Disclaimer: The story is mine, and so are about half of the characters. I'll send Heero after anyone who steals them!

Warnings: eventual shounen ai, swearing, magic

Notes: Thanks for the reviews, both before and after I revised Ch. 12!

Mariel Yuy: There *must* be a phase going on, hey? And the review wasn't short anyway. *grin* Treize does have blue eyes - I typed "brown" before because I was going to write something about his hair, then changed my mind, but forgot to change "brown" to "blue". Anyway, hope your hand gets better!

SilverShinigami: Um... since you reviewed Ch. 13, don't worry about the message. *grin* I just meant that I was going to delete that chapter. I'm glad you like the story!

Landlady of the Universe: *grin* That was from the TV series - or at least, I tried to make it so it was obviously from the series (I didn't actually watch any of the series or Endless Waltz [*], so I'm glad it worked. By the way, with Une... hmm. You don't expect me to tell you, right? *evil cackle* But seriously, do you know of any good Une shrines? I need a *lot* more info if I'm going to make her believable.

Finny: I liked Wufei in that chapter too... he's cool. I might just give Quatre a break for the moment - the other characters have to be tortured for a bit. Does the sprained wrist get you out of exams?

Stephanie Yuy: Hehe... at least I haven't got that many chapters - I was reading a fic with more than 150 chapters once, and I couldn't stop... I swear my eyes were going to drop out. I like the GW-like events... they're fun to write! Anyway, I hope you keep reading!

GoldenFlame: Thanks for reviewing... I'm glad you like Trowa! And Wufei was due for some bad luck - after all, he's been kinda lucky so far, and it's not fair if the other characters get all the problems. *grin*

[*] - I wasn't going to tell anyone that, but it came out, didn't it? So to make it official - I've never seen a single episode of GW or Endless Waltz, and my first taste of GW was in the form of a picture of the guys. (Good impression, if you ask me. *grin*) I got all my information from websites, manga scans and most importantly, fanfics. Statistical information was from the sites, but info about the characters' personalities came mainly from other fics. I have a pretty good idea of what the pilots are like (most fics are based around them, after all, and I'm pretty good at sorting out which were OOC and which were not), but with less ficced-about characters, like Une, I'm having a hell of a time getting information, personality-wise. Any good links will be appreciated. *grin* Oh, and I love GW all the same - I'm just not allowed to watch TV. If I can afford a TV, I would watch it, I swear. *sigh*

Part XIV: Debt of Honour II

The Mage scowled, turning to the girl beside him. "Hellfires, this would be so much easier if Noin was out of the way."

Raising an elegant eyebrow, the blonde countered, "Would it? With her in charge, we don't even have to worry about the day-to-day matters."

"But that means any decisions *I* make will have to go through her."

"Not at the rate things are going." At his questioning glance, Dorothy Catalonia smirked. "Rumours have a strange way of spreading - right now, half the soldiers, including the ones who were away when the prince issued his orders, have no idea who is in charge. Some say you, some say Noin and others are plain confused." [1]

"But that's several thousand..."

"Which is why it helps that Noin is totally unmagical - a little nudge in a few heads doesn't take *that* much power, especially when you engage in so many... interesting activities." [2] It also helps that you don't really keep track of what's going on - that makes *my* plans a great deal easier as well.

A slow grin spread across the man's face. "Of course. Our young prince really shouldn't have taken Une with him - but then again, lovers really don't like being apart, do they? But now, the soldiers will take orders from basically anybody... splendid, my dear. Especially when I have a special guerilla force on hand for dealing with these Windriders."

"Oh?"

Anokiv smirked. "A group of trained mercenaries with no loyalties whatsoever, rumoured to be as ruthless and efficient as any company you'd ever see. Their price is tremendously high, I must add, but the outcome should be well worth it." A pause, then a narrowing of eyes. "Besides, vengeance is sweet."

"Ah." The girl hid her disgust at the last sentence - why on earth are men so... naive? "You have contacted them?"

"I have contracted them - I just had no idea of how to deploy them without a great deal of hassle... until today, of course."

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Wufei hesitated minutely, then bowed from the waist - it was common sense to bow to monarchs, even one fighting on the opposite side of a war. Even one who had given the order that led to his wife's death. Straightening, the Asian youth looked straight into the calm blue eyes. "I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. It would be... inconvenient, to say the least."

The prince didn't react to the sarcasm, slight as it was. He merely graced the youth with a bemused look, before asking, "More inconvenient, I presume, than getting yourself captured by an enemy?"

How on earth did he know he was my enemy? Outwardly, Wufei merely nodded. "A lot more so."

"Then I hope your allies appreciate your loyalty."

Damn - I slipped; now he knows I have companions.

Glancing at the carefully expressionless face, Treize continued, "But I hope you appreciate that I, too, have my loyalties, and that doing anything except killing an enemy would be seriously compromising those loyalties."

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South, always south... he sped noiselessly past the trails, then through the city as the Asian boy - Wufei - had instructed. Nobody saw him, he was sure of it. He seemed to be sure of many things without knowing why. In this case, his body seemed certain of its actions, as though it had had years of practice. Which, logically, accounted for why he could be certain that the rare passer-by - usually a half-sober drunk who could actually remember that he had a home or a homeless beggar with no such luxury - would not notice him, especially when he instinctively remained in the shadows and alleys when he could.

His name was Trowa. It was a relief, remembering that. And the blonde... his brows creased, and he closed his eyes briefly. The aquamarine eyes, the shy but generous smile - his memory drew a blank. What had Wufei said? Quatre. Was that it? Strange, how his memory was returning in such a disorganised way.

He ran past another street. South, always south... yes, there it was - the gate out of the city. He slowed, and deliberately walked on the darker side of the road - the blood stains were not obvious, but caution was always best. The guard barely glanced at him before turning and arguing about the outcome of a dice-toss with another man. A camp, Wufei had said. That seemed very plausible, to him, though his conscious mind could not fully grasp the reason for sleeping outside the protection of the city walls. Lack of money? That could well be it. That, or the wish for privacy, which he could also relate to. Either way, he was going to have to approach the figure sitting in desolation on that jutting boulder...

That *blonde* figure sitting in desolation on that jutting boulder, the slender shoulders dropped in a well-remembered slouch...

"Quatre?" His voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears. The blonde turned at the quiet sound, eyes widening, and stood abruptly. He made as if to rush forward, then visibly held himself back.

"T-trowa?"

Yes, he remembered that voice. Nodding mutely, he felt his heart clench at the uncertainty and pain reflected in the blue eyes - the pain and uncertainty that he, no doubt, was responsible for. He stepped forward, hesitating slightly, unsure of how he would be received...

And felt himself enveloped in a tight embrace as the blonde leapt at him, burying his face on the taller youth's shoulder. Trowa froze. Quatre didn't seem to notice, and after a long moment, Trowa slowly put his arms around the blonde, patting his shoulder awkwardly. Suddenly, he stilled once more. This position... it seemed familiar, somehow...

*** flash ***

It was warm, for a winter morning. His outfit - a simple riding tunic - did not include the coat he normally wore. And for once, Trowa could see the sun as it peeked out from the peaks of the Kydlope Ranges instead of the usual silver-grey clouds. Murmuring soothingly, he stroked the mare's dapled mane, and she knickered lightly in response. The youth smiled slightly, then cocked his head at the sudden sound. Giving the mare a final pat, he sent her off to the pastures, before turning and walking towards the noise.

"Quatre?" Trowa halted beside the crouched figure, emerald eyes concerned - he and the boy had never gotten along too well. Quatre had been spoilt by the servants because he didn't have a mother, and was often arrogant and temperamental. The six of them - Mili, Heero, Duo, Wufei, Quatre and himself - still played together, but Quatre caused arguments more often than not.

"T-trowa?"

He nodded. The blonde hesitated for half a moment, leaned forward and buried his head in the other boy's shoulder. Trowa froze. Quatre didn't seem to notice, and after a long moment, Trowa slowly put his arms around the blonde, patting his shoulder awkwardly. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, then the sobs gradually eased off. Pulling away, slightly embarrassed, Trowa asked gently, "What happened?"

Aquamarine eyes stared up at him from the tear-streaked face and Trowa pulled out a handkerchief, pressing it into the other boy's hand. He waited patiently as Quatre blew his nose, and choked out, "It's my mother. She... she died because of me."

"Oh." It seemed like all he could say - he and the others had known for years, of course, but on the king's command, they had never told the blonde. Now he wondered whether that had been wise.

Quatre didn't seem to notice his silence, however, as he continued, "I've always blamed her for not being there, but... but I heard Nonisa - she's the servant - talking with someone, and sh-she said my mother died when giving birth to me... and it's all my fault..."

Somehow, Trowa found his voice. "Quatre, it isn't your fault. Mili once told me that the king said your mother knew it would happen... she decided to have you anyway."

Anguished eyes looked up. "But don't you see, that makes it worse... I've been *blaming* her all these years... I've said so many bad things about her..."

"She would forgive you. You just didn't know any better."

"She's still dead. Nothing will bring her back..."

"...It's okay, Quatre." He hesitated, then continued quietly, "I'm here for you."

*** flash *** [3]

"It's okay, Quatre," Trowa whispered, "I'm here for you."

Slowly, the blonde pulled back, staring straight into the emerald eyes. What he saw made him smile - a radiant smile that made all the tear stains inconsequential. "Trowa... you're back."

"Yes." He didn't need to say anything more - the blonde understood.

Quatre didn't reach for him again - the taller youth had always been uncomfortable with physical contact. Instead, he smiled again, saying softly, "I'm glad."

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A silence. The wind whistled past the leaves outside the tent, and a bird trilled in response. Another moment of stillness. Then - "Yes."

Onyx stared into clear blue for a long moment, then the prince turned away, saying quietly, "This would be easier if I even knew *why* you were my enemy."

The Asian youth was grim as he answered, "Perhaps you could ask that question of my now deceased wife, whose vengeance I swore to enact." And whose vengeance would now be impossible. Meiran... I'm sorry.

Treize glanced at him, then sighed heavily, "I see."

Neither spoke until Wufei looked up suddenly. "Your Majesty." The prince cocked his head, and he continued, "How did you know I was your enemy, and not just a passer-by?"

Treize smiled tiredly. "Believe me, I didn't. But it is a rather useful strategy for making captives talk, is it not? Besides... even if I was not an enemy in your eyes, you would be one in Une's for freeing a man who killed ten of her soldiers."

"I see."

Another long silence, then the prince spoke up, almost thoughtfully, "There seems to be a lot that honour can compel. Do you regret it, anonymous soldier from Sanq?"

So he guessed my nationality as well. Having nothing to say but the truth, Wufei replied simply, "A great deal, Your Majesty. And no, I do not." He paused, wondering whether to say what was on his mind. I might as well... I am already his captive, as he said. Choosing his words carefully, he continued, "Without a sense of justice, life is meaningless. It leaves a person with no sense of direction, and with no proper reason for his actions. It makes for both an unloyal friend and an unworthy enemy."

The ensuing minutes were so quiet that, when a sudden burst of laughter sounded from outside the tent, both youths started slightly. Finally - "I can see the reasoning behind that statement. And in a way, I agree. But tell me, anonymous soldier... what do you do when your loyalty to your people is different to that to yourself?"

Wufei felt a genuine shock, but let none of it show on his face. For a moment, he wondered how to reply, then stared calmly at the handsome face. "Should it be, Your Majesty?"

The answering gaze seemed older and more weary than any youth's should have been - rather like his own, Wufei reflected. The response, again, was surprising. "No, it should not. But things can affect one loyalty and not another. And when that happens... you end up treading a path you do not like, but that you are bound to. Duty, too, can become a burden. And when it does, a sense of honour may become a curse."

The Asian youth pondered the statement carefully - for a moment, it was as though he was once again sitting in the Collegium, debating the merits of some strange philosophy or another. Then, he nodded. "Yes, it may. But if you ask me to sacrifice my beliefs - and thus, my sense of who I am - because of other peoples' orders, I would refuse."

Treize looked at him appraisingly, then his lips quirked. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But either way, I am still at odds as to what I should do about you, anonymous soldier."

Even as his heart pounded at the perilous situation, Wufei felt an odd surge of amusement. Trowa kills ten armed men, I free him and get captured myself, before holding a debate with an enemy prince about philosophy... and now, I am asked to give an opinion on my almost-certain fate? Duo, I have a feeling you *would* laugh. The memory of the braided boy made him wonder whether his friends were safe - as safe as they could be, at any rate. He looked up at the prince.

Treize Khushrenada stared back for a moment, then sighed. "I cannot kill you."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. After a while, the prince said, "You could have killed Une, but you chose not to. I am at your debt."

The Asian shook his head. "No. My honour would not let me kill her - you owe me nothing. I simply chose not to act against my honour."

The prince's face was bemused once more. "And my honour will not let me kill you for sparing one of my officers. Maybe I should not have had this conversation with you after all."

Wufei felt his composure cracking at the sudden turn of events. "Then what will you do with me?"

Treize's brow was creased in thought, and he absently raised a narrow decanter, pouring some reddish liquid - alcohol, Wufei presumed - into a small glass, before taking a small sip. For a moment, Wufei listened to the shouts and titters from the camp, then he raised his eyes once more and waited for the prince to speak. The response, for the third time that night, was unexpected. "Trial by combat. If I win, you shall die - painlessly; it would be unfair to do otherwise. If you win, you shall be freed."

The Asian stood still - though his face showed none of his shock, his mind was in turmoil. Not only was this man - youth - nothing like he has expected, but his fate, too, had taken a strange turn. What should I do? I have to combat him, but I can't kill him... yet I don't really want to kill him. Not now. He's no longer a faceless enemy - I wonder why he... Before he could stop himself, he said, "I accept, Your Majesty. But..."

"But?" Treize raised his eyebrow.

"I was wondering why you ordered the slaughter of everyone in the palace that night, and why you sent your troops out to terrorise innocent cities, when it was against your own moral code."

A tense silence. Then, the prince gave a small chuckle, before saying softly, "I had suspected that you were from the palace." When Wufei didn't speak, he sighed, and turned away. "You must understand, anonymous soldier, that sometimes, whether or not you obey and order affects more lives than your own. The fates of my men - all of them - rests on my shoulders. And sometimes, when certain authorities issue orders, I have no choice but to carry them out. And besides... when have you ever seen a bloodless war? We in Oz are trying to conquer Sanq, as you well know." Treize looked up, his blue eyes narrowing. "But I really do not understand the latter part of your sentence. There is nothing that would have made me kill people in cities, particularly ones that officially belong to Oz, as all Sanq cities now do. Especially not when they are peaceful."

Onyx eyes flickered over Treize's face - the prince didn't seem to be lying. He would have to reassess what happened, if he ever got the chance. Yet if Oz hadn't been behind the attacks, who was? Outwardly, he merely nodded. "When you are ready, Your Majesty."

The prince's eyes flickered for a moment, then realised what the other youth meant. He paused in consideration for a moment, then said, "In an hour, then. You should rest first. Do you need anything?"

"What type of duel will it be, Your Majesty?"

Blue eyes looked at Wufei, its gaze holding a slight challenge. "What do you prefer?"

I'm better with my katana - I can beat Master Liao three matches out of four, and he's the best in my clan. But Une has my weapon, and I don't want to ask Treize to get it from her - that would alert her to his plans for the duel, and I have a feeling she will not approve. So there isn't much choice. "Bare."

Treize frowned minutely. It was strange, seeing a member of the clans - for that was what the soldier was, he was sure of it - decide to fight without weapons, when they had always been masters with the sword. Then, understanding flashed in his eyes as he caught the weaponless state of the other youth. "Very well."

The prince motioned for a guard, and Wufei found himself escorted out through the back-flap of the tent. As he walked out, the guard by his side, he heard behind him, "The guard will be with you as custom decrees. I know you are stronger than he is, but I know you will not try to escape. The match will commence in an hour, anonymous soldier."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The silence was broken as a mindvoice called, Quatre? Are you there?

Quatre started slightly, then waved at the figures emerging from the shadows. Guys, Trowa's back!

He didn't need to say any more. The youths hurried over, relief evident on most faces - Heero's remained as inscrutable as ever. For a moment, they all looked carefully over each other, then Suri stepped forward and gave the taller youth a hug, with Duo following her lead an instant later. The prince gave him a pat on the shoulder, and Heero nodded once. Just as he was about to say something, Zechs suddenly frowned. Has anyone seen Wufei?

Quiet reigned as Trowa gave a quick explanation, and for a while after that explanation ended. Finally, the prince sent, Do we go after him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a clearing on the other side of Sahkron, two youths stood within a marked circle. They gazed intently at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither of them paid any attention to the shadow concealed behind the bushes - it, however, was observing the duel closely.

Yet even it was shocked at the speed at which one of the youths suddenly stepped forward, ducked and brought his fist forward in a punch...

Notes:

[1] - Did you notice that Hilde, in Ch. 12, said that Anokiv was in charge? Now you know why.

[2] - A hint here, it's a type of magic. I've mentioned it once, I think. It can result in heaps of power, period.

[3] - Well, in Episode Zero, Quatre was a sullen boy at the beginning. The reasons were different (in GW, he was angry because he thought he was a test tube baby, and that he could be reproduced at any time), but by now, everyone knows I love doing things like that. He had to change sometime, and I guess I like having Trowa there to help him. *grin*

[Wufei and Treize] - Now, why on earth didn't Wufei treat Treize like an enemy, or vice versa? Well, Treize torturing or being rude to Wufei would be OOC, as would Wufei being rude to or acting angry at Treize. Of course, Treize would probably be angry at Wufei, but I actually think he would be more intrigued as to why Wufei didn't kill Une when he could. And Wufei would have been too careful and polite to be anything other than civil to Treize, but too proud to be submissive. All in all, there wasn't much left but to pretend everything was normal, and that they weren't a thread from killing each other - which, in actual fact, would be how politics worked anyway.

Three parts on honour... I must be going crazy. But yes, the next part will finish this mini-arc - I'm putting off the duel, you see. Action is bad... O_o. By the way, I know that this chapter wasn't particularly interesting, but my conscience couldn't rest without me clarifying Treize's personality a bit - I just can't see him as a total bad guy.

The next part *will* take a fortnight - it will conclude this mini-arc, duel included, and get something done about Trowa's past. I'm hoping that it will be better than this chapter, which I don't think is particularly good...

Yeppers, 3-day cruise coming up - right after the third part of this mini-arc. Anyone who reviewed this arc will get a free virtual ticket. And the people who reviewed more than once will get deluxe accommodations! ...um, yeah. Nice dream, ne? Who knows, I just *might* become a millionaire one day. Yeah, right.