And He Doth Descended Into the Depths of Heaven
-Part Eight-
Kuriyamimizu

Okay, atashi-chan, I've done all the editing I could. If I missed anything, blame it on stylistics.
Jita
(My editor, all bow before her)

copyrights are the same as always.

Kuri holds up a new sign: More Gundam Boy torture ahead, MUCH more shonen ai and tons of WEIRD SHIT!!!!

* shuffles around for another sign * Erm---there will be some uh---sex in the following parts.

 Dorthy noted that her cellular phone was ringing with some surprise. When she picked it up, she was even more surprised by the caller. The low voice of Trowa Barton was on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

 She could hear Trowa take a breath, as if calming himself. From where she was, she could positively feel the uneasiness in the house of the Gundam pilots.

"Am I speaking to Dorthy?"

 She smiled, a pleasant smile; her voice was low and smooth almost a purr.

"Yes. How may I help you, Mr. Barton?"

 Trowa took a breath and she could almost envision him running a hand through his long bangs.

"I need you to come by."

"What is it you require?"

 Silence fell over the line again. Then Trowa spoke, sounding a little annoyed.

"Have you ever done any body guard work?"

 Her tone must have sounded really amused for she could hear the sigh of slight exasperation on his part.

"Actually, I have. How much will I be paid, will there be a fight, and finally whom am I guarding?"

 It was Trowa’s turn to sound slightly surprised. Then he spoke again.

"Your payment will be discussed here, not over the phone, unless you have a problem with that. You will be guarding Mr. Quatre R. Winner; and finally if things are shaping up the way that I think they are, then yes, there will be a fight, and one hell of a big fight at that."

 He rolled his eyes when he heard the mixture of delight and extreme annoyance in the girl’s voice.

"I’ll be right over. The address, if you please. And do I have to bring extra clothing?"

"That would be prudent."

 They hung up. Trowa turned back to face Quatre who was curled up on his bed looking peaceful for the time being. He sighed and walked over and sat down. With an absent hand, he stroked over Quatre’s cheeks and through his hair. When he had exited the bathroom he had found his boyfriend in a bad state. The boy was almost catatonic with tears falling over his cheeks in rivulets and the name Stephanie on his lips. It had taken a half an hour to get him this calm. Yet he was far from the same. The things that Brynn had told him had shaken him up inside. It was too imperative that Dorthy accept this mission. Quatre was so precious to him that if he were taken away, Trowa was sure that his heart would break.

 From what he had been told, his little angel was in danger. He had known that since Quatre had started translating the scrolls; however the fact that his guardian angel had shown up to talk to him about it was something entirely different; and Quatre’s angel had shown up as well. He wished the best to Brynn. Somewhere he was entirely sure that he would not find the occasion to seen Brynn again. There always had to be the lamb.
 

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 Wufei stood on the rocky cliff face, his hair completely free of any confines and almost completely naked save for his boxers, and took a deep breath. He was tasting life, pure and untouched by humans. In the background Sakura sat. As of late she had actually started to become a solid entity. She would often give him massages and beatings for that matter. Just because she was in a dress did not mean that she could not kick butt; for that matter she did kick butt, his butt, on a regular basis. It seemed a little odd that a guardian angel would hurt their protectorate, yet he loved it, every minute of it. He had never felt any more alive than when he was in the company of Sakura. Save perhaps, when he had been with Merian.

 His heart would always hold her close and dear; his mind would always have a hallow and empty longing for she who he didn’t know well enough. He had held something precious and righteous in the few times that he had been in the arms of that woman. She had been taken away from him before he had even really learned to appreciate her. That was the way that things seemed to work out in the world that they lived in, and irony was a cruel mistress indeed.

 Sakura was close to what Merian had been, spirited, temperamental and absolutely gorgeous. She was unafraid to fight with him and often goaded him into it. They had a game running between them similar to one that he and Merian had played. They would throw casual insults to see who would break down and show their annoyance first. Right in that moment though, she was silent, contemplating the wind much as he did, vagrant strands of black hair moving over her fair skin. Her red eyes were closed to the world, and she looked to be in deep thought.

/Do you know what is inside of you, Wufei?/

 He started at the unexpected question. He turned to face her, brushing hair out of his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

/That fire. Do you know what it is?/

 He shook his head, curious as to how she knew what he felt. He watched as she closed her eyes again, looking tranquil.

/Shall I tell you?/

 He looked minority annoyed but vowed not to let her win over him. "That’s what I was expecting that you would do."

 She smiled. /Not going to be goaded today, eh? All right, I suppose now is as good a time as any./

 She paused, looking reflective, and for once, rather uncertain. With a shaky breath she began, not looking at Wufei, but at something far away.

/Once upon a time there was a soul that was a servant. It served Nataku, and she loved that soul for it. She admired this one life so much that she instilled within it some of her own essence, filling it with the power of justice itself. This soul was the voice of the people, and of all the little ones’ who had no voice and who needed justice. The soul didn’t know its own power, and the very same power slept inside of it, waiting for its day. The day was coming fast, when several other forces were to come together and fight to re-establish the world as everyone knew it. It was a long and hard fight. Justice was a dragon. Yet in the end - justice itself was destroyed./

 Wufei stood silent on the ridge. The sun was setting behind him and casting shadows over his face. His eyes were dark and expressionless, yet she saw the fire that burned there. She wouldn’t look; she couldn’t look into those eyes where she had seen the dying fire so many millenniums ago.

/That dragon is you, chibi ryu. It’s your soul that is justice. You say there is no justice in the world, but the reality of it is that you are justice. Something big is going to happen very soon./

 Wufei spoke after a pause. "I died the last time?"

 Sakura nodded, her eyes downcast. She could sense the way that Wufei moved, to stare out into the distance and contemplate the slowly setting sun. Dying fire slowly sinking down over the horizon. He didn’t want to face Sakura because to do so would mean to face the truth. Yet suddenly a whole bunch of small factors and several rather informative dreams all made sense to him. Now he knew what have driven him compulsively to train for the past few months. He wanted to make sure that this time he stayed alive.

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* Duo POV *

 I got home just in time to see Dorthy Catalonia’s big ass car pull up. I have never hated Dorthy or anything, but I learned long ago to stay out of her way when she’s driving. Hildy noted her with an unreadable expression. It had gotten dark by now. After trying to maneuver her car around Dorthy’s tank, she gave up and looked over at me.

"I give up. That is one big yellow car."

 I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for the ride and lunch."

 I reached over and gave her a quick hug. She returned the gesture fiercely and held me out at arm’s length by my shoulders.

"If you need anything, call me okay?"

 I nodded; things in the car were beginning to get blurry, and I was so tired right about then that I thought I might pass out. She let me go, and I staggered out of the car. Hildy watched me all the way up to the door. Dorthy was standing there when I got up to the main entrance. I nodded my hellos but didn’t say a word. It would be wiser not to speak because, despite my best efforts to eat food that was okay, I was fighting off a wave of nausea.

 She smiled at me in that unnerving manner of hers and walked in after me when I opened the door. I didn’t have time to stick around to find out what she was there for because at that moment I had to make a beeline for the upstairs bathroom.

 Trowa moved out of the way to let a running Duo past. He watched the boy turn a sharp corner and keep going. He shrugged and walked downstairs to be greeted by the sight of one Mrs. Dorthy Catalonia sitting and looking remarkably comfortable on their couch.

"Hello."

 She nodded to him and smiled pleasantly. She was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a long black V-neck shirt.

"Hello, Mr. Barton. Now, do tell me what is going on around here."

 Trowa took a deep breath and sighed, thinking about it carefully. When he finally spoke he had Dorthy’s complete and undivided attention.

"Do you believe in the supernatural?"

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*Heero POV *

 I watched Duo come running in the door to our room with a little bit of curiosity and then watched him enter the bathroom with much haste, where he proceeded to puke his guts out. I was positive that if I could see the look on my face it would be that of a person who really doesn’t know what to do with themselves - or what to say for that matter. I waited five more minutes and then stuck my head into the bathroom. Duo was sitting on his knees with his hands between his legs, palms resting on the floor and his hair falling into his face.

 I walked over and pulled the strands out of his rather pale face. I had one of his hair ties handy; I’d been messing around with it earlier, flicking it at walls and such. I then proceeded to tie his stray hair back. Without saying a word I walked over and filled up a cup of water. I handed it down. Mechanically he took a sip, washed his mouth out, and spit, flushing the toilet afterwards. Silence reigned in the bathroom. He made no motion to get up. I got the distinct feeling that he was slightly embarrassed, if the slight flush on his cheeks was any indication of anything. I would have to say something first. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Bad Mexican food?"

 Duo burst out laughing. When he recovered enough wind to speak, he shook his head.

"N - no. Just a touch of the flu, I think."

 I nodded, not really knowing what else to do. He looked up at me, and I noticed that his eyes were a little cloudy.

"Do me a favor?"

"Hn."

"Get the thermometer."

 I reached up into a cabinet and pulled the device out. He studied the little numbers and looked frustrated. He was shivering because the hand that was holding the thermometer was shaking. He smiled halfway to himself and then spoke to the air around and not necessarily to me.

"Damn, I - I’ve got a chill."

 Without thinking, I took the ties out of his hair and braided it for him, saving the trouble. I wouldn’t catch his questioning eyes. I was just about to walk out of the bathroom when I heard him speak in a rather abashed tone.

"Heero? Could I get a hand up, please?"

 I hauled him up without any effort and was rewarded by one of his smiles. I got out of the bathroom at that point and went back to work at my laptop. Five minutes later, he went to bed. I sighed and shut off the laptop. It protested at not being shut down right with a low whine that quickly died out. In the darkness, I could see Fusei watching me, her eyes luminescent in the darkness.

"What?"

/Just watching. That’s my job./

"You look worried."

/I got some bad news./

"Anything that effects me?"

/No, nothing that will affect you directly./

"Oh."

/Sleep well Heero./

"Hn."
 

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 Quatre woke up tangled in Trowa’s arms. He was laying on top of the covers that Quatre was currently under, a single blanket covering him. The evening air was chill, and Trowa was shivering violently. Quatre looked at his boyfriend, worried, and then stirred him with a slight touch. Trowa’s sleepy eyes met his own, and he smiled.

"What’s wrong?"  he whispered, shifting slightly to assume a more comfortable position.

 Quatre smiled at him in the shadowy darkness of their room. "Nothing."

 The little blonde leaned up and kissed Trowa slowly and then backed off, eyes sparkling.

"Come on, get under the covers; you’ll catch your death out there."

 Trowa raised an eyebrow silently asking if it was completely all right. Quatre nodded. He slipped under the sheets and numerous blankets. At first, he seemed to be backing off so that Quatre could have his space. The little Arab would have no such thing. The little boy pulled as close as he could get to Trowa, wrapping his arms about the taller boy’s neck. With some delight, he realized that Trowa was wearing nothing but boxers.

 Quietly he spoke, whispering in Trowa’s ear. "Thank you for sitting with me earlier."

 Trowa smiled, kissing his forehead. "It’s not a problem. What was the problem though?"

 Quatre pulled closer, wanting to be as close to Trowa as he could be, because he knew that he would always be safe in the warm circle of Trowa’s arms. His voice was tiny.

"Your guardian angel - she’s my little sister."

 He caught Trowa’s slight intake of breath at the surprise that the news dealt him. He readjusted himself slightly and looked at Quatre.

"You really loved your little sister, didn’t you?"

 Quatre nodded. "Yes, I loved her very much."

 All was still for a little while. Then Quatre piped up again. "On a side note, Trowa, do I sense Dorthy Catolonia in our residence for any particular reason?"

 Trowa laughed and tickled Quatre, eliciting giggles from the other boy. "There’s a reason. Just know that she’s here for your protection."

 Quatre’s giggles died, like the last echoes of children playing in the garden would into a still summer’s evening. Innocence personified looked sad.

"It all has to do with the prophecy I’ve been working on, doesn’t it?"

 Trowa nodded quietly. Quatre took a long breath, his eyes fixed somewhere else completely.

"Prophecies don’t lie."

 The taller boy felt a couple of droplets of water hit his chest where Quatre had his head resting.

"I wish it were all a dream, Trowa. I wish that it would all go away, so that I can be with you."

 Trowa was concerned immediately and it showed up in his voice.

"God, Quatre, don’t cry. I’m right here."

 Quatre looked up with tear filled eyes as Trowa cupped his face in his hands. The boy was right next to him, both of his dazzling green eyes visible for once.

"Quatre Rabera Winner. I want you to know something."

"What?" Quatre asked in a tiny voice.

"That I love you."

 Quatre leaned forward, his bare shoulders bathed in moonlight as the covers slipped from them. His bangs fell into his face and hid his eyes, making it seem as if he were wearing a mask made of platinum. His baby blue eyes glittered with many a something unsaid as he brought his mouth to Trowa’s to receive a hungry kiss.

(Sorry Fanfic net readers, this segment ends here for you, you want the rest, go to my web site for the unabridged version if you can stomach it.)

 Trowa snaked his arms up about Quatre’s waist pulling him over so that he straddled his waist. The kiss lasted a while longer, hungry mouths close together and ragged breaths echoing off white walls. It was certainly something that Quatre had never experienced. The feeling of Trowa’s tongue inside of his mouth was a revelation, and the feeling of the other pilot’s callused hands gliding over his bare flesh was a miracle.

 After a second they parted and Quatre sat up, staring down with love at Trowa, who had his hands resting on his hips and was silently asking him if he wanted to take his any further than they had. Quatre could see a smoky desire in Trowa’s eyes that answered the question for him. With a silent nod, he leaned back down and started kissing the Heavyarms pilot once again. To his surprise, he found his own hands exploring every inch of the boy beneath him.

 Trowa gasped slightly as Quatre brought his mouth down and with feigned innocence, started sucking on one of his nipples playfully. A low groan caught itself in his throat. The closeness of the other boy exited him very much, the warmth, the exploring hands and more than willing mouth drove him further into the hot hands of desire. A slightly uncomfortable and decidedly delicious hardening was occurring somewhere in the nether regions of himself. Quatre was busy with a thorough exploration of his entire body using his tongue. Somewhere back in the misty parts of his conscious mind, he vaguely wondered where Quatre had learned such things or if it was simply instinct and natural talent. To his knowledge, Quatre was a virgin. The fact that he was not and could not be for Quatre saddened him, but such thoughts weren’t for this time.

 Quatre had come to his boxers and was studying them as one might study a piece of fine art, from several angles and with great care placed in remembering detail. With one hand, he reached out and lovingly stroked his fingers over the very tip of Trowa’s erection. He smiled when he felt his koi shiver beneath his gentle fingers. With rather cloudy eyes, he looked over his shoulder at Trowa.

"Would you like those taken off?"

 Trowa nodded through a flush that had begun mounting his cheeks several minutes ago. Quatre slipped his underwear off his hips with offhanded grace and continued his explorations.

 Usually Trowa was a rather quiet person. In fact he prided himself on that fact. Yet now it was very difficult to keep from screaming. Quatre had found one of the only ways to torture him, through pleasure. Coherent thought was becoming rapidly more difficult as the little blonde paid homage to him through incredible feats with his tongue and mouth. The boy was a natural. Though the miasma of sensation, a thought finally occurred to him.

"Q-quatre, hang on a sec - okay?"

 Quatre stopped, looking inquisitive as to whether he was doing something wrong. Trowa reached over to his nightstand and pulled a drawer open. He rummaged around a little bit and came out with two condoms. Quatre raised an eyebrow and nodded. That was something that he hadn’t thought of. As far as he knew he was clean, but if Trowa had any concerns, then he would be happy to go along with him.

 After applying the little sheaths of rubber for their intended purpose, Quatre smiled at Trowa, whose face, in his opinion, was a rather attractive shade of pink.

"Shall we continue?"

 Trowa nodded, scarcely able to keep his hands off himself, to trigger a much needed release. Quatre took him into his mouth again, lovingly ministering to Trowa, amazingly aware of what the other boy wanted and didn’t.

 His hands were tangled in Quatre’s hair, not forcing him down, but rather keeping him from not finishing what he had started. The other clutched the bed sheets in an iron grip. The tension, the exquisite, excruciating tension was too much for him to hold in any longer. Quatre watched slightly amused as the orgasm hit him.

"You have grape flavored condoms -"

 Trowa laughed a little, still shaky in wake of what had just happened to him. "Yeah, well -"

 With an absent hand he reached into the drawer again and pulled out a little bottle. Squirting some of the contents onto his fingertips, he ran his other hand slowly down Quatre’s spine, kissing where his fingers had trailed. Quatre smiled, going along with whatever new thing they were doing. His own erection remained stubbornly apparent, not something to be ignored. Trowa noted that was calm acceptance of the facts.

 The finger with the stuff on it traveled slowly back to trail down inside of himself. This time around Quatre could be on top. Before anything could be said they were locked into another steamy kiss. Trowa, being the acrobatic person that he was, twisted his hips up until Quatre had optimum access to the inner regions of himself. The blonde took the opportunity given to him. Using the lubrication already in place, he slid in. It was a deliciously tight fit.

 Two croons sounded at the same time, one from Trowa and the other from Quatre, who had his head craned completely back from the force of sensation.  Trowa smiled through the pleasant haze that had come through his mind up at the boy with the look of complete joy on his face. Quatre chanced to move inside of him, choosing a slow and slightly erratic rhythm at first, getting used to the overwhelming sensations flooding through him and the excitement added by the low sounds of pleasure coming from his partner.

 It seemed like they were together for a small eternity, bodies joined in a dance that only lovers knew. It was an evening of joining and bonding and, on a side note, hot kinky sex.

(back to the fanfic net version.)

 They laid together in the starlight later that evening. It about two AM. Quatre lay on top of Trowa’s chest, sleeping peacefully. The little blonde stirred and readjusted himself enough to lean up and give his sleeping koi a light kiss and then once again get comfortable. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, the darkness of their room a silent cauldron of heavy, beautiful silence.
 

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* Duo POV *
  The down comforter on my bed is usually enough to keep me warm. Tonight it is proving to be nothing at all. It was bad enough having to come racing in to puke my guts out in front of Heero, but now I’m acting like I’m stuck in a freezer. The ambient temperature of the room must be at least seventy and the comforter is warm, so rationally I should be too. However, I have no such luck. The lights go out a few minutes after I hit the sack. When I hear Heero’s breaths even out to indicate sleep, I stand up, the comforter around my shoulders like a cloak, and head downstairs to get some antacids and an extra blanket.

Going down the stairs is a chore, and a laborious one at that. About now, I’m counting all of the better days that I’ve seen and am grimly confidant in the fact that I will see many more just like this one. At my side, my little companion fades into my view. The look on her face is exactly what I feel inside, cold. I smile down at her and tousle her hair.

"Hiya, chibi. Anything you want?"

/Not a thing. What about you? Is there something that I can get for you?/

I looked thoughtful for a moment and then laughed. "Well, if you could, would you please get the cancerous growth out of my neck, please?"

She looked as if she were honestly contemplating my question, and somewhere in a heart that I had trained not to hope, hope stirred like a groggy phoenix in the ashes. She was silent for a while longer, and then she looked at me with eyes that were unduly sad for the occasion.

/I could do that. If I did, the world would end, though./

A casual observer might have seen my face and remarked that I looked as if I were staring down an oncoming truck.

"What did you say?"

She had realized by this time that she had said more than she ought to and clammed up. I sighed, exasperated. It all was beginning to make a twisted kind of sense to me. I had a feeling that this child held the answer to my puzzle. I had been close to receiving the final pieces but had been denied at the last minute. I knew that I could wait. I was Shinigami, after all. And death could wait for an eternity.

After my silent voyage down the stairs, I found myself in a world of silence and still. Shadows played over furniture that was becoming semi-familiar in daylight, transforming the scape of the living room into a shadowy terrain that I enjoyed better than the world of the day.

/I think you’re a bat at heart. You like the dark too much./

I rolled my eyes at her. "I am not a bat. I’ve got a great tan, and I love the sun, THANK_YOU_VERY_MUCH!"

She rolled her eyes. /You are so white!/

I decided not to let the comments of a midget demon get to me. Looking around at the beauty of the evening, I had completely forgotten what I had come down for. Alex tugged on my sleeve.

/Duo-san?/

I turned and smiled as I found that she was almost buried under the blanket that she was holding up for me. I smiled and took it, the one comforter about my shoulders finally doing some good. I stared at the ceiling where lights from the street played in a fickle dance.

"What else was I down here for?"

At the sound of a rattle, I wheeled to face the counter where she was sitting, holding a bottle of antacids. I grinned and took them from her.

"What would I do without you?"

She looked thoughtful and then laughed. /Most likely, you would starve. I’ve seen you in the bread isle in the grocery store./

I rolled my eyes. "You’ve been watching too much television. You ripped that off a Carl’s Jr. add."

She nodded proudly.

A little while after we ventured back upstairs where I succumbed to the blissful black of sleep.

Alex noted with a sigh that Duo had a message on his much-neglected laptop. She didn’t want to go through all of the trouble of bypassing security codes so she lay her palm on top of the machine, absorbing the information. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. Duo had a mission tomorrow to fly as a wingman for Heero. He had to be in top shape for it, otherwise the simple experience of flying with Deathscythe, his longtime gundam, would kill him.

She froze as she felt something enter the house. Her palm slipped from the laptop, and she walked silently out of the room, knowing that whatever it was that she sensed would not harm Duo. Far from it, the beast might indeed pay homage to Duo. What she sensed wasn’t the divine power of an angel. It was a dark and seductive whispering sound, alluring and deadly all in one, the feel of her own kind.

At her left, Fusei was suddenly very aware of everything in her surroundings. For a moment, she eyed Alex suspiciously, her drive to protect Heero overriding any other thoughts she might be having at the time. When she sensed the threat was not Alex, she backed down slightly but kept a wary stance and was very much awake. She wouldn’t leave Heero now that she perceived a threat; however, Alex was free to walk at her leisure.

She walked down the long hallway of the upstairs slowly, her bare feet actually touching the carpet. The mist of something wicked was all around her. It was a familiar presence to her and it didn’t bother her in the slightest, whereas someone unexposed to true evil in the world would make haste to remove themselves from that hallway as soon as possible.

The presence was traceable all the way down to Quatre and Trowa’s shared quarters. She peeked her head in and looked. In one of the corners of the room sat a demon beast. It was from one of the lower hells, and a stronger demon at that. It held the likeness of a very lanky griffin, with a very sharp beak and talons that glittered in the light. It looked at her with a feral anger and then looked away again, staring at the two people sharing a single bed. She sighed deeply. Both Brynn and Stephanie were in front of the bed, facing the beast with murder in their eyes. Alex knew full and well that if it were to advance a single step closer then there would be a fight.

There would be no blood shed in that evening however. Alex already knew the demon’s purpose and his target. She wanted to confirm herself. She walked up with her wings folded submissively.

/Ah, Aryalyn-san. If I may ask, what is your purpose here? /

He looked down at her with tolerant acceptance. /Hello, sword bearer. I’m here on a hunt./

/Angels?/ Her tone was soft and non-assuming.

The griffin smiled hungrily, tendrils of black mist folding and twining about his great form.

/Not simply angels. I’ve been instructed to get rid of the seer himself./

To her credit, nothing showed on Alex’s face even as the shock of the news washed over her. They were in the last day of September. The following day would be October.

/Is this going to be a long hunt?/

/Oh yes, young one. The longer the hunt, the more fun the kill./

-End Part Eight

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