Episode 3: Betrayal
Duo whistled softly as he walked over to Quatre's room. He deserved to
be in a good mood; after all he'd won. Relena was beaten and had since
disappeared from campus. He had a feeling she was sulking in her room,
or plotting. Either was fine, just as long as she didn't challenge him
anytime soon.
He arrived at Quatre's room and reached up to knock on the door, when he
noticed hushed voices coming from inside. Duo stopped whistling and
leaned forward, placing his ear against the door, but the voices were
too soft to understand. He could pick out Quatre's and someone else who
seemed to be angry, or just annoyed. Duo slowly tapped on the door and
the voices stopped. Seconds later Quatre opened the door to find his
smiling best friend.
"Konichiwa!" Duo said happily.
Quatre grinned and opened his mouth but was interrupted as another boy
pushed past him. He had thin black hair pulled back into a ponytail and
eyes that seemed to only glare at those around him. Duo stepped back
quickly, then noticed the boy not only wore a student council uniform but
a badge as well.
For a few seconds the two met eyes and watched each other, seeming to size
the other up. Finally the student council member's eyes narrowed more
and he turned, walking away.
"Ne, Wufei!" Quatre moved after him.
The boy didn't respond, he just kept walking. Duo turned to Quatre who
opened the door once more to let him in.
"What was that all about?"
Quatre shrugged and smiled. "Student council stuff I guess… he came to
ask questions about you."
Duo quickly looked back over his shoulder just in time to see 'Wufei'
disappear around the corner. Questions about him? Well he had been
wearing a badge. Duo sighed softly before turning back to Quatre, not
another duel! Oh he hoped not. He needed his sleep and these late night
duels weren't helping. Duo dismissed the thoughts and turned back to
Quatre, a wide grin painted on his face once more.
"So, you come to study, finally?"
Duo's grin faltered only slightly. "Too late Quatre, it's already done."
Duo proudly produced a work page with answers and equations all over it.
Quatre took the paper and looked over it. Meanwhile Duo had to bit his
tongue to keep from laughing. Maybe this would get Quatre off his back.
He'd asked Heero to do the work sheet for him, after all Heero had to do
what he said…
"Duo, this isn't funny."
"Nani? What's not funny?"
"This." Quatre held up the paper. "They are all wrong. And not just by
simple mistakes either, they are ALL wrong."
A sweatdrop appeared on Duo's head and his grin disappeared. In his mind
he could see Heero with a triumphant smirk on his face as he penciled in
the wrong answers. 'Note to self' Duo thought. 'Next time order him to
fill in the correct answers.'
"We better get studying right away." Quatre sat down at his table and
pulled out the textbook. Duo sighed and dropped down next to him.
'There goes my weekend.'
*
Zechs answered the phone. "It's me."
He nodded. "Yes, I heard. I saw it."
"Well of course I didn't expect it, especially not from that one. Being
that he is nothing like the others or the Star Prince it was a surprise…
yes I know you had plans for one of them."
Zechs smiled. "I see, so this is the one you mentioned. Very well then,
I will see to it. But I do not believe they will need any coaxing. Even
Seite has his reasons now."
Zechs nodded to himself. "Yes, don't worry. Everything is proceeding. I
have no doubt the gundams will awaken soon."
He hung up the phone and walked out onto the veranda. Below him was the
arena, all four gundams kneeling, waiting to be beckoned to. It wouldn't
be long now. Perhaps it truly would be Duo who would unlock the Star
Prince after all. As Seite always said, only time would tell.
*
Seite stood silently in the rose garden, the over-jacket of his student
council uniform draped over his shoulders, exposing the vest and fancy
shirt beneath. He knew he was breaking dress code but at the moment he
didn't care that much. He simply stood there the rose in his hand,
twirling the steam around and around between his thumb and index finger.
He watched the blue rose swirl back and forth. His rose, the one he
would use to duel. Just as the others had. It was his turn to duel.
Seite leaned back against one of the benches and brought the rose to his
face, smelling the sweet scent. Strange, it wasn't sweet anymore. It
smelled normal but there was a faint hint of bitterness. That was a bad
sign. He could feel that this all was a bad idea. Why'd he joined the
student council in the first place? Even back then he'd known it was a
bad idea. He could still sense he'd made a mistake, but it was too late
to fix it now. Now was far too late.
"Quatre-kun?"
Seite turned as Duo walked into the rose garden with Heero who was a few
feet behind him. Following obediently as the Star Prince should.
"Anou… was anyone waiting here earlier? I'm supposed to meet someone and
I'm a little late."
Seite shook his head. "There has been no one here." He smiled sadly.
"However I believe you are the one I had wished to speak to."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "You're in the student council…" his eyes locked
on the badge at Seite's chest. "Shimatta, not again."
"You're friend will have to wait until later, I'm afraid. Duo Maxwell, I
challenge you." Seite held out the rose toward Duo.
"Why? I don't even know you. Relena-senpai I understood… sort of. But
I've never seen you before. Who are you?"
"All answers are revealed with time, we have only to wait for the answers."
Seite turned away and started out of the garden, leaving the rose at Duo's
feet. "I will see you at the dueling arena tonight, or you forfeit the
Star Prince and the duel."
Silently, as he walked away, Seite wished Duo wouldn't show up. But knew
better, Duo would show up and then Seite would win. He had to win. He
didn't have any other choice.
*
Seite waited silently on the platform, grasping the sword in his hand, a
few strands of his silver hair falling across his eyes. He watched as
Heero stepped out of the shadows in his prince garb, ready to play his
part. Off in the distance, past the gundams, he could see the tower that
held the student council meeting room. No doubt Trowa and Zechs had been
joined by Wufei and were settling down to watch. Seite turned and watched
as Duo stepped off the gundam's hand onto the platform and walked toward
him, a smile on his face, as always.
"You sure you know what you're asking here?"
Ahh, so much confidence, Seite smiled back, he couldn't help it. "I asked
nothing. I challenged you as the rules say. Enough talk." Anymore
talking and Seite knew that Duo had a good chance of talking him out of
this. They had to duel now, while he still had the nerve to go through
with it.
Duo shrugged and took a single step back as Heero came forward with the
roses. A second later Duo had pulled out the star sword and the bells
rang out. Seite brought his sword up as Duo moved forward.
'He is fast, that much I know from watching him. It would be so easy for
me to lose…' Seite blocked the blow, his face becoming blank as he
silenced his thoughts. It was time now, time to beat Duo and get him out
of the duels. Seite quickly swung his sword around and made a try for
the rose, missing it only by a hair as Duo brought his sword up at the
last second.
'I can see how he was able to beat Relena, twice.' Seite ducked and
brought his sword up to block as Duo moved in again. He noted that the
longhaired boy knew nothing about sword fighting, yet he was still able
to block most blows, almost as if it were instinct. To a point it
probably was, self preservation was one of the most important things to
most humans. 'I really didn't want to fight you Duo, I'm sorry.'
Seite shortened the distance between them and swung, purposely missing,
then he stuck out his foot and tripped the retreating Duo. Duo landed
hard on the ground, wincing. 'Gomen Duo, gomen.'
"That was a rotten trick." Duo stood back up and Seite watched as his
sword began to glow. Seite quickly glanced toward Heero, but no the Star
Prince had nothing to do with this. So then how did Duo summon his
strange power? The power of Death? The glow emanated from the blade and
the cloak appeared around Duo's shoulders as before. Seite took a deep
breath and readied himself, now was the real test.
Duo charged forward, moving in to either run Seite through or claim the
rose. Seite simply reached up and removed the wig of silver hair to
reveal shortly cut blond hair. "Duo-kun…" he said in a sad voice.
He watched as Duo's footing faltered and the glow and cloak snapped out of
existence. Duo's eyes were wide as Seite moved in. While Duo was locked
in shock Seite sliced the rose from his chest.
"Quatre?"
Seite stiffened at the sound of his real name, his eyes darting to the
abandoned wig on the floor as the bells rang out around them. "Gomen
Duo."
"Nani? Naze?" Duo just stood there with wide eyes, trying to understand.
Quatre didn't stay to explain. His job was done, OZ would be happy.
After all wasn't it them who'd planned this from the beginning? OZ was
the one who'd told him to hide his identity from the school as a duelist.
He'd known it was a bad idea. He'd known what he could lose by doing it.
He'd just never guessed Duo would become part of the duels. Quatre walked
away toward the shadows, exiting the dueling arena with the Star Prince.
He didn't even look up at Heero, yet he knew the silent boy lingered for
a second, watching Duo.
Quatre simply closed his eyes and ran, ran as fast as he could. Hoping
against hope that some how he could just run away from all of this.
Wishing it had never happened.
*
Trowa stepped out of the elevator the next day, to find Quatre sitting in
the student council room facing the large window and the arena below.
Beside him stood the ever-silent Star Prince. Both seemed deep in
thought, somewhere far away in their own worlds. Yet there was a
difference, Heero's face was blank, Quatre looked like he was going to
cry, or already had. Trowa was about to step forward but decided to
wait, as Zechs walked over to Quatre.
"You look so upset, why? You won."
Quatre said nothing, but continued to stare off.
"He didn't belong in the duels," came Heero's flat voice. Quatre looked
toward him in surprise, then looked back down at his own hands as they
sat in his lap.
"I know he didn't. That's mostly why I challenged him. I was afraid of
what would happen if he'd won the power, if he'd beaten all of us and met
OZ. But in the end I lost him as a friend. I don't know what's worse."
Zechs frowned. "We do as OZ tells us. We are all chosen, his joining the
duels was… unexpected."
"Still, it wasn't fair. He would have won if I hadn't of surprised him."
"Possibly but that doesn't really matter. The duels and the gundams are
our business and our business alone, the other students have no part in
them."
Trowa frowned. That was enough, enough talk from Zechs. Things had gotten
out of hand and taken a turn for the worse. True, Trowa agreed that Duo
hadn't belonged in the duels, but then neither did Quatre. Both were far
too caring for the fate that awaited them all at the end of the duels.
Both had a reason to keep living normal lives. Where as Zechs and Wufei…
Trowa had made his choice, and so had the other two. Quatre didn't
belong in the duels either, which meant he couldn't have the Star Prince.
Trowa moved toward Quatre and Zechs, silent and emotionless as always. He
was so like the Star Prince it even scared him sometimes. To see Quatre
turn out like that would be too painful, he couldn't let it happen.
"Quatre."
"Trowa-senpai." Quatre looked up and his eyes widened as he saw what was
in Trowa's hand. Trowa let go and the orange rose drifted softly into
Quatre's lap. Then he turned and without a word headed for the door.
Behind him he could hear Quatre bite back tears.
"Trowa-senpai, why?"
Trowa said nothing and left. It was too late to save himself from what OZ
had intended, but he could save Quatre, and that was worth the danger.
As the elevator door shut Trowa pulled out the locket and clicked it
open. Quatre's smiling face beamed up at him from the shiny photo paper.
To always keep him smiling, to protect him from harm. To protect him
from OZ and the Star Prince.
To protect Quatre was all he wished.
*
Duo whistled softly as he walked over to Quatre's room. He deserved to
be in a good mood; after all he'd won. Relena was beaten and had since
disappeared from campus. He had a feeling she was sulking in her room,
or plotting. Either was fine, just as long as she didn't challenge him
anytime soon.
He arrived at Quatre's room and reached up to knock on the door, when he
noticed hushed voices coming from inside. Duo stopped whistling and
leaned forward, placing his ear against the door, but the voices were
too soft to understand. He could pick out Quatre's and someone else who
seemed to be angry, or just annoyed. Duo slowly tapped on the door and
the voices stopped. Seconds later Quatre opened the door to find his
smiling best friend.
"Konichiwa!" Duo said happily.
Quatre grinned and opened his mouth but was interrupted as another boy
pushed past him. He had thin black hair pulled back into a ponytail and
eyes that seemed to only glare at those around him. Duo stepped back
quickly, then noticed the boy not only wore a student council uniform but
a badge as well.
For a few seconds the two met eyes and watched each other, seeming to size
the other up. Finally the student council member's eyes narrowed more
and he turned, walking away.
"Ne, Wufei!" Quatre moved after him.
The boy didn't respond, he just kept walking. Duo turned to Quatre who
opened the door once more to let him in.
"What was that all about?"
Quatre shrugged and smiled. "Student council stuff I guess… he came to
ask questions about you."
Duo quickly looked back over his shoulder just in time to see 'Wufei'
disappear around the corner. Questions about him? Well he had been
wearing a badge. Duo sighed softly before turning back to Quatre, not
another duel! Oh he hoped not. He needed his sleep and these late night
duels weren't helping. Duo dismissed the thoughts and turned back to
Quatre, a wide grin painted on his face once more.
"So, you come to study, finally?"
Duo's grin faltered only slightly. "Too late Quatre, it's already done."
Duo proudly produced a work page with answers and equations all over it.
Quatre took the paper and looked over it. Meanwhile Duo had to bit his
tongue to keep from laughing. Maybe this would get Quatre off his back.
He'd asked Heero to do the work sheet for him, after all Heero had to do
what he said…
"Duo, this isn't funny."
"Nani? What's not funny?"
"This." Quatre held up the paper. "They are all wrong. And not just by
simple mistakes either, they are ALL wrong."
A sweatdrop appeared on Duo's head and his grin disappeared. In his mind
he could see Heero with a triumphant smirk on his face as he penciled in
the wrong answers. 'Note to self' Duo thought. 'Next time order him to
fill in the correct answers.'
"We better get studying right away." Quatre sat down at his table and
pulled out the textbook. Duo sighed and dropped down next to him.
'There goes my weekend.'
*
Zechs answered the phone. "It's me."
He nodded. "Yes, I heard. I saw it."
"Well of course I didn't expect it, especially not from that one. Being
that he is nothing like the others or the Star Prince it was a surprise…
yes I know you had plans for one of them."
Zechs smiled. "I see, so this is the one you mentioned. Very well then,
I will see to it. But I do not believe they will need any coaxing. Even
Seite has his reasons now."
Zechs nodded to himself. "Yes, don't worry. Everything is proceeding. I
have no doubt the gundams will awaken soon."
He hung up the phone and walked out onto the veranda. Below him was the
arena, all four gundams kneeling, waiting to be beckoned to. It wouldn't
be long now. Perhaps it truly would be Duo who would unlock the Star
Prince after all. As Seite always said, only time would tell.
*
Seite stood silently in the rose garden, the over-jacket of his student
council uniform draped over his shoulders, exposing the vest and fancy
shirt beneath. He knew he was breaking dress code but at the moment he
didn't care that much. He simply stood there the rose in his hand,
twirling the steam around and around between his thumb and index finger.
He watched the blue rose swirl back and forth. His rose, the one he
would use to duel. Just as the others had. It was his turn to duel.
Seite leaned back against one of the benches and brought the rose to his
face, smelling the sweet scent. Strange, it wasn't sweet anymore. It
smelled normal but there was a faint hint of bitterness. That was a bad
sign. He could feel that this all was a bad idea. Why'd he joined the
student council in the first place? Even back then he'd known it was a
bad idea. He could still sense he'd made a mistake, but it was too late
to fix it now. Now was far too late.
"Quatre-kun?"
Seite turned as Duo walked into the rose garden with Heero who was a few
feet behind him. Following obediently as the Star Prince should.
"Anou… was anyone waiting here earlier? I'm supposed to meet someone and
I'm a little late."
Seite shook his head. "There has been no one here." He smiled sadly.
"However I believe you are the one I had wished to speak to."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "You're in the student council…" his eyes locked
on the badge at Seite's chest. "Shimatta, not again."
"You're friend will have to wait until later, I'm afraid. Duo Maxwell, I
challenge you." Seite held out the rose toward Duo.
"Why? I don't even know you. Relena-senpai I understood… sort of. But
I've never seen you before. Who are you?"
"All answers are revealed with time, we have only to wait for the answers."
Seite turned away and started out of the garden, leaving the rose at Duo's
feet. "I will see you at the dueling arena tonight, or you forfeit the
Star Prince and the duel."
Silently, as he walked away, Seite wished Duo wouldn't show up. But knew
better, Duo would show up and then Seite would win. He had to win. He
didn't have any other choice.
*
Seite waited silently on the platform, grasping the sword in his hand, a
few strands of his silver hair falling across his eyes. He watched as
Heero stepped out of the shadows in his prince garb, ready to play his
part. Off in the distance, past the gundams, he could see the tower that
held the student council meeting room. No doubt Trowa and Zechs had been
joined by Wufei and were settling down to watch. Seite turned and watched
as Duo stepped off the gundam's hand onto the platform and walked toward
him, a smile on his face, as always.
"You sure you know what you're asking here?"
Ahh, so much confidence, Seite smiled back, he couldn't help it. "I asked
nothing. I challenged you as the rules say. Enough talk." Anymore
talking and Seite knew that Duo had a good chance of talking him out of
this. They had to duel now, while he still had the nerve to go through
with it.
Duo shrugged and took a single step back as Heero came forward with the
roses. A second later Duo had pulled out the star sword and the bells
rang out. Seite brought his sword up as Duo moved forward.
'He is fast, that much I know from watching him. It would be so easy for
me to lose…' Seite blocked the blow, his face becoming blank as he
silenced his thoughts. It was time now, time to beat Duo and get him out
of the duels. Seite quickly swung his sword around and made a try for
the rose, missing it only by a hair as Duo brought his sword up at the
last second.
'I can see how he was able to beat Relena, twice.' Seite ducked and
brought his sword up to block as Duo moved in again. He noted that the
longhaired boy knew nothing about sword fighting, yet he was still able
to block most blows, almost as if it were instinct. To a point it
probably was, self preservation was one of the most important things to
most humans. 'I really didn't want to fight you Duo, I'm sorry.'
Seite shortened the distance between them and swung, purposely missing,
then he stuck out his foot and tripped the retreating Duo. Duo landed
hard on the ground, wincing. 'Gomen Duo, gomen.'
"That was a rotten trick." Duo stood back up and Seite watched as his
sword began to glow. Seite quickly glanced toward Heero, but no the Star
Prince had nothing to do with this. So then how did Duo summon his
strange power? The power of Death? The glow emanated from the blade and
the cloak appeared around Duo's shoulders as before. Seite took a deep
breath and readied himself, now was the real test.
Duo charged forward, moving in to either run Seite through or claim the
rose. Seite simply reached up and removed the wig of silver hair to
reveal shortly cut blond hair. "Duo-kun…" he said in a sad voice.
He watched as Duo's footing faltered and the glow and cloak snapped out of
existence. Duo's eyes were wide as Seite moved in. While Duo was locked
in shock Seite sliced the rose from his chest.
"Quatre?"
Seite stiffened at the sound of his real name, his eyes darting to the
abandoned wig on the floor as the bells rang out around them. "Gomen
Duo."
"Nani? Naze?" Duo just stood there with wide eyes, trying to understand.
Quatre didn't stay to explain. His job was done, OZ would be happy.
After all wasn't it them who'd planned this from the beginning? OZ was
the one who'd told him to hide his identity from the school as a duelist.
He'd known it was a bad idea. He'd known what he could lose by doing it.
He'd just never guessed Duo would become part of the duels. Quatre walked
away toward the shadows, exiting the dueling arena with the Star Prince.
He didn't even look up at Heero, yet he knew the silent boy lingered for
a second, watching Duo.
Quatre simply closed his eyes and ran, ran as fast as he could. Hoping
against hope that some how he could just run away from all of this.
Wishing it had never happened.
*
Trowa stepped out of the elevator the next day, to find Quatre sitting in
the student council room facing the large window and the arena below.
Beside him stood the ever-silent Star Prince. Both seemed deep in
thought, somewhere far away in their own worlds. Yet there was a
difference, Heero's face was blank, Quatre looked like he was going to
cry, or already had. Trowa was about to step forward but decided to
wait, as Zechs walked over to Quatre.
"You look so upset, why? You won."
Quatre said nothing, but continued to stare off.
"He didn't belong in the duels," came Heero's flat voice. Quatre looked
toward him in surprise, then looked back down at his own hands as they
sat in his lap.
"I know he didn't. That's mostly why I challenged him. I was afraid of
what would happen if he'd won the power, if he'd beaten all of us and met
OZ. But in the end I lost him as a friend. I don't know what's worse."
Zechs frowned. "We do as OZ tells us. We are all chosen, his joining the
duels was… unexpected."
"Still, it wasn't fair. He would have won if I hadn't of surprised him."
"Possibly but that doesn't really matter. The duels and the gundams are
our business and our business alone, the other students have no part in
them."
Trowa frowned. That was enough, enough talk from Zechs. Things had gotten
out of hand and taken a turn for the worse. True, Trowa agreed that Duo
hadn't belonged in the duels, but then neither did Quatre. Both were far
too caring for the fate that awaited them all at the end of the duels.
Both had a reason to keep living normal lives. Where as Zechs and Wufei…
Trowa had made his choice, and so had the other two. Quatre didn't
belong in the duels either, which meant he couldn't have the Star Prince.
Trowa moved toward Quatre and Zechs, silent and emotionless as always. He
was so like the Star Prince it even scared him sometimes. To see Quatre
turn out like that would be too painful, he couldn't let it happen.
"Quatre."
"Trowa-senpai." Quatre looked up and his eyes widened as he saw what was
in Trowa's hand. Trowa let go and the orange rose drifted softly into
Quatre's lap. Then he turned and without a word headed for the door.
Behind him he could hear Quatre bite back tears.
"Trowa-senpai, why?"
Trowa said nothing and left. It was too late to save himself from what OZ
had intended, but he could save Quatre, and that was worth the danger.
As the elevator door shut Trowa pulled out the locket and clicked it
open. Quatre's smiling face beamed up at him from the shiny photo paper.
To always keep him smiling, to protect him from harm. To protect him
from OZ and the Star Prince.
To protect Quatre was all he wished.
*