>> Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I've been to London to see the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.<<
"Pea soup. That's what it is, Bunny. Pea soup, plain and simple." Duo peered at the murk that was the outside world through the windshield of Zechs' little ice-blue roadster. The car was newly arrived from Sank and had been waiting for them when they stepped from Zechs' plane at Heathrow Spaceport. Even then the fog had made it difficult to land. It seemed to have gotten thicker with every mile they drove along the motorway into London. Once there, Duo had navigated them to the Mayfair district, which had been an enclave for aristocrats for hundreds of years.
"What a charming image that calls up," muttered Zechs, as he hunched over the steering wheel to get a better look at the street signs. "We're looking for Berkeley Square, Duo -" Zechs reminded the young man at his side, "a yellow Edwardian."
"Sure, sure..." Duo replied somewhat peevishly. "It could be anywhere! We could have passed it three times and I wouldn't know the difference given this fog." He peered at the map again and then looked over at Zechs. "What the hell is an Edwardian?"
"Language, Duo, please," Zechs chided in a distracted tone. He was slowing the car down and then gave a cackle of glee, "Aha! We found it!" Pointing out the window to a graciously proportioned, pale yellow house with subtle, white stone trim, he said with great satisfaction, "*That*, Duo, is an Edwardian."
They had gotten inside and given their bags to one of four staff who were currently working there. Zechs had wired the butler from Africa, letting him know of their arrival and asking him to open the house for them. Now the man was there, along with a housemaid, cook, and chauffeur.
Duo had begun a fire in the sitting room's elegant stone hearth while Zechs cleared up business with Hadley, the aforementioned butler. Now the young American stood at one of the many mullioned windows that graced the sitting room, staring out at the mass of gray fog that pressed close against the aristocratic houses of Berkeley Square. He heard his lover come into the room and turned to look at him. "I thought the whole idea of London fog was that it happened because of pollution. It's perfectly clean out there, and look at it!" His braid swung out behind him as he turned back to the window. "Man, I was hoping to get in some sightseeing today..."
Zechs eyed his braided companion shrewdly. Duo seemed edgy, not quite at ease, and it gave Zechs pause, the mood uncommon enough to the ex-gundam pilot as to be striking. The tall blond decided to get to the cause of it all. "Duo," he said softly, "we're going to be here at least a month - why the hurry?"
Duo turned around, looking slightly embarrassed. "I don't know, Bunny. It just feels like... like, I don't know - something's gonna happen." He looked at Zechs' face closely for any signs of understanding but all he found was adorable bewilderment.
"Care to elaborate on that for me, kitten?"
"I'm not sure myself," Duo sighed and wandered over to a wall of small oil paintings. "It's just this sense that something's about to happen and it's something that we know nothing about. You know," he added, wrapping his arms around himself tightly, "something unexpected."
Zechs came up behind him and added his own arms to Duo's. He nuzzled softly against the the younger man's cheek. "Do you feel as if it's something bad?"
Duo shrugged helplessly. "I... I can't tell..." There was a brief pause and then he turned around to face Zechs. "Oh, this is stupid bunny! We're here in this amazing city, in this... incredible house with nothing but time for us and... well... I guess I'm just nervous about something coming along and ruining it."
The amazing coincidence between that comment and what happened next was understood by Duo only after the whole affair was over. But afterwards he never forgot it.
The pleasant chime that heralded someone at the front door pealed through the house.
"Should... should we get that?" Duo asked hesitantly, seeing that Zechs had no intention of going to the door.
The blond man smiled at him. "I think, Duo," he said, "that you will have some adjusting to do, living in a house with domestic staff."
"They answer the door, *too*?" he looked at Zechs incredulously. "Hoo-boy. That's just *so* prince, Zechs..." He was shaking his head when Hadley opened the door to the sitting room.
"Excuse me sir," he said to Zechs. There is a young woman to see you. She's waiting in the drawing room. I believe she is the Princess of Sank."
Both Zechs and Duo stared at the man as if he'd suddenly grown another head.
"I knew! I just *knew* it!" Duo groaned, shaking his head before he dropped it into his hand. "No wonder I felt so squirmy. It was Relena!"
"Oh, dear God give us strength," Zechs muttered as he led the way towards the drawing room at the front of the house.
"Relena, what a... surprise." Zechs was doing his best to be polite, given his urge to show his sister the door and close it in her face. "However did you know we were here?" His smile almost made up for the slightly icy tone in his voice.
"I *am* the Vice Foreign Minister, dear brother. Getting intelligence information is not a problem."
Duo felt an overwhelming desire to make a wisecrack, but thought better of it.
"Well," Zechs said, his tone remaining cool, "to what do we owe this visit? I have to tell you in advance that if you're here to berate the two of us about our relationship you might as well go home now. It won't work."
Relena flipped her hair back over her shoulder and sat down on the nearest sofa. Crossing her legs daintily she put an arm on the arm rest and began drumming her fingers on it, a move not unlike the twitching of a cat's tail. "I'm not here for that," she said.
Zechs and Duo looked at each other doubtfully, then crossed to the sofa opposite Relena and sat down. "Well," Zechs murmured, "*that's* good to know. So what is it that was so urgent a video message wouldn't do?"
Relena eyed Duo with distaste. "It's a private matter," she said pointedly. "A family matter."
Zechs stretched out long, well-muscled legs, partly for comfort, partly for intimidation. "Well, then, get on with it. We're listening."
Looking at Duo again, then back at her brother, the petite Vice Minister frowned. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving us some privacy... Duo." She resumed drumming on the armrest.
Duo began to rise, only too happy to let Zechs deal with with what he thought of as his lover's "idiot sister." To his great dismay, however, his progress was stopped by an elegant but powerful arm.
"Don't be ridiculous, Relena. I am your brother and Duo is *my* lover, therefore he's your family, too."
"What???" Relena's word of disbelief was identical to Duo's as they both stared at the tall blond.
Zechs just smile and waved an elegant hand. "Well, I mean, why shouldn't you feel free to talk about family matters with Duo? He and I are very close, Relena. I don't keep secrets from him. Now, *tell me* what it is you want."
Duo sat back down on the sofa heavily and looked across a low coffee table at Relena, who flipped her hair back over her shoulders again and looked resigned.
"Very well, if that's how you want it," she said. "I am here to tell you that I am planning on stepping down from the throne of Sank, and that you have to come back and take my place." It was a truly classic Relena moment, an astonishing demand couched in terms of it being a given that the listener would obey.
Duo stood up. "You're telling him *what*? You... you can't do that!" He turned to Zechs, still seated. "Can she do that, Zechs? Tell me she can't do that."
Zechs was staring at his sister, an unreadable expression on his face. "Why, Relena?" he asked softly. "Why would you do this?"
Again the princess looked at Duo, who had sat back down, a little stunned, but the expression in her eyes was no longer disdain. It was hurt and sadness. Looking back at Zechs, she answered, in a slightly tremulous voice. "I... I think I'm too young for this. It's too much responsibility, especially with the Vice Minister position, and... and I just want to be a girl again. Just a simple, sweet, fun-loving girl."
/Never gonna happen my friends,/ Duo thought.
Leaning forward, Zechs looked appraisingly at his sister. "This is rather sudden, isn't it? After all, two weeks ago you were perfectly happy with what you were doing. You even suggested to me that you might resign your ministerial position. But you never said anything about your reign being too difficult for you."
Relena was staring out the windows over Zechs' shoulders. "Yes, well - two weeks ago things were very different," she said, moving her eyes to Duo. "Weren't they?"
"Look, Relena," the braided American replied, feeling defensive, "if you're talking about all that stuff with Heero, all I have to say is... you set yourself up for it." He stood up abruptly and crossed the room. There was a small curio cabinet on the wall that held a collection of tiny clocks and now Duo stared at them, unseeing, with his arms crossed in front of him.
Now the princess stood. "I did nothing of the kind! I asked you to stay the weekend because I thought Heero would want you to know about the two of us. I did it for *your* benefit and you, *you* walk in and start seducing my brother, during *my* engagement party and then do something to Heero as well!"
"Relena!" Zechs' voice was a warning.
Relena's eyes were full of tears as she addressed Duo. "I've tried so hard this past couple of weeks to accept what Heero said. About me, about *you*, but it just won't work. He and I belonged together, Duo, and you tore us apart, just as you did my brother and Noin."
"Relena, stop this at once!" Zechs had finally had enough and now stood directly in front of his younger sister. Duo noted with great satisfaction that she looked intimidated by her elder sibling. "I won't have you speaking this way to him, and that's final. If you wish to continue conversing with me then stop accusing Duo of things he didn't do. If you choose to continue in that vein I will be forced to have Hadley show you out."
"Brother!" Relena said in an angry voice. "You can't do that, this is -" She broke off abruptly remembering she was in an unfamiliar house. Zechs was ready to remind her.
"This is not your house, Relena. It's not even the government's house for your own personal use. This house belonged to Treize Khushrenada, who willed it to me. You are here because I am allowing you to be here. Now behave yourself."
Duo had turned around and stared at Relena during Zechs little speech. Now he couldn't hold back a small snigger. Zechs gave him a brief, disapproving glance but walked over to him and bent down, murmuring softly in his ear. "Duo, I think it's best for me to talk with Relena in private right now - if only so you don't have to listen to all this. Would you excuse us for an hour?"
"Yeah, sure -" Duo replied crossly. " I've been hoping to take a nap, anyway. Are you going to... um... *join* me later?" He looked up at the tall blond and managed a grin.
Zechs smiled back. "Oh, yes," he said smoothly. "I'll be there. One hour."
Duo turned to go, giving a little wave to Relena as he did so. "You're boring me, Missy - gonna go take a nap!" With a self-satisfied grin, he was gone.
Relena frowned at his retreating figure. "Honestly," she began. "of all the -"
"Relena, come over here and sit down. Now." Her brother indicated a place on the sofa and Relena sat down, rather primly. Zechs pulled an armchair up and sat down on a few feet from her. "What's the real reason you're doing this?" he asked. "It can't be losing Heero, you've been without him quite a bit in the past couple of years. So tell me why you no longer want the throne."
Relena sat back against the sofa's overstuffed back and studied her nails, painted a delicate pink. "I want him back," she said, her voice soft but earnest. "After all, he's not attached to anyone now, is he? He says he loved Duo, well, obviously Duo didn't love him. Duo's with you, not Heero. He has no one, now - just like when I first met him. No one except me. But finding him, convincing him, getting him to realize how good we are for each other - that will all take time and frankly, I barely have enough of that to spare as it is. Something has to give and I don't want it to be Heero.
"And you're willing to give up the kingdom for that?" Zechs asked her, still incredulous. "What's happened to you, Relena? During the war you were willing to become the figurehead for the entire world government and now you turn your back on a small nation because of a boy?" He leaned back in his chair and studied her face intently. "It's just not like you Relena. I'm the reckless one, remember? But the way you're talking now you make *me* sound mature and reliable."
"Noin once told me that I didn't understand you at all," Relena retorted looking up at Zechs, her voice angry. "Well that seems to be a mutual problem for us. You have no idea how hard it's been, having to handle all of this responsibility and pretend it didn't matter that much whenever Heero left. Everyone expected me to have a heart of stone, to just carry on with things even though the person I love completely disappeared from my life. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I did it - for two years." She looked back down at her hands, now clutching the delicate fabric of her dress. "I just can't do it anymore. I still wanted to marry him, even after he said he loved Duo. And that hasn't changed at all. I need to find him, and tell him that. Maybe this time he'll listen."
Zechs sighed and leaned forward towards her. "Relena," he said softly, "wasn't his confession to you enough to make you stop this. It's time to let Heero go and move on with your life. There is so much you can do - so many people counting on you." He reached out a hand and lifted he chin with a long, graceful finger. "And somewhere there is a person for you. But I don't believe that person is Heero Yuy."
Relena was crying, looking at her older brother with eyes sad but determined. "I can't believe that. I have to try one more time, and in order for me to be able to try you have to take my place."
Another sigh and Zechs stood and walked to the window. The fog had gotten so thick that he could no longer see the front garden or the street beyond. It seemed appropriate to him somehow. His life seemed to be headed into a rather murky period, given a push by his sister's request. "When are you thinking of going?" he asked quietly.
Relena stood. "There are a few loose ends I have to tie up. I'm estimating about a week."
"And what about the Senate? Have you brought up this change in leadership with them?"
"Yes I have. They said they would agree to vote unanimously for your coronation."
Zechs cringed at the word. The throne of Sank was something he hadn't allowed himself to think of over 15 years. There hadn't been a kingdom to rule after the Federation attack when he was six, and by the time Relena had revived it just two years ago, he had become Zechs Marquise, and didn't consider himself worth of the position. /Am I agreeing to this? What about the freedom that I have now. The life I've begun to love again? What about Duo? I can't. I just can't. And yet.../
The tall blond turned to face his sister. "I will strike a bargain with you, Relena. I want you to go to where Heero is and do what you need to do in order for him to understand your feelings. When he does, I want you to propose to him."
"What?" Relena said in somewhat shocked disbelief. "I don't think -"
Zechs went on as if she'd said nothing. "Propose to him and if he accepts, I will assume the throne in your stead." He looked at Relena pointedly. "If he refuses, you will go back to Sank and continue your reign. Do you agree?"
The two remaining children of the House of Peacecraft stared at each other, both equally stubborn and equally determined. There was a long silence.
"Agreed," Relena said at last. "I'll have my staff work on his whereabouts immediately and I'll plan to leave on Friday, that's the day after tomorrow. How long are you giving me?"
Zechs considered. "I believe the country could last about three weeks before a monarch's absence would be felt."
Relena nodded. "Three weeks."
On the second floor of the house, Duo had been trying his best to go to sleep. Since, at the moment, there was no one around to talk to, he was talking to himself.
/C'mon, man - you know you're tired. Didn't get much sleep last night in Majorca - too much Zechs around, hah! So, just close your eyes and sleep./ Several moments went by while Duo lay on the silky comforter that covered the bed, twitching everywhere: toes, fingers, legs, everywhere. Finally, he sat up in irritation. "Arrgh! I'm dead tired and I can't sleep. I'm in London and can't do anything because of the stupid 'clean' fog, and the woman who stole my lover from me and then tried to add humiliation on top of it is down there trying to talk *my* Zechs into becoming King Bunny." He pounded one of the fluffy pillows and pouted.
It was only because his own chatter had stopped that he was able to hear the noise. It was coming from somewhere above him, a soft tapping sound that wasn't continuous but had a strange sort of rhythm to it. As he listened, a part of him that he'd thought gone revived and tapped it out with his finger against the bed covers. TapTapTap...T a p...T a p...T a p...TapTapTap. Over and over again he tapped it until it came to him. "SOS! Someone up there needs help!"
Duo jumped off the bed and threw open the heavy wooden door of the bedroom. He looked up and down the hallway a bit wildly. "No stairs!" he muttered, and ran to the door that was situated at the west end of the hallway. It opened onto a small linen room and he closed it again. "The other end, it has to be the other end." Running down to the east end door, he pulled it open and saw a narrow flight of stairs leading to the third floor. Without a hesitation he headed up.
The doorway at the top opened out onto a small landing, elegantly furnished as the rest of the house, with three doors, all closed, around it. For a brief moment Duo froze, trying to hear where the distress signal was coming from, but it seemed to have stopped. "Just pick a door, any door," the braided American murmured, and opened the door on his right. The room beyond was a bedroom, fully furnished but musty smelling, as if no one had been in it for a long time. There was a bed, two small tables, a desk and a large wardrobe. Duo checked everywhere, but found nothing and so moved on the the middle door from the landing.
It proved to be a small sitting room that held two tiny sofas, a few elegant little end tables, and several glass cabinets mounted on the walls. Duo searched behind the sofa, and checked for any hidden doors but found nothing. Only the slightly eerie silence that rested over the third floor like a heavy blanket, closing it off from the world. /This place gives me the creeps - dead rooms waiting for a dead man.../
Duo was heading out of the room when his eye was caught by a small glass figure in one of the cabinets. It was a miniature sculture of a boy, standing with his feet well apart and holding a slender rapier aloft. His feet were attached to the petals of a deep red, glass rose. It was such a delicate little piece, Duo found himself opening the cabinet and taking it out. He marveled at the amount of detail on it, and how it seemed somehow familiar to him as he turned it over in his hands. Only then did he notice the spill of pale golden glass that had been fitted over the figure's head and back. He was shaking as he replaced the miniature in the cabinet.
/Maybe coming here was a bad idea,/ he thought to himself. /It's kinda creepy... all this stuff being Treize's... that little statue - gotta be Zechs... A chill ran over his arms and he left the room for the warmth of the hallway.
A boy was standing near the third door. Duo jumped and then put a hand to his chest and shook his head. "Man, you scared me. Next time say something before you give the other person a heart attack, will you?"
The boy, whom Duo estimated to be about 13 or 14 years old, smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to frighten you. I just heard someone so I came to see who it was."
Duo had recovered quickly and was back to his old, friendly self. "Ah, it's nothing - no problem. Um, do you live here?" The boy nodded. When he made no other reply, Duo grinned wider. "Yeah, well - looks like I'm gonna be doing the same thing for awhile. Maybe we can be friends. My name's Duo. Duo Maxwell." He held out a hand. "What's your name?"
The boy looked hesitant but finally grabbed Duo's hand and shook it. "Michael Brooks," he said his voice barely louder than a whisper. "But everybody calls me Mouse."
A chuckle escaped Duo. "Mouse, eh? Well, mouse - is that your room in there?" Duo indicated the third door.
"Oh, yeah," Mouse looked back at it, then at Duo again. "Want to come see it?" he asked shyly.
Duo nodded and the boy opened the door. Beyond was a room every bit as tidy as the last two. "Oh, you're gonna like Zechs," Duo muttered to himself as they walked further into the spotless place. The walls were covered with posters for films he'd never heard of, and several shelves of a bookcase held antique toys and books. Duo looked through them and then smiled at his 'host.' "Wow, this stuff is *old* - where'd you get all this?"
"Some of it was in the attic, some of it's mine. I like collecting this kind of thing." Beckoning to Duo from across the room, he reached into a large cardboard box, pulled something out of it, and held it out in his palm for Duo's inspection.
"Cool - it's a mouse! Will it let me pet it?"
"Probably not, but you can try. Usually she doesn't like people."
Duo put his finger down gently and stroked the silky brown fur. He smiled up at Mouse. "Hey what do you know? She likes me!"
A little smile had crept over Mouse's face as well. "That's great - she hardly ever lets anyone other than me pet her... Want to hold her?"
"Sure," Duo grinned as the tiny, active ball of fur was placed into his hand. As the braided boy tried to keep the mouse in check he looked over at the human Mouse. "Was it you who was tapping the SOS just a minute ago?"
Mouse nodded. "I..." he began. "I knew you were down there, I'd heard the servants talking about two people coming in today. And I wanted someone to talk to." He took the mouse and put it back in the cardboard box. "Is... is that all right with you?"
"Sure! Like I said, we can be friends. And you'll have to meet Zechs, the guy who owns the house. You'll like him. He's really cool -"
Duo cut off his words abruptly. His new friend was staring at something over Duo's shoulder and backing slowly toward the wall. "Do you see him?" the boy whispered. "Do you see that man?"
Duo turned, seeing only the room and the empty landing beyond. "N-no... I don't see anyone here. Except us, that is," he said, grinning at the boy to ease his concerns. "Why? What do you see?/
Mouse was looking apprehensively out at the landing, beyond the room. "It's a man, I think he was a lawyer or something, because he always carries that black brief case. The side of his head is caved in..."
Duo turned to the boy in alarm. "What? Listen - it's not funny to make up stories like that, okay? Believe me, death isn't pretty and it... well it isn't something to joke about. "
Mouse looked at him for a long moment. "I'm not joking, even though you think I am. He's there." He seemed perfectly serious and Duo scratched his head.
"I... don't get this. What are you doing here - playing some kind of game?"
"Oh no," the boy shook his head, "it's never a game with them."
"Whose 'them'?" Duo asked. The eerie feeling in the air seemed to be growing stronger.
Mouse put his head down for a moment. "You really want to know?" Duo nodded. The boy leaned in closely, a troubled expression marring his smooth features. "I can see the dead."
End of Part 1
(:./kumiko/2road18)
