"Where My Demons
Hide"
Written By: Diana
Lua
Disclaimer: I don't own
Gundam Wing and I don't make any money with this. It's just a work
for fans and for fun.
Pairings: 1x2x1, 13x5; Background
pairing: 4x3x4, Solox2, 6+2, 9+6, H+2, R+1, S+5 and maybe more…
Warnings: AU, Yaoi, SLASH,
NC-17, alternating POVs; - Mainly a romance, drama with lots of angst
and some action;
- Time: some fictional medieval
age, nearly the 10th century (without technology nor gundams);
- Place: Earth with fictional context (not really caring about the
real History);
- Supernatural contents (demons, angels and dragons).
- Some magic like seals, curses and spells (the 'Crimson Spell' kind,
nothing like 'Harry Potter' things);
Rating: NC 17
Summary: Being captivated
by a strong and devastatingly beautiful demon, that was captured very
wounded, was just the start of the changes in Lord Heero Yuy's life.
The implications of relating with the creature were as dangerous and
revealing about things in the world that he had never before dreamed.
"Where
My Demons Hide"
09.
Pray
(Duo's
POV)
"So
they dug your grave
And the masquerade"...
Looking
at the dark and red-ish scenery of my surroundings made me feel tired
of those colors, that view, those sensations. Not only was the air
dense and thick, but the energy here was also heavy and suffocating.
The sulfur vapor leaving a harsh, acrid taste in my tongue and throat,
that constantly made me feel nauseous[16].
I didn't know how I had spent so much time here without noticing those
things before, but after spending that short time on Earth... returning
to Hell served just to show me how insufferable living here really
was.
How
unbearable living alone was; when all I wanted... Yeah, there was
no reason to deny that I wished I could stay up there with that human,
with Heero. It had been about three months since I left him sleeping
in exhaustion, sneaking my sorry self out of his life indefinitely.
Yet, the time had been like an old tired lady, dragging itself, day
after day, crawling slowly through the arid burned ground.
My
own mind was still a mess. Full of mixed feelings, overwhelmed, divided
between what I wanted to do and what I needed to do. It didn't help
at all that I needed to keep a low profile, so, on top of all things,
I was also bored.
The
demon that I had killed wasn't exactly a nobody... so, it was a good
thing that the most prevalent rumor was that he injured me so much
that I was captured by humans and used in experiments before being
killed. I didn't feel inclined to disprove them. I was just glad that
there wasn't much about any 'involvement' with a human, probably because
the reason for the fight with that demon was my refusal to... well,
become his. Keeping Heero separated from anything that involved me
was the best thing for his own safety.
Moreover,
I was still having trouble explaining to myself how we became involved
like that in the first place. Could it be because I was too wounded
to think straight, but the more likely reason was because some of
my wounds weren't physical... it probably was just because I was lonely,
I hadn't even acknowledged it to myself before. Whatever it was, I
actually had been trying not to think much about him. The memory of
that last night was still too fresh. The way he loved me... it was
so real; it was the perfect form making the untouchable feeling, that
I only see, touchable. It was just so... amazing, I almost thought
that I wouldn't bear being with him, surrendering to him, allowing
him to have me like that. Even if I had desired to be with him before,
I thought that I couldn't let him... yet, at that very moment, when
he asked, even I knew that wasn't what he had in mind, everything
just came into a perfect place, fitting as it was meant to be.
Wanting
me that much, it was the sweetest thing that he had asked like that.
Heero didn't fully understand what that kind of union meant to me,
yet, he acted just perfect. And that just made the need to leave even
more bitter and unpalatable. I didn't know how much time I stayed
there, just laid down immobile, feeling his weight over me, the movement
of his body slowly going up and down with my own breathing. I didn't
feel like wanting to move, I didn't feel like wanting to go away.
I really didn't want to go back to hell, to the way I had been living
before, not after having tasted his love, being touched by it.
And
not just that, but everything else, I hadn't felt truly alive like
that for a long long time. I hadn't used my wings to fly like that,
just for fun, for pleasure, in a long time, nor had I even have the
desire to do so. Those few days on Earth, with Heero's care, had lit
up the blaze of my will, making me feel again. It seemed that I had
been wearing a blindfold and that this human, such a volatile form
of life, had subtly removed it.
I
couldn't say that was all a good thing because, after that, it was
like I had woken up and it had been awful to face the world the way
it was once again. Faced with what my own life had turned into; the
indubitable truth that I had never owned it, that I had never been
free and never would be. I became aware, once again, of so much pain,
that so much injustice exists in all the worlds. I wasn't sure if
I could still... survive. Not without something good, something bright
and warm to keep me sane, to keep me from drowning in this dark abyss
that my soul was.
However,
it didn't matter how much I wanted to stay, to let him show me how
it was to feel again, what it was like having someone to try to understand
you again, having a safe house, someone that cares. It didn't matter
how much I wanted to let his gullibility about the world heal my soul,
I couldn't risk hurting him.
I
couldn't risk hurting, once more, someone that cared about me.
There
was no space inside me for more of this kind of guilt. I was too flooded
with sins, there was no room in my soul for another one. My heart
was broken, shattered into the smallest pieces it could be, and if
it wasn't for the promise that I made to Solo, so fucking long ago,
in an age when I was still naive enough to believe in hope, in fairness,
I would already have abandoned this life.
Not
even knowing what made him decide to resist insisting that I stay,
I couldn't be more grateful because I wasn't sure of my own will to
refuse it. It wasn't the wish of my heart, of my soul. My soul wanted
to stay there with his golden love, in the world where I can see the
energy moving, in the world that I was made to understand beneath
the ground to the very foundations.
Seated
cramped in between rocks, I grabbed the cape that he had given to
me, covering more of myself. I was just exhausted, emotionally broken-down,
completely lost and... sad. This whole situation making me wonder
once again if I really had a reason to exist. I just couldn't see
it.
Solo
had been my safe port for most of my life. He was the only thing that
kept me sane through the hardest and darkest days. Yet, he was also
what tied me to that world of rules and demands. Where you didn't
know where the orders come from, where you didn't get any reasons
or explanations. He was my light, but also was the chain that bound
me to that cold, cruel and unfair world. His death was needed in order
for me to find the strength to release myself, to cut the ties, to
admit that all those rules were wrong, that my own existence was wrong.
At
first, I just wanted to distance myself from all that, for too long
I had no desire to be part of that world anymore. I thought that I
had been able to cut the ties by simply running away. I was wrong.
I was naive to think they would let me go just like that. I had run
away and didn't think about the need for hiding. When they found me
the first time, I barely had had time to retrieve the pieces of my
heart, to imagine the new life without everything I knew, mainly,
without Solo. And they came to destroy the shattered parts of my soul
that I was trying to gather back, smashing with no mercy the innocents'
lives that had just tried to help and comfort me.
It
took a massacre to make me understand that I didn't own my life, that
those ties couldn't be cut without erasing the angel I was. I tried
to build someone else, tried to live in hiding, tried to ignore everything
that my soul longed for. And for a few centuries, I thought that I
had been able to do it.
None
of that had been totally true; the fear in my gut was just too strong,
I couldn't risk choosing to stay with Heero. They could still be searching
for me, and if they found me, they would be sure to destroy anything
that could give me some measure of peace and happiness. I couldn't
bear that, not again.
Although
every day in hell had been a torture after tasting the sweetness of
those golden feelings, I could live with that. I could bear the longing,
could bear wanting to forget everything in my past and just sleep
into Heero's arms, hearing the drumming of his heart, feeling the
caressing of his fingers in my hair, being drowned in that much care
and love. I could bear that in exchange for knowing that he was safe.
I
was struggling with those thoughts and feelings so hard, that I imagined
his voice praying. Took me a moment, replaying that imaginary prayer
inside my mind to notice that it wasn't imaginary. It was filled with
such longing and sorrow, mixed with so much love and wishes, and carried
my name at the end. The only name that mattered to me, that name that
no one after Solo had called me, no other one but Heero. And it was
said in an open prayer for all angels from first heaven hear it.
That
scared me to death and I immediately flew to where he was.
It
only took the blink of an eye for me to fly there, yet it was enough
time to make up my mind that I would keep a cold and straight face,
going there 'only' to explain to him that he couldn't pray about like
that. I really thought that I would be able to do so and return as
quickly as possible.
It's
a funny thing how that human could knock my world off its axis, because
just as I set my eyes on him, my resolution was completely washed
from my mind.
My
body moved on its own and I found myself embracing him tight from
behind, with my nose buried in his nape. There was a moment of sudden
tension coming from him, probably due to being caught off guard, but
it was only a second before he noticed that it was me and struggled
to turn in my arms and face me. His deep blue eyes found mine, full
of incredulity and love, his mouth opened to form the sound of my
name, but no sound actually came out.
Next,
we were kissing the hell out of each other. It just happened, both
of our lips finding each other as if attracted by some sort of invisible
power, like they were meant to be together. It started hungry and
desperate, full of strong and confusing feelings. My arms shifted
to rest over his shoulders, fingers dipping in that thick unruly hair
of his, while his hands were all over my back, touching me everywhere
as if needing that assurance that I was really there.
Then,
it became more light, passionate, our tongues tangled together, and
I could taste the longing that had accumulated for those months. I
dared to slightly open my eyes, without breaking the kiss, just to
see his face flushed, his Asian features relaxed, there was a bit
of a furrow between his eyebrows, an almost a painful one. Somehow,
I was a little higher than him and I gently tugged at his hair as
if to urge him closer. He opened his eyes, finding me openly smiling
at him. And I could see the fire of love in those deep dark blue eyes
as he just kept raining kisses over my lips until I was laughing.
I
laughed so much, more than I could ever remember having laughed before.
It was about the irony of my previous resolution. About how I couldn't
control my own body and the anxiety of being in his arms. The way
that I discovered that I was higher than him because at some point
I had wrapped my legs around his waist and was being held up by him.
But most of all, I was happy to be seeing him again and feeling those
golden emotions that he had toward me.
I
had come to alert him about not saying my name. I hadn't done it before
because, being a demon hunter, he knew the importance of a name. Then
again I had never explained how prayers work among the angel race,
so there's no way he could have known, nor that it still worked for
me. However, at that moment, I didn't feel like getting into those
topics, even though I knew I really should, since I felt like I was
breathing for the first time in months, like I'd come alive again,
feeling good and peaceful. There was nothing that I wanted more than
to stay with him in that blissful moment, forgetting everything else,
exchanging kisses while he held me in his arms.
"I
take it that you missed me," he said in a soft, husky voice,
his lips still touching mine. It wasn't a question, nor did it have
any reason to be. So, I didn't answer, just kissed him once more.
"God, I missed you..." he breathed along my jaw when we
broke and I just looked in his eyes with a small, probably sad smile.
I wouldn't dare say to him that I had missed him too and he knew it.
He
understood and didn't press for a reply, yet I caught a glimmer of
sadness in his eyes as he slowly lowered us to the ground, keeping
me in his lap, straddling his hips. "I missed you so damn much...",
he repeated as he buried his face in my neck, breathing in my skin,
pressing me tight against his body. Even though I was wearing the
full set of armor he didn't appear bothered by the discomfort of it.
I
leaned my head over his, just enjoying being there. In the silence
of early morning, I could only hear the leaves rustling overhead and
the small sounds of the forest. We were near the top of a mountain
and there was a cliff right in front of us, providing a breathtaking
view of the valley below, where Heero had been standing before. Being
surrounded by such peace and tranquility made my heart clench painfully
with the desire to stay, causing me to hold him even tighter to me.
"Duo..."
his voice was still soft, but there was a tone of alertness to it,
to let me know that I was pressing too much. "I would prefer
not to ask, but I'm guessing you didn't come just to enjoy my company.
Is something wrong?"
I
drew back a bit, cupping his face with both hands, angling it so as
to look in his eyes and couldn't suppress a sigh, letting my face
show that there was more, "I came to scold you."
He
blinked a couple of times and I could see that he was trying to piece
together what he could have done wrong. Once he didn't find it, he
chose to try to play a bit, "Oh, please tell me what I did wrong,
so I can do it every time I want to be kissed this way by you..."
there was a very sweet smile on his lips that matched the glimpse
twinkle of light in his eyes and I couldn't help but lower my face
to kiss him again. The way he made me feel... alive, free, energetic...
just happy. Things that I thought were lost to me, and to be all true,
that I had never really felt at that level. I'd loved before, and
I'd given everything I thought I could, but our situation, my situation,
never allowed me to feel so... free.
"I'm
not kidding, it's serious and we will talk about it as soon I finish
kissing and holding you."
We
stared at each other for a long moment, despite the sweetness of my
words, there wasn't a smile on my lips and a bit of concern crossed
his face. However he didn't say a thing, just started kissing the
hell out of me again, hands hovering all over my back and at the base
of my wings making me shiver and arch under his fingers when they
found some skin. Even so, I was caught off guard when he started to
fuss over the buckles of my armor, opening each of them until he could
get me out of the chest plate and the shoulders pads.
My
mind wondered for a moment, calculating the odds of having sex at
that moment in that open place. It was still fairly dark out, the
gray-ish hours that preceded the dawn and I could feel other humans
nearby, probably camping and they would undoubtedly be awakening soon.
Also, there was another large energy signature that I couldn't decipher,
which bothered me. Of course, I wanted to be intimate with him again,
but besides those obvious obstacles, I wasn't sure if I would have
the strength to leave after.
Not
that it mattered because sex wasn't what he had in mind. Heero leaned
back against a rock and pulled me to his chest. Just like that, the
way I had slept in his arms so many times while in his castle, my
head pillowed on his collarbone, in that place that seemed to be just
the perfect fit for me.
"I
missed having you just like this. Your light weight, your body heat,
the drumming of your heart..." he whispered very softly, his
hands running along the strands of my hair. And I just closed my eyes
for a moment, not sure if this wouldn't make leaving harder than if
we just had sex. I had missed this too, his comfort, his caresses,
the beating of his heart. He had unbuttoned the gambeson that he was
wearing, and I breathed against his chest, sneaking my hand under
the hem of it to touch more of his skin.
We
stayed there, watching the dawn that didn't take long to happen. The
sun rose slowly at first, painting the sky in beautiful, fiery shades
of crimson and gold, and then going up faster until all we could see
was a clear, vibrant anil. Heero's hand never stopped caressing my
hair and I was convinced it should be smoother than it had been the
last few months. I turned my eyes up to him, expecting to find him
looking at the horizon as I was, but his eyes were set on me and had
that sweet expression so full of love that made me want to grab him
and run away to a place where no one could find us. Unfortunately,
such a place didn't exist.
"You
are so beautiful..." he continued using that tender low tone,
as if talking differently would break the magical sweetness of the
moment.
I
didn't want to let that moment slip by just yet, but I couldn't help
but notice that his Chinese friend was approaching. He was quite easy
to feel, with so much irritation floating around him, like a thundercloud
of energy, ready to burst at any moment. Maybe it was just so much
effort keeping other things inside, that he just didn't bother trying
to hide the irritation and anger. As an automatic response, I tried
to get up from Heero's arms, pressing gently against his shoulder
with one hand. However, he held me still, even when I was positive
he also could hear the sounds of footsteps in the woods, that was
soon followed by the formal calling of his title.
"Here..."
he answered, sitting up with a quiet sigh as he was called a second
time. Again, I tried to extricate myself from the embrace, yet he
held me still, as if worried I would disappear the instant he released
me. He met my questioning gaze with a look that seemed to be more
about reassuring himself that his fear was baseless as he softly said,
"Just let me see what he needs..."
I
blinked at him, half surprised and half baffled at the fact that he
wasn't ashamed to be seen in what was undoubtedly a somewhat compromising
position with me. I wasn't entirely sure what he was thinking, perhaps
that his friend had already seen us together, but both times it hadn't
been intentionally. Heero hadn't been awake to make the choice whether
to prevent it or not. But this time he could. He could avoid being
seen with a demon, in a way that bespoke of the affection and more
that he felt for a creature that could be both terrifying and disgusting
for most of the humans.
I
had never been the target of such a simple yet marvelous feeling,
a love that was not ashamed to be shown. And even though there was
no way he could ever know just how much that meant to me, I thought
that he was able to make a fairly good guess based on the kiss I gave
to him.
I
couldn't resist, I needed to test if it wasn't just my imagination,
which it wasn't because he, shameless, kissed me back deeply and didn't
stop even when the footsteps were too near and we heard the annoyed
mumbling, "Yui! I was looking at you for everywhere, what are
you doing-"
Heero
didn't rush to break the kiss but finished it tenderly, his eyes were
fixed on mine when we stopped, our lips still wet, brushing lightly
against each other, he was just assuring me that he understood and
really didn't mind showing his affection.
We
were pretty much enthralled by each other, and the Chinese man impatiently
cleared his throat to catch our attention. I needed to turn my face
another way, unable to bear being seen by anyone other than Heero
in the dazzled state I was.
"I'm
a bit... busy, as you can see Chang. What do you need me for this
early?"
"She
is... really anxious, and in so much pain that I was awakened by the
fuss she was making, I thought that you could try to calm her down."
His
voice came in a low, strange tone, as if saying some sort of secret.
I was being held, Heero's arms tightly wrapped around my waist, making
sure I was as near him as possible and felt his concern, making me
more curious about what that 'she' could mean.
"There
is nothing I can do right now..." Heero answered mimicking the
strange tone, and feeling somewhat guilty at trying to dismiss the
other, "Can you, please, try to talk to her...?"
I
felt the gaze at my nape, but the reply did not sound irritated, even
coming with a tired sigh, "I already tried. She is either afraid
and worried, and after what she went through we can't just ask her
to trust us. So, I thought she perhaps would listen to you better..."
From
the corner of my eye, I saw Heero biting his bottom lip hard undecided
and obviously not wanting to leave my side. However, the Chinese man
continued saying, "Although, now that I think about it, seeing
that he is back..."
"I'm
not back..." I snapped back, turning to meet his obsidian gaze
with a daunting glower.
He
rolled his eyes in annoyance and corrected himself, "Whatever
this encounter is
for, now that you are here,
we could use some help." He paused for a moment waiting to see
if I had any objection, once I said nothing he continued, "I
guess a... Shinigami should prove capable of breaking magical seals."
Seeing what he hid I could understand why he never feared me as he
should, not caring about my veiled threat and answering me with a
hint of teasing in his tone. To me, it was kind of amusing, yet he
should be more careful about picking his fights, he was too arrogant
for his own good. Yet, I didn't care, I was already too curious.
Before
I could come up with a retort, Heero was asking me, "Can you?"
with a glint of amazement inside his waiting eyes. I had let him see
me redo the seal that binds my scythe and if he had any knowledge
of magic he would know that was a high-level seal. I didn't know what
kind of seal they were referring to, but that didn't matter to me.
I
nodded my assent to him and then remembered something, "Don't
tell me that blond 'healer' of yours could not?"
"He
isn't here. I already sent a messenger to bring him, but we are far
from the castle, so it will take days for him to arrive. It would
be very helpful if we could break it sooner..."
The
fact that he sent a messenger instead of calling the
other, and spare time from the journey, reinforced to me that he didn't
know about praying and that had called me unintentionally before.
Also, it reminded me that I didn't intend to stay long.
"It's
ok, I can open whatever it is for you."
Chang
cleaned his throat, interrupting our exchanging of looks, "Whatever?
Don't you want to know what kind of seal it is first?"
I
haughtily turned to him, in a way that I knew would piss him off,
"I don't need to."
He
snorted, yet his eyes spared a moment to gaze intently at me, analyzing,
trying to decide what kind of implications he could get from what
I had just said. I wasn't sure what conclusions he achieved, but he
appeared to accept that, at the moment, they would have the help they
need. "Then, it would be nice to have it already done. So, after,
you are free to get back to... this business of yours."
"Won't
it cause you any problem...?" Heero asked low, near my ear.
I
turned back to him, and unable to wash the tenderness from my face
as I kissed his forehead quickly, shaking my head to indicate no.
Chang snorted annoyed at the gesture, "Hn... then, I will be
waiting for you two," and spun on his heels, returning to the
woods from whence he had come.
"Really?"
Heero asked again pulling my chin down to reach my lips and look into
my eyes.
"Really."
I confirmed and winked mischievously at him. "Piece of cake."
He
laughed and his hand reached my right vambrace, his fingers touching
the border, where he had seen me fixing the seal. "I'm sure it's
nothing even half so complicated as this..." He didn't let me
answer, kissing me deeply once again and embracing me, hands rubbing
against my back, pressing me against him.
"You
know that he really is waiting just over there, don't you?" I
said when we broke the kiss with a thin line of saliva linking our
mouths.
Heero
rolled his eyes, indicating that he should know and released me with
a resigned sigh. I got up and offered a hand to help him rise. We
gathered the pieces of my armor and he helped me strap them back on.
"Chang
told me that he had to convince you to pick this one..."
That
last night, after I left his room, I had gone to the armory before
went back to hell. He had offered me armor and I might need it, but
I didn't want to wake him, so I just went by myself planning to just
get a simple hard leather armor. However, the raven-haired man found
me and made me pick a better one, a chest plate with straps at the
back, made with a resistant black metal. "A simple one would
have been enough..."
He
smiled while closing the last buckle. "I'm glad that he convinced
you. I had thought about this one myself. It is easy to use with your
wings and black suits you..."
"Thanks,"
I said softly, reaching his lips for a quick kiss. "So, who is she?"
I asked when we started moving in the direction Chang had gone, he
took hold of my hand while we walked, it surprised me so much that
it took me a moment to pay attention to what he was saying.
"We
made a rescue yesterday... We had just finished patrolling at the
west border of my lands when Chang found traces of dragon hunters.
I don't allow those kinds of people here, and when we followed the
traces, it was very surprising to find they were transporting live
cargo... I suspected they'd had her for some days and had hurt her
deeply."
"You
found a... dragon?" We had reached where Chang was waiting for
us and I couldn't hide my surprise. I searched for that strong energy
that I had felt earlier, trying to sense it better, but if there was
some kind of seal it would mask it. Also, a dragon in that part of
the world was something that would never have occurred to me.
"She
is very young and is frightened by all that they have done to her..."
Chang said and I noticed real rage in his voice, "They used a
seal on her, so she couldn't return to her true form nor recover herself.
When Yui noticed the seal I had already finished with those trash
hunters..." I didn't need to ask to know that those hunters had
found all of his wrath.
"Wait..."
We were still walking and I needed to stop before we came near where
they were keeping her.
"Helping
a dragon is a problem to you?" the Chinese asked me, not able
to contain the disdain in his voice.
"She
is young and is so wounded... maybe if you..." Heero tried amending.
I couldn't care less about what she was, but I'm sure they were thinking
that because dragons and demons were enemies, since dragons were made
to protect the humans, mostly from the bad things that demons can
do, I wouldn't help her.
"No.
Of course, I don't have a problem helping a dragon." I cut in
before they went through with that thought. Chang gazed at me intently,
as if trying to decipher me with those dark eyes, I could just imagine
how strange those words sounded coming from a demon's mouth. "There
is no way that a
dragon will
allow a
demon to
get anywhere near, even if it was just for help."
"That
is a real problem. It was already difficult enough getting a little
drop of her trust on us. If we introduce a demon... she might go into
a frenzy..." They looked at each other, wrinkling noses, obviously
they didn't consider that side of it.
"Maybe
if we hid your wings she wouldn't notice what you are, your face and
shape aren't from demons..." Heero said while looking at my cape
trying to measure if it could somehow cover the entire length of my
wings.
I
shook my head, looking at both, "She can smell the hell blood
inside my veins. She will know that I'm a demon long before she sees
me."
"Yui,
you convinced her that we just want help, you should go first and
talk to her, she trusts you better. Maybe, if you tell her that the
other options will take some days to get here and it came from a wingless
angel, she might consider letting him help now." Chang had a
point, she wouldn't trust in an angel much more than a demon, but
those appear to be the only two choices she would have.
Heero
sighed heavily and tightened his hold on my hand before releasing.
He wasn't happy to leave my side and I wanted to put him at ease,
so I leaned and whispered into his ear, "It's ok, we still have
some talking to do." He looked at me gratefully and walked away
through the woods.
I
couldn't help how my heart throbbed seeing him go, fisting my hand
that still tingled with the feel and the warmth of his. I was so in
trouble, if I only could, I should have left at that moment. I'm not
sure how long I was lost in my confused feelings, staring at the woods
ahead. I had forgotten that I was left with Heero's 'friend' until
he spoke using his mother language.
"Last
time we talked, you said you were leaving for good, for Yui's safety."
I
also answered in Chinese, being able to mimic even his accent. It
didn't matter if he was trying to test me somehow, the high-level
demons, as with angels, have existed long before the human race's
language segregation and should be able to speak any language. Or
maybe he just was looking for a chance at using it. "And I had.
There was just one thing left that I need to sort out, that's the
only reason why I'm here..."
He
raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "He was devastated..."
I
just looked back at the woods where Heero had gone, murmuring, "I
know..." I also had felt that way all those months and the sweetness
of being with him again, had hit me so strongly that I wasn't sure
how in the hell I would be strong enough to leave again.
"I
know you care, otherwise you wouldn't care about his safety, but do
you... love him?"
I
didn't dare look at him, he'd already seen too much without seeing
my face. "This is a strange question to ask a demon..."
I said trying to avoid the subject.
"When
it's about you... I feel that there are more strange things than our
vain conscious can imagine. So, do you?"
He
insisted and somehow I felt an innate desire to answer that, even
if I didn't really need to, "I don't know... But I truly care
about him."
"Hn"
He snorted, but seemed satisfied by the sincerity in my answer. I
wasn't comfortable talking about those things, but even I could tell
that he was just worrying about the lord that he considers a friend.
I turned to him deciding to try another approach, one that would make
him care about his own things. "So, a dragon... How you are dealing
with it?"
"What?"
he looked truly surprised, his black eyes widening first and then
blinking a few times, confused, trying to guess what kind of implications
were behind what I asked.
I
looked straight to his left shoulder and arm, and his right hand rushed
to cover there, as if he could hide what I was seeing.
"It's
not possible. You shouldn't be able to see..." his voice came
out dripping with incredulity and I couldn't blame him. Whoever did
his seal, had done a pretty good job and was careful to cover everything
with a strong hiding layer. There was no way the thought that, one
day, he would cross paths with someone like me, would have slightly
passed through his mind.
"I
am. As I said I can deal with whatever kind of seal, doesn't matter
how complex it is." I said simply and saw his breathing become
uneven, he was totally in shock knowing that his secret was not as
secret as he thought.
"But...
I was granted that no one would be able to see it..." he said
after a while looking at me, still not believing. "No one ever
saw it. Why did you never mention it before...?"
"Even
without my power I could sense the angelic link with that tall guy,
but yours it's very well done, I could only see it after regaining
my powers." I felt his fear begin to roll off him and couldn't
help but be curious to know why he wanted so much to hide it. "I'm
sure no one else can see it, you can say that I'm... an expert."
His
eyes narrowed, becoming even darker. He forced his breath to come
in long intakes to calm himself as his hand moved over his chest,
grasping at a pendant that I couldn't see lying underneath the fabric
of his clothes. "Are you sure? Not even Winner? He is an angel
after all."
"Not
even him." I assured.
There
was a small sense of relief from him while he turned his back to me
for a moment to finish gathering himself. It was the first time I
had seen him experiencing real fear, and I was counting the time I
seriously threatened him after breaking his sword like a twig in front
of his nose.
"And
aside from you, what other types of beings also can?" He asked
hesitantly, turning to face me again.
I
analyzed his feelings, finding just that fear, the anxiety, he was
just asking for the sake of the reasons he had to keep the secret,
"None. Just others born the same as me..." I said sincerely,
yet had no intention of saying anything further.
He
noticed, mumbling a small thanks with a breath of relief, before asking,
"Does Yui know?"
"It's
not my secret to tell. Although, if you tell the dragon it might help
you gain her trust more easily..."
He
rolled his eyes dismissing the idea completely. Then, gazed at me
with that analyzing air, opening his mouth to ask something, but giving
up. It took more than one try for him to decide how to approach what
he wanted to ask.
"Yui...
he knows what you are?" he enquired in a low confidant tone,
in a way that was obviously trying not to ask directly what I was,
like he had no right to ask that question.
"I'm
a demon." I replied immediately and he gave me a side smile,
letting me know that he knew better than that answer.
"Physically
yes, you are a demon, and you have the weapon and probably the power
of a Shinigami, yet..." he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yet,
your attitude, your way... everything shows differently... shows that
you are something that none of us is able to understand."
"It's
safest for him to not know any more than he already knows... for you
too. It will be dangerous to even try to know more about me..."
I said seriously, in a warning tone.
He
stared at me a little before turning to look up at the blue sky. "I
suppose we all have secrets and our own motives..." he mumbled
absently, before running his hand through that perfectly neat hair
of his, impatiently. "We should get going... Yui already had
time enough to talk with her." He said with a sigh and started
walking, but instead of continuing along the path, he moved further
into the woods, deviating from where Heero had gone before. I followed
and we walked in silence.
Taking
this new path was clever of him, since we didn't pass any of their
men and we found ourselves at the backside of a large tent, with the
wind blowing against us, which should help to delay the dragon from
smelling my hell blood.
The
tent was obviously improvised, anchored almost haphazardly in what
few spots it could be. They had probably set it up around the dragon,
since they were incapable of moving her and, if she was wounded as
they said, she shouldn't be able to move by herself. The energy that
I had felt earlier was coming from within. Paying more attention to
it I could see the draconian traces; the seal didn't disguise it much,
it was more a containing thing. It should really be a simple one,
nevertheless, she didn't know how to break it nor did the humans have
the means.
We
were covered by the trees' shadows at the edge of the woods, yet near
enough that we could listen to the talking inside the tent, muffled
though it was.
"You
saved me from those awful people, for this, I'm very thankful and
I'm giving you a vow of trust... but I won't let a demon get near
me. You appear to be an honorable man, I can't believe that you are
associated with this kind of being..." The female voice said
in a mix of disbelief and repugnance.
"He
is a Shinigami." Heero's voice was sounding a bit tired and annoyed,
like had repeated it many times. "He is nothing like the ordinary
demons. If not for the blood in his veins he wouldn't be called a
demon. He is different, he is not evil..."
"A
demon that is not evil!" the female voice came with a sarcastic
snort, "Such things do not exist."
Chang
looked at me with a smirk and an ironic look in his face. Yeah, he
had that very same opinion and yet I was there, standing just in front
of him.
"He
is the only one that can help you now! The other connection that can
break this seal is days away... and he is an angel which, you know,
is not all that much better than a demon, if we are talking strictly
about unearthly beings in a general way and how they tend to not care
of anything than their own interests."
She
growled in frustration, which wasn't all that loud but was enough
to make some birds bustle, flying away. "I'd rather wait for
the wounds to heal on their own..."
"Please."
Heero's voice came very low, almost defeated, "You have at the
very least a broken arm and a dislocated knee, it will take weeks
until you are able to walk without your fire to heal you. I can't
leave you here alone and helpless and you know we can't transport
you. Please, let him help, you only need to be in his presence long
enough to break the seal. He is good, it won't take long and you will
have your fire back, you can get rid of all those wounds and pain
today. Please, can you consider it?" There was a hint of impatience
in his tone, as he was tired of her being incapable of understanding
the logic of what he was saying. However, he was forgetting that her
own essence was made to hate and distrust demons, she would never
be able to trust in a demon, whatever the circumstances were.
"I
might be young, but I never was so humiliated in my life... I just
can't accept help from a demon."
Her
voice was decisive and I could see that she wouldn't agree to my help,
no matter how much Heero tried. I sighed, already losing patience,
there was only one way to settle this, I could be faster than her
thinking, so I just flew myself in.
She
was a golden dragon and her wounds were apparent. Her skin was opaque
and dry, not showing the natural glow that the scales leave when dragons
are in their human form. Young indeed, a teenager, but she had intelligent
clear blue eyes, long honey-blonde hair that was messy and tangled
being held back by her horns, leaving just the bangs in front. She
was beautiful, even with her wings and body all covered by wounds
and scratches.
Her
clear eyes flew right to me as she screamed, "What in the hell
are you?"
"I
am hell bound"
Notes:
[16]
If someone was ever very near a volcano, knows the feeling. There
was no candy enough to get rid of it, sticks on tongue and throat.
:)
~ * ~
Chapter 14
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