Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: *yawns sleepily*
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Ten: Eriol's Test
Heero pulled his sword back from his attack, loving the feel of the comforting weight of his blade in his hand as he swung his sword around in a graceful arc, swinging it to hit one of the trees that served as his target. Wei had gone back to the apartment an hour ago after almost seven hours of helping Heero train. The old man might still have his superb sword-wielding skills intact, but age had done a lot to slow him down. So he left the older Li brother to practice while he rested his body for a while.
He absently wiped the sweat that had gathered on his brow as he delievered another well-aimed attack. He was about to swing another one when a sudden prickle at the back of his neck distracted him. Swiftly he whipped around in a ready-to-attack stance, his whole being alert.
"You've improved a lot since last week." A voice calmly observed from above him.
Heero surveyed his surroundings carefully in search of the speaker.
"I'm here, Raiu."
Hiiragizawa Eriol, clad in Clow Reed's full magician's garb, descended slowly from _somewhere_ to land gracefully in front of the Wing pilot. With the strangely dressed boy were two of the weirdest creatures Heero had ever seen in his entire life. One appeared to be a big black panther with butterfly wings, and the other, a teenage girl with long dark hair and wings resembling the other creature's.
"Clow Reed."
Eriol nodded curtly at him. Motioning to his two companions, the magician said. "These are my guardians, Raiu. Spinel Sun--" he pointed at the winged panther, then at the girl, "and Ruby Moon."
"Is he the kid's brother? The true heir?" Ruby Moon asked as she turned curious eyes at the Wing pilot. The English boy nodded at her. "I can see the resemblance, mostly through the facial expression." she commented.
"What do you want?"
Clow Reed's reincarnation gave him an eery smile as Ruby Moon impatiently flitted her wings in the air. "In a few days' time you will have to battle with the Card Mistress and her Cards. Do you think you will be ready for that?"
"Of course."
Eriol's eyes narrowed slightly, the way they usually do when he's up to something(1). "Very good." He said softly, his eyes glinting. Heero found himself sweating in slight nervousness as he stared up at the boy's expression. "I see that your physical training in the future has done you well, in terms of your skills and determination. And self-confidence, I might add." He smiled, and his smile was enough to put the fear of God into the Wing pilot. "But, of course," the magician added softly, with a hint of almost manic amusement in his voice as he stared unblinkingly at Heero's tense form. "Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first."
~ 0 ~
"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" Syaoran called out through the hallway impatiently. "We're going to be late!"
Duo came barreling out of the room he shared with Heero, his unbound hair trailing behind him as he stared at the younger boy in bemusement. "What's the rush, Syaoran-kun? We're just going to the ice cream parlor, not the Nobel awards night." He shook his head to fan out his still wet hair, before smirking at the other boy. "Want to make a good impression on Sakura-chan, I bet?" he quipped, dancing out of reach as Syaoran made a move to grab his hair.
Heero came out a few seconds later, shrugging on a gray long-sleeved shirt over his head. Duo sat down on the couch and began brushing his long tresses, singing softly to himself. "Sakura and Syaoran, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Cut it out, Duo!" The amber-eyed boy growled.
Heero slipped on his shoes and opened the door for the other two. "Fix your hair in the car." He instructed at a pouting Duo. "We're late."
"Aw! You Lis are no fun at ALL!!!"
"Out, Duo."
They rode the elevator down to the garage, where their rented car was parked. Heero had grown tired of having to sneak and pick open the lock of someone else's car and decided to rent one while they were in town. Within minutes they were walking inside the ice cream parlor, Duo's thick hair completely dry and braided, and Syaoran's face a sickly green in color.(2)
"What happened to you?" Tomoyo asked Syaoran worriedly as the young boy took a seat beside Eriol.
Duo grinned cheekily at her. "Heero happened. He drove us over."
The long-haired girl's expression cleared. "Oh."
"What are you having?" Heero pointedly interrupted. Both Duo and Syaoran gave him their orders.
Syaoran leaned forward in his seat when he noticed the uncomfortable expression on Sakura's face. She was sitting across him in the booth, sandwiched between Duo and Tomoyo. "What's wrong?" he asked her in concern.
Leaning close, the emerald-eyed girl whispered. "'Niichan's working parttime here tonight."
Duo shrugged at her. "So?"
Syaoran bit his lip. "Kinomoto-kun and I don't really get along well." he informed the braided pilot as he surveyed the ice cream parlor's interior warily for any signs of the older Kinomoto.
"So?"
A hostile greeting suddenly came from the counter. "Gaki's brother." Kinomoto Touya was saying with narrowed eyes as he glared daggers at the dark-haired boy standing in front of him.
"Kinomoto." Heero Yuy replied flatly, his face carefully neutral. His right hand twitched slightly in a squeezing motion.
"And, apparently, so does your brother." Tomoyo observed.
"What would be your order?" Touya asked forcefully as he held up his pen and pad, the fingers gripping the writing instrument almost white.
"Two--"
Heero was abruptly cut off as a loud explosion shook the entire place. Touya took a sudden step back in surprise, slipped, and banged his head on the counter's marble surface.
Duo immediately pulled the rest of the kids down in a huddle under the table before pulling out his gun. "The hell was that?!" He shouted amidst the chaos and pandemonium as Heero ran towards them, dragging with him an unconscious and bleeding Touya.
The Perfect Soldier also had his pistol out. Gesturing towards the bright orange flames outside the window, he flatly replied.
"Oz."
"Mother fucking shit!" The American pilot cursed as another explosion sounded not too far away. He tugged at Touya and pulled him under the meager protection of the table, where Sakura held on to her brother's prone form while staring wide-eyed at the two gun-wielding boys. "We've got to get everyone outta here before we stop these fuckers!"
"Hai."
Eriol held up a hand. "I'll hold them off with my magic." he volunteered. Syaoran's head turned to stare at him, his eyebrows furrowed, while Tomoyo gripped the English boy's shoulder tightly.
"Are you sure?" the raven-haired girl asked him in a high, panic-stricken voice as Eriol placed a hand over hers and gave it a small reassuring squeeze.
"I'll be fine."
Duo shook his head at them, half in amusement and half in irritation as Heero hoisted Touya over his shoulder. "Cool. Eriol, man, we're counting on you to buy us some time. We'll take the girls, then head over to the forest, where Ieran-san said that the Gundams would be. Everyone ok with this? Good. Let's go!" Looking both ways with his pistol out, Duo darted from under the table, followed closely by the others, and headed towards the exit.
Eriol watched them run out of the store before a malicious grin spread over his boyish features.
~ 0 ~
Syaoran cringed as the air around them was filled with loud, panicked screams. The fires resulting from the explosions were now spreading rapidly across town. He held on tightly to Sakura's hand as they ran out of the shop, with Duo in the lead holding on to a weeping Tomoyo, Heero bringing up the rear with Touya over his shoulder.
Tugging on her hand so that they trail behind the running group, he whispered. "Sakura-chan, use Watery to kill the flames."
Sakura turned frightened eyes at him. "Hai." she said in a trembling voice. Slipping the Key off her neck, she urgently whispered. "Release!"
Instantly her wand appeared in her hands. Trying to keep up with the brisk pace of the two pilots with them, the Card Mistress pulled out one of her cards and tossed it in the air. "Watery!" she called out, holding up her wand near the card.
Nothing happened.
"Watery!" she tried again, much more forcefully this time as Duo and Heero made a sharp turn to the left. "Watery Card!"
Still nothing happened.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked the Chinese boy in panic as they hurriedly ran after their companions, one of her hands groping around to clasp Syaoran's. "Why is my Card not working?"
Her frantic question was answered by a sudden flash of white light.
"Syaoran-kun?" she whispered, as both of them came to a complete stop in the middle of a clearing. "Is that--"
Syaoran nodded grimly. "Clow Reed."
~ 0 ~
Duo's breath was only just starting to hitch in his throat when he caught sight of a hulking mass of metal well-hidden under a large cammo net. "Oi, Heero!" he called out to his partner a few feet back, his eyes shining, "Looks like we've found our team!"
Heero came running a few seconds later, having deposited the still-unconscious Touya down on the ground with the three kids. "Move, Maxwell!" he barked as he headed towards his Wing Zero.
Duo ran excitedly towards Deathscythe Hell, his violet eyes glinting madly as he hitched a portion of the cammo net upward to reveal part of the large metallic foot of his Gundam. "Oi, Deathscythe! Hisashiburi ne!" he greeted his mecha gleefully.
Syaoran watched in fascination as the two huge war machines were revealed in front of his eyes.
"What are those things?" Tomoyo asked in a frightened voice as she stared up unblinkingly at the mechas' metallic feet as Heero and Duo began climbing their way up their Gundams lying on the forest floor.
Heero was already facing the cockpit of Wing Zero. He thumbed a switch and the hatch hissed open. Once inside, he keyed in his password and watched expressionlessly as data began to scroll quickly on the screen, bathing his face in sickly green glow. He strapped his seat harness on almost absentmindedly as he watched Wing Zero's status and logistics dance in front of his face. Turning the comm unit on, he keyed into Duo's frequency and barked, "Pilot 01 to pilot 02. Do you read?"
"Copy that, 01. Can you send me data about our mission? Over." Duo teased in a fake air-traffic controller voice as his grinning face appeared on the visuals unit.
"Hn. Baka."
"So, we're back to business, ne, Hee-chan?"
"Looks like it." Switching on his Gundam's external optic sensors, he zoomed in on the three figures huddled a few feet away. "Stay there, you hear me? No matter what happens, don't go anywhere."
At Duo's openly grinning face in the visuals unit, Heero said flatly. "Let's go."
~ 0 ~
Eriol held up the Key in front of him as people around him ran and panicked.
"Key that conceals the power of Darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under contract.Release!"(3)
His long staff appeared almost instantly in his hands.
Turning to look at the battalion of mobile suits currently attacking the town of Tomoeda, he summoned his power...
And began magically controlling the Oz troops.
~ 0 ~
Sakura and Tomoyo watched the two Gundams take off with their mouths hanging open. A few feet away, Syaoran stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a slight frown on his face. Seeing this, Sakura called out. "Syaoran?"
He jerked his head suddenly to look at her, his eyes distant and contemplative.
"What's wrong?"
"It feels strange. I've never felt Eriol release this much power before."
She tentatively tested the air around her, and immediately jumped at the strength of the magic vibrating in it. He was right. Eriol had never released that much power, not even when he tested her. "I know. But why do you think--"
"I think he's starting his task." Syaoran took a deep breath and stared off in space. "I think this is his test for my brother."
~ 0 ~
"Visual on the enemy, Yuy. Ident. confirmed. Leos." Duo's voice crackled over the comm link as he and Heero flew across Tomoeda in search of their enemies. "What's our battle plan?"
Static hissing.
Then, Heero spoke up in an eerily calm voice. "Seek and destroy."
"All right!" Duo crowed, even as the thumbnail image of him in the visuals unit pumped its fist excitedly in the air.
Both Gundams landed amidst the carnage surrounding the area where the Leos stood, with the black Gundam's green thermal scythe gleaming madly in the darkness as Duo cackled insanely at the Leos. As soon as Heero's Gundam had touched the ground, a jolt of power ran through his limbs, surprising him. Could it be...Straining his eyes, he observed the mobile suits surrounding them.
His blood froze in his veins as he detected a faint green glow surrounding them.
'Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first.'
Shit.
Clow Reed was at work, and he was NOT going to make this mission any easier.
Gripping the control panel's stick tightly with his hand, his eyes trained on the eighty mobile enemies in front of him, the Perfect Soldier gave his signal. "Go for it, Duo."
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
He watched as Deathscythe immediately took to the air with thirty Leos at his feet. With a mighty swing of his scythe, four of the Oz troops exploded in a ball of fire. Manical laughter echoed from the long-haired pilot as Heero wrestled with his controls, engaging his thrusters and pulling out his beam sabres in the process. In one swift motion he had Wing high in the air and flying downward in an alarming speed, beam sabres raised and ready.
He delivered a deadly attack at the nearest Leo, expecting it to explode, but it didn't.
His sabres didn't even scratch the mobile suit's paint.
"What the fuck--" Heero looked up to see Deathscythe pause from his own battle, thermal scythe poised grandly in the air. "The fuck--"
"What in the seven hells is going ON?' Heero asked himself in confusion as he let out a few random missiles at his opponents. All missiles struck their respective targets, but, as with the sabres, didn't do any damage to the normally easily destructable Leos.
A shot from the Leos' weapons shook his whole mecha as Heero struggled to stay upright, the gyros in his Gundam's legs working double time as he wrestled with the controls. Once more engaging his thrusters he flew upwards and hovered, piloting his mobile suit out of the way as more shots came from the remaining Leos on the ground. He was completely aware that twenty of the offending Oz suits were circling his mecha gleefully, waiting for the perfect chance to attack. But he would not let them win. Defying gravity once more and flying even higher, he activated his Buster Rifle, aimed, and shot. The troops immediately scattered in a cloud of smoke, and the Perfect Soldier was just about to pat himself on the back when the smoke cleared.
All Leos were unharmed and flying towards him.
"Yuy! What the hell is going on?" Duo screamed from the comm link as he watched Heero fend off the Oz suits unsuccessfully. Slamming his hand on the accelerator button on his panel, Duo muttered unintelligibly to himself before shooting off to help his comrade. "What the--" he screamed as his Gundam hit an invisible force field. Grinding his teeth, Duo reversed, then flew forward, only to be slammed back against his seat by his harness as Deathscythe Hell hit the invisible dividing wall once more. "Heero!"
Meanwhile, Wing had its beam sabres back in hand and was slashing against the metallic bodies of the Oz troops in vain. Heero watched as his sabre made contact with the most sensitive part of the mobile suit's body, the force of its hit only to be deflected by that faint green energy that seemed to protect the mobile suits from each of his hits.
'He's using magic to shield the Leos from my attack.' The Wing pilot suddenly realized as he flew his Gundam back away as the fifty remaining suits advanced towards him from different directions. Duo was shouting his name in panic, and from his external sensors, he could see Deathscythe standing thirty feet away from him, forcefully trying to penetrate the invisible wall holding him back by cutting through it with his scythe.
Missiles came careening towards Wing in all directions, some Heero managed to dodge, some hit his Gundam's body. Though the missiles alone were not enough to completely penetrate Wing's Gundanium armor, the force it exerted was enough to play hell with his computer systems. The red warning lights began blinking on his panel, and the machines running his Gundam started churning unnaturally.
'Feel the power within you, Li Raiu. Use it.'(4a)
Ieran's voice suddenly echoed in his head, even as he strained to keep his control over his mecha as the fifty men Oz battalion started closing in around him.
"Heero!" Duo was yelling.
'Fight the binding force...use your magic...'(4b)
"I've got it!"
Reactivating his beam sabre, Heero shot his Gundam upward with break-neck speed. Hovering over the Oz battalion, he carefully initiated the target lock and aimed. While waiting, he felt inside him for the magic he knew he had and summoned it forward.
A white hot sensation started at the pit of his stomach and snaked up his spine just as the 'Target Locked' message blinked in front of him.
'Come forth and help me.' he pleaded as he forcefully released his magic at the same time that he pushed the the Beam Sabre's shoot button.
Thunder boomed loudly across the sky as Wing recoiled violently at the shot.
~ 0 ~
Both Sakura and Syaoran were panting loudly as they headed towards the clearing where the explosions were coming from, fearing the worst for both Heero and Duo.
They found Eriol and his Guardians looking up at the smoke-filled sky, a light shield protecting them as it rained metallic and electronic robot parts.
"What happened? Where are they? Where is my brother?" Syaoran demanded angrily as he stalked over to where his ancestor's reincarnation stood, grabbing the English boy by the shoulders and shaking him roughly.
Eriol merely smirked at him. "He passed my test." He told the other boy simply.
TBC
==don't get me wrong, guys, i really lOVED writing this chapter, but I think the battle scene was a stinking pile of shit! gomen if it's lousy (and corny! i wasn't thinking!). 9..9
FOOTNOTES:
1. You've seen this already, guys! That eerie, kinda weird expression Eriol gets in his face when there's gonna be trouble for the Card Captors?! Evil, yet, at the same time, cute? ^-^
2. Just to prevent confusion. I think I mentioned vaguely in chapter eight that both Heero and Duo drive too fast, and since Syaoran didn't want to be late, let's just say Heero got a LEETLE too carried away with the speed limit. ^-^
3. Thanks again for the info, Natsu-chan!
4a and b. Reference to Destiny-Chapter Two:Long-Lost Brothers (When he was being manipulated by Ieran's power)
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
Author's Notes: *yawns sleepily*
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Ten: Eriol's Test
Heero pulled his sword back from his attack, loving the feel of the comforting weight of his blade in his hand as he swung his sword around in a graceful arc, swinging it to hit one of the trees that served as his target. Wei had gone back to the apartment an hour ago after almost seven hours of helping Heero train. The old man might still have his superb sword-wielding skills intact, but age had done a lot to slow him down. So he left the older Li brother to practice while he rested his body for a while.
He absently wiped the sweat that had gathered on his brow as he delievered another well-aimed attack. He was about to swing another one when a sudden prickle at the back of his neck distracted him. Swiftly he whipped around in a ready-to-attack stance, his whole being alert.
"You've improved a lot since last week." A voice calmly observed from above him.
Heero surveyed his surroundings carefully in search of the speaker.
"I'm here, Raiu."
Hiiragizawa Eriol, clad in Clow Reed's full magician's garb, descended slowly from _somewhere_ to land gracefully in front of the Wing pilot. With the strangely dressed boy were two of the weirdest creatures Heero had ever seen in his entire life. One appeared to be a big black panther with butterfly wings, and the other, a teenage girl with long dark hair and wings resembling the other creature's.
"Clow Reed."
Eriol nodded curtly at him. Motioning to his two companions, the magician said. "These are my guardians, Raiu. Spinel Sun--" he pointed at the winged panther, then at the girl, "and Ruby Moon."
"Is he the kid's brother? The true heir?" Ruby Moon asked as she turned curious eyes at the Wing pilot. The English boy nodded at her. "I can see the resemblance, mostly through the facial expression." she commented.
"What do you want?"
Clow Reed's reincarnation gave him an eery smile as Ruby Moon impatiently flitted her wings in the air. "In a few days' time you will have to battle with the Card Mistress and her Cards. Do you think you will be ready for that?"
"Of course."
Eriol's eyes narrowed slightly, the way they usually do when he's up to something(1). "Very good." He said softly, his eyes glinting. Heero found himself sweating in slight nervousness as he stared up at the boy's expression. "I see that your physical training in the future has done you well, in terms of your skills and determination. And self-confidence, I might add." He smiled, and his smile was enough to put the fear of God into the Wing pilot. "But, of course," the magician added softly, with a hint of almost manic amusement in his voice as he stared unblinkingly at Heero's tense form. "Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first."
~ 0 ~
"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" Syaoran called out through the hallway impatiently. "We're going to be late!"
Duo came barreling out of the room he shared with Heero, his unbound hair trailing behind him as he stared at the younger boy in bemusement. "What's the rush, Syaoran-kun? We're just going to the ice cream parlor, not the Nobel awards night." He shook his head to fan out his still wet hair, before smirking at the other boy. "Want to make a good impression on Sakura-chan, I bet?" he quipped, dancing out of reach as Syaoran made a move to grab his hair.
Heero came out a few seconds later, shrugging on a gray long-sleeved shirt over his head. Duo sat down on the couch and began brushing his long tresses, singing softly to himself. "Sakura and Syaoran, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Cut it out, Duo!" The amber-eyed boy growled.
Heero slipped on his shoes and opened the door for the other two. "Fix your hair in the car." He instructed at a pouting Duo. "We're late."
"Aw! You Lis are no fun at ALL!!!"
"Out, Duo."
They rode the elevator down to the garage, where their rented car was parked. Heero had grown tired of having to sneak and pick open the lock of someone else's car and decided to rent one while they were in town. Within minutes they were walking inside the ice cream parlor, Duo's thick hair completely dry and braided, and Syaoran's face a sickly green in color.(2)
"What happened to you?" Tomoyo asked Syaoran worriedly as the young boy took a seat beside Eriol.
Duo grinned cheekily at her. "Heero happened. He drove us over."
The long-haired girl's expression cleared. "Oh."
"What are you having?" Heero pointedly interrupted. Both Duo and Syaoran gave him their orders.
Syaoran leaned forward in his seat when he noticed the uncomfortable expression on Sakura's face. She was sitting across him in the booth, sandwiched between Duo and Tomoyo. "What's wrong?" he asked her in concern.
Leaning close, the emerald-eyed girl whispered. "'Niichan's working parttime here tonight."
Duo shrugged at her. "So?"
Syaoran bit his lip. "Kinomoto-kun and I don't really get along well." he informed the braided pilot as he surveyed the ice cream parlor's interior warily for any signs of the older Kinomoto.
"So?"
A hostile greeting suddenly came from the counter. "Gaki's brother." Kinomoto Touya was saying with narrowed eyes as he glared daggers at the dark-haired boy standing in front of him.
"Kinomoto." Heero Yuy replied flatly, his face carefully neutral. His right hand twitched slightly in a squeezing motion.
"And, apparently, so does your brother." Tomoyo observed.
"What would be your order?" Touya asked forcefully as he held up his pen and pad, the fingers gripping the writing instrument almost white.
"Two--"
Heero was abruptly cut off as a loud explosion shook the entire place. Touya took a sudden step back in surprise, slipped, and banged his head on the counter's marble surface.
Duo immediately pulled the rest of the kids down in a huddle under the table before pulling out his gun. "The hell was that?!" He shouted amidst the chaos and pandemonium as Heero ran towards them, dragging with him an unconscious and bleeding Touya.
The Perfect Soldier also had his pistol out. Gesturing towards the bright orange flames outside the window, he flatly replied.
"Oz."
"Mother fucking shit!" The American pilot cursed as another explosion sounded not too far away. He tugged at Touya and pulled him under the meager protection of the table, where Sakura held on to her brother's prone form while staring wide-eyed at the two gun-wielding boys. "We've got to get everyone outta here before we stop these fuckers!"
"Hai."
Eriol held up a hand. "I'll hold them off with my magic." he volunteered. Syaoran's head turned to stare at him, his eyebrows furrowed, while Tomoyo gripped the English boy's shoulder tightly.
"Are you sure?" the raven-haired girl asked him in a high, panic-stricken voice as Eriol placed a hand over hers and gave it a small reassuring squeeze.
"I'll be fine."
Duo shook his head at them, half in amusement and half in irritation as Heero hoisted Touya over his shoulder. "Cool. Eriol, man, we're counting on you to buy us some time. We'll take the girls, then head over to the forest, where Ieran-san said that the Gundams would be. Everyone ok with this? Good. Let's go!" Looking both ways with his pistol out, Duo darted from under the table, followed closely by the others, and headed towards the exit.
Eriol watched them run out of the store before a malicious grin spread over his boyish features.
~ 0 ~
Syaoran cringed as the air around them was filled with loud, panicked screams. The fires resulting from the explosions were now spreading rapidly across town. He held on tightly to Sakura's hand as they ran out of the shop, with Duo in the lead holding on to a weeping Tomoyo, Heero bringing up the rear with Touya over his shoulder.
Tugging on her hand so that they trail behind the running group, he whispered. "Sakura-chan, use Watery to kill the flames."
Sakura turned frightened eyes at him. "Hai." she said in a trembling voice. Slipping the Key off her neck, she urgently whispered. "Release!"
Instantly her wand appeared in her hands. Trying to keep up with the brisk pace of the two pilots with them, the Card Mistress pulled out one of her cards and tossed it in the air. "Watery!" she called out, holding up her wand near the card.
Nothing happened.
"Watery!" she tried again, much more forcefully this time as Duo and Heero made a sharp turn to the left. "Watery Card!"
Still nothing happened.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked the Chinese boy in panic as they hurriedly ran after their companions, one of her hands groping around to clasp Syaoran's. "Why is my Card not working?"
Her frantic question was answered by a sudden flash of white light.
"Syaoran-kun?" she whispered, as both of them came to a complete stop in the middle of a clearing. "Is that--"
Syaoran nodded grimly. "Clow Reed."
~ 0 ~
Duo's breath was only just starting to hitch in his throat when he caught sight of a hulking mass of metal well-hidden under a large cammo net. "Oi, Heero!" he called out to his partner a few feet back, his eyes shining, "Looks like we've found our team!"
Heero came running a few seconds later, having deposited the still-unconscious Touya down on the ground with the three kids. "Move, Maxwell!" he barked as he headed towards his Wing Zero.
Duo ran excitedly towards Deathscythe Hell, his violet eyes glinting madly as he hitched a portion of the cammo net upward to reveal part of the large metallic foot of his Gundam. "Oi, Deathscythe! Hisashiburi ne!" he greeted his mecha gleefully.
Syaoran watched in fascination as the two huge war machines were revealed in front of his eyes.
"What are those things?" Tomoyo asked in a frightened voice as she stared up unblinkingly at the mechas' metallic feet as Heero and Duo began climbing their way up their Gundams lying on the forest floor.
Heero was already facing the cockpit of Wing Zero. He thumbed a switch and the hatch hissed open. Once inside, he keyed in his password and watched expressionlessly as data began to scroll quickly on the screen, bathing his face in sickly green glow. He strapped his seat harness on almost absentmindedly as he watched Wing Zero's status and logistics dance in front of his face. Turning the comm unit on, he keyed into Duo's frequency and barked, "Pilot 01 to pilot 02. Do you read?"
"Copy that, 01. Can you send me data about our mission? Over." Duo teased in a fake air-traffic controller voice as his grinning face appeared on the visuals unit.
"Hn. Baka."
"So, we're back to business, ne, Hee-chan?"
"Looks like it." Switching on his Gundam's external optic sensors, he zoomed in on the three figures huddled a few feet away. "Stay there, you hear me? No matter what happens, don't go anywhere."
At Duo's openly grinning face in the visuals unit, Heero said flatly. "Let's go."
~ 0 ~
Eriol held up the Key in front of him as people around him ran and panicked.
"Key that conceals the power of Darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under contract.Release!"(3)
His long staff appeared almost instantly in his hands.
Turning to look at the battalion of mobile suits currently attacking the town of Tomoeda, he summoned his power...
And began magically controlling the Oz troops.
~ 0 ~
Sakura and Tomoyo watched the two Gundams take off with their mouths hanging open. A few feet away, Syaoran stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a slight frown on his face. Seeing this, Sakura called out. "Syaoran?"
He jerked his head suddenly to look at her, his eyes distant and contemplative.
"What's wrong?"
"It feels strange. I've never felt Eriol release this much power before."
She tentatively tested the air around her, and immediately jumped at the strength of the magic vibrating in it. He was right. Eriol had never released that much power, not even when he tested her. "I know. But why do you think--"
"I think he's starting his task." Syaoran took a deep breath and stared off in space. "I think this is his test for my brother."
~ 0 ~
"Visual on the enemy, Yuy. Ident. confirmed. Leos." Duo's voice crackled over the comm link as he and Heero flew across Tomoeda in search of their enemies. "What's our battle plan?"
Static hissing.
Then, Heero spoke up in an eerily calm voice. "Seek and destroy."
"All right!" Duo crowed, even as the thumbnail image of him in the visuals unit pumped its fist excitedly in the air.
Both Gundams landed amidst the carnage surrounding the area where the Leos stood, with the black Gundam's green thermal scythe gleaming madly in the darkness as Duo cackled insanely at the Leos. As soon as Heero's Gundam had touched the ground, a jolt of power ran through his limbs, surprising him. Could it be...Straining his eyes, he observed the mobile suits surrounding them.
His blood froze in his veins as he detected a faint green glow surrounding them.
'Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first.'
Shit.
Clow Reed was at work, and he was NOT going to make this mission any easier.
Gripping the control panel's stick tightly with his hand, his eyes trained on the eighty mobile enemies in front of him, the Perfect Soldier gave his signal. "Go for it, Duo."
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
He watched as Deathscythe immediately took to the air with thirty Leos at his feet. With a mighty swing of his scythe, four of the Oz troops exploded in a ball of fire. Manical laughter echoed from the long-haired pilot as Heero wrestled with his controls, engaging his thrusters and pulling out his beam sabres in the process. In one swift motion he had Wing high in the air and flying downward in an alarming speed, beam sabres raised and ready.
He delivered a deadly attack at the nearest Leo, expecting it to explode, but it didn't.
His sabres didn't even scratch the mobile suit's paint.
"What the fuck--" Heero looked up to see Deathscythe pause from his own battle, thermal scythe poised grandly in the air. "The fuck--"
"What in the seven hells is going ON?' Heero asked himself in confusion as he let out a few random missiles at his opponents. All missiles struck their respective targets, but, as with the sabres, didn't do any damage to the normally easily destructable Leos.
A shot from the Leos' weapons shook his whole mecha as Heero struggled to stay upright, the gyros in his Gundam's legs working double time as he wrestled with the controls. Once more engaging his thrusters he flew upwards and hovered, piloting his mobile suit out of the way as more shots came from the remaining Leos on the ground. He was completely aware that twenty of the offending Oz suits were circling his mecha gleefully, waiting for the perfect chance to attack. But he would not let them win. Defying gravity once more and flying even higher, he activated his Buster Rifle, aimed, and shot. The troops immediately scattered in a cloud of smoke, and the Perfect Soldier was just about to pat himself on the back when the smoke cleared.
All Leos were unharmed and flying towards him.
"Yuy! What the hell is going on?" Duo screamed from the comm link as he watched Heero fend off the Oz suits unsuccessfully. Slamming his hand on the accelerator button on his panel, Duo muttered unintelligibly to himself before shooting off to help his comrade. "What the--" he screamed as his Gundam hit an invisible force field. Grinding his teeth, Duo reversed, then flew forward, only to be slammed back against his seat by his harness as Deathscythe Hell hit the invisible dividing wall once more. "Heero!"
Meanwhile, Wing had its beam sabres back in hand and was slashing against the metallic bodies of the Oz troops in vain. Heero watched as his sabre made contact with the most sensitive part of the mobile suit's body, the force of its hit only to be deflected by that faint green energy that seemed to protect the mobile suits from each of his hits.
'He's using magic to shield the Leos from my attack.' The Wing pilot suddenly realized as he flew his Gundam back away as the fifty remaining suits advanced towards him from different directions. Duo was shouting his name in panic, and from his external sensors, he could see Deathscythe standing thirty feet away from him, forcefully trying to penetrate the invisible wall holding him back by cutting through it with his scythe.
Missiles came careening towards Wing in all directions, some Heero managed to dodge, some hit his Gundam's body. Though the missiles alone were not enough to completely penetrate Wing's Gundanium armor, the force it exerted was enough to play hell with his computer systems. The red warning lights began blinking on his panel, and the machines running his Gundam started churning unnaturally.
'Feel the power within you, Li Raiu. Use it.'(4a)
Ieran's voice suddenly echoed in his head, even as he strained to keep his control over his mecha as the fifty men Oz battalion started closing in around him.
"Heero!" Duo was yelling.
'Fight the binding force...use your magic...'(4b)
"I've got it!"
Reactivating his beam sabre, Heero shot his Gundam upward with break-neck speed. Hovering over the Oz battalion, he carefully initiated the target lock and aimed. While waiting, he felt inside him for the magic he knew he had and summoned it forward.
A white hot sensation started at the pit of his stomach and snaked up his spine just as the 'Target Locked' message blinked in front of him.
'Come forth and help me.' he pleaded as he forcefully released his magic at the same time that he pushed the the Beam Sabre's shoot button.
Thunder boomed loudly across the sky as Wing recoiled violently at the shot.
~ 0 ~
Both Sakura and Syaoran were panting loudly as they headed towards the clearing where the explosions were coming from, fearing the worst for both Heero and Duo.
They found Eriol and his Guardians looking up at the smoke-filled sky, a light shield protecting them as it rained metallic and electronic robot parts.
"What happened? Where are they? Where is my brother?" Syaoran demanded angrily as he stalked over to where his ancestor's reincarnation stood, grabbing the English boy by the shoulders and shaking him roughly.
Eriol merely smirked at him. "He passed my test." He told the other boy simply.
TBC
==don't get me wrong, guys, i really lOVED writing this chapter, but I think the battle scene was a stinking pile of shit! gomen if it's lousy (and corny! i wasn't thinking!). 9..9
FOOTNOTES:
1. You've seen this already, guys! That eerie, kinda weird expression Eriol gets in his face when there's gonna be trouble for the Card Captors?! Evil, yet, at the same time, cute? ^-^
2. Just to prevent confusion. I think I mentioned vaguely in chapter eight that both Heero and Duo drive too fast, and since Syaoran didn't want to be late, let's just say Heero got a LEETLE too carried away with the speed limit. ^-^
3. Thanks again for the info, Natsu-chan!
4a and b. Reference to Destiny-Chapter Two:Long-Lost Brothers (When he was being manipulated by Ieran's power)
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
