Chapter Three: The Beginning of the Test
Relena's eyes fluttered open and she sat up suddenly finding herself in her own bed. "Huh? Wha-?" Heero was standing over since he had deposited her there only a moment ago. Relena glanced around before groaning. "Don't tell me. I fell asleep again." Heero nodded, "Yeah. I brought you home… or whatever you would call this dorm." Relena shook her head, her bangs falling over her eyes. Heero had a sudden impulse to brush them away from her pretty blue eyes, though he controlled it. "This is the *only* home I know. Or whatever you want to call a place I'm living in. I don't remember a thing since I was diagnosed with amnesia a while back. "Then you're not the only one."
The reply startled her and she looked up in surprise. "You mean…" Heero nodded, "You wouldn't think that if you looked at us wouldn't you?" Shaking her head, she reached over to the small wooden box by her bed. "This was the only thing I brought with me other than some really strange clothes that were totally scorched." She opened it to reveal the black feather, lying there in perfect condition slightly glowing from the light above. Heero looked at the feather and something inside him stirred; though he chose to ignore it. "Looks like we're more alike than we first thought." He said softly as he reached over to pick up his own box and open it.
The beautiful white feather lay there, and as they stared at the two feathers, the seemed to glow even brighter than the light fixture above. "Does that feather mean something to you that you can't remember? Something you can't remember but determined to find out?" Heero nodded looking at the feathers in the two boxes. There was a sudden crash outside that shattered that moment and they leaped apart before replacing the covers on the boxes. "Let's go see what happened." Suggested Heero and Relena followed him to the door after placing the box back on the dresser. They peeked out the door and a strange and terrifying sight met their eyes. A fire blazed in the hallway, but unlike the normal red and orange flames that flickered from a candle, the fire in the hallway, that consumed but didn't destroy was pitch black with a hint of deepest red. Heero gasped, if there had been such a thing, he would have classified this as hellfire. Totally dark, evil hellfire.
Relena could only stare in horror as the black flames moved stealthily towards them. "Close the door Heero!" she gasped as the fire moved quicker towards them. Heero slammed the door and through the outlines of the wooden door, they could see the lights of dark black. Then, the lights went out. Relena clung to Heero despite her determination to remain strong. He held her close running a hand over her back in a comforting way though he was slightly uncomfortable. "What is that?" whispered Relena. Heero didn't answer seeing that he didn't know himself. Relena suddenly gasped and in the light of the moon that suddenly shone through, they could see that the wooden boxes seemed to be glowing with a warm yellow light from within that contrasted the white light of the moon. They walked cautiously over to the two boxes, opening them carefully to see the two feather glowing with the light. "What does this mean?" they asked aloud as if there might be someone who could answer.
In the sky above, the Great Faiiree was worried, the two were becoming closer like she'd known they would… but the doings of Ikiru were threatening, the young angel would do anything to get Relena, even if it was to revert back to being a demon. The hellfire was the first weapon he had used. She looked on as the two found the two feathers glowing, a warning that they could not comprehend. As she heard their question, she decided to help them if only slightly. She whispered into the wind and Zephyr, the friendly wind, blew the words down below, to the ears of the two confused fallen angels.
Relena and Heero's head jerked up as the window blew open and they could feel the wind on their faces. Somehow, they could hear the wind, not in the blowing sound that they were used to, but words. //The feathers are your light. Follow them and you will find what you are searching for. Trust in your friends who are your guides// The wind disappeared instantly as soon as the words were heard. Relena blinked. "Well, *that* was weird." She looked over in the direction of the doorway and noticed that the screaming had stopped. She opened the door carefully and peeked out. There was no sign of the black fire. In fact, it seemed like there had never been at all. "Is this all some sort of crazy dream?" she murmured but Heero's presence told her that it was not. It was real no matter how bizarre it seemed.
There was a sudden pounding on their window and when they ran over, they saw a worried Dorothy standing there. "Get down here now!" she hissed, "And bring the feathers. There's no time to explain, but you've got to trust us. The others are in the park. Come." Heero and Relena glanced at each other, and knew they were thinking the same thing. How do they know about the feathers? Relena suddenly remembered the words on the wind. "Trust in you friends who are your guides." She said, before saying, "Trust in your friends, who are you guides!" she repeated again, but with more confidence. "I think that was what the wind meant. Let's go." Heero nodded, but more warily. "We've got to be careful though." He warned her before picking up his box and they both climbed out the window, both thinking there was something wrong with the hallway.
Dorothy motioned for them to follow her as they ran towards the park. They ran behind her keeping pace with the blond quite easily. When they reached the spot where the others were, they could see that something was *really* not right. "What is going on?" demanded Heero as he looked at each of the faces in turn. "We… aren't bound to say all, but we can tell some of the truth. The rest is meant for you to figure out. The feathers-" Trowa gestured to the two boxes, "Are the keys. I'm sure Noin told you about the Sky Kingdom didn't she?" At their nod, Catherine continued, her soft voice mixed with worry. "Well, the Sky Kingdom truly exists. We are disguised angels come to protect the both of you from the Dark Angels, as we have begun to call them." They stood there in front of the two whom they knew would demand proof. Concentrating hard, they focused their energy to restoring their wings.
Catherine was the first to scream from the searing white-hot pain as the wings burst from her shoulders. Since they were all wearing tank tops, their shirts didn't suffer from the sudden appearance of the large wings. Relena gaped as she saw the white feathers and memory flickered in her mind. She had seen those wings before… and the black ones… Heero was also thinking somewhere along the same lines. But Dorothy… there was something wrong with her wings. They seemed to shift between the wings of pure white to… Dorothy's wings shifted from those of a Peace Angel to wings that reminded Relena of a bat, but they looked deadly. Dorothy screamed in pain as she fell backwards. Trowa caught her in his arms, holding her tight, their time in the mall had brought them slightly closer and he wasn't about to let her fall to the Earth in such pain. Her wings then changed into those of a Peace Angel and she fell limply across Trowa's chest. "There's something wrong. Something in Tartarus is shifting and calling all its demons back. I might be able to resist it… but I don't know if the other Dark Angels will… I'm sure Ririka and Ikiru would do anything for them." Her voice was barely a whisper but they could all hear clearly in the quiet of the night.
Relena spoke up quietly. "What does this have to do with us?" The others turned their attention back to her and Heero. "You are the ones who can stop this war. We cannot tell you how, only of your mission. Just remember, the feathers are your key-" Wufei was cut off when a huge explosion of fire appeared near them. "Oh no! Ikiru has let the Fires get to him!" cried Dorothy. "We've got to get out of here." Answered Trowa as calmly as he could. Heero and Relena looked at each other. "I doubt that many people would understand eight angels around the school district."
A bright light suddenly appeared in front of them all. After blinking away the white spots in her eyes, Sally was the first to recognize the form. She knelt down to the ground. "Great goddess Athena!" she murmured in deep respect. The other angels followed suit and Heero and Relena followed their example slowly. The goddess smiled down at the ten. "Good work Angels. You have followed orders and have yet given them enough information. Dorothy, you were right, something below the Earth is shifting and I'm afraid it is calling all of the demons within the universe. You must all leave this place now. You can return later, but for now, keep away from Ririka and Ikiru. But you must take Zoii with you." With those words, Athena lifted her arms in a regal gesture. A thick fog soon surrounded the entire city. "Go now. Find Zoii outside the park and take her with you. Go outside the city limits. There will be a battle like there has never been before. The demons are planning to take over the Sky Kingdom. Only you with the knowledge can best those."
Athena disappeared and they Zoii appeared in their vision from the surrounding fog. "I have more information. Ikiru has agreed to fight for the demons and he has been given great power. I am almost sure he suspects me… to think I've fallen in love with that… monster." She finished bitterly, a tear sliding down her face. Catherine reached out a hand to lay on the girl's shoulder. "We've got to get out of here. And we've got to fly." Zoii nodded and concentrating, her wings appeared as bright and shining as the other Peace Angels'. Her face twisted into an expression of pain but she uttered no sound. "What about Heero and Relena?" she asked quietly. Catherine smiled. "We'll fly them of course." Zoii snapped her fingers suddenly. "Why bother? Let's try this!" without much effort, a soft sound could be heard and Heero and Relena were floating. "It's Zephyr." Assured the two surprised people floating. (AN: Have you ever heard the story of Eros, and Psyche? That wind.) Relena found herself holding on to Heero's arm and she let go as soon as she noticed it, flushing slightly though only Heero could see in the fog that Athena had created for their benefit.
He instead of pulling away like she had, pulled her closer until she was sitting on the rushing wind in his arms. "It's not very nice to be suddenly introduced into a world of angels, demons, goddesses, and friendly winds that fly you across the city in one night. I'm kind of glad that I'm not the only one." He confessed in a murmur so that only Relena could hear. Relena smiled up at him, "Actually, so am I. That's a *lot* of things that we have in common." They sat like that quietly as they rode along on the wind and the nine other angels trailed along the sides of them, almost hidden by the dense fog. They soon reached the city limits and began their descent. Into a huge forest just outside on the outskirts of the city.
As soon as their feet touched earth, Zephyr disappeared and the silence reigned. "What are we to do now?" asked Duo impatiently. "Let's just tell them and be done with it!" Hilde looked aghast. "Are you crazy?! Do you *know* what the Leaders will do to you if you do?!" Duo sighed, "But we haven't a lot of time! The Leaders would understand that this is an emergency!" Hilde closed her eyes as if trying to shut out the world. "I doubt that is one excuse that they will take. They are set on keeping them here." Heero and Relena were looking at the whole group, and they could feel the question marks appearing above their heads. Trowa was the first to explain, if only partially, "We can't tell you why we are here and need to protect you. But stay with each other, that is the only way you will get the answer. And no matter what, don't let *anyone* take those feathers from your hands. Once you give it away, you're bound by it." The two nodded slowly, trying to comprehend Trowa's words.
"We'll have to leave you for a time, the battle's is soon to come and we have to go and fight. The Arch Angels are meant to fight with arms… but the Peace Angels have more psychic powers than physical powers. They fight as well, but behind closed walls. We are the open ones and we fight physically. The demons are bound to try and attack the Earth. Ikiru is an angel that was once a demon. He will do anything to get you Relena. And Ririka is the same. She is infatuated with Heero. Don't *ever* give those two your feathers. That will mean the loss of the battle for all that is good in the universe." Relena cried out suddenly, "But what are we going to *do* here?" she asked, "We're in the middle of a forest with nothing around… except a river and a mountain? Since when do we have a mountain outside the city?"
Wufei was the one who spoke up, "This is the place where you will fight your *own* battle." They all spread their wings and took off leaving the stunned Relena and Heero, "Don't worry! We'll be back, and if you can figure out your past, you'll be fine. Climb the mountain, you'll get the answers when you reach the top." The words faded away as they flew off into the distance. Relena shivered in her thin jacket that was not suited for the long mountain-climbing trek that they would embark on. Heero was wearing a better jacket, or more truthfully told, a long trench-coat type.
He took it off and draped it over Relena's shoulders. "I can handle the cold. You can't." he said bluntly. "Come on. They say we have to climb the mountain, it looks like we're going to climb it." As soon as they reached the bottom of the mountain, Relena looked up. "Oh… this is going to take us a while isn't it?" Heero nodded slowly also staring up at the huge gray mass of stone. "And to think they might have flown us up there." He said in a slightly jokingly tone. Relena shrugged, "Well, let's get going." She walked up to the mountain and as she put her hand to it, a portion of the rock cracked and broke apart leading into a dark tunnel inside the mountain. Relena gave Heero a look. "If this isn't an invitation to who knows what, then I don't know what is." Heero grasped her hand in his as they walked in together.
Behind them, the rock face began impassive once more, as though the opening had never been. Relena gasped in shock. In front of them was Ikiru… but there was something totally wrong. His wings were exactly the same as Dorothy's had been before they shifted back into those of an Angel's. He was a demon. And he didn't fight it like Dorothy had. He embraced the darkness within him. Relena felt herself freeze in her footsteps. She couldn't move a limb. From the corner of her eye, she could see Heero was in the same predicament. Ikiru walked over. Or actually, his pace seemed to glide, making no sound on the rocky floor on which they stood. "You are mine Relena. You have always been meant for me, and now that the stupid Leaders of the Sky Kingdom have given me free reign to do as I wish to *complicate* this test, I can do whatever I wish to prevent the ending that the Great Faiiree wanted." He lifted his hand to her face, sliding it gently on her cheek. She could hear a low growl coming from Heero beside her as he struggled to move.
Ikiru turned and laughed at Heero, but there was no amusement in his voice. "Don't even attempt such a thing. It is of no avail." Relena glared at him. "What do you want." Her sentence had no lifting to portray it as a question. "I want you Relena, I've always wanted you. Only you."
"Let me go." Ikiru laughed coldly. "I had hoped for eternity that you would soon fall in love with me, forbidden as it was. But even for as long as I waited, you never noticed. Now will be the time when I can finally get it. The Titans have promised me great power. I can have whatever I want." A figure stepped out from behind the shadows. "You are not the only one Ikiru." The voice was cold, deadly. But they all recognized the voice. Ririka stepped out of the shadows, her wings the exact same as Ikiru's. "Heero, you are mine and mine alone." Heero smirked, "And you'd think I'd want *anything* to do with you?" Ririka felt a flame of rage flash through her and the instinct to rush forward and destroy him sung through her body but she controlled it. "I think you will. No, I *know* you will. The Titans have promised us whatever we want and all we want is you." Kuwano stepped from behind the shadows as well. In his hands, he held a sword with a blade of impenetrable metal and red and blue stones embedded into the hilt. He held it in his hand, his stance ready for anything.
Ririka didn't look at him, she continued to look at Heero, "Don't worry. We won't harm either of you." She smiled coldly at both of them. Relena glared at the woman and commanded her body to run forward and beat the shit out of that demon. Even with all her will-power, she could only strain her muscles to their limit. Ikiru smirked, "As I said before, Don't even try." She glared at him. "I'd try anything to be rid of you."
Zeus looked down angrily at the two Dark Angels. "How dare they!" he rumbled in his deep voice. "I will destroy them!" A clear voice from behind him stopped him. It was Hera, his wife, and the Queen of the Gods, though she was often cold and ruthless, she understood love. "Simply free them. We cannot have the beings of Tartarus receive all, but we cannot go against the wishes of the Leaders. They would think that it was only the work of the Gods and not of the Destined." Zeus nodded, though his face was angry. Taking a thunderbolt in his hand, he threw it with all his might, shattering the spell that bound the two motionless fallen angels and knocking the Dark Angels off their feet.
Relena suddenly stumbled forward as a great lightning bolt penetrated the rock and blasted the two Dark Angels off their feet. Kuwano immediately ran towards Ririka and helping her up. Heero and Relena glanced at each other, before they both ran towards the opening behind the Dark Angels that had come into existence. Heero paused only to grab the sword that Kuwano had recently discarded in his rush to Ririka. They ran out the opening and it sealed itself once more. Inside, they could hear the muffled voices of outrage at the fact that they couldn't get out of the mountain to follow them. Heero glanced back as he saw a very faint black light from inside glow through the rock. "It won't hold them for long, so we'll have to hurry." Relena nodded as they proceeded to climb the rocky surface of the mountain.
Their hands were bruised and blistered by the time they reached a large part of the mountain jutting out where they sat and rested. The back of the rock was cut into the mountain itself and they crept inside, their faces red and their hair damp with sweat from the harsh sun beating upon them. Apollo had been unable to control his fiery chariot very well since the stallions of fire were finely tuned to the shifting forces of the Earth and they could sense that something was wrong. Heero leaned on the back of the rocky cave-type platform. Relena crawled over and leaned on his chest, groaning slightly as her muscles ached in response to her movements. He kept his arms around her, and she smiled weakly. "Well, we made *some* progress." She croaked out, her throat parched. Heero nodded brushing her slightly damp hair out of her face. "Don't worry. We'll get there. Though it'll be hard since we'll be dehydrated after a little more of this."
There was a sudden cracking sound as a side of the wall that they were leaning on cracked and water came rushing out. As they stared at it, a water nymph appeared from the water, "Poseidon has granted your wish of refreshing yourselves." She said before disappearing back into the small stream. Relena smiled and reaching over with one hand, cupped it and brought the water to her mouth to drink. Heero also reached over to take a drink of water. The sky was darkening already, they had been climbing most of the day since the sun had risen. They couldn't hear anything other than the sounds of the water rushing and disappearing before it reached the edge of the overhang. Relena's eyes were blinking rapidly to stay open and Heero was growing a little sluggish as well. "We can sleep for a little while. I'll take first watch." Relena nodded sleepily and fell asleep on the rock floor.
As soon as she lay down, she had fallen asleep. But as Heero watched, he could see that she couldn't find a comfortable spot on which to lay her head. He gently picked her up so that she was sleeping in his lap, her head lying gently on his chest. She made a small sound of contentment and snuggled even closer to him before becoming still except for the slight movement of her breathing. Heero smiled down at her as Artemis' moon came up and shone several moonbeams on Relena's sleeping face. "Whatever happens Relena, I'll always protect you. Although I have no reason to… there's just something about you that would kill me if you were ever hurt." Despite his attempts to stay awake, fatigue overtook him and his head dropped onto Relena's.
Relena's eyes fluttered open and she sat up suddenly finding herself in her own bed. "Huh? Wha-?" Heero was standing over since he had deposited her there only a moment ago. Relena glanced around before groaning. "Don't tell me. I fell asleep again." Heero nodded, "Yeah. I brought you home… or whatever you would call this dorm." Relena shook her head, her bangs falling over her eyes. Heero had a sudden impulse to brush them away from her pretty blue eyes, though he controlled it. "This is the *only* home I know. Or whatever you want to call a place I'm living in. I don't remember a thing since I was diagnosed with amnesia a while back. "Then you're not the only one."
The reply startled her and she looked up in surprise. "You mean…" Heero nodded, "You wouldn't think that if you looked at us wouldn't you?" Shaking her head, she reached over to the small wooden box by her bed. "This was the only thing I brought with me other than some really strange clothes that were totally scorched." She opened it to reveal the black feather, lying there in perfect condition slightly glowing from the light above. Heero looked at the feather and something inside him stirred; though he chose to ignore it. "Looks like we're more alike than we first thought." He said softly as he reached over to pick up his own box and open it.
The beautiful white feather lay there, and as they stared at the two feathers, the seemed to glow even brighter than the light fixture above. "Does that feather mean something to you that you can't remember? Something you can't remember but determined to find out?" Heero nodded looking at the feathers in the two boxes. There was a sudden crash outside that shattered that moment and they leaped apart before replacing the covers on the boxes. "Let's go see what happened." Suggested Heero and Relena followed him to the door after placing the box back on the dresser. They peeked out the door and a strange and terrifying sight met their eyes. A fire blazed in the hallway, but unlike the normal red and orange flames that flickered from a candle, the fire in the hallway, that consumed but didn't destroy was pitch black with a hint of deepest red. Heero gasped, if there had been such a thing, he would have classified this as hellfire. Totally dark, evil hellfire.
Relena could only stare in horror as the black flames moved stealthily towards them. "Close the door Heero!" she gasped as the fire moved quicker towards them. Heero slammed the door and through the outlines of the wooden door, they could see the lights of dark black. Then, the lights went out. Relena clung to Heero despite her determination to remain strong. He held her close running a hand over her back in a comforting way though he was slightly uncomfortable. "What is that?" whispered Relena. Heero didn't answer seeing that he didn't know himself. Relena suddenly gasped and in the light of the moon that suddenly shone through, they could see that the wooden boxes seemed to be glowing with a warm yellow light from within that contrasted the white light of the moon. They walked cautiously over to the two boxes, opening them carefully to see the two feather glowing with the light. "What does this mean?" they asked aloud as if there might be someone who could answer.
In the sky above, the Great Faiiree was worried, the two were becoming closer like she'd known they would… but the doings of Ikiru were threatening, the young angel would do anything to get Relena, even if it was to revert back to being a demon. The hellfire was the first weapon he had used. She looked on as the two found the two feathers glowing, a warning that they could not comprehend. As she heard their question, she decided to help them if only slightly. She whispered into the wind and Zephyr, the friendly wind, blew the words down below, to the ears of the two confused fallen angels.
Relena and Heero's head jerked up as the window blew open and they could feel the wind on their faces. Somehow, they could hear the wind, not in the blowing sound that they were used to, but words. //The feathers are your light. Follow them and you will find what you are searching for. Trust in your friends who are your guides// The wind disappeared instantly as soon as the words were heard. Relena blinked. "Well, *that* was weird." She looked over in the direction of the doorway and noticed that the screaming had stopped. She opened the door carefully and peeked out. There was no sign of the black fire. In fact, it seemed like there had never been at all. "Is this all some sort of crazy dream?" she murmured but Heero's presence told her that it was not. It was real no matter how bizarre it seemed.
There was a sudden pounding on their window and when they ran over, they saw a worried Dorothy standing there. "Get down here now!" she hissed, "And bring the feathers. There's no time to explain, but you've got to trust us. The others are in the park. Come." Heero and Relena glanced at each other, and knew they were thinking the same thing. How do they know about the feathers? Relena suddenly remembered the words on the wind. "Trust in you friends who are your guides." She said, before saying, "Trust in your friends, who are you guides!" she repeated again, but with more confidence. "I think that was what the wind meant. Let's go." Heero nodded, but more warily. "We've got to be careful though." He warned her before picking up his box and they both climbed out the window, both thinking there was something wrong with the hallway.
Dorothy motioned for them to follow her as they ran towards the park. They ran behind her keeping pace with the blond quite easily. When they reached the spot where the others were, they could see that something was *really* not right. "What is going on?" demanded Heero as he looked at each of the faces in turn. "We… aren't bound to say all, but we can tell some of the truth. The rest is meant for you to figure out. The feathers-" Trowa gestured to the two boxes, "Are the keys. I'm sure Noin told you about the Sky Kingdom didn't she?" At their nod, Catherine continued, her soft voice mixed with worry. "Well, the Sky Kingdom truly exists. We are disguised angels come to protect the both of you from the Dark Angels, as we have begun to call them." They stood there in front of the two whom they knew would demand proof. Concentrating hard, they focused their energy to restoring their wings.
Catherine was the first to scream from the searing white-hot pain as the wings burst from her shoulders. Since they were all wearing tank tops, their shirts didn't suffer from the sudden appearance of the large wings. Relena gaped as she saw the white feathers and memory flickered in her mind. She had seen those wings before… and the black ones… Heero was also thinking somewhere along the same lines. But Dorothy… there was something wrong with her wings. They seemed to shift between the wings of pure white to… Dorothy's wings shifted from those of a Peace Angel to wings that reminded Relena of a bat, but they looked deadly. Dorothy screamed in pain as she fell backwards. Trowa caught her in his arms, holding her tight, their time in the mall had brought them slightly closer and he wasn't about to let her fall to the Earth in such pain. Her wings then changed into those of a Peace Angel and she fell limply across Trowa's chest. "There's something wrong. Something in Tartarus is shifting and calling all its demons back. I might be able to resist it… but I don't know if the other Dark Angels will… I'm sure Ririka and Ikiru would do anything for them." Her voice was barely a whisper but they could all hear clearly in the quiet of the night.
Relena spoke up quietly. "What does this have to do with us?" The others turned their attention back to her and Heero. "You are the ones who can stop this war. We cannot tell you how, only of your mission. Just remember, the feathers are your key-" Wufei was cut off when a huge explosion of fire appeared near them. "Oh no! Ikiru has let the Fires get to him!" cried Dorothy. "We've got to get out of here." Answered Trowa as calmly as he could. Heero and Relena looked at each other. "I doubt that many people would understand eight angels around the school district."
A bright light suddenly appeared in front of them all. After blinking away the white spots in her eyes, Sally was the first to recognize the form. She knelt down to the ground. "Great goddess Athena!" she murmured in deep respect. The other angels followed suit and Heero and Relena followed their example slowly. The goddess smiled down at the ten. "Good work Angels. You have followed orders and have yet given them enough information. Dorothy, you were right, something below the Earth is shifting and I'm afraid it is calling all of the demons within the universe. You must all leave this place now. You can return later, but for now, keep away from Ririka and Ikiru. But you must take Zoii with you." With those words, Athena lifted her arms in a regal gesture. A thick fog soon surrounded the entire city. "Go now. Find Zoii outside the park and take her with you. Go outside the city limits. There will be a battle like there has never been before. The demons are planning to take over the Sky Kingdom. Only you with the knowledge can best those."
Athena disappeared and they Zoii appeared in their vision from the surrounding fog. "I have more information. Ikiru has agreed to fight for the demons and he has been given great power. I am almost sure he suspects me… to think I've fallen in love with that… monster." She finished bitterly, a tear sliding down her face. Catherine reached out a hand to lay on the girl's shoulder. "We've got to get out of here. And we've got to fly." Zoii nodded and concentrating, her wings appeared as bright and shining as the other Peace Angels'. Her face twisted into an expression of pain but she uttered no sound. "What about Heero and Relena?" she asked quietly. Catherine smiled. "We'll fly them of course." Zoii snapped her fingers suddenly. "Why bother? Let's try this!" without much effort, a soft sound could be heard and Heero and Relena were floating. "It's Zephyr." Assured the two surprised people floating. (AN: Have you ever heard the story of Eros, and Psyche? That wind.) Relena found herself holding on to Heero's arm and she let go as soon as she noticed it, flushing slightly though only Heero could see in the fog that Athena had created for their benefit.
He instead of pulling away like she had, pulled her closer until she was sitting on the rushing wind in his arms. "It's not very nice to be suddenly introduced into a world of angels, demons, goddesses, and friendly winds that fly you across the city in one night. I'm kind of glad that I'm not the only one." He confessed in a murmur so that only Relena could hear. Relena smiled up at him, "Actually, so am I. That's a *lot* of things that we have in common." They sat like that quietly as they rode along on the wind and the nine other angels trailed along the sides of them, almost hidden by the dense fog. They soon reached the city limits and began their descent. Into a huge forest just outside on the outskirts of the city.
As soon as their feet touched earth, Zephyr disappeared and the silence reigned. "What are we to do now?" asked Duo impatiently. "Let's just tell them and be done with it!" Hilde looked aghast. "Are you crazy?! Do you *know* what the Leaders will do to you if you do?!" Duo sighed, "But we haven't a lot of time! The Leaders would understand that this is an emergency!" Hilde closed her eyes as if trying to shut out the world. "I doubt that is one excuse that they will take. They are set on keeping them here." Heero and Relena were looking at the whole group, and they could feel the question marks appearing above their heads. Trowa was the first to explain, if only partially, "We can't tell you why we are here and need to protect you. But stay with each other, that is the only way you will get the answer. And no matter what, don't let *anyone* take those feathers from your hands. Once you give it away, you're bound by it." The two nodded slowly, trying to comprehend Trowa's words.
"We'll have to leave you for a time, the battle's is soon to come and we have to go and fight. The Arch Angels are meant to fight with arms… but the Peace Angels have more psychic powers than physical powers. They fight as well, but behind closed walls. We are the open ones and we fight physically. The demons are bound to try and attack the Earth. Ikiru is an angel that was once a demon. He will do anything to get you Relena. And Ririka is the same. She is infatuated with Heero. Don't *ever* give those two your feathers. That will mean the loss of the battle for all that is good in the universe." Relena cried out suddenly, "But what are we going to *do* here?" she asked, "We're in the middle of a forest with nothing around… except a river and a mountain? Since when do we have a mountain outside the city?"
Wufei was the one who spoke up, "This is the place where you will fight your *own* battle." They all spread their wings and took off leaving the stunned Relena and Heero, "Don't worry! We'll be back, and if you can figure out your past, you'll be fine. Climb the mountain, you'll get the answers when you reach the top." The words faded away as they flew off into the distance. Relena shivered in her thin jacket that was not suited for the long mountain-climbing trek that they would embark on. Heero was wearing a better jacket, or more truthfully told, a long trench-coat type.
He took it off and draped it over Relena's shoulders. "I can handle the cold. You can't." he said bluntly. "Come on. They say we have to climb the mountain, it looks like we're going to climb it." As soon as they reached the bottom of the mountain, Relena looked up. "Oh… this is going to take us a while isn't it?" Heero nodded slowly also staring up at the huge gray mass of stone. "And to think they might have flown us up there." He said in a slightly jokingly tone. Relena shrugged, "Well, let's get going." She walked up to the mountain and as she put her hand to it, a portion of the rock cracked and broke apart leading into a dark tunnel inside the mountain. Relena gave Heero a look. "If this isn't an invitation to who knows what, then I don't know what is." Heero grasped her hand in his as they walked in together.
Behind them, the rock face began impassive once more, as though the opening had never been. Relena gasped in shock. In front of them was Ikiru… but there was something totally wrong. His wings were exactly the same as Dorothy's had been before they shifted back into those of an Angel's. He was a demon. And he didn't fight it like Dorothy had. He embraced the darkness within him. Relena felt herself freeze in her footsteps. She couldn't move a limb. From the corner of her eye, she could see Heero was in the same predicament. Ikiru walked over. Or actually, his pace seemed to glide, making no sound on the rocky floor on which they stood. "You are mine Relena. You have always been meant for me, and now that the stupid Leaders of the Sky Kingdom have given me free reign to do as I wish to *complicate* this test, I can do whatever I wish to prevent the ending that the Great Faiiree wanted." He lifted his hand to her face, sliding it gently on her cheek. She could hear a low growl coming from Heero beside her as he struggled to move.
Ikiru turned and laughed at Heero, but there was no amusement in his voice. "Don't even attempt such a thing. It is of no avail." Relena glared at him. "What do you want." Her sentence had no lifting to portray it as a question. "I want you Relena, I've always wanted you. Only you."
"Let me go." Ikiru laughed coldly. "I had hoped for eternity that you would soon fall in love with me, forbidden as it was. But even for as long as I waited, you never noticed. Now will be the time when I can finally get it. The Titans have promised me great power. I can have whatever I want." A figure stepped out from behind the shadows. "You are not the only one Ikiru." The voice was cold, deadly. But they all recognized the voice. Ririka stepped out of the shadows, her wings the exact same as Ikiru's. "Heero, you are mine and mine alone." Heero smirked, "And you'd think I'd want *anything* to do with you?" Ririka felt a flame of rage flash through her and the instinct to rush forward and destroy him sung through her body but she controlled it. "I think you will. No, I *know* you will. The Titans have promised us whatever we want and all we want is you." Kuwano stepped from behind the shadows as well. In his hands, he held a sword with a blade of impenetrable metal and red and blue stones embedded into the hilt. He held it in his hand, his stance ready for anything.
Ririka didn't look at him, she continued to look at Heero, "Don't worry. We won't harm either of you." She smiled coldly at both of them. Relena glared at the woman and commanded her body to run forward and beat the shit out of that demon. Even with all her will-power, she could only strain her muscles to their limit. Ikiru smirked, "As I said before, Don't even try." She glared at him. "I'd try anything to be rid of you."
Zeus looked down angrily at the two Dark Angels. "How dare they!" he rumbled in his deep voice. "I will destroy them!" A clear voice from behind him stopped him. It was Hera, his wife, and the Queen of the Gods, though she was often cold and ruthless, she understood love. "Simply free them. We cannot have the beings of Tartarus receive all, but we cannot go against the wishes of the Leaders. They would think that it was only the work of the Gods and not of the Destined." Zeus nodded, though his face was angry. Taking a thunderbolt in his hand, he threw it with all his might, shattering the spell that bound the two motionless fallen angels and knocking the Dark Angels off their feet.
Relena suddenly stumbled forward as a great lightning bolt penetrated the rock and blasted the two Dark Angels off their feet. Kuwano immediately ran towards Ririka and helping her up. Heero and Relena glanced at each other, before they both ran towards the opening behind the Dark Angels that had come into existence. Heero paused only to grab the sword that Kuwano had recently discarded in his rush to Ririka. They ran out the opening and it sealed itself once more. Inside, they could hear the muffled voices of outrage at the fact that they couldn't get out of the mountain to follow them. Heero glanced back as he saw a very faint black light from inside glow through the rock. "It won't hold them for long, so we'll have to hurry." Relena nodded as they proceeded to climb the rocky surface of the mountain.
Their hands were bruised and blistered by the time they reached a large part of the mountain jutting out where they sat and rested. The back of the rock was cut into the mountain itself and they crept inside, their faces red and their hair damp with sweat from the harsh sun beating upon them. Apollo had been unable to control his fiery chariot very well since the stallions of fire were finely tuned to the shifting forces of the Earth and they could sense that something was wrong. Heero leaned on the back of the rocky cave-type platform. Relena crawled over and leaned on his chest, groaning slightly as her muscles ached in response to her movements. He kept his arms around her, and she smiled weakly. "Well, we made *some* progress." She croaked out, her throat parched. Heero nodded brushing her slightly damp hair out of her face. "Don't worry. We'll get there. Though it'll be hard since we'll be dehydrated after a little more of this."
There was a sudden cracking sound as a side of the wall that they were leaning on cracked and water came rushing out. As they stared at it, a water nymph appeared from the water, "Poseidon has granted your wish of refreshing yourselves." She said before disappearing back into the small stream. Relena smiled and reaching over with one hand, cupped it and brought the water to her mouth to drink. Heero also reached over to take a drink of water. The sky was darkening already, they had been climbing most of the day since the sun had risen. They couldn't hear anything other than the sounds of the water rushing and disappearing before it reached the edge of the overhang. Relena's eyes were blinking rapidly to stay open and Heero was growing a little sluggish as well. "We can sleep for a little while. I'll take first watch." Relena nodded sleepily and fell asleep on the rock floor.
As soon as she lay down, she had fallen asleep. But as Heero watched, he could see that she couldn't find a comfortable spot on which to lay her head. He gently picked her up so that she was sleeping in his lap, her head lying gently on his chest. She made a small sound of contentment and snuggled even closer to him before becoming still except for the slight movement of her breathing. Heero smiled down at her as Artemis' moon came up and shone several moonbeams on Relena's sleeping face. "Whatever happens Relena, I'll always protect you. Although I have no reason to… there's just something about you that would kill me if you were ever hurt." Despite his attempts to stay awake, fatigue overtook him and his head dropped onto Relena's.