Hopefull this time I can skip the lengthy intro, ne?

Thanks, once more, to GundamPilot03 - you're great!

Chapter Two - Bird's Eye View

Trowa turned to leave, he now knew what he had to do.

ooooooo

"I have always wondered, Duo, what do you do in your time away?"

"Aw Kat, I dunno, I just wander. I try to meet people, form relationships...it just never works out. It almost seems we were meant for a different, less harsh world, ya know?"

'How perfect for my cause,' Trowa smirked, he was leaning against the siding of the white house, eavesdropping in through the cracked window. Quatre smiled over at his friend, "I think I know what you mean." A light breeze blew in from the window, fluttering the pale yellow curtains.

"Guess I better shut that." Quatre got up to close the window, a moment of panic running through Trowa's veins. The blond boy would have sworn he heard a noise in the brush as he reached the window sill. He cautiously peered out, but saw nothing but a brown bird perched on the edge of the shrub outside of the house.

"Hey there, little fella! Duo, come look at how close this bird lets me get to it!" Duo trodded over and stood next to his friend, awe and envy clearly written on his face as he stated, "That's not fair, man, they -never- do that to me!"

Quatre held out a finger, and to his delight, the brown bird happily placed his tiny feet on the other's apricot skin. The boy slowly moved his finger inside of the window, "Look, Duo! This is wonderful! Do you think I should name him?"

"Don't name him unless you don't mind being attached to him."

"No worries, Duo. I think I should call him something that is appropriate with his color. See how his feathers are light brown with dark brown specks? His eyes are also the most brilliant of green. He is so beautiful."

'He is so beautiful, he is so beautiful, he is so beautiful,' resounded in a certain mind over and over again. 'I wish he were to say that to -me-.'

Duo rolled his eyes, his case was lost, he would have to share his room with a bird. "You know what, Quatre? If you weren't my brother, I would think you were an alien or soemthin'. All these animals seem to just love you for no apparent reason. -THAT- is why Mom let -you- have the dog when we were five!"

"Oh, Duo! Are you still upset over that darned dog? It ran away anyway!" A twinge of guilt filled the long-haired brother. "Speaking of that dog, I have been meaning to tell you what -did- happen to it." Quatre gave a look to his brother, "Oh, so it didn't run away, did it?"

"Not exactly."

"I figured."

"What?"

"I'm not dumb, the neighbor 'just happened' to find a dog that looked exactly like the one we had."

"Yeah...but I was five!"

"As was I, NOW, help me name him!" Duo sighed, "Fine, how about chocolate?"

"Too over-used."

"Mousse?"

"No."

"Chocolate Chip?"

"Nah."

"Raisin?"

"Are you hungry, Duo?"

"A little. How about Baci?"

"Hm, I like that one, what is it?"

"Italian chocolate,"

"DUO!"

"It also means 'kisses' in Italian."

"Hm, so the best of all worlds. It describes his appearance, curbs you appetite for chocolate, and he can have the nickname 'kisses'!"

Duo shrugged, "Sounds good to me! Now that that is over with, let us onto bigger matters; what to eat for supper!" The braided haired boy's stomach let out an agreeing growl. Quatre chuckled and set the bird back outside on the branch, deciding to leave his window open in case he wished to come back inside. As the two boys left, more rattling came from the shrubbery and Trowa slowly slid the window open, just wide enough for his slim, lithe form to fit through.

'NOW I can begin what I came here to do," he said, a smile apparent on his lips.

ooooooo

Hours later, the two men returned, happily chatting about whatever came to mind. Quatre unlocked his door and flipped on the lightswitch, only to jump back in surprise. "D-Duo, come here!" he screamed at the man who was a few steps behind him. Duo ran up to him, and pushed his younger brother behind him, "YOU! What are you doing in our house?"

"Merely sitting, is that such a crime?"

Duo glared at the figure, "Last time I checked, breaking and entering was against the law!"

"I broke nothing, and you are entering this house, so are you not breaking the law also?"

"Okay wise-ass, how did you get in?"

"The window."

"It was cracked only so a bird could fit through, and noone would be able to tell it was open from the road!" Quatre butted in.

The man on the couch gazed at the blond with fondess in his eyes, "Ah, the sound of your voice..." A blush immiediately set in on Quatre's face, and the man's lust towards his brother apparently angered Duo. "Alright you son of a jackal, you can quietly leave me and my bro here, or I am going to have to mess you up."

'Perfect,' thought the other, slowly rising.

"Fine, I will strike you a deal!"

Duo raised an eyebrow, he had always been willing to listen to a bargain.

"Firstly, my name is Trowa, however I have just recently been given a different nickname I reserve only for friends. I have a bet that I believe would interest you my young lad. If I lose the fight, I will leave you both be. However, if I win..." the tall man paused in his sentence, "I will take you to another world with me, and you will go willingly."

Duo thought this over and weighed his odds, before looking back at his brother, "Other than this guy being a nut case, I think I can take him. You okay with the terms, Kat?"

Quatre nodded, patting his brother on the back for support. "Go get 'em." Duo shook the other man's hand, feeling a slight burning sensation in his palm from doing so. He disliked the others smile as he pulled out a piece of parchment with the terms written on it, Duo's palm print etched into the paper. "This is your seal of agreement, so if you lose, you are now both mine."

Duo gazed in awe at the parchment, he had no idea how the man had done that, he gazed at his hand and became even more bewildered. The prints on his palm had vanished from his hand! Angered, Duo roared, "Alright ass wipe, let's do this."

Duo got in a fighting stance, his adrenaline pumping. The other man merely stood there, eying his soon to be possession. Duo lunged forward at the banged man, swinging a wild fist towards his face. In a flash, Trowa reached up and caught Duo's hand, twisting it behind his back, making him lower to the ground in pain. Trowa leaned in so that only the braided boy could hear him, "Give up now and I will not break your arm."

"No!"

Duo suddenly un-twisted himself and swung out a leg from underneath him, tripping the taller man. Trowa smiled to himself, 'fiesty, I like it.' The man grabbed Duo's ankles and brought him to the ground, this time flipping him onto his stomach and grabbing both wrists, twisting them and hearing Duo let out a groan of agony. "I win, admit it." Duo gave in silently, and the man smiled and got off of him. "Now, both of you have to willingly come to my world and must not complain, lest I'll have to kill you." Duo got up, rubbing his arm and glaring at the other man in both disbelief and venom. Trowa marched out of the door and the other two followed him. He led them to a strong oak and closed his eyes, concentrating on the tree's inner soul. "It will take us, now join your hands with me." Duo grabbed Quatre's, and Quatre grabbed the other man's. In a flash of light, three colors formed around the men and then slowly faded, it hadn't felt as if they'd moved at all. Quatre was a bit blinded, for the brightest of yellow lights had formed around him and then had suddenly vanished, now being replaced with darkness. Duo helped his brother up, and they looked around in wonderment at their surroundings, they were in a deep forest.

"Come, the walk to the tavern is not much, but if you are tired from the journey, I understand. It was your first time after all, but I assure you, it will not be your last."

Quatre sat down on the roots of a tall tree, they felt as though they were tucking him in. He laid down comfortably and then looked up at the green-eyed man, who was staring right back at him. Trowa bent down next to the boy and extended his hand, "We never properly met, and I do hope that one day you may call me your friend." Quatre smiled at the man, "I do hope so also." Duo merely scoffed, his brother was so gullable! The braided boy walked to the other side of the tree and lay on the grass, willing sleep to come. He could hear the other two chatting on the other side, and secretly hoped he could somehow escape with his brother in the morn.

Trowa smiled at the blond man he sat beside, "Your brother is now asleep, I can sense it. I am sorry that I took you from your home, but we need you both here."

"For what reason?"

"That you will find in time, young one." Quatre sensed a good feeling from this man, and as much as he felt like resenting him for taking him from his home, he found that he could not. Instead, he wished to learn more about the man, and hopefully, in time, become his comrade.

"So, what was the nickname you told us was merely for friends?" questioned Quatre timidly.

"It was Baci."

ooooooo

To Be Continued...

Don't you love me? -cheesy smile-

MinakoChan

(M-Chan)