Heir

 

Chapter 13

 

AN: Jess is currently stumped as to what to write and = so asked me to take a stab at it. By the way, I’m Dark Nuriko. . . or Nu= ri for short. I write stories with Jess, as well as my own. Being in Duo’= ;s head a lot, I’m good at writing in Duo’s POV. So without further ado, here’s the next chapter to heir.

 

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Duo POV:

 

   &nbs= p;        I awoke slowly, a headache pounding through my temples. Why were drugs always responsible for giving headaches rather than curing them? It just wasn̵= 7;t fair. Then again, this whole situation wasn’t fair. Yet I was making = due with what I had been given. Lately it had been pretty good. Although I was awake now, I kept my eyes closed. I could feel that my captors were close a= nd I didn’t want to let them know I was awake. I possibly shouldn’t = be awake this soon anyway, so I wanted to use it to my advantage.

 

   &nbs= p;        “He’s not much of a thing, is he?” one of the men questioned.

 

   &nbs= p;        “He’s a Shinigami. Don’t take him lightly,” his buddy replied. While I was glad he feared me, I didn’t like the fact he still had helped kid= nap me.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Why does Deikim want him?” the first one questioned. I blinked inwardly. = So Deikim was behind this. It figured. I had never told my master about Deikim’s dark thoughts about me. He had wanted me for himself, but kn= ew I was to be untouched. He wasn’t someone I wanted to see again. After a year without him I had hoped I’d heard the last of him. Apparently, he had just been bidding his time. Too bad he couldn’t have died of old = age.

 

   &nbs= p;        “The boy’s bewitched the King. He’s lived where all others have not.= The King constantly keeps him close. He’s being led by that little daemon= and I aim to free him from his hold,” Deikim’s slimy voice said from someplace off to my right, away from my captors.

 

   &nbs= p;        “We gave him the drug as you ordered, Milord,” the second one remarked. <= /p>

 

   &nbs= p;        “Good. He should be out until we reach the church, although right here is as good a place as any. Did you bind him well Quince?” Deikim asked.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Of course,” the second man, whom I now knew as Quince, answered. “Connor and I both made certain they were tight.” Apparently the idiot was Connor. The bonds were tight, true enough, but they were ropes, n= ot chains. I could easily get out of them. Deikim’s cold hands suddenly caressed my backside. Out of sheer will power I remained absolutely still.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  Inside my entire body was freezing= . Only my Master could touch me like this. Only Heero. . .no one else.

 

   &nbs= p;        /Help me!/ I cried out mentally.

 

   &nbs= p;        /What’s wrong, young Shinigami?/ a gentle, delicate voice questioned. I almost gave myself away, yet something kept me frozen. As Deikim’s hands began to roam my body and his goons snickered behind me, I retreated into myself; to= ward the voice in my mind.

 

   &nbs= p;        /Who are you?/ I asked. The touch was feather light on my mind yet it soothed my fear, worry, and disgust instantly.

 

   &nbs= p;        /We are your ancestor’s. We are neither male nor female. We are here beca= use you called us. You asked for help. We can do no other than help you when you’ve asked for it./

 

   &nbs= p;        /How can you help me? I’m about to be raped and killed. I can hear it in Deikim’s mind./ The touch on my mind strengthed, showing me Heero. . = .I mean my Master. He was on Wing, Quatre and Trowa behind him. Two falcons led the way.

 

   &nbs= p;        /Help is coming, young one, but will arrive too late. You will die, young Shiniga= mi. All your Master will find is your corpse, battered and bruised. Used by Dei= kim and his men./ I felt tears sting my eyes but didn’t let them escape my closed eyelids.

 

   &nbs= p;        /I don’t want that! I want to stay with my Master. I want to remain by h= is side. I only want him to touch me!/ I cried out, my mind wanting to keep to= my hearts desire. The touch in my mind was gentle, once again calming me. It w= as odd how it could soothe me while things were so terrible on the outside.

 

   &nbs= p;        /You can save yourself, Duo/ a tender, feminine voice whispered. I instantly recognized that quiet voice as my mother’s from the collective of Shinigami’s.

 

   &nbs= p;        /Mother! How?/

 

   &nbs= p;        /You can accept the power of Shinigami. You can become what all your family has = been held back from becoming. You can accept or decline. Yet if you decline, you will die. We can’t save you, Duo. You Master can’t save you. On= ly you can save yourself./ I thought on her words. I could accept powers I knew were dangerous or I could refuse and be used and killed. Fourteen-year-olds weren’t supposed to think about things like this.

 

   &nbs= p;        /But you aren’t a normal fourteen-year-old. You are a Shinigami, the last = of our kind. You must follow your families destiny/ The rich, deep voice that = came into my mind was my father’s this time. He was right. Yet the one thi= ng I wanted more than anything else, was to be with Heero. If accepting my powers allowed me to stay with Heero, I would do it.

 

   &nbs= p;        /I accept them. I accept myself. I want to be a true Shinigami/ After saying t= hat a large gathering of power built inside me, swelling deeply until I knew nothing else. The darkness descended and I could recall nothing.

 

 

   &nbs= p;        I awoke slowly once again. This time no headache pestered my temples. Instead,= my clothes felt small, confining and tight. I stood carefully, my eyes trying = to adjust on my surroundings. The scent of copper rich blood filled my nostril= s as I drew in a deep breath. The first thing I saw was my bonds; spotted red and lying in pieces on the ground before me. I looked around and soon saw why I= was alone. My captors and Deikim were in little bite sized pieces all around me. Their blood and other such fluids was all over, yet none of it seemed to ha= ve touched me. My throat tightened and I felt myself shudder.

 

   &nbs= p;        /You are Shinigami. You did what you had to in order to protect yourself. In ord= er to insure they never bothered you again/

 

   &nbs= p;        /But not this badly, this brutally!/ I argued.

 

   &nbs= p;        /It wasn’t intentional. Your power had been with held too long. This is y= our end result. You must learn it, master it, and become one with it. Only then= can you avoid a repeat of this/ I shivered and curled up into myself, into a li= ttle ball. I tuned out the voices, the sounds, and anything else. I didn’t want to think about anything. I just wanted Heero. I wanted my Master. I wa= s a killer! I had brutally killed them. I had tore them limb from limb and left them alive to the last minute. I then made them into little bit sized pieces for the animals to enjoy. Their screams still echoed though my mind.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Duo!!” My name was echoed off the trees. I didn’t look up. I couldn’t.= I heard Quatre’s gasp of horror. I could hear Trowa’s intake of breath. Yet it was Heero’s arms I focused on as they slowly came arou= nd me. I had missed this. I had wanted Heero ever since that first night, but I never told him. He never acted as if he wanted me in that way. So I never t= old him I wanted more at night than just to be held. Now, with his arms around = me, I wanted him to take away these dark memories inside my mind. I leaned into him, my face buried against his neck.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Duo, what happened to you?” Heero asked softly, gently pulling me back to = look into my eyes. I’ve always loved his eyes, such a clear, beautiful blu= e. Right now, they shinned with concern for me.

 

   &nbs= p;        “I’m all right, Master,” I whispered back. “I wasn’t hurt, but= I killed Deikim, his two men as well. I’m responsible for this.” Heero pulled me back into his arms, holding me tightly.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Now we know why everyone’s afraid of your family, Duo. You really are the Shinigami,” Trowa said, kneeling beside me as well. I looked over at = him.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Yes, I am,” I agreed. Heero helped me stand and it was then that I realized something had changed. I was the same height as my Master now. I looked dow= n at myself only to realize my clothes were tight because I was bigger now, tall= er.

 

   &nbs= p;        /What happened?/ I asked of my ancestors.

 

   &nbs= p;        /You couldn’t control your power in the body of a fourteen-year-old. You a= ged rapidly so you could handle them. You are no physically eighteen. Your mind= is even older. Your powers will be made known to you, as you need them. Trust = in yourself. Don’t allow anything to change who you truly are/ I nodded inwardly, a calm settling over me once more.

 

   &nbs= p;        “I aged so I could control my power. I’m about eighteen now. All I really know is that I’m tired.  Can we go home now, Master? I’ve answered your initial question.” H= eero nodded. He then led me to Wing and mounted up, pulling me up behind him. Qu= atre and Trowa followed behind us, all of us silent. Eventually I fell asleep in Heero’s arms, wore out and tired and beyond any ability to remain conscious.

 

 

   &nbs= p;        Later in the day, dressed in some of Heero’s old clothes, once again having= had the seamstress in, I was wandering the halls of the castle. People looked a= t me differently now. I wasn’t a little boy in their eyes anymore. I was a= man now. The women of the castle drooled if I smiled and even some of the men c= ast second glances my way. I have to admit, I filled out rather nicely.

 

   &nbs= p;        My figure was slightly feminine, softly rounded hips and gentle curves. You co= uld still tell I was a guy, but my hair was longer now, more full. It was almos= t as if it had a mind of it’s own and it was so soft I got lost brushing it was so soft I got lost in brushing it. It was also amazing what I could see now. All around us was magic. The veins of magic all over the place made it look cool, almost like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I loved watching Quatre and T= rowa together. Quatre’s blue-green aura mixed beautifully with Trowa’= ;s emerald green aura. Yet I had come to realize Trowa’s emerald aura wasn’t as bright as it could be.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Afternoon Duo,” Trowa said, surprising me. It was scary when people I thought a= bout showed up near me. I really hadn’t expected to run into him so soon.<= /p>

 

   &nbs= p;        “Hey Trowa. Where’s Quat?” I asked. He laughed softly.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Still researching my geis. He believes there’s something more to it than ju= st keeping me tied to someone.” I tipped my head, looking at him closely. Sure enough, I saw what I needed to find. Looking at it for a long moment, I finally nodded.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Quatre’s right. There is more to it. That’s why he’s having a difficult time. I can sever it for you and help you realize your full potential. Your magic ability is as strong as Quat’s. You could become his apprentice. This’ll keep you close to him.” Trowa’s eyes widened.

 

   &nbs= p;        “How can you tell all that?” I shrugged.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Don’t know. It’s just there, in my head.”

 

   &nbs= p;        “You can break his geis, just like that?” Quatre asked, coming up to us. I turned to him, a small nod coming in answer.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Yeah. I can see the lines of magic that create his geis. I can sever them easily.= If you want to help Trowa, let me do this. Then you can begin training him as = your apprentice.” Quatre and Trowa shared a look. I simply stood there, waiting and watching. Eventually, Trowa nodded in answer.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Do what you can.”

 

   &nbs= p;        /Clip the gray lines but leave the aquamarine one. Then they’ll still be ti= ed together and you’ll have freed Trowa’s powers. Not to mention, you’ll keep Quatre from feeling like he’s been outdone/ I smile= d at those words and produced a blade of pure energy. I then slashed the three g= ray lines that bound Trowa’s gifts. His aura flared brightly then, just as brightly as Quatre’s. I then dropped my hand and shrugged.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Guess I couldn’t handle everything,” I said after a moment. Trowa and Quatre turned to me then, confused.

 

   &nbs= p;        “What are you talking about?” Quatre asked.

 

   &nbs= p;        “I was able to sever his limiter, but not what binds him to you. I guess IR= 17;m not as good as I thought.” Trowa stared at me a long moment before grinning.

 

   &nbs= p;        “Thanks anyway, Duo,” Trowa said.

 

   &nbs= p;        “No problem, Trowa. I’m a little tired now. I’m gonna turn in. Later.” I rushed off before any questions could be asked. Once in the safety of Heero’s and my room, I sighed. I’d never get used to = all of this. There was so much I didn’t understand about my powers. Yet o= ne thing was certain. I loved Heero and I would remain his servant. I would re= main whatever he wanted me as, as long as I stayed with him. Curling up in our b= ed, in just a pair of Heero’s night pants, I waited for Heero to come to = bed as well.