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"Duo's Salvation "Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Gratuitous violence, abuse, torture, language, yaoi, lemon, angels, demons, bigotry, hypocrisy, blasphemy, heresy, sacrilege, and general religion-bashing. THIS IS NOT A STORY FOR THE CLOSE-MINDED. Pairings: 1x2, others Summary: When the Prince of Hell is captured and taken to Heaven, it is up to the Prince of Heaven to save him. But what if he believes Duo is already being saved? "Duo's Salvation "
Way of the World When angel, demon, dragon, gryphon, elf, siren, and human got to the task of brainstorming, Zechs inquired if they could sit outside. Actually he demanded it rather bossily, and when Wufei hedged it might not be a wise idea he licked his lips as though threatening to sing. Obviously the siren was not above using his remarkable skills to get his way, so Wufei hastily agreed. He carried Treize, Zechs, and Trowa while the other three flew beside him. At the summit of the mountains he landed in a small meadow. It was much cooler up here, but the odd company settled in a small grove to enjoy shade from the sun. Treize looked at all gathered and chuckled. "If any ever know of this alliance, I'm sure it will make history. Dragons who traditionally drive away all others allowing such a gathering on their territory. A siren who are traditionally selfish and self-centered, and an angel and a demon who by all rights should be at each other's throats." Zechs gave the human a flat look. "And why in the world we're allowing a human to take part when traditionally they are narrow-minded and stupid." For a moment, the words rankled. That by itself annoyed Treize. He'd thought he was long past the point where Zechs' poisonous barbs could affect him. The siren seemed to delight in his torment. But he was so beautiful, so captivating, Treize could not part himself from the wild creature. He knew Zechs did not respect him, and he was determined to rectify that. After all, as humans went, he was very powerful. "Let's not start off by name-calling," Wufei said, but he did sound amused. "I'm quite capable of making you behave, Zechs. And don't give me that look. Your songs will not affect me." Treize swallowed his laughter. Imperial dragons were the only beings on Candora who could not be affected by any magical or supernatural ability. Now, divine abilities . . . that was another story. Duo, the beautiful demon, flashed Wufei a wicked little smirk. "I designate you the peacemaker, Wufei. You're big enough to kick anyone's ass if they start getting out of line." "Yours included, little demon," Wufei warned. Duo subsided with an undiminished grin. "We should have a spokesperson," Quatre piped up. "All meetings should be organized, otherwise nothing will be accomplished. Any volunteers?" "Heero," Duo said at once. Treize nodded immediately. "I agree." The angel didn't look surprised, but he did look a little guarded. Treize found himself once more struck by how sublimely beautiful the angel was. He looked a boy of nineteen, but his cobalt eyes held the wisdom of a man a thousand times that age. He held himself with such grace, such silent dignity, such understated power and danger. In his lifetime Treize had read many religious texts that described what an angel looked like fully transformed into their true form. What must Heero look like, then? Too beautiful to gaze upon directly? Too radiant? That had his eyes flicking to Duo. Religious texts described demons as hideous, twisted, deformed creatures made all the uglier by their own inherent evil. Their true forms were hidden behind guises of attractive youth, but when fully transformed they could not be mistaken for anything but the evil filth they were. Looking at Duo, Treize found he could no longer believe that. Heero, sitting cross-legged, folded his hands on his lap. "The first thing I want, then, is for all of you to listen to Duo's story. The day demons became separated from angels. Treize, you are human, so you will have been spoon-fed the most lies. Do not interrupt him, and withhold your judgments 'til the end. And before the thought crosses your mind, I am an angel. I can sense lies as clearly as if they were spoken aloud. I can vouch for the truth of this tale." Treize blinked. For a split second, he thought he saw something pass between the angel and demon. It was gone so quickly he was left wondering if he imagined it. Shaking it off, he turned his attention to Duo. The demon sighed. "A long, long time ago, God left Candora in the charge of divine beings. Guardians that humans eventually began to call angels. It was God's will that angels help mortals along through life, guiding them if needed, teaching them when asked. Angels were considered the stewards of Candora. "Eventually, this began to change. There were some angels who believed they were entitled to power over mortals. Angels who believed they should be worshiped as God was. They began creating religious cults, a dogma that required strict adherence to their set of moral codes. These angels were led by one named Kysaan, and he believed that mortals who had committed grave acts of evil should be banished from Heaven and never allowed to return." Here Duo paused, and Treize was suddenly overwhelmed by the great sadness in the young demon's eyes. "There were angels who did not agree with Kysaan. They believed all souls should have the chance to return to Heaven, and therefore to God's light. They did not believe any soul was beyond redemption, and they further believed that angels didn't have the right to create religions in their name. These angels were led by one named Bryna. She was Kysaan's twin sister. "The rift between these two groups began to grow. Kysaan began to slander them, telling the people of Candora that they were beings of evil who would consume the souls of the unwary. The lies and fear grew, and eventually Kysaan gathered enough followers to cast his sister from Heaven. Bryna and her followers, six-hundred-and-sixty-six altogether, were banished to the realm that became known as Hell. They were branded as traitors and forevermore became known as demons. As if proof of our separation, our wings turned black." Duo took a deep breath, and now he looked directly at Heero. Treize got the feeling the demon was speaking to the angel alone. "My mother, Tovala, is Bryna's daughter." Several thousand years ago there had been at least a dozen different countries on the face of Candora. Now there was one, under the rulership of a human king. There was only one religion, and they called it the Way of Light. Zealots and fanatics took it upon themselves to recruit everyone in the land to the Way. The deity to whom they paid homage was known as the Bright Lady of Heaven, a powerful archangel who promised to lead them back to God if they followed her. Sin was met with extremely harsh punishment. If one did not attend church, they were assumed sinners. It took very little suspicion of evil-doing for the church to snatch them up and lock them away. Those individuals were never seen again. The demon worshipers were publicly beaten and executed to set an example. Relena watched Oraia spread out a map of Candora's main continents. The angel traced a line from the country's capitol to a smaller continent separated by a dozen leagues of ocean. "There are still factions of demon-worshipers on this continent," she said. "I will take my army and make an example of them. They are open and vocal about it." She made a scornful sound. "The fools actually dare preach that demons are the way back to God." Relena bared her teeth. "Could you spare any number of men to attack Wufei's lair? The dragons will resist mightily, and if you were able to kill him, it would be a terrible blow. He is one of only three Imperial dragons left in the whole world." Oraia stepped away from the table, folding her arms. "That wouldn't be wise. A human army would never win against a dragon force. No, I have a better idea. Do you think you could lure him out of the Black Mountains?" "With the right excuse, I'm sure I could." "Excellent. Now, I hate to demote you to mere messenger, but you are far faster than any pigeon. I need a message delivered to the general of my army in the capitol with all possible haste. If you could deliver it right away, Commander Raestha, I would deeply appreciate it." Relena nodded. "I'll take it at once." "Thank you. Return as soon as it is in his hands-you are imperative to the next stage of my plan." Filling with pride that Oraia still considered her worthy
despite her current form, Relena bowed her head and accepted the message
tube. In moments she was airborne. She knew only the beginnings of
Oraia's plan, and she could not wait to see it unfold. She did know,
however, that it did not stop with just the control of Candora. It
extended to nothing less than the complete annihilation of Hell.
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