Disclaimer: Here we go again! Gundam Wing and its wonderful bishounens are not mine. If they were, I'd be the happiest girl alive.



Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi. 1x2, 3x4, 5+H, 6x9, magic, ghosts, and a kind of OOC Heero, ne? He's still showing a lot of emotions, even though they're being kept under tight control (Especially last chapter, I think).



Feedbacks: Very much welcomed! Please review!!



'Thoughts'

"Words"

//Telepathy//

. . .

Chapter Five: First Night (Part One)

. . .

Duo followed Trowa across the entrance hall where he and Hilde stayed earlier for a while, with him telling his surrogate sister to stay there. . . lest her temper might burst again. The walls of Lowe Castle towered over him, magnificent but barren of any warmth of its inhabitants. They had been walking for a while now, and had ascended a perpendicular stair that swept up to the next floor with supporting posts of finely carved mahogany banisters. But still, there's no presence of other people.


"Where's everybody? The castle's too big. . . I haven't seen anyone even when we're downstairs!" Duo commented, looking around again.


Trowa's lips lifted in a small sad smile. "Actually, Heero is the only person living here. With the servants, of course. Quatre and I came here three days before we went to Ventei."


"So he's alone here?" Duo felt a pang of sympathy, but shrugged it off. "Heh, must be the reason why he's so snotty."


Trowa just smirked. They continued to walk until Trowa halted before a formidable oak door. "Heero's inside the library there."


Duo nodded. "Right."


Trowa smirked again and knocked on the door.


It was funny how the door just opened without Heero asking who was knocking. Duo shook his head at his thoughts and took a deep breath. 'Let's do this!' Trowa went inside, and Duo followed.


The room was magnificent. It was a big room with frescoed ceiling. Two walls were lined with hardbound books on every subject from art, architecture, literature and mathematics. In front of the oak door was a wall with two floor-to-ceiling windows on both side and a huge fireplace in the middle. Overstuffed chairs were arranged adjacent to the hearth, and a huge desk placed on one corner of the room.


That was where he stood, staring at him. Duo had almost managed to forget what a daunting sight his Mate was with his thick mane of unruly brown hair and hard, unsmiling Prussian-blue eyes. 'But also beautiful. . .'


If Quatre had not greeted him, Duo feared those thoughts would have lingered in his mind. It was Quatre who stood up and smiled dazzlingly at him. "Hi, Duo!"


Duo grinned widely, trying to ignore his Mate. "Yo, Quat."


Heero cleared his throat from his corner of the room.


Qutre smiled at the whirl of emotions inside the room. He was pretty sure Duo's smile was a cover-up for his nervousness, and Heero was somewhat irked that he was being disregarded. "Yes, Heero?" he asked sweetly.


Trowa coughed to cover his laugh.


Heero glared at them. "Didn't you say that you have something to do?"


//Knowing Heero, he wanted to get this over with immediately.// Trowa told his Mate. Quatre just nodded and latched his arms to those of the taller youth's. "Right, Heero! We'll leave Duo in your capable hands!" Then he pulled his Mate towards the door. .


Duo's mouth dropped open. "H-huh? Do you have to?" he whined.


Quatre patted Duo's shoulder on his way to the door. "Don't be nervous! Heero's bark is worse than his bite." Quatre whispered brightly.


Duo's face looked as if he was about to be hanged.


Trowa and Quatre exited the suddenly silent room. On the way to their room, Trowa pointed out something to his Mate. "Love, Heero doesn't bark. He snarls then bites."


Quatre just sighed.


. . .


Back at the library, the silence of the room was eating Duo up. Heero was still staring at him, while he kept his attention at the illustration painted on the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. 'Hell, why am I so worked up? Hah! I should be angry with him for harassing my sister!' Coming up with that conclusion, he at last looked at his Mate with narrowed eyes. . .


. . . but started when he saw Heero's face inches from his. "What the---"


"Hn. It's definitely amethyst." Heero said, retreating back a little.


Duo blinked. "What are you talking about?" he asked breathlessly. A strange sensation assaulted his being, and his heart was beating way too fast for his own comfort. Heero had been so close, dominating his line of sight. It was hard not to notice the hint of sun-bronzed skin at the open neckline of his black coat, the powerful cords of his throat, and the way his thick lashes cast a shadow over his cheekbones.


"Your eyes. It is definitely amethyst colored." Heero crossed his arms. He glared at Duo, then he strode to the hearth and paced.


Duo shook his head and snapped, "Well, sorry for being human!"


Heero brow lifted. He halted and looked at Duo calculatingly. "Look, it's obvious that I want you out of here and you want to go. Why don't you? Return my marriage settlement and we'll call it quits."


At that very moment, Duo would have liked nothing better than to fling every penny back into his hard, arrogant face. His pride rose like a lump in his throat, but he swallowed it. "I-I cannot return your money. It's been spent."


"What!?" His fierce look of incredulity made Duo flinch. "How could you--- Never mind. Don't trouble yourself to answer." Heero shook his head in disgust. "I should have known. Desperate people like you who are ready to settle with a stranger---" Heero was cut off as a fist connected with his jaw. He glared at the braided young man standing in front of him.


But Duo was enraged. "How dare you assume what I am like! You don't know anything about me, you bastard!" Duo growled, his violet eyes turbulent. "That was for assuming something that you don't know about me AND for molesting my sister!"


Heero snorted. "Hn. I only kissed the woman, not raped her."


Duo blushed, remembering his own response at the said kiss. Repeating to himself that Heero was the enemy, he lifted his chin. "I shall see that your money is returned to you, MY LORD. Even if I have to work to do it." he said, putting an acerbic emphasis at the words 'My Lord' to mock Heero.


"Shut up. You know as well as I do that you are not going anywhere." Duo looked straight at Heero at that, and he saw the same despair that he felt in those cold blue eyes. Oh, yeah. They're both trapped in this engagement.


Duo tussled with his pride once more, then conceded. "Fine. We must go through this marriage. Honor constrains us both."


"Honor?" Heero snorted once again. "There are far more powerful forces in a man's life than honor."


"Such as?"


"Fate."


Duo frowned at the cryptic remark, but before he could question it, Heero went on, "We just have to learn make the best out of this bargain."


"What a lovely way of putting it." Duo replied sarcastically.


Heero glared at him. "We will get along better if you would stop being a pain in the neck."


"Oh, so now I'm a pain?"


Duo expected a retort, but he got a smile instead. "Yes, you are." Heero said. "You've been causing me pain even before we met."


Despite the accusation, Duo caught a glimmer of humor in those blue depths. Strangely, it heartened him a little. "That's what I don't understand!" he said, ignoring the unbidden feeling. "Why was Quatre so sure that I would suit you?"


Heero gave a long suffering sigh and nodded solemnly. "Quatre is noted for his wisdom in these matters."


"Hah!" Duo exclaimed, "Matchmaking matters, that's what it is!"


One side of Heero's lips lifted, then he straightened. In a brisker tone, he asked, "Do you know how to ride horses?"


The abrupt change of subject disconcerted Duo, but he answered anyway. "No."


Heero scowled. "Not at all?"


Duo scowled as well. "HEY, BUDDY! This is Duo Maxwell you're speaking with! I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie!"


"Hn." Heero's fingers strayed involuntarily up on the pale scar in his right temple. "Come here then," he said after a while, "Let's have another look at you."


Duo's brow creased but he obeyed and came closer, his only retort was "What? You already know that my eyes are colored violet!"


"Hn. What's with this long hair?" Heero asked, holding Duo's braid in his hand.


Duo actually growled, furious that someone would dare such audacity. "Don't touch my hair!" he snapped as he regained his braid from Heero. Pissed off that the other doesn't look the least perturbed, he countered, "How about you? What's with that scar on your head?!" he asked slyly, pointing at the scar.


Heero's eyes simply turned blank. "None of your business." He whispered coldly, then he returned to his criticism of Duo. "You're quite small. And too skinny. And male, too." Heero nodded to himself. "This will end the line of the Yuys. And will start that of the Merquises."


"And I supposed you wished that your Mate should have been my sister and not me to continue your line?" Duo sneered, his eyes flaring at the idea. The peculiar thing was, he didn't know if he was irate because of the idea of his sister being married to this horrible person. . . or because of the other idea of her being Heero's Mate, not Duo.


"I am not implying that." Heero retorted. "Why do you keep on returning to that incident? I will apologize---" But not for a while, Heero thought, "--- to your sister, so forget it."


"Damn wrong I would! If you're going to be my Mate, then you can't pounce on every wench that you lusted for in my presence!" Duo scowled.


"Is that a complaint?"


"No, its not!"


"It sounds remarkably like one." Heero pointed out exasperatedly.


But Duo won't be able to rest until he won the argument. "And I'm supposed to be your Mate, not my sister! Damn you for kissing her in front of me!"


"Fine! Allow me to remedy that." As Heero started toward him, Duo realized too late that he had goaded the blue-eyed youth too far. With a gasp of alarm Duo whisked himself out of Heero's reach, but was too late because his hands had already closed over Duo's shoulders. Heero wrenched him around to face him.


"Lemme go!" Duo cried, his heart thundering in his chest. He flung both arms to ward him off, but Heero was much stronger than he expected. Within seconds, his wrists were held fast in grips of iron hands.


"No, I won't." Heero murmured. Then he lowered his head and clamped down on Duo's opened lips. Hot, hard, and ruthless. Crushed against the wall of Heero's chest, he couldn't think. . . couldn't even breath. He could only surrender to a possession that was altogether terrifying and passionate. He whimpered, partly a plea to stop and partly an urging of a darker longing for more. Still the kiss went on, consuming him to the depths of his soul.


When Heero's mouth released his, Duo felt his knees threatened to buckle. Now he understood why Hilde had that glassy look in her eyes after having been kissed by Heero. He could actually still feel the taste of those red lips in his. . . On the other hand, Heero's dark eyes glinted down at Duo, his breathing coming short and quick. "Still complaining?" he asked, his tone back to its monotonous tune.


Duo numbly shook his head. "I---"


Heero looked at him expressionlessly after stalking toward the hearth.


"I---" Duo started, "---have to go. . ."


And he was gone in an instant.


Heero stayed, looking blankly outside the window.





Tbc. . .


Hello! I want to thank those who reviewed, especially those who sympathized with my plight. Yeah, school is a pain in the neck. . . but a necessary pain, unfortunately.


Anou, don't kill me for cutting this chapter into two! I had to do it. . . I have so many things to do this weekend and I just finished typing the first half. Tomorrow, I have to draw a comic strip for a project in one of my language courses, then study for ANOTHER Accounting Quiz. Geez, life really sucks, ne?!


Wish me luck!! Believe me, I need all the luck I can get. @_@


Promise to update earlier if you review! As it is, I'm already starting the next chapter.


REMEMBER TO REVIEW!!