14-May-2001

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing characters, nor am I making any money from this. The ideas of a Confessor and a Mord-Sith are from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. Many of the names of the monsters and locations are from the online game of EverQuest. All of this is done without permission.
Warnings: AU, Fantasy, Dark, Angst, Shounen-ai, and (of course) Violence
Pairings: 1+2 3+4
Archive: Ask and you shall receive
For a semi-complete of current archives gracious enough to want Confessor and Mord-Sith!, see the end of the fic.

Mord-Sith! by Annabell

Part Fourteen

Duo had run.

"Why would he run away?" Quatre asked when he and Trowa, along with Wufei, had arrived at Duo's rooms in answer to Heero's urgent summons. The blond mage rubbed his blue eyes, now bloodshot, with the heels of his hands. He was so tired! He felt Trowa put an arm around his shoulders and looked up at the green eyed archer with a wan smile.

"He doesn't know," Heero answered, his voice flat, but there was a subtle tension in his body that suggested he was about to explode. "No one bothered to tell him what happened after he passed out." His tone promised imminent mayhem for those responsible, and for the first time, the others could clearly see a resemblance between him and his late father.

"Calm down, Heero," Quatre advised, though Heero hadn't done anything yet. "Can't you use the Throne to find him?"

Heero shook his head, his cobalt eyes burning like twin suns from underneath the mop of dark hair. "No, the Throne can only detect active Wild magic."

"Can you contact him telepathically?" Trowa asked, still holding Quatre in his embrace.

Heero glared at Trowa, though he wasn't really mad at him. "No, his magic prevents any type of High magic from affecting him." Trowa felt Quatre dig an elbow in his ribs, even as he mentally kicked himself. He should have remembered that.

Heero turned back to Quatre. "Can you Locate him?"

Quatre frowned, then nodded. "I'll try." He had successfully used his Locate spell before to find the Confessor's whereabouts, because the spell tracked the person, not the magic within that person. The blond mage closed his tired eyes and cast the spell, trying to ignore the drain on his body. After a few minutes, he shook his head and opened his eyes, looking sadly at Heero. "I can't Locate him," he said.

"He's not... " Wufei began, then stopped that train of thought immediately. But Quatre caught the brief flash of alarm that crossed Heero's face.

"No! He is probably just out of range," the blond hastened to explain, glaring at Wufei for even insinuating around Heero that Duo might be dead.

Wufei looked a bit sheepish, and tried to change the subject. "How far could he have gotten?"

"On that shadowmare?" Trowa raised an eyebrow. "He could be halfway back to Oz by now."

That got the wheels turning. "No, he wouldn't go to Oz," Quatre thought out loud. "But is there anywhere else he might go?"

"Water," Heero answered with conviction as he started to pace around the room. Quatre, Trowa and Wufei all exchanged looks and shrugged to each other.

"Ok, where is the nearest body of water?" Wufei asked, looking around as if he expected a map to appear out of thin air.

"The Timorous Deep," suggested Trowa. "It's about fifty miles to the west."

"Assuming that is where he went. It narrows the search down to about a thousand miles of coastline, not to mention a handful of cities, doesn't it?" Wufei said thoughtfully. "What's the range on your Locate spell?"

"About five miles," Quatre looked apologetically at Heero.

"Then it's going to be difficult to find him, especially if Duo doesn't wish to be found." Wufei kicked the wall in irritation, momentarily forgetting he was barefoot, and hurt his toes. Holding his injured foot, Wufei cast an inquiring eye at Heero.

Ignoring the blademaster, Quatre turned to Heero. "Do we know if he took Shinigami?"

Heero raised an eyebrow at Quatre, and then looked thoughtful. Without another word, he stalked out the door. The other three trailed along behind him.

"Why don't you just contact one of the grooms to find out?" Wufei asked, limping slightly.

"I know how to find him, and I'll need Wing for that," Heero answered, not looking back.

"Find who?" Une asked from a side corridor where she and Dorothy had been talking.

"Duo's gone," Quatre told the Mord-Sith as they fell in with the group heading out to the stables.

"Where?" Dorothy asked.

"We don't know, that's why Heero is going to go find him," Wufei returned irritably, still limping.

"We're going with you," Une stated.

"No," Heero immediately answered.

"Yes," Dorothy argued. They were the Emperor's bodyguards, where he went, so would the Mord-Sith.

"No," Heero shot back.

"Why not?" Une demanded.

"Because I said so," said Heero in a don't push or you'll regret it tone of voice. By this time they had made their way across the main entrance and entered the courtyard to the stables.

"How will you find him, Heero?" Quatre asked.

Heero didn't answer. Instead he just walked right into the tack room and grabbed a saddle, saddle pad and a bridle. The others followed him, waiting for an answer to Quatre's question. The stall next to Wing's was empty, Heero noted, and was glad. The colt met him at the door, its dark eyes seemingly wise beyond its years. Taking no notice of his audience, Heero slipped the bit into the colt's mouth and tucked the silver ears into the headstall. Flipping the reins over the colt's neck, Heero grabbed the saddle pad and placed it on the colt's back, followed by the saddle itself. As he tightened the girth, Quatre repeated his question.

Still not answering, Heero led the colt out into the courtyard, the others still trailing after him. Catching a stirrup with one foot, Heero grabbed a handful of mane and swung into the saddle, neatly catching the other stirrup as he settled onto the colt's back. Quatre reached out and placed a hand on his knee.

"Heero?" he asked, concern in his voice as he looked up into cobalt eyes.

Heero glanced at Quatre as he gathered his reins. "You are in charge while I'm gone." Without another word, he turned Wing and sent the colt out the open gates at a canter, not looking back once.

Quatre noticed the others looking at him with various degrees of amusement.

"What are your orders, oh splendid one?" Wufei asked mockingly, earning a glare from Trowa, which he ignored.

"Lets get some sleep, we have a lot to do in the morning," Quatre yawned. The others agreed and they all left for their rooms.

As the colt cantered out of the smoke-shrouded city, Heero leaned forward and whispered into one silver ear. "Find your mother, son."

The colt flicked the ear back, then forward again, as if in acknowledgment. Heero sat back, letting his body relax into the rhythm of the colt's gait as they cantered into the deepening night.

The sun was beginning to ignite the horizon behind them with its fire when Wing finally stopped. Heero looked up from where he had been dozing in the saddle. Blinking, he tried to get his bearings. He had been aware for a while now of a repetitive sound that sounded slightly familiar, but he was unable to place it. Then his cobalt gaze settled on the ocean in front of him. He realized the sound he had heard was the waves breaking against the shore.

Heero had never seen Timorous Deep before. He looked up and down the stretch of sandy shoreline but the white sand held no sign of being disturbed by the shadowmare or her rider. Numb, he slid off Wing's back and trudged to the edge of the water. Quiet waves lapped at his boots as he sank to his knees, staring at the vast expanse of water. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

Wing had been his last hope in finding Duo. But the colt had brought him here to the ocean's edge and stopped where there was nothing. No sign of life or even a track for Heero to follow. The light breeze stirred his dark hair as he raised his face to feel the kiss of the air currents, while closing his eyes and inhaling the salt air deeply. Various scenarios played out in his exhausted mind. Had Duo been swimming and drowned? Or had the braided boy been picked up by some passing ship and sailed off to some distant shore, forever beyond Heero's reach? Or had he just been fooling himself the whole time by believing that the colt would be the answer?

Water soaked his pants and boots as the waves rolled in. Heero couldn't summon the energy to care. His gaze wandered over the vast body of water in front of him, the reflection of the rising sun causing his eyes to burn and he reached up to rub them. His fingers came back wet.

A quiet nicker broke his reverie. Heero looked back over his shoulder to where Wing was still standing. The colt's head hung close to the ground and it had a hip cocked as it rested one hind leg. Everything in Wing's posture spoke of exhaustion, and Heero felt a twinge of guilt. Feeling ancient, the young Emperor climbed to his feet and, staggering slightly, made his way back to the moons' shade colt. He pulled the saddle and bridle off and let them drop to the ground. The colt shook himself and, ignoring Heero, walked over to a patch of long grass and halfheartedly began to graze.

Heero turned back to the ocean in front of him. It really was black. The sun rising behind him scattered a million diamonds on the calm surface. Heero thought he had never seen anything as magnificent and as indifferent to him in his whole life. The timelessness of the ocean struck him. Timorous Deep had been there when the world was made, and would remain until it was unmade. It didn't care about politics or Confessors or monsters bent on destruction. It just existed.

It just was.

Spotting a cluster of trees nearby, Heero trudged through the soft white sand toward them, wanting nothing more than to sit in the shade and just stare at the ocean, and above all, not to think. Just him and Timorous Deep. The breeze, carrying the scent of salt and water, played through his tangled locks, gently brushing them off his forehead. The sun-dappled shade of the trees beckoned him. Keeping his cobalt eyes on the water, he sat down.

And immediately jumped to his feet when something large squirmed underneath him and yelled, "Get the hell off of me!"

Shocked, he tried to turn and backpedaled too quickly, which caused his feet to tangle in the soft sand. He tripped and landed flat on his butt, all the while staring in amazement at Duo, who was struggling to sit up. Obviously the Confessor had been sleeping under the trees when Heero sat on him.

Duo, who had been very rudely awakened out of a troubled sleep, was ready to fly at whomever it was that tried to use him for a chair. Focusing on the stunned Heero, his violet eyes widened in surprise and recognition. "Heero?" he gasped.

Heero could only nod; his emotions were so strong at that time he was unable to speak. All he could do was stare at Duo, trying to reconcile the fact that Duo was alive and well, and right in front of him. Heero swallowed and was opening his mouth to speak when Duo scrambled to his feet and reached down and pulled Heero up as well. "Are you all right?" he asked, staring intently into Heero's eyes.

"Yes," Heero assured him, and was going to explain when Duo swept him into a hug, babbling away. "Thank the gods, Heero. I'm so glad you're ok. I thought Odin would hurt you. I'm glad you got away." Heero closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Duo and just held him, savoring the feel of the Confessor in his arms, inhaling the scent that was uniquely Duo. Abruptly, Duo stiffened and Heero reluctantly let him go.

"Were you followed?" he asked in alarm.

"No," Heero reassured him. Duo nodded in relief. He knew Heero would never even think of lying to him now.

"That's good." Duo wrinkled his nose. "When was the last time you bathed? What have you been doing? Rolling in the stables? Here, let's take off your clothes." He started undoing the young man's shirt. Heero realized that Duo thought that he was under the Confessor's power. He tried to tell Duo otherwise, but Duo shushed him, intent on getting Heero undressed. Soon, all Heero was wearing was his underwear.

Turning around, Duo dragged a pack out from under the tree and opened it. He rummaged around, taking various articles out, looking at then briefly before stuffing them back in, muttering "C'mon, where are you?" to himself. Finally, with a triumphant ah-ha, he stood up and handed Heero a bar of soap. "Go, get yourself cleaned up," he beamed.

Heero blinked in bemusement. Seeing Heero's hesitation, Duo took the young man by the shoulders and steered him down to the edge of the water. "Here, it's the world's biggest bathtub," he grinned. Heero looked at the water, back at Duo and shrugged. Stripping off his remaining garments, he waded into Timorous Deep.

Duo turned away from the beautiful young man and let his cheerful mask drop. He drew a deep breath and let it out. He should have known that Heero would find him. Shaking his head, he resolved to take care of Heero as best he could. It was the least he could do after using his Confessor's power on him. Seeing Heero day after day, and living with the knowledge that he had destroyed the one person who loved him, was fitting penance. But he knew that no matter what he did, he could never make Heero whole again.

Swallowing bile, Duo trudged through the deep sand and grabbed the blanket that he had been sleeping on. He shook out the sand and made his way back to the water's edge. Seeing Heero standing waist deep in the ocean, with water running off his sleek chest made Duo's mouth go dry.

His body's reaction surprised him. He had avoided becoming intimate with anyone, both emotionally and physically, for as long as he could remember. When he had discovered that he was a Confessor, he had arrogantly assumed he would be able to control the power within him and mingle among normal humans without discovery. But Hilde had changed that nonsense. After watching them fish her pale and bloated corpse out of the river, and knowing she was dead because of him, Duo finally understood just how terrible his power was, and how little control he had over it. After that, sex with anyone was out of the question. He figured if he kept his distance from everyone, no one would be in danger. Of course, as soon as people realized that he was a Confessor, there was no argument. He knew that people abhorred his touch, and didn't blame them.

Except for Heero. He had known what Duo was all along, yet he had never hesitated about touching the Confessor. Duo frowned when he realized that he was staring at Heero and feeling his body begin to stir with a desire he had thought was dead in him. His first sexual experience had ended in a nightmare. After that, any thought of sex was forever equated with Hilde's bloated corpse in the river.

Shaking the image out of his head, he held out the blanket to Heero, who had finished with his bathing, and was emerging from the rolling waves. The dark haired young man shook his head, flinging water soaked bangs out of cobalt eyes that never left Duo's face.

Duo grinned. "Feel better?" he asked.

Heero nodded and used the blanket to dry himself off.

"Did you bring a change of clothes?" Duo asked, turning his back to give Heero some privacy and to remove his gaze from that perfect physique.

"No," Heero replied, wrapping the blanket around himself.

Duo turned back around, relieved that Heero was covered, "You can wear some of mine, I brought some extra," he offered.

Heero nodded again. He was still recovering from the immense relief that had washed over him when he found Duo, whole and unhurt. He was going to have to have a long talk with the Confessor; he could see the agony in Duo's eyes when Duo looked at him, thinking he had destroyed Heero. Heero had to set him straight.

Duo had gone back to his bag and fished out some clothes. He tossed them at Heero who deftly caught them without letting his blanket drop. For several long seconds, they just looked at each other.

"Duo," he began just as Duo said "Heero." They both stopped, and waited for the other to go ahead with what he was going to say. Heero gestured for Duo to go first.

Duo grinned. "Get dressed, then we'll talk," he suggested. Trying to talk to Heero while he was in that state of dress, or undress, as the case may be, was difficult. And considering what Duo had to say, he didn't need the added distraction of Heero's incredible body. To occupy the silence, he asked the question that he dreaded, but needed to know. "Are the others all right?"

Heero nodded. "They're fine," and Duo sighed with relief. He had hated leaving them, but in his current state, he was more of a liability than a help to the others.

Heero let the blanket slip to the ground and once again Duo turned his back, although the soldier wasn't bothered by modesty. His years in the military got him over any self-consciousness very quickly. As he pulled the loose shirt (black of course) over his head, he asked, "Why did you run?"

Duo settled on the sand under one of the swaying trees, watching the waves roll in never-ending motion. Not looking at Heero, he drew in a breath and said in a matter of fact tone, "When I woke up, I found that I had finally gone insane."

That statement caught Heero of guard. "What?" he asked. Below them, the waves rolled in, the roar of the surf reminding Heero of the Barrier.

Duo nodded, still not looking at Heero. "Yep, I have finally gone off the deep end. It's kinda funny, if you think about it. I mean, I've known for a long time that I was losing it, but actually realizing that you've lost all your marbles is a bit unnerving, so I ran," he said with a shrug. The wind blew chestnut bangs out of violet eyes that continuously scanned the distant horizon.

"Why do you think you're insane?" Heero asked curiously. Duo seemed the same to him. Heero looked at his wet boots and decided against putting them on, opting instead to go barefoot in the sand.

Duo glanced at Heero, and then looked away as if he was embarrassed. "I heard voices in my head," he mumbled.

Heero blinked. "What did they say to you?" he asked as he settled in the sand next to Duo.

"That's just it, they didn't even bother talking to me. They just talked to each other." The Confessor was a bit miffed about that. After all, if there were going to be voices in his head, they should at least have the common decency to acknowledge him.

"What were they talking about?" Heero wanted to know. The sun was higher now, and the air was warming nicely.

Shaking his head, Duo leaned back against a tree, the dappled shade played around them. "I don't know, I couldn't hear them that well," he admitted. The voices had been muffled, but there was intensity in their tone, he knew that much. But there was something else that had frightened him even more than the alien voices.

Something had touched him deep inside.

It hadn't been a physical touch either. It had felt like something had touched his very soul and even the memory of it made him shudder. The touch didn't hurt him; as a matter of fact it had been almost gentle. But it was nothing like nothing he had ever felt before. Duo had never felt so vulnerable. He had felt violated by it. Knowing that something could touch his very core like that while he was absolutely helpless to prevent it. And there was a feeling soon after the touch that Duo couldn't shake. It was the trembling feeling of dread. A feeling of disaster averted by cold inches.

A touch on his shoulder made him jump and he looked around, only to find himself staring into reassuring cobalt.

Duo's heart nearly broke. Here he was, wallowing in his own misery, when Heero, who had every right to hate him, was trying to reassure him. Of course Heero couldn't hate him, Duo had taken that option away from him the moment he had relaxed his hold on his Confessor's power. He placed his hand over Heero's on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Hey, I'm ok. Well, aside from being insane that is," he amended.

Holding Heero's hand, Duo reflected once again how Heero had never been afraid to touch him. Duo himself had forgotten how much comfort simple human contact could be. It occurred to him that now that the damage was already done, he could touch Heero without fear of harming him. A brief mental image of him and Heero in a naked embrace flashed through his mind and his body reacted with enthusiasm. Maybe the years of celibacy were finally catching up to him, he mused as he felt his face flush hot.

Luckily, Heero didn't notice, or at least was discreet enough not to mention it. "Duo, you are not insane," he assured the Confessor.

Duo was so intent on trying to get his body under control that he totally missed the fact that Heero shouldn't have been able to contradict him. But Duo did miss it. Instead, he just glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye. "Don't argue with me, you aren't the one running around hearing things that aren't there," he said in a dry tone.

Heero had just about had enough. He freed his hand from Duo's and reached up to grasp the braided young man's chin. Forcing Duo to look at him, Heero told him once again, this time more firmly, "Duo, you are not insane."

This time he didn't miss it. It finally started to sink in.

Once again, Duo felt his mouth go dry. Only this time, lust wasn't the cause. It was the fear that what just occurred to him was wrong. A wild hope surged in his chest, even though what he hoped was impossible. He swallowed hard. "Heero?" he asked in a low voice, his violet eyes staring intently into Heero's, trying hard to believe the unbelievable.

"What?" Heero said, still lightly holding Duo's chin. Amusement sparkled in his cobalt eyes.

"Heero?" Duo asked again, his voice starting to choke. "Heero, are you, you?" he asked, sure that he was wrong, but wishing so hard that he was right.

Heero nodded and was about to speak when Duo launched himself into Heero's chest with so much force that they both fell into the sand, Duo on top of Heero. Wrapping his arms tightly around Heero and burying his face into Heero's neck, his entire body was shaking violently. A steady stream of muffled words reached Heero's ears. "You're you! You're you! I can't believe that you're you!" Over and over the words repeated, broken by ragged gasps of breath.

Heero rubbed the Confessor's back in soothing circles, waiting for Duo to calm down. Finally, Duo sat up, straddling Heero, who was still lying in the sand. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he demanded, half in anger. He was mortified by his behavior earlier. "Geez, you could have told me instead of letting me carry on like an idiot and, oh shit!"

He had just realized that he was sitting on top of Heero in a very undignified manner. Add to that hugging him and forcing him to take a bath, not to mention fantasizing about having sex with him! It was a wonder that Heero hadn't run him through with his sword and been done with it. Never mind that Heero wasn't wearing a sword, the principle remained the same.

Duo dove off of Heero and scrambled to his feet in the sand. "Heero, I am so sorry! Forgive me, I won't do that again, I promise," he babbled, nearly hysterical. Apparently losing his mind and his grip on reality had unnerved him far more than he had realized.

Climbing to his feet and dusting sand off of himself, Heero listened to Duo carry on for a few seconds before grabbing the Confessor and placing one hand over his mouth. "Duo, will you shut up and listen to me for a minute?" he asked sternly, holding the wide violet eyes with his gaze.

Duo swallowed and nodded. Heero carefully pulled his hand away, ready to put it back over Duo's mouth if he showed any inclination of starting in again. Duo, however, had no intention of speaking. He was still reeling from shock, and any explanation would be more than welcome at this time.

"As you can see, your power didn't affect me. I am still the same as before." Heero spoke in a low, clear voice, trying to help Duo get through his shock.

The wind blew his long chestnut bangs into his eyes as Duo nodded slowly. "So, you were just pretending back in the Throne room?" he asked.

Heero nodded. "I had to make Odin think that I was no longer a threat to him. Then, when he let his guard down, I was able to get close enough to kill him. I used your knife," he added as an afterthought, with an undeniable smirk.

"Odin's dead?" Duo asked, surprised. "Then, does that mean that... "? he trailed off.

"I am now the Emperor of Golgatha," Heero finished. His hair was almost dry now, and was starting to resume its usual tumbled look.

"And you came looking for me?" Duo asked. He cocked his head to one side. "How did you find me?"

Heero jerked his head in the direction of Wing, grazing several yards away. "He was able to find Shinigami."

Looking at the moons' shade colt, Duo nodded, not really understanding, but still feeling unbalanced enough not to question it. He fixed a hard stare at a shadow several yards away. "You might have warned me," he called to the shadowmare, who absently waved an ear at him. Duo grinned and shook his head.

"So you say that I am not insane?" he asked, arching one brow in inquiry. "How do you know?"

Heero suspected the 'voices' Duo heard were actually himself, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa discussing the problem of Duo's magic at the Barrier. The magic had somehow transmitted their voices to Duo, who, not having a clue as to what was happening, and never having been exposed to a telepathy spell, had simply panicked. But Heero didn't want to go into all that right now. "I'll explain later, I promise," he said.

Duo looked intently into Heero's eyes, trying to discern his thoughts. Then he nodded slowly, "Ok, I'll hold you to it," he said, hooking a lock of chestnut behind one ear to keep it out of his eyes. "So what are your plans?" he asked.

"That's up to you," Heero answered. Seeing Duo's look of mild surprise, Heero continued. "There are some things you have to know about first. Then whatever you decide is what we will do."

"Ok." Duo had a feeling that whatever Heero was going to tell him was not going to be pleasant and so was willing to put it off for a while yet. He looked at Heero, now noticing the dark circles under the burning cobalt eyes. "You look awful, why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested.

Heero liked that idea a lot. Seeing the blanket that Duo had been sleeping on earlier, he gathered it up and spread it out under the trees. The dappled sunlight danced soothing patterns on the material. Heero sat down on the blanket, and reached up to pull Duo down beside him.

Duo smiled, really smiled. It was not the smirk or cheeky grin he was so well known for. It warmed Heero's heart to see it. For a while they just sat there, holding hands and watching the never-ending motion of the waves on the ocean. Duo turned to Heero and said softly, "Lie down, I'll keep watch."

Instead, Heero wrapped an arm around Duo's shoulders and pulled him down so he was flat on his back with Duo lying next to him, using Heero's shoulder for a pillow. The chestnut hair tickled Heero's nose briefly before the breeze swept it aside. "Wing and Shinigami will keep watch," he corrected, feeling his eyes start to drift shut.

"Heero?" Duo asked quietly.

"Hm?" Heero answered, his eyes still shut.

"You were unaffected by my power," Duo said, as if he were still trying to get used to the idea.

Heero nodded.

"How?" Duo finally asked, raising his head so he could look into Heero's face.

"Like this," Heero whispered, his eyes open just a slit, and leaned forward to brush his lips gently across Duo's.

Duo closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, trying to understand. He could taste the salt on Heero's lips, from bathing in the ocean. It wasn't unpleasant. In fact, to Duo it tasted like a promise. The warmth, the light pressure on his mouth was why Heero was unscathed by Duo's power, but he didn't understand. Duo's thoughts focused on what Heero was trying to tell him with that simple act.

A kiss. But Duo had kissed others before. He had kissed Hilde often and with much more intensity, but she had succumbed to his power and died. The image of Hilde's bloated corpse being fished out of the river again flashed through his mind. Not knowing what Duo was, she hadn't felt any fear of him but that didn't save her from the Confessor's awful power. In the end, her innocence hadn't been enough and she had succumbed, and was destroyed.

Why hadn't Heero? Heero had known what Duo was, what he was capable of, and yet the dark haired soldier hadn't been afraid of him. Was that it? Duo felt Heero's tongue brush against his lips and felt the warm breath on his cheek as he exhaled.

No, it wasn't the lack of fear that had saved Heero, because Hilde hadn't been afraid of him. Duo parted his lips and Heero ran his tongue over Duo's front teeth in gentle, stroking motions. Shivering slightly, Duo struggled to decipher what Heero was saying without words. Heero knew what Duo's power would do to him. He had accepted it and had willingly submitted to it. Was that why?

No, that wasn't it either. The wizard S had wanted Duo to use his Confessor's power on him. He had willingly subjected himself to the Confessor's power and had been changed by it. So keeping one's will in the face of a Confessor's power wasn't merely acceptance or the lack of fear. It was something more. Duo's brow furrowed as he opened his mouth, granting Heero entrance. It was getting harder to think as he drew a quick breath, feeling Heero's tongue slide against his own.

It was strange; Duo reflected. Heero was kissing him. The Emperor of Golgatha was kissing him. Heero, who had known what Duo's power could do to him, had accepted it. He had been willing to sacrifice his Empire, and the rest of the world, to save Duo.

He felt Heero pull away just the tiniest bit and followed him, his eyes still closed. He didn't quite understand yet, but felt he was close to the answer. Now it was Duo's turn to lead. Pressing his own tongue into Heero's parted lips, he was warmly received. Emboldened by Heero's silent encouragement, he pressed his body against Heero as well. He felt Heero lace his fingers through his, and was briefly reminded of the moment right before he released his power on Heero. But Heero had said it was all right. He loved Duo.

Heero loved Duo. He had said that right before Duo had unleashed his power on him. Heero loved Duo and was willing to sacrifice everything for him, including his mind and soul.

Heero loved Duo, more than life itself, and that was what had saved him.

Trembling at what he was beginning to comprehend, Duo lifted a hand to Heero's cheek, brushing his thumb across the smooth skin. Heero wrapped his free arm around the young Confessor, pulling him closer, feeling Duo melt against him.

Finally, they parted, panting slightly as they opened their eyes. Duo swallowed once, twice, and then whispered in words toned with awe.

"I understand."

End Part 14

  Author's Note: This quiet interlude is a gift for my wonderful beta reader Betty, who has patiently read and reread this monster until 99% of the mistakes are caught. (The last 1% is always my own mistakes anyway). I thank her humbly and hope she has enjoyed this part. Thanks hun!
Anyway, the next part will get back to the usual dark, angst, violence you are so familiar with in this saga, as the battle for the world begins!

(:./annabell/sith14)