I do not own the “Gundam
Wing” characters, nor did I make any money off of this project, so please no
suing. Various pairings, yaoi, AU.
The Completion Of Death
War Wrecked Girl
Brothers-in-arms
The young princess tied the final
lace on her tall leather boots and hopped to her feet. She crossed her spacious
room to the mirror that gleamed in the corner and gave herself a once-over. She
tugged the leather vest down firmly over her chest, straightening her lavender
tunic beneath it. She felt slightly uncomfortable in pants, being so familiar
to skirts and dresses, but tolerated the black breeches she had donned. She ran
a comb through her long hair, nodded once, grabbed a traveling bag and cloak,
and bounded toward the exit.
She threw open the door, and was
about to step outside into the hallway, when her pale sapphire eyes fell onto a
well-known face.
“Where are you planning on running
off to, Relena?”
She held the eyes that leveled at
her, a blue so pure it reminded her of where the ocean met the sky. Platinum
hair fell about his shoulders in a cascade of brilliance while his face never
changed expression. He stood tall and regal, with elegant war clothes of the
nobility that clung to his well-muscled frame.
“I am going to find Heero Yuy, dear
brother,” Relena replied, voice steady.
“Why?” Zechs asked in return. “He
has served us and left, wishing, from what I understand, to be left alone. So
why would you wish to go against his desires?”
She turned her head away, looking
down at her hands. She felt a certain embarrassment building in her, but she
fought it down. “He needs me.”
“If he needed you, he would have
taken you with him,” her brother replied, his voice soft. “Relena, please-”
“No!” she yelled, taking a step away
from him. Urgency threatened to strangle the words dead in her throat. “You do not understand! Heero and I- I mean,
Master Yuy and I have a connection! I have felt it! Something stirred inside of
me when I met him, when my eyes fell upon him while he was talking to you.
Zechs, I-I-I love him! I was meant to be with him, spend the rest of my life by
his side.”
“Relena, there is something you
should know about him before you go,” he whispered. His eyes fell onto her
craving face, noting the desperate, yet controlled glint in her eyes.
Delicately, she pushed past him, and
continued walking down the hall, fastening the cloak about her throat. “I know
all that I need to know. He is my prince.”
“Relena!” Zechs yelled, causing her
to stop in her tracks, but not turn to face him. “Before going into battle, you
should always know everything about your opponent. You are going in unarmed.”
The princess whirled around, hair
flying in slow motion. She held her ground, looking back at him, boldly. “What
is it that you know, brother?”
“Heero Yuy,” he began, watching her
face with a cautious azure eye, “is the legendary Angel of Life. He is one of
the beings that shall bring destruction to this world.”
Princess Relena Peacecraft said
nothing as she felt her face crumble, even though she was numb. The brown
leather bag she was holding slipped from her dead fingers and crashed to the
floor, spilling her clothes and accessories everywhere. Her eyes stared at her
brother in disbelief for a moment, then horror as she realized he spoke the
truth.
“T-then why was he here?” she
whispered.
“Diplomatic reasons,” Zechs
muttered. “Talks of war. Nothing more.”
Distantly, the girl felt herself
sinking to her knees, her head falling forward. “No…”
“Yes,” Zechs murmured, walking
towards her. “Do you see now why I had to tell you this? Do you see the
importance of knowing everything before a war?”
Relena’s head flew up, eyes hard,
yet watery. “He is not my enemy, Zechs! He was meant to find me! I know it! I
can feel it!”
A soft, comforting hand fell onto
the girl’s shoulder, while the other one swept away a loose tear that had
escaped down her tender cheek. “Sister, please accept what Lady Fate has laid
before you and realize we cannot fight against her.”
She brushed his hand away, gathered
her things back into her bag, and rose to her feet. Her face was suddenly hard;
her clear eyes full of a firm determination. “Brother,” she said, flashing him
a small smile, “I appreciate your concern, but I know what I am getting in to.
If nothing else, I have to see him again, something inside of me is telling me
I have to. Please, understand.” With that, she turned and disappeared down the
cold stone hallways, floating past the stained-glass windows, the colors
painting her in a rainbow.
Zechs leaned against a nearby wall,
pushing the long bangs from his sapphire eyes. “I understand, Relena. Good luck
and may the Lady Fate have mercy upon you.”
The mismatched companions made their
way through a small deserted village, one that Duo recognized immediately from
a trek several days earlier. The shops were all deserted and mostly blackened
skeletons, things barely identifiable. Of the buildings that remained standing,
only a few had all their windows, doors, and walls intact, but they were beaten
bare by flying dust and branches. Overhead, foreboding clouds drifted across
the sky, casting shadows everywhere, while wind wrapped each boy in a cool
embrace.
“What has happened to this place?”
Wufei asked while his hand unconsciously drifted to the hilt of his sword.
“The result of a war,” Quatre
murmured, noting the decay and isolation that hung throughout the town. “Things
that I could not stop.”
Trowa’s hand fell onto his shoulder,
comforting. “You cannot save the entire world at once.”
The boy king responded with a short
nod, his eyes hard. “I know. I can only do the best I can, and try harder next
time so things such as these don’t happen again.”
Duo looked around, his violet eyes
narrowed. Something didn’t feel…right. Slowly, he unsheathed his sword, holding
it tightly in his hand. Wufei, sensing the demon’s distress, grabbed his own
weapon, sloe eyes darting around frantically. Trowa took a protective step in
front of Quatre, watching everything with hard emerald eyes.
Quatre took the initiative, speaking
like the diplomat he was. “Whoever is there, I ask that you please show
yourself! We wish you no harm!”
“Funny thing to hear from someone
who is traveling with the Demon of Death!” A young man emerged from the
shadows, mousy brown eyes narrowed into hate-filled slits. His hair was long
and auburn, brushing against his shoulders in light waves. Armor, a carefully
polished metal that gleamed with importance and rank, covered his body, while
his sword was loosely clutched in his hand. His gaze fell onto Trowa, who stared
evenly back at him. “Hn. Surprised to see you here.”
“So am I, Tomo,” Trowa replied, his
knuckles going white with pressure. “What is a Knight doing out here?”
“We heard rumors of the demon coming
this way,” Tomo replied, stalking slowly towards them. “Just as we heard rumors
of a betraying Knight of the Scythe and a mad king.”
“Watch your tongue!” Wufei screamed.
The Knight glanced at him, then
casually waved him aside like an bothersome insect. “Your name has not been
mentioned yet, general. If I were you, I would keep it that way. Remember, you
are nothing more than a slave at heart, and it would be more than simple enough
to make you relive your past.”
Wufei prepared to leap at the
arrogant Knight, but Trowa steadied him with a glare. “Hold your place, Wufei.
Now is not the time,” the emerald-eyed boy said, and silenced a furious Wufei
once more with another glare.
“So, what do you want?” Duo growled.
“If we’re going to fight, let’s hurry up and get it over with, because I have
some really important things to do.”
“Don’t worry, beast,” Tomo replied.
His voice was taken up and carried on the wind to their ears, nothing more than
a mocking growl. “The world will still be here for you to destroy in a few
moments. I just want to talk.”
“Talk?” Trowa asked, raising an
eyebrow that was covered by his jutting hair.
“Aye,” he replied. “I would like to
know why you are going against everything you have ever believed in, why you
are doing something as foolish as helping this monster.”
“Hey!” Duo yelled, but his objection
fell onto deaf ears.
Tomo’s brown eyes drifted to Quatre,
who stood solid behind Trowa. “Is it because of this boy? How cute!”
“How much longer must we listen to
your pointless babble?” Wufei screamed.
The Knight did not give him a second
glance as he bypassed Trowa and took Quatre’s face in his hand, grabbing it
lightly by the chin. “And how is our stark raving mad lord doing today, hmmm?”
Quatre tore his face away while
Wufei rushed to the Knight, shoving him roughly out of the way. His sword
caught a small beam of light and flashed it, the point flying to the Knight’s
throat, while a snarl fastened itself to his lips. “Keep your dirty hands to
yourself. You are not fit to look at him, let alone touch him!”
“Me?” the Knight of the Scythe
growled, baring his teeth and taking a few steps away from the blade. He looked
like an animal, primal and feral and completely ready to attack. “You are the
ones working to destroy the world!”
“It’s nothing like that!” Quatre
yelled, spreading his arms apart. “I love my kingdom and would gladly die for
them if need be. Why would I want to kill them?”
“I don’t know,” Tomo mocked. His
head cocked to the side, a wicked smirk clawing at his mouth as a few strands
of auburn hair slid into his eyes. “Maybe because you are insane?”
“I’m tired of listening to this
guy,” Duo said. “Let’s just get rid of him and get out of here.”
Tomo raised one eyebrow, his eyes
swinging over to Trowa. “You won’t go against me, now will you, Trowa? We have
fought side by side on many occasions, all for the good of the world; are you
willing to throw that all away now? Are you willing to go against everything
you have ever known? You cannot abandon us, your brothers-in-arms. We have you
by the heart, if nothing else.”
Trowa’s face did not change, but his
hand drifted to the king’s shoulder. “Brothers you may be, but I have to fight
against my family now, for the sake of my own beliefs. Please, let us pass
without blood. I have seen enough in my lifetime.”
The Knight gripped his sword, a
snarl leaping onto his lips. “We took you in when you had no one! We made you
one of us! How dare you betray us, you filthy fool!”
At last, the emerald-eyed boy drew
his blade, face indifferent. “I am grateful for what you have done for me,
truly I am. However, I have found my place in life and will kill anyone who
dares stand in my way. Including you, Tomo.”
Tomo turned away after a moment,
face indifferent. “So be it.” Bringing his free hand to his mouth, he inserted
the fingers and pelted out an earsplitting whistle. Four armor-clad men
appeared, emerging from the dark oblivion of one of the few standing shops.
Each one brandished a glittering short sword, so bright they seemed as though
no blood had ever touched them. Their faces were blank and emotionless, as if
they were no more than living dolls.
“We shall do what we must to stop
you,” one Knight proclaimed, his voice as dead as his face. “Including turn on
our brother.”
A smirk crossed Duo’s lips as his
blazing eyes narrowed to slits. He automatically fell into a defensive stance
while watching his surroundings with an ageless gaze. “Oh, am I going to have
fun with you! You bunch of arrogant bastards, thinking that you can do whatever
you want with weapons that don’t belong to you! I want my scythe back, and I
want it NOW!”
Tomo instantly flew at Trowa, his
sword clanging against the emerald-eyed Knight’s weapon and holding it. After a
second of leaning, they broke apart and Tomo immediately attempted a downward
swipe, which was easily parried. Growling, he sliced his blade from right to
left, unto which Trowa slid back, narrowly missing the steel, but feeling the
soft breeze and quiet hiss as it passed within inches of his chest.
Wufei had been rushed by a Knight
himself, but fought with an intensity that seemed unnatural. Whereas the Knight
battled mostly with his sword, Wufei used his body, relying on his blade only
to parry certain sword thrusts. A swipe came sailing at his stomach, but the
general danced away with a swiftness that was inhuman, and leapt into the air,
his foot connecting with the man’s head. He stumbled back a few paces, but
quickly regained his bearing and charged at Wufei once again.
The general sidestepped another
sweep of the sword and weaved his way around his adversary. He moved like a
blur, a spectral that was barely visible. With a quick punch, he drove his foe
to his knees, allowing for a moment’s reprieve.
Quatre fought at a slight
disadvantage, having only his dagger to depend upon. However, with Wufei as his
comrade for several years, he had learned the finer points to war, and was
currently holding his own against his opponent. He ducked a swing, diving down
and sweeping the man’s legs out from underneath him. He watched as the Knight
flipped onto his back with a grunt, a small billow of dust rising. Behind him,
the king heard Duo throwing out insults and threats, his voice thick with
sarcasm.
“I can’t believe this
is what they got to guard my scythe!” he raged while dodging a sweep of a
sword. “I’m actually insulted by this! It’s a miracle that a bunch of
five-year-olds didn’t come in and take it!” The Knight grabbed the demon’s wild
braid, yanking him around hard. Duo growled a cursed under his breath, a feral
snarl leaping onto his lips as his sword flew at the man, cutting through the
protective armor and into the stomach beneath. Blood, scarlet as fire and thick
as syrup, flew across his hands and his face, streaking down it in small
rivers.
“No one pulls on my braid,” he
growled, pulling his weapon from the body. His eyes snapped over to Quatre, and
upon seeing that the boy was battling with only a dagger, lent his help that
way.
Wufei parried another thrust and saw
his opening; the Knight left his right side open after his attacks, a rather distinctive
pattern, actually. He dodged yet another thrust and drove his weapon through
the steel plates in his armor. The man’s face twisted into a mask of pain and
surprise; his mouth working silently as he fell onto the dirt road, a pool of
crimson seeping out with a dreamy slowness beneath him. Wufei’s sloe eyes
flashed to Quatre, and seeing that Duo had him covered, dashed over to aid
Trowa.
Tomo growled an obscenity, shooting
glances as his comrades fell too quickly. “Damn,” he cursed, feeling Trowa’s
blade crash against his own. “I suppose I didn’t give you people enough
credit.” Behind him, he heard his last Knight fall with a grunt under a careful
attack placed by the boy king. Tomo tossed his head, auburn waves flying as his
eyes narrowed. “What a grave mistake on my part.”
“That it is,” Trowa calmly stated,
flying down with his own attack: a quick jab at the Knight’s throat that missed
and cut the side of his troubled face.
“Shit,” Tomo snarled, feeling the
blood slide down his cheek like tacky honey. He stopped his assault, his hand
and weapon loosely hanging at his side. “Well, upon seeing my eminent demise in
this city, I think now would be the perfect time for me to take my leave!”
“Think again,” Duo replied, stepping
between him and one end of the town. “If we let you go now, we would just have
to fight you again later on, and I really might not be up to killing you then.”
Trowa shot him a look, his sword
still held up. “Duo…”
“Actually,” Wufei muttered,
strutting to the immortal boy’s side, “the demon proves a good point. We would
only be forced to do battle with him later, at the site of the scythe. Do we
really wish to take that kind of risk?”
Trowa stared into the hard brown
eyes of his fellow Knight. His heart was torn between his duty and his debt,
each one heavy and beckoning. Finally he turned to Quatre, who stood dusty and
bloody, yet still tall and regal. “Any thoughts from you?”
“Well, I have one…”
The angel stomped into the deserted
village, noting the remnants of three bodies that lay half covered by a
constant moving dust. Ignoring those, he walked past the ruined shops and
blackened wood, feeling the harsh sun overhead. A bird, ebony and slick, burst
from a tree to climb into the air, crying indignantly.
“Are you the Angel of Life known as
Heero Yuy?”
The angel snapped his head towards
the sound of the husky, dry voice. He was met with the vision of a once
attractive man that hung from a nearby tree, now emancipated and dehydrated.
His body was gaunt and his delicate, burned skin was stretched thin and
leathery over his brittle bones. Hair hung in dirty auburn clumps about a young
face, while mousy eyes narrowed from the harsh light above. Rope was wrapped
around his entire body, tight and unforgiving, and connected to a sturdy branch
from above.
“Who are you?” the angel asked,
raising a dark eyebrow.
“My name is Tomo,” the man replied,
voice cracking. His lip split and blood began to dribble down his chin, so thin
it seemed like colored water. “I am one of Knights of the Scythe, or at least I
was until I met up with the demon.”
Heero’s face didn’t change as he
walked to the Knight and sliced through the rope with his shimmering sword. He
fell to the ground with a painful thud and grunt, but looked up adoringly at the
angel. “Thank you, sir.”
“What happened?” Heero asked while
retrieving his waterskin for the man to drink from.
“It is a long story,” Tomo mumbled,
greedily taking the skin and swallowing almost every last drop of liquid from
it. “I came across them three days ago and-”
“‘Them’?” Heero asked, replacing the
skin to his belt and raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, Trowa Barton of the Knights,
General Wufei Chang, and his highness, King Quatre Raberba Winner,” Tomo
replied, secretly wondering if the angel bore any food as well. “They have
taken up with the Demon of Death and are currently going after the scythe.”
“What?” Heero nearly screamed, his
throat clenching. That fool! How can he do
such a thing?
Tomo nodded, his eyes wide. “They
left me here to tell you that. They said you would be by in a few days and told
me that I must become the Messenger of the Soul. They said you would know what
that means.”
Heero made no movement for a moment,
understanding the phrase abstractly. They
know something about my soul. Perhaps one of the people he is traveling with
has it. Could it be that close? Could I be that close to the Completion of
Life?
“So, would I sound rude if I asked
you for some food?”
Heero reached into his bag and
pulled out a piece of jerky. He flung it at the Messenger and began to walk
down the dusty path, feeling the sand beat against his face like needles.
Dimly, he heard the man screaming his name behind him, pleading with him to
make them pay for what they did to him and his brothers-in-arms, but he paid no
heed.
Duo,
could you really be that close to finalizing everything? Could you really have
my soul at hand? If you do…
I’ll have to kill you.
Please, Duo, don’t make me have to shed your blood. Duo…