Mirror, mirror on the wall...
Aug. 11th, 2006 01:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
keire_keWOOOHOOO!! Saiyuki volume 3!!! Lovely surprise, thank you Waneko! Granted, I still have a bone to pick with you about the general aesthetics of the fonts and the minor issues of translation, but thank you anyways. <3
Mirror Street was one of these places. Those people both loved and hated with a passion. Most, tourists in particular, got frustrated beyond belief just looking for it. This frustrations stemmed from a very simple fact: according to maps and official listings there was no such place. Its actual name was much more mundane and sensible, forgotten but everyone but the unhappy cartographers and travel guides.
The locals felt a bizarre mixture of love and hate for the way for the same reason tourists swarmed towards the street: a while ago the owners of most buildings (mostly shopping centres) thought that an addition of mirrors out front would encourage the clientele. For some reason, they each had the idea at the very same time, which made travelling difficult very fast.
How easy was it, to navigate a straight path in-between infinity?
“I think Duo mentioned once that Solo thought it up,” Quatre whispered. He didn’t dare to raise his voice. The street was devoid of anything even remotely resembling movement, adding to its already surreal feel. The air itself seemed to have stopped, filling the space with dead weight.
“It’s somewhat disconcerting.”
“I believe that was the idea.”
Heero ignored the conversation behind his back. His feet carried him on their own, even if his head tried to slow them down. They couldn’t have missed Duo.
Not the way he was standing in the middle, facing the grandest anterior on the street, not paying any attention to their approach.
“Oh god!” Quatre breathed suddenly. The remaining three looked at him in surprise.
“Wrong side, this time,” Wufei put in dryly.
“Look at the mirrors!” Heero turned his head and stared. Duo had said a human couldn’t see the supernatural unless the conditions were extreme or an entity of choice revealed itself. Apparently, all bets were off. Each mirror behind Duo’s back was filled with the silhouettes of angels – beautiful, cold, warrior angels.
He feared to look at the other side.
“Heero,” He heard Quatre whisper.
“What?” he bit back, though he knew just what the blond was thinking. End this now. Before all of these perfect soldiers walk out of the mirrors and turn the Earth into a battlefield.
“Nothing. You have to…”
“I know,” he said. His grip on the gun was steady. Years of training served him well – no matter what the emotional state, he could split a playing card on the shooting range. Dimly he noted that this would make a very effective exercise, shooting one’s crush between the eyes. Unpopular one, but useful when picking the men for hopeless jobs.
Duo took no notice of his approach, it seemed, until the muzzle of the gun nearly nudged his forehead. It was only then that he raised his eyes.
“Heero,” he said warmly. The officer did his best to ignore the enchanting violet eyes. He looked away, at the angels, trying to get his finger to pull the trigger. It was a lot harder than he expected.
Behind him, Quatre and Wufei were hissing expectantly, obviously as puzzled as he was by Duo’s flippant attitude to the gun trained on his forehead. Don’t think of Duo, Heero reminded himself, fixing his stare on the mirror behind the black-clad man. Think of how much you hate the flaming sulphur.
“Are you going to kill me, Heero?” Duo asked suddenly, just as Heero’s eyes were inevitably drawn to their reflection.
Only… There was no Duo in the mirror.
Heero could see the legions of angels, their pale-haired leader, himself, with a gun pointed straight ahead, at the figure which must have been the Antichrist, as impossible as it seemed, but which lacked the coppery braid or black leather. He took a step back.
“Are you going to kill me again?” Duo asked, his lips forming a childish pout.
Heero’s hands shook.
“Isn’t that your pet ghost?” he heard Quatre ask incredulously. It took a great effort for Heero to turn around. Even more so, to look at the reflection of that adorable pout, framed by reddish hair and butterfly hairpins.
“My what?” he asked weakly, grateful to have something to divert his attention.
“When you visited today there was a spirit hovering about you, but it was gone when we got to you later, and I’m sure it’s this girl I saw then,” Quatre explained, his voice losing volume steadily. “Is anyone thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I killed her. Five years ago in a hostage raid,” Heero said ignoring the blond clairvoyant. His grip on the handle of the gun tightened to the point of pain.
If possible, the silence got even more quiet. It was as if the whole world held its breath.
“Wait. Are you trying to tell me Heero had already killed the Antichrist? Without anyone noticing?” Wufei asked, his voice filled with disbelief so strong, it was already a denial. Quatre bristled at the jibe.
“I’m a psychic, not a TV!”
“Are you trying to tell me the Antichrist wears ruffles?” Trowa marvelled instead. Heero found a bit of comfort in the fact that the bodyguard, although a lot more used to the freaky side of life, was just as astounded by the spectacle as he was. It made him feel a bit better at first.
And then a lot better.
“You’re saying Duo is not the Antichrist?” he asked almost breathlessly, but not quite. He would never allow his voice to acquire the breathless tone. “He can be saved?”
“Even if he isn’t, that doesn’t mean he’s safe,” Wufei said with a shake of his head. “Duo is too good to just let himself be possessed, even by the Antichrist him- herself,” he corrected quickly, miffed by the concept. “He had to agree.”
“Don’t be an idiot! He would never agree!”
“He had,” they heard Duo’s voice admit Duo’s voluntary participation. “I needed a body, I couldn’t do much as a ghost.” The little girl in the mirror straightened the pristine white ruffles on her skirt. Her face had the patented expression every adorable child around the globe quickly learns to use to its advantage: “I’m the ultimate incarnation of cute and I know you cannot resist me.”
“You have to kill him, Heero,” Wufei said, his voice steady but underlined with tremors. “However it happened, Duo is the Antichrist now.”
“I can’t! Duo is not the Antichrist, I can’t kill an innocent person!”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with that girl in the first place.”
“It was a fucking accident, alright? I miscalculated!”
“Aim for the mirrors then, and miscalculate again,” Wufei hissed.
“I will not shoot Duo, you asshole!” Heero almost yelled in the other’s face.
“What do you want to shoot me with?” The voice was honestly puzzled. Both man looked at the mischievous look in Duo’s wide eyes and then down, at the gun Heero was still gripping. Or what used to be the gun.
“What the fuck!” Heero was now holding a very bewildered stuffed puppy. He dropped it with another curse. Duo giggled. If there was any doubt about the Antichrist’s gender and mental age, it faded in the face of the giggles. The officer glared around, helplessly.
“That’s my girl,” a proud voice declared all of sudden. The four men turned to look at the mirror Duo was facing. To Heero’s surprise, the armies of Hell turned out to be not so different from the armies of Heaven. Truthfully, he’d have a hard time telling one from the other.
So, he really shouldn’t be surprised that the Morningstar looked like an attractive, ginger-haired man in his early thirties. Hooves and tails were a thing of the past apparently; the Devil wore Armani this season. Somehow, Heero felt oddly comforted by the presence of forked eyebrows. Tradition was important, people often said.
Of course, the tradition took a serious blow when Lucifer took a sip of what looked like a Martini, and placed his hand on the little girl’s head. He gave the men on the other side a winsome grin, focusing on Heero. The detective stared back, surprised.
“It is time, darling,” the devil said. Out on Mirror Street, Duo walked to the wall and placed his palms against the glass. Even though he was a lot taller than the girl, their palms met without losing the mirror effect. “Open the gates.”
Mirror Street was one of these places. Those people both loved and hated with a passion. Most, tourists in particular, got frustrated beyond belief just looking for it. This frustrations stemmed from a very simple fact: according to maps and official listings there was no such place. Its actual name was much more mundane and sensible, forgotten but everyone but the unhappy cartographers and travel guides.
The locals felt a bizarre mixture of love and hate for the way for the same reason tourists swarmed towards the street: a while ago the owners of most buildings (mostly shopping centres) thought that an addition of mirrors out front would encourage the clientele. For some reason, they each had the idea at the very same time, which made travelling difficult very fast.
How easy was it, to navigate a straight path in-between infinity?
“I think Duo mentioned once that Solo thought it up,” Quatre whispered. He didn’t dare to raise his voice. The street was devoid of anything even remotely resembling movement, adding to its already surreal feel. The air itself seemed to have stopped, filling the space with dead weight.
“It’s somewhat disconcerting.”
“I believe that was the idea.”
Heero ignored the conversation behind his back. His feet carried him on their own, even if his head tried to slow them down. They couldn’t have missed Duo.
Not the way he was standing in the middle, facing the grandest anterior on the street, not paying any attention to their approach.
“Oh god!” Quatre breathed suddenly. The remaining three looked at him in surprise.
“Wrong side, this time,” Wufei put in dryly.
“Look at the mirrors!” Heero turned his head and stared. Duo had said a human couldn’t see the supernatural unless the conditions were extreme or an entity of choice revealed itself. Apparently, all bets were off. Each mirror behind Duo’s back was filled with the silhouettes of angels – beautiful, cold, warrior angels.
He feared to look at the other side.
“Heero,” He heard Quatre whisper.
“What?” he bit back, though he knew just what the blond was thinking. End this now. Before all of these perfect soldiers walk out of the mirrors and turn the Earth into a battlefield.
“Nothing. You have to…”
“I know,” he said. His grip on the gun was steady. Years of training served him well – no matter what the emotional state, he could split a playing card on the shooting range. Dimly he noted that this would make a very effective exercise, shooting one’s crush between the eyes. Unpopular one, but useful when picking the men for hopeless jobs.
Duo took no notice of his approach, it seemed, until the muzzle of the gun nearly nudged his forehead. It was only then that he raised his eyes.
“Heero,” he said warmly. The officer did his best to ignore the enchanting violet eyes. He looked away, at the angels, trying to get his finger to pull the trigger. It was a lot harder than he expected.
Behind him, Quatre and Wufei were hissing expectantly, obviously as puzzled as he was by Duo’s flippant attitude to the gun trained on his forehead. Don’t think of Duo, Heero reminded himself, fixing his stare on the mirror behind the black-clad man. Think of how much you hate the flaming sulphur.
“Are you going to kill me, Heero?” Duo asked suddenly, just as Heero’s eyes were inevitably drawn to their reflection.
Only… There was no Duo in the mirror.
Heero could see the legions of angels, their pale-haired leader, himself, with a gun pointed straight ahead, at the figure which must have been the Antichrist, as impossible as it seemed, but which lacked the coppery braid or black leather. He took a step back.
“Are you going to kill me again?” Duo asked, his lips forming a childish pout.
Heero’s hands shook.
“Isn’t that your pet ghost?” he heard Quatre ask incredulously. It took a great effort for Heero to turn around. Even more so, to look at the reflection of that adorable pout, framed by reddish hair and butterfly hairpins.
“My what?” he asked weakly, grateful to have something to divert his attention.
“When you visited today there was a spirit hovering about you, but it was gone when we got to you later, and I’m sure it’s this girl I saw then,” Quatre explained, his voice losing volume steadily. “Is anyone thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I killed her. Five years ago in a hostage raid,” Heero said ignoring the blond clairvoyant. His grip on the handle of the gun tightened to the point of pain.
If possible, the silence got even more quiet. It was as if the whole world held its breath.
“Wait. Are you trying to tell me Heero had already killed the Antichrist? Without anyone noticing?” Wufei asked, his voice filled with disbelief so strong, it was already a denial. Quatre bristled at the jibe.
“I’m a psychic, not a TV!”
“Are you trying to tell me the Antichrist wears ruffles?” Trowa marvelled instead. Heero found a bit of comfort in the fact that the bodyguard, although a lot more used to the freaky side of life, was just as astounded by the spectacle as he was. It made him feel a bit better at first.
And then a lot better.
“You’re saying Duo is not the Antichrist?” he asked almost breathlessly, but not quite. He would never allow his voice to acquire the breathless tone. “He can be saved?”
“Even if he isn’t, that doesn’t mean he’s safe,” Wufei said with a shake of his head. “Duo is too good to just let himself be possessed, even by the Antichrist him- herself,” he corrected quickly, miffed by the concept. “He had to agree.”
“Don’t be an idiot! He would never agree!”
“He had,” they heard Duo’s voice admit Duo’s voluntary participation. “I needed a body, I couldn’t do much as a ghost.” The little girl in the mirror straightened the pristine white ruffles on her skirt. Her face had the patented expression every adorable child around the globe quickly learns to use to its advantage: “I’m the ultimate incarnation of cute and I know you cannot resist me.”
“You have to kill him, Heero,” Wufei said, his voice steady but underlined with tremors. “However it happened, Duo is the Antichrist now.”
“I can’t! Duo is not the Antichrist, I can’t kill an innocent person!”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with that girl in the first place.”
“It was a fucking accident, alright? I miscalculated!”
“Aim for the mirrors then, and miscalculate again,” Wufei hissed.
“I will not shoot Duo, you asshole!” Heero almost yelled in the other’s face.
“What do you want to shoot me with?” The voice was honestly puzzled. Both man looked at the mischievous look in Duo’s wide eyes and then down, at the gun Heero was still gripping. Or what used to be the gun.
“What the fuck!” Heero was now holding a very bewildered stuffed puppy. He dropped it with another curse. Duo giggled. If there was any doubt about the Antichrist’s gender and mental age, it faded in the face of the giggles. The officer glared around, helplessly.
“That’s my girl,” a proud voice declared all of sudden. The four men turned to look at the mirror Duo was facing. To Heero’s surprise, the armies of Hell turned out to be not so different from the armies of Heaven. Truthfully, he’d have a hard time telling one from the other.
So, he really shouldn’t be surprised that the Morningstar looked like an attractive, ginger-haired man in his early thirties. Hooves and tails were a thing of the past apparently; the Devil wore Armani this season. Somehow, Heero felt oddly comforted by the presence of forked eyebrows. Tradition was important, people often said.
Of course, the tradition took a serious blow when Lucifer took a sip of what looked like a Martini, and placed his hand on the little girl’s head. He gave the men on the other side a winsome grin, focusing on Heero. The detective stared back, surprised.
“It is time, darling,” the devil said. Out on Mirror Street, Duo walked to the wall and placed his palms against the glass. Even though he was a lot taller than the girl, their palms met without losing the mirror effect. “Open the gates.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-08-10 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 08:34 am (UTC)*wide grin*
no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 08:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 04:59 am (UTC)Soooooo, more????
no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 08:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 07:22 am (UTC)I’m the ultimate incarnation of cute
*dies laughing* That was too funny. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2006-08-11 08:40 am (UTC)*grins* Kids do that, don't they? Stare at you with big, shiny eyes and you just know they know you won't be able to do a damn thing...