Marked for Death Part 9
Duo blinked, trying to adjust his eyes as they stepped into the darkness. Wearing a blindfold for a short trip and then being exposed to noon light and then being brought into a dark room didn't help his eyesight in the least. It took a moment before he was able to distinguish the blur of shapes around him, and found they'd stepped into what appeared to be a receiving room? He was shocked that despite appearances of being a group of people living in the forest this structure was still built in the same fashion as a palace, albeit quite smaller.
From the shadows he was able to see that they were in a small rectangular room, with a door on one side. This door led to a dimly lit room which he couldn't see into. A tall person blocked his view.
Like the others she was tattooed from head to toe, but her designs resembled more of Heero's, obviously weapons made for short and quick kills. Designs resembling hooks twisted around her body while she watched them with narrowed gray-brown eyes. Like Heero she had the exact same letter marking under her eye. Her deep black hair seemed to almost fade into the background, matching the room's darkness.
She frowned at the entire group for a moment, but her expression lightened considerably when she spotted one of the two girls who'd led them in, Brei.
"They're clear Yuki, Heero wants to take them in to speak with Trowa." Brei said with a smile.
Yuki nodded and stepped away from the door, allowing entrance and the group was moving again. Duo noticed that Annah left them at the door, waving happily and making some comment about lovebirds... Lovebirds? He glanced in surprise to the female who led them into the room and Brei, oddly he wasn't surprised to see them just slightly holding hands.
The next room, lit better then the first, reminded Duo of a garden, let grow on its own accord. Here the ceiling and walls weren't nearly as tightly woven and sunlight was allowed to seep in through expertly placed holes and cracks. Vines twined around most of the structure, covered with sweet smelling and dark shaded flowers. Rays of sunlight dotted the room in a scene that also seemed to remind Duo of a church, or some fancy religious structure.
The room was completely empty save for a set of two trees, which had naturally curled around each other to create a very comfortable looking chair or throne. And currently that throne was in use by a young man, looking to be only a few years older then Duo himself.
In contrast to all the other Marked Ones he'd seen so far, this one seemed to have no weapons tattooed on his body at all. Instead an ornate series of vines curved all over his body with small leaves and tiny buds. The boy's head was tilted down and a good half of his face was covered by his auburn brown bangs. Despite all other appearances of being some form of royalty his clothing didn't fit, for it was the most simplistic that Duo had seen so far. It appeared that the boy only wore a dark set of shorts and an extremely oversized shirt which managed to hang only on one shoulder.
As they stepped into the room Duo froze and watched the tattoos on the boy's body move. Rather than looking up like a normal person one of the buds on his bare shoulder began to bloom and the other vines moved out of the way to allow room for the new growth. Duo watched in a kind of creeped-out amazement as the bud bloomed into an ornate design of an eye. The eye blinked one and looked over the group for a moment, then it closed and the bud closed, the strange design disappearing.
"Welcome back, Heero." The seated boy said softly without looking up.
Duo shivered and just stared. Had he actually been able to see out of that design of an eye?
Heero stepped forward and nodded to him, in a very friendly gesture. Duo blinked and just watched, confused at what he was actually supposed to do. Was this guy royalty of some kind? Should he bow? Or should he just assume that once again he was a Shadow and no one would pay any attention to him?
The boy lifted his head and met Heero's eyes, revealing his own to be a bright green, almost as lively as the plants which filled the room. He watched Heero for a moment then scanned over the group in question. Finally he looked back to Heero and a slight frown crossed his face.
"Sorata is dead," Heero said, in a softer tone.
Duo noticed Yuki off to the side had taken up a spot close to Trowa and was watching them very closely - obviously a protector or bodyguard of some kind. She stiffened at that remark. Almost in immediate response the other stepped forward and clasped their hands together in a comforting gesture. Yuki seemed to relax, just slightly. "Dead?" She whispered.
Heero said nothing more and instead Wufei seemed to take his cue. He took a single step forward, showing that he wished to speak. Trowa nodded to him, giving him permission. Duo immediately recognized that this, at least for Wufei, had turned into a royal proceeding. And the unspoken rule was for him to be silent. He just hoped it wouldn't drag on like most official things did.
"I knew him for the time he was at my father's castle. However, Sorata disappeared nearly eight years ago and we haven't seen him since."
Trowa frowned and shifted in his throne, turning to completely face Wufei. "Meaning that the king or one of his men discovered Sorata. However, this news alone would not warrant you visiting us, highness."
Duo blinked and realized that yes; Wufei had replaced his gold circlet on his head. It seemed strange to him that the leader of the Marked Ones would called Wufei by his title, but then again this entire day was strange, and this shouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary. Duo watched Trowa's eyes flicker to Heero, asking silently for an answer to his question. Why had Heero risked everything to bring these people here?
"The reason for that, is merely a misunderstanding. Heero's presence in the castle was noticed and it was assumed that he had been sent to kill me for some act. My absent father's advisor took the opportunity to chase us out of the castle and try to place himself on the throne. I had thought if I were to get a pardon from your kind, or the leader of your kind to help me, we could fix this problem." Duo noted that Wufei made no mention of exactly how the misunderstanding had taken place, but then it didn't really need to be said.
Trowa nodded, his chin resting on his hand in a thoughtful manner. "And the other two?"
Wufei stepped toward Duo. "He is my Shadow."
Once again the leader nodded, apparently accepting that explanation. He glanced toward Quatre in question. "And you?"
Quatre frowned. "I made the mistake of trying to steal a saddlebag..." he stumbled over his words and his face was red with embarrassment. However, something about what Quatre said managed to lighten the mood in the room and Trowa let out a chuckle. The chuckle was hard, but not because it was forced. Duo recognized it as the sound of someone who was not very often amused and didn't get the chance to laugh or even smile much in his life. In seconds the tension in the room was gone and the leader of the Marked Ones was standing up.
Trowa gave a small bow toward Wufei. "We apologize for creating such a stir in your kingdom and will do our best to fix our mistake. In the meantime, will you join us as our guests? No doubt you would prefer a few days of leisure before returning to tackle the problem of your traitorous advisor."
Wufei flashed him and bright smile of gratefulness and nodded. "That would be most appreciated..." The prince paused and looked a little lost for a moment. "Do you... have a title?"
This caused another rare smile to cross Trowa's face. "No. I am simply Trowa."
"That would be most appreciated, Trowa." Wufei corrected himself.
Trowa stepped forward and addressed the entire group. "I must, however, inform you that we are all equals here. There are no Shadows, Princes or Thieves."
"That's a relief!" Duo said with an exaggerated sigh and Quatre and Wufei responded with soft chuckles of their own.
~*~
Despite the initial atmosphere of not being accepted into the society, or of possible danger to their lives, the travelers now found out they were relatively free to do as they wished. The amount of trust placed in them was almost unbelievable, since no guards were assigned to them or anything. Instead they were allowed to walk around freely, but warned to not leave the outlines of the tribal area, simply for safety's sake. Had anyone else given them such freedom they might have been called stupid or just careless. But, then, Duo reflected, this wasn't just a normal society. He suspected this much freedom was granted because of how much confidence the Marked Ones actually had in their abilities. Someone would have to be stupid to think they would be allowed to even set foot outside the camp and tell the location. They'd be dead long before they reached the nearest town, easily.
Still, despite this, Duo and his two travelling companions felt quite at ease. He found the Marked Ones to be quite friendly and for the first time in his life he found himself surrounded by people of all ages and genders who were willing to speak with him, almost eager to at that. No one shied away from his dark clothing and no one cared if he was the prince's Shadow or the prince himself. Trowa had spoken correctly and Duo found that in this small village he was simply Duo, nothing more nothing less.
He could definitely get used to this!
The first order of business was the get the visitors cleaned and fresh sets of clothing so they didn't look like homeless people left on the streets. These problems were solved with the help of a nearby lake and clothing provided by other people in the village. Still, even though he was given the choice of wearing whatever he wanted, Duo chose dark clothing that served to conceal and cover most of the scars on his back. In the end he chose a dark brown tunic that reached about mid-thigh and a set of loose deep gray pants where were cut off at the knees.
He had to admit the outfit looked kind of strange on him but it was comfortable. And he was used to covering his scars. He didn't want people staring at them, or worse, asking about them. Better to cover them up and just act like they weren't actually there.
The baggy and small amount of clothing seemed to bother Wufei to no end though, and Duo couldn't help but smirk as he watched the prince tug at his new clothing self-consciously. The style of clothing in the castle was to cover most parts of one's body, with clothes that fit, not ones that were overly baggy. Still the baggy pants and loose blue sleeveless top suited the prince. Least that's what Duo thought.
Quatre seemed to be the most at ease, out of the three of them, with his new clothing. He chose a light blue top that resembled a laced up vest, accompanying it with a pair of nearly perfectly fitting shorts that reached his knees. The effect was almost perfect that he would have been able to fit in amongst the Marked Ones without a second thought if it weren't for the lack of markings crossing his skin. Also, unlike Duo, he had pale burn scars on his legs, but he seemed to pay them no heed, taking no effort to hide them from sight.
The scars were undeniable evidence to the fire which had orphaned both Duo and Quatre. The only difference was that Quatre had been scared from the incident directly.
After receiving their clean clothes the three split up to look around the village and speak with the various people. Duo reluctantly left Wufei to be on his own and speak with Trowa about things only leaders would be interested in. Contenting himself to just wander, he made his way aimlessly about the village, stopping to look at anything of interest to him. This, of course, meant that he stopped nearly every few steps to watch people going about their business. This place was so different from the palace and town he'd grown up in. So very different...
As he walked the bush-looking houses around him seemed to widen and he soon found himself facing a clearing surrounded by houses, and a small group of people. These people created a loose circle around two young children who stood in the center. Duo blinked and stepped forward. The circle looked like a small training circle, like the ones where the prince learned how to use his sword back in the palace. And the ones where he'd stood off to the side mimicking their movements since no one would teach him.
The two kids were quite young, maybe ten years at the most. One was a girl with soft blond hair pulled back into very small braids, while the other was a boy whose light brown hair and gray eyes gave him an older and wiser look. Both had a fair amount of tattoos on their skin, even though they were so young. Duo also noticed that both had a symbol like a letter under their right eye, just as Yuki and Heero had.
They bowed to each other and then stepped back, each reaching for their closest tattoo weapon of choice. Duo stepped closer and watched in awe. It was a training circle!
The blond girl pulled a tattoo off her arm in the shape of a curved dagger and watched the boy with deep concentration, her body in a state of readiness. The boy responded by pulling out a blade shape of his own, yet his had two blades, reaching out from the handle in a V shape. A second later the two were moving.
Intricate mixes of strikes and defense followed as the two circled each other and tried to get a cut in. Both were quite agile on their feet and they responded to the slightest of movements as naturally as a river would change course when it was dug a new route. Weapons flickered in the light from the sky and the dance grew quicker as they came closer to hitting each other. At one point the boy nearly cut the girl's cheek, only managing to make a small scrape across her soft skin. She responded by dropping away from him and immediately dropping her weapon. The next movement was so quick that Duo nearly missed it and the boy missed it completely.
The girl pulled a rope looking tattoo off her leg, where the design was wrapped, and proceeded to snap her wrist. The rope struck out and wrapped around the boy's leg, jerking him to the ground. He gave a soft cry and landed hard on the ground. In a movement as smooth as air the girl grabbed her discarded blade and placed it to his chest, over his heart.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, both breathing heavily from the exercise, then the girl pulled her blade back and replaced it back on her arm, where it melded with the skin. Offering her hand, the boy clasped it and she pulled him to his feet, a bright smile crossing both their faces.
Duo clapped softly in delight at watching the kids. To be so young and yet already be so skilled at beating each other in combat. It was an amazing thing to watch. Yet at the same time it was also sad. Sad to think that this culture was hunted down so easily that they required their children to train like this at such a young age...
Turning away from the training circle, as another pair of children was stepping in to practice, he concentrated on his own thoughts. He remembered the training circles for Wufei. He remembered that the prince had always hated those days and never really liked to fight with a sword. He preferred to fight with his mind against his enemies, and took the side that if arms were broken out then both sides had already lost the battle. In the end the only reason Wufei had agreed to learn was so Duo could have someone to practice with so he could hone his own skills. And in return he'd promised to protect Wufei with his sword... always.
Even if that meant being his Shadow for the rest of his life.
Duo sighed and reached his arms for the sky, stretching out. Yet he stopped in mid-stretch as a hauntingly familiar form crossed his vision. For a moment he thought he was just imagining things... but no he couldn't have been. Could he?
He knew that hair and he definitely knew those eyes! It had to be him!
Without thinking, he rushed to the doorway the form had disappeared into and found himself in a small bush house, filled with large pots and large openings in the ceiling, presumably for lighting purposes.
"Sorata?"
The figure in the corner froze and turned around to face him, and that's when Duo saw he'd made a mistake. The person standing in front of him definitely resembled the old palace advisor, but there were a few notable differences. For one, she was a female! Rather than having dark red hair that was nearly black, like Sorata had, hers was completely black and cut short, just under her ears. Shimmering blue eyes blinked at him in question, and he noticed interestingly that a small bit of her hair was braided to the side with a thin strip of blue fabric, making it look as if she'd changed the color of that small section of her hair.
He gave a nervous grin and scratched the back of his head in a small gesture. "Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in. You just looked like someone I used to know..."
She took a step forward and watched him closely. "You knew Sorata?"
Duo nodded. "Yeah, you two look a lot alike you know?"
The girl smiled softly, a hint of sadness crossing her expression. "I know, we are siblings after all."
Duo's mouth dropped open in disbelief, but he quickly closed it realizing how stupid he must look. After closing his mouth he scolded himself for being so silly. After all, Sorata had been a Marked One, Heero had said that, so it made perfect sense that his family members could live in this village. He should have expected it. But he found that it still shocked him to imagine Sorata as having a younger sister who looked so much like him.
The girl stepped closer. "You knew him?"
Duo managed to nod and stop scolding himself for acting so strange.
"Please, tell me about him?"
Duo nodded and gave a smile. "Course."
~*~
After receiving his new clothes Wufei soon found himself in a corner of the village where a small group was gathered. Brei, the girl who he'd met earlier was perched on the low branch of a tree, with many young children clustered in front of her. All of the children were quite young, but all watched her with their utmost attention as she proceeded to tell them a lively story. In spite of himself the prince found himself pulled into the story, even though he'd managed to walk in so close to the end. Sitting at the very edge of the group he leaned against the trunk of a tree and listened as the cheerful red head moved into the exciting ending of her story. The children before her all held their breaths, waiting in tense anticipation.
"She's good at that," said a feminine voice beside Wufei.
The prince jumped and turned in surprise to see Annah, standing next to him, watching the other. Annah giggled softly.
"Yes," he agreed, after recovering from the surprise.
"I'm sure you have lots of stories to tell, yourself. About where you came from, your kingdom."
Wufei shrugged. "Not many, it's just a normal kingdom to me. Full of people who lie, cheat and steal, and far too many who don't do anything about the injustices that exist."
"See? Just what I mean! That sure sounds like a story to me."
"No, I-"
But Annah didn't listen. Instead she grinned and gave Wufei a hard shove forward, so he stumbled out into the group of wide-eyed children. Catching his balance he did his best not to fall on any of them, and instead found they quickly moved out of the way. And before he even realized it he was suddenly surrounded by many young, wide-eyed and curious children watching him. He swallowed and tried to calm his small amount of rising panic.
He'd never dealt with children before!
"You don't have any marks," one of the children spoke up. Many others joined in with noises of agreement and question.
Wufei glanced at Brei, only to find her smiling in amusement at his confusion and the children's reactions. It seemed that she had finished her story though, so Annah's little push hadn't interrupted anything. Speaking of Annah, she was now sitting down next to some of the children, watching him with a playful grin on her face. He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at her.
"Are you human?" One of the children asked, tugging on the bottom of his short pants.
Wufei blinked at the question, but recovered quickly. "Yes."
"You're from one of the villages outside! What are people like there?"
"Well, umm," so much for royalty knowing everything. He was doing horribly with these children!
"Yes, tell us where you're from!" Annah said, adding to the children's questions.
Wufei though, now rapidly becoming used to the situation, took the question in stride. "I'm from a castle."
One of the boys frowned at him and shook his head. "Nu-uh," he protested. "Only the people from Brei's stories are from castles. If you're from one then why don't you tell us what it looks like?"
Wufei gave a small smirk to the boy and moved so he was sitting down among the children. After all, a proper storyteller never sat too far above his audience, or else no one would ever believe him. Sorata had taught him that long ago.
"The castle I come from is made of large stones, reaching high over your heads, much like the trees around you. And we have pictures hanging on the walls, made of cloth, called tapestries."
"Does it have holes in the ceiling like our homes for light?"
Wufei shook his head. "We have windows in the walls, but they aren't very big. Instead we use fire for light."
"But the smoke tells everyone where you are," one of the girls protested.
"He's in a castle silly, everyone knows where he is," another responded with a short laugh.
"Does everyone live in that castle?"
"No, only a few people. My father owns it, and he watches the people in the town from the castle, trying to make sure that everyone is happy." Wufei acknowledged that wasn't exactly the truth, but he also recognized that these were children. Giving them the disgusting truth about how much he hated his father wasn't something he wanted to do, besides it wasn't really their problem to worry about.
"You mean you're like Trowa!" Another boy said happily.
"Yes, he is, in a way."
Wufei looked up to see the vine covered leader of the Marked Ones standing a few feet away, watching them. Trowa stepped toward the children and nodded to Wufei, motioning for him to continue.
"Are there any like us in your village?" One of the younger one's asked.
Wufei couldn't help but frown at that one. "Not anymore."
"Do you have any stories about them?"
The prince's eyes moved to Trowa, asking for silent permission. Trowa responded with a short nod, granting it with an expression of interest.
"I know a story that someone told me long ago. About a young boy, whose mother was a human woman and whose father was actually an Izardl..."
All attention focused on the prince as he did his best to retell the story he remembered from so many nights ago. It had always been Duo's favorite story and Wufei had heard it retold many times, never once getting sick of the tale. Saying what he remembered and adding in small details where he saw fit he recited the story of the burnings that had orphaned Duo and so many other kids.
And as he told everyone listened, watching him with their full attention.
Even Quatre, who happened to walk by at that moment, paused behind a tree and listened intently. In fact, as Trowa noticed out of the corner of his eye, the small thief seemed to show particular interest in the story being told. And as the tale unfolded the leader of the Marked Ones found himself watching the expressions on the blond boy's face.
One particular emotion stood out over his soft features and Trowa recognized it almost immediately.
It was an expression of remembrance...
TBC...
Back to Snow Tigra's Fanfictions Page