Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Elven Mage ❯ Of Omens and Tentative Promises. ( Chapter 9 )

Warnings: Yaoi, angst, strong language, near-naked Milliardo (heh), confusion, the usual.

Disclaimer: I don't own the G-boys *sigh* but Shiakara and Nihrana DO belong to me, so you'd better not steal them, or I'll have to do something drastic. >:) I also own those little things that run around Treize's castle.

Author's notes: I'm terribly sorry it's taken so long! *bows down to her cherished reviewers and readers* I didn't mean too! I had a huge assignment due that I've been flat out on. Also, I've been reading the best FF7 fic out there. You should read it. It's called "A Long, Hard Road" by Twig. Go read it! ^_^ You'll be pleased to know I have holidays in a week's time, so the next couple of chapters should come a little faster this time. ^_^

~ ~ ~

Milliardo paced agitatedly, his robe tied loosely about his waist his only clothing. He halted a moment and stared at the sleeping figure in the bed, then shuddered and shook his head, running an agitated hand through disheveled platinum blonde hair.

Treize, unbeknownst to Milliardo, watched the mage through slitted eyes, only feigning sleep. He studied the play of muscle beneath smooth, alabaster, flawless skin and, when Milliardo wasn't looking, licked his lips.

Oh, he had heard his lover's whispered word sure enough, but he meant to make the mage forget this "Nihrana". Surely none could be so talented as Treize himself and he would make Milliardo see he was the far better choice, as sure as the sun rose and the tides shifted.

"Never again," Milliardo muttered, tugging the robe up as it started to slip.

"Will you stop pacing… You're making me nervous…" Treize murmured around a faked yawn, bringing a long-fingered hand up to cover his mouth as he did so.

"I shall leave you to yourself, then," Milliardo said with icy politeness and strode out of the room before Treize could stop him. One of the little creatures scampered at his feet.

"Is there something I can get for you?" it chittered quickly.

"Be sure there is warm water in the bathhouse by the time I get there," Milliardo ordered and the thing shot off, little legs pumping.

Milliardo suddenly became aware of the constant activity going on around him. Things weren't usually quite this busy and he wondered if something was going on. He stopped another of the creatures simply by way of standing on its tail. Is squeaked in shock as it was stopped, then made the same noise as Milliardo lifted it by that same tail.

"What's going on?" he asked softly.

"Going on what is? Going on nothing is, Sir. Tell Mr. Khushrenada you need not. Going on nothing is!"

"Then why is it you're so very afraid of me telling Mr. Khushrenada?"

"Ah! Going on nothing is!"

"You lie. Mr. Khushrenada doesn't like liars…"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Tell Mr. Khushrenada do not! Please! Tell you I will. Tell you I will! Escaped the prisoners have. Stepped out for a moment did the Ss'ni… Escaped they did in that time. Punished should the Ss'ni be. Punished we should not be. Our duty to keep them it was not. Tell Mr. Khushrenada are you going to?"

"We shall see…" Milliardo murmured and gently replaced the creature on the floor where it scampered off. The mage couldn't help but smile, immensely pleased that something in Treize's carefully laid plans had gone awry. He knew why Treize wanted the elf to be uninterrupted in his magic studies and he didn't like it one bit.

If Duo didn't finish his magic training, then he wouldn't face Treize and his minion mages. It would be Heero. If it was Heero, the more skillful and experienced of the two mages, Treize and his minions would lose and die horribly. With Duo facing them, however, they would tire him and leave Treize standing, able to get through to the University and trigger a death-spell he had created with the help of several demons. Every magically inclined human would suffer and die under the spell unless protected by an antidote of sorts, which of course, Treize would only give to those who paid. It was all for money and left a bad taste in Milliardo's mouth just thinking about it. It wouldn't kill instantly. It would take some time, leaving the mage but a broken body before he or she actually passed. The agony, of course, was specifically designed to be unbearable, thereby all but forcing the mages to come to Treize for the relief of the antidote. He had even planned to have himself protected once the spell began to take its effect, so that he couldn't be targeted and killed by the very mages he was attacking.

Milliardo shook his head, a single tear glinting at the corner of his eye before he wiped it away. Both Heero and Duo were important to him for different reasons. Heero he had watched grow up, even as he himself grew up. There was a few years age difference, and Milliardo had been older than Heero by just enough to actually watch as the mage grew. Duo he had Seen a great future for. His presence in the University would have opened the way for so many non-human races to begin learning magic. Now, however, he didn't know what would happen. One or other, perhaps both of them, would possibly die, and he didn't want that. He wished there was something he could do, but the constant threat to his sister tied his hands.

As he slipped into the warm water provided, unsure exactly how he'd gotten to the bathhouse, he thought on many things. Foremost in his mind was the question of whether he would ever get home. He missed his fellow mages. He missed Nihrana, but that was a constant he was used to.

"I actually want to be in that University right now. The irony of it all…" he murmured and laughed ruefully to himself.

He had fought tooth and nail with his parents to be allowed to stay home and breed horses. He loved horses and he had never wanted to leave his parents' wealthy breeding farm. When they'd found, however, that both he and Relena showed magical tendencies and then that Milliardo would, in fact, be a Seer, they would have strapped him to the cart if he hadn't finally given in.

He did, however, still breed a few horses, carefully and with great care for his animals, in the University pastures. The mages were always in need of fine, good-tempered, well-bred, handsome horses to look impressive when they went out of the University for a time. He also sold some of his horses to wealthy merchants and made a rather tidy little profit. His brow furrowed. One of his mares was due to foal in the next week or so. He knew his own handpicked grooms would take care of her, but he usually liked to be with his mares when they foaled. It helped them to relax.

Milliardo shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it now. What was done was done and his hands were still tied. Treize still had him by the balls and Treize knew it, they both did.

He slid under the water, closed his eyes, and tried not to think.

* * *

"So… We don't know much at all really, do we?" Nihrana murmured when Heero had finished telling him everything. Heero death-glared the sorcerer and Duo giggled despite himself. Shiakara poked him with a cold nose and he ruffled her ears, all but ignoring Heero and Nihrana who were shooting icicles at each other from their eyes.

"Hey, we know everything we can know, Nihrana! The FarCasters are looking twenty five hours a day, seven days a week," Heero muttered.

"Twenty five?" Nihrana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's how hard they're working. They're doing more than possible to find him!"

"It's not enough, dammit! It… it's not enough…" Nihrana trailed off and wiped away a suspicious shine in his eyes. His hands clutched so tightly at his staff that his knuckles went white and he shook his head as he looked down at the table.

"Nihrana… I may have been young at the time, but I knew enough to understand that you and Milliardo were very, very close. I promise you, we're doing everything we can to find him and get him back, but there is only so much we can do," Heero said, reaching out to lightly touch the sorcerer's hair.

Nihrana shook his head.

"I… I felt so terrible for leaving him so suddenly like I did… I barely explained anything to him. I… I thought I'd… come back and apologize to him. I needed to. I had to. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand the constant nibbling at my conscience to come back and explain and now I find… I… he's not here… and I can't stay long enough to help get him back. I've an appointment in two days…" Nihrana's voice trembled, but he kept the tears back.

"Nih-love, it'll be alright. Milliardo will understand. There might be something you can do in the time you have and we'll tell him you were here. You can always come visit again," Shiakara said softly as Duo rubbed her neck.

"Yes… You're right of course. I shouldn't… I shouldn't get so worked up… Everything… it'll be all right. He can take care of himself. Now… let's go visit these FarCasters and see if I can't give them all a power boost." Nihrana got to his feet and strode down the corridor, not wanting Heero, Duo or Shiakara to go with him. They read that in his stance and let him be, knowing he'd find his way to the FarCasters when he was ready.

"Heero… Why did Nihrana leave?" Duo asked softly, touching Heero's shoulder.

"I don't know. I never knew. Milliardo knew more than anyone and he knew basically nothing either…"

"He had someone," Shiakara said softly. "Iana'alee… I think… in the language of the man he loves, it means "life-mate". He left his… Iana'alee in the first place because he needed to learn about his staff and because he was afraid. He couldn't stay without him for long, though, and he had to go back… after he'd tried drowning his memories in another man, namely Milliardo Peacecraft…"

The other two stared at her and she blinked a few times, her voice losing its dreamlike quality.

"How did you know that?" Heero asked.

"He told me."

"You were a puppy…"

"Older than you, Heero Yuy. Older than you…" she murmured with a slight shake of her head.

Duo tugged at his braid and shook his head a little.

"Poor Nihrana…" he said softly, purple eyes veiled and shuttered, hiding some emotion neither Heero nor Shiakara could read.

"Poor Milliardo… He was the one whose heart was broken," Shiakara replied softly.

Heero said nothing, only ran a hand through his untamed hair and turned his attention to whatever was on the platter before him.

The room had pretty well cleared out after Nihrana's playing with Duo. It tended to scare people when two men showed too much affection. Mages and sorcerers strangely seemed to be attracted to their own sex around twenty-five percent of the time. There had been research done on the very fact, but there were still no answers.

"Heero… You're really angry at Nihrana for hurting Milliardo, aren't you?" Duo asked eventually in a soft voice, a strange tone touching the words.

"Yes…" was the only answer Heero supplied.

* * *

Wufei stood between two massive, age-old trees, eyes closed. He was in deep meditation, thinking about how long the trees had stood and how long they would still stand after he and his companions had long since passed.

He took two steps forward, graceful and beautiful without even meaning to be, without even trying. A silver-cling sound rang from his hooves, like the sound of a softly touched bell, as they made contact with a large slab of limestone rock. He looked down, lifting one hoof with a sound not unlike that of sword sliding from scabbard.

"Strange…" he murmured as he noted a patch of rock where no moss grew. Most of the limestone was covered in the fuzzy growth, but for one patch that was strangely clear. It was almost heart-shaped and Wufei wondered what it meant.

He had seen too much not to think this might mean something to him. The centaurs did believe the spirits spoke to them through nature and he wondered if they were trying to tell him something now. Even as he watched, the moss grew in a thin, jagged line through the center of the heart and a sadness so strong it was almost palpable touched his heart. His breath hitched and the lifted hoof struck down beside the broken heart, ringing loudly through the silence of the early-morning forest. Another heart appeared as the first became whole again and a yearning welled within Wufei along with hesitation. The two warred desperately within him, neither gaining the upper hand. The battle drove Wufei to his knees, totally shattering the inner-calm he had gathered during his meditation.

The hearts drifted closer, but the second pulled away a little and the first started to crack again. Wufei willed them closer as pain and confusion and disgust warred with attraction and friendship and almost-love. The hearts touched, joined and flowers spread over the entire patch of moss-on-limestone.

Wufei stood and could only, for the moment, ponder on what any of this might mean. He strode between the trees, watching the play of light between leaves across the forest floor. A deer dashed across his path and halted just before vanishing again to look curiously at him and scent nervously at the air. It's head tilted and it looked hard at him, then bounded off, deciding he must be a threat because she had never seen anything like him before and differentness always meant threat.

Wufei scented deeply at the fresh morning air, one hoof striking restlessly at the rock beneath it. He couldn't escape the nervousness brought on by what he'd seen in the moss and, though he strove for it, could not get back his inner peace and calm.

"Wufei…?" a soft voice, hesitant and unwilling to interrupt him, but needing to talk, even if it was with someone like Wufei.

"Mmm…?" Wufei replied, still lost in his own thoughts more than anything.

"I… uh… was wondering if I could talk to you?"

Quatre took a few steps towards Wufei, into the sunlight, his wings glinting where the light mist and dew had gathered on them. Nature seemed to like a faery and it was almost like a soft kiss or a gentle caress from her, Wufei thought fancifully as he looked at Quatre. He said nothing, only looked at the faery through dark eyes.

Quatre shifted from one foot the other a couple of times, then sighed and finally met Wufei's eyes with his own anguished blue green gaze.

"It's… it's about Trowa… I… don't know how to say this…" Quatre started haltingly, small fists clenching tightly about his willow switch wand.

Something stirred inside Wufei and he got the distinct impression that whatever Quatre was trying to tell him, it had something to do with movement of the moss. To make things easier for the faery, he lowered himself to his knees so he was at eyelevel with the blonde.

"If talking will make things better, then I will listen," Wufei said gruffly, the closest he could get to a reassurance.

"I… Gosh… You know last night, when Trowa said he wanted to talk to me?"

Wufei gave a nod, tail absently flicking a wandering bug away.

"I… it's… he… he… he kissed me!"

Wufei tilted his head, waiting for something more as he could tell the faery still had more to say and was just trying to figure out how to say it. It didn't surprise him all that much, really. He'd sensed something like this from Trowa for a long while now, but hadn't said anything, being the silent type he was and not one to meddle in the affairs of beings he considered lower than he.

"I… He thought I felt the same about him as he does about me. He… thought I was gay… I-I'm not, Wufei. I'm not! I told him that and… I… Well I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't live a lie like that. I couldn't even… even… think about… d-d-doing anything." At this Quatre blushed. "I never… I didn't know he felt like that about me and I… I… I don't know what to do!"

Wufei regarded Quatre for a long time, then finally put the problem into the simplest terms he could, barely noticing as Quatre winced at the coldness of his summation.

"Trowa fell in love with you. You are not gay. You rejected him and he now knows you are not gay. There is nothing more to it."

"I broke his heart!" Quatre wailed.

Wufei blinked. Then that was the connection with the moss. Then what did the second part, the two hearts mean? His was jerked out of his thoughts as Quatre leapt at him, wrapping his arms around the centaur's waist and sobbing into his chest.

"I didn't mean… I didn't want… But I couldn't… I can't… It isn't… Wufei, help me!"

Wufei could only stare down at the blond head, arms held out to either side of his body in absolute shock. He couldn't bring them around to hug Quatre and comfort him, because that sort of thing just wasn't in him. His tail flicked back and forth in confusion and the look on his face would have been comical if anyone was there to see it.

"Quatre…" he muttered, shifting uncomfortably on his knees.

"I don't know what to do!" Quatre cried, though it was muffled against Wufei's chest and the centaur could barely understand the words.

"Quatre…" Wufei said again, unable to think of anything else to say.

The faery only buried his face deeper into the warmth of Wufei's chest, taking comfort just from his presence in some strange way the centaur couldn't understand.

Quatre's thoughts ran in confused circles and he knew he was using Wufei mercilessly to try and ground himself, to try and bring order to the confusion. He knew the centaur didn't, couldn't understand what he was doing. He knew it was unfair. He knew it was selfish. He knew it was wrong. He knew all this, but he couldn't let go. He needed and he didn't care who he used.

It was unlike Quatre to put himself before anyone, but he wasn't thinking much at all right now. He wasn't sure why Trowa's revelation and his subsequent rejection of the Pantherin had him all tied up in knots, but it did. He hated hurting anyone and he had a feeling he'd hurt Trowa in the worst way possible. But he just couldn't…

"Quatre… please…" Wufei said, and Quatre had to smile amusedly at the reverberation of the words in the centaur's chest.

"I… I'm s-sorry, Wufei," Quatre murmured as he drew away and got to his feet.

Wufei only shook his head and lifted his hands to pull his hair even more tightly into its tail.

"Trowa will live," he said shortly, then walked past Quatre, heading back in the direction of the Pantherin pack's cave network.

Quatre watched him go, then looked down at his feet, biting back a fresh storm of tears. He saw the flowers all over the limestone rock and smiled a little, reaching down to pluck one and tuck it behind his ear. Yes, his kind had a tendency to look and even act somewhat… feminine, but it meant nothing and Trowa should truly have known that. Quatre shook his head and berated himself for trying to lay the blame on Trowa. It wasn't Trowa's fault, it must be Quatre's own. He must have said or done something to make the Pantherin get the wrong idea.

He wondered if he should go and talk to Trowa, but the idea quickly left him.

Coward… his mind whispered and he was more than willing to agree, because he knew it was true. He was afraid to be alone with the panther.

He, Trowa, Wufei, Noin and Tia'ara were meeting in a short time to lay plans of the best way to the University, where Duo was held captive. If all went well, they would leave later that day and be at the University by nightfall. Quatre knew they wouldn't be able to do anything in the way of rescue until the sun rose again the next day, but he was glad they would be there at least.

He looked around at the forest, still cloaked in mist, and smiled a little. As he walked through the mist and trees, whispers of small animals waking to their daily routine, or settling down for the day after a busy night surrounding him, he could forget his worries for a time and feel relaxed. He let himself get lost in nature's loving embrace and let her take his cares and wash them away. A small smile grew a little on his face as he walked and thought of nothing important, willow switch flipping about nonchalantly.

He knew it couldn't last long, but for the moment, he intended to enjoy it.

* * *

Duo couldn't keep his eyes off Heero. He had tried time and time again during their morning practice and lessons to turn them to something, anything else, but they persisted in dancing lightly over the lines of the mage's face and even more persistently, the lines of his robe-clad body. There was nothing different about the way Heero was conducting himself or the lesson, but Duo was tense and strangely, breathlessly excited as he watched the mage's moves in order to counteract them.

~Duo, your attention wanders again. Patch up your shields or I will show you what a real attack can do to a badly-crafted shield and the mage below it!~ Heero's voice muttered into his mind, frustrated and growing impatient with his apprentice's continued inattention.

Ever since they had spoken with Nihrana that morning, Heero had taken to never speaking out loud and never answering Duo unless he thought his words. Duo quickly relaxed under the constant, getting used to the feel of another mind barely touching his. It wasn't so bad as he'd thought it was. It was only the lightest brush, just enough of a touch to transmit the thoughts and nothing more.

~Sorry… I was just… uh…~

Watching you… his mind supplied silently to him, thankfully not to Heero.

"Duo, I don't care what 'you were just…' I need all your attention now," Heero muttered out loud, at the end of his patience.

"All my attention…" Duo murmured musingly, then realized he'd said that out loud when Heero gave him a bemused look.

~Smooth, Maxwell…~ Shiakara thought privately to him, a giggle lacing her silent words as the chuffing sound she made out loud drifted over to him.

~Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't… I don't…~ Duo thought back, but lost the track completely as Heero turned his back and put his fingers to his temples, the muscles in his shoulders shifting and moving as he rubbed circles there, trying to calm himself.

~You so do. Duo, you've been ogling him the entire lesson and pleasedon't try to tell me you didn't like what Nihrana did to you because you where whimperingwith the pleasure of it! Get your ass over there and kiss him!~ Shiakara snapped playfully into his mind, tail beating the floor excitedly.

Duo looked a moment longer, the conflict within him so strong he gasped a little. It wasn't long, however, before attraction won the battle and Duo did cross the distance between them. He inched around in front of the mage, whose eyes were closed, and touched his arm.

"Heero…? I-" he started, but the mage cut him off.

"You are the most annoying person I've ever met and I am at the end of my patience so you better leave me alone or I might just wring your neck."

"But I wanted to-"

"No, Duo, I'm serious. You had better get out of the way."

"But you-"

"I'm only a man and I can't control my temper any longer!"

"Heero, would you just listen to-"

"I asked you time and time again to pay attention. What more can I do? I don't want to have to punish you!"

"Heero! Please, I-"

"Dammit, Duo, can you not hear me with those pointed ears?"

That hurt, and Duo bit back.

"You aren't even listening to me! I'm trying to talk to you and you won't even give me the chance!"

"Why should I, when you haven't listened to me all morning?!"

"Because I want to do this, dammit!" Duo snarled as one hand lashed out and grabbed the back of Heero's head, pulling him in for a kiss that stole both their breaths away.

Duo broke the kiss, eyes fiery and snapping at Heero with an intense anger.

"D-Duo…" was all Heero could manage.

"Too late, Master," Duo bit out through clenched teeth, the last word dripping with sarcasm. "Since you're so pissy, I suppose I'd better leave you be, hmm?" The elf whirled on his heel and stalked out, smirking once Heero could no longer see his face.

Making the mage stew would be ever so much fun…

Shiakara rolled about on her back, all four paws waving in the air as she literally howled with laughter. Tears fell from her white eyes to vanish into the blue fur and she could barely catch her breath she was laughing so hard.

"I don't see what's so funny…" Heero ground out, turning a glare that would stop anyone but Shiakara in their tracks.

"Oh… oh… oh… it's outrageously funny, Master! Outrageously!" she managed between laughs, then only fell to laughing harder at the look on the mage's face.

"I think I should find him…" Heero murmured to himself, somehow ignoring the OtherKin rolling about the floor of his practice room.

"I think you should too and I don't think he's going to make this easy for you," Shiakara giggled out.

Heero only shot another glare at her as he walked out of the room, and strode in the direction he was sure Duo would go - to the dining hall.

* * *

Nihrana shook his head vehemently at the FarCaster before him and gave an exasperated sigh.

"No! I don't need you to do anything but what you're already doing! I can feed you and the others power without needing you to work at taking it! I've done it a thousand thousand times before!" he cried, valiantly resisting the urge to clout the mage over the head with his staff.

"Bu' sir, e'ry one needs 'elp tah channel magic power!" the burly mage insisted, trying, and failing to intimidate the slight, rather short sorcerer in front of him.

"For the last fucking time, I'm not a mage and I don't have to work with the restrictions you lot do most of the time. Also, stop trying to intimidate me into listening to you, because I could rip your arms off with a thought! Just sit back down and let me work!"

Nihrana was proud of himself for not peppering that entire tirade with the word "fuck", but the mage didn't seem to understand that Nihrana was at the end of his rope and he shook his thick head again.

"Nae. Nob'dy can do wha' ye're suggestin' ye can do."

"Alright, alright. Don't tell me I didn't warn you," Nihrana growled dangerously, fingers shifting on his staff.

The mage had barely begun a bark of laughter when he found himself suspended upside down from the rafters, held by nothing but Nihrana's mental energy. Before he could even begin to think of a counterattack, Nihrana had bound him tightly up there with cords of energy made solid through the strength of his will and easily blocked the mage off from his powers.

"Now, if anyone else wants to join Sir Argues-a-lot up there, feel free to go against me."

The FarCasters were silent, staring at Nihrana with a newfound awe, but for the small number who remembered the sorcerer and had known what he could do.

"Good. Continue. It won't take me long to get settled, then I'll give you all a helping hand and you look further a-field, yes?"

Again, silence, but the mages all did as they were told and Nihrana allowed himself a small smile of amusement at their reactions to him.

~ ~ ~

Author's notes: ^_^ Heero Duo kissyness! Hehehe…