Dragon Lady

Time's Wheel

Ch.14: Desert of Tears, Ocean of Memories

Disclaimer: * Demos walks out, mumbling under his breath * Dragon Lady doesn't own anything in Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, but all the characters that she creates are copyright Dragon Lady.

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Hotaru slowly opens her eyes, trying to force this bright new world into focus. She groans and reaches out a hand, pawing the ground beside her. Sand filters through her fingers, hot and dry.

She rolls over, trying to get up, gagging a bit as she dies so, her mouth dry and burning. The hot sun above her sends down rays of heat that are absorbed immediately by her black clothing. Her legs feel unsteady beneath her, full of jelly and weak. Finally, she manages to stand and get a good look at her surroundings.

Sand as far as the eye can see.

Hotaru gasps, fear rising in her chest, suddenly very afraid. She turns around, frantically searching for any sign of her companions.

"Duo! Luc, Alaois! Where are you? Can anyone hear me?"

Her legs buckle beneath her and she falls to the ground, her body limp and tired. Tears run down her cheeks in tiny rivers that she can not seem to stop. Her body quivers with the effort to try and hold back the sobs. Hotaru pulls her legs to her chest, resting her head on her knees, allowing her black hair to cover her face.

Calm down, panicking now is not going to get you out of here. The gate obviously brought you here for a reason, and to leave, you must find out what that is!

Slowly, she begins to take deep breaths, shaky at first and then stronger. Finally, the shaking abates and Hotaru raises her dead, rubbing the last of her tears from her eyes.

Through the last haze of water, a strange shape appears almost nothing more than an illusion at first. For a moment, Hotaru isn't totally sure of what she is seeing, the vision too unlikely.

A strange woman is standing over her, peering down at Hotaru's form. Her pale skin and bluish hair, which is loose and cascading down her back, make her seem out of place in the desert heat. Clear crystal eyes stare down at her, their depths bottomless. She is scarcely clad, showing a slim yet muscular figure (an: if you've seen FFX, think Shiva). She raises a hand and pulls away a lock of her hair that has fallen in her face, revealing the pointed ears of a demon.

The woman turns and begins to walk away, disappearing over the desert dunes, her form fading into the dream world in which she came.

Hotaru rises to her feet and begins to run after the woman, trying to catch the shade. Within moments, Hotaru is back on her knees, gasping for breath, her body too tired to keep going.

"Wait, please!" she croaks, her voice horse and shallow. "Please wait, don't leave me here!"

The woman turns once more before fading completely. "Face the tears of your past Saturn."

No…

"God damn it! Get away you damn birds! Scram!" Duo waves his arms wildly, trying to get the large black scavengers to leave him alone.

After walking through the gate, he had opened his eyes to find himself in an endless sea of sand, utterly alone and surrounded by large buzzards. Lacking his sword, he had only his hands to fend them off with, and it was becoming quite irritating.

One of the buzzards grabs a beakful of hair and pulls, causing Duo to cry out loudly, fury brewing in his cobalt eyes. "Hey, lay off the braid! I'm not dead yet, so leave me the hell alone!" Duo knocks the nearest one away and then breaks out at a dead run, leaving the surprised birds behind.

Finally, after several minutes of running, he collapses, panting. Sweat pours down his body, soaking his clothing. He pulls off his shirt, not caring that the desert sun can roast him without it. "Lost 'em." Duo lays his head back on the sand, grateful for the pillow. His eyes close as he tries to make the dizziness go away and catch his breath.

Suddenly, a voice slices through his reverie, cold and deep. "Face the shadows of your past God of Death."

Duo shoots up, meeting a pair of cold blue eyes. The ice woman smiles slightly and then quickly fades away, leaving chills running down Duo's spine.

"Now what?"

Luc glances around the deserted beach, water soaking through his boots. Waves crash into shore, sending droplets of water into the air as water meets earth. Alaois follows silently behind, easily more relaxed and comfortable than his tense companion.

"Well, it looks like the humans aren't here," Luc says scowling.

"So it appears. Duo and Hotaru have to around here somewhere. We can just abandon them," Alaois replies.

"Don't count on it Tengu, they're only human. If they're lost, that means that I can leave and go back home."

Alaois smiles, amusement lighting up his impish face. "And once again I must ask; why are you traveling with them? Their quest has nothing to do with you, you obviously don't care much for them, and yet, you stick to them like glue."

"That is none of your concern!"

"Hmm, so you've told me, but I still want an answer." Alaois pauses for a moment, thinking. "Could it be because of that girl, Hotaru?" His grin widens as he sees the struck look on Luc's face, knowing that he has hit a sore spot. "Oh, so you have noticed. Her aura is almost identical to yours, dark as night; the boy's too to a certain extent, just not as obvious. To be honest, there's only one difference, only one thing that they have that you don't."

"And what is that?" Luc says, his voice low and threatening.

"A light in the darkness." Alaois says simply.

Hotaru is on the ground, her body too weak to stand erect. Her black hair hangs in disarray, sweeping into her eyes. Time has lost all definition to her, halting in its place; frozen. It seems as if the sun has been in the sky forever, casting waves of fire upon the desolate earth below. The air flowing into her lungs burn inside her chest, her breath coming in short, hollow gasps.

Finally, her exhausted body collapses, the sandy ground cushioning her fall. The world begins to waver, her vision becoming as distorted as ripples in a pond. Hotaru allows her eyes to close, blackness swallowing everything.

Hotaru's Dram World: (AN: I don't really remember this incident very well since it has been so long since I've seen it, so I've had to improvise.)

The sun warms her pale skin, kissing it with its spring heat. The sounds of children's voices ring through the air, rising joyfully and ringing through the park. It has been ages since she has been allowed to leave the walls of her home and enjoy the sunlight without Kaori (SP?) being somewhere near.

A loud yell breaks her away from her thoughts and Hotaru turns immediately to its source. A young girl, perhaps a few hears younger than her, is chasing after a hat that has been swept up by the wind's powerful hands. The girl's bright pink hair is tied up in a pair of odd pigtails on her head. Her red eyes are frantic and she is struggling to keep up with the runaway hat.

Hotaru watches as the hat passes her and starts to get up, hesitating, knowing how she would end up is she decides to give chase. She is about to sit back down, but one more look at the child's face makes her decide against it.

With more speed than anyone could ever guess she possessed, Hotaru dashes after the hat as it barrels down a steep hill. About midway down, Hotaru throws herself into a dive, her right arm extended as far as it can go. Her fingers brush the brim of the hat and using her nails, she clutches it in her fist.

Hotaru rests on her knees, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps, wondering whether or not the mad dash down the hill had been worth it.

"Oh, you caught my hat! Thank you!" a voice cries from behind her. "I thought I'd never catch it!"

Hotaru turns her head and sees the pink-hared girl running down the hill toward her. Hotaru smiles at her tiredly, offering the hat.

The girl returns her smile eagerly and takes her hat. For a moment, she just stands there, staring down at Hotaru, her face a mask of puzzlement.

"Are you okay?"

Hotaru nods. "Yes, I'm fine, just a little winded."

The girl offers her hand, a look of relief spreading across her face. "Do you want some help?"

Hotaru stares at her for a second, wondering why some stranger would offer her help when no one had so much as cared before. "Thank you." She grasps the girl's hand and she is hauled to her feet. Allowing the smaller girl to bear some of her weight, the pair eventually make it back up to the top of the hill.

At the top, the two girls pause, staring back down the steep slope, smiling.

"Thanks," Hotaru says.

"No problem…My name's Reni."

"Hotaru. It's nice to meet you Reni."

No, I won't let you! Hotaru stares out of the lifeless eyes of her body, unable to regain control over the essence that is beginning to take over. She can see Sailor Moon and the outers standing at that other side of room behind a powerful barrier, unable to prevent what is about to happen, their faces carrying a look of pure horror.

It is not them she is focused on however. It is the small, pink-hared girl on the altar before her, her best friend. She feels the essence inside of her stir and she struggles to regain control, knowing what will come next if she does not intervene.

Her efforts are a failure and before she knows it, the essence has pulled Reni's heart crystal from her body. As her friend's eyes dim, they contain a look of utter trust, an innocent trust that reflects the friendship between herself and her betrayer.

Hotaru's scream is silent as Mistress 9 emerges.

End Dream Sequence

A terrible sound echoes over the red sands, a sound that might have been heard for miles had anyone been near enough to hear it. It is a cry of total helplessness, full of unquenchable anger and sorrow.

To Hotaru, it is the most horrible sound she has ever heard; yet it is the cry that is wrenched almost forcefully form her own soul.

Duo has his arms crossed in front of him, the desert's cool night air chilling him to the bone. His teeth chatter and goosebumps rise on his flesh. His feet drag through the sand; face set in a permanent look of annoyance.

I never did like the desert. Too hot during the day and a God forsaken icebox at night. Jeez! How does Quatre live in a place like this? He frowns slightly at the thought of his friend, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Up till now, he had tried to avoid thinking of the others, other things getting in the way and blocking out his memories of them.

Who'd have thought that I'd ever miss them so much? It's not like we were close, we never could be, five different people from five different backgrounds, ideas, different pasts; it would be impossible for any of us to become close.

A tidal wave of memories bombards him, the shades of the past coming back to haunt him. Images form in his mind, familiar faces peering through the void: Heero on the night he first met him, gun in hand, Relena behind him, Quatre, a violin tucked securely under his chin, a soundless melody admitting from the instrument. An image of Trowa at the circus, fearlessly facing Catherine as she throws knives at his body. Wufei, his hand clutching the katana that he is always threatening him with. All four were shown, one by one, one after the other, followed by Hilde, Catherine, Noin, Une, Relena, and Zechs.

It begins to dawn on him suddenly; exactly how close they had actually been, despite their differences. The five of them had fought together for a cause that meant everything to all of them. They had been to hell and back. Somehow, Duo had managed to get behind the masks that all of them wore and see his friends for what they really were. Behind Heero's cold demeanor was a kind-hearted soul that had been frozen by life. Trowa, though silent, had been insightful and wise. Wufei concealed within him a strong sense of pride and justice that he gripped almost like a lifeline, and Quatre, instead of letting his kindness become a weakness, turned it into his greatest strength.

Together they had saved a world, and perhaps, in a way, each other.

Duo is surprised when his vision begins to blur and he instinctively wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. The heart wrenching feeling that he is experiencing is something that he has not felt in years, the feeling of loneliness gripping his soul.

They probably think I'm dead. And in a way, I suppose I am, I'm surprised that I'm still alive myself, who knows, maybe I am dead. If someone had told ma a month ago that there were several other dimensions out there, I would have though that they were out of their minds. Maybe I died in my dimension.

Duo sighs, throwing the thought from his mind. He has enough to deal with without bringing dimensional theory into it. He glances around, realizing that he has stopped walking.

As thoughts of home reemerge, he begins to move again, starting out a light jog, eventually turning it into a run. The run carries him across the darkness, keeping his body warm and his memories at bay.

Hotaru drinks the cool water with relief, letting the liquid quench her dry mouth. The desert's sun has left her completely dehydrated. Surprisingly, her skin is not burnt its color still white as porcelain.

Hotaru sits back, lying atop a bed of sand, staring up at the stars. Night has brought cool relief, which presently Hotaru is eternally grateful for.

She had awakened from her nightmare to find that the sun had sunk beneath the horizon. Figuring that she would be more comfortable in the cooler air, she decided to begin traveling. The small oasis that she had come across later had been an added bonus.

I wonder how the others are faring? Hotaru takes another sip of water allowing thoughts to run rampant through her head.

As she leans over to stare into the pool, her reflection greets her at the water's surface. Violet eyes stare back at her, held by a thin face and framed by short raven black hair. She looks carefully at the image, for a moment seeing only her reflection. The picture begins to distort, the colors swirling, the lines bending. The water becomes murky, making it appear as if a cloud had risen from the bottom of the pool.

The new image forms slowly, unrecognizable to Hotaru at first, like a picture developing, but it soon becomes all too clear. She is once again staring through the eyes of Mistress 9, her consciousness chained in the back of her own being.

Hotaru feels her stomach lurch at the sight of the painful scene. Her father's body is on the ground, inert. In front of him, using her own small body as a barrier, stands Sailor Moon, her fuku tattered and bloodied from battle. Behind them, Neptune and Uranus lay unconscious within one of Mistress 9's traps. Hotaru can feel the pain of the other scouts as their power weakens, the barriers they had placed failing to keep the darkness at bay.

The image shifts again and the face of a woman appears in the water. The woman's icy glare peers up at her, a smile playing at her lips. "What is it Saturn? Can't bear to see your own past, your own self."

"Who are you?"

"Are you afraid?"

Hotaru closes her eyes, and lets the memories run through her. Suddenly, she smiles. "No, I am not afraid. The past isn't scary, only painful, and it is a pain that will not go away. But then again, it isn't good to dwell in the past. We can't change it. All that matters is where we are going.

The woman nods once, her smile broadening. "I thought you'd say that. Very good princess, very good indeed. Rest now guardian of death and destruction, till we meet again."

Hotaru's eyes feel heavy and begin to close. It is not until she is nearly asleep that she realizes what the woman had called her.

Duo stares in shock as he watches the wall of sand coming toward him. It stretches across the sky, covering the light of the rising sun. The shock doesn't last long though, and he dives into a fast sprint in the opposite direction in the vain hope that he can outrun the coming storm.

He is carried off his feet and sand rushes over his body, suffocating him. Within minutes, he has been buried alive, his body trapped beneath a heavy blanket of sand. Beneath the earth, Duo lies unconscious, his breath leaving his body.

Duo's Dream World:

Lights are going off in the cockpit of the Deathscythe, sending off warnings and signals. The fighting has stopped and everyone left on the battlefield is at a dead standstill. Duo watches the image of Heero's Wing Gundam and Zech's mobile suite on the screen, the voices of the lady who calls herself Lady Une and a doctor he has never heard before.

"I repeat, I surrender, but I will not surrender the Gundams."

What does he mean by that? Duo thinks in the back of his mind. The colonies are at stake and he's playing mind games!

The door to the Wing cockpit opens and Heero steps out, his moss green hair blowing in the wind that has begun to strengthen. Duo hears Zech's sharp intake of breath as Heero steps out over the speakers.

What in the hell is Heero doing? Is he out of his mind?

Then Duo notices the white object in Heero's hand; the detonating device to the Wing Gundam. Suddenly it dawns on him, a way to keep the Gundams out of the enemies' hands.

Duo is about to call, to tell Heero to ignore this one order, but it is too late. The Wing Gundam begins to glow a fiery red Heero still at the cockpit door. The explosion is deafening, but Duo doesn't look away from the Deathscythe's screen as he sees Heero thrown from the cockpit. Heero lands hard, lying amongst the debris in a pool of his own blood.

"No!"

"No!" Duo stares in horror at the charred remains of the Maxwell church, fire licking at what is left of his home. Duo begins looking around frantically for survivors.

"Duo!"

Duo spins around at his name and runs to what would have been the center of the church. Sister Mary lies in a crumpled heap on the floor, her nun's habit torn and tattered.

"Sister!"

"Duo, where have you been? Father Maxwell was worried about you till his last breath. He was a great man, preaching peace till the end. Duo, I glad I got to see you again, may God watch over you and…"

"Sister!"

End Dream Sequence

Duo stands in darkness, locked in his own mind. Where am I? Why is this happening to me?

"Have you faced your past God of Death?"

Duo whirls around to face the woman he had seen earlier. "You!"

The woman shows no reaction, only continues to stare at him. "Is your past too much of a burden for you?"

Duo stares at her, about ready to reply, but before he does, he holds his tongue. This woman is dead serious, and it is no time for games. "The past is gone, whether I'm comfortable with it or not matters little. Heero survived, as did the rest of us, and I got over my childhood memories long ago. Life goes on. If we don't live our lives to the fullest now, death will only come faster and it shall be more painful. We can not let the sorrows of the past cast a shadow over the light that is the future."

The woman's face bursts into a smile. "Well said God of Death, well said indeed. You have done well; perhaps there is hope yet in this world. I shall see you on the other side."

The woman disappears as a bright light flashes across his vision, and Duo knows no more.

Hotaru groans, waking up once again to a strange place, but this time, it isn't sand that she feels beneath her. She sits up with a jolt, her eyes widening at the sight of her body setting on top of an endless sea, a sea of water beneath her, and a sea of stars above. She picks up her hand and glances at it, expecting it to be wet and surprised to find it dry.

"Where am I?"

"I've asked myself that a million times since I got here," says a voice from behind her.

Hotaru whirls around her eyes meeting a pair of cobalt blue ones. With a cry of relief, she jumps to her feet and throws her arms around Duo, burying her face in his chest, hiding the tears that have just appeared in her eyes.

"Whoa!" Duo jumps back in surprise at her sudden actions, the sudden shock of having an armful of Hotaru sending him off balance. His hesitation only lasts for a moment though before he wraps his arms around her tightly, clasping her tightly to him. He buries his face in her hair, hardly daring to believe that she is real, afraid that she, like everything else, is only an illusion.

"You are real, aren't you?" Hotaru asks quietly, her voice muffled slightly.

"Yes." Duo pulls away and looks her in the eye. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she replies, smiling up at him. "It's just that, well, a lot has happened."

"Yeah."

"So, you both made it here unscathed, I am grateful."

Duo and Hotaru jump apart at the sudden appearance of another person in the strange world. The two turn toward the voice to find the woman they had seen earlier standing before them, no longer a ghost-like figure, but solid and whole.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we do not have much time. Even now, forces beyond my control are trying to pull us apart. My name is Morgana, guardian of the Key of Sorrow. You have passed my test."

"Test?" Hotaru asks, puzzled.

"Yes, despite the pain and sorrow you have both suffered, you are willing to put it behind you for the hope of something better."

Morgana holds up her hands and closes her eyes. Her whole body begins to glow in a soft blue light. Within the circle of her hands, a disk-like shape appears. Without really being conscious of doing it, Hotaru reaches out her hand, palm up and the disk comes to her.

Morgana relaxes and stares the Hotaru's fist. Hotaru looks down and inspects the disk. It is a small, golden medallion; one side showing an image of the Chartres Labyrinth, the other side, a Thistle.

"I hope it shall be of use to you," Morgana says. She turns away as a load crash sounds to the west of them. Clouds are building on the horizon, lighting flashing from their dark depths.

"It is time you were on your way," Morgan states, her voice becoming colder. "It is no longer safe for you here. It is coming."

"It?" Duo asks.

"I'm sorry."

Hotaru feels herself being pulled away, her body being hurled through the air to the east, Morgana's form fading from sight. Before she loses consciousness again, she hears Morgana's voice in her ears once more. "Please look out for Luc, he like you, is lost."

Hotaru once again awakens on a bed of sand, however this time, it is a very wet, hard bed of sand. She lifts her head, wet sand caked in her hair. Waves wash over her body, soaking her cloths and body.

"About time you finally decided to get up!"

Hotaru smiles at the familiar voice. "Nice to see you again too Luc." She gets up and smiles as she looks around. They are all there, Luc sitting on a large rock with Alaois behind him, Duo nearer to her, trying to get sand out of his hair.

Suddenly, Morgana's final words echo through her mind and she focuses on Luc, his hard, stormy gray eyes staring at her.

"What is it human?"

She hesitates a moment before asking him, afraid of what his reaction might be, but she know that she must. "Why did you wait?"

"The doesn't concern you. I just did."

Alaois cuts in, making his way down the beach. "Come on, our next destination is Cecil and the Hall of Mirrors."

Duo grumbles under his breath, rebraiding his hair as he follows Alaois down the coast.

Luc remains seated for a moment longer, staring off at the sea, as if remembering something from long ago. As Hotaru passes him, she barely manages to catch what he says, hearing it only because it is carried by the wind, but know that it was meant for her ears.