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"I can�t believe it!! He�s finally here!!"
Quatre shouted and burst in the room. He quickly grabbed his robe and got ready for the ceremony. The three other boys were already dressed and watched as the new summoner ran around the room. "...Quatre.. Where were you all this time? We thought you were ready." Trowa sighed and got up from the chair to help his young friend get dressed. The other two, Heero and Wufei, remained in their seats and smiled inwardly as they watched. "You�ve already met him, haven�t you? Why are you so excited?" Wufei asked Quatre. "He�s great, Wufei!! I�d never thought a person of his status would be so kind to someone like me." Quatre smiled. Trowa helped him tie his robes. "...What is he like?" All three turned to Heero in amazement. The boy rarely talked and when he did, it was always about missions. ��.Heero... I�ve never thought you�d be interested in anything other than work... Quatre broke the silence and giggled. Trowa turned Quatre around to make sure the cape was tightly fastened. "Well, he is the High Summoner.... Who wouldn�t be interested?" Wufei sipped his herb tea. "The High Summoner has arrived!! All summoners are to be at the Grand Hall!!" The door opened and a man announced at the top of his lung. The four summoners nodded to him and headed to the door. The Grand Hall was packed with thousands of people. The apprentices, warriors, and all the people who lived in Alcyone were there, waiting anxiously for the High Summoner. The four summoners were in front of the crowd, equally anxious, especially Quatre. He just couldn�t help but to smile and turn around at the entrance door. "Quatre, keep your head towards Zechs sama." Trowa warned the blond in a low whisper. Quatre obeyed, but kept his eyes towards the side. "Make way!! The High Summoner is here!!!" A soldier announced and walked towards Emperor Zechs and his sister. Everyone turned to the entrance to see a large shadowy figure. "Oh my..." "It�s a black dragon!!!!" Everyone started to panic as soon as they saw the huge black dragon. "Hey, there�s no need to panic. He wont bite." Everyone stopped short when they heard a voice. They looked at the large dragon and detected a figure of a human on top of it. It was a boy. The boy jumped off and scrubbed the dragon�s cheek, which seemed to enjoyed it. The dragon made a loud purring noise and closed its eyes in pleasure. �I guess this is an no pet area, boy. Go fly around and make yourself comfortable around here." The boy told the dragon and surprisingly, it complied. It opened up its huge scaled wings and flew off. The boy faced the Great Hall and entered. "Ahh, sorry everyone... He is rather scary at first, but he�s quite gentle." The boy smiled and continued to walk towards the Emperor and his guards. Everyone was awestruck, but Emperor Zechs kept smiling. "It�s nice to see you again, son of Lord Maxwell." The boy stopped before Zechs and revealed his face from the hood of his robe. The first thing everyone noticed was the hair. Long shiny brown hair in a braid. "Everyone, I would like to introduce to you. The son of the greatest warrior, Duo Maxwell!!" Zechs announced and the boy turned to face the audience. Everyone could see his face clearly now. The boy had pale skin and large violet eyes. He looked beautiful, but not in a human way. He was godly beautiful. "It�s a pleasure to be here." The boy bowed and smiled gently to everyone. Heero didn�t know why, but he noticed a little sorrow in the boy�s mystic eyes. After the ceremony, everyone started to depart from the palace and Duo was still talking to Zechs. "So tell me Duo. How is the world like these days? You must have many stories to tell." Zechs placed his drink on the table and leaned closer to Duo. His sister, Relena, was equally interested. "It must be pretty exciting to travel around the world." Duo smiled at the girl and shrugged. "You�ve seen one city, you�ve seen them all. I�ve been wandering for many years... I�m beginning to feel a bit tired." "Oh please. You are younger than I am." Relena giggled. Zechs laughed with her, but his face immediately turned serious. "If you are tired from traveling, why don�t you settle down here? You are always welcome to stay. Besides, we would appreciate it if a High Summoner, such as yourself, could lend us a hand." Duo gulped his wine and licked his lips. "Hey, this is some fine wine. What�s it called?" "Duo..." Zechs glared at the boy sitting across from him. Relena tilted her head in wonder as one of the high priests tapped her shoulder. "You should be heading back soon, your highness." Duo watched as Relena slowly nodded and sadly departed from the table. He looked at Zechs and saw that he was watching her too. "Duo!!" Duo turned to the familiar cheerful voice. As he thought, it was Quatre, dragging some friends along. "Well, well!! Look what we have here. Could it be? The little crybaby Quatre??" Duo stood from his chair and embraced Quatre. Quatre laughed and lightly punched Duo�s shoulder. "That was two years ago!! And you were the one that made me cry!!" Duo laughed with him and patted Quatre�s soft blond hair. "You�re still smaller than me, but you�re catching up. Heard you passed the test and became a summoner." Quatre smiled and brought his hand up to show the ring on his finger. Duo looked in amazement. "Huh. So it wasn�t just a rumor! Congratulations, Quatre." Duo embraced Quatre again and saw the three boys standing about. "Hey, who are your friends?" Duo broke the embrace and asked. Quatre gasped and blushed in embarrassment. "I�m sorry! Ah.. they are my fellow summoners. Wufei, Trowa, and Heero. They are a lot stronger than I am, so I am constantly causing trouble." "Nice to see you guys," Duo brought his arms around Quatre�s neck, "this little guy might cause some trouble, so I�m counting on you guys to take care of him." "Duo!!" Quatre giggled and got out from the headlock. Duo approached the other summoners and shook their hands. When he came in front of Heero, he smiled mysteriously. "So, you are the Heero I keep hearing about. It�s good we�ve finally met." Duo shook Heero�s hand and looked at him up and down as he was calculating something. It irritated Heero and pulled his hand away. "Pleasure�s all mine, High Summoner." With that, he turned around and headed out. Duo smiled and looked at Zechs, who was watching the whole time with a little amusement in his eyes. "He�s always like that, Duo. You shouldn�t be worried." Quatre said, thinking Duo was offended by Heero�s rude behavior. "You look a little tired, your highness. Perhaps you should take some rest?" One of the guards suggested to Zechs. He nodded and turned to Duo. "Forgive me for my guard�s rudeness, Duo. You should be the one who�s tired." The guard flinched a little, but remained quiet. "Perhaps you could tell me some stories of your wild adventures. Come, Duo." Zechs stood from his chair walked towards the door. Duo turned to the summoners and waved his hand. "Well, gotta go tell his majesty some bedtime stories. See you guys later." Duo followed Zechs out. The three summoners decided to go back to their room as well. "That was the almighty Duo Maxwell? The greatest and the most well known High Summoner in the world?!" Wufei snorted and shook his head in disbelief. He pictured the High Summoner to be... a little older and... wiser. "Doesn�t he know the black dragons are protectors of darkness? They�ll only bring destruction and chaos!" Wufei was obviously enraged by the way Duo entered the palace. He quickly walked off from the hallway and into the courtyard. Quatre and Trowa looked at each other for a while and laughed. It was a predictable reaction from a boy who obsessively believed in justice and honor. Eternal Promise |
