Author: Dae Yuy
Author's Notes: Well here you have it, see? After enough poking and death threats I get it done. Okay... so there weren't any death threats but there was lots of yelling :D. So again, here it is. I'm not too happy with the beginning, but I personally think it gets better near the middle. Un-beta'd cuz I lost my beta's e-mail. (anxious giggle)
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Chapter Fourteen: Homecoming
The rescue party was met with surprisingly little resistance as they moved through the antique mansion. They found this rather puzzling but did not try to question their good luck. They moved along the halls until they reached one of the few 'safe zones'. One is never safe in enemy territory however.
Quatre turned to Duo and whispered, "Do you know where Heero is?"
Duo moved to shake his head, before surprise quickly flitted through his violet orbs and he nodded, "I do... somehow. I know exactly which floor, which room and... and where he is in the room." Hawke hearing this whispered to Solo, "It's Homiko surfacing." the boy nodded excitedly and Kikki's eyes widened, overhearing.
"I'll go in with Hawke as back-up. The rest of you get to play sentry." Duo explained, "We move as a group until we are ten yards away from the destination, then we break up into teams, Kikki and Trowa, Wufei and Quatre."
"How many metres?" Kikki asked, more familiar with metric than the American Imperial.
Duo did a quick calculation before saying, "About nine metres I suppose."
They reached the break up point and went their separate ways. Duo walking in the lead to Heero's cell. As he approached the black door, he felt a shudder ripple through his body, the braided boy took a deep breath and knelt before the door, deftly pulling a lock pick from his braid, he fiddled with the lock momentarily before the barely audible click of the latch coming undone was heard. Duo stood, took another deep breath and pushed open the door, he froze at the site the room held.
Duo felt immeasurable rage sweep through him, his violet eyes flashed and a low growling escaped his lips twisted in a snarl, Duo's hair broke loose from the braid and floated around him framing him in what looked like a mass of snakes.
Xochi from his place standing over Heero growled, "Homiko."
"Back away from my husband buddy." Duo said in a voice not his own, "You killed my little girl and I want revenge, so I came back, like this. Never would have expected this form now would you Xochi?"
"I didn't kill your daughter Homiko, that was Greg." Xochi protested.
"I'm not as blind as the former Daemon leader was stupid Xochi. Greg no matter how hard he tried would have never managed to cook that scheme up. He may have delivered the killing blow, but you were working the strings Former Chief Advisor. So I'm here to kill you, because my dearest prince already killed the other bastard." Homiko purred.
A maniacal laugh ripped from Xochi's throat, "I killed you once! I can do it again. You're in a mortals body Homiko!"
"I'm no mortal! I'm Shinigami!" Duo came back to himself and lunged for Xochi pulling his scythe from the sheathe. Xochi strafed to the side smirking, he snapped his fingers twice, the sound echoing throughout the mansion.
Heero's eyes widened a minuscule amount, "Duo, Homiko, get out of here now, please. In about three seconds you're going to be swarmed like a bees to honey, please."
"I'm not going anywhere Hee-chan." Duo/Homiko growled, the two voices blending, giving the braided boy an eerie echoing tone. Heero shakily pushed himself to his feet, keeping one eye trained on Xochi.
"Iku, iku onegai." Heero said staring right into the shimmering violet eyes of his love.
"No." Duo replied.
Heero sighed, and looked over towards Xochi, "We'll be back for you." Heero lifted his hand and fired a blast of power towards the demon leader, with a slight exclamation of pain Xochi flew backwards, head slumping forward, eyes falling shut.
Heero wavered and shook his head, "Let's go."
"Heero!" Homiko exclaimed, catching the prince, "Hawke! Hawke!"
Said man ran in and lifted the prince, "Homiko-sama, the hall is full of demons."
"Kuso, Duo, we need Shini." Homiko said, the power wavered once again. Duo slashed the scythe against the wall and it appeared to have done nothing, then the wall began to glow and exploded outwards.
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They finally reached the fortress and Homiko lead the way to the Prince's chambers, the vampires and the Gundam Pilots following close behind. She entered the room and closed all of the windows, Hawke placed Heero on the bed and closed the drapery.
"Solo." Homiko called.
"Yeah?" the blond vampire asked.
"Get me a human, Heero needs blood. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, you might not want to be present when Solo returns." Homiko told the pilots.
They nodded hesitantly and moved to the door, Quatre pausing in the threshold, "Homiko-sama, I... I don't want Duo to see what Heero is about to do. C... can you shield him from it somehow?"
Homiko smiled gently, "I'll try my best. Duo's pretty worn so I should be able to."
"Thank-you." Quatre bowed, hurrying to catch up with the other boys. With a bow, Hawke followed the blond boy out.
Solo returned about ten minutes later, a limp form in his arms. It would have been a rather comical site if the situation had not been so grave; the man Solo carried was at least double his size. Homiko walked over and took the unconscious man from Solo's arms, appreciating Duo's larger form. She slashed the man's throat with one of Duo's knives and brought the prince's lips to the wound. Heero's body, still unconscious drank instinctively from the man, teeth sinking into the flesh and pressing down hard. He was blood starved and very near the irreversible coma-state because of it. Homiko was glad that Solo had found such a large man, hopefully the amount of blood would stay Heero's hunger.
Homiko gently brushed the bangs from her husband's face once he had finished drinking and was lain back down, "No human food for you for awhile my dear. You'll have to be on an all blood diet. That is if..." Homiko shook her head and brushed away the tears which threatened to fall from her eyes. 'Heero will be fine.' was her vehement thought.
"Take the corpse and leave us Solo." Homiko said tiredly. Solo nodded and did as bidden picking up the now throat-less man. Homiko, with a heavy sigh, lay down next to the Japanese teen and succumbed to slumber. The sun was bright and piercing, she was always more of a nightwalker herself.
Duo awoke to the sound of muffled voices in the room, slowly he reached a hand under his pillow and gripped a gun which lay there, thumb poised to cock the weapon.
"The Prince won't wake up but I'm not so sure about Duo-san." one feminine voice said.
"Just be very careful." another replied, "We're here because of Duo-san." Duo rose ripping away the bed curtains and pointed his weapon directly in the middle of one woman's forehead.
"Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want." Duo ground out coldly.
"W... we're the maids." the second one said fearfully, afraid of the look in the braided boy's eyes, "Hawke sent us here."
"We were asked to change the bedclothes." the first said, a little more evenly. Duo held the gun trained on the women for a short while longer before making up his mind about them. Putting the safety back on, he it tucked the weapon into the back of his jeans.
"Are you sure Heero won't wake up?" Duo asked, looking down at the slumbering vampire.
"Yes." one answered. Duo nodded and hoped lightly off the bed, he picked Heero up gently and walked over to the chair, holding the boy in his arms as he sat down.
"Change away." Duo said, not taking his eyes off the women, he wasn't in the mood for trust.
Once they were done and had left, Duo sat back down on the bed after laying Heero to rest. The braided one had no idea what had happened mere hours before. He didn't recall how he ended up in bed or ended up in the fortress for that matter. He chewed his lip nervously and looked around, this wasn't a good time to loose his mind, he had a new mission, protect Heero Yuy. Duo knew he himself would not be very strong against Xochi, but he hoped his Shinigami persona could help with that, not to mention Heero's wife, who's soul somehow found it's way into Duo's body.
"I just wish I had all the answers." Duo whispered lowly. He had an overwhelming urge to go to the tower room and couldn't understand why.
"Where the hell is the tower room anyway?" Duo mumbled, pushing himself off of the bed and walking out to the hall. He whistled twice and the two dogs came running. Duo bent down and scratched them both.
"I need you two to guard Heero, understand?" Duo whispered, he couldn't believe he was talking to dogs, "One of you stand guard at the door, the other in the room, okay?" The dogs panted readily and danced on their feet.
"I'll take that as a yes." Duo smirked moving out of the way and the canines took up their positions. Duo shook his head and continued down the hall, following a path he hadn't realized he knew. At last his trek brought him to a dead end. Duo slapped his forehead and groaned, now he was lost.
"Great I'm lost in a hidden castle. Way to go Maxwell." Duo mumbled, kicking the wall then hissing in pain.
"You are not lost." a voice echoed in his mind.
"Who said that?" Duo asked the empty corridor.
"You know exactly where you are going." the voice again. Duo looked left and right, his braid whipping as he moved.
"Follow your instincts Duo. I know you have them." with that Duo felt an overwhelming pressing silence, he felt entirely alone. Duo shivered in the sudden cold, absently wondering why he could see so well in the dark.
"Follow my instincts, huh?" Duo whispered and closed his eyes. The braided ex-pilot opened his violet orbs with a start, gasping in the silence.
End Fourteen
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Heh, I'm evil.