yellowhorde

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no money from this or any other story I write. 'My Immortal' isn't mine, either. It belongs to the group Evanescence.
Pairings: 13x5, 2x5
Category: Angst, Songfic
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Yaoi, supernatural, mild language, OC, violence
Title: A Harder Beast to Kill
Author: yellowhorde
Status: In Progress
Feel free to send comments/constructive criticism to me at yellowhorde@hotmail.com
Notes: //lyrics// (thoughts)

“Check out these ears, Wufei.” Duo exclaimed in delight. “They’re huge! And he’s got such a sweet face!”

Duo bent down towards the small orange kitten meowing at his feet. His long braid slipped forward and dangled provocatively over his shoulder, proving too much of a temptation for the kitten who began to bat and paw at this new plaything with obvious delight. Laughing lightly, he hooked one hand under the forelegs of the cat being careful to support its tiny hindquarters with his other hand. He straightened up slowly, cuddling the small bundle of fur in his arms, and nuzzled its tiny head with his nose. It smelled of clean hay and warm fur. The kitten reached out one paw and batted at his nose, sans claws, meowing softly.

“You’re just a little sweetie, aren’t you?” He crooned softly, his voice unconsciously raising an octave as if he were speaking to a very young child.

While all of the kittens they had seen on the farm were cute, it was obvious to Wufei that Duo had taken a particular interest in the small orange-stripped one and the kitten in turn had apparently taken a liking to him. As bold as day it had waltzed up to Duo, tail erect, and began to rub itself along his legs, purring contentedly, while its siblings, two blacks, and one orange tabby, cowered behind their mother, a huge calico with a ragged left ear. Deep green eyes regarded the scene with benign curiosity. This, after all, wasn’t her first litter and she’d become accustom to strangers coming and exclaiming over her brood.

Wufei glanced up at the sky, which stretched above in an endless arc of blue. The sun was racing silently along towards the western horizon. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, the sky seemed to press down on the world like a massive hand making him feel terribly small and insignificant. Looking past the farmhouse and its weathered outbuildings, he could see large sprawling fields of green stretched out to the horizon, flowing over every gentle rise and fall of the land. It was a beautiful sight, one of calm serenity, but instead of easing his tensions, the landscape only seemed to nurture a disconcerting feeling of isolation. A gentle breeze rustled through the tall stalks of corn and they bobbed and nodded to each other speaking in low and sinister whispers.

For all of its beauty, the farm was almost unnaturally still, at least as far as Wufei was concerned… and more than a little unsettling. No skyscrapers broke the horizon, no cars blaring their music at uncivilized levels roared down the dirt road that passed a quarter mile in front of the house. All was quiet save for the secret whispers of the wind, the hum of insects, and the occasional sound of birdsong. Wufei should have been feeling at ease in such peaceful surroundings and yet tension sang through his body and his nerves vibrated like a tuning fork.

(Maybe I’m just a city boy, after all.) Wufei thought glumly, and shivered despite the heat of the fading afternoon. Even with long sleeves and jeans he was still cold. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he wrapped his arms about his body in an attempt at warmth and wandered over to his friend for a closer look at the kitten.

“Hey, look here, Wufei!” Duo beamed an almost paternal smile. “He likes me already. I think I’ll name him Marmalade ‘cause he’s so sweet and orange.”

“Marmalade?” Wufei’s shook his head and smiled indulgently. “You mean as in the jam?”

Duo offered another beaming smile and a nod of the head. “Yes, I will name him Marmalade and he will be mine…err…yours.” He laughed quietly and the kitten regarded Wufei with amber eyes, full of such trust and calm.

Here was a creature that would spend long hours of its life lounging in patches of sunlight, eating kibble, and terrorizing rodents. It wouldn’t have any worries or cares beyond whether it had food, water, and shelter, and would never spend a wakeful night troubled over actions of the past or possible courses for the future. Wufei found himself envying it its simple existence.

“I guess it could be worse.” Wufei sighed and bent forward to inspect the baby feline.

Its ears were indeed large, so large they seemed to dwarf its tiny pointed face. Its fur was thick and soft and was a brilliant orange. Darker orange stripes crossed its body in near regular intervals and resembled those markings of the fat and famous cat from the Garfield comics, so popular in years past. With the confident ease only the young seemed to possess, it had curled up in Duo’s arms with its legs tucked neatly under its body and was purring loudly. Smiling, Wufei traced one finger gently down the length of its tiny back and smiled when the kitten raised its hindquarters in typical cat fashion.

“His tails a bit crooked.” Wufei noted aloud, glancing back at the owner, an elderly widow named Elizabeth Andrews, who hovered at his elbow.

Mrs. Andrews was a pleasant enough woman, but there was something a bit odd about her, something that Wufei couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was as if she was able to look deep inside his soul with those deep blue eyes of hers. And what she saw must surely be puzzling her for although cheerful and polite, she had been keeping her distance from Wufei, as if afraid he would bite. Still, she and her cats had been highly recommended by Duo’s co-worker and fellow scrap enthusiast, Hilde Schbeiker, to whom they had paid a short visit to prior to setting out on their cat hunting expedition.

Wufei cracked a small smile as he thought of the perky young woman. He liked Hilde; she was open and outgoing very much like Duo himself. There had, however, been an agonizing period of time after the Mariemaia incident when Wufei had been jealous of the dark haired girl and her close relationship with Duo. How he had longed to be able to walk up to the pilot of Death Scythe and speak so freely, so openly as he had seen Hilde do on so many occasions. But he was convinced that it was no longer in his nature to be so forward with his affections. He had already learned THAT lesson.

Over the long passing months, as friendship had blossomed between him and Duo and they had grown slowly closer, he realized that there was nothing sexual in nature between Duo and Hilde. Duo treated her much like he would a younger sister, teasing her mercilessly and taking an active interest in her life, but while there was affection between them, even a love of sorts, there was nothing to indicate that either of them were looking for a more serious relationship with the other. This revelation had been slow in coming and had gone a long way to improving Wufei’s opinion of Hilde. Eventually, with this little misunderstanding behind them, the two of them had become good friends.

“Did he have some sort of accident?” Wufei asked, craning his head towards the old woman.

“Actually, that one’s female,” Mrs. Andrews replied with a crooked smile. Her large blue eyes, though surrounded by a delicate lace of wrinkles, sparkled with health and vigor. “And no, she was born that way. You see it happen every now and again. But it won’t cause her any problems.”

“A girl, huh?” Duo lifted the cat into the air and gave her a quick examination. “Why so she is. How ‘bout that?”

Wufei was mortified by Duo’s uncouth behavior. “Don’t do that, Duo. You’ll embarrass the cat.”

“I doubt she cares, but my, your face sure is red, Wufei.” Duo cuddled the kitten in his arms once more and his laughter washed over Wufei like a warm tide. But this warmth only danced along the outer layers of his skin, it couldn’t touch the cold that lay buried within.

“Anyway,” Duo continued, “I think the tail adds character, don’t you, Wufei?”

The kitten glanced in Wufei’s direction and meowed up at him expectantly, as if understanding that her fate lay in his hands. She meowed again more insistently, exposing sharp tiny teeth.

“Yeah, just what we need - a cat with character.”

“Judging from those ears, she’ll be one hell of a good mouser when she grows up.” Mrs. Andrews said. “Just like her mother, Chicken.”

“You named the mother Chicken?” Wufei asked, his dark brows arching in disbelief. He snorted brief laughter. Now he had heard everything. “Isn’t that a rather odd name to give a cat that’s suppose to strike terror into the hearts of mice everywhere?”

“Yes, you would think so.” Mrs. Andrews nodded her head slowly in agreement, her smile becoming even larger. The breeze tugged fretfully at her blue housecoat and managed to work one long white lock of hair from her bun, but she tucked it back absently. “She was a bit shy when she was a kitten, you see, but she’s grown out of that. You mightn’t be able to tell by looking at her, but she’s the best mouser you’ll find ‘round these parts. Her kittens are always in high demand.”

(And it’s no wonder.) Wufei thought as he scanned the rustling green horizon. (There’s lots of hay in the barns, no doubt, not to mention feed and other supplies for the animals. Lots of places to hide, tons to eat, yes, it would be a mouse’s paradise…if it weren’t for all the damned cats, that is.)

It really shouldn’t surprise him that cats would be so prized in the country. Maybe Duo and Hilde had been right on their insistence that he come out here.

“If you want just a run-of-the-mill regular cat,” Duo had announced with a solemn air and a twinkle in his eyes, “any pet store or local animal shelter can meet your needs nicely. But if you want a mouser, a REAL mouser, well, then you head out here where cats are fierce and mice are nervous.”

Hilde had, of course, agreed and had given them Mrs. Andrews’ address and phone number. A quick call had confirmed that she did indeed have a litter of kittens old enough to leave their mother.

“So, how much do you want for her?” Wufei asked, his hands digging into his pocket for his wallet.

“Not a thing.” Replied Mrs. Andrews. “Just promise me you’ll give her a good home, feed her, and keep her right. That’s all I ask.”

She stopped and turned her face towards Wufei, and her eyes had a sharp, appraising quality to them. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Miss Schbeiker, Mr. Chang, and she holds a very high opinion of both you and your friend, Mr. Maxwell. I trust her judgment in such matters and now that I’ve meet you in person, I can see that you are every bit the gentleman she said you were.”

Wufei felt a little flustered from hearing such high praise and felt his cheeks burn pink with embarrassment. “And how did you come to know Hilde, Mrs. Andrews?”

“Oh, she comes out here once or twice a week to help me out with the chores and to keep me company. Her grandmother and I were good friends, you know, almost sisters really”

“Well, that is certainly nice of her.”

“It is indeed. Not many young people would care to come out here to keep an old woman company, but Hilde doesn’t mind at all. She’s a hard worker and she really does love the cats.”

She glanced down at the small cluster of cats that had congregated at her feet and beamed a smile at them. When she raised her eyes back to Wufei, her face was aglow and it was difficult for him to believe that this vibrant woman was almost seventy-five years old.

“These here are good cats, Mr. Chang, every one of them, and they deserve all the love and happiness they can get. All I ask is that if for whatever reason you decide you don’t want to keep your Marmalade, bring her back home.”

She reached out one gnarled hand and gently stroked the kitten’s head in way of saying goodbye before turning back towards her home. The cats, sensing that this meeting was over, followed her amiably enough.

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Wufei said reassuringly, as he fell into step with the old woman. His shadow trailed out behind him for the day was drawing to an end. Soon darkness would roam the land. “I think she’ll work out just fine.”

“Duo,” Wufei called back over his shoulder, “Why don’t you go put Marmalade in the cat carrier while I walk Mrs. Andrews back to her house?”

Grinning happily, Duo set off to do as instructed.

At the foot of her porch, Mrs. Andrews turned again towards Wufei and stretched out her hand. Wufei took it into his own, his grip gentle so as not to pain old bones. Her flesh was thin and dry as parchment but he could sense that there was real strength in her grip. He smiled at her warmly and she gave him one in return.

“Well, good day to you, Mr. Chang.”

“It was my pleasure to meet you.” He replied formally, inclining his head slightly.

Suddenly, a jolt, like a shock of electricity, flowed between their clasped hands. Wufei stiffened and Mrs. Andrews pulled in a startled breath. Her clear blue eyes grew larger still and the color drained from her face. Long bony fingers clutched at Wufei and the once powerful grip became vice-like, crushing. He imagined that he could hear his bones creaking.

A bubbling rage churned up within Wufei, a dark and twisted thing that leaped and snarled like a wounded beast. A sickly red haze clouded his vision, obliterated his rational mind. The light faded from the world and icy darkness spread out in rippling waves. In his mind’s eye he could see his hands reaching out towards the elderly woman before him, saw them hook into vicious claws and wrap themselves about her slender throat. And he wanted to do it, to crush her windpipe and watch in gleeful fascination as the light of life seeped slowly from her blue eyes.

(What the Hell is going on?) Wufei reeled away from the horrible images playing along the inner screen of his mind. (Stop it! Stop it, right NOW!)

As if a mental switch had been thrown somewhere deep in his mind, the images disappeared and light filtered back into his consciousness.

“Mrs. Andrews?” Wufei gasped. Her face was white and drawn and for a moment he was afraid that the elderly woman might be suffering some sort of seizure or heart attack. “Mrs. Andrews, are you all right?”

Mrs. Andrews yanked her hand weakly from Wufei’s grasp and he let her. She backed away a few steps cradling he hand to her ample bosom and staring at him with eyes gone wide and shocked. Her face was a greasy mask of horror and her chest rose and fell harshly as if she were struggling to breath. The cats milled about her legs in agitation, their tails thrashing wildly, their plaintive meows and hisses filling the air.

“Mrs. Andrews, I-“ Wufei made a move towards her, his hand reaching out as if to steady her, or offer some sort of assistance, but she held out her other hand, arm rigidly straight, palm up, fingers stiff. The meaning of the gesture was all too clear. ‘Stay away,’ it said, ‘Don’t come any closer.’

“So… horrible…”

“What are you talking about?” Wufei demanded and took a step closer. The old woman flinched away from him.

“Your path ahead will be most difficult, Mr. Chang.” She intoned in a hushed and trembling voice. “The Evil One has cast his eyes upon you and has claimed you for his own.”

Wufei stared at her, his mouth open, unable to fully comprehend what she had just said. He had heard her words plainly, and yet, their meanings danced from his mind, elude him. A deeper chill settled into his bones, turning his marrow to ice. Freezing him solid.

“Walk the path of Our Lord, young man,” Mrs. Andrews urged, her eyes pleading for his understanding. “Let His light be your guide, for only He can save you now.”

With those cryptic words, she made a sign of the cross and turning away from Wufei, made her slow shuffling way up the porch steps and towards her front door. Her back hunched as if she walked against a powerful wind and she seemed to have aged twenty years in just a few moments. Chicken and her kittens slunk after her, casting mistrustful glances over their shoulders towards Wufei.

“Mrs. Andrews!” Wufei called out, upset and confused by what had just taken place. “Please, wait!” He started up the steps, but she turned towards him and the look on her face was enough to stop him dead in his tracks. All the strength and vigor that had been so evident just a few minutes ago had been vanished leaving her pale and shaky, wizen and gray.

“I can say no more.” She mumbled, her voice low, barely a whisper. “A dark cloud hanging over you. It speaks of evil things to come. Heed my warning, young man. You don’t have much time.”

A moment later she was gone and the front door slammed shut. Then Wufei clearly heard the sound of deadlocks being engaged.

Mutely, he turned away from the old farmhouse and quickly made his way towards a line of shade trees that cast cooling shadows over his car, a bright red Saturn, which was parked in the rutted dirt driveway looking very much out of place in this quaint turn-of-the-century farmyard setting. His headache had returned with a vengeance and his thoughts whirled and clashed, sending bright shards of pain lancing through his brain. Frustrated, and not knowing entirely why, Wufei clasped his hands to his temples. The pain roared and throbbed through his body, pulsing against his palms and fingers.

“Wufei?” Duo’s voice was carried to him on the wind.

Wufei ignored him and kept walking, grimly placing one foot in front of the other. Each step kicked up tiny puffs of powdered dirt and he dimly realized that it hadn’t rained very much at all out here in the boondocks. The trees along the driveway bobbed and danced seductively in the quickening breeze, their whispered voices sighing in unison.

He finally reached the car and laid one trembling hand against the hood for support and bowed his head, his breathing harsh. A devastating weakness washed over him, wringing sweat from his pale brow. With his free hand he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and he fumbled out his car keys. He gazed at them with a dumb sort of fascination as stray beams of sunlight danced and glittered along their uneven brass edges. The light seemed to burn into his eyes, and the pain was staggering.

Without looking up he held them out to Duo, whose footsteps he heard coming up behind him.

“Duo, could you please drive us home?” He asked, desperately trying to keep his voice steady despite the agonizing pain that slammed through his skull like a sledgehammer.

“You okay?”

“Fine.” His voice was tight, the words clipped. “Just a headache.”

Without another word Duo shifted the small kitten into the crock of his left arm and took the offered keys into his right. His lips pressed into a thin white line and his dark blue eyes were troubled. He hadn’t been close enough to clearly make out what Mrs. Andrews and Wufei had been saying to each other, but it was obvious that his friend was upset. Unfortunately, Duo knew Wufei well enough to know that he wouldn’t get any information from him if he forced the issue so he decided to just let it go… for now. Wufei would talk to him when he was good and ready to and not one minute before.

While his friend made his way to the passenger side of the car, Duo unlocked and opened the back door then gently set the mewling kitten into the cat cage they had bought before leaving town. She clung to him with razor sharp claws, meowing pitifully, and her amber eyes were wide and full of terror. Duo felt a little sorry for her but while he didn’t feel very good about shutting her up in a cage, he knew that she’d be a dangerous distraction if left to wander freely around the car. He gingerly withdrew the claws from his hands and shut the door trying to ignore the tiny plaintive cries coming from the interior of the wire and plastic cage.

“It’s okay, Marmalade,” He murmured in soft soothing tones. “Everything will be all right. We’ll be home in no time at all.”

Minutes later the farmhouse was nothing but a tiny speck in the rearview mirror. The late afternoon sun had a reddish gold cast to it, but Duo could take no comfort in its beauty. He dreaded the coming night yet didn’t understand what it was that was unnerving him so. He glanced over at Wufei who was curled up against the passenger side door, as far away as the safety harness would allow him to go. Wufei’s hands, pale and trembling, were wrapped about his body, long fingers digging furrows in the red material of his sweatshirt. His face was ashen and slicked with sweat. He spoke not a word and kept his eyes turned out towards the fields that flashed by in a green blur, each one identical to all the others.

“Wufei?”

There was no answer. A heavy chill seemed to hang in the air between them, an invisible barrier of some kind that Duo could sense, feel, but could not see… or cross.

(No,) Duo thought grimly, (I was wrong. Everything is most certainly NOT al right.)

TO BE CONTINUED…