Divine Intervention By: Kyoryoku Nazo ...................... Chapter 6: Road Less Taken ...................... *********************** ~content warning~ !LEMON! *********************** The Priestess finally realized that all he was fighting was himself..... Duo was still pacing the inside of his spacious tent, struggling furiously with his hair when Tasuki walked in, his eyes laden with sleep and exhaustion. "Duo...what the hell are you still doing up? What...." he cut himself short at the sight of his Priestess - hair in a ragged mess, his cheeks flushed in frustration, tears brimming in his eyes. "What's wrong?" "I....I was trying to braid my hair, but...I've never been very good at it and Heero........he always would help me, and GODDESS DAMMIT!" he yelled as he ran his fingers through his hair, encountering another knot. Tasuki smiled and pulled the other boy down onto the side of the cot, rummaging through one of his pouches and pulling out a small comb. "Hold still, man, this is gonna take a little while." He could feel Duo breathe in several deep breaths before finally sighing and relaxing himself. The Seishi took in a sigh himself and got to work on combing out the young man's long folds of auburn hair. 'Damn, his tent is bigger than mine.' Tasuki commented mentally. 'I've barely got room to stand in there, with nothing more than a bedroll to sleep on. Maybe one spacious enough corner for a couple bags. Damn. This looks like a General's quarters. There's even a table in here.' Duo yawned deeply, leaning back against the Seishi without really thinking about it. It had been a long night. Ever since Duo's vision of Nazo, the four followers of Her had spent the entire night trying to decipher the ancient texts that Xellos had uncovered on his quests throughout his land. Most of them had been useless spells about creating monsters or weapons, but some did seem to be a little useful. 'It's like a map, but we're missing the begining and the end' Duo had commented. What they had uncovered seemed to be a 'flow chart' of sorts, telling them who the Seishi would be, and what order they'd come along it. There also seemed to be another similar chart, only that that one depicted planes of existance, and it was a little more clear in what the 'order' was. All in all, Duo deserved the right to be a little frustrated. "So why descide to braid your hair again?" Tasuki asked randomly, trying to make conversation. "I mean, you haven't really been bothering to since I first saw you back in Konan, and if you ask me, you look fine with it down." Duo yawned and leaned back a little further, "It's always been a habit of mine. Something to make me stand out and be myself. Up until Nazo spoke to me, it was like I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't real. Doing things that I never would have done and trying as damn best as I could to avoid my destiny." Tasuki flinched on that part about 'things that I never would have done'. "So now?" "So now I understand that it's time I grew up and started acting on my path in life. And yet...taking the other path as well. Nazo Herself told me that everyone has a fate, but it's how you get there that becomes your destiny." Tasuki's face brightened a little again, smiling, "I like that. I'll have to remember that." "Yeah, it made me think about a lot of things. So to answer your question, I asked myself why I had stopped braiding my hair. It came to me that there wasn't a reason; it's practical, it's comfortable, and dammit, it's who I am. No offense, but why do you care?" Tasuki faultered in his task, accidently yanking on Duo's hair, wincing as he felt the Priestess tense up. "Sorry...I was just asking because...well, I kinda like it down. It fits you. Carefree and open-minded..." But he stopped, frozen by Duo's eyes as he turned around to face him. "Ya really think that?" "Well, yeah," Tasuki absentmindedly scratched his head and tried to look anywhere but Duo's gaze. However, when he couldn't help but look back, he was caught up in the violet stare that pierced his soul. He took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. "Duo....when I served Suzaku, our Priestess fell in love with one of the other Seishi. But...he hurt her. He didn't mean to, but dammit, all he ever seemed to be able to do was make her cry! She deserved better than that!" He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, clenching his hand into a fist. "But she loved him. And he loved her. It was their destiny. I always felt like I was meant for something like that. I guess that's why..." "Chichiri," Duo murmured, turning fully around so that he was sitting with his legs across Tasuki's thigh. "That's why you were so quickly to start a relationship with him." The Seishi nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before looking up again. "We were both acting like idiots you know. He thought that I wanted to end it and I thought that he did. But every time we tried to talk about it, either we would get off subject and end up fighting, or something else would come up. Or fall down actually," he half grinned, winking as Duo caught on. "That was probably Nazo giving me a good smack in the face." When the Priestess only bore a confused look, Tasuki went on. "I think I've found my shining light to guide. Someone to love and care for the way Tamahome loved and cared for Miaka." Tears welled up in Duo's eyes, but he wore no smile on his face. For one horrible moment, Tasuki feared that he had completly scared the Priestess away for good, but all that dissapeared as he took his hair down out of the half-braid he had managed to get it in so far. "You...you really want me to wear it down?" Tasuki tilted his head to the side. "Wear it however you want, it's not like I own you. I was just saying that I thought it looked nice down." Duo looked away, gathering his hair up on one side of his face and stroking it absently. "Heero liked my hair down too. But....he wanted it to be only for him. He didn't want anyone else seeing me like that. He practically made me keep it braided." 'That's not fair,' he told himself. 'You know that that was his way of showing affection. You're making it sound like he was abusive or something. It wasn't like that...' "But don't get me wrong, it's not like I was opposed to the idea. I thought it was kinda sexy having a side of me that only he could see. Now though..." his eyes wandered across the tent to the mirror on the opposite side. "Now it only reminds me of him. Maybe he did think that he owned me...." Trying to change the subject, Tasuki gathered up the folds of Duo's hair and braided it loosely, tieing of the end with a loose piece of ribbon on the side of the table near the cot. "Either way though, this way it won't be nearly as hard to brush out tomorrow. There." he stood up and stepped back taking a look at the Priestess with beaming satisfaction. 'He does look damn good that way. I don't see why that face wouldn't be as covetted as any other. That Heero guy doesn't deserve him." "Well, I've kept you long enough, you can go if you want to," Duo stammered, toying with the end of the braid. "Thank you again, it's just so freaking hard to do it myself." Tasuki took a deep sigh and was about to turn tail and leave when all the thoughts caught up with him and he turned back to Duo with passionate anger in his eyes. "Dammit, Duo! He doesn't lord any power over you! Why are you fighting your feelings?" "I don't know what you're talking about..." Duo quickly turned to face the opposite wall of the tent, clutching a pillow to his chest. "Look at me!" Tasuki marched over to the cot and grabbed Duo by the shoulders, turning him around. "You told Heero back there that I cared about you! That I love without fear or constraints, or whatever, you said it better than me anyways! Do you mean any of that? Any of it all?" his eyes were desperate and longingful, staring shamelessly into his Priestess's eyes. "I'm just convenient," Duo muttered in despair, looking down and to the side. "You said yourself that you're despretly looking for someone to care for and protect. I'm just the flavor of the week." "Yeah, and then I said that I found who I was destined to be with. You, Duo, I'm destined to be with you. Don't you see? I...I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone. And don't you go telling me that you don't feel the same way, cause you kissed back dammit! And you came into my tent, telling me that all you could think about was when we were at the school and the petals came down and then you-" "Shut up," Duo stood and turned his back on his Seishi, pointing a wavering finger at the exit of the tent. "I've heard it all before. I was weak and vulnerable, acting on the fact that I've got too many hormones for my own good. Don't waste you time on me, I've got enough emotional baggage as it is without dragging someone else into it. Besides, we've got plently to think about with the mission and all, we don't need any of this." For a few moments, Tasuki stood with his face fallen and his eyes wide with surprise. "Well..." he said slowly, breathing carefully. "If that's how you really feel..." And the next thing Duo heard was the flap of the tent fly open, then fall back down again. Silent tears ran down his face as Duo sighed and threw himself onto the cot. 'I hope it worked,' he thought in sorrow. 'It almost worked on me. Oh, Heero, can you ever forgive me?' * * * Kenshin paced up and down the hall uneasily. Something wasn't right. Something didn't fit in the way Duo's face was plastered with fear. Sure they were supposed to be the enemy, but didn't that qualify them as EVIL? 'They didn't look evil,' he thought miserably, sliding down the side of the door he was leaning against. 'What's going on here, anyways?' "Everything is going perfectly, Kenshin-sama." Touga stated fluidly, sauntering up to the red-haired fighter. "Tenjou Utena is without a doubt the next Nazo no Seishi to join their ranks. I have taken all possible precautions to see that she never gets the chance. Let me introduce to you....Mikage," he gestured towards the large glass with intangible clouds floating around inside. Kenshin peered inside to see a pink haired young man of fair height, stepping inside an elevator with a black rose in his hand. "And I suppose that he will prevent this 'Utena' from meeting up with the Nazo no Seishi?" "Precisely. Not even Akio knows what his true intentions are. He just thinks that the man is in it for his little friend....Mamiya or something of the likes." "Hnn," Kenshin replied, straightening his posture and escorting himself out of the room with the mirror. 'I don't like this. I don't like this at all.' "Kenshin-sama!" Sephiroth bellowed from the entrance of the room the rurouni had just stepped into. "I heard about your little trip to the Nazo-freak's campsite. I was begining to think that you didn't have it in you!" the taller man smacked Kenshin on the back, leaving his hand there and sliding it up to encircle the shorter man's cheek. "Leave me alone," Kenshin replied with his face buried in his hands, leaning over the desk in his quarters. "Oh, come now. You've never been one to turn away my attentions before," the silver-haired man replied acidly. "I said leave me alone!" * * * Morning broke over the Nazo encampment, bright rays shining down onto Duo's sleeping form. He stirred. Once. Twice. Ten times. Eventually, after turning over the consequences for sleeping too late over in his mind, he shoved the blankets off his cot and swumg his legs over the side, stretching and finally standing up. Birds chirped from a distance, filling the Priestess with nothing but pleasent sounds. However, pleasent sounds did nothing to help his disposition. 'Hurt him,' the voice played over and over again in his mind, haunted with the look of shameless pain in amber eyes. 'Hurt him, and he won't pursure this any further. Make him hate you. You have to. Just....do it.' the final statement was a resignation. Hesitant and weary. He wanted Tasuki. More than he'd ever wanted anything. But... "But everything is beyond complicated right now, and I don't need to throw another wrench into the gears," he muttered aloud, moving over to the wash basin below the mirror on the opposite side of the tent. Splashing cold water on his face, Duo tried to forget the way Tasuki had confronted him. Everything had been happening so fast, he didn't even stop to think about how random his actions were. He liked Tasuki. 'But no, there was Heero. Screw Heero! Tasuki's kind! But he's arrogant. And there's Heero. You threw Heero away for Tasuki. But Tasuki cares about you. Heero didn't even confirm his suspicions before publically forsaking you.' "Ah, dammit it all ta hell anyway," grumbled the braided boy, turning away from the mirror and preparing himself to face the others. And there it was. Another portal. It was time. "Xellos! Tasuki! Saionji!" Duo reached his head out of the tent and called to the others. "There's a Portal in my own damn tent! I think that Nazo's tryin' ta tell us somethin'!" The purple-haired priest was the first one to enter Duo's temporary residence, his arms full of the scrolls and grimories they'd been studying. He must have known.... 'Never mind. No time for that,' Duo thought harshly at himself. 'You're the Miko. Take charge,' "Alright, we're going to only need what he can't do without, and since myself, Tasuki and Saionji didn't exactly pack for the last trip, there shouldn't be much of that." By now the other two had come in. "I grabbed the Book, that chart and some of the texts mentioning goddesses. We shouldn't worry too much about bringing information, though. Deities have a habit of providing that when the time is right, anyways." Duo nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Okay..so...let's go?" * * * "Deeper. Go deeper," the voice rang out in the tiny room that was slowly descending towards the bottom floor of Nemuru Memorial Hall. A girl screamed in despair, her voice wailing about the enclosed walls, sending a chill through the heart of the man who suddenly appeared in the elevator. "I suppose you have no choice," he murmured, "But to revolutionize the world." * * * "Who said that?" Duo whispered out into the shadows, reaching blindly for one of his Seishi. "Was it you, Saionji?" "No," the green haired man replied. "But I think we're going to find out," "What-" Duo began, turning around to see a pink haired man standing in front of him, caught in a pillar of light that had not been there the moment before. "Who are you?" the man spoke harshly, grabbing Duo by the wrist. His eyes shown crimson in the flourescent light, narrowing slightly. However, Duo's eyes slitted as well, jerking his hand away from the unknown man. "I am Duo Maxwell, Nazo no Miko and leader to those who stand behind me. Now who the hell are you?" The man stepped backwards, his expression unreadable. However, the tension that shown in his eyes couldn't have been anger, but perhaps...awe? "Quickly," he whispered harshly, "With me. Come." * * * "Now that, is funny!" Xellos exclaimed, leaning foward in his chair and bracing his hands on his knees. Tasuki grinned with full fangs showing and if Saionji's smirk was any bigger, it would probably crack his face. However, the look on Mikage's features were anything but amusement. "I don't see what you're so worked up about. This is an extremely serious matter." Saionji was the one to break the silence, tossing his head back with laughter, "That arrogant bastard, Touga thinks that Utena is the next Seishi of Nazo, while it's you!" "That's been established," Mikage muttered, failing to see the big deal with it. "Not only that, but he actually put YOU in charge of stopping her!" Mikage sighed, leaning back in his chair and running his fingers through his hair. He turned to Duo, looking for some kind of support from his Priestess. "I'm sorry man, that's damn funny," the Miko practically giggled, clenching his jaw to keep from joining his Seishi. Finally, a smile did spread across the Black Rose leader's face, causing him to sigh and throw his hands in the air. "Alright, so Touga has earned a good laugh amoungst the Nazo no Seishi. So what do we do about it? Have any of you figured about why Nazo is summoning her Warriors?" "Not really," Tasuki admitted honestly. "It just doesn't make any friggin' sense at all. Ya see, Suzaku was the first deity to visit Duo and tell him about the whole Priestess deal. Then, we find out that the four gods want to return all the planes of existance to their former state. But then Nazo goes and gives him a vision, saying that she supports him and that an evil force is at work. It's almost like Suzaku and Nazo both need Duo at the same time for two different tasks and they don't even realize it." "I see..." Mikage thought out loud. "Xellos," he gestured to the priest who looked up, "Have you made any progress with those ancient texts?" "Not anything useful," he muttered, "The only thing I've been able to make sense of so far, is the one that tells us which Seishi will appear next. But at the same time, the Portals keep appearing, so we don't really need them at all." "Again, it's like there's two paths prepared for us," Saionji said, folding his hands into a bridge and resting his chin on them. Nazo's Light which guides us to recruit the Seishi, and the texts of the gods, which Xellos has been studying. Suddenly and without warning, Mikage's head rose, looking off into the distance, "I'm needed elsewhere. There are rooms here in the Hall, and not even Akio will be able to find you here. You might as well get some rest for a while." Duo nodded, looking over to his Seishi and giving them a glance that suggested they do so. So he stood, waving a departure to the newly found Seishi, treking back into the promised rooms. He was exhausted. And he took no pains to hide it as he collapsed upon one of the several pre-made beds of what must have once been a dormatory room. "You really are something," the voice came from the doorway. It could have only been Tasuki's. "I didn't think you had it in you to take initiative like that. But then again, you sure do seem to change a lot. Why, when we first met, you were as forthcoming and fiesty as ever. Then ya went kinda submissive. Just doing what other's told you and following along with whatever path was presented. And now," he walked over to where Duo was sitting up on the bed. "Now you're actin' like a Priestess should. Or at least, as much as you can... considering," he murmured into Duo's ear, drawing out that last word as his hand ran in between Duo's legs, up to the point where they joined. "Just got a taste of reality," Duo replied non-chalantly, turning his body away from Tasuki's reach before it could react to what his Seishi was doing. Any more at least... "I don't think you meant what you said last night," Tasuki practically purred, sliding his wiery frame down behind Duo's reaching around and pulling the Priestess back against him. "I can't...I can't let you do this!" Duo cried, wrenching away from his Seishi's grasp. "Why?!" Tasuki answered on the same frequencey, throwing his hands out for emphasise. "The same reason Heero did it to me!" Duo answered before he could even think about what he was saying. His voice lowered as he went on, desciding that he might as well get it all out. "During the war, Heero was convinced that one of us would die at any given moment. He didn't want to get emotionally attached. And even if he was already, he certainly didn't want ME to get attached to HIM. I understood why, but...I wanted him so badly. The cold-shoulder treatment almost worked on me. He would ignore me, say that he didn't mean things that he'd said before. But dammit it if I wasn't determined," the Priestess smiled weakly. "I was hoping you wouldn't be as persistant as I was." Tasuki's face changed expressions about five times before settling on comforting, leaning down and taking Duo in his arms. "I'm not gonna die any time soon. And I'll be damned if you are either." He grabbed Duo by the shoulders, turning him around and looking him in the eyes. "I've found my reason for living, Duo. And there ain't no way that I'm gonna let you go now." And all Duo had time to do was gasp as Tasuki lowered his mouth to his neck, planting delicate kisses along the exposed flesh, setting his teeth down where his lips had been and marking Duo as his very own. "He can't hurt you anymore," Tasuki whispered in Duo's ear, running his fingers delicatly along his Priestess's sides and up under the silk shirt that he was still wearing from sleeping in the tent the night before. "And I'll never hurt you. Ever." Duo moaned as Tasuki pushed him back onto the bed, holding him down with both hands. Little did he know that it wasn't so much out of wanting to be in control as it was to keep himself was collaspsing, he was shaking so bad. He was gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. The bandit Seishi removed one of his hands from Duo's shoulder to pull the tie off of his braid, pulling the folds of chesnut hair out to spread over the pillows like a ballroom gown. He ran his fingers through the silken strands, eventually reaching for Duo's face, lifting it up to his own and absolutely claiming the boy as his and his alone. Duo arched his back, grabbing for Tasuki's shirt and wrenching it off of him, immediatly pulling the ties of his own shirt loose, reaching for the bandit once more, and bringing their bodies back into contact. The feeling on their skin touching was like fire. Duo groaned in the back of his throat, kissing Tasuki back with vigor. It had never been like this with Heero. 'I seem to be thinking that an awful lot lately,' he thought with amusement. 'Good.' Tasuki's hands were everywhere now, finding every bit of exposed flesh, and making more as he ran out, tossing Duo's remaining clothing off to the side and far, far out of the way. By the time he got to struggling with his own pants, the long-haired youth had recovered from the innitial shock and before he knew it, Tasuki was on his back, his shoulders pinned. Duo's grin stretched across his face, his eyes narrowing with mischief. "You underestimate me," he purred, tossing his hair aside and began his assult on his Seishi's exposed body. His mouth lowered to Tasuki's chest, licking delicately around his nipple. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding it at all costs. This was drawing delicious little whimpers from the Seishi's lips; music to Duo's ears. Finally, he did take it between his lips, pressing them together ever so slightly, bringing a cry out of Tasuki, causing him to thrash back and forth on the massive pillows at the head of the bed. The sensation was almost too much for the bandit to handle. He arched his back up and ran his fingers through Duo's hair, encouraging him to bring himself even closer. And then it was gone. He moaned in protest and was about to look up in horror when he suddenly felt Duo's tounge dragging along the length of his exposed shaft. At that, Tasuki screamed. And to hell if Akio found out they were there. 'Well,' he thought amidst the pleasure, 'I never have been much of a quiet one.' Duo wrapped his lips around Tasuki's erection, letting his teeth settle down on the sensitive skin with extreme gentleness. He almost had to stop for a moment, savoring the feel of a lover in his mouth. It had been so long... But none of that mattered. Because Tasuki was here with him at that moment, and for all he cared, the world could fall right out of existance so long as they could stay in this state of being. Duo closed his eyes and shuddered in pleasure as another one of Tasuki's moans filled his ears. They were possibly the most erotic sounds he'd ever heard. Tasuki threw his head back, his breath coming in short rasps. Duo's lips were heaven as they drew back and forth. His tounge was running along the underside of the Seishi's member, his teeth were pressing against him, only enough to make him to cry out every so often. And cry out he did. He could feel the pressure building inside him, causing him to slowly lose his rhythm. Duo must have felt it as well, for his hands were now firmly pressed on Tasuki's hips, holding him down as he became more ruthless in his endevors than ever. The bandit Seishi's eyes rolled heavenward as he came, his legs wrapping around Duo's back and clenching his fists in the sheets beside him. His entire body was beaded with sweat and tears brimmed in the corners of his eyes. His Priestess's name was on his lips as his eyes finally closed, his body arching upward one last time before he collapsed, all of his muscles falling limp with exhaustion. It took him a few moments, but finally he sat back up, lifting his gaze to Duo was grinning wickedly. Obvious from the posture of his body, the Priestess did not intend to go to sleep unsatisfied. Feeling his lust returning, Tasuki pounced on the smaller young man, leaving all thoughts of Nazo and destiny aside. Just for now. ************************************* GUNDAM WING, FUSHIGI YUUGI, RUROUNI KENSHIN, SLAYERS, SHOUJO KAKUMEI UTENA, FINAL FANTASY, AND NEON GENESIS EVANGELION BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS ORIGINAL FICTION IS CONSIDERED PROPERTY OF KYORYOKU NAZO ************************************* Choose your destiny...