by Arithkenshin
Disclaimer: Stop rubbing it in, I don't own them, just playing.
Notes: Thanks to Sol for conducting a rather painful beta. *glomps* to the War Room
Relena was scowling and Raphael couldn't think of a way to stop her. In fact, he was too busy trying to think of a way to stop his brother from losing his temper. Raphael threw his hands up in the air in exasperation as Relena started up again.
"I want to know what is going on, and I want to know now." Her voice was steady, calm and extremely irritated. "Or Gods give me strength, you'll regret it."
Uriel smirked. "You won't be getting any strength from those quarters. You'll have to find it yourself."
Raphael groaned at the comment. Moments later his eyes widened as he felt a shudder run through the Citadel. His eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother, sharing silent communication. Michael is being careless. Even shielded words of power could cause unrest in the astral planes. Raphael was dragged back to the present by Relena's voice.
"Stop trying to change the subject, Uriel. Talk to me. I need to know this."
With a flick of his hair, the dark Archangel spoke irritably, though Raphael could tell his brother's heart wasn't in his voice. "I saved you from certain death. I can deliver you back there, if need be. You need to know what I say you need to know."
It was the wrong thing to say to Relena and the Wind Archangel knew it. He could see the girl's stubbornly set jaw, and knew that the rest of the conversation was going to go even further down hill.
"You arrogant, pomp---"
But Raphael was not going to let her get further than that. He clapped his hands. The sound, aided by the air, was almost deafening in the room. "Enough, children." He grinned insolently.
Uriel's eyes narrowed. "Enough yourself, Raphael. I'm not in the mood today."
"You're never in the mood." Raphael's voice was petulant, but he still managed to smile. He turned to watch Relena's reaction, but it was as if all the wind had gone out of her sails. She looked forlorn and lost, and completely and utterly overwhelmed. When she spoke, her voice had a break in it, as if she was trying to shake the apprehension she felt.
"Please, just tell me who I am."
Raphael saw Uriel's face soften, saw his brother open his mouth to speak, when suddenly it felt as though the world had dropped out from under them. He fought to maintain concentration as his awareness was pulled into a whirling storm. Raphael could see that his brother was going through the same thing.
Relena stood, burning with curiosity and Rapael couldn't believe how much he wished he were human right then. All of a sudden the pain cut off, and he was simply left out of breath. Uriel was panting as well, his face paler than normal.
"Are you. all right?" Relena sounded unsure of herself, and even concerned.
A smile spread over Raphael's face as he was about to make light of the situation. He couldn't help thinking that it was really a pity that the ground began to quake beneath them. He'd had such a witty comeback.
Another shudder passed through the planes. Quatre gripped the doorway as the movement passed through him, his link to the aethyr always present. He frowned. Something was not right. Those quakes felt like they were being buffeted, and should have been a lot stronger. He made his way through the house, towards Duo's presence, needing to talk to his lover, sensing that something was very wrong, or at least, about to go very wrong.
Quatre pushed open the door to the tower room, not surprised to see Treize there, having sensed the demon's presence. "Duo, we need to scry.together." Blue-green eyes swept the room, taking in the calculated stare of his lover. "What is it?"
Duo smiled and stood up, stretching. "Mal'akh here had a brilliant idea. Something we should have already thought of, actually. One of our sources of power is our followers. If we can take their followers from them. we have more strength to draw upon." Duo shrugged at Quatre's smile. "It's simple, really. So simple."
Quatre just nodded and smiled at Treize. Blue-green eyes failed to hide the rapidly swirling thoughts going through his head as Quatre's aura shimmered around him. The blond was pulled out of his deliberations when Duo's hand took his own. Quatre blinked and looked into violet eyes, the irritation in them obvious.
"Quatre.why are your hands cut?" Duo's tone was unimpressed.
As he pulled his hand back, Quatre exerted a sliver of his power, closing the wounds over. "Really, Duo. It's no big deal." He took a breath before continuing. "So when do we start this plan?"
Treize looked between the two, not needing to be psychic to feel the tension. "I'll begin right away. The sooner I get this started, the sooner the world can inherit its true rulers." The smile on the demon's face was warm, but the ice in his eyes boded ill for anyone getting in his way. "I will take my leave of you then, and will report back shortly."
Quatre blinked as the demon disappeared from the room. He didn't realise he was muttering under his breath. "I'll never get used to him being able to do that."
"Don't try and change the subject. Why were."
But the words never fully left Duo's mouth. A swell, like a tidal wave in the astral world, swept through the planes. It was agony, despair and fury all rolled into one. It engulfed Blight. Quatre's head felt like it was going to explode and he clutched his chest as the pain ripped through him. Distantly he noted Duo was affected as badly. The anguish was palpable and tried to shred his barriers, but Quatre clung to them with fierce determination. If he lost them in this storm, there was no telling how long it would take for him to find reality again.
And then, as suddenly as it had come, the wave disappeared, leaving behind an empty despairing ache.
Quatre was panting, and he looked up to see Duo doing the same. The longhaired Fallen had a look of extreme concentration on his face as he searched for the cause of the commotion. His voice was almost breathless when he spoke. "What the hell was that?"
"I don't."
Quatre didn't get any further, as the ground beneath Blight began to shake.
Duo reacted instantaneously and his eyes narrowed as he let himself become accustomed to the quaking ground. Once he was sure that his legs would hold him, he moved. With a lithe grace he made his way towards the source of the commotion. Shadows danced around him, feeding off his anger, off his discontent. They buffeted him when the quakes increased in intensity, complimenting him, completing him.
Violet eyes swept the foyer on his way through, taking note of Wufei and Trowa's approaching presences, and the fact that Quatre was just behind him. Without missing a stride he ascended the stairs barely needing to do the work himself as his shadows sensed his urgency and carried him to the top.
He knew what he was going to see without actually observing it. It didn't mean he wanted to believe what he knew to be true. If he believed it, it would mean that everything had just become that much more complicated. Duo didn't like that thought.
A silent command to the shadows sent a dozen of them spiralling ahead to wrench open the doors to the room Duo needed. As he entered the door Duo stopped short, almost causing Quatre and the others to run into him.
On the bed in the middle of the room lay a thrashing figure. Heero's face was a twisted mask of emotions. It was so unlike the staid Fallen to be so expressive, whether he was asleep or not, that Duo's frowned deepened. His foresight had failed him, because he had no idea what was going on.
The four Fallen looked on as their fifth writhed through stages of aguish, anger and frustration, all the while Blight shook with the force of unconscious powers. It began as a deep, guttural murmur. The sound seemed to emanate from the core of the earth, but when Duo looked closer he could see the tremors wracking Heero's frame. He couldn't tear his eyes away, but had to watch in rapt fascination.
Heero's eyes flew open to stare vacantly at the ceiling. The murmur grew to a roar as his body started to glow. Raw power shot from his eyes, ripping through the astral plane and into the realm of reality. The sound was deafening to normal ears.
Duo knew shielding the Earth Fallen would be of little use now. It seemed Quatre was of the same opinion.
The blonde's brow furrowed as he worked through all the possibilities in his head. "Shielding is useless, they already know we're here. Can you wake him, Duo?" Quatre had to raise his voice, to be heard over the noise.
Duo knew he needed to act fast, but he was pissed off. Although he couldn't think of anything else that could go wrong, he was pretty certain it was going to happen anyway. Not quite able to keep the anger out of his voice, it was harsh when he spoke. "It's too soon, and too risky."
Quatre raised an eyebrow and Duo sighed irritably. Violet eyes only watched the convulsing figure on the bed for another moment before reaching his decision. His voice carried, frustration and resignation mingling with the raw power vibrating through the room.
"But it's not like we have a choice."
Heero was trapped. His mind was screaming, wanting to get out, wanting him to run. No matter what he did, there was no escape. He'd been seeing the landslide that killed his family. It looped, forcing him to see it over and over again. It still had no more effect than it had the first time he'd experienced it, those years ago. Heero'd always been the black sheep of the family and although he felt a sense of loss, it wasn't debilitating.
His awareness felt a tug, something familiar, something calling to him. He drifted, trying to find it. All thoughts of his past were forgotten, only concerned with the now, with finding out where that familiar sensation was coming from.
Heero was confused and he didn't like feeling confused. It swept through him, destroying any logic and turning his feelings upside down, until he felt lost and alone.
Alone? That was how the feeling made him feel. It gave him a sense of familiarity that he couldn't place, yet somehow yearned for. This was unfamiliar territory for him, and it felt overwhelming. He preferred to have everything logical and ordered and let himself act only once instinct overcame him.
And those same instincts were telling him to listen. They weren't just telling him: they were pleading with him. They wanted him to hear what was calling him. So he listened, and he listened hard.
It was like a whisper on a breeze; a denial filled with pain, anguish and dashed hope. Heero shuddered as the feeling invaded him, trying to fuse itself with an urgency born of desperation.
Help me.remember me
The first clear thoughts Heero could hear caused a backlash in his mind that caused him to cry out, and loosen his control. He reached out, with powers he didn't know he possessed, and searched.
Heero wasn't aware of anything outside of his own awareness, so intent was he on finding the achingly familiar source of the anguish trying to swallow him. He soared through the aethyr, seeking relentlessly. As he drew closer he had to wrap his shield tighter, lest he be pulled under as the waves washed over him.
He felt it before he saw it. A black gaping hole rested in the middle of the otherwise midnight blue expanse. On closer inspection it wasn't a black hole, but a soul that was being torn to shreds. Conflicting realities in the one soul battled against each other as well as an outside force that was attacking it. And that battered soul was what felt so achingly familiar to him.
Something inside him clicked. He didn't know how he knew, but the soul's being was someone he knew very well; someone he knew and respected.intimately. Sheer determination empowered him and he reached in, exerting his powers to throw the intruder away from the attack.
The collision of wills exploded, sending searing pain looping back through his mind, and blackness swallowed him.
The illusion vanished as Michael was hurtled furiously across the room, cracking a pillar as he slammed up against it. Zechs raised bewildered eyes to scan the room, gripping his sanity as tightly as he could. It was slipping and he could feel it. There was something inside him that he didn't recognise, that he couldn't reconcile. It was feeding him. It had found something to help free Zechs from the horrific memory he was experiencing. His eyes tried to focus on Michael's crumpled form and he idly wondered what it was that could knock an Archangel unconscious.
The door burst open and Zechs's eyes moved slowly to see the intruders. It didn't surprise him to see two more Archangels. But his hazy mind wouldn't give him the information and supply him with the identities of the black haired one, nor the green eyed one. So he watched silently, with slight disinterest as the scene unfolded before him. He didn't even notice the shocked clear blue eyes watching him from the doorway.
Raphael's face was serious as he took in the scene before him. His awareness was screaming at him as he scoured the astral planes. Eyes narrowed at the faint trail he could see leading away from the collision, but it was wiped before he could trace it fully. Still, he had an inkling of who it could be. It didn't surprise him in the least.
"Raphael?" Uriel's voice was aggravated as he knelt next to the fallen Archangel, checking for symptoms.
"Not now. I'm tracking." Raphael's answer was vague as he applied his consciousness elsewhere. He tried to follow the trace, but repeatedly lost it, only to find it again. It was frustrating. He tried one more trick and smiled as he glimpsed the trail from another angle and began to follow it.
Raphael frowned as he continued to scour. The trail was odd, as if it hadn't used a conventional means to arrive where it had. Remnants of the collision were making it hard to track and Raphael had to fight against the current to gather the relevant information.
Just when he thought he had it, he felt a familiar ripple in the aethyr. He only had time to smile in fond remembrance before the gold light enveloped him, pulling him under the crushing current.
Trowa blinked, his eyes refocusing on Quatre's hands linked with his own. The grip was painful, but bearable for the Wind Fallen. He didn't want to move while Quatre was borrowing his abilities. It was much easier for Wind to track something, whether in the aethyr or reality. Quatre was finishing the job Trowa had begun, and taking care of the Archangel trying to find Heero's trail.
Quatre's grip relaxed and finally let go. Blue-green eyes thanked Trowa, and he responded with a simple nod of his head before letting his gaze sweep the room to where Duo was bent over Heero's now still form.
Contemplating just what had happened, Trowa frowned in concentration. They'd never had something like this come up before during a Waking. But then there was a first time for everything. His eyes rested on Duo, willing the longhaired Fallen to look up at him. When he did, Trowa smiled and just looked at him.
Duo shrugged. "I don't know if it'll work."
Quatre sighed. "Great. I don't feel like waiting another two or three millennia before an appropriate host is found. Without the six of us, we're at a distinct disadvantage."
"As I recall, you enjoy a challenge, Quatre." Wufei had a small smile on his face, quickly replaced by a frown as his thoughts turned inwards once more.
Quatre's eyes narrowed and gleamed. "I thrive on challenge, but that doesn't mean I'm suicidal."
Despite himself, Trowa laughed. "We won't need a rebirth."
Duo looked up once more, eyes narrowed. "And just what makes you say that?"
This time Trowa shrugged. "Call it a feeling, or disregard it as you will. I simply am sure that the Waking will still work."
Duo's gaze remained locked with the green one for what seemed like an eternity, before he nodded once and went back to examining Heero.
Trowa heaved a sigh of relief and walked to the window to rest against it, watching the other three as they hovered over the unconscious Fallen. He'd felt Raphael's awareness brush his own briefly, just before Quatre had levelled a light bolt at the Archangel. It was strange brushing against such a familiar presence again after millennia apart. Melancholy stole over Trowa.
Sometimes he wondered if it wouldn't just be better if they disappeared.
Uriel felt Raphael start to fall, and was there just in time to catch his brother. He muttered under his breath as the remaining three Archangels arrived at the room. "Shit. Just what we don't need."
Zerrachiel, Raguel and Gabriel strode into the room. Raguel swept the room with an intensity that Uriel knew wouldn't miss a thing. The bleeding figure hanging in the middle of the room was ignored for the time being.
Uriel could see Raguel's brain working furiously. It was one of the things that Uriel loved about his pragmatic brother. Everything he ever did was well thought out, reasoned through and almost certain to succeed. But the thing Uriel loved most about his brother, was that Raguel's ideas were always just.
Uriel watched as his brother pushed the blood red strands of hair out of his eyes. He was analysing as usual, planning.
"We can't do anything until those two are back on their feet. Even without their sixth, they have far more power than we do at the moment, which is something we need to address." Raguel's eyes flitted to Raphaels face. "Wake Raphael first. We need to know what he found. I need to gather some material. I will contact you all later." He turned to leave and was stopped by Gabriel.
Blue eyes flashed at Gabriel. "Leave me go, brother dear. I have little patience today."
Gabriel's face closed off. "This needs to be dealt with. This isn't just a guilt trip anymore. This is reality."
"So glad you noticed." Raguel looked pointedly at the hand still gripping his own. "Now, let me go, I have work to do."
Uriel took in the exchange and filed it away for later reference. He saw the frustration on Gabriel's face, and felt a little sorry for Michael's twin. He'd always stood in the shadow of his older sibling, and yet, in his own way, Gabriel possessed much more power. He just didn't have the audacity to use it. Uriel motioned to Zerrachiel and deposited Raphael in his arms.
"Take him to his room," Uriel told him. "I'll grab Michael."
Zerrachiel left with a nod, and Uriel turned to his golden brother. "Gabriel?"
Swirling golden orbs turned in his direction, the vague look in them disappearing upon eye contact. He didn't need to speak. The silence weighed heavily enough for Uriel to know that he was expected to respond.
"Stop hiding. remember who you used to be."
And with that cryptic remark, Uriel hefted Michael over one shoulder, leaving his twin fuming in their wake.
He didn't notice two other sets of blue eyes following his every move.
Duo bit his lip. He had no idea if it was going to work, but it wasn't really like he had any actual choice. Heero needed to be woken, and woken as soon as possible. It just wasn't possible to wait until the next morning anyway. Hell, he probably should have been Woken as soon as he'd been rendered unconscious after the fight with Duo. Agares was dormant, but even dormant his powers were leaking through in measures that were difficult for a human to deal with.
Duo knew what they needed to do, but was loathe to do it. He sighed as he mentally ran through the list of things he would need. It was unavoidable, but they were going to need the durmanis for it as well. Power pulled from worshippers wasn't going to suffice.
"Quatre, I've sent for the durmanis. Can you get the rest of the things we need?"
All Duo got for an answer was a nod, as Quatre left the room. The implements they needed required sterilisation, and Quatre was the only one with the power to do so. The ritual still needed to be protected, just in case. There were so many things that could go wrong, and Duo wasn't completely confident that he could pull it off. If Water had been there, it would have still been hard, but a little easier. As it was, Duo was going to have to channel Water, and that was definitely one of his weaker elements.
He was lost in thought as the door opened to admit the two durmanis. Duo looked up, knowing that they knew why they had been called, but he waited until Quatre returned with the necessary implements before speaking.
"We have to Wake him. It's going to be difficult." He looked up at their accepting faces. "Quatre needs to bleed you. If it can be done, it can only be done with a blood-bond."
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