Trowa watched as a black bird flew over head with a weary eye. Something felt.. wrong. Quatre tugged at his sleeve and smiled at his expressionless features,

"Trowa, are you going to help me and Wufei finish setting things up? Duo will be done any minute now with the wheat."

"That's what's bothering me... he was being so secretive."

Wufei chuckled, more to relieve the growing uneasiness in his chest than to liven the situation, "All these years you've been shouting at him to get serious and do his chores and the day he does, you complain. As for his secretiveness, he's sixteen years old. You expect him to sit on your lap and tell you everything like when he was six?"

Quatre frowned at the long past memories, "He's all grown up... When do you suppose we should tell him about..... everything."

"Tonight." Trowa answer before leaning his head out the window, "DUO!"

The sound of breaking plates echoed in the house. Trowa turned to see Wufei and Quatre stooping down to pick up the shards of glass.

"Gomen ne, Trowa," Wufei said, "You startled me."

Trowa shook his head, "Come to think of it.. you've been rather secretive as well, Wufei. You wouldn't happen to know anything about Duo, would you?"

"Know? There's nothing to know. He runs, he hides, he never lies. If Duo said sneaking around, he was. Just cause he doesn't tell you everything doesn't mean he's not telling you anything."

Quatre nodded and stood to throw away the dangerous pieces of the broken plate, "Wufei's right, Trowa. What do you suspect? That Duo's been going against our wishes?"

Trowa nibbled at his bottom lip then turned to the window and shouted out it again, "DUO!"

"For the love of-!"

"Trowa, get a bull horn!"

"Prate!"

"Destruction!"

"SHUT UP!"

~"JERK!"~

The door suddenly opened and Duo ran in, only to be met with six angry eyes, "Um.. bad timing?"

Trowa shook his head and let go of Wufei's shirt collar, "What took you so long?"

Duo smiled brightly as he thought, "Um, I was talking to some strange guy in the forest. I don't know him but he kind showed up."

Silence.

"Um.. did I do something wrong?" he asked, looking from face to face.

Trowa walked closer, looming over him, "And?"

"And... we talked."

Quatre stood beside Trowa, "About?"

"About? Well.. politics mostly. Kings, Queens, Kingdoms, stuff like that."

Wufei stood beside Trowa and Quatre, "Anything else?"

Duo smile nervously, "I.. uh.. kissed him?"

Quatre fainted. Trowa's emotionless mask fell into one of shock and Wufei took several steps back to seat himself down in a hard wooden chair. Shock fell into anger and concern as Trowa grabbed Duo by the shoulders and shook him, "You kissed him? Where? Did he kiss you back? Are you in love with him? How long ago did this happen?"

Duo hadn't exactly expected that kind of reaction, "Whoa, whoa! Hey, that's none of your business! What's going on!"

Trowa let go of him and stood back, "You're alright though?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! I kissed him on the cheek cause he was looking depressed. A kiss can make anything feel better you know so I figured, what the hell, and kissed him. Sorry if ya don't approve but I'm not your little kid anymore. I'm a teenager!" he nearly shouted in his defense.

Trowa kneeled down and lay Quatre's shoulders in his lap. Duo frowned and kneeled down beside him.

"Man, had I know you would all flip out I probably wouldn't have said anything." He put a hand on Quatre's chest, "Wake up, Quatre-sama. I didn't mean to make you faint. Wake up."

Slowly, Quatre opened his eyes and focused his gaze on Duo, "Did I just faint?"

He nodded.

"Well, that's rather embarrassing. What happened?"

Trowa sighed, "Duo kissed some guy on the cheek. Nothing to worry about."

Quatre sat bolt up, "Nothing to worry about!"

"Here we go again.." Duo stood up and ran for the stairs, "I'm going to go to bed early tonight, okay? I've had enough excitement for one evening!"

Wufei starred at him, Duo's eyes were beckoning him to follow. Wufei excused himself and walked up the stairs, leaving Trowa to explain what little details were left about Duo and the stranger.

Wufei opened the door to Duo's room and frowned, "Well? What's the real story?" he asked.

Duo smiled and hugged Wufei tightly, "He's the most wonderful person I've ever met! He saved me in town when I got caught stealing and he followed me home because 'there was something in my eye'." Duo quoted dreamily, "I told him I wasn't aloud to see people and he sounded hurt! It was like he wanted to sit in the glenn and talk forever with me! And after he asked for a second kiss.. wow!" Duo untangled himself from Wufei and flopped down on his bed, "He's sooo gorgeous, Wufei!"

Wufei listened to it all, keeping his inner torment secret, "You.. like him?"

Duo sighed deeply and starred at his ceiling, "Yeah.."

"Do you... love .. him?"

"...I think I do."

Wufei closed his eyes to conceal his pain, "It's a shame then... that you can never see him again."

Duo sat up straight, "Oh, I'm going to see him again. Tonight."

Black eyes focused, panicked, at the braided boy, "You can't."

"But.. why not?" Duo asked, "I already promised I'd see him!"

"You can't. That's just the bottom line, Duo. I'm sorry."

Duo leapt off the bed and stood nose to nose with his friend, "Wufei-chan, of anything in the world, going to see him tonight will make me the most happy! You've got to let me go!"

"No!" Wufei pushed him away. It's not because I'm jealous, Duo-chan..., "I don't want you to get hurt, Duo."

"He won't hurt me! He's-"

"For once in your foolish life, listen to me!" Wufei instructed, "I have let you get away with far too much already. I have to draw the line somewhere. I am as much your guardian as Quatre and Trowa and maybe it's about time I acted like it. Duo, _this_ is where I draw that line. You cannot go out tonight. Do you understand me?"

Duo lowered his head, "I thought we were friends, Wufei."

"I'm doing this for your own good. Trust me." Wufei went to the door and opened it, "You know I love you, don't you?"

Duo shook his head, "If you loved me you'd let me go."

Wufei walked into the hall with a heavy heart and closed the door behind him. Duo's hand clutched his braid tightly, his fingers playing with the gold cross charm on the black hair tie.

"If not with you, Wufei... then without."

Heero road through the castle gates and was immediately greeted by his father, "Heero! Heero!"

Heero chose to ignore him and went straight for the stables instead, his father running after him, "Heero!"

"What is it father?" he answer finally, annoyed.

King Philip Yuy shook a finger at his son, "Where have you been! I've been searching for you all morning."

"I've been out among the towns on the boarder between our kingdom and that of the Darlian's. It's sad. People steel for hair ties now."

The King didn't try to understand what he meant by the last bit, "Well I wish you had been here. King Darlian and I were discussing rather serious issues. It would have done you good to take part."

Heero shrugged and marched towards the castle, "Hm."

"Heero, listen to me when I'm yelling at you!" his father shouted, "We were discussing your marriage!"

Stopped. Whether time itself had or just Heero's train of thoughts, he didn't know.

"My marriage? Sense when has that been an important issue?"

"Sense Relena, the Darlian Princess, has come of age."

"Princess Relena?!" Heero asked. He remembered her well. In his years of returning to the old Churchill castle to ask for Solo, he'd met her many times. She would spy on him, stalk him, do anything she could to get to play with him when he came to call for the dead prince. He didn't care for her very much. That was no secret.

"Father, why the hell would you consent to something like that!"

Philip's eyes narrowed cruelly, "I do so to honor my dear friends dying wishes! Richard wanted the kingdoms to unit by marriage and by God they will!"

"He meant by the union of your two houses." Heero pointed out.

"I see then. Would you have rather married Prince Solo, my son?"

The words cut his soul like a thousand shard knives. Solo was dead... and perhaps yes.. had Solo grown to be like the boy he'd met in the town that day, he would have rather married him. "You strike a low blow, father. If you excuse me, I do not wish to be disturbed till tonight's party. I'm expecting someone special."

"Yes, the girl you're going to marry, Heero. Relena is attending tonight festivities so I pray you be on your best behavior."

Heero ignored him, refusing to talk to the brick wall his father had become. What do I do then? Is there really no choice for me? Marry Relena? Never. Even if it means I should loose my inheritance and right to the thrown, I will never marry her. What options are then left to me? His mind registered only one thought. Duo. A simple smile played at the corners of the princes mouth. The sneaky thief may have stolen more than the hair tie that evening, he thought as his smile fell. The simple boy in the glenn had surely stolen his heart. If it were a simple decision between Relena and Duo, the latter would win in a heartbeat. So it's settled. If I am to be forced to marry Relena, I will denounce everything I have and be with Duo. If he comes tonight that is. I'll know he fells the same as I do if, no, when he comes. Because if he doesn't come, I just might have to kill myself. I will never marry that girl.

Trowa tossed and turned in bed, sleep escaping him and consciousness calling him forth. It had to end tonight. The wondering, the uncertainty, these questions that he kept stored in mind and made sleep impossible. One person could answer all these questions and like hell he'd wait any longer. Fed up and wanting, Trowa emerged from his bed chambers, the time ringing at a quarter to midnight, pounding softly at the door to another bedroom.

"Open up!" he whispered harshly.

The door opened and two groggy sea colored eyes peered over the wooden entrance, "Trowa? What are you doing?"

Trowa frowned, "It's driving me crazy. It's gotten to the point where I can't sleep without thinking about it. Quatre, I think you know what I'm talking about. I've seen it written all over your face. I need to know this, Quatre. Please, tell me."

Quatre opened the door wider, "You mean... Trowa... it's late. Can't we do this in the morning?"

"No, Quatre," Trowa moved in closer, "I can't go another night not knowing."

Quatre swallowed hard, his skin rising at the feel of Trowa's breath on his face, "Trowa..." he signed, "Alright. I give in. Your room or mine?"

Trowa shook his head, "No time for that. Right here. Right now."

"The hallway?!" Quatre squeaked, "What if Duo or Wufei wake up and see us?!"

"It doesn't matter. They have a right to know either way."

Quatre hesitated then nodded, "Alright. Go get what you need from your room and meet me here."

Trowa shook his head, "I don't have it."

"But I thought you did!?" Quatre whispered loudly.

"I thought you did."

Quatre planted his hands on his hips, "Well we can't exactly do this without it!"

Trowa moaned and sank to the floor with little grace, "I'll never get to sleep now."

Quatre patted him on the head and went back to his room, "I'm just as curious as you to what prate means but if you don't have a dictionary, you can't look it up. It's as simple as that."

Trowa nodded and bowed his head low, a cool breeze kissing his flesh, "Do you feel that?" he asked, looking up to see where the strange breeze could be coming from.

Quatre nodded, rubbing his arms, "It feels like it's coming from... Duo's room?"

Trowa stood and walked with the blonde one towards the said boy's room. A cold wind greeted them as they opened to door and nothing else. No body in the bed, nothing but an open window and a chain of sheets leading out.

"Oh my God.. Duo's gone!" Quatre shouted, running to the open window to pear down, making sure the boy hadn't fallen and broken his leg in an attempted escape.

Trowa, on the other hand, marched out of the room and knocked on the one adjacent it.

"Wufei, wake up. Duo's missing."

Silence.

"Wufei?" he opened the door. Again, nothing. Wufei was gone as well.

Quatre ran in a gasped in shock, "Trowa.. they're both gone? But where did they-"

"I don't know but we have to find them. I have a very bad feeling about this."

Quatre nodded and headed to his room to change. Trowa looked about, his fists clenched tightly,

"Wufei, you had better be looking after him. If he dies I will never forgive you."

Duo's amethyst eyes flew wide in wonder at the site of the grand palace and the finely dressed attendants of the ball. Men in fancy tights and jackets with a proper and elegant lady on their arm. He stood in the shadows, doing nothing but watching the people enter and marveling at their clothing and manner. It only made his own appearance all the less… appropriate. His needs were simple and so, in all honestly, so were his clothes. Multi-shaded browns and a white under shirt were all he had to his name with his scabby knees showing through the holes in his well-worn leggings. He frowned as his fingers felt his braid. His hair needed to be washed as well and no doubt he didn't smell all that wonderful. I can't go in there like this. I'll just embarrass Prince Heero. It was stupid to come here anyway. Like he really wanted to see me again. He was probably just being… polite. Why would he care about one tattered looking kid from nowhere.

"I'm fooling myself. I should just get out of here and go home." He sighed and stood from behind some bushes.

"You can't go now. The party's just begun."

Duo turned sharply, his eyes looking for the person who had spoken, "Who are you?"

"They call me, Zechs Merquise. I couldn't help but realize that you were starring at those people going to the party. You'd like to go yourself, wouldn't you?"

Duo looked at the tall, handsome man before him who had hair the color of a winter landscape and eyes like an ocean torrent. "Yes… but I don't fit in with those high society crowds. It probably would be dull anyway."

Zechs smiled cruelly, "But I should think there was somebody in there whom you'd like to impress. Someone whom you'd like to get some special attention from."

"How did you-"

"Shh," Zechs took out of his jacket a shimmering crystal ball, "See this? It contains inside of it enough magic to transform you into the respectable and charming young man. Look inside, and tell me what you see." He ordered kindly.

Duo didn't know what to think. The guy had to be crazy. Still, crazier things had been known to happen. Duo gazed into the crystal and blinked wildly at the sight within. It showed himself, dressed in the finest looking black ensemble he'd ever seen. His hair was shiny and beautifully braided with the charm he had stolen securing it at the end. It was like looking at a complete stranger who happened to share your face.

"I could look like that?" he asked, interested in what this wonderful man had to offer him.

"You could and do." The glass ball disappeared and, much to Duo's despair so did the man.

Duo turned his head frantically in search of the other man but he saw him nowhere. His eyes fell to the ground but instead rested upon the fancy, polished, black boots that had replaced his fawn ones. His eyes traveled up the ebony outfit and rested on the golden cross, which stuck out from all the rest. He twirled around, more to amuse himself than for any reason, and flashed his brightest smile.

"Hold on to your hat, Heero Yuy, cause you ain't seen nothing yet!"