Setting: Just after the AC-195 war. Possibly AU, but it’s worked in so it doesn’t warp the TV storyline.

Pairings: 3x4, 1+2, Kreigan+5, 13x6

Rating: R

Warnings: Violence, possible OOC? lemon, angst. No NCS - you’ll see why I had to point that out. Several OCs but they don’t necessarily play a big part.

Disclaimers: The only characters here that I own are any alter egos, Kazimiriel, Machiavel, Sarrow and Malvad and a few other characters that’ll pop up. Characters I don’t own include: Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Zechs, Treize and any other good ones in fact.

Also, I would like to note that I am not Christian - anybody that wants to know why can pick one of two courses of action, either accept the fact that I’m a Mahayanist or email me and prepare for a very complex credo - and I’d like to add that this is just a story. If anything in it offends anyone, I apologize very sincerely.

Rough Peace - Part 7

Quatre had been waiting for hours to catch Heero alone. The Perfect Soldier had been clinging to Duo like a particularly insistent limpet (and vice versa) ever since they’d finally confessed to being as crazy about each other as they actually were.

As nice as it was to see, it meant that it was near impossible to find one of them on their own to talk. And the question Quatre had to ask was unorthodox, to say the least, and pretty creepy to boot.

“Heero?” Quatre said hesitantly as he sat down on a chair opposite, catching the Japanese boy’s smiling face. “How do you feel about death?”

The smile on Heero’s face vanished and was replaced by a look of severe dread. The angel impulsively wrapped his wings over his arms with apprehension and sank back into his seat. The Perfect Soldier slowly put down his newspaper and looked Quatre straight in the eye, “Are you alright?”

“Ha!” Quatre couldn’t help but laugh cynically. “I’ve been better,” he said lightheartedly. “I just wanted to talk seriously with you for a second. I’ve spoken to Wufei and Trowa about this and I’ve had pretty much the same reaction, but I need your input.”

Heero frowned and eyed the angel uncertainly. “Death? Well… I’m not sure. Since I found out about these other realms, I’ve been having to reassess my beliefs. I always imagined once I was dead, that was it. No second-guessing, no afterlife, just nothingness. I’m not afraid of it, if that’s what you’re wondering… why are you asking me this?”

“Alright,” Quatre began reluctantly, “This is very complicated so don’t interrupt me till I’m finished. Okay?”

Heero nodded and listened intently.

“I’ve been summoned back home- uh, to Niravaana,” he said tentatively. “Something’s gone wrong. I don’t mean something that is like a small family matter or just something to do with me. I mean an absolute disaster that will affect all of the eighth dimension and this world and everyone who has ever lived, died or breathed if it gets out of hand.”

The Japanese boy’s eyes widened and he went to speak. “Quatre, what-”

“Just a second,” Quatre interrupted, holding up a silencing hand. “I was told I should bring a group of people referred to as my celestials who, I’ve finally figured out are Trowa, Wufei, Duo and you. But… the only way human beings can pass into the other realms is by, um, loss of life. I’d effectively have to kill you… it would just be a temporary thing and it would be reversed after you’d helped me but I will understand if you say you don’t want to and I’ll never bring the subject up again.”

Heero sighed confusedly and put his head in his hands. This wasn’t really the kind of request Quatre usually put forward. “Let me first say that I trust you absolutely and with no exception whatsoever. And if I had no one else to take into consideration, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Quatre nodded. “But you have Duo to think of. I haven’t spoken to him yet, I was thinking maybe you could do that. It might be better coming from you.”

“What did Trowa and Wufei say?”

The angel shrugged. “Trowa said yes,” Quatre replied with a smile, “he was very nice about it. Wufei seemed a little surprised but he agreed once I’d explained the details. I don’t like dragging you into this but I can’t fix this by myself. I wish I could but I can’t.”

Heero thought for a moment, the whole concept of being killed by one of his best friends was far-fetched enough but the idea of Quatre killing him was almost beyond belief.

“Let me talk to Duo. I’ll have an answer by the end of the day,” Heero said bluntly and then got up to find his boyfriend and put the suggestion to him.

The five pilots, once again convened around the small living room table at roughly eleven o’clock that night, had finally come to one unanimous decision.

“We’re all going to die,” Duo stated flatly, taking a sip of his lemonade. “But we can still come back again afterwards, right?”

Quatre nodded. “Once I’ve managed to fix this, if it’s even possible, I’ll be able to reverse the effects. Unless… you want to stay dead, but I’m pretty sure you’ll go back home. I can’t thank you enough for this. I don’t think many people would be willing to go this far for friendship.”

“This isn’t friendship, Winner,” Wufei began quietly. “This is something else. I’m not sure what it is exactly but I think we can all agree it’s gone beyond that.”

There was simultaneous nodding and silence around the table before Heero spoke up. “Only one question remains. How do we do this?”

All eyes turned to Quatre who was shifting nervously and flickering his wings. “See, this is where I need help,” he said awkwardly. “We… need to decide on… um…” ‘How do I put this?’ “… method.”

“Whoa… never thought I be asked that,” Duo said, staring with a severely shocked expression at his friend.

Trowa seemed the most composed out of the whole group of them, his love for Quatre was obviously keeping his brain in one piece. “What sort of thing did you have in mind?” he asked, slipping his arm around the angel’s waist.

Quatre shook his head. “Something like cyanide. Something that could be mixed in with water to make it easier. Plus, there’s something else you need to take to bring your bodies with you.”

Duo frowned, “Hang on a second. What was that last bit?”

“I thought that a set of four dead bodies around the house might make any visitors a little suspicious,” the Arabian boy replied seriously. “So I’ve come up with something that’ll allow your bodies to travel the gap between the two dimensions.”

A few worried glances were exchanged around the table as each pilot mulled the implications over in his mind.

“And you say this has only ever been done once before…” Wufei said slowly, twiddling his thumbs. He then remembered Quatre’s opponent and wondered if he’d be paying a visit. “Hmm… where does Kreigan live? Would we end up running into him?”

Quatre caught his eye and understood the question. “Maybe, in fact if Enfero is involved in this, there’s a very big possibility.” He paused for a second before asking probably the most bizarre question of the evening so far, “So… does anybody have any suicide pills?”

Heero got to his feet. “Gimme a second,” he remarked before sauntering casually off to his room, leaving a very stunned and slightly frightened Deathscythe pilot gazing after him.

A few minutes later, the angel had come up with a small drink for them each comprised of a mixture of water, cyanide and various other ingredients that only Quatre seemed to be able to pronounce.

“I sure as hell hope this works,” Heero remarked to his lover once they were alone in their room. “Not that I don’t trust Quatre but… this is just the kind of situation I never thought I’d be in.”

Duo nodded, “Impossible to prepare for. I understand,” he added sympathetically as Heero sat next to him on their bed and quickly kissed him on the cheek. “Is it just me or are you really feeling like this is proverbially ‘it’? You know, the time in life where ya usually go on about how much stuff means to you.”

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly, eyeing the glass on their nightstand with some foreboding.

The Duo put his arms around the Japanese boy and hugged him tightly. “Look, Heero… I know we haven’t said this yet and it’s probably a little early in any ordinary relationship for this, but considering just how long we’ve been wanting to be together I don’t think it’s too out of place.” He paused for a moment as cobalt and violet gazes locked unbreakably. “I love you.”

Heero gulped at the emotional tension he could feel throughout the room. “And I love you,” he whispered, thinking that ‘I love you too’ sounded almost like a mandatory reply. They sat closely and held each other in their arms a while before kissing for as long as they could without breathing.

“God, that feels good!” Duo exclaimed, tightening his grip on Heero as they lay down together on top of the sheets.

Heero smiled and kissed the violet-eyed boy’s forehead before unwillingly grabbing the glass from beside the bed. “I don’t know whether you know this,” he began slowly, “but cyanide may be quick, but it isn’t painless. I’m not patronizing you, I just wanted to warn you first.”

Duo nodded and closed his eyes before taking the drink away from Heero and taking his turn.

“Goodnight Trowa,” Quatre whispered, kissing the gymnast for a final time after a very lengthy conversation. “I’ll be there waiting for you love,” he added and vanished almost instantly before his lover’s eyes.

Trowa sighed and unconsciously clutched at the sheets as he felt the pain from the cyanide stab through him and force his eyes shut.

He felt a strange pulling sensation inside him, almost certainly after the time he should have been dead, and felt wind brush though his hair as if he was been dragged forwards. There was a bright flash of light and he slowly reopened his eyes.

TBC…

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