The Kalis Journey-Chapter Six: The Coming of Terms
Author's Note: Yaoi warning still in effect...Quatre+Trowa and Duo+Heero. What's really in the mind's of our boys, huh?
Quatre opened his eyes and looked around. Everything around him was black, but he could see himself.
"Hello?" He called. "Is anyone out there?"
Well, where ever he was, it was strange. His voice didn't reverberate, his words died as soon as they left his mouth. He began walking around, straining his mind to remember where he had been, how he had gotten there. He remembered feeling the air thin and he could smell the sleeping gas. Whoever had trapped him and the others knew about the rescue attempt, or at the very least figured it and had a very good plan on traping them. Quatre knew that if there was sleeping gas involved, he'd be the first to go. he stopped walking and closed his eyes a moment, remembering. The last thing he saw was Wufei's concerned and trivial look at him. Quatre sighed, looking at his feet.
"Two men I love and respect, only one wants me in return." Quatre murmured. "I don't know why I still like Wufei. I'm not sure what he had seen in me either. But I still love him. Does Trowa know about my feelings for Wufei? Would he forgive me if I did tell him?"
"Your love for two men has grown considerably Quatre," a voice said soflty.
"Who are you?"
"Only the spirit that resides within you. I am here to teach you when to let go."
"But I can't just drop my feelings for Wufei, or my feelings for Trowa. What should I do?"
"That is an answer you must find out on your own."
"Yes, I figured that. Well, it is logical that I love Trowa more. He loves me in return. But I can't help loving Wufei. The mind os such an illogical thing, isn't it?"
"But you are a warrior Quatre. Your life depends on logic."
Quatre was getting very sick of this strange voice very fast. "And what would you know?"
"You kill then you cry. You love but don't act. You ask questions but then have no answers. Who are you Quatre? Who are you deep down inside?" Quatre didn't answer. "Just as I thought. You don't know, do you? When one does not know of himself, he is truly lost. You've lost the battle of your own mind Quatre. You let too many things trick you."
Quatre had been cringing away from the voice, though it was a bit difficult seeing as how the voice was all around him. But as the spirit said its last words, the proverbial lightbulb went off in his head.
"Ah, there you may have a point. But I think I have been tricked for the last time."
"Whatever are you talking about?"
"I know very well who I am. I am Quatre Rabereba Winner, the pilot of Gundam Sandrock. I am a young man who loves two people and that is a problem I will deal with on my own if fate has it. I love Trowa Barton and Chang Wufei, if I lose someone over that I will only lose myself."
The voice chuckled, but in a soft, gentle tone. "You have learned well Quatre. Love is what shall save you and your friends. Your powers are strong, never forget that. When the five combine you could do the impossible."
"The five combine?" Quatre asked. "You mean my friends and I?"
"Go Quatre. Your friends are in danger. Go."
"But where?"
Around him there were four rectangles of light.
"You have gained entrance to the minds of your friends. You must choose wisely for some cannot be helped, but other can."
"There's only four choices, but-"
"Go before the danger deepens."
"Er, yes sir."
Quatre took a deep breath and took one of the rectangles at a run until he was encased in the light.
Trowa's eyes fluttered open. He was in his bed. He was back at the circus. Back home.
"Oh man, what a weird dream," he murmured. "Catherine?"
He sat up and looked around. Everything was the same, but something was wrong. He left to go looking around.
"Catherine? Catherine? Where are you?" Trowa called.
This was strange. He always knew where Catherine was, and she would answer almost immediatly. He noticed the circus was empty. No sign of anyone.
"Catherine? Catherine!" His calls got more fierce. "Catherine!! Someone better answer me!"
Nothing. A cool gust of wind triffled with his hair, which he quickly smoothed back in place. He wasn't liking this. There was absolutely no one around.
He kept walking around, trying to find someone, anyone. Perferably someone he knew, but then he decided beggars couldn't be choosers.
He finally stopped when he found a heavy wooden door just standing their in the middle of his path. He examined the door carefully, wondering what it was doing in the middle of a path.
"Hmph, looks like something that would belong in Quatre's house." he murmured.
Quatre. Trowa sighed. Already he missed the little blond. He was always so comforting, peaceful, quiet.
Trowa shook himself out of his trance and shrugged, deciding the door was just a door and opened it.
Then he gasped. Inside was Quatre's house. His head whipped back to find the front yard of said house. He looked back into the entrance hall.
"What is this? Some kind of joke?" Trowa wondered. "At least Quatre will be here." He stepped inside the house and closed the door. "Quatre!"
Trowa's voice echoed around the large hall. There was little doubt anyone would not hear him. But there was no answer.
"Quatre!" he called again. "Are you here? Heero? Wufei? Duo? Anyone?!"
Trowa's heart sank and he felt sick to his stomach. There was still no answer. The one thing that made frightened Trowa was being alone. It reminded him too much of losing his memory. He shook his head hard. This had to be a joke. A sick, twisted joke. He began running through the house, calling and begging for anyone to answer. He had to have checked every room and his voice was quite hoarse when he finally collapsed on an overstuffed sofa in one of the sitting rooms. He caught his breath and wiped the sweat forming on his head. He gave a glance over at the table and found a book. He recognized the title, it was the last book Quatre had been reading.
Tears slowly formed in the pilots eyes. He angrily wiped them away before they could fall. But after staring at the book, he couldn't help it any longer. He buried his face into the sofa and cried. Any thoughts of Quatre that crept into his mind made him cry harder.
"Trowa!"
The voice was in his head.
"Trowa!"
He growled slightly, wishing it would leave him in his own misery.
"Trowa!"
The voice grew louder. He couldn't stand it. It sounded too much like Quatre. He stood up, looking around the room.
"Trowa! Can you hear me?"
"Unfortunately," Trowa growled. "Stop it!"
He noticed there was a glass case. Inside it was a very old-looking sword. Its blade was broad, the straight side lined with jewels, the blade's edge glittered. It was lined very finely with diamonds.
"Trowa!"
The voice was closer, louder. Trowa couldn't stand it. He hated being alone and he hated to be without Quatre. And now this voice seemed to be mocking him.
"Just make it stop!" He cried out, lifting the sword, blade tip pointing towards his heart.
Then there was a gasp, but it didn't belong to Trowa.
"What the hell are you doing?!?!"
Pressure was put on Trowa's wrists. He let out a gasp and dropped the precious antique. Then a hand came across his face.
"What is wrong with you?"
Trowa shook his head and brought a hand up to wipe away his tears. His knees went weak when he found a pair of concerned blue eyes staring at him. A trembling hand touched the blond hair as the other pulled the other boy close.
"Quatre? This better not be a dream," Trowa stammered.
"No Trowa, not exactly. We're trapped in our own minds. Gates caught us. Remember?" Quatre said, a hand caressing the spot where he slapped Trowa, hoping to sooth it. "I'm sorry I hit you, but you were crazy. Why didn't you answer when I called?"
"I thought it was all in my head." Trowa mumbled.
"Well everything's okay now." Quatre said, hugging the other. Then his face fell. "Well, not really."
"What's wrong?" Trowa asked. The two of them sank back onto the couch. Trowa had regained his own senses and held Quatre close.
"Well there's something I think you ought to know." Quatre said softly. "I love you very much Trowa. But, but I also love Wufei. I can't stop it, but I can't stop my love for you either."
Trowa supressed a laugh. "Then it would only be fair if I shared my secret then. Wufei and I did have a small relationship a while ago. He told me that he loved you, so I told him he could, in turn, no longer love me. We stayed friends, but could no longer be dating or anything."
"So, Wufei loves me?"
"Yes. And I love you. And apparantly, you love me too. I've learned since then though, things that used to bother me don't anymore." He sighed. "A love triangle. Perfect."
"I'm glad." Quatre leaned up to give Trowa a small kiss. "We better get going."
"Huh?"
Suddenly the room and the sofa evaporated. The two were in total darkness with three rectangles of light ahead of them.
"What is going on?" Trowa asked.
"Long story. Come on, I'll explain on the way. We have to go into someone else's mind..."
Wufei stared around, his beloved Nataku at the ready. He was in an empty feild, but Oz soldiers had been attacking him for the past half hour.
"Come on," he challenged. "You weaklings! Face me!"
Another three soldiers came at him, he disposed of them immediatly and their bodies seemed to just dissintergrate.
"Is this all I am for?" Wufei wondered, his eyes darting around for any signs of more danger. "To kill my enemies in one place then continue onto another? Just an avenger. Why won't my pain stop?"
A very larg group of Oz soldiers appeared out of nowhere. Wufei slashed at them without mercy, without feeling. They kept coming, but he kept going. Finally tears broke free as he ridded himself of the last of them. Now he was exausted and he sat on the grass, his sword in his lap.
"I've lost the one person I loved and repected, I can't have the other one. Kalli is no longer here, but she can't love me back." Wufei murmured, wiping the line tear that trickled down his cheek. "Whatever this place is, I'm on my own. The other are without me. It is for the best I guess. But it hurts."
He stood and started walking. Not sure where he would go, no idea what he would do. Every once in a while another enemy would lash out at him. He reached the edge of the feild and began walking through a forest. It was there that fear finally reached him.
He heard a growl in the underbrush. He spun around, nothing was there. Then he heard something running. It was running towards him. Wufei couldn't fight what he couldn't see, but he knew the creature was very large, and assuming from the growls, either hungry or angry. So he did the only thing he could. He ran. The creature gave chase. Any time Wufei tried glancing over his shoulder at the creature he couldn't see it.
Soon Wufei was losing his footing as well as his breath. He was also losing concentration and didn't see the tree root that lay in his path. His trip and landed hard, the wind was knocked out of him. He rolled over onto his back, trying to force himself to breath normally. The beast was upon him. He could feel its hot, stinky breath in his face. But as the beast breathed, Wufei felt life and energy draining from him. He couldn't open his eyes to face it but he did scream.
"Wufei!" The cry came from a distance. Wufei gasped, opening his eyes.
The beast was gone.
"Wufei!" A second voice.
Wufei looked around. He grabbed hold of the nearest tree and forced himself to his feet. He realized he was shaking, from what he couldn't tell. But he also felt very weak. He blinked, wiping sweat out of his eyes, even then he noticed he could see very well. Something had hurt him badly.
"Wufei!" Both voices called. Wufei tried placing them but it hurt his head too much.
He felt his stomach lurch. He turned to the other side of the tree and lost at least half of whatever he had left in his stomach. He noticed there were traces of blood. He looks down and saw a deep gash on his side.
"Wufei!"
The voice was next to him. He decided it was a good thing because he couldn't stand on his feet any longer. He fell, then felt a pair of arms catch him, realize that they couldn't support his weight and lowered him to the ground. He could just barely feel an embrace around his chest.
"By Allah, what happened to him?"
"Well, assuming from the realm we're in looks like his fear caught up to him."
"Hey, Wufei! Wake up! You're okay now, you're with us."
Wufei forced his eyes open, but still couldn't see much. He could just make out a mop of blond hair to his left, a tall, quiet figure to his right.
"Quatre? Trowa?" He said weakly.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
"Well come on, let's get you out of here."
Two pairs of arms helped him back on his feet and they stumbled through the forest. Suddenly Wufei felt a surge of life comes back to him. With a gasp he looked up. Darkness surrounded him, but there were two rectangular sources of light. He would have been startled if it weren't for the two men he loved on either side of him.
"Trowa? Quatre? What the hell just happened?" Wufei asked.
"We just rescued you." Quatre said with a smile. "Are you okay?"
"Think so,"
"This is dangerous. If that's what Wufei's mind was like," Trowa said.
"My mind?" Wufei asked.
"Long story, I'll explain. We still have to get Duo and Heero."
Trowa shuddered. "I think I could handle Heero, you two go get Duo."
Trowa began to walk off, but Quatre grabbed his arm. "No, we stay together." He said firmly. "I'm not losing anyone anymore."
"Okay, this is so, so uncool. How the hell did I get in this place?" Duo wondered out loud. He was in an alleyway that looked way too familiar. "This all has to be in my head. There's no way I'm back home."
There was a stir in the shadows. Duo whipped around.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
"P-p-please don't hurt me," a small voice barely made itself audiable. "I'm just lost,"
Duo dropped his fighting stance and stared into the dark shadows. Out from behind a garbage can was a young boy. His clothes were torn, his brown hair was in a long, messy tangle of dirt and grime.
Duo fell to his knees. It was him, as a child. Tears stung his eyes and he couldn't help holding his arms out to the young boy.
The little Duo hesitated, then ran to his older self, burying his face in his black shirt and cried.
Duo held the tiny boy close, letting him cry his little heart out. He patted the boys head, tried and failed to run his fingers through the mess of hair.
"There there, everything's okay," Duo whispered, patting the litte one's back.
"No it won't!" The child sobbed. "My mommy and daddy are dead! I'm all alone!"
"Hey, hey now," Duo said, peeling the little boy off a bit to look into the matching eyes. "Come on, you're one tough little kid. And you're only going to get stronger."
"But who willtake care of me?"
Duo sighed. "Unfortunately Duo, you are going to have to care for yourself now."
The little one gasped. "How did you know my name?"
"I knew your parents pretty well." Duo said with a small smile. "I doubt they've told you about me."
Little Duo slowly shook his head and wiped his tears away, sniffling.
"So what do I do now?" He asked.
Duo stared at him for a moment. If someone had been there when his parents were killed, what would he want them ti tell him? Duo took a deep breath and put his hands on the child's shoulders.
"Listen little Duo," he said softly. "There's a church down the street from here. You can find help there."
"A church?"
"Yeah. I think you'll find it pretty cool."
The old, sly, slightly devilish smile crossed over little Duo's face. It took everything in big Duo's power not to laugh.
"Okay. If you say it's good it would have to be, right?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks mister."
Little Duo hugged big Duo around his legs. Duo placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair even more. Little Duo turned and began running down the alleyway.
"Oh, and Duo?" Big Duo called.
Little Duo turned. "Yeah?"
"Don't let them cut your hair, no matter what. You hear me?"
The smile appeared again, but this time it was soft and sweet, not so devilish.
"Nah, I'd like to have a cool braid like yours."
With that, little Duo ran. Big Duo waved, tears in his eyes.
"Guess this means I'm finally at peace with my past." Duo said, slightly dreamily. Then a stern look overtook his features. "But what about the other guys?"
"We're right here."
"Ahhh!"
Duo jumped and spun around. He too found himself surounded bt darkness. One rectangle of light came from a few feet away. Quatre, Wufei and Trowa stood beside him.
"Very touching Maxwell." Wufei said. "Your mind isn't as scary as I thought."
Duo's face fell. "Awwww, darn,"
Quatre laughed. "Well now, guess only Heero's left."
Duo gasped. "Wait, you man he's not here?"
"No. You see, we're trapped in our own minds Duo." Quatre explained. "It seems Gates tries to bring us to our fears, but that hasn't seemed to happen for you or me."
"Then again you two are the best at magic." Trowa pointed out.
"That may be."
They could hear a scream come from the rectangle of light. It was an unfamiliar sound coming from a familiar voice.
"Heero!" Duo cried. He turned to the light and started running.
"No Duo!"
"You're crazy Maxwell!"
"We're supossed to stay together! It could be dangerous!"
"DUO!"
Heero stood in a defensive stance. Gun raised. He was surrounded. What made matters worse was that he was surrounded by all of his friends. And each of them had a gun pointed directly at him.
But who was acting on their own will? Who was being controlled? He couldn't risk killing them if this was real, but if this was an illusion, could illusions kill him?
Any time anyone even blinked Heero turned to them, pointing his gun, ready to shoot.
"I will kill any of you attempting to hurt me." Heero warned. "So, any of you going to admit you're doing this on your own terms? Or is whoever controlling you going to step forward to pay his debt?"
There were no answers, but they all did take a step closer to him.
"I'll kill you all I swear!" He said angrily. "Even you guys,"
He turned to the other Gundam pilots. Their faces hard and cold as stone. Noin and Zechs looked the same. Even Relena was pointing a gun at the boy.
"Relena, what about your idea for total pacifism?" Heero asked. "Hell, you're annoying at times, always asking me to kill you." Relena took a step forward. "Maybe I will."
He fired his gun. The bullet hit his target, Relena's head, but she shimmered away like a stone being dropped in a pond.
"What the hell?"
Another gun was fired and Heero ducked. The bullet hit Zechs, who also shimmered away.
Heero began shooting all around as fast as he could. The bullets just went through the others until finally Noin also dissapeared. Only the other Gundam pilots were left. Three bullets left in his own weapon.
"Oh sure, just one of you make a move." Heero said, watching their eyes. "I'm jusy begging for one of you to give me an excuse to shoot you."
His fingers trembled slightly on the gun. He was prepared for many things, but coming face to face with his fellow Gundam pilots was one he truly did not want to encounter.
He looked over at Duo, keeping the gun as level as he could. He stared at Heero more intently than the others. Was it because they kissed before they captured? Did Duo really love him?
Then something happened. Duo began to shimmer slightly, then it looked like another Duo ran through him as if he weren't even there.
"Heero!" the running Duo cried as the other dissapeared.
On instinct, Heero pulled the trigger. When he looked up, Duo stared at him, a hand on his chest. Heero could see the blood seeping out between his fingers
"DUO!"