Dragon Lady

Time's Wheel

Ch.9: The Quest Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own either anime, I just like to play around with the plot.

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Relecos: Beaten Path

The air is thick with the humidity of the evening as the strange sun slowly begins to sink below the horizon. Duo and Hotaru walk side by side down the dirt path leading away from the Black Forest. The ruins of Silveren lie behind them, a gentle wind carrying the smell of smoke that still burns in some parts of the city. Before them, Raven's Peak stretches up to touch the sky, a looming gateway leading to the Demon Lands.

Hotaru grips her glaive tightly, staring up the dizzying heights, which are already making her feel a bit queasy. The path up into the mountains is steep and endless, stretching on and on forever. The silence of the evening allows her thoughts to drift. Even Duo is quiet, appearing to be deep in thought, his normally cheery face drawn and serious.

I wonder what the others are doing right now. I can't imagine the sorrow they must be feeling, they probably all think that I'm dead. I used an attack that was supposed to kill me, instead I get transported to some world I've never heard of with a strange boy from a world that is supposedly my own, yet nothing like it. Hotaru shakes the thought from her head, trying not to think about, knowing that it would only cause her despair.

Serena's probably cheered them right up, she thinks with a smile. I could never imagine her being sad for so long, no matter what happens. Ami's probably immersed in another book, studying to make sure that she is five or so chapters ahead of the class. Lita's definitely cooking or looking for guys, Mina not far behind. Rei's taking care of the temple, sitting in front of the sacred fire, keeping a constant lookout for trouble. She always did take being a scout very seriously.

Amara and Michelle… Hotaru's smile vanishes at the thought of her "other parents". I hope they're okay. I hope they know that I didn't mean to leave them. Hotaru's vision blurs and a single tear trails down her cheek, followed soon by several more. She tilts her head, attempting to hide her sorrow, her raven hair covering her face.

A warm hand covers her shoulder, gripping in tightly, trying to give her comfort. Hotaru raises her head and looks into a pair of bright blue eyes. The face peering down at her smiles brightly, clearing her cloudy mood. Hotaru returns the smile with a trembling grin of her own.

"You okay Hotaru?" Duo asks, concern creeping into his voice.

"Yes, I just have a lot on my mind." She moves away from him, her fake smile broadening. "Is there a place we can stop for the night before we reach Raven's Forest in the Demon Lands?" she asks, changing the subject. "I think that we should probably stop before dark. Veranain said that darkness around here is dangerous, especially this close to the Demon Lands."

Duo reaches into a backpack that Veranain had provided for him and pulls out a worn map, spreading it out on the ground. He looks carefully over the spider web of path, tracing them with one finger. He stops on a small dot where many of the roads intersect. It is a small town in the middle of the mountain range, cradled in valley of Raven's Peak.

"Here," he says, his voice calculating. "There's a small a few miles from the border called Bram. Perhaps there is a chance that we can rest there."

Hotaru nods in agreement. "It looks like a trading town, so I'm sure that there are plenty of places to rest there."

Duo looks at her quizzically. "How do you know that it's a trading town?"

Hotaru leans forward and traces the lines that stretch out in all directions around it. "I don't exactly, but look at all these roads that lead out of the mountains. It's a town in the middle of the mountains with many safe trails leading out. Since it's easier to go through a mountain range than around one, it would also be quicker to trade here. See?"

Duo nods in agreement and roles up the map, placing it back in his backpack. "Alright, it's settled then, we'll stop at Bram for the night."

The trip up the mountain is long and strenuous, full of rocky obstacles. Much to Hotaru's disappointment, she and Duo are often forced to stop due to her running out of breath, having to sit down at least once every hour. She watches in wonder at Duo's tireless energy, never seeming to have the need to rest. The only effects the long hike is having on him is a few annoying beads of sweat that he must brush out of his eyes every so once in a while.

Finally, after the tenth stop, Hotaru finally collapses onto a rock, not knowing whether or not she will be able to get up again. Duo stops his trek and comes to kneel beside her, waiting until she is strong enough to continue.

"Duo, why don't you just go on?" Hotaru suggests tiredly. "Go ahead and get to Bram, I'll catch up with you later, there's no reason for both of us to be stuck up here after dark."

Duo shakes his head and looks up at the starry sky above him. "I think that it may be a little late for that Hotaru, it's already dark, so I'd might as well stay with you."

Hotaru stares at him for a moment, but keeps her mouth shut, knowing perfectly well how useless it would be to try and argue with him.

He drops down beside her, putting his hands under his head, his long chestnut braid swung over his left shoulder, out of the way. He removes his sword from his hip in order to be more comfortable, looking like he has every intention of falling asleep in the middle of a pile of rocks.

Hotaru glances at him lying there and shakes her head, an ironic smile on her face. "You amaze me Duo Maxwell. How can you sleep at a time like this?" She stares at him for a moment longer, expecting him to get up at any moment, but when she doesn't and it is obvious he has decided to take a nap, she lets him sleep for awhile.

The area around her covered in rocks, small clump of trees springing up here and there. Glancing up the path, she winces slightly, realizing how much further they still have to go in order to reach their destination. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Hotaru leans against a nearby tree, allowing her weary body the rest that it needs. Her eyes close and she begins to dose lightly, her breath slowing, her chest gently rising and falling. In a few minutes, she has drifted into a light, dreamless sleep.

Hotaru's eyes snap open as she hears a crash near her. She jerks herself awake, her hand automatically coming to rest on her glaive, her body falling into a defensive stance. She looks around in confusion, trying to figure out what had caused the noise. A faint cracking behind her gives her a second's warning before the tree at her back shatters into a million splinters, sending Hotaru flying.

"Duo!"

The young man is up in a moment and on his feet, sword ready to draw and a look of blatant confusion on his face. Another tree near them explodes and Hotaru is forced to shield her face from the barrage of wood chips that are thrown at her. A large chunk is driven into her thigh and she collapses to the ground in pain, blood soaking through her pants, forming a great splotch of red. Duo rushes over, attempting to shield her from further damage.

"What is this thing?" he cries out.

"I don't know, I can't even see it!" Hotaru yells out in response trying to keep her voice calm.

A large boulder several feet away crumples as if hit by an invisible hammer, sending pieces flying. Duo attempts to attack the source of the chaos by striking a moment after it explodes, but his sword only hits empty air.

"Damn! Where is it?"

A shadow flashes before their eyes and a bestial cry rises up from nowhere. Suddenly, a black figure rises up from the ground, taking a human like form. Steely gray eyes focus on the two companions, a shimmer of light cast by a pale moon reflecting off them. Silvery hair is stirred by a sudden cold wind, lifting strands to cover a pale, thin face. The figure raises a black sword in their defense, shielding the two people behind it.

"It's in front of you human," Luc says quietly, lifting his sword and pointing to a figure in the distance.

Hotaru's eyes widen as the horse-like figure rears, letting loose a savage cry that is carried by the wind, sending shivers up her spine. Wild sulphurous eyes stare at her from a distance, freezing her in her tracks. Its sleek dark form is perfect except for a fresh wound across its neck, which is spilling blood onto the rocky soil. With a last toss of its wild main, it turns and fades away, mist rising from the very earth itself to consume it.

Luc lowers his sword and after a moment sheaths it. He turns and stares at Duo, gray eyes striking blue. He smiles slightly and sweeps away a lock of silvery hair that has fallen into his eyes. "Well, I would most certainly like to know how you beat me if you couldn't even see that Pooka."

Duo glares at him, a look of utter hatred spreading across his face. "What the hell do you mean? And what in the world is a Pooka?"

Luc stares at him, his face grim. "You really aren't from around here are you? A Pooka is what you just saw. They're really quite annoying little demons. They usually don't come to the human world, preferring the darkness, but at night, they are free to come and go as they please here."

Duo scowls, sputtering out incoherent syllables, his sword out and ready.

Hotaru lurches to her feet and shoves Duo aside. "You're the one from the cathedral, aren't you?"

Luc looks down at her, as if seeing her for the first time. Hotaru stretches up to her full height, even though it obviously causes her pain to do so. Even when she is standing as straight as she can, she still barely reaches his chest. Luc smiles wickedly at the small human girl, holding tight to the insult on his lips.

"Yeah, he's the one," Duo replies, assuming that the silence means that he refuses to answer the question.

Pain races through Hotaru's leg and she collapses to the ground at Luc's feet. Her hand grips her thigh tightly, blood pouring from the gaping wound. She closes her eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain, holding back tears that are on the corners of her eyes. I am so foolish. I should have healed this a long time ago! I guess Luc's surprising entrance distracted me form it. Better take of it now.

"Great," Luc mutters. "Now we have an injured girl to take care of. Just what I need."

Hotaru however, ignores him and with a sharp cry, pulls the splinter of wood from her body. Her brow furrows as she begins concentrating on her power to heal her leg. She winces slightly as she feels torn muscles and tendons mending themselves, tiny fibers pulling together, becoming one again. The torn skin stretches over the new muscle, closing the gaping hole in her leg. The blood that had been caked on her leg dries, leaving the skin beneath it feeling dry and tight.

Hotaru opens her eyes and leaning on her glaive, gets back to her feet. She smiles slightly at the shocked look Luc's face, which he immediately covers. Well, at least he's not terrified of me.

A warm hand grips her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm okay Duo, just a little tired."

Duo nods. "So what are you doing here Luc?" he asks, his voice having lost its edge as his anger drains away.

Luc shrugs, his face cast in and I don't really care what you have to say expression. "You're going after the keys to Heaven's Gate, aren't you?"

Duo glances at him quizzically. "So? What's it to ya?"

"Let's just say that I'm not too happy that a little human like you beat me and I want to know how it happened. Since you are going on this little trek, I decided that I would tag a long."

"Just like that?"

Luc doesn't answer, instead, he begins walking back toward the trail, his graceful figure already being swallowed by the darkness around him. Duo runs to catch up, and grabs Luc by the wrist swinging him around to face him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Luc glares at him, looking down upon him from his great height. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel like having to deal with that Pooka again, so I'm going Bram. I highly recommend that you do the same," he says coldly, turning on his heal and continuing up the rising slope.

Duo watches as he moves away, his mouth hanging open. He snaps it shut with a loud click and then smacks himself in the head. "He's just as bad as Heero," Hotaru hears him mutter as she moves beside him.

"Come on Duo, he's right, we can't stay here." Hotaru, moves past him, following the path that Luc is leading them on. After a moment's hesitation, Duo follows.

A chill creeps up Duo's spine as they enter the town of Bram. The dirt streets are completely deserted, the doors of shops tightly shut and latched. Each wooden house is lit up with lights on the inside, small slivers of luminance bending around closed shutters. In the distance, a dog barks, the only alarm to their coming. The pale moon above casts heavy and long shadows on the town, making the things of darkness come alive. The silence creeps along the streets like the dead, looming around every corner, part of every shadow.

Duo's eyes sweep the silent town and after a moment, he lets out a low whistle. I haven't seen a place this silent for awhile. "What is going on here? Why is this place so deserted?"

"It's not deserted," Luc replies evenly. "Everyone is inside when darkness falls. Being so close to the demon lands, darkness brings fear. Many demons prefer the darkness to the light."

Duo sighs and places his hands behind his head in typical Duo fashion, looking as if he could care less. "Then why are we still out here then if it's so dangerous?"

"Because we need to find the inn. It is probably the only place open this time of night. Now if you don't mind, stop talking, you're beginning to annoy me."

What! Why that…

A restraining hand is placed on his shoulder, holding him back. He feels Hotaru's warm breath on his ear. "Not now Duo, this isn't the time for some pointless squabble," she says, her voice sounding tired and weak. "Luc has a point, we need to find the inn. We can not be stuck out here all night."

Duo reluctantly nods and follows Luc to a large, two-story building. Above the doorframe, a sign is etched into the wood. The words are unfamiliar to him, but there is no mistaken the big black bird above them. The raven in the picture stares down at them, its cold dark eyes watching those who try to enter.

The door is closed, latched shut like the rest. After trying the doorknob, Luc knocks heavily on the door, attempting to awaken the inhabitants inside. After a moment, the sound of bolts sliding open can be heard and the door opens with a soft squeak. A middle aged woman pokes her head out of the door, her brown hair piled on top of her head and held up by several pins. She blinks her brown eyes quickly, shrugging off sleep and yawns deeply covering her mouth with a thin hand as she does so.

"May I help you?" she asks, a bit of annoyance creeping into her voice.

"We need three rooms for the night," Luc says quietly, his voice carrying a cold edge.

"Excuse me, but do you realize…" the woman stops as she catches a glance at Luc's icy eyes and she gulps, swallowing the words on her tongue. "Right this way sir."

She opens the door and allows the three to enter. A single candle resting on a bar table is the only thing that lights the room. The stone fireplace in the corner is empty except for a few ashes. A few tables and chairs are spread out here and there, but overall the place is small and cozy.

"There are three empty rooms on the corner of the second floor sir, you and your companions are welcomed to them, no charge for only one night," the woman says nervously, the hand that is picking up the candle trembling.

"Thank you, you are most kind." Luc turns on his heel and begins making his way toward the steps. Duo follows closely behind, Hotaru behind him. The two reach the top and find three open doors at the end of the hallway, just as the innkeeper had said.

Duo stands in front of one, and turns back to Luc before entering. "Well, that was easy, you must really have some kind of reputation to pull that off."

Luc smirks. "Well, there are some advantages to being a demon human." He looks away and glances at Hotaru, who is still trying to drag her tired body up the steps. "I'd take care of that girl if I was you before she collapses." With that, he turns away and enters the room nearest him, closing the door firmly. Duo hears the sound of a bolt sliding into place.

A loud thump behind him forces him to turn around quickly. He curses under his breath as he sees that Hotaru has collapsed at the top of the steps just as Luc predicted she would. He leans over her and checks her pulse. It's strong, I guess she's just tired. That trek up here took a lot out of her. With a sigh of relief, he scoops her up into his arms, cradling her body as he would a child's and carries her into her room, laying her gently onto her bed for some well needed rest.

After making sure that Hotaru is resting comfortably, he returns to his own room, hoping that he can finally get a good night's rest.

Hotaru groans as she is awakened from her sleep. For a moment, her heart flutters in panic from the strangeness of her suroundings, but quickly manages to bring it back down to a reasonable level. Moonlight shines through a single window, casting shadows around the room, barely illuminating the sparse furnishings in her room.

Hotaru throws the sheets aside and swings her feet over the edge of the bed, her bare feet touching the cool wooden floor. Frowning, she looks down at the cloths she is wearing, the same that she came here in. I haven't changed cloths in about four days. I don't think that I ever realized how nice I had it. She wets her lips with her tongue, trying to get rid of some of the dryness. I wonder if I can find a drink of water in this place.

Tiptoeing outside, she tries as to be as quiet as she possibly can, not wanting to wake up anyone else in the building. As she passes Duo's room however, she notices that the door is wide open. She stops there for a moment, staring at the open door. After arguing with herself for several seconds, her curiosity gets the better of her and she silently creeps in.

Duo is sitting on the bed staring out the window, his back toward her. His braid, which had been messed from the constant traveling has been redone, his hair tied tightly behind him. Hotaru feels heat enter her cheeks as she notices that Duo is sitting with his shirt off. His boots are near the bed on the floor, the only thing covering his body a black pair of work pants.

She takes a step back and curses under her breath as a floor board creeks beneath her added weight. Oh sure, now it makes a noise, of all the…

Duo turns at the noise, his hand suspended above his sword which is resting near his left hand. Seeing Hotaru standing there, he relaxes, the tension leaving his muscles. He smiles slightly at her, his colbolt blue eyes seeming to be lit by an inner light of their own and dancing with mischief.

"I…I saw your door open and I…" Hotaru stammers, her voice catching in her throat.

"Are you okay, you looked pretty bad when we got you up here," Duo asks, interrupting her.

"Yes I'm fine," she replies, glad that he isn't mad at her for barging in. Hotaru moves slowly over to him and stands by the window looking out. "So, what were you looking at?"

Duo turns back to look outside, his head crammed back, staring at the sky. "I was just looking at the stars."

Hotaru looks out and nearly gasps. As she looks up, she sees an endless sea of stars, tiny pinprick of light in the dark sky, bringing light to distant galaxies. There are so many that it is breathtaking, their light almost outshining the jealous moon itself. I wonder if any of those stars is our sun, the one that shines on Earth.

"The stars here are so different," comes Duo's voice, interrupting her thoughts.

Hotaru stares at him quizzically. "How so?"

"They aren't the same."

"Do you mean like the constellations aren't the same?"

Dou shakes his head. "No, although that is true, it's more than that. It is almost like the light they give off is a different kind of light altogether."

"And this bothers you?"

He shrugs, his eyes closing. "I suppose. I don't know how to explain this, but it's kind of like their light is colder. The stars at home are always bright and comforting, my closest companions, but here, they seem to be thousands of piercing eyes. It makes me realize how far away from home I really am."

Hotaru leans against the windowsill, the palm of her hand feeling the cool glass beneath it. She takes a better look at the stars above her and for a moment, grasps what Duo means. "That was poetic."

"I guess," he replies, laughter creeping into his voice. "I used to spend a lot of time among the stars at home. When you're up there so often, you get to recognize all of them, every single one, even if you don't know their names."

"That's right, your people had space technology."

Duo nods. "Uh huh, I lived in the colonies for many years. The stars where my back yard."

Hotaru yawns, beginning to feel the fatigue in her body.

"You had better go to bed now Firefly, with Luc leading the way, I can only imagine that we'll be getting an early start tomorrow. I swear, that guy is as bad as Heero. I'd almost rather deal with Wufei than him." He pauses for a moment, his brow creased in thought. "Almost."

Hotaru nods and turns to leave. "Goodnight Duo." She leaves the room, closing the door behind her and quietly tiptoes back to her own room.

Drawing back the sheets she climbs into bed, desperately wanting to go to sleep. She closes her eyes, feeling the veils of slumber being drawn carefully over her. Suddenly, without warning, she bolts up in bed, recalling one of the last things Duo said to her. What did he call me?

Luc sits alone in his room, wide awake; not that he actually needed sleep. His mind is turning back flips, recalling the events of the day. He has yet to get over his defeat by Duo's hands, but to his surprise, it is not that that plagues his mind this night.

It is the girl.

He had stared directly into those dark violet eyes earlier that evening and what he has seen had shocked him, stealing his voice from his throat. In those eyes, he had seen a dark power as powerful as his own, carefully restrained, lying dormant until called upon.

And she had been in complete control of it.

He had seen her heal her body with very little effort, using a power that was similar to his own, and yet very different. His power is pure darkness, if not by nature, then by choice. Hers, however, for some reason, appeared to be more pure.

No, not pure, balanced yin and yang. That girl makes me feel shattered, like I've been torn to pieces. She seems to have control of all aspects of her power.

How can a dark power such as hers, heal? Who are you Hotaru?

"You two ready?" Luc demands, standing outside a supplies store, his foot tapping in annoyance as he awaits his two unlikely companions. Duo comes out of the shop, followed closely by Hotaru.

"Are you sure you have everything," Luc asks, glancing at the backpacks the two are carrying, neither of which look very full.

"Yeah, we're good, you worry about yourself Luc," Duo says.

"Suite yourself, but I will warn you, Raven's Forest is no pleasure trip." Luc turns to leave, not bothering to look back and see if the two humans are following him. Against the horizon, the air is hazy; a dark spot of green marking the entrance to Raven's Forest.

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Author: Rena! Demos! Where are you?

Demos: I'm right here.

Author: * smiles in relief * There you are, I'd thought I'd never find you. The silence around here was really beginning to scare me… Where's Rena?

Demos: * snickers * Ask him.

Author: * Turns around and glances at a shadowy figure, outlined only by a small light nearby. * What the…

Shadowy Figure: I hope you don't mind, but I took care of this little gnat for you, she was beginning to bug me. * Luc steps out of the shadows, grinning. *

Author: Okay… So what did you do with her?

Luc: * Points to the lighted jar * See for yourself.

Author: * moves closer to the light source and smiles. Trapped inside a Mason jar is Rena, wings fluttering furiously, fists pounding on the glass. Her mouth is moving, but no sound can be heard *

Luc: Not only did I get her to shut up, but I got myself a new lamp as well, now if you'll excuse me…

Author: * Turns back to Demos * And just what have you been doing all this time?

Demos: Helping him. It's not easy catching a fairy with magical abilities.

Author: Oh really. * Pauses * Okay, what did you get out of it.

Demos: Chocolate. * Smiles and wanders off *

Author: Uh, oh. Dragon on a sugar rush can't be a good thing. * Fumes * Someone is going to pay for this he so much as touches any of my stuff.