----------------
Kyuuketsuki Duo
Sanguis Draconis
Part VII
----------------
	The end of the disputed territories and the beginning of the 
neutral zone snuck up quickly on them.  It was between one blink and the 
next that Duo recognized the transition.  It was simply a minor 
sensation in the back of his mind that clued him in.  It felt like he 
took a step in one direction, and his power tried to take a step in 
another.  He jerked it back to himself with a firm tug and a sharp 
reprimand.  His power settled only after a burp of discontent, and he 
realized that it was humming in response to the free power roaming this 
area.  The unclaimed energy broadcast a signal to his own chaotic power, 
inviting it out to play.

	Duo would not, could not let that happen.  The power would stay 
his, one way or another.  Preferrably one way and not the other.  'Keep 
it together', he chanted to himself harshly.  'I will not let this beat 
me.  This place will not break me.'  He cast a glance at the long fall 
of platinum hair adorning the demon strolling along in front of him.  
'If for no other reason than that it would please -her-,' he thought 
grimly.  He added a better motivation to the end of that.  'Because 
Heero expects me to be here when he gets back.'

	Control.  He needed to reassert his control, and he turned to 
Quatre to help him do that.  "We're in the neutral territories now," he 
said with a deliberately conversational tone.

	Beside him, Quatre perked up, happy that Duo was speaking to him 
when he didn't strictly have to.  He'd seemed unnaturally withdrawn and 
resistant to earlier attempts to engage him.  "So, what does that mean, 
exactly?"

	"A lot of things."  Duo conversed directly with the 
spiritualist, but he cast his voice so that all the following humans 
would hear.  "The free power is unrestrained, unstructured.  It lacks 
order, and since the landscape is shaped by the power, the landscape 
will lack order as well."

	"What do you mean?  This place looks about the same as it did a 
while back."

	"To your physical sense of sight, perhaps.  But, for instance, 
if you were to walk very carefully in a straight line, with one foot 
precisely in front of the other, you would find that, say, after a 
hundred paces, you might look back, if you placed some sort of landmark, 
and you could find yourself hundred paces off that way."  He gestured to 
the right of the direction they were facing.  "Or you might find 
yourself two hundred paces that way, even.  The land here is not 
necessarily linear."  Yes, explanations were good.  Explanations were 
ordered, and lent order to his thoughts.  He had only had the slightest, 
slightest inclination to mess with the boy's mind with false answers.

	"How does that work physically?" Quatre asked, his logician's 
mind trying to make sense of the problem.

	Duo's thoughts started wandering down wild tangents as he began 
pondering the idea, but there would be no order from disorder.  With a 
blink, he cut off the digression to focus again and shrugged.  "Don't 
think too hard about it.  It just does."

	"Why has no one claimed this land?" Meiran asked curiously.  
"It's just sitting here, after all.  From what you've said, it seems 
like demons are disputing other lands.  Why don't they just move here?"  
Walking in silence next to her, Wufei listened attentively for any 
information that might give him an edge over his enemies, but otherwise 
declined to participate in the conversation, as he had for most of their 
trip.

	"It takes some small upkeep to lay claim to a chunk of land 
here, depending on how thoroughly you want to claim it.  And the 
disputes aren't really over land, but power.  Besides, even if someone 
did claim these lands, the unclaimed lands would still be here."

	"Do I even want to ask?" Quatre asked with a certain sense of 
resignation.

	Duo smiled tolerantly at him, reinforcing the idea in his mind 
that he took pleasure in human foibles, and in having them himself.  
That managed to drown out the little tendril of thought that wanted to 
sneer at the stupid mortal.  "This land is here because the dragons 
willed it into existence.  They wanted their lands to be remote and 
isolated, therefore something like this had to spring into existence to 
accommodate them.  If there were ten miles between here and there, and 
some enterprising demon decided to establish a foothold here for one 
mile of it, then there would still be ten miles of unclaimed territory, 
even though he had his one, so long as the dragons don't perceive that 
one mile as a loss of area or distance.  If they think that the demon 
has gotten one mile closer to their lands, then there will be nine miles 
left.  Otherwise, if the dragons still believe that they're ten miles 
away, then they'll still be ten miles away."

	"What if the enterprising demon believed that he was now nine 
miles away from the dragons?"

	"Then it would probably come down to whoever had the stronger 
will.  I'd bet on the dragons."

	"I don't like this place," Quatre declared.

	"I don't even like this place," Hilde reassured him.

	Meiran was finding it interesting, though.  "What if the dragons 
believed it was ten miles away, but the demon believed it was nine?  
Could it actually end up so that it was ten for the dragons and nine for 
the demon?"  They were making a distinction between dragons and demons 
again, but mostly for convenience's sake.

	Now there was a thought.  Duo was surprised he hadn't thought it 
up for himself.  It sounded like the sort of thing that he would delight 
in asking of Heero.  He formed the image of that happening in his mind 
and held onto it tightly, somewhat relieved when he found he could 
easily picture Heero's expression as he answered, the tone of his words, 
the flavor of his thoughts.  A very faint smile landed on his lips.  The 
image wasn't as good as the real thing, but it was better than nothing.  
He'd take what he could get.  "I don't know.  What do you think, Hil?"

	"It would probably only work to a certain extent, although 
that's only assuming that, say, the dragons would eventually notice it 
if this demon could enter their realm with barely any effort."

	Meiran continued to theorize, much to Quatre's dismay.  Although 
not as logically motivated as Quatre, she had quite an intellectual 
curiosity about non-earthly matters.  "I wonder if it's possible for a 
person -- or a demon, I suppose -- to turn this to their advantage.  
What if a demon could believe that an invader had to traverse a ten mile 
expanse in order to get to his lands, but that he only needed to go a 
few yards to get out of his lands and into the invader's?"

	"Can't ten miles at least be internally consistent?" Quatre 
bemoaned softly to himself.

	"You'd probably need a fairly sophisticated demon for that, to 
be able to believe something that complicated," Duo proposed.  "Someone 
once said that genius is the ability to hold two opposing thoughts in 
one's head at once."

	"Or a very stupid demon," Hilde added.  "Believe me, I've seen 
some very stupid creatures accomplish the impossible, merely by not 
knowing that it was impossible."

	That thought gave Quatre pause.  "Hey, wait a minute.  Isn't 
that the principle you and Heero were following when you were first 
training me, Duo?  Didn't you say that you didn't want to fill me with 
too many rules and pre-conceptions so my thinking wouldn't be limited by 
the assumptions of others?"

	The pleasant scrap of imagination that Duo had been holding onto 
suddenly transformed itself into a sharp pang of longing for his absent 
partner.  Reflexively, he reached out with his mind to his lifelong 
companion, only to run up painfully against reality a fraction of a 
moment later.  Being on two entirely different planes of existence had 
imposed some barriers on the link between the two of them.  
Communication could still pass through, but not as freely and casually 
as before.  Not nearly how he needed it.

	When Duo automatically shifted his balance to lean upon his 
partner, only to find that the solid presence he had expected was not 
there, he stumbled a bit mentally and tried to compensate.

	The others thought that his silence meant affirmation of 
Quatre's statement, but it was Duo reaching out to steady himself with 
the only thing readily available to him at the time.  He needed 
something to govern the unruly mass of his power, not to mention his 
sanity along with it.  He was only relieved that there were practically 
no impressions upon the ether here to confuse him.  Energy imprints were 
swept away with the churning tides of free power, which unfortunately 
still had the ability to sweep him along with them.

	The cool mask of the guardian slid over his thoughts with the 
impression of 'finally!' before his power had the chance to get out and 
frolic with its spiritual brethren of this wild realm.  Meanwhile, his 
human side struggled to recover its composure after the shock it should 
have known was coming.

	When his softer side was ready, however, his harder side was not 
so willing and eager to go back into the bag, and with a deeply internal 
sigh, he managed to force himself into caring enough to begin the 
process of rebuilding the rapport with the humans again.  And he had 
been doing so well, too.

                              ************

	As a great hunter, Heero was gifted with an extraordinary 
patience when it came to the stalking of his prey, and he now exercised 
that patience to great effect.  One of the main differences this time 
around, however, was that he was waiting for his quarry to stalk him.

	His being filled with an edgy anticipation that he did not let 
show as he played his part.  Heero slid smoothly back into the role he 
had filled for years before meeting the guardian.  It was, perhaps, a 
little too effortless, but the time spent with Duo had not left him 
complacent or dull.  Nevertheless, the taste of this danger and 
excitement was just somehow different from the activity he had shared 
with his partner.

	He spent several days simply continuing as if he had not met up 
with Odin and received information from him.  The only difference was 
that now he gave no thought to hiding his presence in the East.  He did 
not announce it as he frequented certain hot spots and gathered 
information, for that would have been far too out of character from 
someone of his reputation, but he went to no great lengths to be 
discreet.  And all the better if he could manage to gather any useful 
information from alternate sources.  He would be more than happy to 
abandon his open invitation if he could find his answers elsewhere.

	As he expected, however, there was little useful information to 
be found amongst the plebian crowds.

	He had not established a usual haunt.  There was no table at 
which he could be found, no corner, no shadow.  Despite the fact that he 
was waiting to be approached, he refused to establish a pattern.  He had 
his pride, after all.  Besides, if things went as expected, his 
reputation would likely play a large role in the following events.

	He was eventually tracked down while he was in transit between 
one point and the next.  The shadows thickened around him, impeding his 
forward movement for a moment.  He went immediately on guard, but let no 
sharp edge show, only the calm, collected cool of someone that was 
secure in his power and the fact that whatever or whoever this was 
couldn't harm him.

	Out of the shadows coalesced a figure.  His robes were still 
pitch dark, yet gave the impression somehow of being off-black, and he 
had more than enough power and skill to maintain a fairly average human 
male's face with full articulation and detail.  Of course, he had had 
years of opportunity to study and emulate Heero's natural humanity.

	"You would dare show your face here again?"

	A voice suspiciously like Duo's in tone snidely remarked within 
the depths of his skull that he had not shown his face, only a mask, but 
he kept the remark to himself and said nothing.  He did not feel the 
need to dignify the accusation with a response, nor was he particularly 
known for his conversational skills.  But behind the mask, his eyes 
carefully tracked the Shinma's movements.

	"Where is your little master?" the creature sneered.

	Well, if Heero wanted to get anything done, he would have to say 
something.  Might as well start now, although he felt that this, too, 
required no answer.  ::I serve no one.::  This was starting to sound 
similar to the conversation he had had with Odin.  ::And you, Otto?  
Running errands for your master, still?::

	There was the slightest hesitation in the Shinma's speech, as if 
he had been about to say that he served no one, except that Heero had 
already laid claim to that answer.  Heero felt a small, deliciously 
petty surge of smugness.  He'd never liked Otto.  Well, he'd never liked 
any of them, but Otto had been exceedingly supercilious.

	Otto laughed disdainfully, thus bypassing the need for a direct 
answer by dismissing the question arrogantly.  "So the puppy thinks he's 
sprouted some teeth, does he?"  Heero snorted silently to himself.  He 
could take Otto.  He'd just never had any interest in doing so.  Then 
again, his Shinma superiors had never quite treated him and his power 
with the respect they deserved.  "What is your business here?"

	::I serve no one,:: Heero repeated calmly.  ::That includes 
you.::  Let him make of that what he would, either that Heero considered 
himself free of his former masters, or simply that he did not take 
orders from someone so low in the pecking order.  Both were insulting, 
both were quite satisfying to say, and both would interest the Shinma 
enough for him to be given the attention he wanted.

	"You may say it all you like.  That won't make it true.  You 
were created to be nothing more than a lap dog, after all.  A warrior, 
bred to take the orders of others.  You will never win free of your 
lowly beginnings."

	What, did the Shinma think to prey on his supposed insecurities 
about his roots?  He had never been ashamed of the way he had come into 
this world.  There had been nothing he could do about it, after all.  He 
had done as he was told because he was complacent and knew nothing else, 
not because he believed himself inferior.

	::Why do you interfere in my affairs, Otto?:: he asked, quite 
deliberately using his name.  It made them equals of a sort.  ::Are the 
Shinma so bored that they've nothing else to do?  Or have they fallen so 
far that they must hunt up yesterday's weapons for tomorrow's wars?::

	"What use could we possibly have for you?  You, who still bear 
the mark of your binding and punishment for turning your back on us so 
many years ago."

	::Yes,:: he agreed, not bothering to correct the mistaken 
impression.  ::I turned my back on you.  And I do so again.::  He flexed 
his power and shattered the light binding of shadows encircling them.  
Otto's gaze burned across Heero's senses as he continued unworriedly on 
his way.  The look was cold, but calculating.  The Shinma would return 
to brief his compatriots, and then they would be back for him again.  
Heero's show of power would amuse them, if nothing else, and they would 
come.  In some ways, they were even worse, and much more predictable, 
than Dorothy.

                              ************

	"Do you mind if I walk with you for a bit?"

	Startled from her mental wanderings on the nature of non-linear 
physical realms, Meiran looked up to find a demon matching her steps.  
"Uh, yeah, sure."  She still found these demons in such deceptively 
human forms to be disconcerting.  It was very easy to forget what they 
truly were.

	"Thanks."  Hilde dimpled cutely at her and gestured off at the 
menfolk.  "They're being such bores.  I can't hang out with Duo all the 
time, and there's no way I'd willingly want to keep Dorothy company.  
That Trowa gives me the willies, and Duo's forbidden me from playing 
with your charming spiritualist, and that Wufei of yours... well, I'm 
sure I don't need to go into that."

	That stirred both a chuckle and a defensive reaction from the 
Chinese girl.  "Oh, never mind Wufei.  He's not always like that.  He 
just has a lot on his mind right now."

	"Well, of course, but that's no reason to excuse his behavior.  
You should never let a man walk all over you.  He'll take off with that 
control and never look back."

	"What are you talking about?  I'm not letting Wufei walk all 
over me," she said pridefully.

	"Well, I never said you were.  You're a strong girl.  I can 
tell.  I admire that.  I'm sure he admires it, too, although he'd 
probably slit his own throat before saying as much.  I know his type.  
You just stand beside him through thick and thin, and eventually he'll 
notice you're there."

	Something inside of her puzzled over what the succubus seemed to 
be implying, but something else decided to change the subject before she 
could figure it out.  "Is that what you're doing?"

	"How's that?"

	Meiran realized that she had perhaps unthinkingly voiced a 
rather personal question and nearly blushed, until she remembered that 
she was speaking to a demon of lust and other desires of the flesh.  How 
much personal modesty could she have?  She hadn't hesitated to turn the 
tips of Quatre's ears red with her effortless insinuations.  "Are you 
standing behind your man right now?"

	"Hmm?  Oh, Duo, you mean?"  Hilde laughed, and it was a low, 
throaty sort of sound.  "Oh, dear me, not at all!  I'm standing behind 
him, certainly, but he's hardly my man.  It takes an unusual kind of 
succubus to settle down into commitment, and I'm definitely not one of 
them.  He may be one of the yummiest beings I've ever known, but he is 
definitely not mine."

	"Yummy...?  Does that mean that you two--"  She broke off 
suddenly, deciding that she really didn't want to know.

	Hilde laughed again.  "No, no, I don't ply my trade on him, if 
that's what you mean.  It wouldn't be nearly as sweet anyway.  I get my 
kicks out of him in other ways."

	"Oh."  Meiran chewed on that for a little bit.  "Is he a good 
friend of yours, or..."

	"Or am I just a groupie?  Or maybe just someone like Dorothy?  
No, I like to think we've a little more substance between us than that."

	"Well, that's... that's good."  It wasn't something that she had 
thought about before this conversation, but it struck her nevertheless 
as the truth.  "I mean, what with his job and all, I imagine it must 
get... sort of lonely sometimes."

	"Well, I'm sure it would, but Duo's not alone."  Hilde smiled.  
"And neither is your Wufei."

	Meiran held in her sputtering denials in favor of quiet dignity 
that admitted nothing.  Who knew what the succubus could read off of the 
ether?  She ignored the growing heat in her face and redirected the 
conversation again.  "Is Duo okay?  I mean, maybe he needs to be 
reminded or something.  He just seems... shut off."

	Hilde glanced over to the guardian, a concern in her eye that 
she did not express.  "Much like your Wufei of late?"

	She broke just a little.  "Will you stop calling him my Wufei?" 
she hissed, anxious that the others not hear.  God, she felt funny even 
saying that.

	Hilde heard the request, but didn't acknowledge it.  "It's 
amazing how similar they are in some ways.  But as you said, never mind 
him.  He's not always like that.  He just has a lot on his mind these 
days."  She declined to speak any further on Duo's state of mind.  If he 
wanted to enlighten everyone, then that would be his decision.  
Personally, she thought the details were none of their business, but 
clearly the others were noticing the change in his demeanor.

	Meiran endeavored to keep the topic firmly fixed on something 
not involving her.  "Why are you here, Hilde?  I mean, you don't have a 
stake in this, do you?"

	"No, I don't.  But Duo's my friend.  I'm following him to hell 
and back, and right now, I'm just keeping him company in lieu of 
another."

	"Who, Heero?  No offense, Hilde, but if it comes down to a 
fight, I'd much rather have Heero by my side than you."

	"So would I," Hilde agreed with good humor.  "So would I.  But 
we've already explained, Heero is busy elsewhere at the moment, working 
on the other half of our little puzzle.  Besides, you shouldn't discount 
the two of us.  We're more than just decorative."

	Meiran made an exasperated sound.  "Why does everything I say 
have to relate back to me and-- well, me?"

	The succubus shrugged carelessly and declared the question 
rhetorical.  She'd sensed a satisfying whiff of Wufei in that response.  
"We may not have the muscle and brute force of the others, but we are 
not without our own weapons and tools."

	"What are you talking about now?"

	Hilde tsked.  This woman was a good match for her man.  "Don't 
you wonder what purpose you serve here?  Surely it has not escaped your 
notice that you are in the company of powerful men.  You must have asked 
yourself just what you can contribute to this group.  You may or may not 
have found an answer yet, but let me assure you, that there is 
something.  Man cannot survive on brawn alone."

	The wily demoness was hitting a little close to home.  She did 
feel a little something like a groupie.  She didn't know what she would 
do if something attacked them, nor did she know what she would do when 
they finally found the one they were going to attack.  She did know that 
she refused to be a burden on this journey, and that she hadn't 
questioned the necessity of her coming.  She simply had to.  There was 
no way she could have let Wufei go to fulfil his familial obligations 
alone, even if he refused to let her help him.  She didn't question this 
drive; it merely was.  Still, that yielded her no answers as to her 
purpose here, and it unsettled her, so she went on the conversational 
offensive again.  "You don't mean to say that you think there will be 
some point at which you'll have to seduce a demon into submission?"

	"I certainly hope not," Hilde answered with a deliberate 
shudder.  "I don't think we'll be running into any demons I'd want to 
get close enough to seduce.  But like I said, we have other skills at 
our disposal besides the obvious, Meiran.  We have a purpose here, and 
we are serving it.  Remember that."

	Meiran blinked as Hilde drifted away to wander back to Duo's 
side and latch onto his arm again.  She'd just gotten a pep talk from a 
succubus.  How bizarre.

_________________________________________
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last modified : 1/29/2003 22:57:56 PST