Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Life Is Pain ❯ Part 7 ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Life Is Pain: Part 7
Okee-day, this is the next part. Yes, you guys *do* meet my Ryu-kun. He turns up in the most unexpected way, though.
1x2, 2+5, 3x4, IxC and 6xS (if you haven't gotten that, then go back and read the earlier parts) 9x11, RxR (Spoiler, ^.^;; sorry!), RxRx1 (in their sick and twisted little dreams), YAOI and YURI, AU, OOC, OC, magic, mayhem, chaos, panic, you name it.
Life Is Pain: What Is Going On HERE?!?
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Once in the room that Akabri had scouted out, everyone of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're right under the Throne Room," Ierne said, her eyes dilating in the torchlight. "It sounds like she's up there alone."
Duo looked at the werepanther hesitantly. "Why?"
Sköll looked at him. "We have a duty to do. She didn't hold court back when she raised us, so it's not surprising that she doesn't now." Her violet eyes flashed once. Her left hand twitched as she looked at Akabri, almost as if she wanted to draw a weapon she didn't have.
Wufei saw the gesture and poked Flaming Eagle in the back. "What has the blonde got against the vamp?" he whispered.
Flame glanced at the Asian and sighed. :Only thing I'm good for is information it seems,: she thought. "Sköll was a vampire hunter when she was alive. Akabri's a vampire. Make the connection, Justice-boy."
Wufei put things together. "She still wants to kill Akabri?"
Sköll looked back at the Asian and the Indian. "To put it mildly," she muttered.
Chen looked at Heero once before putting her hand on Ierne's arm. "Do you want me to go up first?" she asked quietly of the wereleopard. "She liked me, if I do recall. Maybe she won't react violently if she sees me first and then you guys come in quietly and from different directions."
Ierne relaxed for a second and purred softly. "I'll have them split up and go around to various entrances."
Chen smiled. "Thank you. I'd rather see as little pressure put on you right now as possible." Her fire green eyes smiled at the wereleopard even as her face did.
Ierne nodded. "I want as little excess blood shed as possible. Besides, Akabri got to eat tonight, it's my turn."
Chen nodded grimly. :As much as I hate to admit it, she is right. And, it is only fair.:
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Sitting in her private quarters, Relena managed to smile as she brushed her hair. *In a few more days, I'll be secretly married to the most wonderful man on Earth. Then, I'll be able to marry the most powerful man in this sector and gain the power I so rightly deserve.* She thought with a smile.
"You look so tranquil, my sweet," a rich baritone voice said from the doorway behind her. Ryu Shi-no-kaze, a tall man with blue-black hair that reached his waist and pale grey eyes, stood behind her with his arms crossed. "For a woman so deeply devoted to pacifism, it strikes me as odd that you'd ask me for a triumverative marriage, since it is counter to the law, but I suppose that it's worth it since the third you suggested is *such* a handsome thing." He said, smiling sensuously.
She turned to look at him. "Kaze-chan, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that." She admonished, putting down the brush on the dressing table.
Ryu smiled and walked over to her. "My dear, you should wear less more often." He fingered the lacy negligee delicately. "Re-mitsu, you needn't worry about our third. I'll make sure he comes around."
Blushing at his touch, Relena pulled away a little, but not out of his reach. "I know you will. I'm just--I'm just not used to you being so--informal around me."
Ryu laughed and reached forward to brush her hair out of her face. "My wonderful child, you should be used to my touch by now, since we've been formally engaged for the past four years." He smiled and brushed his hand against her cheek. "Besides, you know how much I love you."
Relena turned away from him. "If you would not do such things like that, then I'd be a lot more comfortable around you."
He raised an elegant eyebrow. "My dear, surely you don't blame me for the death of your last lover--that sorceress? Love, if I could have been here to help, the whole thing would never have happened." He walked behind her and put his arms around her. "Besides, why settle for a low-class sorceress when you can have a high power adept, such as myself?"
"Those demons have returned," Relena said coolly, avoiding his gaze. "The ones that killed Doro-chan."
Ryu sighed. "I will rid this plane of them completely if you say the word, my love." He said quietly, using his own empathy to make her feel more receptive.
Relena turned to look at him. "I can't ask you to do that. It would kill Heero."
Ryu nodded. "That is a possibility. And if our third has taken up with one of these demons, then I will make sure that she pays for corrupting him before I exorcise her." He pressed her back against himself, power radiating off of his body.
Relena smiled slightly. "Promise?" she asked quietly.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Noin saw Sally practically *run* from the dungeons, a panicked and sickened look on her face. *That's definitely not a good sign,* she thought, mentally preparing herself for the worst. "Hilde?" she asked, hesitating when something slithered out of the dark.
Hilde peered out of the darkness. "Noin! Come in, come in! I'll find you a spot that isn't slimy so you can sit down." The light reflected off of the glasses she wore for hard to decipher texts.
Noin stepped over things that she didn't want to name. "Schbieker-san, if this is a bad time, I'll come back later," she said, looking around.
Hilde smiled evilly. "No, this is a great time, actually. Sally just dropped off a text for me to decipher for her. Please, do sit down." She gestured to the seat Sally had vacated. "Now, about this experiment you volunteered for," she started to say.
Noin held up her hand. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I know Relena-san volunteered me for it out of anger, and I was wondering if there was a way for us to simply not worry about it."
"Oh no, Noin-sama!" Hilde said, frowning. "You see, I *do* require an assistant. It's simply that I need someone to make sure that the ingredients are correct."
*Why do I have a bad feeling about this?* Noin thought as she saw something move in a dark corner.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Sally collapsed in her favorite chair in her apartment of rooms. *Sweet Goddess of Healing, that can't be true! Those women were predestined to kill Relena simply because it was part of their natures to begin with, and her having them revived from the dead only -strengthened- the desire! Sweet Goddess, what has she done?!* she put her head in her hands.
Zechs walked over to sit beside her. "What has Relena done now?" he asked quietly, sensing her distress.
She looked at him and smiled gently. "She's set up her own demise, that's what she's done." She sighed and looked into his sightless blue eyes. "She'd never have gotten to this point if you had simply let that fire go, rather than trying to be the hero and save your foster-parents."
Zechs made a small sound like a snort. "I couldn't let them die without trying to save them, Sally. You know that. You knew that when we got engaged, when 'Lena-chan was only seven years old." He 'looked' down, letting his hair cascade like a white-blonde waterfall.
Sally patted his hand. "I love you because of your heroic impulses, you dolt." Her voice was soft and tender as she spoke to him, knowing that even though he couldn't see her face, he could feel the sentiment. "But, mainly I love you because you are who you are. Mine."
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Good. I'm glad we got that settled, then," he said, snuggling close to her, not needing to see in order to lean against her comfortably. *Why can't Relena leave well enough alone and stop meddling?*
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Chen stepped into the empty receiving hall, cringing at every sound she made. :Now I see why all the others were reluctant to let me go first,: she thought, silently cursing herself for choosing heeled boots. While they looked like second skin and as silent, they creaked and clanked as she moved.
"Who's there?" Une peered around in the darkness, guarding the entrance to Relena's private room off of the receiving hall.
Chen stepped into a shaft of light. "It's me, Lady. I've come back to warn the Queen--" she said, silently casting an illusion over herself to make it seem like she was injured and bleeding.
"Xia-san!" Une looked shocked. She knew Chen Xia as an operative in her own spy-corps, and trusted her implicitly. What Une didn't know, however, was that Chen wasn't alive.
Chen nodded and limped towards her. "I must see the Queen. Now!"
Une nodded. "I'll go get her--wait here--I'll have Po sent up immediately." She turned and ran through the door she guarded.
Relena flew through the door after a moment, Ryu following behind her. She stopped at a few feet in front of Chen, and looked at her. "KISAMA!!!!!" she screamed and lunged at the Asian woman.
Ryu grabbed his fiancée around the waist and held her away from the other woman. "Relena! Get a hold of yourself! You're a queen, damn it, act like one!" he yelled at her, using all his strength to keep her from killing the other woman.
Unnoticed by everyone, since Chen was acting as a diversion, Heero and Duo had quietly entered the room from one side, Ierne, Flaming Eagle and Wufei from the opposite direction, Trowa and Sköll from directly behind the group, and Akabri and Quatre from the front.
Relena started screaming. "HOW DARE YOU TRY AND STEAL HIM AWAY FROM ME?! YOU BITCH! I'LL TEAR YOU APART WITH MY BARE HANDS IF I HAVE TO!! KI-SA-MA!!!!" she fought her fiancé with all the strength she had.
Heero quietly walked over to Chen and put a hand on her shoulder. "Enough. You've done your job." He said quietly, almost gently, as she walked to stand beside her lover.
Relena stopped fighting as soon as she saw Heero. "Heero-chan--you came--you *do* love me!" she screamed, almost bouncing for joy in Ryu's arms.
Heero raised an eyebrow at the man holding the ecstatic young woman. "Let her go." He said flatly. As she bounded towards him, he shook his head. "Stay back, Relena-san."
Duo stepped forward to stand behind his lover. "Hee-chan, may I?" he asked, looking almost alarmingly unsure of himself.
Heero nodded and turned to face the braided pilot. "Go ahead." His cobalt eyes flashed once with the knowledge that he was about to do something that would change his life forever.
Duo leaned forward and kissed Heero tentatively. When Heero didn't push him away, Duo kissed him with more confidence. After a few moments, Heero pushed him away gently.
Staring directly at Relena, Heero pulled a small box out of a pocket. Never once looking away from Relena, he held out the box to Duo. "This is for you, Duo." He said quietly, opening it with one hand.
Duo took the box and looked at it. Inside the box was a band of gold, with a pair of hands holding a heart with a crown resting on it engraved on the ring. On the inside of the lid of the box, in Heero's efficient script, was 'Marry me, Duo?' [A/N: Yeah, it's a claddaugh ring, a traditional Celtic ring signifying friendship, love, and loyalty. As a wedding ring, it signifies *eternal* fidelity. *^.^* Cool, ne?]
On the side lines, Ierne wiped away a tear. /Man, this is *so* romantic!!/, she thought to Chen.
Chen nodded imperceptibly. /For once, I heartily agree with you, dearest./
Relena fainted dead away. Ryu, after setting her gently on the ground, walked over to stand near Heero. "Remarkable," he said, walking around Heero, obviously checking him out. "I can see why she wants you so badly. Actually, I think it makes *me* want you more," he said softly, touching Heero's cheek with one finger.
Heero jerked away from the touch. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing here?"
Ryu smiled and leaned in, almost kissing the man. "I am Ryu Shi-no-kaze. The dragon of death's winds. And Relena's betrothed. And yours, for that matter."
Duo frowned. "I thought you looked familiar, Kaze." Speaking to those who didn't know the blue-black haired man, Duo continued. "Shi-no-kaze is an adept with death-magic. He beat me to some pretty pricey jobs too." Looking at the blue-black haired adept, Duo's expression was confused. "So why in the name of Death are you here, anyway?"
Ryu smiled savagely at the braided man. "I have reason to believe you'll find that out soon enough, pretty-boy."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Keiryn-neko: Woohoo! Neat, ne? ^.^
Ryu-kun: HEY!! WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MAKING ME THE VILLIAN?!!???!?!
K-n: ^.^;; Well, Ryu-kins, you're not the *only* villain...
Ryu-kun: Like that makes much difference. ::pouts:: AND WHAT'S THE DEAL PUTTING ME WITH RELENA??????
K-n: Heh. ^.-;;; ::mutters:: Don't yell, Ryu-kun, or I'll *give* you something to yell about. ::louder:: She needed a male counterpart. You fit the bill. It's not for forever, Ryu-kins. Go tell Hotohori, Zechs, Duo and Wufei to get something to eat--I think I'll be here awhile.
Okee-day, this is the next part. Yes, you guys *do* meet my Ryu-kun. He turns up in the most unexpected way, though.
1x2, 2+5, 3x4, IxC and 6xS (if you haven't gotten that, then go back and read the earlier parts) 9x11, RxR (Spoiler, ^.^;; sorry!), RxRx1 (in their sick and twisted little dreams), YAOI and YURI, AU, OOC, OC, magic, mayhem, chaos, panic, you name it.
Life Is Pain: What Is Going On HERE?!?
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Once in the room that Akabri had scouted out, everyone of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're right under the Throne Room," Ierne said, her eyes dilating in the torchlight. "It sounds like she's up there alone."
Duo looked at the werepanther hesitantly. "Why?"
Sköll looked at him. "We have a duty to do. She didn't hold court back when she raised us, so it's not surprising that she doesn't now." Her violet eyes flashed once. Her left hand twitched as she looked at Akabri, almost as if she wanted to draw a weapon she didn't have.
Wufei saw the gesture and poked Flaming Eagle in the back. "What has the blonde got against the vamp?" he whispered.
Flame glanced at the Asian and sighed. :Only thing I'm good for is information it seems,: she thought. "Sköll was a vampire hunter when she was alive. Akabri's a vampire. Make the connection, Justice-boy."
Wufei put things together. "She still wants to kill Akabri?"
Sköll looked back at the Asian and the Indian. "To put it mildly," she muttered.
Chen looked at Heero once before putting her hand on Ierne's arm. "Do you want me to go up first?" she asked quietly of the wereleopard. "She liked me, if I do recall. Maybe she won't react violently if she sees me first and then you guys come in quietly and from different directions."
Ierne relaxed for a second and purred softly. "I'll have them split up and go around to various entrances."
Chen smiled. "Thank you. I'd rather see as little pressure put on you right now as possible." Her fire green eyes smiled at the wereleopard even as her face did.
Ierne nodded. "I want as little excess blood shed as possible. Besides, Akabri got to eat tonight, it's my turn."
Chen nodded grimly. :As much as I hate to admit it, she is right. And, it is only fair.:
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Sitting in her private quarters, Relena managed to smile as she brushed her hair. *In a few more days, I'll be secretly married to the most wonderful man on Earth. Then, I'll be able to marry the most powerful man in this sector and gain the power I so rightly deserve.* She thought with a smile.
"You look so tranquil, my sweet," a rich baritone voice said from the doorway behind her. Ryu Shi-no-kaze, a tall man with blue-black hair that reached his waist and pale grey eyes, stood behind her with his arms crossed. "For a woman so deeply devoted to pacifism, it strikes me as odd that you'd ask me for a triumverative marriage, since it is counter to the law, but I suppose that it's worth it since the third you suggested is *such* a handsome thing." He said, smiling sensuously.
She turned to look at him. "Kaze-chan, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that." She admonished, putting down the brush on the dressing table.
Ryu smiled and walked over to her. "My dear, you should wear less more often." He fingered the lacy negligee delicately. "Re-mitsu, you needn't worry about our third. I'll make sure he comes around."
Blushing at his touch, Relena pulled away a little, but not out of his reach. "I know you will. I'm just--I'm just not used to you being so--informal around me."
Ryu laughed and reached forward to brush her hair out of her face. "My wonderful child, you should be used to my touch by now, since we've been formally engaged for the past four years." He smiled and brushed his hand against her cheek. "Besides, you know how much I love you."
Relena turned away from him. "If you would not do such things like that, then I'd be a lot more comfortable around you."
He raised an elegant eyebrow. "My dear, surely you don't blame me for the death of your last lover--that sorceress? Love, if I could have been here to help, the whole thing would never have happened." He walked behind her and put his arms around her. "Besides, why settle for a low-class sorceress when you can have a high power adept, such as myself?"
"Those demons have returned," Relena said coolly, avoiding his gaze. "The ones that killed Doro-chan."
Ryu sighed. "I will rid this plane of them completely if you say the word, my love." He said quietly, using his own empathy to make her feel more receptive.
Relena turned to look at him. "I can't ask you to do that. It would kill Heero."
Ryu nodded. "That is a possibility. And if our third has taken up with one of these demons, then I will make sure that she pays for corrupting him before I exorcise her." He pressed her back against himself, power radiating off of his body.
Relena smiled slightly. "Promise?" she asked quietly.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Noin saw Sally practically *run* from the dungeons, a panicked and sickened look on her face. *That's definitely not a good sign,* she thought, mentally preparing herself for the worst. "Hilde?" she asked, hesitating when something slithered out of the dark.
Hilde peered out of the darkness. "Noin! Come in, come in! I'll find you a spot that isn't slimy so you can sit down." The light reflected off of the glasses she wore for hard to decipher texts.
Noin stepped over things that she didn't want to name. "Schbieker-san, if this is a bad time, I'll come back later," she said, looking around.
Hilde smiled evilly. "No, this is a great time, actually. Sally just dropped off a text for me to decipher for her. Please, do sit down." She gestured to the seat Sally had vacated. "Now, about this experiment you volunteered for," she started to say.
Noin held up her hand. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I know Relena-san volunteered me for it out of anger, and I was wondering if there was a way for us to simply not worry about it."
"Oh no, Noin-sama!" Hilde said, frowning. "You see, I *do* require an assistant. It's simply that I need someone to make sure that the ingredients are correct."
*Why do I have a bad feeling about this?* Noin thought as she saw something move in a dark corner.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Sally collapsed in her favorite chair in her apartment of rooms. *Sweet Goddess of Healing, that can't be true! Those women were predestined to kill Relena simply because it was part of their natures to begin with, and her having them revived from the dead only -strengthened- the desire! Sweet Goddess, what has she done?!* she put her head in her hands.
Zechs walked over to sit beside her. "What has Relena done now?" he asked quietly, sensing her distress.
She looked at him and smiled gently. "She's set up her own demise, that's what she's done." She sighed and looked into his sightless blue eyes. "She'd never have gotten to this point if you had simply let that fire go, rather than trying to be the hero and save your foster-parents."
Zechs made a small sound like a snort. "I couldn't let them die without trying to save them, Sally. You know that. You knew that when we got engaged, when 'Lena-chan was only seven years old." He 'looked' down, letting his hair cascade like a white-blonde waterfall.
Sally patted his hand. "I love you because of your heroic impulses, you dolt." Her voice was soft and tender as she spoke to him, knowing that even though he couldn't see her face, he could feel the sentiment. "But, mainly I love you because you are who you are. Mine."
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Good. I'm glad we got that settled, then," he said, snuggling close to her, not needing to see in order to lean against her comfortably. *Why can't Relena leave well enough alone and stop meddling?*
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Chen stepped into the empty receiving hall, cringing at every sound she made. :Now I see why all the others were reluctant to let me go first,: she thought, silently cursing herself for choosing heeled boots. While they looked like second skin and as silent, they creaked and clanked as she moved.
"Who's there?" Une peered around in the darkness, guarding the entrance to Relena's private room off of the receiving hall.
Chen stepped into a shaft of light. "It's me, Lady. I've come back to warn the Queen--" she said, silently casting an illusion over herself to make it seem like she was injured and bleeding.
"Xia-san!" Une looked shocked. She knew Chen Xia as an operative in her own spy-corps, and trusted her implicitly. What Une didn't know, however, was that Chen wasn't alive.
Chen nodded and limped towards her. "I must see the Queen. Now!"
Une nodded. "I'll go get her--wait here--I'll have Po sent up immediately." She turned and ran through the door she guarded.
Relena flew through the door after a moment, Ryu following behind her. She stopped at a few feet in front of Chen, and looked at her. "KISAMA!!!!!" she screamed and lunged at the Asian woman.
Ryu grabbed his fiancée around the waist and held her away from the other woman. "Relena! Get a hold of yourself! You're a queen, damn it, act like one!" he yelled at her, using all his strength to keep her from killing the other woman.
Unnoticed by everyone, since Chen was acting as a diversion, Heero and Duo had quietly entered the room from one side, Ierne, Flaming Eagle and Wufei from the opposite direction, Trowa and Sköll from directly behind the group, and Akabri and Quatre from the front.
Relena started screaming. "HOW DARE YOU TRY AND STEAL HIM AWAY FROM ME?! YOU BITCH! I'LL TEAR YOU APART WITH MY BARE HANDS IF I HAVE TO!! KI-SA-MA!!!!" she fought her fiancé with all the strength she had.
Heero quietly walked over to Chen and put a hand on her shoulder. "Enough. You've done your job." He said quietly, almost gently, as she walked to stand beside her lover.
Relena stopped fighting as soon as she saw Heero. "Heero-chan--you came--you *do* love me!" she screamed, almost bouncing for joy in Ryu's arms.
Heero raised an eyebrow at the man holding the ecstatic young woman. "Let her go." He said flatly. As she bounded towards him, he shook his head. "Stay back, Relena-san."
Duo stepped forward to stand behind his lover. "Hee-chan, may I?" he asked, looking almost alarmingly unsure of himself.
Heero nodded and turned to face the braided pilot. "Go ahead." His cobalt eyes flashed once with the knowledge that he was about to do something that would change his life forever.
Duo leaned forward and kissed Heero tentatively. When Heero didn't push him away, Duo kissed him with more confidence. After a few moments, Heero pushed him away gently.
Staring directly at Relena, Heero pulled a small box out of a pocket. Never once looking away from Relena, he held out the box to Duo. "This is for you, Duo." He said quietly, opening it with one hand.
Duo took the box and looked at it. Inside the box was a band of gold, with a pair of hands holding a heart with a crown resting on it engraved on the ring. On the inside of the lid of the box, in Heero's efficient script, was 'Marry me, Duo?' [A/N: Yeah, it's a claddaugh ring, a traditional Celtic ring signifying friendship, love, and loyalty. As a wedding ring, it signifies *eternal* fidelity. *^.^* Cool, ne?]
On the side lines, Ierne wiped away a tear. /Man, this is *so* romantic!!/, she thought to Chen.
Chen nodded imperceptibly. /For once, I heartily agree with you, dearest./
Relena fainted dead away. Ryu, after setting her gently on the ground, walked over to stand near Heero. "Remarkable," he said, walking around Heero, obviously checking him out. "I can see why she wants you so badly. Actually, I think it makes *me* want you more," he said softly, touching Heero's cheek with one finger.
Heero jerked away from the touch. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing here?"
Ryu smiled and leaned in, almost kissing the man. "I am Ryu Shi-no-kaze. The dragon of death's winds. And Relena's betrothed. And yours, for that matter."
Duo frowned. "I thought you looked familiar, Kaze." Speaking to those who didn't know the blue-black haired man, Duo continued. "Shi-no-kaze is an adept with death-magic. He beat me to some pretty pricey jobs too." Looking at the blue-black haired adept, Duo's expression was confused. "So why in the name of Death are you here, anyway?"
Ryu smiled savagely at the braided man. "I have reason to believe you'll find that out soon enough, pretty-boy."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Keiryn-neko: Woohoo! Neat, ne? ^.^
Ryu-kun: HEY!! WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MAKING ME THE VILLIAN?!!???!?!
K-n: ^.^;; Well, Ryu-kins, you're not the *only* villain...
Ryu-kun: Like that makes much difference. ::pouts:: AND WHAT'S THE DEAL PUTTING ME WITH RELENA??????
K-n: Heh. ^.-;;; ::mutters:: Don't yell, Ryu-kun, or I'll *give* you something to yell about. ::louder:: She needed a male counterpart. You fit the bill. It's not for forever, Ryu-kins. Go tell Hotohori, Zechs, Duo and Wufei to get something to eat--I think I'll be here awhile.