Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Plight of the Unicorn ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Plight of the Unicorn

Chapter Two

The brunette stood by the front door, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for someone to answer. He let his gaze wander over the contours of the huge house, taking in every small, exquisite detail.

"This is one fancy place alright. Wouldn't mind staying here while I taught the kid, at all," Duo murmured to himself.

His eyes quickly shifted forward when the door opened. The women who stood before him smiled brightly.

"Hello. How may I help you?" she asked.

"I'm here to speak to Mr. Winner," Duo announced.

She nodded faintly before leading him down the hall and to the study.

"Sir, this young man wishes to speak to you," the maid stated.

"Good afternoon. I'm here because I heard you needed a sorcerer to teach your son," the brunette exclaimed, getting down to business as soon as he could.

The man slowly raised his head from the book he had been reading. His gaze roamed over the boy's body, taking in the bright violet eyes and long chestnut colored braid that ran down his back.

`He doesn't look much like a sorcerer. However, he'll get that boy out of the house and that's the only thing that really matters to me,' the man thought.

"You will take him away and train him elsewhere," he ordered.

Duo's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't even ask for proof. I couldn't be some mass murderer for all he knows.

"Excuse me?" Duo prompted.

"I will give you as much money as you need for food and housing while he is under your care as well as the sum you will receive for training him. He must be taken away from this house though," the boy's father announced.

Duo sighed inwardly. Damn and I wanted to stay in the huge villa. Why is he so insistent on getting Quatre out of here though?

"If that is what you wish, it can be arranged," the brunette remarked.

"Excellent. You will spend the night in the guest room. Then early in the morning you shall both depart," Mr. Winner added.

Even though a dozen or more questions raced through the sorcerer's head he slowly nodded.

"Will you be informing your son?" Duo inquired.

The man waved his right hand, dismissing the idea. "You may go find and tell him. He won't be hard to find. He's the only blonde male in the house."

The boy carefully turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"That is one weird man. Not to mention uncaring. You don't just up and let some stranger take your son without even bothering to tell him yourself. The guy didn't even ask for my name," Duo muttered to himself as he walked down the hall.

"Hi! I really like your hair!" a young voice exclaimed from behind him.

The boy turned around glancing at the little girl who had spoken. She appeared to be around ten, with light blue eyes and curly blonde hair.

"Well hello, sweetie. I'm glad you like my hair. I think yours is very pretty as well," Duo remarked.

The girl giggled.

"Can I ask for you help, sweetie?" the brunette asked.

The girl nodded quickly. "My Nanny says I'm really smart," the child said proudly.

"I'm sure you are. I'm looking for a boy named Quatre," Duo informed.

"Quatre's my brother! I'll take you too him," she announced as she took his hand and led him down a corner and past several doors.

They finally reached an entrance, which Duo believed was their destination. He heard several squeals filter through the door, along with a great deal of laughter. The girl beside him bolted through the door, yelling out her brother's name.

Duo took a deep breath before following the child in. His eyes landed on the boy that he would be training and he realized that his original impression of Quatre was gravely wrong. He had believed his new charge would be some twelve to eleven year old boy who was spoiled rotten with freckles and a weak deposition. Instead he found a boy only slightly younger than himself with amazing blonde hair that looked like the sun and bright emotion filled blue eyes. The boy had a slender body, but not one that made him look sick or weakly. His smile alone seemed to light up the room and everyone in it.

The brunette rapidly dispelled the thoughts from his mind. It's not a very good first impression if you start fawning all over your pupil's body. To take his mind off the attractive blonde his violet eyes scanned the small cluster of children that were in the room as well. He counted five girls all under the age of 12 and one boy who appeared to be around five. Mr. Winner sure has a big family. I feel sorry for their mother.

"Quatre, this boy wanted to talk to you. Don't you think his braid is pretty?" the girl who had showed Duo the way commented.

The blonde finally focused his attention on the stranger in his home, smiling sweetly. "Yes he has very nice hair, Hessa. My name's Quatre Raberba Winner. What's yours?" he inquired.

"Name's Duo Maxwell. Nice to meet you, Quatre. I have something I need to discuss with you. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" the brunette asked.

The boy frowned faintly, brows raised in wonder. He nodded before setting his sister down to the ground and making his way out of the room. They silently walked side by side until they reached a glass door that led to the backyard. Quatre pulled the sliding door opened and motioned for Duo to follow through.

"We're alone now. Everyone is inside right now," the blonde informed.

Duo gently took the blonde's slender hands in his. He then closed his eyes and focused his mind on the aura that surrounded the boy. He is magically inclined. Of that I am sure. There must be a reason why none of the other sorcerers could succeed in teaching him.

"What are you doing Duo?" The blonde questioned quietly.

Violet eyes opened slowly as he released Quatre's hands. "Sorry about that. I was checking your aura for the presence of Magic. If you have that it's usually easier for you to be taught," the sorcerer stated.

Quatre's smile quickly slipped from his face. "You might as well just quit well you're ahead. You would have better luck trying to teach Hessa. At least she can do a protection spell. I can't seem to do anything," the younger boy murmured.

Duo grinned as he gave the other boy a quick hug. "Now don't be like that. Not everyone gets magic in a snap. You have to find the method that's best for you. We'll just keep searching until we find the one that suits you," the sorcerer exclaimed.

"Are you so sure about that? Even though three sorcerers have already tried and failed to teach me anything," Quatre commented.

"They're not me now are they? I'm going to keep it up until you know enough that you're proud of what you have accomplished!" Duo exclaimed.

The blonde couldn't help but smile at the sorcerer's enthusiasm. He really didn't believe the older boy would succeed but he didn't want his negative thoughts to bring Duo down. He's much nicer than the other's who tried to train me. Quatre thought. And definitely better looking. The blonde blushed faintly at the notion. I shouldn't be thinking that way about my new teacher. I'll have to work with him for a while and it won't do any good to be fumbling around him cause I'm nervous.

"You better start getting ready. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," Duo announced.

Those two sentences froze the younger boy in his tracks. "What do you mean?" Quatre asked, trying not to let the shaking in his voice show.

Duo gave him a knowing glance, dropping back to give the boy another gentle squeeze.

"You're father wants me to teach you away from your home. I don't really know why but he ordered it so that's what we have to do," the brunette remarked.

The blonde sighed as he rested his head on the other boy's shoulder. "He wants me gone. I'm nothing but a nuisance in this house. I should be off living my own life but I'm still here. He hates me because of that. By the time every one of my siblings turned fifteen they were out of the house. I still haven't left yet or even found what I want to do and I'm that age. I guess he's just sick of waiting for me to find something I'm good at," Quatre whispered.

"Don't let him bother you. I mean I know you'll miss your family and home but I promise you I'll make sure you're never alone. I'll be there with you and I will help you find your path in life. Got it?"

Duo ruffled the blonde hair affectionately. Good for you Maxwell, you just met the kid and you're already turning into his knight in shining armor. Although that does entitle me to kiss him right? Wouldn't mind doing that at all. The brunette smirked at the thought.

"Thank you Duo. That means a lot to me. Would you like me to show you to the guest room?" Quatre asked, the glow and smile returning to his face.

"Lead the way," Duo announced as he released the boy. I think I'm going to like this job. He's nice and friendly, just the kind of person I enjoy being with.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The young man sighed softly as he tipped the glass of wine to his mouth, allowing the liquid to quench his thirst. His eyes rested on the roses that stood in a vase beside him. He gently ran a fingertip over the tender blood red petals.

There was a loud rap on his door and he gently released the flower.

"Come in."

An older man with bright red hair entered the room and bowed slightly before walking over to stand in front of desk.

"What is it, Devin?" he asked as he brushed back a lock of ginger orange hair.

"Milord Treize, we've heard rumors of a unicorn circulating around the kingdom," the older man informed.

Treize couldn't help but roll his brilliant blue eyes at the notion. "There have always been rumors about unicorns but that's all that they are."

"Not this time sir. Several of the men have actually seen it. In fact I've heard that Mistress Dorothy has already sent her guards out to capture it," Devin announced.

The ginger haired young man frowned at the mention of the woman's name. As far back as he could remember her parents had tried to set up a marriage between him and the blonde girl. His father had always refused though, stating that he didn't have the right to force his son into a marriage him might not want. I can never thank you enough for that father. She is someone I prefer to avoid at all costs.

"Well if Miss Dorothy is after it then I must find it before her. That's sure to get her mad," Treize said with a chuckle.

The other man grinned at the response. He knew how much his lord hated the blonde haired woman.

"Besides a unicorn would be a perfect addition to my private zoo," the orange haired man added.

"Of course sir," his servant acknowledged. As Duke of their kingdom Treize had plenty of money to spend and a great deal of it went to obtaining exotic animals for his private collection. Devin couldn't even begin to count how many creatures the young man had in his possession but he knew it was a large amount. Unicorns were extremely rare creatures though and the last recorded sighting of one was almost a hundred years ago. He knew his master would never let an opportunity such as this slip from his grasp.

"Shall I alert the men to begin searching for it, sir?"

Treize nodded. "Send out every spare man you can find. I will have that unicorn of this I vow."

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TBC…