"I came as fast as I could." Wufei stepped past Heero into the hallway of the huge mansion. He didn't bother to admire the tasteful interior decoration; the hilt of his katana, strapped firmly to his back, caught the light of the impressive Victorian chandelier and reflected it. The mansion felt chilly and deserted to Heero, now that every one of the staff had retreated for the night.
"I appreciate it," he said. Wufei looked good to him, well-fed and well-rested, despite some dark circles under his eyes.
"Show me," was all that Wufei said and both men walked in silence to the guestroom in the west wing, Heero leading the way to the adjacent bathroom.
"Here he is."
Wufei knelt next to Duo and lifted up his head to study his face. He brought up his other hand, touching Duo's cheek, holding his hand in front of his nose. Heero wanted to bat his hand away, annoyed that someone else was touching Duo. He refrained from doing so at the last moment, even though it took a lot of willpower.
"What's wrong with him?"
"It is not a hyzikohyn, not a gulaynn, not a kyndo-hynn. It could never…" Wufei looked both frantic and pensive. "Something really, really strong had to be at work to capture him. I guess this is the big, bad boss he has been talking about. But if it got Duo…"
"We have to go through the rift," Heero said and added: "I'm ready to go." He ignored Wufei's questioning look. "I know all about it; Duo was lecturing me about it before."
"If Maxwell lectured you about it, you darn well better should know than to jump into the otherworld and play the hero," Wufei said. He gently moved Duo's head back, allowing him to rest on the floor. Then he got up, grabbed a few towels from the nearest stack and rolled them up to put under Duo's head as a make-shift pillow. After that, he used the rest of the towels to cover Duo's body, leaving his face free, and he turned on the heater.
"What are you doing?"
"Making him comfortable. His body will cool off rapidly without his soul present to sustain it. As soon as we bring him back, his body will have to support him, and it will not work if he is cold and uncomfortable."
"What can we do?"
"I can do something. I will pass through the rift and make sure to find Maxwell. I will take Shinigami along. Maxwell has an extremely strong spirit; they might be able to hold him captive, but they will never break him."
Heero grabbed Wufei at the arm. "I'm going with you."
"Out of the question. Remember what Maxwell said, and …"
"He needs me, and I need him. Chang… please."
"No. Now let go of me, Yuy, before I chop your arm off."
"I know you're not recovered completely yet," Heero pressed mercilessly, suppressing any kind of empathy or sympathy when he saw Wufei flinch: a small twitch of his right eye. "I can help you. You need my help."
Wufei pursed his lips. It took ages for him to finally make up his mind, and his voice was low and tentative when he spoke. "Fine. Only because I have not fully recovered yet. You have eaten and rested up well, right?"
"I'm more energetic than ever," Heero said. It wasn't a lie. "I have all the motivation and energy to get Duo back. Chang, I appreciate it."
"We will take Shinigami with us." Wufei ignored Heero's gratitude and hesitated once more. Then he reached behind his back to pull out another weapon. It looked similar to his katana, but round at the edges, like a small bo staff. "You will need a blessed weapon. This is Shenlong. It was my first weapon, before I was deemed worthy and strong enough to wield Nataku. You cannot enter the otherworld without a blessed weapon. Take it, Yuy. Shinigami!" The dragoyle flapped brusquely to Wufei and perched itself on his left shoulder. "Hold on to him."
Heero nodded; this was exactly like the first time. He grabbed the dragoyle at the leg, and whether it was because of Chang's chanting or Shinigami itself, Heero could feel the darkness pull and tug at him, grinning, smirking, welcoming him back like a lost son, and promising him the world if only he would surrender his soul.
The first thing that struck him was the cold. At his first visit, the ground had been warm to the touch and the sky rich with purple, deep-red colors. The entire atmosphere was bleak and grim, the sky a metallic grey and blue, the ground crumbling and stone cold. Heero felt the darkness weigh down on him, and he took a couple of deep, very deep breaths.
The negativity and despair of the otherworld didn't seem to bother Wufei. In stark contrast to Duo's black clothes in this world, Wufei was clad in pure, bright white with silver-lined embroidery on his tunic.
Shinigami had taken its original form again, the dragon mighty and majestic, the cold colors not affecting the deep, blood-red hue of its scales. It spread its wings and took off, leaving the two of them alone.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"We follow Shinigami. You know he will lead us to Duo undoubtedly."
"True. But what about here, the otherworld? It doesn't look the same like before."
"You are right. It is very different, is it not?" Wufei didn't elaborate and broke out in a brisk jog to keep up with Shinigami. Heero followed him, keeping up with him with fair ease.
"It might be because of Duo being captured. The balance might have been distorted now that a boss is exercising its influence. I still do not know what kind of boss it is." His voice went a pitch higher before he quickly continued. "I have tried to find information in Master Long's library, but I was not able to find it."
"The library wasn't extensive enough?"
"Too extensive." Wufei looked at him sideways, not liking any critique on Master Long or his possessions. "It was going to take me months to comb through it. It is obvious we do not have that much time. If I ever am in the opportunity, reorganizing the library is my main goal. I used to be a scholar, you know."
"And you ended up in the supernatural business how?" Heero couldn't help asking. Wufei didn't bat an eye.
"My wife was killed by a gwynnfyr," he said. "Meilan had assumed the tasks of the old tradition of the Chang family for me, to allow me to become the scholar I wanted to be."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Heero said, genuinely shocked by the other's words. His eyes darted to the katana on Chang's back. "So that must be…"
"Meilan is Nataku, yes," Wufei said, not missing a step as he jogged, while still keeping his eyes on Shinigami. "Her pure and kind soul blessed the weapon, and that is why I can use it to fight dark entities with it."
"And Shenlong?"
"It was Master Long's," Wufei said. "I do not know whose soul blessed it."
"What about Deathscythe?" Heero felt a knot tying in his stomach.
"The story of how a weapon is blessed is for its wielder to tell, Heero Yuy. I told you before."
"Yes, but what you said about it being wielded only by those who…"
Shinigami roared above their heads and Wufei halted, yanking Heero at his sleeve to pull him back.
"Watch out! He's going to breathe fire!"
"But why? I don't see anyth…"
Shinigami lashed out with such violence that Heero was thrown to the ground. A large cloud of dark shadows was annihilated in front of him, and the soul shards scattered around. The cold was nothing compared to the chill coming from the destroyed dark souls; it was like Heero could taste their animosity, the anger and hatred. The dragoyle had saved his life once again, and the flames from its fiery breath was still smoldering the ground, steam rising up from the fissures.
Wufei grabbed Heero at the arm. "Get up. We have to go."
Heero's throat was as dry as a bone. He tried to keep his mind from rehashing and cycling the same thoughts over and over again. The obvious change of the underworld. Duo in the claws of a boss that was apparently strong enough to even restrain the Executioner. Wufei wasn't at ease, jogging as if he was about to train for a marathon. The physical exercise kept their temperatures up and their bodies warm; maybe Wufei disliked flying and didn't want to hitch a ride with Shinigami.
Heero concentrated on Wufei's pace. One step at the time, his right foot, then his left foot, hands in the same direction, concentrate on breathing… It felt like an eternity, but Wufei came to a standstill, in front of a huge, dark, immeasurably deep abyss.
"It even managed to change the surface of the otherworld," he said, sounding unhappy. "This is an extraordinary boss, unfortunately."
It was for the first time that Heero saw Wufei more than actually hesitate; he was insecure. It worried Heero: if Wufei didn't know what to do, what was he expected to do? To make matters worse, he could feel the darkness tearing at his defenses again.
Duo was right; it wasn't his world. But he would go through hell and back twice if that was necessary to get him back.
Shinigami circled above them restlessly until it nose-dived and landed next to the abyss, a few hundred meters from where Heero and Wufei were standing. For once, Heero was glad to jog again: standing still had chilled his body, causing him to shiver and shudder from the cold.
"Oh my God." It eluded him before he could think twice. "Duo!" He yelled and ran towards him, arms wide open. He scrambled frantically to take him into his arms, mentally thanking Shingami over and over again; but as soon as he all but jumped at Duo, he went right through him. He fell to the ground, his face hitting the cold, gritty surface. Heero rolled over, chafing his elbows and hands as he got back up.
"Duo, what…?!"
Wufei was close to Heero and shook his head. Heero didn't understand, until he noticed what was wrong with the man who loved him. Duo wasn't real. He was a spirit, an entity clad in armor and holding Deathscythe in his hands.
"What's going on?" His voice broke. Duo turned his head and showed him a wistful smile.
"I can't go down there," he simply said.
"Down the abyss?"
"Maxwell, what is going on?"
Duo's face seemed to flicker, like a blinking light about to fizzle out for good. Heero noticed his own erratic breathing, unable to keep himself under control.
"Duo!"
"I can't go down there."
"Maxwell, tell me… I have never seen you like this." Wufei's hands were around his beloved katana, but he hadn't lifted up the weapon against Duo. He licked his lips, knowing that one swing with Deathscythe would end his life, both in the otherworld and in the real world —and Duo was fast.
"You're the Executioner," Heero reminded him. "You know this world best, Duo. This is what you're made to do. There's nothing you can't do here!"
"I can't go down there." Duo smiled and shifted his position, so he stood up straight. He tilted his head to look at Shinigami; the dragon took a step back, hissing at its master. Its blood-red eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Heero thought he saw fear. Something about Shinigami and its fear was so wrong, that not even the otherworldly cold temperature made his heart freeze like this.
"You're one of them," Heero said. His hands trembled, his voice wavered, and his body was shaking. He pulled Shenlong from his belt, holding the bo staff in a shaky stance. "You're one of those bosses who try to manipulate us. You won't have your way, demon!"
"Stop it, Yuy." Wufei didn't shoulder Nataku either, his stance weary but not aggressive. "This is not a demon, and this is not a boss. This is a spiritual rendition of Maxwell, if I am not mistaken. His body is in the real world, and…"
"When you were trapped by the hyn-davilyn,you didn't look like this! I carried your body - your solid body - back to the real world!"
"No situation is ever the same in the otherworld, Yuy!" Wufei pushed Heero's hand down. "Your aggression will evoke dark entities to come to this place. Keep yourself together! Focus, Yuy. Calm your breathing. Calm down!" He noticed he was yelling, and Wufei changed the intonation of his voice. "Please calm down. Focus on your breathing and your strength. Be grateful that we found Maxwell here. His spirit is so strong that he is able to warn us."
He turned towards Duo and bowed to him. "You have done what you could, Maxwell."
Shinigami roared and spread its mighty wings. Heero felt the harsh wind messing up his hair and tug at his clothes. He had to brace himself to not been blown away.
"Follow the God of Death," Duo said. Curling his hands around the shaft of the scythe, its typical curved blade shone with the light of a thousand suns, and Heero narrowed his eyes. Shinigami lifted itself up and angled its body so that it could dive straight into the abyss, such a quick reflex for its huge body that Heero was taken aback. Before he could recover from his surprise, Wufei dove after the dragon. He jumped right into the abyss, the darkness surrounding him at once, and he was gone.
"Shinigami! Chang!"
"You have to hurry and follow them, Heero. I don't have much energy left."
"Duo! What the hell is going on!"
"Control yourself, my love," was the only answer Duo gave him. "This is the otherworld. It's going to be difficult enough." He shifted his hand and the grotesque scythe moved with him.
"Answer me," Heero hissed. "Answer me, for the love of every deity, Duo: why are you the wielder of that weapon? Why can you do this and still not need any protection from all the darkness around us?"
Duo didn't look at him, taking precious seconds to stare at the shaft of the scythe. Then he shook his head, almost unnoticeable.
"I really thought you had figured it out already, Heero."
"Answer me!"
"The reason why I can - and will always - wield Deathscythe," Duo looked at him, his violet eyes as harsh and cold as the world around him, while his lips moved, telling the devastating truth, "is because I'm dead, Heero."
Darkness tore him apart.
Chapter 10 | Chapter 12 |