Author: Merula
Pairings: 1x2
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Yaoi, Vampire, were, Duo POV.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine.
Fangs & Fur Sidefic 5
"I am really sorry about this," I said again and Heero just shook his head at me.
"I told you there was no reason for us to stick around anymore. The wards are in place, my home is secure, and the message was urgent, wasn't it?"
"Very," I sighed and leaned back against the seat. "Dorothy wouldn't send me a message like that unless it was really important."
Heero's smile widened. "It was a pretty unusual way to deliver a message. I take it your friend is a sorcerer of some kind?"
"Not used to having fire demons pop up on your doorstep, hm?" Not that I was either, but Heero's expression had been priceless.
"Can't say that I am, but then knowing you has expanded my horizons quite a bit."
"Likewise," I muttered and Heero's smile vanished.
"Narrowed rather," he countered and looked at his feet.
Damn it. Ever since the full moon, the bastard had been like this. I didn't know what was wrong with him- but he'd go off in these little fits of- depression? Moroseness? Something I couldn't identify, but I didn't like. After three days of it I was ready to do anything to snap him out of it.
Even worse- he'd stopped feeding off of me. Not one bite, not one sip. Bad enough that it wouldn't do much for his strength, but the lack was beginning to make me itch. Bastard knew I craved the feeding, and he hadn't even touched me. I was ready to fasten my own teeth in his throat if he kept me waiting much longer.
"Anyway, we need to be ready for trouble. She said two of her girls have disappeared without a trace."
"Daughters?" Heero looked back at me, curiosity stirred.
"No, they work for her. Dorothy runs a... house of negotiable affection."
His eyes widened. "A whorehouse?"
"That's not what she calls it- and it's always better to go with her definitions."
"The client is always right." Heero's lips curved up slightly as the train began to slow. "Isn't this the town with the guardian in it too? The one with the dragon?"
"Yes," I moved the shade a little and glanced out the window. The sun was just vanishing over the horizon. "Which is good, because I need to stock up on some supplies. Let's hope the dragon is still hibernating."
~*~
The dragon was still in the front of Chang's store. For years I had thought the damn thing was just a statue. Now that I knew better, I didn't like turning my back on it.
Chang laughed as I edged by it. "He's sleeping Maxwell, don't look so nervous. He doesn't like to eat dogs anyway."
"Wolf," I muttered and he laughed again.
"Same difference. Still hanging out with the undead I see." He nodded at Heero, who was standing way too close to the dragon for my comfort. "Lucky for you I have a special on religious items this week."
"Shove it. I just need the usual."
"Always better to be prepared."
"Chang-"
"Fine. Fine." Chang turned to rummage through his shelves and I leaned on the counter.
"Do you know anything about Dorothy's missing girls?"
"Only that they're missing." Chang slanted a look at me over his shoulder. "She call you in to help?"
"Of course- though I don't know what I could do that she can't."
"Yes you do. You know very well that her power has limitations- and that a knowledgeable person can use those against her. Didn't you once upon a time?"
Heero's head snapped up and he gave me a questioning look.
I waved my hand in the air. "That was a long time ago. I got lucky."
"I wouldn't call it luck." Chang piled the items on the counter. "Anything else?"
"Nah, that should do it for now." He packaged my purchases and I paid him. "If you hear anything, let me know."
"Staying at the hotel or at Miss Dorothy's?"
"Hotel. Less noisy. Have you ever tried to get any sleep at Miss Dorothy's? It's near impossible."
Chang rolled his eyes. "I can assure you that I never got any sleep there- but then, I've never gone there to sleep."
"I'm sure you haven't." I rolled my eyes back at him. "Can you have these delivered to the hotel? We're already registered."
"Of course."
~*~
Miss Dorothy's house was lit up like a Christmas tree. Heero followed me up the steps.
"She has a lot of business. Aren't there other, um, houses?"
"Not like Dorothy's. You'll see." The front door was opened by a sweet looking thing, who blinked her big green eyes at me when I asked to see Miss Dorothy.
"She's usually busy at this time, but I'll go check. Make yourselves at home in the parlor."
Quite a few gentlemen were already making themselves at home there, with a few of Dorothy's 'ladies' helping them out. I knew this was the place where the deal was made, but it surprised me to hear Heero's indrawn breath.
"Never been in a place like this?" I asked and his hand tightened on my arm.
"Duo! They aren't women!" He hissed in my ear. "They're-"
"I know! Shh!" I hissed back as a dark-haired beauty approached us.
"Mr. Duo! How nice to see you again! Miss Dorothy said you'd be visiting!"
"Good to see you too Miss Hilde. You know why she called me?"
"Of course." Hilde dropped her voice. "Because of Maeve and Lila. The sheriff claims they just ran off, but-"
"You ladies don't run off. I know."
"Exactly." Hilde frowned.
"Miss Dorothy will see you now," the green-eyed lady from the front door reappeared behind us. "If you will follow me?"
Heero stuck close beside me as we left the parlor and went into a small office off the hallway.
"Duo-" Dorothy smiled warmly from her seat behind her desk. "I'm so glad you came! I don't know what to do."
I kissed the back of her offered hand. "Always glad to help a friend. This is my partner, Heero Yuy."
"Charmed," Dorothy dimpled at him and offered her hand. He bent to kiss it graciously, but I saw the wary way he kept an eye on her.
"So," I said, perching in the chair in front of her desk. "What happened?"
"They vanished," Dorothy twisted a lock of her golden hair around a finger. "They went out for a walk- and to do a little shopping- and they never came back."
"Daytime?"
"Yes. They left in the early afternoon. The shopkeeper claims he never saw them, so I know they didn't make it to the store."
"Any sign of them at all?"
She shook her head. "That's just it Duo. Nothing. You know my girls- if someone tried to grab them- well... it's not the girls that wouldn't come back. I even tried re-summoning them-"
Heero tensed beside me and I patted his arm.
"Didn't work?"
"Not a bit. The other girls can't trace them either."
"This is bad."
"That's why I called you. Can you help me?"
"I'll try. What about the other girls?"
"I put protections on all of them- and they go out in groups of four or more. Nothing has happened so far."
"That's good at least." I got to my feet and bowed. "We'll let you get back to work and we'll try and see if we can find out what happened to them."
"Thank you Duo." She smiled at me. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Yuy."
Heero murmured something polite and I led him out of the room. Once we were outside he grabbed my arm again. "Duo- those aren't girls!"
"Yes they are, just not human ones." I patted him reassuringly. "Dorothy is a sorceress. When I met her, she was trying to use her powers to make some money- in some not very nice ways. Once we - well, settled our differences- I suggested that she look into other means to make some cash."
"So she summoned a bunch of succubi and opened up a whorehouse?!"
"Pretty much."
"But-"
"Heero, think about it. What does a succubus feed on? Lust, sex, all those types of things. Where would be a better place to find sources of food- and plenty of it? They don't have to drain their partners- the men get every fantasy their minds can think of fulfilled- Dorothy makes tons of money, the 'girls' can hang out in the human world- it works out good for everyone."
He blinked at me for a moment. "Ah- hadn't thought of it that way."
"It's really a good set up. Plus it keeps Dorothy out of trouble." I ducked down an alleyway, pulling him with me. "Okay, I'm going to shift to see if I can't scent what's going on around here. Can you take my clothes back to the hotel- oh- and then maybe do a flyover of the town- and draw a map if you have time? Other than Chang's and Dorothy's I don't spend much time here."
"Of course. Anything else?"
"Just leave the window open for me." I undressed quickly, handing Heero my clothes as I did so. He took them without one of his usual comments- without even a look- and I wasn't sure if I should be offended or not.
Was he tired of me already?
Bastard.
I shifted and he reached out to touch my ear. "Be careful."
It was impossible to tell him that I would be, so I just huffed at him and moved back down the alley. A rush of air passed over my fur and I knew Heero had taken to the sky. Good. Once I got back to the hotel, he'd have that map for me, and hopefully I would have some answers about the girls.
Then he and I were going to have a little talk.
~*~
It wasn't hard to catch the scent of Doro's 'girls' around town, it was just hard distinguishing which scents were all succubi and which ones were a man who had been visiting the house. The scents down to the center of town I ignored. The two missing girls supposedly hadn't gotten that far. The trails that led to other places were faint and hard to track- course Dorothy hadn't let the girls go anywhere other than in a group for several days. Unfortunately, as I knew from experience, the succubi all tended to smell similar- it would be near impossible to trace the two girls specifically.
It was getting close to dawn by the time I found something interesting. A faint trail led out to the one place I knew none of the girls would go on purpose- the church.
And the church didn't smell right.
Most churches smell- well, clean. People scrub up before they go, you know, and that clean smell tends to linger. This church didn't smell clean.
It smelled- wrong. It smelled of blood and death- and unless there had been a lot of funerals lately- it shouldn't have smelled like that at all.
Time wasn't on my side- I wanted to be back at the hotel room before dawn- in the darkness I looked like a big dog- but in the light it was all too easy for people to tell what I was.
Besides- I had a feeling going near that place without backup would be a Very Bad Idea.
Loping back to the room, I wondered how Heero's night had gone. The window was open, as I had requested, and a light was on. Heero was sitting at the small table, bent over a piece of paper, a pen in his hand. He looked up and gave me a brief smile. "Glad you made it back."
I shifted, turning to close the window and pull the drapes. Thankfully they were heavy enough that Heero wouldn't have to worry about the daylight. My clothes were draped over the corner of the bed and I picked up my shirt.
Heero wasn't looking at me- all his attention was on the paper in front of him. Granted- I had asked him to make a map for me- but his lack of attention rankled. I was used to him looking- saying something in these moments of undress- and I missed it. Which made me feel stupid, but I couldn't help it.
Besides, in this room, with his scent in the air- it made the need for his touch sharpen. He had to feed from me soon or I would go mad. Wasn't he hungry? It had been days, damn it!
Had he gotten tired of me?
One way to find out.
I slipped the shirt on, buttoning only a few buttons and padded over to join him at the table.
"Did you make the map?"
"Nearly finished," he said, his voice soft. "Did you find anything interesting?"
"Maybe." I leaned over his shoulder and focused on the map. It was hard to control myself this close to him, his scent in my nose, stirring my blood. "What about you?"
"Maybe." He tapped the map. "Notice anything interesting about this place?"
Leaning closer, I slipped my fingers inside his shirt, idly caressing his collarbone. "The church?"
He shivered, just a bit. "The church."
"It smelled wrong to me. What made it stand out to you?"
"It felt wrong." He turned his head just enough to meet my eyes. "It's hard to explain, but usually I can't get that close to a church. They feel- like sunlight. This one felt dark. It felt like I could just walk in and make myself at home."
For some reason that sent a chill down my spine. I tightened my hold on him. "Did you?"
He shook his head. "Anything that feels like that practically screams trap. I had to wonder if the girls felt it too."
"So that should be our first place to look. I'll go by in the morning."
Heero looked back at the map. "I really don't like the idea of you going by yourself-"
"I don't either, but you'll fry out there. I'll take Doro with me."
Heero nodded, still tracing out areas on the map, adding details. "Your delivery came- Chang dropped it off himself."
I cast a glance towards the door. Sure enough, a neatly wrapped package sat beside it. "Good, that means I can load up before I go look at the church."
Heero's hair was soft under my fingers- I hadn't even noticed that I had started stroking the back of his neck. My need for him was sharp- surely he was hungry by now?
"It's very late," he said, his eyes on the map. "Maybe you should get some sleep so you can face that church in the morning."
That did it.
I pushed myself away from him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What?" He dropped his pen and looked at me, surprised.
"Heero- it's been fucking days! Aren't you hungry?" I whirled away from him, suddenly furious. "Damn it, why am I the one asking? If you don't want me anymore- then find a way to set me free!"
I never saw him move. The next thing I knew, I was stretched out on the bed, his hands tangled in the hair at the base of my neck, his lips on my throat, his body tight against mine.
"I always want you."
Shaking, I grabbed his shoulders and couldn't figure out if I wanted to push him away or pull him closer. "The hell you do. You've been ignoring me for days! You know what you've done to me! You know what I need and you haven't-"
"I was waiting for you to tell me it was okay."
What? "Waiting for me? Since when do you wait for my approval?"
I couldn't see his face, but I felt him shudder. "Maybe I realized that I should?"
"What the hell is going on in that fucked up head of yours?" I sighed. Hell if I could figure it out- and at the moment I didn't much care. My body was telling me that what I needed was millimeters away and it wasn't in any mood to wait. "It's okay. More than okay." I slid my arms around his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his waist just to make my point clear. "So okay that if you don't do something right now, I'm going to put my teeth in your throat."
His fangs scraped over the skin of my neck teasingly. "Promise?"
"Heero-" I growled, a small part of me relieved because at least this was his normal behavior, but the rest seriously considering flipping him over and seeing how he liked being teased.
Hell with it. Heero made a surprised grunt as I rolled us over, but he didn't let me go. One of his hands left my hair and moved down my spine, pressing us closer together as he tilted his head back, exposing his throat. His skin was cool against my lips, but I didn't bite down- that wasn't what I wanted.
He helped me with his clothes, tugged off my shirt, his fingers sliding up the inside of my thighs, getting me ready for him. I held him off deliberately, making him wait. He deserved it, the bastard- after all, how long had he made me wait?
When he finally growled out something inarticulate and grabbed me, rolling us over again, pushing deep, his hips tight against mine as his teeth sunk in, I nearly howled in victory.
~*~
I woke up in darkness, Heero a still and silent presence beside me. That meant it had to be past dawn at the very least. Quickly, I gathered up my clothes and kit. After pulling on my pants, I went to find the bathroom. Luckily it was empty and I was able to wash and shave in peace. Judging the angle of the sun, it was nearly noon. Guess I was more tired than I thought.
Then again, if Heero had finally snapped out of whatever the hell was going on with him, it was well worth it.
Before I went to go ask Dorothy if she'd be willing to go to church with me, I headed for Chang's store. I doubted Dorothy would know much about the church, but Chang might.
Chang smirked at me as I edged by his dragon. "What can I do for you today? I sent the package last night-"
"I got it, thank you. I was hoping to get some information."
"My vast store of knowledge is at your disposal. What do you want to know?"
"What can you tell me about the church here in town?"
"The church?" He looked faintly surprised at my question. "Well, it's not like I go all that often. Wrong religion," he added with a smile. "But we do have a new minister."
"What is he like?"
Chang shrugged. "I haven't seen him much, truthfully. His congregation likes him- and I know half the eligible young ladies are after him- as they would be with any unmarried man in this town."
"Like you?"
He drew himself up a little and looked down his nose at me. "I have a wife back home."
"You do?"
"Not exactly, but it keeps them away."
"How can you not exactly have a wife?"
Rolling his eyes, he huffed out a breath. "Do you want information on the minister or my personal life?"
"Well, since I wasn't aware you had a personal life-" He glared at me. "The minister, please."
"Well, there's not much else to tell. I gather that some of the congregation aren't too sure about his theology- they say he has some rather strange ideas at times, but not enough to complain too loudly."
"Hm."
"Why all the questions?"
"His church doesn't smell right."
He lifted an eyebrow. "What? The man doesn't bathe regularly or something?"
"Not like that- and Heero said it felt downright welcoming."
"That's not good." Chang frowned. "I take it you are going to go around there today?"
"I thought Dorothy and I might take a stroll."
"Good idea. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to be careful."
"Always am. Thanks for the information."
He nodded. "Of course." As I reached the door, he called out: "Wait- I nearly forgot-"
"What?" I turned back around.
"Your friend came by last night- tell him I have several possible solutions- but he'd have to test them to be sure."
Heero came by? "Possible solutions for what?"
"To protect someone from a vampire's influence." Chang's frown deepened. "It seemed an odd thing for a vampire to ask about, but he said it was important. You didn't know about it?"
"I'll tell him," I said, sidestepping the question and slipped out the door. Why would Heero be asking about that?
Then again, he knew how worried I was about one of the others doing something like that to me- and I know he said that he could bind me closer to him to prevent it... but then I'd never be able to be away from him for more than a few hours...
Course, I really wasn't now. It was stupid to balk at the leash since I was already collared- so to speak.
Was he really looking for another way to protect me from the others?
Or was it something else?
The question of why Heero had gone to Chang to see if there was a way to protect someone from a vampire's influence gnawed at me as I headed towards Dorothy's. He hadn't said anything about it to me- was it just to keep me from getting my hopes up?
Or did he want to be rid of me?
But, he couldn't be... my blood had tied him to me as tightly as I was bound to him. He couldn't drink from anyone else- or so he'd claimed.
Had he lied?
Dorothy's house was busy even at this hour of the day. Guess the sun didn't bother the ladies.
"Is Dorothy available?" I asked as I stepped inside.
"Yes. This way please," this servant was human and I wondered where Dorothy had found her. Did she know about the girls?
"Duo!" Dorothy got to her feet as I stepped into her office. "Anything?"
I waited until the servant had backed out, closing the door behind her. "What do you know about the new minister?"
She arched an eyebrow at me. "I haven't even seen him. It's not likely we'd be having tea together, though it is odd that he hasn't shown up to try and convert my ladies- or me. A few of the last ones we had here did."
"Did it work?"
A smirk hovered at the corners of her mouth. "You know it didn't. Why the interest in the minister?"
"His church smells wrong- and Heero said it felt downright welcoming."
Her expression darkened. "Does it now? How does it smell to you?"
"Like blood and death. As if there had been a quite a few funerals lately."
"Hm."
"Hm what? I was thinking we should go take a look at it."
"Oh, we should indeed." She got up and gave me an icy smile. "Give me just a moment to change, will you? I think I need to look a little more... respectable if we're going into town to look at the church."
It took more than a moment, but I knew better than to argue with a woman over time.
"What do you think?" I asked her as we stood across the dusty street from the church, pretending to admire the new fire station beside it.
"I think our new minister has been a very naughty boy." She said softly. "Let's go. I know what happened to my girls now."
"Already? But-" She nudged my arm and I closed my mouth. The door of the church was opening and a tall figure stepped out onto the small porch.
The hair on the back of my neck rose and I bit down a growl.
Dorothy drew in her breath in a sharp hiss.
The man on the porch tipped his hat towards us and leaned back against the door, arms folded, the picture of a relaxed man enjoying the afternoon sun.
But I knew better.
"Let's go," Dorothy said again and this time I listened to her. Strolling, not hurrying, but not turning our backs on the good reverend, we made our way back down the street.
"Another sorcerer?" I asked her and she shook her head.
"Necromancer." Her lips tightened a bit. "Whatever you do, don't let your lover near him."
I nearly protested her term, but her expression worried me. "Why not?"
"Necromancers have powers over the dead."
Crap. "And Heero is dead...well, undead..."
"Exactly." Dorothy smiled a little. "I think your lover is a little too strong for him to control- but our good reverend could no doubt hurt him very badly. And through him- you. I mean- you are tied to him, right?"
"Not all the way..."
She blinked at me. "Care to explain that?"
It wasn't easy to explain, but I tried. Dorothy was shaking her head by the time we got back to her place. "There's being independent, and then there's being stupid. You're damn lucky none of the other vamps have caught you alone."
Hilde opened the door for us. "Any customers?" Dorothy asked her.
"A few," Hilde replied and Dorothy nodded.
"Anyone not on duty needs to be keeping watch. We have a necromancer in the neighborhood."
"So that's what happened to-"
"More than likely. Hopefully he's just using them to animate something and we can free them. Pass the word."
Hilde nodded and vanished as Dorothy ushered me into her office. She slid open the top of her desk and pulled out a small box. Quickly she traced a sign on it with the tip of her finger and muttered a word. The box opened and Dorothy sorted through it.
"Here we go." She pulled out two small blue bottles. "Just enough."
"Enough?"
"Protections- for the girls and you. I don't think I have anything strong enough for your partner- but this should keep you safe against anything dead."
Anything dead? "How about undead?"
"It should." She looked up, her blue eyes sparkling. "Trust me?"
I hate it when she asks that question...
~*~
It was late afternoon, the sun low on the horizon, so I wasn't too surprised to find Heero awake when I returned to the room.
He put down the book he'd been reading and gave me a long look. "What happened?"
"It's been a long day. Dorothy says the reverend is a necromancer."
Heero's eyes widened. "Well, that explains the feeling of his church. What are we going to do?"
I joined him on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "Dorothy, her girls and I are going to handle it. I'm meeting her in two hours." I took a deep breath before telling him the rest. "You are going to stay here."
He blinked at me. "What?"
"Did you miss the necromancer part? His power is over the dead. Dorothy says that he could really hurt you."
"And he can't really hurt you?"
"Well, maybe, but Dorothy warded me. I'm safer than you are! So you're staying here."
Heero frowned. "Warded you how?"
I reached up and undid the top few buttons of my shirt. "See?" Heero peered at the mark for a moment and then uttered a stifled exclamation. "Did you tell her about our... situation?"
No need to lie. "It came up. She said this would protect me against the dead and the undead- but that it shouldn't bother you because we were bound before she warded me." Heero had such a peculiar look on his face that I felt a twinge of unease. "Does it bother you?"
He reached out and ran his fingertip gently over the mark. "No- but it will protect you from the others." Turning, he picked up the book beside him and flipped a few pages. "See? I found that ward in one of the books Chang brought me this afternoon. I was hoping we could ask Dorothy to put it on you."
I read the short description, relieved that it seemed to tally with what Dorothy had told me. Not that I didn't trust her these days, but you could never tell...
"Good. That's one less thing to worry about." I handed the book back to him and he closed it with a look I couldn't read. Maybe... maybe he was disappointed that he didn't have a reason to tighten our bond? But... he'd also been looking for a way to keep things as they were... "Heero-"
"Hm?"
How could I ask something that I wasn't even sure how to put in words? "You will stay here tonight? Dorothy and her girls can handle it really- I'm just back up."
Leaning over, he caught my mouth with his for a moment and then slid off the bed. "No."
It took me a minute to catch up. "No? What do you mean no? I told you it was dangerous for you!"
"So what if it is?" His back was towards me, so I couldn't see his face. He moved to the window and twitched the curtain to the side. "Hn. Dark enough..."
He wasn't going to just rush off- Heero didn't do that sort of stupid maneuver- did he? "Look- Dorothy said he couldn't control you- but that he could hurt you!" Heero didn't turn around, so I added: "She also said that would hurt me- and I'm not really into getting hurt at the moment."
He shook his head. "No. It would only hurt if you... well, that doesn't matter. It won't hurt you."
"How can you be sure? Dorothy said-"
"Trust me. It won't hurt. Did it hurt when I was pinned to the wall of that cabin- half burned?"
"No-"
"Then nothing can hurt you this time either."
Why was he being so fucking stubborn? Sunlight was not the same as a necromancer. "Look idiot, I'm not just worried about me! I don't want you hurt-"
"Maybe you should."
I closed my mouth, took a deep breath and counted to ten. What the hell was going through his head now? "I don't. So you're staying here."
"Duo- don't you want to be free?"
"Free?" I echoed, wondering where that came from. "I can't be free, not unless-" and then it hit me. "Oh hell no." I jumped up from the bed and grabbed him by the elbow. "You can't be thinking-"
Turning, he met my eyes. "Of course I am," he replied quietly. "If I die, then you're free- and a necromancer would know how to make sure I couldn't come back."
"No-" What the hell was going on with him? Did vampires get a little crazy around necromancers? Had the reverend already gotten to him somehow? "What the hell is wrong with you?"
He smiled, that familiar irritating smile I knew all too well, and for a moment I thought he'd regained his senses. "I fell in love with an irritating, infuriating, stubborn son of a bitch." I gaped at him, surprised.
He what?
Before I could react, he pushed me away- so hard that I stumbled backwards onto the bed. "I'll do what I can to keep the good reverend busy- hopefully he won't realize the rest of you are on your way."
I lunged for him, but he was too fast for me. He was out the window and in the air before I reached the sill. Swearing, I turned around to grab the few things I needed before going to find Dorothy.
We were going to have to move up the time table a little...
~*~
I wasn't even halfway to Dorothy's when that feeling I knew all too well started up.
Danger.
Damn it! What the hell was Heero thinking? Had he just gone right in and confronted the reverend?
Of course he did. He wanted to die.
I resisted the urge to shift. I wanted to run. I wanted to sink my fangs into a throat....
"Maxwell!"
"Can't stop Chang- have things to do!"
His hand grabbed my elbow. "It's important!"
I stopped and turned to glare at him. Danger. Damn it! I didn't have time! "Look- I'm-"
"I can guess. Raiding the church?"
How did he...? "Did Doro talk to you?"
He snorted. "No. But all the energy being raised at her place- and all the shields going up around the church sort of tipped me off."
My jaw dropped. How could he...?
"Use your brain, Maxwell. I wouldn't be a dragon-keeper if I couldn't do a little something. Look- do you need some help?"
Any help was welcome at this point! "Yes- would you? What can you-?"
He stepped back a little and gestured behind him. The dragon statue had moved... it was now sitting up in the corner of his shop. I blinked at it and it winked back at me.
I think I would've run if Chang's hand hadn't tightened on my elbow. "He's hungry- and needs some exercise."
It took me a moment to process what he was saying. "He's willing to help?"
"I wouldn't have stopped you if he wasn't."
Danger!
"I need to get Doro," I said, more as a reminder to myself than to inform him. "We were supposed to start two hours from now... but Heero's already there..."
"At the church? How...?"
"Can't explain- I'll get Doro, send someone for you." I pulled my arm free and looked at the dragon again, calmly washing its scales with a long forked tongue. "Thanks!"
I dashed off again, feeling a bit more hopeful. If only Heero would...
Danger!
It was getting worse. In a moment more, I'd be howling, human form or not. I couldn't wait for Doro. If she wasn't ready when I got there...
Hilde opened the door. "You're early-"
"He has Heero. I'm going now. Tell Doro to hurry- and send someone for Chang when she's ready- he's agreed to help and he's got a hell of an ace up his sleeve."
"Wait- let me get-"
Danger!
"Can't. He's doing something bad to Heero... I can't wait-"
I tore out of her grip and ran as fast as I could in my human form. Hopefully they'd follow soon. I could feel the wolf rising, lengthening my teeth, my claws moving beneath my skin. I could see the church ahead of me now...
DANGER!
It hadn't been this bad even in the mountains, when Heero had been pinned up in the sunlight... What was happening to him...?
I reached the churchyard and let the change wash over me, shaking off my clothes, moving as fast as I could. Heero was here... close by... I could feel it...
Something moved in the dark, smelling of rot and mold. It lunged at me and I skidded around, teeth bared. I didn't have time for this!
Ah hell. Zombie. No wonder it smelled bad. And the damn reverend had a churchyard full of bodies to use.... Other shadows were moving towards me. Soon I'd be surrounded...
The zombie lunged at me again, hands outstretched, and I ducked under its arm. How to get rid of it? Even if I ripped it to pieces it would still move... why hadn't I grabbed my kit...?
Something swooped down out of the darkness and the zombie crumbled to dust. Hilde landed beside me, folded her wings and smirked at me. "See? Should've waited."
Other dark shapes joined her. I had never been so happy to see a group of demons in my life. I ran for the church, that insistent tugging getting worse with every moment. Heero was in there- and he was in trouble. I knew it.
As I dashed for the door, the succubi swirled around me, dealing with the zombies easily. I knew the necromancer wouldn't be so easy- but Doro could contend with him- once she got here... I reached the porch and flung myself at the door, hearing Doro's voice behind me. Good, this wouldn't-
DANGE-
The feeling stopped. Cut off cold. The panic that had been pulling my nerves to shreds simply... vanished.
Heero wasn't out of danger yet. He couldn't be...
No!
The door burst into splinters and I landed in the church. The smell of blood was thick in the air.
The reverend stood in front of the altar. Grinning.
Behind him, stretched out on the altar, was Heero.... It took me a moment to realize what the bastard had done to him.
"Too late to save your master, dog," said the reverend in a mocking tone. "Why don't you be a good boy and run on home?"
I launched myself at his throat.
~*~
I don't know how many times I've told myself that I needed to look before I leaped- to take a moment and assess things before jumping in.
But when I saw what that bastard had done to Heero... I didn't even think. I just threw myself at him, wanting to tear his throat out.
He had expected such a move. Something hit me mid air and threw me back, past all the pews, right into the back wall of the church.
The reverend grinned at me, stepping to the side so my view of Heero was unobstructed.
I choked off the howl that rose in my throat. Angry, I told myself. Mourn later- be angry now. Snarling, I got to my feet.
"What's wrong? Don't like my handiwork? It is a little medieval, I admit," the reverend said, gesturing at the ruin on the altar. "But it's traditional... the stakes, the garlic, burning the heart, taking the head..."
"Oh, a traditionalist," said Dorothy dryly from the doorway. "Then I assume my two girls are here somewhere, in some little circle I suppose? Find your sisters, ladies."
The succubi spread out, their wings, throwing weird shadows over the walls, and the reverend frowned.
"You risk yourself, summoning so many. A foolish mistake." The succubi laughed and for a moment, the reverend looked confused.
"You risk yourself, capturing their sisters," Dorothy stepped into the church, smiling.
"They won't be able to break the circle."
"From the inside, no. But from the outside- are you so sure about that?"
I slunk behind a pew, hoping the reverend would forget about me for the moment as he dealt with Dorothy.
"Why are you opposing me? You have great power. Together we could-"
"Oh please," Doro cut him off with a merry laugh. "Not the 'we could rule the world'! speech. I've heard it before- and really, it's so cliché."
I was halfway back up to the altar. The reverend was facing Dorothy- all his attention seemed to be on her. I'd have to be very careful- but that bastard was going to feel teeth in his throat...
There was a sudden rush of laughter from the succubi and I saw the reverend sway. "What did-"
"I told you. The circles only contain- it's easy enough for the ladies to free their sisters." Doro laughed again. "Now would be a good time to give up- they just took your power source."
"That's what you think!" He spat at her and put his hand on the altar. "I still have him-"
"But not in good condition," she countered. "You'd have done better to have left him whole- and draining power from him now won't be easy-" The air around her seemed to spark and a group of her ladies formed a half-circle behind her. "And I have my own power base."
I was close enough to spring now- and he wasn't even looking at me- I tensed, focused on his throat- a quick leap and his neck would be between my jaws.
The reverend shouted something I couldn't understand and darkness swirled around him. Dorothy's sparks grew brighter and I stopped.
Something wasn't quite right...
The roof exploded in a rain of splinters and I ducked beneath a pew as Dorothy and her ladies flung up shields.
The reverend looked up and shouted- what I didn't quite hear- but a moment later he was engulfed in scales. A flash of sharp teeth, a blast of steam- and Wufei's dragon sat before the altar, cleaning his teeth with a long forked tongue.
The reverend was gone. I hoped he didn't give the dragon indigestion.
I also hoped the dragon wasn't still hungry.
I pulled myself out from under the pew as the succubi cooed over the dragon. Wufei appeared a moment later and Doro grabbed him- I didn't catch what she was saying- all my attention was on the altar and its contents.
Sliding back to human form, I leaned over the altar and started wrestling with the stakes that held Heero on the altar. Foolish of me to hope... he was gone. I had felt the connection snap...
I wanted to yell at him, hit him, hurt him... but he wouldn't feel any of it, wouldn't hear me yell at him... He was gone. My eyes burned and my throat ached... I couldn't leave him like this...
"Duo," Dorothy touched my shoulders, pulling me away from the altar. "Do you want him back?"
Back? Could she do that? "Yes!"
"You'd have to be bound to him again-"
"I don't fucking care! I just want him back-"
"Well then," her fingers brushed over the mark at the base of my throat. "Let's get rid of this- and we'll see what we can do. Step back for a moment." She pushed me into Hilde's arms gently. "Hilde? If you would?"
Hilde's arms were tight around me. "Sleep," she said and my eyelids felt heavy. "Sleep now. It will all be better when you wake. Sleep."
I couldn't resist her command- damn succubus! Darkness swirled around me and pulled me down into unconsciousness.
~*~
I awoke in a bed I had never seen before, soft and comfortable, the sheets scented with something flowery, in a darkened room.
Where was I?
Even as I realized Doro and the ladies must've brought me back to their establishment, something stirred in the bed beside me.
Flipping myself over hastily, I nearly fell out out of the bed to find Heero beside me. His terrible wounds were healed and as I leaned over him, his eyes opened.
"Duo?" He said, sounding surprised, his voice faintly raspy. "Where are we?"
I flung myself at him, nearly knocking us both to the floor. "Don't you ever fucking do that to me again!" I pinned him against the mattress- he wasn't going to get away this time!
"What did I do-?"
The door opened and Hilde stepped in, a tray in her hands. "Ah, Doro was right. She said you'd both be awake now." She put the tray down on the table and winked. "Sorry about the knockout, Duo, but Doro knew we had to use your blood and energy for the healing, and we didn't have a lot of time to explain. Have some dinner- it's been three days since we faced the reverend. You need to build your energy back up."
"Three days?" I managed and she laughed.
"He needed a lot of your blood to heal- and we didn't want him draining you. It was a little challenging."
She winked again and left, closing the door behind her.
Women.
Turning my attention back towards Heero, I found him frowning at me. "Duo? What the hell happened? How did I get here? I was- I remember-"
"You were dead!" I snapped at him. "You rushed right out trying to get yourself killed and you did! What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was dead before," he reminded me.
"You know what the hell I mean! The connection snapped," I snarled at him. "I felt it!"
"Damn it. So- you were free?" He sounded so disappointed that I nearly hit him.
"I wasn't really thinking of it at the time! I was a little more concerned about you!"
"Why? You know you hated it, Duo! And now they've used your blood to heal me-" He freed his hand from mine and reached up to touch the base of my throat. "Dorothy removed the mark- we're bound again-"
"Good!"
"Good?" He echoed, eyes widening in surprise. "But-"
"If you'd bothered to stay and talk to me instead of rushing off to get yourself killed, I would've told you that I don't want you dead. Real dead. Permanent dead. Ah hell, you fucking know what I mean!"
"But Duo- you hated it. You hate me. Why-"
I resisted the urge to strangle him. It wouldn't hurt him anyway. Dropping my head to his chest, avoiding his eyes, I muttered: "I don't hate you."
"What?"
"Dorothy asked me if I wanted you back- I gave her permission to use my blood. I don't fucking hate you. So just shut up and be grateful, okay?"
There was a long pause and I didn't look up. Let him fucking figure out what I meant. Not that I was really sure myself, but still...
Heero wrapped his arms around my shoulders and I felt his lips brush my forehead. "Thank you, Duo."
"You're welcome. Bastard. Don't do it again."
"I won't."
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