This is the sixth chapter! A great heaping helping of thank yous go to empathysdarkness, for being my very first reviewer! Yay, empathysdarkness!

Disclaimer: I, Sutoomu(Storm), do NOT own Gundam Wing in any way. None at all. This fanfiction was made purely for fun and does not get me money in any way. Besides, it's not as though I have any money to be sued for...

Hiryonin Ichimei

Slave Life

Storm

Quatre and Trowa finished theirmeal in silence, then Trowa helped Quatre locate his clothes, which were in a dresser of his own.

"What do I do?" Quatre asked as he chose an outfit, Trowa changing on the other side of the bed. He kept his eyes averted, blushing.

"Huh?"

"What do I do all day?" he replied, holding up a nice light blue tunic with light yellow wave stitching on the hems to look at. He set it beside him and proceeded to look for a pair of matching pants to go along with it in the next drawer.

"I have a few things to attend to this morning, but I'll pick you up at noon for lunch. We'll be eating with Trieze and Zechs, and Heero and Duo will be there as well. Until then, you can either stay in here or explore. Unless you want to wait for me to give you a small tour later."

"I guess I could read," Quatre replied. "I don't like wandering alone."

"After lunch, I'll show you a few things, and maybe we'll go riding if you'd like."

"Riding?" Quatre turned, holding his clothes. Trowa was just finished dressing, tying a golden sash around his waist. It accented his tight black wrap pants well and matched his golden house slippers. He had a simple white tunic on, plain, but still high class looking. "That would be wonderful! I love riding!"

"Glad to hear it," Trowa smiled slightly. "I have to go now. You're free to do whatever you wish. If you have any problems, ask around for Wufei." Trowa opened a small box on his dresser and withdrew two circular rings attached by a chain. Quatre's eyes went wide and he stepped back. "Don't worry, Quatre," Trowa said, snapping the smaller ring onto Quatre's wrist. He slipped the other larger ring around his neck like a collar. Quatre's hands went up to it in panic. "I'm not locking you up, Quatre. It's just so people know you're my slave and don't touch you. Bad things can happen if you're not claimed. I'll see you later." And he left the room, Quatre now alone, pulling awkwardly at the collar.

It was smooth and unmarred by design or such, but he could feel the initials T. B. engraved in it. It was a light golden color, and actually felt smooth against his skin, instead of chaffing. It scared him none the less. Another sign he was a slave, and it wasn't all a dream, and he wasn't home.

He looked around for a moment at the large room, then slipped into the bathroom, washing his hands and face before he changed. He tamed his wild morning hair and looked at himself, light blue tunic accenting against a simple pair of leggings. He slipped his house slippers on to keep his feet comfortably warm and then began to browse the shelves. He found a thick book he thought he might like and settled into one of the comfortable chairs, immersing himself as he had done happily before into the words on the page. His stomach growled a few hours later, alerting him he was hungry and it should be near lunchtime. He took a small pastry leftover to tide him over and checked the ornate clock hung on the wall. Eleven thirty four. He had read for a little over three hours, if he recalled correctly. He wondered if he had to dress up for lunch with Trieze, and noted in his mind to ask Trowa. He truly wondered who this Zechs was. He sounded interesting. He marked his book with a bookmark he found on the table, and set it down, then went into the bathroom and began to clean up a bit. He heard the door open and left the bathroom to see Duo, not Trowa.

"Hey, Quat," Duo said. "If I'd known you were all alone, too, I'd have joined you."

"I was reading," Quatre said. Duo 'ah'ed and nodded. Quatre noticed that Duo had on the collar, chain, and bracelet, too, in a slightly darker, more silver metal, H. Y engraved. He also was wearing a grand black sash around his waist. Trowa came in then, looking at Duo. Duo stood up and excused himself, saying he had to re-braid his hair for lunch, and vanished. Trowa looked at Quatre.

"Did you enjoy your morning?" he asked.

"Yes," Quatre replied truthfully, dipping his eyes as he thought a slave was supposed to do. "I found a good book. Do I have to dress up for lunch?"

"No, you look fine," Trowa said. "You look fine. I just came early to give you this." He held out his hand.

Quatre reached out and took the soft silken sash. He looked at it in awe. It was a clear white, just barely see through. He noticed something on the end and looked. "Q.R.W.," he read his initials, written beautifully in sparkling black thread.

"Quatre Raberba Winner," Trowa said.

"Wow," Quatre breathed, then looked up sheepishly. "I don't know how to tie a sash."

Trowa took it from him and wrapped it around his waist, tying it in a handsome knot of some kind at his side. "I'll explain the secret of the sash later," he said mysteriously. "But we have to go now. We'll be the last ones there, I think." He took Quatre's hand and led him out of the room and down so many hallways and corridors Quatre knew he would be lost if he were alone, so he kept a tight hold on Trowa. They finally met some tall doors and entered into a warm brown and red room, a table set on a woven rug, tapestries hanging from the wall, and a group of chairs by a fireplace up in the head of the room. The fire and a few candles were all that lit the room, giving it a warm, shadowy feeling. Duo bounced over to them, Heero staying where he was, rolling his eyes. Apparently, Duo was driving the prince crazy.

"Good, you're here," Trieze came into view from near the fireplace, a an walking behind him. "I'd like you to meet Zechs Merquise. Zechs, this is Duo Maxwell and…"

"Quatre?" the man stepped forward, fully into the light. He laughed. "Quatre Raberba Winner!"

"Milliardo?" Quatre gasped, staring at the older Aranian. "Milliardo!" Quatre let go of Trowa's hand and swarmed into the older man he had once known well. Milliardo Peacecraft looked the same, if maybe his platinum blonde hair was a bit longer, just past his shoulders, and that everyone was calling him Zechs.

"I think I missed something," Duo said.

"I think we all missed something," Heero said, a wary glow in his eyes.

"Never thought I'd see you again, kid," Zechs ruffled Quatre's hair. "But it's Zechs now, not Milliardo. Milliardo Peacecraft disapeared when I became a slave. Zechs Merquise is my name."

"My, my," Trieze set a hand on Zechs shoulder. "Keeping secrets, Zechs?"

Zechs frowned and shook his head. "I was known as Milliardo Peacecraft when I was a free Aranian. But I'm Zechs Merquise now, and happy about it."

"How do you know Quatre?" Trowa asked.

"Quatre and I were friends. We lived in the same neighbourhood when I was free. Oh, how's my sister doing?" Zechs looked back at Quatre.

"She's okay, now," Quatre saddened a bit as he thought of home. "She was pretty depressed for a while when we couldn't find you. We all were." He looked up. "Lucrezia Noin took her in to live with her. Other than that, nothing has changed, except a few new babies and such. So you were captured?"

"Captured and a slave," Zechs confirmed. "Didn't like it at first, but now, I wouldn't give it up for anything." Trieze smiled knowingly. "Someday, though, I intend to go back and visit home for a while. Old Trieze here won't let me go yet, though. Says I'm unpredictable." A twinkle flashed in his light blue eyes as Trieze frowned. Quatre saddened at the thought that Zechs liked being a slave. How could anyone like being a slave? It hadn't been as bad as Quatre thought it would be, but he knew that was only because Trowa bought him. He was still owned, like a pet, and he didn't like it.

"Cool," Duo laughed. "Quat's got someone he knows here, now. Is this supposed to be lunch, or what?" At those words, some slaves dressed in simple white robes came in, placing numerous plates of food on the table. A few others lit some more candles, illuminating the table brightly. Trieze sat at the head of the set-for-six small table, Zechs taking the end. Heero and Trowa sat on either side of their father, Quatre and Duo seating themselves beside their own masters and Zechs. While Trieze engaged Heero and Trowa in some sort of business conversation, Zechs began to chat with Duo and Quatre about their first night and morning at the palace. Quatre blushed as he was reminded of the morning, and Duo boldly said he'd knock Heero's block off if he tried anything funny. Heero paused in his conversation to cuff his head and call him a baka, and Duo insisted he could beat Heero since he was a Draeid. Heero had returned to speaking with Trieze, so Duo was ignored, and he pouted for a moment before eating again.

"So, how are you doing, Quatre?" Zechs asked. "Suddenly being a slave can be frightening. I know."

"I'm doing okay," Quatre smiled genuinely, but fear was still present in his eyes.. "Trowa is very kind to me. I don't know how to be a slave, though."

"Well, I would say it's just a matter of being a good friend," Zechs explained. "But Trieze says I never know what I'm talking about." He grinned.

"I'm worried about my father and sisters," Quatre said quietly, playing with his meat. "They must think I'm dead. Or they're worrying sick over my being captured. I…don't know what they'll do."

"Ramid is wise, Quatre," Zechs replied. "He won't try anything against the kingdom, even if his only son is here."

"I'm not worried about him attacking," Quatre sighed. "I'm more worried about him doing something…silent. Maybe like sending Rashid and the Maguanacs to locate me, and…" He trailed off, noticing how everyone was looking at him.

"How important are ya, Quat?" Duo asked before Trieze could.

"I…"

"Quatre is the only male heir to the Winner fortune in Arania. You could consider him a prince in our land," Zechs said.

Once again...please review, constructive critisism is welcome, but no flames, please...yadedadada! But seriously, review, please! Every reviewer gets thanked by me in the story and gets their stories reviewed, if they have any.

Storm