A New World
As he sat in the room, he took time to observe his surroundings. The room was vile, darkness seeming to be dripping from the bricked walls, causing him to shiver. It was dark in here, the only window, no more than a six inch slit in the wall, already coated with some sort of grime, but the darkness left an echo of loneliness, despite the fact he was not alone. He took a deep breath, holding the air in his lungs for a moment, enjoying the near panicked feeling rising in his chest, before breathing out again, allowing himself relief. It was dull in here. The people around him weren't so much boring (or bored as the case may be), as just as worn out as himself. He knew two of them, fellow ex-Gundam pilots like himself. Well, he presumed they were ex. now, he couldn't imagine that after what happened they would be going back to the machines that meant so much to them. That time might be long gone..... Of course there were two other people in this cell too. Well..... he presumed people.... although with all he had seen in the past few days... he could now believe anything.
"Duo!" A voice interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up to see Quatre staring at him. "It's ok." he smiled "We'll pull through this." Duo's violet eyes sparkled for a moment, Quatre’s optimism always rubbing off on him.
"I know. I know." Duo smiled. The two lost eye contact as a stirring from a different corner of the room caught both their eyes.
"I think he's waking up now." Two cold blue eyes fluttered open, and dark black hair was pulled from a boys face by the ever-concerned Quatre. "Are you ok?" he asked.
"Wh-where am I?" the boy said, his normally smooth voice faltering in his confusion. "I don't understand, I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere. I-"
"Shhhh" Quatre pushed a finger to his lip. "Please don't panic. We are all as confused as you are."
"We?" The boy asked, realisation of his situation dawning on him. "You mean I am not alone?"
"Not just yet." Quatre smiled again. "I'm Quatre."
"Juunanagou."
Duo watched with interest. Quatre had a way with people.. he always had, Trowa was always saying... Trowa had always said that, and it was now Duo could see it. But then again, something about this boy was in-human. His body was definitely that of a human, in fact all of his appearance, even his manner was human like... but there was something about his eyes. In some ways they were very like Quatre's, a shade of blue that seemed as ornate as water, but whilst Quatre's would sparkle with life, deep enough to be an ocean full of delicate beauty, this boys seemed cold enough to be ice, frozen water, the same fragile beauty existing, but frozen into place, perhaps uncaring to everything, even himself.... yet somehow the panic seemed to make these icy eyes more human like, more full of emotion, more.... real.
"So what did happen to you?" Quatre asked.
"The annihilation... it was.... indescribable.. just... all the people that died...."
"Your friends?" Quatre asked. Juunanagou shook his head
"My friend, more specifically my sister.. she was the only person that cared for me... well... the only person I cared for.." Juunanagou stopped talking momentarily to think about his sister. He had remembered when he had came back to life, his first thought being to go after her but when he saw her with that short, slightly idiotic man they had met in his first days of reactivation, he knew she wouldn't want to follow through with their plans. At first she had visited him in his home in the forest.. but gradually.. as the years passed.. the visits became less frequent.. until finally they ceased. Juuhachigou had maybe forgotten about him.. maybe just denied his existence, but he still waited. The first year alone was the hardest, it hurt the most, the disbelief burning his heart... the next few years got easier, the pain still existing, but becoming more of a way of life. He thought he hated his sister.... but somehow when the sky had turned a deep blood red on New Years day, thousands of candles seeming to fill the worlds growing darkness, growing emptiness, his first thought was her. He had flown through the sky.... searching for her, not finding her, not sensing her ki, not believing it to be true, believing her just to be hiding it... until he found her lying on the ground.. a small child in her arms. Her husband could be seen, still inside the house.. slaughtered.. but the girl.. she was obviously his. He knew his sister was dead immediately, but somehow the child he just couldn't believe.. he had picked her up and cradled her in his arms. She was still warm in his hands.. he couldn't believe her to be dead, it refused to register in his mind.... she was his niece... she was part of him... he could of had a child.... it had been possible.. and he hadn't known. And as he cradled her body, it finally dawned on him...... it was just so wrong. That day, Juunanagou had shed the only tear he had ever shed in his life, for the realisation of death had suddenly entered his mind... he realised what he had done... and he realised what he could have done... he finally felt pain. "Why didn't they take me...?" he asked Quatre. The blonde teen shook his head.
"You mean the demons?"
"You saw them too?"
"Yes, I believe they are to blame for the apocalypse sweeping through the world..." Juunanagou interrupted him.
"Sweeping through the worlds... We are obviously not the same.. our worlds are different, but did you suffer the same fate as I?"
"The demons letting you witness the destruction... before grasping you in their claws and throwing you in here..." Duo looked up.
"Exactly the same." Juunanagou nodded. The three boys knew that there was time in between the destruction and their arrival here, but somehow it seemed to merge into an unclear mix of painful flashbacks and distant twinges in the back of their minds. And so they sat still, wondering what was to become of them.
Time passed as the three sat in silence. Maybe minutes, maybe hours... it was hard to tell in the never changing darkness. Eventually Juunanagou broke the silence, with a question.
"Are we the only three here?" Duo shook his head.
"There are those two over there." The braided boy pointed to two still unconscious figures, one laying on the floor, the over slumped slightly in a corner.
"Who are they?" Quatre looked up from his thoughts here.
"I didn't think to check." The three walked to the other side of the room, first going to the man in the corner.
"Well I don't know him." Duo stated, Quatre agreeing with him.
"I do." Juunanagou smiled v. slightly. "He is from my world. He was an opponent of mine a while back... we haven't really seen each other for a while though."
"Well who is he?"
"He is Prince of a near extinct race, the Saiyans. His name is Vegeta. He will be.... strange.. company."
"And what about him." The three again walked over to the still figure, laying serenely on the floor.
"Hey! It's Wu-chan!" Duo exclaimed brightly, before regaining his previous serious expression up he realised that everyone else was... gone. The Chinese boy stirred slightly, his eyelashes fluttering before eventually opening, revealing his two dark eyes.
"Duo? Quatre? You're alive?" Juunanagou turned away, not sure of his belonging in this reunion, only to come face to face with Vegeta, who had awoken and risen from his unconscious state. Juunanagou stood in silence, staring into the face of the proud and mighty Saiyan prince. His eyes seemed different from the last time they had met... all anger subsided for a moment as he tried to comprehend what Juunanagou had already attempted to.
"Finally, you are all awake." Came a voice. The five turned around, and standing before them was a strange creature. It was almost human like in shape, but blue, nearing green scales covered its body. Leathery skinned wings, similar to that of a dragon seemed to have grown from it's shoulders, and dark blue hair sprouted from it's head, falling down it's shoulders, matted with dirt and blood.
"You are going to be freed soon, into your new world. The world has finally caught itself out, our perversion of desires has caught up with us, we knew the future, we tried to stop it but, what can we say, sometimes evil is better than good, or, more specifically faster." The creature grinned, revealing sharp fangs, pieces of meet visible between each molar. "Well, to cut a long story short we thought you each deserved a second chance in this new world, so, well, what the hell, we thought we'd pull a few strings in the upper world, pull a few people through, see what they could do." Each person paused as thought went through their minds.
Juunanagou: Pure evil you may have been, but your chance as a true human was never allowed. You were never who you had wanted to be, just a play thing, an experiment. And when your chance came. you were pushed away by the only thing you loved, the only person you cared for. Your chance had been stolen.
Quatre: You had fought so long for pacifism, only to be taught that violence was the way to solve it. You were forced into a world you didn't belong, you deserve your second chance to be as you wish.
Duo & Wufei: Even at a young age, you two were born to be only what other people wished you to be. You were both thought to be evil by many people around the world, when all you had ever wanted to fight for was good.
Vegeta: You are pure evil, and you do not regret anything you have done, but at the same time, you were made a monster, and corrupted by the world, a world which threw you away, not giving you what you had been born into. You were created for someone else, just like everyone in this room, and you are all being given another chance. A chance to make yourself a new.
The blue demon creature laughed at their expressions.
"You look like you have just come from a funeral. Why are you so sad? Is it the deaths of all your friends family and what not. Oh relax, they are still existent somewhere... there is just a good chance you won't find them for a while." the demon cackled. "Well good luck and all, and remember, the meaning of life can't be given to you on a platter so, you know, just try to play a long." The demon disappeared, leaving in its path confusion and anger. But the five figures had not long to think about all that was occurring around them, for within moments, they found themselves in a new location. For a moment everyone was taken aback, as the destruction around them, the smell and taste of corruption thick in the air, causing everyone pain. Soon, they got used to it though, and were able to look at each other through un-jaded eyes. Nobody knew what to do, there purpose not told, there world unknown, even themselves was becoming quite difficult to define. Duo soon spoke up, forever the talkative human he was, always able to come up with a phrase of great intelligence, or a statement of the obvious.
"So now what?"
New Company
The five males walked calmly through the forest, having finally found themselves used to it’s black leaves, the colour, although natural, making them look as though they had been charred in some battle long gone. Quatre was holding onto Duo’s arm, Juunanagou walking next to them, getting many glances from the ever caring Quatre, reassuring himself that his new friend was alright. Behind them trod the silent Wufei and Vegeta, both seeming deep in thought.
"You know what!" Duo said brightly "that bat-human-thing said that the others may still exist! So maybe I can still find Heero, and you can find Trowa.. Hell maybe we can find them all, even the companions of yours and that stranger back there!" Duo directed his last sentence towards the android, who glanced up from his steady gaze on the ground.
"You mean…. We might be able to find our friends.. our worlds again?" Duo nodded. Quatre was smiling now, most likely thinking of his lost companion Trowa, his closest friend, his soul mate. Vegeta spoke for the first time.
"Don’t mind me for ruining the mood - but how exactly do we plan to do that?" Wufei glanced sideways at the brooding prince, but Juunanagou spoke up before he could.
"Well…. You can sense ki. Why not find some form of life, I think that would be a good way to start." Vegeta paused.
"Well….. there seems to be some sort of life in that direction." He pointed ahead of them.
"Well fine. Lets go." Juunanagou grinned, as the group set off on a journey.
An hour later, the group found themselves outside a small hut. Ear piercing screams were heard from inside, causing everyone, even the bravest of warriors, in the group to pause. Vegeta raised a palm, and shot a small ki blast, disintegrating the door, revealing a horrific sight. A girl, blood running down her face, her arms, her chest, her thighs, was laying on the ground, seemingly knocked out. Standing next to her, some twisted creature, perhaps once human, but now just a fraction of it’s past showing. It’s skin was wrinkled, yet shining with visible grease, or perhaps this illusion was created by the saliva dripping from it’s mouth, covering it’s yellowish skin, the black, bruise like markings all over its body shining in the light. Two others of its kind were with it. The first one grunted.
"Well… I’ll have her first. She can’t move with the stuff we put in her, she won’t put up much of a struggle." He snorted, as he dropped to his knees, crawling over to her. He grabbed both her knees, pulling her legs apart roughly. She struggled slightly, seeming drowsy in her movements.
"No.." she whispered, barely audible above their noises. The creature ignored her, as it seemed to drool more in anticipation, the other ones pushing around next to it, awaiting their turn. Vegeta stormed forward, pulling one of the other creatures back, and punching it in the face, sending it reeling backwards. The other turned round, only to came face to face with Juunanagou’s palm, an artificial ki blast already being created. The first one ignored the commotion behind it, concentrating only on the task at hand. That is until he found Wufei’s sword at his throat, pulling him upwards.
"You disgust me. You are weak in your actions, raping a creature, the lowest form of attack, who you have already drugged. I hope you rot in hell." The creature laughed.
"Boy, you must be new around here, or else you would know that this is hell." Wufei narrowed his eyes, and with a flick of his wrist impaled the creature through it’s chest. It gasped slightly, a greenish substance, presumably it’s blood, leaking from the wound. He pulled his sword out, standing in a fighting stance for a moment, before the creature dropped to the ground. Now assured the fight was over, he stood upright, and wiped his sword clean against the material of his already dirtied clothing. Vegeta and Juunanagou had long disposed of the other two creatures, the only clue of their existence now being a pile of dust, mingling with dirt on the ground. The girl seemed to have awoken during this short duel, and was now sitting in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest, her eyes wide. Duo walked towards her.
"Hey, it’s ok now lady." She growled slightly, but only Vegeta seemed to notice this, his acute saiyan hearing working fine.
"Stay away from me…" she whispered again, still only audible to Vegeta, who considered warning the braided boy, but eventually decided against it, interested to see the outcome of this.
"Everything’s fine now.." he soothed as he walked towards her. Finally she snapped, her eyes narrowing. She leapt up, her foot landing against Duo’s chin, knocking him to the ground. Before the boy had time to react, she had grabbed the scythe like weapon that hung around her back and pinned him to the floor, it’s blade against his throat.
"I am not weak! I don’t need protection! I have survived long enough without needing a rescue squad!!" She yelled, causing Duo to wince.
"I’m sorry! Just let me go!!" he yelled back. She jumped up, allowing him to breathe. After shaking herself off, removing dust from her clothing, she seemingly danced up to the saiyan and the android, kissing them both on the cheek.
"This is to thank you for helping me though!" she turned to Wufei. "And to thank you especially -" she was cut short as the Chinese boy simply raised his hand towards her.
"I don’t need your gratitude." He turned away. She scratched her head. Vegeta and Juunanagou exchanged confused glances, Vegeta very taken back by this outburst of friendliness and Juunanagou just confused.
"So… where are you guys going?" she chirped, everyone else looking slightly scared by this sudden change of personality.
"Well… umm.. we are not quite sure ourselves.." Quatre sighed. She let out a large grin.
"Me neither! Mind if I tag along??" Quatre smiled warmly.
"Of course not! Maybe you can even help us find a way around this place." She grinned.
"Hey I’m happy to help…." Vegeta stormed over to the girl, insisting upon examining her weapon, whilst Duo happily talked with her and Quatre. Only Juunanagou seemed to notice Wufei slowly creeping out the door. He shot a glance back at the small group before deciding to follow the Chinese boy, finding himself very curious about the boy. Something about his eyes….. he shook his head and ran out the now demolished door.
"Hey -wait up!" he yelled, chasing after Wufei, who was now running, trying to get as far away from this place as possible. Growling at being ignored, Juunanagou flew into the air, landing in-front of Wufei, preventing him from moving forward anymore.
"What’s wrong…?" he asked, only to gasp as the boy looked up, a tear running down his face.
"She looked like Meiran…" he sighed.
Duo suddenly looked up.
"Hey, where’s that black haired guy - and Wufei?"