"The King and the Shaman "

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 First Transformation Stage

At the age of one year and seven months it happened. Duo, who had spent the whole previous day almost insanely hyper, crashed that whole night and didn't wake once. The kitten had gotten quite tall, reaching to Heero's knee at the shoulder. And the next morning when Heero woke, Duo didn't stir. Even a few hours later, Duo's only reaction to a little prodding was a faint grunt.

After a brief moment of panic, excitement quickly took its place when it occurred to Heero what was happening: Duo was transforming! Kal'an had warned him this would happen. During the transformation, Duo would be catatonic, and he would not move until it was complete.

"The first transformation is always the most difficult," Kal'an told him. "There's nothing you can do for him, so just make sure he's in a quiet, warm place and don't bother him. It's imperative that you do nothing to distract him."

"How long will it take?" Heero asked.

"It always depends," she replied. "Some it takes only a day. Others as much as four. Shai'a, Duo's mother, took a long time. She was small and weak, so you can bet Duo will take a few days, as well."

Heero couldn't help his alarm. "A few days? But won't he get hungry? Won't he need to eat?"

"No," the Earth Shaman said. "The needs of his body will be slight. But when the transformation is complete, and if he survives, he will need to eat immediately."

"If he survives?" Heero repeated.

"I won't lie to you. The fatality rate of juvenile Shamans is atrociously high, about fifty-one percent. That's why there aren't many of us. The first transformation is extremely taxing to a small body. It requires every iota of energy it can muster, and sometimes it's just not enough."

Heero obeyed Kal'an's instructions almost to the letter. He made sure the fire in his room was always burning. It was early fall now, so it didn't ever get too warm. He tucked the blankets around Duo without actually covering him, forming a little nest. And for the most part, he left the kitten alone. Every hour he came by to check on him, see if anything had changed. Seeing nothing had, he quietly left, always making sure to make not a sound.

The second day was worse. Duo still had not stirred when Heero woke. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Duo alone during such a crucial time, so he had servants bring a cot to his room. That way if anything changed he would know. But in the morning, Duo was in the same position, body still curled up. His breathing seemed so, so slow. When Heero lightly searched for a heartbeat, he grimaced; it seemed barely to be beating at all.

So he fell into the same routine again. Every hour he came to check on Duo, often twice in the same hour. By nightfall he was too worried to sleep. What if his precious kitten, who had always seemed so strong and feisty, couldn't survive this crucial stage in his growth? What if Duo died? He didn't know what he would do. He spent all night awake, watching Duo for any signs of movement. In the cold, gray hours before dawn he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When he woke just after sunrise, it was to no change. Heero sent for Muriel. "Please have my chamberlain inform everyone today I'll be unavailable," he said. "And would you have some lightly cooked meat sent up to me?"

"Still no change?" she asked quietly.

Heero shook his head, glancing over his shoulder. Muriel took his hand and lightly squeezed, her eyes full of compassion. Then she quietly left to see to his needs. Heero pulled his chair up to the edge of bed, within easy reach of Duo. He watched Duo with mute worry for the next many hours, refusing to move. A few times he did doze off, victim of a restless night and lack of sleep. By nightfall he literally felt sick. Duo didn't look any different. And he had yet to move.

By midnight, hunger pangs gnawed at his insides. He was afraid if he ate it wouldn't stay down. Fear soured his stomach, and he had to force himself not to pace. A fierce headache had taken up residence between his eyes, result of his inability to calm down and relax. In the dead hours of the early, early morning, his eyes slid half shut and he sank into a kind of stupor.

Everything was still, cold, and dead outside when he was jarred back into awareness by a strange, soft little sound. He sat up immediately as Duo showed the first signs of life in three days. A faint keening issued near-steadily from his throat, a noise that sounded pained to Heero. He hated to hear it, but he didn't know what to do. Every fiber of his being demanded that he reach out and hold Duo, comfort him and reassure him. But he held back, Kal'an's warning strong in his mind.

And then, finally, it happened. There was no transition stage as Heero had believed. One minute, Duo was curled up as a leopard kitten. The next, that soft-furred body—still no true spots in his coat—simply faded. In its place, curled in a tight little ball, was a pale-skinned boy.

His hair, so long it fell down the backs of his thighs, was the same color as his fur had been—a warm, cinnamony-auburn-chestnut. Though his eyes were barely slits, Heero could still see the pale violet color. Instead of human ears he still had the raised, furred ears of his previous form, and a long tail curled around his legs. Despite the year-and-a-half that he'd been alive, he had the overall appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.

A fine sheen of perspiration covered his naked, pale skin and his whole being told of extreme exhaustion, but when Heero moved toward him Duo still raised his head. His eyes remained those of a cat, and he licked his lips, showing sharp little teeth.

"Heero," he croaked in a dry, breaking voice.

For a moment Heero was so startled to hear him actually speak he froze. Only a moment. Then he couldn't stand it anymore and lurched forward, pulling Duo as gently as he could into his eager arms. Though Duo's movements were sluggish, he still managed to wrap his arms around Heero's waist, resting his head on the human's shoulder with a bone-weary sigh.

Then Kal'an's words rang in his mind. "He will want to sleep when he transforms," she warned. "You must not let him. He will need food immediately if he is to ever wake again. His body will be dangerously depleted, and it will need the sustenance."

The meat was long cold and probably no longer good, but there were other things on the tray sitting within reach on the bedside table. "Duo," Heero murmured, carefully moving to jar the boy. "Don't fall asleep, little kitten. You need to eat."

Duo made a sound of definite disapproval as Heero dragged the tray closer. "Not hungry," he mumbled, his lips moving against Heero's neck where he'd tucked his head. Just like when he was a kitten.

"It doesn't matter," Heero said, grabbing the bowl of cheese cubes. They were warm, but when he popped one in his mouth to make sure it was still fine it tasted good. "Eat, Duo. Then you can sleep, all right?"

"P'omise?" came the muffled query.

Heero smiled. "Promise. Here. It's cheese. You've had it before, remember?"

Duo gave no verbal reply to that, merely opening his mouth to accept the bite-sized morsel. Heero fed him the entire bowl, then offered him some thick sweet bread and fruit. Duo accepted the bread but turned his cute little nose up at the fruit, which didn't surprise Heero. Still, he'd eaten a fair amount, and a lot of it protein. He felt satisfied it would be enough until morning or afternoon when Duo woke again.

Besides, Duo's eyes were drifting shut, ever closer to sleep. Every time his lashes touched his pale cheeks he gave a little jerk, mindful of Heero's admonishment not to sleep. Smiling, Heero kissed his forehead, smoothing silken hair away from his slightly-too-warm skin.

"Sleep," he whispered, all of his worry, tension, and anxiety finally melting away, leaving him feeling worn out himself. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Kay," came the barely-audible reply, and the adolescent Shaman instantly fell asleep.

When Heero lowered him gently to the bed, Duo didn't stir. He quickly undressed and slipped into his nightclothes, putting out the fire and climbing into the bed. For the first time in what felt like forever he gathered his kitten close to hold him. Though Duo curled into him a little, he otherwise didn't even stir.

o8o o8o

It was nearly midday when Heero finally woke. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so late, but it felt good to have relief from the incredibly stressful worry of waiting for Duo. It returned for a split second when he felt Duo's dead weight sprawled on his chest, unmoving. But when he placed two fingers against that slim neck it vanished again at the feel of a strong, steady pulse.

He only felt a little bad about shaking his transformed kitten awake. He wanted to spend time with an awake and aware Duo. He wanted to get to know him all over. He wanted to know if Duo could speak in full sentences. He suspected the kitten could, since last night he'd called Heero by name and responded to everything the human king said.

Duo came awake with a soft grunt, barely moving as his pale violet eyes fluttered open. His lashes were so long, longer and darker than most women's. It was a very cute face, too young yet to be actually attractive, but definitely the potential for just that. He yawned, once more showing his needle-sharp teeth.

"Mm, 'Ro," he mumbled, his tail twitching against Heero's leg. "'s it morning?"

"Yes," Hero murmured, turning his head enough to kiss Duo's forehead. "You can talk just fine, can't you?"

At this Duo tilted his head back to look at Heero. "Of course," he said as though it should be obvious. "You taught me to read and speak months ago. Don't you remember?"

Heero blinked, thinking back to all the times he'd read to Duo. Duo's absolute focus on the pages. He'd assumed the kitten liked the images. It had never occurred to him Duo might actually be following along, learning to read. He chuckled a little. "Smart kitten." Then a new thought occurred to him. "How come you're not calling me 'father' or something?"

Duo yawned again, stretching his body to its entire length—probably only about five feet tall. If that. "Because I know you're not," he said, snuggling his face into Heero's neck.

Heero blinked. "You do?"

"Of course," Duo said, sounding like he was drifting back to sleep. "You're a human. I'm not. We smell different. I've known for probably a year or more that you're not my father."

"Oh," Heero said, still feeling surprised. Apparently Duo's mental capacity had expanded much faster than he'd ever assumed. "Hey, don't fall back to sleep yet, Duo. You need to eat a real meal."

"Kay," Duo mumbled.

Chuckling when his kitten didn't move, he gently disentangled himself and pulled the cord for a servant. Stretching, feeling pleasantly well-rested, he built a new fire and wrapped a robe around his body. A knock sounded on the door, making Duo's ear flick toward it, but otherwise he didn't stir. Heero could see he was already asleep again.

As usual, Muriel didn't wait for an invitation before entering. Her eyes tracked at once to the bed, and her whole face lit up when she saw what was laying there. "Oh, he made it!" she exclaimed, voice pitched low. "Isn't he precious. Oh, Heero, you promise me you take him right to the kitchens when he wakes up. I want to meet him proper."

Smiling crookedly, Heero nodded. "Sure."

She set a steaming tray on the table, reaching out and brushing Heero's hair back. No one else in the palace would have taken such proprietary liberties. Heero didn't protest, because he truly didn't mind. Giving him a smile and casting a quick look at the sleeping Duo, she left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Heero pulled the lid off the tray, greeted by the sight of eggs, toast, fruit, milk, grilled ham, and barely-cooked meat for Duo. Smiling at her thoughtfulness, Heero rolled his finger in the meat's juices, walking to the bed and smearing it on Duo's lower lip. When Duo's lips instinctively parted, he pushed his finger into the kitten's mouth. For his efforts he got bitten as Duo instantly came awake, eyes gleaming.

When he saw it was Heero's finger, he quickly dislodged his teeth and instead eagerly licked his finger. Heero pulled it back with a grin, bearing tooth indentations but no actual injury. Duo sat up, ears perked and alert, licking his lips.

"Breakfast?" he asked eagerly.

Unable to help it, Heero chuckled. "Yes. Muriel brought it. Hungry after all, hmm?"

"Yes!" Duo agreed at once.

When Heero sat back down on the bed, Duo at once climbed onto his lap as he always had when a kitten. He was quite a bit bigger, now, but Heero was still glad to have him there. Putting breakfast off for a moment, he slid his fingers into Duo's silken hair and guided his head to tuck underneath his chin. Duo shifted to get comfortable, immediately beginning to purr. His hands clenched in Heero's shirt - and yes, he still had claws, too.

"Sweet kitten," Heero whispered, all the relief he had not yet felt rushing in. Duo was still here with him, he had survived the worst and most dangerous part of his youth. He was real, alive, and still strong. He held Duo closer, wrapping him in a firm embrace.

For his part, Duo accepted the attention as he always had, purring and nuzzling his face in Heero's neck. His tail lazily moved on the bed, occasionally brushing against Heero's bare foot. Each breath he took washed warmly over his skin, another reminder he was gloriously alive.

It was only when Duo began licking his neck that he laughed and stirred, releasing him. "Sorry," he murmured, causing two limpid violet eyes to peer into his own.

"For what?" Duo asked, ears perked forward.

It was just adorable. Smiling, Heero stroked those soft ears, rubbing gently at the base. "I was pretty scared," he admitted. "You were still and silent so long I thought you might . . ."

"Die?" Duo finished for him with a frankness that surprised Heero.

"Yes," he said after a moment.

Duo's ears lowered and he snuggled back into Heero's arms, nuzzling his nose beneath Heero's chin. "I want to be with you too much to die," he said.

Heero crushed him close, rocking him against his chest. "Sweet, sweet little kitten," he whispered into Duo's soft hair. "I love you so much, Duo."

For a long time he held the adolescent Shaman kitten, then Duo totally ruined the moment by trilling and gnawing on Heero's hand. Laughing, Heero finally let him go. "All right, I'll feed you," he said.

Duo gave him a bright smile that shamed the sun. He stayed right where he was, not budging while Heero hand-fed him morsels of meat. After accepting every bite he licked Heero's fingers to clean off the blood and juices, waiting while Heero gave himself a bite. Duo never stopped purring, though while he ate it diminished to a faint murmur. When he finally wanted no more, he stretched again and promptly fell asleep against Heero's neck.

Smiling, near bursting with happiness and love, Heero rested his cheek against Duo's forehead and let him sleep.

tbc

Chapter 10

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