Fathoms

Summary: See last chapter.

GAR! REMUS! Duo projected his cries in a panic as everything around him rumbled and rocked. The aftershocks and vibrations of the earthquake left him disoriented, and the chamber amplified the sound until it was deafening. He found himself thrown against the wall and felt it shudder at his back.

LET ME OUT! Frantically he ran his hands over the cell’s security panel, searching for any mechanism that would allow him out. Duo realized that Gar would probably chastise him for his fears. He remembered quakes as a child, but this one was bigger, more menacing and just felt wrong.

Duo eyed the assortment of switches and levers, reaching through the bars as far as his arm would let him, wishing he had more time to ponder each one’s use. As though his efforts had triggered some alarm, Gar appeared in the corridor, glaring at him as he approached.

Hands off! He brandished his spear and thrust, earning himself a glare as Duo retracted his hand, avoiding losing a finger.

What are you standing there gaping for? Let me out! Duo snapped. Don’t leave me stranded here! This place is about to come apart at the seams!

The hell it is, Highness. Don’t worry your pretty little head about a few little tremors. I’m not letting you out. My king would have my hide if I fell for your line of sh-

LET ME OUT!

Quit being such a squirt! No! You’ll stay in there and rot until your father- Gar’s voice in Duo’s mind died as his eyes widened, darting up to the quaking stalactites looming over him. Bits of flotsam and fragments of igneous rock chipped loose and floated down to the sea floor. Duo pinned him with an imploring look.

You wouldn’t leave me here…would you?

I told you, there’s nothing to be afraid - The low rumbling suddenly escalated into a barrage of sound that resonated through their bodies, thundering across the ocean floor. Shit… Gar hissed numbly as he huddled against the bars, gripping them for balance.

Now d’you believe me? Out! Let me OUT!

I told you…! Duo’s eyes bore into his accusingly.

My father would never forgive you if you let anything happen to me! Duo’s hand darted out and snapped around his wrist with surprising strength. You don’t like me much. Ask yourself, squirt, d’you want my death on your head?

It’s just a quake… His voice sounded uncertain, unconvincing even to himself.

It’s not just any quake, and you know it. They shared a long, sober look. Gar nodded, deciding he would have to live with the consequences if the violet-eyed prince’s instincts were wrong. He fumbled in his belt for the keys and hastily crammed a bronze one into the lock.

Out! Quick! WAIT! You’re coming with me, he informed him as Duo started to rush off. He reached for Duo’s straggly braid and balled his fist in it, jerking him back.

OW! Duo glared back at him and gave him a shove, but Gar wasn’t in the mood to argue with him. He gripped his upper arm and dragged him down the corridor. Duo was too frightened to appreciate the relief and excitement of being out of his cell, particularly since he was still captive. But he felt Gar’s rapid pulse in his fingers, telling him that he, too, was petrified despite his claims that the quake was nothing. Duo expected Gar to lead him outside, but instead he found himself propelled toward the east corridor, where Gar prodded him to swim up the chute. Wait! Why are we going in here? I need to find Zechs!

We’re headed into the stronghold.

No! Have krill eaten your brain? Going underground isn’t the answer, we’ll be crushed! We need to go OUT, not IN!

It’s my duty to keep you safe! Gar hissed indignantly.

You’re gonna get us killed! Duo insisted, wresting his arm from his grip and spinning on him. We have to get outside! I need to find my brother. He’ll go sharkshit if he doesn’t know what happened to me. Gar’s mouth tightened, but Duo could feel the stubborn guard’s resolve weakening. Duo sighed silently, then made up his mind.

He neatly jack-knifed his body and lashed out with his tail, clipping Gar in the jaw with the full force of his sleek muscles and sturdy cartilage. He smirked at the low “oof!” that Gar uttered telepathically as he went down. Duo retrieved his spear and hovered over Gar’s prone form. Nighty-night. Duo heeded his conscience and dragged Gar by his armor plate toward the main hall.

Remus stopped him, glaring at his son’s condition. I knew he couldn’t trust you!

That doesn’t matter now, you old eel! He wasn’t going to let me out, Duo pointed out soberly. Remus collected Gar against himself, checking him over for injury, rheumy old eyes promising swift punishment for Duo if he found anything wrong.

I’ll alert your father that you’ve been released-

I’ll do that myself when I see him,Duo argued, punctuating it by his defensive stance with the spear. Remus gave him a mutinous look, then nodded.

Your father will hear from me, he promised to Duo’s tail as he sped off. With that, Remus set off the alarm that sounded directly into the king’s drawing room.

*


Noin raced through the living quarters of the palace, searching each room for stragglers who might not have heeded the alarms. On her way out of the third pod, she nearly collided with the sightless mermaiden the royal guard was charged to protect at all costs.

Daphne, Noin scolded, come with me, now!

I need to speak with his Highness, she interrupted as Noin grabbed her arm and began to pull her toward the gates.

I need to get you to safety! Noin grew exasperated at the Blessed One’s stubbornness. Daphne shook her head, and those eerie, sightless green eyes, like cloudy opals, seemed to stare back at her, giving her chills.

I need to share my vision with the king, it’s urgent!

You don’t call this urgent? Noin wished she could point to the quaking walls and bits of rubble that were drifting down from the ceiling, but the effort would have been in vain. It was moot, with the rumbling growing louder around them, stirring up the currents that buffeted them roughly.

It concerns Prince Duo! Daphne shouted into Noin’s mind.

Duo! Noin paled but continued her duty, escorting Daphne into the large foyer and toward the entrance of the dome.

I see darkness! He’s surrounded by it, and they want to devour him! She means him harm! She destroyed his mother, too! Daphne babbled.

You’re not making any sense! Sometimes the Oracle’s visions and her way of interpreting them were vague and cryptic, and those who heard her predictions often wondered if her gift addled her mind.

His father cannot let him go! Duo’s his blood! He’s his blood, and she’ll use it against him! Sanq will fall! Her fingernails dug into the tender flesh of Noin’s upper arm until she swatted her to make her stop.

Calm down! You’re not helping anyone this way! But Noin was baffled by her revelation. Duo’s his blood. That was ridiculous; Noin remembered the day that the king’s agents brought Duo to live in the palace. He wasn’t even born in the grotto.

You must find him. Find Prince Duo. Don’t let him leave the grotto, Daphne intoned grimly. Or all will be lost. Noin resolutely led her outside the dome, where the king’s commanders were performing a head count. The denizens of the palace and surrounding structures massed themselves along the red reef, huddling together in schools, some grouping by genus out of habit. Daphne continued to babble and rail, growing more distraught despite Noin removing her from immediate danger. She has eyes everywhere! Eyes and teeth!

That made Noin stare at her incredulously. An ugly shiver ran up her spine. Who’s ‘she?’ Daphne, you’re rambling!

The Evil One! The Loveless One! She Who Dwells in Darkness!

Une…

Yes. I saw her in my dreams. Cold, cruel eyes. Noin…she smiled at me. Noin instinctively gathered Daphne more firmly and protectively against her as they sped out into the open, dodging more rubble. Noin sighed her relief when she met up with Zechs. His eyes were flashing and he was livid.

Where’s my brother? he demanded.

Remus would have taken him out with him once we sounded the alarms, even if it was in manacles, Noin reasoned.

You know Duo.

Aye. That’s why I’m worried that he’s long gone.

He was forbidden to leave the dome!

He was imprisoned, Noin reminded him, but Daphne interrupted them impatiently.

Go after him! Hurry, Prince Zechs! She will tempt him, and she will destroy him! Zechs’ face briefly reflected shock and horror before his thunderous scowl returned.

Not as I live and fight. No one harms what and who I care for, least of all that parasite.

*

He was being watched. Duo could feel it.

That didn’t stop his flight through the murky deep as he swam through the reef corridor, never happier to see their crimson peaks and ridges. He gripped the spear tightly and ascended until the water became clearer, light filtering through to illuminate a school of jellyfish. Dangerous but beautiful. Duo watched them, rapt; they fit his love of shiny things.

There it was again. That eerie sensation that he wasn’t alone. Duo picked up the pace, deciding he didn’t need to be easy prey. A voice inside him nagged that he should have rejoined his family outside the dome while everyone was accounted for.

It felt too good to be free once more. Duo’s limbs felt fluid and loose, no longer cramped in the confines of his cell. He still chafed in resentment of his father’s treatment. Milliardo never would have handled Zechs’ discipline with such a heavy hand.

That’s because he’s his son by blood, a mean voice inside him nagged. Nothing so special about you. Then hot, thick guilt swamped him at his own lack of loyalty. Milliardo had taken him in. Duo owed him more, but it was too easy to distance himself, emotionally and physically, from his foster father when he was feeling so restless.

Duo had always been a roaming fish at heart, not unlike the sharks he despised; he could never sit still for more than a few moments. Zechs had been the voice of his conscience and unwilling guardian ever since he was a squirt. Most of his early stages of guppyhood had been spend evading his brother and Noin’s nagging and constant lectures. He remembered his brother’s scoldings bitterly, often accompanied by tiny shocks of static in his tailfin that would often send him pouting off into the anemones and coral.

He slowed his pace, tail muscles sore from his flight, and Duo relaxed his grip on the spear. It felt odd not to have anywhere to go, for the moment, and not to have to meet anyone’s expectations, even if only for a little while.

He continued to watch the jellyfish. They seemed to change color and flicker in a strange, graceful dance.

*

Poor youngling, purred a rich, deep woman’s voice from above the scrying pool. Lost?

Mistress, shall we take him? He’s all alone… Her hammerheaded minion sounded hopeful, seeming to salivate at the thought of young merflesh.

No. You lack vision, my pet. He isn’t food, he’s a means to an end, and a gift I mean to use well. Look at him fluttering on without a care in the world. Pretty, foolish thing. She nodded to her servants in the large, dark den. Takes after his mother, doesn’t he?

Mistress Une…surely you don’t mean to hurt the prince. A young, homely caecelia hovered nearby with a corked vial of wine. Her eyes were a translucent blue, and their schlera were striated with too-visible blood vessels. Her skin held the sickly gray pigment of many of Une’s followers, acquired from living within the inky, dank confines of her underground realm.

A long, slender tentacle tip reached up and chucked the maiden beneath her short chin. I mean precisely that, my dear. What say you? Does it make you squeamish? The youngling looked slightly sick and ducked her head, letting her curtain of dull brown hair shroud her face. Une chuckled. Don’t be shy. The girl dutifully offered her the flagon and Une plucked it from her hand. Leave me be.

Yes, Mistress…! Une’s sinister smile followed her from the chamber as she hurried out in a rush of bubbles and ink. She uncorked the flagon and pursed her lips around the filter, inhaling the narcotic-laced wine. She hummed in contentment, relishing the flush of prickling warmth that infused her bones. Her hair billowed out around her, charged with static, and she laughed for the pleasure of it. The sound rattled the surrounding caverns and made the ocean floor quake in resonant pangs.

Pretty thing…he likes pretty things… Une chanted an incantation to herself and reached for her scepter, a viciously pointed staff made from ebony stone and carved with runes. She broke the surface of the scrying pool with it, stirring it until it glowed. Shiny things… she droned, closing her eyes as she conjured the first of many temptations to bring the young mer-prince closer, more deeply into her clutches.

Keep your enemies close, Une murmured, and your family closer, sweet nephew…

**


Duo blamed his unusual, unbreakable fascination with the jellyfish on hunger and from being locked up too long. He recoiled briefly when they surrounded him loosely, but he wasn’t their target, just their audience. They glowed and reflected the beauty around them, stealing colors from the nearby flora and turning it into iridescent light that rippled through their bodies. His amethyst eyes followed their movements in wonder, slowly growing drowsy and glazed.

The water around them refracted the light, bending it into different, sinuous shapes that shimmered and rippled, mimicking Duo’s movements as he swam. They’re following me? He barely noticed when a stinging sensation swept over his skin; the light was distracting him.

Cooommmmmmee with uuusssssssssssssss... Duo shook his head, not completely addled, but confusion fogged his brain.

I don’t know you; I don’t even know where you’re going, I need-

No, young Prince Duo. You don’t need to do anything but follow uuusssssssssssss…

Duo’s fingers went slack, releasing the spear. It floated down and landed soundlessly on the ocean floor. Follow you…must…follow you…

Mistress will take care of yoooouuuuu…

Duo simply did as the voices bade him, feeling them resonating in his veins, insinuating themselves into his pulse and flesh. He swam away from the red reef wall, toward the yawning caverns that always gave him chills as a young squirt. All that mattered to him was the strange ecstasy swirling inside him, brightening everything around him, intensifying sounds and tastes and colors.

He approached the mouth of the cavern with no fear, now, aching with curiosity. Duo ignored the strange throb in his arm, the dull sting that blanketed the skin from elbow to wrist.


*

Heero walked out onto his deck to feel the low breeze on his face, wrapping himself in the throw blanket and carrying a cup of tea. He leaned against the rail and watched the sky shift colors. The weather report promised a storm the next day, due by mid-morning. As long as Heero was on dry ground, he had no problem with a little rainfall.

His phone jangled from the kitchen, evoking a weary sigh. He set his cup on the patio table and let himself back in through the sliding door. Trying to nap had been futile; he saw the gunmen every time he closed his eyes.

“This is Heero,” he barked.

“Sheesh…someone’s in a snit. Are you okay?” Quatre inquired without offering him a formal greeting. Heero sighed, closing his eyes in defeat.

“I’m just…rattled.”

“Want some company?”

“No offense, Quat, but I’ve had more than I can handle today.”

“Really?”

“Relena.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Crap.”

“And that was right when Wufei was done working me over.”

“Ouch…”

“I’m scattered,” he admitted. “I’m at a loose end, Quat. I can’t focus. It sucks.”

“You’re supposed to be resting, anyway. What’s to focus on? You should be in bed.”

“I keep seeing the bastards who took Zero from me.”

“I hate that they did that to you.” Quatre’s voice hardened, and Heero knew he’d opened Pandora’s box.

“It was random, Quat.”

“You should have had ‘Fei with you! Or next time, if you’re so restless to go somewhere for the weekend, call me! We could’ve headed to my cabin in Maine! Or anywhere, for that matter!”

“It isn’t up to you to babysit me!”

“Heero…” Quatre was getting worked up again, and Heero wanted to nip it in the bud.

“Quat! I get it! I told you about this before, I needed space!”

In the moments of silence that followed, Heero hated himself.

“I…I guess you did. I’ll…call you.” Quatre’s voice sounded uncertain.

“Quat-“ Click.

Great. He’d alienated not just one, but three people who cared about him today. Heero cradled the handset and headed back outside. He hated shame.

It ate at him, for so many reasons.

The sun began to set, pulling deep hues of crimson and amethyst from the clouds. Heero was taken in by its beauty and grew slightly wistful. Those colors…reminded him of something. “Violet,” he murmured aloud. He took a sip of the tea and searched his memory for a similar impression. He had a fleeting recall of a pair of large, concerned eyes and the sensation of slim, strong arms wrapped around him, keeping him afloat in the frigid water.

A sound came to him that had haunted him since his incident, occasionally waking up with it on his lips. “Duo?” he whispered. Yes, that was it. Now that he said it out loud, a piece of the puzzle fell into place. He’d been saved before the rescue boat hauled him on deck, that much he knew.

. It’s all right.

Where am I? Oh, God…tell me, where…

You were hurt. I have you now.

Head…hurts.

I know. You’ll be all right.

Where’s my boat? Where the hell’s my boat?

Gone.

Heero shook his head against the ache of struggling to remember. It made no sense. The man buoying him hadn’t said two words to him, literally, beyond his name. At least, he thought Duo was his name, which struck him as odd. He never saw those rosy lips move, but he heard his voice somehow, felt those calm emotions rolling over him from his savior. Heero had feared for his life, fighting to accept the inevitable once he woke and found himself bobbing in the waves, but the voice and the gentleness in the face looming over his made him feel protected.

He remembered a quizzical, sweet smile and eyes the color of irises. He felt the soft press of those lips against his cold cheek before he abandoned him to the Coast Guard crew. One thing nagged at him the most.

“How the hell did that guy end up all the way out there, all alone?”


*

Quatre was making little to no progress on the work he took home with him. He fumed as he opened his emails from his laptop, ignoring his cooling chai latte. That’s what I get for caring…

Quatre was hurt; it was hard for him to empathize with Heero’s plight of having too much company when it was all he could do not to keep watch over him, himself. Was Heero an adult? Yes. Could he take care of himself? Yes, nagged his voice of reason, but Quatre didn’t agree.

He knew Relena well and almost – but not quite – pitied her. The Peacecrafts and the Winners were business associates and close friends going as far back as three generations. Quatre’s mother used to joke that he and Relena were almost “kissing cousins,” which used to make him cringe. Relena was whiny, needy and spoiled as a child. She’d matured somewhat when they each went away to college, but she was still needy, still attention-seeking and a social climber. Quatre always felt drained after he’d been in her presence for more than a half an hour.

He bit his tongue when she pleaded with him to introduce her to Heero Yuy. Both boys had been fast friends since middle school, when Heero Sr. enrolled his son in the same expensive, highly accredited private academy. Quatre was devoted to him from the moment Heero had intervened on an incident in the cafeteria, when a group of bullies tripped him on his way to his lunch table. Quatre was sensitive and nonconfrontational, traits that hadn’t served him well.

“Whatsamatter, Tinkerbell? Did you fall down?” Alex jeered. Mueller grinned behind him, making eye-wiping gestures with his knuckles to signify that Quatre was a crybaby. Quatre’s elbow and knees throbbed from his landing, and he looked down in dismay at the milk and gravy stains on his good school sweater. Choruses of laughter surrounded him, bringing an angry red flush into his fair cheeks.

“What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “Is that how you get your kicks?”

“Bet that’s not how you get yours, fairy,” Alex told him snidely. He wasn’t paying attention when Mueller’s presence behind him was suddenly vacated. Quatre watched in disbelief as Heero silently yanked him by one arm, giving him a brutal Charlie horse, then shoved him away like so much garbage. He tapped Alex roughly on the shoulder. He spun on the interloper behind him and snapped, “What!”

WHACK! A rivulet of blood sprayed from Alex’s nose and he fell back with a low shout, tumbling into a small, round table of students. A couple of trays slid off with the momentum onto the floor, and an open carton of milk soaked his back and rump. His peers righted the table with mixed curses and stared up at Heero in surprise. The quiet loner was always so stoic, pretty much ignoring everyone around him.

Until now.

“C’mon,” he grunted, taking Quatre’s tray and setting it down on his preferred table in the back of the cafeteria. Instead of letting him sit, he led him to the men’s room in the corridor. Quatre watched him numbly as Heero wet several paper towels and squirted some soap onto them, then began daubing at Quatre’s sweater and tie.

“Why’d you do that?”

“I can’t stand those two.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Solemn, dark blue eyes peered up at Quatre for a brief instant. “Are you sorry I did?”

“No.”

“Good.” Those unsettling eyes left his face again and went back to his task.

They shared their mutual secret about their preferences later on, during secondary school. Quatre gradually came out of his shell more and grew into a confident young man, but Heero always tended to keep things close to the vest. They were opposites, but Heero was still Quatre’s closest friend, and frequently his protector.

Quatre had made the silent vow that it was his turn, now, to look out for Heero’s best interests. When Heero’s father disowned him, Quatre was the first to offer him a place to stay whenever he needed it. But he wanted to shake him, shout at him, disturbed and confused that he seemed so unaffected at the loss of his relationship with his family.

Secretly, Quatre feared he was next.


Relena was stubborn. She wanted Heero, and she wouldn’t be swayed from his subtle hints and warnings. To his surprise, Heero acquiesced, actually enjoying her attention, flattered when she asked him on a date. Quatre, in typical fashion, stepped back and chose not to intervene. Relena was blissfully happy, and in some ways, she’d been good for Heero, caring for him when he wouldn’t care for himself. Quatre only feared for her tender heart, seeing a disaster coming around the horizon. Relena couldn’t realize that her relationship with Heero wasn’t the norm for him; it was the exception.

They crashed and burned. Quatre was caught in the middle, right where he loathed to be. He was torn between letting Relena cry on his shoulder or letting Heero blister his ears over coffee. He wisely bit his tongue, holding back “I told you so’s” and offering only empathy and understanding. Good old Quatre.

It was getting old.

He knew better. Heero popped off at the mouth, every now and again. He should have known better than to take it personally, but Quatre was rattled. Heero’s near-miss left him shaken and raw, and he felt helpless, knowing his friend was almost taken from him. Quatre wanted to protect him, but he didn’t want him feeling smothered on his account.

He stared balefully at the piles of paper and spreadsheets. “Fuck this nonsense,” he muttered. He needed some time out of the house. Quatre walked past his reflection in his full-length mirror and made a face; he was still dressed for work, even though he’d been home for two hours. He headed for the shower and immersed himself in the hot spray, humming along to the CD player he kept on the commode top. He spiked his hair slightly with some gel and shaved quickly, then sprayed on a hint of Burberry.

He perused his closet’s offerings, walking into it and rifling through his hangers of newly returned dry cleaning. Nah. Quatre wasn’t in the mood for anything formal. An escape from the house and from life in general required comfy, scruffy togs. Rashid would throw a fit, but it couldn’t be helped. Quatre was in the mood to misbehave.

He whistled on his way out the door moments later, dressed in an older black leather jacket with myriad zippers, a snug white tee and battered Dickies jeans and short leather boots. Quatre eschewed any jewelry except for his class ring and a plain silver wristwatch. Rashid looked up in surprise from the kitchen table, where he was reading the paper and eating a slice of toast.

“Where do you need me to take you tonight, Master Quatre?”

“Nowhere,” he shrugged, grinning. “I’m in the mood for a drive.”

“No, nonono. That won’t do at all. I’ll just get my coat-“ Quatre stopped him.

“Don’t wait up, Rashid. I need some air. I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll pardon my temerity, sir…”

“I always have, Rashid.”

“This seems…er, a bit out of character.”

“Life’s boring when it’s too predictable, old friend.” Quatre clapped him on the shoulder fondly. “See you in the morning.” Before he could protest further, Quatre left him, whistling as he let the door slam after him.

“Where the hell did I leave my blood pressure pills?” Rashid muttered under his breath as the black Ferrari rumbled out of the garage.

*

Duo. Come to me, my sweet boy. The voices were melodic, rippling and melding into one of heart-stirring beauty. It was familiar to him at once.

Mother?

My Duo…I’ve missed you so. Stay with me, child. The shapes around him rippled and shimmered, changing until a sinewy, tall mermaiden swam before him, staring back at him with his own eyes. She reached for him, and his heart nearly burst with joy.

Mother! He was beside himself, rushing into her outstretched arms. Her long tendrils of chestnut hair wrapped around them both, and he felt her low chuckle.

There’s no need for us to be parted now, Duo.

I lost you. His tone was accusing and held remembered anguish and grief.

Never. You could never lose me, Duo.


*

Deep within her cave, Une smiled as she spoke.

…not even if you tried, my sweet boy.

*


Zechs plowed through the water at break-neck speed. His muscles burned with the effort, but he couldn’t slow down. Daphne’s words remained with him, pricking him. She will tempt him, and she will destroy him.

That was all Zechs needed to know. He made a sound of outrage when he found the fallen spear. Zechs plummeted to the floor and scooped it up, noticing the royal seal on the staff. He knew Duo had to have taken it with him, explaining how he’d gotten out of Remus’ lockdown. But it angered Zechs now, to think of his brother swimming aimlessly and unarmed. Damn it, Duo!

Strangling his brother with his hair was too good for him. He’d tie him against the gates back at the dome and leave him for the bottom feeders to gnaw…

Zechs exited the reef tunnel and noticed schools of tiny angelfish swimming quickly away from something in the distance. What’s wrong?

The Evil One. She toys with one of her children. By the caverns.

Show me!

Nay, Majesty. We shall be her dinner if we do.

I’m looking for my brother!

She has him. Or she will. Godspeed, Majesty. Zechs cursed, then waved as he took his leave. The fish burbled amongst themselves in pity and concern.

He saw something shimmering in the distance, against the dark outcropping of aged volcanic rock. The caverns. They’d always spooked him as a child, and they were the subject of old banshee’s tales meant to warm younglings away and keep them safe. He sped toward the glow, curious about the swarm of large jellyfish surrounding it.

He smelled the stench of ink and rot the closer he drew, and Zech growled at the sight of Duo’s familiar braid and blue tail.

What’s wrong with him? Zechs approached the scene and his eyes sparked with rage at the sight of the red, hectic rash along Duo’s arm. He’d been stung, poisoned with jellyfish venom, the more toxic strain of it produced by Une’s pets. It had a hallucinogenic effect on the victim, causing them to hear voices, and in Duo’s case, to have visions. His brother was eerily pale and his eyes were glazed, fixed on something Zechs couldn’t see. His expression was rapturous and blissful. Zechs had to make him snap out of it.

DUO! He embraced something that wasn’t there.

Mother…

That’s not your mother! There’s no one there! Zechs shouted into his mind. He reached his brother and grabbed him, shaking him roughly. Come to your senses!

No! NO! You can’t take me away from her!

She isn’t here, damn it! You don’t know where you are! I won’t let you stumble in here and end up dead, or worse!

She’s…she’s taking me home! Where I belong!

You belong with me, dummy! And with Father!

NO! Duo’s serene features twisted with anger, eyes full of fire. He shook off his brother’s restraining hands. LET ME GO! I HATE YOU! You let him lock me away!

I had no choice!

You would say that! You hate me, too! You’ve never wanted me!

Duo, damn it, come with- His words were cut off as a man-o-war swept behind him and snared him in its tentacles, dosing him with burning venom. Zechs scream was guttural and hoarse, eyes wide and sparking with white-blue currents. Duo looked horrified, mouth gaping.

Beside him, the visage of his mother beckoned to him. Leave him be…

I can’t! Mother, it’s Zechs! He’s hurt!

You don’t need him, child. Come with me. He can take care of himself! Her voice lost a hint of its lilt, hardening and growing more insistent. Duo stared into her face, unearthly beautiful but marred by something mocking, almost cruel.

That wasn’t how he remembered his mother.

He shook himself. No. No, he needs me, he argued.

Duo! OBEY ME!

NO!

He’s never been that obedient, you old deceiver, Zechs groaned as he fought the massive predator, stabbing into it with the spear. The acid burned, wracking him in agony, but he couldn’t succumb to it until he had his brother safe and far away from the caverns.

Mind your own business, nephew! Une ordered coldly through Duo’s mother’s lips. She narrowed violet eyes and sneered. You dare trespass in my realm?

You dare to take…what belongs…to my father, he countered bitterly. Loveless, miserable bitch… His voice grew weaker, and his flesh took on a unhealthy gray pallor. Red welts rose along his back and tail, and adrenaline flooded Duo.

ZECHS! Duo evaded the swarm of jellyfish, no longer beautiful to him. They massed around the brothers, menacing and smothering, emitting blinding flashes of light. SHOCK IT! QUICK! Zechs stared up into Duo’s face, wreathed in contrition and sorrow at the trap he’d led them into.

Take this…and get back… Zechs lobbed the spear toward him, and Duo caught it in his grip. Duo felt his brother gathering power from the surrounding current, feeding himself with energy from the water itself. He concentrated and generated an enormous charge, then channeled it into the man-o-war. The creature emitted a piercing, shrill scream that resonated and echoed through the cavern.

Une answered it with a keening wail of pain, and the specter of Duo’s mother warped and twisted, disappearing as the jellyfish gave up their radiance. They floated along, dead and spent in a mass of clumps. The man-o-war released Zechs from its poisonous grasp and drifted away. Duo hurried forward, rushing with his brother from the cavern.

I’m sorry…

Idiot…Zechs had no more words for him on their journey back to the dome. His brother’s condition was the only thing speeding Duo’s strokes. The tremors and his near-demise at Une’s hands were nothing compared to his father’s wrath.