Something light and soft hit his face, falling to the side before he could open his eyes. When he did look, he saw several more things following it, long white things that he only recognized as feathers after catching one and examining. Strange feathers...each one was easily a foot long and brilliantly white, with a seemingly gilt outline. He gazed across the darkening sky and saw that they were falling sporadically around him, but mostly in front of him, over the ocean.

"Oh, wow..." he gasped when he saw a lone object in the center of the feathery whirlwind. When he looked closer, he could make out the form of a tall boy plummeting from the sky. Duo looked down at the boy's landing spot and put one hand to his lips, knowing there was no way he could make it into shore by himself.

"I am such an idiot," Duo muttered to himself, rising and tucking his braid into his black clothing. Knowing he had no time to remove his clothes and that that ocean was so frigid the boy would probably freeze before he got there, he leaped from the cliff and plunged headfirst down towards the jagged rocks.

What had, at first, seemed to be his cloak now opened wide behind him, revealing itself to be two huge, leather wings, blacker than his clothing but sparkling with a violet incandescence whenever enough light shimmered over them. He spread them out to their full span, easily five feet on either side, and swept across the rocks, skimming just inches over the water, so that his clawed wing tips trailed in the water. A fine spray rose up after him, but it was forced down as the clouds finally started to release some of their pent up rain. With precious little time, Duo spotted the pale form floating in ocean just before it sank down beneath the surface. Angling his wings, he broke upwards for a moment before diving straight into the foamy sea.

He could see the young boy clearly now and thanked heaven they were far enough below the waves that the fragile body was only gently tossed about. Wondering if the human in his arms was even still alive, Duo dived down another fathom, then turned and violently forced his body up out of the ocean, rising with his wings out to their fullest. He flapped them hard once, twice, three times, trying to get high enough to escape the rising waves. As he struggled, his head lowered just enough to see two glowing objects charging at him from deep within the water.

"Hell, just my luck," he growled, doubling his efforts. Finally, at least twelve feet in the air now, he gave one final push just as the sea serpent's head exploded from the ocean, jaws already opened wide in anticipation of its next meal. Moving as fast as he could, Duo's boots landed directly on the serpent's angular snout and used the reptile's thrust to push himself up even higher. Thirty more feet in the air, the serpent fell backwards into the sea, thwarted, and Duo was able to comfortably sail back onto the cliff.

Now the rain truly began to come down in torrents, as if it had been holding back before. Gazing softly on the unconscious human, Duo cradled him more securely in his arms and carried him back to the little cabin at the base of the cliff. His wings curled around him protectively, shielding him from the storm.

Using one wing to push the door open, Duo brought him inside and sealed the door again. He placed the boy on the fur rug before the fireplace and added several small pieces of wood to the fire. The resultant flames leaped higher and gave the room a cheerier light. Duo then rushed to his bed and pulled the blankets from it, bringing them back over to the front room. Now that some of the water had dripped from their bodies, he wrapped the boy up in the thickest blanket, noticing with a blush that he was quite naked. Laying another blanket over his own lap, he pulled his guest into his lap and held him close, strictly to warm him up of course, and unfurled his wings again, curling them to catch all the fire's warmth.

"Wh...where...where am...I...?"

Brilliantly dark blue eyes opened up and stared at Duo, and he responded with a broad smile. "My home, just off the Hirolean sea. I saw you fall into the ocean, so I brought you out. You know, you're lucky you didn't drown, or get eaten by a sea serpent. But you're probably frozen through now, so just rest for awhile."

The boy blinked in surprise at the onslaught of words. "Who are you?"

"Duo Maxwell! I may run and hide, but I never lie." Duo grinned and slowly brought his wings in so the boy wouldn't notice them. They folded tightly behind his back and dropped into their usual cloaked state. "And who might you be?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but a confused look flashed over his face. "I...don't know."

Duo nodded as if he had expected that. "Do you remember anything? Did you fall off an albatross?"

He stared at him. "Fall...off a bird?"

Duo shrugged. "Well, since there were all these feathers falling around you...I thought, maybe..."

"Feathers?" he wondered. "No...I don't think I fell from a bird..."

"Well, I need to be able to call you something," Duo chirped. "Since I got you out of the Hirolean sea, let's call you Hiro for now, okay? At least until you remember your name."

The boy's eyes lit up for a moment. "That sounds...familiar...no, call me, Heero..."

"Heero?" Duo repeated. "Okay. Try to get some sleep, huh? I'll watch over you."

A gleam of distrust entered Heero's eyes, and he tried to push himself up. Duo, however, just held him tighter and pulled the blankets further around his slender body. "Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just saved you, right? I don't think you jumped from the sky to kill yourself, so don't be so grumpy."

Heero snorted, but he settled down anyway. As soon as his eyes closed, he fell fast asleep. Duo smiled, his eyes losing some of their darkness, and he spread his wings out again. He would keep his new treasure as safe and comfy as he could.

*****

Heero woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, enveloped in a soft warmth. He opened his eyes and sat up, the blankets riding low on his shoulder as he looked around himself. He was still on the floor, but the fire had gone out, letting in a chill that made him pull a blanket back up over his body. Aside from the wind whistling outside, the area was completely silent.

"Morning!" Duo said, suddenly popping in from the other room. "Glad you're up, you looked like you were having nightmares. I got some clothes for you, I hope they fit. I haven't worn them in awhile, so they might be a bit small...actually, all my stuff might be too small for you. You're bigger than I am."

Duo tossed his handful of clothing down to Heero, who spread them out on his lap. They looked serviceable, if sparse. The pants were black, but they would likely be tight, and the top was a green shirt with several holes along the seams. Still, he noticed that clothes Duo was currently wearing weren't in the best of shape either. He looked up at him, the suspicious gleam still in his eye. "Why are you helping me?"

A faint blush crept over Duo's cheeks, and turned aside to build the fire up again. "Um...rules of hospitality, y'know. You're my guest."

"Is that the only reason?"

Duo sighed, realizing Heero would probably keep questioning him until he gave in. Might as well say it now. "Well, you're pretty..."

Heero looked at him expectantly. "Pretty...?" he repeated, pressing Duo to finish that thought.

Duo gave him a shy smile. "Yeah."

Heero sat back as his jaw dropped slightly. Oh, that's what he meant. He looked away and slipped the shirt on. Duo lowered his eyes and finished with the fire. Well, at least he'd tried. He stood up and headed to the door.

"I'll be outside if you need me," he said, forcing his grin. "I need to get some more wood and pick up some flowers. Be back soon!"

"Flowers?" Heero wondered, but Duo vanished before he could ask. Heero pulled the pants on, then frowned when the cloth cinched against his calves. He reached down and tore the frayed cloth away, leaving him with tight shorts that ended an inch above his knee. The shirt also felt constricting around the neck and arms, so he tore off the sleeves and some of the neckline, which made a loose tank top of sorts. Spotting the yellow shoes near the door, he figured Duo had left them for him and slipped them on. Once he stood up, he looked around for something to do. He knew there was no way he would remember where he was from or who he was, so he might as well occupy himself with work. The fire distracted him for a moment, looking strangely familiar but wrong somehow. He dismissed it as poor deja vu. Nodding once to himself, he went outside.

Not too far away, Duo was stripping a bare tree of its dead branches, pulling off the lighter ones that he could reach. The tree was likely entirely dead, all twisted and dry as it was, but Duo still left most of it standing. Heero walked towards him, ignoring the way the wind bit at his skin. His foot landed on a bit of bark that snapped under his weight, catching Duo's attention. The braided boy turned and stared, crouching into a fighting stance until he saw who it was. Then he relaxed and smiled again.

"Oh, Heero, you startled me!" he smiled.

"Who else would I be?" Heero asked, examining the landscape. "There's no one else out here for miles."

Duo's grin wavered, and he went back to stripping the tree. "Trust me, it's best to keep your guard up. Help me bring these in, huh?"

Heero bent and gathered up every piece of wood, easily holding them in his arms. Duo's smile returned as he watched the other boy's muscles move. "I need to get some flowers, too, but those are next to the house."

As they walked back, Heero turned to look at Duo. "Why do you need flowers?"

Duo's smile disappeared as he realized his slipup. "Uh..." Mentally he berated himself that something so insignificant would end up driving Heero farther from him. "I...uh...need them."

"Why?" Heero insisted. They came up against the cabin, where Duo pulled several large, dark blossoms off of a thorny hedge. Each one was as large as his hand, but most of them were closed tight. Once he had a few handfuls, he walked with Heero back inside.

"They're the only thing to eat around here," Duo said lamely, knowing how pitiful an excuse it was.

Heero tried to make sense out of that as he set the wood to the side, tossing one branch into the flames. He watched as Duo dunked the petals into a small basin of water, washing off dirt and dust and picking off the leaves, tossing spiders away as well. Duo picked one clean one up and bit into it, chewing the petals a bit before taking another bite.

Heero considered that for a moment, then also picked one up and bit into it. As soon as the soft, bitter things hit his mouth, he froze and his eyes shut, as if in pain. A memory of bright light and impossibly cool warmth washed over him, and he remembered the notes of a song without beginning and without end, unbelievably beautiful and stern and forgiving. A memory of white and gold and clean fire and...suspense? Falling? A cold heat scalding his back...

He gasped and stumbled forward, caught in Duo's outstretched arms. For several minutes he fought to catch his breath, allowing himself to be supported. Duo's eyes were wide in shock. He hadn't expected anything like that to happen.

"Heero?" he whispered, afraid the boy in his embrace might shatter.

Even in his shock, Heero noticed something flicker near his eye. He reached one arm forward and grabbed Duo's cloak, brow creasing as he felt the heavy texture of what he thought was cloth. Duo, however, gasped sharply as hands stroked his highly sensitive wings. He reflexively pulled them back and to the side, flaring them out slightly before he could stop himself.

Heero withdrew from his hold, tripping backward to land on the rug. "What are you?"

Duo saw the panic in Heero's eyes and held his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly.

Heero scrambled back to his feet and backed away further. "You're a demon," he growled. "Enemy."

Duo's shoulders drooped, as did his wings, the tips sagging on the ground. He lowered his eyes and folded his arms as if he was cold. "I am a demon," he admitted in a weak voice, "but I'm not your enemy. I'm no one's enemy. I don't want to fight anymore."

Heero shook his head. "No, you're a demon. Demons are my enemy. I must destroy all demons."

Duo looked up, tears gathering in his eyes. "What if I don't fight back?"

Heero stared at him. "Demons always fight," he argued. "Demons are evil."

Duo sank to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. "I'm not evil," he murmured. "I'm not evil. I just don't want to fight anymore." His wings curled in front of him, wrapping over his shoulders like a security blanket.

Heero had no idea what to make of this. Duo was a demon, he said so himself, but...he'd taken him in, saved his life, even given him clothing...something was awfully wrong about this situation. He was certain things would make much more sense if he could remember anything, but without his memories...

"Duo...what's going on?" he asked, slowly sitting down so he wouldn't appear as threatening. "I don't understand any of this. Why do I think you're my enemy, and what fight are you trying to leave?"

Duo looked up from between his wings. "I...you're not going to do anything?"

"I don't know," Heero answered honestly. "Not until I understand, at least."

Deciding that was probably as good as he was going to get, Duo nodded. "Um...okay. I guess maybe you didn't fall off an albatross," he smiled weakly. "I think you're...a fallen angel."

Heero raised one eyebrow, but he didn't interrupt.

"Those feathers must have come from your wings...I don't know why you fell, but I do know what angels are like. I...I used to be one...I used to be the angel of death. I was the only one in the Bright City with black wings, and...I didn't really fit in. There were a few others who were nice to me. The angel without a name, and the angel of feelings, they were good friends, and the angel of justice was cool, but...then the Bright City suddenly declared war on the Dark Faction, or...or at least, the war seemed to be continued, I don't know if it had ever ended. And it went on for so long...all the fighting, and bloodshed...I don't know how long it went on, time moves so strangely there, but there was so much pain and suffering...angels and demons losing wings and limbs and...and I couldn't do anything but use my scythe, and even that couldn't do much..."

"Why?"

Duo wiped the tears that were falling. "I'm the angel of death...but angels and demons, we don't die, not really...we can only be eradicated from existence. I was useless there. And then I found out more angels were to be created, to turn a battle that couldn't possibly end. And...I couldn't fight anymore. I was released from my duties and sent away, but the falling...I was already an angel of death, and my nature was so dark...the falling changed me."

"Changed you?"

"I can't go back," Duo mumbled. "I'm stuck down here. It's really not that bad here, but...it used to be so beautiful. There used to be trees and thousands of flowers, and it didn't rain every day...the serpents stayed at the bottom of the sea..."

"What happened here?"

"The war's knocked everything out of balance," Duo sniffled. "Things are working the way they're supposed to. But it's like none of them up there notice. They just keep on fighting."

Heero nodded to himself. "I...remember that. I remember them now...everyone wanted to fight so badly, and I was told all demons were evil...but if you were an angel once, then...they can't be that different."

Duo shrugged. "I don't know. Why did you fall?"

"It had something to do with you," Heero said, knowing it was true but not sure how he knew.

"Me?" Duo asked. "But I'm nothing special."

"You stopped fighting," Heero countered.

"That's not special."

"No one else stopped."

Duo stared at him, nervously tugging at his braid. "Oh."

Heero crawled over and sat right in front of him, crossing his legs. "Yes, it had to do with you," he said, more to himself than Duo. "I made several angels angry...I think..." A light of recognition flared up in his eyes, and his head snapped up. "I remember!" he all but yelled. "I was the key to--"

The fire in the hearth exploded into a brilliant white flame, and the wind outside howled even louder as lightning flashed outside. Duo yelped and jumped toward Heero, settling in his lap and throwing his arms around him for protection. Heero lay one arm on Duo's waist and leaned back on the other, glancing around wildly.

And then the fire, the cabin, even the land just disappeared.

"Heero?" Duo mumbled, too frightened to look. He kept his face buried in companion's shirt.

"Don't look," Heero said, wondering how they were still sitting when there was nothing beneath them. Everything had gone dark.

A tiny flicker of light appeared before him, slowly growing brighter and brighter until he could make out the figures of four winged angels before him. One held a long sword, another two curved blades, and the third held a knife, while the fourth, which was obviously female, had no weapon at all.

"Well, Heero, have you decided?" she asked, smiling.

"Don't answer her!" another voice echoed from behind him.

Heero turned slightly and saw another entourage, this time of three darkly winged angels. He would have called them demons before, but now...he wasn't so sure.

The first, the one with reddish hair, crossed his arms. "His memory was impeded in the fall," he stated.

The second figure, one with platinum blonde hair, nodded. "He does not know the implications of his choice."

The girl just sighed. "Treize, really, you've already agreed to this."

One of the angels behind her nodded. "Time has come for justice to finally be decided."

"I think justice here is a bit too blind," the platinum blonde said.

"You have no right to speak here, Miliardo," the girl snapped. "You can't even make up your mind what side your on."

"Aren't you one to talk, Relena?" the other female said, finishing one bun in her hair. "You wanted to 'be drenched in my blood,' as you so quaintly put it."

Recognizing some of the names, Duo lifted his gaze to see the angels around them. "Q-Quatre?" he whispered. "Trowa? But...how...I'm not allowed in the city anymore..."

Quatre smiled. "Things have changed since you left."

"For the worse," Wufei added.

"We need his decision," Relena stated.

"He has heard a biased opinion," Miliardo argued. "He cannot possibly give a decision."

"Duo was the only one far enough removed to give a fair representation of what's going on," Trowa said softly. "Without wondering if he would be rewarded for a false explanation."

"Heero is blinded by his affections for the demon," Une said.

"Those affections were taken from his mind before he fell!" Relena said in a harsh voice.

"That move also took his other memories," Treize countered. "He is impaired."

"No, he's just not impaired in your favor," Quatre said softly. "That's why you're so dead set against this decision."

"You're so certain his angelic blood lust will override his sense of justice," Miliardo said.

"Quite the opposite," Wufei growled. "You demons are the ones who love the thrill of inflicting pain."

Relena stared intently at Heero. "Well, decide. Who dies, angels or demons?"

Heero wrapped his arms even tighter around Duo, trying to keep a hold of his emotions. Decide? How could he?

"Don't answer her!" all three dark angels yelled.

"Make the choice!" Relena demanded.

The angels began bickering amongst each other, filling up the emptiness with angry words. Beneath them, Duo looked up into Heero's eyes.

"You were sent to decide who to kill?"

Heero, however, was focused on something far more important. "I had affections for you before I fell." He lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to Duo's. No one else noticed, consumed with their own actions. When they pulled back, Duo smiled and lay his head on his chest.

"An angel and a demon can fall in love," he said sadly, "but where would they live?"

Heero shook his head coldly. "An angel and a demon cannot fall in love," he said.

Duo looked up in shock. Their kiss had meant nothing?

Heero grabbed the end of Duo's braid possessively. "There is no such thing as a demon. Only angels. Angels of a different kind, but angels nonetheless." He looked up at the bickering angels. "I've made my choice!"

Most of them froze, but Relena stepped forward. "What is your choice?"

"My choice...is there is no choice."

They all stopped and stared. "What?"

"There are no demons," Heero said. "Only angels. If you want to kill one, then you kill everyone."

"But that's not a solution!" Relena and Treize said together, then glared at each other.

"It is one of two solutions," Heero shook his head. "If you want true peace, then you must either kill everyone...or live with the petty arguments and normal acts of violence life brings. That is my answer and my choice."

For a moment, they all stood in absolute shock at the third answer he'd found to a two-answer question. Of course no one wanted to die...but then...to have the other side alive too? And then Quatre began to giggle. "I hate to say it, but I told you so."

Wufei growled and sheathed his sword. "And you're going to ram that down our throats every day from here to infinity, aren't you?"

Trowa smiled faintly and put his knife away. "I'll find a way to seal those lips of his."

"Then...no one dies?" Miliardo asked, confused.

"No one dies," Relena said slowly. "He's made his decision."

"Then there will be no peace," Treize argued feebly.

"Only a peace that will keep life interesting," Duo smiled. "Consider yourself forcefully compromised."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Compromises...where no one gets what they want."

"But...we did get what we want..." Relena sighed. She stared at Heero, who was gazing with a stony affection at Duo, who was practically melting in his arms. "Well, almost." She sighed again.

Trowa shifted to one foot. "So now what?"

"Back to work," Wufei groaned. "Obviously."

"Then...I'm the angel of death again?" Duo asked.

Relena nodded. "Everyone back to their duties...boring, old duties..." She stared at Heero. "If we've all got to go back to work, then so do you!"

And Heero latched back onto Duo as two feathery wings appeared on his back, protruding from around the tank top.

*****

"Heero, I'm home!" The angel of death placed his scythe by the door and ran towards his lover.

Heero looked up from the hearth where he was seated, pulling apart dozens of different flowers to fill up the plates before him. He gave his dark-winged beauty a small smile, suffering a long hug from Duo, who seemed to be full of energy. "You're back early," he whispered, giving him a kiss.

"Light day," Duo chirped. "Not so many people are dying now."

"And Miliardo and Noin forced back into their own duties doesn't help?" Heero smirked.

Duo grinned and joined him by the hearth, helping to pull apart flowers. "I didn't know they were supposed to be angels of death, too. You should see them fly together...I wonder why they didn't opt to live down here."

Heero shook his head. "Not everyone likes living on earth."

Duo sighed. "But why not? It's so pretty now that things are back to normal. The sky's blue, everything's growing again, the ocean's pretty, and...Heero, I saw a unicorn today! I thought they were all gone!"

"Just like the sea serpents?" Heero asked. "And the mermaids?"

"You're still jealous I talk to Hilde sometimes, aren't you?" Duo smiled teasingly. "I've told you, we're just good friends. I'm not good with boy/girl relationships."

"And how many have you had?" Heero asked in a deceptively light voice.

"Gah, you're so literal sometimes!" Duo said, stealing a quick kiss. "You better be in a nicer mood when they come over."

"You're worried about my mood?" Heero shook his head. "Wufei will be absorbed in the latest injustice in the world, Quatre and Trowa will be absorbed in each other, Relena and Treize won't be able to stop fighting, Miliardo will be trying to get them to stop, Noin will be fighting for his attention, and Sally and Une will be at each other's throats. You want me in a good mood?"

Duo nodded firmly. "Yes, to help me keep them from fighting even more than usual."

"Mission accepted."

Duo sighed and idly munched on a stray petal. "Just my luck I would fall in love with the angel of soldiers."

"Perfect soldiers," Heero reminded him.

"Just because Treize is an angel of fallen soldiers..." Duo grumbled.

Heero, who was quite tired of hearing Duo mention that all the time, reached forward and softly ran his fingers down along Duo's folded wings.

The braided boy shivered at his touch and grabbed Heero's hand. "They won't be here for another few hours," he said. "We have some time to ourselves now."

"What about the flowers?" Heero asked, not really caring.

"The flowers can wait." Duo pulled Heero away from the fireplace, and Heero smiled again, and his feathery wings enfolding his lover. Duo grinned and allowed Heero to climb over him, pushing him into the soft fur. "I want you to make love to me right now."

Heero lay across his him and started to pull the black clothes away. "Mission accepted."

The End