|
"The Negotiator"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU/Fantasy/Adventure, Angst, Fluff,
Sexual favors from a dragon? ^0^ (non graphic), Eventual Lemon, Mild
violence, My corky humor lol ^-^ Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM Beta’ed by the wonderful Mechante Fille *hugs*
You’re the best baby! ^__^ Summary: Duo Maxwell finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime when he is hired by the future king of Lagrange to aid in dealing with an encroaching Dragon. However, he quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems. Wizards, Dragons and magic abound in this epic tale of adventure and discovery when one young man finds himself between two worlds and suddenly the future depends solely on his skills as The Negotiator. View art work commissioned
by SkyLark and drawn by t_shirt for "The Negotiator" - Click
HERE "The Negotiator" Ch 12 ~ The night breeze played softly along the tops of the trees below a full moon filled with the silvery promises that only the night will allow. Duo lay nestled in his scaly cradle, his body sated and warm but sleep had spurned him. In his mind he knew the villagers would someday understand and accept his beloved dragon as the deliverer that he was but bringing all the nations of the world together in harmony wasn’t going to be an easy task. Succeeding with just the humans was daunting enough but when considering Hiiro intended to include all the magical races as well it seemed an unprecedented endeavor. He sighed wishing, not for the first time, that he could just roll over and hold his mate, just to be able to take some small weight off his shoulders would have eased his mind but as always he was granted only the small part of him he could clumsily wrap his tiny arms around. No matter which way he turned, this way or that, it was never enough until he felt the steady beat of the dragons huge heart suddenly misstep. “Sorry,” he grumbled, turning over again but Hiiro seemed to be paying him no mind. “Hiiro?” he called softly, suddenly feeling as if the sound of his voice were sacrilege against the silent wind as the world seemed to have forgotten to breathe. A low growl emanated from his mate’s throat, sending a shock of fear through him as it was not the purring rumble he so readily heard. “Hiiro what’s…?” he began but the moment the dragon’s eyes cracked open he knew something was terribly wrong. “Hiiro!?” ”Stay here,” the dragon told him, placing him in his bed of furs. “What’s wrong?” Hiiro’s movements were all wrong, he’d never seen him slither and stalk before and imagined the terror the sight must have struck into those he had battled over the years but why was he doing it now? He watched intently, wondering if perhaps the villagers were mounting an attack as Hiiro slipped silently up to the mouth of the cave, his mouth already scolding the stone with dripping acid as his body tensed and prepared to defend. “Hiiro?” Duo called once more but it was the last thing the dragon would hear as the side of the mountain suddenly exploded in a blinding, crimson light. “HIIRO!” Duo screamed, launching himself toward his mate but the floor had disappeared from beneath him, his huge body caught unaware as it tumbled from the collapsing cave. A moment later the topside of the cave mouth exploded in a rain of rock and debris and Duo was suddenly falling, his scream cut short by the sudden pain of Hiiro’s claw snatching him by the leg, his huge wings beating the air as his eyes crackled with rage and Duo had just enough time to register that the devastating light was coming from somewhere on the ground before another bolt almost hit his mate in the back. Hiiro jerked and Duo fell, his hands scrabbling madly at the rock face until they caught hold of the small ledge he had sat on during his first climb up the mountain and he turned to see his beloved dragon dodge yet another massive ball of energy. “Hiiro!!!” he shouted but the sound fell flat as he hung from the cliff face. Hiiro roared and lit the sky with flame; the pillar impacting a point on the ground and setting the forest all around on fire but when the flames cleared there was nothing there. Duo gasped and desperately pulled himself up on the ledge, turning to watch the battle, his eyes searching for the source of the attack but he saw nothing until another ball of light burst from the ground narrowly missing his mate where he roared in the scorched sky and Duo got his first glimpse of the cause. How such a small creature could be causing the havoc all around was hard to comprehend but there he stood, nothing more than a young man in purple and gold robes, his bright blond hair glowing brightly as he sent yet another missile into the air. Duo’s chest heaved; his heart stopping until Hiiro twisted and turned, leaving the magic to dissipate in the sky behind him before he turned his eyes back to the magic’s source and reverently breathed… “The Winner Sage.” He had only a moment to inspect the rampaging wizard before his form suddenly disappeared and the spot where he’d been lit up in flame. A small flash of light announced the relocation of the blond boy that was known throughout the world as the single most powerful sorcerer alive and the fear in Duo’s chest nearly split his skin. “HIIRO! FLY AWAY!’ he shouted in vain as another explosion rocked the mountain. “FLY AWAY! HE’LL KILL YOU!” he screamed, his eyes catching sight of a horse cresting the horizon as tears of fear and frustration stained his face. “Wufei!” he rasped through a throat already raw and tight but the Chinese Lord couldn’t hear him. Duo watched in horror as Hiiro was engulfed in a thick rain of blue/white shards, each sizzling and smoking where they connected with his body as he rolled and dodged and Wufei turned his steed and fled as the dragon’s massive form crashed with thunderous impact a short way from where he’d been. “Hiiro,” Duo breathed, unable to take his eyes from the smoldering crater. * “Dragon!” Wufei shouted, abandoning his terrified mount to run through the smoking carnage on foot. “Dragon! Get up!” he growled upon finding the dragon within the dense cloud of rancid smoke laying heavily on his side, one claw firmly planted in the Earth as he coughed and shook his head violently.
Hiiro blinked crusty eyes his way, shaking his head again as if trying to clear away the drooling seepage from his eyes and Wufei suddenly understood he had been blinded by the spell.
“Damn it!” he swore. “Can you manage to fly away?”
Hiiro shook his head to the negative unable to explain the magical barrier surrounding the area that prevented his escape. There was no choice but to stand and fight and though he has lost his vision he had allies so he lowered his neck, offering his back to the Dragon Lord.
“Me?!” Wufei balked. “But I’m no match for a wizard!”
Hiiro snorted impatiently, nudging his huge nose under his reluctant rider forcing the issue.
“But I don’t know how to drive a dragon!” Wufei protested, wishing with all his might the wind would lay and stop steeling away their cover.
Hiiro stepped closer, his huge blue eyes squeezed tightly closed against the crusty seepage that oozed from beneath his dual lids and evenly intoned, “Good fortune… Dragon Lord.”
Wufei hesitated only a moment as the weight of his destiny settled upon him, Hiiro’s spoken words saying much more than his limited vocabulary would allow before he scrambled up Hiiro’s body and assumed Duo’s usual seat.
“Straight up!” he commanded, taking hold of the small horns before him to steady himself as the dragon’s huge wings suddenly pounded the air and they shot skyward.
* Duo watched without hearing a sound, not the wind or the fire or the rock beneath him registered in his mind as he stared blankly into the smoldering wreckage. In the span of the few moments before Hiiro suddenly burst from the smoke and rocketed skyward he came to understand just how deep the dragon had buried himself in his heart. His eyes watched as the battle raged on, his mind registering the small form of Wufei on his back, his elegant face laced with intense concentration as he guided the dragon. It was clear something was wrong but all that mattered to him anymore was the outcome because if Hiiro died he knew he would die with him, if not in body then in soul. There was a part of him that was so utterly entangled he couldn’t see a life without him. His heart ached as he watched the battle turn, the wizard moving smartly among the trees, never staying in one place long enough for Hiiro to land a blow and the dragon began to tire. It was a moment he would never forget, the instant one of the crimson balls singed his mate’s tail making him howl and thrash in the sky; a moment later Hiiro was careening toward the mountain, his huge body slamming into the cliff and Duo jumped without a second thought. “NOO!” Wufei shouted as the braided one’s arms locked around the dragon’s neck. ”Duo?! Hiiro gasped, knowing his mate’s touch my instinct alone. “I love you,” Duo told him, clinging tightly, his eyes drawn to the sudden appearance of an emerald wraith coming in fast. “NOOOOO!” the wizard screamed as the huge sphere of scarlet energy leaving his hand suddenly flared bright gold, impacting first the jade dragon then Hiiro, Duo and Wufei. There was no pain as the light engulfed them but he heard something scream, the sound so horrible his soul cried miserably to hear it, then they were falling but he refused to let go, his body bouncing on the soft Earth, his arms wrapped tightly around his mate’s neck until finally all fell silent and the night wind brushed softly over his bruised and battered skin. “Hiiro,” he choked, coughing the blood in his throat onto the ground but his body went still when he rose up and found a young man in his arms. Confusion held him in place as his mind tried to reason where Hiiro had gone and how the beautiful young man had come to lie beneath him but as he gazed upon the sublime face his heart spied something familiar. “Hiiro?” he breathed, unwilling to believe the possibility of what his eyes were telling him until the moment the young man snapped open crystal blue eyes and screamed. “Hiiro!” Duo rasped, trying desperately to keep him from hurting himself as he thrashed and rolled and clung to his ears all the while screaming at the top of his lungs. It was the most terrifying sound Duo had ever heard but he didn’t know how to stop it so he just held on as the unholy wails filled the night. ~ “Why doesn’t he wake?” Duo softly inquired, his hand rubbing gentle circles on the back of the strange young man’s hand where he lay in a chamber of the castle. “Give it time,” the healer, Sally, soothed but he sighed and wiped his eyes in frustration. She smiled reassuringly but it did little to ease his mind before she moved on to the next bed to attend Wufei. His eyes drifted on down the line where the Winner Sage also lay injured though he couldn’t find any compassion in his heart for him. The jade had taken the brunt of the blast but miraculously survived and was the least injured of them all. Duo watched the silent form beside him, a form he knew in his mind to house the spirit of his magnificent dragon but he couldn’t reconcile the two. The best Sally could do for an explanation was that the Sage must have tried to change the nature of the spell at the last moment and caused a back wash, damaging himself in the process. Duo couldn’t understand why the young wizard would have changed his mind so suddenly but looking to the jade curled in the corner of the room he had a fairly good idea of where to start asking questions. He waited until Sally had finished her rounds and faded down the hall before he addressed the situation. “Why didn’t he kill us?” “He is not an evil man,” Trowa replied without lifting his head. “How do you know that?” Duo persisted not taking his eyes from the crusted lids of the young man on the bed before him. There was a silence before the jade finally raised up to turn emerald eyes upon him and replied, “Because he is the vessel of my heart.” Duo’s eyes slipped shut as his mind quickly put it together. “He did it for you.” Trowa’s silence was reply enough. “But why?” Duo sighed, grinding at his tired eyes again. “You were healing so well…” “I thought…” came a strange voice so quiet he barely heard the sobbing catch in the tone as the sage choked, “I thought you were dead.” In an instant the jade was at his side, his talons slipping gently beneath the young blond to pull him close. “I thought he killed you,” he cried, sobbing like a broken child into the jade’s armored chest. “Who told you that?” Trowa questioned, laying him back and brushing soothingly at his bangs. “The messenger,” the wizard sobbed and Duo was suddenly having trouble reconciling the soft hearted boy before him with the rampaging wizard on the mountain. “She said you were mortally wounded…” “A love bite,” Trowa grinned, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against the blonde’s cheek. “Nothing more.” “I guess all nettles really do have thorns,” Duo snorted wryly, dismissing the wizard’s ability to understand the jade as he leaned over to wrap his free arm around Hiiro’s head and caress his cheek. “Yes,” the wizard wept softly. “That was her name… Nettle…” but his words faded with the brush of Trowa’s cheek against his lips. Duo felt the pain lance his chest at the sight of them, acutely aware that his own dragon mate was laying in an endless sleep as he demanded, “What did you do to him?” “Quatre?” Trowa cooed softly when there was no response for a time. “I’m… not sure,” the blond confessed. “The spell was meant to kill the blue but then you were there and I tried to withdraw but it was too late.” “Sally said you may have tried to alter the spell,” Trowa told him. He paused to contemplate for a moment then sighed heavily. “It’s possible, I suppose, but nothing I did intentionally. I’m glad it didn’t harm you,” he smiled, reaching out to touch the jade’s cheek. “It did enough!” Duo snapped, demanding, “Why is it Trowa and I have no injuries to bear while Hiiro refuses to wake?!” “What color was the light?” Quatre asked patiently. “Scarlet,” Duo snipped but Trowa leaned down and softly corrected… “It faded to gold before impact.” Quatre looked from Duo to Hiiro and then to Wufei and groaned a soft sigh. “Well, that explains why you’re not dead.” “He was screaming!” Duo shouted, rising to his feet. “A sound no man or demon could possibly endure! Now tell me why! Why is he in pain!?!” he roared. “Why won’t he wake!?!” Trowa held the startled wizard’s hand a moment before gently laying him back on the bed and rising to address Duo’s rage with three simple words. “He is human.” Duo stared blankly as his mind attempted to comprehend but his thoughts were suddenly wiped clean of anything but his mate when Hiiro’s hand closed tightly around his fingers. “Hiiro!” he gasped, falling beside his stricken mate. “Hiiro? Can you hear me?” “Pain,” a strange voice said and he winced at the sound that rattled in his throat. “What can I do?” Duo sniffed, trying hard to keep the tears from filling his eyes. “Please,” Hiiro rasped, clinging tightly to his hand, his lids splitting and cracking open and Duo gasped at the iridescent evidence that this was indeed his dragon in his eyes. “Hiiro,” he sobbed, falling on his chest. “Please,” Hiiro repeated, his tone strained as he fought for breath and begged, “Let him kill me.” Duo’s head snapped up, his heart hammering as he looked down into the deep blue misery in those most precious eyes as the one he loved pleaded. “Let him kill me… I can feel death in every breath of this body… please…” “No,” Duo wept, trying desperately to find a brave smiled. “It’ll be ok… we’ll find a way… he’ll change you back… right? You can just change him back?” Quatre’s head turned away. “You can change him back, right?” Duo persisted. “It’s not that simple,” Trowa began. “Then MAKE it that simple!” Duo shouted. “You did this to him! You make it right!” “I can’t,” Quatre confessed. “Why not!” “Because I don’t know exactly what the hell I did!” the blond snapped. “Then figure it out,” Duo growled, suddenly on his feet and moving toward him. “Or so help me…” “Duo…” Hiiro rasped, calling the braided one back to his side instantly. “I’m here.” “Don’t’ leave me,” Hiiro begged fearfully as he clutched on and held tight. “I’m here,” Duo breathed, pulling him close as he promised. “I’ll never leave you.” Quatre watched the pair with narrow-eyed consideration for so long Trowa began to wonder about his thoughts and gave his hand a short squeeze. The action drew his mate’s attention and the blond graced him with a smile but then his aquamarine eyes drifted back to the long haired young man and the jade let him drown in the depths of his thoughts.
tbc... |
