'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy
Daystar's Prophecy Part 26
When the six finally returned to the table nearly fifteen minutes later, their faces were set in determination and resolve. Once again taking the seats they had vacated earlier, they turned their attention to the six spirits waiting patiently on the other side. It was Quatre, the de facto speaker for the group, that finally broke the silence.
"We've reached our decision." the blue-eyed boy started, crossing his hands on the table in front of him. "And while we're still a bit uncomfortable about the details of the merging, we are willing to trust your judgment on the matter."
"Like I said Q-ball, it's nothing." Shinigami smiled with a wave of his hand before sitting back and lacing them behind his head. "Just a little spell here and a little magic there and not only will you have our magic and weapons to use, you'll also have our wonderful wealth of wisdom to draw from."
"Except in Duo's case, where he'll be stuck with Shin's wealth of dubious sanity." Hadkon chuckled.
"Why thank you." the spirit of darkness said with a wide grin and mock bow, earning him a rueful shake of the air spirit's head.
"I want to thank each of you for giving us a chance." Diadona said with a gentle smile. "I know it could not have been an easy decision."
"No, but it's one that needed to be made." Duo answered softly.
"Very well then, shall we begin?" Reestlin said before standing from his chair and mentioning the others to follow. "There isn't much time."
Once the others had joined him on the far side of the table, the spirit once again raised his hand and made a sweeping circle. After the circle had finished expanding, the field of flowers had reappeared on the other side and without question; they all followed him through.
********************
"Howard? Could this have something to do with Duo trying to find the scythe?" Hilde asked from her spot beside her husband, his hand held firmly in her own. When the four others; Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Solo; had fallen into what appeared to be the same trance as Heero and Duo, the remaining three in the meeting room found themselves in a blind panic as they tried unsuccessfully to wake them. Since then, they had managed to overcome their initial shock and have four more cots brought in. Now they were just waiting for something to happen.
"I honest don't know, Hil." the dwarf sighed as he allowed his sight to travel along the line of cots. At the far end, and much to his surprise every time he looked in that direction, Jess was sitting in much the same position as Hilde. The grey-eyed elf appeared beside herself with worry over the dark-haired, human boy she had taken to watching over. "But if I had my guess, I'd say they were at least related."
"Do you think they're alright at least?" the elf asked, her voice breaking ever so slightly while her free hand once again moved unconsciously to caress her stomach and the life that lay within.
"I wish I knew, Hil, I wish I knew."
********************
Having paired off with their respective recipient, the six spirits moved to form a circle in the field of white flowers, facing outwards with their soon to be bonded half facing them. Then reaching forward in tandem, the spirits placed the palm of their right hands on the forehead of their receiver before whispering in unison the words to a long forgotten spell.
In the next instant, the air around them began to shimmer and time seemed to slow to an almost stop as the four humans, elf, and fairy felt the flow of magic begin to pass between them and their bonded spirit. Knowledge that none of them could ever have conceived of, of the weapons they carried and the magic they received, entered their mind, as did their spirit's presence. For a brief, wondrous moment, the shared magic and the connection with their bonded was all any of them could hear or feel. Then an anguished cry rent the peaceful atmosphere, bringing them all back in a flash to find Shinigami kneeling on the ground with Duo cradled in his arms and crying into the spirit's shoulder.
Heero wasted no time in crossing the short distance that separated him from his little lover and immediately pulled the fairy into his own arms. While the braided fairy, sensing the other boy's presence, immediately wrapped his arms around the dark-haired boy's neck and held on for all he was worth.
"What happened?" Heero demanded of the black-clad spirit, his glare enough to cause the man to flinch.
"He just learned the truth about some things." Shinigami said with a sad smile. "I tried to keep them from him, but the connection was too strong."
"What did he learn?" Quatre asked as he too knelt beside the two boys. Heero had succeeded in pulling Duo the rest of the way into his lap and was now rocking the softly, sobbing boy.
"He's always thought the elves didn't know about what the council did to him." Shinigami explained.
"And the truth?" Wufei chimed in.
"They knew." the spirit of darkness sighed with just a hint of disgust in his deep voice. "They knew about it all; the control stone, the constant missions, and the punishments. But they just didn't care." Shinigami explained before hanging his head in shame. "And I'm afraid that's my fault; they've always feared the seekers because they could sense my presence in them. This made them turn a blind eye to the council's actions against Duo."
"That doesn't make it right." Quatre protested heatedly.
"No, it doesn't." Shinigami agreed. "But you can't stop them from being afraid."
"But what about those elves like Jess and Solo." Wufei asked. "They don't seem to be afraid of him."
"I don't know about Jess, but I grew up with Duo. The same goes for Hilde." Solo said with a sad smile. "And even though we can still sense the darkness inside of him, we don't fear it because we know that, while there is that element within him, it doesn't effect who he is."
"And now?" Heero asked, knowing as he did that the merging could have brought the darkness to a new level within the small fairy.
"I can't feel it all." Solo said after a moment of studying the violet-eyed boy, his face showing his surprise. "How is that?"
"That's because the darkness is no longer a separate part, but is now integrated into him." Reestlin supplied. "That's what makes the difference. It isn't the darkness within Duo that makes the elves afraid, but Shinigami."
"And now that the two are merged, the darkness it gone?" Trowa asked.
"Not gone, just neutralized." Shinigami said with a rueful smile. "His basic goodness had balanced my darkness, making us the perfect pair."
"But it will still affect him." Heero stated as he tightened his arms around the unusually quiet fairy in his arms.
"Yes." the spirit of darkness answered with a crooked smile and a nod of his head. "But not in any bad way. Actually, it's all for the better."
"What my bumbling brother is trying to say," Reestlin cut in, realizing that the black-clad spirit was using his vague answers to irritate the blue-eyed human. "is that now Duo will be able to call upon him when going into battle, allowing him to fight alongside the rest of you."
"So, while Duo managed to balance Shinigami's darkness, Shinigami also balanced Duo goodness." Trowa offered in yet another of his uncanny insights.
In his arms, Heero felt his heart twist at the shiver that passed through the braided fairy's body at those words.
********************
As the elven army continued their southerly march, Zallithus could not help the smile that crossed his lips. They were now only a day from the dwarves' stronghold and he could almost taste the promised battled and long awaited revenge that was sure to come. At his back, the remaining council members rode upon their own horses, their faces blank of any emotion from having been completely overcome by the dark spell he had cast over them, leaving them as good little puppets to obey his every command.
It was a new spell, created just before he had been trapped in the stone that would be his prison by those six would be heroes. The fact that they had given up their own lives to do so was only a small consolation. But even with his anger at their victory over him, it was Shinigami's betrayal that ate at him the most. The man that he had practically called brother and the only one he had felt deserving of being by his side, had turned his back on everything they had worked so hard for and helped to end their dream. Now, with the encroaching war nearly upon him, he would face Shinigami again. It was something he had waited long enough for and he would enjoy reminding the man of his place. Visions of the proud mage crouching pathetically at his feet bought an even bigger smile to his face and he spurred his horse forward, eager for the battle to begin.
Meanwhile, even as Zallithus continued to envision his conquest of the spirit that was once his only friend, Gaison was envisioning his own conquest of the small fairy that the spirit currently resided in. True to the promise he had made after they had placed him in his cell, he had worked to perfect the spell that would finally free him. The spell now only required one last element before being complete and then he would weave it until it broke down those of the two elves, leaving him with a clear escape route.
Speaking softly, so that his guards would not hear him and realize what he was up to, he once again began to chant the first part of the spell, using the feel of it as it battled the guarding spells to determine what needed to be added. Only a few seconds later, he smiled sadistically as his testing finally paid off. By morning, he would be free of the cell and those in the hold would pay for even trying to keep him. And then Duo would be his.
********************
"So now what happens?" Wufei asked after they had been standing around for a few minutes. Duo had finally calmed somewhat, even though his continued quiet was not playing well on the Chinese boy's nerves, but still the spirits had made no move to continue with their training.
"Actually," Shinigami said with a lopsided grin. "There isn't anything else to do except for the six of you to wake up."
"Then why haven't we?" Quatre asked.
"I don't know." Reestlin answered, his brow pinched in thought. "It's almost as if one of you doesn't want to return."
For a long moment, they just stood there in thought, each studying the other, trying to find the one that was keeping them there. Finally, the blonde spirit of water turned with a compassionate smile on her face as she spoke softly, "Duo?" she questioned. "I know you're frightened by what's happening to you, but you must know that we can't remain here forever."
"You mean it's Duo?" Solo asked in disbelief. "But how did you--"
"'Dona has many abilities." Alinia cut in. "One of them is the ability to sense the feelings of others."
"Let me talk with him." Shinigami said after a moment of deliberation, sighed heavily as he took a step toward the two boys. But Heero's dark look and low growl had him stopped in his tracks. "Look Hee-chan, as much as I don't want to get between you and your little lover, if we don't get out of here soon, we're gonna be in some serious trouble. You six may now have the knowledge of how to use the weapons, but you need some first hand experience before the real fighting begins."
"Shin's right Heero." Hadkon added. "Besides, you know he would never willingly hurt Duo."
As the spirit of air spoke, Shinigami cleared the space between him and the dark-haired boy, kneeling by his side and taking hold of Duo's shoulders. "Come on, little fairy." he coaxed as he gently pulled him from Heero's embrace and into his own. He then stood back up, the braided boy cradled in his arm before looking down at Heero. "I won't take him far and I promise to not be very long."
Heero glared for a moment more, promising a painful death with that look if anything were to happen to the violet-eyed fairy, before giving his reluctant acceptance. He then watched at the spirit of darkness turned and walked away, Duo's wide, frightened violet eyes peered over the spirit's shoulder for just a moment before both vanished.
Arriving safely back to the chamber where he had spent his time prior to the scythe's retrieval, Shinigami gently sat the fairy down on his own two feet before grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him back so he could look him in the face. "Ok Duo." the spirit said. "You want to tell me what this is all about?"
"I just can't." the longhaired boy whispered softly, not raising his head to meet the spirit's eyes.
"Can't what?"
"Kill." It was just the barest of breaths, but Shinigami found himself swallowing the sigh that the word brought to his lips.
"That's what I'm here for." he answered evenly, but still the boy would not look up. "Duo, look at me."
For a moment, Shinigami thought Duo was not going to listen but when the longhaired fairy finally raised his head, the black-clad spirit found himself faced with shimmering, violet eyes that forced another part of his normally icy heart to melt.
"Aw, don't do that." he whined before pulled the boy into a fierce embrace. "You make me wanna take it all back."
"But you can't, can you?" came Duo's muffled whimper, followed by a hitching sob.
"No, I can't." Shinigami agreed sadly, as he ghosted his hands over the boy's back and wings, trying to calm him. "I know how hard this is for you; I know that fairies don't kill people. And I would do just about anything to keep you from having to go through this, but you have to understand a few things."
"Like what?" the boy asked, pulled back slightly to look the spirit in the face.
With a small smile, Shinigami gently brushed the tears from the soft cheeks before releasing him long enough to conjure them both a comfortable chair then turning back. "Have a seat, this might take a while."
Doing as the spirit said, Duo sat in the closest of the chairs, sinking back into the soft, black upholstery as he watched Shinigami do the same.
"Ok." the black-clad spirit said once he was comfortable. "So Rees gave you a brief history lesson concerning how we came to be who we are. Well, he didn't tell you all, since that would've taken all day and we don't have that much time. So, I'm going to tell you a little more, mostly about Zall and me, just to give you a better understanding of why you're being called to do this."
"Now, like I said, Zall and I met at University and ended up studying the magics together. One of the big reasons why he became so obsessed with creating a new magic was that his own control over the known magics was weak. Even though he was a dark master, he just couldn't harness it as well as most at our age." Shinigami continued. "I, on the other hand, was considered to be one of the most powerful dark users of our time and I was only fifteen. Quite a feat."
At that, the spirit allowed a self-important smile to cross his face, wringing an answering grin from the fairy's face as well. "Brag much?" Duo could not help asking and Shinigami could only smile that much wider at seeing some of the sadness leave the boy's features.
"You haven't heard the half of it." the spirit winked, earning him a genuine laugh before he continued, "Anyways, I think that was one of the things that drew Zall to me in the first place; the fact that I was so proficient in the use of darkness. And it wasn't until after Rees had managed to break his hold over me that I realized that while Zall wasn't very good at magic himself, he was good at drawing the magic from others."
"Just like the mages do to my people now?" Duo breathed, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Something like that, yes." Shinigami nodded. "Only on a different level; I never even realized he'd been drawing on my power to create gaia until after I'd returned with Rees. My leaving left Zall with one hell of a magic gap, but he made it up by drawing from more and more of his followers. And unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he managed to create a new combination, this one mixing gaia and darkness just before we sealed him inside the stone."
"But what does any of this have to do with me?"
"Duo, I'm a creature of darkness." the spirit said with another sigh. "I allowed myself to become this way by following a man who I thought was my best friend. The things we did together during those last few month I spent with him, would make you cringe. And to make matters worse, I enjoyed them."
"Dark magic is an addictive magic." Shinigami stated, his voice taking on a longing that caused Duo to shiver from its intensity. "It swirls and teases and coaxes its user to reach for higher and higher levels of power. And like any drug, you'll do just about anything once you're on that fix to keep it." the spirit said before shaking himself and pinning the longhaired fairy with a pointed look. "But you, on the other hand, are an earth born, creature of light. Only one so pure can balance me, keeping the darkness at bay while still allowing it to be useful. No other creature, except a fairy can do this. And you are the only fairy powerful enough to withstand my presence."
With a deep breath and swallowing against a suddenly dry throat, Duo stood from the chair he had been reclining in and began to slowly pace around the room. "I understand what you're saying." he said finally. "But, even though we're supposed to be merged now, I still can't stand the thought of taking another person's life."
"And that will never change for you." the spirit said as he leaned forward to watch the boy pace. "While it's true that we're merged in a sense, we're still two separate entities. During battle, I'll be able to give you some of my strength as well as the resilience to do what needs to be done, but you will never enjoy killing. It's just not in your nature."
"But how am I gonna be able to...." the violet-eyed fairy said with exasperated hand movements, finally coming to a stop to face his bonded spirit.
"I'll help you when the time comes." Shinigami said, as he too stood to stand before the small boy. "That is all I can tell you. You have to trust me on this."
"I'm not sure what will happen when the fighting starts, but I promise I'll try." Duo said in a soft voice, earning him an even wider smile from the spirit in front of him.
"Good, that's all I'm asking for. Now let get back to the others before Hee-chan throws a fit." Shinigami said and reached out to take the boy by the hand.
"One question first." the violet-eyed boy said, stopping the spirit from starting the transfer.
"Hmmm?"
"Why do you call Heero, Hee-chan?" was the boy's query and Shinigami could tell it was from curiosity only, no hint of jealousy existed in that innocent question.
"Because it drives him crazy." the spirit grinned and gave the boy a wink. Then gripping his hand a little tighter, he started the transfer. A second later, they were once again standing in the field of white flowers. Heero wasted no time in stalking forward and pulling his little lover into his arms.
"Are you alright?" he asked and received a nod and smile from the violet-eyed fairy, which immediately put him at ease.
"So, I take it that you worked everything out?" Reestlin asked of his brother.
"Yup." Shinigami said as he rocked back on his heels and placed a self-satisfied smile on his face. "Duo's agreed to trust me so everything's great."
"So we can leave here?" the spirit of fire queried with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't see why not." Shinigami shrugged. "Just have to get them to wake up."
"And how exactly do we do that?"
"Like this." the spirit of darkness said and with a mischievous grin, he snapped his fingers.
TBC...
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