Labyrinth - Gundam Wing Style Part 5
They say that battles make for odd bedfellows. So too do journeys make for strange traveling companions. But there is a famous old saying that describes this situation perfectly: "You and I may be different, but as long as we have the same enemy we shall walk the same path." (1)
And so it was with Duo and his new companion, the merboy named Trowa. The two seemed to be the most unlikely pair to travel the labyrinth and take on the Goblin King but they were determined to follow through on their journey, and they truly meant to win in the end.
After the conversation concerning being friends and the decision to stand together the two walked down the path Trowa had indicated at a fairly steady pace. Their walk was punctuated occasionally by pointless conversation, or by Duo's small complaints about the labyrinth as a whole, but otherwise nothing too important actually came up. In fact, surprisingly enough, both stayed pretty silent. Well, at least they did until they came to one particular opening in the thorn hedges, which opened to a completely new section of the maze.
Now, instead of thorn hedges and thick twisting vines, the walls were made of thin red material which had deep purple veins running through it and actually pulsated. The walls themselves seemed to be made of living organs from a creatures' body. (2) Heat and the sounds of constant beating flowed out from this new section and Trowa immediately stopped, taking a few steps back.
Duo glanced at the new walls, then back to Trowa. "Disgusting! What's wrong?"
Trowa shook his head. "I can't go in there, it's too hot. I'm pushing it as it is right now. I need to stay near water or I'll dry out and die." He flashed a helpless look to Duo. "I can't follow with you into that section."
"So we'll just take a different route." Duo said with a shrug, turning away from the new area.
The merboy shook his head. "That's the fastest way to the castle, you would lose to much time if you tried to find another way."
Duo frowned and glanced back at the new area. "Can you meet me on the other side? I mean, when I pass through?"
"I can try, but this labyrinth is always changing, it may take me a while to find you again when you come back out."
"Ok." Duo took a deep breath. "That works. Heh, I know you'll be able to find me, and I guess I can do this part alone. Here's good luck to me, hopefully I'll see you on the other side."
Trowa nodded and flashed a light smile.
Turning away from Trowa Duo stepped into the heat; his feet landing on a ground that felt like he was walking on a waterbed. The ground beneath him swayed slightly with each step and he could feel the heat ebbing up through his shoes. He made a face and took a few more steps forward.
It took a while to get used to walking on the strange surface but he did finally get the hang of it. After that he just simply had to deal with the revolting idea that he was basically walking on a part of the maze that seemed to be living. His steps were slow and careful, to make sure he didn't trip, because he certainly didn't want to fall and have to touch that strange floor or the strange wall with his bare hands. The whole idea just grossed him out.
"Whoever created this maze was really on something, this is just gross!"
Up ahead and around the corner he heard strange noises, voices? Duo walked to the opening and listened carefully, refusing to touch the wall and peek around the side just yet.
"Didn't you hear me? Get out!"
There was the sound of something crackling and a few higher pitched voices squeaked in fear.
Duo finally gathered his courage and grasped the pulsating wall, finding it to feel like living Jell-O, and peeked around the corner.
His eyes were treated to a very strange and confusing vision. What he saw were two short little men in thick black armor with long spears. There was a wall of fire separating them from this strange little boy who looked perfectly normal. In fact, he looked just like a human child about Solo's age except he had very long and pointy ears.
The two guards were busy poking their spears through the wall of fire, trying to hit the boy while the flames danced between them and the boy backed away.
Duo stood there for a long moment, just watching, and finally decided that he liked the little blond boy better, so that's who he'd help. Turning he surveyed the area around him but found nothing of use to help. Then he got an idea. Running back down the path he'd come from he wove his way through the passages until he was relatively sure he was right behind the blond boy, only one pulsating wall between them. Swallowing hard his revulsion to the idea he grabbed a hold of the pulsating purple veins and climbed the wall.
Oddly enough he found the wall quite easy to climb and it took no time at all for him to reach the top. Quickly he reached over the side and yelled at the boy.
"Hey! Over here!" Holding his arm down he waved to the boy, gesturing for him to come over and grab on.
The little boy jumped in surprise, but recovered quickly. With a single glance toward the two approaching men he turned and raced over to where Duo was, grabbing his arm. Duo held tight to the boy's wrist and hauled him up onto the top of the wall, until finally they were both sitting safely on the strange pulsating material. The boy then turned and looked down at the guards below.
"Get back here! How dare you run away from us!" One of them yelled, trying to hit the two with his spear.
The little boy chuckled softly. "I warned you to stay out of my home, perhaps this will make you listen next time."
With those words the boy's eyes flashed to a bright red and flames sprung up all over the floor, surrounding the two guards. The flames danced around them in shades of brilliant red and yellow, almost reaching the tops of the walls. Crying out in pain and fear the two dropped their spears and fled down the passageway as quickly as they could.
As soon as they were gone, the flames disappeared and the boy jumped the to ground, causing it to bounce just slightly as it adjusted to his weight. Spinning around on one heel he turned a curious smile toward Duo.
"You can come down, it's safe now."
Duo nodded and jumped to the ground, almost losing his balance and falling flat on his face as the ground below him wavered. Recovering quickly he looked at the boy in wonder. Upon this closer inspection he found that the boy was indeed as far from human as one could get. He had long pointed ears, surrounded by softly curled short hair which carried a strange strawberry tint. His skin, though it had looked white as pearl before, was actually a very faint pink while his eyes shifted between light blue and bright red. He wore a tunic and leggings made of black fabric with the designs of flames embroidered all around. Smiling sweetly the boy gave a small bow, and a small red tail flickered from behind his back.
"Thanks for the help. You're human aren't you?" The little boy asked, revealing that his teeth were actually quite sharp and all came to a point.
Duo's eyes widened as he realized exactly what he was staring at. This boy was every bit the stereotypical demon! He stumbled backward in surprise. "Umm, yeah." He responded weakly.
The little demon chuckled. "I seem to have scared you. Don't worry, I'm not going to roast and toast you, I don't like the taste, or the smell for that matter, of cooked human flesh."
Duo eased, but only slightly. "And raw?"
The little demon snickered some more. "No thanks. No offense but you humans have really tough skin, it is such a pain for us fire demons to bite through. And anyway, I make it a practice not to eat those who have helped me. So you're off the hook."
"Great, thanks... I think." Duo ran a nervous hand over his braid.
"I'm called Quatre, and you must be the human the walls have been telling me so much about."
"The walls talk?" Duo asked, glancing toward them in wonder.
"You can't hear it?" Quatre walked over to one of the walls and slowly slid his hand down the side. "If you listen carefully you can hear it in their heart beat, they whisper about everything that goes in the labyrinth, even about how you slapped the Goblin King." Quatre's eyes took on a glint of childish glee. "I would have loved to have seen that."
"Don't say that too loudly, or he might get mad at you too," Duo murmured.
Quatre smirked. "I'm not worried, after all he's just a child, there isn't much he can do to an older demon such as myself."
Duo raised an eyebrow. Heero was just a child? A child compared to what? "So umm... do you know which path will take me toward the castle?"
"Sadly no, I don't. But the walls do. Why don't you ask them?"
Duo glanced to the pulsating walls and just imagined placing his ears to that strange living material. He shuddered. "Uhh... no thanks. I'd rather not."
The little demon giggled softly. "Oh, I suppose I could show you the way, but there would be a small price. Us demons don't work for free, you know."
Duo swallowed. "And the price is?"
"Let me come with you, please! I want to see how you and Heero-sama deal with each other. This is bound to be the most interesting thing to happen in our messed up little home in such a long time! I wouldn't dream of missing it for the world!"
Duo blinked in surprise. Was that all? Strange, but if it weren't for appearances he would have sworn that Quatre was just a cute and innocent little child with a great amount of curiosity. The thought almost made him chuckle as he realized that he'd been jumping to conclusions about the boy just because of how he looked.
"Sure, you can come with. I'm sure Trowa won't mind when he meets you."
Quatre's eyes widened. "Ohh! You're traveling with the merboy? I've always wanted to meet him!"
"Ok, great! So... which way do we go?"
The little demon jumped up and down happily then rushed over to one of the walls. Whispering softly to it he placed his ear up against the wall and listened carefully. After a moment he pulled away and smiled, he pointed down a passageway. "This way."
Bounding along happily he took off down the path, Duo following close behind.
~*~
Trowa walked down the path alone, moving at a leisurely pace as he studied the walls around him. He sighed happily as he came up to a large pond. Stepping to the water's edge he placed a foot in the water and was about to jump in when he heard a sound behind him. Whirling around he caused some of the water to splash out onto the path.
Heero stood behind him.
Trowa took a quick step back farther into the water and further away from the Goblin King.
"Stop," Heero said in a quiet voice.
Trowa shook his head and readied to jump into the pool and swim away to safety.
"I was in error before."
That line made the merboy freeze and he glanced back at the Goblin King. To his surprise he found the young king looking slightly regretful. Changing his mind he turned completely to face the boy.
"What do you wish to speak with me about?" Trowa asked quietly, still not completely trusting.
"I was angry at the boy, and I took it out on you without thinking. I wish to fix my mistake."
Trowa watched as the boy king moved his hand and a crystal appeared. He tossed the crystal and Trowa caught it glancing in the clear glass. Before him he saw a beautifully clear pond, filled with others of his kind swimming around happily. His home? He looked up at Heero in question.
"You must understand that I can not just hand the boy back to him, he must still make it through the Labyrinth. Instead I'm giving you this. It will enable him to check on his brother and make sure he is not being mistreated."
Trowa nodded. "I'll be sure to give it to him."
Nodding the goblin king turned and shifted back into his owl form, flying off. Trowa stood silently in the pool for a moment, turning the crystal over in his hands. He didn't completely trust the goblin king but he could see nothing wrong with the crystal. Shrugging to himself he stepped into the pond and dove under, determined to find which pathway would lead him to where he and Duo were supposed to meet up.
TBC...
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