All Hallow's Eve
Part 9
by Granate
"What's wrong with you lately?" Chang asked Friday morning in first period. Mr. K. was late again and
the room was buzzing with laughter and chatting, none of it coming from Duo.
"Nuthin'," Duo glowered, "Just not getting enough sleep I guess." That was true, the demon
hunting had been getting really intense this week and he'd been sleeping over at Heero's more than he should.
Sunday had been a Jersey Devil, Monday they'd faced more vampires, Tuesday El Chupacabra, Wednesday a REAL dragon
who breathed REAL fire. They'd gotten pretty scratched up in that fight. It was getting difficult to hide is
comings and goings from Solo. It was just lucky his brother could sleep through a train wreck.
"PMS, Maxwell?" Chang teased.
"Shut up before I punch your face. Or maybe you want me to because you wanna see Dr. Sally again,"
Duo retorted snidely.
Wu Fei stiffened and glared at Duo, trying to control his flush. He quickly turned around in his seat. Duo could
not help cackling. Any mention of Wu Fei's 'secret' crush on the school nurse, and they wouldn't be speaking for
a few days. It was just as well, Duo had other things to think about before Chang started bugging him for the
next round at the batting cage.
Heero had finally learned better than to try and avoid Duo during lunch. After lunch, he caught Duo before he
left the table to go back to class.
"Duo, what is this 'Halloween' that is going on tonight?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, it's a holiday where kids dress up in costumes and go door to door trying to scare people and get candy.
It's really fun!" Duo told him. Heero looked perturbed.
"Is that all?" he asked, "What does it mean?"
Duo shrugged, "I think it comes from an old Pagan holiday of like All Souls Eve, the night before all Saints
Day, or something. You know, communication with the dead, that kind of thing."
"All Hallow's Eve," Heero said, face filling with dread, "God, Duo I am SO stupid!! Why didn't
I think of this before! It is going to be tonight!"
"What?" Duo asked in a serious whisper.
"Tonight!" Heero hissed back, "Zechs will show himself on All Hallow's Eve, I am sure of it!"
"Well, there goes the party," Duo sighed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes.
"Meet me in the northside of town as soon as you can," Heero instructed. Duo nodded and threw his bag
over a shoulder.
"All right bro! Ready to go!" Duo said excitedly, bounding down the stairs.
Solo took in the priest's outfit, complete with white collar and just shook his head. "No tact, Duo,"
he laughed, "Just don't start cracking pedophile jokes, ok?" He eyed the cross for a second. "Is
that mom's cross?" he asked.
"Yeah," Duo said.
Solo frowned slightly. "Looks bigger," he mused.
Duo just grinned and jumped in the passenger seat of Solo's car. Nothing beat Halloween on a Friday night. The
big party was over at Sylvia Noventa's this year. She was a nice girl with a big house and rather negligent parents.
Duo didn't hang out with her, but they knew each other and all his friends were going. It was going to be really
fun, but he wasn't about to abandon Heero tonight of all nights.
"This is wrong," Trowa said, folding his arms over his chest. He was dressed as a circus clown (minus
the red nose and obnoxious wig) and his sister, Catherine was at the party somewhere dressed as a knife-thrower.
"Maybe, but hasn't he been acting weird lately?" Hilde argued. She had fairy wings and was dressed as
Tinkerbell.
"Yeah, he's only been hanging out with that Heero kid!" Quatre added. Quatre was wearing a scarecrow
costume that went well with his shining blond hair.
"Following him is stupid," Trowa insisted.
"Besides, he might not even come tonight," Chang said obstinently, "And I don't care if he does."
Wu Fei had come as Forest Law from Tekken 3, but had refused to cut his hair.
"Oh, come on, you two!" Dorothy said, "This will be fun, all clandestine! There's nothing more
fun than a mystery on Halloween!" Dorothy was dressed rather predicatably as a black cat.
They peeked out of the drapes of Sylvia's den, watching the driveway for Solo's car.
"He's promised to come, so he'll be here. I know he's planning to come. The question is if he'll stay,"
Hilde said, "I have to know what's going on! He keeps brushing me off."
"I still say this is dumb, for the record," Trowa said, sitting down in defeat.
"Here's the car!" Dorothy exclaimed.
Solo's car pulled in and Duo hopped out, waving to his brother. They saw Duo go in the front door, and then they
heard him walk down the hall past them at a quick pace. Hilde and Quatre poked their heads out the door in time
to see him brush by a few other party goers, by-pass the punch, and head straight out the back door.
"See?!" Hilde hissed, "Do what you want, I'm following! There's no time to wait for 'Lena!"
She ran out the door, and Quatre and Dorothy followed right on her heels. Trowa and Wu Fei exchanged glances
and then got up simultaneously to follow.
Duo quickly made his way to the northside, not noticing his single file line of followers. /Just how in the heck
am I supposed to find Heero?/ he wondered to himself. Then he saw it, a beam of eerie yellow green light emanating
from from one of the warehouses. That had to be it! Duo broke into a run, and burst through the doors to find
Heero fighting a room full of demons.
"Tasukete!"
The wolf about to bite Heero's leg froze and he killed the vampire he'd been fighting and the wolf too before it
woke up. A winged bat-demon attacked him from behind, but he swung around and sliced it nearly in two.
Duo smashed his elbow through the glass window and grabbed the fire ax on the wall. He joined Heero in the melee
and froze the demon who was of immediate danger to his friend.
"Looks like I got here a little late!" Duo exclaimed to he Hunter as he swung the ax and flung the small
demon that had been stuck on the blade across the room.
"No, you got here just in time!" Heero replied and he yanked his sword out of a yeti, "Zechs is
downstairs, we have to get to him!"
Duo looked at the demon-filled room and just gritted his teeth as he froze another demon and killed it.
"Duo!" a familiar voice called.
Duo looked toward the door. "Get out of here you guys!" he shouted when he saw his friends enter the
room.
"We have to help them!" Hilde shouted to the others who just stared for a second in disbelief. "Come
on you guys! Don't just stand there!" she continued, grabbing a fire extinguisher off the wall. She swung
it at the first demon who got in her way and then blasted the next with nozzle.
A rather unlucky and stupid vampire attacked Wu Fei, who engaged it in hand-to-hand combat. A werewolf jumped
Dorothy and she ducked, then pried a piece of metal piping off the wall and struck the wolf. Quatre ran to the
wall and pulled the fire hose off its reel. He turned the nozzle and aimed at the nearest demon. Trowa found
a sledge hammer and started bashing demons.
"Heero, check it out!" Duo called excitedly. Heero finished off another leathery winged demon and looked
to see Duo's friends fighting along side them.
"What the heck is going on?!" Hilde shouted to Duo when she finally got close.
"Only the apocalypse!" he answered, chopping a leg off of a zombie.
Heero jumped back when suddenly the demon he was fighting exploded. Then one his left. Then the one Duo was fighting.
"Heero! Get downstairs as fast as you can!" a man's voice from the doorway said. He and Duo both looked
to see Mr. Kushrenada pointing and blowing demons up. They both just stared until he shouted at them again. "I'll
protect the humans up here, just get to Zechs!"
Heero decided not to question him and took off in the direction of the elevator. Heero punched the 'down' button
and dispatched a werewolf which had followed him. "You should stay up here," he told Duo, who was right
on his heels, "Zechs will have the most powerful demons with him downstairs!"
*ding!*
"That's why I'm not letting you go without me!" Duo argued, pushing his way past Heero into the elevator
when the door opened. They stood in silence and faced the door as it closed.
"I do not know what will be down there," Heero warned him. He thought maybe he could knock Duo out and
send him back up in the elevator, but then there was a chance a demon upstairs could attack him while he was out.
"What if it's energy beings, Heero?" Duo asked, "You need me, get over it!"
Heero looked at the floor. "I know… I know I need you," he muttered.
Duo looked at him, the Japanese boy's face coloring slightly as he scuffed a boot toe at the floor.
"Argh," Duo growled, "What the hell!" And then he reached over and grabbed Heero's shoulders,
pulling them nose to nose. Heero looked up at him in shock, but Duo's lips were already on his. Heero's eyes
shut involuntarily as he felt Duo's lips move softly over his. His eyes opened again when Duo pulled away. Duo
opened his mouth to say something
*ding!*
They both snapped forward as the elevator doors rolled opened.
You'd think nothing could shock two demon Hunters, but both boys just stared for a minute. Miss Noine and Relena
were fighting demons down here with… magic. The same energy bolts Heero didn't quite know how to use were being
expertly wielded by both women, knocking dopplegangers and other powerful beings back.
"Heero!" Miss Noine called as she exploded a demon, "Help us get to Zechs!"
Heero and Duo joined the fight, Heero using his energy, which was becoming stronger, and Duo using his cross.
It was dangerous for Duo, because he had to let the beings get a hold of him before he could contain them. When
the four of them had cleared the room, the double doors to their right flew open and a figure emerged. It was
a young man, dressed in decadent clothing, with long blond hair and bangs that fell in his face. His eyes glowed
red and he floated over to them, just above the floor.
Heero ran at him, ready to slice at him with the sword.
"Heero, no!" Noine shouted, and thrust both her palms in the direction of the blond man. An energy shield
formed around him, which the slayer bounced off of and landed heavily on the floor. He stood up and shook himself
off.
"Miss Noine, what are you doing?" he demanded, "We have to destroy him!"
"I can't let you!" she yelled back.
"And neither will I!" Relena added
The blond figured just laughed a deep, rolling laugh. "Lucratezia and Relena, my dear little sister, have
you come to help me destroy this pathetic world and recreate it to rule? Lucratezia, you could be my queen!"
Duo looked around, frantically trying to put the pieces together. His English teacher was down here fighting a
demon lord. And they knew each other! And Relena was this guy's sister??
"I won't let you do that, either!" Noine answered, "I've come to get Milliardo back!"
"Do not call me that!" the demon roared, breaking Noine's protective energy shell. Heero took the opportunity
to attack, but Zechs was faster. He grabbed Heero by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"Heero!" Duo shouted, running forward. Zechs stuck out a hand and shot him back with a energy bolt,
knocking him the the floor.
"Pathetic human," Zechs sneered.
Heero struggled against him, kicking out and clawing at the demon's hand.
"Brother, stop it!" Relena cried, and shot a weak beam at him, "These are my friends!"
Zechs growled in annoyance when the beam hit him, and threw Heero to the floor.
Heero got up and made his way to Duo, watching Zechs suspiciously. Zechs just observed him with amusement.
"Friends? Little sister, dear, why would you consort with these pitiable creatures?" he asked, "Humans!
And the Hunter! My dear, what were you thinking?"
"I came here to wait for you!" she answered, "I can't let you go through with this!"
Heero helped Duo get up again, and then said to Noine, "Hold him still with your energy and let me kill him!
My sword will only kill the evil part of him, and you will have Milliardo back!"
"No Lucratezia!" Zechs said, "The Hunter is lying! He will kill me!"
Noine looked helplessly between them, unsure of what to do. Relena looked on, equally lost.
Heero didn't wait for either of the them to respond, he attacked Zechs. This time, Zechs pulled a sword from his
belt and fought back.
"No!" Noine shouted, "I won't lose you again!" She put another protective shell around Zechs.
Heero growled loudly and clanged his sword against it. The Demon Lord just laughed.
*ding!*
"Do what The Hunter says!"
They all turned and saw Mr. Kushrenada exit the elevator.
"Trieze!" Zechs snarled, "Don't stand in the way! I should kill you again for banishing me all
those years ago! You only bought yourself time! I am back, and I am here to rule over all!"
"Lucratezia, do what Heero says, it is the only way to free Milliardo," he said, ignoring the other man.
"I won't let him be killed again, Trieze!" she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I won't wait
another 1,000 years!"
"You won't have to! Just let the Hunter do his work," Trieze placated. He sent an energy bolt to Zechs,
trying to bind him where he was. Relena's energy joined his, but he was not immobilized until Noine added hers.
"I'm sorry, Milliardo!" she whispered.
Heero approached Zechs and stabbed him right through the heart, but the Demon Lord sent one last bolt at the Hunter,
hurling him into a metal support beam.
Zechs fell to the ground, and Relena and Noine rushed to him.
"Brother!" Relena sobbed as she pulled Heero's sword out of his chest and let it clatter to the ground.
He was bleeding out quickly. There was so much blood.
Duo rushed to where Heero had fallen and tried to wake him. "Wake up, Heero, come on, buddy!" he begged,
shaking his friend, "Come on, you've been thrown into so much shit, this can't kill you!"
A dim blue flash revealed a man standing not far away. "Is it over yet?" his crackling voice asked impatiently.
He had grey hair and round glasses. Duo was taken aback by the prosthetic pincers he had instead of a hand.
"Yes, it is done, J," Trieze said.
"Milliardo!" Noine exclaimed when the man moved. His eyes opened, revealing a soft blue sheen instead
of the deadly red.
"Lucratezia! Relena!" he said softly in disbelief. Both women hugged him tearfully. "Trieze,
old friend!"
"Hello again, Milliardo," Trieze answered him with a gentle smile, "Nice to have you back."
"So, Lord Peacecraft has been freed and Lord Zechs is destroyed," J said in the same impatient tone,
"Then I suppose we should all be on our way. Now, where is that useless Hunter of mine?"
"He's not useless!" Duo shouted, and all eyes fell on him, kneeling over Heero, "He saved this entire
town!"
"And just who are you?" the grey-haired man asked Duo sternly.
"I'm his friend, who are you?" Duo bit back, not moving from his place next to Heero.
"Friend?" the man laughed bawdily, "You're his friend? That's a good one! Hunters don't have friends!
I'm his trainer, boy, I would know."
Duo scowled at him.
"Now, move away so I can take him," J instructed, still stifling laughter.
"Where are you taking him?" Duo demanded.
"Back to where he came from," J answered boredly.
"Where's that?" Duo continued, crouching lower over Heero protectively.
"Nowhere," J answered, his smile telling Duo he wasn't just avoiding the question.
"No! You can't take him! You can't just send him away!" Duo exclaimed.
J just rolled his eyes. "Insolent human, The Hunter is as much a part of this prophesy as all the demons.
Now that it has ended, he is no longer needed. He's probably dead anyway."
"He's still breathing, he's alive! You can't just get rid of him! He's a person!" Duo cried.
"No, he isn't a human or a person, he's nothing of the sort. He is not part of this world, he does not belong
here," J told him.
"Yes he is too human!" Duo argued. "He - he CRIED!"
"He cried!" J yelled, demeanor changing to enraged. "The Hunter is not supposed to CRY!
Good God, this could only be worse if some idiot had kissed him!" he finished sarcastically.
Duo kept his reddening face tilted down as J's accusing glare finally fell, rather arbitrarily, on Relena. She
gave an offended little huff.
Trieze smirked. "Could the Hunter have learned to be human?" he mused at J's expense.
"Not possible!" J growled.
"Don't take him!" Duo pleaded, "He deserves a chance to live!"
Trieze observed the long-haired human in puzzlement and admiration. Humans. They were such strange creatures
- so weak, but their emotions were so sttrong. They'd always been sort of endeared to him. Duo seemed especially
strong, Trieze had noticed it right away. He turned to J. "If the Hunter earned love in this world, then
he deserves it," Trieze suggested, "Let him stay."
"That's preposterous!" J stammered.
Zechs rose, aided by his sister and Noine, and stumbled forward. "I have caused so much death and suffering,"
he said weakly, "Please, let me do this one thing to help a person." He smiled at Duo. "Maybe
more than one person," he said kindly.
"You've caused enough trouble, Lord Peacecraft," J said in a warning tone.
"Let me try to make up for it," Milliardo insisted, "Just let me do this, J."
Relena reached up on tip-toes to whisper something in his ear.
"Wonderful idea, little sister!" he said in delight.
"Fine!" J stormed, "You're all fools!" With that, he snatched the Hunter's sword, and disappeared
in a puff of grey smoke.
Zechs released Noine and Relena, and came towards the fallen Hunter. Duo glared at him and protectively pulled
Heero's body into his arms.
"I'm not going to hurt him, Duo, I promise," Milliardo said kindly. He put a hand on Heero's shoulder
and closed his eyes. Duo just watched. It didn't look like anything was happening, and then Milliardo moved away
again.
Relena knelt and hugged Duo. "I'll miss you, Duo Maxwell," she said into his shirt collar.
"'Lena," he said softly, "You're not leaving are you? I don't quite understand."
"I don't belong here, Duo. I was just waiting here for my brother, we all were," she motioned to Noine
and Trieze. "Thank you for being my friend," she smiled at Duo.
"But you can't go! What about Hilde and Doro! Everyone will miss you!" Duo said.
"No they won't," Relena winked, "They're all upstairs, safe, but they won't remember a thing."
"'Lena!" Duo called as she rejoined her brother and the others.
"Be good to Heero!" she said, "Take him to my house tonight, and he'll be ok."
"I don't understand!" Duo cried, watching as their figures became blurry. The last thing he heard was
Zechs say, "'Lena? That's a cute nickname, little sister," and then they faded away.
Duo just huffed in the silence. He put Heero's arm around his shoulder and stood, pulling Heero to the elevator.
His friends were lying in a pile on the floor upstairs, they appeared to be sleeping. He wondered what they would
think when they woke, but he wanted to get Heero home. To Relena's? He shrugged. That's what she had said.
He managed to drag Heero to Relena's. For such a small guy, he was really heavy. He wondered how he was going
to sneak Heero into her room without her parents noticing, but there didn't seem to be anyone home. He pulled
Heero up the stairs and dumped him on Relena's pink covered bed. Duo removed Heero's shoes and then his own, exhaustedly
falling next to him. He pulled the bedspread up and rolled to face the Hunter, just to watch him. He was definitely
alive, his chest rising and falling in slow but steady rhythm. Unable to stop himself, he leaned over and kissed
Heero's lips, just softly one more time. He stopped and looked at his friend. He felt kind of bad about taking
advantage. "I hope you'll let me do that," Duo whispered, "When you wake up." He laid his
head on the pillow and let himself fall asleep, too tired to think what tomorrow would bring.
Sometime during the night, Heero awoke and found himself next to Duo. His head was a little fuzzy, but he remembered
everything. It was over! But why was he still here? He recalled Duo kissing him in the elevator. Oh. Oops.
He felt his lips curve into a small smile and pulled the sleeping boy into his arms.
"Heero, you're awake!" Duo whispered groggily, "Are you ok?"
"Just fine," Heero answered, nuzzling into Duo's neck. He smiled again when he felt Duo's arms encircle
his neck, but he was just too tired to do anything but fall asleep again.
Quatre as a scarecrow was a shout-out to Sylvia's Halloween ficlet! ^^ And Hilde as Tinkerbell was a reference
to my 'Peter Pan Parody'! Can't you just imagine all of them sneaking down the street all dressed up!!
|