Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Specters ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 7 )

~ *peeks out from behind corner* Eh...hehehehe... I know it's a tad late, but... things came up. Honestly, it's not my fault! Really! Er...yeah... Enjoy! *scurries back to her little black hole to hide*

Disclaimer: I own nothing! *bawls* Life can be so cruel... *perks up* At least the plot is mine -_-;

Specters

Chapter 6

By: Penybright

Heero blinked several times at the large, glowing eyes, instinctively nudging Relena behind him. He hadn't thought they would actually encounter a dragon, nor had he believed that Merle was telling the truth when she mentioned them. It had seemed completely ridiculous at the time. Dragons indeed! But now...

"H-Heero...?" Relena rasped.

"Shhh," Heero soothed. "Just stay still. Maybe it hasn't seen us yet."

That theory was quickly shot down as pools of molten amber focused solely on the pair. Heero barely had time to react as he saw a blur of greenish-blue arcing toward them. Shoving Relena to the ground, he threw himself over her, feeling the whoosh of air at the passing appendage. He wasn't sure if it was an arm or the tail of the dragon that was swinging at them. His only warning before another attack was a throaty hiss. Heero rolled to his left, dragging Relena with him. Without stopping, he leapt to his feet and began to run, Relena stumbling behind him as she tried to keep up. The ground rumbled and shook as the dragon gave chase to its prey, pausing before letting loose a stream of churning red-gold fire at the running couple.

"Heero!" Relena screeched, watching with horror as the hungry flames drew closer. She was roughly jerked to the side just as the flames passed. The young woman fell to the ground with a harsh grunt, quickly picking herself back up. Acting on impulse, Heero drew Relena into his arms and picked her up. He watched her aquamarine eyes widen through a haze of pain as ebony wings tipped in pristine white unfurled from his back. With a few great down sweeps, he had them both in the air, quickly rising above the treetops. The dragon was left on the ground to hiss in ire at its escaped prey.

Only once they had broken through the canopy, and the moonlight shone freely, did Relena notice that Heero was bleeding.

"Oh my---"

"It's just a scratch. I hit my head on a low branch when I pulled you away from the fire."

"But, your... bleeding, Heero," Relena protested.

"I'll be fine."

Relena opened her mouth to argue further, but snapped it shut, knowing that Heero wasn't going to budge on the issue. Instead, she tried to enjoy the sensation of being in his arms, flying. It was an enthralling experience, much nicer than the stuffy shuttle flights she was use to.

"Relena..."

Relena jerked her head up at Heero's strained voice. She had actually begun to nod off the experience was so peaceful. She quickly became alarmed when she saw Heero's eyes, their color

an unusually dull shade of blue. Panic settled in when those eyes closed and they began to plummet to the ground.

"Heero! Wake up! Please..." Relena begged, shaking his shoulders. She was answered with a half grunt, half moan, yet he didn't open his eyes. Steeling her conscience, she pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. His head lolled to the side, eyes opening to bleary slits.

"Wake up!" Relena cried desperately. Still half-conscious, Heero managed to decrease the speed of their descent. The two of them stumbled to the ground as Heero's legs gave way and his wings disappeared. Relena lay sprawled on the ground, Heero resting atop her. With a frustrated sigh, she shifted him so he was lying on his back, his head cradled in her lap. Nothing seemed to be going right. It was just one disaster after another.

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Heero awoke, his body jerking into wakefulness. He sat up, disoriented and having an overwhelming sense of panic. Last night... The dragon. He'd blacked out. Falling...

"Relena?!?"

Heero started at the sound of his own voice; raspy and dry. What was wrong with him? Constantly falling ill, blacking out. What did it all mean?

"I'm right over here, Heero!" Relena called, waving her arms to catch his attention. Heero slowly rose to his feet, wary of the nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach and a slight case of vertigo. When he reached Relena's side, he looked in the direction she was excitedly pointing at.

"Look! That must be it."

Several yards off, there was a large limestone wall. It appeared to be a safety feature for a large castle nestled within its stony walls. Grabbing Heero's hand, Relena began to lead him towards the large structure.

"There must be a main gate, or side gate somewhere," she uttered as they walked along, Heero following silently. Relena was greatly relieved they had finally made it. Heero looked on the verge of collapse again, and she didn't think she could take much more of him falling ill so unexpectedly.

"Halt! Who wishes to enter the royal courtyard?" A guard hailed from atop the buttress.

"We're hear to see the King of Fanelia," Relena called back. "We were told he could help us."

"Audiences don't start for another hour."

Relena heaved an annoyed sigh. This was going to take some diplomatic suave.

"We have nowhere to stay. We're from another... country. And this man here, he's ill," Relena appealed. "If we could just rest in the courtyard...?"

The guard began a heated discussion with his partner before turning back to them.

"Enter."

The large oaken gates swung ominously inward. Relena took one glance at Heero before leading him inside. It was as though the palace and its grounds were a graveyard; silent and forbidding. She looked about her, finding no signs of normal, everyday activity. It was too quiet... subdued. Where were the ambassadors and emissaries? The advisors and other hierarchy?

"Heero, I'm not sure..."

A flutter of movement caught Relena's attention. Her eyes caught on a scrap of muted jade cloth. She followed the folds and slopes of the gown till she met with an equally muted shade of jade green eyes. Eyes that seemed hollow. She whirled around at the sound of choked breathing.

'Oh god...'

Another labored breath wheezed past Heero's pale lips. His knees wobbled before giving way, his form sinking to the cobblestones. Hazy blue eyes closed to feverish slits. His hand reached up to his neck, clutching at the pendant he had refused to take off since their strange journey here. The vibrant pink pendant seemed to grow brighter. A few spurts of soft light shot from the gem, before flaring wildly then going dead. Heero's hand fell limply from the gem, the rest of his body going limp and collapsing as well. Cool jade eyes regarded them with scrutiny.

"Who are you, and what are you doing with my pendant?"