Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing boys, nor am I making any money from this. The idea of a Confessor is from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth Novels, and I am using it without permission. Warnings: None Pairing: 1+2 3+4 The Confessor Series Part 2 The wind howled hollowly through the stone walls of the gorge. Like some giant beast grief stricken with loneliness, it echoed incessantly, causing Heero's spine to tingle with anticipation and dread. He frowned at the thought and resolutely pushed it from his mind. // It's only the wind// he told himself sternly He waited without fidgeting, as he had been trained to. His cobalt eyes never leaving the bend from around which his quarry would appear, barring unforeseen mishaps. Updates from Quatre and Trowa were encouraging; the creature had no idea it was being followed as of yet. Heero and Wufei had taken the direct route to the gorge, pushing both Wing and Shenlong to the limit in their haste. It had worked; both of them were in place, Heero midway through the gorge, Wufei near the exit. All they needed now was a little luck, and a lot of speed. He absently patted Wing's neck as the stallion shifted impatiently underneath him. //Soon// The wind took on a new pitch as it increased its speed through the forbidding yellow canyon. Heero restrained the urge to grit his teeth and remain relaxed. The hot sun beat down from overhead but he ignored the discomfort. He had been trained to deal with situations like this. This was what he lived for; soon the mission would be complete. His right hand rested easily on the pommel of his sword. It wasn't a standard-issue sword, but Heero trusted it with his life. It had a sharp point and two razor edges, which allowed him to work with the whole blade. To Heero, the sword was an extension of his arm and he took pride in his skill with it. It was unlike Wufei's blade. That sword was not pretty, but brutally simple. It did one thing: kill. Once again, Heero repressed a shiver. //Patience, soldier// His head came up as Quatre's mental call interrupted his reverie. //It's almost at the entrance Heero// //Ok, let it know you're there// //Will do// Heero took a deep breath, held it then released it only to repeat the process. He relaxed his muscles and systematically began to block out distractions. He forgot about the sun and the wind. His whole world focused on the opening in front of him. His ears strained for the slightest noise to indicate the creature was coming. //It knows we're here! Its running// Quatre's mental voice was higher pitched with excitement //its fast! Really fast// //Keep after it! We're ready// Heero thought back at the blond soldier/mage. He drew his sword. He knew that Wufei would have done the same. Wing shifted in anticipation, striking dirt with a strong foreleg then subsiding. The only indication that Heero had that the creature was coming was Wing's reaction; otherwise Heero would have been caught flatfooted despite his readiness. The stallion stiffened and snorted, then the next thing Heero knew was a black shape was bearing down on him. Heero realized it made no noise. //It's so fast! How can anything be that fast? I thought Wing was fast but that thing makes Wing look like a fucking turtle// Heero thought almost incoherently as the shadow being blew by them as if they weren't there. //Shit// Wing broke after it but it was pulling away as if they were walking instead of going all out. //Wufei its coming// Heero thought frantically. //its too fast, get ready we'll be there as soon as we can but STOP IT// //very well Captain// was the eager reply. Wufei was looking forward to this. This creature was not going to get by him. He had a trick that he had heard about once and decided to try it. Hopefully it would work, because if it got by him, they would be spending another three weeks trying to find it again and Wufei was determined to get this mission over with. Wufei had stationed himself at the end of a long natural corridor. It would allow him a few seconds to see the creature coming before it got to him, allowing him some leeway in which to maneuver. Then there was one sharp bend and the gorge emptied out into the vast Korona plains. The way the others were talking, it sounded like they had no chance in a flat-out race, but Wufei was not about to let it get that far. Shenlong snorted a heads-up and Wufei saw it coming. //Yuy was right, it is too fast! Well I'll just have to stop it// He grinned savagely as he held his sword at ready. //Come on, you bitch; let's see what you can do// The black form tried to swerve to go around him, but Shenlong was ready and leaped directly into its path causing the other to falter. It faked to the left and tried to make a break for the right but Shenlong had none of that. She was the most nimble steed in the bunch, and her grace and lightning reflexes kept herself and Wufei in a direct path of the oncoming menace. Wufei howled a challenge and brandished his sword. He was in his element; there was nothing that could beat him in a sword fight and he meant to prove it now. But the black shadow had a different idea. Instead of answering the challenge, it slowed down halfway through the corridor, ducked in a dark cliff shadow and disappeared. Wufei's black eyes narrowed in disgust. "Come out and fight! Are you too much of a coward to face me? " Wufei shouted at the now-hidden creature. Then he saw Heero at the other end of the corridor and waved his sword at him. //Where is it? // //It's hiding in the shadows below the cliffside halfway down to my right. If we can box it in, we should be able to capture it without a problem// Wufei kept his eyes firmly fixed on the dark patch as Shenlong pranced toward it. He saw Heero doing the same from his end. Slowly, each soldier approached the shadows, wary of any sudden movements. Save for Wing's labored breathing, it was deathly quiet. Without warning several things happened at once. Trowa and Quatre appeared at the far end of the corridor, their mounts running all out. It was just enough of a distraction for Wufei to glance up at them, so he missed what happened in that fraction of a second. Heero however was never distracted this far into a mission so he saw it. Deep in the shadows, two green eyes glowed fiercely and with an unearthly screech the creature and its mount flew out of its temporary haven directly at Wing. A long knife flashed through the air and struck Heero high in the shoulder. Without turning is double -barreled Shenlong with its hind legs, causing the mare to stagger. Using the fraction of room it gained for itself, it fled, its shape almost blurring it accelerated so fast. Wing and Shenlong hot on its heels. Heavyarms and Sandrock not two steps behind. 'Kisama!" Wufei screamed in rage. Heero didn't bother to yell, only clamped down on the pain radiating from his arm. He pulled the knife out and stuck it in his boot, ignoring the blood. Their quarry turned the last bend and disappeared from sight for a brief second. The others were straining to maintain the blistering pace when Wufei leaned over and grabbed Wing's bridle, hauling back on it and ignoring the scream of protest from the stallion. "Stop!" Heero glared at Wufei and snatched the stallion's head away from the blademaster. Quatre and Trowa also pulled up in confusion. "Damn you, let go! It's getting away!" Heero was furious and Wufei, but Wufei ignored that. "Watch out, I set a trap, I don't want us to fall into it too!" He snapped. Heero glared at Wufei and set out again, but not at the hell-bent pace as before. They rounded the corner and saw this: A shadowmare struggling to her feet trying to untangle her legs from the trip rope Wufei had tied two feet above the ground, stretching from one side of the corridor to the other. And a black-cloaked figure crumpled nearby, unmoving. Wufei slid off of Shenlong and prodded the figure with his boot, causing it to roll over on its back. They cautiously gathered around it. A bruise on the temple marred its heart-shaped face. Its eyes were closed in unconsciousness, but it was breathing steadily through full red lips. It was dressed in black and wore a long black cloak. It was slim and had long legs. Actually, it looked like a young human being. "Its beautiful." Quatre breathed, earning himself two glares and one thoughtful look from the others. "Well, it is." He said defensively, sticking to his guns. The others had to agree. They noted the thick chestnut hair tied back into a long braid that reached past its waist, proof of what they were chasing was the genuine article. "So, that's a confessor, huh? Not that scary now, is it?" Wufei commented.