23-Jan-2006
Disclaimer: I don't own nor do I make any sort of profit from Gundam Wing or its characters. It is the property of Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I also apologize profusely to the Greeks for butchering their mythology.
Title: Cupid's Breath, part 5
Author: KwyckSylver
Pairing: 1 x 2 eventually
Rating: Everyone, this chapter
Spoilers: None
Warning: Past-life deaths of Heero and Duo
Hugs, snugs, chus and some big thank yous go to Caroline, for helping me with some ideas, and especially to Fierydragonsky for beta-ing. They're the greatest!!!!
"Mother, that's the story of Hero and Leander," Eros said irritated. "You've been telling me that old myth as long as I can remember. What could it possibly have to do with Duo and that human?"
Aphrodite sighed, "It's not a myth and there's more to the story. Now be quiet and let me finish."
Eros poured them another glass of wine, "I'm listening."
"It wasn't Leander's time to die," Aphrodite said."It wasn't Hero's time to die, either. They had been destined to have a long happy life together."
"So what happened?" Eros asked as he moved from the bench to sit on the ground. He laid his head in his mother's lap and she began stroking his hair like she did when he was a child.
"The Fates are not infallible it seems, especially when a young god decides to bring them a bouquet of flowers to brighten their day. The flowers made Lachesis sneeze just as Atropos was pulling Leander's thread from Klothos's spindle. She cut Leander's thread before it could be measured in full. This altered Hero's fate as well and Lachesis cut her thread accordingly.
"Why don't I remember this?" he asked.
"I gave you a potion made from lotus." Aphrodite said, "One that was weak enough to wipe out only that memory. You were quite distraught over the tragedy you'd caused. I had to do something and making you forget was the best thing I could think of." Aphrodite replied.
"If you erased it from my memory, then why are you telling me now?" Eros asked. He filled his glass to the brim and gulped down the wine.
"Because now Leander has found his Hero," Aphrodite smiled.
Heero awoke feeling tired, as if he hadn't slept at all. He shuffled to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of juice. His hand shook as he raised the glass to his lips and drank it down. His dream had returned again. Only this time, after the girl had leapt off the cliff, a winged man stretched out his arms and called his name, then the alarm went off.
Heero set the glass in the sink then returned to his bedroom. He opened a dresser drawer, pulling out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He slammed the drawer shut, startling the still-sleeping Duo awake. Duo rubbed his eyes and yawned then followed Heero into the bathroom, ignoring the twinge of pain in his wing. After all, watching Heero bathe could easily become his favorite ritual, Duo had decided.
After Heero had showered, dried and donned his boxers and t-shirt, Duo followed him back into his bedroom. He landed on Heero's pillow to watch him finish dressing. When Heero sat on the bed to put on his socks and shoes, Duo almost rolled off the pillow but he caught himself by grabbing handfulls of pillowcase.
Heero checked the the time on his alarm clock. He'd have to run to catch his bus because he'd taken too much time in the shower, hoping the hot water would have coaxed his body awake. He picked up his wallet and jammed it in his back pocket. Only he missed his pocket and the wallet fell silently onto the carpet. Heero then scraped the small amount of change he had and his keys off the dresser and stuffed them into his front pocket while he walked to the living room. He grabbed his backpack and dashed out the front door, failing to see the neighbor's cat slink inside
just as he was shutting it. He ran to the bus stop and hoped he wasn't too late to catch his bus.
Duo was lounging on Heero's pillow, his nose buried in it so he could inhale Heero's scent. The hairs on his neck prickled him as they raised. He leapt to his feet when he felt the bed move and turned. On the edge of the bed was the cat that had chased him and it was crouched and ready to pounce.
"Mother, are you telling me that Duo is Leander and the human is Hero?" Eros asked.
"Why else would I be telling you the story?" Aphrodite answered. "The Fates asked Thanatos to release Leander to me instead of delivering him to Hades. Thanatos agreed because he knew it wasn't Leander's time and really wasn't sure what to do with him. I then begged a favor from Zeus and Zeus changed Leander into a cupid so I would be responsible for him. I decided it was best he drink from the lotus as well, so he wouldn't try to find Hero in the Underworld. I tried saving her as well, but since it became her fate to kill herself after Leander's life was cut short, Hades determined she must spend time in Tartarus to atone for her suicide before she could be reborn.
Persephone softened Hades' heart and convinced him to allow Hero to be her handmaid while she was in the underworld to lessen Hero's torment. Unfortunately, Zeus added a stipulation. When Hero was reborn, she and Leander had to find each other with no help from the gods, especially me. This is why the Fates determined Heero would be born with an empty heart and no cupid's arrow allowed to pierce it. Only Duo can fill his heart and he has to do it on his own. He has to get Heero to fall in love with him all over again."
"But, Mother, Heero is a male. Wouldn't it have been easier for Hero to be reborn as a female?" Eros asked.
"That was Tyche's(1) doing," Aphrodite muttered sarcastically after taking another sip of wine, "She should have taken that damned blindfold off, for once."
Heero arrived at the bus stop seconds before the bus pulled to a stop. He boarded and reached for his wallet for his pass, but there was no wallet in his back pocket. He took a deep breath then pulled the change out of his front pocket. A quick scan told him what he feared, he didn't have enough change. He sighed and muttered an apology then got off the bus. He walked back home, looking for his wallet while he retraced his steps. He would have to catch a later bus but he'd miss his first class.
Heero unlocked the front door and walked to his bedroom, then stopped in the doorway. He wasn't sure if he was still asleep and dreaming or if he was awake and hallucinating.
His neighbor's cat was curled up and purring in the lap of the winged man in his dream. And the man was sitting on his bed.
(1) http://www.entrenet.com/~groedmed/greekm/mythtych.html
~ TBC ~
End Part 5
KwyckSylver
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