Beyond Omega
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes:
I do not own Gundam Wing, it's characters, etc, etc. However, the story and characters this fic is based on, are mine. The original story is something I've been working on for well over six years now, though I've never told it in any form for various reasons. After noticing how well the GW cast would fit into some of the roles, I decided to have some fun as well as experiment with telling the story for the first time. This fic is only one part of the original "epic", I'm not bothering with the first three "books" of the original, since it would call for an insane amount of original characters that I know no one wants to sit through. ^_^; So although I'm trying to keep it from getting too heavy, there may be a lot of confusing explantions, especially in the first few chapters, even with a lot of "unnecessary detail" trimming. ^^;
Okay, now to the things you really want to know. ^_^; Quatre's the main character here, though there's definitely going to be stuff going on with the other characters. The world may revolve around Quatre, but this is a big world. ^_~; There may or may not be lemon scenes in this fic, it all depends on my mood when the scenes come along. However you should be warned that there's a very good chance there will be, and it could be yaoi, non-yaoi, or likely both. Which brings us to the subject that will probably insure that no one will read this fic if everything previous hasn't already scared ya off... ^^; Pairings that I know for sure will appear somewhere during the course of the fic: 1xR and 2xH. Main pairings in the fic: 4xD and 4x3. Though it's going to be a good while until either Trowa or Dorothy show up. If you really can't read it without knowing the definites on the last two, just e-mail me about it, and I'll tell you. No questions asked, I'll understand. ^^ Well, now that it's all said, I've finished this chapter, knowing that because of many factors, almost no one is going to read it. But this is definitely going to be an interesting experiment for me (LOL, this is pretty much my creative life's work! Sad, I know ^^;), and I'm hoping someone (uh, anyone? ^^;;) out there gives it a chance! Okay, I'll shut up now.
***
"I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last,
the beginning and the end."
- Revelation 22:12
***
Chapter 1
The soft soles of his yellow sneakers made no sound on the polished floor as he made his way through the vast corridors of the palace. Wearing a loose black leather jacket over a tight white tanktop, and form fitting black stretchpants, he was an odd sight. Only the silver circlet about his head that dropped into a triangular point between his eyes, centered with a blood-like diamond jewel, gave any clue to his royal heritage.
Beneath short, yet wild, tossed chocolate brown hair, dark steel-blue eyes glanced towards the towering transparent wall on his left that stretched from end to end of the corridor. The watery light of dawn drifted through, washing over the vines and plants that sprouted and dangled over almost every surface, even the light fixtures. Crystal droplets of dew still clung to the many exotic flowers that decorated the palace, creating an ethereal atmosphere that made him feel more like he was traveling through a vast rainforest than anything else.
After turning several corners in a path he'd taken countless times before, he stopped before a door hidden away from the light. Gently, he knocked at the door. When there was no response, he placed his palm on the identification plate beside the doorframe.
"Heero Yuy, authorization Alpha."
With a buzzing response, the door unlocked and slid open.
"You haven't forgotten the Draca are arriving today, have you?" He entered, switching on the lights. It was a large room, but nothing compared to the huge corridors outside. There were almost no plants here beyond a few ferns and flowers in the far corners. The walls were lined with bookcases and bureaus, with the occasional shelf of photos and trinkets. His eyes automatically headed towards a cluttered desk in the midst of it all, but found no one there.
At the far end of the room, a soft moan came from beneath a lumpy featherbed.
With a shake of his head, he approached the complaining lump. "Princess, don't you hear me?"
"I hear you," grumbled a feminine voice from beneath the lump on the bed. "Now get out."
"How do I know you won't just go back to sleep?" Heero raised a bushy eyebrow.
Slowly, a head of tangled blonde hair and threatening blue eyes emerged from beneath the covers. "If you don't get out and let me get dressed in peace, I swear, I will find a way to make you suffer."
Heero smirked. "Is that a threat?"
A pillow flew out and smacked him in the head, sending his circlet askew. His eyes rolled up as he turned and marched out of the room. He ignored the giggles that followed him out.
***
"Hurry up! Quatre, we're going to miss everything!"
The boy with the long chestnut brown braid and the violet eyes bounced up and down impatiently. Like most young boys his age, he wore only a long cloth tied about his waist that hung loosely in the front and back as a loincloth, and a pair of strapped sandals. Duo's cloth was black, his favorite color, with a few blue designs stitched in by his mother. He paced his worn sandals back and forth in front of the cottage where his best friend lived.
Only to jump in surprise when the front door suddenly opened up to reveal a mountain of a man in a long grey robe. Duo squeaked. It was Quatre's guardian, Rashid. "Hey, don't scare me like that! Rashid, where's Quatre?"
"Quatre can't play outside today," Rashid answered gruffly.
"What!?" Duo screeched. "Why not? The Draca are visiting the kingdom today! Me an' Quatre were going to watch 'em fly in, but we gotta get there early! Please, please, Rashid!"
Rashid shook his head firmly. "Quatre has his studies. Perhaps it would do you good to remember your own. Maybe tomorrow, Duo." With that, he closed the door.
"Studies!?" Duo cried. "I studied yesterday! Awww, Quatre!"
Suddenly, a small blonde head popped out of a window towards the top of the cottage.
"Quatre!"
"Shhhhh!" Quatre hissed. His bright blue eyes glanced over his shoulder nervously, then leaned out towards Duo. "I'm coming down, catch me!"
"Huh!? Catch you!?"
Without another word, the small blonde boy jumped out the window towards Duo. Almost immediately they both went crashing to the forest floor. Swaying slightly, Quatre pushed himself up on his nearly squished friend.
"Sorry... It was the only way out."
"Ufff!" Duo crawled away. "Damn, Quatre! You're heavier than you look!"
After picking himself up, Quatre helped Duo to his feet. He was dressed in a fashion identical to Duo. The only real differences were that his loincloth was white, and the wide black band of cloth tied tight around his right thigh. He ran off down the trail behind the cottage, dragging Duo behind him.
"Quick, let's get out of here before Rashid notices I'm missing!"
"What's with him anyway?" Duo stumbled as he caught up to Quatre's pace. "He's usually so cool..."
"Dunno, when I told him the Draca were coming today, he said I couldn't go out."
"That's just weird," Duo grunted and shrugged the matter off. "You better hurry up, or I'm going to get to see a dragon before you do!" He laughed and ran ahead of Quatre.
"Hey! Slow down!" Quatre puffed, scrambling to catch up with the braided boy.
***
As the sun ascended from behind the vast wall of the Ashlock mountains, its light spread over the seemingly endless forestlands beyond them. This wild land embraced by the mountains was known as the Cinq kingdom, home of the Peacecraft royal family, whose influence and ruling power extended far beyond their own people. According to legend, long ago, it was a Peacecraft who led the slaveclass to freedom and became the first king. Now it was always a Peacecraft who led the free kingdoms in war and peacetime. Whether she wanted to or not.
Standing atop the largest structure in the entire kingdom, Princess Relena felt overwhelmed by the enormous size of the forest surrounding her. It looked like nothing but endless trees, but she knew that down there an entire civilization was living their lives, looking up to her almost as they would a goddess. Her ancestors had been extraordinary people, but she herself felt unworthy of the incredible respect given to her. It was only chance that she was descended from them and shared their name. Yet there she was, standing on the great golden pyramid which was the royal palace. It dwarfed the most gigantic of the ancient trees, and could be seen anywhere in the entire kingdom. Their people preferred simple living, but the palace had been built as a monument, a symbol of their achievements.
She hadn't earned the right to be the lady of such a magnificent palace, and she didn't feel she would ever be a proper princess. If it weren't for Heero always at her side she didn't know how she would manage. He no longer had a kingdom or a people to speak of, but he was more of a royal than she could ever imagine being. She tugged at the long sleeves of the white jumpsuit she wore, trying to straighten it out. About to reach down and adjust her gray boots, she felt a hand at her shoulder, causing her to jolt.
"Relax, Princess. You forgot this."
She looked up to find Heero holding her circlet out to her. It was a brilliant gold, and like Heero's own, it had a triangular point rising out of it. Centered in it was an aqua blue jem in a diamond shape. She slid it on hastily, barely making sure that the point was facing up, as was proper for a female royal.
"Thank you." She tucked her honey-colored hair behind her ears, trying uselessly to hide it from the playful winds that tugged and danced with it. "Do you have any idea what this is all about? I don't remember Queen Silva ever coming down from the mountains before. You don't think they've seen something happening on the other side of the mountains, do you?"
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Just because she hasn't been down from there since the last big war doesn't necessarily mean anything. Dragons like keeping to themselves. We'll find out soon enough."
"Look!" Shouted one of the court members behind them. "Towards the mountains!"
Appearing to soar out of the glowing disc of the sun itself, several large winged shapes glided out over the forest sky. As they approached the palace, she felt Heero stiffen beside her. Her own heart was thudding wildly in her chest as the air went into a frenzy, heavy with the sound of slapping leather. Like bizarre birds of prey, the dragons landed effortlessly only a few feet before her. These were the Draca.
A few of them glowered at Heero, while the others were far more reserved. At the forefront was the largest of them, Silva Draca, Queen of Dragons.
According to their old stories, the Draca had once been no different than any other human being. Anyone that saw them would have a hard time believing it. The Draca were within their own race, perhaps one of the most diverse creatures on the planet. They came in various shapes and sizes, some mammalian in appearance, others reptilian, and most somewhere inbetween. Silva's thick leathery skin was dark green, while the bat-like wings folded on her back were covered with tiny, faded baby blue scales. Her sharp claws and small horns running down her snout, ending in a long one on her nose, and the large barbs on her tail were a shimmering mother of pearl. Around long pointed ears and above dark blue human-like eyes, a shock of pink hair extended down her long slender neck. This serpent-like neck bowed in greeting.
"Good morning Princess Relena. And Prince Heero."
"And good morning to you as well," Relena smiled. "It's been a long time since you've visited our kingdom, even though we are neighbors. This is a real honor."
"The Draca have always been proud to serve your family, princess." Silva spoke softly. "Which is why you must hear all that I have to tell you."
"Hn." Heero frowned. "This isn't just a friendly visit, is it?"
"I'm afraid not. This is a very serious matter." The dragon lifted herself up to crouch on her hind legs. "Have you ever heard of the Omega Prophecy?"
Heero's frown deepened.
Relena looked between Heero and Silva with concern.
"The Omega Prophecy?"
***
"Duo! Please stop!"
With a moan, Duo stopped and turned around. Quatre was still far behind him on the forest trail trying to catch up, huffing and puffing.
"C'mon!"
"Slow down!" Quatre pouted. "You know I can't run as fast as you can."
"What, do you want me to carry you there or something?" Duo sighed, waiting. A small movement in the trees near the trail caught his eyes. He wandered off the trail into the dark grasses of the forest. "Hey..."
When Quatre finally caught up, he found Duo staring up into an old mossy tree. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking up into the tree as well.
"I think someone's hiding up there," Duo whispered.
"Probably just a squirrel or something," Quatre looked back at the trail impatiently. "Come on, I thought you were in a hurry!"
"We'll see," Duo grinned impishly, scooping up a small rock. Narrowing his eyes, he flung it up into the branches above. There was the sound of stone impacting wood. And the skittering sound of something breaking twigs as it moved through the leaves.
Quatre's mouth parted gently in wonder. "There's something big up there!"
With a triumphant grunt, Duo threw another rock.
This time they were answered by booming roar. Maybe not exactly booming, but it was definitely a roar, and it sent the two boys scrambling back in fright. An almost feline creature leapt out of the tree and landed on all fours in front of them. Its thick leathery skin was white as snow. With its tail whipping behind it, at first glance it seemed completely animal, however, the creature's face was almost human. But along with a slightly protruding snout which had a small horn on top, there was a larger horn curving back from above two burning obsidian eyes. On each cheek, were three blue slashmarks, with one blue dot on either side of the middle mark. Pointed ears stood out against black hair pulled back tightly in a small ponytail. Opening a mouthful of fangs wide, the creature reared up on its hindlegs, bringing itself up to the boys' eyelevel. Clawing fearsomely at the air, it exposed a dark blue underbelly, and spread an enormous wingspan of equally dark blue scaled wings, making itself look even bigger than it was.
When the young dragon charged, the boys ran screaming.
***
"Princess Relena, I'm surprised," Silva swished her tail in disappointment. "After all, it was your great ancestor, the first Peacecraft king who originally received the Omega Prophecy from the Prophet himself."
"I-I'm sorry," Relena replied. "I lost my entire family at the end of the last great war. The blast that created the Ivory Desert killed them all in battle when I was only an infant. I was never told of any prophecy."
"Mm." Silva nodded. "The very creation of that desert was a sign that the time is coming soon. According to the prophecy, the Omega will come from the east, across white sands. When the war ended, the meaning became clear."
"But what is the Omega?" Relena noticed that Heero seemed to be moving away.
"That isn't an easy question to answer," Silva answered with a bit of a sigh. "That's like trying to explain who the Prophet is."
Relena was growing more frustrated by the moment. She really wanted to drag Heero back, since he seemed to be more familiar with this than she was. She didn't know about the Omega Prophecy, but she did know that the Draca were a very mystical people, and had many such prophecies. Although they were highly respected for their wisdom, and their loyalty to the Cinq Kingdom, very few regarded their more farfetched beliefs and prophecies with any seriousness. It was very difficult to judge when it came to the Draca. For instance, it was almost universally acknowledged that a person simply called 'the Prophet' lived at the time of the first Peacecraft king, and was an advisor and spiritual leader of some sort to both the king and especially the Draca whom he supposedly first appeared to. Most historians agreed that he was most likely a rogue wizard. The Draca however, believed he was something more powerful than your typical wizard. They also believed that he was immortal, and had appeared several times since in history, though rarely recognized because of his shapeshifting abilities. Relena, along with most of surviving society believed most of the stories to be highly unlikely, despite the odd recording here and there in historical texts of claims of having seen or spoken to someone believed to be the Prophet. Relena herself always considered the majority of the stories about the Prophet to be fairytales and the result of overactive imagination. She wasn't sure how to deal with the very real worries of a very respectible people over something she viewed as superstition.
"The Omega," Silva explained, "is the end of everything, the end of all existence. It is also the name of the one with the power to bring it all about. It would be someone of wizard descent, yet born from the descendants of the slaveclass, here in the Peacecraft kingdom. It could even be you, Princess."
"That's impossible," Relena was slightly insulted. "How could there possibly be anyone of wizard descent living here? The wizards loathed our people."
Something in Silva's eyes seemed to darken for a moment. Relena wasn't believing in any of this, but the situation was beginning to worry her. And Heero's own sudden aloofness wasn't making her feel any better.
"I am unable to explain," Silva continued. "But the prophecy is already set in motion. These are the times, and the Omega is already among us."
***
"Brilliant idea, Duo!" Quatre hollered as they bolted through the forest. "Now we're going to be eaten by some monster!"
"I didn't think there were any more monsters in the valley!" Duo wailed. "How was I supposed to know!?"
Before Quatre could shoot off a retort, his foot caught in a twisted treeroot, sending him sprawling onto his face with a surprised shout. He tried pushing himself up, but a quick look behind him revealed his foot tangled in the root and the ropey shrubs growing around it. He turned around and tried to pull himself loose. Then it was too late to do anything about it. The dragon was leaping towards him. He screamed.
"Quatre!" Duo turned back to see his friend cowering beneath the glossy white beast. "Don't die, man!"
This only prompted Quatre to shriek even louder in absolute terror. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he couldn't rip his eyes away from the black pools staring down at him.
The white dragon winced and drew back, his pointed ears folding back against his head, away from the offending noise. "Please stop that terrible screeching. By the Prophet, it sounds like you are attempting to raise the dead!"
Quatre's screams cut off abruptly, creating a sudden deep silence. His eyes were still as big as saucers as the dragon jumped over him and towards Duo. The braided boy gave a yip of fright, then there was a thwok sound, followed by a yip of pain. At the sound, Quatre yanked himself free. After scrambling to his feet, he turned around to face whatever horror awaited him.
With a twisted look of pain on his face, Duo was rubbing his arm. It looked a little red, as if someone had hit him with a decent sized rock. The dragon was standing up on its hind legs, crossing its arms across its chest with a satisfied fanged smirk. Quatre gripped his chest, willing his hysterical heart to calm down. Maybe they weren't going to die after all.
"Hey... What kind of monster are you?" Duo hitched up the cloth around his waist, his violet eyes becoming impossibly rounder.
"I'm not a monster!" The dragon scowled. "I am Wufei, Crown Prince of the Draca Kingdom! How dare you call me a monster, you rock throwing scoundrel!"
"Does that mean you're not going to eat us?" Quatre ventured hopefully.
Wufei gave Quatre a hard, astonded stare. "I don't eat people. Especially ones as strange as you two. Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Hold on, you're really a dragon, aren't you!" Duo fell into step beside Wufei. "Cool! But y'know, I always thought dragons were, well, y'know... Bigger?"
Swallowing his fear, Quatre agreed with Duo. Now that Wufei was walking on all fours again, with his wings folded on his back, and not looming over him with a mouthful of sharp fangs, the young dragon was much smaller than Quatre had first thought. The white dragon was barely an inch over them when he stood upright, but at the moment, he barely reached their waists.
"What's wrong with my size?" Wufei growled. "I'm a fine size for a dragon my age!" He fanned out his wings while they were walking, attempting to make himself appear larger. "However, you look pretty scrawny for a human!"
"Hey! I am not!" Duo protested.
"I'll vouch for that," Quatre smiled. Now that his fear was ebbing away, he found himself liking this dragon. After all, he and Duo had set out that morning to see a dragon, and a dragon had come to them! "Um, can you really fly with those?" His eyes traced the arch of one sapphire wing.
"Of course." Wufei's slender neck curved as he looked back at his own wings. "I flew all the way down from the Ashlock mountains to get here."
"Can we see you fly?" Quatre shared an excited glance with Duo.
"No, there's no room to fly in this forest." With a long loping gait, Wufei ran ahead a few feet. Then he spun around to face them. "There are forests in the mountains, but nothing like this! It's like a blanket!"
"Yeah, a lot of trees, some rocks, and a chipmunk or two." Duo dropped down into the grass, his legs folding beneath him. They had run into a brightly lit meadow, but sitting in the deep grasses, Duo was streaked with shadows. "But if you're looking for some real excitement, the palace is the place to be!"
"Why's that?"
"Heero lives there," Quatre answered with a grin.
"And there's nothing going on in the kingdom that Heero doesn't know about," Duo laughed. "At least that's what he says."
"It's just that if anything interesting is happening, it's happening at the palace," Quatre explained, moving around Wufei to get a full view. "Or if something interesting is happening elsewhere, Heero will know about it. Like today, we knew the Draca were coming because he told us about it yesterday."
"This Heero, he wouldn't happen to be Prince Heero, would he?" Wufei whipped his tail at Quatre, shooing him away.
"Only Heero I know," Duo nodded.
"The last of the GESS?"
"Yeah..." Quatre's voice trailed off, and his eyes drifted back towards the woods surrounding them. A faint, unintelligible whispering filled his senses, shutting out everything else. Over every inch of his skin, he felt an electric tingle gently flow about him like an invisible veil. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He wasn't aware of anything beyond the distant woods in his direct line of vision. He wasn't even afraid. All he knew was that something was out there, and it was watching him.
He realized he was whispering something under his breath, but he didn't know what it was. He could hear it, but he couldn't understand it. The whispering was almost deafening. As it became even louder, he felt the world around him fading away even more. Still, he was not afraid, even though he knew he should be.
Then for a split second, the world flashed a brilliant white. When his vision cleared, it returned in perfect clarity. He was standing in the woods. Looking out at a sunny meadow, watching a small dragon and a braided boy arguing in a very animated way. Neither were paying any attention to the blonde boy with them. He was standing with them, but his face was turned and staring straight at him. Never had Quatre seen such an eerie look on anyone's face. And it was his own face.
In that same split second, he was finally filled with panic.
Too close!
Staggering, Quatre suddenly found himself back in his own body. Everything was normal again. He gasped sharply at the shock, and just blinked up at Duo as his friend steadied him by the shoulder. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was awake. "Too close?" Quatre raised an questioning eyebrow at Duo.
"Huh? Hey, you okay?" Duo stared at his friend with a look of concern. Even Wufei, now pulled up on his hind legs, looked worried.
"Too close?" Wufei repeated. "Is something here afflicting you?"
Quatre shook his head, pulling a hand back through his hair. "I dunno... I guess I had some kind of spell..." He smiled weakly. "Eh, probably from all the excitement on an empty stomach."
"You sure?" Duo still had a steady hand on Quatre. "You look pretty shook up."
A mirthful smile spread across Quatre's pale features. He leaned across and kissed the tip of Duo's nose. "Thank you for saying so."
"Augh!"
Laughing, Quatre ducked and jumped away to barely avoid a hard swat to the head. Duo rubbed the back of his arm across his nose with an annoyed grumble. "I wish you'd stop doing that! You know what I meant!"
Standing with his legs and arms wide apart, looking ready to run at any moment, Quatre just grinned. "I'm fine, really." And he felt fine. Strangely, he found he could no longer remember just what had happened. Joking around with Duo, he felt much better now, and hungry. He turned towards Wufei. "I know, you can come with us to the palace, and we can all get something to eat."
"Provided it isn't us," Duo added. "And Wufei, I'll introduce you to Heero myself. He's a great guy, and I'll prove it to you!"
"We shall see," Wufei growled. "I've always wanted to meet a GESS."
With that, Wufei and Duo raced off into the woods, headed in the direction of the palace. By the time Quatre caught up with them, he was so filled with excitement as to what surprises the rest of the day would bring, he had completely forgotten all about his bizarre experience in the meadow.
In the air, birds chirped and whistled in the treetops, and Duo and Quatre's jubilant shouts sailed high. There was even a fierce roar, which was then answered by even louder, more raucous shouts. As the cries finally faded with distance, a dark figure in a hooded cloak moved from behind a tree, towards the brightly lit meadow.
As the figure crossed into the light, it simply disappeared.
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes:
I do not own Gundam Wing, it's characters, etc, etc. However, the story and characters this fic is based on, are mine. The original story is something I've been working on for well over six years now, though I've never told it in any form for various reasons. After noticing how well the GW cast would fit into some of the roles, I decided to have some fun as well as experiment with telling the story for the first time. This fic is only one part of the original "epic", I'm not bothering with the first three "books" of the original, since it would call for an insane amount of original characters that I know no one wants to sit through. ^_^; So although I'm trying to keep it from getting too heavy, there may be a lot of confusing explantions, especially in the first few chapters, even with a lot of "unnecessary detail" trimming. ^^;
Okay, now to the things you really want to know. ^_^; Quatre's the main character here, though there's definitely going to be stuff going on with the other characters. The world may revolve around Quatre, but this is a big world. ^_~; There may or may not be lemon scenes in this fic, it all depends on my mood when the scenes come along. However you should be warned that there's a very good chance there will be, and it could be yaoi, non-yaoi, or likely both. Which brings us to the subject that will probably insure that no one will read this fic if everything previous hasn't already scared ya off... ^^; Pairings that I know for sure will appear somewhere during the course of the fic: 1xR and 2xH. Main pairings in the fic: 4xD and 4x3. Though it's going to be a good while until either Trowa or Dorothy show up. If you really can't read it without knowing the definites on the last two, just e-mail me about it, and I'll tell you. No questions asked, I'll understand. ^^ Well, now that it's all said, I've finished this chapter, knowing that because of many factors, almost no one is going to read it. But this is definitely going to be an interesting experiment for me (LOL, this is pretty much my creative life's work! Sad, I know ^^;), and I'm hoping someone (uh, anyone? ^^;;) out there gives it a chance! Okay, I'll shut up now.
***
"I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last,
the beginning and the end."
- Revelation 22:12
***
Chapter 1
The soft soles of his yellow sneakers made no sound on the polished floor as he made his way through the vast corridors of the palace. Wearing a loose black leather jacket over a tight white tanktop, and form fitting black stretchpants, he was an odd sight. Only the silver circlet about his head that dropped into a triangular point between his eyes, centered with a blood-like diamond jewel, gave any clue to his royal heritage.
Beneath short, yet wild, tossed chocolate brown hair, dark steel-blue eyes glanced towards the towering transparent wall on his left that stretched from end to end of the corridor. The watery light of dawn drifted through, washing over the vines and plants that sprouted and dangled over almost every surface, even the light fixtures. Crystal droplets of dew still clung to the many exotic flowers that decorated the palace, creating an ethereal atmosphere that made him feel more like he was traveling through a vast rainforest than anything else.
After turning several corners in a path he'd taken countless times before, he stopped before a door hidden away from the light. Gently, he knocked at the door. When there was no response, he placed his palm on the identification plate beside the doorframe.
"Heero Yuy, authorization Alpha."
With a buzzing response, the door unlocked and slid open.
"You haven't forgotten the Draca are arriving today, have you?" He entered, switching on the lights. It was a large room, but nothing compared to the huge corridors outside. There were almost no plants here beyond a few ferns and flowers in the far corners. The walls were lined with bookcases and bureaus, with the occasional shelf of photos and trinkets. His eyes automatically headed towards a cluttered desk in the midst of it all, but found no one there.
At the far end of the room, a soft moan came from beneath a lumpy featherbed.
With a shake of his head, he approached the complaining lump. "Princess, don't you hear me?"
"I hear you," grumbled a feminine voice from beneath the lump on the bed. "Now get out."
"How do I know you won't just go back to sleep?" Heero raised a bushy eyebrow.
Slowly, a head of tangled blonde hair and threatening blue eyes emerged from beneath the covers. "If you don't get out and let me get dressed in peace, I swear, I will find a way to make you suffer."
Heero smirked. "Is that a threat?"
A pillow flew out and smacked him in the head, sending his circlet askew. His eyes rolled up as he turned and marched out of the room. He ignored the giggles that followed him out.
***
"Hurry up! Quatre, we're going to miss everything!"
The boy with the long chestnut brown braid and the violet eyes bounced up and down impatiently. Like most young boys his age, he wore only a long cloth tied about his waist that hung loosely in the front and back as a loincloth, and a pair of strapped sandals. Duo's cloth was black, his favorite color, with a few blue designs stitched in by his mother. He paced his worn sandals back and forth in front of the cottage where his best friend lived.
Only to jump in surprise when the front door suddenly opened up to reveal a mountain of a man in a long grey robe. Duo squeaked. It was Quatre's guardian, Rashid. "Hey, don't scare me like that! Rashid, where's Quatre?"
"Quatre can't play outside today," Rashid answered gruffly.
"What!?" Duo screeched. "Why not? The Draca are visiting the kingdom today! Me an' Quatre were going to watch 'em fly in, but we gotta get there early! Please, please, Rashid!"
Rashid shook his head firmly. "Quatre has his studies. Perhaps it would do you good to remember your own. Maybe tomorrow, Duo." With that, he closed the door.
"Studies!?" Duo cried. "I studied yesterday! Awww, Quatre!"
Suddenly, a small blonde head popped out of a window towards the top of the cottage.
"Quatre!"
"Shhhhh!" Quatre hissed. His bright blue eyes glanced over his shoulder nervously, then leaned out towards Duo. "I'm coming down, catch me!"
"Huh!? Catch you!?"
Without another word, the small blonde boy jumped out the window towards Duo. Almost immediately they both went crashing to the forest floor. Swaying slightly, Quatre pushed himself up on his nearly squished friend.
"Sorry... It was the only way out."
"Ufff!" Duo crawled away. "Damn, Quatre! You're heavier than you look!"
After picking himself up, Quatre helped Duo to his feet. He was dressed in a fashion identical to Duo. The only real differences were that his loincloth was white, and the wide black band of cloth tied tight around his right thigh. He ran off down the trail behind the cottage, dragging Duo behind him.
"Quick, let's get out of here before Rashid notices I'm missing!"
"What's with him anyway?" Duo stumbled as he caught up to Quatre's pace. "He's usually so cool..."
"Dunno, when I told him the Draca were coming today, he said I couldn't go out."
"That's just weird," Duo grunted and shrugged the matter off. "You better hurry up, or I'm going to get to see a dragon before you do!" He laughed and ran ahead of Quatre.
"Hey! Slow down!" Quatre puffed, scrambling to catch up with the braided boy.
***
As the sun ascended from behind the vast wall of the Ashlock mountains, its light spread over the seemingly endless forestlands beyond them. This wild land embraced by the mountains was known as the Cinq kingdom, home of the Peacecraft royal family, whose influence and ruling power extended far beyond their own people. According to legend, long ago, it was a Peacecraft who led the slaveclass to freedom and became the first king. Now it was always a Peacecraft who led the free kingdoms in war and peacetime. Whether she wanted to or not.
Standing atop the largest structure in the entire kingdom, Princess Relena felt overwhelmed by the enormous size of the forest surrounding her. It looked like nothing but endless trees, but she knew that down there an entire civilization was living their lives, looking up to her almost as they would a goddess. Her ancestors had been extraordinary people, but she herself felt unworthy of the incredible respect given to her. It was only chance that she was descended from them and shared their name. Yet there she was, standing on the great golden pyramid which was the royal palace. It dwarfed the most gigantic of the ancient trees, and could be seen anywhere in the entire kingdom. Their people preferred simple living, but the palace had been built as a monument, a symbol of their achievements.
She hadn't earned the right to be the lady of such a magnificent palace, and she didn't feel she would ever be a proper princess. If it weren't for Heero always at her side she didn't know how she would manage. He no longer had a kingdom or a people to speak of, but he was more of a royal than she could ever imagine being. She tugged at the long sleeves of the white jumpsuit she wore, trying to straighten it out. About to reach down and adjust her gray boots, she felt a hand at her shoulder, causing her to jolt.
"Relax, Princess. You forgot this."
She looked up to find Heero holding her circlet out to her. It was a brilliant gold, and like Heero's own, it had a triangular point rising out of it. Centered in it was an aqua blue jem in a diamond shape. She slid it on hastily, barely making sure that the point was facing up, as was proper for a female royal.
"Thank you." She tucked her honey-colored hair behind her ears, trying uselessly to hide it from the playful winds that tugged and danced with it. "Do you have any idea what this is all about? I don't remember Queen Silva ever coming down from the mountains before. You don't think they've seen something happening on the other side of the mountains, do you?"
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Just because she hasn't been down from there since the last big war doesn't necessarily mean anything. Dragons like keeping to themselves. We'll find out soon enough."
"Look!" Shouted one of the court members behind them. "Towards the mountains!"
Appearing to soar out of the glowing disc of the sun itself, several large winged shapes glided out over the forest sky. As they approached the palace, she felt Heero stiffen beside her. Her own heart was thudding wildly in her chest as the air went into a frenzy, heavy with the sound of slapping leather. Like bizarre birds of prey, the dragons landed effortlessly only a few feet before her. These were the Draca.
A few of them glowered at Heero, while the others were far more reserved. At the forefront was the largest of them, Silva Draca, Queen of Dragons.
According to their old stories, the Draca had once been no different than any other human being. Anyone that saw them would have a hard time believing it. The Draca were within their own race, perhaps one of the most diverse creatures on the planet. They came in various shapes and sizes, some mammalian in appearance, others reptilian, and most somewhere inbetween. Silva's thick leathery skin was dark green, while the bat-like wings folded on her back were covered with tiny, faded baby blue scales. Her sharp claws and small horns running down her snout, ending in a long one on her nose, and the large barbs on her tail were a shimmering mother of pearl. Around long pointed ears and above dark blue human-like eyes, a shock of pink hair extended down her long slender neck. This serpent-like neck bowed in greeting.
"Good morning Princess Relena. And Prince Heero."
"And good morning to you as well," Relena smiled. "It's been a long time since you've visited our kingdom, even though we are neighbors. This is a real honor."
"The Draca have always been proud to serve your family, princess." Silva spoke softly. "Which is why you must hear all that I have to tell you."
"Hn." Heero frowned. "This isn't just a friendly visit, is it?"
"I'm afraid not. This is a very serious matter." The dragon lifted herself up to crouch on her hind legs. "Have you ever heard of the Omega Prophecy?"
Heero's frown deepened.
Relena looked between Heero and Silva with concern.
"The Omega Prophecy?"
***
"Duo! Please stop!"
With a moan, Duo stopped and turned around. Quatre was still far behind him on the forest trail trying to catch up, huffing and puffing.
"C'mon!"
"Slow down!" Quatre pouted. "You know I can't run as fast as you can."
"What, do you want me to carry you there or something?" Duo sighed, waiting. A small movement in the trees near the trail caught his eyes. He wandered off the trail into the dark grasses of the forest. "Hey..."
When Quatre finally caught up, he found Duo staring up into an old mossy tree. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking up into the tree as well.
"I think someone's hiding up there," Duo whispered.
"Probably just a squirrel or something," Quatre looked back at the trail impatiently. "Come on, I thought you were in a hurry!"
"We'll see," Duo grinned impishly, scooping up a small rock. Narrowing his eyes, he flung it up into the branches above. There was the sound of stone impacting wood. And the skittering sound of something breaking twigs as it moved through the leaves.
Quatre's mouth parted gently in wonder. "There's something big up there!"
With a triumphant grunt, Duo threw another rock.
This time they were answered by booming roar. Maybe not exactly booming, but it was definitely a roar, and it sent the two boys scrambling back in fright. An almost feline creature leapt out of the tree and landed on all fours in front of them. Its thick leathery skin was white as snow. With its tail whipping behind it, at first glance it seemed completely animal, however, the creature's face was almost human. But along with a slightly protruding snout which had a small horn on top, there was a larger horn curving back from above two burning obsidian eyes. On each cheek, were three blue slashmarks, with one blue dot on either side of the middle mark. Pointed ears stood out against black hair pulled back tightly in a small ponytail. Opening a mouthful of fangs wide, the creature reared up on its hindlegs, bringing itself up to the boys' eyelevel. Clawing fearsomely at the air, it exposed a dark blue underbelly, and spread an enormous wingspan of equally dark blue scaled wings, making itself look even bigger than it was.
When the young dragon charged, the boys ran screaming.
***
"Princess Relena, I'm surprised," Silva swished her tail in disappointment. "After all, it was your great ancestor, the first Peacecraft king who originally received the Omega Prophecy from the Prophet himself."
"I-I'm sorry," Relena replied. "I lost my entire family at the end of the last great war. The blast that created the Ivory Desert killed them all in battle when I was only an infant. I was never told of any prophecy."
"Mm." Silva nodded. "The very creation of that desert was a sign that the time is coming soon. According to the prophecy, the Omega will come from the east, across white sands. When the war ended, the meaning became clear."
"But what is the Omega?" Relena noticed that Heero seemed to be moving away.
"That isn't an easy question to answer," Silva answered with a bit of a sigh. "That's like trying to explain who the Prophet is."
Relena was growing more frustrated by the moment. She really wanted to drag Heero back, since he seemed to be more familiar with this than she was. She didn't know about the Omega Prophecy, but she did know that the Draca were a very mystical people, and had many such prophecies. Although they were highly respected for their wisdom, and their loyalty to the Cinq Kingdom, very few regarded their more farfetched beliefs and prophecies with any seriousness. It was very difficult to judge when it came to the Draca. For instance, it was almost universally acknowledged that a person simply called 'the Prophet' lived at the time of the first Peacecraft king, and was an advisor and spiritual leader of some sort to both the king and especially the Draca whom he supposedly first appeared to. Most historians agreed that he was most likely a rogue wizard. The Draca however, believed he was something more powerful than your typical wizard. They also believed that he was immortal, and had appeared several times since in history, though rarely recognized because of his shapeshifting abilities. Relena, along with most of surviving society believed most of the stories to be highly unlikely, despite the odd recording here and there in historical texts of claims of having seen or spoken to someone believed to be the Prophet. Relena herself always considered the majority of the stories about the Prophet to be fairytales and the result of overactive imagination. She wasn't sure how to deal with the very real worries of a very respectible people over something she viewed as superstition.
"The Omega," Silva explained, "is the end of everything, the end of all existence. It is also the name of the one with the power to bring it all about. It would be someone of wizard descent, yet born from the descendants of the slaveclass, here in the Peacecraft kingdom. It could even be you, Princess."
"That's impossible," Relena was slightly insulted. "How could there possibly be anyone of wizard descent living here? The wizards loathed our people."
Something in Silva's eyes seemed to darken for a moment. Relena wasn't believing in any of this, but the situation was beginning to worry her. And Heero's own sudden aloofness wasn't making her feel any better.
"I am unable to explain," Silva continued. "But the prophecy is already set in motion. These are the times, and the Omega is already among us."
***
"Brilliant idea, Duo!" Quatre hollered as they bolted through the forest. "Now we're going to be eaten by some monster!"
"I didn't think there were any more monsters in the valley!" Duo wailed. "How was I supposed to know!?"
Before Quatre could shoot off a retort, his foot caught in a twisted treeroot, sending him sprawling onto his face with a surprised shout. He tried pushing himself up, but a quick look behind him revealed his foot tangled in the root and the ropey shrubs growing around it. He turned around and tried to pull himself loose. Then it was too late to do anything about it. The dragon was leaping towards him. He screamed.
"Quatre!" Duo turned back to see his friend cowering beneath the glossy white beast. "Don't die, man!"
This only prompted Quatre to shriek even louder in absolute terror. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he couldn't rip his eyes away from the black pools staring down at him.
The white dragon winced and drew back, his pointed ears folding back against his head, away from the offending noise. "Please stop that terrible screeching. By the Prophet, it sounds like you are attempting to raise the dead!"
Quatre's screams cut off abruptly, creating a sudden deep silence. His eyes were still as big as saucers as the dragon jumped over him and towards Duo. The braided boy gave a yip of fright, then there was a thwok sound, followed by a yip of pain. At the sound, Quatre yanked himself free. After scrambling to his feet, he turned around to face whatever horror awaited him.
With a twisted look of pain on his face, Duo was rubbing his arm. It looked a little red, as if someone had hit him with a decent sized rock. The dragon was standing up on its hind legs, crossing its arms across its chest with a satisfied fanged smirk. Quatre gripped his chest, willing his hysterical heart to calm down. Maybe they weren't going to die after all.
"Hey... What kind of monster are you?" Duo hitched up the cloth around his waist, his violet eyes becoming impossibly rounder.
"I'm not a monster!" The dragon scowled. "I am Wufei, Crown Prince of the Draca Kingdom! How dare you call me a monster, you rock throwing scoundrel!"
"Does that mean you're not going to eat us?" Quatre ventured hopefully.
Wufei gave Quatre a hard, astonded stare. "I don't eat people. Especially ones as strange as you two. Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Hold on, you're really a dragon, aren't you!" Duo fell into step beside Wufei. "Cool! But y'know, I always thought dragons were, well, y'know... Bigger?"
Swallowing his fear, Quatre agreed with Duo. Now that Wufei was walking on all fours again, with his wings folded on his back, and not looming over him with a mouthful of sharp fangs, the young dragon was much smaller than Quatre had first thought. The white dragon was barely an inch over them when he stood upright, but at the moment, he barely reached their waists.
"What's wrong with my size?" Wufei growled. "I'm a fine size for a dragon my age!" He fanned out his wings while they were walking, attempting to make himself appear larger. "However, you look pretty scrawny for a human!"
"Hey! I am not!" Duo protested.
"I'll vouch for that," Quatre smiled. Now that his fear was ebbing away, he found himself liking this dragon. After all, he and Duo had set out that morning to see a dragon, and a dragon had come to them! "Um, can you really fly with those?" His eyes traced the arch of one sapphire wing.
"Of course." Wufei's slender neck curved as he looked back at his own wings. "I flew all the way down from the Ashlock mountains to get here."
"Can we see you fly?" Quatre shared an excited glance with Duo.
"No, there's no room to fly in this forest." With a long loping gait, Wufei ran ahead a few feet. Then he spun around to face them. "There are forests in the mountains, but nothing like this! It's like a blanket!"
"Yeah, a lot of trees, some rocks, and a chipmunk or two." Duo dropped down into the grass, his legs folding beneath him. They had run into a brightly lit meadow, but sitting in the deep grasses, Duo was streaked with shadows. "But if you're looking for some real excitement, the palace is the place to be!"
"Why's that?"
"Heero lives there," Quatre answered with a grin.
"And there's nothing going on in the kingdom that Heero doesn't know about," Duo laughed. "At least that's what he says."
"It's just that if anything interesting is happening, it's happening at the palace," Quatre explained, moving around Wufei to get a full view. "Or if something interesting is happening elsewhere, Heero will know about it. Like today, we knew the Draca were coming because he told us about it yesterday."
"This Heero, he wouldn't happen to be Prince Heero, would he?" Wufei whipped his tail at Quatre, shooing him away.
"Only Heero I know," Duo nodded.
"The last of the GESS?"
"Yeah..." Quatre's voice trailed off, and his eyes drifted back towards the woods surrounding them. A faint, unintelligible whispering filled his senses, shutting out everything else. Over every inch of his skin, he felt an electric tingle gently flow about him like an invisible veil. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He wasn't aware of anything beyond the distant woods in his direct line of vision. He wasn't even afraid. All he knew was that something was out there, and it was watching him.
He realized he was whispering something under his breath, but he didn't know what it was. He could hear it, but he couldn't understand it. The whispering was almost deafening. As it became even louder, he felt the world around him fading away even more. Still, he was not afraid, even though he knew he should be.
Then for a split second, the world flashed a brilliant white. When his vision cleared, it returned in perfect clarity. He was standing in the woods. Looking out at a sunny meadow, watching a small dragon and a braided boy arguing in a very animated way. Neither were paying any attention to the blonde boy with them. He was standing with them, but his face was turned and staring straight at him. Never had Quatre seen such an eerie look on anyone's face. And it was his own face.
In that same split second, he was finally filled with panic.
Too close!
Staggering, Quatre suddenly found himself back in his own body. Everything was normal again. He gasped sharply at the shock, and just blinked up at Duo as his friend steadied him by the shoulder. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was awake. "Too close?" Quatre raised an questioning eyebrow at Duo.
"Huh? Hey, you okay?" Duo stared at his friend with a look of concern. Even Wufei, now pulled up on his hind legs, looked worried.
"Too close?" Wufei repeated. "Is something here afflicting you?"
Quatre shook his head, pulling a hand back through his hair. "I dunno... I guess I had some kind of spell..." He smiled weakly. "Eh, probably from all the excitement on an empty stomach."
"You sure?" Duo still had a steady hand on Quatre. "You look pretty shook up."
A mirthful smile spread across Quatre's pale features. He leaned across and kissed the tip of Duo's nose. "Thank you for saying so."
"Augh!"
Laughing, Quatre ducked and jumped away to barely avoid a hard swat to the head. Duo rubbed the back of his arm across his nose with an annoyed grumble. "I wish you'd stop doing that! You know what I meant!"
Standing with his legs and arms wide apart, looking ready to run at any moment, Quatre just grinned. "I'm fine, really." And he felt fine. Strangely, he found he could no longer remember just what had happened. Joking around with Duo, he felt much better now, and hungry. He turned towards Wufei. "I know, you can come with us to the palace, and we can all get something to eat."
"Provided it isn't us," Duo added. "And Wufei, I'll introduce you to Heero myself. He's a great guy, and I'll prove it to you!"
"We shall see," Wufei growled. "I've always wanted to meet a GESS."
With that, Wufei and Duo raced off into the woods, headed in the direction of the palace. By the time Quatre caught up with them, he was so filled with excitement as to what surprises the rest of the day would bring, he had completely forgotten all about his bizarre experience in the meadow.
In the air, birds chirped and whistled in the treetops, and Duo and Quatre's jubilant shouts sailed high. There was even a fierce roar, which was then answered by even louder, more raucous shouts. As the cries finally faded with distance, a dark figure in a hooded cloak moved from behind a tree, towards the brightly lit meadow.
As the figure crossed into the light, it simply disappeared.