Kyuuketsuki Duo: The Movie
Sanguis Draconis Part 4
Heero surveyed his surroundings from the corner he currently occupied with a certain distaste that he had not had while this environment had been commonplace for him. It was many, many years ago that he had journeyed to the West, and he had not been back since, until just recently.
You would think that the problem with eternity was that it didn't change. For all of its wild potential, it had the most remarkable tendency to stay the same. Even when it did change, it usually happened so slowly that you didn't notice it as it blurred seamlessly from one state to the next.
Of course, if you were in a position to observe eternity, then you were probably stuck right there beside it.
Probably. Heero had fallen out of the endless loop one night. His fairly straightforward mission had been coming to a satisfactory conclusion, when he met a single human boy that somehow managed to bewitch him, and nothing was the same ever after.
Perhaps it was because time had started moving again for him that this place seemed so different. The taste in the air had changed, but perhaps that was only to be expected. This was a different crowd, after all. It had all the old mainstays, but it was liberally sprinkled with the newer, fresher scent of modern times.
Compared to the West, the East always tasted newer, fresher, more modern. The West was bound to more a traditional order, whereas the East favored ambition and innovation. In the West, one would never find a gathering such as this. This little corner of nowhere had been made to resemble a shady sort of bar, the type one would find on the filthy, flea-ridden underbelly of any decent city. It cried of mercenaries and betrayal, secret dealings and information for a price.
It was that last thing that Heero was here seeking. While the demons were nominally separate from any geographical distinction, the dragons had always been more of an Eastern phenomenon. It was in the East that they had revealed themselves to the humans in days of old, to be worshipped and revered as divine creatures. And so it was here that Heero now sought the whereabouts of a certain black dragon that recently had been making quite a stir.
Clued in by hints dropped by a snow demon serving her own self-interest, he patiently lay in wait at his corner 'table', sifting through the information that flowed around him like a fine connoisseur, unremarked upon by the crowd at large. It was wise to mind one's own business around here. He noted a few familiar presences in the traffic, but kept them to himself. He would not be recognized. He had changed over the many long years, and his mask further disguised his visage from casual observation.
Epyon's name was mentioned in passing in several arenas. It was difficult to get around the demon; he was responsible for a good amount of reorganization in the ranks. Despite this, there was very little of value being said. Epyon would never have been so base as to solicit assistance from this quarter.
But just because he wouldn't solicit it didn't mean he didn't have it. When Dorothy had first come to him with a suspiciously gracious smile on her face, she had coolly informed him that Epyon seemed to have established some contact with some of the Eastern Shinma, although the reasons behind that match were a little murky. Heero theorized that their reasons were probably similar to Dorothy's own: the promotion of chaos, the upsetting of balance, the shifting of power.
From what he was picking up from the tidbits he overheard, he found nothing that unsubstantiated Dorothy's claim. Deciding that he could afford to be a little more active in his hunt, he reached out with his power and snagged the attention of a promising source, ensuring the being that it would be worth its while with a hint of a cold edge and sleek danger. It had been a while since he had last truly donned that cloak, but its surface came back to him easily.
The low-class Shinma slithered its way over to him, nothing more than a faint obsidian wisp in the air until it reached the table, where it congealed and grew into a different shape. Heero snorted mentally to himself. For all the time that Shinma spent deriding the miserable race of man, they seemed to have a bizarre preference for humanoid forms. At least Heero had the excuse of having once been human himself, although that was yet a very little known fact.
"What do you want?" a voice rasped at him, earning another unseen, unheard look of scorn from the masked hunter. He was fairly certain that the being had no mouth hiding within the featureless planes of its 'face', yet it still expended the effort to move the air between them in a facsimile of spoken word. How it did cling to its paltry illusion of embodiment. Then again, the assumption of a corporeal form did seem to be the style among the Eastern Shinma these days. They had always been fascinated by flesh, where the Western horde officially rejected it.
::A great power is rising.:: He carved the words into the ether between them, forgoing the use of his voice as he approached his topic obliquely. ::What do you know of it?::
"I know many things," it evaded warily, cautious of giving away too much information for free.
::Its name seems to be on everyone's lips around here,:: he hinted, implying that he could easily go to another for the information he sought.
"Merely its name," the Shinma assured him. "Like so much around here, insubstantial."
This Shinma included, Heero thought. ::But the creature itself has substance. It is not wherever its name is spoken.::
"That is not its nature," it agreed.
::But from all these rumors, it does get around, doesn't it?::
"So it seems."
::I wonder where it is that it gets around from.::
"How badly do you want to know?" it growled at him.
The negotiation of a price was always tricky in this realm where existed no official currency. He was spared the inconvenient process when an invisible force blew the creature away. It dissolved into its original mist with a hiss, but dissipated without further complaint as another being took its place.
This one was neither Shinma nor demon, but one of those creatures that lay somewhere in between in its own class. Its wisdom and power were old and respectable. "Heero," it rumbled, the name falling from a pair of roughened lips within a darkened cowl. "I never expected to see you here again."
Apparently, Heero had been mistaken. He had been recognized after all, but he would have expected it of this creature, if he had noted its presence. ::Odin,:: he accepted the recognition gracefully, if not amiably. Heero's reputation had never and would never include the adjective 'amiable'. Nevertheless, this had been an acquaintance of quite a few years, and although they were not quite friends, they had each earned the respect given from one professional to another.
The bulky creature shifted beneath his cloak, quite remarkably making not a sound, despite the chain mail that spread across his chest. There was a reason he was recognized as one of the best. "I heard you had a falling out with your former employers," he said conversationally, studying the unfamiliar mask before him with a critical eye.
::That was a long time ago, Odin.::
"Bah," he said disdainfully. "What is time to creatures such as you and I? So have you found a new master, then? Or have you finally wised up and joined the throngs of freelancers?"
Heero shook his head. ::I serve my own purposes here.::
"A master of his own fate." Odin nodded his head sagely. "I'm glad to hear that. I always did think your talents were wasted with the likes of them."
::You believe I have a better place among the likes of you?:: The flavor of his mindvoice was dry and amused. ::I am hardly suited for a horde of worshippers.::
"I got out of that business ages ago."
::But what is time to creatures such as you and I?::
Odin let out a loud guffaw that somehow managed to reach far less than a meter from their private corner. "You've changed, and for the better, young one. It has been a while since I have met anyone worth the spit to spit upon. Children these days... bah! What are you here for, Heero? Tell me it's something good."
::I'm here looking for trouble,:: was his answer.
"Trouble of any particular brand? I'll help you find it!"
::Don't you have anything better to do, old man?::
He waved his hand breezily. "I'm between jobs at the moment."
::And what would your price be for your services?:: Heero inquired shrewdly.
"Price? Why, you've made this old man laugh. What better price could I ask for than that? It's good to see someone honorable in the business again."
He considered the offer carefully. He liked and respected Odin, but that didn't negate the fact that Odin was available for hire. But there was honor among thieves, as it was said, and he knew enough about Odin to know that he truly must disdain the creatures around them. Odin had been around for a long time. He was flexible, as he had to be to survive for this many years, but he didn't adhere to the modern principles of these power-hungry whelps. He did the work he did because he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, nothing more.
Heero decided there would be no harm in laying a few of his cards on the table. ::The trouble I seek goes by the name of Epyon.::
The humor faded from Odin's large frame rather immediately. "That is trouble indeed, my young friend," he said gravely.
::Can you tell me anything of him?::
"Why do you want to know?" he countered.
::...I have my reasons.::
"Do you know what you're getting into?"
A brief nod.
Odin stared hard into his mask's eyes as if to judge Heero's intent, wisdom, perhaps folly. Heero suffered under the scrutiny calmly. If Odin found him lacking, he would find his information elsewhere, although it would cost him. He had more faith in the words that fell from Odin's lips than he did all the promises from any other source for hire.
Finally, Odin sighed gustily in resignation. He remembered the day when this young warrior had burst upon the scene, his leash held firmly by his Shinma masters. He had thought it was such a shame to see such potential gone to waste. Now that the young one had gained his freedom, who was he to clip his wings? Besides, he'd heard some interesting things out of the West over the years, about the Guardian and his guardian. The instincts that had kept him alive over the years were telling him that Heero would not disappoint. "If it's a black dragon you seek, then you would do best to simply let yourself be known. What you seek will come to you."
Heero cocked his head to one side. ::Unusually cryptic, for you.::
"It is simply the wisest course," Odin said with a shrug. "I trust you will not want them to be suspicious of your intent. Far better, then, to let them approach you."
::And why would 'they' be so interested in me?::
"Because. The one you will wish to contact is Trant."
A chill ran through his bones.
Odin nodded grimly. "I see you recognize the name. Still so keen on tracking the beast?"
Heero returned the nod with little hesitation. Oh yes, he recognized the name. He could not find it in himself to be surprised that -he- was involved. While he would definitely prefer it if he did not have to make contact with the Shinma known as Trant, he knew that he would get no closer to the source than that. They needed this information, and only he could gain access to it. But what price would he have to pay to get at his prize?
"Then tread lightly, my young friend. I wish for you to remain a master of your own fate."
*****
The inconveniences of the humans had their uses at times. As they prepared for their trip to another side, the guardian took the opportunity to feed, and then rest. He would need his reserves at full for this journey.
And as he rested his body, his mind wandered down all its mental pathways, testing and exploring and making sure that all was in good working order. It was only inevitable that it would stray down that path tying him to his life's companion, and quite good fortune that the being on the other end also happened to be open and willing at the time.
They met in a place even more between places than the place between places. Held suspended in a world that existed only between the two of them, they came together, their souls mingling briefly as one before they separated and willed their images into their familiar forms.
::Dorothy told me what you're up to,:: Heero began, holding his hand up in invitation to his partner. ::Do you think the boy can help?::
Duo pressed his palm against Heero's, enthralled for a moment by the sight of their fingers entwined together before he answered. ::Not the boy so much as the dragon.::
Heero tugged their tangled hands in his direction and pulled the guardian against him in a loving embrace. ::Is everything going well on your end?::
His subtle questioning of his lover's state of mind was futile when all his concern lay bare in the soulscape, but Duo appreciated the effort anyway. ::I'll survive. But I meant what I said. I wish you were here. I wish you were still only a thought away.::
::I am, love. I am.::
::One heavy duty, fully loaded thought away,:: he snorted. ::So many barriers between us now. And such increased risk.::
::If the need is great enough, then call, and I will come. No matter the risk. Do not doubt it.::
::I do not doubt you, my love. Never.:: He lifted a hand to brush gently against his partner's cheek. ::But this risk... what has happened? You are uneasy.::
Heero nodded slightly into the hand's motion. ::I will have to go where I did not want to.::
::Oh, Heero... I knew this was a bad plan.::
::It is a sound plan, only neither of us likes it.::
::Is it worth it?::
::We agreed to this. This is our assigned task, Duo.::
::Duty be damned if it pains you! Let the Shinma strike back at the demon without our aid.::
::You would still say that, now that -they- are involved?::
The hand stilled, then shifted to the back of Heero's head to toy with the hairs there as he laid his head down upon the shoulder before him. ::Do not ask me that, Heero. You know what my answer would be.::
With the hand not currently ensnared by the guardian's, Heero pressed his former charge more closely to him. ::And there is no shame in that, love. None at all.::
They stayed like that for quite some time before the guardian spoke once more. ::I won't be seeing you for a while, will I?::
::I don't think so,:: Heero regretfully confirmed. ::But no matter what, -this-,:: he gestured mentally at their surroundings, by which it was understood he meant the bond between them, ::this will always be here.::
Duo lifted his head to smile at his companion, and for a moment it bathed Heero's spirit with a light he soaked up greedily to store away against the coming darkness.
TBC...
...don't ask me why there's a pseudo-bar in the netherrealms. i just needed somewhere, and this was what kept popping to mind... unfortunately, with that cantina tune from star wars playing in the background... if it makes us all feel better, it's not really a bar. that's just what our paltry human minds would interpret it as.
so... my image of odin is, err, what the norse god would look like if he decided to retire and become a hitman for hire -_-;; the idea of making odin actually _odin_ was just too amusing to pass up.
i suppose i ought to officially mention that the names lei fang and jahn li are actually from the fighting game 'dead or alive'. i needed chinese names at the time, and those came to mind. their images are also what i bear in mind when i think of them, but there's really no connection to doa beyond that. although now i sorta take it personally when those two kick my ass.
incidentally, if you play doa, you might be interested to know that ein/hayate is voiced by midorikawa hikaru, heero's seiyuu.
and trant not being a very eastern sounding name? well... bite me. i'm going to be needing a few shinma types, and it looks like the ozzies have drawn the short straw.
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