From Far Away
Part 26
"Please Lena, you have to stay at the back while we are fighting." Wufei pleaded to his beloved. They were on their respective Pisces, flying toward where the soldiers were gathering for the battle
"You know I won't do that, love." Relena, riding on her own Pisces next to Wufei's, shook her head. "I won't let my people fight alone while I save myself. We will fight together and win this battle."
Wufei knew it but still he couldn't bring himself to let the woman he loved throw herself to the battle so he tried to persuade Relena again. He only stopped his effort once they were in front of soldiers, realizing he couldn't win the argument this time. Trowa, Quatre, Noin, Hilde, and Sally, five of Relena's private guards, were standing in front of the troops, together with Duo and Heero, The Shinigami and the Perfect Soldier.
Relena looked around and noticed Lady Iria approaching her. She smiled once Iria arrived next to him and then she turned her attention back to the assembled troops.
"Our brave soldiers. The battle you all will face is the greatest of all you have ever faced. We will fight against wild and dangerous creatures we may never even have heard of before." Relena raised her hand to silent the murmurs between the soldiers. "However, fear not, we will win the battle. We have no reason to lose now that the four kingdoms have combined their power to fight this battle."
"But my Queen, we are fighting against the Shinigami and his Perfect Soldier. How can we win?" One soldier shouted and soon the murmurs began again.
Relena silenced the troops and answered calmly. "You're mistaken, my brave soldiers. We are not fighting against the Shinigami and his Perfect Soldier." Relena paused, giving the troops time to be silent so they could hear what she would say next. "We are fighting WITH them."
None of the soldiers could say a word at the statement. And Relena waited for one minute long before speaking again. "We have their blessing for this battle to fight against something which dares to use their names. We will win and we will come back here. Together." Relena looked at Heero and Duo as she said the last word.
Heero nodded slightly while Duo smiled at the young Queen.
Relena smiled back and turned her attention to her stunned soldiers. "We will prevail!" She punched toward the sky. One second of silence followed before the soldiers roared and echoed Relena.
Wufei stood proudly next to Relena and watched their friends. Trowa and Quatre held each other's arm. Hilde, Noin, and Sally smiled and bowed slightly to their queen.
Duo also smiled and put his arm around Heero's waist, not caring of the thundering soldiers behind them. <<She is really a leader.>>
<<Aa>> Heero smiled slightly and put his arm around Duo's waist. They leant against each other before parting to ride their respective Pisces and depart to the battle area.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Heero held his Pisces' rein tightly as they approached the Barge's border. He already could hear the battle going as he felt the new sword Wufei gave him, ready to pull it out and strike.
<<Not yet, koi.>> Heero turned to his right and saw Duo looking back at him calmly. One hand holding a spear he got from Relena while the other hand held the rein. <<We'll charge the impostor together>>
<<Aa>> Heero nodded <<together.>>
Duo smiled and turned his attention back to the debates Wufei and Relena had in front of him while Heero watched his husband's every movement. Though they hadn't had the bonding bracelets, Duo was his husband and he was Duo's. They hadn't told the others about their bonding ceremony and decided to tell them once the battle was over.
As they arrived at the border, Heero could see how violent the battle was. The giant worms, which could only be found in the golden forest where he first met Duo, were now battling against the Barge soldiers on the ground beneath him and blood from both soldiers and worms was spilling richly. Not far from them, the giant spiders tried to break through White Fang soldiers.
Relena raised her hand, followed by Iria. "CHARGE!" Both of them cried out simultaneously and the Sank's and Lunar's soldiers quickly spread to help Barge and White Fang soldiers from the air.
Relena flew forward, heading to the center of the enemy. Wufei, Heero, Duo and her five private guards, Trowa, Quatre, Hilde, Sally and Noin followed her. However they were stopped by three giant birds, which were similar to the one Heero killed and made him change into his Perfect Soldier's form the first time.
"Be careful! Those birds are very fast and their talons are dangerous." Duo shouted and dodged the attack from one of the birds. Heero shot one big fireball toward it but it only managed to squawk in pain before turning to attack Heero.
"Kuso." Heero tugged his Pisces' rein and they managed to dodge the bird in time.
<<Those birds are a lot stronger than the one we met, Heero.>> Duo shouted telepathically.
<<I realize that now.>> Heero watched as their friends dodged the other two birds.
<<Can you beat them?>>
<<I can, but it will exhaust me.>> Heero shot another fireball at the bird which was attacking Wufei and Relena. <<I won't be able to beat the impostor by the time I am finished with them.>>
Duo cursed silently and would have been devoured by the bird if Quatre didn't shout the warning at him.
Relena assessed the situation and when she noticed Heero looked hesitant to use his Power, she understood immediately. She turned to Wufei who quickly nodded his head, having understood what Relena wanted to do. The girl smiled and as the bird attacked them again, she quickly flew near Heero and Duo.
"Heero! Duo! Leave these birds to us." She shouted. "We will take care of them while you two deal with the impostor."
"But.." Duo dodged another attack from the bird.
"We just can't leave you here." Heero answered for Duo while shooting another fireball to help Hilde, Noin, and Sally.
"Yes you can. Believe in us." Trowa shouted while he and Quatre fought the bird in front of them. "We will be fine. We are also trained soldiers." Quatre spoke up as well.
"Yes Duo, Heero." Sally appeared near them. "Hilde, Noin, and I believe you two will beat the impostor. That's why we will stay behind and make way for you." She smiled at Heero and Duo and then returned to help Hilde and Noin.
"You heard them." Relena smiled.
Duo looked at Heero, who nodded slowly. "We will defeat the impostor." Heero stated.
The young Queen nodded. "Go now, you two and take care yourselves"
"You too." Heero nodded and flew forward.
"We'll see you all again once the battle is over." Duo leant forward and kissed Relena's forehead. "We'll come back together." He then followed Heero.
"Don't disappoint us, Yuy, Maxwell." Wufei shouted.
"We will prevail." Duo shouted back and punched the air above him with the hand holding his spear, mimicking Relena.
They flew forward to the center of the enemies, leaving their friends to deal with the birds. As they passed the birds, they could see sea of fire below them. Duo looked at the red surface below him <<What.. the..>>
<<Duo, look out!>> Heero shouted suddenly.
Duo looked up in time to dodge a fireball. But soon another fireball rained down on them, clearly targeting them.
<<The impostor is above us! Be careful.>> Heero told Duo as he directed his Pisces further up, evading the fireballs on the process. Duo followed Heero, carefully avoiding the attack until they were near and on the same level with the impostor.
As they got near the impostor, Duo noticed the figure had black skin and a pair of black wings, just like Heero's and their brown hair was as long as their knees. He had sick feeling as he noticed how similar the figure was to Heero's Perfect Soldier's form, especially the wings. The wings that he, himself, had ripped away from Heero's back.
"I have been waiting for you, Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy." The fireballs stopped as a booming voice came from the figure drawing both boys to look at the figure's face. Duo paled as he recognized the face of the figure, despite the big horn on their forehead.
"Lady Une." Duo whispered in disbelief and heard a surprised gasp from Heero.
Une laughed not so lady like. "I used to be called that."
"You're dead. I killed you." Heero looked at the figure in disbelief.
"I have escaped death so many times." Une grinned, revealing the sharp fangs she had. "I'm blessed with Regeneration Powers. My wounds can heal immediately."
Duo looked in horror. "You.... No wonder... at Tsubarov..."
Une smirked. "Yes, you must be wondering how could I get out of the castle safely while you who had run out earlier could barely make it out alive."
"You didn't make it." Duo stated rather than questioned the woman in front of him.
"Yes, I didn't make it." Une nodded, The roof fell on me, breaking my backbone and neck. But then my body healed fast and I walked out of the ruins while you all were distracted by Aquarius."
"So this is your original form?" Heero spoke up, having been calm and accepting what Une told them. "You can be a better Perfect Soldier than me. Why did you kill and destroy the innocent people? They had done nothing to you."
Une turned to Heero and laughed. "You're the one who made me like this." She patted her bat wing and then looked at Duo who seemed very surprised as well. "While you were busy taking care your dying pet, I had half recovered and approached the wings you ripped from your pet. I attached them onto my back and fused with them while recovering completely. I now have Power equal to your pet."
Both boys felt like they were struck by lightning and almost lost their balance on their Pisces. Une smirked, noticing their surprise, but she continued speaking. "Thanks to you, now I can do whatever I want. I will make the humans as slaves for me."
"No, you can't." Heero and Duo shouted in unison. They held up their weapons, ready to strike Une.
"You won't do anything." Duo glared at her.
Heero glared as well. "We will beat you."
They looked at each other and then focused at Une. With a twin cry, they urged their Pisces forward, attacking the once beautiful woman. Une laughed loudly. "Fools. I'm immortal!" She floated higher, evading their attack and countered them with fireballs. She laughed as the boys strived hard to dodge her attack.
Heero growled as he dodged another fireball. He urged his Pisces to go higher and started firing his own fireballs. Une dodged them but she gave Duo a chance to get near her. The braided boy didn't hesitate and charged forward, pointing his spear at Une.
Having been distracted by Heero's attack, Duo's spear managed to cut through Une's shoulder. As the spear cut her hand from her body, the woman cried out. Duo watched the hand fall onto the sea of flame below and looked up at Une; only to find the woman smirking at him. He and Heero watched in disbelief as the muscles grew from where he had cut the hand; forming a new arm for Une.
"Do you think you can kill me like that?" Une flexed her new arm. "Stupid boy." With incredible speed, Une suddenly flew toward Duo and knocked him out before Duo could do anything.
"DUO!!" Heero shouted and cursed himself for not reacting faster.
Une now was holding the unconscious Duo by his collar and lifted him from the Pisces as Heero approached her. She placed her other hand on Duo's throat and looked at Heero triumphantly. "Stop and drop your weapon, pet or I will kill him."
Heero dropped his sword onto the ground below immediately and looked at her angrily, knowing Duo's life depended on his actions.
"You're a good pet." Une laughed mockingly.
Heero glared and spoke slowly, full of venom. "If you hurt him, I will kill you."
"You're in no condition to threaten me." Une smirked. "Now don't move, or you will regret it."
Heero gritted his teeth but remained silent. He watched as Une released Duo's throat and extended it to him. Within a second, Heero felt pain stab through his body in five different areas. He let out a pained gasp as Une laughed loudly. Her five fingers had extended into five long pointed tendrils, stabbing Heero's thighs, right upper arm, stomach, and chest until they emerged from his back.
Une laughed maniacally as she watched Heero's blood trailing down into the flame below them. "Don't you think it's a good time for you to change into your original form? The monster?"
"Never." Heero spat blood and gasped as Une twisted her fingers inside him.
"You won't cooperate, will you?" Une smirked. "Let's see what you will do if I do this." With that, Une released her hold on Duo's collar.
"NO!!!!" Heero cried out in horror and anguish as he saw Duo's limp body fall down toward the flaming ground below. His cry was soon followed by bright lights surrounding him, making Une have to close her eyes from the painful light.
"Duo!" Relena shouted in horror and the other gasped as they saw Duo's fall from distance. They had just managed to beat the giant birds. Not without the price, of course. Their bodies were covered with wounds although none of them endangered their lives. All of them knew they would never reach Duo in time to save him. However they were surprised when Heero suddenly shined brightly. It was so bright that they had to narrow their eyes.
When the light was gone, all of them, including Une, stared at Heero in surprise, watching the now white winged boy dive down to save his soul mate. Heero didn't care what had happened. All he knew was that he was free from Une's fingers and he could fly. His mind only had one thing on it right now. Saving Duo.
He dove as fast as he could, getting nearer to Duo's falling body. He extended his arm and caught Duo in time before his husband wasengulfed by flames. Heero hugged Duo tightly and surged up into the sky again, obliviously approaching Relena and the others.
"Heero!" Relena shouted, feeling extremely relief at Duo's rescue but yet stunned at Heero's appearance.
Heero noticed Relena's shout and flew toward them, but Une's enraged cry and a big fireball heading toward him interrupted him. The winged boy quickly waved one hand and successfully deflected the fireball.
Une fumed, shouting almost hysterically. "I won't accept this!! I have to be an ugly creature to obtain the Power I want but you become a beautiful creature with the same Power as mine. I won't have it!!!!!" She blindly fired fireballs toward Heero's direction but Heero deflected all of them using one hand only.
Relena and the others watched the fight almost in disbelief. They just realized how strong Heero's true Power was and couldn't help but feeling relief that he was on their side.
Une was completely hysterical as she saw her fireballs easily extinguished. "No! It's impossible. I'm stronger than you!! I have Perfect Soldier Power in me!"
"But you're not the Perfect Soldier." Heero was surprised when he heard Duo's voice answering Une. He looked down at the boy in his arm and noticed Duo had opened his eyes, looking at Une straightly. <<Duo, are you okay? >>
<<I'm okay, Heero. I came to when you were taking care of the fireballs.>> Duo squeezed Heero's nearest arm to reassure him, not once breaking his gaze at Une. "You're not my Perfect Soldier, Une. You only a fake and you have lost."
"NO!! I won't lose! I will kill you and rule the world!!" Une shouted angrily and raised both her hands, creating a fireball which quickly became bigger and bigger.
"Heero, stop her!!" Duo shouted as he realized Une's intention.
Une laughed. "Too late!!!" With that she threw the fireball, which had become as ten times bigger than herself in their direction.
Heero watched the fireball coming and raised his hand to stop it. At Duo's shout, he had understood Une's plan. He could deflect the fireball easily but it would hit area on the direction fireball was deflected and judging the size of the fireball, it could cause a great explosion which would kill half the soldiers and creatures in the battle. He couldn't let it. He and Duo couldn't let it happen.
<<Don't deflect it!!>> Duo shouted telepathically.
<<I know.>> Heero used all his strength to stop the fireball. He flexed his wings rapidly, fighting the gravitational pull and the pushing force from the fireball. <<Duo, put your hands around my neck. I can't stop this fireball with one hand.>>
Duo did just that, anchoring himself around Heero's neck. Now using both of hands while Duo was trapped between them, Heero was trying to push the fireball up into the sky and destroy it there, but then his eyes caught what Une was doing. "Don't!!" Heero shouted worriedly.
Duo looked up to where Heero was looking and saw the grinning Une fire another fireball toward them. "NOOOOO!!!" Duo and Heero shouted simultaneously. This one was bigger than the first and they knew once it touched the first, both of the fireballs would explode and all near them would perish, including their friends.
As Duo watched the inevitable, an idea came into his mind, an idea that he wouldn't choose it if he had another choice. He looked at Heero who looked back at him squarely and Duo realized Heero understood what he wanted to do. <<I'm going with you, Duo.>>
<<Fire may burn us >> Duo smiled sadly.
<<But not even death can separate us.>> Heero smiled back.
They leant forward and kissed. As their lips touched, the second fireball touched the first one.
Relena and the others, who had been sure this would be the end of their lives as the second fireball hit the first, watched as both fireballs together with Heero and Duo vanished. A second later, they heard explosion from the sky further high above the clouds. Looking up, they watched as the sky turned reddish orange before becoming blue once again and then it dawned on them what had just happened.
"No!" Relena shouted hoarsely, eyes filled with tears. "Heero!! Duo!! No!!!!"
Wufei bowed his head mournfully.
"Heero, Duo..." Quatre sobbed while Trowa looked up to the sky, feeling his eyes hot with unshed tears.
Hilde, Noin, and Sally also sobbed, clutching their weapons tightly to prevent themselves from breaking down in tears.
However a rich laughter distracted them all. They looked up and saw Une laughing, having gotten over her surprise. "I killed the Shinigami and the Perfect Soldier!! I killed them myself! I'm the most powerful person in this world now!"
The words flared their angers to vengeance. Without any second thought, each of them held onto their weapons and charged toward Une.
Une was surprised as she watched them heading toward her. "Fools!" She pointed her hand toward them, wanting to release fireballs but nothing came out. "What the..." At that time, Wufei and Relena reached her and with their swords, they cut each of her arms. Une cried out in pain but didn't get time to finish her cry as Trowa and Quatre cut both of her legs. She yelled in pain as she watched her four cut limbs engulfed by the fire below her.
"You all will pay for this!!!" Une roared angrily, waiting for her body to regenerate, but nothing happened. "No! What happened to me? I'm immortal!!" In horror, she realized she had used all her Power to produce the last two fireballs, leaving nothing to use for her regeneration ability. At that time, Noin and Sally had cut her wings, which dissolved into ashes as soon as they were separated from her body. Hilde drove her sword right into Une's heart, killing her instantly. Une fell onto the flaming ground with an expression of disbelief on her face.
Relena and the others watched as Une disappeared into fire. They watched as the mutilated body burned; leaving nothing intact on it.
"An ugly ending for her." Relena muttered, feeling no regret over what she had just done.
"She deserved it." Hilde gritted her teeth angrily.
"Still... killing her won't bring Heero and Duo back to us." Quatre bowed his head.
They watched in silence as the other creatures and monsters retreated, knowing their leader was dead.
"We won..." Relena whispered
Wufei pulled Relena from her Pisces to sit on his lap. "Yes, we won.
Trowa looked up to the now blue sky while Quatre leaned against him, sobbing quietly. He closed his eyes as the prophecy echoed inside his mind.......
...............Shall he choose to use the light side, together they will banish the evil and darkness enslaving peoples, opening a brave new world, with peace and contentment...........
Yes, Duo and Heero had opened a new world for them. Now it was their turn to fill it with the peace.
"Heero and Duo will be happy, won't they?..." Relena tried to smile but failed miserably. She hid her head into Wufei's chest and sobbed, "It's not fair... not fair.....after all what they had done for us.... "
Wufei bowed his head, whispering soothing words to her. "I'm sure they're happy now, Lena. They don't have to be the Shinigami and the Perfect Soldier and death can't separate them. I think they are now laughing together somewhere up there."
"How can you know they will be happy?" Relena sobbed.
The raven haired man looked up into the sky where the clouds floated lazily. He could hear soft laughter echoing in his ears and smiled. "I know they are happy, Lena. I can hear that they are laughing now."
Still sobbing, Relena smiled. "I believe you, Wufei."
owari
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