'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy
Daystar's Prophecy Part 24
At hearing the name whispered in his ear, Heero's mind began to race. The feeling of recognition was there, he just could not quite place it. Then his mind flashed back to the scroll Lissia had given them and he knew exactly whom he was talking to. "The spirit of darkness." he breathed, earning him a deep chuckle from the entity behind him.
"Got it in one." the spirit said and the arms around his waist disappeared, allowing the dark-haired boy to spin around and face the spirit, what little there was to see that is. Dressed in a long black robe that covered him from neck to ankle, Shinigami blended almost perfectly into the near darkness that surrounded them with only his extremely pale face reflecting the little light available. It was his eyes though that caught and held Heero's attention for they were swirling, black holes in the spirit's face.
"So you're the human who's managed to captivate my little fairy." Shinigami laughed as he allowed those depthless eyes to run casually over the boy in front of him. "I must admit, he has good taste."
The words, along with the flippant and casual tone of voice, managed to snap Heero out of his state of shock and he immediately set a glare on his face, refusing to show any weakness or fear as he took a menacing step forward. "I want Duo released, now."
"No can do Hee-chan." the spirit tisked, waving one raised finger in the air. "Little Duo stays right where he is until you've passed my test."
"What test?" the dark-haired boy growled, growing more and more weary of the spirit's antics and actions by the minute.
"Fuck, you mean Reestlin didn't tell you?" Shinigami asked, his black eyes widening in shock before quickly narrowing in anger when Heero answered no. "Dammit. Ok, you overbearing, dumb fuck excuse for a spirit; get your shiny ass out here."
"Really, do you have to be so vulgar?" an equally deep voice echoed drolly through the space around them.
"Yes I do, now get out here, and explain to me why the fuck you didn't tell him." Shinigami exclaimed.
"You know very well that we are not supposed to appear to them until all the weapons have been found." Reestlin said, having suddenly appeared at Heero's right side and caused the blue-eyed boy to jump slightly.
"Rees, you idiot." the spirit of darkness snapped. "That's not what they said and you know it. How's he supposed to prepare if he doesn't know what he's getting into."
"That's because he's not supposed to prepare, Shin." the spirit of light answered with a sigh, his voice taking on the tone of one dealing with a child. "He and the others must be ready to take up this fight now. If he's not already capable of passing the test, then he's not the right candidate and must be relieved of the post."
Shinigami could only shake his head in disgust at the other spirit's words since it was obvious that Reestlin had no idea of what the test entailed nor did he seem to care about the life of his host. "That's where you're wrong." the spirit said, his voice containing an edge of sadness. "This test isn't like the one you gave to Duo; you weren't there when they set the locks on the scythe. He needed time to prepare for this for all our sakes."
As he spoke, the spirit of darkness let his sight drift to the longhaired fairy still pinned to the wall not ten feet away, his face softening just slightly. At seeing his counterpart's shift of attention and hearing the sorrow that seemed to permeate the normally gregarious spirit's voice, Reestlin's countenance softened as well. "You care about him, don't you?"
Shinigami's head instantly snapped back to stare at the spirit of light, his mouth slack and black eyes wide in shock; he had not intended to allow that weakness to show. He quickly wiped his face and voice of the tell tale signs before slapping his normal grin in place. "Of course, he's my host after all."
"True, but you've never let yourself care about one like this before, have you?"
"Excuse me, but would someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Heero voice cut into the spirits' dialogue just before he stepped forward to stand between them and thus gaining their undivided attention.
"To gain the scythe, you have to pass a test of strength and skill." Shinigami explained, inwardly sighing in relief at the return to their previous conversation. "Something that this idiot was supposed to tell you about after you became his master."
"This boy is not my master." Reestlin protested stiffly. "We may have to work together, but I am subservient to no one."
"Still a pompous and self-important ass I see." Shinigami shot back. "You sure you weren't the one who joined Zallithus?"
"Shut up, both of you." Heero snapped before turning his glare to the spirit of darkness. "What do I have to do? I want to get Duo out of here as quickly as possible."
"What do you have to do?" the spirit repeated while cocking his head to the side. "You have to beat me in a fight is what, using the sword of light that you've evidently never even held other than the initial contact."
"I've been training with a sword." Heero retorted.
"But I seriously doubt if you've gotten good enough to beat me and that's what you have to do." Shinigami stated before his eyes once again tracked back to the boy on the wall. "And, unfortunately, it's not only your life that's at stake."
"And what does that mean?" the blue-eyed boy demanded, taking a step closer to the spirit.
"It means that if you fail, Duo dies with you."
********************
Hallion continued to smile malevolently as he watched the small elf at his feet twist in pain that he could not escape. He had been quite the fighter, lasting for nearly six days before he finally broke and told them everything they wanted to know. After that, the council had wasted no time in amassing their army around the capitol city in preparations for the march to the Southern Mountains, and the dwarf stronghold that was no longer hidden within them. The elven council head's smile grew even wider and more sinister at the thought of the little Seeker in the stable hand's current position. However, even as the thought crossed his mind, Jeric's body suddenly tensed, his mouth opening in a silent scream, before going completely limp.
"Oh well, I guess my fun is at an end." the council head sighed, nudging the still form with his foot. When the boy did not stir, Hallion shrugged his shoulders before turning and walking toward his seat at the front table, completely unmindful of the aghast looks the other members of the council were giving him. He was just preparing to sit down in his customary seat when a sudden and searing pain shot through his mind and body, nearly driving him to his knees.
"What the...?" he gasped as he fought to remain conscious through the attack. In the next instant, he felt the entity that resided in his mind surge forward, threatening to send him over the edge.
'No!' the voice screamed just as yet another wave of pain lanced his body. 'I will not let you win this time Shinigami. No, this time you will bow at my feet like the dog you are.'
Hallion suddenly felt the entity apply a firm grip to the parts of his mind he had managed to keep his own and though he fought to remain in control as he had done in the past, he was no longer strong enough to withstand the being's might. In only a second's time, he felt his control being ripped from him as everything went black and the elf knew no more.
For the remaining members of the council, they sat and watched as their appointed leader suddenly bent over his seat as if in pain. Some even contemplated going to see if he was all right, but before anyone could do anything, he once again righted himself as a soft yet evil laugh made its way from his throat. When he finally turned to face them only a moment later, his once faded green eyes held an unholy light, causing the majority of them to exclaim in fright. They were just leaping from their seats in a desperate bid for escape, when the possessed elf threw his arms open wide, expelling a wave of dark energy that quickly swept through the room, engulfing all it touched and leaving only darkness in its wake.
********************
"Do you think they're alright?" Quatre asked in a soft voice. Duo and Heero had entered the trance-like meditative states almost an hour ago, catching the others by surprise when the two seemed to simply collapse only fifteen minutes after starting the process. Thankfully, they both seemed to be fine, only sleeping, so the others did as previous decided and kept watch in hopes they would awake soon.
"I don't know." Hilde admitted with a worried tone. "I never did understand any of this I'm afraid."
As she spoke, the blue-eyed elf unconsciously let her hand come to rest on her abdomen where she gently rubbed her thumb over its flat surface. He had been noticing her doing this for most of the evening and finally his curiosity became too great as he cautiously let his mental blocks drop to allow him to sense the elf's emotions. What he found brought a bright smile to his face as he approached her and quickly caught her up in a gentle hug.
"Oh, Hilde. Congratulations." he breathed before releasing her and looking into her surprised face. "Duo told us you've been trying to have a child for so long."
"But how...?" she asked in wonder even as she shot a look at her husband, who was currently in deep conversation with Wufei.
"Just from your actions and the feelings I just was able to pick up from you." the blonde human explained but continued at seeing her confusion, "I'm an empath; I can sense feelings when they're strong enough or if I concentrate."
"I've never heard of a human possessing that type of magic before." she said with a smile before her face became pinched with worry. "But you can't say anything to anyone, please."
"You mean Solo doesn't know?"
"No, and now is not the time to tell him." she stated emphatically. "With everything else that's going on, the last thing he needs is something else to worry about."
"No Hilde, you're wrong." Quatre said, gripping both her shoulders in his hands. "If anything, this is the perfect time to tell him. After everything we've been through and with everything we still face, a little good news is just what he needs. What we all need."
"But--"
"He deserves to know." the blonde boy said, his gaze giving her no room for argument. "Now go, Howard and I can keep an eye on these two. You and your husband have some things to talk about."
After a moment, Hilde finally gave a small nod and a smile. "Alright, Quatre, I'll tell him and thanks."
"You are more than welcome." he returned with a smile of his own and then watched as she crossed the room, approaching her husband.
"Not bad." a voice said from behind him and he turned to give the dwarf a questioning look. "I'd been trying to tell her the same thing since the day the lot of you left to find the sword, but she's far to stubborn for her own good some times."
"Yes, I can see that." Quatre smiled before turning back to the two figures on the cot. "I just hope these two make it back in time to enjoy the announcement."
********************
"What do you mean, he'll die too." Heero demanded of the spirit who merely looked at him for a moment, his face twisted in sadness.
"The battle we must fight is for possession of Duo's soul." Shinigami explained. "If you win, he will remain as he is with the only difference being that I will become a part of him, lending him the strength and necessary fortitude to go into battle. If you should lose, and with the amount of training you've received I'd say that'll be the inevitable outcome, I'll take complete control of Duo's body, destroying his soul in the process."
"No." Heero breathed, feeling his knees become weak at the thought of losing his little lover.
"Of course, you won't much care at that point because you'll already be dead." the spirit of darkness continued. "And after that...."
"What?" this time is was Reestlin who asked since Heero did not seem capable of forming coherent speech at the moment.
"I'm the spirit of darkness." Shinigami stated with just a hint of disgust in his voice. "Even during our war, as you remember, I was considered to be heartless and uncaring about who I killed. In this war, if Hee-chan loses and I'm set free, it'll be my responsibility to insure that the need for war never happens again."
"And how are you supposed to do that?" Heero finally managed to ask, although his voice was a bit raspy, speaking of his barely controlled emotions.
"By destroying it and every living creature in the process." the spirit answered in a quiet voice, his head hanging in desolation of the answer. "And if this world is destroyed, all those tied to it, including yours, will be obliterated as well."
"No, that's impossible." Reestlin argued with a firm shake of his head. "You returned to our side at the end, you're not evil."
"It's not evil, it's who I am." Shinigami explained. "And without the light to balance me, it's all I know. You see Rees, if he dies, as your host, you will die with him."
At those words, the spirit of light's normally dark complexion took on a pasty color and he seemed to sway on his feet. "But that's not--?"
"You just had to be stubborn about this, didn't you?" the black-clad spirit hissed, stepping around Heero and coming to stand before his counterpart. "You had to keep yourself above them, like you're better then they are. Dammit, I know that Duo impressed you during his test, I was watching. Why didn't you train Heero? Do you want to see them fail so badly?"
"No!" Reestlin exclaimed, taking a step back from the other spirit wrath. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me." Shinigami stated in a deceptively calm, quiet voice.
"They...." Reestlin started but stopped and gave himself a shake, trying to gather his thoughts before trying again. "They have to do this on their own; it's the only way they'll win. The only way they'll succeed, where we failed."
With a heavy sigh and a small shake of his head, Shinigami breached the space that separated the two spirits and pulled the white-clad man into a fierce embrace. "We didn't fail." he said softly. "We did exactly what we started out to do, we stopped Zallithus. It wasn't our time to do more."
The two remained in their embrace for a moment as each digested what they had just said. A throat being cleared directly behind them caused the two to part as they turned to give the blue-eyed human a dark look apiece. "I hate to interrupt, but would you please let Duo down. I don't like him just hanging there." Heero said.
"No, I can't do that." the spirit of darkness said with a sigh, releasing the other spirit as he walked back to stand before Heero. "Only once the battle's finished will Duo be released. And since we're officially inside his mind, it'd probably be best if we get started; the longer we're here, the harder it'll be on him."
"Right." Reestlin said with a sharp nod, having pulled himself back together and walked to stand beside Heero once again. He then stretched his right arm out in front of him and called a white, glowing sphere to his palm before turning his hand to the side and closing his fingers around the light. In the next instant, the light seemed to burst outwards from his clenched fist and when they were able to see again, the sword that Duo had retrieved from the Solan Mountains was in its place. Turning back to the dark-haired boy, Reestlin held the weapon out to him. "Here, you'll need this. It's the only weapon that can stand up to Shin's scythe."
With a nod, Heero accepted the sword, giving it a couple of practice swings to determine its balance like the dwarves had taught him before turning to face the spirit of darkness.
********************
From across the room, Jess watched as Hilde and Solo talked in quiet voices. All of a sudden, the tall, blonde elf grabbed his much smaller wife up in his arms and spun her around while laughing at the top of his lungs.
"I wonder what that's all about?" she asked of her two partners. From her right side, Wufei merely shrugged and continued watching the two prone bodies sleeping on the cots near the other side of the room while on her left Trowa remained immobile. "Oh please, you can't still be upset with me. Wufei, you haven't done anything but grunt at me since before we left the mountains. And Trowa, well, you've never talked much anyways."
"You deliberately endangered Duo's life by keeping information from the group." the dark-eyed boy stated, quickly raising his hand to forestall her rebuttal. "And while I understand that one must make sacrifices in war, friends and allies should never be so carelessly thrown away."
"Wufei--" the grey-eyed elf started with a sigh, but another whoop from across the room stopped her.
"Listen everyone." Solo exclaimed, Hilde still held firmly and protectively in his arms. "We're going to have a baby."
At seeing the glowing smile on the dark-haired elf's face as well as the almost goofy grin on her husband's, Jess could not help but smile as well; her heart filling with happiness for her two friends.
"Are they expendable as well?" Wufei's voice cut into her thoughts. "And their child? Because in the end, not all of us will survive this war and those that choose to fight are more likely to earn that fate. You must always keep in mind that just because you're prepared to make sacrifices doesn't mean that you can't still fight to stop them."
With that said, the dark-haired boy started across the room behind his taller friend to congratulate the new parents-to-be while leaving Jess to come to her own realization of just what his words meant.
********************
Shinigami watched as the human swung the blade, testing its weight in his hand, and instantly knew the boy was far more trained than he had said. It would not be enough to save him though and the spirit felt a pang of regret as he once again turned to look at the fairy hanging on the wall. In all his years and many hosts, Duo was the only one to engender any affection from him. The others were merely vessels for him to inhabit as he awaited the one that would finally free him. Just watching the longhaired boy growing up and all the hardships he had suffered, so like his own growing up, had caused a spark of something to form in his chest. And now that the end was near, he did not want to see the bright light that was Duo vanish from this world.
"I'm ready." Heero voice stated firmly, drawing him from his introspection and calling for the test to begin.
"No, you're not, but there really isn't much choice in the matter now is there?" the spirit's soft voice said back as he turned to face the human once again. Then, raising his hand as Reestlin had done, he formed a ball of pure blackness in his palm before closing his hand around it. When the light burst and then settled, a gleaming silver scythe was in its place.
The scythe was approximately six feet long in length with the actual blade extending three feet from the top edge. It was made of a silvery material that Heero could not place and seemed to absorb any light that ventured close to it. In all, it was a very daunting weapon to face but he stood his ground as Shinigami walked toward him.
"A fight to the death." the spirit chirped in a deceptively happy voice. "To make things a little more interesting though, I think I need a new look."
'And to remind you of what you're fighting for.' Shinigami added mentally before raising his right hand above his head. Once again, he calling forth a ball of black light, which he allowed to expand and flow downward until it completely veiled him from sight. A second later, the light seemed to shatter and fall away. When it was gone, the violet-eyed fairy had taken his place.
"Duo." Heero breathed, allowing the sword tip to fall as he moved forward to embrace his lover. Duo though, held up a hand and smirked at him.
"Ah ah ah Hee-chan." the doppelganger said before turning to point at the wall where the real Duo was still oblivious to his surroundings. "Duo's still quite comfortable and we've still got a fight to deal with."
"But... I can't." Heero stammered, the mere thought of fighting the spirit in that form causing his stomach to clench.
"You will." Shinigami stated firmly. "You must because if you don't you forfeit the match and that's just as bad as losing. Do you want our little fairy to die?"
"Shin, why are you doing this?" Reestlin asked, aghast. He could not understand the vicious streak that the other spirit was showing by forcing the human boy to fight his own lover.
"I have my reasons." Shinigami snapped as he and Heero slowly began to circle each other, looking for an opening.
Heero was the first to make a move, using reflexes born of desperation and fear; he leapt forward and swung the sword in an arch toward the spirit of darkness' head. He knew before he had even started the attack that it would be intercepted but it did cause Shinigami to raise his hands over his head, leaving his body open. Heero used the opening to firmly plant his right foot in the spirit's stomach, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps and clutch his abused belly. Shinigami merely smiled manically though as he looked at the boy with new respect.
"So, starting off with the dirty fighting early are we?"
"You're the one who started it by taking Duo's appearance." Heero shot back, once again taking an attack stance as he waited for the spirit to rejoin the fight.
"True." Shinigami conceded, giving his stomach one last rub before stepping forward and raising his scythe. "Lets get down to business, shall we?"
With that, the spirit charged forward, swinging the scythe blade low on Heero's body. The dark-haired boy managed to jump backwards enough to use the sword to block the attack before twisting around and bringing the sword in for a vertical swipe of his own. Shinigami easily evaded the strike and quickly danced out of range where he turned and smiled widely. In the next instant, the spirit once again came in for a close attack, this time aiming for the dark-haired boy's legs, forcing Heero to jump over the blade. This however, left him vulnerable to the spirit's fist, which he used to send the boy flying backwards to land heavily on his side.
"You have to fight harder than this Hee-chan." Shinigami clucked as he watched the blue-eyed human crawl to his feet. "Remember just what's at stake here."
Heero immediately turned to glare back to the spirit, only to find himself staring into Duo's wide violet eyes. It was then that he realized exactly what Shinigami was up to by take his lover's appearance and while he still did not like the idea of fighting him like this, he could not help but feel a small amount of gratitude at the spirit's efforts.
"I haven't forgotten." he whispered before once again raising the sword into a defensive stance, bringing a smile to the spirit's face just before he charged forward with another attack.
Reestlin simply watched as the two of them continued to match each other and prayed against hope that his stubbornness would not be his own end. As it looked, Heero was doing very well and holding his own against Shinigami. But he also knew that the spirit had much more stamina and the longer the fight went on, the greater chance he had of winning. The spirit of light could only watch as they alternately attacked and defended in an intricate dance that he knew he could never match.
Nearly fifteen minutes into the fight, Shinigami finally managed to catch Heero with his guard down. The blue-eyed boy was quickly tiring from the continuous barrage of strikes and following a particularly ruthless attack, his grip on the sword slipped and the spirit of darkness was able to bring the scythe up at an angle, catching Heero just under the ribs on his left side and slicing upwards across his chest. Luckily for the boy, the cut was shallow and not life threatening but it would cause him some problems while swinging the blade.
"You've done better than I thought you would." Shinigami conceded as he allowed Heero to catch his breath. "But I think we've just about reached the end."
"No." Heero stated emphatically. "I won't let Duo down. No matter what I have to do, I will beat you."
"Famous last words Hee-chan." the spirit said with a sad smile before once again moving in on the dark-haired human.
"Yes, for you." the dark-haired boy said before stepping into the attack. Shinigami was not prepared for the sudden and unexplainable movement. Instead of trying to avoid the attack, Heero had walked right into it, allowing the scythe to pierce his side. This then allowed him to bring his own blade up and slam it through the spirit's chest.
"Oh god." Reestlin breathed and rushed forward just as the two of them fell to the ground. After a moment's deliberation, he quickly went to Heero's side, cradling the boy's head in his lap as he look down into his pale face. "No, dammit, you can't die. You won the fight."
"You have to make sure Duo'll be alright." Heero said, his face was pinched with pain and his breath was already coming in short pants.
"You'll have to make sure yourself." the spirit of light countered before placing his hands over the boy's injured side and beginning to send his power into the wound.
"Please." the blue-eyed boy begged. "He's all that matters."
"It's not over yet Hee-chan." Shinigami said as he tried to crawl toward to the pair. He had returned to his original appearance as soon as Heero's sword pierced his chest and the robes were giving him a bit of trouble.
"Shin, what the hell are you doing? You have a hole in your chest." Reestlin exclaimed as he watched the spirit of darkness pull himself across the short distance that separated them.
"I'm finishing this." the spirit answered.
"No." Heero said as he tried to sit up but Reestlin quickly pushed his back down. "I beat you. Your wound is worse than mine."
"So that's why you didn't try to avoid my attack." Shinigami said in wonder. He had been more than surprised when Heero had stepped into the attack but now he knew why. By stepping in when he did, the blue-eyed boy controlled where the scythe would pierce his body while insuring he would be close enough to deliver a mortal wound. Now though, the wound to Heero's side was slowly draining the boy of his much-needed lifeblood. If something were not done soon, he would die.
Finally closing the distance between them, Shinigami levered himself up into a sitting position where he was looking down at Heero's prone form. "Yes, you won the match. You beat me fair and square, but your dying in the process wasn't part of the plan now hold still and let Rees heal you."
"But--?" the boy tried to protest.
"What about your own wound, Shin?" Reestlin asked, interrupting him as he once again pressed his hands to the boy's side. "Aren't you going to heal it?"
"What this?" Shinigami asked while looking down at the large hole that could be seen through a tear in his robes. "It's just a scratch."
"Huh?" the dark-haired human asked, his eyes widened in shock.
"What, did you really think you could kill me?" the spirit countered with a wide smile. "I'm a spirit, one who just so happens to control death, so, while this might be a mortal wound for a human, for me it's just a minor inconvenience. Although it does hurt like hell."
Heero could not help himself, after everything that had just happened, he could not keep the laughter from escaping his lips. Soon, both spirits had joined him as they allowed the last of the stress to drain from the area. Into the silence that followed, a soft voice echoed through the air, "Heero?"
"Duo!" the dark-haired boy called and struggled to right himself so he could go to the fairy. Reestlin would not let him go though since the wound was not completely healed yet and instead, Shinigami struggled to his feet where he swayed slightly before turning to the boy that was still pinned to the wall.
"Oops, guess I forgot." the spirit said before hurrying across the room, waving a hand to dismiss Duo's bonds, and catching the small fairy as he landed heavily on his feet. He then lifted the small boy into his arms and carried him across the room, where he sat him down at Heero's side.
"Oh god, what happened?" Duo exclaimed at seeing the blood that covered his lover's clothing.
"He'll be fine in just a little bit." Reestlin said and Duo finally looked up to see who was there.
"Reestlin? What are you doing here?"
"All will be explained in a moment." Shinigami reassured the boy, bringing those confused violet eyes to bear on him.
"Who are you?"
"Patience little fairy." the spirit of darkness smiled and watched as Heero's hand came out to link with one of Duo's, causing his smile to grow even wider. At the same time, the spirit of light finally withdrew his hands from the human boy's side, drawing Shinigami's attention to him. "All done, Rees?"
"Yes, he should be good as new in a minute or two."
"Good." Shinigami said with a nod then slapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "Then I guess we should be getting on to the rest of the fun."
"What do you--?" Heero started, but before he could finish, everything seemed to suddenly go white and he could no longer feel, see, or hear anything.
********************
In the meeting room of the dwarves' strong hold, things had begun to settle down once again following the news of Solo and Hilde's impending parenthood. Wufei had returned to his post by the door as had Trowa once they had given there congratulations to the couple, leaving both husband and wife deep in private conversation. Meanwhile, Howard and Quatre were still keeping a close watch on the sleeping forms of Heero and Duo. Things were not to remain settled though as in the next instant the four remaining weapon holders, Quatre, Trowa, Solo, and Wufei, simply collapsed to the floor for no apparent reason. The three left moved quickly to try and wake them, but just as Duo and Heero would not be pulled from their slumber, they would not return to consciousness.
TBC...
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