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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 "
The Never-Ending Spiral of Time Relena looked up when she heard someone knock on her door. Sally Po, sitting opposite her on the plush divan, held up her hand. "No need to rise, Empress. I will see who it is." Smiling, Relena just nodded and allowed the fuss. She was only a few weeks pregnant, not even beginning to show, but already Sally fussed and fretted as though she was ready to go into labor at any moment. Honestly, she wished she were that far along. She was excited for her baby, and she was more than ready to be a mother. She'd been ready for a few years now. Sally came back just moments later with Zechs. Pleasantly surprised, Relena set her embroidery aside and rose to embrace him. Zechs chuckled warmly. "You look well, 'Lena. I hope you'll forgive my informality, Empress, but I'm afraid you'll always be my baby sister." Relena made an unladylike sound. "If you suddenly turn formal on me, I will exert my authority to make you stop." Zechs snorted. "How are you feeling? Sally said you haven't suffered from morning sickness?" "No, but it really is too early to tell," Relena said, sitting down and motioning him to sit beside her. A fire crackled cheerily in the hearth. Winter had mostly settled in, bringing with it the first dapplings of snow. "Early though it may be," Zechs mused, "you're still glowing. Motherhood suits you. I'm certain you can't wait until you're round as a pumpkin." Sally and Relena both laughed softly. "I do believe you're right, m'Lord," Sally seconded. "Was this an important call? Or a social one?" "Purely social," Zechs said. "I am leaving in the morning to return to my province. I must say, my standing in the court has been tremendously elevated. I am brother to the Empress. I promise you, I have no political aspirations involving your assassination, my dear little sister." He smiled most charmingly. Relena laughed a little, but it soon faded to a sort of melancholy. She missed Heero, but especially Duo. The palace seemed a quieter, bigger place without him. "I wish you could stay the winter." "So do I. I don't relish the thought of leaving you alone here," Zechs said, leaning back and folding his arms. "I know how lonely you get. Unfortunately, I've been gone far too long. And since Lady Amonet's arrest, her province now falls under my jurisdiction. I've got to go home and get things organized. I believe Heero trusts me now more than he once did." Relena's lips quirked. "That's because he knows I won't hesitate to arrest you, too, if I feel you're trying to undermine me." Zechs laughed out loud. "I wouldn't dare do such a thing now," he said. "Heero has left you well protected, you know. I believe his entire, impressive military would be mobilized in seconds if anyone threatened you." She smiled faintly. "He may not love me as anything more than a sister, but he does care. I know that." Zechs frowned a little. "How are you faring, 'Lena? I know you weren't expecting such a . . . such an unconventional marriage." Shrugging, Relena smoothed the skirt of her golden-taupe gown. "Truthfully, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. That is due in large part, I suppose, to the fact that Heero and Duo are not here. I have had a few weeks to settle into my role as empress. And his Lords of the Land are kind to me. Especially Lord Wufei. He manages much of the affairs of state for me until I feel more comfortable with all the changes Heero made." "I'm glad to hear it," Zechs said. "Wufei is a good man. I do believe he would have been as fine an emperor as Heero." "I agree," Relena said. "Have you already seen to all the preparations for you trip? Sally is an indispensable resource." She smiled at the chamberlain. Who returned it. "I would be happy to help if you need." "No. I'm done. But I thought I should spend as much time as possible with my sister before I depart." It was an enjoyable evening with her brother. They spent it mostly alone. When morning came, Lord Wufei and Sally stood with her as the caravan rode away. A kind of ache settled in her chest. To her faint surprise, Wufei stepped close to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. When she looked at him, he smiled softly. "Don't worry. You'll still have me, Trowa, and Lucrezia underfoot." Laughing quietly, she rested her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Wufei. Your kindness is much appreciated." He kissed her forehead. "Heero made me promise to take care of his wife, and I will." Smiling, allowing herself to be comforted, she stayed until the caravan disappeared and the cold finally started to get to her. Then they made her go inside for her sake and the unborn child's. Wufei remained with her for the rest of the day, for which she was grateful. It took away some of the unbearable ache of loneliness. o8o o8o The cold woke Duo before the sun ever rose. His body practically ached with it, and no wonder. In his sleep he'd not only shifted away from Heero's side (his own personal furnace), but the blankets were more than half off his body. Hissing, he burrowed determinedly back under them, and half under Heero as well. The movement woke his lover and consort. Heero let out a sound like a grunt crossed with a hiss. "You're freezing," he murmured, pulling Duo tight against him and rolling until Duo was all but squashed underneath him. Duo didn't complain. The weight warmed him instantly, and he rubbed his cold nose into Heero's throat. "G'morning," he mumbled sleepily, nestling even deeper. They'd been traveling for two weeks. Heero wasn't really sure where they were going yet, guided merely by feeling. He had told Duo last night he didn't think they were close yet. Duo, oddly, didn't mind. He hunted for them, bringing in plenty for them to eat on their journey. But for the first time in a long, long time, he had Heero all to himself. He relished it. He coveted it. Nothing and no one clamoring for the emperor's time. No agenda, no pressing issues of state. The only thing that troubled them was the cold, and that was solved merely by their nearness to each other. Duo smiled, kissing the skin right beneath his lips. Heero sighed softly, his warm fingers sifting through Duo's hair. Parting his lips to lightly nip, he only looked up when Heero pushed him back to look at him. His lover was grinning, something Duo could see easily despite the lack of light. "You shouldn't do things like that unless you're prepared to accept the consequences, kitten," he said in a teasing tone. Duo wriggled and rolled them until Heero was right on top of him, lifting his knees and spreading them so Heero could settle between them. "Maybe I am prepared," he said in an impish tone, grinning right back at him. Chuckling, Heero reversed their positions so Duo lay on his chest. "Go back to sleep, silly kitten. It's not even dawn yet." Pouting, Duo settled down, nuzzling Heero's neck. Out here in Heero's pavilion with no one and nothing around for probably a few dozen leagues, they made love often. Duo was practically insatiable, and he didn't care for being told no. Why should Heero have so much control? So he squirmed his hips until he could press his weight between Heero's thighs. When they parted, he slowly - leisurely - rubbed his knee against Heero. It gave him the perfect leverage to rub himself against Heero's hip. Heero stopped trying to sleep after about two seconds of this, reacting with very little stimulation. "Duo . . ." "Hmm?" Duo purred, parting his lips to nip and suckle Heero's collar bone. Neither of them fell back to sleep for some time. o8o o8o He is not prepared for the sight of it. It looks nothing like he envisioned. Dark. There is no color. It is not even black. Not really. It is dark, twisted, an absence of all color. If evil had a color, this would be it. A sickly, writhing, nauseating, churning mass. It has eroded the earth around it, tainting all it touches. The grass is burned away, the trees are dead, broken things. Even the stone is melting away as though sickened by it. It bubbles like boiling oil, but there is neither sound nor heat. The silence of the air is stifling and eerie, no living thing present. Save for him and his companion. His love presses close to his side, eyes wide and frightened. "What . . . is that?" he says, swallowing as though trying not to be sick. He feels much the same. It is as though all the evil in the world has simply coalesced into this sluggishly moving stream of viscous darkness, devouring all it touches with its oily filth. He wants to find a river and bathe until he is cleansed of its presence. He thinks even that would not make him feel clean again. "It's much bigger than they said," he murmurs, squeezing his love closer. "There's no way I can contain this." Those beautiful, huge eyes turn to him. "What can we do, then? I don't think all the Shamans together could contain this." After a moment, he shakes his head. "I agree. There are too few of us." Then, what? This evil cannot be allowed to spread any more. It will destroy every living thing on the planet. But it is so strong now. So strong. He is not sure it can be stopped anymore. They have failed the world, a world they swore to protect. His love looks at him, and he can see tears trying to gather. "What can we do?" A long, long time of silence. Before his very eyes the evil spreads, opening the diseased, festering wound in the earth even more. He closes his eyes. There is only one option, and only one who has the power to do it. Only one thing can be done. But it will cost him everything. Heero's eyes snapped open. Dreams. He couldn't remember them, but he felt the lingering dread. His body was drenched with cold sweat, which in the temperature of the wild had him shivering in seconds. Carefully shifting Duo away from him, he tucked his sweet kitten up in the blankets so the cold wouldn't wake him and left his pavilion. For the last days they'd been closely following the river, and he paced to it now. His horse and two pack mules looked at him with dull, sleepy eyes as he passed. Stripping, he plunged into the icy water. It was so cold it shocked all the air from his lungs and kept it from him for several moments. He scrubbed at his skin, not sure why he felt as though an oily filth clung to him. It was some time before he felt clean, and by then he was sure his lips were turning blue. He returned to the packs, digging out a thick towel and rubbing himself dry. He ignored his nightclothes, simply climbing back into bed naked. Duo came awake instantly, letting out a yelp. "Heero! You're freezing!" "S-sorry," Heero said between chattering teeth, not letting Duo squirm away from him. In fact he crushed Duo so close the Shaman grunted. Duo shifted in his hold until their bodies were aligned, chest flush against Heero's. It relieved the strain of his former, awkward position so he could wrap his arms around Heero. It also allowed Heero to hold on even tighter, which he did. "What's wrong?" Duo asked, sounding a little out-of-breath. "Dream," Heero replied, starting to feel a little calmer now. Duo said nothing to this, seeming to understand Heero needed to hold him until the memory wore off. By the time the sun began to rise, Heero was warm and felt like himself. Duo finally pushed back to look at him. "Do you remember it?" "No," Heero said, shaking his head. He never remembered his dreams, and yet they affected him so. It was strange and unnerving, more than a little disturbing. Sighing, Duo placed a gentle kiss to his jaw. "I hope when we get to where we're going, all this will make sense to you like Quatre said." "I hope so, too," Heero mumbled, kissing Duo's forehead and pulling him close. For whatever reason, he only felt calm and sane when Duo was in his arms. Like the young Shaman was his lifeline, his only link to life at all. As if without him all meaning and purpose would vanish and he would be utterly lost. As though Duo were his only reason for living. But he didn't know when that had happened, and it was disturbing.
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