Title: Between Darkness and Light – The Darker Side of Life
Pairings: 2+1+2, 5+1, 3+4, H+2, R+1, M+5, 13+6, past 6+9
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the GW characters but the story and all additional characters are mine though.
Warnings: Shounen Ai, slight OOC, violence
A/N: All the boys are different ages in this story, they are as followed: Heero's 15, Duo's
18, Trowa's 19, Quatre's 18 and Wufei's 16.
~ I want to give a big thanks to Yume Maxwell-Yuy who is now the official beta for this fic. Thank you so much
Yume-chan *glomps* you're the best ~
~#~#~#~ = Change of scene
Footsteps echoed loudly down the empty grey stoned hallway. Flickers from nearby candles held in the wall barely
emitted enough light to pass between them, leaving large shadowy gaps along the already dark walls around.
Approaching a large door made from the darkest wood, a slender hand raised up to gently take hold of the golden
handle.
The deafening silence was broken by the creaking of the old door as it slowly swung open, allowing the light from
outside to pour into the black room. Closing the door behind her as she entered, the room was once again thrown
into darkness.
"Have you done what I have asked of Lady Une?" Came a smooth voice from within the darkness. The few candles
scattered around the room came alight with fire, casting away the shadows to reveal a room filled with many large
bookshelves, a fire place and a single desk situated in the middle of the room.
Bowing slightly Lady Une answered "Yes your Excellency, Otto has been informed of the situation and has sent his
men out to search the inside and surrounding areas of Sanq. If by some chance the Jurei manages to get past Odin
and the search parties, we will still be able to capture him within the city walls. He can not elude us for too
much longer your Grace" Straightening back up, Une raised a delicate eyebrow as she asked "Are you certain that
he will be heading east though?"
Taking a small sip of wine from his goblet, Treize savoured the flavour in his mouth slightly before swallowing.
Placing the cup onto the large desk before him, he calmly said "He will be heading for Sanq that is for certain.
It is the only city near enough that has a port allowing travel between the mainland and the island where Enlizer
is situated. What the Jurei does not know however, is the fact that the royal family of Enlizer has placed an embargo
on all travel to and from the palace. Once he enters Sanq and finds no way of getting back to the palace, he will
be stranded there. That should give us the opportunity to manoeuvre if by some small chance the Jurei is able to slip
past Odin and the search parties. Then it will only be the matter of capturing him, I'm sure Otto will be more than
pleased to be given the opportunity to rectify his early failure"
Standing up from his seat, Treize placed his half empty glass on the desk before him, and then made his way over to
where Lady Une stood. Calm azure eyes regarded the woman in front of him, before continuing "We can do without the
Jurei for the time being, we can't run the risk of losing the boy by rushing things. What's important at the moment
is continuing on with our work. We need to have everything prepared for when we do finally obtain the Jurei. That is
why I sent for you Lady Une, I need Zech's Merquise in this room within the hour... I have a job for him"
"Consider it done Lord Treize" Lady Une bowed slightly once more, before turning around and leaving the room.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Cold green eyes snapped open and peered up into the dark morning sky above. A frown came across Odin's face as he
was suddenly hit with an uneasy feeling. Bolting straight up from his makeshift bed, the blonde assassin swore
loudly before disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Silently reappearing on the outskirts of a nearby camp, Odin kept to the shadows as he searched for a particular
occupant within the site. From his position his green gaze quickly passed over the sleeping braided boy, and then
just as quickly passed by the Silencer. When his sight landed on the last bed, his green eyes widened in fear as he
found it was empty. "Shit" The assassin cursed angrily as he strained his ears and faintly heard the fading sound
of hooves.
Teleporting back into his own camp, Odin hastily picked up his weapons belt and his cloak. Ignoring everything else,
the assassin quickly mounted his horse. Whipping the reins hard, Odin held on tightly as his mount instantly left
the camp in a run leaving everything else behind.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Scrunching his eyes tighter together as he rolled over onto his side Duo attempted to get some more sleep, but the
persistent sunlight wouldn't allow him too. Rubbing his sleepy violet eyes as he sat up, it took his sleep fogged
mind a few seconds to realise that he was the only one left in bed. Sighting Trowa sitting on a large boulder facing
the east, Duo frowned slightly when he couldn't locate the whereabouts of a certain Prussian eyed boy. Thinking that
Heero had simply gone for another walk like he had done the previous morning, the braided boy didn't think anything
of it. Combing his fingers through his messy bangs, Duo asked "Where did Heero run off to this time?"
Turning around slightly to look at his friend, Trowa calmly said "He went east a little under an hour ago" Before
turning back around.
Yawning loudly, Duo stretched his arms out above his head as he said "So when did he say that he'll be back?"
Without looking back, the quiet archer replied "He won't be back this time"
Instantly getting the braided boy's full attention, Duo narrowed his eyes dangerously as he asked "Excuse me?"
Turning around to meet his friend, green eyes calmly looked into blazing violet as the banged boy replied "Heero
left a little under an hour ago with one of the horses"
Narrowing his eyes even further, Duo calmly inquired "And you know this because?...."
Dusting himself off as he stood, Trowa nimbly leapt down from the large boulder. Walking calmly over towards Duo,
the banged boy answered "I watched him leave, although I believe he was not aware of me doing so"
Picking up his jaw after it dropped to the ground, Duo pointed an accusing finger at his travelling partner as he
yelled "And you just let him leave?!?! Trowa how could you? You know too damn well just how dangerous it is out there
to be travelling alone!"
Nodding his head in agreement, Trowa looked straight into Duo's eyes and said "I do"
Opening and closing his mouth a few times as his brain attempted to process what was just said to him, Duo eventually
asked "Then why did you let him leave?"
Sighing quietly to himself, the banged boy looked deeply into the others eyes. Trowa could easily see the fear Duo
felt for Heero in them, but he knew he had to say what was needed "We do not own him Duo, Heero is free to do as he
chooses and if he decided to travel to Sanq alone…..then you must respect his decision"
Still seeing the fear in Duo's eyes, he then added "You must also think is he any safer with us anyway? What with OZ
now sending assassins after us"
A frown appeared on Duo's face, standing up the braided boy walked over to where his pack was and knelt beside it.
Tightly grabbing the strap, Duo seriously said "That's true, but I also promised Heero that I would get him to Sang
safely and you know that I never break my promises Tro" Duo sighed quietly to himself as he stood up and slung the pack
over his shoulder. Walking over to were the remaining horses were left, Duo placed his pack on the closest one then
turned back around to meet his friend. With his face splitting into a grin, Duo cheerfully said "Plus we need to get
our horse back don't we"
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Quickly leaping into a nearby tree, Wufei kept as low to the branch as he could while he attempted to peek around the
trunk. With what little light there was this early in the morning, the Chinese boy could make out yet another group of
people who all seemed to be searching the area.
His dark eyes watched their every movement as the three men and their mounts began to leave the area. Quietly lowering
himself from the branches when he was satisfied that they were long gone, he then quickly sprinted deeper into the forest
while keeping low to the ground.
The slight beating of wings informed the Chinese boy of Nataku's return. With all his strength, Wufei quickly leapt into
the closest tree and attempted to gain control of his breathing while he waited for his reptile friend. He didn't have to
wait long for the small dragon to join him and as soon as she did, Wufei asked "What's our status?"
Crawling up to sit next to the Chinese boy, Nataku quietly answered "I saw at least a dozen groups of humans all over
this forest, patrolling in small groups of three or four men. Most of the groups have their own mounts, but there are
small handfuls that are without. My guess would be that they are out looking for something that must be pretty important
for this amount of men to be searching"
Slamming his fist into the branch below him, Wufei growled "It has to be Yuy their searching for! It's just too much of
a coincidence that he is somewhere in this area and so is this huge search party….we have to get to him before any of
these men do!"
Leaping down from the tree once more, Wufei once again started running in the direction his mind was telling him to go.
Ignoring all the passing scenery, the Chinese boy thought to himself 'Hold on Yuy, I'm almost there'
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
The sound of waves breaking on the sand could still be heard to the left, even though the actual beach could no longer
be seen. As Heero and his mount headed for Sanq at a steady pace, the beginnings of a thick forest made itself known to
his right as the trees around him began to gather in numbers.
After debating with himself to whether he should stick to the grassy plains he was travelling on now or if he should
attempt travel through the forest. Heero decided it best for him to stick to the grasslands knowing that with his luck,
he would probably get himself lost if he entered the dense forest.
Apart from the trees getting denser on his right, the scenery hadn't really changed all that much since he left the
camp site. After his initial sprint from his rescuers turned travelling companions, he had not seen any signs at all
of other travellers. Heero for one was very happy about that fact.
All this time alone had also given Heero the opportunity to think about the recent events. He knew for a fact that
the man who had saved him earlier was the same man from his dream. Judging from the way the dark figure killed all
those who had tried to harm him, Heero thought to himself that it was a good possibility that the armoured man was
indeed none other than Shinigami. And if that was the case, Heero prayed that he could get back to the temple before
anything else could happen.
A pair of violet eyes flashed in his mind and Heero was quickly reminded once again of Duo. Shaking his head in
frustration, the blue eyed boy berated himself for continually becoming distracted by the braided boy. He didn't know
what it was about Duo, but since their meeting he had often felt himself feeling somewhat safe and happy when the
braided boy was around him.
It had been a long time since Heero had felt any emotion other than indifference and on the odd occasion depression.
He knew that if it wasn't for Wufei being there by his side over the years watching over him, he probably would have
done something he might have regretted.
A small smile tugged at Heero's lips at the thought of his justice ranting friend, but as quickly as it came it
vanished as he wondered what Wufei was doing at the moment. Depression quickly replaced the blue eyed boy's mood as
he also thought about how Quatre and J were also taking his kidnapping. Heero was becoming more depressed thinking
of his only friends and the man he thought of as his grandfather. Deep down inside, he knew that they were probably
worried sick about his absence.
Thinking about his friend brought Heero's thought to the others within the temple and palace. Do they even care that
he is gone? Snorting bitterly to himself, the blue eyed boy thought 'Probably not' He wasn't blind, he saw the way
the others looked at him as he walked by. He could easily see the fear and worry held in their eyes when they looked
upon the blue flame mark upon his brow. Heero also knew that it was all due to the incident years ago when he was but
a child, when those men from the mainland had attacked him out in the garden. He didn't remember much of that night,
only up to the point where the dagger had been pressed up to his throat. After that everything went black and the
next thing he knew, Heero found himself lying in a bed within his sleeping chambers. Sure Wufei and J assured him that
the guards had found them before anything happened, and that they had quickly taken care of the matter. In his dream
he had often dreamt of the armoured man...Shinigami, saving him from his attackers, but no matter how much he wanted
to believe it...deep down inside, Heero knew that too was not the case. Also the appearance of the Akujin in his last
dream deeply troubled Heero. In all of his reading he had only come across that name once, it was the title given to
a great evil being that was vanquished eons ago by the gods.
Breaking out of his thoughts, Heero halted his mount and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. In the distance he could make
out the outline silhouettes of four mounted figures blocking the path between the forest and the near by shore line.
Not wanting to take his chances with the four travellers up ahead, Heero indicated for his mount to begin entering the
forest.
Carefully watching the travellers for any type of movements as he casually changed direction, Heero swore out loud to
himself when he saw them quickly break into a run to catch up to him. Urging his own mount to run, Heero dashed into
the forest and leant down as close as he could get to the horses neck to avoid any low hanging branches.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
"Thank you Zech's, that will be all" Treize finished, as the study doors were thrown open and a caped man came running
in.
Placing the silver mask back over the top of his head, Zech's flipped a few strands of long platinum blonde hair over
his shoulder. Casting a quick uninterested glace at the intruder, the blonde turned his gaze back to Treize as he said
"I will get onto it right away your Excellency" Before walking out of the study, closing the door behind him.
Raising a single forked eyebrow in annoyance at his visitor, Treize calmly said "I hope there is a good reason as to
why you think you can just burst into my private study unannounced and interrupt my meeting"
Breathing heavily, the cloaked man bowed low as he said "Forgive me you Excellency, but I have an urgent message from
Duke Durmail"
Sighing softly to himself as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, Treize asked "And what is this message?"
Getting back his composure, the messenger took out a rolled up parchment and handed it over to Treize "These are order
written by the Duke himself, ordering you to begin gathering your troops your Excellency. By the end of the new week
on the day of the full moon, the invasion of Sanq will be taking place. All the information you will need is written
in that parchment"
Nodding his head in approval, Treize placed the rolled up parchment onto his desk, then turned around to address the
messenger "Tell Duke Durmail, that my armies will be ready on time. Now leave me, I have much work to be done"
Bowing once again the messenger walked out of the study, closing the door quietly behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Since leaving the camp there had only been silence between Duo and Trowa, and only the sounds of the distant shore and
the sea birds broke through the quiet atmosphere.
Tugging at the reins for his mount to stop, Trowa nimbly leapt down from the saddle and began to inspect the ground
around them.
Watching his friend with interest, the braided boy spoke for the first time since leaving camp "What have you found
Tro?" The emerald eyed boy ignored Duo's question as he dashed into the entrance to the forest.
A few minutes dragged by as Duo waited patiently for his friends return, he didn't have to wait long either. Soon
enough Trowa emerged from the trees and quickly remounted his horse. Taking a quick glance at the braided boy, Trowa
calmly stated "Heero travelled into the forest"
Duo immediately spurred his mount to enter the dense forest, Trowa not far behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Holding on tight as his horse leapt over a fallen tree, Heero urged his mount to go faster as he heard his pursuers
not far behind him. Staying down close to his horse's neck, the blue eyed boy was just barely able to miss the few
low branches hanging down from the trees.
He didn't know what direction he was taking, all that he knew was that as long as he kept his pursuers at a safe
distance behind then it will be alright. It wasn't until it was too late that Heero noticed that somehow two of his
attackers had gotten in front of him and were now aiming their bows straight at him.
As the first arrow was released Heero's mount stopped running and stood up on its hind legs, and blocked all the
arrows from hitting the blue eyed boy with its own body. The horse cried out in pain as the two arrows deeply embedded
themselves within the creature's body. Heero fell from the horses back awkwardly and landed on the hard ground below
him with a loud crack, dazing him in the process.
Ignoring the flaming pain in his left arm, Heero watched wide eyed as the beautiful white horse before him swayed
slightly on its hind legs before it they gave way sending the creature crashing to the ground.
Ignoring both his broken arm and his attackers, Heero got up and stumbled over to the franticly breathing animal. For
the first time he could remember Heero's blue eyes began to well up with tears as he got his first look at the damage.
Both of the arrows had hit the horse, one in the chest, the other in the animal's neck.
Falling onto his knees next to the horse, Heero placed his right hand on the horses mane stroking it softly as he said
"Don't worry, I'll heal you……I've just got to remove the arrows first, it will be painful" Removing his hand from the
horse, the blue eyed boy tightly gripped the arrow closest to him and was beginning to pull it out when another sped
past him and embedded itself within the horses skull. The bleeding animal next to him thrashed out for a second and
then stilled as it exhaled its final breath. The arrival of his other two pursuers went unnoticed by Heero as he sat
there on the ground, hand still wrapped tightly around the arrow.
The horses beneath the bandits suddenly began to slowly step backwards, as their dark eyes darted around nervously.
Pulling firmly on the reins, one of the bandits angrily muttered "Stupid animal, what the hell do you think you are
doing?!......I didn't tell you to move" But the horse ignored the command and started to snort wildly instead. All of
the other mounts were also beginning to act the exact same way.
Beginning to panic, one of the bowmen shakily aimed an arrow at the unsuspecting boy then released it. As it flew
through the air, one of his comrades yelled "What the hell do you think you're doing?! We need the kid alive"
As the arrow flew through the air, the pointed tip pierced right through the right side of Heero's chest until it stuck
out a few inches out the other end throwing his young body forward from the impact. All expected the boy to collapse to
the ground, but each of their eyes widened impossibly large when he remained kneeling next to the dead animal as if
nothing had just happened.
The blue flame symbol upon his brow began to softly pulsate and glow with a faint blue light. Below Heero the few blades
of grass by his feet, quickly withered and died as if their life energy had been sucked right out of them. In a circular
motion radiating out from the blue eyed boy position, the greenery soon began to turn brown as the leaves from the trees
above rained down to the group like a downpour.
Falling down within the leaves were dozens of objects of various size and shape, one of which hit one of the stunned
bandits straight on the head. Snapping out of his shock, the large man turned his attention away from his target and
down to what had hit him. His eyes widened in horror when he found a small dead bird by his mounts hooves, looking all
around the bandit dropped his bow when he realised the floor was littered with dozens of dead animals.
Feeling fear begin to creep up inside of him, the archer cried out "Retreat" But it was already too late. The mounts
beneath them collapsed down to the ground lifeless, and soon enough all the bandits felt their life energies being
drained straight from their bodies. Feeling their bodies going weaker by the second, one by one the bandits fell to
their knees.
Dull blue eyes were focused fully on the dead horse, his mind had completely shut down after witnessing the death of
the creature. The only feeling coursing through his body, was one of intense hatred and pain. Standing up from his
kneeling position, the arrow embedded within his body suddenly snapped in half as his torn muscles attempted to heal
themselves forcing the intruder out at the same time. The broken bone within his arm easily fused back together and
soon both injuries were just distant memories as not even a scar was left on Heero's body.
Heero vaguely noticed a slight stinging sensation on the back of his neck, just before his eyes rolled into the back
of his head and he fell to the ground in a deep sleep.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
From his position up in the branches of a distant by tree, Odin just smirked to himself and smugly said "This job is
just all too easy" Leaping from branch to branch, the blonde assassin dropped down to the forest floor silently and
walked up to one of the boys dead pursuers. Noticing that each of their faces were twisted in pain, the blonde assassin
easily concluded that their deaths had been quite painful.
Shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Odin turned around to regard the sleeping boy as he muttered to himself "You've
got some power there boy" As Odin began to approach Heero, the assassin had to stop dead in his tracks as a sword flew
through the air and embedded itself in the dirt a few metres in front of him. Cautiously taking a step back, Odin slowly
bought his left hand behind his back and tightly gripped the handle of a hidden dagger. From within the shadows, Odin
could barely make out the silhouette of a boy.
From his position between the trees, Wufei's eyes burned with an intense anger as he sighted the unconscious form of
the Jurei. His eyes narrowed into slits when he turned his attention away from Heero, and too the blonde man standing
not to far from him. Stepping into the light, Wufei walked up toward Heero and took up a protective stance in front of
him as he coldly announced "If you value your life, leave now"
Gripping the hilt of his dagger tighter, Odin to a step forward as he asked "And what will you do if I decided to leave
with what I came for?"
Nataku dropped out from the sky above the pair and with her claws, she took hold of Wufei's weapon then flew it over to
the Chinese boy before flying off into a nearby tree. Taking the offered sword in his hands, not taking his eyes off of
his opponent Wufei said "Then you will have to get by me to do so" Raising his katana, the Chinese boy waited patiently
for the battle to begin.
Pulling out the dagger from the back of his belt, Odin held it out before him as he said "Have it your way then" Before
rushing towards the younger boy, swiping his blade towards his target.
Dodging the assassin's first attack, Wufei quickly aimed his katana towards his opponents open spot. No sooner had he
done that had the assassin dropped to the floor, kicking Wufei's feet out from beneath him.
Not wasting another second Odin slashed out with his dagger, but narrowly missed the boy as he rolled out from underneath
him.
Getting back onto his feet, Wufei leapt away from the blonde assassin to give him some distance. Narrowing his eyes,
the Chinese boy cautiously watched his opponent "You are better than I gave you credit for, but I will not let you get
anywhere near Heero"
Smirking smugly at the raven haired boy, Odin slowly stood up from his crouched position "Believe what you will boy,
but one way or another I will be leaving here with him. Now if you will be alive when I do so….well that's for me to
decide now isn't it"
Wufei blinked in surprise as right before his eyes the blonde assassin suddenly disappeared from sight.
Appearing right in front of the stunned boy, Odin reached out an arm and tightly grasped Wufei around the neck. Before
the Chinese boy could react, the green eyed assassin lifted him up off the ground. Odin teleported once again and as
hard as he could, he slammed the raven haired boy into the nearest tree. Sneering, the blonde assassin coldly said
"Looks like you lose boy" Then raised the dagger above his head.
From her position up in the tree, Nataku was just about to attack the assassin. When from across the other end of the
clearing, she saw a bolt flying swiftly though the air and embed itself within the blonde mans chest. Deciding it best
to stay hidden and watch the scene unfold, Nataku kept herself hidden within the branches and waited.
As Odin slammed Wufei up against the tree, black spots began to dance around the edge of his vision. Groaning out load
in pain as he unconsciously dropped his sword, the Chinese boy was vaguely aware of a warm liquid splashing across his
face before his mind slipped into unconsciousness.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
"Great shot Tro! I couldn't have done any better myself" Grinning Duo watched in satisfaction, as the two bodies in
the distance slumped down to the ground.
Rolling his eyes at the madly grinning braided boy, Trowa lowered his crossbow and stood up from where he was kneeling.
The pair had arrived in the area just after the previous sword fight just got underway. After hearing the few comments
thrown back and forth between the fighting pair, it had become obvious who was the 'bad' guy in this little scenario.
Walking out from their hiding place, Trowa began checking the four dead bodies closest to him while Duo ran over to
where Heero lay motionless on the ground. Kneeling next to the younger boy, worry was clearly shown in his violet eyes
as he reached out and checked for any signs of a pulse. Sighing in relief when he found one, Duo allowed his tense body
to relax a little. As he begun inspecting Heero's body for any signs of injury, the braided boy gasped quietly when he
found a tiny dart embedded in the back of Heero's neck.
Carefully removing the dart, Duo brought it up closer to his face to get a better look at it. Growling low in his
throat, the braided boy angrily threw it to the ground then spat "Heero's been drugged! Tro you check those bodies see
if any of them had the antidote on them somewhere, I'll check the two over here"
Face set in determination Duo stalked over to where the two bodies lay, one blonde man with an arrow through his chest,
the other an unconscious young boy laying face down on the ground. Checking the dead man first, Duo couldn't help
glancing over curiously to where the raven haired boy lay. Pausing in his search for a moment, violet eyes narrowed in
thought and suspicion. Noticing the gold circlet around the unconscious boys head, a sudden thought enter Duo's mind.
Keeping his gazed locked onto the still figure, Duo suddenly asked "Hey Tro….you don't suppose it's possible this is
the one who killed those guys yesterday do you?"
Already finished his search on the four bodies, Trowa quietly walked up next to Duo and knelt down beside him. Trowa
glanced down at the unconscious boy lying before him, giving him a quick once over. At first glance he thought the
boy to be wearing normal travelling clothes consisting of a pair of tight black pants and a sleeveless fitted royal
blue top. Reaching out a hand to roll the boy over, both emerald and violet eyes widened in surprise when they sighted
the embroidery of an elegant golden dragon on the front of the unconscious boys top. Running his fingers gently over
the pattern, Trowa finally answered "Perhaps….but we will not know for certain until either Heero or this boy wake up"
Turning his attention away from the dragon design, Duo looked at his long time friend "What on earth is a member of
the dragon clan doing all the way out here? I thought that they never left their village, let alone associate
themselves with others outside of their own clan"
Shaking his head as he stood, Trowa cast a meaningful glance over at Heero then back as he quietly replied "I don't
know Duo, but it seems there is more going on here than what appears"
Sighing as he too sent a quick glance over towards the sleeping blue eyed boy, Duo then continued his search of the
dead body "I know, but…"
Looking over his shoulder to find the reason why his friend has suddenly stopped talking, Trowa could only see Duo's
back and the fact that his shoulders were slightly shaking. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, the banged boy turned
his attention fully towards Duo and asked "What is it?"
Blazing violet met calm emerald as Duo threw a small pendant towards his silent friend. Looking down at the small
gold pendant held in his hand, Trowa saw that engraved within the gold was a simple symbol of a rose. The only outward
reaction the banged boy gave was the slight widening of his eyes as he realized what he was looking at.
Seeing Trowa's reaction to the pendant, Duo then growled out through clenched teeth "Not only that, but he is also
wearing the emblem of the Serpent Guild. My guess is that OZ organized a trap for us and Heero must have walked right
into the damn thing" Balling his hands into fists, Duo punched the ground hard as he spat "Damn it! I didn't know Treize
had some members of the Serpent Guild actually working for him…..I thought he just hired the bastards! Who knows what
other organizations he's also got in his pocket"
Dropping the gold pendant to the ground, Trowa turned back around and carefully picked up the unconscious boy. Standing
up straight, the banged boy looked down thoughtfully at Duo for a moment "Focus on finding the antidote for Heero, I'm
going to take this one back to where we left the horses"
Grinning as he returned to search the body, Duo cheerily replied "We'll meet you there then, once sleeping beauty wakes
up and we have a little chat" Chuckling quietly to himself, Duo looked up towards Trowa as his grin turned into a cheeky
one and winked "Maybe all he needs to wake up is a kiss"
Shaking his head at his friends comment, Trowa shifted the bundle in his arms then turned around and headed back from
where they came from. As le left, both were unaware of the small shadow following closely behind Trowa.
Sensing that he was now alone, Duo's shoulders sagged slightly as he let out a tired sounding sigh. Peering though his
bangs over towards the slumbering blue eyed boy, Duo looked sadly at Heero as he thought to himself 'What are you
hiding from us Hee-chan? What are you hiding from me?" Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts, Duo forced his mind
to focus solely on finding the antidote.
A huge grin spread across his face when he found a small pouch hidden within the assassin's belt. Reaching a hand
inside the pouch, Duo's grin widened even further when he managed to pull out a small vial filled with a clear liquid.
"Finally!" He yelled out to no one in particular as he rushed over to where Heero lay.
Sitting down next to the blue eyed boy, Duo carefully lifted Heero's head and placed it on his lap. Pulling the small
cork from the glass vial, he then held it up to Heero's lips and happily said "Bottoms up Hee-chan" Just as he poured
the contents into the sleeping boy's mouth. Throwing away the now empty vial, Duo brushed a few stray bangs away from
Heero's face and waited.
Minutes had passed and the blue eyed boy still showed no signs of waking. Pushing aside the growing feeling of unease,
Duo gently caressed Heero's chocolate hair and softly began speaking to the boy "Did I ever tell you that I think
you're beautiful? The first time I saw your eyes, you literally took my breath away" Chuckling quietly to himself, Duo
added "Actually every time I look at you, you have that effect on me and you know I don't lie" Sighing sadly, Duo moved
his hand down from Heero's chocolate mane and began to softly caress his cheek. Violet eyes glazed over slightly with
the beginnings of tears as Duo quietly said "Heero, it's time to wake up ne? How long do you plan on sleeping for
anyway?....come back to me Hee-chan, please wake up"
Feeling a slight movement in his lap Duo looked down hopefully at Heero, silently praying that he was waking up. A
large genuine smile spread across Duo's face as he heard a slight groan fall from the lips of the boy in his lap.
Eyelids slowly fluttered open to revel confused Prussian blue orbs as Heero raised his hand to rub his tired eyes.
Blinking a few times to clear his vision, Heero focused his gaze on the person hovering above him and tried to figure
out who it was. Slowly the blurry image began to sharpen and Heero found himself to be staring up into the grinning
face of one Duo Maxwell. Not knowing if this was a dream or not, Heero slowly lifted his hand up to Duo's face and
softly touched the warm cheek "Duo?"
Smiling down to the boy below him, the braided boy brought up his own hand to cover Heero's as he replied "Yeah its me
Hee-chan"
Hearing the familiar voice, a small smile graced Heero's lips as he closed his eyes and groaned "I don't feel too
good....what happened?"
Still holding the younger boys hand Duo lowered it together with his own until they both were resting on the ground and
entwined their fingers together. With his free hand, the braided boy began to gently caress Heero's hair again as he
answered "I'm not sure, Tro and I got here and found two guys fighting against one another, the four others were
already dead before we arrived"
The mood was instantly broken as Heero snapped his eyes open and sat up. Looking seriously into Duo's eyes, Heero
emotionlessly asked "Who was fighting?"
Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Duo carefully eyed Heero for any reactions as he answered "Not sure, one was a
blonde man who's now dead, while the other was a young Chinese boy with tightly pulled back black hair and a golden
dragon symbol on his top. He was already unconscious when we got here so Tro took him back to where we left the
horses"
Looking away from the braided boy's face, Heero turned his attention to the dirt below him as he quietly whispered
"Wufei"
Just barely hearing the whispered words, Duo raised an eyebrow as he asked "So you know him then?"
Sending the older boy a quick glance, Heero thought silently for a few moments looking deeply into Duo's eyes "He
is a friend"
Eying Heero suspiciously, Duo frowned slightly as he questioned "A friend hey? So tell me then, how does a simple
text translator from the temple of Amara know someone from the Dragon clan? A clan I might also add, that does not
associate with people outside their own village?"
Prussian eyes darkened slightly in anger as Heero emotionlessly said "We grew up together, that is all you need to
know"
Feeling frustration beginning to build up, Duo released Heero's hand and tightly grabbed a hold of his wrist instead.
With fire burning in his eyes, he yanked the younger boy up with him as he stood and yelled "I've had enough of your
games Heero! Now tell me"
Quickly getting over his shock at the unexpected outburst, Heero gave the braided boy his best death glare "Release
me Duo, you're hurting me!"
As Heero attempted to free his trapped wrist, Duo unconsciously tightened his hold and growled out "No Heero I want
answers and I'm not letting go until I get some"
When it became obvious that the blue eyed youth wasn't going to answer Duo roughly grabbed Heero's chin, forcing the
boy to look at him. The braided boy saw Heero's blue eyes widening at his gesture, but he ignored it and said "Look
Heero, if we are going to help you get back to your temple, I would like to know a little something about the person
we're helping. Is that so much to ask for?" But all he got in reply from Heero was the shaking of his head as he
suddenly began to continually repeated the same line over and over "Please don't do it...please don't"
Thinking that he was perhaps a little too forceful, Duo released his grip on Heero's chin, but when the blue eyed
boy didn't stop shaking he began to worry. Doing the first thing he thought of, Duo pulled Heero into a tight hug
in an attempt to calm the boy. It seemed to work as the younger boy's body stopped shaking and slowly began to relax
in his arms.
Pushing the growing panic inside of him back down from where it came, Heero felt himself begin to relax into Duo's
embrace. No sooner had he done that Heero caught a flash of silver as it came hurling down towards the unsuspecting
braided boy, Heero lost his usual monotone and yelled out "Stop!" After hearing the blue eyed boy's cry, the sword
stopped motionless just above Duo's head, while the boy in question pulled away from the embrace.
Looking into Heero's eyes Duo raised his eyebrow as he confusingly asked "Excuse me?"
Heero ignored the braided boy though as he watched the blade swing back again to prepare for another swipe. This time
anger was clearly heard in Heero's voice as he yelled once more "I said stop!" Behind the confused looking braided boy,
the dark figure holding the weapon stopped his movements and just stood there staring at Heero through the thick
covering of his midnight black helm.
Noticing that Heero was no longer looking at him but at something behind, Duo released his hold on the blue eyed boy
completely and spun around. His violet eyes widened when he caught a brief glimpse of a dark armour clad figure and a
large sword before the image before him wavered then vanished.
Blinking in astonishment, Duo turned back around towards Heero when he heard a low growl. Grinning nervously the
braided boy noticed that Heero's attention was still on the same spot.
Taking up a position between Duo and his so called guardian, Heero narrowed his eyes and looked up into the
featureless black helm. His voice back to its normal monotone, Heero simple asked "Who are you?"
Reaching up his hand, the armoured man removed the horned helm from the top of his head. A flow of midnight black hair
fell down from within and almost touched the leaf littered ground with its length.
Looking up into the long pale face above him, Heero raised his eyebrow in surprise when he found that the man before
him was looking back at him with his eyes closed. Somehow though, the blue eyed boy could sense that the armoured man
could see everything around him.
In an eerie voice, the black haired figure spoke "I am protector of he who bears the mark of Life upon their brow, I
am executioner of all those who do harm upon whom I have sworn to protect"
Carefully studying the emotionless face before him, Heero quietly asked "Then why Duo?"
Still with his eyes closed, the dark figure turned his pale face and took a quick glance over at the now equally pale
braided boy before returning his attention back to Heero "Evil or good it does not matter for all those who inflict
harm upon you my dear Jurei, will all end with the same fate"
Feeling the anger inside of him beginning to rise, Heero narrowed his eyes and spat "Then you are no better than those
you kill"
Standing impassively, the dark figure calmly answered "Say what you will about me Jurei, but I have sworn to protect
you. If that human harms you one more time, not even you can save him from my wrath"
Taking a step back, Heero looked at the long haired man in disbelief "Why?"
The dead leaves littering the ground swirled up into the air and circled around the armoured man, causing his long
black hair to float all around him as if it were alive. And for the first time since their meeting, the armoured man
opened his eyes to reveal eyes as black as the night itself. Pinning Heero with a glare that far surpassed his own,
the dark one spoke "Because dear Jurei, I am Shinigami" The leaves dropped once more to the ground lifelessly as
Shinigami disappeared within a black light.
TBC
Notes: I want to give a big huggle once again to Pink Cherry Blossom, GoldenRat, CinC, Yume Maxwell-Yuy,
Ashly, o.Opheonix_firebirdO.o, Nekocin, Kyra, ShadowEyedCat, kt, Konpeitou, shinchansgirl, Shinigami's Minion,
Usagi_1313, Daughter of Night, chibisarel, craver, Eikou, Ris Night, dreamer, ladyfalcon237. Thank you all so much
for your great reviews.
I know I haven't told you anything about Duo or Trowa's past yet, and you are all probably wondering what's going
on with that ne? It will all come out in time, in fact some of Duo's past will be told in another chapter or two.
Trowa's past wont be told until later on in the fic though I'm afraid. Also if you haven't guessed it already, you
will find out the reason to why only some people can see Shinigami and others cant in the next chapter.
For all of you who have been wondering, I plan on starting the sequel to Two Pieces pretty soon (don't worry I'm
still going to be writing this fic also). I do have some bad news though, I wont be able to update again until
sometime in August *runs away from the computer and hides* I'm sorry guys but I cant help it *cries* See I'm going
on a holiday in a fortnight and I wont be able to update my fics until I get back from it. I just wanted to warn
you all so then you don't think I've abandoned my fics. Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see
you all again when I get back. Ja ne
Pairings: 2+1+2, 5+1, 3+4, H+2, R+1, M+5, 13+6, past 6+9
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the GW characters but the story and all additional characters are mine though.
Warnings: Shounen Ai, slight OOC, violence
A/N: All the boys are different ages in this story, they are as followed: Heero's 15, Duo's
18, Trowa's 19, Quatre's 18 and Wufei's 16.
~ I want to give a big thanks to Yume Maxwell-Yuy who is now the official beta for this fic. Thank you so much
Yume-chan *glomps* you're the best ~
~#~#~#~ = Change of scene
Footsteps echoed loudly down the empty grey stoned hallway. Flickers from nearby candles held in the wall barely
emitted enough light to pass between them, leaving large shadowy gaps along the already dark walls around.
Approaching a large door made from the darkest wood, a slender hand raised up to gently take hold of the golden
handle.
The deafening silence was broken by the creaking of the old door as it slowly swung open, allowing the light from
outside to pour into the black room. Closing the door behind her as she entered, the room was once again thrown
into darkness.
"Have you done what I have asked of Lady Une?" Came a smooth voice from within the darkness. The few candles
scattered around the room came alight with fire, casting away the shadows to reveal a room filled with many large
bookshelves, a fire place and a single desk situated in the middle of the room.
Bowing slightly Lady Une answered "Yes your Excellency, Otto has been informed of the situation and has sent his
men out to search the inside and surrounding areas of Sanq. If by some chance the Jurei manages to get past Odin
and the search parties, we will still be able to capture him within the city walls. He can not elude us for too
much longer your Grace" Straightening back up, Une raised a delicate eyebrow as she asked "Are you certain that
he will be heading east though?"
Taking a small sip of wine from his goblet, Treize savoured the flavour in his mouth slightly before swallowing.
Placing the cup onto the large desk before him, he calmly said "He will be heading for Sanq that is for certain.
It is the only city near enough that has a port allowing travel between the mainland and the island where Enlizer
is situated. What the Jurei does not know however, is the fact that the royal family of Enlizer has placed an embargo
on all travel to and from the palace. Once he enters Sanq and finds no way of getting back to the palace, he will
be stranded there. That should give us the opportunity to manoeuvre if by some small chance the Jurei is able to slip
past Odin and the search parties. Then it will only be the matter of capturing him, I'm sure Otto will be more than
pleased to be given the opportunity to rectify his early failure"
Standing up from his seat, Treize placed his half empty glass on the desk before him, and then made his way over to
where Lady Une stood. Calm azure eyes regarded the woman in front of him, before continuing "We can do without the
Jurei for the time being, we can't run the risk of losing the boy by rushing things. What's important at the moment
is continuing on with our work. We need to have everything prepared for when we do finally obtain the Jurei. That is
why I sent for you Lady Une, I need Zech's Merquise in this room within the hour... I have a job for him"
"Consider it done Lord Treize" Lady Une bowed slightly once more, before turning around and leaving the room.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Cold green eyes snapped open and peered up into the dark morning sky above. A frown came across Odin's face as he
was suddenly hit with an uneasy feeling. Bolting straight up from his makeshift bed, the blonde assassin swore
loudly before disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Silently reappearing on the outskirts of a nearby camp, Odin kept to the shadows as he searched for a particular
occupant within the site. From his position his green gaze quickly passed over the sleeping braided boy, and then
just as quickly passed by the Silencer. When his sight landed on the last bed, his green eyes widened in fear as he
found it was empty. "Shit" The assassin cursed angrily as he strained his ears and faintly heard the fading sound
of hooves.
Teleporting back into his own camp, Odin hastily picked up his weapons belt and his cloak. Ignoring everything else,
the assassin quickly mounted his horse. Whipping the reins hard, Odin held on tightly as his mount instantly left
the camp in a run leaving everything else behind.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Scrunching his eyes tighter together as he rolled over onto his side Duo attempted to get some more sleep, but the
persistent sunlight wouldn't allow him too. Rubbing his sleepy violet eyes as he sat up, it took his sleep fogged
mind a few seconds to realise that he was the only one left in bed. Sighting Trowa sitting on a large boulder facing
the east, Duo frowned slightly when he couldn't locate the whereabouts of a certain Prussian eyed boy. Thinking that
Heero had simply gone for another walk like he had done the previous morning, the braided boy didn't think anything
of it. Combing his fingers through his messy bangs, Duo asked "Where did Heero run off to this time?"
Turning around slightly to look at his friend, Trowa calmly said "He went east a little under an hour ago" Before
turning back around.
Yawning loudly, Duo stretched his arms out above his head as he said "So when did he say that he'll be back?"
Without looking back, the quiet archer replied "He won't be back this time"
Instantly getting the braided boy's full attention, Duo narrowed his eyes dangerously as he asked "Excuse me?"
Turning around to meet his friend, green eyes calmly looked into blazing violet as the banged boy replied "Heero
left a little under an hour ago with one of the horses"
Narrowing his eyes even further, Duo calmly inquired "And you know this because?...."
Dusting himself off as he stood, Trowa nimbly leapt down from the large boulder. Walking calmly over towards Duo,
the banged boy answered "I watched him leave, although I believe he was not aware of me doing so"
Picking up his jaw after it dropped to the ground, Duo pointed an accusing finger at his travelling partner as he
yelled "And you just let him leave?!?! Trowa how could you? You know too damn well just how dangerous it is out there
to be travelling alone!"
Nodding his head in agreement, Trowa looked straight into Duo's eyes and said "I do"
Opening and closing his mouth a few times as his brain attempted to process what was just said to him, Duo eventually
asked "Then why did you let him leave?"
Sighing quietly to himself, the banged boy looked deeply into the others eyes. Trowa could easily see the fear Duo
felt for Heero in them, but he knew he had to say what was needed "We do not own him Duo, Heero is free to do as he
chooses and if he decided to travel to Sanq alone…..then you must respect his decision"
Still seeing the fear in Duo's eyes, he then added "You must also think is he any safer with us anyway? What with OZ
now sending assassins after us"
A frown appeared on Duo's face, standing up the braided boy walked over to where his pack was and knelt beside it.
Tightly grabbing the strap, Duo seriously said "That's true, but I also promised Heero that I would get him to Sang
safely and you know that I never break my promises Tro" Duo sighed quietly to himself as he stood up and slung the pack
over his shoulder. Walking over to were the remaining horses were left, Duo placed his pack on the closest one then
turned back around to meet his friend. With his face splitting into a grin, Duo cheerfully said "Plus we need to get
our horse back don't we"
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Quickly leaping into a nearby tree, Wufei kept as low to the branch as he could while he attempted to peek around the
trunk. With what little light there was this early in the morning, the Chinese boy could make out yet another group of
people who all seemed to be searching the area.
His dark eyes watched their every movement as the three men and their mounts began to leave the area. Quietly lowering
himself from the branches when he was satisfied that they were long gone, he then quickly sprinted deeper into the forest
while keeping low to the ground.
The slight beating of wings informed the Chinese boy of Nataku's return. With all his strength, Wufei quickly leapt into
the closest tree and attempted to gain control of his breathing while he waited for his reptile friend. He didn't have to
wait long for the small dragon to join him and as soon as she did, Wufei asked "What's our status?"
Crawling up to sit next to the Chinese boy, Nataku quietly answered "I saw at least a dozen groups of humans all over
this forest, patrolling in small groups of three or four men. Most of the groups have their own mounts, but there are
small handfuls that are without. My guess would be that they are out looking for something that must be pretty important
for this amount of men to be searching"
Slamming his fist into the branch below him, Wufei growled "It has to be Yuy their searching for! It's just too much of
a coincidence that he is somewhere in this area and so is this huge search party….we have to get to him before any of
these men do!"
Leaping down from the tree once more, Wufei once again started running in the direction his mind was telling him to go.
Ignoring all the passing scenery, the Chinese boy thought to himself 'Hold on Yuy, I'm almost there'
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
The sound of waves breaking on the sand could still be heard to the left, even though the actual beach could no longer
be seen. As Heero and his mount headed for Sanq at a steady pace, the beginnings of a thick forest made itself known to
his right as the trees around him began to gather in numbers.
After debating with himself to whether he should stick to the grassy plains he was travelling on now or if he should
attempt travel through the forest. Heero decided it best for him to stick to the grasslands knowing that with his luck,
he would probably get himself lost if he entered the dense forest.
Apart from the trees getting denser on his right, the scenery hadn't really changed all that much since he left the
camp site. After his initial sprint from his rescuers turned travelling companions, he had not seen any signs at all
of other travellers. Heero for one was very happy about that fact.
All this time alone had also given Heero the opportunity to think about the recent events. He knew for a fact that
the man who had saved him earlier was the same man from his dream. Judging from the way the dark figure killed all
those who had tried to harm him, Heero thought to himself that it was a good possibility that the armoured man was
indeed none other than Shinigami. And if that was the case, Heero prayed that he could get back to the temple before
anything else could happen.
A pair of violet eyes flashed in his mind and Heero was quickly reminded once again of Duo. Shaking his head in
frustration, the blue eyed boy berated himself for continually becoming distracted by the braided boy. He didn't know
what it was about Duo, but since their meeting he had often felt himself feeling somewhat safe and happy when the
braided boy was around him.
It had been a long time since Heero had felt any emotion other than indifference and on the odd occasion depression.
He knew that if it wasn't for Wufei being there by his side over the years watching over him, he probably would have
done something he might have regretted.
A small smile tugged at Heero's lips at the thought of his justice ranting friend, but as quickly as it came it
vanished as he wondered what Wufei was doing at the moment. Depression quickly replaced the blue eyed boy's mood as
he also thought about how Quatre and J were also taking his kidnapping. Heero was becoming more depressed thinking
of his only friends and the man he thought of as his grandfather. Deep down inside, he knew that they were probably
worried sick about his absence.
Thinking about his friend brought Heero's thought to the others within the temple and palace. Do they even care that
he is gone? Snorting bitterly to himself, the blue eyed boy thought 'Probably not' He wasn't blind, he saw the way
the others looked at him as he walked by. He could easily see the fear and worry held in their eyes when they looked
upon the blue flame mark upon his brow. Heero also knew that it was all due to the incident years ago when he was but
a child, when those men from the mainland had attacked him out in the garden. He didn't remember much of that night,
only up to the point where the dagger had been pressed up to his throat. After that everything went black and the
next thing he knew, Heero found himself lying in a bed within his sleeping chambers. Sure Wufei and J assured him that
the guards had found them before anything happened, and that they had quickly taken care of the matter. In his dream
he had often dreamt of the armoured man...Shinigami, saving him from his attackers, but no matter how much he wanted
to believe it...deep down inside, Heero knew that too was not the case. Also the appearance of the Akujin in his last
dream deeply troubled Heero. In all of his reading he had only come across that name once, it was the title given to
a great evil being that was vanquished eons ago by the gods.
Breaking out of his thoughts, Heero halted his mount and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. In the distance he could make
out the outline silhouettes of four mounted figures blocking the path between the forest and the near by shore line.
Not wanting to take his chances with the four travellers up ahead, Heero indicated for his mount to begin entering the
forest.
Carefully watching the travellers for any type of movements as he casually changed direction, Heero swore out loud to
himself when he saw them quickly break into a run to catch up to him. Urging his own mount to run, Heero dashed into
the forest and leant down as close as he could get to the horses neck to avoid any low hanging branches.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
"Thank you Zech's, that will be all" Treize finished, as the study doors were thrown open and a caped man came running
in.
Placing the silver mask back over the top of his head, Zech's flipped a few strands of long platinum blonde hair over
his shoulder. Casting a quick uninterested glace at the intruder, the blonde turned his gaze back to Treize as he said
"I will get onto it right away your Excellency" Before walking out of the study, closing the door behind him.
Raising a single forked eyebrow in annoyance at his visitor, Treize calmly said "I hope there is a good reason as to
why you think you can just burst into my private study unannounced and interrupt my meeting"
Breathing heavily, the cloaked man bowed low as he said "Forgive me you Excellency, but I have an urgent message from
Duke Durmail"
Sighing softly to himself as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, Treize asked "And what is this message?"
Getting back his composure, the messenger took out a rolled up parchment and handed it over to Treize "These are order
written by the Duke himself, ordering you to begin gathering your troops your Excellency. By the end of the new week
on the day of the full moon, the invasion of Sanq will be taking place. All the information you will need is written
in that parchment"
Nodding his head in approval, Treize placed the rolled up parchment onto his desk, then turned around to address the
messenger "Tell Duke Durmail, that my armies will be ready on time. Now leave me, I have much work to be done"
Bowing once again the messenger walked out of the study, closing the door quietly behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Since leaving the camp there had only been silence between Duo and Trowa, and only the sounds of the distant shore and
the sea birds broke through the quiet atmosphere.
Tugging at the reins for his mount to stop, Trowa nimbly leapt down from the saddle and began to inspect the ground
around them.
Watching his friend with interest, the braided boy spoke for the first time since leaving camp "What have you found
Tro?" The emerald eyed boy ignored Duo's question as he dashed into the entrance to the forest.
A few minutes dragged by as Duo waited patiently for his friends return, he didn't have to wait long either. Soon
enough Trowa emerged from the trees and quickly remounted his horse. Taking a quick glance at the braided boy, Trowa
calmly stated "Heero travelled into the forest"
Duo immediately spurred his mount to enter the dense forest, Trowa not far behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Holding on tight as his horse leapt over a fallen tree, Heero urged his mount to go faster as he heard his pursuers
not far behind him. Staying down close to his horse's neck, the blue eyed boy was just barely able to miss the few
low branches hanging down from the trees.
He didn't know what direction he was taking, all that he knew was that as long as he kept his pursuers at a safe
distance behind then it will be alright. It wasn't until it was too late that Heero noticed that somehow two of his
attackers had gotten in front of him and were now aiming their bows straight at him.
As the first arrow was released Heero's mount stopped running and stood up on its hind legs, and blocked all the
arrows from hitting the blue eyed boy with its own body. The horse cried out in pain as the two arrows deeply embedded
themselves within the creature's body. Heero fell from the horses back awkwardly and landed on the hard ground below
him with a loud crack, dazing him in the process.
Ignoring the flaming pain in his left arm, Heero watched wide eyed as the beautiful white horse before him swayed
slightly on its hind legs before it they gave way sending the creature crashing to the ground.
Ignoring both his broken arm and his attackers, Heero got up and stumbled over to the franticly breathing animal. For
the first time he could remember Heero's blue eyes began to well up with tears as he got his first look at the damage.
Both of the arrows had hit the horse, one in the chest, the other in the animal's neck.
Falling onto his knees next to the horse, Heero placed his right hand on the horses mane stroking it softly as he said
"Don't worry, I'll heal you……I've just got to remove the arrows first, it will be painful" Removing his hand from the
horse, the blue eyed boy tightly gripped the arrow closest to him and was beginning to pull it out when another sped
past him and embedded itself within the horses skull. The bleeding animal next to him thrashed out for a second and
then stilled as it exhaled its final breath. The arrival of his other two pursuers went unnoticed by Heero as he sat
there on the ground, hand still wrapped tightly around the arrow.
The horses beneath the bandits suddenly began to slowly step backwards, as their dark eyes darted around nervously.
Pulling firmly on the reins, one of the bandits angrily muttered "Stupid animal, what the hell do you think you are
doing?!......I didn't tell you to move" But the horse ignored the command and started to snort wildly instead. All of
the other mounts were also beginning to act the exact same way.
Beginning to panic, one of the bowmen shakily aimed an arrow at the unsuspecting boy then released it. As it flew
through the air, one of his comrades yelled "What the hell do you think you're doing?! We need the kid alive"
As the arrow flew through the air, the pointed tip pierced right through the right side of Heero's chest until it stuck
out a few inches out the other end throwing his young body forward from the impact. All expected the boy to collapse to
the ground, but each of their eyes widened impossibly large when he remained kneeling next to the dead animal as if
nothing had just happened.
The blue flame symbol upon his brow began to softly pulsate and glow with a faint blue light. Below Heero the few blades
of grass by his feet, quickly withered and died as if their life energy had been sucked right out of them. In a circular
motion radiating out from the blue eyed boy position, the greenery soon began to turn brown as the leaves from the trees
above rained down to the group like a downpour.
Falling down within the leaves were dozens of objects of various size and shape, one of which hit one of the stunned
bandits straight on the head. Snapping out of his shock, the large man turned his attention away from his target and
down to what had hit him. His eyes widened in horror when he found a small dead bird by his mounts hooves, looking all
around the bandit dropped his bow when he realised the floor was littered with dozens of dead animals.
Feeling fear begin to creep up inside of him, the archer cried out "Retreat" But it was already too late. The mounts
beneath them collapsed down to the ground lifeless, and soon enough all the bandits felt their life energies being
drained straight from their bodies. Feeling their bodies going weaker by the second, one by one the bandits fell to
their knees.
Dull blue eyes were focused fully on the dead horse, his mind had completely shut down after witnessing the death of
the creature. The only feeling coursing through his body, was one of intense hatred and pain. Standing up from his
kneeling position, the arrow embedded within his body suddenly snapped in half as his torn muscles attempted to heal
themselves forcing the intruder out at the same time. The broken bone within his arm easily fused back together and
soon both injuries were just distant memories as not even a scar was left on Heero's body.
Heero vaguely noticed a slight stinging sensation on the back of his neck, just before his eyes rolled into the back
of his head and he fell to the ground in a deep sleep.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
From his position up in the branches of a distant by tree, Odin just smirked to himself and smugly said "This job is
just all too easy" Leaping from branch to branch, the blonde assassin dropped down to the forest floor silently and
walked up to one of the boys dead pursuers. Noticing that each of their faces were twisted in pain, the blonde assassin
easily concluded that their deaths had been quite painful.
Shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Odin turned around to regard the sleeping boy as he muttered to himself "You've
got some power there boy" As Odin began to approach Heero, the assassin had to stop dead in his tracks as a sword flew
through the air and embedded itself in the dirt a few metres in front of him. Cautiously taking a step back, Odin slowly
bought his left hand behind his back and tightly gripped the handle of a hidden dagger. From within the shadows, Odin
could barely make out the silhouette of a boy.
From his position between the trees, Wufei's eyes burned with an intense anger as he sighted the unconscious form of
the Jurei. His eyes narrowed into slits when he turned his attention away from Heero, and too the blonde man standing
not to far from him. Stepping into the light, Wufei walked up toward Heero and took up a protective stance in front of
him as he coldly announced "If you value your life, leave now"
Gripping the hilt of his dagger tighter, Odin to a step forward as he asked "And what will you do if I decided to leave
with what I came for?"
Nataku dropped out from the sky above the pair and with her claws, she took hold of Wufei's weapon then flew it over to
the Chinese boy before flying off into a nearby tree. Taking the offered sword in his hands, not taking his eyes off of
his opponent Wufei said "Then you will have to get by me to do so" Raising his katana, the Chinese boy waited patiently
for the battle to begin.
Pulling out the dagger from the back of his belt, Odin held it out before him as he said "Have it your way then" Before
rushing towards the younger boy, swiping his blade towards his target.
Dodging the assassin's first attack, Wufei quickly aimed his katana towards his opponents open spot. No sooner had he
done that had the assassin dropped to the floor, kicking Wufei's feet out from beneath him.
Not wasting another second Odin slashed out with his dagger, but narrowly missed the boy as he rolled out from underneath
him.
Getting back onto his feet, Wufei leapt away from the blonde assassin to give him some distance. Narrowing his eyes,
the Chinese boy cautiously watched his opponent "You are better than I gave you credit for, but I will not let you get
anywhere near Heero"
Smirking smugly at the raven haired boy, Odin slowly stood up from his crouched position "Believe what you will boy,
but one way or another I will be leaving here with him. Now if you will be alive when I do so….well that's for me to
decide now isn't it"
Wufei blinked in surprise as right before his eyes the blonde assassin suddenly disappeared from sight.
Appearing right in front of the stunned boy, Odin reached out an arm and tightly grasped Wufei around the neck. Before
the Chinese boy could react, the green eyed assassin lifted him up off the ground. Odin teleported once again and as
hard as he could, he slammed the raven haired boy into the nearest tree. Sneering, the blonde assassin coldly said
"Looks like you lose boy" Then raised the dagger above his head.
From her position up in the tree, Nataku was just about to attack the assassin. When from across the other end of the
clearing, she saw a bolt flying swiftly though the air and embed itself within the blonde mans chest. Deciding it best
to stay hidden and watch the scene unfold, Nataku kept herself hidden within the branches and waited.
As Odin slammed Wufei up against the tree, black spots began to dance around the edge of his vision. Groaning out load
in pain as he unconsciously dropped his sword, the Chinese boy was vaguely aware of a warm liquid splashing across his
face before his mind slipped into unconsciousness.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
"Great shot Tro! I couldn't have done any better myself" Grinning Duo watched in satisfaction, as the two bodies in
the distance slumped down to the ground.
Rolling his eyes at the madly grinning braided boy, Trowa lowered his crossbow and stood up from where he was kneeling.
The pair had arrived in the area just after the previous sword fight just got underway. After hearing the few comments
thrown back and forth between the fighting pair, it had become obvious who was the 'bad' guy in this little scenario.
Walking out from their hiding place, Trowa began checking the four dead bodies closest to him while Duo ran over to
where Heero lay motionless on the ground. Kneeling next to the younger boy, worry was clearly shown in his violet eyes
as he reached out and checked for any signs of a pulse. Sighing in relief when he found one, Duo allowed his tense body
to relax a little. As he begun inspecting Heero's body for any signs of injury, the braided boy gasped quietly when he
found a tiny dart embedded in the back of Heero's neck.
Carefully removing the dart, Duo brought it up closer to his face to get a better look at it. Growling low in his
throat, the braided boy angrily threw it to the ground then spat "Heero's been drugged! Tro you check those bodies see
if any of them had the antidote on them somewhere, I'll check the two over here"
Face set in determination Duo stalked over to where the two bodies lay, one blonde man with an arrow through his chest,
the other an unconscious young boy laying face down on the ground. Checking the dead man first, Duo couldn't help
glancing over curiously to where the raven haired boy lay. Pausing in his search for a moment, violet eyes narrowed in
thought and suspicion. Noticing the gold circlet around the unconscious boys head, a sudden thought enter Duo's mind.
Keeping his gazed locked onto the still figure, Duo suddenly asked "Hey Tro….you don't suppose it's possible this is
the one who killed those guys yesterday do you?"
Already finished his search on the four bodies, Trowa quietly walked up next to Duo and knelt down beside him. Trowa
glanced down at the unconscious boy lying before him, giving him a quick once over. At first glance he thought the
boy to be wearing normal travelling clothes consisting of a pair of tight black pants and a sleeveless fitted royal
blue top. Reaching out a hand to roll the boy over, both emerald and violet eyes widened in surprise when they sighted
the embroidery of an elegant golden dragon on the front of the unconscious boys top. Running his fingers gently over
the pattern, Trowa finally answered "Perhaps….but we will not know for certain until either Heero or this boy wake up"
Turning his attention away from the dragon design, Duo looked at his long time friend "What on earth is a member of
the dragon clan doing all the way out here? I thought that they never left their village, let alone associate
themselves with others outside of their own clan"
Shaking his head as he stood, Trowa cast a meaningful glance over at Heero then back as he quietly replied "I don't
know Duo, but it seems there is more going on here than what appears"
Sighing as he too sent a quick glance over towards the sleeping blue eyed boy, Duo then continued his search of the
dead body "I know, but…"
Looking over his shoulder to find the reason why his friend has suddenly stopped talking, Trowa could only see Duo's
back and the fact that his shoulders were slightly shaking. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, the banged boy turned
his attention fully towards Duo and asked "What is it?"
Blazing violet met calm emerald as Duo threw a small pendant towards his silent friend. Looking down at the small
gold pendant held in his hand, Trowa saw that engraved within the gold was a simple symbol of a rose. The only outward
reaction the banged boy gave was the slight widening of his eyes as he realized what he was looking at.
Seeing Trowa's reaction to the pendant, Duo then growled out through clenched teeth "Not only that, but he is also
wearing the emblem of the Serpent Guild. My guess is that OZ organized a trap for us and Heero must have walked right
into the damn thing" Balling his hands into fists, Duo punched the ground hard as he spat "Damn it! I didn't know Treize
had some members of the Serpent Guild actually working for him…..I thought he just hired the bastards! Who knows what
other organizations he's also got in his pocket"
Dropping the gold pendant to the ground, Trowa turned back around and carefully picked up the unconscious boy. Standing
up straight, the banged boy looked down thoughtfully at Duo for a moment "Focus on finding the antidote for Heero, I'm
going to take this one back to where we left the horses"
Grinning as he returned to search the body, Duo cheerily replied "We'll meet you there then, once sleeping beauty wakes
up and we have a little chat" Chuckling quietly to himself, Duo looked up towards Trowa as his grin turned into a cheeky
one and winked "Maybe all he needs to wake up is a kiss"
Shaking his head at his friends comment, Trowa shifted the bundle in his arms then turned around and headed back from
where they came from. As le left, both were unaware of the small shadow following closely behind Trowa.
Sensing that he was now alone, Duo's shoulders sagged slightly as he let out a tired sounding sigh. Peering though his
bangs over towards the slumbering blue eyed boy, Duo looked sadly at Heero as he thought to himself 'What are you
hiding from us Hee-chan? What are you hiding from me?" Shaking his head to dispel the thoughts, Duo forced his mind
to focus solely on finding the antidote.
A huge grin spread across his face when he found a small pouch hidden within the assassin's belt. Reaching a hand
inside the pouch, Duo's grin widened even further when he managed to pull out a small vial filled with a clear liquid.
"Finally!" He yelled out to no one in particular as he rushed over to where Heero lay.
Sitting down next to the blue eyed boy, Duo carefully lifted Heero's head and placed it on his lap. Pulling the small
cork from the glass vial, he then held it up to Heero's lips and happily said "Bottoms up Hee-chan" Just as he poured
the contents into the sleeping boy's mouth. Throwing away the now empty vial, Duo brushed a few stray bangs away from
Heero's face and waited.
Minutes had passed and the blue eyed boy still showed no signs of waking. Pushing aside the growing feeling of unease,
Duo gently caressed Heero's chocolate hair and softly began speaking to the boy "Did I ever tell you that I think
you're beautiful? The first time I saw your eyes, you literally took my breath away" Chuckling quietly to himself, Duo
added "Actually every time I look at you, you have that effect on me and you know I don't lie" Sighing sadly, Duo moved
his hand down from Heero's chocolate mane and began to softly caress his cheek. Violet eyes glazed over slightly with
the beginnings of tears as Duo quietly said "Heero, it's time to wake up ne? How long do you plan on sleeping for
anyway?....come back to me Hee-chan, please wake up"
Feeling a slight movement in his lap Duo looked down hopefully at Heero, silently praying that he was waking up. A
large genuine smile spread across Duo's face as he heard a slight groan fall from the lips of the boy in his lap.
Eyelids slowly fluttered open to revel confused Prussian blue orbs as Heero raised his hand to rub his tired eyes.
Blinking a few times to clear his vision, Heero focused his gaze on the person hovering above him and tried to figure
out who it was. Slowly the blurry image began to sharpen and Heero found himself to be staring up into the grinning
face of one Duo Maxwell. Not knowing if this was a dream or not, Heero slowly lifted his hand up to Duo's face and
softly touched the warm cheek "Duo?"
Smiling down to the boy below him, the braided boy brought up his own hand to cover Heero's as he replied "Yeah its me
Hee-chan"
Hearing the familiar voice, a small smile graced Heero's lips as he closed his eyes and groaned "I don't feel too
good....what happened?"
Still holding the younger boys hand Duo lowered it together with his own until they both were resting on the ground and
entwined their fingers together. With his free hand, the braided boy began to gently caress Heero's hair again as he
answered "I'm not sure, Tro and I got here and found two guys fighting against one another, the four others were
already dead before we arrived"
The mood was instantly broken as Heero snapped his eyes open and sat up. Looking seriously into Duo's eyes, Heero
emotionlessly asked "Who was fighting?"
Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Duo carefully eyed Heero for any reactions as he answered "Not sure, one was a
blonde man who's now dead, while the other was a young Chinese boy with tightly pulled back black hair and a golden
dragon symbol on his top. He was already unconscious when we got here so Tro took him back to where we left the
horses"
Looking away from the braided boy's face, Heero turned his attention to the dirt below him as he quietly whispered
"Wufei"
Just barely hearing the whispered words, Duo raised an eyebrow as he asked "So you know him then?"
Sending the older boy a quick glance, Heero thought silently for a few moments looking deeply into Duo's eyes "He
is a friend"
Eying Heero suspiciously, Duo frowned slightly as he questioned "A friend hey? So tell me then, how does a simple
text translator from the temple of Amara know someone from the Dragon clan? A clan I might also add, that does not
associate with people outside their own village?"
Prussian eyes darkened slightly in anger as Heero emotionlessly said "We grew up together, that is all you need to
know"
Feeling frustration beginning to build up, Duo released Heero's hand and tightly grabbed a hold of his wrist instead.
With fire burning in his eyes, he yanked the younger boy up with him as he stood and yelled "I've had enough of your
games Heero! Now tell me"
Quickly getting over his shock at the unexpected outburst, Heero gave the braided boy his best death glare "Release
me Duo, you're hurting me!"
As Heero attempted to free his trapped wrist, Duo unconsciously tightened his hold and growled out "No Heero I want
answers and I'm not letting go until I get some"
When it became obvious that the blue eyed youth wasn't going to answer Duo roughly grabbed Heero's chin, forcing the
boy to look at him. The braided boy saw Heero's blue eyes widening at his gesture, but he ignored it and said "Look
Heero, if we are going to help you get back to your temple, I would like to know a little something about the person
we're helping. Is that so much to ask for?" But all he got in reply from Heero was the shaking of his head as he
suddenly began to continually repeated the same line over and over "Please don't do it...please don't"
Thinking that he was perhaps a little too forceful, Duo released his grip on Heero's chin, but when the blue eyed
boy didn't stop shaking he began to worry. Doing the first thing he thought of, Duo pulled Heero into a tight hug
in an attempt to calm the boy. It seemed to work as the younger boy's body stopped shaking and slowly began to relax
in his arms.
Pushing the growing panic inside of him back down from where it came, Heero felt himself begin to relax into Duo's
embrace. No sooner had he done that Heero caught a flash of silver as it came hurling down towards the unsuspecting
braided boy, Heero lost his usual monotone and yelled out "Stop!" After hearing the blue eyed boy's cry, the sword
stopped motionless just above Duo's head, while the boy in question pulled away from the embrace.
Looking into Heero's eyes Duo raised his eyebrow as he confusingly asked "Excuse me?"
Heero ignored the braided boy though as he watched the blade swing back again to prepare for another swipe. This time
anger was clearly heard in Heero's voice as he yelled once more "I said stop!" Behind the confused looking braided boy,
the dark figure holding the weapon stopped his movements and just stood there staring at Heero through the thick
covering of his midnight black helm.
Noticing that Heero was no longer looking at him but at something behind, Duo released his hold on the blue eyed boy
completely and spun around. His violet eyes widened when he caught a brief glimpse of a dark armour clad figure and a
large sword before the image before him wavered then vanished.
Blinking in astonishment, Duo turned back around towards Heero when he heard a low growl. Grinning nervously the
braided boy noticed that Heero's attention was still on the same spot.
Taking up a position between Duo and his so called guardian, Heero narrowed his eyes and looked up into the
featureless black helm. His voice back to its normal monotone, Heero simple asked "Who are you?"
Reaching up his hand, the armoured man removed the horned helm from the top of his head. A flow of midnight black hair
fell down from within and almost touched the leaf littered ground with its length.
Looking up into the long pale face above him, Heero raised his eyebrow in surprise when he found that the man before
him was looking back at him with his eyes closed. Somehow though, the blue eyed boy could sense that the armoured man
could see everything around him.
In an eerie voice, the black haired figure spoke "I am protector of he who bears the mark of Life upon their brow, I
am executioner of all those who do harm upon whom I have sworn to protect"
Carefully studying the emotionless face before him, Heero quietly asked "Then why Duo?"
Still with his eyes closed, the dark figure turned his pale face and took a quick glance over at the now equally pale
braided boy before returning his attention back to Heero "Evil or good it does not matter for all those who inflict
harm upon you my dear Jurei, will all end with the same fate"
Feeling the anger inside of him beginning to rise, Heero narrowed his eyes and spat "Then you are no better than those
you kill"
Standing impassively, the dark figure calmly answered "Say what you will about me Jurei, but I have sworn to protect
you. If that human harms you one more time, not even you can save him from my wrath"
Taking a step back, Heero looked at the long haired man in disbelief "Why?"
The dead leaves littering the ground swirled up into the air and circled around the armoured man, causing his long
black hair to float all around him as if it were alive. And for the first time since their meeting, the armoured man
opened his eyes to reveal eyes as black as the night itself. Pinning Heero with a glare that far surpassed his own,
the dark one spoke "Because dear Jurei, I am Shinigami" The leaves dropped once more to the ground lifelessly as
Shinigami disappeared within a black light.
TBC
Notes: I want to give a big huggle once again to Pink Cherry Blossom, GoldenRat, CinC, Yume Maxwell-Yuy,
Ashly, o.Opheonix_firebirdO.o, Nekocin, Kyra, ShadowEyedCat, kt, Konpeitou, shinchansgirl, Shinigami's Minion,
Usagi_1313, Daughter of Night, chibisarel, craver, Eikou, Ris Night, dreamer, ladyfalcon237. Thank you all so much
for your great reviews.
I know I haven't told you anything about Duo or Trowa's past yet, and you are all probably wondering what's going
on with that ne? It will all come out in time, in fact some of Duo's past will be told in another chapter or two.
Trowa's past wont be told until later on in the fic though I'm afraid. Also if you haven't guessed it already, you
will find out the reason to why only some people can see Shinigami and others cant in the next chapter.
For all of you who have been wondering, I plan on starting the sequel to Two Pieces pretty soon (don't worry I'm
still going to be writing this fic also). I do have some bad news though, I wont be able to update again until
sometime in August *runs away from the computer and hides* I'm sorry guys but I cant help it *cries* See I'm going
on a holiday in a fortnight and I wont be able to update my fics until I get back from it. I just wanted to warn
you all so then you don't think I've abandoned my fics. Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see
you all again when I get back. Ja ne