Surviving Death

I've got one more chapter after this to upload for now. For all of you who are wondering, all the main characters are seventeen.

~*~

The music was deep and energetic, pulsing through the ballroom in a sensuous rhythm. It was a fairly wild party, at least compared to the usual Noble parties, and there wasn’t a single factor that took away from that mood. The lights were red and purple, sweeping the room and bathing everyone in a dark light.

It was a modern spin on an old fashioned masquerade party.

Women’s dresses were striking in various bright colors, revealing a fair amount of skin. Their hair was loose and temporarily dyed in eye-catching colors, a drastic change from the usual conforming styles and colors. Men were wearing robes with shimmering symbols and outlined in sequins. Their hair was free as well, streaked with metallic highlights.

Everyone was masked. The waiters, guests, doormen, even the security. Most masks were only over the eyes, the smart putty on the inside conforming to a person’s face and comfortably holding the mask on without the need for strings or fastenings. Many were designed after exotic, mostly extinct animals: tigers, panthers, wolves, and other predators were common. There was even a smattering of mythical creatures: dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and other awe inspiring beasts.

The masked guests milled about, sipping wine and chatting with other masked people, or lead an exotically-masked guest to the dance floor to let loose. Not many parties were like this. Not many Nobles dared throw a party so….wild, so people were enjoying it while they could.

That is, all the guests were enjoying it. Rei was decidedly not enjoying it. She was a guest of a special type. The sixteen year old had invited herself. She had slipped a Flash Card out of a Noble’s pocket barely minutes before the party, hacking into the guest list and adding her stolen name to the list. Her appearance didn’t match the identity of the Flash Card of course, but that hardly mattered – everyone at the party was dressed up and masked, so nobody looked like their listed appearance.

As a Lower-class Citizen, Rei didn’t have a Flash Card of her own. Hence, her need to ‘borrow’ one, because she was attending the party illegally: if she was found out, she could be executed. If nothing else, though, Rei had faith in herself. She wasn’t worried. And if things did go south….

Her eyes, covered with vivid violet contacts, drifted upwards to the giant chandelier. It was shrouded in shadows, being higher than the multicolored party lights. The teen didn’t need to see to know that Trowa was up there with an old fashioned sniper rifle. The two were close like brother and sister, regardless of the fact they had only known each other for a few years. Trowa was the silent shadow watching her back, through thick and thin.

He was the sniper - which was why Rei was stuck pretending to be a guest when she would have much rather just broken into the place the old fashioned way. But nooooo, she had to infiltrate the party to get close enough to The Prize.

Rei wasn’t even sure what she was trying to steal. But she had a pretty damn good idea. There was only one thing that could possibly call to her from halfway across the world. A Fanta.

At first, she had felt bad about dragging Trowa so far on nothing more than a whim. As always, he had just given her a small smile and said that he would follow her anywhere and for any reason. It was an unconditional trust and protection.

That still didn’t mean Rei thought it was a good idea. If what she was feeling was indeed a Fanta, it meant she was a Zero. The only way she should have been able to sense a Fanta in any way was if she had already come into contract with it already. And she was damn sure she hadn’t ever touched a Fanta before. That was something she would never forget.

Still, a week ago, if Trowa had said she would be wearing a low cut black dress with a slit up the side that reached her thigh, Rei would have decked him. Yet here she was, in a dress that cost enough Credits to feed her and Trowa for years, with her waist-length hair dyed white and loose. Her unicorn mask covered most of her face, and the violet contact lenses just added to the picture.

She fit right in.

Rei lifted her glass, pretending to take a sip of wine as she brought her chunky bracelet up near her mouth. “Twenty ‘till transformation,” she murmured, knowing that Trowa would hear her clearly among the background noise.

All the newer, more common phones were on laptops, making them vid-screens as well. Radios were outdated, but they still worked, making them perfect for illegal communications as long as it wasn’t over too far a distance. And on the off chance that Preventers were monitoring the airwaves, most phrases were coded. When Rei said ‘twenty’ minutes, it meant ‘ten’.

In the meantime though, she needed to blend in. Which called for dancing. With a grimace, Rei stepped foreword on her three inch heels and melded into the dancing crowd. People were changing dance partners left and right, so all she had to do was step up and reach for someone.

The teen danced for five minutes, changing partners regularly and randomly. She started to make her way towards the stage, still dancing as she went. Rei was almost at her destination when a strong arm slipped around her waist, spinning her around. She tensed for a second, forcibly curbing the urge to throw her elbow back into the person’s stomach and escape, and lifted her eyes to see just who had caught hold of her.

He was very, very hot, she noted immediately. A strong and smoldering presence, with short and unruly dark chocolate hair. His face was half hidden by a wolf mask, but that didn’t hide his deep, dark blue eyes. Rei’s breath caught for a moment before she forced it to even out. If she hadn’t been in the middle of a heist, she’d have followed him home for a good fuck.

Another bad habit Trowa disapproved of: Rei liked fucking dangerous men. She was only sixteen, but you’re only young once, so why not enjoy it?

‘I’m on a mission, I’m on a mission,’ she chanted mentally, lowering her eyes away from those intense blue pools of seduction.

“You’re a little young to be here alone, aren’t you?” the man murmured, making Rei shiver.

Oh God, she was going to have to track this hunk down later. He had such a bedroom voice.

Rei forced her eyes up to meet his. “I’d say you’re only a year older than me, and I don’t see your escort. Besides, I think I can take care of myself.”

His chuckle rumbled in his chest. “You may think that, but I think otherwise.”

Then the music changed, and the young man released Rei to drift towards another dancer. Flustered, Rei leaned against the wall and tried to gather her thoughts.

Focus.

Calm.

You have a job to do.

The teen turned, putting her game face on, and vanished behind the stage curtain. Tonight, she was on a mission. But god, Rei knew what she was going to be doing tomorrow night.


xXx


Heero Yuy watched the stunning young lady out of the corner of his eye after he turned away. She looked slightly disoriented, using the wall as support. He fought down a chuckle. Chang was always warning him about his charm and how badly it affected young women. He just couldn’t resist though, after seeing the hungry look in her eyes.

The lady he was dancing with twirled them around, and Heero found his eyes drawn to the empty space the unicorn lady had occupied. Odd. She had been there a second ago.

The music shifted, and his current dance partner moved on. Heero drifted away from the dance floor, eyes seeking out his friend.

“How many times do I have to warn you about that charm of yours, Yuy?” a smooth and clipped, albeit amused, voice asked from behind him.

Heero’s mouth curved into a smirk. “You’re not my mother, Chang. You are under no obligation to lecture me about the charm you helped me develop,” he insisted, keeping his voice in a monotone as the Sweeper turned to face his partner.

Chang Wufei smirked back, obsidian eyes glittering behind his dragon mask. Heero had come a long way in regards to humor since they had been partnered a year ago.

“I deny having any part in developing your charm. It’s natural. I assisted you in cultivating it,” he shot back tartly, crossing his arms over his old fashioned, traditional Chinese tunic.

Heero scowled back. Chang always had a way with words. After all, he had been looking at a career as a lawyer. But then he had discovered a Fanta and realized that he was a Zero, changing his career path abruptly and becoming a Sweeper. He was paired with the only other Sweeper at the time that was also a Zero: Heero Yuy. The sixteen year old with a blunt attitude, ‘perfect soldier reputation’ and a frosty glare. Now, both of them at seventeen, had mellowed each other out somewhat.

“I saw you with that dashing young unicorn earlier. She looked rather…out of breath when you left her. I imagine that she was devouring you with her eyes, hm?” Chang’s speculative voice broke Heero’s musings.

“Yes, I suppose she was. I thought she was going to eat me alive for a moment.”

Chang chuckled at that, looking completely at ease as he idly scanned the room. “I thought you went after the rough and dangerous type.”

Heero almost said ‘She was,’ but decided to be scathing as usual. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Eyes flashing, Chang turned to face his partner in mock anger. “Really? Then I guess you’re not going to have to find someone else to fuck while I nurse my wounded pride.”

Heero stared at his partner for a moment. He wouldn’t really…..? Yes, judging by his glare, he would. While the two Sweepers weren’t emotionally involved, they did indulge in some sex now and then. Heero was still grappling for a word to use concerning their relationship. They certainly weren’t lovers, but ‘fuck buddies’ sounded a little too callus.

The blue-eyed Sweeper scowling at his partner, knowing that Chang was just joking, when the lights dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the stage.

“If I could have your attention, please.”

The amplified voice caught everyone’s attention easily and heads turned to the stage, where a young blonde man was standing in front of the red velvet curtains. His cat mask glinted in the light as he waited a moment to be sure that he had their attention before continuing.

“As you all know, I am Quatre Raberba Winner, and I do hope you’re enjoying my masquerade party. While I’m sure the rather…frivolous theme was not something you are used to (there was scattered laughter from the guests), I have something else that may surprise you. Behind this curtain is an extremely rare invention. I trust you have heard rumors about the legendary Fantas….”

There was a murmur of accent and wonder from the guests. Heero shared a sharp look with his partner. The Winner Prince was known for his subtle rebuke of Empire and their ways by bringing some of their more questionable deeds to light. He was an important figure, and that was the only reason Empire hadn’t executed him yet. They would just be proving him right.

When Chang had dragged him out to this unusual party, Heero had not expected Fantas to come up in discussion.

The blonde flashed a charming smile to his audience. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you – pardon?”

Another figure had appeared from between the curtain folds, whispering something in the prince’s ear. Heero found himself profiling for a threat assessment automatically. They were just over the blonde’s height, dressed in warm snow gear. A thick, light gray coat with matching leggings, along with dark gray boots and headband covering their ears. A pair of vivid red, old fashioned ski goggles covered most of their face.

It was standard travel wear for Citizens that knew what they were doing.

Onstage, Winner’s eyes went wide as he jerked back, hands coming up in a defensive gesture. The Citizen’s hand snaked out, grabbing a hold of his wrist and twisting it behind his back. A blaster came up in the person’s other hand, resting lightly against Winner’s temple.

A cold feeling of dread settled in Heero’s stomach as the person spoke.

“Nobles, I apologize for the interruption, but I need to use Mr Winner as a hostage for a little while.”


xXx


Rei smiled mockingly at the audience. The blonde stiffened in her arms, but didn’t make any move to be free. Hopefully, he would take her whispered ‘I won’t hurt you if I don’t have to’ at face value.

She knew nobody could see her eyes through the ski goggles, but they weren’t hampering her vision at all. The teen scanned the panicking crowd. Most guests were looking frantic, whispering in hushed voices and glancing back up at her frequently. However, two guests at the back were looking coldly calm and determined.

“And if the two Preventers at the back – the wolf and the dragon – would kindly stay where you are and hold your hands up where I can see them,” Rei’s voice deepened, coloring with malice, “I won’t start covering Mr Winner with 3rd degree burns.”

Someone in the audience shrieked, and several more turned to look at the two Preventers. In reality, Rei wasn’t sure if they were Preventers. Trowa had caught up with her backstage and warned her about the wolf she had been dancing with. He had seen the wolf and dragon together, studied them for a minute, and known they were deadly. Then he had given her another quick lecture about playing with fire; aka fucking dangerous men, and said he needed another minute – so go out there and stall.

Grabbing a hostage may not have been what he had in mind, but it was a way to stall and guarantee a safe escape now that their cover was blown.

After a moment of hesitation, the wolf and dragon raised their hands over their heads, looking very tense.

Rei was wondering what the hell she could do next when the unmistakable sound of a motor rumbled behind her, breaking the hushed silence. A pleased smile touched her lips.

“And that’s my ride, folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves because I know I have.”

The curtain was parting behind her and Rei moved to the side, carefully taking the unresisting Winner Prince with her. If she had the time, the teen would have ogled at her surrogate brother, but she only grinned.

Trowa was sitting astride what was unmistakably a Fanta. It was a motorcycle, racing style but larger than the norm. It was all black with jagged red slashes on each side. Rei had heard that Fantas looked like normal vehicles, but no ordinary bike would look so deadly. Trowa was casually revving the engine, looking like quite a picture with his gray snow gear and bright emerald goggles.

“Winner, I’d like you to meet my brother. Bro, let’s blow this joint,” Rei announced cheerfully, pulling the blonde Prince with her over to the Fanta.

Trowa gave her a stern look – ‘a hostage, Rei?’

Rei shrugged – ‘give me more notice next time and I’ll stage an elaborate diversion.’

The teen slid onto the bike in front of her brother, pulling their hostage on behind her so Winner was in between the two Citizens. The prince was dressed in light robes, so he’d need all the warmth he could get when they got outside.

Rei nudged Trowa’s hands off the handlebars, slipping her blaster into his palm as she did so. His sniper was already slung across his back, along with his other toys. She felt Winner’s arms circle her stomach hesitantly, and they were soon covered with Trowa’s.

“See ya, suckers!” Rei laughed out, gunning the gas and giving the guests a leering grin.

The Fanta shot forward, smoking up the stage. Some people screamed, realizing that Rei was going to drive off the stage and into the crowd, and scattered. At the last second, just before they went off the stage, Rei yanked the handlebars up and over – swerving to the side as they went off the stage. Trowa fired off a shot at the wall to wall, floor to ceiling window, shattering it.

Luckily, they were on the ground floor, or that plan wouldn’t have worked at all. The Fanta soared through the falling glass and landed on slushy pavement, taking off as the tires caught purchase.


xXx


The moment the Citizens and Fanta were out of view, the Sweepers sprang into action.

Wufei broke into a sprint, Calling for his Fanta, Nataku, and knowing that Yuy was Calling Wing. The party was in complete chaos. People were talking over one another, and everyone was trying to get into the garage. The heat was leaving the room rapidly, and guests were only dressed in light party clothes.

The blockage was making it too hard to get into the garage, where Nataku and Wing were. The airlock was still closed, not used to the sudden traffic and unsure how to process the sudden flood of people.

The Sweepers followed the Citizens’ lead and went out the window, glass crunching under their boots as they sprinted away from the thick steel garage door.

“Override code three three seven eight nine two alpha swan – open airlock!” Yuy’s voice was harsh and clear, cutting through the confusion like a gunshot.

There was a brief pause before the access light flickered to green, and the double doors opened with a swishing sound. The familiar sound of twin purring engines rose over the clamor as the two Fantas raced, driverless, from the garage.

They were already in motorcycle Form, and barely slowed as they passed their Zeroes. Wufei grabbed a hold of a handlebar, pulling himself astride Nataku in a fluid motion. Yuy did the same with 01, pulling his Prussian blue goggles as he did. Wufei mirrored the motion, yanking his black goggles up to shield his equally black eyes from the harsh wind.

Wing, 01, was all white with blue edges. It was a little….spikier than a regular Fanta, and slightly smaller.

Nataku, 05, was relatively the same size with opposite coloring. 05 was all black with a golden flame etched on the side, looking Chinese in origin just like its Zero.

The two Fantas raced through the slushy streets, following the tire treads recently made by the stolen Fanta. Wufei pushed Nataku faster, twisting around a slippery corner. The Citizens had a head start, and might have known the area better, but Wufei and Yuy were seasoned Sweepers and Zeroes. They knew how to push 01 and 05 to get optimal performance, while the Citizen was using the stolen Fanta like a regular vehicle.

Still…taking a hostage required guts. Most Citizens were trouble makers, pulling pranks and inconveniencing Nobles at every turn. Not many were serious criminals with decent theft and hacking skills. And if two these Citizens could sneak into a Winner party, by invite only, they were exceptionally skilled.

Wufei could hear his partner swearing over the comms, and decided to take a moment to indulge.

“Yuy, what’s up?” the Chinese teen asked, tucking his chin down so his voice carried over the wind into the transmitter on his collar.

“Christ, Chang, that female Citizen was the unicorn I danced with! I recognized her voice instantly. I had her in my arms!” Yuy’s growling was tense, but Wufei couldn’t help but think of what a strange coincidence this was turning out to be.

“Don’t beat yourself up. No way you could have known. Eyes up, we’re getting close,” Wufei barked back, seeing the stolen Fanta come into view.

They were getting closer, slowly but steadily, when Winner’s blonde head appeared from between the Citizens. It disappeared quickly, and the Citizen farthest back on the bike twisted, getting a good look at the Sweepers before turning back.

Wufei could imagine what they were thinking. Sweepers were feared, treated like ghosts that may or may not have existed. Since the girl had addressed them as Preventers, she probably hadn’t known that they were Sweepers too. But seeing them on Fantas left no room for doubt – it was obvious they were the elite Sweepers.

The Fanta in front of them swerved suddenly, turning into a narrow alleyway without hesitation. So, the Citizen did know the area. The Sweepers followed, Wufei falling back behind Yuy to race through the narrow space. The space was so small that Wing’s edges were scraping against the metal walls. It only lasted a second before 01 shifted slightly, blue spikes shrinking back into the bike to accommodate. Nataku fit, but only just.

Wufei’s ebony eyes narrowed, closely watching the stolen Fanta as it turned sharply out of the alley. He had no idea what number it was, besides the ones he was already familiar with, which still left seven numbers. And the driver…that girl was either an amazing motorcyclist or a Zero. She was riding the Fanta as if she’d been born to. Her control was amazing, knowing how firm to be and how much to gun the gas on the slushy streets. Wufei knew that Fantas were hard to handle, unless of course you were its specific Zero.

“She’s a Zero.”

Yuy’s flat, sure voice in Wufei’s ear would have startled him if he hadn’t been used to his partner speaking up abruptly.

“I know,” Wufei replied simply, implicitly trusting Yuy’s judgment as he swerved from the alley and pulling up alongside him.

Despite the simple exchange, Wufei knew it made things much more complicated. One of the few things Sweepers were not aloud to do was kill Zeroes. So now they had to take the girl in alive, save the Winner Prince, and retrieve the Fanta. And do something about that other Citizen.

The Fanta ahead of them jerked suddenly, but quickly regained stability.

“YOU WHAT!?”

The Sweepers could hear the girl’s screech loud and clear. Apparently, she was having a disagreement with the other Citizen. She twisted around on the bike to stare at the taller boy and her special driver skills wavered. Wufei and Yuy poured on the heat, knowing that this was their chance to catch up.

“NO FUCKING WAY! NO! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!”

She wasn’t even watching the road, yet managed to swerve around another corner. It was probably the Fanta’s doing because she jerked back to facing forward. Just in time to go off a construction ramp.

The bike had barely gotten airborne when the Citizen on the back jumped off in a graceful back flip, landing on the ramp.

“NO!”

“GO!”

The two Citizens yelled at each other, the Fanta sliding to a halt. The boy on the ground jumped off the ramp, kicking it over and leaving a solid seven foot blockade wall and himself between the Sweepers and the stolen Fanta.

The grounded Citizen pulled out a blaster and fired off a few shots, forcing the Sweepers to swerve and skid to a stop.

“NO, I’M NOT LEAVING YOU!”

The girl still on the Fanta yanked down her crimson goggles, distress written all over her face. The boy didn’t even turn when he shouted back, “JUST DO IT!”

By now, both Wing and Nataku were stopped sideways with Wufei and Yuy taking cover behind them.

Wufei heard the reluctant rumble of a Fanta engine and got a glimpse of the Citizen and Winner racing out of view.

The teen was backed up against the construction blockade, calmly watching the Sweepers from behind his emerald ski goggles. Every time Wufei attempted to get a shot off, the Citizen forced the Sweeper back behind cover. His aim was uncanny.

There was thrum of energy and heat, and Wufei automatically glanced over at his partner. Yuy had one hand on his Fanta, and Wing was flowing up his arm in a bristle of small metal scales. The part Asian teen leaned behind Nataku for cover as Wing was now completely covering his chest, shoulders and arms. Amour Form always was Yuy’s favourite, Wufei mused as his partner finished the transformation.

“Try not to kill him,” Wufei murmured, and received only a “hn” before his partner sprung into action.

Yuy shot out like a cannonball from a cannon, streaking towards his target in a white and blue blur. The Citizen leapt backwards, backing himself into a corner, and jumped for the top of the blockade. Wufei fired off a blast, mindful of the power setting, and hit the teen’s hand as he was about to swing over the wall.

His one hand slipped from the wall the same time Yuy’s hand closed around his ankle. One tug pulled him off the wall completely. The Citizen twisted mid-air, planting his free foot on Yuy’s shoulder and firing into the Sweeper’s stomach. The blast fizzled against Wing’s scales harmlessly. Yuy turned sharply, throwing the boy into the ground. A terse moment passed and he wasn’t moving.

Wufei calmly came out from behind Nataku, flipping the safety on the blaster before slipping it back into his shoulder holster. Yuy was standing over the Citizen’s still body, Wing rippling along his chest as it re-formed into a bike beside him.

Glancing down, Wufei could see the forming bruise along the boy’s temple and a bloody scrape on his cheekbone.

“Looks like you managed not to kill him.”

Yuy grunted, kneeling down the scooping the boy up into his arms as if he weighed nothing. Wufei continued talking, used to his partner’s silence.

“You take him on Wing. Let’s get back to HQ; no point in going after the girl and Winner now. The slush will have erased all the tracks. With luck, she’ll contact us for a prisoner exchange. For now we can see what the boy has to tell us.”

Tbc, Ja ne!