Title: Dragon Knights

Author: FalconIce

Pairing: 1x2, 5x13, 6+OC

Rating: PG

Genre:*sweatdrop* Fantasy, humor, Adventure…*scratches head* AU?

Warnings: TWT, Slight OOC…as of the moment may get really weird later. * Nod nod*

Disclaimer: don't own GW or any of its characters. Err…have no mula, money, cash nor dough so if you sew me you're liable to only get a few holes in my skin with your needle…* laughs at her pun* Sew…needle…You get? * Crickets in the background* Well, I tried. *Shrug*

Reviews: Is my food and my soul! Review to me so that this fic can be improved and if no one says there's nothing wrong then the mistakes will never be corrected, neh? ^.~ Or vice versa, if no one sez its good then it'll stagnate and I might never write again! * big wobbly eyes * You wouldn't want that to happen now would you?

Notes: Thanks to Ionis and Maria Khushrenada for reviewing the fic! Its guys like you that make writing fun desu! ^.^



10:00 AM Saunq Castle Courtyard

Treize smiled as he brought his saber to rest beside him, Wufei across him was panting and sweating both from the earlier workout with their host and the training they had been doing for the last two hours.

"Shall we take a breather, Dragon?" The general asked sheathing his slim blade before making his way to the center of the courtyard to sit on the fountain rails.

"I can't understand why we have to do this?" He spat, angered or irritated, Treize wasn't sure.

Smiling Blue eyes met with emotional onyx," It's good to help people." The general concluded and patted the area beside him." Sit, Wufei before you faint. You look tired enough as it is."

Onyx eyes narrowed before the Chinese pilot sat down a bit further from Treize. The general could only smile at the action. After all, the fact still wasn't widely known that they were courting an illicit affair with one another but it seemed, mysterious enough, that their host gave an impression of knowing about their relationship.

The Chinese teen had taken to polishing his sword as Treize breathed in the cool air. Turning blue eyes around, Treize let his gaze rest on the rest of their entourage.

Heero had taken the training with blades with extreme zest. He had begun with the same energy as he had now and it seemed that he was nowhere near the end of it. Duo, his partner was training as well; his weapon, not surprising, was the scythe and it seemed that even out of the Gundam he handled the weapon superbly.

They had been sparring since right after the display earlier which left his dragon a smidgen still annoyed sensitive as he is. Treize chuckled inwardly before resuming his earlier train of thoughts. Pilot 02 was using a slash and hook technique which suited his chosen weapon which Heero, predicable as always, was using the hack and bash method, using his strength to the maximum although it was a waste of his agility. Duo though was a well picked sparring partner as his style molded rather well with Heero's since he tended to use agility more than brute force. They would likely learn more from each other the more they sparred.

He let his gaze wander over to the spot occupied by his former subordinate who in the meantime was having a one on one duel with their ever smiling host. Zechs had taken one of the other broadswords but had decided later to switch it for a mean looking spiked leather whip. Having noted the change, their host had exchanged his earlier weapon for steel knuckled gloves and now spent more time trying to dodge the platinum haired man than fighting him. It didn't seem to bother the gentleman one bit as he slowly became more experienced with his chosen weapon.

Treize sighed and laid his wandering gaze towards his own sparring partner. Wufei was truly a magnificent specimen; he took note of the flushed bronze skin and the tightly held ebony locks as well as the elegant form of lean muscle and agile grace. His dragon was simply a wondrous sight to behold and even after a year with him, Treize felt that he would never get tired of looking at his dragon.

"Are you ready for another round?" He asked and with a brisk nod from Shenlong's pilot, they resumed their practice fight.



10:00 AM Saunq Castle Courtyard

Wiping his brow of sweat, Duo panted and eyed the foe before him with a certain jovial relish. It was fun to spar with his partner and best friend; after all, they were closer to equals than the others. Maybe Wufei would amount to the same degree of skill but he rarely sparred or trained with anybody else other than Treize and from the recent unfolding of certain events the Amethyst eyed pilot could only confirm his suspicions. Shenlong's pilot was certainly keeping a dangerous secret and he couldn't believe that nobody had suspected the tryst earlier but then, Wufei would never betray them and from the fact which was graciously supplied by their host, he had even killed Treize.

But before he could further contemplate his train of thought, Heero had taken the opportunity to place a well thought out hit on his scythe and had knocked him flat on the floor. Thinking was nice; thinking on the battlefield was an extreme no no.

"Good one Hee-chan!" I called out and grabbed the hand he held out before me. It never seemed to amaze me that such a slight frame like his could contain so much strength.

He grunted and pulled me up, his amazingly blue eyes twinkling with hidden joy. Took me long enough to learn what the Perfect Soldier's hidden language was but when I finally did, I found it worth every damn moment I spent learning it.

"Hn. You should never let your guard down, baka." He chided me before settling down into a defensive crouch.

I smirked," Well, let's see if the Great Shinigami can get through Mister- oh-so-Serious' defense." I taunted and established myself into an offensive posture with my scythe held behind me for a more powerful swing.

His only answer was a smirk as he held his position steady awaiting for my charge. As I scanned his form with my eyes I note to myself how extremely messy yet neat his hair was. It seemed always ruffled yet neat in a way that couldn't be explained. The nearest comparison was that the messiness stayed in a sort of pattern that rendered it neat…Duo felt like smacking his head. Why was he having thought like these? For Shini's sake!

He rushed forward and began to arc his scythe towards the cobalt-eyed pilot only to be blocked by a sword which came alarmingly close. The self proclaimed Shinigami smirked and pulled his scythe, much like a hook, towards himself as he stepped back. It was one advantage to the scythe. It was both blade and hook.

Heero's eyes sparkled with the challenge and Duo knew that it would be a challenge well met.



10:15 AM Saunq Castle Courtyard

Snap. The whip was a weapon Zechs had familiarized himself with when he'd piloted Epyon. It served him well now as it had before and the crack it made beside him seemed to thrill him just as battle excited him.

The thing that was on his mind now was the small smirk Locke had on his face. It was so different from the wistful smile from last night. The redhead, when in battle, seemed like a totally different person. His amber eyes were sparkling with life and his whole demeanor seemed happy but Zechs knew, deep inside that he wasn't.

The mask he had, had been left at the base he had been assigned yet for some reason. It didn't bother him that everyone hadn't commented on the fact that he was Milliardo Peacecraft. But, he smiled, it didn't matter anymore; After all, the colonies were in the far distant parallel future and Saunq was a distant memory in time. His sister, the bitch that she was, remained as far as the stars from his point of view.

"Face me, Zechs Marquise." The challenge effectively called his wandering attention back to where it was needed.

"Willingly." He answered and cracked the whip at his side. The redhead before him only ginned wider and held his fists at a ready.

Zechs twirled the whip and sent the spiked head racing for blood. He had aimed it towards the torso but he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Locke would effectively dodge the attack. This in turn surprised him when instead of sidestepping the attack he had made, the redhead had in its place defended himself with his arm.

The whip's spiked head was now wrapped painfully around his arm and in effect had torn the emerald fabric of his Mao suit. A wince was the only betraying emotion on his face regarding the pain and Zechs was both astonished and impressed at the action. Locke smirked.

"One must know the pain of sacrifice." Suddenly, the whip was tugged hard enough and quick enough to send the platinum haired man right into the waiting arms of his opponent. Zechs gasped as a hand tightened around his neck and he was lifted into the air flailing, helpless.

Amber considered sky blue as the two protagonists faced each other but one had to admit that lifting by the neck led to certain side effects regarding the shortening of breath. Zechs was starting to turn blue.

Locke chuckled and laid the now panting man on his two feet; Zechs eyed the man with a certain new respect as well as an equal amount of amusement. He hadn't met anyone in his entire life willing to shed blood for a practice bout.

He was soon to be met by another astonishing feat as the puncture marks on Locke's arm began to knit and heal right in front of his dumbfounded eyes.

The most nerve-wracking part of the spectacle wasn't the speedy healing but the way the wound clamped close. The skin around the puncture began, resembling tentacles, to reach for one another, thus, closing the wound. It was both creepy and amazing at the same time.

Locke had noticed, soon enough, where the platinum haired man's gaze had fastened on. The redhead gave a warm smile and clapped a good natured hand on the still staring man.

"There are things about me that not even I know so well…" Locke said and helped the speechless man up. Zechs was now staring at Locke as if he'd grown two heads. The redhead chuckled." Now you know why I did that, neh? I can heal faster that you can blink…" He explained and looked amusedly at the still gaping man and with a soft laugh, closed the open mouth of the platinum haired lieutenant.

"That…" Zechs started, eyes still wide" How the hell did you do that…?" He eyed the man before him his whole body trembling either from fascination or horror, he didn't really know.

"It's all in the mind…" Locke smiled." Now, why don't we get a few munchies to eat? I'm starving!" He began to happily trot into the courtyard asking the others if they were hungry or not. Zechs rubbed his eyes, pinched himself, and having found that this was in fact reality and not a dream, began to massage his temples to attempt to get rid of the headache beginning to make its presence known.



12 NOON; Saunq Castle; Banquet Hall

Heero looked around with suspicion, his cobalt blue eyes darkening as his brow furrowed. He hadn't noticed a single living human entity in the castle the entire time he had been here yet for some unfathomable reason whenever it was time to eat, the table was always decked out with all manner of tantalizing dishes.

He eyed the amiably talking redhead, which was their host, as he took the seat at the head of the table which last night was Treize's. The thought then reminded him of the General as he cast his sights to the direction where the ginger-haired man was in deep conversation with Wufei.

His eyes narrowed with emotion. It seemed that Wufei had betrayed them, his obvious closeness to the general belying the fact that he knew him very well before they had gotten together here.

The Chinese's so called man to man duels with Treize had merely been an excuse for their disgraceful trysts. It was shameful, not to mention disgusting to have such a forbidden liaison with their enemy, yet, deep down, Heero couldn't help but know that Wufei—honorable as he was—wouldn't betray the family that the pilots had become. It just wasn't like him to do so but the sight in front of the Japanese pilot only served to dissuade the fact.

Heero was soon jolted out of his deep reverie as a hand laid itself on his shoulder. He was soon faced with two concerned pools of violet.

"Daijoubu Hee-chan?" Duo asked, his hand squeezing him briefly conveying his current state of emotion.

Heero nodded and took a seat at the table. The entire situation facing them was one huge challenge that he shameful as it was, couldn't help but feel thrilled at the thought of taking on.

It excited his blood like fighting always did but he felt a slight tinge of guilt. It shouldn't be healthy to feel thus but the notion of battling a whole entire army with only a simple sword was just so enticing and from what their host had said, it was a definite win situation. Heero smirked.

"You're scaring me Hee-chan!" The person who had taken the seat behind him commented. Heero couldn't help but want to grin wider but bearing his enormous self discipline, he reined the urge in and dropped back into the emotionless mask. He pointedly ignored the braided one by his side although it hurt to admit to himself, he held a certain place in his heart for the violet-eyed pilot. What the feeling was, he couldn't really identify.

The feeling sometimes felt like, respect then at other times it would feel like camaraderie or even friendship but lately, it seemed that the feeling was growing steadily warmer and he couldn't identify exactly what it was-

His thoughts were disrupted as their host enthusiastically announced that it would be time to eat. The redhead was smiling happily and the others had taken their seats. It was hardly surprising that Wufei had taken a seat beside Treize and Zechs had taken the seat on the other side of Treize.

"This certainly is getting interesting, neh Hee-chan?" Duo commented with a grin before plopping a huge serving of spaghetti on his plate.

Heero grunted a 'hn' and pointedly tried to ignore Duo as he himself ate. Then, almost subconsciously, he felt himself raise his gaze to glance at the person next to him.

Duo was grinning, as usual, and was trying to discern the exact origin of the piece of meat before him. To the pilot of Wing it looked like a cross between a chicken leg and a beef leg. Muscular but had talons. It sort of reminded him of lizards but what caught Heero's attention was how the sunlight, the windows were now open since it was daytime, played along the pilot's chestnut mane like faeries dancing across a green meadow. It also struck him hoe Duo was so feminine yet the lean muscles and the Adam's apple clearly indicated otherwise. His skin as well looked so heavenly smooth and creamy, an endless plain of-

Blinking, Heero abruptly turned his gaze away, guilty at being caught red-handed staring at his long time partner.

"Nani, Hee-chan?" Duo asked, still eyeing the cobalt eyed pilot who was trying his best to look interested at the pile of vegetables he was presently staring at. "Is there anything you wanted to ask?"

Heero shook his head and jabbed a forkful of meat, he stuffed it into his mouth and continued his examination of the plate of vegetables.

"Okay then, whatever suits you." Duo shrugged and continued eating.

Heero just wanted to melt and die in that moment. The perfect soldier was caught acting like a stupid high school girl with a crush and worse of all; he wasn't supposed to fell any emotion. He made a note to himself to reboot his now dysfunctional CPU which was his brain. It definitely needed fixing.



12:10 NOON; Saunq Castle; Banquet Hall

"Well, I would like to mention the question as to when the attack will occur and as to how we will defend ourselves." Treize pointed out as he swirled the wine in his glass, eyeing the redhead at the head of the table.

Locke grinned," Well, we start you're training with the dragons this afternoon since you're properly acquainted with your respected weapons…" A grunt was heard from Heero which was followed by an excited whoop from his seatmate." Then, we find my friends tomorrow. After that…we decide the tactics. Fair enough?" He asked.

"It seems sound enough." Zechs agreed before taking a sip from his own wine glass.

Treize smiled slightly when he noticed that his usually fiery tempered lover hadn't said anything for a while. Turning his gaze on the object of his thoughts, he caught the Chinese man staring at a particular dish on the table with a raised eyebrow.

Curious as to what the pilot of Shenlong was doing he tapped the boy on the shoulder lightly," What are you so fascinated about dragon?" He asked.

Wufei ignored him and continued to look at the plate before him. Treize's eyebrow furrowed and he found his gaze resting on the same plate Wufei was scrutinizing. His eyes widened.

The plate was all eyes, literally. The plate was overflowing with eyeballs and underneath them seemed to be insectoid like legs which resembled a crab's. The ginger-haired man gaped and found himself thinking if the thing was indeed edible since it was after all served at the table to eat.

A small chuckle brought back the attention of both the general and the Gundam pilot.

"If you're wondering what that is, don't ask. Just eat it. It actually tastes pretty good ya know." Locke commented and speared himself a moist dripping eyeball and with hardly a thought, gulped it down in front of all their astonished faces.

Treize felt a little green and soon found that the others except for Heero had mirrored his colored complexion.

"Ew! GROSS!" Pilot02 commented before rising out of his chair and stumbling his way out of the Banquet Hall to where Treize presumed was the comfort room.

"Hey! It's not bad, I swear!" Protested Locke and as if to support what he had said, he speared another and gulped it down just as fast as the first one.

"I find this…" Treize looked at the talking pilot of Shenlong beside him who was still staring at the aforementioned plate of eyes. "Interesting." With that final word he speared himself an eyeball and ate it.

The general's eyes widened and took on the pilot's face. Wufei had his eyes closed and was running the round thing all over his mouth. Zechs, he could feel, was looking over his shoulder at Wufei. Both of them anxiously looked for Wufei's next reaction and what almost gave them a heart attack was the huge smile that came unto the Asian's face before he speared himself another.

"What he said was truth." Wufei proclaimed as he downed yet another eyeball with gusto," In fact, it tastes rather nice. Almost like fresh oyster."

Zechs and Treize found themselves eyeing the strange delicacy but couldn't brig themselves to try it.

Zechs sat down but not before he said," I take your word for it…" Locke laughed.

The rest of the meal went okay just as soon as the still pale looking braided pilot walked back in to resume eating. It was noticed that he, like Zechs and Treize pointedly tried their very best to ignore said dish.

Author's Notes:

FI: I know, I know, this chapter was all fluff and nothings really going on…

Duo: When are you going to get to the main plot?

Wufei: * snorts * Stupid Onna.

FI: * whaps Wufei with a rolled up newspaper * If you keep insulting me some more, I'm writing you in a lemon with Doctor J!

Wufei: * cringes then keeps silent *

FI: * smirks *

Duo: So? What happens next?

FI: * scratches head and sighs * Damn I have a long way to go…not to mention I have a neck cramp, huge eye bags…

Duo: * shakes head and brings out a little digital clock saying 4:35 AM * You stayed up the whole night, that's why!

FI: * sighs * I should go to sleep…* YAWNS *

Duo: But when are you going to finish the story?

FI: * looking like a Zombie with pain starts flying out form her neck * Maybe tomorrow…who knows…Nobody significant is reading anyway…* plops dead asleep right where she was standing *

Duo: * sweatdrop and looks at readers * So, if ya all review maybe FI would get the inspiration and the oomph she needs to finish the story…

FI: * starts mumbling incoherently * Lemon…maybe…next chapter…Dragons…* mumble mumble *Strawberies…chocobos…hidden crypts…war…

Duo: * sweatdrop * Oh well…At least Hee-chan's noticing me already! *.*

Wufei: Hn

NOTES: Thanks to the grammatically correct Brin Ray and Silent Angel aka Lady Rage for beta reading this fic! ^.^ Arigatou gozaimasu!