My first gundam fic. I ask that you all forgive me should I screw up. I'm coming up with my own plot. If I don't tell me so I can apologize. Now on to the fic.

Chapter one of Love's Trinity

Trowa opened his eyes to the horizon of deep blue and red. There was a black spot on the horizon. The captain had ordered them to pursue. Trowa wondered how long until they would catch up. Captain was getting a bit touchy. How long until the cabin boy disappeared? Trowa mused. Turning around he saw the captain leaning against the rail. Shrugging Trowa continued to the forecastle.

Duo stared straight ahead without seeing anything. His mind was focused on the ship up ahead. He vaguely wondered if it had human cargo or not. Usually the Pirate Shinigami only attacked merchant ships with goods. However it had been so long since a port or any ship, it didn't matter. If they didn't catch up in the next few days the crew would be out another cabin boy. It was a good thing his crew knew their jobs. He really shouldn't be aggravated at a time like this. He sighed, trying to ignore the hunger eating away at his insides.

Two days later, Duo was eyeing the cabin boy, rather plain features ruddy brown hair, and too slim to be attractive in any way, when he saw they would be able to catch up in the next half hour. The cabin boy made himself scarce as Duo turned his gaze to the Deathscythe's prey. He licked his lips to keep from drooling.

on the other ship

Quinze watched in horror as the flag beneath the Jolly Roger unfurled. A design of Death swinging his scythe, black on rust stained white. Any other pirate would have died after the assault by his ship, the Leo. Only that was the Deathscythe. The one whose captain was said to have been the same for the last fifty years, despite the fact that it is also said the captain was merely a boy.

Deathscythe pulled up along the Leo. The pirates were eerily quiet. The only sound was the grappling hook suddenly reaching and latching onto the Leo. The men moved to cut the rope, but there was three feet of chain directly after the hook. The rope was pulled taught and a boy of what looked to be fifteen, dressed in black and a long chestnut braid walked down its length to the hook. By now one could see his face quite clearly. Large violet eyes seemed to burn, and a cruel smile played on his lips. He held a single knife in his right hand. He spoke.

" Death has found you."

At this many of the crew surged forward to attack. No one landed a single hit. The dead lay in a circle around him. His eyes still glowing, he cleans the blade with his tongue, the smile never leaving his features. At a flick of his wrist, his men fly across the space between the ships on ropes hung from the yards.

Turning around, he issues a single order as he leaves the way he had come. " All are to die."

Trowa landed nimbly on the deck of Deathscythe. The order was completed to Duo's satisfaction. The cargo was brought on board as well as many of the supplies as they could take. Duo had come back on board once to claim the log book. It was his signature to sign the log book and send it to the home port of the captain by messenger. Trowa wondered what port they would end up going to. There were a few ports that were friendly to pirates. He wondered if they would stop at Cirque du Solace. He could see his foster sister. He turned toward the captain's quarters, wondering if Duo was in a good mood. Upon entering he found Duo fingering a glass of deep red liquid. Duo didn't look up as he spoke.

" What port shall we set course for?" Trowa inquired impassively.

Duo's lips quirked. " What is the closest port?"

" Cirque du Solace, Captain."

Leaning back in his chair, he replied, " Very well. Set our course."

Trowa turned on his heel and exited. He told the navigator the port of destination. He stayed on the quarterdeck deep in thought. Duo had changed over the years. At first Duo had been rather happy go lucky. Rather excitable too. Yet as the curse wore on them both, it seemed to Trowa that his friend was going slowly crazy. More and more insane with every year. There was only one way to break the curse. They only had one clue. Lay in the joined hands of Benetrix, Porne, and Urania. No one they had met had ever had a clue about what that could mean. He sighed. He just hoped that they could find out soon.

weeks later, Cirque du Solace

Duo sat in the corner of the Traveler's Cloak tavern. He was waiting for Trowa to return with some one who might know about the curse. He didn't look up when they entered. He couldn't rightly tell whether it was a man or a woman who was with Trowa. Who ever it was had a few inches on Trowa. Very few had height over Trowa, the only one who came to mind was that officer in Adonis, Zechs Merquise. They sat down across from him. He waved over a server. When the server brought their ale, he asked.

" Who's with you?'

A flash of a grin was seen as the stranger replied. " You can call me Elen. I heard you have a riddle?"

Duo simply stared. She simply shrugged and took a drink. Trowa made no contribution to the conversation. Duo wondered if she really knew anything that would be helpful. He suddenly stood up leaving coins on the table for his drink. Trowa and Elen followed suit. Duo led the way to the docks. There were few around. He turned suddenly around, demanding, " What do you know?" Right in Elen's face.

Elen's lips quirked. " A bit more than you. If I tell you, you take me with you. That's the price of my information." she said, pushing Duo's nose away from her with her finger.

Duo blinked. That was a surprise. Usually the informants liked to ask for huge amounts of money. Why would she want us to take her with us? He voiced his question.

"Why?"

" Well," she sighed, " the General Trieze has his top officer Zechs Merquise and anyone else after my head. I need to get out of town. If they raise the reward any higher the whole city will be turning over every pebble to find me." She smiled. " I won't be telling you anything until the ship sails with me on it. I will not be a burden, as I have many unusual abilities, like yourselves, if it is the Pirate Shinigami from fifty years ago."

Duo studied her. She was completely confident in her abilities. Well, he thought, she could sail with them, and if she turned out to know nothing, he would kill her if she didn't have any unusual abilities, as she put it. " Very well. We sail tomorrow. If you can't find the ship, I won't wait."

Trowa followed as Duo turned and began walking back to the Traveler's Cloak tavern. He wondered what Duo was thinking. Probably that it wouldn't do any harm to bring her, if she turned out to be useless, it would be easier to kill her out at sea. If they found that out soon enough, they might be able to bring back her body for a reward.

next day

Elen stood at the stern watching the port city of Cirque du Solace fade away. She turned to look for the captain. He was on the forecastle deck. She went to go talk to him. He turned to meet her when she stood a few feet behind him. She took a deep breath.

" I told you I had information. Your clue is this 'Lay in the joined hands of Benetrix, Porne, and Urania,' yes?" She knew she was right when his eyes flashed. She continued, " The clue is speaking of the three facets of the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite Benetrix: married love, Aphrodite Porne: erotic love, Aphrodite Urania: divine love. To break the curse you have to experience and recognize all of the three."

Duo stared. He was speechless. His mind was spinning. How did she find out that clue? How does she know that it is Aphrodite? And what the hell does she mean by experience and recognize!

" How the hell do you know so much, Elen, huh?" he spat out, using anger to mask his surprise. Some surprises were fine. This one was not.

She winced. " First off my name is not Elen. It is Salia. I know so much because I am an acolyte of the Goddess as a whole. When I learned about Aphrodite, her three facets were also discussed. Another reason I know the clue is because I was there when Aislynn spoke it in honor of Hecate. I'm just a few years older than you, Duo Maxwell."

It was the names of the people that made him believe her. Salia had been the girl who had been avoided because she manifested awesome powers, like raising a tsunami when the temple of the goddess had been set to fire during a skirmish with bandits. Aislynn had been jealous that he had mainly prayed at the feet of Aphrodite, and never paid attention to Hecate, or herself. It had been that night that he had last been known as Duo Maxwell and not Shinigami. Still he needed some more proof that she was indeed Salia and not someone else. Suddenly the lookout shouted.

" Cap'n, There's a ship after us. It's catching up."

Duo swore. There was only one ship that could make time like that. He turned to her. " If you really are Salia, when we let him catch up with us, bind all the men with vines, even those in the forecastle. We can't afford to let them come aboard."

Curious, she asked, " Who is it?"

" Zechs Merquise."

She swore. " Why did he follow this ship? He shouldn't know I skipped town, so why?"

Duo replied, " Someone probably saw our ship and reported the Deathscythe had docked. We spent about a week there. Zech's must have been at sea and restocked along the way , he didn't see us in port, so he caught up."

Both were silent as they watched the ship approach.

forty minutes later

Trowa stood behind Duo as Zechs' ship came within range of the cannon's and he didn't order the men to fire. Then when it had crossed half that distance, he signaled to the woman whose real name was Salia. He also knew what else she had told Duo. Looking at her, he thought it to be possibly true. He wondered if she could really summon Tsunamis like Duo said she could. Suddenly Salia crossed her arms in front of her, as an odd wind teased Trowa's soul. Her eyes seemed to glow as she uncrossed her arms and at a downward angle crooked her fingers like they were roots. It appeared to be with great difficulty that she brought her hands together as if forming the trunk. She then uttered a single word.

" Grow."

At that even those on the Deathscythe could hear the creak and groan of the wood of the other ship as the wood sprouted vines, splitting seams and winding around everyone on the ship. As this happened, Duo ordered the ship to be turned around so they could take what they could.

When the Deathscythe glided up to the other ship, vines suddenly snapped out to bring the two side to side. Duo stepped across first, calling back, " Salia, take me and Trowa to the captain." Trowa moved quickly to follow as Salia used one of the vines coiled into a mat to lift herself across. When she stepped off the vine mat she went straight for the Captain's cabin. The door was misshapen from the vines that grew from it to imprison the captain. They would not have gotten in if it had not suddenly moved aside, bringing the captain with it. The silver mask and long pale hair identified him as Zechs Merquise.

Duo smiled as he said, " Hello. Long time no see. I was wondering when you would catch up with me again. You know, I've always wondered what you hide behind that mask." He quirked an eyebrow at Salia. Tiny vines extended themselves beneath the mask. At that moment, three cracked through the top and two came out the eye holes. The mask blew as the vines suddenly grew too fast for it to allow. Salia's eye's widened as she exclaimed, " You, you bastard!"

At this Zechs replied, " I thought it was you." His eyes narrowed. " What the hell are you doing with him," nodding to Duo.

" That's what I should be asking you, what the hell are you doing enlisted and following that… that …creature's orders."

End of Chapter One of Love's Trinity

Any way if no one reviews I don't post because then I think you don't like it. I don't care if it is one person reviewing as long as some one bugs me to post.