Disclaimer: Okay, bizarre stuff happens in this chapter and I just want to say. . .it's all mine! XD My whacked little mind made all of this up so I didn't steal the plot from anyone, just to reassure you. Oh yes, and the designs for the characters in real life are mine too. Ooo, and the creatures' names are my ideas. . .
Chapter 22
"Okay, so. . .you're telling me that Relena and Milliardo are. . .one person now?" Duo looked completely lost after Noin explained what happened while they were gone.
"Yes, I honestly don't know how it happened. I was with Milliardo one minute and I walked out to get some lunch for us and when I came back the room was flashing wildly with lights and it looked warped like it was melting then there it was. . ." Noin touched her face, her eyes still wide in disbelief. Hope rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, "Are you sure it was them?"
"Yes, when it spoke, it had both their voices. . .as one."
"Like those aliens on TV with two voices overlapped? How weird. . .what do you think caused this to happen?" Rachel mused.
"I don't know, I just. . ." Noin looked close to a breakdown and Heero stepped up.
"Was anything out of the ordinary happening before this happened?" Heero asked, trying to get her concentrated on something else.
"Well, Relena was fighting with Milliardo, she was mad about what you were doing and Milliardo sided with your choice. I was trying to get them to stop but it was like they didn't even know I was there. I thought maybe some tea would calm her down so that's why I left the room. . ."
"Where did they go?" Quatre asked, still by his wife's side.
"I don't know, they said something about ridding this world of change?"
"Well, in any case, we can't find them, not if they're neither Relena nor Milliardo. Is that all they said to you?"
"No. After they said that, I asked them what they meant and they said ' We will return to the source of the ripple and end it in its rest.' What do you think that means?"
"It must be a riddle, Milliardo always had a way with poetic meanings. Relena was like that a well. What in this world has changed it? What differed our future that they would want to end?" Heero thought aloud, looking at the others for a response or input. They all looked dumbfounded.
"Well. . .what has changed things? What came in and started this 'ripple'?" Chang said. Suddenly, Duo looked over at Rachel and said in a wistful tone, "You."
"Me? But. . .how can they end me? Wouldn't they be after me then?" Rachel queried in surprise.
"There's more than one way of ending you. . .Rachel, where's your body?" Heero said seriously.
"It's right-" Then it hit her and she gasped, "It's back in my world. . .I'm defenseless there! My powers don't carry over, what do I do!"
"We have to go to your world and protect you from them. Duo was able to still use his powers in your world, we should as well. If we're going to do this we need to go now before they find your body. Where is it?"
"It's hidden, I bought a property where my body could be cared for and tended to, I was intending on figuring out a way to transfer myself to here but I was afraid my link to my world might be severed if I did. . ." Rachel answered.
"We need to go then, lead the way and we'll follow." Heero said.
"Wait, we're not all going, are we? What about Hope and Precious and Sayla and Asuka?" Quatre asked in concern.
"Either they come with us, stay behind by themselves, or someone stays with them." Heero said.
"I'll stay, I'm in no condition to travel, let alone cross dimensions. You'd better hurry." Noin said, nodding to them.
"Then it's settled, let's go." Heero and the others grouped together and linked hands, relying on Rachel to lead them to her body safely. Within seconds, they appeared in a dimly lit room with a bed at one end and a door at the other.
"I guess. . .we're here. . .woah, Quatre?" Duo looked at his friend and held back a laugh. Quatre frowned and said, "What?"
"You're so. . .so. . ." Duo snickered at Quatre's realistic appearance.
"I believe he is calling you effeminate." Chang said, rolling his eyes at Duo's juvenile reaction. With a sigh, Quatre said, "Shut up. . ."
"You look odd yourself, the braid doesn't suit you in this world." Heero said to Duo, staring at him impatiently.
"Look who's talking, Mr. Hair all over the place like he's having a bad hair day!" Duo mocked.
"Can we remember why we're here, please?" Everyone looked to see Rachel sitting up in the bed.
"Rachel?" Trowa blinked, surprised by how she looked.
"Yes, I know, I look different. You look funky with hair in your face like that. . ." Rachel pointed out. Trowa shyly pushed his bangs aside as he looked down at the cold stone floor. Rolling out of bed, Rachel staggered before grabbing the edge of the mattress. Duo quickly ran to her and helped support her, saying, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I've been laying her for over three years, my body's not as strong as it used to be. . .I'll be okay, I just need to walk around for a while." Rachel said, trying to stand on her own but her legs crippled underneath her weight and she nearly fell. Duo touched his hand to her legs and said, "There, now walk." She immediately stood and smiled, saying, "I guess your powers still work alright. Let's see about mine!" She concentrated as hard as she could but nothing happened. She sighed and Heero said, "This is your world, after all, you can't be something you're not." She pouted and said, "Yeah yeah, let's get out of here and find some shelter before. . .Milleena finds us." They ran for the door and pulled it open, racing down the hallway of the building they were inside. It was a maze of other storage rooms of bodies lying in stasis like she was.
"How creepy, look at all these bodies. . ." Quatre muttered, looking around as they dashed past the many doors along the walls.
"The exit is just around this corner, come on." Rachel said, turning a corner and halting in her steps. Duo crashed into her and said, "What?"
"Something. . .doesn't feel right. . ." She said, staring at the door out of the building.
"I thought you didn't have your power here." Chang commented.
"I could always sense when something was amiss, it was just. . .a gift. . ." Rachel backed up, saying, "They're out there. . .waiting, I know it."
"Don't be so jumpy, if they are we can stop them. How powerful can they be?" Duo said, trying to be confident. Suddenly, Rachel's body was flung forward, flying toward the door at a rapid speed.
"RACHEL!" Quatre exclaimed, cringing as she slammed into the door. The door flew out and she followed, disappearing outside. The men ran outside to be blinded by a tremendous light coming from the sky.
"What is that!" Duo shouted, shielding his eyes from being damaged.
"We are what you refer to as Milleena." A booming voice of both power and tender strength said from behind the light.
"Give us back Rachel! And alive, if you don't mind!" Duo said, feeling the force of strong winds pushing him to the ground. Trowa grit his teeth and forced his hand forward, trying to bring down whatever was above. An invisible force knocked him flat on his back and pressed him into the ground.
"Trowa!" Quatre exclaimed, seeing the pain his friend was in.
"Stop this, Relena!" Heero shouted, "I'm sorry if I angered you but don't take this out on them!"
"She is what we want, she is the starter of the forest fire." The being said again, nearly deafening them with its power.
"Forest fire! Where!" Duo exclaimed, glancing Heero's way.
"Everything that happened since she came, that's what it is talking about." Heero responded, able to understand the conundrums they spouted since he had lived with Relena for over three years, he was used to it.
"The wave must be ceased, for the future's sake." It said.
"Why! What damage can she do to the world! She SAVED us!" Quatre shouted.
"She merely ended a small threat, she has greater power within her that lies dormant in her soul. . .the assassin will aid in bringing forth the coming of the apocalypse, as will we. Together, the power will rule and destroy the world. If one is made away with, our world will be safe."
"The assassin? I'm not an assassin. . ." Duo said, turning to the others. They all looked confused and Quatre said, "I don't even like killing people."
"And I only came to earth to take revenge on Nataku's death." Chang said, glancing at Heero. Heero looked down at Trowa and didn't figure he was much of an assassin so he assumed the worst.
"I guess I'm the assassin." Heero said almost casually.
"But what do they mean by you aiding in this apocalypse?" Duo asked.
"I don't know, why don't we ask them?" Heero said mockingly, turning to the light and shouting, "What do you mean I will aid in the apocalypse?"
"You and the threat will merge, as we have. . .to form the end of the world." Milleena responded in a solemn tone.
"Merge? You'll become a floating, schizophrenic glowy thing?" Duo asked, still confused. Heero shrugged and then said, "Rachel is your friend, can't we work something out to perhaps keep this apocalypse from happening?"
"It is inevitable." Milleena said in a monotone voice.
"Nothing is for certain! We can stop this!" Heero insisted.
"You naïve fool, you have no concept as to which you speak! She must die, that is it."
"NO!" Duo screamed in protest, trying to use his powers to stop them but being thrown to the ground like Trowa had been. Quatre looked to Heero nervously and Heero said, "Lend me your strength."
"What?" Suddenly, Heero grabbed Quatre's arm and drained him of nearly all his power, sending him reeling to the ground. He then ran to Trowa, gathered his power, then stole Duo's as well. He turned to Chang and found him staring in surprise.
"Heero, what do you plan to achieve from this?" Chang asked as Heero approached him.
"I plan to save Rachel." Heero simply answered, grabbing Chang and taking his energy away. Chang fell to his knees weakly before collapsing to his side with a groan. A tremendous rush of power surged through Heero's body and he whispered faintly, "This. . .this power. . .I feel so strong. . ."
"You will not stop us, no matter how strong you become." Heero turned to them and said, "You have the power of two, I have the power of five. . .who do you think will win?" Jumping into the air, Heero flew straight into the light, grabbing the first thing he touched and zapping it with all his might.
"YOU FOOL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" The voice shook his body and he grunted as he strained to see what he had taken hold of. As he pulled it near, he found it to be Rachel.
Oh no, did I kill her? Heero thought in dismay. Just as he reached to see if she was still alive, her hand shot up and grabbed his throat, choking him.
"GAH!" Heero fought to get free as Milleena said threateningly, "We mustn't let them bind together. . .stop them!" He felt something trying to rip them apart but it was too late. His body was glued to Rachel's, slowly becoming part of it until he even felt their very souls being intertwined. He let out one last desperate cry before being completely devoured by the darkness they created.
What. . .what's happening to me? Where. . .am I? Is anyone there? Am I dead? I can't be dead if I'm still thinking. . .but. . .wait, who's that? A form flashed through Heero's thoughts and he drifted toward it, slowly letting the image before him come into focus.
Rachel? Rachel, can you hear me? She must have passed out but. . .why's she in my mind? I don't understand this at all. . .Rachel, if you can hear me. . .He lightly touched her hand and felt a surge of energy flow out of him. Quickly, he drew back in shock, staring at the lifeless body. It shuttered slightly before raising up and facing him.
Say something. . .Heero waited for a response and the body reached out a hand as if to call him forward. Cautiously, he did and took her hand.
"Have they died? They haven't moved yet. . .we should destroy them to make sure of it." Milleena discussed with itself. They raised their hands and prepared to give the lifeless form a final fatal shot when its eyes flashed open. Before their attack could reach the ground, it jumped away from the blast in the blink of an eye. Floating to the ground, the creature's head whipped up and stared at Milleena with a primal rage in its blue-gold eyes.
"It's alive. . .this isn't good. We must kill Hechel now before it flees." Milleena said decidedly, diving down to attack the creature waiting for them. With a flap of its bat-like wings, it leapt quickly out of the way and landed on a telephone poll 30 feet away a split second before their force slammed into the ground. It almost teased them as it crouched in waiting for another attack, swishing its leathery tail back and forth. Milleena flew at them again but Hechel dodged the attack, landing a brutal kick with its clawed foot to their back and sending them careening to the ground. They crashed with the force of a meteor, creating a crater and sending dirt and grass flying everywhere. Hechel glared at them and disappeared into a black hole that soon faded away. Milleena staggered to its feet and disappeared in pursuit of its prey, leaving the half-conscious group to wake moments later with severe headaches.
"Ugh, what happened. . ." Duo said, holding his head tenderly as it throbbed.
"Heero stole all of our powers and tried to defeat Milleena. . ." Chang said, groaning as he stood up on his wobbly legs.
"Where did they go?" Quatre asked, looking around and only finding the devastation from their little skirmish.
"I don't know but we'd better find them soon, who knows what they could do to this place if we let them carry on like this!" Duo motioned to the huge hole in the ground.
"But what can we do? They're obviously stronger than we are. If they have the power of two people each, then we're evenly matched in power." Trowa stated with a moan.
"I'll help you." Everyone turned and saw a man with auburn hair standing roughly 20 feet away, hands stuffed deep in his pockets.
"Michael?" Trowa stood, thinking him familiar. The man nodded and looked them all over.
"How did you-" Quatre started.
"I followed you, wasn't hard. I think I can help you find them. . .something about being with Rachel created a connection between us so that now I can sense her presence." Michael said in a sad-sounding voice. Duo glared at him and said, "Well then, take us to them."
"I'll try, but you'll have to follow after me." Michael disappeared and the group slowly followed his path through space. They appeared in the general area of where he was and found the two beings battling in the middle of a freeway.
"Crud, they'll kill someone if they're not careful!" Duo exclaimed, watching Hechel throw Milleena into the median.
"Careful? Them?" Chang said sarcastically. They got as close as possible to Michael before his shielding muted their powers and Chang shouted, "What do plan to do?"
"Get close enough to drain their power! You just hold them down long enough for me to get to one of them!" Michael shouted back, keeping an eye on the feuding creatures.
"Right, how are we suppose to hold them down when his powers stop ours! Whatever, let's try!" Duo said, confused but still willing. The four men gathered their strengths and grabbed Milleena first, since it was the one wanting to destroy Hechel. Straining, they brought it down to the ground and pinned it there until Michael was ready. He broke into a run and dashed across the road to the struggling creature, leaping over debris and getting 5 feet from it before their powers ceased their functioning. He barely got hold of its wing when it jumped to its feet, fighting to free itself of his grasp. Being swung back and forth violently, he struggled to get a better hold while he drained its immense power.
"It's not working, he'll die if he keeps trying!" Quatre said, watching the man get flung like a rag doll. Hechel was watching in amusement, its tail lashing through the air as it crouched nearby curiously. Finally, it grew tired of watching and pounced, landing on Milleena and tumbling across the asphalt. The two creatures continued their struggle and Michael eventually fell loose, rolling away before he was stepped on.
"Rachel, stop, please!" Duo called to Hechel desperately. The creature slammed into Milleena, sending it flying across to the opposite side of the highway. Before pursuing it, Hechel turned and stared at Duo curiously.
"It's me, Duo, remember me?" Duo pleaded, hoping his girlfriend was still inside this hideous monster somewhere. It blinked and cocked its head inquisitively, quickly whipping its head around in time to counter the attack Milleena sent its way. Hechel rolled across the road, flipping around onto its hands and feet and bearing its wings menacingly, tail posed to lash out at anyone who dare come close.
"We have to do something to stop this, we have to get through to Rachel and Heero!" Quatre said, getting worried.
"What can we do! This. . .whatever it is seems to be bent on destroying Milleena!" Chang said, wanting to get in and take them down with his bare hands.
"I don't think so. . .if it really did want to I think it would have by now. . .I mean, Milliardo's a good fighter but he's got nothing on Heero. I think it's toying with them. . ." Trowa mused, watching their behaviors. As if it heard them, Hechel glanced in Trowa's direction.
Help. . .
"Ah. . ." Trowa blinked, wondering if that was his own thought or. . .
"What's wrong?" Duo turned to Trowa who looked like he had just been bitten by a snake.
"I. . .I think Heero just. . .asked for help. . ." Trowa muttered, staring into the narrowing blue-gold eyes of the creature.
