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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.
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