***
Chapter 10 : The Value of Sacrifice
***

Life, our most valuable possession.

\\I would die for you.\\

Some people throw it away, other's cling like misers.
But sometimes something is worth more, and so people
give up everything for someone else no matter how much
they want to keep it.

\\Would you live for me?\\

There is no greater love than this, "Live on, for me
and in my place."

***

"Wufei, I'm sorry."

Wufei's eyes met his and repressed tears were blinked
away in dark eyes. Zechs looked away first, his gaze
sweeping up the hall.

//I'm willing to take the risk! It would be worth
it.//

"Did you mean it?"

Wufei didn't have to ask what he was talking about.

"Yes." That simple affirmative meant so much. It was
hard to believe that mere months ago the amount of
dislike between them.

How could you respond to someone who said dying for
you would be fair price for the time together? Not
dying for a cause, but for HIM alone.

He reached out one hand and brushed ebony hair that
had long since escaped the confines of its usual
ponytail and away from his partner's face.

"You're right. I've been such a fool. The risk is
worth it."

Hope was worth it.

***

There was a flash of something in the corner of his
eye. Zechs turned towards the movement. Wufei was
checking the doorway across the hall. He was checking
this one so they wouldn't have the unknown at their
back. The room had high arches of stone, like an
ancient cathedral. Like a node, a hub of hallways,
many doors opened in different directions. There was
someone standing there, shadowed by darkness. The
outline was familiar. He knew who this was.

"Duo? Thank God you're alri..." The sentence died
unfinished as the figure stepped into the light.

Zechs gasped with a hiss of indrawn breath. He was
still beautiful.

This was impossible, it was another trick of this
devilish place. He retreated again from the
approaching figure.

Duo laughed, not the familiar quick chuckle, but a
darker sound that curled around him like smoke and
traveled up his spine in a shiver.

"You're not leaving me so soon, are you Zechsy?"

Faint light played off lips devoid of blood, their
bluish tinge curled upward in a smile. He was encased
in black leather that revealed as much as it hid,
revealed that much of the flesh beneath it had been
mutilated beyond repair, slashes held the only color
in gouges of flesh.  What skin remaining on his body
was as pale as death. Only his eyes were alive with
violet fire burning in their depths, framed in a still
perfect face. He was an angel, a mutilated angel of
suffering.

He drew in a ragged breath and met those terrifying
orbs. "Duo..." No, not Duo. He could never lose
himself to this place, not like this.

"The one and only."

It couldn't be true. He had to get out of here and
find the real Duo, not this doppelganger created out
of the wild fantasies of a sadistic madman. There were
only two choices, one door to his right and one to his
left. The third door was behind the monstrosity and
his instincts told him that going near the creature
was to court a fate worse than death.

**Heaven on my right, Hell on my left and the angel of
death behind me.** The thought floated through his
head, despite its inappropriateness. Hell was on all
sides and the angel of death was in front of him and
getting closer.

There was no more time left to decide. He let his feet
do the choosing and hoped he would be fast enough. If
he was cornered, there would be no escape.

He made it within a foot of the opening before he was
forced back as the hallway beyond collapsed. Zechs
fell to the ground as he turned, struck by falling
rock. Dust filled his lungs and his ears rang as the
noise echoed throughout the chamber. Blood dripped
down his cheek and into his mouth, the taste of salt
and copper mixing with fear as the Duo-double forced
him to remain on the ground with a hand in his hair
and another holding a knife to his throat.

"I told you not to leave me." The point of the
wickedly curved blade pressed inward, barely
puncturing the skin. "But, since you're still here, I
may be willing to forgive you."

The blade trailed downwards, leaving a line of pain as
it continued from his neck to his chest. The hold on
his hair grew tighter and pulled backwards, forcing
him to look up.

Ice on his lips made his gasp in shock. The cold dead
tongue invaded his mouth, running over teeth and
molars, dueling with his own for space. He tried to
pull away, but he was restrained by the inhuman
strength in the slight form that was now straddling
his.

The invader withdrew and he struggled for breath, then
shuddered as it moved up from his mouth to the cut on
his upper cheek, lapping up blood. He turned his face
away, looking around desperately for anything that
offered even a meager hope of escape.

"And here I thought you liked me."

"You're not Duo," he replied unevenly, still not
looking at that too familiar face and desperately
denying how like Duo that voice had sounded.

"Now I'm really hurt. You can't even tell it's me. So,
tell me Zechs, why am I not me?"

"He would never..." The Lightning Count was at a loss
to describe the horror of the situation. Everything
was wrong, all of it.

"I guess you never knew me as well as you thought.
Well, don't worry, you'll get the chance. You're not
going to leave me like everyone else. I made a deal.
I'm the only one here who gets to touch you."

Duo ran the knife along Zechs' cheek carefully, merely
getting him to turn his head. "You see, I'm not just
Duo. I'm Shinigami."

"You! Get off of him, bastard!" a voice yelled. 

***

Wufei trembled with fury. Zechs had vanished in the
maze of corridors, only to be found like this, trapped
by the 'thing' that had once been Duo Maxwell.

//One of your friends is already beyond saving.//

Weakling. He had given in.

Duo turned at his shout, knife still caressing Zechs'.
He was smiling. His tongue flicked out across his
bottom lip, catching the last vestiges of red that
colored it.

"Hello 'Fei, nice of you to show up." Eyes glittered
dangerously.

Zechs' looked at him, silently communicating that he
should run and save himself. **No, I will not abandon
you here.** He silently wished he was still armed, but
there was no helping it. He could not underestimate
the creature, if Zechs could be captured so easily.

"Maxwell, I should have expected you to be so weak."

"Weak?" Maxwell laughed. "Oh no. Far from it. I'm just
goal oriented and have the guts to try to get what I
want." He eyed Wufei with amusement. "Unlike
yourself."

Narrowing dark eyes and aware of his partner's almost
imperceptible nod, Wufei stepped forward.

***

Wufei had found him. Zechs tensed as the dark warrior
moved forward. Duo was the only one who was armed and
he was stronger than he should be, strong as Death
himself. But there were two of them, if only Duo would
loosen his hold a bit.

The knife moved with Duo as he glided to his feet at
Wufei's attack. He attempted to sweep his feet out
from under him, but this was dodged as well as Duo
stepped out of his range.

"Don't think so, Zechsy." Duo blocked Wufei's arm and
drew his other knife, slashing forward. Wufei jumped
backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade. Zechs was
pulling himself to his feet when two sets of chains
sprang out of the walls, wrapping about his wrists and
ankles, pulling him backwards and down. They twisted
painfully, blackened hooks on the ends stained with
what was probably blood and flesh. The barbs hooked
into the chain links, but cut him as well.

Wufei was faring poorly as Duo didn't react to any
blow that a mortal man should have found
incapacitating. In turn, Duo inflicted small wounds
with his set of curved blades, toying with the other.

"So, Wu, going to lose again, huh?"

Schnick.

"I mean, you should have known better."

Slash.

"And you called me weak?"

Wufei backed up farther, nearly falling on a piece of
the crumbled corridor that had sent Zechs sprawling.

"You can't save anyone. Not your clan, not your
colony. No one. You always lose."

There was an angry growl in response through panting
breaths.

"Oh, 'Fei, how did your meeting with Treize go?"

"Wufei, no!" Zechs yelled, but it was too late.

Wufei, however, had no intention of being goaded into
a foolish act. Instead, he caught Duo's right arm,
twisting it at an inhuman angle, pulling the other
close and jabbing his knee into his gut. Caught off
balance by the act, Duo fell when the Chinese
Preventor used all his strength to flip him onto the
ground.

But then Duo just laughed. Zechs struggled again, the
chains drawing tighter and liquid warmth trickled down
his arms.

"Well, Duo, I wonder what Heero's up to right now,"
Wufei snarled nastily.

The laughter ceased. There was no warning, and Zechs
realized just how gentle Duo had been with him, when
identical chains reached out and grabbed Wufei. They
looped about his frame, hooks burying in flesh and
pulled backwards, tearing. He flew backwards into the
wall.

Thud.

"Wufei!"

The chains released and Wufei fell two feet to the
floor.  Duo got up and walked over to him, lifting his
face upwards like he had done to Zechs moments before.
He had placed one knife back at his waist and was
gripping the other.

"Now, 'Fei, that wasn't very nice."

"Don't!" Zechs practically screamed.

"Sorry, Zechsy, but I'm being merciful here. I mean,
he was a friend and all."

"Don't." The word was quiet and the voice female. Duo
jumped backwards at the sudden apparition that
appeared around Wufei, dressed in traditional Chinese
dress. Wufei raised his head slightly.

"Meiran?" he asked.

"You have to leave, husband." Wufei struggled to his
feet at the words, but couldn't seem to get up.

"I don't think so, bitch." Duo moved forward.

She smiled grimly, putting one hand out to stop him.
The hand reached Duo's chest. For a moment nothing
happened, then the faint light of the room changed to
something else, golden radiance emanating from where
the two touched, filling the room with the appearance
of sunlight. 

Duo screamed.

***

Wufei jerked his head up despite the pain and the
disorientation. The light was blinding, gold and
hopeful. Zechs struggling across the room had stopped
and was staring in amazement as the chains containing
him dissolved into nothing. The blond man rushed over
to him around the display in the center of the room.

Duo was still screaming as his wife walked closer into
him. Screaming like his soul was being torn out.

"Can you get up? Do you need help?" He looked into
blue blue eyes. This was not the time for pride.

"I need help."

He suspected something was wrong with his leg. It hurt
unbelievably and was the reason he had collapse when
he had first tried to stand.

"Here."

Zechs levered him to his feet, half carrying him to
the entranceway he had come from. They managed to
reach the corridor which was lit by the radiance
behind them. He nearly jumped out of his skin when
suddenly the only sound was the scuffle of their feet
on the stones below.

He looked back. Duo was gritting his teeth in Meiran’s
embrace.

Thunk.

The knife he had been clutching dropped to the floor,
rolling away, and Duo clenched his fists. He looked
towards them, eyes blazing.

"You can't make him leave. You have no power here."

It was like a wildfire, but cold and dark. An icy
flame that seemed to suck up the aura around it
surrounded the demon. For a moment, that was all,
until it swept through everything, eating the light
with it. He could see Meiran’s face melt like wax and
now she was the one screaming.

"No, Meiran!" He almost struggled away from Zechs to
reach her, even though there was nothing he could do.
The cold flame reached the corridor. Pain flared again
in his head. The world went dark.

***

This hall was collapsing as well. Zechs carried Wufei,
 trying not to be crushed or knocked unconscious like
his partner.

When the... angel, he supposed, had been destroyed, it
seemed like the world was falling down. He'd panicked
as Wufei's eyes had rolled back in his head when the
rock had struck him, but he was still alive. Thank
God.

At least there was no way the 'other' could reach
them, for now at least. The path behind them was
blocked. His last glance at Duo through the dust and
debris had chilled him, and he knew they had to get
out of here now. There had to be a way. This was all
his fault.

He paused as they came to another intersection, now
safe for the moment. **Which way?** Praying he was
correct, to a God he had doubted existed, he limped
forward. Wufei needed help, and unless they reached it
soon, he doubted that his companion would wake again.

***

"That way. I'm sure of it." Quatre pointed. SOMETHING
had happened in that direction and he had no doubt it
had to do with their missing companions. Trowa nodded,
trusting his judgment in the matter.

**I hope they're alright,** he thought. Whatever had
happened hadn't been pleasant.

And he had the feeling that time was running out,
trickling out like sand between his fingers.

TBC...