Only Time
By: Zarabeth McGregor
Chapter 16
Disclaimer: The only reason I keep repeating myself is because I've been advised by my lawyer to do so. So, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon because I don't have the creative genius to come up with such remarkable shows. I don't even have shares in either of the companies, so there you go.
*Scratches back of head* Uh, I don't think I ever recall being called evil so many times under the same set of circumstances…
You thought my cliffy was evil? Have any of you ever read 'The Vampire Lestat'? THAT was a cliffhanger. Oh my God, I cried when I saw that…Oh, well, I'm reading 'Queen of the Damned' right now, so I'm kind of happy…I nearly went crazy during those two days I had to wait for it, so imagine those poor people who had to wait three YEARS for it to be published…
Q or C and A:
Demon Angel Fyre: You know what? Damn you! People don't listen to her! She's mad, I tell you, mad!!!! Yes, but you see, High School's uniforms are a dull, drab blue. Ami's clothes are a nice vibrant blue! I swear to God them peeps need to change the uniform…
Jessica: No, you shouldn't have! *cackles* Anyways, I'll let up on y'all…for now anyways…
Kid: I guess so. I'm just guessing, cause you see, my dad gathered me and my siblings together and told us 'if I catch any of y'all on a motorbike while I'm driving down the road, I'll knock y'all off of it'. *sigh* oh, well, there's always university!
Well, I've had a guy friend tell me that my stories are too sappy for his soul, so I kind of thought…*shrugs*
Aren't we all? Oh, I'll email you later down in the week.
Oldestof3: I wonder too…
Mercury Ice Storm: Damn me?! Damn me?! Do you know how long I've been waiting for the fifth chapter of 'Finding Someone to Love'? Girl, I'm grieving for that chapter, so I think I'm going to die before you do. Update for the love of God! Please!
Myst Lady: You have trouble updating stuff? Honey, the amount of unfinished stories I have on the Net is no longer a laughing matter…I started reading The Count and the Guardian, but I had to get off the computer…*sigh* I'll read Guns and Roses as soon as I can, I swear. Thanks again. Oh, and if you do post up that story, let me know, please!
Mink: You didn't mind the cliffy? *laughs insanely* Never? Okay, my bad…
WikeD tEnShI: *laughs* Sorry, but…I don't know…the temptation…yeah…
Meio-chan: Okay, okay! Read on, then! So, you do? At any rate, the suspense won't last for very long…
Autumn Ice: Oh, yes…school, oh so wonderful school…*sighs in a depressed way* I haven't fallen asleep in any classes yet, so I guess I'm holding out fairly well…No, it's a very good place!
Gaeamaker13: I know, hon, I know…but I love it!
Kate: Maybe she will, maybe she won't…*smiles*
Kaiya: No, there isn't…most fortunately for me!
Cappuccino IS coming along just fine! * looks at dog who is giving her a mutinous look* She's just upset 'cause I didn't give her any doggie treats today! Hmph!
You'll live, BTW. *evil cackle*
Jchild: But of course you don't…very bad things happen when you do. *laughs* Me? Mean? Nasty? Nooooo…say it ain't so! *laughs again*
Arella Hallo: *gulps* Just how much of a bruisin' am I cruisin' for? *whimpers* I bruise very easily, you know…
Amy: Evilest? Read 'The Vampire Lestat'…now that was the evilest of evil cliffies…*mutters about the nerve and evilness of Anne Rice*
Silver Star: No, they aren't…at least, when I'm not on the receiving end…
Doom: *blinks stupidly and confused, remembers learning how to treat…these particular type of people* Yeah! How'd you guess? You must be psychic!
Crystal Dragon: *bows graciously* you still love me, don't you?
Minimerc: Yes, I do! It's my fave pastime! No, seriously, I sit down and try to figure out how I can cliffhanger a chapter…you don't believe me, do you?
Amanda: Gomen! I promise, I'll make it up to you in this chapter!
IL195: *gasp* Omigod! You laughed!
Eternal Sailor Mercury: Read 'The Vampire Lestat'. As I said, THAT was evil…Oh; you're quite evil yourself! A month?! I don't think I'm that evil…*cackles, blinks* Ahem, yes, and…what do you plan to do with the scythe? I will make time to read your fic, by the way.
ChibiTenshi: *curtseys* Why Thank you!
~*~
"Oh…" that was all I could say. I put a hand to my mouth in disbelief, barely able to hide it. "Oh…" These were things one read about in books or saw in movies. Never before had I been so close to something like this. I had never been within walking distance of castle.
That wasn't what surprised me the most, however. For some reason, I had this opinion that castles were ugly, cumbersome structures that only served to remind the world of the tyrants and despots disguised as rulers the Dark Ages produced. Never had I seen one so beautiful.
It was gracefully large and seemed to be an extension of the cliff it was perched on. The usually dull and dreary grey stones seemed to be made of glow in the afternoon sun. The towers, placed at intervals, seemed to reach up and touch the clear cerulean sky, and even from my vantage point, I could make out several windows, which seemed to be made of stained glass. I was in awe, to say the least. In Japan, we had palaces. They were beautiful, but it was a refined beauty. This castle before me had a rugged charm to it. I closed my eyes and I saw knights walking around in their armor, their strong stallions decked with beautiful silk fabrics. Women wearing heavy wool gowns and cone-looking hats wrapped with sheer fabrics matching their dresses, up in the castle, looking over balconies, waving silk kerchiefs at them. I could smell the heavy musk of the spies brought back from my country, being added to traditional English stews and puddings.
"I take it you're impressed," Duo said, bringing me back from my little fantasy. To tell the truth, I was so wrapped up in my reverie, I forgot he was there. I smiled back up at him.
"Of course," I replied breathlessly. "This is the kind thing I love." I barely contained my excitement.
"I thought so," he nodded and started out to the bottom of the cliff. "Let's go up." I ran eagerly to catch up with him. For about ten minutes, we hiked up the cliff. This was when I found myself wondering if Duo was a mountain goat in another life or something because he climbed up the rocky terrain like it was a walk in the park. I, on the other hand, was panting before we had even reached halfway up. Duo helped me the last quarter of the way. And to think I should be fit.
We finally reached after what seemed like an eternity. Once again, I was stupefied. The structure was even more impressive up close. I was keenly aware of the great height, because I really couldn't see the towers as clearly when I looked up. I guess it should've have been just like standing in front of a skyscraper, or even less impressive. But while there was skyscrapers three times the height of this castle, they didn't have nine hundred years of history under their belts.
"Do you want to go inside?" Duo asked. I nodded and he led me along the length of the castle until we were at a plain wooden door. I was surprised to see that it was still intact, knowing that it was quite possibly a millennium old. He opened it (it was also functioning) and we walked in quietly.
Today was a day for awe-inspiring moments it seemed, because I was speechless for the third time in half an hour. While the castle was stripped of the finery it possessed in its glory days, I figured it more beautiful now. The roof had caved in in certain places; sometimes in big portions, whole sections of it were gone, sometimes in small areas no more than a foot across. This allowed the sunlight to shine through in the most interesting ways. The stained glass windows I saw earlier allowed some sunlight to stream through, painting a colorful mural on the stone floor. All in all, it had a barren beauty to it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" it wasn't a questioned, nor was it directed to me. Duo mused seemed to just whisper it to the wind.
"Yes," I replied, nevertheless. Duo seemed to experience the same thing I did earlier; he looked at me like he was wondering how I got there. It only lasted for a few seconds, though. "Do you know the history?" I asked when he snapped out of it.
"Yeah," he answered. We were walking down a hallway. I found I loved it immensely, simply because of the way the sunlight filtered through. At the beginning of it, darkness, but further down was a huge pool of sunlight. As we passed under the open area in the roof, Duo started.
"It was built in the 12th century, around 1140, to be exact. A retired knight called Hugh the Relentless was lord of this castle. Let's just say his name suited him, huh?" Duo looked down on me for my approval. I smiled and nodded. He took this as his cue to continue. "For the sake of the story, I'll tell you he was a very stubborn man. Hugh felt what he said was law and he expected people to follow, no excuses. Anyway, he had three sons, John, Richard and Edward. Richard and Edward were older and therefore more obliging to their father, but John, the youngest, was more free-spirited and headstrong. He and his father argued about everything; from politics to tenant issues. And it wasn't always verbal either." Now, we passed from under the sunlight into darkness. The hallway now branched off into two directions. We took the one to the left. We were now in a large room, with a long, thick, wooden table in the middle of it. I guessed this was the dining room because of the broken down chairs strewn near it and a large fireplace.
"John often resisted his father and succeeded," Duo continued as we walked along the table. I ran my fingers over it, desperate to touch something in this place, knowing I would've touched a piece of history. A thick, grimy layer of dust covered my fingers. "However, Hugh would win the most important argument. Seeing as he was a knight, Hugh wanted John to follow in his footsteps. His older sons were well on the way, so he felt justified. In fact, he wanted John to be a part of the Crusades. John protested bitterly. For the next few days, the two of them argued over it, until finally Hugh presented his son with an ultimatum, join the Crusades or lose your inheritance. John was pissed, to say the least, but he agreed."
By now we were out of the living room and walking down another hallway. This time it was a bit wider and darker, seeing as the roof was intact. Along the length of the hall, there were more stained glass windows, which created a surreal, almost dream-like atmosphere as the sunlight caught and projected their colors. They depicted scenes of the Crusades as well as biblical themes.
"So, he went on the Fourth Crusade in 1189, hating his father more than ever. John was unprepared for the harshness of the Crusades. Men dying around him from the brutal cold and starvation, the overwhelming feeling of loneliness though he was around thousands of people, it's enough to make anyone's willpower break. But John somehow survived to see Jerusalem."
We now came upon a staircase. Above it, impossible to miss, was a large coat-arms. It depicted a giant foot crushing a snake, which had its fangs buried into the ankle of its anonymous assailant. Around it were some Latin words: 'Nemo Me Impune Lacessit', roughly translated meaning: 'Let Him Who Would Offend Me Beware!' I found it fitting. We made our way up.
"The story between there was lost, except for this part: He fell in love." Duo sighed as he said this. "He met a Jewish peasant girl there and after a short courtship, they decided to run away together. However, John, for some weird reason, wanted to come back here." I frowned at this. Did he expect his father to accept them? We were now on the landing and we faced yet another long hallway. This time, there were little pinpricks of light shining through.
"So, the both of them found their way back to England and to this castle. When John told his father that he planned to marry this girl with or without his blessing, Hugh flew into a rage. He denounced his son and threatened to take away his inheritance if he didn't forget about the girl. But John already made his decision." Duo led me into a room. It was of a comfortable size with a large window facing us. All the glass and panes had been removed or broken out because the window was completely empty.
"A fight ensued, which eventually got physical. John's unofficial fiancée came in and tried to get Hugh off John as he was chocking him, telling him he will kill him before he would disgrace his family name. She tried to pulled Hugh off, but he was stronger. Whether it was accidental or not, we don't know, but Hugh slapped the girl. She stumbled back, unable to regain her balance…" Duo pointed straight ahead of us. "And fell out of the window."
I gasped, quite involuntarily. I now understood why the glass and panes had been completely broken out. The window was big enough to accommodate a fully-grown person comfortably.
"What did John do?" I asked softly. Duo shrugged.
"Never said. That's where the story ends," he replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. I walked over to the window and reluctantly peered down. Sharp, jagged rocks greeted me. I closed my eyes, imagining myself falling down from this window. Having the rocks tear at my flesh and impale me. I considered the possibility that she mightn't have died immediately, John's nameless love. Oh, the unimaginable pain she must have felt. I sighed, feeling tears standing in my eyes. I could feel the pain in this room, the sorrow. It was almost tangible.
"Hey," he said, coming up behind me. I looked up and he tilted my chin upwards with his fingers. "I didn't bring you here to make you depressed." I smiled.
"I know but…" I started, sighing, but Duo cut me off.
"Come on. Let's dance," he said, taking my hands in his and pulling from the window. I laughed.
"There isn't any music," I protested. Duo shrugged.
"So?" he replied. He took me in his arms and started to hum a waltz-styled song. Soon, we were twirling around the room, laughing. I soon joined in his humming. I loved the tune; it was lively, but melancholy at the same time.
"What are the words to this song?" I asked, one of the times he spun me back in. Duo wrinkled his nose. Then he smiled.
"I don't know," he confessed. "But we can make up our own." I laughed, Duo once again delighting me with his casual absurdity. "Uh…" he looked like he was in deep thought, though he still led me gracefully around the room. " 'I been so many places I seen so many faces,'" I cracked up when I realized he was singing the chorus of Eminem's 'Purple Hills' perfectly in tune with the waltz.
"What?" he asked, like he was doing something perfectly normal. I laughed even harder. " 'We're meant to be together, I'll be there and you'll be near and that's the deal my dear,'" Now he sang Shakira's 'Whenever, Wherever'. I hung my head back and laughed louder than ever.
" 'Ugly!"' I sang out the chorus to Bubba Sparxxx's hit single. Duo started to laugh. We were twirling and spin like crazy; the room was a blur. Duo started to hum the tune of the song and we started to sing it, as loudly and tunelessly as possible. It was quite humorous, seeing as we really didn't know the lyrics and we started to improvise. Soon we got into playful arguments on the lyrics. I vaguely realized that I was waltzing to a hip-hop song.
A few minutes later, I realized we were slowing down. We were still singing the song, but not as uproariously as before. We weren't even waltzing anymore; it was more like rotating slowly on a spot.
I looked up at Duo, into his brilliant blue eyes, and I also realized I was feeling lightheaded. Whether it was from the waltzing or what, I didn't know. We had stopped singing a few minutes aback. He was looking down at me as I gazed at him.
"Look into my eyes," Duo started to sing, softly. I noted that he didn't sound that bad, in fact he sounded perfectly divine. This wasn't the voice that was waking the dead and killing them again ten minutes ago. This was clear, smooth baritone. I found myself swaying slightly, but not once did I take my eyes off of him. And he stayed focused on me.
"You will see, what you mean to me," he went on, his voice still hypnotic. We weren't moving at all now.
"Search your heart, search your soul. And when you find me there you'll search no more," his voice was down to a whisper now, but I could hear each word crystal clear. I was definitely dizzy now, because I could feel my knees about ready to give out. I still didn't know why.
We were absolutely still now, I stopped swaying just a while ago. We were in the middle of the large, breezy room, sunlight streaming in; it gave me a sleepy feeling. Or maybe it was from staring into Duo's eyes for so long.
Duo tilted my chin gently with his fingers, so I got a clearer view of his eyes. I noticed they weren't just blue, but also a sort of violet that reflected green as well.
Slowly, he lowered his face to mine. Instinctively, I lowered my lashes. I guess I knew what was coming; I just didn't know when I realized. Perhaps I knew all along. I could feel his breath on my lips, warm and sweet. I tightened my grip on his hand slightly.
Oh, his lips touched mine ever so softly, so tenderly. They were like the butterfly kisses a child gives you, their lashes brushing lightly on your cheek. Only this time they sent waves of feeling over me. I felt suddenly light, the dizziness intensifying. His lips moved from my lips to the corner of my mouth and I heard someone moan. Whether it was Duo or I, I couldn't tell. Duo pulled his hand from mine and cradled the back of my head, his fingers caressing my scalp, running through my hair. Tentatively, slowly, I put my arms around his neck, my hands running gingerly along his nape. His hair was so soft, so smooth; it was almost dreamlike.
My hair tumbled out of my ponytail holder, and Duo pulled me closer to him. His lips were moving slowly, so torturously slow along my jaw-line. My head lulled to the side as I moaned softly. My hands walked along his shoulders, gripping them every few moments as Duo sent waves of pleasure over me. His hand, the one that wasn't in my hair, ran along my arm, raising goose pimples in its wake. Oh, this was so unlike anything I've ever felt before. I vaguely realized that this was my very first kiss.
Duo settled a slow, long kiss below my earlobe before he pulled away much to my dismay. I then noticed my eyes had been closed. I opened them slowly, still reeling from what just took place. I sighed deeply.
"Are you okay?" he asked me softly. No, no I wasn't, I wanted to say. Instead I put my words into action.
I must've shocked Duo, because I know I was stunned, I pulled his face to mine and planted my lips on his. A song ran through my head as I did so:
And I feel so light
This is all I wanna feel tonight
Tonight I feel so light
Tonight and the rest of my life.
Oh! I am done!!!!! Whew, I was supposed to have this up since Monday! Well, things are definitely heating up, huh? What's your favorite shape? Oh, that thing about Ami's first kiss; if I'm wrong, please excuse me because to tell the truth, I didn't watch much of Sailor Moon. Sorry!