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 Eleven

He hurried down the stairs, almost colliding with Relena, who was just coming into the entry hall. She was surrounded by children who laughed and chattered loudly.

"Quatre Raberba," she gasped with surprise as she came to a sudden stop.

"Relena," he said, trying to catch his breath. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you…"

"I can see that," she sympathized, before turning to quiet the children. "Is anything wrong? You look as though the devil himself is after you."

He glanced quickly up the stairs. Heero stood at the top of the landing, his hand resting casually on the railing. His eyes were hooded and dark as he watched them for a moment before turning to go back into the room where Treize Khushrenada lay.

Relena followed Quatre's glance, and her eyes widened curiously. "Oh, I should have guessed," she said. "It's Heero."

"Yes," he fumed. "Heero. I don't know why that man exasperates me so. I keep promising myself that I won't let him goad me into another quarrel, and yet every time I see him it happens all over again."

"I did warn you that he can sometimes be rather overwhelming when he wants to be. But honestly, Quatre Raberba, he is a very nice man. He's a devoted son to Hiromi and to your… to Treize."

Quatre felt a little stab of pain at her failure to use the word father. "So you don't believe me either?"

"Oh, it isn't that. Not at all." She placed a comforting hand on his arm. The children were growing restless, a few of them tugging at her skirt. "Here, let's take the children in to the ballroom. Hiromi has said we might play games inside since the rain has not stopped."

They could hardly hear above the shouts and laughter as they walked down a hallway toward the ballroom. The children ran with abandon into the very long narrow room.

"This is the most elegant room in the castle," Relena said. "In fact, it's the most elegant room I've ever seen. The ceilings are forty feet high, and these hardwood floors are kept so highly polished, you can see yourself in the shine."

The shouted echoes of the children rang across the empty expanse of bare wood. Relena and Quatre sat on the floor and allowed the children to dance and play for a while as they talked.

"Let me explain about earlier," Relena pleaded, seeming eager for him to understand. "It's my mother. You see, I have to be so cautious with her, and it was only second nature that I'd be careful with my words… where Treize Khushrenada is concerned."

"Because of Rasid?"

"Yes. Rasid was my uncle," she revealed with a solemn nod of her pretty head. "Of course, I don't remember him. But Mother was very hurt by what he did, and she won't allow anyone in our home to mention his name. She and Leia - your mother - were best friends."

"I see…"

"Rasid was my father's brother. I was only a baby when Father died, and I understand Rasid was very devoted to Mother. She told me once that she didn't know how she would have managed the estate without him. And when he left, running away in the midst of a scandal, with Mister Khushrenada's wife… well, you can imagine how Mother must have felt."

"Yes," he sighed. "The whole thing seems to have caused nothing but heartache for everyone. But I wish… I wish I could ask your mother about her, about my mother."

"I'm sorry, Quatre," she murmured, placing a hand on his arm. "I don't think that would be a good idea. Perhaps after she's come to know you better…"

One of the children ran up to them and took Relena's other hand. "Miss Relena… Miss Relena. Can we play a game now?"

She smiled sweetly at the little girl. "Yes, of course we can." Glancing at Quatre with a shrug of her slender shoulders, she stood. "Come join us, Quatre Raberba."

He became caught up in the games with the children. They seemed so starved for any kind of attention or affection that Quatre felt an immediate empathy with them. One of the younger girls, a little sprite of a thing with short red hair of a prettily bold red color, stood away from the others, the toes of her scuffed black shoes held tightly together. She was small and delicate, and she had curled her fingers into the neck of her dress as she watched the other children playing.

No one seemed to be paying attention to her, so Quatre went to her to urge her to join the others. She stepped away from him, and still would not look up.

"What's your name?" He asked softly. He didn't want to upset her any further.

She didn't answer, but swung her body back and forth in a shy little manner that almost broke his heart. He knelt down before her and took her free hand, making a slight performance of bending his head over her fingers to peck them with a soft kiss. "My name is Quatre," he said. "Would you like to play the game with us?"

She shook her head, still not speaking, and not meeting his gaze. Even the faint dusting of rose on her small cheeks caused his heart to ache for her, and he wondered what kind of life the poor little thing had lived.

He leaned very slowly forward, still careful not to scare her. "You're very pretty," he whispered into her ear as though sharing a secret. "Did you know that?"

As he drew away, she met his gaze for the first time, her eyes a clear blue color that took him by surprise. The glance was very brief, but he knew he had reached some small distant part of her.

"Will you join us?" Quatre asked one more time.

She nodded slightly, and in an endearing little gesture tightened the fingers of the hand he still held around his own. He watched her as she tried to play with the other children. She seemed awkward and ungainly, as though her shyness translated into a physical handicap, and as the others laughed and shouted, the little girl remained solemn and unsmiling.

The servants moved long tables into the elegant ballroom and began to place dishes of food upon them. Quatre was surprised to see Dorothy and Missus Darlian helping to carry the food into the room.

Missus Darlian looked skeptically at him with a brisk nod, one more of dismissal than of greeting. "Relena," she said. "We've brought damp towels. Have the children wash their hands before we eat."

The rowdy gang lined up as Relena and Quatre both stood with wet towels to wash their damp, grimy little hands. The shy little girl stood at Quatre's side afterward as though she didn't want to leave, and he did nothing to discourage her.

When Heero strolled casually into the room a few moments later, Quatre's heart suddenly forgot how to function properly. He had to remind himself just how cruel the darker man could be. Still, it didn't seem to lessen the impact his handsome form had on the blond's senses.

He had dressed down for the occasion, with his shirt opened halfway to reveal his burnished chest. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he looked very much at ease with himself.

Heero looked with an assessing little nod toward Relena and Quatre. Then he took his hands from his pockets and came slowly toward them.

Relena looked demurely away as he approached. But Quatre, with his lack of social graces, watched the other's every movement, each confident step he took. He walked with a proud grace, his confidence unmistakable, as though he were accustomed to drawing the focus of every man or woman in the room.

"Good afternoon," he said. His tone of voice and the placid look on his face gave no indication of his earlier anger toward Quatre. But, of course, the blond had not forgotten Heero's warning that they would carry on an elaborate pretense at friendliness.

"Good afternoon, Heero," Relena smiled.

The little red-haired girl moved closer to Quatre, clasping his leg and burying her face against him as she peeked around at Heero.

Seeing the child's movement, Heero smiled down at her. His blue eyes, far darker than hers, crinkled at the corners, and Quatre thought he'd never seen such potent masculinity as was in that smile. Oddly, it was not lost on the beautiful child, and for the first time she smiled too.

Quatre looked at her, offering a smile of his own. "You're even prettier when you let the world see it," he whispered to her, before looking up to meet Heero's gaze. "Thank you. That's the first she's smiled all day."

"You sound surprised," Heero replied in his usual mocking tone of voice. "Perhaps not everyone regards me in the same light you do."

As hard as he tried, Quatre could not think of a clever response. By then Heero had taken Relena's arm to lead her toward the bounty of food.

The little girl would not leave Quatre's side during lunch. He helped her with her food and sat with her on the floor as they ate. Glancing out the long, sparkling windows of the ballroom, he could see that the weather still had not cleared. He wondered what other entertainment they could find for the children.

"Good," the little girl said suddenly, looking at him with her bright, shining blue eyes.

His own eyes widened at her first words, and he laughed. "Yes," he agreed. "It's very good. Are you having fun today?"

She nodded and went back to her eating.

"You know," he gently cajoled. "I really wish I knew your name. If I decided to visit the orphanage I wouldn't know who to ask for." He waited quietly, mentally crossing his fingers.

"Mariemeia," she said in a breathless little voice. He could see what an effort it was for her to let him into her small world.

"Mariemeia," he smiled. "That's a beautiful name. So original. You must feel so special."

She moved closer to him, and they ate in companionable silence. They were not far from where Relena and Heero sat. There were children around them, and Quatre thought with a pang of envy that they made the perfect couple. It seemed so natural seeing Relena with the children gathered about her.

But Heero's attention was captured by the girl beside Quatre. He watched her, and once, as Quatre glanced at him, the darker man's blue eyes were on him.

The blond was sure he must have looked curious, but Heero only smiled that enigmatic smile of his and focused his attention again on Relena and the other children.

After they had eaten, Missus Darlian came to gather all the children for a game of hide-and-seek. Mariemeia rested her head against Quatre's arm, making no movement to go with them.

"Wouldn't you like to go too, Mariemeia?" He asked.

"No," she whispered. "They won't let me."

Quatre tried to rein in his frown, careful not to scare her after all the progress they'd been making. "Who won't let you?"

"I'm clumsy and… and slow. No one wants me for a partner."

Missus Darlian stood above them, waiting for the child to go with the others. She looked with kindness at Mariemeia, something Quatre had not seen in her resentful glances toward him.

"You don't need a partner for hide-and-seek," he encouraged, gently sweeping the child's vibrant red strands behind her ear. "And you don't have to hurry. I'll bet you can find the best hiding place."

"That's right, Mariemeia," Missus Darlian said with a gentle smile. "Come along. It will be fun."

Reluctantly and with a wistful glance back at Quatre, the little girl rose and went with her.

As they trooped from the room, Relena breathed a loud sigh of relief. "Ah, peace and quiet at last," she giggled. "I think I shall use the opportunity to eat a piece of chocolate cake in silence. How about you, Quatre Raberba?"

He smiled in the face of her enthusiasm. "No. None for me."

Heero sat on the floor, one leg stretched out before him and the other knee drawn toward his chest. His arm was flung casually across his knee as he watched Quatre cautiously. "Mariemeia likes you," he said quietly. "You seem to have a way with children."

Quatre didn't answer him. Charming children was a skill valued amongst gypsies, but if the blond admitted that to Heero, he was certain the darker man would read something less honorable into it.

"You're very good, you know that?" Heero continued when Quatre did not rise to his bait.

The blond sighed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it could mean you were well trained, or it could mean you simply have a knack for deception. I haven't yet decided which."

Quatre shifted forward immediately, intending to get up from the floor. He would not sit quietly and let Heero Yuy mock him again. But the other man was quick to catch his arm in a hard grasp, holding him in place.

"Let go of me," the blond murmured. He was breathing heavily, and he could feel the throbbing of his heart in his throat. Heero's hand was warm, burning through the sleeve of Quatre's shirt; he was so close Quatre could detect the same masculine scent he remembered from the dinner party the night before.

"Let go," he whispered again.

Relena stood at the table, chatting with Dorothy and enjoying her chocolate cake. No one in the room seemed to take notice of the two sitting on the floor.

But despite Quatre's warning, Heero's hand remained clamped firmly on the blond's arm. Quatre's eyes stung wetly, and he struggled to banish the oncoming tears. Seeing Mariemeia had brought it all back - all the hurts of his own childhood. He had been the only child in Rasid's caravan; he understood how hard it was, always being on the outside, never being wanted. The blond could not help it, for as much as he wanted to despise the man beside him, he desperately wanted Heero's approval and acceptance.

"I was only going to suggest that you continue your friendship with Mariemeia. She's had a very destructive childhood, and when she came to the orphanage, she had been badly mistreated. She trusts very few people, but she seems to be drawn to you." The darker man's disturbing eyes would not leave him for a second.

Quatre glanced away. "I'm not so certain it wasn't I who was drawn to her. Rasid always used to warn me about the magnetic responses of kindred spirits…" He clamped his mouth shut quickly, for he had not intended to give away anything so personal about himself - he definitely did not want Heero to think Quatre needed his pity. Yet, as he looked up, the tears he had been fighting back at last escaped.

Heero frowned, cocking his head as though something disturbed him. His hand loosened from the blond's arm and with a quick caressing movement he brushed the tears from Quatre's cheeks.

Then, as suddenly as it had happened, the moment was gone. He laughed, a soft derisive sound only the two of them could hear, as he whispered huskily, "Shimatta, little gypsy. You really are quite good at this. I almost believe you myself."

With a swift, fluid movement he was gone, leaving Quatre to sit alone on the floor, more bewildered than ever by Heero's strange words and his power to disturb Quatre's thoughts.