A/N – Welcome one and all to the re-vamped version of this chapter! The only thing which has really changed is the fact that Heero and Duo ar already in an established releationship. I have already explored their getting together in my previous gw fic, Harmless Heart (shameless plug, I know), and wanted to focus on testing their relationship instead of forming it. Ok, enough from me…on with the fic!
Disclaimer – Not mine. Not mine. Not mine.
Warnings – Shounen ai (boy x boy love), supernatural stuff
The Tempter
Five girls laughed as they splashed in the lake. A nervous energy and a wild excitement overpowered them as they completed the cleansing ritual. The five of them were witches, a fact that they had to hide carefully from the devout religious society in which they lived. They were all under the age of eighteen and were only novices in the craft. Together the five girls had unimaginable power although they were ignorant to the fact. The working that they were about to try was meant only for those who had great experience, but they didn't care. As they pulled on their white shifts they couldn't give a damn about the rules.
A girl with long chestnut hair and shining violet eyes reached down and picked up a large leather bound book which she hugged protectively to her chest. Another, with hair and eyes as black as the midnight sky, lifted the newly forged sword an admired its gem studded hilt. The next had mossy brown hair and piercing cobalt blue eyes. She picked up the dagger and smirked as she tested the edge, cutting her finger in the process. The girl who followed had cool emerald eyes and hair that fell over her face in a mahogany waterfall as she snatched up the hazel wand, which had been cut at dawn. The final girl had pale blonde hair as fine as silk and eyes that sparkled like crystals. She lifted the pot of salt from the ground and smiled at her friends, they were ready to go.
They walked in silence to the clearing in the forest which was perfect for the casting. Anna walked slowly around, casting a protective salt circle. When she had finished she stepped back, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, watching as May walked forward. Still clutching the sword in one hand, she used the other to pull protective stones out of her pouch and dropped them around the circle. As soon as she had closed the stone circle she stepped back and watched, with a smirk on her face, as Vivienne's cat-like reflexes caught the pot of salt that Anna dropped. Vivienne then began to draw a salt pentagram inside the circle. Her emerald eyes focused intently on her task, when she completed the symbol she carefully stepped out. Adel then took the sword from May and the wand from Vivienne. She walked forwards and placed the dagger, sword and wand in their correct places. Finally Melusine moved forward, her violet eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Under one arm she carried the book, in the other she produced an amethyst, the stone that represented her spirit. Anna held up a piece of opal as Vivienne revealed an emerald. May held up an obsidian stone and finally Adel open her palm to reveal a sapphire resting against her skin. They threw the five gemstones into the centre of the pentagram, then each took their place in one of the five points of the star. Melusine opened the book.
* * *
"This is our new safe house?" Duo questioned with disbelief written clearly across his features. "This looks more like one of your places Q-man!" he exclaimed and shot a grin at the rich Arabian, who stuck his tongue out at Duo in response.
"Open the door," Heero Yuy's voice was as quiet and monotonous as ever but held a strength and power which demanded immediate attention. Duo rolled his eyes at his lover in exaggerated exasperation and put the key into the lock. The five young men crowded inside and stopped dead as a blast of cold air swept over them. Duo sighed and frowned as his breath became visible in the cold air.
"Oh man! Haven't these people heard of central heating?" Duo moaned as he saw that there were no radiators and an open fireplace took pride of place in the living room.
"Stop whining Maxwell!" Wufei ordered briskly as he shut the door behind them. "It is better than the last place, be thankful for that!" Duo shuddered as he remembered the extremely small safe house they had occupied for the last two weeks. His violet eyes flickered around the entrance hall with a critical eye. The place was decent enough, although the décor seemed to lean towards the middle ages look. Wooden beams ran across the ceiling and down into matching wooden pillars which lined the hall. The furniture in the living room was made from what appeared to be mahogany, although their simplistic design hinted at a cheaper wood. The walls were a neutral cream throughout causing Duo to sigh at the lack of colour. Without warning Duo made a mad dash up the stairs, drawing four pairs of eyes to him in the process. The owners quickly dismissed the hyperactive American's antics, this had become somewhat of a ritual every time they arrived a new safe house.
"THERE ARE FOUR ROOMS!" Duo yelled at the top of his voice, causing the others to wince and wish that the braided boy came with volume control. Duo ran back down the stairs and grabbed onto the handrail as he lost his footing. "Ahem! I meant to do that!" he exclaimed which earnt him a snort of amusement from Wufei, a quiet giggle from Quatre and the slight upturning of Trowa's lips. Heero shot him a glance under raised eyebrows, knowing that his lover had most likely stumbled on purpose in order to draw a laugh from his audience.
"Baka," Heero commented dryly but Duo picked up on the warmth in prussian eyes, making the insult into almost an endearment.
"There's two doubles, one twin and a single," Duo reported.
"I get the single," Wufei said quickly, preferring to indulge his urge for privacy.
"We'll take one of the doubles if nobody minds," Quatre stated politely, grasping one of Trowa' hands with his. Duo sneaked an envious glace at their intertwined hands, knowing that Heero was still uncomfortable with showing affection even in front of their closest friends and would probably continue to feel so for a long time. Catching Duo's wistful look, Heero spoke up.
"We'll take the other double," he announce quietly, glancing at Duo through moss brown bangs for conformation. Violet eyes lit up and Duo had to stop himself from glomping his lover. Seeing that Duo was struggling Quatre quickly intervened.
"I'm gonna go check out the kitchen," he declared, knowing that would get Duo's attention.
"Food!" Duo yelled happily and dragged the blond boy into the kitchen, the two reappeared a few seconds later when it was discovered that there wasn't a scrap of food in the place.
"I'm going to go down to the store, anyone want to come?" Quatre asked hopefully. Trowa nodded, Heero simply ignored the question, grabbed his laptop and headed upstairs, Wufei said something about getting some peace and quiet, while Duo discovered an urge to explore the safe house.
"You two lovebirds have fun!" he cried mischievously as they left then turned to tease Wufei, who had miraculously disappeared. A moment later a very annoyed looking Perfect Soldier marched back down the stairs. Of course anyone who didn't know Heero wouldn't even be able to see this. Heero didn't express his emotions in the usual way. Heero's annoyance was only visible in the slightly stormy blue eyes and the tense way he held his frame.
"Where ya going Hee-chan?" Duo enquired, allowing himself a moment of self-indulgence as he surveyed Heero's tense body.
"Electricity's out and the batteries are flat," Heero growled. Naturally the braided boy did not need to ask what his partner was referring to, knowing that one of the few things that got under Heero's skin was not being able to work on his laptop. Heero marched outside to search of the box, giving his lover a wonderful view of his spandex clad rear as he left.
Duo shook himself out of his crude and rather explicit thoughts involving that ass, deciding to put Heero out of his mind in favour of exploring the house. Duo walked up the stairs and searched each of the rooms on the second floor. There were only the four bedrooms and a bathroom which had both a bath and shower he noted happily, showers made for much convenience where the washing of hip long hair was concerned. Walking back downstairs saw that discovered a large living room, a fitted kitchen, a small library and an empty storeroom. He frowned, the building from the outside gave the appearance of being much larger than it actually was. He left from the storeroom and was about to close the door when a strange feeling passed over him. He walked back inside and glanced around at the bare walls before looking down at the floor. A grin appeared on his heart shaped face as he saw the distinct outline of a trap door. Curiosity overpowering him, Duo knelt down and pulled it open to reveal an old wooden ladder leading down into a black cavern. Without a moments hesitation the Deathscythe pilot swung himself down into the cellar and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A sudden light sprang into life causing him to jump and glare up at the offending light bulb, which swung innocently from the ceiling.
"Huh, Heero must have fixed the electric," Duo murmured to himself. Like the storeroom the cellar was bare except for a box that lurked in the shadows of the room. Moving quickly Duo pulled it in into the light and saw that it was in fact a chest, not a box. He ran a hand over the intricate engravings that decorated the ancient wood, memorised by the swirling patterns he traced. Shaking himself out of his transfixion Duo pulled out his 'picks from a pocket inside his outfit. Selecting the one that he wanted he deftly slid it into the lock fastening the chest shut and with practised hands had it open within seconds. Duo felt like a kid who had found a treasure chest as the lock fell to the floor. He slowly opened the lid as an almost reverent feeling swept though his body. The chest was made from unvarnished wood and the inside was lined with soft green velvet. There were several objects lying inside that were wrapped lovingly in cream silk. With gentle hands Duo lifted them out one by one until he came to the last item in the chest. It was large and rectangular, covered in the same cream silk as the others. Duo lifted it out and placed the object in his lap, then slowly and carefully began to peel the silk away. The fabric fell to the floor forgotten as Duo stared at the book in his hand with a strange expression on his face.
"I know this," he breathed softly. The book was covered in ageing leather that bore the same design as the chest. As he once again traced the pattern with a finger tip Duo felt a strange feeling overcome him. He knew the book, yet he had never seen it before. He shook his head violently, sending his braid flying, to chase the feeling away. His violet eyes scrutinised the cover until he heard footsteps upstairs. Duo hurried up the ladders, leaving the contents of the mysterious chest strewn across the floor, not noticing that the light turned itself out as he left.
* * *
"Heero!" Duo yelled as he caught sight of the boy standing in the living room, Prussian blue eyes focused on him immediately. "You have got to come see this!" Duo grinned excitedly at his lover.
"I'm busy," Heero replied flatly.
"It won't take a second! Honest!" Duo stuck out his bottom lip and widened his eyes giving the other boy the best puppy-dog look he possessed. He grinned again as Heero sighed, finding himself unable to resist and walked over to him. Thirty seconds later found the two pilots standing in the cellar in complete darkness.
"Damnit!" Duo yelled in frustration. "Where's the light switch?"
"Duo," Heero's voice was filled with exaggerated patience. "I haven't switched the electricity back on yet."
"What?" Duo questioned unbelievingly. "It was on like two seconds ago!"
"It isn't on, I couldn't find the box," Heero insisted and Duo knew he would gain nothing by lying about it.
"That's weird then," he remarked. "I'll go get a torch!" Duo announced as the idea hit him. He began to climb the ladder and was halfway up when light blossomed in the cellar. Duo nearly fell off in surprise as he swung around to see Heero glaring up at the suspicious light bulb. "That's really weird!" he remarked as he jumped off the ladder and walked over to the chest and its contents. "Well anyway, this is what I wanted to show you! I got this really strange feeling when I saw this book, like I knew it or something. Do you recognise it?"
While Duo rambled Heero had moved up to him and knelt down next to the chest. He boy ignored both Duo's rambling and question as he moved his hand down to one of the silk wrapped objects. Heero unravelled the material and looked carefully at the dagger which was revealed. Looking over his comrades shoulder Duo saw that the hilt of the dagger was decorated in the same way as the chest and book. He frowned in concern as Heero ran a finger lightly over the edge of the blade, the cool metal slicing its way though his skin as he did so. The Wing pilot smirked as he lifted his finger and saw the wound.
"Déjà vu," he said quietly.
"What?" Duo asked confused. Heero looked up at him, blue eyes lost and distant.
"I have this perfect memory of testing the blade and slicing my finger," he explained, still studying the cut.
"Maxwell! Yuy!" a loud voice cut through the silence before a black haired youth clambered down the ladder and glared at both of them. "What are you doing down here?" Wufei snapped before looking at the objects in front of him.
"Hey Wu-man, you recognise this?" Duo asked, holding out the book to the Chinese boy, knowing Heero wasn't going to give him a proper answer. To his disappointment Wufei shook his head, seeming to be too preoccupied with the other objects on the floor to even yell at Duo for calling him Wu-man.
"What is all this?" he asked, a frown marring his features.
"I have no idea!" Duo replied cheerfully. He watched at Wufei snatched up another of the bundles from the floor and began to free it from the silk. Wufei's frown deepened as he raised the sword that he had discovered into the guard position, gripping the engraved hilt in both hands. The sword was exactly the right weight and balance, it felt like it had been made for him.
"I feel like I've held this before," Wufei told the other boys absently.
"Ok," Duo started. "Why don't we take this stuff upstairs and wait for the lovebirds 'cus I'm sensing a pattern here!" Heero placed the dagger in the chest along with the other objects and, seeing Duo and Wufei had tight grips on their respective items, snapped the lid shut before easily lifting it into his arms.
"Lets go,"
* * *
Twenty minutes later the front door of the safe house swung open and Quatre and Trowa strolled in carrying enough food to supply four people and one Duo with enough food to last for a week. Trowa raised an eyebrow at his lover when they weren't immediately pounced on by the self proclaimed Shinigami. Quatre shrugged and walked into the living room only to be faced with two grim faced pilots and one grinning one.
"Hey guys," Quatre greeted, made uncomfortable by their stares. "What's going on?" Trowa walked in as Heero stood up and gestured to a chest and five objects laid out on a coffee table.
"Recognise any of these?" he asked both of them, his eyes unreadable as always. The blond glanced over at the table, then back to Heero.
"No! Any reason I . . ." Quatre trailed off as his eyes were drawn back to the table. A small frown crossed his delicate features as his eyes locked on a small china pot painted intricately with a complex pattern. "I . . .the pot, it looks . . ."
"Familiar?" Wufei supplied dryly.
"What about you Trowa?" Duo asked the silent teenager. Trowa walked over to the table and studied the items carefully before picking up a length of wood carved with the same pattern as the others.
"I know this," he said quietly. Duo sighed and rubbed a hand across his forehead.
"So now the question is, what does this mean?" The other pilots looked at Duo blankly indicating that they had no idea. "I know that this may sound a little um, crazy, but I get the feeling that the answer is in there." He pointed to the book.
"So open it then!" Wufei ordered impatiently, annoyed at not knowing what was happening to them. Duo grabbed the book from the table and sat on the floor next to Heero. Wufei sat on the other side of Duo and Quatre and Trowa sat opposite them. As Duo placed the book in the centre of their circle a feeling of anticipation washed over the five of them. Duo opened the book . . .
A/N – So? What did u think? I know nothing much happened in this part but it's needed to explain the fic. Please R&R! Oh and BTW the book is a grimore, 4 all those who don't know what a grimore is, u'll have to wait and see! ^_~
Thank you to all those who reviewed the original version of this part namely, Nataku, ShinigamiDeathscythe, Dee, Silent Screamer, Naomi, Deaths Angle, Kimbo aka Diona, Chiren Decimal, Amy Mizuno, D.D.04, Unholy Quintet, Iruka-Yuywell, shrieoki and Alex (was Emily) and Michiko . . Sorry about the rediculously long wait! The next part is already written and will be posted in a few days . . .if FF.net doesn't die (again)!
And another thanks 2 all those who reviewed Harmless Heart, I love ya all!