Vega: I'm getting sick of not using the symbols i use... it confuses people who read. So I'm trying new things. Oh, the rating's up because of language.

Wufei: And she doesn't want to be reported.

Chapter 11

Two days later Duo was excited. He was only two "treatments" away from clearing Kek out of his mind and body, only a few strands of his presence remained. He was so happy he caught himself many times singing to intro to old 20th century sitcoms.
"…And then this one day that this lady met this fellow, and they knew that it was much more than a hunch, that this group would some day form a family…" He sang entering the kitchen.
"And that's the way they all became the Brady Bunch." Quatre finished. He turned away from the stove, where he was cooking pancakes and smiled at Duo. "Good morning Duo."
"Morning Q-man. Where'd you ever hear the Brady Bunch theme?" Duo took a seat at the table.
"Oh, my sister Tabitha had an obsession with American television shows, and the Brady Bunch was her favorite. She had a thing for Peter."
"Ah. So where's everyone?"
"Well Heero and Trowa haven't come back from their mission yet and Christian and Wufei are out back sparring, though I think Christian is finally getting the upper hand."
"Hmm, I've always thought Christian was holding back, toying with 'Fei," Duo said with a secretive smile. Of course Christian was holding back; he's lived over three thousand years, learned tons of fighting skills and techniques, and has had years of practice. The only reason he sparred with Wufei was to stretch before he and Duo went out to spar in the forest. Now THAT was a spar, a real workout.
That back door opened and Wufei stepped in. "Well speak of the devil," Duo said as the disheveled pilot entered the kitchen.
"Jump off a bridge, Maxwell," Wufei muttered and plopped down in a chair. Not long after he rested his head on the table, Christian strolled in wearing a satisfied smirk.
"What's with 'Fei?" Duo asked as if he hadn't guessed.
"I beat him, he's not hurt though. I only bruised his pride." Quatre held back a snicker, but Duo, on the other hand, laughed out loud. Wufei's cheeks colored and he ignored his roommates.
"Aw, don't worry Wufei. You'll get him next time," Quatre said patting Wufei comfortingly on his back.
"Yeah, yeah." Duo's giggles died down and he stood up from the table. "I'm going to do something real quick in my room, go ahead and start eating without me."
Christian took Duo's seat and called after him. "Okay, but don't be mad at me if all the pancakes are gone when you get back." Duo smiled and continued up the stairs.

Once in his room, Duo locked the door behind him as he always did. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and took out the box that held his precious crystal ball. Taking it out and setting it on his dresser, Duo heard Kek's feeble attempts of distracting him from this task.
:I'm already weakened and somewhat helpless. Why don't you just stop this now and fight me? I might even let you get in a few hits: Kek said.
"I refuse to stop until you are out of my body and my life," Duo scowled and placed his hand on the sides of the crystal.
:So, this is working for now? Do you really think this will solve your problem:
"It'll work until I'm ready."
:You'll never be ready. No one's ever ready to die.:
Duo growled and closed his eyes. "Creature of evil I imprison you, where you shall remain 'til thou art released."

No sooner had the words left his mouth had he heard the anguished wail of Kek as he was transferred into his cursed tomb. Duo hands stilled burned but he had become used to it, figuring a little pain was worth the result. As soon as the burning stopped, Duo removed his hands and gazed at the ball of glittering crystal. It was almost totally red except for the thin swirl of white the hovered around the edges.
"One more time," Duo said with a sigh, "Once more and this will finally be solved." He fell back on his bed a little drained. He was slipping into a deep sleep when a knock at his door brought him back. Too tired to actually get up and unlock the door, he mentally twisted the lock and called out a tired, "Come in."
Pushing the door open, Quatre entered the room still wearing the apron he had on while cooking.
"Hey Duo, I was wondering what was taking you so long." He walked over and stood at the foot of Duo's bed.
"Oh nothing Q-man, just saw the bed and couldn't help myself," Duo stretched and sat up, smiling at Quatre, the mother of them all.
"Well hurry up and get downstairs before Christian inhales the second batch of pancakes," Quatre giggled and turned to leave but stopped in his tracks.
"What is it Q?" Duo asked peering around his blond friend to see what distracted him. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the crystal ball sitting in plain view.
"Oh Duo, that's a beautiful antique. Where'd you ever get it?" Quatre asked as he reached out to touch it.
Duo sprang off the bed and jumped in front of Quatre's seeking hand. "I got it from a friend, as a gift." He spoke in a rush nervous and cursing himself for being careless. "It has a lot of sentimental value."
Quatre blinked at his friend's suddenly rush of life and movement. "Oh, it must be very special to you."
"It is. Now let's go get some breakfast. I have a feeling there isn't much left." He hastily escorted Quatre from his room, trying to make it seem he was just in a hurry to eat.

Back in Duo's room, Kek began to plot.

Later that day Heero and Trowa returned from their mission only to see Duo and Christian sent off for a short surveillance mission, leaving the other four pilots alone with nothing to do. They all retreated to the backyard, savoring to silence and Quatre called for the maids to do their rounds throughout the mansion. They started on the ground floor and made their way to the bedroom level. Each maid drew straws for who was going to clean Duo's room. After the closet incident, no one would willingly go into that so-called bedroom.
Sighing, the red-head maid pulled the short straw and left the group, trying to ignore the prayers of a safe return from the others. She cautiously entered the room, peeking around the door making sure nothing would leap out at her. She started routinely picking up clothes and other apparel, gathering dirty laundry, shying away when she came across various weaponry, and dusting. All the while she couldn't shake the feeling something else was in the room, watching her, calculating every move she made. When she turned to dust the desktop she spotted a stunning red crystal antique. As she neared it, it began to glow a deep crimson. Startled, her first reaction was to flee for her life but she couldn't tear her eyes from the orb. She stepped closer to it as if in a trance. Her eyes glazed and became devoid of any feeling as the orb flashed rapidly, drawing her nearer. Moving on their own accord, her hands reached out and slowly lifted the ball from its perch. She turned to the side facing the window and raised her arms above her head. Her face still blank and distant, she slammed the delicate item down, shattering it into beautiful pieces creating a rainbow of jagged glass on the hardwood floor. A sickly red ooze spattered on the floor, slipping into a dark corner and taking shape.

Kek's true form finally filled out and he stepped from the shadows, smirking wildly. He stretched his fleshless wings, the bony tips brushing against the wall leaving inch-deep slashes in the woodwork. His jet black and red hairspiked up with a few wisps hanging around his deceptively delicate face. He ran his scale-like, clawed hand over his hair, relishing in the feeling of being free. The light of the sun glinted off the various pieces of metal that decorated his pointed ear. His completely red eyes held promises of carnage and suffering in their wake. His gaze drifted toward the still entranced maid and he smirked, his pearly fangs glistening. Emitting a crimson glow, his form shifted and he took the form of the very one he loved to torment. The Duo clone stepped in front of the maid and waved his hand in front of her eyes, which she obediently closed.

"You have done well my child," he purred, stroking her cheek lightly. "Now remember nothing. You knocked the crystal over accidentally." He stepped back from her and into the shadows. Still smirking, he seeped through the floor and once his presence was gone, his power over the maid broke.
The red-head shook her head, feeling disoriented and confused. She looked at her feet and gasped. She had broken the long-haired boy's precious possession. He was going to kill her. "Oh no…" she sobbed, loud enough for the other maids to hear her.
Hearing the sobs and fearing the worst, the other maids rushed into the young pilot's room.
"What's wrong? What happened?" one asked, holding he feather duster as if it were a weapon.
"I broke it," the red-haired woman cried out, "I broke his crystal. It must have meant so much to him. It was beautiful and I broke it."
The maids gathered around their comrade, in a futile effort to comfort her. After a few minutes they decided to confess to Master Quatre. One maid cleaned up the glass and they all made their way to the backyard. They spotted Quatre and explained the situation to him, showing him the shards in a bag, the red-head still sobbing in the background.
Quatre's expression became saddened. "He told me that crystal was a gift. I'll tell him as soon as he gets back and see if there's anything I could do."
"What's wrong, little one?" Trowa asked, walking to Quatre's side
"Oh, one of the maids broke something of Duo's, and it meant a lot to him."
"I suggest you tell that onna to pack her things and flee for her life then," Wufei said without a break in his katas.
"You're not helping Wufei," Heero added as he joined the group's little discussion.
"And when did this concern you, Yuy?"
"About the same time Duo's name was mentioned." Heero blinked at his own words, he didn't mean to let that slip out. And from the strange looks he was receiving from the others he decided to clarify things. "You know how he gets when he's emotional, this news could effect his performance in battle."
That seemed to satisfy Wufei and Trowa, but Quatre still looked skeptical. He looked at Heero as if to say 'You and I both know that's not the truth', but he shrugged and left it at that. "Anyway," Quatre continued, "This isn't going to sit well with him. We have to break the news to him gently."
"It's just a material possession," Wufei said, stopping and grabbing a towel to wipe his sweating forehead.
"And tell me Wufei, what would you do if someone destroyed the ceramic dragon than you received as a gift from someone?" Heero asked, raising a brow inquisitively.
Wufei closed his eyes and answered in an off-hand sort of way. "I'd search for that poor soul and bring justice down upon his…" Wufei opened his eyes and glared at Heero's smirking face. "I see your point."
"So it's agreed that I tell him as soon as he gets back." Quatre finalized.
"Tell who what?"
Quatre squeaked and jumped into Trowa's arms when he heard Duo's voice.
Duo blinked at the wide-eyed stares he was receiving. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Quatre said quickly, "We weren't expecting you so soon and you startled us."
"It was only a surveillance mission," Duo shrugged. He looked at his friends; they all seemed to be avoiding his gaze. "What's going on guys?"
All eyes focused on Quatre, who was nervously twiddling his thumbs."Um, Duo? We have something to tell you," he said looking at Duo with guilty eyes.
"Well tell me then. Don't keep me in the dark," Duo said getting a little irritated. He was ready to purge Kek for the final and last time.
"Ok. Now don't be too mad, it was only an accident. One of the maids were cleaning your room and sheaccidentlyknockedoveryourcrystalballandbrokeit," he finished in a rush.
Duo's eyes widened as he swore he'd heard wrong. He prayed he heard wrong. "Come again?"
"She broke your crystal ball. Please understand it was only an accident, Duo," Trowa said in a soothing voice; most like the voice he used when soothing the animals at the circus. The other tensed as Duo's jaw clenched. His hands shook as they curled into a tight fist. A sound that started soft quickly rose until the boy was shouting.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" With that Duo raced off into the house, slamming the door so hard the sound echoed in the woods behind the four wide-eyed teens left outside.

A few moments of silence passed before Wufei quipped, "That went better than expected."
Three heads nodded in agreement.
"I think I will make myself scarce for the next few hours. I'll be back by dinner." With that Wufei grabbed his towel and tried not to look like he was running away.
"We'll be in the garden," Trowa said as he guided a shocked Quatre towards the cobbled-stone entrance.
While the others thought it best to steer clear of the long-haired pilot, Heero thought it would be best to keep an eye on him. Upset was an understatement on how Duo was reacting and Heero wanted to know why. To make sure he didn't do anything to cause harm to himself or the maid, Heero followed him inside and simply headed toward the steady stream of curses coming from the living room. He almost entered until he heard Christian trying to calm Duo down. For some reason he waited outside the doorway and listened to the two.

Christian sighed as he typed up the last of the mission report and sent it off. He looked up when he felt Duo's presence in the safe house. He opened a link to Duo to greet him and was assaulted by the boy's aura. It was blazing bright with anger; battle-ready. Christian rose to his feet, knocking the chair over and watched Duo erupt into the room. To the average human eye, Duo would appear to be standing in the doorway, cursing under his breath in anger, but to Christian a hissing, nearly black purple cloud was swirling around his body.

"Allen-sama…" "He's free! That son of a bitch is free. AAAaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!" Duo slammed his fist down on the table by the door and a little of his power leaked out, leaving a splintered crack down the middle.

In the hallway Heero almost jumped at the force he felt hit the table through the wall. Duo was violent as well as irate, neither within reason. Maybe he should go help Christian out.
/Why did he call him Allen-sama/
When he tried to stand, his legs refused to move. He tried again but it was as if a force was holding him down. His voice was stolen from him and all he could do was listen. Heero Yuy actually felt real panic. All he could do was hear the conversation in the next room.

Christian flew across the room and grabbed Duo's fists. A visible purple and green light surrounded the joined hands and Christian glared at the man-child.
"Now you listen to me. You will calm down, Master Allen." Duo growled and his aura flared, but Christian gave him a firm shake. "Kek is loose, but your friends are unharmed. He has not asked to battle and I'm still here with you."
"I know!" Duo hissed. Suddenly all strength left him and he collapsed against his mentor. "I know. How could I have let this happen? The mission… it came so fast I didn't have time to secure the crystal. It was my fault." He was beginning to hyperventilate.
Christian's eyes were haunted as he held Duo. "You're ready for this. We just need time to prepare."
"No amount of preparation will prepare you for what I have in store," a truly wicked voice taunted from behind the long-haired young men.
Meanwhile as Duo and Christian were slowly revealing information to a shocked Heero, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if he was being watched. Unable to move his head much, Heero's eyes darted around the hallway. No one in sight. His eyes finally settled in front of him and all he saw were two bottomless red eyes on Duo's face staring back at him. If he body wasn't already immobile, Heero would have frozen on the spot.

Kek enjoyed the barely conceal fear harbored in those cobalt blue eyes his enemy was so fond of. Playing coy, he placed a clawed finger to his lips in a hush gesture. His finger melted into something more human and grabbed Heero's tank and dragged him up the wall so he could stand. Grinning in a way that could only be described as brutal, the Duo clone spoke.
"I guess that's my cue."
He released Heero and left him there as he stepped into the living room.

At the sound of the voice both young men spun around. They were faced with Kek in his borrowed form. His red eyes gleamed dangerously from across the room. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Prince Allen Dumatre." He did a low sweeping bow and watched in delight as Duo and Christian slid into defensive positions. "What do you want?" Duo glared at his twin, his hands twitching to wrap themselves around his neck and end it all.
A smirk appeared. "Total world domination and your head on a patter surround by the eyes of your loved ones."
Christian stuck out his arm to halt Duo's advance. "Speak, demon."
Kek eyes hardened. "Let me just tell you the facts. Your time is up. You know what I want. You will fight and you will lose."
"I will not lose."
"You will lose," Kek repeated, "and your friends won't be the only ones to suffer. The world will pay for your mistake." His gaze slid to Christian. "Tell me Guardian, is immortality worth it when you're about to witness not only the destruction your precious prince but Earth and space under my control?"
Christian said nothing but his eyes narrowed.
Duo reacted enough when a purple flame surrounded his fists.
"Tomorrow at sunset you will meet me and this will end."
"Why tomorrow?" There was a glint in Kek's eyes that sent a chill down Duo's back.
"You probably won't find us 'til then."
Before Duo could question who "us" was, Kek reached back into the hallway and pulled a body in front of him. Duo's heart skipped a beat and the angry flames died out. Christian hissed a curse as Heero practically dangled from Kek's grip. Heero simply stared at them, the light it his eyes dulled.
"…W-what?"
"He makes a wonderful pet, I'd say. I think I'll keep him once I kill you." He licked his cheek; Heero didn't even flinch.
Duo staggered to his doppelganger and reached out towards Heero, almost blindly. Duo screamed as Kek's barrier shocked him.
"Heero! Heero, wake up!" Duo clawed at the barrier, desperately trying to reach him. It sparked and hissed at him until Christian pulled him back.
"How sweet. Bye now." Kek waved his fingers at the two and he and his captive seeped through the floor, the echo of his demented laughter lingering behind.

Vega: Even though I wrote I will say this... Kek is a bastard! And he only gets worse smirks

Wufei: No comment.

Vega: You know the deal.

Click me!
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