Chapter 7
The underworld was a dark and dreary place. Upon entering the domain, Heero was met with a large three-headed dog.
"Nice puppy…good puppy…" Heero repeated as he walked slowly toward the strange animal. Amazingly, it allowed him to touch it. He climbed up on the center head and instructed it to take him to its master. It obliged, and soon Heero was on his way. The architecture was interesting, considering the whole thing was underground. When they reached the main chamber, the dog lowered its heads as its master, Hades, stomped up to it.
"Where's Duo?" Heero yelled. "Tell me now!" He pulled out the gun he carried at all times, cocked it, and pointed it straight at Hades, not knowing exactly if it would intimidate him. Apparently, though, it did, because he backed off a little.
"Come on; let me show you around…" Hades invited. Heero narrowed his eyes, but allowed the lord of the dead to give him the grand tour.
After a time, they came to a river/lake thing. There were souls swimming all around…there were so many that the thing seemed to be made of souls.
"Duo is down there somewhere…but, if you can get to him, you can keep him. If you fail, you both stay here. Sound like a deal?" Hades held out his hand in open invitation.
Heero thought for a moment. Chances were slim that he'd ever find Duo…but then. He glanced at the pool again and saw him. His eyes were closed peacefully and his arms were floating along at his sides. "All right. Deal." Heero shook Hades' hand, then swan-dived into the pool.
"I forgot to mention one thing! You'll be dead before you can get to him!" Hades called after Heero, but it was doubtful that Heero heard or cared.
He had been swimming for about a minute and a half before he finally noticed himself aging very rapidly. At this rate, there was no way he was going to make it in time…
He pushed himself further with each stroke, but it seemed to be in vain. It seemed that Duo floated farther away with each move Heero made. As he swam, he felt himself getting weaker and weaker with each move. He thought for sure that he would most definitely die before he reached Duo.
Hades stood on the ledge overlooking the pool of souls laughing. Two for the price of one. He stopped short as Heero somehow re-emerged holding his lover's soul.
"How…" Hades started, but Heero would not make eye contact. Calmly setting the delicate spirit on the ground, Heero faced Hades and drop kicked him into the soul gathering. Frowning disdainfully, he picked up the soul again and left the underworld.
Arriving once again at the scene of Duo's death, Heero swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward, holding back tears the whole way. He knelt next to Duo and let the soul float down to its owner.
The color slowly returned to Duo's face, his chest started to rise and fall with his breathing, and his eyelids fluttered. When his eyes opened, they were the deepest and clearest violet that Heero had ever seen.
"You did it, Heero. You did it." Duo said.
"Yeah…I guess I did…" Heero agreed, just because he didn't know what else to say, and fell into a sitting position on the ground next to his braided koi.
The next thing he knew, everything was black.
Sorry about the cliffhanger...Gomen ne...