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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
- 17
- 18
- 19
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 Seventeen-

No one quite understood what happened the night Sandrock was under siege. It seemed the enemy had the upper hand and would have surely taken over the castle at last. However, strange as it was, the fighting stopped. The force field around Sandrock vanished, and the monsters in the city slunk back into hiding. Their retreat rendered the entire battle pointless, which only served to fuel the rage and helplessness of the people.

For many days, no one left the churches, but eventually people became brave enough to come outside again. Mostly to access the damage to their properties, bring back food, or bury the dead. The cemeteries became busy places as people came to pay their respects to those forever lost.

In a show of bravery, as well as an attempt to coax the civilians out of hiding and back into their ordinary lives, the Winners themselves led a somber procession to the burial grounds with their own deceased to bury. The cobblestone streets were cleared for the black carriages bearing the signet of the eclipsed sun, and many people came out to see the royal family. Some followed the slow march all the way to the outskirts of Sanc, where dozens of burial plots awaited.

The King and Queen were present, as well as several members of their court. Their black vestiges of mourning were out of place among the grassy knolls and the sunny sky. People wept as Tsuberov delivered a eulogy to honor the soldiers, servants, and members of the court while birds chirped in the background.

It feels so surreal, Duo thought to himself. That feeling of unreality had hung over him from the moment he had to pry Trowa out of Heero's hands. Perhaps that was why he had yet to break down or miss the stable-hand, even when his stone marker was staring him in the face. He was aware of his own detachment, and was loath to let the shock wear off, because when it did he knew he would be inconsolable. He had to be apathetic. They were at war, his kingdom needed him, and…

Heero.

The shepherd was standing next to him, listening to the eulogy with blank eyes. He had reverted to a detached state of silence ever since Trowa's death. Not even Duo could pull him out of it this time, although he didn't exactly try. The Shadowman felt that Heero deserved time to mourn, and could do little more than hover nearby for support.

However, as the days went by and his silence stretched, he began to grow worried. Heero did not express any grief. Everyone else took his behavior as normal, after all, this reaction to the loss of his home and family were the same. Duo, on the other hand, grew more anxious at his friend's lack of expression.

Even now, he stared at the profile of Heero's face, waiting for sorrow to surface upon the angular planes. He guessed at all the horrible things the shepherd could be thinking. Maybe Heero was suicidal. Maybe he was biding his time until he could take revenge on the monsters and Mystics all on his own. Maybe he was shocked into a mental condition that would make him mute forever. He worried and gazed helplessly at Heero; heart fluttering with every inhale that made the boy's chest rise. A little selfishly, he wondered if the other boy had forgotten his feelings towards him.

"Lord Duo, may I please have a word with Heero alone?"

A solemn-faced Wufei interrupted his ruminations. Since the siege of the castle, a change had befallen the Dragon Warrior. There was no spark of happiness left in his mahogany eyes, only a simmering anger no one could quite place. Duo's lips tightened at both the needless formality and the thought of leaving Heero, but he capitulated anyway.

"Good luck getting him to say a word back," he responded dryly as he stalked off to the distance where he couldn't hear, but still see.

Alone, Wufei placed himself in front of Heero. It took several moments for Prussian eyes to pull away from the distant space they were staring to refocus on the other's face. Once his presence was acknowledged, the Dragon Leader bowed at the waist before beginning to speak.

"Forgive me for bringing this up at this unfortunate time, but there is something that I need to know." He pulled himself upright. "I want to know what happened the night fires ravaged the countryside. Who caused it?"

At first, it seemed as if Heero intended not to answer. He met Wufei's hard eyes, and realized that his teacher would not relent until he gave him an answer.

"Monsters," his voice was thick with disuse. There was a pause as he swallowed, then his lashes fell closed with memory. "Fireballs. From the sky."

Wufei's fingers tightened into fists. "The barrier that covered Sandrock on the day it was sieged. How did you pass it?"

"Meiran," he whispered. "Her sword. It let me pass."

Wufei bowed stiffly. "Thank you." He left Heero at a quick pace without further word. The shepherd just confirmed a suspicion that made his worse fears come true.

"What was that all about?" Duo wasted no time returning to Heero's side the moment that Wufei was gone. Unfortunately, the shepherd wasn't as inclined to give the Shadowman an answer as he was to the Dragon Leader, causing Duo to be dismayed when he received no response in return. He frowned at the fact that Heero was willing to talk to Wufei but not him.

"Sumimasen, Heero Lowe?" (1)

The boys turned to face the new voice, their expressions identical with the same agitated annoyance upon recognizing whom it was. Standing before them were none other than Alex and Mueller, who were still somewhat bandaged from their last encounter with the Shadowman. Instead of the expected air of snobbery from the merchants, they actually looked deferent in the presence of the two boys.

"We wanted, uhm," Mueller began, and shrank back from the withering glares he was receiving, "we want to say gomen. Gomen nasai, for the things we did, Heero-san." (2)

While their brows raised at the honorific, Alex jumped in. "And we wanted to tell you that we also believe in you. If we had known who you are, we would have been nicer.""

"What the hell are you talking about?" Duo, becoming increasingly disturbed by their presence, had to interject.

The merchants exchanged glances. "Everyone saw it. The way he saved that little girl. All of Sanc knows the story."

"He's the only Warrior of Light not sworn to the King. While there was chaos, he was saving children and servants. The Shadowman's duty is to the King and nobility, but the One of the Light defends the common man. Heero-san, our support is behind you!"

For several long moments, a bewildered silence stretched between them. Then, Duo broke into uproarious laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAH! 'One of the Light'? Who in the Dark's name made that cheesy title up? HAHAHHAHA! You save ONE little girl and the whole town is ready to worship you!"

Frightened by Duo's mirth, the merchants quickly returned to the crowd of onlookers. The Shadowman noticed for the first time that a good portion of them was interested more in staring at Heero with awe than the funeral. He was too busy doing much of the same thing to notice before.

"So, you're a hero now huh?" He scratched his head, unsure of what to make of it all. "I could, and have, saved hundreds of little girls and still not get my own personal fan club." His violet eyes shifted to spy upon Heero once more. "Why didn't you tell me you were of the Light?"

"I was told not to."

Duo was surprised he actually got an answer. That was the first thing spoken to him since Trowa's death. "Do you always do what other people tell you?"

"You should talk."

This caused the Shadowman to look petulant. "It's not like I have a choice. Great, I finally get you to speak and all I get is sarcasm."

Heero glanced over at Duo, causing his heart to nearly freeze in the beauty of those blue irises. "There's always a choice."

The funeral ended, and everyone from Sandrock was returning to their carriages. Heero did the same, and Duo was unable to resist following. He trailed behind the shepherd, throat dry and hoping the other boy would open more doors to let him in.

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Beneath the branches of a Willow tree, Zechs watched the funeral come to a close. His gaze lingered on a stone marker nestled among the tall blades of green grass.

"If you do not stop moping around, I am sending you back to the mountains," came a clipped voice to the side. Dorothy was also surveying the events with the help of her mirror.

"I am not moping." He pretended to find the other guests more interesting than Trowa's grave.

"It was necessary," she pressed on in an imperious tone of voice. "Because of that boy, our plans will come to fruition in time for the Vanishing Sun. Lord Khans will be pleased. Behold, how the Shadowman's bond with the King frays!"

Zechs rolled his eyes. "You don't need the mirror to see that. The Shadowman won't so much as stand next to his liege. We have practically won." He fell silent, while his nail blue eyes tracked over to the departing Heero and Duo. The Shadowman had been following the shepherd like a burr for the past week. "What of them?"

"We will continue to use their love against them."

"That Barton boy was the first to break my spell of compulsion with his will alone. He honestly had feelings for that peasant." He now gave Heero a searching gaze, perhaps in hope to find what was so alluring about him. Besides his tight behind. "How dangerous it would be if love were a weapon."

"Your brains were addled by that farm boy." Frustrated with the strangeness coming out of Zechs' mouth, she dropped the mirror back into her satchel. "When this is over, you can have your pick of pretty boys to play with. For the last time, stop moping about."

"We shouldn't have withdrawn the siege. We could have had them."

"You can not take an enchantment such as the Shadowman lightly. Maybe we would have had Sanc for a day, three at most. Then the Shadowman would destroy us all and restore Winner to the throne. No Puppetmaster, the true key to their undoing is Lord Duo's power. Now follow me. We've much to do, and the best is yet to come."

Zechs couldn't argue. Dorothy spoke the truth; they were nearly finished with their plans. Years of preparation could not be thrown away because of regret for one single boy. So he bid a silent farewell to the boy in the grave, and followed the Widower to their next destination in destiny.

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That evening, when the setting sun painted the sky in streaks of red and orange, a lone carriage arrived at the hilltop filled with the new graves. A figure stepped out and climbed up the grassy knoll, only to kneel in front of a stone marker.

Here lies Trowa Barton-Lowe.

Without you, this place is lonely.

You'll always be remembered.

Relena wondered who wrote the simple, yet heart filled epitaph on the gravestone. She glanced around to make sure that she was completely alone, before smoothing her skirts nervously.

"I am not supposed to be here. Quatre would throw a dreadful fit if he knew I was outside and alone during such dangerous times." She clasped her hands. Of course, the late Trowa would not be able to answer her. "I wanted to give you a proper goodbye, and… I wanted to apologize for the way I pressured you while you were here. That was not a proper way for a queen to act, and you were very courageous for resisting me. I think that is why I always liked you. In these changing times, you never lost your bravery or your dedication to those who were important to you."

She blinked tears from her eyes. A corner of her skirt, colored black to express her mourning, was used to dab at the moistness. "I really did care about you. Maybe in time, I could have fallen in love with you, even though everyone would say that it was wrong. Was it so wrong, Trowa?"

The chirrup of birds in the distance was the only answer. A passing breeze lifted her pale hair from her face. "Whoever you loved was very lucky. I hope she realizes how lucky she was. I know it is customary to say a prayer of goodbye to the lost, but I can only pray to the Darkness. I know you would loathe that, because you favored the Light."

She thought of many things in the next silence that stretched. She thought of Quatre, of the kingdom, of the people, and of the boy whose life was forfeit because of the way the three of those things worked. If only things could have been different. If only the world were a better place.

"I pray to the Light."

A low rumble reverberated through the sky.

[Do you promise to pass on this curse to your next of kin?]

"That you stay warm in its embrace, that it protects you where you are."

[Do you promise to keep your bloodlines pure?]

An eerie silence befell the fields. The birds had quieted. The grass and trees ceased to ruffle with the lack of wind.

[Do you promise to obey only the Dark?]

"The Light keep you wherever you are, Trowa Barton - Lowe."

Thunderous nimbus clouds began to obscure the clear sky. Relena gathered her skirts and ran back to the carriage, while the heavens cried torrents of water.

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"There, that's the last one."

Duo had insisted on lighting every candle in Heero's room that night. Obviously, he didn't trust the task to any servant or the shepherd himself. More than likely, it was all an excuse to linger around the other boy a little while longer.

Heavy rain rapped against the windowpanes, which was occasionally joined by a bright flash and a thunderclap. Heero sat unperturbed on the bed, watching Duo with dark eyes.

"Well, I guess that's it." Any longer in this room, and Duo would melt beneath that molten gaze. He changed his tone of voice, and spoke to Heero in a gurgle as if he were a child. "Unless Heero-weero wants me to tuck him in~!"

The Shadowman smiled bravely in the face of the irritated glare he received from the other boy. "Fine, if you want to be boring and sleep, go ahead and sleep. I'll see you tomorrow Heero, goodnight."

He turned to walk out of the room, but found his sleeve was caught on something. Looking over his shoulder, he expected to find it wedged on the bedpost, but was surprised to find it tightly secured in Heero's grip.

"Don't go." The shepherd's voice was thick with emotion. "You're all… I have left…"

What must have it been like for Trowa to say the same thing to him all those months ago? To love him so much, and then desperately need him when they lost their family.

Was this what it was like? Heero thought to himself as he pulled Duo onto the bed next to him.

Did you always hurt like this?

He curled his arm around Duo and dug his fingers tightly into his shoulders.

I'm sorry. He rested his forehead against Duo's chin, while his eyes began to overflow with tears. I'm so sorry.

Duo embraced his friend as tightly as he could. Finally. This was the breakdown he had been waiting for. He lightly stroked his toffee colored hair, and murmured "it's alight" in between his quiet sobs. In time, he joined in his mourning, and they both clung to each other while they grieved for all the things they couldn't before. Trowa. Catherine. Odin. Wing. They were sorely missed that night.

The next morning, when they woke up bleary eyed and red nosed, with the sun hidden in a gray sky, they shared their first kiss.

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Early that morning, Wufei at last found his wife. She had been difficult to locate; almost as if she were avoiding him, but there she was, waiting for him in the castle garden. His face was set in a grim expression as he approached her. Meiran's countenance was carefully neutral, as if she had been expecting this.

"It was you who let Heero pass the barrier of magic. You were trusted to protect him, but instead you allowed him to walk into harm's way." His mahogany eyes narrowed dangerously. "It was your dragon that helped set fire to the countryside."

"To find the Shadowman, yes. My dragon helped destroy those places so that the Mystics could capture him." Unfettered by Wufei's angered expression, she went on. "I also helped poison the Barton boy's mind against Lord Duo and that shepherd. He was easily manipulated afterwards. The Shadowman blames his death on the King. Soon, the tradition of Winner and Shadowman will end."

Wufei was so enraged that he trembled. The rims of his slanted eyes became moist at the fact he was hearing such heartless words from someone he thought he knew and loved. "You traitor."

"The only traitor standing here tonight is you, Wufei!" She spat back with venom in her voice. "You call yourself Dragon Leader, while our people are forced to be slaves for that accursed family!"

"It was a pact of honor!" He raised his voice to match hers. "My father died so that we might live!"

"He had no right gambling our lives the way he did! Some of us would have gladly died in honorable battle instead of slowly disappearing, as if we were a diseased breed of the human race!"

"So you side with Mystics? With monsters? Who kill innocents instead of leaving the battle to the warriors? You call this justice?"

"Do you not smell the change in the air?" Meiran gestured to the sky, as if Wufei should have been able to behold the revolution there with his own eyes. "A new era will be ushered in, where our clan will be free! We will be our own people once more!"

"The ends do not justify the means." Wufei slid into an offensive stance. The blades from his gloves extended to their full lengths. "You know, as a sworn protector of the Winners, honor dictates that I must fight you."

"And you know," she responded as she likewise fell into stance, "that as a leader of this clan, I will fight for my people's freedom. Our strength will determine which of us is right."

She attacked.

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Quatre found that he greatly disliked this Dorothy Catalonia. Ever since her face appeared in his court, there had been nothing but one trouble behind the other. He suspected her of conspiring with the other nobles to overthrow him and Relena. Duo was probably the only thing keeping the lot of them in line. If only he had proof of her treachery, he could have the woman taken care of.

Instead, he was forced to listen to her in this so called emergency meeting the nobles insisted he must hear out. His wife sat in the throne next to him, barely able to hide the tension he could detect in her frame. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was bothering her.

Duo was standing at the base of the dais. He seemed more distracted than usual, and he had to call his name four times before he got his attention. He didn't know what was going on there either. For some reason, it was very hard to probe into Duo's thoughts today. This bothered him to no end.

Lastly, Wufei was missing. He was forced to start the meeting without him. This was most unusual of all, because he left no excuse and everyone knew Wufei was never late. Quatre felt as if he were going into battle with no weapons and a broken arm.

"Your majesties," Dorothy curtsied before them. "I know the timing is inconvenient, but we feel that the following matter is of the utmost importance."

Oh, but the timing IS convenient, he thought sarcastically to himself.

"The people of Sanc are in a bit of an uproar." She gestured grandiosely to all the people in the room. "The peasants, the merchants, every noble, even the urchin of the streets want to know, 'Where is the Child of Light?'"

Duo's attention was suddenly grabbed. Quatre's brows drew together in a frown. Yes, he had heard of this rumor, but he had no idea that it had gotten so big.

"They say he will protect the common man from the monsters. They say his powers far exceed those of the Shadowman. They say he will overthrow you and usher in a new era for the world! Is this true King Winner? Please assure us that this is all fantasy."

The crown on his head suddenly felt very heavy. He could see in the faces of some of those gathered the greed and the hope that it was true. That he would be overthrown so they could snatch up his power. It couldn't be allowed. "This boy you speak of is nothing more than one of the servants in my very castle. Before then, he was a mere peasant. A sheepherder."

"Nevertheless, the Winners kill those of the Light. There are several people in this very castle who will step forwards and testify that this boy used powers to save them. Do you plan to change tradition now?"

"NO!" The court was shocked by Duo's outburst. Startled, they watched while the Shadowman spoke out of line. "You can't kill him! All those rumors are mostly lies! He just want to be left alone."

"Which part of the rumor is truth, Shadowman? That his powers surpass yours, or that he intends to overthrow the king?"

Dorothy's challenge had the entire court in an uproar. Quatre had to yell for silence before they would quiet down to listen.

"I will make a decision before all of you lose your heads over this." His aquamarine eyes swept over them, demanding attention. "No one is more powerful than the Shadowman. No one can overthrow us. It is written as prophecy, or have you all forgotten that?" Silence met his question. "It is also tradition that we ask those of the Light to swear to the Dark before we consider execution."

"He'll say no."

Once more, all eyes were on the Shadowman.

"Lord Duo," began Quatre with just an edge of impatience. "Why would he say no? Does he not want to live?"

"His father loved the Light, and so did his mother. All the peasants from those farms in the outskirts worship only the Light. He's too proud to say yes, and he's lost enough that he's not afraid to die."

"Then you know what the consequences will be, " said the King with somber finality.

"No you CAN'T KILL HIM!"

"Why not?" Dorothy broke in, barely hiding the glint of triumph in her eyes. "He is king of Sanc and lands beyond. He is practically ruler of this world. What is one peasant's life to him?"

"Because I love him!"

The entire room gasped in shock. Everywhere, people's faces reflected horror, some went so far as to express disgust. Relena and Quatre were staring at Duo as if they didn't recognize him.

"Duo," honorifics forgotten, Quatre spoke plainly, "he is another man --"

"I know that! I don't care." Duo ignored all the stares of shock. It was only Quatre he was talking to, only him that he was mad at. "How many more friends are you going to kill? If it weren't for you, if it weren't for this stupid curse, Trowa would still be alive!"

Quatre's face burned red with anger. Not just because of the accusation, but that Duo had mentioned the Barton boy's name. Trowa Trowa Trowa, just what did everybody see in him that was so special? He was the court jester for crying out loud! "Shadowman, you will obey me and be silent!"

"Obey THIS!"

The next few moments were filled with confusion. Duo's thoughts, clouded in anger and hurt, caused him to retaliate by hurling a ball of wind at Quatre. He hadn't thrown a tantrum like that since he was a toddler, but any magic directed towards a Winner by the Shadowman usually dissipated before harm could be done.

Imagine his horror when the pocket of air slammed into both Quatre and Relena, causing their thrones to overturn with the monarchs still in them. People screamed. They ran from the room, shouting that the Shadowman was mad and that he turned on his own king.

He didn't mean to hurt them. Yet, even as he thought this, there were voices in his head whispering: Burn them. Cut them. Destroy them. Kill them. The magic was out of his control. He could feel it struggling beneath the surface, preparing to harm. Before it could lash out without his consent, he jumped into a shadow.

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Quatre stormed down the halls with Relena rushing beside him. He had ordered his guards to find the Shadowman and bring him back at all costs. The entire court was in an uproar, and he was sure a good few of them were planning his assassination already. He didn't even know what to do with Duo once he found him. His thoughts were muddled with anger and no small amount of fear. The bond was gone. Without a doubt, the magic that had bound him to the Shadowman ceased to exist. The absence of the other's presence was felt like a gaping cavern in his chest.

"I don't understand it!" He seethed as he continued to stalk forwards. "I have followed every rule made by my ancestors. All my life, I have been careful to preserve all that our family has sacrificed for. This can not be happening. It can not be happening!"

Relena pressed her lips together. A growing feeling of foreboding gnawed at her conscience. She clenched her fingers together, arriving at a decision to tell her husband the truth. "I prayed to the Light."

Quatre stopped dead in his tracks. His voice was dangerously soft, causing the Queen to freeze in her place as well. "… You did what?" He turned to face her, his expression a thundercloud of betrayal, hurt, and despair. His hands clamped over her shoulders. "Why did you do it?" His fingers dug painfully into her skin, and he began to shake her. Harder and harder with each word that passed his lips. "WHY! Why did you destroy us?! Did you care for that boy so much? Was he worth throwing away centuries of rule by our family? WHY! Why do you hate me Relena!"

The Queen gripped Quatre's wrists until he stopped shaking her. With misty eyes, she answered him in a steady voice. "I did it for our people. I did it for us. I did what should have been done a long time ago! To rule by fear is wrong. It makes us no different than the very beasts we are trying to defeat. The killing must stop, of both the Mystics and the Warriors of Light. Do you not see how they suffer? They are the embodiment of the things our people believe in. They are their hope. I did what any good Queen would do: Return the hope to her people. Duo deserves to be free. He has suffered enough because of us."

Quatre's grip loosened from her shoulders. Suddenly, he felt so very weak, as if Relena's words caused him physical pain. "Your intentions are pure, as always, " his eyes fell closed, as if all the lights in the hallway hurt them, "but our lives are now forfeit because of you. We are destined to be killed, and our remaining army will barely be able to save Sanc from our enemies without the Shadowman."

Relena touched her brother's face lightly with the tips if her fingers. "We have no Shadowman, but do you really think we've lost Duo?" She pulled the other into a comforting embrace. "I could never hate you."

Quatre found that he couldn't hate either.

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He felt him coming before he actually arrived.

Heero had been locked in his room since the abrupt conclusion of the meeting with the nobles. Guards were posted outside of his door to make sure he couldn't escape. He was annoyed with all the attention he had been receiving ever since he became the infamous "Child of Light" everyone spoke of. He liked it better when people would barely notice him.

He knew Duo was coming. He sat on his bed facing the closet, which he purposely left dark. In time, the guest of honor melted into existence from the shadows. Duo knew Heero had been waiting for him. His footsteps overlaid the sound of rain as he closed the distance between himself and the other boy. His eyes had lost their natural color, returning to the tint of cobalt blue of when they first met, and expressing an aching need. The shepherd watched the Shadowman approach with a fast stride that did not stop until their legs brushed against each other.

"Run away with me," Duo said without preamble.

"Hai."

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Quatre closed the door to his bedroom. Duo had yet to be found, and he was left with two choices. The first, and more optimal choice, was to abandon Sanc and regroup in another province. However, that would leave Sanc's civilians unprotected against the coming attack. There was also the possibility that rumors of the Shadowman's abandonment would reach the other cities, which would embolden the nobles into revolting or sending assassins after his family.

The other option was to stay and protect the people of Sanc. There was a high probability that they would perish in battle. There were not many soldiers left, and many may desert once the battle starts. Their oaths to the Winners only had weight while he still controlled the Shadowman.

The king pressed his palms over his eyes. It was only a matter of choosing how to die now. Perhaps there was a way to send Relena out of the city so that she would be safe, at least. Unfortunately, the woman was probably stubborn enough to stay with him until the end.

His thoughts on the matter came to an abrupt halt. Someone, or maybe even something was in the room with him. Slowly, he pulled his fingers away from his face to see what had caused the bell-like sound of a blade being unsheathed.

Before him stood Wufei. The onyx strands of his hair were disheveled, and he bled in places where the fabric of his tunic was torn. Quatre was instantly wary. The Dragon Leader had the blades of his glove, each tinted red with blood, pointed at his throat.

"I killed Meiran," he whispered throatily. "I killed her because she was a traitor to you."

Quatre was shocked into silence. His aquamarine eyes were wide with disbelief and horror.

"She only wanted the freedom of our people. She didn't care if the blood of others were spilled in favor of our own. 'They are many, we are few' she said. She was even willing to kill me. She overestimated the worth of our clan." The tips of his claws began to cut into the tender skin of the king's neck. "Or perhaps, I underestimated their worth all along."

Quatre's fingers curled tenderly over the leather covering the Dragon Leader's hands. He looked up into mahogany eyes, his own full of regret and deep sadness. "It's alright. You are not wrong, Wufei. I deserve this. Take revenge for Meiran, for your clan, for all the people that I have hurt. Once I am gone, your people will be free."

For several terrible moments, Wufei continued to glare at Quatre and angle his weapon with the intent to kill. He clenched his jaw, and his hands shook with the enormity of what he wanted to do. Then he howled an angst-ridden yell, and shoved his blades viscously into the floor. He closed his eyes tightly against the sting of tears. "Why? Why can't I hate you!"

Quatre embraced him while Wufei sunk listlessly into the floor. "I am so sorry. I am sorry for all that I have done. Relena was right all along."

They stayed that way for some time. The King comforted his old friend, and spoke softly. "I have decided to stay and fight for the people of Sanc. I owe that much to them. You don't have to stay, you may take your people and go. I release you from your oaths."

Wufei nodded in acknowledgement, and answered in an equally soft voice, "My people will go, but I will stay with you."

"Thank you, Wufei."

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Tsuberov was mired in a never-ending stack of papers and books. He was desperately trying to find an answer to the kingdom's problems. That's why he was caught unawares when Duo came waltzing through the shadow beneath the table. Ink bottles toppled to the floor and parchments flew everywhere when Tsuberov cried out in surprise and fell over - taking half the things on the table with him.

"Duo!" He exclaimed while scrambling back to his feet. "Where have you been? The entire castle is running amuck looking for you. This is a nasty rumor going around that you attacked the king."

"I did, " he replied as he finished crawling out from beneath the table.

"Oh for the love of Dark, Duo. You are much too old to be throwing those kinds of tantrums. You march yourself right back to the King and apologize to him and the court."

"I can't! You don't understand." The boy began to pace nervously in front of the desk. "It hit him. My power actually hurt him. I swear I didn't mean to. I mean Quatre and Relena no harm, but every time I think of them I just…" He clenched his fists, where black energy was flowing unchecked. "What is happening to me?"

Tsuberov listened to his student gravely, before finally speaking. "Duo, what I am about to say may shock you but… You are not the Shadowman anymore."

"What?" This news was enough to get him to stop pacing.

"You should not have been able to hurt the king. It goes against the contingencies of the pact the Winners made with the Wise Men." He looked up from behind his steepled fingertips. "They have broken the rules, and prophecy says you will destroy them."

Duo slowly shook his head back and forth. "No.. no, I'll leave the kingdom first. I won't hurt them!"

"You have no choice in the matter," he bowed his head sadly.

"No, there's always a choice! Isn't there anything I can do? There has to be something!"

The old scholar let out a short sigh. "I have been looking for this "something" for the past three hours." He motioned towards the books strewn on the ground. "A thousand times I have read the story of the Shadowman in a thousand books. They all say the same things. Well, all except for that one." He waved his hand dismissively at an old, yellowed book sitting at the edge of his desk. "It is not even an official text. It is rumored to have been written by the first Shadowman, but even then it is full of nothing but strangeness."

Something about the indicated book caught Duo's eye. It was odd how he had never seen it before, and yet just gazing at it gave him a sense of déjà vu. He picked it up, and carefully turned past the ancient pages. They were full of nothing but broken verses and poems; obviously the work of someone pining for a lover. However, the handwriting looked so much like his own that it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

The Shadow is nothing without its Light.

The door to its heart opens only when She is there.

When She leaves, He chases her

Around the world, night and day

Day to night

Always in a circle, never meeting, never one.

If Destruction and Creation

If Darkness and Light

Were One

Then by definition

You are a god

But gods do not belong on this earth.

I want to be inside her again.

I miss her.

Duo suddenly looked as if he had seen Shinigami.

"Your best bet is to indeed leave the kingdom. I would be careful, mind you. Now that you are not a Shadowman, you are nothing more than a mere Mystic. You will tire easily from the use of your powers, and even those are now finite. The best thing you can do is to acquire a sword and --"

"Tsuberov!" Duo's exclamation cut the professor's monologue short. "That's it! I can't believe I didn't see it before, but I knew it all along!"

"Well of course, a sword and shield may seem mundane after being used to flinging black magic around, but it's hardly --"

"Heero and I are running away," he interrupted once more with an intense look. "We were meant to run away! That's why we both feel the way we do."

"What in the world are you talking --"

"Tsuberov, you must teach me!"

"Well I will try to teach you, but I'm hardly the right person to come to when it comes to using a sword properly --"

"No, forget the sword! Teach me," he leaned forwards, almost feverishly with his grand idea, "how to do a bonding ceremony!"

The professor stared at Duo. He continued to stare long after his spectacles fell off his face. "Well, I… I suppose I should offer you congratulations! You've finally settled for a woman? But at such an inopportune time… Well!" He got up from his chair and drifted towards a shelf full of books. He began to pile them into his arms. "I do have a few books on… yes! This should do nicely. Tell me, not to be nosey or anything, is it the Lady Hilde?"

"No," Duo nervously shifted from foot to foot as he watched his teacher. "I don't need to know about women. I want to know about men. How do you make love to a man?"

The books in his arms tumbled to the floor.

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

It was official. Tsuberov knew Everything.. Duo was pleased to find his tutor not lacking in knowledge, and he listened more intently to their final lesson than he ever had in a lifetime's worth of classes.

Now, to collect Heero. He wasn't sure of how reliable his powers would be. Up to this point, he didn't have to use them extensively. Even his brief trips through the Shadowlands were anti-climatic: there were no monsters there to impede his way. It was obvious that the enemies were regrouping. Not to mention, there was no need to patrol the world between worlds now that the Shadowman was no more.

He had prayed for this day to come, to finally be free and lord over his own life, but now he loathed it because he could no longer protect the ones he cared for. Now that his powers were limited, he was going to focus only on the one person that mattered most.

The plan of escape was simple. He would enter Heero's bedroom through the shadows, and leave the same way with his friend. No one would know they were gone. At first, it seemed that it would work, until Duo tried to step back into the shadow with Heero. They immediately knew something was wrong when the ex-Shadowman banged his nose on solid wall instead of flowing through the darkness.

"It's not working."

"No kidding Mr. Obvious! Ow," Duo cradled his aching nose.

"Then we go another way." Heero was halfway to the door before Duo realized what he intended to do.

"No wait! Heero! You lame-brained shepherd, don't you ever think anything through?"

While Duo protested, Heero kicked the bedroom door open, causing it to smack one of the guards in the face. The shepherd stole the dazed man's sword and used its hilt to knock him out. He was prepared to take on every single soldier in the hallway, until Duo poked his head out of the room. The sight of the former Shadowman robbed their courage, and with a flatly stated "boo" they went running in the opposite direction.

"At least my reputation still works," stated Duo dryly. It was rather sobering to discover that he was not powerful enough to bring one person into the shadow, when before he could have moved armies.

This left Heero to take care of any opposition brave enough to face them in the hallways. Some guards put up a fight, but most ran away. There were even instances where they simply stepped aside, allowing the One of the Light to pass by unhindered. Thanks to Heero's direct approach, there was probably not a single person in the castle who didn't know that they were running away. Because of this, most of the servants had either stayed cleared of the halls, or watched curiously from behind corners as they ran by. Eventually, they reached the main entrance, whose heavy doors were barred by an enormous block of wood. Waiting for them in the center of the domed anteroom was Zechs.

"Naughty boys," he drawled in that sultry voice of his, "running away to play without me. I shall have to spank you." The tone of voice was amused, but his expression was full of malice. Swirls of violet began to dominate the bright blue of his eyes. He had been waiting for this since the moment he laid eyes on Duo. Dorothy said he could have him. How delicious it was to think that he could have two for the price of one.

Duo recognized his voice. It felt like years since that faithful day in the mountains, when he fell into a shadow to escape a shower of arrows. Capture the traitor he had said, and then while he was distracted, that horrid collar was placed on his throat. Although he wore the clothing of nobility now instead of a dark cloak, he was not fooled. "Mystic."

"So are you, Lord Duo. We hate Mystics, don't we Heero?" He fixed a steely gaze on the shepherd, who suddenly froze in his place. The Puppet Master was mentally reaching out to him, probing for his weaknesses. "Come to me Heero," his low croon held a promise, "I'll take you away from this place of pain. There will be no Mystics or monsters or nasty Warriors of Light to interfere in your life."

Lost in enchantment, Heero began taking slow steps towards Zechs.

"No!" Duo balled up a fist, drew it back as if he were going to throw a baseball, and hurled a ball of fire at Zechs. Then he watched in shock as Zechs made an almost negligent gesture with his fingers, which caused the entire thing to suddenly vanish in a puff of gray smoke.

"You have your own worries to think about, brother Mystic."

A rumbling growl seemed to punctuate Zechs's statement. Duo wheeled around, and found himself face to face with five beasts towering over twice his size. They were giant ogre-like creatures dressed in rags and bearing spiked clubs.

Desperately, he ran in front of Heero and caught him by the shoulders. They could really use his super human speed and skill right about now. "Heero!! Snap out of it!" He tried shaking him out of the trance, but the other boy's eyes remained blank and unfocused. The ogres were starting to close in on them, so he pried the sword out of the shepherd's grip in order to use it himself.

Duo kept one arm tightly around Heero's shoulders while he brandished the weapon with his other hand. He couldn't let the boy advance any closer to the Puppet Master. He feared the man would snatch his friend into a shadow.

"The Shadowman is the reason your life was destroyed, Heero. If you had never met him, you would still be with Trowa and your family."

Although Duo had his back to Zechs to face the creatures, he was stung by his words. Hurt because they were true. He winced as if it were a physical blow.

"Trowa," murmured Heero despite his daze. He began to blink, and in moments his pupils had returned to their normal size. His voice was gruff as if he had just arisen from bed. "I don't regret meeting Duo."

Zechs's expression crumbled to one of mild distaste. "You are the second boy I've met who was that selfless."

Heero was suddenly seized by a rage. In that instant, he knew. He knew that this was the man who put that awful spell on his best friend. "Kisama!!!!!" (3) He ripped out of Duo's grip, and barreled towards the Puppet Master as if to kill him with his bare hands. Duo's shouts for him to stop fell on deaf ears.

Unperturbed, Zechs stepped backwards into a shadow caused by a thick column. He meant to allow Heero to run right into the Shadowlands, but that did not go as planned. The Puppet Master did not foresee the amount of anger Heero would have towards him; did not know that it was the strength of his emotion that unleashed his power unchecked. Surrounded by fiery light, the darkness could not touch him nor draw him through the portal.

Annoyed, Zechs stepped out of the same shadow when Heero had run past it, and splayed his fingers at the bright figure. A powerful blast of air knocked the boy off balance and sent him rolling on the ground until his back slammed against the main entrance. The protective light that surrounded him winked out.

"Heero!" Duo wanted to run to his aide, but as Zechs stated before, he had problems of his own. The monsters were upon him now, swinging their clubs in an attempt to crush his skull. Luckily, these creatures were no Mystics, and could only scream in rage when he singed their eyes with fire. "Heero, get out! Get away from the shadows!" As soon as he saw an opening, he sent a razor sharp slice of air at the wooden board barring the door. The magic cleaved it directly in the middle, rendering it useless.

"Yes, Heero." Zechs mimicked Duo's voice mockingly. "Go outside." To their bewilderment, he sent another blunt stream of air to the fallen shepherd. Caught in the middle of standing, Heero was pressed against the large doors. They began to open outwards from the force of the magic, and as soon as the crack was big enough, he was blown outdoors like a leaf in the wind.

He was thrown out into pouring rain and loud thunder. The earlier showers had turned into a raging tempest. The boy was soaked before he even finished falling down the wet stairs of Castle Sandrock. Bruised and shivering with cold, he picked himself off the muddy ground. He was not leaving without Duo. He began climbing back up the slippery steps, when a flash of lightening illuminated something at the corner of his eye. Horrified to confirm what he saw, he turned around slowly, as if denial would make it all untrue. It didn't work.

He found where the enemy was regrouping. There was an army of monsters waiting in the courtyard outside of the castle. Hundreds that stretched as far as the eye could see, melting into existence from the shadows. No wonder Zechs had looked so smug about Heero stepping outside. Already, the attention of the front line was caught by the boy sliding on the staircase. With hungry looks, they walked, crawled, and slithered to where he was trying to backpedal up the steps. He kept loosing his footing on the wet leaves, which caused him to fall down two stairs for every one he gained.

The ground vibrated with each rumble of the sky. Or was that really thunder? No, it was a roar, coming from the dark heavens; the animal quality of the sound the only thing separating it from the boom of lightening. As it approached, the monsters reared away from Heero as if in fear. He covered his head as the creature landed on the staircase hard enough to break the stone, prompting flakes of it to sliver and rain on the shepherd. When rock had stopped falling, he peered back up, and then quickly closed his eyes as Deathscythe roared in his face.

When he dared open them again, it was to find the Nightmare crouched on the stairs. It was staring impatiently at him with its bloody eyes, each breath a snort that sent its nostrils flaring.

Hoping that this wasn't a mistake, Heero tentatively began to climb its back.

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

Zechs was in good humor again. Since the shepherd boy had proved too much of a hassle to capture, he was going to keep just the Shadowman instead. His arrogance was going to be too much fun to break. He would have liked to own Heero as well, but the army outside probably took care of him by now. Warrior of Light or not, all the skill in the world couldn't save him if he didn't have a weapon.

Duo was being toyed with. The ogres had backed off so that the Puppet Master could play. It was simple to yank the sword out of the boy's hands with a gust of air. He was tiring from the overuse of his magic. Spoiled from years of using unlimited power as the Shadowman, he didn't know how to handle the drain on his body that all normal Mystics felt. Duo was reduced to squirming on the ground, attempting to fight off the tendrils of darkness that threatened to tie him up. Balls of fire caused them the dark ropes to burn, but as soon as one disappeared Zechs created more to take their place. They snaked their way across the marble floor, slithering up a pant leg or dipping into the sleeves of his shirt if he was not quick enough. By now, he knew better than to attack Zechs directly with magic. The Puppet Master was almost as talented in defense as he was in manipulation.

Their amusement was cut short at the insistent sound of banging on the entrance. Bang! Bang! Its hinges began to crack, and then splinter away from the strength of the beating. Down the doors went with a mighty crash that rivaled that of the thunderclaps outside. Waiting on the other side was the Nightmare, who reared up in triumph and nearly sent Heero sliding off its back.

As soon Deathscythe was back on all four legs, Heero took advantage of the surprise. In his hands was a chunk of marble dislodged from the steps due to the Nightmares stomping. This he viciously threw at Zechs's head, who was too stunned to expect that kind of low-tech attack. Blood gushed from his forehead as he went down, gripping his face with a cry of agony.

With his concentration gone, the tendrils that had been holding Duo down disappeared. He scrambled off the ground with an expression of happiness and disbelief. "Heero! My.. My HERO!" His laughter bordered on hysterical as he ran towards the Nightmare. The shepherd reached out, allowing Duo to grasp his hand so that he could mount Deathscythe behind him. The ogres were so afraid, they scattered from the room at a run.

Then the mighty beast turned around and galloped back into the rain. The stairs were ignored in favor of flying into the air. They sailed over the heads of the gathered army of creatures, who howled and screamed at the escaping prey.

"What are you doing?" Heero demanded to know when he felt Duo release his waist. The boy was turning himself around so that he was sitting backwards on Deathscythe's flank.

"Getting the last laugh." That was all the explanation he would give. He took a deep breath, and then brought the palms of his hands together. Instantly, a beam of darkness spewed forth towards the gathered creatures. The Soul Drain phased them out of existence, and he swept it in an arc to take out as many of them as he could. How convenient for the Mystics to put all the monsters in one place for him. Unfortunately, he could not put out that kind of power forever. Eventually, the bar of black petered out, leaving Duo completely drained of all the energy he had left. He would have surely fallen off the Nightmare if Heero hadn't caught and steadied him by the back of his shirt.

He hastily removed Duo's belt one-handed and then carefully turned the boy forwards before retying it around both their waists. His friend immediately slumped against Heero's back, and after murmuring something about helping Quatre, closed his eyes and fell into a deep, fatigued sleep.

The shepherd looked back at the castle, which became smaller as they climbed higher into the stratosphere. Even from this distance, he could easily see the damage Duo had single-handedly caused. Not even a tree existed where the beam had touched, and there was a large crescent-shaped rent in the ground from where the angle of the Soul Drain tore into the earth. Assuming that the courtyard had housed a good portion of the army of monsters, he must have easily taken out about three fourths of them.

Heero threw his head back and began to cackle. The last laugh indeed. He could swear the Nightmare was chortling with him. The boy felt as if he were going insane. So he laughed while Deathscythe roared in delight, and took them to places unknown.

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

It felt as if the entire planet was crying with rain. They had flown for hours, yet it continued to pour. When Deathscythe took them above the clouds, they became dried in the air. However, when he began to descend again, once more they were drenched in torrential downpour. Heero did not know where they were going. The boy had never traveled outside of Sanc in his life. As far as he could tell, they were lowering into a twisted jungle far removed from any type of civilization. Thank the Light that Duo was starting to wake up. He was currently groaning into Heero's shoulder.

Through the marsh they went, the Nightmare sparing its riders no thought as it barreled through the brush. Heero had to swat the twigs and leaves out of their faces as they advanced forwards. There was no danger of Deathscythe sinking into the mud, for he still floated several inches off the ground. They did not stop their rapid canter until they came upon an abandoned structure, overgrown with vines and exotic flowers that could only exist in a watery environment.

The beast let out an irritated snort, which Heero understood as "get off". He hastily removed the belt from their waists, and guided the exhausted Duo off the Nightmare's flank. By now, he was mostly coherent, though he was still too tired to stand on his own. He squinted at his horse, who stared back with its pupilless eyes.

"He says," Duo began as he sank to the floor, "he says that he only helped you because you saved his son. His debt is now repaid."

"His son," Heero repeated, at first not quite understanding. Then he realized that he spoke of Stepper's foal. HE was the father? That explained how she kept escaping the stalls at night. "Tell him domo arigatou." (4)

"He knows."

As if in answer, the Nightmare bellowed another fierce roar at Heero, before leaping into the sky. It galloped towards the clouds, becoming one with the darkness from which it came.

"I'm surprised it did that," murmured Heero as he watched it disappear.

"Not everyone is totally evil."

After a few moments, Duo shifted until he was on his knees. He looked up at the standing Heero; bangs matted to his forehead from the rain. His pale face caught what light was available in the dark area. "Do you feel like this place is familiar?"

Heero was quiet for a few moments while he paid attention to the surroundings. They were standing beneath a roof held up by weathered columns carved into figures he could not discern. He did feel as if he stood here before. "Hai."

"I think I know where we are. I don't know how I know, but I do. Deathscythe must have brought us here on purpose." He tugged insistently on Heero's shirt, until the shepherd obliged and knelt beside him also. "I know this is strange, and that I haven't been with you very long, but I feel like I've met you a long time ago."

He could tell by the emotion in Heero's eyes that he felt the same. Eagerly, he went on, "I want to be with you, Heero. If this world goes to hell, you're the last thing I want to see. I love you. I've been in love with you since before I was born. I don't care if it's magic or fate that's causing it, you're the only one I've ever wanted like this."

Heero felt as if he couldn't breathe.

"So will you… will you marry me?"

End Chapter 17

(1) Sumimasen: Excuse me

(2) gomen... gomen nasai: Sorry... very sorry

(3) Kisama: A vulgar way of saying "you"

(4) domo arigatou: thank you very much
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The Shadowman