Pairings: the obvious ones ::blinks::

Warnings: yaoi, fantasy, magic, AU

Comment: I'm still a lazy bastard, whoohoo!! Changed to rated R just in case it starts to get too violent later on. That and being Rated R is cool. Though being rated NC-17 is far cooler. ::snickers::

Author's comments: I'm slow again I know. ; I noticed that like in the first chapter I named Heero's horse Zero and then in like the third chapter it became Wing. I apologize for my lack of paying attention so for now on it'll stay as Wing.

Extra Author's note: Sorry I'm so late in posting this!

Story note:

"Yappity yap yap" Mental conversation.

Duo has a nice ass mental thoughts.

Spellcaster 9

Quatre sat on top of Little Rock, following beside Queen Relena who was riding on Wing. After the surprise attack, they thought it wise to leave the area and return to the castle. The carriage they had ridden in was in shambles back in the forest, the horses either long gone or dead. Quatre didn't question how the horses of his own little group had gotten free, just that they were there just in time. He'd missed Little Rock. While Relena was on Wing, Noin was on Arms. It appeared the horse didn't like her very much, disobeying her at times and trying to flip her off. And of course, Wufei was behind the group, watching for back attacks and overly protecting his charge on his ever obedient Shenlong. The only one that didn't have a horse was Duo. Even after Wufei had offered him a ride on the back of his own horse, Duo had refused. Instead he was walking beside Wufei, chattering aimlessly about anything and everything. Quatre envied him and at the same time feared him. He didn't know why, he just did.

At the moment tough the type of feeling he was having towards the other was suspicion. How did he know what was going on? How did he get there just in time? Why did that woman say that? She had said that he wasn't supposed to be there. Then where was he supposed to be? What did Duo know that the rest of them didn't?

"This is all your fault!" Relena yelled suddenly, turning a venomous look onto the startled Quatre. A devil in disguise was the thought that popped into Quatre's mind. Honestly, she probably wasn't the best person to be running Sanc Kingdom. His memories of the place were still fresh, he just wish it where still the same as that time. "If you hadn't came here, none of this would have happened!" She turned around again, facing forward with a huff. "When we get back to the castle I want you and your little bodyguards OUT of the castle!"

"Queen Relena, I assure you we had nothing to do with-" He was interrupted by her voice breaking through his explanation.

"I don't want to hear about it!" Quatre let out a sigh, giving up on the matter. It wasn't as though she was going to change her mind anyway. But then what were they supposed to do now? Where were they supposed to go? Where they really going to head back to Treize's kingdom? Would the Peacecraft nation fall to pieces because of a naïve queen who wouldn't listen to reason?

This place used to be so beautiful. Was it the queen that changed that beauty, or something else?

Quatre saw the castle appearing up ahead and sighed again. Heero wasn't going to be happy about this. He cast a glance back at Duo again, finding the other looking off behind them towards the forest. Would Quatre tell Heero about everything that had happened? He was suspicious of Duo but yet the other had saved him. He really didn't know what to believe right now. The feelings he got from the young thief was a mixture of so many things. At one moment he was extremely happy, at another moment violent and malicious. But Heero did deserve to know…and Trowa…. To be honest, Quatre was glad they were back. It was getting dark…the monsters were sure to find out there was a battle. Then again, if Relena…the queen was only going to kick them out again, then they would have to deal with these monsters head on, unless they took another route.

Something else was bother Quatre too. When he'd almost been killed…something, some kind of force had stopped it. What could it have been? He wouldn't have thought much of it, would have thought that somehow that girl had missed, but he could actually feel a hidden energy inside his body at that moment. But, why was the girl so focused on killing him? Who would attack them? What enemies had they made that they didn't know about? And, how did Duo know where to find them? And why did that girl seem familiar to him?

Heero was walking down the hallway, fully dressed now as he was looking for the braided elf. Duo had left so suddenly, and had yet to return. When he went to check with Trowa, the other hadn't seen him either. He had frowned at that. Where was Duo now? He had the oddest suspicion that the other wasn't even in the castle. It was dark out, why weren't they back yet?

"Could it be because they were attacked?" Heero turned swiftly at the dark voice, holding his hand on the hilt of his sword ready. He hadn't spoken the words out loud, and he hadn't heard any footprints. As of yet, the only person that had ever successfully snuck up on him had been Duo despite his cheerful demeanor and the fact that he looked like he was incapable of shutting up for even a second.

"Who's there?" There was a figure there, a dark figure shrouded by a cloak that seemed far to heavy to be worn, and yet radiated such evil it left Heero with the feeling of being tainted. It was weird, like the person, the man by the sound of the voice, was absorbing all the lights around them to leave them in a black void. One of the flames in the lantern on the walls actually went out. The other lights still flickered, but they did nothing, only cast a very small light, enough for Heero to know that the man hadn't moved from his spot.

"You have nothing to gain by staying here in this palace," the man said taking a step closer, his shoes actually making a sound now, probably to give Heero warning to what was happening. Heero took a small step back, ready to move if he had to, unable to make his own feet quiet. It was like the darkness was making his sounds echo, even his breathing which was growing uneven like he couldn't breath. Heero had a feeling that if he got to close he'd somehow get swallowed up by the other man…he couldn't allow that. Question was why wasn't he being attacked? "They will not listen to reason…they are under our control…even the queen."

"Then let them go," Heero said simply, planting his feet and holding the hilt of his sword hard. He could feel the warmth radiating from it again, could see the glow starting to shine brightly, giving off it's on light like it was battling the darkness. It had only ever done that when Duo had attacked him. It still bothered Heero that it hadn't reacted at all when he was up against the numerous numbers of monsters, but most of that battle was still a blur to him.

"Don't tell me you think it's that easy. That your simply telling me to do it will cause it to happen." the man chuckled, a hand being lifted out towards Heero but not quite coming closer to touching him. "If you want to find a cure for this curse…you must find the horned flute that resides at the top of the mountains to the east. It is there that I will be waiting for you." Heero grunted under his breath. He'd had just about enough of this. This man was playing games with him. Quickly, the hilt heating up even more, he pulled out his sword that shined so bright and swung out at the man. As the sword passed through, the man dissipated into black smoke, the darkness fading as the lights resumed their usual brightness. Looking around quickly, he found the hallway to be empty.

Should he believe the man? He wouldn't gain anything from telling a lie…so Heero could only guess. But his instincts were telling him to believe this darkness male. He was sure he hadn't killed him and that gave him little comfort. Fine…he would play this game…he would meet at the mountain and put this all to an end.

Shit, Quatre!

He'd almost forgotten about what the other said. Did this mean they had been attacked? Heero put the sword away already moving down the hallway heading to the front gate. He'd have to grab Trowa and go look for them. He could still feel eyes on him and he glanced back expecting to see the man there again, but there was still nothing. Why did he get the feeling that things were only going to get worse from now on?

"I had him! I was so close!" Dorothy fumed, standing in front of her master. She hadn't even bothered with putting her hood back up. Whatever injury she had sustained was now gone, completely healed over. There was a chance it'd left a scar, but she seriously doubted it would happen. Again it was completely dark which was nothing all that new to her since her time in joining these…males. She was pretty sure her master already knew what had happened, but she hardly considered it her fault. They had failed to explain to her the situation completely.

"I see the little wimp took you down," the man beside her said jokingly. Even now, their features were hidden to her. But she knew just as well that her own was too, the main reason she hadn't bothered with the hood. It was a special technique that only the top officers and the master himself knew how to use. She was one of the lucky three.

"Shut up." She flicked her hair behind her back with a glare. She was going to make that boy pay for what he did to her! He should have been dead by now, if it hadn't been for that elf! Why was he there?! He wasn't even supposed to know about them or the attack! "I would have killed him had it not been for that stupid elf."

"Things are working perfectly." Their master said suddenly and the two underlings looked at him in confusion. How could things be going perfectly?! She just admitted to failing her mission?! Was this all a part of his plan from the start?! "We have new knowledge now. We now have more knowledge of one of the elf's comrades as well as the creature he has lurking in the dark for him. " He pointed a finger towards the male, his other hand drumming lightly on the chair. "There is a young…kitten, a panther of the darkness. I want you to take care of him. With him gone, the elf's close guardian will be gone and his help severed. We'll see how far he can go without it." A panther? How could she have missed it? No, it was a stupid creature that's why, so how could it be of help unless…. The master tilted his head up slightly, looking towards the door at the back. "I see you're back."

"Yes, things turned out as planned." It was the deep voice that gave him away, as he came in moving until he stopped at the other side of Dorothy, giving her a little grin. The third of their little trio and the first to ever becoming one of the master's henchmen slash top officers. "Seems I have a little more luck than you," he said to Dorothy, purposely trying to get her angry. She wouldn't allow it to happen, and only smiled back with her own wicked smile.

"Yes, it's amazing you can have luck considering you were something that had been scraped from the bottom of a stableman's boots."

"So I take it you've told him," the master said, ignoring the little bickering and thus focusing the attention back on hand. "Good. His curiosity and determination will take him there."

Dorothy frowned slightly listening to the two of them talking. She didn't know what this was about, she must have been gone when this had happened. But why would they make plans when she was missing? "What is going on? Take who where?"

"A little plan. Don't worry, you will have another chance at killing your little friend once everything is complete."

Dorothy huffed slightly. She didn't like not being around for the planning. It was probably cause she was the only female there. "Fine whatever. Let me know when it is time again." She turned to walk off but her master's voice stopped her. Why did she follow him? She wanted only the death of others and the world. But she lacked the power, she had to use power from her master in other to obtain that.

"Do not fail again," he said, the drumming of his nails on the armrest stopping. It was a warning, fail again and your life may rectify your failure to succeed.

"Yes, my liege." She could hear the other two behind her saying something but she ignored it, wanting more than anything to just get out of there. They underestimated her, but once she got rid of that…that boy, she would come back and kill them as well.

By the time Heero had made it downstairs, everyone was back. Trowa, from what he could guess, had instantly moved to question Quatre and check him for injuries. They seemed flustered over something, but the thing that caught his attention first was the fact that their horses were there. Wing walked up to him and Heero automatically petted the brown horse's nose before letting his eyes float around. He found Duo standing beside Wufei, but his attention seemed focused on something else. He looked like he was mentally arguing with himself, his expression marred with anger. However, when that face, those eyes turned and looked at him, it froze Heero where he was. It was that look again. It was hard to explain, like a mixture between longing and evil and a look like Duo wanted to strangle him. With a shudder, Heero looked away turning his eyes over to look at Quatre. He could see him talking to someone whose clothes that had once been beautiful and fancy now were dirty and shredded. He could see the anger in her eyes as she was talking back to Quatre and remembered what the man had said about a cure. Fine, if it was a cure they needed, then a cure they would get.

"Quatre, let's go," Heero said, already climbing up onto Wing's back. He'd been incapacitated for too long in his opinion and he needed to do something about it. This journey thing shouldn't take that long, right? It wasn't like Quatre's words where swaying the queen that much. "We'll come back later," he added as an afterthought, seeing that the other was about to complain about it.

"Don't ever come back!" The queen shouted out without warning, her eyes far more venomous than she should be considered for a human. "If you do, I will have you killed on the spot! I will have you hanged!" The woman behind her rested a hand on the queen's shoulder in what Heero could only take to mean consoling, however her own eyes had an evil look to them just as Relena's did.

"Is there a reason for the sudden rush to leave?" Wufei asked suddenly, walking over towards Heero, the reigns of Shenlong being held in his hand. He looked pretty rattled himself, bruised here and there but otherwise he was safe. Heero wanted to ask what had happened out there, but he found he didn't want to be having this conversation in front of the queen. He didn't trust them…nor the feeling he was having of still being watched.

This castle is evil.

"I'll explain it later." He looked over at Duo abruptly, hoping the other was out of whatever little world he was in. No, he seemed to still be stuck inside himself. That just made Heero wonder even more about what had happened in the forest. "Duo, I want you to lead us to town, is there a safer way than through the forest?" He got no acknowledgement and grumbled slightly before he called his name out again. "Duo!"

"Huh?!" Duo looked up at him suddenly, a look of confusion in his eyes before he put up a smile. What had he been thinking about that could cause him to be so unfocused. Even if Heero hadn't known the guy for long, he knew this to not be like him. "Oh, yeah there's a path that'll lead straight to the city," he said glancing off to the side for a moment before looking at Heero again. "The problem is it'll be out in the open. But with the horses and all, it's safer that way than through the forest where the monsters would easily have us."

Heero nodded slightly then looked around before letting his eyes settle on Trowa. "Go inside and retrieve anything that might belong to us then meet back out here." He could feel the eyes of the queen on them and knew they needed to get this done quickly. Who knew when she would snap…and Heero didn't want to have to be responsible for the death of a queen under the control of some evil man with the ability to cast curses. That was Heero's explanation for it anyway. As Trowa was heading inside, Quatre was quick to follow him, but Heero ignored it, finding that keeping an eye on him wasn't so important now that they knew what was really wrong here. He wondered, as he glanced at Duo, if there was a way to cure him also…of this dark power inside of him.

To the east then.

Trowa could feel the other's presence behind him and slowed down enough for the other to catch up and walk beside him. He remembered a few of the things that Quatre had said to him in such haste. It made him worry for the other. Trowa wasn't sure why he felt this way towards Quatre, but it was nothing he could control. He wanted to protect the other no matter what. And for all that to happen while he wasn't there, it made him feel guilty and incompetent. He had let Quatre down.

"I don't trust him," Quatre said suddenly and it caused Trowa to glance over at him in confusion. That had been kind of impulsive.

"Trust who?"

Quatre glanced over at him in turn, hugging himself lightly in the dressy clothes. It had to be uncomfortable, so Trowa didn't doubt that the other would change out of them. "I don't trust Duo."

This was reason for Trowa to stop where he was, staring at the other in shock. Could that really be what he had said? From as long as he had known Duo, which wasn't very long, he hadn't found any fault in him. Sure, he did try to kill and rob them in the beginning…but Duo also was forced to endure the death of his friends and family in one of the most brutal ways. Who really had started the fire? Not everyone in the castle was as cold hearted as the queen. Either way, it made him grow a form of respect for the man, and a sense of sympathy for someone to have to go through that and still have the power to live and be cheerful as he was. "Why don't you trust him?"

"I don't know," Quatre answered stopping where he was but not turning to look at Trowa as he bowed his head. "It's the feelings I can feel radiating from him. Since I'm empathic, I'm able to tap into other people's emotions…. His emotions…are very unstable. At times I feel anger but it'll quickly change into happiness. And sometimes there are two opposite feelings at the same time, like resentment and glee or pain and laughter. It doesn't make sense…and by the way he's been looking lately, he might likely snap soon." Finally Quatre glanced back at Trowa, his hair bouncing slightly with the movement. "I don't trust him because I can't understand him. How did he know to find us…to save me at that exact moment? Why did that girl seem to know him? He's keeping things from us."

"Everyone has secrets," Trowa said starting to walk again and moving past Quatre knowing he would follow either way. "You can't fault him for not telling it. Maybe he's not ready yet…maybe he's coping for the losses he has experienced and is also trying to keep those around him happy. I believe that he'll tell us when he's ready though…. I've found no true reasons not to trust him…he's helped us a lot since we met. He could easily leave us to die, but he's been willing to help us."

"Yeah, you're right." Quatre quickly caught up to once more walk beside Trowa. Heero was probably getting restless meaning they needed to hurry. Obviously, the other was anxious about something. Trowa was curious to find out. That's why Heero hadn't put up an argument about them leaving the castle…he didn't want the queen…or her people hearing. The town…probably the inn would be the safest considering that Duo knew people there. It was maybe the only sane place in the town. Strange, the sanest people were the drunks.

"What kind of feelings are you getting from the queen?" Trowa asked as they continued walking getting closer to their destination. He had to know…he'd never seen such…hateful eyes before.

"I feel…anger…hatred…she really doesn't want us here…it makes me think about those two guys in the city. They had mention strange behaviors like this…what's happening in this town? There's something much deeper and we've barely scratched the surface." He hugged himself tighter as he spoke the last words. "Why do they want me dead? What is it they think I will do? Or am I just a nuisance?"

Trowa shrugged slightly as he entered into their room, heading over to the bed to start picking things up. He didn't know how to answer those questions. Sure, he knew how he felt about Quatre, but he couldn't think why anyone would want to kill him. He was kind, sweet, and seemed innocent by Trowa's standards. He'd know Quatre about as long as he'd know Duo, if just a few days longer. And yet he'd developed trust in him in only a couple of hours after meeting. Why? Why did he feel this way? "Why don't you get changed while I gather up everyone's stuff?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Quatre smiled at that and was heading out the door before he paused. Trowa thought something might be wrong, but he still saw the smile on the other's face. "Thank you," Quatre said bowing his head slightly for a moment before exiting quickly. Thank you? He had done nothing to thanked for. It didn't stop his heart from beating a little faster though.

TBC….

Ah, I was gonna make it longer, but the stuff I wanted to add would have made it um…they have to go together with the next chapter and I don't want to separate them. Sorry, there was no action in this chapter but it did give more information about what was going on. Relena's a bitch but yeah…curses are evil like that. ::blinks…:: Ok so I don't hate Relena, I just don't like her. ::snickers:: If that makes any sense cause I'm sleepy and lazy and shit. ::pets Duo:: Emotional stress perhaps? Ee, I might be a while in updating considering I'm not doing so well in college. ::curses lack of ability to draw figures and cities perfectly...or the lack of paying attention and always falling asleep in art history class:: Blah, stupid school. Anyways, if anything , I'll continue working as bestestest I can. ::thinking about doing a Gundam Seed fanfic soon::