Pairings: 1+2, 3+4

Warnings: yaoi, fantasy, magic, AU

Comments: I have an obsession for fantasy books and stories. *shrugs* So sue me.

Spellcaster 1

"Heero Yuy, I have a mission for you." Treize smiled as he placed his elbows on the desk in front of him and rested his chin in his hands. "I need you to accompany one young representative by the name of Quatre Raberba Winner to the Sanc Kingdom." He smiled over at the named boy sitting in a chair beside Heero Yuy.

Heero glanced over at the representative frowning slightly before nodding to the king. "Yes sir."

"Now to make this certain, nothing is to happen to this young man. He is very important to this cause." Treize smiled then waved towards the door. "You're dismissed."

"Hn. Yes sir" He stood and walked toward the door, then stopped and waited for Quatre.

Quatre stood and bowed slightly to Treize. "I will do my best, Your Highness."

Treize nodded slightly. "I know you will, Quatre. Just do what you can and find out what's going on at the Sanc Kingdom." His eyes flickered towards Heero for a second. "Tell Heero before you leave." He cleared his throat. "There is someone else I want you to take with you." Treize couldn't help the smirk that came across his face. "A mercenary by the name of Wufei Chang. He'll help you take care of this young man. You can take Specialist Trowa Barton with you if you wish, but that's all. A whole army is not need for this mission, understand?"

Heero struggled to keep his glare at bay. "Yes sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

Heero blinked and looked the mercenary up and down before lifting an eyebrow. "Wufei the mercenary, I take it."

"Treize and his sense of humor," the mercenary muttered under his breath. "I'm a knight, not a mercenary. I do not fight for money, I fight for honor."

Heero shrugged. "I don't care." He turned away. He ended up meeting the mercen-knight out in the hall as soon as he left King Treize's office. The man looked ready to fight. He had a grace to him that spoke of a good swordsman. He had shoulder length black hair put in a ponytail that was a custom to the people of the Chan civilization. Strangely enough, he didn't wear armor or have an arrogant attitude like most knights in this time. Someone like this would prove helpful in his mission. "What are you supposed to tell me, representative?" Heero said turning to look at the blond boy.

Quatre, the blond, smiled slightly. Though he was small in bearing and apparently unable to fight with anything beyond a bow, he was definitely a very intellectual boy. He seemed very innocent and polite, giving him a very good amount of respect from just about anyone. And that, Heero found out, was why he couldn't like the boy as a friend. Too much innocence could jeopardize everything. "I'm supposed to tell you what's happening in Sanc. Apparently, someone is trying to take over the Sanc Kingdom and rule Miss Relena, the leader of Sanc, out. I was informed that there's a group of rebels waiting outside of the kingdom ready to attack if they don't give up." He looked around making sure no one was listening before moving closer and speaking in a whisper. "They say the man after the throne is none other than her own brother, Milliardo Peacecraft."

Wufei folded his arms over his chest. "And you're saying that you're supposed to go all the way over there as a representative of Treize to convince him not to take Sanc? Are you mad?! Men like that don't listen to small talk or make deals. They always get what they want." He sniffed.

"Hn. It doesn't matter. A mission is a mission." Heero turned away from them. "You two wait outside the gate with the horses, I'll get Barton. Be ready to move out when I get there." The three split off, two towards the gate, one to find Specialist Trowa Barton. They never once felt the presence of someone spying on them from the darkness.

"Will see about that, Mr. Yuy." There was a slight giggle before the figure disappeared.

It wasn't long before the four boys were on their way to the Sanc Kingdom. The tension in the air was strong and very uncomfortable. Quatre had tried getting the other three to loosen up a bit, but had giving up not more then five minutes into the journey. He sighed as he looked at his other companions. Their leader, Heero, was determined to get to Sanc. Since early that day they hadn't stopped to rest but once, and that was only because Quatre had suggested it. Heero hadn't taken it lightly though, nor did Wufei. Quatre had the biggest feeling Wufei didn't like him in the least. Every time he tried to make conversation with the guy, he just sneered and moved back a step more behind his horse.

They had made somewhat of a triangle around the blond. Heero was in the front, leading of course, Wufei was to one side, and Trowa to the other. Quatre was put in the middle, told it was for his own protection. He sighed as he looked over at Trowa at his other side. The man was even more silent then Heero was. But there was something different about him, something...special. Trowa never responded to his attempts at talking, but every so often Quatre would catch him watching him. When their eyes would meet, Quatre's stomach would begin to do flips. His heart would beat faster, and he would find himself looking away, feeling his ears burning. It was something of a weird feeling. He had never felt anything like it before.

He placed his hand over his heart. One of his abilities was being able to feel other people's feelings. It was another reason why he was picked as the representative of OZ. But never had he felt so strongly the feelings flowing from these three. Determination. Honor. A sense of purpose. It wasn't much, but it was the most he had ever felt in a lifetime. Sighing again, he looked through the trees surrounding them. A three-day ride. That's how long it would take them to get to Sanc. Would they be too late? What would happen if the man planning to take over decided to not agree to his terms? A war would happen, that's what. In any case, that's what he would find out in the next two days. The forest was the only thing between OZ and Sanc. Until they gout out of the forest, there was nothing he co-

He stopped his horse so suddenly that the others drew reign and looked at him in confusion. He looked around feeling a hidden presence close by. Closing his eyes, he allowed his empathy to reach out and find the intrusion. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Heero turned and rode back towards him. "What are you-"

"Shh." Quatre placed a finger over his mouth. He frowned. Whatever it was, it was out there...watching them. It wasn't going to do anything while they just sat there. Opening his eyes, he forced the others closer to him by whispering. "There's something out there."

Heero glared his annoyance visible. "We don't have time for these games."

Quatre narrowed his eyes at him. "This is no game. I can sense something close by."

Trowa spoke the first words ever heard from him during the journey. "It could be a squirrel." Quatre stared at the boy in shock. He would never have guessed the other had such a rich beautiful voice.

"Hn." Heero turned his horse, Zero, around facing their destination. He stared briefly into the trees before grunting again. "Let's keep moving anyway. If there's something waiting on us, it's unlikely that it'll try to attack us in daylight." With that, he started Zero moving again. The two experienced soldiers quickly started moving to catch up. Quatre delayed a moment, trying to pick out the presence again. Nothing was there. He sighed to himself as he made Little Rock run to catch up to the others.

"Maybe it was just a squirrel," he whispered to himself. It was getting close to nightfall, and they still had a long ways ahead of them.

The figure hidden in the darkness of the trees cackled slightly as he watched the four boys riding away. He released his hold on the silver cross around his neck, feeling its magic release its hold on him. Things couldn't possibly have been any better. His luck was running perfectly. He had planned to look for bandits hiding out in the forest to steal their treasure for his own. But instead of finding bandits, he found three soldiers guarding some rich kid; a person bound to have a lot of loot. And still the best thing about this was that there were only three guards. What kind of rich man would rely on three guys for protection? He paused in his thinking. Besides one with magic. He was shocked when the blond boy turned towards him, seemingly pointing him out with little trouble at all.

The figure laughed again, his butt long chestnut braid swinging behind his back with his mirth as if alive and wanting to express its master's joy. No one had magic like he did. There was no other like it. He clasped the necklace in his hand again. What he possessed was possibly the most dangerous weapon in the world. If used wrongly, it could destroy the world. He smiled ruefully. That's why it was left in his hands to take care of. In the wrong hands, it would prove an excellent tool for war. Unconsciously, he rubbed at one of his pointy ears. It was those kind of people that brought him to his way of life. His whole race was gone all because of this. He tightened his hold on the cross. After a time, he released his hold on the necklace. It was time to move. Dusk was here.

It was well into the middle of the night when Heero signaled a stop. "We'll rest here." Heero looked to the blond shaking himself trying to stay awake. He wasn't sure if he should believe what the blond has said about the presence in the trees. He'd heard of people able to sense other people's feelings and thoughts but never took to light if it were true or not. All his life he never relied on others and trusted no one but himself. To do so now was out of the question. He had only himself to rely on. Trust could jeopardize everything, especially the mission.

Slipping from Zero's back, he looked around imprinting the surrounding area to memory. He heard running water nearby, a small stream maybe. They could use that to refill their water skins. There were a few berry bushes and trees with fruits in them. That would provide them with food. The dead and dying tree branches and twigs around would help with making the fire. Yes, this would be a perfect place to rest.

Trowa walked up to him, Arms behind him nickering and pushing playfully on his back. He looked at Heero through his on visible eye for a second before speaking. "I'll tie Zero up for you." Heero nodded and allowed him to take Zero away. Slowly, Heero walked towards Quatre.

"Do you think you can make a fire?" The blond boy slid off his horse before turning to Heero with a frown.

"I don't think it'll be that hard to make a fire, Heero." His small pale face shined with indignation.

Heero glazed at the young man, not in the least happy with this whole situation. "Then make a fire," he growled. He turned his back to the boy and began walking towards Wufei before the representative had a chance to say anything. He didn't know what it was about the but that he found irritating. It could be the smart intellect he showed at times or his inability to fight. It had to be one of those choices. There was no way he could be jealous of his respect and freely flowing friendliness. No way at all.

Wufei looked up at him when he was close enough. There was an obvious frown on his face, probably from having to be on such a simple mission where their only purpose was playing bodyguard for some little worthless kid. Heero shook his head at his own musings. He was letting this get too out of hand. Once the mission was over he would be done with it, and the blond boy. "There's a stream nearby," said stopping in front of the ebony haired boy. "Refill the water skins."

Wufei nodded. "How much longer do I have to take this?" he muttered to himself. "I swear, Treize and his sense of humor." He looked towards the stream. "This is a joke, isn't it? What possible danger would require two well-trained soldiers and a knight?" He sighed as he walked into the surrounding trees towards the small stream. Heero stared after him for a while longer before turning his attention back to the blond. The boy was just finishing stacking the sticks, with the help of Trowa Barton. Heero narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew he could trust his two companions with guarding the boy's life.

"Hn." It appeared that Treize was playing with all of their lives. He looked at Quatre who had just started the fire with little trouble at all. There was more there than that small body. A certain grace surrounded the boy that Heero hadn't noticed before. It was becoming more certain that the boy had fought at least some point in his life. Heero shook his head. He wasn't a representative. Treize was using him for something else. But what...? Heero found he had growing respect for the boy, if not much. He would figure it out soon enough. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the forest surroundings. Unconsciously, his hand snaked down to the sword at his hip. His hand rested on the hilt with a sort of comfortable reassurance. If something was out there, it had no chance at living if it thought it had the better of them.

Sighing Heero turned to find the others of the small band huddled around the fire and laying out pallets to sleep on. When they looked towards him, he held up a hand signaling that he would take first watch. Another gesture showed Wufei to have second watch and another tell Trowa he had third. The other three nodded their agreement, Quatre sighing knowing the reason for his being left out of the watch, before stretching out on their makeshift beds. It wasn't long before Heero heard the sound of deep sleepers and found himself alone in the watchful darkness, the living sentry. His sword began to glow.

The figure in the darkened forest peeked around the trunk of a tree, staring towards the burning fire and the man sitting guard at the camp's edge. He smiled evilly pretty much forcing himself not to laugh at the simplicity of the job at hand. Only one of them was awake. It would take no time to finish this. A quick slash and it would be over. But he would have to move quickly. Use surprise to confuse the soldier.

Smiling, the figured grabbed hold of the cross around his neck as the magic seeped into him. Like a shadow in the night, his form disappeared, cloaked within the darkness. In this state, the soldier would never suspect a thing was going to happen. He pulled a knife from the waistband of his pants and began moving towards the soldier, his indigo colored eyes somehow seeming to glow brightly in the darkened night.

Heero felt a warm sensation in his hand and looked down finding his hand cupping the hilt of the sword. He shook his head in confusion not understanding what was going on. Then his eyes caught sight of the glowing sword. He stared at the sword with a look of wonder as he pulled it free from his side. Holding it up in front of him he stared at it deciding that this was the cause of the sudden warmth. Then a thought occurred. What was causing the sword to glow? He looked around in search of the problem. Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei were still asleep around the dying ember of the fire. It wasn't coming from there. He looked towards the forest. Was it coming from the forest itself? Could it be the thing Quatre was talking about?

Heero found himself doubting everything he had said about the thing in the woods just being the blonde's imagination. The sword glowed brighter and was becoming unbearably hot. Whatever was causing the problem, it was coming closer. His face set in firm determination, Heero stood to his feet, staring into the trees in front of him. He would be prepared when it came. He tightened his hold on the sword's hilt. The hilt burnt into his skin. He didn't care. He wasn't about to show weaknesses to some stupid animal that just wondered into the campground. And then it happened.

Something jumped out of the trees at him. Heero blinked and backed away just before he heard the swish of something sharp going by his ear. Whatever it was, it was aiming to kill! Growling, Heero crouched down and looked around for his enemy. It was no where to be seen. Suddenly, he heard something apparently not seen. Heero stared in shock. There was nothing in front of him. Was he fighting a ghost or something of the like? He bared his teeth as he twisted the sword around aiming for where the chest would most likely be. The action caused something to happen as the tip of the sword caught hold of something ripping it away from whatever it was on.

Heero frowned as he looked at the sword's tip at a small silver cross wound around it with a small chain. Blinking he looked up and froze. A young man, or girl, stood in front of him looking not much older than himself. He was looking at him in shock, his hands clutching at his chest where the necklace most likely set upon him. His indigo eyes were wide in confusion and surprise as he stared at the young soldier. His hair looked to be chestnut colored and unusually long for a guy. Using this opportunity of dumbfound, Heero rushed the male, quickly bringing up a fist to hit him in the stomach.

The young male tumble to the ground, coughing and gagging from the suddenly impact done to his stomach. He looked up in consternation before slumping to the ground and quickly losing consciousness. Heero frowned as he looked at his sword at his side in his hand. The glowing had stopped as soon as the boy became visible. He replaced the sword at his side then kneeled down beside the boy to place the necklace in the sole of his shoe. He would have to tie the boy up and question what had happened once he woke up. Staring down at the boy, something caught his eye. Tilting his head a bit, Heero reached down and brushed a few straying locks away from the man's face. His breathing threatened to stop as he took in his discovery. He let his fingers run over the exposed pointy ear and knew it for truth. The man was an elf.

tbc...

Well...it's going well, I would say. Stayed tuned, though I can't say when part two will be out.