Beyond Omega
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes: See Chapter 1 for complete warnings and pairings. Once again, thank you anyone who's actually reading my weirdness. I doubt it's any consolation to know that I really do know what's going on and going down in this fic. ^^; Whee, this chapter got too long, so I took scissors to it. To be continued next chapter! Of course. ^^
***
Hands on a window pane
Watching some children laugh and play
They're running in circles
With candy canes and French braids
Inspired to question
What makes us grown-ups anyway?
Let's search for the moment
When youth betrayed itself to age
So let the children play
Inside your heart always
And death you will defy
'Cause your youth will never die
~from "Never Die" by Creed
***
Chapter 3
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Wufei muttered to himself, watching Duo scramble up a mossy hill. Just through the trees ahead was a small cottage. From beside the dragon, Quatre suddenly jumped out and yanked Duo back down.
In front of the cottage was a woman with long caramel brown hair, wearing a sweeping floral dress. Quatre recognized Duo's mother as if she were his own. She was a very friendly woman, and loved to talk. And she was very busy talking to Rashid. And the big man did not look happy.
"I can't go over there!" Quatre hissed. "He'll catch me!" For a moment, he had considered putting an end to Duo's crazy scheme by giving himself up, but the severe look on Rashid's face had quickly banished that idea.
"Then keep yourself hidden! I have to pack us some things before we can go!" Duo ran towards the cottage.
At first it looked like Duo would run right into his mother and Rashid. Then Quatre saw the boy turn and creep around the back of the cottage, avoiding attention. With a nervous sigh, Quatre settled down in the roots of a gigantic tree. Next to him, Wufei folded his wings and hunched over, staring at the ground.
Several anxious minutes passed. Occasionally, Quatre would peek out of his hiding place to check for signs of Duo. He was relieved when he looked out to find Rashid had gone, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be somewhere nearby. Finally, Duo slipped back out, hefting a backpack over his shoulder.
"About time," Quatre griped as Duo hopped down next to him.
"Yeah, yeah." Duo looked to Wufei. "Let's go!"
"If my Grandmother finds out..."
"You said your Grandmother knew you could take care of yourself," Duo grinned.
"Yes, but she's bound to notice that I've gone missing. What will she think?"
"We could leave a message with Hilde," suggested Quatre.
"Okay, we'll do that," Duo nodded in agreement.
***
After leaving instructions with Hilde, they headed for the foothills on the far eastern side of the valley. For days they ran and walked, traveling mostly by night and sleeping in the day. Duo suspected that Heero might come after them, but there was no sign that the prince was on their trail.
Fishing through the pack in the dark with a small flashlight, Quatre thought he wouldn't mind if Heero caught up with them, as long as he brought some food with him. "We're going to starve before we even reach the foothills." He brought out only a handful of crumbs. After a moment's consideration, he quickly licked them off his fingers.
"I suppose this is what happens when you have a dragon as a traveling companion," Duo sighed miserably.
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know the Draca can go days without eating, and can survive on mere berries if necessary." Wufei glared at Duo. "My people were created to be efficient. Unlike some people who continually snack all day long."
"They were only chips!" Duo looked guilty.
"And bread, and jerky, and cereal, and milk, and sugarbars, and..." Quatre quietly droned on wistfully.
"Yeah, alright, alright," Duo grumbled.
"...and pretzels, and apples..."
"Alright already!"
"...and chocolate...! Duo, how could you!" Quatre's stomach rumbled so loudly, the crickets stopped singing.
Wufei looked smug.
"So I was hungry," Duo refused to look in Wufei's direction. "Look, the nearest town is only a mile away. We'll just make a quick drop by the market and pick up a few things."
As the crickets started up again, Quatre only hoped he had the strength to make it another mile.
***
The town Duo led them to was Maycer, a small farming town that existed on the edge of the forest and stretched out onto the hillsides. The community itself was very small, but the marketplace was the third largest in the kingdom. There were people there that did trade all over the valley and beyond.
In the faint dawnlight, Quatre and Duo slipped into the marketplace from the surrounding forest. Many traders were already setting up their stands, as a few early browsers came wandering in. No one noticed the two boys sneaking around the carts. It had been decided by Duo that Wufei should stay behind and wait for them to return. A dragon, even a small one, would attract attention, and possibly lead any pursuers, such as Heero, straight at them.
Crouched in the shadow of a carrot cart, Quatre stared up hungrily. His stomach rumbled in a now familiar way.
"Eat something before your gut gives us away!" Duo hissed.
"I can't just take it." Quatre hunched his body over his thighs, absently tugging at his black thighband in an anxious way. "Duo, I don't like this."
"We don't have any money. What did'ja expect, that we were going to beg?" Duo narrowed his dark violet eyes. "If you want to starve, that's fine. You'll be so weak, we'll just have to leave you behind, so Heero will find you and drag you back home. Me an' Wufei will go over the mountains by ourselves."
Deep in the pit of his insides, Quatre felt a burning at his friend's words. He was sure it was something like anger, but it could have just as easily been his poor stomach. Either way, he had no choice but to see Duo's implied logic. Darting a hand out, he captured the nearest carrot and devoured it. Duo did the same.
"Let's fill the pack and get out of here," Quatre whispered.
"We can't just live on carrots," Duo said, already putting a few into the pack. "Come on, I see a nice stand of rolls over there."
Crawling through the dark and dusty corners of the market, Quatre followed after him. Despite a lingering guilt, he found he was actually having fun. It was exciting. And risky. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it became increasingly difficult to hide. As the crowds grew, and the shadows shrank, the game of snatch and grab had to become trickier and faster. Finally, they were almost caught, but Quatre had only to smile to ease suspicions.
"That was a close one," Duo pulled Quatre away. "Good thing you have those big innocent baby blues, eh?"
Quatre yanked the pack away from Duo. "That's enough. C'mon, let's go." Suddenly he wasn't having fun anymore. He turned to leave, slinging the heavy pack over his shoulder.
"Shit!"
Quatre would have cried out as Duo pushed him under an unattended cart, but the other boy had clamped his hand firmly over his mouth. He struggled, only to stop when he heard Duo hiss another warning in his ear.
"Quiet! He's here!"
He saw what had sent Duo and himself under the moldy old cart. Directly in his path of sight, beyond the cart, walking through the bright green grass, was a pair of unmistakable yellow sneakers. He rolled his eyes up, and saw Duo, looking too shocked for someone who had been expecting this for days. The sneakers were coming closer, and Quatre didn't know if they could hide, even out of sight.
It was Heero.
***
There were too many people, and it was too noisy. Heero marched through the market, the grim, focused look on his face enough to part the crowd as he came through. Only a few people recognized him, and they wisely stayed their distance. Heero rarely wore his circlet or anything defining his royal status unless the occasion called for it. He liked his anonymity when he could afford it. And at the moment, he was in no mood to play the noble prince. All he was interested in was finding Duo and Quatre so he could wring their skinny necks for making him run all over valley searching for them.
Heero had returned to the palace to find Quatre's guardian, Rashid, waiting for him. The man had been exceptionally upset about something. Which had turned out to be that Quatre had gone missing. Heero still wasn't sure what had really been bothering him, since it wasn't unusual for Quatre to disappear sometimes for days at a time, getting into some mischief with Duo. He had tried to reassure Rashid that he'd seen Quatre with Duo and the Draca prince at the falls that very morning, but that news only terrified him. Before he could inquire any more, Rashid had rushed off.
A prince with more important matters on his mind, he didn't think anything of it. He ended up spending a good deal of the day discussing the Draca's problem with Relena. Then Queen Silva had interrupted them late in the afternoon to announce that she couldn't find her grandson.
Remembering his earlier meeting with Rashid, he rushed out. He had been unable to find Rashid, and his home was empty. Next he checked Duo's home, but only his mother was there. She didn't seem to think anything was wrong, though she had been visited by Rashid as well.
Finally, he returned to the palace after making a through search of Duo and Quatre's usual hideouts. Relena was waiting for him. She had heard from one of the Junior Guard that Hilde had been seen with the missing three earlier that morning. Upon finding her, Relena had discovered the message the boys had left.
They were going over the mountains.
Just terrific. Now he was searching every inch of the foothills area, hoping to catch them before they started the dangerous route up the mountains. The Draca queen hadn't been too concerned once she heard what had happened, but Duo's mother was enraged. The woman was used to Duo's shenanigans, but this was no doubt the craziest thing Duo had ever done. The poor woman was clearly terrified as well, and Heero knew she had good reason to be.
The Ashlock mountains were so treacherous, only the dragons could live there, and very few people ever climbed them. And even if the boys survived the mountains, they were apparently headed for the White Woods. Where the Draca still caught glimpses of both monster and mecha, some of the Wizards' vilest creations. If the boys made it there, they might never return.
The prince glared across the bustling crowd of the marketplace. That Duo had managed to keep them hidden this long was ridiculous. How could they have gotten this far without being seen? How could anyone hide a dragon!? Even if the boys had been careful about keeping to the forests, surely someone should have seen them by now.
Leaning over a strawberry stand, he confronted yet another trader. "Have you seen two boys and a dragon?"
"I've seen a lot o' boys around here." The man looked at Heero's strange clothing. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"I'm from Center. Are you sure you haven't seen anything? A boy with a braid, wearing black? Or a blonde boy with a legband?"
"Nope." The man scratched his beard curiously. "The city, eh? The capital? That explains it."
"Are you absolutely positive? Not even a small white dragon?" Heero was becoming even more annoyed by the moment. Yes, he was definitely going to give them hell when he found them...
"No dragons, definitely no dragons." The man rolled his eyes up towards the dark shapes visible over the treeline. "They all live up on the mountains. Really snooty, I hear. You want to do business with 'em, you hav'ta go to them. Say, you interested in some strawberries?"
***
Beneath the strawberry cart, Duo and Quatre watched the prince walk away. They let out a sigh of relief. Letting his head fall to the grass, Quatre could see Heero wandering away to talk to another trader.
"Now how are we going to get to the mountains?" Duo moaned. "The foothills are wide open... He'll catch us for sure!"
Quatre was only half listening. In the distance, he could see something large rising above the trees. Dust and leaves danced in a frenzy around it, and the trees were shaking. He recognized what he was seeing. Bright sunlight reflected off the metallic blue surface of the small oval-shaped hovercraft as it turned in midair. He turned and looked at Duo with an excited smile.
"What are you smiling about?" Duo grumbled at him in confusion.
"I-I think I have an idea. Let's go find Wufei."
***
An hour later, two boys and one dragon were lurking at the edge of the town's small hoverport. They remained hidden in the treeline, watching men loading crates into a nearby hovercraft.
"This is risky," Wufei warned. "Even if we manage to board one without anyone noticing, we have no idea where these craft are headed."
Crouched beneath a fern, lines of dark shadow etched across his bright features, Quatre narrowed his eyes at the crates being loaded. "Those crates... They're labeled 'Skysteppe.' Isn't that the name of the Draca capital city?"
"Huh?" Duo squinted. "I can't see that far."
"You're right," Wufei blinked. "So..."
"So Skysteppe is in the mountains, which means..." Quatre's voice trailed, looking at Duo with an expectant smile.
"Which means, if we can get on, this thing'll take us to the top!" Duo exclaimed, catching on. "Heero can't catch us if we're in the air!"
Quatre nodded happily. "We just have to wait for an opportunity."
When at last the hovercraft was fully loaded, only a crew of two were left attending it. For several moments, the boys were tense, worried that the craft would be sealed. Then the crew disappeared around the front, leaving the cargo bay wide open.
"Now!" Duo squealed.
Trying to stay low to the ground, the three darted towards the open hovercraft. The cat-like Wufei loped inside and slipped beneath the tarps that held the crates tied down. Quatre and Duo fell over each other getting on board. Quickly pulling each other up, they squeezed into hiding with Wufei. They held their breath until they were sure that no one had seen them. Then the boys shared a shushed, gleeful giggle. They'd made it!
Wufei just squirmed, his wings squashed in the tight space. As their surroundings began to rumble, the cargo bay closed, sealing them in darkness. They settled in for the long journey ahead.
***
A pinpoint of light.
Oh, it was beautiful. It flickered in the darkness like a star, an intense emerald star. Then as if reaching out, two razor-thin streaks went out from it, creating a horizon of green that extended to eternity.
The glow... It pulsed through him, and in him. It was him... And he was suddenly very afraid. Then he heard the high, cold laughter.
"You're afraid? Now that's rich."
There was no one. He himself had spoken.
"Don't get any ideas. You aren't real. You died a very, very long time ago. No more delusions. No more idealism. That didn't work out. You can't fix what you've done, you can't make it better. The suffering has to end. It has to! I won't go back!"
The light became more intense at his screaming, throbbing dangerously.
"Child. Searcher. Destroyer. The shell is wearing. The shell will crack. You will feel the pain again, and you will know what must be done! I have no right to be afraid! This is my fault, my crime! I will finish it! I will end it!"
With that, the green light flooded, overtaking his entire vision. Choking with indescrible despair, he passed out.
***
"Ow! Hey, Quat! Wake up!"
Breathing hard, Quatre's eyes snapped open to see the shadowy form of Duo looming over him. His round amethyst eyes were shining through the darkness with concern. Next to him, Wufei was also looking down at him with an odd wary expression.
Quatre rubbed his chest gingerly. Why was his heart beating so fast? He mumbled sleepily. "Huh? We there yet?"
"Man," Duo laughed, his face softening with relief, "what kind of nightmare were you having?"
"Nightmare?" Quatre blinked. "I don't remember." He never remembered his dreams. Or his nightmares, apparently. "What was I doing?"
"You were makin' noises and talkin' in your sleep. Couldn't understand a word of it, so I woke you up." Duo rubbed his arm, wincing. "Hit me pretty hard when I tried shaking you awake."
"Sorry."
"Yeah, yeah." Duo waved it off. "Anyway, I think we landed a few minutes ago, but nothing's happened yet. We can't get out until they open this thing."
"If it doesn't happen soon, I'll rip my own way out," Wufei growled. "My wings are numb from being sat on. I can't take this much longer."
"Yeah, my butt is asleep too," Duo moaned.
Not a moment too soon, as far as Quatre was concerned, the craft started creaking as the cargo bay door opened, and the darkness was washed away with a misty light. They had arrived. They were free!
"Run for it!" Wufei hissed.
The man standing at the mouth of the open hatch jumped in surprise as the two boys and the dragon went charging past him. Quatre heard him shout after them, the cry echoing off the stone walls of the vast Draca lair. Escaping into a dark tunnel, they lost themselves in twists and turns, making sure they had evaded anyone who might have tried coming after them. When they came into a wide-open area, Quatre ducked behind an outcropping of rock, and his two friends fell in after him.
"You'll have to follow me now," Wufei stretched his wings. "There are many dangerous drops within the city. Without wings, you could easily fall to your deaths."
"Sounds fun!" Duo grinned. "Don'tcha think, Quatre?"
The sound of leather slapping at the air had turned Quatre's eyes upwards. Around them, was nothing but dim rock. Above them, however, the rock walls were studded with shimmering white crystal, illuminating the mountain interior with a bright, soft white light. For as far away as he could see, and as far up as he could see, there were caverns upon caverns, upon caverns. Dragons, both small and immense, swooped and glided across each other, crisscrossing through caverns, to different places within the city, or possibly to the open sky outside. Some dragons sat in front of caverns that were clearly their homes, watching the traffic go by.
"Whoa. They don't fall often, do they?" Duo laughed uneasily, watching one of the larger dragons glide across and perch above a cavern opening, the creature's weight crunching the stone beneath his claws.
"Sometimes." Wufei crept out into the open. "I don't think we were followed. Just do as I say, and you'll be fine."
Wufei led them across the dark city floor, into a darker tunnel. They were traveling deeper into the mountain, away from the active center of Skysteppe. Even in the empty dark, Quatre could still feel a humming, as if the mountain were alive. It unnerved him.
At least Duo's constant chatter was distracting.
"He cheated! Heero knew he could hold his breath for over an hour, and didn't tell me! He knew I would lose the bet, he schemed the whole thing, that royal bastard!" Duo sighed. "That's why my best buddy here has short hair." He gestured towards Quatre. "We used to be like twins, day and night, but he cut off his ponytail so I wouldn't have to chop my braid off. Heero had to accept a gesture like that!"
Quatre gave a small smile. Duo had been so heartbroken when Heero had demanded he cut his hair short. The prince had been looking for revenge for a prank, involving Relena and a bed full of Teenytoads. The princess absolutely hated the orange-warted amphibians. Although the prank had been Duo's doing, it had been at Quatre's suggestion, and he had felt guilty that Heero had decided to punish Duo alone. So he had given up his own hair, his tie of brotherhood to Duo.
They had mourned for a while. Then, as they always did, they forgot about it, and got themselves into more trouble. Instead of breaking their bond, the loss of Quatre's hair had only strengthened it.
"Duo, do you think Heero could follow us this far?" Quatre asked.
"No way! We are so homefree! He's probably still runnin' around Maycer terrorizing strawberry farmers. He is gonna be so pissed off!" Duo cackled gleefully.
Quatre smiled, his eyes pained with the imaginings of what the GESS prince might have in store for them when he inevitably caught up with them. "Yes, he will. I suggest we take our time going home once this is all over with."
Ahead of them, Wufei crawled up a steep, but thankfully short pile of rocks. "Duo, don't your parents disapprove of your behavior? The way you treat your sovereigns is very disrespectful."
"Aw, lighten up, Wufei." Duo clambered up after him, causing several small stones to pepper down onto Quatre's head. "Heero and Relena are cool with it. And my Mom just says I take after my Dad, and doesn't bother me much."
"Your father is disrespectful too?" Wufei snorted.
"Nope, Dad's dead."
"Oh... My apologies. My own parents were killed during the war."
"Uh," Duo rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, my Dad died in a freak accident... A tree fell on him. But hey, it was a long time ago, y'know?" Duo grinned.
"Uff!" Behind them, Quatre hauled himself up into the next tunnel. His sandals slipped on loose stones a few times before he pulled himself up beside them.
"What about you, Quatre?" Wufei asked. "Your guardian Rashid, clearly does not approve of your friends."
"Hey, Rashid approves of me just fine!" Duo huffed.
"Rashid usually isn't as strict as you saw him," Quatre paused and sat down in the small tunnel. "Let me sit down for a while, I'm a little tired." He pried open his pack and fished out an apple.
"Yeah, food break," Duo agreed, digging into the pack as well.
With a small sigh, Wufei sat as well, waiting for Duo to hand over the backpack. He flicked his tail impatiently.
"Mmm," Quatre continued, his mouth full, "Mmhmm, Rashid was really acting weird the day we left. For some reason, I don't think he likes dragons very much. Kinda like Heero."
"Nah, Heero can't help it," Duo cut in. "He's a GESS, and it's in their blood to hate dragons. Y'know, that whole thing with the Wizards originally creating them to fight dragons." He shook his head. "I think maybe Rashid just has a phobia or somethin'."
"Rashid isn't scared!" Quatre took a hard crunch out of his apple. He chewed for a moment, then spoke again. "I don't know what his problem is, but really, Wufei, he's usually very easy going. He was a friend of my mother's, and she left me with him after I was born, so she could keep fighting in the war. Then she and my father died, and Rashid's been taking care of me ever since."
"So he's not a relation of yours," Wufei noted. "He must be quite a loyal friend."
Quatre nodded, chewing thoughtfully.
After eating, they became tired. Guessing that it must have become night, they decided to sleep where they sat. As they typically did, Quatre and Duo curled up together to share in each others body warmth. Wufei chose to sleep apart from them under the cover of his wings.
***
"Let me get this straight," Heero growled. "Two boys, a brunette and a blonde, and one small white dragon, stowed away in the back of your cargoship, and escaped into Skysteppe!?"
The poor man being interrogated, a humble skytrader, was scared out of his wits. With angry, steely blue eyes boring into him, he now understood everything his father had ever told him about the GESS being a people to be respected. Especially if you wanted to keep all of your body parts intact. He didn't like the way the prince's gloved fists kept clenching. There was enough power in those hands to easily punch through solid steel.
"I-I saw them, sir, your highness, s-s-sir." The skytrader stammered. "Two days ago. I-Is this serious?"
"It will be once I finally catch up with them." Heero turned and stalked away. He pulled a small handheld device out of his jacket, and with a click, held it up to his ear. "Princess, are you there?"
"I'm here, Heero." Relena's voice answered. "Have you found them?"
"No, but I've picked up their trail again." He continued walking, leaving the hoverport. "A skytrader says he saw them get off his ship in Skysteppe. And that was two days ago."
"Heero!" Relena gasped. "They could be on the other side of the mountain range by now!"
"I know," Heero sighed. "I'm heading over there. But I'm probably going to need assistance, so inform Queen Silva what's going on."
"I will. And I'm coming after you."
"Relena..."
"Don't Relena me. The White Woods are extremely dangerous. Stay in touch, I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."
"Affirmative." Heero clicked out.
by Maria Rocket
***
Author's Notes: See Chapter 1 for complete warnings and pairings. Once again, thank you anyone who's actually reading my weirdness. I doubt it's any consolation to know that I really do know what's going on and going down in this fic. ^^; Whee, this chapter got too long, so I took scissors to it. To be continued next chapter! Of course. ^^
***
Hands on a window pane
Watching some children laugh and play
They're running in circles
With candy canes and French braids
Inspired to question
What makes us grown-ups anyway?
Let's search for the moment
When youth betrayed itself to age
So let the children play
Inside your heart always
And death you will defy
'Cause your youth will never die
~from "Never Die" by Creed
***
Chapter 3
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Wufei muttered to himself, watching Duo scramble up a mossy hill. Just through the trees ahead was a small cottage. From beside the dragon, Quatre suddenly jumped out and yanked Duo back down.
In front of the cottage was a woman with long caramel brown hair, wearing a sweeping floral dress. Quatre recognized Duo's mother as if she were his own. She was a very friendly woman, and loved to talk. And she was very busy talking to Rashid. And the big man did not look happy.
"I can't go over there!" Quatre hissed. "He'll catch me!" For a moment, he had considered putting an end to Duo's crazy scheme by giving himself up, but the severe look on Rashid's face had quickly banished that idea.
"Then keep yourself hidden! I have to pack us some things before we can go!" Duo ran towards the cottage.
At first it looked like Duo would run right into his mother and Rashid. Then Quatre saw the boy turn and creep around the back of the cottage, avoiding attention. With a nervous sigh, Quatre settled down in the roots of a gigantic tree. Next to him, Wufei folded his wings and hunched over, staring at the ground.
Several anxious minutes passed. Occasionally, Quatre would peek out of his hiding place to check for signs of Duo. He was relieved when he looked out to find Rashid had gone, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be somewhere nearby. Finally, Duo slipped back out, hefting a backpack over his shoulder.
"About time," Quatre griped as Duo hopped down next to him.
"Yeah, yeah." Duo looked to Wufei. "Let's go!"
"If my Grandmother finds out..."
"You said your Grandmother knew you could take care of yourself," Duo grinned.
"Yes, but she's bound to notice that I've gone missing. What will she think?"
"We could leave a message with Hilde," suggested Quatre.
"Okay, we'll do that," Duo nodded in agreement.
***
After leaving instructions with Hilde, they headed for the foothills on the far eastern side of the valley. For days they ran and walked, traveling mostly by night and sleeping in the day. Duo suspected that Heero might come after them, but there was no sign that the prince was on their trail.
Fishing through the pack in the dark with a small flashlight, Quatre thought he wouldn't mind if Heero caught up with them, as long as he brought some food with him. "We're going to starve before we even reach the foothills." He brought out only a handful of crumbs. After a moment's consideration, he quickly licked them off his fingers.
"I suppose this is what happens when you have a dragon as a traveling companion," Duo sighed miserably.
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know the Draca can go days without eating, and can survive on mere berries if necessary." Wufei glared at Duo. "My people were created to be efficient. Unlike some people who continually snack all day long."
"They were only chips!" Duo looked guilty.
"And bread, and jerky, and cereal, and milk, and sugarbars, and..." Quatre quietly droned on wistfully.
"Yeah, alright, alright," Duo grumbled.
"...and pretzels, and apples..."
"Alright already!"
"...and chocolate...! Duo, how could you!" Quatre's stomach rumbled so loudly, the crickets stopped singing.
Wufei looked smug.
"So I was hungry," Duo refused to look in Wufei's direction. "Look, the nearest town is only a mile away. We'll just make a quick drop by the market and pick up a few things."
As the crickets started up again, Quatre only hoped he had the strength to make it another mile.
***
The town Duo led them to was Maycer, a small farming town that existed on the edge of the forest and stretched out onto the hillsides. The community itself was very small, but the marketplace was the third largest in the kingdom. There were people there that did trade all over the valley and beyond.
In the faint dawnlight, Quatre and Duo slipped into the marketplace from the surrounding forest. Many traders were already setting up their stands, as a few early browsers came wandering in. No one noticed the two boys sneaking around the carts. It had been decided by Duo that Wufei should stay behind and wait for them to return. A dragon, even a small one, would attract attention, and possibly lead any pursuers, such as Heero, straight at them.
Crouched in the shadow of a carrot cart, Quatre stared up hungrily. His stomach rumbled in a now familiar way.
"Eat something before your gut gives us away!" Duo hissed.
"I can't just take it." Quatre hunched his body over his thighs, absently tugging at his black thighband in an anxious way. "Duo, I don't like this."
"We don't have any money. What did'ja expect, that we were going to beg?" Duo narrowed his dark violet eyes. "If you want to starve, that's fine. You'll be so weak, we'll just have to leave you behind, so Heero will find you and drag you back home. Me an' Wufei will go over the mountains by ourselves."
Deep in the pit of his insides, Quatre felt a burning at his friend's words. He was sure it was something like anger, but it could have just as easily been his poor stomach. Either way, he had no choice but to see Duo's implied logic. Darting a hand out, he captured the nearest carrot and devoured it. Duo did the same.
"Let's fill the pack and get out of here," Quatre whispered.
"We can't just live on carrots," Duo said, already putting a few into the pack. "Come on, I see a nice stand of rolls over there."
Crawling through the dark and dusty corners of the market, Quatre followed after him. Despite a lingering guilt, he found he was actually having fun. It was exciting. And risky. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it became increasingly difficult to hide. As the crowds grew, and the shadows shrank, the game of snatch and grab had to become trickier and faster. Finally, they were almost caught, but Quatre had only to smile to ease suspicions.
"That was a close one," Duo pulled Quatre away. "Good thing you have those big innocent baby blues, eh?"
Quatre yanked the pack away from Duo. "That's enough. C'mon, let's go." Suddenly he wasn't having fun anymore. He turned to leave, slinging the heavy pack over his shoulder.
"Shit!"
Quatre would have cried out as Duo pushed him under an unattended cart, but the other boy had clamped his hand firmly over his mouth. He struggled, only to stop when he heard Duo hiss another warning in his ear.
"Quiet! He's here!"
He saw what had sent Duo and himself under the moldy old cart. Directly in his path of sight, beyond the cart, walking through the bright green grass, was a pair of unmistakable yellow sneakers. He rolled his eyes up, and saw Duo, looking too shocked for someone who had been expecting this for days. The sneakers were coming closer, and Quatre didn't know if they could hide, even out of sight.
It was Heero.
***
There were too many people, and it was too noisy. Heero marched through the market, the grim, focused look on his face enough to part the crowd as he came through. Only a few people recognized him, and they wisely stayed their distance. Heero rarely wore his circlet or anything defining his royal status unless the occasion called for it. He liked his anonymity when he could afford it. And at the moment, he was in no mood to play the noble prince. All he was interested in was finding Duo and Quatre so he could wring their skinny necks for making him run all over valley searching for them.
Heero had returned to the palace to find Quatre's guardian, Rashid, waiting for him. The man had been exceptionally upset about something. Which had turned out to be that Quatre had gone missing. Heero still wasn't sure what had really been bothering him, since it wasn't unusual for Quatre to disappear sometimes for days at a time, getting into some mischief with Duo. He had tried to reassure Rashid that he'd seen Quatre with Duo and the Draca prince at the falls that very morning, but that news only terrified him. Before he could inquire any more, Rashid had rushed off.
A prince with more important matters on his mind, he didn't think anything of it. He ended up spending a good deal of the day discussing the Draca's problem with Relena. Then Queen Silva had interrupted them late in the afternoon to announce that she couldn't find her grandson.
Remembering his earlier meeting with Rashid, he rushed out. He had been unable to find Rashid, and his home was empty. Next he checked Duo's home, but only his mother was there. She didn't seem to think anything was wrong, though she had been visited by Rashid as well.
Finally, he returned to the palace after making a through search of Duo and Quatre's usual hideouts. Relena was waiting for him. She had heard from one of the Junior Guard that Hilde had been seen with the missing three earlier that morning. Upon finding her, Relena had discovered the message the boys had left.
They were going over the mountains.
Just terrific. Now he was searching every inch of the foothills area, hoping to catch them before they started the dangerous route up the mountains. The Draca queen hadn't been too concerned once she heard what had happened, but Duo's mother was enraged. The woman was used to Duo's shenanigans, but this was no doubt the craziest thing Duo had ever done. The poor woman was clearly terrified as well, and Heero knew she had good reason to be.
The Ashlock mountains were so treacherous, only the dragons could live there, and very few people ever climbed them. And even if the boys survived the mountains, they were apparently headed for the White Woods. Where the Draca still caught glimpses of both monster and mecha, some of the Wizards' vilest creations. If the boys made it there, they might never return.
The prince glared across the bustling crowd of the marketplace. That Duo had managed to keep them hidden this long was ridiculous. How could they have gotten this far without being seen? How could anyone hide a dragon!? Even if the boys had been careful about keeping to the forests, surely someone should have seen them by now.
Leaning over a strawberry stand, he confronted yet another trader. "Have you seen two boys and a dragon?"
"I've seen a lot o' boys around here." The man looked at Heero's strange clothing. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"I'm from Center. Are you sure you haven't seen anything? A boy with a braid, wearing black? Or a blonde boy with a legband?"
"Nope." The man scratched his beard curiously. "The city, eh? The capital? That explains it."
"Are you absolutely positive? Not even a small white dragon?" Heero was becoming even more annoyed by the moment. Yes, he was definitely going to give them hell when he found them...
"No dragons, definitely no dragons." The man rolled his eyes up towards the dark shapes visible over the treeline. "They all live up on the mountains. Really snooty, I hear. You want to do business with 'em, you hav'ta go to them. Say, you interested in some strawberries?"
***
Beneath the strawberry cart, Duo and Quatre watched the prince walk away. They let out a sigh of relief. Letting his head fall to the grass, Quatre could see Heero wandering away to talk to another trader.
"Now how are we going to get to the mountains?" Duo moaned. "The foothills are wide open... He'll catch us for sure!"
Quatre was only half listening. In the distance, he could see something large rising above the trees. Dust and leaves danced in a frenzy around it, and the trees were shaking. He recognized what he was seeing. Bright sunlight reflected off the metallic blue surface of the small oval-shaped hovercraft as it turned in midair. He turned and looked at Duo with an excited smile.
"What are you smiling about?" Duo grumbled at him in confusion.
"I-I think I have an idea. Let's go find Wufei."
***
An hour later, two boys and one dragon were lurking at the edge of the town's small hoverport. They remained hidden in the treeline, watching men loading crates into a nearby hovercraft.
"This is risky," Wufei warned. "Even if we manage to board one without anyone noticing, we have no idea where these craft are headed."
Crouched beneath a fern, lines of dark shadow etched across his bright features, Quatre narrowed his eyes at the crates being loaded. "Those crates... They're labeled 'Skysteppe.' Isn't that the name of the Draca capital city?"
"Huh?" Duo squinted. "I can't see that far."
"You're right," Wufei blinked. "So..."
"So Skysteppe is in the mountains, which means..." Quatre's voice trailed, looking at Duo with an expectant smile.
"Which means, if we can get on, this thing'll take us to the top!" Duo exclaimed, catching on. "Heero can't catch us if we're in the air!"
Quatre nodded happily. "We just have to wait for an opportunity."
When at last the hovercraft was fully loaded, only a crew of two were left attending it. For several moments, the boys were tense, worried that the craft would be sealed. Then the crew disappeared around the front, leaving the cargo bay wide open.
"Now!" Duo squealed.
Trying to stay low to the ground, the three darted towards the open hovercraft. The cat-like Wufei loped inside and slipped beneath the tarps that held the crates tied down. Quatre and Duo fell over each other getting on board. Quickly pulling each other up, they squeezed into hiding with Wufei. They held their breath until they were sure that no one had seen them. Then the boys shared a shushed, gleeful giggle. They'd made it!
Wufei just squirmed, his wings squashed in the tight space. As their surroundings began to rumble, the cargo bay closed, sealing them in darkness. They settled in for the long journey ahead.
***
A pinpoint of light.
Oh, it was beautiful. It flickered in the darkness like a star, an intense emerald star. Then as if reaching out, two razor-thin streaks went out from it, creating a horizon of green that extended to eternity.
The glow... It pulsed through him, and in him. It was him... And he was suddenly very afraid. Then he heard the high, cold laughter.
"You're afraid? Now that's rich."
There was no one. He himself had spoken.
"Don't get any ideas. You aren't real. You died a very, very long time ago. No more delusions. No more idealism. That didn't work out. You can't fix what you've done, you can't make it better. The suffering has to end. It has to! I won't go back!"
The light became more intense at his screaming, throbbing dangerously.
"Child. Searcher. Destroyer. The shell is wearing. The shell will crack. You will feel the pain again, and you will know what must be done! I have no right to be afraid! This is my fault, my crime! I will finish it! I will end it!"
With that, the green light flooded, overtaking his entire vision. Choking with indescrible despair, he passed out.
***
"Ow! Hey, Quat! Wake up!"
Breathing hard, Quatre's eyes snapped open to see the shadowy form of Duo looming over him. His round amethyst eyes were shining through the darkness with concern. Next to him, Wufei was also looking down at him with an odd wary expression.
Quatre rubbed his chest gingerly. Why was his heart beating so fast? He mumbled sleepily. "Huh? We there yet?"
"Man," Duo laughed, his face softening with relief, "what kind of nightmare were you having?"
"Nightmare?" Quatre blinked. "I don't remember." He never remembered his dreams. Or his nightmares, apparently. "What was I doing?"
"You were makin' noises and talkin' in your sleep. Couldn't understand a word of it, so I woke you up." Duo rubbed his arm, wincing. "Hit me pretty hard when I tried shaking you awake."
"Sorry."
"Yeah, yeah." Duo waved it off. "Anyway, I think we landed a few minutes ago, but nothing's happened yet. We can't get out until they open this thing."
"If it doesn't happen soon, I'll rip my own way out," Wufei growled. "My wings are numb from being sat on. I can't take this much longer."
"Yeah, my butt is asleep too," Duo moaned.
Not a moment too soon, as far as Quatre was concerned, the craft started creaking as the cargo bay door opened, and the darkness was washed away with a misty light. They had arrived. They were free!
"Run for it!" Wufei hissed.
The man standing at the mouth of the open hatch jumped in surprise as the two boys and the dragon went charging past him. Quatre heard him shout after them, the cry echoing off the stone walls of the vast Draca lair. Escaping into a dark tunnel, they lost themselves in twists and turns, making sure they had evaded anyone who might have tried coming after them. When they came into a wide-open area, Quatre ducked behind an outcropping of rock, and his two friends fell in after him.
"You'll have to follow me now," Wufei stretched his wings. "There are many dangerous drops within the city. Without wings, you could easily fall to your deaths."
"Sounds fun!" Duo grinned. "Don'tcha think, Quatre?"
The sound of leather slapping at the air had turned Quatre's eyes upwards. Around them, was nothing but dim rock. Above them, however, the rock walls were studded with shimmering white crystal, illuminating the mountain interior with a bright, soft white light. For as far away as he could see, and as far up as he could see, there were caverns upon caverns, upon caverns. Dragons, both small and immense, swooped and glided across each other, crisscrossing through caverns, to different places within the city, or possibly to the open sky outside. Some dragons sat in front of caverns that were clearly their homes, watching the traffic go by.
"Whoa. They don't fall often, do they?" Duo laughed uneasily, watching one of the larger dragons glide across and perch above a cavern opening, the creature's weight crunching the stone beneath his claws.
"Sometimes." Wufei crept out into the open. "I don't think we were followed. Just do as I say, and you'll be fine."
Wufei led them across the dark city floor, into a darker tunnel. They were traveling deeper into the mountain, away from the active center of Skysteppe. Even in the empty dark, Quatre could still feel a humming, as if the mountain were alive. It unnerved him.
At least Duo's constant chatter was distracting.
"He cheated! Heero knew he could hold his breath for over an hour, and didn't tell me! He knew I would lose the bet, he schemed the whole thing, that royal bastard!" Duo sighed. "That's why my best buddy here has short hair." He gestured towards Quatre. "We used to be like twins, day and night, but he cut off his ponytail so I wouldn't have to chop my braid off. Heero had to accept a gesture like that!"
Quatre gave a small smile. Duo had been so heartbroken when Heero had demanded he cut his hair short. The prince had been looking for revenge for a prank, involving Relena and a bed full of Teenytoads. The princess absolutely hated the orange-warted amphibians. Although the prank had been Duo's doing, it had been at Quatre's suggestion, and he had felt guilty that Heero had decided to punish Duo alone. So he had given up his own hair, his tie of brotherhood to Duo.
They had mourned for a while. Then, as they always did, they forgot about it, and got themselves into more trouble. Instead of breaking their bond, the loss of Quatre's hair had only strengthened it.
"Duo, do you think Heero could follow us this far?" Quatre asked.
"No way! We are so homefree! He's probably still runnin' around Maycer terrorizing strawberry farmers. He is gonna be so pissed off!" Duo cackled gleefully.
Quatre smiled, his eyes pained with the imaginings of what the GESS prince might have in store for them when he inevitably caught up with them. "Yes, he will. I suggest we take our time going home once this is all over with."
Ahead of them, Wufei crawled up a steep, but thankfully short pile of rocks. "Duo, don't your parents disapprove of your behavior? The way you treat your sovereigns is very disrespectful."
"Aw, lighten up, Wufei." Duo clambered up after him, causing several small stones to pepper down onto Quatre's head. "Heero and Relena are cool with it. And my Mom just says I take after my Dad, and doesn't bother me much."
"Your father is disrespectful too?" Wufei snorted.
"Nope, Dad's dead."
"Oh... My apologies. My own parents were killed during the war."
"Uh," Duo rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, my Dad died in a freak accident... A tree fell on him. But hey, it was a long time ago, y'know?" Duo grinned.
"Uff!" Behind them, Quatre hauled himself up into the next tunnel. His sandals slipped on loose stones a few times before he pulled himself up beside them.
"What about you, Quatre?" Wufei asked. "Your guardian Rashid, clearly does not approve of your friends."
"Hey, Rashid approves of me just fine!" Duo huffed.
"Rashid usually isn't as strict as you saw him," Quatre paused and sat down in the small tunnel. "Let me sit down for a while, I'm a little tired." He pried open his pack and fished out an apple.
"Yeah, food break," Duo agreed, digging into the pack as well.
With a small sigh, Wufei sat as well, waiting for Duo to hand over the backpack. He flicked his tail impatiently.
"Mmm," Quatre continued, his mouth full, "Mmhmm, Rashid was really acting weird the day we left. For some reason, I don't think he likes dragons very much. Kinda like Heero."
"Nah, Heero can't help it," Duo cut in. "He's a GESS, and it's in their blood to hate dragons. Y'know, that whole thing with the Wizards originally creating them to fight dragons." He shook his head. "I think maybe Rashid just has a phobia or somethin'."
"Rashid isn't scared!" Quatre took a hard crunch out of his apple. He chewed for a moment, then spoke again. "I don't know what his problem is, but really, Wufei, he's usually very easy going. He was a friend of my mother's, and she left me with him after I was born, so she could keep fighting in the war. Then she and my father died, and Rashid's been taking care of me ever since."
"So he's not a relation of yours," Wufei noted. "He must be quite a loyal friend."
Quatre nodded, chewing thoughtfully.
After eating, they became tired. Guessing that it must have become night, they decided to sleep where they sat. As they typically did, Quatre and Duo curled up together to share in each others body warmth. Wufei chose to sleep apart from them under the cover of his wings.
***
"Let me get this straight," Heero growled. "Two boys, a brunette and a blonde, and one small white dragon, stowed away in the back of your cargoship, and escaped into Skysteppe!?"
The poor man being interrogated, a humble skytrader, was scared out of his wits. With angry, steely blue eyes boring into him, he now understood everything his father had ever told him about the GESS being a people to be respected. Especially if you wanted to keep all of your body parts intact. He didn't like the way the prince's gloved fists kept clenching. There was enough power in those hands to easily punch through solid steel.
"I-I saw them, sir, your highness, s-s-sir." The skytrader stammered. "Two days ago. I-Is this serious?"
"It will be once I finally catch up with them." Heero turned and stalked away. He pulled a small handheld device out of his jacket, and with a click, held it up to his ear. "Princess, are you there?"
"I'm here, Heero." Relena's voice answered. "Have you found them?"
"No, but I've picked up their trail again." He continued walking, leaving the hoverport. "A skytrader says he saw them get off his ship in Skysteppe. And that was two days ago."
"Heero!" Relena gasped. "They could be on the other side of the mountain range by now!"
"I know," Heero sighed. "I'm heading over there. But I'm probably going to need assistance, so inform Queen Silva what's going on."
"I will. And I'm coming after you."
"Relena..."
"Don't Relena me. The White Woods are extremely dangerous. Stay in touch, I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."
"Affirmative." Heero clicked out.