Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Duodin, Can I show you the world? ❯ The diamond in the rough ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The diamond...none may enter but the diamond in the rough!!
A mysterious thief learns this the hard way while a prince must protect his virtue along with his twin sister from his obsessed vizier.
Duodin, Wufei and Meiran’s are introduced. A thief is running playfully in the street away from the royal guard and the twins, the crown princess and prince of Araba are having a heated discussion with their father. Relena the vizier interferes.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Romance / Shoujo | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 04.04.2008 | Updated On: 04.04.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 192 | Status: Work In Progress

Disclaimer: ^^;;; Do we have to say it?!? --;;; I don't own the GW boys or Aladdin. I wish the heck I did!! The G-boys that is!^^;; The following version of Aladdin is owned by Disney and any original characters I create is mine and can only be used with my permission.

Created: Friday, June 15, 2001

Revised: Friday, April 04, 2008

Warnings: overall-Yaoi, Lemon, Angst, Romance, OOC,

Pairings/Groupings: Well…I expect them to be 5x2, 6x3x4, 1xM

Notes: Yes...it is a little late for Valentine's Day but what the heck. Let's boggle the mind, shall we.

Criticism or comments?! Please email at dreamersisle@yahoo.com

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Can I show you the world? Duodin-A Whole New World

By Carol Edwards

Chapter one: The diamond in the rough

From the vastness of the river of sands, the deserts know many tales. There were tales about foolish men endlessly searching through the dark depths of the earth and men who are always searching endlessly around the world for the mysteries of countless treasures hidden beyond human imagination. Blinding sands blew wickedly over the desert floor as one lone figure, dressed in majesty garb, ignored the breath of the gods, continuing onward towards his journey. Smirking in a sadistic sneer, the stranger was elated to have finally found the final piece of the scarab, the matching half. Now, the ultimate treasure was with his grasp. A thief--a worthless and despicable person of even the worse reputation--looked on at its employer. The stranger promised the thief limitless wealth if the rat could complete one simple task. The greedy man followed not caring or where the assignment led to or the consequences that lay. It did not matter. All that mattered was his prize and the stranger would get it now.

Placing both pieces of the broken jewel on the ground, the stranger raised his staff high into the air and uttered magic words to begin the incantation. As if coerced by invisible hand the pieces flew up together, forming a golden beetle as if willed by a powerful spell to come to life zooming away and flying like a mad camel. Both parties ran like the wind after the flying jewel on horseback hot on its trial, not wanting to lose sight of it. Then the strange beetle stopped settling into the sand, burrowing its golden body deeper and deeper into the womb of the earth. Suddenly the wind started to blow, whipping loose clothing around helpless bodies, causing the sands to warp out of the ground into a grotesque shape.

Faster and faster the winds blew, throwing sand in every direction and molding by invisible hands. The magician smiled, watching the process as the sands morphed into the head of mighty lion. When the form was complete, the stranger sent the thief towards the great sand lion. The thief was terrified but money was money and he shakily approached the monstrosity.

“WHO HAS AWAKENED ME FROM MY SLUMBER?”

The ground rumbled from the intensity of the voice. Cowering in fear, the thief swallowed loudly before he attempted to speak. “Tis I, a simple beggar who has awoken you….”

The mighty sand lion scrutinized the man, its golden eyes piercing the coward's soul. The eyes were the windows into the soul and the mighty lion only saw darkness surrounding the infidel before him. He was not the one. “You are not worthy, human....'”

“Excuse me?” The thief replied, confused, yet insulted at the same time.

The sand lion glared at the tiny insect of a man and spoke these words. “The diamond...The diamond...in the rough...”

“Excuse me?” The thief still did not understand, ignoring the hidden warning, continuing onward to enter the mouth of the sand lion. “What is this nonsense?” The thief never got a chance to finish his words. The regal sand lion pounced on the infidel and bit down hard on the foul intruder. Howling winds covered the screams as the powerful currents drowned its victim within a sea of sand. The silence of the night returned with no indication of infidels other than the one before him. “Let that be a lesson for all who tried to enter into the chambers.” The sand lion thought to himself. Satisfied, the mighty beast dissolved back into the sands leaving no remains of the foolish mortal that touched his sacred grounds.

The magician cursed at this drawback to his plans. Getting off his horse, slender fingers reached for the scarab pieces' and trying to decipher what he had done wrong. What would be the next step to follow for his plans of power? Tapping a finger against a clothed mouth, the stranger reviewed the words of the enchanted beast. "The diamond...in the rough...” Did the answer lie within a piece of coal? Grumbling, the magician jumped back on his black steed, pulling hard on the reins and rode off into the unknown.

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Duo paused in his reading for a moment. “Ah! The bad guy makes his appearance.” There was always a villain in a story. “That quote, the words of the sand lion.” Feelings about his past continued to haunt him yet those simple words touched Duo deeply to his soul. Duo smiled as he thought about the life he had begun with Wufei. “A simple rock, but with the passage of time and with gentle care, can become the most priceless jewel of them all.” With Wufei by his side, Duo could be himself and not just the happy go lucky maniac. The quiet, gentle boy could finally let go of his masks, loved for who he was and give back in return. Duo shook his head, brushing away the negative thoughts, continuing to read. “I wonder how Fei knew this was my favorite story.”

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***Aquarba***

A very hyperactive young man ran gleefully through the square, causing such a ruckus as he ran away from the royal guards with the skills of a mongoose! The teenager laughed as him and his monkey, Shinigami, leaped off a vendor's head, stealing some apples while they continued running. No one could capture the notorious Duodin, the desert fox, and the child king of the street rats. Often mistaking because of his lithe frame and androgynous appearance, the beautiful boy was the best damn thief in Aquarba!

After half an hour of continuous hi-jinks, Duodin arrived back at his home, safe and sound, to his little shack of an apartment high above the city. It was not a big place-just an empty space no one used anymore, and it was supposedly haunted. The teenager sighed as he walked in, walking over to the window. There was a spectacular view overlooking the magic castle. Duodin sighed. “Boy, what I wouldn't do to live in there.”

Shinigami just grunted upset that Duodin gave away the food he just stole to some homeless orphan children they met along the way home. The little monkey did not tell her young master about the fruits hidden underneath his clothes, glaring at the lost boy about his fantasies again. What was she ever going do about him?

Duodin smiled, glowing like a rising sunrise and building by the minutes. He was still a street rat, but he would not always be one. It had always been his dream to live in a grand castle filled with servants and cooks and eating hot meals. Duodin, like many orphans, did not have the luxury of home while growing up, having known very little of his parents. Bless Allah for gifts of his deceased grandmother and his adopted mother. They were catalyst that molded him into the young man he was today. Duodin learned to survive the hard way since it was always survival of the fittest. Gifted with a kind heart, and devotion for his friends, Duodin would always be different from the other thieves. His morals seemed to help him in his field of work and the young thief always shared what he stole with those less fortunate than he did.

“Trust me, Shinigami. One day…I'm going to live in the palace.”

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Now, at that moment, the royal prince of Aquarba was arguing for the umpteenth time with his father. It was bad enough he was being pressured into seeing potential mates for marriage but his twin sister was being forced into this hellhole of an arraignment too!

“NEITHER SHE NOR I AM GETTING MARRIED TO IMBECILES, FATHER!”

“Wufei...” the elderly king whined, trying to relieve his stressful headache which seemed to be aggravated further by the booming voice of his only son.

“NO!” Prince Wufei growled in defense. “We will marry for love and that's final! Besides, we can't even leave this accursed castle but you want us to marry to finalize the depths of our torment?! Damn you! I'm too young and Meiran is also!”

Shalamar shook his head at his eldest son, a true reflection of his dearly departed wife. The gentle elder king had found his love late in life, betrothed to a beautiful princess from the east, for a better alliance. From the Orient was where Shalamar's heart stopped, gazing for the first time at the timid lotus blossom hidden deep within the weeds of her father's kingdom. His lovely china doll Hunee--such a beautiful young maiden, yet as strong as her spirit was, her body was not, wracked with an illness she could not cure. Sadly, after only three wonderful years of eternal bliss, his young queen died in childbirth. Before she died, the queen, racked by terrible visions for the future, spoke with her husband. Delicate words of adoration flowed from her lips before the dying queen instructed her spouse on her children's upbringing. Through their tears, Hunee begged her love to raise their children as if she were alive, with respect and trust not only from him, but also for all of the people. The distraught king had to believe in their children, their little diamonds.

The final words spoken as the last breath flowed from the lips of the queen, her soul could now rest in peace. Kneeling by her side, as the warmth left the body of his queen, a grieving king mourned holding his precious bundles--the kingdom's greatest treasures, the countries' first twins, within his arms. It was a dark time in the kingdom, yet there was a light at the end of the road. The twin babes blessed with such extraordinary beauty, that royalty from around the world flocked to the palace, just to catch a glimpse. The babes' grew as all children do with Allah's merciful blessings over them. Invitations for the king's companionship began to manifest over time. This began to worry the king. After the death of his wife, the king vowed never to marry again. He wanted to be alone to mourn in peace but he also had to respect his lover's wishes. Shalamar called his royal architects to him and devise a solution--to construct a magical castle for his children, a wonderland where they would know no fear and at the same time, he would have his privacy.

Everything was fine in the beginning. Instructed in the various skills of defense and taught the best of education, the young heirs were guided from gifted children into well-rounded rulers. However, as the grain of the hourglass fell, Shalamar's eldest, Wufei, named after his wife's great grandfather, would disappear for hours at a time, later discovered in his mother's bedroom. The young heir would be on the balcony, hands folded over his chest, while his long hair tied back into a tail. There Wufei sat over looking down on the world, craving a freedom for himself and his twin away from the castle…or rather his prison.

The appearance of the queen's bedroom remained untouched from the day she died. Everyday, the queen's room, overflowing from the scent of lilacs and lotus blossoms with a Chinese silk spread covered the bed in the design of a great dragon remained as a shrine to the family. Shalamar never forgot his love and kept to his heart's promise. The Queen's room had a view of their country, one young prince boy had not seen. From his position, the Wufei could see everything from that room as if his mother showed him a world beyond his world--one where nothing was perfect and life had hardships.

Shalamar sensed this problem very early in life as his wife's reflection grew within their son. The boy's fierce spirit craved for adventure and the king always found his little dragon up to no good deep within the castle walls. However, the boy's spirit was not the only thing the young prince inherited from his dearly departed wife. Wufei, smitten with a sense for justice, continually complained during council meetings. The walls did have ears; everyday there were complaints about the maltreatment of the poor, helpless and the weak.

Clasping his head in pain, the elderly king watched as the family pet approached his son. A beautiful Siberia tiger presented to his oldest child as a gift from his friend in Siberia on the twins' fifth birthday.

“There…there…Nataku…” Wufei purred, grinning up a storm against the ears of his exotic pet while stroking the cat's fur, “No one is going to separate us, especially some oaf of a man for Ran-chan or some silly onna for me.”

Shalamar rolled his eyes, while Meiran, second born and crown princess, giggled at her twin brother's antics. Her brother had used this tactics before and Meiran already knew the outcome of this standoff. This silly war between her father and brother was only going to escalate into something more if she did not intervene. Her brother could charm a dragon much less her father, but so could their father. The twins loved their father, really, they did, but the pressure was just too much. Ever since their fifteenth year passed, their father began receiving strange missives of contracts for their hands. At first, her father declined the offers, but now that his children were sixteen and everyone wanted to have an alliance with the great and powerful sultan. Merian agreed with her twin. Though a year had passed, the princess still felt that she needed time to explore the world outside before committing herself fully to someone.

Therefore, this is why the argument began.

If only her father could understand her…if the king could understand that to explore the world outside was Meiran's birthright. The twins needed to see the world outside the magic castle and they needed to be free.

“Wufei?!”

Wufei shook his head in denial, “No Father, I don't want to talk about it!”

“Such rudeness toward your father is unfitting for a future king, Prince Wufei.” It was at that moment, three sets of onyx focused on the entrance of the garden.

“Oh brother,” Wufei growled irritably, his arms tightened around himself. “Not her.”

Shalamar smiled as the new arrival entered, motioning the beautiful woman to come closer. “Ah! Lady Relena. Could you speak some sense into this boy?”

Pouting prettily, the royal magician of the Sultan quietly approached the prince. “Now, Wufei, you know as well as I, that as the heir to the throne of Aquarba, you must fine a suitable mate….”

“Understandable, Lady Relena…,” Wufei replied politely, teeth grinding against each other while he tried to remain calm. It was so hard maintaining his respect for the woman when Wufei did not feel any for her. The looks the magician sent him for the past year was downright rude. It was as if the woman wanted to eat him like a plumb yet forbidden fruit. “But this is my life. I want to find the person promised to be my rib on my own terms. I will not to be persuaded like a camel during mating season!”

From her position, Meiran glared at the magician whom she hated with a passion as much as her brother. Meiran never liked the sneaky woman or the way Relena wormed her way onto her father's lands. The problem was not from Relena's looks either-light blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes like typical foreigners and an hour glass figure. It was the looks, the expressions she gave her brother when Wufei was not looking, like a predator. There were times when the woman had to gall to moon over her the same way. Why was this monster in a woman's clothing living in their palace? Was she a witch or something? No, Meiran did not trust that one-woman bit.

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Author's notes: I don't trust that Relena one bit. I know I agree with Meiran in that aspect.