I'm glad you agree with the punishing method I used and how it was implemented, though some of you were wondering about Geoffrey. I added a bit extra information about the relationship between him and Heero, hopefully that explains why Heero is certain Geoffrey was not going to attack his posession.

Vye: I'm glad I was able to help you take your mind off things. I try to update every friday, so here's the next chapter

Warnings, thanks anda disclaimer can be found in previous chapters

9: Trial and error

"That sounds nice."

Surprised by the interruption, Trowa looked at the door to his room to see that none other than the crown prince himself was standing there, watching him intently. From the relaxed stance he had taken the servant guessed he'd been standing there for a while. "Your Highness," Trowa said with a small bow, lowering his flute.

"I hope you don't mind me coming here," the heir to the throne said with an apologetic smile. "I just heard the music and I was curious where it came from."

"It's fine." It was annoying, really, having his former master just show up in his room unannounced. But Quatre was crown prince and you did not tell the crown prince where he could and could not go in his own castle.

"I didn't know you played the flute," the royal said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

"I just bought it last week."

"Can I see?" Trowa handed the flute to his former master, who examined it critically. "It's not very good," he said, turning it over in his hands.

"I just started." Did the prince really expect him to become an expert player in just one week?

"No, I mean the flute," Quatre amended quickly. "I'm surprised you can make it sound like you did, because the flute is not a very good quality." He handed it back with a gentle smile. "Or perhaps I'm just spoiled," he said, trying to sound amiable.

Trowa put the flute back in its case and carefully placed it in a drawer. He didn't care that the instrument was not an expert piece of work. He liked the music it made and, in his own opinion, he thought he was doing alright learning to play it.

"Would you like me to hire a tutor for you?"

Just the thing for the prince to offer. "I earn my own money now," Trowa simply replied. He did not need such favours from the prince anymore.

"Right." An awkward moment seemed to pass between the former lovers. It seemed they just couldn't find the right balance anymore. "Well, I'll just leave you to it then," the prince finally said.

Trowa nodded. "Good night, Prince Quatre."

"Good night, Trowa.

-AOAO-

Tradition, they called it. Every heir to the High Seat of Chang had gone to the east to study and now he had to go as well. What was there to learn about an unsophisticated people across the eastern rivers? They were the ones who should cross the river to study, not him!

And just who the hell did those barbarians think they were, shipping him off like some piece of cargo? The king of Sanc had declared himself too busy and had decided Wu Fei Chang should move to his sister in the country next door. His family had foolishly agreed, congratulating him on being the first to travel such distance and telling him to bring back the wisdom of the far eastern nation.

What wisdom was there to gain here? Wu Fei knew they had all but stolen the knowledge of paper-making from his people and their armies fought foolishly at best. He had seen these knights of theirs fight and Wu Fei was sure that he could take on any one of them. His people should be conquering these lands, not sending him here.

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, Sir Chang." Of course not. How could they be? They were travelling with twenty people, after all. Honestly, how they even made progress he would never understand.

And what was it with that 'sir'? On his first day Wu Fei had tried to make them understand that he was to be addressed as Master Chang, but they had flatly refused, saying they were not slaves. Instead they had insisted on calling him 'Sir'. Wu Fei had no idea what 'Sir' exactly stood for, but then he didn't understand the concept of slaves either. They were labourers of the lowest class, he gathered that much. But why they were so disrespected he had no clue. In his clan the workers were honoured because they built the foundations on which the clan leaders could rule. Without a labouring class delivering decent work, what was a nation going to do?

In a couple of days they would arrive in the capital. In a couple of days Wu Fei would meet this sister of the king and her husband. Would they be as insufferable as the brother? The huge blond king had dined with him, but his servants had allowed Wu Fei's plate to be completely emptied. And they had spoken to him, actually asked if he wanted a refill. That was just one of those small things people did here that made no sense. When he was done eating, he would simply stop eating. What was so hard to understand about that?

Not that the foods in these lands were any good. Even their spicy meals couldn't compare to what they had back home. He was never going to admit it, of course, but if there was anything that Wu Fei missed most from his home country it was the food. They barely even had rice here. Instead they had those thick balls they called potatoes that felt like dirt in his mouth and tasted even worse.

How was he going to survive on those potatoes for a whole year? Two weeks he'd been travelling now and he was already sick of them. Oh, this was going to be hell.

-AOAO-

His behind was almost healed now, but he still winced when he forgot and just flopped himself down in the chair or onto the floor. It was quite a humorous thing to see, really. He'd let himself fall, only to shoot right back up again, cursing loudly. The slave certainly hadn't lost his voice during his punishment for attacking Geoffrey.

Geoffrey was back at work again as well. Heero was glad for that. He'd know the butler all his life, had grown up with him around. That man was the one who had become Heero's personal servant once he became old enough to have one and when he'd moved into his own wing of the Yuy mansion he'd requested this man became his butler, the promotion making him head of Heero's household.

Without Geoffrey around there were so many small matters that just didn't get the attendance they should. It was an eye-opener to the young lord just how much he relied on that man. Miss Maxwell had done her best to take over, but running the household was just a step up from what she was used to. She was capable enough when dealing with servants, directing them towards their chores, but Geoffrey at times seemed able to read Heero's mind. With that man he never had to ask for a glass of wine, the butler would have it ready before Heero even thought of it. And when Heero wanted papers brought to him, he never needed to explain which ones he meant. Geoffrey was entirely familiar with his employer's ways, which that showed how dedicated he was to his Lord.

And Heero was certain Geoffrey had not and would not ever attempt to touch his belongings without being ordered to do so. The butler had voiced his doubts about Heero's acquirement once or twice, for he believed someone as wild as that should not be brought into a proper household. But having known that man all his life, Heero could be absolutely certain the man would never, ever attack the Shinigami, even if he would not always conceal his dislike when in private. He was well aware his place in this household was as a servant to Heero. It was a line he had never crossed before and Heero could not believe he ever would. Even Prince Quatre agreed with him on this. The prince had once called Geoffrey loyal to a fault. And sure enough, once he had recovered, Geoffrey had gone back to serving as if nothing had happened.

The Shinigami, however, had changed. It had taken Heero a couple of days to realise because the boy still knew how to make cheeky remarks and how to grin at the least appropriate times, but he was more subdued than he had been before. It was like he was more in control of himself, or perhaps he was just more afraid of losing himself and therefore kept a tighter leash on his behaviour. Either way, it made the slave look just a little less like a wild animal or a Shinigami and just that little more like a normal human.

Prince Quatre had told him before that slaves were humans and not animals. Heero thought he was beginning to see what the prince meant. With animals, in order to tame them you worked with punishments and rewards. On this slave that just never seemed to work as well. This one seemed to behave a whole lot better if he understood what was going on. If he knew why something had to be done, he was much more likely to do it –and much more pleasant about it too- than if he was just told to obey.

When Heero just told him to close the window shutters he'd balk and groan and say that there was no food for payment and thus no incentive. But the other night, when Heero had said that the warmer weather was attracting bugs and the shutters had to be closed for that reason, the boy had just gone about it without complaint.

Why though? Why complain so much about something so simple when you knew that obedience would score points and was likely to gain you more freedom sooner? And then why all of a sudden stop complaining when you were told why something had to be done? Why couldn't he just trust Heero's judgement in the first place? Why did he always have to keep fighting?

The butler was recovered and back at work. The slave was also recovered from his punishment. And after yet another talk with Prince Quatre regarding slaves –the prince had somehow found out about the incident and had wanted Heero to tell him what had happened- Heero had decided to adjust his strategy.

He was seated in his comfortable chair and the Shinigami was standing by the window, looking out over the grounds towards the lights of the capital. The boy seemed to enjoy looking outside. It was no surprise as that window was the only connection the slave really had to life beyond this chamber.

Now seemed as good a time as any to give Quatre's plan a try. The prince had said he might not want to wait for the boy to heal and start retaliating again. Better to keep him guessing, make him see progress. Heero reached in his pocket and touched the crystal. In an instant, both shackles on the boy's wrists were released from their chains, which fell to the floor with a clunk. The slave jumped at the sudden change in weight and stared at his wrists.

"Duo." Heero had decided the name seemed to fit. "In my study, two doors down, on my desk is a book I need, brown cover, an hourglass on the front." The boy couldn't read, so that was the best way to describe it. Heero had chosen the book especially for this little experiment. "Get it for me." With another touch to the crystal, the chain to the collar fell off as well.

Heero had prepared for this moment. It was the first time he let the slave out of those restrictions altogether since bringing him here. The study had a door that led to the hallway and the door was unlocked. Guards were placed down the stairs, positioned so that the slave could not see them if he just looked down the hallway. It was a simple test. Heero wondered what the slave would do.

"Uh..." The slave's surprise was expected but still quite an amusing thing to watch. "Yes, Master." With a frown on his face, the slave made his way to the doors separating the bedchamber from the sitting room and that one from the study.

Heero listened carefully. The boy was taking his time, probably having a good look at the sitting room he had to pass through and then Heero heard him move to the study itself. He'd put the door between his bedchamber and the hallway slightly ajar and sure enough, he heard the unmistakable sound of another door being opened down the hallway.

Heero reached the hallway just in time to see the slave speed up to make a run for it, but the slave had seen him also. With little effort Heero blocked the slave's escape route. Duo came to a halt before Heero and sighed. He realised he'd been caught before his flight had even begun. Heero pushed open the door to his bedchamber and the slave stepped back in. Only then did Heero realise the slave had been carrying something. He threw it in the air as he passed Heero, intending for the lord to catch it, which he automatically did.

It was the brown book with the hourglass. The boy had taken that while trying to flee? That made little sense. Heero followed the slave back into his bedchamber and threw the book aside and crossed his arms.

"Was this some kind of test?" The boy caught on quickly enough.

"You said I never gave you a chance to prove yourself," Heero said and the slave frowned at that.

The boy laughed, but it was a light-hearted laugh rather than a mocking one. "Guess I screwed up, huh?" If he were mocking anyone, he was mocking himself.

"Yes." Heero stepped forward and grabbed the boy's arm. He was surprised when he met no resistance as he pulled the slave back to his chains, nor when he secured the loose chains back to the collar and the shackles. The slave already figured that for a punishment he would not be given space to move around, for he moved back to the spot where his blankets lay and just sat down.

"Hey, Master. You think next time you wanna test me you could warn me?" Duo asked.

"That would defeat the purpose."

"Right. I guess it would."

-AOAO-

There were several things Heero had learned from that first test. First off he'd learned that Duo just had to run. The boy could have known that Heero would be keeping a close eye on him, yet he had to try to get away anyway.

The second thing Heero had noticed was that the boy was not stupid. This was something he'd already noticed on several occasions. The slave had realised quickly that his escape was not going to work and rather than fighting it and making things worse for himself, he'd just stopped his attempt and walked right back into the one room of this house that by now he probably knew like the back of his hand.

The one thing that he was left wondering about was why Duo had even bothered to pick up the book Heero had asked for. If running had been his first thought, he wouldn't have looked for the book. Perhaps he just took running as a chance that passed by.

If that last part were true, then Heero knew what he should be looking for if he wanted more from the boy. It was two days later when he decided to test him again. Of course it was dinner time. In the evenings Heero had more time to spend in his chambers. Business was done during the day and he had to go to the capital to meet this lord or that quite often during the morning or afternoon. In the evenings, those nobles who'd travelled to the capital wanted to enjoy what a city had to offer and that left Heero with his evenings in which to finish his work and just relax.

Along with dinner, this time Heero had brought up a black shirt for the boy to wear. Since he'd let Helen cut away that black piece of garment when she cleaned him up, the boy had not had anything to wear on his upper body. It was warm enough now to go about without much and it would get warmer still when summer fully dawned on them, but the slave had kept those blankets close to cover his upper body. The reason he'd not been given anything else before was because that would mean having to remove the chains to give him a chance to put it on.

Heero put down the boy's dinner and the black shirt and stood back. The boy instantly noticed the piece of clothing and touched it, holding it out to see what is was. Heero took that action as his cue to remove the chains. This time the slave was not so surprised to see them fall off him.

Heero kept a careful eye on the slave who put the thing on quickly. The lord had not much sense of fashion. He knew what he had to know about the clothes worn by the upper class, but that was about it. Helen was the one who'd chosen this shirt. It was as black as the pants the slave wore and when he turned, Heero could see that she'd found one that fit his body well. It was not skin tight, but it followed his shape perfectly.

"Hey, this actually looks pretty good." Duo had turned to the one mirror Heero had in his bedroom and was admiring himself.

"You like it?" A strange question from a master to a slave, but then Heero was surprised by the slave's reaction.

"Yeah, did you pick this?"

Heero shook his head. "Helen," he said simply and the slave grinned.

"That makes sense," he replied with a grin. "She knows how to dress." And then it was time to eat.

When dinner was finished and Heero still made no move to restrain the Shinigami, the boy looked at him questioningly. "So, does this mean I passed your test? Master?" He added when he saw Heero raise an eyebrow.

"Yes." Heero answered, not taking his gaze off the youth.

"Well then, what's the prize I won?"

Heero considered that for a moment. Of course, the boy was just joking, but still, a small reward couldn't hurt. "You'll join me in here." He walked to the double doors that led to the adjoining sitting room. A change of scenery for the slave. A small change, but one he should welcome after being stuck in one room for so long with so very little to do but wait for Heero to come up.

The boy made a curious sound, but followed him nonetheless. Looks like he wasn't about to let his newfound piece of freedom go to waste so soon.

"Sit." Heero poured himself a glass of wine and when he turned around he found that the boy had flopped down on the sofa, lounging elegantly. It was a part of that spirit Heero had come to like that the boy refused to sit on the floor at such a simple order, though he knew full well it was the place a slave was supposed to take. Heero just chuckled and sat down on the sofa as well, glass in wine in hand.

The sofa was a comfortable one and quite big. Duo realised that quickly enough as he decided to try several positions to lounge. Heero watched him, barely hiding his amusement. The slave was not used to having such a comfortable seat. Not after spending three months on a hard floor or, if the chains allowed it, on a simple wooden chair. After a couple of positions, Duo's hand accidentally brushed over a book and it caught his attention.

"What's this one about, Master?" The slave asked, picking it up.

Right, he couldn't read. Most of Heero's books did not have many pictures. This one only had a title on its cover. "The military."

"Military?" He opened the book. "You mean about knights in shining armour?"

"It's about knights," Heero confirmed. "And one of their duties is to keep their armour shining. But it's not a fairy tale book."

"Well, then what is it about?"

"Military tactics," Heero replied. "Defeating your enemies."

"They make books about that?" The boy was looking at one of the few pictures this book had, with arrows pointing in which ways the army could be moved in that particular battle.

"They make books about everything since the invention of paper and printing," Heero simply replied.

"Really?" The slave asked, without glancing up. "Do they make books about slaves?" The question was phrased just a little too casually.

"There are books on how to train them." Heero did not see the point in lying. The boy shouldn't have asked if he did not want to know.

The slave thought about that for a moment. "Is that what you're using on me?" He asked quietly.

His tone put Heero on guard, but he sipped his wine to hide that. "The usual methods don't seem to work well on you," he replied.

"Then what does seem to work?" Was he trying to see through what Heero was doing? Well, he had an interesting answer for him.

"You need a place where you'll want to stay."

The boy's head whipped up and Heero's free hand moved towards the crystal. The shackles could still be forced together without the chains attached. Pain could still be applied. "And what makes you think that place is here?" The Shinigami asked, his face showing a dangerous smirk.

Glass of wine in one hand, the crystal in the other, hidden in the pocket, Heero left the couch and walked towards the window. He had his back turned to the slave, but was very alert to the sounds coming from behind him. He heard none other than breathing. "You know what's out there," he said simply. "You know what you'll find if you run off." He turned back to the slave, who was watching him warily. "I told you. As long as you're mine, you won't have to kill anyone again."

They stared at each other for the longest time, neither moving, neither speaking. The boy was measuring him and Heero could not afford to lose, not now the slave was out of those chains for the first time. So he stared back levelly until it was Duo who finally looked away. "Ah, this sucks."

He'd won another battle. He watched as the boy shifted to lay himself down on the couch. Heero sat down again as well and took the book the slave had been looking through. By the time he was ready to go to bed, he found that the Shinigami was already asleep. Too bad. He couldn't possibly leave him here. The risk was just too great.

Heero put the book away and walked back to his slave asleep on the couch. He tried to shake him awake. A hand reached out lazily. "'M not done yet," he mumbled.

Heero frowned. "Wake up," he said, shaking the boy again.

"Don't wanna," the boy replied stubbornly, but Heero could see the eyes were beginning to open.

"Duo..." He said warningly.

The eyes opened up fully and the slave turned to look at him. "Oh." With a sigh, the boy pushed himself up from the couch. "Time for bed?" He asked, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes," Heero said, walking towards the bedroom. "Come."

He looked reluctant, but he obeyed. Again there was no sign of struggle when Heero attached the chains to the collar and the shackles again. When he was done, the boy just lay down on the floor, curling up in his blankets with his back towards his master's bed. The couch must have been so much more comfortable.

princess/rlyblue

So Heero is taking Duo's training a step further, Trowa obtained his flute, and welcome to the stage to Wu Fei. You guys so far seem to believe the characters are as IC as an AU can keep them. Hopefully you'll feel the same about Wu Fei. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too! I love hearing from you guys, so leave me a note please!