26-Jun-2002
Warning: This part of the story contains battle violence and some gore, so please read at your own discretion.
Heero ignored the rain that soaked through to his skin and the mud that oozed like red putty around him as he pulled Duo into his lap, careful of the arrow that still was embedded in his back. "Duo? Duo? Open your eyes."
"I told you to duck, you ass." Duo whispered as he opened dull indigo eyes and smiled his broad grin.
"You fool. You damn, arrogant, thoughtless, careless, fool." Heero frantically ran his hands over Duo's blood smeared face and pushed the wet, mud slicked hair away from his eyes.
"It's all right Lion. Don't worry, I'm not dying yet. Besides, I still have to convince you that you love me." Duo's eyes fluttered closed as he went slack in Heero's arms.
"I do love you, you fool. You beautiful, deadly fool." Heero whispered back.
He felt Wufei lay a hand on his shoulder. "They will be back. It's best if we move him inside and see if we can stop the bleeding. I fear that something has happened to Trowa and Quatre seeing that they have not yet returned."
Heero looked up though his dripping bangs at Wufei. His white tunic and pants were spattered with blood and bits of gore from the creatures and under his right eye was a small gash that was bleeding profusely. They had taken a beating by the monsters and if they returned before they could get organized all would be lost.
Heero looked back down to the warrior in his lap. Duo, who looked so magnificently powerful during the battle, suddenly seemed pale and fragile to him now. Heero could feel the slickness of Duo's blood as it seeped into his clothing, mixing with the muck and filth that had already soaked them. Grimacing with a tenfold of pains already screaming for his attention, he staggered to his feet lifting Duo's limp body with him.
Wufei stood by; ready to help, but backed away as Heero began moving to where the women and children were still hiding in the hut across the main circle of the village. When they reached the hut Heero turned back to Wufei so suddenly that the healer thought the worse. "Heero?"
"His rapiers... find them. He'll want them when he wakes." Heero stated coolly.
"Heero, I must tell you I have seen injuries like this before... "
The glare that Heero fixed him with was murderous, stopping any further speech from Wufei. "Bring them."
"Of course." Wufei bowed slightly and went in search of the silver blades.
Still blinking back tears Trowa cradled the bird in his arms as he and Quatre rode back towards the village in absolute silence. During the battle in the glen with the members of the horde, he had to cut away the swinging mass of deer carcass to allow Nanashi free movement and speed. Like Snow, the great bay was streaked with dark crimson blood from it, as well as that of Grace, and his own.
Nanashi had taken a slash across his chest as Trowa surged into the eight riders, fighting like a man possessed. Quatre watched as Trowa leapt from the back of his horse onto the mount of a rider sending them both to the ground in a sprawl.
Once there, he severed the creature's head causing it to spew forth a foul smelling, dark blood that splashed against Nanashi's hooves as the horse danced around them, keeping the other riders from closing in on him.
Quatre had turned Snow and also cut away the carrion hanging at her sides and raced towards Trowa with his blade drawn. He sliced through one of the rider's arms during his pass through the small band and as he turned to make another run he had found Trowa already remounting his horse.
He was able to split the force in half and once Trowa remounted, they were able to make quick work of the closest ones.
Four had been killed, but four still remained, and Trowa knew if they had the chance; they would retreat until they found their main group and then return to swarm them later. They had plunged down the slope of a small hill as the riders turned to run.
To Quatre it seemed like Snow was falling rather than running down the steep slope and as she hit the level ground hard he bit his tongue and found himself spitting blood.
Trowa didn't slow his horse at all as he reached the bottom of the slope, and shrieking like a madman he pursued his quarry. They raced close behind the four riders, Trowa firing arrow after arrow at them, killing one and hitting two others. One of the hellish nightmare beasts of the riders had tripped and fell; crashing to the ground and throwing its rider. Trowa took the opportunity and urged the bay to run him down. Quatre shut his eyes as Nanashi trampled him with a scream of his own.
Trowa was quickly running out of arrows and although the horses had given them every ounce of speed they had, the last two riders raced too far in front of them. Trowa took his last three arrows and held them in his teeth as he slowed Nanashi with his legs. Taking slow and cautious aim, he let the first fly, and then the other. He waited until he saw the shadowed riders slump forward on their mounts and topple to the ground before putting the third arrow back in his quill.
Trowa's chest was heaving with exertion from the chase and when he turned his horse around to begin to go back up the slope, his eyes were still raging with battle fury. Quatre brought Snow up along side Nanashi, both horses wet with rain and sweat and frothing slightly from their race and rode quietly next to Trowa. He wanted so much to say something to the wild eyed prince, but as they cleared the top of the slope and saw the small, bloodied mound of feathers on the ground, he lost all his words of comfort.
Trowa slid from his saddle and moved very slowly to where Grace lay. Her golden feathers danced softly in the slight breeze and her wings were spread wide upon the blood stained grass. Trowa gathered her up as gently as a sleeping babe and brought his eyes up to meet those of Quatre's. Then without word, he turned, pulled himself up onto his horse and walked off towards the village.
When they reached the boundaries of the tiny village, they found a few desperate looking men with pitchforks and scythes acting as guardsmen to warn everyone else of approaching invaders. They nodded to the two noblemen acknowledging the Malavin and Berengaria colors as they rode in and then resumed watching the main road. The streets were bare and the small homes and huts were thatched up tight. In the center of the village, nearest to the well, a pyre had been set ablaze to burn the bodies of those who had been mutilated by the Horde's raid.
In the air the stink of burning flesh and hair mixed with the stench of things not human and therefore never truly alive to begin with, making Quatre want to gag as he rode through the thick plumes of black smoke. Between the horrid smells and sights and the tang of blood in his mouth he kept swallowing, his stomach rolled as he tried to keep himself from getting ill.
He and Trowa made their way to the small hut Wufei had set up in and tied their horses alongside Heero, Wufei and Duo's. A young boy came racing up to them as they slid from their mounts and grabbed the reigns for them to hold the horses still.
"Get some water and a cloth and wipe them down. Then, once they're cool, let them drink some. But do not let them have too much or they'll colic. Nanashi needs the gash on his chest cleaned well before I can stitch it. See to it." Trowa said quietly to the brown haired little boy.
The boy nodded tersely and hurried off to fetch the things he had been sent to get. Quatre watched him slow as he neared the well and the stinking; burning bodies on the pyre and almost called him back when he felt Trowa lay a hand on his arm.
"The boy will have to deal with the carnage sooner or later. The task he is doing for us seems noble to him, and he is brave to fetch the water so close to the pyre. Let him do it." Trowa said sadly before dropping his hand and pushing open the door still cradling Grace in the crook of his other arm.
Quatre walked in behind him and was assaulted by the sound of gasping breath and painfilled moans.
"In the name of Ryhs[1] has happened?! Duo!" Quatre exclaimed as he saw the scene unfold before him. Trowa lay Grace gently down on the floor and rushed to the bedside where Heero and Wufei were struggling to pull the arrow from Duo's body.
Duo was covered in sweat and blood and filth where he lay unmoving on the small cot. Two women hovered behind Wufei as he began to work the arrow shaft loose from the flesh of Duo's back as Heero ignored everything else but what he and Wufei were trying to do.
"Break it off Wufei! Don't just sit there!" Heero hissed as Wufei began to tug at it.
"Yes, it will be less painful if I have less to push through." Wufei said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Push it through?! You can't! He'll die!" Quatre was yelling.
"He'll die if we don't." Heero snapped at him. "If you aren't going to help, GET OUT!"
Quatre staggered back and leaned against the wall watching as Duo's blood soaked the light colored linens on the cot and dripped onto the dirt floor. He had to look away when he saw Duo's hand twitch at his side.
"Trowa! Come do this! He's beginning to wake and I don't want him to feel the pain." Heero was frantic and shoved one of the women's hands away as he tried to wipe some of the blood from Duo's back.
Trowa placed his fingers deftly around the shaft that was embedded into the flesh on his left shoulder just shy of Duo's spine. To twist the arrow out without severely damaging the muscle was very difficult. It took an agonizingly long time for him to pull the arrow free, but at last it had been removed without the need to thrust it through and most likely kill him. Wufei and the two women quickly began to bind and clean the wound, filling the hole with a salve of herbs and healing powders from both Heero's and Trowa's packs. Wufei then set about stitching the flesh loosely so that it could be cleaned and restitched later.
Heero stumbled backwards crashing into Quatre's arms who was standing right behind him, and let the blonde boy hold him up as the others mopped up Duo's blood and stripped him of his remaining clothes. It took him several moments to be able to get his wobbly legs to stand under him and before he finally nodded for Quatre to let him go. He staggered to the cot and only when Duo was completely washed and bound did he allow himself to sit quietly and look at him. He lay face down with his hair pulled out of the way and his long limbs stretched out. One of the women, Maude, brought a clean linen blanket and lay it over Duo's naked torso before setting some tea on the floor next to Heero and leaving.
"Heero?" Trowa knelt beside his brother and lay a hand on his arm. Heero turned weary eyes to him and frowned. "He's strong. It looked to be a clean hit and came out well. He'll be all right given some time. What happened here?"
Heero took in his brother's haggard appearance and felt as if something was out of place. He tilted his head and was about to ask the same question when his eyes caught the small bundle of feathers that lay on the floor near the doorway. "Grace... "
"She died well. True to the last; she saved us from being ambushed with her warning cry." Trowa dropped his eyes to the ground as his chin trembled.
"I'm so sorry Trowa. I know what she meant to you." Heero said in a hoarse whisper.
He nodded and looked up to Duo's still form and pale face. He saw the thick lashes flicker and Duo's face contort with pain. "He wakes."
Heero held his breath while Duo slowly opened his eyes. They were clouded with a pain filled haze and teared immediately. Heero didn't hear Trowa leave, or notice when Maude had come in and lit candles about the tiny space as he held his vigil over Duo's bedside.
"Heero."
Heero stroked his hair and for the first time noticed the excessive warmth there. He swallowed as fear gripped his heart at the thought that the arrow may have been tipped with poison. "Be still, love. Don't speak."
"You look as if you rolled in a pig sty, Lion." Duo whispered hoarsely with the tiniest crook of a smile on his face.
Heero frowned fiercely and shook his head as the words he had been thinking to say lodged in his throat.
"You're... you're angry with me?" Duo asked quietly and shivered slightly.
Heero brought the blanket up a bit more around him. "Yes I am angry with you, but I will wait until you are well enough for me to scold you." Duo laughed and then moaned piteously as his whole body tensed with pain. "Be still. You must lay quiet for the bleeding to stop." Heero picked up Duo's hand and gently kissed his palm. "Just lay still."
"I tried to warn you... I yelled but you couldn't hear me over the noise of the battle and the screams of the dying... I saw the creature about to slay you and... "
"And so you used your body as a shield." Heero said flatly.
"You would have died, Lion."
"Yes I know, my love. You saved my life, my little demon." Heero cooed and stroked Duo's long hair and traced soothing circles on Duo's bloodied back.
Duo smiled. "I knew I could... convince you."
"Of what?"
"That you loved me."
"Yes, my love. So much so that I would give my life for yours."
Duo sighed as his smile faded and his eyes slipped closed. Heero's heart began to race and he watched Duo's breathing slow and then pause.
"Duo?! Duo, love, don't sleep yet. Duo?!" Heero was frantic and rose to his feet spinning around in the room to find anyone who could help him. But he was alone in the dimly lit hut. He was about to scream for Wufei or Trowa when he heard Duo's breathing hitch and steady itself.
Heero collapsed to the floor by the cot and took Duo's hand again in his own. "I'm n-not sleeping, Lion. Just r-resting." Duo whispered harshly. "My Lion. I loved you f-from the first moment... I saw you and I'll always love you."
"Hush love, don't speak. Rest now, my little demon." Heero choked out as tears welled up in his eyes as Duo shuttered against another wave of pain.
"As you... command, Lion." He breathed and let his eyes slip closed once again.
Heero had long, painful hours to sit and think about the boy who lay at before him. He dipped a cloth in cool water and wiped away the sweat from Duo's fevered brow and moistened his lips carefully. Duo didn't move, but lay there perfectly still, deathlike.
Heero raised a warm hand to his lips and kissed it gently. For all his jeering at Duo's avowals of affection, he loved him deeply and was scared more than he had ever been in his entire life that he was going to lose him. He lay his head on Duo's arm and wept.
End Part 9
(:./ebony/dragon9)
