Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Two Sides of a Coin ❯ chapter 9 (Interlude) ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimers: I still own nothing. I'll tell you when I do.

 

Warnings: a great deal of oocness, some original characters, and grammar inconsistencies and so on.

 

 

 

Chapter 9 (Interlude) ---- Duo, the Shinigami-king and the God who holds human mortality

 

 

 

He had learned how to live with those three entities living within him. The first that existed was the god. He could no longer remember it; the beginning of his existence, because even then, a long, long time ago, it had been a hazy thing to remember. He wondered if Gaia knew how they came to be, but he doubted it. Both he and Gaia merely existed one day, when the night was still so long.

 

Gaia. The only being like him. but they had separated paths too, when Gaia took him away. Gaia said that she needed him for the formation of a new world when theirs reached its inevitable end. In the beginning, Duo was willing to help, and it was he who took care of the chosen mortal, although Gaia gave him special care as well; no plant or animal or any other being that has not the consciousness of a mortal had ever harmed him. Duo tried the same with the entities whose souls he oversees, except that they were not as easy to manipulate as the land. There was also the fact that Gaia was more powerful ever since she worked to merge with the land, almost becoming one with it whenever she willed.

 

And it was because she was more powerful that Gaia was able to take him away when she saw that Duo had fallen in love with him. Gaia did not care in the beginning, for the purity of the mortal's being had also enamored her, but when Duo became difficult and was no longer willing to use the mortal as the stronghold of the new world, Gaia took him away, and Duo was unable to do anything about it. Duo had wondered the land for hundreds of years in search of his sister and his lover but Gaia had gone to a place that he had no control of, the center of the land. It was only the place that the god held no power.

 

An immemorial amount of time, and the god descended into the mortal who was the highest priest of his worship. It was thus that he became Duo and the Shinigami-king, worshipped as the representation of the god that he really was. As Duo and the Shinigami-king, the god that he was became more human like, and he was loved and followed by many. With his hold on immortality, he gave his most trusted followers the gift of eternal life ---- but he was no longer what he used to be. There was a void deep within his core, a void that was unplugged by his loss of sister and lover.

 

Gaia's presence he could still sense, for she had become the land, but pride had destroyed whatever possible communication that may have occurred between them and the land had been quiet. As for him, the pain that his absence caused was larger, more painful and dark. But this pain he had learned to live with until it had faded into a dull sharpness, still intense in its own way except that he had become used to it.

 

He had learned to live and to dull the pain. He had learned to smile, because the people that he had lived among were that way. Besides, he found out that lifting the sides of one's lips and making one's eyes seem to twinkle was fun; just another mask that he could put on and even pretend with, helping one be too engrossed with the role that one plays that the pain was completely forgotten.

 

And then he came; Heero, so like his lover in so many ways, except that he was so wary and capable of pulling ennui. Duo did not like him in the beginning, because even if he looked like him, Heero was only a rebellious prince whose defiance of his father's power had backfired.

 

He hated him, he really did, and it was only because an old man who was touched by his sister accompanied the irritating, spoiled prince and begged for his mercy. So Mercy he gave even to one who was undeserving ----at least that was what he thought until that night.

 

He loved the night, for it mirrored the darkness of his heart, although sometimes, the night boasted a light that was greater and more beautiful than the light of the day, only the dawn could equal such beauty. He slept rarely; he had never slept well ever since Gaia disappeared with him. Thus he was wont to roam the realm that his mortal mask was lord off. Sometimes he walked the dark streets; sometimes he only limited himself within the confines of his palace walls.

 

That night, he roamed the gardens. Spring or winter, the flowers in that part of his realm was always in bloom, a sign that Gaia still remembers him. The full roundness of the moon was brilliant, and a ring of colors surrounded the strobe.

 

In the light of this luminosity, the flowers glowed and bitter memories assaulted him. So engrossed was he with his memories that he did not notice him lying on the soft grass.

 

The luminous light lit his pale face, making it glow like the flowers in his gardens.

 

Duo started, his recollection of memories bearing the same face made him momentarily think that this mortal lying before him was the man that he loved. And then dark eyelashes fluttered open, and the pale face sluggishly lifted to peer at him with dark pools behind dark locks before it fell back wearily.

 

He stood there like a blithering fool, the image of his beloved broken with that weary expression. And it was not mere weariness that he saw there, even if it passed only fleetingly. The tiredness was so deep; Duo could only see it as a weariness of one's existence.

 

Tentatively, he reached out to read him deeper but he stopped him.

 

“Please,” he had whispered. “don't do this. Allow me this privacy, I beg.”

 

“Why?” he had never cared for anybody's privacy, especially for one whom he held unsavory opinion of. So why should he stop now?

 

A cynical, bitter smile. “Why, indeed? You are a god, I am a mere brat of a mortal. ---- Why should it?”

 

Those words surprised him; first because the boy knew that he was a god, and second because he was aware of Duo's honest opinion of him. Frankly though, the latter surprised him more than the former; the man that accompanies the boy was gifted with Gaia after all, and the care that he poured over the prince was very strange; leaving him alone and forcing him to fend for himself, extensive training even when the prince was stumbling on his feet weakly a few moments after his training had begun. But then, when the boy once again staggers on his feet and the old wizard decides that it was one too many, he stops the training and fusses over his charge covertly. He also does the same on instances when the boy suddenly lurches or falls on his feet. Other than being weak, the boy was also extremely clumsy, especially for a prince.

 

“Master J told you who I am.” A statement. “Why? Or are you gifted by Gaia as well?” this Duo had doubted, for he had seen no displays of magic from the mortal, unlike Master J.

 

The smile grew into a chuckle. “Do you think that I am?”

 

The god in him shrugged carelessly. “For a young mortal, you are extremely cynical.”

 

“For an immortal, you are too cheerful.”

 

“Better than being contemptuous and bitter.”

 

“And you are not? Has your mask tricked even you?”

 

Duo was silent for a while and when he spoke once again, his voice lost all of its exuberance. “You should be careful with your tone and words, boy.” He hissed.

 

The boy shrugged, his eyes still closed, but his tone became mocking. “Does it hurt, god? The truth? Or is it that you hate having a mere mortal fling it to your face?”

 

Duo did not answer. He left instead, trembling with intense anger. How dare that slip of a boy tell him such a thing! Him who could separate his soul from his body within the blink of an eye!

 

Halfway back to the walls of his palace, he stopped.

 

Was the boy asking for it?

 

What made him so that he did not fear death, goading it even to take him? Intrigued and with a new image of the boy forming within his mind, he turned back.

 

 

 

He expected the boy to say something as soon as his shadow fell over the supine form, but the mortal was quiet. It seemed that he had fallen asleep as soon as Duo left. It was strange.

 

Almost against his will, Duo knelt beside the mortal, reaching out to brush dark locks that fell over a white forehead and tangled with slightly lighter lashes. Even in slumber though, the boy's face was twisted with contempt. It would have irritated him if not for the downward slope of the sides of his mouth, twisting as if trying to muffle a cry.

 

The cry was unsuccessfully stifled; softly echoing over the gardens and making Duo withdraw slightly. He frowned at the anguish that he heard, and he almost reached out to touch the boy's soul and try to find out once and for all what ails him when he remembered the plea from earlier ago, so earnest unlike the tone that followed next.

 

Dratted, confusing, complicated mortal!

 

Duo began to gather the prince into his arms with the intent of carrying him back to his chambers when the form stirred and dark orbs once again peaked at him.

 

“Oh, it's you again. I thought you had stormed away.” Heero said, disappointed that he was back. “No, leave me alone.” Said complainingly, almost childishly.

 

Duo paused and leaned back a little to stare at the boy incredulously. “You prefer to stay here and freeze to death?”

 

“Would I?” The boy sighed. “Please. I --- I really want to stay here. If----if you want ---- you could stay. But please let me stay here.” The offer was given hesitantly, but the plea was fervent.

 

The long-haired king sighed exasperatedly. “All right! But you have to tell me why you prefer to stay here.”

 

The prince thought for a moment, then nodded. Satisfied, Duo laid the prince back, but not before he spread his cloak on the grass, hoping that the velvet would somehow prevent them from feeling the cold that seeped from the ground.

 

“Well, go on.” He urged after settling down by Heero's side.

 

Heero stared at him for a moment before turning his eyes to stare at the rainbow-ringed moon that was already directly over them. “I like it here.”

 

“That's all?” Duo asked incredulously when the long stretch of silence told him that Heero had given his answer. “All right, I'm bringing you back to your chambers!” he added, earning a defiant stare and a deep frown.

 

“No.” was the only other act of resistance though before Heero added something that surprised Duo deeply. “Why ---- don't ---- you ---- sleep here? That way, you could keep me company as you wanted. Besides, the grass is warm.”

 

“Is it really?” Duo drawled.

 

Another frown at him. “It is. Gaia must have rendered it so.”

 

___________________________

Wind tousled trees and the soft chirping of the birds as well as the light that tried to peak at his closed eyelids forced him to wake up. Oh, but he didn't want to! If he could, he would have gone on and slept forever if it ensured to make him feel that way.

 

Hundreds of years… he could only faintly remember the last time that he had slept that peacefully and deeply. And that day, that glorious morning did not bring the bitterness that usually came with his memories.

 

He could feel a real smile on his lips, and he was no longer reluctant to open his eyes, except that the first thing that he saw filled him with confusion.

 

In the course of their sleep, they both shifted and turned into their sides, facing each other. They were not touching, but the distance between them was quite small. Heero was still deep in slumber, his eyelids twitching as if he was still locked deep within a dream. Duo wondered what his dream might be, but the desire to read him had gone with the night.

 

Heero's lips were curved into a slight smile and Duo had reached out to touch a sleep coloured cheek despite himself.

 

Heero woke up then and they stared at each other, his hand still at the pale pink cheek.

 

“I hope that you had pleasant dreams,” he said, for he needed to break the spell that had him staring mesmerized at deep blue eyes.

 

A thick fringe of dark lashes swept over those same eyes before their owner answered.

 

“Do gods have dreams?” it was not the answer that he was expecting. Those words and the contemptuous tone that accompanied it was enough to destroy the contentment that he felt, and he moved his hand away slowly, disappointment and anger burning within his veins.

 

“So, the bratty prince is back. I do believe that pleasant dreams fear to approach you, for you would have only despised them.”

 

“I'm so glad that you understand, god.”

 

He stood up and left then without replying. Such a mere mortal does not deserve his company.

 

Such an ordinary mortal does not deserve his attention either, but it seems that he could not stop himself from thinking about the prince, or secretly observe his actions. So he saw when Master J approached the boy only mere moments after he had completely gone out of sight. Master J had stood before the prince, saying something that he could not hear from where he stood. He saw the way the prince had coldly responded though, and if he read it correctly, almost angrily even. He wondered what they were talking about, but the desire to peak at Heero's mind had gone. As for the wizard, he had the ability to sense his power should he try to work at him, so he let it go.

 

But something had happened between them that night and the morning that followed it. They had tried to avoid each other and were polite more than ever. But another night came that seemed to work towards some inevitable end, or perhaps it was a beginning….

 

 

A/N: so sorry… too short and did not contribute to the plot whatsoever. I'm really sorry. Please bear with me. The words just refused to flow after I finished writing the first part of this chapter. I hope next chapter would be better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by Norse mythology about the god of life. (Forgot his name). his mother sent messengers to every plant and entity not to hurt him, but he still died through the trickery of Loki.