Title: Koshchei-Chapter II

Author: Anika

Disclaimers: Yes, as a matter of fact, I do own Gundam WIng. (And when I awake from my dillusions, you can all point and laugh at me.)

Author's Notes: I forgot to tell all my readers that this is taking place after Endless Waltz...except for the very beginning section. I'm going to have to go back and revise chapter I. But in the meantime, here's chapter II. Sorry about the inconsistancy!

~*~*~

Catherine tapped her foot impatiently. It was usual for Trowa to be late to practice, but this was ridiculous! She sighed, then resolved, she walked towards his trailer. The brunette knocked on the door, beginning to be a bit annoyed.

"Trowa, are you ready yet? Its been an hour and a half!"

There was no answer to her call. Catherine stopmed her foot in impatience.

"Trowa!"

She tried the door, and to her suprise, it was unlocked. This worried her because Trowa was usually so paranoid, being a Gundam Pilot and all. She opened the door and looked around the impecably clean room. But there was no one there.

"Trowa? Trowa, are you here?"

Catherine searched all over the trailer, but to no avail. Worried, she sat down at the kitchen table and put her head down on the cool mahogany. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a rumpled peice of paper. Picking it up, she read it slowly once, then again, her violet eyes growing wide.

Catherine ran quickly out of the trailer and to the Manager's place. She quickly burst throught the door and shouted,

"Manager! Trowa's been kidnapped!"

~*~*~

Sally leaned back in her chair, sighing in frustration. Lady Une had just informed her that Trowa Barton had been kidnapped. She and her partner, Chang Wufei, were assigned to the case. Sally held in her hand the ransom note. Well, it couldn't be called a ransom note per say, it only gave a warning to the other gundam pilots.

"Woman, what are you doing? We have to get ready to leave."

Sally pushed the note under her partner's nose and explained,

"I am doing my job. Before we go off half-cocked on some wild goose chase for this guy, we should do all the investigating we can. I am analizing this letter."

Wufei read through the note, his eyes narrowing.

"'And the other pilots had better watch their backs, because Koshchei will be coming for them in time.' What the heck is this? Some kind of sick joke?"

The chinese man was working himself into one of his rages, and Sally saw it fit to interveign before it got out of hand.

"Someone is targeting you and the other Gundam pilots for what you did in the war against OZ and White Fang."

He rolled his eyes. "I can see that, woman. What I want to know it who."

Sally smiled gently at the usual sarcasm and stood, putting on her jacket.

"That is what we are ordered to find out. Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"L3. To investigate."

~*~*~

Duo opened the door to his apartment and looked around. The place was dark, save for the light streaming from under the bedroom that Hilde occupied.

"HILDEY!! I'M HO-OPHF!" Duo was knocked backwards by and ecsataic Hilde.

"Duo! Where have you been? I missed you! Did you beat the bad guys? I can't beleive you wouldn't let me go with you! Are you okay? Oh, Duo, I'm so glad you're home!"

The braided pilot laughed and peeled the over enthusiastic girl off him.

"Fighting with the guys, yes we beat the bad guys, there was no way I was going to let you go with me, and I'm glad to be home too."

They both grinned at each other and went inside.

"The business is really taking off now. That's another reason I'm glad you're home. There are orders piling up, and files to be filed and bills to be paid and-"

Hilde was interupted this time by Duo's lips on her own. She responded in kind; she never forgotten how good it felt to be kissed by Death. She let herself melt into his arms and grinned to herself. Yes, it most certainly was good to have him home again.

~*~*~

Quatre walked down the crowded streets of L4, trying his best to relax before he had to go back to his office. Breathing in the slightly filtered air of the colony, the Winner heir leaned against a lightpost.

"I wish I could go to earth again," he muttered. "Just for a day or two."

"I can arrange that," a low voice hissed from behind him.

Quatre turned to see a figure in the shadows. "Who are you."

"No one of consequence." the shape answered. "Just a survivor of the war you caused, a victim, if you will."

"Now wait a minute," Quatre countered, "The war was a result of a corrupt government and the people's right to revolt. If it was up to us, we wouldn't have fought at all..."

Quatre trailed off as the figure produced a large metal pipe. He turned to flee the alley way, but the figure swiftly hit the blonde in the back of his head causing a sickening crack.

"Now there are only three left."

~*~*~

Mahavria steered his shuttle away from colony L4, content in his revenge for his father. His plan was going well. He only had two more pilots to go, and he would have them all at his disposal. Literaly. He leaned back in his chair, smiling.

"Brother," a quiet voice behind him sounded. "I heard something in cargo hold. There might be someone there."

Mahavira turned slowly to face his sister. His half-sister, anyway. SHe was small, with waist-length ebony hair and large black eyes. She worn the traditional shawl and veil required of her Hindu religion. They had the same mother. She thought that Qinze had died the day he had joined White Fang 18 years ago, so she took another husband. And that marriage produced Sarika.

"Sarika, my dear, there is nothing in the cargo hold. I checked myself before we took off."

"But I'm sure..." she trailed off when she saw the hardness return to her elder brother's eyes.

"I said, there's nothing in the cargo hold. Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No," she whispered, "I am sorry, brother."

He turned, muttering to himself.

"What could I expect from an ignorant woman? I should have known better than to bring you with me. But no, I have to take care of you now that both mother and father are dead. I have to be responsible for you."

Mahavira had turned and was addressing his sister by now. Her head was bowed and her contance contrite, but he could see her eyes were burning with righteous indignation.

He walked up to her, to where she could feel the heat from his body. She glanced up at him and saw him grinning sadistically.

"Brother?"

"You dare look me in the eye, woman?"

The next thing Sarika knew, she was accrossed the main corridor of the shuttle, holding her cheek where he had hit her.

"You need to learn some respect, girl!" he cried. Mahavira hauled his sister up harshly by the arm and led her down the hallway to the cargo hold.

"You can stay in here with our guests until you learn some manners," he hissed, then threw Sarika into the hold.

~*~*~

Trowa looked up from the darkened cell he was being held in to see his captor throw someone into the room. Glancing over at Quatre, who had fallen asleep as soon as he had been captured, Trowa decided to investigate.

Nearing the figure, he noticed it was a girl. Not only a girl, but from what he could tell, a very pretty girl. Her eyes were closed and she looked very weak.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, so as not to frighten her. Her eyes opened at the sound of his voice, she had bright black eyes that reminded him of a deer's.

She scramlbed to her feet and bacled against the wall farthest from him. Trowa narrowed his eyes curiously and started towards her, but was held back by a hand on his arm. Quatre had waken up and was looking at the girl with respect.

"Trowa," he whispered, "She is unfamiliar with men. If I am right, then she is Hindu. That means that she has limited contact with the outside world. I'm suprised to even see her here in space."

Trowa glanced at his companion. "How can you tell?"

He grinned. "I grew up in a mid-eastern colony. I know what a Hindu dresses like. You see the veil? That is the main indication. Also, the bindi she's wearing is a dead give away."

The silent pilot nodded as Quatre stepped a tiny bit closer to the girl.

"Hello," he said softly, "My name is Quatre Rababra Winner. What's your's?"

The girl stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, then she spoke.

"My name is Sarika Shah. And I'm afraid my brother's a madman."

~*~*~

End Part