“Hire more men.”

“And put them in danger? Most of
them have families, Quatre. I can’t put anyone in that situation. I’m having a
hard time not firing the ones we have now just so they don’t have to go through
what Byouki and Janen’s families did.”

“Everything will turn out fine,
Duo. You just have to have faith in your own abilities. I know I do.”

Duo managed a crooked smile.
“Only you could remain optimistic during a crisis,” he joked. Duo leaned back
in the chair, crossing his arms behind his head as he stretched out his legs.
“You know that guy at the carnival? The one you said brainwashed everybody?”

“Yes, I remember him.”

“I just realized a few hours ago
that he was the one who rescued us.”

Quatre blinked in surprise.
“Truly?”

“Yep. Came out of nowhere when
the second attacker came after me. Afterwards, he told me he would clean up the
mess left behind. He seemed pretty protective of you, Q-ball.”

Quatre blushed as he looked down
at his hands. “I . . . don’t know what
you’re talking about.”

“Well I sure do. Shoved me out
of the way when I t to to get to you. Yep, protective indeed. Strange too,
considering he brainwashed my men again!”

“Oh no! Are they alright? What
did they say?”

“Oh, the usual. We were playing
an innocent game of flag football when two crazed assailants doped up on drugs
attacked us from the trees. I managed to subdue one while my men tackled the
second. While handcuffing them, one hit man got away, knocked down the two
guards handling the second hired assassin, and in the end they both got away.
My guards, of course, have no memory of our rescuer.”

“But that’s not what really
happened, is it?”

Duo snorted. “Hell no! While I
did manage to bring down one of them, the second attacked me. The uni-bang dude
tackled and took down the attacker and then ordered me to take you back
to the hotel. What he did with the bodies afterwards, I’ll probably never know.
What I do know is that the memories of my men have been tampered with. Again.”

“At least no one was really
injured.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t get a
concussion, Kat. By the way, I’ve gotta go talk to Yuy in a while.”

“Why?”

“Our knight in shining one bang glory
told me he knew Heero and worked with him. Puzzling, isn’t it? And I do so love
a good puzzle.” Duo rubbed his hands eagerly. “I’m going to get to the bottom
of this, Kat. One way or another, I’m going to get to the bottom of this
mystery.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

“Heero! You’re back! I heard you
reconsidered your resignation after hearing of Quatre and Duo’s attack.”

Heero nodded absently at Relena.
“Speaking of Duo, have you seen him?”

“I believe I saw him speaking to
Father a few minutes ago. It could have been about Father’s change of plans.”

“Change of plans?”

“Yes. Father had originally
planned on staying here in the Europeans but because of the recent attacks, Duo
suggested he cut short his stay and travel to America. Duo believes that
perhaps the trip overseas may lesson any chance of another attack.”

Heero knew no matter where they
traveled, the minions of evil would always find them. They were cunning and
crafty, and Heero needed to be on his toes at all times.

“Do you know when they will be
finished?” he asked politely.

“No. It could take a few minutes
or a few hours, depending on how amiable Duo is. Although, from the mood he was
in when I saw him last, you might want to find something to do for the next
hour or so. It might take a while.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Duo leaned back against the far
wall of the elevator, tilting his head up and sighing. The meeting with the
Vice Foreign Minister had been long and tedious. Darlian had been all for
changing his plans to include a trip to America. His advisors were not. It had
taken over three hours of arguing to convince them otherwise. Duo had been
tempted to whip out his scythe and cleave a coupleheadheads. The aftermath was
the only thing that had stopped him.

The elevator dinged, signaling a
stop at a floor. Duo opened his eyes and saw a young man hobble past the open
doors.

~Hobble?~

The young man turned to Duo and
offered him a smile. A feral, jagged tooth smile. Just as Duo’s eyes widened,
the lights in the elevator blinked erratically before blowing out. The elevator
lurched, throwing Duo against the wall before it ground to a halt. Swearing, he
looked up.

And saw sharp, serrated teeth
coming at him.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Quatre bolted upright in bed,
one hand clutching his chest as he gasped for breath.

“Duo!” he screamed at the top of
his lungs.

Footsteps pounded towards him,
his door to the suite bursting open.

“Sir! What’s the matter?” one of
the guards questioned, firearm held at the ready.

“Find Duo!” Quatre shouted. “He
needs help!”

The men dispersed, never
questioning Quatre’s order. They knew not to, when it came to their boss.
Quatre turned when he heard the sound of softer footsteps approaching.

“Quatre? What’s the matter?”
Relena asked, standing at the door to his room.

“Duo’s in trouble, Lena! I know
he is. We have to find him before it’s too late!”

“Just stay in here, Kat. I’ll go
get Heero. I was just talking to – ”

Relena turned just in time to
see a figure rush towards her. She shrieked as the individual tossed her over
his shoulder before darting down the hallway.

“Quatre!” she yelled helplessly.

“Relena!” Quatre scrambled out
of bed, his legs tangling with the blankets. Kicking free, he skidded into the
hallway, his heart pounding with fear from his stepsister. He blocked it off as
he sprinted after her. “No! Relena!!!”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

The three hunters froze, every
muscle immobile as their acute senses picked up the disturbance. They had been
discussing further actions when their instincts were triggered. Cursing a blue
streak, they dissolved into mist and flowed into the hotel through the
ventilation shafts. Heero appeared in the hallway, snagging the first security
detail that ran past him.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“Relhas has been abducted!
Quatre tried to follow and was taken as well. Duo’s trapped in the elevator
that’s stopped between floor 66 and 67. We suspect he is engaged with an
enemy.”

Heero’s eyes bled crimson as he
let the man go. He raced down the hallway towards the elevators, his objectives
clear.

Rescue Duo. And kill the bastard
who was in there with him.

Upon reaching the elevators,
Heero witnessed the crowd already gathered. They tried to pry the doors open
with crowbars, trying to reach their boss. He ducked around a corner, morphing into
mist once again before flowing between the cracks of the elevator doors. Even
in his altered state, he could hear the sounds of battle inside the small box.
The crash of a body colliding against the hard metal walls. The slap of flesh
against flesh.

Heero changed back into his
originally shape, dropping on the roof of the elevator with a thud. He jerked
back the top panel in time to see Duo’s body slam against the wall directly
beneath him. Heero snarled before jumping down.

Duo’s breath rushed out of his
body as he was thrown against the wall for the fourth time. He slid down to the
floor, wiping his hand across his bloody lip. It was another one of those
undead goons in the elevator attacking him. Joy.

He tried to scramble to his
feet, knowing if he stayed down he would die. His hand reachp top to grip the
railing for assistance, his eyes widening when the zombie lunged forward. He
was too late!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blur
dropped in between Duo and the creature. It landed in a crouch before slowing
rising to its feet. An air of menace and barely controlled rage surrounded it
as it matched growl for growl with the monster.

Duo blinked. Once. Twice. Three
times, believing his mind was playing tricks on him. Standing before him was
none other then Heero Yuy.

The ghoul hissed, backing away
slowly.

“Status, Duo,” Heero demanded.

“Nothing broken, just bruises,”
Duo answered automatically.

Heero grunted in acknowledgement.
He clenched his hands into fists, knuckles cracking in the heavy silence. Now
that he had Duo’s assurance of his health, he closed his mind off to everything
but the battle. He balanced on the balls of his feet, motionless. Seconds ticked
by as the hunter faced off with his prey.

The monster leapt forward, claws
raking the air. Heero exploded into action, mee his his attack directly.
Ducking to avoid the talons coming at his face from above, he dropped to the
ground, his leg spinning as he knocked the creature’s legs out from under him.
Heero rolled ontop of it, his left hand gripping the fiend’s throat, the other
raised in a fist. Eyes bleeding red, Heero brought down his fist onto the
beast’s face over and over, the sickening crunch of cartilage and bone filling
the silence in the elevator. Razor sharp nails ripped Heero’s arms and face as
the creature struggled to loosen Heero’s hold on him.

With a victorious snarl, Heero
plunged his hand into the monster’s chest. Blood spurted, arching into the
darkness of the elevator like a geyser. Duo gasped as droplets scattered across
his face, his eyes wide and unbelieving. At that point, he didn’t know who the
real monster was.

Heero, or the creature lying
beneath him.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Trowa appeared amid a blanket of
trees, the darkness of the night surrounding him in its soothing embrace. But
Trowa had no time to appreciate nature’s beauty. An evil terror had taken
something from him and he was going to get it back. No matter what.

A rustle of leaves sounded to
his left. He took a step back, blending into the shadows deeply. From out of
nowhere burst a figure, an indiscernible lump thrown over his shoulder. In a
blur of movement, Trowa reached out and caught the back of the individual’s
shirt, halting his escape. Pale blonde hair jerked up, revealing startled
sapphire blue eyes.

“Please help me!” cried the
young woman.

Trowa easily plucked Relena out
from the evil minion’s grasp and thrust her behind him.

“Stay out of the way,” he
commanded, his focus solely on the vampire’s henchman. He heard a quick
scrambling before there was silence.

croncrony snarled as he surged
forward, hands drawn up in fists. Trowa dissolved instantly into vapor,
streaming away from the attack and reappearing ontop a low hanging branch. He
pushed off from the limb, darting forward like an arrow. Nails lengthened to
deadly talons ripped the creature’s arm open from shoulder to elbow, drawing
forth a hideous scream full of pain and terror echo into the night. Trowa’s
momentum carried him past the monster but he whirled around in midair, plunging
his fist deep into the back of the demon. As he continued to fall, his hand
tore out a withered heart.

Trowa rolled neatly to his feet,
the blackened organ still in his grasp, his back facing the creature. He heard
the thud of a body, then the thrashing of limbs as it fought to continue it’s
evil existence. Blue flames engulfed his hand, leaving him unscathed but incinerating
the heart to ashes. The body fell still as Trowa directly the fire to encompass
the carcass.

He turned around to face the
burniody.ody. From behind a few leafy bushes, Relena burst forward, tears streaming
from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Trowa’s waist.

“Oh thank you!” she sobbed
brokenly. “I was so scared! Please, oh please take me back to my family! I want
to go home!”

Something flickered across
Trowa’s eyes before disappearing. He wrapped one arm around Relena, his gaze
turned towards the hotel building.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Quatre screamed and hollered at
the top of his lungs, one fist beating useless against the arm of the man
dragging him away. Tear trails stained his flushed face, eyes glittering with
helplessness. He dug his heels into the ground, twisting and jerking in hopes
of escape.

“Stop!” hissed his abductor. He
raised a clawed hand up in preparation to strike. Quatre turned his head away,
eyes clenched tight as he braced himself against the pain. He waited for it . .
.

. . . and waited, and waited
some more. Braving a peak, he opened his eyes. A katana was pressed against the
assailant’s neck, the moonlight dancing across the slender blade as if in glee.
Quatre followed the length of the katana to the hand that held it and finally
to the owner himself. Emotionless onyx eyes gazed back at him, as dark and
mysterious as the night surrounding them.

“Let the boy go,” Wufei ordered.

The kidnapper merely snarled his
annoyance. Without batting an eyelash, Quatre’s rescuer shifted his grip on the
katana and brought it down. The blade fell like the petals on a rose, slicing
through flesh and bone and severing the man’s grasp on Quatre’s arm. Quatre
stumbled back as the creature howled in pain, blood spraying from his wound to
paint the ground black.

Growling low in his throat, the
monster attacked Wufei with his remaining limb. Wufei leapt back and landed in
a crouch, katana poised above his head in readiness. Wufei rushed forward, the
sword swinging upwards in an arch. A gash appeared on the ghoul’s chest, stretching
from his left hip up to his right shoulder. Wufei whirled, spinning around and
to the left of the fiend. He brought his sword to his side and plunged it
forward, straight into the right side. Feet braced apart, he jerked it
sideways, the sharpened blade of the katana effortlessly slicing through sinew
and muscle until it reappeared on the other side of the man’s body. Wufei
poised motionless, his blade stained black with blood. The minion remained
standing for a moment, his eyes wide, blood pouring from his parted lips. His
eyes rolled to the back of his head as his upper half tipped backwards. His
lower half buckled before toppling forward. Two halves severed completely.

Wufei slowly stoop upright, his
beloved katana loose at his side. He placed a slippered foot against the
ghoul’s chest as he wiped his blade clean of blood. He turned to look at
Quatre, a glimmer shimmering in his eyes.

“Do not fear me,” he spoke
softly, soothingly. “I am a fr of of Heero Yuy. I came to help you.”

Quatre’s eyes scanned Wufei’s
features, searching for truth. He bit his lip as he followed his gut instinct
and nodded his acceptance.

“Please,” he begged, “just take
me back to the hotel.”

Wufei nodded as he stepped forward.
His keen eyesight caught the twitch of muscles in Quatre’s legs before he
crumpled forward. Fortunately, Wufei’s arms caught his light body. Cradling him
bridal style, Wufei shook his head down at the boy who had fainted.

“Just what the hell is going on
here?” he muttered under his breath before sprinted forward in an indiscernible
blur of movement.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

“Master, we’ve established
contact with the Chosen One.”

“Good. And the Hunters?”

“Renaldo was an overeager fool
who didn’t listen to directions. He didn’t deserve to see the glorious end to
my plans. As for the servants, we can always create more. Now go. Stick to my
orders and very soon, we’ll have an end to all Carpathians and the world in our
hands.”

. . . TBC . . .



~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lady S: Wow! I like the direction of this fic
much better then the first!

Wufei: I do as well, onna.

Duo: You only like it because you were introduced earlier in
the story and there’s no possessive, obsessive Heero around!

Wufei: Which is why you hate this fanfic.

Duo: Damn skippy! Why’d you have to go and change everything,
Lady S?

Lady S: Stop
your whining, Duo. You’ll get your possessive obsessive Heero. It’ll just be
a little later in the story. I want to develop the characters more
realistically.

Duo: Well how about you develop Heero having a raging
hard-on for me?

Everyone: DUO!!!