Genre: AU, Fantasy
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 6x5
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words
Special Note: Dedicated to darkneko666 and Demonskid, this was a request to me. Hope you both like it!
Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, language, angst-ish, MPreg (sort of, probably not what you're expecting), demons
Author's Note: Nebelkind, in answer to your question yes. I got the idea for Confessors from Terry Goodkind's books (didn't care for them, but there were some good ideas). My Confessors are a touch different, though. MeiWolf, I think this chapter answers your question.
The Creator, the Necromancer, the Sorcerer, the Enchanter, and the Confessor
"This, Maxwell, was a very dumb idea."
Duo Maxwell, eighteen-year-old demon/nymph hybrid, grinned widely at one of his four best friends, Chang Wufei. "Oh, lighten up. Geez you can be such a stick-in-the-mud!"
Wufei raised an elegant eyebrow. "I am no such thing. I am merely being the voice of reason, since it seems to have deserted all of you."
"Not all of us," muttered Duo's absolute best friend (and more, with any luck), Heero Yuy.
Quatre Winner, a pretty sprite, leaped to Duo's defense. "Come on. We all agreed this would be fun."
Trowa Barton pointed a thumb toward the group of extremely pissed-off centaurs. "I doubt they would agree."
Duo, who was one of the rarest hybrids of immortals the world had ever seen, gave his friends an unrepentant grin. They were an odd batch of young men. Heero Yuy, who was the third oldest, was a nineteen year old sylvan from the glistening vales of Sylandri. The sylvan were unusually strong fey, and one of the rarer forms of life in the world. Sylvan didn't eat, but instead fed directly from the life energies of any living thing. They were also called glaistig, which in the tongue of the Ancients meant 'blood drinker'. Sylvan could drink blood if they chose, but few did.
Duo himself was the youngest by about half a year. He was more unusual still in that he was a half demon, half fey. Normally the two didn't procreate, and seldom did they even get along. Stranger still was his heritage. His mother was a nymph, one of the shy but vibrant folk who also habituated the vales of Sylandri, though they stayed closer to the rivers and lakes. His father was a Nightwalker. Nightwalkers were reclusive demons who only rarely ventured out of their homes to seek the company of the living. They weren't undead, but only Nightwalkers could command the undead.
Trowa was a twenty-year-old efreet. Like his demonic kin he had a secret love for fire, but he controlled it well. The efreet didn't often leave the fiery pools of Trivance, but Trowa was a bit more reticent than most of his kind.
Quatre was a nineteen-year-old sprite, the liveliest and friendliest of all fey. Sprites made homes anywhere in the world they could safely live, though like all fey they originated in Sylandri. Quatre had a heart of gold, and he was Duo's best confidant. And often co-conspirator.
Wufei was the oldest. He was twenty, and he hailed from the ancient and proud race of acarci, the Way demons. Way demons were shapeshifters who could claim the form of any animal, though when they did the animal would be all black. No Way demon had hair any other color, and their eyes were either red or black. Some said that when the gods created the world they made sure no animal could ever be solid black so as not to offend the Way demons.
So aside from the fact that Duo and his best friends were all either immortal fey or demon (or both, in his case), they shared one more thing in common. They were all elemental magic users. Heero's element Earth made him a Creator, Duo's element Water made him a Necromancer, Trowa's element Fire made him a Sorcerer, Quatre's element Spirit made him an Enchanter, and Wufei's element Air made him a Confessor.
Heero was a Creator, healers strongly attuned to all life. Powerful Creators could even create life, and Heero was the most powerful the world had ever seen.
Duo was a Necromancer, dealers in death and darkness. Powerful Necromancers could separate souls from the body and raise the dead, and Duo was the most powerful Necromancer the world had ever seen.
Trowa was a Sorcerer, energy channelers stronger than any witch, wizard, or simple conjurer. Powerful Sorcerers could cast offensive spells that no army in the world could defend against, and Trowa was the most powerful Sorcerer the world had ever seen.
Quatre was an Enchanter, telepaths and empaths who could see through all lies and uncover all truth. Powerful Enchanters could see through any illusion and win over even the wildest beast, and deceive even the most cunning mind, and Quatre was the most powerful Enchanter the world had ever seen.
Wufei was a Confessor. Even among his kind he was rare, for most Confessors were female. Males could seldom harness the power, lacking the discipline and patience. Confessors were keepers of justice, and they were able to bend anyone to their will with a single touch. There were rumors of Confessors so powerful they could confess people with a mere look, and Wufei was one of them.
The five boys had come together in the sacred druid haven Cercera Grove, each taken by their families when it became apparent they were meant for much more than normal lives. Wufei had been the first to come. Trowa had been next, followed a few moons by Quatre. Heero had been next, and Duo last by a handful of months. They'd been eleven, twelve, and thirteen at the time. Now seven years later they were well on their way to becoming accomplished magic users.
If only they could stop getting in trouble.
"I won't even ask which one of you came up with this harebrained scheme," the largest centaur growled. "Duo Maxwell, I believe the druids still rue the day they let you enter the Grove. God above boy, where do you come up with these ideas?"
Duo folded his arms, ignoring the silver-swirled-blue blood trickling down his arm, still grinning. "You have horse asses," he pointed out in what he thought was a perfectly reasonable tone. "We're all pretty light, I would think. Is it too much to ask for a ride?"
At Duo's side, Heero twitched and uttered a groan probably no one else even heard. The centaur reared up a little, his front hooves striking the ground hard enough to kick up dirt.
"Horse asses!" he thundered. "Your audacity is worse than a willow wisp! I've a notion to take you back to camp and beat you senseless!"
"Ah, please forgive him," Quatre quickly cut in, and Duo could sense him sending out soothing trickles of Spirit. "The connection between his brain and mouth is sluggish. I think it's because Heero knocks him around so much when they spar. It's true we shouldn't have tried to trick the centaurs into a trap. I think Duo thought it would be funny to play a practical joke on you, because everyone else in the Grove has been targeted already."
Duo gave him a sour look. 'Spoilsport. Blame it all on me, why don't ya.'
'I'm trying to save your skinny ass, ungrateful demon,' Quatre returned, eyes sparkling with good humor.
"Um, yeah, heh," Duo piped up. "He might be right. 'Ro is so much better than me, and he never goes easy. So it's his fault, really."
Heero twitched again. "Maybe if you weren't so Hanthra-be-damned lazy, you would actually improve."
"And would exercise a little self-discipline," Wufei added.
"Naa, everyone's picking on me," Duo pouted. "You weren't all so virtuous this morning."
The centaur abruptly huffed out a laugh. "You boys. Never mind. Duo, I know your intentions are never malicious, so I forgive you just this once. But don't even think about doing it again! And I suppose I should feel honored that you finally feel comfortable enough with us to try a practical joke. Now be off with you. I suspect there are lessons of some sort you should be attending right now."
Giving the magical beast a cheeky salute, Duo led the way out of centaur territory. He slipped his hand into Quatre's, humming and winking. So his plan failed and sort of backfired. Who cared. It had been fun. Quatre laughed.
"Only you could get away with insulting centuars like that, Duo! Anyone else would have been killed for sure."
"You have some spirit of dumb luck sitting on your shoulder," Wufei muttered.
"Ack, you guys never back me up!" Duo whined. "When the trouble goes down, it's always my fault."
"Maybe if the trouble didn't always go down," Heero mused, a thoughtful look on his face.
Duo glared at him. For years now Duo had harbored a secret crush on the sylvan. He was so massively unfairly good looking, with his messy dark brown hair, golden skin, and piercing cobalt eyes. He was a work of art, a masterpiece of perfection, he was strong and brilliant and good at anything he tried and confident and maybe just a tad full of himself. But he'd never looked at Duo as anything more than a friend, and Duo had no idea what to do to get the sylvan's attention.
He'd tried flirting, teasing, hinting, and dressing to best display his, er, assets. Nymphs were generally considered the most beautiful of all beings, mortal or immortal, and Duo knew very well how beautiful he was. In the right light his hair glowed, the long cinnamon-chestnut tresses falling well below his waist. His skin was flawless and unmarked, and Quatre often told him it felt like silk to the touch. His eyes were an unusual shade of indigo-most nymphs had eyes the color of bark or grass. That was the demon in him.
But Heero seemed oblivious to it all. He kept Duo at a careful distance, never cold enough to be unfriendly but never warm enough to suggest he was open to advances. It was disappointing.
"Maro is going to be unhappy with us," Trowa said, looking toward the cleverly-concealed temple.
The effort gone into hiding it, Duo had always thought, was wasted. No one could get into the Grove unless the druids permitted it. Still, it looked kinda cool. The five immortal boys traipsed through the trees and growth to the temple doors, and they drifted open. As soon as they stepped into the anteroom, Maro appeared. The druid was quite old, her hair white as snow and lines around her eyes. Which at the moment were slightly narrowed. Heero immediately stepped in front of the others.
"Maro," he said, inclining his head to their teacher. "Please allow me to apologize for our missed lessons-"
"Hush," she said, holding up a hand. "I am to escort you five to the Pool of Hidden Truths. Come." She turned and began walking away, her dark amber robes making scarce a sound.
Duo swallowed. The Pool of Hidden Truths? That was deep in the temple, a place where the druid Elders gathered to discuss matters of great importance. Were they in that much trouble?
All five of the Elders were there. Their faces were unreadable, their eyes blank. Maro bowed to them, moving to the side. Between the druids and the boys stood the Pool, its deep bark basin worn completely smooth over the ages. The water shimmered in the faint light, causing shadows to dance across the walls and ceiling. Here was where the Elders learned secrets of the future and interpreted prophecies handed down from Vashti, the Demon Goddess, and Hanthra, her sister, the Fey Goddess.
"Maro," the youngest Elder said in the typical musical tones of the Elders, "thank you for bringing them. Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, please step forward to the Pool."
Duo swallowed and tried not to look nervous as he and the other four obeyed.
"It was rather unusual circumstance that brought you to us," she went on. "It is with a heavy heart I must tell you that today, you must leave the Grove."
"What!" Duo exclaimed. "You're kicking us out? I know I've gotten us into a lot of trouble over the years, but you know, no one was ever hurt and it's not like we did it out of spite and-"
"Silence, little one," she cut him off, eyes sparkling. "This is not a punishment. The five of you have been chosen by the Blessed Vashti and Hanthra for a great destiny. A prophecy came to us last night, and we have spent the time since then trying to interpret its meaning. A great danger is threatening the world, and in response a great champion has been chosen to combat it. The task of finding, guiding, and protecting this champion has been given to the five of you."
For a long while after she finished, Duo just ogled. His tongue seemed frozen solid, and his mind turned to mush.
"Silia," said one of the other Elders, her eyes bright with amusement, "I do believe we have finally rendered our Duo speechless."
Quatre and Trowa, damn them, snickered, and Wufei and Heero both snorted.
"Well, wouldn't you be speechless too?" Duo demanded, giving his friends heated glares. "It's not every day someone just says, 'Hey, guess what. The great Vashti and Hanthra have chosen you for this mighty important mission that seems like the fate of the world just might hang in the balance.' What the heck would you say!"
Silia chuckled. "It didn't last long. You five, my darling boys, have become so dear to us. From the moment your parents brought you into the Grove we have known you were destined for greatness. We just had no idea how great. You will change the world, and you will save it. But time is not on our side, you must leave tonight."
They were quiet a moment longer, Duo still not sure what to say, then Heero spoke. "You're sure about this prophecy? Sure that it's . . . us?"
Silia smiled. "Yes. We have utmost faith in the five of you. You will find this champion, and you will help him defeat great evil."
Duo watched as Heero closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were bright and clear. "Tell us what we need to do."