Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Takara ❯ Chapter 1
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Vinyl-Koneko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.26.2003 | Updated On: 08.30.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 910 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.26.2003 | Updated On: 08.30.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 910 | Status: Completed
+ Title: Takara - Part 1
+ Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+ Rating: R
+ Couplings: 1x2, 3x4, possibly others
+ Warnings: AU, yaoi, romance-ish, pirates (yum!yum!)
+ Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
+ Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
+ Comments: //Lyrics// and *emphasis* and 'thought' and [flashback], some may not be used in this fic...it's just a heads-up. This little fic was written for Dacia for the 2-year anniversary of A Little Piece of Gundam Wing on July 23rd because Dacia's always been so nice to me. Enjoy!
*~**~*
'I don't fucking believe this,' Duo Maxwell thought as he was hauled roughly by a soldier and tossed into a horse-drawn carriage. Another uniformed man slammed the door shut in Duo's face, and the longhaired man could hear the sound of a bolt sliding into place, locking him in. He felt a jolt and heard the clopping of hooves as they moved down the cobblestone street towards, Duo was certain, the prison where they kept everyone from peddlers to mass murderers to military traitors.
"Great," Duo heard someone snort in the shadows, "the day I get caught I'm stuck with a *woman*."
The longhaired man was about to send a deadly glare towards the source of his voice when he remembered he had been caught in the middle of a job. His hair was down, cascading in waves down his back to his knees, and he was wearing the blouse and skirt of a peasant woman, a strip of leather tied above his forehead holding his bangs out of his eyes. His eyes were lined with heavy kohl, cheeks rouged, and a hint of color graced his lips. "You should wish you were," Duo responded, catching a glimpse of his companion's eyes widening in surprise as the carriage turned and the moonlight killed the shadows he had been previously hiding in.
"Because now I'm stuck with a prostitute." The man seemed to be a little shorter than Duo, but at least three times stronger. Not that Duo *wasn't* strong, but where he was fast and agile, this guy seemed to be pure power. His hair was shoulder-length, pitch black, and pulled back behind his head. His eyes were just as dark and slanted, causing Duo to realize that his companion was definitely not from the area.
Duo huffed at that term, mouth forming a scowl. "Actually, I prefer con artist, thank you very much."
The other man arched an ebony eyebrow. "You conned people into paying you to have sex with them?"
"No, I conned people into thinking I wanted to have sex with them before robbing them blind!"
Duo saw the white flash of a grin through the shifting shadows. "Ah, the Maxwell Demon. I've heard of you. Lots of lords will pay a high price to see you suffer."
"A life of crime doesn't exactly make one the most popular chap," the longhaired man grinned, pleased that his companion had heard of him. "So would I have heard of you, Mister...?"
"Chang Wufei."
Duo's eyes widened. He *had* heard of the other man. The Chang clan of the Far East made a lot of money trading silks and - in the underground markets - opiates. They made a fortune, and anyone who tried to rob their caravans quickly found themselves dead because the Changs were the masters of sword and hand-to-hand combat. They also had connections with very important people.
"So...you won't be at the prison very long. Someone will help you bust out, right?" Duo leaned forward in the carriage, eyes wide with hope.
"I don't plan on getting to the prison," Chang responded. "I'm waiting for a friend." The Eastern man looked out the grated window, and Duo followed his gaze, observing that they were about to pass by the entrance to the docks that led out to the harbor and the world beyond.
"Please take me with you!" Duo pleaded, knowing this was his best and possibly only chance to escape the revenge all the lords he had conned. "They'll gut me alive and then feed me to a pack of hungry dogs before holding me in the stocks for the townspeople to throw rotten food at me and the ravens to eat out my eyes just before being finished off in a guillotine!" he managed to get out all in the same breath.
Chang's face took on a distant look, as if to say that he didn't care and it wasn't his problem. "It would be my friend's call, not mine. I doubt he'd be willing to bring someone else - he's already risking a lot to get me."
"But..." Duo started, but the loud boom of a cannon interrupted whatever he was about to say. A glimpse back out the window showed the buildings around him on fire, and he could hear the horses panicking as they reared onto the hind legs, loud whooshes of air puffing out of their flaring nostrils.
The door burst open suddenly, the wood tearing of the hinges from the strength of the guard that had busted it open. "Chang," the tall man greeted with a simple nod, standing aside to let the dark-haired man step out of the carriage.
"Barton," was the response, and Duo was suddenly confused. The guard was the one who had been in charge of steering the horses, not the one who had brutally attacked him and arrested him in the first place. Duo exited after Chang, seeing the guard who *had* assaulted him slumped over with a broken neck. 'Who the hell is this guy?'
"Captain has a boat waiting for us on Pier 52," the taller man began, walking quickly in the direction of the harbor. Duo had to struggle to keep up, his feet tangling in the yards of cloth swathed around his legs. He paused, turning to settle a cool gaze on Duo. "Who's the girl?"
The longhaired man felt his face grow red, "I'm not a gi-!"
"The Maxwell Demon," Chang interrupted, a sneer gracing his features. "You think the captain'll mind?"
Barton shrugged. "He'll make 'im fish bait if he does."
Duo ignored the threat. He could fight his way out of any situation he couldn't talk his way out of. If this captain thought he wouldn't be worth having around, Duo could at least try to convince the man to drop him off at the next port they stopped at. 'Who knows? I might even be able to pick of some money along the way.'
At Pier 52 a wooden, flat-bottomed rowboat sat waiting with three men - one manning each oar and the other standing at the bow with a rifle, daring anyone who came to close to test his aim. They grinned at each other upon seeing Duo, and one of the oarsmen was so bold as to brush his hand along Duo's ankle as he sat on the aft bench.
"Don't even fucking this about it, bud," he growled defensively, pulling his legs as close to his body as possible while sending a fiery glare in the much burlier man's direction, who in turn scowled at Barton.
"Trowa, you bring us a pretty little toy to play with and it's not even broken in yet."
"That's Duo Maxwell," Trowa responded, stepping into the boat and unhooking the rope that kept the boat tied to the dock. "I wouldn't touch 'im if you knew what was good for you. We'll have to see what the captain says first."
They rode in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the slap of the oars on the waves and the huffing of the oarsmen. Every now and then a military ship would be unmoored to come after them, but the man in the bow did a good job keeping the ships away with his rifle. Duo saw their destination as they rounded a rocky island jutting out of the harbor, turning past a sharp cliff, and Duo had to hold his breath at the sight.
The ship was immense; at least twice the size of the standard military ships, but it seemed narrower, as if she had been crafted for speed. The wood was dark, seeming pitch in the black of night. Things started to click in Duo's mind. "You guys are all *pirates*?"
"That's right, pretty," the oarsman who had tried to feel him up grunted. "Not just any pirates, either."
The rowboat maneuvered to the side of the ship, providing Duo with a perfect view of the white crest cast on a black flag at the top of the mast that also bore the crows' nest. The image was of an angel, wings spread out to the side and feathers floating around its body, perhaps symbolizing that the angel was falling to earth to lead a life among mortals. He recognized it, all right. The Black Wing was widely known, but even more famous was its captain.
And now Duo Maxwell - who had considered himself to be a pretty good criminal - felt like a pale shadow compared to the men he realized he was sitting with. Ropes were lowered when they got the rowboat along the flank of the ship, attaching them through eyelets and waiting as men above pulled on the ropes that looped through a system of wheels to easily bring the rowboat back up to its birth above the deck.
Duo climbed out of the boat and onto the ship when it was safe to do so, and - realizing he was still dressed like a woman - felt strangely amateurish. His gaze swept around the men that were watching the return of the boat, realizing that there were several woman who served on the crew, as well. His gaze stopped on the man who seemed to be in the middle of the crowd. He wore no distinguishing marks aside from the large, gold earring in his left ear and a smaller, black loop that encircled the top ridge of his ear, seeming to be the mark of the Black Wing since all the men and women on deck had the same earring. He appeared to be about the same height as Duo, and was wearing a simple outfit of black breeches, a white shirt with sleeves the billowed out around his arms, and a black vest. The only other decoration was a gold motif on his black, knee-high boots that looked like a design from the Far East.
The longhaired man allowed his gaze to reach the captain's face, and he was surprised because his preconceived vision of the captain did not match his actual appearance in the slightest bit. Where Duo pictured a grizzled old man with an eye patch, peg leg, hook, and a parrot on his shoulder, the captain actually appeared to be the same age as Duo with eyes as deep and the same color as the ocean, an attractive face, and a mop of dark brown hair that looked like it was permanently ruffled from the sea breeze.
Duo noticed that Trowa was behind him, standing straight and tall as he spoke to his captain. "This is Duo Maxwell who had been captured along with Chang Wufei on charges from several lords on stealing small portions of their fortunes. I can dispose of 'im if that's what you wish, sir."
The longhaired man subverted his gaze, noticing that Trowa seemed to use "sir" more to show respect in front of the rest of the crew than because it was required. Duo could see Captain Heero Yuy mentally process the information Trowa had provided as he looked Duo over, as if he were trying to find reasons to prove whether or not he was worth the time and resources. Food and clean water, Duo knew, were hard to maintain a good supply of in such a life where one wasn't certain the next time he'd see dry land.
"Maybe he'll prove useful to us," Heero said, turning from Duo to look at a blond young man with bright, blue eyes. "Quatre, he can share your bunk." Duo felt a deep, blue gaze being focused back onto him. "And find our guest some more appropriate attire."
"Yes, sir," Quatre said, motioning for Duo to welcome him. When the longhaired man walked passed the captain, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he was turned to face the other man in the eye.
"Welcome to the Black Wing. Do your part and we won't have to throw you overboard."
Duo just nodded, uncertain as to whether or not Captain Yuy was being sarcastic. He didn't seem like the type. The longhaired man hurried after Quatre, down a set of wooden stairs as he heard the echo of laughter on the deck.
*~**~*
The stories said that Heero Yuy had been an heir of a lord, and that he had been a childhood friend of Princess Relena Peacecraft herself. The story also said that during the war he had been a soldier, and after the conflict had been resolved he went back to his home and was restless. Supposedly Heero's travels during the war merely teased his thirst for adventure, and once he returned to the life of an aristocrat he had lived before, he was terribly bored. When his father announced that he had an arranged marriage with the Peacecraft princess since birth and they would be wed shortly after they turned sixteen, Heero fled and ended up at the sea. He had started out as a cabin boy, but he saved his share of what the crew stole, and soon he was able to build his own ship - the Black Wing, the fastest ship to date. The story said that Heero killed the man who designed his ship so no one else could have one like it, but Duo wasn't too sure of that.
And Heero Yuy, ten years after he ran away from home, was the most powerful and most feared of all the pirates with the best ship and crew ever.
Duo accepted the clothing Quatre handed him. It was a similar outfit to Heero's, only the breeches were brown, the vest was a blood red, and instead of the boots he had a simple pair of black shoes with white stockings covering his lower leg.
"It's a good sign that Heero didn't haul you overboard," Quatre was saying, his back turned to allow Duo to change in a little more privacy. "If he didn't think you'd be worth anything, you would be dead."
"So what are *you* worth?" Duo asked, trying to figure out what being "worth anything" meant to the captain. 'I certainly don't want to find myself the Black Wing's personal whore, *that's* for certain. I think I'll throw myself overboard if it comes down to that.'
"Heero was actually a friend of mine growing up. He sort of kidnapped me for the ransom money from my father, and during my time on the ship Trowa and I fell in love, so by the time Heero received my father's money, I didn't *want* to leave." Duo could hear the grin in the blond man's voice. "It's an interesting life. We don't just burn cities to the ground, kill all the men, rape the women, and sell the children into slavery. We only fight when we have to, and a lot of the newer pirates think they can establish themselves by challenging Heero thinking they will win - which of course they never do."
A black-haired man with a piece of cloth wrapped around his forehead popped his face into the porthole at Duo's peripheral vision. "Capp'n wants to see the new meat once he's done getting changed." He winked at Duo before pulling his face out of the porthole and going back to whatever his task at hand was.
"'New meat'?" Duo asked, his voice heavy with dread, and was done getting dressed and beginning to braid his hair into the much more practical plait.
Quatre shook his head. "Everyone's 'new meat' until they've proven themselves. Don't worry about it. As long as you're useful here no one will lay a finger on you." He nodded his head back up the wooden stairs towards the deck. "Heero will be in his cabin. It's hard to miss - it's the only room directly off the deck."
"Should I be worried?" He saw a piece of lace lying on a trunk in the corner, so he held the end of his hair as he grabbed it and tied off his braid.
"No," Quatre scowled playfully. "Now get going. Heero gets grumpy if he has to wait too long."
Duo hurried up the stairs, not wanting to anger the pirate captain. 'The drop-dead gorgeous pirate captain,' Duo's mind added, but he had to force away the thought.
He found the captain's cabin easily enough, and Heero was looking out a view port over the ocean, waiting for him. His hands were crossed over his chest, a solemn expression on his features. "Please sit down, Mister Maxwell." Duo sat in the nearest seat without hesitation, seeing the sword gleaming at the captain's side. Heero paused before speaking again. "Were your charges correct?"
Duo nodded wordlessly.
Heero seemed impressed, which made Duo smile a little to know that his work hadn't been a *complete* joke. "And how much money is on your head?"
The longhaired man had to think about this one, the different currencies hard to add together. "About one hundred thousand gold crowns collectively, um, sir," he replied.
"One hundred thousand gold crowns?" Heero leaned down towards Duo, his mouth millimeters away from Duo's ear, his breath like a gentle caress as he spoke. "Do you want to double that?"
Duo jolted in the seat. Being worth more to the military meant he was a more threatening criminal, and thieves and pirates seemed to play a game by seeing who could have the highest bounty on their head. Duo thought his was pretty good - no one *land* criminals could beat it, at least. "How?"
"Join my crew," was Heero's response as he stood back up to his full height.
"Why...?" Duo asked, a little hesitant.
Heero scoffed. "Because you feel it too. An honest life is just too damn boring - you would have become a tradesman if you didn't feel that way. Eluding the military excited you, made you feel bigger than you really were. And..." The captain knelt down in front of Duo, and he had to admit that he was surprised at the submissive action by the strong and powerful pirate, "I want to make you mine."
The possessive tone in Heero's voice caused him to shiver involuntarily, and before he knew what was going on, Captain Yuy's mouth was on his, gently nibbling on the braided man's lower lip before kissing him fully. Duo found his brain and his body suddenly not cooperating with each other as he savored the feeling of Heero's tongue stroking and caressing every surface in his mouth. Duo couldn't help but moan, and he could feel a faint blush rise to his cheeks when he realized what a whore he felt like by allowing the captain to seduce him, and that on some level this must be wrong. 'But it feels so good...'
They broke apart with Heero nibbling one last time on Duo's lower lip, an expression in the pirate's eyes that was part lust and part something else. "Have dinner with me tomorrow," Heero demanded, and Duo nodded slowly, his brain still trying to figure out what had just happened. The captain stood, planting a firm kiss on Duo's forehead before leaving to go back out on the deck, leaving the braided man alone in his cabin.
*~**~*
End Part 1
+ Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+ Rating: R
+ Couplings: 1x2, 3x4, possibly others
+ Warnings: AU, yaoi, romance-ish, pirates (yum!yum!)
+ Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
+ Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
+ Comments: //Lyrics// and *emphasis* and 'thought' and [flashback], some may not be used in this fic...it's just a heads-up. This little fic was written for Dacia for the 2-year anniversary of A Little Piece of Gundam Wing on July 23rd because Dacia's always been so nice to me. Enjoy!
*~**~*
'I don't fucking believe this,' Duo Maxwell thought as he was hauled roughly by a soldier and tossed into a horse-drawn carriage. Another uniformed man slammed the door shut in Duo's face, and the longhaired man could hear the sound of a bolt sliding into place, locking him in. He felt a jolt and heard the clopping of hooves as they moved down the cobblestone street towards, Duo was certain, the prison where they kept everyone from peddlers to mass murderers to military traitors.
"Great," Duo heard someone snort in the shadows, "the day I get caught I'm stuck with a *woman*."
The longhaired man was about to send a deadly glare towards the source of his voice when he remembered he had been caught in the middle of a job. His hair was down, cascading in waves down his back to his knees, and he was wearing the blouse and skirt of a peasant woman, a strip of leather tied above his forehead holding his bangs out of his eyes. His eyes were lined with heavy kohl, cheeks rouged, and a hint of color graced his lips. "You should wish you were," Duo responded, catching a glimpse of his companion's eyes widening in surprise as the carriage turned and the moonlight killed the shadows he had been previously hiding in.
"Because now I'm stuck with a prostitute." The man seemed to be a little shorter than Duo, but at least three times stronger. Not that Duo *wasn't* strong, but where he was fast and agile, this guy seemed to be pure power. His hair was shoulder-length, pitch black, and pulled back behind his head. His eyes were just as dark and slanted, causing Duo to realize that his companion was definitely not from the area.
Duo huffed at that term, mouth forming a scowl. "Actually, I prefer con artist, thank you very much."
The other man arched an ebony eyebrow. "You conned people into paying you to have sex with them?"
"No, I conned people into thinking I wanted to have sex with them before robbing them blind!"
Duo saw the white flash of a grin through the shifting shadows. "Ah, the Maxwell Demon. I've heard of you. Lots of lords will pay a high price to see you suffer."
"A life of crime doesn't exactly make one the most popular chap," the longhaired man grinned, pleased that his companion had heard of him. "So would I have heard of you, Mister...?"
"Chang Wufei."
Duo's eyes widened. He *had* heard of the other man. The Chang clan of the Far East made a lot of money trading silks and - in the underground markets - opiates. They made a fortune, and anyone who tried to rob their caravans quickly found themselves dead because the Changs were the masters of sword and hand-to-hand combat. They also had connections with very important people.
"So...you won't be at the prison very long. Someone will help you bust out, right?" Duo leaned forward in the carriage, eyes wide with hope.
"I don't plan on getting to the prison," Chang responded. "I'm waiting for a friend." The Eastern man looked out the grated window, and Duo followed his gaze, observing that they were about to pass by the entrance to the docks that led out to the harbor and the world beyond.
"Please take me with you!" Duo pleaded, knowing this was his best and possibly only chance to escape the revenge all the lords he had conned. "They'll gut me alive and then feed me to a pack of hungry dogs before holding me in the stocks for the townspeople to throw rotten food at me and the ravens to eat out my eyes just before being finished off in a guillotine!" he managed to get out all in the same breath.
Chang's face took on a distant look, as if to say that he didn't care and it wasn't his problem. "It would be my friend's call, not mine. I doubt he'd be willing to bring someone else - he's already risking a lot to get me."
"But..." Duo started, but the loud boom of a cannon interrupted whatever he was about to say. A glimpse back out the window showed the buildings around him on fire, and he could hear the horses panicking as they reared onto the hind legs, loud whooshes of air puffing out of their flaring nostrils.
The door burst open suddenly, the wood tearing of the hinges from the strength of the guard that had busted it open. "Chang," the tall man greeted with a simple nod, standing aside to let the dark-haired man step out of the carriage.
"Barton," was the response, and Duo was suddenly confused. The guard was the one who had been in charge of steering the horses, not the one who had brutally attacked him and arrested him in the first place. Duo exited after Chang, seeing the guard who *had* assaulted him slumped over with a broken neck. 'Who the hell is this guy?'
"Captain has a boat waiting for us on Pier 52," the taller man began, walking quickly in the direction of the harbor. Duo had to struggle to keep up, his feet tangling in the yards of cloth swathed around his legs. He paused, turning to settle a cool gaze on Duo. "Who's the girl?"
The longhaired man felt his face grow red, "I'm not a gi-!"
"The Maxwell Demon," Chang interrupted, a sneer gracing his features. "You think the captain'll mind?"
Barton shrugged. "He'll make 'im fish bait if he does."
Duo ignored the threat. He could fight his way out of any situation he couldn't talk his way out of. If this captain thought he wouldn't be worth having around, Duo could at least try to convince the man to drop him off at the next port they stopped at. 'Who knows? I might even be able to pick of some money along the way.'
At Pier 52 a wooden, flat-bottomed rowboat sat waiting with three men - one manning each oar and the other standing at the bow with a rifle, daring anyone who came to close to test his aim. They grinned at each other upon seeing Duo, and one of the oarsmen was so bold as to brush his hand along Duo's ankle as he sat on the aft bench.
"Don't even fucking this about it, bud," he growled defensively, pulling his legs as close to his body as possible while sending a fiery glare in the much burlier man's direction, who in turn scowled at Barton.
"Trowa, you bring us a pretty little toy to play with and it's not even broken in yet."
"That's Duo Maxwell," Trowa responded, stepping into the boat and unhooking the rope that kept the boat tied to the dock. "I wouldn't touch 'im if you knew what was good for you. We'll have to see what the captain says first."
They rode in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the slap of the oars on the waves and the huffing of the oarsmen. Every now and then a military ship would be unmoored to come after them, but the man in the bow did a good job keeping the ships away with his rifle. Duo saw their destination as they rounded a rocky island jutting out of the harbor, turning past a sharp cliff, and Duo had to hold his breath at the sight.
The ship was immense; at least twice the size of the standard military ships, but it seemed narrower, as if she had been crafted for speed. The wood was dark, seeming pitch in the black of night. Things started to click in Duo's mind. "You guys are all *pirates*?"
"That's right, pretty," the oarsman who had tried to feel him up grunted. "Not just any pirates, either."
The rowboat maneuvered to the side of the ship, providing Duo with a perfect view of the white crest cast on a black flag at the top of the mast that also bore the crows' nest. The image was of an angel, wings spread out to the side and feathers floating around its body, perhaps symbolizing that the angel was falling to earth to lead a life among mortals. He recognized it, all right. The Black Wing was widely known, but even more famous was its captain.
And now Duo Maxwell - who had considered himself to be a pretty good criminal - felt like a pale shadow compared to the men he realized he was sitting with. Ropes were lowered when they got the rowboat along the flank of the ship, attaching them through eyelets and waiting as men above pulled on the ropes that looped through a system of wheels to easily bring the rowboat back up to its birth above the deck.
Duo climbed out of the boat and onto the ship when it was safe to do so, and - realizing he was still dressed like a woman - felt strangely amateurish. His gaze swept around the men that were watching the return of the boat, realizing that there were several woman who served on the crew, as well. His gaze stopped on the man who seemed to be in the middle of the crowd. He wore no distinguishing marks aside from the large, gold earring in his left ear and a smaller, black loop that encircled the top ridge of his ear, seeming to be the mark of the Black Wing since all the men and women on deck had the same earring. He appeared to be about the same height as Duo, and was wearing a simple outfit of black breeches, a white shirt with sleeves the billowed out around his arms, and a black vest. The only other decoration was a gold motif on his black, knee-high boots that looked like a design from the Far East.
The longhaired man allowed his gaze to reach the captain's face, and he was surprised because his preconceived vision of the captain did not match his actual appearance in the slightest bit. Where Duo pictured a grizzled old man with an eye patch, peg leg, hook, and a parrot on his shoulder, the captain actually appeared to be the same age as Duo with eyes as deep and the same color as the ocean, an attractive face, and a mop of dark brown hair that looked like it was permanently ruffled from the sea breeze.
Duo noticed that Trowa was behind him, standing straight and tall as he spoke to his captain. "This is Duo Maxwell who had been captured along with Chang Wufei on charges from several lords on stealing small portions of their fortunes. I can dispose of 'im if that's what you wish, sir."
The longhaired man subverted his gaze, noticing that Trowa seemed to use "sir" more to show respect in front of the rest of the crew than because it was required. Duo could see Captain Heero Yuy mentally process the information Trowa had provided as he looked Duo over, as if he were trying to find reasons to prove whether or not he was worth the time and resources. Food and clean water, Duo knew, were hard to maintain a good supply of in such a life where one wasn't certain the next time he'd see dry land.
"Maybe he'll prove useful to us," Heero said, turning from Duo to look at a blond young man with bright, blue eyes. "Quatre, he can share your bunk." Duo felt a deep, blue gaze being focused back onto him. "And find our guest some more appropriate attire."
"Yes, sir," Quatre said, motioning for Duo to welcome him. When the longhaired man walked passed the captain, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he was turned to face the other man in the eye.
"Welcome to the Black Wing. Do your part and we won't have to throw you overboard."
Duo just nodded, uncertain as to whether or not Captain Yuy was being sarcastic. He didn't seem like the type. The longhaired man hurried after Quatre, down a set of wooden stairs as he heard the echo of laughter on the deck.
*~**~*
The stories said that Heero Yuy had been an heir of a lord, and that he had been a childhood friend of Princess Relena Peacecraft herself. The story also said that during the war he had been a soldier, and after the conflict had been resolved he went back to his home and was restless. Supposedly Heero's travels during the war merely teased his thirst for adventure, and once he returned to the life of an aristocrat he had lived before, he was terribly bored. When his father announced that he had an arranged marriage with the Peacecraft princess since birth and they would be wed shortly after they turned sixteen, Heero fled and ended up at the sea. He had started out as a cabin boy, but he saved his share of what the crew stole, and soon he was able to build his own ship - the Black Wing, the fastest ship to date. The story said that Heero killed the man who designed his ship so no one else could have one like it, but Duo wasn't too sure of that.
And Heero Yuy, ten years after he ran away from home, was the most powerful and most feared of all the pirates with the best ship and crew ever.
Duo accepted the clothing Quatre handed him. It was a similar outfit to Heero's, only the breeches were brown, the vest was a blood red, and instead of the boots he had a simple pair of black shoes with white stockings covering his lower leg.
"It's a good sign that Heero didn't haul you overboard," Quatre was saying, his back turned to allow Duo to change in a little more privacy. "If he didn't think you'd be worth anything, you would be dead."
"So what are *you* worth?" Duo asked, trying to figure out what being "worth anything" meant to the captain. 'I certainly don't want to find myself the Black Wing's personal whore, *that's* for certain. I think I'll throw myself overboard if it comes down to that.'
"Heero was actually a friend of mine growing up. He sort of kidnapped me for the ransom money from my father, and during my time on the ship Trowa and I fell in love, so by the time Heero received my father's money, I didn't *want* to leave." Duo could hear the grin in the blond man's voice. "It's an interesting life. We don't just burn cities to the ground, kill all the men, rape the women, and sell the children into slavery. We only fight when we have to, and a lot of the newer pirates think they can establish themselves by challenging Heero thinking they will win - which of course they never do."
A black-haired man with a piece of cloth wrapped around his forehead popped his face into the porthole at Duo's peripheral vision. "Capp'n wants to see the new meat once he's done getting changed." He winked at Duo before pulling his face out of the porthole and going back to whatever his task at hand was.
"'New meat'?" Duo asked, his voice heavy with dread, and was done getting dressed and beginning to braid his hair into the much more practical plait.
Quatre shook his head. "Everyone's 'new meat' until they've proven themselves. Don't worry about it. As long as you're useful here no one will lay a finger on you." He nodded his head back up the wooden stairs towards the deck. "Heero will be in his cabin. It's hard to miss - it's the only room directly off the deck."
"Should I be worried?" He saw a piece of lace lying on a trunk in the corner, so he held the end of his hair as he grabbed it and tied off his braid.
"No," Quatre scowled playfully. "Now get going. Heero gets grumpy if he has to wait too long."
Duo hurried up the stairs, not wanting to anger the pirate captain. 'The drop-dead gorgeous pirate captain,' Duo's mind added, but he had to force away the thought.
He found the captain's cabin easily enough, and Heero was looking out a view port over the ocean, waiting for him. His hands were crossed over his chest, a solemn expression on his features. "Please sit down, Mister Maxwell." Duo sat in the nearest seat without hesitation, seeing the sword gleaming at the captain's side. Heero paused before speaking again. "Were your charges correct?"
Duo nodded wordlessly.
Heero seemed impressed, which made Duo smile a little to know that his work hadn't been a *complete* joke. "And how much money is on your head?"
The longhaired man had to think about this one, the different currencies hard to add together. "About one hundred thousand gold crowns collectively, um, sir," he replied.
"One hundred thousand gold crowns?" Heero leaned down towards Duo, his mouth millimeters away from Duo's ear, his breath like a gentle caress as he spoke. "Do you want to double that?"
Duo jolted in the seat. Being worth more to the military meant he was a more threatening criminal, and thieves and pirates seemed to play a game by seeing who could have the highest bounty on their head. Duo thought his was pretty good - no one *land* criminals could beat it, at least. "How?"
"Join my crew," was Heero's response as he stood back up to his full height.
"Why...?" Duo asked, a little hesitant.
Heero scoffed. "Because you feel it too. An honest life is just too damn boring - you would have become a tradesman if you didn't feel that way. Eluding the military excited you, made you feel bigger than you really were. And..." The captain knelt down in front of Duo, and he had to admit that he was surprised at the submissive action by the strong and powerful pirate, "I want to make you mine."
The possessive tone in Heero's voice caused him to shiver involuntarily, and before he knew what was going on, Captain Yuy's mouth was on his, gently nibbling on the braided man's lower lip before kissing him fully. Duo found his brain and his body suddenly not cooperating with each other as he savored the feeling of Heero's tongue stroking and caressing every surface in his mouth. Duo couldn't help but moan, and he could feel a faint blush rise to his cheeks when he realized what a whore he felt like by allowing the captain to seduce him, and that on some level this must be wrong. 'But it feels so good...'
They broke apart with Heero nibbling one last time on Duo's lower lip, an expression in the pirate's eyes that was part lust and part something else. "Have dinner with me tomorrow," Heero demanded, and Duo nodded slowly, his brain still trying to figure out what had just happened. The captain stood, planting a firm kiss on Duo's forehead before leaving to go back out on the deck, leaving the braided man alone in his cabin.
*~**~*
End Part 1