Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Aladdin, With A Little Twist ❯ Chapter 2

The door burst open, startling the Zechs out of his chair. The Princess that Duo had confronted earlier that morning stormed across the room, livid and missing the rear end of her silk pants.

"I have never been so insulted!" she shrieked, stalking across the room.

"Oh, Princess Une," said the Sultan worriedly. "You're not leaving so soon…are you?"

Une snorted contemptuously.

"Good luck marrying him off!" she sneered, striding out of the room.

Zechs gave a deep sigh and hurried out the door.

"Oh, Quatre! Quatre!"

He went off into the gardens to look for his son. He soon saw the petit blonde boy in pale blue silk pants and shirt sitting by the great garden fountain. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Quatre's slave glaring at him warningly. The green -eyed boy with the long bang of ginger hair masking half his face was playing with a scrap of white silk. Zechs recognized it as the missing part of Une's pants.

"Confound it, Trowa! So, this is why Princess Une stormed out!"

"Oh, father," said Quatre happily. "Trowa was just playing with him, weren't you Trowa?"

Trowa smiled slightly, allowing the small blonde boy to hug him.

"You were just playing with that overdressed, self-absorbed Princess Une, weren't you?"

He cuddled with Trowa, enjoying the moment, until he looked up at his angry father.

"Quatre," said Zechs softly, "you've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call. The law says you..."

"…must be married to a Princess," Quatre said along with him.

"By your next birthday," finished the Sultan.

Quatre got up and walked over to the dove cage.

"The law is wrong," he said softly.

"You've only got three more days!" said Zechs worriedly.

"Father, I hate being forced into this," Quatre told the man. He reached into the cage and took one of the small white doves out, cuddling it in his hand. "If I do marry, I want it to be for love."

"Quatre, it's not only this law," Zechs said quietly, taking the bird from him and putting it back into the cage. "I'm not going to be around forever, and I just want to make sure you're taken care of, provided for."

Quatre gave a frustrated sigh and went over to sit beside the fountain.

"Try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own."

He swirled his finger in the water of the pond, petting the fish.

"I've never had any real friends."

Trowa looked up, frowning as if insulted.

"Except you, Trowa," assured Quatre, giggling.

Satisfied, he went back to sleep in the sun.

"I've never even been outside the palace walls," complained Quatre to Zechs.

"But Quatre, you're a Prince," answered Zechs desperately.

"Then maybe I don't want to be a prince!" said Quatre angrily, splashing his reflection out of the water.

"Oooohhh!" growled Zechs, frustrated. "Allah forbid you should have any daughters!"

He stormed out of the gardens, Trowa watching him go with a confused expression on his face.

Quatre got up and went over to the dove cage. Without a second thought, he flung open the door, and all the birds flew off into freedom. Quatre watched them go with a look of pure longing in his eyes.

"I don't know where she gets it from," Zechs was saying to himself in his chambers. "Her mother wasn't nearly so picky.

A shadow fell over him, and he looked up startled to see Relena, with Dorothy not far behind her.

"Ooh, oh. Ah, Relena--my most trusted advisor," he said fondly. " I am in desperate need of your wisdom."

"My life is but to serve you, my lord," Relena said, bowing. With her head ducked, she was able to sneer without Zechs seeing.

"It's this suitor business," explained Zechs in a frustrated tone of voice. Quatre refuses to choose a wife! I'm at my wit's-end."

"Wit's end…" echoed Dorothy from behind Relena.

"Oh, ha ha. Have a cracker, pretty girl!" Zechs said brightly to the girl.

He pulled a cracker out from his pocket. Dorothy looked terrified. Then the Sultan stuffed it into her mouth. Dorothy grimaced as she tried to eat it. Relena and Zechs both laughed.

"Your majesty certainly has a way with dumb slaves," commented Relena smoothly. Dorothy glared at her "Now then, perhaps I can divine a solution to this thorny problem."

"If anyone can help, it's you," agreed Zechs.

"Ah, but it would require the use of the mystic blue diamond," said Relena slyly, touching the blue stone engraved in the sultan's ring.

"Uh, my ring?" asked Zechs doubtfully, looking down at the precious stone. "But it's been in the family for years…"

"It is necessary to find the prince a suitor," Relena explained. She turned her staff with a cobra head towards Zechs. The eyes of the staff began to glow. The room darkened, Relena's voice slowed down and deepened. The Sultan's eyes got a hypnotized look. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"Everything...will be...fine," said Zechs slowly, lost in the glowing eyes of the snake.

"The diamond…" prompted Relena.

"Here, Relena," said Zechs in a monotonous voice, slipping off his ring and handing it to the enchantress. "Whatever you need will be fine."

Relena snatched the ring, and the room lightened as she pulled back the snake staff.

"You are most gracious, my liege," said Relena bowing deeply and sneering. "Now run along and play with your little toys."

She gave Zechs a little push.

"Yes...that'll be...pretty good," answered Zechs, still slightly hypnotized.

Relena smiled wickedly and started out of the room, Dorothy following. As soon as they were out of the room, Dorothy spat out the cracker.

"I can't take it anymore!" complained Dorothy loudly. "If I gotta choke down on one more of those moldy, disgusting crackers...bam! Whack!"

"Calm yourself Dorothy," said Relena in a quiet threatening voice. She reached out and pulled a tasseled rope that hung from the ceiling. A door opened in front of them, revealing a long staircase.

"Then I'd grab him around the head. Whack! Whack!" Dorothy continued to rave.

"Soon, I will be sultan, not that addlepated twit," said Relena, talking over Dorothy as they walked up the stairs.

"And then I stuff the crackers down his throat!" shouted Dorothy gleefully as she opened the door at the top of the stairs for Relena. "Ha ha!"

The gardens were dark, bathed in moonlight. A single, cloaked figure scurried across it. When he reached the tree on the far side of the garden, Quatre began to climb it. But before he could get very far, he felt a sharp tug on his cloak.

"Quatre, please don't go."

He looked down to see Trowa standing there looking up at him, eyes wide, holding on the hem of his cloak.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Trowa. But I can't stay here and have my life lived for me. I'll miss you."

He began to climb again, and was helped up by Trowa, who began to cry silently as he gave the blonde boy the help he needed to get over the garden wall.

"Good bye!" said Quatre quietly to his only friend before disappearing over the wall.

Trowa sat down at the base of the tree, still weeping in silence.

Duo and Heero sat on the cloth roof of a sale stand in the middle of the market.

"Ok, Heero, go!" said Duo encouragingly to his friend.

Heero nodded and hung over the edge of the cloth.

A salesman, selling beautifully ripe melons, was calling out his wares to the street. "Try this, your taste buds will dance and sing!"

Heero grabbed a melon and hung there, distracting his attention.

"Hey," shouted the man angrily, "get your paws off that!"

Heero grinned and waggled his tongue at the man.

"Why, you! Get away from here!" the man wrestled the melon from Heero's hands. But in the meantime, Duo had just enough time to hang down and grab a melon from the other side of the stall.

The proprietor looks pleased with himself as he turns to set the melon down on the stall. He looks confused for a second, having just put a melon there. That melon was missing now. He turned back angrily to Heero, but the boy was empty-handed.

"Bye," said Heero blandly before swinging and pulling himself up beside Duo on the stall roof.

"Nice goin' Hee-chan," complimented Duo, grinning. He broke the melon in half, hanging one half to the other boy. "Breakfast is served."

They both began to eat.

At the same time, Quatre entered the market, still dressed in a plain cloak for disguise.

"Buy a pot," said one shopkeeper to him, and he smiled. "No finer pot in brass or silver!"

"Sugar dates, sugar dates and figs!" said another enticingly. "Sugar dates and pistachios!"

Quatre smiled but shook his head.

"Would the lady like a necklace?" asked a third. Quatre wasn't surprised that the man thought he was a girl; he did look very feminine. "A pretty necklace for a pretty lady."

He was charmed by the action, but was completely startled when a fish was thrust in his face.

"Fresh fish! We catch 'em, you buy 'em!" shouted a shopkeeper happily.

"I don't think so," said Quatre slowly.

He backed away, but bumped into a fire-eater, who was startled into swallowing his fire.

"Oh, excuse me," said Quatre worriedly.

The fire-eater gulped, then belched a huge jet of fire from his mouth. Quatre was disgusted, but the fire-eater seemed pretty pleased with himself, patting his stomach.

"I'm really very sorry," said Quatre, backing away from the man.

Duo heard his voice and turned to look. As soon as he caught sight of the little blond, he got a strange expression on his face.

"Wow…"

Quatre reached back to pull the hood of his cloak over his face again, smiling slightly.

Heero got a look at Duo's expression, and he reached forward to wave a hand in front of his face.

"Hello, Duo?" he said loudly. "Wake up!"

Duo completely ignored him, leaning over the shop roof with a dreamy expression on his face.

Quatre stopped at a fruit stand and sees a young homeless boy reaching for a piece of fruit.

"Oh, you must be hungry," he said kindly. He picked up an apple and handed it to the boy. "Here you go."

The boy snatched the fruit and ran off.

"You had better be able to pay for that," came a jeering voice from inside the stall. The shopkeeper came out, a sneer on his face.

"Pay?" asked Quatre, mystified.

"No one steals from my cart!" said the shopkeeper warningly.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I don't have any money," Quatre said shakily, trying to turn and walk away.

"Thief!" accused the man.

"Please," begged Quatre in a stuttering voice, "if you let me go to the palace, I can get some from the Sultan."

"Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" roared the man, grabbing his hand and slamming it down on the table. He pulled out a long blade and lifted it high in the air.

"No, no please!" shouted Quatre, blue wild with fear.

The sword started to come down, but Duo's hand was suddenly in the way.

"Thank you, kind sir," he said, pulling the knife out of his hand. "I'm so glad you've found him."

He turned to Quatre and scolded, "I've been looking all over for you."

He started to lead him away.

"What are you doing?" whispered Quatre. He turned his head to see sparkling violet eyes.

"Just play along," whispered Duo back, grinning.

"You know this boy?" grunted the proprietor doubtfully.

"Sadly yes," answered Duo with feigned sorrow. "He is my brother."

Duo leaned close to the man's ear, saying softly, "He's a little crazy."

Quatre looked insulted. The proprietor grabbed Duo by the braid.

"He said he knew the Sultan," he growled.

"He thinks my friend is the Sultan," explained Duo with a smile.

Heero was just about to pick a pocket, but straightened up when he heard that. Quatre, playing along, bowed in front of him.

"Oh, wise Sultan. How may I serve you," he asked.

"Not at all, my dear," said Heero, trying to hold back a laugh as he patted her head.

"Tragic, isn't it?" asked Duo. "Well, no harm done."

He took Quatre by the shoulders and stood up.

"Now, come on bro, time to go see the doctor," he started to lead the boy away.

Quatre, a silly smile on his face and his eyes wide to feign stupidity, said to the nearest camel as they passed, "Oh hello doctor. How are you?"

"No no no, not that one," said Duo, nearly bursting with laughter as he led the boy away. He glanced at Heero. "Come on, Sultan."

Heero started to follow, but one of his pockets ripped open, spilling everything he had stolen from the carts onto the ground.

"Hun? What's that?" asked the proprietor of the fruit cart. "Come back here you little thieves!"

He kept shouting after the trio, but they paid no mind as they hurried away, all howling with laughter.

Relena watched as Dorothy ran on the gear of some strange contraption. Above them both, contained within a giant glass sphere, a scarlet storm was brewing.

"With all due respect, your rottenness," puffed Dorothy, out of breath, "couldn't we just wait for a real storm?"

"Save your breath Dorothy," commanded Relena. "Faster!"

She leaned forward, placing the blue diamond ring between the jaws of twin cobras set into gold on an hourglass.

"Yes, O mighty evil one!" answered Dorothy with a hint of sarcasm as she started to run even faster.

A lightning bolt streaked down from the mighty storm through the ring, passing into the hourglass below. The sands begin to swirl.

"Ah, sands of time--reveal to me the one who can enter the cave," whispered Relena.

The sand in the top of the hourglass swirled in a wild tornado, forming the Cave of Wonders. It fell through into a storm, and in the bottom it showed Duo climbing up a ladder, followed by Quatre, who was covered in his cloak.

"Yes, yes!" shouted Relena. "There he is. My diamond in the rough!"

"That's him?!?!" screamed Dorothy in disbelief. "That's the clown we've been waitin' fooo---Ahh!!!"

She lost her footing and was sucked into the gears.

"Let's have the guards extend him an invitation to the palace, shall we?" asked Relena over the girl's wails.

Dorothy was thrown across the room, slamming upside down into the wall.

"Swell," choked out Dorothy before falling to the floor.

"Almost there," Duo told Quatre as he helped him up the ladder on the way to him home. Heero had gone ahead, and was waiting for him at the top.

They reached the top, but Quatre tripped on the way and fell into Duo's arms. As the braided boy helped him upright, he looked up to meet his eyes. Violet clashed with aquamarine, and they seemed lost in each other for a few minutes.

"I wanted to thank you for stopping that man," said Quatre finally, tearing his eyes away and looking down. What was he thinking about? Duo was a boy for Allah's sake…

"Uh, forget it," said Duo, grabbing a vaulting pole from the ground. "So, uh, this is your first time in the marketplace, huh?"

He ran and vaulted across to the opposite rooftop, looking back to see Quatre smiling at him.

"Isn't it obvious?" the little blonde asked.

"Well, you do kinda stand out," said Duo, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He realized that he staring at the blonde boy and tore his eyes away. "I mean, uh, you don't seem to know how dangerous Agrabah can be."

He started to set the board between the buildings for Quatre to walk across, but as he was leaning over, the little blonde had vaulted right over his head.

Duo looked at him in surprise. Heero was behind him with an equally shocked expression.

"I'm a fast learner," Quatre giggled, tossing Duo the pole.

"Right. C'mon, this way," answered Duo, grinning.

They went inside the roof of a building, dodging boards and planks as they went.

"Whoa. Watch your head there. Be careful," Duo kept saying.

"Is this where you live?" asked Quatre in wonder as they reached Duo and Heero's little home.

"Yep," answered Duo. "Just me and Heero. Come and go as we please."

"Fabulous," said Quatre softly, looking around.

"Well, it's not much," Duo pulled back the curtain and exposed the palace, "but it's got a great view. Palace looks pretty amazing, huh?"

"Oh, it's wonderful," said Quatre sarcastically, turned away and sitting down.

Duo didn't seem to hear the sarcasm or sadness in the blonde boy's voice. Heero sat watching the two boys from a corner of the room.

"Wonder what it would be like to live there, to have servants and valets…" Duo said in a hopeful voice, eyes locked on the palace.

"Oh, sure," said Quatre, still turned away. "People who tell you where to go and how to dress."

"It's better than here," said Duo, almost not listening to the blonde. "Always scraping for food and ducking the guards."

"You're not free to make your own choices," argued Quatre in a quiet voice.

"Sometimes you feel so..." Duo searched for the right word.

"You're just so..." Quatre seemed to have the same problem.

"Trapped," the both said at the same time.

They look at each other, both thinking how perfect the other would be for him…

Duo realized what he was thinking and broke the look. He grabs an apple from the window ledge and it rolls down his arm into Quatre's hand. The blonde looked surprised at the trick for a second.

"So, where're you from?" asked Duo conversationally.

"What does it matter? I ran away, and I am not going back," said Quarter firmly.

"Really? How come?" he took a bite of another apple then handed it to Heero, who looked disgusted, before going over and sitting beside the little blonde.

"My father's forcing me to get married," answered Quatre sadly, looking at the apple in his hands.

"That's--that's awful," answered Duo sincerely.

Heero appeared on the girl's other side and tried to steal her apple.

"Heero!" Duo scolded.

"What?" asked Heero snappily, then started off into a long rave of cursing in Japanese.

"What?" asked Quatre.

"Heero says that--uh--that's not fair," covered Duo hastily.

Heero looked up contemptuously from the corner, but Duo ignored him.

"Oh did he?" said Quatre slyly, smiling.

"Yeah, of course," answered Duo happily.

"And does Heero have anything else to say?" asked Quatre, stressing on the other boy's name, which made Heero think that the boy was perfectly aware that was not what he had said.

"Well, uh, he wishes there was something he could do to help," answered Duo.

"Oh boy," muttered Heero from the corner.

"Hmm," Quatre smiled, and Duo felt his stomach flutter. "Tell him that's very…sweet."

Duo and Quatre, mere inches apart, began to move slowly closer. Duo leaned in to kiss the other boy. But, at the last second, he was interrupted.

"Here you are!" snarled a guard.

"They've found me!" shouted Duo and Quatre at the same time, then to each other, "They're after you?"

"My father must have sent them," said Quatre worriedly.

"Do you trust me?" Duo interrupted, standing on the windowsill.

"What?" asked Quatre hesitantly.

"Do you trust me?" Duo extended his hand to the other boy.

"Yes," Quatre answered finally, taking his hand.

"Then jump!"

They both jumped off the roof, Heero following unnoticed. Landing hard in a pile of salt knocked the wind out of both of them, but Duo pulled Quatre to his feet. They tried to run, but guards blocked the exit.

"We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?" snarled the guard, grabbing Duo by his braid.

Once again, the guard's turban was pulled over his eyes, and he dropped Duo to the ground. The braided boy shot Heero a grateful look as he grabbed Quatre's hand. But there were too many guards. The biggest threw Heero from his back. The dark haired boy slammed into a far wall, slumping to the ground unconscious.

"Heero!" wailed Duo before three more guards grabbed him.

"It's the dungeon for you, boy," snarled one of the guards, pulling hard up on Duo's braid, making him scream in pain.

"Let go of him!" shouted Quatre, trying to fight off the guards.

Not realizing who he was, the biggest of the guards knocked him easily to the ground.

"Look what we have here, men," he taunted. "A street mouse!"

Quatre stood up, his face livid. He threw back his hoot to reveal the blue jewel headband that proclaimed his bloodline.

"Unhand him!" he commanded. "By order or the Prince."

All the guards suddenly stopped and bowed, forcing Duo to bow as well.

"Prince Quatre," said the guard who had thrown him nervously.

"The prince?" breathed Duo, looking up to get a look at the petit blonde.

"What are you doing outside the palace? And with this street rat?" asked the guard.

"That is none of your concern," snapped Quatre. "Do as I command. Release him!"

"Well, I would Prince Quatre," said the guard apologetically, "but my orders come from Relena. You'll have to take it up with her."

Quatre crossed his arms, his eyes glowing poisonous blue.

"Believe me, I will…"

Relena came out of her secret chambers, looking around cautiously, then turned to close the door behind her. But the Prince came storming in before she could finish. Dorothy was crawling to follow, still unable to walk after her little fight with a gear wheel. Relena slammed the door hurriedly, catching Dorothy's neck in the process.

"Relena," demanded Quatre.

"Oh, uh, Prince Quatre," Relena turned and bowed to the Prince, using her cloak to hide Dorothy and the still slightly open door.

"Awk, Relena, I'm stuck," hissed Dorothy.

"How may I be of service to you?" Relena asked Quatre.

"The guards just took a boy from the market," Quatre said, eyes like ice. "On your orders."

"Your father's charged me with keeping peace in Agrabah. The boy was a criminal," answered Relena slyly, smiling nastily.

"What was his crime?" demanded Quatre.

"Relena, I can't breath," said Dorothy in a choked whisper.

"Why, kidnapping the princess, of course," answered Relena hastily.

"If you could just," started Dorothy in a hoarse whisper, but Relena interrupted by slammed her foot into the slave's face and kicking her back inside the secret rooms. "Wow, that hurt!"

"He didn't kidnap me!" said Quatre desperately. "I ran away!"

Relena started to walk a bit away, feigning shock.

Oh, dear! Oh, how frightfully upsetting. Had I but known," lied Relena through her teeth.

"What do you mean?" asked Quatre suspiciously.

"Sadly, the boy's sentence has already been carried out," explained Relena, a malicious smile on her turned away face.

"What sentence?" asked Quatre, eyes wide with fear, as he knew what was coming.

"Death," hissed Relena in a sinister tone.

"No," gasped Quatre. He slid to the floor in shock.

"I am exceedingly sorry, Prince Quatre," said Relena, her fingers curling around Quatre's shoulders.

The boy jerked away, turned to glare at the girl with tear filled eyes.

"How could you?" he whispered, before pulling himself to his feet and running from the room, crying.

Dorothy had finally made it through the door. She struggled to her feet, gasping for air.

"Ah, wah…" she gasped, then leaned casually on Relena's shoulder with a smile. "So, how did it go?"

"I think he took it…rather well," answered Relena.

Two identical, sinister smiles crossed the girls' faces.

Quatre sat out on the edge of the great fountain, tears streaming down his face. Trowa stood nearby, coming slowly over to his friend to comfort him. Quatre turned around and embraced the green-eyed boy tightly.

"It's all my fault, Trowa," he sobbed. "I didn't even know his name…"

Moonlight streamed through the bars of the dungeon, illuminating the scurrying rats and floating veils of cobwebs and dust.

Duo sat on the dungeon floor, his arms shackled above his head in a very uncomfortable position.

"He was the Prince," Duo was saying to himself. "I don't believe it. I must have sounded so stupid to him!"

Then from a distance, came a quiet call.

"Yoohoo…Duo? Helloooo?"

Heero appeared at the window to the dungeon.

"Heero!" cried Duo, immensely happy to see his friend. "Down here! Here, c'mon…help me outa these."

Heero rolled his eyes and easily bent the metal bars. Duo sat marveling at his friend's almost inhuman strength. Heero used the many hanging chains and beams to swing his way down to the floor.

But before he did anything, he glared at Duo.

"What was the deal with you and that Prince?" he asked scathingly.

"Hey, he was in trouble," Duo answered. "He was worth it…"

"Yeah yeah yeah," muttered Heero crossly as he used t small piece of wire to unpick the lock on Duo's shackles.

"Don't worry, Heero. I'll never see him again," Duo assured his friend. I'm a street rat, remember, a boy, and there's a law. He's gotta marry a princess…he deserves it."

Heero rolled his eyes, finally managing to free Duo's hands.

"Ta da," he said in a flat voice, and Duo chuckled slightly. But his smile faded quickly.

"I'm a…I'm a fool," he said darkly to himself.

"You're only a fool if you give up, boy," came a hissing voice from a dark corner.

Duo looked over to see a haggard old woman sitting in the corner that neither he or Heero had ever seen before.

"Who are you?" asked Duo cautiously.

"A lowly prisoner, like yourself," she answered in a rasping voice. "But together, perhaps we can be more."

"I'm listening," said Duo slowly.

"There is a cave, boy," she whispered. "A cave of wonders. Filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. Treasure enough to impress even your princess, I'd wager."

"But the law says that only a prince can marry…" started Duo.

"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you boy?" she asked. "Whoever has the gold makes the rules."

She grinned, showing a hideously bad mouth. Duo cringed at the disgusting smell of her breath.

"So why would you share all of this wonderful treasure with me?" he asked finally.

"I need a young man with strong legs and a strong back to go in after it," she rasped, tapping his legs with her staff and patting his back.

"Ah, one problem," cut in Heero blandly. "It's out there, we're in here?"

She cackled and walked over to a wall, pushing a stone with her staff. It shifted out of the way to reveal a passageway.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm., Things aren't always what they seem. So, do we have a deal?"

Duo looked at Heero, who shrugged.

Duo led the dark stallion through the blinding sand, ducking his head against the rain of grit against his skin. They soon came to a great dune, and Duo sucked in a breath as the cave of wonders rose out of the sand.

"Who disturbs my slumber," it roared.

"It is I, Duo," he said hesitantly.

After a second, the great lion answered, "Proceed. Touch nothing but the lamp."

His huge mouth fell open with a roar, revealing the long steps.

"Remember, boy--first fetch me the lamp, and then you shall have your reward," shrieked the old woman.

"C'mon, Heero," whispered Duo.

Both began to descend the great stone staircase. When they finally reached the bottom, a faint golden light streamed from the doorway in front of them. Duo stepped into the room…and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Huge mounds of gold and jewels filled the room. More gold than anyone could ever count in a lifetime.

"Would you look at that," he breathed in awe. "Just a handful of this stuff would make me richer than the Sultan!"

Heero, standing on an intricately woven rug, reached out to touch a piece of gold.

"Heero!"

His head snapped up. "What?"

"Don't touch anything," Duo warned. "We've gotta find that lamp."

Heero scowled, but pulled his hand back.

They began to make their way through the room, and the carpet that Heero had been standing on floated up and started to hover after them. Heero got the feeling they were being watched, and spun around. The carpet lay flat on the floor. He walked for a few more minutes, then spun around again. The carpet was rolled up against a pile of treasure.

"Duo," said Heero flatly. "I think we're being followed."

"Whatever Heero," answered Duo absently. "It's just you."

They went on, and again the carpet followed. But this time when Heero turned around, it jumped behind him. Reaching forward with a tassel, it tugged on his messy brown hair. Heero jumped around, startled, but the carpet moved swiftly behind him. Heero was quiet for a second, until the carpet waved a tassel in front of his face. Heero started again, this time startling the carpet. Heero ran and grabbed Duo's braid.

"Look, you baka!" he said, forcing Duo's head around the look at the carpet.

"Heero, are you crazy?" shouted Duo, eyes squinting with pain.

The carpet peeked out from behind a pile of treasure. Duo's eyes widened.

"A magic carpet!" he said softly. He gestured to the carpet. "C'mon. C'mon out. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The carpet came out shyly at Duo's request, until Heero growled and glared at it. Then it stopped and turned around, walking away sadly, hanging limply.

"Wait a minute," said Duo, stepping forward. "Don't go. Maybe you can help us."

The carpet looks back, excited. It flew over and around Duo a few times, almost affectionately.

"Hey whoa," said Duo, laughing. "You see, we're looking for this lamp."

The carpet motioned with one tassel for them to follow, then flew off.

"C'mon, Heero, I think he might know where it is!"

Both boys hurried after the carpet in search of the lamp.