They left Libra the next morning. Quatre and Duo both looked melancholy, Quatre even more so, his expression mixed with unspoken annoyance and a little sadness. He had sealed the library and most of the books were relocated so nobody had easy access to them.
Heero didn't say a thing and just stepped in line with Duo, whose robes swished around his ankles, once again without getting dirty. Vayeate and Mercurius were standing in the large courtyard, looking in perfect condition and well groomed after their stay in the stables. Trowa added another pack on Mercurius' back, not disturbed in the least by the crowd; they weren't the only ones leaving. Duo had informed everyone in Libra about the situation and the possibility of Khushrenada attacking them -- if only to get his hands on the library. Those who wanted to stay were allowed to stay, but Duo recommended them to leave, as not to fall into Khushrenada's hands and be forced to enlist in his army or become a slave.
The children, all orphans, were leaving with the mages-in-training. Most of them would return to their homeland if it hadn't been annexed by Khushrenada; otherwise, they would go to Romefeller country and search out the Resistance. Relena told them the best way to get in touch with Sylvia Noventa and her grandfather if need be; the Resistance could always use some help, especially from mages, in training or not. Everyone else who had searched refuge in Libra, were given several options to look for and find other sanctuaries; but one, general promise was made: everyone would return as soon as Khushrenada was defeated.
"Juuu," Trowa patted Mercurius, urging the animal to start walking. Vayeate immediately followed; the tall horse not leaving his mate out of his sight. Wufei, with his katana firmly girded, stared after the horses before resuming his pace and catching up with them.
Duo looked over his shoulder as they left, passing the iron gate, setting his first steps on the steep and narrow mountain trail. The way into Libra was easy once one knew the whereabouts of the gate, but it didn't work both ways, unfortunately.
Heero caught him looking; it seemed to him that Duo thought he was never going to return. Quatre took the first turn to ride Mercurius, settling himself between the saddle bags and the large packs. Even Trowa and Wufei carried backpacks to Heero's surprise; it was the first time he had seen them carrying luggage. Relena sat on Vayeate's back, hands in the horse's mane, soothing herself. Her bundle of clothing was strapped together with a large pack and a basket on the animal. Vayeate was used to carry riders, not luggage, but the tall horse determinedly stepped forward, searching its way on the narrow path.
Going to Barge country was not much of a plan, but searching out Khushrenada would lead to an inevitable confrontation. Was Duo planning on killing the usurper? He tightened his grip on his sollevar. The man was for him; he would die solely at his hands, not at anyone else's.
Trowa cocked his head; the archer looked at him strangely.
"Something bothering you?"
"Just thinking," Heero answered and left it at that. Trowa however, broke the silence again.
"You have saved a damsel in distress and now you're guarding a Princess. Everything should be easy and sunny for you."
"Why do you keep calling me Princess?" Relena interrupted, overhearing the conversation.
"You're the only woman in our company," Duo answered smoothly.
She just smiled and laughed.
"I would like a serious answer, Duo," she said, frowning. It had bothered her from the beginning that they referred to her as 'Princess'. It was a strange title, and even though she knew about the legend and the royal couple, it still felt unnatural to her.
"As you were born in the Kingdom of Sanq to the royal couple, you're the Princess," Duo answered. "The Peacecraft family..."
"I told you, my father was delirious from the pain, he couldn't have been serious," Relena said again, but her voice lacked conviction. She didn't want to believe it, just yet -- it would mean that her father spoke the truth... which meant that he wasn't her father. What did that make him? He meant so much to her, it was hard to believe that he had 'only' been her adoptive father. She fell silent, deeply in thought, and Duo looked a little concerned at her.
It would take them hours and hours to get from this mountain, following the narrow path. Trowa was extra careful with the horses, avoiding at all costs that the animals would trip and break a leg. It was cold on this side of the mountain despite the sun shining, and Heero didn't protest when Relena handed him a coat. Both mages didn't seem to be affected by the change in weather, and Wufei's armor must be protecting him from the cold; Trowa was intensively occupied with the horses. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, and everyone was concentrating on where they were walking. As far as Heero was concerned, they couldn't leave the mountain soon enough.
The group reached the borders of Barge country two days later. The weather had been good, sunny and cloudless in general, and they had made good time after leaving the mountain trail. The road was wider and easier accessible, though they had to fend off two gangs of thieves and robbers. It was pretty obvious that the people in this region were quite desperate when it came to obtaining money or food; as soon as they passed the border, Heero saw nothing but poverty and despair around him. The first village they passed breathed one and all hostility and envy, primarily aimed at the rich golden embroidery on Duo's robes.
The hunger was clearly visible in the townspeople's eyes, if it wasn't already obvious enough from their bony faces and clothing hanging around their emaciated bodies. They reminded Heero of how Sylvia Noventa had looked when she had been rescued. They all sported the same matted hair, the same exhausted look, as they pressed their children closer, suspiciously eyeing the group. Heero made sure to walk next to Duo and to swing his sollevar casually; it made him shiver when the citizens licked their lips, assessing the weapon and calculating their chances. These people were desperate enough to murder them in their sleep to get their hands on anything valuable.
He wanted to disagree loudly when they halted at the town's square, deeming the citizens too hostile and unfriendly to stop, let alone spend the night here. He was silenced however, by Duo, who started unloading the packs and bags on Mercurius' back. Quatre and Trowa helped him while Wufei supervised; his hand was close to his katana, eyes darting towards the approaching townspeople, curiosity winning from suspicion.
Heero had assumed that Duo had packed so many things because he thought he would never return to Libra; but the Fire mage took out an abundance of supplies. Blankets, candles, bottles of oil, bars of soap, packages containing those 'coffee beans' -- Duo and Quatre took everything out of the saddle bags, displaying it on the ground. Children were already gathering, looking at some of the simple toys Duo had packed as well: a few dolls and stuffed animals, but they looked like treasures to the poor children, often not wearing much but a ragged skirt with a shirt or a pair of pants.
As Duo started to distribute the goods, Quatre went around Healing cuts and bruises, worn and torn feet and calloused and bloodied hands or noses. The word of a Healer being present quickly spread around, and people who had been hesitant at first, came rushing towards him. Mothers with newborns, fathers with sore backs and bodies from toiling on the lands formed a line before the nature mage, whispering ecstatically. Quatre sat down, Trowa taking a defensive position next to him, and set to work.
Duo had soon handed out all the supplies he possessed, and the rest of the townspeople quickly lost interest him in, walking over to Quatre to get their sores and pains healed. They were still giving him strange looks, recognizing his robes, but gave Heero the same nervous glances -- mostly because of his weapon. He could see them translating its value in their eyes, and as if to demonstrate, he tightened his grip on the sollevar.
"Let's find a place to stay," Duo said, folding up the empty saddle bags. "Quatre's going to be busy for a while, and he'll be tired. We better get some comfortable beds... when he's done, it'll be too late to travel."
"Word of mouth of... these services will go around quickly," Heero remarked as he grabbed the reins of Vayeate and Mercurius. Relena sat close to Quatre and Trowa, her sewing materials in her hands to repair clothing, the children hopping from foot to foot and giggling while they waited until she was finished with their garment.
"I don't mind; Khushrenada may know that we're on his ground," Duo said. He shrugged. "For all the proclamations he has done, an all-around prohibition of traveling wasn't one of them. We're as much entitled to... visit his country as he is ours -- though we're not the usurpers, of course."
"What about Libra?"
"What about it?" Duo tensed a little, his movement jerky.
"What's going to happen to it?"
"I don't know." He fiddled with the clasps of the saddle bag. "Most of the mages-in-training and the children are gone by now, and those remaining aren't of...any value to Khushrenada. The library is sealed, so our books, scrolls and scriptures are safe for now. I founded Libra to make it a place to gather knowledge and to help people with their powers and possibilities. I wanted it to be free, though -- no obligations, no duties. I wanted to leave it to everyone individually to make a choice, what was best for them."
Heero brought up his hand and touched Duo's hair, the long braid running down his back, gently swaying to the sides with every movement.
"You can't always make a decision for others. I think Libra was a good place to be, for mages and ordinary people. It would be a waste if Khushrenada were to destroy that."
"He would do it simply out of spite," Duo said. "He only wants Libra because it's on his list of 'countries I still need to conquer'. Libra has nothing to offer him, be it for the library -- but that's sealed, so if he already manages to come in, he won't be able to break the seal and get his hands on any information."
Heero snorted. "If there's any way we can thwart him, we must do so."
"I know," Duo confirmed and squinted his eyes. A dilapidated building across the street had the appearance of an inn, judging from the half-rotten sign. He looked at Heero, and his cheeks reddened a little. It amused Heero more than it should; his hand hadn't left Duo's hair, fingers tangling in the chestnut strands.
"Come, let's go inside, and see if we can find a bed."
It turned out to be an actual inn, but the rooms were dusty, the wooden furniture -- and notably the beds -- moldy and half-rotten, the drapes and linen rather smelly, and it was more than obvious that no traveler had passed here for quite a while. Duo didn't need to bargain long for their stay though, and brought up their remaining luggage to their rooms, the skinny innkeeper bowing and nodding to him as if he were a very important man. In the end, Heero had to shoo the man forcefully away, shutting him out by throwing the door shut.
"Is it time for dinner yet?" he asked.
"We wait for Quatre," Duo answered, showing a tired smile. He didn't have the same stamina Heero had, but hadn't complained for a second after their daily, hour-long treks through the woods and the land, leaving the mountains far behind him. He flopped on the bed, the embroidered flames melting around his body. Boldly, Heero sat down next to him, his hand on Duo's shoulder. The Fire mage immediately put his hand over his, his tired smile dissolving into a fond smile.
"Are you hungry?"
"I could eat something, yes," Heero admitted. Moving his hand up, he touched Duo's cheek. What was the next step in their... relationship? Was it a relationship already? Duo wasn't going to leave it at just physical affection, was he? He was rather surprised to reach the conclusion that he would even accept that -- as long as he was with Duo. How strange it was to feel this way; to feel so certain about something. Just as he had thought he would stay in Romefeller country forever, he was now sure he was going to be with Duo forever, in whatever relationship, in whatever bond... as long as they would share the day, the night...
"What's on your mind, mighty warrior?" Duo asked. His large eyes were half-lidded, and he looked about ready to fall asleep. Heero brought up his other hand, brushing away a few stray strands.
"A lot of things," he said. How to attack and defeat Khushrenada was only a few of them, but he didn't want to talk about the usurper now.
"I know," Duo said and patted him on the knee, his fingers trailing playfully along his thigh. "Tell me, how was life on your farm?"
Heero raised his eyebrows at the question, but he answered Duo by describing him his usual days, the lunches with Relena on the green hill, looking out over the city, without any trouble in sight. How he had taken care of the animals, repaired the gate, ploughed and sowed the lands, with or without Darlian's help.
"Sounds like a paradise to me," Duo said. "I love animals. We only had chickens and a few goats. We always had omelets on Sundays." He snorted, though he sounded amused. "Can you imagine how much we looked forward to it? An omelet on Sunday, baked by Sister Helen. She could make the finest omelets in the whole world."
"Were you born in Epyon country?" Heero asked. "Your accent..."
"I don't know," Duo said and turned his head a little to lean into his touch. "I don't know any better than that I spent as long as eight, nine years on the streets in Epyon, along with the gang, until Father Maxwell took me in. I could have been born in another country, but I adopted the accent just as a survival mechanism. The Officials don't like foreigners -- it must have been more than just humiliation when a lad from Barge country stomped all over them."
Heero stroked his cheek, his calloused fingers touching smooth skin. He trailed over Duo's cheek towards his lips, tracing the outlines. "Quatre is an orphan too?"
"Oh no, he derives from a very wealthy family," Duo shook his head, but then parted his lips to nip at Heero's fingers. "He has 29 sisters. His father had multiple wives, according to ancient traditions of his tribe. I think the Winners formed a tribe all on their own."
He chuckled at that, before flicking out his tongue. Heero was rather taken aback by this new piece of information; he had somehow presumed everyone of the group to be an orphan, and the Nature mage having such a large family surprised him.
"How did he end up here? If he was the only son, I can imagine his father wanting to keep his heir close?"
"Meh," Duo said as he nipped at his finger again. "It's also according to ancient traditions that anyone disposing over magic powers is to be sent away. I don't know the details on that one; Quatre never really explained that to me. I have the feeling he went away on his own as not to shame his father that his only son and heir was a mage. I think they have spread the rumors around that he died in the desert."
Now Heero shook his head in disbelief. Sometimes people's lives really didn't mean a thing... and it wasn't something he wanted to think about right now. His thumb went over Duo's chin, and he leaned more into him. Duo tilted his head, parting his lips more.
"What about us?"
The Fire mage was the first to ask. Heero grinned at him, not realizing the wolfish nature of it. Duo's eyes sparkled, but looked examining at him nonetheless. Again if they were searching for something, but Heero felt like he had nothing to hide. He was open in his emotions towards Duo, and he expected him to be honest as well.
"Us."
"Yes, us."
"Don't you want to be together?"
"Don't counter-question my question," Duo said, but his smile was wide. "I want us to be together, yes. It's..."
"Then it's settled," Heero interrupted him and made sure the mage couldn't talk anymore -- he claimed his lips fiercely, tasting the strange, spicy flavor, drawing him in and intoxicating him. Leaning into Duo more, he pushed him further into the covers of the rickety bed, the other shifting his arms around him, sinking a hand into his unruly mop of hair. Heero broke up the kiss briefly to take a deep breath and continue, when a harsh knock on the door interrupted them both.
"Duo? Heero? Quatre is downstairs, we're done." It was Trowa's voice, and the archer hadn't sound distressed or surprised at all by calling out to the both of them in one room.
Barge country was so poor that dinner consisted of stale, hard bread that was dipped in something akin to soup -- after a few bites, Heero figured out that it was more like gravy, pulled from an unidentifiable kind of meat, reheated over and over again. Relena politely but quickly declined the bowl filled with liquid fat, and Heero had enough after three bites as well. The citizens, grateful for Quatre's Healing, tried to give the group their own, very much needed dishes -- but they declined the half-rotten potatoes and moldy vegetables as well. The townspeople needed it more than the group did, and Heero would happily skip this meal in their favor.
"How can Khushrenada deplete his own country like this? His people?" Relena asked. Her hands were Healed by Quatre, as she had been pricking herself with needles, mending the rough fabric of the children's clothing for hours on end.
"This is where it started," Duo said. He hadn't eaten anything either. "Khushrenada overthrew the government here, which was corrupted to begin with, and started... expanding. He needed resources to build up his army, so he robbed his own people and depleted his country before he passed the borders. I don't know when or why Merquise joined him; but rest assured that Khushrenada did more than enough to his own people. Instead of trying to improve their situation, he worsened it. Barge country has never been flourishing, but this is the complete other side of the balance."
"Incredible," Relena muttered. Absent-mindedly, she nibbled on a piece of bread, swallowed, frowned in disgust and put the food back down.
"These people have barely anything to eat, no clothes on their backs, and there's no one to help them or to give them medical care." She looked at Quatre, his complexion quite pale due to all the exertion. Healing for hours had depleted his energy, and he needed good food more than anything to regain his strength. Trowa never left his side, not even taking the effort to go hunting; the woods had been the first places for the citizens to look for food. If there was any wildlife left, it would have been a miracle.
"I know, Princess," he said, tiredly. "It's in his blind greed to conquest and conquer the countries around him, not stopping at anything. These people need to rebuild what's left of their lands, but fear and hunger is paralyzing them."
Trowa shoved his plate aside, food untouched. "If anything, when Khushrenada is gone and his army disintegrated, the people can start the rebuilding at least without fear."
Relena looked sad. "Fear shouldn't exist like this," she said softly, before retreating into a sullen mood, occupied with her own thoughts.
The evening smoothly transitioned into the night, but Heero was the only one who didn't go to sleep. He patrolled around the inn and mostly the stables, having a strange sense of d? vu. The risk of the horses getting stolen and ending up in a stew was too great to take, and he could do without a night of sleep. No one bothered him or the horses, but he was sure it was because of his presence and the sollevar, as he saw enough people scurrying around in the shadows.
The next morning, they prepared to continue their travel and declined breakfast in favor of the people needing their own food again. Duo claimed that everyone was feeling fine and that they were in a hurry, despite the citizen's pleas to stay. Vayeate looked annoyed -- he hadn't been fed simply because there was no food for him, and if a horse was able to pout, he was certainly doing so. Mercurius simply danced along, not bothered by the lack of dinner, but tried to grab a few mouthfuls of grass whenever possible.
It was early in the afternoon when both horses suddenly pranced, whinnying loudly. Trowa, who had been jogging in front of them as usual in this rather forestry part of the landscape, returned with his bow and arrow in hand. He made a few signs with his other hand, and Quatre immediately took a few steps back while Wufei unsheathed his katana. Heero wasn't up to date with the use of their sign-language; this was only the second time he saw Trowa using it. He looked over at Duo.
"Skeefs," Duo said before he could ask. There was a glint in his eye. Heero realized Duo wasn't afraid -- he was anticipating the fight.
"Spread out! They'll attack in packs!"
Heero had never encountered skeefs before, and grunted at the thought of killing vicious animals again, wondering why Khushrenada send these beasts on their path -- it had to be Khushrenada, he had never heard of skeefs in the wild. It was still preferable to killing people, he thought, but even that was inevitable as long as the balance of the world was disturbed, and usurped by one person only. Holding up his sollevar, he took the front line with Wufei, the Nataku warrior snorting.
"These pesky vermin are not worthy of my blade," he said. "They will die because they don't deserve to be in this world!"
The noises were already audible; deceptively low, as if a few meowing cats were approaching them. There was a slight curve in the road and Heero squinted his eyes, concentrating -- there was the first pack! Skeefs had the same impressive teeth and jaws as spitting wrouvens, snorting almost the same, but they didn't yowl. Quatre summoned one of his embraces, but Heero noticed it wasn't as strong as it had been in the dungeon -- the Nature mage was probably still tired from all his Healing yesterday. He reminded Duo's words of how magic drained one's body.
"Show them your fire!" He hollered to Duo standing behind him, and he shifted into one of the stances Wufei had showed him, his training and exercises paying off.
"Skeefs are resistant to fire!" Duo yelled back, just before the first pack hit them, the animals jumping on their surprisingly strong hind legs towards them.
The next moment, chunks of ice hailed from the sky, killing the animals instantly, or freezing them to death on the spot. The ice was so intensely cold that it even affected Heero and Wufei; they moved away from the largest chunks and their point of impact, fending off the skeefs as they alternated the front position. The sollevar sliced through the beasts, tearing skin and flesh, while Wufei's katana cut them open as they attacked, Trowa's arrows hitting them straight between the eyes.
A massive amount of skeefs were unleashed, attacking the group indefatigable, despite ice, katana, sollevar and arrows killing animal after animal. Finally, Heero felt like he was standing to his knees in blood and guts, there weren't any more left. He turned around, hands trembling from the crushing grip on his sollevar, breathing slightly erratic, to see how the others were doing. Duo was standing next to Quatre, hand on his shoulder, and the nature mage looked like he could keel over any moment now, while Duo was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his face. Trowa walked around, seemingly calmly collecting his arrows, but Heero noticed his strained movements. Wufei pursed his lips as he observed the battlefield; this had just been a waste of time and strength.
"Khushrenada knows we are in his country," the Nataku warrior commented. "He would not be wasting his time creating and sending more creatures on our path if he did not know we were here. If he tries to exhaust us... he is on the right way."
He simply nodded to Duo and Quatre, both using each other for support to at least remain standing up. A faint reddish glow faded around Duo; Heero didn't know how he participated in the battle, but magic wasn't his forte anyway. He assumed Duo had given somehow his strength to Quatre as his own Fire magic was useless concerning the skeefs; and maybe he would explain, maybe not. One thing was clear -- there would be no more travel for today. From the corner of his eyes he caught a glimpse of Relena, who was dry heaving in the bushes, a few feet away from the carnage. Her whole body shook, and as always Vayeate was close to her, the tall horse forming an impressive defense, just in case -- but from the looks of it, none of the skeefs had ever gotten close to her.
Trowa managed to find a suitable place to camp for the night, though it wasn't far from the battlefield. Relena shivered, and mumbled something about the stench of the cadavers, but she fell silent soon, realizing that they couldn't travel much farther with two exhausted mages.
The archer surpassed his own hunting skills, returning after a while with several fish and two rabbits. Duo had lit a fire in the meantime, and together with Trowa he improvised a stew, using a handful of beans and lentils from their own provisions. The fish were grilled and served on the side, together with the last remaining slices of bread. It didn't surprise Heero that the largest portion went to Quatre, as he needed to replenish his strength, and preferably soon. Relena said that she was too upset from the fight to eat, and Heero, even though he could eat a whole army's worth, lied for their benefit that he wasn't nearly that hungry, claiming he barely had lifted a finger. Duo looked strangely at him, but Quatre needed the food more than he did, so he didn't say a thing about it.
The small river wherein Trowa had caught the fish was surprisingly clean and clear, a relief in comparison to the gloomy and gray environment. Large willows flanked the river banks, thorny bushes covering the land, and there was weed everywhere, not a single flower in sight. Some of the bushes carried dark purple berries; as Trowa hadn't harvested them to serve at dinner, Heero took it that they might be poisonous -- he didn't expect the archer to have overlooked them.
He rinsed his blood-soaked clothing and left them out to dry in the setting afternoon sun, and went swimming. It wasn't a surprise that their arrival in Barge country hadn't remained a secret for long. He couldn't imagine them being the only ones after Khushrenada's life. After all the pain and grief the man caused, wouldn't there be more people swearing revenge? He didn't care, as long as the man would die at his hands. It was hard not to get angry when thinking about it, and Heero gritted his teeth. The man would pay, and when he had executed justice on him... he would be free. Raking his hand through his wet hair, Heero finished another lap and decided to get out of the water. Free to live his life without fearing for another battle, for another war... what was it that he wanted? Peace and hope for the nations, and peace and faith for himself?
Mulling over his own thoughts, he returned to his clothes which were already dry and redressed himself, still pondering. It was getting chilly nonetheless, and he returned to the camp where he found Duo, next to a perfectly controlled, small fire. He had dug up the shards of gundanium again and was trying to fit them together into a disk.
"Look, another clue to the puzzle," Duo said when he noticed Heero, holding up a large sliver of the indestructible material.
"Where did you find that?"
"One of the kids in the border town was playing with it; told me that he could stomp on it as hard as he wanted to, but it would never break. I knew enough when I heard that."
"With that many fragments, it's going to take a while to complete a whole disk," Heero said. "Especially compared to the one Khushrenada has... which was in one piece."
Duo moved with his fingers to fit some of the pieces together, and he heaved a sigh.
"Some of the documents I researched told me about certain keys that were needed to open the gates of Sanq," he said, a little frustrated.
"That is if we can find Sanq," Heero reminded him. "We don't even know where it is, Duo. You don't even know which direction to take!"
The glare he received from the Fire mage would have burned him to ashes on the spot, but he refused to budge. What Quatre had said in Libra's library had been true -- Duo put everything on everything to find a magical place that would absolve him from his sins.
"We will find it," he said determinedly. "After we defeat Khushrenada, we will find it and bring peace and hope to the world."
"And peace for yourself?" Heero asked, tentatively. Duo's glare softened.
"If that were possible, yes."
"Duo, listen... I want Khushrenada dead just as much as anyone else," Heero started, "but..."
"I don't want him dead," Duo interrupted him. "I want to see him punished for his crimes. There have been enough deaths already, and him leaving this world will not return the lives lost, or correct the damage that already has been done."
Heero brought up his hand and put his arm around Duo, pulling him a little closer. To his relief, Duo allowed him to -- that glare had really been devastating. "He'll pay for what he has done to you, and what pain he caused you."
"It won't bring them back," Duo said softly. "It won't bring back your loved ones either, Heero. As it is, I'm the one going to take more lives, only in the name of a God, not in the name of war."
"Khushrenada took the lives of the innocent, Duo. You saw for yourself how he treats his own people, how he stripped his own country and left it crippled. Nothing, not even his death, will make that right. Your situation is different, believe me."
"I believe you," Duo said and looked up, smiling. "I always do."
It was extremely tempting to kiss him. The night hadn't fallen yet, and anyone could catch them in the act. They hadn't shared much intimacy since their time in Libra, be it for the one interrupted time in the inn. Heero found himself longing for it, and apparently so did Duo; he turned his face towards him, lips upturned, and Heero claimed them for a kiss.
"These things you're doing to me..." he whispered.
Duo chuckled softly. "I'm doing things to you?"
"Yes, you are."
"Do you want me to make them stop?"
"No," Heero said, determinedly.
"Heero..."
"I believe you too, Duo. If you say there's a magical Kingdom somewhere, there is one."
"I didn't say it was magical. And you're avoiding the subject."
"What subject?"
"About this," Duo said and returned the kiss. "What we're sharing... you know I'm not the most regular guy around."
"I'm not regular either," Heero promptly replied, though it had in reality only been two weeks, or maybe three, that he had been working on the lands like a regular, average servant.
"You're a warrior, a fighter. Such strong arms..." Duo all but snuggled up against him. "Anyone would feel safe in your arms."
Heero mulled over his words. Safe... how safe did he feel anyway? He had made a promise to keep Relena safe, to protect her from any harm. He knew she was safe in this group, with two warriors, an archer and two mages, but still...it was a promise he had made, and he always kept himself to his promises. It tied him to Relena for the rest of his life, no matter how many times she told him that he was discharged from his promise. How could she be safe without him? She was a strong woman in mind, but she would die from the first robber on the road, the first fall she would take, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to her that he could have prevented. It was something to think about -- but not now, not when they were relatively in private. He scented Duo's hair -- herbs he couldn't identify, but it smelled heavenly. He kissed him on top of his head.
"Ahem," someone cleared his throat. As if stung, Duo disentangled himself from Heero, his hands immediately reaching for the gundanium pieces in his lap. Heero shot Wufei a deadly glare -- the proud Nataku warrior would have been reduced to nothing but dust if it had worked. At that very moment, Heero wished for powerful mage abilities as well, preferably Fire.
"No news from Libra yet," Wufei said. Duo looked into his lap, rearranging the pieces. He wasn't blushing, but the bangs in front of his eyes made it difficult to discern his expression.
"Khushrenada has made no new plans yet except for returning to Tallgeese."
"Tallgeese?" Heero repeated.
"That is the name of his estate," Duo provided. "It's tall, large, and extremely ugly. Probably also the breeding ground for his animals and where Tubarov fabricates his dolls."
"Where is this Tallgeese?"
"It is in the mountains of Barge country, but at this rate, it will take us two weeks to even get there," Wufei said disdainfully.
"So he's returning to his homeland after all," Duo said. "How convenient."
"I think he expects us to show up there," Quatre said and he neatly straightened his robes, the white embroidery as pristine as ever. He looked a little better than before, but the fatigue was radiating off of him. Relena was next to him, arm hooked into his.
"Maybe he's gathering his army to confront us head-on. He'll want the gates for Libra for the knowledge and the power it represents. He won't take no for an answer, or a sealed library for that matter."
"I know, Quatre. We'll confront Khushrenada when we're ready," Duo said. Heero looked at him quizzically.
"May I remind you that we're only with five, Duo? We're not an army worth."
"Five of us are exactly enough," Duo answered.
"The Legends," Quatre said. Heero couldn't make out of his voice whether he was stating just a fact or simply accepting Duo's words. Trowa joined the group, as always using the landscape to move almost undetectably. Wufei stood silently, arms crossed in front of his chest, and shared a perfect neutral look with the archer.
It dawned to Heero that he never wondered before why exactly the group followed Duo -- or why he had stuck around himself. Was it because they all believed in the Legends, the legend of Sanq, or anything else Duo said? The word of the Fire mage almost seemed to be imperative, and they followed him, though not always quietly. Quatre had objected more than once, but still, Duo's word was followed in the end. It was strange; what kind of influence did Duo hold over the others?
Relena stared at her nails, arm still hooked through Quatre's. She looked from one to the other, studying and gauging their expressions. She tried very hard to keep her face just as neutral as the others, which was a shame -- her face had always been open and easy to read.
Duo looked at the others defiantly, as if he wanted to challenge them to go against him. It didn't escape Heero though, that his hands were clenched in his lap.
"We're going to retreat for the night," Quatre suddenly announced. Heero nodded briefly to him. The Nature mage's eyes were warm and friendly; no harsh words would be spoken tonight. He was thankful for it -- Duo didn't say anything in return and simply watched his friends leaving. Wufei and Trowa went in opposite directions; the Nataku warrior muttering something under his breath that deceptively sounded like "morons" and "idiots". He was out of Heero's mind soon enough.
Duo shifted as he stifled a yawn. Turning his head a little, he collected the gundanium slivers, once again trying to puzzle them together.
"Look, they have to fit in each other somehow."
Heero took the pieces out of Duo's hands and put them aside. Before Duo could protest, he cupped his face and looked directly into his eyes.
"Are you ashamed?"
"What?"
"When Wufei arrived -- are you ashamed of the two of us?"
The Fire mage shook his head. "I'm not ashamed, Heero. I just don't want it... to be in public where it might offend people. I know the others here don't mind, but I didn't know if you wanted it out in the open yet, and I don't even know Relena's opinion..."
"We have the Princess' blessing," Heero said, a little wryly. He had hurt her big time, and the promise he wanted to keep to her was his only way to make it up to her, albeit weakly. "We talked, and she understood."
"She was really in love with you, right?"
"Don't change the subject."
"I'm sorry," Duo said. "No, I'm not ashamed, and if we weren't at the brink of a war I would have married us ourselves. After all, I am a priest." He laughed, and leaned a little into Heero.
"Then, as soon as it's possible, we will get married."
"We're still two guys..."
"So?"
"A marriage is about a woman and a man..."
Heero nodded. "I know, but you're the priest around here. So unless you want to pose as a woman or simply reject my proposal, we're going to get married, two guys or not." It sounded logical to his own ears, and he couldn't care less about what the rest of the world thought about it, as long as he was with Duo.
"You don't know what you're saying," Duo snorted, but it lacked vehemence.
"I want to be with the real Duo."
"You wouldn't want to."
"I do."
"You won't like him."
"Duo. We had this conversation before."
"I know." Duo lowered his head. "It's so easy to hide behind a mask and distract people from your real self," he said. "I figured it was easier to keep up a happy sweet persona instead of introducing myself as Shinigami's little replacement."
"What did the God of Death ask of you?"
He pursed his lips, and darted with his fingers over Heero's knee. Absent-mindedly, he increased the open fire in front of them with a simple gesture and snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth.
"He asked life of me."
"To give it to him?"
"No, he told me that I could break his... no, our mutual commitment if I were to find life."
Mutual commitment? Heero started to despise Duo's heavy mage robes. The only skin he could touch was his neck, and Duo was slightly ticklish there.
"If you have a mutual commitment with Shinigami, then there's something he must be doing for you, too," he wondered out loud.
"Don't ask," Duo said sharply.
"What do you gain by this commitment?"
"I said, 'don't ask'," Duo growled. He squirmed a little, shifting around, all but wrestling himself free from their embrace. Heero was stronger, so he kept the Fire mage in place -- he wanted to know.
"What, Duo?"
"What are you doing?" he hissed, and his eyes darkened dangerously. "Why do you want to know?"
"I want to know so I can help you break this commitment," Heero answered. "I don't want you to owe anything to anyone else."
"Let me go," Duo hissed again. "Let me go, or I'll set you on fire. I mean it, Heero."
Heero lifted his arm and Duo pulled away from him, his face an unreadable mixture of emotions. He might have been a simple servant working on a farm, but he was intelligent enough to see certain connections. A commitment with mutual benefits -- how could he help Duo if he didn't know both sides of the contract?
"What made you ask for your powers," he said, though not loud. "What made you choose for him?"
Duo looked at him, and now his expression was just blank. "If you can't figure it out for yourself, then we're not on the right way to become what we want to become," he said curtly. "I have answered enough of your questions, Heero. I'll answer only one more, and then you can think about what you have gotten yourself into."
"Duo, I..."
"Enough," Duo cut him short. "Yes, I have a commitment to Shinigami, and he has a commitment to me. For as long as I haven't found life, I can't find death either -- I'm immortal, Heero. Do you see now why not everyone can come close to me? They just die. I have never believed in any God but the one who mastered Death -- because I have never seen anything but death, and the only smell I scent is the one of rotting corpses, and the only beauty I see is when someone dies without too much pain. I hope you understand it now, Heero Yuy of Romefeller country."
He couldn't say another word. Duo didn't wait for him to start talking either; he grabbed the gundanium slivers and walked away; without him, the fire died spontaneously. Heero shivered from the sudden cold, and shivered from the cold settling into his bones.
Chapter 10 | Chapter 12 |