Part 7
"Back here, behind the waterfall." Duo said, motioning for Heero to follow close behind. Heero followed Duo, his dagger in hand in an attempt to be ready for anything. Duo had explained that as soon as they entered his world Quatre would know they were there, which meant it was a perfect setting for a trap. But they didn't have much other choice so they would just have to make due with the situation as it appeared.
As they walked behind the waterfall Heero's hearing seemed to split in two. Everything started to echo loudly, loud enough to make his head ache. Duo glanced back at him.
"It's one of the deterrents to make sure humans don't enter our world by accident, don't worry we're almost there."
Heero winced slightly as Duo's words bounced off the walls of the cavern and seemed to slam into him like a tangible force. He nodded, though, and kept walking.
Then just like that it stopped. Heero blinked in surprise, thinking his hearing had finally given out from the stress but he could still hear Duo taking soft breaths of the misty air. So what had happened to the sound? He meant to ask Duo but they stopped walking and Heero found they were standing in a large cavern in front of an equally large mirror. His reflection stared back at him from an exact replica of the waterfall cavern save for one difference; everything had a slightly blue tint.
"You ready?" Duo asked quietly.
Heero nodded.
Duo nodded back and took a deep breath, then he stepped into the mirror. Heero watched him disappear and stepped up to the mirror, reaching forward to touch his reflection, his hand met thin air. Heero's eyebrows lifted in slight confusion and he closed his eyes and took a step forward, through the mirror as if it weren't even there. When Heero opened his eyes he found he still stood in the cavern under the waterfall yet… yet it was different. Everything around him was bathed in a pale blue light, while the cavern walls were formed of luminescent crystals. Turning around Heero could see past the waterfall into a clearing, a clearing that looked exactly the same as they one they'd first met in and the one they'd just left.
"It's all a reflection," he muttered quietly.
"Yeah, the only difference is that beyond the clearing there is *only* forest. And somewhere beyond this cavern is his palace." Duo's eyes narrowed just at the thought.
"How do we get there?"
Duo gave a forced laugh. "We're already there. On this side of the mirror his palace is above the waterfall, we are below the palace."
Heero frowned. "And where is he?"
"He-"
Duo's voice was cut off as a childish giggle echoed around them. Duo's eyes widened and the shiver that shot through his body was so strong Heero could see him shake. Both whirled around to face a fuzzy shape within the crystal walls. Another giggle echoed around them and the shape disappeared. Duo looked around hurriedly in a panic then a form appeared behind him and a hand touched the back of his bare leg. Duo jumped away and whirled around to face a child.
"Quatre-sama," he growled angrily.
Heero was confused. The thing that stood before them looked completely innocent. It was a child with short and slightly curly blond hair and dreamy blue eyes. He was so young his head just barely came above Duo's waist. He had the sweetest smile across his features and his ears weren't even pointed. Like Duo he wore only a small white shift and nothing else. Heero frowned. This was Quatre? A child?
"Don't even think it Heero, he's not innocent at all, he's just trying to trick you."
The child cocked his head and looked at Duo in confusion. "Oni-chan?" (Big brother) "Who's he?"
"Shut up!" Duo screamed loudly. "I'm not your brother!"
"Oni-chan…" The little boy looked up at Duo with pleading eyes, his voice sweet like the light twinkling of bells.
"Shut up!!" Duo cried and covered his ears, shaking his head.
Heero stepped forward and pointed his dagger at the small child, warily. "Stop. Whatever you are doing to him, stop it now."
Water blue eyes blinked at Heero. "But it's the truth, he is my brother." The sweet little voice protested.
"No I'm not!" Duo jumped forward and knocked the child to the ground angrily. "I'll never be related to a demon like you!"
The little boy's eyes widened and started to fill with tears. "Oni-chan," he sobbed quietly as tears rolled down his cherubim face.
"Duo, what's going on?" Heero didn't understand this at all, and worst of all he was beginning to doubt who he should trust. Even though he knew he could trust Duo he was confused, why would Duo attack a small child?
"That… thing is not a child!" Duo took a deep breath. "I used to have a brother… but… but…" Duo clenched his fists and closed his eyes. "Stop playing around Quatre! Goddamnit stop pretending to be him!" Duo glared at the little child who continued to sit there and cry.
Heero glanced from the child to Duo and blinked slowly. He did see a small resemblance, and then it started to make sense. "Duo, Quatre is your brother?"
Duo's body shivered and he looked away from Heero. Then, after a long moment of silence he nodded.
Almost immediately the child stopped crying and a cunning grin slid across his face. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, oni-chan?" The child stood up and his form began to change. Duo glared and shoved Heero back away from the reforming shape.
Heero landed heard on the cavern floor but immediately sat up into a crouched position that would enable him to jump forward into any fight that started. He concentrated his eyes on what had been the young boy.
In the boy's place now stood one his and Duo's age with the same curled hair and dreamy blue eyes. Instead of a white shift he wore gray form fitting pants and a white shirt made of flowing lace and frills covered his curved and shapely male body (1). A cloak of shimmering silver feathers hung from his shoulders to the floor while a single matching feather hung from his left ear. His eyes glittered with laughter as he looked from Duo to Heero.
"Welcome home, brother, I see you brought a guest."
Duo growled and his eyes crackled with energy.
Heero stood to his feet and moved to Duo's side, his own eyes narrowing dangerously. "Why did you kill my village?" he asked in a clam and low voice.
Quatre shrugged. "They threatened my dear little Wufei, I couldn't let them get away with hurting him."
"Fei was the one who wandered into the village an attacked them first!" Duo growled.
Quatre waved his hand, dismissing the protest. "Excuses, excuses, they have no right to fight our kind."
"And you have no right to slaughter us." Hero charged forward, his dagger out and ready. Quatre brought up an arm and knocked him out of the way, but not before Heero sliced a deep cut down Quatre's arm. Quatre hissed in pain as Heero caught himself up against the cavern wall. Duo rushed forward but stopped as Quatre raised his hand.
"You send your human lover to kill me while you hide in the shadows?" Quatre laughed quietly. "Honestly, brother, you're more like me then you think."
"I have a mind of my own." Heero growled as he stood to his feet. "And I will kill you for what you've done."
"Interesting, very interesting indeed."
Heero moved forward with his dagger again, but this time Quatre caught his wrist and squeezed until Heero was forced to drop his dagger.
"Heero!" Duo started to move forward.
"Stop! Or I swear you'll watch him melt before you eyes, just like our father. Except this time I'll leave his throat in tact so you can listen to him scream the entire time."
Duo froze immediately, his violet eyes wide with fear.
Quatre looked back to Heero. "What do you say human, would you like to experience first hand what happened to your village?"
Heero said nothing, he just glared at Quatre, his free hand hanging down by his belt. He could go for the arrowhead but it would only give him one chance and he couldn't afford to miss it. He forced himself to be patient and wait until Quatre was distracted.
"Or perhaps," Quatre mused. "You'd like to see the effects of my powers with your own eyes first?" Quatre sneered and gave a slight nod. Heero's eyes widened as the kneeling form of Trowa appeared beside him. Quatre tossed Heero backward into Duo and knelt down, whispering something into Trowa's ear. Heero and Duo watched as Trowa's eyes widened and his body began to tremble with fear.
"Trowa…" Heero choked out. He lay frozen on the floor trying to figure out what to do, but the look on his brother's face froze him to the spot. Heero's older brother almost never showed any emotion, to see such raw terror on his face sent a tremor of horror through Heero's body and he found he was too afraid to move.
Quatre glanced back to the two of them, as if waiting for a signal.
"Don't…" Duo pleaded quietly. But, like Heero, Duo couldn't bring himself to move either. He was too frightened, and he hated himself for it!
Quatre knelt near Trowa and took his chin in his hand. "Don't fear little one, this will hurt a lot."
Trowa trembled as Quatre used his hand to brush his hair from over his other green eye. Leaning forward slowly Quatre placed the lightest of kisses on Trowa's eyelid then pulled away to stand back up.
For a while nothing happened and the cavern was silent as the all waited. Then Trowa's body jerked and he grabbed his face. Then he started to scream.
That scream broke Duo and Heero out of their trances. Heero's mind started working again and he realized something. Both Quatre and Duo used their powers through touch. He watched quietly as Duo jumped for Quatre but Quatre quickly moved out of reach. Quatre refused to let Duo touch him… he was afraid of his own bother's touch!
Heero leapt to his feet and dived at Quatre with a loud yell, hoping to distract him. "Kisama!"
Quatre looked up in surprise and moved out of the way, causing Heero's dagger to miss and fly out of his hand. But Heero didn't care that he missed, instead he had succeeded in distracting Quatre long enough for Duo to seize him from behind. Duo held his brother tightly and only hesitated for a second before kissing the side of Quatre's neck.
"No! Let go!" Quatre struggled and the feathers of his cloak rubbed against Duo's skin, cutting deep slashes against the smooth flesh, yet still Duo refused to let go. Heero quickly took the arrowhead from his belt and charged forward, slamming it into Quatre's throat. Duo let go as his brother fell to the ground, coughing and choking, blood coming from his mouth and flowing through the fingers clutched at his throat.
No one moved as Quatre dropped on the floor, coughing and clawing at his throat, trying to dislodge the small piece of iron. Finally his body shivered and he crumbled to lie on the ground. Rolling onto his side his light blue eyes met with Duo's in a look of sadness and pleading.
"Oni… chan…" he choked out quietly in the child-like voice he'd used when they first met. Duo flinched and looked away as Quatre drew his last breath and Trowa stopped screaming.
"I'm not your brother," Duo whispered softly, closing his eyes.
Heero stood up slowly and walked over to Trowa who lay shivering against the wall clutching the side of his face. "Trowa?"
Trowa looked up slowly and carefully pulled his hands from his face to revel what Quatre had done. One side of his face was left completely untouched and his one of his green eyes seemed as bright as ever. Yet, on the right side of his face the skin that was left was severely burned and peeling away. His eye was white as glass while the skin surrounding it had melted away to reveal the veins and muscle beneath. The muscle was a sickly green and yellow color while the veins were shriveled and barely attached to the muscle. Trowa's hand slowly reached up and touched the exposed tissue, he winced and looked away, his bangs falling back down to cover the damaged side of his face.
Duo stood up slowly and walked to Heero's side.
"Can you…" Heero didn't need to finish the question.
Duo shook his head sadly. "I can only lend energy, the damage it too extensive to fix. I can't… I'm sorry."
Trowa took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, making sure it completely covered that side of his face. "It's all right." He spoke softly. "I guess I deserve it for firing at you when you were a child." Trowa's one showing eyes met both of Duo's. "You kept my brother alive, thank you."
Heero shook his head. "If I had not wandered into that clearing years ago none of this would have happened."
"Would you rather he still lived?" Trowa asked, nodding toward Quatre's still body.
Heero and Duo both shook their heads.
"Demons like that don't deserve to live," Duo growled angrily.
"Then no harm is done." Trowa said standing to his feet. "I'll live."
Duo and Heero nodded slowly and Heero opened his mouth to bring up the subject of what to do with Quatre's body when Trowa's visible eye narrowed. All three turned toward the mirror in surprise, Heero inching back toward his dagger which lay on the ground while Duo's eyes crackled with energy. Trowa crouched slightly, ready to jump forward.
(1) Can we say eye candy boys and girls? Heheh… ever seen Labyrinth? Just imagine Quatre in Jareth's outfits. :)~~
end of part 7
Gomen!!! I'm sorry for the clifhanger... but the next part will be out soon. What? You thought the story was over?! Not a chance!
"Back here, behind the waterfall." Duo said, motioning for Heero to follow close behind. Heero followed Duo, his dagger in hand in an attempt to be ready for anything. Duo had explained that as soon as they entered his world Quatre would know they were there, which meant it was a perfect setting for a trap. But they didn't have much other choice so they would just have to make due with the situation as it appeared.
As they walked behind the waterfall Heero's hearing seemed to split in two. Everything started to echo loudly, loud enough to make his head ache. Duo glanced back at him.
"It's one of the deterrents to make sure humans don't enter our world by accident, don't worry we're almost there."
Heero winced slightly as Duo's words bounced off the walls of the cavern and seemed to slam into him like a tangible force. He nodded, though, and kept walking.
Then just like that it stopped. Heero blinked in surprise, thinking his hearing had finally given out from the stress but he could still hear Duo taking soft breaths of the misty air. So what had happened to the sound? He meant to ask Duo but they stopped walking and Heero found they were standing in a large cavern in front of an equally large mirror. His reflection stared back at him from an exact replica of the waterfall cavern save for one difference; everything had a slightly blue tint.
"You ready?" Duo asked quietly.
Heero nodded.
Duo nodded back and took a deep breath, then he stepped into the mirror. Heero watched him disappear and stepped up to the mirror, reaching forward to touch his reflection, his hand met thin air. Heero's eyebrows lifted in slight confusion and he closed his eyes and took a step forward, through the mirror as if it weren't even there. When Heero opened his eyes he found he still stood in the cavern under the waterfall yet… yet it was different. Everything around him was bathed in a pale blue light, while the cavern walls were formed of luminescent crystals. Turning around Heero could see past the waterfall into a clearing, a clearing that looked exactly the same as they one they'd first met in and the one they'd just left.
"It's all a reflection," he muttered quietly.
"Yeah, the only difference is that beyond the clearing there is *only* forest. And somewhere beyond this cavern is his palace." Duo's eyes narrowed just at the thought.
"How do we get there?"
Duo gave a forced laugh. "We're already there. On this side of the mirror his palace is above the waterfall, we are below the palace."
Heero frowned. "And where is he?"
"He-"
Duo's voice was cut off as a childish giggle echoed around them. Duo's eyes widened and the shiver that shot through his body was so strong Heero could see him shake. Both whirled around to face a fuzzy shape within the crystal walls. Another giggle echoed around them and the shape disappeared. Duo looked around hurriedly in a panic then a form appeared behind him and a hand touched the back of his bare leg. Duo jumped away and whirled around to face a child.
"Quatre-sama," he growled angrily.
Heero was confused. The thing that stood before them looked completely innocent. It was a child with short and slightly curly blond hair and dreamy blue eyes. He was so young his head just barely came above Duo's waist. He had the sweetest smile across his features and his ears weren't even pointed. Like Duo he wore only a small white shift and nothing else. Heero frowned. This was Quatre? A child?
"Don't even think it Heero, he's not innocent at all, he's just trying to trick you."
The child cocked his head and looked at Duo in confusion. "Oni-chan?" (Big brother) "Who's he?"
"Shut up!" Duo screamed loudly. "I'm not your brother!"
"Oni-chan…" The little boy looked up at Duo with pleading eyes, his voice sweet like the light twinkling of bells.
"Shut up!!" Duo cried and covered his ears, shaking his head.
Heero stepped forward and pointed his dagger at the small child, warily. "Stop. Whatever you are doing to him, stop it now."
Water blue eyes blinked at Heero. "But it's the truth, he is my brother." The sweet little voice protested.
"No I'm not!" Duo jumped forward and knocked the child to the ground angrily. "I'll never be related to a demon like you!"
The little boy's eyes widened and started to fill with tears. "Oni-chan," he sobbed quietly as tears rolled down his cherubim face.
"Duo, what's going on?" Heero didn't understand this at all, and worst of all he was beginning to doubt who he should trust. Even though he knew he could trust Duo he was confused, why would Duo attack a small child?
"That… thing is not a child!" Duo took a deep breath. "I used to have a brother… but… but…" Duo clenched his fists and closed his eyes. "Stop playing around Quatre! Goddamnit stop pretending to be him!" Duo glared at the little child who continued to sit there and cry.
Heero glanced from the child to Duo and blinked slowly. He did see a small resemblance, and then it started to make sense. "Duo, Quatre is your brother?"
Duo's body shivered and he looked away from Heero. Then, after a long moment of silence he nodded.
Almost immediately the child stopped crying and a cunning grin slid across his face. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, oni-chan?" The child stood up and his form began to change. Duo glared and shoved Heero back away from the reforming shape.
Heero landed heard on the cavern floor but immediately sat up into a crouched position that would enable him to jump forward into any fight that started. He concentrated his eyes on what had been the young boy.
In the boy's place now stood one his and Duo's age with the same curled hair and dreamy blue eyes. Instead of a white shift he wore gray form fitting pants and a white shirt made of flowing lace and frills covered his curved and shapely male body (1). A cloak of shimmering silver feathers hung from his shoulders to the floor while a single matching feather hung from his left ear. His eyes glittered with laughter as he looked from Duo to Heero.
"Welcome home, brother, I see you brought a guest."
Duo growled and his eyes crackled with energy.
Heero stood to his feet and moved to Duo's side, his own eyes narrowing dangerously. "Why did you kill my village?" he asked in a clam and low voice.
Quatre shrugged. "They threatened my dear little Wufei, I couldn't let them get away with hurting him."
"Fei was the one who wandered into the village an attacked them first!" Duo growled.
Quatre waved his hand, dismissing the protest. "Excuses, excuses, they have no right to fight our kind."
"And you have no right to slaughter us." Hero charged forward, his dagger out and ready. Quatre brought up an arm and knocked him out of the way, but not before Heero sliced a deep cut down Quatre's arm. Quatre hissed in pain as Heero caught himself up against the cavern wall. Duo rushed forward but stopped as Quatre raised his hand.
"You send your human lover to kill me while you hide in the shadows?" Quatre laughed quietly. "Honestly, brother, you're more like me then you think."
"I have a mind of my own." Heero growled as he stood to his feet. "And I will kill you for what you've done."
"Interesting, very interesting indeed."
Heero moved forward with his dagger again, but this time Quatre caught his wrist and squeezed until Heero was forced to drop his dagger.
"Heero!" Duo started to move forward.
"Stop! Or I swear you'll watch him melt before you eyes, just like our father. Except this time I'll leave his throat in tact so you can listen to him scream the entire time."
Duo froze immediately, his violet eyes wide with fear.
Quatre looked back to Heero. "What do you say human, would you like to experience first hand what happened to your village?"
Heero said nothing, he just glared at Quatre, his free hand hanging down by his belt. He could go for the arrowhead but it would only give him one chance and he couldn't afford to miss it. He forced himself to be patient and wait until Quatre was distracted.
"Or perhaps," Quatre mused. "You'd like to see the effects of my powers with your own eyes first?" Quatre sneered and gave a slight nod. Heero's eyes widened as the kneeling form of Trowa appeared beside him. Quatre tossed Heero backward into Duo and knelt down, whispering something into Trowa's ear. Heero and Duo watched as Trowa's eyes widened and his body began to tremble with fear.
"Trowa…" Heero choked out. He lay frozen on the floor trying to figure out what to do, but the look on his brother's face froze him to the spot. Heero's older brother almost never showed any emotion, to see such raw terror on his face sent a tremor of horror through Heero's body and he found he was too afraid to move.
Quatre glanced back to the two of them, as if waiting for a signal.
"Don't…" Duo pleaded quietly. But, like Heero, Duo couldn't bring himself to move either. He was too frightened, and he hated himself for it!
Quatre knelt near Trowa and took his chin in his hand. "Don't fear little one, this will hurt a lot."
Trowa trembled as Quatre used his hand to brush his hair from over his other green eye. Leaning forward slowly Quatre placed the lightest of kisses on Trowa's eyelid then pulled away to stand back up.
For a while nothing happened and the cavern was silent as the all waited. Then Trowa's body jerked and he grabbed his face. Then he started to scream.
That scream broke Duo and Heero out of their trances. Heero's mind started working again and he realized something. Both Quatre and Duo used their powers through touch. He watched quietly as Duo jumped for Quatre but Quatre quickly moved out of reach. Quatre refused to let Duo touch him… he was afraid of his own bother's touch!
Heero leapt to his feet and dived at Quatre with a loud yell, hoping to distract him. "Kisama!"
Quatre looked up in surprise and moved out of the way, causing Heero's dagger to miss and fly out of his hand. But Heero didn't care that he missed, instead he had succeeded in distracting Quatre long enough for Duo to seize him from behind. Duo held his brother tightly and only hesitated for a second before kissing the side of Quatre's neck.
"No! Let go!" Quatre struggled and the feathers of his cloak rubbed against Duo's skin, cutting deep slashes against the smooth flesh, yet still Duo refused to let go. Heero quickly took the arrowhead from his belt and charged forward, slamming it into Quatre's throat. Duo let go as his brother fell to the ground, coughing and choking, blood coming from his mouth and flowing through the fingers clutched at his throat.
No one moved as Quatre dropped on the floor, coughing and clawing at his throat, trying to dislodge the small piece of iron. Finally his body shivered and he crumbled to lie on the ground. Rolling onto his side his light blue eyes met with Duo's in a look of sadness and pleading.
"Oni… chan…" he choked out quietly in the child-like voice he'd used when they first met. Duo flinched and looked away as Quatre drew his last breath and Trowa stopped screaming.
"I'm not your brother," Duo whispered softly, closing his eyes.
Heero stood up slowly and walked over to Trowa who lay shivering against the wall clutching the side of his face. "Trowa?"
Trowa looked up slowly and carefully pulled his hands from his face to revel what Quatre had done. One side of his face was left completely untouched and his one of his green eyes seemed as bright as ever. Yet, on the right side of his face the skin that was left was severely burned and peeling away. His eye was white as glass while the skin surrounding it had melted away to reveal the veins and muscle beneath. The muscle was a sickly green and yellow color while the veins were shriveled and barely attached to the muscle. Trowa's hand slowly reached up and touched the exposed tissue, he winced and looked away, his bangs falling back down to cover the damaged side of his face.
Duo stood up slowly and walked to Heero's side.
"Can you…" Heero didn't need to finish the question.
Duo shook his head sadly. "I can only lend energy, the damage it too extensive to fix. I can't… I'm sorry."
Trowa took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, making sure it completely covered that side of his face. "It's all right." He spoke softly. "I guess I deserve it for firing at you when you were a child." Trowa's one showing eyes met both of Duo's. "You kept my brother alive, thank you."
Heero shook his head. "If I had not wandered into that clearing years ago none of this would have happened."
"Would you rather he still lived?" Trowa asked, nodding toward Quatre's still body.
Heero and Duo both shook their heads.
"Demons like that don't deserve to live," Duo growled angrily.
"Then no harm is done." Trowa said standing to his feet. "I'll live."
Duo and Heero nodded slowly and Heero opened his mouth to bring up the subject of what to do with Quatre's body when Trowa's visible eye narrowed. All three turned toward the mirror in surprise, Heero inching back toward his dagger which lay on the ground while Duo's eyes crackled with energy. Trowa crouched slightly, ready to jump forward.
(1) Can we say eye candy boys and girls? Heheh… ever seen Labyrinth? Just imagine Quatre in Jareth's outfits. :)~~
end of part 7
Gomen!!! I'm sorry for the clifhanger... but the next part will be out soon. What? You thought the story was over?! Not a chance!