Hey guys! Here it is, at long last - the confrontation between Heero and Shinigami!
I'm sorry it took so long but I wanted it to be done RIGHT for a change!
Special thank you's to Blue Lemming, Kitsune and Andrea Readwolfe - the ones who never failed to let me know what they thought and nagged me to continue! Also my friend BJ who's constant demand for me to forsake work to write - are you happy now? *grins* And for everyone who's read HOD and let me know of their suggestions, thank you!
I dedicate this part to my muses: Ah Noying who inspired the fight scenes and George who inspired everything with Wufei.
Title: Heart Of Darkness
Author: Stormy
Part: 6D
Warning: Angst, blood, graphic descriptions of violence, strong language.
If any of the above offends you DO NOT READ! I'm sick of being told to put better warnings for the faint hearted b/c you've gotten sick from the descriptions. Either deal with it or don't - I'm not your keeper. (BTW - this is not directed towards members of the GWML - these are comments I've gotten from people who've read the fics on sites, and even though they like the story, they didn't like the violence. Tough).
Archive: Jackies page, Darkflames page, and Candy's page all get an automatic yes. Anyone else, please ask.
Pairings:3x4, moving towards 1x2
Enjoy minna!
Quatre was still shaking even as Trowa rubbed his arms, trying to provide a measure of warmth and comfort for the small Arabian. Across the room, Jubilee blinked and then slowly came over to them. She watched Trowa murmer soothingly for a few minutes before kneeling in front of them, staring Quatre in the face.
" Quatre?" The blond looked up, still in shock. Trowa's brows creased slightly.
" I don't understand," he murmered. " He's seen people kill before - why is he taking it so hard?"
" Because it happened in his MIND," Jubilee said, reaching out with one gentle hand to cup Quatre's chin, tilting the pale face to hers. " He's in psychic shock right now - a psi's mind just died on the psychic plane - and he was connected to it via his link with Duo--"
" --whom the boy tried to posess," finished Trowa, understanding dawning in his green eyes. " Will he be okay?"
" Oh sure," Jubilee said, shrugging casually. " He's conscious and vaguely aware of us - that's better then some psi-victims I've seen."
" Better?"
" Least he's not drooling, or spazzing on us." Jubilee squinted, staring at the blond. " Yo, Quatre! Wake up!"
" Maybe we should take him to the medical facilities," Trowa began, looking over to where the Beast was currently conversing with Jean and the Professor, both who looked exhausted. Jean felt Trowa's thoughts directed at her and she raised her head.
" Quatre will be fine Trowa," she said reassuringly. " I'm monitering him right now - he's just overwhelmed by what he experienced. I put a mental block up for him until he regains his composure enough to do it himself. Still....Hank?"
Giving Charles one last look over, Beast bounded over to the three teenagers. Flicking out a pen light, he shone the beam into Quatre's face, the latter who blinked, irritated at the intrusion of light, and swatted it away.
" M'okay, lemme go," he said weakly, batting at the furry blue hand that was determined to stick the light right up against his retinas, it seemed. Trowa let out an uncharacteristic sigh of relief and Jubilee sat back with a smug look on her face.
" See? I told ya."
Heero had thought there was nothing left that could shock him in life. Born and bred to be the Perfect Soldier, he'd survived years of intense training to build up his strength of body and strength of mind, the perfect accompanyment to the ultimate weapon - the Gundam. Even meeting others like him, others trained and willing to fight for the freedom of their colonies, didn't faze him much - in the back of his mind he'd expected as much. After all, it was ludicrus to assume one boy was going to end the entire war, right?
No - it wasn't battle that shocked him. It had been the personalties of the other pilot. From Wufei's firm belief in justice, to Trowa's stoic determination to outrun his past, to Quatre's gentleness. Based on each of their backgrounds, he could accept this. He knew why Wufei fought, where he got his fanatical thirst for justice from. Trowa had grown up without a name, a blank spot in the past of Nanashi. Where Quatre had gotten his gentle side was blatantly obvious - he was the only one born into a family, raised by his father and twenty-nine sisters. No, all the other pilots were clear to him.
It was the cocky, cheerful pilot from L2 that had confused him. He'd assumed the maniac pilot of Deathscythe had had a similar childhood to Quatre's - how else could you explain Duo Maxwell's childish behavious, generous nature and all around happy attitude?
It had come as a complete shock when Heero, not wanting to be left in the dark over the people he had to work with, hacked into one of L2's main computers, running cross-checks on anything Maxwell. It had come as a complete surprise that Duo shared the same last name as the doomed church that met its fate in an OZ attack. Deeming it to be a coincidence, a chance glimpse at a vid-clip had frozen him in his seat.
A news report, taken just minutes after the bombing. A camera, panning the still-smoking ruins of what used to be a church orphanage, skimming over bodies hastily covered with sheets. A flash of chestnut brown hair and wide, terrified, violet eyes.
Heero remembered pausing the clip and leaning forwards, staring intensely at the picture of a young Duo Maxwell, huddled next to the body of a dead nun, staring up at the camera in complete shock. The clip continued, voices calling out in shock that there had been a survivor, hands reaching for the boy. The clip ended with Duo whirling around and flying nimbly across the destroyed churchyard. One last glance at the camera showed the shock, the fear, the overwhelming sadness in those purple eyes. Heero had shut off the computer and just thought about that, waiting for Duo to return that night to confront him.
It had been a complete revelation. Duo hadn't been particularly upset that Heero had gone snooping around in his past - no, he'd seemed shocked and even a little grateful that someone had seemed to care enough to want to know more about him. Slowly, haltingly, Duo had told Heero his story.
How he'd been left to fend for himself on the streets at the tender age of five. How a street-smart young gang leader named Solo had been impressed with the tough toddler and took him under his wing, teaching him how to survive. How a deadly virus ran rampant through the colony, leaving Solo to die in a seven-year-old Duo's arms. How, in order to preserve Solo's memory, Duo had named himself, stating he'd be living for the two of them. Living at the church. The bombing. Stowing away on a spaceshuttle where he met Deathscythe for the first time. Doctor G finding him. Becoming a pilot.
All this and more poured out of Duo, tears welling up in his eyes as he did so, grieving for the loss of everyone he'd ever known. Heero had been completely shocked. For all his problems, he would have expected someone of Duo's past to be a bitter, cold-hearted killer. Like himself. Instead, Duo had tried to embrace life, thinking that if he lived for all those who died, maybe, just maybe, there'd be someone out there for him, who would outlive what he called his Maxwell Curse.
" Everyone who gets close to me dies," Heero heard Duo say once in an unusually somber voice. " Ya get used to it."
Now, staring across a blood-spattered warehouse, the coppery scent making it hard to breathe, bodies strewn about the floor - Heero couldn't move. All he could see was a mockery of the laughing, violet-eyed boy he knew and had come to rely on. No, this wasn't Duo - this was what Duo could have become after all his trials. This was the dark side of Duo's soul given free reign. This blood-soaked demon was Shinigami.
The two stared each other down from across the room. Heero was vaguely aware that all the fighting had ceased in the background but at the moment, he couldn't care less. His entire awareness was focused on the killing machine in front of him. He cleared his throat and tried to speak, forcing his closed throat to open.
" D-Duo?" he asked shakily.
Shinigmai roughly raked a forearm across his face, brushing the blood out of his eyes and the bangs of his hair. After knocking out the Chinese kid, he'd been prepared to deliver the finishing strike when a blow came from behind him, knocking him head over heels. Whoever had snuck up on him had to be good - with his heightened abilities, it took a lot to catch him off guard. He hit the ground, rolled and landed in a crouch, focusing his gaze on the one who had delivered the blow.
He blinked.
A thin, yet muscular boy stood there, fists clenched. It was obvious that HE was the on who had attacked. Shinigami took in the black spandex and the green tank top curiously - they didn't look like the spandex-y armor that most super-mutants seemed to wear. Curious. His eyes travelled upwards, taking in the firm jaw, the tousled brown locks of hair that flew in the boys face. There was something....almost achingly familiar.
A gust of wind blowing through the demolished wall of the warehouse, blew the tangled strands of hair from the boys face, and in that instant, cobalt eyes locked on to violet.
Shinigami froze, staring at the boy. He knew him....he KNEW him. He blinked again, as the room started to distort slightly. A gruff laugh echoed in his ears and he shook his head, wondering if he was going crazy.
//Baka...//
" D-Duo?"
They were the same! God help him, the voices were the same. Shinigami growled, trying to bring back his comfortable feeling of rage and death, his growl growing more and more pronounced as he failed to lose himself in the moment. His eyes narrowed hatefully. He may have known this person at one time....but now he was the one making him remember, making him feel. For that.....Shinigami snarled and leaped at the boy.
Heero couldn't have moved even if he'd been ordered by J himself. His eyes focused on Shinigami, watching the small tremors course through the slim frame. Was he remembering? He licked his lips nervously - another emotion he'd never really understood before meeting the loud-mouthed American. So many emotions...and all of them making themselves known.
A low sound began reverberating through the large room and Heero realized with a start it was coming from Shinigami.
_He's growling_?
Heero watched as the leather-clad boys emotions of rage, hate and something else, whirled across his face. _Could he be remembering_? His heart jumped into his throat at the thought, before rashing back down to his chest as violet, pain-filled eyes glared back at him.
_Guess not_.
Heero braced himself as Shinigami hurtled through the air at an amazing speed. Heero barely got his hands up in time to deflect the killing palm strike the boy had aimed for his nose. He locked arms with Shinigami, each boy jockeying for position. Heero noted absently that the boy had dropped his scythe prior to his leap across the room and wondered why. His attention was snapped back when Shinigami snarled again and twisted his whole body, propelling Heero up and over, crashing him into a pile of wood and plaster. Heero shook his head and blinked, body hurting from the hard throw. When did Duo get so powerful?
" Duo!" he said forcefully, watching the boy stalk him like a jungle cat. " It's me! Heero!"
Heero? That name ricocheted off his brain and stopped the prowling Shinigami in his tracks. Inside his mind, he could feel something fighting to break free. It hurt. A lot. With a roar that was half-pain and half rage, he threw himself at the boy, determined to make him stop.
Where there had just moments ago been cold, hard logic, was now just an animalistic reaction - his thoughts deserted him as he reacted to the pain within his own mind. As he attacked, he was vaguely aware of a hint of approval coming from deep within himself - somehow he knew, enemy or not, this boy was the key to ending the pain, one way or another. Harpoon, Forearm, Sinister...they all faded to the back of his mind as the nagging doubts and half-formed memories he'd been feeling for the last few days began coming together in the face of the prussian-eyed boy. And with the revelations came pain - deep blinding pain that tore on him from the inside out. And he did what any other animal would do when in severe pain.
He attacked.
Wufei slowly came to his senses. He was aware of one slender, gloved hand reaching back and gripping his shoulder, helping to a sitting position. A tendril of red hair brushed past his face and he recognized it instantly.
" R-Rogue?" he croaked. Her green eyes swam into his field of vision and slowly, the blurriness faded. " What-"
Rogue pointed to a spot past his shoulder and with her help, he turned around enough to see what she was referring to.
His jaw hit the ground.
Heero and Duo were rolling across the ground, exchanging a flurry of blows that would have obliterated any other person foolish enough to get in their way. He watched, open-mouthed, as Duo slammed his fist towards Heero's face, only to have Heero move with amazing speed. Duo's fist struck the ground and cracked the cement with the force of his blow.
" Merciful Nataku!" Wufei gasped as he instinctively curled his own fists. " How on EARTH did he do that?"
Even as he spoke, the two combatants broke apart and came to their feet, chests heaving with exertion, blood streaming freely down torn bodies. Duo's eyes were alight with an unholy fire and for the first time, Wufei outwardly showed his fear of the American. Always a jester, Wufei may have mocked Duo's immature behaviour, but he had seen too much of Duo's anger and deadly effectiveness as an assassin during the battles of war to be stupid enough to NOT fear the reaper. Death was no joke. He swallowed, eyes glued to the scene before him.
" So quick," he breathed. " So strong - how is this possible? Heero is the enhanced soldier. But Duo..."
Wolverine crouched by him, his own gaze locked on the struggle. Gambit and Cyclops were watching the three Mauraders. Cyclops had gone back to the Blackbird and pulled out three collars. Genoshan collars. Designed to dampen the mutant powers of any mutant wearing it. After fastening the collars to Harpoon, Forearn and Fatale, they had turned their attention to the battle taking place among the bodies of the fallen homeless.
Cyclops stepped forward.
" We need to stop this," he said grimly, and set his sights on Duo. Wufei, hearing him, reared up, faster then would have believed possible of a concussed boy, and placed himself in front of the X-Men leader.
" No. "
" Get out of the way," Cyclops ordered. His tone gentled slightly. " I'm not going to kill him."
Wufei shrugged and held his ground. Cyclops was about to reach out and move him to one side when Wolverine's comapct frame joined the lithe form of Wufei, preventing him from going around.
" Wolverine?"
" Let it play out Cyke," Wolverine growled. " All these people are already dead. Their souls are free."
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the scene behind him.
" There's a soul battling down there to get free. Let him try."
Cyclops searched the feral man's eyes for a minute before grudgingly nodding. Remy came forward and stood next to Wolverine.
" You know somet'in we don'?" he asked, eyes never leaving the struggle.
Wolverin gave a curt nod, but didn't elaborate.
Heero panted for breath, every muscle in his body screaming in agony. Across from him, Shinigami looked to be having as much trouble as he did. Heero couldn't understand why the boy didn't just use his scythe to finish the match and then chalked it up to the same reason he didn't just pull his gun, throwing it to the ground instead. This was different from all those times they had to use weapons.
As they once did on the basketball court, they were fighting to prove themselves. Except the proving was being left up to Shinigami. Heero ferverently hoped that the devastating blows he was landing, would shake Duo back into Shinigami's mind.
Shinigami growled softly under his breath. The pain was still there, but it was starting to fade as the battle peaked. He could feel it now, the explosion held back by a mental barrier, a barrier close to the breaking point. The battle was lowering his defences, making him react on a primal level. Something inside him was telling him that killing the boy who called himself Heero would be the easiest way to end the pain, but that same voice was the one that made him drop his scythe in the first place. A wave washed over him and he closed his eyes, grimacing.
" So close," he muttered angrily. His eyes flew open and he shrieked. " COME ON!!"
He spun out with a sharp kick, connecting to Heero's stomach with a satisfying thud. Instead of remaining doubled over, Heero reached down and grabbed Shinigami's other leg, sweeping him off his feet.
Shinigami landed on his back, the air whooshing out of him at the impact. Heero didn't pause; he rained blow after blow into the boy's face and torso. His mind screamed at him for doing this to his Duo, but ultimately he knew the blows wouldn't permanently hurt him - for Duo to keep up with him this long, Heero could SMELL genetic enhancement. He should know. It had been done to him too.
Shinigami caught his fist and pushed back, throwing Heero off of him. Heero clambered to his feet, wiping the blood out of his eyes as he watched his opponent warily.
The wave was so close....he could feel the sensations, the memories fluttering behind the wall that was crumbling. Shinigami tensed, the pain catching him off-guard, and Heero saw.
" Fight it Duo!" he urged, taking a step towards him. " This isn't you! Fight it!"
Shinigami heard his words and an agonized scream tore from his throat.
Harpoon blinked as he slowly came to. He noticed muzzily that his hands were bound with chain and he felt a familiar tightness around his throat that made him come fully awake.
A collar.
Those damn X-bastards collared him.
He moved slowly, trying not to bring any attention himself and he noticed that everyone's gaze was focused on Shinigami. He watched as the boy's hands flew to his head, the small form trembling with pain and confusion.
Shit!
_He's starting to remember_! Harpoon thought with a tinge of fear. If the kid remembered, then Sinister would be out one assassin. And he'd take it out on him and Forearm. Speaking of which... He peered out of the corner of his eye and saw Forearm out cold on the floor, Fatale next to him. Both wore collars.
He raged inwardly, knowing that with the Genoshan collars on, there was no way to activate their powers and help the kid out. Shinigami was gonna remember, and then that would be it for the rest of them.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Black handle, shiny metal muzzle...Harpoon licked his lips as his eyes fastened on the gun so near and yet so far. He didn't know where the gun came from, but it didn't matter; he had one chance to help the kid. His hands were bound but in front of him.
Good. That would make it easier.
He moved.
Heero watched Shinigmai shake, hoping against hope that Duo was breaking free of Sinister's mental prison. Movement out of the corner of his eye registered but he never took his gaze off the boy.
Until light glinted off metal.
What the-- he whirled around in time to see Harpoon lunge across the floor and snag the gun from the floor - his gun, and aim it at him. The world slowed to a crawl as the gun's retort sounded.
Shinigami clawed at his head as the barrier burst, and hsi mind was flooded with images. Some made sense, some didn't. He was still woefully confused but something clicked into place and he remembered.
" H-Heero?"
He looked up to see Heero spin around and focus on something. Shinigami's eyes tracked that cobalt gaze and watched with growing horror as Harpoon got his hands on a gun, lying on the ground.
_NO_!
With a speed surpassing anything he'd ever done before, Shinigami threw himself into Heero as the gun went off. Pain blossomed in his side as they hit the ground, rolling and suddenly Heero was there, peering down at him in disbelief.
When the gun went off, Heero had froze, expecting to meet his death. he world moving in slow-motion, he inwardly laughed at the irony of dying by his own gun.
Then something had crashed into him, knocking him out of the bullet's deadly path and he struck the ground, crying out automatically as his battered body struck unforgiving concrete. Whatever had barrelled into him was still there as he reached down. And froze again.
His hands registered long strands of silky hair and he sat up abruptly. Duo! He rolled the ummoving figure over and stared in disbelief. The bullet had ripped a hole through Duo's side, and the boy's blood-crusted lashes fluttered before opening slightly
" Duo?" Heero whispered in disbelief, hope radiating through him like a beacon. Shinigami reached up shakily with one hand.
" ..h-heero?" Duo's voice answered, looking up at him. "..'m sorry..."
" It wasn't your fault," he ground out harshly. " Never was." He ripped off a section of his tanktop and pressed against the hole in Duo's side. " Just hang on, okay?"
Duo's eyes closed, and red-hued tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.
"...so sorry..." his voice trailed off as he lost consciousness.
" DUO!"
Everything had happened so fast. The instant Harpoon had fired, Wolverine had thrown himself at the Indian, striking out with his claws and slicing the man's hand clean off. Harpoon's agonized howls were abruptly severed as Wolverine slammed his fist into the man's face, knocking him out. Rogue started towards the boys and Remy held her back.
" We gotta take care of dese boys firs' chere," he said softly. " Let Logan handle dem." He nodded to where Heero was frantically trying to stop the blood.
" But Duo needs HELP!"
" Look at his eyes chere," Remy said and Rogue looked at Heero, seeing the deep concern and agony over his injured friend. She looked closer and saw the possessive way he tended to the wound, watching all of them out of the corner of his eyes, daring them to even TRY to make a move.
Wolverine handed off Harpoon to Cyclops who tossed him onto Forearm. Remy and Rogue helped move all of them onto the Blackbird. Logan then turned and slowly moved towards Heero, arms out in front, hands open.
" Easy kid," he murmered. " I'm gonna help, okay?"
Heero's eyes narrowed, and he gripped Duo's prone form tightly. Wufei materialized at Wolverine's side.
" Let us help," he said softly. " Unless you want Duo to die now?"
Heero nodded and stepped back as Wolverine picked up the boy and headed towards the Blackbird. Wufei waited for Heero to gather himself, and he turned to give the boy his privacy.
" Wufei?"
The Shenlong pilot turned back.
" Yes?"
" Didn't need....the last resort," Heero said finally. A faint smile ghosted on to his face and Wufei nodded.
" I'm glad."
He heard Heero sigh.
" Me too."
End Part 6D
Stormy
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