"Center Ring"

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/Adventure, Angst, fluff, sap, mile gore at one point, mild lemons, mild language

Pairings: Eventual 1x2, Singular 2x4/5x2 encounters, 3x4, Eventual 5x6x9

Summary: The last of the world’s half animal hybrid’s face the adventure of a lifetime when they are sent to capture a rogue that appears determined to start a war. However, it is unclear as events unfold what his true purpose is and exactly who is hunting who.

This is an unbeta’ed version.

View Art for Center Ring: Pic 1, Pic 2

" Center Ring "

Ch 6

Hiiro had never really honed his natural talents before. He’d never really had much use for them but this infiltration was going to be very dangerous and most likely a one way trip. He had to get Duo to that gate he kept talking about and back through it before the poison in his system could kill him. It was easy enough for the demon so steal some guns but hiding Hiiro’s wings would be impossible. They had to create a diversion somehow in order to get him underground. A better solution to the problem presented itself however, when none other than Treize walked out of the tent the General had set up on the cavern floor as a base of operations.

Hiiro whistled softly making it sound as much like a bat as he could but Treize knew his call so well he had no doubt he’d know the moment it reached his ears. He wasn’t disappointed. The man just about coughed up a lung covering his reaction as the on looking solders stared in concern at the apparently choking man.

“What the hell”r you doing here!” Treize growled under his breath pushing the Eaglet back into the recess he and Duo had been hiding in. He took only a moment to look the demon up and down before deciding that if he was with Hiiro, he was ok.

“We need to get underground,” Hiiro told him.

“What?!” the man hissed looking around to make sure his outburst hadn’t alerted the guards. “Are you insane!? You’ve got to get out of here! They’ll kill you both on sight!”

“If we don’t get underground we’re already dead,” Hiiro told him in a tone that bared no room for argument.

Treize stared at him for a long moment clearly trying to comprehend but there was no time for questions, he’d trust Hiiro’s judgment. “What can I do?” he asked realizing they were the only words the Eaglet would hear.

“We need a diversion,” Hiiro told him checking the soldiers positions again. “See that tunnel near the center of the floor? The one that goes pretty much straight down?” he said inquiring of Duo if that were correct and receiving a curt nod.

“Alright,” Treize sighed in resignation. “Give me ten minuets,” he told them walking casually from the shadows and back into the world of man.

True to his word ten minutes later there was a small explosion just outside the entrance to the cave that sent the guards scurrying to see what had happened. Hiiro and Duo took advantage of the empty cavern to move swiftly toward the tunnel keeping to the ground and as much out of sight as possible until they reached the edge and were forced to raise their wings in preparation of the descent. The call went up the moment Hiiro’s huge white wings rose into the air giving them away before they could dive into the passage and out of sight. They left the cavern as a seething swarm of soldiers streamed inward falling upon the tunnel opening in their effort to pursue the pair of fleeing hybrids.

“KHUSHRANADA!” the General bellowed as the ginger hared man was dragged into the swarming cave and brought before him. “You did this! You allowed them to infiltrate and escape! You’re a disgrace!” the man snarled brandishing his ridding crop in Treize’s smirking face. “You’ve betrayed us all! Your own kind!” the General growled turning purple in his rage.

Treize never lost his amused little smile as he stood tall and dignified and replied, “Better to betray man than my own humanity.”

It was a frantic race. It seemed every corner they turned was bared by some check point or troop of scurrying guards. Hiiro didn’t care for killing but he’d left many of the men with grave injuries. He was happy to see that his lover was as reluctant to take unnecessary lives as he was but the blood was spilling fast just the same.

“Hiiro!” Duo barked finding their way barred yet again. They were running out of options. Hiiro’s wings were just too cumbersome down there in the tapering tunnels.

“Go!” the Eaglet commanded pushing him toward one of the smaller passages but he refused to move.

“Not without you!” he snarled slamming his back against the stone beside his white winged lover.

“Stubborn imp,” the fledgling spat mowing down another line of troops that had carelessly tried to rush their position. “What now?” he shouted at a lost as to how they were ever going to reach their goal.

“Why don’t you put down that stupid gun and do what you were born to do!” Duo shouted laying waist to another group.

Hiiro knew exactly what he meant but he’d never attempted to use his gift before. It was there and he called on it from time to time, particularly when he was flying but he’d never tried to use it for anything like this.

“Damn it!” Duo suddenly swore as another line of men rounded the corner. “We don’t have time for this shit!” he snapped stepping out into the line of fire as he yelled at his shell shocked lover “DO IT! DO IT NOW!”

“NO!” Hiiro screamed seeing the bullets leaving the barrels of the guns in slow motion, his sharp eyes tracking their path as they hurtled towards Duo’s frail body then suddenly, as suddenly as they had left the smoking guns they stopped dead in mid air two feet from Duo’s chest as Hiiro willed them into submission.

“Hoohaaa,” Duo breathed sounding very impressed as he smiled at his lover with pride. The soldiers stood staring in wonder at the hovering bullets as they steamed slightly in the still air of the tunnel before suddenly dropping with a tinkle to the stony floor. “After you oh omnipotent one,” the demon smiled bowing low at the waist as he made way for the Eaglet to pass.

“Oh shut up,” Hiiro grumbled smacking him on the back of the head as he passed, the soldiers stepping aside as if they were suddenly on their side even as their eyes darted around the chamber in terror as they no longer had control of their bodies.

“What’s your range?” Duo asked noticing the men behind them had suddenly regained control over themselves as they passed down another passage.

“About ten meters I think,” Hiiro told him.

Telekinesis’s was no easy feat to begin with. It was incredibly complicated keeping track of the millions of variables his mind had control of when he initiated it. Most creatures with the ability were lucky if they could lift their pencil to their hand but Hiiro had come from a line that had long sense utilized the talent to aid them in their quest for survival. The White Winged Eagles that once adorned the coastal cliffs had once been honored as gods because of these strange powers. They had been on the top of the hit list for the humans when they decided to declare war because of the great danger they posed. A danger Hiiro was about to remind them had yet to be completely vanquished from this world.

“The antechamber that holds the gate is about thirty so beware,” Duo informed him watching another line of men down a passage fall to their knees before they could even get a glimpse of the hybrids. When they arrived they found not only the shimmering transparency in the far wall of the cave that apparently was Duo’s idea of the gateway to Heaven but a horde of soldiers, scientist and equipment. It was like looking into the fractured surface of a giant mirror but it didn’t reflect anything and this glass moved and swirled about changing from moment to moment as if something or someone were milling about within its depths. It was bright and glowed a rainbow of colors all around the cave sending shimmering reflections dancing over every surface including the irritated visage of his agitated lover. It looked a lot like a trans-dimensional door to Hiiro.

“Shit,” Duo hissed, his forehead dripping with sweat as he leaned back against the cold stone wall of the passage they were hiding in.

“Can you touch their minds?” Hiiro asked surveying the room. “Coerce them int…Duo?” he called realizing for the first time just how taxed his black winged lover really was as he swooned slightly by his side. His heart beat suddenly slammed into his throat as he kicked himself royally for not having realized. Duo was sick. He had been fighting off the poison all this time and was growing weaker by the minute. “Damn it!” he swore catching the wraith before he could fall to the floor. “Why!?” he croaked in a broken voice as he held him tight.

“Heavens road is sacred,” Duo explained in a wispy sort of way that frightened Hiiro more than anything he’d ever experienced before. “They’ll kill me, you and every human in this mountain to preserve the sanctity of that place,” he went on. “We have to get through the gate,” he told him, Hiiro’s chest tightening as his lover began to labor more diligently for breath. “Here,” he said pulling the small cross from beneath his shirt. Hiiro had studied it many times over the last few days. It seemed odd that a demon would carry a cross but the way he kept talking about Heaven Hiiro was certain he was no ordinary demon. “It’s the…key,” Duo rasped pushing the little silver cross into the Eaglets hand and collapsing against his chest.

“What do I do with it?” Hiiro forced his voice to ask as his arms tightened around the fallen dark angel. “Duo?” But the demon would only lay limp in his arms, his head lolling from side to side, his amethyst eyes half lidded and his mouth hanging slightly open. The image was enough to set Hiiro’s mind and steel his will to one singular purpose. He gripped the little cross in his palm as he scooped his ailing lover up in his arms and stepped out into the cavern below.

“General!”

When the man looked up to see the Eagle carrying the demon out onto the cave floor, walking determinedly towards the shimmering portal on the opposite wall his jaw dropped for a moment. Even he couldn’t deny the ultimate splendor of the Great Eagle, the King of Zion, the White Winged God. That’s what Duo had called him and that is exactly what he would be if it meant saving his beautiful demon. He glowed faintly as he walked; a shimmering projection of the power he harbored. By the time the General gathered himself together enough to give the order to fire they were already halfway across the cave but the moment anything, bullets and men alike, came within ten meters of the pair it took on a will of its own and rebounded right back out into the cave, men falling to their knees or being tossed away like rag dolls, bullets ripping through both equipment and soldiers alike and Hiiro with his loving burden in his arms walking slowly and purposefully through the carnage.

He paused near the gate to ponder the purpose of the key. It was still unclear how it worked. Duo’s inability to explain this small factor was going to cost them as Hiiro’s stubborn focus shifted to a black box with a lot of dials, switches and blinking lights that the men had pushed as close to him as they could. His stately head cocked. A bomb. That’d work. He was out of time.

“We’ve got em!” The general sneered from his relatively safe place behind a big pile of machinery. “That bombs going to end it once and for all!” Hiiro realized now that the bomb had been intended for the gate. The humans were so frightened of what might lay on the other side they had, as was their nature, decided to attempt to destroy it before it could threaten their world. Now, Hiiro was about to give them the key to their success by opening the portal.

The decision was taken out of his hands when the gate suddenly burst into resplendent life showering the cave and all its inhabitants with a blinding white radiance, the surface shifted, pure lightening iridescent as a form, humanoid in shape pressed against it. Every eye in the place was fixed on the spot where the figure seemed to stretch the very fabric of space in its effort to be born into their world until it hung like a sack from the portal as if the universe itself had wept one glimmering tear. They were all a bit shocked when the tear plopped on the stone floor winking as the light dissipated leaving only a stout little man with a huge head full of hair that remarkably resembled a giant mushroom pushing himself to his feet.

He smiled, if you can call that a smile, his one visible eyed shining through a crack in that ridiculous hair as he gazed at Hiiro and held up a small vile of blood read liquid. “See he drinks this,” he said tossing it straight at the Eaglet.

Hiiro’s mind screamed only one thing. THE ANTIDOTE! As the sudden explosion of warfare aimed at the little man bounced off his resilient will. The humans were shouting orders and running about the cave in their futile efforts to regain control of the situation but Hiiro hardly noticed them as he laid his precious burden down on the stone. His mind barely perceived several more shimmering tears dropping one by one into the safety of his mental shield as he leaned Duo’s head back over his arm. He was so pale. His skin sallow and hot to the touch, his breath ragged and labored but he was alive. And he’d better stay alive. The Eaglet kissed him gently just once fearing the vile may contain an evil even greater than the one he already faced before pulling the tiny glass stopper with his teeth and draining the thick, crimson liquid into his lovers open mouth. He quickly followed it with another kiss sharing the bitter taste of the medicine, his heart beat rising slowly until it felt as if it might burst out his eyes when Duo instantly responded and began to kiss him back. It took a long moment in which he reminded himself of just how supremely decadent his lover really was before he recalled the dire situation around him, his sharp ears picking up the gravely voices of five men standing by the portal as they bickered with each other like children fighting over who’s ball it is.

“../was YOUR idea!” the mushroomed haired one snapped indignantly.

“You know it was necessary!” the other retorted, a taller man with odd metal eyes and a claw for a right hand. “You shouldn’t have beached security!”

“I wasn’t about to let him die,” mushroom man replied waving him off as Duo managed to regain his feet at Hiiro’s side.

“It’s irrelevant now,” another interjected quirking his pencil thin mustache with a pointed smile.

“Quite,” the one with the fake nose agreed. “He’s returned the hybrid. That’s all that matters.”

Hiiro was starting to get the gist of things now and it was seriously making his down feathers crawl.

“The Mad Five,” he said softly next to Duo’s cheek.

“How’d you guess?” the demon quipped still not looking all that well as he clung to Hiiro’s side for support but Hiiro didn’t see the first thing funny about this development. These were the men that were responsible for everything. They had been the ones to first implement the technology that created the hybrids and set the cogs turning causing the war, the death of countless beings and ultimately the extinction of not only every hybrid on the planet but Hiiro’s own clan as well. Everyone had thought them dead. Well, he saw no reason to upset their beliefs.

“NO!” Duo barked as the five men suddenly clutched at their throats and sank to their knees gasping for air. “You can’t!”

“Watch me,” Hiiro retorted standing tall as he tightened his hold.

“I know,” Duo tried to reason. “You’re right, they deserve to die but without their help I wouldn’t be here!” he pleaded. “You have to trust me!” he added looking so desperate that Hiiro found he couldn’t oppose him and released them. He could kill them later when it was more convenient. No sense upsetting Duo.

“NO! YOU CAN’T DO THAT! YOU”LL KILL US ALL YOU FOOL!”

The Generals shout gained all their attention. Hiiro’s jaw just about hit the floor when he saw Treize standing beside the bomb, a small remote in his hand that was blinking a sequence of numbers in reverse as he leaned casually against the black box with a satisfied smirk on his face.

“You’ve got three minutes to go home,” he told the stunned Eaglet.

“You idiot!” the General fumed as his men scrambled to evacuate but the man knew there was no way to escape the impending explosion now. They’d never get out of the mountain before it went up.

“Time to go,” mushroom head said smartly turning back toward the portal. “Duo?” he called back over his shoulder.

“The cross,” the demon inquired of his lover but when he opened his hand the key was gone.

“Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble?” Treize asked coolly dangling the missing cross from his fingers. The five men didn’t reply but stepped back from the portal just the same.

“What’re you doing?” Hiiro asked helping Duo closer to the shimmering gateway.

“We’re human,” Treize smiled. “We don’t belong in your world.”

“But you’ll die!” Hiiro objected glancing at the rapidly declining numbers.

“Then don’t let our deaths be in vain,” the man replied tossing the little cross to the Eaglet. “Live well my friend,” he smiled taping his fingers on the display to remind him he had less than thirty seconds to make good his escape.

“Treize,” Hiiro breathed wishing he could snatch him up and toss in into the gate but he already had Duo to deal with. He felt the stinging of a tear in the corner of his eye as he turned toward the gate following Duo’s lead as he reached out with the cross toward the surface, the moment it touched the shimmering light it burst to life once again.

Hiiro could hear it calling, a million voices screaming his name, pulling him, drawing him../ praising him as if he actually were the God Duo had once claimed him to be. Were these the spirits of the ones that had been lost? It crossed his mind to wonder why Duo had also called him the King of Zion. Zion, utopia, heaven, the ultimate society of peace and balance. Did he really have to die to find such a place? He really didn’t think so. Duo had never actually said he was going to kill him. This wasn’t death, it was a rebirth, a beginning and whatever lay on the other side of the glimmering, shifting glass didn’t really matter; he was with Duo and that was enough. He spared a thankful look back at his selfless keeper and smiled before stepping through the portal by his lover’s side.

They barely had enough time to clutch each other tightly before the force of the blast blew them both off their feet slamming them into a hard stone wall. When Hiiro looked up the portal had vanished forever stranding them in whatever dimension Duo had led them to.

“You wanna get your foot outta my ass?” the demon quipped as they disentangled themselves but the joke was lost on his grieving mate. “I’m sorry” he offered slipping his arms around his neck in an effort to ease the pain. “He loved you all very much,” he noted kissing him on the corner of his mouth gently. Hiiro was on his way to easing his grief by drowning himself in his lovers warm heat when a delightfully familiar, sing song voice sounded near by.

“Welcome home,” Quatre smiled his glowering smile.

“Quatre?” Hiiro breathed not really trusting his ears but his eyes confirmed that not only was the radiant foal standing there, he was flanked on either side by the smiling faces of Trowa and Wufei.

“Where are we?” Hiiro asked only mildly surprised to find his brothers whole and unharmed. He was overjoyed to have it confirmed but his heart had never allowed him to believe Duo could have harmed them.

“Welcome to Zion,” Duo smiled beaming as he stepped up to the high, arched window in the wall. Hiiro felt as if he’d just cracked the shell on the birth of a new universe as his sharp, cobalt eyes beheld his demons idea of Heaven.

His breath stilled, his blood slowing to a steady thrum as he looked into the bright blue sky where a million and more fluttering white dots soared across its endless expanse as far as even his own eagle eyes could see. He could hear them, the great white eagles of his origin, calling to him on a level unheard by any but his own elated heart. One of the largest, a lead male with a wing span of at least seven feet, swooped down, an ear splitting cry piercing the air as he hovered for a moment outside the window then dove out of sight. Hiiro had understood him as clearly as if it had been his own tongue speaking the word. A welcome and pledge of fealty to their God.

“They’ve been waiting for you,” Duo smiled resting his soft chestnut head on Hiiro’s shoulder as he gazed out at the glorious vision of the eagle spotted sky.

“How can this be?” the Eaglet asked through the joy streaming down his face.

“The five brought them here when the war first began,” Duo explained.

“And look,” Quatre gushed unable to contain his glee as the others joined them. “There are more,” he smiled glowering brightly in the strong midmorning sun. “Lots more,” he grinned as Hiiro’s knees wobbled slightly under the weight of what his eyes perceived.

They were in a castle. A huge, old, towering castle that over looked a valley and town but all Hiiro could see were the thousands of hybrids emerging from the forest, walking down the streets, launching themselves into the air on spotted wings or leathery appendages, each with a smile on their face and a song in their hearts.

Just about the time Hiiro felt his heart could get no fuller he noticed the purebreds by their sides. Hawks; bears and tigers. Lions, the great white eagles and UNICORNS! Hundreds of them! All glowering in the cool shadows of the trees. His chest exploded in an uncontrollable fit of laugher as several huge, scaly beasts burst from the dense canopy below spouting long pillars of fire into the sky.

“Dragons!” Hiiro exclaimed in wondrous joy. Duo had been right all along. This was heaven in every sense of the word. What’s more, each and ever creature of the land, sea and sky bowed a knee to Great White Eagle, The King of Zion… the keeper of Shinigami’s heart.

Hiiro took that last part a lot more seriously than the rest. It turned out this land pretty much ruled itself as was the way with all wild creatures. In the end all he had to do was help keep the delicate balance but that too seemed to naturally take care of itself. The eagles wanted nothing more from him than to allow them to worship him. They would bring him treasures from time to time, a pretty rock taken from a mountain top or a particularly lovely flower. Hiiro found it a great thrill to fly with them arching through the sky with a flock of thousands in his wake as they played in the clear blue, endless expanse he now called his home. When it came right down to it Hiiro really was the last of his kind, there were no other Eagle hybrids even in this world. This had not been the case for either Quatre or Wufei. Trowa wasn’t completely singular either but the felines had proven remarkably difficult to culminate so his kinsmen were few and far between. No one had yet figured out just what Duo was yet and he took great delight in keeping the secret. Truth be told, Hiiro figured he probably didn’t know himself.

It hadn’t really occurred to the fledgling before he found himself at the head of a society of hybrids that his father had been the one to head up the war against the humans when they attacked. His leadership, dedication and willingness to forgive and work with the mad five had led to this end which was the main reason the creatures of Zion desperately wanted to honor Hiiro as their king. It was really in his fathers name that he’d accepted the role. He didn’t mind, it wasn’t taxing and came with a shit load of perks such as the love and respect of every living being on the planet. There was no petty squabbling among hybrids though they tended to be territorial. For the most part they ended their own disputes having the compassion of their human sides to keep them from ripping each other to shreds. It was actually a very harmonious kingdom all in all, each respecting the other. It left a lot of time for his favorite pastime… adoring Duo. The wraith seemed pretty happy with that as well.

Quatre and Trowa agreed to live in the castle with them but Wufei had managed to set himself up as the new leader of the local Dragon Clan. It became clear very quickly why the others had been subjected to the endless, insatiable sexual appetite of the raven hared whelp when they discovered that this was how the beasts chose their leaders. Wufei had worked his way happily through dozens of opponents male and female before they finally crowned him their king. He still made it very clear he’d be open to accepting any one of them, save Quatre, as a submissive lover, especially Duo. It appeared that once was definitely not enough. It was more than Hiiro was willing to tolerate however so the dragon continued his indecent proposals without success.

It took a long time for Trowa to warm up to the deceitful demon. His rage over the supposed lost of Quatre still haunted him from time to time. It wasn’t uncommon for the lion cub to stand between the demon and his mate whenever possible. Hiiro had to wonder if it was fear for Quatre’s safety, his chastity or if maybe the lion just hadn’t realized how often he was caught staring at Duo’s fine, little ass.

~ * ~

tbc...

Chapter Epilogue

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