Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Skywind ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: EmruasCat 
Duo is found out
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.13.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 239 | Status: Work In Progress
Duo is found out
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.13.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 239 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing, and I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.
Author’s Note: I liiiiiiiiiiiiive!!! Sorry for the long time between updates.
Quiet Man Cometh pointed out to me through a review and brief series of messages that my Duo reminded him too much of the character Danilo, who is the male lead from the novel Elfshadow that I mentioned as inspiration in an earlier chapter. He (or she) was right, and as a result, I have spent the last few weeks going over my future chapters in an attempt to improve characterization and organize some of my twisty plot threads. I would like to thank him (her) for his thoughtful comments, as they have greatly helped me develop my story.
And thanks very much to killing u with umbrellas for reviewing nearly every chapter in this story – I feel special. And your name amuses me ;)
Chapter 11
Trowa paced through the Ransem Wood silently. For the past several weeks, he had wandered through the wilds of the south, demon hunting. The master demons of Ransem now had cause to fear Trowa, he who called himself the Arami’s Vengeance.
Some time during the night, he had awakened upon sensing a power flare from a very strong mage. He recognized the destruction spell for what it was, and wondered who in this wilderness besides himself would have the power to destroy a master demon. It took a tremendous amount of strength to work the spell he had sensed, power only a master mage had access to.
“Shut up, Duo.”
“Oh, come on, Kat! Not even a hint?”
Trowa melted silently into the shadows of the trees as he heard the voices. There was a slight rustle, and a reanlos paced forward into Trowa’s view. Trowa’s breath caught at the sight of the extraordinarily rare magical creature.
Lian paused to wait for his two humans to catch up. His eyes flickered toward the shadows, automatically scanning for danger. Trowa remained still and silent, hardly daring to breathe. His camouflage spell made him a part of the shadows, but if the reanlos possessed a magical sight strong enough to see through his subtle spell…
Lian spotted the human man in an instant, but said nothing, made no sign of recognition. Quatre and Duo paced forward into view, Duo still pestering Quatre.
“So why the hell did you faint, if you weren’t out of magical power? You say the demon that possessed you had no draining capabilities, but –“
Quatre turned on him, finally at the end of his limit. “It is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!! You refuse to give me a straight answer on anything that happened after I lost consciousness, I see no reason to explain myself to you! I am taking you to Hitsome, dumping you on the first trader stupid enough to say they will take you home, and I will be damn glad to be rid of you!”
Duo stared at him, but seemed to be intelligent enough to realize that dire things might happen if he provoked Quatre further, and held his tongue. Quatre stalked away from Duo and Lian, making for the main path leading out of Ransem that would bring him to Hitsome as fast as his feet could carry him without actually running.
So, Trowa thought. He is the one I sensed last night? The dark-skinned mage paced the younger boy silently, noting the man and reanlos following.
Quatre had walked nearly a mile into the open fields beyond the Wood, anger curling tight within him, before he realized there was another presence following him other than Duo and Lian. He stopped dead, his eyes flaming.
((Kat?)) Lian’s voice, which had stayed silent since he had sensed the anger flowing in him, gently touched his mind.
Quatre’s eyes were cold and flat. “I have no tolerance for spies,” he said icily. “Whoever’s there, come out.”
Trowa studied the boy a moment more, just to be certain of his suspicion, then dropped the camouflage spell, and lifted an eyebrow at the glaring boy. “No tolerance for spies? I would say, rather, no tolerance at all at this point.”
Quatre’s glare increased. “Just so,” he agreed savagely. “Are you going to tell me why you were following me?”
Trowa’s gaze was cool and calm. “I have been traveling these wilds for some time, hunting demons. I felt a tremendous power flare last night – a spell to destroy a master demon. Few have access to the power required for that spell – only master mages. I wished to know from whom the power originated.”
Quatre went very still inside. The demon that had possessed him was powerful, but not a master. He would normally have been more than a match for it, easily, had it not been for the fact that his powers were out of control. He had lost consciousness because he had had to fight both the demon and his powerful alternate self. He had not cast any spells ranked among that of master before that point, yet this stranger…
Slowly, deliberately, he turned to face Duo, who was eyeing him with more than passing nervousness. “Duo?” His voice was angelically sweet, and the man winced, knowing what was to come. “Would you care to explain this good man’s statement to me?”
Duo prudently took a couple of steps backward before reluctantly answering, knowing his charade with Quatre was about to end. “Yes, well, when your power went out of control last night, it caught the notice of several…err…creatures. Really, my dear, your lack of discipline –“
“You will eventually get around to giving me the explanation I desire, will you not?” Quatre’s voice remained syrupy-sweet.
Duo grimaced, and decided to bite the bullet. “We were attacked by a master demon,” he said bluntly. “You weren’t awake to take care of it, so I had to.”
Quatre stared at him, little suspicions and slight slips on Duo’s part falling into place in his mind. “You weren’t lost,” he said in a flat tone. “You were sent.”
Duo nodded.
“Why?”
Duo’s eyes flickered toward the dark stranger, who favored him with a mocking smile. “Yes, do tell him, Duo Maxwell-Peacecraft,” the stranger encouraged. “I am interested in hearing what sort of plot Milliardo Peacecraft has involved himself in this time.”
Duo gaped at him, caught off guard. “Who are you?”
Trowa accorded the three of them a mocking little bow. “I am Trowa Barton.”
Duo’s eyes went wide with recognition. “What in the name of Zanadro’s Seven Hells are you doing out here?”
“Just what I told you,” Trowa said, a hint of chilliness in his otherwise calm tone. “Hunting demons. The question, is what you are doing here.”
Trapped beneath the gazes of the two men, Duo edged away, only to run into Lian, who had gotten behind him and cut off his escape. ((Traitor,)) Duo hissed at the reanlos in his mind. He received an impression of deep amusement before the great feline closed his mind to the man.
Duo turned back to Quatre, who was giving him an evil look. He sighed, knowing the beautiful young man was about to become very angry with him. “I was sent to protect you. Because you are one of the last of the Winners, and therefore precious to many.”
Quatre’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “And who, pray tell, was the concerned party that felt such a need to butt in on my business?”
“My cousin, Milliardo Peacecraft.” Duo steeled himself. “He is Annabel’s primary wizard and head of the council of mages in Lantall.”
“How very nice for him.” Duo winced at the scathing sarcasm. “So he, as the queen’s puppet, sent his little cousin out into the wilderness to protect a Winner – or, to put it in political terms, to protect the queen’s interest in a potentially powerful ally.”
He knew more about the political situation of today than Duo and Milliardo had given him credit for. “That about sums it up,” he agreed with Quatre reluctantly. “My cousin didn’t think you’d know much about what’s going on in Lantall right now politically, and he told me to…err…”
“Butt in,” Quatre supplied, his tone colder than black ice.
Duo felt the need to defend his cousin. “He was concerned for your well-being. Demons hunt all of Winner blood right now, and no one in the magical world seems to know why. Winners possess a power unlike anything else in the world, and –“
“Do I look like I need help defending myself?” Quatre inquired in a suddenly-calm tone. Duo, sensing a trap, wisely remained silent. “I asked you a question, Duo Maxwell of…Cliffbreak, unless I’m much mistaken.”
Duo continued to eye him warily, but answered. “You certainly needed help last night, didn’t you?”
Quatre’s eyes narrowed. “True,” he answered calmly enough. Duo’s relief was short-lived as he continued, “However, Lian has more than enough power to defeat a master demon. I did not need your assistance.”
Something clicked inside Duo’s brain, and he whirled on Lian. “You set me up!”
((Of course,)) Lian agreed. ((Are you just now realizing this?))
Trowa, observing the outraged look on Duo’s face, laughed. “You are human,” he pointed out to the upset mage. “Reanlos have never been known for their kindness to our kind, now have they?”
Duo whirled to face Trowa. “And just what the hell are you doing out here? My cousin told me you were gathering intelligence on Rhys Ravenwing’s death. He told me you were an awakened reincarnation, one of the four still left alive. You can’t possibly be wandering around in this wilderness without some kind of purpose.”
“I told you the truth. I’m hunting demons,” Trowa said calmly.
Awakened reincarnation. Those words echoed in Quatre’s mind with intense significance. Slowly, he turned to Lian, who met his gaze. ((You didn’t think you were just hearing voices, did you?)) he asked softly.
While Trowa continued to evade Duo’s questions, Quatre turned his focus inward, to the magical barriers he had wrought last night to keep his alternate self suppressed. He closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness to that place inside of him.
He hovered just outside the barriers, still unsure. ((Are you…someone else, from long ago?)) he asked softly.
((I am, and I am not,)) came the equally quiet answer.
((Can’t you just talk straight for once?))
((There is no simple explanation for what I am. I am a…consciousness within you. I once existed, in another time and place, and when my body perished, my soul remained behind. Your soul.))
((Then…we are the same?))
((In essence. But you are you, and I am me. The body is yours, the powers are yours, the decisions are yours. I still have a few powers that were my own, originally, but my – our – soul was reborn with your consciousness. We are separate entities, and yet not.))
((So…I am what they call a reincarnation.))
((Not quite. Reincarnations remember their past lives, the lives the soul within them led long ago, but the consciousness of those past lives is not present. It is only memories, and knowledge. We are a special case.))
((Great.)) Quatre was disgusted.
((It is not so bad as all that,)) his other self said, sounding slightly offended.
((I had no childhood because of you,)) Quatre snapped. ((I was raised with the intent of becoming a guardian, an all-powerful force to wander the world righting all evils and healing all ills. I was taught that duty was everything, because of the power I possessed. I was five years old! What did I know of power?))
((You knew enough,)) his alternate self reminded him softly.
((I knew enough – and learned enough - to know I wanted no part of it,)) Quatre snapped back. ((I gave the duty of Guardian to my elder cousin and got out. What right do you – or anyone – have to force me back?))
((None of us have that right.)) The voice was sad. ((I am sorry you had so little happiness as a young one, and I am sorry your innocence was lost so early. But I cannot change the fact that we share a soul and would – were you not so stubborn – share tremendous powers, if you would only join your strength with mine.))
((Not a chance,)) Quatre snapped back. ((I am not losing whatever it is that keeps me separate from you.))
((You would not lose the part of you that makes you you.)) The voice was exasperated now. ((I have been trying to tell you this for years. Joining your powers to mine would create a permanent connection between our two consciousnesses, and amplify your strength with mine, but it would not blend our ‘minds’ together. It would be much like the connection you have with Liandramonedarym at the moment, only on a more subconscious level. And I would be able to speak with you more easily, and more often.))
Quatre remained silent, still unsure. ((I’ll let you out,)) he said finally. ((Just…behave for right now, and let me do things my way. I’ll talk with you about this…joining thing later.))
He returned his consciousness to what was happening in front of him. Trowa was gazing at him thoughtfully, Duo was gripping his shoulders and shaking him.
“-tre! Wake up!”
Quatre focused his eyes on Duo. “Let go of me, you oaf,” he advised softly, dangerously. Duo released him as though he’d been burned. Quatre moved his eyes to Lian. “You knew.”
((Yes,)) Lian admitted. ((The moment I met you.))
“Is that why you befriended me?”
Duo, listening, was confused. What had Lian known?
((Yes,)) was Lian’s quiet answer. ((I knew you were different from other humans. I knew I could trust you.))
“How?” Quatre wanted to know. “How did you know you could trust me? For all you knew, I could have been possessed by a psychotic killer from three thousand years ago.”
((You are a Winner,)) Lian said, as though that explained everything. When Quatre continued to stare at the feline, he sighed and said, ((The Winner clan has long been a bloodline known for possessing reincarnations. Your very nature as a Winner prevents any evil from sharing your soul, so I knew your ‘other self’ had to be a defender from long ago.))
Quatre’s eyes abruptly sharpened as pieces began to fall into place at a remarkable speed. “That’s why the demons attacked my clan. Too many of their old enemies were being reborn.”
((And too many new enemies were being created,)) Lian agreed. ((For every reincarnation in the Winner clan, there was born another warrior of this generation with equally formidable talents.))
“The enemies that the warriors who are being reborn fought are still here.” His gaze landed on Trowa, who had observed the exchange with interest. “Aren’t they?”
“Why would you ask me such a thing?” Trowa asked coolly.
Quatre’s eyes remained razor sharp. “I’m not stupid, and I’m not without my own magical power. You are a reincarnation, I heard Duo call you such. You know, don’t you? Who’s behind the demons?”
Trowa’s eyes locked with Quatre’s, and there was a silent battle of wills. After a moment, Trowa was the one to look away, a calm, deliberate movement. “I do not know anything for certain. I have suspicions, that is all.”
“Suspicions are more than anything my cousin or Annabel have,” Duo said, pouncing on his words. “Why have you not come to Milliardo or the queen?”
Trowa’s eyes rested on Duo, and they held none of the dark amusement of earlier; now they were colder than ice. “I answer to none.”
Lian, watching Trowa, suddenly let out a rumble of amusement. ((I know you now,)) he chuckled in an “open” thoughtwave to all three humans.
“Do you?” The iciness remained in Trowa’s gaze.
((My, but these are getting to be interesting times,)) Lian noted. ((The Dark Defender has returned. I wonder who else has been reborn. Jessan Coran, perhaps?))
Trowa stared intently at the reanlos for a moment, then shook his head. “No, the first king has not been reborn.” In response to Lian’s inquiring stare, he said simply, “I would have felt it.”
((Interesting,)) Lian mused.
“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” Quatre asked softly, bringing the attention of everyone back to rest squarely on him.
“Yes, let’s.” Trowa focused his dark, probing eyes on Quatre. “What were you doing just now?”
“Talking to my other self,” Quatre said quietly, knowing the reincarnation would understand.
“Fascinating,” Trowa responded. “So what did she – or he – say?”
Author’s Note: I liiiiiiiiiiiiive!!! Sorry for the long time between updates.
Quiet Man Cometh pointed out to me through a review and brief series of messages that my Duo reminded him too much of the character Danilo, who is the male lead from the novel Elfshadow that I mentioned as inspiration in an earlier chapter. He (or she) was right, and as a result, I have spent the last few weeks going over my future chapters in an attempt to improve characterization and organize some of my twisty plot threads. I would like to thank him (her) for his thoughtful comments, as they have greatly helped me develop my story.
And thanks very much to killing u with umbrellas for reviewing nearly every chapter in this story – I feel special. And your name amuses me ;)
Chapter 11
Trowa paced through the Ransem Wood silently. For the past several weeks, he had wandered through the wilds of the south, demon hunting. The master demons of Ransem now had cause to fear Trowa, he who called himself the Arami’s Vengeance.
Some time during the night, he had awakened upon sensing a power flare from a very strong mage. He recognized the destruction spell for what it was, and wondered who in this wilderness besides himself would have the power to destroy a master demon. It took a tremendous amount of strength to work the spell he had sensed, power only a master mage had access to.
“Shut up, Duo.”
“Oh, come on, Kat! Not even a hint?”
Trowa melted silently into the shadows of the trees as he heard the voices. There was a slight rustle, and a reanlos paced forward into Trowa’s view. Trowa’s breath caught at the sight of the extraordinarily rare magical creature.
Lian paused to wait for his two humans to catch up. His eyes flickered toward the shadows, automatically scanning for danger. Trowa remained still and silent, hardly daring to breathe. His camouflage spell made him a part of the shadows, but if the reanlos possessed a magical sight strong enough to see through his subtle spell…
Lian spotted the human man in an instant, but said nothing, made no sign of recognition. Quatre and Duo paced forward into view, Duo still pestering Quatre.
“So why the hell did you faint, if you weren’t out of magical power? You say the demon that possessed you had no draining capabilities, but –“
Quatre turned on him, finally at the end of his limit. “It is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!! You refuse to give me a straight answer on anything that happened after I lost consciousness, I see no reason to explain myself to you! I am taking you to Hitsome, dumping you on the first trader stupid enough to say they will take you home, and I will be damn glad to be rid of you!”
Duo stared at him, but seemed to be intelligent enough to realize that dire things might happen if he provoked Quatre further, and held his tongue. Quatre stalked away from Duo and Lian, making for the main path leading out of Ransem that would bring him to Hitsome as fast as his feet could carry him without actually running.
So, Trowa thought. He is the one I sensed last night? The dark-skinned mage paced the younger boy silently, noting the man and reanlos following.
Quatre had walked nearly a mile into the open fields beyond the Wood, anger curling tight within him, before he realized there was another presence following him other than Duo and Lian. He stopped dead, his eyes flaming.
((Kat?)) Lian’s voice, which had stayed silent since he had sensed the anger flowing in him, gently touched his mind.
Quatre’s eyes were cold and flat. “I have no tolerance for spies,” he said icily. “Whoever’s there, come out.”
Trowa studied the boy a moment more, just to be certain of his suspicion, then dropped the camouflage spell, and lifted an eyebrow at the glaring boy. “No tolerance for spies? I would say, rather, no tolerance at all at this point.”
Quatre’s glare increased. “Just so,” he agreed savagely. “Are you going to tell me why you were following me?”
Trowa’s gaze was cool and calm. “I have been traveling these wilds for some time, hunting demons. I felt a tremendous power flare last night – a spell to destroy a master demon. Few have access to the power required for that spell – only master mages. I wished to know from whom the power originated.”
Quatre went very still inside. The demon that had possessed him was powerful, but not a master. He would normally have been more than a match for it, easily, had it not been for the fact that his powers were out of control. He had lost consciousness because he had had to fight both the demon and his powerful alternate self. He had not cast any spells ranked among that of master before that point, yet this stranger…
Slowly, deliberately, he turned to face Duo, who was eyeing him with more than passing nervousness. “Duo?” His voice was angelically sweet, and the man winced, knowing what was to come. “Would you care to explain this good man’s statement to me?”
Duo prudently took a couple of steps backward before reluctantly answering, knowing his charade with Quatre was about to end. “Yes, well, when your power went out of control last night, it caught the notice of several…err…creatures. Really, my dear, your lack of discipline –“
“You will eventually get around to giving me the explanation I desire, will you not?” Quatre’s voice remained syrupy-sweet.
Duo grimaced, and decided to bite the bullet. “We were attacked by a master demon,” he said bluntly. “You weren’t awake to take care of it, so I had to.”
Quatre stared at him, little suspicions and slight slips on Duo’s part falling into place in his mind. “You weren’t lost,” he said in a flat tone. “You were sent.”
Duo nodded.
“Why?”
Duo’s eyes flickered toward the dark stranger, who favored him with a mocking smile. “Yes, do tell him, Duo Maxwell-Peacecraft,” the stranger encouraged. “I am interested in hearing what sort of plot Milliardo Peacecraft has involved himself in this time.”
Duo gaped at him, caught off guard. “Who are you?”
Trowa accorded the three of them a mocking little bow. “I am Trowa Barton.”
Duo’s eyes went wide with recognition. “What in the name of Zanadro’s Seven Hells are you doing out here?”
“Just what I told you,” Trowa said, a hint of chilliness in his otherwise calm tone. “Hunting demons. The question, is what you are doing here.”
Trapped beneath the gazes of the two men, Duo edged away, only to run into Lian, who had gotten behind him and cut off his escape. ((Traitor,)) Duo hissed at the reanlos in his mind. He received an impression of deep amusement before the great feline closed his mind to the man.
Duo turned back to Quatre, who was giving him an evil look. He sighed, knowing the beautiful young man was about to become very angry with him. “I was sent to protect you. Because you are one of the last of the Winners, and therefore precious to many.”
Quatre’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “And who, pray tell, was the concerned party that felt such a need to butt in on my business?”
“My cousin, Milliardo Peacecraft.” Duo steeled himself. “He is Annabel’s primary wizard and head of the council of mages in Lantall.”
“How very nice for him.” Duo winced at the scathing sarcasm. “So he, as the queen’s puppet, sent his little cousin out into the wilderness to protect a Winner – or, to put it in political terms, to protect the queen’s interest in a potentially powerful ally.”
He knew more about the political situation of today than Duo and Milliardo had given him credit for. “That about sums it up,” he agreed with Quatre reluctantly. “My cousin didn’t think you’d know much about what’s going on in Lantall right now politically, and he told me to…err…”
“Butt in,” Quatre supplied, his tone colder than black ice.
Duo felt the need to defend his cousin. “He was concerned for your well-being. Demons hunt all of Winner blood right now, and no one in the magical world seems to know why. Winners possess a power unlike anything else in the world, and –“
“Do I look like I need help defending myself?” Quatre inquired in a suddenly-calm tone. Duo, sensing a trap, wisely remained silent. “I asked you a question, Duo Maxwell of…Cliffbreak, unless I’m much mistaken.”
Duo continued to eye him warily, but answered. “You certainly needed help last night, didn’t you?”
Quatre’s eyes narrowed. “True,” he answered calmly enough. Duo’s relief was short-lived as he continued, “However, Lian has more than enough power to defeat a master demon. I did not need your assistance.”
Something clicked inside Duo’s brain, and he whirled on Lian. “You set me up!”
((Of course,)) Lian agreed. ((Are you just now realizing this?))
Trowa, observing the outraged look on Duo’s face, laughed. “You are human,” he pointed out to the upset mage. “Reanlos have never been known for their kindness to our kind, now have they?”
Duo whirled to face Trowa. “And just what the hell are you doing out here? My cousin told me you were gathering intelligence on Rhys Ravenwing’s death. He told me you were an awakened reincarnation, one of the four still left alive. You can’t possibly be wandering around in this wilderness without some kind of purpose.”
“I told you the truth. I’m hunting demons,” Trowa said calmly.
Awakened reincarnation. Those words echoed in Quatre’s mind with intense significance. Slowly, he turned to Lian, who met his gaze. ((You didn’t think you were just hearing voices, did you?)) he asked softly.
While Trowa continued to evade Duo’s questions, Quatre turned his focus inward, to the magical barriers he had wrought last night to keep his alternate self suppressed. He closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness to that place inside of him.
He hovered just outside the barriers, still unsure. ((Are you…someone else, from long ago?)) he asked softly.
((I am, and I am not,)) came the equally quiet answer.
((Can’t you just talk straight for once?))
((There is no simple explanation for what I am. I am a…consciousness within you. I once existed, in another time and place, and when my body perished, my soul remained behind. Your soul.))
((Then…we are the same?))
((In essence. But you are you, and I am me. The body is yours, the powers are yours, the decisions are yours. I still have a few powers that were my own, originally, but my – our – soul was reborn with your consciousness. We are separate entities, and yet not.))
((So…I am what they call a reincarnation.))
((Not quite. Reincarnations remember their past lives, the lives the soul within them led long ago, but the consciousness of those past lives is not present. It is only memories, and knowledge. We are a special case.))
((Great.)) Quatre was disgusted.
((It is not so bad as all that,)) his other self said, sounding slightly offended.
((I had no childhood because of you,)) Quatre snapped. ((I was raised with the intent of becoming a guardian, an all-powerful force to wander the world righting all evils and healing all ills. I was taught that duty was everything, because of the power I possessed. I was five years old! What did I know of power?))
((You knew enough,)) his alternate self reminded him softly.
((I knew enough – and learned enough - to know I wanted no part of it,)) Quatre snapped back. ((I gave the duty of Guardian to my elder cousin and got out. What right do you – or anyone – have to force me back?))
((None of us have that right.)) The voice was sad. ((I am sorry you had so little happiness as a young one, and I am sorry your innocence was lost so early. But I cannot change the fact that we share a soul and would – were you not so stubborn – share tremendous powers, if you would only join your strength with mine.))
((Not a chance,)) Quatre snapped back. ((I am not losing whatever it is that keeps me separate from you.))
((You would not lose the part of you that makes you you.)) The voice was exasperated now. ((I have been trying to tell you this for years. Joining your powers to mine would create a permanent connection between our two consciousnesses, and amplify your strength with mine, but it would not blend our ‘minds’ together. It would be much like the connection you have with Liandramonedarym at the moment, only on a more subconscious level. And I would be able to speak with you more easily, and more often.))
Quatre remained silent, still unsure. ((I’ll let you out,)) he said finally. ((Just…behave for right now, and let me do things my way. I’ll talk with you about this…joining thing later.))
He returned his consciousness to what was happening in front of him. Trowa was gazing at him thoughtfully, Duo was gripping his shoulders and shaking him.
“-tre! Wake up!”
Quatre focused his eyes on Duo. “Let go of me, you oaf,” he advised softly, dangerously. Duo released him as though he’d been burned. Quatre moved his eyes to Lian. “You knew.”
((Yes,)) Lian admitted. ((The moment I met you.))
“Is that why you befriended me?”
Duo, listening, was confused. What had Lian known?
((Yes,)) was Lian’s quiet answer. ((I knew you were different from other humans. I knew I could trust you.))
“How?” Quatre wanted to know. “How did you know you could trust me? For all you knew, I could have been possessed by a psychotic killer from three thousand years ago.”
((You are a Winner,)) Lian said, as though that explained everything. When Quatre continued to stare at the feline, he sighed and said, ((The Winner clan has long been a bloodline known for possessing reincarnations. Your very nature as a Winner prevents any evil from sharing your soul, so I knew your ‘other self’ had to be a defender from long ago.))
Quatre’s eyes abruptly sharpened as pieces began to fall into place at a remarkable speed. “That’s why the demons attacked my clan. Too many of their old enemies were being reborn.”
((And too many new enemies were being created,)) Lian agreed. ((For every reincarnation in the Winner clan, there was born another warrior of this generation with equally formidable talents.))
“The enemies that the warriors who are being reborn fought are still here.” His gaze landed on Trowa, who had observed the exchange with interest. “Aren’t they?”
“Why would you ask me such a thing?” Trowa asked coolly.
Quatre’s eyes remained razor sharp. “I’m not stupid, and I’m not without my own magical power. You are a reincarnation, I heard Duo call you such. You know, don’t you? Who’s behind the demons?”
Trowa’s eyes locked with Quatre’s, and there was a silent battle of wills. After a moment, Trowa was the one to look away, a calm, deliberate movement. “I do not know anything for certain. I have suspicions, that is all.”
“Suspicions are more than anything my cousin or Annabel have,” Duo said, pouncing on his words. “Why have you not come to Milliardo or the queen?”
Trowa’s eyes rested on Duo, and they held none of the dark amusement of earlier; now they were colder than ice. “I answer to none.”
Lian, watching Trowa, suddenly let out a rumble of amusement. ((I know you now,)) he chuckled in an “open” thoughtwave to all three humans.
“Do you?” The iciness remained in Trowa’s gaze.
((My, but these are getting to be interesting times,)) Lian noted. ((The Dark Defender has returned. I wonder who else has been reborn. Jessan Coran, perhaps?))
Trowa stared intently at the reanlos for a moment, then shook his head. “No, the first king has not been reborn.” In response to Lian’s inquiring stare, he said simply, “I would have felt it.”
((Interesting,)) Lian mused.
“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” Quatre asked softly, bringing the attention of everyone back to rest squarely on him.
“Yes, let’s.” Trowa focused his dark, probing eyes on Quatre. “What were you doing just now?”
“Talking to my other self,” Quatre said quietly, knowing the reincarnation would understand.
“Fascinating,” Trowa responded. “So what did she – or he – say?”