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The Shadowman	By : ColdSilence Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2328 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Title: The Shadowman

Author: Cold Silence

E-Mail: writer.coldsilence@gmail.com

Category: Alternate Universe. Medieval Times.

Pairings: 4 x Relena, Odin x Catherine, 5 x Merian, 1x2, 3+1, 6x3, Relena + 3, Tsuberov x 9

Warnings: Potentially NC-17, Yaoi, OOC, (I'm TRYING to keep them IC...but I don't think I've succeeded.) Death. Squick. Incest. Rape.

The Shadowman

-Chapter Sixteen-

Grey morning sky decorated the return from the gardens. Much of the time spent together was done in complete silence, and it was by unsaid mutual agreement that they decided to return to the castle. Duo walked Heero to his room, and awkwardly slipped his hand out of his partner's. They had stayed that way all night, even when the evening chill made their fingers feel numb. The contact caused a kind of warmth that had nothing to do with hot or cold.

He said goodbye with a smile that expressed itself as a mild grimace. The corners of Heero's mouth fluttered upwards in response, nervousness painting every hesitant movement he made. Then he opened the bedroom door and stepped inside; feeling a sort of guilty gratefulness that a plank of wood now separated him from Duo.

Duo. Another boy he had feelings for and who harbored them in return. His life was suddenly brighter and a lot more frightening. He was now lower than a peasant, he was a freak. What would Trowa say? No, Trowa would never know. No one was going to know about this. He glanced over at the stablehand's bed, noting that his friend was still fast asleep. He decided rest was a good idea, so he changed into his bedclothes and slid beneath the sheets for some slumber.

The next time his Prussian eyes opened, it was well past midday. He uttered a curse as he threw off his blankets and rushed to get dressed. Tardiness was not tolerated among the servants; no doubt Sally would be giving him a hefty reprimand. A quick check to the left side of the room confirmed that Trowa had long gone without even bothering to wake him up. Obviously, the green-eyed boy was still upset at him.

No matter, Heero had already decided to apologize to him today. In the face of his newly discovered feelings, everything else seemed so petty. After dressing, he went straight to the kitchens and braced himself for scolding and punishment. He was surprised when he got the complete opposite of what he expected.

Sally had greeted him warmly and told him to pull up a chair for some late breakfast. Apparently, the entire castle was abuzz with the latest scandal involving the Shadowman. Most credited Heero for helping Duo return to his senses, and therefore he was allowed to sleep in. When asked how he did it, however, he responded with the usual stony silence.

"Well," said an exasperated Sally. After her fifth attempt to engage Heero in some gossip, she gave up. "Duo's been calmed, but who will fix you! Honestly, the Light gave you a voice so that it could be used."

"Oh pish posh, leave the lad alone. Don't you know men are better at keeping secrets than women?" Howard's comment had earned him an angry tirade on the merits of women vs. men. For the most part, Heero tried to tune them out so that he could eat in peace.

"-- and we cook and clean and keep house --"

"Aaa! But can they do acrobatics?" Howard countered almost desperately. There was nothing worse than a lecture on womanhood from Sally. "Why you should have seen Trowa this morning. He was flippin' and contortin' perfectly. It's like he became perfect overnight. Must be my superior training! Heh heh heh."

"Oh I saw him this morning alright. There is something wrong with that boy. He barely looked at me over breakfast, and he ate as if my food were made out of wood."

"Woman, there is nothing wrong with MY Trowa. Are you a Mystic now, since you can sense a boy's malady just by the way he eats?"

"It is no Mystic power, it is woman's intuition!"

Heero finally finished the last of his porridge, and gratefully left the everlasting feud going on in the kitchens. What he needed was work so that he could take his mind off things. Unfortunately, since he had slept in so late, many of the chores were already done. This left him wandering down the long hallways of Sandrock, filled with thoughts and no destination.

He paused halfway down one corridor. Outside, standing in a pool of sunshine was Trowa. The other boy was eerily still. If it weren't for the characteristic fall of hair, the shepherd would have taken him for a statue.

There was no better time than now to apologize. He joined his friend at the balcony. "Trowa?"

Something about the court jester discomforted him. Surely, Trowa must have heard him approach, but he didn't so much as bat an eyelash in response. The noontime sun was in his face, causing his pupils to constrict so tightly that the green was stark compared to his pale skin.

"Trowa?" He tried again. Perhaps his friend was still fuming. "Gomen nasai." (1) Heero wasn't one to mince words; there was no need for further elaboration. He didn't say sorry often, and Trowa knew him long enough to know that he was sincere.

There was a moment's silence, and then the lips of that stony face began to move. It was like watching a puppet animate itself. "Don't worry about it."

Heero was taken aback by the emotionless quality of his voice. Still, he was not looked at, and Trowa was now leaving the balcony. Although he expected to be forgiven readily, something about the exchange didn't seem right.

Since it appeared that his friend didn't want his company, he found himself alone once more. He was desperate for something to distract him. He would stoop to polishing the throne if he had to.

"Heero."

The moment he heard Duo's voice, he knew he wasn't going to get any work done today. He was not surprised to find the Shadowman standing directly behind him; Duo was the master of sneaking around.

"We need to talk."

He felt a strange mixture of anticipatory dread arise from the pit of his stomach at those words. "About what?"

"You know what." Duo licked his lips and glanced skittishly to the side. There were other people in the hallway who may have been eavesdropping. He lowered his voice. "Please? Not here though. Meet me at the stables. We'll ride into Sanc and talk where the walls don't have ears."

There was hesitation in Heero's answer. On one hand, he was eager to forget last night and keep on the way they'd always been. However, knowing Duo, he probably wouldn't drop the subject until he's had his say. "Hai."

The Shadowman appeared relieved that he had gotten a yes out of the other boy. "Thank you." He lingered for a few unnecessary moments, appearing as if he wanted to say or do something more, but then he nodded once to himself as if he had come to a decision and finally took his leave of Heero.

The servant glared at nothing in particular for a while, before beginning his walk to the stables.

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The ride into the heart of Sanc was completed in silence. The overcast sky complimented Heero's brooding mood and Duo's uncharacteristic nervousness. When they found a place to tether their horses just outside a tavern, the Shadowman was the first to dismount. He positioned himself beside Heero's horse, and offered a hand to help him down.

In return, Heero gave him a dark glare before hopping to the ground with no help at all. "I am not a woman."

Duo tried to play off his rejection by using his outstretched hand to smooth his hair instead. "That's the problem isn't it?" Upon the evil look he received, he hastily added, " Not that I think you would be better as a girl!" More glaring. "Alright, forget what I said. What we need to do is talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." Heero responded coolly as he used the tethering of his own horse as an excuse not to look at Duo.

"The hell there's nothing to talk about! Are you to going to pretend last night didn't happen?

"Last night, " he replied matter of factly, "I just helped a friend. That's all."

"No that's not all! There was more than that." Duo caught Heero by the shoulders when the servant tried to stalk away. "Heero." His voice was low, but intense with emotion. "I know you have feelings for me. It's alright, I have feelings for you too."

"It's unnatural." He tried to wrench his shoulder out of Duo's grasp, to no avail.

"You think I like liking another guy?" At the return of the Death Glare, he found himself hastily trying to rearrange his words again. "But the thing is, I do!"

"Then forget about it."

"I can't do that. " He was hurt that Heero was willing to push him aside so easily. "I can't because… I want more."

Those last words hung in the air like an anvil waiting to drop. The weight and implications of their meaning froze Heero in place. He didn't move. He didn't blink. He didn't breathe.

"Then," Duo's voice sounded thin and weak compared to the heaviness of what he stated before. "There's the other.. thing."

Heero know what he was talking about. The pull between them. That resonance they've felt all their lives, which somehow connected them to each other. He chanced a look at Duo's face, which was shadowed from his bangs.

"Heero, I've always -- "

A terrified scream cut his confession short. Heads turned towards the source of the disturbance, and watched in horror as a woman ran out of the tavern screeching with hysteria. Behind her, a snake the size of a truck slithered past the pub's doorway and swallowed her upper body with a loud snap. It worked its massive jaws until her legs disappeared past its lips, and then her body was just a lump in its throat. Finished with snacking, it whipped its head back into the tavern, which chorused with the terrified yells of people still inside.

Pandemonium erupted.

People abandoned what they were doing and started to run. They stampeded through the streets, upending any carts or stands in the way and trampling over anyone who had the bad luck to trip and fall. More creatures were stepping out of the shadows, bent destroying and killing anything in sight.

Duo's first reaction was to look up at the sky. Sure enough, there was a thick nimbus cloud blocking the sun, therefore allowing these monsters to leap out of the shade it caused.

Cursing crudely, he grabbed Heero's arm and pulled him away from the shoving people. "Stay behind me!"

Heero was too dumbfounded to disobey. From above, the patrolling Dragon Clan descended toward the chaos. They belted out streams of fire at the attackers and clawed ferociously at rooftops to free the people trapped inside the buildings. Upon landing they spread their wings to their full fifteen feet to form makeshift barriers for the civilians cowering beneath them. The shepherd watched these events transpire, and suddenly felt angry that he couldn't do anything about it.

The Shadowman's concentration was on the stubborn clouds blocking the sun. His eyes glowed their unholy color, and soon the clouds were parting to let light spill into the scene of turmoil below. With less shadow, the monsters wouldn't be able to reinforce their numbers, and now Duo could get to work exterminating the ones that were already there. Except, how could he do his job if he was too busy worrying over protecting Heero? Speaking of which…

"Heero, we have to find someplace for you to hide!"

Duo spun around to face his charge, only to find the space empty. The beginnings of panic rose from the pit of his stomach when he threw his gaze left to right, and could not find his friend anywhere.

-----------------------------------------

He spotted the child huddled on the ground while people nearly trampled over her in their rush to safety. Heero left the safety of standing with Duo to elbow and shove his way to the little girl. She was so frightened, that when the shepherd scooped her up into his arms she did not protest nor care that he was a complete stranger. Instead, her little fingers dug into the boy's shirt, clinging for dear life as they were both swept along with the crowd.

In an effort to free himself from the flow of people, he ducked into an alleyway and waited there until the crowd thinned. He needed to find a way to get back to the Shadowman, where the little girl would be safest.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a big mistake. The alley was dark, enough that something large could step out of the shadows. A familiar growl caused Heero to whirl around and face the same beast that nearly killed both Trowa and himself so long ago. The sight of it caused anger and loathing in his blood, for it took the life of his special companion, Wing.

The child's whimpering attracted the attention of the beast's slitted eyes, and in a heartbeat it barreled towards Heero; mouth gaping and teeth bared so it could maul the girl right out of his hands.

He moved so fast, it should have been impossible. Heero snatched a piece of wood off the ground and slammed it perpendicularly into the beast's mouth just as its massive jaws came bearing down. The child screamed. While the monster roared with indignant rage and snapped its head back and forth to dislodge the lumbar, Heero took the opportunity to run.

The sounds of splintering wood and rapid, heavy thuds announced that the monster had fixed its problem, and was not discouraged from pursuing its prey. Even as they escaped the alley, Heero knew he couldn't outrun it. He was burdened by the girl, and the beast had an extra pair of legs to help speed it along. Nevertheless, he held the child tightly, intent to protect her no matter how hopeless it seemed. He didn't know about the growing distance between himself and the creature, nor the fact that he was surrounded by a crisp, white glow.

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Duo was fighting erratically today. Wufei noted this with calm detachment as he tried to direct the frightened people where to go. Shenlong snorted beneath him with irritation every time it had to avoid stepping on another person.

"Calm Shenlong." He wished the people were as easily assured as his dragon. They rushed to him in swarms, their fear of monsters overcoming their fear of dragons. He was about to order them to stand back, when something flashed in his peripheral vision.

Wufei wasn't the only one who saw it. Among the crowd, people wailed and cowered from the perceived threat heading towards them. The pupils of Shenlong's eyes narrowed to serpentine slits at the rapid moving ball of light careening through the market place. Behind it roared a fanged beast, which was neither gaining nor loosing the scant three yards that separated it from its prey. The Dragon Leader could barely believe his own eyes when he recognized the silhouette of the person emitting the bright aura.

"Heero!" He called to the approaching figure as he nudged Shenlong to turn in that direction. "Get down!"

Immediately, the shepherd dropped to a slide on the loose gravel. He curled protectively around the little girl and shut his eyes. Shenlong blasted a tongue of fire over their heads, completely incinerating their attacker mid-pounce.

When he next tentatively opened his eyes, Heero found himself as the source of a lot of staring. A woman broke through the crowd screaming "My baby!" and he allowed the child to disentangle from his arms to go to its mother.

"My darling!" The woman said tearfully as she embraced her daughter. "She was saved by an angel! Thank you, thank you!"

An excited murmur went through the crowd. Who was that guy? Was Heero the Shadowman? Even Wufei looked faintly amazed as he addressed the shepherd. "Heero, you should be back at the castle."

"Iya. I want to stay and help." The boy answered with just a touch of defiance.

"No you're not, " cut in a third voice. Duo materialized from Shenlong's shadow, barely able to hide his relief beneath a façade of calm. "You're going home if I have to drag you there by the breeches."

Heero opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by a harsh reply from Wufei. "You are not ready for this. You will do as Lord Duo commands."

He lapsed into brooding, silent anger at Wufei for pulling rank on him. The Dragon Leader let out a shrill whistle, and moments later Merian descended from the sky atop her own dragon. She was given the charge of returning Heero to the castle, and soon he was whisked away from danger into the skies.

The Shadowman watched them rise into the clouds, until Wufei broke him out of his reverie. "Duo, there are people dying."

He grimly looked away from the flying dragon. "Back to work then."

This time, the Shadowman did not fight as if he were distracted.

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News of the fighting in Sanc reached Sandrock, prompting an emergency meeting between the king, his advisers and his generals. Quatre felt Pargan's absence acutely in the present situation. "How goes the battle in the city? Any improvement?"

"The combined efforts of the Shadowman and Dragon Clan have managed to reach a stalemate with the enemy. The problem lies in the fact that there is no place for the citizens to take shelter."

"Victory will be measured in how many people survive," added Tsuberov grimly. He was seated at the table to Quatre's left. "Even if every monster is destroyed, what would it matter if there was nobody left to protect?"

The king listened to their reports in silence, before finally speaking. "The churches. We must tell the people to take shelter in the churches. They are large, the interiors well lit, and easily guarded by the dragons."

"Yes your Highness, we will send men to assist the evacuation right away."

After dismissing themselves, Quatre remained in the room with Tsuberov, a somber expression etched on his face. The way he kept kneading his hands betrayed his stress. "I find it odd that they attack the city instead of the castle directly."

"Perhaps they are displaying their power? Testing their strength?" Tsuberov offered his tentative explanations in a light voice. "Perhaps they are trying to scare the people into turning against you?"

Anything else he was going to say was interrupted by the door being flung open. Marie and Meia scurried inside with such alarming haste that both men rose to their feet in bewilderment.

"Sumimasen, (2) your Highness," Marie spoke for the both of them as they hastily dropped into curtseys. "But we had to speak to you as soon as we could."

"The evil is coming to the castle--"

"-- You must hide!"

Tsuberov gave the twins and indignant look. "What preposterousness is this! How dare you come in here sprouting your black magic nonsense when we are in the middle of a crisis?"

"Your Majesty, please listen!"

"Baulverdash!" The old man was beginning to turn red with displeasure. "The only evil is in Sanc right now, what with those monsters crawling out of every nook and cranny."

Quatre's eyes suddenly lit up with horrible realization. "It's a diversion! They attack the city to draw our forces away from the castle." His gaze flashed towards the Mystics and narrowed suspiciously. "How did you know this?"

"I had a premonition," Meia answered meekly.

"Tsuberov. How much longer until the sunset?"

"Less than an hour, your Highness."

The King made his decision quickly. "Bring me my wife and meet me at the entrance to the catacombs behind the throne. Tell no one about this. You," the girls stiffened upon being addressed by the King. "Come with me."

Trusting these girls was a gamble, but the plan made too much sense in his head to ignore. The only thing his enemies needed to do to win the war was to kill himself and Relena. Without Duo, the Dragon Clan and a good half of his men, they were easy targets. Normally, he would summon his Shadowman back ten and there, however the situation in Sanc was dire. Without Duo to help them, could the Dragon Clan hold the threat at bay on their own? How many lives will die in that equation? If the twins were lying, he would have called the Shadowman for nothing. No, instead he would find a safe place for himself and Relena, and wait to see what happens.

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Standing on the highest tower of Sandrock, the Widower could se the battle ranging in Sanc. Fire and flashes of light spiked between the buildings, but the castle was too far away for any of the sounds to carry to her ears. Dorothy tilted her cool gaze to the sky, where a lone dragon was flying away from Sanc and towards Sandrock.

"Yes," she lifted her palms to the horizon, as if in welcome to the approaching creature. "Come, Heero Lowe. Your tragic destiny awaits you."

The ground beneath her feet began to hum. An inky darkness spread from her soles, crawling along the floor and over the battlements. It crackled with unseen electricity as it coated the castle walls like an obsidian veil. Inside, the hallways and rooms became black as the windows were coated with magic. Servants stopped what they were doing in bewilderment, and fumbled in the gloom for matches to light the candles with.

Deep in the bowels of the catacombs, Quatre finished sealing his wife, the twins and Tsuberov into a room filled with candlelight and mirrors to vanquish the shadows. The chamber was actually a cave surrounded by thick, stone walls. Its door was a slab of rock three hand spans wide that took their combined effort to close.

Quatre took Relena's hand, and they waited on the cold floor for what was to come.

-----------------------------------------

Outside of the castle, Merian's dragon came to a graceful landing in front of the stone steps leading up to the main entrance. Heero slid off the creature's back, his dark blue eyes wide with a sick sense of awe at the gelatinous blackness engulfing the castle. Curiosity made him walk up the steps towards it.

"Do not touch it."

He was halted by Merian's firm voice. The woman followed him up the stairs until she was next to him. Wordlessly, she scooped a beige stone off the ground and hurtled it towards the black field. The instant it touched, it exploded into dozen small, charred chunks. Heero was inspired to take a step back.

They gazed up at the force field, while the setting sun stained the sky above them blood red. It was an impasse - Heero was sent here to be safe, but it appeared even Sandrock would offer him no protection. Now what?

The shepherd stiffened suddenly. He could hear voices beyond the curtain of darkness. Loud screaming, cries for help; all muffled from the marble walls and magic separating them from the outside. Everyone was trapped in there. Suddenly, it was hard to swallow, and the hackles rose at the nape of his neck. Then he realized something horrible.

"Trowa!"

"What was that?" Merian did not understand what Heero just shouted, and was bewildered to find her charge barreling up the stairs towards the force field. She chased after him and caught him by the arm before he blew into chunks like the rock. "What are you doing? Are you mad!"

"Trowa!" He shouted desperately as he tried to wrestle out of her grip. "He's still in there! Trowa!"

Merian forced Heero to turn around and face her. "First, you must be calm if you want to save your friend. You are no good to him dead." She waited until some the tension drained out of Heero's shoulders before continuing. "There is a way inside."

"How?"

"It's dangerous. Only one of us will be able to pass the barrier." Her attempts at discouraging Heero were met with his insistent glare. She returned his hostile look, before pulling a curved sword from her belt. It was offered hilt first to the boy. "My katana has been anointed with Mystic blood. I will allow you to pass."

The shepherd took the unfamiliar sword. He gave it an experimental swing, surprising himself with the ease the move was executed. Suddenly, he knew how to use this sword. The stance, the technique, it came alive like instinct in his mind. It was almost as if the sword were made for him.

Or perhaps he was made for the sword.

He began to ascend the stairs. The katana was in constant communication with him. Its weight, the texture of the hilt in his hands, the vibrations of the blade as he dragged the tip against the stone steps and brought it in an arc over his head. It told him how to bypass the force field. Everywhere steel touched darkness, it parted before him like a curtain. He dragged the sword from top to bottom, until he had rendered a doorway big enough for himself.

He stepped through the opening, feeling every hair on his body attracted to the black electricity crackling all around him. Once he made it safely to the interior of the castle, the tear in the force field sealed itself shut. Alone in the spacious anteroom, he could hear screams echoing along the hallways and voices pleading for help more clearly. He was grateful all servants were required to carry matches. After removing one from his pocket and striking it, he searched through the gloom for a candle.

Once one was found and set to life, he was better able to see his surroundings. Things slithered in and out of the shadows, causing him to grip his sword tighter. He inched forwards into the hallway, using his candle to light any others that were in his path. He was determined to find Trowa, which meant he would fight anything that got in his way.

-----------------------------------------

"Have you found them?"

"No, Widower. The guards we captured and interrogated have no idea where the Winners are."

Dorothy uttered a low curse. Did the foolish king think he could outsmart her? Even if no one knew where the royalty was hiding, it was only a matter of time before they were found. Whether it was Mystic or beast that did it, when the moment arrived they would all be dead.

"Nevermind then. The Lowe boy is in the castle. You know what to do."

Zechs allowed a demure little smile play across his lips. "Come Trowa. We're going to meet your friend."

There was no answer from the enchanted boy. He merely followed the Puppet Master as they left the tower. Dorothy resumed her post and concentrated on maintaining the force field.

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Underground, the king and his companions continued to huddle in the brightly-lit cave. Hidden as they were, they had no idea what was going on inside the castle. Quatre did not inform them how long he intended to make them wait.

Suddenly, there was a low tremor that vibrated along the ground. Firelight danced back and forth on their wicks, agitated by the disturbance. Relena glanced at her husband, before tightening her grip on his arm.

Again. The light wavered in time with the quaking floor, and the fear in the room became palpable. Again. It was getting closer, like gargantuan footsteps. Boom. The pebbles danced on the ground. Boom Boom. They would have edged away from the door, but were rooted to their spots with terror. Whatever it was, it was close enough for them to hear its shallow breathing.

Boom. One of the candlelights flickered out. Tsuberov hastily tried to light it, but his old hands were trembling violently. Boom boom. An exhale of breath that came out in a viscious snarl. The candle finally caught fire again, and the twins were fighting back whimpers. Boom. Boom. Outside the door. An inhale of breathe. Quatre realized with alarm that it was sniffing for them. His own nostrils flared, and he detected the smell of lavender perfume coming from his wife.

The creature inhaled rapidly a few more times, and then began scratching at the slab of rock. Quatre shut his eyes quickly, and called to Duo.

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Reinforcements had arrived at the inner city of Sanc. They were a great help in escorting the people to the churches, who were less panicked at the sight of a human on horseback than one of Wufei's clansmen on dragons. There were still skirmishes breaking out, but finally the situation was under control.

"It will be even more dangerous now that it's dark," came Duo's solemn voice from the ground. Wufei was still on Shenlong's back, who kept shifting its head from left to right as if in challenge to anything that might jump out at them.

"The dragons will make sure the churches are protected," Wufei answered with confidence. Shenlong puffed out the scales of its chest with pride. "Duo, does the castle look strange to you?"

The Shadowman peered in the direction of Sandrock. He could just barely make out its dark silhouette on the raised plateau. Indeed, there was something suspicious about it, and it only took him a moment to figure out what it was.

Its white walls were not reflecting any moonlight.

At the same time he realized this, he felt an urgent whispering in the back of his mind. "I'm going back to the castle!" By the Dark, he just finished sending Heero there an hour ago!

"Is Sandrock under attack?" Wufei received no answer from Duo, but upon seeing the Shadowman's determined stride he knew the situation was serious. "I am going with you."

He gave his men hasty orders in case they were gone for long, and had Shenlong canter quickly to catch up with Duo. The Shadowman was walking towards an alleyway.

"If you take the shadows, the Mystics may be lying in wait for you like before."

"I know, but Quatre needs me there right now."

Wufei narrowed his eyes at the predicament. "Climb on Shenlong. We will barrel through our opposition."

"I like the way you think!" Duo mounted the dragon behind Wufei and curled his arms around the other's waist. Shenlong let out a mighty roar, and galloped into the alleyway only to the swallowed up by the shadow.

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Heero had been busy.

As he made his way down the hallways of Sandrock, he encountered many people. Some were dead, others needed saving, and those that he could help he did. With each monster he destroyed, each life he spared, he glowed a little brighter. He stopped carrying a candle because he didn't need it anymore. Sometimes lamps would burst into light just because he was in the room.

He didn't understand what was happening to him, and there was no time to analyze it. Trowa was still missing, and he was beginning to dread the worse.

Heero.

He froze in his tracks. That sounded like Trowa, but he couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from. His eyes swept over his surroundings for some type of clue. He was in the ballroom, but it was hard to tell where in the ballroom because the island of light formed from his aura only extended in a three feet radius around him.

Heero.

He took hesitant steps forwards. A set of stairs came into view, finally alerting him to where he was. This was the far end of the ballroom, and the steps lead to the second floor which overlooked the entire room in open balconies. Up he climbed, the sweat of his palms causing the hilt of the katana to become slippery in his grasp.

He froze again when a dozen candles suddenly burst into flame. The boy had reached the uppermost landing where the lights formed a semicircle around a dark silhouette. Heero recognized the lanky figure immediately.

"Trowa!" The sword was immediately lowered. Heero was taking quick strides to reach him, but was halted by a dispassionate voice.

"Yamero." (3)

He stopped, though he was confused as to why Trowa would tell him that. "We have to go someplace safe."

"I am safe." His green eyes glittered eerily in the dim lamplight.

Something was wrong. Everything about this situation screamed wrongness. There was a movement behind Trowa, prompting Heero to move back into an offensive posture. A creature was melting in from the shadows, bearing no face or mouth, just a nightmarish twist of squirming vines with no beginning or end. Its rotted brown stalks were peppered with inch long thorns, which caused scraping sounds everywhere it dragged.

"Hashiru! (4) Get away from there!"

To his horror, Trowa did not move from his spot. The vines did not attack him; instead they seemed to be hovering expectantly behind him. He calmly unhooked something from his belt, which uncoiled and spilled to the floor. A whip. A very long whip that separated into three different cords that ended in sharp metal hooks.

Heero thought he was going to use it to fight the monster. Needless to say, he was shocked when it was cracked in his direction. He barely managed to raise his sword in time to block it, but not fast enough to prevent one of the hooks from embedding itself into his sleeve. A chunk of fabric was ripped away when Trowa yanked the cord back.

"Naze?!" (5) Prussian eyes were wide with shock and betrayal. "Are you still mad?" The only answer was another fierce crack at his face. It was all he could do to jump out of range in time. "I said I was sorry!"

The jester's pupils illuminated with red. Voice cold with the lack of inflection, he answered finally, "If I can't have you, no one can."

Heero swore as he was attacked viciously.

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The Shadowlands were plagued with the smell of burning flesh. Anything Shenlong did not torch was trampled on during its gallop through the world of black and gray.

Normally, Duo would have crowed with delight at the wild ride, but the king's urgency had doubled within the past few minutes. "We're almost there! Just keep going straight!"

Shenlong suddenly skidded to a stop, nearly causing its riders to fall forwards with inertia. It tossed its head and began backing up, clicking its teeth in sounds of warning.

"Shenlong says something is there," said Wufei suspiciously. His brown eyes scanned the darkness for what could have spooked his dragon.

Duo slid off the creature's back, and warily began to walk forwards. His wandering came to an abrupt halt when he walked into something invisible that sent jolts of electricity coursing into his body. "AAAAAA!"

"Duo!" Wufei began to slide off Shenlong.

"Don't!" Duo staggered away from the force field. The hairs that escaped his braid stood on end, and his clothing smoldered as if it had been burnt. "Get out! Go through that shadow!"

Wufei frowned, but he obeyed and exited the Shadowland through the indicated doorway. He found himself at the base of the stairs leading to Sandrock, where Merian was waiting with her own dragon. Duo was right behind him, and he groaned upon seeing the castle barricaded through magic.

"I can't believe this, they sieged the castle right under our noses!"

Wufei scowled as he finally slid of Shenlong. He approached Merian, who lifted off the stairs. "Is there any way in?"

"No." Merian folded her hands over her chest. "The entire castle is covered by the darkness. No one can go in, and no one can escape."

"What about the shadows?" Wufei directed his question to Duo, who was examining the force field as close as possible without roasting himself. "Can we get past the barrier that way?"

"Didn't you see me turn extra crispy? The barrier is in the Shadowland as well." Duo's brows knitted, and he tossed his gaze about as if looking for something. "Where's Heero?"

"Inside the castle," Merian replied evenly, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

"In the castle?! You were supposed to protect him! How the hell did he get into the castle!"

Duo would have liked to do more yelling, but once again Quatre reached out to him, and the message was urgent. They needed the Shadowman, NOW. Questions could be asked after he saved both the Winners and Heero.

"What are you doing?" Wufei asked with a touch of alarm as Duo walked towards the wall of darkness.

"I'm going inside."

"How?"

"I'm going to walk right through."

"That's suicide!"

"Exactly." Duo drew in a breath to prepare himself. It didn't count if he was trying to kill himself right? But I don't really want to die anymore. It had to work though. Trying to disperse the dark magic would take too long, and Quatre was frightened. The king did not get scared unless it was really serious. So he closed his eyes, and shoved himself into the barrier.

It hurt. The electricity buzzed through him, rattling every bone and nerve ending in his body. It tried to shove him back, but he stubbornly pushed forwards, one step after the other. The agony couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but it felt like hours when he finally stumbled through the field and fell face first onto the cool marble floor of the castle.

He remained on the ground, gasping for breath and limp with exhaustion. His clothing now hung off his body in shreds, but miraculously his skin was still intact. Apparently, the suicide clause of being a Shadowman still worked. There was an overwhelming urge to close his eyes and sleep, but he forced himself to stand up using limbs that quaked uncontrollably.

Now that he was inside, he could fell Quatre's urgency more sharply. However, there was another person who needed him just as strongly. Like before, he felt Heero's need pouring through him, and he cursed the fact that he could not be in two places at the same time. If he had any kind of free will, it would have been an odious dilemma, but the ages old magic that bound him compelled Duo to begin walking in the direction he felt Quatre was in.

He tried passing through the shadows, but more of the same force field awaited him in the darkness. The Shadowman cursed his bad luck. Not only couldn't he save both his friends, but now he had to walk.

-----------------------------------------

"Back! Everyone move back!"

Quatre didn't have to tell them twice. Whatever was scratching at their door finally managed to claw completely through the rock. Through the basketball sized hole it made, it snapped ferociously at them and gnawed at the rock to make the entrance bigger. When it got tired of that, it stuck its claws through the opening and batted at them as if they were mice in a rat hole.

The king picked up one of the candelabra stands and prepared to attack if the creature managed to make it into the room. It snarled as it caused more of the stone to flake away; now able to force half of its body inside.

"We're going to die!" Wailed Tsuberov as he threw one arm around Marie and the other around Meia. Relena was just as frightened as they were, but she picked up another candelabra stand and bravely joined her husband in beating the creature over the head with it.

Suddenly, the creature was sucked out of the hole by an unnatural wind. They could only stand with their makeshift weapons and listen to the sounds of flesh being shredded outside, and then a silence punctuated the drip and smell of blood. They nearly mauled the next thing that poked its head through the hole.

"Hey hey hey HEY I'm on your side!" Duo quickly pulled his head back just before he was crushed by two candelabra stands.

"DUO!" Quatre quickly got to his knees so he could look through the opening. Behind him, Tsuberov was praising the Dark for saving them, and the twins were weeping with relief. "What is going on out there?"

The Shadowman was sprawled in the corridors of the catacombs, appearing as if he went through hell and back. He was covered in blood, though it was hard to tell if it was his or not. He was too tired to form shields of air to protect himself from the spatter his demolition usually caused, and it showed in the dark circles that had manifested underneath his eyes. "Wufei has Sanc under control. We've managed to evacuate the people to the churches. Sandrock though… it's been sieged."

"What?!" Relena pushed Quatre's face away so that she could stick her own head through the hole instead. "We've been sieged? How dare they! Do they have any idea how pointless this loss of life is? So long as we have the Shadowman we will always win. Our ancestors sold their blood for that!"

While Relena ranted, Tsuberov was in the background trying to calm Meia down. The short-haired redhead was crying inconsolably into her hands.

"There, there miss. The monster is all gone now. The Shadowman is here and he'll make everything alright." The old man tried to soothe the poor girl as best as he could.

"Iya… IYA!" She tossed her head back and forth, as if she were trying to shake off something. "He's too late, the Shadowman is too late!"

"Too late for what, dear?"

Marie lifted her head from where it was bent over Meia, her own eyes glittering with tears. "Too late to save Trowa."

"Trowa?" Duo stared at the twins with incomprehension, before he realized what was going on. Meia was having another premonition. Immediately, he got to his feet and began running to where he felt Heero was, leaving Quatre and Relena to gape at his retreating figure. He did not believe in predestination. He did not believe he was too late!

-----------------------------------------

Of all the ways to die, Heero did not think it would be by his own best friend. For surely, Trowa was going to kill him. He was caught in a wild dance of survival; when the whip was cracked at him he dodged into range of the plant creature. When the creature lashed out at him with its vines, he danced back into range of Trowa's whip. The moves Wufei had practiced with him, including backflips and even falling into splits, had managed to keep him alive so far.

However, he was sure he was dying. Trowa's hooks had caught him a few times, leaving his clothing shredded and bloody. His wounds bleed freely, and were agitated by the rapid movements he had to execute to stay alive. There were thorns embedded in his body, and there was an invisible one right in his heart. He didn't have it in him to attack Trowa, and no matter how many times he hacked at the traveling vines of the creature, it never slowed nor stopped reaching for him with more tendrils.

The stablehand handled his weapon as if it were another one of his appendages. It became evident to Heero that Trowa was just like him, of the Light and gifted in weaponry from birth. It also became apparent that he was not himself. The frightening red glow in his eyes made him suspicious of foul magic tainting his actions. He didn't know the first thing about breaking spells, but he wouldn't give up.

"Trowa," he said in a voice pinched with pain. "Trowa, why are you doing this?"

He received lashes for his answer. His katana was becoming streaked with blood, and he felt his stomach lurch when he realized it was his own. Whenever he got slashed, the blood collected on the coils, and when he blocked, it got transferred back to his blade.

"Yamero Trowa! You're not yourself!" He spun around at the sound of scraping, and cut a vine that was aiming to wrap around his neck. "Snap out of it!" He crouched low just as the whip cracked overhead. "TROWA ONEGAI!" (6)

This time, when the whip came flying, Heero allowed it to wrap around the blade of his sword. He quickly twisted it around, further entangling the leather around steel. They became locked in a contest of tug of war, neither willing to release their weapons to the other.

"It's me, Heero! Listen to me!" He gritted his teeth as the moisture in his palm caused the hilt of his sword to slip somewhat from his grasp. "I'm Heero! We're friends!"

Unknown to the boy, the plant was creeping up on him while all this was going on. It wrapped around both his ankles and yanked him to the ground. The sword flew from his grasp, and was caught neatly by Trowa. Heero clawed at the ground as he was dragged backwards towards the writhing mass of thorns, eyes stinging with tears of pain. The floor beneath him was streaked with red.

"Its… it's alright Trowa." Heero stopped struggling so much when he came to terms with his own death. The vines were up to his waist now, digging into him with their spines. "I forgive you for this."

The stoic look on Trowa's face faltered a bit. In two blinks it was completely gone. The red of his eyes faded away to viridian.

"N.. no!" Trowa barely waited for the fuzz in his head to clear. The whip was hastily unwrapped from the katana, which he used to cleave away at the live bindings tangling around Heero. The entire plant shook as if offended that the boy had turned traitor. Once he was free, he ducked his head under Heero's arm and helped him stagger as far away from the creature as possible.

They found the effort fruitless. They were cornered against the balcony railing, which was a wan protection against the long fall to the marble floor of the ballroom. The creature closed in on them, expressing agitation with the way it's tendrils quivered and whipped back and forth rapidly.

"I'm so sorry Heero." Trowa said in his normal voice.

"Don't worry about it," he rasped in echo of their earlier conversation. He was clamping onto one of his worst cuts; a gash along his abdomen.

"I'm sorry for this too."

"Nani -- AAAA!" (7) Heero yelled as he was roughly shoved to the side, just as stalks shot out from the creature like bullets. He skidded heads over heels on the floor, and when he came to a stop, he watched in horror as they caught Trowa by the shoulders. Then his body began to tip back over the railing…

and then…

and then…

and then…

There are moments in life when time stops. When something so horrible happens that the only thing one can do is freeze in shock. Heero was riveted to his position sprawled in the floor. As if maybe if he didn't move, what just happened would undo itself. The plant wouldn't have attacked. Trowa wouldn't have fallen over the railing. Trowa would still.. would still….

The enemy was not suffering such compulsions, and was turning towards Heero for a repeat performance. He didn't notice. The blood was cold in his veins. Suddenly it was so very cold. The vines pointed themselves like daggers, and shot out towards the shell-shocked boy --

--Only to be vaporized inches from his chest by a bar of midnight darkness. One minute it was towering high enough to touch the domed ceiling, the next it was completely gone without a trace. When the flash of black faded, it revealed the Shadowman standing just beyond the spot the plant used to, flushed and breathing heavily from running all the way from the catacombs to the balcony. At first he had panicked when he couldn't find Heero, but then he realized all he needed to do was follow the lights. His first impulse upon seeing the creature was to throw his most powerful spell at it. When the Soul Drain ended, he toppled to the floor in a heap.

The both of them remained on the ground, motionless with one breathing heavy and the other hardly drawing breathe at all. Then Heero lifted himself up. He supported himself with the banister as he limped his way towards the stairs, feeling as if he were trying to move through molasses. One step after the other, he clenched his teeth against the pain as he descended, all the way to the main floor. He walked, and when the sight became too much to bear, crawled the last few feet to the fallen figure of Trowa.

His arms were outstretched to either side, as if in offer to the world. He had fallen flat on his back, where a spreading pool of red formed a halo around his ruined form. Heero sat over him, afraid to touch.

"Hee…ro." A thin trickle of crimson leaked from the corner of his mouth.

It took several tries to make words come out of his useless mouth. "I'm here." He tentatively reached forwards and put his hand in one of Trowa's. He didn't dare move him from his place and cause him more pain.

He smiled faintly, that same, secretive little grin they shared growing up. "I've always.. loved you."

"I know."

By now, Duo had finally found the strength to also make it down the stairs. His lips were a pale, thin line when he approached the body on the floor. He could feel the life wavering out of Trowa.

"No." There was a pause as Trowa swallowed. His eyes began to flutter closed. "I.. love you.. the way.. mom.. loved Odin."

There was a heady silence after that. His last sigh was barely a sound. When his life was finally gone, Duo put his head in his hands. He was too late.

Heero began to shake violently.

Too late.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

End Chapter 16

(1) Gomen Nasai: I'm sorry

(2) Sumimasen: Excuse me

(3) Yamero: Stop

(4) Hashiru: Run

(5) Naze?!: Why?!

(6) Onegai!: Please!

(7) Nani: What
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The Shadowman