The Paths We Take
Chapter 1: When our paths split
Disclaimer: I don't own it; if I did then I would rule the world and chain all authors to their laptops. Making them write nothing but 1x2 fan fictions… Yes, I am aware that I need a life.
Warnings: AU, Male x Male, MPreg, Yaoi, Male x Female, swearing, mention of sex, blood, death (none of the gundam boys tho)
Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 6x9, 5xM, mentions of 3xOCs and 4xOCs, and 5xOCs
Author's Note: I didn't change any of the characters sexes, but some of them are pretending. Also the word mother can be used for either for male or female.
Other Author's Note: This is my first multi-chapter story. Please tell me what you think. Anything is helpful. Also let me know if something doesn't make sense.
Thanks to my Beta, Anomura.
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In the beginning there was only the Divine, who gave birth to the two great land spirits, Layoli and Zayoli. Yet these children had nowhere to call home; they had only space and the stars, where land spirits were not meant to live. So the Divine created the world and all creatures within it, even man.
Layoli and Zayoli were inseparable and loved to play with the creatures in the home their mother had made for them. To show their mother how much they worshiped the world that was created, Layoli and Zayoli decided to create a beautiful creature in their mother's image. But Zayoli and Layoli could not agree on the shape of beauty. Both agreed that it should have two arms and two legs. It should have two eyes and one nose. But Layoli believed that beauty should have a flat chest and narrow hips, while Zayoli believed it should have rounded breasts and full hips.
The argument raged deep into the night and into the next day until the twins were no longer talking to each other. It was then decided that they would both make their own creatures and let the Divine decide which looked more like their mother. Yet when both figures were finished and brought before the Divine, there was no judgment.
"Both are beauty in human form," was all the Divine said.
Yet the twins did not want to hear this; after all, one of them had to be right and one wrong. Both begged their mother to choose and to choose their own, yet the Divine made no choice. The fighting of the brothers soon tore the land apart until only a small part of their land touched. The brothers tried to split the last of the land to sever the bond of brotherhood between them, but the Divine would not let them. This small piece of middle ground would hold the brothers together always. The Divine called this land Sanc, which meant "peace" in the old tongue.
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Duo Maxwell was a man who never showed when something was upsetting him. Life had taught him from an early age that you should never let the enemy see you sweat or cry. He didn't cry when the other street children were wiped out from a plague, nor did he cry when OZ forces invaded his city and burned down the church, killing his second family inside. The church had burned down with about half of the city, after all. Many people lost their homes and families. These hardships of the last twenty years of his life had made Duo the person he was today.
Yet Duo had never had someone dislike him so much for the same hardships that molded him. Of course, it wasn't every day that he went head to head with one of the most widely known intelligence officers of the Alliance army, or what was left of it.
"Where did you say you are from again?"
Duo took a deep breath. "L2," he repeated for the third time. Knowing the man could not have forgotten so quickly.
Jay placed his teacup down on the fine oak table and looked at the man—the boy sitting in front of him. Any young sire would have seen the beautiful purple eyes, heart-shaped face and long hair and fallen in love at first sight. Yet Jay was an old man and had seen many pretty faces in his lifetime. True, this was one of the nicest he had seen in a long while, but that didn't mean he trusted the boy.
"And you say you fought in the Layoli-two's army as well?"
"No. I led my own group against the OZ army that invaded there, since the Alliance army was busy guarding its food shipments instead of its citizens."
"You were a guerrilla, then." It wasn't a question or a compliment.
Duo ground his teeth together and tried to remember that he needed this man's help. "I helped the people any way I could."
Picking the teacup back up, Jay looked up at the portrait above the fireplace. Duo followed the old man's line of sight up to the picture of a young man in an older version of the Alliance uniform, with eyes as blue as Heero's. He wondered if Jay had the same eyes behind his odd glasses.
"The Yuy family has a long history of supporting this great nation. We formed the Alliance to protect its citizens from the invading OZ army. My great, great grandfather was a founding member of the Alliance Intelligence Agency. My mother and father were both honored generals within the Alliance army. My beloved mate Odin was one of the top black ops agents of all time. He died in service of this country." He took a sip of his tea to calm himself.
"My son is…was one of the best fighters within the Alliance army. He always held himself to the utmost standards. He could have become a general." Jay's eyes focused again on Duo, or so he thought since he couldn't see his eyes behind the glasses. "He would never disgrace this family by marrying street trash."
"Now listen here, Old Man!"
Jay slammed down his tea cup, the hot liquid slopping onto the table.
"No, you listen here. My son would never go behind my back and marry someone without telling me first, especially someone with no family or formal education. Just because you have gotten yourself in trouble and somehow got my son to help you try to cover it up does not mean that I will let you disgrace this family's name."
Pushing his chair away from the table, Duo got to his feet and looked the old man right back in the eye.
"I may have been born and raised on the streets and fought from the bushes instead of standing out in the open like a 'real soldier'. But I love," Duo swallowed back the tears, "loved your son. And he loved me. If you ever tried talking to him these last few years, you might have known that."
Duo turned to walk out of the house. He would find his own way if there was no help here.
"I will not honor the marriage," Jay stated calmly to the retreating back. Duo paused for a moment and then kept walking. The slamming of the front door was the only response Jay got to his statement. Picking up his cup of tea again, Jay looked back up at the portrait of his grandfather and listened to the sounds of his empty house.
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The tavern was busy for the middle of the workweek. Men walked in and out of the old wooden door, coming in for their midday meal and going out again to work or staying and chatting with the groups sitting around the tables. One man by the name of Wufei Chang sat at the farthest table from the entrance, waiting for his friend to come back. He ate his lunch slowly and listened to the group talking next to him.
"Is it true that both armies were lost in the storm?" the smallest of the group whispered to the other two.
"Yeah," the red-haired one answered. "The council is now saying it was a sign from the great Divine that the war should end. It seems that both nations have now agreed to a peace treaty. And any army left on either side is to be disbanded, as per the wishes of the Divine."
The dark skin one snorted at the other two. "'The Divine wishes,' ha! Like he would ever care about what mere mortals do. It's only because both nations were stupid enough not to wait before that hurricane passed to send their fleets to war out on the open sea. We would not have lost so many good men, bearers and sires both, if they would have waited."
Turning to the dark skin one, the shorter one looked up at him with wide eyes. "But it is the Divine wish that we all get along; bearers, sires, and women right?"
The dark man snorted again causing the red-haired man to glare at him before he answered the smaller male. "Yes, that is correct. The Divine wishes all of the creatures of this earth to live in peace within the great kingdom of Sanc."
"Next they will be trying to rebuild the capital of Sanc and put a Peacecraft on the throne," the longhaired one muttered. The rest of the conversation was lost to Wufei when his friend threw himself down on a chair across the table, slamming down his drink. The black-haired man eyed his friend.
"It didn't go well, I take it."
"I don't want to talk about it, Fei," Duo replied, taking a sip of his drink.
Wufei raised one of his eyebrows at the answer. "I believe the world really is coming to an end, if you don't want to talk about something. What did the old fool say?"
"What did who say?"
Both men jumped at the question looking up at the new addition to the table. Lu Noin, gun for hire and an all around good man to have at your back, smiled at the boys sitting in front of him. Getting the drop on either of the two was a rare treat, and something that he always enjoyed doing.
Wufei offered the standing man the seat between him and Duo with a wave of his hand. Sitting down in the empty seat, Noin grabbed the drink out of Duo's hand. He took a big swallow out of it before making a face and spitting it back in.
"Ugh! What the hell are you drinking Maxwell? This tastes worse than the beer they made out in L3."
Duo took back his drink and grubbed the rest down, trying not to think about the fact that Noin had spit back into the cup.
"It's an herbal tea, that the healer gave to me," he replied.
Sending Duo a questionable look she asked, "Since when do you drink herbal tea instead of beer?"
Wufei snorted back a laugh, barely managing to keep himself under control. Glaring at Wufei for laughing, Duo took a deep breath.
"I'm pregnant."
Noin was slacked jawed for a full minute before he could reply.
"What! When? Who's the father?"
"WHY DOES EVERYONE ASK ME THAT?"
All noise in the tavern stopped and heads turned to stare. Duo flushed and quickly took his seat again. Wufei sighed and looked at his friend. It was true that they hadn't known each other long, and they hadn't gotten along when Heero first introduced them. But over the last two years both men found they were able to rely on each other and developed a strong bond and understanding of each other.
"I take it he did not like the idea of taking you in."
"He said he would not honor the marriage, Fei."
"What! That dishonorable man! Does he not care about his own child's wishes?"
"Apparently just because I got his son to help me because I'm 'in trouble' doesn't mean he will do the same," Duo stated looking into his empty cup.
"Wait, hold up!" Both men turn to look at Noin. "When did you get married and what does not honoring it have to do with anything?"
Putting his cup down, Wufei looked at the longhaired man across from him. Yet Duo continued to study the bottom of his cup like it would hold all the answers he needed. Realizing that Duo did not want to answer Lu's question, Wufei answered for him. "Duo and Heero married the night before the fleet set sail."
Noin look back at the pregnant man. "I'm so sorry Duo. I've seen his name on the list of lost at sea. That's why I came back to Layoli-one. I hoped you two would still be here."
"He was a good man and the Divine took him far too soon from our lives," Wufei stated.
"Yes he did," Duo said sharply.
"As for honoring the marriage," Wufei continued, "a family has one month after a wedding to honor the marriage of their child. Most families honor the marriage as long as their child is of age and had the right to consent. When the marriage is honored by both families, only then is it seen as legal. If the family does not honor the marriage then the newly wedded couple will have to gain a marriage license through the city, which usually takes about two more months and just requires a lot of paperwork. But since Heero isn't here to go through with the license…"
"Then there was no marriage in the eyes of the law in the first place. Meaning that I have no husband, no family, no money from Heero's inheritance, and no job since they just disbanded the last of the army," Duo finished for him.
Noin shook his head at the bad situation his friend was in. "What are you going to do now?"
Duo looked up from his cup and frowned. "I'm not sure. But I've always landed on my feet and hopefully that will happen this time. I have a friend out in the L4 area that owes me a few favors for saving his life a couple of times. His father owns almost all the land and companies there. I think I'll see if I can crash with him till the baby is born."
Wufei stared at his friend like he was nuts before asking, "You're going to travel the whole way out to Layoli-4 to stay with that Winner brat?"
"What? It's not that far!"
Noin frowned at his answer. "Duo, it's over two months' journey from here. A man in your condition shouldn't be making such a long trip."
"Look, there's nothing here for me, and I'm going to need help when this kid comes. I'm only about two months along. I've been on my own for as long as I can remember. I'll be fine. And he's not a brat, Feifei."
Wufei crossed his arms and put his chin up. "I've never met the man personally, but I have heard stories. His father impregnated his wife and all the servants that could bear as many times as he could to have a sire, so that he could have an heir to his little kingdom. The Divine forbade it be one of the many bears he had. And when he finally gets one, it turns out the little brat only likes to sleep with other sires. Serves the man right, if you ask me."
"No one did," Duo stated. A hmph was his only answer back.
Smiling at the two in front of him, Noin brought them back to the subject at hand. "Duo, if you're going to track the whole way out there at least let me come along. With the war over there's no need for my skills either."
Duo smiled back slightly and nodded his head. "Sure Noin, I wouldn't mind company."
"Well Maxwell, since one capable man has already decided to look after your ass for the time being, I should go back to the inn and get packing." Seeing the question already on the longhaired man's lips, Wufei continued. "I'm heading to the capital to see where this new peace will lead us. Hopefully once this whole thing gets straightened out there will be jobs out there for men like you and me. I'll write once I get there and find out what is going on with those idiot councilmen that are running the nation."
And with that the shorter man picked up his coat, threw down enough money for all their drinks and left the tavern.
"I really hate when he doesn't say goodbye."
"Come now Duo, it's not goodbye. We'll just see him farer down the road is all."
Duo gave Noin a small smile before standing up from the table. "Let's get packing then."
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Richard Darlian listened to the sounds of the slow-moving carriage as he watched his daughter sitting across from him. The sunlight fell from the carriage window and shone on Relena's wheat-gold hair. Darlian sighed and looked outside the window, wondering where the time had gone. The child he had taken from that burning fire had grown into a beautiful young woman before his eyes. he couldn't help but think about what lay ahead for her, and sent a prayer to the Divine to watch over her in the coming years. The Divine only knew if he would be here to guide her through it.
With the Order of the Zayoli's army practically wiped out in the storm, many of the councilmen were on edge as to what kind of world this costly peace would bring. A good portion of the council still wanted to raise another army, yet more wanted a treaty with the Alliance but not a rebuilding of relations between the two countries. A peace like that would not last. Without understanding and a blending of culture, there could be no peace. Sanc would be the only way to ensure lasting harmony, a place where women, men, and bearers could live together. However, getting the whole of the council to agree to the rebuilding of the Sanc Kingdom would not be an easy feat. Only a Peacecraft would be able to build and rule such a kingdom.
"Men like that! I don't understand why they think war will bring back the lives of those young men!"
Darlian jumped, so deep in his thoughts he had not heard his daughter start to talk to him.
"Most are grieving fathers who just want to know their child died for something worthy," he answered.
Relena gave a very unladylike snort and looked back out the window, "I will never understand the idea of sending boys to their death for the glory of war."
"Some things are worth the life of a few, to bring peace to the lives of many," Darlian said calmly to his daughter. "But even when peace has come, it can still be hard to keep. That is why Sanc needs to be rebuild, so that people will always have a place to look for peace."
"Not this again, Father. I don't—"
"Do not question your destiny, Relena," Darlian said. "You are the future Queen of the Sanc Kingdom. Without a Peacecraft on the throne, peace will not last. Your father was a beacon of hope to the people—"
"You are my father. You raised me." Relena took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't understand why I have to be the one to lead. I want to live my life, not be a figurehead for other people. Milliardo was allowed to go and find his own destiny, so why can't I?"
"Your brother had his own sins to bear. He felt his place was to follow the General, even into death. I am sorry that he is gone Relena. But you are the last and you must take this role for peace to be kept. Do not let all these deaths be in vain."
"Why must their blood be on my hands?" Relena mumbled. Unable to take this conversation anymore, she opened the door to the carriage and jumped out. Ignoring the cry from her father, she ran into the woods until she found the trail that would take her to the beach.
She had walked this area many times in her life…whenever she needed to get away from the house and her father. Ever since she was a little girl, her father had been drilling into her that she was the future figure of peace. It would be a hard responsibility for anyone to bear, let alone a girl of eighteen years.
Stepping out onto the beach, Relena sighed. And now the time has apparently come, she thought. She was too young for this; she wanted a life of her own choosing. Not to have to look after and be looked at by hundreds of thousands people.
A flash of green near the breaking waves caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat in fear when she realized the bundle of green had the shape of a person.
Running down to the shore, she kneeled next to the figure. The body was laying face down in the sand and with a grunt of effort Relena turned it over. For the second time in as many minutes, her breath caught in her throat, yet this time it was for another reason.
The flat chest told her it was a man and the rise and fall of that chest told her he was alive. Yet it was his face that caught her off guard. The man was so handsome. He had dark hair that covered his eyes, eyes that had thick black eyelashes and a strong jaw line. Relena placed her hand on his forehead, pushing back his hair to see if he had a fever. As soon as her hand touched, the man opened his eyes and looked straight at her. Falling into those deep blue eyes, Relena could barely get anything past her throat.
"What's your name, Angel?" Relena jumped realizing that the words had come out of her mouth.
"I don't know," was the hoarse response from the young man.