Warnings: Yaoi.
Shinigami Chapter 14: Truly Paradise
Duo awoke with a start. He looked around and realized that he was in his house in Summerland. He had never been inside, but he just felt that that was where he was. He was in a sort of bedroom. There were two windows on adjacent walls opposite the queen sized bed. It looked like a normal room - there was a dresser, mirror, bookshelf, and other things that were in his room when he was alive.
He rose and slowly left the room, feeling oddly nauseated and slightly dizzy. He gripped the door frame and stood there for a minute, trying to remember what had happened. He couldn't remember, but there was a sort of feeling inside him that told him everything was going to be alright, now. He smiled a little and went into what he thought was a living room. Three people he was very happy to see were sitting there. Trowa and Quatre shared the one couch in the room, and his own Heero was dozing in the recliner.
Duo felt a vague familiarity in seeing this house. Everything seemed to be what he always wanted in his subconsciousness. Even Heero was there, safe and complete with his memories.
Trowa looked up and smiled slightly at Duo. He pointed in front of Quatre's face at Duo who stood in the doorway to the left of them. He looked up and beamed at Duo and they both stood up and took Duo through the house and out to a balcony that overlooked the waterfall.
"You've done it, Duo. You did the impossible," Quatre began. "You rescued Heero from the Fifth Level." His eyes sparkled. "And just so you know, Shinigami is gone."
Duo gave them a confused look. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Do you remember when we were about to leave Shinigami's castle with Heero and Wufei and Hikaru?" Trowa asked. Duo thought for a moment and nodded. "Shinigami came after us and for a moment, we all thought he was embracing you for absolutely no reason at all." Duo nodded as he remembered the god throwing his arms around him and holding on as though his life depended on it. "Well, after only about ten seconds, he was gone. Just like that. You were both screaming but then only you fell unconscious. He was gone. Shinigami's companion, Jemima, came out when she heard the screams and she told us what had happened. Shinigami and you are identical, right? So then she told him to do what he did because she was convinced that the combining of you two would work." Duo scoffed incredulously, but Trowa continued, "And it did. Shinigami is now a part of you, whether you like it or not."
Duo was silent for a few seconds. "But then... Who's in Shinigami's place in the Fifth Level?" he asked, bewildered.
"Wufei and Hikaru, of course." Trowa acted as though that were the most obvious part of this whole ordeal. "Jemima is helping them to get accustomed to running the Fifth Level."
Duo nodded. "Can I go see Heero now?" he asked hopefully. "Is that all you had to tell me?"
Trowa and Quatre exchanged glances. "Well, yes, that is all - We just wanted you to know that Shinigami is, in a sense, still getting to Heero... But if that doesn't bother you, then you can go to him now," Quatre concluded with a smile and a nod.
Then they both vanished. Duo blinked in wonder and raced back into the house, eager to see Heero again. He kneeled down next to his chair where he slept and watched his face with so much love in his heart, he thought he might burst. But soon, Heero blearily opened his eyes and stretched, taking no notice of Duo until he sat up and found himself staring straight into the violet eyes he loved so much. He blinked and shook his head as though he thought he was hallucinating. "Duo?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Hiya, Hee-chan..." Duo replied with a grin.
Heero stared at him with a look that said "I can't believe you just called me that!" But then he smiled and fell to his knees beside him and Duo opened his arms, inviting him into an embrace. Heero laughed and glomped him, knocking him over.
"Oww!" Duo protested when Heero landed on his chest. He laughed too. "Jesus, Heero! What're you tryin' to do? Kill me?"
Heero rolled his eyes. "You're already dead, you moron." He smiled.
Then their lips met for the first time in quite a while in a passionate kiss.