Ok, this would be chapter 22 of Magical Destiny. It's almost finished!! Yay!! Ok, so, to get on with things, the disclaimer.

Disclaimer-I don't own gundam wing or the characters of this fic. Yeah, that's right. I don't even own myself. Pretty sad huh?

This chapter will probably get pretty long, and its definitely go some 1+2 mush in it. I'm not used to writing this kind of thing, so you'll have to bear with the horribleness of it all. Flames will be accepted, as even I realize it's pretty bad.

And one more thing. This chapter is *very* confusing, just so you know. It will all make sense in the end…trust me (I hope). One thing to remember is that in chapter three, duo put a spell on Treize, when he was trying to capture the slaves, right?? Well, that's coming back into play. Also, remember when Aria disappeared, and Treize was there? Well, he's the head honcho guy of the dark forces, incase you didn't catch that. He's not very magical though. Yeah. He does however, have the power to control anyone with the will to be evil. A soul snatcher, I guess you could call him. Ok, on with things…

Sherpock-its about time…

Yeah yeah, be quiet. You haven't been helping me get this done. So…

Sherpock-humph.

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Chapter 22

What to Believe?



Duo sighed as he dismounted from his horse. Using his powers, he lifted the animal mage to the ground carefully, and gently placed him on the hardened soil beneath a tree. He had assembled a small pile of leaves to keep Heero's head propped up.

Duo then tied down the horses, and headed out into the woods to find some firewood and some herbs to help his friend.

When he returned to the tree, Heero was sitting, propped against the trunk. His head was in his hands, and an expression of pain was written on his features.

Duo rushed over to the animal mage, and lifted Heero's chin. "What's wrong?"

Heero shook his head free of Duo's grasp. The slender fingers were affecting him in ways he hadn't thought possible. "It's watching me."

Duo frowned. He had seen Aria destroy the beast. It no longer existed. "Don't worry about that thing Heero. It's dead."

Heero looked up, into Duo's violet eyes. "It was death Duo. Death doesn't die."

Duo sighed, and shuffled a few steps away from Heero. He brought the sticks he had gathered to a pile in the middle of the clearing with his powers, and within minutes, there was a fire crackling, providing both light and heat.

Duo then got a small pot from one of the saddle bags, and left to fetch some water, telling Heero he'd be right back.

Heero grimaced in pain as he watched the braided angel leave the clearing. He could still feel the shadow feeding off of his will to look away, his fear, and most importantly, his magic and soul.

Suddenly, a sharp pain attacked his head. The animal mage cried out in pain, and slumped over, unconscious once again. His last thought was a wish that Duo would return soon.

Duo poked through the trees, sniffing the air, trying to catch the scent of water. Finally, his ears picked up the sound of a running stream, and he headed towards the sound, found the stream and filled the copper pot with water.

Duo then headed back to the clearing, pot of water in hand. Upon reaching the fire, Duo hastily created a tri-pod with some wood and placed the pot on top. He then made sure Heero was comfortable.

Gathering up the dead pine needles from beneath the many evergreen trees, Duo assembled them all to one side, and he placed his cloak overtop of them. He then used his magic to lift and move the unconscious animal mage.

Once Duo was satisfied with Heero's comfort, he turned back to the pot over the fire. The water was now boiling. Muttering some words under his breath, Duo dropped the herbs he had gathered, along with some from his pouch, to the bubbling liquid. He then waited for the spell to set.

With a heavy sigh, Duo leaned back on his ankles. He glanced at Heero, and felt his mouth go dry. The animal mage's dark eyelashes were brushing against the soft skin of his cheeks. His chocolate brown hair was falling in his eyes, aiding the fire to cast shadows over his features. His lips were slightly parted, and each breath he took seemed to be more laboured than the last.

*~*

"Croik"

"What do you mean Zahra was talking to Aria??"

An enraged Wufei was having a heated discussion with his pet and teacher. Apparently the weather mage didn't like the news the dragon had brought.

Sighing, he sat down heavily on his bed. There was a blue fire in the middle of the room, although it wasn't burning anything. There was a small pot with devil's paintbrush boiling steadily in some water.

Wufei stared at the flames, watching them lick the bottom of the pot. Fire simply amazed him…

A knocking on the door brought the weather mage out of his thoughts. "Come in." He called.

The door swung open to reveal Aria and Trowa, along with a guard or two. The king waved them off, and they took their positions on either side of the door to Wufei's room. The king and the mage entered the room, and Aria headed immediately to the pot. She set to work on her spells, and Trowa went over to Wufei.

"Do you have any idea what she's up to?" The king asked, eyes curious.

Wufei shook his head. "I think its supposed to train Quatre."

"Hm. I guess we're going to find out soon enough."

*~*

Duo shook himself from his thoughts and turned back to the fire. He lifted the pot off the tri-pod with his magic, and summoned a cup from one of the saddle bags. Pouring some of the steaming liquid into said cup, Duo blew on it to cool it off somewhat. Deciding it was still to hot for the animal mage, Duo sat back to wait once more.

His violet eyes watched Heero's chest rise and fall with each troubled breath. The twin orbs expressed deep worry. He knew he had to do something, and fast, but he wasn't sure this spell was going to work. Time was running out.

Picking up the cup once more, Duo tested it, grinned, and headed over to Heero. He held the animal mage in a sitting position, leaning on his chest. He then brought the cup to Heero's parted lips, and eased some of the warm liquid into his mouth.

Heero's body reacted, and swallowed the brew. Duo repeated this process, making a general mess, but getting most of the contents of the cup into the unconscious mage.

Duo then replaced Heero on the pine needle bed, and put the cup back in the saddle bag.

After a few minutes had passed, The braided angel decided the herbs had started to take effect, and he commenced the magical half of the procedure. Heero's breathing was less laboured as Duo sat beside the mage. Spreading his wings, he placed one hand on Heero's forehead, and the other he placed on one of his knees.

*~*

"There." Aria said, standing and heading over to where Trowa and Wufei were waiting for an explanation. In her hands was a small vial of reddish liquid. "Liquid of Fire." She said. "If Quatre drinks this, and I perform the spell correctly, he should know how to be a proper fire mage in 24 hours. Not just anyone can perform this spell. I need to be undisturbed for exactly 24 hours. When the time is up, I need someone to come in and take me out. I'll be too weak to do anything. And you can't tell *anyone* what I'm doing in there at all. No one else can know."

Wufei nodded. He had heard of this spell before. It was not something to be played around with.

Trowa nodded as well. "No one else will know. You can start this evening after diner. Wufei will be in charge of guarding the door, as well as getting you out when the 24 hours have been completed. I'll see you at diner then, I have some other things to attend to." Trowa then left, leaving Aria alone with Wufei.

"Aria, something's not right." The weather mage said after a slight hesitation.

"Croik…" The sound from the dragon was worried. She didn't want Aria to know she'd been sent to spy.

"Stay out of this Nataku. I sent the dragon to watch where you were going. She came back and said that you had been talking to Zahra, a dark mage, and that you disappeared, in front of her very eyes. I want to know what is going on, Onna."

Aria sighed. "I can't tell you Wufei. You should have known better than to ask."

"You mean to tell me that the head of the mage council is a dark mage, and you're working for some "lord" and you can't give me an explanation. Maybe the king should be informed of this…" Wufei started to head towards the door, but Aria grabbed his arm, stopping him.

The look in her eyes was deadly, and Wufei almost regretted threatening her. Almost.

"You will not threaten me Wufei Chang. You think I became a dark mage because I wanted to?? You think I like being a slave to his "excellence"? well…tell me what you think, weather."

*~*

Heero woke up slowly. He could feel something pressing gently, but firmly on his forehead. A warm sensation was coming from the pressure, relaxing his muscles, and soothing his mind, body, and spirit.

The animal mage blinked his eyes a few times, pushing the sleep away. He felt better. He also felt the pressure being removed from his forehead. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked around.

Duo was sitting beside him, grinning widely. The mage's trained ears picked up the sound of crackling wood, and a quick sweep of his eyes confirmed his suspicion of the fire.

"I know this might sound kinda crazy, but now that you're awake, I want you to go back to sleep." Duo said, still grinning like there was no tomorrow.

Heero grunted, but instead of lying down, he sat up. "What did you do to me?"

Duo looked taken aback. "I helped you! The only thing I could do, considering we have to get to the mountains, and I can't waste all my energy trying to keep you on your horse. Especially if we encounter another of those…things."

Heero grunted.

"Don't bother to thank me though. It was nothing, really." Duo huffed, and headed to the other side of the fire, where he lay down, inches off the ground, braid draped over his hip to avoid it getting dirty.

Heero glared at the angel, then stood, stretching his stiff muscles. Sensing the running water that Duo had found earlier, Heero closed his eyes, and in the next few seconds, a wolf headed into the woods to get a drink, and possibly to have a bedtime snack.

*author takes a moment to mourn the unsuspecting rodent or small animal that Heero is about to find…*

The human form of Heero Yuy returned to the clearing within the next few minutes. He sat, watching the sleeping angel, and he too soon fell asleep, leaning against the trunk of the oak tree.

*~*

"I know you're a dark mage." Wufei replied slowly, obviously at least a little frightened of the "weak onna" that had him in her death grip. "I think you're working for someone as a dark mage, and you're going to do something bad to Quatre in the next 24 hours. The one you're working for is probably more magically powered than you are."

The eyes that had been glaring at Wufei suddenly gathered up a hint of evil, and started the transformation. They grew darker and darker as Aria started the telling of her story.

"I was born with colour, unlike the rest of the mages that develop it. I was born yellow, a spirit mage. However, as I grew older, I started to develop blue. I went to the master at first, since the colours were unstable. Uneven. I was a dark mage. When I reached the age of 10, the development of blue stopped. My parents wanted nothing more to do with me, as I was green. The colours were exactly even. I was turned out onto the streets, nobody wanted anything to do with me. I couldn't find a trainer, as none existed. I was the only living mage to have more than one colour. Eventually, I ran into a slave driver, and he took me to be sold, not knowing what I was. I had discarded all of my mage clothing, as it had only brought me trouble."

Aria's eyes reached their darkest shade at that point in her tale. She let go of Wufei's arm, and disappeared. The weather mage found, however, that he couldn't move. His feet seemed to be stuck to the ground. Something smooth and cold ran against his arm, and Wufei looked down to see his Katana hanging in mid air. The blunt edge had been rubbing along his arm, however, Aria's dark eyes appeared out of nowhere, floating in the emptiness of the air. The katana flipped, and sliced along Wufei's arm, drawing his red blood.

*~*

The next morning, Heero and Duo woke up before the break of dawn. They packed up their few belongings that they had brought with them, and continued towards the mountains.

There was little conversation as they proceeded, the foreboding mountains drawing closer and closer with each step the galloping horses took.

After a few tiring hours, Duo slowed Shadowswift to a walk, and he used his healing magic to renew the horse's energy while getting some lunch out of one of the saddle bags. Heero soon joined him, and they walked on in silence, Duo turning his healing attention from the black horse to the brown.

"We should reach the bottom of the mountains mid-afternoon." Duo said, glancing at Heero. The animal mage gave a slight nod, but remained silent. "Howcome you never smile?" Duo asked, staring at the road ahead.

Heero glanced at Duo, not knowing exactly how to respond, or how to put his feelings into words. "I have no reason to be happy."

Duo was about to reply to Heero's statement, when he cried out in pain and slumped forward in his saddle, before his weight became unbalanced, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Heero was almost immediately beside his friend, who had regained consciousness, and was kneeling on the ground, holding his wrist, a grimace of pain engraved in his expression.

Heero took Duo's wrist in his hands and surveyed the damage, trying to ignore the scars that marked the angel's palms, from the attempts to see inside Trowa's castle walls. "Probably fractured." The mage decided after a minute. "You should probably do something about it…"

Heero's sentence trailed off as Duo's good hand reached up and lifted his chin. The angel then caressed the soft skin, and if Heero noticed the change of colour and the blank look in the now dark violet eyes, he didn't say anything. "Duo's hand then stopped its movement, and he drew it back. "I think…"

"What?"

"I think I'm in love, Heero." The braided boy whispered before closing the distance between the two without any hesitation.

Heero's eyes slid shut as Duo's soft lips pressed against his own. The feeling was amazing, unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

Duo pulled back slowly, and gazed into the pools of Heero's eyes. Breathing shakily, he waited for the mage's response.

Heero shook himself awake from his state of numbness, and pointed at Duo's hand. "Heal" he managed to utter, before slipping into his thoughts again.

Something was definitely not right here. Duo's eyes….just weren't normal. he's having a vision of some sort…that's got to be the answer, but then why did he do that? Maybe he doesn't really feel that way?

Duo obeyed Heero's command to heal, giving the animal mage some time to think. The blank look still occupied his dark purple eyes, and he didn't remember where he was, or how he'd gotten there, or where he was going. All of those things seemed insignificant. All that mattered was that he was here with Heero.

Finished with his hand, the angel looked up again at the mage. Heero returned the gaze, then got to his feet, pulling the braided one with him. Duo opened his mouth to say something, but Heero cut him off, placing a finger over the opening.

"we have to get going." The half animal grunted.

A mischievous glint occupied Duo's eyes fro a split second, before his tongue darted out, lavishing the offered finger with all the affection it could show.

However, Heero pulled his finger away, replacing it with his own tender lips. He wrapped his hands around the angel's waist, pulling him closer. Duo responded my returning the kiss for all he was worth, and placing his hands at the back of Heero's neck.

The connection was gentle, and the feeling sensational.

The two soon parted, breathing rather heavily. Duo had been the one to pull away. The angel's eyes had snapped open, and he'd realized what was going on. His eyes were now a light shade of violet, and they were no longer occupied by a blank look.

Duo took a few stumbles backwards, falling out of the safety of Heero's arms and bumping into a tree. He looked up to see the mage gazing at him quizzically, begging to know what was going on.

"It's Treize…" Duo mumbled. This only seemed to confuse the animal mage even more. Duo dropped to his knees, hands covering his face and trying to hide the tears that streaked down his cheeks.

Heero was at the angel's side within seconds, trying to comfort the shaking form. "Duo, it's ok…I won't let anything happen to you…"

Duo looked up. "No, I won't drag you into this Heero. I don't know what I said in the past few minutes, or what happened, but I was being warned…" His sentence trailed off as he started to shiver uncontrollably.

Heero gathered up the shivering Duo in his arms, mumbling the same words he had said with Quatre in the courtyard. He had decided to enter Duo's body to find out what was going on.

*~*

Wufei's arm throbbed for a few moments as his blood dripped to the floor. The floating evil-blackened eyes held his in a gaze that made his skin bristle. He could feel the blood dripping out of him, though he knew the cut hadn't been deep enough to hurt him badly.

A finger appeared out of nowhere, along with the rest of Aria's previously hidden body. She caught one of the droplets of blood and held it up. Blowing on it gently, the liquid's colour slowly changed from red to a deep blue.

"Weather, you have no idea what I've been through."

"Then maybe you should enlighten me, so that I know." Wufei growled.

Aria's glare darkened, and she licked the blood off of her finger. Picking up the katana once more, she cut her own arm.

Wufei gasped. He had expected a thick red liquid, much like his own, to come oozing out of the gap. However, nothing appeared, and the wound sealed itself.

"What you don't realize, is that I am not a dark mage by will. I sold my soul to the lord to save the lives of a city. This city, to be more precise. He figured that with me in His power, He would be able to control the entire world. However, his seers predicted that one mage could stop him. A fire mage, by the name of Quatre Winner. The Lord tried to capture him as a slave driver, but luckily, Duo Maxwell had outwitted him. The Lord has very little magical powers. He has the control over only those who wish to be evil, or of those whom he owns their souls."

"What you need to realize is that the taking of a soul is not a painless process. My cries could be heard by anyone with magical ears, and the council heard them. The Lord left me in the forest, where the leaders found me. As you probably already know a mage without a soul is more powerful than any other mage, no matter what the colour or colours. When they found that I had lost mine, they figured it was because I had won the fight between spirit and weather. I was bi-coloured. Something they'd never seen before. Something only my parents had known."

Wufei had remained silent, knowing better than to interrupt a dark mage, with or without a soul.

"The council took me in then, as they had no other choice. I was powerful enough at that time to overcome all of them, right then and there, without any training. They gave me a teacher, and I learned to govern the council, and how to use my powers for good. During all this time, the Lord fed off of my training. He took control of my powers eventually, after analyzing my abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. He evened it out so that I had just a little more weather than spirit. Enough of a difference so that the council would not notice, and I could be a dark mage and serve him at the same time. He sent me on espionage missions, here and at the council. I was constantly watching for him. When he heard of Quatre Winner being accepted here as a mage, he sent me to train him. I met you at his house, as you will no doubt remember, and you know most of the rest of the story."

"Where were you after the last disappearance, and where have the king's knights gone?"

"The knights are dead. His Excellency brought me to his dimension, where he had the knights. I watched them die. It was not pretty. He then told me that I had two weeks to destroy the fire. I returned here to find Zahra had almost done what I had been trying to prevent. She almost got him, extinguished his flame. He will be the one to defeat the lord, and although he has control of my body and spirit, he can never completely control my mind. I am even too powerful for he, though I do have one weakness. Shadows. I cannot stand the things. That was what attacked Duo and Heero. I was lucky there was only one. I can't handle more than one at a time."

"Now do you realize that I have no will to kill the fire? He is the one that will save us all, and I will do everything in my power to keep him alive in time for him to save us all. No matter what it takes…"

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whoa. That was longer than I expected it to be. I hope that if there are any mistakes, you'll let me know. Especially reference mistakes, from the beginning of the fic. So, leave a review and let me know what you think!! Please!!!!

Aria @-&---