KC: Do you know I have over a page of notes about this story?
Duo: To keep everything straight?
Heero: More like keeping everything yaoi.
KC: Nah, I know pretty much what's going on, but I do need them to remind myself where the story's going, or else I might lose track.
Wufei: You mean you haven't already?
KC: Well, the readers are pretty good about reminding me about some things. Like a brother unmasking to a sister...
Zechs: Oh joy...
KC: So, any objections to starting this right off, without much of an intro conversation? I really wanna get some more written now.
Trieze: No objections.
Quatre: Aw, I didn't get to say anything!
Trowa: Neither did I.
KC: Oh, you two are gonna have some rough stuff to go through soon, don't worry.
Quatre: Angst?
KC: Torture. Mental, but nonetheless significant.
Trowa: ///_-
*
"Achoo!" Quatre sniffled and backed away from the chest, his fingers leaving marks in the thick layers of dust. "Achoo--achoo-achoo!"
"You okay?" Duo asked, looking up from the similarly layered cabinet.
Quatre backed away from the chest and sat down on the large bed, displacing even more dust. "I'm all right. It's just all the dust in here."
Duo picked up his candle and moved to Quatre's side, the flame illuminating swirls of tiny particles in the air. "I guess he didn't use this place that much."
Quatre gazed around what would have been a luxurious bedroom if only it were clean. "He must have stayed in that lab all the time. What did you say he was making?"
"Weapons," Duo answered. "I'm not exactly sure. There were a lot of things, like a crossbow, and a whip, and a couple sword hilts...and some really funny swords. And he had a bunch of little white necklaces he called Zero."
Quatre just tilted his head in confusion. "I'm sure Trowa'll explain everything to me later."
The door opened, and they both looked up at Wufei, who rubbed his eyes wearily as he came in. "Good, you're already here. Why's it so dark?" he complained, closing the door behind himself. Still sitting on his shoulder, Nataku flicked her tail once and let it dangle behind him.
"No light," Duo answered.
Wufei gave him a dry look and snapped his fingers, wincing slightly as he irritated the minor burn there. Nothing lit. "Oh, now I remember." He sat down on the bed beside Quatre and leaned over, lowering his head. "He never let me in here."
"Didn't he trust you?" Duo asked, sitting on the floor.
The sorcerer shrugged. "I don't think he trusted anyone except Heero and Trowa." He sighed and looked around the darkness. "Are there any crystals or candles...?"
Quatre shook his head. "Are you feeling all right? You look sleepy."
"Just tired," Wufei waved him down. "I had to cast dozens of spells this morning...but at least we have most of the traitors back in line now."
"I can go get one of the crystals from our room," Duo offered, standing.
Wufei shook his head. "No, just ask a guard to bring some quartz from the treasury. Not much, just a handful."
Duo nodded and went to the door, looking out. "Guard! Anyone listening!"
Quatre couldn't help a chuckle. "Such a silly Duo..." He turned back to his friend. "You sure you're all right? You could take a nap."
"On such a dusty bed?" Wufei laughed. "It's so bad Nataku hasn't gone to sleep, and for her, that's saying a lot."
The dragon squawked irately, wrapped her tail around his throat and gave a brief, tight squeeze. He swatted his hand at her, sending her into the air. "Go eat something," he snapped. "Being hungry makes you cranky."
She squawked again, then buzzed by Duo and disappeared down the hall.
*
They were alone in the garden, but even so, Zechs glanced around the lush greenery before following his commanding officer into the thick jade bamboo, entering a small clearing almost instantly. Neither could hear anything beyond their own footsteps on the emerald grass and the rustling of their uniforms.
"Then, is he dead?" Zechs murmured.
"No need to whisper," Treize said. "But yes, the king is dead." Long live the king.
"And no one else knows?"
Treize thought for a moment. "Heero and Duo were at his side, along with two guards. Sally was called, so she knows. Wufei and I know...and now you and Noin. Is that guard still telling people?"
Zechs shook his head. "No, I've told him to keep quiet. But Treize...why hide it?"
"We're too close to war for a royal funeral and coronation, and I don't want to invite any more assassins to dinner. Besides, Heero said it'd be better for the other countries to think J is alive, so they'll be hunting a dead man more than the living monarch." He ran one hand through his hair. "But for all intents and purposes, Heero is king. Just don't call him that."
"Treize...how close are we to war?"
"Close enough to thank God we turned those traitors back to our side in time."
Zechs sighed and tossed his head to one side, flipping his platinum hair out of the way. "Can we get Relena safely out before anything starts?"
The captain shook his head. "She'd spend too much time on the road back. She's safer here, all undead zombies and assassins to the contrary."
Zechs gave a bitter laugh. "The servants are still giving me hell about the cleanup on my uniform. Even in battle I was never that covered in gore."
"How often do our enemies explode on us?"
"Captain Khushrenada! Zechs Merquise! Are you in here?"
"Over here," they both called out.
"Captain?"
They could hear the guard calling them shuffling about.
"Right here," Treize tried again. "In the clearing!"
Zechs rose one hand to his mouth as he remembered something. "The clearing no one can hear us in."
Treize blinked. "Whoops."
They both came out of the bamboo, startling the soldier who'd come rather far into the garden.
"Sirs, your immediate presence is desired by Prince Heero. He's waiting in the King's laboratory."
Both officers inwardly cringed, but neither gave any outward sign of discomfort as they hurried off.
*
Duo had never seen such a treasure. Five or six long white spikes of quartz jutted up from a reddish stone encrusted with smaller crumbs of the gem. Wufei lay one fingertip on the tip of the longest shard and whispered something neither boy could hear. A moment later, the quartz glowed like a miniature sun, and he set it on top of the dusty nightstand.
With the added light, they could see just how dusty the room really was. Up to the door, a layer of dust covered the floor so they couldn't even see the bottom, save for the places where they had all stepped. Everything was colored a dingy gray, even the walls they knew should have been tiled colorfully. The closet's interior also had dust, although not as much as its exterior. Still, Duo realized that the items on the floor had been clothing he'd touched, disintegrated from old age.
"At least now we can see what we're doing," Quatre smiled, standing up. He blinked and glanced at Duo. "What are we doing again?"
Duo groaned as he stretched his arms out, leaning back a few inches. "Getting rid of what's not needed, but I think all of this stuff is pretty far gone."
Wufei nodded and ran his hand along the bedspread, noting how the thin threads tore under his fingers. "I suppose everything would fall apart even if we simply tried to move it."
Quatre shook piles of dust from his clothing, finally noticing how much he'd accumulated. "You could always just move what you have now."
Duo shrugged. "Ah, it's up to Heero, what he wants to do. I'm just happy we didn't run into any of his experiments in here." He narrowed his eyes and climbed up on the bed, ignoring how the dust started to cover him. "Look at this."
They followed his gaze and saw a row of odd markings along the bed's headboard. Duo wiped it clean, pushing huge clumps of dust into Quatre's lap. The blonde grimaced and slapped them away.
"J...u...s...t" Duo read, struggling to make out the ornate writing. "Wu, what's this one?"
"It's an 'h'," Wufei said after a moment. "It must be the king's name. Ah, the late king's name."
"A...m...a...n..." he paused. "Justahamanus?"1
Quatre smothered his giggle. "Justahamanus? That was King J's name?"
Duo didn't bother to hide his laugh. "No wonder he liked J better." He swept his hand over the wood, imagining Heero written instead, in simpler letters without dust. Maybe even his favorite slave's name lower in smaller letters. He sighed and turned back again. "So...now what? Do we have to clean all of this up?"
"Of course not," Quatre shook his head. "We're not allowed to get blisters on our hands." He put his fingers to his mouth as he remembered something. "That reminds me, Wufei, I need more of that cream you gave me to keep my hands soft."
Wufei gave him an odd look. "What has Trowa made you do? Heavy gardening?"
Quatre shook his head. "No, he's teaching me how to defend myself, since he can't always be around. I'm only up to daggers, but he says I'm pretty good."
"If he says so, it must be true," he said. "But only daggers? Nothing else?"
"I've only been practicing a year," the blonde replied. "And it's not normal for a king to teach his concubine how to use a knife. I doubt he'd ever let me use anything bigger."
"But..." Duo tilted his head. "He trusts you, doesn't he? An' if people are trying to steal you..."
Quatre sighed and set one arm on the wooden headboard, resting his head. "It's not that simple, Duo. There are rules, laws...slaves aren't supposed to be able to fight back. We're supposed to be soft and stay in bed and do anything our masters need."
Wufei nodded grimly. "We are the lucky ones, Duo. None of us have even been whipped or beaten. That in itself is a rarity."
The thief frowned and crossed his arms. "But...they wouldn't do that...I mean, Heero loves me..."
"You gave yourself to him," Quatre murmured. "Could you love him if he'd kept you in chains, tortured you until you finally couldn't fight anymore? If you'd just lost everything, including your freedom, and were now expected to give in to his every whim?"
"No," Duo admitted. "But...then he wouldn't be my Heero. Loving someone like that is impossible."
Quatre and Wufei exchanged glances.
"It's...not easy," Wufei agreed.
Quatre didn't say anything, just gave a little nod.
*
Heero slowly opened the cabinet, careful not to bump the doors into the tables around them. He didn't trust the former king not to have left unstable spells out in the open for anyone to trip. Behind him, Trowa and two officers stood still, also keeping away from everything around them. Treize and Zechs had gone so far as to leave their swords at the door so the blades wouldn't tap anything.
"Are these things safe?" Trowa asked, watching his sibling gently remove seven crystals and lay them on a folded cloth on the nearest table. "Father did have an odd sense of humor."
Heero shook his head as he drew out the sword hilts. "I don't think he would do anything with something this important." He brought out the two poles next, followed by the curved blades. "Besides, he's dead. He hated missing the joke." Next came the crossbow, followed by the whip. He frowned and stared at the gems again.
"Forgot which one goes with which?" Trowa asked.
"J said the zero unlocks the weapons. I'm not sure how he meant that, and I don't know where his book is."
"His grimoire?" Treize asked.
They all stared at him.
"You know about it?" Heero demanded.
"Wufei did. He said J wrote everything in it, his notes, his spells, ingredients--"
"Did he say what it looks like?"
"Hundreds of yellowed pages of parchment bound in black leather." Treize pointed to the bottom of the open cabinet. "He said J kept it hidden in a small compartment in there."
Heero turned and leaned over the flat wood, running his hand over the smooth surface looking for knots or cracks. All he got for his trouble was a tiny splinter he had to suck out, much to his brother's amusement.
"Are you sure it's in there?" Zechs asked. "Not another cabinet?"
Trowa smiled ever so slightly and brushed past his brother, tapping the sides instead. Mostly light sounds came from his knuckles hitting wood, but a deeper knock soon followed. He then slammed his fist in the general spot and a thin panel fell sideways, spilling out the aforementioned book. With a little flourish, he handed it to his sibling.
"You are far too straight forward," he offered.
Heero took the heavy volume and lay it on the table. "I don't have your vast experience at hiding."
Treize and Zechs exchanged a brief look and silently agreed to say nothing.
The prince opened the book and flipped through the pages, moving through most of them in a few seconds.
"They would probably be near the back," Trowa said, looking over his shoulder.
"Wait," Heero said. He turned back a couple pages and shook his head. "No, it starts in the middle."
Treize furrowed his brow. "But Wufei said J kept that for years."
Trowa widened his eyes. "How long was he planning this?"
"Long enough to pour his life into it," Heero replied. "And I still want to know who assassinated J." 2
For a moment, Zechs thought he might have to catch his captain before he fainted. Fortunately Treize kept his head and didn't do much more than gasp.
"Assassin...J...?"
The two brothers looked at each other as they realized the same thing at once.
"We...forgot to tell them, didn't we?" Heero asked.
Trowa nodded. "Oops."
"How long have you known about this?" Zechs wondered.
"About the first day I was back," Trowa answered.
Treize, in his greatest acting performance, did not gasp again, nor did he have to sit down or lean against his former lover for support. He simply made a mental note to speak to Wufei about needing a better way to collect information and his new need for a stiff drink to be ready after every gathering involving royalty.
"So who gets what?" Trowa asked, changing the subject. "Or do we decide?"
"It looks like J designed two weapons for us," Heero answered. He pointed at a particular passage with diagrams. "You get the crossbow Heavyarms. I get one of the swords."
Trowa picked up the bow with a small grunt, his left arm shaking a little as he held it. "He wasn't lying. It's heavy."
Heero looked over the weapons again. "We still have to decide who'll use the others. Who on earth can use a whip as a weapon?"
Zechs coughed and smirked at Treize, who glowered at his subordinate. "I believe the captain has some experience in that region."3
Heero raised an eyebrow.
"It...isn't easy," Treize admitted. "But it can be lethal, when used correctly."
"Then yours is the Epyon," Heero said. "Zechs, do you have any experience with weapons other than a sword?"
Treize nearly rolled his eyes. "Zechs, do you know of the existence of other weapons besides a sword?"
Zechs glowered at his captain but politely shook his head. "Very little, your highness. I train mostly with a sword."
"The other sword will be yours, then. It's called Talgeese." Heero sighed and stared at the book again. "That just leaves us with three more trustworthy soldiers to find. And they have to be absolutely loyal."
"Noin?" Treize offered.
Zechs laughed. "She won't accept unless it's a direct order. I can't even make her change her old short sword for something longer."
"There are other options," Trowa said softly. "We do have three people we trust with our lives."
They fell silent for several seconds.
"But could they fight at that level?" Zechs asked. "Wufei's a sorcerer, he can't even handle iron. Admittedly, Duo stopped an assassin, but he's still a thief first and foremost. And Quatre...Trowa, are you serious?"
"He's not such a pushover," Trowa said with a smile. "He's been practicing with me ever since I found him. And...he's not a bad tactician, either. I think he could do it."
Heero looked at his captain. "Treize? Could Wufei handle the Shenlong?"
Treize nodded once. "I believe so, if he had some time to train with it. He said he practiced with swords and spears before he lost his ability to hold them. But...is it made out of iron?"
"No, copper with a thin plate of silver."
An indecipherable look crossed Treize's face. "Then...J probably meant for Wufei to use it. Copper is one of the few metals that does not affect him in some way."
"Could Duo handle a weapon?" Zechs asked.
Heero nodded. "I'm sure he could. He's intelligent, and he's certainly strong enough."
"Then it's decided?" Trowa asked.
"Unless we see one of them can't handle a weapon." Heero picked up a zero gem, but instead of stringing it around his neck, he simply secreted it into a pocket. "Explanations should be here in the book. You can bring them down here to pick up their...gundams?" He stared back at the word he'd skimmed over. "J called them gundams?"
Treize, who'd been occupied with his new whip, snapped his head up. "Gundams? Wufei mentioned that in his sleep a few times. I thought he was just mumbling."
"It's not Lagrangian," Heero said. "I...I don't recognize the language."
Trowa stared over his shoulder at the page. "I think I do. It looks like Corazon's native language...but the dialect's different. I don't think I can read it. Maybe Quatre could."
"I'll ask Wufei if it's important," Treize added.
Heero took his hilt and hung it from his sword belt, beside his usual blade. "Start looking through that book, see if you can find out more about how these things operate. I have to take care of something outside."
Everyone looked up in shock. After a long moment, a smile spread over Trowa's face. "Of course. He's dead. You can go anywhere now."
"Won't you take a guard unit with you?" Treize asked.
Heero shook his head. "This has to be done quietly. The fewer people the better."
"At least take Wufei or Zechs," Trowa offered. "You've never been outside, Heero. You could get lost."
"With the palace in the center of the city?" Heero snorted. "Don't worry. I'm taking Duo with me. Leave the deathscythe here, he can pick it up after we get back."
"Ah," Treize said in understanding. "May I ask whom you're stealing from?"
"Duke Dermail," Heero replied. "We should be back today or tomorrow. And remember, things must operate as if J is still alive. News of his death must not leak out."
They all nodded. Heero left immediately, heading back upstairs.
*
Duo tapped one of the cabinets, wincing as bits of rotted wood crumbled under his fingertips. "Nothing in here is salvageable. How long was J holed up in his lab?"
Quatre shrugged.
Wufei tilted his head, considering. "Treize said he'd been working there since before Heero was born. He only came up once in awhile to sign laws or oversee projects."
"So nothing's of any use?" Heero asked.
They all jumped at his unexpected voice. Wufei merely scooted back on the bed, but Duo hit his head on the cabinet and broke off even more wood while Quatre fell off the bed. Heero smirked.
Duo pouted as he rubbed the back of his head. "No, not unless you wanna make a blanket with all this dust."
Heero nodded once. "I'll simply have it cleaned out, then. Duo, come with me. You need to get dressed."
His slave frowned and looked over his clothing. "Uh...I thought I was."
"I'll explain on the way." Heero took his slim arm and led him to the door, turning back to the other pair for a moment. "Treize and Trowa will be here soon, so don't go anywhere."
Duo didn't even have a chance to say goodbye as Heero took him down the halls back to their own room. His soft slippers slid along the floor and he stumbled toward the bed, sitting down hard on the mattress. The prince...king closed the door behind them.
"We're going to sneak into Duke Dermail's palace tonight," he told him. "Will you need anything?"
Duo sat up, his braid falling over one shoulder as he toyed with the end of it. "Um...talk about short notice...okay...I'll need a good lock pick, more than one if I can. A rag to cover my hands, and a knife would be great, but I'll understand if you don't wanna--"
"What's the rag for?" Heero cut him off.
"Heat spells," Duo said, and explained when he saw Heero didn't understand. "They're cheap spells people put on locks and stuff, makes the metal super hot."
"And the cloth protects your hands."
Duo shook his head. "Nope, they give me a few seconds to pull back before the lock heats up all the way. Saves me a nasty burn, but it still hurts."
"You can use a pair of my gloves," Heero offered. "Any type of knife in particular?"
"Not really, just so long as it cuts." Duo lowered his gaze to the floor. "What...what happens if they see us?"
"We'll be masked. They won't recognize us." He bent on one knee and started to undress his slave. "We'll need to stay outside for the night. Do you know someplace safe we can sleep?"
A slow smile crept over Duo's face. "I...yes. Maxwell's church. The kids'll keep watch for us."
"Good. We'll leave as soon as we're ready."
*
Author's Notes:
1. Do you see the words in the name? Can you tell I don't like what he did to Heero?
2. Remember? Waaay back in chapter 14.
3. Now, I'm not saying Treize ever whipped Wufei as punishment...but they certainly like chains enough for whip action to be an option, don't they?
*
KC: *sigh* Semester's starting.
Quatre: What're you taking?
KC: Five classes. Twentieth century British poetry, a Major American Author (Poe), Intensive Language Study of Japanese, sixteenth century prose and poetry, and a creative writing workshop.
Duo: *snore*...zzzz...
KC: Yeah, that's what I won't be doing.
Heero: No sleep?
Trowa: Sleeping in class, more like.
KC: Nope, not once have I slept in class, tho' I've been sorely tempted to. Oh, I got A's in my summer classes.
Wufei: Acceptable.
Treize: So what happens to the fic?
KC: Oh, I'll keep working on it. I seem to get more energy to write when I don't have the spare time.
Duo: Will I ever get to learn what I can do? What're we on, chapter 29 already?
KC: Hey, I just barely introduced the gundams! Don't worry, you should find out either next chapter or the one after that. I'm pretty sure we're halfway through now. Probably more than halfway.
Heero: Probably?
Duo: You think?
Quatre: We're all gonna die of old age before we finish!
KC: Well, maybe not you. The readers, maybe.
Readers:...zzz...
Treize: So...um...how close are you going to keep this to the series?
KC: Huh? Pretty close, I guess. I've got plans for the PeaceMillion and Lib--damn it, stop asking me questions! You make me give things away! Wah!
Treize: Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to! I just wanted to know...um...
Zechs: He wants to know if you'll kill him during the battle.
Wufei: What? No! No, don't make me kill my Trei-bear! *glomps Trei-bear*
Trei-bear: *can't breathe...*
KC: Oh, yeah, you're supposed to die in the fight, huh?
Wufei: Don't pair me with that onna! I want my Trei-bear! *releases death grip on Trei-bear*
Treize: *gasp*
KC: Good, maybe you'll behave if I hold that over your head.
Readers: No, don't kill him!
KC: I dunno...things don't look so good. I'm not in a particularly giving mood right now.
Duo: You're just saying that 'cause you're on the rag--
KC: SHUT UP! First my weight, now that, be quiet!
Quatre: Duo, you should apologize for bringing up the fact that she's on her perio--
*bop*
Quatre: *holds his head in his hands* Ow, what was that for?
KC: Both of you hush. I don't wanna hear anything else.
Trowa: Your hair...it's the same shade as your eyes...
Quatre: What? Light blue?
KC: It was mentioned by a reader. They were right, looks good on you. So, all you readers! Wanna guess who's getting terribly beat up next chapter? I'll give you a clue...his lover's gonna do it to him...
All: 0.0
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