The Keystone Quest
A Gundam Wing alternate universe story
by Nikholas "Katana" F. Toledo


���������������������� Chapter First : Convergence


����� "Out of the way, old man!"

����� The battered pile of bones and rags crouched at the side of the
forest path evaded the irate gray rider's parting kick and scuttled away
into the bushes... only to be painfully rolled in the dust yet again.� A
spirited black stallion burst onto the second shady lane from seemingly
out of nowhere and raced past him, missing by just a hair's breadth.

����� He lay there, motionless, for a few seconds, the pain ringing
through his limbs, and it took a monumental struggle to get into a
sitting position and examine his battered body for wounds.� Strong yet
gentle hands did the job for him, and he looked up, surprised, into a
pair of eyes that were the color of the deep sea.

����� "Are you all right?"

����� The sincere, solicitous inquiry caught the beggar off-guard, and he
could only manage an abbreviated shake of the head in reply.� A
convulsive shutting of the apple-green eyes and a low moan followed the
movement as the agony suddenly focused into a point at his shoulder,
white-hot sensation lancing up to explode in his head.

����� "My name is Quatre Winner," the blonde boy --- *He is little more
than that,* the beggar thought --- went on, helping him to his feet and
up onto his mount's back.� "I'd best take you to the nearest town.� You
need to see a healer, and I must apologize for not doing the job myself.
I may be a shaman's son, but I'm afraid I know very little of the healing
arts."� He swung himself into the saddle behind his injured charge,
wrapping his arms securely around him, then flicked the reins.� "Let's
go, Sandrock."

����� Both of them blinked in surprise as they entered the township of
Escantra.� The market square was filled to bursting with row upon row of
stalls that sold all sorts of goods, staffed by men and women in a riot
of colorful garments.� Children frolicked joyously in the cobbled
streets, darting nimbly through the crush.� The fragrances of a thousand
blooms rode on the gently wafting breezes, cheek by jowl with the
appetizing aromas of a hundred kinds of food.

����� "Herbs!� Herbs for sale here!� Get your healing herbs here!"

����� Quatre slid off and led his horse into the row.� "Good day, sir,"
he said to the first seller, a slightly stooped man with sparse salt-and-
pepper hair.� "Ah... would you have any painkilling preparations?
Something with knotleaf and blue glove-flowers and... and..."� He trailed
off, racking his brains for the herbs his father used to treat ailing
clan members with.� *Why don't I know anything about this... he never had
to use them on me, did he?*

����� A youthful voice, roughened only slightly by years on the streets,
sliced razor-sharp into his thoughts right then.� "You're asking *him*?
You'll have better luck asking a stone for water, believe me.� He won't
have anything to offer you."

����� "And do you?"� Quatre turned around and shot the other seller his
best glare.

����� "Of course I do," the boy said haughtily, tossing his long,
chestnut-brown braid over one shoulder as if he'd been mortally insulted.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his booth's slender
uprights, purple eyes snapping.� "I supply everyone in this fair with the
herbs they need.� If you want something to use in your spells, I'm the
man can get it for you.� I'm a healer myself.� The name's Duo Maxwell."

����� Quatre drew closer.� "Then you have the ones I named?� My... my
companion needs them very badly," and he waved a hand toward his horse
and his silent passenger.� "He met an accident on the road going here."

����� "You don't say."� Duo swung his long limbs into action, small hands
diving into the piles of herbs.� "Knotleaf, check... blue glove-
flowers... you'll need golden bells and feathertwigs, here they are...
and you'll need a pinch of pineheart to top it all off, but where the
hell...?"� Colorful invective burst from his lips and the furrow between
his eyebrows deepened as he realized his search was futile.� "Damn.
Well, it seems I've run out of the stuff... maybe you can just come back
tomorrow?"

����� "Duo."� Quatre turned on him, unusual force lighting up his eyes.
"Please, Duo, I... we need them and we need them now."

����� *'m I going deaf, or did this kid just use a Voice on me?� Is he a
spellcaster on top of all this altruistic stuff?� Doesn't look like he
and his passenger know each other.� Well, it's about time for us to break
up anyway....*� "Come with me then, you two.� And make sure you get a
real good grip on your purse, Quatre," he called over his shoulder.
"Whole lot of folks here'd give up the Double Keys in exchange for the
gold you've got."

����� The blonde caught his breath and almost stopped.� *No, he didn't
really say that... did he?� Gods, help me see what is true.*� He cast a
glance over to where the beggar remained impassive atop Sandrock, then
shifted his eyes to follow the braid as it moved jauntily through the
streets.� *Is it them?� Would they know anything of the five Cardinals?*

��������������������������������� ~ * ~

����� "Where's it hurt?� Tell me where it's painful, man."� Duo crushed
the painkilling herbs into a poultice with a single twisting movement of
his wrist, adding a little warm water, before approaching the old man,
whom Quatre had laid carefully onto the only mat in the room.

����� "Shoulder."� The stranger's voice was a youthful baritone with a
definite northern accent, surprising the others.� "The black horse kicked
me there when I rolled away.� And I've got a name... you can call me
Trowa.� I'm of the house of Barton from Tarque."

����� Duo slathered the preparation onto the indicated spot and stood
back, chewing reflectively on the end of his braid, as Quatre insisted on
bandaging the green paste into place himself.� "All right, that's
settled.� Now, listen to me," and his tones became commanding, "I want
you to get some sleep, Trowa.� I mean real rest... absolutely no movement
if you can help it.� And it looks like you need some of it, too,
Quatre... you can use my cot if you want, it's over there."

����� "Thanks, but I don't need anything.� And it's very nice to meet
you, Trowa."� Quatre pushed the cowl of his tunic back and hunkered down
within an arm-length's distance from the old man.� The unknotted cords on
his white shirt loosened further, revealing the Key of Water where it
hung over his heart.� He noticed none of that, not even the fact that the
talisman was beginning to pulse, suffusing his slender frame with radiant
blue light.

����� "Got two of those," Duo said suddenly, pointing to Quatre's key,
and began to dig through his pockets for a key made of brown rock, shot
through with green crystal veins.� "Something I got from by my teacher.
Helps me cure people and stuff.� And that's a damn sight more'n I can say
for the other one."� The braided healer wrapped a few lengths of cloth
around his left hand and plunged it into a chest near the window, coming
up with a red crystal key that radiated waves of heat.� "Gods know what
I'm keeping this thing for... I just can't let go of it!"

����� The throbbing talisman mesmerized the others, and Quatre reached
out to touch it with a "May I?"� In the next instant, he jerked his hand
away and thrust two fingers into his mouth.� "It's hot! But I never
touched it, I swear!"

����� "That will only mean one thing."� Trowa shifted over to look at
him.� "That must be the Key of Fire, and it burns like that because none
of us here is its true owner... you might say it's in waiting.� Duo has
the Key of Earth and Quatre the Key of Water.� Three talismans, all at
once... what a coincidence that we all meet here and now."

����� "Why, you got a key yourself as well?"� Duo replaced the red key in
its hiding place, dropped his own talisman into his pocket, and went to
squat down beside Quatre.

����� "None right now... I'm searching for one, to tell you the truth."
Trowa turned over again so that he was facing the others.� "I'm not
really an old man.� I was spelled into this form until I could find the
Key of Wind.� Princess Catherine --- my sister --- must've really wanted
me dead this time.� She's been plotting against me ever since I was born,
you see."

����� "Then you're the prince I saw once --- but I thought the spell
killed you!"� At the others' expressions, Quatre went red and explained
hastily, "I've been training as a scryer for as long as I can remember,
but I really wasn't that strong till I got the Key of Water.� The first
time I used it, I got a strange vision... I saw a young man in chain mail
suddenly grow old in the space of a few seconds.� And there was this
person in a cloak pointing at him, some sort of energy dancing around the
fingertips... it was the spell, wasn't it?"

����� Trowa answered the question with one of his own.� "Did you see the
spellcaster's face?"

����� "No, I'm afraid not... I got scared.� I thought I was seeing
things.� I'm really sorry that I can't help you!"

����� "It's all right, but trust me, you weren't.� What does it matter
anyway," and the patient shrugged painfully.� "It can only be
Catherine... she's the only one who's strong enough, who's determined
enough."

����� Duo's eyebrows scurried into his hairline at the animated exchange.
*What was that I heard again about souls being joined together?*� He
jumped up and began to walk around aimlessly, shoving his braid into his
mouth again.� "Seems we're being drawn together 'round one of you," he
muttered under his breath.

����� "Excuse me?"� Quatre looked up at the comment.

����� "I saw your reaction earlier when I mentioned the Double Keys.� You
looked like someone had just punched you right in the gut.� Got you where
it really hurts, like.� Care to explain?"

����� "Someone's trying to wield them," two voices replied.� Blue eyes
looked confusedly into green ones for a moment and then Quatre blushed
again, while Trowa looked carefully at the featureless stone-gray
ceiling.

����� *Score is one to me and none to them,* Duo thought.� "Like I said
earlier, someone or something wants the Cardinals all together, and
pretty damn quick at that.� The things you just said... so that makes it
a mission to save the world, and the lucky people?� Take a guess."� His
eyes swept the room and its occupants.� "I don't know about you guys, but
I'm all for doing it, taking on this mission."

����� "So am I... that's why I'm here," Quatre said.� "My father sent me
to find the other talismans and their holders.... "

����� "Count me in as well," Trowa said, lifting himself up to a sitting
position.� "I admit I set out for selfish reasons, but I'm with you, Duo,
Quatre.� I'm on your side.� Let's search for the others."

��������������������������������� ~ * ~

����� "Hope you don't mind if we take a shortcut," Duo said as he walked
out into the pre-dawn chill two days later, hugging himself through his
doubled tunics.� "I want to stop in Kariyon first... it's a shrine town
some way from here.� Just want to say some prayers, I guess.� Something
tells me I won't be coming back here for a long time."

����� "Don't say that," Trowa admonished him lightly as he hobbled to
Quatre's side, leaning heavily on a tall staff of rootrock wood.� "You're
just imagining things."

����� "Okay, okay."� The braided healer looked anxiously at the eastern
horizon, then grabbed the horse's reins from Quatre and started walking.
"Let's go... always best to get a head start on the sun."

����� It was quiet, uneventful going until they came to a fork in the
path.� Duo smacked himself upside the head and exploded, "Damn it!� What
a time to forget a thing like this... which way is it to Kariyon again?"
He sat down heavily in the dirt beside a footsore Trowa, his forlorn
stare alternating between the two branches.

����� Quatre grabbed the water flask from him and took out a battered
mirror from one of Sandrock's packs, then settled down beside the others.
"Anyone need a drink?"

����� "You go, you and Trowa," Duo sighed.� "Looks to me like we're stuck
here anyway."

����� The old man handed the bottle back to the blonde with a quiet
"Thanks."

����� Quatre poured out a little water into the center of the mirror,
which he'd placed on the grass before them.� "Here, maybe I can help
you."� He pulled off the Key of Water and began to mutter under his
breath: "Water let me see, water let me know. Tell me what's to be, tell
me where to go."� The talisman slashed a blue crescent into the puddle
and immediately it spread outward to the mirror's edges, shimmering like
a second skin.

����� "Do you see anything?"� Trowa leaned over the blonde and peered at
the mirror as well.

����� Quatre blew onto the surface and concentrated, clutching his key in
both hands.� "Right path will lead us straight to nowhere," he intoned.
"We're not going there, at least not yet.� Not until the star rises.
Left takes us to where a fire burns for all time infinite."

����� "That's it!� Quatre, you're a genius," and Duo leapt up, shaking
the slightly smaller boy's shoulders with vigorous joy.� "The stronghold
of the Light Eternal is in Kariyon, and that's where we can find my old
friend Wufei... come on, let's go!"

����� In many ways, Kariyon was the complete opposite of Escantra.
Merchants and customers haggled and bartered in the latter's streets all
day; only silent and subdued pilgrims walked with them here, among the
stately temples.� Escantra threw its doors open to everyone who came
along and welcomed them with color and laughter; subdued chanting and
muted prayers were all that could be heard in Kariyon.

����� "This could be a pretty good place to hide out, I think," Duo said,
quietly for once, as they eased past a group of black-clad supplicants.
"Nobody here'd suspect people like us to be holding the Cardinals."

����� "Nobody but the temple-dwellers, and anyone who can sense us."
Trowa's voice was dryly certain of that fact.

����� "Any weakling with the slightest hint of Sight can see right
through us," Quatre added out of the corner of his mouth.

����� "Here we are."� They stopped outside a temple that was nothing more
or less than a gigantic brick pagoda.� Its winged eaves and vibrant reds
gave it the appearance of a great phoenix arrested in preflight, a
complete contrast to the sprawling, low shrines all around.� "I wonder if
Wufei ever did become one of them?"� Duo put his hand to the brass
knocker and banged it on the wooden doors three times.

����� "Welcome to the Fires, pilgrims."� The tenor voice resounded around
them and they all looked up, expecting to see a middle-aged and tonsured
monk.� Instead, a slim, slightly built figure appeared before them,
dressed in a teal-blue cowled robe that was cinched at the waist with a
white rope.� A multihued dragon reared up over his chest, mouth open and
nostrils flaring.� "Wish you to petition the gods?� Enter and follow me."

����� "Is that you, Wufei?� Two years sure have changed you a whole lot,"
Duo said as they went after him into the complex.� "Do you remember me?
I sure hope you do... I taught you everything I know about healing and
herbs... you'd better say you still know me.... "

����� The young monk turned around again to face the three sojourners,
his hood slipping off to reveal the jet-black hair that he wore in a
ponytail at the scruff of his neck.� "Duo Maxwell," he said quietly.� "I
cannot forget my debts to you... but I must, for I belong to my brothers
now.� I am Wufei Chang, Keeper of the Flames, and none more."

����� "My name is Quatre Winner," the blonde introduced himself as he
lent his shoulder to a staggering Trowa.� "This is Trowa Barton with me."

����� They stepped into a huge chamber that reached up to the entire
height of the building.� The great flames that roared up in the center
lit up the stark black walls, throwing shadows that twisted and moved as
if living.� Quatre fell to his knees and clenched his hands together, the
fingers locking into place; beside him, the old man sat down painfully,
still leaning on his staff.

����� Duo bowed his head and began to pray for the three of them.� "Heed
our prayers, eternal gods.� We three seek the Keys of Wind and Spirit,
seek the other bearers, seek the Star of Completion.� Help us to find 
them.� Send them favorable winds... grant Quatre the eyes to see them...
let the paths of the mother earth guide us to them.� We who assemble in
obedience to your will petition you... hear us."

����� Wufei remained standing at the entrance, but he was completely
mesmerized by what the boy had said.� When he had been invested with his
acolyte's habit his superiors had cautioned him at length against
following the footsteps of one Treize Khushrenada.� A brilliant historian
by nature, he had turned his attention to deciphering the verboten Black
Scrolls, and had been cast away in the hope that he would repent of his
madness.� It was a useless hope, as it soon came to pass that the man
actually obtained the Double Keys for himself.

����� *Only the Black Scrolls of all the world's documents speak about
the Twins.� The Star of Completion is the only thing that can stop them,
the five Cardinal Keys joined together... and these three are out looking
for them!*� Wufei looked at them for a long moment, really looked, and
then was overwhelmed as the energy fields surrounding the unlikely trio
manifested themselves to him.� *The old man's glow is weak, but his power
is there, waiting beneath the surface... blue clouds surround Quatre, and
Duo burns with green and brown and... red?*� For some strange reason, he
felt his own powers quickening, burning again as they did.

����� As they strolled outside in the gardens, Duo turned to him and said
with admiration, "I never knew that they had you tending the Eternal
Flames themselves, Wufei.� It must be a real honor for you."

����� "I do what I can and hope for the best."� Wufei looked down
thoughtfully at his hands.� "It is enough that my brothers trust me with
so much."

����� "Well, we'd best be going," the healer said as Quatre and Trowa
joined them, once again in the foyer.� "The sun's well on its way...
neither the strongest breeze nor the coldest water can help parched earth
or spirits when the fires burn hottest.� We've still got a ways to go
besides.� May the mother earth smile on you, Wufei."

����� "Winds of peace blow upon your soul," Trowa said, lifting a shaky
hand.

����� "Life's waters run deep for you."� Quatre's words completed the
blessing.

����� "May the Light Eternal shine upon your paths and lead you to what
you're searching for," the cleric answered them, mirroring Trowa's
gesture as they turned away.

����� But they weren't fast enough.� Bright sunlight suddenly flashed and
sparked off the blue key hanging from Quatre's neck, and the red and
brown keys that dangled from Duo's wrists.� The fiery-hued talisman
slowly slid off his left hand and Wufei reached out with a strangled cry,
hoping against hope to halt its inexorable progress towards the tiled
marble floor....

����� The Key of Fire flew straight at him as Duo let it go, knocking him
head over heels and branding its impression across the dragon's face.� He
sat up with a grunt and felt his eyes widen to saucer-size as he stared
at the crystal artifact, lying innocuously in his lap.

����� "You're its owner, then."� Trowa's calm and satisfied voice
penetrated his shell-shocked consciousness, and he looked up to see the
three adventurers smiling at him.

����� "Your prayer found him for us, Duo," Quatre said with a smile as he
tucked the Key of Water back into his shirt.

����� "Didn't you scry him out for us?"� Duo hauled Wufei to his feet and
said in all seriousness, "That the Key of Fire found you like this... it
only means one thing, Wufei.� You've got to come with us.� You've been
chosen to fight the bastard who's trying to destroy the world with the
power of the Double Keys.� We need your help, Wufei."

����� "I must consult with my brothers first...."

����� "There is no need, my son."� Another, more aged monk stepped out to
join them there, the golden rope that wound around his waist an
undeniable mark of his authority.� "I am Father Shen, First Keeper of the
Light Eternal," he said to the three youths.� He turned back to Wufei.
"I command you to go with these children of the gods.� Hear this, Wufei
Chang, your mission is twofold: you are to bind the Double Keys and you
are to bring back our fallen brother Treize Khushrenada to the light.

����� "At your ordination, I charged you with the duty of making sure
that the Light Eternal stays true to its name.� I charge you with it
again, as you set off.� Do you accept this trust?"

����� "I hear, I obey, and I accept."� Wufei bowed deeply to his
superior.� "I take my leave of you, my father."

����� "Go with the Light Eternal!"

��������������������������������� ~ * ~

����� "At this rate, we'll be at the foot of Mt. Dorroon by sundown."
Wufei took a battered, cracking map out of his rucksack and peered at it
through the small reading glasses that were perched atop his nose.� "And,
if we hurry, we should be over it by tomorrow evening, and then we'll be
in the Dusky Forest.� We'll be much safer there, because it hides magic."

����� "But I'm tired," Duo whined as he sat down on a rock in the center
of the clearing.� "Been walking since before the sun went up.� Have a
heart, Wufei, can't we rest here for the night?"

����� Trowa hobbled over to the foot of the rock and sat down as well.
"It has been a long walk, I agree, but I don't think you'd want to sleep
on the forest floor tonight.� Foul winds are blowing, you know."

����� Quatre did the same, letting the aged wanderer lean against his
back.� "He's right.� And make that wet forest floor.� It's going to
rain."� He closed his eyes and folded himself into a loose ball of
muscle, making him look even more diminutive than usual.

����� *Awake, awake, chosen ones!� Awake and let me show you the way.*

����� Four pairs of eyes looked at each other in surprise and then swept
the clearing, but to no avail until Trowa raised a shaking finger.
"There she is!"

����� A huge white flame blazed some distance away, enfolding within a
beautiful woman dressed in shimmering, sparkling silver.� Even as her
blue hair curtained off part of her face, the visible blue eye gleamed
with unmistakable warmth.� *Come, come with me and I shall lead you to
safety.� You are the chosen ones who wield the Cardinal Keys.� Follow me,
I know where the last talismans can be found.� I am named Noin.*� She
approached the group clustered on the rock and leaned down to touch
Trowa's aged features with long, gentle fingers.� *I thank you for
heeding my call.� For that, I shall break your enchantment, old man...
but I must ask you again to follow me.*

����� "I'm with you.� Come on, Trowa."� Quatre came back to life, helping
the old man to his feet and helping him onto Sandrock.� "Let's go before
the storm catches us.� Anyplace ought to be better than here."

����� "Wait!"� Wufei leapt to his feet, saying heatedly, "Why are you in
such a hurry to go with her?� For all we know, she's bait for some trap."

����� *You do not trust me, Cardinal Fire, but I do not slight you.
Please, I mean none of you any harm.*� Noin's voice was musical, silver
tinkling like wind chimes.� *Follow, yes, follow me,* and she danced
ahead into the forest growth, calling out, *Cardinal Spirit!� Awake, for
I bring the others to you!*

��������������������������������� ~ * ~

����� "My name is Heero Yuy," the young man who was dressed almost
exactly like Quatre said as he led the group in.� "Welcome, you who seek
the Cardinal Keys.� You've already met Noin --- she is my guardian and
the only family I've got."� The silver spirit hovered attentively behind
him, spreading her arms to shelter him with her presence, seemingly
vanishing for a moment as a fork of lightning split the suddenly stormy
sky.

����� Duo looked about him, saucer-eyed and open-mouthed at the organized
mess of the stone chamber.� At his feet was a large, multicolored star
diagram drawn on the rocky floor itself, open circles surrounding each of
the five points.� Overhead was a round hole in the ceiling, but none of
the driving rain came in, held back by an invisible ward.� Bales and
chests cluttered the rest of the space, but for the natural hearth in one
side and the pile of rushes beside it.

����� *The Key of Wind, Cardinal Spirit,* Noin prompted him.� *One among
them is spelled... we must restore Cardinal Wind to his true form.*

����� Heero nodded to her and pulled a colorless glassine key from a
container near his bed.� "One among you requires this," he said formally,
echoing his guardian's words.� "Let it find its true owner."� He released
it into the center of the room and it hung over the star for a few
moments, catching the firelight, before drifting lazily toward the
grouped adventurers.

����� Trowa got to his feet, fortuitously stepping onto the white circle
at the third point, and held out his hands to the floating talisman.� As
soon as he touched it, he disappeared in a brilliant flash of light,
brighter than even Noin herself.

����� He was a completely different person when they opened their eyes.
The gold chain of his short black cape now stood out vividly against the
red of his long-sleeved shirt, tucked into gray chain-mail trousers.
Black knee-boots struck sparks from the stone as he raised his double-
edged sword to them in a salute and the Key of Wind glowed once more
before merging into the chased metal, leaving its imprint on the sword
guard.� He stood taller than anyone else among them now, and his apple-
green eyes glowed with an intense fire, fierce and warm, even through the
red-brown hair that fell over his face.

����� "T-Trowa?� Is that... is that you?"� Quatre's tremulous voice
finally broke the stunned silence.

����� "This is my true form," he acknowledged as he sheathed his weapon.
"I am Prince Trowa of the house of Barton, only son and heir to the
throne of the principality of Tarque."� He thought the last sentence
over, then corrected himself with a smile for his shell-shocked friends.
"Well, not any more, since Catherine's spell worked exactly the way she
wanted it to.� *She's* the heir now, which is something she has always
wanted anyway, so I'm really just another Tarquen male, for all intents
and purposes."

����� *Convergence at last,* Noin cried out with a ringing laugh of pure
joy.� *Cardinals five, complete at long last!� Too long have we waited
for this... ah, far too long indeed.*� She held out her hands, beckoning
them to stand.� *Now, chosen ones... it is my privilege and duty to
bestow your full powers upon you.� Rise, and let the Keys lead you to
where you must stand.*

����� As soon as Quatre stepped to the point encircled with blue, he
pulled off his talisman and held it out to the center, an irresistible
force moving his hands.� The others did the same, save for Heero, who
held nothing but a key-shaped light in his open palm and Trowa who held
his sword point down.� *Oh yes,* the scryer thought, *the Key of Wind
merged with the prince's --- with Trowa's sword.� As for Heero... that
must be the Key of Spirit with him... so that's what it looks like!*� The
five talismans touched and Noin's flames blazed up at the point of
contact, directly under the natural skylight.

����� *I ask you, Cardinals... do you do this willingly, without
coercion, without reservations?� Do you accept your powers?*� Five
spheres dropped straight into the center of the circle from the black sky
as she spoke --- shimmering silver, green banded with brown, clear
crystal, azure blue, red flecked with yellow and orange --- and began to
orbit the silver spirit's outstretched hand.

����� "We come of our own free will," the five of them said in chorus.
"We accept!"

����� *Then it is done!� Let the Keys unlock their wielders!� Let the
Star of Completion rise at last!*� The spheres hung in front of them for
a small eternity and then slammed straight into their chests.� One by one
the youths dropped to the floor, explosively breaking the circle.� Trowa
wrapped his arms around a ghastly-pale Quatre and Duo heaved himself to a
crumpled Heero's side, while Wufei staggered back against the wall and
slid down into a sitting position.

��������������������������������� ~ * ~

����� The repeated blows against his external ward system left actual
bruises on Heero's already-battered body and he stood up amidst the
rushes, rubbing frantically at his eyes.

����� In the corner near him, Duo raised his head and then, seeing the
shocked hermit's face, took his place in front of him.� One word ---
"Shieldweave!" --- brought a complicated tangle of vines and plants
bursting up from the floor, undulating protectively around the literally
cornered pair.� He threw a grin over his shoulder at Heero and then
doubled up his fists in front of his face, readying himself for battle.

����� Wufei opened his black eyes and strode to the center of the
chamber, bands of fire forming around his blue-swathed wrists.� As the
first intruders --- bat-like demons --- swept in, he let out an enraged
howl and the fires reached upward to cover his hands with flaming
gauntlets in the shapes of dragon claws.� "You cannot defeat me," he
sneered as he struck them down.� "*I am Cardinal Fire!*"

����� "Stay behind me, Quatre. I'll protect you... even to the death.� I
owe you that much."� Trowa stepped neatly to stand before the blonde that
he had been holding in his arms only moments earlier and drew his
enchanted sword.� Strong winds roared up around the two of them, building
up quickly to tornado-force and forming an impenetrable barrier between
them and the black beasts.

����� "Owe me...?� I don't understand you!"� Despite the shields, the
horrified boy couldn't help but crouch down a little lower as three of
the hideous demons wheeled by, too close... and got their wings sheared
off cleanly by the raging winds.

����� "I owe you a debt of blood, Quatre, and it is a debt that may not
be repaid until death," the taller warrior replied as he began to hack
through his own shield, leaving it unharmed but adding a black corpse to
the floor with each swift stroke.� "My life is yours... it has been since
you saved me.� To the best of my abilities, I am to protect you from any
evil, and if it takes my life I shall give it up willingly for you."

����� "But you are a prince, with a people to rule over and a sister to
defeat... the kingdom is yours, after all.... "

����� Trowa turned on Quatre, his eyes intent.� "Catherine can have
everything if she wants it.� My title and bloodright are forfeit... I
have a debt that must be honored."

����� All of a sudden, Quatre found himself looking out at the storm, and
instead of sparkling raindrops he saw hundreds of yellow eyes, gleaming
wickedly in the flashes of lightning.� *They lie in wait for us
outside... they mean to wear us out!� I cannot let this happen!*
"Enough!" he screamed, loud enough to overcome the frantic sounds of
battle.� They all stopped and looked at him: Heero and Duo, who had
joined their powers into a single shimmering swaying shield --- Wufei who
was knee-deep in black ash --- Trowa who had paused with his sword in
mid-slash.� "Enough.� This battle must be ended."� He straightened up and
raised the Key of Water high over his head, and his cry reverberated
through the very stones: "SHARDS!"

����� High, keening shrieks rose up around them in response, causing them
all to clap their hands over their ears and close in on themselves.� As
soon as it began, it ended and it was a long moment before Duo broke the
physical silence: "I'm going to check out what happened."� He strode out,
braid twitching down his back, ignoring Heero's half-articulated cry of
warning.

����� He returned quickly, holding his left hand behind his back.
"Quatre," he asked the greatly weakened seer as he slumped to the floor,
"are you sure you called your spell off?"

����� "He says yes."� Trowa cradled the stricken youth in his arms again.

����� "Not soon enough."� Duo raised his hand, and everyone gasped at the
jagged slice of crystal that was embedded in the palm.� "But boy, did it
ever work.� There was a whole lot more of those demons out there, just
waiting for us to tire out!"

����� Heero drew him to his side and pulled out the offending shard,
eliciting a yelp from his patient.� At the word "Lifelight", his
fingertip began to glow silver, and he drew it down the bleeding line,
closing the gap and healing the wound.� "There," he said and looked at
Duo's hand critically, checking for any signs of scar tissue.� "Does that
feel better?"

����� "Oh, very much. Thanks, Heero." Duo bestowed a brilliant smile on
him, and gently squeezed his hand.

����� "They'll be back, and with more reinforcements," Wufei predicted
darkly, eyes narrowed.� "We'd do well to get out of here and into the
Dusky Forest before they get a chance to regroup."

����� "Good idea,"� Heero said and lay back down on his bed, tugging an
all-too-willing Duo to his side yet again.� He waited until Trowa had
settled Quatre in the center of the room and Wufei had taken up his post
at the cave entrance before completing his statement.� "We leave at
daybreak."

������������������������� ~ end chapter first ~


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ WWW: The Entertainment Capital of UP Village
 Vector, Switch, Yebah, Rain Man, goo, Pervert, Scruples, Hollie, NomaD, 
 Blitz, Gee, Datzo, Jewel, elf, Radler, Pinball, Mayhem, Chaos, Father, 
 Attar, Llewe and Katana @ http://nikholas-f-toledo-zu.webjump.com/ NEW!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------