The Legend of the 576
Whee! Almost done! ^_^ *grins* I really hope you guys like this. Oh. This chapter contains quite the lot of angst, blood, and freaky stuff. Don't read if you can't handle it. Uh, I think there'll only be one more chapter after this one... *frowns* I wanted this story to be at least ten chapters, but I have everything plotted out and see that there isn't enough stuff in the fic to create those ten chapters. So I hope you're happy with 7 chapters ^_^.
~~~*~~~
Quatre froze as the figure approached them inch by deadly inch. He jerked around and gasped, coming eye-to-eye with Death itself. "Leave him alone," the Angel said protectively, preparing to use his giant ivory wings to protect Heero and Duo.
"You have tampered with my bidding, Angel." Shinigami hissed at Quatre through the darkness masking him. Here, Heero pulled out the pistol he carried everywhere for protection, and jumped between Shinigami and Duo, holding the gun at where he supposed the dark god's `face' was.
"Stay away from Duo, you bastard Shinigami!" he began showering Shinigami with bullets, knowing full well he couldn't kill death. During all of this, Duo was trying to gather all his different energies, to use to protect himself and his cobalt-eyed love. Quatre turned to Heero and shouted at him to stop, frantic. Shinigami smirked at the Japanese and stuck his bony hand out in Heero's direction, cackling evilly as his skeletal fist glowed a blinding green. Heero grunted as he was thrown back into the trunk of a nearby tree at inhuman speeds. His head hit the tree the hardest; his vision suddenly blackened about the second after the impact. A gasp of shock was heard from Duo's general direction as a thin trail of blood trickled down the side of Heero's head at a painfully slow pace.
"Oh my God! Heero!" Using all his strength, Duo pulled himself to his feet, coughing and stumbling all the way until he collapsed beside Heero, panting. The braided American pushed his hand out from under him to lay it gently on Heero's shoulder. He shook Heero tenderly. "Heero, come on man, wake up!" A series of powerful coughs racked Duo's weakening body. "Don't die now, Heero! Please!"
Quatre watched with horror as Duo grew weaker and the wound on Heero's head started pouring more blood. The blonde angel glanced back and forth between the two boys and Shinigami. The god was waiting patiently for the braided boy's life to fade away. "Death is such a beautiful thing to watch, don't you agree, Angel?"
The boy paled at the question he was asked. "No," Quatre said firmly, "death is not beautiful. It causes pain and misery to people. It's not a beautiful thing."
"You just don't appreciate it, being such a *holy* and *pure* being," the god smirked, turning his fist around slowly and forcefully. Duo's voice was heard crying out in pain. Quatre's head jerked back to the two suffering boys.
Duo's hand was clutching his chest as he fought back an agonizing scream. His violet eyes were set in a deathglare towards Shinigami. "Listen, you, if you want to take anyone then take me, but don't--" he struggled to let go of his chest and reached down, pulling a stray strand of chocolate hair out of Heero's face while he ran his hand over his koi's cheek, ignoring the searing pain in his heart. Duo forced his gaze back to the god, "Don't. Hurt Heero."
A harsh laugh escaped the masked darkness. "Your time to join my ranks came long, long ago. And I've been waiting ever since then, to take you into my kingdom. I've been waiting so very, very long. Do not deny me what has cost me fifty years of death, and patience. I will get what I want!"
Both Duo and Quatre gasped as one skeletal hand rose and began to pull back the hood of the cloak; Duo could have sworn he heard lightning crackle off in the distance. The very sky seemed to churn with pain as its comforting deep blue hues were plunged into the darkest black. A low wind blew forcefully, howling eerily with regret and fear as it swept about, a deathly chill haunting its touch. The blonde and brunette paled when Shinigami had pulled his cloak off what appeared to be his head completely. There was no real `face', but instead of peircing eyes, or droopy ears, cracking lips, or a molding nose, there was a skull. A dusted, greying skull. Duo was sure he was going to lose his dinner and lunch as well when something small and yellowish peeked out from behind an empty eye socket, which glowed a bloody red. A light yet icy mist escaped from what appeared to be the part of the skull where a mouth would usually be. Behind the mist was raspy and hoarse breathing, it sounded as if there was a flap which cut off the greater portion of Shinigami's voice.
Duo covered his mouth for the briefest of moments before his knees faltered and he fell foward onto his hands, which immediately let out from under him. He landed with a soft thud with his head on Heero's chest and legs tucked underneath him on the grass. Heero seemed to have regained conciousness at that moment, for he grunted as Duo's head landed on his chest. Once the cobalt-eyed boy realized who it was that was half on him, he forced his uninjured arm up and rested it on Duo's head; he twitched his fingers into motion and gently stroked Duo's hair. "D-Duo..."
"Hey, Heero," Duo responded softly, reaching over and taking Heero's hand in his, clutching on to it with all his remaining strength and shaking his fist slightly. "We'll go together, man,"
Heero squeezed Duo's hand in a last attempt at affection, and nodded ever so slightly, exhaling. "Together in life..." a long pause.
"...together in death." Duo concluded as he allowed his eyes to close.
.
Quatre's eyes widened in terror. "NO!" he snapped back around to Shinigami, glaring. "No! You can't! Leave them be!"
The skull's eyes flashed red and the jaw bone moved. "I've been waiting for so long," Shinigami said, putting extra emphasis on the last two words, "Coveting and desiring to bring those two into my world. I will not wait any longer! Get out of my way, Angel!" Green light flashed, much like the same light which had thrown Heero back the twenty feet into a tree trunk, and the bony hand of the dark god started shooting out, aimed at Duo's throat.
Quatre's mind was racing. `Sacrifice is key to victory!' he shouted to himself mentally, diving in the path of Shinigami's hand. Upon coming in contact with Quatre's neck, the fist tightened and began choking the Angel. The blonde struggled against the grip, gasping for air while his fair- skinned hands reached up to the god's own skeletal limb, trying to pry the fingers apart. "I won't... let you harm them...!"
"You fool! You have interferred one too many times! It is time you were put in your place!" Shinigami released his deathgrip on Quatre, but not before throwing him to the ground.
Quatre sat up shakilly, expanding his wings and rising to his feet. "Please don't make me fight you, Shinigami. I don't want a fight."
"Coward," spat the god. "You just don't want to fight me because it would taint your purity."
Narrowing his eyes, Quatre made direct eye-contact with Shinigami. "Fighting is wrong. We shouldn't have to resolve everything by killing one another."
"Pacifism," scoffed the god. The eyes of the skull glowed red as they focused on Duo and Heero, both barely clinging to life. Shinigami peered hungrily at the two boys as their life was slowly and torturously drained.
Quatre stumbled over to them, ignoring it when he felt something trickle down the side of his face. Glancing quickly to the side, the ethereal being saw silver blood dripping from the side of his head. He returned his gaze to his friends, fear and worry building inside him. Gently he shook Duo's shoulder. "Duo? Duo! Duo wake up! Please, Duo!" Seeing no reaction from Duo, Quatre crawled over to Heero and tried to being him back to a healthy level of conciousness. When there was no response at all from Heero, Quatre felt tears building in his eyes. Reality hit him, that not only could he lose Duo, but Heero as well. "Duo! Heero! Please wake up! Don't die, please! Guys? Guys!" Feeling an unexpected presense behind him, Quatre turned around sharply to come face to face with Shinigami. "I won't let you take them! They don't deserve death!"
The god's skull curved into a smirk. "I'll dispose of you as well! Kill three birds with one stone!"
"Don't make me fight you." warned Quatre, stepping infront of the two barely alive boys. Before anyone could register anything, there was a very familiar flash of green light, and Quatre suddenly found himself sprawled out on the ground beside Duo, a painful wound at the back of his head. Cringing and gritting his teeth, Quatre stood slowly and forcefully, silver blood tainting the pure white of his wings. Shinigami watched ruefully as the Angel fought to stand to his feet.
"Argh!" cried the god in frustration, turning his hand around in a slow circle. "Why won't you die?!"
Now Quatre knew why Duo had yelped out earlier. The blonde clutched his chest as he felt a searing pain in his heart. It was unlike any kind of pain imaginable. It felt like a thousand white-hot knives were being inched slowly into his heart. Shinigami smiled cruelly as Quatre grabbed at his heart, shaking in immense pain, yet refusing to allow his knees to cave in. Tears were streaming from his closed eyes as he bit back a scream. No. He wouldn't ever give Shinigami the pleasure of hearing him express pain. Some of Quatre's tears splashed on to Duo's gently shut eyes. The tears sparkled on the braided boy's eyelashes then promptly dissapeared. Duo's eyebrows furrowed for just the slightest moment before relaxing. Shinigami saw this, and glared daggers at the still struggling angel. The god growled dangerously and threw a bony hand out at Quatre, grabbing him around the neck and shaking him violently. "You!"
"I refuse to fight!" Quatre mumbled through gritted teeth as Shinigami continued choking him. But even as the dying angel struggled, a light began shining from the joining point of his wings. The light grew blindingly bright as the god's hand tightened even more around Quatre's neck. Shinigami's crackety voice was heard at this point for miles around, roaring animalistically as the very midnight sky seemed to part, dawning a heavenly light on the limp bodies of Duo and Heero, the shaking form of Quatre, and, lastly, the malicious grin of Shinigami's skull.
A powerful and strict disembodied voice descended from the heavens. "You have comitted great injustice, Shinigami!"
Shinigami's grip on Quatre suddenly loosened as he gasped up at the sky. Quatre took this opportunity to try and revive Duo and Heero. Staggering due to a debilitating pain in his ankle, the Angel collapsed besides the two, not even caring about the bleeding wound on his temple.
"I was just doing my job!" Shinigami roared back at the sky, standing strong against a powerfully blowing wind.
"Do not argue with me! What I said was correct and now you must face the punishment of your unruly actions!" the voice shouted, angered. The light pouring down from the heavens started to become brighter and brighter until anyone looking in its general direction would be blinded instantly. Shinigami's cloak fell to the earthy ground as a blood-curdling scream tore out from the skull.
Then, it was silent.
Quatre gazed at the remnants of Shinigami in awe, staring disbelieving. He snapped out of it and shook his head. He had a job to do. Turning back around to Duo and Heero, Quatre ran his hands over two closed sets of eyes, transferring life back into the boys even as he started to shake uncontrollably. His own life force was diminishing as he was giving life to Heero and Duo.
Even though his vision was starting to darken, Quatre continued attempting to revive Duo and Heero. He couldn't hold out for long, though, as the last of his life force left his body. A light groan escaped the Angel's lips as he sank to the ground, dying. The lack of life energy combined with his severe wounds was slowly killing him.
Finally, Quatre conceeded to fatigue and allowed his aqua eyes to slide shut as he transferred the last of his powers into the two boys. He sat back, supporting himself with one shaking hand, tilting his head up at the parted sky. "I'm... coming home..." he whispered as his supporting arm went limp and he fell backwards, his light blonde hair clashing gently with the sharp jade grass, heart still, breathing non-existant, and closed eyes dead as he slowly started to fade away.
.
In the frigid silence following the Angel's death, tiny bits of pure love skated down the currents of the air, settling softly around the slight forms of Heero and Duo, sparkling.
~~~*~~~
w00t! chapter 7! One more to gooo! ^_^
...
Berrful Hunter
email: ilovetchan@yahoo.com / bringmetolife02@yahoo.com (either works... I check both.)
OR
IM: Tsuiraku Hoshi
Whee! Almost done! ^_^ *grins* I really hope you guys like this. Oh. This chapter contains quite the lot of angst, blood, and freaky stuff. Don't read if you can't handle it. Uh, I think there'll only be one more chapter after this one... *frowns* I wanted this story to be at least ten chapters, but I have everything plotted out and see that there isn't enough stuff in the fic to create those ten chapters. So I hope you're happy with 7 chapters ^_^.
~~~*~~~
Quatre froze as the figure approached them inch by deadly inch. He jerked around and gasped, coming eye-to-eye with Death itself. "Leave him alone," the Angel said protectively, preparing to use his giant ivory wings to protect Heero and Duo.
"You have tampered with my bidding, Angel." Shinigami hissed at Quatre through the darkness masking him. Here, Heero pulled out the pistol he carried everywhere for protection, and jumped between Shinigami and Duo, holding the gun at where he supposed the dark god's `face' was.
"Stay away from Duo, you bastard Shinigami!" he began showering Shinigami with bullets, knowing full well he couldn't kill death. During all of this, Duo was trying to gather all his different energies, to use to protect himself and his cobalt-eyed love. Quatre turned to Heero and shouted at him to stop, frantic. Shinigami smirked at the Japanese and stuck his bony hand out in Heero's direction, cackling evilly as his skeletal fist glowed a blinding green. Heero grunted as he was thrown back into the trunk of a nearby tree at inhuman speeds. His head hit the tree the hardest; his vision suddenly blackened about the second after the impact. A gasp of shock was heard from Duo's general direction as a thin trail of blood trickled down the side of Heero's head at a painfully slow pace.
"Oh my God! Heero!" Using all his strength, Duo pulled himself to his feet, coughing and stumbling all the way until he collapsed beside Heero, panting. The braided American pushed his hand out from under him to lay it gently on Heero's shoulder. He shook Heero tenderly. "Heero, come on man, wake up!" A series of powerful coughs racked Duo's weakening body. "Don't die now, Heero! Please!"
Quatre watched with horror as Duo grew weaker and the wound on Heero's head started pouring more blood. The blonde angel glanced back and forth between the two boys and Shinigami. The god was waiting patiently for the braided boy's life to fade away. "Death is such a beautiful thing to watch, don't you agree, Angel?"
The boy paled at the question he was asked. "No," Quatre said firmly, "death is not beautiful. It causes pain and misery to people. It's not a beautiful thing."
"You just don't appreciate it, being such a *holy* and *pure* being," the god smirked, turning his fist around slowly and forcefully. Duo's voice was heard crying out in pain. Quatre's head jerked back to the two suffering boys.
Duo's hand was clutching his chest as he fought back an agonizing scream. His violet eyes were set in a deathglare towards Shinigami. "Listen, you, if you want to take anyone then take me, but don't--" he struggled to let go of his chest and reached down, pulling a stray strand of chocolate hair out of Heero's face while he ran his hand over his koi's cheek, ignoring the searing pain in his heart. Duo forced his gaze back to the god, "Don't. Hurt Heero."
A harsh laugh escaped the masked darkness. "Your time to join my ranks came long, long ago. And I've been waiting ever since then, to take you into my kingdom. I've been waiting so very, very long. Do not deny me what has cost me fifty years of death, and patience. I will get what I want!"
Both Duo and Quatre gasped as one skeletal hand rose and began to pull back the hood of the cloak; Duo could have sworn he heard lightning crackle off in the distance. The very sky seemed to churn with pain as its comforting deep blue hues were plunged into the darkest black. A low wind blew forcefully, howling eerily with regret and fear as it swept about, a deathly chill haunting its touch. The blonde and brunette paled when Shinigami had pulled his cloak off what appeared to be his head completely. There was no real `face', but instead of peircing eyes, or droopy ears, cracking lips, or a molding nose, there was a skull. A dusted, greying skull. Duo was sure he was going to lose his dinner and lunch as well when something small and yellowish peeked out from behind an empty eye socket, which glowed a bloody red. A light yet icy mist escaped from what appeared to be the part of the skull where a mouth would usually be. Behind the mist was raspy and hoarse breathing, it sounded as if there was a flap which cut off the greater portion of Shinigami's voice.
Duo covered his mouth for the briefest of moments before his knees faltered and he fell foward onto his hands, which immediately let out from under him. He landed with a soft thud with his head on Heero's chest and legs tucked underneath him on the grass. Heero seemed to have regained conciousness at that moment, for he grunted as Duo's head landed on his chest. Once the cobalt-eyed boy realized who it was that was half on him, he forced his uninjured arm up and rested it on Duo's head; he twitched his fingers into motion and gently stroked Duo's hair. "D-Duo..."
"Hey, Heero," Duo responded softly, reaching over and taking Heero's hand in his, clutching on to it with all his remaining strength and shaking his fist slightly. "We'll go together, man,"
Heero squeezed Duo's hand in a last attempt at affection, and nodded ever so slightly, exhaling. "Together in life..." a long pause.
"...together in death." Duo concluded as he allowed his eyes to close.
.
Quatre's eyes widened in terror. "NO!" he snapped back around to Shinigami, glaring. "No! You can't! Leave them be!"
The skull's eyes flashed red and the jaw bone moved. "I've been waiting for so long," Shinigami said, putting extra emphasis on the last two words, "Coveting and desiring to bring those two into my world. I will not wait any longer! Get out of my way, Angel!" Green light flashed, much like the same light which had thrown Heero back the twenty feet into a tree trunk, and the bony hand of the dark god started shooting out, aimed at Duo's throat.
Quatre's mind was racing. `Sacrifice is key to victory!' he shouted to himself mentally, diving in the path of Shinigami's hand. Upon coming in contact with Quatre's neck, the fist tightened and began choking the Angel. The blonde struggled against the grip, gasping for air while his fair- skinned hands reached up to the god's own skeletal limb, trying to pry the fingers apart. "I won't... let you harm them...!"
"You fool! You have interferred one too many times! It is time you were put in your place!" Shinigami released his deathgrip on Quatre, but not before throwing him to the ground.
Quatre sat up shakilly, expanding his wings and rising to his feet. "Please don't make me fight you, Shinigami. I don't want a fight."
"Coward," spat the god. "You just don't want to fight me because it would taint your purity."
Narrowing his eyes, Quatre made direct eye-contact with Shinigami. "Fighting is wrong. We shouldn't have to resolve everything by killing one another."
"Pacifism," scoffed the god. The eyes of the skull glowed red as they focused on Duo and Heero, both barely clinging to life. Shinigami peered hungrily at the two boys as their life was slowly and torturously drained.
Quatre stumbled over to them, ignoring it when he felt something trickle down the side of his face. Glancing quickly to the side, the ethereal being saw silver blood dripping from the side of his head. He returned his gaze to his friends, fear and worry building inside him. Gently he shook Duo's shoulder. "Duo? Duo! Duo wake up! Please, Duo!" Seeing no reaction from Duo, Quatre crawled over to Heero and tried to being him back to a healthy level of conciousness. When there was no response at all from Heero, Quatre felt tears building in his eyes. Reality hit him, that not only could he lose Duo, but Heero as well. "Duo! Heero! Please wake up! Don't die, please! Guys? Guys!" Feeling an unexpected presense behind him, Quatre turned around sharply to come face to face with Shinigami. "I won't let you take them! They don't deserve death!"
The god's skull curved into a smirk. "I'll dispose of you as well! Kill three birds with one stone!"
"Don't make me fight you." warned Quatre, stepping infront of the two barely alive boys. Before anyone could register anything, there was a very familiar flash of green light, and Quatre suddenly found himself sprawled out on the ground beside Duo, a painful wound at the back of his head. Cringing and gritting his teeth, Quatre stood slowly and forcefully, silver blood tainting the pure white of his wings. Shinigami watched ruefully as the Angel fought to stand to his feet.
"Argh!" cried the god in frustration, turning his hand around in a slow circle. "Why won't you die?!"
Now Quatre knew why Duo had yelped out earlier. The blonde clutched his chest as he felt a searing pain in his heart. It was unlike any kind of pain imaginable. It felt like a thousand white-hot knives were being inched slowly into his heart. Shinigami smiled cruelly as Quatre grabbed at his heart, shaking in immense pain, yet refusing to allow his knees to cave in. Tears were streaming from his closed eyes as he bit back a scream. No. He wouldn't ever give Shinigami the pleasure of hearing him express pain. Some of Quatre's tears splashed on to Duo's gently shut eyes. The tears sparkled on the braided boy's eyelashes then promptly dissapeared. Duo's eyebrows furrowed for just the slightest moment before relaxing. Shinigami saw this, and glared daggers at the still struggling angel. The god growled dangerously and threw a bony hand out at Quatre, grabbing him around the neck and shaking him violently. "You!"
"I refuse to fight!" Quatre mumbled through gritted teeth as Shinigami continued choking him. But even as the dying angel struggled, a light began shining from the joining point of his wings. The light grew blindingly bright as the god's hand tightened even more around Quatre's neck. Shinigami's crackety voice was heard at this point for miles around, roaring animalistically as the very midnight sky seemed to part, dawning a heavenly light on the limp bodies of Duo and Heero, the shaking form of Quatre, and, lastly, the malicious grin of Shinigami's skull.
A powerful and strict disembodied voice descended from the heavens. "You have comitted great injustice, Shinigami!"
Shinigami's grip on Quatre suddenly loosened as he gasped up at the sky. Quatre took this opportunity to try and revive Duo and Heero. Staggering due to a debilitating pain in his ankle, the Angel collapsed besides the two, not even caring about the bleeding wound on his temple.
"I was just doing my job!" Shinigami roared back at the sky, standing strong against a powerfully blowing wind.
"Do not argue with me! What I said was correct and now you must face the punishment of your unruly actions!" the voice shouted, angered. The light pouring down from the heavens started to become brighter and brighter until anyone looking in its general direction would be blinded instantly. Shinigami's cloak fell to the earthy ground as a blood-curdling scream tore out from the skull.
Then, it was silent.
Quatre gazed at the remnants of Shinigami in awe, staring disbelieving. He snapped out of it and shook his head. He had a job to do. Turning back around to Duo and Heero, Quatre ran his hands over two closed sets of eyes, transferring life back into the boys even as he started to shake uncontrollably. His own life force was diminishing as he was giving life to Heero and Duo.
Even though his vision was starting to darken, Quatre continued attempting to revive Duo and Heero. He couldn't hold out for long, though, as the last of his life force left his body. A light groan escaped the Angel's lips as he sank to the ground, dying. The lack of life energy combined with his severe wounds was slowly killing him.
Finally, Quatre conceeded to fatigue and allowed his aqua eyes to slide shut as he transferred the last of his powers into the two boys. He sat back, supporting himself with one shaking hand, tilting his head up at the parted sky. "I'm... coming home..." he whispered as his supporting arm went limp and he fell backwards, his light blonde hair clashing gently with the sharp jade grass, heart still, breathing non-existant, and closed eyes dead as he slowly started to fade away.
.
In the frigid silence following the Angel's death, tiny bits of pure love skated down the currents of the air, settling softly around the slight forms of Heero and Duo, sparkling.
~~~*~~~
w00t! chapter 7! One more to gooo! ^_^
...
Berrful Hunter
email: ilovetchan@yahoo.com / bringmetolife02@yahoo.com (either works... I check both.)
OR
IM: Tsuiraku Hoshi