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"The King and the Shaman "Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, Fantasy/Drama/Romance, Yaoi, lemon, language (the usual), peril, violence, animal shamans, neko Duo, king Heero, impending war, sentient-formless evil Pairings: 1x2, others Summary: Heero is the young king of a country
he wants to expand into an Empire. One day he is approached by a woman
who claims she is an animal Shaman, creatures of legend and myth.
She makes an offer Heero cannot refuse. " The King and the Shaman "
Toppling Kingdoms, The End of an Era Sally Po looked quite striking in her new chamberlain robes. Dark gray and blue, Heero's signature colors, they were given a more feminine cut than the traditional robes. Heero liked having her as a representation of himself much better than the former mousy chamberlain. He'd given the man a fat stipend and banished him from ever setting foot in the royal palace again. "I think you look perfect, Majesty," she said, smiling. "Shall I let them in?" Himself, Heero was dressed in his formal blue robes of state. Everything about him was carefully designed to intimidate, right down to the large crest of silver around his neck - his new symbol, an exotic and intricate sword with a slightly curved blade. A large, glittering blue gem stood in the center of the hilt. The matching crown on his head clearly stated his position. "I think they're ready for this. Are you ready, my lords and ladies?" The gathered men and women looked at him. Treize Khushrenada, Trowa Barton, Lucrezia Noin, and Wufei Chang all wore their own traditional colors, each impressive in his and her own way, and they each wore Heero's crest around their neck. The other gathered men, nine in all, were his most trusted generals, men who commanded his armies. They all wore their formal battle gear, polished until it gleamed, casting back reflections. Their swords were all expertly designed to look like Heero's crest, weapons of the finest quality. And, the proverbial icing on the cake, Duo was there. He'd chosen to greet the coming guests in his leopard form. Heero had commissioned his blacksmith to create a silver-link collar for Duo, the whole piece consisting of the swords, right down to the individual blue gems. It gleamed and glittered on his dark fur, and his beautiful spotted coat had been brushed until it shone. He was stunning, and as a leopard tall enough to reach Heero's hip, he looked gloriously dangerous. The gathered nodded, each looking vindictively eager. After all, Heero was raising every single one of them to new positions of power. Suddenly they would be level with kings and queens, those who traditionally held themselves above all others. Heero himself was looking forward to watching them squirm. Especially Zechs. "All right, Sally," he said, nodding. "Invite them into my lair." His company all hissed unkind laughter, and Sally showed the waiting men and women inside. The kings and queens of the kingdoms were all dressed in their formal finest, of course. Heero could sense a certain unity, a common bond shared among them. And, ever-so-slightly, Zechs was in the lead. No surprise there. They all carried themselves with quiet dignity. And since Heero was the age of most of their children, he could tell they were trying to make him aware of it. It didn't bother him. Let them keep underestimating him. "Welcome," he said in a voice that didn't sound very welcoming, even to his own ears. It made Duo look up at him briefly. "Have you all gleaned by now my reasons for calling you here?" "Indeed we have, Heero," said the queen to Zechs' immediate right. "What we're unsure of is how, exactly, you plan to enforce this ridiculous notion of creating an empire under your name." Heero raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been expecting to get right to the heart of it so quickly, but this was fine. Better, even. "Sally?" he inquired. When she nodded, he addressed them again. "I will show you exactly how I plan to do it, Amonet." When Sally spread a large map over a display easel, one of Heero's generals took over without prompting. After all, his generals were terribly excited about all this. They were sincerely hoping for a war. They seemed to live for war. "This map is one we—" he gestured to his fellow generals—"created to show you our progress. The dark green borders are the individual kingdom lines, with Cairon shown here. These large spaces colored in red indicate His Majesty Heero's armies. As you can see, every single kingdom is cut off from its neighbor by his forces. You will have no chance to establish any kind of unity among your armies—if any such forces exist." He snorted as though he believed there didn't. Heero thought that was perhaps just a little rude, but he didn't call his general down. "If you finally decided you don't like my ideas," he said mildly, "you should have acted two years ago. I've spent this time building my armies and spreading them to strategic locations. I may have spent much of this time at home and not moving, but as you can see I've not been idle." Every single one of them stared at the map, blanched the color of old milk. Heero couldn't help a malicious stab of satisfaction. A large percentage of the common folk, laborers, traders, and merchants, had thrown their support behind Heero because though he was a fierce warrior, he treated all with fairness. Heero started when Duo rubbed his head against his companion's knee, eyes looking amused. "If you're quite convinced of the futility of resisting," Heero said, allowing a small smile, "I will continue with my demonstration. Sally?" Nodding, she replaced the map with a new one, all of the same land, but with different lines. It was Wufei's turn to step up. None of this had been rehearsed, but Heero didn't mind letting them take the lead. The black-haired man pointed to the dark blue lines, many more of them present than the previous dark green. "These blue lines represent the new district lines," he said. "Each district will be arbitrated by a regional governor. The capital district is here, old Cairon, centered around this palace. Each one of you will be given your own district to rule, and between each of your districts will be one of ours—" he indicated himself and the other three—"who can be trusted not to betray Heero. Each of your districts will also have a garrison stationed along the borders to ensure there are no secret uprisings planned. These garrisons will be removed when we have confidence in your loyalty. Heero will issue framework laws, basic parameters, but largely the decisions will be up to you." "His Majesty will be holding open court sessions for any who wish to bring complaints to the throne, however," Lucrezia Noin jumped in, her voice full of ice chips. "Each complaint will be taken seriously and investigated by designated parties." "We will not automatically assume guilt, though," Trowa Barton inserted. "Any who bring false complaints will be duly punished." "This all seems designed to put a great deal of pressure on us," Zechs said frostily. "All necessary to keep a large empire running efficiently," Heero dismissed it. "And what of those who have complaints against you?" Zechs demanded. "I suppose they are out of luck and sent home with a basket of complimentary pastries?" Heero couldn't help it and chuckled. "There will be no complaints against me, Zechs, but the ones I can live with. Spoiled men and women who don't like being made less important have no legitimate reason to complain. And most of these reins will be lifted when I have confidence in your allegiance to me." "Treason will be dealt with swiftly and without mercy," General Agrom Blackstone added, the grizzled general casting his good eye across the disgruntled royals. "Any act against His Majesty will be considered a traitorous one, and you will be hung like a common thief." It sounded like he was rather hoping for just that. Resisting the urge to grin, Heero looked down at the gathered men and women. "Well? What do you think? Are you willing to swallow your pride and peacefully give in to me? Or do you need one last demonstration of my far superior greater power?" That was his cue to Duo. He'd told Duo to transform only as a last resort, and he could see these men and women were not convinced. They were cowed, certainly. But they did not want to yield. They obviously liked their royal status too much. So Duo rose from his graceful sprawl and stalked to the center of the half-circle Heero's loyal had created. The huge, gorgeous leopard looked at them, and every single one of them stepped backward. Then he simply changed. In moments he stood before them as a beautiful young man, auburn hair cascading down his back. He wore only the chain of swords, now a large necklace rather than a collar, and he looked perfectly unashamed of his nakedness. His indigo-violet eyes challenged them. "Truth be told," he said in a dark, soft voice, "I could defeat any army you managed to cobble together without much effort." His hands spread away from his body a little, and blue lightning began crackling between his fingers. "A good meal and a catnap would refresh me." He grinned at his word choice, and the lightning began lazily dancing across his palms. "It would be easy." Faster than a striking snake his arms flashed up, the lighting streaking toward them in a multi-pronged fork. It stopped millimeters from their faces before they even had the time to scream and flee. Now each one of them looked gray. Heero could see several throats working to swallow. The lightning vanished, leaving only a sharp tang in the air as Duo once more transformed and padded back to Heero's side. Heero felt a mix of pride and love swelling inside him as he rested idle fingers on top of Duo's head. "I happen to know for a fact none of you could conjure works of magic like that," he said pleasantly. "You should know if you don't agree to my terms, I will strip every single one of you of everything you own, including your titles, and banish you to some remote farm so deep in the country it would take you days to reach a town, let alone a city. Now, I will ask again. What say you?" o8o o8o Duo smiled to himself as he padded barefoot down the hall to the kitchens. Muriel wanted to know the verdict of this afternoon. Many, many others would have been shocked at how she overstepped her bounds, and even more stunned to learn that Heero let her get away with it. He knew his companion couldn't help it. There was something special about Muriel. A dark shape materialized in front of him and he blinked. Even before he could see him he recognized Zechs' smell. He gave the man a small smile. "Good evening, Zechs," he said. "You're brave to wander these halls at night, with all the blood-thirsty soldiers waiting for a reason to create a stir." Zechs snorted. "I can take care of myself, lovely one. I have not seen you since I came back. When last we met you were but a kitten, small and cute. Now you have quite taken me by surprise, growing into such an amazing young man." Duo just smiled. "While I have you here, I wanted to say thank you for allowing Relena to stay here with us for the winter. Both Heero and I enjoy her company. She has become a dear friend. It's good of you to part with her for us." Zechs smiled, inclining his head. "At the time my reasons were somewhat selfish, but I am glad they have brought you happiness. Perhaps this is bold of me, Duo, but I think you would enjoy the sea. When it is time for Relena to come home, you should accompany us. Even if only for a short while, I would like to show you its beauty. It cannot be matched anywhere." Duo blinked, a bit surprised. Was that desire tinging Zechs' scent? "I'm sure it cannot," he agreed, "but my place is by Heero's side. He does intend to visit all the districts from time to time. Perhaps I will see it then." "I suppose I will have to be satisfied with that," Zechs said, sounding disappointed, "but at least allow me to escort you then." Canting his head a bit to the side, Duo grinned. "Does my magic ability not frighten you off? I did notice my display in the audience chamber not affecting you like it did the others. Or . . . at least, not in the same way." Zechs raised an eyebrow. "It was impressive, there's no denying that. But possessing of great power does not immediately make a person frightening. I've yet to see truly terrifying behavior from you, Duo, so I tend rather to focus on what is plainly visible. And that, namely, is your unusual beauty." Lowering his eyes for a moment, Duo's grin mellowed into a smile. "I'm flattered, Zechs. Even though I hear it daily from Heero, it still does not lose its appeal." Something flickered through the man's scent at the mention of Heero's name. A faintly sour tang like fear. A bitter one like anger. And . . . something with which Duo had no experience. In fact he could not name it at all. None of this colored Zechs' tone, however, when he spoke. "He is a very lucky man, having you as a loyal friend. I hope he does not take advantage of that." It was such a peculiar thing to say Duo cocked his head to the side. "He does not," he assured the man. "Heero cannot make me do anything I would wish not to do, after all." Zechs blinked as though coming back to himself. "I suppose that's true. Would you care to take a walk with me outside, Duo? I imagine a wild, untamed one such as yourself prefers the outdoors, and I prefer taking my exercise in the softness of night. The moon is nearly full." He was tempted. Duo was sorely tempted. He wondered why Heero did not like Zechs. He seemed like a nice man. Intelligent and well-spoken. He was kind, too. And he reminded Duo strongly of Relena. "I would like that," he said, "but I was on my way somewhere. May I instead beg for another night?" Zechs smiled. "Then when the moon is full," he said. "That way I may see you bathed in all its silver glory." And the flattery was pleasing. Who wouldn't find it such? Smiling, Duo inclined his head and bade the tall man a good evening, retreating from his presence. Zechs certainly wasn't anything like he'd imagined. Entering the kitchen, he put it out of his mind and smiled at Muriel, stepping into her firm, warm, familiar embrace. o8o o8o Duo closed the door and leaned against it, the pupils of his eyes widening as he searched the dark room for the man he loved. There, sitting on the window sill, framed by silver moonlight, Heero perched. His eyes, made colorless by the dark, stared up at the moon worshiping him. Duo, wearing only a robe and the chain of swords around his neck, untied the belt and let the robe fall to the floor. He stepped out of the satin pool and glided to Heero's side. "You shouldn't do that," Heero said, not looking away from the moon. "Why not?" Duo demanded softly, breathing in the sudden heat of Heero's desire. "It takes all my self-control not to break when you're fully clothed," came the answer. Stroking his fingers under Heero's chin, Duo suddenly gripped his companion's face and turned it around to plant a warm kiss on his lips. He refused to let Heero pull back, nipping at the man's lips and demanding entrance. Heero's lips parted, and their tongues met, writhing against one another. Duo drank down the taste of Heero, moaning faintly. He wanted so much more. When he broke the kiss, Heero's eyes were a little glazed. "I told you not to hold yourself back," he whispered, running his thumb over Heero's lower lip. The desire sharpened. Heero rose and took Duo into his arms, recapturing his lips. The kiss was long and deep, his tongue exploring all of Duo's mouth, plunging in and teasing his tongue into answering. Duo felt like he was being swept away by Heero's passion and desire, his own body responding as never before. Heero's hands slid down his back and lower, caressing twin globes of flesh and squeezing. Duo wrenched his mouth away with a strangled sort of yelp, heat flushing his face. "Heero," he gasped, "I-I want . . . I want . . ." "What?" Heero breathed in his ear. "I won't do anything you don't want, Duo. I promise." Duo buried his face in Heero's neck, panting as Heero squeezed and caressed. It felt like an intimate, erotic massage. "M-more," he managed. "Heero, I . . . I want more . . ." He felt lightheaded and a little dizzy, like he might fall over without Heero's support. And the heat between his thighs kept increasing, as if he was . . . filling with heat. Heero's hands slid lower, cupping the backs of his thighs and lifting up. Duo caught on quickly and wrapped his legs around Heero's waist. Heero carried the young Shaman to their shared bed and slowly lowered him, pressing himself down on top of him. Duo let out a half-whine, half-moan at the sweet pressure, a bolt of pleasure racing straight up his spine. Thanks to the palace's extensive library, Duo knew the gist of intimacy. But knowing about it and feeling it for the first time were worlds apart, as evidenced by the intense pleasure he felt when Heero rocked his hips into Duo's. He clung to Heero's shoulders, mouth open and panting. Stars and colors danced behind his eyelids, but it wasn't enough. He wanted something more. "Heero . . ." he whimpered. Heero's mouth descended on his as his hips lifted, and moments later a warm - almost hot - hand covered him and squeezed. That was it. That was what he'd been waiting for. The colors exploded into frenzied motion, the intensity took his breath away. He had to break the kiss just to keep from asphyxiating. He gasped, seemingly unable to draw enough air into his lungs. The physical sensation, the fact that it was Heero doing this to him, made an incredibly powerful combination. They held Duo in their sway, and he could not have found the will to break away had his life depended on it. "God, you are so beautiful," Heero whispered, his eyes filled with heat as he gazed down at Duo. "I love you, Duo. Is it all right if I touch you like this?" Duo tossed his head, a few damp locks of hair falling across his eyes. "Yes . . ." he moaned, hips pulsing of their own accord, sliding into the tight, hot tunnel of Heero's hand. His hand squeezed and caressed Duo, skillfully manipulating him to a place where time seemed to slow. Right up to a precipice, an edge he could not anticipate. His breathing hitched in his chest, body tensing as though waiting for something, an inevitability that Heero demanded with each movement of his hand. Heero's desire was so intense it was the only thing Duo could smell, it overwhelmed all his senses. And the sensations coalescing between his quivering thighs suddenly would not be put off any longer. It reached its peak. It crested and broke over him, hot and bright, the pleasure shocking through his system more intense than anything he'd ever known, breaching the threshold into ecstasy, sweeping away all thought and sense of self, carrying everything away but the color flashing wildly behind sightless eyes. Duo collapsed, every muscle in his body turning to water. Aftershocks crackled over his skin, bathing him in a silvery glow. He opened his eyes, entire body pleasantly numb, to find Heero leaning over him on one elbow, still watching him. His eyes were hooded now, the desire in his scent much duller now. He must have followed Duo to that incredible high. What would it feel like when they actually consummated
their relationship? He snuggled against Heero's chest, glad his stubborn
guardian had stopped fighting it. Duo, like a storm, was inevitable.
tbc |
