EPILOGUE
After some understandable confusion, everything had been explained. The boys now sat in a circle on the floor, thinking in silence. Quatre and Trowa kept shooting looks at each other when they thought no one else was looking; of course, the other three knew anyhow. Duo hid a smile behind his hand.
"What I don't get, though," he began, partly to draw Wufei's and Heero's attention away from the unconsummated couple. "Is what the hell was going on with Heero's vision-girl. You got any theories, Wu?"
"Oh, you hadn't figured it out yet?" Wufei asked in genuine surprise.
Duo suddenly felt thick. "Uh... no."
"She's a spirit guide, I think," Wufei told him. "At least, that's what I gathered. It explains why only Heero could see her, and why her energy mingled with his - "
"Wait," Heero interrupted. "Why does it explain all that?"
"Gomen nasai," Wufei apologized. "I still forget how much you all have to learn. A spirit guide is a spirit that attaches itself to a living person in order to experience life vicariously through that person. It's not like an energy vampire, though," he said as Duo opened his mouth. "It's a symbiotic relationship. The host provides the link to the physical world, and the spirit guide shields and protects the host from astral beings that would harm it. They have been known to open their host to the astral plane, which I think is the reason Heero had dreams on the astral plane.
"Unfortunately, not much is known about ~how~ people acquire spirit guides. Also, they seem to have incredibly vast amounts of energy at their disposal, more so than would be warranted most other single-spirit entities," Wufei finished.
"Then why didn't it use its power until the very end?" Duo wanted to know.
Wufei shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps it was waiting until Heero was ready."
There was a brief pause.
"So... Heero's got a guardian angel?" Duo asked quietly.
"Well... Yes, in a way," Wufei said.
Both Duo and Heero lapsed into thoughtful silence again.
As they had talked, Trowa and Quatre had walked off together, presumably to talk things over privately. Wufei soon made his excuses, mumbling something about needing a shower before he ran off towards the private rooms. This obviously left Duo and Heero alone. Together.
Duo glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye. He'd... felt something, when Heero had mingled with them all in the process of rescuing them. He'd felt... something more than affection, which had been directed at him. He hadn't been sure whose emotion it was, because of the confusion of the moment. Now, though, it seemed that Heero was the only one it could possibly have been. Duo had been inside Wufei's head before; he knew the Chinese boy didn't harbor that feeling for him. And Quatre was obviously enamored of Trowa, so that took ~him~ out of the running. So it could only be Heero.
* But... Can I be sure? I was pretty out of it, right then. And Wu said that the details would fade... * he thought, biting the inside of his cheek absently as he did so. * But then, how do you explain the whole waking up thing... he didn't pull away, or even tell me to back off or something... But it's ~Heero~...*
* Do I feel the same? *
He blinked and leaned back, bracing himself on his elbows. He didn't know. Sure, he liked the guy, but did he ~like~ him?
He looked at Heero again, memorizing the way his messy brown hair hung just so over his cobalt-colored eyes, the firm set to the jaw, the lines of his wiry arms as they wrapped around his bent, spandex-clad legs. He even noted the smooth, deep breaths Heero took.
He couldn't stop himself. He leaned over and awkwardly rested his head against Heero's. Knowing this action should prabably be justified, he quietly said, "Thanks for saving us back there."
Heero thought a long time, feeling hot and cold and confused. He didn't know what Duo was doing, didn't know if the other knew how he was affected by the unaccustomed warmth at his side. The Japanese boy made no move to pull away, even when Duo tentatively wrapped his arm around his waist. Heero felt a slight flush wanting to tint his face, but he supressed it. He also relaxed slightly, leaning up against Duo in return. He didn't know what this was, but he was willing to take it anyway.
"No problem," he replied.
The energy vampire was seriously weakened after losing its main sources of power. It had grown used the to surplus of vibrant, living energy. The energy of the dead was pale and wan compared to it, like substituting aspirin for heroin. The unholy creature was going through advanced withdrawal. The wounds inflicted upon it by the one pilot were truly devastating in and of themselves, as well.
* if i use more souls, i'll become powerful again.* it thought through a haze of weakness. It turned its multi-hued attention to the mass of lost spirits. Even they had diminished; without its power to hold them, they slipped through to the other side.
But something was different now. The souls shifted and teemed, not responding to the entity's commands. They were angry. It had promised them a body, a life. They had not received either. Just suffering and pain as they followed its bidding.
*(no no you fools leave me be)* it thought at them. When it became clear that they wouldn't listen, it knew it was too weak to fight.
* i must flee, i must - *
A mass of many hundreds of souls surrounded it on all sides. It fought weakly against them, but they had learned to be ruthless when it had controlled them. Even the energy vampire couldn't hold its own against the horde. They made short work of taking back the energy they had lost. There was no trace of the sinister creature left when the last soul crossed over.
END
Well? What did you all think? ::threateningly:: Tell me!
Eros and Thalia: It's done! It's done! It's doooooooooooone!!! ^_________^
Psyche: Wah! No more angst! ;_;
Minna-san, you have to review! Please?
Eros: RRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!!!!!!
After some understandable confusion, everything had been explained. The boys now sat in a circle on the floor, thinking in silence. Quatre and Trowa kept shooting looks at each other when they thought no one else was looking; of course, the other three knew anyhow. Duo hid a smile behind his hand.
"What I don't get, though," he began, partly to draw Wufei's and Heero's attention away from the unconsummated couple. "Is what the hell was going on with Heero's vision-girl. You got any theories, Wu?"
"Oh, you hadn't figured it out yet?" Wufei asked in genuine surprise.
Duo suddenly felt thick. "Uh... no."
"She's a spirit guide, I think," Wufei told him. "At least, that's what I gathered. It explains why only Heero could see her, and why her energy mingled with his - "
"Wait," Heero interrupted. "Why does it explain all that?"
"Gomen nasai," Wufei apologized. "I still forget how much you all have to learn. A spirit guide is a spirit that attaches itself to a living person in order to experience life vicariously through that person. It's not like an energy vampire, though," he said as Duo opened his mouth. "It's a symbiotic relationship. The host provides the link to the physical world, and the spirit guide shields and protects the host from astral beings that would harm it. They have been known to open their host to the astral plane, which I think is the reason Heero had dreams on the astral plane.
"Unfortunately, not much is known about ~how~ people acquire spirit guides. Also, they seem to have incredibly vast amounts of energy at their disposal, more so than would be warranted most other single-spirit entities," Wufei finished.
"Then why didn't it use its power until the very end?" Duo wanted to know.
Wufei shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps it was waiting until Heero was ready."
There was a brief pause.
"So... Heero's got a guardian angel?" Duo asked quietly.
"Well... Yes, in a way," Wufei said.
Both Duo and Heero lapsed into thoughtful silence again.
As they had talked, Trowa and Quatre had walked off together, presumably to talk things over privately. Wufei soon made his excuses, mumbling something about needing a shower before he ran off towards the private rooms. This obviously left Duo and Heero alone. Together.
Duo glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye. He'd... felt something, when Heero had mingled with them all in the process of rescuing them. He'd felt... something more than affection, which had been directed at him. He hadn't been sure whose emotion it was, because of the confusion of the moment. Now, though, it seemed that Heero was the only one it could possibly have been. Duo had been inside Wufei's head before; he knew the Chinese boy didn't harbor that feeling for him. And Quatre was obviously enamored of Trowa, so that took ~him~ out of the running. So it could only be Heero.
* But... Can I be sure? I was pretty out of it, right then. And Wu said that the details would fade... * he thought, biting the inside of his cheek absently as he did so. * But then, how do you explain the whole waking up thing... he didn't pull away, or even tell me to back off or something... But it's ~Heero~...*
* Do I feel the same? *
He blinked and leaned back, bracing himself on his elbows. He didn't know. Sure, he liked the guy, but did he ~like~ him?
He looked at Heero again, memorizing the way his messy brown hair hung just so over his cobalt-colored eyes, the firm set to the jaw, the lines of his wiry arms as they wrapped around his bent, spandex-clad legs. He even noted the smooth, deep breaths Heero took.
He couldn't stop himself. He leaned over and awkwardly rested his head against Heero's. Knowing this action should prabably be justified, he quietly said, "Thanks for saving us back there."
Heero thought a long time, feeling hot and cold and confused. He didn't know what Duo was doing, didn't know if the other knew how he was affected by the unaccustomed warmth at his side. The Japanese boy made no move to pull away, even when Duo tentatively wrapped his arm around his waist. Heero felt a slight flush wanting to tint his face, but he supressed it. He also relaxed slightly, leaning up against Duo in return. He didn't know what this was, but he was willing to take it anyway.
"No problem," he replied.
The energy vampire was seriously weakened after losing its main sources of power. It had grown used the to surplus of vibrant, living energy. The energy of the dead was pale and wan compared to it, like substituting aspirin for heroin. The unholy creature was going through advanced withdrawal. The wounds inflicted upon it by the one pilot were truly devastating in and of themselves, as well.
* if i use more souls, i'll become powerful again.* it thought through a haze of weakness. It turned its multi-hued attention to the mass of lost spirits. Even they had diminished; without its power to hold them, they slipped through to the other side.
But something was different now. The souls shifted and teemed, not responding to the entity's commands. They were angry. It had promised them a body, a life. They had not received either. Just suffering and pain as they followed its bidding.
*(no no you fools leave me be)* it thought at them. When it became clear that they wouldn't listen, it knew it was too weak to fight.
* i must flee, i must - *
A mass of many hundreds of souls surrounded it on all sides. It fought weakly against them, but they had learned to be ruthless when it had controlled them. Even the energy vampire couldn't hold its own against the horde. They made short work of taking back the energy they had lost. There was no trace of the sinister creature left when the last soul crossed over.
END
Well? What did you all think? ::threateningly:: Tell me!
Eros and Thalia: It's done! It's done! It's doooooooooooone!!! ^_________^
Psyche: Wah! No more angst! ;_;
Minna-san, you have to review! Please?
Eros: RRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!!!!!!