Well, I'm finally getting this chapter of Magical Destiny posted. You guys should be proud of me!! *grins* I'm sorry it's taking so long, but with ff.net down, and my internet being really messed up, I've been having a few problems. Not to mention summer camp, and the fact that I'm moving, so you know. Anyway, on with things.

Disclaimer-I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters in any way, shape, or form. Darn eh? Just imagine what torture I could put them through if I did own them.*grins evilly*

Ok, to re-cap, Meiran just got on the Pegasus, so she's flying to who-knows- where, ok, well, actually I know where, but that's only because I'm the author. You people have no idea where she's headed. Yeah, you get the point. Ok, Dorothy needs to be taken care of by Duo and Heero, and they might get a little help. Aria is dead, and Zahra is no longer a dark mage. Quatre, Wufei, Trowa and Nataku have just been confronted by Treize. We remember? Yes? Good stuff!! *hands out ribbons*

*starts to cry* I want to apologize to all the people that read the other author's notes at the beginning of earlier chapters saying that there was only going to be one chapter left. Well, I got a little carried away.

Sherpock-a little?

Ok, a lot carried away with description and plot twists. Stupid muse. Anyway, so there's going to be a few more chapters, but it's sooo close to being finished. I might get it all done in this chapter, but I seriously doubt it. I'm sorry it's getting so long, I really am! Please keep reading and reviewing!! Sorry again!

Alright, on to the fic.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 26

Title.uh.I have problems with titles. I'll name it.The Final Battle? No, that's not original enough.I'll have to come back to this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"How convenient." Treize smirked. "Couldn't have planned it better myself.Oh wait.I *did* plan it."

Quatre's eyes narrowed. "I will defeat you."

The older man scoffed. "Look at you, on the ground.You are no match for me. And now that the bi-mage is dead, you stand no chance. I will be victorious."

A deep anger boiled in Quatre's heart. This man was an evil, cold hearted killer. He had no mercy whatsoever. He simply craved power, and he would do anything to get this power. The blond slowly stood, his eyes no longer their normal shade of blue. Ever since he had completed his training, ever since Aria had woken him up, Quatre's eyes had been a deep shade of red.

Trowa and Wufei watched as Quatre got to his feet, his eyes never breading their gaze on Treize.

The two stood as well, standing behind the blond fire mage. Nataku was on the ground beside Quatre, growling menacingly at the shadows that now surrounded the group.

"Shall we enter your throne room Trowa Barton?" Trieze asked. "I have a surprise for you."

Trowa's emerald green eyes narrowed, glaring at the man that was responsible for so much pain and suffering. The king could feel waves of anger around Quatre, who was starting to glow a dull red. Wufei, too, was emanating negative feelings as they followed Trieze into the fairly sized room.

However, when they had entered, Trowa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hello, brother." Dekim said from the throne, twirling Trowa's crown in his hands.

"Murderer." Trowa muttered, glaring at his brother, the person who was responsible for his dear sister's death.

"Shouldn't you be wearing that?" Wufei asked Trowa, his voice soft and menacing towards the man who was twirling the king's crown as if it were no more than a child's play thing.

Trowa shook his head. "I only wear it on special occasions. Aria had it protected with some spells, but while she was dead, they must have been let down."

"Aren't her spells protecting the castle as well?" Wufei asked, his voice expressing no emotion.

Trowa simply nodded in response.

"Then that explains why it was so easy for Treize to bring his shadow creatures in with him."

"What a nice family reunion." Trieze sneered, pointing to one of the shadows, and moving it closer to the king.

The shadow advanced, snarling at Trowa. It snapped at the European, and shoved Trowa none to gently towards its Lord.

"Unfortunate that it couldn't last longer." The man hissed, tracing a finger down Trowa's cheek. "I would have _loved_ to have gotten to know you better...But it's no matter. Dekim, come." Treize beckoned to the man who was sitting on the throne.

"Why do you need me there? I only came to collect what is mine, not to be included in one of your killing schemes."

"I suppose you didn't hear me correctly. I said 'come', and I am never disobeyed." Treize flicked a finger, and another of the shadows was sent to fetch Dekim.

When the two Barton brothers were standing side by side, Treize smirked. Trowa was standing tall, not fazed by the power that he held. Dekim, however, was almost to the point of shaking he was so intimidated by his awesome form. "You first, I guess." Treize mumbled, pointing a finger at Dekim.

Trowa's brother, with a cry of pain, was sent flying across the room, landing near the throne. He twitched a few times, and then struggled to get to his hands and knees.

"How could you?!? Dekim growled, trying to ignore the pain that was racing through his tired body. "I helped you to defeat the bi-mage, and I'm the one that made it possible for all of your plans to work!! How could you turn on me." But Dekim didn't get to finish his sentence. It was cut off by another of his cries of pain, as he collapsed on the floor, unmoving.

"Well, that went well." Treize muttered, turning to face Trowa once more. He then placed the palm of his hand on Trowa's forehead. The king stood there, unmoving.

Quatre and Wufei watched anxiously, unsure of what was going on. The shadows had positioned themselves in between the two mages and their friend. Preventing any hope of rescuing him from harm too quickly.

A minute passed, though it seemed like ages for the two mages in the throne room. Treize didn't seem to be doing much, though the shadows seemed to be getting more and more excited. Treize's hand was still on Trowa's forehead, and they were both glaring at each other.

Quatre felt uneasy. He knew something was going to happen. He wracked his brain for any clue as to what type of spell this might be.

But before he could come to any type of conclusion, the shadows gave what seemed to be a loud cheer, while Trowa cried out from extreme pain, before he fell to the ground. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he started twitching and convulsing.

"What did you do to him?" Quatre breathed, eyes glazing over with anger. "What did you do?!?" The blond cried, bringing his hands forward, fire flying at the shadows.

They hissed in pain at the light and head, scampering to get out of the way, lest they be burnt to ashes. Treize turned his glare on the young mage, and with a wave of his hand, the shadows attacked.

*~*

Wufei and Quatre soon found themselves fighting on opposite sides of the massive room. Trowa was blocked from the view by the wave of oncoming shadows that were multiplying by the second.

Quatre's anger was driving him on, as he set up a shield of flames that surrounded him, and he sent out bursts of light and fire at the attacking shadow creatures.

Wufei wasn't as well off. Nataku was fighting with him, protecting his back and sides while the weather mage set up some lighting clouds, and slashed at the powerful creatures with his katana.

Nataku suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar potion, amidst all the noise and danger.

// Wufei, what is in your pocked?!? //

Wufei glanced at the dragon, and slashed one more shadow before reaching into said space and drawing out what _used_ to be an empty vial. He stared at it in amazement, the vial was the one that had contained the liquid of fire that Aria had used to train Quatre.

Apparently it had filled the jar by itself, as their had been only one drop remaining.

// Wufei, watch out!! // Nataku called out to him.

With his current distraction, Wufei had forgotten about where he was. A shadow pounced on him, its claws digging through his right shoulder, tearing the muscle and crushing bone. Its teeth were headed for the mage's neck.

Wufei gave a cry of pain, the precious vial slipping from his fingers and crashing to the floor, its contents spilling. The weight of the shadow knocked the weather mage off his feet and he landed heavily on the hard stone floor.

The shadow sunk its claws deeper into Wufei's flesh, bringing his head down to draw more blood from the weather mage. Other shadows, too, were joining the first, trying to pry him from his prey.

Nataku gave a cry, and took to the air, not daring to send any flames at the shadows on Wufei for fear of burning the boy.

The opposing shadows succeeded in tearing the first from Wufei, like a pack of hungry lions, it seemed to be first come, first serve, if you can hold your own. The weather mage now struggled against the creatures that now surrounded him, cutting off his air supply. He rolled over onto his stomach, and tried to get to his knees, only to be pushed back down again.

It had been Treize's foot that had forced Wufei down. He gave an evil laugh, rejoicing in his triumph, not realizing the mistake he'd just made.

"I am undefeatable!" Treize cried, ordering the shadows that had been attacking Wufei to turn on the fire mage.

However, what the 'Lord' didn't realize was that Wufei was lying where the liquid of fire had been spilt.

The potion mixed with Wufei's blood that was coming from the wound the shadow had made. Nataku gave a roar, and dove at Treize, only to be grounded by one of the shadows.

One of her wings broken, the dragon struggled with the shadows, sending flames this way and that.

Things were definitely not going well.

"STOP THIS FIGHTING AT ONCE!" A voice called out from the doorway of the throne room. The shadows stopped, and Quatre stopped. Wufei gave a moan of pain, trying to see who the intruder was. Trowa lay motionless on the floor.

In the doorway, Meiran sat on the Pegasus, who stomped its foot impatiently.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" Treize growled, unhappy that this new obstacle would present itself when he was so close to being victorious.

"I am Meiran Chang, of the dragon clan." The girl responded, her head held high.

Wufei's eyes widened as his "fiancé's" voice rang out through the room. Treize's foot was still on his back, but less pressure was being applied. This might just be his chance to catch the man off guard.

"Meiran Chang?" Treize asked, raising one eyebrow. "From the dragon clan? On a Pegasus?"

The horse lowered its gaze to the man, glaring warningly at him.

Dragon Clan members were known to be against all types of magic, and they didn't believe in Angels, so why would this little girl be on a Pegasus, a messenger of God?

"Ooo, I'm scared." Treize said sarcastically, referring to the horse's icy glare.

"Maybe you should be." Wufei growled, pushing himself off the ground, and throwing Treize off balance.

The weather mage glanced around quickly. Nataku was on the ground, one wing hanging useless by her side.

Quatre was moving towards him, shadows backing out of his wy at the sight of the ball of fire in his hands.

However, other than this movement, the shadow creatures were motionless.

Wufei noticed all this in the second that it took Treize to get up off the ground and turn to glare at Wufei.

As soon as he was upright, the shadows lunged at the mage.

Seeing his sword lying a few feet away, Wufei dodged the oncoming attacks, heading not for his sword, but for the dark mage that was controlling the shadows.

Aria's words came back to him as he dodged another blow.

// Treize has very little magical power, but he does control the shadows. They will keep coming until he is destroyed.that is why the fire mage must be protected.//

"WUFEI!!"

The weather mage turned as he heard Quatre call his name. The blond tossed him his katana, and Wufei caught it expertly, just in time to protect himself from another of the many shadow creatures. As soon as his fingers closed around the hilt, the silver blade burst into flame, and his katana became a flaming sword, more powerful than it had ever been before. Wufei wielded it with ease, supposing that Quatre had been the one to place the spell on his weapon, having no idea of his own power.

Meiran bit her lower lip as she watched the two mages make their way towards Treize, who was standing amidst a crowd of shadows. His facial features were hard to make out with the lack of light, and at times Treize couldn't even be seen.

"Meiran."

The girl turned her gaze back to Wufei, who was fighting fiercely.

"Go find Maxwell and Yuy. We'll manage things here.'

The girl nodded, and urged the Pegasus out into the hallway.

*~*

Dorothy glared at Zahra, who was still kneeling, helpless on the ground. Duo and Heero were glaring at each other, trying to decide what to do. The dark mage's glare evolved into a smirk, and Dorothy clapped her hands twice to gain the mage's attention.

The plan worked. Duo and Heero both turned their glares on Dorothy, not noticing the shadows that were gathering behind them.

"Ah, my friends..." Dorothy started, only to be cut off by Duo.

"We're not your friends." His icy tone didn't seem to faze Dorothy however. She simply continued her 'speech'.

As I was saying, how nice of you to join Zahra, Aria and I. I assure you we're glad you're here, even though your deaths will be unavoidable.

Duo quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Hm.seems to me that you're the one who should be worrying about death. You're out numbered Dorothy, two to one."

"On the contrary." The dark mage replied. "Give me your best shot." And she disappeared.

"Damn." Duo muttered, he and Heero oblivious to the shadows that were advancing from behind.

"Catch me if you can!" Dorothy's dislocated voice rang out through the training are. "But be sure to watch your backs."

Both Duo and Heero spun around immediately, and Duo's eyes widened as he saw the advancing soldiers. He and Heero had to protect themselves and Zahra, and the only way to destroy the shadow creatures was to put an end to Dorothy.

Suddenly, an idea hit Duo. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? They were wasting time.

"Heero, I think I've got a plan."

*~*

Wufei and Quatre were now fighting side by side. Trowa was at their feet, and Nataku was nowhere to be seen, hidden from view by the various shadows.

Wufei's shoulder was throbbing, and his sword was becoming harder to yield by the second.

The two mages were only hanging onto their lives by a thread.

And then, things got worse. Quatre gave a terrifying cry of anguish, and fell to the ground in a state of shock, staring blankly ahead.

Wufei called the blonde's name, frantically trying to hold back the shadows that were pressing onto him.

The strange thing was, Quatre had received no physical damage. He simply stared, unblinking and unmoving as she shadows took this chance to lunge towards him.

"NO!" Wufei cried, thrusting his palm towards the creatures that were about to rip the fire mage to pieces.

The weather vaguely heard Treize laughing in the distance, but he blocked this noise out as he concentrated on the magic that flowed from his very heart, down his arm, and through his fingertips, revealing itself in a form of blue fire.

The shadows cried in pain as they came into contact with the fire, and burnt away.

Treize's laughter stopped, and he clapped his hands together three times. The shadows stopped their movements, and Wufei turned slowly to glare at the dark mage.

However, once he saw the look on his face, Wufei's glare slowly left his expression, as a smirk replaced it and he taunted the dark mage.

"Didn't expect that did you?"

"H-how?" Treize stammered, eyes wide as he stared at the empty space where his shadows used to be.

Wufei pointed to the ground where the vial had been dropped.

"Thanks to you, Aria's liquid of fire has been merged with my weather powers. Equal on both ends." The weather/fire mage managed to say before he fell to his knees, the wound from the shadow creature forcing him to surrender to the pain.

*~* while this was going on. *~*

"No.Aria." Quatre muttered, still on his hands and knees. He could feel the pain.Aria's smiling face appeared before his eyes, and she winked at him, her voice distant as the image faded. "Keep fighting Quatre, I'll always be in your heart, no matter how hard you try to get rid of me." The image was gone, the bi-mage's laughter floating through the air.

Quatre's eyes narrowed. She was dead. Trowa was dying. His friends were suffering. He could feel the pain coming from Wufei as his friend collapsed beside him.

This had to stop.

NOW.

He stood in one fluid movement, red eyes blazing, a new power racing through his blood.

"I will survive." He muttered, before he stepped towards Treize. There were no shadows in the way to stop him this time. Nothing could get in his way. He would survive.

*~*

Heero now stood beside Duo, who was kneeling on the ground, hands once again in their prayer position, a silver cross hovering just above his hands, emanating a silvery light. The light surrounded the three mages as Duo backed off. The cross stayed where it was, illuminating the area. The shadows didn't stand a chance.

With all the light, they couldn't get close to their targets.

Duo then turned his attention to Zahra, who was still on the ground while Heero turned to Dorothy, whose invisibility had been erased with the light from the cross.

The girl was glaring at the cross, and cowering in the darkened corners of the room.

She jumped when a low growl came from beside her.

"Kearney." Dorothy said, a malicious grin on her face.

"You know, his name means warrior." Zahra looked up, her red eyes burning with an anger much like that of Quatre's.

"Yes, so I've heard." Dorothy replied. "Too bad you won't live to tell anyone else." And Dorothy pointed a finger towards the three and Duo's cross. "Attack." She hissed.

The cat growled again, baring its teeth at the blond.

"Attack." Dorothy commanded again.

The cat didn't budge.

Zahra stood slowly, her eyes never leaving Dorothy.

Duo backed a step away, starting to feel the tiredness of the cross drawing from his power. He had to keep it up just a little longer.

Heero's blue eyes and their stern gaze watched the scene unfolding before him as Zahra continued to speak. The time would be soon, and then it could be revealed. It had been hard to hide it from the angel.

"I grew up with Kearney." The fire mage mentioned nonchalantly. "I doubt he'll answer to anyone else but me."

"Attack." Dorothy hissed once again, her voice hinting at the panic that was beginning to envelop her.

"Let me explain this again.' Zahra said, voice and expression calm.though the fire in her eyes showed raging anger, and presently it was directed towards Dorothy. "Kearney only listens to one person. And that one person happens to be me. Attack."

The cat lunged.

However, a shadow creature intercepted its attack, bringing the massive animal to the ground.

Kearney stopped moving and lay motionless on the ground. "No! Kearney!" Zahra cried, sending a ball of flames at the shadow that had killer her only friend. "No."

The shadow shrieked as it was destroyed by the fire, but it didn't help the pain Zahra was feeling.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, and Zahra turned to see Heero.

"Use my power." He said, closing his eyes and entering Zahra's spirit.

Zahra gasped as raw magic mixed with her own, coursing through her veins. Dorothy didn't stand a chance. And from the look on her face, the dark mage knew it as well.

Deciding she wouldn't survive, Dorothy made a das for the door.only to find it blocked by a Pegasus and Meiran Chang.

"W-what?" The dark mage turned just in time to be hit with a ball of blazing fire. She was thrown across the room, hitting the wall with a thud and sliding to the ground, unconscious for the moment. The shadows disappeared, and Duo's light flickered and went out before the angel collapsed.

Heero's eyes opened slowly, as he withdrew himself from Zahra. "That was a little too easy."

Zahra nodded, then turned to see Aria's lifeless body on the ground, and the cross fell, clattering on the stones and coming to rest beside Aria's right hand.

Meiran dismounted, and led the Pegasus to Duo to see if she could help the angel.

The horse lay beside the braided boy, resting its chin on his back and closing its eyes. Meiran sat beside it, waiting for it to work its magic.

Heero touched Zahra's arm. The fire mage was staring at the fallen girl, and a single tear slid down her cheek. She turned at Heero's touch, quickly wiping away the tear.

"I didn't mean to." She said, her voice trailing off as she met Heero's gaze. The animal mage's expression showed no emotion.

"It wasn't your fault, and she forgave you" He muttered, before heading to Duo who was just starting to wake up.

Zahra stared in disbelief at Heero's back. How could he know if Aria had forgiven her? Did she want to be forgiven? Pushing these question aside, she picked up the silver cross and joined Heero beside the now sitting Duo.

"Hey Tenshi." The angel was saying, running a hand over the horse's muzzle.

"Tenshi?" Meiran asked.

"His name." Duo said. "Tenshi and I have been great friends for ages, haven't we boy?"

The Pegasus snorted, and tried to cuddle Duo, glad to see his friend once again. However, Duo just ended up being slobbered on.

"I wonder how Quat and Wufei are doing." Duo mused, still stroking Tenshi, his other hand linked with Heero's.

Meiran's expression hardened. "When I left them, things weren't looking good." She said, and quickly explained what had happened.

"We have to go help them." Duo decided, trying to stand on his shaky legs. Although the Pegasus had revived him, he was still exhausted from over use of his magic.

Zahra handed Duo his gross, her decision already made. "I will help you, although it can never repair the damage which I have done." She said, glancing quickly at Aria and trying to avoid looking at Kearney, who was lying lifeless on the cold stone floor.

Duo smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure your help will be appreciated."

Leaning heavily on Tenshi, Duo led the way out of the training area, leaving what he thought to be a lifeless Dorothy alone in the now deserted room.

Heero passed the unconscious dark mage with a feeling of unease. He could sense some life still remaining in the girl, but he decided she wouldn't be able to recover in time to do them more damage, and he pushed the uneasy thoughts to the back of his mind.

"I'm going to go ahead." Meiran said. "And see how bad things are. If they are too dangerous, I will come back and warn you."

Heero nodded, and helped Duo down the hallway. They could only hope that Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa were Ok, though he had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

*~*

Treize found himself more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. For the very first time he was experiencing raw fear.

Quatre's dull red glow had evolved into a bright red light, his red eyes burning eerily as he started chanting something in an ancient language.

Just as the prophecy had foretold.this fire mage was going to be the end of his reign and his power. He had been unable to change the future, even though he had been warned of its outcome.

The fire mage's hands thrust towards the dark mage, and a dragon made of fire came forth with a mighty roar, flapping its flaming wings, its five foot tail following its graceful movements.

The heat that the beast emanated didn't seem to hurt Quatre as he leapt up off the ground, positioning himself at the base of the dragon's neck.

Treize looked on in horror, ordering his shadows towards the blazing creature. The dark minions lunged at the dragon, only to be reduced to a mass of smoke.

Wufei thrust a few balls of fire at the shadows that were trying to get at Trowa, whose chest was rising and falling weakly. He had managed to get to his feet in order to protect the king.

Dekim lay on the floor beside the throne, his body motionless.

The fiery dragon swooped down, its bight breath just as dangerous as the rest of its body.

A sweep with its tail sent Treize crashing to the other side of the room, where he was blasted by a wave of fire from the mage on the creature's back.

Treize screamed as Quatre's dragon landed and let its creator down before letting out another mighty roar, and vanishing in a blaze of fire.

Once Quatre was on his feet, off the dragon, he fell forward, almost completely drained of his energy and magic.

Wufei staggered towards Quatre, one hand on his wounded shoulder, the other sending streams of water to douse the flames that endangered the room. He checked on the fire mage and Trowa before heading to his dragon.

Nataku gave a weak 'Croik' as Wufei rolled her so there was no pressure on the injured wing. "Duo will be here soon.' The mage said, his voice not hinting at the uneasiness his heart felt, and his expression showing no doubt.

"Wufei?"

The mage looked up to see Meiran standing in the doorway.

"Meiran."

She walked over to him as he stood, his hand still on his injured shoulder. "Oh Wufei.I've missed you." she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. Things were going to be okay, the others were coming, and they were together.at last.

*~*

Duo, at that moment, was stopped in the middle of a staircase, trying to catch his breath. He hadn't realized how exhausted he really was.

Heero was a few steps up from him, his glare fixed on the angel. "Baka." He muttered, leaning against the wall as he watched Duo from the corner of his eyes, the slightest hint of concern hidden in the depths of his Prussian blue eyes.

Duo smirked at the mention of his 'pet name' from Heero, but his expression turned serious as he stared back into the animal mage's eyes. They were blue.

Of course he had noticed the colour before, but now it didn't make any sense.

Blue.

Why were they blue? This didn't make any sense at all.

Why hadn't he questioned it before? If he was an animal mage, then shouldn't Heero's eyes have been brown??

"Heero.I think you owe us an explanation."

Heero quirked an eyebrow. Maybe the angel had finally noticed. He should have been more careful. "An explanation?"

"Your eyes." Duo replied, taking a step forward. "Why are they blue? You haven't shown any signs of being a weather mage, and as an angel, I can sense most types of magic."

"Which is why it was hard for me to conceal my power from you." Heero answered. "But I will explain when the time is right."

"No. I want an explanation now." Duo glared fiercely at the 'animal mage', waiting for him to say something.

Heero glared right back, but he was the first to turn away, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to let them in on his little 'secret'.

Heero placed his hands in a prayer position, and bowed his head, closing his eyes.

He muttered a few incoherent words, and he started to glow a dull blue. The transformation was slow, the colour change of Heero's shirt starting at the bottom, the midnight blue pushing the brown out of the fabric, his pants acquiring a silvery shine.

Duo watched as a pair of pure white feathery wings emerged from Heero's back, emitting a dull golden glow.

Heero finally opened his eyes. "I, too, am an angel Duo." He said, his gaze piercing into Duo, who retreated a step.

"Then that means.you're the one who sent me to collect Quatre in the first place! You're my superior." The violet-eyed boy exclaimed, staring in awe at the blue-eyed angel above him.

Heero simply nodded.

Zahra had watched this whole scene unfold with wide eyes. As a fire mage, she could sense people's (and magic's) emotions.

Before Heero's transformation, the two had been leaning on one another for mental support, and there had been a strong, open-bond between them, one that let them feed off the other's strengths.

But now that Hero had revealed that he was stronger than Duo, the braided angel had withdrawn his end of the bond in the blink of an eye. He had closed himself off from Heero, and a wave of uneasiness and uncertainty was what he was now feeling.

"We should keep moving." Heero stated, turning and heading up the stairs. He had been afraid Duo would react like this. But since when am I afraid? And why does his reaction *bother* me?

The questions remained unanswered as the party continued up the stairs, unaware of the shadows that followed them.

*~*

They were drawing near the throne room. Duo could sense the pain and fear inside. Betcha Heero can feel it too. he opened his mouth to suggest something, but quickly closed it again after a glance at Heero, whose wings were still unfurled.

What right did he have to make a suggestion when this other being was so much powerful than he?

He hung his head in miserable defeat, a scowl etched in his features. Makes me wonder if I even matter. My powers are nothing compared to a blue angel. He probably enjoyed ordering me around while pretending that he was an animal mage Duo shivered coldly, and lifted his eyes slightly to see the door to the throne room not ten feet away.

Good news was that he couldn't sense Treize.

Bad news was that he couldn't sense much of Quatre either.

Not that it mattered.

He didn't have enough energy left to heal anything, and he doubted that Heero would even let him try.

He gave a heavy sigh as they reached the wooden doors, and with a flick of Heero's wrist, they swung open.

The room was filled with light, not a single shadow hid in a small dark corner.

Treize's mangled body lay on the floor, and Dekim too lay motionless on the ground.

Wufei's eyes widened as he saw a winged Heero enter the room, and Duo seemed upset about something. His head hung and his shoulders sagged.

"Heero?" The obsidian eyed weather mage questioned.

"I'll explain later." Heero grunted. "What happened?"

Wufei explained what had gone on to the trio of mages and Meiran,.

"Aria did a good job of training Quatre if he was able to perform the fire dragon spell. He's stronger than I thought." Duo said, his voice quiet and his eyes focused on the ground.

Wufei's eyes narrowed in concern as he noticed this change in Duo's behaviour. It wasn't like him to be so quiet and withdrawn. And since when did Heero have wings?

Deciding to let it go, Wufei turned his attention to more important matters. "Maybe we should help them." He suggested, gesturing towards Trowa, Quatre, and Nataku.

Duo assumed that Wufei was talking to him, and managed to take two steps towards Quatre before a hand stopped him from walking any further.

"You don't have enough energy Duo. I'll handle this."

Duo spun around to glare at Heero, but the other angel had already turned his back, walking towards a limp Quatre.

"I see I'm not needed here." Duo growled, trying to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes as he took off at a run out of the throne room.

Heero glared after him for a split second before crouching beside Quatre. Placing a hand on the fire mage's forehead, he closed his eyes and commenced the healing.

Wufei and Meiran watched as Quatre's eyes slowly opened, and he sat up cautiously. "Is Treize."

"Yes Quatre, Treize is dead." Heero stated, before standing and turning to Trowa.

The healing of the king took longer than that of Quatre, but still didn't seem to have an impact on Heero's energy. Soon enough, Trowa was on his feet as well.

Heero then set to work on Nataku's broken wing, and Wufei's injured shoulder.

All this healing *had* effected his energy supply, but Heero just happened to be good at hiding his exhaustion, as were most blue angels. Besides, it wasn't like he was expecting any more danger. Treize had been defeated, and there was no more evil in the castle.

However, a bloodcurdling scream came from the hallway. The massive doors were thrown open, and Duo staggered into the room, falling heavily to the ground on one of his purple-tinted wings. The bone snapped, and the braided boy cried out in pain.

Heero was at his side almost immediately, using his telekinetic powers to slam the doors shut on whatever was outside in the hallway.

"Heero." Duo muttered, his eyes glazed over with pain, their usual sparkle missing as the boy winced, and tried to shift his weight from on top of the injured wing.

Heero used his powers once more to lift Duo into the air, and lower him where he wouldn't have any pressure on the wing. "What is it Duo?"

"I'm sorry.I tried to defeat her, but I wasn't strong enough.I'm sorry."

"Defeat who Duo?"

"Dorothy."

And with this last word, Duo slumped over, his eyes closing, unconscious.

Apparently Heero had been wrong.

And what's worse was that he knew he didn't have enough power left to heal Duo, AND defeat Dorothy, who he could sense approaching the throne room.

Things were not looking good.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There, I think that's good enough for now. I'm not going to curse myself and say how many chapters are left, but I honestly hope I can get this finished before I move, which means I have a week left. And I'm thinking of dropping the rating back down to PG-13, so I might take out Aria's torture scene, and add it as another fic.

Well, hope you enjoyed it, please review!!!

~Duo's Only Chick