Eheh, I said I'd upload it and here I did! ^^ I wonder if it is okay cause it started going on way and then the other way opened up and my train of thought took thataway just for shits and giggles^^" Gi's got anything ta help me out? Review or e-mail and let meh kno!

Duo stared off into the distance, his violet eyes reflecting the sunset as the days celebrations wound down. He sighed and moved away from the balcony and into his room where he laid on his large and empty bed. He glared at the ceiling and sighed again, hating how much he was sighing. A timid knock tapped on the door of his sparsely decorated room and he pushed himself up, a smile gracing his features even though the person on the other side couldn't see.

"Come in." He called and moved onto the end of his bed so that his legs dangled off the edge and watched as a pudgy girl with dark brown hair cascading down her back in gentle curls and intelligent green eyes sparkling with an undertone of worry.

"Hey Duo, do you think I can visit my brother tomorrow?" He eyes sparkled with hope as she shut the door and moved in a bit.

Duo snorted and laughed as the girl smiled shyly. "Of course you can. Have you talked to the head cook?" He asked and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Ah, yes and no. She's drunk again and said yes earlier but she might forget in her drunk stupor so I came to check with you since you don't drink beer or ale." She said in a rush of words as a blush graced her light brown cheeks. Duo chuckled again at his friends nervousness around him and gave a bright and beautiful smile to her. She gasped and clutched at her heart dramatically and crumpled to the floor. "Gah! The beauty killed the beast!" She smiled and rolled her eyes as Duo laughed at her antics.

"Beast? Where? Alls I see is a cute little kitten getting in the cream!" He said and she huffed indignantly at her nickname but burst into a grin.

"Ah, well, I'm happy that you're happy and so is everyone else as well!" She chuckled and flicked her eyes at the window where festivities were winding down on the grounds outside. "Your mother remarried and your brother has gone off to join the church. It's wonderful." She smiled wistfully and looked at Duo once again. "I hope you get along with his highness."

"Ah, I hope I do as well. Tell your brother I said hello!" Duo said with a grin as she got up and dusted her apron off as well as the butt of her dark blue serving dress. "Good evening, Shai."

The girl, Shai, bowed and moved out the door with a repeated good evening. When the door shut all the way again he sighed and dropped the happy smile. He was happy that his friend was going to see her beloved brother and that she was brave enough to poke fun at him, but she couldn't be the kind of friend he really wish he had. He looked at his empty room and sighed.

He moved to get ready for bed. He pushed himself off of his large fluffy bed and moved over to his trunks where his unpacked clothes lay in wait for his attentions. He sighed again and pulled out a light blue knee length boat necked tunic and black trousers with dark blue and yellow embroidered ducks on the hem of the legs. He stripped himself of his celebratory robes and underclothes and pulled on a fresh pair of looser underclothes as well as the night clothes. He pulled the piece of soft and black silk ribbon from his braid and ran his finger through his thigh length hair, getting snagged on a few tangles, he grabbed a brush and ran it through a few times before he re-braided it and went to bed, sighing at the cold sheets and how empty they made him feel as he remembered all of that day and how everyone except him at the party had a lover or some one damn near it.

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

Duo's eyes fluttered open and he sighed as his greeting to the day. He felt comfortable in his now warm covers and sheets and desperately didn't want to get up for the day but had to for a bath that he knew would be there. Shai always left him a warm or hot bath, depending on how long he slept or how early she awoke, by lighting the fire underneath the tub and dumping in ice cold water and leaving it. When Duo inhaled and exhaled a few times, his breaths felt heavy and guessed that he'd have too hot water for a few minutes.

He grudgingly pulled himself out of bed and over to the bathroom where steam shrouded the tub in its white tendrils. He moved to a water coated window and shoved it open and the steam puffed out enough to let him see in moments. He saw that the tub was half full so he summed up that he'd been asleep for a long while and banked the fire to let his bath cool to hot and not scalding. He moved into his bedroom and poked his head out of the door and the footman across the hall nodded his hello.

"Would you mind getting someone to bring a bucket or two of cold water and leaving it inside the door please?" Duo asked kindly with a low voice, as not to awaken the others. The man nodded and moved down the hall in a quick jog, his padded feet making slight pattering noises as he moved down the stairs. Duo smiled and left his door open a crack and went to his trunk. He flipped it open and started to dig through it, wanting to find some comfortable clothing to play in and practice in. The weather outside his open window told him that it was a bit chilly and would warm up into a comfortable warmth. So he grabbed a white sleeveless tunic that reached just below his hair and a pair of black breeches and a pair of sandals that had laces which tied up his claves. The buckets had appeared inside his door and the door closed to give him privacy during his search. He moved to his bed and laid out his clothes, placing his sandals on the floor, and moved to pick up the buckets. They were slightly heavy but not to difficult to handle and carried them to the tub with still bubbled with heat. He dumped in the first bucket and watched as the bubbles slowed and decided to leave the other bucket for later, when he would clean out his bathroom and the floor of his room. He really hated having a messy room, though people always expected him to be the really messy sort he was almost a neat freak but it wasn't to bad, only his room had to be orderly.

He stripped and climbed into the tub, feeling relaxed as the almost hot water seep into his mind and body. He lay in the tub for a few minutes then got to work scrubbing his hair and body, frowning at the lack of warmth the water was starting to have as he only heard his body sleuthing through the warm water. The loneliness was getting to him and decided to end his bath and get ready for the day. He washed the soap from his hair and wrung it out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it up to keep from dripping everywhere and climbed out, wrapping a towel around his waist just as someone knocked at his door again. He hurried into his room and pulled on h is underclothing and dropped the towel into the hamper before calling the person in as he dealt with his damp hair.

A maid came in with an empty bucket and scrub brush as well as some powdered soap. "I'm here to clean your chambers my prince." She said with a slight curtsy that caused her golden hair to tumble over her shoulder and she tucked it behind her ear.

"Oh, you don't have to if you don't want to and call me Duo please, I'm more comfortable with that name, unless you want to call me different?" He rambled as he brushed through his hair. The maid giggled a bit at his nervous rambling and placed the bucket on the floor.

"I need to do something and this is getting me out of scrubbing spuds and pots, so I'll happily clean in here. An I'd love to call you Duo, thank you." She said with a smile.

Duo blushed a bit at the smile and bowed in return. "Anything for such a kind woman as yourself." The girl giggled again and moved to clean the chambers, slightly surprised at the neatly made bed.

"Duo, did you sleep in your bed at all?" She looked over her shoulder as she fluffed the pillows.

"Yeah, but I made my bed. I hope you don't mind." He smiled a bit and divided his hair into equal parts and braiding it, tying it off with a piece of leather.

"Oh, I don't mind much, at least your not dirty like the last few masters I've had." She said with a smile and moved to the bathroom and started to clean.

"What were your last masters like? If it's not uncomfortable to talk about them." He called loud enough to be heard in the other room over her scrubbing and dumping as he pulled on his trousers and shirt, pulling the belt on around his middle to keep his pants and tunic in place.

"Ah, my masters were the dirtiest pigs on the godly planet you'd ever meet. They never called me a name besides girl and everyone calls me that here as well. They were mean men and rude, grabbing every girls behind and ordering them to bed with him when he wanted it." Duo could see the girl shivering a bit in his mind.

"Do you have a name besides 'girl'?" Duo asked and crouched down to tie on his sandals.

"I don't have one really." He heard the thunk of a brush being set down and her footsteps as she came back into the room. "Would you give me a name?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Hmmm..." Duo rubbed his chin and toyed with his braid as he thought and then snapped his fingers. "Ah, your name can be Relena!" He said and looked at her with shining violet orbs. She laughed and moved to hug him.

"Thank you so much for the name! I'll forever thank you for it." She said, wiping at her watery blue eyes. And moved to go back to her work, murmuring her name and giggling. Duo smiled. He got back to tying on his other sandal and headed out of the room to the kitchens. He smiled when he saw the state of the kitchens and laughed when one of the girls disappeared in a cloud of flour as another girls poured too much at once. everyone looked at him with a smile and greeted him with his name, they adored their prince. A familiar blonde walked over with a grin on his face and flour in his hair and hands behind his back. Duo could see the corners of the tray and raised an eyebrow and his friends antics.

"What do you have there Quatre?" Duo tried to peek around him but Quatre swiveled to keep the tray hidden.

"A present that I found and a present that I made. Which would you like first?" Quatre said mischievously.

"What'dya make?" Duo asked, giving up on trying to get Quatre to show both. Quatre pulled the tray out from behind him and revealed Duo's favorite kind of cake and Duo made it known. "Oh my Goddess! CHEESECAKE!" Duo grinned and tried to move and inhale it but Quatre stopped him and handed the braided boy a napkin.

"Yes, I found a recipe that used cheese cake and cook taught me how to make it. Wipe your mouth cause I'm not done." Quatre said and puffed out his chest. Duo grinned sheepishly and wiped the drool away from the corners of his mouth.

"So, what'd you find that you wanted to show me?" Quatre looked over his shoulder and back at Duo.

"Follow me!" He announced and walked out of the kitchen, Duo following him like a lost puppy.

They walked through the training grounds and past the guards quarters and were almost to the back gate when Quatre stopped by a well and a nearby willow tree. Quatre directed Duo to sit under the shade of the willow tree and moved over to the well, bringing up the bucket and pulling out something, Duo couldn't tell what.

"First, you have to name it. I was told it's a boy so give it a name." Quatre said holding the bundle behind his back like the tray, which sat on the edge of the well.

Duo frowned, his forehead crinkling as he thought really hard. After moments of thinking he looked up with a smile. "I'll name him Kisuke." Duo nodded, agreeing with himself. Quatre them moved the bundle from behind his back and handed it to Duo who read the note on it.

Give him to Duo, he'll know what to do.

Duo set the note down and opened the bundle as Quatre fetched the tray and sat down next to him, also pulling out a bottle. A small baby was in the bundle, a shock of dark brown hair on his head.

"Some one gave me a baby?" Duo looked at the baby who looked back with bright green eyes. "How the heck would I know what to do with a baby besides taking care of it?" The baby, Kisuke, looked around and then stared at Duo. The little baby burst into a gurgling fit and Duo chuckled at how cute the baby was being. Kisukes hands freed themselves of the confining blanket and waved his hands in the air randomly. Duo felt a need to just cuddle the baby and coo about his cuteness and adorableness.

"Looks like you can take care of the little guy. You're already holding him right." Quatre noticed, as he'd been around nursemaids plenty of times. Duo blushed and looked at the blonde.

"Ah, I guess I can still remember what Catherine taught me before she married the Duke. I wonder how Treize is doing anyways." Duo rambled as his hands unconsciously grabbed the bottle and started to suckle the baby.

And I leave it at that! Tell me what you think! Should I drop it? Revise it? Keep going? What?