Love Conquers All Part 13
Quatre stepped beyond his concerned companions gliding into a ready stance, raising his weaponless hands to protect his shapelier body. The fog began to swell. The chilled currents batted against his skin with the same threatening force that the Maiden used to launch her attack on Duo.
The Maiden, wafting in her muted misty form, did not copy the immortal's skirting path around Trowa and Duo but parted in half and floated passed on either side. The journey complete the Element's divided vapors once again mingled with the fog as she returned to her mystical whole.
Quatre gave a quick sideways glance at the dim recesses along the wall. He more felt his brother in arms than saw him. Through the haze it was almost impossible to pick out Yuy's camouflaged concealment. An ever so slight movement confirmed Heero's hiding then all motion stopped as he became secretly still. The Fair Immortal stopped a little way past Heero's position waiting for the Element of Wind to move into siege range.
The Mist Maiden's hollow "eyes" locked onto Quatre's face. The flowing waves of "hair" whipped higher as the cold currents increased in strength. A low wailing cry like a thousand anguished voices rose in volume. Shrill and harsh the sound's high-pitched screech tore at the ears. The piercing noise sent vibrations along the passage rattling the walls and bouncing inside everyone's skulls.
Quatre took a deep breath and focused his concentration throwing up a mental blockade to dampen the resounding bellows. "Your blaring racket holds no impressive sway with me you howling whore." he yelled above the deafening screams.
The Wind Demon's mouth opened wider. Ear-splitting shrieks rebounded along the hallway. Reverberations shook loose sections of the frozen walls. Dislodged fragments sifted from the splintering cracks. Small bits bounced on the floor and soon larger chunks joined the rain of mortar and stone.
Despite the fact that the corridor was collapsing around him Quatre's mind-block never wavered under the intensity of the thunderous screeching. The mental obstruction held firm, its barrier remaining strong against the Maiden's sonorous roar.
"Stop that useless noise now!" the Light God exclaimed pointing at the Maiden. "I said be silent!" he ordered closing his hand into a tight fist.
Abruptly the incessant howls ceased. The silence that came after was, in its own way, as terrible as the noise it replaced. "How dare you presume to issue orders!" the Wind Element shouted raising higher off the floor to tower over her challenger.
The Fair One stood his ground. "I will do or say what pleases me." He replied taking another luring step backward, "You are making me weary with your ineffective display." he continued the goading casting another covert glance over at the concealed Captain. "This is my final ultimatum either stand now and fight or take your paltry powers and be gone!" he declared.
Above the floor where the Demon's feathery body swayed in midair small funnels of fog began to rotate. They sprang from the white cold each merging with the next until a great whirlwind coiled about the Maiden. Winding around tighter the swirling compression embraced the Lady of Mist. The compact vapors pressed together becoming closely knit, denser with each narrowing encompassment.
"This is it." Quatre sent out the mental message bracing for the Demon's attack. As fear knotted in his stomach the cerebral transmission flickered out in connecting waves with Heero's mind, "Do not fail me."
The she-demon's translucency disappeared as the tornadic tempest reached its full fury. As the whirlwind abated the whipping mist settled over her nudity like a silken gown then all motion stopped. Wispy "hair" gathered around the Element's pale cheeks, draping heavily over her shoulders. The Mist Maiden stood in stately splendor. Her slender figure and delicate aspects exhibited a surprisingly graceful countenance rivaling the finest porcelain statures owned by the King. Indeed the Wind Maiden could have made the staunchest man's mind become mush and his body swell with need until he willingly sold his soul to the Devil she served for one moment of whoring with the bewitching beauty.
Chang's demonic minion stood on the floor in her most lethal state. Now nothing passed through her solid body. No light. No mist. Slowly her eye's hollow sockets began to glow. Pinpoints of arcing energy flashed in their darkened centers. The gleam deepened, the sparking diffraction spread radiating in ever-widening bands, growing and uniting into a single beam.
Without warning a brilliant flash turned the mist icy-blue. The flare lit up the corridor with blinding reflections of azure light that touched Quatre's own centers of sight perfectly matching his blue eyes. Again it was amazing how much alike the Light God and the Maiden were in both coloring and characteristics.
Two condensed balls shot from the arctic Element's optic orbs. Both sapphire spheres raced for Quatre. Dropping to his knees he rolled sideways making himself as small a target as possible. One globe flew over his balled body missing by inches but its pulsing partner was surer in its flight. Shards of dispersed energy flew apart as the icefall slammed with full force into Quatre's shoulder. A sharp shout followed the frozen "burn" as it melted deep into his flesh. Trowa's lover grabbed the blistered welt fighting the urge to become sick.
The Element of Wind tilted her head preparing to send down her rain of doom. To once and for all destroy the impertinent "female" who failed to pay proper deference to her predominant supremacy. Quatre curled arms and legs together closing his eyes against the biting pain. Their closing shut out his last sight of the Mist Demon as Chang's warrior readied herself to shoot out the final deathblow.
"Prepare to watch your champion die!" the Maiden screamed.
A travailing cry echoed along the icy hall's harsh encasement and this time even the dense fog could not dampen the gut-deep wail. Quatre opened his eyes. The Maiden's mouth gaped wide. Eye sockets were again vacant holes. Hand clutched at her middle where the bloodied blade of Heero's sword had pierced all the way through from behind. The broad blade's stabbing protrusion was covered with bits of rent flesh and skewered insides. Ragged clumps of "skin" spread back from the slicing incision.
Gushing blood sprayed from the gorged perforation spilling around the sword's steel edges. Uniting in a single scarlet stream, the liquid effusion soaked the Maiden's silken gown racing along the fabric's nap-line. The reddened rush congregated in droplets at the hem dripping into an overspreading pool.
Quatre drew back cowering from the advancing flow as it seemed the Maiden, even in death, was still reaching out for him. But the Dragon's apparitional Lady of Mist and Wind had become frozen in a red frosty solidity. Encased in her own icy vapors the second Element was not longer able to deliver any harmful vengeance.
White whiffs of the Demon's substance drifted off her rigid frame still so perfect in its curving contours. In mercurial degrees her beautiful body evaporated. Each condensed cloud carried away another layer until the Wind Warrior once more began to reunite with the mist that had given her breath and form and life.
Heero stood silently where he had flanked the Demon before running her through. Still holding the sword he watched in awe as the Maiden quickly evaporated into nothingness. Then with the final fading away the weapon's bloody blade dropped toward the floor as he guided the reddened tip in its downward journey.
Taking up the sword Yuy's sight found Quatre whose tightly curled body lay by the thickened curd-like pool of blood. The jellied fluid was all that remained of Chang's supernatural stepchild. Stepping over the coagulated puddle he knelt by Quatre. His hand touched his comrade's trembling arm. "Quatre," he whispered, "It is over."
With wandering sight Quatre looked up as his tear weakened eyes fought to focus on his friend's face. "Over." he repeated lowly.
"Yes." Heero confirmed shoring up his grip, "Come on get up." he ordered softly. Relaxing his curved posture the Light God stood up letting Heero's reassuring hold support his shaky balance.
"Steady now." Heero sighed slipping his arm about Quatre's waist. "You have taken the worse both times." he declared gently stroking the "female" God's blond mane.
Quatre's fingers reached for the raw sore left behind by the icefall's impact. "Don't touch." Heero instructed intercepting the Fair One's dirty hand as it brushed his coat's ragged threads where the frozen ball had hit.
Heero guided Quatre to where Trowa sat on the floor holding Duo. The Captain's precious partner was alert and fully aware that the worse was over. A warmer pinkish glow had replaced the gray tint on Maxwell's skin and the bluish cast in his lips. In fact if one hadn't know of the Wind Maiden's attack they would have had no real evidence, just by observation, to prove anything had happened. At the very instant of the Element's death all injuries to both human and immortal inflected by her hand had vanished. Likewise the frigid fog and glacial shimmer on the walls and ceiling had departed just as quickly.
"You did it." Trowa smiled reaching up to take his lover's hand, "I knew you had the cunning." he continued his praise.
Quatre returned the smile then shakily sat down by his congratulator as his legs decided they had done enough supporting for awhile. "WE did it." he responded offering his own sweet smile to his lover.
With an exhausted sigh the Light God pressed his hands together. This time when they parted the gender alteration was reversed. In a matter of second's his female form reconfigured and his long tresses reverted to their original length.
Heero felt an odd absence as he had grown fond of the "womanly" warrior's feminine version. "May I ask you something?" he directed the question to Quatre.
"Of course."
"When did you realize you were a changeling?"
Quatre leaned back against Dark partner with renewed strength, "When I reached puberty but that was a long, long time ago."
As the weary quartet dared to take a few minutes to catch their breath and regroup their scattered senses they took comfort in their closeness. Heero held Duo, Trowa held his mate. No one talked, they didn't need to. They had become so accustomed to each other that words were no longer necessary.
In the strange silence that always follows a battle, those merciful moments were best used not to debrief or review strategy but to offer thanks for the victory and prayers for the dead on both sides. Even though Chang's first two Elements were wicked and their intent had been to kill, there was a diminutive part of one's soul that mourned their demise. Yes it was a peculiar feeling to know that sending them back to their home in Hell was not such a gratifying victory after all.
Heero looked into each of his friend's faces. In each he saw fretful worry and pain. They had survived two trails, beaten two unnatural beasts but the third and perhaps the vilest still lurked somewhere between them and their questionable freedom. Suddenly a pang of guilt stabbed through Yuy's heart. His most cherished love and his faithful companions were in trouble and he knew that their dire circumstances were mostly his doing.
"This is all my fault." Heero whispered in choked words, lowering his eyes away from the hurt in his comrade's faces, away from his devoted Duo. "In the beginning if I had been bold in the declaration of my love for Duo, brave enough to stand and claim him before the King and the heavens, the rumors would have never been started."
He leaned back raising his watery eyes to meet Duo's blue orbs, "I am so sorry for putting you in these dangerous conditions. If it had not been for my cowardly hesitation Chang could not have taken you, defiled your beautiful body and damaged your unfailing trust." he apologized with distressed despondency.
Squeezing his eyes the tears of regret and profound sorrow spilled over his cheeks, "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" he begged feeling as though his whole world was tearing apart.
"Heero!" Duo exclaimed shocked by his soldier's blame of himself. After all if he had not been bold and brave they would not be together at that moment. "I will hear no more of this unwarranted confession."
Heero shook his head heavily, "Perhaps Decador was right," he bowed his head letting the tears flow freely, "maybe I have not earned your trust by rightful accomplishments. Maybe I..."
"Never!" Duo swore, "I know you would offer up your life for me, for all of us." Duo fixed a firm grip on Heero's chin lifting his face to his, "I trust you with all my heart and soul. You and I can take on the world." Duo brought his mouth to his champion's mouth placing a heated kiss on his quivering lips. "We will get through whatever happens and we will do it together."
Then Duo shook his lover ever so gently to emphasis his sincerity. "Do not allow another such foolish notion to enter your thoughts." he ordered pulling Yuy into a tight embrace, "Now let us face the last of the Dragon's Demons and share in the pleasure of its defeat then we can all go home."
TBC...
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