Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Night's Redemption ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not own either Gundam Wing or Weiß Kreuz

"blah" speaking

/blah/ thoughts

`blah' telepathy

-

Omi sat back in his chair, idly tapping his pen against his books. /Two weeks and still nothing. Even the missions have slowed down./ He kept one ear open, listening to the conversations around him. It was the start of the second half of the year and everyone was talking about their breaks.

"Did you hear?" one girl excitedly asked.

"No, what?"

"We're getting new students! I heard they're all really cute." The girl sighed wistfully. "Just think, three guys, each one new to the area and …"

The door opened, cutting off all conversation as the teacher entered. Omi sat up, his grip tightening on his pen, shocked, as the three young men followed. Reaching her desk, the teacher tapped on the board to get the classes attention. The students eagerly turned their attention towards the front, focusing on the three men that stood there.

"Class, I'd like to welcome you back and I hope each of you had a wonderful break. As you have noticed, we have some new students joining us today; each is new to the area and I am sure you will make them feel at home. Gentlemen, if you would introduce yourselves," she turned towards the young men, waiting for them to begin.

The blonde stepped forward first. "Hello, my name is Quatre Winner. I look forward to learning all your names." He bowed slightly when done.

Omi absently noted a faint, musical quality to his accent. Quatre Winner was not a native speaker but Omi couldn't figure out where the blonde originally came from.

The light haired brunette spoke next. "Hi there! Duo Maxwell's the name; I'm sure we're gonna have a lot of fun!" He winked as he bowed, his long braid slithering over his shoulder. As he stood he flicked it back behind with a practiced ease.

Omi could hear the girls to his right whisper amongst themselves at the sight, sighing at the length of the hair on the boy. /American,/ Omi thought, easily placing the young mans behavior. /And his eyes are blue, deep blue. Interesting./ He unconsciously tensed as the last person stepped forward.

"Nagi Naoe." The last man formally bowed before stepping back in line with the other two.

Omi stared ahead, brain frantically working. He spent most of the morning in a daze, absently answering the teacher when called upon. Two of the new students, Duo and Quatre, were seated a couple of rows behind him while Nagi was seated near the front. Lunch finally arrived and Omi gratefully escaped outside to sit underneath one of the trees dotting the school grounds. He leaned back against the trunk, staring up at the foliage.

"Something bothering you Bombay?"

Halting his instinctive reaction, going for a dart, Omi slowly lowered his head to gaze at the person standing before him. "What do you want Prodigy?"

Nagi sat down before him, casually crossing his legs. "I suspect it's the same reason as you; to figure out what those people are up to." Nagi extended a hand. "I'm not here to fight you."

Omi stared at it before reluctantly shaking it. "Alright, truce accepted. So what have you found on them?"

Nagi sighed. "Except for what was on your computer, absolutely nothing. Even trying to trace the school records of those two yielded nothing."

"Damn," Omi softly swore, "I was hoping you would have found something more. We're missing something, but what?" He started tapping his thigh was he thought. "I don't suppose you could tell me why you're looking for them?"

"Crawford had a vision about one of them; I can't tell you which one. But he does not intend to harm any of them."

"Well, that is good to hear!" A cheerful voice interrupted them. They both looked up quickly, startled, trying to locate the person that had somehow managed to sneak up on both of them. A brief rustle amongst the leaves was their only warning as Duo gracefully jumped down from the tree to stand beside them. "And thank you for confirming your names. If you want to know more then be at this address after school ends." He flicked two cards, one at each one, smirking as both reacted. "We'd prefer if you came alone but Thoth is welcome to join you Nagi." He waved and sauntered off, braid swinging behind him with each step.

Omi and Nagi stared at the cards each had reflexively snatched from the air. Simultaneously, they looked up, meeting the others eyes. Nagi broke the silence first.

"They know precisely who we are and undoubtedly exactly what our skills are." /But how could he know about Thoth? There is nothing in either Estet's or Schwarz' databases!/ Nagi fumed, keeping the feeling from appearing on his face.

"And I doubt this is a trap; my instincts are telling me to trust him." Omi fingered the edge of the card. "If one of them is skilled enough to sneak up on both of us, just how powerful will the entire group be?" Omi stood up, knowing he wouldn't be able to eat. "I'm going." He sighed. /Aya will just have to find someone else to cover my shift./

"Then I'll see you out front when school ends." Nagi lay back to watch the clouds. /I wonder what she's like./ He snarled at the wistful tone, firmly reminding himself why he hated normal humans.

-

Duo plopped down beside Quatre. The blonde young man didn't open his eyes, having recognized who was approaching him. "Well, that's that." Duo lay down, pillowing his head with his linked hands.

"How'd it go?" Quatre switched to arabic. They had decided to use his native language to pass messages. Most of the general populous wouldn't know it and it wasn't one of the many languages listed in the profiles of both Weiß and Schwarz. However, they were still careful about what they said.

"Smoothly." Duo followed Quatre's lead. "That practice all last week came in handy; moving between shadows is a great way to sneak up on people. Those two confirmed their code names and the `kinetic, Nagi, mentioned that his group, Schwarz, is not out to harm Duet. Although he didn't say anything about trying to get her for other uses. And I got the impression that Weiß is only looking to see what sort of a threat, if any, we pose to them and the public. After they find out we're safe they'll leave us alone."

"So will they be joining us tonight?"

"Fairly certain." They enjoyed the rest of the break in silence, Duo standing and stretching as the bell signaled the end of lunch. "So why were we the ones sent back to school again?"

Quatre chuckled as he stood, dusting himself off. "Because we're the ones that can contain any threat Nagi and Omi could throw our way and we're the ones that are the most, hmmm, approachable." The two agents spent the walk back debating how Heero and Wufei would react, both agreeing that Trowa would fit right in while Sally was just too old to pass herself off as a teenager.

The rest of the day blurred by for Duo and Quatre, both anxious to find out exactly what Weiß and Schwarz's plans were; at least as far as their little group was concerned. They made their way to the small parking area for motorcycles, not surprised to see both Omi and Nagi waiting for them. Nagi leaned against one of the support poles for the metal roof while Omi stood by his bike, talking to someone on his cell phone.

Duo and Quatre quickly walked to their respective bikes, securing their bags in the small compartment under the seat. Duo slipped his helmet on, mentally cursing Tokyo's helmet law. /At least they don't require the full face version./ He left the goggles resting on his forehead as he adjusted the straps.

As Duo prepared for the ride, Quatre headed over to Omi and Nagi, slightly lowering his shields. /Hmmm, Omi is upset but eager. He wants this mystery solved. But Nagi … he's also eager but it's tinged with something else. I'll have to ask to Salman about it./ "I'm glad both of you accepted our invitation. Nagi, will you need to get Thoth or have you already told him where to meet you?"

"He'll meet us there; I shall ride with Omi." Nagi felt his ire rise at the second mention of his bondmate. /How? How do they know? Thoth wouldn't tell me anything when I asked, only re-iterated the need not to take her./ He mentally frowned, pushing his anger to one side. /I'm going to have a talk with him./

The ride over was uneventful. Omi contained his unease as he noticed them driving further out of Tokyo, mentally tracking where they were. He knew the others would be tracing the signal on his bike, getting themselves into position to help him if it became necessary. He felt better about having them there and Duo had said they'd only prefer Nagi and himself to arrive alone. And he was fairly certain Mastermind was tracking Nagi.

Omi had no idea just how accurate that assumption was. Mastermind, Oracle and Berserk were all in another vehicle, paralleling the three bike procession. Nagi knew they were there and had warned Thoth. After all, he had promised not to take the girl, but the others had not.

A few minutes later Duo and Quatre pulled into a driveway, three other motorcycles and a compact car clearly visible in the open garage. The two agents parked along side the bikes as Omi pulled up behind them, putting the kickstand down as he shut his bike off. Duo yanked his helmet and goggles off, tossing them atop a table as he headed into the attached house.

"If you'll follow Duo, please? I'll be along shortly." Quatre gestured after the disappearing braided young man, a gentle smile on his face. "You'll find Thoth and the others inside."

Giving a curt nod, Nagi walked through the door, following the now vanished man. Omi glanced between the two before doing likewise, placing his helmet on his bike as he left. He found Nagi in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, a dark gray, golden eyed cat perching on his shoulders. Sitting on the countertop across from Nagi was Duo, drinking something red; it looked like tomato juice. Beside him another young man chopped vegetables for frying. As Omi entered the man preparing the vegetables glanced over, eyes briefly looking him over before going back to his task. /Ah, another one from the video. Then the others are quite possibly all here./ Omi wished he could pass that information on.

"Hey Omi! Welcome to our house; this is Trowa. He doesn't speak unless he has something to say, unlike me." He grinned as Trowa let out a chuckle. "And that," he pointed to the cat on Nagi's shoulder, "is Thoth."

His eyes snapped over, puzzlement evident. "They invited your cat?"

Nagi stiffened at that remark while Duo roared with laughter, Trowa letting out a few chuckles of his own.

"Not quite," Duo recovered, still chortling. "Thoth isn't a cat, he's an ame-neko. Don't worry, the rest of us had similar reactions. You'll be meeting at least two others …" Duo watched Trowa from the corner of his eyes. He relaxed minutely when he saw the taller man nod.

`I don't suppose you'll tell me who the other two are?' Nagi kept a close watch on Duo and Trowa. The worst part was he knew they were hiding something but he hadn't the faintest idea what. Even Crawford was becoming irritable, upset at the lack of progress.

`Their names are Salman and Kali.'

Nagi tried to suppress his start at Thoth's answer but didn't completely succeed.

Duo finished his drink, placing the glass in the sink. "Help yourselves to anything in the fridge except the stuff in the pitcher, that's a special drink for me and my cousin. Drink it and you'll get really sick. We'll be meeting in the living room and as soon as the rest of us arrive we'll begin." He glanced at Nagi before transferring his gaze to Thoth. "It would be better if you could change forms, Thoth. Not everyone can understand mind speech." Duo headed out the kitchen, ignoring the questioning looks both Omi and Nagi sent after him.

"Mind speech? Change forms? And why was he talking to the cat like it could understand?" Omi watched perplexed as Thoth jumped down. His jaw dropped as the cat glowed, the bright light momentarily blinding him. When his vision cleared a slim young man with black hair done in multiple plaits wearing a cream colored long sleeved shirt, slightly darker pants and woven sandals stood where Thoth had been. Then the new youth turned towards Omi and his eyes widened in shock. The young man had the exact same eyes as the small cat; golden, slit-pupiled eyes. Omi soundlessly worked his jaw, trying to form a sentence.

"I am an ame-neko, not a cat. Please stop calling me that." Thoth continued his turn until he faced Nagi. "Bondmate, I am sorry to have kept this from you. Please understand that she is our greatest hope. We would do anything to protect her, even if it meant withholding information; some of us have even been forced to work against our bondmates. A few have even killed themselves, taking their bondmates with them."

Nagi stared at Thoth, shocked to his core. "So," he finally got out, "if I hadn't agreed not to take her, then you might have killed the both of us?" Thoth nodded, reluctance and anguish playing on his face.

"She is our only chance." Thoth quietly whispered, Omi straining to catch the words.

Nagi continued to stare at Thoth. "I don't like it, but once I hear why I might forgive it." He strode out of the room, heading, Omi presumed, to the living room.

"Well, that went better then I thought it would." Omi glanced at Trowa, surprised at the soft voice.

"I take it all this will also be explained when you tell me exactly who the seven of you are." Omi felt relieved when Trowa nodded. "My apologies, Thoth, but you did look like a cat." Thoth inclined his head, accepting the apology. "Shall we join whomever is already in the living room? I hope you can lead the way."

Thoth gave a quick grin. "It's this way." The two walked out, missing Quatre's entrance by seconds.

Quatre wearily entered the kitchen, Salman in human form close behind. Trowa bit his lower lip, keeping his concern unvoiced. Wrapping his arms around the slim waist, Quatre buried his face between Trowa's shoulder blades. "It's done," he breathed out. "Shiva and Thor are escorting Schuldig here; he's the only one I couldn't relax to sleep. Are Wufei and Sally back?"

"Not yet. Why don't you go rest in the living room? I'll secure the garage once they get back." Trowa glanced at Salman, the two nodding slightly in unspoken agreement.

"Come Bondmate, let's see what Bright Star is up to." Salman placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder, gently guiding the exhausted young man.

Quatre gave a weak grin before stumbling towards the living room, leaning against both the walls and Salman for support. /There better be a chair free or I'm going to collapse on someone!/

-

Ken leaned back against the tree he had chosen, arms crossed and head bowed, looking as though he wasn't paying any heed to the activities around him. While nothing could be further from the truth, he was none the less shocked when the Chinese youth suddenly appeared before him. Ken hadn't heard him approach at all; not a whisper of movement.

"Before you pull out your bugnuk's, please listen to what I have to say."

Ken stared, mind running in circles as he tried to process what the young man had said. He finally relaxed, "Sure, go ahead. Might I have your name since I'm sure you already know mine."

The black haired youth inclined his head, the greeting between two equals. Ken's eyebrows rose when he was given that honor. "I am Wufei Chang. Your teammate, Tsukiyono, is joining us for dinner and a discussion; we would be honored if you would come as well." Wufei watched the brunette mentally debate. "You may, if you wish, inform your other teammates. I shall wait over there for your answer." He easily strode over to another tree, ten feet away.

Ken noted his movement with professional interest. /He's a master, but I'm not sure what school of martial arts./ Pulling out his phone, Ken dialed Yohji first. /Omi could always use the backup, and the skills they've shown so far put them at our level or even beyond. I know Omi said they asked him to come alone, but they didn't insist on it, nor did they insist on him coming unarmed. Either they don't view us as a threat, or they don't think we'll use our weapons against them. I have a hunch it's both./ Yohji agreed with Ken, reassuring the brunette that he would stay around just in case.

"Besides, we actually got Aya to close the store earlier for this. If I head back, he'll make me reopen it, alone."

Ken chuckled and hung up, calling Aya next. Their leader agreed with Ken, and like Yohji would be staying in the area.

"Give us another call when you and Omi leave. We'll meet in the basement and discuss what the two of you have learned."

"Sure thing Aya." Ken hung up and put his phone away. He looked over at Wufei, not surprised to see the youth in the identical position Ken had been in. Unlike Ken, though, Wufei looked up when Ken came within five feet. "Thank you for the invitation, I'll be joining you."

"Follow me." Wufei walked off, not looking to see if Ken followed.

Ken shook his head at the display of arrogance before following. /It's not arrogance if it's earned./ Ken had a sneaking suspicion it had been earned, five times over.

-

Duet looked up from her book as Duo entered the living room. She smiled a greeting, marking her place as she put the novel away. "You had a good day."

Duo mock scowled. "Just once I'd like to surprise you." Heero chuckled as he closed down his laptop. "Yeah, it was a good day. Hopefully the night will be even better." He tilted his head, one eyebrow arched as his eyes roamed over Heero's form.

"Behave yourself and it might be." Heero walked over, giving Duo a quick kiss on the cheek. "Welcome home," he whispered before going to lean against the wall by the opening to the short hallway. His voice snapped back to its normal timber. "Wufei is inviting Hidaka over; the three other members tracked the signal in Tsukiyono's bike."

"So Quatre was right." Duo sat down beside Duet on the sofa. "Then again, that is something we'd do."

"And have done." Heero listened as the conversation in the kitchen died down and one person left, heading this way. He didn't recognize the tread pattern.

Nagi paused just outside the doorway, still standing in the hallway looking into the living room. "You."

Duet met his eyes unflinching. "Greetings Light Hope. Please don't be angry with Thoth; he wasn't given a choice. All the ame-neko obey their elder first, regardless of who their bondmate is."

Nagi blinked. "Hm. Then why didn't he tell me that?"

"Did you give him a chance to," Duet countered.

Nagi continued into the room, not answering her question. "Will you tell me your name?"

Duet smiled. "In a bit. We're waiting for some other guests." She leaned back, her feet tucked up under her. "When did you first meet Thoth?"

Nagi watched her, puzzled. "A few months ago."

"So you're still learning the limits of your new abilities." Duet nodded, understanding.

He sat in the chair opposite from her. "What … what was it like for you?"

Duet's face hardened. "I'd rather not talk about that."

"Hm. So it was the same for you." Nagi crossed his arms as he leaned back in the chair. He barely glanced up as Omi and Thoth entered.

"Before you ask, we'll do a mass introduction once everyone gets back. In the mean time make yourselves comfortable." Duo noticed Thoth move to stand behind his bondmate while Omi walked around to stand by the large entertainment center they had set up.

Heero suppressed a chuckle as he noticed the defensive positions they were taking. Both Omi and Nagi now had two exits they could try for if they wanted to leave in a hurry. Once more, it was something that he and the others had, continued, and would do in the future. Quatre and Salman entered next, the exhausted blonde almost falling into the sofa besides Duo.

"Damn Q; that took a lot out of you." Duo whistled softly.

"You have no idea." Quatre shuddered. "I never want to touch those minds again." Salman took a mirror position to Thoth.

As Nagi looked at the new person, he hid his surprise; Salman had the same type of eyes as Thoth now did. /So, this is Salman. Then that person, Quatre, is also like Crawford, Schuldig and myself. Interesting./ A few minutes later Wufei entered, walking around the room until he reached the opposite wall, leaning against it in mirror to Heero.

Duo suppressed another chuckle. /And Trowa will take the wall behind Quatre and myself while Sally will probably stand on the other side of the TV. Geez we're paranoid./ He glanced at Duet out of the corner of his eyes. /But with good reason./ Duo watched with interest as Ken walked over to Omi, the two talking in hushed tones. He didn't bother warning them that the whole place had been rigged and their conversation was being recorded. If they didn't think of it then why should he?

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room as the three groups watched eachother, the only ones who didn't manage to look relaxed were Nagi, Omi and Ken. Nearly fifteen minutes went by before another person joined them.

Schuldig entered, preceded by Shiva and followed by Thor, both in human form, and a slender dark skinned woman, her long black hair secured with a simple tie. She wore a black tube top, a faint tattoo showing on her flat, exposed stomach, a pair of faded, torn jeans, with woven sandals on her feet. A chakra rested in the middle of her forehead, similar to the one on Shiva. She immediately walked over and knelt by Duet, her dark blue, nearly black eyes, focused on Nagi, pupils lost in the color.

Nagi stiffened as the four entered, trying to mentally contact Schuldig. Thoth placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

`You won't be able to, Bondmate. Dream Bringer is being restrained by Thor and Shiva. I did not know they would be joining us.'

Nagi noted Duo's raised eyebrow at the new arrivals. `I think that they weren't either.'

Ken and Omi tensed as Schuldig entered. /So that's why I was invited,/ Ken thought. /To balance out the group. I just hope they know what they're dealing with./ He and Omi kept close watch as Schuldig leaned against the chair Nagi sat in, Shiva and Thor staying close by.

Just seconds later Sally and Trowa entered the room, taking the positions Duo had mentally assigned them. Duo glanced around at his friends, receiving the signal to begin. "Right then," he leaned forward, his gaze sweeping between the members of Schwarz and Weiß. "Let me explain some things to you."

-

A/N

Well, here it is, the next chapter in time for Christmas! As for the concern expressed about future pairs; don't worry! I really can't say anything more `cause I'll give stuff away that I don't want to -.O As for what Duet went through in the last two chapters, it will be explained, promise! And for the members of Schwarz getting their own ame-neko, well, I could say just wait and see, but if you think about it, you'll realize just who will and will not have bondmates. I will say that everyone who will bond during the bulk of this story has already done so. I hope I kept the characters from Weiß Kreuz in character; maybe I should go watch that again… Anyways, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Happy Hanukah, and a general Merry Mid Winter Holiday Season!

Please review, critiques welcome and all flames will be used to make hot chocolate!