Disclaimer: I don't own them, nor am I making any money off of this. The concept of a confessor and the Mord-Sith is from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. Pairings: 1+2 3+4 Warnings: AU, Language, shounen-ai, minor character death The Confessor Series part 14 Crossing Barriers "Why have you brought a confessor into my kingdom?" Relena had asked. Heero glared at her, nonplussed. How did she find out about Duo? If someone had leaked that information, heads would roll. Literally. Relena stared back, determination written on her fair features. She seemed to know what he was thinking. "Oh, don't give me that look. The hair gives them away. No human can grow hair like that. What are you and Treize up to? He requested that I help you in any way, but I will not put my people in danger! Answer me Heero!" This was an order from a queen. Heero considered just how much he should tell her. He knew that in the past, confessors had been responsible for removing many rulers from their thrones. Most had deserved it, but some had not. She was probably worried that their presence was a threat to her rule. But telling her the whole story would put them all in danger so he settled for saying "Relena, leave it alone. It has nothing to do with you or your kingdom. We are just passing through on a mission." She wasn't going to give up that easily however. "Confessors are dangerous and I don't trust them." Heero snapped coldly "Him, there are no more them. He is the last one." Relena saw the dangerous glint his cobalt eyes. There was something about this soldier that fascinated her. He didn't seem to care that she was a queen. Heero was dangerous; she could see that in his eyes and debated how far she could push him. Staying on the offensive (she was a queen after all) she felt that she should make at least one thing very clear. "For as long as you stay here, you will make sure he does not pose a danger to my people. I will hold you personally responsible for his behavior. Am I clear?" With that, she turned to leave. Heero bowed as she swept from the room. 'Pose a danger Relena? He may be the one thing that can save your people,' he thought as he shut the door. The soldiers ended up staying at the Sank Kingdom for about a week. Duo's wrist got somewhat better, but he was still unable to wield his hairbrush with his usual skill. It turned out that he didn't have to worry. At the same time each night Heero would enter his room and, without saying a word, other than 'sit', would proceed to brush and braid Duo's hair. At first Duo wasn't sure what to make of it, and being alone with the cobalt-eyed soldier wreaked fierce havoc with his hormones. Uncomfortable with silence, he would carry on a lively one-sided conversation, talking about anything and everything. Heero just brushed the long chestnut mane and listened. Other than the occasional 'Hn' he never commented on Duo's observations, stories or questions. Every night after he left the chatterbox, Heero would go to his own room and recite the soldier's handbook until he could get his raging emotions under control once again. He told himself time and again that he was only brushing the confessor's hair for the good of the mission. That rationale sounded utterly stupid even to his own mind but he adamantly refused to let himself consider any other explanations. Noin worked with Quatre every spare minute. The sorceress was exhausted after their sessions. Holding up the dampening field under the onslaught of the chaotic magic was straining her abilities, but she never let Quatre know. However, Trowa sensed what she was hiding and confronted her about it. "Are you able to continue?" he asked after Quatre had left to meditate. Noin nodded, but her face was very pale. "Yes, but that skewed magic of his is very strong. It is all I can do to keep the field up. Luckily he is learning control and it gets easier for him to use his power. The main problem is to build up his self-confidence." At Trowa's puzzled look, Noin sighed and sat down. Trowa poured a cup of wine for her and Noin sipped gratefully. Her color was returning. As the cool liquid soothed her, she resumed her explanation. "Look at it this way. Suppose you have a child that only used a butter knife all his life. Then someone, for whatever reason, hands him a sword. He has neither the strength nor the skill to use it effectively, and it is as dangerous to him as to others. Quatre has been handed a sword, a very sharp one at that, and the first time he used it he cut himself. It shook his self-confidence badly. A magic-user needs to have complete faith in his or her abilities in order to control their power. If they do not have that faith, they will either be unable to utilize their power, or worse yet, the magic will misfire. We are building up Quatre's self-confidence so he can wield his 'sword' with assurance and skill." Trowa, who had been listening intently, nodded. He hoped that they would have enough time. Every day he expected Heero to give the order to move out. He knew that the major was getting impatient, but until they could pinpoint the wizards' location there was no point in going anywhere. Heero was spending his days studying the maps of the territory south of Sank. He thought he had their enemy's location narrowed down to a handful of possibilities, but had no concrete conformation. The lack of communication was troubling. Finally, one afternoon Relena called Heero into the throne room. Wufei accompanied him. Attending the queen was a huge dark-haired man wearing light clothes. He was introduced as Rashid, from the tribe of nomads called the Maganocs who roamed the territory in south Sank Kingdom. Heero nodded to him as they exchanged introductions. "Rashid reports that a powerful storm has been stationary over the southern border for two weeks. It has cut off any attempt to cross the border between Sank Kingdom and Golgatha." Relena sounded worried. Heero's instincts sat up and screamed that this was important. He and Wufei exchanged glances. "A storm?" Heero questioned. Rashid nodded. "Yes, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. It does not move, yet it does not dissipate." "Can you show me on a map exactly where the storm is?" Heero asked, his voice carefully neutral. The nomad nodded and, at Relena's request, Paragon brought in a sheaf of detailed maps of the Sank Kingdom. Rashid spread them out and, after examining several picked out one that focused on the southern part. "Here, it spreads from here to here." He pointed to an area several inches long. Heero did some quick mental calculations and figured the storm was about three hundred miles long. "How wide is it?" he asked. Going around it would take days. "I am not sure, but I am guessing around forty miles." Rashid answered, looking at Heero shrewdly. "Are you planning to go through it?" Heero didn't respond. He was too absorbed in trying to figure out where the best place to cross the storm barrier would be. "Have you been south of the border into Golgatha?" Wufei questioned. Rashid nodded. "Many times when I was younger." "Is there anyplace beyond this storm where a large number of people could stay for an extended period of time?" Wufei asked. Heero was still intently studying the map. Rashid thought hard. He studied the maps again. Finally he pointed to a specific area. "There, an old fortress in those foothills. There is a ready supply of water and shelter. I think its called Bitterroot." Heero had by this time memorized the depicted terrain around the old fortress. Then he asked for copies of the maps. Thanking Rashid, he bowed to Relena and he and Wufei left the throne room. He told the bladesmaster to find the others and prepare to move out. Now they knew where they had to go. Bitterroot. S walked out onto the plateau above Bitterroot fortress. Seeing O standing at the edge he strolled over to stand beside him. He could feel the power rolling off the other wizard as the quiet giant maintained the storm barrier. "They will be moving out soon." S said as he motioned to the encamped army below. They had been at Bitterroot for almost a month. Soon, Emperor Lowe's top commander General Tubarov, along with Dorothy Catalonia, would arrive to take command of the invasion. Dorothy was a Mord-Sith. S shuddered. Aside from Odin Lowe, there were a few others that S feared, even though he was a first rank wizard. The Mord-Sith were those few. O did not respond. He still stared out over the plains. S didn't mind as he was used to his taciturn friend's ways. Odin had badly used all of them and O had responded by withdrawing into himself. The noseless wizard sighed. What the emperor was doing was wrong. The northern countries were peaceful and friendly. He was both saddened and angered by what would happened to them when Odin Lowe got his hands on them. Without warning O spoke. "That young Oz general will fight for them." "Yes, he will fight, but he does not stand a chance against us." "There is always a chance," O insisted. S looked carefully at him for the first time since walking onto the plateau to stand beside him. He thought back a couple of weeks ago to when his madness spell had been interrupted. That was unheard of. He had been forced to recast the spell. The powerful interruption was entirely new to the wizard. It gave him a sliver of hope to cling to that maybe there was somebody that could defeat Golgatha's emperor. As they rode south, Heero worked with Quatre to devise strategies for crossing the storm. Quatre practiced raising a powerful protective shield and was able to maintain it for a fairly long time. However, trying to raise the telepathy spell among them revealed a serious flaw: Duo couldn't send or receive thoughts. Quatre shook his head; the best way he could describe Duo's isolation to the others was by the analogy to water running off glass: the communication spell couldn't catch the confessor's essence. "We will just have to be careful not to get separated," Heero instructed. After three days of riding, they began to see clouds on the horizon in front of them. The closer they got, the higher the clouds built, until they stretched halfway up the sky. Streaks of lightning snaked their way through the black-bottomed gray towers above them. It took over a day from when they first spotted the clouds to finally reach the edge of the storm. It was around noon when they reached the storm barrier. The wall of dark clouds boiled above them. They sat on their horses and stared up in awe. "I'm thinking we're going to get wet." Duo commented, a hint of manic grin on his face. Wufei snorted as Shenlong shifted under him, pawing the ground with her foreleg. "How are we going to do this, Heero?" Quatre asked. Heero was silent as he studied the blackness in front of him. Wing chewed restlessly on his bit as he shook his head. Carefully weighing options, Heero turned to Quatre. "Get ready to raise your shield." Quatre mentally prepared himself. The past week he had spent working with Lady Noin had helped him regain some of his self-confidence in his power. "We'll go in and when it gets bad, you raise it. Hopefully you can hold it long enough for us to get through the worst of it. By then we should be near enough to its edge to make a run for the border." Heero said. They spent five minutes making sure that all their gear was tied down securely and the waterproof-spelled cloaks were fastened. Then they headed into the barrier. Day plunged into murky night. Black clouds lined with green roiled low above their heads. Lightning flickered through the blackness as thunder rumbled in the distance. There was no rain yet, but the heaviness of the still air indicated it was only a matter of time. They kept the pace to a canter, keeping the strength of their horses in reserve if it came down to a point where they must run. The steeds held their heads high as they scented the storm as the wind began to rise. Holding that steady pace, they rode with Duo and Shinigami in the center. The grass waved around them in never-ending ripples. Thunder rolled across the plains, louder and nearer. They cantered on, eating up miles. More bright lightning strobed through the blackness, illuminating the riders for brief seconds. The chill wind whipped their capes back and blew their hair away from their eyes. The darkness deepened. The heavy clouds continued to churn ominously above them They cantered forward. Large drops of icy cold rain began the assault. It rained intermittently then soon escalated into a downpour. The horses laid their ears flat back against their skulls and the leather reins were slick in their riders' grip. The wind rose even higher, sending icy blasts against their faces; the riders instinctively leaned forward, seeking the meager protection of their horses' necks. Still they cantered forward, mile after mile; there was no end in sight. Without warning the sky directly above them broke into jagged pieces as yellow lightning raced across the clouds. Thunder cracked around them, jarring their bones and more than one of them cast uncertain glances to the seething heavens. "Now Quatre!" Heero ordered. Taking a deep breath, Quatre tapped his power. Using all his control he slowly released it into a shield that formed over the five horses and riders. The rain fell like a waterfall on the faintly glowing shield. They cantered on, keeping a steady, ground eating pace. Hail followed the rain. It grew from little icy pebbles to large stones the size of a person's fist. It pounded on Quatre's shield, bouncing away and crunching under the horses' hooves, causing them to skid on the slick footing. The young mage held firm in the face of the storm. After a while, the hail subsided and the wind died down again, as if the storm was considering what next to throw at the shield. The silent clouds continued to writhe above them. Suddenly the world turned white. Lightning crashed down directly onto Quatre's shield, dissolving it instantly. The shield spared them from being immediately fried but that was the end of their protection. Quatre swore in frustration as his concentration broke. All at once they were completely at the mercy of the storm. Quatre tried to raise another shield, but the commotion around him was too much and he shook his head at Heero. Lightning struck again, blasting the ground not fifty feet off to the right. "Run for it!" Heero ordered. The others didn't stay to question; they took off across the soggy ice marked plains as if their lives depended on it, which they did. With no warning, rain poured down once again. Shinigami was the fastest and no one could keep up with her in full flight. She quickly widened the gap between herself and the others. Her ears where flat against her skull as she stretched her neck out and continued to lengthen her stride. Her hooves tore up great clots of soaked earth. Duo tugged on the reins, trying to get her to slow down so the others could catch up, but the leather slipped through his hands. Running all out, the shadowmare never slackened her speed. He was far ahead of the others by now, and was afraid to stop moving in case lightning struck again. He raised his head and squinted though the rain into the distance. Hope sprang up into his chest. It was lighter up ahead. He had reached the storm boundary! He finally pulled Shinigami down to a complete stop and turned to wait for the others. The shadowmare was hardly breathing heavily at all. After what seemed an eternity, three figures came into view: Shenlong, Sandrock and Heavyarms. Duo's heart missed a beat. There was no sign of Wing. "Where's Heero?" he shouted to the others as they galloped up to him, the horses frothing with lather after their strenuous run. The soldiers looked around. In the confusion they hadn't seen what had happened to Heero. Without waiting for Quatre to try to locate their missing leader, Duo spun Shinigami around and took off back into the storm. Thunder drowned out the yells of the others, calling on him to stop. He didn't know that Quatre could find Heero with his Locate spell or that, of all of them, he was the one least suited to go back. All he knew was that he must find Heero. The others tried to hurry after him, but their winded mounts were no match for the shadowmare. The best they could hope for was for Duo to slow down enough for them to catch up. When the lightning had struck, Heero had held Wing back so he would be last; which allowed him to make sure nobody was left behind. The white stallion didn't like it but accepted Heero's tight rein. In the deluge neither Wing nor Heero had seen the deep hole in the ground. Wing stepped directly into it, and 1200 pounds of horse smashed down on a single slender bone, snapping it in half and sending both the warhorse and Heero crashing to the ground. When Heero felt Wing start to go down underneath him, he kicked his feet free from the stirrups. He agilely jumped clear of the falling stallion, rolling to his feet immediately. He ran back to where Wing was lying in the rain-soaked earth and with a glance took in the damage. The cannon bone was snapped in half. Wing was lying there, breathing heavily from exertion and pain. Swearing softly, Heero knew what he had to do. Wiping rain from his face, he knelt down next to the animal that had carried him so far and so faithfully. "I'm sorry old friend." Steeling his heart, he drew his sword and sliced the razor-sharp blade across the white throat. Crimson blood poured out onto the ground, mixing with the rainwater. The light in those large, liquid dark eyes faded quickly and Heero's Wing died. As the wind and rain slashed at him, he cut his pack off of Wing's carcass and slung it over his back. He started jogging in the direction he judged to be the correct way. He knew it would not be easy to make it though. It was simply too far and the frequent lightning strikes seemed to be getting closer with every passing moment. His only hope was that Quatre could locate him and one of the soldiers could get to him before he was hit. It seemed that he had been running for a long time. As he was concentrating on his footing, Quatre contacted him. 'Duo's coming to look for you'. Heero gritted his teeth in anger. He acknowledged the message, then tuned out the mage. Dammit! He swore to himself, what was that braided idiot thinking, risking his life like that? He ran faster, keeping his breathing and strides even. Without warning the wind died down and the rain stopped once again. Dark clouds continued to boil above him and they seemed to be getting lower. He noticed a peculiar rotation to the clouds. SHIT! He put on a burst of speed, knowing it was futile but there was nothing else to do. Standing around waiting to be caught by a tornado was not an option. He breath came faster and his heart pounded as he pushed his body to its utmost. He would not give up. Heero Yuy hadn't finished his mission. Adrenaline surged through his body as he ran with long even strides across the plains, soaked to the skin, hair blowing away from his eyes. Grim determination set his features. A continuous roaring of wind filtered through his senses. He tried to run even faster, his boots skidding in the slippery wet grass. He risked a glance over his shoulder and his cobalt eyes widened. A huge black twister seemed to be eating the ground about a mile behind him. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his head and called upon his last reserves. He could feel the wind tugging at him, trying to catch him in its deadly embrace. "Heero!" Heero looked up just as the black mare came into view. Having spotted him, the rider sent Shinigami galloping across the plains to intercept the running soldier. Heero was furious, madder than he had ever been before, but he reached for the proffered grip and swung himself up behind the slender confessor. Shinigami, not missing a stride, galloped flat out over the grasses, outrunning the killer winds behind them. Heero held Duo's waist as they flew over the ground. Never in his life had he ridden anything so fast as the shadowmare. But he was in no mood to enjoy the experience. Rage at the confessor pulsed with every heartbeat of his body. He looked behind them; they were outdistancing the tornado easily. Soon it was out of sight. As if the storm conceded its defeat, the clouds raised higher, not nearly as threatening. "Not far now!" Duo hollered above the wind created by the swift mare. He was laughing as he glanced over his shoulder at Heero. He couldn't help it, the speed and the feeling of Heero's arms around him made him giddy. Duo's wide grin only heightened Heero's anger at him. Heero saw the light ahead of them. Without warning he reached out, grabbed the reins away from Duo and hauled back on them with all his strength. Shinigami almost sat down as the mare slid to a halt, her neck bowing tightly under the pressure of the bit. "What the hell?" Duo asked as Heero jumped down off the shadowmare and grabbing hold of the long braid pulled Duo down as well. The confessor landed hard on his back as the mare leaped away. "Shit! What the hell do you think you're doing Heero?" Duo demanded as he twisted to his feet like a cat. Heero reached out and grabbed the confessor's arms right above his elbows, crushing the feeling out of them. Duo tried to pull free but Heero would have none of it. He pulled Duo close to him. Duo's violet eyes widened in fear at the anger he saw in Heero's ice-cold gaze mere inches away. "Do you know what you almost did? You deliberately put your life in danger by coming back into that storm. This mission could have failed because of your foolishness. This mission cannot be accomplished if you die. That is unacceptable. Why did you come back for me?" Each sentence was punctuated by a brutal shake. Unable to gain his balance, Duo held onto Heero's forearms for support. His head snapped at each shake and he bit his tongue hard, the flat metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. At the last question, Duo had had enough. "Because I need you!" he screamed in anger, his violet eyes staring straight into the twin cobalt glaciers. Heero's expression did not change. He stood there breathing hard, still crushing Duo's arms. Duo continued, his voice fiercely low with anger and hurt. "I. Need. You. Don't you get it? I may be necessary to complete this mission but for me YOU are the mission. If YOU die, I don't know if I could go on. Don't you see? YOU are the reason I'm here! It's because of you that I can find the courage to what I have to do. You are the one keeping me going! If I lose you I will lose everything, then we will ALL die. I can't do this mission alone." Duo's voice broke and he stood there in Heero's arms, gasping for breath and tasting the blood in his mouth. For a long minute they stared at each other, Heero still holding the confessor who in turn was holding on to him. Duo's words were echoing in both their minds. Neither of them remembered who made the first move. It might have been Heero, or it might have been Duo; it didn't matter. Heero tasted the blood in Duo's mouth as he kissed the braided boy fiercely, aware that Duo was kissing him back with equal fervor. He transferred his grip from Duo's arms to around the confessor's waist, pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed together. He felt Duo raise his hands and bury his fingers in his own thick dark hair. Reminded, Heero possessively grasped the thick braid in one tightly clenched fist. Drawing a shuddering breath, but not relinquishing his possession of the confessor's lips, Heero pried Duo's jaws apart so he could explore the excitingly warm, wet interior cavern with his tongue. Duo responded enthusiastically by opening his mouth willingly, pressing his body even closer, trying to feel Heero through the layers of wet clothes. Heero was almost intoxicated by the taste of the confessor and his scent. The world seemed to spin around him in a haze. Duo couldn't believe what was happening. Heero was kissing him! And what a kiss! Duo's whole body felt like it was molten heat. He moaned low in his throat as Heero's hands moved up his back, pulling him even closer. The raw passion in Heero's touch ignited his desire for the cobalt-eyed soldier into white-hot flames. Never had he felt like this about anyone, not even Hilde. Hilde. As if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over his head, Duo stiffened, his violet eyes wide with shock. Abruptly he pulled back, but Heero refused to relinquish him and once again gripped his arms, this time gently but firmly. Heero's cobalt eyes opened and he pinned the braided boy with an unreadable stare. "I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't mean to do that! I don't want to hurt you! Not like Hilde." Duo closed his eyes and lowered his head, inhaling the storm-scented air. Duo was shaken to his core. What had he been thinking? He could have destroyed Heero! "Please, forgive me." Duo felt those strong arms wrap around him even tighter, pulling him close again. He laid his head on Heero's strong shoulder and felt the soldier reach up and stroke his hair. Duo brought his arms up around Heero's neck. Heero knew that his soul had been in danger but right then, he didn't give a damn. "Even if you didn't mean it, I did." Heero paused. He didn't know what to say to make the situation less impossible. He cared for Duo; he wanted to be with him. Frustration welled up inside of him. There was nothing he knew of that could change the situation. But then, he recalled a voice speaking to him from a distant past. He didn't know who it was but someone had told him once that he must trust his feelings. 'Trust your feelings'. Holding Duo in his arms felt right. Very well, he would trust his feelings, even if they lead him to his death. He could live with that. "I can't do this without you." Duo whispered. Heero closed his eyes as well. "I will be there with you, always. I promise." Shinigami nickered behind them and Heero felt Quatre's 'presence' in his head. 'Heero, are you alright?' He sent his reassurance back to the young mage. 'I'm fine, but Wing is dead. Duo found me. We're at the boundary.' Quatre 'nodded' and said they were on their way. He apologized for letting Duo go back, but Heero told him it didn't matter, just join up with them as soon as possible. Heero opened his eyes and saw Duo looking at him quizzically. "Quatre and the others will be here soon." Duo nodded and released his hold. They walked over to where Shinigami was waiting for them. Duo swung up onto the shadowmare and held his good hand out for Heero. Heero reached up and grasped Duo's hand, using it for leverage to swing up behind the confessor. Holding Duo's waist lightly for balance, Heero let himself indulge once more in breathing the scent of the braided young man in front of him. Then he looked up. Trowa, Wufei and Quatre were cantering toward them. Duo raised his hand and waved. When the others caught up to them, Duo turned the black mare and they exited the storm barrier, crossing the border into Golgotha. As they entered the sunlight, Heero felt a hot flash rush up his spine. Unconsciously he tightened his grip on Duo's waist, who turned to him with a concerned look. "Heero, are you okay?" He asked, his voice low. "I'm fine." Heero answered shortly. Duo studied his face intently, then shrugged and faced forward once more. The group rode in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. Trowa left for a while to scout ahead, then he came back into sight. When they had regrouped, Trowa reported. "There is an army about ten miles to our south." "Golgatha's invasion," Heero stated with conviction. Still sitting on Shinigami's back, he pulled a map out of his pack and unfolded it. Studying it, he figured they were about fifteen miles from Bitterroot. "We will leave the horses and proceed on foot," Heero decided. Jumping down off Shinigami, he closed his map. The rest dismounted and pulled their tack off the horses. There was a stream nearby for water. Freed, the horses would stay where they were until the soldiers returned. If they returned. They adjusted their gear, leaving behind the nonessentials. Taking only what they could carry, they set out for Bitterroot.