Eclipse of Dusk
By: Hseru
Warnings: Shounen ai later on 1x2 3x4 5xM (Hey look...he's got someone now ^_^)
Disclaimer: I own not Gundam Wing, but I do own the world the G-boys traverse. Fear my god power
Chapter 23
Each day on the Trader's road meant, with more certainty, that Meiran would not be leaving any time soon. It also was very evident that Wufei would be going insane any time now. The two of them got into a scrape over some little thing or another at every opportunity possible.
From cleaning the dishes they used at night, tacking out the steeds, to the proper use of a sword, and anything else they could think of, they disagreed.
Each morning, Wufei ran through one of his katas both with and without his swords. It was like his wakeup call, and took only a short amount of time. The first time Meiran watched him, she claimed he was doing it all wrong. Then Wufei burst forth with a lecture on the injustice of how an un-knowledged woman who used only a single blade could say anything about the technique of a master of the Ni Batou Ryu; safe to say, the both of them were shouting before it was over.
Quatre and Duo were normally the ones to break the two of them up, but Meiran was often seen shooting a glare at the braided youth every time he came near her, so this didn't always work. She blamed him, as much as she blamed Sarkan, for the death of her brother. Though she did not come right out and say it, the heated anger was there every time anything concerning Duo came up.
With this in mind, they did not see the need to inform her of the entire situation, so she was left with the half lie that the sorcerer had stolen something precious, and that they intended to get it back by any means necessary.
It was about this time that Duo decided to do something about being so damn helpless.
Magic was something he could normally have done, but with it all blocked away in his true form, he was left with the option of using a weapon of some sort.
He approached Heero with his idea.
"I want to learn how to use a weapon." Duo said suddenly some time after midday, heeling Murasaki up next to Shiroi.
Heero blinked, and glanced over at him.
"I hate being so damn helpless, and having to watch while you guys fight to protect me." He said in emphasis. "Could you not teach me to handle something so that I can be of some use to you?"
The stoic soldier didn't answer him for a moment.
"....hn. I could teach you the use of my throwing knives, and perhaps a sword, but we have no spare blade for you." Heero said in all practicality,
"She does..." Duo answered quietly, nodding his head back towards Meiran's horse.
...
That evening, the eve of the fourth day of traveling on the trader's road -with some light still in the sky- found Heero teaching a somewhat fumbling Duo how to hold his throwing knives.
Only an inch or so longer than the full length of his hand, fingers and all, there was a certain place the knives needed to be grasped. The breadth of the blade was twice that of the hilt, and the keel of the cross guard was what allowed the blade to embed itself the right way, instead of simply thunking hilt first into whatever was aimed for.
Despite their design, they still needed to be released right to allow the blades to spin, and that included holding the blade two to three inches from the razor sharp point. After Duo finally had the hold right, Heero pointed out a tree, and demonstrated first.
Pulling the small knife back, he snapped his wrist forward, releasing the knife to sink several inches into the thick bark of the tree. Moving to fetch the blade, he then came back, and instructed Duo to do the same thing.
The knife left the braided youth's hand, and flew forward, a good two feet from where he'd initially aimed. Fetching the knife, Duo again threw it, and got marginally closer to the tree trunk.
"When you release, you twitch your arm to the side." Heero said when he'd returned from hunting up the small blade. "Try and keep your arm straight, and move mostly your wrist. The spin comes from the snap of the wrist at the end, not your arm."
With a nod, Duo tried again, and managed to actually hit the tree he aimed for, though the knife simply slammed up sideways against the trunk, instead of blade first.
Leaving Duo to practice, the occasional loud sound of the blade hitting against solid wood echoing through the camp, Heero went to work on the second part of the braided youth's request.
Some how, he had to get past Meiran's blame of Duo to make her see sense, and allow Duo the use of her brother's sword. If anything, Duo having some knowledge of the weapon would alleviate some of Heero's worry for him. It meant he could protect himself if anything were to happen.
The others were sitting around the small blaze, dinner done some time ago. A small smile crossed Quatre's face as a faint sound of joy told them Duo had landed a blade home in the tree.
Kneeling next to the silent form of Meiran, Heero got her attention with his simple presence.
"I need to talk to you about something..." He said quietly, motioning for her to follow him. Obliging him, she pushed herself off the ground, and walked after the solitary figure, the three by the fire watching after for only a moment, then returning to their own business.
Stopping just out of hearing range of the others, Heero turned to face her. She crossed her arms before her, and waited for him to start.
"I need the use of your brother's sword." He said, so directly to the point that it actually took her aback for a moment.
"W..what?" She stammered.
"Duo needs a weapon. You are the only one among us whom has an extra." He exemplified; smooth tact was evidently not in his dictionary.
Her features darkened at the mention of Duo's name. "No... and a thousand times more, no, before you think to ask again." She said, vehemence filling her voice.
"I was not asking." Heero said coldly, pulling all of his stern authority into his voice.
Her eyes narrowed at his words.
"You presume to order me about, like some common underling!?" She said, voice raising in pitch. "That boy is partially responsible for what happened to my brother in the first place! Do you actually believe I would allow his sword to be so defiled as to be used by him?" She gestured wildly back in the general direction of where Duo was yet practicing with the throwing knives.
"He drew the both of us, not to mention the entire town, into what ever petty grudge is held by this sorcerer. His games got my brother killed!"
With those words, Heero finally lost that wealth of self control he held in such high regard.
"Damn you..." He snarled, closing the distance between them until his face was mere inches from hers.
"You know nothing, NOTHING of what you speak. That boy has been through, and lost more than you will ever know." Heero's voice was low, and full of a menace that transgressed mere anger. "He deserves better than the contempt you give him daily, and the only game played is the one Sarkan plays with him; He will end up toying with Duo until there is nothing left but the shell of a person who once cherished life." One of Heero's hands tightened convulsively into a fist at the thought of it. "We are the only things standing between him and that fate, and I intend to succeed in this, no matter the consequences."
Meiran was silent for a moment, however, she was not one to back down in the face of a single man's cold rage.
"I will not allow my brother's memory to be profaned by his hands, or anyone else's for that matter!" She said fiercely.
"No, but you will allow me the use of his sword." Heero went on. "If our company is strengthened by it, then I will take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that. If that entails taking both of your swords, and dropping you in our wake, then so be it, but I will not allow you to be the endangering factor here." Heero's cold assurance hit a note even through Meiran's heated anger at the merest thought of another using her brother's sword.
The five of them could indeed leave her behind easily. They had chosen the much nicer way of handling her stubborn decision, by letting her tag along. There was no real way that she could tell if they were capable of such harsh mannerisms, but if she were smart, and Meiran prided her wisdom in most cases above all else, then she would acquiesce to their demands in return for her vengeance.
Plus if what this man told her was true, then she had been vastly blaming an innocent beyond any deed he had committed. It rankled to know she might be wrong.
The silence between them grew until it could be stood no more, and Meiran was the first to break.
"He has not been taught the use of a blade..." She said, the last bit of protest she was going to put forth. It was obvious he didn't know how to handle one, for most whom did had a certain way they walked. It was a readiness in their step, an air of knowing.
"I am going to teach-"
"I want to teach him." Meiran cut in. Heero blinked, surprised beyond what he was used to. Then his eyes narrowed.
"Mere moments ago, you were against him even touching the sword, and now you are volunteering to teach him?" He asked, incredulity plane in his voice.
"I want to know....what lies in his heart." She said, eyeing him. "By teaching him, I can know for sure. Despite your words, or perhaps because of them, I am still hesitant to believe what you say. Still, if it is true, I do not wish to blame those who do not deserve it." It was her way of both proving to herself, and saving face in the matter. If Duo was the innocent, the victim, then it would be evident as any teaching progressed. Despite her real want to stand away from him, by becoming his teacher, the two would grow close enough for one to know the other, especially the teacher knowing the student. So it had been for her, and so it would be for anyone she taught.
Heero had some misgivings about the idea.
Ok, to be blunt , he didn't like it at all. He had wanted to be the one to teach Duo, but he was one who knew best what needed to be done is what had to be done, especially if it worked for the greater good.
"Very well..." He finally said. "You will teach him, but I do not want callousness out of you, for him."
Meiran nodded crisply.
"Very well..." She said in reply. "Now...was there anything else you needed?" She asked, a bit snippy.
"No."
"Good." And with that, she turned from him, and returned to her place by the fire, not a word passing her lips to those already seated by the blaze.
Heero resisted the urge to sigh, and merely reached a hand up to run it uncharacteristically through his messy chocolate hair.
This would probably end up working against him, he could just feel it.
...
It was some time later, after the sun had fully set, that Heero returned to see how Duo was faring. It was difficult to see in the now darker night time light, but the tree he had used as a target looked to be pretty beat up. Nicks, dents, and a fair amount of slits covered the rough surface for about three feet up and down.
Duo nearly bounced when he saw Heero. He looked so...happy. It was amazing that so little a thing could bring him joy.
"Heero! I got it! Watch me!" And with that, he poised to throw the small knife again, for the umpteenth time. Heero did indeed watch, but his eyes were on Duo's actions, not his target. The braided youth seemed to have gotten a fair idea of how to hold and throw the knives. It was only his release and aim that needed work, as the flying knife hit up against the side of the tree, instead of embedding in the wood.
A scowl came to Duo's small face, and he fetched the knife from where it had fallen.
"I can do it...but it only happens off and on." He said, bringing his arm back to throw it again. With a flick of his wrist, the knife went flying, and thunked blade first deep into the wood. A bright smile crossed his face, and he turned to Heero.
"See? I'm kinda getting the hang of it." He said, grinning.
Heero nodded, and had to give a slight smile at Duo's antics.
"I got you a sword." He said after a minute. Duo turned to look at him from where he'd gone back to practicing, surprise all over his face.
"Really? How? I though Meiran hated me." He said.
"She's going to teach you." Heero came right out and said it.
Duo's face fell a bit.
"Oh…ok"
…
The next day dawned early. They would be going off the marked and beaten trail into the wilderness of the Northern Reaches now.
At the front, Heero conversed with Trowa. The elf would be their guide because of his natural ability to tell at all times where the sun and stars stood. He would be able to keep them on a straight North-North West heading.
Breaking from the trail only a short time after starting the day's ride, the pace slowed considerably as they had to pick their way through the slopes which had steadily grown more rough as the journey progressed.
The first night off the trail was a tired one for all, but Meiran kept to her word, and moved over to where Duo was caring for Murasaki.
"We are going to start your training tonight." She said brusquely. "After you are done, come to me." And with that she walked back to care for her own steed. Duo blinked, then sighed. This probably wasn't going to be very pleasant.
It didn't take him long to finish though, and he met Meiran some distance from the others, the both of them excused from the regular night time activities for the sake of what they were aiming for.
Meiran held both of her swords, but as Duo approached, they were both leaned with respect against a nearby tree, and replaced by two thick branches that were of the appropriate length.
"Since we do not have the proper training foils, this will be the first blade in your hand." She said, handing him one of the surprisingly heavy branches.
The following rather long amount of time had her showing him several different blocks, high and low, to each side, sweeping blocks, hilt blocks, and combinations thereof, both single handed, and double handed. He had to do each one, and show her that he could do it to her satisfaction before they moved on. Before it was half over, Duo's arms were already aching, for she insisted he do the techniques with both hands, and as the lesson neared its end, his arms were about ready to fall off and die.
Duo voiced not a single complaint though, such was his determination, and Meiran ran him hard on purpose. She was mildly surprised at his endurance, and by the end of the first lesson, had to grudgingly admit that the youth was indeed serious of nature. He also had some knack for it, because he caught on quick, and moved fluidly enough for the actions to not be awkward.
"Alright...that's good for today..." She finally said, long after the sun had set below the horizon. With a grateful sigh, Duo nodded without words.
"We are going to do this every night after we stop for rest." She said, turning to pick up the two swords that had not even been touched yet. "I expect the same amount of effort from you that I saw tonight, every night."
"Yes Ma'am..." Duo said, and she turned sharply to see if he'd meant it in jest. Only partially it seemed, for he smiled at her, despite the weariness that was evident in his face, his eyes, the way he stood.
"Go get some sleep..." She admonished softly, and with a nod, Duo turned to do just that. Making it to the bed roll someone had thoughtfully put out, he collapsed onto it, asleep as soon as he was laid out.
Meiran was up for a time after that, unaware of the person who'd watched the entire lesson with what was growing into a reluctant admiration for the warrior maiden.
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I'm glad to see that you all don't think this too long. To tell the truth, I'm as eager to get to the end as some of you are, merely because even I don't have a clear idea of what will happen. A general idea, yes, but one has to have something to work off of.
When I write each chapter, I'm reading it for the first time, and it's like reading a good book that you can't put down, can't wait to finish, yet when it's over, you're sad it's over.
Kind of mixed up, I know, but I guess I get so excited because this is the first time I've been able to carry through with such an endeavor. Sure, it's my second attempt at a fanfic, but my first one didn't get finished (though I do hope to finish Amethyst Wing at some point or another)
I'm actually going to finish this story, and it's not just a handful of empty words.
Makes me proud ^_^
-Hseru
A quick after word, I have made one mistake in this fic, and I want to put it in words now and apologize from the depths of my heart.
We all know, there's no way in all the nine hells that Heero would ever actually say the word 'cheeky' ((I heard that from more than one person, mind you)) I don't know how delusional I was when I wrote that, but I go back now, and even I wonder what was wrong with me at the time. Forgive the slipup, for I believe keeping mostly to the character's original personality is important to the storyline.
That's all for now ^_^
Ciao
Review, Review!!