Title: Suspension (Part 1)
Author: Scheherazade
Email: desertrose@gundamwing.org
Pairings: Eventual 3+4, 2+H
Warnings: AU / nothing else as of yet
/…/--thoughts
*…*--italics
"You WHAT?"
Quatre gritted his teeth. "I asked him a mercy question. He answered it right."
"But you're supposed to be the *best*--"
"I am the best," he interrupted, glaring at the stocky man in front of him. "It doesn't mean I'm completely without morals. Listen, how many times have you already tried to kill him?"
"Nine," the man muttered grudgingly.
"How many of the others came back alive?"
"None."
Quatre struggled fiercely not to show his shock. /He's defeated *nine* professional assassins? And acting that foolish? Gods…/ All he said, though, was "See? I've gotten farther than anyone else. If you like, I'll try again tonight. He'll probably be expecting me, though, so it will be more difficult. Which means--it's going to cost you."
* * *
Sometime later, Quatre strolled into a dimly-lit, perfume-scented room. He heard the slight rustle of silks, and suddenly a low, breathy voice at his shoulder said, "Why, *Quatre*. What can I do for you?"
The blond smiled affectionately. "Doesn't work on me, Cathy."
"Humph." A slender young woman with curly auburn hair moved into what little light there was and pouted. "Can't blame me for trying."
Quatre laughed and ruffled her hair, causing her to scowl at him in indignation. "Is Duo around?" he asked.
"I think he's in his room. If not, Hilde will know where he is--I think she's at the market."
"Thanks, Cathy,"
"Anytime." She winked at him before slinking away towards a man who had just come through the door. "How may I help you…sir…"
Upstairs, Quatre made his way to Duo's "office", studiously ignoring the various noises coming from the other rooms. Even though it was bright daylight outside, he could barely see. It was with a feeling of relief that he finally reached the room at the end of the hall. He knew that inside, two large windows flooded the room with daylight--and it was soundproof.
He knocked on the door in a particular odd pattern to let Duo know who it was before entering. Inside, the black-clad young man was sprawled in a chair, adding up a long column of figures. He appeared absorbed in his work, so absorbed that when Quatre said "Duo?" he didn't even hear.
The blond tried again. "Duo? Duoooo…" He moved over and waved a hand in front of the Northerner's face. He was humming to himself, apparently oblivious.
Quatre sighed. "All right, all right. *Shinigami*."
Immediately, Duo sprang out of his chair, grinning widely. "Heya, Quatre! Long time, no see!"
"You saw me yesterday."
He shrugged. "You never know what can happen in a few days. Like, maybe you'd have come here to find Catherine had taken over the business and abducted Hilde or something--"
Quatre couldn't help but laugh. "If you say so. How is Hilde, anyway? I haven't seen her for quite awhile."
"She's great. At the moment, telling 'fortunes' to travelers for absolutely obscene prices. It almost makes me jealous. So what brings you to the deep, dark, thieving underworld today? And how did your job last night go?"
"This has to do with that, actually. Have you ever heard of a man called Trowa Barton?"
Immediately, the grin disappeared and Duo gaped at him. "You took a commission on *Trowa Barton*? And lived to tell about it?" He let out a low whistle. "Man, oh man, I knew you were good, but…"
"How come I've never heard of him?" Quatre demanded. "If he's really taken out nine of us, I should know something!"
"Trowa's from up north," Duo explained. "You know I used to live there until only a few years ago--he's a damn *legend* among the underworld back there. And he's killed more than nine assassins after his life. Quite a few more."
Quatre shook his head in disbelief as Duo continued. "So he's here, huh? Out of anywhere else to run to, I expect." There was a bitter edge in Duo's voice, and a fierce gleam in his eyes. "If only I was as good as you!"
"Why is everyone out for his blood anyway? Just what did he do?" Quatre was extremely curious about this strange man.
"I'll answer that if you'll answer one question for me. How did he get away?"
Quatre flushed slightly. "He answered a mercy question." /The only one who ever has./
"WHAT? You mean you just--ah, never mind." Duo slumped back down in the chair. "I already know how you feel about honor and all that. Still--what I wouldn't give to have been in your place!" He sighed. "Never mind. This will be kind of a long story--got the time?"
Quatre shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."
"Then…let's see what I remember. The Bartons were just about the richest, most powerful and influential family in the kingdom of Ellthrie, not even excepting the royal line. Triton Barton, the patriarch and Trowa's grandfather, was the guiding force behind the High Council, where the real power is. They had inherited or married into more than half the lands in the kingdom. Everything was going swimmingly when Trowa was born. Actually, he was named Triton, after dear old grandad, but he changed his name later. I'll get to that."
"Anyway," the young man continued, "Trowa, the oldest son of Linnaea and Reisin, bid fair to carry on in the family tradition--corrupt, dishonest, and underhanded as hell. I mean, at least we're honestly criminal, right? But then, when he was fifteen--something happened. I don't know what, he never told me. Whatever it was, it came completely out of the blue. One day during a Council meeting, Trowa calmly walked in and announced that he was breaking his betrothal to Midii Une, severing any ties with the Barton family, and changing his name to Trowa. Then he walked out like nothing had happened."
"Old Triton just about had a seizure right then and there. The Bartons set all sorts of people on his trail and sent out searches and stuff, of course. But they didn't come up with anything. Then reports began coming in from the outskirts of the kingdom. Raids and robberies were popping up all over, with one thing in common-- all the lands victimized belonged to the Bartons. Well, they were all twisted up about who could be targeting them and why, until one night, about a year later, a laundrymaid discovered the key to the puzzle."
"She was up in the middle of the night---no one's ever explained why, but I have a pretty good idea, knowing Dekim Barton's propensities--and she caught sight of dear Trowa, riding hell-for--leather out of there. The next day, it was discovered that a good portion of the Lady's jewels were discovered missing and all the horses had been set free from the stables, she put two and two together and reported it to Dekim, who immediately sent a message off to Triton."
"Trowa was finally officially disowned and a huge, elaborate game of cat-and-mouse began. He made life absolutely miserable for the Bartons, and they in turn kept him on the run, with a new attempt on his life at least once a month."
"Trowa began to take a few very selective commissions, not like ours. They were only for people I can only describe as evil--personally, I believe he was doing the world a favor. That naturally got even more people after him. Then he met Heero Yuy, became screwed up in politics--among other things--, lost his so-called sense of 'right', and that was the last I heard of him until now." Duo leaned back in the chair, finished.
Quatre could only shake his head slowly.
"I wonder who's after him this far south," Duo mused. "The Bartons would be happy to see him so far away from their lands…and none of the others would dare to kill Yuy's pet…"
Quatre had only one question left. "How do you *know* all this? I mean--"
Duo's eyes shuttered. "Trowa used to be my best friend."
Quatre knew better than to ask more. He only said, "I accepted an offer to try again tonight. Do you mind? If he used to be your friend…"
The other assassin's face was wooden. "Give it your best shot."
* * *
That night was completely opposite from the previous one--an almost-full moon shone brightly and what seemed like hundreds of stars dusted the sky. From the street, Quatre could see that Barton's window was shuttered. /Well, he's learning./
He had already decided poison was out--it was a nasty method, one Quatre didn't like to use if he had a choice. The type of attack he'd tried the night before most likely wouldn't work either--Barton would be ready for him this time. A knife in a crowd or back alley was impossible if your quarry never left his room. That didn't leave an awful lot of choices.
Quatre entered the inn through the tiny kitchen door in the back, easily picking the lock. Inside, the cook was slumped in a chair, dozing, and the kitchenmaids were stretched out in front of the fire. Out in the main room, the innkeeper was also asleep, not even twitching as Quatre passed him.
On the top floor, there was dead silence, broken only by the occasional snore. Quatre carefully counted the doors, stopping before Trowa Barton's. Slowly and extremely carefully, he picked the lock.
Then in one swift movement, he knocked the door open.
He threw himself to the ground in a roll, coming up and launching into a high forward flip. The Northerner's stunned face barely registered as he lashed out with one foot, hitting Barton's right wrist and causing the knife in that hand to drop and skid across the wooden floor. Quatre landed in a crouch directly in front of Barton, sprang up, and pressed the edge of his knife against the other's throat.
From the look on Barton's face, he had been expecting stealth--the trademark of most assassins--*not* a quick, forward attack. Quatre silently sent up a prayer of thanks that it had worked.
The brunet's face was impassive. "You again?"
"From what I hear, I'm probably the only one who could make it this far alive," the blond replied matter-of-factly.
Barton didn't answer.
"Now, just like last night, you answer the question, you go free. Tonight, however, there's an extra condition. If you answer correctly, you must let me leave here alive and unharmed. All right?"
A nod.
"Fine, then. Name the leader of the Dragon Clan."
The Dragons were nomads who wandered the hills west of the Rassan desert, said to be some of the only sorcerers in the known world. They had close ties with the Raberbas, and Quatre was good friends with many of them. The Dragons were even more solitary and secretive than the desert clans, and it would be a miracle if Barton knew anything about them.
Although Quatre really wouldn't be surprised at much now.
"The two clan leaders are Chang Wufei and Chang Meiran."
All right, so maybe he was surprised.
But not only did Barton know their names, he knew that Chang Wufei and his wife Meiran were exact equals in their control of the clan!
Quatre would have given quite a lot to know how he had found out so much.
"So," he said finally. "Your life for another night. Remember, I'm to leave unhurt."
Barton only nodded.
As Quatre left, some strange unknown impulse prompted him to turn around. "By the way," he said quietly, "you play the flute beautifully."
Then he was gone.
*****
Notes: Yeah, I gave Quatre the athletic/acrobatic ability in this one. ^_~ Feedback is craved, as always…tell whether or not to continue, please. ^_^