Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Verses From Your Song ❯ The Chase ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: The Chase

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me, I'm just borrowing.

Poetry is mine. Don't steal it.

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A predatory grin slid across Dorothy's face the minute she entered the club. The pulse of the music and the strobing lights made her feel at ease. Her companion was already dancing as he moved through the crowd with her. She eyed the masses deciding on her destination. He moved up beside her and smiled broadly.

"So what shall we play tonight", he asked still dancing, nearly blending into the darkness of the room with his attire. "Phone numbers...or drinks?"

She whipped around, same smile on her face and arched an eyebrow. His own smile stretched a little more.

"Oh I see..." He said clearly recognizing the challenge in Dorothy's eyes. "Well, in that case may I remind you that last time we played...I won."

"You only won, because that random guy came over and gave you his number...And it doesn't really count since we were only counting girls", she reminded him, her voice carrying nicely over the music. "Do you have a rubber band?"

He reached into his pocket and shrugged. "Sorry...guess you're just gonna have to live with the tangles."

"I guess", she replied, her eyes still moving over the massive crowd watching the way the room moved to the music. Catching the forms of those she held as possibilities and those she knew were challenges. He was dancing closer to her now, trying to get her to move and make up her mind. Her mind was set, very set. Upon reaching the bar she ordered a 7&7 and he, with a wink ordered some interesting bottled import. He smacked his lips at the taste.

"Gonna stand here all night and eye the crowd or is the cat actually going to play", he asked with casual eagerness.

"Duo", she paused letting her feral, if not delighted grin take hold. "I plan to have fun."

He nodded. There were all sorts of smiles and grins in the world, but she held the record for having the most. Each slight movement of her lips placed her mood and he knew almost all of them. Being around her was like watching an old pro at work. The way she moved through the pulsing crowd like it was water, the way she would find her victims and draw them in only to suddenly leave them, jaws on the floor wondering... what sort of heavenly creature had just graced their presence. Her deep eyes sparked offers and refusals like a song. Her voice offered the headiest wit and he was glad he had someone he could spar with and stretch his sarcastic muscles. She sipped at her drink, a sudden eyebrow perked.

"So what does the cat see that I don't", he asked. He tried to see past her gaze, but wasn't quite sure where her eyes were focused.

"Oh that just makes me all giddy inside", she remarked suddenly. She leaned back so that Dou could hear her. "In the far back corner all alone, sipping a glass of wine", she said pointing off in the distance.

He followed her finger, marveling at her accuracy in the fairly dark room. "What is she doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious", Dorothy said lightly. "She's waiting for me."

"Don't kid yourself. She's not here looking for anything but alone time"; he quipped.

She shook her head, her platinum blonde hair swaying with her. "No one comes to a place like this to be alone sweets", she remarked quickly. "No one..."

"That a bet I hear?"

"Maybe."

He shook his head. "Y'know I understand the need for a challenge but aren't you going a bit too far. You get like this every time you and-"

She spun around and looked him square in the eye. He knew the look. It was the one that said, "Game on", and the use of wit with the force of a nuclear blast was forthcoming if he dared to finish his sentence.

He smiled. "Okay...okay...Just thought I'd remind you. You go have fun with your mice cat...I'm hitting the dance floor. I think I see a few souls begging for a confessional."

It echoes...
Pulse
It breathes...
Pulse
It moves...
And you aren't ready
No you aren't ready...
Pulse
Moving like an angel...
Dangerous...
Elegant...
It wants...
Pulse
It desires...
Pulse
And you aren't ready
No you aren't ready...
Not for this...
Not for me...
But here I am...
And I will take...
Pulse
I will move...
Pulse
I will break...
Pulse
Just like an echo...
Just like a breath...
Pulse
Do you feel it...?
You aren't ready

Her plan was clear, but her plans always were. She wondered though if she could spark the attention she wanted. Her target was notoriously difficult. She made her way over to the section of the club her prey was located at and as the target sipped her drink, Dorothy just walked by. The target's eyes sparked as she was watched, brown eyes moving over the blonde in sudden awareness.

"Perfect", Dorothy muttered. She set her drink down on a table and eyed the dance floor. As expected her friend was already standing atop one of the raised dancing platforms showing off. Her feet expertly took her over to the platform; he smiled as she stepped up.

"What happened? She shoot you down", Duo asked playfully still moving as if he were God's gift to the dance floor.

"Planning love", she replied. "You have to make them come to you sometimes."

He shook his head trying to hold back his laughter. There was no way he could picture Dorothy winning this. Even if she had things planned to the hilt, which by the way she was moving, he could tell, she did. He nudged her a bit and she faced him.

"Wanna up the stakes", he asked, bright baby blues alight.

"How?"

"Time limit."

She shut her eyes taking in the pull of the rhythm. She was, for once, very pleased with the DJ. As her eyes opened she replied, "What do I get for winning?"

"The girl isn't enough?"

"I want her anyway...At least for the moment. I am here to play remember. So what do I get if I win?"

"Me."

"Ha!" She never laughed so hard in her life. "Duo the purpose of a bet is to offer something I want, not give me a reason for losing."

He frowned and then smiled as he let loose a, "Just kidding! You wouldn't be able to handle me anyway. But seriously...I know you can't win."

"Oh... how is that?"

He looked out at the crowd. "Because your target is now missing", he stated. He performed his brief `I won' dance. "Mission... aborted. You just can't let yourself be distracted like that Dorothy. That's why I'm the winner and you-" He watched as she sprang off the platform and into the crowd. "Did I miss something?"

I am not a game to win
I am not your sport
I am not a thing you choose
I don't mingle with your sort
Try and catch me
Just you dare
Try and play my heart
You will find that some things love
Are made to fall apart

It wasn't defeat. It wasn't losing. She wasn't chasing because she wanted to play, or at least the game was much different than she led Duo to believe. This was something a little deeper, almost personal. She was playing for reason not lust and certainly not an escape. She played for escape, she would give Duo that, and he was right, it was always much worse just after she ended a something with her favorite princess. But those games, that pull of wills was over. It was done. She refused to push her lovely diplomat off the cliff and watch her burn...She wouldn't let the darling girl win that easily. No. It was done, a few months dead in the water. She was after something else. Something that escaped her at every turn... refused to be caught and questioned. Something silent and cruel that took and refused with just as much grace and elegance as Dorothy did. The music swirled around her and while outwardly cool, her eyes searched frantically. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Dorothy is that you", a semi-familiar voice questioned.

She turned to face the interruption. She raised an amused eyebrow at the couple now in front of her. Heero and Hilde, it made her want to laugh. Not because they were a ridiculous couple but because of the surroundings.

"However did you get him here", Dorothy asked.

"Force of will alone", was the reply.

"Hn", Heero responded in his normal monosyllabic tone.

The encounter didn't last long. Dorothy pointed the couple towards Duo who was busy dancing with two other familiar faces. She went on continuing her search, almost upset that she couldn't find what she was looking for.

Sweet and chilled
I own it still
That need to make things clear
The need to make you fear
I am here
I am here
Soft and low
All I know
The lust for something great
That lust that comes too late
I am here
I am here
What shall we play today dear
What do you fear
I am here
I am here
Whispered prayers
Lost souls that never cared
But...
I am here
I am here
Moving near
Shedding tears
Wanting dear...
Wanting...
I am here
Waiting

I
Am...
Here

The trio left the platform as the couple approached and together the group made its way to a semi-quiet place to sit and chat. Duo stretched back in his chair and went on at length about his evening of sweet ladies falling for him and how he had a pocket full of phone numbers to prove it. The short blonde young man chuckled at the obvious exaggeration. Heero and the blonde's silent companion both '`Hned".

"So", the blonde's silent normally partner began to ask. "Where's the cat?"

"Catherine wasn't coming tonight, remember", Quatre replied with a smile, gently reminding.

"No", his tall companion replied, "The other cat."

"Miss Catalonia is at present on a very serious mission"; Duo burst in. "No way she'll win this one though."

"Why do you two always have to do that", Quatre asked with concern. "I mean don't you ever get tired of the useless collection of phone numbers and one night stands."

"It was her idea", Duo defended, "Besides a little healthy competition is just what she needs right now."

"Hn." It was Heero.

"Are there any other words in your vocabulary or has your girlfriend sucked them all out of you", Duo asked. "Ow!"

Duo rubbed his leg and glared at Hilde.

"Serves you right", she smirked.

Heero shook his head and then spoke. "I have plenty of words I just choose to use them wisely. Who exactly is she chasing anyway?"

"Une."

"What?" Three voices all gasped at once. In the distance there was another "Hn".

The jovial young man was now confused. "What? So the girl likes a challenge...who cares? She needs to play...You know how she gets if she doesn't", he looked over at the short blonde with a knowing smile.

"Uh Duo", Quatre peeked. He bent over the table and whispered in his ear.

"How is it...that I'm always the last to know things like that", he shook his head and sighed. "Great."

It was then that the blonde's quiet companion spoke again. "We shouldn't be talking about this."

"Why", Duo questioned.

Trowa let a slight smile slip and answered, "Because the cat's mission is sitting two tables away from us."

The five all looked in the direction Trowa had invisibly motioned to with his eyes and then looked away quickly.

"Oh yeah that was smooth", Duo chirped. "Look ...Let's not worry huh? The cat can take care of her self. There is no need to worry. Let's just go dance."

It's fun to see them scamper so
To run away and hide
To feel me near and suddenly fear
I am watching
But it's all for reason
And not for truth
And not for beauty
Or anything so vile
Just I'm watching
I'm waiting
And I think I'll take a while

Giving up wasn't an option for Dorothy but she needed a break from her pursuit. So she went to the dance floor again and practiced her art. Let the pulse of the music over take her senses as she moved, regaining her purpose as she called admires to her with simple movements, slight seductions. Then she would leave them breathless and lost. She danced to remind her self, should she chance to forget (but she never forgot), that she was a creature to be worshiped and longed for. That her power was deep and her will strong, and as the weak fell to her need Dorothy closed her eyes. Reopening them with a spark as she realized...she was being watched, and closely. She hadn't lost. She was still hitting her mark. Her bet...that soft and cruel thing she wanted was still with her. She wondered why she ever felt that bit of panic that meant defeat and the end of the game. It was lost now though. Whatever doubt there may have been washed away and her predatory, nearly longing, smile returned to her face from its short absence.

Are you ready for me?
I don't think you know
I don't think you're aware
Where I want to take this
Where I want to end this
It all comes down to you
And when you think you've won
When you think you have everything you want
I'll turn it all around
I'll make things slick with doubt
Do you think you're ready
I don't think you know
But I have you
And you can't escape

Hazelnut colored eyes watched her through the dense crowd. They'd been watching since she walked in, but she remained hidden until she wanted to be seen. She knew that once the girl saw her there she'd be a target. So she waited at first, and then after being spotted and summed up she hid again, waiting. She had to wait. Had to be sure just what the game was and why it was being played out. This girl didn't play like the others. She could be all at once everything and then nothing.

Une slowly stood from her hiding place and moved in just a bit closer. She nimbly situated herself against a wall. It was much closer than her other vantage points had been. She was a step, maybe two, away from the divine young goddess who was calling for her. That young soul that willed her near and asked (although it could have been a demand)...asked for audience.

Up against that wall the ex-colonel could feel the very fiber of the music moving through the room. Feel the beat strike her heart and let the lights dance across her form. It was pure meditation that no one really ever saw, and more cultured than others (who were perhaps much younger or far older than she was...in mind and spirit) cared to recognize. She closed her eyes briefly, recalling all she let herself lose. What she had let the war take, and what she sacrificed for love all briefly scattered in her mind. The music reminded her of the battles she fought, the most scaring of which took place within her own mind. Her soft, sometimes cold eyes opened as the song changed and she watched as the sweat dripped from the goddess' brow. Watched the worshipers flock to her and offer up their prayers, knowing they could get close but never touch. No one dared touch.

Moving through shadows
I am the spell
Whispering through crowds
I am the wind
The dark
The one
The only one
Dancing close to the flames
I am the elegant
The graceful
The light
The empty
I am winter
I dare sacred space
Moving through the oceans
Singing in the seas
Kings...
Queens...
Soldiers...
The lost...
They all embrace me
Moving through the smoke
The thick of the fog
I'm the only one who dares
To touch the gods

Feeling her prey so close was unbearably straining. And when the arm wrapped around Dorothy's waist, signaling her victory she almost laughed. She and her target, the lady, moved together nicely, the music and the crowd seemingly disappeared as they traveled. She kept her back turned, pulled her massive mane of golden tresses over her shoulder and settled into the pull of her captive. She was surprised how well her target danced, keeping pace...almost leading. The touch of her hips moving hypnotically, with the older woman's in steady, calculated time. She smiled as she realized this was a duel game. Both opponents had been playing, but with separate rules and regulations. It was amusing. Hot bittersweet breath touched her ear, as an elegantly experienced hand dared to breeze down her neck.

"So dearest Aphrodite", Une whispered closely. "You summoned me?"

"Did I", was the perfectly timed reply, whispered just as closely. She was aware, suddenly of the scent of roses around her.

"Don't be coy." Une spun Dorothy around to better see her face. Held her in close like she was about to start a waltz. "I know when I'm called. So... you'd like a chat?"

"Maybe." She pulled.

"Or perhaps...Something more formal...How about tea?" She pushed.

"Perhaps."

It was impossible for Une to escape now. The music...The intoxicating pull of the crowd, it was divinity something sacred being dared.

"Or", Une paused setting her lips in range so that her low and dangerous voice could be heard. "Maybe you would like something much closer?" The words left her as silent as a prayer. She pulled, insinuating, casually, prying, taking...Intentions flying through them as the pulse quickened.

Don't feel rushed
Don't feel pushed
I just want to make things bright
So you can see
You don't have to decide
You don't have to offer a thing
I just want things out
Open
So they won't be over looked

Trowa took a sip from his bottled water, looking out at the crowd. He needed to break away from the masses and breathe a while before being pulled into the dance again. When he caught an interesting sight he pushed through the crowd to pull out a few others for air. As the others followed him he led the enthusiastic young man with the long braid up to the top of the stairs.

"Look", he said quietly.

"At what", Duo asked.

"You just lost your bet", was all the tall and mostly silent young man said before stepping down to his blonde companion.

Duo's eyes stretched across the sea of gyrating bodies not sure if he could believe his friend's observation. Finally his baby blues saw what he wasn't sure he wanted to see. His friends stood half way up the steps and as they all looked out to the crowd fell speechless. Finally, a single "Hn" rang in their ears.

"Dangerous", Heero mentioned and shook his head. His hand caught a hold of Hilde's and they continued the journey up the stairs over to the bar.

Quatre looked worried. "Aren't you going to do something Duo?"

"What's to do? They're just dancing", he said, trying to make things sound better.

"Let her know she's won and get her away from-"

"Quatre Ol' buddy...I know what you want me to do, but I'm telling you...She's playing something I don't know the rules to. And....you know full well the penalty for jumping in to save her", Duo interrupted and bounded over to the bar.

He was worried. There was no doubt. But if Dorothy wanted to chase there was nothing he could do. He wondered what the cat had in mind, and then he considered that it might be the cat...not the mouse that was being chased in this case. The two women on the dance floor had things to work out, issues that needed clearing. Despite any pleas do otherwise Duo Maxwell was just going to stand back and hope that his friend knew what she was doing. He sipped at his drink trying to be suave and conversational but that ended when Trowa looked out at the sea of people and spoke.

"Where did they go?"

Duo sprang out of his seat. "They're gone?"

Trowa just nodded slightly.

He took a gulp from his beer and was about to leap into the crowd to find Dorothy when he suddenly jumped. A small vibration in his pocket caught him off guard and he huffed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He cleared his throat trying sound cool as he answered. "This is Duo, God of the bedroom.... Where are you?" His tone slipped into the serious. "Don't sound too excited there...You haven't won anything...No I will not up the stakes...Where are you?..... Really?" The group finally took notice of the conversation just as he hung up. He looked over at them, smiled and with a shrug and stated, "Well...the cat's won."

"Which cat", Trowa questioned.

Far away I found meaning
In something simply complicated
There was freedom in that race
That chase she made me lead
Far away I found grace
In the devil's claws
I found peace
In the thunderous echoes of her heart
The past no longer exists
There is only what is
What I can find here
In the daylight
Away from the dark
Away from greedy hearts

Continued…