Warnings: Shonen-ai, yaoi, OOCness…

 

Pairings: Still not telling. >:)

 

Disclaimer: I don’t own the g-boys or any of their associates, but I do own Shiakara and her species, the OtherKin.

 

Author’s note: ^^ Well here’s the next bit. Fast, ne? Well that’s only because I already had this written and I wanted to see the reactions to the first chapter before putting anymore up. The next bits probably won’t come quite so fast. Enjoy, then tell me what you thought, or tell me what you think needs changing. I’m always open to suggestion. ^^

 

~ ~ ~

 

~I can’t keep this form for much longer without a rest, Wufei. How much further have we to go?~ Trowa thought into Wufei’s mind.

 

“It is not much further, weakling. Just over this ridge,” Wufei said, not even slowing his pace.

 

~I’d love to see him try shape-shifting…~ Trowa thought to Quatre with a soft growl.

 

~I can arrange that you know,~ Quatre thought back, sniggering. ~I hate the way he treats us sometimes…~

 

Trowa had always been glad Quatre was part of their small group as it meant he had someone who could reply in thought and not just hear him. He bared his teeth at the swishing black tail before him in a smirk. His claws picked at the dirt beneath him as he halted.

 

~Oh please do!~ he replied.

 

Quatre let forth a high-pitched, piercing giggle and pointed his wand at the centaur. Three quick words later, a black rabbit stood where a centaur once had, it’s pink nose twitching at them.

 

Trowa smirked at the rabbit, showing dangerously sharp white teeth as a low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. He crouched down as though readying himself to pounce, long tortoise-shell tail waving playfully above him. The Wufei rabbit looked somewhat afraid.

 

~Do I turn him back or do we let him think you’re going to kill and eat him?~ Quatre thought, wings still whirring behind him.

 

~I’m having fun here, but whether we like it or not, we need him to take us to those who can help Duo… You’d better turn him back.~

 

Quatre nodded and, as Trowa leapt, waved his wand once more, turning the petrified rabbit back into a centaur.

 

Trowa pulled up gracefully and landed a little way away from Wufei, a smirk playing about his feline lips. Quatre giggled so hard that he fell out of the air and landed with a thud in the middle of Trowa’s back. Trowa grunted and fell, losing his hold on his panther form and switching back to his humanoid one.

 

“Oo! I’m sorry, Trowa!” Quatre squealed and began to crawl off the pantherin’s back.

 

Trowa’s tail snapped up to wrap about Quatre’s waist and hold him where he was while he arched up against the faery, a purr erupting from his throat. Quatre’s green-blue eyes widened and he squirmed, wondering if this was just a feline reaction or something… else. Trowa seemed to like the squirming even more as his back arched still further up and his purring intensified.

 

Wufei had to smirk and he even gave a soft laugh.

 

“I think you have found the cat’s weak point, Quatre,” he said, still laughing slightly.

 

“Uhm… yeah… but…”

 

Trowa blinked then and seemed to come to his senses. He suddenly became aware he was on his belly on the ground in his humanoid form with Quatre on his arched back. He blinked. How embarrassing…

 

“Quatre…?” Trowa mumbled, releasing the faery from his tail.

 

“Uh – yeah?”

 

“Sorry about that… My feline instincts got the better of me.”

 

“Oh, that’s okay!” Quatre said, climbing off his friend’s back and darting back into the air. “But we’d better keep going.”

 

Wufei smirked to himself and turned, stalking off through the trees as Trowa transformed back into his panther form. His green eyes flickered with confusion as he watched Quatre dart off out of sight again. It hadn’t been only his feline instincts…

 

He was confused.

 

* * *

 

Oh this is wrong. It’s wrong! I shouldn’t be waiting on a human piece of shit! Duo thought angrily to himself as he refilled Heero’s goblet with a light red wine.

 

“Thank you, Duo,” Heero said loftily and waved him away.

 

Duo went, fuming, to stand by the wall just a few paces from his new Master. He stared hard at the back of Heero’s head, wishing vehemently it would burst into flames.

 

“Your new apprentice is… intriguing, Heero,” said an annoyingly whiny voice from the other side of the table.

 

Duo shuffled to the side slightly to see whom the voice belonged to. She wasn’t the most beautiful female he’d ever seen, but then again, she wasn’t Hilde and she wasn’t an elf. Still, she wasn’t all that bad looking either. She had sandy-blonde hair to her waist, the only elaboration in that hair being two small plaits at her temples, which pulled back and fastened at the back of her head to fall with the rest of her hair. Watery blue eyes stared adoringly at Heero as she rested her chin on her folded hands, totally ignoring her food.

 

“Hn,” was all the reply Heero made.

 

“I agree… He’s extremely intriguing. Where did you get him…?” This was asked in a silky voice, two places up from the woman.

 

Heero’s eyes went instantly to the man and Duo noted his ‘Master’ was far more inclined to answer the man’s question than that of the woman.

 

He was tall, the other man, and older than Heero. White-blonde hair fell to just below his waist and Duo took a strange sort of pride in the fact that his was slightly longer. Ice-blue eyes twinkled teasingly out from under thick bangs, which constantly fell into them and the other mage was dressed entirely in white with gold trimming on his cuffs and, Duo assumed, his hemline.

 

“I was Casting, is all. He showed up by accident there and I went to find him…” Heero said, his eyes never leaving the other mage’s.

 

Shiakara, sitting beside Heero on her own chair, snorted.

 

“Shiakara?” the white-clad mage asked.

 

“He lies, Milliardo. He makes it sound as though he went straight away and found Duo, but it took my convincing to make him go!” she said, before lowering her head and nibbling daintily on a chicken leg.

 

Milliardo laughed softly, eyes shining fondly at the OtherKin. He took a sip of his own wine and turned his eyes back to the glowering Heero.

 

“Your assistant isn’t so assisting, Heero?” he said with another laugh.

 

“Apparently not…” Heero muttered.

 

Shiakara lifted her head and beamed charmingly around at everyone on the table, tongue lolling from her mouth like a playful puppy.

 

Every mage burst into laughter at her antics and she bowed with another grin. Even Duo gave a little laugh, but it was cut short as the blonde – Milliardo, Shiakara had called him – waved a hand in the air. Duo found himself suddenly standing beside the mage, pinned and held still by nothing more than that piercing blue gaze. Milliardo studied him closely from head to foot and Duo felt stripped naked, though the mage never moved in his direction.

 

“Do all elves wear their hair this long…?” Milliardo asked almost absently.

 

“No…” Duo replied, though he hadn’t wanted to say anything at all.

 

“Just you?”

 

“Most of the females do, but most males wear it at Heero’s length.”

 

“Interesting.”

 

Another wave of Milliardo’s hand and Duo’s hair fell free of its braid, drifting about his shoulders and down his back in soft chestnut waves. The gold chain Heero had put there fell to the floor and disappeared in a flash of golden sparks. Milliardo twisted two fingers in Duo’s hair and let his eyes drop to where it was pulled around them.

 

“Err…” Duo started, but Milliardo cut him off with two fingers from his free hand placed over the elf’s lips.

 

“Shh…”

 

He closed his eyes and began to whisper under his breath, fingers still twined in Duo’s hair. All the mages on the long table turned to watch him. Duo’s face turned more than slightly pink and he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot until Heero gave him a warning glance. He halted his movements and looked everywhere but at Milliardo.

 

Eventually, the blonde’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled a secretive smile. Blue eyes locked with violet and the smile widened into a smirk.

 

“Well, well, well…” he murmured slowly. He laughed softly, then sent Duo back to where he had stood before, hair braided and with the chain back in it.

 

Duo blinked.

 

“What did you See, Milliardo…?” came a deep voice from a few places down the table.

 

“Yes, what did you See?” came another from closer to Duo.

 

“What I Saw…” Milliardo paused for effect and took a few sips of his wine. “Is none of your business…” He smirked around the table and ignored the pleas for him to tell them.

 

Duo sat down with his back leaning against the wall and rested his forehead on his raised knees. That had been weird. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He wanted to go home and think about the spring festival and not have to worry about what he’d be forced to do next or whether he’d get anything to eat. At that thought, his stomach gave an audible growl and Heero swiveled in his chair to look at the elf.

 

“If you were hungry, you should have said something,” he said, before waving a hand and making a plate of steaming food appear before Duo.

 

Duo eyed it warily, then turned his nose up and gave a slight shake of his head.

 

“I’m not hungry, and even if I were, I wouldn’t trust anything you gave me to eat,” he said, lifting the plate from the floor and sniffing it suspiciously.

 

Heero’s eyes narrowed.

 

“You shou-”

 

The plate of food cut off Heero’s words, as it was suddenly all over his face. Duo smirked, the empty plate resting easily in one hand, and blew a kiss at Heero with the free hand.

 

“Hungry?” he asked innocently, before turning on his heel and sauntering out of the dining room.

 

The hall remained totally silent before Milliardo started the laughter.

 

Duo smirked as he made his way back to Heero’s rooms. He knew he was probably in for punishment, but it had been worth it…

 

* * *

 

The centaur stood towering above the three friends, her blue-purple hair falling into one eye as she glared down at them, her gaze focused on Wufei most of all.

 

“Wufei, I’ve got a few questions for you. First, what are you doing with these two… err… people? Secondly, what are they doing here? Thirdly. What made you think you had the right to bring them here?”

 

“I know I have not the right, Noin, but they are my friends and-”

 

“Friends? You’re friends with a faery and a pantherin?” The female centaur began to pace back and fourth, her blue-purple body seeming to shine in the dappled sunlight.

 

She made Quatre nervous. Not only her size, but the fact that she was wearing as little as Wufei, which was nothing at all, aside from a beaded band around her tail that signified her rank in the centaur herd. Quatre fidgeted from foot to foot, not liking her piercing gaze or the scorn in her voice when she spoke of either he or Trowa.

 

“Well… not so much friends… I study them for the day when we centaurs rule the land and will need to know about the habits of other species…” Wufei said quickly, and Quatre raised his wand, but Trowa shook his head, resting his hand on Quatre’s wrist and gently pushing his hand down.

 

“We need their help, Quatre. It wouldn’t be wise to anger her by attacking him…” he said, leaning down to speak softly into the faery’s ear.

 

Quatre pouted, but nodded.

 

“That’s as well. You’re right when you say we’ll need to know about them… But still, why are they here?” Noin asked.

 

“Their friend, an elf I was also studying, has been taken by one of the human mages. The only way we will know where to go is by asking the help of centaur Magicks in following the trail left by the mage.”

 

“Human scum… They’re worse by far than any other race. Destroying what they should live in harmony with…”

 

“Hai…” Trowa agreed softly.

 

Noin glared at him, her gaze seeming to ask how he dared to even think of speaking, let alone actually speak.

 

“Wufei, I’ll let you take them to the Magicks, but I won’t promise anything. It’ll be up to them as to whether or not they agree to help. I’ll come with you to see them… My presence may help persuade them… I think this could be very informative for us and I’ll send you with these two to take a study.”

 

~Take a study?! Trowa, they treat us like the scientific goo the humans have produced!~ Quatre thought to his friend, who had Changed the second Noin gave them permission to speak with who they needed to speak with.

 

~I know, Quatre… but there’s nothing we can do about it. We still need their help and without it, we’ve got no way of getting Duo back. I know you’re not scientific goo. Isn’t that all that matters?~ Trowa realized belatedly how terribly tender that sounded and wondered what was going on inside his mind. Quatre didn’t seem to notice anything. He just smiled and nodded.

 

~You’re right. Duo’s the important thing and we both know we’re not just things to study. We’ll bear with these centaurs – who must be half-wits if they think you’re brainless – for Duo’s sake.~

 

Trowa laughed softly in his head and gave an affirmative thought.

 

~Quatre… If your wings are tired, I’m happy to carry you so we move faster.~

 

Quatre frowned slightly in thought.

 

~Won’t that tire you out too much?~

 

~Maybe, but it will be faster.~

 

Quatre looked doubtfully at the tortoise-shell panther before sighing and giving a nod. His wings were feeling lead-heavy and he didn’t think he could even lift them, let alone fly with them. Trowa gave him a reassuring smile.

 

~I won’t drop you,~ he promised.

 

Quatre smiled slightly before climbing gingerly onto Trowa’s back.

 

Wufei snorted, always against the idea of having anything or anyone on his back, the sound given a counterpoint by Noin’s own snort of disgust.

 

Trowa just laughed softly and wrapped his tail about Quatre’s waist, holding him securely on his back.

 

~Well?~ Trowa thought to the disgusted centaurs, and Noin’s eyes widened at the sensation of having someone else’s thoughts in her head.

 

“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Noin… It’s the only way Trowa can talk to us in his panther form. He won’t look at your private thoughts,” Quatre said, giving her his brightest smile.

 

She looked dubious, but turned and started to lead the trio off.

 

Quatre shifted slightly on Trowa’s back until he was comfortable, then settled into his friend’s movements and moved with him as he would move with a horse.

 

Oh… but I’ve never ridden a horse! Quatre realized suddenly, and that set off a fit of giggles. The other three looked at him, but he just shook his head and waved them on, still giggling slightly to himself.

 

~You’re not really all that heavy,~ Trowa observed soon after Quatre had calmed down.

 

~I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult,~ Quatre replied, folding his hands primly in his lap once he realized Trowa’s tail held him quite securely and he didn’t need to hold on himself.

 

~It wasn’t intended as either, it was just a general comment, but if you want it to be one or the other, it was a compliment.~

 

Quatre giggled and reached out to scratch between Trowa’s ears, gaining a purr in response.

 

~You’re sweet!~ Quatre thought, another mental giggle encasing the thought.

 

Only to you… Trowa thought privately, but to Quatre, he just smiled and nodded his thanks.

 

* * *

 

Milliardo caught Heero’s arm as the younger mage was leaving the dining hall, fury snapping in his Prussian blue eyes. The elf would pay, and pay dearly. The elf was going to scream until he had no voice left and then scream some more. The elf-

 

This violent train of thoughts came to a screaming halt at the gentle pressure on his arm from Milliardo’s long fingers. Heero looked up at him, the anger still easily visible in his eyes, though the rest of his features were smoothed into a mask of calm.

 

“Milliardo?” Heero snapped, his temper seeping out and biting Milliardo, though the last thing Heero wanted was to be mad at the blonde mage.

 

“Do not hurt him, Heero… He is vital to… well I cannot say, but he is vital,” Milliardo said, his own ice-blue eyes burning into Heero’s Prussian blue ones.

 

Heero suddenly found it hard to breathe. He was friends with Milliardo, it was true, and they had talked many times about this and that, but the blonde mage of Heero’s deepest fantasies had never been this close. He’d never touched or been touched by Milliardo, except in his dreams. He swallowed with a suddenly dry throat and when his voice finally worked, it was a dry croak instead of the commanding, suitably angry tone he’d wanted.

 

“He’s my apprentice and I’ll do what I want with him.”

 

“You do not understand, Heero… I wish I could tell you everything, but I cannot and you must trust me on this. Leave him be. Teach him with kindness and compassion, not punishment, and he will learn fast. If you hurt him, you will damage everything.”

 

“Too much stock and faith is put in your abilities to See, Milliardo. I believe the attention has gone to your head that you think you have the right to tell me how to handle Duo.”

 

Milliardo shook his head and took hold of Heero’s shoulders, forcing him to return his gaze. He knew Heero had wanted him for a long, long time, and he played on that want, speaking in a soft, seductive purr.

 

“Heero… I know how hard it has been for you… I know what the other mages say… I never doubted your abilities or your right to use them. You are smart, Heero, do not force me to change that opinion of you by being not so now because of anger…”

 

Heero’s eyes widened slightly and when he opened his mouth to make a scathing retort. All that came out was a soft whimper.

 

Milliardo lifted his hand and traced one finger around the outline of Heero’s lips, then let the hand wander up to stroke through Heero’s hair.

 

“Do not hurt the elf… He did not really hurt you and… I am terribly sorry I laughed at you…”

 

Heero’s eyes fluttered half-closed.

 

“He… needs to be… punished… Nothing else… works… Milliardo…” he managed to whisper haltingly.

 

The fingers stroking through his hair halted and twisted there, holding his head still and tilting it slightly further back as Milliardo leaned down to brush his lips lightly over Heero’s. He spoke softly and seductively against the younger mage’s lips, knowing Heero was fast losing his mind and his control.

 

“Use his own Talent. Once you begin to show him what he will be able to learn, he will want to learn and you will not be able to stop him obeying you.”

 

“Alright… yes… Milliardo…” Heero stammered, the name somewhat more pleading than anything else.

 

“Good…” Milliardo purred, before finally giving Heero what he wanted in the form of a kiss, his tongue finding the way into Heero’s mouth completely unobstructed.

 

Milliardo suddenly realized he was as out of control as Heero. That had not been a part of his plan. His plan had been to get Heero to do what Milliardo wanted and then leave, but it appeared as though that was not the case.

 

Heero sucked lightly on Milliardo’s tongue, drawing a soft whimper from the blonde. His green-clad arms went around the taller mage’s waist and he pressed against him, standing on tiptoe to deepen the kiss still further. Milliardo’s fingers tightened again in Heero’s hair and his free arm went around Heero’s shoulders.

 

Oh… no… no… This is not supposed – ah! Milliardo thought frantically, but he was powerless to stop what he had started now.

 

“Heero? Heero, I wanted t- Milliardo!” It was Relena’s annoyingly whiny voice that broke the two of them apart as though they’d burned each other. Evidently, she’d heard Heero’s voice and had come around the corner to speak to him, but the sight that greeted her eyes was not to her tastes.

 

“Relena…” the other two said in unison, varying degrees of disappointment, annoyance and relief in their voices.

 

They stood side by side now, blinking at Relena.

 

“What are you doing?!” she screamed, staring daggers at Milliardo, her brother.

 

“I… I… I…” Milliardo stammered, his eyes darting from Relena to Heero and back again before he regained himself. “I have no idea…”

 

“He was kissing me,” Heero said matter-of-factly before turning on his heel and striding off, realizing very quickly that Milliardo wasn’t happy about what had just happened.

 

“Heero…” Milliardo said absently, blonde brow creasing in thought.

 

“How could you?! You know how I feel about him!” Relena cried, watery blue eyes becoming more watery as they filled with tears.

 

“I… do not know… what happened… I… I must go now…” Milliardo said, and walked off in the opposite direction to the one in which Heero had gone.

 

* * *

 

When Heero’s eyes fell on Duo, his hormones – still raging from their contact with Milliardo – wanted and wanted now. Much as he tried to calm himself and tell those hormones it wasn’t the elf they wanted, he couldn’t calm and they wouldn’t listen.

 

Duo was curled up in a soft chair by the fireplace, braid snaking around his curled form and hands tucked close to his chest. His face was perfectly relaxed and a slight smile played about his lips as he slept, probably dreaming of home.

 

Heero walked purposefully over to Duo and knelt before the chair, drinking in the sight of him. While he wasn’t Milliardo, he certainly had his share of good looks…

 

And that hair…

 

Heero licked his lips before reaching out stroke his hand gently over Duo’s hair. Duo’s smile widened and he shifted slightly, one leg slipping of the edge of the chair. Heero lifted himself up on his knees and leaned forward, intent on those soft, slightly pouting lips.

 

“Heero…?” Duo murmured as his eyes fluttered open.

 

Heero scooted back and scrambled to his feet.

 

“Duo,” he said, shocked his voice was so steady.

 

“S’pose I get my ass kicked now, ne?” Duo asked sleepily, stretching in the chair like a big cat.

 

Heero let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relieved the elf had still been too groggy to register what the mage had been about to do. It had been a long time since Heero had lost control, and he didn’t like the feeling… It was Milliardo’s fault. What had that been all about…? Nevertheless, he’d promised the other mage he wouldn’t hurt Duo, and Heero Yuy kept his promises no matter what.

 

“No,” he said shortly, and turned away, nearly falling over Shiakara who had followed him down here after seeing what had happened with Milliardo. She’d had a feeling something would happen, and she’d been about to tell Heero no when Duo had awoken. If there was a chance of anything between Heero and Duo – though she seriously doubted that due to the presence of Milliardo and Duo’s Hilde – there was no sense in ruining that chance because Heero was mindless with need for the blonde mage. Things needed to develop slowly if they were going to develop at all.

 

Shiakara blinked up at Heero.

 

“Sorry, Master,” she murmured, and scooted out of his way, close enough to Duo’s chair that the elf could reach out and scratch between her blue ears.

 

“No…?” Duo asked, obviously stunned.

 

“No.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just be thankful you’re not being punished and leave it be before I change my mind,” Heero growled, lifting two big logs onto the fire with a negligent flick of his hand.

 

Duo watched in fascination.

 

“So when do I get to do some of the fancy handwork?” he asked, having already forgotten about possible punishment.

 

“Tomorrow. It’s late. We need to sleep now,” Heero replied shortly, and with another flick of the mage’s hand, Duo found himself in a small room with a comfortable-looking bed in one corner and a mirror against the wall with an undressed, functional little table beneath.

 

Duo growled in the back of his throat.

 

“Don’t give me a choice, will you? I’ll be fine! Never mind if I want to clean first or something! I’ll just go to bed like a good little dog, ne? Fine!” he shouted at the top of his voice, before slumping onto his bed and falling immediately asleep, exhausted from his eventful day.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Author’s note: Heh, Duo got his own back with the food. But what’s going on with Milliardo and Heero? Will they get together or is there a chance for Duo and Heero? I’m not entirely sure myself yet. ^^’