Beyond All Doubt Part 15
Heero securely fastened the tie to the front of Duo's deep red cloak, knotting it just before his neck before pulling the hood over his head. Since that morning, the fey had been quiet, lost in his own thoughts, as he went out preparing for the battle ahead. He kept his head down as he stood facing his partner. Once the hood was over his head, he felt Heero place his arms on his shoulders.
When he peered into the concerned eyes of his lover, the human asked, "Are you sure that you're going to be up for this?"
Forcing a smile, Duo replied, "I'll be fine. Just getting prepared for what we have to do." Heero seemed to believe his words and his concerned face relaxed when he nodded. Duo tied the front of his lover's deep green cloak at the neck as Heero had done for him. As he pulled the hood up over the human's head, he asked, "Ready?"
Heero leaned in and kissed the fey's lips tenderly before pulling back and affirming, "Ready." Together, they walked out into the bright light of morning, their swords along with Heero's bow and arrows, strapped on them tightly.
* * * * * *
Wufei looked over the three hundred men that had been picked from both the Shay and Prusian forces. Beside him, Noin shared the same stern, determined look as she watched their soldiers. They were to be the first sent out to meet Treize's clan before they reached the encampment. With more than eight hundred left to attack in the Sephron Gully, they hoped to catch their enemies off guard, sending them running into the unpredictable and treacherous grounds there.
"You all know what is being asked of you," Wufei began, his voice echoing off the sides of the tall rocks of the cliff to their right. "Do not make any unnecessary risks- just get in and out. We want them running in here without their wits. Once they come charging in, we'll be waiting."
The faces of the young soldiers before them bore grim, expectant expressions in anticipation of their task at hand. They were all anxious to end this war. Regardless of what would become of them, they would do their part in protecting their homes, their loved ones, their ideals.
Among those faces were Heero, Duo and Kumi. All were armed and shielded with breastplates and hooded cloaks that concealed their faces. After arguing with Wufei and Noin for a time, they managed to convince him to allow them to see if they couldn't get in far enough to find Trowa. Kumi, in her deep purple cloak looked past the cover of her hood as she gripped her reigns tightly in anticipation of finding her mate.
Raising his sword, the Chinese officer yelled, "For Shay and Prusia!" Mirroring his actions, the loud cries from the men came as one voice, shouting the same pledge before the men stormed past their captains and into the woods on their horses.
Noin and Wufei watched them pass, silently wishing them luck and hoping that many would return safely. Turning to each other, the two officers remained silent and rode back to the heart of the Sephron Gully to pass on the assigned stations for the remaining hundreds of men.
* * * * * *
Several hours later, early in the afternoon, Trowa could hear a distant rumbling in the distance. As bright as it was outside, he knew that it was not thunder. Slowly, he rose, his shackles clanging together with his movement.
Soon, the sound of the men outside rose in shouts as the rumble approached. He heard the guards just outside of his camp cry out along with their comrades, running in the direction in which the quake was coming.
The sound of metal meeting metal filled the air then, the sounds of struggle and a whirlwind of action as the stampede that approached coursed their way through, taking out every and anything that they could be in their path.
Having not been an army to be caught blindsided, and not having an opponent that was willing to run straight into them, Trowa knew that Treize's army would not be faring the sudden attack well.
From the sound of the unit that came, Trowa could also tell that this was merely a surprise to get the enemy running after them, enraged and unable to get their bearings as they charged to attack. He smirked to himself, confident that Wufei and Noin made a wise decision in their tactic.
Just before the rush of the struggle reached his tent, a dark form ran into the space. His green eyes widened as they took in Zechs. The long-haired fey stood there watching him, looking frightened for the first time that he could recall. As he panted after his hard run, his eyes narrowed as the panic quickly disappeared to show his determination once again.
In an instant, Zechs sprang forward, removing his blade from its sheath on his belt and raised it high. Trowa was barely able to blink as with three cuts, his chains fell free from him. Quickly, Zechs gripped the young Commander by the throat and ordered in a dark, threatening growl, "You're coming with me." With his free hand, he wrapped some of the loose chains around his captive's wrists.
Pulling the human behind him, Zechs made quick to leave the tent, leading them to a black mare that waited just outside. Once they were both on, the fey shouted and buried his heels into horse's sides. The mare ran off past the battling soldiers of both forces, making its tracks through the fight in a fury of speed.
Once he was certain that he caught of attention of some of the men from the Shay and Prusian forces, Zechs turned his direction before anyone could reach him, riding off to the Northern edge of camp and into the seclusion of the woods far from the fight.
As they began to make their way back to their own camp after successfully catching the army off-guard, Heero, Duo and Kumi rode close as they scanned the area. All disheartened that they could not move in further to try and find Trowa, they set their goals to returning to the Gully to fend off the store that was quickly tailing their unit's heels.
"I saw the Commander!" a young man shouted just behind them as he rode up as fast as he could. David Grayson, the first young recruit that Heero and Duo had met when they came to relieve their ailing forces, reached them and shouted over the thunder of horse hooves pounding the ground. "He was being taken by another soldier to the north, away from the fighting."
Without having to ask the details and without the use of his magic to sense him, Duo's eyes narrowed as he hissed, "Zechs." Turning back to the young soldier, he nodded and replied, "Thanks, David. You'd better lead the unit back to the Gully while we head after them."
His eyes wide with shock as the thought of being in command of the team, the boy grinned widely and yelled, "Yes, sir!" Looking ahead, he moved his horse to the front of the line.
As they turned to the north and split from their group, Heero looked over to his sister and his partner and stated, "There's a cave not far from here. I'll bet that's where he's heading."
* * * * * *
Sette rode her horse quickly to the front line within the Sephron Gully. Removing her sword, she shouted over to Wufei, "They're almost here! We have forty lines of our own soldiers returning so get the archers to hold off until they're through!"
On her report, the Captain turned to the archers and ordered in a loud cry, "Archers, arm yourselves and hold for forty lines! Our opponents are right on their heels so be on alert!" No sooner had he called out his orders than the shout of the team's men filled the air as they ran from the trees into the Gully. As Sette had counted, forty lines of men, about fifteen soldiers across, returned to their army.
Behind them, a larger, darker-clad army was coming in fast. Their numbers, nearly seven times what his army along with Noin's made, brought about a battle cry from those charging enough to make the air around them vibrate. His eyes narrowing and his hand gripped on his sword, Wufei said quietly to himself, "Here they come." Looking to the archers the moment he knew them to have a clear shot of the enemy, he shouted, "Fire!"
* * * * * *
It had taken him longer to find the cave than he had hoped. Without his ability to sense things with his magic, Zechs had all but lost himself in the woods surrounding him. The fact that he could not tap into his magic was finally beginning to cause him concern.
He pushed Trowa ahead when they were deep inside the cave. With speed and precision, he tied the Commander to a large boulder there with the other chains that he brought with him. Panting from his efforts and the hard ride, the fey leaned his back against the wall of the cave as he wiped sweat from his brow.
"What's the matter, Zechs?" a voice from behind him asked calmly. Zechs gasped sharply and turned with wide eyes. Duo stood a few feet from him, towards the entrance of the cave. The braided fey's violet eyes peered at him intently without any expression on his face. "You were unable to find me without your magic and so you resort to using this as a method to snag me?"
Growling deeply, Zechs straightened himself and smirked, "You cannot fool me, Blade. My magic is fine. If magic was fleeting us, as you suggested due to our being in this world, then how were you able to find me so easily?"
It was then Duo's turn to smirk as he answered, "I did not use any magic. I know a wood's guide." At the dark glare that earned him, his smirk became a deep scowl as he stated, "The Boundary had been closed off. We cannot cross it again. That is why our magic has begun to fade." Trowa's eyes widened along with Zechs' at the statement.
Removing his sword, Zechs cried out as he ran after the other fey, Duo brought his own weapon up to meet the opponent's. They continued to strike at each other as they battled out past the mouth of the cave and into the woods.
Zechs screamed out in rage as his wings opened. Taking to the air, he yelled, "You're lying! Even if you were correct in saying that the Boundary was closed, it should have no effect on our magic!"
Duo's own wings opened as he flew after him, hollering, "Then you are even more of a fool than I took you for! The opening that you made in the Boundary was the only link we had to our world to hold onto our magic! Now that it is sealed, we'll slowly lose our abilities as well!" He made another strike, only to be blocked as they continued their fight in the air, high over the tree tops.
As they continued battling, Duo went on, "Even if our magic was to fail us completely, we would still bring harm to both worlds by being here. The unbalance will begin destroying both worlds as long as we live here!" He narrowly missed landing his mark in Zechs' chest with his sword.
"Well," Zechs called back, "You condemned me to death for striking you! Let's see if you can carry it out!" Without another word between them, they continued their fight.
* * * * * *
Sette and Wufei continued to hold their ground along with their fellow soldiers in an effort to hold the Gully. After nearly two hours of fighting, there was finally a break in the reinforcements from the Rashon and Zechs forces. Suddenly, there was another wave of cries from the trees. Looking up to the Gully's entrance, they watched in terror as thousands more of the dark-clad enemy charged to the battlefield. The tomboy sighed deeply and whispered, "My God... Not again..."
* * * * * *
When they ran back into the cave, Kumi's eyes widened as she spotted her lover where he was standing, chained to the boulder where Zechs left him. She shouted, "Trowa!"
Looking up to see his mate and Heero running to him, the Commander smiled in relief, "I had a feeling that you wouldn't be too far behind Duo." Seeing the concern filling Heero's eyes, he advised him, "Zechs went after him about a half-hour ago. If the fight was over, one of them would have been back by now."
It was only a small amount of reassurance, but it was enough until they could get out of the cave to find Duo. Together, Kumi and Heero went about slicing away the chains that bound the young Commander.
* * * * * *
He wasn't expecting the blade to go for his wing and not his shoulder, in the similar was that he struck his challenger and shattered his shoulder blade. With a choked cry of agony, Zechs fell from the air, hitting a thick tree branch on his way to the hard ground. Landing on his right side, he was amazed that he had not lost consciousness.
The fight had not lasted as long as he expected. He thought that he would fare much better and much longer than the Blade. But despite Duo's wounded left shoulder, it was clear that he was not willing to accept a drawn out fight. With a determination and fire that Zechs never saw in any warrior, Duo managed to take the upper-hand swiftly and efficiently.
Slowly rising to his feet with much effort, Zechs noticed two more horses that were not standing with Duo's when the battle had begun. They were all at the entrance to the cave and he gave a dark smirk. He sensed him. The human was in the cave. That bit of magic he still had, now that he was close enough. He also had another certain magic in his grasp.
When Duo landed a few feet before him, his shoulder bleeding and sweat running down his own face, the taller fey grinned, "I am impressed, Blade. I would not have expected you to handle yourself so well against me."
Duo's narrowed eyes stayed on him, holding his blade out before him to point the tip at Zechs' chest. "And now we end this," he stated calmly.
"Not before I take out your boyfriend's heart!" Zechs shouted as he pulled back on the arrow of lighting he homed in on the human's heart within the cave. The bow and arrow materialized the moment he caught the stream of magic and was releasing the arrow.
With a loud cry, Duo lunged forward, pushing all of his weight of his body behind him as his sword plunged into Zechs' chest, its tip coming out of his back before he could release the arrow. The blonde fey's eyes widened in shock stared at him as the bow and arrow disappeared from his hands.
Panting heavily as he glared him, Duo growled deeply, "You will not cause our world, nor this world... any more harm." Gripping the hilt of his weapon, the Blade pulled back, pulling it free as his enemy breathed his last. Once released, Zechs' lifeless body crumbled to the ground silently.
Taken over by the exhaustion coursing through his body, Duo collapsed to his knees. He held his bleeding shoulder with his good hand as he leaned forward, panting heavily. Closing his eyes to the realization of his own fate, the braided fey said softly in a tired voice, "I've completed my mission..."
Behind him, there was the softest ringing just before he could feel the cool metal of a sword tip resting against the back of his neck. A familiar voice hissed, "Your final mission." Treize glared heatedly down on his prey as he kept the sword at the base of the fey's slender neck.
Knowing that there was no sense in fighting, knowing that he could not return back to his world to save himself, Duo remained still as he chuckled deeply. "My deliverer," he said quietly, his eyes closed.
In an instant, he spun onto his feet, his sword hitting Treize's as they met with a loud clang to remove the weapon from his neck. Blocking the blow easily, the Commander watched the winged creature with narrowed eyes. "You've cost me a great deal," he stated in a clear, even voice that bore the hatred behind each word.
Duo's own violet eyes narrowed as he replied harshly, "You've cost the people in these lands far more than what I could possibly cost from you!" While the fight was in his voice, he made no move to strike.
Not far from the scene, Trowa and Kumi slowly made their way from the dark cave, Trowa leaning against his mate as she had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. They froze in the entrance with wide eyes, spotting Zechs' body, then the spar taking place between the fey and the Commander. They remained frozen, as not to startle Treize into attacking their friend, staying just outside of their sight.
"This battle has nothing to do with your kind!" Treize shouted in rage. "When will you realize that you never should have interfered in the affairs of humans? Isn't that what the barrier was for all this time?"
He quickly moved forward, striking at Duo and forcing him back a step. Growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of effort from his challenger, he all but shrieked, "Damn it! Fight back!"
As he continued to block the blows delivered upon him, Duo paced a step back each time. His wings spread and his glare firm on his face. "I became involved when you threatened those I care for!" he yelled back. "Your dear spy, Zechs, was the one to cross the Border first. I was merely sent after him."
Kumi's cobalt eyes looked up to her lover as she asked in a hushed, worried voice, "Why isn't Duo fighting back?"
Trowa's frowned deeply, his own concern shining through all the more as he answered, "I'm not sure. Maybe he's stalling for us to get away." By the tone in his voice, it was clear that even he didn't really believe that. Their eyes remained trained on the fey as they remained still.
Behind Trowa and Kumi, Heero stepped out into the opening of the cave after having recovered their weapons. Stopping just beside his sister, his cobalt eyes widened as they fell on the scene before him.
Without Treize noticing, Duo managed to quickly glance in their direction from the corner of his eyes, meeting the concerned gaze of his lover. The message that he sent in that brief glimpse was as clear as if Duo had shouted it over to him. 'Stay there.' With that, he looked back into Treize's determined gaze.
Suddenly, Treize paused in his advance as he stared at his opponent in shock and realization. "The Border..." His lips turned up in a smug grin as he laughed, "You can't cross it again! That's why you won't strike back! You're as good as dead!"
Duo showed no reaction, he just stood before him with an unreadable expression and his sword still in his good hand. Narrowing his eyes again, Treize stated, "And now I'll be the one to send you away. I'll not allow you to stay here any longer."
At last, with the fatigue both of his body and mind in the realization of it all, the fey's arms fell to his side as he frowned, "Yes... I can no longer deny the fact that my time here has ended."
Gritting his teeth, Treize ran forward, sending his sword ahead of him to embed it into Duo's chest, past the crack in his armor. With a twist of the blade, he made sure that the blow would end it.
Kumi cried out as Trowa pulled her head close to his chest to block her view, watching the events in disbelief. Heero went completely still as he watched, turning pale, unable to breathe as he was unwilling to trust his wide eyes.
Treize smirked smugly as he pulled the sword from the braided fey's body to clean it off just a bit, his gaze never leaving the violet eyes that never so much as flinched. He had to admit that he was impressed at how his opponent made no reaction when he was pierced. The Commander had underestimated him again.
Slowly, as his legs began to tremble, Duo looked over to where his three, stricken friends stood at the mouth of the cave. Meeting his partner's gaze, he whispered, "Heero..." He fell back to land roughly onto the ground.
Finally able to take a sharp breath, Heero shouted, "DUO!" Instantly, he knocked an arrow to the bow gripped in his right hand. Firing before anyone could blink, he shot the arrow through Treize's head, pinning him to the tree beside him, without the Commander aware of what happened to him.
Heero dropped the bow and quickly unhooked the barrel of arrows from his back as he ran to Duo's side. Kumi fell to her knees, one of her hands covered her mouth, tears streaming her face as she watched her brother stumble in his hurry to reach the fey.
Slowly, Trowa knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to hug her close as he gazed ahead with tears in his own eyes. The gruesome sight of what was left of the Commander had no affect on them.
Reaching Duo's side, Heero was no longer able to keep his panic in check as he removed his shirt. Carefully removing the chest plate from his lover, he moved to cover the wound that stood out grotesquely on his love's bare chest.
With a moan of pain, Duo panted as sweat beaded his brow. His violet eyes opened at last, they took a moment to focus on the face of his lover, watching him in fear. He managed a warm smiled and whispered, "Heero... I... I'm sorry that it has be this way."
The Japanese soldier bit his lip before shaking his head and replying softly, "Shhh. Save your energy, Duo. You'll be able to heal yourself then." He continued to push the cloth of his shirt onto the wound, desperate to stop the bleeding. He ignored the fact that his shirt was quickly becoming drenched and that the ground beneath them was being soaked as well.
At that, his smile falling away, Duo raised a trembling hand to his beloved's face to caress it tenderly. His voice little more than a whisper, he frowned, "... Fey can't heal their own wounds if they're fatal... I can't heal this."
Unwilling to believe the words, Heero gave him a forced, small smile. "Don't be silly," he spoke in what came out sounding more like a plea. With tears finally making their presence in his eyes, he stated quietly, "You'll be fine." Several of those tears spilled down his cheeks and onto his lover's hand.
Gently drying the human's tears, Duo felt the shower of his own tears running down his face as he explained in a weakening voice, "Heero, I have no regrets... I did this to protect you and to save both of our worlds. Once I am gone... balance will finally return. I'd gladly give my life countless times over if it meant you would be safe."
Heero removed Duo's hand from his face to grasp onto it tightly as he whispered out, "I don't want balance. I don't... want to be same." Still whispering, his words came out fiercely as he declared, "I just want you, Duo. Just you." His voice cracked as he barely managed, "I love you."
Squeezing his hand back as much as he could, Duo whimpered as he closed his eyes with a small sob. When he looked back up to his lover, it was becoming difficult for him to breathe. Forcing himself to find the strength, he whispered faintly, "I'll be with you somehow, Heero... If it's within my power, I'll be with you."
His lips were taken in a fierce, deep kiss when the boy suddenly leaned down. They continued to kiss each other, Duo forcing the pain from his mind as he was unwilling to be the one to break the tender moment.
"Promise me," Heero pleaded softly when he pulled back, still clutching onto his love's hand, nearly unable to see back the swirl of tears in his eyes.
Duo's eyes began to close as he whispered breathlessly, "I promise... I love you, Heero."
The last breath of air left his lungs and his wings fell lightly to the ground as the last of the tension in them passed. With a small cry, Heero pulled his limp body into his arms as he cradled him close, wailing in anguish.
After a long moment, Duo's body began to slowly disappear into a cloud of light with a multitude of colors. Gasping sharply, Heero shook his head as his tears continued to fall. Trying to hold onto him as much as he could, he murmured, "Please don't disappear... please."
Within the blinding light, where the fey's chest began to fade away, appeared the jeweled hilt of a sword. Heero's eyes widened a bit at the sight as he remained unable to move. When Duo's body disappeared completely, the long, magnificent Blade took its full form. It hovered with its metal glowing under the sunlight that broke through the trees as it hovered over where Duo had once been.
Blinking at last, Heero moved a hand forward, lightly touching the cool metal of the weapon before gripping it by the handle. The moment that his hand grasped on, his body was suddenly encased within shimmering body armor of the same mystical steel of the Blade.
Kumi and Trowa watched from the mouth of the cave, their eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Then the hilt of the dagger that Duo had given Kumi began to glow. Removing the sheathed weapon, the young woman gasped as the hilt then took on the shape of a horn.
At the sight of the horn, she had recalled the fey's words that the horn was only to be used in the most dire of times. With the battle that was still being waged, Kumi's eyes narrowed as she pressed the mouthpiece to her lips and sent a deep call, which echoed out to the wood for miles.
TBC...
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