Only an epilogue left to go! I hope you've enjoyed!

Part 15 of 15

Duo carefully moved over next to Heero and repeated what he had asked the others to do. Heero nodded his acknowledgment. Duo then moved so he was almost directly behind where Wufei was fighting almost desperately. Not entirely sure what he was doing, just knowing it felt right, Duo dropped to his knees and began to pray to his god. He poured into the prayer all of his power, the memories of all the lives he had taken and every bit of the love he held in his heart for the dark god who he had worshiped since he was young and the young man he fell in love with in his teens.

Shinigami was fighting all out, as a mortal. He couldn't risk using his full powers until Duo and the others were safely back on Earth. If he gave away his location now, some god or goddess looking to get in good with the hierarchy would grab him in a heartbeat, leaving his friends with no way to get home. There was no way he could allow that to happen, but if he didn't do something soon, Thanatos would win. It was at this point that he felt extra power coming into him, little bursts at first, filling his reserves. Then he felt it.

Power, raw power. The kind of power that comes only once in a god's lifetime, if he's lucky enough to ever get it. The power that comes only from a worshiper totally devoted to you. A pure power that raises you up, fills you up, makes you greater than you were before. Better than nectar or ambrosia could ever be.

Shinigami moved faster, his strikes harder; all that was in his mind was getting this over with so he could spend some time with the one who was praying to him. No longer focused on anything at all but the power within and the scythe in front of him.

There! An opening!

The katana hit the scythe's handle with everything he had, everything his priest could give him.

CRACK!

Thanatos stopped where he was in utter disbelief, unable to move a muscle. The head of his scythe was on the floor along with almost a foot of handle and the blade of a katana glinted at his neck.

"Yield," Shinigami's voice was low, deep, hard. "Or die."

Thanatos dropped the handle and raised his hands. His eyes burned with hate. "I yield, but what does it gain you Shinigami? What I did is but a pinprick compared to the Iron Maiden you closed. Do you truly think you will ever be able to take that which you've saved? Kami-sama will be searching for you for the rest of your immortal life, and so will all the Houses. Was it worth it? He's just a mortal."

"Duo will never be just a mortal," Wufei's eyes were raging infernos compared to the campfires in Thanatos' eyes. "Your actions precipitated all of this, and the pain and suffering they caused are on your conscience as much as they will stay on mine. But since you have no conscience, that would not be much of a punishment, would it? Hear my Judgement, Thanatos."

"You have no right!" the God of Painful Death yelled.

"I have every right," Shinigami's voice was hard and cold but soft, it's very softness more threatening than any amount of ranting and raving could be. "I am the Head of our House and you disobeyed my orders. You took my high priest without my permission, kidnapped and tried to kill my sworn Consort. Under our rules, that is the same as if you had tried to murder me."

"Consort? But he's not marked!" Thanatos' bone white skin turned a sickly yellow color.

"You know I could not mark him until he was sixteen, but I swore him as my Consort a while ago. If you had paid attention to anything beyond your own wants, you would have known that."

"Excuse me," Duo interrupted. "What do you mean you 'swore me as your Consort a while ago'? I didn't know anything about that! Didn't you need my permission or something?"

"Um..." Wufei looked abashed. "I was going to talk to you about it. You would have had the right to dissolve it once you knew all the facts. It wouldn't have been totally binding until you agreed as well. I thought it would give you some added protection from whomever was stalking you."

"Hmmm..." Duo mock glared for a minute. "Well, I guess I can forgive you. So, whatcha' gonna do about him?"

Wufei grinned evilly. "I have some ideas. First however, I need to get all of you back to Earth, than I'll come back to deal with him. Until then... I think *this* will keep him out of trouble." Shinigami pointed at Thanatos. Suddenly, instead of the God of Painful Death dressed in a forbidding black robe, carrying a scythe and looking all menacing, there was the God of Painful Death dressed in Mexican clothes dancing to "La Cucharacha".

All the pilots laughed. "How long will he have to dance?" Quatre asked, giggling.

"Until the music stops," Wufei replied as he led the way out of the room. "Duo, I do hope you put it on permanent loop."

"What do you take me for, Fei-chan? Of *course* I put it on permanent loop. Geesh."

Ten minutes later they were finally outside and on Nataku, ready to go home. Duo cuddled closer to the boy sitting behind him and smiled softly as he felt Wufei hold him tighter. "Fei-chan?"

"Yes, love?" Wufei nuzzled his nose deeper into the braid in front of him, breathing in the scent he loved.

"What's going to happen?"

Wufei put his chin over Duo's shoulder and held him even tighter, as if trying to make them one body. "I'm really not sure, Duo," he sighed. "A lot of people suffered because of what I did. That can't just be forgotten. It's up to Kami-sama in the end. It always is."

"You could hide, we could be together," Duo's voice was choked as if he was holding back tears.

"No I can't, love, you know I can't," Wufei was glad Duo couldn't see his face, and quickly wiped his eyes on his love's hair.

"I know," Duo ducked his head. "It wouldn't be honorable."

"I have to face Justice too, you know."

"You'll come back though, right?" Duo's shimmering violet eyes refused to look anywhere except at the dragon's head in front of him, refusing to accept that they were back on Earth, and almost back to the safe house. "Promise you'll come back."

"If I can. I'll try, that's all I can promise. I'll always try to get back to you. I love you Duo Maxwell." Wufei felt Nataku land and the others getting off behind him.

"Wufei?" Quatre called.

Wufei turned to look at the blonde, while still keeping his arms around the braided boy in front of him. Understanding what he wanted, he turned and took hold of Duo's hand as he slid down the dragon's side, bringing his love down with him.

Quatre ran up to them as soon as they were down. He threw his arms around Wufei in a hug. "I know you've got to go back, Shinigami-sama, but don't forget you always have a home here with us, okay Wufei?"

Wufei carefully hugged the Arabian back. "I'll remember, Quatre. Take care of Duo while I'm not here, please? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Trowa placed his hand on Wufei's shoulder. "I don't think that's possible, but we'll try. Take care of yourself and come back if you can."

Wufei placed his hand over the one on his shoulder, the only acknowledgment needed. He turned to the final member. "Heero." It was all that was said, perhaps, between the two of them, it was all that was necessary.

"Wufei," was the only response. With that, the three pilots headed into the house, leaving the final two alone.

Wufei turned Duo around so he could see his face. "I want you to make me a promise, Duo."

"Anything," was Duo's immediate answer.

"Don't do anything stupid, please. I will try my best to come back to you, but don't you dare try to come to me, got it? No suicide missions, no self-destructs, none of it. Agreed?" Wufei was deathly serious. "That's giving up, and that's something Duo Maxwell doesn't do, right?"

Duo sighed. He really didn't want to promise. Not that he had any intentions of killing himself, not really, but the idea of living the rest of his mortal life without Wufei was not something he wanted to contemplate. At least if he died he'd be with his love.

Wufei could tell what he was thinking just from the expression on his face and knew he had to nip it in the bud. "If you die, you won't come to me, you know that, right? I'm not allowed to Judge someone I'm personally involved with. That is, if I'm still even a god at the time. I certainly won't be head of my House anymore, which means I won't be able to get your soul, I probably won't even know you're dead."

Duo's eyes flew wide in shock. A lifetime without Wufei would be torture enough, but an afterlife without him too? A tear slipped unnoticed down his cheek. "I promise," he whispered finally.

Wufei lifted his hand and caught the tear on his finger. The crystal drop shimmered on his bronze skin catching the light and throwing off rainbows in all directions. "May I keep this?" he asked quietly. As Duo nodded his head, a small glass sphere formed around the tear and attached to a cord. Without prompting, Duo took the necklace holding his tear, and placed it around Wufei's neck. "Thank you," Wufei murmured.

Duo leaned up and caught the words with his lips. For minutes the two strained together, arms around each other as they tried to pour into the kiss everything that they were never able to put into words. Finally they were forced to part for breath.

Duo pressed little kisses all over Wufei's face as his hands ranged up and down the tight body he was holding. "Can we?" he gasped. "Please?"

Wufei's hands and mouth were just as frantic and there was nothing in the multiverse he wanted more, but he knew it wasn't possible. Reluctantly he pulled away. "I love you, Duo. More than anyone I have ever cared for in millennia of life."

"I love you too, Wufei, Shinigami. More than I ever dreamed possible. I want to show you that! Please?"

Wufei shook his head. "I want it, I want *you* so badly. But if we do, I don't think Kami-sama would ever let me see you again. Not if I broke that rule. I can't take that chance."

Duo nodded and stepped back. "Then go, now. Maybe the sooner you go, the sooner you'll come back. I won't give up on you Wufei. I'll always love you, no matter what! I'll pray to you every day, I promise."

Wufei stepped forward and hugged Duo with all his might, pressing frantic kisses to his hair and face, everywhere he could reach. "I'll be listening. I love you, Duo, I love you, I love you, I love you."

Duo tried to grin. "I love you more. Go, please, before I'm not able to let you go."

Wufei pressed one last long kiss to his love's mouth before running to Nataku. He sprang onto the dragon's back and they took off immediately. He looked back to see Duo still waving good-bye and waved back.

Duo continued waving until the black dragon disappeared from sight. He then collapsed to the ground in tears, deep sobs racking his body. Not even the poison he was just healed from hurt as badly as losing the boy he loved. He stayed there on the ground until the other three came out and gathered him up to take inside.