Disclaimer: Life is grand, but I don't own GundamW or any of the characters

Chapter 9:
The Break-In

Trowa stood in awe at the castle before him. The strange structure of the building was mesmerizing and new to him. Its white exterior was strikingly contrasted by its blue tiled roof and complemented by its geometric features. It was a very simple an elegant building. And like traditional European castles he was accustomed to, it was surrounded by a sizable moat, interrupted by regular intervolves with highly decorated bridges crafted of wood and stone. Still the structure was refreshing to his western-style eyes.

The building also presented an interesting dilemma. The only way in was through the heavily guarded gates at the end of each bridge. The moat itself was at least thirteen meters wide at its narrowest point. And most difficult of all was the outer wall of the castle which was build continuously out of the moat leaving no edges to grip on to. The wall extended about fifteen feet above the stone foundation of the moat, ending with the slanted tiled roof protruding outward over the water.

Trowa sat at a distance on the man-made edge of the river which feed into the moat for the remainder of the afternoon, his feet dangling over the edge with a makeshift fishing rod in his hands and a basket to his side. He occasionally glanced over to the gate visible to his right when he noticed any activity. He watched attentively as people came and went through the gates of the palace, taking note of what circumstances they were allowed into the establishment. He took extra notice at the time the guards switched. Regardless of information he was gaining, he doubted that he could ever make it in through those gates.

The young man's attention shifted to an approaching figure. Duo waltzed up to his friend in such a care free manner that Trowa wondered whether the other man ever took anything completely seriously. His mind went back to a conversation he had had with Heero years ago while they had still been gundam pilots.

"Duo might appear distracted, but don't let that smile fool you for a minute," Heero had warned. "He is constantly alert and his mind is sharp. I guess it's a result of having to live on his toes his whole life. He's much more dangerous than either of us."

Trowa watched silently as Duo squatted down right next to him. The braided man looked rather displeased. "It's the same thing the whole way around," he informed tossing his rope of hair back over his shoulder. "The closest thing to an easy entry is this building that's at the edge of the moat, I think it's some sort of warehouse. The closet gateway from there is about ten to fifteen feet to the left."

Trowa pulled out his fishing line and glanced at the other end. Nothing. He never expected to actually catch anything and he hadn't. He raised his eyes up to the clear sky and brought his hand over them to shield them from the intense sunlight. Collecting accurate information in the middle ages really was a challenge. It's no wonder this was a lifelong career.

"It's a good thing this place isn't a real castle yet," Duo grinned looking down at the river below. "We'd really have a tough time if it was."

Trowa glanced over at the deep blue eyes beside him. The questioning look in his green eyes was clearly understood by the other. "This doesn't look like any of the castles that I've seen from our time. They're way bigger than this! This," Duo gestured toward the fortification standing before them, "is probably less than half of what they'll eventually become."

Trowa nodded in understanding. Heero's assessment about the self-proclaimed Shinigami was on the mark, Duo's façade was very deceiving. Deep down inside he was truly happy that the other youth was with him. He certainly would be lost without the other. But that was not to say that he would ever voice that opinion. Lord forbid he would ever vocalize that sentiment. Duo was always looking for attention and if he received it chances where he wouldn't leave you alone for a good while.

Trowa handed the fishing rod to Duo and stood up from his place. He took the empty basket in his right hand as he dusted himself off. "Alright," he began to formulate their next move. "We'll have to scout out that building you mentioned and figure out a way in. But first, we need a good dinner and a place to rest up for tonight."

"ALRIGHT!" Duo shot himself up to his feet, a wide smile on his face. If there was anything that Trowa had learned about his companion over the years it was simply to not get between him and food. Duo literally could eat someone out of house and home if given a chance. "I saw this little shop on-"

Duo's sentence was cut short. The taller brunette turned in time to witness the spectacle that followed. He wasn't sure how, but the fishing line had somehow gotten tangled up around the braided man's feet. He flailed his arms around, wide eyed, stumbling backwards. He quickly reached the edge of the river and for a split second seemed to have regained his balance. But the pleading look in his stormy eyes and the way he desperately reached out to Trowa said otherwise. Gravity quickly took over and the young man fell into the river backwards.

Trowa stood in shook motionless. He waited for what seemed an eternity before Duo finally burst through the water's surface for air.

"WHAAA!" Duo exclaimed gasping. He bobbed in the water for a moment looking up at the spectators he had attracted. His blue eyes darted from person to person as a crimson color flushed his face. He laughed nervously as he made his way to a set of stairs which lead from the ground above to the water.

Trowa sighed bringing a hand up to his face.

"He's much more dangerous than either of us."

Heero must have been under the influence of something when he made that comment all those years ago.

###

Trowa watched silently as Duo's slim fingers skillfully knotted the makeshift anchor at the end of the rope. "Where did you learn to tie that?" he asked absentmindedly.

"One of the kids from the gang. Her father was a mariner here on earth before he died. Don't know why they were in the colony, but Solo and Eliwood found her crying in an alley by herself and brought her back," Duo explained without looking up. "She taught us a few basic knots. Afterwards, when I was with Howard on the Pacific, his crew taught me some more. There!"

Trowa's green eyes flickered in the dim moonlight. The knot was impressive, secure, and massive, formidable in his mind to the Gordian Knot. The brunette took the rope and the two young men turned their attention to the building on the other side of the moat. As luck would have it, there appeared to be a tree growing just inside the wall on the other side.

Trowa measured out about an arm's length from the anchor before swinging it in a circular fashion. The centrifugal force helped propel the heavy object effortlessly across the moat and got caught within the branches of the tree. The two boys tugged as hard as they could on the rope, making sure that it was indeed secure on the other end. Trowa wrapped a portion of the cord around a plank that was sticking out a few inches from the top of the building they were standing on before handing it to his partner. Without a word, Duo jumped down to the ground below and tied the end of the rope around his waist. He leaned his body away from the building and held the rope with both hands.

"All good," he chimed up at the circus performer.

Trowa nodded. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind before making his way to the edge of the building. He warily placed a foot on the tightly wound rope and was pleased to see that it would definitely hold his weight, but most importantly, it didn't falter under his step. He took two more cautious steps out and glanced down at his comrade. Duo had placed a foot on the wall in front of him in order to obtain a bit more leverage, his arms tight as he made a face. Trowa proceeded to cross the wire swiftly, before his friend's arms gave way.

Duo released his grip when he felt the tension in the rope disappear. He quickly unwrapped the cord from his waist and watched as Trowa pulled the rope to his side. The two signaled each other before the performer vanished behind the white wall. Duo silently made his way to the small bridge and waited in the shadows. He didn't have to wait too long as Trowa quickly subdued both guards at the gate's entrance. The braided youth dashed across the bridge and the two disappeared beyond the walls of the palace.

"Now what?" Duo asked breathlessly.

"We find Quatre and Mariemaia."

"And how do we do that?"

Trowa shrugged. "It's not like I have a layout of this place. Where do you think they'd be staying?"

Duo sighed at the revelation but didn't say anything. His eyes darted around in the darkness as his mind raced. "Probably the center of this place," he guessed. "Or someplace that has a garden or pond or something really nice right in front of it. That should be where the main chambers for someone important should be. At least, that's my best guess."

Trowa hesitated for a moment. His evergreen eyes locked onto his friend. He didn't want to split up. He couldn't begin to imagine what the layout of a place like this could possibly be. Before he could voice his concerns about getting lost, Duo grabbed his arm and the two were racing down a series of long corridors. Trowa's eyes danced from one section of the building to the next. Everything was so pristine and orderly. Perfect dark, wooden lines formed a variety of different sized squares, all made with varying materials along the length of the hallways at regular intervolves. He wasn't quite sure why the walls of these corridors had to be so geometric and lavishly decorated, but he liked it. It was elegant.

"侵入者があります!" Duo yelled at the top of his lungs.

Trowa's attention was brought back to the situation at hand. In an instant he felt as Duo took hold of him with both hands and swung him ahead. The slender man lurched forward surprised, but before he could react he felt Duo's hands bury themselves into his back, propelling him quite forcefully forward. He stumbled off the edge of the elevated walkway, falling into a small gardened area with a loud thud. His hands stung sharply as he landed.

"侵入!" a voice seemed to echo Duo's ahead of him.

Trowa lifted his head towards to the source of the voice only to be greeted by two men quickly making their way towards him, weapons drawn. His green eyes widened as he hastily got to his feet. He turned to Duo for assistance, but the braided man was nowhere to be seen. "Crap!" he let the curse escape his lips as he fumbled onto the walkway again, his foot caught a corner of his kimono.

He struggled for a heartbeat as his mind raced to remember the way back to the gate and bridge. If he could make it out to the city, he'd be safe. But everything looked exactly the same, he had the feeling that in his disorientation he had run around in a circle at least once. He frowned realizing he was lost. An alarm of some sort wailed not too far to his right as the heavy feet continued close behind. He heard something swoosh behind him and picked up his pace. He had heard that sound a few times before as WuFei had practiced some martial art stances with his sword.

"彼を得る!" a guard appeared ahead of him.

Trowa narrowly avoided the sword slash before launching himself at the man, driving his fist into the man's midsection and toppling him backwards. The fallen man managed to take hold of the hem of his kimono and the slender youth fumbled into a room, breaking through what he had believed was a solid wall. A woman shrieked as Trowa's heel connected hard to the guard's face. The man released his grip on the kimono and Trowa quickly got to his feet as four more guards caught up to him. They stood in the hallway beyond the broken wall, poised and ready to take him down with a single strike.

He turned to the woman in the corner of the room, she held her hands up to her face in horror. The wall beside her slid open and another woman peered in. His jade eyes lit up in realization. Those weren't decorative walls lining the corridors at all, they were doors. He quickly rushed pass the women, shoving her straight into her pursuers' path. Not a noble action he observed, but it was enough to buy him a few more seconds of life while increasing the distance between him and the guards.

The adrenaline pumped through his veins and his heart pounded in his ears as he continued lost within the complex. He eventually found his way out of the maze of buildings and got to a gate. He raced over the bridge at top speed after having burst through the heavy gate doors, a small army of men on his heels. The brunette proceeded to lose the men in the dark of the night and decided it would be best to slip out of the city. He slithered through the shadows, creeping one block at a time towards the outskirts of town. Not an easy task seeing as night patrols around the city had been alerted and on the lookout for him.

"I'll kill him!" he huffed venomously as he found a secluded spot along the river a fair distance from the city. "I'll wring his neck with his own braid!" he continued to vent out his anger, green eyes flashing in the dark.

He sat quietly for a moment catching his breath, the only other sound was that of the river beside him bubbling. His mind furiously went over the events that had just transpired, examining every last detail. He was positive now that Duo had literally tossed him to the wolves and then disappeared. What in the world was that idiot thinking? He could have simply just asked him to act as a decoy. A head's up wouldn't have pissed him off as much as he was right now. Even if he had been used as a decoy, he hoped and prayed that the braided one would get caught and be in need of being rescued. That would teach him a lesson.

Trowa would stay in that spot for the remainder of the night. He'd have plenty of time tomorrow to make Duo pay for what he had done, that's if the fool made it out of the palace in one piece.

A/N: So I'm not really literate in Japanese, if any of this is wrong, please do tell me! I decided to leave the translations to the end of the chapter simply because I wanted everyone to be as confused as Trowa.

"侵入者があります (there's an intruder)!" Duo yelled at the top of his lungs.

"侵入 (intruder)!" a voice seemed to echo Duo's ahead of him.

"彼を得る (Get him)!" a guard appeared ahead of him.

Also, Marry Christmas to all of you! Enjoy the holidays and have an awesome New Year!