Author: Blue Soaring
Disclaimer: Of all the things I own, the G-boys and associated characters aren't one of them. Oh, I wish they were, but they belong to Bandai and friends. If you ask me, Bandai's greedy…whatever happened to sharing?
Note: Anyway, still going strong. Strauss (stupid bear!) is slacking off, and Loki (annoying god!) is just being a pain in the ass, but he's always a pain in the ass. I need new muses. Fortunately, the other two are behaving just fine. Well, behaving for them, anyway.
See part 1 for warnings

Dance With the Demons + Part 4
Live Without Sunlight

Heero glared, and Duo felt like his skin was trying to crawl off his body.

"What the hell am I?" Heero repeated. "You challenge me, and you don't even know what I am."

Duo grinned, trying not to panic under Heero's intense gaze. "I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?" He felt his pulse quicken when he looked at Heero's face; the blue of his eyes had frosted over. So cold, it burned.

The Erus rose so quickly to his feet that Duo blinked, not even sure he had seen him move. Calmly, almost negligently, he flicked his wrist, and Duo felt a small backlash of something he could only explain as power. It was different than Wufei's; it was tainted with anger, not passion.

He heard Wufei make a small sound as surprise, his hand flying to his face. Duo looked down, saw three bloody marks on Wufei's cheek. Heero flicked his wrist again, and three more streaks appeared on the other side of his face, the droplets of blood flying in small arcs.

Duo jumped to his feet in front of Wufei. "What the fuck did you just do?! Wu, you okay?" His hand almost went for the .45 in the holster.

"I'm fine, it's fine. It's shallow," came Wufei's answer.

Duo glanced down quickly, surprised to see the wounds closed over where Wufei had wiped the blood away.

Heero was standing still again, his eyes still burning with their cold fire. "You asked what I was."

"Yeah, so what kind of answer is that, using Wufei as a scratching post?"

"He's healed."

"That's not the point, buddy. You're messing with my Wufei now, not Quatre's."

Heero looked vaguely amused even as his eyes burned a hole through Duo's mind. Duo looked away from Heero's eyes, finding it too hard to focus his thoughts.

"Don't you know?" Heero asked, his voice low and deadly. "Can't you tell? Killing all those monsters, and you don't know what I am?" He raised his hand like he was going to strike again.

Duo acted before he thought. He flicked his hand, palming the knife hilt. With a quick twist, he threw it across the room, hearing a satisfying 'thunk' as it buried to the hilt in Heero's stomach.

Heero looked down at the blade in his body, annoyed. He grasped it and pulled it free, tossing the bloody knife into the flames. "Unimpressive. This is what you would fight me with?"

Duo swallowed, hard. Okay, so he could haul six inch knives out of his stomach and not even sweat. No biggie. He bled. That was something, right?

"Live without the sunlight, Duo. Guess what I am." Heero's voice was quiet.

"I don't do riddles."

"Live without the sunlight, breathe without a heartbeat. Live without living. What am I?" Heero pressed, keeping his voice monotone as he stared hard at Duo.

"Christ, Heero, I don't have time ... for ... " his voice trailed off, " ... games. Jesus Christ ... you're a goddamn vampire! Fuck me, a vampire." Duo's eyes went wide.

Heero smiled. "Very good. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer later, but first, I think we have to kill each other."

"Holy fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Duo twitched his wrist, palming the other knife, his mind franticly working, trying to remember everything he knew about vampires.

"You keep saying that. I think you have something different on your mind other than fighting me, Duo."

"Yeah, I'll do you as soon as we deal with this little matter," Duo said acidly.

"Promise?"

Duo ignored Heero's last comment, instead concentrating on looking at Heero while avoiding his eyes. "Alright, so you're a vamp. What about you, Q?"

The blonde looked up from where he was speaking quietly to Trowa. "You tell me."

"I'd say vamp. Just struck me that I've never seen you in the day. Hey, hold up. Vamps have fangs, you don't."

Quatre smiled broadly. "I don't? Couldn't it be that you just never saw them before?" As he spoke, Duo realized that the blonde did indeed have fangs; his canines were actually slightly longer than normal and tapered off in a sharp point.

"Shit, how could I not notice them before?" Duo stared hard at the teeth, wondering how sharp they really were.

Quatre chuckled quietly.

Duo shook his head. "Mind tricks, right? All the stories have vampires with the power to manipulate minds. I just overlooked them, with a little bit of help from you."

"Again, very good Duo." Heero smiled, his own fangs glinting in the firelight. "Another reason why I want your help."

"I thought we had to try to kill each other first over ownership of Wufei. I don't want him in your hands."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Simple. You forbade him from defending himself, turned him into meat for your cronies."

"And you want to die over that?"

Duo snorted. "I have no intention of dying."

"Then you won't fight me." Heero's voice was emotionless once more. "Wufei still answers to me."

"I didn't say that. I said I have no intention of dying, not fighting."

Heero looked the human over carefully. He couldn't afford to let the insult slide, but he had no desire to kill Duo. Own him, break him, definitely have him, but not kill him. He leapt over the fire, picking Wufei up and tossing him into the wall like a rag doll. Wufei's head snapped back against the wall, but he didn't cry out. He slumped against the floor, then he lurched to his feet, dazed.

Duo didn't have time to be worried about Wufei. He saw him fly through the air, then felt his own feet leave the floor. Heero threw him towards the fire. Duo twisted his body in the air landing lightly on his feet, and he heard Quatre let out a low whistle of appreciation. Instantly, Heero was back in front of him, snarling. Duo twisted his hand, bringing the knife slashing over the vampire's throat. Blood spurted over Duo, blinding him in one eye. He clawed at his face, trying to clear his vision as Heero jumped back, his hand flying to his injured throat.

From the couch, Quatre clapped his hands. "He got you that time, Heero. Faster than you thought."

Heero growled at the blonde. Duo watched, amazed, as the wound slowly closed over. "He did. It won't happen again."

He came at Duo again, faster this time. He slammed Duo's arm into the wall, making him drop the knife. Duo let the knife go, elbowing Heero in the face. Heero took the blow without blinking, then went for Duo's face. Duo ducked the punch, coming up with his own. Heero deflected it with his forearm, slamming his knee into Duo's stomach. Duo doubled over, dropped to the floor, rolled away and jumped to his feet. Heero turned, too fast to see. The longhaired man whipped out with his foot, missing.

He heard Heero laugh softly as he felt a fist connect solidly with his side. His breath whooshed out, and he fell back to the floor, gasping. Heero laughed again, kicking Duo hard enough to knock him back against the wall. Duo stayed down this time, and Heero came over, crouching down on the balls of his feet. He buried his hand in Duo's hair, wrenching his head up to look into his dazed violet eyes.

Duo blinked, focusing on the searing cobalt blue eyes staring at him. "Why fight, Duo?" Heero's voice washed over him, hot and cold at the same time, like his power. Duo's vision narrowed until all he saw were the vampire's eyes. "Why fight when giving in is so easy? I would take you, Duo, take you for my own. Think of it."

Duo only vaguely heard Heero's voice, but he understood. The pain washed away, replaced by desire, longing. To be his, to belong to him. He reveled in the thought, reached out to Heero's mind.

"Yes. Only you, Duo. Give yourself to me, Duo. Do as I say, and I will be yours. And you will be mine. Mine alone." His voice was calming, soothing.

Duo felt himself drowning in Heero's eyes, felt himself falling into the blue fire. He wanted it, wanted to belong to Heero, wanted to be taken by him.

The vampire saw Duo's mind shudder, open to embrace him. He dipped his head down to Duo's bared neck, licked at the skin softly. "Ask me to take you, Duo. Ask me, and I will make you mine."

Duo's mind balked. His body shook with tremors. No. He wouldn't belong, didn't belong to anybody. He didn't need or want a master. He felt a tiny prick at his neck, and his mind broke free of Heero's hold. He gasped as the pain came rushing back. Duo's vision cleared, and he jerked his head back, his fingers scrabbling for the switchblade in his boot. He couldn't get to his gun, not with Heero leaning against him. He jerked the blade free and jammed it into Heero's side, ripping it up as hard as he could.

The vampire screamed, the sound nearly shattering Duo's ears. Heero lurched back, and Duo pressed his back to the wall, gun in hand; the bloody blade forgotten on the floor. He held the gun pointed squarely at the vampire's head. Blood dripped from a long slash in Duo’s arm onto the floor.

Heero glanced down at his side; the wound was deep and ragged. He pressed his coat against it, stemming the blood flow. Then he saw Duo pointing the gun at him, and sneered.

"You think you can kill me with that?"

Duo fought to keep his voice steady; his entire left side throbbed with pain, he hoped he didn't have any broken ribs. "Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how good my aim is and how quick I can fire. I know you can heal fast, but can you pull your head back together if it's splattered all over you nice furniture?"

The blood had stopped seeping from the wound in Heero’s side, so he let the coat drop. "I underestimated you, Duo. I shouldn't have held back."

The braided man grunted, kept the gun steady. If that was holding back, Duo would think twice before tangling with the vamp hand-to-hand again; he'd stick to guns, flamethrowers... tanks, maybe.

"Too late now."

Heero instantly relaxed. "Yes, it is. It is a stalemate."

"How you figure that?"

"If I move, you could kill me with that toy of yours, or you could miss and I could kill you. I have no desire to kill you, Duo. Not when there are better things to do."

"Forget it, buddy. No more mind tricks."

Heero nodded, then turned to Quatre. "Quatre?"

The blonde watched from the couch, Trowa was almost indifferent to the proceedings. "Stalemate. No dominant, no submissive."

"Translation please?" Duo asked.

Heero looked back at Duo. "Wufei is yours, for now, since I called the fight. And you stay without a master."

Wary, Duo lowered the gun. "I don't need a master, Yuy. I belong to myself."

The vampire's eyebrows quirked. "So you said."

Duo let that slide, he didn't recall actually saying it before. "What happens now?"

Heero walked back to his chair and sat as if nothing happened. He curled his legs under him in one smooth motion, then gestured at the vacant couch next to him. Duo kept his back to the wall, got to his feet and sat on the offered couch, sliding the gun back into the holster. Gingerly, he touched his ribs. Bruised, not broken. He'd be sore, but that was it. It was a wonder, the way Heero had slammed Wufei into the wall. Thinking of Wufei, Duo searched the room for him. The shape-shifter was already moving toward them, heading for Duo. He sat next to the violet-eyed man, lightly touching his face. Duo thought of brushing the hand away, but didn't.

"Now?" Heero's voice was quiet again. "Now you answer my question. Will you help in finding out what is happening? Why the monsters are unnecessarily killing humans and who is controlling them?"

"Humph. If I say no, do I get the crap beat out of me again?"

Heero didn't answer, just smiled slightly.

"Fine. I'm in. Tell me what you need me to do and I'm on it."

Quatre beamed. "I knew it. I knew you'd help us."

"Uh, yeah," Duo said, rubbing his sore side. "What do you need me for? Heero almost made dog meat out of me."

"You are human, Duo. You are free to move about as most of us are not. As vampires, the day is banned to us. The shifters are not restricted to the night, but they need direction. Your involvement with the monster slayings is also useful," Quatre supplied. "Information on attacks, the type of monster, where and when. You have access to this information, we don't."

"And what will you do while I play detective?"

Heero spoke this time. "We will handle this side of it. Creatures that humans have never seen still exist. Perhaps we will be able to find out something there. There are others like us in the city. Information could also be found there."

"Seems straightforward enough. I'll check with my data. Is it okay if I pull in a few other people?"

Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Like?"

Noting the look, Duo shook his head quickly and instantly regretted it. Blinding pain flashed through his head, and it took him a second longer to answer. "Nothing big. There's a voodoo priestess who lives a little ways away from me, and a Wiccan in my building. I've used them before to get information."

The Erus nodded. "That should be fine. Tell them as little as possible. Make up some story about research for future cases. That's close enough to the truth."

"That should stick. Besides, that's essentially what we're doing." Duo absently scrubbed at his bloody face. "Is that it?"

"For now. I'll be in contact. Either Quatre, Trowa or myself will communicate with you, the others have their own responsibilities."

Duo turned that over in his head. "You think one of the others is in on it. That's why you kept Q and Trowa here."

Heero smiled, but it was tinted with anger. "Another reason why I requested your aid. The others are petty, always scrabbling for power. I don't trust any of them."

"So why keep them around?"

"Why not? It makes life interesting."

Duo just shook his head. "You people, I don't know what you are on, but you're definitely not boring." He winced as he shifted on the couch.

Trowa looked up at Quatre, then rose to his feet and approached Duo. He knelt in front of the longhaired man. He moved like a cat, all muscle and no bones, like he was made out of water. He tipped his head to the side, and his hair fell away from his face. Trowa's green eyes glinted, and he ran his hands lightly over Duo's bruised side.

"You're injured." His voice was a rich baritone, lilting with an accent Duo couldn't place. It was the first time he had spoken all night. Then he reached up and touched the blood on Duo's face. "Some of this is yours. You need to be taken care of."

"Yeah, well, blame that on your Erus. He's the one who used me as a punching bag."

Trowa smiled, his eyes reflecting the dim light. Duo felt his breath hitch.

"You're the panther that was here yesterday." Duo smiled ruefully. "Got a kick out of keeping me away from the door, didn't you?"

Trowa's smile turned impish. "I'll get Zechs to come in and look at you." He started to rise to his feet.

"No, I have to speak with the others. I'll send him in when I'm finished with them." Heero said, rising.

Trowa inclined his head. "Thank you, Heero."

Heero left the room, pausing at the door and looking back at the four boys who remained. Then he shut the door silently.

[cont]