed himself up a few more inches. "If you're so eager to die, go ahead and try." Tristin's expression changed into a scowl, and he let out a cool laugh. "I'm sure Chris would be more than happy to take over after you're gone. We both know that's why he joined you." There was no need to look at the boy after that comment. Duo winced as he tried to lift himself into a sitting position, his worn muscles making his arms shake. He might have dropped if a stronger arm hadn't caught his chest, but he didn't thank the assistance. Eyes narrow, Duo bared his teeth and shot a hot glare at the pale-eyed boy. "Stop touching me. My debt is paid."
"Stubborn bastard." Tristin shoved off the bed, his arms crossing over his chest as he glared at the longhaired boy. He'd never understood where Duo got his strength from, but the slender youth was upright within seconds. Those eyes didn't even turn in his direction. "I'm not afraid of your army, you know that, don't you?"
"You should be," Duo said, tossing the comment over his shoulder. He felt odd to be in Tristin's base. In all of his years on the streets, Duo had never gotten into a position where he owed the enemy. A simple trade was easy to negotiate, but this was very different. No matter what he'd told Trowa, he owed the gray-eyed boy for saving both of them, not just him. Their way of life centered around his resilience, so Tristin would naturally stop any outsiders who threatened him. But Trowa was off limits. The boy had no reason to protect one belonging to Duo. That made the debt enormous in Duo's mind, but he'd repaid it. What bothered him was that in order to do so he'd agreed to enter their territory, to walk right into their base. And now he had to walk back out again. It was more than odd, it made him decidedly nervous. One thing was certain, though, he wasn't about to let Tristin know. "Your people would turn on you any chance they had."
"No," Tristin smirked, watching the boy's stilted movements. "As long as I share a certain percentage of the...gains...they're satisfied. Besides, you don't have a ready-made army. Your 'people' take hours to assemble. If I cared to, I could take you away from the city and they wouldn't even know where to look."
It hurt to stand, but Duo hid that, turning to raise an eyebrow at the taller boy. "What makes you think I'd let you take me anywhere? I'll never leave this city, Tristin. You know that. I'd die first." A glare flashed over the boy's face, and Duo gave him a dark smile. "If you want to take a vacation, be my guest. The only place I'm going is home."
As if he'd hit a switch, all vulnerability was gone from Duo's expression, the boy's long black coat giving him that dangerous look that was his signature. The change was so complete, Tristin lost his feeling of superiority and fell into a lightly taunting tone. "You don't look so good," he commented, his eyes glinting when Duo paused long enough to braid his hair. "I'll escort you home."
Years made for quick and deft motions, and Duo had his hair bound in a few short moments. Finished, he straightened the collar of his coat and shot the boy a violent smile. "Do it and die." With that, he left the room at a slow pace, ignoring the taunting looks as he passed the others on his way out. Trowa had once asked him how he managed to remain unafraid, even when he was completely unarmed. He never answered that question, but it was a simple answer. He showed no fear because he couldn't. The moment he did, everything would fall apart.
The slow pace took him away from the small corner building that marked his enemies base, and he didn't pause until he was certain Tristin had ceased stalking after him. Only then did he allow the weakness to swamp over him. He sank down against the brick wall, ducking in the deepest shadow of the alley. Light would be reaching him in little more than two hours, but that rest would be enough. He'd never missed a send off, and he wasn't about to start now. Besides that, he had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be a busy morning. His premonitions were rarely wrong.
* * *
TBC
--notes--
This short/late-written part is dedicated to Dreamweaver for kicking my lazy butt into writing. Arigato~