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Chapter 5

Strangers can meet under very strange circumstances. Whether it is in an abandoned farm or friendly stroll in the forest, people will meet, greet, and create relationships. Fate, whether playing a part or not, is usually to blame. Love can be found, bonds tied, and the walls of unfamiliarity broken. This is what swirled Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy together.

Since his birth, Heero had been an unusually mature child. Even in his infancy, he did not take things lightly. Continuing to stare at reality instead of blindly running through it, he became a calculated man. Duo Maxwell was not that much different from Heero. He had been born into poverty and a ruined home. Dirt, famine, and decay surrounded him like a fog. Still, he overcame all this. After meeting the famed alchemist Edward MacCain, Duo found himself thewielder of a great power,which put money in his pocket and a warm place to live, yet he would never forget. No, he would never forsake the past that had left him a broken child.

Fireworks exploded over the castle walls, teasing the eyes with beauty. Heero watched out of his balcony. Even at five, what the world saw as beautiful he only saw as another distraction. His father, a hardened and distant man, stood next to his son, a calloused hand resting on one petite shoulder. Heero's mother, a beautiful woman, died giving birth. She had laughed, cried, and found heaven at her son's expense. King Yuy had withdrawn, never again to truly feel absolute happiness.

"Son," the noble man started, "tonight is the night that the world changes. We join forces, the kingdom of Iliad and our kingdom, to form a glorious marriage. Together, we shall be unstoppable. And you, my son, shall one day rule over all these lands. On your shoulders lies a heavy burden, but you will, without a doubt, take this kindom to great heights."

Heero just stared up at his father. He heard what the king spoke of, but it would take many years later for him to fully understand each and every word.

Far away, in a darkened alley, sat a young boy with mournful blue eyes. His clothes spoke of the life he had lived, full of sorrow and regret. As villagers passed by they turned their heads away from him, sticking their noses in the air. He, in turn, scurried into a shadowed corner to hide from the hateful glares.A lonely world.

The grass always smelled better when a layer of dew covered everything. As Duo smelled the tangy foliage, another young man was watching him. The braided boy knew he was trespassing, especially when one was trespassing in the king's private grounds, yet he could not stay away. The lush trees and dazzling roses were the forbidden fruit that Duo just had to taste. He knew that it was a crime, that he could be slaughtered right where he knelt, but he could not stop. Something compelled him to stay there.

"You there. What are you doing?"

Duo started. The voice was not commanding, but it held an air of authority. He had been caught and he was ready for whatever punishment awaited him. Until then, he smirked, he would have a little bit of fun.

"Me, good sir? Why, I am just enjoying the warm rays of Yu's sun. Shall you join me? It is quite pleasant here during the hours of dew."

What surprised Duo was not the silence that followed, but the fact that the voice had sat down beside him. As Duo looked over the man, he noticed that he was nobility, if not royalty. His snow-white breeches and shirt and finely washed leather boots were evidence enough. The young man's eyes made Duo shiver. They were cold, almost like the eyes of a picture, lifeless and haunted. For an hour the two sat in the grass, watching the sun hit the tops of the trees, leaving the land vulnerable to its brilliance.

"I am sorry, my lord. Intrusions to the king's sanctuary are strictly forbidden by all peasantry. I-I just could not stop my desires to step on the grass and smell the roses. No harm was meant."

"Quiet. You will ruin the peace."

Duo stopped then. This man was not ordinary. They seemed the same age though, around 9 cycles of the calendar. As he looked closer, he noticed the crest of the combined kingdoms. He knew that at some point, the kingdoms of Iliad and Yuy had joined together to form what was known as the Millenia Alliance. Though still strong, the Alliance had lost some of its influence over the land, leaving its leaders and citizens vulnerable to more raids by the evils that roamed in the shadows.

Duo could not help himself. He gawked at the stoic young boy. How could somebody so young make everyone feel like they were below him? Though Duo had left his shambled life in the gutter, he struggled to forget it. There were just some tragedies, some paths thatcould never be erased from the human mind.

Heero watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. A long braid hung down his back, an unusual hairstyle for men. In fact, though Heero would never tell a soul, he had thought the young man a young girl at first. The other boy's clothes were representative of the middle-class. A midnight blue cloak hung off his shoulders, while a forest green tunic and chinos adorned the rest of his body. These people were alchemists, philosophers, scientists, well-to-do merchants, and other careers of the sort. He was curious to the boy's origins. He was not from the central lands, by that he could tell.

Freedom. How Heero envied the young man. To roam among the lands without much thought or care. That prison, the one masked as a great castle, had kept him there as one under house arrest is kept. Leaving was forbidden unless accompanied by a guard, a weapon was to be brought along at all times, and a notice was to be sent to the king. Well, one out of three was not that bad.

"Perhaps we can help one another," Heero said to the young boy, "I need someone to take me to the nearest village. I am in need of supplies. Could you show me the way?"

Duo seemed to ponder this. To take a prince or noble's son out of the protection of the castle was a great risk. Yet he was compelled.

"Tell me your name and my service shall be yours."

"Heero Yuy."

"My name is Duo Maxwell, good sir."

"Thank you, Duo."

From then on the two had bonded. Not by words so much as actions. If Duo got into any trouble, Heero was there for him and vice versa. The two were inseparable. When Duo finished his apprenticeship for Edward, he immediately came to live with the Yuys as Heero's personal alchemist. Though the world changed, their friendship stayed strong through and through.

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