|
"The Apprentice"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, fantasy, Angst, fluff, sap, moderate
lemons (no it's not about the sex 8P) Pairings: 1x2, 3x4x5, past 1x3,
indication of future quintet at the end Summary: The Divine Wizard J offers an apprenticeship to his people for which Hiiro and Duo are most eager to compete. "The Apprentice" Ch 2 The announcement was made and the remainder of the day spent in the company of his people. Hiiro and Duo were subject to many congratulations and well wishers and suffered the stinging glares of those who would be left behind and scandalous whisperings over the odd turn of events. When evening fell the people said their tearful goodbyes to their benefactor, receiving gifts of love and prosperity before he ascended the mountain. Quatre and Wufei were left behind to aid Duo and Hiiro in their preparations for departure during the three days they would be given to set their affairs in order and say their goodbyes and were the honored guests at the celebration held that night. However, neither new apprentice appeared in the mood for such frolicking, choosing to hover around the edges of the joyous event while Wufei and Quatre soaked in all the attention the villagers could offer. The party lasted well into the night and as things began to wind down Duo noticed little nuances in their behavior, the soft brushing of fingers whenever their hands passed or a knowing glance when they thought no one would see gave birth to suspicions he was suddenly eager to confirm. “Is it lonely on the mountain?” he asked, sliding to the ground beside what was left of the bonfire that had roared so vibrantly only hours before. “Sometimes,” Quatre replied honestly. Duo suppressed a smile when the blond boy absently shifted closer to his friend while he spoke and given that there was little room between them to begin with he was now in danger of slipping fully into his lap. “In times of abundance,” Wufei added, being so bold as to slip an arm casually behind the blond. “We are free to find more interesting ways of… entertaining ourselves.” Duo shivered as he watched the raven haired boy’s tongue slip out and gently caress the tender skin of Quatre’s pale neck. “Are there others?” “Just us,” Wufei smiled lasciviously, eyeing him as a dog might hunger for a bone. “Don’t mislead him,” Quatre scolded gently. “Your duties will be your studies and to aid in the care of the land and its people,” he explained. “Anything beyond that is by personal choice.” “Though choice is often subject to coercion,” the raven haired boy smirked. “Coercion contaminates the mind,” came Trowa’s deep, throaty purr and Wufei visibly shivered as he emerged from a shadow behind his ear and whispered, “And confuses the heart.” Duo swallowed hard as a hot flash warmed his groin when the elf slowly nuzzled Wufei’s neck, making him groan long, low and with great need. “I was beginning to think you would abandon me,” Wufei breathed, tilting his head to soak in the affection. Duo glanced at Quatre to assess his reaction but the blond seemed nothing more than mildly amused. “Apologies were necessary,” Trowa explained, gently extracting him from his comfortable nest but they paused when Wufei caught the glint of Hiiro’s blue eyes in the distance. “I trust you explained the situation?” Quarter inquired. Trowa gazed at the Keeper of the Light with true regret in his eyes but it was buried under a layer of pride and hope. “As well as so young a mind can comprehend,” he replied, offering the blond his hand. Quatre looked both to Duo and Hiiro, seeming to want to speak but merely sighed before he took it and followed. Duo’s heart raced as he watched them go, knowing that the remainder of the night would be spent in rapturous passion and wondered if he would ever come to a point when such things were so easily accepted. Absently, he glanced at Hiiro who in turn had been watching him and blushed a deep crimson as his mind supplied images of their bodies in heated exchange. Hiiro held his gaze for a moment then turned and walked away, leaving him with the horrid feeling of abandonment he had so often endured during in his short life but that was all right. He could tolerate solitude, welcomed it in fact and intended to use it as a means to make sure no child ever suffered in the way he had. “Duo.” Slowly his eyes opened and his mind became aware of the brightening sky. “What time is it?” he asked, feeling the odd tension in Hilde as he came fully awake. The fire still smoldered and he kicked himself for having fallen asleep where he lay the night before as an aching twinge lanced his spine. “Almost noon,” she smiled. She looked different somehow, older in a way and he wondered if his aging had already be altered or if perhaps she had simply grown since the day before. “Are you all right?” he asked knowing how difficult it was going to be to leave his childhood friend behind and that it couldn’t be any easier for her. She shrugged but he could see the distant sorrow in her eyes. “I have a present for you,” she smiled, offering him a small box tied with red dyed string and wrapped lovingly in silken cloth. His smile was small but sincere and he took the offering with a grateful heart. “You didn’t have to.” “I know,” she smiled. “But this is all I can do for you now. Go on, open it.” His heart ached to see her so upset but they had always known he would some day leave so he shook off the pain and pulled the red string and felt his eyes go wide with wonder. “Hilde! This must’ve taken all night!” “A month,” she shrugged. “They can only be found by trailing a love struck fairy.” He snorted, wondering not for the first time if anything she claimed about her gathering was true but the box of a hundred Tandra leaves was real enough. “Thank you,” he told her pulling her in for a tight hug. “I’ll bring them to the shrine,” she promised clinging on. “And when my bones are too old to gather my children will take up the task.” “Hilde,” he breathed, unable to stop the stinging tears from wetting his cheeks. “Be happy,” she whispered, wrenching free and bolting into the woods. “You and your descendents will never know misfortune,” he swore, looking after her with a heavy heart but the pain was pushed back by the weight of someone’s gaze. When he turned it was to find Hiiro standing nearby, his eyes regarding him as coldly as the first day they had met and he wondered absently if he would actually survive an eternity in his company. Hiiro moved on as he pulled himself from the ground and prepared to return to the church, the only place he had ever felt comfortable in, but even in the tender care of Sister Helen and Father Maxwell he had never really felt at home. It was not in him to prolong the goodbye. Sister had cried enough tears because of him and Father could now return to his simple life of worship. It was hard so he kept it short, accepting the packed lunch from the nun with patient amusement and taking the time to thank Father and shake his hand then turned away from the small church and walked away without looking back. He paused when he came to the gate and ran across the path of Hiiro who once again regarded him before continuing to wherever he was going. “Howard!” “Duo!” the old chief grinned, welcoming the boy with open arms. “Well, now!” he beamed, holding him at arm’s length. “You’ve gone and done it now, haven’t you!?” “Your days of reprimanding me are over, old man,” Duo laughed, letting his joy sparkle in his eyes. “Ah, perhaps it would better be me than old Wizard J,” Howard chuckled, pulling him into another one armed hug. “Have you said your goodbyes?” Duo nodded tightly and they left that subject alone. “Are we ready?” “Near about,” Howard grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. “Where’s Hiiro?” the longhaired boy wondered out loud as he tucked his meager bag of belongings into Howard’s wagon. “Maybe he’s still bidding farewell to his kin.” But it was at that moment that Duo’s eyes grew round and a dark flush heated his skin as he jerked his eyes from the steamy image of Hiiro pinning Trowa to a tree in the shadow of the canopy. The sight of the stoic sun god kissing the beautiful elf with such slow precision flashed in his mind’s eye over and over no matter how hard to he tried to banish the image, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to cool down. “Duo?” Howard prompted in concern of his odd behavior. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” he hastily replied. “I’ll fetch some more water.” Howard eyed the large barrels of water strapped to the back of his wagon, then shook his head and shrugged helplessly. Duo emptied and refilled his flask, though he had done it already once that day and wondered when the world had gone topsy turvy. Hadn’t Trowa slept with Quatre and Wufei the night before? Or had that simply been an act to befuddle him? He recalled the heated shiver that had coursed through Wufei at Trowa’s touch and decided the reaction had been real but if that were true, why was Hiiro currently crawling down the elf’s throat? “Duo?” “What!?” he barked, jumping two inches off the ground at the sound of Quatre’s soft greeting. “Are you all right?” the blond boy chuckled, retrieving the flask he had dropped in the fountain. “Sorry,” Duo laughed, brushing back his bangs. “I guess things are moving a little fast right now.” “Time moves swiftly,” Quatre nodded lazily, combing his fingers through the surface of the water. “But it is less frightening when there is plenty of it to spare.” Duo watched him for a time, taking in his unhurried movements and the way he took the time to smile while he studied the sparkling light in the pool and wondered out loud, “Do you love them?” Quatre chuckled, slowly raising his hand to watch the water drip from his fingertips. “So that’s what’s bothering you,” he surmised, reassuring him, “But you have nothing to fear. No one will force anything on you against your will.” “But it seems to be all they think about,” Duo commented, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of Trowa and Hiiro. “They?” Duo blushed hotly, knowing full well Quatre understood he had been included in the claim. “Sorry, but I’m not accustomed to such casual affection.” “You assume it is casual because you are young and lack information,” Quatre explained, reaching to lay damp, chilly fingers on Duo’s cheek. The longhaired boy shivered as the coolness connected with his sun warmed skin and pulled away when Quatre smiled. “There are a great many pleasures in life,” the blond smiled, backing off. “Just try to keep in mind that those who deny themselves do so because they lack the opportunity to truly enjoy them.” “No offense,” Duo replied. “But my reasons for needing longer life have nothing to do with self gratification.” Quatre regarded him for a moment then smiled. “When your pain ebbs you may not find the idea quite so offensive.” Duo capped off his flask and followed him back to the wagon where the others had gathered in preparation of the final step before they ascended the mountain. Howard would take them to the Table and there they would be tested to see if the land would accept them. Most considered this a ritualistic formality as there had never been a tale of anyone being rejected but Duo’s stomach was still in knots by the time they reached the ancient slab of granite. Night had almost overtaken them but there was no hurry as the ceremony would not take place until the following day so they broke ranks and pitched camp and set about the mundane chores of dinner and personal comfort. Duo had laid his bedroll out under a small elm some distance from a brook that meandered nearby and was seemingly at ease as he laid back with his arms tucked behind his head and closed his eyes but he jerked quite amusingly at the sound of Wufei’s footfall. “Why are you so nervous?” the raven haired boy chuckled, sinking down to sit beside him. “You no longer have anything to fear.” Duo peered up at him, noting the way his eyes traveled slowly down his body and snorted. “Says you.” “I scare you?” Wufei laughed quite merrily, making Duo’s bottom lip pucker as his brow knit crossly. “Does the thought of my touch really bother you that much?” “I didn’t come here to shack up.” “Yet that is exactly what you are required to do,” Wufei chuckled. Duo balked, sitting up in a flash. “Quatre said I wasn’t expected to do anything…!” “Calm down,” Wufei chuckled, holding up both hands in a sign of surrender. “I only meant that we will all be living together.” “I’m nobody’s fool,” Duo snipped. “Of course,” Wufei smiled. “Nor their plaything.” “You’ll forgive me if I harbor the hope that you will someday change your mind on that point.” “How did anyone as lascivious as you ever become Wizard J’s apprentice?” Duo wondered in annoyance. “I suppose because I was the most pleasant thing to look at, at the time,” Wufei replied, letting his gaze wander to the curve of Duo’s thigh. Duo paled, utterly unaware of the hungry gaze. “He doesn’t… I mean…we’re not expected to…” “He is only a man after all,” Wufei smiled, chuckling when Duo turned green. “Relax,” he laughed. “We’re merely flowers in his garden; he likes being surrounded by beauty. It reminds him of his youth.” “Oh,” the longhaired boy sighed in great relief, suddenly reclaiming his standoffish attitude when Wufei reached for the tip of his braid. “I only wanted to know how soft it is,” Wufei sniffed when the tassel was summarily jerked out of reach. “It doesn’t matter,” Duo snipped, tucking the long rope of chestnut behind him. “I don’t keep it for its luxuries.” “But there are so many hidden within its folds,” Wufei breathed, leaning closer. “Did you enjoy your evening with Quatre and Trowa?” Duo asked cleverly, but the question did nothing to deter his aggressor. “Mm,” Wufei smiled, nodding absently as he moved in close enough to inhale the sent of his hair. “Trowa has been gone much too long,” he explained. “Quatre missed him terribly.” “He lives with you?” Duo balked, forgetting to back away when Wufei’s nose nuzzled his ear. “When it entertains him,” the raven haired boy replied, taking another deep breath of the sweet scent. Elves were known to live for thousands of years but even they grew old after a time. The fact that Trowa had been spending time on the mountain made him wonder just how long the elegant elf had actually been around. As long as J? It was possible even if he didn’t spend all his time on the mountain. “Stop,” Duo spoke softly when Wufei’s lips moistened his lobe. “Why?” Wufei asked but reluctantly backed away. “You obviously respond to a man’s touch.” “Men do not concern me,” Duo replied, laying back down and closing his eyes. “I will dedicate my life to the lost children and see that they are no longer forgotten.” Wufei’s eyes softened as a small smile curled his lips. “There are some things that simply cannot be helped,” he reasoned. “We can only provide the means; it is up to the people to decide what to do with them.” “Then I will change the way they think.” “You intend to alter human nature?” Wufei chuckled. “If that is what’s necessary,” Duo replied without preamble. “I fear you’ve chosen a fool’s road,” the raven haired boy sighed. “You never know till you try.” Duo’s eyes popped open at Hiiro’s interjection, the stunned expression on his face giving way to a wide smile as they looked at one another. “Yeah,” he smiled. “Wufei.” Wufei turned to answer Quatre’s gentle call but merely smiled instead when he saw him standing with Trowa at the edge of their camp, their arms intertwined and a smoldering light in their eyes. “Excuse me,” he grinned on a thread that softly vibrated with excitement before joining them and disappearing into the trees. Duo sighed, wondering how often they did that sort of thing but was suddenly confronted by a more pressing thought when he turned to find Hiiro staring blankly after them. “Are you all right?” “Hn?” Hiiro grunted, only belatedly conceiving the question. “Of course.” “Sorry,” Duo sighed. “None of my business.” “He raised me,” Hiiro confessed after a long moment and Duo could do no more than gape. “For as long as I can remember.” “He’s your… dad?” the longhaired boy shuddered, recalling the steamy kiss the two of them had shared. “Perhaps,” Hiiro replied. “When I was young, but as I grew older…he…” “Changed,” Duo surmised. Hiiro nodded, sighing softly as he slowly sank to the ground and began to play with the blue/green blades of grass. “I’m not really sure when I began to think of him as mine,” Hiiro confessed. “It just happened and ever since then…” “And now…” Hiiro swallowed and cleared his throat, clearly ill at ease but forced an answer. “It is difficult to share his affection.” “But you knew?” Again Hiiro nodded. “I can still remember stories he used to tell me of his life on the mountain, but…” “I suppose it must’ve all seemed like a fairytale to a small boy,” Duo commented. “Perhaps most of them were,” Hiiro chuckled. “Except when he spoke of Quatre, then I could always tell his words were true.” “Did he ever speak of Wufei?” “Not so much that I understood,” Hiiro sighed. “Not until we began our journey here.” Duo watched him closely and for the first time felt compassion for him. “Will you be all right?” he asked, laying a soothing hand on the other boy’s arm. Hiiro shrugged and scrubbed at his eyes. “Has he rejected you?” Duo wondered. “No,” Hiiro sighed. “Then perhaps he still intends to stay by your side,” Duo smiled. “He’ll be with me always,” Hiiro agreed. “I’ve never doubted that but now…” Duo waited, wondering what the other boy was thinking when he glanced sidelong at him, then sighed heavily. “I think I’m beginning to understand the strange stirrings of his heart.” An awkward silence fell as Duo not only didn’t really understand the statement but had no idea where to take the conversation next. Desperate for something to say he latched on to the first thing that came to mind. “Can you really control the sunshine?” “Light energy of any sort,” Hiiro smiled a little too enthusiastically as he inched forward and held out his palm. Duo giggled when a small ball of white light sizzled to life. “C…can I touch it?” he asked tentatively, poking a finger at it. “Go on,” Hiiro smiled, holding it closer to him. It was so pretty with its shimmering surface and translucent form. Hiiro’s hand glowed bright white in its illumination and when Duo’s fingertip brushed along its skin he laughed with delight. “It tickles,” the longhaired boy exclaimed. “Would you like to hold it?” Duo nodded excitedly, laughing again when the orb was placed in his palm and sent prickly fingers up his arms. “Why doesn’t it hurt?” he smiled, watching wondrously as the little orb danced with incandescent light. “Maybe it likes you,” Hiiro chuckled. “This would have made a great party favor at the church,” Duo giggled, passing it from hand to hand as he laughed. “I bet Hilde would’ve screamed.” “She must love you very much,” Hiiro commented, leaning back. “We’ve always been close,” Duo nodded, rolling the light orb up his forearm and back into his palm. “I intend to fashion a wren in her name once we ascend the mountain.” “You can really do that?” Hiiro marveled. “Bring life from death?” “All life begins with death,” Duo recited, giggling when he almost dropped the orb. “I only guide it into what I want it to be.” Hiiro leaned forward and held up his hand and Duo’s face went sour as the little orb was sucked back into his palm as he asked, “Can you also take it away?” Duo was quite put out over loosing his toy but shrugged and answered anyway, “Of course.” “Creator of life and death,” Hiiro smiled. “Isn’t that the definition of a god?” “No more so than one who casually commands the sun and moon,” Duo grinned. “I only use the energy they freely give,” Hiiro chuckled. “And the moon has no radiance of its own, it merely reflects…” “Technicalities,” Duo cut him off, sighing while the other boy laughed. “Got any other tricks up your sleeve?” he asked, seeming restless and bored. “Have you a shadow?” Hiiro asked in a clever tone. “Of what sort?” Duo inquired, eyeing him suspiciously. “Something that won’t leave me drained of my life force would be sufficient,” Hiiro chuckled. Duo sat up straighter and turned to face him so that their knees almost touched and conjured a small darkness between his hands. “This is a squeeble,” he explained. “The sort of shadow one finds hiding under furniture and eves. Mostly harmless but if you lay in them long enough you’ll begin to feel listless and tired.” “I’ll be sure not to sleep under eves,” Hiiro grinned. Duo scowled but it lacked any sort of venom and was forgotten the moment strings of reddish/orange light grew from Hiiro’s fingertips. He watched in amazement as the tendrils moved forward and wrapped around the shadow between his hands. It was the oddest sensation and as he watched the light snake its way in purposeful pathways his heart began to flutter. “What’s it doing?” he breathed, feeling the same tingling he had experienced with the orb but this time it was deep inside his body, leaving him breathless and trembling. “Watch,” Hiiro whispered, sounding as off balance as Duo felt as the light slowly moved until it had embraced the entire shadow and Duo suddenly gasped, throwing his head back as the light penetrated the darkness and sent a heated rush through his entire body. “Stop!” he gasped, feeling oddly violated and just a little bit scared as he let the shadow dissipate. When he had collected himself enough to notice, Hiiro had gone deathly white and was staring at him with horror struck eyes. “I’m sorry,” he hastily, intoned inching backward. “I didn’t realize…” “Hiiro?” “Sorry,” he said again and was suddenly gone. “What in the hell was that?” the longhaired boy wondered, not at all sure what had just happened. “You can be so damn thick sometimes,” Howard laughed, bringing him a cup of water from the wagon. “Did you see that?” Duo asked, still shaken by the event. “You don’t think he’d actually try to hurt me, do you?” he asked, taking the cup then cringing when he was suddenly smacked upside the head. “Hey! What was that for?!” “For being an idiot,” Howard chuckled, plopping down beside him. “He wasn’t trying to hurt you, dummy.” Duo blinked in confusion while the old chief laughed and revealed, “He was flirting with you.” Duo blinked and blinked again making Howard laugh harder but he was at a loss as to what was so damn funny. Howard let it go, turning the conversation to more important matters such as the fact that eternal life did not guarantee eternal health and beauty. Duo laughed, scowled and rolled his eyes a lot while he got the last of the life lectures he would have the chance to endure from the old chief. “You’ll look after them,” he commented once their tongues were tired and the darkness had settled deeply around them. “’Course,” Howard grinned. “But it’s not like you’re dying. You’ll be able watch out for them and their kids and their grandkids and…” “You don’t have any kids,” Duo pointed out. “No.” “I’ll miss you.” Howard’s old eyes grew as bright as a child’s as he smiled widely and replied, “Well, now. There’s my immortality, eh?” “I’ll take care of them, Howard,” Duo promised. “I swear. Life will always be good in our village.” “I know you will, son,” the old man smiled, patting his arm. Duo smiled at the endearment as the chief didn’t use it regularly. It was a message, a silent proclamation and the longhaired boy was suddenly unable to speak. “Get some sleep,” Howard advised, pouring the remainder of his drink onto the ground. “Looks like we’re on our own tonight.” Duo glanced around, not at all surprised that Trowa, Quatre and Wufei had not returned but he wondered silently where Hiiro had gone. He’d gotten so upset before he was afraid he had offended him but wasn’t sure how. His mind drifted back to the odd sensation of the light’s embrace and a tingle ran over his skin making him burrow down into his bedroll. He didn’t understand the light, darkness was his ally but he had to admit, it had some very intriguing attributes. ~ * ~ tbc... |
