A note to my faithful reviewers, I once more love you all. To shinwa no akuma, as in many cases, both the words usui and hikari could mean 'light' in Japanese, (I seem to remember something like that) with different specific meanings. Or I could just be off on my translation. Either way, thanks for the drop. ^_^
Eclipse of Dusk
By: Hseru
Warnings: Shounen ai later on 1x2 3x4 5x? (poor Wuffers)
Disclaimer: I own not Gundam Wing, but I do own the world the G-boys traverse. Fear my god power
Chapter 16
A sigh escaped from dusky lips as Quatre relaxed into the springs water. Even the stone he rested against was warmed by the steaming water, and it felt good to be able to relax after so much built up tension had him wired almost past exhaustion.
The suddenly comforting presence at his back laid warm hands on his shoulders, kneading the knotted muscles there. He nearly fainted with the pleasure of it.
Raising his own slender hand after a moment, he took hold of one of those working at his shoulders, and pulled the person around, and gently into the water beside him.
"Thank you..." He said, smiling at Trowa even as the elf allowed himself to relax next to the mage. That same little smile was all the reply he got, but it was enough.
Dunking under, Quatre missed it when Duo flashed past them, but Trowa didn't. Even through the steam, his keen elvish sight could pick out the various details that told him something had happened, and that they did not yet know everything about the situation. He would have to confront Yuy later to find out what was going on.
That same sense of foreboding wrapped itself about his heart, and worried thoughts almost teasingly chased themselves about his mind for a long time after that. Fortunately, the little mage beside him did not notice anything untoward in his companion's silent attitude, so he was not questioned about it.
...
Duo fled from the hot springs. He paused only long enough at the tunnel's entrance to put on clothes, and tie his hair back with the small piece of leather he used, then kept going until he reached the stable cavern, bypassing Phenris in the main cavern on the way, the earth spirit looking after him with a mirror image of his own pain on her features.
Despite the torture his memories caused him, he was indeed wearing the small onyx pendant.
Upon entering the large cave, he immediately went over to his silk black Illian, murmuring niceties to her, his hand coming up to rub at the whorl of hair right between her eyes. She nuzzled him comfortingly.
Despite the fact that someone who could reply in kind would have made a better listener, Duo needed someone who would just listen, instead of reply. He didn't want pity, which he was sure he had seen in the messy haired soldier's eyes.
He wanted hatred.
He wanted to be told he was a monster. It would have been sardonically gratifying to hear it from someone else's lips, but so far, no one had offered to do so.
"Murasaki...why...why did this have to happen to me?"[1] He whispered, addressing the mare before him. She whickered softly in return, whiskered muzzle pressed into his chest as he wrapped his arms about her majestic head.
"Living without my damn memories was better than this..." He again whispered, closing his eyes as he laid his head against her warm, velvet hide, finding some comfort in the simple gesture of need.
...
After Duo took his leave, Heero was too bothered to relax again, effectively ruining his hot soak. He did stay in for a time, simply for the benefits to his worn body, but his active mind did not allow him to enjoy it.
Duo blamed himself.
Apparently, Duo had gotten his memories back, or Phenris had explained to him the situation. This changed everything he thought about his past, making it a short and bittersweet fantasy where a deeper darkness lurked.
When Quatre had told him about Duo's violent and sad past, he had felt a stab of pity for the poor guy. The idea that some flying beast had taken his friends and newly acquitted family from him must have given Duo some sense of ease for a while, but now, everything was different. Heero could almost not imagine what kind of pain that must be causing the long haired youth. After all, Heero had lost his own adoptive family. It had been painful, yes, but the fact that he was disowned for something that he himself could not have helped even if he wanted to had severely lessened what pain there might have originally been. To have unknowingly killed them by his own hand while love was still strong however...
That was something all too terrible for the human mind to grasp.
Good thing Duo wasn't human.
Now stop it, he told himself. If you want to venture down that road, don't forget to include yourself in that mental picture of inhumanity.
That bit of recently acquired information weighed heavy on him, that it did, and would probably do so until he could properly sort it into the reality he had made for himself. It just didn't fit at the moment, so he put it aside for future contemplation.
Duo was the now. Duo, and Shinigami. They had unwittingly become the new mission.
And this time, it was a mission to save more than just the prosperity of the land. Failure meant the death of everything they knew.
What was it Duo had said? Peachy keen? Whatever the hell it actually meant, it sounded about right to describe the situation at hand with as much sarcasm as humanly (or otherwise) possible.
Finally tired of arguing with even himself, Heero gave up on the hot spring, and climbed out. Walking back towards the cave opening, he found several folded towels laying there ready for use, as well as new, clean clothes. Grabbing one, and committing to memory the promise to again thank Phenris, he dried off, then slipped into the new clothes, consisting of dark breeches, and a lighter, loose shirt secured with a belt. He had loathed the thought of putting the filthy apparel back on after his soak, but there had originally been no help for it. One did what they must.
The clean, surprisingly silken cloth felt marvelous and cool against his heated skin, and he walked with easy steps back down the long tunnel to the main cavern.
He found Phenris there seated in front of the hearth fire, her back to him, and his sword before her. It sat within the flames, on second look, not quite in the flames, but a foot or so above them, yet it did not seem to be touched by the heat. The hilt, well worn with use, practice, and the amount of care that went into it, was grasped by what looked to be a hand made of solid rock, extending upwards out of the ground through the wood the fire licked hungrily at and around.
Knowing that he shouldn't interfere with whatever was taking place, Heero contented himself to watch with a careful eye. The earth spirit's small hands were up, and she chanted something that sounded arcane under her breath. The flames then leapt upwards, engulfing the sword, and stone hand in what seemed to be writhing tentacles of heat. It was obstructed from view for a long moment, and when was finally revealed again, was blackened beyond being able to tell what color it had originally been, curls of smoke rising from its superheated surface.
"Heero Yuy...come forth" Phenris said suddenly, still without turning to look at him. Doing as he was told, Heero moved forward until he stood abreast of her. She extended a hand outwards to the sword yet within the flames, the stone hand gone.
"Grasp your sword." She commanded. Heero hesitated. Surely the metal would be scorching hot. To take hold of it now would peel the skin from his hand.
"Grasp. Your. Sword" Phenris said again, in a tone that brooked no argument, even from one such as he. Steeling himself to seal what pain might come away, Heero reached into the fire, and took hold of the hilt of his blackened sword.
The heated metal seemed to melt into his hand, scorching everything from blood and muscle, to bone. The heat radiated from his hand and up, taking the pain with it, a thousand hot needles searing into his flesh, pulsing with his heart, and traveling further up. His lips were pressed tightly together, eyes closed. The agony was horrific, but in all, it only lasted a handful of seconds.
Reeling from the sudden absence of what he had thought would be debilitating injuries, Heero looked down at the hand that held his sword, surprised to see it intact, and hale. The surprisingly cool hilt beneath his fingers left his hand covered in black, but now did no more. And something was...different.
The sword had a shine to it that it had not possessed before.
Heero felt Phenris press a cloth into his hand, and he immediately went to rubbing off the black soot that covered its length.
Underneath it was revealed a sword whose blade was made of black crystal. The thought that it would never be able to be used in combat again crossed Heero's mind, that crystal would not be able to take the impact against steel and still be whole. But then he did a double take.
That wasn't crystal...it was solid black diamond.
"This is all that I may give you to aid you on your journey." Phenris said quietly, watching him with eyes that matched the black of the sword's blade.
"That sword will never break in combat, and it will never dull. It has a monofilament edge that can cut through anything put before it. And..." Here, she raised a hand to lay it upon Heero's, the one that gripped the hilt of the fabulous weapon.
"It will protect you. I have instructed the diamond and steel it is made of to aid you. Use it well my little one, for I fear that you will be put to sore trial to recover Shinigami's soul."
Meeting her eyes, Heero gave a slight nod of understanding. The earth spirit then reached down to her feet, where a sheath Heero had not at first noticed lay. It might have not even been there before. Straightening, she looked up at him, presenting the sheath to him. It was not made from cured leather, as most at that time were, but from a metal that shimmered under her hand and was wrought with an ancient language that had not seen the light of day for thousands of years. He took it in his free hand, surprised at how light it was, and held both for a moment before sending the diamond blade home with an unusually metallic ring of noise.
"Thank you..." He said after a moment, angling cobalt eyes to her. The earth spirit simply nodded in return. Then she glanced towards the opening that led to the stabling cavern, a slight frown coming to her childish face.
"...Duo needs you now." She said quietly, looking back at him with ageless eyes. "Go and be his strength. Gods know, he's going to need it before this is all over..."
With yet another nod, and an odd look, Heero paused long enough to loop the sword's new sheath through the belt he wore, securing it there before moving out without another word.
As he disappeared into the gloom, Phenris sat back down on the small stool, watching his dissipating figure.
"Gods know...you'll all need it..." She whispered.
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1. Japanese for 'purple'
Ooooh...Heero and Duo-ness. If anyone has any good ideas for the next scene, I'm all ears. I'm a bit stuck as for what to do, and which way to go. Push them apart, or pull them together, as is the greatest power of the author.
Feed me Seymour, Feed me!
Ok...not so sure where that one came from...but who knows. It is 2:23 am right about now. That's probably where it came from. ^_^'
Cya next chapter!!
Review, Review!!