Beyond Omega
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes: Oy, this chapter got longer than heck, but this time it just couldn't be helped. -_-; As usual, check Chapter 1 for the insanely long list of warnings and pairings info. None of which really apply here. Wheeheee, I believe the real weirdness starts in this chapter. Again, I can just try to assure you that everything is under control, keep all seats in an upright position... Unless you're Trowa and Quatre, you guys can do whatcha want. ^~ Oh, and watch out for random falling Mobile Suit Gundam references. ^_^;
Anyone who's *still* reading this far, once again you have my thanks!!
***
In searching for substance
We're clouded by struggle's haze
Remember the meaning
Of playing out in the rain
We swim in the fountain
Of youth's timeless maze
If you drink the water
Your youth will never fade
Never die
I won't let go of that youthful soul
Despite body and mind my youth will never die
~from "Never Die" by Creed
***
Chapter 4
Setting her golden circlet on her bedside table, Relena turned and stared at the backwall of her chamber. With a spoken command, the solid color washed away to reveal a clear view of the cloud-dotted grey sky, and the forest beyond. The only indication of the great city surrounding the palace being the occasional building peering through the towering trees. Just below, she could see tiny figures running around.
The Junior Guard, goofing off again. Often Duo and Quatre would be down there with them, but not today. Not for many, many days. But as much as she was worried about what dangers the boys might be headed into, the situation had unintentionally become a small blessing.
The search for the wayward boys had taken Heero away from the city, and the prince's absence had brought the Draca's discussions concerning the Omega Prophecy to a standstill. She still didn't know how she should handle the problem. The Draca Queen was asking permission to execute one of Relena's subjects, if they could find him. Silva spoke as if she didn't know exactly who she was looking for, but would know when she found him. Something about a mark.
Yet Relena suspected that the Queen was not being entirely forthcoming about everything. News had been coming to her that dragons had been flying about the valley, asking questions. Looking for someone.
If Queen Silva really was ready to act regardless of Relena's wishes, then she would need Heero by her side. She respected the Draca's beliefs, but she would not allow them to kill whomever they pleased, simply because they believed the sky would fall otherwise. This was her kingdom, her people, and she would protect them.
It had been an hour since Relena had told the Draca Queen of Heero's most recent news concerning the runaway boys. By now, Silva should have gathered her entourage to the skyport above the palace. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she took one last look back, and turned to leave.
***
Above the palace, the sleek, white royal hoverjet had been prepared for Relena. It was just larger than the dragons, who were stretching and folding their bat-like wings impatiently. Relena, wearing a heavy burgundy jacket lined with black fur that rustled in the biting cold wind, ran to meet them. The two guards that had followed her, had to catch up. They were only a formality. She didn't need them.
"Shall we depart now, princess?" Silva spread her enormous wings, which shook violently in the autumn winds. "There is a storm approaching. If we do not leave soon, we shall be caught up in it."
"Yes." Relena nodded.
"Your highness!" Behind them, escorted by more guards, and even a few members of the Junior Guard, was Rashid. "Are you going after Quatre?"
Surprised, Relena turned around. Rashid had been missing for the last few days, presumably out searching for Quatre himself. She realized he must not have been very far if he had seen the dragons gathering and the hoverjet prepared for flight. "Yes, the boys were seen in Skysteppe. We're going now to retrieve them. I assure you I will do all I can to bring Quatre home safely."
"Thank you, princess." Rashid bowed. "But I would ask that you take me with you." He turned his eyes up towards Queen Silva. "Please forgive me, but as I trust you, I do not trust your company."
"So it is you." Eyes widening, Silva turned to face him. "If you are Rashid, then am I correct in assuming that one of those with my grandson is... This Quatre? The same child from years ago?"
"Do you know each other?" Relena looked from one to the other.
"We have met," Rashid rumbled. "And yes, Quatre is the child you remember," he told Silva. "I know what you came down here to do. I may have failed in watching over Quatre, but I will keep an eye on you. I will not let you harm him."
"Do not interfere with that which you do not understand." Silva said coldly. "My own soft heart has shown more mercy than was wise. Not only have I respected the woman's dying wishes, but I have also allowed too many years to pass. Now you must stand aside and allow me to do what must be done."
"He's only a boy!" Rashid barked. "A normal, loving, human boy! The princess here is one of his friends, as is the young Prince Heero. Your majesty, you will be a murderer if you do this!"
"Had this been done fourteen years ago, it would have been far less painful." There was now a touch of sympathy in her voice. "I can only assure you that he is no mere boy. The signs do not lie."
"Excuse me," Relena finally intervened, "but, are you trying to tell me you believe Quatre is the Omega?" She stared up at the Draca queen in sheer disbelief.
The queen briefly closed her eyes, then turned her blue gaze on Relena. "I had hoped to have your understanding before facing the harsh reality of the task. Yes, the boy Quatre is the Omega. I am sorry if he is your friend, but you must see it is no mistake. There is a power at work here, an evil power beyond any of our comprehension. Just as it worked to save the boy at his birth, now it has found a possible protector in yourself. Please, my princess, you must swallow your heart, or this monster will use it against you! This may very well be our last chance."
Relena was momentarily speechless. Was Silva insane? She hardened her features. She would not get angry. She would handle this. Surely, once the queen met Quatre herself, she would see that she was wrong. "I'm afraid, I do not agree with you, your majesty," she finally spoke. "But we can discuss it once we've retrieved the boys." She turned towards the man waiting behind them. "Rashid, you may accompany us."
"Thank you, your highness." Rashid bowed again.
"As you wish, princess." Silva turned away and with a great flap of her wings, took to the sky. Instantly, her entourage leapt into the air as well.
Relena surprised Rashid by grabbing his sleeve and practically dragging him towards the hovercraft. "Hurry! They must not reach Heero and the boys first!" She hadn't liked the dark look in the Draca Queen's eyes.
***
"Wufei, just admit it. You're lost."
"I am not lost," Wufei growled. "You are slow."
"How long have we been down here anyway?" Duo continued to moan. "I think I've forgotten what the sky looks like!"
Quatre shrugged the pack on his shoulders. He had worn it since Maycer, to make sure Duo didn't eat them into starvation, but he could feel it becoming lighter and lighter. "I'm not sure. But we'll be in trouble if we don't find a way out soon."
"I know where I'm going!" Wufei said in exasperation. "We wouldn't have had to take the long way if you two had wings!"
"Well, the Wizards didn't give me wings," Duo sighed. "Just very sore feet." He glanced up at the darkness. "Y'know, I've been thinkin'."
Quatre and Wufei snickered.
"Oh, shut up. Really, this must have been what it was like for our ancestors in the ancient days. Back when everyone lived underground. Before there were any kingdoms or anything. Kinda spooky if you think about it."
"My ancestors didn't live underground." Wufei said indignantly. "We've always lived high in the air."
"No," Quatre said quietly. "If we're going according to the legends, then we were all the same in the beginning. Isn't that what they say? Then the dragons couldn't have been able to fly then."
"Yeah," Duo laughed triumphantly. "Dragons were in the ground like everyone else, until they were changed because of the Wizards' little whims."
"Maybe," Wufei shrugged. "Either way, we Draca were here a long time before any of you decided to dig yourselves out of the earth."
"Why was anyone in the earth to begin with?" Quatre asked, frowning. "It doesn't really make sense. We're obviously meant to live in the open air. It's too dark for us to see down here." He crossed his flashlight in Duo's face to make his point.
"Oh c'mon Quat," Duo flinched away from the bright light. "Everyone knows the Wizards made us out of the ground 'cuz everything comes out of the ground. Like trees, mountains, and dirt. And people served and worshipped 'em until they got tired of being slaves. The dragons turned against them, and then the Wizards made the GESS to get rid of the dragons. But then the GESS turned against them too, and everyone else with them. Then all the free kingdoms and wars started, and here we are, wandering through a mountain."
Quatre just kept frowning, shaking his head. Something like an itch was gnawing at his mind. "But Duo, if the Wizards made us, then who made the Wizards?"
Duo blinked. "Oh, that one guy... Geez, Quat, you remember don't you, whatshisname in that huge text book we just got this year. Haven't you read it yet? The first wizard... Cher? Char?"
"Char, the demon Wizard," Wufei growled. "I too, have heard of him. An unholy creature in the shape of a man."
With a snort, Quatre turned his head. He didn't like talking about this. Something about it made him uncomfortable. "Of course there's some truth in the legends. But I agree with Princess Relena, that it's regrettable that most of our history has been lost in a lot of ridiculous legends and myths. Clearly the Wizards were responsible in the shaping of the world, but it's silly to think they were any sort of gods or demons. If they were so powerful, why were they overthrown and blown to bits?" He sighed and raked his hands back through his hair. "In a way, it's too bad the Wizards are all gone. I would've liked to ask one for some real answers about where we came from and why everything is the way it is..."
"I'm beginning to wish I had kept my mouth shut," Duo chuckled. "You get so serious sometimes, Quat."
Wufei smirked. "You keep your mouth shut? That's a first."
"Hey, do you hear something?" Quatre interrupted before Duo could take a shot at the Draca prince.
"Not a thing," Duo sighed, rubbing at his eyes.
"I do," Wufei lifted his head. "Sounds like water."
"Really?"
Running down the rocky path, Quatre stopped at the entrance to a big open cavern. His eyes widened. Shimmering threads of water were coming from the rocks and the ceiling far above. Cool liquid poured down in streamers, like mystic rain.
Stepping carefully into the slippery cavern among the puddles, Quatre lifted his dusty face and let the water streak down his hair and body, cleaning the grime away. It felt wonderful.
"Wow, what is this place?" Duo reached out to one of the threads, letting the sparkling liquid spatter into his cupped hand. He tasted it tentatively. "Hey, it's fresh!"
"We're under one of the springs that supplies the city with water." Wufei spread one wing like an umbrella over his head. "This means we're almost out."
Deeper within the cavern they found a wide pool, its surface jumping wildly as water poured into it. Without hesitation, Duo took a running leap, creating a splash that surged up, a white flash that humbled all other splashes in the pool. His laughter echoed loudly around them.
"Duo!" Wufei shouted. "Those springs are treacherous! You shouldn't be swimming in them!"
"It's perfectly fine!" Duo bobbed on the surface, his caramel-brown hair plastered to his face. "C'mon in!"
"No! You need to get out of there!" Wufei sputtered as he gestured his wing a little too much, and a streamer of water hit his face.
It was too tempting for Quatre to resist. Letting the pack slip to the ground, he jumped in after his friend. Dark green water swirled and bubbled loudly around him as he sunk. With a kick, he pushed back to the surface, to the racket of crackling water, and completely blinded with his blonde hair stuck to his face.
Slicking the offending bangs up away from his forehead, he found himself looking into Duo's dripping and grinning face. The boy's braid was moving around in the water like a thick brown snake. Quatre smiled back, then they looked in unison through the dancing waters.
Wufei was sulking.
"Come on Wufei, you might as well!" Quatre shouted with a laugh.
With a snort, the young dragon dropped his slender head with a look of defeat. Then his wings folded, his haunches bundled together, and he took the plunge. Duo and Quatre shrieked and flinched away as Wufei created a small tidal wave, drenching them further as it rolled over their heads.
When the three boys finally emerged again, they were all laughing.
For a long time, they splashed and swam, and as they played, they forgot about their hurry to get out of the mountain. Until finally, avoiding yet another slap of water sent his way by Wufei's wings, Duo decided they should think about moving on before they lost too much time.
"Aw, Duo, I'm comfortable now," Quatre complained, floating away through the water. "You want to go so soon, you'll have to drag me out."
"If you insist," Duo laughed, swimming after his drifting friend.
Seeing Duo coming for him, Quatre began kicking back, further into the pool to get away. "Ack! Go away!" Giggling maniacally, he kicked water at Duo trying to get him to back off.
But Duo was still chasing him with an evil grin.
"H-Hey! Don't go that far out!" Wufei shouted. "I really mean it!"
And that's the last thing Quatre heard before something pulled at him so hard, it sucked him beneath the water. A strong undertow had him, and he was speeding through miles of water, terrified and out of control. He couldn't fight it, and he couldn't breathe.
Just when he was sure he would die, he was surprised to feel something grasp his hand tightly. He couldn't open his eyes in the rushing water, but he knew it was Duo. He had come after him.
As they went careening through what felt like endless tunnels of water, Quatre realized he could keep holding his breath. He had just been scared. But could Duo make it? He felt his friend's pulse weakening through their grip. When would this end!?
As if in answer, suddenly the water ride did come to an end. Quatre gasped loudly as they were abruptly thrust out into open air in a thundering, explosive spray. Propelled by water, they went skidding out across flat slippery rock, sliding this way and that until they finally went swerving to a stop.
With a wet, hacking cough, Quatre lifted himself on wobbly arms. Blinking away the heavy droplets of water from his eyelashes, he found he had been borne from one dark world into another. Black and bright, the night sky was filled with millions upon millions of twinkling stars, like a vial of glitter strewn out across black velvet. Among them was their pale ruler, the moon, bigger and brighter than Quatre could ever remember seeing it before, glaring down at him like an enormous round eye. An involuntary violent shiver suddenly ran down his spine.
Tearing his eyes away from the sky, he looked down to find that he was on a rocky mountain ledge, just a long drop away from an almost luminescent forest that seemed carved out of opal. His mouth dropped open. Was this the White Woods at last? The haunted forest?
"Duo!" Finding his voice, he turned excitedly to his friend. But Duo still lay motionless in a soggy mess. Quatre's excitement turned to cold fear as he realised that Duo wasn't breathing. He shook him by the arms. "Duo!"
The braided boy didn't respond. His head simply lolled to the side. Panic threatened to turn Quatre into a blubbering idiot, but he forced himself to calm down. Duo needed him rational now, when every second counted. He tried to remember everything he knew about medical aid.
His mind was blank. Calm down, calm down! "Don't die, Duo," he whimpered, shaking his head in frustration. Think!
By Bright, why couldn't he remember a thing!? He'd spent over a month learning emergency medical aid at special classes at the Center Hospital Complex. Now all he could remember was being silly with Duo while they were practicing mouth to mouth resuscitation on each other. During which he'd learned the perfect way to annoy his friend...
"That's it!"
Gently, he tilted Duo's head back, holding his jaw open with one hand and held his nose shut with the other. Quatre took a deep breath and leaned down to seal his mouth tightly to Duo's cold lips. His eyes squeezed shut, Quatre exhaled hard into Duo's lungs. Then he turned away and opened his eyes again, darting them nervously towards the still unmoving chest. So he did it again.
Several times, praying desperately for him to breathe. Until finally, with a shallow, wheezing breath, Duo began to cough violently. Quatre wanted to hug him tightly and cry, but instead he helped him sit up as he expelled the fluid from his lungs. Holding on as if afraid Duo might try to die on him again, he rubbed his back until the other boy's breathing slowly fell back into a normal rhythm.
"Eh," Duo finally croaked. "We still alive?"
"Barely."
"Thought I saw somethin' from the other side comin' for me," Duo chuckled weakly. "Guess it was just you."
"Heh. You're welcome." Quatre smiled. "Do you see it, Duo?"
"Yeah." At this, Duo worked to raise himself on shaky legs with Quatre's help. His round violet eyes were shining with wonder and triumph. "It's the White Woods. We made it, Quat!"
"What about Wufei?" Remembering their dragon friend, Quatre turned to look at the place where the spring waters were rushing out of the cavern. The spring flowed out over the rocks to create a small waterfall that cascaded all the way down the side of the mountain.
"I guess he must think we're dead," Duo looked back as well. "It's a shame, but we can't go back the way we came. Looks like we'll have to continue by ourselves from here on out."
With a sigh, Quatre stepped up to the cliff edge. "Yeah, I suppose there's nothing we can do about it. I hope he doesn't worry too much."
"Ah, Wufei's probably glad to be rid of us," Duo laughed softly. "And it's not like he hasn't seen any of this before. We'll find him later on our way back and let him know we were fine without him." Duo winked.
Quatre turned and eyed the deceivingly solemn forest before them. "Actually... maybe we should start looking for a way back now, so we can get back as soon as possible. There's no need to go any further."
"What!?" Duo squawked. "But we just got here!"
"Duo, we don't have any supplies. I lost them back there. And what about the monsters? Aren't there supposed to be monsters down there?"
"Wufei said he never saw any monsters." Duo brushed it off with a motion of his hand. "And it's not like we haven't scavenged before."
Quatre still felt uneasy. This wasn't working out anymore. And now that they were actually there looking at the supposedly haunted forest, there was a bad feeling gnawing at his stomach. "Duo, I think we're in over our heads. And look, there's no way we can climb down the rest of the way. It's a sheer drop down!" He leaned over the edge, his eyes wide.
"We'll find a way." Duo said stubbornly.
At that moment, Quatre felt the rock beneath his feet moving. There was no time to react, the ledge beneath him was collasping under his weight. Why does this keep happening to me, he thought before fear and adrenaline sent every thought scattering with a scream. Rock crumbled and dust flew around him as he fell.
"Quatre!"
As he fell, his wrist was roughly seized. The weight of his body nearly wrenched his arm from his shoulder, and the pain was awful. He cried out, suspended and swaying in the cold air. His eyes, blurring with stinging dust and terror, stared up over the arms straining to hold on to him.
It was Duo again.
Never before had he seen the raw fear he saw in Duo's eyes. He turned away, and saw the rocks he had just been standing on, still falling towards the far away forest below. His stomach turning violently, he turned back towards Duo, who was in danger of sliding over the side of the cliff himself, but refusing to let go.
"Give me your other hand!"
Quatre tried. But as he shifted his weight, he could see how close Duo was to falling over after him. "I can't!" He tried kicking for a foothold, but the rockface was too far for his legs to reach.
"Give me your other hand!" Duo gritted his teeth.
"You'll fall!"
"You want to die?" Duo snapped. "Just do what I tell you!"
"We'll both die!" Quatre cried. He was so scared. He didn't want Duo to let go, he didn't want to die. But he didn't want Duo to die because of him. He stared up into violet eyes, exhaustion and pain burning into him as his heart hammered crazily in his chest.
Duo's brows furrowed and his mouth set in a tight line. "I'm not letting go." He growled. "So don't even think it."
But Duo was losing his grip. Slowly, Quatre slipped further away. His fear taking control, Quatre swung his other hand up and grabbed desperately at Duo's wrist. Duo yelled in shock as he was nearly yanked over the side, digging the toes of his sandals into the rock for all he was worth. Quatre cried out.
Duo was breathing hard through his braid, which was swaying across his face in the wind. His face had broken out in a cold sweat, which was trickling onto Quatre. He cursed something Quatre couldn't hear, while trying to pull them both back up without losing what little grip he had.
It wasn't working. Duo had been weak from nearly drowning to begin with, and Quatre knew he couldn't do it. And apparently, Duo knew it too. A terrible smile suddenly spread across Duo's face.
"Well, at least it hasn't been boring, has it?"
"Duo!"
"I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you, and you sure as hell aren't going anywhere without me. Friends to the end, remember?"
"Let me go!" Quatre shrieked. To hear Duo talk like that was more than he could bear. He began to pull at Duo's hand on his wrist.
Duo had always been stronger than him, and he couldn't break the other boy's grip. The wind stopped. With what looked like a grimace of pain and sorrowful apology, Duo lost whatever hold he'd had on the ledge.
Quatre fell, pulling Duo swiftly after him. It was almost peaceful, compared to the tension of holding on a moment before. He could hear the wind again, roaring in his ears. It billowed around him in a cold embrace. His eyes closed, he braced himself.
The impact knocked the wind out of him. And the next thing he knew, he could feel himself floating. Was that it? Was he dead? Well, that hadn't been so bad. Except he was still sore. And he couldn't move. And he was squashed against something really hard and silky. Confused, Quatre blinked his eyes open.
"You idiots... I warned you... But noooooo...."
"Wufei!? Man, let me go so I can kiss you!"
"Duo? Wufei?" Quatre looked from the unbelievable sight of the forest moving swiftly beneath him, to Wufei, who had each of them under one arm. His wide blue wings flapped noisily above them. The dragon was as soaked with water as they were.
"Don't you dare!" Wufei looked agast at Duo.
Quatre smiled wide with relief. They weren't going to die after all. Much to Wufei's dismay, he let loose a scream of happiness, which was echoed by Duo. They finally stopped after Wufei bellowed that they were going to make him deaf.
When they finally landed on the forest floor, Duo made good on his promise to kiss Wufei. The dragon made a big aggravated fuss about Duo's manners, and how it was rude to kiss royalty without permission. But Quatre didn't think the Draca Prince really minded. He looked too smug about having been right about the danger, and having saved them from certain doom.
***
The rest of their first night in the White Woods was chilly, but uneventful. Quatre didn't think any of them would be able to sleep with the threat of ghosts and monsters hanging over them, but after their ordeal, they were so exhausted that they fell asleep as soon as they found a sheltered place to rest. Although Duo and Quatre held onto each other tighter than usual that night.
The next morning, they awoke to a creepy environment of white and grey vegetation. It was unnaturally quiet, no birds sang, and there was no sign of any animals. Only wind whistling eerily through the trees, and a fine grey ash that coated just about everything. The morning dew sparkled, giving everything the crystalline or opalesque appearance Quatre had noticed the night before.
They spent most of the afternoon exploring the lifeless wood. Quatre could see how anyone might think it was haunted. Strangely deserted, it looked like only ghosts might live there. It was certainly spooky enough.
Eventually they came across a gigantic walnut tree, as powder white as everything else in the forest, with great gnarled branches that reached out farther than any other tree around. Beneath the dark shade of the massive tree, they gathered up many large walnuts that resembled huge mutated pearls.
With a small rock, Duo pounded away at the walnut in his hand. "I still can't believe you came after us Wufei, that was really somethin' else."
"I almost didn't," Wufei snorted.
"But you did." Duo blinked down as he managed to crack the walnut, but crushed the nut inside to pieces as well. "That means you're one of us now, you know."
"An insane imbecile? Well, considering I'm sitting in a haunted forest with the two of you, I guess you're right." Wufei chuckled, and with just a slight squeese of his claws, popped open a walnut in two clean halves.
Where are all the ghosts at, anyway?" Quatre glanced around, before setting back to trying to open another walnut. "We've been walking around all day making all kinds of noise, and we haven't seen a thing."
"Quat, you know ghosts only come out at night." Duo grinned as he attempted to pick the crumbs of walnut out of his palm.
"What about monsters? I was half hoping to see one." Quatre blinked in surprise as he accidently smashed his walnut to dust with one tap of his rock. Why did he keep choosing the bad ones? With a sigh, he picked up another walnut. "From far away, not up close, of course."
"I think most of them have died out," Wufei said, popping another walnut in his mouth.
"Actually, I'm kinda glad there's nothing here." Duo cracked open another walnut. "What do you guys think of hiking all the way east, and getting ourselves a look at the Ivory Desert?"
Wufei nearly choked.
"Well, why not?" Duo dusted the walnut shells from his hands. "We haven't come across any problems so far, why not go all the way?"
"Nearly drowning and falling to our deaths wasn't a problem!?" Quatre stared at Duo with wide disbelieving eyes. Sure, he was feeling a little more at ease since they'd arrived, but he still didn't like that forest. He was hoping that Duo would want to go home now. They could have just as much fun hiding out in the familiar towns and forests of the valley. They'd surely have hell to pay from Heero and Rashid once caught, but it just going to happen sooner or later.
"Well, sure, but we lived. The worst is obviously over. Quatre, this is a chance of a lifetime! To see the Ivory Desert!" He swung his arms out grandly. "The battlefield where epic wars were fought!"
"I thought we came here to see the White Woods." Quatre sighed with pitiful look. "And there were no ghosts or monsters. I'll bet the Ivory Desert is nothing but a whole lotta bleached sand. It's been fun when we weren't near death, but Duo, can't we just go home now?"
"Don't give me those eyes!" Duo scowled.
With a sharp crack, Quatre finally managed to open a walnut without reducing it to dust. He looked away from Duo's indignant look, peeling the shell away from his lunch.
"I don't know where your sense of adventure has gotten to these days Quat," Duo sighed with a disapproving shake of his head.
"I think he's showing a lot of common sense," Wufei commented wryly.
"Hmph. Traitor." Duo narrowed his eyes at the white dragon, who almost seemed to disappear in the perfect camoflage of their surroundings. "Just when I was going to suggest that you join our little brotherhood."
Quatre looked up from what he was eating with a smile. "Oh! The oath!" He bounced a little on his toes. "Yeah, Wufei, you need to take the oath with us now!"
"What... You want me to join some sort of cult?" Wufei eyed them nervously. "My grandmother warned me about this..."
"Not a cult!" Duo groaned. "And what are you complaining about, I thought you dragons were already in your own cult. No, I'm talkin' about me an' Quatre's oath of brotherhood! This is a great honor you know... Not even Heero has been offered it, cuz he's still too stuffy."
"What kind of oath is this exactly?" Wufei asked suspiciously, hunching his shoulders slightly. "I can not give my word lightly."
"You have to promise," Quatre beamed. "You have to swear."
"To be friends forever," Duo recited without missing a beat.
"No matter what." Quatre finished. "That is our oath of brotherhood."
"Is that all?" Wufei looked skeptical and unimpressed.
"Hey, forever is a long time!" Duo exclaimed. "Isn't that enough? So, you wanna take the oath, or not?"
"It's your choice," Quatre added, not wanting to pressure Wufei into it. He hoped he'd accept though. Not only was Wufei a good friend, but it'd be cool to have a dragon as a brother.
"Hmm..." Wufei frowned slightly, tapping his tail a bit anxiously behind him. Then he seemed to throw off any reservations he might have had with a small shrug. "Oh, why not."
"Yeah!" Duo whooped, while Quatre laughed. Forcing himself into a more serious expression, the braided boy lifted his right hand in the air, and put the other over his heart. "Okay guys, together now."
The other two followed his example, Quatre with a big smile that reached his eyes, and Wufei looking embaressed. But there was a bit of a smirk on the dragon's face.
"I promise," Duo started, allowing Quatre and Wufei to repeat after him. "I swear. To be friends forever. No matter what. That is our oath of brotherhood." When they finished saying this, Duo put out the hand that had been on his chest.
Quatre pushed forward on his knees to put his hand over Duo's. Then they looked up at Wufei expectantly. "It's to seal it," Quatre explained.
So Wufei put out his clawed hand and covered the hands of the other two boys with it. And was promptly shocked when Duo threw up his own hand, throwing the other two off with a laugh.
"That's it! Now we're all brothers!" He winked at Wufei. "Friends to the end, in good an' bad. We live an' die together!"
Wufei almost fell back onto his rear. He barely caught himself with his tail. "You make it sound as if we were just married. Wait, no, I don't think marriage is as condemning as what we just did."
"Dying is the easy part," Quatre confided with a grin. "It's living with him that's hard. See, not too long ago I was safe at home, and now look where I'm at."
"I haven't been with you two for that long, and but believe me, I know exactly what you mean." Wufei sighed, then smiled.
"What a dull life you guys would have without me." Duo laughed. "The Ivory Desert will be cool, I just know it!"
"Don't you mean it'll be hot?" Quatre teased.
"Oh, hah, hah." Duo stuck his tongue out at him.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Wufei inquired towards the pale sky.
His only answer was the hollow whisper of the wind.
***
Nightfall was approaching. The sky above the ghostly treeline was a soft pink, which faded into a dark blue, where the first stars were sparkling to life. Wufei stretched his wings with a yawn. They would need to find a place to sleep soon.
Next to him, Quatre suddenly squeaked, stumbling, then tumbling, down a small trench between two trees. The dragon paused as the small blonde boy finally stopped rolling, coming to a tangled halt among many vines and branches at the bottom of the forest floor.
"He sure does that a lot," he glanced over a Duo, who had come running back at the sound of Quatre's latest spill.
"Yeah, that's Q for you." Duo laughed with a touch of embarassment for Quatre's sake. "Hey, you okay down there?" He shouted down.
"It's not my fault! Wufei pushed me!" Quatre shouted back, trying to pull himself loose from the messy vegetation.
Suddenly Wufei remembered brushing against something with his wing as he had been stretching. He had thought it to be a tree branch or something like that. Oops. "My apologies!" Wufei called down. "Do you need help getting up?"
"No, I'm alright." Quatre mumbled almost too low to hear. Being a dragon, Wufei had little trouble hearing it. However...
"What!?" Duo yelled down.
"Give me a minute!" Quatre yelled back. Then suddenly his eyes widened, so that the aquamarine blue of his eyes became very visible. He was looking down at something near his leg. "Oh sh-- Duo!"
Duo seemed startled. "What's wrong?"
"My legband's gone. Duo, help me find it!"
"What?" Wufei blinked. "You mean that black thing he wears around his leg?" He glanced around.
"Yeah... Just stay here, okay?" Duo motioned at him to keep where he was, as he started climbing down to where Quatre was. "It's kinda a personal thing. I'll help him look."
So Wufei stayed put. Down below, Duo and Quatre scrabbled around in the dirt, leaves, and vines. Duo was very seriously searching under every root and rock he could reach, while close by, Quatre was holding his bare thigh in a very anxious way. It was a strange scene, but Wufei wouldn't pry. If it was personal, then it was probably none of his business.
Finally, it became too dark to continue searching for Quatre's lost accessory. With a ripping sound, Duo tore the back hanging end of his black loincloth to make a clumsily tied, make-shift legband for Quatre. And at last, the two boys climbed back out of the ditch, dirtier than they had entered it.
With the little crisis over, Duo and Quatre fell into their usual revelry, deciding to spend the night in a cozy meadow. The Draca prince didn't like the idea of sleeping someplace so exposed but the other boys insisted, saying that they enjoyed sleeping under the stars.
As they settled in, Quatre suddenly began to squirm, and announced that he was off to relieve himself. "He sure is confident, going off by himself like that in the middle of the night," Wufei watched the blonde disappear through the trees.
"Why shouldn't he be? Back home, he'd at least risk being attacked by a crazy squirrel or somethin'," Duo chuckled. "In comparison, this place is rather boring threatwise."
"Maybe boring isn't a bad thing," Wufei stared thoughtfully at the milky grass beneath his claws. He didn't mean to ask, but as he mused, it just came out. "Duo, what was going on a few minutes ago?"
Duo was silent for a moment. Then his lips smacked open, and he paused for another moment, as if he had changed his mind about what he was about to say. Then at last he spoke.
"Dragons never break their word, isn't that right?" Duo turned his head to give Wufei a hard stare.
"Never." Wufei replied, now more mystified than before. "It is better to die than to break a promise. That is our way."
"Then you have to promise never to tell anybody what I tell you, got it? Quat's really sensitive about it. I'm not even supposed to know about it, but since I'm his best friend since forever, there's nothing about him that I don't know."
"I see. You have my word. I will never reveal what you tell me." Wufei thought Duo was being overdramatic again. After the oath business, he doubted he there was any secret of Quatre's that could shock him.
"Promise?" Duo warned.
"I promise."
"Okay then. Since you're our brother now, I guess it's okay to tell you." Duo rolled over and leaned in close. Despite the fact that there was no one around, he spoke in whispers. "His guardian Rashid tells him that if anyone asks, that black legband's there out of mourning for his parents. But the truth is, Quatre has the wildest birthmark. Well, he says it's a birthmark, but I think it's really a tattoo. Nothing natural looks like that. Rashid makes him keep it covered up so no one sees it."
"A mark?" A troubled feeling came over him. From everything he knew, marks, especially unusual marks were almost never a good thing. "What does this mark look like?"
"Well... It's blood red, looks like the head of some kind of animal. There's two white spots that look like eyes, and this bright green diamond in the middle of it..." Duo paused, as if disturbed by a memory. He shook it off and smiled at Wufei. "Like I said, really wild."
Suddenly, Wufei felt his pulse racing like a scared rabbit. It sounded like... No, that was impossible. Absolutely insane. Not Quatre. Completely out of the question!
"Wufei?" Duo frowned deeply. "What's the matter?"
***
Sticks and leaves crunched noisily beneath his sandals. He really shouldn't have wandered off. After going to the bathroom, he should have returned immediately to Duo and Wufei. But for some reason, he had started walking away into the forest.
Something wanted him to follow. It was strange and weird, but he could feel it. So he walked until he came to a place where the trees had died away, and he was under the wide open sky. Quatre jolted to a stop.
Only a few feet away, stood... Something. A something made of soft, fuzzy white light. He could barely distinguish the outline of a human figure. The thing slowly lifted an arm out towards him. Distinct fingers uncurled, quietly reaching towards him.
An incredible warm rush suddenly passed through Quatre. He wasn't afraid. All he wanted was to be closer to this beautiful being. He wanted to have a better look. His feet, like heavy stone weights, carried him forward, step by step. It was calling to him with a song he could hear from deep within. It was so wonderful.
Then, just when he was almost close enough to touch, there was a loud crashing through the trees behind the light. Quatre's eyes widened and his lips parted with surprise as the light person seemed to half-glance behind itself, then vanished, as if a violent wind had abruptly swept it away.
Burning disappointment hung in the air.
Across the clearing, where the black shadows of the treeline met the moonlight, stood a figure in a dark cloak. The silence of the wood was now filled with harsh breathing. Trembling, curling whisps of mist billowed from beneath the dark hood.
Fear gripping him now, Quatre stepped back, and a sharp crack cut through the air as a stick broke beneath his foot. The cloaked figure went silent. Slowly, it lifted the black emptiness of its hood towards the boy. It was too dark too see what was beneath it, but Quatre could see a round, shimmering, indigo blue object, a clasp on the cloak.
"You." The icy words were like an accusation. The voice was strange, as if transforming into a deeper pitch in mid-word.
"Uh, hello?" Quatre whispered, trying not to look as scared as he felt.
"So... So innocent. So pure. If only..." The cloaked man now seemed to be whispering to himself. "No, it's already much too late. How strange this feels..."
"W-Who are you?" Quatre asked nervously. Whoever this was, he sounded like a madman. What was he doing here?
"Who am I?" He laughed coldly. "You tell me. I've had more names than I can recall. The Draca call me Prophet. King Amuro called me friend." Almost gliding along the ground, he moved towards Quatre.
"King Amuro?" Quatre recognized the name. "B-But he lived over a thousand years ago... He was the first Peacecraft monarch! There's no way you could have known him..." He staggered back as the stranger who called himself Prophet approached.
"I am older than you can imagine." Cloak swirling about him like a cape as he came closer, his voice was subtly rising as he spoke, becoming harsh and bitter. "My true name is a curse I shall never speak, and the name of my heart is known only to one. That one who died long, long ago, before the birth of time. That shadow of light which laughs and cries, running through eternity, leading me, I know not where. You poor, poor wretched child, does that answer your question?" He stopped before the boy.
Quatre could only gasp in reply as from beneath the dark cloak, a hand reached out, covered in a dusty, black glove. Prophet took the frightened boy's chin in hand, holding him firmly.
"No, of course not," the wraith growled. Bending down, he peered at Quatre from under the black shadows of his hood. Shining, intense green eyes studied him. They were terrifying.
What was this stranger? Something about him didn't feel human. Could he be a ghost? Or something even worse? Quatre wanted to run, wanted to scream, but he couldn't move.
"Go ahead and take a good look." Prophet spoke, now with a deadly calm. "You will remember this as the day your world started falling apart. And you will hate me like nothing else."
It was still too dark to see beneath that hood, darker than any darkness he had seen before. Even so, Quatre didn't want to look. He didn't want to see those glowing eyes anymore. So instead he stared at the beautiful clasp at the man's neck. Glittering, dark, dark blue crystal, it was fantastic. And now up close, he saw that there was a jagged white crack crawling down the middle of it, much like a bolt of lightning.
An overwhelming sense of pity came over him. Why, he didn't know.
"W-Why are you saying this?"
"They're coming to kill you. And it's my fault. Everything is my fault." The man's voice softened, as a change seemed to come over him. He hesitated, stroking his thumb against the softness of Quatre's cheek. "It... It would be so easy..." His voice quavered. "I could kill you so easily... Snuff you out in an instant..." With a tired sigh, his hand fell away. He stood and stepped back, bowing his head.
"No. It would do no good. I must not lose sight of my quest." His voice was no longer as deep, and he spoke softly. "You return to your friends. They're in danger." With that, he turned away.
Mouth hanging open in numb shock, Quatre didn't react right away. Only after watching Prophet walk away into the trees from where he had first appeared, had the words fully sunken in. And somewhere not too far away, he could hear Duo screaming.
"Danger!?"
Almost slipping, he turned around and ran as fast as he could. As well as Duo's screaming, he could hear something that sounded like a wildcat, which must be Wufei. And the sound of something very big crashing around. Quatre's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw what looked like a tree go sailing through the air, followed by a loud thump.
When Quatre finally broke through into the meadow where he'd left his friends, he almost fell over trying to stop as quickly as possible. His shriek was drowned out by horrendous metallic screeching, whirring, and crunching noises.
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes: Oy, this chapter got longer than heck, but this time it just couldn't be helped. -_-; As usual, check Chapter 1 for the insanely long list of warnings and pairings info. None of which really apply here. Wheeheee, I believe the real weirdness starts in this chapter. Again, I can just try to assure you that everything is under control, keep all seats in an upright position... Unless you're Trowa and Quatre, you guys can do whatcha want. ^~ Oh, and watch out for random falling Mobile Suit Gundam references. ^_^;
Anyone who's *still* reading this far, once again you have my thanks!!
***
In searching for substance
We're clouded by struggle's haze
Remember the meaning
Of playing out in the rain
We swim in the fountain
Of youth's timeless maze
If you drink the water
Your youth will never fade
Never die
I won't let go of that youthful soul
Despite body and mind my youth will never die
~from "Never Die" by Creed
***
Chapter 4
Setting her golden circlet on her bedside table, Relena turned and stared at the backwall of her chamber. With a spoken command, the solid color washed away to reveal a clear view of the cloud-dotted grey sky, and the forest beyond. The only indication of the great city surrounding the palace being the occasional building peering through the towering trees. Just below, she could see tiny figures running around.
The Junior Guard, goofing off again. Often Duo and Quatre would be down there with them, but not today. Not for many, many days. But as much as she was worried about what dangers the boys might be headed into, the situation had unintentionally become a small blessing.
The search for the wayward boys had taken Heero away from the city, and the prince's absence had brought the Draca's discussions concerning the Omega Prophecy to a standstill. She still didn't know how she should handle the problem. The Draca Queen was asking permission to execute one of Relena's subjects, if they could find him. Silva spoke as if she didn't know exactly who she was looking for, but would know when she found him. Something about a mark.
Yet Relena suspected that the Queen was not being entirely forthcoming about everything. News had been coming to her that dragons had been flying about the valley, asking questions. Looking for someone.
If Queen Silva really was ready to act regardless of Relena's wishes, then she would need Heero by her side. She respected the Draca's beliefs, but she would not allow them to kill whomever they pleased, simply because they believed the sky would fall otherwise. This was her kingdom, her people, and she would protect them.
It had been an hour since Relena had told the Draca Queen of Heero's most recent news concerning the runaway boys. By now, Silva should have gathered her entourage to the skyport above the palace. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she took one last look back, and turned to leave.
***
Above the palace, the sleek, white royal hoverjet had been prepared for Relena. It was just larger than the dragons, who were stretching and folding their bat-like wings impatiently. Relena, wearing a heavy burgundy jacket lined with black fur that rustled in the biting cold wind, ran to meet them. The two guards that had followed her, had to catch up. They were only a formality. She didn't need them.
"Shall we depart now, princess?" Silva spread her enormous wings, which shook violently in the autumn winds. "There is a storm approaching. If we do not leave soon, we shall be caught up in it."
"Yes." Relena nodded.
"Your highness!" Behind them, escorted by more guards, and even a few members of the Junior Guard, was Rashid. "Are you going after Quatre?"
Surprised, Relena turned around. Rashid had been missing for the last few days, presumably out searching for Quatre himself. She realized he must not have been very far if he had seen the dragons gathering and the hoverjet prepared for flight. "Yes, the boys were seen in Skysteppe. We're going now to retrieve them. I assure you I will do all I can to bring Quatre home safely."
"Thank you, princess." Rashid bowed. "But I would ask that you take me with you." He turned his eyes up towards Queen Silva. "Please forgive me, but as I trust you, I do not trust your company."
"So it is you." Eyes widening, Silva turned to face him. "If you are Rashid, then am I correct in assuming that one of those with my grandson is... This Quatre? The same child from years ago?"
"Do you know each other?" Relena looked from one to the other.
"We have met," Rashid rumbled. "And yes, Quatre is the child you remember," he told Silva. "I know what you came down here to do. I may have failed in watching over Quatre, but I will keep an eye on you. I will not let you harm him."
"Do not interfere with that which you do not understand." Silva said coldly. "My own soft heart has shown more mercy than was wise. Not only have I respected the woman's dying wishes, but I have also allowed too many years to pass. Now you must stand aside and allow me to do what must be done."
"He's only a boy!" Rashid barked. "A normal, loving, human boy! The princess here is one of his friends, as is the young Prince Heero. Your majesty, you will be a murderer if you do this!"
"Had this been done fourteen years ago, it would have been far less painful." There was now a touch of sympathy in her voice. "I can only assure you that he is no mere boy. The signs do not lie."
"Excuse me," Relena finally intervened, "but, are you trying to tell me you believe Quatre is the Omega?" She stared up at the Draca queen in sheer disbelief.
The queen briefly closed her eyes, then turned her blue gaze on Relena. "I had hoped to have your understanding before facing the harsh reality of the task. Yes, the boy Quatre is the Omega. I am sorry if he is your friend, but you must see it is no mistake. There is a power at work here, an evil power beyond any of our comprehension. Just as it worked to save the boy at his birth, now it has found a possible protector in yourself. Please, my princess, you must swallow your heart, or this monster will use it against you! This may very well be our last chance."
Relena was momentarily speechless. Was Silva insane? She hardened her features. She would not get angry. She would handle this. Surely, once the queen met Quatre herself, she would see that she was wrong. "I'm afraid, I do not agree with you, your majesty," she finally spoke. "But we can discuss it once we've retrieved the boys." She turned towards the man waiting behind them. "Rashid, you may accompany us."
"Thank you, your highness." Rashid bowed again.
"As you wish, princess." Silva turned away and with a great flap of her wings, took to the sky. Instantly, her entourage leapt into the air as well.
Relena surprised Rashid by grabbing his sleeve and practically dragging him towards the hovercraft. "Hurry! They must not reach Heero and the boys first!" She hadn't liked the dark look in the Draca Queen's eyes.
***
"Wufei, just admit it. You're lost."
"I am not lost," Wufei growled. "You are slow."
"How long have we been down here anyway?" Duo continued to moan. "I think I've forgotten what the sky looks like!"
Quatre shrugged the pack on his shoulders. He had worn it since Maycer, to make sure Duo didn't eat them into starvation, but he could feel it becoming lighter and lighter. "I'm not sure. But we'll be in trouble if we don't find a way out soon."
"I know where I'm going!" Wufei said in exasperation. "We wouldn't have had to take the long way if you two had wings!"
"Well, the Wizards didn't give me wings," Duo sighed. "Just very sore feet." He glanced up at the darkness. "Y'know, I've been thinkin'."
Quatre and Wufei snickered.
"Oh, shut up. Really, this must have been what it was like for our ancestors in the ancient days. Back when everyone lived underground. Before there were any kingdoms or anything. Kinda spooky if you think about it."
"My ancestors didn't live underground." Wufei said indignantly. "We've always lived high in the air."
"No," Quatre said quietly. "If we're going according to the legends, then we were all the same in the beginning. Isn't that what they say? Then the dragons couldn't have been able to fly then."
"Yeah," Duo laughed triumphantly. "Dragons were in the ground like everyone else, until they were changed because of the Wizards' little whims."
"Maybe," Wufei shrugged. "Either way, we Draca were here a long time before any of you decided to dig yourselves out of the earth."
"Why was anyone in the earth to begin with?" Quatre asked, frowning. "It doesn't really make sense. We're obviously meant to live in the open air. It's too dark for us to see down here." He crossed his flashlight in Duo's face to make his point.
"Oh c'mon Quat," Duo flinched away from the bright light. "Everyone knows the Wizards made us out of the ground 'cuz everything comes out of the ground. Like trees, mountains, and dirt. And people served and worshipped 'em until they got tired of being slaves. The dragons turned against them, and then the Wizards made the GESS to get rid of the dragons. But then the GESS turned against them too, and everyone else with them. Then all the free kingdoms and wars started, and here we are, wandering through a mountain."
Quatre just kept frowning, shaking his head. Something like an itch was gnawing at his mind. "But Duo, if the Wizards made us, then who made the Wizards?"
Duo blinked. "Oh, that one guy... Geez, Quat, you remember don't you, whatshisname in that huge text book we just got this year. Haven't you read it yet? The first wizard... Cher? Char?"
"Char, the demon Wizard," Wufei growled. "I too, have heard of him. An unholy creature in the shape of a man."
With a snort, Quatre turned his head. He didn't like talking about this. Something about it made him uncomfortable. "Of course there's some truth in the legends. But I agree with Princess Relena, that it's regrettable that most of our history has been lost in a lot of ridiculous legends and myths. Clearly the Wizards were responsible in the shaping of the world, but it's silly to think they were any sort of gods or demons. If they were so powerful, why were they overthrown and blown to bits?" He sighed and raked his hands back through his hair. "In a way, it's too bad the Wizards are all gone. I would've liked to ask one for some real answers about where we came from and why everything is the way it is..."
"I'm beginning to wish I had kept my mouth shut," Duo chuckled. "You get so serious sometimes, Quat."
Wufei smirked. "You keep your mouth shut? That's a first."
"Hey, do you hear something?" Quatre interrupted before Duo could take a shot at the Draca prince.
"Not a thing," Duo sighed, rubbing at his eyes.
"I do," Wufei lifted his head. "Sounds like water."
"Really?"
Running down the rocky path, Quatre stopped at the entrance to a big open cavern. His eyes widened. Shimmering threads of water were coming from the rocks and the ceiling far above. Cool liquid poured down in streamers, like mystic rain.
Stepping carefully into the slippery cavern among the puddles, Quatre lifted his dusty face and let the water streak down his hair and body, cleaning the grime away. It felt wonderful.
"Wow, what is this place?" Duo reached out to one of the threads, letting the sparkling liquid spatter into his cupped hand. He tasted it tentatively. "Hey, it's fresh!"
"We're under one of the springs that supplies the city with water." Wufei spread one wing like an umbrella over his head. "This means we're almost out."
Deeper within the cavern they found a wide pool, its surface jumping wildly as water poured into it. Without hesitation, Duo took a running leap, creating a splash that surged up, a white flash that humbled all other splashes in the pool. His laughter echoed loudly around them.
"Duo!" Wufei shouted. "Those springs are treacherous! You shouldn't be swimming in them!"
"It's perfectly fine!" Duo bobbed on the surface, his caramel-brown hair plastered to his face. "C'mon in!"
"No! You need to get out of there!" Wufei sputtered as he gestured his wing a little too much, and a streamer of water hit his face.
It was too tempting for Quatre to resist. Letting the pack slip to the ground, he jumped in after his friend. Dark green water swirled and bubbled loudly around him as he sunk. With a kick, he pushed back to the surface, to the racket of crackling water, and completely blinded with his blonde hair stuck to his face.
Slicking the offending bangs up away from his forehead, he found himself looking into Duo's dripping and grinning face. The boy's braid was moving around in the water like a thick brown snake. Quatre smiled back, then they looked in unison through the dancing waters.
Wufei was sulking.
"Come on Wufei, you might as well!" Quatre shouted with a laugh.
With a snort, the young dragon dropped his slender head with a look of defeat. Then his wings folded, his haunches bundled together, and he took the plunge. Duo and Quatre shrieked and flinched away as Wufei created a small tidal wave, drenching them further as it rolled over their heads.
When the three boys finally emerged again, they were all laughing.
For a long time, they splashed and swam, and as they played, they forgot about their hurry to get out of the mountain. Until finally, avoiding yet another slap of water sent his way by Wufei's wings, Duo decided they should think about moving on before they lost too much time.
"Aw, Duo, I'm comfortable now," Quatre complained, floating away through the water. "You want to go so soon, you'll have to drag me out."
"If you insist," Duo laughed, swimming after his drifting friend.
Seeing Duo coming for him, Quatre began kicking back, further into the pool to get away. "Ack! Go away!" Giggling maniacally, he kicked water at Duo trying to get him to back off.
But Duo was still chasing him with an evil grin.
"H-Hey! Don't go that far out!" Wufei shouted. "I really mean it!"
And that's the last thing Quatre heard before something pulled at him so hard, it sucked him beneath the water. A strong undertow had him, and he was speeding through miles of water, terrified and out of control. He couldn't fight it, and he couldn't breathe.
Just when he was sure he would die, he was surprised to feel something grasp his hand tightly. He couldn't open his eyes in the rushing water, but he knew it was Duo. He had come after him.
As they went careening through what felt like endless tunnels of water, Quatre realized he could keep holding his breath. He had just been scared. But could Duo make it? He felt his friend's pulse weakening through their grip. When would this end!?
As if in answer, suddenly the water ride did come to an end. Quatre gasped loudly as they were abruptly thrust out into open air in a thundering, explosive spray. Propelled by water, they went skidding out across flat slippery rock, sliding this way and that until they finally went swerving to a stop.
With a wet, hacking cough, Quatre lifted himself on wobbly arms. Blinking away the heavy droplets of water from his eyelashes, he found he had been borne from one dark world into another. Black and bright, the night sky was filled with millions upon millions of twinkling stars, like a vial of glitter strewn out across black velvet. Among them was their pale ruler, the moon, bigger and brighter than Quatre could ever remember seeing it before, glaring down at him like an enormous round eye. An involuntary violent shiver suddenly ran down his spine.
Tearing his eyes away from the sky, he looked down to find that he was on a rocky mountain ledge, just a long drop away from an almost luminescent forest that seemed carved out of opal. His mouth dropped open. Was this the White Woods at last? The haunted forest?
"Duo!" Finding his voice, he turned excitedly to his friend. But Duo still lay motionless in a soggy mess. Quatre's excitement turned to cold fear as he realised that Duo wasn't breathing. He shook him by the arms. "Duo!"
The braided boy didn't respond. His head simply lolled to the side. Panic threatened to turn Quatre into a blubbering idiot, but he forced himself to calm down. Duo needed him rational now, when every second counted. He tried to remember everything he knew about medical aid.
His mind was blank. Calm down, calm down! "Don't die, Duo," he whimpered, shaking his head in frustration. Think!
By Bright, why couldn't he remember a thing!? He'd spent over a month learning emergency medical aid at special classes at the Center Hospital Complex. Now all he could remember was being silly with Duo while they were practicing mouth to mouth resuscitation on each other. During which he'd learned the perfect way to annoy his friend...
"That's it!"
Gently, he tilted Duo's head back, holding his jaw open with one hand and held his nose shut with the other. Quatre took a deep breath and leaned down to seal his mouth tightly to Duo's cold lips. His eyes squeezed shut, Quatre exhaled hard into Duo's lungs. Then he turned away and opened his eyes again, darting them nervously towards the still unmoving chest. So he did it again.
Several times, praying desperately for him to breathe. Until finally, with a shallow, wheezing breath, Duo began to cough violently. Quatre wanted to hug him tightly and cry, but instead he helped him sit up as he expelled the fluid from his lungs. Holding on as if afraid Duo might try to die on him again, he rubbed his back until the other boy's breathing slowly fell back into a normal rhythm.
"Eh," Duo finally croaked. "We still alive?"
"Barely."
"Thought I saw somethin' from the other side comin' for me," Duo chuckled weakly. "Guess it was just you."
"Heh. You're welcome." Quatre smiled. "Do you see it, Duo?"
"Yeah." At this, Duo worked to raise himself on shaky legs with Quatre's help. His round violet eyes were shining with wonder and triumph. "It's the White Woods. We made it, Quat!"
"What about Wufei?" Remembering their dragon friend, Quatre turned to look at the place where the spring waters were rushing out of the cavern. The spring flowed out over the rocks to create a small waterfall that cascaded all the way down the side of the mountain.
"I guess he must think we're dead," Duo looked back as well. "It's a shame, but we can't go back the way we came. Looks like we'll have to continue by ourselves from here on out."
With a sigh, Quatre stepped up to the cliff edge. "Yeah, I suppose there's nothing we can do about it. I hope he doesn't worry too much."
"Ah, Wufei's probably glad to be rid of us," Duo laughed softly. "And it's not like he hasn't seen any of this before. We'll find him later on our way back and let him know we were fine without him." Duo winked.
Quatre turned and eyed the deceivingly solemn forest before them. "Actually... maybe we should start looking for a way back now, so we can get back as soon as possible. There's no need to go any further."
"What!?" Duo squawked. "But we just got here!"
"Duo, we don't have any supplies. I lost them back there. And what about the monsters? Aren't there supposed to be monsters down there?"
"Wufei said he never saw any monsters." Duo brushed it off with a motion of his hand. "And it's not like we haven't scavenged before."
Quatre still felt uneasy. This wasn't working out anymore. And now that they were actually there looking at the supposedly haunted forest, there was a bad feeling gnawing at his stomach. "Duo, I think we're in over our heads. And look, there's no way we can climb down the rest of the way. It's a sheer drop down!" He leaned over the edge, his eyes wide.
"We'll find a way." Duo said stubbornly.
At that moment, Quatre felt the rock beneath his feet moving. There was no time to react, the ledge beneath him was collasping under his weight. Why does this keep happening to me, he thought before fear and adrenaline sent every thought scattering with a scream. Rock crumbled and dust flew around him as he fell.
"Quatre!"
As he fell, his wrist was roughly seized. The weight of his body nearly wrenched his arm from his shoulder, and the pain was awful. He cried out, suspended and swaying in the cold air. His eyes, blurring with stinging dust and terror, stared up over the arms straining to hold on to him.
It was Duo again.
Never before had he seen the raw fear he saw in Duo's eyes. He turned away, and saw the rocks he had just been standing on, still falling towards the far away forest below. His stomach turning violently, he turned back towards Duo, who was in danger of sliding over the side of the cliff himself, but refusing to let go.
"Give me your other hand!"
Quatre tried. But as he shifted his weight, he could see how close Duo was to falling over after him. "I can't!" He tried kicking for a foothold, but the rockface was too far for his legs to reach.
"Give me your other hand!" Duo gritted his teeth.
"You'll fall!"
"You want to die?" Duo snapped. "Just do what I tell you!"
"We'll both die!" Quatre cried. He was so scared. He didn't want Duo to let go, he didn't want to die. But he didn't want Duo to die because of him. He stared up into violet eyes, exhaustion and pain burning into him as his heart hammered crazily in his chest.
Duo's brows furrowed and his mouth set in a tight line. "I'm not letting go." He growled. "So don't even think it."
But Duo was losing his grip. Slowly, Quatre slipped further away. His fear taking control, Quatre swung his other hand up and grabbed desperately at Duo's wrist. Duo yelled in shock as he was nearly yanked over the side, digging the toes of his sandals into the rock for all he was worth. Quatre cried out.
Duo was breathing hard through his braid, which was swaying across his face in the wind. His face had broken out in a cold sweat, which was trickling onto Quatre. He cursed something Quatre couldn't hear, while trying to pull them both back up without losing what little grip he had.
It wasn't working. Duo had been weak from nearly drowning to begin with, and Quatre knew he couldn't do it. And apparently, Duo knew it too. A terrible smile suddenly spread across Duo's face.
"Well, at least it hasn't been boring, has it?"
"Duo!"
"I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you, and you sure as hell aren't going anywhere without me. Friends to the end, remember?"
"Let me go!" Quatre shrieked. To hear Duo talk like that was more than he could bear. He began to pull at Duo's hand on his wrist.
Duo had always been stronger than him, and he couldn't break the other boy's grip. The wind stopped. With what looked like a grimace of pain and sorrowful apology, Duo lost whatever hold he'd had on the ledge.
Quatre fell, pulling Duo swiftly after him. It was almost peaceful, compared to the tension of holding on a moment before. He could hear the wind again, roaring in his ears. It billowed around him in a cold embrace. His eyes closed, he braced himself.
The impact knocked the wind out of him. And the next thing he knew, he could feel himself floating. Was that it? Was he dead? Well, that hadn't been so bad. Except he was still sore. And he couldn't move. And he was squashed against something really hard and silky. Confused, Quatre blinked his eyes open.
"You idiots... I warned you... But noooooo...."
"Wufei!? Man, let me go so I can kiss you!"
"Duo? Wufei?" Quatre looked from the unbelievable sight of the forest moving swiftly beneath him, to Wufei, who had each of them under one arm. His wide blue wings flapped noisily above them. The dragon was as soaked with water as they were.
"Don't you dare!" Wufei looked agast at Duo.
Quatre smiled wide with relief. They weren't going to die after all. Much to Wufei's dismay, he let loose a scream of happiness, which was echoed by Duo. They finally stopped after Wufei bellowed that they were going to make him deaf.
When they finally landed on the forest floor, Duo made good on his promise to kiss Wufei. The dragon made a big aggravated fuss about Duo's manners, and how it was rude to kiss royalty without permission. But Quatre didn't think the Draca Prince really minded. He looked too smug about having been right about the danger, and having saved them from certain doom.
***
The rest of their first night in the White Woods was chilly, but uneventful. Quatre didn't think any of them would be able to sleep with the threat of ghosts and monsters hanging over them, but after their ordeal, they were so exhausted that they fell asleep as soon as they found a sheltered place to rest. Although Duo and Quatre held onto each other tighter than usual that night.
The next morning, they awoke to a creepy environment of white and grey vegetation. It was unnaturally quiet, no birds sang, and there was no sign of any animals. Only wind whistling eerily through the trees, and a fine grey ash that coated just about everything. The morning dew sparkled, giving everything the crystalline or opalesque appearance Quatre had noticed the night before.
They spent most of the afternoon exploring the lifeless wood. Quatre could see how anyone might think it was haunted. Strangely deserted, it looked like only ghosts might live there. It was certainly spooky enough.
Eventually they came across a gigantic walnut tree, as powder white as everything else in the forest, with great gnarled branches that reached out farther than any other tree around. Beneath the dark shade of the massive tree, they gathered up many large walnuts that resembled huge mutated pearls.
With a small rock, Duo pounded away at the walnut in his hand. "I still can't believe you came after us Wufei, that was really somethin' else."
"I almost didn't," Wufei snorted.
"But you did." Duo blinked down as he managed to crack the walnut, but crushed the nut inside to pieces as well. "That means you're one of us now, you know."
"An insane imbecile? Well, considering I'm sitting in a haunted forest with the two of you, I guess you're right." Wufei chuckled, and with just a slight squeese of his claws, popped open a walnut in two clean halves.
Where are all the ghosts at, anyway?" Quatre glanced around, before setting back to trying to open another walnut. "We've been walking around all day making all kinds of noise, and we haven't seen a thing."
"Quat, you know ghosts only come out at night." Duo grinned as he attempted to pick the crumbs of walnut out of his palm.
"What about monsters? I was half hoping to see one." Quatre blinked in surprise as he accidently smashed his walnut to dust with one tap of his rock. Why did he keep choosing the bad ones? With a sigh, he picked up another walnut. "From far away, not up close, of course."
"I think most of them have died out," Wufei said, popping another walnut in his mouth.
"Actually, I'm kinda glad there's nothing here." Duo cracked open another walnut. "What do you guys think of hiking all the way east, and getting ourselves a look at the Ivory Desert?"
Wufei nearly choked.
"Well, why not?" Duo dusted the walnut shells from his hands. "We haven't come across any problems so far, why not go all the way?"
"Nearly drowning and falling to our deaths wasn't a problem!?" Quatre stared at Duo with wide disbelieving eyes. Sure, he was feeling a little more at ease since they'd arrived, but he still didn't like that forest. He was hoping that Duo would want to go home now. They could have just as much fun hiding out in the familiar towns and forests of the valley. They'd surely have hell to pay from Heero and Rashid once caught, but it just going to happen sooner or later.
"Well, sure, but we lived. The worst is obviously over. Quatre, this is a chance of a lifetime! To see the Ivory Desert!" He swung his arms out grandly. "The battlefield where epic wars were fought!"
"I thought we came here to see the White Woods." Quatre sighed with pitiful look. "And there were no ghosts or monsters. I'll bet the Ivory Desert is nothing but a whole lotta bleached sand. It's been fun when we weren't near death, but Duo, can't we just go home now?"
"Don't give me those eyes!" Duo scowled.
With a sharp crack, Quatre finally managed to open a walnut without reducing it to dust. He looked away from Duo's indignant look, peeling the shell away from his lunch.
"I don't know where your sense of adventure has gotten to these days Quat," Duo sighed with a disapproving shake of his head.
"I think he's showing a lot of common sense," Wufei commented wryly.
"Hmph. Traitor." Duo narrowed his eyes at the white dragon, who almost seemed to disappear in the perfect camoflage of their surroundings. "Just when I was going to suggest that you join our little brotherhood."
Quatre looked up from what he was eating with a smile. "Oh! The oath!" He bounced a little on his toes. "Yeah, Wufei, you need to take the oath with us now!"
"What... You want me to join some sort of cult?" Wufei eyed them nervously. "My grandmother warned me about this..."
"Not a cult!" Duo groaned. "And what are you complaining about, I thought you dragons were already in your own cult. No, I'm talkin' about me an' Quatre's oath of brotherhood! This is a great honor you know... Not even Heero has been offered it, cuz he's still too stuffy."
"What kind of oath is this exactly?" Wufei asked suspiciously, hunching his shoulders slightly. "I can not give my word lightly."
"You have to promise," Quatre beamed. "You have to swear."
"To be friends forever," Duo recited without missing a beat.
"No matter what." Quatre finished. "That is our oath of brotherhood."
"Is that all?" Wufei looked skeptical and unimpressed.
"Hey, forever is a long time!" Duo exclaimed. "Isn't that enough? So, you wanna take the oath, or not?"
"It's your choice," Quatre added, not wanting to pressure Wufei into it. He hoped he'd accept though. Not only was Wufei a good friend, but it'd be cool to have a dragon as a brother.
"Hmm..." Wufei frowned slightly, tapping his tail a bit anxiously behind him. Then he seemed to throw off any reservations he might have had with a small shrug. "Oh, why not."
"Yeah!" Duo whooped, while Quatre laughed. Forcing himself into a more serious expression, the braided boy lifted his right hand in the air, and put the other over his heart. "Okay guys, together now."
The other two followed his example, Quatre with a big smile that reached his eyes, and Wufei looking embaressed. But there was a bit of a smirk on the dragon's face.
"I promise," Duo started, allowing Quatre and Wufei to repeat after him. "I swear. To be friends forever. No matter what. That is our oath of brotherhood." When they finished saying this, Duo put out the hand that had been on his chest.
Quatre pushed forward on his knees to put his hand over Duo's. Then they looked up at Wufei expectantly. "It's to seal it," Quatre explained.
So Wufei put out his clawed hand and covered the hands of the other two boys with it. And was promptly shocked when Duo threw up his own hand, throwing the other two off with a laugh.
"That's it! Now we're all brothers!" He winked at Wufei. "Friends to the end, in good an' bad. We live an' die together!"
Wufei almost fell back onto his rear. He barely caught himself with his tail. "You make it sound as if we were just married. Wait, no, I don't think marriage is as condemning as what we just did."
"Dying is the easy part," Quatre confided with a grin. "It's living with him that's hard. See, not too long ago I was safe at home, and now look where I'm at."
"I haven't been with you two for that long, and but believe me, I know exactly what you mean." Wufei sighed, then smiled.
"What a dull life you guys would have without me." Duo laughed. "The Ivory Desert will be cool, I just know it!"
"Don't you mean it'll be hot?" Quatre teased.
"Oh, hah, hah." Duo stuck his tongue out at him.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Wufei inquired towards the pale sky.
His only answer was the hollow whisper of the wind.
***
Nightfall was approaching. The sky above the ghostly treeline was a soft pink, which faded into a dark blue, where the first stars were sparkling to life. Wufei stretched his wings with a yawn. They would need to find a place to sleep soon.
Next to him, Quatre suddenly squeaked, stumbling, then tumbling, down a small trench between two trees. The dragon paused as the small blonde boy finally stopped rolling, coming to a tangled halt among many vines and branches at the bottom of the forest floor.
"He sure does that a lot," he glanced over a Duo, who had come running back at the sound of Quatre's latest spill.
"Yeah, that's Q for you." Duo laughed with a touch of embarassment for Quatre's sake. "Hey, you okay down there?" He shouted down.
"It's not my fault! Wufei pushed me!" Quatre shouted back, trying to pull himself loose from the messy vegetation.
Suddenly Wufei remembered brushing against something with his wing as he had been stretching. He had thought it to be a tree branch or something like that. Oops. "My apologies!" Wufei called down. "Do you need help getting up?"
"No, I'm alright." Quatre mumbled almost too low to hear. Being a dragon, Wufei had little trouble hearing it. However...
"What!?" Duo yelled down.
"Give me a minute!" Quatre yelled back. Then suddenly his eyes widened, so that the aquamarine blue of his eyes became very visible. He was looking down at something near his leg. "Oh sh-- Duo!"
Duo seemed startled. "What's wrong?"
"My legband's gone. Duo, help me find it!"
"What?" Wufei blinked. "You mean that black thing he wears around his leg?" He glanced around.
"Yeah... Just stay here, okay?" Duo motioned at him to keep where he was, as he started climbing down to where Quatre was. "It's kinda a personal thing. I'll help him look."
So Wufei stayed put. Down below, Duo and Quatre scrabbled around in the dirt, leaves, and vines. Duo was very seriously searching under every root and rock he could reach, while close by, Quatre was holding his bare thigh in a very anxious way. It was a strange scene, but Wufei wouldn't pry. If it was personal, then it was probably none of his business.
Finally, it became too dark to continue searching for Quatre's lost accessory. With a ripping sound, Duo tore the back hanging end of his black loincloth to make a clumsily tied, make-shift legband for Quatre. And at last, the two boys climbed back out of the ditch, dirtier than they had entered it.
With the little crisis over, Duo and Quatre fell into their usual revelry, deciding to spend the night in a cozy meadow. The Draca prince didn't like the idea of sleeping someplace so exposed but the other boys insisted, saying that they enjoyed sleeping under the stars.
As they settled in, Quatre suddenly began to squirm, and announced that he was off to relieve himself. "He sure is confident, going off by himself like that in the middle of the night," Wufei watched the blonde disappear through the trees.
"Why shouldn't he be? Back home, he'd at least risk being attacked by a crazy squirrel or somethin'," Duo chuckled. "In comparison, this place is rather boring threatwise."
"Maybe boring isn't a bad thing," Wufei stared thoughtfully at the milky grass beneath his claws. He didn't mean to ask, but as he mused, it just came out. "Duo, what was going on a few minutes ago?"
Duo was silent for a moment. Then his lips smacked open, and he paused for another moment, as if he had changed his mind about what he was about to say. Then at last he spoke.
"Dragons never break their word, isn't that right?" Duo turned his head to give Wufei a hard stare.
"Never." Wufei replied, now more mystified than before. "It is better to die than to break a promise. That is our way."
"Then you have to promise never to tell anybody what I tell you, got it? Quat's really sensitive about it. I'm not even supposed to know about it, but since I'm his best friend since forever, there's nothing about him that I don't know."
"I see. You have my word. I will never reveal what you tell me." Wufei thought Duo was being overdramatic again. After the oath business, he doubted he there was any secret of Quatre's that could shock him.
"Promise?" Duo warned.
"I promise."
"Okay then. Since you're our brother now, I guess it's okay to tell you." Duo rolled over and leaned in close. Despite the fact that there was no one around, he spoke in whispers. "His guardian Rashid tells him that if anyone asks, that black legband's there out of mourning for his parents. But the truth is, Quatre has the wildest birthmark. Well, he says it's a birthmark, but I think it's really a tattoo. Nothing natural looks like that. Rashid makes him keep it covered up so no one sees it."
"A mark?" A troubled feeling came over him. From everything he knew, marks, especially unusual marks were almost never a good thing. "What does this mark look like?"
"Well... It's blood red, looks like the head of some kind of animal. There's two white spots that look like eyes, and this bright green diamond in the middle of it..." Duo paused, as if disturbed by a memory. He shook it off and smiled at Wufei. "Like I said, really wild."
Suddenly, Wufei felt his pulse racing like a scared rabbit. It sounded like... No, that was impossible. Absolutely insane. Not Quatre. Completely out of the question!
"Wufei?" Duo frowned deeply. "What's the matter?"
***
Sticks and leaves crunched noisily beneath his sandals. He really shouldn't have wandered off. After going to the bathroom, he should have returned immediately to Duo and Wufei. But for some reason, he had started walking away into the forest.
Something wanted him to follow. It was strange and weird, but he could feel it. So he walked until he came to a place where the trees had died away, and he was under the wide open sky. Quatre jolted to a stop.
Only a few feet away, stood... Something. A something made of soft, fuzzy white light. He could barely distinguish the outline of a human figure. The thing slowly lifted an arm out towards him. Distinct fingers uncurled, quietly reaching towards him.
An incredible warm rush suddenly passed through Quatre. He wasn't afraid. All he wanted was to be closer to this beautiful being. He wanted to have a better look. His feet, like heavy stone weights, carried him forward, step by step. It was calling to him with a song he could hear from deep within. It was so wonderful.
Then, just when he was almost close enough to touch, there was a loud crashing through the trees behind the light. Quatre's eyes widened and his lips parted with surprise as the light person seemed to half-glance behind itself, then vanished, as if a violent wind had abruptly swept it away.
Burning disappointment hung in the air.
Across the clearing, where the black shadows of the treeline met the moonlight, stood a figure in a dark cloak. The silence of the wood was now filled with harsh breathing. Trembling, curling whisps of mist billowed from beneath the dark hood.
Fear gripping him now, Quatre stepped back, and a sharp crack cut through the air as a stick broke beneath his foot. The cloaked figure went silent. Slowly, it lifted the black emptiness of its hood towards the boy. It was too dark too see what was beneath it, but Quatre could see a round, shimmering, indigo blue object, a clasp on the cloak.
"You." The icy words were like an accusation. The voice was strange, as if transforming into a deeper pitch in mid-word.
"Uh, hello?" Quatre whispered, trying not to look as scared as he felt.
"So... So innocent. So pure. If only..." The cloaked man now seemed to be whispering to himself. "No, it's already much too late. How strange this feels..."
"W-Who are you?" Quatre asked nervously. Whoever this was, he sounded like a madman. What was he doing here?
"Who am I?" He laughed coldly. "You tell me. I've had more names than I can recall. The Draca call me Prophet. King Amuro called me friend." Almost gliding along the ground, he moved towards Quatre.
"King Amuro?" Quatre recognized the name. "B-But he lived over a thousand years ago... He was the first Peacecraft monarch! There's no way you could have known him..." He staggered back as the stranger who called himself Prophet approached.
"I am older than you can imagine." Cloak swirling about him like a cape as he came closer, his voice was subtly rising as he spoke, becoming harsh and bitter. "My true name is a curse I shall never speak, and the name of my heart is known only to one. That one who died long, long ago, before the birth of time. That shadow of light which laughs and cries, running through eternity, leading me, I know not where. You poor, poor wretched child, does that answer your question?" He stopped before the boy.
Quatre could only gasp in reply as from beneath the dark cloak, a hand reached out, covered in a dusty, black glove. Prophet took the frightened boy's chin in hand, holding him firmly.
"No, of course not," the wraith growled. Bending down, he peered at Quatre from under the black shadows of his hood. Shining, intense green eyes studied him. They were terrifying.
What was this stranger? Something about him didn't feel human. Could he be a ghost? Or something even worse? Quatre wanted to run, wanted to scream, but he couldn't move.
"Go ahead and take a good look." Prophet spoke, now with a deadly calm. "You will remember this as the day your world started falling apart. And you will hate me like nothing else."
It was still too dark to see beneath that hood, darker than any darkness he had seen before. Even so, Quatre didn't want to look. He didn't want to see those glowing eyes anymore. So instead he stared at the beautiful clasp at the man's neck. Glittering, dark, dark blue crystal, it was fantastic. And now up close, he saw that there was a jagged white crack crawling down the middle of it, much like a bolt of lightning.
An overwhelming sense of pity came over him. Why, he didn't know.
"W-Why are you saying this?"
"They're coming to kill you. And it's my fault. Everything is my fault." The man's voice softened, as a change seemed to come over him. He hesitated, stroking his thumb against the softness of Quatre's cheek. "It... It would be so easy..." His voice quavered. "I could kill you so easily... Snuff you out in an instant..." With a tired sigh, his hand fell away. He stood and stepped back, bowing his head.
"No. It would do no good. I must not lose sight of my quest." His voice was no longer as deep, and he spoke softly. "You return to your friends. They're in danger." With that, he turned away.
Mouth hanging open in numb shock, Quatre didn't react right away. Only after watching Prophet walk away into the trees from where he had first appeared, had the words fully sunken in. And somewhere not too far away, he could hear Duo screaming.
"Danger!?"
Almost slipping, he turned around and ran as fast as he could. As well as Duo's screaming, he could hear something that sounded like a wildcat, which must be Wufei. And the sound of something very big crashing around. Quatre's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw what looked like a tree go sailing through the air, followed by a loud thump.
When Quatre finally broke through into the meadow where he'd left his friends, he almost fell over trying to stop as quickly as possible. His shriek was drowned out by horrendous metallic screeching, whirring, and crunching noises.