CHAPTER
FIVE:
The outskirts of a city in L1:
His yellow
sneakers echoed noiselessly on the stony and dirty streets. Skipping the
puddles caused by the rain earlier, he walked with staunch determination
towards his destination. He shifted the heavy backpack from his left to his
right shoulder, wincing a bit as his felt his bones crack with the effort. He
couldn’t afford to drop it down for a rest. His employer was already upset
enough as it was. Kicking, absentmindedly, at a stray dog that tried to lick
his boots, he walked towards the darkened alley and up the twisted stairs to
the black wrought-iron gate that protected the door inside. Dropping the bag to
the floor, he reached inside for the key and quickly unlocked it, opting to
drag the heavy burden inside instead of carrying it any longer.
The
musty smell of dust and decay filled his nostrils as he stepped into the dark
hallway. Rats scurried about and he could have sworn a roach had climbed over
his hands as he sought for the switch. Flicking it on, he tried to adjust his
eyes to his barely lit surroundings. He was standing in a hallway all right,
one that ended with a large dingy window. Two doors framed each side as the
soft ‘plink’ sound of water dripping from a hole in the roof filled the eerie
silence.
Snorting
to himself, he reached into the green tank top he was wearing and brought out
the white piece of paper with the number ‘444’ written on it.
He
wondered why he couldn’t smell it yet.
Frowning
slightly, he stooped down to open the bag, his hands searching for what it
needed. It was then that his acute hearing picked up the almost non-existent
sound.
Hn.
So his employer was right after all. The demon was here and he was ready for
him.
He
sniffed the air again. This one smelled like it was already dying. The stench
of the decaying flesh that it had claimed as a host was gradually becoming
quite overbearing. Working quickly, he reached into the side pocket of the bag
and began to load the gun he now held in his hand with the special bullets. He
could hear it louder now. Room 444 was barely going to be able to contain the
demon any longer and the boy was determined not to let it escape.
Getting
to his feet, he held out the gun in front of him and walked steadily towards
the ‘breathing’ door. He knew the demon could sense him now, for it suddenly
began to speak in the language of the dead. A language he was quite familiar
with. The voices became much louder as he approached. It sounded like a
cacophony of soulless humans crying out for their freedom. They called out to
him, begging, pleading, and needing his help to release them from their hell.
“
One
clear shot was fired through the door as the unearthly howl arose from the
clearly hurt creature. Not wasting any more time, he ran towards the door and
kicked it down, his gun pointed squarely at the bleeding and crouching naked
woman…if you could still call her a woman. Wild red hair framed the pale and
rotten face. Eyes were sunken in and lips pulled back in a grimace that showed
little to no teeth at all. Suddenly, she snarled and spat out a wad of
something white and thick. Used to this kind of activity, the boy stepped out
of the way nimbly and watched as the liquid splashed onto the wall behind him,
searing a hole of fire right through it.
Hn. A fire
demon.
He
reached for the trigger again and spoke out loudly and concisely, in the
language that demons knew best.
“Kablak takan
da haji! Tecumveh!!” {Return to the darkness! Leave!}
With
fingers that were as sure and as steady as ever, he sent the bullet right into
the demon’s heart. A futile struggle ensued as it tried to lunge itself towards
him and not taking any chances, he fired another shot into the weakening body,
listening with satisfaction at the final howl of anguish before it collapsed to
the floor with a loud ‘thump.’ Walking closer to the body, he watched as the
dark and thick liquid gushed out from its side.
Demonic
residue.
He
had to clean that up. No need inviting others to see it. Methodically and
quickly, he wiped up the mess. It was now time for the final act. Closing his
eyes, he concentrated silently, feeling the energy flow into his cupped palms
as the fire began to glow with his effort. Finally satisfied with the small
ball he had created, he sent it directly into the body and watched as it burnt
into ashes. Again, he worked methodically, sweeping them up in a neat pile and
putting them into the small bottle that had been provided for such occasions.
Sealing it tightly, he slipped it into the backpack. Grunting slightly as he
tried to lift it back up, he nearly fell to the ground at how heavy it had
suddenly become. But with his brute determination, he shouldered it
successfully and made his way of the building, just as silently as he had come
in.
Just
another day on the job for the young demon hunter, Heero Yuy.
Somewhere on the streets of L2:
Quatre
wasn’t quite sure of what to make of their new surroundings. For starters, he
was sure that when Duo had said it was time to play, he hadn’t meant coming to this
side of town. Secondly, they looked so out of place amongst the adults that
they were passing through, it was a wonder no policeman had stopped them yet. Naturally,
they were drawing quite the attention. I mean, two eight-year-old boys, one in
a priest’s outfit and the other looking like a nerd in his preppy clothes, were
enough to get some chuckles and interested glances. Not that it mattered to his
longhaired companion. If anything, Quatre was sure that Duo was enjoying all
the attention he was receiving.
Duo
intrigued and scared him at the same time. The boy was a mixed bag of
contradictory personalities. The perfect host and friend in one minute, the
perfect bully the next. It sent a chill of excitement down his young spine and
he wouldn’t have it any other way. He was under the long-haired boy’s spell and
he never wanted to wake up from it again.
“…vampires.”
“Huh?”
he asked, slightly dazed as Duo stopped abruptly at an intersection.
Duo
snickered and held out his hand for him to hold on to. “I said, that we are
about to head into vampire territory. So, you had better hold on to my hand…not
unless you want to get bitten,” he finished with a devilish smirk on his face.
Quatre
shivered and shook his head vigorously as he held onto the taller boy’s hands
for dear life. He was practically pulled across the street and to the Arabian
it looked like they had gone into an entirely new world. Unlike the well-kept
streets that they had walked through earlier, Duo had brought them to the darkest
part of the city. Brothels filled with X-rated images and leery customers
occupied both sides of the long avenue. Prostitutes, both male and female,
lined up the streets, some even having the audacity to call out to them.
“Can
you smell it?” Duo asked in barely contained excitement.
Quatre
blinked and shook his head again. “Smell what? I smell the food and some other
nasty stuff. Is that what you meant?”
Duo
snorted in exasperation and chided a bit coldly. “No, Quatre! You have to start
relying on your inner senses. Get rid of the petty outside one and feel. Oh, oh,
“But
how can you tell…”
“Hello,
Duo,” came the lazy drawl. “I see you have run away from your little orphanage
again and I you have a friend tonight. You are really beginning to get bolder
and bolder, aren’t you?”
The
two boys stared at the gaily-dressed man in a resplendent green suit and
matching hat, his handsome face filled with a knowing smile. Apparently, Duo
was quite popular here, for a young woman with wavy black hair dressed in a
see-through lace mini-dress and black high heel boots, joined the man with the
same look on her face.
“Hiya,
Rip Van Winkle and Sleeping Beauty. Hungry tonight?” Duo joked.
“Very
funny, Duo,” the woman spoke up in a husky voice. “We should have had you a
long time ago. Save us the trouble and all of that.”
Duo
grinned back amiably enough, although Quatre could see that the smile didn’t
quite reach his eyes. Those depths looked deadly and cold and their audience
could feel it, too. “You had your chance, doll-face and you didn’t take it. Too
bad. Come on, Quatre, let’s go.”
Quatre
tried to smile in apology to the man and woman, before being dragged off by his
clearly irate companion. “Uum…where are we going to, Duo?” he asked with a
tremor in his voice.
“We
are going to have some fun,” he snapped in reply, pulling them into a dark
alley and up the stairs that lined the side of the building to the very top.
Pausing to catch his breath, Quatre withdrew from Duo’s grasp and stared at him
a bit angrily.
“I
am tired, Duo. I want to go back to my hotel room. You said we were going to
play…like normal people do…”
“And
when did I say that, Quatre?” Duo asked with a snigger as he jumped onto the
ledge and began to walk along the narrow path, his hands outstretched as he
balanced precariously on it. “All I said was, are you ready to play now?
I never said what we were going to do, did I?”
Quatre, who was now trying
very hard not to grab onto Duo for fear that he might fall, swallowed tightly
and squeaked out almost breathlessly, “Well…you should have told me…”
“And
then what?” came the curt question as blazing amethyst depths stared at him in
irritation. “You wouldn’t have come with me, would you? You would have run back
to your daddy like a scared little baby!!”
“I
am not a baby!!” the blond screamed angrily, brushing away a tear that had
strayed out of his eye. He hated Duo being angry with him. It made him feel
so…so empty. “Why are you so mean to
me?” he whispered painfully. “I only want to be your friend…”
Duo
jumped off the ledge and walked up to him, the angry look on his face now gone.
“And I want to be your friend too, Quatre. In fact, I have always wanted
you to be my friend.”
Watery
green eyes stared at him in complete adoration. “Really?? You mean you still
want to be my friend? You don’t hate me anymore?”
Duo
chuckled and ruffled his locks, “Nah…I was just messing with your head.” And
pulling on Quatre’s arm, he began to lead him towards the ledge. “Come here,
Quatre. I want to show you something.”
“Are…are
we going to jump?”
Duo
laughed aloud, and jumped back unto the narrow space. “What kind of a friend do
you think I am? I would never hurt you…”
Quatre
waited for him to finish, wondering why he had stopped at all. He noticed that
Duo was no longer looking directly at him, instead his attention seemed to have
shifted to something behind him. “Duo?” he called out fearfully as he
noticed his longhaired friend begin to growl at whatever it was. “Duo, what is
it?”
“Come
here, Quatre,” he commanded coldly, as he jumped off and onto the flat rooftop.
“Stay behind me and don’t move.”
Nodding
in acceptance, he quickly ran behind the other boy’s back, before peeking out
to see what had grabbed his attention. He swallowed again as he noticed the
group of teenagers dressed in leather biker outfits all sneering and snickering
at them. About six of them in all, some with Mohawks and enough tattoos and
piercings to last them a lifetime, bared and flashed pearly canines in their
direction.
“Well,
well, well, if it isn’t the famous Duo. Son of Father Maxwell and Sister
Helen…the little cunt.”
This
jab got a round of laughter from the others as their apparent leader, a burly
six foot giant sauntered up to them. Quatre could hear Duo’s growl get even
louder as he pressed himself tighter against his body.
“Get
away from here, you lowlife,” Duo snarled, his hands now outstretched to his
sides to block them from coming any further.
“Lowlife??
Oi…Duo, I am hurt!” the boy snickered as he walked even closer. “I smell fresh
meat, Duo. Fresh, juicy blood and I’m ready to have a bite, don’t you think,
fellas?”
Cries
of ‘Hell yeah!’ came from the others as they began to make their way towards
the two smaller boys. Quatre whimpered and buried his face into the black
cloth, only to jump back in alarm as he felt Duo’s skin burn against his cheek.
He staggered back as Duo’s braid began to unravel quickly, a huge gust of wind
seemingly from nowhere sending the long tresses flying above and around him. A
pale red aura had begun to form around the now heaving body and Quatre could
only watch in mute fascination as the others seemed to cringe a bit at the new
developments.
“I
told you, he belongs to me!” Duo yelled angrily. “Get the fuck
away from us, before I send you all to a place that you rightfully belong!!”
“You can’t kill us!” One of
the boys yelled. “We are immortals!!”
Duo
snickered at the cry. “Immortals, my ass. You are just fresh breeds, aren’t
you? You don’t stand a chance against me. Feh! You vampires make me sick!”
And
with a roar that sent everyone crouching and covering their ears at the booming
sound, Duo seemed to emit a bright flash of light from his chest, sending it
directly towards the group of now scared teens. Quatre, who had covered his
eyes now as well, peeked through his fingers to watch the vampires go up in
flames, their cries of anguish and the smell of charred flesh now filling the
night air. Just as suddenly, the lights diminished, the winds died down and
everything was relatively back to normal. Quatre remained in his crouching
position, his body and face now pressed to the wall as he waited for the
nightmare to end. A light touch on his shoulder sent him squealing in fright
and he spun fearful eyes around to stare into amused and quite normal amethyst
depths. Aside from the long tresses now unraveled, giving him the appearance of
a girl, Duo looked quite ordinary…and tired.
“You
okay, Quatre?” he asked jokingly, before a cough wracked through his being
sending him to his knees while clutching his stomach in apparent pain.
The
Arabian’s eyes widened at the pale look on his friend’s face and panicked.
“Duo? Are you all right? Do you want me to call a doctor?”
Duo
shook his head and continued to cough. He could barely talk now and Quatre was
sure that he was going to die. Duo looked sick. Reaching for his arms, the
smaller boy tried to lift him upwards. “Come on, Duo. You can’t remain here.
Let me help you up. I’ll get us out of here.”
With
a weak grunt, Duo tried to hold onto the slight shoulders only to end up
toppling them both to the ground. “Forget it,” he whispered harshly. “I think
you ought to go home now. I have kept you out here long enough. Don’t worry, I
will be fine on my own.”
Quatre
shook his head vehemently. “No! You saved my life and so I have to save yours,
too. What you did was…was…amazing…”
“What
he did was a sin against the gods and he will be punished accordingly.”
Both
boys spun around at the flat tone, only to come face-to-face with a tall man
with forked eyebrows and light brown hair, dressed in something akin to an
aristocrat’s outfit, with a smaller boy around their age; a large shock of
brown hair covering one side of his face leaving only a view of one sharp,
piercing green eye. The boy was dressed similarly and was currently pointing a
gun in their direction…actually, in Duo’s direction.
Quatre
noticed Duo tremble and growl softly in his arms and he suddenly felt a well of
anger rise up in him. “Who are you?!” he shouted. “What do you want?! Can’t you
see that he is hurt! Why won’t you vampires leave us alone?”
The
man raised a quizzical eyebrow and shook his head. “We are not vampires, son.
We are just angels of mercy and we are going to help you. So, please step aside
and let us deal with the demon child.”
Quatre
blinked. Demon child? Duo was a demon?
But…how? The strange events of this
evening surfaced to mind again and he figured that Duo must have been something
not human at all for all the antics he had carried out. He stared at the couple
again, noticing that the silent boy had barely moved a muscle. His hands were
still on the gun and Quatre could see that he was about to pull the trigger.
“No!
I won’t let him go!” he said vehemently. “He saved my life! So, I owe him
mine!”
“I
see he has brainwashed you already. A pity, you would have made a fine demon
hunter. Your spirit is still a bit pure, so there might be some hope for you.
He, on the other hand, will have to be destroyed before it gets out of hand.
Now, for the last time I advise you to step aside. We have business to
conduct.”
Quatre,
noticing that Duo’s body temperature had cooled down considerably and that the
coughs had subsided, grit his teeth and bared them at the strangers. “You will
have to kill me, too. I won’t let him go!!”
And
as if to prove his point, Quatre cradled Duo in his embrace and glared
defiantly at them. The young boy with the gun stared at his companion in slight
confusion. Never had they encountered such an act from a human towards a demon
of such strength. The older man frowned and then sighed before shrugging
lightly.
“Fine.
As you wish. Go ahead, Trowa. Shoot them both.”
Quatre
gasped and stared wide-eyed at the young assassin. Piercing green clashed with
wavering greenish-blue depths for several heart-stopping moments as some unseen
communication passed between them. For the first time in his young life, the
trained assassin felt his resolve waver. His normally steady hand seemed to
tremble and he had to tighten his lips to ignore the look of fear and yet
defiance that was thrown at him.
“Trowa!”
the man barked coldly. “I said shoot them now!”
The
sound of the trigger being cocked filled the looming silence and Quatre
squeezed his eyes shut as he cradled Duo’s body even tighter against his,
effectively shielding the silent longhaired boy with his smaller frame. He was
going to die tonight and he was a bit surprised to find that he wasn’t worried
about it. If anything, he felt like dying would probably ease this inner
turmoil that had begun to fill his being.
Quatre.
His
eyes snapped open as Duo’s voice filled his head. He spared a quick glance into
blazing amethyst depths, his lips about to open up with a quick confused
question, when he was silenced again.
Don’t say
anything. I know we can communicate telepathically.
“We…we…can?”
came the squeaked out whisper, before the scowling face below him mentally
cuffed him.
Speak with your
mind! Do you want them to hear us?!
“But…how…”
Concentrate,
Quatre. It’s all about ignoring the outer senses and beginning to rely on your
inner ones. You have to learn to use those.
The
Arabian could only nod mutely, before closing his eyes and taking a deep
breath.
Is…Is…this what
you mean?
Duo
gave him a beautiful smile that was not lost on their bewildered audience. Yes, Quatre. You are doing just fine. Now, I
want you to listen to me and listen very carefully. Do you trust me, Quatre?
The
blond nodded without hesitation. This action caused the older man to gasp
before bellowing out angrily. “Damn it! They are communicating with telepathy!
What on earth is wrong with you today, Barton?! You are never this hesitant!!
If you won’t do it, then I will!”
And
reaching into the black robe that covered his suit, he whipped out a
similar-looking gun and pointed it directly towards the crouching boys. “For
the last time, human! I ask you to step away from him!”
The
two boys heard nothing as they seemed mesmerized with each other’s features.
He is about to
shoot us, Duo.
I know. That is
why you are going to have to trust me. We are going to jump.
Huh? Jump? Jump
where??
We are going to
jump off the building, Quatre and try to escape. Do you think you can do it?
The
blond swallowed tightly and nodded. I
will do it. I…I…trust you…
Good. Now, on
the count of three, I want you to grab onto my hand and then we leap, okay?
O…Okay.
One…
Quatre
held onto the stronger hand, the sound of the trigger being clicked again
sounding behind them as they got to their feet.
Two…
“Bring
him back here, demon!! You have no right to claim him!!”
Duo
smirked and turned back to give a quick glance over his shoulder. “Sorry…but
you are a bit too late. You see, he has been claimed and there is
nothing you or your little hunter can do about it.”
Three!
And
closing his eyes, Quatre allowed the wave of vertigo to wash over him as he
felt himself flying through the air at an incredible speed. He could vaguely
hear the shouts of indignation from their pursuers and for a moment, Quatre
could have sworn that they were coming right after them.
They can fly
too, I bet.
Fly?? Was he
actually flying?? He dared to open up his eyes and to his shock and surprise,
he found that they were about to fall headfirst into the concrete sidewalk.
Unable to stop himself, he opened up his mouth and screamed in total and
complete terror.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO………
“……..OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Argh!!”
He
opened up his eyes quickly and sat up upon the soft cushiony…
What in the
world…?
He
blinked rapidly and stared at his surroundings with something akin to
disbelief. Patting himself to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming, he pinched his
arm, wincing as the pain hit home. He was alive, all right. Alive and in his
hotel room…on his bed.
So,
it was all a dream, wasn’t it? The entire thing had been one big dream! He
laughed shakily and wiped the sweat from his forehead before plopping back onto
the soft pillows. Allah, it had seemed so real…
That’s because
it was real, Quatre.
He
jerked back up and stared wide-eyed in front of him.
Du…Duo?
Good. I see you
remember your lesson well.
It wasn’t a
dream! It was real! E…Everything was real!
Yes, Quatre.
And now, you have to be on your guard from now on. They will be looking for
you, as well.
Who…who were
they?
Doesn’t matter
now, Quatre. The point is that they need you now. They need you to get to me. And you must promise never to give me away. You belong to me
and anyone that dares harm you will get what he deserves. I have staked my
claim on you and they have no right to take you away. Do you understand that,
Quatre?
The
blond could only nod numbly, his heart racing with fear and excitement all at
once.
“Yes,
Duo,” he whispered reverently. “You belong to me and I will never let them take
you away.”
Never, ever take you away.