Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Elven Mage ❯ Of Rejections and Acceptance. ( Chapter 8 )

Warnings: Yaoi, angst, lime, sad stuff, bad language, very mild Relena bashing… actually, very, very, very mild… uh… I think that's it. ^^'

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own the g-boys or any of their affiliates and I make no money off them, however, I do own both Nihrana and Shiakara as well as the side-mages, Quarinias, Eli'iarkin and… uh… the others. ^^' If you steal them, you will suffer a horrible death by elfwing and Relena kisses.

Authors Note: Sorry I took a while with this. It was unintended I assure you.

~ ~ ~

"Trowa…? Trowa… is that… I don't know… Trowa?" Quatre sat up straighter in the dark, damp cell, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Trowa is nowhere around here, Quatre," Wufei muttered with a sigh, running a hand through his matted hair.

"But I can… Trowa!"

~Shh… Quatre, we're not far, but you can't let your captors know we're here or we'll have no chance. Being undetected is the center of everything,~ came Trowa's familiar voice in the faery's mind.

Quatre gave a small nod, then reached out, but recoiled when he found far more than the one mind he'd expected to feel in Trowa's general area. He tilted his head and tentatively reached again, but the buzz of rapid mental conversation between several minds confused him. He hadn't been in mental contact with anyone since he'd been separated from Trowa. That was three weeks, nearly four now, and that was a long time when he thought about it. Steeling himself, Quatre reached for a third time and connected with Trowa easily and quickly out of long habit.

~So many… They're all Pantherin, aren't they? I'm happy you found them, Trowa!~ Quatre thought.

Trowa sat down where he was, within sight of Treize's castle, and smiled a little at the familiar touch of Quatre's mind. He hadn't let himself realize it, but he'd missed the faery a lot. Right now, he couldn't take the time to analyze that feeling and what lay beneath it, but he knew he would make sure to later on.

~Tell Wufei and Noin to be ready. When the door is opened, all of you need to get out of there fast. They're going to have more trouble than you, because of their size.~

~What about my wand, Trowa? I'm next to useless without it.~

~It's not far from where you are. Just down the passage, we can feel it. You'll pass right by it on your way out.~

~Thank you… How long?~

~Not very. It'll be soon. Prepare yourselves now. We won't be long and haste will be paramount once the door is open.~

Quatre sent an affirmative thought, then cut the contact and turned to Wufei and Noin, who were looking at him in confusion. They'd seen the changes his face that went with what he was saying, but they were unaware of the mental conversation because Trowa and Quatre had kept it private, knowing there were those within the castle who were telepathic.

"Wufei, Noin, Trowa's going to be here very soon with other Pantherin to help. We have to be ready to get out the second they open the door and follow them quickly. There won't be time to stop and consider and if you stop too long to fight, the mages here will rally and kill us all. Just follow," Quatre said quickly.

Noin looked at him skeptically, but Wufei didn't question, for which the faery was thankful. The centaur knew Quatre and Trowa could pass things mentally to each other fast enough to get a conversation done in seconds. He murmured something to Noin and she nodded reluctantly, but turned to face the door.

Trowa made good on his promise and the door was opened in the next few seconds. A familiar tortoiseshell panther stood there, two others with him, then turned and bounded off down the passage, expecting the prisoners to follow. They did, and fast.

The ringing of the centaurs' hooves sang around and behind and ahead of them, eerily clear in the dark passage. Quatre saw and grabbed his wand as they pelted past a low table, then quickly cast a spell over himself so he could keep up with all the four-footed creatures around him. Thoughts flew between the three Pantherin with blinding speed.

~How far, Tia'ara?~

~Not far… They are but a few corners away, but they are not gaining… One dropped back.~

~And the entrance, Ry?~

~A little way yet, Pride Leader, but we'll see moonlight in a short time.~

~The cover?~

~As far as it can be without being done.~

~It won't take but a moment once we're there.~

~It willgo over the centaurs?~

~Yes, Pride Leader. There will be no problem.~

~You're sure?~

~Positive. Do not worry yourself overly. We practiced.~

~Not for very long. I should have given more time…~

~Nonsense. I wouldn't have wanted to leave them there too long either, would you, Tia'ara?~

~No, I would not. It is the right thing we have done - duck!~

"Duck!" Quatre cried as he caught that, knowing Wufei and Noin couldn't hear. The Pantherin and centaurs dropped to their bellies and Quatre into a crouch as a bolt of sizzling energy shot over their heads to blow chunks of rock out of the wall ahead of them. They were back to their feet in seconds and running. Quatre monitored the Pantherin's conversation closely, ready to call any more warnings, but the mages didn't get another shot as the six of them burst out into the open air and sped through the darkness to a group of waiting Pantherin.

~Patience… Just wait a moment until - now!~

There was a silent clap of thunder, then utter silence as a rippling barrier grew up and over the entire group. Pantherin sat in a perfect circle, their bodies and tails in the exact same position as the next Pantherin in the circle. Their eyes were all closed.

"Be quiet and still now," Trowa murmured, back in his human form.

The faery and centaurs obeyed, every muscle tense.

~They are searching now,~ Tia'ara's voice whispered in their heads as she monitored the mages. She was still in her panther form and Quatre had to fight the urge to shift from foot to foot surrounded by so many big cats.

"How long do we have to stay here for?" Wufei muttered softly and was silenced by a few feline glares.

The barrier flickered and was strengthened.

"Keep that up!" Trowa hissed angrily, lips barely moving. His body was perfectly still as he watched outside the barrier, looking for any trace of the mages.

~They're… they're giving up… so soon…~ Tia'ara murmured confusedly in their heads. Her feline face frowned and she tilted her head, feeling again for traces of the mages. ~They truly are going back to the castle…~

The barrier was lowered and the Pantherin all Changed back to their human forms. Trowa walked over to Quatre and hugged him gently.

"I'm sorry it took so long, Quatre…" he murmured softly.

"Oh, that's alright, Trowa. It's not your fault. I'm sure you did the best you could. I understand. What was that I heard about Pride Leader, though…?"

"Trowa is our Pride Leader now. He is the son of the past Pride leader," Tia'ara said softly as she walked up to stand with them. Trowa smiled a little at Quatre.

"That's so great, Trowa! I'm so happy for you!" Quatre cried, hugging Trowa quickly again. Trowa held on and kissed Quatre's blonde hair with a smile.

Quatre shifted uncomfortably and moved away with a tight smile.

"The matter of Maxwell still lies untouched," Wufei stated, his dark eyes accusing as if it were their fault.

"Maxwell…?" Tia'ara asked confusedly.

"A friend of ours. A mage took him from us some three or four weeks ago," Trowa replied softly.

"A mage? Then they would have taken him to the University. Pride Leader, that is on the other side of the continent. It will take some months to get there. You cannot-" Trowa cut Tia'ara off.

"You can help us. You can do whatever it was you did to get you and myself to the Pride Caves so quickly."

"Not to you, the centaurs, the faery and myself all at once I cannot. I am not that powerful. You cannot expect me to do that. I would kill myself within a day!"

"I can help," Quatre murmured. "I can ride on one of the centaurs' backs and spell the two of them. If they're spelled and I'm riding on one of their backs, I won't need to spell myself."

"Ride on one of our backs?!" Wufei cried in consternation. "Never!"

"Wufei, this is Duo we're talking about. Don't tell me you don't care about him, because I know that's not true. I know you care about all of us but you just won't admit it. We have to save him. We just have to! We're his friends and he's our friend! It won't kill you to carry me. I don't weigh that much."

"You have no idea what you are asking! The dishonor of it all! Injustice!"

"It's honorable to save someone, Wufei! He never did anything but care about us all. If he were busy, he would drop everything to help one of us, no matter what! he saved your life once, if I remember correctly, and I'm pretty sure I do!"

Wufei snorted, but he could say nothing to refute that because it was true. Duo had saved his life once, but he had tried to forget that. He hadn't wanted to think about it as he would far rather not be indebted to an elf. However, it was true and there was nothing he could do about it. If he helped Duo now, though, he would repay the debt and no longer owe it. He gave a sharp nod.

"First we rest," Trowa said softly. "And I need to talk to Quatre." With that, the Pantherin all turned to their panther forms and set off, slinking through the shadows as though they were a part of them. Trowa offered his back to Quatre and the faery took it gratefully, far happier with riding than he would be with flying or walking right now.

Traveling swiftly on four feet it wasn't long before they reached the caves Trowa had spoken of.

A blonde Pantherin in her human form stood at the entrance to the main cavern, a mixture of anger and a deep respect in her blue eyes. She looked down on Trowa and snorted a little.

"You were lucky. They let you go… Something's wrong. It was far too easy and you know it," she said.

Trowa ignored her and padded past her as the rest of the group dispersed and went to their respective places. Wufei and Noin were lead off to somewhere to sleep and the woman who'd spoken left Trowa and Quatre alone.

"Is she right? Did they let us go?" Quatre asked softly once he was settled on a soft fur pelt with Trowa beside him in his human form.

"I don't know and I don't really care. All I care is that you're safe and you're here with me. I missed you a lot, you know," Trowa said softly.

Quatre smiled brightly, his sea-blue eyes sparkling.

"I missed you too, Trowa, and it was always cold in there. Not to mention Noin and Wufei were always looking down their noses at me." Quatre sighed. "I'm still so worried about Duo…"

"Don't be. We will get him back."

Trowa touched Quatre's hair lightly, then traced his jaw-line with one long finger.

"Uh… Trowa…"

"Shh… Quatre, have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Trowa whispered, his finger moving around to trace gently over the faery's lips.

"Trowa, I don't-" Quatre started, but was silenced at Trowa's lips carefully pressed against his for a gentle kiss. The faery's eyes widened and he made a muffled protest, but Trowa's arms were too tight around him and he couldn't get away. Trowa did eventually break the kiss with a smile.

"Quatre… you're so sweet…" he murmured.

"But, Trowa, I don't want… I don't like… I'm not… I'm not gay, Trowa," Quatre said, looking up at the taller boy.

Trowa blinked at him, then shook his head a little with a smile.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Quatre," he said, again touching the faery's hair.

"No, Trowa, you don't understand. I'm not gay. I never have been. I just… Well, I know I look it, but all faery do. I'm not gay."

"But… Quatre… I…"

"I'm sorry, Trowa, but I'm not going to be something for you that I'm not. I couldn't. Just the thought of… well…" Quatre trailed off, blushing, and a shudder went through his thin frame.

Trowa could only stare at Quatre. He'd been so very sure the faery felt the same way about him. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he might be rejected.

"But… But, Quatre, I love you."

"I'm sorry Trowa, but I can't. I'm not… like that." Quatre scrambled to his feet and fled from the cave, hating to hurt his friend but unwilling to pretend to be something he wasn't. He just hoped Trowa would forgive him eventually and they would be friends again. And he hoped he hadn't hurt that Pantherin too badly, because that was the last thing he wanted to do.

* * *

Shiakara trotted into Duo's room the next morning, tail waving madly about behind her. She knew the elf wasn't awake yet and delighted in waking him. He said some of the strangest things when he was woken. She jumped up onto his bed, careful not to squash him, then poked her cold nose into the hollow of his neck.

"Ack… gerrof! I'm not ready yet…" Duo muttered, and waved a hand in Shiakara's general direction.

"Not ready for what?" Shiakara asked, giggling behind her words.

"Not ready for… Not ready… Uh…"

"Not ready for what?"

"For… the dance… It's not my… turn…"

"Not your turn?"

"No… go away! It's not my… not my… go…"

"Duo, come on! Breakfast was served a half hour ago. You don't want to miss it."

"No! I can't go… I'm still not ready… Don't make me - huh? Shiakara…? Did you say breakfast?"

Shiakara giggled at the sudden change from mostly asleep to wide awake and ducked her head in a nod. One ear flicked back as she heard Heero enter the room and lean against the doorframe.

Heero smiled slightly at the picture before him. Duo lay on his back, trying to get out of his bed now that he knew breakfast was being served, but he was having little success as Shiakara sat on his thighs, her feet to either side of him effectively pinning him down under the blanket. She leaned down and licked his face all over, ignoring his muffled protests.

"Oh, yuk! Shiakara! Get off me you're - yuk! Get that out of there that's not nice. No! Shiakara! Mercy! Mercy!"

Shiakara ignored him.

Duo finally managed to work a hand free and brought it down to her nearest paw. With a touch of concentration, he lightly zapped the paw and she pulled it back, giggling. Duo capitalized on the situation, sitting up and shoving Shiakara off the bed, then proceeding to wrestle with her, braid flying and totally unconcerned at his nakedness.

Heero cleared his throat and Duo looked up, eyes wide. Now he was concerned at his nakedness and leapt to his feet, giving Heero a split second in which the mage ran his eyes the length of the elf's body and found he liked what he saw. It was only a second, however, as Duo quickly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it about himself, blushing from head to toe.

"Oh… gee, I'm… sorry about that, Heero," Duo said abashedly, running a hand through his unruly hair.

Heero just grunted and turned from the room, giving Duo the privacy he was silently begging for with his purple eyes. The elf dressed the conventional way, but used a snap of his fingers to right his braid and weave the gold chain into it. The chain never left his hair during the day, but only at night because he was afraid of breaking it. Heero had noticed, but he didn't point it out.

Once satisfactorily groomed, Duo trotted out of his room, Shiakara close behind, and grinned happily at Heero, studiously ignoring the fact that the mage had seen what he'd seen. He grabbed his master's arm and began tugging.

"What're we waiting for? Come on! I'm starved, Heero!" Duo whined, still tugging on the mage's robes. Heero gave his ghost of a smile and followed along while Shiakara made that chuffing noise that passed for muffled laughter with her kind.

"I'm… Duo, I'm sorry," Heero said eventually when they were roughly halfway to the dinning hall. Duo blinked at him.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" he asked, halting long enough to give Heero a long look.

"Sorry for… for making you kiss me. It was uncalled for and I shouldn't have asked. It was terribly wrong of me…"

Duo could do nothing but blink. He couldn't decide if he was angry, shocked, upset or… excited? Happy? Pleased that Heero had done what he'd done out of choice and not obligation? He shook his head a little, unsure of himself all at once. He still wasn't comfortable with the ideas Shiakara had put to him and the way Heero made him feel and react.

"I… uh… Just forget it, okay?" he said softly, then turned hurriedly and headed off down to the dining hall.

Heero stared after him and shook his head, running an unconscious hand through his hair in slight agitation.

"He's falling for you sure as my fur's blue," Shiakara said with a grin, seeming to test the sharpness of her canines with the end of her tongue in a thoughtful type way.

"He is not. He's my apprentice, nothing more."

"Yuhuh, sure. You're falling for him sure as my fur's blue!"

"I am not 'falling' for him!"

"Right. I believe you, thousands wouldn't. Let's get breakfast. I'm almost as hungry as Duo."

"No one gets as hungry as that elf," Heero muttered, but followed after Shiakara as the OtherKin bounded off down the corridor, just expecting anyone else to get out of her way, which they mostly did.

They found Duo going at breakfast hammer and tongs as though he hadn't eaten in days. Relena sat across the way glaring daggers at him. At the end of the table sat someone Heero couldn't remember. He was vaguely familiar, but Heero couldn't put name or identity to him. He sat silently, watching Duo out of dark-as-night blue eyes from under a red-brown fringe. Something flickered in those eyes as Heero moved to sit beside Duo, and they fixed on the mage, blinking once.

~Something's wrong, Heero. You feel wrong and this entire University is abuzz about somesuch. You're worried. Relena's out to kill. Quarinias isn't stuck to Relena's side like usual. Eli'iarkin I can't find hide nor hair of and the Head Mage… I passed him once or twice in the corridors, but he didn't spare the time to talk to me, which is unusual in and of itself. Would you like to bring me into the loop…?~ came casual thoughts, evidently from the man at the end of the table.

Heero stared at the other, frowning. He still couldn't place the man. The power sitting dormant around him was immense and he controlled it with barely a stray thought. Heero watched the blue eyes rest on Duo again, following the braid until it could no longer be seen from where he sat. They drifted back to the elf's face and touched on the finely crafted features there with a smile of deep appreciation. The man licked his lips and Heero read the silent word those lips formed; "beautiful."

Heero called the other's eyes back to him simply with a slight shift of his head. He met and held the dark eyes and mouthed his own word; "mine."

The other raised a brow and suddenly laughed.

"I'm sure, only he isn't sure he wants that yet."

Duo looked up, instantly aware the man was talking about himself. He glanced at Heero, confused. He couldn't figure out what he "wasn't sure he wanted yet."

"Perhaps not, but the fact still stands. He's my apprentice."

"Amateur… Watch closely."

The man stood and it was then that Heero caught site of a pair of sweeping wings and an elaborate staff. He remembered, now, to whom he was speaking. Nihrana. The sorcerer had left the University when Heero was around ten, which was good enough reason for him to have lost details of the man.

Nihrana noted the Prussian eyes running the length of his body as he moved towards them. Oh, how he loved playing. The matter of what was going on could wait a moment while he had some fun with Heero and the elven beauty.

"Heero, who-" Duo started, but cut himself off when Nihrana lifted his braid aside and lightly kissed his neck, then sucked gently.

"Nihrana…" Heero said warningly, but the sorcerer ignored him.

"You know, I think our friend here is somewhat… jealous, braided elf…" Nihrana murmured huskily into one pointed ear before nibbling teasingly on its lobe.

Duo shivered, blinking slowly. He didn't want to like what Nihrana was doing, but he did like it. More than he had thought possible. The fact that the room was half filled with people fled his mind as he gave a soft sigh.

"Nihrana," Heero said again.

Nihrana lifted his head and looked at Heero, smirking a little. He stood up straight and gently tilted the elf's head back.

"You can't tell me you haven't done this, at least, because that would be lying. Some things, I know…" Nihrana whispered, before leaning down again to kiss Duo with infinite tenderness. One finger stroked down the elf's throat then back up again. Nihrana used that hand to gently cup Duo's cheek and deepen the kiss, coaxing his mouth open carefully.

Duo whimpered softly, his eyes slipping shut, and shifted a little in his seat. Nihrana's hair flowed around them both, it's softness tickling Duo's hands and face.

~Don't be afraid of what you are. There are far better things in this world than being accepted by your peers. Love… love is more than acceptance. Don't let it pass you by because you're afraid,~ Nihrana thought softly to Duo as his tongue danced expertly with Duo's.

~I can't… It's… I…~ Duo returned haltingly, a single tear slipping from the corner of his eye even as one hand came up to bury itself in Nihrana's hair and draw him deeper into the kiss.

~It's not wrong, braided elf. How can love be wrong? Not only that, but I can sense quite easily you're afraid of mental speech. Don't be afraid of that, either. It can't hurt you. No one can get further into your mind without your consent. You have to let your barriers down. They can't be forceddown. By the time someone gets into your mind without your consent, you've been driven insane anyway, and you know nothing anymore. Take comfort in that, though I know it doesn't sound all that comforting at first.~

~I'm afraid…~

Nihrana broke the kiss and gently traced Duo's jaw-line with one finger. He smiled gently at the elf and spoke softly, so only Duo could hear.

"I know you're afraid. Afraid of Heero and what you feel for him. Afraid of being different. Afraid of letting someone into your mind. Afraid, even, of your own powers. Fear is natural, braided elf, but it doesn't have to rule your life."

"Nihrana," Heero almost snarled and Nihrana smirked at he stood up and looked at Heero.

"Like I said, amateur. I got him to respond AND I got him to accept thoughtspeech. Now, what's going on here again?"

Heero glared murder at the sorcerer while Shiakara made her chuffing muffled giggle sound. Nihrana reached out to ruffle Shiakara's ears, remembering her as just a young pup new-come to the University just before he himself had left.

"The basics of "what's going on here" are that Milliardo Peacecraft has been kidnapped. We-"

"What?! Milliardo has been kidnapped? By whom and how? It's not as though one can just creep up behind a Seer."

"We don't know who. Translocation is how."

"It's like I've been saying. Defenses here are nil!" Shiakara spat.

"Shit. I can't…" Nihrana ran an agitated hand through his hair. "I can't stay long enough to help. It… I'm only here for a little time. I have to… I can't stay… It's… fuck!"

"It's his fault," came Relena's voice from the other side of the table as she pointed almost violently at Duo, who shook his head. She stood and jabbed a finger at him again. "Nothing like this has ever happened before! It must be something to do with him!"

Nihrana's eyes snapped back to Duo and his staff lashed out to hover before Duo's chest. The sorcerer's eyes had gone from kind and faintly teasing to angry in no time flat and the feathers of his blindingly white wings had all become black-tipped, as though the ends had all been dipped in ink.

"If that's true, then he dies here and now," Nihrana growled lowly.

"I've got nothing to do with it!" Duo cried, even as he reflexively slammed a shield into place.

Nihrana's eyes flickered a moment as he studied the shield and a tight smile touched his firmly set lips.

"I can see Heero's perfection seeping into his apprentice, but this shield will do little against my brand of power…"

~What he touches with the staff is entirely mental, Duo,~ Heero supplied silently and Duo was forced to think. They hadn't covered shielding against mental magic as of yet. Shielding against mental speech, yes, but magic, no.

Adapt.

React.

Now!

Thoughts flashed hurriedly through his head and he did the best he could, augmenting his current shield with the techniques used for shielding out unwanted thoughts. Nihrana's eyes widened a little and even Heero blinked in surprise.

"I have nothing to do with Milliardo's disappearance. It's coincidence. How could I, or any of my kind have anything to do with it? You're the ones who teach this stuff and you refuse to teach us."

"Just because your kind doesn't know translocation, doesn't mean they couldn't employ someone who does," Nihrana growled, trying to find a way through what had quickly become expert mental shielding.

Heero and Shiakara were still stunned but what Duo had done with barely a thought. It was perfect and even Nihrana couldn't find a flaw in it.

"I have nothing to do with this!" Duo cried, his eyes both angry and hurt.

"Nihrana, he's telling the truth. Don't be a fool," Shiakara said softly, her eyes meeting the sorcerer's. "I know you're upset about Milliardo and I know you can't stand the fact that you can't stay long enough to help, but don't take it out on Duo."

Nihrana looked at her for a long moment, then finally nodded and lowered the staff, his wings returning their normal pristine white. He reached out to gently tough Duo's hair as the elf lowered his shielding and smiled a little.

"Sorry, braided elf. I should know better than to believe one Relena Peacecraft… Now, tell me everything, Yuy, from start to finish and leave nothing out. There may be some small thing I can do before I have to go back home…"

Heero nodded, albeit reluctantly, and began the tale.

~ ~ ~

A.N: Oh, I am cruel, aren't I? *sniffles* Poor, poor Trowa. *sniffles more* Me sowwy, but I just couldn't resist. At least things are getting slightly better for Heero and Duo, ne? Ne? ^_^ Lessee… how else can I torture the bishies… *evil smirk*