Author: Lyndaura

Author's Comments: Well, I need more feedback, so e-mail me people! And um…… Gundam Wing is back on television! Yay! It's on at 4:30 am! Who cares? I'm back at school! AHH!!! AHH!!! AHH!!! (Three screams for school!) Sorry, I had caffeine. Heehee…… now Pyro George is back, and I am blessed with more ideas, thank you Pyro George!
Special Mention: Um…… oh crud, I'm going to forget someone I know. Um…… Tiff, Steph, Ruby, Shannon, uh…… Laura, Lena, Kayley, and…… everyone else that I mentioned before ^_^ (I'm sorry, I forgot people, I have bad memory, its filled with French right now). So, yeah! Hurray for everyone who helped me!

Two Worlds Part 9
Demon's Mark

The power radiating from him made him easy to find in the forest and Emily found him quickly. He was leaning against another tree looking into the water, wishing that the peace that he had felt before would come back and overcome him once again. Emily approached him silently, but she knew that Heero could sense her nearing.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked sincerely.

"I sneezed," Heero looked down at the river.

"Oh," Emily had to fight back the laughter.

He had sneezed and a tree had blown up.

Emily could see the remnants scattered around her and she realized the power of the simple action. If that was an accident, how much more stronger could he be if he focused? Emily was not stupid, and she knew enough about Heero to know that whatever he put his mind to, he was successful at. How far could his abilities extend if he tried? The thought was frightening and suddenly Emily was insecure about herself. Once he could learn how to concentrate and control his power, then he would be more powerful than herself, possibly even Terra.

"Are you having any other problems?" Emily asked inching closer towards him cautiously.

"I saw……" Heero paused, he didn't want to seem crazy, but he thought that she might as well know, "I saw some hallucinations."

The thought that she may be a hallucination brought on to help his mind cope with Emily's death came to mind almost instantly. The thought that she might also be real was also there, but was lost somewhere in the mist of Heero deciding what was real or not.

Reality and fantasy seemed to meld and fuse into one state. Everything had an surreal touch to it as Heero began to see the depth and complexity of some of the more simple pleasures, such as the flowers, or the beauty of the sky, even Emily's eyes.

He was immediately drawn to them as he looked closer. The millions of hues all blended together to create a intricate, beautiful and complex work of art.

He was confused, to be put simply. He didn't know what was real, what was made up. He didn't know if anything was real anymore. Was he real, or was he dreaming? Perhaps he was just in a coma or under some enemy drug that caused vivid and intricate alternate realities. Was he just someone's guinea pig? The thought somehow seemed more relieving then the others.

"Residual images from you soul?" Emily asked trying to see if Heero's pupils were dilated. She didn't expect to have Heero in perfect condition after such a horrifying experience. She felt terrible that she had put him through that, but it was necessary. She had nearly lost him though, and the threat was still very real. There was a 72% suicide rate after going through souls, and another startling 7% never made it out of their soul. She was lucky, but soon……

"Hn," Heero grunted as he thought about Emily. She had been there through his soul…… but why? Heero was still debating the reality of her presence, but he decided that if she was a hallucination then there was no one there to embarrass himself in front of, plus it was calming to entertain the idea that Emily was still alive. Somehow, Heero sensed something more to her than he did the other Emily. It was an aura around her that seemed to lighten him and make him feel complete could a hallucination make him feel like that? But the questions still lingered. "Why were you in my soul?"

"Well, I wanted to be there with you. Going through your soul is not easy, and I wanted to help you," Emily answered half truthfully. She knew of Heero's powers and having her cover blown was a high risk threat.

Although her vague answer satisfied Heero for the moment, more question were brought up and his curiosity was not something to starve. "Why did I go through my soul?" Heero asked the question that Emily had dreaded to hear, "You were there before I even went in. You were there asking if I wanted to go in, why did you want me to go through my soul?"

Emily was silent. Heero knew that she wouldn't say anything, but it had confirmed his worst concern.

"Because I needed you to have that power. On this mission, there is a real possibility that Luke or I could die. We need someone to have power so that the mission can go on without us. I'm sorry, I tried to make it as easy on you as possible," Emily finally answered, but something was missing, there was something that she wasn't telling him. Emily reached out her hand to touch Heero's arm in an act of condolence, but Heero was unresponsive, though everything in his body wanted to reach out and take her in his arms right there.

//Calm yourself. Control is the only way that you will get the necessary information. //

But Heero could feel himself losing the control that he had once been renowned for. Heero had to stop and take a breath to fight the temptation. Finally Emily drew her hand back and looked away, the rejection ripping at her heart and mind.

// Why doesn't he like me? KATARA! Why aren't you here? I need you now…… //

"Is Katara dead?" Heero asked after searching for Katara's consciousness in Emily's body,. It was hard to enter her mind, it seemed so closed off and locked, but Heero knew that his abilities were limited, and going into the minds of energy-users must be slightly more difficult.

"Did I kill her?" Heero swallowed down his fear. He had to be brave. He had to remember his training, the tactics and skills he had built up over the years. He tried to focus and be like a soldier. Unfeeling and straight to the point, but he found his mind wandering to inappropriate thoughts. Finally Heero thought about his question more closely. He knew that Katara was present in Emily's body, and the possibility that she could have been dead was very real. The thought was sobering as he relived Katara dying in his soul. The pain and the suffering was all to save him. He wasn't worth saving. Heero waited as the anticipation cut through him viciously. If he had killed her……

"No," Emily answered and felt Heero ease back in relief. "She just needs a few more hours of rest. If it had been her soul, then she would have died, but since it was your soul, she was just merely hurt. She'll be fine. Although she does extend her best wishes," Emily smiled a coy little smile. Emily tried to call back on Katara, but dying in someone else's soul was a serious issue, and Emily wasn't sure if Katara would ever come back, but she didn't want to worry Heero with such details, there were more important matters to address with him.

"So, if I had killed myself in my soul, then I would be dead. Permanently?" Heero swallowed the realization of just how close he had come to death. Emily didn't need to answer him as he dwelled silently on the issue, the struggling emotions inside burning within him. Heero could feel the battle rage in his soul once more. It was like an never-ending war that would ever conclude until moments before his death. Suddenly, the thought became rather appealing as he thought about the best ways to die.

"Katara did that because she wanted to do that," Emily neared Heero. He could feel her warmth pressing into him. He longed for the touch that had once comforted him in his most desperately low moments. He needed that touch now. His suicidal thoughts had never been something that he was concerned about before, he was a soldier and expected to die, but now that he wasn't in immediate danger, the thoughts ran ramped, especially now that he was focusing on it.

Heero turned to the woman that he shared an inseparable bond with. She was more important to him than even he could comprehend at the moment. Heero just longed for the same touch, the same warmth, the same support and comfort that she had once offered. As if reading his mind Emily wrapped her arms around Heero and just held him. He had never known what it was like to need someone, or to want someone as bad as he did with her. He needed her to hold him……

He needed her to kiss him.

// Where did that come from? //

// Damn hormones……//

Heero tried to convince himself that it was just a stupid spur of the moment thought, but he never had those. He had never had a spur of the moment thought before in his life. Every thought and action was perfectly calculated.

Except his attraction to her. That was uncontrollable, and therefore a liability. His feelings could guide him through battle, but such an emotion could cause him to lose focus or become a conflict of interest in battle. Heero reminded himself of what the Professors had told him and thought about the different strategies to help him cope, but none applied. Heero for once in his life did something rash as he forgot about all his training, and stopped caring about controlling himself. He wasn't in war at that moment, instead he was being held by the only woman who had ever captivated him so vividly.

Her beauty and grace amazed him as her feminine and yet still strong movements transfixed him. The swift and fluid flow of her arms as she wrapped around him. The slow and steady breaths that seemed so relaxing. The way her hair just swept around her face, and flowed freely in the soft breeze. Her flawless face telling no tales of the horrors performed or witnessed.

Except her eyes showed the mourning and sadness that plagued her. She had so much blood on her hands, and the burden that must have been placed on her soul would have been intolerable. He knew that weight, the weight of a thousand lives compressed into only a few years. The stress and strain that tore at the threads of the very fabric of his being and essentially his sanity, dragged him down deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Emily drew back from Heero and stared at him with an intensity that he had never seen in her eyes. He seemed to drown in their deepness as she searched him. Heero didn't care though, he wanted her to find what he wanted, and he wanted her to fulfill it. He didn't care about caution or thought, he only had one strong desire, and that was to simply kiss Emily.

Emily's eyes burned into Heero's, as his soul seemed to be torn wide open for her to see. He felt like he was naked and exposed to her prying eyes, like she could search his mind merely by staring into his eyes. Everything inside felt like it was on display to her, but he wanted it to be. He didn't care what she knew; she knew all there was to know. It was like an adrenaline rush for him, as he felt so vulnerable to her. He had never been vulnerable before, and it was almost exciting as he felt his heart pumping harder and harder, and his blood coursing through his veins, his cold shield melted long ago.

Emily suddenly plunged into his lips, devouring them all for herself. Her tongue running along his sensitive lips begging for entrance. Heero had never had any experience with kissing, but Emily seemed to be taking any lead that there was. As Heero gently parted his lips, her tongue delved in and took his mouth for her own. Exploring and searching with her tongue, she ran it across his and drew his into her own mouth.

They seemed to melt together as they became one body, their minds thoughtless, but their hearts racing. They could feel the pounding of each other's blood, and could sense the intense emotions raging between the two. Everything inside seemed to scream out with passion, as they tasted what the other had to offer.

Finally Emily abruptly broke the kiss and Heero was left wondering what he did wrong. Emily covered her mouth with her hand as looked at him, on the verge of tears. The distress in her eyes and face was disturbing and startling as Heero was immediately concerned about her. She scrambled to her feet and turned as she fled though the forest, darting back and forth through the trees. Heero was close on her tail, not knowing what was wrong with her.

// What did I Do? //

He knew that she had wanted the same thing as him and she had been more than willing to participate. She had even lead most of the deep and passionate kiss. Heero called out to Emily, not knowing what else to do to stop her, but she only quickened her pace as she shot out to the forest.

Finally as Heero emerged from the forestry surrounding them, she collapsed on the ground and panted hoarsely between jagged sobs.

"Emily?" Heero didn't know what to say to her. She continued to let the tears fall for a few moments until she looked at him.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," Emily admitted as she refused to meet Heero's expectant gaze.

"Why not?" Heero kept his voice calm, but inside he was hurt to think that she didn't want to kiss him, and that he had hurt her, the hurt so unfamiliar to him.

"I'm just going to hurt you," Emily let out another sob but quickly regained control of her voice as she wiped away a stray tear. It was strange that he had thought he had hurt her, and now she was claiming that she would hurt him.

"How?" Heero was furious, confused, and hurt inside, but he didn't know if any of his feelings were even justified.

"Heero, why do you like me?" Emily unexpectedly turned to Heero. It was now Heero's turn to not be able to face her.

// Screw you Katara, I need to know. //

"You were there for me," Heero didn't know how else to explain what he felt inside, "You know everything there is about me. You know the true me, and you still helped me despite everything you knew about me. I guess you're the only person that I trust." It was hard for Heero to open up, to once again go into his soul and think about the cause for his action. Heero ran his hand through his hair out of habit than anything else.

The past few days were hard for him to understand. He was thrown into an alternate dimension, which he was still questioning the reality of, and he was shown a whole new world, with new powers and abilities. He witnessed a massacre of many people by someone who he distantly considered allies. He had been shown a ghost as it killed all but one last fairy, and he had traveled through his soul. He didn't know what else he could take.

Heero's hand instinctively went to his back. He had almost forgotten about the mark of the dragon on his chest. It had moved, and now was on his lower back, an advantage for him, not knowing what it was, having it hidden would suit his situation better. He could feel it move and itch under his skin. The texture of his skin had changed, and now he could feel the scales forming. Perhaps it was a parasite of some kind. He considered telling Emily or Luke, but decided that there were more pressing matters than his physical health at the immediate moment.

"Bull you stupid liar!" Emily suddenly retorted after a moment. Emily had to take time to collect her thoughts, but throwing caution aside, she delved into the topic head first, knowing what the possible consequences could be.

Heero was surprised by her outburst as she took a deep jagged breath, "You are such a liar! You only want me because you think I can help you! Listen, I know your soul has suffered a lot of abuse, and you don't want to do this alone, but I can't help you! I don't know how else to put it! You think that I helped you in your soul, but this is reality and I can't, okay? I'm not some angel, and I'm not your savior, okay? Just leave me alone! I can't save you! I can't even save myself!"

"From what?" Heero inquired while keeping remarkable calm despite Emily's reactions and irrational behaviour. The more information disclosed, the more Heero's concern rose. What did she need help with? What did she need to save herself from? The questions swirled in Heero's mind, pleading for answers.

"Don't you understand?" Emily ground her teeth as she looked away, her face flushing and tears brushing against her eyelashes. The wind softly picked up and tussled her hair gently. The effect was unappreciated by Emily as Heero was almost hypnotized by its simple beauty, "You don't see it. See this?" Emily undid the clasp to her necklace and let the top of her dress fall slightly without revealing anything except the head of a dragon. Heero eyed it judgmentally, finally coming to the conclusion that it was identical to the one on his lower back. He touched it self-consciously again.

She had one too.

The implications of the finding only caused more questions to rear their ugly heads. It was quickly seeming as if there were more questions than answers in this world. So many unknown details. They were all variables.

Heero hated variables. Variables got you killed, and he was dying to know what the hell was going on.

"I have one like that too," Heero told her softly. She listened to his soothing voice. She didn't quite understand how he could talk so soft, almost husky, and still have the words perfectly audible. He had a way of not rushing his words, slowly pronouncing every syllable carefully. She imagined that he had never stumbled on a word before in his life. As she focused on his words, she felt the energy that surrounded him grow. Inside, Heero was struggling to keep control on his mind, but his power was slowing growing in an almost defensive maneuver. Emily shook the thought from her mind. Energy did what it was told. It wasn't a sentient life form; it wasn't even a life form! He had to be acting subconsciously.

"It is the mark of a ghost. It slowly eats away at you over the years. It usually takes about 40-50 years to be fatal, but you carry it around with you like a virus and pass it on to most people you have intimate contact with. People used to think it was just through regular contact, but the only way to pass it onto anyone else is to a joint spell, like a healing spell, or in this case probably going through your soul passed it on. You can also pass it on by love-making," Emily added as a tear ran down her cheek. She had to take a moment to gather herself, but after a few seconds she was ready to explain herself further.

Heero took a moment to think of what she had just said, and what it meant to him. He was infected with a virus that would kill him in 40-50 years, which was not so much as concerning as the fact that he could pass it on to almost anyone. Heero knew that he was going to die soon. The way he was living, despite his newfound respect and longing for life, only led to the conclusion that surviving long was impossible. But now was he condemned to have no personal contact or be restricted to only certain spells, assuming that he would be able to learn how to use his power? The restrictions and regulations were constraining, but he could survive. What about Emily? What was her life going to be like with the mark? She shouldn't have to be under such confinements.

'Life isn't fair,' the immortal words burned deep into Heero's mind and soul.

"I don't know if I passed it on to you, or if you passed it on to me, but it happened. That plus the fact that I am slowly being torn apart and its killing me. You see, when I first did the purity spell, I was torn. It was like tearing a piece of paper. Over the time I began to separate into two people. Once I separate fully into two people, I'll die. Two minds can't live in one body. It'll rip my body in two. I would have had many years longer, but going through your soul sped up both processes, I'm going to die Heero."

"When?" Heero had a touch of urgency in his voice that made Emily smile inwardly.

"A few days, a week at most," Emily sighed and fought back the onslaught of tears burning down her cheeks. She had barely accepted the fact, and now she was telling Heero, who was under enough stress as it was. Emily suppressed the urge to go berserk and just destroy everything around her. That was the easy way, but she had a responsibility to the Gundam Pilots, to Sage, to Luke, to Katara, but mostly to herself.

Emily breathed as she waited for Heero's response.

Heero didn't know what to do. The fact that Emily was going to die hit like a gun to the head. For once in his life he had liked a girl, and now she was on the verge of Death. He didn't know what to do. Everything in his mind was swirling with anger, sadness and confusion. There was just too much……

Everything started to go black as Heero fought to hold onto consciousness. Emily moved closer to him to support him, but he needed none. In a few moments, he was back under control, but yet still knowing Heero's condition, Emily reached out and held Heero.

The act sent a flood of memories back into focus and Heero was swarmed with the warmth and comfort of Emily. He basked in her presence as her scent engulfed him and surround him. He merely soaked in everything that was Emily. The action was calming and Heero collected himself.

"Is there anything that anyone can do to help?" Heero needed to ask. He knew what the answer was, but if there was even a glimmer of hope, not only him, but the rest of the entire world was relying on her and them.

"Don't do this to me Heero," Emily suddenly turned angry again.

"I don't understand," Heero looked at her confused, he hadn't meant any hostility towards her and he tried to search for the reason for her aggressive behaviour.

"You jerk! Think about it! I told you the reason why you liked me, you liked me because you thought that I could help you, but I can't. I can't help you and you can't help me! How could you help me if you can't even help yourself? And if I can't even help you, then how could I do anything?" Emily cried out, refreshing the tears that she had fought to control.

Heero was at a loss for words as she broke down again. There was nothing that he could do. The force of her words burned into him, and the realization caused a cascade of hopelessness to overcome him.

"Just don't even pretend that you can save me or something, okay? You aren't all powerful, and you are just as screwed up as me! I cannot save you, and you cannot save me! And please, don't take pity on me. Okay? Please, just don't take pity on me. That is the last thing that I want. My soul is in even worse condition then yours, and to tell you the truth, if I have the choice to go through my last days having everyone feeling sorry for me, or be alone, then I would rather be alone. Okay? Please Heero, don't make this anymore difficult for me than it already is."

With that Emily turned and left Heero standing alone in the grass, wondering what was happening. He couldn't understand how she could want to be alone. He had been alone all his life, searching for answers that didn't exist, and now he was left alone again, with more questions, and no means to find the answers. Heero felt everything inside him scream out. This was why he didn't want to open his heart or his soul to people, because of the pain and hurt that he suffered. Whatever he felt for her, he needed to burry it, and burry it deep. He didn't want to hurt anymore, he couldn't take it anymore.

There and then Heero vowed to himself not to let anyone ever hurt him again. He would fight for peace, and he would die trying. That was it. The longing and struggle for life was extinguished as Heero gazed into the brightening sky.

Emily could feel Katara coming back to life within her. Emily was somewhat relieved at the feeling, but everything else in her ached. She had changed Heero so that he had longed for her touch, and that he had not been the cold, impassive soldier that he once was, and then when he was most vulnerable she had broken him and torn him apart. But she knew what would have happened to him if she had not done what she had. She couldn't see him go through that. She didn't want to hurt him ever again. Hopefully, she would never get a chance to harm him, mentally or physically.

The rage that burned within Katara grew as her consciousness became more aware of the past events. Emily fought for control as she felt the power from Heero fade. He was so powerful and strong. She didn't know he was that strong and she cried out for that energy. The same energy that as she slowly died, she felt herself losing.

~End Part 9~

Author's Notes: Okay…… that was weir. Did I get enough conflict in there? Well, I guess I finally explained some stuff. I don't know, what do you think? I kinda liked this one actually. Pyro George thought it could use more violence. Heehee…… he wanted Emily to blow everything up. Man, that would have been funny. But then again, he wanted Heero to fart and the tree blow up. ^_^ I don't know what's scarier, the fact that he thought of that, or the fact that I almost put it in. Well…… there you go! Don't forget to vote, comment and enter my contest! Some exciting chapters coming up! ^_^

-Lyndaura

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