People have been telling me that Heero wasn't suspicious enough towards the
elves but he his, a little. When I read the books I got the impression that
nobody could stay on their guard around them. As if, just by their
presence, they could make someone fell secure. So, I thought that even
Heero, the almighty block of ice, couldn't. Now, he still is a little. The
proof is when he says that he'll keep//pretending to be an obedient boy//.
I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear enough.
I discovered ANOTHER error with my computer. It doesn't write in italic once I put it on fanfiction.net. So, because of that, the character's thoughts will be written between bars. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.
Chapter 3:
A great clunk was heard in the hangar as the screwdriver Quatre was holding fell on the floor from Sandrock's left arm. The blond sighted. He really didn't feel like going down to get it and go back up again. He resigned himself and slowly climbed down. When he picked the thing up and looked around, he noticed for the first time that Nataku wasn't there. Frowning, Quatre decided to take a break.
Trowa was reading the journal when the Arabian walked in the kitchen nervously. The acrobat clearly saw from the boy's movement that something bothered him. Still, he waited for him to speak and didn't say a word.
Quatre was playing with the towel, hesitating to ask what troubled him. Finally, he did.
" Did Wufei leave? Did he go search for Heero?"
Trowa simply nodded.
" Why can't we go too? It's been three weeks since Duo first disappeared. The wait is driving me crazy. What if they need help?" continued Quatre.
" Do I have to repeat? If we go head-on without knowing the slightest thing about anything, we will end up getting lost ourselves and the colonies are going to be in deep trouble. I couldn't persuade Wufei, but I hope you at least understand." Replied Trowa impatiently.
Quatre said nothing. He remembered well the argument they had had a few days ago. The Arabian had never heard Trowa speak that much before. He understood his point but he couldn't help worrying. After taking a short snack, he went back to the hangar. Working on Sandrock was the only thing that could make him forget his worries for a while.
*********
Wufei let Nataku's engines slow down to a small humming. The Gundam slowly lowered in altitude until his giant feet landed on the ground. From his high point of view, he could see well over the small, scattered trees. He could see the almost imperceptible lump of a round shape. His trained eyed knew that it was Deathscythe's head but not anyone could see it. It was easily mistakable for a small hill.
Wufei hid his own Gundam in a clearing near Deathscythe's and slowly walked inside the forest. He got the same impression as Heero about it. The trees who were getting bigger and thicker, and the sudden mix of species. He kept a cool head but never let go of his katana. The more and more he walked, the more and more he felt like he was being watched. It's as if the trees were leaning over him, trying to grasp him with their old gnarled branches. They were covered with moss; some brown, other green and he swore he once saw eyes blink.
Wufei was glad that he had come without his coat. The air was stuffy and hard to breath and he felt oppressed but the closeness of the trees. The pace of his feet slowed gradually until they almost came to a stop. When he was about to take a break, he saw some kind of hill. He walked to it and carefully examined it. The rock stood at a perfect ninety degrees inclination but still seemed climbable because of some kind of huge steps carven in the rock itself. At the top of it stood an enormous tree that bathed in sunlight.
Being tired of the dull greyish light, Wufei hastily climbed up the improvised steps and stood before the big tree. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and fully appreciated the sudden freshness of the air under the sun.
" This forest is much nicer seen from up here." He whispered to himself.
To his ultimate surprise, someone answered him.
" Hum hom, this, how do you call it, hill, is very popular for newcomers. I wasn't hasty and said nothing but when I heard your voice and what you said I got surprised. Hum, you said the same thing as two of my good old friends when they were first up here. Now now, I am hasty. Turn around so I can see your face."
Before Wufei could get out of his trance, a rough hand took him by the shoulder and, turning him around, lifted him by the shoulder. The Chinese boy stared at the thing holding him.
It was the tree.
*******
A loud chorus resonated through the field until it transformed itself in an echo at the mountains feet. The real wonder was that only five people were making that much noise.
It was the third day of travel for the elves, boy and hobbit. The elves had come back from Rivendel with a beautiful black, red-manned stallion for Duo. Of course, the boy, having never ridden on a horse before, had taken a whole day to get used to it. The three elves each had a beautiful white horse and Sam a small sturdy pony. Even though the hobbit had purchased everything Duo might need, the boy had refused to let go of his battered priest clothes.
After the first day of travel, Duo had already been very tired of the songs his companions were singing again and again, even if the elves sang with a beautiful voice. So, he thought them a few of his own. They actually got pretty interested and kept demanding more. By the second day, Duo was completely out. At least now he could sing with them because, of course, he didn't know the slightest thing of elvish.
They were taking a food break in the late evening in a field beside the road. The conversation slowly deviated to Duo's world.
"Tell me Duo", asked Legolas, "how is the place were you come from."
Duo froze. Slowly, he lowered the apple he was about to eat and stared at the ground. So far, he had managed to avoid answering but their question had never been so straight.
"Well. I guess you could say that it's very different from here." He started.
"In what ways?" asked Sam afterwards.
" In everything I think. The vegetation, the good air, the people, the peace." he ended, turning his attention back to his apple. He was really feeling uncomfortable.
" Is there a war?" asked Hagin next.
Duo nodded and took a mouthful of the red fruit.
" Yeah. Heero and me are fighting to bring peace. It's not easy every day."
" Don't you want to go back? Don't you HAVE to go back?" demaded Foldir.
Duo didn't answer. He didn't even know how. He totally ignored how he had ended up in Middle Earth and how to go back. He was really starting to be annoyed with the interrogation.
"I'm going to walk around." He stated, getting up.
The others felt his uneasiness and let him go without saying anything. They really wondered who he really was. He had never said anything about himself or where he came from. They just knew his name and they guessed his sort of personality. That was the first time they had succeeded in getting anything about his homeland. Many times before they had tried to ask him by different ways but he had skilfully avoided answering by changing the subject. It looked like he didn't want to lie so a straight question was the best way to get anything from him. Still, he hadn't given them anything really useful.
******* Duo walked heedlessly in the field. He was angry at the others for what they had asked him. Of course, it was normal of them to ask but he couldn't help being frustrated. Maybe more because he realised that he was totally lost, without anything to rely on. He was a lost kid in the middle of the street of an unknown part of a city.
The American walked until he arrived to a small pond surrounded but small trees. He sat on a big rock and looked at his reflection in the water. He didn't think of anything at all. He let his soul wander free.
Big mistake.
A small almost imperceptible rustle of leaves snatched him out of his reverie. There was no wind to make the leaves move. The first thing he knew was pain.
He looked down in horror at the arrow in his side. The iron point of the thing stuck out of his back. The arrow had gone right through him. Duo felt blood go up his throat. He coughed it up and watched as it mixed up with the black water. That seemed to awake him.
Duo knew that the person who had shot the arrow would attack again, considering the fact that he wasn't dead. The boy let his soldier senses work and, judging by the way the arrow was stuck in him, guessed were the man was. Duo painfully stood up and grabbed the arrow-end in his back and, taking up a deep breath, pulled it out. A scream escaped his lips. His vision doubled but he forced it to straighten itself. He coughed some more blood.
Duo wanted to let himself fall unconscious but couldn't afford to. There was that man hidden behind the bushes and trees that he had to take care of. He closed his eyes and forced the pain in the back of his mind until he completely shot it out. Reopening his eyes, he looked straight at the place were the man was hidden.
His senses now alert, Duo saw a glimce of a movement and ducked just in time as an arrow flew over his head. Now he knew the exact position of the attacker. He got up and stalked forward. He soon found him. The man was looking at him in total shock. Never in his life had he seen someone evade an arrow, being badly hurt too.
Duo used the moment and knocked the bow out of the man's hands. He quickly got behind him and twisted his arm against his back. The man squirmed but quickly stopped because of the pain his slightest movement caused in his arm. Duo whispered painfully in his ear.
"You are coming with me in the moonlight. I want to see your damn face before killing you."
The man froze at the coolness of the tone. He was so shocked. A kid, no more than fifteen, hadn't even fainted because of his arrow, had yanked it out and now had caught him. He had spoken with a voice that seemed to come from a demon from hell. It wasn't human.
Duo pushed the man away from the shelter of the trees. Then, Legolas, Foldir, Hagen and Sam appeared running. His scream had alerted them so they had come to his rescue. The American froze and looked at them in disbelief. He had completely forgotten about them. The man used the moment and thrust his available arm backwards at Duo's injury. The boy let go and gasped for air as pain flooded his mind. He fell on his knees, gasping. He coughed another flow of fresh blood and blacked out.
The man barely had time to take out his sword that he fell dead, an arrow in the throat. When Legolas had seen the blood pouring from an injury at Duo's side and the bloodied arrow on the ground, he hadn't hesitated a second and had shot the man.
Duo, him, laid in a blood pool.
*****
"My lord, I have bad news." Said an unknown voice.
"And?" replied coldly another voice, shrouded in darkness.
" Tekan has fallen sir. The foreigner is strong. It looked as if he didn't mind the arrow I shot at him."
"You missed?!" said angrily the commanding voice.
" It was dark and the boy was clothed in black." The other stuttered. " He his no human sir. I watched from afar and saw him pull out my arrow. He screamed but held on. He's a demon."
"Anyone can do that with a bit of mental power." Answered impatiently the master.
"Yes, but he evaded my arrow afterwards, badly hurt as he was. Tekan's arrow still hit him hard."
"How come you are alive and not Tekan?" asked suspiciously the cold voice.
The servant recoiled and started shaking.
" The boy, he guessed perfectly were Tekan was hidden. He grabbed him and immobilized him. I was about to shoot again from my hiding place when he spoke. I barely heard but it froze my blood. He had the voice of the devil itself sir, I swear. I couldn't move an inch. He's only a boy but he spoke in a more scary way than, than" the man hesitated.
"Continue." Ordered the other.
"I was more scared of his voice than your punishment because I ran away." He answered.
"What!" screamed the Lord; throwing the wine glass he was holding at the man kneeling before him.
"He was not alone sir. A hobbit and three Elves helped him out."
"So, he didn't kill Tekan?" asked the master.
"No sir. But I think he could have."
The servant told his master all that he saw after Duo had pushed Tekan out of the trees.
" Just before fainting, he took out a black thing. I don't know what it was but I think it was meant to kill. He let himself fall because his friends were there."
"Good, so he his really hurt. Maybe even to death. Perfect. I will have to wait until the other foreigner comes out of the Elve's city before killing him too." Finished the Lord before getting up and leaving the room.
"Please wait my Lord! Why do you want to kill them?" asked the servant.
" They are in our way. I've seen it. They will counter our plans if they aren't destroyed."
The master turned around but stopped at the door.
"You should have stayed silent, Lent. I had forgotten you. Now that you reminded me of your presence, your reminded me that I must punish you for running away."
Later, you could hear Lent scream through the whole castle.
******* The end.
******* Now, I hope this chapter his good! Shorter one than the previous one, I know but I have my reasons.
I'm terribly sorry that it took me so much time to post this chapter! I had an awful writer's block and tons of things to do for school. I didn't manage to find a lot of time to type. Gomen!
For those who read ALL the books, can you guess were Wufei ended up and who's that talking tree? I'm putting up a sort of contest here. Those who get the answer right will have their name up before next chapter. I know it's stupid but it's just for fun. Good luck!
A-chan
I discovered ANOTHER error with my computer. It doesn't write in italic once I put it on fanfiction.net. So, because of that, the character's thoughts will be written between bars. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.
Chapter 3:
A great clunk was heard in the hangar as the screwdriver Quatre was holding fell on the floor from Sandrock's left arm. The blond sighted. He really didn't feel like going down to get it and go back up again. He resigned himself and slowly climbed down. When he picked the thing up and looked around, he noticed for the first time that Nataku wasn't there. Frowning, Quatre decided to take a break.
Trowa was reading the journal when the Arabian walked in the kitchen nervously. The acrobat clearly saw from the boy's movement that something bothered him. Still, he waited for him to speak and didn't say a word.
Quatre was playing with the towel, hesitating to ask what troubled him. Finally, he did.
" Did Wufei leave? Did he go search for Heero?"
Trowa simply nodded.
" Why can't we go too? It's been three weeks since Duo first disappeared. The wait is driving me crazy. What if they need help?" continued Quatre.
" Do I have to repeat? If we go head-on without knowing the slightest thing about anything, we will end up getting lost ourselves and the colonies are going to be in deep trouble. I couldn't persuade Wufei, but I hope you at least understand." Replied Trowa impatiently.
Quatre said nothing. He remembered well the argument they had had a few days ago. The Arabian had never heard Trowa speak that much before. He understood his point but he couldn't help worrying. After taking a short snack, he went back to the hangar. Working on Sandrock was the only thing that could make him forget his worries for a while.
*********
Wufei let Nataku's engines slow down to a small humming. The Gundam slowly lowered in altitude until his giant feet landed on the ground. From his high point of view, he could see well over the small, scattered trees. He could see the almost imperceptible lump of a round shape. His trained eyed knew that it was Deathscythe's head but not anyone could see it. It was easily mistakable for a small hill.
Wufei hid his own Gundam in a clearing near Deathscythe's and slowly walked inside the forest. He got the same impression as Heero about it. The trees who were getting bigger and thicker, and the sudden mix of species. He kept a cool head but never let go of his katana. The more and more he walked, the more and more he felt like he was being watched. It's as if the trees were leaning over him, trying to grasp him with their old gnarled branches. They were covered with moss; some brown, other green and he swore he once saw eyes blink.
Wufei was glad that he had come without his coat. The air was stuffy and hard to breath and he felt oppressed but the closeness of the trees. The pace of his feet slowed gradually until they almost came to a stop. When he was about to take a break, he saw some kind of hill. He walked to it and carefully examined it. The rock stood at a perfect ninety degrees inclination but still seemed climbable because of some kind of huge steps carven in the rock itself. At the top of it stood an enormous tree that bathed in sunlight.
Being tired of the dull greyish light, Wufei hastily climbed up the improvised steps and stood before the big tree. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and fully appreciated the sudden freshness of the air under the sun.
" This forest is much nicer seen from up here." He whispered to himself.
To his ultimate surprise, someone answered him.
" Hum hom, this, how do you call it, hill, is very popular for newcomers. I wasn't hasty and said nothing but when I heard your voice and what you said I got surprised. Hum, you said the same thing as two of my good old friends when they were first up here. Now now, I am hasty. Turn around so I can see your face."
Before Wufei could get out of his trance, a rough hand took him by the shoulder and, turning him around, lifted him by the shoulder. The Chinese boy stared at the thing holding him.
It was the tree.
*******
A loud chorus resonated through the field until it transformed itself in an echo at the mountains feet. The real wonder was that only five people were making that much noise.
It was the third day of travel for the elves, boy and hobbit. The elves had come back from Rivendel with a beautiful black, red-manned stallion for Duo. Of course, the boy, having never ridden on a horse before, had taken a whole day to get used to it. The three elves each had a beautiful white horse and Sam a small sturdy pony. Even though the hobbit had purchased everything Duo might need, the boy had refused to let go of his battered priest clothes.
After the first day of travel, Duo had already been very tired of the songs his companions were singing again and again, even if the elves sang with a beautiful voice. So, he thought them a few of his own. They actually got pretty interested and kept demanding more. By the second day, Duo was completely out. At least now he could sing with them because, of course, he didn't know the slightest thing of elvish.
They were taking a food break in the late evening in a field beside the road. The conversation slowly deviated to Duo's world.
"Tell me Duo", asked Legolas, "how is the place were you come from."
Duo froze. Slowly, he lowered the apple he was about to eat and stared at the ground. So far, he had managed to avoid answering but their question had never been so straight.
"Well. I guess you could say that it's very different from here." He started.
"In what ways?" asked Sam afterwards.
" In everything I think. The vegetation, the good air, the people, the peace." he ended, turning his attention back to his apple. He was really feeling uncomfortable.
" Is there a war?" asked Hagin next.
Duo nodded and took a mouthful of the red fruit.
" Yeah. Heero and me are fighting to bring peace. It's not easy every day."
" Don't you want to go back? Don't you HAVE to go back?" demaded Foldir.
Duo didn't answer. He didn't even know how. He totally ignored how he had ended up in Middle Earth and how to go back. He was really starting to be annoyed with the interrogation.
"I'm going to walk around." He stated, getting up.
The others felt his uneasiness and let him go without saying anything. They really wondered who he really was. He had never said anything about himself or where he came from. They just knew his name and they guessed his sort of personality. That was the first time they had succeeded in getting anything about his homeland. Many times before they had tried to ask him by different ways but he had skilfully avoided answering by changing the subject. It looked like he didn't want to lie so a straight question was the best way to get anything from him. Still, he hadn't given them anything really useful.
******* Duo walked heedlessly in the field. He was angry at the others for what they had asked him. Of course, it was normal of them to ask but he couldn't help being frustrated. Maybe more because he realised that he was totally lost, without anything to rely on. He was a lost kid in the middle of the street of an unknown part of a city.
The American walked until he arrived to a small pond surrounded but small trees. He sat on a big rock and looked at his reflection in the water. He didn't think of anything at all. He let his soul wander free.
Big mistake.
A small almost imperceptible rustle of leaves snatched him out of his reverie. There was no wind to make the leaves move. The first thing he knew was pain.
He looked down in horror at the arrow in his side. The iron point of the thing stuck out of his back. The arrow had gone right through him. Duo felt blood go up his throat. He coughed it up and watched as it mixed up with the black water. That seemed to awake him.
Duo knew that the person who had shot the arrow would attack again, considering the fact that he wasn't dead. The boy let his soldier senses work and, judging by the way the arrow was stuck in him, guessed were the man was. Duo painfully stood up and grabbed the arrow-end in his back and, taking up a deep breath, pulled it out. A scream escaped his lips. His vision doubled but he forced it to straighten itself. He coughed some more blood.
Duo wanted to let himself fall unconscious but couldn't afford to. There was that man hidden behind the bushes and trees that he had to take care of. He closed his eyes and forced the pain in the back of his mind until he completely shot it out. Reopening his eyes, he looked straight at the place were the man was hidden.
His senses now alert, Duo saw a glimce of a movement and ducked just in time as an arrow flew over his head. Now he knew the exact position of the attacker. He got up and stalked forward. He soon found him. The man was looking at him in total shock. Never in his life had he seen someone evade an arrow, being badly hurt too.
Duo used the moment and knocked the bow out of the man's hands. He quickly got behind him and twisted his arm against his back. The man squirmed but quickly stopped because of the pain his slightest movement caused in his arm. Duo whispered painfully in his ear.
"You are coming with me in the moonlight. I want to see your damn face before killing you."
The man froze at the coolness of the tone. He was so shocked. A kid, no more than fifteen, hadn't even fainted because of his arrow, had yanked it out and now had caught him. He had spoken with a voice that seemed to come from a demon from hell. It wasn't human.
Duo pushed the man away from the shelter of the trees. Then, Legolas, Foldir, Hagen and Sam appeared running. His scream had alerted them so they had come to his rescue. The American froze and looked at them in disbelief. He had completely forgotten about them. The man used the moment and thrust his available arm backwards at Duo's injury. The boy let go and gasped for air as pain flooded his mind. He fell on his knees, gasping. He coughed another flow of fresh blood and blacked out.
The man barely had time to take out his sword that he fell dead, an arrow in the throat. When Legolas had seen the blood pouring from an injury at Duo's side and the bloodied arrow on the ground, he hadn't hesitated a second and had shot the man.
Duo, him, laid in a blood pool.
*****
"My lord, I have bad news." Said an unknown voice.
"And?" replied coldly another voice, shrouded in darkness.
" Tekan has fallen sir. The foreigner is strong. It looked as if he didn't mind the arrow I shot at him."
"You missed?!" said angrily the commanding voice.
" It was dark and the boy was clothed in black." The other stuttered. " He his no human sir. I watched from afar and saw him pull out my arrow. He screamed but held on. He's a demon."
"Anyone can do that with a bit of mental power." Answered impatiently the master.
"Yes, but he evaded my arrow afterwards, badly hurt as he was. Tekan's arrow still hit him hard."
"How come you are alive and not Tekan?" asked suspiciously the cold voice.
The servant recoiled and started shaking.
" The boy, he guessed perfectly were Tekan was hidden. He grabbed him and immobilized him. I was about to shoot again from my hiding place when he spoke. I barely heard but it froze my blood. He had the voice of the devil itself sir, I swear. I couldn't move an inch. He's only a boy but he spoke in a more scary way than, than" the man hesitated.
"Continue." Ordered the other.
"I was more scared of his voice than your punishment because I ran away." He answered.
"What!" screamed the Lord; throwing the wine glass he was holding at the man kneeling before him.
"He was not alone sir. A hobbit and three Elves helped him out."
"So, he didn't kill Tekan?" asked the master.
"No sir. But I think he could have."
The servant told his master all that he saw after Duo had pushed Tekan out of the trees.
" Just before fainting, he took out a black thing. I don't know what it was but I think it was meant to kill. He let himself fall because his friends were there."
"Good, so he his really hurt. Maybe even to death. Perfect. I will have to wait until the other foreigner comes out of the Elve's city before killing him too." Finished the Lord before getting up and leaving the room.
"Please wait my Lord! Why do you want to kill them?" asked the servant.
" They are in our way. I've seen it. They will counter our plans if they aren't destroyed."
The master turned around but stopped at the door.
"You should have stayed silent, Lent. I had forgotten you. Now that you reminded me of your presence, your reminded me that I must punish you for running away."
Later, you could hear Lent scream through the whole castle.
******* The end.
******* Now, I hope this chapter his good! Shorter one than the previous one, I know but I have my reasons.
I'm terribly sorry that it took me so much time to post this chapter! I had an awful writer's block and tons of things to do for school. I didn't manage to find a lot of time to type. Gomen!
For those who read ALL the books, can you guess were Wufei ended up and who's that talking tree? I'm putting up a sort of contest here. Those who get the answer right will have their name up before next chapter. I know it's stupid but it's just for fun. Good luck!
A-chan