01-Oct-2001
Title: The Swan And The Sorcerer
Author: Katana Rey
Rating: NC-17
Warning: yaoi, lemon
Pairing: 4x1, 2x1, Lemon [it's kind of complicated but there's also an implied Ralphx3, 4xRalph and an unrequited 3+1 as well, for those people, like me actually, who can never remember Ralph, he's the guy in the comic series that looks a lot like a grown up version of Heero. I never refer to him by name in the fic by the way.]
Notes: [this fic was supposed to be a part of 'Once upon a time... GW Fairytales' but I am a bit dubious on this one, it may be better to run this as a one shot instead ::shrugs:: I hate it when things turn out differently to the way you intend]
Swan Lake Outline:
The story, from a French version of a German tale, is about a princess, Odette, who is turned into a swan by an evil magician, Rothbart; in some versions of the story, all of her friends become swans, too. Every midnight, she (and her friends) become human again for a few hours. One midnight, she is discovered by Prince Siegfried who falls madly in love with her and promises to rescue her. There is a ball in the castle where Siegfried is meant to choose a bride. Odile, Knight Rothbart's daughter, enters as a black swan, looking exactly like Princess Odette. Siegfried is instantly drawn to her, and he declares she will be his bride. Odette then appears and sees what has happened, and he recognizes her too, and realizes he has broken his promise. She rushes off to the lake, and he comes and finds her there. She forgives him, but Rothbart creates a big storm and both Odette and Siegfried are drowned. In some versions, there is a happy ending: Siegfried fights Rothbart and rescues Odette and her companions after breaking the spell. Yet in other versions of Swan Lake, Rothbart surprises the Princess and her companions while they are gathering flowers at the lake and transforms them all into swans.
^_^;; Let me just warn you that one of the restrictions that I discovered in working with a ballet story was in trying to figure out how to fill in all that dancing... and heh... ended up with a lot more lemons that I have ever written in my life... so NC-17. Please use your judgement when reading this fic. By the way, I'm not comfortable with lemons... I'd rather not be flamed thank you.
The young prince galloped into the forest, ignoring the alarmed cry of his head huntsman who spurred on his horse to try to cut off the royal heir. Thick vines rose up behind the prince, blocking his followers from entering the dark depths of the verdant green trees after him. His heart beating rapidly, the prince was forced to slow his horse to a walk, unwilling to risk injuring his favourite steed, as they stepped gingerly through the increasing undergrowth. He directed his steed towards the simmering blue patch, dimly visible through the dark trunks. Drawing nearer to the lake, the prince could hear the faint notes of a flute growing clearer, and his eyes grew distant as he surrendered his soul to the music that had haunted his dreams... the smooth white hand dropped the gem studded bridle and the chestnut coloured gelding came uneasily to a stop, a shudder running through its tensing body as the familiar weight on its back suddenly disappeared.
The head huntsman buried his head in his hands in despair as he knelt next to the body of the dead horse, not listening to the dark mutters of his hunters as they examined its icy cold corpse and whispered under their breath of magic. He wept noiselessly, as he clutched the brilliant ruby studded ring bearing the royal signet and knew that the bright lord that he had loved, was lost. At first, the prince's father refused to accept the loss of his son, and the King called forth his armies and had them scour the forest inch by inch, determined to retrieve his son, or... at least, his body.
The search continued for over a year until the grieving King finally admitted that his son, and only heir, was gone and the army returned to their task of guarding the borders of the Kingdom. With his brother's permission, the King adopted his nephew, a quiet young man with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes, as his new heir. The court missed their golden prince and gave a cold welcome to their new prince, intimidated by the grim, smile-less countenance and the hard gaze. However, in time, they found that their new lord, despite his apparent coldness, had a warm and gentle heart and grew to love him.
When the King died, his nephew became the new ruler and the Kingdom forgot that there had ever been another prince. As the Kingdom celebrated the joyful event of their new King's first born son, the only one in the land who still remembered the bright laughing lord, with sun gold hair and sea blue eyes was the King, who had loved his lost cousin deeply. When his heir was of age to go adventuring, the King forbade his son from ever entering the forest. And when the King's son in turn held his son in his arms, his father told him, for the first time about the beautiful cousin who had disappeared into the forest.
As the years passed, each generation were told the story of the golden lord by their loving fathers, who warned them against entering the dark forest bordering their land...
Heero sighed with exhaustion, and wiped his grimy hand over the sweat soaked brow, smearing a black mark across his fair, flushed skin, and shrugged out of the filth covered dark green doublet with distaste. Heero shivered, his skin prickling from the touch of the cold air in the thin, sweat soaked silk shirt and wished with all his heart that he had listened to his father.
The young prince picked up his pace nervously as the light surrounding him slowly faded and Heero heard the faint rustling in the distance as dark shadows grew around him. He felt his heart lighten as he saw a hint of blue through the dark trunks barricading him in, and stumbled forward in a half run. Heero stifled a faint curse under his breath as he burst through the trees and found, not the hoped for sight of the river at the edge of the forest, but a lake, silent and desolate in its isolation. Heero stared at the lake blankly, his hopes fading as last rays of the sun disappeared, the sky darkening to the pale purplish grey of twilight, and the water of the lake changed from a clear crystal blue to an ominous black.
The soft sounds of a flute filled the air and the prince shivered, a cold chill gripping his heart. He stared at the swan in the distant sky, his attention caught by a pale white shadow that cut through the darkening sky and slowly swooped in, closing on the black waters. Heero watched silently, his eyes never leaving the bird, as instead of landing on the water, it dived in and disappeared into the dark depths. With the bird's disappearance, the sound of the flute heralding its appearance faded into silence and a pair of green eyes watched with cold detachment as the young prince ran towards the lake.
Heero waited for the bird to surface in agonised silence as he ran, pulling off his boots and sword belt, dropping the heavy doublet from his hands. He pulled his shirt over his head impatiently and without a second's hesitation, plunged his body into the dark water of the lake. Heero didn't know why the bird was so important to him, all he knew was that he had to save it, that if he failed, nothing else would ever hold any meaning for him... He broke through to the surface of the water, desperately gulping down another breath of air before diving back, his eyes blurring painfully as he squinted through the murky depths, trying to catch a glimpse of a white body. His head was getting dizzy from lack of air and Heero felt the muscles in his legs cramping from the cold water, his chest burning painfully as his body protested against the strain he was imposing.
Heero swallowed a mouthful of the bitter cold water of the lake, his tired arms and legs slowed, and the young prince felt the leaden weight of his body dragging him down. As Heero fought against the freezing water, a hand wrapped around his limp wrist and he felt himself being pulled up to the surface. Heero choked and spluttered painfully, trying to expel the cold water in his lungs as he fought to regain his breath. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the warm embrace of the man who held him, sensing security in the strong arms encircling his waist. Heero leaned his head against the bared shoulder and allowed his unexpected rescuer to pull them both to the shore.
Heero was almost half asleep when the stranger carried him from the water, shivering uncontrollably as his wet skin was exposed to the night air. Heero felt himself being laid on the ground gently and then the gentle hands moved to his waist and pulled off the soaked trousers. He curled up automatically, to try to maximise his warmth, and felt the warmth of another body slipping around him as the stranger wrapped his bare limbs around him. Heero opened his eyes, a faint flush warming his cheeks when he felt the hands moving over his body, firmly stripping the cold moisture from his chilled skin and he turned around, switching his weight to the bent left arm, to face his rescuer.
Heero stared up at the beautiful man lying next to him, his blood turning to fire as he studied the bared white flesh gleaming marble under the moonlit sky, the ivory perfection of the angelic face looking down at him, framed by pale gold hair that flowed down to the knees...
Quatre looked down at the youth he had rescued, feeling his heart stop within him as he recognised the fiery blue eyes gazing out of the untidy brown hair, and felt an answering heat in his groin as he saw the soft lips parting invitingly... He leaned down and kissed the wide-eyed boy, dropping soft kisses on the pliant lips waiting below, his thoughts losing coherence as the sweet hot mouth opened for him.
Heero felt raging heat rushing through his body as he raised his arms and closed them around the other man's body, trying to pull him even closer, his skin tingling unbearably with the need to touch and be touched. Heero moved unconsciously underneath the blond man's weight, not realising that he was slowly rubbing himself against the panting man, who opened his eyes and stared at him intensely, the sea green eyes scanning his face carefully, as though he was searching for something.
Quatre leaned his arms against the sides of Heero's face and tried to desperately to gather his scattered thoughts, as desire and lust for the man underneath him enflamed his senses. The boy reminded him of someone... Then Quatre stopped thinking altogether, a shiver running through him as he felt the soft hands move behind him, moving up his thighs and slipping over his rounded buttocks and then running back down into the inner thighs. Quatre breathed heavily, his eyes losing their focus as he felt the burning build in his groin. A faint moan escaped his lips as he leaned down and buried his face against the smooth white skin, his mouth opening eagerly as he tasted the sweet saltiness of the Heeero's flesh and moved his hand down the chest, caressing the flat muscled stomach lingeringly as he moved down.
Heero gasped softly as Quatre's hands moved aound to the side of his hips, then found himself being pushed down on to his back and felt the other man moving his body between his legs. Heero rubbed his legs against the lean muscular legs restlessly, not sure of what was happening and breathed heavily as Quatre grabbed hold of his thighs and pushed them apart, his eyelids fluttering with embarassment as he allowed the other man to spread his legs.
Quatre looked down and saw the sweet white flesh of the exposed throat as Heero threw back his head and leant down to taste the irresistible lure, even as he cupped the rounded buttocks with his hands and squeezed the firm globes, pushing them apart to expose the dark crevice hiding his prize.
Heero closed his eyes, his mind overwhelmed by the new sensations from his body, the pounding beat of his heart rushing in his ears, as he moved his own hands boldly, sweeping them through the long silky strands, enjoying the feel of the rippling muscles in the other man's arms and legs. He thought he would go insane from pleasure when he felt the delicate probing of the soft wet tongue flickering on his skin, stifling a faint cry as he felt the hands lifting his hips and felt an unexpected intrusion entering his body.
Quatre rubbed the buttocks soothingly as he felt the youth stiffening against his exploring finger, and he buried his face in the soft dark curls between Heero's legs, landing soft kisses and nuzzling the tender skin, joining one hand to softly cradle the loose skin around the balls, rolling them gently as he licked at the rising head. Quatre continued his caresses, ignoring the aching fire in his own loins, waiting patiently until he saw the swollen tip oozing slightly with white liquid.
Heero moaned helplessly, his writhing body locked firmly under Quatre's, his hips thrusting aimlessly as he felt the teasing caresses between his legs, then, as his mind blurred with pleasure, he felt the firm insistent intrusion between his buttocks again. Heero bit his lips to stifle the automatic protest as he felt Quatre's fingers enter him, tears squeezing from his eyes as he felt the fingers push inside him, stretching him... and then his world exploded with pleasure and Heero rocked his hip, trying to dig the fingers in even deeper inside him...
Heero mewed in protest as he felt the fingers withdrawing from his body, then stilled again when he felt Quatre's hands lifting his hips again, placing his body against him and felt the gentle probe of the tip pressing against his entrance. Heero opened his legs as widely as he could, to welcome the new intrusion, crying out in pain and ecstasy as he felt the hard flesh invading him.
Quatre looked down and locked gazed with the steel blue eyes, which snapped open, and felt his heart jump as he stared into the silent pools that spoke eloquently of love. He reached out and smoothed the sweat beaded forehead, slowly leaning forward to capture the inviting mouth, and saw the white arms rise up, the soft hands cupping his face as Quatre nudged his tongue into the sweet wetness, wanting to join their two bodies forever.
As agony and pleasure ripped through his body, Heero knew that he would never be complete again without this person.
Quatre looked down at the sleeping face of the young prince he had rescued, unable to go without taking one more look of the beloved face that he had almost forgotten. He gently caressed the dark hair, running his fingers through the short silken locks and stopped, his heart thumping rapidly as Heero stirred restlessly in his sleep. Quatre forced himself to move away from the intoxicating body, careful not to make any noise. He looked at the sleeping boy with loving tenderness and dawning guilt, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful face that he had longed for. When he was sleeping, the illusion was more complete, and Quatre was almost able to see the gentle cousin of his past. But when he had stared into the brilliant fire of the steel blue eyes under him, burying his flesh deep into the sweet body below him, Quatre had known, that the resemblance had been only an illusion. His cousin was dead, the gentle friend that had warmed his heart and his bed was long gone and he, a fool, caught in a trap of his own devising.
He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through the long tangled hair, trying to smooth out the knots as he stared blankly at the sleeping figure curled up next to the fire. Quatre could feel the blood rushing to his groin again as the long legs stirred sleepily, the thin white shirt riding up the limbs, exposing the pale gleaming skin as Heero tossed restlessly on the hard, uncomfortable ground. 'Heaven help me,' Quatre groaned involuntarily, as the raging heat in his body told him that he wanted the boy again. He stared at the lightening sky in despair, knowing that he had almost run out of time.
With an effort, he tore his eyes away from the sleeping boy and picked up the scattered clothing from the ground. Quatre worked quickly, wanting to finish tiding up Heero's cloths before his lover woke, washing the dirt encrusted clothes in the lake and leaving them hanging on the nearby branch. Quatre looked again at the sweet sleeping face and wished with all his heart that he could be there to greet him, when the dazzling blue eyes opened.
Quatre sighed heavily and walked away from his love with a heavy heart, down to the shore of the lake. At the edge of the water, he hesitated, turning his head to catch one more glimpse of his sleeping lover, then slowly, reluctantly, walked into the black water, as the faint rays of the morning sun slowly lightened the sky. The naked man dived into the water, just as the golden rays bathed the lake, transforming the black surface into glittering silver laced blue satin, and a moment later, a white swan burst out from the waters and flew into the sky.
The swan circled the lake in silence, its wings flapping gently as it swooped down, flying towards the sleeping figure on the ground. The sweet music of a flute filled the morning air and the swan cried out in distress, its harsh cry briefly drowning out the sound of the flute, then the swan shot upwards to the sun, its sleek feathers gleaming gold as the graceful form plunged into the blazing rays piercing the opening clouds and disappeared into the gold-shot pink sky.
The Sorcerer watched the swan fly away, the silver flute dropping from his lips as he turned his attention to the young prince, and for the first time in a hundred years, felt the stirring of his frozen heart. His green eyes narrowed as he saw the lost look in Heero's eyes and he raised the flute again, the sweet music stilling the cry of panic and anguish that broke from the dark haired boy. Trowa continued playing his flute, spelling the music to blur the prince's memory of his encounter with the golden beauty.
Heero moved languidly, his eyes dulling as the music bound its web around him and eased the terrible ache in his heart, draining away the pain of the soul-shattering loss, that he had felt on waking up and finding himself alone, and bereft. He gathered his damp clothes and dressed himself numbly, the memories of his home and his father rising to the surface, summoned by the song of the flute. When the music died away, Heero stared at the still water of the lake with a puzzled frown, the golden glint of sunlight on the blue green waters reminding him of someone... he shook his head impatiently, his growling stomach reminding him just how much he wanted to go home...
The Sorcerer walked down to the edge of the lake once the prince had left, and spelled the water to follow the dark haired boy. He opened the forest for Heero, subtly guiding him out of the forest. The young prince stumbled over the undergrowth clumsily as he headed eagerly towards the sounds of barking dogs in the distance. Trowa smiled faintly as Heero broke into a run, his eyes shining happily as he called out to the tired hunters who had searched ceaselessly for their young master all through the long night.
'Why did you call for me?'
Trowa lifted his eyes from the picture in the water, nodding silently in greeting to the tall slender man, who emerged from the shadows and walked to his side. Duo looked past the Sorcerer's shoulder and saw the elfin face of the young prince, his huge blue eyes shaded by thick, untidy brown locks, and pursed his lips into a whistle.
'What amazing likeness.' Duo murmured silkily as he reached out his hand to the image in the water, a throaty laugh breaking from his mouth as the Sorcerer raised his hand and the boy's face rippled and disappeared.
'Am I to be flattered that you are asking for my assistance in this new round?' Duo brushed his thick chestnut hair away from his neck and lowered his eyelids sensually, the purple eyes glittering disturbingly under the thick dark lashes, as he leaned forward and whispered huskily in the Sorcerer's ear.
Trowa's green eyes flared briefly with long forgotten emotions as he turned his head, and stared at the heart shaped face of the beautiful man, feeling the faint brush of Duo's warm breath on his lips.
'I have grown weary of the game Duo.' Trowa spoke softly, his voice flat and emptied of emotion, belying the emerald depths hidden behind the auburn bang covering half his face, which spoke eloquently of pain and sorrow, and of hate. 'I don't even care anymore about the game... I wish only to end it. ...with your help.' Trowa admitted the last reluctantly, unaccustomed to asking for anyone's assistance.
Duo moved back from the Sorcerer, his eyes darkening to obsidian as the shadows crept up his sides and he leaned against warmed rock behind him, tucking one knee into his hands as he considered Trowa's request.
'Tell me what you want...' Duo said sweetly, the shadows hiding his face. 'And why you want this...'
Trowa hissed angrily at the shadowy form, his eyes narrowing coldly as his grip on the silver flute tightened, and a pale glowing light surrounded the thin instrument. Duo waited silently, gathering the shadows around him just in case the enraged Sorcerer decided to reject his price, then relaxed as Trowa slowly released his fingers around the flute and allowed it to fall to the ground.
'The white swan...' Trowa said at last in a harsh voice, his composure gone at last, the green eyes glared balefully at the shadowed form in front of him. 'I want him to die...' Trowa laughed emptily as he clenched his fists, 'but first... I want him to feel... I want him to understand what it feels like to be betrayed... by your love... I want him to taste the bitterness of losing his love... I want Quatre to know just how fragile love is... how easily the human forgets...' Trowa's eyes closed as the memories came rushing back and the tall Sorcerer shivered, hate dripping from his voice as he murmured, 'I want him to understand what he did to me... when he stole my love's heart... then, we are finished, he and I.'
Duo stood up and walked out of the protection of his shadows, his long hair flowing behind him like a cloak. As he entered the water of the lake, the rich finery draping the graceful form, melted away like shadows and the naked man plunged his body into the icy liquid, the blue shimmering surface erupting in white foam over the pale body, before smoothing down to glittering satin. Short while later, the surface of the water burst and a sleek black form rose into the air, then swooped down to the waiting man on the shore.
Trowa picked up his fallen flute and lifted it to his lips, his green eyes staring fixedly at the beautiful black bird before him. The music stilled all other sounds as it flew to the waiting bird, its feathers trembling faintly to the sad haunting notes as a pale golden grow surrounded its form, and the Sorcerer watched wordlessly as the music worked its magic, lightening the black feathers to white, changing the purple to sea green eyes. He lowered the flute from his lips and told the waiting bird to go to the palace, to the blue eyed prince dreaming of a golden lover. And the white swan leapt from the water and soared into the sky...
Heero stood in sullen silence, his eyes hard and cold, as he politely greeted the beautiful girl being introduced to him. He stiffly took the raised gloved hand, and brushed his lips on air above the slender fingers, dropping the limp hand as quickly as protocol and courtesy allowed. He glared at his father who frowned at him, and bit back a curse as the next lady was led to his side.
He was furious with his father for forbidding him to leave the palace since his miraculous return, and enraged by the constant guards that dogged his every footstep. He was angrier still with this pathetic charade that he was forced into, the so called ball to celebrate his return from the 'evil' forest, an elaborate excuse to introduce him to potential brides. Heero knew that his father wanted him to marry for love, and a part of him tried to feel gratitude for his father's kindness, knowing that as the royal heir, he was lucky to be given even this small choice in his marital partner. However, after having been forced to smile and bow at the endless line of women who had gathered at the ball, each one more perfumed and bejewelled then the next, Heero was beginning to run out of patience.
The King sat in disapproving silence on the throne, his brows knitting together as he saw his son dismiss one lovely lady after another, feeling a strange disquiet in his heart as he observed the coldness in the steel blue eyes of his beloved child. He had wanted to give Heero a chance to meet and fall in love, as he had, and as his father had not. The burdens of the crown weighed heavily without the support and shield of a loving heart, and he did not to see his son's bright eyes grow dull and cold with the weary disillusionment, as his father's eyes had been. The old King moved uneasily on the throne, his ears picking up the faint rattling of the doors, closed tightly to keep out the summer tempest raging outside the radiant room, and felt growing unease in his tired bones, though he couldn't have said why or of what.
A burst of thunder rumbled loudly through the candle lit ballroom, and the gathered courtiers gasped as the wide doors swung slowly open on their own, revealing a tall man, dressed all in black, with long pale gold hair tumbling behind him. Heero moved to the stranger at the door in a daze, his eyes fixed hungrily on the angelic countenance, his hands rising slowly of their own volition as he approached the golden apparition. Without a word, the stranger gathered the approaching prince into his arms, one black clad arm wrapping tightly around Heero's small waist, while the other embraced the white hand reaching out to him. He led the entranced prince out to the dance floor, and the dazed musicians found themselves playing an unknown waltz, their arms moving without conscious direction, to create music for the dancing pair.
Heero stared into the sea green eyes, his eyes glazing with happiness and felt his body tingling with excitement as his partner whirled gracefully across the ballroom floor. As they danced, Heero looked only at the beautiful face of the man who held him, barely noticing the blurring lights spinning around him as he followed his lover's lead. The prince remembered the lake and a dark blush stained the pale cheek as the golden stranger smiled at him knowingly and Heero's skin tingled with the memory of his touch. He felt the fire burning in his veins as he swayed to the music in his lover's arms and closed his eyes blissfully...
The music slowed to end and the spinning pair came to a stop, the beautiful golden hair of the man holding their prince strewn around the two bodies, their arms tightening the embrace as the music stopped and the two men kissed...
Heero opened his mouth and surrendered to the burning seal pressing down on his lips, his hands locking behind the slim back as he leaned into the kiss, welcoming the greedy tongue thrusting eagerly into his mouth. After a moment, Heero began to squirm in his lover's grip, fighting dizziness as he tried to break from the searing kiss, to catch his breath. He opened his eyes and stiffened in shock as his eyes met the amused glance of the purple eyes staring down at him from behind a thick chestnut fringe. Heero licked his bruised lips and opened his mouth to speak, then anger gave way to fear as shadows wrapped around him and the vision of the glittering ballroom and his frightened father running towards him, disappeared behind a curtain of darkness.
Heero shivered and clutched his torn shirt to his chest, trying to cover his naked shame, as he stared fearfully at the two men arguing in front of him.
'Why did you change back?'
Trowa asked in his customary soft voice, his green eyes afire with cold rage as he stared stonily at the man who smiled at him, with infuriating self-satisfaction.
'Because it's better this way...' Duo laughed with genuine amusement as he caressed the white leg of the prince, who trembled and shrank from his touch. 'Don't you see, he knew it was me and he still wanted me... didn't you? Heero...' Duo purred happily as Heero flushed darkly and hung his head. 'Isn't that what you wanted? To prove the inconstancy of the mortal heart? To demonstrate...' Duo ran his hand over the exposed thigh and skin, and pulled the young prince into his embrace, throwing a shadow over the pale body to cover the luscious form. 'just how fickle love can be... when given the proper incentive...' Duo kissed the youth tenderly, smiling smugly as Heero shifted restlessly in his arms, soft moans escaping his lips as his body responded to the burning touch of the purple eyed man.
Heero gasped in dismay as he felt the flaring response in his body and struggled angrily against the entwining limbs, feeling desperate shame as he saw the cold green eyes of the Sorcerer staring at their writhing forms. He pushed against the smooth chest of the man who had tricked him, his heart thumping loudly with fear and despair as he fought against the rising passion within himself, as well as the roving hands that stroked his body.
Duo laughed and planted tender kisses on the soft, responsive flesh, enjoying the way the young prince's body rubbed against his own, as Heero strugged futilely in his arms. He knew that in the end, Heero would give in, as he already had, twice before that night and that the dark haired beauty would be moaning his name, the long legs opening in sweet submission to welcome his intrusion. He stroked the silky hair between the boy's legs and saw the determination fade in the blue eyes as Heero threw his head back and the arms struggling against his body lost their strength.
Trowa turned his head away from the writhing forms behind him, feeling bile rise up in his throat as the black swan took his pleasure. He hadn't wanted to hurt the young prince, he hadn't meant to bring the mortal child into the game... Trowa sighed softly as he heard the muffled cry of the boy behind him, feeling the heavy weight of guilt in his heart as he turned back and saw the black swan pulling out of the limp body beneath him.
Duo leaned down and gently kissed the shaking boy on the forehead, his hand caressing the naked flesh as he admired the result of his work, the swollen and bruised lips, the redden marks splattering the fair skin, the sticky white cum covering Heero's lower belly, back and thighs.
'Is that what you want him to see?' Duo asked lightly, a mocking laughter rippling his voice as Heero curled into a ball, his cheeks burning with shame. 'Are you satisfied now Trowa?'
Trowa returned and stood over the black swan, staring down at the miserable prince with a displeased frown. Without answering, he raised his flute again and played a gentle tune, watching the slim body unfold and relax as the music wove around them. Heero closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, as the whispering notes changed his memory and the prince stirred uneasily as the chestnut hair and the purple eyes, once again transformed to pale gold strands and sea blue eyes. He rested his cheek against the ground with a contented sigh, his pale skin translucent under the silver moonlight.
'This is what I want Quatre to see.' Trowa whispered to himself in quiet triumph, looking down at the passion sated face of the young prince. 'I want him to see how happy his lover is... I want him to feel what I felt when I saw him take my darling...' Green eyes blackened with rage as the Sorcerer remembered the scene that had burned into his soul, the golden haired prince wrapping his body around the dark haired youth, and remembered once again, the terrible pain that had cut him to the core, when he saw the sapphire blue eyes glowing with happiness...
Duo stared at the Sorcerer with mild curiosity, he had never truly understood the relationship between the cold lord of magic and the beautiful white bird. Trowa could have killed Quatre any time he wanted to, and instead, he chose to transform the handsome lord with his magic, in the process, turning the blond man into a fellow immortal, and forced the bird to return to his side, by binding the magic with the water of the lake. For a hundred years, Duo had watched as the two played their game, and one helpless mortal after another, stumbled across the fabulous bird and fell prey to the cold Sorcerer who kept a vigilant watch over his captive.
This was the first time, that the Sorcerer had enlisted his help and Duo wondered why. He had enjoyed the sweet body of the young prince, but the boy was only a mortal, and like all mortals, the delicate beauty that had captured the white bird's heart, would fade and die. Duo couldn't believe that Quatre would abandon his immortality just because one mortal child betrayed him momentarily for the joys of the flesh.
The moon dropped below the horizon and the purple black sky lightened to indigo, as the gold rimmed horizon proclaimed the coming of the blazing day. The swan dropped at last into the welcoming dark depths of the water, its entire body plummeting heavily to the bottom in exhaustion, welcoming the searing fire that transformed the soft feathers to the smooth white skin.
He raced to the surface, desperate to get to the shore and to his sleeping love, wondering why the accursed Sorcerer had forced him to wait, the powerful music blocking his every attempt to break through to the lake. The shores of the lake had been covered by shadows, and Quatre knew that the black swan had to be somewhere near, he whispered a silent prayer to his God to keep his beloved from harm as he neared the sleeping form.
Quatre looked down at the desecrated body of his lover with empty eyes, he picked up the discarded cloak and gently covered the still sleeping youth. He felt nothing as he stared down at the young prince, watching as Heero stirred slightly in his sleep and made a soft contented sound, the kiss-swollen lips curving into a satiated smile. After a while, the blond man left his sleeping lover and picked up the prince's sword belt, pulling the thin sleek blade out of the leather sheath. He tested the weight of the blade, shifting it from one hand to next as he remembered what it was like to hold the deadly steel.
Quatre swung the glinting blade backwards and forwards as he slashed the air, imagining the jarring on his hands as the steel cut through flesh and bone. He didn't blame Heero, he had known immediately who had been responsible. The Sorcerer had made damned certain of that, Quatre swung the blade again viciously, as he thought back to the soft black feathers scattering the ground next to Heero's body. But Trowa had stolen one too many things from him... and Quatre lowered the blade to the ground, falling to his knees as he gave way to the shuddering sobs breaking from his heart.
Trowa came forward and stepped in front of the weeping man, his heart feeling oddly free and at ease as he listened to the gulping sounds of the broken man. He raised the tear streaked face gently and lightly kissed the swollen eyelids, tasting the salty bitterness of Quatre's tears on his lips.
'I will free you now.'
Trowa said softly and removed his curse, stepping back as the white feathers surrounded the hunched figure and transformed him into the beautiful white bird. The swan waited quietly with sorrow dimmed eyes as the Sorcerer picked up the discarded sword and plunged the cold steel into its white breast.
'No...'
Heero cried out in horror as he woke at last from his enchanted sleep and saw the red blood gushing down the white body. He ran to the swan in mindless panic, not noticing as the stones cut his bare feet, and stumbled to the ground, clutching the blood soaked form to his chest.
'No...' Heero protested feebly as he cradled the small white head against his shoulder and shuddering sobs wrecked his frame. 'This isn't supposed to happen... I love you... please...'
Trowa picked up the blood soaked blade and gave it to the weeping prince, who accepted it numbly, staring at him with lost eyes. He sat down on the ground with a heavy sigh, looking down at his blood splattered clothes and hands with dismay.
'You will forget him... in time...'
Trowa murmured with a sad smile and lifted his flute to his lips, pausing briefly to add, his green eyes darkening bitterly...
'He did...'
He raised his flute and started to play...
And Heero lifted the bloody sword in both hands, a furious growl bursting from his throat as he thrust the blade, with all his strength into the heart of the auburn haired Sorcerer. Trowa smiled, the flute dropping from his numbing fingers as he stared at the fierce blue eyes glaring at him with implacable hatred, and raised his hand to the beloved face... Heero cried out in mindless fury and pushed impaled Sorcerer away from him, his body splashed with the warm sticky blood of both the Swan and the Sorcerer.
He staggered back, gasping with horror as the Sorcerer slowly crumpled to the ground, his reddish hair fading to white, the smooth skin shrivelling and shrinking, as the emerald eyes lost their brilliance. He sobbed harshly, drawing his arms around the fallen bird, grieving as he fingered the beautiful white feathers stiff with rusting blood and curled his body around the cold corpse.
'You do realise that he's over a hundred years old, don't you?'
Heero lifted reddened eyes and stared bleakly at the mocking eyes raking his naked form. He huddled against the swan, trying to share his own warmth with the cold form, stiff with death.
'For pity's sake...'
Duo growled crossly as he looked down at the grieving boy and saw the beginning of madness lurking in the clear blue eyes. With an impatient sigh, Duo looked over at the shrivelled remains of the cold Sorcerer ruefully and ignored the inviting glint of the silver flute peering from the folds of the blood stained cloth. He pushed the boy aside gently, and gathered the cold body of the white swan in his arms, laughing as the grief addled child gaped at him in confusion.
'Do you believe in magic?'
Duo called back to the dark haired prince with a mocking laugh as he entered the cold waters of the lake with his precious burden.
Heero watched in breathless silence as the blue silk closed over the chestnut head and the surface of the lace stilled into satin smoothness. He waited...
~Owari~
Kat: Look, I know people might be a little upset by the ending, but it really is most effective to end the story there. What do you think happened next? ^_~
Notes:
1. I refer to Heero as a boy or youth, in comparison to the other three, cause well, they are all over a hundred years old.
2. In case it wasn't clear enough in the story, Quatre did love his cousin (who was Ralph by the way) but his true love was Heero, born one century later. That's why Trowa kept him around so long, so that he could inflict the same wound that he suffered. ^_^;; Gee I really hope Trowa didn't come off as a baddie, that wasn't supposed to happen.
3. This story went through 2 title changes, was supposed to be 'Black Swan' at first, but there just wasn't the room to develop Duo's character further, a pity since I rather liked him. ^_~ I thought he was hot. The 2nd 'Shiratori', just didn't really grab me. So since the main plot was around the whole Trowa vs Quatre thing, I changed the title to the current. By the way, I might add that it took a lot of work to just to come up with a suitable motivation for the whole swan motif. I'm never working with another ballet story after this one. Do you have any idea how much work it took to fill in all the blasted holes in the plotline? (not to mention the unsatisfactory ending... sheesh..)
Katana
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