Starting out on a Journey
By Misanagi
Rating: PG13
Pairings: 3x4 get together. 2+4 (friendship), 1+3 (friendship) and background 1x2.
Warnings: AU. Fantasy elements and historical inaccuracy. Fusion with the animated movie Anastasia.
Summary: A journey might hold not only the answers to Quatre's past but also to his future.
Dedication: For Anne, who wanted this fusion and has always been wonderful to me. Merry Christmas!
Thanks a lot to Cait, Lil, Ruth and Windsor for the beta. hugs you all lots
Chapter Two
Heero put the last touches on the traveling papers, blowing on them to make the blue ink dry faster.
"What are you doing?" Duo was sitting next to him, his nose practically on the paper and curious eyes looking at Heero.
"If the ink isn't dry the usher will know they are fake."
"Boring," Duo proclaimed and turned to the other side of the cabin to talk to his friend. They were both looking excitedly out the window and playing a game about counting trees without getting dizzy.
"Quatre, maybe you should sit still in your chair and stop playing silly games." Trowa's voice sounded bored but Heero knew better; those two were getting on his nerves. "Princes don't behave this way."
They both turned from the window and glared at Trowa. "You have no right to—" Duo stopped mid rant when Quatre put a hand on his shoulder.
"Trowa," Quatre gave him a sweet look. "Do you really think I'm royalty?" Trowa nodded and Quatre's look turned from sweet to annoyed. "Then stop bossing me around!" He didn't spare Trowa another glance before he went back to the window and his game with Duo.
Heero chuckled, which earned him a murderous look from Trowa. If there was something Heero could say about this trip it was that it was, at least, bound to be amusing. With his fingertip, he checked the ink and when he was satisfied that it was dry enough, he stood up and left the cabin to present the papers.
"Where are we going?" Duo asked, following Heero.
"Papers," Heero said, raising them up slightly and then walked down the hall without further explanation. He noticed that Duo was still following him; he was persistent.
"Um, Heero, why are our papers blue while everyone else's are red?"
Heero stopped and turned around. Duo was using his index finger to, not very discreetly, point to a man's red traveling papers. Damn!
Grabbing Duo's hand, Heero hurried back to their cabin. The usher was near and they wouldn't have much time.
"Screwed up, uh?" Duo looked amused as he let Heero pull him through the train.
Heero contented himself with glaring before opening the door and looking at Trowa. "We have to go."
Quatre was still looking out the window but he turned around as soon as Heero entered. Trowa was already gathering the little luggage they had and Duo freed himself from Heero's hold to go get Quatre. It took them only a few minutes to run into the service car and hide there behind old utensils and spare linen.
"Was there a problem with our papers?" Quatre asked Trowa in that same sweet deceptive tone of voice he had used before.
Trowa snorted. "I just didn't want Your Highness to mix with the other commoners."
Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I'm allowed to mix with you?"
Duo laughed and Heero smirked. It wasn't every day Heero got to see that expression in Trowa's face.
"Is he always such a tight-ass?" Duo asked, whispering.
"No." Heero's eyes narrowed slightly. Trowa was his friend and even though he could be quite peculiar at times, Heero knew he was very easy going. Actually, he had never seen Trowa get annoyed so easily.
"It must be something about Cat that brings it out then." Duo put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the metallic wall of the car. "We've never been on a train, you know? And when you're used to sleeping in a barn this isn't so bad. Cat's just being a brat."
"Trowa isn't helping either," Heero muttered and Duo grinned in reply. "I made the mistake with the papers. Not Trowa."
"It's fine." Duo stretched his legs in front of him and closed them at the ankles. "We wouldn't even be on the train if it wasn't for you."
Quatre was done arguing with Trowa and came over to Duo, sitting beside him and resting his head on his friend's shoulder before closing his eyes. Trowa silently took a seat next to Heero and ignored his new traveling companions.
"What?" Trowa asked after Heero stared at him for a full minute.
Heero raised an eyebrow. "You tell me."
Suddenly the train shook violently, making Heero and the others hold onto the wall to keep their balance, even while seated. Carefully, Heero stood up and, using the wall as support, he made his way to the front of the car. The links between the wagons had been severed and the other car was slowing down while they sped up.
"I've never been on a train but I'm pretty sure this isn't normal." Duo was standing behind Heero, looking out wide-eyed.
"The train is going too fast," Trowa said, standing behind Duo.
"Something isn't right with the engine," Quatre yelled from the other side of the wagon. Quickly, the others made their way to him and saw, through the small window at the front of the car, that the furnace on the locomotive was shining way too brightly.
"I'm on it," Duo announced before he opened the front door of the car and jumped wagons. He reappeared only seconds later and jumped back into the service car. "There's no one there. Shouldn't there be a driver guy?"
This wasn't good. "We'll need to jump," Heero announced.
"No way!" Duo shook his head. "This is going way too fast."
"We need to uncouple the car," Quatre said, carefully stepping out into the links between the cars. With one hand holding into the edge of the wagon, he tried to pull the screw free using his hand.
Trowa immediately jumped out to help him and in a few minutes they managed to unlink the cars. The change of movement made Quatre lose his balance but Trowa grabbed his arm and steadied him before he could fall down.
"Thank you," Quatre said as they both stepped back inside the car. Trowa nodded his head in acceptance.
Heero held onto the wall and watched the locomotive pull away. It would derail. They would have died if their car had been attached to it. Whatever had caused the furnace to explode, their wagon to uncouple from the rest of the train and the driver to disappear had been after them.
In the distance a flash of bright green caught Heero's attention. He blinked and it was gone. He must be losing his mind. There were no such things as small glowing green demons.
"Now what?" asked Quatre, sitting on a rock. He crossed his arms above his chest and glared at Trowa.
Duo hid a smirk behind the collar of his coat. Quatre was moody and sulky and he was directing all his frustration at Trowa. The signs were loud and clear; Quatre had a thing for Trowa and was trying very hard to ignore it. It wouldn't work.
"We'll take a ship. We are only half a day's walk from the port." Trowa turned around and started walking.
"Guess it's a night of walking for us," Duo muttered and extended a hand to help Quatre up.
"It'll be dawn soon," Heero said and followed Trowa to the small road that could be seen in the distance.
Duo put an arm around his friend. "Never thought our trip to Paris would be so glamorous, huh, Q?"
Quatre rubbed his hands together and breathed on them before putting them inside his pocket. "Not quite what I had in mind, no."
"But the company isn't bad," Duo's eyes trailed down Heero's back to focus on his backside.
"Easy for you to say! You don't have mister 'I-know-it-all' trying to make you act like royalty." Quatre huffed and pouted slightly.
Duo laughed but quieted down when Quatre threw a murderous glare at him. "He's trying to help. He wants you to impress your uncle the Emir."
"We don't know if he's my uncle." Quatre frowned. "I still don't fully believe this prince story."
"What's to lose? If you are, then sweet! You get to be rich and find your family and live happily ever after. And you aren't, then we've made it to Paris and we can start looking for your real family," Duo's smile widened. "And then you can also live happily ever after."
"I guess," Quatre said and then went quiet.
Duo let him be. He knew Quatre well enough to know when to back off and give the other some space. Something was bothering Quatre but Duo couldn't tell if it was the possibility of being royalty or Trowa.
When they reached the road it was easier to walk and they increased their pace. Heero had been right and dawn didn't take long to come. Sometime during their walk Quatre had moved ahead and Heero had fallen back, so he was now next to Duo.
"Are you hungry?" asked Heero.
A bit startled by the question Duo almost tripped on a small rock but Heero steadied him before he could fall. "I'm fine. The old lady we lived with wasn't that generous. We've gone longer without food."
Heero didn't answer and instead reached into his satchel and handed Duo a small piece of bread. Hesitantly Duo took it and thanked Heero. Truth was that he was hungry. The little food he and Quatre had taken with them from the old lady's house was already gone.
"What about you and Trowa and Cat?" Duo asked mid bite.
"I'm not hungry," Heero replied with a shrug. "And we have more food for when I am." He pointed to the two men walking ahead. "I think they stopped fighting long enough to share some food themselves."
Even though Duo couldn't hear what they were saying it was evident that Quatre and Trowa, for once, weren't arguing but having a normal conversation while they ate. "Miracles do happen!"
"There are better ways to show someone you care for them than arguing," Heero said, looking at Duo this time.
"Like what?" Duo asked carefully. He stopped eating and focused completely on Heero.
"They could simply say it."
"Oh, right," Duo said, trying to hide his disappointment. Somehow that wasn't the answer he was expecting.
"Or show it."
"Show it?" Duo perked up. "Show it how?"
"A kiss is traditional."
Duo licked his lips. "It is… but someone needs to make the first move."
Heero stopped walking. "Or they both could."
Stopping, Duo turned to Heero and closed the space between them. "Now?"
Heero nodded and closed his eyes; Duo followed and made a move.
Heero made his move too.
The boat's name was Tasha. It was decent enough and even though they were in third class quarters, neither Quatre nor Duo had complained. During the walk to the port Trowa and Quatre had managed not to argue much. Trowa still found the blond incredibly stubborn and unwilling to cooperate with the simplest things, but as long as they didn't discuss the topic of royalty they didn't argue at all.
They had had to spend most of the walk together since Duo and Heero had apparently decided to hook up on the way, leaving their friends to fend for themselves. Trowa would have been more annoyed if he wasn't secretly happy for Heero. They had been friends for a long time and in all those years Trowa had never seen Heero even hold a conversation with anyone but him. The fact that he and Duo had moved from strangers to kissing in so short time said a lot about them.
Not that Trowa believed in love at first sight.
It wasn't possible to be smitten by someone just at first glance. Yes, he had been drawn to Quatre from the first moment but that was only because he resembled Prince Raberba. Nothing more. It made sense since Trowa had been obsessed with the missing prince since he was little and Quatre had been the first believable look alike he had ever seen. If it wasn't for the fact that Trowa wasn't one to believe in legends either, he would really think Quatre was the prince. The eyes were exactly as he remembered…
"I got the clothes." Heero walked into the deck with Duo by his side. Quatre and Trowa had been waiting for them there, quietly watching the waves and the darkening sky.
"What clothes?" Quatre turned away from the railing, the red sun reflecting on his hair.
"For you," Duo said, taking the package from Heero's hand and handing it to Quatre.
Quatre looked down at the bundle of clothes. "Why?"
"We'll never get past Wufei with you looking like you do," Trowa answered. "You have to play the part of a prince."
Thin lines appeared in Quatre's forehead. Trowa had learned that was a clear sign that Quatre was getting annoyed and that he, Trowa, would be yelled at soon. "Who's Wufei? I thought we were meeting with the Emir."
"The Emir doesn't see anyone Wufei doesn't approve," Heero said.
"Do you mean I have to prove I'm Prince Raberba?" Quatre was clearly frowning now. "I can't do that. I can't lie."
"What if you are not?" Trowa took a cautious step towards Quatre. "Wufei is just one more stop before you can meet the Emir and find out who you really are."
"And how am I supposed to be approved by Wufei?" Quatre grumbled. "You think a few clothes are going to make me suddenly look like a prince?"
"We'll coach you," said Heero. "Tell you what you need to know about the royal family and their codes of conduct."
"It won't work." Quatre sighed. "It just won't." He turned away from them to lean over the railing again.
Trowa didn't know what pushed him to stand next to Quatre, looking down at the waves below. The expression on Quatre's face wasn't annoyed anymore. It was sad. "What is it?"
Quatre shook his head. "Look at me, Trowa. I'm a nobody, with no past and no future. Who is going to believe I'm a prince?"
Trowa put two fingers below Quatre's chin and made him look up at him. "You are not a nobody," he said firmly. "You are a caring and intelligent person and on a number of occasions you have showed a very annoying stubborn streak worthy of royalty."
Quatre snorted. "Then you must be royalty too."
Trowa bowed his head slightly in agreement. "Why don't you try the clothes on and then we can start with the boring Winner family facts."
"Fine," Quatre said and walked inside, with the bundle in his hands.
"You got him to try those on?" Duo looked impressed. "I didn't give you enough credit. You might still have a chance."
Trowa frowned slightly. "A chance for what?"
Duo's grin was a little scary. "You'll find out… eventually."
Trowa turned to Heero but there was no explanation coming from there. Whatever those two were plotting they weren't sharing any information with Trowa. He turned around and looked back at the waves, giving Duo and Heero some privacy. He didn't want to admit that he was a little jealous seeing the two together.
It wasn't long before Trowa heard steps heading into the deck and turned around to see Quatre. The cap the blond usually wore was gone and locks of hair fell over his eyes, framing his face. The white shirt and elegant trousers fit him perfectly and the vest above it gave him a sophisticated look he had lacked before with the old coat and ragged shirt he had worn.
"Wow, Q! You just might be the real thing." Duo moved closer to his friend and made Quatre turn around. "You'll definitely convince this Wufei guy. You look ready for one of those royal balls."
Quatre bowed his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.
"Good idea, Duo," said Heero. "We'll start with dancing." Trowa had learned long ago that when that particular twinkle was in Heero's eyes it was because he was plotting something.
"What?" Quatre put his hand in front of him and took a step back. "No. I've never danced."
"Trowa, practice with him while Duo and I go find us some dinner." With that Heero took Duo's hand and rushed inside before Trowa could protest. The twinkle suddenly made sense.
"Can you dance?" Quatre asked.
"Yes, but I've always led." Trowa walked to Quatre and hesitantly put an arm on his shoulder. "You'll need to excuse me if I make a mistake."
Quatre held Trowa's hand and put his other one on Trowa's waist. "You are taller than me."
"Not by much."
Quatre started to move, doing a waltz. His steps were graceful and fluid while his eyes were fixed on Trowa's face.
"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Trowa asked, following Quatre's lead quite easily.
"No." Quatre looked away for a moment. "There are things I know how to do but I don't remember learning them."
"You must have danced when you were younger." Trowa squeezed Quatre's hand reassuringly.
"I wish I could remember more than blurred images I can't understand. I wish I knew who I am."
Trowa raised his hand from Quatre's shoulder and with two fingers caressed Quatre's cheek. "Who you are now doesn't have to be defined by who you were. You are Quatre and you don't need your memories to be a good friend to Duo, make Heero smile or… dance with me."
They stopped and just stood there staring at each other. "Quatre, I…"
"Yes?"
Trowa closed his eyes and leaned forward. He could feel Quatre's irregular breathing as he closed the space between them… and then stopped. He opened his eyes and pulled away. "You are doing fine," he said and walked inside, without looking back.
Down the deepest dungeon, the tattered figure of Tsubarov watched in a magical sphere as the prince give the other boy a longing look. So the little Winner had found love. Love and friendship. Tsubarov tightened his grip on the reliquary. It wouldn't matter how many allies the prince had made, this time he would die and then the curse would be complete.
With the power of the reliquary Tsubarov had been regaining his strength. He had been powerful enough to conjure his minions and sent them after the train. They had failed but he wouldn't fail again. He was becoming stronger.
In the sphere there was the image of the prince, sleeping in his cot. "Sweet dreams to you, Prince." Boney fingers trailed the image. "I'll get inside your mind, where you can't escape me."
The field was covered in brown, green and yellow leaves. The sun was shining and there were only a few puffy clouds coloring the sky. Someone was calling his name. Quatre turned his face up, looking at the branches of the tree he was sitting under. Up there was a little boy. He had seen this boy before, the weird hairdo and the green of his eyes were very familiar.
Quatre waved at the boy and the boy waved back before he flipped in the air and landed in the grass below. Quatre clapped happily and the boy bowed.
"Come," said the boy and started running away, towards the small hill that could be seen in the distance.
In the time it took Quatre to get up the boy had managed to run halfway to the hill. "Wait!" Quatre called and rushed after him. "Wait!"
The boy kept running ahead, now and then turning around and giving Quatre a smile, encouraging him to follow. The wind was soft and the breeze blew back Quatre's hair. He smiled and kept running.
At the top of the hill Quatre stopped and saw the boy standing before a cliff. The boy smiled, waved again and then jumped down. Quatre ran, his hands forward trying to catch the boy, but there was nothing but air. He stopped at the edge of the cliff, his toes hanging over the side.
"Quatre!"
The cliff wasn't tall at all and below there was a lake of pure crystalline water. A couple of blonde girls rushed by him and jumped down into the water. They smiled up at him. "Come!"
The breeze had stopped and Quatre was suddenly really warm. The water below was inviting and refreshing. He leaned forward.
"Jump!" The little boy was now swimming in the lake. "Jump!"
Quatre hesitated. Something wasn't right.
"Jump!"
The boy wasn't there anymore. In his place was an old man, surrounded by green demons. The field was gone, changed into a wasteland of rocks and tall cliffs, the sun had turned dark. The old man jumped up, grabbing Quatre by the waist and pulling him down. "The Winner curse!"
Quatre was losing his balance. He was falling. He would fall down with this creature and he knew he would never come back again.
"Jump!"
His foot slipped.
"Jump!"
Heero opened his eyes.
"Where's Quatre?"
After blinking a couple of times to adjust to the dim light of the cabin, Heero noticed that Trowa wasn't in his cot but standing over Quatre's empty one. When Heero gave no answer, Trowa turned to Duo.
Duo was rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Q's gone?" He hadn't even finished the question when Trowa bolted out of the room.
"Damn!" Heero threw his blankets away and ran after Trowa, aware that Duo was following.
It was raining hard and the strong waves were making the ship sway violently. Heero lost his footing twice on his run through the corridor and by the sound of Duo cursing behind him, he wasn't the only one.
Out in the deck it was even more difficult to run. The wooden floors were wet and the rain made it harder to see where Trowa had gone.
"Quatre!" Trowa yelled as he sped up, heading towards the deck they had been in earlier in the evening.
Heero looked up ahead and gasped. Quatre was standing on the railing, barely balancing on his bare feet, eyes closed and only inches away from falling down. The green little demons Heero had seen in the train were surrounding him, luring him to go over the edge.
"Cat!" Duo was suddenly next to Heero. They ran as fast as they could but still didn't manage to catch up with Trowa.
In a couple of seconds Trowa closed the distance between himself and Quatre.
And then Quatre slipped.
Heero and Duo reached them just in time to help Trowa pull Quatre inside the ship. He was soaked and shivering, his eyes were wide and as soon as his feet touched the deck again he buried his head into Trowa's chest.
"The Winner curse," he whispered. "The Winner curse."
Tsubarov's fingers tightened around the reliquary. He forced himself to let go. The reliquary was the source of his power. He had traded his soul to command the power and the demons inside it and if it ever shattered his life would be over, his soul destroyed.
The prince had been saved again. His demons had been so close this time, so close!
Slowly, Tsubarov stood up, jolting his legs awake after such a long slumber. It was clear now that if he wanted the prince gone, he would have to do it himself. It had been ten years since the last time he had walked on the surface. His body was battered but as long as he had the power of the reliquary he was immortal.
It was time for him to go after the prince and finish the job he'd started a decade ago.