Wild West Part 10
"Gentlemen?" Wufei called from where he was tending his injured wife. "Meiran says that there's one more. She can smell him."
"The creator," Quatre raised his gun and scanned the brush. "He's still here."
"Good," Duo snarled through his teeth. "About freaking time he stayed around."
"After all the trouble we went through this time, he'd have better," Trowa nodded, pulling the hammer back on his gun.
Heero laughed softly, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. "More...information... you... didn't... share?"
"Heero..." Duo leaned over him. "Don't talk, okay? We'll get you back to Sally."
"Too... late..." Heero's bloodstained hand reached up and touched Duo's cheek.
It fell away, leaving a crimson streak on the side of Duo's face.
"He's fading," Quatre said quietly. "We were wrong. The Sheriff isn't..."
"WATCH OUT!" Wufei yelled as a dark streak barreled out of the underbrush.
The men turned quickly, firing rapidly at the wolf.
The creature fell to the ground snarling and writhing. Two of the hunters got to their feet, guns at the ready. As they watched, though, the wounds on the wolf's body began to close.
"Shit! Those are silver bullets! He shouldn't be able to do that!" Trowa snapped.
"He's older than we thought." Quatre replied. "This is going to take more than bullets. Duo- your scythe!"
Duo raised himself up from beside Heero's body. He was pale, the mark of Heero's fingertips stood out like a brand on his cheek.
The scythe swung around in his hands as he approached the beast.
The wolf regained it's footing and snarled at the approaching hunter. Duo smiled, his eyes narrow and cold. "I've been looking everywhere for you my friend. What say we end this now?"
The wolf bared its teeth and lunged. Duo turned quickly out of the way, his scythe coming down in an arc.
The beast whimpered as its leg fell to the ground, leaving only a stump behind.
"Duo! Quit playing with it and just kill the damn thing!" Trowa yelled.
Duo ignored the shout; his attention was on the wolf. The beast had stopped whimpering and was sliding closer to its lost limb.
The leg rose up from the ground and re-attached itself.
"Damn it!" Duo cursed. "Fei! Burn the bodies! It's a Fenrir!"
He heard Wufei begin the summoning chant, his wife curled protectively around him, her injured neck still weeping blood.
Quatre and Trowa put their hands together, palm touching palm and also started a chant. Theirs would take longer, Duo knew, so it was up to him to keep the beast busy.
He lashed out with his scythe again, but the wolf ducked just in time.
A rush of flame shot out from Wufei's hands towards the bodies of the other former wolves. Shrieking howls echoed through the clearing as the bodies burned.
Wufei slumped in his wife's coils. Damn fragile mages, Duo thought. Well at least he had two people left.
Heero- damn it! He didn't think he had been wrong. Out of anyone Duo should've been able to tell...
The demon wolf noted Duo's attention had wandered and lunged again. Duo dodged, but the wolf's claws managed to hit the scythe, shearing the bottom part off.
"Damn it! I just got this one!" Duo snarled at the beast, as he tossed the bottom part of the scythe away.
"Duo! We're ready!" Quatre called. He and Trowa took a step away from each other. They held their hands palms out as they stepped further and further back.
Duo took his newly made sickle and slashed at the wolf as fast as he could. He managed to score a hit right on the sensitive part of its nose.
The beast snarled and lunged for him. This time Duo turned and ran as fast as he could towards the other two. Right before he reached the space between them, he ducked and rolled past them, avoiding the space between their palms.
The demon, seeing its target on the ground, leaped into the air between the two mages. It froze in midair, held firmly in place.
Then lightening sparked between Quatre and Trowa's hands.
The wolf howled, caught in the electricity storm. The air began to take on a distinctly burnt smell.
Duo stayed where he was on the ground, looking up as the beast fried. He hoped it hurt.
Minutes passed. Shouldn't it be dead by now? Duo wondered as the wolf continued to struggle.
Then he realized he was in trouble when Quatre and Trowa both fell to the ground. The wolf landed on all four feet and shook itself, carbon flying out of its fur.
Duo tried to get to his feet, knowing he wasn't going to be fast enough this time. He heard Meiran call out to him as the wolf sprang towards him.
Something hit his side, knocking him out of the way, laying him flat on his back. The wolf went by so close that Duo felt the brush of its fur.
He looked up. Heero was crouched over him.
The Sheriff was glowing. Radiating light.
He lifted a hand towards the wolf that had managed to swing back around for another attack and the beast exploded into burning pieces.
Duo levered himself up a bit and threw his arms around the other man's neck holding on tightly.
"I knew it was you! I knew it! You remember it now-"
Heero put his hands on Duo's waist and pushed back a little. "I do. And I think I remember telling you to stay put? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Looking for you!"
"You're a lousy avatar."
"I know it." Duo looked ashamed for half a minute. "But you said your vacation was only going to be a few years! You've been gone for fifty!"
"Fifty?" Heero blinked. "Huh. The memory restore spell must not have worked."
"Or you didn't want it to work!"
"Uh, excuse us," Quatre and Trowa had managed to get to their feet and join the other two. "Duo, you said you were looking for an old friend who had lost his memory..."
"Uh yeah," Duo looked sheepish. "And I was- this is him, just like I said!"
"What did he tell you?" Heero asked as he shifted into a more comfortable position, Duo still hanging on to him.
"Well, briefly, that he had an old friend, powerful like he obviously was, who had lost his memory. We agreed to help him find you if he helped our organization in return." Quatre smiled sadly. "He's been looking for you for a long time. We managed to locate you in this town and I moved in to keep an eye on you until Duo could make it here."
"The wolves?"
"A test of sorts. We knew the things were in the area. A caravan being destroyed was my cover, but also our way of letting you know the threat was there." Trowa looked tired. "Of course, things didn't go exactly to plan."
Duo made a faint sound and curled up tighter against Heero's side. "So the caravan was faked?" Heero ran a hand down Duo's braid soothingly.
"Yes. The wolf threat was real, however." Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Who- or what are you anyway?"
"Death." Heero got to his feet, Duo still wrapped in one arm.
"Death?!" Wufei was leaning heavily on his wife.
"You didn't mention that when you asked us for help Duo!"
"Death?" Trowa repeated. "If you're Death and you've been missing for 50 years, then who has been doing your job?"
"My avatar was supposed to be. Weren't you Shinigami?"
"Hey, I did! But then you were really late, so I had to go looking for you!"
"Who did you leave in charge?"
Duo took a step back. "Howard..."
"WHAT?!?"
"Uh, can't we discuss this later? I for one, would like to go home and sleep for a week. Meiran needs that Doctor to look at her wound..." Duo stepped back a few paces. "Don't look like that! I was worried!"
Heero was frowning arms crossed over his chest as his avatar waved his hands back and forth frantically. "I got permission! Quit glaring!"
"You know, when we talk about the gods and their greatness, I never actually think of it looking like this," Quatre laughed as he headed for where they had left the horses, Trowa, Meiran and Wufei following.
"I was happy here," Heero said quietly when they were alone.
"But I wasn't," Duo's voice was soft as well. "I missed you. I wanted you back with me." He lifted his head and met Heero's eyes. "Besides, who says we can't leave Howard in charge for a bit longer?" He reached up and brought Heero's lips down to his, kissing him fiercely.
Duo's tone lightened. "Besides, I think your town needs a new preacher now anyways."
OWARI
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