Cannibals

By DragonMage

Notes: Okay, this idea came from a Chinese movie a saw a looong time ago. I forgot it's title and everything, but I did remember a few spare details. I always did love the movie but I can't seem to find it. *sigh* Oh well. This fic is based on most of the movie *grin* I just hope I don't screw anything over, ne?

"There is a day to be born and a day to die."

---Chinese proverb

Prologue

"Mariemeia! Come down for breakfast!" Chang Wufei shouted upstairs. "You don't want to be late for school!"

"I'm coming, Papa Wufei! I just need to put on my shoes and fix my ribbons!" Mariemeia Khushrenada-Chang shouted.

Wufei smiled and shook his head as he continued making breakfast on the four-burner stove. She was barely seven-years-old and already worried about her looks. Every single morning she paid special attention to her hair and her clothes before she went to school every day. She always made sure to wear her ribbons in her reddish-blond hair, her school uniform always had to be neatly pressed, including her socks, and her shoes were always shiny and new looking. Wufei had a feeling she got her sense of fashion and duty to look good from her late father. She was a beautiful child and Wufei was grateful to have her.

He had adopted her after her late father, Treize Khushrenada, had been executed for treason against the Government and the people. Wufei had been friends with Treize for years and he loved both Treize and Mariemeia deeply. When Treize was sentenced, Wufei had made sure to adopt Mariemeia right away before she was put in an orphanage where she would be forced to work in sweatshops. Aside from wanting to do it in the first place, Wufei had also sworn to Treize to protect Mariemeia with his life.

Wufei knew that Treize had been framed and he had been spending most of his time trying to find answers from questionable sources, paying them a good deal of money for anything that could clear Treize's name and allow Mariemeia to live in peace. Just *being* Treize's daughter placed her in the hands of danger. She had to take on the 'Chang' name and discard her own family name to remain safe. Thank the gods not many knew Mariemeia's real face. She had always been hidden away, safe from the public since Treize knew the dangers of revealing her to the public. Only a handful of people knew of Mariemeia, and those were people Treize had trusted with his life.

Suddenly a loud explosion filled the air and screams sounded, mixed with roaring, snarling, and painful sobbing. Wufei dropped the wooden spatula he had been using to make breakfast with and ran to the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open. He stepped out onto the cobble stone street before his home and stifled a gasp. His eyes widened and he watched as people were dragged forcefully out of their homes and nearly torn apart in front of him. Limbs were torn from their body and eaten raw by the humanoid creatures holding them. Blood flowed into the storm drains and spilled across the stone street.

<Cannibals,> he realized as he stood there and watched as all of Hell broke loose. An insane woman named Madame Une who ruled them in their dark kingdom below the city grounds raised the Cannibals in the sewers. Cannibals were children kidnapped from hospitals only a few days after they were born and raised in the sewers to be eaters of human flesh. They were no longer human though, for when they first ate human flesh it changed them, made them into monsters. Eating their own warped them, making them evil, demented, insane, and ruthless in their killing. They lived for the thick blood of humans, they lived for the flesh, the death at their claws. They had no minds, creatures controlled by Madame Une to kill what used to be their own kind.

Every few weeks, the Cannibals would come to the surface to kidnap children and steal people from their homes to feast on in their underground world. People were like stolen cattle to them. The Government did nothing about it though. Everyone knew of the Cannibals but no one ever did anything to stop them from kidnapping newborns, to stop them from killing human beings and eating them. The Government cared nothing for their citizens except that they paid their bills and obeyed the strict laws. The Government lived in wealth and luxury while the rest of the world rotted away, waiting to die from disease or to be killed by a Cannibal. But despite these threats on their lives, everyone tried to maintain a normal life because that was the only thing that kept them sane while dealing with everything. The Government was obviously not going to help them.

Wufei was about to turn and run back inside when three Cannibals spotted him and started running for him. He swallowed hard and stepped away from the door, letting it go. The door automatically slammed shut and locked tight. He had made the door specially made the day he moved into the home with Mariemeia to lead some semblance of real life. If they were ever in danger, the door would slam shut on its own to protect everyone inside so he wouldn't have to run back down to close it himself. Now, it was finally being put into use.

The lead Cannibal threw itself at him, hoping to catch him off guard and rip him apart before his fellow Cannibals caught up. Cannibals had unnatural strength, they were no longer human because they feasted on human flesh and blood. They were monsters with claws and sharp teeth to rip apart their victims.

"Oh, no you don't," Wufei muttered underneath his breath. He lifted his leg and kicked the Cannibal in the stomach just as it leaped at him. The Cannibal doubled over in mid-air and fell back. But the kick didn't take it down for very long, almost immediately it was on its feet. Wufei fought it blow for blow, matching the Cannibal's unnatural strength with his own. His family had been known to carry Dragon Blood in them. Wufei was one of those who had more than the others, allowing him incredible strength and speed.

Soon, the Cannibal lay dead on the ground with blood gushing out of its ears, its nose crushed with slivers of bone stabbed into its brains.

The two Cannibals skidded to a stop and snarled at him before attacking. Wufei dodged one and kicked another swiftly in the head, throwing it off balance. The one who had jumped over his head leaped at him again and he fell to the ground, the monster on top of him and clawing at his back. It took all his will to fight back on the intense pain lashing through his body from the deep scratches the claws inflicted on him.

"Get the fuck off me you fucking monster!" Wufei screamed furiously, his voice laced with pain. He snapped his head back and knocked the Cannibal near senseless until he released him. He quickly leaped to his feet and kicked the Cannibal in the head, snapping its neck and killing it.

The last Cannibal didn't dare put up a fight but before it ran, it threw a small bomb at the window. Glass shattered and the bomb went off. Soon the entire house was on fire.

"Papa Wufei!!!" Mariemeia screamed as she appeared at her bedroom window. "Papa Wufei!"

Wufei looked up. "Mariemeia! Jump! Papa will catch you!"

Mariemeia looked terrified for a moment but did as she was told as she climbed out of the window, her uniform skirt nearly catching as she slowly stood on the window sill and stared down at her adopted father, her pretty face pale yet determined.

"Papa..."

"Papa is here, Meia! Just jump!" Wufei urged, ignoring the deep rivers of blood sliding down his back from the claws of the Cannibal. He was losing blood, fast, but he needed to protect Mariemeia first. He had sworn to Treize to protect her with his life and he was going to keep that promise.

"Papa!" Mariemeia screamed as she leaped from the sill and fell two stories before landing neatly in Wufei's arms. Wufei grunted underneath the lightweight of his daughter and smiled proudly at her. She immediately clung to him, burying her face in his neck to avoid looking at the death and carnage around them. Wufei kissed Mariemeia tenderly on the forehead before he broke out at a dead run. He had to get to safety before any Cannibals went after them. He ran for a while, dodging busy Cannibals and ignoring pleas for help. In this world, he could only save himself and Mariemeia. As much as he wanted to stop and help them, he had to protect Mariemeia first. She was what mattered the most to him and he wasn't going to lose her.

Wufei ran for a long time, not aware of just where he was running. Soon, he came to a dead end. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Just when he was about to turn around and run back he spotted two Cannibals heading his direction, but they hadn't spotted him just yet.

<Oh gods, what am I going to do?> Wufei thought numbly as he scanned the narrow alley. There were no doors into the buildings at either side and there weren't enough trash laying about to climb and leap over the tall wall, not with Mariemeia in his arms. There was no place to run or hide...

Suddenly a pile of trash was shoved aside and a hole in the ground was revealed.

"Come on!"

Without even hesitating, Wufei dove for the hole and leaped inside, clutching Mariemeia close to his body to protect her from any impact if he fell too hard. He didn't. In fact, he landed neatly on his legs, bending just a bit from the force and momentum.

The hole was immediately covered and darkness fell on them. Then the sounds of a match being lit echoed throughout the place and a dim light suddenly appeared, causing the darkness to give way.

"Are you all right?"

Wufei looked up and smiled gratefully at the woman before him. "Sally."

Sally Po smiled and nodded. "Thank the gods you came to this alley and not some other. I ran to your house to see if I could find you but the place was burning and I knew you must have escaped, but I didn't know where and I couldn't stay out there for long. I ran to the Tunnels and hid. This is a secret hiding place not even the Cannibals know of."

"Are there any others?" Wufei asked, frowning slightly. Surely there were others who knew of the Tunnels. The Tunnels were secret passages made to protect people just in case of any attack, be it Cannibals or the Government. He had forgotten about them in his panic. He was very lucky Sally had spotted him when she did or he and Mariemeia would be dead.

"Of course," Sally said, nodding. She looked at the trembling bundle in Wufei's arms. "Is she okay?"

Wufei looked down at his daughter and kissed her firmly on her smooth forehead. She just buried herself deeper in his arms. "She'll be fine. She's a strong, brave girl. She jumped from her window when I told her to."

"Yes, she is brave," Sally agreed. "Come on. Let's go meet the others." She turned and began to lead the way.

"Why have the Cannibals attacked now?" Wufei asked quietly as they walked down the low Tunnels.

"It seems Madame Une thought her forces were finally strong enough to attack the surface and win," Sally said grimly.

Wufei nodded. "Is the Government going to do anything about it?"

"I hear that they're going to send soldiers down. But knowing the Government they're only going to drive the Cannibals away, not destroy them all," Sally said angrily. "Why do they allow those monsters to live?? They should have gotten rid of them years ago!"

"The Government cares not for the people. They care only for themselves," Wufei said bitterly. "I'm sick and tired of standing around waiting for *them* to start doing their job!"

"Well, let's not worry about that right now. Let's go and meet up with the others. We're going to have to wait and see what happens. We can't go up to the surface until we're sure it's safe or we'll end up being on the banquet table for those monsters," Sally said, shaking her head. "I can't believe this is happening. I never thought something like this would ever happen."

"Yes, well, I don't think anyone expected it. The Cannibals were always hiding and walking in the shadows," Wufei said quietly. "It's no wonder we didn't expect it. We never thought they'd come out of those shadows. We thought they would stay in their sewers forever. We never expected them to actually come out and try to take over and murder everyone."

"It's so sad. A lot of the people hiding have lost someone in their family or a friend," Sally said her voice heavy with sorrow. "I feel so bad for them." She smiled at Wufei. "I am grateful I didn't lose either Meia or you."

Wufei smiled in return. "And we're glad we didn't lose you. I don't know how Mariemeia would react if she found out Aunt Sally died."

"Ah, well, I guess we've saved the little girl from that drama," Sally said dryly.

They came to a steel door and Sally kicked heavily on it. After a few moments, the door swung open and a young girl with long white blond hair down to her bottom stood there. She had once worn a beautiful dress of black and white but now it was torn and stained with dark red. Her face was drawn, pale and smeared with dirt and blood.

"Dorothy," Wufei recognized.

"Wufei? Sally?" Dorothy Catalonia sighed heavily. "Come inside. Everyone is eating right now. Do you want something?"

Sally shook her head and stepped through the door. "No, thank you, Dorothy. I'm not hungry."

"Wufei?" Dorothy asked as she closed the door behind them.

"No, thank you," Wufei said, shaking his head as well. "Although, I'm not sure if Meia would want something to eat. She's asleep." He looked down at his beautiful daughter and kissed her gently on her forehead, again. He couldn't seem to stop. She looked so fragile and delicate in his arms yet so strong, he just wanted to make sure he was there, in his arms, safe and sound. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay and he wasn't going to let anyone--or anything--hurt her. "When she wakes, we'll see."

"All right. Well, find a place to sit. I think we're in for a long wait," Dorothy said wearily. She was the same age as Wufei but she seemed so old in spirit. And Wufei knew why. Dorothy had lost her lover, Relena Dorlian, two years ago to the Cannibals. They had been much in love from what Wufei saw and were utterly devoted to each other in every way. This attack only served to remind Dorothy of the girl she had lost. It must be heartbreaking for her.

"Are you okay, Dorothy?" Sally asked quietly the pale girl as Wufei found a seat and sat down on the plush couch. There weren't as many people around the large lounge as he had hoped. There was far too much room to sit down on in his opinion. He had hoped--as uncomfortable as it would be--that every single inch of the room would be filled. That meant more people were alive.

He gently laid Mariemeia down on the soft couch and found a spot to sit down himself. He was exhausted and wounded. He didn't know how long he was going to last like this.

"Gods, let me look at those," Sally murmured when she saw the deep cuts on Wufei's back. He nodded and allowed her to lead him over to the sterile table on one side of the room. He sat down and waited patiently as she tended to his wounds. The only signs of pain he gave were when he hissed as the medicine was being applied to his deep cuts.

When she was done, she wrapped his back and found an extra shirt for him. He smiled gratefully and slid it on with some help.

"You actually fought them?" Sally looked suddenly vexed. "Wufei, you know you're not supposed to fight them unless you have to."

"I did have to. I was protecting Mariemeia," Wufei said, shrugging--and then wincing as he aggravated his freshly treated wounds. "Besides, I'll heal. You know I heal faster than most people."

"Hmm, wonder why?" Sally said dryly. She shook her head, locks of gold hair shaking as she did so. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes."

Wufei smiled. "Nothing. You leave me to my own devices and make sure Mariemeia is safe."

Sally sighed. "She's everything to you, isn't she?"

"Yes. And I promised her father I would protect her and keep her safe." Wufei looked over to where Mariemeia slept and his expression softened. "Besides, she's all I have left now in terms of family. I've lost all of my own." He tried not to remember the day when his entire life went up in flames--literally. He had only been fourteen when he came home to find his entire home burning with no possible escape from within. He had called for help but it came too late. His family was already dead, all of them. They had either been burned or suffocated to death. And he was the only one alive. Him. Why him? That had been the question that had haunted him for years along with his survivor's guilt until he finally accepted the fact that nothing could have prevented the fire. It had been a grease fire in the kitchen that quickly spread to the rest of the house before his family was aware of it. By then it was too late.

"No melancholy thoughts, Wufei. You need to stay clear-headed," Sally scolded when she caught the far away look in Wufei's eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," Wufei said teasingly.

"Ms. Po? Mr. Chang? Would you like something to eat?" a small child stood in front of them with bowls of porridge, a small weak smile on his face.

"Thank you," Wufei said, smiling gently as he took the bowls from the child. "Would you like something sweet?"

The child grinned and nodded excitedly.

Wufei reached into his pockets and pulled out some pieces of candy and gave it to the boy. He then ruffled the boy's hair and told him to go to his mommy. The boy grinned, nodded again and dashed off with his treats.

"Why do you have candy in your pockets?" Sally asked in amusement as she picked up a bowl and started blowing at the hot food.

"Mariemeia can be difficult sometimes so I have to promise candy to make her be a good girl," Wufei explained as he picked up his own bowl of porridge.

"So the princess isn't an angel all the time?"

Wufei snorted. "Hardly. She *was* raised by Treize, remember?"

Sally laughed around a mouthful of porridge.

~*~

"I think...they're gone," Alex murmured from his spot. He looked around the city from his hiding place underground and saw it almost empty except for those few who actually made it through the attack. Those were loitering around the place, despair, shock, pain, anger, and hate painted across their dirtied faces. A lot of them were sobbing, screaming, and cursing everything around them. Some were picking up body parts that belonged to their lost loved ones. One person was clutching a head in his arms, sobbing hard over the pale, dead face of a woman [1].

"Are you sure?" Sally asked from below him.

"Well, I don't see anything...Yeah, they're all gone. All that's left are body parts and survivors," Alex confirmed. He jumped down from the ladder and offered it to Sally, who immediately climbed the ladder and peeked out of the slightly opened manhole. And sure enough she didn't see a single sign of a Cannibal or Madame Une. She climbed down the ladder and nodded.

"They're gone," she said firmly.

"We have to go to the surface?" Dorothy asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. We have to clean this mess up, after all," Sally said.

"I…I don't want to. I don't want to see the death," the pale girl whispered, her ice blue eyes looking blank.

Sally reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulder. She turned away from the others and began to whisper to the girl in hushed tones.

Wufei took his turn at command. "Come on, gather your things. We're heading back up," he told everyone.

People nodded and set about to their work. There was no cheering, no celebration that the Cannibals were gone. They knew that the Cannibals would come back. This was only one battle of a hopeless war.

Wufei walked over to where Mariemeia sat. He kneeled down before the girl and smiled up at her. "Hey, Meia, we're going back up, okay? We're going to go home."

Without warning, Mariemeia threw herself into Wufei's arms and sobbed. Wufei was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered and started soothing the girl.

"Papa, I don't want to see the death! Papa...Papa, it's scary!" Mariemeia cried. "I know what happened...Papa, don't make me see it! Please, Papa..."

"But we have to go back, Meia...," Wufei whispered helplessly.

"It's scary...People died. I heard their screams...I heard...I...Papa Treize died! He died too...Papa Treize died..." The young girl continued to sob hysterically, the day's events taking its toll on her mental stability.

Sally came up from behind Mariemeia with a syringe in her hand. Wufei sighed and nodded just slightly, not wanting to startle Mariemeia with any sudden movements. The blonde nodded and gently administered the sedative before Mariemeia could realize what was happening. Immediately the girl slumped and fell away into a dreamless sleep that would keep her sane and safe.

"I'm sorry, but you know..." Sally began.

Wufei nodded. "I know and I trust you. Come on, let's go back to the surface and see what kind of life can we salvage up there."

"Yeah, sure," Sally said, suddenly looking very tired.

~*~

"Gods, this place is a shithole," was one of the first remarks made by the survivors that came from the Tunnel.

"Welcome home, everybody," Wufei said ironically.

"Haha, is that supposed to be funny?" Alex demanded at Wufei's side.

"Nothing is funny in this world, Alex, you should know that," came Wufei's quiet reply before the Chinese man made his way back to his own house. He ignored the scattered body parts and the rivers of blood flowing down the street as he walked, carrying Mariemeia in his arms. He finally came to his home and sighed when he saw the mess there. It was burned down almost completely, leaving only a skeleton of what used to be there. He kicked open the door and walked inside, careful to avoid any weak spots.

He looked around the place, seeing in his mind's eye how his home *used* to look like before moving on and searching for anything salvageable. He was half way through his house when his foot kicked something. He stopped and looked down to find a piece of the what-used-to-be-tiled ground sticking out.

<I forgot all about that,> he thought in surprise. He walked back outside and found Sally, handed Mariemeia over and went back into the house. He kicked at the protruding piece of burnt tile until it finally gave way to reveal a small, gray square with a handle sticking out, buried in the ground. Wufei grabbed the handle and grunted as he pulled out the long box from the ground. He stumbled back and fell to his knees, dropping the box in front of him. He flipped it open and stared at the sight before him.

It had been so many years since he had seen this sword. Ever since the death of his family he had never dared to touch it, happy to leave it in its gray box, buried in the ground. His family sword wasn't meant for him, it was never meant for him. He knew it was always going to go to his oldest brother when he turned twenty-one. Wufei had always been a bit jealous of his brother because he was able to own the beautiful sword. But after the fire Wufei couldn't bear to look upon the sword without remembering things, and usually those memories really hurt him, making him realize how much he missed his family.

Reaching out, Wufei traced the immaculate blade with his fingers. The sword was special, it dated back before the times of the Government and the Cannibals, way before. It was long, deathly sharp on both sides, and had a beautiful double handle with a green tassel hanging from it. A Chinese dragon was etched into the shining blade, wrapping its long body around it. There were also ancient spells etched along side with the dragon, meant to protect the bearer of the sword and to fight against evil.

As a child ancient weapons such as swords, daggers, bows and arrows, and anything else he could find in a book had always fascinated him. Treize had always teased him about living in the past instead of the future when they went out to the shooting range to practice. He had never liked guns or any kind of firearm but Treize always told him it was for his best if he learned how to use a firearm, just in case he ever needed it, the skill and knowledge would be right there. Wufei had to agree with him, it was the only reason why he knew how to use a gun.

Old words echoed in his head...'Remember, Wufei, if you ever use a sword, use it with honor and justice, ready to defend those weaker than you and bring peace to your people. That is the only purpose of a sword, nothing else. A sword is an honorable weapon, do not sully or tarnish its worth.'

His grandfather had told him that when he began to show an interest in swordsmanship.

Without really meaning to, Wufei picked up the sword and watched as his reflection flashed in the metal. <I guess Grandfather always knew what was right and what was wrong. I think its time to put a stop to all of this death.> He placed the sword back down, laying it on top of the green material lining the box. He closed it and carried it outside.

Sally was standing outside with Mariemeia in her arms. She looked a bit intrigued when she saw the box in his arms.

"What's that?" she asked, nodding at the box.

Wufei smiled. "Justice."

~*Owari Prologue*~

And that ends it for the prologue! What do you think? Good, bad, so-so? Ah, comments would be a wonderful way to tell me!!

Started: April 25, 2001

[1] And I get this idea from X/1999 more than anything. *sweatdrop*