Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3.828
Warnings: supernatural, angst
Summary: To finally bring perfect harmony to this world, there has to be balance.

Balance
by Bloody_winged

"My child, why are you crying? I can feel your tears in my heart. What has happened to make you feel such pain?" the voice of his Father asked.

Heero never lifted his head as he stood before him, hanging onto the last bit of dignity he had, not wanting to break down. He had sworn he would be strong. Breaking down now was not acceptable.

"He left today, Father. He left me behind as I always knew he would," he answered quietly, his voice filled with anguish. Yes, he had always known this day would come, but never had he thought it would be this soon.

Feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked up. On the face of the old man was a sad smile, but it showed determination nonetheless.

"My son, you know he hasn't left you. He has gone to train to become what he was always meant to be. You've known this day would come since I brought you into existence. He will be back one day. You just have to have faith."

Heero knew all that. He had always known about it, therefore he didn't know what to do but nod. However, it didn't change anything about the feelings of betrayal and longing, of loneliness and fear inside of him.

The hand on his shoulder squeezed it slightly, signaling the young man to once again make eye-contact with his Father.

"Have faith. If not in me, then in him. Even if it wouldn't be his fate to be by your side, he never would leave you."

Heero just nodded again, not able to reply. With one last squeeze, he was released. He didn't hesitate to turn around and leave.

"He has changed," the woman observed, never taking her eyes away from her pupil, even as she spoke to another instructor. The other, a man looking no older than twenty, nodded.

"We all knew the absence of his other would hit him hard. But this is necessary."

His words rang true, but it didn't make it easier for her to watch her student of so many years already. The young man had grown on her, awakening maternal instincts she never knew she possessed.

"I'm worried what will become of him," she sighed at last, watching the frown on the handsome face as Heero went through his routine, practicing the moves they had taught him.

"He will become what the Creator meant for him to be," her companion answered, laying his arm around her shoulders. "His path has already been decided, long before we ever met him. All we can do is show him how to walk it as best as we can."

Sighing again the woman nodded, knowing he was right. There was nothing they could do in their positions. It didn't matter how much they cared. All they could do is watch from the sidelines.

"It has been five years already since he left," a voice whispered, watching in awe the stoic young man walking past him and his friends. "I thought for sure he would be back by now," another answered, the voice full of sympathy. "It can't be easy for him either."

"I would like to know if he has changed so much too. I can barely recognize Heero anymore," the youngest of them said, a sigh filled with sadness following.

It was hard for them all, watching their Brother become something they had never known. Heero hadn't spoken since the day his other had left; his expressions seemingly freezing into one mask, showing nothing but numbness.

Neither of them knew what had led their Father to make this decision. To create those two only to tear them apart. It was hard for them to believe. He had always been so loving and giving, always finding time for them whenever they needed an ear to listen to them. To think he was able to such cruelty was shaking most of their faith to the very core. Still, they believed.

The oldest of them wrapped his arms around the other two, holding them close. Giving them the strength they needed to look forward.

The old man was watching with a growing sadness as he looked into the pool of water, softly flowing in the midst of his chamber. Colors within the fluid gave form to one particular child of his, showing him his youngest son going through another of his practices.

It pained him to see what his choices had brought upon one of his children, but there was nothing to be done about it. It was necessary. They would both thank him for it one day. For all the pain they experienced now, they would cherish it all the more once the day came when they would be united again.

However, that didn't make it easier on him. He loved all those under his care and it pained him to not being able to help, to ease the hurt inside of his child.

His heart heavy, he walked to the hearth not far away, the colors in the pool behind him bleeding into another until they finally settled back to the clear blue, the color of the water whenever he didn't stir it.

With one wave of his hand a fire was lit and with another the dancing flames formed into figures, showing a young, confident man.

His other child. The one he had needed to leave them all behind. Not one day passed without him checking on him at least once.

It had been a hard decision to make. To send one of his children down to earth; to the mortals. He had known about the hardships he would face there. Born into a world he knew nothing about other than what he had read about in the books they kept in the library. Unprepared for the harshness of humanity, his second child had awoken in the midst of a war. With his memory of where he had come from gone, all that had been left to him was going forward.

A sad smile stole its way onto the Father's mouth, reaching out to the flames as if to reach for the young man it showed.

His young Duo... as he had looked into both their souls while he created them, he had known that, if there was anyone who would survive this pain, it would be his Moonchild. All those years watching the both of them grow up together, grow close... he had been filled with pain at the knowledge of what he was about to do.

Duo, even though he was born to the night, had always been akin to a sun to them all, lighting up the world and chasing dark thoughts away. No matter where he went, everyone smiled at him and laughed with him, charmed by his natural radiance. He drew them all in like the moths to the flame, but none as much as Heero.

No, his Sunchild had been by his other's side wherever they went. Linked together in their hearts from the very day that they were created, there was no other pair like them. Their devotion to each other knew no bounds and its purity was unsurpassed. Until the very last day before they had to go separate ways, he knew, they never had kissed even once.

Even since then, they were both untouched. Even after a decade of separation, they were not ready to open their hearts to someone else. He wasn't surprised about Heero – no, Heero had still all his memories of his time spent together with his other intact. His heart had been given unconditionally and he would wait for Duo to return – forever if he must.

No, the surprise had been his other child. Left without any memories of his past, his Father had long since expected for him to search for a companion to survive in the harsh world he existed in now. To give his grieving heart what it yearned after.

Yet he never did. In the beginning, the first few years, there had been some signs that he might. But whenever he came closer to someone, the smile that he carried that was still so carefree after all that had happened, would dim. It would be seen rarer and rarer, until it was gone completely. Whenever this happened the young man would say goodbye – only to find his smile again in the simplest of joys. It was as if his heart still knew that this wasn't where it belonged. As if it told him to wait, to find his way home again. And so Duo would go on, trying again and again, until he just didn't try again. Still as untouched as the day he had left his other, waiting to come home again.

The old man wished he could tell them when this would be, but it wasn't in his power to know. He only knew that it would be Duo's decision, to return home once he had learned all he needed to know.

The day that marked the second decade came and passed by, bringing with it pain and sadness. Heero hadn't been seen for several weeks and no-one knew where he was. Their Father had told them not to worry, that the young man just needed time for himself. He was still keeping an eye on him, fearing for him. His Sunchild had gotten even more withdrawn lately, preferring to stay away from as many of his siblings and instructors as possible.

Knowing about the growing pain, the restlessness within his son, the man had tried to give him what he needed, but it was to no avail. There was only one thing that could cure this pain. And for as long as Duo would stay away, there was nothing he could do to help bearing the pain.

Worried, he turned towards his hearth, looking at the dancing flames in trepidation, not wanting to see what they would tell him but not able to just look away.

The war in the realm of the mortals had reached its peak at this point, raging brutally and demanding the lives of many. After having seen the friends he had made going into battle and dying, his Moonchild had finally decided to fight as well, going against his own, longstanding decision to never go into a fight to take another life.

The smile he had worn so naturally for all his life had turned into a bitter smirk, his gentle and caring nature repressed by the soul of a soldier. His Father feared for his life every day that passed, sure in the knowledge that if his son would get killed, all would be lost.

And if there had ever been any doubt about the closeness his two children shared, there wasn't a shed of it left now. Chased away the day Duo had taken his first life, the first of many to follow.

That day, a long braid turned up at their Fathers' door, the same shade of dark chocolate-brown as the hair of his Sunchild.

Heero, not being able to cry anymore, had left behind what was precious to all of his children. The long hair, the pride of their whole race, cut off in a show of sadness and pain.

The war raged on for another four years until it finally calmed down. The souls of the lives lost on the battlefield had sung a song of despair, turning the hearts of the survivors. The battlefield, drenched in blood and tears of too many, had finally been left alone.

However, those that survived were the unlucky ones. Not one woman nor man nor child was left who didn't feel the pain and sorrow of all those long years of fighting. They were the ones tired of life, not able to comprehend a life where there was no war, no fighting, no bloodshed.

And in the midst of them all was Duo, just as tired and bitter as the rest, but still able to see the light at the end of the way before them. His nature compelled him to talk to the people he met, coaxing them with kind words and gentle smiles until they could laugh again. It didn't take long before they were following him wherever he went, demanding to be led under his guidance.

He resisted at first, insisting that he was no leader, but the trust the people showed in him got him in the end. Not before long he was taking up his new place, ruling over all that wanted to be ruled, forcing no-one but gaining more followers because of it.

More years passed and the rebuilding of what once was a beautiful world was coming along. It was after he saw how far they had come that the young man started to feel restless, as if something had changed. As if his place wasn't here anymore.

He still felt happy enough to be around the people he helped, drinking in their laughter and enjoying their happiness. But something tugged at his heart, whispering to him. He knew it was time for him to go. Where to he didn't know, but wherever it was where he belonged, it wasn't here anymore.

Knowing he couldn't leave his people alone, he decided to give them someone else to look up to. While working together with many, he had found a young woman, just as passionate about looking after the people as him. He proposed without thinking about what he was about to do and shortly after, they got wed. The people under his guidance had never been happier.

His wife, a woman with golden hair and gentle blue eyes, knew he never meant to stay. He never told her, but she read his heart in the way he continued to refuse to kiss or touch her, letting her know that she had never been chosen because of his feelings for her. However, she wasn't bitter about it. All she had ever wanted was to help as many people as she could. Now she was given the chance to do so much more than before.

Duo let them all get used to his new wife, biding his time. His heart was growing restless, even more so than before. It was calling a name, a name that still eluded him. But he firmly believed it would come back to him in time.

After he was sure his absence wouldn't hurt anyone anymore, he left. He travelled as far as his feet could carry him, watching nature pass him by with his soul filled with peace. This was what he had helped create; losing the warrior that he once thought would fill the rest of his days in his wake.

The farther he wandered, the louder his heart cried. Every night when he lied down to sleep, sorrow filled him in a way he couldn't explain. While his soul was filled with the calm he had helped bringing to this world, it was also missing something, someone. But he couldn't remember. All he knew was that this had to be a call from his past. A past that was still a mystery to him. All that had remained of it had been his hair, his trustful companion even through the hardest of times.

It took him weeks until he finally reached the ocean, the sun just setting in the distance, the golden orange playfully licking at the dark blue of the water, while the silvery moon was already softly glowing.

It was then that it finally hit him.

Fire and water, playing and bleeding into each other. Sun and moon, teasing each other with loving gazes.

Heero.

A cry tore itself from his throat as the deep sense of longing filled him, the shadow of the pain that had plagued him for the past weeks intensifying to a level that left him struggling for his breath.

One lone tear ran down his cheek as he fell to his knees, reaching out with his hand towards the sinking sun.

"Take me home. Don't make him suffer anymore. Bring me back to him."

Pain.

For all the sorrow and loneliness he had endured these past years, he had never felt such a pain before. It only took him a second to realize where it had to come from.

"Duo..." he whispered, his voice no louder than a breath, the first word he had spoken since the day his other had left.

Opening his heart to the one he had longed to feel again since the second he had left, he sharply drew in air. Duo was ready. He wanted to come home. Needed to come home.

It didn't matter anymore what had happened in the past. There was no single doubt in his mind as Heero opened his wings wide and crossed the gate keeping the worlds apart, going against all of his teachings to be finally united again with the one he loved.

The sun had nearly completely vanished behind the ocean and Duo was still staring at that point where the two of them touched, feeling the gentle caress as if he were the one experiencing it himself. A shiver ran down his spine, making him close his eyes and drinking in the last beams of the sun tickling his face.

With a jolt he sat up straight again.

"He is coming..." he whispered to the wind, a joyous smile spread across his lips. His first real smile ever since he had fought in the war, simply for the pure happiness the thought brought him.

And then there were suddenly arms wrapped around him, embracing him, while white-feathered wings sheltered them from the world.

"My love..." he breathed, rising his arms to wrap them tightly around the frame pressed against him. There was no single doubt in his mind that this was where he belonged. In the arms of the one who held his heart.

Neither of them spoke another word, content simply to be close again. Duo didn't even notice as Heero opened his wings again, flying them back home towards their home. As long as his other didn't leave him behind it didn't matter to him where they went.

As they passed the gate again, another gasp of surprise found its way out of his mouth. Passing over between the worlds of mortals and their own, his own, black wings grew back, marking him once more as the creature he really was.

Only now, with all of his memories finally coming back to him, did he notice something amiss. Lifting one hand he trusted Heero to carry him safely, while he ran it through the short hair. Sorrow stole its way to his eyes, making him hug his partner even closer to him than before. He understood the gesture as if his love had told him every single word, understanding the pain that had lead to such an act.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Heero told him, his eyes shining with warm tenderness. "The minute I was able to feel you again it didn't matter anymore. The past is the past. All that matters now is that you're back."

His smile coming back to his lips at those words, Duo leaned forward until he could lean his forehead against Heero's, never breaking their eye-contact.

Knowing instinctively that something important was about to happen, Heero landed at the top of a high cliff, not unlike to the one he had gotten his other from just minutes ago. But neither of them cared for the scenery around them. Still wrapped in each other's arms they gazed into another's eyes, reading each other as if they had never been separated.

"Will you stay?" Heero had to ask at last, the last of his worries too deep ingrained after all those years of waiting. A shadow of pain flashed across those violet orbs before him.

"For as long as you want me to," Duo whispered back.

A soft smile crossed Heero's lips at those words before he leaned in, tilting his head only a little to the right and finally, finally, meeting those lips that he had always known were his to possess.

A blink of electric bliss, making their souls dance with happiness.

Finally.

Home.

Watching the dancing flames of his hearth meeting the trembling waves of his pool made the old man smile. He had felt the moment Duo had been ready to come back and he had been watching ever since. It filled his heart with happiness to finally see his most beloved children free of their pain.

"My Father, why did you separate them in the first place if you only wanted them to find back together?" one of his other children asked him, taking his eyes away from the spectacle of fire embracing water, right before their eyes.

"I only did what was needed my son. You see, those two are our all future. I created them only with the goal of letting them lead us down the right path. I've made a mistake of creating you all, my children, and neglecting the mortals as I did. To finally bring perfect harmony to this world, no matter in which realm, there has to be balance."

Pointing to the place where fire met water in a constantly changing embrace, he continued.

"These two are all that. They are fire and water, night and day. I had to send Duo away to the land of the mortals so that he could experience their pain first-hand and learn about them, about their ways. Heero knows all about our race, all about our past. Together, they now possess the knowledge of two worlds."

"Why not just create one of them and make him learn both?" his child continued to ask, but his Father only smiled gently.

"One being alone can never be perfect. We all need someone to complement us. Duo is laughter and infectious joy, while Heero is the calm and steadiness. Duo is the world, while Heero is one single entity. Duo offers words of guidance, while Heero leads the way with his actions. Do you see what I mean?"

Watching the joyous creatures that were re-created through fire and water in this very room, his son smiled softly in slow understanding.

"I think I do, Father."

Balance never is something one single creature could accomplish, because balance always needed something to counter-measure whatever one did. There was never before a balance that was perfect, simply due to incompatible personalities.

Now there was.

Two bodies.

Two entities.

Two souls, meld together as one.

Balance.