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"Magic, Mischief, and Miracles"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: I've contracted some guy named Doctor
Draken to steal the boys. It's part of his mad scheme to take over
the world. Nifty, huh? Pairings: 3x4, 1x2 already established Warnings: AU, violence, language, supernaturalness,
LEMON, yaoi, etc. Spoilers: nada Author's Insane Ramblings: Okay, this is the result
of watching too much Inuyasha. I was sick, and to keep myself entertained,
I bounced back and forth between watching Inuyasha and writing GW
fanfiction. This...is the result.
" Magic, Mischief, and Miracles" Part 10 Somehow, it wasn't as creepy with Duo along. Quatre changed his mind once again concerning Trowa. It probably wasn't the cat demon's fault he was wandering around by himself, so he probably shouldn't smack him. Or lecture him. But they were going to talk about walking into known traps. It was a bad idea, and somebody should have stopped him. They walked from one branch to the next without any hint of the other three. Quatre was starting to get really worried. Duo had been faced with Zombies, and had barely gotten away. What would the other three be faced with? "Q? Anything?" Quatre shook his head. "No." "This isn't good." Duo looked ahead, mouth tightening. "I'm worried about them." "I know. This place is just so huge, we could probably spend months wandering around in here." "I don't want to hear that!" "Sorry, I --" He froze mid-step, turning slightly to look down a smaller branch to his left. "That's...odd." "What is?" "It...it's so faint, I'm probably imagining it but it kinda looks like Wufei." "Let's check it out," Duo suggested as he went for the narrow opening. "Nothing to lose, right?" "Eh? Oh, yeah, you're right." They fell into an easy lope, approaching an area that was lighter than the tunnels they had been stumbling around in. When Quatre could clearly see it was a doorway, he called out "Wufei?" Duo looked worried, slowing down a little. "Maybe you're wrong, Q--" "Quatre!" They're heads snapped up. "That was Wufei!" Now running full out, they slid to a stop just inside the doorway. Duo took in the view of cliff after cliff with confused eyes. "Ye gods! What's up with this?" Quatre shook himself and focused more on finding Wufei. The dragon was halfway down the cliff-face right in front of him, glaring up at them with fury in his dark eyes. "You'd better have something to help me with!" Duo blinked down at him. "Ah...Wuffers? Why didn't you just go into dragon-mode and fly over?" "Because I can't transform!" Wufei snapped back. "The whole damn place is shielded against it!" Quatre shared a look with Duo. "Um...we don't have anything, Wufei." Wufei's reply wasn't really audible. Quatre was just as glad he couldn't discern what the dragon was saying. Tone was enough. "I can't believe I have to climb this thing like some kind of weak, puny human!" "Hey!" Duo shook a fist at him. "Watch who you're calling weak!" Quatre settled down, crossing his legs, setting the back pack aside, and getting comfortable. "We're just going to have to wait until he can get up here." "Yeah." Duo sank down next to him, leaning up against the wall. "After all, if we leave now, we'd probably never find him again." Leaning over the edge, Duo called down. "Come on, Wufei! We're cheering you on!" "Like that helps any!" "Sure it does!" "Duo," Quatre offered mildly, "he's really pissed right now. If you keep doing that, he's going to pound you when he gets up here." "I know. It's motivation. He'll climb faster just so he can smack me." "...do you have a death wish?" "Heero asks me that all the time..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twenty minutes of cursing, grunts of effort, more cursing, and labored breathing, and Wufei finally managed to make it to the top. Both Quatre and Duo were there to give him a final hand up, pulling him over the ledge. Wufei collapsed on his back, sucking in air, eyes closed. "When we find Terandl...I'm going to strangle him! And then find a way to revive him so I can strangle him again!" "You'll have first dibs," Duo assured him. Grabbing one arm, he hauled the dragon up to his feet. "Now, come on. We have to find the guys." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The three spent a few more centuries wandering around aimlessly. Quatre was designated leader of the group by simple default -- he was the only one that could gain an inkling on where their demons were. This was not necessarily reassuring to the blond. He had a very limited way of defending himself, after all. When they finally did run across someone else, it had nothing to do with Quatre's ability and everything to do with dumb luck. "HEERO!" Duo almost plowed into Quatre when he spotted the grouchy earth demon, running for him at top speeds. Heero barely braced himself for the expected tackle-hug before Duo slammed into him. "Baka." "Ah, now I know you're okay," Duo teased. He pulled away to grin at his partner in relief. "So? What did the devious and evil Terandl do to you?" "Collapsing walls." "...but they're made of earth, you can control that." Duo frowned in obvious puzzlement. "No," Heero corrected grimly. "My walls were made of metal." "Oh." "Precisely." "And you're still in one piece?" "I'm not going to lose against a bunch of bloody walls." Duo grinned at him, and hugged him tightly again. "You're so cute when you're growling, Hee-chan." "Duo, if you call me that one more time, I'm cutting off your braid." "And lose your leash? Never." Wufei cleared his throat pointedly. "If you two are quite through...? We still need to find Trowa." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terandl was almost amused as he watched them. "Incredible. He's only been loose for three hours, and yet he's managed to find everyone except Nanashi. I am quite impressed, human. I wonder, with your power, what will it take to bind you to me?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trowa stopped, heaving air into his lungs. No matter how fast he ran, Vox was always in the same position. He was beginning to doubt anything was really in the center of the maze -- or that there was a center to the maze! Now, of course, when he was more than prepared to give up, he couldn't seem to find a way back out. If this was all to trap and just delay him from finding Quatre, Terandl was going to pay. "TROWA!" Spinning around, Trowa saw through the clear walls and nearly melted in relief. It wasn't just Quatre standing there, but everyone else as well. Even from this distance he could see that the blond was fine. He was very curious as to why Heero was looking a little tattered, and why Wufei was covered in dust, but he figured that could wait. He smiled slightly and opened his hand in a half wave. "I can't get out!" "The walls move with you!" Quatre called back. "Their energy is connected to you." "...that could explain why I can't get out," Trowa muttered darkly under his breath. "Can you stop that?" "Do I look like Superman to you?" Quatre shot back in exasperation. "...who?" "Never mind. Hold on a second." Quatre turned back to everyone else. "Any ideas?" "Go through the walls," Heero replied flatly. He was really irritated with everything at the moment. Duo puzzled over that for a moment. "You know, that might actually work. If we could figure out how to do that." Wufei drew the war sword at his back, his face stretched into a smile that was a little scary even to his allies. "If you're wise, you'll stand behind me." Three people instantly scampered behind him. "Ah, Wufei?" Quatre smiled wanly. "Just try not to hurt Trowa?" "Hn. TROWA!" Wufei bellowed. "You'd better put some shields up or something!" Trowa nodded in acknowledgement, drawing both daggers and forming the best shield he could out of his power. Most of his power was focused on offensive ability. It made him pray that whatever Wufei was going to do wasn't too destructive. Wufei fell into a sideways stance, breathing evenly and deliberately. The sword in his hands started to glow slightly. Quatre sucked in a breath at the power suddenly surging through the metal. Ye gods, since when did Wufei carry around that kind of raw power?! He barely had time to ogle it before Wufei swung the sword sharply over his head and pointed it straight at Trowa with a sharp "HA!" Blazing power shot from the sword and hit the walls, melting them like so much sugar sitting on a hot stove. In seconds the main wave hit Trowa, and scattered over his shield. An impressive silence descended once the attack dissipated, broken only by a reverent whistle from Duo. Wufei eyed the damage critically. "I didn't use my full power on the swing...he should be alright." "That wasn't your full power?!" Duo choked. "Cripes, man, just that kind of power is scary!" Quatre shook his paralysis off and ran towards Trowa. "Are you alright?" Trowa smiled slightly, re-sheathing his daggers so he could catch both of Quatre's hands. "Fine. You?" "Really mad at myself for dragging us in here, but okay." "That's hardly your fault," Trowa reminded him firmly. "We all agreed to it. Now, answer me something. Is that really Vox over there?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the still floating sword. Quatre took one look and shook his head. "No. Illusion only." "Figures. Let's go, then." Quatre quirked a brow at that. "Go where? I still can't see any way of getting out of here." "We don't need to. Wufei?" Wufei smirked as he closed in on their position. "No problem. I didn't do it before because I didn't want to hit anyone by accident. Heero? Are you still blinded or can you give me a direction to start carving a new entrance?" Heero frowned slightly. "I think Terandl's spells are a little shaken by that blast of yours. I can sense a little now." He turned thoughtful eyes in every direction before pointing dead ahead. "There, I think." "Right. Stand back." Wufei braced himself and focused as much power into the sword as possible. /Let's see if I can break free with just one swing./ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "One swing!" Duo was still exclaiming fifteen minutes later. "I can't believe it! He got us out of there in just one swing!" "We know, Duo," Heero growled at his lover. "You've been saying that ever since we got out. Shut up already." Duo stuck his tongue out at him, refusing to comment verbally. Quatre eyed the mountain at their back with mixed feelings. "It bothers me that even after all of that, we still have no idea where Terandl is." "Or what the purpose of those elaborate traps were," Trowa added quietly. "They seemed more like tests than anything else." "Hm." The trail narrowed as they climbed down the mountain, and Quatre abruptly decided that he should keep his eyes on the path in front of him if he didn't want to fall over the edge. "Maybe you're right. He took our strengths away from us in there -- and then put us against a challenge, almost as if he were seeing how we would react." "I'd certainly like to know what conclusions he drew," Wufei growled from behind them. "You're not the only one," Heero answered in a similar tone. "What I don't get is why he didn't do anything with me," Quatre muttered thoughtfully. "He did," Duo disagreed. Quickening his pace slightly, he looked over Heero's shoulder as he continued. "Think about it. He knows you can manipulate power, you've done it a couple of times now. But if you take all power away, what can you do?" "Nothing," Quatre sighed desolately. "Wrong," Wufei corrected sharply. "You found us, didn't you?" Quatre opened his mouth to protest, then slowly closed it again as he realized they were right. Heero was the only person that he hadn't 'found'. "More than that." Trowa glanced at him in thoughtful consideration, automatically walking closer to the mountainside to give Quatre more room. He didn't like how close his human was to the edge of the trail. "You can tell us when something is a trap, or when there is a spell, sometimes how it works. You give us the information we need." "Terandl is surely going to realize that now," Heero pointed out grimly. "And he'll probably do something about it." "Jeez, Heero, did you have to put it that way?" Duo rolled his eyes. "He's right." Quatre grimaced. Great, so now he was wearing a very large target on his back. That was comforting. "But really, he would have figured it out sooner or later, right?" "Probably." Trowa really didn't like the thought, but was forced to acknowledge it. Heero frowned as he eyed the ground underneath them. It had rained heavily just recently, and the earth was showing small cracks in it from the stress. Not something normal eyes would see, but he could see them clearly. "Everyone, stay far away from the ledge. The ground is fragi--" The area beneath Quatre's feet abruptly crumbled. Before anyone could react he toppled with a cry. "Quatre!" Trowa threw himself forward, racing through the air to try and catch him. The blond flailed, trying to reach the cat demon, but missed and fell the rest of the way into a churning river. His world abruptly became that of cold water and no air. Kicking sharply, he fought his way back to the surface and took a deep breath before he was towed back under. The backpack...his backpack was weighing him down. With a pang of regret, he slipped it free from his shoulders, as well as his heavy jacket and let them fall where they would. Kicking, he managed to get his head above the water again. The water tugged him in different directions, spinning him crazily until he had no idea which bank he was supposed to land on. When the water shoved him toward a very large boulder near solid ground, he started swimming toward it with strong strokes. Quatre caught the edge of a rock, hauling himself out of the main stream and onto the flat surface. Gasping in lungfuls of air, he scrambled out of the river's path and onto the grassy bank, where he thankfully collapsed. When he had his breathing semi under control he muttered, "Note to self: walking near the ledge is a bad idea." "Hmmm...what have we here?" Jerking up to his feet, he spun about to see the speaker. A rather pretty woman with red hair and green eyes stood only feet from him. No...not a woman. A demon. She was a cat demon, like Trowa, but somehow...different. He couldn't quite put his finger on the difference, but she seemed to be more refined in shape. Trowa was bulkier and somehow rougher than her. "Who are you?" "Catherine." She breathed in deeply, then smiled. Quatre went cold at that smile. It wasn't a pleasant thing to see. "My brother is nearby. I've caught his scent before...in the past few weeks, your scent has overlapped with his. I find this interesting. Who are you, human?" "QUATRE!" Trowa! Spinning about Quatre called back, "HERE!" There were the sounds of something moving through leaves and grass, then Trowa came into view. The cat demon looked a little ragged but his eyes softened in relief as they landed on Quatre. "You idiot! Don't do that!" Quatre rolled his eyes. "I did not fall into that river on purpose, Trowa." "So you two do know each other." Trowa's eyes cut to the redhead. "Catherine. What are you doing here?" "Checking up on you, little brother." Trowa went directly to the blond's side, taking his cloak off as he went. Completely ignoring his sister, he draped the heavy garment around Quatre's shoulders, leaning in close to whisper, "Stay behind me." Quatre didn't need to be told that twice. There was nothing in particular wrong with Catherine's soul -- it was something else entirely that told him he couldn't trust her. Nodding, he fell into Trowa's shadow as his demon turned to face the woman again. "Checking up on me? Don't make me laugh. What's the real reason?" "Stay away from Terandl." Catherine's eyes flashed dangerously. "He's my prey." "Oh?" Paying no heed to Trowa's disbelieving stare, she studied Quatre with excruciating slowness. "He's quite pretty, little brother. I should have guessed that you would fall for a human. It's in your blood, after all." "Catherine. I have no desire to stand here and listen to you babble. Let's go, Quatre." Trowa put a hand on the blond's back and urged him back towards Heero and Duo. "Where is Terandl?" Trowa stopped, his back to his sister. "So that is the real reason you're here." "I know you're tracking him somehow. It isn't by smell that disappears on a regular basis. So how are you doing it?" Trowa turned his head an nth degree. "I am under no obligation to answer you." "Trivoxor is mine, Trowa!" Dismissing her, he led Quatre away and out of sight. Quatre barely had time to wonder what Catherine had meant with that 'blood' comment when Heero seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Ah. There you are." With a brief look to see that Quatre was alright, he turned and went back the way he had come. Quatre blew out a breath. "I'm assuming that he's going to get Duo and Wufei." "Hn." "Er...Trowa?" He knew the subject would be a touchy one, but he rather wanted to talk to Trowa when no one else was around. "Are you and Catherine...um..." "She despises me," Trowa stated neutrally. "We're enemies." "Oh. Can I ask why?" Trowa's head tilted to look at him, face unreadable. "I'm not pure demon. My mother was a hanyou. Catherine hates humans above all else." Ah. That explained why Trowa's spirit didn't look as refined as Catherine's -- it wasn't, being in part human. Wait a minute...did he say 'was'? "Is she...dead?" "Yes." Quatre winced a little at the tone. Trowa was silently telling him to leave it alone. /Not a problem. I can leave this alone for now. He'll tell me when he feels that he can./ Reaching out, he tangled his fingers with the demon's and squeezed slightly. "Sorry if I worried you." Trowa's fingers tightened slightly. He hadn't wanted to admit what Quatre's disappearance had done to him. It had scared him to death, and running across Catherine immediately after finding him hadn't done anything to reassure his still racing heart. "Next time, I'll walk along the edge." "How about we both avoid the edge?" "Hn." Looking down at his still sopping clothes he sighed. "It's a good thing it's a hot day..." And that no one was in immediate need of the first aid kit... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnote: Hanyou -- half demon, for those of you who don't watch Inuyasha
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