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New Horizons	By : NekuYasha Category: Gundam Wing/AC > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6

The First Girls
After stopping briefly to get some food and supplies, the group headed straight towards the edge of town and the ranch.
Trowa looked at the ticket he’d been given for his starter. “Ralston Family Ranch, where they’re always rarin’ to go,” he read. “Someone needs to find a new motto.”
“Given the state of things and the name of local cities, we should just be glad it’s not something more risqué,” said WuFei somewhat derisively.
“Good for one pokegirl of up to uncommon or comparable quality, dependent upon current ranch availability,” continued Trowa. “I wonder what they’ll have available.”
WuFei arched an eyebrow. “Are you actually looking forward to this, Barton?”
Trowa shrugged. “Some, I guess. You aren’t?” The look on WuFei’s face was plenty answer for Trowa, who shrugged again before continuing, “I keep thinking of it as an undercover mission and we’re on our way to meet our new team. Naturally, I always wonder if my new teammates are competent, experienced, whether or not we’ll mesh well…It’s all part of the build-up. I find it exciting.”
“Yes, but when you get a new team, you don’t take them to your bunk and have them call you ‘Master’, do you?”
“Only if they seem willing…” said Trowa, who shared a smirk with Duo while WuFei rolled his eyes.
Duo mildly shook his head. He seriously wanted to get WuFei to lighten up some, but Duo severely doubted his usual antics would help the situation any. Most of the guys thought Duo didn’t have any tact, and under most circumstances it was true, but he did know when to keep his mouth shut. He just constantly weighed the consequences against the satisfaction of putting people on the spot. Unfortunately, they all knew WuFei was a lot more reserved than the rest of their group. Duo just wished he knew why.

~*~
After almost an hour, the group found themselves on the outskirts of the city. As the last of the neighborhoods and then singular houses fell away, the surrounding scenery gave way to tall trees and thick green grass. Even as the guys unconsciously took up their familiar formation, Heero and Duo on point, Trowa and Quatre on the sides, with WuFei bringing up the rear, no one was immune to the beauty of the nature around them. The guys didn’t seem to notice the girls straying out of the middle to walk next to them. The only person to really notice was Scherazade, but she wasn’t about to bring it up. Instead, she kept a lookout for signs of ferals in their surroundings.
Eventually, the woods gave way to open fields of grass punctuated by small clusters of trees. The paved road continued, even as it bisected the grass, heading onward toward another large stand of trees in the distance. At the very edge of the tree-line was a well used looking campsite. Quatre looked at the rest of the group.
“I think we should camp here tonight and start again in the morning. I know it’s only early afternoon, but we’ve done a lot since we started this morning on the station.”
Everyone agreed and started making camp. It looked like the site was meant for multiple tents, but it still took some squeezing to get five into the space. Fortunately, this made the campsite rather unappealing to the few passersby the group noticed.
After dinner was settled and the fire stoked for the evening, the group gathered together to discuss the next day and their options.
“Tomorrow will bring its own set of challenges,” started Quatre. “In the very least, we’re gaining five new people. We need to know what they’ll be able to do, and what kind of training they’ll need.”
“It might be easier for us to choose a starter if we knew what they had on hand,” said Trowa.
“You can find out both if you use your ‘dexes,” said Scherazade. She held up Quatre’s ‘dex to show them where she’d already pulled up the public information on the Ralston Ranch and the list of available ‘girls. “Of course, they don’t put up everything they have available, nor everything that each ‘girl knows, but it does give you a few cookies to go on. If they have a particular ‘girl you’re interested in, but don’t know anything about, you can always look up the breed.”
“At least they’re organized,” muttered Hilde. Duo looked at her out of the corner of his eye, before hiding his thoughts behind his ‘dex. While he’d had no problems being faithful to Hilde since they’d been together, he was definitely the freak in the relationship. He enjoyed sex, and he didn’t mind having multiple partners, but he knew Hilde was more traditional than he was, so he’d never tried much experimenting with their relationship. On top of all that, everything was easier for the guys when they thought of something as a mission, and Duo had definitely slipped into that mindset. Keeping Hilde and the rest of his friends safe was the mission, and having a harem was necessary to completing that mission. Duo looked at Hilde out of the corner of his eye again as she got up and crawled into their tent. ‘I hope she can get used to this,’ he thought.
Quatre met Duo’s gaze over his ‘dex and nodded. Duo smiled his thanks and stood up. “I think I’m gonna turn in. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
Relena watched Duo follow her best friend into their tent and sighed. She looked at Quatre and murmured quietly, “She’s really not taking this whole thing well, is she?”
Quatre shook his head and answered without looking up from his ‘dex. “No, she’s not. She’s really confused and angry. She feels like she’s losing herself and Duo both to something she didn’t ever expect. If Duo had died, she could handle it. War is something she’s used to. She knows the risks of fighting. But she feels the pull of being a pokegirl, and she doesn’t like it. She knows Duo is going to need a harem, and that he’ll have to have sex with that harem, which royally ticks her off. But on the same note, being part of that harem excites her, which is a completely alien concept to her, so she automatically thinks it’s because she’s a pokegirl, which makes her think she’s losing who she is.” He sighed heavily, looking up from his ‘dex to stare annoyedly at their tent. “They’re getting ready to have a huge row. Afterward, they’ll probably make up.” He shook his head again before going back to perusing his ‘dex. “Sometimes I hate being an empath,” he muttered.
Relena shook her head too. She could already hear Duo and Hilde murmuring back and forth. With their tents as close as they were, no one would have any privacy. Without thinking about it, she raised a hand and cast a spell at the tent. All sounds stopped coming from inside it. Just as quickly, she looked at her hand in confusion.
“What did you just do, Lena?” asked Heero.
She looked up to find everyone looking at her. Scherazade was the only one that didn’t look confused or concerned. She looked rather pleased with Relena’s impromptu outburst. “I’m not sure. I was thinking that I wished there was a way to sound proof our tents because no one was going to have any privacy, and then I felt the urge to hold up a hand and cast something.”
“Cast? You mean, like magic?” asked WuFei.
She nodded, “I think so.” She looked more confused now than before.
“I don’t know why you all are so surprised,” said Scherazade. “She’s a Magic/Psychic type. Of course she’s going to cast magic. She’ll probably surprise you with a couple psychic abilities too.”
Quatre looked at his blue haired ‘girl. “This is common place here, isn’t it?” She nodded. “Alright then,” he looked at the rest of the group, “We’ll just have to get used to this too.”
“Are they all right in there?” asked Trowa. “I haven’t heard anything from them.”
“They’re fine,” said Quatre. “Her spell works well on sound, but it doesn’t block their emotions. They’re well into a huge fight. Honestly, Lena did us a favor.”
A small silence was followed by a collective shrug as everyone went back to their ‘dexes.

~*~
“You’re not turning me into some kind of depraved whore!”
Duo sighed, running a hand through his bangs. This was not going to plan. He’d followed Hilde into the tent in hopes of talking to her and trying to allay her fears. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to have a sense of humor this evening; Joking about a threesome had backfired horribly. Now, she was screaming at him in alternating German and English and clutching the hilt of her sword like she could draw it at any moment.
“I’m not trying to turn you into a whore, Hilde. I was just trying to get you to lighten up.”
“Gott verdammt, Duo! You won’t take me as a wife, but you’re willing to take another woman to our bed, and sie wollen mir helfin? Seriously, you want me to help, and you don’t think that makes me a HURE?!”
Hilde had gotten progressively louder as she went on. She was so mad she was shaking.
“We’ve had this conversation, Hilde. You’re just going to have to believe I’m not getting more women because I’m bored of you or because I want to turn you into a ‘depraved whore’. I’m doing this because I want to make sure you’re safe and sound and always with me.” Duo scooted around until he was sitting next to her while he was talking to her. He slid an arm around her shoulders and tried to pull her against him. She stiffened up and glared daggers at him.
“Oh no you don’t, Duo Maxwell! You’re not going to get away with that this time. I refuse to let you charm your way into my pants again. Stay away from me!” She pushed away from him and slid to the other side of the tent. “If you don’t have the hoden to stand up to the local debauchery, then you can just find some other tramp to help you with your sick perversions!”
Duo didn’t like fighting with her, so he usually took the quiet approach and let her cool down on her own, but he’d finally had enough.
“Is that what you think this is?” he fired back, shocking her into silence for a moment. “You think I’m just going along with the status quo because…what? It’s what the rest of the guys are gonna do? Can you really be so pig-headed as to not see I’m doing this to keep you safe? You know what I think? I think the idea excites you and you’re just too damn proud to admit it!” He leaned forward as he railed at her.
Hilde leaned forward to scream back at him, “Oh, screw you, Duo! You couldn’t have an original thought in your head if it beat its way in from the outside! You always let everyone else take charge and do your thinking for you, including me. So how long did it take the others to convince you? A day? Two? It had to be while I was sick, otherwise you wouldn’t have thought twice about this insanity! You didn’t even have the hoden to ask me out the first time! How am I supposed to believe you’re choosing this for yourself? What I really can’t believe is that you’re choosing to go along with them over me!”
Duo’s eyes narrowed. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“You’re damn straight!” retorted Hilde.
His violet eyes flashed in the dim light coming through the canvas from the campfire, and Hilde thought for just one moment she might have went too far. It was too late though, as Duo lunged at her, knocking her back on the blankets they’d spread out earlier. He landed with his hands on her shoulders and his legs on either side of her hips, with his feet wrapped up and over her knees to hold them in place. Duo leaned down to whisper harshly in her ear, “I may run, I may hide, but I never…ever…tell a lie!”
Hilde paled as she felt Duo reach for something and heard her sword come free from its sheath. He continued to whisper, “You think I can’t think for myself? You think I don’t have wants and desires I don’t act on just because I know you won’t be comfortable with them? You’re so wrong, and I’m gonna show you just how wrong you are!”
Hilde shivered as she recognized the sound of Shinigami coming out in Duo. ‘Damn my temper!’ she thought. ‘I know better than to call him a liar. He never lies, to me or anyone else.’
Hilde tried to gently push against his chest so she could make eye contact with him. The only thing it got her was her hands captured above her head. She started to protest and buck her hips against him to dislodge him when she froze in her tracks. She felt the cool touch of her sword being slid under her shirt. She’d never been afraid of Duo, but she’d seen what he was capable of during the war as Shinigami.
“Un-uh. Don’t move too much. I wouldn’t want to nick you with your own sword.” He sat back up enough to continue sliding the sword up her shirt. The back was against her skin. When he got to the top of her garmet, he pulled up sharply, dodging just enough to the side so as to miss himself, while cutting through her bra, shirt, and uniform jacket. Duo refused to make eye contact with her, instead leaning down and sucking one nipple into his mouth and licking it before nipping it lightly. When Hilde gasped, he chuckled darkly before moving to the other nipple and repeating the treatment.
“Duo…” she began.
“No. Not this time,” he said. “For once you’re going to shut up and listen to me.” He slid the sword down one of her pants legs, cutting it as he went. “The only thing I want to hear from you is the sound of you moaning, groaning, or maybe even the occasional scream.” He chuckled again as he cut the other leg of her pants, moving his legs as he did so, until she was naked under him, laying on the remains of her uniform.
Hilde wasn’t sure what to do. Duo had never treated her like this. He’d always let her have her way, doing what she asked him to, or not to, as the case may be. He’d never taken charge in their relationship. Now, he wouldn’t even let her speak. She breathed a little easier when he tossed her sword to the other end of the tent, but he quickly sucked the breath back out of her by latching onto her nipple once again, this time with a fierceness that resonated deep within her. He suckled hard, followed by biting her almost painfully, then lavishing it with his tongue, all the while still holding her hands above her head with one of his while the other caressed and teased the opposite nipple to painful erection.
When he finally felt he’d given the first nipple enough attention, he switched to her other breast, to repeat the same wonderful torture. His free hand slid down to the center of her womanhood and deftly slid between her folds to test the slick waters within. She was hot and wanton, just like he knew she would be. His fingers slid over her clit, making her hips jerk, eliciting a moan from her throat.
He let go of her nipple just long enough to taunt her, saying, “What’s this? Slick wet heat? You’d think I was acting like a complete bastard and yet, you seem to like it…” Hilde opened her mouth to say something in retort, but all that came out was a moan as Duo slid a finger deeply inside her tight wetness. “Un-uh. I told you, no talking, just moaning.” He slid another finger inside her, making her back arch beneath him. “This time, you cum if I say you can, when I say you can. Do you understand me?”
Hilde could only moan as Duo bit her nipple again as he started stroking her insides with his fingers. She’d never felt so helpless, but at the same time, she felt safe. She knew he was mad at her, but he was still her Duo. He could have been truly hurting her, but he wasn’t. He was doing everything he could to drive her insane. She tried to pull her hands free from his grip, only to have him pull his fingers out of her depths. She moaned in complaint at the emptiness she felt and bucked her hips against him. She only had to wait a second to find out what he was up to though. He pulled off his belt and tied her hands together with it, securing them to one of the tent poles, ensuring that if she struggled too much, she’d pull the tent down on them both.
He looked at his handiwork and grinned. He slid his hands down her bare arms, over her shoulders to her breasts. Then he leaned over and kissed her fiercely, demanding her compliance as he delved his tongue into her mouth, exploring, taking what he wanted for long moments, until Hilde was gasping for breath when he let her suck air into her lungs again. He moved his way down her body, licking and nipping her neck, caressing her breasts, kissing her belly, nipping her here and there along the way, until he got to her hips. He had slid backward off her legs along the way until he was kneeling between them.
He ran his hands over her thighs and back up to her core, gently spreading her open and flicking her clit teasingly. Hilde bucked her hips and groaned in frustration when he just chuckled and pulled his hands away. He took his time undoing his shirt and pants, watching her breath quicken and her pupils dilate. He knew she thought he was attractive, most people did, but he rarely went without a shirt because of the few scars he had from growing up on L2 and the wars. He liked knowing that Hilde found them sexy, so he teased her, letting her look but not touch.
When he was finally naked, he reached down, cupping her ass, pulling her hips into the air. He slid her legs over his shoulders, held her wet folds open, and began sliding his tongue up and down her slit. He took great satisfaction in sliding his tongue over her clit, time and again, knowing that her back was already arched about as far as it could go, so all she could do was lay there and moan as he feasted on her moist insides.
He held her up while he slid his tongue inside her rhythmically, just barely approximating the fucking she was soon going to get. He wanted to drive her mad, making her want it. He wanted to hear her moan and beg. When it seemed like she was close, he backed off, moving to her clit, lavishing it with his tongue, sucking on it like her nipples, making her cry out in pleasure. He never quite got her off, instead switching back and forth.
Finally, she broke and cried out, “Gott verdammt, Duo! Let me cum! Please let me cum!”
While she’d broken his no speaking rule, Duo was still amused. It’s what he’d been waiting for. He quickly let her legs down and surprised her by flipping her over on her hands and knees. She wasn’t used to this position, but he didn’t give her time to do anything more than moan as he roughly drove into her, slamming himself deep, his hips slapping against her thighs. The thrill quickly pushed Hilde over the edge, bucking back against him, meeting his hard thrusts and screaming as she climaxed. Her legs felt like jelly underneath her, but Duo held onto her hips tightly as he continued pounding into her roughly, hard and fast.
“Oh no. You don’t get to curl up and purr after this one. You have at least a few more in you. I’m gonna fuck you until I’m satisfied. I’m gonna fuck you until there’s absolutely no doubt in your head that you’re mine! And if you don’t like it, too - fucking - bad!” He punctuated the last few words with her moans as he slammed into her again and again.
They continued that way, until her legs couldn’t hold her, and he had to flip her over on her side. He put one of her legs on his shoulder, straddling her other and slammed himself back into her. Hilde could not believe the stamina he had when he was mad. He kept going and going. Finally, as Hilde felt herself slide over the edge of another orgasm, Duo slammed himself as deep as he could, crying out as he spilled his seed deep inside her. He pumped into her a few more times for good measure before collapsing on top of her.
Hilde laid there, panting beneath him. She moved one of her legs, trying to make him more comfortable, when he nipped her shoulder. He slid an arm under her head, wrapping the other around her waist, and moving her leg back where it was, effectively keeping himself buried inside her, and laying half on top of her. “Mine…” was the last thing she heard him mutter before she passed out in his arms.

~*~
While the rest of the camp had stayed up to talk and discuss the available starters at the ranch, Trowa was the next to turn in. He wasn’t particularly tired, but he wanted time alone to think. He’d spent a considerable amount of his life alone, or feeling alone. Like most of the other guys, he’d grown up an orphan, found by mercenaries, raised in the middle of brush-fire wars on the colonies…it had been a lonely existence. The only time he didn’t feel alone was with the other guys or his sister, Catherine. And while he was grateful he was with the guys, he still missed her.
“I hope she’s ok,” he murmured to no one in particular. “Hopefully, she’s not worrying about me. I know she’s still alive. She should know I am.”
After watching the shadows from the campfire play across his tent for what felt like hours, the last person, WuFei, turned in. It was rather warm still, and Trowa found himself stripping down to his cargo shorts in an effort to cool off and get comfortable. Finally, and after what felt like forever, Trowa rolled over on his side and drifted off to sleep.
A couple hours into the night, Trowa woke up. The quiet sounds of the woods greeted him. As he emerged from his tent, he noted the last of the fire’s embers had died down to an almost non-existent glow in the middle of the pit. Trowa rubbed at his eyes and staggered toward the woods, as he doubted the others would appreciate him pissing in the firepit come morning.
Even half asleep, Trowa made no noise as he found his way into the forest for some private absolutions. As he relieved himself, Trowa noticed the sounds of the forest had quieted down around him. He stilled listening to the quiet, looking left and right out of the corner of his eyes. His breath froze in his chest as he felt a soft breath on the back of his neck. He forced himself to start breathing again as a soft nose nuzzled the same place on his neck, inhaling a deep sniff of his scent.
Trowa slowly turned around and looked at the girl in front of him. Brilliant golden eyes stared back at him from inside a beautiful, human like face that was so black, she seemed to coalesce straight out of the shadows. She was obviously a catgirl of some type, judging by the jet black ears that were perched atop her head and the slitted pupils that almost bisected the beautiful golden orbs staring at him. Her eyes ran over the length of him, then back to his face, where she looked him in the eyes again. Trowa looked into her eyes calmly. He slowly raised a hand to touch her face with the back of his fingers. She looked hesitant at first, then hooded her eyes slightly as she nuzzled against his hand. Trowa slid his fingers up and around her ear, gently caressing and scratching. He smiled softly as she closed her eyes and purred, a small smile gracing her features.
“You like that, do you?” he asked the dark pokegirl.
She opened her eyes and the hungry look she gave him sent a shiver up Trowa’s spine. He realized then that he was on the midnight menu. He decided to see if everything he’d read in the ‘dex would help as he slid his hand over her hair, and down her chest to caress a breast. She let out another purr as he cupped her generously sized globe. Trowa noted that she was mildly fuzzy, but her fur was satiny smooth and soft to the touch. He slid his other hand up to cup her other breast. He was encouraged by her louder purr of enjoyment. As much as she was obviously feral, and they had all been warned against facing ferals alone, Trowa couldn’t find it in himself to be afraid of her. She was the best of both worlds as far as he was concerned, both beautiful and a cat…and he’d always loved big cats.
The dark girl slid her hands up Trowa’s chest and over his shoulders. Her claws slid over his flesh and dug in slightly as she pulled him closer and kissed him. Trowa met the kiss directly, not backing down. The girl became more aggressive, demanding, in their kiss. Trowa slid his hands around her back, pulling her against him. Her soft fur mildly tickled against his chest. She also had a tail, Trowa noted with amusement. He gently scratched the fur at the base of her tail, eliciting a nip from the dark feline before licking his lip. She let him guide her backward, away from the tree she found him at, and toward a soft patch of clover Trowa had noted on the way into the trees.
The girl apparently thought the clover was a good spot too, as she suddenly twisted them around and pushed Trowa to the ground, falling on top of him, kissing him hungrily as she ran her claws down his chest. Trowa didn’t so much as flinch as a few of her claws drew blood. He just figured it was part of playing with a cat; sometimes you got the claws. He ran his hands down the soft fur of the girl’s back and over her plush bottom. He pulled her hips down against him as he ground his hips against hers. She let out a sound half-way between a growl and a purr, both sets of claws starting to dig into his chest. Trowa inhaled sharply, catching the girl’s attention. Immediately, she withdrew her claws and ducked her head to start licking the small dots of blood she’d drawn.
Trowa ran a hand over the girl’s hair, smoothing a lock around an ear. It twitched. She looked up at him through half lidded eyes as she ran her tongue along an old battle scar, and the blood started to run thick and hot through his veins. It had been several months since Trowa had taken a lover, and he’d never been truly attached to any of them, but this was different. He could feel it. Trowa threaded a hand into the girl’s hair and drug her up for a feral kiss of his own. He was rewarded with a soft growling moan, as she ground against him again. Trowa could feel himself quickly hardening beneath her eager movements. When she went for the waistband of his shorts, Trowa helped her make quick work of removing them. He shuddered when she wrapped a hand around his length and started to stroke him. The girl straddled Trowa’s hips, still caressing him, and started rubbing against him. Trowa felt himself grow impossibly hard at the feel of her slick heat seeping into him as she rubbed him against her hot core.
Trowa ran his hands up her thighs to her waist as she rose up to slide him into position. He looked up into her face and saw the raw need in her eyes, and suddenly, he understood. He understood the connection Quatre felt for Schera. He knew he was truly needed by this dark beauty above him. All other thought was driven from his mind as she quickly thrust downward, taking him deep inside her. Trowa groaned between clenched teeth at the feel of being buried inside her moist heat. She moaned as she pulled halfway up his length, then slammed herself back down again, taking him to the hilt. Trowa gripped her waist and started driving up into her, meeting her thrusts, helping bury himself in her deliciously tight heat. The girl started bouncing up and down on him, driving him deeply inside her over and over. They carried on that way, both of them finding what they needed in the other, until they both found release together, growling out their pleasure, before collapsing together on the forest floor.
The night air was chill on Trowa’s skin, helping cool the overheated feeling he had, not that he was complaining. He lay there with his head back, looking up into the canopy, dragging in cool lungfuls of air. After several long minutes, he looked down his chest at the touselled mane of liquid shadow laying there. She was purring contentedly, one hand lightly clawing at his chest, with her legs still straddling his waist. Trowa threaded one hand into her hair, and she rubbed her head against it, obviously enjoying the attention. His other hand came up and gently slid into the hand clawing at his chest, entwining their fingers together. She stilled as she looked at their clasped hands, and Trowa wondered what she was thinking. Slowly, she turned her head to look up into his face, her golden eyes standing out in the black mane, drawing him into their depths as he felt an odd tingling run up his spine. He was so lost in the feeling, he almost missed her soft voice.
“Thank youu,” she all but whispered.
Trowa pulled her hand up to his mouth to lightly kiss her knuckles. “It is I who should be thanking you.”
Her brows drew together as she studied him. A moment later she said, “You’rrre not like most huumans.”
He smiled softly, bemused by the mild purring accent she had. “No, most likely not. Then again, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Do you?” She studied him a moment more, before gracing him with another soft smile and a shake of her head. “Good,” he said. “Now, can I ask you a question?” At her affirmative nod, he continued, “Am I just a passing fling? Or do you want to stay with me?”
She looked at him curiously. “Do I have a choice? I felt the bond.”
Trowa looked at her steadily. “With me, any pokegirl will have a choice. I’d have preferred if we had this chat before we bonded, but as you were feral at the time, I can’t hold that against you.”
The onyx beauty looked at their entwined hands again, before gazing into his eyes intently for what felt like an eternity. Trowa held her gaze steadily. Green stared into gold as the minutes ticked by. Finally, she nodded and said, “I think I’d like that.”
“Alright,” Trowa looked around them again, then back to her. “Now, have you seen my pants?”

~*~
The next morning, WuFei emerged from his tent to the smell of burning wood and coffee. He stretched and winced at the stitch in his back that complained about the lack of a bed. He grunted quietly, thinking to himself, ‘You’re going soft, old man.’
“You’re so soft, husband! Come away from those books and practice with me!”
WuFei shook his head, trying to physically shake the voice of his dead wife out of his mind.
“I’ve got water on for your tea, ‘Fei,” said Quatre from over by the fire.
WuFei glanced in his direction and nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be back in a few.”
Quatre nodded and watched the Chinese man walk into the trees with a small sigh.
Scherazade watched the exchange and her master’s reaction. She looked at Quatre after WuFei was well out of earshot and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
Quatre shook his head sadly. “Only he knows for certain, but I know it makes him very sad. He never talks about her, but there’s a woman that haunts his mind. He carries a great guilt over her. I don’t ever ask, but I can feel it when she creeps into his thoughts.”
“Will he be ok?” she asked.
He nodded. “Eventually.”
Duo listened to the exchange quietly as he sipped at his coffee. ‘So that’s why he’s so bothered by all this,’ he thought. ‘I’ll have to tread more lightly from now on.’
WuFei found some privacy under the canopy of the forest after his morningly duties. He settled in a lotus position in a patch of grass where the sun filtered through the leaves, creating a softly glowing glade. He closed his eyes and started to meditate, quietly clearing his mind.
“Un-uh. It’s not that easy to get rid of me!”
He re-situated himself, trying to ignore the memory and push it out of his head.
“Nope, ignoring me doesn’t work. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
He sighed, giving up the fight, letting the memory wash over him.
It was hard to ignore the Chinese beauty standing over him as he sat cross legged on the floor of the parlor, reading a book by one of his favorite philosophers. She was wearing a workout gi in a shade of warm brown that brought out the rich chocolate color of her eyes. Her long black hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail that dangled over the side of her face as she leaned over him with a mischievous look in her eyes.
WuFei looked at her over the rim of his glasses. “And one would think you’d know by now that goading me into a fight isn’t a good idea.” He pushed the wire frames up on his nose, before looking back to his book. He couldn’t help but snark, “What? Are you looking to be trounced again?” He smirked as she gaped at him. He loved aggravating her.
Quick as lightning, she reached out, snatching his book and taking off. WuFei was quick to give chase. He couldn’t help but notice she was getting faster. He had to pour on some serious speed to catch up to her as she made it outside, onto the wrap around veranda. Just as he thought she was in reach, she bolted for the railing, easily sliding over it and tearing down the footpath leading to her favorite place…the meadow.
WuFei contemplated letting her go for all of one second, before continuing to give chase. By the time he caught up to her, some of his hair had fallen out of the tight ponytail that he too wore. She was standing in the middle of the wildflowers, holding his book out by one corner, above her head like someone would when enticing a cat with a treat. Even knowing it was futile, he made a grab for the tome. She quickly jerked it up and spun away from him, her hair flying around her head like a ribbon in the wind, while she laughed. It wasn’t a sound he heard from her often.
He stopped, crossing his arms, and gave her what he hoped was a suitably annoyed scowl. “You know, for being my wife, you’re not in the least bit obedient.”
She put her hands on her hips, arching an eyebrow. “I haven’t heard you give me any orders, Husband.” The emphasis she put on the honorary spoke volumes about her opinion of their roles.
WuFei couldn’t say he blamed her over much. Tradition and their families had arranged their union, not them. They weren’t madly in love when they were married at the tender age of thirteen. Truth be told, they didn’t even like each other at the time. She thought he was a weak scholar, too bookish to be strong enough to lead her clan, and he wanted no part of being a husband or a warrior, even though his clan’s traditions demanded he be both. Over the last year and a half, they had learned more about each other, how to live with each other, how to work together, even how to enjoy each other’s company most of the time. And while they were married, it was a chaste relationship. They were still young, after all. He had just seen his fifteenth year, and she was still four months behind him.
“Give me my book,” he said, holding out a hand.
“Oooh! Direct and firm! You must have been listening to Master O again. Is he still trying to teach you how to ‘take me in hand’?”
“In between working on that metal monstrosity. He says you spend too much time down there, and that I need to teach you to be a proper wife.”
Instantly, seething rage flashed in her eyes as she asked haughtily, “And what did you tell him?”
WuFei surprised her by laughing quietly. “I told him you would never be a proper wife and that he had better not run you off, otherwise he wouldn’t have anyone to pilot that tin can once he was done building it.” He couldn’t help laughing again as he watched the emotions flying across her face: anger, incredulousness, humor, a tiny amount of pride, and in the end, a touch of disappointment. “What?” he asked. “You know I don’t want anything to do with the war. It’s stupid. The fighting doesn’t solve anything. Two sides clash, one side wins. The losing side licks their wounds and comes back for more. Sometimes, the power balance shifts. Most of the time, it doesn’t.”
“Because they are sadists! They want to rule us, but they won’t give us anything to live on! They are so powerful they can hold an entire star system in their clutches, but they aren’t powerful enough to end the woes of the people they control! They don’t help the starving, or the sick! They just make more messes and destroy lives, leaving more orphans and expect us to clean up their mess! And the sheer injustice of it makes me sick!” His book landed on the ground as she clenched and unclenched her fists. She was panting through clenched teeth, color flushing her cheeks as she shook with the violent emotions coursing through her. She was a fiery young woman.
“Calm down and breathe. It does you no good to get worked up thusly,” he said as he bent down to pick up the classic laying amongst the flowers.
He knew the attack was coming before she ever moved. Contrary to his previous statement, he knew she was a fighter. She was from a warrior clan almost as ancient and respected as his own. He didn’t want to break her spirit. He just wanted her to learn to temper it. He’d left himself open to an attack on purpose, knowing she needed to work through the anger. Sadly, he knew the coming fight wouldn’t help her mood much unless she could beat him. When she came at him as he was straightening back up, he used her own momentum to flip her over his head to land on her back, looking up at the artificial sky above them. He wouldn’t give it to her though. He’d make her work for it.
She pushed off the ground, jumping to her feet and spinning to face him. WuFei patiently waited for her next attack, predictably coming head on, like she always did. He deftly dodged a punch aimed at his face, followed by a kick aimed at his gut. After a few more dodged punches, the Chinese girl let out an animalistic scream of frustration.
“Fight me!”
“Is that what you call this?” he asked, looking at her from a few feet away, hands clasped behind his back, his white scholar’s robes not looking the least out of place. “I thought we were trying that new Americanized thing they call dancing these days.”
She screamed again and flew at him, fists and feet flying. WuFei had to admit she had gotten better. Even in her emotionally charged state, she started to reign herself in and apply herself. He had to start defending himself against her attacks, blocking punches and kicks. When she finally landed a solid punch on him, connecting with his shoulder as he spun away from her, he started fighting back. Usually, this was the point when she started to look nervous, but not today. A smugly satisfied look crossed her face as he made contact with her side with a swift snap kick. Again, she came at him. It was on now. They fought back and forth, more of a feral dance among the wildflowers than a fight, they both knew each other’s moves so well.
She feigned a punch at his head to riposte with high roundhouse to his face. WuFei dodged the kick by dropping to the floor and sweeping her legs out from under her. She lay there, panting, looking up at the artificial sky again, trying to catch her breath. He came to stand over her.
“Have you had enough?” he asked calmly, though he too was panting slightly.
In response, she rolled up to her feet in a crouch, and launched herself back toward him, twisting in mid-air to fly at him face to face. He’d never seen her do this before, and in doing so, she caught him off guard. She connected with him solidly, knocking him to the ground. She straddled him, with her hands on either side of his head. Her smug look of victory quickly disappeared as he grabbed her wrists, forcing them upward toward his head and gained the leverage he needed to roll over on top of her.
It was his turn to look smug as he straddled her waist and held her wrists together over her head. They stayed like that for several long minutes, the only sounds being their ragged gasps for breath after the impromptu workout. As he sat there, he noted for about the hundredth time how beautiful she was, even flushed and touselled from their spar. For the first time, he did something about it. He leaned over and kissed her. She was still a moment, before melting beneath him. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed. When they opened, they were shining and she had a wonder struck look on her face. He let go of her wrists to prop himself up and push back some of her unruly locks.
“Not bad for a tomboy,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you’d know what to do with a kiss.”
He’d meant it as a joke, but her good mood evaporated like fog over the desert at high noon. Before he realized the depth of his mistake, he found himself laying on his back, clutching his nose, and watching her storm away through bleary eyes. Their first kiss since their wedding and his first broken nose. He guessed it could’ve been worse…she could’ve broke his jaw.
WuFei sighed long and low, the sound ending in a soft sob. He opened moist eyes to stare up into the forest canopy. “Meilan,” he whispered. “I wish I had cherished you while I had you.” He shook his head ruefully, looking truly pained as he continued, “May your spirit forgive me for what I’m about to do.”
Figuring meditation was a moot point, he spent a few minutes working through a kata, before returning to camp. He was really looking forward to some tea. When WuFei found his way back to the campsite, he walked over to sit near Quatre, who held out a mug to him. WuFei took it, noting the pale green liquid inside. He nodded to the Arabian, saying, “My thanks,” before drinking the hot green tea. It warmed the coldness of his insides and helped calm his nerves.
Quatre smiled, happy to see his friend relaxing. He looked over at Duo and Hilde. They were sitting together, enjoying their breakfast. No trace of the previous night’s argument was present in their manner. Occasionally, Hilde would glance around at the surrounding area, but then go back to her conversation with Duo. Heero and Relena were sitting on the other side of the fire from him and Schera. Heero was showing Relena how to cook eggs over the campfire without burning them. Honestly, Quatre figured Relena knew perfectly well how to cook on a campfire, but he could feel she was enjoying the attention Heero was paying her. He smiled a little brighter. Yep, things looked like they were starting well today. He wondered when Trowa was going to crawl out of his tent and show everyone else his surprise. Quatre hid his devilish smirk behind his mug. Sometimes, it was good to be an empath.
Trowa woke up feeling very relaxed and warm. He stretched, then recoiled lightly as he felt claws scratch at his chest. He opened his eyes to see the dark beauty from his dreams sprawled across him, obviously still dozing, one of her hands reflexively pat-patting his chest in her sleep. He couldn’t help smiling. He found her little purr snores adorable. He threaded a hand into her hair and pulled it up to his nose. She smelled of the woods and him. He chuckled as she nuzzled against his chest, then looked at him through barely slitted eyes.
“Morning,” he murmured, still looking half asleep.
“Morrrning,” she purred.
Trowa saw her nose twitch. He took a deep breath and smiled. “Coffee. Quatre’s awake.” He rolled over, gently dislodging his black blanket. “Come on. I want to get breakfast before Duo decides ours is fair game!” He started pulling on clothing.
“Um, Masterrr…” began the feline lady.
Trowa looked at her. She was sitting up, but she hadn’t moved. She was completely naked. “Hmm, you didn’t come with any clothes. That could be a problem.” He looked around the duffle he had and pulled out a button up shirt and held it out to her. “Here, this ought to fit, at least until we can get you something else.”
She took the shirt and looked at it dubiously. She was considerably bustier than his shirt looked like it would cover, but it was better than nothing. As she slipped it on and started on the buttons, she said, “Thank youu, Masterrr, but there’s some things I really should tell youu before we go out therrre.”
Trowa shook his head. “Coffee first. My brain doesn’t fire on all thrusters until it has coffee.” He looked at her dubious look and held out a hand to her. “I promise, whatever it is, I’ll listen. I just want to be completely awake for it.” He smiled again. “Besides, I want to introduce you to my friends.”
The girl slipped her hand into his, but said, “That’s actually what I’m afrrraid of.”
He started unzipping the tent flap, “Don’t worry about them. They’ll love you.” Again, she looked dubious, but followed him out into the small clearing.
It was a far cry from the deserted campfire she noted the night before. She had barely paid the other tents any notice as her new tamer led her back to his. She had barely started coming out of her feral state at that time. If she had been thinking more clearly, she would’ve taken off during the night. Now, there were four more humans and two other pokégirls sitting around the fire. She could smell a third girl in a tent. Her tamer obviously had no clue what she was, but she figured at least one of the others would realize it before long. She knew she wouldn’t make it long against this large a group. They’d either kill her or take her in to be killed by the government. Briefly, something dark and desperate flared to life deep inside her, railing against the thought of being destroyed. It wanted her to live and she found herself thinking about the best way to tear through the group who would consider themselves her executioners.
She felt her tamer squeeze her hand and she looked into his face. He was smiling that soft smile that melted her heart the night before. Just like that, the rage that had started to build in her gut, faltered. The kindness in his soul shone through his eyes, and she knew she couldn’t do it. She’d never be able to hurt these people that he obviously cared for. She steeled herself against the rage and stamped it down. ‘I wasn’t born a pokégirl, and I won’t be controlled by it anymore. I’m finally strong enough to fight back against the genes, so I will. Even if that means dying in spite of them.’ She looked at their clasped hands again and then gave him a reassuring smile. She let him lead her into the midst of the camp. ‘Maybe it’s better this way,’ she thought.
WuFei arched an eyebrow as he watched Trowa emerge from his tent followed by a jet black pokégirl. She was obviously a catgirl of some variety, complete with cat ears perched atop her head and a long black tail poking out from under the hem of Trowa’s dress shirt. She looked hesitant to come out of his tent, but then she smiled and followed him to sit between Quatre and himself.
Quatre smiled congenially and said, “Look what the Trowa dragged in,” as he handed his best friend a mug of coffee.
Trowa smirked a little, then sighed in contentment after sipping the coffee. “We’re going to have to figure out where to get more of this here. I don’t want to think about having to wake up without it.” He got a chuckle from the blond man.
“Youu should be able to orrrder it online from your ‘dex, and pick it up at the next pokécenterrr youu visit,” said the black kitty. WuFei looked at her curiously. She ducked her head a little. “I didn’t always speak like this. It’s a rrrecent addition.”
WuFei shrugged. “I was just curious.” He nodded to Trowa and asked her, “So where did he find you?”
She looked at Trowa, who nodded, before saying, “I kind of found him. He was out in the woods and I snuck up on him.”
As she recounted an abbreviated version of last night’s events, Quatre noted that Relena was carefully shooting the new girl somewhat uneasy looks. Quatre waited until he could lock eyes with her and raised his eyebrows. Relena shook her head lightly, like nothing was wrong, but she didn’t look that way when she glanced back to the new girl again. Hilde got up to get another biscuit, but when she sat back down, she sat between Duo and Quatre. That’s when he caught the quick look between the girls. “What the hell is going on?” he wondered.
The sound of bags being dropped and an accompanying squeak came from behind Quatre, drawing his attention. He looked at Schera as she stood there frozen, looking at Trowa’s new girl. She had been going after their poképacks, but they now sat in a heap at her feet. He got up and walked the few feet to her. “Are you ok?” he asked her. He put his hands on her shoulders and felt her trembling.
Scherazade seen the black pokegirl look over her shoulder at Quatre and her. She could see the determination in the black girl’s eyes. The part that confused Schera was the sadness that flashed across them as she looked at Trowa, but it was fleeting as she turned her gaze back to the only one that seemed to know what she was. As the black feline started to stand, Scherazade pushed Quatre behind her and yelled, “RUN! She’s a Panthress!”

For those (like myself) who are German-challenged, here is a translation of Hilde’s tirade, thanks to Uncle Google:
Gott verdammt = god damn it
Sie wollen mir helfin = you want me to help
Hure = whore
Hoden = balls
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