Author's Note: View points from here on in will mainly toggle between Heero and Duo. On their journey to see the Serpent Witch, Duo and Heero stop to make camp. Some things got put into previous chapters that I hadn't intended, but I've taken them out. You shouldn't have to reread them or anything I don't think, although I added a little passage about soul mates at the beginning of my first chapter if you wanted to check it out. I also changed the names of some of the chapters, no big deal. Thank you all for your kind and constructive reviews. I love you all!!
"Fractured Souls"
(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸ Predicament by the Lake.•´¯•. ,.:¯)
The sun's dying light struggled to penetrate the dense wall of trees and brush that lined the horizon. A brightly colored bird sat perched on a low branch, peacefully singing into the coming summer night. The sweet, soporific lullaby filtered through the thick evening air, drowning out the harshness of nearby animal calls, until a loud screech sliced into the serene scenery. Two bodies cut through nothingness and crashed clumsily onto the damp, jungle floor. Coughing, Trowa gasped for air as Quatre toppled over ungracefully on top of him. The trip through the Divide hadn't went at all like Trowa had expected.
"What's happening to it?" Trowa asked quietly, looking up at Quatre uneasily.
Pushing himself up, Quatre unconsciously straddled Trowa, looking down at him dismally. It was a tired look that Trowa had become fairly familiar with. "It's getting worse," said Quatre heavily, "and it's going to keep getting worse."
"Quatre," he whispered softly, leaning up and propping himself up with his elbows behind him. He reached out and pulled a crushed leaf out of the clan leader's hair, thoughtfully looking into his pale face. He was very different from the way he was when Trowa first met him. His blonde hair was no longer the shiny, honey golden color it once was. It had faded in it's brilliant luster, turning a light, ash-white blonde, one could almost call it silver. Magic affected some this way when they endured great, emotional ordeals. Years of mounting stress lined dark circles under his bright aqua eyes as they glistened with unnamed torments. Trowa tried to smile for him, but he couldn't. "Don't do that," he pleaded, "It's not your fault."
"It's all our faults," the blonde said tearfully, looking over Trowa's shoulder and into the jungle, his mind momentarily forgetting what now laid ahead of them.
Pushing himself upright, Trowa reached out for his heart shaped face, cupped his cheek and pulled him slowly around. "No, that's not true. You can't blame yourself. You aren't the one that kills them."
Quatre let out a shaking breath and wenched himself out of Trowa's grasp. "That doesn't make me any less guilty, Trowa. I've known all along what's been happening and I've done nothing to try and stop it. You don't know what it's like, expected to lead an organization that you know isn't doing anything to make the problem any better. We're just making everything that much worse...I don't know what to do anymore."
Quatre sounded like he had just confessed his darkest of deeds to a preacher, feeling that somehow saying them out loud would make everything he felt inside a little less painful, but it did nothing to help him at all. He turned so that his faded bangs covered his eyes, shadowing the tears that welled up inside. A tinge of frustration flushed across Trowa's strong face.
"Hey," Trowa said loudly, moving in front of Quatre's line of sight, forcing him to have to look at him. The hunter grabbed him by the arms and squeezed him firmly, shaking him slightly backwards. Quatre looked at him, frightened. "Stop it!" the hunter yelled, giving him another good shake, "Look what's been happening to you! You won't blame yourself for this. I won't let you. If you want to fix it, then help me find Duo. You still believe in him, don't you?"
He searched Trowa's green eyes, as the hunter jerkily released him, looking disappointed. "Of course I do, Trowa..."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Trowa stood up and pulled Quatre up with him in one fluid motion. Trowa dusted off his dirty clothes as he looked around at the dark, vast greenery that surrounded them. The sky was lavender and becoming darker with each passing second. Soon, the full darkness of the night would be upon them. The chances of finding Duo and Heero were getting slimmer by the second. Miles of dark jungle, they could be anywhere. "How will we find them?"
"Don't worry," Quatre said, looking past Trowa, "Give me a minute. I can find them." Trowa watched with sad curiosity as Quatre closed his eyes, gently moving his head like he was listening to a song that only he could hear. He had a gift of sensing people and their emotions without actually using any magic at all. The disturbing reason he was so powerful was something Trowa would never forget.
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Quatre stared blankly at the tall form of the person in front of him. He hated having this conversation with people and hoped he'd never have to have it with him of all people. "Do you know what you are asking, Trowa? You won't like the outcome. Tapping into magic for someone like yourself is dangerous."
Trowa didn't understand why Quatre would say such a thing. Many people had told him it was perfectly fine to attempt magic even though you weren't naturally born with it and it seemed unlikely that Quatre wouldn't know that. After all, he knew more about magic than anyone else he'd ever met. "I've already read several books and none of them said anything about it being dangerous. I've also asked several Mage's what's required and none of them said it was dangerous, just hard to do. I can do this, Quatre..." Trowa said earnestly.
"No, you can't!" Quatre snapped, a wild look in his vivid blue-green eyes. The air around them was suddenly electric with magic, radiating from Quatre's small form. He seemed to struggle with himself as he painfully squeezed his eyes shut, like he had just been exposed to some blinding white light. He buried his face in his hands and bent over. Trowa took a wary step backwards as various items began rising around the room and hovering idly in the air around the blonde. "Quatre, what's wrong?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, which was hard to do considering that several large knives were now rising off their wall mounts and moving dangerously close to him. He had never seen someone lose control of their magic like this before. Quatre was violently shaking his head back and forth as the knives steadily continued to move closer to Trowa. "QUATRE!"
"NO! STOP IT!" Quatre screamed and fell to his knees on the office floor. Toppling forward, he used his arms to prevent him from falling on his face. His arms trembled under his own weight as he took a deep breath and the airborne items dropped hard on their previous places, while the knives fell to the floor next to Trowa in a metallic clatter. The hunter rushed to his side, bending down with him and carefully putting his hand on Quatre's back, surveying his thin, shuddering body with worried eyes. "Quatre, are you okay? What just happened?"
"I'm fine," he said shortly.
Trowa leaned over further to get a better look at him. Quatre looked...scared. "No, you're not," Trowa said, "I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I just thought -"
"-Trowa," he interrupted, slowly looking up, not with the normal, tired expression he always had, but this time with something a little darker, "let me explain something to you. Magic chooses people for a very specific reason. Do you know why?"
Trowa had thought the selection to be random, like genetics. It wasn't something he had ever thought about or ever heard anyone discuss around him. He felt rather dumbly not knowing all that much about something he was around every day of his life. "No," he said quietly.
Quatre pulled away from him and sat up straight, trying to regain a look of composure. "They are born with it to help them find their soulmate." Trowa looked at him peculiarly. It wasn't quite the grand explanation he was expecting. Quatre had expected the look and continued on, "You see, the more powerfully attached magic is to someone, the more times they've failed to find their soulmate. People who use magic always feel the absence of their soulmate, causing them at times, great suffering. An affinity with magic isn't something I'd wish on anyone, most of all you. It is unnatural for those not born with it to tap into it, because once you use it, there's no going back. You are condemning yourself to Hell and each lifetime you fail brings you another step closer..." Quatre weakly balled his hands in his lap and looked away, as if he couldn't bare to look at Trowa any longer. Staring at the tapestry behind his desk, the clan leader's voice sounded distant. "I always feel it. It pounds in my veins, infesting everything around me, a writhing, unbearable sadness that festers in my blood." He reached aross his stomach and hugged his other arm, looking tearfully into Trowa's wide eyes. "Is that what you want, Trowa?"
Trowa's stomach did a sickening lunge, looking at how pitiful Quatre looked, lying there broken on the floor. "No," he managed to say, "I'm sorry, Quatre. No one ever...I...I didn't know." Trowa pulled his knees across the floor and wrapped his arms around his friend, squeezing him gently. "But, I have faith in you," he whispered softly in his ear, "If anyone can do it Quatre, it's you. I promise, you'll find who you're looking for." He tilted Quatre's head up by curving his finger under his chin, as a single tear fell down his porcelain cheek. Quatre suddenly reached out for Trowa, grabbing the front of his shirt and burying his face into his chest. "Thank you, Trowa," he sobbed.
(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸¸.•´¯•. ,.:¯)
Quatre's dim voice shook him out of the memory. "They're not far..." he said, slowly opening his eyes and dreamily gazing off into the distance. He paused for a moment, looking uncertain, then took off running. "This way!" he shouted, tearing into the dark jungle. "Follow me! Hurry!"
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Heero looked more bored than tired as he circled the rocky, secluded area. Right behind him, Duo leaned tiredly against a tree. "Is this it then?" he asked, crossing his arms sluggishly.
The full moon's soft blue light fought through the dense canopy of treetops above, casting thin patches of itself around the small, makeshift cavern the lumpy rock formations had created over time. Even though the sun had gone down, the air did not feel any cooler. It was still humid and thick as ever. Duo reluctantly pushed himself off the tree and sat down on the nearest rock he came to, throughly exhausted. He watched as Heero inspected the area, then without a word, walked right past him and back into the shadowy woods. "Oh, come on man! What's wrong with this?" Duo grumbled irritably. Damn if he was going to wander around all night in the dark looking for a better place to stay.
Heero did not turn around. He simply called out, "This will do. I'm going to find us some more water. Stay here."
Duo looked down at himself as Heero's footsteps faded into the distance. His clothes were nearly drenched in sweat and he was more than certain that he had acquired a rash or two in various uncomfortable places. He had just spent hours, hacking and walking, his feet ached, his back ached, and his arms felt numb. He lifted up his arm and took a tentative whiff. "Urgh...gross," he mumbled, immediately putting it back down. Smelly and sticky, he desperately needed a bath... a shower... something... anything. He stood up and headed off in Heero's opposite direction.
'Stay here. Ha. It's not like I'm not going to get lost. Not going far... just need a bath.'
Duo walked around aimlessly for several minutes, about to give up, when he smelt the air grow thicker. There had to be water nearby; he knew it. He followed the scent, hopeful to find a way of reclaiming some state of cleanliness. He pushed past a fat branch and smiled as he laid eyes on a spacious, dark body of water. It was quite large, though it wasn't really a pond and not exactly (what Duo would call) a lake.
Duo walked to the edge and ran his hand across the surface. The water was pleasantly cool to the touch. He shimmied off his boots and pants and tucked them under a bush. He carefully slid into the water, keeping to the edge. Suddenly, he remembered something about Amazon waters and quickly covered his "goods".
'What if there were piranhas in the water?' He looked down, frowning. 'Nah. They're only in rivers, right?' He looked around. 'And this certainly isn't a river.'
Still cautious, Duo waded out further into the dark water. He stood there quietly, looking around for several moments before he was finally able to relax. He stretched his arms above his head and rolled his shoulders back, sinking down further into the water.
Before he got a chance to start washing his filth off, his eye caught various branches shaking back and forth around on the other side of the water. Duo quickly moved behind an old log stuck near the edge of the embankment and carefully peered over it. A person emerged from the shadows and walked to the edge of the other side's shore. It was Heero.
'Oh, now how in the hell did he get over there so quick?'
Duo crouched lower, not wanting to be seen. He watched as the scribe bent down and put his hand in the water and pulled his fingers up to taste it. He then took the canteen and ducked it into the water, filling it up. He stood up and twisted the lid back on the canister, then removed his heavy cloak.
Quietly, Duo watched as Heero gazed around the outskirts of the water, then started removing more articles of clothing. Duo gasped and turned around when he realized what he was about to do.
'What am I doing? He's going to get naked! I can't watch this.'
Duo knew it was wrong, knew he shouldn't, but the hunter couldn't find the will to stop himself, miscievious curiosity was urging him on.
'Oh, come on. He'll never know...'
With a small, devilish smile on his face, Duo turned back around.
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Heero pulled his sweaty shirt over his head and threw it over a branch. He had time for a quick rinse off. He sat down and began unlacing his boots. He was thankful that so far they had not ran into any trouble. Perhaps their journey would be undisturbed, unlike his journeys here before. With their bargain, surely the witch would give them safer passage now. Maybe he should have told Duo about the things she allowed to dwell here. Heero had not seen any sign of them tonight. And it was best not to put Duo though any additional stress than he already was. Hopefully the hunter would be asleep by the time he returned and he wouldn't have to answer any more questions. He pulled off one of the boots as a warm breeze brought the smell of the water past his nose and with it, another more distinctive scent, something he'd recognize anywhere. He bowed his head and glared up through his bangs, surveying the opposite side of the water.
'I know you're here.'
His keen eyes swept the woods and shoreline until he finally spotted who he was looking for. Duo was in the water, crouched behind a log.
'Doesn't listen too well, does he?'
Heero pretended not to see him as he took off his other boot. He unbuttoned his brown pants and pulled them off, silently noting that Duo was continuing to watch him. The stirring feeling Heero got whenever he was around Duo was something he couldn't quite describe. It was distracting and made him feel like he couldn't concentrate, like a large bug flying noisily around a small room.
'Why does he make me feel this way?'
Putting aside how he felt, it was far more perplexing the way Duo behaved around him. Heero had tried to ignore the way Duo acted towards him in the Divide, especially considering the way he reacted after the unintentional kiss they shared when they first met, but the sinful glow in his dark violet eyes seamed to reveal more about how he felt than even Duo himself seemed to realize. Then again, maybe Heero was just putting too much into it. Years of being away from humans and in the constant company of vampires had finally messed with his ability to read their emotions.
Heero needed to know how Duo felt about him. It meant everything. He could venture guesses all day long, but it would do him no good. What he needed was proof, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and there in lied his problem. He had been around Duo long enough to know that it would be otherwise difficult to get a straight answer out of him simply by asking. No, he would have to get his proof some other way. If Duo felt the way Heero believed he did, then he had a big problem. Heero had to think of something and he had to think of something quick. He straigtened up and looked over the dark water.
'It's the mission that matters.'
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Passing clouds cut across the full moon, shadowing the scene below. Through near darkness, Duo could still see Heero moving around, but he was nothing more than a dark blur as he removed the last of his clothes and dove into the water. Several minutes past with no sign of Heero. Duo's heart began to beat wildly in his chest as his eyes darted back and forth across the smooth surface of the water.
'Where is he?'
The moon emerged from the clouds and everything was visible once more but, there was no sign that Heero was in the water at all.
'Could he have drowned?'
Duo put a hand on the log and started to stand up when a voice echoed in the back of his head, 'Don't move. He's coming.'
Duo crouched back down as Heero's head broke the surface of the water, no more than fifteen feet away. Heero turned around and stood up, the water coming to his waist, as he looked back towards the shoreline on the other side. Duo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He hadn't been seen. Duo ducked down even lower, he turned back to face the water's edge, his head against the log. His wide violet eyes darted from side to side, quickly accessing his possible escape routes. There was no way he could leave without being seen. Any moment now, Heero was surely going to discover him hiding there. What would he say to him? He didn't want to think about it.
'Don't move. Wait him out.'
Duo looked out into the dark forest. He could hear Heero still moving around, but it was killing him not to be able to see what he was doing. Duo found himself drawn back around. The scribe was still facing the opposite direction, nonchalantly running his hands through his messy mop of brunette hair, sprinkling the excess water out of it. Violet eyes unconsciously traveled down Heero's well toned back, admiring his thin muscled form. They finally came to rest on a strange mark on his shoulder. Duo frowned at it. It looked like a scar, lightly discolored and rising off his tanned skin. Duo tilted his head to get a better look.
"Why are you watching me?"
Duo clamped his hand around his mouth, his heart catching in his throat.
'When did he notice?'
Neither Heero nor Duo moved; it was like time had froze. For a moment there was nothing. Duo swallowed the lump in his throat as Heero turned around and looked dead at him. There was no choice, but to face the music.
"I wasn't watching you for your information!" Duo snapped. "I was here first, minding my own business, when you showed up! I turned around once I saw you." Duo looked at him as confidently as possible, not breaking eye contact. If he did, it would look like he was lying and after all, it was half of the truth...
"No you didn't." Heero replied.
Duo could feel his face starting to flush. "How would you know?" he said, making his voice as even as possible.
"Why don't you just admit it? You were watching me." Heero said lightly, crossing his arms across his chest in a mocking manner.
Duo's face grew hot. 'There's no way he could have seen me from that far away, especially in the dark. No, he's just trying to get to me.'
Duo knew exactly how to plead his case. "You were way over there!" he said defensively, coming from behind the log and pointing off into the distance. "And no one can see that far in the dark." His violet eyes smiled in a mocking way. "I think you're imagining things."
"Oh, really?" Heero replied, matching his tone, "Then what was..." He immediately trailed off, his dark blue eyes quickly darted to the side, then back on Duo. The hunter took a wary step backwards as Heero quickly moved closer. Duo didn't get far, his back soon scraped against the rough bark of the log. For some strange reason, Duo got the feeling Heero was about to hit him. Duo's heart beat fast as Heero's commanding prescence stopped just short of him, but a punch never came. "We should move," he whispered urgently, now looking past Duo and into the woods. "There are Lobishomen just off shore in the woods."
"What?!" Duo blurted loudly. It had to be a joke. He started to look over his shoulder when Heero grabbed him roughly by the arm pulled him down. Duo tried to jerk himself away. "Are you fucking with me, man?"
Dark blue eyes widened on Duo. Heero covered his hand over Duo's mouth and pulled him down by the arm with the other. "No," he whispered desperately, squeezing his arm tighter to emphasize his point, "Be quiet."
Then, Duo heard the crack of a twig just off the embankment. Heero gave him the 'I told you so' look and released his grip on him as the two crouched lower, so that only their noses remained above water. Would they see his clothes and know they were there? Maybe they didn't have to. Maybe they would smell them first.
Their distinctive appearance during the full moon had given these breed of vampires the deserving name "werewolves" by many tales and legends. Duo had never seen one in real life and was curious to what they would look like compared to the pictures he'd seen of them in text books. Duo could hear their rattled breath as the brazilian vampires moved closer. He leaned over ever so slightly to steal a look at them. He at least wanted to know where they were exactly. Heero tried to stop him, but the water would have slopped around if he did, alerting them to their presence. Duo peered around the log. There were three of them, emerging from the wood, the slick hair on their backs glowing a silvery blue in the moonlight. They seemed to take no notice of Duo's discarded clothes as a two of them leaned over, putting their faces in the water to have a drink. Duo flinched as the other looked at the moon and howled.
Heero reached out and grabbed Duo's sides in a desperate effort to hold him still. Duo carefully turned back around. When he saw how scared Heero looked, the severity of their situation hit him hard. Here they were, totally naked, with no weapons, no magic, nothing. If they were found, these things were going to tear them apart. Maybe Heero didn't know how to fight without using magic. What then? Duo tried not to think about it. All they could do was be still and wait, hoping they would go unseen. The warm wind blew around them, making it difficult to hear. Duo didn't dare turn back around. Through patches of still air, he could hear them scuffing around along the edge, then, at last, silence. The two hidden boys didn't dare move for several minutes. Finally, once a comfortable amount of time had passed, Heero peered over the edge of their hiding spot. "They're gone," he whispered.
Duo relaxed his head against the moss covered log, closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Heero sunk back down waist deep in the water and roughly grabbed Duo by the arm. Duo jerked his eyes open. "You could have gotten us killed," the scribe said sharply, jerking Duo closer, "I'm only going to say this once, so listen close." He looked around vaguely, like he was listening for something, then returned to looking at Duo, speaking softer. "It's important you trust me. Tomorrow, when we see the witch, you'll have to do as I say. You can't afford to stop and assess why I've asked you to do something. It could cost us both our lives or worse."
'Did he just say or worse?'
Duo didn't know what to say. He just looked at him, winching at the surprisingly strong grip Heero had on his arm. Heero looked at the arm and let it go, turning around, probably making sure there were no more Lobishomen lurking on the other side of the lake. Rubbing his arm, Duo's eyes once again fell on the strange mark on Heero's back. Even and straight, it was to perfectly shaped to be a scar. It had to be something else, a tattoo or a brand maybe. It was filled with meticulous little, dot, line and slant combinations in straight expertly crafted lines, building on one another to form a triangle. Duo had never seen anything quite like it.
"What is it?" he asked, curiously.
Heero didn't move. "I'm making sure there are no more."
"No, that on there on your back. What is it?"
Heero turned around and looked at Duo. His mouth twitched somewhat, giving Duo something that barely registered as a smirk. "Don't change the subject."
"What?"
"Why were you watching me?"
'Oh, no. He's back on that...' Duo felt the blood rushing back to his face. He picked a random tree across the other side of the water and stared at. "I don't know, okay," he huffed, "I couldn't help it. I didn't really want to."
Duo shifted uncomfortably, a small voice chuckling in the back of his head, 'But you did, didn't you?...'
Heero looked at the hunter indifferently. "Why did you agree to come with me?"
Duo wrestled with the question in his head. Even once he proved that he has nothing to do with Celes's prophecy, there would still be no one to witness it, save for Heero. Everyone else would still believe it was him, so what exactly was he trying to prove? Duo shook his head. "I just want my life back," he said tiredly.
Heero moved closer to Duo, not taking his eyes off him. Duo instinctively backed up until his back hit the log. "If you are the one I'm looking for," Heero said, "then I need to know you are going to return with me and stay to help me find a way to fix this. Otherwise, there's really no point in us going."
Duo eyes fell unconsciously fell on Heero's lips while he talked. He sounded so sad. Duo could feel his ears turning red at the thought of how close Heero was to him and how naked he was and now Heero was asking him if he was going to go with him, stay with him. Where would they go and what would they have to do together? When was he going to stop moving closer?
"Duo?"
Heero was only a foot away now. Duo looked up as Heero's eyes drifted down to his own lips. "Did you hear me?"
Everything was playing out like some kind of dream. His heart beat wildly in his throat. It was hard to breathe. His eyes fluttered back down to Heero's lips. He felt something strange, pulling him towards Heero, something he didn't quite understand. He spoke without leaving much thought behind it. "Yes..." he breathed, looking into Heero's dark blue eyes, "I'll stay with you."
Heero leaned in, stopping before he touched Duo's nose, their hot breath mingling together in the humid night air. Duo's mind was racing. 'Go ahead. You know you want to. No one's here...no one has to know.'
A reckless daring seized him as Duo closed his eyes and leaned forward, quickly pressing his lips against Heero's without leaving time to change his mind. He desperately reached out for Heero, cupping his face and deepening their kiss. He ran his hand through his wet hair, pulling him closer to him. Duo opened his mouth and Heero slipped his tongue in, pressing his thin, muscled body against him.
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Heero already knew the answer to his question and knowing full well what he had to do next, but it was like he couldn't stop himself. Duo let out a pleasurable moan as he kissed him roughly. Heero breathed in his sweaty smell like it was an exotic spice he was forbidden to have. He knew he had to stop this, but felt powerless to do so as Duo ran his hands down his back, breaking away from his mouth and softly began kissing his neck. A sensation Heero had never felt before spread through his body, like fire in his blood. Heero leaned his neck back as Duo's soft lips slid down it. Slowly he opened his eyes, staring up at the beautiful night sky.
'You've got to stop him.'
He closed his eyes again as Duo ran his hand along the back of his neck, pulling him down again and captured his lips once more in a hot, passionate kiss.
'I can't...'
Heero kissed him back as his hands traveled down Duo's thin sides, letting his smooth skin slide between his fingers. Heero enjoyed the effect he was having on the brunette, as Duo let out a stiffened moan.
'It's gone too far.'
Duo suddenly tensed up. It felt like glass had shattered, the feeling was broke. Heero opened his eyes. Duo's violet eyes, darted back and forth in disbelief, but refused to look at Heero, like he was ashamed of what just happened. "H-Heero," he stuttered. Registering the amount of fear in Duo's voice, it only took Heero half a second to realize the real reason Duo had stopped.
Heero quickly pushed himself off Duo and turned around. The vampires were back. Saliva foamed from their mouths like short slimy ropes, dripping on the ground as they looked at the boys with a mad, ravenous hunger in their cold, black eyes. They beared their long, pointy teeth in wide, savage smiles, moving steadily towards them. Heero forced Duo behind him as his mind rapidly began compiling a list of possible attacks and outcome scenarios, none of which resulted in them getting out of this situation in any way unscathed.
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Trowa felt like they were walking around in circles. He swung his torch to get a better look at where he was going. Everything looked the same to him after spending hours looking at nothing but trees and vines in darkness. Ahead, the blueish-white outline of Quatre stopped dead in his tracks. "What is it, Quatre?" Trowa called, but Quatre didn't answer. He remained frozen in his place.
Trowa walked in front of him to find he had his eyes shut, and his brow was scrunched up in concentration. "Something's happening between them."
"What's happening?" Trowa asked, looking at Quatre solicitously.
Quatre put his hand over his heart, his fingers curling into the fabric of his robe. "I'm not quite sure. It's something..." he sought for the right word, "intense." Quatre opened his eyes, looking at Trowa worriedly, "And they're not alone."
"What do you mean they're not alone? Who else is here?" he asked, holding his torch up as if he expected to see someone standing around out in the open.
"Lobishomen. The Serpent Witch allows them infinite passage through the barrier, as an extra precaution to guard against unwanted intruders."
Trowa swallowed hard, "Unwanted intruders like us, you mean."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"
Quatre shrugged, "Would it had changed your mind?"
Trowa didn't like what Quatre was suggesting. "No," he said at once.
"I didn't think so. Put your torch out. The vampires are close, best not to alert them to our presence." Quatre bent over and rolled his torch in the soft dirt, pulling up his robe and stomping it further with his shoe until it died. Trowa did the same, although not as enthusiastically, considering he now knew them to be miles from magic in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by vampires.
Guided by patches of moonlight, the two moved through the jungle as quietly as possible, Trowa constantly stealing glances over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed (or hunted). "Over there," Quatre said quietly. Trowa looked down as they suddenly hit a clearing where the ground ended and a pool of water began.
Trowa looked at the spot Quatre was pointing at. Trowa saw Heero and Duo crouched behind a log just out of sight of the three Lobishomen prowling near the shore of the far end of the water. Trowa started to run, but Quatre put his arm out, stopping him, "Trowa! No!" the blonde hissed, "If you run over there now, they'll be seen, we'll be seen."
The wind was blowing strong behind them, blowing Trowa's bangs across both his eyes. He pushed his long hair out of his face and looked disapprovingly at Quatre. "I won't stand by and do nothing, Quatre."
"It's fine, look." he whispered. Trowa looked back over to see the vampires sniff the air, then slowly creep back into the woods. "See, they're leaving."
The wind blew again and for the first time Trowa noticed how bad he had been sweating as the wind chilled the wet patches of his clothing. The wind carried the scent of Quatre's sweat past his nose and Trowa looked over at Quatre with wide eyes. "I think I know why they're leaving."
Quatre looked at Trowa gravely, "I think you're right. Quick in the tree!"
The two clawed their way quickly up the largest tree they could find, while still being able to see Heero and Duo. At the top, Trowa looked again at the two people in the water down below. At first glance, Trowa thought that they had tried to outrun the Lobishomen and they had jumped in the water fully clothed, but now he could see that they were both shirtless. He watched as the Heero grabbed Duo by the arm and said something to him, but Trowa couldn't tell what it was, they were too far away. Heero turned his back on Duo and looked around the lake. Trowa took this moment to try and spot the vampires he knew to be coming for them, but could see no sign of them. His gaze was once again drawn to Heero and Duo, watching them was a comforting distraction to the very dangerous situation he and Quatre had now found themselves in. Trowa looked over at Quatre, who seemed remarkably calm considering what was happening. His face looked very placid and he sat, not looking around for the vampires, but instead looking intently on the two people in the water below. Trowa again looked down as Heero slowly turned around and started moving towards Duo.
"Can you hear what they're saying?" Trowa asked the blonde quietly.
Quatre only stared down at the people below him. He knew what was about to happen. He could feel it in the air, an emotion more powerful than anything he'd ever felt off anyone before. Trowa squinted at the small figures. Heero leaned over Duo. 'What's he doing?' Trowa's mouth dropped as the two began kissing. "Oh my god!" he whispered loudly, looking at Quatre for confirmation of what he was seeing, because he couldn't believe it, "Are they kissing?!"
Quatre's eyes remained unabashly fixed on the two people in the water down below, running their hands over one another. "Yes," he said, transfixed, "Why didn't I see it before?"
"Well, it just now happened."
Quatre suddenly looked over somewhere past Duo and Heero. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed, breathless.
Trowa looked over. The vampires were heading straight towards their friends, meanwhile, they stood blissfully unaware.
Trowa pulled a large, silver stake out of his pocket, put the weapon between his teeth and started to shimmy down the tree, Quatre right behind him.
,.•´)•(•.¸
Their situation was hopeless. Duo could see the next few minutes playing out in front of him like some bad horror movie. Nevertheless, he was not about to go down without a fight, cowering behind someone. He moved out from behind Heero and stood beside him. Heero looked quickly around. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? Hello?! I'm the professional vampire slayer here. We're going to fight them together. Two on three is better than one on three."
A voice called out from behind the vampires, causing Duo to smile wide, "What about four on three? Not that it matters. It's not like any random rank amateur couldn't take out these undead rejects."
"Trowa! Are you insane?" Quatre hissed warningly, tugging on his arm, "Taunting will only make them angry!"
"Don't worry," Trowa said smoothly, twirling the short stake between his fingers, "They won't be angry for long. Soon, they'll be dead. Oh, wait! They're already dead. Let me rephrase. Soon they'll be dust."
The vampires, however, looked less than convinced. Two of them turned around and headed towards the new arrivals while the biggest still stalked closer to Duo and Heero. Duo could hear yelling and flashes of clothing moving in the moonlight, but his attention was focused on the snarling beast in front of them, ready to maul them at any moment. As they backed up further and further, Duo could feel the water getting deeper and deeper. The vampire gave a loud howl, stood up and lunged straight for them.
Duo balled up his fist and started to move, but Heero pushed him hard out of the way as the vampire jumped on top of him and the two fell underwater.
"Heero!" Duo screamed at the large slosh of water. The water erupted violently, then, almost as soon as the two went down, Heero came right back up, holding a pointed, knarled branch that looked like it had been underwater for a very long time.
Duo smirked as Heero looked down at the branch, almost like he didn't expect it to be there at all. "That'll do pig," Duo said, smiling, "That'll do..."
Heero frowned. "Pig?"
Duo shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "Nevermind."
"Are we done now?" Trowa chided in a bored voice from the embankment. He was standing straight backed with his arms crossed, while Quatre stood bent over beside him with his hands on his knees, panting and heaving, the expression of a person who hasn't worked out in a long time on his flushed, pink face. Duo smiled at him. "Not so easy is it, Quatre? When you actually have to rely on fighting skill to save your neck."
Quatre forced himself into an upright position, though he still was breathing rather forcibly. He brushed himself off, sliding his stake back in his pocket. "I think in this instance, you can be a little more grateful, Maxwell."
Heero dove under the water and started swimming to the other side. Trowa called out behind him, "And where are you going?"
Duo shrugged his shoulders, "He's probably just going to get his clothes."
Duo replayed the sentence in his mind, when he saw the look Trowa was giving him. 'Oh, that sounds bad.'
"We accidentally ran into each other!" Duo added quickly. "He was looking for drinking water, and I was looking for a bath and we both kinda ended up in the same place."
"And getting water involved Heero losing his clothes?" Trowa asked.
Duo felt his ears burning again. "No! He got the water, then decided to wash off too. He didn't even know I was over here until he swam over."
"Oh," said Trowa casually, "Is that all? So, we didn't see you two making out?"
"Oh, god," Duo grumbled, rubbing his face in his hands, trying not to look as embarrassed as he actually was. "You were watching us! Look, it's none of your business! I can't-"
Quatre wasn't listening. His eyes were following Heero to the shore on the other side. He wasn't about to say anything about the situation until there was as much distance between him and Heero as possible. Duo was yelling so loud it was hard for him to think. "I mean, how would you like it if I-"
"-Duo, shut up!" Quatre yelled suddenly, "Do you understand what Heero's doing for you?"
"What?" Duo said, not entirely sure he knew what Quatre was going on about.
"He's selling his soul."
Duo jaw dropped slightly as he stared at Quatre. "He's..what?"
"People sell their souls to the Serpent Witch for favors; things they can't get anywhere else and probably shouldn't have otherwise." Quatre stole a quick glance in Heero's direction. He was behind a bush dressing, stiffly looking around. "I think he's had dealings with her in the past, but has somehow managed to retain his soul up til now. However, I doubt that's the case this time. You two can't go through with this. We should all leave, now." Quatre looked back across to the other side's shore again. Heero was gone.
"How do you know he's selling his soul? Did he tell you that?"
"No, but-"
"Well then, how do you know? You're just guessing. You don't know anything."
Quatre looked at him plainly, "Yes, I do. Duo, you have to understand, finding a way to break the vampire's curse has been Heero's all consuming desire and she knows that. She's aware that he doesn't care what he has to do or what it costs him. It's souls like that, filled with such overwhelming drive and desire, that she prizes most of all."
"What are you wanting me to do here? Say, "Oh, thank you for the nice gesture of selling your soul on my behalf, but I think I just wanna go back home." Duo said mockingly, waving his hands about. "Oh, and good luck with the whole not being hunted down by the witch and flayed alive stuff! I couldn't do that to anyone!" Duo paused for a moment and reconsidered the notion. "Well, maybe there are a couple of people I could do it to, but he's not one of them."
Quatre stared at Duo like he had grown another head, "Duo, how can you make jokes at a time like this? Don't you understand what you're about to do?"
"He understands," said Heero dully, coming out of the woods behind them, "Now, explain to me something. How exactly did you two get here?"
"The same way you did." Quatre said, looking at Heero avidly.
"Where did you get the potion?" Heero demanded, sounding and looking a little too unnerved for Duo's liking.
"The Maganacs had one in storage, kept from hundreds of years ago."
"One?" Heero repeated, his voice grave and stretched, "You don't have the other?"
Quatre blinked and shook his head, not following him, "What other?"
"The one she gives you once you reach her, the antidote, Quatre. You don't have it?" Quatre only stared at him blankly, like he was speaking in some language he didn't understand.
"Antidote?!" Trowa said at once, looking at Quatre in slight disbelief. "We're poisoned?"
Heero looked at Quatre disapprovingly, his voice sounded harsh, "What were you two thinking? This didn't concern either of you."
Quatre looked like he was going to be sick, "We were coming to save Duo."
"Not any more you're not," Heero said, looking at the both of them sympathetically, "You're here to save yourselves now. You haven't a choice; you'll have to come with us and try to convince her to give it to you too. Otherwise, you'll be dead within the next twenty four hours."
"What?!" said Duo and Trowa together, while Quatre continued to look like he was about to vomit.
"When were you going to tell me this?" Duo asked. He didn't sound as shocked as he thought he should. Perhaps, it was because he was use to Heero not telling him things now.
"It never mattered to us," Heero told him, "She'll give it to us because I've already made a deal with her, but your friends...are an entirely different matter. They'll have to rely on her good grace."
Trowa's face turned white as a ghost, "We're dead."
"Not yet we're not," said Quatre quietly, staring blankly at the dark water, the bright blue moonlight giving his face an unearthly glow.
"I guess this is the part when you tell me who's soul you've got in your pocket that you plan on trading her for that potion." Heero crossed his arms, waiting for Quatre to shake out of his stupor.
Duo thought it must have been a joke, a bad one at that, but no one was laughing. Quatre slowly shook his head, then looked down at his own dirty, white robes and carefully put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a white bundle of cloth. He slowly pulled away the cloth and revealed a clear bottle filled with something hazy, corked and covered in dark wax.
Duo eyed the bottle transfixed, apparently Heero hadn't been joking after all. "That's what a soul looks like?"
"No," Heero corrected, "that's what a trapped soul looks like. Now, who's is it, Quatre?"
"I can't tell you that. But trust me, she's going to want it," he said tensely, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself rather than Heero.
"If you don't want to tell me, fine, then don't expect my help." Heero said, shrugging his cloak off and walking towards Duo, who was still in the water. "Come on, Duo. You need some sleep." He spread the cloak open and blocked Duo from view. Thankful no one would have to see his nakedness, Duo quickly walked out of the water and wrapped himself in the offered garment. He tossed his braid over his shoulder and twisted as much water out of it as possible. Dead silence hung in the air as he walked over to the bush and quickly pulled on his underwear, his back turned so that no one could see him.
"Heero, you can't go through with it!" Quatre blurted, unable to contain himself. He reached out and grabbed Heero by the arm as he passed him. "Your connection to him, you must felt it. You have to. If you go through with this...If you are separated..."
Duo looked at Heero, his face scrunched up in confusion, "What the hell is he talking about?"
Heero jerked his arm away from Quatre. "I don't know. What are you talking about, Quatre?"
"You can't feel it?!" Quatre said incredibly, looking between Heero and Duo, shaking his head, "Heero, he's your soulmate!"
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Man, this was tough to write. I found it much easier to do the interactions with Quatre and Trowa than the ones with Duo and Heero. At least I finally got to show Heero's point of view, determined and focused on one thing and one thing only: his mission. Did you expect something else? So, does Quatre have it right? Keep reading to find out!
Thanks for reading and remember to review! -Points to review button- Thank ye!
