Gami1x2: yeah go Shinigami…
ScythedWing: I was wondering when you'd bring him into the picture.
Shinii2x1…..Seriously
Chained
Chapter Eight: The Shinigami
-----(Heero)-----
Heero was seriously annoyed now. This day had went from bad to worse to horribly annoying. He woke up at four to go to the meeting in Saesti os si Vyraer ((Temple of the Roses)) to learn that they had to take demon slaves. He comes home at noon to find that his best tracker had beaten one of the demons to a pulp. But his day couldn't have gotten any better without having to 'force' the bond on the demon at two this afternoon, not only did the demon end up in pain, but ended up hating him. Of course having to sit through the demons life story, feeling incredible guilty, didn't help the day get any better. So around four in the evening Duo had challenged Heero to a battle, and Heero had told him it would be for permanent arrangement. And to make things worse, he had almost lost. It may not have seemed that way to any one who was watching, but he had barely managed to get the demon into a good lock before it gave up and ran off into the castle, probably hating Heero even more then was humanly, or otherwise, possible. So now at eleven o'clock in the evening, while most everyone was asleep, Heero was searching 'his' castle for the missing demon.
He had looked everywhere from the top most tower to the bottom most cellar. There was no hide nor hair of the demon. Heero could feel the bond, he knew Duo was somewhere within the castles grounds, but for the life of him couldn't find him. He had asked the maids, and even went into the gardens, only to find Trowa and Quatre talking, but no sign of Duo. He had asked Quatre in hopes that the boy knew where his brother was. Quatre had nodded and told Heero that he was in the castle. When asked to be more specific, Quatre had told him he couldn't, that Duo wouldn't tell him. So to add to everything else today, he learned that Duo and Quatre could communicate through mind contact, something not new for Heero, he did it with Trowa, and with his army, or guards, or even his maids. He didn't think the demons could manage it also. Stupid of him.
Currently, Heero was walking through the hall toward the kitchen for the third time in the last hour. The night shift had started in the kitchen to clean and prepare for tomorrows breakfast. Heero decided it would be best if he got some food before continuing his search. He would find the boy before he rested, it would not be right to end the day on bad terms with the demon, though doing so meant finding him, and it seemed as through that may be impossible. But what really got Heero was that fact that this was his castle, and he couldn't find the demon who had only been here for a day, and most of that day was spent locked away. Heero sighed heavily, he was coming up to the kitchen now, and stopped when he heard voices coming from just inside.
"That poor boy, Corael brought him some food an hour ago. She said he was the nicest person she had ever talked to. Said he was nothing but compliments and jokes. I guess he had a fight with the king this afternoon." Said a young woman's voice.
"But the king would never hurt any of us. He may be a little emotionless at times, and a little hard headed, but he's kind when it comes to his people." Came an elderly women's voice.
"Oh but the boy is a demon." Came the younger voice.
"That makes no difference. King Heero would not purposely hurt another unless it was needed. He knows better then that. Valuing life is a top priority. One day you will understand that." Said the elderly voice.
"Toraer, he took the demon as a slave. Permanently. Corael heard it from one of the guards who was watching the fight from his tower."
"I'm sure there is an explanation for the reason of this…if you ask me I think it's the Tholi Jhyl, there always after making our lives living hell." Toraer said. Heero smiled to himself. Well it would look like not everyone was against him. He walked the rest of the way into the kitchen and waited for the she-elves to take notice, which they did quickly.
"Sire, I didn't hear you coming." The younger elf said, blushing and bowing lowly. The elderly elf, Toraer, bowed slightly and smiled at Heero.
"Something to eat, Lord Heero?" She asked. Heero nodded and waiting for Toraer to return with food, a simple plate of fruits, some bread, and a few slices of cheese, perfect for a snack. Heero sat down at the small table and motioned for the she-elves to join him. Toraer nodded happily and sat, while the young elf sat nervously. Afraid that she would be in trouble for what she had said.
"I wish to know where the boy is. I've been looking for him for hours now, and have yet to see even a hair from the boy." Heero said. Toraer looked at the younger elf with a raised eye brow. Heero waited patiently, but the girl seemed too nervous to answer. "I do not wish to hurt him, if that is your concern." Heero said sternly. It was really none of the girls business if he wanted to hurt the demon boy or not. Of course he didn't, but it was no business of anyone but himself and the demon boy currently successfully avoiding him. He watched as the young elf took a deep breath.
"Corael said that she had left him sleeping in the stables, in the hay stack in the rafters. There was a rather large dog with him, it seemed to be protecting him. But she said he was asleep when she left. So it's possible that he is still there, if not then I do not know where the boy is." The younger elf said, looking Heero in the eye the entire time. Though once she was done she looked away and tried to avoid Heero's eyes the rest of the time.
"A dog?" Heero asked. The girl nodded.
"No one knows where it came from, but that it won't leave the boys side." She said, her voice was a little shaken now, after all Heero was glaring at her in a particularly dangerous, maybe deadly glare. Heero swallowed his food down quickly and stood. He bowed slightly to the she-elves and took leave of the kitchen, heading towards the stables for the third time that day. He had looked there three times and had seen nothing of the boy, though he was whiling to admit that he hadn't checked the rafters.
Once outside the cool breeze blew across his face and cooled him down slightly. He walked around the stables once, preparing himself for the confrontation he knew would happen, before entering the barn. The barn itself was rather large, housing more then three dozed horses, and five milking cows (the rest of the herd would be kept in the pastures). Hay, along with oats, alfalfa, and bits of carrots and apples littered the floor. The stables smelled of alfalfa and fur, mixed with the smell of strong red pine (1).
Heero made his way to the ladder leading up to the rafters and climbed up quickly. Once on the top he stopped and looked around. Sure enough he spotted the black figure in the corner, the only skin showing was a hand that was wrapped around a furry neck and the bottom of Duo's jaw line under the hood of his cloak. Heero took a step forward and froze when six solid red eyes snapped open and starred at him. He watched as a large black furred dog pulled gently away from Duo and stood just in front of him, teeth bared and fur standing on end. Heero swallowed hard without realizing it. He knew what this creature was.
"I mean you know harm." He whispered, keeping eye contact with the creature in front of him. He backed away a few steps and put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.
"Maybe not me, but Duo-." The dogs voice sounded like four different voices of different volumes and languages. Heero took a deep breath.
"I mean him no harm." Heero said. The dog laughed.
"There is nothing you can do towards that; that harm was done when the chain and collar were attached, when his freedom was taken from him." The god growled out, what looked like blood was dripping from the dog's mouth. Heero looked at Duo in slightly panic making sure the demon wasn't hurt. "I have not and will not hurt him." The death hound said in another growl. Heero's eyes snapped back to the hound.
"Why are you hear, I thought your kind are suppose to guide the souls of the passed to the other side?" Heero asked, the question caused the hound to laugh and jump up on two legs where it changed like a shadow into the form Heero knew as the grim reaper. Heero tripped over a hay barrel rather ungracefully and starred at the creature in well hidden fear. The figured black fingers reached up to remove the hood to reveal a black jackal head with alert ears and glowing red eyes.
"My name is Anubis." He said with a smile. "I am hearing to make sure my son doesn't end up in the wrong hands." Anubis said dangerously. He looked at Heero with steady eyes.
"Duo is the son of-?" Heero didn't get to finish his question before it was answered.
"Anubis and Mórrígan, two of eleven death gods. (2)" Anubis said, he sounded a little like bragging but Heero wasn't about to argue with the god that stood before him, or rather towered over him threateningly.
"Please, you must know that I wasn't going to hurt Duo, he wanted the fight." Heero said sitting up straighter. Anubis looked back at his son and smiled warmly.
"I know. Duo is a little…mental at times…gets it from his mother, damn wench." Anubis growled out. "Unfortunately Duo is not allowed in the realms of death, he is not permitted so until his time comes. Unfortunately now that Paereiri is destroyed I am stuck here as well." Anubis said. "Not that I mind, mind you. It's just my powers are not as strong here." Heero looked at the god a little confused. Great one more thing to add to his list and the day was only half an hour away from changing into a new day.
"I'm sorry but I do not understand. If you're here with Duo then how did he get caught but Wufei? How did I defeat him in a battle and why is he so emotional?" Heero asked, all his frustration coming out finally.
"He got caught because my powers do not exist on Kelas, I may be a god, but my powers only work in my own Realm. So Duo was caught because, this Wufei, is an exceptional tracker, brutal, and harsh….." The words about Wufei were forced out, like he wanted to say something worse or just curse the elf to death on the spot. "Because Mórrígan and I had to leave Duo with the Tazaer Church, he is adamant on not killing; I believe that was the only thing that saved your friend from death." Anubis explained. To Heero it made sense, Duo was not trying to hurt Wufei to the point of death, only get away. But knowing this fact built the guilt up that much more. Thanks to Wufei for beating Duo so badly, otherwise that would be one less thing he had to deal with.
"As for you being able to defeat Duo, one for the same reason, two because I told him to surrender." Anubis said shortly. Heero nodded, and then paused.
"WHAT!?" He all but screamed. Anubis smiled sadly.
"There are two reasons for why I did this. I do not want Duo or Quatre to join back with the demons. Though the Tholi Jhyl, as you call them, are planning on war, the demons are two, and if they knew Duo was still alive I'm afraid they would try to use his abilities. But I need you to understand that Duo's abilities will not be available to him for a few more months. Turning three hundred was a big enough step as it was to go unnoticed by the other demons but his powers will be slow in coming to-."
"Whoa, wait a minute. Duo is three hundred years old, not fifty?" Heero asked a little confused.
"Well yeah, I mean the body he is in now is only fifty after the rebirth to Kelas, but his soul and memories are about three hundred." Anubis said, as though he was just stating a simple fact.
"How is that possible?" Heero asked.
"Duo is the grim reaper in short. THE Shinigami. Or in other words the twelfth god of death (3). But you need to understand that in terms of death, I mean age, Duo is a child. He has no power over the others, not yet anyway." Anubis said; Heero nodded. It was like Elves the younger they were the less power of authority they had, unless they could prove that they were more powerful, physically and mentally, then the current elders.
"Okay let me get this right; Duo is the grim reaper son of you, Anubis, and Mórrígan two of the eleven, now twelve gods of death?"
"Yeah." Anubis said.
"And you're stuck here because Paereiri was destroyed?" Heero asked.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because that's where the door was to the after life."
"So at one point you could just walk through a door and be in the after life?"
"Nope, you have to be dead, dieing, or a god. Duo couldn't go there."
"Why?"
"Because he's not dead, dieing, or a god yet."
"Okay, okay, so now Duo will be gaining his powers. Okay I got it to there. What was the second reason for why you stopped the fight in my favor?" Heero asked, this was starting to make a little since. Odd and nothing like he had ever experienced in his life as of before today.
"Jhori." Anubis said simple. Heero raised an eye brow in question. "Life is the answer Heero. Like I said before, I'm here to make sure Duo doesn't end up in the wrong hands. If the other demons realize who Duo is, then the war will be one sided, they will more then likely force Duo's powers to surface and force him to use them against the elves. Duo already doesn't like to kill, sworn against it. But if Duo's powers were to come more naturally then he could become more powerful then any other god of death that roams the other realms." Anubis explained.
"So to give Duo a life is what you want, because he didn't get that with his past forms or something?" Heero asked. He was trying to understand this giant web of confusion, and musicality that it was starting to give his a head ache.
"You can say something like that...Look it's getting late, why don't you take Duo to bed." Anubis said.
"Wait, you never told me why Duo was so emotional."
"He threw a mild temper tantrum." Anubis shrugged. Heero sighed and stood up, dusting the hay off his robes. He walked over to Anubis carefully and knelt down next to the sleeping, curled up form of Duo. Anubis didn't miss the smile that played on Heero's lips. He smiled himself and sank into his dog form again. Heero didn't question Anubis As the large dog fallowed Heero back into the castle, though he did notice that the dog's six red eyes changed into two brown eyes. And in return, Anubis didn't question Heero when the elf king placed Duo in his own bed, only smiled.
'What I wish Duo to find is Life for love, not a life that he had not had Heero elf king of the dark forest elves, Master of Life himself.' Anubis thought happily as he laid on the foot of Heero's bed, watching in contempt as Heero gave Duo his space.
-----(end chapter)-----
Okay this chapter may be a little confusion so if there are any questions go ahead and ask them and I'll clear them up, promise. Wufei warning for next chapter…..please review….
(1) I think I made the red pine up, it's like pine but red, if I didn't then I just can't remember that there's a tree called red pine. Lol.
(2) There are roughly eleven forms of death gods, though many more forms of creatures and myths. If there are anymore oh well.
(3) How many saw this coming?