25 Jul 1999
Ok, here's number three. I've tried to work more on the dynamic between Zechs and Duo *out* of bed. (I know, I know, but they've gotta take a break *some* time!)
My questions: Is there enough yaoi to keep things interesting (for you yaoi types, obviously!) Is the 6x2 relationship gaining any "depth" for want of a better word? Are they getting a "couple personality"?
Oh! I finally figured out a way to work in the lyrics (remember the lyrics?) beginning with the prelude. So when you see them in this part, they won't start at the beginning of the song.
Anyway, comments and criticism would be wonderful and are gratefully accepted.
Thanks for reading -
kumiko
DISCLAIMER: All characters are copyrighted by Sunrise, Bandai, and Setsu Agency, are not mine to use, and belong to these entities. This work is for entertainment purposes only.
WARNING: Contains yaoi scenes. Do not proceed if you're under 18 or not comfy with the idea of sexual relationships between males.
It was all perfect, right down to the sherry.
Heero had tried to discourage Relena from having the little pre-dinner gathering, with several of the Asian delegation from last night's reception invited, as well as Zechs and Duo. The more people around her, the easier it was to miss something, something that might be fatal. But she had insisted and somewhere, in the back of his mind, he had wanted this, too. Had wanted to face Zechs and Duo together with Relena, as the married couple they would soon be. It would lay everything to rest, he thought. Banish the memory of Duo's hair and Duo's eyes - strip them of their power over him once and fo all.
At least, that's what he fervently hoped.
It was just after 4pm when the news came. Georges approached him with well-practiced silence and asked for a word.
"The Asians have had to leave unexpectedly, sir Something about civil unrest in one of the local capitals. I've already conveyed their regrets to the Princess."
Heero nodded, curtly.
"Then we won't have to have drinks before dinner after all," he half-asked, half-told the old man.
"Ah, the drinks are scheduled as before, sir, the Princess' instruction. It will just be the four of you: yourself and the Princess, of course, as well as the Duke and Mr. Maxwell."
"The four of us...", Heero's voice trailed off along with his thoughts and Georges, ever discreet, excused himself silently from the drawing room.
"Duo...nnnn, we really...should...nnn, be get- aaaaah, getting...getting...nnn...back..."
Duo looked up the length of the beautiful, golden body. Zechs lay on his back, his long, blond hair spread out around him, the shorter parts near his face sweeping his cheeks, the mass of longer strands brushing across hardened nipples and teasing the flat, washboard stomach. His hands were tangled in Duo's loose hair, his long, well-muscled legs pushed apart by Duo's eager hands. Intense blue eyes, half-lidded with desire, gazed back at Duo, who proceeded to blow cool air, ever so lightly, against Zechs' erection, his eyes never leaving the blond man's face. Zechs closed his eyes and let his head fall back, moaning softly.
Duo smiled devilishly at the young royal laid out before him. He raised himself to his knees, pushing the long legs further apart as he did so, his hands moving to either side of Zechs' shoulders. The mass of unbound chestnut hair fell like a curtain over the older man's body, mingling with Zechs' white gold, touching every sensitive part so lightly that the blond squirmed in exquisite agony. As the young American slowly shook his head, letting the golden-brown silk sweep across his partner's skin, Zechs forgot the words he had just spoken and gave himself up to the need's of the boy above him.
"Anything, Duo...", he whispered. "Do anything you want to me..."
In the security office of the palace, a young guard was puzzling over a message that had just come across the main comm unit. The sender was completely untraceable, the path the message took as it came into the palace computers chaotic, and the message itself unsettling. It read:
"The Reaper has entered the Princess' Court. Gather the candles for her"
As the young man searched the message lines for some clue to the identity of the sender, an alert signal began flashing on the nearby physical plant console. He called his superior over to his computer terminal, then checked the warning code of the alert that had just come in. The supervisor glanced at the guard's computer screen and then pushed a button on the comm unit.
"Tell Mr. Yuy that we have another sample for him."
"Sir," the young guard said, turning from the console. "The power to the Northeast Wing has been cut. I'm running a diagnostic now on possible sources for the problem."
The older man scowled down at the console that showed a schematic of the palace along with the status of electrical and security systems in each of the four wings.
"Northeast - that's not occupied at the moment. Tell Briere to take four of his men over and make sure it's completely secure."
He was listening to the younger guard carry out his last command when a second flash from the console caught his eye. As he watched, the power levels for the Northwest Wing fell, and the intruder alert indicator went red.
*If I'm smart then I'll run away But I'm not so I guess I'll stay Haven't you heard? I fell in love with a beautiful stranger...*
Duo drifted in a hazy mix of desire and release. Never, in all of the encounters he'd had with boys and men over the years, had anyone allowed him to do what Zechs just had. And for a moment, as he had filled Zechs and listened to his former enemy cry out at the feeling, it seemed impossible to tell where he ended and the long-haired blond began. The union had been that complete, their bodies turning to liquid fire and flowing into one another.
Zechs must have felt it, too. In an instant, he had rolled Duo onto his back and entered him, wrapping long arms around the slender boy and thrusting - deep, hard, and fast - until he fell over the edge and sunk his teeth lightly into the side of Duo's neck, effectively immobilizing the boy as Zechs' release flooded into him.
And now Duo's body pulsed and glowed under Zechs' -the feeling at once undeniable, but terribly strange.
*I shouldn't be feeling this way about him...he's not Heero...Dear God, he's certainly not Heero...this is probably a very bad idea...*
As Zechs' lips and hands wandered over his cooling body, Duo wrestled with a new realization, at turns denying it and then giving in and letting it break over him like a wave. The sudden understanding...what he felt...felt for the beautiful nobleman, and former OZ officer, in his arms...
"Your Grace! Are you there, sir? Your Grace!!!"
Zechs' head jerked up from Duo's neck, where he been nuzzling the soft hollow just below the boy's throat. There was alarm in the man's voice outside the greenhouse. In a second both of them were on their feet, dressing as they ran for the door.
"What is it, Paul?", Zechs demanded of his chief security aide when he and Duo were outside.
The man made a brave attempt to ignore his master's disheveled clothing and he similar state of the young man following him.
"There's been another message sir, another death threat. And whoever it is has been able to access the Palace's electrical systems - the power to the two northern wings has been cut. The physical plant crew are working to restore it, but they haven't been able to locate the source of the problem."
Duo's face registered his bewilderment.
"Zechs, what's goin' on? Who's getting death threats?"
"My sister, " replied Zechs. "The first came this morning; this is the second." He turned to Paul again.
"Where is my sister? Who is with her now?", he asked as he, Duo, and the aide headed back towards the palace.
"We've moved her to the Southeast Wing - the library, sir. It's a unique room, as you know, Your Grace, and also the easiest to secure and monitor."
"What's so special about it?", Duo asked, using well-honed skill to braid his hair as they walked quickly up the steps of the terrace.
It was Zechs who replied.
"It's the one room in the palace that has both no windows and only one ntrance into the room. As long as a guard is posted outside it should remain secure." He had reached the large reception room at the center of the palace's two southern wings, pink and white ribbons the only trace of the engagement party held the night before.
"I asked you who was with her, Paul. Is there a guard in the library?"
"Mr. Yuy is with her, Your Grace," Paul answered.
*Well*, thought Zechs, *that's probably better than half a dozen guards...*
"What about the new message," he added. "Have you been able to find anything on the sender's identity?"
"Nothing yet, Your Grace. The path used by the sender is an extremely convoluted one. The message itself was moved through at least four different networks before it reached ours and that all but eliminated any information on the identity of its sender. Mr. Yuy has moved his machine down to the library and is working on trying to recreate the path. So far he's only traced it as far as the main E1 channel."
"So what you're sayin', Paul, is that we only know it originated on Earth.", Duo remarked. "Hoo-kay, * that* narrows it down for us..."
"Duo...", warned Zechs.
The braided boy looked up at the Duke, shrugging his shoulders, hands raised, his mouth open to protest.
"Hey, I just asked -"
Zechs gave him a very discreet wink. Duo turned red and grinned like an idiot, but he said nothing more.
They had arrived at the huge cherrywood doors leading to the library. Zechs addressed the guard.
"Leguer! Open that door, now."
The guard saluted Zechs nervously and turned the large, ornate door handle.It didn't move. He tried again, but the doors were solidly locked.
"I-I don't understand sir," he looked at the Duke. "I just opened them not ten minutes ago!"
Pounding on the gleaming reddish wood, the Duke called out, "Relena! Open the door, it's Zechs!"
No sound came from inside the room.
"Relena! Heero! Can you hear me?" Again nothing but silence.
He turned abruptly to the wide-eyed guard, his long platinum hair flying out as he did so.
"You said you opened the doors - when was this?", he demanded.
The guard swallowed thickly and then answered, "Ten minutes ago, sir, when the tea was brought by Georges and another guard, Marren. He didn't use a key or anything like that, he just turned the handle and opened them."
"He couldn't have used a key if he'd wanted to," Duo said. He was squatting in front of the right-hand door, staring intently at the handle. "These doors don't lock from this side; you'd have to be inside the room to lock them."
Everyone paused then and looked down at Duo, who looked down at the carpet nervously. "Well, you would," he repeated softly, glancing at the three men before him.
The security aide, Paul, turned a baffled face first to Duo, then to Zechs. "But that means that they had to have -"
"Been locked by someone inside the room", Zechs finished the man's sentence. "Leguer, use your gun. Get these damned things open, now," he ordered.
"Yes, sir." Leguer took out his weapon and took an expert aim on the doors. Five shots later, they were still tightly shut.
"Enough!", called Zechs, taking a few steps back, crossing his arms over his chest and eying the tall doors.
"These have got to be at least 20 centimeters thick," he said. "They won't go down easily, but I see no faster way." In a lower voice he muttered, "I can't believe I'm having to do this; it's not like this is the damned 17th century... "
"Paul. Leguer. Let's get these doors down." His men lined up next to him, several feet from the imposing obstruction, and they all crouched somewhat, preparing for the hit.
Behind them, Duo put his hands on his hips.
"Hey - what about me? Aren't I going to be invited to join the Three Musketeers here? I mean, after all, I was a friggin' gundam pilot! I can do strong! You don't have to ignore me just 'cuz I'm small, ya know!"
Zechs straightened and walked back to where Duo stood looking indignant. He moved his lean and elegant body within inches of the American's and leaned over the boy, his eyes never moving from a spot on the wall to Duo's left.
In the lowest of voices he said, "Number One, Duo, I couldn't ignore you if I wanted to, which I don't. Number Two, I am saving your body for another, more pleasurable purpose later in the evening and I don't wish to see it bruised. And Number Three, we will probably need the other skills you have when we get into the room."
The tall blonde rose, still never looking at the long-haired boy, and walked back to where the other two men were braced to take the doors down, leaving Duo, opened-mouthed, behind him.
"On the count of three, then", said Zechs. "One, two, three!" The men slammed into the doors, the sheer force of the impact rattling them, but nothing more.
"Again," Zechs ordered, and they landed a harder blow on the thick wood, again to no avail. The third and fourth attempts produced the same result.
The three men were poised to try a fifth time
"Oy! Guvnor!," came a voice behind them. "Don't go ruinin' yer lovely palace..." Duo himself winced at his horrible imitation cockney accent.
Zechs spun around in genuine irritation this time at the idea that Duo would make light of a situation that was plainly urgent. What he saw was Duo lifting his hands to his hair. In a moment the boy was holding four small lock picks in his hand. He grinned up at Zechs.
"Just plain forgot about these. Care to witness a little breaking and entering, *Your Grace*?"
Zechs put a hand to his extremely sore shoulder and, turning ice blue eyes on the boy, murmured, "You might have remembered those before we pounded ourselves black-and-blue."
Duo lowered his head and peered sheepishly up at Zechs through his lashes, a small grin trying to break out over his face. "Sorry! I haven't been thinking very clearly today...besides, sometimes bruises can be very-"
Zechs' held up one long, slim finger to silence the boy. Then, with a look that struggled between scolding and delight, the tall blond motioned the other men aside and bowed to Duo, waving an elegant arm towards the door, offering up the gleaming metal to the boy's skilled hands. Within two minutes, the former L2 colony street child had the doors opened and they rushed into the room.
The library was peaceful. A ceiling fan spun lazily, high above them, and a large pot of tea sat cooling on a low table just inside the door. An exquisite vase of full-blossomed white roses stood next to the teapot. Everything seemed in order - with three small exceptions. The first was the smell, sickly sweet, hanging in the air around them. Zechs and Duo instinctively backed out of the room, bringing the other men with them and looked in again, this time from the ventilated safety of the hallway. Even still, the guard Legeur was looking greenish. The second oddity was the other guard, slumped on the floor near the tea tray, his moans assuring them that he was still alive but at all happy about it. And finally, the third thing about the room, which surprised all but one of them, was the oddest of all - Relena and Heero were nowhere to be seen.
The two guards stationed inside the small loading dock on the palace's southeast side were coming to. Marins, the older, more experienced one, was rubbing her forehead and reaching for the comm unit. She was hoping against hope that somehow the delivery had not been made, that the princess and the others inside the palace were safe, but she had a very bad feeling about the whole business.
"Beausan! Shake it off! We need to find out what's happened -" She broke off as the comm unit vid screen lit up and Harret, the assistant security supervisor, spoke.
"Marins - where the hell have you been! We've been trying to contact you."
"I'm sorry sir. We've had an incident down here. Beausan and I were attacked from behind - stunned -we've been out for about 20 minutes. Can you tell me, sir, if anyone in the household accepted a delivery from Archambeault's?"
"Was it the delivery person who attacked you?", Harret demanded.
"It must have been, sir, there was noone else here. I will admit it wasn't any of the regular Archambeault carriers. But the truck was theirs. That's why I didn't suspect -"
"Everyone is to be suspected given the current situation, do you understand that Marins?" The security man's face was grim.
"Yes, sir," the woman replied, looking skeptically at her junior officer, who at the moment was rolling on the ground looking profoundly green.
What was it, Marins?", Harret spoke again.
"Sir?"
"The delivery, Marins, what was delivered?"
"Oh, yes, pardon me sir. It was a bouquet for the princess."
"A bouquet?" Harret looked momentarily bewildered.
"Yes, sir - a bouquet of white roses, in a box. One moment I was signing for them, the next I woke up on the floor. Whatever it was knocked both of us out. Beausan is still in fairly bad shape."
"Did you smell anything strange before you blacked out?", a new voice demanded. Marins watched as Harret was unceremoniously pushed aside and a slender youth with long, braided hair came into view on the vid screen.
"Uh...that is, yes," she stammered at the cheeky boy. "It was something sweet, cloyingly sweet. I remembered thinking that if it was the flowers then the Princess probably wouldn't like them."
The boy on the screen nodded and spoke to Harret. Then it appeared that he and the Duke, who had been standing behind Harret, moved to the back of the security room.
"Hold on, Marins. We're sending a medic down with something that should help both of you."
The security officer, Paul, looked skeptically at the braided boy.
"'White Candy'? I've never heard of it."
"No, you probably wouldn't have. It wasn't used much by OZ. Primarily a terrorist's weapon." His eyes slid ever so slightly to Duo, who grinned back at him with the innocent face of an angel.
"But how was it administered? And to what purpose? And where, for God's sake, are the Princess and Mr. Yuy?"
Zechs put a hand on Duo's shoulder and murmured, "I'll let you take this one," as he walked over to Harret, signaling him from across the room.
Duo had a mission and an audience. He was ready.
"Gotta been the roses. The primary chemical in White Candy is a concentrated liquid that has a very low evaporation point. It works by dispersion. It can saturate an enclosed space in a matter of minutes. It doesn't do any permanent damage, but it's sure good at knocking people out. Makes 'em really sick, too. The antidote's common, you just gotta know that it's White Candy you're dealing with and not one of the fancier nerve gasses. We used it once at this OZ base. You shoulda seen 'em! Hah! Dropping like flies -"
Duo stopped for a moment and realized from the look on Paul's face that Zechs' security man probably wasn't appreciating this little stroll down memory lane.
"Heh heh - never mind," he said, and turned as Zechs and Harret approached. Harret seemed to be pleading with Zechs about something.
"But Your Grace, they're missing! It's impossible, given the room, but there it is. I must be allowed to conduct a full search of the palace and grounds, possibly even the closer areas of the city."
"Yes, Your Grace," Paul added. "What could have possibly happened to them? Legeur was outside the door the entire time, weren't you Legeur."
"Ah, well," the younger guard began, "there was the intruder signal that went off in the Map Room, next to the Library..."
Paul frowned deeply.
"Legeur, are you telling me that you left your post at some point in the past hour?"
"Well, ah, yes sir. The intruder alert went off and I...ran to the Map Room But there was no one there...sir..." Legeur was staring miserably down at the carpet. Zechs intervened.
"Let's not be too harsh on the man, Paul. He did what he thought best, under the circumstances. And this makes me more certain than ever that Relena and Heero were in the room and attempted to get out through that main door. It must have been locked through the security system immediately after Georges and the guard brought in the tea tray. That would mean it couldn't be opened from either side. Heero and Relena probably pounded on the door initially but, because Legeur was not present to help, were forced to escape another way."
"But there is no other way!", Paul cried. "That's why we put the Princess there in the first place! So where did they go, up the chimney?"
"I can see Heero doing that," Duo mused, chewing absent-mindedly at his lower lip.
"Perhaps he could," Zechs replied with mild amusement, "but he didn't have to. There was another way out."
Duo looked at Zechs, his eyes narrowed with interest, while Paul began to protest again. Zechs raised a hand to quiet him, an elegant gesture that proved highly effective. He spoke to all of them, but his eyes were on Duo.
"The library is the site of the one hidden door that this palace has. The exact location and manner of its operation have always been kept strictly to family members. No one else is allowed to know about it.
"About six months before the Kingdom was attacked, my father brought me to that room and passed on the information to me, as I was to be his heir. When Relena assumed the throne, and I was back here with her, I felt it necessary that, given her status as the heir, she should know if it as well."
He walked several paces away and then turned to face them.
"I have no doubt that Relena and Heero are quite safe in the passageway that leads from the library to the Morning Room in the Southwest Wing. I suggest that Paul and Legeur go to that room, while Duo and I look in the passageway for them."
"But Your Grace," protested Paul, "the intruder may be down there with them! What of your safety?"
In an instant, Duo had moved in front of Zechs, his arms crossed, his face inches away from Paul's. When he spoke his tone was combatative.
"You don't have to worry about him. I'll be there. Do ya think I'd let anything happen to him? Huh? Well think again, 'cause I won't! So there!"
"Duo," Zechs smiled, ushering the small pilot toward the door into the hallway, "I think Paul knows that. And of course, I'm perfectly able to look out for myself as well." He was still smiling at the two security men as he and Duo moved out of the room, Duo still glaring back at Paul, his face full of righteous indignation.
"Doesn't think I can keep you safe," the American muttered. "What kinda wuss does he think I am, anyway?"
Zechs rounded the hall corner and paused just outside the now ventilated library. He held Duo gently against the wall to the left of the doors and kissed him passionately. Duo felt his knees giving out. Coming up for air, Zechs looked at the boy and said softly, "Are you ready for this? It's going to be difficult, but you need to be strong."
Duo tried hard to come up with a reply that made sense. He was having his doubts about how well his brain functioned when he was this close to the Duke of Sank. He put on a solemn face, kept his eyes locked on Zechs' and said, "You mean, the passageway is dangerous, or the guy might be down there?"
"No," said Zechs. "I mean you're about to see Heero and Relena for the first time since last night and I want to make sure you're prepared...mentally."
For a moment, Duo said nothing, just stared at the tall blond pinning him to the wall. Then he stamped his foot.
"Ow!!!!", Zechs cried and limped away from him, rubbing his instep. "What the hell was that for?"
"For underestimating me," Duo remarked, still leaning against the wall and looking casually at the fingernails of one hand. "Lots of people have made that mistake. Not many lived to regret it though."
Zechs reached out and pulled gently on Duo's braid, bringing the violet-eyed boy up against him.
"This must be my lucky day, then," he breathed as his knee came up and pressed gently but firmly between Duo's legs. "Ready to go see Heero?"
"Nnnnnnn," Duo's whimper was involuntary but he managed a nod.
Zechs slowly released him, then reached for his hand. Never taking their eyes off each other, they moved from the hallway into the Library and prepared to enter the walls of the Palace of Sank.
End of Part 3
(:./kumiko/bstrange3)
