'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy
Daystar's Prophecy Part 14
Even though he was exhausted, Heero's mind would not allow him to sleep for more than an hour as it kept replaying the recent events over and over again, the beautiful fairy sleeping peacefully in his arms being the most prominent feature in his thoughts along with the fact that he had almost made love to the boy. Not that he would have minded of course, in fact, if he were not so concerned about going slowly, he would have simply taken the boy without any remorse. However, he did not want Duo to regret anything they did together nor did he want to frighten the boy in any way and seeing as Duo had never been in this type of relationship, Heero knew that the slower he went, the less likely anything of that nature would occur.
With the thought of the longhaired fairy's past however, visions of Gaison's leering face returned as the man stared at the unconscious boy the night Duo had completed the staff's transmutation. It also brought to mind what the man had tried to do to the longhaired beauty. Unconsciously, he found himself tightening his arms around the boy at the thought of anything like that happening to him, either in the past or future; knowing he would kill anyone who even thought to touch the boy in such a way.
Gently he began running one hand over the fairy's petal soft wings, trying to calm his anger and as his hand drifted down the boy's back, he brushed across the braid of hair that lay partially under the sleeping boy. Overcome with the sudden need to see the long hair flowing freely across the bed covers, he carefully pulled the rope out from under the boy before removing the tie and unraveling it. Nothing in Heero's imagination could have prepared him for the look and feel of the silky strands as he spread them out around the small fairy. Almost reverently, he allowed handfuls of the tresses to run through his fingers like water, marveling at its texture and color; a wonderful shade of chestnut with hints of gold and red mixed in, giving it a glow as the light reflected from it.
So transfixed was he by the glorious mane, he failed to notice that the boy to whom the hair belonged had woken up and was watching him intently, a soft smile playing along his lips.
"I take it you like my hair." the longhaired fairy smirked causing Heero to jerk his hand back in surprise. However, Duo quickly caught the hand before the boy could completely withdraw and guided it back to his hair, giving the blue-eyed boy a sweet smile. "I don't mind. Actually, it feels really nice."
"Hn." Heero grunted, a blush staining his cheeks at being caught, though it did not keep him from returning to his previous activity.
For Duo, the feel of the blue-eyed boy's hand in his hair was both soothing and comforting in a way he had never felt before in his life. Unfortunately, his desire for a bath would not allow them to remain like that for long since the feeling was also quickly lulling him back to dream land. "Heero, as much as I'm enjoying this, we really need a bath and if you keep that up I'm gonna go back to sleep."
Realizing the truth of the small boy's words from the slur of his voice, Heero reluctantly removed his hand from the flowing silk and sat up, drawing the violet-eyed boy with him. "What are the baths like here?"
"Oh, you'll like 'em." Duo said enthusiastically as he slid across the bed and headed for the wardrobe once again. "When Howie started digging the deeper chambers, he found an underground lake that's heated by the volcanic activity of the mountain. The water's too deep to use as a bath though and much too hot, so he built channels that draw the water down to several smaller pools that they carved much closer to the center, where we are now. Each one is big enough to hold about twenty people and the water stays warm since it's always circulating."
"So they're communal?" Heero said and was proud that his voice did not betray his shock at the announcement.
"Well, yeah." Duo answered as he pulled out a clean pair of black pants and a deep red vest. "What else would you expect from a place like this? We'll have to stop at the laundry on the way to see if we can find you some clean clothes to put on though; I don't think anything I have will fit."
Groaning softly at the longhaired fairy's obliviousness, Heero none-the-less climbed off the bed and followed the boy through the hallways toward the laundry and baths.
********************
After a quick stop to pick up some clean clothes for Heero, the two quickly made their way through the keep, stopping when they arrived at a short hall with a large open doorway at the end. Along both sides of the hall, were several closed doors, all set at even interval. "That's the doorway to the bath at the end." Duo explained. "These other doors lead to changing room. Once you've removed your dirty clothes, place them in the basket by the door, and wrap one of the large sheets around you. After you're done, meet me in the bath."
Duo waited only long enough to receive Heero's nod stating his understanding before walking toward the second door on the right and entering the room. Finding himself suddenly alone in the hall, the dark-haired boy sigh then walked toward the door directly opposite the one the longhaired fairy had chosen then entered as well. A quick look around the rather small room, showed a bench along the back wall for the changer to sit, a basket by the door for the dirty clothes, and a chest height shelf with stacks of the aforementioned sheets. The sheets resembled regular bath towels from what Heero could tell, only these were made large enough to cover a person's entire body instead of just wrap around the waist.
Methodically removing his clothes, he wrapped one of the sheets securely around his body before leaving the room. A quick scan of the hallway revealed no braided fairy so he walked down the hall toward the bath, hoping to find the boy inside as promised. As he reached the doorway however, he was nearly knocked to the floor by the exact person he had been seeking causing him to wrap his arms around the boy to balance them. A moment later he was acutely aware of the fairy's nakedness under the thin covering as his body reacted to the others closeness. However, at the look on the blushing fairy's face, he pushed it down ruthlessly.
"Duo, what's wrong?" he asked with no small amount of concern. The high blush on the boy's cheekbones only served to increase the paleness of his skin as his unusually bright eyes stared back into his own.
"Um, I don't think we can use this bath." Duo said as he quickly looked away from the boy's gorgeous blue eyes and if it was possible, blushed harder.
"Why not?" Heero asked perplexed.
"Well, um, it seems to be in use already." the fairy said and started fidgeting nervously.
"Oh? Who's inside?" the dark-haired boy wanted to know, his concern increasing with the boy's actions.
Nearly ready to combust with embarrassment, Duo whispered softly, "Quatre and Trowa."
Realization of what the small boy had just walked in on struck Heero immediately and he nearly laughed aloud. However, knowing the fairy was more than a little upset by the event, he bit down on the impulse since it would only heighten the boy's embarrassment. Instead, he grabbed the braided fairy by the hand and led him back inside the bathing room, Duo protesting the entire way.
Upon entering the bath chamber, Heero was greeted by a familiar sight since Trowa and Quatre could be caught in this position several times a day when the four of them were together, only their state of undress making the event different. At that moment, they were tangled in a passionate embrace near the far side of the pool of heated water, their bodies moving against each other in a very sensuous way as they moaned into each other's mouth. Feeling the braided fairy bury his face in his back, Heero smiled to himself before clearing his throat loudly, gaining the attention of the two enamored boys.
The sudden noise cut through the passion between the two boys, causing them to jerk apart in response. Unfortunately, the actions caused the small blonde to stumble and plunge under the water where he came up a moment later sputtering and blushing deeply. Trowa on the other hand simply spun gracefully around to pin the dark-haired boy with a look of displeasure before noticing the longhaired fairy hiding behind the boy, drawing a smirk to his face.
"Heero." he said evenly with a nod, watching as the fairy peeked over the taller boy's shoulder at hearing him speak. "Duo."
"Hi." Duo squeaked as his blush deepened upon seeing the knowing look on the green-eyed boy's face.
"I take it you came to use the bath?" the brunette asked nonchalantly.
"If you wouldn't mind sharing." Heero said with smile playing across his lips.
"Oh no, of course we don't mind." Quatre said as he fought down his embarrassment.
"Good." Heero said and led the fairy toward the water without further discussion, the boy's hand still gripped tightly in his own.
When they reached the water's edge, Duo pulled his hand from the blue-eyed boys grasp and quickly removed his wrap before entering the water, still making sure to keep his eyes averted from Trowa and Quatre. For that incredibly brief moment, Heero found himself completely frozen as he caught his first glimpse of the fairy's unclothed body, which, with the boy's hair still down and flowing around him, was nearly his undoing. Closing his eyes tightly, he willed the renewed erection the sight had given him away before removing his own wrap and joining the other three in the water. Luckily, for both boys it seemed, the water was nearly chest deep, making it easier to hide the reactions they were having to each other.
Grabbing a cake of soap and a cloth, Duo immediately began scrubbing himself in order to have a distraction. He had not really allowed his mind the time to think about the events that had occurred in this room only a short while ago but with the quiet of the bath and the naked boy beside him, it was the only thing on his mind. While he still did not know the full extent of what he wanted from Heero, that one small taste was enough make him crave as much as the dark-haired boy would be willing to give.
"So," Quatre began, cutting through the tension and quiet. "we went looking for you two earlier to see if everything was alright."
"We had some.. things to talk about." Heero answered vaguely.
"Oh." the blonde said a little put out but he knew if Heero did not want to talk about something, it was best not to push the blue-eyed boy. Leaving the subject, he turned his attention toward Duo. "So what did Hilde and Solo want to talk to you about, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I'm not exactly sure what they wanted." Duo said with a sad look on his heart-shaped face. "After I saw the prophecy, everything got kinda crazy."
"So, you know the whole thing now." Trowa said softly.
"Yeah." the braided fairy answered with a nod. "I haven't decided whether it's a good thing or not though."
"Why not?" Quatre inquired.
"Well, besides the obvious reasons, I thought I only had one more of the weapons to find; now I learn there are actually three." the fairy said with a mix of frustration and resignation.
"Two." Heero offered. "Solo has the other weapon."
"He does?" Duo asked in disbelief, which quickly turned to anger at realizing there was another secret his brother had kept from him.
"Yes." Quatre answered. "He told us the first night we arrived here."
Shaking his anger away, he allowed relief to flow through him momentarily until he remembered the weapons he had been force to leave behind at the royal palace. "Damn, even if we find the last two that still leaves the two at the palace that we'll have to retrieve and I have my doubts as to whether that's gonna be possible."
"We already have those, too." Quatre said and smiled at the fairy's shocked expression.
"Jeez, is there anything else I need to know?" Duo asked sarcastically.
"No, I think that's about it." Trowa smirked.
Growling softly to himself, Duo turned away and once again started scrubbing with the cloth and soap. Realizing from the scowling look on the boy's face that he needed a few moments to think about what he had been told, the others proceeded to do the same.
Shortly after, Duo suddenly dunked himself under the water, rinsing the soap from his body and soaking his hair in preparation for washing the long locks. When he came back up, he turned shyly toward the blue-eyed boy behind him, immediately noticing their close proximity.
"Heero, um, would you help me wash my wings?" Duo asked softly, a light blush coloring his cheeks. "I can't always reach them well by myself."
Once again feeling his groin tighten at the fairy's words and the thought of touching the fairy's smooth skin, Heero could only nod his head, earning him a smile as the fairy turned his back after handing him the cloth and soap.
As soon as he was turned, Duo pulled his hair over one shoulder, giving the dark-haired boy full access to the long wings as he started applying a handful of liquid soap to the strands, starting at the ends and working his way up to his scalp. The moment the other boy touched his wings though, he froze and was unable to suppress the shiver that traveled up his spine.
Watching the display from across the pool, Trowa and Quatre smiled knowingly at each other, seeing the natural way the two boys seemed to fit together. Leaning in, Quatre gave his lover a simple kiss, feeling his happiness for his friends grow.
Heero worked gently to separate the wet wings into their individual section before starting on the lower two as he applied the soap to the tip of each wing, moving upward until he reached the boy's shoulder blades. After cleansing the lower sections, he moved to the next two and so on until the wings were completely scrubbed. Only then did he allow himself the pleasure of touching the creamy skin before him as he worked along the boy's back; first moving up toward the shoulders then down until he reached the small of the fairy's back. Refusing to go any lower without the boy's express permission, he stepped back to let the fairy know he was finished.
By the time the dark-haired boy stepped away, Duo's body was at complete attention and he was having trouble concentrating enough to finish washing his hair. Biting his lip harshly, he managed to gain enough control to complete the task and quickly dropped under the water once again, swimming a short distance away in order to rinse himself thoroughly.
"Thanks, Heero." he said softly after rising from the water.
"Hn." the blue-eyed boy grunted in response before turning to the task of cleansing his own hair.
"So, Duo," Quatre said once again breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Do you know anything about the last two weapons?" "Yeah." the violet-eyed fairy said but the look on his face gave the blonde an uneasy feeling. "We should find Fei before we start talking about them though."
A quick glance passed between the three pilots at the boy's words but they soon agreed that it was the best course of action and they quickly finished washing before climbing from the water and wrapping the sheets around themselves, returning to their changing rooms to dress.
********************
It only took a short while to find the Chinese youth since he was still at the practice area working on his techniques. Once the situation was explained, he agreed to follow the others back inside the hold where the longhaired fairy led them to a medium sized room with several comfortable looking chairs gathered into separate setting areas.
"This is one of the lounges." he explained as he led them to a sitting area near the back corner of the empty room. Choosing the seat nearest the corner, the violet-eyed fairy smiled brightly at Heero as the boy took the seat closest to him before turning back to the other three. "Ok, just to get all this straight between us, Fei has the staff of fire, making him the 'lone dragon'. So, who has the others?"
"Well, I have the scimitars and the prophecy refers to me as the "prince of sand'." Quatre explained. "While, Trowa has the arm bands and would be the 'agile nymph' leaving Solo as the 'brother of the heart' and he said his weapon was a sword."
"Ok, makes sense; Quatre has water, Trowa has earth, and Solo has air." Duo said, nodding thoughtfully before turning to look Heero in the eye. "So, you're the 'perfect and truehearted warrior' while I'm the 'soul of innocence'."
"Yes," Heero agreed. "although I don't understand how light and dark can be called elements."
"Duo," Trowa asked. "do you know what the other two weapons are? You didn't act like you knew much about them in the bath."
"Yeah, I know what they are but I didn't think they were part of the prophecy." Duo sighed. "They're both very dangerous because of the elements they control. And yes, light and dark are elements, only no one in this day and age has been able to control them. The ancients who created the artifacts that I told you about, where the only ones we know of who were able to use them freely."
"So what does all this mean?" Wufei asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"The four elements we use are pretty straight forward in what they do; fire, water, earth, and air. Not much description needed to understand them. Light and dark are different though since they control what are referred to as ethereal elements." Duo explained with a grimace. "See, light is the basis for life, while dark is the exact opposite in that it's the basis for death."
"Death?" Quatre gasped, his hand rising to cover his mouth. "Duo, you could never--"
"According to the prophecy," the longhaired fairy interrupted. "I don't have a choice if I want to stop the end of my world."
"What are the weapons?" Heero asked softly, trying to keep the fairy from thinking too much about that possibility.
"The weapon of light is a sword and is supposed to be able to give life to those the bearer chooses." Duo began with a sigh. "While the weapon of darkness is a scythe and is supposed to bring death to an enemy with just a touch. They are two very powerful weapons and not even the council would allow me to go after them since there's a chance the transmutation of either could kill me."
"What?" Quatre asked incredulously. "Duo, you can't seriously be thinking of going after them knowing this?"
"I'm pretty sure that I'm strong enough now to change the sword." Duo said with a calculated look as he drummed his fingers against his cheek. "I've done enough of the smaller items that I should be able to handle it. The scythe however is another story. From what I've been able to figure out, the scythe was the last weapon to be hidden, making it the strongest and to keep it from falling into the wrong hands, there were barriers and traps setup to keep it safe."
"Then how will we get to it." Trowa asked, knowing from the look on the small boy's face that he would not be deterred from finding them both.
"I don't know." Duo answered dejectedly. "I don't even know where to start looking for it."
"Then this conversation is a moot point since the weapons would have to be located before we could retrieve them." Wufei said simply.
"I said I didn't know where the scythe was, I didn't say anything about the sword." Duo contradicted him.
"So you know where the sword is?" Heero asked.
"Basically," Duo said with a nod of his head. "I mean, I know it's in the Solan Mountains, the same ones where you guys appeared. And I know about where it is inside the mountains. Only thing though, it's impossible to reach without wings."
"You're not going alone." Heero said emphatically and glared at the braided boy, daring him to argue.
"I didn't figure you'd let me." the fairy said with a sheepish smile at the blue-eyed boy. "But getting the dragons to agree to carry you will be rather difficult."
"Dragons?" Wufei choked out while the others stared at the braided boy in a mix of horror and fascination.
"Yes, dragons." Duo stated with a grin. "They live deep in the mountains and, while I've managed to make a few friends among them, they don't like humans at all so getting them to help might be a problem."
The four human boys simply sat and stared at the violet-eyed fairy as they tried to process the boy's words. Dragons, real dragons, and if they wanted to follow him to retrieve the sword, they would have to ride them. After finally coming to accept the many things they had seen so far in this strange world, the prospect of meeting a live dragon was throwing them all off-center once again and they tried desperately to calculate the chances of making it through the encounter alive.
TBC...
Back to Gypsie1201's Fanfictions Page