Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Essential Elements ❯ New Worlds and Demons and Magic, Oh My! ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: dancin4duo
After a few startling revelations, the boys must decide whether or not to accept this "other world" as real. And what lies ahead of them, should they acknowledge it?

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Hentai / Fantasy | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 10.03.2006 | Pages: 33 | Words: 35.2K | Visits: 407 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter 3
Warnings: AU-ish, yaoi, language, short introductory Heero POV, remainder Duo's POV
 
Rating: changed to R, to be safe. No sex just yet, but there will be groping (some of it nonconsensual, hehee!!), sexual manipulation, fantasizing, kissing, and things of that nature.
 
Pairings: 2x1/1x2, 3x4, 5xOC (later in the story… ;) two OC pairings
 
Disclaimer: No, I don't own the G-boys, a fact that makes me cry to this day. I do, however, own everyone in this fic who's not in GW. Go me!
 
A/N: Hey, there! Good news: this is the UPDATED Chapter 3, yay! Man, why didn't anyone ever tell me how bad this chapter was before? Argh! Anyway, I'd like to thank those who informed me of Heero and Wufei's OOC-ness, and I truly hope I did them some justice. Please let me know what you think of it!
 
-“Speech”
-Thoughts
-/Telepathy/
 
 
Chapter 3: New Worlds and Magic and Demons, Oh My!
 
Heero:
 
“WHAT THE FUCK'RE YOU TALKING ABOUT, RAZ?!” Duo thundered, accenting his rage with his fists upon the wooden table in front of us ( he really is beautiful when he's angry.) It was obvious he was over the effects of his … nightmare. We were sitting in a circle around aforementioned abused table, in the room where we found Duo out cold and stark naked.
 
For a brief few moments, that room was paradise to me.
The green-haired boy, Razyo, had revived him, and he woke up bawling, and how “the plant monster was going to come find and eat him because he tasted good.”
 
Now, I wasn't one to dispute the fact that Duo probably did taste good, but a plant… monster? A sentient, mobile plant? With a tongue? Impossible. It made no sense. After he explained, I explained to him it had been a nightmare. It had to have been. Because, like the one Razyokai was in the process of trying to explain to the five of us, the story Duo told made absolutely no sense.
 
First, he ranted to us that, when he woke up, a man with dog ears and a tail was in the room with him (…which I couldn't really believe). Then, he told us that Razyo, who had taken care of us when we woke, had been hitting on him (which I definitely could believe, given how I'd seen him flirting with Quatre before Trowa regained consciousness). Finally, Duo concluded with how he'd been viciously attacked by the illustrious plant-beast. (…Which I definitely didn't believe.)
 
What the hell? First we wake up in the middle of some complex, with some overly-excited boy with green hair “taking care of us” (I really don't remember him actually doing anything), then we hear Duo yelling as if to wake the dead, then we find him and he tells us some fantasy story, and Razyo backs him up, adding that not only was there actually a “plant monster”, but we were in a different world altogether. Damn it, why was today so full of… weirdness, for lack of a better word?
Huh. Funny how three years ago, I could have come up with at least fifty other words, in ten different languages that were decidedly better than “weirdness.”
 
Then again, three years ago, if you'd told me I would eventually be ale to drop the Perfect Soldier routine, get a life, and spend my weekends with my four fellow pilots, I would have scowled darkly in your general direction (which, back then, was the equivalent of my laughing in your face). If you'd told me that I would crack jokes about the similarities between Relena Peacecraft's limousine (*shudder*) and Chang Wufei's penis (please, don't ask, I think I was drunk), you would have received a Heero Yuy Death Glareâ„¢ (which was to say, a Heero Yuy Death Glareâ„¢). If you'd have told me that I would, in the future, willingly lie on my back on the deck of one of Quatre's mega-yachts and allow Duo Maxwell to suck and lick a tequila shot off my bare stomach (I was DRUNK, damn it), I'd have “Omae o korosu”'d you. Come to think of it, if you told me that I would ever get drunk, I think I might have “Omae o korosu”'d you. And if you ever dared tell me that when I went home the evening following said body shot, I'd spend the entire night fantasizing about Duo and things I could do to him on a yacht, I would have emptied a few clips in you, starting with your knees.
 
But that was three years ago. Nowadays, you tell me I occasionally jack off to the picture I have of Duo glistening, wet, and half-naked at Quatre's last pool party, and I'd proudly own up to it.
 
I'd just rip out your tongue and cut off your extremities to make sure you never told anyone else.
 
It's not like I didn't know that Duo wanted me. On the contrary, he had a habit of demonstrating the fact quite often. Hell, he'd done just about everything short of tattooing “Heero, Please Screw Me” onto his forehead. (He night have it on his back somewhere, though.) I knew he liked me, and I felt the same way about him, it's just that, for some reason, I could never find the fortitude to actually say it. I'll bet anything that when I do tell him, it'll probably end up happening in some horribly cliché way. I'll drop by his apartment unexpectedly, letting myself in with the spare key he gave me, and he'll be on the phone with Quatre, pouring his heart out to the blond about how there's now way a guy like me would ever love a guy like him. Then, I'd sneak up behind him, hang up the phone, gently wrap my arms around him while he stutters, and proceed to quash his fears of rejection with sweet, passionate kisses.
 
At least, that's how I picture it happening.
 
Trowa calls me a hopeless romantic; because of the way I talk about Duo. I say he's blind, because of the fact he never seems to catch Quatre mooning after him. Sometime after he pieced me back together after my self-destruction in Siberia, Trowa and I became close. We talked a lot, confided in each other, much in the same way I'm sure Quatre and Duo did, reassuring each other and ourselves that the two boys returned our affections. Although Trowa just admitted his bisexuality, I think he knew he wanted Quatre since the day he met the little blond.
 
I, myself, had never really thought about it, but I suppose that up until I met Duo, I had been asexual. I'd convinced myself that as the Perfect Soldier, I didn't need love or sex or relationships. And it worked for a while, until he came along and ruined everything, with his beauty and his charm and his enigmatic behavior; a personality that ranged from the happy-go-lucky chatterbox, to Shinigami, to one of any normal, hormone-driven eighteen year-old boy, to the haunted child who was made to grow up too fast, too soon, after having lost everything he ever dared care for.
 
I don't want to get sentimental right now, though; it would change the mood of my musings.
 
Since I haven't found anyone attractive since I met him, and had never really considered anyone attractive before I met him, I guess you could say I was Duo-sexual. And since he is a boy, and I am a boy, technically that makes me gay. Gay. Duo Maxwell caused me to go from that cold, Perfect Soldier, Hero of the colonies, a boy who needed nothing but his missions (and his laptop) and no one but his Gundam, to what I am now: this relatively normal (normal for a boy who has a higher body count at the age of twenty than most seasoned war veterans, anyway) gay young man, who could joke, relax, have fun, enjoy life and peacetime, his friends, without tensing at every lurking shadow, ducking at the sound of every overhead plane, contemplating suicide because he couldn't handle living life without having orders to follow.
 
We won't go there now, though. That's another story for another time.
 
Or maybe never.
 
Besides, angst is another mood killer.
 
Look what you've done to me, Duo. I thought. You've got me musing. Musing! Something I never thought I'd want to do. (“Daydreaming is irrational and unproductive. A waste of time. There is no action involved, and thus no point.” Heero “The Perfect Soldier” Yuy.) Daydreaming about you, Maxwell. Duo. Duo, Duo, Duo….
 
Damn, I hate musing. It always has a way of making me feel… exposed.
 
Back to Trowa and myself: in his the car before we arrived at the campsite, Trowa suggested that we grow a pair and tell Quatre and Duo how we felt before the 3-day camping trip was over. That we conquer our unfounded insecurities and go for what we wanted, as it wasn't exactly like we faced with rejection by either teen. The fact that Trowa and I had been saying the same thing for months eluded my logic, and I amended to the plan slightly, necessitating that we needed to do it by night two. He accepted the challenge, and it was settled. By night two, they would know. Operation: Date Them was underway, and Duo was my target.
 
Ninmu ryoukai.
 
I'll be the first to say we were idiots, as that was the most inane strategy I'd ever had the displeasure of knowing about. What made it even more pathetic, in my opinion, was the fact that I came up with half of it. The stupid half, at that.
 
I blame the fresh country air rushing through the windows and getting me high, for allowing me to entertaining the ludicrous plan.
 
I did come close to telling him, though. At the spring. I wanted to. Wufei, Trowa and I had played a few drinking games while the other boys were exploring, and I was a little flushed. The booze had me randy, and half out of my mind, and God, I wanted him so badly. The way he threw himself at me, slippery and partially nude, I wanted to forget decorum and take him right there in the water. Really, I did. But it was easier to hide my lust behind a joke, and throw him to our enraged friends. Both times I teased him, I remembered why Duo wore his prankster's mask the same way I used the Perfect Soldier façade, and that it was just as easy to use jokes as a shield as it was to hide behind detachment.
 
Anyways, day two, the day of reconciliation, had already come. I should have been excited, nervous, anxious, anything. But I wasn't. All because of Razyo and his idiotic explanation of why we were wherever the hell it was we were.
 
And it was hard to muse about Duo properly, when you had some boy telling you that you were in a world different from the one you'd always known to be the only one there was.
 
:ooooo:
 
“Are you honestly trying to tell us that we're in another dimension? Another world?” I asked this, even while pondering my own absurdity for entertaining that question, for considering that ridiculous idea. Trowa sighed and looked up.
 
“This may sound rude, Razyokai, but that is really stupid. It defies everything: logic, physics, and-”
 
“Gravity? Common fucking sense?” Duo was clearly not as worried about tact as the taller boy. “I mean, who the fuck knows how we got here, I wake up in a bed with a bunch of guys standin' over me while I'm in my fuckin' birthday suit, I get sexually assaulted, and then I end up hallucinating about some monster plant and a guy with dog ears! And then you sit me down and tell me I'm in another world? Where people have magic powers? That's a bunch of story-book bullshit, and you know it, Raze!”
 
Duo was understandably having a hard time listening. We'd been in the room for over an hour, trying to comprehend what was being said. Duo, unsurprisingly had been the first to denounce the story as crap, followed closely by Wufei. Quatre was trying his hardest to take it in stride, to restrain himself, and Trowa was acting similarly. I had yet to say anything, mostly because I had been trying to remember if Dr. J had ever mentioned anything about inter-dimensional travel being possible.
 
That and I had been thinking about Duo for a really long time.
 
“You know, coming from the boy who claims to have been attacked by a plant, that sounds a little foolish.” A quiet voice drawled contemptuously. “Maybe you should let one of your friends argue the point, Duo, as you seem rather prone to spin fantastic tales, yourself.” The braided boy glared over at the corner, violet eyes narrowed. Kyo was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, and he graced the look ferocious look Duo shot him with a sneer of his own. Duo opened his mouth, no doubt prepared to spit back an acidic retort, when Razyo cut him off.
 
“Kyo. Come on, please?” The black-haired teen's face softened a little. He looked over at the pleading boy, sighed, and looked away. Razyo smiled a little. “Thank you.” The smaller boy turned to us. “I know this sounds strange, and I can't imagine what it must be like for you all, but you gotta understand-”
 
“We don't gotta understand nothin'! This! Makes! No sense! Sorry, pal, but you can take this gagged up story `a yours and shove it up yer ass, cuz I'm not-”
 
“Sit on it, Duo!” Raz exploded, clearly fed up with trying to be patient. “Can you imagine what it was like for us, to watch five bodies literally drop outta the sky?! Granted, yeah, we knew there were other worlds, but no one was prepared for that! We didn't know who or what you were! You aren't the only one having trouble adjusting to the fact that you're here, alright?!” He turned to look around at each of us. “Look, I don't know what to do, other than take you to Urai and have h-”
 
“What's Urai?” Wufei demanded. His head was wrapped in some sort of green bandage and his arm was in a sling. He still had his trademark look on his face, the one that Duo teasingly referred to as “I just sucked a lemon and I hated it, but that is beside the point, as I have done justice,” but he looked uncomfortable.
 
“Urai's the head healer of tre Kaeido. She'll read you and… gods, I don't know. But we'll sort this out. Somehow.” He sighed heavily and stood, swaying on his feet a little. He seemed tired suddenly, deflated. “Damn,” he whispered. “Damn, damn, damn….” Kyo noticed the boy's state and immediately pushed himself off the wall.
 
“All of you get up. We're going to the temple to figure this out. I don't want to hear anything, just get up and come on.” He said this in a voice that left no room for argument, so we did as we were told. I watched as Kyo went to the front of our little procession and put a comforting hand on Raz's shoulder, whispering something unintelligible. The green-haired boy blushed and muttered his thanks. Were they…?
 
I fell in step with Trowa once we were outside the building. “Hey.” He turned to me and sighed.
 
“I this making any sense to you, Yuy?” I shook my head as we headed through an arched doorway that led to a fight of stairs.
 
“Which parts? The part where we're trapped in some other dimension, where people possess magic powers? Or the one that we're trapped in some other dimension, where people possess magic powers and there's a possibility that we do, too?” He shrugged as we exited the staircase, stepping into the most lush, elaborate garden I'd ever seen.
 
“Mmm, both I guess.” He said, as we took a short walk through the beautiful lawns to a building that looked similar to a temple. Kyo and Razyo came to a halt in front of the door and turned to us. They conferred for a brief moment before Kyo shrugged, touched his chest, his lips, and his forehead (…whatever that meant), and stepped through the open door.
 
“Nope. Not an ounce.”
 
Still standing near the doorway, Razyo sighed and shifted uncomfortably. “What's wrong now?” Duo demanded waspishly, still clearly irritated. Razyo shook his head and backed up.
 
“Nothing. Urai's just… she doesn't like bein' interrupted while she's busy. Oh, and before I forget, Urai's nice, but she gets temperamental with strangers, so here's some ground rules.” He looked around conspiratorially, and beckoned us over. “Number one: do not talk unless she asks you a question.” Wufei snorted. “I know with you guys not knowing what's goin' on, that'll be hard, but trust me, it's for the best. Just… don't speak unless spoken to.” He shook his head and sighed. “Rule number two: don't make eye contact with her. You guys aren't citizens, and you haven't been confirmed as elementals, or even mages, yet, and it's impolite for an outsider to look a Temple Head in the eye, so don't. Rule number th-”
 
“Wait a minute,” Wufei interjected. The other three pilots and myself sighed collectively. Here we go. “What's all this about my not being able to look some woman in the eye? It's wrong to have a woman as a man's superior. All these societies cropping up, feeling the need to make women and men equals. They are not and will never be, and I- by NatAKU, WHAT IS THAT?!” I turned in the direction he was pointing.
 
I'm not going to say I screamed. Screaming isn't masculine.
 
I did, however yell and throw myself as far from the doorway as I could. Wufei… yelled and ran like hell towards me, white as a sheet. Duo had jumped about a foot in the air and went to cower behind Razyo (who, for some reason, looked amused), raving about how he “fuckin' told us so, gaddammit, there really was a plant monster, we shoulda listened to him, and now we were all gonna be fertilizer for this fucking Satanic weed!”, while Quatre fell in a dead faint into the arms of Trowa, who looked like he wanted to cry.
 
I hoped he didn't, because that'd mean that I'd be getting the OK to do it as well. And crying was no more masculine than screaming.
 
The giant Venus flytrap-looking thing in the doorway seemed to regard us all before it… noticed Duo shaking like a leaf behind Raze. The creature seemed to smile (don't ask, that's just what it seemed like to me) before it somehow maneuvered its roots so that it was moving towards him. Dear God, Duo had been right!
 
What a frightening thought.
 
I was ready to go rescue my beloved loudmouthed baka, to tear the plant apart for menacing him, when I realized I couldn't move.
 
My limbs felt numb, thick, and heavy. Dead. I panicked, realizing that I wouldn't be able to do anything, should the plant decide Duo tasted as good as he looked.
 
“Kisama!” I turned my eyes to see that Wufei was in a similar predicament, completely immobile. A quick glance to my left showed me that Trowa was also forced to endure lying frozen beneath Quatre (though, I'm not sure he really had any problem with that). So, dammit, we were all paralyzed and meanwhile, Duo was being molested.
 
What the hell? I thought we left shit like this back in the war!
 
The braided boy let out an odd gurgling sound and began backing away. I didn't have time to wonder how it was that Duo could move, while we couldn't. “Oh, please,” he whimpered. “Oh, pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleasepleasepleasesomebodydosomethingbeforei teatsmeeeaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
 
The plant had managed to sidle up to Duo and was in the process of twining its vines around his arms. It pulled the screaming (yes, Duo, I'm sorry, but you were screaming) boy into itself and licked him. It. Licked. Him. With a tongue. Which is something plants are NOT supposed to have!
 
I was about to scream, masculinity be damned, when Razyo burst into laughter.
 
Now, please, imagine the situation: There were six of us, nearly grown men. Two of us, Wufei and myself, were standing immobile as rocks, and about as responsive, in the middle of a lovely garden pathway. One of us, Trowa, lay completely helpless on the grass under Quatre, who was still unconscious. Duo sat curled up in the corner of the doorway with vines wrapped around his arms, crying, while some behemoth carnivorous plant licked his face with a tongue it wasn't supposed to have (sorry, I just couldn't get over that) was preparing to eat him.
 
And our self-proclaimed guide, Razyokai Lai'Isala, was doubled over, laughing so hard he wasn't breathing properly.
 
It went without saying that we were a little frustrated.
 
“Razyo, what the hell are you doing, help him!” Wufei snarled from behind me. The younger boy looked up at him, tears streaming down his face, looked back to Duo, tried to talk, and lost it all over again. I glanced over at Trowa to see that he was torn between staying on the ground with Quatre between his legs, or thrashing Razyo for laughing at such a dire situation when he should be trying to save Duo, who was now wailing at the top of his lungs.
 
I was about to give the green-haired boy a piece of my mind when the doorway darkened.
 
Kyo was standing there, looking more than a little pissed, with a tiny middle-aged woman. She had graying blond hair and piercing blue eyes, and looked to be, quite possibly, one of the most formidable people I've ever encountered.
 
“Really, `Bera, that's enough, you're scaring him,” the woman snapped. The plant turned and released Duo, who immediately ran to me and threw himself at my chest (if only the circumstances were different…). And it grinned. I stared. No, I wasn't hallucinating, the thing actually smiled revealing rows of needlelike teeth. And then it spoke.
 
It. Spoke.
 
“Was just playing with him, Master. Like him `lots, yes.”
 
I stood there, feeling ready to check myself into an asylum, while Duo shrieked and began trying his damndest to climb on top of my shoulders.
 
Now, Duo wasn't a very large person, and even if he was, I would have easily been able to support his weight. However, due to the fact that he decided used my crotch as a foothold, I went down hard with him astride me. I watched in mute horror as the plant ambled over to us. I could dimly hear Wufei and Trowa ranting at Razyo (who was still laughing!), and Quatre was still dead to the world. Kyo, of course, was silent.
 
“He is… green, yes?” the plant rasped. THE PLANT RASPED! God, there were so many things wrong with this situation!
 
The only person I'd ever been sexually attracted to was squirming around on top of me I couldn't manage to find it arousing because I was too busy being terrified of the colossal, licking plant that had just walked over to talk to us.
A colossal plant with a tongue had just
Walked over
To talk to us.
There was a walking, talking plant with a tongue in existence, in this world.
I said `this world', meaning I had just pretty much accepted everything Razyo said to be the truth.
 
Shit.
 
“Yes, he is Sukibera.” She looked down at Duo and I and smiled cryptically. “I believe all five of them are elements, in fact,” she said while shooting a relatively dirty look in Kyo's direction. Kyo's face darkened for some reason. “Mr. Jarael, Mr. Lai'Isala, please take the boys to the Drawing Chamber. I need to gather the apprentices and the Elders.” Suddenly, she turned to the dark-haired boy at her side. “Kyokeido, I don't care to hear anything you have to say on the matter, just do as I said!” she snapped.
 
And here I thought I'd known what authority sounded like.
 
The blue-eyed boy scowled darkly, but said nothing. Razyo went and put a hand on his angered friend's shoulder. “Come on, guys, Urai's already reversed the effects of the spores, you can get up any time,” he called, motioning to us. He turned, smiling, to Kyo. “Ready? `S been a while since we've seen a Drawing, huh, Kyo-kido?” The taller boy tossed his head and grunted noncommittally. I noticed the others coming out of their respective slumps (Quatre was conscious enough to feign unconsciousness, since he noticed it was Trowa who was holding him.) Wufei was still a little pale, and was still shooting Razyo dirty looks, but he seemed fine.
 
I looked down at the gleaming chestnut head on my chest. “Can you move, Duo?” I asked, though I would have loved more than anything to have him stay there forever.
 
“Yeah,” he muttered as he rolled off. “Sorry fer usin' yer nads as a ladder, there, buddy,” he apologized as he stood, obviously uneasy, keeping a cautious eye on the plant. I shook my head, forgiving him, and helped him up, then directed my gaze to the woman, who I assumed was Urai. She turned to Duo.
 
“Don't worry, boy, he won't do anything to you. Sukibera is bound to me, and I won't allow him to eat any of my prospective students.” Duo nodded, though still clearly still wary and very confused.
 
“So, y-yer a nice plant then, eh?” he asked in a quavering voice. It nodded furiously. I swear, if it were a dog, its tail would have been wagging. “OK, then w-we-we can b-be, uh, f-f-friends, right?” He extended a trembling hand to the creature, the smile on his face so forced it looked painful. The plant smiled (damn it, that was so bizarre) and wormed its way closer to Duo.
 
“Yes. Good. Like you.” It said. For the second time I'd seen, it slid it's long blue-green tongue out and trailed it up the side of Duo's contorted, shock-pale face. “Taste so good.” It licked him again, slowly this time, and I could see he was shuddering. “Duo. Could eat you up….” It opened its cavernous mouth very wide, displaying its millions of cruel, needle-sharp teeth.
 
“Maybe he doesn't get enough sleep,” Raze laughed as Duo collapsed bonelessly in my arms. Kyo snorted.
 
“Maybe he's more a nerveless onna than Winner,” Wufei teased, shooting a pointed look at the blond nestled in Trowa's arms.
 
“Hey,” Trowa and I warned simultaneously.
 
 
:ooooo:
 
 
Duo:
 
There were many words that described how I felt.
 
Ashamed. Degraded. Embarrassed. Despondent. Shitty. Confused (as all hell!). Yeah, and those were just the big words. There were plenty more.
 
Damn, I couldn't get over it. Three times! I'd managed to keel over three times in one day. I don't know that I passed out that many times during the entire war!
 
We were sitting on the floor of a large room in the temple-place, waiting for the old woman to come back. Things were pretty tense, as `Fei, Heero, Trowa, and I were all pissed at Raz for not saving me, and Kyo was pissed at us for being pissed at him. And poor Quatre was clueless.
 
“For the fiftieth time, Duo, you weren't in any danger. I wouldn't have laughed at you if you were.” I turned my nose up at him. Jerk.
 
“I would have,” Kyo deadpanned. Bastard.
 
Razyo looked scandalized. “Kyo!” he exclaimed. The older boy shrugged elegantly. Fancy bastard.
 
“What?” he snapped. Raz struggled to find words, then gave up, shoulders slumping.
 
“Nothing, nevermind,” he sighed. He turned hesitantly to the four of us. “I promise, Duo, I wouldn't've been laughing if you'd been in any danger.” He spared Kyo a dark look. “Really, Bera's a kitten, he'd never hurt anybody, especially a-” he paused. “A gorgeous guy like you.” He smiled ingratiatingly. I scowled, but it was half-hearted.
 
Damn him and his ego-boosting words.
 
“Fine, whatever. But still man… another world? Is this just so un-” Suddenly, the door of the room flew open.
 
“On your feet,” Kyo hissed, standing. He exchanged a look with Raze and they left. We all did as we were told, and watched as people began filing into the room.
 
As they continued to stream into the room, nervous speculations about who the five of us were began floating in the air. I heard everything from new students to demons. And apparently, several people were under the impression that I was a girl. Assholes.
 
I slowly inched closer to the others, trying not to draw any extra attention to my girly self. “Is it just me, Quat, or are you still confused, too? You are, right?” He sighed, looking up at me.
 
“Well I…. Allah, I don't know, Duo. I don't want to believe it, I mean, the whole idea of being in another dimension is totally fucked,” (I started at Q's use of the word “fucked;” I'm so clearly rubbing off on him) “but I can see Razyo's heart, and he's not lying.” He sighed again. “Duo he's not lying.”
 
Needless to say, I was disgruntled. I really like that word. Disgruntled. So what if Raz didn't deem to be lying, for all we knew, he was crazy. “Quat….” He shrugged and shook his head.
 
“I don't know what else to say, Duo. Razyo's not lying. And you've seen all the crazy stuff here! That plant?” I shuddered. I did not want to think about that damned thing, and the fact that two of the times I'd fainted were because of that spore-laden monstrosity. “I mean, we're obviously not in that forest right now, but I don't… know. I just don't know anymore, Duo.”
 
“Yeah, but Quat-”
 
“Silence,” a strong voice called out. The chatter ceased and I looked up to see an old man standing in the midst of the crowd. And when I say old, man, I mean old, I mean, this guy looked like my fingers after a few hours in the bathtub. The five of us huddled together as he looked around. “As you have already been informed, the five boys before you are to participate in a Drawing. They have come here from another time, and, until further notice, will be attending the seminary with all of you. I expect you will all grant them a warm welcome,” he said, treating them to a severe look. “As soon as Lady Urai returns with the Key to the Ether Weir, they will be Confirmed, and they will Draw.”
 
Hm. I didn't like the way that sounded. To me, that sounded like that story where everyone in the village drew a piece of paper out of a box, and if there was a certain mark on the paper, they were stoned to death. And I'd be damned if I was going to die at the hands of some wrinkly old man I didn't know before I even understood what the hell was going on!
 
Or before I turned twenty-one.
 
Or before I screwed Heero. Whichever came first.
 
I was about to raise my hand, and ask what the fucking hell was going on, when the door opened again, this time revealing a disgruntled (man, I really love that word!)-looking Kyo, a grinning Razyo, and that Urai lady. Kyo was carrying a black wooden box with five small glass balls inside, and Razyo was carrying a similar black box containing a large silver key. In Urai's arms was a red satin pillow, and on that pillow was a golden scepter with some archaic designs all over it.
 
Ooookaaayy…, so all that stuff didn't fit into my whole “they're gonna kill us” theory all that well. But, hey, you never know. There are some weird people in the world.
 
The woman strode to the middle of the room with the two boys flanking her, the turned to face the five of us poor, confused, (pissed off!) Gundam boys. She looked at each of us slowly. Taking us in, I guess.
 
“Your names please.” We looked at each other stupidly before silently agreeing to go in numerical order.
 
“Heero Yuy.”
 
“Uhh, Duo Maxwell.”
 
“Trowa Barton.”
 
“Quatre Raberba Winner.” (Agrh, that middle name drives me nuts! Is that even Arabic?)
 
“Ch- Wufei Chang.”
 
The woman nodded and looked up. “Will the Elders please step forward. We will now begin the Confirmation.”
 
What the hell is this, Catholic School? I thought, as several men and women who were varying degrees of old came in around us.
 
“Ah, excuse me, Ms. Lady Urai?” I whispered. She turned, and I knew I'd just made a huge mistake when Razyo's eyes got very big and Kyo grinned evilly. God, that guy was such a bastard! “Um, nevermind, forget I said anything, sorry.” But, to my surprise, she smiled at me. And I knew this was a good thing when Razyo grinned in relief and Kyo scowled. Ha! Suck it, Kyo! (…On second thought, don't, cuz you might be a cold, hard-assed bastard, but you're still really, really hot, and I'd like it a lot more than I wanted to.)
 
“I know this is all happening very fast,” damn right it was, lady! “but you will understand soon enough, now hush.” She looked to the elderly people around us. “We are now ready to begin the Endowment Confirmation.”
 
Excuse me? Endowment? Endowment as in…. …!
 
Oh, boy.
 
She picked the scepter off the pillow. “Mr. Heero Yuy,” she called. I blanched. No, not my Heero! As he walked fearlessly towards her, I swore to myself that, old woman or no, if she hurt one hair on his gorgeous head (or came anywhere near his endowment!), she was gonna die, Shinigami-style. She regarded Heero for a moment before placing the staff gently on one of his shoulders, and her hand on the other. She closed her eyes, seeming to be waiting for something. And, seeing as we had nothing else to do, we waited, too.
 
And waited and waited and waited.
 
I stood there on pins and needles, ready to pounce on the woman should Heero even start blinking funny, but nothing happened. Heero looked around at the circle of grizzled faces, and then back to Urai, noticeably confused. Hell, I would be, too, if some old woman put some ancient rod-thing on my shoulder, then stood around with her geriatric friends, while they waited for something to happen.
 
He had just opened his mouth, when the scepter suddenly glowed and bathed him in a brilliant silver-white light. Heero glanced fretfully around at the rest of us, eyes wide. Urai smiled and stepped back. “Congratulations, Heero,” she whispered. “Alchemist, Air mage.”
 
What?
 
Scattered applause and chatter started up, and continued until Urai waved her arms. She looked back to Heero and gestured to an open door. “Young mage, you may go into the Drawing Chamber and wait there until your friends join you.”
 
…Mage? Alchemist? Air? What the hell…?
 
He looked at us again, still uncertain, but headed through the door anyway. God, he was so brave. …'Course, if he dropped dead behind that door, it wouldn't really matter how brave he had been, now, would it? No. In fact… damn, why were we listening to this woman? What was she doing? Where did she just send Heero? What-
 
“Mr. Wufei Chang,” Urai called.
 
Damn it, I was back to not being able think about anything without being interrupted again!
 
Wufei took a deep breath, closed his eyes and stepped forward. He looked questioningly into the woman's eyes and she smiled at him, repeating the same process with him as she did with Heero. However, it didn't take nearly as long for him to be engulfed in a bright yellow light. Wufei looked shocked, as though he hadn't already seen this happen, and Urai grinned at him. “Light. Please join your friend in the Drawing Chamber.” As Wufei stumbled off in the direction of the door, I began to wonder just how in the hell that scepter managed to do that, and what it all meant-
 
“Mr. Trowa Barton.” Gaddammit! Trowa gulped and spared a surreptitious glance at Quatre (awww!), before stepping up. Once again, Urai placed the rod on his shoulders, and once again it radiated brilliant light, this time a deep blood red. Urai smiled her tiny, secretive smile again. “And Fire for you, Mr. Barton.” She pointed to the door, and Trowa, though clearly confused, complied silently. What the hell was going on?! She turned back to Quat and me, who were now nervous as hell.
 
“Duo Maxwell,” she purred. Hey, how come she didn't call me Mr.? I walked towards her, but stopped short, eyeing the rod warily.
 
“Is it gonna hurt?” I asked. Hey, what, it could! Heero, Wu, and Trowa were all the strong, silent, “you'll never know if I'm feeling pain or not” types, so I wouldn't know.
 
Urai shook her head, smiling. “No, Duo, it won't hurt.”
 
“You promise?” Kyo, Raz and a few of the people around me were giving me the “you're so dense, Duo” look, but I didn't care, I didn't wanna get hurt!
 
“Yes.” I frowned and looked deep into her eyes.
 
“You sure?”
 
“Yes, Duo.” She was starting to sound a little irritated, but, to ensure my safety, I pursued.
 
“Yeah, but are you posit-”
 
Urai huffed, yanked me forward, and slapped the staff down on my shoulder. Immediately, the staff glowed (you guessed it) GREEN, and I was surrounded in the accompanying light.
 
…And it didn't hurt.
 
The woman spun me roughly around and shoved me none too-gently in the direction of the door. “Just as I thought. Green. Now, go.” I walked backwards and saw her smile (warmly) at Quatre, watched as she placed the scepter (gently) on his shoulders. After a few seconds, the staff emitted a bright blue light, and Urai smiled. “Water. Welcome, Quatre.” She shooed him in my direction and turned to address the crowd. “Now that all five boys have been Confirmed with The Gift, we will commence the Drawing, if they so choose to proceed with it. If the Elders and the heads of each Element class would please step forward, I would like to have a brief word with you.” Quatre and I watched as several younger people disentangled themselves from the crowd and stood before Urai. What was happening?
 
I sent Quatre a look. What the hell's going on? God, I'm so confused! Hey, whaddya say we stay out here and listen in on this top-secret conversation, huh? He sent me one back.
 
Duo, what the hell did you just say?
 
“Oh, and Duo, Quatre, dears, if you would be so kind as to follow my previous directions and get in the Chamber?” Eep, we'd been spotted! The two of us scampered through the doorway, into the room where the others were waiting.
 
The room was relatively large, candlelit, and somewhat forbidding, with regal-looking furniture all over the place. In the center of the room was a large well, made of polished black stones. Over top of the well was a golden lid-type thing, with a small hole in the middle. The lid had all sorts of strange designs scrawled on it, the most prominent one being a large, open eye. Ha. Creepy.
 
On a less ominous note, there was a large bay window that looked out onto a beautiful, sparkling lake that I'd somehow failed to notice on the way to this building of the temple. Huh. I must've been distracted.
 
Maybe by the two boys trying to tell me I was in another world, or something?
 
In the corner of the room was an enormous black stand-alone closet that appeared to be locked, if the ornate silver clasp on the double doors was anything to go by. What, they didn't trust us not to go lookin' in their stuff?
 
Well, well, well….
 
I was running a hand over my braid, feeling for the lock picks I kept in it, wondering if maybe, yanno, I should brush up on a few skills, when Trowa (interrupted my damn thoughts!) called.
 
“Hey….” I looked up to see him standing with his arms crossed in the middle of the room. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, blinking, shifting uncomfortably. I could tell what he wanted to ask, and was about to reply when Quatre beat me to it.
 
“She said Duo was green, and I'm water.” The little blond sighed and went to the window. “Allah, what does that mean?”
 
“Who the hell cares what they say it means, Winner?” came Wufei's sharp reply. I turned to him, shocked that he'd snap at Quatre like that.
 
“'Fei, come on, man, he was just-”
 
“You shut up, Maxwell, it's your fault we're here in the first place!”
 
Hold up, now, what?!
 
I dog-eyed him. “Hang on, what the fuck's `at supposed to mean?! How the hell is any `a this my fault?” He sneered at me.
 
“You had to go into that cave, Maxwell! You had to touch the water, you had to get us involved with these people, it's YOUR fault!”
 
Whaa?! I'm all for taking responsibility for your actions, but where was he pulling all this shit from?
 
“Wufei, please, stop it, you can't possibly bl-” Now's not the time for pacifism, Quat!
 
“What the fuck, Wu?! It's not like I forced you to do anything! And whaddya mean `I got us involved with these people'? How'd I manage do that?!”
 
We'd been steadily moving towards each other, and were now literally nose to nose. Or, at least we would be if I were a couple inches taller. “You tryin' ta tell me that 1.) you actually believe all this shit, and 2.) you think I'm responsible for it?!” I gave him my best evil glare. (It seemed to have no effect.) “Well, tell ya what, you can go fuck yourself with the stick you already got shoved up yer ass, Wu. Don't know what your malfunction is lately. Blame me if you want to, see if-”
 
“That's enough, both of you!” Wufei and I were roughly shoved away from each other by two strong arms. I glared mutinously up at Trowa, ready to chew him out, too, for coming between us.
 
…Except, he looked a helluva lot menacing than I'd seen him in a long time….
 
I decided to change tactics, and turned my flaming gaze to Wufei, who seemed to have had same idea. “I know you're frustrated, we all are, but you don't see us fighting each other about it! This place is weird, granted, so we're all we've got right now. Nobody wants or needs to hear you two arguing, so save your bitching until after we figure out what the fuck's going on, alright?!” Quatre showed his approval of this idea by standing next to the tall boy.
 
Wufei and I looked around our domineering friend, to each other. I stuck my nose in the air, saying without words that there was no way I was gonna speak first.
 
`Fei sighed heavily and hung his head. “I apologize, Duo. I allowed this place to get the better of me, and as a result, I have acted dishonorably. I truly am sorry; I had no right to accuse you of anything, and I was wrong for doing so.” I snorted.
 
“Damn straight, you were wrong for doin' so, ya dick.”
 
“Duo!” Quatre barked from his spot at Trowa's side. Backstabbing little….
 
“Fine, fine, yeah, I'm sorry fer… whatever, there.” Quatre fixed me with a withering stare.
 
“Fine, jeez, Quat! Wu, I'm sorry for defending myself from you while you were being a complete and total asshole to me and Quat.” He nodded to me, and I turned away, done with the conversation. Quatre sighed, realizing that that was the best I was willing to do, and went back to the window. Trowa flopped down into a high-backed chair, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, clearly exhausted. Yeah, well, if he hadn't gotten between me and Wu, he wouldn't be tired, so I didn't feel sorry for him in the least. Wufei ambled off towards the door, waiting for Urai to enter and explain what was going on to us.
 
My thinking about what the others had just done reminded me of the fact that Heero had been absent from that little exchange. You're probably wondering how I could manage to forget about the most beautiful man in the world, huh?
 
So was I.
 
“Hey, Hee-chan?” I called, looking around for him. Ah, God, what if something happened to him?! What if they were planning to execute us, and the method they'd chosen was some sort of poison gas? Heero had come in here first, and Trowa was looking pretty beat. Dear Lord, they were gonna kill us after all. Oh, my Heero-
 
“I said `what is it, Duo?'!'” came a fierce whisper.
 
Oh.
 
“Hey, man where are you?” I began searching for him again. I saw a hand shoot up from the other side of the well. From the ground.
 
Uhhh….
 
 
“Hey, buddy,” I started, rounding the well. I stopped when I saw him. “Uh, whatcha doin' down there?” He was lying on the ground, flat on his stomach, with his ear pressed up against the side of the black structure. He would have looked adorable, pouting like that, with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, if it wasn't so strange that he was lying on the floor of a temple, listening to a well.
 
“Shut up,” he muttered, shifting and frowning deeper. Well, fine then.
 
I stood there watching him for a while, until I couldn't take it anymore.
 
“H-”
 
“Damn,” he murmured, rolling onto his back.
 
“-eero, what're- oh. Hey, what's wrong?” He looked up at me and sighed, sitting up.
 
“You're going to think I'm crazy,” he said with a small smile. I gave him a lopsided grin of my own, and extended my hand.
 
“No I won't. You didn't think I was crazy when I told you I'd been manhandled by an overgrown weed, did you?” He looked ready to correct me, but didn't. “C'mon, fess up Yuy, what is it?” Heero sighed and took my hand, pulling himself up.
 
“I…. Ahn, this sounds so stupid, but…” he looked back to the well, shaking his head. “I… I thought I head voices in that well.” He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to agree and say he was nuts. But, not only was he too gorgeous for me to call crazy, I believed him. Kinda.
 
…OK, well, not really, but hell, when you took into consideration everything else that had happened in this place so far, voices in a well didn't sound all that unbelievable.
 
“See? I told you.” I shook my head.
 
“Naw, it's not that bad. I mean, there could be people down there, it is possible, when you think about it.” He smiled that super-sexy smile of his and my heart stopped working. Oh, I'd kill for that smile!
 
“Hn. Thanks, Duo,” he purred, walking away.
 
Heck yes! Heero Yuy had just purred his thanks to me! Oh, life was good!
 
But, as looked around, I remembered where I was (or, where I was, supposedly,) and quickly amended that thought.
 
Life was hideously, morbidly ironic and I hated it.
 
It had been about ten minutes since mine and Wuffie's little spat, and the five of us were all off in our separate little worlds and thoughts when I re-discovered the big vault. I glared at it, as though it was the cause of all my problems. “Damned stupid closet,” I snarled with a vicious kick to the side of it.
 
While I hopped around on one foot, cursing and trying to cradle my stubbed toe, I heard a small, metallic echo sound inside the closet. Hmmm, wonder what that could be. “Bet it's weapons,” I muttered to myself as I limped in a circle around the vault. “Yeah, that's it, they're weapons.” I stopped prowling and stood in front of it, nodding in agreement to myself. “We're probably going to have to fight our way outta here. They're gonna make us fight to the death, and only the winner gets to get out of this nightmare.” I cursed. “God, I hope I don't have to fight Heero, I'd never be able to hurt him. I'd end up having to let him kill me, I'd have to. No. …Wait, what?” There was a laugh from behind me.
 
“You know, they say that's a sign of insanity, Duo,” Raz chuckled as I whirled around. Tuning back into the world around me, I noticed that Urai, those old people, and the kids Quatre and I saw called were standing in a corner of the room with the others, waiting expectantly for something. Razyo kept smiling, and quirked an eyebrow, and it was then that I realized how very far away I was from them.
 
Oh.
 
I scuttled over to the awaiting group and took my place at Heero's side (where I belonged). Urai sat in the center of the circle next to the old man from before, with an amused, patient smile on her face. “Well, now that we are all present,” she began with a significant glance in my direction, “we can commence the Drawing.” She looked around at each of us. “Before we even ask, do any of you boys have any questions?” All at once, six hands shot into the air. She chuckled. “Alright, Quatre.” I grumbled and put both of mine down.
 
The small blond cleared his throat and looked around nervously. “Ah, uhm, I was just wondering, before we make you all go through with this ceremony process, you say we are in a world other than the one we came from, right?” Urai nodded. “Well, if we could come here from another world, can't we go back to our own time?” The old man hung his head.
 
“Alas, boy, there have been very few who can control the gateways to other dimensions, and as far as we know, no one in this land possesses that power. Even most demons cannot control it.” I clenched my fist.
 
“Dammit, are you tellin' me there's no way we can get back home? That we're stuck here in… wherever here is?” Urai nodded sadly.
 
“I am afraid so, Duo. Portals rarely travel to the same dimension twice in a row. For you to attempt to go back through the one from whence you came, you risk falling into a world even more radically different than this one, and there is no guarantee it would be as pleasant. Or habitable, as I assume you all are mortal children.” Mortal as opposed to what? Now, I had a question.
 
“Alright, Lady, tell me this: why do you keep talking about demons and magic? Inter-dimensional travel is one thing, but magic? I stopped believing in that when I was, like, five.” Yeah, kids who grew up on the streets of L2 forgot about magic and fairytales real quick.
 
Urai nodded knowingly. “I expected that you boys came from a world without magic. Would you like further proof that magic exists? And that you do, indeed, possess different elemental affinities?” We looked around uncertainly at one another. Did we really want to know the truth about this place? Did we really want to risk being proven wrong?
 
“Yes.” Apparently, Wufei did. He sat, scowling, with his arms folded over his chest, glaring daggers at the people surrounding us. Urai smiled at him.
 
“Very well. Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to your new siblings.” She gestured to the five youths in the half-circle. “My grandson, Kyokeido Jarael, Head of the Water Temple.”
 
GYAH!! Kyo was her grandson?! How could Urai, who seemed to be quite possibly one of the coolest old ladies out there, have been in any way involved in the spawning of that little shitlouse?! Ignorant of my disdainful thoughts about her grandson, Urai continued. “Quatre, he will be your Brother and trainer while you attend the seminary.” Kyo stepped forward and handed Quatre one of the small glass spheres he'd been holding earlier.
 
“Just hold onto that,” he said, plopping down on the floor next to his new (noticeably uneasy) `Brother.' “You'll find out what to do with it in a minute.” Quatre nodded and held the bauble in one hand.
 
Meanwhile, Urai continued. “Seiren Amathus, Head of the Earth Temple.” A good-looking young man with longish black hair and soft brown eyes stepped forward, smiling. “Mr. Yuy, he will be your Brother and trainer in the areas of alchemy and the manipulation of your Gift, which is Air.” Seiren extended an elegant hand to Heero.
 
“It's nice to meet you,” he chirped, still smiling. Yeah, he chirped. His persona didn't fit his looks all that well. Heero eyed him warily and shook the offered hand.
 
“Uh, yeah, likewise.” Seiren handed Heero one of the little glass balls as he sat down next to him.
 
Urai nodded. “Mr. Chang. I would like to introduce you to the Head of your element, the only female in the Temple of Light, Ms. Shoria Lai'Isala.” Wufei's eyes got impossibly large. Oh, no….
 
The girl who stepped forward was very petite and undeniably pretty, with long golden-brown hair and bright silver eyes. She smiled at Wufei and held out her hand. “Hello, Wufei,” she said amiably. Wufei took a deep (cleansing) breath and turned away, ignoring the offer.
 
“No.” Shoria cocked her head.
 
“Sorry?” Her voice sounded almost dangerous.
 
Wufei glared at her, nonplussed by her deadly tone. “I said no. I refuse to be subject to the whims of an onna. Please put me in another temple, Urai.” Urai shook her head.
 
“I am sorry, Wufei, you are a Light mage, and as such, this is your Head. She will tutor you and hel-”
 
“NO! I will not be placed in a position where a woman has authority ov-”
 
SMACK!
 
Oh, shit!
 
Wufei's head was still snapped to the side, his cheek already starting to turn red from the impact of Shoria's hand.
 
She gave Wufei a look that could have curdled milk, before sitting down next to him. Then, she smiled brightly and extended her hand once again. “Hello, Wufei. I hope you and I will can along nicely during your stay here.” Her expression darkened once more. “With me as your trainer.”
 
Still in shock, Wufei took her hand and shook it dazedly. She beamed at him, handed him the ball, and then turned her attention to Urai, who was fighting a smirk. The other Elders looked impassive as ever.
 
“Damn it, Shori, you really need to stop doin' that.” Raz mumbled, cradling his face in his hands, and looking mortified.
 
“She does stuff like that a lot?” I asked. Razyo nodded miserably.
 
“Damn near every day. She's always been like this.” I winced.
 
“Yeah?” He nodded again. “To you?” Nod. “Shit.” Nod. “How long've you known her?” He glanced up at me, smiling.
 
“Uh, most `a my life. She's my baby sister, Duo.” Oh! I looked back to the small smiling girl, picking up on the fact that she did look like him; they had the same eyes.
 
“Duo,” Urai called. I looked at her and smiled charmingly.
 
“Yes ma'am?” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
 
“I don't really need to introduce you to your Temple Head, as you seem to know him so well already. Razyokai, I trust you will take good care of him.” I gawped. Raz was in a position of authority here?
 
The boy grinned and held his hand out, giving me one of the little orbs. “Absolutely, my Lady.”
 
I smiled as he sat down next to me, but I was still trying to swallow the fact that Mr. I-Hope-You-Don't-Mind-My-Trying-To-Get-Down-Your-Pants-In-The-First-Meeting was going to be in charge of me. Geez, it must not take very much to become Head of these Temples.
 
“Last, but not least, Taiga Daelian, Head of the Fire Temple, you will be tutoring your new Brother, Trowa Barton.” The last boy stepped forward, holding out a slender hand.
 
A slender, clawed hand.
 
“A pleasure to meet you, Trowa,” he said in a quiet voice. My head snapped up as I recognized that voice. “Hn, he's feisty, no?”
 
Taiga. Yep, I even recognized the name. The red-haired boy stood smiling next to a poleaxed Trowa, his bushy tail swishing back and forth, both ears cocked forward.
 
I looked around at my friends to see what the expressions on their faces were. Heero was about as stunned-looking as he got; the only reason I could even tell he was surprised was because I'd spent so much time memorizing his facial expressions (when he wasn't looking, of course), I noticed the slight widening of his eyes, and the miniscule tell-tale tick in his left eyebrow. Quatre was openly staring, mouth open, eyes the size of dinner plates. Wufei's mouth was a thin scar on his pale face.
 
Yep, they were shocked.
 
Trowa shook his head as if to clear it and took Taiga's hand. “Yes, a pleasure,” he said numbly. Urai must have noticed our faces, because she began laughing, as did the old dude next to her.
 
“I suppose you are wondering about young Master Daelian's appearance, yes?” We all nodded mutely. She looked to the boy, and he smiled and shrugged.
 
“I'm half demon. My father was a fox-demon, and my mother was a mage. As you can see, I ended up with both my parents' looks.” He smiled ruefully, and tugged at his pointed ear. “I apologize if I've made any of you uncomfortable.” Quatre shook his head vigorously.
 
“No! It's not anything like that, we're just… like Lady Urai said before, we're not used to magic or… demons, or anything like that. It just caught us off-guard, that's all, there's nothing wrong with you!”
 
Well, that wasn't exactly my opinion of the matter, but I decided to keep my tongue to myself.
 
Unless Heero wanted to share it, that was.
 
“Speaking of us not understanding magic, Urai, what became of proving to us that it exists? That we possess it?”
 
Urai nodded in Wufei's direction. “Forgive me, Master Chang, I merely wanted you to meet the those who will be helping you develop those powers.” She made her way to the black well in the center of the room. “Heero, Quatre, Wufei, Duo, Trowa, you all have the orbs they gave you, yes?” We held them out for her to see. She nodded, even as she beckoned The Old Guy over to her. “This is Simon en Baelemar, Master of the Temples of Ran tre Kaeido. He will be providing instructions on what you are to do for the duration of the Drawing process. I wish you luck.” Luck? We needed luck for whatever we were about to do with these little balls?
 
The man moved forwards so he was directly in front of the five of us. He held up a small globe of his own, only, instead of clear, like ours were, his was a swirling silvery-green. “Listen to me, all of you. You have three choices, to Draw from the Weir, no to Draw at all, or to wait until you are older, more mature in your powers. Make your decision quickly, but know this: once the orb is submerged in the Ether, it will be too late to go back.” He looked around expectantly.
 
Too late to do what?
 
“Ah, look, gramps, we don't even know what the hell this whole Drawing thing's all about. What would we be choosing no to do?” He shook his head.
 
“Forgive me, I disremembered you five are not familiar with this. The point of the Drawing process is to find an amplifier to increase your powers. Inside that well there, is a portal into the demon world. For centuries, it has provided us with-”
 
“Wait, how come this one keeps on going to the demon world, or whatever? I thought you said portals wouldn't go to the same place twice?” I eyed the man doubtfully while he smiled at me.
 
“Yes, Duo, we did say that. But, we also said that there have been some mages and demons who can create and control portals. Thousands of years ago, a mage created this portal to facilitate the Drawing process for elemental mages in need of an amplifier.” He said it as though that explained everything.
 
Um, it didn't.
 
“Mr. Baelemar,” Quatre started quietly, “I'm sorry, but what… we still don't understand exactly what it is that we're doing.” He smiled warmly at the blushing boy. I wasn't real sure why he was blushing. That pansy. Gotta love `im, though, that summed up one question I had.
 
“With the orbs you now possess, you will call a demon from the Ether. You must think only of yourself, your Gift, your physical strengths and weaknesses. If you succeed, you will draw a spirit with the capacity of greatly increasing your powers. However, the orb will cast a spell on itself and on the creature inside, to contain it. You will only be able to possess the demon's powers for yourselves if you can break the seal on the orb.” He rolled up the sleeve of his billowing robe to reveal the skin beneath.
 
“Nice tattoo, gramps,” I complimented as I eyed the intricate, tribal-looking design. Kyo's lips rose in a disgusted sneer. I wanted to slap him.
 
“It is the seal that was once on my own orb. If you can manage to break through the barrier, you will release your amplifier, and the orb's seal will be transferred to your body, and your demon's.”
 
“So the demon will still have the spell on it, and it'll be bound to us, right?” I stared at Quatre. He was just jumping into the idea of this place way too fast for my liking.
 
Baelemar nodded. “That is correct. Whatever amplifier you have Drawn will be constrained to you, and you alone will have the power to control it.” Heero looked up.
 
“What happens if we can't break the seal?” I snorted. As if Mr. Perfect Soldier wouldn't be able to do something.
 
Baelemar shrugged. “Then the spirit you captured will be released back into the Ether.”
 
“How would you determine whether or not a person was strong enough to break the seal? How long would we have?” Trowa pressed. Baelemar beckoned us to his side, next to the well.
 
“To break the orb, you simply have to will the demon to submit to you. It is a power struggle you will be entering into with the demon. If you cannot break it by the time you feel the demon's presence fading inside the orb, you will not be able to possess it.” He held his hand out to Urai, and she placed the scepter into his open palm. He placed the head of the staff into the hole in the well's top, and it slid open, revealing… that damn watery-looking stuff we saw in the cave. So that's what that stuff was. Ether, or whatever. So, demons came from that, huh? Maybe that explained what Heero heard earlier.
 
“Hey, can you, like, re-Draw? You know, if you don't catch the right one the first time, you can put it back and get another one?” The man turned to me.
 
“No, I'm afraid not, Duo.” Shit. “The Drawing is based on fate and destiny. If you cannot control the demon that was fated to you, then you were not meant to have an amplifier.” I had just opened my mouth again when he held up a gnarled hand. “No more questions. Now you Draw, unless any of you have decided not to?”
 
I gulped. Did I want to do this? Was I ready to accept the fact that I was really in another world, where there were really cool old people and demons and magic and giant, man-eating, walking, talking plants?
 
“I'll do it.” I sighed. Of course you will, Heero. The old guy eyed him.
 
“Let me say this again, you all do not have to Draw at all. Or, you may want to wait until you have better control of your powers, again, until you are older. I will reiterate: once you have attempted the Drawing once, you cannot again.”
 
“In that case, I'll do it too,” Trowa said, looking back at the remaining three of us challengingly. I growled. Well, if we were really doing this, there was no way I was gonna be last.
 
“I'll do it,” Quatre and I said simultaneously.
 
Ah, well, least I wasn't last. I turned to Wufei. “C'mon, submit to peer pressure, Wu! Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do-”
 
“Shut up, Maxwell, I'm coming!” he barked, stepping up to the well. I smiled obnoxiously at him.
 
“Alright, then, you have decided. But before you Draw, I will warn you boys: most demons will not take kindly to being Mastered, and breaking of the seal will most likely be very painful. Demons are not the type to take being Drawn lightly, as they know they will be bound to you as long as you live.” He stepped back to look at us. “Are you sure you are willing to go through with this?” I sighed inwardly, and nodded with the others, finally giving up and admitting defeat. Baelemar nodded once again. “Then, the best of luck to you all.” He motioned to the others, and they stood, heading towards the door. I saw Razyo mouth `good luck' as he exited. “We will return shortly, and after that, you will be given a tour of your new home, and then properly welcomed.” The man stepped through the door, and it closed with a loud thud.
 
And then there were five.
 
We stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Quatre sighed. “What are we supposed to do?” he asked. I shrugged and rolled up my sleeves.
 
“Well, gramps said we were s'posed to dip our balls in the water to lure the things to us, so I guess that's what we're gonna do.” For a moment, there was dead silence, as everyone digested what I said.
 
Then everyone digested what I'd actually said, and we all fell apart. After our brief foray into delirium, we settled down, and stood there, looking back to the well.
 
And continued to stand there, continued to not take action.
 
I scratched my hand. Heero coughed. Quatre shifted from his left foot to his right. Trowa looked at Heero's shoe. Wufei contemplated justice (at least, that's what it looked like he was doing).
 
And still, we stood there.
 
How sad was this? Gundam pilots, grown men, were scared of a well! Damn, we were pathetic!
 
Not one to allow anyone to call me pathetic (even myself), I went to the side of the well and boldly plunged my hand through the water(?).
 
“Duo!” they all shouted.
 
Snarling, I whirled around. “What?! We're not gonna get anything done just standin' here lookin' at the damn thing! And you guys were too chickenshit to make the first move, so I did. So there. If somethin' bites my hand off, then you can say `I told you so,' but when I snag the biggest, most bad-ass monster in here, I'm gonna laugh in yer faces.” They all exchanged one last uncertain look before slowly lowering their balls (hehee!) into the water(?).
 
…And we stood there.
 
And waited.
 
Aw, why were we doing so much of that here?
 
“Uh, is somethin' supposed to be happening right now?” I asked, swirling my submerged arm around in the liquid. Trowa shrugged.
 
“Don't ask us, Duo. For all we know, something's already happened.” Wufei pulled his hand out of the well.
 
Nope, his glass was still clear. Okay….
 
Quatre growled. “Maybe I should go get Baelemar,” he started. “I mean he is… Heero, how'd you do that?” I looked over. Damn him he would be first.
 
Heero's sphere was a bright lilac color, with silver swirling around in it. I pulled my hand out, dismayed to find that the only difference in my orb was that it was wet. Heero smirked like the cocky (sexy) jerk he truly was. “I actually followed Baelemar's instructions. You're supposed to think about yourself, concentrate on yourself, nothing else.” He looked at me. “Maybe if you'd shut up, you'll be able to.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned. “You wish, Maxwell.”
 
You bet I did.
 
With renewed zeal, I re-thrust my hand into the… Ether-water. I focused on what made me Duo “Sweet, Sexy Shinigami” Maxwell: what I was good at, what I wasn't good at (which wasn't much), my dark side (hmm, dangerous Duo… yeah…), what… “Gift” I had (whatever the fuck “Green” meant, Urai!), all that. With my eyes closed, I concentrated harder than I had in a long time.
 
And WAITED! Gaddammit, I was so fucking sick of wait- “ACK!”
 
I felt a sudden jolt in the hand holding the ball and quickly yanked it up out of the well. The little glass ball was filled with swirling black and (damn it, why can't I escape the color) green. Circling the entire surface of the sphere was a black design. Must've been the seal, or whatever.
 
Upon closer inspection, I noticed the green in the sphere wasn't the same color GREEN as I'd been seeing before. This was like a wicked-bright, super-intense green. Like, the color of thawed frozen peas, you know what I mean? Green like acid.
 
“Whoa,” I breathed, looking into the swirling globe, fascinated. “That's so cool.” I held the sphere up to my nose, trying to get a better look.
 
/You'd think so, wouldn't you, Master? / a smooth, inviting voice purred in my head.
 
In my head!
 
I wish I could give you all the details of what was going on around me, I really do. At that exact same moment, Heero started yelling, Quatre was screaming, and Wufei began cursing in Chinese. I don't know what Trowa was doing, but he wasn't making any noise.
 
Aaaand that's all I know about the others. Sorry.
 
But I can tell you what was happening to me, though. Oh, boy, can I.
 
I remembered what the old guy said about willing the demon to belong to me, or whatever, so I started. “Uh, I want you to, ah, belong to me.” There was a chuckle in response to this.
 
/Hn, you and so many others. But you're so hesitant! You know you're going to have to work for it, don't you? Master./ The voice sneered the last word. I grinned.
 
“Please! You're talkin' to Shinigami, pal, and I had to work for everything I ever got! So, let's see what you got, demon.” Another chuckle.
 
/Ooooh Duo, put me in my place!/ He laughed again. /Let's get started then, Shinigami. Catch./
 
Hey, wait a minute, how did he know my na- PAIN! Blinding, white-hot, agonizing pain! The intensity of it was all I could think about. I couldn't even dwell on the fact that there had been a voice IN MY HEAD (which, in fact, didn't even seem weird… God, I was going crazy), and I had been talking to it, goading it, it hurt so bad. It felt as though someone were trying to cleave my head in two with a blunt axe, while they heaped dry ice on my exposed brain. Graphic, no? My right arm was on fire; there was a bright ring of pain twisting its way along the entire length. God, it felt like I was being burned alive!
 
I could dimly hear the others' struggling. Quatre was shouting himself hoarse. Wufei was ranting (go figure). Heero, shouting in Japanese. Trowa… well, I still didn't really know what was going on with Trowa.
 
I roughly shoved myself away from the well, falling to my knees, as my legs were too weak to support me. I would have vomited, if I could have summoned the energy to do so. As it was, I could barely see. That hateful, vindictive laughter echoed in my head again, and I was hit with fresh wave of agony. I screamed and collapsed full onto the floor. Damn it!
 
/You know, for a human, you're really not doing all too badly. I've killed people with less than this. Congratulations. It doesn't have to be this way though, / the voice cooed soothingly. There was a hideous flash of pain through both my temples and I screamed again, clenching my fists in an attempt to keep from crying. /You know you don't have to have an amplifier, boy. You don't have to suffer like this. Put me back, and it'll stop, I promise./ I held the ball directly in front of my eyes, as I couldn't see it from any farther away. I could still see the seal. So, the demon was in there. He was in there, and judging from the amount of sweet-talk, he didn't like it.
 
Well, tough nuts, buddy, cuz I wasn't gonna lose this fight.
 
I forced myself onto my elbows and concentrated on claiming the thing as my own again. “You're mine, dammit, you hear me? You belong to me. You're
mine, you're mine!” I screamed. The demon growled angrily, and I felt a wave of black nausea rip through my stomach.
 
/Masochist, / the monster jeered as my body pitched forward again. I groaned and rolled over onto my back, bringing the hand holding the orb to my face once again.
“You… you are mine!” I shouted at it. I heard a serpentine hiss in my head before fire lanced through my head once again, and everything seemed to darken a little. The ball stayed in front of my eyes, though. I had a mission, and I'd be damned if I let a little (okay A WHOLE FUCKING LOT) of pain keep me from completing it.
 
…Shit, I sounded like Heero.
 
/Damn it, boy, give UP! / PAIN! I gritted my teeth and sat up again.
 
“N-NO!” I squeezed the glass ball in my hand, as if that would help shut him up. I doubled over and cried out, as another surge of agony bolted through my brain. I grabbed my head and leaned forward. “Dammit,” I moaned.
 
The demon laughed. /Give. It. Up./
 
“NO! You're mine! YOU! ARE! MINE!” I closed my eyes, and the GREEN from before flooded my head. There was a harsh, choking sound.
 
/Dammit, you stubborn little- FUCK! /
 
And suddenly, the pain stopped.
 
I sat up, drenched in sweat, and lifted the ball to my face, praying silently that it was over.
 
The seal was gone.
 
I looked down and saw that the black design from the ball was now wound around the entire length of my right arm, from the top of my shoulder, to the tip of my middle finger. Huh. Not bad-looking. Kinda sweet, actually. Alright! I had a wicked-cool spell-seal-tattoo on my arm. Which meant….
 
I'd won!
 
I scanned the room to see if the others had triumphed as well. Heero was sweating and breathing hard, sitting on the floor near Wufei, who had, apparently passed out. Quatre looked like he's been caught in a blizzard, panting and pale, with red cheeks and blue lips. Trowa could have just come back from a tropical vacation in Maui, he looked so relaxed.
 
I collapsed back onto my back, holding the ball in the air, and staring at its roiling contents. I smirked. “Hey, buddy, you still in there? Yeah? Bet yer pretty pissed you just got beat by a kid, huh?” I gloated. There was a short growl and a snort.
 
/Shut up, / he muttered. From the sounds of it, he was pouting. Pouting! Weren't demons supposed to be huge vicious monsters? Why the hell was it pouting?
 
“Great,” I sighed as I stood up, surprised that the action didn't hurt at all. “I got a sissy jellyfish for an amplifier. The ball glowed brightly.
 
/What? / the demon shrieked indignantly. /You miserable whelp! Let me out, I'll show you what a sissy jellyfish I'm not! / I laughed, remembering all the pain I'd just been in, the fact that he'd caused it, and the fact that, now, he was now completely under my control. The demon growled. /I am not completely under your control, you long-haired little rat! / he howled. I grinned again, tossing the ball up and snatching it out of the air.
 
“Yeah? Well, if you can't come outta there without me giving you permission, I'd say you were pretty… wait, how'd you know I was thinking that?” I know I hadn't said it out loud.
 
He chuckled. /Hope you're not in the habit of thinking impure thoughts, Master, / he whispered cryptically. I gulped.
 
“Y-you can read my mind?”
 
/Uh-huuuuh. And you're absolutely right. That Yuy boy does have a spectacular-/
 
“Duo, look!” I whirled around, grateful to Quatre for the distraction from the demon's intrusion into my perverted mind. He was pointing at the newly revived Wufei.
 
Or, rather, he was pointing to the gorgeous hunk behind the newly revived Wufei.
 
Oh, God, I wasn't sure I'd be able to survive in this place. The men were giving me heart attacks!
 
The guy was really tall, with short, light blue hair and golden eyes. His arms were folded over his broad chest, and in his impeccable white clothes, he seemed regal. He looked around the room with a contemptuous air. Hmm. Maybe a better word was arrogant.
 
My demon snorted. /It is, Veda's an ass. Thinks everyone alive was created with his sense of right and wrong. Hates women and love, and anyone in any sort of relationship's weak. He's under the impression love makes you vulnerable./ Damn, this guy sounded just like Wu! The demon laughed. /He probably is. Veda hasn't allowed himself to be Drawn in quite awhile. I'd have to fully disagree about the love making you weak thing, though./ He sounded almost wistful. I smiled, thinking of Heero. Yeah, me, too.
 
“Hey, Wu-bear, how'd you do that?” I called, curious. He smirked and looked up at the (what I assumed was his amplifying) demon.
 
“I called him out, Maxwell.” His eyes took on a teasing glint. “What, you can't call yours? Onna?” Bitch, you fainted! My demon snickered. The blue haired guy, Veda, smiled snidely at me, hovering close to his Master. Oh, yeah, he and Wu were made for each other.
 
“You just call it out?” Trowa asked, holding up a pretty golden ball. Wufei nodded.
 
“Yes, by their name, if you mastered it.” Trowa lifted up his shirt to reveal a long red tibal-patterned tattoo down the center of his back. (I could practically hear Quatre drooling.) Wonder how Tro figured out that was there….
 
“Alright, then you can come out, Dakora,” he said, holding the ball out in front of him. My demon laughed.
 
“What is it,” I whispered as Trowa's orb started glowing.
 
/Dako. He's a sweet kid. But he's insane, so I hope that boy's strong as he looks. Kora's young, so his powers're really unstable and unpredictable. He's incredible, though, Trowa-boy is lucky./
 
“Yeah?” The demon snickered.
 
/Yeah. Not nearly as lucky as you, though, love./ I smirked inwardly.
 
Yesss, I win!
 
“That's your demon, Trowa?” Heero asked incredulously. I looked up. Aw, no way!
 
“Awww!”
 
“He's so cute!”
 
Next to Trowa was a huge, gorgeous orange-yellow fox with black feet, ears, and face. Its long, bushy tail was extended into a straight line as it stretched out. Dakora straightened back up and looked up, wagging his fluffy tail and offering us an enormous, open-mouthed canine grin.
 
Quatre and I were there in a heartbeat, gushing all over him, how cute he was, how soft and exquisite his fur was, scratching and petting and rubbing him all the while. Dakora's tail wagged faster and his pink tongue lolled out, and we took this as a sign to increase the praise and pampering.
 
Heero and Trowa looked half-concerned and half-amused at our antics, while Wufei shook his head pityingly.
 
After a few minutes of this, my demon rumbled in my head. /Alright, that's enough! He's a demon, damn it, not a poodle. And lemme out, I'm sick of being in here! / I grumbled as I stood up.
 
“Fine, jeez, you're so pushy. Okay, come out… uh, crap, what's your name?” Trowa laughed.
 
“Nice relationship you've got established, there, Duo,” he chuckled. I flipped him off.
 
/Yoriko, / he answered. I could hear the smile in his voice. I put the ball down on the ground and rubbed my hands together.
 
“Okay then, Yoriko, why dontcha make a nice dramatic entrance, eh? Show `em who's got the baddest demon of the bunch.” Veda's head snapped up.
 
“Yoriko?” he demanded.
 
Yoriko snickered. /As you wish, Master, / he whispered theatrically. Without warning, the ball glowed with a blinding ebony light.
 
“Shit, Duo!” Heero shouted, shielding his eyes. I backed up.
 
“I didn't do anything but tell him to come out.” Quatre made a face.
 
“Yeah, you told him to come out. Dramatically,” he added. I had just opened my mouth to retort when a strong, tattooed arm wrapped itself around my waist and jerked me back into a warm, hard body.
 
“Dramatic enough for you, Master?” Yoriko cooed, nuzzling my cheek with his own. I frowned.
 
“Yoriko, you bastard you… oh….”
 
Heart attack, baby! Score!
 
I had looked up to yell, when I found myself staring into a pair of brilliant, acid green eyes. I found myself staring into a pair of brilliant, acid green eyes. He had longish, thick, glossy black hair fell just a little past his ears in wild almost-spikes. In his tight, black sleeveless turtleneck, and even tighter black pants, he reminded me a tiny bit of Kyo, in the hotness department, but real different in the I-don't-give-a-shit-cuz-I'm-a-dangerous-sexy-bad-ass department. Fuck, he was sex on two legs! (Not like sex-with-Heero on two legs, but still, amazing sex all the same.) He grinned widely, and I'm proud to say that the fangs in his mouth didn't freak me out. In fact, they were kinda hot….
 
Yoriko purred. “Why, thank you, Master,” he whispered seductively, leaning down to nestle his head in the crook of my shoulder. As soon as his skin met mine, my brain felt slow, numb. I unconsciously tilted my head back, and Yoriko took the opportunity to trail his lips along my exposed jugular. I groaned unabashedly while he kissed me, oblivious to the others' shock.
 
“Uhhhmm… Duo?” I barely registered the voice as Heero's (can you believe it?), as the demon continued his ministrations.
 
“Yeah?” The word came out of my mouth like honey, slow and slurred. (Yeah, I didn't know you could slur one word, either, but somehow I managed.)
 
“What…. Duo, what are you doing?!” he asked, as Yoriko ran a hand up my abdomen and I moaned encouragingly, arching against his chest. There was some barely veiled emotion lurking in Heero's voice, but I couldn't bring myself to care long enough to try and figure it out.
 
God, why am I acting like such a slut?! (And what's worse, an exhibitionist slut!) What're you doing to me, Yoriko?!
 
The demon slid a hand down my front and licked my ear languidly. Aahh! Oooohh, yeeess! Wait…. …Damn, what was I just saying?
 
/Hmm, nothing, Master./
 
“D-Duo?” Quatre called tentatively. His small silver orb was glowing fiercely, and he kept stealing glances at it, looking very uncomfortable. But I was far too comfortable in Yoriko's arms to notice. Trowa was petting and staring concentratedly at Dakora, who appeared to be… sleeping. Well fine, ignore me and nap then, see if I care. Heero looked distant and dreamy, and Mr. and Mrs. Tightwad were clearly disgusted.
 
…But, maybe they had reason to be. I mean, I'd just met Yoriko, like, five minutes ago, during which time he'd tried to kill me, and he was a demon. And there I was, in the middle of a room of my best friends, one of whom I'm madly in love with, moaning and gasping and rapidly approaching orgasm because I was practically dry-humping him. Maybe they did have reason to look disgusted. Maybe….
 
Yoriko chuckled and tugged my braid, tilting my head farther back. “Can't have you thinking like that now, Master,” he said in a low voice. /In fact, don't think at all./ And with that, he sank his “hot” fangs into the skin of my throat.
 
I gasped in pain, at first, but the sound quickly became a wail of pleasure as every situation I'd ever been in, real or imagined, played out, unbidden, before my eyes. I could distantly make out Trowa's and Heero's frantic, panicked voices.
 
Heero….
 
I saw him at Quatre's pool party, half-drunk and half-hard, lying flat on his back, waiting for me to suck the shot of tequila off his stomach. I saw him in the rain, sodden clothes clinging to his perfect body. I saw him at the opera, looking classy and immaculate. I saw the two of us making love, on the beach, in his bed, my bed, my bathtub, couch, kitchen counter, floor. I imagined his face above me, beneath me, eyes clouded with need, mouth half open….
 
“YORIKO!”
 
“Oh, fuck.” The wind left my lungs as I was suddenly, unceremoniously dropped on my back. Well, that was one way to get rid of arousal. I was too weak to move on my own, but that was okay, as Quatre, Wufei, Trowa, and Heero were instantly at my side. Heero picked me up and pulled me into his lap, demanding to know if I was alright.
 
Oh, boy was I.
 
Distantly, I could make out two shouting voices: one was undoubtedly Yoriko's, impertinent and cheeky. The other, voice, however, was passionate. Furious. A little scary.
 
“Damn it, Yori, what were you thinking?” the unidentified voice roared as I looked up. My vision was hazy, but I could make out two figures. One was sitting in the high-backed chair in the corner of the room, while the other, taller figure was standing.
 
“Oh please, `s'not like he could have died,” Yoriko tossed back, sounding bored. Died?! He laughed. “Not at the rate he was going. You're over-exaggerating as usual, Aedeka.” The standing figure (Aedeka, whoever that was) grabbed the figure in the chair (Yoriko) by the front of his shirt, and yanked him to his feet so that they were nearly face-to-face. “Hey, watch it!” Yoriko exclaimed. Aedeka growled thunderously.
 
“Apologize,” he hissed, pointing to me. Yoriko looked at him as though he'd grown a second head.
 
“Apologize?” he parroted incredulously. “You expect me to apologize? He liked it, you saw him! It's not like I-HEY!” Aedeka grabbed him by his unruly hair and dragged him towards us. “Oww! Damn it , Aedeka, that h- OUCH! Stop it! Asshole, let me go!” The larger boy shoved Yoriko roughly forward, not seeming to care that he hadn't completely let go of his hair yet, and ended up snapping his head back.
 
I didn't.
 
I sat up from the security of Heero's lap (sigh) and looked the demon in the eye. Yoriko stood glowering before me, lips lifted in a venomous snarl. I glared right back at him. Fucking bastard! I remembered what he'd done to me, and my hand flew to my neck. I pulled it back and gaped at the blood there. So he really did bite me!
 
“Wow. Good job, Master.” He sneered the last word again, displaying those perfectly white fangs, tail thrashing. I was about to dish out a scalding comeback, when my brain backtracked.
 
Tail?
 
I rubbed my eyes, blinking owlishly.
 
Here we go again.
 
…But, wait. Before I delve into the fact that Yoriko didn't look even remotely human anymore, let's address the issue of Aedeka, heart attack numero three-o. Cuz he was too beautiful to get left out.
 
He had gleaming silver hair and soft, lavender eyes, and looked stunning in blue. He was relatively tall, taller than Yoriko, but then again, Yoriko was only a few inches taller than me, so, yeah, that doesn't mean much. He still looked to be furious with my demon, and at that moment, that was fine by me. Great, in fact, as it meant I had another person on my side.
 
Yes! Duo: 1, Depraved Demon Bastard: 0
 
…Okay, so maybe it was a tie, cause I'd been totally thrown off by his appearance… and him molesting me in front of everyone and forcing me to like it… and him BITING me and making me fantasize about Heero against my will….
 
In case you're keeping score, all that stuff only counts as one point.
 
…And so, back to Yoriko's appearance….
 
His long, serpentine tail lashed back and forth on the ground, while he furled and unfurled the enormous black bat-wings on his back. (Sigh, I don't know how I managed not to notice them, either). His hands were clenched into fists, and I noticed his elegantly tapered fingers ended in malefic-looking claws. And I missed all that.
 
Damn, I'm blind.
 
“Yes, you are,” Yoriko said, turning his nose up. “And I don't care what Aedeka says, I'm not apologizing to you.” He looked back to me and stuck his tongue out.
 
His purple-back tongue.
 
Could this guy get any more inhuman?!
 
“I'm not a human, you little idiot, so stop expecting me to look like one!” I bristled.
 
“Hey, you can't call me an idiot, I own you!” I stood up quickly (a little too quickly, if the dizziness was any indication) and stared him down. Er… up. He sucked his teeth and tossed his head dismissively.
 
“You wish, human. Nobody owns me.” At this, Aedeka grinned.
 
“Really, Yori? Nobody? Because I was under the impression that a bound demon, such as yourself, couldn't disobey a direct order from his Master.” He looked at me and raised his eyebrows suggestively. I smiled, deciding I really liked this Aedeka guy.
 
Meanwhile, Yoriko was babbling on. “-ybe you can't disobey an order, but I can do whatever the fuck I want, bind or no bind. No one tells me anything I don't want to h-”
 
“Hey, Yoriko?” I called sweetly. His green eyes narrowed in instant suspicion.
 
“What?” he growled guardedly.
 
“I command you to apologize to me.” His eyes grew wide in disbelief.
 
“You ballsy little punk, who the fuck d-do….” His breath hitched, and he looked genuinely confused. “Y-you thi…nk… you…you…. Sh-shit.” He glared up at me, face twisted in anguish. “Ha-hate… you,” he gasped. I knelt down beside him.
 
“Duo,” Heero warned. I ignored him. I had him right where I wanted him.
 
“You know, Yoriko, it doesn't have to be this way.” He hissed at me as he recognized the words. You don't have to be so prideful. You don't have to suffer like this. Apologize to me, and it'll stop, I promise.” He swayed on his feet, eyes squinting against the pain.
 
“Stupid… mis… quoting… l-little…. …. …sorry.” I patted him gently on the back.
 
“There, there, now, sweetie, see? That wasn't so bad, now was it?” I only just caught the manic gleam in his eye. …Oops. Bad move, Duo.
 
Without warning, he whirled around and tackled me, landing hard on my stomach, black wings outstretched. Growling, he savagely forced my arms apart and pinned them to the ground.
 
“Duo!” Trowa and Heero called, but stayed where they were. I turned my head pleadingly, watching in confusion as Quatre began querulously conferring with his orb. Damn it, Quat, now's not the time to be talking to your new pet demon! Save me!
 
And where the hell was Wufei?
 
“Yoriko!” Aedeka snapped. “Get off him!” Yoriko grinned twistedly.
 
“Such horrendous grammar, brother dear,” he snickered. Brother? …Wait, I don't get it, I thought, even as he wrapped his hands around my throat.
 
Crap.
 
“Y-Yoriko, I demand that you get off! Now!” That earned me a huge, lunatic smile.
 
Sweet goodness, he looked deranged.
 
“My, my, my, what's gotten into everyone today?” From his position straddling my hips, he looked back to Aedeka, who had just growled. “Perception is reality,” he called.
 
Oh. I get it, now.
 
“Yoriko, stop being a pervert, let go of every hold you have on any part of my body, and… Y-Yoriko, what are you doing?”
 
He'd begun to convulse on top of me, and his breathing was harsh and erratic, face was screwed up into a mask of agony. His large, bat-like wings were shuddering, and his tail was writhing on the floor behind him. He was definitely in pain from ignoring my overly explicit orders, that much was clear.
 
So… why was he grinning?
 
He laughed hoarsely. “Sorry, I didn't tell you? As… you… can see, I don't… enjoy being-ahn!” he winced and grimaced, clutching his side, but continued. “-in pain. However….” The crazed grin returned.
 
“Yoriko, sto-” Aedeka began, but he was cut off. Damn, I wished I could have seen who'd stopped him! What the hell, guys, let him finish stopping his brother from being weird on top of me!
 
“I do love… to cause it.” I paled. What? WHAT? He leaned down and licked the wound he'd created on my neck. I shuddered, partially out of revulsion, partially because a Yoriko was still gorgeous, and he had me pinned down and was licking my throat. He hummed and smiled into the side of my neck. “See… what you do to me… Master?” He re-seated his fangs into my neck.
 
I screamed. Never in my whole life had I felt anything so hideously painful.
 
…Well, okay, so the thrashing Yoriko gave me during the whole Drawing process was worse, but this was a close second.
 
“Duo!” Quatre shouted. I couldn't see him, but he began talking to his orb again. Damn it, when (and if I ever) got up, I was gonna break that fucking thing! This was the second time it interfered with Quat saving me!
 
Yoriko drew back and smiled at me, his sharp teeth coated with blood. My blood. I shuddered again, this time, just out of revulsion.
 
“Again?” he rasped too-sweetly, already leaning down. Hmmm… sweetly….
 
Got it.
 
“I-I'm sorry!” I gasped. He stared blankly at me and sat back. Yes! I'm brilliant!
 
“Huh?” I stayed on my back, looking up at him.
 
“I'm sorry. I didn't know it hurt that much. I-” He put a finger to my lips.
 
“Why are you apologizing?”
 
“Uh… well, we need to be on good terms, right? I realize I was being a dick, and I'd've been mad at me, too, yanno? I mean, you're bound to me `till I die, right? I figured I'd make the first move, so, ah, you'd… know I was serious.” He continued to stare at me wonderingly. Then, a look of comprehension materialized on his face. That can't be good….
 
“Oh, I see. So you thought you could get away by throwing this sudden proverbial wrench in my gears, by apologizing for something that was really no fault of yours, so I'd be too shocked and sentimentally moved to want to hurt you anymore right?” he asked grinning. I looked away, lips pursed.
 
Damn.
 
I thought for sure if that strategy worked on Heero, it'd work on anyone.
 
He laughed. “You forget, Master, I can see in here.” He reached out with a clawed hand and gently tapped the side of my head. “But you're clever, I'll give you that. I don't know that I would have seen through your little ruse, had I not been able to read you.” Still smiling, he leaned down once more, his nose centimeters from mine. “You devious, cunning little boy,” he lilted, getting closer. I couldn't tell if I was excited or scared. “Deceitful, fallacious-”
 
“Slut.”
 
Hey, I resent that!
 
Yoriko's head snapped up. “Loeke?” What? Low key? What the hell was he-
 
I looked up over his shoulder and suffered my fourth and most acute heart attack yet. Damn, if it weren't for the demon on my stomach (and for the fact that he looked just a little too young for me; older guys're my thing), I think I might have just jumped the boy right then and there, screw Heero. …Too…. Hmmm…. Oh, wow, what a lovely image.
 
Yoriko was off me in a flash, and at the side of this new beauty.
 
The ethereal apparition in front of me pretended not to notice Yoriko, his narrowed, pastel silver eyes boring holes into the far wall. “Ke-ko,” Yoriko purred silkily. With a delicate hand, the small boy regally swept his long white hair back from his slender neck and turned to the other wall, continuing to ignore him. Yoriko took a risk and placed a hand on the boy's pale shoulder. This proved to be a mistake, as the boy bared pearl-white fangs in a furious hiss, viciously swatting the other demon's hand away. Yoriko cocked his head, and smiled indulgently.
 
I stood up, (honestly concerned for Yoriko's safety) and had just opened my mouth to say something, when, of course, I was cut off.
 
“I wouldn't say anything right now, if I were you, Duo,” Quatre whispered. I turned to him.
 
“Why?” The blond shook his head and plopped down on the floor next to Trowa, Heero and Aedeka. Damn it, I just stood up!
 
“Loeke's mad at both of you. He's been like this ever since you made out with Yoriko,” he said as I took a seat next to him.
 
“Oh, he's your amplif- Hey! I did not make out with him! He made me do it!” Trowa laughed.
 
“Really, Duo? It looked consensual to me. It's not like he was holding you down or anything.” I glared at him. Traitor. Aedeka smiled warmly and shook his head.
 
“No. Truth be told, Duo, he was holding you, in a way. Yoriko and I are… hmm. Are you familiar with the term `incubus'?” I nodded.
 
“Yeah, I think so. Those're demons that have sex with women and eat their souls, right?” He laughed.
 
“More or less. We feed off of sexual energy, not souls, but you were close. Anyway, Yoriko started off just teasing you. He hadn't really intended to feed off you, but he got carried away.” Oh, so that's why I felt so funny.
 
Heero frowned. “Could he have killed him?”
 
“Yes. Well, no. Here, let me rephrase that. Yori was… drowning, for lack of a better word.” He turned to me. “You're a very sexual person, Duo,” he said, smiling. I blushed. What do you say to that?! “You provided ample plenty for Yori to feed on, and he glutted. Seeing as how you weren't exactly running low on what he needed to take, you would have been alright, so long as someone, so long as I, was there to stop him from taking too much. That's why I was telling you to let me out and stop panicking, Master,” he said to Heero. Trowa nodded.
 
“That's what he was saying, too,” he muttered to himself. What? Quatre frowned.
 
“Then Aedeka, how, aside from the fact that he bit Duo, is his feeding a bad thing?” Aedeka stretched his muscular arms.
 
“Mmmm. Well, normally, it really wouldn't be. Most incubi feed and leave their victims feeling weak, a little dazed, aroused. However, due to… extenuating circumstances, Yori's not normal. He can drain the life-force from whomever he feeds on, as well. It's one of his… acquired talents.” He looked at me. “Duo, after the Drawing, you needn't have worried, Yoriko wouldn't have really hurt you, I promise. Besides, you're his Master, now. He couldn't have killed you, even if he'd wanted to.” I made a face. Well, I could argue that point, but I let Aedeka keep talking. “That's just his way of messing around. Loeke knows that, too, and I think he wanted to see how far Yori'd go with you if no one stopped him; he wouldn't let us interfere. …But, Yoriko crossed the line, somewhere, because Loeke was pissed, and nearly killed your friend Quatre for not letting him out sooner.”
 
Ah, so I did have new hottie to thank for saving me. …No, wait, didn't Aedeka say he was the one who wouldn't let anyone save me? And what line did Yoriko cross? And how the fuck is nearly killing someone messing around?
 
Damn it, I was confused again.
 
“Wait,” Trowa said slowly. “What… what does Loeke have to do with Yoriko? Why would he get pissed, unless… are they…?”
 
“Lovers?” a helpful voice called. We all looked over to the well, where Yoriko and Loeke were sitting. Yoriko seemed to have been forgiven for whatever line he'd crossed, as the white-haired boy was in his lap, still scowling a little, but not seeming to mind the larger demon's arms around him. Or his lips on his shoulder. Or his tail wrapped around his right leg. I gulped, suddenly very uncomfortable.
 
…Wait-
 
“Wait a minute, how old is Loeke?” Heero demanded uncharacteristically, taking the words right out of my mouth. “God, Aedeka, he looks, like, sixteen! Wouldn't that make Yoriko….”
 
“A pedophile?” Everyone in our little circle turned to see Veda and Wufei standing in the doorway, both looking morally offended.
 
“The Elders are on their way back,” Wufei said, glancing over at Yoriko, who was currently leaning over, engaged in a passionate kiss with Loeke, and clearly enjoying the way the smaller demon… tasted. I gulped again. Whoo, boy, it was getting hot in here.
 
Veda sneered in Yoriko's direction. “You are disgusting, Yoriko,” he bit out. The demon ignored him, deepening the kiss, tail visibly tightening around the junction between Loeke's legs.
 
So very, very hot.
 
Damn, it I was horny again! Why weren't Heero and me together yet?! We could be doing that right now!
 
…Minus the tail-action, of course.
 
“You've absolutely no concept of decency,” Veda continued. Loeke opened his eyes and glared at him, not breaking the kiss. (Man, that was hot!) “Doing that here, in front of others? In front of your Master? You are a disgrace! You-”
 
“Shut. Up. Veda.” Loeke's voice was bell-clear, almost innocent sounding, but harsh and forceful, and far colder than any child's voice would have been. You know how, in movies where little kids get possessed, and their voices are all hollow and dark and echoey? Like that.
 
He'd stopped kissing Yoriko (who looked crestfallen) to snarl this warning to the larger demon. Veda turned his glare on him.
 
Okay, now it was cold.
 
“And you, you debauched, monstrous little wanton. You allowed him to seduce you, to deflower you, corrupt you, to turn you into this-this indecorous, libertine sexual deviant! What would your parents say, if they could see you now?” Loeke rolled his pale eyes and leaned back into Yoriko, smirking at the demon headed towards him.
 
“How would I know, Veda? And even if I did, I really don't care,” he whispered, reaching back to run his fingers through Yoriko's glossy black hair. “But you're doing a good enough job treating me like a defenseless innocent, as it is, don't you think? Why don't you keep it up, be my daddy? You might very well might end up serving an actual purpose. For once.”
 
Whoa. Ouch.
 
Loeke fisted the hand in his lover's hair and brutally wrenched his head back down to re-initiate their kiss, leaving Veda to process the fact that he'd just been royally dissed.
 
I watched them, got hot again, and looked around me to see if my friends were having similar reactions. Trowa was staring very pointedly at the ceiling, Quatre looked as though he might spontaneously combust, and Heero… was staring at me.
 
We locked eyes for a moment that seemed to last forever, my violet meeting his blue, then quickly looked away, both of us blushing. God, I wanted him! He was so beautiful and so perfect and such a great guy, and I loved him so much! He was everything I ever wanted, and so much more.
 
“Idiot. Quit whining and take him, Master,” Yoriko growled at me from around Loeke's mouth. I screeched indignantly.
 
“Oh, God, shut up, Yoriko!” My eyes darted over to Heero, to see if he knew what Yoriko was referring to, but he just looked confused.
 
Awww. He was so cute like that.
 
Veda was on the warpath again. “How dare you say such a thing to your Master! You should be ashamed of yourself, Yoriko!” The demon reluctantly broke from his lover.
 
“Yeah? And since I'm not? What, does that make me a terrible person?”
 
“You are already a terrible person!”
 
“Alright then, what's your point?!” Veda stormed towards him, but Aedeka stepped between the two. He held up his hands and smiled.
 
“Hey, now, come on Veda, ease up a bit, huh? No need to bite people's heads off for every little thing, is there?” The blue-haired man clenched his fist.
 
“Quiet, Aedeka! Be glad I haven't made known your derelictions, as of yet. In so far as corruption, you are no less twisted than your brother! You are both horrifyingly depraved fiends who have completely warped and polluted the minds and bodies of two-” Aedeka's eyes had opened wide, probably surprised Veda would start in on him like that, then narrowed just as quickly.
 
“Excuse me?” he asked, voice dangerously low. “And just who the fuck do you think you are, that you think you have the right to `make known my derelictions', Veda? Or my brother's, for that matter, like you've never done anything wrong?” His lilac eyes were literally glowing.
 
Whoa! And here I thought Aedeka was the polite, gentle, levelheaded one! …Horrifyingly depraved fiend, eh…? That actually sounded kinda hot when you applied it to him…. Yoriko, too, if you forgot about his tryin' to kill me two or three times…. Oooh, and Loeke….
 
Sorry.
 
Heero looked up. “Aedeka, stop it,” he warned. The growling demon looked to Heero, back to Veda, and snorted, sitting back down next to his Master.
 
Yoriko was having fun with the situation. “Ha! What'cha got to say now, V? You were about to get you're ass handed to you by my brother! Not even me, by my quiet, overly-civil, peace-loving, goody two-shoes brother! And I'm the unstable one!”
 
I stood up, having decided to take a leaf out of Heero's book and show him who was boss, when Veda shoved me out of his way. Hey, now! Quatre rushed to my side, asking if I was alright.
 
“Silence, miscreant! I would never be defeated by the likes of you, or your brother, because I have integrity and morals, unlike either one of you!” I was confused, and could tell by the expression on Quatre's face that he was, too. Aedeka growled obstinately, but stayed at Heero's side.
 
What did Veda's virtues have to do with anything, at this point? I didn't even know what the hell they were arguing about anymore!
 
Loeke had apparently had enough of this craziness as well, because he stepped forward and put a petite hand on Yoriko's shoulder. “Yori,” he said softly. To my surprise, Yoriko shook him off and took a step towards the taller demon.
 
“Yeah, well, you're still a virgin!”
 
Where the hell'd that come from?
 
The room got deadly quiet; the same as right before a bomb detonates. Veda was staring at Yoriko, hate and the desire to kill burning in his amber eyes, while the black-haired demon grinned impudently. I was debating with myself, whether I thought Yoriko was very brave, or very stupid.
 
I decided on stupid. It seemed to be the more fitting choice.
 
/I can still hear you, moron! /
 
Oh. Sorry, I meant brave.
 
The air in the room was volatile, like it would ignite if someone dared breathe too hard. I stood next to Yoriko, waiting for all hell to break loose, when we were rescued.
 
/Wha's goin on? / a scratchy, drowsy voiced asked in our heads. (In our heads. Man, it was starting to freak me out that this didn't seem strange to me anymore.) The tension in the air dissipated almost immediately, as we all turned to the owner of that endearing voice.
 
“I didn't know he could talk, Trowa,” Heero said, surprised.
 
“Veda,” Wufei called. The demon nodded and headed towards him.
 
Dakora had returned from his nap in the corner, and was rubbing his eye with a black paw. Awww, he was soooo cuuute! Yoriko turned to me, looking disgusted.
 
“You fucking twit.” On cue, Veda stopped his journey towards Wufei and whirled around.
 
Oh, for the love of God!
 
“What is wrong with you?! Why is it that you cannot seem to respect your Master, Yoriko? Why-”
 
“That's enough, Veda.” Yay, Wuffie saved my demon! “It's not that big of a deal.” He looked at me smiling. Wasn't all that sure I trusted that smile. “Besides, he and Maxwell were made for each other. Crude, loud, insufferable, obnoxious.” Nope, didn't trust it. “It's fine. They're going to disrespect each other until they figure out their relationship, anyway, just let it go.”
 
“Thanks fer nothin', Wu,” I sighed, flopping down on the floor at an indignant Yoriko's feet. I was seriously contemplating taking a nice long nap, and digesting all the facts of the day (that I'd really just pulled an insane sex-demon out of some well, and now he was bound to me, and he was dating some little boy, and his brother was almost as up-and-down as he was, and the fact that `Wufei should marry his demon' had actually been a thought of mine, and that I really, really, really loved Heero) when an orange-yellow and black blur went streaking past me.
 
/AEDEKA! / Dakora cried, racing hell-bent towards the demon. Aedeka had just enough time to turn and look completely shocked before the fox dove on him.
 
“'Kora?!” he gasped, right before he hit the ground. Beside me Yoriko started laughing.
 
“Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about them,” he chuckled. Loeke snorted.
 
“How'd you manage to do that, Yori?” he sniffed, tossing his head, shaking his long white hair from his shoulders. Yoriko growled and grabbed him.
 
“Love it when you do that,” he said in a husky voice. My eyes got wide as Loeke grinned wickedly and they started kissing again.
 
Dear God, did either of them ever turn off?!
 
/Nope, / Yoriko snickered, as he langorously groped the smaller boy. Loeke moaned loudly and returned the favor.
 
Ugh! How was he supposed to amplify my `magical powers', or whatever, when he couldn't keep off his boyfriend?!
 
…'Course, I couldn't really blame him….
 
I looked to my side, where Dakora (nyawww!) was on top of Aedeka (rrawr!), licking his face frantically, his luxuriant tail wagging back and forth so hard I thought it might fly off. The silver-haired demon was laughing happily and running his hands through the fur on the fox's back.
 
Quatre giggled. “Aw, that's so cute! Is he Aedeka's pet?”
 
Not two seconds later, Yoriko and Loeke exploded. Laughing raucously, Yoriko fell to his knees, clutching his ribs, while Loeke collapsed onto his bowed back. Veda was looking up miserably, leaning against the wall behind us, covering his face with an elegant hand.
 
Heero, Wufei, Trowa, and I look to Quatre.
 
What did you say, Quat?
 
As the three demons reacted to this statement, I turned my attention back to Aedeka and Dakora, trying to figure out how on Earth Quatre's question could have been funny.
 
“Must be an inside joke,” Heero said, rubbing the back of his head. I was about to nod when something strange caught me eye.
 
The two demons on the floor had shifted, so that the Dakora was underneath, and Aedeka was on top of him. That wasn't the strange part, though. No, what made this situation so unusual was the fact that Aedeka was kissing Dakora's furry, fire-colored chest and belly, growling something incomprehensible, while the fox squirmed and panted beneath him.
 
Um… eew?
 
With my peripheral vision, I saw that a tick had developed in the corner of Heero's eye, while Trowa's face was the color of sour milk. Quatre's face was a study in blank shock, and Wufei looked like he was suffering the effects of a slow-acting poison.
 
I turned to Heero and Trowa, smirking. “Well, Heero, Tro, `least you two'll have rea-”
 
“Choose your last words carefully, Maxwell,” Trowa threatened. Heero nodded in agreement. I sneered. Fine, be uptight about the fact that both your demons were freaks, see if I cared.
 
We'd been so busy being stunned, we'd stopped looking at the two demons for a few moments. When I turned back, involuntarily, like a moth to flame, to the aforementioned pair, I gaped.
 
I couldn't see very well, but I could tell Aedeka wasn't astride a fox any longer (thank God!). Sure, the creature beneath still had the adorable pointy ears, and the long, bushy tail, but that was as far as the resemblance made it. No, what Aedeka was straddling was definitely a biped, and a decidedly male biped, if their positioning was anything to go by.
 
The five of us sat there, openly staring at the two figures making out on the floor, unconscious of anything else going on around them. And so were we.
 
“Master!” a voice barked into my ear. I jumped and twisted around to look into Yoriko's laughing apple-green eyes. I frowned at him.
 
“What?” I snapped, embarrassed at having been caught. He shrugged, and looked off at his brother and… the person I assumed was Dakora.
 
“Oh, nothing,” he responded airily. “Just wanted to make sure you were alright. You haven't blinked in a while, I was worried about you.” He closed his eyes, smiling a little.
 
“Tch. Yeah, right, sure you were.” I waited a moment, then, “Hey, Yoriko?” His smile widened and he opened one eye.
 
“Yeees,” he drawled. I looked back to the two entwined on the floor.
 
“Uh, is that Dakora? I mean, I know it wouldn't make sense for it to be anyone else, but… is Dakora, isn't it?” He followed my gaze.
 
“It is. But wait a few days, and it won't be.” I made a face.
 
“I'm not following you.” He grinned.
 
“That's okay, Master, you're slow.” I bristled, but he continued. “Remember when I told you he was insane?” I nodded. He shrugged. “I wasn't kidding. His last Master cursed him with an alternate personality. Chaotic, ruthless, evil as sin. So far, nobody's been able to figure out what triggers it, and Aedeka's the only one who's been able to control him when he changes.”
 
“So, he's violent when he'd changed?” Yoriko nodded.
 
“He was just coming down from a switch when your friend drew him. Wreaking havoc's tiring work. That's why he didn't put up a fight: he'd been sleeping it off.” He grinned. “Poor baby.” I swallowed hard.
 
“What'd he do?” Yoriko shrugged.
 
“This time? I dunno, I wasn't there, but like I said, he's nuts. He's done a lot of crazy stuff. Once, he managed to set an ocean on fire, I've seen him challenge and completely slaughter entire armies, and both times, it was out of sheer boredom. What he does depends on his mood, but he usually works most of the… stress… off with Aedeka.” The new smirk on his face told me everything I needed to know about that particular method of relief.
 
“Well, you said he was violent when he changed, right? What's he like now?” He winked and turned to his brother.
 
“What, no kiss for me, Dako?” he called, pretending to pout.
 
“Yoriko!!” It was same adorable, squeaky voice we'd heard before. “Oh, oh, hurry, get off! Adeki-ko! Come on! Come on, up, get up!”
 
Aedeka growled, looking up at his brother. “Bastard, you did that on purpose.” Even as he said this, he rolled off the now-squirming body beneath him. Laughing, Dakora dropped a quick kiss on Aedeka's nose and scrambled to his feet, then sprinted towards a grinning Yoriko, arms outstretched.
 
You know, I just don't take good care of my heart. I wouldn't be surprised if it decided to quit on me, after all I'd put it through.
 
This new (and improved!) Dakora was just as sexy as the others. His short hair was the same colors as his fur, red, orange, and yellow, shot through with black. As I mentioned before, he still had fox ears and the tail, and his eyes were still a perfect honey-gold. Yeah, objectively, the kid was really very hot.
 
Only, that was the problem: he was a friggin' kid!
 
If Loeke looked seventeen, then Dakora looked at least three years younger. They were about the same size, but while Loeke's severe `tude problem and the fact that he was obviously highly sexualized compensated for his sylphlike appearance, Dakora's slender figure was amplified by his sweet, little-kid personality. I watched as he jumped into Yoriko's arms, giggling. God, he looked so innocent!
 
…I chose to conveniently forget about the way he'd been making out with him, that it was most definitely consensual.
 
“You shouldn't,” a voice whispered. I turned to see Loeke beside me, staring almost emotionlessly at his lover and the small boy he was holding.
 
“You talking to me?” He looked at me pointedly, and I noticed that Quatre and the others were all a good ten feet away. Oh. “Wait, you can read minds, too?” He rolled his nearly colorless eyes.
 
“We all can. What I'm telling you is this: don't attempt to see Dakora as innocuous. He may behave like child, and he is naïve; he's young, but he's no innocent, especially when… well, I assume you've heard of his other personality?” I nodded, and he looked back to the demon pair and smiled. I looked back to the demon pair and gasped. Yoriko was holding him and smiling, as Dakora kissed him furiously, long legs wrapped tightly around his waist. The black-haired demon's eyes were open, and when he noticed us, he grinned wider and winked. I stared at Loeke incredulously.
 
“And you were pissed at me?!” He shrugged.
 
“You were acting like a whore,” he accused sharply. I gaped. I was not!… “This doesn't mean anything to Dakora, he does the same thing to almost everyone else. It's his way of expressing friendship… l-love.” I noticed Loeke had a hard time saying that word, but I said nothing. After all, I am Duo Maxwell, King of Tact. “It's just how he does things.”
 
“What, he's never heard of a handshake?” I asked as Yoriko kissed the giggling boy one last time and set him down. Dakora scampered over to his wide-eyed Master and tackle-hugged him, tail wagging. Loeke looked away.
 
“It's… complicated. And a very long story. Eventually, you will know of our pasts. Judging from the type of person I see you to be, I will warn you now, you won't like them.” I balked.
 
“Huh? Why won't I like them? And how do you know what type of person I am?” Why did so many people know shit about me they shouldn't?!
 
“I'm an empath,” he said tonelessly.
 
Oh. Well, that explained it. “Is that why Quatre ended up choosing you?”
 
“Yes. I was the best match for him. That and… other things.” Oooh, mysterious.
 
I was about to ask him more questions when the door to the Chamber opened. Urai stood there, looking disgruntled (ha! Betcha thought I'd forgotten about my favorite word, didn't you? Well, I didn't!).
 
“Boys.” She sounded…. I don't even know. She didn't sound angry, she definitely didn't sound happy, but it wasn't just neutral, either. It was more like a complete lack of emotion. Worried, I started towards her.
 
“Urai? Hey, you alright?” She looked at me sadly, and said nothing. Fuck, something was wrong.
 
“If you all would please call your amplifiers, I would like to… explain a few things to you.” I was really nervous, now and quickly gestured for Yoriko to come over.
 
Once we were standing in front of the door, demons in tow, she looked levelly at each of us. “I see that you have all Drawn amplifiers, and I would like to congratulate you on this. It is rare for everyone in a group, especially when they are all children, to succeed.” She looked down. “However…. You all are aware of your powers, yes?” We nodded and she looked to Quatre. “Quatre, you Drew the demon you did because of his empathic abilities, and because he can manipulate temperature, allowing you control over ice as well. Trowa,” she said, skipping me. “You drew the demon you did because he controls and can create fire, and will greatly intensify your own power. Heero, your demon will significantly increase your alchemic capabilities, and Wufei, yours will allow you to control light, and all of its components.” She turned to me. Finally. “Duo. Most demons are Drawn due to their Master's greatest strength. You are an Earth mage, a Green mage, meaning you have control over the Earth and all that comes out of it. However, somehow you possess a greater strength than that, a different Gift, one neither the scepter nor I detected because of its rarity.” I looked around, not comprehending.
 
“…Aaannd?” I prompted. She looked away. Damn it, what the hell was going on?!
 
“All in the demon world are subject to The Drawing,” she said. “Fate chooses which demons you are to Draw, or not to, and that is final. There is nothing any of the Elders, or I, can do to change what Fate has determined. These are your amplifiers, regardless of any of their histories.” She sighed. “However, there are things we cannot understand, one being how all five of you managed to Draw the demons you did.” She looked around at them. “Veda, Aedeka, Loeke, Dakora, all well-known and exceptionally powerful demons.” I noticed she skipped over Yoriko, who smirked knowingly.
 
Heero frowned. “Urai, what's the problem? I understand it may be an unusual coincidence that we all managed to Draw, and powerful amplifiers at that, but what's wrong?” Urai sighed.
 
“The problem is not so much that you all managed to Draw, or that you all Drew impressive amplifiers. The reason for our confusion is fact that the five of you children succeeded in Mastering the ones that you did Draw.” She closed her eyes. “And we are the most distressed you managed to Draw Yoriko, Duo.” I gulped.
 
“And why is that… distressing?”
 
“Because he's a Dark amplifier.” …Mmhmm…. “The Dark Gift is one no one in over ten thousand years has possessed.” She opened her eyes and looked into mine. “Until you, Duo.” …And why is that distressing…?
 
“Wait, I thought you said Duo was a green mage, or whatever,” Quatre argued. The others and I looked expectantly at her for an answer.
 
“He is that, too. Another reason we are so confused. It is exceptionally rare for a mage to possess two different Gifts. Like Heero, many Earth mages are alchemists. Alchemic aptitude is not a Gift, but a branch of magic. Duo, you possess two entirely separate, and categorically different Gifts.” She sighed deeply. “Strange as this is, that still is no the real problem.” I huffed.
 
“Then what is the problem, Urai?! God, you still haven't answered that yet!” I didn't mean to get angry, but dammit, she was still talking in circles! I wanted to know what the problem was!
 
Yoriko laughed and draped himself over me. “Poor Master,” he crooned, grinning up at Urai. She frowned at him.
 
“Duo, the reason we are so distressed at the outcome of your Drawing is-” Before she could finish, a demon, if his size and the long claws on his hands were any indication, appeared scowling blackly in the doorway, a gargantuan pike in his hands, and Yoriko in his sights.
 
“Is because that little bastard was cursed to never leave his purgatory.”
 
Yoriko looked up, dark recognition flashing in his green eyes. “You!” he hissed venomously. The two charged each other simultaneously.
 
Loeke hissed and scrambled to get out of the way. “MOVE, you idiot!” he screamed at me, as I was caught, frozen, in the crossfire.
 
After that, I decided that I loved Loeke. I really did. I would have done absolutely anything in the world he told me to. Anything. Because at that moment, he grabbed me by my braid (ouch!) and yanked me brutally sideways (OUCH!), just in time for him to save me from the huge weapon on a collision course with my body (which would have OUCHed a helluva lot more.)
 
And here I thought, with all we'd been through so far, things could only get better. I figured, we had to have go through the worst already. I figured we'd be granted magic powers, and we'd have our amplifying demon-thingys, and I'd be a kick-ass sorcerer dude who made things grow because I was Green and made things… dark because I was Dark. (If you can't tell, I still had no clue what I could actually do, yet.) Yep, I figured we'd all know what was happening in this crazy world by the end of this chapter.
 
I am so stupid.
 
 
:OOOOOOOOOOOOO:
 
Yay, that's the update! I thought it was way better, but, again, please let me know if I'm wrong! Okay, so I plan to have the next chapter up within the next two days, so I'll announce the “contest” winners then… if any of you actually care… eep! Anyways, reviews are like junk food to me, I can never get enough! Please feed me!