I don't own the GW/Sentinel guys.  I'm poor.  This story is for
entertainment only.




Pirates of Gundam by Phoenix



Captain Heero Yuy, of the pirate vessel Wing, never saw the blow that
sent him crashing to the ground. It was a tavern brawl after all
and even a man like Captain Yuy couldn’t keep track of everyone. Rolling
quickly, he turned to find a sword at his throat.

"I didn’t think it would be this easy," the stranger rasped. As he drew
the sword back for the kill, a smile spilt his ugly face. "I’m going
to be rich."

Heero knew he was going to die. The only regret he had was not being
able to get revenge on this cowardly dog who attacked from
behind. With defiance glaring from his eyes, the Captain watched the
blade descend. At least a throat wound would be quick.

Suddenly, two lithe bodies sailed over his head and collided with the
would-be-killer knocking him to the ground. The battle was very
one-sided. The two figures had surprise on their side. In a matter of
moments the killer was unconscious and having his pockets
picked. Neither seemed aware of Heero.

Taking advantage of the situation, Heero studied the pair. Even in the
middle of a tavern brawl, the two glowed with joy and laughter.
Their eyes were almost luminescent with it. They were both the same
height and wore the same clothes. Each wore a simple black shirt,
of the pull over variety, and black pants, tight, yet not restricting,
but that is where the similarities ended. The male had long braid of
chestnut hair and violet eyes. The female had shoulder length silver
hair and lavender eyes. They made a stunning pair. All that light
and life in this dark place and this dark time. Heero could hardly
believe no one had tried to claim them.

"Ashi, Duo," voiced yelled over the noise. Both young people looked up.
Now he knew their names. Good. Very good. "T and Z are
on their way here. Best not to be around." Checking, Captain Yuy
discovered the voice belonged to Une, owner and operator of the
tavern. A more feared and respected woman did not exist in this part of
the world. Messing with what she considered hers was an
excellent way to drastically shorten ones life span. No wonder they were
still free.

Finishing with the strangers pockets, the pair started to leave and then
as one turned to Heero.

"You are really lucky we saw that bastard hit you." The girl said with a
smile.

"Yeah," the boy added, "you should be more careful. We might not be here
next time."

Sharing a lopsided grin they ran out the back ushered by Une herself.
Captain Heero Yuy found himself unsure for the first time in
years. Should he reward them, kill them, or something else altogether?
Perhaps when he knew more about them. If he did what he
wanted this port would be off limits forever. Une wasn’t one to forgive
or forget. A shadow entered his filed of vision. It was Trowa,
his First Officer.

"Captain, are you alright?" Trowa offered his Captain a hand up.

"Fine. Is it true the Guard is coming?" Once on his feet, Heero took a
quick assessing look around. The brawl was dying down. Few
people were still standing.

"Yes, sir. They should be here soon."

"Wing!" Heero yelled and was pleased to see most of those standing were
his men. "Back to the ship." The tone brooked no
challenge. Carrying those who could not walk, the men of Wing began an
orderly withdrawal. Turning to his First Officer, the pirate
made his decision. "Trowa, I want you to find out everything you can
about a pair of kids. They’re called Duo and Ashi."

"And?"

"I owe them and I always pay my debts."

"Of course, Captain. See you back at the ship." Then the thin man was
gone. Typical. The man was an excellent assassin.

Heading toward the back exit, he noticed one pirate captain was still
fighting. Chang Wufei. A born fighter if there ever was one.
"Chang!" The shout brought the desired attention. "Guard’s on the way.
Might want to clear out now." Chang nodded. Good. The
debt between them was now clear. Then he noticed how the Asian pirate
was staring after the two kids. ‘Oh no you don’t, Chang.
Those two are mine,’ Heero thought determinedly.

Once all of his men were out, Heero followed. He never left anyone
behind. Not ever. A quick look showed the Guard coming from
almost all directions. Very organized. Movement above drew his eyes. Two
figures were running along the rooftops. Behind them a
shadow stalked unnoticed. Trowa. What was it about the man? He could
disappear if he was the only one in the room. Couldn’t be the
clothes. The pirates all wore similar clothes. Heero wore a lace-up
green shirt and dark blue trousers with calf-high boots. Trowa had
shirt of dark green, also lace-up, and light blue trousers with the same
kind of shoes. Even Chang wore similar clothes. His shirt was
black with golden dragons on it, however, and he wore white trousers. So
what was it? Deciding that now was not the time to try to
answer this ago old question, the captain of the Wing used the shadows
to return to his ship. When he next saw Trowa, he would
have all the information he needed.

Duo led his big sister over the roofs. She always insisted on watching
his back. Just because she was three months older. Geez. Still,
he loved her. From the first time they had met, he knew she would always
be his best friend. A rather profound realization for a five
year old. Duo snorted. Why had they met anyway? As if two street whores
had much to talk about.

His mother had dressed him in the best clothes he had, which wasn’t
really saying much, and then dragged him to a small park at the
center of the island. There they had met someone his mother called an
old friend. A woman with silver hair and a daughter with the
same. One look and he knew who she was. Knew she was his sister, not
just in blood, but in spirit. The pair terrorized the park that
day. When their mothers finally called for them, a bond had been formed
that could never be broken. Neither noticed the fear and
determination on both woman’s faces, however. From that day forward, Duo
and Ashi were inseparable.

Duo let go of his memories as they reached home. Not even waiting for
Ashi, Duo climbed down the ladder into the alley next to his
house. Normally he would have waited for her, but it was already dark
and Quatre was probably worried. His feet no sooner touched
the ground than a hand clamped over his mouth and a strong arm wrapped
around his waist pinning his arms. Above him, Ashi
grabbed the ladder and began to descend. Another form stepped out of the
dark and waited for her.

Duo threw himself against the man holding him. He kicked and did his
best to scream, but it was no use. Ashi stepped off the ladder
and straight into the shadow’s arms. However, as the arms went to claim
her, the young woman jerked her head back sharply and was
rewarded with a loud crack. While the assailant reeled from the blow,
another connected with his jaw sending him to the ground. By
the time the man touched the ground, Ashi was facing Duo and his captor.

A low growl escaped the woman’s lips as she drew a blade from her boot.
The faint light of the alley glinted off it and testified its
sharpness.

"No one touches my brother," she hissed and began to advance on the last
attacker.

"Ashi, don’t." She spun around. That voice should not be in this alley
and should definitely not be coming from a man she had just
beaten. Turning your back on an enemy is a fatal mistake and might have
been had any enemies been present in the alley. A torch
suddenly lit-up the darkness. Where she’d left her attacker lay one of
her closest friends. Duo and another man ran past her to offer
the downed blond a hand.

"Treize and Zechs? What the hell are you doing here?" It sounded weak to
her own ears, but she had to do something to cover up her
shaking. ‘I hurt Zechs and almost knifed Treize. Gods, what am I
becoming?’

"We were going to show you how dangerous it can be running around the
streets at night, however, it would seem you two already
know." Treize said. No anger colored his tone. His eyes were another
matter. Ashi rushed to help Zechs up, the knife once more
disappearing into her boot.

Awkwardly, they helped Zechs to his feet. Treize could only use one hand
as the torch took up the other and Duo and Ashi were
smaller and lighter than the guardsman.

"How did you know we were here?" Zechs asked once on his feet.

"Easy. I heard Duo."

"Impossible," Treize scoffed. "He made hardly any noise at all."

"Yeah, but I know my brother. I can feel when something is wrong."

"Hell, Sis, don’t get all mystical on them." With that the pair threw an
arm around each other’s shoulders and smiled mischievously.

Zechs and Treize shared a look and then dove at the youngsters. Laughter
echoed in the dark alley until a door opened illuminating a
small, gentle looking blond. The four people in the alley froze. Quatre
took in the sight before him. Treize lay on his back with Duo
kneeling over him. From the flushed look on the older man’s face, a
merciless tickling had been administered. Zechs was bent over Duo
with his arms around the young man’s waist, apparently in the process of
dragging him away from Treize. Ashi hung off his neck.

"I am not holding dinner while you four play games," Quatre said,
shaking he head. "Either come in now and clean up or go hungry."

"Yes, Poppa Quatre," four voices chorused. Shaking with laughter, Quatre
went back inside.

A few minutes later, Treize sat at the dinner table watching the hustle.
So much movement for such a simple meal. Like most nights,
they would be eating stew. Depending on how much money Quatre had it
would be either beef, chicken, or if they were broke, fish.
Since the trio lived next to the ocean, it was easy to catch fish and
free. Waiting for the food to be served, the man lost himself in
memories.

Three years ago he and his lover had come to this island. At
twenty-three, Treize was the youngest man to ever be assigned as
Captain of the Guard. It was an honor he would come to share with Zechs
less than a year later when the beautiful blond was promoted
at twenty-two. At the time of their arrival, this had been the most
corrupt place in Queen Relena’s kingdom.

The first thing to happen was a major influx of Aristocrats demanding
the arrest and deportation of a family of thieves. According to all
reports the family was dangerous, deadly, and very cunning. Not a man to
go into any battle unprepared, Treize sent Zechs to
investigate the gang. The resulting report shocked him to very core of
his soul.

Aaron Winner had three children. One by his wife and two by street
whores. The legitimate heir, Quatre, knew nothing of his brother
and sister until they were thirteen. Both mothers had died on the same
night. Torn to pieces. At their joint funeral, Mr. Winner had
shown up and tried to claim the boy, Duo. Big mistake. The teen refused
to move without his sister. Rumor said it had been quite a
scene. In the end, the man took both children, but gave only the boy his
name. Ashi was treated as more of a servant than a daughter.

A year later Aaron Winner died in a storm at sea. Many eyewitness
reports claim sorcery caused a storm to come out of no where.
Whatever the cause, once he was dead the Aristocrats had taken
everything he owned except a run down shack near the beach. The
very house he now sat in.

Quatre, who had been sixteen, suddenly found himself poor and the
corrupt guard did nothing to help right the injustice done to him.
Nevertheless, he stood strong and made a home for his family. Treize
suspected that it was Duo and Ashi who helped him get through
that horrible first year.

The Aristocracy hadn’t been satisfied to just steal the young man’s
birthright; they wanted him gone, completely. When Quatre didn’t
roll over and die, the harassment began. Constant thefts of what little
money or food they had, people touching the gentle blond when
he went out, even an attempted assault. The last sent the poor boy into
hiding. For weeks, he wouldn’t leave the house and kept all
the doors locked. The guard refused to help, but everyone had
underestimated the two new additions to the family.

The first event was a break-in. Not so bad really, however, there was
nothing simple about this one. The thieves had taken everything
they could carry and destroyed or defiled what was left. Many rooms in
the house were burned out. In one stroke the house was
rendered unlivable. The guard descended on the poorer section of town
the next day; they came up with nothing. No one ever found
any of the stolen items. After that, people really began to see what
suffering was.

Family members were attacked if they went out at night. Property was
vandalized. Several guards who threatened Quatre were found
beaten within an inch of their lives. One unfortunate man was left tied
naked in the park. Nothing could be traced back to the children
though. No witnesses, physical evidence, or proof of any kind, but
everyone knew who was responsible and why. In one year, two
teenagers became the terror of the rich and earned the respect of some
of the hardest people on the island. People like Une, Noin, and
Howard.

After hearing Zechs’ report, Treize went to meet the little demon
thieves only to have his heart stolen. They’d stood defiantly between
him and Quatre. Even when it became obvious he couldn’t be beaten,
neither quit. Quatre had finally come between the combatants
realizing his little brother and sister didn’t stand a chance against a
trained soldier. In the calmest voice Treize had ever heard, Quatre
offered the Captain "anything" if he would not kill Duo and Ashi. It was
very clear the "anything" included the beautiful blond.
Courage like that was rare. So Treize learned how deeply this family
loved each other. They were willing to die or more. Rare indeed.



Now he and Zechs were members of the family; trusted and loved. No
matter how hard things became, this was his shelter. These three
people warmed his and Zechs’ hearts and eased the aches in their souls.
As great as it the sensation could be, some things still
worried the Guard Captain. This island was to host a conference of
leaders soon. A representative from all the countries would gather
and discuss the issue of the Black Ships. It was likelihood of the Ships
attacking was very high.

Duo and Ashi would not just abandon the city if the Black Ships came.
They would stand and fight and everyone knew no one
survived an attack by the ships. In the last five years, nine towns
throughout the world had been destroyed and over one hundred
ships sunk. Not a single survivor existed to tell tales of who crewed
the Black Ships. Indeed, the only reason anyone knew who to
blame was the mark of a Raven left on the one body to be recovered after
each attack.

No, Ashi and Duo would fight and Quatre would stay for their sakes. If
the Black Ships came, they would die. His family would die. It
bothered him a great deal. Ashi’s attitude also bothered him. Something
had happened before his arrival. Something very bad and it
had hurt Ashi so deeply it changed her. The change, however, only showed
up when Duo or Quatre were threatened. Then there was
the subject of their magic. Several sorcerers and witches had requested,
in some cases ordered, the pair be given to them for training.
Could they be that powerful? And what did that mean for Quatre? Would
people go after him to get to them? Did Quatre have magic?
The mention of a birthday brought Treize from his dark musings.

Duo would be eighteen in two weeks. Ashi had turned eighteen about two
months ago. Zechs and he would have to get them a great
present to make up for forgetting. Perhaps something to keep track of
the two. What they would appreciate most was a gift for Quatre.
The young man wore little more than rags. A white shirt and tan pants
with patches on the knees. Everything he earned went toward
the younger two. How had he grown up so well when his father had been
such a dismal role model?

Dinner was fun as usual. It turned out the brawl was the two imps fault.
Apparently one of the Epyon’s crew grabbed Duo’s rear and
refused to let go. Ashi promptly introduced the man to the floor. One
thing led to another and a full-scale brawl had to be put down.
Their retelling of the various exploits of the day filled the room with
motion. Finally, the night grew old and it was time to go.

Duo brought Zechs’ scarlet jacket and Ashi brought his blue one. The
dirt would have to be washed out; maybe he should consider
some color other than white for guard pants as well; too bad they didn’t
make dirt colored clothing.

In an hour, the Guard Captains were back at their stations, Quatre was
asleep in his room, and Duo and Ashi talked softly in theirs. No
one was aware of the silent presence watching them.

For four days, Trowa kept a close watch on the small family; especially
the blond. The little man moved with such grace and dignity, it
took the assassin’s breath away. It was a shame Heero targeted this tiny
group. His pride must have been badly hurt. Despite being
careful, Duo, Ashi, and Quatre had fallen into a pattern and patterns
were easy to use.

Heero listened to Trowa tell him everything. The assassin had gathered
enough information to let Heero develop a plan. He would
have to take both brother and sister, but that had been set from the
beginning. If he took them, the Wing could never again use this
port. A quick vote showed the crew would back him. They owed Heero alot.

"Heero," Trowa said, pulling him aside. "We’re not going to hurt them,
are we?"

"Why, me friend? Do you want us to take the pretty blond as well." Heero
watch with amusement as Trowa turned a flattering shade of
red. The banged man was very predictable for a trained killer or maybe
the time they’d spent together gave him insight into his friend.

"What would he want with a man like me, Heero? I can’t give him anything
but pain. Besides, there are the plans you have for his
family." Trowa, content to leave it at that, turned away only to find
Heero wouldn’t let him.

"How long have we known each other?"

"Thirteen years. Ever since we were nine."

"And how did we meet?"

The taller man stared for a moment before answering. Where was his
friend going with this? "We met on a slave ship."

"And what happened on the ship?"

"They needed rowers. For four years, we rowed."

"And our families?"

"Why are you doing this, Captain? Why drag up these memories?" Trowa’s
voice shook just a little.

"Please, Trowa. What happened to our families?"

"They were killed in that raids. Everyone we ever loved."

"And how did we escape?"

"You killed a guard and took his keys. Then you freed the others and we
captured the ship."

"Hey, you helped too." Trowa shrugged slightly. A killer killing was no
big deal. "And then what did we do my tall friend?"

"We killed the entire crew of the ship. Then we voted. Everyone agreed
to make you Captain."

"And..." Heero prompted.

"We swore to kill as many slavers as possible. Later on, we included the
people who helped them."

"And have we kept that promise?"

"Until now." Trowa kept his tone neutral. What Heero wanted to do with
Duo and Ashi was none of his business. Heero’s laughter
startled him.

"Oh my dear friend. Do you truly think I would sell, for any price,
something as rare as those two?" Heero was laughing so hard now,
he was almost doubled over.

"Then what do you intend to do with them? I know they bruised your ego."

"A little hurt pride is a small price to pay. I swear I will not hurt
them. Is that good enough?"

Trowa considered for a moment. Heero never broke a promise and hardly
ever lied. "Then what?"

"They will join the crew, my friend. There’s something about those two
and their magic will make us unstoppable."

Somehow, Trowa knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

That night Ashi woke from one nightmare into another. She was being held
down. Strong hands on her arms, legs, and something was
pressed over her nose and mouth. A muffled yell told her Duo was in the
same situation. Ashi turned into a writhing beast. Duo did
the same. No way this was going to be easy.

"Damn it, girl," a voice declared in her ear, "if you keep fighting like
this you’ll hurt yourself." The sentiment was repeated to Duo.

Ashi struggled even harder as the drug began to steal her consciousness.
Did he really think she would just let it happen? Fighting
did not help though and in moments both teens were still and loaded into
a waiting boat. The Wing caught the midnight tide, leaving
nothing behind but soon to be broken hearts.

As Wing left the harbor another ship sailed in. The Guardian was the
flagship of the Watcher kingdom. Captain James Ellison stood on
her deck. He seldom slept the entire night. More often than not, he
awoke long before sunrise. Looking around, the man was not
surprised to see ships from various other kingdoms. His Sentinel senses
allowed him to read their names.

True Night from the Dark Children’s kingdom. Perhaps Prince Nicholas
would be on it. They were old friends. Eternity, from the
Immortal kingdom, was nestled close by. So the Macleods would be around.
Two ships with only numbers, 7 and 8, were docked. The
kingdom they came from was simply a set of islands with only numbers for
names. The people on those islands were not to be messed
with. They were masters of magic and creatures called GFs. The list went
on in his head for some time.

The Honorable from the Samurai kingdom. The White Cross from the
Assassin Kingdom. After cataloguing fifteen ships, Captain
Ellison decided to call it a night. They, unlike he and his crew, were
all here for the conference and would be there in the morning. The
Wing, however, was leaving and a shiver of dread ran through his bones.
Something was wrong. Time to wake Blair up.

He hated to do it. For once his Guide seemed to be sleeping without
nightmare. Again, a thousand regrets filled his heart. If only he’d
found Blair before the slavers. If only Blair hadn’t be so pretty, such
a gentle person. If only he could kill those bastards again and
again and again. It would never be enough to make up for what they’d
done.

A year ago, the Guardian had gone after a slaver ship. After forcing its
surrender, the crew of the Guardian began a thorough search.
Inside, Captain James Ellison, ruler of Watcher and the only Sentinel
without a Guide, found his Guide. Found him chained to a wall
and half naked. He’d known as soon as he saw the younger man what had
been done to him and that he was a Guide. His Guide. In the
year since, Blair started healing, but still had constant nightmares,
could hardly stand to be touched, and still cowered if someone
raised their voice with him.

But Blair never gave up and continually fought to regain all that had
been forcibly taken from him. He showed insight, intelligence, and
compassion. Despite everything, Blair was a remarkable Guide. He would
know what the feeling meant.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



14 Feb 2000 


Disclaimer: I don’t own GW. I’m poor. This story is for entertainment
only. The fic will contain yaoi elements. This means guys like
guys. If you can’t handle that: Don’t read the fic! Simple, ne? Going
to try to throw some yuri in here somewhere. 



 

Pirates of Gundam by Phoenix

part 2

James Ellison was not a happy sentinel. Blair couldn’t help him figure
out why seeing Wing leave the harbor turned his stomach. There
just wasn’t any logical reason for what he was feeling. After a long
discussion they decided to go ashore and find the children they’d
been sent to take back. Once at the harbor, the Sentinel and Guide
found themselves with an escort. Apparently, Queen Relena held
some reservations about foreign representatives wandering around her
island. 

Shortly, the other representatives arrived at the harbor. The Dark
Children floated just above the ground in a display intended to
frighten the guards. The men didn’t even blink. The Queen had sent her
best, most experienced Preventers. She must really be serious
about no one wandering around.

James worked to remember all the names and titles as boat after boat
docked. Occasionally, Blair would whisper in his ear telling him
anything he forgot. 

Lucien LaCroix and his ‘son’ Nicholas came for the Dark Children.
Nicholas was an interesting, but good and kind man; the vampire
once saved James’ life. However, LaCroix was as cold as they come. He
had no compassion or compunction about killing anything that
stood in his way. At one time the latter had applied to a certain James
Ellison. Needless to say, the men were not close. 

A pretty redhead led the delegation for the Assassins. Aya was a
mystery, even to the Sentinels. His past, like those of his team’s,
was hidden or lost. They did know he was an excellent swordsman,
though. An even taller blond man followed the redhead. Yoji,
expert with all forms of strangulation. Bringing up the rear were the
youngest members of the team, Ken and Omi. Omi was the smallest
and most innocent looking and the most devious. He was the only one
James would fear in a battle. The others were very
straightforward; Omi would find a way to kill him indirectly. 

The Cursed Ones leapt off their boat like the water meant to attack
them, though considering what they were it made sense. Each
citizen of the Cursed Tribe had been either a victim of a sorcerer’s
curse or shape changing magic gone wrong. Over all, water tended
to be the chosen element for curse activation. Their chosen leader was
a young man named Ranma. The dark-haired warrior was cursed
to become a woman any time cold water touched his skin. Traveling with
him were the best of his fighters. 

Akane and Ryoga, his spouses, flanked him and cast suspicious glares at
everyone. James extended his sense of sight and saw the
rest of his team carefully watching the harbor from their ship. Shampoo
and her husband, Mousse, were at the rail. In the crow's nest,
Kuno and Kodachi, his sister, kept a watchful eye on the city. There
were more around; James was sure of it. 

Duncan and Connor MacLeod arrived with calm compared with the others.
But then, James had never seen, much less heard, of an
immortal losing their cool. What was there to be afraid of if one
couldn’t be killed? Methos and Amanda followed the two clan leaders.
All wore their swords in plain sight. They expected trouble. 

The last two groups filled James with foreboding. If ever a group of
killers walked the world, it was these people. He should know, he’d
seen most of them in action. These people came from a set of twelve
islands in the south. Each one seemed to have different magical
rules and so bred a unique type of warrior. The Sentinels had met all
of them.

The lead man looked fairly normal except for the scar running right to
left on his forehead. Squall. Behind him followed a man who
carried a mirror of Squall’s scar, Seifer. A young woman with long hair
completed the trio. James had never met her, but she fit the
description of Quistis. These three never allowed anything to stop them
from completing an assignment.

Inhaling deeply, the Sentinel could smell at least three other
presences; left on the ship most likely. His mind went over the
possible
combinations. The others had to be Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa
would never agree to stay behind so she was there as well. A very
well rounded group of killers indeed.

That wasn’t the end of the killers, though. A group had also come from
island 7; James knew them all personally. He was not happy to
see them. Sephiroth was a tall man with silver hair. A cool and clever
leader. His right hand man was Zack. Dark spiky hair and a bright
personality. The man was almost as deadly as his boss. Walking just to
the left of the men were two more men. A redhead and a man
wearing lots of red. Reno and Vincent. Who else would be on the boat?
Names fell into place. Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Barret, Rude, Tseng,
Rufus, and Yuffie. On second thought, Yuffie wouldn’t be on the boat;
the little thief had to be on the island somewhere. She’d make
sure nothing happened to the team on land. 

James felt a shudder run through his body. He’d never seen this many
cold-blooded killers in one place. To make matters worse, an old
scent drifted on the wind and warned the man others arrived before them
and were waiting at the island’s Palace. This was going to be
one hell of a long day. 

The trip to the Palace was short but trying. LaCroix kept attempting to
spook the guards. The more tricks he pulled, though, the more
the Preventers ignored him. It was only when they reached the gates of
the Palace that the guards showed any tension. Even then
they barely exhibited any signs. Something was up.

Just as the sun began to rise, the group reached the main hall. James
felt some admiration for Queen Relena. By arranging is this way,
the Dark Children had no place to go. They would have to abide by her
rules or suffer the consequences. One possible threat
effectively neutralized. But what did she have planned to contain the
rest of them? The only was to find out was to meet the Queen.

They were led to a very large room. In the middle sat a very long
table. At its head sat a regal looking young lady. The Queen had long
sandy blonde hair and bright, beautiful eyes. Not one of her guest
could look at her and not be struck by her beauty. With a gracious
smile, she gestured for them to sit. There was only room for the
representatives to sit. Their companions would have to stand. If the
meeting went on for very long, it would slow them down. Very clever. 

James looked over the people already seated. Kenshin, Marron, Terry,
Iori, Zelgadis, and Tieh. All good fighters and dependable
leaders. Leaning against the walls were their partners. No one was
looking very happy.

"I am glad most of the those invited chose to send someone." The Queen
started the meeting.

"We would never ignore such a gracious invitation, My Lady," LaCroix
said in his most charming tone and smiled. No one was fooled. 

"Don’t try to flatter me Lucien LaCroix. I may be young, but I’m no
child. You think I have something to fight the Black Ships and you
want it. You came yourself because you think you have the best chance
of forcing it from me. Does that sum it up correctly?"

"Yes," the smile never left LaCroix’s face; however, his eyes cooled
considerably.

"Well, know this Mr. LaCroix, not only do I have a way to stop the
Black Ships, I have a way to destroy them for all time."

Everyone tried to speak at once. The Black Ships had never been
defeated and no one knew where they came from. How could this girl
have a way to stop them? The Queen waited for several moments, but no
one seemed interesting in calming down. All the
representatives were demanding answers and not a few of their
companions as well. Relena might have allowed the commotion to
continue longer, but a guard approached the young queen and whispered
something in her ear. Her eyes lit up. 

Drawing in a deep breath, Relena gave a terse command that shocked
everyone into silence. "ENOUGH!" There was a great deal of
power in that simple word and everyone settled back into their seats or
places. "I know you are all anxious to hear about this so please
sit down." Once everyone was settled, the Queen took a deep breath and
began.

"You are all familiar with the legend of the lost continent?" Most
nodded, but a few people looked blank. "It is said that long ago, all
the islands of our world were one continent ruled by a pair. Always a
pair. One to ensure life and one to enforce the laws. The legend
states the balance between these two was broken and so was the
continent. All the islands we come from are the result of that
breaking. 

The legend further claims the Black Ships first appeared after the
breaking. They attacked the Lost Kingdom without mercy and in
numbers greater than have ever been seen since. To protect our world,
the remaining leader of that kingdom sealed it away, trapping
the Black Ships. The recent appearance of the Ships indicates the Seal
is no longer working properly. 

After a great deal of time and energy, my people were able to locate
two descendants of the leaders of the Lost Kingdom." Once more
everyone tried to talk at the same time. This time the Queen ignored
everyone until they again took their places. Relena made sure they
all knew who was in charge here.

"Unfortunately, the women were murdered shortly afterward." Everyone
shared shocked looks. If this was true, where was the hope
for the kingdoms? "Each woman had one child. Neither child has been
harmed. This morning I sent my Preventers to bring the children
here."

From the way Queen Relena stressed child, the representatives could
guess several things. First, they would have to be on their best
behavior. Children could be easily frightened and then become useless.
What good would a cationic fighter be? Second, youth meant
their powers were not fully developed. This could mean they would need
to be sheltered or even trained before becoming useful.
Lastly, children were easily influenced. If worse came to worse, the
children could be manipulated easier than adults. 

Finally, a guard came through the door and nodded to the young woman.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I expect you to be on your best behavior.
Especially you LaCroix." With this said, Relena rose from her chair
and waited. Never had anyone seen such a regal figure. She seemed ready
and able to take on the whole world and win. It was very
obvious why her Preventers would do anything for her. 

Attention was drawn away from the Queen by two Palace Guards stepping
through the door pushing a small blond in front of them.
Several things about the little figure stood out immediately: he was
very afraid, but trying hard to hide the fact, he was very poor, and
lastly, the gentle looking man had not come quietly, there was a nasty
looking bruise covering almost half of the left side of his face. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Queen Relena demanded. "This is not who
you were sent to retrieve."

The guards dropped to their knees in abject bows, but the blond stayed
on his feet, swaying just a little; he sent several measuring
looks at the closed door behind him, more than likely trying to
determine his chances of getting past the men outside. Every fighter in
the room knew it was none. This young man was no warrior. Which made
the bruise on his face even more offensive.

"My Lady," a guard began, "they were not at the residence you sent us
to. The only one there was this man and he refuses to say
where they went." 

"You have no right to do this," the blond had found his voice. "They
didn’t do anything."

Noticing the young man was not kneeing before Relena the guards both
delivered a blow to the man. The one on the right struck the
back of his knees while the one on the left punched him in the stomach.
Pain replaced defiance on those young features and their
victim collapsed onto the floor curling up on himself. 

There was a whoosh of displaced air and the two men found themselves
three feet off the ground. Lucien LaCroix held them each by
the throat, his expression promising dire consequences if they so much
as twitched. James started to intervene when he saw Blair
kneeing over the blond; Blair’s face looked stricken. 

"It’s going to be alright," the Guide whispered softly. An underlying
edge of steel enhanced the promise. It must have taken a great
deal of courage to leave the shelter of his Sentinel. 

LaCroix was not so gentle. "If you ever touch this child again, I will
rethink my policy about in between meal snacks. Do you
understand me?" 

"LaCroix!" The Queen’s demanding tone forced the vampire to turn his
attention from the trembling men. "Put my men down. Now.
Whatever punishment they receive is my domain not yours and I will
thank you to remember that." 

With exaggerated care, the vampire lord lowered the men. "Very well,
Queen Relena," his voice held none of the fake warmth from
before. It was now colder than the grave. "But know this. If you or
yours ever harm this man or his family again, nothing in this world
will be able to save you." 

"Father," Nicholas whispered. In all the centuries he’d known the older
vampire, Nicholas had never witnessed such a show of
emotion. A low growl answered the younger vampire’s call. 

The little scene was disrupted as two men rushed through the door and
barred it behind them. One man had strange forked eyebrows,
while the other had long platinum blond hair. Each wore the uniform of
the City Guard and were very out of breath. The one with the
eyebrows left his partner to deal with the door and faced the occupants
of the room. His eyes raked over everyone and settled on the
blond prisoner.

"Quatre," he gasped. 

At the sound of his voice, Quatre looked up. Seeing the men, he pulled
away from Blair and rushed to them. 

"Treize," Quatre sobbed, throwing himself in the other man’s arms.
Treize wrapped the little man is a fierce hug, his face twisting with
fury as he noticed the bruise. "They want Duo and Ashi. I think they’re
going to hurt them." 

Two pairs of furious eyes focused on everyone in the room. No one, not
even LaCroix could meet their gaze for long. Finally, the
burning gazes settled on Queen Relena. The longhaired blond spoke this
time.

"I could believe this from the others," he said indicating the
representatives, "but from you? I expected far more from you. How very
disappointing." The contempt in his voice shocked everyone. Who was
this man to speak so to his ruler?

"Zechs," the young Queen said, her tone more begging than anything
else, "please. I never meant for this to happen. Those two are
the key to protecting the kingdom. You have to understand."

"Understand?" Zechs shot back. "Understand that you hurt an innocent?
Did it ever occur to you to just ask? I know Duo and Ashi.
They are good people. If you had just asked them, they would have
volunteered to help."

"I couldn’t take that risk." Relena seemed to regain the
self-confidence she’d had before. Her words were more sure and
authoritative
with each passing moment. "How can you expect me to risk everyone on
the chance that two thieves would be cooperative? Do you
care so little about our people? How dare you put the good of two
criminals above the honest citizens of this country?"

Zechs opened his mouth to respond, but a frantic banging on the door
distracted everyone.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Black Ships have come! Your Majesty!"
a panicked voice informed everyone. 

Zechs, please listen to me," The Queen begged. "Those two are our only
hope. Tell me where they are!"

Treize looked at the trembling Quatre. "Do you know where they are?" he
asked softly.

"No," tear filled but strong eyes turned to him. Quatre was worried
about his family. "I woke up this morning and they were gone.
That’s not like them, Treize. I was going to talk to you and Zechs when
the guards showed up and began demanding to know where
they were. They would never leave without letting me know."

"The Wing," Captain Ellison gasped. All eyes focused on him. "This
morning. It left the harbor. I had this feeling something was
wrong, but didn’t know why."

Everyone put two and two together at the same time and came up with the
same answer. Somehow, someway, Duo and Ashi were on
the Wing. The next thought to flood their minds sent them reeling. The
Black Ships were here and the only weapon against them was
not.

The Black Ships had come for them and where the ships passed, no one
survived.