by Arithkenshin
Disclaimer: Stop rubbing it in, I don't own them, just playing.
Notes: *glomps* to my muse in absence, CYT. Huge hugs and medals to Sol for betaing for me. yet again. And hugs to Casey because.
Zechs frowned slightly. "A service?"
Gabriel bristled at what he perceived to be a lack of respect. Although he didn't like to admit it, they needed this service from the Prince. "Yes, a service. To be exact, we need power."
At the blank look on Zechs's face, Gabriel had to push down a growl of annoyance. He knew he should have sent someone else to take care of this. Humans annoyed him no end with their limited perceptions.
"We did not realise that we . neglected our duties. In short. it seems that the temples are not being frequented as much as they once were. We need you to remedy this."
"Remedy it? Force people to believe?"
Gabriel looked genuinely surprised. "Force them to believe? Why would you need to do that? We're tangible, we're here."
Zechs had to bite his tongue so as not to infringe upon the respect that was due an Archangel. "It has been a . long time. since the people have seen any of you as a whole, my Lord."
The gold glow brightened momentarily and something stirred inside Zechs that had nothing to do with fear. It was almost as if he felt joy at having annoyed Gabriel. He was trying so hard to figure out the sensation that he almost missed what the gold angel was saying.
"We have many things to take care of, and cannot be expected to give weak beings something to which they can cling." It seemed that Gabriel was oblivious to the arrogant tone of his voice.
Zechs only managed to stop his eyes from narrowing and contempt from creasing his face through a great effort. "And I am supposed to fix this. how?" He was proud of the fact that his voice didn't contain an element of the scorn he was feeling.
An astonished expression passed briefly over Gabriel's face, before it hardened, his eyes flashing. "You are the figurehead of this race. It is within your power.and indeed. your jurisdiction, to see that this service is provided."
Zechs bowed briefly, concealing the rebellion in his eyes. "I will do my best, Lord Gabriel."
The tone that Gabriel voiced was no longer tolerant. "You will do your best, trust me on that. We made your bloodline what it is, we can take it away."
Clenched fists at his side, Zechs felt the flow of wind as the Angel left the room. He raised his face, anger written all over it and spoke softly to the empty room. "Responsibility shouldn't be given to egoists."
There was silence as they broke away from the kiss. Wufei's face was flushed, his eyes downcast. Trowa looked down into the onyx eyes, concern creasing his face briefly.
"Wufei? Are you . okay?"
A confused sigh escaped Chinese man. "I am.not completely comfortable with . this."
Trowa straightened, eyes shutting down on his emotions, letting nothing show over his face. He crossed his arms. "Do elaborate." The green-eyed fallen refused to let things faze him. He didn't have time for that.
Wufei's eyes narrowed a little in what appeared to be frustration. "I.we.damn this! I find it very difficult to reconcile sharing what is mine!" His eyes flashed.
Wind snaked out of the way, leaning himself up against the wall and eyeing the other man curiously. "If you stopped thinking about it in that way. you would realise you're being egotistical."
Barely restrained anger blanketed the room as the black haired man shot up in his bed and glared at Trowa. A vice like gripped surrounded him, cutting off the glow of power around him, leaving the Chinese man glowering.
Trowa tied off his net of containment and directed a level gaze at who should have been his balance. "Will you stop it! You're acting like a spoilt. human!" Trowa was at a loss; he had never seen Arioch like that. Never seen his soul mate act so damn juvenile.
"I am human." The retort was bitten and angry.
A shimmer surrounded Trowa as he let his frustration momentarily show. A faint green light wrapped around him, coating him. Hair flowed until it seemed it was just wisps of cloud. Eyes broiled, their green depths turning to a rapid swirl of blood. Wind blew through the room, ruffling the clothes on his body and the hair on Wufei's head.
Onyx eyes opened wide as Wufei watched Trowa stand and lean close to him.
Taking Wufei's chin in his hand, Trowa forced the other man to look at him, to look at him properly. His words were clipped, almost cruel as he spoke. They held a deep-seated, barely recognisable tone that was still definitely there. His words were disdainful.
"You are no more human than I am."
Trowa turned and left the room.
Duo pushed his hair out of his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face. He looked over at his lover who was lying next to him, just watching. The waterfall was lending a gentle music and the shadows were just short of purring.
There were times like that, where Quatre couldn't get over how beautiful his lover was. But it was getting late and Quatre knew there were still things that they needed to be doing.
"Duo, we need to finish his room."
The chestnut haired man sighed. "No, we don't. I finished it. it just needed time to. steep." A grin spread across Duo's face. "It should be ready about now."
Quatre raised an eyebrow. "You're taking this a lot calmer than I thought you would."
Duo shrugged. "Don't really have a choice now, do I? He needs to be kept away from me while we figure this out."
"Blight is yours, Duo." Quatre's voice held a faint note of concern as he watched his soul mate shrug once again.
"Yes, it is. And it isn't likely to forget it. I'll need you to keep an eye on him Quatre, I can't trust Treize to be. impartial at the moment. If Heero goes into the gardens.go with him. Blight probably won't be reacting favourably to him at the moment."
Quatre scowled, not at all pleased that he had to baby-sit a slumbering Agares. "Blight's probably just restless. let her have some fun."
Duo raised an eyebrow at his lover and crawled over to him, a voracious grin on his face. He pulled himself up to rub against Quatre, leaning to murmur in his ear. "I thought you'd be more. manageable afterwards." He managed to flick out his tongue once to catch Quatre on the ear, before the golden haired man pushed Duo off and stood, glaring down at him.
Quatre scowled briefly before schooling his face into a more controlled expression. "You're incorrigible, Duo. And just where are you going to be whilst I am entertaining our guest."
Duo was lying on the ground and laughing. his shadows bouncing happily around him. "I'm going to have to make a sacrifice and stay put in this room." The laughter started spilling fully from his throat.
Quatre growled deep in his throat, which only seemed to send his lover into more convulsions of laughter. An exasperated click of his mouth, and Quatre just walked away from Duo. The blond wasn't in the mood for the shadows and pushed them out of the way with an impatient wave of his hand. It was getting late, and he had better things to take care of than to listen to Duo trying to get a rise out of him.
He headed down the halls, passing through the strangely deserted foyer and entering the lounge room. His eyes fell on Treize, who was sitting on the other side of the room, just watching the sleeping figure on the lounge. There was a look of consternation on the other man's face.
"What is it, Mal'akh?" Quatre's patience wasn't feeling the best at that point in time.
Soft blue eyes darted over to where Quatre stood. "I feel. strange."
Quatre frowned. "How strange?"
"Ever since it. since we. since it happened. I feel like I've been boiling inside. As if the blood in my veins is cooking. I feel hot and it's. strange."
The blond frowned. "Hot?"
Treize's face past through a myriad of emotions before finally settling on annoyed. "Yes, hot. Like my nerves have been infused with molten lava and are trying to break out of my skin."
Quatre's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he realised what had very likely happened. The scenarios running through his mind displeased him. He sighed, resigned, and made his way across the room to where Treize was standing. There was one sure way for him to tell exactly what it was.
The blond placed his left hand, flat, against Treize's chest. Power surged into the chestnut haired man, slamming him into the wall, but Quatre's hold never failed. Golden energy poured into Mal'akh's body, suffusing itself with the man and mapping out his life force.
Quatre sighed at what he found. It was what he had expected and yet hoped that he would not find. "Nicely done, Treize." There was barely concealed anger in Quatre's voice.
"If you'd tell me what I've done so nicely, maybe I could regret it or swear to make amends." Treize's tone was heavily sarcastic.
Turquoise eyes flashed a brief red, the anger quenched as soon as it had risen. "Tell me, Mal'akh. Was Heero one of your.temple members?"
"Of course he was, it wasn't like I sought him out myself. It's how I got to know him. I need to feed, Quatre. willing victims are simply the best."
"We all need to feed, Mal'akh. You should have realised he had more of a power well than other human beings." Quatre's voice was clipped.
Treize threw back his head and laughed. "Of course he did. He's a wielder, Quatre."
Quatre's breath hissed sharply at that piece of news. "You. took the chance with a wielder? Are you insane." He held up a hand. "No, I now know you're insane, consider that rhetorical. Were you /trying/ to give our position away?" His power flared briefly, along with his anger.
"I was not trying to give anything away Quatre. Do not speak to me as if I am a child. Had one of you deigned to inform me that earth was also loose in this vicinity I would have made the connection or at least been looking for one. I don't have your all-encompassing powers. Speaking of which, shouldn't you have been able to foresee something, oh Lord of Time?" Treize's words were heavy with derision.
Quatre's power flared brightly. "You forget yourself, demon!"
Trowa practically floated into the room, the residue of Quatre's power like a drug for his system. His green eyes took in the whole situation; from the standoff going on between the two men on their feet and the light thrashing of the comatose man on the lounge.
"Enough!" His voice was quiet but forceful, and could no be ignored.
Two sets of eyes flashed in his direction and Trowa glared steadily back, his eyes revealing no emotion. His voice was soft when he spoke. "If you insist on it, I am up for policing a staring match. I have nothing better to do. Of course the logical conclusion for two civilised beings such as yourselves to reach, would be to dampen your energies and speak to each other without letting emotion cloud your choice of words."
As the powers receded and the atmosphere in the room quieted, Heero stopped thrashing on the lounge, his breathing evening out. Trowa relaxed.
"Now, that wasn't so hard was it?"
Quatre glowered a little, before shaking himself out of his bad mood. Gesturing over his shoulder as he turned around he spoke impatiently. "This imbecile took up with Heero, knowing he was a wielder."
The only reaction Trowa exhibited was raising an eyebrow before turning to look at Treize. "Well, that was a little stupid, wasn't it Mal'akh."
Treize bristled, not liking the fact that they were right. "He looks a little different this time. His name has a slight pronunciation difference, too. And considering he isn't yet woken, his powers aren't yet at the forefront. It was an entirely reasonable mistake to make."
Quatre mumbled under his breath, just loud enough to hear. "Yeah. reasonable for a moron."
Treize was about to retort, but the angry reply died on his lips when a voice spoke from the doorway.
The tone of the voice was bored and drawn out. "Well really. I think that's enough fun for now boys. Maybe we need to engage a referee." Duo, pushed away from the doorframe, wings trailing behind him, chest bare and the pants he wore clinging to his hips in an almost falling off. The shadows hugging his slender frame didn't help the imagination at all.
Duo's eyes lingered on the figure on the lounge. He frowned. "He needs to be in his room." With a wave of his hand, Heero disappeared and Duo turned back to the other occupants of the room, noting a definite absence.
"Fire?"
Trowa's was suddenly very busily studying his fingernails. "Upstairs."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that is rich. I'll milk you for that information later." He grinned widely before continuing. "Ok, so Heero's reincarnation didn't follow. procedure, for want of a better word." His lips turned into a frown before he carried on. "So it goes to figure that Milliardo's did exactly the same thing."
Quatre was still put out, and everyone could easily hear his derisive murmuring. "Oh for the wonders of your deductive reasoning."
Duo shot his lover an aggravated look before continuing. "Waking earth without water is going to be a bitch. I'll need time from you, Quatre, I can't work as well with water as I can with the other elements."
The blond angel just nodded.
Violet eyes panned around the room, taking in the other occupants. "Snap out of it. We need to be working together instead of trying to think of ways to rile and piss each other off. Get over your petty hang-ups, because that's all they truly are. We have a shit-load of work in front of us if we're going to do this right. I need Heero kept away from me, and then woken when the time has come. With him awake. we might just find Water."
Duo turned and left. His pet shadows, trailing in his wake, somehow managed to glare at each occupant before the door closed.
Quatre seethed. His temper was hard to control these days and he could feel himself fraying, not able to put a finger on the actual reason. He turned to the door and spoke in parting over his shoulder. "I'm going for a walk."
He closed the door with a slam.
Wufei sat on the bed and stared at his hands. He could hear the cynical laughter echoing in his head. The laughter was not his own. Or was it?
He actually felt confused. It was as if he was two beings one second and one whole one the next. His world of possibilities had gotten so much larger and he was finding it difficult to deal with. If someone had told him weeks ago that he was the host for a supernatural being and should be merging with that immortal. he would have laughed at them and called them insane.
Now he was doubting his own sanity.
It started as a slow rumble that made him clutch at his head. The laugh was cruel, tormenting and at the same time . comfortable. The voice rang through his head like a thousand bells clashing at once; the discord made him cry out.
"Come now, give in."
Wufei's voice was a choked whisper. "No."
"We've been over this Wufei.I've shown you how much easier this could be on you."
The defiance was weaker this time, but still there, still holding on to the last streams of what Wufei considered his Self. "No." He didn't want to lose his identity. There were so many memories attached to them. If he lost it, wouldn't they be lost as well? Wouldn't that be of dishonour to his family and to his life? He repeated his words more adamantly. "No."
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times Wufei, you will not fade into oblivion. We will simply meld, become one. How hard can that be to understand?"
Wufei's voice was bitter and scathing when he spoke, hands still clutched tightly in his hair. "Have you ever been possessed?" He spat the last word out as if it burned him to even contemplate. "Have you ever had someone demand that you give up what is yours. and share?"
There was no response in his head, and for a moment Wufei thought he had gotten rid of the annoying presence that was giving him headaches.
When the answer came, it was anything but what Wufei expected.
It was a sigh, as if carried on a breeze. The wistfulness was palpable and made the hair on Wufei's body stand on end. Sorrow blanketed the room tangibly, and tears sprung unbidden to the black haired man's eyes.
I have been through more pain and lost so much more than you can possibly imagine. I have had loved ones torn from my arms as I found them. I have had civilisations annihilated because of their association to me. I have seen more blood and carnage, more loss and more pain than you could possibly conceive of."
Arioch's voice paused for a second before he spoke again.
"If you'd merged with me, you would understand so much more. You would see what it is that we have been through; you would see what it is that we truly are. You would realise that evil is not necessarily so. and you would realise that what I am asking of you is not a sacrifice but a sharing."
Then the voice was gone and Wufei shivered, tears forgotten as they rolled down his cheeks.
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