Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Of Legends and Magic ❯ The Kiss ( Chapter 3 )

Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi. 1x2, 3x4, 5xH, 6xN, magic, ghosts, a kinda OOC Heero. . .



Disclaimer: Don't own them. Not mine. Yeah, that is what I tell myself all the time!



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//Telepathy//

'Thoughts'

"Words"

EMPHASIS



And now, the chapter that many have been waiting for . . . Heero and Duo's meeting! (Well, kinda. . .)

. . .

Chapter Three: The Kiss

. . .



It was exhilarating, feeling the wind whip and stroke his face as if with a thousand invisible hands, and delve into his braided hair- making him grin and laugh out loud in happiness. His chest was almost bursting with excitement and anticipation, because his companion promised to show him a special place. . . a place that had been a secret until hedecided to divulge it to Duo.


They were rounding off an immense old tree that must have been a hundred years old; riding a big, snow-white horse with Duo in front of himbecause his knowledge concerning horses were limited, considering his deprived childhood. However, hedidn't want to walk to the special place so hetold Duo to ride with him.


Duo looked up, his amethyst eyes sparkling with unhidden delight. . . for being able to go out and explore once again, being in good terms with himonce more. . . and of course, having himat his side. . . 'Hmm. . . that must be the best reason there is!' he grinned, unable to keep his happiness contained.


The person behind Duo looked down at the beautiful youth in his arms and a rare smile appeared on his expressionless face, his Prussian-blue eyes glinting with a fierce emotion so foreign to many.


"Are we there yet?" asked Duo, although reluctant to part from the comfortingly warm arms of his companion.


"We're near." A deep baritone answered him. Duo shivered at the husky tone. It never fail to amaze him how strongly hisvoice affected him in many ways. The person's free hand rose to caress Duo's cheek, and his head tilted forward, his lips starting to lightly brush against those of the amethyst eyed prisoner in his arms. Duo closed his eyes, wanting to savor every exquisite moment of the kiss. . .


'God, I love you. . . Hee---'

"---EEEYYYYY!!!! Duo!! Hey, wake up, sleepy head!!! Quatre said we're near Lowe Castle!"


Duo jerked on his seat, snapping out of his dream abruptly. Remnants of blissful feelings lingered for a few moments, but they gradually faded away as tendrils of wakefulness filled him. He tried to remember the dream. . . but unfortunately, along with the feeling, it also disappeared. He scowled at the one who awakened him. "What the hell was that for?!" he growled, really annoyed at the loss of the dream. The disrupter, Hilde, frowned and lifted her chin. "For crying out loud, Duo, why are you reacting like that? And I told you, Quatre asked me to wake you up. Lowe Castle is just a couple of miles away." She made a face. "You do not want your Mate to see you for the first time while sleeping, now do you?"


Duo huffed, adjusted his new shirt under his opened black coat---a sign of anxiety---then sighed. "Sorry, Hil, I just had a great dream." Then he frowned down on his new clothes. "Damn, these clothes are too tight!"


Hilde smiled, her sudden exasperation vanishing completely. "Ahh. That's why you were so annoyed when I woke you up. Sorry 'bout that." she patted Duo's shoulder.


Duo shrugged, opened three buttons on his shirt, then leaned back at the soft chair of the carriage they had been riding for two days from Ventei to Sanq, and ultimately to Lowe Castle. He returned to what he had been doing for the past few hours before he fell asleep, and that was observing the scenery before him from the window of the coach.


It was really beautiful, this particular part of Sanq. Tall trees, grasses and flowers can be seen scattered everywhere, creating a multi-colored wonderland with a cerulean sky and thin clouds. He was traveling on the border of Heero's lands now. . . at the very edge of his world. Heero Yuy. His soon-to-be Mate. Duo snorted. Funny how this turned out to be, with him engage to a person whom he hasn't-yet-been able to meet and see. But for the sake of Helen. . . Hell, he might do anything. . . even marry a person he doesn't know.


He wondered again, not for the last time, about his so-called 'Mate'. From the scant information Quatre had told him this past week-and-a-half, Heero is a tall person with brown hair and blue eyes, a subdued personality, and a fierce but even temper. Then he gathered from what the couple implied, that Heero is a very powerful, not to say rich, Lord in Sanq. Pretty much well-known knowledge to the people in Ventei, heck, they even know about the practice of how a person from the Lowe family marries. Unlucky him, he wasn't someone who's always prone to rumors and gossips.


Although now that he's thinking of it, he did hear some whispers about the… peculiarities… of the descendants of a rather famous Lord named Odin Lowe, one of them being the legend of a family member choosing a Mate for them. He also gathered from reliable resources that the family is one of the richest and the most influential in the land… hm, maybe that was why Quatre's and Trowa's names rang a bell in his mind when the young blond introduced himself… he was just too nervous to dwell on it for fear that they might have him arrested by the authorities.

He couldn't complain about this family's oddities, though. Heh, anyone is entitled for a little eccentricity or two. But he was shocked that first time when Quatre told him that being a Mate was as good as being married… damn, he even fainted... but his mother needed the help of this family, and if the price of helping Helen was being saddled with a bad-tempered Lord, then by God, he'll take it. He didn't care about himself because Helen and the others were his first and foremost priority... he even argued when Hilde offered to come with him in Sanq, and she argued back. . . and made him see the reason why she wanted to come.


"Hey, Duo, you're spacing out again!" his companion complained, waving a hand in front of him.


Duo grinned and looked fondly at his surrogate sister. "Have I already thanked you for coming with me?"


Hilde blinked. "Huh? Where did this came from?" then she smiled impishly. "Hah! If I remember it correctly, you were too angry to thank me!" Duo pouted at that, then smiled good-naturedly. "Then thanks, Hil. I just realized why you did that. I know you don't want to leave me alone in an unfamiliar land."


"Anything for you. . . Duo. . . I owe you so many things. . . this is the least that I can do! And of course, for Helen." Her brows knitted with worry. "God, I hope Helen and the others are doing well at the house Quatre had provided. I was reluctant to leave them, but Helen told me to come with you..." she turned her confused blue eyes to her brother. "It was a good thing Helen allowed you to go here! I thought she wouldn't give in!"


Duo sighed. "I talked her out of it, saying that it's for her own health. At first she wouldn't listen, but I guess I'm more stubborn than her." His eyes twinkled, and then he turned to the window once more to resume his sight-seeing.


Hilde smiled happily. "You know, we must really thank your Mate for all the things he did for us. I mean, first he was able to provide a new house and clothing for us, the children and Helen." she reverently touched her new dress, a blue satin Empire-styled gown that was given to her a few days ago. "Then he let Wufei-whom, I gathered from Quatre is one of the most skilled doctors in all the lands-heal Helen from her sickness. It was a miracle! In two days, she was almost back to her normal self! Remind me to thank him if you see him..." Hilde trailed off, blushing slightly.


Duo, on the other hand, didn't notice his sister's flushed face, since he was busy staring at a particular spot in the woods near them.


"I mean, how did Wufei do it? I know he's kinda stiff and unsmiling, but he's really cute! I wonder when can I see him agai-"


"STOP!!!"


Hilde jerked forward as the coach came to a sudden halt. "Duo! What in the world was that for?" she asked, dumbfounded. Duo ignored her and went down the carriage, his face bearing an expression of baffled incredulity.


Meanwhile, Trowa and Quatre, who both chose to ride on their horses, also came to a stop. The couple went down from their respective horses and walked briskly towards Duo. "Duo? What's the matter?" Quatre asked, concerned. He can feel disbelief and something else from his cousin's Mate... more like...anticipation?


Duo nodded abruptly upon seeing them. "Yo, Quat, Tro, can I go around the woods for a while? Please!!!" He gave them his best pleading eyes. "I promise I will be back in no time!! Heero won't even miss me!!! I won't be gone long!"


Quatre looked unsure. "I don't know, Duo. . . you might get lost. . ."


"Oh, c'mon, Quat!! I'm a big boy now! I can take care of myself!! And besides, I can see Heero's castle from here!" he gestured at the said castle's soaring towers. "I figured that I can reach the castle if I follow this road, so I won't be lost!"


Quatre still looked uncertain. "But, Duo. . ."


//Let him, Love. I'm sure Duo knows what he's doing.//


Quatre glanced at his Mate. //Trowa, I not that concerned about Duo because I know that we can find him if he became lost in the woods… but what about Heero? He might not like it if he knew that his Mate is wandering around somewhere in the forest.//


//Quatre, don't you remember? It's Heero's usual morning ride. I'm sure he's still out. Do you want me to tell Heavyarms to follow Duo or have a look out for Heero?// Trowa glanced at the blue sky where the large hawk was flying in a circle. Quatre frowned for a moment, while the violet-eyed youth continued his pleading look. Then the blond slowly shook his head inconspicuously. //No, don't, Trowa. I don't want to intrude on both of them.// The young blond frowned at Duo, then he nodded sagely. "Alright, Duo, you can go. But you must be back after half an hour!"


Duo grinned ecstatically. "YEAH!!! Thanks so much, Quat!!! Gotta run!!!" then he was gone in a few seconds.


Trowa and Quatre stared at his trail. "I wonder where he's going?" Trowa murmured, more to himself. Quatre turned to see Hilde walking up to them. "Where's Duo?" she asked, looking from her right to left.

Quatre shrugged. "He took off. We don't know where to." At her concerned frown, the blond youth patted her arm. "Don't worry, Hilde, Duo told us that he knows what he's doing. Let's go and wait for him at the castle." //Hopefully, Heero's still out.// he told his Mate.


As Hilde went up the coach once again, the green-eyed young man caught Quatre's hand and kissed his palm. "You're worrying too much, Love. Give them a little break." Quatre smiled and nodded. Then they climbed their respective steeds and proceeded to Lowe Castle.


. . .


Duo had been walking for fifteen minutes and still, he cannot see any sign of the huge tree that he glimpsed from the carriage and had been trying to find. `I swear I saw it around here somewhere. . . but where? Damn. . . maybe if I could see that tree, I might be able to remember my dream. . . funny why I recalled that tree. . . But I can't find it!' His thoughts screamed, while he surveyed the clearing in front of him.

"No huge tree here. . . hm, where to go. . ?" he asked himself as he arrived at a forked pathway. "Left? Or rig-" he stopped as he heard a muffled sound from the left side of the trail. "Huh?" Then he heard it again, this time, more clearly.

It was the sound of someone. . . sobbing.


Curious, he followed the sound and came to another clearing… correction, not an ordinary clearing... because from the multiple crosses and markers that he can see from his place, it was evident that he stumbled upon someone mourning in a cemetery.

And there was the weeping person, bowed over a tombstone to his right. From the sounds of the sobs, the person is a female, although he cannot see what the woman looked like because she was garbed in a long, dark cape and a hood that hid her face and her entire body.


Duo was a compassionate person; therefore, he wasn't immune to the sorrows in life. So instead of walking quietly away to leave her in her grief, he tried to comfort her. He emerged from his hiding place behind tall bushes and said, "Hey, lady, do you nee-"


The caped lady's head shot up, then she quickly dashed from the tombstone into the deep wilderness, leaving Duo to stare at her trail.


"-d any help?" Then he sighed. "Sheesh... I just wanted to help..." Without anything left to do, he went to the tombstone and took a look at it. It was just a simple one, with only a name inscribed in it.


Treize Khushrenada


He knelt down and gazed at the tear marks on the marker, not really interested at the name of the dead person. But it was then when he heard yet another sound, this one of fast approaching hoof beats of a horse running in haste. Duo snapped up and returned to his hiding place before the rider and the horse came out from his right.


The horse whinnied loudly as its rider maneuvered it to a stop when they arrived at the cemetery. Duo looked on, mesmerized by pure white color of the horse in front of him. . . but actually more by the sight of its rider.


"Whoa, Wing." The rider said easily, his tone monotonous and clear. His unruly dark-brown hair gleamed as sunlight was reflected in it, making it shine a lighter shade. He was dressed in black riding breeches that shaped his long legs and a matching short black coat without a shirt inside, slightly exposing his broad shoulders. His Prussian-blue eyes were traveling around the vicinity, narrowed and with a notably irritated gleam. But it seemed to widen and became angered when it settled upon one particular headstone… that of Treize Khushrenada.


The person quickly jumped from the white horse, then strode to the marker. He stared at it for a long time… then he closed his eyes, and raised his head to face the sky. Duo watched on, curious at what the young man was doing. The blue depths opened abruptly and looked around, as if he suspected that someone was watching him. As he peered at Duo's hiding place, Duo shrank lower into the bushes, suddenly afraid to be caught 'spying'.


After a while, the brown-haired young man finished his scrutiny of the cemetery and went to his horse to leave. Flashing another unnerving gaze at the cemetery, he left.


Duo once again went out of his hiding place as soon as the young man was out of his earshot. 'Wow...' he thought, blinking dumbly at the spot that, moments ago, was alive with the blue-eyed youth's dynamic presence. The braided boy shook his head firmly. "Duo! Not now!! Not when you're going to be married in less than a week!" he told himself resolutely, hitting his head with his hand. Oh, yes, he must not forget about his betrothed, Heero. Speaking of him, he has to go back to the castle... to meet him... at last. He sighed again, and went back to the road that would lead him to Lowe Castle.


Though he can't help but think of the mysterious blue-eyed youth once more.


. . .


Back at the castle, it was then when Trowa, Quatre and Hilde arrived at the intimidating fortress of the Cursed Lord of Lowe Castle, as many people know Heero Yuy to be.


Hilde stepped down the coach and gaped at the mammoth structure in front of her. Lowe Castle was. . . 'huge' was the first word to come to her mind. But it was more. . . foreboding. It was made from gray stone and has two wings. Four tall towers stood imposingly against the ocean-blue sky and the windows were enlarged and a Palladian-style added. The front door was as impressive as the other parts of the castle, made from a dark wood, and the stairs to the door was designed with an artful sweeping style that was both welcoming and aloof at the same time.


Hilde inclined her head sideward. The place had a definite stateliness about it and yet. . . it still retained the idea of oppressiveness. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Quatre went to her.

"Hilde," he said, "Welcome to Lowe Castle. This will be your new home from now on. We hope you'll like it here." Quatre smiled while linking his hands with his Mate.


Trowa also smiled faintly. "Judging from the general silence, I assume Heero is still out on his morning ride. He'll be here in a moment. We'll have to wait for him... as well as Duo." He gestured to the door. "We can go inside while waiting."


Hilde's brows knitted in worry. "Ummm... Lord Barton... T-Trowa?" At his approving gaze, she continued, "Can I stay here to wait for Duo?"


Trowa nodded. "Then by all means, let's wait for them here."

"Thanks." Hilde smiled gratefully. A servant suddenly materialized from her side and went to gather her and Duo's things from the vehicle. Others went to the second carriage for the things Quatre and Trowa brought with them to Ventei. She turned to her companions to see the tall cinnamon-haired young man was whistling for his hawk, and the blond one talking to a middle-aged man.


Quatre smiled at her again when he caught her looking at him. "Don't worry, Hilde. Otto told me that Heero left hours ago. That means he should be returning any minute now. As for Duo, well, his thirty minutes is almost up."


"Quatre, I think Heero's coming now." Trowa said, petting his hawk that was perched on his arms. //Love, Heavyarms told me that he saw Heero returning from his ride.// Quatre nodded while Hilde stared at green-eyed man. "But, Trowa. . . how would you know that Heero is coming?"


"Heard the hoof beats of Wing, his horse. I have a very acute hearing." He lied readily. Hilde nodded as if she understood. "Of course. . ." Then she heard the distant hoof beats, too. From her vantage point, she could make out a silhouette of a lone rider galloping down the track leading to Lowe Castle.

It was her brother's Mate, Heero Yuy.


Heero galloped into the courtyard and drew rein to an abrupt halt, the wind blowing to tangle in his unruly dark mane and his Prussian-blue eyes surveying the people before him. Hilde found that she couldn't take her eyes off the striking figure atop the snow-white horse. He was beautiful. . . in a sort of an untamed way. . . Bronze skin, blue eyes, messy hair. . . 'Duo would be pleased.' Was the first thought, oddly, that came to her mind.


Speaking of her brother. . . she just saw him waving from behind the bushes to Heero's right-in apparent hurry-and was speaking without any sound, as they use to whenever times like this happen.


---Ran here as quickly as I could. Is Heero already there? You're the only one I can see from this range!--- was the sentence Hilde understood from her brother as he finished moving his lips. She was about to nod when Heero dismounted from his horse and blocked her view of Duo.


Hilde stared with wide-eyes at the master of Lowe Castle as he strode across the courtyard towards her. "Heero!" she acknowledged nervously but determinedly, holding her hand out at the pensive young man as he stopped in front of her. Heero just looked at her impassively.


She forced a smile. "It's so good to finally meet you! I'm Hilde, yo-" But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Heero took her hand and yanked her towards him, kissing her in front of the people in the courtyard.

Tbc



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