She no longer cries to herself, no tears left to wash away
Just diaries of empty pages, feelings gone a stray
...But she will sing ...
'Til everything burns
-Lyrics to 'Everything Burns' performed by Anastasia and Ben Moody
Elements of Great Design Part 18
Heero was not normally one to cry. However, a few silent tears broke past even his strong defenses in the wake of hearing Wufei and Anna's sad tale.
Trying to not draw attention to the shimmer in his eyes, he subtly reached up to wipe the droplets away as the others around him allowed their own emotions to show plainly. ...
Duo sniffled and pulled his legs tight against his chest to prop his chin on his knees.
Quatre had unknowingly leaned against Trowa beside him for some form of support through his own tears as the Dragoon rested an arm around the White Mage's shoulders.
His furry head resting in his lover's lap, Wufei let out a soft whine as his dampened dark eyes sparkled in the light of the campfire. Biting her lip, the redheaded thief released a shuddering sigh and wrapped her arms around the wolf's thick neck in a tight hug as a soft sob escaped her.
Noting the thin, sparkling gold band on her left ring finger and the large purple flower tied to the strap of her quiver, the Fighter observed those mementoes in a whole new light.
"So for five years you have been traveling Gaia like this, not knowing if you would ever be together as you had been again?" Heero asked softly, the awe that he felt in his whisper.
Anna straightened herself, smiling as she shrugged, "Of course. I love him. And I meant every promise that I made. Nothing is going to separate us and we are going to find a way to bring you back... no matter what I have to do to make it happen."
Winking to the wolf, she grinned, "He would do the same thing for me." His tall ears perking up, Chang's tail wagged excitedly and grunted out an affirmative to her.
Unable to help himself, Duo rose to his feet and gently tugged on the archer's arm to get her to stand. Once she was up, he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her cheek. "We'll do everything that we can to help," he swore solemnly on behalf of everyone as she held him back.
Pulling away only enough to have their gazed lock, the Black Mage frowned deeply, "But I cannot agree to taking your life. No spell is beyond Death and so I would be able to deliver you from this world and free Fei, but I refuse to kill you."
The corner of her mouth curling up, Fraise replied, "Well, I did vow to not seek out Death. The ideal situation would be to put an end to Mariemaia and have her retract her magic whether that be of her own free will or by the feel of one of my arrows piercing her heart. Either way, the situation will be handled."
Sure as her words came from her, there was also a subtle glance of her blue eyes over to the Earth Keeper that both Yuy and Maxwell picked up.
As innocent as the glimpse was, it revealed clearly that Anna had a back-up plan should her first strategy not work. She was just not voicing it for Chang's sake. And knowing how much she had already sacrificed for her lover, neither the Fighter nor the Mage was about to doubt that she wouldn't hesitate in sacrificing her life for him should all other options fail.
Lowering his arm from its drape around Quatre's shoulders, Trowa focused back on another matter at hand. "You said that Mariemaia was with her Uncle Dekim. He must be Dekim Barton who is known to be related to Lady Une," he commented.
Under his breath he mumbled, "After that story, I am glad there is no common tie that Catherine or I share with him." He shook his head, "But there has never been a mention of his influence over the child as all focus has fallen on her starting with the treaties that she had dispersed."
"Oh, he is influencing her alright," Fraise growled lowly.
"From that short meeting, it was more than clear that he is using his niece by making this war a sort of a game to her that has run away beyond her total control. Though he might not have her dark abilities to bring Abaddon's minions into this world, he has enough of an effect on the choices that she makes. I wouldn't be surprised if he was only looking to keep her at the helm of the war right up until he can comfortably sit in her place."
Heero's eyes narrowed in a heated glare as he gritted, "It's the arrangement for the perfect storm that will bring Gaia down, a child who has no idea what she is doing and a power-hungry heir to the throne who is perfectly aware and willing to use that to their advantage."
The heat in his tone fading and his cobalt eyes relaxing, the Fighter asked the thief, "Do you think that there is any hope for Mariemaia if Dekim was no longer a problem?"
Blinking in surprise at the question, Fraise frowned, "Honestly, I am not sure. The fact that she did not kill us when she'd had the chance says a lot of her not losing her soul for now. But we may never know for certain."
Unconsciously running her hand through the thick fur at the top of her partner's head when he appeared at her side, she stated, "If we cannot bring Wufei back to his true form, he will not be able to use his powers of Earth to be of the help we need to stop her. Turning him into a wolf only assured her that even if we were all together, we are not at our full strength."
As he chewed on the inside of his cheek in deep thought, Duo looked over at the White mage and said, "I wouldn't mind getting a good look into that spell along with Quat. Maybe between the two of us using our powers to seek out the thread of that magic we might find a way to work around it."
Beaming at the chance, Winner rose to his feet and stood beside the son of Shinigami with a ready expression on his face.
As he rubbed his hands together in anticipation, Quatre told his fellow Keepers, "I have been looking for an opportunity to get a glimpse into what Mariemaia can do besides bringing monsters into Gaia. And to know that it would be assisting the two of you will only make this the greatest of honors for me."
The archer's eyes grew and she spun to exchange her surprised look with Wufei's. Nodding enthusiastically to their gifted friends, she smiled, "Just say the word of what it is you need from us."
* * * * * *
Zechs' army was making great time in taking a rounded course north to Paramecia so that they might come to pass through kingdoms that he had yet to meet during the retreat that they had initiated.
Their tents raised and horses resting for the evening, the Fighters set to preparing their dinners as the Coneria King stood at the edge of the line of trees that provided their cover. Staring out to the distant walls of the first kingdom that they had seen since their journey began, he sighed deeply and dry washed his face with a hand.
"Is everything alright, Sire?" a familiar voice asked in concern as feet trained not to make a sound approached without a hint to the presence they brought.
Nodding as he straightened himself, the young King replied, "Just a lot on my mind, Trent. All things considered, that is going to be a common state for me from this point on. There is a great deal resting on our shoulders in getting this right so that the word of what is happening spreads as quickly as possible."
And that was in truth a part of what was bothering him... but for the most part, he was missing his dear wife terribly. Still, aside from how that was no less an obvious thought on his mind, Zechs was not about to appear weak at all when it came to having his mind set to the cause that he had set out for.
Regaining his composure, Merquise peered over to his faithful guard that had stepped up beside him, smiling, "And for this venture, I consider myself an equal to you Fighters. So please, just call me Zechs."
The handsome soldier winced and smirked, "Well, that may take some getting used to. But I will try to remember that request."
Gesturing back to the camp over his shoulder, he informed, "Your royal robes have been set out to be ready for our arrival into Karnak tomorrow." Merquise bowed his head in gratitude and returned his focus back onto the dark walls that scraped the sky filled with stars.
Following his leader's line of sight, Trent asked softly, "Do you suppose anyone is still living in that city even with the spreading darkness?"
"We will know when we reach it," the King answered, shrugging. "People are wary when it comes to entering something they do not know, but they are also interested in preservation when it seems threatened. So, I will not be surprised by whatever we find either way. All that we can hope is that if there are any souls within those walls they will listen to what we have to say as it will be brief before we move on again."
After a brief pause, the Fighter cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "For what it's worth, Sir-" Smiling, he cut himself off and tried again, "I mean, Zechs... the men are quite endeared to you for joining us in the fight. Whenever we shall come into the fray, you will have a wall of steel of your own protecting you with us around."
Grinning warmly at that, Merquise met his guard's gaze and replied, "That is most appreciated, but it is also not something that I would ever demand of you. We are all in this together and the strength of our numbers should not be concerned with the safety of one, and that includes me. If things ever become-"
He was stopped short when another familiar voice cried from deeper in the trees, "Lord Merquise!" At the frantic sound, the King and his Fighter spun with wide eyes just as Alex charged into the scene, eyes wide in panic.
Coming to a halt before them, the blonde Fighter bowed deeply at the waist, panting, "Y-your... Highness... f-forgive me for this, but there is something you need to see."
Not waiting to ask questions, Zechs opted to simply get to the bottom of what had the normally unfazed officer so alarmed. Closing the distance between them with Trent right behind, he nodded firmly, "Lead the way."
Alex swallowed roughly, spinning and leading them quickly back into the forest as he informed, "Mueller and I decided to begin head counting before everyone settled in their tents for the night. If we come into any trouble, it would be good to know how many strong we are going in and coming out of any struggle."
"That was a very wise call," the King praised, trying to ignore his unsettled nerves over how fast the young man was pushing them towards the camp. Whatever was going on had to be quite bad. He continued to encourage, "I would not have thought of taking those measures in seeing that we leave none of our own behind should they need us."
Biting his lip, the Peacemillion peered over his shoulder and frowned deeply, "Well, we actually found that we have one more person than we were expecting. That is the reason I came to find you straight away."
His own mouth frowning at that, Zechs blinked in confusion. Just as he was about to ask for further explanation, they stepped amongst the tents of their army. All around, the Fighters were standing close in a semi-circle with anxious expressions. Their quiet discussions ended abruptly at the King's arrival.
In the center of the partial ring, Mueller stood beside a shrouded person who had their hooded head handing lowly. Straightening himself smartly, the dark-skinned soldier saluted the King approaching them and greeted, "Sire." He shrank away, seeming all too happy to slip from the scene.
Only all the more perplexed as to what the trouble was, Merquise reached forward and pulled away the Stranger's hood. At the face that peered up to him at its revealing, he froze with a sharp gasp. "Noin?" he breathed in disbelief.
As much hard as he tried to not trust his widened eyes, his wife was most certainly standing before him. The corner of her mouth curling in a smirk, she shrugged, "Surprise." A few nervous snickers rose from the audience, those to make the sounds quickly dropping their heads and clearing their throats.
In that instant, there were so many emotions surging through Zechs that he could not sort out how to react right away.
There was his overwhelming joy in seeing his bride for the first time in days when he had been so sure that they would never be together again. And in confliction with those feelings was the quickly building anger over how she had put herself in harm's way when she should have been far from the darkness by that time.
Eyes narrowing and teeth gritting, Zechs took a firm hold of his Queen's arm and turned to the Peacemillion Fighters that had discovered her. "Thank you, men," he told them sincerely. "I will take it from here."
All too willing to not be involved in however he handled the situation, Mueller and Alex stepped aside along with Trent in clearing a straight walkway to the King's tent. Practically running from the scene, the other soldiers around either made themselves busy or disappeared to not be a part of the little reunion.
Keeping her head high with a defiant expression on her face, Noin allowed her husband to pull her towards his 'quarters.' Once the flap to the tent door fell into place, she sighed deeply, "I know that you do not want me here-"
"Of course I don't want you here!" the King shouted as he spun to face her. "How could you go behind my back like this when you are perfectly aware that I need to know you are safe?! This is only going to cost us valuable time and a handful of the Fighters to see them escort you back to the refugee camp where you belong!"
Lucrezia lost her state of calm and matched his glare, snapping, "No one but I can say where I belong! And not long after you left, I realized that whatever the consequences may be, I belong with you!" Tears began to fill her eyes as she declared fervently, "Try sending me away and every effort will fail, I promise you."
The wind in his sails rushing out along with the breath in his lungs in a sharp huff of air, Zechs' shoulders slumped heavily. "There are few in Gaia more stubborn than you when you have your mind set on anything," he muttered. Running a hand through his long bangs, he paced the 'floor' and shook his head in frustration.
"You know I am apt with a sword," the Queen said quietly. "My father wanted a son and he had me. It would take no time at all for me to be comfortable with a blade once I have one. I am far more helpful here than running with those who cannot defend themselves. Sylvia is more than capable of continuing where we left off in speaking to the Sovereigns she meets. We both saw that in Peacemillion."
Merquise could not argue that. He could not even suggest that the young royal was not yet fit to be on her own when she had King Drake and Queen Gloria to act as her 'guardians' in their place...
...what was more, he could not even fight against how Noin's skills in fighting could be useful to the army. No matter how much he hated the thought of seeing her in harm's way, he had no grounds to stand on in forcing her away.
Especially not when there was also that large part of him that wanted his wife with him.
Raising a finger, between their faces, Zechs said slowly and clearly, "You will stay far back in our ranks and you will not see a single battle unless for some reason your life depends on it. So long as you accept those terms, I will be fine in allowing you to stay and be retrained by Trent and the Fighters to be prepared for anything that we may come up against."
Noin's grin returned as she nodded, "I accept those terms. Thank you, my lo-" She was cut off with a deep kiss that befell her in a desperate 'assault.' Her widened eyes closing as she returned the gesture tenfold, their arms gripped onto each other tightly as they began a far more proper reunion.
* * * * * *
Coming out of their trances at the same time, Duo and Quatre reeled back as they sat on the ground with their hands propped palms up on their folded legs. Covered in sweat from their efforts, they panted to catch their breath as Wufei and Anna blinked and waited.
To his surprise and relief, the White Mage was soon joined by Trowa as the Dragoon took a place at his free side to rest a hand on his shoulder. Heero all but fell to his own knees next to the Black Mage to offer the same support.
His focus returning to take the pair seated before him in, Maxwell shuddered. "Dear Creator," he breathed, reaching up with a shaking hand to dry his face. Leaning against the Fighter without realizing that he was, he shook his head, "That spell... is incredibly complex. I have never felt anything like it."
"I could not find any break in its hold," Winner frowned as he turned his head to look on the son of Shinigami. "Just the fact that it is so powerful and yet we could not sense it without forcing our own gifts to seek it is remarkable."
Though she knew that her friends had sent their gifts out to run over her, Anna felt none of it on her person. And judging by how Wufei blinked in confusion at her, he was also unaware of any change. Biting her lip, the archer gazed back on the Mages to ask, "So... you were not able to find a way through the spell's defenses?"
Duo and Quatre exchanged saddened glances before the braided gifted sighed deeply to the redhead, "No. There is absolutely no gap in its hold around the two of you." Winner's aquamarine irises floated behind thick tears building up at the distressing announcement that he was all too aware would have to be made.
Shaking his head, Maxwell cleared his throat and focused on Fraise as he all but whispered through his wracking emotions, "Aside from Mariemaia's demise, the only way for Wufei to regain his true form would be for you to die, Anna."
Chang let out a loud whine and anxiously nudged his lover's hands in her lap with the end of his wet nose. Returning back to the present, the thief blinked rapidly before peering down at the wolf and hugged his neck.
"It's alright, love," she reassured softly even though her voice thickened. "I already promised that we will solve this by taking care of the person responsible. This news is nothing that we have not already known."
But there was that glimmer of hope that their gifted friends might have been able to find another way. The brief shimmer in her blue eyes that she quickly banished was proof enough of that. Waving to dry those droplets, she smiled sincerely to the Mages, "Thank you for trying. It means the world to us that you are showing so much support and every effort to help us."
With those words, her comrades understood that there were no more tears for Fraise to shed over what was lost. All that remained was her ever present desire for revenge... for the fire that she would no doubt rain down on her enemies to burn them all until her lover was free...
She would burn everything to the ground if she had to.
All but jumping up to her feet, Anna took hold of her bow and quiver. Pulling the strap over her arm, the large, purple bud rested on her shoulder. "We'll take the first watch," she announced cheerfully with a grin and a wink to their comrades in arms.
Their steps quick and measured, the couple walked off to a short pile of stones a feet few into the gathering darkness beyond the camp to take their places on guard as the others gave them the space that they needed.
Sniffling as he watched the Earth and Fire Keepers walk off, Quatre muttered, "I have never seen anything more beautiful than the love they have for each other. To have that devotion and that selflessness..."
His voice cracking, he shook his head. "Few in this world are fortunate enough to find anything remotely like what they share." Heero, Duo and Trowa fought their own raging feelings as they nodded.
Though there was very little time in which they had actually known the newest members of the Alliance, the four remaining teammates were completely endeared to the two of them.
Without another word between them aside from the order of watches for the evening, the travelers rose to their feet and made their ways to their respective tents. Maxwell, however, remained behind to stare off in the direction that Anna and Wufei had walked off. As the last to step away, Yuy paused and frowned deeply in concern when he looked on the son of Shinigami.
Just watching the slumped form of his best friend, the Fighter's heart broke in reading all of the internal battles that were being waged in that remarkable creature's mind. Turning back, he quietly returned to sit at the Black Mage's side.
"You did everything that you could for them," Heero quietly comforted after a long pause in which he gazed on his distracted partner's face. "Wufei and Anna know that."
Moved by his instincts, Yuy rested a hand on a heavy shoulder and squeezed it as he commented, "You always put so much pressure on yourself in helping others. If there was anything more that may have been done, you would have found it."
Releasing a deep breath, Duo finally looked into the soldier's cobalt eyes and smiled that genuine smile of his that reached his violet eyes. And in that moment of having such a private sight in the flickering campfire, the Fighter's breath hitched at thinking how his best friend was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
In a whisper, the son of Shinigami said sincerely, "Thanks, 'Ro... I needed that." Peering back ahead, he sighed, "You know... there's that little part of me that keeps wishing that maybe I might be fortunate enough to find a love like theirs some day... overcoming every obstacle that comes in the way and only rising stronger from it all."
His heart skipping a couple of beats at that, Heero swallowed roughly. Not even knowing that he was speaking, he heard himself say softly, "I know you will since I have a hard time imagining anyone not loving you."
...'I love you,' he thought to himself.
That silent confession to himself left the soldier reeling. But what he actually voiced was enough to take Duo aback as he blinked widely in surprise. Chuckling softly when his shock wore off, the braided gifted smirked and pressed a soft kiss against his best friend's temple. "I'll bet you say that to all the Lords of Death," he teased in their playful banter. "But it is most appreciated."
Standing, Maxwell winked to the Fighter and headed off for his tent. "Good night," he called over his shoulder.
''Night," was all that Heero could manage as he stared into the campfire.
He remained there, deep in thought, until the start of his watch.
TBC...
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