The Impending Darkness
Disclaimer. I don't
own them. Or the songs.
Warnings: AU…ummm…a
bit limy…kind of like a margarita…mmmm.
"I watched the world flow to the dark side of the moon/
after all I knew it had to be something to do with you.." -Three Doors Down, Kryptonite
Darkness…closing
in on him, surrounding him and suffocating him. He was on the edge…the edge of life, the edge of a
building…? He couldn't tell. But on the other side lay that darkness—the
evil that he had thought long gone.
Heero
sat up in bed, breathing heavily, sweat making the sheets cling to his naked
chest. His bedroom was dark and
quiet. Moonlight struggled to filter in
through the heavy curtains. He was
alone. There was no one there. It was
just a dream, he told himself, running one hand through his matted dark
brown hair. Heero gave up on sleep,
knowing from past experiences that it was useless to even try to finish his
rest.
-She's growing in power.- Heero didn't even bother replying to the
voice. He recognized it from the last
time.
"So
soon? It's only been 1000 years." There was a hint of sarcasm to his
query. The voice, distinctly female and
familiar, rebuked him.
-This isn't any time for joking. You've got to find her and stop her.- Heero snorted, not at all amused by the mind
games, pardon the pun, that his mother was playing with him.
"You
know, for all your urgency and wanting me to save the world from utter
destruction and darkness again, you sure aren't giving me much to go on."
-I
can't- she sighed. -I'm not omnipotent or omniscient, you
know.- It was Heero's turn to
sigh.
He knew all too well that his mother was neither. She was…or had been…or still was, he
couldn't figure it out, a fairly powerful empath that could see ahead in
time…within limitations. Very
frustrating limitations.
She had died ten years before the
first battle, five years after Heero was born.
When Hecate had first shown up...
When the time came for the
battle—she advised Heero from his mind.
He hadn't really heard from her since.
Until now. Heero got out of bed
and went into his small bathroom for an aspirin. Somehow he got the feeling that he would definitely be needing
it. Especially if his mother still had
the same smartass attitude she had 1000 years ago.
***
"Miss
Relena? Are you awake yet?" Pegan's voice drifted through the heavy oak
door to Relena. She had been laying
awake on the bed for nearly three hours, having had her rest interrupted by a
strange dream around two AM. She still
remembered it vividly, which was odd.
She rarely remembered her dreams, even her nightmares.
She was standing on the edge of a
cliff. Behind lay everything she knew
and loved. Ahead of her lay power
beyond her wildest imagination.
Power…and darkness. It should
have scared her. But Relena felt drawn
to it. Like it was calling her, trying
to surround her and comfort her in her lonely life.
Relena
shuddered. She wasn't supposed to feel
that way about darkness. Or power. Especially since she came to her place as
the Vice-Foreign Minister. I just won't tell anyone about it, that's
all.
"Miss
Relena?"
"I'm
awake Pegan. I'll be down
momentarily." She kept her voice even
and strong, despite her tired state and frazzled nerves. I
guess politics are good for something, she mused, smiling to herself.
***
"Ne,
Heero?" Heero refused to answer, but
continued to stare straight ahead.
"Hee~ro?"
"Shut. Up.
Duo. We're supposed to be doing
recon," Heero bit out, keeping his voice free from emotion, despite the nearly
overwhelming feeling of wanting to strangle Duo with his own braid.
"But
Heero"—he was cut off as Heero slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Shhh. Someone's coming." Then Heero felt something wet on his hand. It took him a minute to realize that Duo had
licked him. A look of utter disgust
contorted Heero's face. He wiped his
hands on his jeans thoroughly, wanting nothing more than to find a source of
running water and soap to clean his hand.
Duo was hard pressed to keep his laughter in. "That was disgusting, Duo."
"Hehehehehehehe…"
"I think
I'm going to be sick," Heero muttered.
Their target was getting closer.
"Ne,
Heero? Why are we watching Relena
again? Are you sure this is a mission?"
"Yes,"
Heero snapped. They were supposed to be
scouting the Vice-Foreign Minister's security.
Watching Relena was a bonus. Now, where did that thought come from, I wonder? Through
the years he had known her, Heero had developed a serious respect and
admiration for the girl…no, the woman, who brought peace to the Earth and
colonies.
The
female in discussion walked past them, her hips swaying slightly, despite the
briskness in her step and the dowdy suit she wore to belay her youthful
age. Heero's breath caught in his
throat. Duo gave him a thoughtful look,
but Heero didn't notice. All his
attention was focused directly on the Vice-Foreign Minister.
***
Relena could feel eyes on her. All of her senses felt heightened and
alert. She peered into the bushes
intently as she walked past them.
Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see a pair of familiar Prussian blue
eyes peering back at her. She smiled
and waved.
"Good
morning, Heero." Then she continued on
her way to the meeting. Heero blinked
in surprise. Duo just laughed his ass
off.
***
During
her meeting, which surpassed anything else she had ever attended in boringness,
Relena contemplated the feeling she experienced earlier. It was rare to find Heero, mush less be able
to tell precisely where he was. Why did
she feel so…attuned? Yes, attuned. For the first time in her life, she was
completely and totally aware of everything going on in her surroundings. Again, her mind returned to that dream. She no longer thought of it as a nightmare,
but instead, a promise. It was a
promise. Relena could tell that her
heightened senses were just the beginning.
Relena smiled, not her usual smile, but a nearly feral one. She couldn't wait to see the rest.
***
Heero
could feel it getting closer. The
darkness was somehow closer than it had been a week ago. For some reason, the feeling of foreboding
was stronger near Relena. He wondered
briefly if Hecate was planing on destroying her. But he eliminated that line of thought, believing that Hecate
wouldn't bother with someone whose influence had diminished. Now, three years ago…he shuddered. He didn't even want to think what might have
happened three years ago.
-Heero?
Heero! Snap back here, Heero!- His mother again. Parents could be so annoying.
Especially when they wouldn't just die and leave you alone.
-That's not very nice Heero,- she
admonished him. -At least your father isn't here, too.- Heero truly shuddered at that thought. His parents had loved each other very much. -Now, Heero. Hecate is coming closer…-
"I know
that."
-Don't interrupt. I think you might want to keep an eye on that girl, what's her
face. You know, the only one who can
get a rise out of you—
"That's enough, Mother," he growled. He hated it when she teased him about
that. She was nearly as bad as
Duo. Only she was his mother, which
made it worse. "I'll watch Relena
tonight."
-I bet you will.- His mother's voice was wry.
***
Heero
was completely silent as he moved across Relena's balcony. The drapes were closed, but the doors were open and the light still shone
through the billowing curtains, dimly illuminating the concrete. He stayed well in the shadows. He could vaguely see Relena's figure as she
moved around, singing some classic rock song.
He was surprised as the feeling in her voice as she belted out the
lyrics.
Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape
from reality.
Open your eyes, look up to the
skies and see…
I'm just a poor boy, I need no
sympathy…
Because I'm easy come, easy go,
little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows, doesn't
really matter to me…to me.
He was
impressed by her singing voice, too. It
didn't seem like the same Relena.
Suddenly, the curtains were thrown back and Relena stepped onto the
balcony, wearing her silk nightgown. It
appeared that she was cold, Heero noted, taking in her features that were
normally hidden. Mercifully, his mother
didn't comment on his thoughts. He
could now hear the music blaring in the background.
Mama, just killed a man…
The
lyrics chilled Heero for some reason.
His expression changed to one of repressed humor as she sang the chorus.
So you think you can stone me and spit in my
eye…
So you think you can love me and
leave me to die…
The
words touched him. So sad… He resolved to find the lyrics someday. The music stopped and Relena's eyes lost the
fanatic glow they had a moment ago.
"Heero,"
she whispered. Like she had whispered
so many nights before. It held a
different note this time…a ironic tone…
"Heero, I know you're there."
Relena turned and looked directly at him. Reluctantly, he stepped from the shadows.
"Relena."
"Heero." They looked at each other for a moment. Then she smiled a not-so-nice smile. "Still spying on me, Heero? I thought you got over that."
"Still
waiting for me to kill you, Relena? I
thought you got over that," he returned, voice just as
emotionless. She laughed.
"Yes,
Heero. I have been waiting for you to kill me." She turned to face him and looked at him as a cat might look at
her prey. Then she pressed herself
against him and wrapped her bare arms around his neck, kissing him
passionately.
Heero
was momentarily shocked, but responded in kind, grabbing her waist and pulling
her even tighter to him. She moaned
faintly and boldly explored his mouth with her tongue. Heero was acutely aware that what she was
wearing wasn't exactly…covering…or thick.
In fact, it was very
thin. He was working very hard at
controlling the impulse to rip it off her.
Relena's hands moved from his neck and began roaming around his body,
under his shirt…it was Heero's turn to moan.
-Heero!- Heero's eyes flew open at the voice. Damn, damn, double
damn. MOTHER!!!
-Heero, this isn't right and you
know it. Is this how Relena normally
acts?-
Who cares how she normally
acts…maybe she changed… Relena's
hands were moving farther down his body, nearing his bellybutton. He moaned again and nearly forgot his
mother's voice.
-Heero!
I'm not joking with you! Relena
is toying with your emotions!!- But
Heero didn't care…it just felt so right.
She was beginning to play with the zipper of his jeans. He was nibbling on her neck…
-Heero!
It's Hecate! It isn't Relena
anymore! It's Hecate! Get away from her!- That snapped his eyes back open. But Relena continued on with her relentless
pursuit of Heero's boxers. He made a
move to back away from her but she continued to clutch him to her. She was surprisingly strong for one who
pushes papers and attends meetings all day.
Heero was stronger though; as he gripped her shoulders, Relena looked up
at him.
Her eyes
were glowing with an unearthly green light, burning with hunger. Hunger…or lust. Lust, Heero
decided. Definitely lust. She smiled
seductively and removed her hands from his pants, instead placing them around
his neck and pulling him back towards her.
"Relena"— She ignored him effectively and kissed him
again, her nails digging into the back of his neck. Blood welled up and Heero broke the kiss, trying once again to be
free. She lunged for him in one fluid motion
and bit him in a very vampiric manner, lapping up his blood gleefully. The light of her eyes increased, showing as
two pinpoints of light in the night.
-Heero?
Heero, wake up, please!- His
mother's voice was desperate, but it was in vain. Heero was unconscious.
***
Heero's
Prussian blue eyes flew open. He
couldn't remember anything. How long
had he been here? Where was here? An ice-filled chuckle chilled the room and
brought the memories flooding back.
Heero could remember the feel of Relena's hands on his flesh. He shivered involuntarily.
Relena
was sitting in a chair across from the bed that Heero was sprawled out on. He sat up and took stock of the
situation. The sheets were rumpled and
he was devoid of his clothing. All of his clothing. It was impossible, though. He had been unconscious. Relena laughed again from her seat.
Her arms rested on the chair's arms
and her legs were crossed. She was
wearing nothing but a robe thrown over her.
She also looked very pleased
with herself. Heero had to remind
himself that she wasn't Relena anymore.
"That's right, Heero. I'm not Relena anymore. And it's not impossible, as you think." She looked down at her body thoughtfully. "I really am surprised by your reaction to
this body." She lifted her arm and
turned it over gracefully, still contemplating her new host. She laughed again. Heero winced. Relena's
laugh was replaced by a harsher sound.
"You know, Heero." Hecate rose
from the chair, not bothering to close the robe. "It's amazing what your body can do subconsciously." She traced circles with one finger on his
chest, watching with delight as she got a reaction from him. "You see?
Even though you know it's me…this body still gets a response from you."
Heero was powerless. Even he knew when he was beat. And it was
true, he couldn't control the way his
body responded to Relena's. He made no
move to push Hecate from him. She was
physically stronger, despite being in Relena's weaker body. After all, she was a goddess. Apparently
an immortal goddess.
"Of course I'm immortal,
Heero." She kissed him. "Did you really expect anything else?" She kissed him again, deeper this time. Heero felt nothing emotionally. His body said otherwise. "Mmmm," Hecate murmured, licking her
lips. "You do taste good. I've been
wondering since the last time." She
appraised him, eyes taking in his body like he was a prize piece of meat. "You were lucky to be reborn into a body so
similar to your last one." She laughed
again, reminding Heero of the real Relena.
"Leave me alone." They were the first words he had spoken to
her out loud in a thousand years.
"Oh, but it's to late for that,
darling. The sacrificial blood has been
spilled and it's too late for you to stop me."
The sacrificial blood?…The blood
of a virgin… Hecate cackled
gleefully. "That's right darling! The blood of a virgin. Actually, the blood of two virgins." She laughed again at her own joke. "You both served me well. I believe I will keep your Relena's body. And yours, perhaps. You are nice looking. And strong," she added playfully nipping
him. Heero tried to shy away, but she
wouldn't allow it. "Oh, no, Heero. You are mine, now. You and Relena were the virgins!" Hecate giggled crazily.
"It really is the finest of jokes, you know."
Heero could feel the hatred rise
within him. A mad, boiling rage. This bitch treated Relena and him as if they
were noting but playthings for her amusement.
That she dared treat them like this--.
"Oh, but Heero," Hecate said with a
pout. "You are my playthings. What are
you going to do about it. It was hard
enough to defeat me a millennia ago.
And I wasn't even at full strength then. Remember? I only had one
virgin's blood, then."
Heero remembered well. Too well.
It had been his younger sister.
And he couldn't do a damn thing to save her then. He couldn't do anything to save his
mother. And he couldn't do anything to
save Relena. He had caused Relena's
demise. He knew well enough that once
Hecate took a body, she never gave it up.
She would make sure that it was destroyed with her. The sacrifice might not be so bad if Hecate
was destroyed along with the body. But
she wasn't. Because you can't kill a
goddess. He had to get out…get away
from her power.
"You want to go away?" She pouted again, sardonically. "It won't do you any good, but…as you
wish." She kissed him again and
giggled, snapping her fingers. "See you
shortly, Heero." Her parting words
echoed in his ear as he suddenly found himself back in his apartment.
***
