**********

Quatre swallows, and I move my eyes to him. I can practically *see* the wheels in his head turning. "Let...let me make sure we've got this straight. You, Duo, are a Wiccan." I nod. "And...you say that you had a vision that foretells our deaths-and this will be happening in four days?"

I nod again. "That's basically the gist of it." I've rarely been this afraid. I've faced *battles* with less trepidation.

Of course, then my life was the only thing on the line. Right now, I've got my heart laid bare.

"Can I ask a question?" Leave it to Quatre to be the only one speaking.

"Sure."

"Can you tell me a little more about Wicca?"

I sigh. If that's all he wants.... "Sure. Wicca is a religion that celebrates Nature and the duality of all aspects contained within. There is a God and a Goddess, acknowledging the male and female aspects of all things. It is very much a celebration of life. It accepts all religious beliefs. 'Above all gods, there is one God, above all Goddesses, there is one Goddess, and above these things, there is one universal Truth.'" [1]

Wufei looks at me. "Magic," he says. I don't know how much longer I can handle these emotionless voices.

"What about it?" All right, so I can't resist being a smartass-it's *Wufei*.

"Do you believe in it...practice it?"

I sigh. Should've know someone would ask this one-I mean, magic is what everyone associates with things like this [2]. "First of all, there's a difference between magic and magick." I spell the words for them. " 'Magic' is, in Wiccan circles, what you associate with...." I fumble for examples. "avid Copperfield, for example, or Sigfreid and Roy [3]. You know, illusions, things like that. Magick is what I, and many other Wiccans do, so, yes, Wufei, I do practice magick. Mainly candle magic, a few other ritual spells, and circle casting." Yes, I know casting a circle isn't *exactly* what most would consider magical, but for me, it is an act of magick.

I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn to face Trowa, who is clenching his fists. "Evil," he murmurs. "Consorting with the Devil, selling souls...what are you trying to do-convert us into you evil ways?!"

I flinch. I wasn't expecting this kind of outburst from the normally silent Trowa. I shake my head, holding back tears. "No...it's not like that. Wicca doesn't seek new members...we don't recruit. It's something you have to find for yourself...something that you have to feel a connection with in your soul [4]. And there is not, nor has there ever been, any Devil in the Craft." I know I'm getting pissed and upset when I start lapsing into those non-PC terms. "We aren't evil--*I'm* not evil! I thought you knew that about me."

"Maybe we don't know you." That from Wufei over in his corner. My heart feels so empty.... "You believe in things that are, at best, illogical and at worst, dangerous. How do we know that you are telling truths?"

I can feel the tears slipping down my cheeks. "That can be said about any religion," I whisper. "Nobody abuses Quatre for believing in an Allah whose existence he can't prove."

"Yes, but Duo, my religion is based in centuries of tradition, and-" [5]

"And mine is based in *millennia* of tradition!" I snap, cutting Quatre off [6]. "Wicca traces its roots back to the ancient Goddess religions that thrived in Europe-particularly the Germanic and Celtic religions-that were in existence and being worshiped before the founding of the Roman Empire! That, by the way, was *before* Christianity, and *definitely* before the founding of Islam. So don't give me that."

Silence reigns once again. I haven't heard anything from Heero yet, and...I'm worried. I love him-I doubt he loves me, but still...I don't want to lose his friendship. And it seems I'm on that path with the others, anyway.

Trowa stands and faces me. "*Never* insult Quatre like that again," he growls. I'm feeling very threatened here....

"Trowa...he didn't insult me. He has a point, actually." Quatre grins, trying to relieve some of the tension. Not working, buddy, sorry.

"Still...he comes in here, gives us a bunch of *crap* about magic and seeing the future, and expects us to believe it? Maybe Duos' not evil-but he's sure as hell delusional!" Trowa goes to stand by the window.

"I'm afraid I have to side with Trowa here," Wufei says softly. "It is impossible to see the future...and magic doesn't exist." He moves to stand beside Trowa. Great...factions are forming...I wonder if I should start counting down the remaining seconds of my life....

Quatre sighs. "'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy,'" [7] he murmurs. "Maybe Duo's right...maybe he *can* see the future...no matter what, we should respect Duo's beliefs...and treat what he's saying with dignity." I *hate* being talked about like I'm not here! "If he's right...." Quatre moves to stand near me, much to both Trowa's and my surprise. I thought those two were permanently joined at the hip in *everything*.

I turn to look at the one person who hasn't spoken up yet. "Heero?" I ask softly, afraid, but needing to know.

He snorts. "Religion is useless. But it's not a threat to the mission."

"But...but what about what I saw?"

"More than likely nightmares and hallucinations."

Heero's words spark a discussion in the room about what I said. The only one willing to even consider my vision as truth is Quatre, and even his belief is shaky. The room spins, as I focus back in-the discussion is no an argument between Quatre and Wufei about my mental fitness...I think I'm going to be sick....

"I'm sorry," I murmur. "Great Goddess, I'm sorry...I did harm without intending...and now I have nothing...." I turn and run from the room. Darting into Heero's and my room, I grab a small bag out of my duffel bag and makes tracks for the outdoors. Nice-everyone's so busy arguing that they don't even see me. I bet Treize and Zechs could come in right now performing the Waltz of the Sugarplum Faeries and no one would bat an eye. Quietly, I slip outside-I need quiet and indoors is not the place for it.

As soon as I leave the house, I run towards a grove of trees I had spotted earlier from the window. When I get there, I nod. Perfect. Putting down my bag, I rummage around until I find my sea salt, sage smudge stick, and my athame [8]. I pause for a moment, considering, before I also take out my flask of water. I'm sure I'll find another fast running brook at some point.

Taking a moment to gather myself, I prepare to cast my circle [9].I look up to the sky, orienting myself. Picking up the sea salt, I begin to cast a six foot circle, starting at the east compass point and walking clockwise, invoking the Earth for protection from the physical world. When I return to east, I take up the water, sprinkling it along the salt line I had just left, invoking Water for clarity. East again, I light the sage and walk the circle again, using the smoke to invoke Air for focus. I make the trip again with the sage, this time using the embers of the sage to invoke Fire for protection from the psychic plane. Drawing my athame, I walk the circle one more time, sealing it with my personal Power, allowing it to flow though the metal into the ground, locking the safety into the area ringed by the circle.

Once my circle is cast, I pause for a second, considering. I'm not planning on any spell or trancework, and I'm too keyed up to meditate. I make my decision. Raising my hands to the sky, I begin to chant and move in the patterns of the Spiral Dance [10], always conscious of my energy in the circle boundary, allowing my consciousness to join with the world around me.

I lose track of time as I whirl in the dance. It's never the same twice, but it always does it's job-centering me, bringing me back to myself. Panting, I throw myself to the ground, halting the dance before I can get too drawn in. Sprawled on the ground, I can still feel the currents and auras around me...which clues me in to something that shouldn't be there.

Warily, I turn around...and my jaw drops. Heero...standing just beyond the edge of the circle, propped up against a tree...staring at me. I can feel his intense eyes bore into mine, as I meet his gaze, still panting. I've always wanted to share a moment like this with Heero...just not in this way.

"Heero?" I ask softly. My voice seems to break a spell.

"Duo," he whispers. There's something in his eyes I've never seen before...oh, my....

I think I'm about to become lost....

**********

end part 3

[1] This is the philosophy of Wicca in a *very* condensed nutshell. Whole books have been written on the subject, and it's one of those things that you can spend your whole life learning and expanding on. In Wicca, as in life, nothing is static-everything flows and changes.

[2] Fair warning-what Duo says here is what I have learned, believe, and practice. So this whole section is coming straight from me.

[3] We're just going to pretend that these people are still known of :)

[4] This is 100% *true*. As with all religions, you have to feel a draw toeards Wicca for it to have any meaning. One of the reasons that Wiccans don't 'recruit' is because we (in the general use of the word-doesn't apply to all) feel that you life, heart, and soul will lead you to Wicca if that is truly the path for you. So, in case anyone thinks this, I am *not* writing this fic as a 'recruitment tool.' It is just a fic that happens to deal with my interpretations of what one of the characters could be like, much like fics that have a Catholic Duo, or center around a Muslim Quatre. It is meant to entertain, and to try and disable stereotypes, that's all. *blushes and steps off of soapbox* Ummm...sorry, people :)

[5] You would not believe how many times I've been handed that argument...and it's usually Christians and Muslims that hand me that. The Jewish people seem to have more sense than to take that track-probably because that is the one religion still in existence that rivals Wicca in age-is actually probably older if you translate the events in the Torah into dates. Which, in case you're curious, places Exodus around 1504-1454 BCE.

[6] *grins* My standard answer to that argument :)

[7] Quote from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'-can't remember act and scene. Just be happy I didn't quote the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy :-p

[8] An athame is a ritual dagger. It's used in various ways, but usually to direct power while casting a circle or a spell.

[9] Casting a circle is a very personal thing. There are certain forms to follow, but every Wiccan does things a bit differently. Duo's ritual is actually one of my own formulas...yes, I cast a circle in several different ways.

[10] This is a beautiful ritual dance. It is incredibly difficult to describe...in fact, there is no real set pattern beyond the basic framework steps, which I really can't outline, since I have no idea how to make a dance chart :-p Basically it is a way of connecting with all planes of existence through the harmony of body and soul.

**********