Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ❯ Part Twenty-One ( Chapter 21 )

Part Twenty-One

Wufei was in talking with Heero. Duo sat on the bed in his dresses, feeling a little rejected.

Quatre had walked into the other room to talk to Trowa.

When Trowa caught sight of his abandoned lover, his breath caught in his throat.

When Quatre saw his unwilling lover, his heart beat faster.

"You're so handsome...." Quatre sighed, walking over to him and lifting a hand to brush across Trowa's face. "I don't care if you aren't royalty, you wear it well."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment. Seeing as you would know...."

Quatre turned away from Trowa and hugged himself.

"Trowa...."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why do you think I didn't tell you? Did it seem all that important? I could've been the Great Divine Himself and I would've been reduced to the role of a nothing in that Academy. I didn't find it all that important. And is it? Is caste more important than love, Trowa?" Quatre asked, his voice begging, his eyes tugging at Trowa's heart so that he had to look away.

"It just isn't right...."

"We have a change to start over again! Be whatever we want to be. For all I care, we could be simple farmers, as long as I could be with you. Is there something about 'I love you' that you don't understand?"

Trowa rubbed his temples and closed his eyes.

"Yes. I don't understand the 'love' part. How can you dare consider loving me?"

"I don't know, Trowa! Perhaps because you're everything I'm missing!" Quatre cried, trying not to let his tears fall and ruin all Heero's hard work. "You complete me! You're everything I never had and I love that! I love the fact that you can teach me what I don't know! That you compliment me! I just love being with you.... Call me a hopeless romantic, but you are everything I need.... How else do you think I made it through...?" he whispered, almost at the point of inaudibility.

They stood so close.... Quatre's head only a few centimeters from Trowa's chest, Trowa's lips only a few inches from Quatre's forehead....

Yet they were not touching.

So in love and so afraid because of everything they'd been told.

So afraid they couldn't touch one another.

"I...I can't...." Trowa whispered as his arms unwillingly pressed Quatre to his chest.

Quatre smiled, happy tears sparkling in his eyes as he slid his arms around Trowa's waist, snuggling up against his chest.

"I shall be Quatre Barton...." he murmured.

"I can't help it.... I love you...." Trowa cried, every word he spoke he knew was wrong, every kiss his planted among Quatre's golden hair was wrong.... But he couldn't help it.

"In my country, we say 'tamustyujii'...." Quatre replied softly. "It doesn't mean 'I love you'. It means more. It means something to the affect of...'I dedicate to you my soul'....

"Tamustyujii, Trowa...tamustyujii koyu. Maltuyujii...."[1]

~~~

They had wandered into the bar and were certainly a sight. Lots of men looked up from their assorted card and dice games to stare at the two women that entered and size up the three men. The few servant girls whispered to one another. Either about the three men or because women of such stature were out of their rooms. It was an uncommon sight, but they wanted to be with one another, and Duo might have lost almost all his pride, but he was still a man and he would walk into a bar and not be turned away.

First off they ordered food.

"Real food, real food!" Duo bubbled excitedly. "I can't wait! I love food!"

Quatre giggled at his friend, resting a gloved hand on Trowa's arm protectively.

They ordered duck and potatoes and soups and rolls, all most expensive things around.

Duo was just in heaven.

"Aye! I could eat such things forever! Let's be rich forever," he hissed, eyes sparkling with delight.

Heero smiled. "That was the general idea for now. Eventually we'll need to buy a carriage and everything.... And I need to get a sword."

"Just start gambling and win. Someone is sure to give up something of value if they're enough in debt. Why not a sword?" Wufei suggested.

Heero stood. "I think I will."

Duo grabbed at his sleeve before he left.

"Are you mad at me?"

Heero lifted his hand and kissed it.

"Of course not."

Duo blushed a little and watched him shift into the crowd.

Trowa and Wufei also disappeared and Quatre and Duo were left to sit in the corner and talk to each other.

"This is so stupid," Duo muttered, circling his finger on the table. "Being a woman is stupid. We don't get to do anything."

"No, Duo, you have it all wrong. Women are beautiful and strong."

"And they have to sit in the corner and watch the men have fun," Duo pouted.

Heero was doing quite well at the gambling table. The other men were a little suspicious because of his age, but he was winning grandly.

All the men were thoroughly annoyed because they were being beaten so badly by a young man and just as Wufei had predicted, stared giving up other valuable items.

But Heero was good at cards and this he knew. He knew he would win until the other men quit and they would not quit for fear of their pride.

Trowa and Wufei sat down at the bar.

Both pondered over buying beers.

"Do you know what they taste like?" Wufei asked quietly.

"No," Trowa replied. "Maybe we should see?"

"Why not?"

Both sat there and stared at each other.

"Well.... All men do it," Trowa stated. "Let's."

Once more they stared at each other.

Quatre managed to get Duo to laugh a little and forget his predicament when a tall, dark man of about twenty-five walked over to them and leaned against their table.

"Why hello, beautiful women. Is this seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to an empty seat at the table.

"No," Quatre replied softly.

He pulled it closer to Duo and then sat down.

"And what's your name, fair maiden?"

Duo immediately tensed up, but at the same time was highly flattered. This man thought he was beautiful and asked for his name! This man *noticed* him! Actually *noticed* him! He wasn't just another figure in the crowd, he was an actual, perceptible *person*.

"D-Duet," Duo stuttered as thoughts flashed through his mind.

"Ah, such a fitting name for one so beautiful. Tell me, do you have anyone to make your name complete?"

Well, that struck Duo. Should he say yes? Or should he continue to converse with this man? He was kind of scared, true, because he didn't really know what to say. In the Academy it was rare that anyone other than the few friends you could manage to accumulate would ever look at you twice and so he didn't really know how to converse very well with anyone spur of the moment. Even in the Academy you all had something in common. You were all in the Academy and you could talk about that.

But out in this new world....

No one knew anything about anyone else and conversation wasn't that easy to make.

"No," Duo returned boldly, trying to act more comfortable as he laid his arm on the table.

Quatre was a little surprised by this, thinking that Duo would say he was married to Heero, but was secretly glad that Duo was getting more attention than him from this strange man. He got a bad feeling about the man and besides, he had Trowa.

"Is that so?" The man leaned in closer to Duo, resting a hand on his arm, holding it firmly as Duo suddenly jerked back to the physical contact.

Then the man leaned his face in closer and Duo could smell the whisky on his breath and tried not to run as he was reminded of the slave traders that had taken him in so long ago....

"Smelly little shit bag!" the ringleader cursed at him and struck his back with the horsewhip.

Duo cried out, falling. He had finally broken just a few days ago and was certainly feeling the affects.

The ringleader laughed and yanked him up by his chin, his ugly face so deadly close. His eyes were covered with the film of drunkenness and his entire body reeked of alcohol.

"If you weren't so pretty and so virgin, I'd kill ya."

Duo didn't doubt his words as he tried not to vomit.

The smell was so intoxicatingly thick. So strong it made him dizzy. He hoped to one-day get away. Get away and live in peace. Maybe hide from the world....

But most of all, he hoped he'd never have to smell that smell again.

He brushed his nose up against Duo's cheek and Duo was revolted by the touch.

Suddenly that which seemed so amazing and wonderful, turned hideously awry.

"Excuse me," a voice spoke loudly and Duo thought he'd never be happier than he was right then.

"Can I have this dance?" Heero asked, extending his hand to Duo as a song started up.

Duo smiled wide, jerking his arm away from the man and sliding it into Heero's hand, standing and almost falling into Heero's arms.

The man looked highly disappointed and glared at Heero something vicious.

Trowa, watching this, saw what was going on and went to Quatre's side before this man could harass Quatre.

Then Heero spun Duo into the jig, being mindful of his lame arm and trying not to embarrass him or his dancing skills, which were limited.

"Thank you," Duo whispered.

Heero shrugged. "No problem."

"I didn't think.... I was much to caught up in my own excitement to notice...."

"Most men will try that. I guess it's the main hindrance of being a woman."

"Where'd you learn to dance so well?" Duo asked, changing the subject easily.

"I did have a girlfriend.... Often we went to bars to dance."

"Ah," Duo replied, feeling he hadn't picked such a good topic and deciding to try again. "So, did you get your sword?"

Then Heero smiled.

"A-hah! You should've seen! We were playing Kings, a typical card game in taverns, also one that takes much skill. All the men there thought I was insane and that I would be an easy win. I beat them so bad, Duo-et!" Heero corrected himself. Even in the slip, his excitement wasn't lost. "They didn't want to give up, even after they had lost all their money, because they were offend they lost when I was so young! It was great! I got *two* swords, made on special order, a dagger, and a beautiful piece of jewelry I gave back to the man who I won it from in secret. It was for his mistress and he'd just bought it and it took him a while to save up."

"Aw! That was nice of you."

Heero blushed a little, before continuing. "Not to mention I also won a lot of money to change to gold. I promise you I--"

He halted abruptly and hesitated in the rhythm of the dance.

"Heero?" Duo asked, confused.

"Sorry.... I lost my train of thought," he replied, picking up again and trying not to give any hints at his emotions for the other boy because they just wouldn't do. Not right now.

"Well, go on then."

"What was I saying? Oh yes. We'll get a carriage and some really nice clothes and I'll teach you the bow, hmm?"

"Sounds fabulous...." Duo whispered, staring up into Heero's dark, mysterious eyes and a shiver ran up his spine.

~~~

The man cloaked in black gazed through the window unnoticed. Like a shadow in the night.

His snake eyes blinked quickly and his forked tongue shot out, tasting the air and smiling to himself.

"And these are the Sha-Zraj-Ni?" he hissed contently. "Soft meat.... This is all too easy, My Lord.... Much, much too easy...."

~Til Then~

[1] I dedicate to you my soul, Trowa...forever I dedicate to you my soul. Keep it safe.