Shinigami's Love.
"Are you insane?"
Duo regarded Wufei with turbulent violet eyes. "I don't know."
"That was a rhetorical question," the Chinese man grumbled, then refocused on his comrade, standing with unnatural stillness in front of him. "Maxwell, care to explain to me exactly why you plan on going out alone to climb a highly dangerous mountain in the middle of winter?"
"No."
"No what?"
"No, I don't care toe explain."
Wufei frowned. Duo was different, not the same chattering baka that eh had thought he'd known. It was as if the real Shinigami had always inhabited Duo's skin, but only now was he climbing so close to the surface. And Wufei was worried.
"Maxwell, whatever your reasons are, this is not a good idea."
"I know. Ask me if I care."
"Maxwell…" Frustration rang in his voice. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"
Duo's shrug was eloquent. "And your point is…."
Wufei, predictably, exploded. "We're talking about your death here, Maxwell, not some kiddy game! Don't you even care if you live or die?"
"Not particularly," Duo replied, unperturbed. Wufei glowered at him for a moment, then came to an abrupt decision.
"I'm coming with you," he declared.
A little of Duo's calm fled his face. "Why?" he demanded incredulously. "Do you even know how to rock climb?"
"You'd be surprised at what I know," Wufei replied dryly, but with an edge to his voice. "And I'm going with you because you shouldn't be going alone, because I'm not going to stand by and watch you self-destruct."
"Hell, why not?" Duo asked, genuinely questioning. Wufei scowled, at loss for an answer.
"Because it's wrong," he said, then sped up to head off the protest he could see forming at Duo's lips. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow at dawn," Duo said sullenly, and they parted.
The next morning, at dawn, Duo was still trying to find a way out of going to the mountains with Wufei. Shinigami always killed the things it loved, and so it wouldn't be safe for Wufei to be with him then, not with his other half prowling so close to the surface. He feared for Wufei, feared what his dark side would do, and the only thing that was heading off distasted was staying away from Wufei in the first place. And now Wufei was coming with him, on a trip where they would be in close quarters, in the time he had devoted to fighting his demons. Wufei was putting himself in more danger than he could know, and there was nothing eh could do to head off the disaster he saw looming.
It had been an exhausting day of climbing, fortunately without mishaps, and when Duo fell asleep he had hoped he wouldn't dream. But as soon as he closed his eyes, eh fell headlong through a river of blood into a nightmare.
He saw himself in ragged brown peasant's clothing, wielding a clumsy sword unskillfully. A beautifully armored lord on a splendid black stallion drew a glittering jewel-studded broadsword and cut him down, smirking through the faceplate of his helm as he did so. As Duo fell and the life fled from his body, he heard the lord's triumphant battle cry.
Then he was out of his body, staring down from the sky as a figure in dark robes and wielding a scythe rose from his lifeless body and began to lay waste to the battlefield, killing soldiers from both armies, commoners and lords alike.
When Shinigami finally came up against the lord, Duo was suddenly back in his body, staring through red-hazed eyes at his foe, who was suddenly naked, weaponless, and vulnerable. The scythe vanished, replaced with a wicked black knife, which he raised high, prepared to kill-
"Duo. Duo, stop! DUO!"
Duo came back to himself with a jerk, to find himself looming over Wufei, who was naked on the cold stone floor and looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes. The knife from his dream was in his hand.
Making a sound like that of a wounded animal, Duo jerked away and threw the knife out of the cave, listening to the fading clatter as it tumbled down the mountainside. When silence again came over the cave, Duo slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, his harsh breathing the only thing that could be heard.
Wufei pulled on a pair of pants and cautiously tried to approach Duo, who snarled a warning. Ignoring it, Wufei settled down against Duo's side.
After the silence thickened to an almost unbearable level, Duo finally spoke. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Wufei asked calmly. "For having a nightmare? I fail to see the need for apology."
"Dammit, Wu, I almost fucking killed you!"
"True. But you didn't. You didn't intend to, either. I do have some idea of what it's like to be driven by inner demons, Duo."
"Do you?" His rusty laugh was hoarse and unamused. "I doubt it." When Wufei gave him a look, he said, "Have you ever had a part of you that wants nothing more than to destroy everything that you touch, especially the man you love?"
"No," Wufei admitted cautiously. "I can't say that I have."
"Then you can't possibly know what I'm going through." Silence reigned for a moment, and then he said, "Do you have any idea how close to death you are? How close to total destruction? You should never have come with me. You should run as far away from em as you possibly can. Shinigami always kills the things it loves, and you're so close to being killed that it's breaking me in half to fight it."
Duo had been mumbling, not really aware of what he was saying, but Wufei had heard every word. Something inside him froze as everything suddenly became so crystal clear, so perfect, so endlessly delightful that it was all he could do not to laugh out loud and then get down on bended knee for the braided baka who had stolen his heart and the God of Death that made their love so dangerous.
But Wufei was a dragon in his own right, and he thrived on danger. He could handle Shinigami's love as few could.
He reached out and traced one fingertip along Duo's cheekbone. "C'mon, Duo," he said, pulling the other boy to his feet, "let's go to bed. I'll keep the nightmares away."
They spent the rest of the night with Wufei curled protectively around his koi, keeping the dreams at bay. And somehow, they both knew of each other's love and they gloried in it all through the night.