Disclaimers: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing nor it's characters. Merely borrowing them for a little torture.

Warnings: Shounen-ai (because I suck at yaoi) , major A.U, some OOC I think, mpreg (mentioned, implied, so on)

See, ain't I prompt this time around?

Reflections of the Past

Part 24

Heero on the floor.

Heero bleeding all over the ground.

Screaming in the background.

Someone was crying, people were yelling.

Duo felt and saw all these, but he felt numb.

Heero was dead.

Heero, the one that was real in a sea of uncertainty, the one constant, the one that tried to love a stranger for who he was.

Quatre sobbing against Trowa. Trowa looking ready to kill. Gee throwing bolts of light against the barrier. Wufei pounding at it like a maddened person. Zechs doing almost the same thing.

It came in flashes to Duo, still unable to believe the figure that lay not too far from him, the puddle of blood growing, almost touching him.

Heero's blood.

Someone was screaming, it was a low keen, something a wounded animal might make. It took a while to realise it was him. He was the one crying out for the future he thought he might have, a future now brutally crushed.

Someone was sidled up to him, pressing his small body against Duo, holding onto Heero's hand, a hand that was growing ever colder.

"Father," the small being cried.

Odin, Heero's son, no, wait, his son too, their baby.

"How quaint," someone said. "Now you know how I felt seeing Solo bleed to death."

Duo raised violet eyes to the person, no woman, hardly more than a girl. His mind scrambled to place where he had seen her, and what she was talking about. All he felt was the cooling skin of his love, the stiffening body of his lover.

"Your brother died for you, and you shall pay for it twice over." The woman growled stepping closer to Duo and the yelling grew more urgent. "You shall feel what it is to be alone, to see all your loved ones crumble before your very eyes. Solo tried to choke you to death, and he failed, but I won't."

It was getting harder to breathe, something was choking Duo. His throat hurt, but his hands refused to let go of his dead love. His sight was getting blurry as he felt his grip on Heero slip.

"Daddy, wake up… please," a soft voice pleaded, and small hands shook him. "Don't sleep like Father, please."

Daddy, Odin, then as if someone splashed icy cold water all over him, Duo woke with a shock. Odin, he had to remember Odin, the last link he had to Heero. His eyes cleared and found himself caught by the throat of some invisible vice.

"Let… me… go, Dorothy," Duo choked, struggling against the spell the sorcerer cast. "So…lo was… mad."

Fury coloured Dorothy's expression and the unseen hand tightened, cutting off Duo's air. "He was your brother and your brother, your older brother and… You. Took. Everything. From. Him!"

The Healer's head spun dizzily as the edges faded to black. Sorry Odin, he thought sadly. I can't even save myself. He felt himself grow limp but the invisible arm held him up.

"Nooooooooooooooo!" Duo heard Odin scream from far, far away, the little boy's voice nothing more than a soft echo.

Duo found himself dropped to the ground, taking in huge gulps of air, filling his starved lungs. Then pandemonium ensued. Odin was standing in front of him, his little arms extended, his entire body speaking loudly of defiance. Hands were on Duo, and he struggled against them, panicked.

"Duo, calm down, it is Quatre," the blond Healer soothed and felt his friend relax against him.

"Odin…" Duo croaked, reaching for the little boy as Odin started yelling again, screaming. Then Duo felt something else, heat. Fire.

"Odin, the sorcerer's braid!" Zechs cried. "No, Duo's memories!"

Duo realised belatedly that Dorothy was now engulfed in a huge wall of fire, still the sorcerer's expression showed no pain, only satisfaction. The person his mind told him was his sister was dying, burnt by a fire he knew instinctively came from Odin.

"I will never let you have your memories, Duo," Dorothy said triumphantly, her voice betraying none of the pain from the fire. "Heero is dead, and unlike me, you wouldn't have your memories as solace. Let you live the rest of your pathetic life wondering what had been." Finally, she let out an agonised scream as the fire consumed her, leaving nothing, not even ashes.

Silence reigned as the inhabitants in the room was shocked speechless at what had transpired. Duo stared at the spot where Dorothy stood just seconds ago to Odin, who was still quivering, arms still held out in front of him. The boy's little palms were smoking with the fire he had just thrown at the sorcerer. His little boy could conjure fire; his little boy could perform sorcery. Odin broke the power of the dark sorcerer when Gee couldn't. The young boy whirled around and ran to Duo, clasping his arms around his legs, sobbing brokenly. That broke the spell that held them all entranced. The once-braided Healer knelt and held the distraught boy, soothing him with soft words and hair stroking.

Quatre rushed over to Heero's prone body and turned his leader over, swallowing harshly. From his trained eye, he knew his chief was dead and no amount of Healing would bring him back. Unfortunately, the one person who would have been able to bring him back had all his memories scorched along with an insane sorcerer. He bit back sobs and felt the comforting touch of his lover behind him.

"He's dead, Trowa!" Quatre pressed his tearful face into Trowa's chest. "By the Ancient, Heero's gone."

Wufei dropped down next to the blond Healer, his hand touching Heero's cooling body gingerly, valiantly trying to hold back tears. His first love, the one person he thought would be a constant in his life was now gone, leaving a gaping hole in his life. He reached blindly for his mate, desperate for a grounding point.

"You broke the sorcerer's spell," Gee spoke quietly, almost in awe, staring down at the still sobbing Odin, now gathered in Duo's arms. "How?"

Duo looked up and saw Gee, the person that started this. Unable to stop himself, he snarled at the aged Healer. "Stay away from us! You did this! You killed Heero."

Odin, as if just realising his Father, released Duo and ran for the Shifter lying bleeding on the ground. Duo, almost in a daze followed Odin, crawling on all fours toward the small group gathered around Heero's body. The boy's cries began anew.

"Father, wake up, don't sleep. Daddy is scared," Odin shook Heero's prone body, sobbing brokenly.

Duo pushed his friend away, gathering Heero into his arms, uncaring that his love was drenching him with blood. "Heero, you can't die, you can't leave me here alone. You can't, I don't know what to do." The desire to make Heero better was immense. "They say I can make you well, Heero. They say I brought someone back from the dead once before." It was like a memory, an elusive thread of thought that teased him merciless as Duo reached for it, trying to bring it to the surface. It was almost a dream, he was elsewhere, with someone else. Someone else was dying, or dead. It was a familiar sensation, the power that rose from a well deep within him. A plea that was issued, a strength that flowed out of him into the other person.

"Duo, by the Ancient, stop it!"

Frantic calls and then…

Blessed darkness.

XXxxXX

Duo fought his way through oppressive blackness, fighting his way up from intense exhaustion and drowsiness. His eyelids slowly fluttered open, his mind still numb. Someone was stroking his cheek softly.

"Hello love, welcome back to the land of the living."

Violet eyes blinked drowsily, taking in the messy dark mop of hair and piercing deep blue eyes. "Heero?" Duo said, appalled at how weak he sounded. "Am I dead as well? Are we together?"

Heero laughed softly, helping Duo to sit up. "No, Du… Keiran, you aren't dead and neither am I."

"But…" Duo frowned in confusion. "You were dead, I saw you bleeding to death and Quatre was crying all over you and… and…"

Wonder filled Heero's blue eyes, along with a touch of sadness. "You Healed me, Keiran."

"Healed… Why do you call me Keiran?" Duo demanded. For some unknown reason, that name hurt him to the quick.

Heero threaded his fingers through Duo's short locks. "The sorcerer is no more… as is the counter spell to whatever she did to you. Duo is forever more gone." He finally realised the pain he caused to the man before him and tried to moderate his words. "Do not mistake me, my love. That I love you has not changed, but you are not Duo no matter how I want you to be. You have been fed memories that make you alien to our culture and made you different."

"I know," Duo whispered brokenly. "I will never be the person you want me to be. I will never be a Healer again. I will forever remain Keiran Walker. And I would have to leave."

Surprisingly, Heero smiled. "Keiran, you are a Healer. Apparently, no spell was able to rid you of that ability. Duo had been the first Healer ever to Heal death, and you," another soft stroke of Duo's smooth cheek. "Are the second. You have created a miracle once again."

"And you scared the living daylights out of us!" Quatre bustled into the dwelling, checking Keiran, ensuring that he was none the worse for wear. "Heero was deader than a doornail that's for sure and a minute later, he was twitching in your arms, while you were dead to the world."

Keiran could only blink in confusion. Heal death? He did something impossible? He was still a Shifter Healer? He could still stay?

"Of course, the last time you did it when you were pregnant, you almost lost Odin. That's why I was so surprised all you were was exhausted. The babies seem very happy at this moment and Odin is just hopping around glad that his Father and his Daddy are together again. Odd he is not very upset about the whole… What?" Quatre snapped, realising both Heero and Keiran was staring at him, their mouths slightly ajar.

"Do you always talk this much?" Duo asked, amused and was instantly brained with a soft pillow while Heero strove to stifle a laugh.

"Hey, you are worse than me!" Quatre protested.

"Am not!" Duo challenged.

"Is too!"

"Am not!"

"Is too!"

"My, are they at it again?" Wufei asked from the doorway. "Duo… Sorry, Keiran. Welcome back."

Keiran was enveloped in a tight hug by the dark haired Shifter and the twins, protesting being squashed, kicked at Wufei, causing them both to chuckle softly. "I am still rather confused. I'm not sure what happened."

"Hmm… to put it shortly, your son has done something no Shifter has ever tried or thought possible and you, who is not able to have access to your abilities broke through a spell that even Gee couldn't counter."

At the name of the Healer, a pall fell over the room.

"What about him?" Keiran asked tentatively.

Heero frowned. "We are not sure to try him as a traitor or let him go for trying to save you. So we are just locking him up for Zechs to decide."

Keiran looked at his mate. "So what do we do now?"

"Do?" Heero echoed, a true smile lighting his features. He hugged Keiran carefully. "We are going to live happily ever after."

…tbc…

See? No cliffie this time. No Duo either… or… is there? Would I be so mean as to deprive Hee-plushie of his Du-plushie?