Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Whispers in the Dark ❯ Horizontal Rain ( Chapter 6 )

~*~AN~*~ This chapter will hopefully move fast. I want to move things along a little with this. Sorry if my updates are rather far apart ><;; I've been trying to outline my chapters to make sure thing stay consistent. Also, I'm working on another story idea. I'll be uploading a teaser type opening for it later. It'll be called “Down The Rabbit Hole,” so be sure to look for it. Whether I continue after the teaser is up to the readers ^^.

 

Duo was pacing about, energy high and antsy about the arrival of the last of the former Gundam Pilots. He knew he had no reason to let his nerves get to him. Trowa was never one for confrontation and often just rolled with the punches. Quatre was always kind hearted as well as empathic, so he would know Tsuzuki and Hisoka meant no harm. Now, if only they'd believe what's been going on these past couple of days. But he was sure that with Heero there to confirm the wild story the two wouldn't be so worried about Duo's sanity.

 

Heero had gotten called into the Preventer's office that morning. Well, they had both technically been called in, but someone needed to be home for when Quatre and Trowa showed up, and Heero and Duo agreed that someone should stay with Tsuzuki and Hisoka as well. This caused the two Shinigami to feel a bit like they were being babysat, and Hisoka couldn't help but feel they were not being trusted. In reality, the couple that had opened their home to them were worried Muraki would try something while they weren't there.

 

Tsuzuki and Hisoka had busied themselves in the guest room that Tsuzuki had been given. They were both dressed casually now in jeans and t-shirts. When Duo had insisted they go get their own clothes, so they had something that fit them, Hisoka had been sure to find the cheapest clothes he could find. They were both thankful for the hospitality the two lovers had shown them, but they were also both eager to figure out how to get home and deal with Muraki.

 

“Muraki has to have a lab or something somewhere in the city.”

 

“And knowing Muraki it'll probably be within plain sight,” Hisoka added.

 

“Well, the Preventers have better knowledge of what goes on in this city, so maybe we can get leads that way?” Tsuzuki offered. He was actually being quite mature and serious, but he was always serious about his job, and right now his job was to get rid of Muraki once again.

 

“That's true, but I don't think they get tips on odd, seemingly paranormal activity. They're more of a police force than the type of organization that deals with puppets, possession, and missing souls.”

 

“No, but they deal with missing people, right? If Muraki were using puppets to do his bidding than he would need them a good deal of the time. Someone has to have reported one missing.”

 

“We can ask Duo if he can look through the missing persons files then, see if he can find something that's out of the ordinary.”

 

The sounds of the door opening and closing reached the two Shinigami. Normally they wouldn't have heard it from the guest room, but Duo had flung the door open, letting it hit the wall. Not only that, but he had shouted his greeting to his two friends before hugging them each. Once they were thoroughly glomped on they were let in and Duo slammed the door behind them.

 

The two shared a glance before making their way down the stairs, Hisoka suddenly found himself nervous and apprehensive. He was like that when meeting new people, but he knew he could trust whomever Duo and Heero trusted, so why did he not want to meet these two?

 

~*~*~

 

Duo was jolted to attention at mid pace as a strong knock echoed from the door. It was a short knock, consisting of two raps against the heavy woodened door. H knew instantly who had done the knocking; knowing Trowa wasn't one for doing anything that wasn't necessary. In his excitement and nervousness he threw the door open, letting it bang sharply against the wall.

 

“Quat! Tro! It been too long!” He practically launched himself at the couple, but they were quite use to it. They took the crushing hugs and gave back just as good as they were getting. Once the hugs were over Duo ushered them through the doorway and kicked the door shut behind him.

 

“Well, it's certainly nice to see you again, too, Duo. Where is Heero?” Quatre had spoken, Trowa still silent, but offered a warm smile.

 

“Oh, well, we got called in today with things being so hectic, so Heero went in and I stayed behind to welcome you.” Duo let out a sigh. “We have a lot to talk about, but do you guys want anything? Tea? Coffee?”

 

As he finished his offered he noticed Trowa's gaze diverted and slight tension in his stance. Quatre noticed his lover tense as well, as if he were readying to deal with an intruder. The other two ex-pilots turned to follow Trowa's gaze and spotted the two Shinigami at the top of the stairs. Duo immediately realized he hadn't mentioned they would be here and moved between the two couples to do introductions.

 

“Oh! We hadn't mentioned last night that we have two guests. Sorry, Quatre Winner and Trowa Barton this is Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka.”

 

He noticed Trowa nod, relaxing his stance. The others knew that if the two guests were trusted enough to stay in their friends' home, then they weren't trouble. Quatre smiled, waiting until the two made it down the stairs before extending his hand. “It's nice to meet you.” He offered with a smile.

 

Hisoka wasn't himself through this whole meeting. He had done something he'd never done before, and it had Tsuzuki a bit worried. Hisoka was currently hiding behind him fisting the back of Tsuzuki's t-shirt. While he wasn't completely hidden like a child, it was still an odd behavior for someone who looked to be around 16, and Duo looked noticeably worried as well.

 

Tsuzuki took the offered hand, giving a firm shake. “You can call me Tsuzuki, and you can call him Hisoka. It's nice to meet you as well.” He cast a glance at his younger partner, normally his manners would have won over fear by now, but he was still reluctant to move.

 

Hisoka wasn't concerned so much with the tall brunette, Trowa, but the blonde made him antsy. He didn't want to be any closer to him than he had to be, his empathy seeing a bit different around the one Duo had called Quatre. He should feel Tsuzuki's worry for him stronger than the emotions radiating off the blonde, but instead, the blonde's emotions were stronger. It baffled him, seeing as he was actually touching his partner and not Quatre.

 

He felt a wave of worry come from Quatre. He was worried that he had scared the boy and wondering how to fix the situation when suddenly all feelings coming from the older blonde stopped. Hisoka blinked, even more wary now. `How had he managed to do that? I didn't shield his emotions from my mind…'

 

Quatre had been watching the young blonde known as Hisoka carefully and noticed his expressions changing every time he projected a slightly different emotion. He had caught on immediately, of course, knowing how odd and harsh being an empath could be. He shielded his emotions from the other and smiled as he noticed the look of utter confusion. He had been right.

 

“Well, it certainly is a nice surprise to meet another empath. Were you born with the gift, Hisoka?”

 

Trowa and Duo caught on quickly after than, but Tsuzuki seemed a bit confused and poor Hisoka looked utterly astonished.

 

“You- you're an empath?” Hisoka stuttered a bit, but at hearing there was another like him he had removed his hand from Tsuzuki's shirt and took a step forward. Quatre's smiled widened a bit at the young blonde's curiosity and he nodded.

 

“Yes, I am. Sorry if my emotional openness made you uncomfortable, it's just that I'm not used to being around other empaths. You're the first I've met, really.”

 

Hisoka had now thrown his earlier caution to the wind and stepped right up to Quatre. Tsuzuki smiled, his worry over his partner now gone. Duo smiled a bit as well, not surprised that Quatre was able to figure out what was going on and what to do about it. He was the group's best strategist after all. Duo shooed them all over to the living room to sit before they continued their discovery and he went off to make a pot of tea.

 

The two blondes spoke about their surprise and excitement at finding another like them before their conversation took a more serious turn. The two guests arrival was discussed and Quatre let out a gasp as they spoke of their job title and what it entailed. He couldn't help but look to Duo, who he had always known as `Shinigami,' only to find out that the entity was real, and Duo wasn't it.

 

After that their conversation moved to the storm and the chaos at the Preventer's office, as well as Muraki. At the end of their chat Quatre and Trowa were both shocked and empowered to help, though Trowa didn't show it outwardly his intent glittered in his eyes.

 

“Then we're going to help.” It had been the first thing Trowa had spoken through the whole encounter, and the Shinigami learned quickly that he only spoke when his words were important and needed. “We know this place just as well as the others, and with Quatre's influence we could get further than the Preventers. They're rather pre-occupied anyway.”

 

Tsuzuki chose then to speak up. “We're helping you. You may know this place, this… world better than we do, but we know Muraki better than you. We know his tricks and his little quirks, and we know what he wants.”

 

“What he wants? So he does have a more specific goal than causing mayhem. What is it he wants?” Quatre asked, intrigued to know the answer.

 

“He wants Tsuzuki.” Quatre gasped lightly, eyes filled with worry flicking over to the man who looked remarkably like Duo. “He's always wanted Tsuzuki as far was we can tell, but it seemed Muraki was willing to toy with Duo until he got his real prize.”

 

“We'll make sure he doesn't get either prize.” Trowa's voice was tight; angry at finding this man had messed with one of his friends.

 

~*~*~

 

Any and all other officers roaming the halls of the Preventers' Headquarters were avidly avoiding Heero, cherishing their lives far greater than asking for files or his opinion. Instead, the officers were going to Sally. They knew better than do ask Wufei and it seemed he was in just as fowl a mood as the Perfect Soldier, though not quite as deadly.

 

Lady Une was tired of her officers pussy-footing around the two ex-pilots, so she decided to give them something else to do. Even though they had to deal with the shortage of officers because of the small disaster yesterday, as well as Muraki's missing body, there were still other cases that needed to be addressed, so she had called the two into her office.

 

Once they entered she motioned for them to sit. “Agent Yuy, Agent Chang. I know the two of you are pre-occupied with yesterday's events, especially since Muraki saved Duo's life-“ she didn't quite notice the look of disgust and fury that flashed through Heero's eyes, nor the snort issued from Wufei. “- But you still have a case to tend to. Our intelligence has picked up some information about possible hideouts for both the drug and gun smugglers as well as the human traffickers. You are to go out into the field and check them out. Report back to me by this evening if you can.”

 

“What about our partners, Commander Une?” Wufei knew that Sally hated having cases taken away from her, since that usually meant paperwork was in order.

 

“I am assigning Duo and Sally to check up on the disappearance of Muraki's body. Sally was briefed a few moments ago and is on her way to get Duo now.”

 

Heero growled to himself, hating that she had made that decision without speaking to him or Wufei first, but he could tell she was daring him to comment. He wouldn't, and she knew it. He had to be able to do his job without his partner in toe, especially since they were lovers. He couldn't let that distract him, and neither could Wufei. They left as soon as they were dismissed.

 

~*~*~

 

Watari groaned a bit as he sat up, blinking the fog from his eyes as he looked around. He was sitting in a lab, but it was obviously not the same one they had started in. He heard an angry grumble off to his right and saw Tatsumi coming to as well.

 

“Where the hell are we?”

 

“I don't know. It's another lab of some sort, but not the same one.” Watari pushed himself up, standing with a little bit of difficulty. He was sore from hitting the ground, and he saw Tatsumi was in the same boat. They looked around a bit before Watari's eyes landed on the machine on the table in front of them. It looked rather similar to the one at the other lab, only…

 

“This one is a real black hole!”

 

“What are you yelling about, Watari?”

 

“This machine is similar to the one that got us here, but the one Muraki made used spiritual energy while this one is a real black hole! He must have tapped into it and made the other machine to transport him to this one.”

 

“So, do you think Tsuzuki and Hisoka came out here? Where ever here is…”

 

“I don't know. I had been tampering with the idea, even tried to make one myself, so I have an idea of how they work, but Tsuzuki is clueless about most things.”

 

“So you're saying it's probable they ended up somewhere else?”

 

“I'm pretty positive they ended up somewhere else, the only question is: Where did they end up?”

 

~*~*~

 

Muraki was there when Sally pulled up outside the building Duo and Heero lived in. He had been busy setting Heero and Wufei up on a wild goose chase, sending them to all of the old hideouts his part time associates had used. Though, they were correct when they figured their two individual cases were linked somehow.

 

He watched as Duo came of out the building, Sally never left her car, so she must have called him on her cell phone. He had been keeping an eye on the Preventers ever since he weaseled his way onto the list of employees and he had been watching Duo and Heero as well. He knew that when the office called it would be Heero going in and Duo staying home, and he knew one would stay home to protect Tsuzuki and Hisoka. He knew Heero would be in a fowl mood and that would land him and Wufei and assignment, one he tipped the Preventers off to. He also knew that Sally would want a case now that she wasn't working with Wufei. That left her and Duo to look for him.

 

Muraki had a hand in where Duo and Sally would be snooping around as well. Instead of leaving without a trace, as he was known to do, he took the coroner's van, making sure a few people saw it leave, and saw it driving around the streets. Now he was going to follow his prey around and wait for his moment.

 

He spared no concern for Tsuzuki and Hisoka. He had seen the other two show up, Quatre and Trowa, if he remembered their names correctly. He was sure he had, but their names were of no consequence. He knew that the four of them wouldn't be able to get very far, not with how well he had ingrained himself in this world already. There were quite a few businessmen on Quatre's level that were quite loyal to him now, and he found he like playing in this world, so he was sure to keep it that way.

 

He followed Sally's car, they were headed off to see the first person that said they saw the van. He knew the others would fall prey to his schemes, but Duo had proven to be less predictable than he thought in the past, so it was better to keep an eye on his pet.

 

~*~*~

 

Duo was tired of listening to these eyewitnesses. No one pays attention to a coroner's van because no one wants to. The best they have is quick glances in vague directions and each and every one of them had some theory as to where it was going and what for. Sally was just as fed up and ready and willing to go back to the headquarters and catch up with everyone else.

 

“Lets get the hell out of here. We'll see what Heero and Wufei picked up on our other case.”

 

Duo was deep in thought as the thought back through everything that had happened. He had a huge feeling that the four left at the apartment wouldn't be able to find anything, and if he was a betting man, he'd bet Heero and Wufei had come up empty as well. Muraki was running the show now. He knew Tsuzuki and Hisoka were there, and he was trying to split everyone up.

 

“Duo! You all right there? You're zoning out.”

 

“Something isn't right, Sally. He's baiting us, mocking us, splitting us up and watching us get frustrated, confused.”

 

“He? You mean Muraki? Isn't he dead?”

 

“No, he's not. That's why we want to find him so bad. Sally, you used to work in medical and I know Une still asks you to look over the applications. Do you remember where Muraki said he worked before?”

 

Sally was a little flustered. She had seen Muraki's body, and even if he had survived he wouldn't be a threat anytime soon, right? Duo was swiftly falling into his old soldier habits, and had that gleam in his eye. She thought hard back to when Muraki was hired and thanked the gods for her memory.

 

“Yes, I do remember. He said he worked for a college just two miles away, but we weren't able to confirm it to the extent we liked because the college had shut down and the former employees had moved away.”

 

“Do you know which college?”

 

“Of course, I can get us there in 10 minutes from here.”

 

~*~*~

 

Tatsumi and Watari had taken to looking through the files in the old lab just as they'd done earlier. They were hoping to find any files that would let them know what Muraki was up to before they went out to wander when they didn't know where they were. Tatsumi was flipping through personnel files that had `Preventers Agent Files: Confidential' printed across the front. He read through the names allowed, to catch Watari's attention, and looked through the ID photo.

 

“Agent Chang Wufei… Agent Sally Po… Agent Heero Yuy… Agent Duo Maxwell-“ He paused, eyes fixed on the photo before him. This agent looked like he could be Tsuzuki's twin brother. He had a warm, caring face, chestnut hair, and vibrant violets eyes. The eyes were what had him so shocked. They were so expressive, even in a lifeless picture. He heard a gasp from over his shoulder as Watari wandered over to see what had caused Tatsumi to stop speaking.

 

“He looks just like Tsuzuki. There is no way that's a coincidence. This is Muraki's lab, and he obviously tailing these `agents.' What links them together?”

 

Tatsumi had begun flipping through the files again and skimming. “It seems that Agents Wufei, Heero, and Duo were `Gundam Pilots,' whatever that means. All four agents have remarkable marks in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and even explosives, though they all have their own specialty. Agent Sally was an officer in Oz, a past military organization. Who the hell are these people?”

 

“From the information in the other files, they're all ex-soldiers and current Preventers. Preventers are a government-funded organization with the task of quelling rebellions and making sure the peace they fought for lasts.”

 

“What would Muraki want with people like this? Other than Agent Duo looking so much like Tsuzuki?”

 

“Well, the Gundam Pilots were mentioned, and it seems to me like there were only five in all, and they're the cream of the crop when it comes to combat and related situations. They were originally labeled a terrorist group fighting against Oz until the people realized they were fighting for a good cause and backed them up.”

 

“So they're freedom fighters?”

 

“Pretty much, but more like Protectors of the People. I'm sure it's their will and passion to protect that has him all giddy. A chance to break someone like Duo.”

 

Tatsumi sighed, turning to answer when they heard a loud bang in the outside hallway. They both took their spirit forms, but ducked back into the shadows for safe measure, Tatsumi making sure the shadows kept them well hidden.

 

Suddenly the door to the lab was kicked open and two people entered, guns drawn. One was definitely female and the other was a male, but with a long braid hanging down his back. They were covering each other as they made their rounds around the room. Watari got a good look at the braided one and gasped, catching Tatsumi's attention. He had noticed, too, and had gotten a good look at the female. It was Agents Duo Maxwell and Sally Po.

 

Duo heard the slight intake of breath and instantly whipped around to the shadowed corners at the back of the lab. His eyes refocused instantly and two forms appeared against the far wall. Sally had been inspecting the open files on the tables and was startled at Duo's shout, whipping around.

 

“Freeze! Preventers, don't move!”

 

Watari and Tatsumi were both startled, and froze instantly, but were still confused. Had he really been yelling at them? Had he really seen them? At their confusion Duo continued.

 

“That's right, you two! Puts your hands up and step forward slowly!”

 

Since their spirit forms were useless now they shed them for their solid forms and stepped forward out of the shadows, hands raised. Sally's eyes widened, she hadn't be able to see anything and was surprised Duo had seen anything at all, let alone the two men now standing in front of them.

 

“I want your names and what the hell your doing here, now.” Duo was remaining forceful, in control.

 

“I am Tatsumi Seichirou and this is Watari Yutaka. We honestly don't know how we got here.”

 

“Are you telling me you just fell from the sky?” Was Sally's response, and Watari answered her.

 

“Well… in a sense, yes.”

 

Duo caught up and his eyes widened as he lowered his gun a few inches. “You wouldn't happen to know what a Shinigami is would you?”

 

The two blinked, but Watari, in his excitement spoke up. “Yes! In fact we do! We're both Shinigami as are two of our friends. We came looking for them and ended up here. Their names are Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka.”

 

Duo lowered his gun the rest of way, flicking the safety back on and slipping the gun back into his shoulder holster. He motioned for Sally to do the same before he addressed the two.

 

“I think I can help you with that. Tsuzuki and Hisoka happen to be houseguests of mine. You wouldn't happen to know anything about a Muraki Kazutaka would you?”