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"Magic, Mischief, and Miracles"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: I've contracted some guy named Doctor
Draken to steal the boys. It's part of his mad scheme to take over
the world. Nifty, huh? Pairings: 3x4, 1x2 already established Warnings: AU, violence, language, supernaturalness,
LEMON, yaoi, etc. Spoilers: nada Author's Insane Ramblings: Okay, this is the result
of watching too much Inuyasha. I was sick, and to keep myself entertained,
I bounced back and forth between watching Inuyasha and writing GW
fanfiction. This...is the result.
" Magic, Mischief, and Miracles" Part 2 Quatre was so grateful to see signs of civilization, however limited, that he could have cheered. He'd noticed just from seeing Duo's house that he appeared to be in a different time than his own. This world was apparently more in a Renaissance era, judging by how things looked. At least it wasn't something like the Dark Ages. The village they went through was mostly comprised of wooden huts. People in loose shirts and pants went around on their own business, talking to each other as they went. Or they did, until they caught sight of Nanashi. Then they quieted, and shrunk away in fear. Moving closer, Quatre whispered, "Are they afraid because it's you, or because you're a demon?" "Both." Well that certainly answered the question. "You've been here before, then?" "I fought someone here." "Ah." Nanashi fighting someone must be a fearsome sight, if the watching faces were anything to go by. Someone that was probably the head speaker for the village, and another man that was undoubtedly a priest, in that kind of a black robe, approached them. Nanashi hesitated, eyes narrowing as they approached. "What business do you have here, demon?" Quatre hid an internal wince -- the priest's voice was really annoying to listen to. Stepping in front of Nanashi, he held up his hands placatingly. "We're just passing through. We have no intention to harm anyone." The priest scooted closer, peering at Quatre's face. "You look human." "I am human." "You'd best stay away from this demon, boy. He's dangerous." And about as communicative as a brick, and gorgeous, and...he really needed to focus on the immediate situation. "Most demons are. It's their nature. Regardless, we will not harm you. Please let us pass." The priest turned his staff in his hand, leveling it at them. "Move away from him, boy." "Now just a minute --" Nanashi put a restraining hand on Quatre's shoulder, halting the rant. "Leave it alone." "But --" Quatre jumped in surprise when the demon put an arm around his waist. Slowly his feet left the ground, a shimmering cloud of soft grey circling around their feet. Quatre threw both arms around Nanashi's waist as they rose into the air. There was no way he was going to fall, and if he did, the demon was coming down with him. The outraged yells of the priest faded as they went over his head and away from the village. Quatre looked around in wonder. He had no idea Nanashi could do something like this. "Why were we walking if you can fly like this?" No response. Just because he didn't answer that question, didn't mean that he wouldn't answer any question, Quatre reminded himself. "Are we going to get that kind of response wherever we go?" "Possibly." Ah ha! An answer! Quatre was starting to keep a mental tally of how often he could get Nanashi to say something. "Hm. They're probably not going to believe any declaration of innocence on our part either, judging from the last guy." This comment was ignored. Nanashi's eyes were completely trained ahead, not even glancing at the person in his arms. "Why did you defend me?" Quatre's eyes nearly fell out of his head. He'd actually been asked a question?! Miracles never ceased. "Well, I didn't want a confrontation if I could avoid it. And you didn't have any intention of going on a rampage, right?" "No." "There you go. I'd hate for you to be hurt just because they're paranoid." Nanashi didn't offer a response to this. Quatre hadn't really expected one. It was something of a divine occurrence that he'd even asked a question. His eyes went back to the scenery passing beneath them -- beautiful country. Much better than living in a city like he did. "Why are you helping me?" /Well knock me down with a feather, I get two questions in a day?/ "I've always believed that problems should be solved by the people who have the power to do so. And, well, it's not like my life is more important than other people's. If I can help prevent more deaths, then I should." "Most would not agree with you." "Most people are selfish," Quatre parried with a shrug. "Yes." The response was so soft Quatre wasn't sure if he heard him. "Nanashi, does flying like this take power? I mean I don't --" His head jerked around. "This...it looks so odd..." "What is it?" "It's something like Terandl...but at the same time, it's different. Put us down." Quatre's feet were still a foot off the ground when he pulled away and dropped the rest of the way. They were near another village, this one a little older than the last one. What he was detecting was very weird -- it was definitely Terandl's signature, and yet it was mixed up with something very pure. He fell into a jog, weaving his way forward. He could almost see it in front of him, like a red light. Nanashi was right behind him as they stopped in front of a hut near the local shrine. Quatre knocked slightly on the door frame, then moved past the blanket in front of him and stepped inside. An older man looked up as he came in. "Who are you?" "My name is Quatre," the blond replied absently. There was a child lying on a straw mattress, obviously burning with fever. And he was beginning to see why. Her soul was tangled up with some kind of life force of Terandl's, at least, that's what it looked like. Turning to his silent companion, he scowled. "He's been here. That little girl's soul is tangled up with some of his life energy." Nanashi's eyes narrowed. "Who are you people?!" Quatre ignored the question. "Are you a doctor or a priest?" The man hesitantly answered, eyes narrowed. "A priest and the local healer. My name is Cloun." "Alright, Cloun, can you see the trace of red light in this child?" "No. I can sense that something is wrong, but...what is this Terandl that you speak of?" Quatre groaned. This...wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't sure how to fix this problem. If he could somehow remove Terandl's energy from her, she'd be fine, but how was he supposed to do that? He could only see the problem! "Quatre. Let's go." Quatre spun to his feet, and his hand cut the idea in two. "No! I told you, didn't I? Problems should be solved by those who have the ability to do so." Nanashi cocked an eyebrow, an nth degree. "You don't." Quatre's jaw set stubbornly. "Cloun, is there any way you know of to purify that evil energy?" "...yes, but it would take years." Growling under his breath, he looked back to the little girl. They didn't have that kind of time. Well, his power had changed so radically in the past two days, maybe it was possible for him to draw it out of her. He wouldn't know until he tried. Dropping to his knees, he put his hands on her chest and pulled. "Come." The girl shook, hard tremors that made her rise off the pallet. But the energy within her had split, part of it heeding Quatre's call. Seeing the progress, Quatre gritted his teeth and put more strength behind the order. "Come!" She wrenched upwards with a cry, and the red light rose to hover in the air above them. Quatre took hold of it, sweat starting to bead his forehead at the strain this was taking. Spiritual matter was not easy to hold onto. "Cloun, I need to put this somewhere." The priest was watching him with wide eyes. When his request penetrated, he nodded vigorously and scrambled across the room. After a bit of routing in a wicker basket, he brought a wooden figurine forward. "Will this do?" Quatre had no idea. Would it? "Put it on the floor." He was rasping for breath by this point. Once Cloun was clear, he wrangled the light toward the figurine and pushed. It fought him, wriggling about like a snake, making it even more difficult to hold onto it. Nanashi watched silently as the seemingly frail human held onto an energy that was so evil it made his hair stand on end. He hadn't expected Quatre to be able to do anything, but he was...at great cost. The blond was shaking in strain, teeth clenched tightly. With excruciating slowness, he fought the light into the statue. The demon stepped forward and put a hand over the figurine, spelling a seal on it. Quatre flashed him a smile of gratitude, tinted with exhaustion. He slumped forward, catching himself on his hands. "The girl?" "She's well," Cloun assured him in a reverent tone. Effortlessly, the demon lifted Quatre into his arms, arranging it so that the blond was supported completely on one arm before standing. Quatre was so tired that he let him, closing his eyes and nearly falling asleep. "W-wait! He should stay here, and rest." The demon went back out of the building, not heeding the man. Quatre wouldn't get any rest near that sealed figurine. His eyes went to the teen in his arms, and he frowned. Why had he done that? How had he done that? Quatre had no training in his abilities, he'd said so himself. So how had he known what to do? "Nanashi?" His eyes weren't even open. "What?" "Thank you for letting me help her." Snorting, the demon decided to ignore such a ridiculous statement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Quatre woke, it was twilight. He could barely see the sky from his position inside the cave. It took a second before he realized he was wrapped up in Nanashi's dark cloak, so warm and comfortable that even thinking about moving was a sin. "Quatre." Darn, he couldn't just lay there. Sighing, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I'm awake." Nanashi was leaning casually near the entrance. He reached inside his coat and pulled free a kerchief bundle, which he tossed at Quatre. "Eat." With understandable suspicion, he unwrapped the bundle. Warm bread, a huge hunk of cheese, and a slab of something that smelled like beef. This was a VAST improvement over his dinner last night. He scarfed it down without hesitation. When he was done he looked up with a genuine smile. "Thank you." There was no response, as usual. Quatre was almost used to it by now. He stood up, taking the very warm cloak with him. Had they wandered off course while he was sleeping? Cautiously he extended his sense -- it was still weird to have control over it, and be able to use it at will -- and 'looked'. "We're still on course. Terandl's presence is becoming...sharper." Dark green eyes cut over in his direction. "He was here recently." "Well, 'recently' probably isn't the right word. I'm not really used to discerning age when it comes to this kind of thing, but I'm guessing it's been a few days." "Hn." "Is Heero a demon?" That had been bothering him a while. Nanashi's brow arched slightly. "Yes." "Ah. He must have been the wounded person in the back of Duo's house. How badly was he hurt?" "Badly." "Well, that was informative." Was that a smile on the demon's face? No...trick of the dying sunlight, surely. "What do you plan to do once you catch up with Terandl?" "Kill him." "...I was hoping for a more elaborate plan of attack." "No battle plan survives contact with your enemy." Quatre blinked at him. "Have you ever heard of Sun Tzu?" The demon gave him a blank look. "Never mind," Quatre sighed. "Let's get some sleep, alright?" It was downright awkward and embarrassing curling up next to Nanashi in order to go to sleep, but Quatre was not going to sleep without that cloak. He'd freeze without it, and he wasn't about to steal it when it was the only covering. Nanashi needed it too. He laid facing away from the demon, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the body behind his. The very warm body behind his. The very warm, appealing body behind his. /Why am I always attracted to the tall, silent types?/ His eyes flew open when an arm was settled around his waist, tucking him into Nanashi's body. He was about to protest this, after all it wasn't necessary for them to be this close just to stay warm...he really did smell good and he felt marvelous, all of that hard muscle and male strength pressed up against his back. Screw it, if it didn't bother the demon, then he wasn't going to make a fuss about it. Closing his eyes again, he tried to put himself into the right mindset for sleep. And went out like a light. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnote: For those of you not familiar with The Art of War, written by General Sun Tzu, what Quatre is referring to is this; "According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans." Wellington also made a reference to this idea. On the eve of the battle of Waterloo, Lord Uxbridge, commanding the cavalry, went to the Duke of Wellington in order to learn what his plans and calculations were for the morrow, because, as he explained, he might suddenly find himself Commander-in-chief and would be unable to frame new plans in a critical moment. The Duke listened quietly and then said: "Who will attack the first tomorrow -- I or Bonaparte?" "Bonaparte," replied Lord Uxbridge. "Well," continued the Duke, "Bonaparte has not given me any idea of his projects; and as my plans will depend upon his, how can you expect me to tell you what mine are?" There, that's your history lesson for the day. Going back to the story now...
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