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 24
The next three days went on like this. An early morning, a long, arduous ride with little actual forward movement, then they would begin the search for a decent camping spot when the sun began to set. After dinner each night, Duo would practice a bit with Heero's throwing knives, then he and Meiran would settle down to long swordsmanship sessions, wherein the braided youth began to get the basics down, engraining them into his mind and body until they would eventually become second nature, if given enough time. For now, though, it served to give Duo something to occupy his mind at night, and kept him from brooding too much, for which they were all thankful, Heero most notably of all.
Around the eve of the third night of training, Meiran'd handed her brother's sword to Duo, and the 'real' training had begun.
The blade was lighter than the branch he'd been using, and slightly curved, so the youth's already building endurance could further be pushed with longer sessions.
Each night found Duo exhausted and asleep as early as possible, but each morning found him ready, almost eager for the challenges of the day.
A change came over Meiran as well during this time.
It seemed that teaching suited her, and once she'd made up her mind that Duo was indeed not to blame for her brother's death, the two grew closer, both as teacher and student, and as friends. She was still harsh at times, but it had eased somewhat. Insults to the others meant less, and became more like jokes between friends.
One major difference in the group's mind-set, was Wufei's attitude towards Meiran. Watching her teach Duo showed him that she did know what she was doing, and knew it quite well. She had courage, which could almost be called reckless at times, and a determination that had kept her with them in the first place. A sense of honor pervaded her every action, though it was a bit eschewed, and her sense of vengeful purpose kept her nerves clear in heated situations.
She, in turn, got up early to watch him perform his morning katas, occasionally voicing her own thoughts on his actions, but more often than not, simply watching his fluid motions.
The swords master was enchanting to watch. His swords weaved through the air with an almost musical quality to them, singing their own song, a deadly duet that possessed grace beyond anything seen in this human world.
…
It was around the fourth day that they hit the snows.
It started as the occasional flurry of small white flakes, but as they continued upwards, the snowfall grew heavier. A leaden gray sky loomed overhead, seeming so close they would merely have to reach up to touch it.
The soft snowfall was fresh, so the going was still easy for a time, until it began to stick. Then with each passing hour, the snow began to pile into drifts. The wind that picked up about that time didn't help either, only serving to blow the stinging powder into their faces and eyes. The ground grew slick with snow that melted, then refroze. Each breath plumed upwards, an expression of steam that was swept away as soon as it was exhaled.
Their forward progress slowed to almost nothing, for Heero at the front was required to break a path through the snow, now reaching the places where the snow was older, and packed firmer. It was difficult, for each passing moment threatened to leave him snow blinded. He used the ice picks to hack away at the thick, crystallized ice for what seemed like forever before he managed to break a path to the cover of a high rock fall that served as protection of a sort from the wind and ice.
The group dismounted, moving about to try and erect some sort of extra shelter. The trees had thinned considerably in the last few days, so wood would be more difficult to find than it had the previous nights. However, it was essential if they wanted anything warm.
Tethering the steeds in the protection of the stone, Heero and Quatre worked at starting a fire, while Duo, Wufei, Trowa, and Meiran searched for any wood, starting from the stone outcrop, and moving outwards in a sweep that was successful enough to allow them to come back with a moderate amount of wood.
By then, a small fire was breathed to life cupped within Heero's palms, Quatre working at feeding the tiny flame until it could sustain itself without their aid. Heero kept a boost on the flame though, as it was barely a drain. He normally didn't use his powers on such a frivolous thing, but right now it was more important for the fire to be lit, and stay that way.
It was a frigid night they spent, huddled next to the cold rock, the steeds even bedded down on their knees to try and preserve warmth.
...
Morning came, and with it a brief respite from the wind and snowfall. Sitting up from their nearly frozen positions, snow and ice fell from the blankets that had covered them, the mounts already standing near, luffing warm breaths into the still air.
It took longer for them to get themselves together and ready to be off again than in normally did, understandably enough.
Mounting up, it didn't take long for them to thaw out though, the movement jogging their senses to wakefulness, and their bodies to warmth.
The snow had hardened over night, and now cracked before them with several blows of the pick ax. In this way, they cleaved a path through the thigh deep drifts, sometimes even reaching up to their waists.
Some time after midday, they crested the peak of a hill, and gazed down upon a wide expanse of frozen river. Keeping the mounts in tight reign, they slowly moved down the bank until they stopped at the near shoreline.
Heero, as the lead, slowly nudged Shiroi forward, listening for the tell tale cracking and skittering of ice about to give way. It seemed firm enough, though. He dismounted anyway, signaling for the others to do the same. There would be less risk of plunging through with less weight on the Illian's narrow iron shod hooves.
Though their movements were paced, they tried to cross the river with as much speed as they could safely handle. They managed to cross the thinnest part at the center without mishap, and Heero doubled back to make sure nothing happened to his rear guard, Wufei. Instead of bringing the Illian back to potential danger, he let Shiroi go ahead by himself, as the mount was well capable of handling it.
The swords master and soldier passed the dangerous center strip of ice, and it was after they'd left it that a sharp crack resounded through the air, alerting the both of them to the suddenly precarious situation they found themselves in.
"Go!" Wufei yelled, slapping Usui on the rump to get the Illian away before the entire thing caved in, both him and Heero following as fast as they could on the slick ice.
It wasn't fast enough though, and the ice opened underneath them, dumping the both of them into the torpid, frozen water.
The sudden sound alerted the rest of the group to the trouble, and they looked back in time to see the two go under, struggle to the surface, then be dragged down again by cold water and sodden clothes. All of their winter layers would not help, but hinder now.
"Heero, Wufei!" Quatre yelled as they went under, rushing back with Duo and Trowa hot on his heels. The ice cracked further around where the two had disappeared beneath the surface, making it dangerous to be on the river at all, much less moving out to the weaker parts.
Meiran came up behind them, having spent a spare moment to grab one of the lengths of rope they'd brought along from her saddle pack.
"Here! Tie this about one of you before you go further out. The whole thing's likely to give way." She said.
Duo was the first to grab hold of the rope, but Trowa took it from him, shaking his head. It made sense. Who could be lighter on their feet than an elf?
Tying the rope about his own middle, Trowa then wasted no time in moving further out on the river, the other three holding the end, and playing out the slack. He approached the gaping hole, and stopped suddenly as the ice beneath his feet shifted. That was the farthest out the ice would hold him, and he was yet several feet from the opening.
The elf didn't see any sign of the two for a moment, then he suddenly shot to his belly, slithering as far out as he could to reach in and grasp hold of one of the two's clothing. On his stomach like that spread his weight enough for the ice flow to hold both him, and the sudden addition of one soggy human popsicle he pulled upwards.
Wufei sputtered to the surface, gasping for breath even as he wildly looked around for Heero. It was amazing how much of a shock the cold water had been to his system, slowing his own movements until he could not even resurface for much needed air. How much more difficult would it be for Heero, who wore a heavier sword and bits of metal armor?
The shivering started in then, and Trowa dragged the swords master out only by shear strength of arms, for the ice continued to break beneath him as he pulled, and Wufei's body was numb with cold, inhibiting his ability to help much.
Dragging him back to the others, an almost frantic Duo received him, eyes yet scanning the hole where the two had originally gone under. Heero should have come up again by now. Gods, he should have come up by now, even if it was to simply thrash about a bit.
As soon as he deposited the swords master, Trowa went back out to search for their other comrade.
The ice was breaking up more, and he almost felt it give beneath his light feet even as he moved dangerously further out. The slight tug of the rope about his waist was a thoroughly comforting presence, despite the fact that it might be the only thing to keep him from a frosty death, as their leader was well on his way to facing.
He saw nothing of Heero, stopping further back than he had before.
Emerald eyes searched hard for any sign; bubbles, movement in the water, anything showing where the soldier struggled to reach the surface. He saw no other movement than that of the broken ice bobbing upon the open bit of water, and heard no more than the same. It was as if their leader had disappeared.
Or was stuck under the thicker ice surrounding the break.
Trowa abruptly turned his gaze downriver, both listening and watching the ice for movement, or the dull thud of someone trying to break their way upwards.
It was something far to the side of where he'd been searching, and far different than anything he'd been looking for, that caught his attention though.
A loud crack, similar to the first they'd heard when the ice broke, rang through the air, and everyone's head turned to find the source.
The ice a good fifteen to twenty feet downriver of the large hole was glowing a deep yellow, and getting brighter. Light from beneath was pulsing up through, and even as Trowa rushed over with elvish speed, curls of steam began to rise from the surface, the cracking of ice exposed to sudden heat ringing through the air.
The light abruptly dulled then, as if its source had been suddenly cut, and Trowa threw caution to the winds. Going to his knees, and clasping his hands together, the elf raised, then brought his doubled fists down hard on the ice, once, twice, then through to the frigid water beneath.
Almost diving in himself, Trowa reached deep into the water, praying.
His hand brushed cloth.
Taking hold of it, he heaved backwards, the partially melted ice cracking under his knees, pulling a frozen body from the water, and back onto the more solid ice.
Looking down at the freezing person he now held in his arms, Trowa saw that hypothermia had set in, and Heero wasn't breathing.
Wasting no time, he lifted Heero's dead weight with some difficulty, for the young man was no light lift at the best of times, and was at the moment heavy with water, and carried him only far enough to be out of immediate danger of the ice breaking again. He then laid him down to battle the danger of another kind.
Duo was there then, as well as the others, looking anxiously on as Trowa worked, and unknowing as to ow to help.
Heero was horribly pale, his lips blue, and eyes closed. His chocolate hair was plastered to his head, the normally unruly locks already beginning to stiffen as they froze. The few bits of exposed skin were cold to the touch, and it would not be long before his waterlogged clothes began freezing as well.
Turning him quickly onto his side with no small amount of roughness in his hurry, the elf delivered a hard blow to the center of Heero's back, seeking to rid his lungs of fluid. A cough burbled up from somewhere, and Trowa struck his back again, water pouring from his lungs.
After half a moment's wait, he again laid the still soldier flat, checking his breathing.
It was there, thready and short, but it was there, and Trowa actually did so ungraceful a thing as rolling back off his heels to land on his butt, relief washing over him.
"He's breathing...." The elf said, and a collective sigh of relief told of the fact that everyone had been holding their breaths, fearing the worst.
Of course, both Heero and Wufei weren't out of the danger zone yet. Wet clothes in freezing temperatures weren't good for the body, much less the spark of life which had so nearly been extinguished. They needed to be dry and warm, fast.
Trowa hoisted Heero up, as the strongest of those presently able, and Duo helped Wufei to walk as the group moved quickly off the frozen river to where the steeds waited.
Mounting up on his unnamed Illian, Trowa made sure the unresponsive Heero would not slide off, his friend's life depending on whether they could find decent shelter in time to bring him back from the edge of death.
Duo mounted behind Wufei on Usui, despite the swords master's annoyed assurance that he could ride on his own, instructing Murasaki to follow behind them. Keeping only half an ear on the grumbling warrior before him, Duo was most worried about the precious cargo Trowa would be carrying.
Quatre and Meiran were ready when they were, and the entire group moved out, the two rider less Illians following without the need of someone to guide them.
Their best bet would be to try and find a cave of some sort, to get the two completely out of the weather. Not only them, but now both Trowa and Duo were wet simply from the contact. They needed to dry off and change clothes as well.
Aquamarine eyes scanning the snow covered mountainside as they moved away from the deadly river, Quatre searched for the darker shadow that signaled an opening of any kind.
His eyes passed over a bare, solid rock face and moved on, then for some reason his glance was drawn back again.
There, an opening he could have sworn had not been there before. Despite misgivings, they needed shelter, and Quatre called back to the short line of riders.
"A cave opening." He said, both pointing and gently giving a directional tug on his Arabian's reigns. The horse obediently moved to the side, probably the one among the steeds that suffered the most, as a warm weather mount used to the hotter southern temperatures.
Quatre dismounted as the others pulled up behind him, and approached the opening, slogging through the icy knee high snow. It was tall and narrow, though not so narrow that the steeds would be unable to pass through, and looked to go back quite a ways.
It was too dark to see inside, however, and if they wanted to use it, its safety needed to be assured first. So, Quatre took a breath, grabbed hold of his staff, and slipped inside into almost complete darkness.
A quiet word of awakening passed the mage's lips, and the crystal atop the staff blazed to life in response. The bright bluish white light bounced off of natural stone architecture, casting twisted shadows that jumped with each movement the little mage made.
The cave did not go back very far, despite first appearances. A solid thirty paces wide, and about twenty paces deep, then it just rounded off, like someone had taken their hand a scooped out the little grotto. The thought brought a certain Mother Earth to mind, and Quatre had a feeling that tended more towards a hint that Phenris was behind this, bless her immortal soul.
Leaning back outside, he gave the all's clear signal. It only took a few minutes to have the entire group inside. The mounts were tethered in the back, then they got to work on warming Wufei and Heero up.
While Duo and Quatre began the business of stripping both Heero and Wufei of their freezing wet clothes, with no blushing on anyone's part, Meiran and Trowa went back out into the snow to find wood for a fire.
Wufei's body was already warming, and he could do a lot of it on his own, so Quatre moved over to an open space to work with the beginnings of a fire.
Despite the hurry he was in, Duo moved with care while removing the sodden garments. All of his weapons went first, sword, throwing knives, and dagger. When Heero's under shirt came off, Duo spent a few moments chaffing his skin, bringing the blood back to his numbed body. He then moved lower, taking off Heero's well worn boots, and then peeling off his leggings, which stuck like a second skin. Duo then proceeded to chafe his legs, working from his feet up. It was a diligent job, and he consciously kept his eyes on his own hands to stop them from wandering.
After he finished, he took one of the bed rolls, and wrapped the still unconscious soldier tightly in it, easing his own tension a bit.
By this time, Quatre had managed to catch some sparks, and was now feeding a small flame.
Meiran and Trowa came back then with as much wood as they could find, which truly did not amount to much, though it would serve. They piled the somewhat wet wood next to where Quatre worked, where upon the little mage slowly built the fragile flame until it was large enough to give the desired warmth.
Wufei sat next to it, a blanket wrapped about his bare shoulders. With Trowa's help, Duo scooted Heero over next to the fire. Then the both of them started work on themselves, each taking off their wet clothes and changing into a dry pair.
Heero did not wake up that night. The color did return to his skin though, and they were in high hopes that he would recover soon. Time was running out, and if he did not wake within the next two days, they'd have to push on anyway.
Needless to say, it was a bit of a painfully sleepless night for Duo, who sat the watch, though the others were tired enough to fall asleep, for the first time in a week doing so warm.
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Ya know…I really didn't like the last two chapters for some reason. Freaking pointless plot that eats at the story like a giant manderian earth worm!
*cough cough*
It gets better, I can assure you.
Woot!
You guys wanted 1x2 romantic lovey dovey stuff? Well here it comes in the next chapter ^_^
It is approximately 2:25 am, I'm watching adult swim, and eating animal crackers.
Can it get any better?
...Oh, I found a horse one! *viciously bites off the poor defenseless cookie's head.* Mwahahahaha!!!
Fear my awesome cookie powers!!
*randomness ensues*
Review, Review!!