Title: Two Worlds

Author: Lyndaura

Author's Notes: Okay, this one is going to get kinda violent (not really) and really freaky, but remember as much as you can, because it will be referred to later, and I'll get as much plot in here as possible. ^_^

Two Worlds - Chapter 17

Death Rises Once Again

Katara and Emily faced off once again in the deepest recesses of their mind. Katara was dressed in traditional black, and Emily was wearing a soft blue dress. It was a simple dark surrounding, with no real indication of any matter whatsoever, just a cold hard stone floor that expanded forever.

"What did you do? We are going to die!" Emily put a shaking hand to her forehead as she shouted, the tension in the air was rising fast.

"We have been through this, Heero will do the rest," Katara approached Emily, slightly frustrated, but Emily backed away.

"Get away from me," Emily slowly retreated, "I am starting to see what this is all about. I know that Heero has the power to merge us, but you..."

"I what? I have been doing everything to ensure that he does exactly as we need," Katara shook her head.

"By putting a spell on him!" Emily shot back.

"I had to put the spell on him to guarantee that he would use his powers to merge us! I mean, the only sure way that he would have the emotional stimulation to produce enough power to merge us would be if he thought that he loved us," Katara started stalking towards Emily.

"Don't do this, it isn't right, we can't play with their feelings anymore, we are being far too selfish here, we are hurting people," Emily stood her ground, a tear running down her frantic cheek.

"Selfish? I am doing everything so WE can live, I think you are being stupid. Without doing this we would both die," Katara growled.

"We are going to die no matter what now," Emily tried to control her sobs, but they were too powerful.

"And now, it is up to Heero to save us," Katara stood in front of Emily and smiled softly.

"What are you smiling at?" Emily was taken off-guard by the sudden change in emotion.

"You're naiveness," Katara whispered into Emily's ear as she grabbed her throat and picked her up off the ground, "Its pointless arguing now. I guess I can't fool you any longer. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but you are just too smart for your own damn good," Katara shrugged as she suspended Emily.

"What are you doing Katara?" Emily tried to get out, but her breath was short and raspy, and the effort only ended up wasting precious air.

"You know, I always thought that you were too trusting," Katara gave an extra burst of power as she felt Emily's windpipe crush under her hands.

Katara let Emily drop to the ground. Katara struggled breathing for a moment, the world around her spun as the breath was sucked away from her. Finally collapsing into unconsciousness, the life quickly drained from her.

"She's dying," Luke cried out as the others gathered around her.

"Why?" the question came from Trowa who towered over the others bending down around her still form.

"I don't think its blood loss," Luke checked her pulse again, "Shit, she's gone!" Luke started frantically reaching for his staff.

"It won't do any good," Quatre shook his head, sorrowfully, "I'm sorry Luke, she overused her power. It split her, the mind is dead," Quatre felt the tearing at his stomach. Everything was coming apart. Luke screamed and there was a blast of heat. Everything around them seem to light up. He drew in the energy around him and let another scream as he released it. The building that they had just stormed blew up.

The heat raged and they were all thrown away, the buildings beside it, starting to catch the blaze. Pieces of rubble fell from the sky randomly, breaking and crashing, adding more chaos to the street.

No one said anything, they all had their eyes on Katara who lay broken and beaten on the street. The sky was lit up with the raging fires devouring everything around them. Still, no one moved.

Heero tried to talk, but nothing came out of his mouth. He tried to think, but his mind was an empty void, all he felt was a pain inside that was consuming everything inside him. He could blow up a building, and he could kill everyone that he wanted to, but it would not bring her back, and it would do nothing to fill the void that was left by her.

Never look at someone who you can't kill.

It was a stupid thing to think, but in his life, it was true, and now that Katara was gone, he knew that he would never care that much again.

//: I was happier with my cold wall, and my self-destructive behaviour. Taking that away from me just leads to pain that I don't know how to handle, and I don't want to handle. I just want Katara back. ://

Heero silently promised himself that he would never let anyone that close again, he would only get hurt.

Luke got up and threw a piece of debris across the street, his mind could not understand that Katara was gone forever. There was no coming back, that he would never be able to hold her in her sleep, that he would never be able to hear her laugh again, or tell him to bug off.

Heero was thinking the same thing as he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. He promised himself that he wouldn't cry, but the water was welling up faster than he could stop it. Heero got up and turning to walk away, but he felt something drawing his face back to her.

He loved her more than anything in the world. She was the only person who knew him, not what he let people see, but the whole truth, and maybe she knew him better than he knew himself. Heero scolded himself for getting attached to her, but it was impossible to keep his eyes off of her. She was so still, so cold, nothing like the vibrant and strong woman that he knew she was.

"I can't believe it," Luke screamed as the panic overtook him, "I should have been there."

"You couldn't do anything," Quatre put an arm around his stomach, but Luke pushed away.

"You don't know what she meant. You knew her for a few days, I knew her for years. She is like the other half of me, without her I am nothing, and I will never be complete again. Do you know how much it hurts? Do you know what it is like to lose a part of yourself? She is my soul, I can't live without her," Luke tried to breathe, but the world was caving in on him. He tried to back up to get away from it, but he hit a piece of debris and fell backward.

"Luke," Quatre ran to his side, but Heero stayed still. Trowa was quick to follow Quatre, but Duo looked at Heero.

"You liked her didn't you?" Duo was perfectly serious, and Heero couldn't conjure the hatred or apathy to ignore him.

Heero still couldn't speak, the emotions running over him like cold waves, freezing him as the information overloaded his senses. All Heero could do was nod. Before, Heero had sense an unusual morbid fascination with death, but now Heero couldn't force himself to say anything to Duo about it. Duo just stared at the lifeless form before them.

Duo didn't know what to think. He was never good at mourning. Whenever he did it, he always got self-destructive which was never really him. He had usually tried to cover up what little emotion death brought up within him with sarcasm, but now there were no words, no sarcasm, no emotion, just pain.

Katara meant everything to Heero. She was like a symbol of peace to him. She was hope in his life, a fighter, and no matter how much she pushed him away when he tried to get close, or how much she invested in him, he still wanted her to be there beside him again. He couldn't do this alone. He needed her like the very air he was breathing.

She had invested her own life in him. She had given him the power to save the world, but he couldn't go on without her there. She had shortened her own life to make sure that the world could survive without her. She had ensured her legacy with him, but he didn't know what he would do without her, she was his leader, his guidance, his love...

Duo shook his head and bit back the tears. Boys never cried. Duo turned to Heero, he had never seen him so distressed, but Heero had gotten a scary glint in his eyes.

"Heero?" Duo questioned softly, he didn't want Heero going all suicidal because of this...

"No," Heero breathed, and then repeated it, stronger, more confident, "No."

The world spun around him. Duo felt the hairs on his arm stand up on end, everything around them seemed to intensify and electrify.

Suddenly the fires that were spreading all over the street just stopped. They shrank down till they were nothing and the street was left in cold, dark silence. Everyone turned to Heero, who had a disturbingly cold and determined glare on his face. Duo inched away from him as Luke turned to look to Heero.

"Impossible," Luke whispered as the world came down to Heero.

"What's happening?" Quatre watched as Katara began to levitate and Heero took on an almost luminescent glow.

It seemed as if the very words that Quatre had spoken were being drawn towards Heero. Heero's body was struggling to adapt to the mind's commands as the earth beneath them began to shake. There was no time for thought, merely action as Heero let his more primal urges take over.

Heero stood with grim determination and Katara lay open before him, hovering at waist height. Heero struggled to keep control over her, the air became charged with energy as everything became dead. The stars seemed to fade in the sky as Heero's energy level soared.

Finally, Heero let out a primal scream and the energy was unleashed on Katara. The power ravished her body and overtook everything. Wind flung violently out from around Heero and Katara, throwing Duo across the road, and pushing Luke, Quatre and Trowa up against the cold wall of the building harshly.

Heero kept screaming as the energy tore apart his body and mind, ripping away the sanity and pain that was left. Katara's body shook and trembled as the power raped what was left and shattered the barriers of the dead and living world, and sucked the mysterious power out of the two realms and into Katara.

The world ceased to function as Heero's back suddenly tore open and Heero lit up like a spark of flame. His whole body lifted off of the ground violently as the wings spread out to their length. Heero's head was flung back roughly, his eyes squeezed shut in pain as his body tore apart.

Blood flowed down his back and the beast within him screamed as the winds reached a critical speed and the dirt created an impenetrable wall. Sweat streamed off of Heero's face and back as the pain overcame him, and his mind went numb. The energy flowed through him and into Katara, robbing him of his breath and very life force.

The tension that had been building up reached a climax and Heero felt his soul scream in pain as the energy took his life and transferred it to Katara. Heero tried to hold on as the energy took more and more, Katara's face contorted in confused pain and Heero saw her eyes flutter open for a moment. With renewed strength the energy sucked more of his essence into her.

Death lingered nearby as Heero clenched his teeth for dear life. He couldn't tell the energy to stop now, Katara was waking and she was pulling more and more of Heero's life force into her hungrily.

With a huge burst of light and energy, the wind stopped swirling from around them and shot outwards, throwing sand and debris everywhere. Katara and Heero both dropped to the ground in a large heap.

As soon as the pilots and Luke had recovered from the blinding light show, and the sandstorm, they rushed to Heero's side. Heero was sweating badly, leaving him shivering, his wings were laying in a heap beside him, motionless, and his breathing was erratic but he was calming down, and he was slowly going back to normal.

Trowa was checking his pulse and Duo was already removing his shirt to wrap around Heero. Luke was by Katara's side and Quatre was there with him.

"She's alive," Luke stroked Katara's tear stained cheek. She had been crying as soon as she was revived.

"Luke," Katara wrapped her arms around Luke and squeezed. Luke was grateful and a smile broke out across his face.

Quatre laughed as Luke swept Katara off of the ground and held her close to him. Katara giggled girlishly and had a grin from ear to ear.

"How the hell did you do that?" Duo stared Heero down. Heero was barely awake as he tried to draw more energy to him, he was tapped out.

"Be damned if I knew," Heero grumbled as he sat up, "But it hurt like hell."

Duo laughed as Heero rubbed the back of his neck.

"You did it man, whatever you did, she's alive," Duo gave Heero a crooked grin and scrambled up so that he could give Heero his hand to help him up. Heero was sore all over, but it was a small price to pay to see the smile on Katara's face.

Luke put Katara down and let her run to Heero. She wrapped him in a bear hug and refused to let go for several moments as the tears streamed down her face, "I knew you could do it, I couldn't believe it for awhile, but I know now that you are the one," Katara drew back and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she ran to Quatre to give him a hug. Heero felt his heart race, and his cheeks regained some of their colour as his ear burned red hot.

She was alive.

"So let me get this straight, you have just gotten your power, and yet you were able to pull off something that only a guardian could dare preform?" Dusk asked with wide eyes as she bandaged one of Quatre's wounds on his side.

"Guardian?" Duo asked in confusion as Katara wrapped a bandage around his leg.

"Its part of my culture," Dusk began and then moved to Luke, "take off your uniform jacket and shirt," Dusk instructed softly, but Luke shook his head.

"I'll bandage my own wounds," Luke protested, but Dusk shot him a glare that would make Heero proud.

"I would be able to bandage your back better, I can see and reach easier," Dusk growled.

"I can do it just fine," Luke argued, but Dusk grabbed his shoulders and squeezed, pressing down on a bullet wound.

Luke winced in pain, "Take off the damn jacket." Luke only shook his head again, so Dusk squeezed harder, "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Luke answered softly.

"Then take off your jacket or I will do it," Dusk threatened. By this time, all eyes were on Luke and Dusk, seeing who would crack first. Reluctantly Luke began painfully removing his jacket.

The inside shirt was soaked with blood, and Luke visibly winced as Dusk pulled the shirt over his head. On his back were a multitude of fading burn marks and scars from bullets, and every conceivable projectile. His back had long thin scars stretching from one side of his back to the other. Even his very sculpted abdomen was covered with blood, scars and damaged tissue.

"These are very old," Dusk ran her fingers along the long thin lines.

"Its none of your business," Luke shot back and held up some bandages for her.

Dusk took them and began to remove the bullets that were imbedded into his back, "Don't be afraid," she stroked the old scars with delicacy and curiosity.

"I'm not afraid," Luke retorted, but Dusk had already forgotten the comment.

"You were burned. There is a lot of scar tissue fused together, you were burned a lot. The long lines look like whip marks, but they weren't for punishment, they would have had something that would wrap around you for something like that, these are clean and precise, these were pain conditioning. The fire though, that's debilitating, that was punishment. Fallen Angels training?" Dusk asked as she finished tracing the long lines.

"I don't like to think about it," Luke refused to meet the burning stares of the pilots. His whole back and stomach were covered with scars, there was barely any fresh skin left.

"Will you ever forget?" Dusk whispered into Luke's ear, and he froze. The memories of pain and regret flowing over him. Events that happened so many years ago replayed in Luke's mind, cutting off any connection to the real world as he was lost in sorrow.

He remembered the hot coals that they placed on his back when he was fourteen. He was too young to understand what the punishment would do. The skin had melted off in some places as he was used as target practice and a training tool for fire elemental magic users. Luke bit back the tears as he remembered his friends being killed in front of him from the punishment, he remembered his will to survive for them, so that they would live on in his memories, because if he forgot, then it would be like they never existed.

Luke tried not to let the tears flow, he had had a hard emotional time that night already, he didn't need Dusk's psycho-analysis as well.

"How could I ever forget?" Luke swallowed the pain as he spoke the words ever so softly, yet harsh enough to give Dusk the point that these were both physical and emotional scars.

"You don't need to be reminded then," with that Dusk took her hand and stroked his back until she had touched every portion and then she began to peel away the dead skin, leaving fresh, new skin behind. Dusk wrapped her arms around his stomach and where ever her hands touched, she left a slightly waxy residue, that when pealed off, took the scars with it, and left only new, untainted skin behind. As Luke pealed away the scars he turned to Dusk who was behind him. He held the scar tissue in his hand and he searched her eyes.

"What kind of powers do you have?" Luke hadn't heard of anything like this before.

"I have many powers. I'm a half-breed, part Ancient, part Human, part Fairy, and a little bit of Elf as well," she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "I do what I do."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I am still wondering what the hell a guardian is," Duo cut in as a comfortable silence fell, changing the subject, which Luke was very grateful for. He didn't feel like dealing with decade old nightmares now.

"Well, Ancients aren't like any other kind of magic user, because they use a different kind of energy. Most mages use inter-dimensional energy, which exists around us, Ancients use an energy that they make. It exists within them, and because they make it naturally, it is easier to manipulate and limitless. People even say that they made the very stones that you are looking for. The had the power to create energy which is something unique to only them. Some of the other species wanted this trait as well, so they would hunt Ancients and breed them to try to create the perfect half-breed of their species. The Ancients were a peaceful people, and they had no weapons, and didn't believe in hurting others, and they were defenseless, so they fell victim to the other races and were nearly rendered extinct. They were driven into hiding. Finally, the Elves succeeded and created their perfect cross-breed. But she was unstoppable, and became violent and hateful. She detested everyone for the cruelty bestowed on the Ancients. She disappeared for many years, but there was a sudden outbreak of ghosts and entire countries were being swallowed and destroyed. It was then that she rose again and defeated the ghosts, helping some mages and casting the demons into the void between the worlds. Unfortunately to do that, a ghost had to take host of her, and she was killed. She was called 'The Great Guardian'. Ever since, whenever the world has been in peril, she chooses a subject that gains her power, and she leads them to save the world. No one knows why she would do this, especially because she was so hateful, but supposedly, while she had run away, she had found a clan of Ancients and they had taught her to love again. It's a very beautiful tale when you read it from the scrolls," Dusk's eyes lit up as she retold the story that had been spoken to her many, many years ago.

"How powerful was The Guardian?" Quatre asked, absorbed in the story.

"Every word that she spoke was like an order, and it was carried out. If she were to tell the world to explode, it would. She had the power to reign over everything, and for that she was hated, feared and many people tried to kill her, but the Ancients, they treated her with dignity and respect, they treated her as a person, not as a threat or a savior," Dusk smiled.

"Are there any Ancients left?" Quatre asked, amazed at such a peaceful and tolerant people.

"No one knows, if there are pure breed Ancients left, then they would be in hiding. Because they use a different energy, they are hard to locate and you would need Ancient blood to do that," Dusk explained and then backed away from Luke as she finished her work, and lay on the ground, stretched out in front of the fire.

"And you have Ancient blood," Trowa pointed out.

"Yes, but barely, I don't even know if I have enough Ancient blood to make my own energy..." Dusk shrugged her shoulders, "You don't want to go after the Ancients though, you want the scrolls that will tell you what you want to know."

"Why not go after the Ancients?" Quatre asked curious.

"Lets just say that although they don't hurt people, they make sure that it is hard and dangerous to try to find them. They are peaceful, not stupid Quatre," Dusk laughed softly.

"That wasn't what I was implying at all..." Quatre started to explain but Duo laughed and patted Quatre on the shoulder.

"You take everything too seriously," Duo chuckled and lay back as well, and as he laid back, he looked up at the sky and then yelped a scared little 'Meep'.

Everyone turned to see what was the matter and then saw that there was a little girl, no more than eight towering over him as he lay on the ground.

"Holy frig," Duo scrambled away from her, and the others laughed, but the girl stood still and silent in the night.

"Oh," Dusk cooed as she immediately leapt to her feet to greet the child, "She is so adorable."

"Where do you think she came from?"Quatre asked as he saw her somber face. There was no hint of emotion or care. Only blank apathy.

"Do you think she came from one of the houses that caught on fire?" Luke asked as he got up to inspect the child.

"Where did you come from?" Dusk asked softly, but the girl didn't move, she didn't even blink. "Besut no terra fime?" Dusk tried again, but the girl didn't move, "Cret sut bak tull? Vere yessah freshet opka?" Still, the girl wouldn't say anything.

"I don't think she's going to say anything," Heero spoke calmly, and all eyes were on him.

"I agree," Katara stepped in, and shrugged, "What should we do?"

"Without accompaniment she would be lost and someone would take advantage of her, or hurt her," Quatre offered. All of them felt the same way, they wanted to keep her, like a stray dog, they were only waiting for an excuse.

"I agree, she's defenseless," Dusk nodded her head.

"Then its settled, she'll stay with us for the night," Luke left it at that as he sat down and wrapped his cloak around his freshly bandaged wounds and new skin.

"I think we should all turn in," Dusk stated as she curled into a small ball and yawned.

Heero kept his eyes on the girl. She had short, brown, ragged hair, but she had the most piercing blue eyes, they were like ice through his soul. Today had been enough for him, but he knew that it wasn't over.

The girl walked over to Heero and laid down beside him. Heero could have sworn that he heard a snicker from Duo, but he did nothing to deter her, only let her curl up close to him. It was odd to have someone want to touch him, and be near him, but she was so innocent and reminded him of the damned girl that was sentenced to haunt him for the rest of his life. Heero felt the wings almost fully retracted back into his back, but the skin was going to take awhile to heal. Dusk's stories and soft voice rang through his head as he was pulled into a deep, well needed rest.

"Heero..." he felt a soft voice lulling him awake, drawing him closer to the light. "Come with me..." he heard the soft voice whisper.

Heero's eyes shot open and saw the girl sitting across from him in her rag shirt and torn pants. She had her chin on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. Heero was taken off guard by her eyes again. They were so...

Knowing.

The were full of wisdom and truth, but not the kind that you find in older mature people, but the truth and knowledge that you find from war and pain. He tried to shake the feeling that she was thirty or forty years old, as her dirt smeared face never moved. She was so still. Most girls her age would be running, screaming, crying, or playing, anything! But she was so still and patient, yet not serene. Serenity had a special peace to it, but she was down right disturbing.

"Where are you taking me?" Heero asked after a moment. He didn't know how he knew that she was going to take him somewhere, she hadn't moved at all since he woke up, he wasn't even sure that she had breathed, she just observed.

The girl finally stood in a soft, swift motion and started walking away. Heero pulled himself up and followed her slow and deliberate steps. She never once gave any regard to him or his question, he only followed blindly.

As soon as they were out of sight of the group, the girl stopped and turned around. Heero stopped gracefully before he bumped into her. The girl held out her hand waiting for Heero to take it, like a child would take a parent's hand before they crossed a street. Heero paused, but then cautiously took her hand.

As soon as he did, he felt the energy sweep over him and he closed his eyes in pain. It was too overwhelming and then there was nothing. A numb void.

Before Heero could even open his eyes, he felt the world solidify around him and an ear-piercing scream rang out loud, "HEERO!"

~End Chapter 17 - Death Rises Once Again~

Author's Tidbits: That was quick and had no description, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it. Well, I think I got enough plot crammed in there. I added some more crap with Katara and Emily in there (which will be explained) and I explained the Ancients, the Guardian, why Luke didn't take his cloak off at the beginning when he went fishing with Duo. I killed Katara, brought her back to life, introduced a new character and set up another major plot point. What do you think? Not bad. Pyro George can't wait to get to the next chapter. Only a few more chapters left, I swear, but its all coming together, and if you are still confused, then it will all be explained the final chapter. ^_^

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