Warnings: Nothing much really. Touch of shounen-ai, possibility of bad language, much confusion. Even I'm confused.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Wing characters, nor do I prophess to. And I don't make any money off them either, for that. Nor do I own the tiger-thing. It's build and its concept are the property of Nanashi Kage Enjeru (Nameless Shadow Angel). She just asked me to write this fic. I sure hope I don't make a hash of it… ^^'

Pairings: Yeah, nah… When I have I ever told that in a to-be-long fic…?

Author's Notes: I have no idea why I used the line of a poem to title this chapter. I have no idea what the hell is going on in this fic. I just have no idea in general. Oh, a warning now, while I think about it. I have to go away for Uni in a month and a half and I don't know what my internet access will be like. I shall endeavour to update regularly, but if I don't, I promise I haven't gone off the map entirely, I just haven't been able to upload. It may be that you'll get two or three chapters at once when I'm home. *nods* Just thought I'd mention it. Now go! Enjoy the fic. *grins*

An aside for FF.Net and MediaMiner.org readers: I don't know what to do. I've tried everything I can think of, but FF.Net still jerks around my formatting. And apparently, so does MM. *sighs* I've got telepathic discussion in here, that's supposed to be all in italics, but it's generally only ever half when we're talking FF.Net, and some of it was coming up huge or just lacking italics on MM.org… because they fuck with my formatting. So, FF.Net and MM.org readers, I'd advise you to go to www.gundam-wing-universe.net to read the better version, (I'm KittyMeowMaxwell over there too) or otherwise, telepathy is marked //thusly//. Ugly, I know, but what can you do? It just gets confusing when you can't see half the italics. *kicks FF.Net and MM.org*

Chapter One - Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright.

The polite tap on his door woke him suddenly, eyes wide and breath panting between parted lips. He was still wrapped in the memory of that dream and even the soft tapping gave him a fright. He ran a hand over his face, swallowing nervously, and called out shakily.

"Yeah…?"

"Forgive my interruption, Your Highness, but your father wishes your presence," came the hesitant voice from the other side of the door.

"At this time of the morning?" Duo wondered, throwing the sweat-soaked covers back and swinging his feet down onto the flagstone floor. It was pleasantly cool beneath bare feet, dispelling some of the summer heat that was already spilling in his window.

"Yes…" was the only answer he received, but the Prince gave a mild smile at the veiled puzzlement in his personal servant's soft voice - he was as confused by the summons as Duo was.

"I trust you've got hot water on the way, huh, Quinn?"

"What? Oh! Yes, Your Highness, sorry. My thoughts were elsewhere."

"Well, come on in, then," Duo replied laughingly, firmly shoving the dream memory down deep in the back of his mind and offering the tiny blonde a smile when his golden head poked around the door, sea-blue eyes annoyingly bright for this time of the morning.

Quinn sketched a hasty bow, meeting Duo's smile with his own before heading over to the tub and checking it with a critical eye to be sure it was cleanly scrubbed. He gave a slight nod of satisfaction, then waved in the short line of young boys and girls carrying buckets of water both hot and cold. He supervised the filling of the tub while Duo spent the time working the tangles out of his chestnut hair. Even Quinn, his most trusted servant, he wouldn't allow near his hair. He'd only cleaned it the day before, so he simply braided it, then bound the rope of hair tightly with a strip of white cloth, root to tip, so that only the end of the braid was free. It was a tradition he loathed, but which he was obligated to follow, until he married.

Quinn tested the water, declared it perfect, and shooed the young serving boys and girls out the door, closing it behind them. He turned to see Duo sliding into the water with a soft "ah" of pleasure, one hand guiding his braid over the side of the tub so it wouldn't get wet. Once he was settled, he rested his arm on the edge and sighed happily.

"Gods, I love a bath…" he murmured, then thanked Quinn softly when the blonde handed over a bar of soap.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you can't take too long this morning. Your father said as soon as possible."

"Which," Duo sighed, beginning to soap his skin. "Means ten minutes ago. Alright, Quinn, I'll hurry."

Quinn smiled not fifteen minutes later when Duo was out of the tub, straightening the sit of his black, ankle-length jacket, topping off his clothing. He wore the jacket, edged in silver and gold, over a vest of deepest purple with pearl buttons. His leggings were of a colour with the jacket, separated from the vest by a crimson cummerbund and clinging to his legs all the way down to soft black boots. Combined with the pristine white of the bindings about his braid and his natural, innate noble bearing, the Prince screamed "royalty" with every move.

"Perfect," the servant decided with a grin, then went to open the door for Duo.

The Prince smiled and headed for the door, Quinn falling into step behind him.

"So, did my most esteemed father bother to grace you with the reasons behind his early summons?" Duo wondered sardonically, running his fingers through his chestnut bangs.

"An ambassador. Some - and I quote - 'upstart little princeling whose arrogance is too big for the size of his country'. I don't think your father likes him much." This last was an off-hand observation that told Duo Quinn found it amazingly funny. It was a fact that his father didn't like anyone much unless they were insanely rich or ruled over an insanely large area of land - which he was and did.

"If my father doesn't like him, then I like him already," Duo quipped, grinning, and Quinn giggled.

"You shouldn't say such things about your dear father. It's just not nice," Quinn shot back sarcastically, and they both laughed, gaining a disapproving arch of the brow from the black-haired herald.

"Quiet. We have a visitor," he muttered, fingers shifting on the elaborate staff in his hand.

"No… you don't say?" Duo said sarcastically. "I thought His Majesty called me so early for no reason at all, Wei Ling!"

Quinn snickered behind his hand, gaining a sharp glare from dark eyes.

Duo's concentration was elsewhere, focused inward, so he didn't notice his servant and the herald lock eyes, a combination of animosity and concentration thick between them.

//This is no time for frivolity, Quatre. Milliardo is in there. All the wheels are in motion,// Wei Ling's voice was like acid in Quinn's mind and the blonde growled faintly, warningly.

//Do not consider me a fool, kittling. I have walked this earth a lot longer than you and I know how to conduct myself. Keep your commands to yourself, Wu Fei, lest I lose my patience with you.//

Wei Ling's lip curled slightly, but his eyes dropped away from Quinn's and he bowed his head a little.

Duo saw none of this, trying to work out what the feeling was within his father's audience chamber. He tended to have very good hunches about emotions and people in general, and he'd learned to trust them. His eyes slipped half-shut in thought. His father wasn't happy, that much he knew, and probably would have known without the assistance of any hunches. The overall feeling in the room was one of wary tension, with an edge of breathless… excitement? Duo tilted his head a little, confused, then Quinn shattered his concentration with a small hand laid on his shoulder.

"Your Highness?" he murmured softly. "Wei Ling's telling your father you're here."

Duo glanced up to the door where he could just see Wei Ling striding up the audience chamber to murmur into his father's ear. He nodded to Quinn, offering the little servant a slight smile, and straightened, hands sliding down his jacket to make sure it was crease-free.

Quinn returned his smile and fell in behind him and off to the right a little, a sign of his place within the Prince's life.

"Come!" the summons echoed down the chamber and Duo stepped inside, striding part-way up the thick carpet that ran down the centre of the flagstones and dropping to a knee, head bowed and right hand fisted at his heart.

"Merry met, Father-King. May Hethena's light shine bright upon your head, granting long life and happiness."

Lip service, Duo thought to himself, nothing more.

"And may She keep you always in Her care," his father replied. "Rise, Son-Heir."

Duo did so, managing to hide a roll of his eyes. He hated the formalities.

His father waved him to his seat at the King's right hand, and he went, brushing past a tall figure who stood before the throne with a regal bearing and a look of polite indifference on his face. Once seated, Duo's eyes went instantly to the stranger and he put his hunch to work… but gained nothing. He could sense nothing from the man. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly and… was that a slight smirk?

"Your Highness," came the polite greeting in a voice gentle and husky. Duo nodded slightly, studying the man. He was… tall. That was the first impression the Prince gained from the Ambassador. Ice-blue eyes shimmered shrewdly under a fringe of platinum blonde, hair bound, like his own, in a braid not quite the length of his, but just as tightly wrapped in white bindings. He was dressed, too, almost entirely in white, save for the toes of black boots showing from under pants long enough to brush the floor, and a pale silver sash around his waist.

"Sir Ambassador," Duo replied in kind.

"Matthias Persephone," the Ambassador murmured, eyes locked with Duo's.

The Prince gasped softly, images flashing through his mind. A woman and a man, naked, bur for strips of animal fur around their wrists and ankles, terror stark on their faces. A desperate pleading - No, please, no! We've done nothing to you. Nothing! - and a horrible scream piercing the sobs.

"…for some refreshments, Ambassador?"

The ice-blue eyes snapped away from his own violet and back to the ordinary brown of the King's, the images scattering in Duo's mind despite how hard he tried to keep them.

The Ambassador smiled politely and bowed his head.

"That would be much appreciated. I'm much wearied. If you could see to my guards…?"

Two men stepped up behind the Ambassador. One of them was tall and slender and appeared perfectly relaxed. He held a long war-pike casually in one hand, the blade shaped unlike anything Duo had ever seen before. The only way he could describe it was beautiful. Yet it was obvious there was nothing decorative about the weapon, that the man would be well able to use it if the need arose. One side of his face was veiled by a fall of brown hair, so that the Prince could only see one emerald eye and a strange tattoo. Two stripes, one curving from the level of his ear and tapering off to a point about two inches clear of the corner of his mouth. The second swept in a curve from the corner of his jaw, tapering off just below the other, about an inch from the corner of his mouth.

The second man looked far more dangerous. His prussian blue eyes were sharp and attentive beneath a messy fall of chocolate-brown hair. He had not one, but two swords. One sheathed at his hip, the other across his back, and his hand didn't move from the hilt of the blade at his hip. He didn't look anywhere near as relaxed as the first man, in fact, he looked the total opposite.

Matthias introduced the tattooed brunette as Trystan, and the dangerous looking one as Hiyuu.

Trystan murmured something to Matthias, handing him a silver chain, and Duo - rather belatedly really - realised that between the two men sat the oddest creature he'd ever seen. The nearest thing he could relate it to was a tiger, but that wasn't it. It was far thinner than a tiger, sinewy and graceful. Its snout was long, longer than a tiger's and far more powerful-looking. Its ears, perked forward as though listening attentively to everything that was said, were tall and thin, and its tail, curled delicately around its toes, was whip-like. Long slender legs finished the beast's appearance, and white fur with black stripes. A silver collar adorned its elegant neck, to which the chain now resting in Matthias' hand was attached.

"Er…" the King started, but Matthias' eyes turned back to him, silencing him with one glance.

"She stays with me. I'm a Prince in my own right, and despite the fact that I'm certain I'm perfectly safe here, I'll feel better with Hikari at my side."

Eyes of a pale blue shifted to Duo and he would sware beyond a doubt that the tiger-thing smiled at him.

Hiyuu caught Matthias' eyes.

//Be wary…// the swordsman's voice whispered through the Ambassador's mind.

//I know this. You do the same. I shall come to you when these formalities are done with.//

//We cannot force matters,// Quinn joined the conversation from where he stood behind the Prince's seat.

//We are aware.// It was Hikari, her eyes still meeting Duo's. //Fear not, Quatre.//

//Do keep an eye on our Prince, will you not, Quatre? You know as well as we his tendency to do foolish things…// Trystan's voice murmured, eyes flicking to Matthias who gave a tiny grin and a nod of acknowledgement. Trystan was right.

//I will not be foolish about this. I know better.//

//Knowing and doing are two different things,// Hiyuu pointed out, before turning his attention to the footman who stepped up to lead he and Trystan away. Trystan murmured something about food and the footman nodded with a smile as they walked off.

Meanwhile, the King leant across to his son.

"He prances about as though he's heir to half the continent. He's no such thing. Only heir to a little island off the eastern shore of our lands named Katarin."

"Why is he here…?" Duo wondered, still watching the tiger-thing.

"Now that, I'm not certain of. He says they wish to offer a trade agreement. I think they've suddenly sat up and realised we could eat them alive, and they're… extending the olive branch so to speak, before we take it into our heads to do so."

"You spoke of refreshments Your Majesty…?" Quinn reminded the King hesitantly.

"Oh. Oh, yes, that I did."

Duo rolled his eyes and Quinn grinned at him, patting his head sympathetically. Duo's father's hard-headedness had always been a point of amusement between the two of them.

The King stood and clapped his hands twice, and the various floozies and sycophants gathered in the hall moved as one through to the dining room, taking positions previously determined by some sort of silent poll.

Matthias was given a seat beside Duo, Hikari curling around the base of his chair and closing her eyes slowly. Quinn automatically assumed the duty of serving Matthias when he realised the King wasn't going to order another servant to do it.

Duo couldn't keep from casting glances in Matthias' direction every two minutes or so, eaten alive with curiosity. He couldn't summon the courage to speak to him, though, a strange fluttering deep in his belly making the words stick in his throat.

Matthias was elegant and graceful in everything he did, even just the simple task of eating, and Duo, more than once, found himself mesmerized by the movements of long-fingered hands.

Whether Matthias felt the Prince's eyes on him, or whether it was just happenchance, Duo would never know. But having those ice-blue eyes lift to meet his was electric, and the teasing smile that curved the Ambassador's lips sent shivers down his spine.

He could only stare a bit stupidly when Matthias began to speak to him.

"I suppose your father told you why I'm here?"

Duo knew he should be speaking. He knew there was a reply expected, but he couldn't make his tongue move. Being in the centre of Matthias' attention, with that low, husky voice directed at him was just too much. He couldn't even think, let alone summon the sanity to form words.

"Your Highness…?"

"D-Duo," Duo managed, somehow making it sound as though he were coughing up a fur ball as well as his name.

Matthias hid an amused grin.

"Duo," he repeated, then; "Matthias."

"I know."

"Good."

Duo could only smile stupidly while inwardly beating himself black and blue. The question wasn't even all that hard a one to answer!

"Um…"

"I asked if your father had told you why I'm here?"

"Oh, right. Yeah. He said it was for a trade agreement." Duo rolled his eyes a little, taking another bite out of the chicken leg held delicately in his fingers. "Only he doesn't believe that. He has some pig-headed notion about take overs and olive branches. Don't let him walk all over you."

"I've no intention of doing that," Matthias assured him, brushing his fingers absently through his fringe.

"He'll try. He thinks that because you're from some small place, you don't have any rights. He thinks respect should equal the size of your province and/or your wealth. Why else do you think he was so rude as to not even have anyone serve you?"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Matthias remarked with no small amount of amusement, then laughed softly.

Duo looked away, then, his stomach leaping up somewhere around the vicinity of his throat, then dropping down to his feet again. What was going on?! Why such a stupid reaction to a simple laugh?

Matthias hid another smile and turned his attention back to his own meal, giving Duo time to calm down.

//It must be the pretty blue eyes…// Hikari remarked languidly in Matthias' head.

//No, the hair,// Quinn put in, smirking.

//You are blonde too, Quatre. How can it be the hair…?//

//The length. It can be nothing else.//

//I still say eyes.//

//Perhaps it is my charms…?// Matthias added delicately, grinning.

The servant's eyes met the tiger's and they snorted.

Matthias was about to make a scathing remark to the two of them when he realised Duo was looking at him again.

"Matthias…?"

"Yes?"

"Back in the audience chamber… when I looked at you… I saw… s-something…" the Prince said haltingly.

Matthias blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw… a woman and a man… and they were crying. Something awful happened… But I don't know if it was real or… or something else…"

"Duo… I have no idea what you're talking about… Perhaps… perhaps you didn't sleep well last night? You look a little tired…" Matthias trailed off.

"I… I-I thought…" Duo trailed off and shook his head, looking embarrassedly down at his plate. "I guess I was imagining things… Maybe you're right. I… didn't sleep well last eve."

Matthias watched Duo closely, a little surprised.

//He saw…?// Wei Ling's voice whispered in his head, the herald having been keeping in close contact with Quinn.

//Apparently… But it is very surprising that he could see it so clearly on the first attempt,// Matthias mused.

//He has been having bad dreams lately…// Quinn said quietly.

//As have many. The Nemesis moves. What we do here is imperative…// Matthias warned softly.

//We are as aware of this as you, Milliardo. You need not tell us,// We Ling shot back.

Quinn curled his lip.

//You wear thin my patience, Wu Fei. Refrain from speaking to your elders and betters thus, or we will send you home. You are not here by right, you are here by privilege. Do not think that privilege cannot be revoked.//

//Cease this bickering, both of you. There is not the time for it. Turn your thoughts to more important things. Turn your thoughts to The Nemesis…// Matthias' quiet tones silenced them both, and their attention tuned back to their separate duties.

Duo had lapsed into silent thought, and he remained that way for the rest of breakfast.

~ ~ ~

Author's Notes: I mentioned at the start that I had no idea about a lot of things. You'll be pleased to know that I do have an idea why everyone but Duo is going by different names. It's not random insanity, I have a reason. Yay!