Feedback : yes! Please send it to Akuma
Pairings : 2x1
Rating : NC-17
Warning : yaoi, sap, AU, fusion with Kanata Kara
Disclaimer : GW characters and Kanata Kara's story are not mine. >_<

From Far Away + Part 15

"Heero!!" Duo yelled worriedly as he heard Heero's cries of pain. He couldn't see his lover from the way he was placed on the horse. His abductors shouted and Duo yelled louder as he was brought away from the safe house.

Wufei and the others arrived at the scene and gasped at what they saw. Heero was kneeling, holding his bleeding shoulder while his right arm was sprawled lifelessly on the floor.

"Heero!" Quatre shouted in horror as Otto gathered the bleeding boy with his ribbons, pulling the boy closer to him.

"Don't... bother with me... help Duo..." Heero hissed in pain. He tried to struggle around the ribbons that held him but to no avail. With his yearly sickness, he was as powerless as a ragged doll. The blood dripped rapidly from where his right arm used to be, weakening him even further.

"Move and this boy's head will join his arm on the floor." Otto sneered when he saw Wufei and Trowa move to attack him. As they paused at the threat, Otto wasted no time to move his ribbons, restraining all of them.

"No.." Heero choked out as he saw all his friends restrained. They would all be killed if he didn't do something. But what could he do with this weak body? He needed more Power... to save Wufei and the others.... to save ... Duo.

"It's so easy! Lady Une is really a great prophetess. After Lord Tsubarov sacrificed the boy, Aquarius will grant us more power with that boy's blood." Otto laughed arrogantly, unaware his words had triggered something in the one handed boy.

Heero felt his heart stop beating when he heard what would happen to Duo. Sacrifice? Duo... would be killed?? Heero growled loudly. They would have to step over his dead body first!

"Wha... what?" Otto stammered as he saw Heero glowing in blue light. An animal growl was heard from the boy and. Suddenly the light became too bright and Otto had to cover his eyes.

Trowa and the others had to close their eyes from the blinding light also. After some seconds passed, Trowa opened his eyes, followed by the others. Opening her eyes, Hilde saw all the ribbons that had restrained them were now torn and scattered on the floor. She looked at Heero in disbelief, wondering how strong the boy really was. But what she saw turned her blood cold.

There, near Otto, Heero was standing, growling and glaring at the man. Hilde heard some gasps from her friends and knew they also saw what she saw. The Heero in front of them looked nothing like the Heero they knew. The once blue eyes had narrowed like a cat and his hair had turned silver.

Otto was shaking as he watched the silver haired boy bend and grab his lifeless arm. And to everyone's horror, Heero let out a primal roar and pasted his cut arm back to where it used to be. A strong wind began to blow near them, originating from the stoic boy

//Power... I need more Power...// Heero roared loudly as the wind got stronger. The wind was the result of his Power. The dark Power he had called willingly from the deepest part of him was now unstoppable as it flooded his body. In his mind, Duo's image flashed rapidly. The way he smiled, the way he talked, the way he hugged him. And now someone wanted to make him a sacrifice? Heero would not let that happen. Duo was everything to him! Heero yelled as he felt the dark power completely fill him.

"Look... his hair..." Sally stammered as they all saw Heero's hair grew longer, reaching his hip. Otto stumbled backward as transparent scales appeared on Heero's skin. Fear was clearly shown on that once arrogant face.

"His.. hand.." Noin paled as the once lifeless hand was now twitching.
Heero yelled one last time and the wind suddenly stopped. He swung and clenched his now healed right arm, testing it and smiled in satisfaction as it functioned normally. But his hands were no longer human-looking. The nails on both hands had grown longer and had turned red, making his hands look like talons.

"Mo...monster!!!" Otto suddenly shouted and ran away.

Heero let out a loud snarl, showing his sharp fangs, and ran after the man, leaving his stunned friends behind. They were too shocked by his appearance to do anything.

Hilde looked at the direction where Heero and Otto had disappeared. " What the... What was that? Was that Heero? It was Heero, right? But... silver hair... sharp fangs... and his hand... it was severed..." Hilde spoke up hysterically, "What kind of creature he was???"

Silence was her answer. No one answered her questions for they also had the same questions in their minds.

Heero hopped from one roof to another, following the panicked Otto to the place where Duo was taken to. //Duo..... Duo..... //

+

"So this is Duo Maxwell?" Tsubarov looked at the boy his men held in front of him.

"Yes, it's him." Une spoke out.

"No wonder Aquarius wanted him. He is young and beautiful. should be grateful to have been chosen to be his sacrifice, boy. And to think, you get to meet me, Tsubarov, the ruler of the strongest city in OZ territory." Tsubarov frowned when the boy didn't react to what he said. " My pervert of a brother, Romefeller, will be willing to pay me big money to taste you, boy. But oh well, you are destined to be sacrificed. Are you afraid, boy?" Still the boy didn't react, making Tsubarov fume. "Are you listening to what I'm saying?"

Tsubarov grinned as the boy looked up but then he yelped loudly as Duo spat on him. "Why you, brat! I'll kill you!!!" Tsubarov bellowed, wanting to strangle Duo, but was quickly restrained by his guards.

"My Lord, he is an important sacrifice, please maintain a hold over yourself.
Aquarius doesn't want his prey to be bruised." Une spoke up, making Tsubarov curse.

"You'll be sorry, boy." Tsubarov growled. "Prepare the sacrifice, now!"

Duo, however, didn't care and ignored his surrounding. His mind was too occupied with another matter. The image of a broken Heero flashed in his mind and the grieved tone in Heero's voice as he spoke to Hilde echoed in his mind. "He loves you... He won't use me anymore..."

Duo let out a growl. How could Heero think of him like that? Using his body? Oh Heero... Duo felt tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Who ever thought Heero would think like that? What made Heero think like that? Wasn't it clear Duo wanted him as his koi? Duo felt like he was missing something, some reasons he wasn't aware of. Very important reasons... //Heero no baka... you should've told me...//

<<Duo...>>

Duo jerked in surprised. <<Heero?>>

<<Duo...>>

<<Heero! Are you okay??>>

<<Duo...>>

Duo became worried. <<Heero! What happened? Answer me!!>>

<<Duo... Duo...>>

<<Heero!!! Snap out of it! I'm here! Can't you hear me??>>

<<Duo.....Duo...>>

Duo was really worried. Heero never answered him, instead all he could hear was his name being said over and over by the stoic boy. What had happened to Heero? Suddenly Duo was snapped from his thoughts as the building quaked. He became aware of his surroundings and noticed he was in a basement. The men were dragging him to the pond at the corner of the room when a soldier burst in.

"My Lord!"

"What happened?" Tsubarov bellowed.

"Someone followed Otto back here and is making chaos in the main room of the castle, my Lord." The soldier reported. "He is too strong for us! Even Otto can't handle him."

"Tell my ten special bodyguards to take care of him. They are stronger than Otto." Tsubarov barked. "I want that man dead!!! How dare he disturb this ceremony."

The soldier trembled, "My Lord... I have informed them of the intruder... And they are losing right now..."

"What?" Tsubarov shouted in disbelief. "There's no way a normal man can defeat my special bodyguards! They have received Power from Aquarius!!" Another quake erupted and Duo could see the ceiling begin to crack.

"Forgive me, My Lord. But the intruder is anything but normal. He has silver hair, cat eyes, and his body is covered with scales." The soldier trembled violently. "He is a monster!"

Duo widened his eyes as he recognized the description. Monster? Heero! Heero had changed?? What happened to him? Duo tried to struggle but the soldiers held his arm tightly.

"Lady Une, what should I do??" Tsubarov turned to Une who was staring into the pond. The water in the pond swirled and erupted, spiraling then calming down.

"Don't worry My Lord." Une turned to Tsubarov. "Aquarius said he would lend his Power to your special bodyguards to defeat the intruder. He wants the man killed for disturbing his ceremony."

+

Up in the main room of the castle, Heero was facing eleven men. The rest of the soldiers had been knocked out by his Power when he broke in through the door. The eleven men who survived the initial attacks of his Power were Otto and Tsubarov's ten special guards.

"Kill him!" Otto shrieked in fear from behind the guards.

"He is not human..." One of the guards muttered, looking at Heero's figure.

"Monster..." The other guard shook visibly.

Heero growled loudly at the men. How dare they blocked his way to Duo.

"Hey, I feel my Power increase!!" Another guard shouted.

"Yes, me too!!!"

"Lord Tsubarov must have sacrificed the boy!"

The guards shouted in joy while their words settled in Heero's mind.

Duo had been sacrificed? Heero didn't want to believe it. He growled louder as the guards attacked him with renewed Power. Like Otto, every guard had special weapons and they used it to attack Heero. Heero looked at the guards while evading their attacks. They were the ones who had separated him from Duo. Duo who had hugged him... kissed him... cared for him....

"Duo..." Heero muttered and stood still. With this opening, one of the guards managed to restrain Heero with his special whip.

"I got him! Attack him now!" the guard shouted.

As the other guards charged toward him, Heero looked up and glared at them. "OMAERA O KOROSU!" As he yelled, a crack appeared on his forehead. His Power was unleashed in all directions, hitting every guard and sending them to collide with the wall. The wind erupted around Heero and spread havoc like a hurricane, throwing the guards around. Unable to withstand the force of Heero's power any longer, parts of the castle started to crumple down.

//Duo!// Heero jumped forward, evading the debris and leaving Otto and the guards buried under the ruined building. A horn had appeared on his forehead and his skin started becoming darker. //Duo!! //

+

"My Lord! Your guards have been defeated. The intruder is heading towards us now." Another soldier reported to Tsubarov, making him pale. But before he could say something, an angry roar was heard from the pond.

Duo watched with wide eyes as the water erupted once more, left the pond, and headed towards the door.

"Aquarius will take care of the intruder." As Une told Tsubarov this, Duo realized the water in the pond was not like any normal water. The water itself was Aquarius. A water monster!

+

//Duo....// He was all Heero could think about as he ran aimlessly from one room to another, searching for him. Suddenly his path was blocked by a wall of water. Heero growled and fell into a fighting position. Enemy... All who stopped him from finding Duo was his enemy...

<<Heero! Answer me!>> Duo tried to contact Heero but instead of getting an answer, Duo felt sadness, grief, and anger attack him. Heero's feelings... <<HEERO!!>>

Heero jumped, trying to break through the transparent wall, but it pushed him backward.

"The boy is mine." If Heero was surprised when the wall spoke, he didn't show it. He gathered his Power and unleashed an energy ball, scattering the wall. "Kuso, I won't give him back." The water regrouped and changed shape, making a pointed edge like a cone. "You'll die!" The water attacked Heero, aiming its pointed edge to Heero's chest.

//Korosu....// Heero growled and unleashed another energy ball, but the water evaded it and struck Heero's chest, sending the boy slam against the wall. "I'll make a hole in your body." The water suddenly twirled its cone shaped edge, making a drilling motion on Heero's chest. But too its surprised, it couldn't break the boy's skin. "What the..."

"Korosu!" Heero roared and jerked up, unleashing his full Power to all directions. Everyone who prevented him from finding Duo would be killed!

"NO! Impossible!" Heero's Power destroyed the water monster's form, leaving puddles of water everywhere. "NOOOOOOO" The monster's voice faded as Heero's Power swept the water away, scattering it into tiniest droplets.

//Korosu!// Heero panted and dropped onto his hands and knees. //Korosu!!// The scales, covering all over his body, turned into dark blue. His boots were torn, revealing the talons, which once were his feet. His face had turned dark blue and his eyes had changed into pools of water. //KOROSU!!// Heero didn't realize he was unleashing his Power in all directions while he changed. The castle could not withstand the forces battering its walls anymore and started crumbling.

In the basement, Tsubarov and the soldiers began to panic. The soldiers were too preoccupied in evading the crumbling ceiling that they loosened their holds on the braided boy. Duo saw the chance and wrenched his arms free from them. Not wasting his time, Duo ran as fast as he could, heading towards the door, following and using his feelings to find Heero. He didn't care about the crumbling ceiling though he knew how dangerous it was. All he wanted at that moment was to find Heero and comfort the boy.

"The boy! After him!" Tsubarov bellowed in anger.

"But my Lord... the area he headed towards is very dangerous. We don't know when the roof will fall down. It will be suicide to go there!" The soldiers answered.

Another part of the roof landed next to Tsubarov. "My castle!! Lady Une! What should we do?"

Une ignored him. She looked up and trembled, "This strong Power... it couldn't be..." The prophetess suddenly jerked up and ran to the same direction as Duo.

On the upper floor, Heero gasped and panted. "Ah.... Uh..." He felt more Power flooding inside his body and it seemed to rip him apart. "AAAHHHHHH" Suddenly Heero shrieked in pain and arched his back. As he unleashed another waves of Power around him, a pair of giant bat wings emerged from his back, ripping his tank top.

"The roof... run!!! AHHHHHHHH" The basement finally collapsed, burying Tsubarov and his soldiers, who were too scared to move.

Duo had arrived onto the upper floor when the basement collapsed. He looked up and saw the ceiling will fall down at any second. The braided boy ran as fast as his feet could take him to the nearest exit.

//Duo...// Heero was still kneeling and panting heavily. //It hurts...// A part of the ceiling fell onto him, but it had no effect on his now monster form. //... Duo... // Heero arched his back and shouted in grief, flapping his wings and unleashing another wave of Power.

"Hey, look!" Wufei shouted to his friends and pointed to the castle, which was collapsing. After being silent for some moments, they all had decided to save Duo and set Heero's strange features aside. It was not too hard to find out where the men had taken Duo to since Otto had shouted Tsubarov's name. They all knew him as the ruler of the strongest city in OZ, which happened to be located near their safe house.

Now that they arrived at the castle, all they could do was watch in disbelief as the castle collapsed before their eyes. For a moment, all they could hear was the sound of the castle collapsing and then they were forced to close their eyes as the dust erupted heavily from the ruined castle.

After the dust subsided, Wufei opened his eyes, only to gasp in surprise and horror. His friends who had opened their eyes also had the same reaction as him. All of them watched in horror at the black creature kneeling on its fours in the middle of the ruin.. It was a horned monster with giant bat wings and silver hair.

The creature slowly raised his bowed head and looked at them, pinning them with his bright aqua eyes. Sally, Hilde, Relena, and Noin took a step backward as the creature unfolded its giant wings, which were twice its body's height.

Heero opened his light blue eyes; he had passed out when the pain had reached its peak. He shook his head, trying to shake away the images in his dream, and realized he was not alone. Heero looked up in alarm and saw some people watching him, but he felt no threat from them. //Not enemy....// He turned his head and saw Duo lying on the ground. It seemed the braided boy had managed to get out of the castle in time.

//Duo...// Heero crawled to the unconscious boy. Duo was still alive. His Duo... His beloved... He was alive...

"I won't give him to you." A growl was heard from beneath Heero and suddenly he was engulfed by a giant sphere of water. It appeared Aquarius had managed to regroup his parts and was now trying to drown Heero.

Heero growled and struggled, but the water enveloped him still. Through the water, he could see some familiar persons pulling Duo away, far from him. //Duo!!// Heero roared and used his fire Power.

"AHHHHH" Aquarius shouted in panic. The monster felt its body boiling and starting to evaporate. "Noo... stop it!!"

But Heero didn't stop. He gritted his teeth and spread his wings, increasing and transferring the heat to the water around him. "NOOOOOOOoo... " Aquarius turned into steam and disappeared, never to be seen again.

Heero folded his wings back and heard voices around him. He looked at the voices' direction and saw Duo sitting up. "Du...o..." He crawled toward the boy, not noticing the alarm looks on the faces of the people around the braided boy. All he wanted was to hold Duo and to be held by the braided boy. Duo was his home... Duo was his everything.

"Du..o.." He extended his arm, wanting to reach the boy. But before he managed to touch the boy, his extended arm was slashed by a sword. Heero cried out, rather in surprise than pain. Reflexively, he pulled his arm back and stopped in his track. His light aqua eyes looked at the girl standing between him and Duo.

Duo's girl... Duo loved her... Duo didn' t love him... The words echoed in his hazed mind. Heero looked at his hands, which had turned into talons. He was a monster. No one would love a monster... Heero whimpered. He loved Duo, but Duo loved someone else... No matter how much he loved the boy, a monster would not have any chance to be loved...

+

Children's laughter made Duo open his eyes, just to see the darkness. Dream again... He stood up and looked around, finding a group of children playing happily. Not far from the children, Duo saw a four-year-old Heero looking at the children longingly.

The small Heero approached the children slowly. His expression told Duo that he also wanted to play with them. But before Heero managed to get near them, some adults came and grabbed their respective children. They looked at the small Heero in fear. The small boy whimpered and stepped backward into the darkness.

"Heero!" Duo chased the small ,boy but he found himself falling into the darkness... into endless bottom... "HEEROOOO!!"

+

"Duo, are you okay??"

Hilde's voice. Duo groaned and opened his eyes to see blue sky. Someone was helping him to sit. Duo touched his head, trying to clear his his mind from the fog that resulted from his jump out of the window to evade the collapsing castle. However, a cry of pain snapped him from his hazy condition. He looked up and saw a midnight blue monster holding its injured arm. //Heero!!// But before he managed to react, his vision was blocked by Hilde, who stood between him and Heero.

"Hilde!!" Duo shouted in surprise. He stood up and saw Heero whimpering and starting to retreat. An image of a whimpering small Heero flashed before him. Heero would disappear! "NO!!" Duo jumped forward, but was quickly restrained by Wufei and blocked by Hilde.

"Duo, stop! That monster is dangerous!" Hilde tried to push Duo back while Trowa and Quatre stepped forward, holding their swords before the said monster.

Duo let out an angry howl as he saw Heero retreating further back. He grabbed Hilde's blocking hands and shoved her aside. "Monster?? You fool! It's Heero!"

"What?" Wufei and the others were stunned. Not wasting his chance, Duo leapt forward and chased after Heero.

"Heero! Stop!" Duo cried out in fear as he saw Heero didn't stop. "Heero! Don't leave me!!"

Heero stopped in his track. Don't leave me? Duo didn't want him to leave him? The crawling boy looked up at Duo, who approached him and knelt in front of him. Heero gasped in surprise when Duo hoisted him up and hugged him tightly. "Heero... don't you ever leave me..."

"Du..o.." Heero felt warmth enveloping him and rested his head on Duo's shoulder. Home.. he was home... No matter what had happened, Duo still wanted him... Still wanted to be with him... Duo was his home... his life....

Wufei and the others gasped as they saw the dark blue creature in Duo's arms transform. The wings disappeared and the once blue skin turned to peach again. Long gone the talons, long silver hair, sharp fangs, and horn. Now all they could see was a normal boy with messy brown hair. The boy they knew as Heero Yuy.

From behind the tree not far from the ruins, Une watched what happened. The prophetess trembled and stood shakily. "It's him... Perfect Soldier... and that braided boy must be Shinigami... I have to tell Lord Treize." The woman then silently left the place, heading towards the capital of OZ.

TBC...

[part 14] [part 16] [back to Akuma's fic]