Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Blending ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

 

 

 

Heero leaned against a wall at the designated meeting place, idly watching people come and go. Normally he was a very patient person, but Seeker J was very late. He didn't understand the reason for the meeting place; they lived in the same household, and could have left there to begin their journey to the Capital. And he wouldn't have had to drag his luggage with him.

 

But he was one to never question his mentor, J, the one who found him as a child and raised him. He wouldn't go so far to consider him a father, since there was no love between the two of them. But he did owe the man for this opportunity, for if J had not found him when he had, who knows where he would've ended up. Luckily for Heero, his Talent in Air was a strong one, and was what had attracted J to him in the first place. And since he had never had other children to play with, the air around him had become his playmate, further strengthening his ability.

 

Seekers were those who are born with all five Talents; Earth, Air, Fire Water, and Spirit, but are unable to use any ability. Instead they are able to sense the strength of a person. When asked why he had taken a young Heero into his home, he said that he could tell that the child would be a very high Middle, even a High level adept, and wanted to make sure that Heero would be ready for the trials of the tests that took place in the capital, and see to it that he would become part of a Blending.

 

And that brings us back to Heero. He continued to scan the carriages as they neared, trying to spot the one that would take him on his journey. But he was soon distracted as screams erupted from the crowd of people. Immediately he saw the source, which was a very large fireball headed his way.

 

Narrowing his eyes, he realized that whoever had conjured the fireball had to be at least a high Middle, for several people tried to extinguish the blaze with no luck. As the fireball continued barreling towards him, he reached for his magic. He then reached out with his mind, and the fireball stopped dead in its tracks, just a few feet from where he was standing. The fireball struggled against the wall of thickened air, trying in vain to reach him as if it had a mind of its own.

 

Manipulating the thickened air further, he used it as `gloves' for his mental hands and formed a very tall cylinder around the flames, and began to slowly press inward. As he did so, the flames were forced to narrow as well, making them thin and tall instead of thick and round. He continued narrowing the cylinder as the flames rose higher and higher as they were compressed. He knew where every inch of the blazing column was through his contact with the air around it. Using tiny ribbons of air, he separated the fire in to small sections, and then sent a small breeze across the areas one by one until the flame was extinguished.

 

Coming back to himself, he noticed the calming of the crowd and the people around him began to continue with their activities. It was then that a carriage came to a stop in front of him, the door opening. Seeker J leaned out, motioning for Heero to enter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A young man with violet eyes and a long braid waited by the street that he had been told to come to if he wanted to change his life. It had only been a month ago that the strange old man had approached him, offering him a chance to make come coin, and possibly a chance to become part of a Blending. Duo had originally scoffed at the man, wondering how a street rat like himself could be given the opportunity, but had finally agreed if his friend Hilde could come along, thinking that would get him off his back.

 

But after scrutinizing the girl, he decided that she was at least a Middle, and could possibly pass the tests that screened the applicants. When asked, the old man had stated that Duo was definitely a high Middle, if not a High adept. To say he was surprised had been an understatement, for he had never done any of the more complicated magics; just enough for him to survive.

 

His stomach let out a loud complaint, and he rubbed it, hoping that the man named G would have some food on him. He scanned the street, then waved as he saw Hilde's familiar face coming towards him. That was when shouts of alarm rose from the street, and he saw the huge fireball traveling his way. As it continued on its course, he realized that it was headed directly towards him. He scoffed, wondering if the owner of the fireball knew he was a Water talent. Then again, many of his enemies weren't the brightest of the group.

 

He began to reach for every bit of moisture around; the horse troughs, the clouds in the sky, the very air around him. Duo hung a fine curtain of mist in its path, causing it to veer. As the fireball receded, he surrounded the thing with a ring of water, and the more water he added to the ring, the smaller the flames became. In minutes the fire was drowned.

 

As he let the water return to its sources, Hilde approached him, her blue eyes wide with astonishment.

 

“What was that all about” she asked.

 

“Who knows, probably someone trying to get some payback” he answered with a shrug.

 

“I don't know. Whoever created that thing had to have at least been a Middle.”

 

Duo wondered about that. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hilde's judgment. She was a Fire Talent herself. But it hadn't taken that much effort to extinguish it. But if Seeker G was right, and he was at least a high Middle adept, then it wouldn't have been a problem anyway.

 

He was brought out of his musings when a carriage stopped in front of them, and he recognized the man inside the cabin as G. Giving Hilde one more shrug, he grabbed her hand and they headed into the unknown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trowa gave the animals of the circus one last glance before heading out of the tent to meet up with his adopted sister Catherine. He hoped that they would be taken care of in his absence, and wondered for the hundredth time if leaving was the right thing to do. He had had misgivings from the start, but it was Catherine who had persuaded him to go.

 

Grabbing his meager belongings, he headed towards the other side of the encampment to meet up with his sister. The man who had approached them after a performance, Seeker S, was to meet up with them at her tent. It was then that he heard shouts of warning. Coming to a stop, he soon noticed the object of the commotion.

 

Off to his right a tent was engulfed with flames as a fireball passed through, heading right for him. He reached for his magic. It was effortless for him, for it had stopped being something he could do, and something that was a part of him. Time almost slowed to a stop as he merged with the magic, becoming one with it. He then raised his arms and extended his fingers, fingers made much longer by the magic thrumming through him, and thrust into the dirt. Everything of the earth was his to employ, and that was what he did. The packed dirt leaped to his wishes, eager to comply, as it formed a whirlwind that spun around the approaching fireball, effectively snuffing it out.

He then turned his attention to the blazing tent, using the still spinning dirt to put out that fire as well.

 

As the dirt settled at his feet, he continued on his way to seek out his sister. He really didn't want to be leaving. He was not a very sociable person, the only person he was close to being Catherine. He didn't know much about Blendings, except that it was when five people, one of each Talent, merged together. It didn't take an intelligent person to realize that those five people would have to be close. But his sister really wanted to become part of a Blending, and she was scared to go alone. Thus the reason he was going.

 

`Maybe I can just purposely fail the tests' he mused to himself, but realized that wouldn't work. Even if he only did the most basic of magics, the Seekers would be able to sense his strength, and Trowa knew that he was on a higher level than normal.

 

All too soon to his liking, he arrived at his destination, walking up to the carriage that was waiting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Quatre straightened his clothes in the mirror, he sent waves if calm towards his sister Iria as she double checked his luggage, making sure the servants had packed everything he would need. He could tell that she was fretting over is impending departure through the use of his Spirit Talent.

 

Satisfied that he looked his best, he walked over to her, putting his arms around her slim waist.

 

“Don't worry so much, sister. I'll be fine” he assured her.

 

Turning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around Quatre to return the embrace. “I can't help but worry. You've never been anywhere without me, and I also know that you really don't want to leave” she replied.

 

The short blond intensified the calm energy, physically feeling her loosen up a bit. He now regretted telling her about his fears about going to the Capital. But she was more than just a sister to him; his mother had died giving birth to him, and Iria had been the one to raise him.

 

“Well, I have to go” he stated simply.

 

“Wouldn't you let me argue your case with father? He's the only reason why you're going. I believe he even paid that Seeker to accept you.”

 

Quatre could feel the contempt rolling off of his sister. “Don't blame father, Iria. Yes, I am only going because father demands it, but you know that it pains him to have me around” he replied.

 

Quatre's mother had been the love of his father's life. The man had had many lovers, evident by his 29 older sisters. But when her life had been cut short by his birth, he had remained single. His father had never expressed his feelings to Quatre, but keeping them from a strong Talent in Spirit was nearly impossible, unless you were another Spirit Talent yourself.

 

He could feel the pain in his father's soul every time he glanced his way. From the pictures he had seen of his mother, he was an exact copy of her, but in male form. Because of that they had never been close, and anyone who knew the tragic tale believed that the head of the Winner family loathed his son. But Quatre knew better, so didn't let it bother him.

 

“I still don't understand what any of this Blending business is anyways. You have ability, but from what I've seen, it isn't anything spectacular. Why couldn't they have just left you alone?”

 

Quatre stepped back from his sister, taking her hands in his. She really didn't know the extent of his abilities, for he had never really had the chance to demonstrate. But from what the Seeker had said, he was at least a high Middle.

 

“It's a Blending of the five Talents, and can be used for a number of things. But mainly they are used for defense, and they are needed now more than ever with the uprisings that have been occurring in Oz” he explained.

 

“I understand that, but what damage can a Spirit Talent do. I mean, I understand what the other Talents can do that could be used offensively and even defensively.”

 

“Well, I'm not sure on that myself, but Seeker H has assured me that I am very much needed. From what he's told me, Spirit brings the other four together, making them a unified whole, and smoothes out their efforts into successful completion. Without a Spirit Talent in a Blending, the other aspects fight each other for independence and dominance, and even when they deliberately work together there is still a whisper of disharmony present. Spirit magic quiets that whisper.”

 

“Well, you've definitely had practice in that area, living in this household. By Gods I'm going to miss you” she replied, pulling him in for another hug.

 

They pulled apart when a knock at the door interrupted them. Squaring his shoulders, he picked up his baggage on the way to the door, heading outside to the awaiting carriage. Quatre gave hugs and farewells to the sisters that had gathered in the hall, then headed outside with Iria at his heal. Giving her one last hug and kiss on the cheek, he began to climb into the vehicle, when Iria yelled out a warning.

 

Heading straight for him was a huge fireball. Judging from the speed and size, if the flame made it to the manor behind him, it would be lost in a blaze, even though several of his sisters were low level Water Talents.

 

“I've got it” he called out as he gathered up his inner strength in mental fingers, then he threw it out, making sure it spread as it went, aiming for the fireball. It stopped when the leading edge of it met with the strength he had spread. The flames ravened against his invisible wall, trying to consume it, but every lick of flame that touched the wall was gentled and quieted. Not really knowing what else to do, Quatre sent wave after wave of calming energy towards the flame as the wall moved forward and spread around the rest of the fire like a blanket. In a matter of minutes the peace quieted the rage of the flame, turning the fireball into ash.

 

His sister stared at him in amazement, but Quatre realized he should have expected that. The last few generations of his family had not produced anything stronger than a Low Talent, and he knew she had never really seen him use his ability other than to calm his siblings. He grinned at her, then continued on his way into the carriage.

 

 

 

 

In the garden outside of an ornate temple, a young man sat underneath a tree, legs crossed and eyes closed to the world. He wanted nothing more than to stay in the peaceful garden, but knew it wasn't so, for he would begin his journey towards the Capital very soon.

 

He cursed under his breath as his meditation was interrupted by the onslaught of emotions coursing through him. Leaning back against the stone at his back, he sighed, trying to quiet the raging of his soul.

 

“What am I to do, Meiran” he whispered to the winds, believing that somehow his young wife would hear him; but he knew there would be no answer.

 

He stood, brushing the grass off of his pants, and turned to regard the gravestone set against the tree. It belonged to his lost wife, Meiran, who had passed away a year ago. If he had the tears left, he would cry, but Chang Wufei had lost the ability to cry months ago. But the rage that boiled inside of him was as strong as ever.

 

Even though everyone told him it was not so, he felt responsible for the fate of his wife. Also a Fire Talent, they had been comparing what each other could do. Despite his warnings, she had tried to perform magic that was beyond her ability, and had ended up burning out.

 

As Wufei closed his eyes, the image of his beautiful Meiran, empty eyes staring ahead and mouth slack, haunted him. That was what happened when a person called in too much power. It burned them from the inside out, leaving nothing of the mind and just a husk of a body. She lasted a month before she took her last breath.

 

Now he was to leave behind his only physical reminder of her, to go to a place full of strangers. He had initially refused Seeker O, but the leader of his clan had insisted he go.

 

He was brought out of his musings as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Up in the sky, headed right for him, was a huge fireball. Being a Fire Talent, he could tell that the flame was intent on him, but he had no idea why. But he didn't have the time to ponder the reason.

 

He reached to the fireball with his own Talent causing a second fireball to come into being around the first. Encasing someone else's creation wasn't supposed to be possible for two people using the same aspect. But Wufei was furious that his last few moments with Meiran were disrupted, so he poured all of his anger into his own fire.

 

Once the intruder flames were completely surrounded, he caused his own flames to burn hotter and hotter. Only a crazy person would try to burn flames, but there was something else that he was accomplishing. With his flames using up all the air around the other fire, there was nothing left for it to burn. The hotter his flames grew, the fainter it became, until there was nothing but a shadow left inside his inferno. He let his fire burn out, then focused on extinguishing the small fires that his efforts had started in the garden.

 

Giving the headstone one last look, Wufei squared his shoulders and headed to where he would meet the Seeker O.