Born in Chaos Part 29<
Milliardo sat back watching the blonde healer as he knelt beside Wufei, his eyes closed and his finger's clasped with the black-haired boy's. Trowa hovered nearby ready to offer assistance to the healer or comfort to the mage, whichever might be required of him. The mage clenched his fists as Quatre released Wufei's hands and sat back shaking his head. After a moment of speaking quietly with Trowa the blonde rose to his feet and crossed the ground to where Milliardo sat.
"I've healed what I could not the other day," Quatre said sitting down. "But his mind is still closed to me. Whatever happened to him is kept behind a powerful wall. I'm not strong enough to break through it."
The blonde mage nodded silently. It must be very strong for Quatre to not be able to get through; the boy had turned out to be the strongest healer Milliardo had ever seen. "Then all we can do is wait."
"And hope," Quatre added turning his gaze to the sleeping boy. "I'm not sure but..." He stopped and frowned slightly.
"But what?"
"Just keep an eye on him," Quatre finished getting to his feet. "And tell him how you feel. He needs to know someone cares beyond his value as one of the warriors." He added softly as he walked away.
Milliardo sat stunned and watched the boy walk over to his lover, gently touching the brunette on the shoulder. How had Quatre known something that he hadn't even been able to put words to himself?
He got up and moved where Wufei slept. Sitting beside the boy he studied his face carefully. In sleep the boy looked very young to him. Reaching out he gently traced a finger along Wufei's smooth jaw. So very young... he wondered if it was that youth that attracted him so much. Was it just an attraction or was it something else?
~*~
Duo slipped quietly through the trees, frustration welling up at him at the group's lack of movement. He wanted to get on with this journey; all this idleness was doing nothing but serving to bore him.
At least when they were traveling he could keep his mind of Heero for a few moments at a time. And now, just when he thought he had things figured out, Heero had confused him all over again. What did he want from the other boy? Was it just a matter of friendship or something more?
Stepping into the clearing he'd used the day before, he pulled off his tunic and unbraided his hair. Then, holding his hands out in front of him, he started to let a soft glow build around the very tips of his fingers. He then held his hands out and felt the power of his light coursing through his veins.
Never before had he ever felt even a hint of this ability and now that he had... it was like a drug. He loved to use his light in simple ways, it was intoxicating to him. It filled him with a sense of some connection to the world around him, as if he were a part of it. And as the feelings welled up inside him he was also aware of something missing. Some part, deep inside, that not even his light could touch. Unless he could reach this part of himself, he'd never feel truly complete.
Something brushed along his cheek and he opened his eyes to see the tiny, light-filled beings flitting around him. Always, when he used his light like this, they came to him. They were creatures born of pure light, existing from pure light and drawing their energy and strength from it... from him. And in return they gave him companionship... a reason to laugh.
He reached up with a smile, his fingers brushing across the filmy wings of one of the beings and then moving his fingertips away, he watched the faint thread of light that seemed to flow between them. To think that something such as these could still exist in this world of darkness they lived in. That they survived only be the willingness of the light bearers to share their power.
Ceris had told Duo of them when she taught him of his power. She had put her trust in the young, human boy that he would also care for the ones that sought him out. Closing his eyes he let the light flow through him to the creatures.
Something pricked the edges of his senses and dropping his hand he opened his eyes and looked past the glow of the little beings to see Heero watching him from the other side of the clearing. He found himself held in place by the burning intensity of Heero's cobalt gaze, even from this distance, as the boy walked towards him. As Heero came to a stop in front of him, his eyes moving up to look at the light beings flittering around them, Duo drew in a shaky breath.
He knew.
Reaching out he wordlessly touched the smooth skin of Heero's face. The light from his fingertips clung to Heero's skin, making it shimmer softly where he'd touched him before fading away. Heero's eyes widened as he realized that he was absorbing Duo's light, its power flowing through him, warming him. It made him feel more alive than he ever remembered feeling. He needed more.
Grasping Duo by the shoulders Heero stepped in and pressed his lips to the boy's, one hand sliding around to grasp the chestnut haired boy's neck, his thumb slowly stroking the soft skin of Duo's neck. Duo's hands slid around his waist and as his tongue slid against Heero's, light exploded within the cobalt eyed boy. Power poured from the young thief to the warrior and Heero drank greedily, his need burning within him tempered with a need of a different kind.
Duo's head spun and only the strength of Heero's arms kept him on his feet. He moaned softly and clung to the dark-haired boy, his body shivering with the force of what he was feeling. Need... want... desire... love... all rolled into one rising wave, swept over him; and swirling within the maelstrom of emotions and sensations, strength that he never felt before.
He gasped as he realized that it was Heero's power. He was not just sharing his power with Heero; the brunette was sharing his also. His entire being was infused with the strength drawn from the very core of their world. Light-headed his fingers clutched at the fabric of Heero's tunic.
Feeling the thief sway unsteadily, Heero broke the kiss and moved slightly away, his hands still holding Duo on his feet. Duo's eyes opened, dazed and distant as he leaned forward seeking the warmth of Heero's body and Heero folded him into his arms, resting his cheek against the soft waves of chestnut.
"What now?" Duo asked shakily.
"What do you want?" Heero's lips moved against his hair. "Tell me what you want from me."
The chestnut haired boy took a deep breath and spoke before his courage fled. "Your love,"
Heero's arms tightened around him and he buried his face in Duo's hair. "I don't think I can love you... or anyone... but, I'll give you what I can. More than I've ever given to anyone."
Tears pricked at Duo's eye lids. How much had it cost Heero to offer him this much of himself? His hands slid up, his slender fingers twining in the brunette's hair as he pressed his lips to the side of Heero's neck. "It will be enough... I can love enough... for both of us." He whispered in Heero's ear.
~*~
Quatre gasped, his head snapping up, his hand to his chest. Trowa sat back from where he'd been cleaning one of the small rabbit-like animals they had caught for their dinner. "What is it?" He asked worriedly. "Is there danger?"
"No," The healer said softly, his eyes sparkling. "A sharing of power... so strong that even I felt it. I think..." He looked at his mate. "That part of the prophecy has been broken."
"Is that possible?" Trowa asked, his brow drawing together in a frown.
Quatre nodded. "All visions of the future are not set in stone. They are merely glimpses of what can happen on the current path. If one is strong enough to change the direction they are walking in, then the future will change also." He smiled brightly. "Duo and Heero... have found peace in their battle with each other. Only strong feelings can allow such a vivid sharing of power."
Trowa's green eyes widened. "I believed those two would never learn to get along... forget anything more than that."
"It will still be hard for them. Duo is like a flame that burns Heero, but like a moth, Heero can't resist his fire. There will be times when Heero strikes out at Duo... and Duo will have to learn to weather his fear and to help him overcome it."
"Can they do it?" Trowa asked turning back to his task.
"If they love each other enough, they can do anything." Quatre replied moving to help Trowa. "They just have to love enough," He added softly. "Or it will all be for nothing."
~*~
"Saron..."
The grey eyed elf glanced at Sally. She'd been sitting far away from him ever since he'd returned, not speaking, just staring into the fire. "What?"
"Do I really have elfin blood?" Her blue eyes never left the dancing flames as she spoke quietly, her voice soft and even.
"Yea, you do. Ceris has a talent for knowing these things, its part of her power." He replied.
She remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "How much?"
"What?" He looked back at her. What difference did it make?
"How much do I have?" She asked again.
"Not much. It's barely traceable. Whoever was the elf in your family, it was long before our people withdrew from your world."
"Oh,"
Silence fell between them again and Saron shifted uneasily on the hard cave floor. Why did she want to know such a thing? He fought down the urge to question the woman, knowing that she wouldn't tell him unless she wanted him to know. Moving again, he shot another look at the woman, her manner made him uneasy. Sally was a strong, independent, outspoken woman; this change in her.... this sudden quiet, pensive attitude was unlike her. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear her when she spoke.
"I guess it isn't enough," She raised her eyes to his for a brief moment and then she went back to staring into the fire. "I told you earlier that I never knew my parents. I don't even know much about them except the king knew my father and seemed to think he owed him some great debt."
She spoke as if in a trance, her gaze never leaving the flames and Saron was hesitant to stop her. Some deep part of him wanted to know this... wanted to know about her. He wanted to know what had shaped her into the woman she was now.
"When my parents died, the king came himself and collected me from my village and took me back to be raised beside his young daughter. He never told either of us why he did it, just that he was repaying my father for a debt owed to him. Relena was my closest friend growing up... she was my only friend. The others of the castle avoided me, saying that I came from low blood... I wasn't worthy to be more than a servant. They considered it scandalous that I would share such closeness with the princess. She defended me though. We were as close as sisters as children. Only her brother stood with her to protect me, but we didn't know one another well. He was not around much."
She sighed and drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and Saron thought that she resembled, just a little, the lost child she must have been.
"Then, when were just barely fourteen, her father died. Milliardo had disappeared and no one had any idea where to even start searching for him, so Relena had to step forward to assume the throne. People were outraged when she appointed me her advisor. The child queen appointing a child advisor, when she should have chosen someone older... who had experience governing people. And the low status of my birth just made it worse. I won't go into everything they did to undermine me... or how hard it was for her. She always stood by me no matter what they said to her, though."
Saron watched and listened silently, pictures forming in his mind's eye of how it must have been for her. The wall she must have had to build around herself in order to protect herself. And now... something had cracked that defense. Now, she sat before the fire, her blue eyes huge, tears dripped down her pale cheeks as she spoke.
"I have loved her as I would my own blood... but she hasn't needed me for a long time. I realized shortly before all this started that I had become nothing more than an obligation to her. I would have been gone by the time Milliardo showed up with that blonde healer, if I had some place other than the palace to go." Her shoulders shook as she started to weep. "Now... now... I have to find someway to help her! I know that after that I'll be alone... but I can't let her be destroyed! She's all I ever had!" Sally buried her face in her hands, her dark, blonde hair falling around her face.
Saron didn't even realize what he was doing until he found that he had moved over to sit beside her. He never imagined the depth of pain this woman carried around in her... she never let on a single part of it until now. Wrapping an arm around her slim shoulders he pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt her body go perfectly still and her hands come up to lie against his chest as he closed his grey eyes.
"You will never be alone again." He spoke quietly. "A woman such as yourself with your strength, no matter if you had our blood or not would always be welcome among us. We'll save your queen," He leaned back and lifted her face with his fingers to look into her eyes. "And then you will come back to my village and make your home, where you will be accepted and cared for."
She blinked in surprise. "I thought..."
"It doesn't matter what you thought. What matters is what is." He suddenly realized that he didn't care that she was human. He understood the allure that her kind had for his people, the strength and determination coupled with wildly passionate emotions; their ability to survive through any hardship... it was fascinating. She was fascinating.
It didn't matter what he had thought either... just what was.
He lowered his head and lightly kissed her, feeling the tremors of shock vibrate her body. He knew she didn't understand. Someday, he'd try to tell her. He'd try to make her understand how the person she was had caused his feelings of resentment, at having to protect her, to slowly start to bloom into admiration and something infinitely more.
Raising his head, he gazed into her wide eyes, seeing confusion and a hint of fear mirrored there. Pulling her closer, he leaned back against the cave wall, noting with some satisfaction that she leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
"Sleep; we'll start early tomorrow providing I think your leg can hold up."
"My leg is fine." Sally mumbled, some of her spirit creeping back into her voice.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Saron grumbled. "I'm closer to a healer than you are."
Sally sighed and relaxed, letting the warmth of his body seep into hers and thought at how this felt like where she belonged. That this was the place she'd been searching for all her life. "But..." She finally spoke up again.
"Sleep!!!" Saron snapped.
Silence fell in the cave and as the pair drifted off to sleep neither of them noticed the slight shifting in the shadows at the far end.
~*~
In the dark fortress, Lady Une stepped back from the bowl of swirling black waters, her pale face drawn into a frown.
"What is it Lady?" Treize asked stepping into the room.
"A new bond forged between old races." She said turning to him, her dark eyes following her lord as he walked over to the bowl and peered into it. "It could make things more difficult for us."
"Light and Earth have combined their powers also," Treize said as he looked up at her, his vivid blue eyes unconcerned. "It will make the destruction of them all the more rewarding." He straightened up and held out his hand. "We must let our little healer in the palace know to tighten her grip on the queen."
Une moved forward to stand in front of him, her dark eyes sliding closed as he slipped her robe from her shoulders, leaving her bared body to gleam brightly in the shadows of the room. She shivered as the power he held started to swell in the room, calling out to hers... seductive and chilling.
"We shall combine our power," Treize spoke in a low voice, his hands coming up to trace her ribs. "We shall become stronger than they are and then we shall crush them." He lowered his head to her neck. "We will remove all traces of the light from this world and rule the darkness together, side by side."
TBC...
*grabs Arian and tosses her in closet* ENOUGH I TELL YOU!!!! I'm freaking STICKY!!!! Whew....that's the last time I let my romance muse have full control of a chapter!!! Usually she only writes with Ceri...angst and romance...
*sticks her head out the door* Pandora!!!! We need a lemon!!!!
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