Sword of the Stars Part 10
Duty and Responsibility
Duo didn't know how long he'd been unconscious. When he opened his eyes, it was night, and Yohan's concerned face was looking down at him.
"How do you feel?" the mage asked.
Duo's vision was blurry. He stared up at the old mage and pressed a hand to his forehead. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked drowsily. His voice was weak, like he hadn't used it in awhile, and his throat was dry.
Yohan tapped his lips. "For a few days, I believe. I was worried for awhile. Wufei woke up first, and Quatre not long after. I thought you never would. But Wufei told me that the red magic Ling used touched you first, and her last. I suppose the magic lost its full effect by the time it reached the girls. Ling must have exhausted her powers, with all her teleporting and invisibility. That woman is not giving her magic time to re-energize before she exhausts it. That fool."
"A few *days*?" Suddenly, Duo remembered the reason Ling had used the magic on them. Duo searched around with his eyes. "Heero... where is he?"
Yohan hesitated. "Can you sit up?"
Duo narrowed his eyes. "You didn't answer me, Yohan. Where's Heero?"
The mage frowned worriedly. "Why don't you have something to drink first?" Yohan turned his head. "Quatre, would you please bring some water?"
Duo was finding it hard to think clearly. He wanted to go back to sleep, but couldn't. Not until he found out what happened to Heero. When Quatre handed him a cup of water, he sat up dizzily to take a sip. They had moved, he realized. They were no longer near the caverns. Instead, they were in the grasslands, and he could see a border in the distance. It looked as though they were at the Daylonia-Rykin border. Cloud and Bolt were grazing, while a fire blazed. Wufei was sitting by the flames, staring worriedly at Duo.
Duo fixed his gaze on Yohan. "Yohan, tell me where Heero is."
The mage exchanged glances with Quatre. He shook his head sadly and smoothed Duo's hair away from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Duo" he said before walking away. He sat next to Wufei and the two of them began to talk softly.
Duo seized the front of Yohan's robes with his free hand. "What happened?"
It took a moment for Yohan to answer. "The Netherworlders, Duo... They took him."
The cup of water fell from Duo's hand and spilled onto the grass. He released Yohan's robes and nearly fell back.
"No...No! Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you help?"
Yohan put his hands on Duo's shoulders. "I couldn't do anything, Duo. I wasn't here. Quatre and Wufei told me what happened, and what the Netherworlders had wanted. Heero was already gone. I'm sorry."
Duo shook out of Yohan's grip. "Where did they take him? What are they going to do with him?"
"They are taking him to Triantia," Yohan replied. "To be the host of the Netherworld's Dark Lord." The mage shook his head. "How come none of you told me they were hunting Heero? I had no idea he was the one they wanted."
"Whether he wanted other people to know or not was his decision alone," Duo said in a distant voice. Heero was gone. Taken to Triantia. Heero had been the only one Duo had had left, and he had not been able to save him.
"It is quite a coincidence," Yohan said, amazed. "Two boys escaping from a rural village, apparently very close friends. One discovers he is destined to be the savior of our world, and the other discovers he is destined to be the destroyer of our world. Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?"
"Shut up, Yohan!" Duo snapped. He jumped up despite his dizziness and headed toward Cloud. Quatre grabbed his arm as he went by.
"Duo, wait! Where are you going?"
"Triantia." There might still be time. He could catch up with the Imperials, save Heero, escape...
"No!" Yohan commanded. Duo turned around and glared at the mage. "Duo," he continued in a gentler voice, "I understand how you must feel, but you have to understand something. You cannot afford to waste time."
Waste time?! Duo became enraged. "Wasting time?! How is saving Heero wasting time?!"
"Do you really think you could save him by yourself? Could you really manage that? Against an entire army? Duo, listen to me. You are this world's last hope. Without you, everyone will perish. You know Heero better than anyone else. Tell me, would he want you to spend your time saving him when you could be saving millions?"
Duo didn't answer. He looked away from the others. Quatre released his arm and backed away from him. He took a deep breath.
"Duo...I...I am ready to go with you to find the other Orb and get the Star Sword. You're the only one who can do it--that mark on your forehead says so. And...I have not known Heero for very long, but I don't think he would want you to stay here and worry about him. He would want you to fulfill your destiny and save us all."
Duo squeezed his eyes shut. It was true. Heero wasn't selfish. "Forget about me, Duo," he'd say, "you have to save everybody else."
"I am also prepared to go with you, Duo," Wufei said. "And in my observations of Heero, I believe he would look down on you if you went to help him instead of the world."
"They will not harm him, Duo," Yohan said. "They cannot. They need him. He will be fine. But unless you get the Star Sword before the Imperials get him to Triantia, he will be forced to become the Dark Lord."
Duo turned around and looked Yohan in the eyes. "I know what I have to do, Yohan..." He touched the mark on his forehead. "This, I take it, is the mark that tells everyone I am the one the Sword has chosen?" The mage nodded.
"I...I have to get the Star Sword. I'm the only one who can. Heero wouldn't be happy in the least if I went for him instead."
Yohan smiled. "So you will go for the next Orb?"
Duo nodded. "In the morning we leave to search for the Orb of Water."
Quatre and Wufei smiled encouragingly at him. "That's the spirit, Duo," the Cleric said. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll reach Triantia before the guards with Heero do. They have a much greater distance to cover...and much slower horses than we do."
"And remember," Yohan said, "Heero can still resist the Dark Lord. Not forever, mind, but perhaps long enough to buy us some more time."
Duo nodded again, caressing the hilt of his katana. "Where is the next Orb?"
The old mage gestured to the northeast. "In the wetlands of Shakra. Given the mountain range that surrounds Triantia, we'll have to go around."
With that, Wufei touched Duo's shoulder. "You get the tent tonight, Duo. We'll sleep out here."
"Thanks," Duo replied absently. As Quatre, Wufei, and Yohan settled outside, Duo crawled into the tent and lay down. He pushed aside all the worries he had, giving way to the exhaustion he had. He drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes.
TBC...
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