Warnings:
Alternate Universe. Yaoi. 1x2, 3x4, 5xH, 6xN, magic, ghosts, a kinda
OOC Heero.
. .
.
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Not mine. Yeah, that is what I tell myself all the
time!
.
Feedbacks: 0.o Wow! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm a very happy person
now! Keep it up, please!
Also, please excuse any mistakes and quirks in this story. . . I don't have a
beta reader. . . plus I'm using a lousy, moronic
imbecile of a computer that misses some grammatical errors. Thank you very
much!! .
//Telepathy//
'Thoughts'
"Words"
EMPHASIS
.
And now, the chapter that many have been waiting for . . . Heero
and Duo's meeting! (Well, kinda. . .)
. . .
Chapter Three: The Kiss
. . .
It was exhilarating, feeling the wind
whip and stroke his face as if with a thousand invisible hands, and delve into
his braided hair - making him grin and laugh out loud in happiness. His chest
was almost bursting with excitement and anticipation, because his companion
promised to show him a special place. . . a place that
had been a secret until he decided
to divulge it to Duo.
They were rounding off an immense old tree that must have been a hundred years
old; riding a big, snow-white horse with Duo in front of him because his knowledge concerning horses were limited, considering
his deprived childhood. However, he
didn't want to walk to the special place so he told Duo to ride with him.
Duo looked up, his amethyst eyes sparkling with unhidden delight. . . for being
able to go out and explore once again, being in good terms with him once more. . . and of course,
having him at his side. . . 'Hmm. . . that must be the best reason
there is!' he grinned, unable to keep his happiness contained.
The person behind Duo looked down at the beautiful youth in his arms and a rare
smile appeared on his expressionless face, his Prussian-blue eyes glinting with
a fierce emotion so foreign to many.
"Are we there yet?" asked Duo, although reluctant to part from the
comfortingly warm arms of his companion.
"We're near." A deep baritone answered him. Duo shivered at the husky
tone. It never fail to amaze him how strongly his voice affected him in many ways. The person's free hand rose to
caress Duo's cheek, and his head tilted forward, his lips starting to lightly
brush against those of the amethyst eyed prisoner in his arms. Duo closed his
eyes, wanting to savor every exquisite moment of the kiss. . .
'God, I love you. . . Hee---'
"---EEEYYYYY!!!! Duo!! Hey, wake up, sleepy head!!! Quatre
said we're near Lowe Castle!"
Duo jerked on his seat, snapping out of his dream abruptly. Remnants of
blissful feelings lingered for a few moments, but they gradually faded away as
tendrils of wakefulness filled him. He tried to remember the dream.
. . but unfortunately, along with the feeling, it also disappeared. He scowled
at the one who awakened him. "What the hell was that for?!" he
growled, really annoyed at the loss of the dream. The disrupter, Hilde, frowned and lifted her chin. "For crying out
loud, Duo, why are you reacting like that? And as I told you, Quatre asked me to wake you up. Lowe Castle is just a couple of miles away."
She made a face. "You do not want your Mate to see you for the first time
while sleeping, now do you?"
Duo huffed, adjusted his new shirt under his opened black coat---a sign of
anxiety---then sighed. "Sorry, Hil, I just had a great dream." Then he frowned down
on his new clothes. "Damn, these clothes are too tight!"
Hilde smiled, her sudden exasperation vanishing
completely. "Ahh.
That's why you were so annoyed when I woke you up. Sorry 'bout that." she
patted Duo's shoulder.
Duo shrugged, opened three buttons on his shirt, then leaned back at the soft
chair of the carriage they had been riding for two days from Ventei to Sanq, and ultimately to
Lowe Castle. He returned to what he had been doing for the past few hours
before he fell asleep, and that was observing the scenery before him from the
window of the coach.
It was really beautiful, this particular part of Sanq.
Tall trees, grasses and flowers can be seen scattered everywhere, creating a
multi-colored wonderland with a cerulean sky and thin clouds. He was traveling
on the border of Heero's lands now.
. . at the very edge of his world. Heero Yuy. His soon-to-be Mate. Duo
snorted. Funny how this turned out to be, with him engage to
a person whom he hasn't---yet---been able to meet and see. But for the sake of Helen. . . Hell, he might do anything. . . even marry a person he doesn't know.
He wondered again, not for the last time, about his so-called 'Mate'. From the
scant information Quatre had told him this past
week-and-a-half, Heero is a
tall person with brown hair and blue eyes, a subdued personality, and a fierce
but even temper. Then he gathered from what the couple implied, that Heero is a very powerful, not to say rich, Lord in Sanq. Pretty much well-known knowledge to the people in Ventei, heck, they even know about the practice of how a
person from the Lowe family marries. Unlucky him, he wasn't someone who's
always prone to rumors and gossips.
Although now that he's thinking of it, he did hear some whispers about the. . . peculiarities of the descendants of a rather famous
Lord named Odin Lowe, one of them being the legend of a family member choosing
a Mate for them. He also gathered from reliable resources that the family is
one of the richest and the most influential in the land.
. . hm, maybe that was why Quatre's
and Trowa's names rang a bell in his mind when the
young blond introduced himself. . . he was just too nervous to dwell on it
because he thought they were going to get him arrested. . .
He couldn't complain about this family's oddities, heh,
anyone is entitled for a little eccentricity or two. Though he was shocked that
first time when Quatre told him that being a Mate is
as good as being married. . . damn, he even fainted. . . but his mother needed
the help of this family, and if the price of helping Helen is being saddled
with a bad-tempered Lord, then by God, he'll take it. He didn't care about himself
because Helen and the others are his first and foremost priority. . . he even
argued when Hilde offered to come with him in Sanq, and she argued back. . . and made him see the reason
why she wanted to come.
"Hey, Duo, you're spacing out again!" his companion complained, waving
a hand in front of him.
Duo grinned and looked fondly at his surrogate sister. "Have I already thanked
you for coming with me?"
Hilde blinked. "Huh? Where did
this came from?" then she smiled impishly. "Hah! If I remember
it correctly, you were too angry to thank me!" Duo pouted, then smiled good-naturedly. "Then thanks, Hil. I just realized why you did that. I know you don't
want to leave me alone in an unfamiliar land."
"Anything for you. . . Duo. . . I owe you so many things.
. . this is the least that I can do! And of course, for
Helen." Her brows knitted with worry. "Gods, I hope Helen and
the others are doing well at the house Quatre had
provided. I was reluctant to leave them, but Helen told me to come with you. .
." she turned her confused blue eyes to her brother. "It was a good
thing Helen allowed you to go here! I thought she wouldn't give in!"
Duo sighed. "I talked her out of it, saying that it's for her own health.
At first she wouldn't listen, but I guess I'm more stubborn than her." His
eyes twinkled, and then he turned to the window once more to resume his sight-seeing.
Hilde smiled happily. "You know, we must really
thank your Mate for all the things he did for us. I mean, first he was able to
provide a new house and clothing for us, the children and Helen." she
reverently touched her new dress, a blue satin Empire-styled gown that was
given to her a few days ago. "Then he let Wufei
- whom, I gathered from Quatre is one of the most
skilled doctors in all the lands - heal Helen from her sickness. It was a
miracle! In two days, she was almost back to her normal self! Remind me to
thank him if you see him. . ." Hilde trailed
off, blushing slightly.
Duo, on the other hand, didn't notice his sister's flushed face, since he was
busy staring at a particular spot in the woods near them.
"I mean, how did Wufei do it? I know he's kinda stiff and unsmiling, but he's really cute! I wonder
when can I see him agai--"
"STOP!!!"
Hilde jerked forward as the coach came to a sudden
halt. "Duo! What in the world was that for?"
she asked, dumbfounded. Duo ignored her and went down the carriage, his face
bearing an expression of baffled incredulity.
Meanwhile, Trowa and Quatre,
who chose to ride on their horses, also came to a stop. The couple went down
from their respective horses and walked briskly towards Duo. "Duo?
What's the matter?" Quatre asked, concerned. He
can feel disbelief and something else from his cousin's Mate.
. . more like. . .anticipation?
Duo nodded abruptly upon seeing them. "Yo, Quat, Tro, can I go around the
woods for a while? Please!!!" He gave them his best pleading eyes. "I
promise I will be back in no time!! Heero won't even
miss me!!! I won't be gone long!"
Quatre looked unsure. "I don't know, Duo. . . you might get lost. . ."
"Oh, c'mon, Quat!! I'm
a big boy now! I can take care of myself!! And besides, I can see Heero's castle from here!" he gestured at the said
castle's soaring towers. "I figured that I can reach the castle if I
follow this road, so I won't be lost!!!"
Quatre still looked uncertain. "But,
Duo. . ."
//Let him, Love. I'm sure Duo knows what he's doing.//
Quatre glanced at his Mate. //Trowa,
I not that concerned about Duo because I know that we can find him if he became
lost in the woods. . . but what about Heero? He might not like it if he knew that his Mate is
wandering around somewhere in the forest.//
//Quatre, don't you remember? It's Heero's usual morning ride. I'm sure he's still out. Do you
want me to tell Heavyarms to follow Duo or have a
look out for Heero?// Trowa glanced at the blue sky where the large hawk was
flying in a circle. Quatre frowned for a moment,
while the violet-eyed youth continued his pleading look. Then the blond slowly
shook his head inconspicuously. //No, don't, Trowa. I
don't want to intrude on both of them.// The young
blond frowned at Duo, then he nodded sagely. "Alright, Duo, you can go.
But you must be back after half an hour!"
Duo grinned ecstatically. "YEAH!!! Thanks so
much, Quat!!! Gotta
run!!!" then he was gone in a few seconds.
Trowa and Quatre stared at
his trail. "I wonder where he's going?" Trowa murmured, more to himself. Quatre
turned to see Hilde walking up to them. "Where's
Duo?" she asked, looking from her right to left.
Quatre
shrugged. "He took off. We don't know where to." At her concerned
frown, the blond youth patted her arm. "Don't worry, Hilde,
Duo told us that he knows what he's doing. Let's go and wait for him at the
castle." //Hopefully, Heero's still out.// he told his Mate.
As Hilde went up the coach once again, the green-eyed
young man caught Quatre's hand and kissed his palm.
"You're worrying too much, Love. Give them a little break." Quatre smiled and nodded. Then they climbed their
respective horses and went to Lowe Castle.
. . .
Duo had been walking for fifteen minutes and still, he cannot see any sign of
the huge tree that he glimpsed from the carriage and had been trying to find. 'I
swear I saw it around here somewhere. . . but where? Damn. . . maybe if I could see that tree, I might be able to
remember my dream. . . funny why I recalled that tree. . . But I can't find
it!!!' His thoughts screamed, while he surveyed the clearing in front of him.
'No huge tree here. . . hm,
where to go. . ?' he asked himself as he arrived at a forked pathway. 'Left? Or rig---' he stopped as he heard a muffled sound from
the left side of the trail. 'Huh?' Then he heard it again, this time, more
clearly.
It was the
sound of someone. . . sobbing.
Curious, he followed the sound and came to another clearing.
. . correction, not an ordinary clearing. . . because from the multiple crosses
and markers that he can see from his place, it was evident that he stumbled
upon someone mourning in a cemetery. And there was the weeping person, bowed
over one tombstone to his right. From the sounds of the sobs, the person is a
female, although he cannot see what the woman looked like because she was
garbed in a long, dark cape and a hood that hid her face and her entire body.
Duo was a compassionate person; therefore, he wasn't immune to the sorrows in
life. So instead of walking quietly away to leave her in her grief, he tried to
comfort her. He emerged from his hiding place behind tall bushes and said,
"Hey, lady, do you nee---"
The caped lady shot her head up, then quickly dashed from the tombstone into
the deep wilderness, leaving Duo to stare at her trail.
"---d any help?" Then he sighed. "Sheesh. . . I just wanted to
help. . ." Without anything left to do, he went to the tombstone and took
a look at it. It was just a simple one, with only a name inscribed in it.
Treize Khushrenada
He knelt down and gazed at the tear marks on the marker, not really interested
at the name of the dead person. But it was then when he heard yet another
sound, this one of fast approaching hoof beats of a horse running in haste. Duo
snapped up and returned to his hiding place before the rider and the horse came
out from his right.
The horse whinnied loudly as its rider maneuvered it to a stop when they
arrived at the cemetery. Duo looked on, mesmerized by pure white color of the
horse in front of him. . . but actually more by the
sight of its rider.
"Whoa, Wing." The rider said easily, his tone monotonous and clear.
His unruly dark-brown hair gleamed as sunlight was reflected in it, making it
shine a lighter shade. He was dressed in black riding breeches that shaped his
long legs and a matching short black coat without a shirt inside, slightly
exposing his broad shoulders. His Prussian-blue eyes were traveling around the
vicinity, narrowed and with a notably irritated gleam. But it seemed to widen
and became angered when it settled upon one particular headstone.
. . that of Treize Khushrenada.
The person quickly jumped from the white horse, then strode to the marker. He
stared at it for a long time. . . then he closed his
eyes, and raised his head to face the sky. Duo watched on, curious at what the
young man was doing. The blue depths opened abruptly and looked around, as if
he suspected that someone was watching him. As he peered at Duo's hiding place,
Duo shrank lower into the bushes, suddenly afraid to be caught 'spying'.
After a while, the brown-haired young man finished his scrutiny of the cemetery
and went to his horse to leave. Flashing another unnerving gaze at the
cemetery, he left.
Duo once again went out of his hiding place as soon as the young man was out of
his earshot. 'Wow. . .' he thought, blinking dumbly at the spot that, moments
ago, was alive with the blue-eyed youth's dynamic presence. But he shook his
head firmly. 'Duo! Not now!! Not when you're going to
be married in less than a week!' he told himself resolutely, hitting his head
with his hand. Oh, yes, he must not forget about his betrothed, Heero. Speaking of him, he has to go back to the castle. . . to meet him. . . at last. . . He sighed again.
Then he went back to the road that would lead him to Lowe Castle.
Though he can't help but think of the mysterious blue-eyed youth once more.
. . .
Back at the castle, it was then when Trowa, Quatre and Hilde arrived at the
intimidating fortress of the Cursed Lord of Lowe Castle, as many people know Heero Yuy to be.
Hilde stepped down the coach and gaped at the mammoth
structure in front of her. Lowe Castle was. . . 'huge'
was the first word to come to her mind. But it was more.
. . foreboding. It was made from gray stone and has two wings. Four tall towers
stood imposingly against the ocean-blue sky and the windows were enlarged and a
Palladian-style added. The front door was as impressive as the other parts of
the castle, made from a dark wood, and the stairs to the door was designed with
an artful sweeping style that was both welcoming and aloof at the same time.
Hilde inclined her head sideward. The place had a
definite stateliness about it and yet. . . it still
retained the idea of oppressiveness. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Quatre went to her. "Hilde,"
he said, "Welcome to Lowe Castle. This will be your new home from now
on. We hope you'll like it here." Quatre smiled
while linking his hands with his Mate.
Trowa also smiled faintly. "Judging from the
general silence, I assume Heero is still out on his
morning ride. He'll be here in a moment. We'll have to wait for him. . . as well as Duo." He gestured to the door.
"We can go inside while waiting."
Hilde's brows knitted in worry. "Ummm. . . Lord Barton. . . T-Trowa?" At his approving gaze, she continued,
"Can I stay here to wait for Duo?"
Trowa nodded. "Then by all means, let's wait for
them here."
"Thanks." Hilde smiled gratefully. A
servant suddenly materialized from her side and went to gather her and Duo's
things from the vehicle. Others went to the second carriage for the things Quatre and Trowa brought with
them to Ventei. She turned to her companions to see
the tall cinnamon-haired young man was whistling for his hawk, and the blond
one talking to a middle-aged man.
Quatre smiled at her again when he caught her looking
at him. "Don't worry, Hilde. Otto told me that Heero left hours ago. That means he should be returning any
minute now. As for Duo, well, his thirty minutes is almost up."
"Quatre, I think Heero's
coming now." Trowa said, petting his hawk that
was perched on his arms. //Love, Heavyarms told me
that he saw Heero returning from his ride.// Quatre nodded while Hilde stared at green-eyed man. "But, Trowa. . . how would you know that
Heero is coming?"
"Heard the hoof beats of Wing, his horse. I have a very acute
hearing." He lied readily. Hilde nodded as if
she understood. "Of course. . ." Then she heard the distant hoof
beats, too. From her vantage point, she could make out a silhouette of a lone
rider galloping down the track leading to Lowe Castle. It was her brother's Mate, Heero Yuy.
Heero galloped into the courtyard and drew rein to an
abrupt halt, the wind blowing to tangle in his unruly dark mane and his
Prussian-blue eyes surveying the people before him. Hilde
found that she couldn't take her eyes off the striking figure atop the
snow-white horse. He was beautiful. . . in a sort of
an untamed way. . . Bronze skin, blue eyes, messy hair. . . 'Duo would be
pleased.' Was the first thought, oddly, that came to her mind.
Speaking of her brother. . . she just saw him waving
from behind the bushes to Heero's right -- in
apparent hurry -- and was speaking without any sound, as they use to whenever
times like this happen.
---Ran here as quickly as I could. Is Heero already
there? You're the only one I can see from this range!---
was the sentence Hilde understood from her brother as
he finished moving his lips. She was about to nod when Heero
dismounted from his horse and blocked her view of Duo.
Hilde stared with wide-eyes at the master of Lowe Castle as he strode across the courtyard
towards her. "Heero!" she acknowledged
nervously but determinedly, holding her hand out at the pensive young man as he
stopped in front of her. Heero just looked at her
impassively.
She forced a smile. "It's so good to finally meet you! I'm Hilde, yo---" But she didn't
get to finish her sentence as Heero took her hand and
yanked her towards him, kissing her in front of the people in the courtyard.
Tbc
I told you I'm EVIL.
Oh, yeah. . . Review! Review!
Ja ne!