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"Custos"Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing nor any of
its characters. I only own the original characters. And nobody's paying
me to write this. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, OC, Yaoi, Lemon, Language, Violence Pairings: 5x4, 1x3x1, 2x6x2 Summary: Just as things begin looking up for the
Gundam boys, Wufei disappears. " Custos" Chapter 12 Trowa periodically glanced to his lover as they made the long flight across the ocean. Heero sat with his arms folded, chin to his chest as he dozed. His cryptic words refused to leave Trowa's mind and, while he wasn't normally a worrier, it was difficult to shrug it off when presented with the possibility that his lover might be in some sort of danger and there was nothing he could do about it. Shortly after entering the airspace over Congo, Heero leaned forward, staring out the windshield with narrowed eyes. “Is that smoke?” Trowa followed his gaze and nodded. “Looks like the village is burning.” They weren't low enough to see exactly what was happening, but there was quite a bit of smoke filling the air. Heero hit the comm. “There's a village on fire down there.” “Find somewhere to land,” Wufei's voice drifted over the comm. “Duo and I can hide in the galley while the rest of you go check it out.” The shifter nodded and spotted a clearing several miles from the village. Heero, Trowa, Quatre, and Zechs moved through the dense trees quickly, all lost in their own thoughts and not in the mood for talking. The trees thinned and they stepped out into the outer edges of a village. Quatre's brows drew together as he saw a weeping mother holding the limp body of a child to her chest. He moved toward her and squatted down. “What happened?” She raised her head and gazed at Quatre warily before speaking. It took him a moment to translate the word. “Harvest.” He frowned. “I don't understand.” She pursed her lips and answered haltingly in English. “They come... take those who please them.” She looked down to the broken body in her arms. “Weed out those not strong. He was sick.” Quatre put a hand to the blood-matted hair, feeling the intense grief of the mother wash over him. “I'm sorry for your loss.” Fresh tears fell. “Better dead than slave,” she whispered in a strained voice. “Slave to who?” “Night walkers.” He held her gaze steadily, hoping to convey some level of strength to her. “Where are they?” She shook her head. “Hopeless fight.” Quatre looked to the others. “We have to stop this.” Heero nodded, but his eyes were on the flaming hut that had drawn them to the village. “Why are they burning it down?” The woman followed his gaze, but it was a man who answered. The bustling crowd noticing the visitors. “The family put up a grand fight,” he answered in much better English than the woman. “We honor their deaths. Their bodies will not be desecrated by the monsters.” He gazed at them with hard eyes, jaw clenched tightly. “Who are you?” Quatre stood. “Enemies of your enemies.” “That does not necessarily make you friends,” he replied in a cold voice. “Not necessarily, no. But we are here to stop these things from happening.” He looked over the gathering crowd. “We are hunting the three ancient vampires.” The man's eyes narrowed. “There are four.” Trowa smirked. “Not anymore.” His eyes widened slightly as he looked over the four. “We've heard rumors that there is a vampire in the Americas who hunts his own. Some say he is our only hope.” “He's no longer in America. He is less than ten miles from here.” Murmurs spread through the crowd and the man held up his hand for silence. “Is it true that he doesn't kill humans?” Quatre smiled. “Yes, it's true, and he doesn't feed from random humans, either. He fights against other vampires to stop things like this,” he motioned to the dead child, “from happening.” The wariness in the man's face faded some. “How do you know him?” “We were friends well before he was turned.” An old man leaning heavily on a crutch stepped from the crowd. “I am Jarvis, the leader of this village.” “Quatre, this is Heero, Trowa, and Zechs. There are two more in our group, but, as it's day, they weren't able to come with us.” He nodded, eyes moving over the four. “Please, come with me.” He led them to a small cottage and sat at the table. “You say you managed to kill one of the four?” “Yes,” Quatre answered as he sat. “Our goal is to get rid of all of the ancients, but we don't really have much to go on in order to find them.” The old man appraised him. The blond looked delicate, but there was steel in his eyes. “The question is, do you have the necessary tools to fight them. Now that one of the four is dead, the other three are alerted.” “We will do all that we can.” He folded his arms on the table. “This used to be a pleasant village. We didn't really concern ourselves with things that happened in the outside world. And now we're trapped here. Our children are examined and bred like horses. Our lives are forfeit. My people may breath, but we are dead.” “Why don't you leave?” Zechs asked. The man smiled sadly. “They hold quite a few of our children hostage. They bring them around on occasion to prove they still live. Some are merely fed off of, others are being groomed to one day be mates or be turned.” He shook his head. “And we are not the only village under their control.” “If there's anything you could tell us to help bring them to justice, we would greatly appreciate it.” Quatre grimaced slightly. That was a Wufei-type thing to say. Jarvis nodded. “It began over sixty years ago. I am one of the few who remembers what it was like to sleep peacefully at night. I was six or so when two men showed up one night. They were like nothing I'd ever seen. They were beautiful and graceful far beyond any human I'd ever seen. They asked to speak to the village elder, my father at the time, and told him we were in grave danger and we needed to evacuate. “My father didn't believe them. They stayed for weeks, only coming out at night and begging my father to reconsider.” He sighed. “When the ambush came, they fought hard alongside us.” He shook his head. “It didn't take long for us to realize they weren't exactly human. I'd never seen anyone move so fast. They fought together as if they were born to. It was like art in motion... But we were overwhelmed. “I hate to admit it, but their downfall was my own fault. While Aidan was trying to get me to safety, he was momentarily distracted. I don't know what they did, some powerful magic, and he fell to the ground screaming. They easily overtook his lover after that.” He was lost in thought for a moment. “As far as I know, they still have them.” “They didn't kill them?” Heero asked in surprise. “No, Seers are rare to come by, especially powerful ones. They would not have killed him or the Key so easily.” Quatre chewed his lip. 'Fei?' 'I'm listening. Does he have any idea where we could find them?' Quatre looked back to the man. “Do you know where they are?” He tilted his head to the side. “There is a large estate twenty miles north of here. An ancient resides there, at least, that's what his servants and mates tell us. There are at least five or six vampires who stay in the area.” Quatre looked to Trowa. “Looks like you landed us in the right place.” “Seems so,” he answered. “Are the vampires here very strong?” Jarvis spread his hands. “Against humans? Yes. I don't know how they would fare against other vampires.” Zechs sighed. “I don't like this.” Quatre nodded in understanding. “I know how you feel, but we'll have to start somewhere.” “I think it's too soon.” He raked a hand through his hair, sleeve slipping halfway down his forearm. Jarvis' hand shot out and grabbed Zechs' arm, staring at the mark on the inside of his wrist. He raised wide eyes to Zechs' face. “I'll be damned.” He quickly released him. “Forgive me, your highness.” Pale blue eyes widened. “How did you-” “I'm sorry if I overstepped myself.” He shook his head. “You know what these mean?” “It's the mark of the pact with the Keeper.” Zechs stared at the man, sure he had to have heard wrong. Keeper? As in, Custos? He dragged his eyes to the others. Trowa and Heero were staring at his wrist while Quatre was gazing silently at his face. “You knew.” “We suspected.” “Don't you think you should have told us?” He took a breath. “We couldn't, and you can't tell him. He has to come into it on his own. He hasn't handled any of this too terribly well. Could you imagine how he'd react if we said we suspected his was the Custos?” Zechs pursed his lips. He had to agree the smaller blond had a point. That didn't mean he liked it. He looked back to the old man. “What all do you know about the Custos? We haven't been able to find out much.” “I know only what Galen told me. The Custos is revived when one of royal blood forms a pact with a vampire who is worthy. The royal heir is a gift to the Custos in return for protecting his or her people. “Centuries ago there was unrest in the underworld. Werewolves and vampires were fighting for control and many innocents, humans and mythical creatures, were caught in the middle. Galen said the Keeper, or Custos as he was known, seemed to come out of nowhere. He and his men fought to bring back order. Less than ten took out hundreds. “By the end, both vampires and werewolves were greatly weakened, which laid the groundwork for the hunters to eradicate the wolves. There was peace, or rather, a ceasefire, for many years.” “What happened to the Custos?” Heero asked. His eyes narrowed. “He was betrayed by one of his own. When they found him, Galen said his wife laid next to him and, by the end of the day, was dead.” Quatre put a hand to his chest, reassured by the drift of love through the link. 'Is there anything else you want me to ask?' 'That's enough for now. Come on back.' 'All right.' He turned his eyes back to Jarvis. “Thank you for all the information. We need to get back and make plans.” Jarvis studied the blond. That was the second time his eyes had gone distant for a moment. He recalled Aidan doing the same thing when he was silently communicating with Galen. “You're mated to the vampire, aren't you?” “Yes.” He leaned forward. “You have the same quality to you that Aidan did. Are you the Key to your lover's visions?” Quatre nodded slowly. “Yes, I am.” “Then be careful. They control Galen through his mate. I'd not like to see the same thing happen to you.” He nodded and stood. “Thank you for all your help.” “Not a problem. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.” They left the village in silence, Quatre's mind running rampant over the man's warning. He didn't want to be a weakness for Wufei, nor had he considered being used against him. 'We'll free them. Don't worry.” He took a breath. 'If it comes down to it, Wufei, don't let me get you caught or killed.' 'Quatre, don't think about things like that... And there's no way I'd ever abandon you.' He felt a small surge in the link that was almost like a physical caress. He smiled and pressed his fist to his chest before turning his mind back to the matter at hand. 'I think we should have Heero and Trowa run surveillance on the estate.' 'Good idea. Send them to do that now.' He looked to the couple. “Would the two of you head out to the estate and do some recon?” Heero nodded and the pair disappeared from the path. Quatre looked to Zechs. “Are you upset with us?” He shook his head. “I'm just overwhelmed. In the war, I knew what to expect. Knew what the weapons were capable of. I don't know how to react to creatures that look so human but have abilities I don't understand. “And I don't like the idea of not knowing what will happen to Duo.” Quatre put his hand on his shoulder. “I know.” What more could he say? ****** “Estate? More like compound.” Trowa nodded as they looked over the cliff above the buildings. “There's hardly anyone here, though.” Heero glanced to his lover. “How many?” “No more than forty, and most of them are humans.” He tilted his head up and sniffed. “Maybe three or four vampires. The smell isn't that strong.” “Are the humans mated?” “I can't really tell. Just because they have the scent of a vampire on them doesn't mean they're mated.” “We should get a closer look. You take the building to the right, I'll get the other.” Trowa swiped an arm around his waist and pulled him to his chest for a quick kiss. “Be careful.” “You, too.” He moved down the cliff and stayed to the shadows. The two buildings were huge, but large sections of them were completely unusable. He slid around the outer wall and paused near a door where the grass was beaten down due to traffic. He listened for a moment before peeking in the window. He pushed the door open and slipped inside. He moved down the narrow hallway that led to a large circular room. Several doorways opened to show empty rooms. An archway to the left opened to another hallway that led to a winding staircase. He moved silently down the steps and paused outside of large oak doors. He tested the knob and felt power surging through the doors. A seal was placed on them that would take hours for him to unravel. “You've come,” a voice called from the other side of the doors. He pressed his palm to the wood. “Who are you?” “My name is Galen. You have placed yourself in danger.” His lips quirked slightly. “I've been in danger most of my life.” “Yes, I suppose so.” The voice sounded pained and weak. Heero pressed his forehead to the door. “I don't have time to release you now, do I?” “No.” “Is the one who cast this spell here?” “Yes, but you cannot face him alone.” Heero heard shifting and a small, pain-filled moan before another voice spoke. “You will face him, though. And he will cause you pain. Stay strong. Your friends won't fail you... you won't be lost.” Heero pushed from the door. “So soon?” “Go now, and remain strong.” He backed away. “We'll return for you.” He went back up the steps and left the building, squinting his eyes as the bright sun hit him. He slid down the building wall and froze, feeling eyes on him. He took a breath and searched for the source of the gaze. His eyes moved over Trowa's form sliding through the trees in the distance. His lover paused and looked to him. He purposely avoided looking at Trowa as he pushed from the building. A figure dropped from the roof and landed right behind him. “What have we here?” He shook his head as Trowa made a step toward him, heart hammering in his chest. “I was just exploring. I thought these buildings were abandoned. I'm sorry if I trespassed onto private property.” It was a lame attempt that he was sure the man wouldn't buy. And he didn't. He circled around Heero, dark eyes assessing him. “Hm.” He pressed his chest to Heero's back and inhaled deeply. “Interesting.” Heero clenched his jaw as the man moved to stand in front of him. Five more people stepped out of their hiding places and surrounded Heero. He clenched his fists and blue light began to emanate around them. The man before him laughed. “Oh no, none of that.” He grabbed Heero's neck and pressed his lips to his. Blue eyes flew wide and he felt the power slowly drain from him. More hands fell on him to hold him up as the man took control of his magic. He felt the spell that held him in his human form break and the hands left him. He dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach as his body shifted. Trowa watched from his hiding place in the trees, anger and frustration mounting with each passing moment. He'd promised Heero he wouldn't interfere and now he hated himself for that. It was only his lover's strong warning that kept his feet planted. He watched the change with a mixture of awe and fear. He'd never seen his true form before. Blue eyes stayed on the ground, his teeth clenching tightly as his brow drew together. Fire raged through his body sending tendrils of agony through him and forcing a scream from his throat. His shirt tore and large, seemingly fragile wings spread from his back, pulling an agonized moan from him. They were curved, almost like one would imagine a Gothic faerie. They were dark, almost black at the base, lightening to a soft sky blue near the curved edges that were trimmed in a rich sapphire. Trowa moved his gaze from the wings to Heero's face. The features had sharpened and his skin seemed to almost sparkle as his eyes glowed. The glowing light dissipated around him as he lowered fully to the ground, sucking in haggard breaths. The man who'd kissed him laughed and knelt down, raising Heero's chin. “What a pretty thing you are.” Heero stared up at him. He could feel his power coursing through him, but he couldn't use it. “What did you do?” He smirked. “I always wanted a faerie. I've got a lovely cage that isn't in use at the moment. You should be thankful Merrick has left for the foreseeable future. If he had been the one to catch you, this would have been much more painful." As he lifted Heero's trembling form from the ground, Trowa spun on his heel and ran, shifting in mid-leap. It infuriated him to leave Heero behind, but he couldn't take them all on by himself. He raced for the jet as if hell itself was at his heels, Heero's voice echoing in his ears. 'I'll live through it... I think... Don't let me be lost.' He growled low in his throat. “Hold on for me, Heero.” TBC......
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