The Shadowman

Title: The Shadowman



Author: Cold Silence



E-Mail: writer.coldsilence@gmail.com



Category: Alternate Universe. Medieval Times.



Pairings: So far: 4 x Relena, 5 x Meiran, Odin x Catherine



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



Website: http://coldsilence.tumblr.com/post/433113072/index



 

The Shadowman

-Chapter Seven-

(The Farming Arc - Day Two)

        "Wake up."



        "..zzzz...."



        "Duo, get up!"



        "zzzz....z...."



        Heero gave the bonelessly slumped form that was Duo an irritated look. His attempts at waking the braided fool had so far, ended in failure. He was oblivious to every nudge, poke and pinch the shepherd had been administering to his backside for the past five minutes, and it was annoying him to no end. How can one person be so incredibly lazy?



        Well, no stuck up merchant was about to get a free ride off the Lowe household. Heero reared one booted foot back, then swung it forwards and knocked one of the wooden blocks wedged beneath Duo's bed clear across the room. The result was instantaneous: the cot tilted and slumped off the other pieces of wood holding it up. It crashed loudly to the floor. Needless to say, Duo was up in a flash; cobalt eyes wide as he tried to get his bearings.



        "Who?! What.. why is the floor so close..?" said a very disorientated Shadowman.



        Heero's cool voice brought the confused boy back to reality. "It's time to let the sheep graze. Bathe or eat, there's no time to do both."



        The Shadowman turned a sleepy stare to the other boy. "Already? I just went to sleep five minutes ago! The damn sun isn't even up yet."



        "No work, no food or shelter. That's what Pa said." Heero glared at the trussed up figure on the bed, and continued to do so even when Duo untangled himself from the sheets and picked up his clothing, only to curse the shepherd all the way to the bathing room.



        After a few minutes, the lack of sound behind the closed door prompted Heero to go see what Duo was up to. The door squeaked on its hinges as he pushed it open, the sound muffling Heero's growl when he took in the sight before him. Duo was sprawled inside the tin tub, wearing only Trowa's beige shirt, that hideous collar and.. sleeping.



        Anger made Heero's thick brows draw together into a sharp 'v' as he stalked forwards to the tub and barked out, "DUO!"



        Startled awake for the second time that day, cobalt eyes blinked open to gaze blearily at prussian blue.  "Whaa... aren't the servants here yet?"



        "Nani?" (1) said Heero incredulously.



        Wrinkling his nose at the use of Nihongo, Duo attempted to sit up, only to find himself sliding back to the floor of the tub. "The servants to fill the tub with water, what's taking them so long?"



        "Baka! (2) Don't you know how to do it yourself?" If Heero were a much older man, he would probably have veins bulging from his forehead.



        "Do it myself?! What kind of ass-backwards idea is that?" said Duo with annoyance.



        "Peasants don't have servants. We do everything ourselves." Fingers clenching at his sides, the farm boy fought the urge to keep his temper down. The events of the past two days had put him on edge, and he didn't want to beat his frustrations on the braided merchant, although he probably deserved it.



        "Oh. Well you should have said so. Where do you keep your water?" asked Duo.



        "Allow me." Suddenly, the tension drained away from Heero's taut muscles, much to Duo's amazement. He watched the other boy walk over to a corner of the room to retrieve a bucket of water.



        "Wow, that's actually pretty nice. And here I thought you had a heart made of granite.  I guess you're not so bad, even if you have the combined personality of a toad and an alligator. It's probably just the result of being dropped too many times as a babe - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"



 

---

        Duo was still muttering about sadistic peasants and their cold water by the time they reached the top of the hill. Like the first day they met, the air was echoing with the playful lilt of pipes, and Wing seemed to reverberate with the mood of the music as it dashed around the perimeter of the pasture.



        The noble wasted no time plopping beneath the tree and making himself comfortable on the grass. The Shadowman wasn't kidding when he said that he had only just fallen asleep before his rude awakening. It was simply in his nature to stay up all night, and no one ever seemed to mind his habits before. On the other hand, Heero was the embodiment of vitalized energy in the mornings. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this boy was his polar opposite, and given the wonderful hospitality he's had lately, perhaps it would be safer for him to just throw himself to the Mystics.



        "Come onnnn, you know you want to do it," lilted Duo.



        Heero quirked a brow at Duo's words, and Wing paused in his scratching to perk an ear as if he could understand the braided boy as well.



        "Uhm, how's it go.... Ni...nara...om....something something, flying awayyyyy!"



        Heero's cheeks darkened when he realized Duo was trying to repeat the words to the song he was singing yesterday morning. Ruefully turning to the side so his red face wouldn't be seen, he answered through gritted teeth, "I don't sing."



        "What?" Duo sat bolt upright upon hearing those words, a wild grin on his face. "Oh yes you do! I heard you clearly all the way from the bottom of the cliff."



        Heero's flush immediately drained away to be replaced with a pale contour. "You can hear me at the bottom of the hill?"



        "Sure can." Leaning back against the tree, Duo could barely contain his smug look. True, this was a small victory against the whole cold water thing, but it was a step forwards. "What's with the weird words anyway? When King Winner took over Sanc, he set up schools just so the local language would get replaced with the new common."



        "I don't go to school." A brief frown marred Heero's features, indicating what he thought of Nihongo's slow death due to the new language.



        "Why not?" asked Duo curiously.  "It's not like you can't afford it. It's free."



        "There would be no one to work on the farm."



        "Ooo." Duo wondered if Quatre knew the peasants still weren't going to school, despite his attempts to get all of Sanc's children to attend. His heart constricted at the thought of the blonde haired king, and he avoiding sinking into that line of thought by continuing to egg Heero on. "So what are you waiting for? Flying awayyyy.."



        "Urusai!!" (3)



        Duo's wide grin was plastered on his face, and remained there as Heero stalked away to the other side of the pasture; Wing following with its tail hanging haughtily in the air.  He basked in his triumph for a few moments longer, before his eyes began to droop. The fluffy figures that drifted to and fro as they ate the grass began to look like floating pillows, and slowly the Shadowman sank against the tree. Something nudged his foot, and he glanced down into the soulful eyes of a black sheep, which looked at him with a sort of quiet wisdom.



        "Yah, I know how you feel Porkchop." With those words, Duo's eyes fell closed and he succumbed to sleep.



 

---

        All in all, it was a long day for the Shadowman. Between working in the fields for several hours, hands blistering from wielding a scythe to harvest the crop, cleaning the stalls, feeding the animals, taking the sheep out AGAIN, and eating nothing but awful tasting grits and being in Heero's wonderful company, he was all tuckered out by the time he was led back to his bed - which was still on the floor. He never bothered to fix that tiny problem, instead falling asleep the split second his head touched the pillow.



        A few hours later, his eyes cracked open, and he groaned at the familiar tingling in his groin that said he had yet to relieve himself. Literally rolling out of bed, he flopped onto the cold, wooden floor for a few minutes before pushing himself up. A glance at the other bed caused him to make an inquisitive little noise in his throat.



        Heero was gone.



        A quick glance around the room confirmed this, and straining his ears brought no telltale sounds from the house. Oh well, he didn't care and nature was calling. The skin beneath his bare feet was chilled by the ground as he quietly made his way out of the house. The outhouse just around the back was usually the ideal place to do his business, but the place smelled so incredibly bad that he decided maybe the trees needed some fertilizing instead.



        He had just turned in that direction when suddenly he was knocked face first into the ground. Immediately, he planted his palms against the dirt and tried to push himself back up, only to find that a knee to his back was effectively pinning him in place. He sensed someone lowering behind him, and a quiet voice whispered to him:



        "If I were a Mystic, you'd be dead."



        The weight against his back disappeared, and with a growl Duo sprung to his feet and turned to face the other person.  "Just what the hell are you trying to do, Wufei!"



        Wufei's coffee colored gaze regarded Duo with just a hint of mischief. "Prove a point. You need to be more careful, Shadowman. The Mystics hunt for you in the city, but it may only be a matter of time before they decide to look here as well."



        A low mutter escaped Duo's lips before he lifted his voice loud enough to be heard. "How much time do I have out here? Is Quatre done yet?"



        Wufei answered him with a brief shake of his head, "You still have a few days. It is hard to root out the traitors among the usual riff raff that tries to leech his power."



        Duo raked his fingers through his unruly bangs and bit back a sigh. "So I'm still stuck in this rathole.  Great. How's Quatre?"



        "Don't you know?"



        "I don't feel him anymore." Unconsciously, Duo's fingers ghosted towards area of his chest where his heart resided. His words seemed to echo in his own ears, their unintended double meaning pinching painfully close to home. "It must be the Gundam."



        "I see. The King is well." After a pause, Wufei added in a slightly lower tone, mentally filing the fact that Duo hadn't asked about Relena. "The Queen is also doing fine."



        "That's good. Well, unless it's suddenly against the law to take a leak in peace, I'm going to go water the plants now." Turning around, Duo resumed his walk towards the trees that by now, were beckoning to him.



        "Be more careful. Don't get spoiled just because I'm watching you."



        Stopping, Duo turned around to look at Wufei, only to find that he was already gone. His gaze darted back and forth, but he was unable to find where his guardian had disappeared to. A small smile graced his lips, and though he doubted the Dragon Leader would hear him from wherever he was hiding, he spoke softly anyway.



        "Thanks Wu."



 

---

        A good while later, Duo let off a soft sigh of relief after draining the excess waste. He was going to turn back to the house, when a faint glow emanating in the distance caught his attention. Unable to resist his curiosity, he instantly ducked into the shadows and crept towards the mysterious flickering. He may not be able to walk the Shadowlands anymore, but when it came to hiding in the shade he was still the expert.



        The light revealed itself to be a small campfire, where hushed voices broke the silence. Crouching low, Duo peered over a fallen log to see what was going on.



        A makeshift tent took up most of the small clearing, and beneath it were Heero and Trowa, both laying on their stomachs just in front of the fire. Their conversation was riddled with quiet laughter as they related the day's events to each other.



        "..and he screamed like a girl when I threw the cold water on him," said Heero.



        Trowa's answering chuckle seemed to echo against the trees. "I've never seen you act like that. You're supposed to be the reasonable one."



        "There's just something about him that bothers me," admitted Heero.



        "Oi, there's something in your hair." They fell quiet as Trowa leaned close, and he meticulously began searching through Heero's mop of dark brown locks with those long fingers of his.



        At first, listening to them talk like that about him made Duo's blood boil. However, that faded away to a different sort of emotion. He couldn't take his eyes away from the way those fingers combed through those strands, while Heero looked up at his friend with soft, trusting eyes that Duo had never seen before.



        He was witnessing a friendship forged into perfection from years of closeness. Those two boys had grown up together, and it was likely they would end up getting married and having kids within a year of each other, and live in little houses side by side with their wives and families. Always together.



        It made him jealous.



        Quatre used to be his best friend, and so was Wufei when he thought about it. They were inseparable in their youth, but as they grew up things began to change. Wufei had to tend to his responsibilities as Dragon Clan leader, and Quatre of course had to be king. At first it was all right, as the Shadowman he still had a permanent place in their lives. He could handle not seeing Wufei as much, because he still had Quatre to fill the void.



        And then Relena came.



        She didn't spontaneously appear out of nowhere, Relena was always around. In fact, she was also a good friend of Duo's, though not as close as he was to Quatre and Wufei. Before Quatre married her, the Shadowman had a habit of using his link with the king to peek in on his emotions, and he was used to and assured that most times, the feeling of camaraderie was still between them. After the marriage, however, there was only one thing that occupied Quatre's heart anymore:



        Relena.



        Relena, and those powerful, suffocating emotions that nearly gave Duo a nosebleed from their sheer intensity were all that was on Quatre's mind nowadays.



        He never thought of Duo anymore.



        It hurt, especially when Wufei also took a wife. Though he didn't share a link with the brown eyed boy, he automatically assumed that Merian also took up all his thoughts the same way Relena did Quatre's. He knew they didn't purposely drift away, there were just too many things to do, destinies to fulfill, loves to attend to..



        There just wasn't time for Duo anymore.



        Heero and Trowa had everything he wanted. An eternal friendship that came about naturally; recognized instantly in their intimate, innocent touches. They would always have each other, and Duo had nobody.



        He frowned softly as he backed away from their little gathering. Who cared anyway? He didn't need them! He didn't need anybody or anything at all; his powers were all that mattered. By the time he had reached the room once more, he had half - convinced himself to believe in his own convictions. Sleep tugged at him, effectively drowning out his own inner voice as the day's work caught up to him once more, and he flopped down onto bed.



        The familiar smell of grass and sunshine tugged at his dwindling senses, but in the next instant he was fast asleep. Without a thought, he had drifted towards the sliver of moonlight falling through the windows; drawn to it like a moth to a candle, before passing out on Heero's bed.



        He was nowhere near lucid enough to realize that the strangely familiar scent belonged to the blue eyed boy.







End Chapter Seven



 

---

(1) Nani: What

(2) Baka: Idiot

(3) Urusai: Shut up