Title: The Devil Has Blue Eyes

By: Aina Song

Fandom(s): Gundam Wing

Genre: Yaoi (with some Het thrown in)

Rating: PG-15

Warning(s): Contraband; Fusion; Language; Death; Murder.

Pairing(s): Heero/Quatre (constant mentionings of Het pairings)

Reviews: Yes, please.

Author's Note: (I'm afraid my usual Disclaimer will not be enough this time, so bear with me.) I, Aina Song, hereby acknowledge the illegality of the following fusion fiction, which is based very thickly upon Clara Wimberly's The Jeweled Heart of Rosemont Castle. I do not claim any rights or privileges her book may have earned her, nor do I claim credit for the book itself. This fanfiction follows her plot almost to the letter, with few changes tossed in here and there, but I must again press that it does so without the explicit permission of Ms. Wimberly, her editor(s), or her publisher(s). This fiction was not written for money; I do not profit from this in any way, shape, or form. Please excuse the illegality of it all, and I do hope my own readers will try to look past my unlawfulness and enjoy the fiction nonetheless. Thank you.

Teaser: He did not care that he was the lost heir to a winery fortune - especially since he couldn't remember that earliest piece of his childhood. He only wanted to reclaim the family that had been kept from him. But there was another who was determined to unmask him as an imposter. And, at the same time, a strange cold presence stirred again at his return, anxious to finish what it had started so long ago…

Chapter Nine

That night he found out just how right Treize had been when the older man had spoken of the castle's strange noises. The storm struck before midnight with a fury he'd never heard before. At times the lightning lit the walls of his bedroom as brightly as sunlight, making it difficult to sleep. And the thunder rumbled and seemed to shake the very foundation of the big old castle.

Finally the rain came, pounding upon the rooftops and against the windows. And with the rain came the wailing winds. He could see the huge oaks bending and swaying crazily in the light of the storm.

Quatre was standing by the window, fascinated by the spring storm's terrible fury Suddenly he saw another light, a smaller one, and it was moving. It seemed to be in the tower. He had not asked what was in that tower, but he doubted it had any practical purpose. He certainly would not think anyone lived in that part of the castle. But as he stared that way, he could see the light moving upward, from window to window. Finally the windows at the very top lit up, and he could see the shadow of someone inside, moving slowly about, as if they paced the floor.

Odd. Quatre wondered who would be wandering around the castle on such a stormy night and at so late an hour.

Finally his skin grew chilled, and he slipped into the bed and between the sheets. As the storm lessened and the rain became only a pleasant drumming upon the roof, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

~o~

When he woke next morning, the sky was still dark and the rain dripped from the eaves of the castle. As he lay in bed he wondered what would happen to the orphanage picnic if the rain did not subdue.

When Cathy came to ask whether he preferred to have breakfast with the family or in his room, the blond was uncertain. He'd not had very pleasant experiences with them, but he knew if he expected ever to fit in, this was one of the things he'd have to.

Quatre was disappointed to see that his father was not in the dining room when he came down; the older man's absence made him feel very much alone. Heero glanced briefly Quatre's way as he sipped his coffee. Lady Khushrenada and her cousin Dorothy exchanged glances, but said nothing. Monsieur Merquise was the only one who seemed genuinely happy to see Quatre, and he stood and motioned to a chair so that the younger blond might sit beside him.

"Good morning," Quatre greeted, glancing around the table.

"Did the storm keep you awake?" Lady Khushrenada asked politely.

"Only for a little while," he said, smiling at her. He really wished they could be friends. "But I watched it for a while until sleep was unavoidable."

He did not like the way Heero looked at him - as though analyzing every word, waiting for Quatre to make a mistake. But Quatre could not resist a smile as he thought about it. He could not possibly make a mistake if he told the truth, and he had no reason to do anything else.

Heero seemed to take the blond's smile as a personal insult, and his steely blue eyes sparked with suppressed warning.

"Where is Treize this morning?" Quatre asked no one in particular.

Heero looked at him and then his mother. She stammered as she spoke. "He… Treize… has not been well, as you know. I'm afraid last night was too much or him. But he would like you to visit him today, if you have a free moment."

"I will," he said as he began to fill his plate with breads and fruits from the breakfast dishes. "Is there still going to be a picnic today?"

"Yes," the Lady said. "Are you going to participate?" She seemed surprised.

"I am." He glanced at Heero. "If… if that's all right."

"Oh, certainly," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to insinuate it was not." She put her fork down and looked at him with a sad little smile. "I'm sorry, Quatre Raberba, that our conversation seems so awkward. It's just that I hardly know what to say to you. Your… appearance has been somewhat of a shock to us all."

"I realize that," Quatre said. He was relieved that she was being honest with him. It was the first attempt at honesty from any of the family, besides the ones with Heero. The darker man had been quite candid from the beginning about how he felt about the blond. Quatre looked at him now as he spoke.

"I hope you will believe me when I tell you that I came here only to find my family. I would have done so if my father… if Treize had lived in a simple log cabin and was as poor as a churchmouse. I-I never had a family, except Rasid."

"But… your hair," Heero's mother ventured. "You're a gypsy, no? Do they not travel together?"

"Yes, in caravans. If one is lucky, he finds a family in that. But Rasid was the only one I'd felt close to… losing him made the absence of a true family all the more potent."

Hiromi Khushrenada's smile was sweetly sympathetic, but she glanced uneasily at Dorothy. The blonde-haired woman had not even bothered to look up from her meal. And there was a decided look of disinterest on her face.

"I, for one, don't see how anyone can dispute your claim." It was Zechs Merquise who spoke. "Anyone who knew Leia must see the remarkable resemblance right away."

"Th-thank you, Monsieur Merquise," Quatre said, stammering over the French honorific. "I appreciate your kindness."

"Zechs," he corrected with a slight smile. "And you're welcome."

"I hope he doesn't resemble his mother in any other way," Dorothy spoke up with an arrogantly evil smirk toward Quatre.

"What do you mean?" The blond asked.

"I mean, my dear, that your mother was a tramp who broke her husband's heart. She was having a brazen affair with Rasid Darlian of the Darlian estate. He was Treize's closest friend and confidant, and she was the woman Treize adored. They both took advantage of his good nature!" Dorothy's look held bitter contempt, and Quatre wondered why she should react so vehemently about something that barely concerned her.

Hiromi's eyes were lowered, and Quatre felt such sympathy for the woman. How many times over the years had she heard of Treize's obsession with his first wife?

Quatre placed his fork on his plate, unable to continue eating. He clenched his jaw. It was true that he had not known his mother, but he felt this attack was as much on him as on her.

"Dorothy," Hiromi scolded. "You should not say such harsh things about Leia. She was a wonderful person. It was a long time ago, and Quatre Raberba is not responsible for his mother's actions."

"No," he said. "It's all right. I want to know." He turned to Heero, and saw that the darker man was watching him. "When I told Treize about Rasid Maguanac, that first night, why didn't he tell me? Rasid was the same man Treize was talking about, wasn't he? Rasid Darlian?"

Heero's eyes were shadowed, and as he leaned his elbow on the table, he placed his fingers thoughtfully against his lips. "Yes, he was. That does not mean, however, that I believe you are necessarily the son who left Rosemont."

"But why not? Doesn't it make sense to you?"

"You're forgetting one thing. Where is Leia? What happened to her? No, I think it more likely that she only used Rasid to help her escape a marriage that no longer held her interest. She soon tired of him and they parted company. I also think that Leia Khushrenada, wherever she is now, has Quatre Raberba with her, if the boy isn't already married. And furthermore, I think Rasid probably picked up some street urchin with the hope of passing him off as Treize's son."

"You mean me, don't you." Quatre stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes, I do. Unfortunately for Rasid, he died before he could carry out his charade."

Quatre pushed away from the table. "You're wrong! You don't know Rasid. He was the best of us; he was good, a-and decent, and…"

"Dear boy," Zechs interrupted. "Do not upset yourself with this. Wait until Heero has completed his investigation, and you will be vindicated, I am certain of it." He turned to the others at the table. "Is this really necessary, to upset the boy in such a way? Can you not see he honestly believes what this man has told him? How can you possibly hold him responsible?" He moved away from the table and held out a hand to Quatre. "Come. Let me take you out to the loggia for a breath of air."

As the blond awkwardly accepted the man's hand, Zechs turned a harsh look upon the people seated at the table. Then, gently as a gentleman with a lady, he pulled Quatre toward the door.

Neither of them spoke as they made their way through the castle and outside to the lower-floor loggia. The rain had dwindled to a fine mist that dripped from the castle and the trees. It mingled with a thin fog that hovered just above the ground and brought a quiet stillness to the land.

Quatre shivered and rubbed his arm. "Thank you, monsieur-"

"Zechs," he reminded, softly. "Please."

The blond flushed beneath his collar. "Zechs, then. And thank you, but I don't want to place you in a difficult position with the Khushrenadas."

"N'importe," he assured, lips tugging in a slight half-smile. "Treize and I are old friends, and his opinion is the only one that matters to me, except of course for Heero."

"Heero obviously doesn't want me here," Quatre sighed.

"But you must understand his position, and the life he had as a young boy. This place is everything to him."

"What of his life? I asked him last night how he came to be living here when my mother disappeared, but he seemed… upset by the question, and would not discuss the matter."

"Of course, I was here only during my winter visits, or sometimes for a few weeks in the summer, when I could get away. But I could see what was going on even then. And I will tell you frankly, little Quatre, I am not certain to this day who was lying and who was not."

"Would you tell me about it? So that I might understand?"

"Come," he said quietly. "Sit here away from the damp breeze, and we will talk."

Quatre did as he asked, sitting on a stone bench tucked into a sheltered corner of the long, walled porch.

"The problem started years ago," Zechs began, standing before the blond as he told the story. "When Hiromi Une-Yuy came here to work as a personal maid to Leia Khushrenada. Hiromi had a young son, Heero, rumored to be illegitimate - despite the addendum to her surname. She was devoted to the boy. She still is, of course. There were nasty rumors about her, and she did not enjoy the kind respect of many. She was often scornfully referred to as the 'Orientessa.' As for Rasid Darlian, it is true that he loved Leia; there was little doubt about that. He adored her; one had only to be in their presence to see it. I knew it the first time I visited here and saw them together. But no matter what any of them say, I know how much Leia adored Treize and how deeply Treize loved her."

The man began to pace, speaking as though reliving those lost years. "Things began to happen, then, unexplainable things. Some blamed the Demon's curse, but…"

"The Demon?"

"Yes," Zechs paused. His brows lifted, "Ah, my apologies. Of course you would not know about such things. A man, strange-eyed and ghostly, who lived in the mountains beyond the vineyard - perhaps still does. The local people were frightened of him and said he placed a curse on the castle. Not that I believe a word of it. Anyway, there were rumors, misunderstandings between Leia and Treize. I always felt someone was involved - Rasid, perhaps - who wanted to cause trouble between them. But I don't believe it had anything to do with some demon." He paused again, waiting as though to determine whether Quatre was still following the tale.

"Go on," the blond urged.

"Treize began to believe the rumors about Leia and Rasid, although your mother denied them with all her heart. At the same time, there was talk that Treize had turned to Leia's maid, the Orientessa, for comfort. Leia was hurt - devastated, I would say. As a result, they both began to grow further and further apart."

"Was I here then?"

"Oh, yes. You were two or three years old, I suppose - and adorable as a cherub, as I recall. The accusations and bickering finally grew unbearable for Leia. She disappeared without a word to anyone. No one could believe she'd left her only child behind."

"Left me?" Quatre echoed. "But…"

"That is where Rasid came in. Two days later he disappeared, as did the child. Everyone supposed then that he and Leia were to meet somewhere. But the mystery was never really solved, nor either of them heard from again. Treize's many investigators turned up nothing… Then, you came." There was nothing but sympathy as he looked at Quatre, and the blond glanced aside to hide that his eyes were stinging with tears.

"I don't remember my mother at all. Wouldn't I at least remember her?"

Zechs, too, glanced away, toward the mist-covered courtyard. "I do not know. I could never understand it myself, could never believe Leia would do such a thing. She loved you and your father more than life. I never believed she loved Rasid… not for one moment. She regarded him as a dear friend, perhaps a confidant, but… no, he was much too staid and settled for a vibrant woman like Leia." His voice trembled strangely as he remembered her.

"D-do you think she might still be alive?"

He shook his head. "Again, I do not know. I cannot fathom her ever leaving you. And yet, you say it was Rasid alone who raised you…" He sighed, turning to Quatre with a shrug of his shoulder. "Did Rasid say nothing else before he died? Anything that might help you discover the truth?"

"There was one thing," the blond frowned, trying to recall Rasid's last feeble words.

"Yes?"

"He said something about… asking Duo. That, Duo knew. But at the time, I had no idea what he meant. Do you know?"

Zechs frowned thoughtfully, but shook his head once more. "I fear not. But if this Duo was from around here, of course, I probably would not know anyway. As I have said, I lived in France and visited Rosemont only once or twice a year. But I shall ask around, see what I can find out."

Quatre nodded, lost in thought of Rasid and the dramatic changes that had occurred in his life since they'd come to the tranquil valley of Sanc. And now the mystery that surrounded his mother's disappearance began to eat at him, and he wanted more than anything to find her and learn why she had left Rosemont… and why she had left him.