Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Death's Promise [Book 1 of 3] ❯ Crawling ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N - double slashes ("//") state what time period it is. This is used to distinguish between flashbacks and "present" day. Flashbacks aren't necessarily a character's memories here; they're used to give the reader a bit of a history lesson. Hence, they will not be in first person limited.
-If there are no double slashes (like there hasn't been for the past two chapters), assume it's the "present" of AC195.

Chapter 3: Crawling

To most people, walking is exhilarating: an activity to enjoy, to treasure. The feel of each muscle working together under sweaty skin is something they savor; the race of an exerted heart is a trophy for them. The wind gently gliding through their hair frees their minds, tossing away their worries, their stress, and leaving only their legs, their lungs, and the road before them. Moving forward, gaining ground, going somewhere: this is an accomplishment for those people. Yes, they enjoy the simplicity of a walk down the street. However, those people are in the realm known as "Human," not lost in a mist of white named "Limbo." They have road markers and scenery for companions; they are not walking down an unending road of white with no sidewalk, no pavement, no traffic. They are led by the will of their hearts and the strength of their legs; they are not blindly following a boy named Death mounted on a horse as black as burned coal, both with eyes of glowing violet fire. But most importantly, those living humans know where they are going and, no matter how long it takes them, no matter how many turns the road takes, they know they will be there eventually; the souls that wander Limbo do not have this luxury. Those souls can never be fully sure of their final destination, and that frightens them to no end. Walking is, indeed, a task to be enjoyed; and so, what the souls that followed Death that morning were doing could not be called walking. Time crawled by for them agonizingly slow, and they crawled with it, dreading each second that followed the last. Slowly, softly, hesitantly, they crawled ever-closer to the Gates of Heaven, unknowing if that final destination would be their own.

Heero crawled with them, lost in a sea of indecision and hopeless confusion. He had once known so much. Others had envied the amount of knowledge he had held. If one had asked him a question, they had received a prompt and entirely correct answer, no matter what the subject. Heero had known everything. And yet, Heero had known that death was an escape; he had been sure of it. When the physical life signs end, so does the activity in the brain. Dying is a grand finale to thinking, to living. All his life, Heero had known that death was a necessary evil, an unavoidable eventuality, an ending. Because of this, he had never avoided death, never once feared it. He had known death was only the end of life, and with it, the end of pain. He had assumed that the end of a person's brain waves would signify the end of said person's confusion. It was only logical.

He was wrong; everything was wrong. Death wasn't an escape from pain, it was merely an alteration of it. Instead of the physical pain he had known and had learned to cope with, now he had to deal with mental pain, emotional anguish: the sort of which Heero had never had to face before. He had never been as lost in life as he was right now in death. He had always known where he was going, why he was going there, and when he was due back. He had known simple things: (plants were green, the sky was blue, and space was black; life was the beginning of suffering, and death the end of it) common truths he had taken for granted. He had known so much! Now, he was dead. Now, depending on who had been lying to him and who had been speaking truth, Heero was supposed to be a mindless corpse, buried six feet underneath a mound of dirt and being digested slowly by various insects, or his soul was supposed to be in Hell. Either way, he was supposed to be at peace in one form of the word or another: closure of some sort. He was definitely NOT supposed to be walking through a field of white, listening to Death, being watched by an angel, and hearing a demonic voice!

Next to him, Death rambled on, "...them. You know what I mean, Heero?" Heero nodded absently and continued with his thoughts. This was wrong. This was all wrong! He wasn't prepared for this; he didn't understand it. "Heero?" For the first time Heero could remember, there was something he didn't understand, couldn't understand. No, scratch that; there was more than one thing! There were hundreds of things! Thousands of questions plagued his mind. How was he thinking if he really was dead? How was he bleeding, for that matter? What was going to happen to him? Why was everything so empty here? Why was it taking so long to get there? Was he really going to Hell? Death was a boy his age, so what was the Devil? What was God? What was Heaven like? Was it really just plain white like Limbo was? Were-- Were his parents there? Would they remember him, recognize him? Would he recognize them? What were they like? How big WAS Heaven to hold all those people? Wait, was Duo still talking to him? To Heero, the mystery that was Duo was a million questions all on his own. He looked human, but was he? Why did he talk so much? Why did his eyes literally glow? How old was he, really? How did he become Death? And why in the world was someone nicknamed "The Grim Reaper" smiling so much?! "You listening?" There was so much Heero didn't know, so much he couldn't learn! It was driving him insane! He was so confused, so hopelessly lost. It was horrible. If he had known that dying would be like this, this terribly frustrating, perhaps he WOULD have been afraid of it! "Hello? Heero?" He looked up, finally realizing that Duo had been calling his name. Glancing over, he was met with the same bright smile that had been unnerving him for minutes now. "You awake yet?"

Nodding he answered, "Yeah." And looked back down at his feet, which were still walking. The white of the ground threatened to blind him with its monotony. "Just thinking." Actually, the reason he was thinking so much wasn't just that he was confused. Normally, when he had been confused, he'd found out the answer to the problem, and it had been over with. Now, though, Heero wasn't even trying to get answers. He knew he'd never know everything there was, the afterlife was just too new, too all-encompassing. It would take him years, maybe even lifetimes, to learn everything. No, the reason Heero was thinking so loudly was to drown-out the voice. Not Duo's, no, something worse, something much worse. That same voice, the one he had first heard in that cell, it was following him, taunting him, singing to him. Ah, another question to add to his list: why hadn't that damn voice gone away?!

Duo looked forward, then to both sides, taking in the never-ending white for a minute as if he were looking at the scenery, then slid off his horse, landing softly on the white ground next to Heero. He nudged the soul to get his attention. "We've got a while left, so, c'mon. Spill." Heero just looked at him blankly, so Duo continued. "Well? What're you thinking about that's got you looking half awake?" The smile was still there, but subdued now. "Something bad, I bet from the look on your face."

Heero suddenly wished he had a mirror to see how awful he looked, then bitterly realized that a mirror would be useless for someone without a reflection. Another question: why didn't he have a reflection? He could bleed, but not see the blood on his face. That was very wrong on so many levels. His scowl deepened, and he glared back down at the white nothingness, shrugging lightly. "It's nothing." His mind added bitterly, "Nothing I want to talk about."

Sighing, Duo responded, "Heero, let me tell you something. It's never nothing. It might seem like it, but it's not. 'Nothing' in Limbo is always something." and stared back out at the path in front of him. Heero glanced at Duo warily from the corner of his eye. He spent a full minute pondering that riddle, before he gave up on it. "Just another unanswerable question," his mind retorted. He looked back at the white ground, thinking. The two continued walking steadily in silence over the soft white ground. Heero had yet to get used to the external silence and the internal racket. It was backwards; then again, everything here seemed backwards: bleeding souls, walking on nothing, a smiling Death. Everything. When would they get to Hell? Not that Heero was anxious for the torture, but he was desperate for anything familiar! What he'd give to see the fires of Hell... After about another minute of silent contemplation, Heero looked up slightly, staring at the white just below eye-level. There was one question that just continuously tormented him, one he truly wanted, no, needed an answer to. "Have you ever been to Hell?"

Looking over at Heero, Duo scanned the soul's face for something, then he smiled despite what he saw. Duo shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I've been everywhere." He grinned. "You name it; I've been there." His mind muttered, "Death's everywhere." But he ignored the thought. Thoughts like that can be saved for more appropriate times. "Hell's gate is all right, a lot nicer looking than the inside, that's for sure. Guess appearances really are deceiving, eh? Heaven's gate is like that too, only backwards. I mean, Heaven's gate is pretty dull, but when you get inside? Whew, it's something to look at. Still, I say Hephess has the best gate out of them all. It's just plain awesome, if you ask me. But nobody ever asks me about the gate until AFTER they see it. Sure, THEN they want to know ALL about it." He paused, noticing that Heero was once again zoning off. He elbowed the soul lightly in the ribs again to get his attention, "Why do you ask?" Heero looked up, but before the soul could answer, Duo added, "And don't even think about shrugging my question off again. I've had enough shrugging from you to last me a few thousand years or so." His grin remained constant.

What Duo had said was true; Heero had found himself shrugging a lot in the past half hour or so he'd been walking at the front of the group with the chatty Death. Well, he reasoned, he wouldn't have had to shrug so much if Duo would've just stopped asking him so many questions. Heero continued watching the white ground in front of him, tainted only by the view of his own sneakers. Fine, if Duo didn't want him to shrug, he'd lie again. It was becoming an odd habit of his: lying to Death. "Just curious." Heero regretted the words even as they were falling from his mouth. He felt Duo's eyes on the side of his face, like twin violet lasers burning straight through him. Duo knew he was lying, always knew. Heero didn't know how he did it, but Duo could tell when he lied. There's another question to add to the list, an unnerving one, at that. Heero hated this. Not only did he know absolutely nothing, but his traveling companion knew everything: including when Heero was lying. It was damn annoying.

Smirking, Duo asked, "So why do you REALLY want to know?"

Heero resisted the urge to sigh and instead responded in short phrases, finding it difficult to voice what he was dy-- anxious to ask. "Hell is... Is it... I mean, it's..." He paused, gathering his thoughts, then said quickly, "What's it like?" He wouldn't raise his eyes, instead glaring at the white before his feet like it was the most entrancing thing in the world.

Duo leaned back as he walked, clasping his hands casually behind his head. "Fire, brimstone, snow, ice, torture, eternal damnation, blah, blah... Nothing interesting, if you ask me. Although, I try to steer clear of the place or the inside, at least. Satan and I don't exactly get along. I've never gotten along well with Satan. Come to think of it, neither do God and I. And it's pretty safe to say that they hate each other. Heh, we all basically avoid one another like the plague. I like to think of it as 'respect,' but it's probably just personal grudges. We've all had a number of past arguments that weren't pretty. Like this one time about, what was it, three hundre--"

"Whoa, wait." Heero interrupted, staring at Duo with a curiously raised eyebrow. "Snow? In Hell? I thought..."

Duo shrugged. "Yeah, you know, cold white stuff that falls from the sky in winter. Don't they have that where you come from or did you live near the Equator all your life?"

Heero shook his head quickly, "No, no, I know what snow is. It's just," looking at Duo incredulously. "Snow in Hell?"

Smiling at Heero, Duo asked, "Yeah, is that so hard to believe?" Seeing the confusion in Heero's face, he muttered. "Okay, I guess it is..." Duo smirked, "Yeah, well, the Bible mentions lots of fire and no snow, but the Bible also mentions flesh-eating worms, and I have yet to see a worm sin badly enough to end up in Hell." He laughed, shaking his head. "You just can't believe everything you read nowadays." Heero was giving him that look again: that "I'm confused, I'm thinking too hard, and I'm about to zone-off again" look. Duo nudged him in the shoulder playfully. "Oh, come on! Lighten up! Stop worrying so much. Hell is just a nasty place full of nasty things. Snow included. Bad climates left and right there. Pick an unpleasant environment, multiply it by five hundred percent or so, and you've found a section of Hell. Not a place you want to live. But I'm sure it's not something you have to worry about, so cheer up before you give yourself a migraine."

Heero did the opposite, his frown deepening. He didn't even register as his eyes once again fell to the white ground. He liked to be prepared. He wasn't prepared for this Limbo place, and that's why he felt so lost. He didn't want to feel this way in Hell. He wanted to know what to expect when he got there. Duo wasn't helping. His descriptions were vague, at best, and for some reason, he seemed to believe that Heero wasn't going to Hell at all. Heero briefly wondered where the boy had gotten that idea... Yet ANOTHER unknown to add to Heero's ever-growing list of questions. Well, maybe Quatre could explain Hell in a bit more detail. Surely the angel knew what Hell is like, even if he hadn't physically been there, right? Heero glanced around and noticed Quatre was a few steps behind them now, still chatting with his newest admirer. What was her name? Silvia, right. Heero sighed, well, they would be no help. There was no way he was going to ask Quatre about Hell in front of a child and receive a decent answer. Heero hated children. They were rude, useless, dependent, and honest at the worst times; they got in the way, ruined everything, and, most of all, annoyed the hell out of him. The soul closed his eyes tightly at the thought, trying to clear the image of those wide, childlike eyes, those haunting eyes, and that chilling voice that was still teasing him, encouraging him. Why was he still hearing that voice?! He looked up frantically as another voice, a new one joined the first. "Oh no." He thought, cringing. "Not again. Not this again! Why is this happening to me?!"

Duo glanced over at Heero, eyeing the soul warily. Something was wrong with him: Heero's eyes looked larger, wider: scared, almost. "Heero, are you all right?"

His head whipped around at the sound of a third voice, but he calmed as he saw Duo looking at him. Quickly, he registered what Duo had said. "I'm fi--" But he couldn't get the word out, that second voice was whispering again, loudly. It sounded so close, almost right next to him. Heero quickly glanced at his shoulder. Nothing. Endless white. Still, they continued walking slowly forward. He sighed looking at the ground, trying not to listen to the voice. The things it said! It was giving him bad ideas, telling him lies. Why was this happening? "You're lying!" He growled out. Heero jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder, and he spun toward the owner.

It was Duo, looking concerned again. "I didn't say anything, Heero."

"I--" He started, glancing back over his shoulder, then back at Duo. "I-- I know. I thought-- I heard..." There was another voice now, joining with the other, both of them telling him the same thing in different words: telling him to run, before it was too late, telling him to get as far away from Death and the other souls as possible, telling him to lose himself to the Vast Nothingness of Limbo. They were telling him he was better off lost, better off without the group, better off without making it to Heaven or Hell: lies, all lies! They had to be lying; Heero didn't want to be lost again! He was lost enough as it was! "Nothing. Nothing," he muttered to himself. "I don't hear anything."

Duo's eyes narrowed, his hand on Heero's shoulder tightening slightly. "Heero, what did I tell you about 'nothing' in Limbo?"

The whispering, so many whispered words, which were real? Which should he listen to? One was telling him this, two were telling him that, and one... one was Duo. "What? I-- I don't remember."

Duo let go of Heero's arm and halted suddenly, stopping the rest of the group. "Hey, Quatre!" A second later, the angel was by his side. "Do you see anything unusual?"

Quatre looked around, shaking his head. "No, it all looks fine to me, Death-sama."

He nodded. "Yeah, me too..." Duo continued glaring at his surroundings, eyes never pausing. "Heero says he hears something."

"Hears something?" The angel's bright blue eyes blinked once in confusion. Heero cringed, wishing he were invisible. Great, now they all knew he was crazy. Damned voices. Why wouldn't they all leave him alone?! Quatre looked around for a minute, then a realization seemed to hit him and he looked over to Duo with questioning eyes. He whispered, "Ghosts?"

Duo nodded solemnly. Quatre muttered, then jumped suddenly; he was now above the souls, flapping his wings to keep him in the air where the "ghosts" couldn't reach. Heero paused, the voices seeming to stop with the absurdity of the situation. He almost laughed, and the fact that Duo and Quatre were both looking and acting so seriously only made it seem funnier. "Ghosts?" He asked skeptically. "You're kidding." Duo turned to him, his face unusually grim.

"Do you know what a ghost is, Heero?" Reluctantly, Heero shook his head. Sure, he THOUGHT he had known what a ghost was; he'd heard his share of stories about them, after all. A technical definition, though, was harder to come by. The only thing he could think of was, "A dead person's soul," but seeing how that could apply to himself now, it was obviously wrong. The whispering in his mind seemed to come back at full force, the "new" voices urging him to run now more than ever. He had to struggle to hear Duo's words over the voices. "Does ANYONE know what a ghost is?" None of the souls responded, though a few muttered. Heero vaguely noticed that some of his fellow souls were banging their palms against their heads or covering their ears. Did they hear the voices, too? Maybe he wasn't so crazy after all. Duo continued to speak loudly to the crowd, "Yeah, I thought not." Then, suddenly, his eyes flicked to the side, and he reached an arm out, grabbing with his fist at thin air. His arm flinched as he seemed to grab something invisible about the size of a human neck and held it firmly. "This," he called out, his hand shaking as if the invisible thing therein were struggling, "is a ghost. They're sneaky little invisible things, so allow me to turn a light on." His forearm started to glow the same shade of violet his eyes were, then the glow spread down his hand and across the invisible thing it held. The violet light turned into a thick purple substance, like jelly, as it hit the invisible thing and coated it from head to toe. The form looked like a young boy, no older than twelve, his hands trying to free himself from Duo's tight grasp around his neck.

Heero's eyes widened as the boy's lips moved and no sound came out, yet he heard the words: in the form of another voice in his head. "No! Get off me! Help me, my friends, my fellow souls! I'm on your side; Death wants you brought to Hell! Will you let him bring you to Hell?! Save me! Save yourself by saving me! Help me! Help!" Heero took a few steps back and suddenly tripped over his own feet, or rather, over someone else's. Another voice called out, "Watch where you step, jerk!" And Heero quickly stood up, glaring around. He just got a little crazier, and a little more lost.

Duo smirked at the boy in his hand, still speaking to the group. "Ghosts were once souls, like you guys. Then, they started hearing voices, other ghosts, that told them to run away from the group. They listened, ran away, and a few months later they ended up like this mass of invisibility you see here." Duo dropped the boy suddenly, who landed with a splat on the white ground. The ghost shook his hands off, bits of violet gel splattering off him. Looking down at him, Duo laughed. "Now, get lost." Heero heard hissing and booing, cat calls at the bad pun, but Duo simply smirked. The few souls who had yet to hear voices stared at Death as if he were crazy. Duo shrugged, grabbing the reins to his horse and pulling it along as he started walking. "Just ignore them." He called out to the souls behind him. "They'll go away eventually." Overhead, Quatre followed Duo, and, slowly the rest of the group was in tow.

Heero paused to watch the poor ghost-boy, still half covered in purple goo, begin to run off, leaving sopping trails of violet light in the form of footprints. Then, Heero began walking after the group, more confused than ever, and just a little more paranoid. They were quieter, now, but the voices still unnerved him. They were just so convincing! One, sometimes two or three different voices, were all urging him to stray, giving him perfectly valid reasons to do so. But one voice, that ever-present child's voice was telling him to stay with the group, laughing at him for even considering leaving. Heero knew that voice wasn't a ghost. He had a feeling he knew what exactly that voice was, but the thought terrified him, so he attempted to ignore it. No one else seemed to hear that voice, either. In fact, Heero saw one soul from his group wander off, obviously believing what the ghosts told her.

Duo noticed, too, as one of his souls ran off, but was forced to ignore it. Like he had once told Quatre: there was nothing he could do; if a soul wanted to leave, he was welcome to. Duo could simply show them the path, guide them to Eternity. He couldn't force them, even if he wanted to. And, most of the time, he wanted to. He was a guide, not a judge, and he could not make decisions like his fellow deities could. Well, he COULD, but he wasn't supposed to. Someone might get upset, and it's never wise to upset a deity...

***

//AD 1945//

Duo lounged along the smooth edge of a large ornate fountain, dipping one hand into the grey water at his side. He stared into the water with a far-off expression, but his voice was hard and empty. "Welcome to Hephess, Satan-sama. It has been a while." He turned his head, unmoving from his perch, and grinned at his guest. "What took you?" The boy who had escorted the visitor in muttered an excuse, then backed away, his dark form seeming to fade into the shadows behind him. Death and Satan were alone in the large open room, eyeing one another uneasily.

Satan was a tall man who looked no older than thirty. His fiery red hair was slicked back so that it shined, and though there was little light in the garden in which they stood, the glistening of his hair seemed to reflect flames. Dressed in a fine burgundy suit with a black silk shirt, he stood tall and rigid. One tan hand was rested languidly on his hip, the other in a fist at his side. His eyes, like Duo's, were literally glowing with energy, their burning red hue lighting his high cheeks. Those eyes, so full of life and knowledge, shined with something else: something deep, something to be afraid of, something evil. The man bowed slightly in acknowledgment of his fellow deity, and in response, Duo shrugged. The man raised an amused eyebrow, then asked in a suave voice, "May I sit?"

Shrugging again, Duo spoke, his voice distant and apathetic. "Yeah, sure, pull up a chair." The taller man did just that: with a small puff of smoke, a large red armchair appeared behind him, and he sat. His long legs crossed automatically, and, with another small puff of black smoke, a glass of red wine appeared between the long fingers of his right hand. He spoke between his teeth, a knowing smirk always present just below his cool expression. "I apologize for my tardiness, but you, Death-sama, of all people know what a task it is to maintain a busy schedule." They called each other's names with mocking tones, as if to treat each other with respect was a laughable thing.

Duo rolled his eyes. "I'm so honored you found the time." His voice dropped its mock-politeness. "Five years after I made the appointment." In a singsong voice, he quoted, " 'Hell is the most efficiently run section of Limbo' my ass! Do you even remember why you're upset anymore?" Taking a sip of wine, the man apologized for his rudeness and offered Duo a glass that had appeared just as suddenly as the first. Duo refused, claiming, "No, thanks, I've got my own." With that, the darkly clad boy reached into the water he was petting and pulled up a goblet the same shade of murky grey, filled with a thick black substance, like oil without the rainbow shine. He sipped it once licking his lips of the sweet taste, then put it on the cool stone next to him.

"In response to your question, Child, I am not upset," the man smirked over his glass, eager for Duo's reaction. "Yet, at least."

Not giving him the satisfaction of getting angry, Duo retorted. "Then why are you here, Old Man?"

At that, the man waved his right hand vaguely, an open scroll appearing in the space between them both with another small puff of black smoke. Normally, they wouldn't abuse their powers as much as they were currently doing, but showing off has its own time and place, and here and now seemed like the perfect oppurtunity; it was the equivalent of flexing their muscles, and deities are known showoffs. Duo barely even glanced at the scroll, knowing what it said. "I'm here for my soul." Satan spoke elegantly, his voice calm despite the threatening undertone. "You will return what is rightfully mine by contract, or I shall be forced to take it by force." To emphasize his point, the man closed his fist violently, the scroll bursting into flames, black ashes floating softly to the dark grey grass below. Darkly, the man stated, "I am never connived out of a deal without proper retribution."

Duo thought this over for a minute, then swung around where he sat, placing both feet firmly on the ground and leaning forward. "Speaking of contracts and deals, I believe we had one about this sort of thing."

His ruby eyes narrowed, their glowing increasing minutely. "Clarify your meaning."

"It's been a long time, so let me refresh your memory." A screen suddenly popped between them, like that of a projector, and crystal clear images began playing. As the mute people spoke, Duo narrated. "There's you, there's me, and there's God, a few billion years ago. That's the first contract we made that said we'd all be friends. There's God, editing it a bit so that he'd have headway to change the contract later. There's you, putting in all your catches and clauses and loopholes so you can start wars without God being able to stop you legally. And there's me, watching amused as the two of you bicker over something stupid. Now... wait for it... There! That's me, saying that if I need help, I get to take it from one of you guys. And that," He pointed, the screen pausing on the frame. "Is you signing the contract." The screen faded away until the deities were left glaring at one another. "Well, I needed help. With that war you had going on in Human, the body count was way up, and I'm talkin' major corpses out there. I needed another shade to deal with it; you should be glad I only took one. It just so happened that the one I wanted was Hell-bound." He grinned. "Nothing personal, of course."

"Oh, of course." Satan muttered. The red-haired man seemed to think this over for a minute, swirling the wine in his glass as he did. His crimson eyes were cold and calculating, taking this all in and coming up with an equation to his liking. "Has my soul become one of your children yet?"

Duo grinned, nodding. "Oh yes. He has at that. Great kid, too, love him to death. Kind of soul anyone'd die to have." His smirk widened, his eyes glowing purple with pure amusement.

The man tried to resist a snarl. He stood up, the chair vanishing behind him with another large puff of smoke. "Fine. He may stay, if you insist upon such a trivial matter. As I have always stated, I want no altercation with you, Death. Besides, what is one soul among millions?"

Standing up out of politeness, Duo's grin brightened, the look of victory clear on his face. "Now you're seeing it my way."

Satan had suddenly closed the distance between them and was glaring down at Duo, one fist clasped tightly around the cloak at Duo's neck. The man hissed, his breath tainted with the smell of wine and matches. "Just stay out of my way, Child." He spat the word venomously, but Duo didn't so much as flinch. "I do not need you interfering with my business. It is God with whom my quarrel is, but, mark this, should you get in Hell's way again, we will not hesitate to destroy you, no matter the cost."

Duo outright laughed at that, meeting the man's steady glare with his own glowing violet eyes. "Oh, I would LOVE to watch you try, Treize-sama." With that, the red haired man threw him back violently, Duo crashing into the fountain with a cracking of stone, the sparkling grey water creating a huge splash as he landed.

Treize stood up straight, glaring down at the sopping wet boy. "Do not try me, Death. I am in no mood!" He turned and called over his red-cloaked shoulder, "Watch your step from now on, or I shall show you my true power, and let us watch as your shades come to collect YOU then!" With another grand puff of smoke, the man was gone. Duo stood up quickly, glaring as the last remnants of smoke vanished. He looked down and noticed that the glass of wine was nestled between the gray blades of grass, unbroken. Staring at it, Duo forced the glass upright until it was floating before him, only a small amount of wine left sloshing around within. His eyes began burning violet energy, sparks snaking down his cheeks. His hair lifted with the force, the messy braid snaking upward behind him as his bangs fluttered before his eyes. Even his black cloak lifted until it was billowing behind him. Then, with an animalistic quality, Duo screamed from deep in his chest, violet waves of light pouring off him, the water from the fountain shooting upwards in a wave around him, and the tiny glass of red wine bursting into shards the size of dust.

Then, it stopped, the water, glass, braid, and cloak falling downward. The glow was gone, and Duo was left standing in the water, silent, dripping wet, and expressionless. Two boys ran into the room, voices worried as they fawned over Duo with their separate concerns. Duo smirked. "Death-sama?" One asked hesitantly. Then Duo outright grinned, and the two backed up slightly. Suddenly, Duo was laughing hard, violet tears leaking down his cheeks and being immediately absorbed back into his skin. The children merely watched, unable to speak. Finally Duo's laughter subsided, and he looked up, smiling.

"He said he wasn't in the mood." Duo chuckled again bitterly, then stepped out of the fountain, walking away with wet footprints. On his way out, he was muttering to himself, "He threatened me!" and a few lighthearted obscenities. His shades watched with bewildered expressions as their father wandered back to his room, still laughing at the idea. They turned, regarding one another with mutual expressions, their thoughts mirrored: "Gods are temperamental, unpredictable, and powerful: steer clear when there's conflict between them."

***

They were still walking, always walking, never-ending. If felt like they'd been walking for hours, and maybe they had been. Heero hadn't heard the ghosts' voices for a half hour, at least, maybe longer. It was probably safe to assume they were all far behind him. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief, not really feeling it. That one voice was there, always there, haunting him more than a ghost could. It was a child's voice, a young girl's, and it smirked at him with its sly tone. He hated that voice, loathed it. While he hated admitting it, and hated himself for being so weak, he was truly terrified of that voice. And, logically, he had good reason to be. Noticing a pause in Duo's one-sided conversation, Heero dared to ask another question. "Duo?"

The boy in black turned his head, his expression calm, inviting, and curious. "Yes?"

He thought a minute of how to phrase it, then simply let the words come. "Why do you believe I'm not going to Hell?" It came out barely as a whisper, but Duo caught the words easily. Still, he took his time before answering. Finally, he shrugged.

"Because you're not."

Heero frowned. That wasn't very reassuring. He didn't want to push it, but was genuinely interested. He had to know why Duo believed in him so much, had so much faith. There had to be a reason; so what was it? "But why don't you think so?"

"I don't THINK so; I know so." Again, another ambiguous answer.

Heero stopped, grabbing Duo's upper arm and staring into those deep purple eyes, his own eyes determined to get an answer. "Why."

They stood there as the group slowly caught up behind them, before Duo allowed a small smile to creep onto his lips. "Because I won't let you." He laughed softly before turning and walking away again.

Heero remained standing still for a few minutes afterward, staring into space as new thoughts, new questions, new possibilities ran through his mind. Finally noticing that he was no longer walking, he turned and began jogging through the crowd of souls, pushing lightly as he made his way back to the front. He came alongside Duo, but just as he opened his mouth to ask, Duo interrupted. "Look out there. Do you see it?"

Reluctantly dragging his eyes away from Duo's profile, Heero turned and glared at the horizon. He stared for a full minute before finally noticing a small flicker of light, like the sun's rays reflecting off metal. Still walking, Heero asked, "Yes. What is it?"

Duo grinned, picking up speed. "We're almost there."

Within a few minutes, the tiny glint of light had become a shining star, and the souls could see what exactly it was reflecting off of. Within ten minutes, they were there, standing next to it, their eyes wide with disbelief. Every soul present was in awe of the sight. Twin gates made of the finest, brightest, white-gold glittered in a bath of sunlight not present anywhere else in Limbo. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't pearl: though they were alarmingly white. In front of them, a woman in silky white robes with twin ivory wings twice her height sat behind a high golden podium. She had soft blond hair cut short, and wisps of blonde bangs fell over her eyes. A pair of thin, gold-rimmed reading glasses were perched on her nose and, behind them, pure blue eyes that shimmered in and of themselves looked out, welcoming the newcomers. She smiled warmly at the group of souls that had just arrived, the smile seeming to warm the air around them. When she spoke, the words sounded like music, and the meaning they conveyed sounded like a chorus of trumpets. "Welcome to the Gates of Eternal Paradise."