Shinigami Released

Chapter Fifteen

Heero and Odin watched, transfixed at what they were seeing, as Duo walked closer to Bane. Bane was just standing there, Heero could see it in his eyes that he was passed fear, shaking with what he knew was coming. The brothers could both see perfectly that Bane was trying to run, but he couldn't, something was holding him in place and neither doubted that it was Duo. Duo's face snapped to the side a gash in his face, a strike from Bane's force power. Duo just looked back up, his already blood covered tongue flicking out to lick the blood from the fresh gash as it ran down the side of his face near his lips.

Duo reached out and gripped Bane's face in his hand, squeezing hard. Bane's hands reached up and grabbed his wrist, trying desperately to pull him away. He was screaming now, as the foot shorter Duo crushed his face in, dropping him, the red haired man fell to the ground clutching his face. Duo knelt down and put his hand on Bane's chest, his nails digging into the mans chest. Bane screamed the best he could through his crushed face, blood gurgling through his throat the mouth. Heero and Odin watched as Duo ripped Banes heart out of his chest and squeezed it in his fingers, the blood dropping to the ground, and onto Bane, running down Ravi's already bruises, cut, and bloodied arm.

The only thing keeping Bane alive now was his power, something that would die out quickly. Heero and Odin could hear Duo words and it sent chills down their spines, at the echo they heard. His voice sounded childish, deadly, and dead in itself, yet is sounded demonic, and cold.

"Even then deepest parts of hell will not be able to protect you from me." Duo said. "For I am Death, and you, my slave." They watched in horror as the skin around Bane's body were ripped away, then the muscles and organs melted into a puddle of red and black, leaving a skeleton with a small clear orb, the very power that was Bane. Duo took the orb and the others watched and the orb itself melted into Duo's bloodied hand, becoming a part of him. Duo stood.

Heero and Odin jumped back when Duo turned to look at them, his eyes glowing yet dead. "We need to run." Odin said and grabbed his brother's arms pulling him out the door. Just as they cleared the door if blew open slamming into the wall with a loud crash. Odin and Heero ran as fast as the could down the hall, at the last minute Odin pulled them into a hall, both falling down the ground covering there heads as fire swiped down the hall that they were just running down.

Heero got to his feet and pulled Jhadia up and into a bright room, shutting the door behind them. Both listened carefully, silently, as the soft footsteps of Duo walked passed them. When the steps disappeared both sighed and slid down the wall, eyes closed with relief.

"What the hell is he?" Odin asked looking at Heero, but Heero was looking ahead of him, eyes wide in horror. Odin turned with fear, but relief when he saw Trowa. Then horror over took him when he saw his condition. Trowa was tired to a wall with wire, blood dripping down the wall and too the floor. Heero got up and ran over to him, taking his face in his hands. Trowa's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow.

"Trowa….Trowa, wake up." He said. Trowa opened his eyes slowly and smiled at Heero.

"Shadow." Was all he said before passing out again. Heero looked around him and found the torches all around the room.

"Blow out the torches, Odin." Heero ordered. Using his water power Odin washed out the torches quickly, leaving only one so they could see. It was enough to cause the room to fill with there shadows. Heero worked slowly, pulling the wire out of Trowa's skin. He carefully lowered Trowa to the floor, his body completely covered by Odin's shadow. Trowa sank into it slowly. "He'll stay in there until he heals himself, it'll be a few hours." Heero said. Trowa nodded.

"If Trowa is like this I'm afraid to see what the others are going through, but we need to find them, before Duo does." Odin said, Heero nodded, went to the door, and opened it slowly, poking his head out, he listened carefully. The ship rocked violently creaking loudly. There where screams coming from the deck, the crew. Heero looked back to Odin.

"He's on the main deck, come on." He said quietly. They both ran out of the room and down the hall to the next room. He reached for the door, just as all the light went out.

"He's sinking the damn ship." Odin said as the ship rocked again, sending both men into the wall, hard. Heero bared his teeth and balanced himself, pulling open the door, only to be bombarded by water. He held his ground, turning his body into a rock. Odin used his power and made the water move quickly away from them and out of the room. They rushed in and found Wufei laying on the ground, his lips blue. Odin knelt down to him and checked his pulse. "Heero bring one of the torches and light it." He ordered. Heero did as he was told.

Odin held the flaming torch close to Wufei. His eyes opened slowly and he reached for the flame with his hand. He was slow so Odin brought it to his hand and caught Wufei on fire. Heero winced at the sight, but when Wufei smiled and got to his feet the flame disappearing, he growled.

"I'm going to kill that damn bastard." He growled.

"To late." Heero said.

"What do you mean, too late?" He asked a little surprised. He had really wanted to kill him.

"Duo took care of it." He looked doubtful and Heero's words. "Trust me on this, I'm sure you'll see for yourself." The ship cave a groan again.

"What the hell is happening?" He asked looking around them.

"He's sinking the ship." Odin said, matter-o-factly.

"WITH US IN IT!" He screamed. The fear of water sending him over the edge again.

"Yes, but we still need to find Quatre." Odin said.

"And I need to get the circlet back on Duo's forehead." Heero said.

"What does the circlet have anything to do with this?" He asked.

"If what you said is true, and with what happen last time we came face to face with Bane, I'm guessing Duo hasn't been bonded to his power, and he has a lot of power." The three of them turned to see Quatre leaning against the door.

"Are you okay Quatre?" Heero asked.

"Yeah, I finally picked all those damn locks…where is Trowa?" He asked.

"He's in my shadow." Odin said. He nodded.

"Now what about Duo?" Wufei asked.

"He has not been bonded to his power. I'm guessing that an Elf, probable Solo made Duo that iron to keep the power under some control. But it also works to make his power weak. That is why he has to concentrate so hard to use it normally. Like when we were buried in the snow, he didn't use his water to move it, or his wind to blow it away, or fire to melt it, he literally dug me out with his hands. He also said that he had been practicing his powers for five hundred years, if that's the case then his power is strong." Quatre's eye brows knitted in thought. "What I'm not getting though is why he's ruthlessly killing the crew?" Quatre asked.

"I think that has something to do with Bane." Heero said he stood and looked out the door, making sure Duo wasn't coming back. "We need to get out of here." He said. Quatre stopped him.

"We need to figure this out before we face him. He's going to kill us if we don't help him." He said.

"Bane told him that I was dead. Do you remember what happen to mother when father died, Odin?" Heero asked, Odin closed his eyes and nodded. "Mother went into a coma state that even the healers couldn't reach her in. The difference is she was bonded to her powers. Without Duo's bond, the power is free to do what it will, and with Death being a bases of that power…well we're all fucking screwed." Heero said. Quatre sighed. "Not to mention he absorbed Bane's power, so the ruthlessness is probably worse then it would be otherwise."

"When we need to knock him out. If we do that then I can get you in his head. You can wake him up, and then I can bond them. That is our only hope of getting Duo back." Quatre said.

"He has all our powers." Wufei said.

"He's right, and he now has Bane's force power to add to his." Odin said.

"Heero, you can adsorb power right?" Quatre asked, Heero nodded. "Then we need you to absorb his powers, if you can do that then I can knock him out with my power." Quatre said. Quatre knelt down by Odin's shadow and put his hand on it. A hand reached out of it and he pulled Trowa up. "We need you're help too." He said and closed his eyes, healing Trowa quicker then his shadows would. Trowa pulled himself the rest of the way out of the shadow.

"If everything you said is true…then Duo is stronger then all of us." Trowa said.

"I know, but he's our friend, and we can not leave him like this." Quatre said, kissing Trowa lightly.

"We need to do this now." Heero said. He left the room and the others followed quietly. They made there way quickly to the stairs that lead to the main deck and walked slowly up them. At the top Heero looked around for Duo, seeing his back was facing them he hurried out to hide behind a few crates, the others followed quietly.

Duo smirked and turned towards them, the crates shattered and fell around them, all of them looking at him in fear.

"You are all that is left, what do you plan to do kill me?" Duo asked, his voice the same as before.

"Duo please, you can't kill us, we're your friends." Quatre tried.

"I have no friends. Friends don't lock you away, friends don't leave you alone for five hundred years." Duo said.

"But we saved you, we didn't lock you away." Quatre said again.

"Your lies are wasted." Duo said stepping towards them. Heero stood, taking a deep breath.

"If you want to kill me Duo, then do so. Then you can truly be alone." Heero said. Duo laughed.

"You have me confused with a weak child. My name is Shinigami, and I won't be alone. You see I hold Duo here," Shinigami put a hand over his heart. "Where he will stay forever feeling the lose of his heart, his soul, and his memories. Every day that passes he will loose a memory that he holds dear. He will slowly become an empty shell. And nothing you can do will save him." Shinigami laughed. Heero was shaking now. He had never felt himself so angry. He had never felt so mad in his life. Bane torturing Duo was one thing, unbearable as it was, but he had known that Duo would not die. That he could save him. But by trying to save him he had let this monster loose. And now this monster was slowly killing him.

Heero opened his eyes and the glowing blue that were there held such hatred and anger that the others backed away from him. Heero was shaking hard and the others could feel the ship under them vibrating at the force. Water was lifting out of the ocean in droplets, the shards from the crates lifted around them, the dead bodies of the crew, and whatever else that was not tied or nailed down.

Heero took a step forward, thrusting his hand out and throwing a large boulder from seemingly nowhere. Duo glared and the boulder shattered before it hit him. The shards shot back at Heero, who in turn just stood there, the shards hit him but did no damage as they just sank into his skin.