Thanks to Plautus, ( WOW! Really? I suggjest that you go to my authoers page and read all the great stories that ive found! There all very, very good.) Wings, (I will!! I promise!) Prue Evilness (Q-man and Trowa are.. Around, and Wufei is showing up very soon. And yes, i have the same problem with the hair.) Missie, ( 2 cents an hour is not very good... i suposse i shall have to continue..) And Hex, (yes i am going to continue.). THANKS!!!



Warnings: AU, later violence, later Yaoi, later lemon

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4x5 (not yet though)









The Hunt and the Meeting

Off in an open field as the sun was setting, a lone horse trotted. The horse had a rider, but he was mortally wounded and slumped over the saddle. He was conscious enough to admire the sunset. Which he did. The colors were mixing together in just the way he always liked. The darkening east sky was black and mixed with violet, blue, then all the colors of the rainbow.

The rider's messy brown hair was swept up in a sudden breeze to reveal half-lidded cobalt blue eyes searching the terrain tiredly. The trained eyes spotted another horse and a decent looking fire. He gently prodded the horse into going that direction. The white stallion took this as a chance to pick up the pace and did so, tumbling his rider into a fit of pain. When they reached the small camp, the cobalt eyed rider fell off his horse, head first, to the ground.





As Duo slipped into the darkening forest, he slipped into his alter- personality, Shinigami. This was the state of mind that heightened his senses and gave him a feeling of power. He slipped around a tree and imagined himself becoming one with it. He leaned against it, feeling the bark, and not making a sound, climbed it. He pulled himself into the first layer of the ancient tree to see the forest floor clearer. Moments after he did this, he sighted a large deer about ten yards away. He thought it would be nice to have an extra skin, but he did not need it. He let it pass.

The forest sank deeper into darkness as minutes ticked by. Duo still sat unmoving on the branch, waiting for his dinner.. There.

Three rabbits had the not-so-good-fortune of hopping by at that moment. And as soon as they were sighted, three knives flew through the air to sleeve themselves. Each hit its mark perfectly, the hearts, killing the innocent creatures instantly. Duo sat still for a moment, sending thanks to those animals spirts for their sacrifice, then hopped down from the tree. He walked soundlessly to the three figures and Called the knives. The three blood glistening blades flew to his hand, he wiped the blood on the soft fur of the rabbits bodies before slipping then back in there holder. Duo then slipped a finger in each incision to carry them back to his camp. The smell of blood was getting to him, he was no blood thirsty savage, but he was hungry.

He then turned to go, and started walking. He slipped his braid out of his shirt and broke free of the tree line. He glanced around to get his baring's and let Shinigami drop when he saw his fire. He squinted into the night and noticed there was another horse with Wing. At first he thought it might be a wild one, but it was saddled. He cautiously walked to the camp, there was a body near the fire.

*Interesting.*

Duo went to the fire and speared the little rabbits close enough to it that no animal would take it but that they would not cook. He then went to the white horse that was not Wing and looked him over. *He needs water and a good brush.* thought Duo as he went back to his pack for his horse brush. He took it out and set it away from the fire. He then caught the horses lead and pulled him over to the forest line, there was a small stream in a ways. He went there and let the horse drink a while. He pulled him back before he could bloat himself and filled his water skin. He filled his extra also. He grabbed the lead and walked back slowly, thinking if he should help the person or not... it could be an enemy. *Welp, ill just hafta' find out.*

He unsaddled the horse when he returned to camp and set him out next to Wing to feed. He took the light saddle back next to the fire. He felt something strange about the saddle and brought it into the glow of the fire. It was soaked in blood.

Duo dropped it in the grass away from him and looked at the body. It was clothed in the traditional clothes of the Kenka, with only slight modifications. He had been to a Kenka camp about a month ago, that was not a good place to be. They are fierce warriors and wanted to kill Duo. He had barely gotten away from that one.

*Oh well, no way to change the past, I might as well see if he's dead.*

With that thought Duo grabbed the body's muscular shoulder and flipped him onto his back. When his face came into view Duo gasped. He was stunningly beautiful. Although covered in blood, his face was beauty carved in stone. Duo sat stunned for a moment before realizing that the face was twisted in pain. He lunged for his pack and healing supply's. He always used plenty, so he had everything he needed to help the fallen beauty.

He folded and bent a nearby leaf into a bowl and filled it with sweet clean water. He dampened the wraps he had in it while he pulled off the boys shirt carefully. The unmoving body wasn't helping and he ended up just grabbing one of his daggers and cutting it down a seam, he would fix it later. He did the same with the smooth material of his pants, luckily the only wounds were beneath the thigh so he left him half of them in tacked. Once Duo had struggled him out of the cut clothes, he laid out his own cape on the ground. He gently moved the boy onto it and admired his body. Duo shook his head and started to clean the wounds.

After bandaging and doing as much as he could for the numerous wounds, besides a few things that he would have to wait till the boy awoke, Duo stood. He stretched his arms and back, then stooped back down to gather the water skins. He needed to refill them. He covered the now fully bandaged boy and walked to the stream.





Heero awoke to the sent of man, horse, and lavender.

That was a strange combination to wake up to. He tried to sit but a sudden wave of fatigue hit and he decided laying down was fine for now. Instead he lifted a hand to the dagger wound in his stomach. It was bandaged. Although it hurt like a bitch, and would most likely kill him from infection, he was almost grateful. All his life he had a feeling of missing something and he never found it, he was ready to give up. He ran his fingers along the carful bandaging and suddenly realized that he was surrounded by an aurora of magic. He tensed and fully awoke. Just as suddenly he realized it was one of caring and protectiveness. He raised a tired eyebrow a fraction at the notion of being protected by magic.

His hand rises to his bare chest to check his other wounds. *Arrow shot on bare shoulder, bandaged, sword slash on bare right arm, bandaged, arrow- bare??*

Heero realized he was mostly naked.

"Hn."

His tired gaze follows his own body to two white horses. One was his, fully tended it seemed, and one was not his. At that moment he sensed movement behind him, still off a ways, but close enough to startle him. He tried to rise, succeeding somehow, but falling backwards as dizziness hit him. The movement caused his wounds to undo whatever healing they had done and they bled agian. Instead of falling to the ground as Heero had expected, arms caught him and he hit a warm body instead. Heero's sense of magic went wild when the figure touched him. He was lowered to the cloth on the ground and the hands moved to his wounds. The bandages were striped away. Heero thought he heard someone protest when he began to fight back. He the person had touched him and he had to get away. He shut his eyes in pain and effort to move away from the person.

His protests end when the persons soft, strong hands capture his on each side of his chest. His eyes snap open realizing that skin is touching skin and the person has not attacked him yet. Heero's eyes shut half way upon seeing the violet eyed angel above him. He must be dead now, or maybe this is hell if he could never see those eyes agian. The angel's eyes looked shocked into his, and hesitated a moment before becoming very determined looking. As if trying to say 'stay put' he presses Heero's hands into the ground once firmly before breaking contact. Heero tried to sit to see where they went when the same hands pushed him down agian by his chest. Heero moaned in pain, suddenly wishing to heal so that he could meet this beauty.

Heero feels the bandages being pulled away and cleaned gently, he had never had anyone treat him this gently. It felt good too know he could be treated this way, but no matter how soft the touch, it still hurt.

He felt a sudden heat come near his largest wound, the dagger slash in his stomach, and looked up at the violet eyed healer. Heero knew that he meant to cauterize it with the knife. He nodded slightly to agree. The heat left momentarily and a fey form stretched over him. Heero's dazed eyes followed him until his chest was directly over his face. He could feel hands press something heavy in his own hands, a branch. The person retreaded and grabbed at something to this left, then he rolled it between his hands, it was a cloth. Heero saw this and shut his mouth tight.

Heero thought he heard someone chuckle as the cloth brushed his lips. The boy was speaking to him, but he could not make it out. Instead, he just watched the lips move in a pain riddled daze. The cloth moved away and two soft fingers brushed against his cheek. Heero's eyes widened and his mouth automatically opened to protest, he realized his folly to late when the cloth was firmly tied around his head. Very effective gag to soften his screams.

The merriment in the violet eyes was not missed by cobalt. The merriment faded as a red hot dagger came into view. Heero nodded agian and braced himself.

His hands tightened on the branch as the fiery pain swept through his body. Only when the very core of the horrible sensation peak did Heero scream. His entire body tensed in pain, exhausted, and plain emptiness. The pain stopped after that intense moment and the cool relief of water washed away those thoughts. And thankfully, darkness swept over him and he fell into a much needed sleep.

Duo rose from the prone figure and pocketed his still warm knife after cleaning it. That had been intense, those eyes entranced him. He leaned back onto his bare feet and glanced up to the branch the boy hold been holding. A slim eyebrow rose. It had snapped and crumbled in the strangers hands.

*Well, that's even more interesting.*

He swiftly and tenderly washed the hands of splinters before wrapping them also. After he had put away his supplies, he turned to the rabbits and started to prepare them.





Heero awoke to find the healer up and placing the most tender and nutritious bits of rabbit meat on a large clean leaf.

With half-lidded eyes he watched the fey beauty work. The boy turned to him and did not seem surprised to find him awake. He takes a small morsel of rabbit between his fingers and moves closer to Heero. He looks almost shy as he placed it against Heero's slightly parted lips. Heero dose not accept it at first but willingly opens his mouth when he tasted the succulent juices. Heero hurriedly eats the bits that the boy feeds him, on the last one he does so in a bit to much of a hurry as his lips close around the boys fingertips. For a moment neither move, but Heero takes the meat with his tongue and breaks the moment when it brushes the boys fingers.

The taste of the boy was over ridded by the juicy rabbit, but Heero swore to try for a better one. He finally had a chance to look, with his entire mind, at the boy. The boy.. He did not like referring to the beauty that way.

"Heero." he grunted out after some effort.

The boy looked at him in confusion, so Heero pointed to himself. He did not trust his voice at the moment.

"Heero..." the name seemed to roll off his tongue and strait onto Heero's memory. The boy peered at him, into his eyes, searching. He must have found something because he seemed to come to a decision and nod.

"Duo."

With a nod from Heero, Duo went back to work at the rabbits. Heero looked into the mid-morning sun and thanked every spirit he could think of before turning back to the offered meal.