Forging harmony.

CHAPTER 17: NIGHT BATTLES.

Quatre rolled on the bed automatically seeking comfort in the arms of his lover, drifting back to a deeper level of sleep when the copper arms wrapped about him, warmth given freely from his bonded fire elemental. Suddenly he felt pulled into his mind scape, hoping to see Wufei again Quatre went eagerly. Hands grabbed him, clawing, undead hands ripping the thin clothes, opening his mouth to scream because mouths bit into milky flesh.

Wufei cried out both vocally and mentally, frantic panic washing over everyone that had them running to give assistance. Bodies skidded into the bed room Quatre had been calling his own; stunned they stopped to stare at the sight that greeted them. On the bed in all his birth glory Wufei was struggling to hold down the thrashing, bucking and screaming form of his bonded lover. Delicate Quatre was begging, pain screwing up his face into a tight mask. Unseeing eyes rolled about in horror. Sweat coated each young man.

Trowa moved to help hold limbs that suddenly had the unnatural strength of the dammed. Heero to the legs, so Wufei could move, choosing to cradle the blond head with tears streaming down his face. Treize stood beside Duo, both faces holding a grim look. A look that softened as coal black eyes sought them, tears mounting up. "He just started screaming. I can't soothe him. Nothing works." Voice cracking with emotion.

Trowa probed gently with his power, searching his body for the source of the problem. His body was fine, apart from the feeling of agony coming from deep within. Trowa looked for the water mind scape, gasping he pulled out sharply from Quatre's mind. He had a brief glimpse, it was all wrong, mixed up like silt in the bottom of his clear river.

Duo tried next by calling out to his friend but a dark blocking wall stopped the spirit’s voice from penetrating.

Heero looked about the room looking for a reason why he could feel earth magic block him every time he went into the blond desert man. Nothing in the room was out of place.

Finally Zechs and Wolf turned up, a deep growl rising from the dark's throat. Midnight blue and dark eyes met, each gave a bare nod. As the pack was finding out the two were very protective of them. Quatre's screams ringing off both stone walls and all seven of their minds.

Treize wrapped air about his water mundane. They could affect anything outside his body just his mind was closed off; the bonds to each of them were also affected. They could feel from him, but he did not respond to them, as if he had closed his side of the bond down. Another time it would have been the mental do not disturb sign. Gently he floated the body down to the ritual room. They would be stronger there.

Unsure what would happen inside, but it was all they could do. Heero was last through the arch door. He called out to the trees, pulling them closer to make a continuous wall adding strength up from rock. Shadows flicked about like wraiths over Quatre as he lay huddled into himself, whimpers of pain still issuing from him.

"So what's the plan Zechs?" Duo's normally happy grin nowhere in sight.

"Now you all die!" Boomed an old crackling voice.

Darkness swelled and peeled back to reveal a twisted form heavily cloaked. Links of energy spread out on either side in seven chains, another pack!!

"You’re responsible for this?" Trowa's stunned question.

"Release my water NOW." Treize said.

"Leave or die." Heero flatly informed the room.

Manic laughter roared about the room, amplified by air in an attempt to frighten. The normally welcoming ritual room took on the look of a barren wasteland, the wall of trees shriveling into blackened husks, the ground parched dust, only each element’s stones remained untouched.

"I give you a choice join me as my slaves and I will spare you pain. Or die like dogs with your masters. But know this they will pay for their wrongs." Gnarled fingers pointed at first one prince and then the other. To bring his point home the dark clenched his fist. Quatre arched back, extreme pain raking his mind, mindless screams filling all his pack with dread for his sanity.

Zechs sent out a shiny shield hoping to block however they were attacking, light danced over pale skin making the shadows draw back, easing the pain of the suffering water. Trowa worked to help wake up Quatre with Duo's help. Groggy the water blinked at them, still hurting.

Fire flashed beside them, the rage in Wufei was both shocking and understand able, he sent flame bolts neatly into the dark form still mocking them, but they were caught by a air shield and doused in water.

"So that is your answer, still I will enjoy breaking you ALL."  A flick of an almost skeletal wrist and darkness brushed their minds, not soft like Wolf, but thick tar soaked and stinking of fear. Ice fingers caressed their skin as a contented sigh came from their enemy.

"Yes all so delightful. To taste, but which one of you to have first? The water was not too happy to revisit the battle with my army, to feel the zombies’ kiss again."

The room shifted becoming a high mountain side, the smell of smoke on the air, screams of the dying and frightened were mixed up with clashes of steel. Wufei looked about in horror as the most painful memory he had of home was dragged up for the stunned pack to view, helpless as he. Men as copper skinned as the fire, rushed about the small estate his clan owned. Every one was put to the cold judgment of steel. Death, none would be allowed to live and possibly bring chargers later against the invading clan. They watched a last ditched attempt to keep the invading forces out and buy time for one last act of desperation. As a small boy was hidden by the loyal workers of his father, the clan sword pressed into small hands as tears streaked down his face. Shut into an impossibly small store cupboard. How that same boy crawled from the smoking ruins of his home, the same boy now on his knees tears streaking his copper skin. Long black silk helping to hide his grief. The dragon on his back plainly seen, hot and angry red like a brand burned onto his skin.

"You never did get revenge and claim back there honor." Cold voice from the other dark.

The room shifted to a crowded market place, not here, another city, one Duo tried hard to forget. People yelled selling stuff milling about the large scaffold to one side. Hanging day always brought the people out in droves, not much else to lighten the mood.

"For crimes against his worship and stealing," a loud gruff voice announced. There was little change to the crowd except one fleeting glimpse of a scruffy urchin making his way to the front.

"We was dying for gods’ sake." A hopeless plea but still with pride.
Duo looked up both now and then steeling himself to watch as the boy not much older than him was hung. Defiant to the last. Duo's heart broke all over again. Cold death haunted his violet eyes, outshining the unshed tears. Yes it had cut him deeply, but he would be damned if this son of a bitch was going to get satisfaction from him. Solo had taught him to be strong, he may run and hide but damn it he was as stubborn as his dead leader.

"Still hiding I see." Cold voice satisfied.

The room shifted showing Trowa kneeling, blood on his hands, blood everywhere. A small band of mercenaries lying dead and broken about him as he bent over what must have been the leader once.

"Live. Please Live." Said the warm young voice. His plain white half mask on the floor untouched by the memory. They could feel how he tried to stop the flow of life dribbling away, stop death taking the only family he had known.

"I'm sorry I only meant to heal you..." One last gurgling breath, blood flowing out the kind man’s mouth, eyes dimming. Trowa threw back his head to scream. A pulse spreads out from him in a four foot arch, draining everything of life as the blood rocked back and forth.

"So young. What a pity." Cold voice holding no such emotion as it claimed.

The room shifted more narrowing to one dark room, the only light source over a large flat bench that Heero was suddenly bound to, his naked skin faintly sparkling with the quartz that made up granite. Deep pools of darkness gazed back in horror as a man shuffled forward one leg lame.

"It's been a while my perfect solder since we have needed to have this talk." High squeaky voice, full of mockery, gray mop of badly kept hair, missing eye and sharp features.

Heero struggled against his restraints in silence. No, this was not happening; he had escaped this man once he would do it again. But he was trapped, forced to remember the harsh training methods of his teacher, to relive the twisted man’s idea of punishment. Helpless as strong hands laced with earth power parted his legs, fingers probed to find his anus. Once located there was no prep or quarter given to his feelings. That's right, Heero was not meant to have feelings, not meant to feel disgusted or dirty and used. He was meant to be just flesh, ready to for any mission given him. Two fingers had him stretched and still he made no sound, nor did he dare call out mentally. His teacher always knew if he wept mentally and further punishment would happen. The memory ended and Heero was left gasping, wanting noting better to strangle the old man playing with them.

"Now that's a man you have to admire." Cold voice darkly amused.

The room shifted, bright day light flooding in blinding the pack after such darkness. They stood in a well tended garden, twin poles stood in the center with Wolf stretched between them arms high. Her twin blades missing off her hips, upper body bare under the unbound black locks hanging to her ass. Disembodied laughter floated on the soft wind. A shadow formed to the right, an outline of a man bearing a bull whip. He shook it out and drew back his left arm to strike. Viper quick and a sickening crack leaving behind a long deep slash along the unprotected back. Tossing her head, flying mane of dark could not contain the long deep howl that pierced mind and ear of the pack. The shadow man drew back to strike again but froze in mid-stroke.

"What?" Screamed the mad dark. Thunder rumbled and the room became a familiar cliff top, to those who had been allowed to see it. With night about to set in and the feeling of rage bubbling away, Wufei and Heero could feel the call of their dark, softly touching their power.

(Be ready my little loves.) Softest velvet.

Wolf took a slow deliberate step closer to the mad dark. Ignoring his command to say back or receive more pain. She smiled hands flexing over her hips that once again held her daggers.

Blood ran down from the magical whip mark of memory, more began to spring up, crying crimson tears. Still Wolf kept moving step by slow step. The room felt like a storm about to break. Deep laughter echoing the thunder around the mind scape.

Realizing they were now free from the attention of the twisted pack’s grasp, they began to act.

(Treize I have a plan but it will take us all and could be close.) Zechs spoke to them all.

(How close?) Summer rain and a feeling of dread.

(Don't ask.)

(No I can't ask that of any of you.)

(You try telling her that.) Zechs gave a mental shrug.

(Fuck.) Duo added.

(Time’s running out.) Both Heero and Wufei added together.

Wolf was now holding her hands a foot apart in front of her. What looked like a rock covered in blue flame hovered there sucking in the shadows. Duo felt pain and anger flowing into it. Not quite a pain bolt. He quickly told the others what he could feel.

(We going to need a shield when she drops that Zechs.) Quatre’s shaky voice.

(Duo push them out, Trowa back him up. Mundanes back up your ethereal where you can.) Zechs’ cool voice in complete control.

The pack watched as Wolf added one last final touch to the ball, they all felt it. Softest down wings brushed their cheeks with a kiss laid on their foreheads. Then she threw the creation at the dark facing her, stripping away shadows, stripping away the illusion of a shriveled old man. Both Princes’ eyes widened in a moment of shocked recognition. Then blinding light surrounded them as the shield held.

When the light returned to a normal level and the afterimages blinked away so they could see, their worst fears hit their hearts. Wolf lay on the floor. It had been her choice to stay outside the shield, her choice, but still it hurt them.