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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 "
The Imperial Dragon He began his careful search for Hilde. The moment he found her, these humans would know his wrath. Wufei had not spent a great deal of time in human company, but he was a very old dragon. He knew how to blend and disappear. The trick was not in skulking and lurking in shadows and corners, rushing to get out of the way and not be seen. The trick was all about how you moved. He could very easily walk the open pathways between tents, tables, and firepits. All he had to do was seem confident, unimportant, and like he belonged there. He looked very much all these things as he perused the camp, in no great hurry, drawing no attention. No one even looked at him twice. The camp was huge, and he took care not to look rushed. As such, it took some time to make it between the great pavilions. By the time he reached the fourth of six he was wondering if Hilde would be in the last place he looked-that would be typical. He only gave them the briefest of glances as he meandered through the camp. Every once in awhile fellow gray-dressed mercs would nod at him in passing, one soldier to another in friendly camraderie. Wufei always gave a hint of a smile and a nod in return. The fifth was not hiding Hilde, so he made his way toward the sixth with a resigned sigh and a rueful smile. He was halfway there when the shout went up. Blinking, surprised, he looked to see what caused the alarm. And blinked again. There, descending at breakneck speed, was a golden dragon. Slim and lean and lithe, none other than Relena. And hot on her tail was a red-eyed, furious gryphon. Duo watched as Quatre dive-bombed Relena, and for a moment he was caught up at the sight of the gryphon. Quatre had come out of nowhere, and he was fast. His eyes were solid red, claws outstretched. Relena outweighed him probably by several hundred pounds, but Quatre was heedless of her greater bulk as he slammed into her, that cruelly hooked beak tearing into the softer skin around her neck. Relena shrieked in either anger or pain-or both. She performed an impressive roll in midair, the speed and sharp angle managing to dislodge the gryphon. Quatre tore a large chunk of flesh out of her hide for the stunt, and he righted himself a split second before his body crashed into the ground. With a challenging scream he went right back at her. Humans were beginning to gather below, and Duo saw Hilde drop to the ground to deposit Treize and Zechs. Both men broke into a headlong sprint toward the camp, and Duo decided it would not be wise to fly over those mercenaries. A Slaying arrow could not kill him, but it would cause a lot of damage. So he landed and opted to run. Heero was at his side in an eyeblink. Out of the roiling camp-they seemed not to know what to do-came running a tall, lean young man with gleaming black hair and eyes. He made a beeline for Duo and Heero, stopping right in front of them. "Why is she here?" he demanded, "and why is Quatre attacking her?" Duo stared at him in astonishment. Treize was not so affected. "She is in league with Oraia, Wufei," the General said quickly. Oh, the look on Wufei's face was one that made Duo go absolutely still. A thrill of terror shot straight down his spine-a dragon ready to kill. And not a small dragon like Hilde or Relena. Heaven help you, fucking bitch. You're dead meat, and I actually feel sorry for you. "Don't be rash!" Treize snapped. A split second before Wufei transformed. He leaped so that it happend sort of in midair, otherwise his bulk probably would have crushed Duo, Heero, Treize, and Zechs. In moments he was a mammoth black Imperial dragon in a rage. Relena's speed did not help her. She certainly tried to get out of his way. Quatre, being far smaller, had more luck. And the gryphon was not Wufei's target. "Betray your own kind!" Wufei snarled, his claws latching around her body like she was a twig. Duo heard a sickening crack of bone. Wufei flung her down toward the camp, and she fell twisted and limp. "Wufei!" Treize shouted. His voice was a mix of concern and anger. Literally shaking himself out of his awe, Duo looked toward the camp. Several mercs were lined up, nocking arrows to their bows. Slaying arrows-jet black with a red stone tip. Grabbing Heero's wrist, he ran toward them. Wufei, apparently unconcerned, completely ignored them and flew toward the center of the camp. "Oraia!" he roared. "I'll kill you myself!" "He's not thinking clearly!" Treize snapped. "Zechs, move your siren butt and help stop those fool humans! I'm going to try and stop Wufei!" Duo didn't question how easily Treize assumed control. He continued on with his mission to stop those humans. A few had loosed an arrow or two and were nocking more. Calling to his hands his gleaming sword of power, Duo swept down on them and saw Heero do the same. He nearly decapitated his first target, who went toppling to the ground with a gurgling scream. He chanced a look up. He no longer could see Quatre, but Wufei was diving toward the center of the camp. The great dragon could easily take out the entire establishment in a few passes. He was on his fourth victim when he heard chilling laughter. It was enough to give him pause. Oraia stood atop a slight bluff, her golden bow in her hands. "Look at you, you great fool!" she jeered, raising her black and red arrow. "Your actions are doing all my work for me. How considerate of you." She released the Slaying arrow. Made ten times faster by her divine power, the arrow slashed through the air with a vicious twang. Duo's eyes widened-Wufei would not be able to get out of its path quickly enough. But it never made it to its intended target. Heero, glorious wings spread wide, flew into its path. It pierced his chest all the way through, low and to the right. Duo heard someone scream . . . was that him-? Heero's wings curled in as his body bowed forward, face contorted in pain. Something flickered over Oraia's face-was that actually concern? It was gone in an instant. "Prince," she said softly. As if suddenly no one else were there but the two angels. "Why are you defying me? I have not but Heaven's best interest at heart, you should know that. I seek only to eradicate evil, to stop its spread, and return all to the embrace of God." Heero landed somewhat awkwardly on the ground below her, eyes glazed over in pain, but his expression still challenging and defiant. "Your methods leave much to be desired," he spat. Blood trickled down his chin, a vibrant scarlet ribbon against his paling skin. She looked at him, and Duo could not define her expression. Anger? Pity? Even perhaps regret? Whatever it was, the momentary distraction cost her. Wufei descended like Armageddon. Oraia barely managed to avoid being torn in half by his claws. As it was, she flung herself backward. In an eyeblink she opened a portal and was gone. Duo blinked, startled. Portals usually could not be opened on Candora. How had she managed to make one, and so quickly? He broke into a run, catching Heero as the angel started to fall. "Psychotic angel," Duo growled under his breath, hating the hitch in his voice but unable to help it. Heero smiled weakly. "Maybe she's just misinformed." "I was talking about you," Duo said, pressing a hand to the wound. "Couldn't you just have knocked the arrow out of the sky instead of offering yourself up as a pincushion?" The angel chuckled faintly, followed by a spasm of coughing. "Next time, I'll do that instead." "You better," Duo chided, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. Treize saw it a split second before it happened. Wufei, who had landed where Oraia had been standing, looked like a predator denied its prey. His sides were still heaving from his rage, obviously it could not be contained. And where one of Heaven's most powerful angels had failed, a human got lucky. The cry of warning had barely left Treize's lips when the Slayer arrow punctured those gleaming black scales. The anger vanished from ebony eyes to be replaced by surprise. An eyeblink was all it took, and suddenly Wufei was crumpling to the ground. The great dragon form disappeared, replaced by his human form which suddenly looked so small and fragile. Treize was at his side just as Zechs rose to his feet and opened his mouth. Like the melody on the mountaintop, this one raked through the air and causing it to bleed. Every armored man close enough to hear clapped hands over his ears and ran in the opposite direction. Treize recognized that song. A sort of dirge of peace, it forced all combatants to cease-and usually seek the closest retreat. Treize dropped to his knees beside Wufei, carefully repositioning the fallen dragon so his head rested in his lap. Wufei's chest rose and fell far too fast, and his eyes were growing dim. "Why are you always so rash?" the General whispered, smoothing back gleaming hair. "You never listen." Was it his imagination, or did Wufei smile a little? A cold hand fell on his shoulder. Zechs. The siren's eyes for once held no scorn or contempt. Merely sympathy and equal concern. "Earth dragons can heal," he said quietly. "If we get him back fast enough, they can help." It was a disturbing reversal of their roles, Treize lifting Wufei. He'd only seen the dragon's secondary form a few times, and none of those times had he been injured. He kept control of his faculties as he carried the dragon. Most of the mercenaries had scattered to the far side of the camp, so they made it to Hilde without incident. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the Imperial dragon. "Wufei . . ." she whimpered. "Hurry . . . we've got to . . . he can't . . ." Treize carefully climbed onto her back, and Zechs slid up behind him. The siren's slim, strong arms went around his waist, and Treize held Wufei against him. Hilde sprang into flight, and this time her speed was fueled by all different reasons. Treize never took his eyes off the dragon, and to his surprise Wufei remained conscious. Perhaps disoriented and slightly out-of-it, but cognizant and obviously aware. The flight back to the caves seemed to take forever. Then Hilde was landing, and she let out a call that sounded for all the world like the mournful howling of wind. "Careful, Treize," she said quietly as the human dismounted. Back into one of the large caverns, Treize gently lay Wufei down and resigned himself to wait. Those jet black eyes never left his-Treize got the feeling Wufei needed something on which to focus. Because his rapid breathing was beginning to falter, and a film glazed his eyes. His skin was ghastly pale, a sickly gray tinting it. Starting a little when a warm hand landed on his shoulder, he looked up into the cool, cobalt eyes of Heero. "The arrow," the angel said quietly. "We've got to remove it. It's 'curse' is weakening him. We can't wait for an earth dragon." "It's all right," Duo immediately piped up from directly opposite Heero. "He knows what he's doing, Treize." "I can sing to ease his pain," Zechs added, kneeling across from Treize. Nodding tersely, Treize repositioned himself out of Heero's way. Zechs began to hum a soothing melody, one that actually calmed Treize. Heero's hands were rock steady as he braced Wufei's shoulder and gripped the arrow. The black shaft pierced through the dragon's chest at a long angle, making Treize wince in sympathy just thinking about it. As soon as Heero touched the arrow, Wufei's failing gaze focused on the angel instead. Heero only gave Wufei time to brace himself. He snapped off the bloody tip, and gave a firm, swift tug. Wufei's body arched upward and he groaned faintly, but that was all. When he collapsed back down, his eyes fluttered shut and did not reopen. "No," Treize growled, shaking him. "Don't fail on me now, Wufei. Wake up! You only have to hang in there until the earth dragon arrives. Open your eyes!" Astonishingly, the Imperial dragon obeyed. His lips quirked into a weak smile, and his eyes were surprisingly clear. "I'm sorry," he whispered. His body went limp. The earth dragon was only a little smaller than Hilde. She arrived and immediately pushed everyone out of her way, making them move to the other side of the cavern. It was only then that Treize noticed Heero was injured, too. "You were shot," he said in a dull voice. "I'll be fine," the angel said immediately. "Slayer arrows can't kill me." But they could obviously hurt him. Heero's eyes were dull and dark. Duo, the beautiful demon, hovered close to his side, looking both angry and concerned. He distantly wondered about their relationship. It definitely seemed like an odd one. He didn't wonder for long before his eyes tracked to the other side of the cavern. What was the earth dragon doing? What was taking her so long? A cold hand on his arm. He looked down to see Zechs watching him with sorrowful eyes. "Wufei is stubborn," the siren murmured. Why did Zechs always feel so cold to the touch? He pushed the siren's hand off his arm, gently enough he hoped it didn't seem brusque. "Let me see your wound," he said, steering Heero toward the wall. He was a bit surprised when Heero went without resistance. He sank to a sitting position at Treize's direction and removed his tunic. The soft green looked good on him. In desperate need of a distraction, Treize examined the wound with careful fingers. It was ugly. Obviously the arrow had gone right through Heero, too. But though it was angry red and raw, it looked like it had already started to heal. Heero's skin was too pale, though, and his face was pinched with pain. Reaching into his belt pouch-which never left his person-he dug out a small jar of clear ointment. It had a sharp, fresh scent like a forest after rain. Smearing a small dollop on his fingers he gently spread it over both sides of the wound. Heero winced at the initial application, but he didn't try to pull away. He gingerly bound the wound with strips from his own tunic, and it required a little creativity to make sure it would not fall loose. Finished, he gazed at Heero's naked back for a moment. Alongside his shoulderblades were two jagged, identical scars. His wing scars, no doubt. He found himself reaching out and brushing fingers over them before consciously registering a decision to do so. Heero shivered under his touch, subtly arching away. Painful? Or too pleasant? Treize suddenly wanted to know. He dug in just a little with his thumbs-like a massage. The pressure made Heero bow forward, lips parting with a faint sound not quite a moan. Unable to help himself, Treize did it again, this time stroking his thumbs upward. The angel gasped softly, head tilting backward. Treize was mesmerized by the faint splash of color on his face. Hands abruptly gripped his wrists, and he looked up into the eyes of Duo. The demon's expression was unreadable, but his eyes were stormy. He pushed Treize back, just hard enough to let him know he was not welcome this close. "Don't ever touch an angel there," he said. He smoothed the flat of his hand over Heero's back. "Do you want to cause him more pain?" Treize could not tell if Heero's expression was one of pain or pleasure, but Duo's was obviously displeasure. He merely nodded and moved to lean against the wall. Bereft of his distraction, his gaze wandered. He never had been good at waiting. Eventually the earth dragon drew a deep breath and expelled it in a sigh. She turned to face the gathered companions, and her eyes were grave.
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