"...and so Treize is waiting for Sally so he can leave Wufei and interrogate the assassin."

Heero nodded as Zechs finished his report. "That sorcerer can act like a fool when he wants to...all right, go ahead and take the prisoner down to the dungeon. Treize can question him when he wakes up."

Duo held silent, pulling the blankets a little higher around his face as Zechs and Noin pulled the unconscious assassin away. Heero sat back at the table, rapidly drumming his fingers against the surface and deep in thought. Duo noticed that Heero's face looked the same as when he'd slapped him before, and he didn't want to risk another bruise with a careless question.

Better to just wait for him to say something, Duo nodded to himself.

"Why were you awake?" Heero suddenly asked.

Duo looked up. "Wh-what?"

"You were fighting that assassin before I woke up," Heero clarified. "How?"

Duo tilted his head, not understanding what Heero meant. "I...I woke up when I heard him coming in the window," he said meekly. "So I...made the light turn on...and I tried to get the knife..."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Heero asked.

"I...I don't know..." Duo's voice dropped to a mumble, thinking he'd done something wrong. "I...thought he'd hear you, I thought...and I was closer to him..." His shoulders started to shake and he lowered his head. "I'm sorry..."

Heero stood and moved towards him, standing over Duo. "Why are you sorry?"

"I just didn't want you hurt...but I...I must have done something wrong..." Duo sniffled. "I'm sorry."

Heero shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong," he said. "You risked your life to keep me safe. That's more than any slave...any person has done for me."

Duo looked up and a tear spilled over his cheek. "But...Treize...your guards...don't they?"

Heero smirked. "Yes, they saved us from the unconscious assassin, didn't they?"

Duo smiled. "True...it's nice seeing you relax a little."

A soft knock at the door turned their attention to Sally, who was slightly out of breath and holding a black sack, presumably full of medical supplies. "Are you two all right?" she asked, looking them over.

"Yes, calm down," Heero said.

"I would've been here sooner," she said apologetically, "but Wufei's damn lightning storm blew out all my candles."

"Have you talked with Zechs yet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, haven't seen him yet. Why?"

"Treize needs you in his room," Heero told her. "Wufei's sick from that burst of magick he just used."

Sally smirked. "He must be unconscious, or else he'd never let a weak woman use foolish science on him." She frowned as she noticed Duo's faint shaking and reached into her bag, pulling out a small pouch. "Those teas will probably take awhile to brew, so take these in the meantime."

He took it from her hand and opened it, pulling out the first golden pill. "What is it?"

"Don't bite it, just put it on your tongue and let it melt," she evaded the question and headed for the door.

Heero followed her out, and once they were beyond Duo's hearing range, he repeated the question.

"It's just honey hardened into candy," she told him, "but please don't tell him that. It won't hurt him and if he thinks they'll relax him..."

"It's all right," he said, nodding. "He deserved an award for saving my life. I'll send someone out for more sweets from the marketplace."

"Saving your...what did he do?" she asked. "I thought you ran the intruder through."

Heero shook his head. "Just through the hand. Duo fought him back before I woke up and ended the fight. That reminds me, I need to have clothes made for him."

Back in the bedroom, Duo had no idea what they were talking about. He just knew this pill was wonderfully sweet, and he drew out the taste as long as he could. His hands clutched the pouch, as if he was afraid they might disappear before he could savor the rest.

Heero walked back into the room and froze. Duo, who didn't hear his master come in, had closed his eyes in pleasure and tilted his head back slightly, sucking hard on the honey. Heero stared, unable to look away from Duo's throat and his lips. He bit his lip trying to ignore the little noises of pleasure Duo was making, but just having a beautiful boy wrapped in a soft blanket, and he was his slave...

Not now, he growled. Tonight. I won't make his first experience with me mirror his rape. He smiled unconsciously, eyes narrowing. He remembered what Duo had looked like just after his bath, completely naked save for the waves of long hair cascading around him. So pretty and helpless, and he'd submitted to him almost immediately...

"Heero?"

The prince broke out of his reverie and looked back at Duo, who had finally noticed he'd come back. He stepped closer until he could put his hand on Duo's braid, now messy and disheveled. Placing a little kiss on Duo's cheek, he felt faintly satisfied that the bruise from his slap was nearly gone.

"You're braid's come undone," he stated, as if it was merely an empty fact.

Duo's hand immediately went to his braid. "Oh...sorry...I'd better put it back up."

Heero caught Duo's wrist before he could move, and the slave looked up at him in confusion, not knowing what he'd done wrong.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'll do it." He pushed Duo back against the chair and brought his hair over the edge, letting it spill to the floor. Once he undid the band, a sudden thought entered his head. He paused to consider, then made up his mind. "No. First, a bath, and then you can get dressed."

"Clothes?" Duo asked eagerly.

Heero stood and pulled the blanket off of Duo, substituting it for a much smaller towel. "We'll likely have guests later on today, and you should be dressed by then."

"Who are they?" Duo wondered, blushing as Heero put the towel around his waist.

"My brother Trowa, with a small retinue. You'll be introduced as my personal slave, and you'll be expected to stay with him."

Duo stared at him in shock, one hand going to his mouth as he tried to muffle his gasp. "You...you don't mean...?"

It took Heero a few moments to figure out what had spooked Duo. "No, not like that! No one will touch you but me, ever!" he snapped. His tone softened when Duo cringed. "No...you belong to me, no one else. But you're his equal in status among the royalty, so while you're with us, you'll be by his side."

"Oh..." Duo nodded, understanding. "What's his name?"

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

Duo frowned. "I know that name..."

Not bothering to ask, Heero pulled him into his arms and carried him out of the bedroom. "His family used to rule in the Corazon kingdom, but my brother took over once the king died."

"But didn't the king have an heir?" Duo asked, putting his arms around Heero's neck. "Mmm, you're comfy."

"Yes, but there were twenty-nine daughters between Quatre and the throne, and each of them was more power-hungry than the first. None of them could lead a country, and the region fragmented into little kingdoms until Trowa decided to take over."

"All the kingdoms? How?"

"He assassinated each sister and claimed Quatre as his concubine."

"Oh."

Heero set Duo on his feet as they entered the bathing room, but he grabbed a fistful of his hair and gently led him to a single small room in the back barricaded from the rest of the area by a thick curtain. "I'll expect you to bathe here unless I say otherwise. Your body is mine alone to see."

"Aside from Sally or Wufei," Duo added with a little smile.

Heero almost chuckled. "True." He glanced around the room to make sure it was in order. Several towels hung from the racks on the wall, with a full-length mirror in the corner. The tub here was actually a tiled pool, like the others, but considerably smaller, capable of holding three people at the most. Soaps and shampoos stood at the corner, and a spare set of chains lay in the corner. Like every other part of the palace, this area was covered in tiles of the most intricate and complex designs.

Duo, once he saw it was expected, removed his towel and sat down at the edge of the pool, carefully sliding into the water. He was able to touch the bottom, though, which relieved him to no end. Behind him, Heero slipped in after and started to run the soap over the top of his shoulders. Duo groaned at his touch and leaned against the edge, enjoying his touch. Heero ran his fingers down Duo's back, stroking the skin beneath his ribs and finally trailing down just above his thighs. Pushing some of the long hair out of the way, he placed tiny kisses along Duo neck and shoulders. Encouraged by his slave's little moans, he placed one finger at the top of Duo's spine and roughly followed it down to his tailbone, where his hand cupped around the curves of his body.

"Heero," Duo whispered, his eyes closing.

The prince wondered if he'd done something else to worry him, but instead Duo's body was relaxing under his hands.

"You can," he said, leaning against him. "If you want to."

Heero breathed in sharply when he realized what he meant. "Not here," he said, kissing his throat again. "Not now. Tonight. It is something both of us must enjoy."

Duo smiled and turned his head so Heero could kiss his lips. "Will you show me how?"

"I will show you everything I know."

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