Author: Ashkara
Warnings: AU, mythology-laden, definite shounen-ai, probable yaoi, angst, humour...
Rating: PG-13 for now for some swearing. Rating will change later, probably, not sure yet.
Pairings: 3+4 already, eventual 1x2, not sure for Fei-baby yet!
Archives: At The Vault and at Death and the Dragon if Mel and Christy want it. Anywhere else, please ask first!
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Sunrise, Bandai, and a number of other rich people. I am not on that list. I am merely borrowing said characters for my own amusement. No money made, none expected.
Notes: Lots of mythology stuff in here that will eventually be explained. Special thanks to Karen, Sunhawk, Christy and Lindsey for their encouragement!
Note to artists - there will be lots of boys with sexy tattoos in this story. Anyone who'd like to draw them... I'll be eternally grateful. Alas, I suck at artwork!
Step Inside the Circle Part 1
The Sun was just sinking below the horizon as a young man stepped out of the Eagle's Nest pub into the chill of an autumn evening. He squinted at the horizon - he loved this time of day, watching the mist rolling in, painted ghostly hues by the dying light. He pulled his collar closer around his throat as the breeze picked up, carrying the flavour of the sea on its breath.
It was time to get home and just... recover from a day that had been much harder than he would have liked. Between surly customers and a cook grieving over the death of his faithful hound dog, not to mention the creepy guy from out-of-town who insisted on getting his attention by yanking on his long braid of hair, it was a day that Declan Sean Maxwell - known to his friends as Duo - would have gladly slept through.
Duo honestly loved his life. He had a modest house of his own, a fun job at the pub, a few close friends, and lived in what he privately considered to be one of the loveliest spots in all Creation. It was just a small village - the kind of place that most people would never hear about nor appreciate - but it was his home.
And that, he mused, was a damned lucky thing. Orphans such as himself couldn't count on any of that, couldn't take it for granted like so many others could.
Pulling on his cap, he whistled as he walked down the lane. The town was literally only about four street lengths long; there was enough space for a church, a bakery, a school, a grocery, a small police station and post office, and of course, a pub, and not much else. The only doctor in town did a smashing business from the comfort of his home, about a fifteen minute walk out along to the north sea coast road. If you went east to the coastline and south along the shore instead, you came to a small fishing station that was probably the only reason a village existed at this particular location. It was an ideal staging ground for the various Atlantic fishboats, often gone for weeks at a time on their solitary runs. There was a lighthouse and a small radar station nearby.
And that was it. Apart from that, it was farms and groves of trees for as far as the eye could see, and a rocky drop into the cold, churning waters of the North Atlantic.
Duo loved it dearly.
His own small home was tucked in a stand of tall trees just around the next corner, at the end of a small lane lined with fir trees. He shivered - it was colder than normal this night, far cooler than it should have been in mid-October. And was it just his imagination, or was the wind howling louder than usual? Duo shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and ducked his chin, trying to avoid the bite of the wind.
But as he turned the corner, he felt the blood run from his face.
There was a man in the road.
"Mother of God!" He ran up to the stranger and sucked in his breath. Whoever it was had been stabbed, or so it seemed, blood trickling slowly from a large wound in his thigh and staining his trousers. Duo knelt down and pressed his hand to the man's throat - he was at least still alive. Thank goodness! Grunting with the effort, he managed to lift the stranger over his shoulder and carry him the short but daunting distance to his house.
He was panting for air by the time he reached the door and fumbled with his keys. "Just stay with me, mister. You'll be fine in a moment. I hope, at least..." He finally got the door opened and stumbled in, cursing under his breath as his dog, Kahn, got in the way almost immediately, wagging his tail at top speed and barking. "Get away, mutt," he growled at the beast, going straight to the living room and depositing his passenger on the couch.
Turning on the lights, he finally got a good look at the person he'd found. It was a young man, no older than his own 25 years, with light brown hair than fell long over his face in front, though it was cut short in the back. He was wearing a coat of dark leather that seemed to have many pockets, a green turtleneck, cargo pants and a sturdy set of well-worn boots. Duo sat back on his heels. Who was this stranger, and how did he manage to get here if he'd been stabbed?
And in more than one place, too. As he pushed back the long coat, he found other wounds, though none as large. He sucked in a breath and tried to peel the young man's coat off his shoulders.
Strong hands like steel caught him by the shoulders, and Duo looked up in shock. The young man was awake and staring at him, dark green eyes wide and wild in a pale face. "Where... what... great Mother..."
"Steady there," Duo warned gently. "I found you in my entrance lane - you've been badly injured."
The man settled back and shut his eyes, simply breathing for a long moment until he got his racing heart to calm down.
"I'm fine, thanks," the stranger replied, groaning as he attempted to sit up, but Duo pressed him back onto the couch.
"Fine? That's one thing you're not, buddy," he argued. "I'm calling the doctor, and he'll..."
"No!" The green-eyed man knocked Duo's hands away and sat up completely, grimacing at the pressure on his wounds. "You can't... he cannot see..." He clutched at his side and pitched over again, groaning.
Duo was immediately there, settling the young man back on the sofa, and sitting on the floor with a puzzled look on his face. He absently patted Kahn as the dog skulked closer and put two paws up on the furniture to get a look at the newcomer. Whining softly, Kahn licked at the stranger's hand, and got a pat on the head in return.
Duo was surprised - the dog was normally very mistrustful of anyone he didn't know. He raised an eyebrow as he looked back over at the stranger's white face. "Would you mind explaining why I can't call the doctor? You need help from someone, and I don't know how to do much."
The green eyes opened again. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I can't see him. I have to go."
"So you just nip into town and bleed everywhere, then leave again?" Duo asked, incredulous. "Maybe I should be calling the cops, instead..."
"Please, don't," the green eyed stranger said weakly. "I don't want any trouble."
"That's good to know, at least," Duo replied. He regarded his visitor for a long moment before he rose to his feet. "Well, if you won't let me call a doctor, take off that coat and make yourself comfortable. I'll grab something to clean your wounds. Can't let you lie there, bleeding, now can I?"
The man nodded, green eyes glittering with relief as they stared up at him, and something else that Duo couldn't quite place. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. My name's Duo, by the by."
The green eyed man smiled fully for this first time. "Is it, now? My name is Trowa. Pleasure to meet you."
~*~
"Your hair."
Duo stopped short as he walked back into his living room. Trowa was reclining on his beat-up brown sofa and staring at him, wide eyed.
Duo grinned in reply. "Yup - you're going to ask why I let it grow so long, I bet, everyone does. Don't really know. Just seemed right, if you can believe that." He watched as the other man tore his eyes away and peeled off his long coat, setting it aside carefully. "You'd best take off the rest, as well. I saw the wound on your leg already."
Trowa seemed abnormally shy about baring his flesh, but he complied, slowly, wincing as he pulled fabric away from still open wounds.
It was now Duo's turn to gape. He'd never seen tattoos like those sported by his mysterious guest, all of them done with deep blue ink that seemed strangely... alive. Duo felt a jolt run through his mind at that - ink wasn't alive, he knew that, but *this* ink...
He stepped forward, openly examining the intricate artwork on Trowa's body, lips pursed. He had intricate Celtic knotwork around both biceps and, extending down his spine from his hairline, a curling set of vines that, Duo swore, would have drawn blood had he touched the spines. Two serpents curled around each of his wrists, and a stylised star was inked into his chest, just where his heart would be. Duo gulped for a moment before he found his voice. "Wow - whoever did all that is quite an artist."
A pleasant smile touched Trowa's lips. "He is."
Duo abruptly realised he was staring and, pinking in the cheeks, tore his gaze away. "This is going to sting a little," he warned, moving closer with a basin of warm water, some cloths, and a bottle of antiseptic in his hands.
Trowa shrugged. "I'm sorry to bother you."
"Nah - don't worry," Duo said, frowning as he got a better look at the other man's injuries. Whoever he was, Duo certainly couldn't allow him to leave in his current state. And he certainly seemed nice enough...
For some reason, Duo was drawn to him, and it bothered him not to know why. Solution? Keep him around. Yeah, so simple...
Duo cringed as he began cleaning the wounds and the other man hissed in pain. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Trowa's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be trying to regulate his breathing, trying not to flinch...
"What the hell happened to you, anyway?" Duo asked, trying to calm his nerves.
Trowa snorted. "You'd never believe it, so I probably shouldn't even bother."
"Try me."
Trowa grimaced and opened his eyes again, looking down at his leg, where Duo was carefully wiping the blood away. "I'm... there are some guys out there who have it out for my friends and me. I got caught out alone. My mistake."
Duo sat back on his heels, looking at the other seriously. "If someone did this to you, you should tell the police. They can help you..."
"They can't," Trowa interrupted gently. "They'd just get hurt, as well. Please - don't make me explain it all right now." Trowa shut his eyes again and let his head fall back against the sofa's arm, hoping the other man would back off, hoping he wouldn't notice...
Duo stared at him, though, perplexed. He finally put down the bloody washcloth and sighed heavily. "Look, you're in some kind of trouble and I'd like to help, but you're not giving me anything to work with." He picked up the antiseptic and carefully poured some onto a clean cloth before he began dabbing at the leg wound. "I don't know a thing about you..."
"But you still helped me," Trowa said softly, his eyes opening once again, and this time seeming to glow, so that Duo's gaze was caught in their green depths. "You allowed me into your home - you gave me safety. You're helping more than you could know." Trowa glanced down to the mess on his leg and, eyes widening, caught Duo's wrist in his hand. "Please - just let it be."
"I can't do that! It's gonna get infected unless I..." Duo's voice trailed off as he looked down. He gaped. He knew the wound on Trowa's thigh had been messy and deep only a moment before... "What the... Jesus, I'm seeing things..."
"No, Duo, you're not," Trowa said gently, his brow furrowing with a frown. "But I've never healed this quickly before..."
"What the hell?!"
Trowa's strong grip caught Duo by the shoulders once again as he tried to stand, and he found that he was forced to look into those deep green eyes. There was something so soothing about them...
Trowa's voice had a gentle lilt to it. "Don't be afraid, please. I didn't mean to bother you." His hands slid down Duo's shoulder to a gentler grip on his upper arms. "You're thinking this isn't normal or natural, right? It actually is, though you won't believe that."
"Bet your ass I won't!" Duo said, pulling away and scrambling to his feet. He backed away quickly, his brain cataloguing all objects in the room and coming up with nothing he could use to defend himself. "Who the hell are you?!"
"I told you - my name is Trowa." The green-eyed stranger slowly pulled his pants back up, covering his now-healed leg, and reached for his turtleneck. He paused, though, before he could pull it on, stiffening as he seemed to listen. Then he cringed. "Hn. Look, a friend of mine is coming. Please don't be alarmed..."
"What do you mean, don't be alar..."
Duo was cut off by a low-keening wail that floated in on the wind, and his eyes widened in horror. An Irish boy like him knew precisely what that sound had to be! "That's... that's the frickin' Banshee, isn't it?!"
"It's a Banshee, yes," Trowa said calmly approaching his pale, frightened host as he would a wild animal. "It's nothing to worry about, I assure you..."
"Jesus... am I dead? Are you..." Duo's head spun, and he found he couldn't fight it as Trowa caught him when his knees gave out. The green-eyed man supported him until he was back on his own feet again.
The taller man gave him a worried look. "Are you okay?"
The screeching sound ended abruptly, and Duo started. "Is? Did... Wha - what's going on?"
There was a knock at the door.
Duo knew he had to be dreaming now. The Banshee didn't knock and ask politely to be let in - it just came and took your soul...
Trowa gave him a light shake. "You have to let him in, Duo. This is your house, and he can't just enter..."
"Why not? I know the legend - I am Irish, you know."
"This is... special, Duo," Trowa said, his eyes once again intensely burning. Duo froze as he felt the other man trailing a hand down his braid, something tingling at his awareness.
He couldn't explain it. It seemed utterly ridiculous, and yet...
Duo gave the taller man a nod, walked to the door, and opened it.
~*~
If he had thought Trowa was odd, he was nothing compared to the figure standing on Duo's doorstep!
One expected a few things about the creature known as the Banshee. It would be a hooded figure, menacing and deadly, a gnatty old hag with wild, bloodshot eyes and scaly hands, calling to the dead...
The Banshee wasn't supposed to be a slender, blond young man with bright blue eyes and a gentle smile. No - definitely not!
The... whatever he was... smiled at Duo warmly. "Good evening, my lord. Is Trowa here? Sorry to drop in on you."
Duo simply stared. Now that he was looking closely, he could see some tattoo work similar to Trowa's on the blond's forehead, though it was mostly hidden under his hair. Any other tattoos were hidden under the guy's long, dark cloak; Duo had a hunch there would be a few.
Duo gulped for air. "Are you The Banshee?"
The blond laughed. "I'm just a banshee, but yes. One spirit guide, at your service." He gave Duo a small bow. "May I come in?"
"Yeah, sure..." Duo stepped back, and the Banshee seemed to fly inside, running to the taller man's side.
The blond immediately tore at Trowa's turtleneck. "You were hurt - I know you were hurt..."
"Hush, it's okay," the taller of the two soothed gently, catching the Banshee's hands and lowering them to leave his clothing in peace. "I'm just fine, I promise."
The Banshee stared, disbelief plain to see in his eyes. "But that's... you can't have..."
Duo closed the door heavily, and both turned to look at him. The Banshee's jaw dropped open as he stared, but his cheeks were bright with excitement as he turned back to Trowa. "His hair! Trowa, did you see? He must be for real..."
"Hush!" Trowa warned, but it was too late.
Duo stalked closer, blue eyes glinting fire as he marched right up to the two. "Okay, I think I've been more than accommodating so far. Who the fuck are you guys, and what's the deal with my freakin' hair?!"
Trowa held up his hands. "Duo, I understand you're a bit... well, a bit freaked out, but we can explain..."
"Ummm... Duo?" Both Trowa and Duo turned to look down (in Duo's case, only ever so slightly) at the Banshee. The blond gave them a timid smile. "Forgive me for coming into your home and not introducing myself. I am Quatre. Your Lordship does me a great honour in letting me in."
"That's another thing!" Duo exclaimed, unnerved by the almost-poetically polite way the blond - Quatre - had spoken to him. "You're a... shoot, I don't know what you are! Am I going to die?! Is that why you're here? And I'm no one's Lord. This is America, you know."
Quatre looked adorably confused for a short moment, before a look of dismay covered his features, and he turned to the tallest of the three. "Trowa... he doesn't know, does he? He really doesn't know..."
"No, I don't, and if someone doesn't start explaining things quickly..."
Trowa once again held up his hands for quiet, and Duo was drawn yet again into the depths of his eyes. "We will explain everything, Duo. Why don't we all get comfortable first, though, okay? Maybe a cup of tea?"
"Yeah, sure..."
It was several minutes before Duo realised he was in the kitchen, waiting for water to boil. He could hear the other two conversing in low tones in his living room.
Drawing a deep breath, he buried his face in his hands, trying not to shiver.
What the hell was going on and, perhaps more importantly, what did he get himself into when he let the two strangers into his house?
~*~
If it weren't for the fact that the two sitting across from him were clearly... not normal people, this might have been a cheerful little tea party. As it was, Duo sipped at his mug, but tasted nothing, staring blankly at the wall behind his two visitors.
Taking a deep breath, he set his mug down and looked at the other two. They were both watching him with open curiosity, and Duo felt himself growing angry again at the very thought. "Okay... so... what the hell is all this?"
Quatre cleared his throat. "Well, you know what I am already. I am a Banshee, a spirit guide of sorts. There are many of us, you see..."
"I thought the Banshee was a keening creature that took the souls of the damned to hell," Duo countered.
The blond young man shook his head. "No - that's only part of the job description. And we don't always keen like that, just on special occasions. In fact, most people will never know they met one of us. When humans need it, we just... give them a nudge in the right direction, for the most part. The wailing... well, it goes with the dark capes and conjured mists. All tools to scare the wicked and, should one of them die, drag them to the Underworld where they belong. Most of us find the theatrics a bit draining, to be honest."
Duo glared. "Then what was that bloody ruckus outside my door?!"
Quatre had the grace to blush. "Well, I... I was a bit worried, my Lord. We only knew that Trowa was in a battle and injured, and he is my friend..."
"So what are you?" Duo asked, turning his attention to the green-eyed man, who had been silent all the while. "Are you another... another Banshee? And who is 'we'..."
Trowa blinked. "Me?! No - I'm not what you would call a people person." He smirked darkly. "I'm... something of an entertainer, nothing more."
"Why don't you just tell him!" Quatre complained.
"Quatre, you know the rules..."
Duo gave up on patience. "Okay, just... hold on a moment!"
The two quit their arguing and turned to look at him.
Duo continued, "I don't care about your stupid rules, buddy. I saved your life, and I'm really damn confused. I want an explanation, and no more bullshit!"
Trowa looked away, his features drawn and grim, but nodded his head. "If that is your wish, I cannot disobey." He sighed heavily before turning back and looking Duo deep in the eyes again. "I told you my name is Trowa - that is true. It is my birth name. My given name, though, is Gwydion. I am the High Druid of the Mother Goddess."
Duo blinked, then blinked again. "Okay... this is some kind of very sick, stupid joke, and I am calling the cops..."
"NO!" The word crackled on the air, and Duo yelped as he was thrown off his feet onto the sofa, just as every light bulb in the room burst and plunged them into darkness.
The long-haired young man scrambled away from his visitors. "What the hell!?"
"Gwydion! Contain yourself!" Quatre snapped angrily, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
But Trowa moved forward, leaning over Duo where he sat. He pushed back his sleeves.
Duo stared in surprise, but not in shock - the tattooed snakes were slithering around the self-proclaimed Druid's wrists, somehow clearly visible in the darkness of the room, stopping every now and then to look at him and nod their little heads with what looked like respect.
He looked back up, and his stare immediately connected with Trowa's bottomless green eyes. "Yes, they live. But you already knew that, didn't you? You expected it."
Duo gulped, but could not force himself to look away. "That's... that's impossible."
"No, it isn't," Trowa said, restoring some semblance of space between them. "I am what I claim to be, my Lord, and you know I'm telling the truth."
Duo crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop calling me that!"
"Why?" Quatre asked. "It's true, even if you didn't know it before. Duo..."
"Stop it!" the other yelled, tossing his hands up in frustration. "All I know is that a guy was passed out in my lane and bleeding to death when I got home. I try to help him out, he heals like a friggin' vampire, then some blond guy calling himself a banshee turns up! In the meantime, the other guy has living serpents tattooed on his arms and makes my lights explode... This is fucking insane!"
He never saw Quatre move, but the blond was suddenly at his side, giving him a sad little smile as he reached out-
Quatre's cold hand touched his face.
Duo went stiff and his eyes fluttered shut as something seemed to rise up to engulf him.
He collapsed back onto the cushions and knew no more.
~*~
"... 'ow better than to force one of the first-born to a true sight! What kind of Bean Sidhe are you?!"
"Gwydion, please! It was the only way to make him see, and we have precious little time since your little temper tantrum, earlier. I did what I had to."
Duo forced himself to take a deep breath. The other two were standing over him, arguing, and it wasn't helping his headache. He'd seen...
He wasn't really sure what he'd seen, if he were being perfectly honest. But he knew the two were telling the truth, and he knew...
He reached up and touched his face, then opened his eyes and sat straight up. Someone had lit a fire in his fireplace, and shadows were dancing around the room in its light, adding a warm glow to his pale blue walls. "I need a mirror."
"Of course, my Lord." Quatre was immediately at his side, helping him to his feet and over towards the front entranceway, where he'd set a small mirror-
He gasped as he saw his own face. It was exactly as he'd seen it when the Banshee touched him - a thin blue band of intricate Celtic knotwork across his forehead under his bangs, and a large symbol tattooed under his right eye. He looked down at his hands - blue flames seemed to dance from his wrists down onto his hands, just licking at his fingers. He knew without looking that the flames extended up his arms in stylistic twirls to just past his elbows, just as he was aware of something else, right in the middle of his lower back. "Holy shit."
Quatre looked him in the eye in the mirror. "I'm sorry, my lord. I did not mean to force you to something you weren't ready for..."
"No, don't apologise," Duo said, though his voice shook. "And don't call me that. I'm not..."
"Yes, you are," Trowa's deeper voice remarked from over his left shoulder. Duo looked up to find the tall man was staring at the flames dancing on his exposed wrists. "You may not like it, but you are Tuatha de Danaan."
"I'm what?" Duo sputtered.
"You're..."
A shrill shriek pierced the air, and all three shuddered as the very rafters of Duo's house seemed to tremble in its wake. The long-haired man looked around wildly. "What was that? Please tell me you know what that one is, too..." The fire flickered as wind howled around the chimney.
Trowa's frown darkened as his eyes narrowed and he ran back to the sofa, hauling on his long coat as he moved. "Do you have any friends?"
"Yes..."
The Druid didn't leave him any time to continue. "Then let's go visit them. Now. It isn't safe here."
Duo's eyes went wide. "But you two had to ask permission to come inside..."
Quatre snorted. "Yeah, well not everyone appreciates the rights of custom as much as they should. Our enemies will be here soon, and though they'll hesitate to just come right in, they won't stay out for long. Let's go."
"This is my home!" Duo thundered, the flames on his wrists jumping as he spoke.
"Not anymore, it isn't," Trowa said softly. "The Formorii will kill anyone they find here when they arrive. Come with us - we will protect you, I swear it!"
In the end, Duo had no choice. Grabbing a coat of his own and his keys and whistling for the dog, he followed the other two out into a night that was no longer beautiful.
TBC...
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