Disclaimer: I in no way own Gundam W or AD&D. Don't sue; I'm simply an E5 in the USN, therefore I have no money. Ha.
-BEGIN FIC-
Morning had arrived.
And, predictably, so had the complaints.
"You expect me to eat THIS shlop! What was this before it was so horribly butchered?"
Rubbing his forehead, Duo groaned. "It was a quail. I made stew."
"Ugh. THIS is what you people try to pass off as stew? Where are the vegetables? Where is the actual presence of meat? Why is it so watered down?"
"Well, if you haven't noticed, m'Lord, we're out in the middle of nowhere. We don't have anything BUT water. There are as many veggies in it as I could find to throw in it. There's the flesh of ONE WHOLE QUAIL in it, considering that we don't HAVE ANYMORE! Does that answer your question?"
"Hmph. You commoners and your simple tastes. I can't believe that you people can actually live this way and be happy."
"Well, some of us don't have a fucking choice, now, do we?"
"You ALWAYS have a choice. It's just that most of you are too lazy to actually go out and work for a living."
"GKKKK! YOU LITTLE...!"
"Don't you even THINK of attacking me!"
"You! Little! Wretch! How can you get off saying that we don't work for our livings? We work harder from a day-to-day basis than you nobles do in a fucking DECADE!"
"Gak! Help!"
Heero's voice calmly penetrated the madness. "Duo, please stop strangling Lord VonWinner."
"NO! The little bastard's going to pay for what he said!"
"Gkkk..."
"His face is turning red, Duo."
"He'll turn purple before he dies."
"GAAAAA!"
"Duo..."
"NO."
"Yes."
"HELP!"
"WHY!"
"Because I say so."
"Oh, good fucking reason, Heero."
Pound pound pound.
"That's quite enough."
"But... but!"
"I don't care."
Gasp, gasp.
"Let him go."
"FINE."
Drop.
Stomp stomp stomp.
Heero rubbed his forehead, watching his longhaired lover stomp angrily towards the tent and hurtle himself into its dark recesses, leaving the blond holding his bruised throat and gasping for air. Reaching over, he lightly laid a hand upon the breathless boy's back.
And immediately emitted a cry of pain.
Quatre's hand slowly released his, letting his broken fingers out of his grasp. Glowering at Heero, he hissed softly, "Don't touch me."
Staring at his mangled hand, holding it loosely with his other, Heero blinked before turning his shocked gaze to the blond.
Quatre was turned away from him, glowering off into the distance and muttering quietly to himself.
Straining to listen, all Heero caught was, "Worthless humans."
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Wufei rubbed his forehead as he cradled his own bowl of watered-down stew in his lap, watching the encounter. "Tell me again, Trowa. WHY are we keeping that brat near us?"
"Because he needs our assistance," the acrobat quietly reiterated as he slurped his soup.
"And why are we being the ones volunteering to assist him?"
"Because I love him."
"Why?"
Trowa blinked for a few moments before he turned his gaze to Wufei. "Why does any person ever love another?"
The Easterner straightened his back, looking calmly at Trowa. "Difficult question you propose to ask, my friend."
"Why did you ever love Meiran?"
With a quiet sigh, Wufei bowed his head. "Because of who she was. Because, under that hard exterior of hers was a gentle, beautiful woman who was willing and able to stand up for herself. Because of her strength and her grace."
"But she was exceedingly defiant."
Chuckling as he lifted his spoon, Wufei nodded. "I think that was one quality that attracted me to her."
"So how can you possibly question what I feel for Quatre?"
Glancing towards the huddled blond, Wufei frowned. "Because what that boy displays is not simply stubbornness, as Meiran had. It's a true and pure hatred of all mankind."
"Maybe I can change that. He doesn't seem to hate me."
Arching a brow, Wufei smirked. "True."
"Did he just break Heero's fingers?"
"Looks to be that way."
Trowa sighed quietly. "Think you can heal him?"
"Do I look like a priest?"
"But you've healed others before."
Frowning, the raven-haired man rose to his feet. "Hmph. It's called "Molecular Rearrangement", not "Healing." Please learn to discern between psionics and magic. They're two exceedingly different arts."
"Oh, forgive me my ignorance."
"You're full of it this morning."
Trowa allowed the corners of his lips to be raised in a slight smirk.
"It must be because of his presence."
Nodding, Wufei left Trowa's side to tend to the stricken warrior, frowning as he glanced towards the chaotic little lump that was the blond. "What did you do this time, Yuy?"
Heero frowned. "I touched his shoulder."
"May that be a lesson to you to leave the boy alone. I think he's enough issues to deal with at this moment than either you or I can possibly fathom, and doesn't need our interference."
Arching a brow, Heero let his friend take his hand. "You truly believe that?"
"I believe that his behavior is not a voluntary reaction to his surroundings, but rather one crafted of them. His aura..."
Quatre turned slightly, eyes narrowed, focused on the onyx-eyed man's back.
"It doesn't carry the stain of hatred well."
"Hmph," two voices uttered in unison.
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Afternoon.
The songs of birds flooded the forest, the mood of the day seemingly unaffected by the massive destruction that was but a few miles behind the small band of adventurers. Sunlight danced merrily through the leaves of the trees, faintly lighting the ancient path the horses plodded calmly along. In the distance, the trickle of a stream and rustling of leaves driven to movement by a slight, warm, calming breeze could be heard, along with the hooting call of some wild creature unknown to the party.
"Nice day for a ride, neh?" Duo said, stretching with a smile on his face, his hold on his reins loose.
"Indeed," Heero muttered from right before him, his eyes cautiously watching the foliage to either side of them.
"Gee, you think he'd be able to relax for but a second, neh?" Duo murmured, a wild grin on his face, as he leaned over towards Quatre.
Blinking mindlessly at the mage, Quatre simply tightened his hold on Trowa's tunic and laid his head on the thief's back. "I guess. Though he's probably concerned over the fact that we're about to be ambushed."
"What!"
As Wufei and Heero simultaneously reined their horses in, the woods erupted into chaos.
They were completely surrounded.
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Stepping forward, the seemingly appointed leader of the gathering of warriors who had the small traveling party surrounded lifted his helm from his head.
"Otto..." Quatre quiet hissed, blue eyes narrowing.
"Tis a pleasure to see you again, Lord VonWinner," the curly-haired man said with a smile on his face before turning his attention to the other four gathered in the small circlet created by his minions. "Which of you do hereby claim leadership of this party?"
"I do," Heero said, nodding once.
"I see. Very well then. Allow me to make this offer. Hand over that boy," Otto proclaimed, pointing at Quatre, "and we allow you to leave this place with your lives and 20 gold pieces for your efforts. Such should reimburse any damages he may have caused you and your equipment during his stay with you."
Heero scowled, watching as Quatre ducked behind Trowa's back, his small hands tightening all the more on the lanky acrobat's sleeveless tunic.
"And if we refuse?"
"If you refuse, then we've no choice but to remove him from your custody by force. I cannot be responsible for what is destined to happen to you in such a case."
"Indeed." With a cold snort, Heero backed his horse closer to his companions. "I will have to discuss this with my comrades."
"Do as you must. I give you five minutes."
Heero nodded.
And nearly jumping off his horse, the Prussian blue eyed man turned in his saddle as a new voice erupted behind him.
"Actually, young man, you may want to consider House VonWinner's offer before you begin to discuss battle strategies with your compatriots."
As one, the five men turned their attention to the center of their own party.
Duo promptly fell off his horse.
"Elminster!" five voices rang at once.
Smiling in a friendly, inviting fashion, the withered man lifted a hand in greetings before stepping forward to the violet-eyed mage and helping him to his feet. Dusting off the lithe mage's robes, he clucked his tongue. "Tsk tsk! Taking to such shocks as that. Really, now, young Maxwell."
Duo's mouth gapped open, no single sound issuing from his throat.
"There. All better, are we?"
"Y..Y..Yeah."
"Good. Now, as I was saying, it would be to your benefit to simply hand the boy over." Glancing up at Quatre, the elderly mage smiled once more. "Otherwise, even I will consent to the destruction of this party to reclaim him."
"But why? What has he done?" Duo blurted, even as Heero began to slowly draw his sword, eyes narrowed and set on the old man.
"Nothing as of yet, but such does not mean that this restitute from his anger will last for all eternity." Nodding, Elminster crossed his arms, calmly walking out of the party's center to stand by Otto.
"We'll let no one who harbors the greatest force of destruction to ever walk these Realms since the days of the Times of Troubles continue such. If removing that creature from your grasp means destroying you, so be it."
tbc...
