Title: Lord of Death 23?
Author: Seraphim Grace
Archive: if you want it ask.
Feedback: Always appreciated and replied to.
Rating: R.
Pairings: Burgeoning 1x2
Warnings: Angst. Some gore.
Notes: AU, and features necromancy
Duo and Heero are taken to a strange world where Duo is worshipped because he calls himself Shinigami

My beta informs me that this chapter is actually quite sweet and sappy, so if you don't like that, sorry.

Seeing Duo wilt Heero forced himself to his feet despite his nausea and growled at Terenz. "I'm a doctor." Terenz said, trying to bat him away, Heero stood between Duo and the doctor.

"I'll take him inside." Heero said, lifting Duo as carefully as he could, even as the world swayed around him and he thought he might vomit.

"Senshisha or no," Terenz said putting his hand on Heero's head, "you'll do him no good if you faint too." He took a deep breath. "Give him to me, the two of us will walk back into the Dairai."

Heero growled again as his vision swam and he stumbled. "Is there a problem here, Terenz?" Mamoru asked coming across. He had his porcelain mask pushed up over his hair. He was wearing a silvery ribbon on his left wrist, in fact, although Heero was not in a position to notice it, most of the men were wearing their marriage ribbons.

"They had a shock." Terenz said, "Master Heero will you permit Mamoru to take Master Duo?" His tone was formal. Heero jerked back pressing himself against the veranda. It took the legs out from under him and he found himself sitting on it with Duo in his lap.

"Ro," Duo said quietly, coming around. "I don't feel well." Heero just tightened his arms about Duo. He managed to make his fingers move to brush the bangs away from his face.

"I don't know." The empress said stepping forward, she knelt before them a perfect porcelain doll with her mask in her hand and her hair in a long black braid over her shoulder. "Men." She muttered under her breath. "Bishonen," she said gently, "let's get you inside, ne?"

Heero growled again, baring his teeth.

"Ro," Duo said reaching up and touching his face. "I'm okay, really," Heero blinked once and then twice then he looked down at Duo, then blinking he pressed him hard into his chest. "Ro, need to breathe, Heero, need to…" Heero let off the pressure.

"You scared me." He muttered leaning down into Duo's hair, "you scared me."

Duo's fingers lingered on the planes of his cheek, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Come on, bishonen," the empress said softly, "let's get you inside out of the sun, ne?"

"Okay, heika," Duo said but he made no move to move from the sanctuary of Heero's arms.

"Come on then, otherwise every young woman in the court of winds is going to be making up an audience." Her smile was fond.

"You played a terrible trick on them, Heika." Terenz said, crossing his arms across his chest. "If either of these boys called you out all of your house would stand against you."

"Yes," she said standing, "perhaps I did, and if either of these boys called me out I would not gainsay them." She swept her braid from over her shoulder so it hung like a rope down her back. "Are you ready, bishonen?" She said offering Heero her hand, "lets get the pair of you in out of the sun."

Heero did not take the empress' hand but he did follow her into the shadows of the Dairai and the small room that they had had put aside for their use, he sat down with a compliant Duo in his arms and glared at her. It seemed to make he appear more fond of him on the whole. "Here," she said, holding out a beaker of water that she had poured for him, "I honestly thought you understood the dual nature of the ceremony." She said, "and for my misconception I apologise." She gave a deep bow, lowering herself to her knees and pressing her forehead against the matting. "If you wish an annulment I will have it drawn up for you."

"Why?" Duo asked, taking the beaker of water from Heero and taking measured sips.

"Because I wanted a husband I loved." She answered calmly. "I will send Takajo in to make up your futons and bring you something to eat, I'll make sure you're awoken in time for the fireworks. I truly am sorry that I spoiled your day of the dead."

Takajo brought with her a small cadre of servants who in mere moments had converted the room from a sitting room into a bedroom by moving the furniture and laying out two futons. "Is there anything you require, Tennosha-sama?" She asked Duo as she laid out a pair of matching pale blue yukuta. "If you need something, do not be afraid to call." She said, kneeling at the door before she pulled it shut with a flat hand.

Heero, for the first time, laid Duo down on one of the futons and began to untie the hakama at his waist. Duo batted his hands away, "even if we are married," he said with a faint smile, "I still must protest for the sake of my innocence."

"Baka," Heero muttered under his breath.

"Eluneth's right," Duo said as he pulled the blanket over himself before he undressed. "baka doesn't mean idiot in Heero speak."

"And what does she say it means?" Heero asked pulling the yukuta over his naked shoulders.

"She didn't say." Duo said, lying on his side on the futon so he would face Heero when he climbed into his own futon. Heero climbed in beside him. "She said you'd tell me when you were ready, she just said," he paused as his face was split in half by a yawn, "that it was more in the nature of silly goose than idiot." He wriggled so that he was comfortable, curled against Heero. He didn't think to protest that there were two futons and that Heero could very well sleep in his own. "I didn't sleep very well last night, I was worried."

"About me," Heero said, sweeping the cinnamon bangs away from Duo's half closed eyes.

"Without you." Duo corrected with a mumble.

"Duo," Heero began, staring at the pale face in front of him, of the heart shape of his cheekbones and the slow slope of his nose. "Can I kiss you?"

"No," Duo said, then he smirked, "because I'm going to kiss you instead."

He slowly tilted his face and planted a soft, almost butterfly, kiss, on his nose, and then languorously on each of Heero's eyes and then his chin.

"Baka," Heero murmured and caught Duo's face with his hands and kissed him on the mouth, slowly and somewhat chastely. They fell asleep like that, wound in each other's arm, with their faces almost pressing.

Author's Note:

Despite the brevity of this chapter it took forever because my beta was complaining that it was too sweet, this is the he-man we don't do sap version and it's still sweet. I know it's short, but it's the last chapter before all hell breaks loose so I can get away with it.