Disclaimer: Blah, blah, fishcakes. Err, I mean, standard disclaimers apply.

Finally. The end is near. Stupid I was supposed to finish this fic by next week but I was delayed! Gah! (fumes) Btw, Dentelle-noir has my story in her favorites! Wai! (I am NOT a stalker, darn it!)

Out of the Sea

By Ninetails

Chapter 10

We have all convened to witness the Bonding of Vanyel and Quatre under the Light as one being, one life, one soul. Before this holiest of rituals commences, whosoever in this crowd knows of any reason for these two to not be Bonded, speak, or the right may be lost for all eternity.


It was the day before the ceremony. Quatre stroked the smooth fabric of his clothes where it hung and wondered what the morrow would bring. There was nothing left for him to do. Between Quaterina and the servant, Noin, everything had been taken out of his hands. There was nothing left for him to do but wait.

He realized that it was one of the only times he had been alone since entering the castle. Vanyel was being fitted for his own ceremonial clothes, else he was sure the marquis would be with him. Vanyel had been his constant companion for the past several days.

He wandered the castle, seeing all the places where Heero had played as a child. This was home to his friend and, after tomorrow, could never be for himself. From the looks of things, it would, however, be home to Duo.

Duo.

He had seen the boy at every turn he had made the last few days, but always, there had been others around, and before he could speak to him, Duo would have disappeared again. Quatre felt convinced, though, that Duo always looked as though he was about to speak, or at least try to. Does he want to see me about something? Quatre wondered. If he did, he obviously didn't want others to be around when he approached him. If he's going to be bonded to Heero, maybe he's just curious about me, or worried that I'm competition. Quatre snorted to himself. There was little worry about the last. With Duo around, Heero hadn't even given him a second glance. So much for friendship. He sighed. At least he knew that Heero wasn't in love with him. That made it a little easier to be bonded with Vanyel, knowing that he never could have had Heero's heart.

Still, there was one who did love him, or claimed to, at any rate. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Trowa. Where had the guards taken him? He felt sorry for the man. From him, his thoughts returned to Duo. The two seemed so alike, somehow. It was more than just their startling physical attributes, so similar to his own. It just seemed strange that one was blind and the other mute.

On one of the few occasions that he had seen Duo, he had observed the boy trying to speak. That was not the action of someone mute from birth. Trowa had also claimed that his blindness had come on suddenly, within twenty-four hours of their meeting. Our official meeting at any rate, he thought, remembering the man's claim to have seen him the day before they met while he was swimming for shore.

He stopped, noting one of the finer tapestries in the corridor he was walking. It was a picture of the ocean with a mermaid sitting on a rock in the middle of it. Young men were sailing their ship toward her. Mermaid as temptress. It was an interesting story. He sighed and continued on his walk.

He heard a footstep behind him in the hall and he turned. Duo darted up to him swiftly, his enormous violet eyes bright and relieved. Before Quatre could say a word, Duo took him by the hand and motioned for him to follow. His curiosity piqued, Quatre went along.

Duo moved silently, his steps inaudible on the floor. Quatre's own footfalls were thunderous by comparison. Duo finally turned to him and placed a finger over his lips, signaling for Quatre to be quiet. Quatre nodded in understanding.

Duo moved through the corridors wraith-like, as though he had been haunting them all his life. His head bobbed from side to side, his braid swung tantalizingly against his back, as if he was listening for something, or someone. He was in his customary black; the only time Quatre saw him dressed in another color was the night of the banquet when he had his emerald shirt on. His choice of clothing made his image that more mysterious.

A chill danced up Quatre's spine. Wherever Duo was taking him, it was clear he didn't want anyone else to discover them. For a brief moment Quatre thought the other boy was luring him somewhere to kill him so he would have no competition. The thought was a silly one, though, and Quatre banished it with a slight shake of his head. Not only did the other boy have nothing to fear from him, but Quatre couldn't believe that anyone with such innocent, albeit mischievous, eyes was capable of violence.

They turned down a last corridor and then began descending a flight of stairs. Down they went, farther and farther into the bowels of the castle. Torches lit the way every few feet. Duo glanced back frequently to make sure that he was still following.

Amidst the dark and gloom of the flight, Duo's dark clothing blended well with the shadows and for a startling moment, Quatre saw him as a disembodied pale head. His eyes widened, and he blinked. No time for an overactive imagination.

At last they reached the bottom. Empty cells stood on either side of them. The dungeon, he realized. The place sent cold shivers of dread up Quatre's spine. Still, he forced his feet to keep moving. At the very end of the row of cells, Duo stopped.

Quatre joined him slowly and peered in. Trowa! His skin stood out in sharp contrast to the darkness around him. He came to the front and extended a hand out through the bars, groping blindly. Nervously, Quatre took it. Duo nodded slightly, giving him a cheeky grin and wink, and then moved away, giving them privacy.

"Quatre?" he said.

"Yes."

"It seems you've met my brother," Trowa noted.

"Yes," Quatre said, at a loss for what else to say.

"Are you all right?" he questioned, the worry in his voice tugging at Quatre's heart.

"Yes. Do you know where you are?"

Trowa laughed sharply, the sound tugging painfully at Quatre's heart. "Well, Duo hasn't had a lot to say."

Quatre winced at that. "Sorry."

"Don't trouble yourself over it."

"You're in a dungeon. They say you've attacked people in the neighboring towns."

He shook his head. "That's not true. I hope you don't believe that."

He shook his head, frustrated. "I don't know what to believe, to be honest."

"Believe that I love you."

A lump rose in his throat, and he couldn't speak for a moment. His world seemed upside down.

"Quatre, are you all right?"

Quatre looked deeply into his eyes, once again caught by the breathtaking emeralds that tried vainly to see him. Emotion swelled in his heart, and he longed to tell this person everything.

"No," he answered shakily. "Everything is all wrong. A week ago I had a simple life, just my parents, a close friend I might have loved, and me. Now there is just too much."

"What's too much?" Trowa asked soothingly.

"You and Vanyel."

"Who is Vanyel?"

"Vanyel is a marquis, and… and the one I am intended to bond. I only met him the day I met you, and yet we are having the Ceremony tomorrow morning."

No!" Trowa shouted, throwing his whole body against the bars. "You cannot!"

Frightened at the intensity of his rage, Quatre jumped away, dropping the hand that clutched convulsively around his own. "There is nothing I can do," he protested weakly.

"There is everything you can do. You are royalty. It is within your power to change this. You alone have the right to say who you will bond with."

The expression on Trowa's handsome face was fierce, and it frightened him. He took another step backward. "Royalty? How can that be?"

"You are! You must see that, you must remember!"

"I must do nothing more than what I am told," Quatre answered with an edge to his voice. He backed into a cell door and barely muffled a loud gasp as the cold metal dug into his flesh. "I – I must go," he said breathlessly, suppressing the convulsions that threatened to wrack his body. He turned and headed back toward the stairs.

"You need to remember who you are, Raberba!" Trowa shouted after him. "Return to the ocean and you will find yourself!"

Quatre tripped on the stairs, falling to his knees with a painful thud. He huddled for a moment, trying to calm his palpitating heart and easing the pain of his fall, before struggling back to his feet. He was relieved that Duo seemed to have disappeared.

With Trowa's words echoing in his mind, he fled the castle. Startled servants marked his passage but did not try to stop him. Once free of the castle walls, he headed for the ocean.

Who am I? what did Trowa mean that I was of royalty and that the ocean would help me find myself? Where do I come from? A thousand questions collided in his head, crashing like the waves upon the shore.

He slowed only when he reached the sand. Blood was roaring in his ears to match the pounding of the surf. He stopped at the water's edge and stared out at the blue-green of the water, seeming to match the light in his eyes. "Who am I?" he asked the seas.

The ocean was silent.

"Who am I?" he asked himself. He had been asking the question all of his life, but he had always been too afraid to hear the answer. Now he needed to know, no matter what the answer.

"I'm not human," he whispered to himself. It was more than physical appearance; there had always been something deep inside him that told him he didn't belong. Quaterina and Rashid knew, too; they had just never been able to admit it to him.

"If not human, then what?" he asked softly.

He had always felt pity for the fish that Rashid caught, though he had never had any such pity for the beasts of the land that the men also ate. His father had pulled him from the ocean during a storm. Trowa had been in the water when the boat that he and Heero were in had sunk. He had found Trowa sitting here beside the ocean. And something, or someone, had tried very hard to make sure that he would never step foot in the water.

It could not all be coincidence; it could all only mean one thing: He had come from the ocean. Therefore, to the ocean he would need to return to discover the truth. Maybe all those years spent sitting and staring at the ocean he had actually been searching for answers. They weren't to be found on the shore, though, he knew that now.

He folded the cuff of his trousers until they were just above his knees. Nervously grasping the pearl around his neck, he stepped into the water, taking several quick steps until he was standing in it knee-deep. "I want to know who I really am. I want to be who I really am!" he shouted.

His legs gave way beneath him, and he crashed down into the water, his trousers making alarming tearing noises. He watched in stunned horror as the part of his legs that was exposed began to grow together and silvery scales began to cover them. He started heaving great gulps of air, lungs struggling amidst the strangely foreign breeze. Pain and fear ripped through him and he scrambled backward, finally throwing himself up onto the sand. "I take it back!" he screamed. "I want to be a human!"

The pain ceased, and he lay still for a moment, too frightened to look down. At last he struggled to a sitting position. His two legs, framed by his rather torn trousers, were back as they had been: pale, gangly, and covered in human skin.

He bit his lip to keep the sob from coming out. He knew who he was. Years of searching and questioning were over. After all that seeking, he finally had the answer, but he lacked the strength to act upon it. I am too much a coward to actually be that which I know I am, he realized sadly.


The sun was beginning to set when he made his way, limping, back to the castle. The whole place seemed to be in an uproar, with servants and guards running about frantically. Something was wrong.

Noin was hurrying by, and Quatre caught her arm. The servant spun, startled, then hastily curtsied.

"What has happened here?"

"Someone has tried to poison the king."

"What! Who?"

"A man who was a prisoner in the dungeon. Someone helped him escape."

Quatre's blood ran cold. Trowa had been the only prisoner in the dungeon. Duo must have been the one to help him escape. "Does the king live?"

"Only with the Light's blessing."

Quatre released Noin's arm, and the woman rushed on her way.

"Quatre!"

He jumped at the sound of that voice and whirled toward the speaker.

It was Heero. His face was as dark as a thundercloud. "Come with me," he ordered, barely slowing as he passed him. His heart beating wildly, he turned to hurry behind him. Thoughts tumbled together in his head. Maybe Heero had heard about his dealings with Trowa and Duo. Maybe he thought that he had had some part in the attempt on his father's life.

He tried to calm himself. It was useless to conjecture; it would only serve to terrify him and nothing else. He just kept moving, stumbling along behind on legs that felt even more alien to him than they had just hours before. At last they stopped, and Quatre gasped when he saw where they were.

They were in the throne room. Quatre had never been there before, but it was impossible to mistake. At one end of the room on a raised dais were two magnificent chairs the likes of which he had never seen. Guards and servants stood at every door.

"Everyone out and shut the doors!" Heero thundered.

Everyone hastened to comply with his cold tone and when the last door slammed closed, Quatre and Heero were all alone. Finally he stood for a moment, every inch of his compact frame quivering.

At last he turned to him. "You have heard what has happened."

It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Quatre answered, his mouth dry.

He stood staring at him for a long minute, cobalt eyes intent, and Quatre grew increasingly nervous. He finally realized, though, that his prince was staring through him rather than at him.

Slowly Heero stopped shaking, and it was as though Quatre could physically see the fight leaving his body. He collapsed in the middle of the floor and buried his head in his hands.

Quatre sank down next to him, unsure how to help. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Heero tensed for a moment, and then slumped again. His body began to shudder, and Quatre sat quietly with him, waiting for him to speak first.

At last Heero lifted his head and looked at him. "My father almost died today."

"I know," Quatre whispered.

"I should have seen this coming. I've been so blind, though, so befuddled, I haven't been paying attention to the things I should have been paying attention to." He looked at him and smiled grimly. "Or the people, either."

A strange quirk entered his heart at his friend's expression. "Everyone understands," he whispered.

"I don't care about everyone. I care about you. I've let you down, I know that."

"No, you haven't," he denied.

"Don't lie to me, Quatre," he said, taking his hand. "No lies between us, remember?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

"I have been a terrible judge of character, lately. I haven't been myself since that day I hit my head on the boat."

"You've just been preoccupied."

"And the more shame on me for it," Heero answered, wincing.

He waited for him to continue. He sat quietly for a moment, but Quatre could see from the flashing of his eyes and the tightening of his jaw that there was a storm raging inside.

"A few days ago the guards captured a criminal, a murderer. He had done things – terrible things that you shouldn't have to hear about. He has been down in the dungeon. This afternoon he escaped. He tried to poison my father. He got away. The guards are searching for him as we speak."

Quatre began to shake uncontrollably. "Are you certain this man did the things he has been accused of?"

Heero nodded grimly. "And now, this. There's more… " He hesitated.

Dread filled him. "What is it, Heero? I beg you, tell me."

Heero looked at him, and his beautiful eyes were filled with tenderness. "He wounded Sir Vanyel before he escaped. Don't fear, though, he will be all right. He's a good man and I have judged him unfairly." He gritted his teeth. "He's my better in many ways. He had the good sense to see at a glance what it took me years to figure out."

Quatre stared deeply into his eyes and felt himself begin to tremble inside. What was that strange glimmer in his eye? For a wild moment he thought Heero was going to kiss him. "What about Duo?" he whispered.

"Duo." Heero's voice took on the hard edge again, and it chilled him to the bone. "It seems that Duo is the one who helped him escape. It turns out that he is the murderer's brother. I was a fool."

"Maybe you're judging him too harshly. Maybe his brother was falsely accused," Quatre protested too quickly.

"No hope of that, I'm afraid. A witness has come forth who positively identified the criminal yesterday."

Quatre felt as though the world were crashing around him. Trowa was a murderer and Duo his accomplice. Had they been trying to use him in some way in their plan to kill the king? He felt as though he was going to be sick.

"Quatre, I don't want you to worry yourself about any of this now," Heero told him softly, again speaking in a gentle voice.

"Why?" he questioned through the fog that clouded his mind. Quatre was suddenly very thankful for his familiar presence.

"You have more important things to be worrying about right now."

Heero stood up and held out his hands to him. He clasped them, and Heero pulled him to his feet. He held his hands for a moment and stared down at them. He ran his thumbs lightly over the backs of them before lifting his eyes to stare into his.

"Quatre, I really do wish you and Vanyel the best of luck. I know you'll be very happy together. Don't worry about the things I've told you. I just want you to relax and enjoy the bonding ceremony tomorrow."

Solemnly, he leaned forward and kissed Quatre's cheek. Then he released his hands and turned on his heel, striding quickly from the room. As the door slammed shut behind him, Quatre fell to his knees and felt hot tears slip down his cheeks.

TBC


Author's Notes:

"How'd he do that!" you ask? Well… we'll see in the next chappie! (winks)

Gah, writing about an all-male cast is pretty troublesome! I hope I didn't get anyone too confused with all the pronouns. Oh, and if I made Quatre too girly again, just say so. (n.n)

FINALLY! My self-inflicted torment, err, I mean, this fic is finally almost over. My last attempt at a Gundam Wing fanfiction draws nearer to its closure and I am uberly ecstatic to work on the last two chapters. Whee!

I have a sneaking suspicion that I quoted Sophie's World here. Creepy.


Replies to Reviews (Chapter 9): There was a party last night (not mine!) so cakes for everyone!

Pezzidge Ehehehe, I'm gonna answer your mail here, 'kay? Gomen… Server's too slooooow. Here's the full version of the next installment. Hope you like! Oooh, you just HAVE to post your GW and HP fics! I don't guarantee that I'll be able to read them (dorm life sucks) but just share it with everyone so you'll be appreciated. Full-sized bath tub? WOW. (looks in awe at you) That's A LOT! I love Disnye-related stuff too! But since my most fave Disney fairytale (and my most fave fairy tale, really) is The Little Mermaid, here's my adaptation. Thanks for liking it! (huggles)

Mikki Amboree … I AM OLD! (pouts) Waaah! … Boyfriend? 19? Lucky girl.. (starts sobbing again) Aww, gomen for bitching about my age last chappie. It's just that my best friend turned 19 this May and I was teasing her about it and now that June's finally here, well, I guess it's just karma. Gah. Aww… sorry about Vanyel. I wanna kick him too. Hard. In some unmentionable place of his anatomy. But that's just me. Oh well. Hope you liked this chappie! (huggles)

Pandora-chan (cowers in fear) GOMEN NASAI! HONTOU NI GOMEN NASAI! I hope this chappie makes up for those two (now three) weeks! It's all fault! Really! Although Trowa's in this chappie and a little bit more is revealed, I'm sorry for the lack of 1x2. Maybe next chappie? Or at the end? (tries to hide under chair but her butt's too big) Ne, ne, read your profile. Where's "Carnivale!"? I'm interested in it so go post it already! Or give me spoilers… (puppy-dog eyes) Hehe.. Gomen for acting like a little kid but I was teasing my best friend for turning 19 last month and the thought of turning 19 too entered my puny brain so… (T.T) Btw, thanks for the review! (huggles)

Amy Hirosaki Um… Well, I hope this chappie answered most of your questions. Can't give too much away now, ne? (winks) After all, the end is near. So, keep your cool. (tries to revive fainted Amy with threats of bonking head on nearby wall… and GW Boys plushies) The long wait is almost over. Ehehehe, it's ok with your translation. I was a bit confused and, gomen, but I still am. Is "Peep's Profiles" a book or something? Maybe a fic? Waaah! Gomen! My brain ain't working right! I'm glad you understand my English… (huggles you) Thanks for the review!

No one Mou! (pouts) I huggle you all the time! Well, most of the time… Ehehehe… Ooooh, interesting idea! But no, turning them into mermaids (even though they can't breathe underwater) would kinda insult the merfolk race, don't you think? (snickers) But dropping them in shark-infested waters is tempting. Too tempting. Ehehehe.. Thanks for the review! (huggles you extra hard)

GundamPilot03 Hehe, here it is, the full version of chappie 10! Hope you like! Erm, so sorry for the Trowa torture! (even though it's just emotional and not at all physical. Really.) Ooooohhh, goodie bag! (hastily rips the bag open and inhales the contents) Ne, I really wasn't hospitalized, I just took care of my cousins who were the ones hospitalized. Sorry if you thought otherwise. But it was really the same; the food sucks, even the one on the hospital cafeteria (the shops there were a "Candy Corner," a "Smokey's" – I really don't like hot dogs, a "Delifrance" – too costly; it's only bread, darn it, and of course, hospital food. Gah. No escape for me. Oh, and they're ok now, they just have random bouts of yucky coughing so… Hmmm… don't use the mallet yet! (tries to cover up Vanyel with a flimsy piece of hanky) He's still needed… Although you could poke him with the spikes for a bit. (evil laughter) Hehe, gomen about that age rant. I was teasing my best friend when she turned 19 last month and, well, it got to me. Gah. Ooooh, you just graduated? CONGRATULATIONS! (huggles) Lucky you! I'm gonna be in my 2nd year of college (and my best friend's in her 3rd year already! Why? I transferred so… yeah. I'm SO envious!) Ehrm, yeah, this'll be my last fic. College life sucks, especially mine. Oh well. Gotta finish this and eat too. Ja and thanks for the review!

Shadow fat Know what? I'm Pinoy too! Hehe, I'm glad someone in this country (besides my immediate click of yaoi fangirl friends) still love GW yaoi! Eeek! Don't stalk me! I'm just a nobody, really! Besides, I'll soon be ensconced in my dorm for life so no one would get to see me. Waaah! Iyaaa! Nyehe, don't worry, you'll get to pass Bio even though your teach's a B/witch. I remember when I was in 4th year H.S., I had this gay teacher and he was teaching almost all my Math subjects (namely Number theory – quite interesting, except for the matrix lessons, so I totally refuted my earlier statement, and Calculus - sobs) and he was VERY intimidating in class and a total goofy snob outside it. … Did I make sense? Gah. Other pairs? Well… I like the 13x6x5 trio and my secret love is 2x3 (yes, in that order) so… Ehehehe… But don't worry, my love for 3x4 (and 1x2) still prevails. Don't worry, your last review didn't confuse me, I was just kidding around! (blushes) Ehehehe… calm down. Vanyel and Quatre will be bonded soon so… (tries vainly to calm the angry mob led by Shadow Fat) And yeah, as much as I adore angst, I still like stories to end in happily ever afters (or a unique, vaguely disturbing version of it…) so don't worry your little heart over it, dah'lin! Nyehehe, my cousins and I are all better now, thanks! They're really not little terrors, I just love calling them that. They could actually pound me to the ground even though I'm a lot taller and fatter than them (ok, just one of them) 'cause they're 13 and 14. Keh. Um, yeah, we talk of silly stuff. Screw those that think we're weirdos… even though they're right… well, I know I am weird… Nyehehe, advanced Happy Birthday too! Oooohh, sweet 16! I remember when I turned 16… I was studying for a test at that time. Yeah, studying in a Science H.S. turns people into freaky zombies. DENGUE! Poor dears! Glad you two got better! Although malaria is rampant these days so be cautious of that too. Lucky girl, you had access to Animax! We don't have Sky cable and our cable doesn't have Animax so… Waaah! My kingdom for Animax! I really wanted to watch Galaxy Angels A too! (pouts) Glad your brain didn't melt all the way! (snickers) Have you ever tried describing me as "Astig!"? Hehe. (huggles) whew, that was long

japanesenut Aww, thanks! Duo and Quatre! …. (silence) Err, okay. Gomen. Ehehehe, it's good that you don't mind pairings other than your chosen one. Thanks for giving my choice of pairing a try! (beams) Nyehe, I wanna see a long-haired Quatre! (takes out a pair of scissors and gets a maniacal look on her face) Yeah, he IS a shorty (I am too, I'm only 5'5"!) but well, I think you got your answer as to why his legs are unbearably long, ne? (winks) Aww, gomen about ranting on and on about turning 19. It's just that I was teasing my best friend about it when she turned 19 last month and… I realized that I'm turning 19 too so… (sobs in a dark corner) 18? Lucky girl! I remember when I turned 18… I had a ballroom party in a hotel (18th birthdays are a big deal in my country)… (sighs) Oh well. Thanks for the review! (huggles)