1.7

He sat on his horse facing them, wearing the same colors, his hair waving in the sun matching theirs.

"Where is your king?" he called.

"Is that what this is Trowa?" Noin answered. "A pitiful attempt to get back at daddy?" she sneered.

"Where is your king?" he said ignoring her.

"Why ask for him when it is me whom you wish to fight?" Heero called stepping from behind his men.

"You think too highly of yourself brother." He spat out.

"You have no right to wear that armor Trowa. You are a traitor." Heero said his face set.

"I will become your king!"

"I would rather die."

"So you will." He stopped something caught his eye. A brown braid came swaying beside Heero. And Duo emerged on his own horse, his black armor glistening in the sun, his face beautiful.

"Trowa!" he called as his violet eyes fell upon his former lover and brother. Heero looked back at him, jealousy in his eyes.

"Beloved I ask you one last time to come with me." Trowa called extending his hand to Duo.

"No Trowa, I belong here." He said coming close to Heero.

"Release him from this spell Heero!" Trowa shouted.

"Spell?" Duo asked confused.

"Are you afraid you would loose him?" Trowa taunted.

"Can you not keep him by your side without binding his soul? Without making him a puppet?" he laughed seeing the hatred in his younger brother's eyes.

"Heero?" Duo looked at him. Heero kept silent.

"Heero?"

***

Quatre arrived at the camp. Looking sadly at the soldiers. Milliardo had ordered him to join the army on the western plain.

"Prince Quatre!" the captain exclaimed falling to his knees, all that had heard followed suit.

"Get up!" he said "Where is the rest of the men?"

"Prince Trowa took them into the field." The captain informed him.

"What? Trowa here?" he said maneuvering his horse. "Where is Meiran?"

"She and the consul went back to the castle to report to the king."

"I will not let Trowa's vengeance cause me the lives of more men." He said riding toward the battlefield.

***

"Heero?" confusion showed in Duo's eyes.

"Trowa stand down!" Quatre called reaching the assembled cavalry.

"Quatre?" Trowa asked.

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to win this war."

"Stand down Trowa." Quatre warned.

"This is my war!" he screamed.

"No it is not." He said turning his horse around. "Call back your men Heero. There will be no blood shed today."

Trowa looked angrily at Quatre's retreating back, then his eyes followed Duo. He had come too far, he would not be set back by a weakling prince.

***

Meiran looked at the castle that loomed before her. It seemed that she had been living a dream until now. Never had she been this happy.

This human man that she had so despised, had made her fall in love with him. In the time that it took them to reach the castle, she had shared so much of her to him. In all her years of existence never had she felt this way. Never had she needed someone as she did him.

Where had her hatred gone?

She stopped her horse. He spun around to see what was keeping his companion. Meiran had dismounted and began walking toward a field of flowers. He followed her his eyes never leaving her.

She knelt in the middle of the field, the flowers swallowing her up to her neck. She sat there her face upturned to the setting summer sky.

He enclosed her in his embrace. Placing his chin on her shoulder. She leaned against him her eyes still closed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I am afraid." She whispered.

"The general Meiran afraid? This is something that occurs once in a lifetime." He teased. She looked at him.

"I am afraid that the moment I step inside that castle this will end." She smiled.

"Do you wish it to end?"

"I have never shared half of my life to anyone as I did to you." she confessed. "And if this should end then let it end now. I will not suffer another day pretending that the world outside does not exist and then waking up only to find that my dream had passed."

"If I…" he said not knowing how to say it.

"Do you wish it to end?" she asked him his question turning in his embrace.

"If I should let it end then I shall asked to be put to death for I cannot live a day without you." he said quietly. She smiled and placed her forehead on his.

"Who had thought that I would find you." she whispered.

"Hmmm?" he asked stroking her back.

"Who thought that I would fall in love?" she smiled pushing him on his back and laying on top of him. He raised his hand lazily and picked a flower beside him, tucking it behind her ear and stroking Meiran's head that rested on his chest. And they stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon, holding on to what they had. As if it would be taken from them the moment the world outside continued existing.

***

He looked at her enter the castle. It had been a year since he set eyes on her and they had separated on bad terms. Now as she stood there radiant like the sun he knew he had truly lost her.

"Good evening Meiran." He greeted kissing her on the cheek.

"My king." She smiled.

***

She was a gift to him. A concubine, for until his parents conceive a mate for him, he was not to take any other for his wife. But this girl, barely twelve would not be tamed. She would not be imprisoned inside a harem and she made sure of that.

She enchanted him. Her innocence and her willfulness were uncommon for a concubine born and raised in aristocracy. And the more she pushed him away the more he wanted her.

"Meiran tell me of your day." He smiled sweetly.

"It was fine your majesty." She said curtsying.

"Will you join me tonight?" he invited.

"I think not." she smiled leaving him.

He had been playing this little game for almost a month and he was getting tired of it.

***

The race was held the next day. Every five years all the young men competed in a horserace wherein the victor would gain royal favor and prestige, he was also the only one left alive. He had always won this game.

He looked at his opponents, they were five in all. They all looked young, and he almost felt sorry that he had to destroy all of them before this race ended. He didn’t actually have to participate in this race but the thrill of the hunt had always ran in his veins and he would not let an opportunity to hunt the greatest hunter pass him by.

Of all the young nobles gathered in the small clearing one caught his eye. He had silver hair and dark blue eyes; he was handsome. He would take that boy before he kills him. And he wanted to win, if just to have that boy in his arms.

The trumpet was heard and they took their places. He spared one last look at the silver-haired boy and he smiled as he caught those eyes that seemed so familiar to him.

And the signal to begin was heard.

***

He had not intended to make the silver-haired boy his last victim. On the contrary he wanted to take him as early as he possibly could. But he seemed to elude him, he had searched the entire forest for him and found the other three instead. And he killed them, well two of them for the third was already dead when he came across him.

The sun was almost setting, this was the longest that he had ever ran. This one was good. And this made claiming him even more enticing.

Then he caught sight of his silver hair through the brushes, he caught his eyes from across the forest floor and began racing towards him.

***

And he had him in his arms the younger boy's nails raking into his skin and his knife poised above the slim neck before him. Their breath came streaming from their mouths as the sun had long since set and the moon had gone across the sky. They had been fighting for hours now.

"It seems you have won my prince." The boy smiled letting his hands fall.

"Hmmm, you gave me a good hunt little boy." He teased drawing the knife across the laces of the other's shirt. "I will spare your life if…" he smiled cutting the bindings of his clothes one by one. The boy laughed.

"Who are you kidding Milliardo? You will kill me the moment you spill your seed!" he said.

The prince raised his eyebrow, "It seems you have seen through me."

"I will not give you the satisfaction of hearing me beg for my life. So rape me and then kill me but I will never beg for my life." He said his face resolute.

"You excite me like no other, tell me what is your name?" he asked licking his cheek.

"I would rather that my name not be devoured by your lust if you don't mind." He smiled as Milliardo began to undress him. His hands began to explore the white flesh beneath him, his eyes never leaving the closed ones of the one he was molesting. As his passions began to take the better of him and his kisses became more urgent he suddenly stopped. And the silver-haired boy opened his eyes.

"Really Meiran. Cease these silly games of yours." He said drawing away from him.

"How did you know?" the boy asked.

"There was something familiar about your eyes and when you spoke of not begging for your life I knew it was you." he said sitting on his hunches between the boy's thighs.

"I wanted to join the hunt, no matter what the consequences."

"Would you really have let me raped you in this borrowed façade and then kill you?" he asked looking at the boy's face.

"I lost, it is your right to do with me as you please." He said sitting up as well.

"You will never be my concubine will you?"

"I would rather die first." He said.

"Take this form off, you are just exciting me even further."

"I knew you fancied boys." She laughed letting the male face melt form hers.

"And why do you think that?"

"There is something in your eyes." She smiled.

"I will still take you though nonetheless." He said pushing her back down. She looked up at him confused.

"But I took off my enchantment!" she cried.

"When I told you to take off your form because you excited me I did not lie. Because I would rather make love to you and not some adolescent boy conjured up by your spells." He smiled taking her lips.

***

She was his concubine from that moment on. And as she joined the army and began to rise to the rank of general he knew that Meiran was a jewel that would never be found again.

And he knew he would never keep her. For like him, Meiran's heart did not belong to her lover. And now it seems she had found to whom it truly belonged to.

"Hello Wufei." He greeted his consul.

"My king." He bowed.

***

"So the entire kingdom is within the western plain?" he asked going through the maps they had shown him.

"Yes my lord. We should strike now that it is obvious that they are becoming weaker in men. Then this war can finally end." Wufei said excited.

"I see." He said unsure of what to feel from this recent development.

"What should we do?" Meiran asked.

"I have sent Quatre there. We should tell him to call a truce so that we can plan this final assault well. I will not tolerate mistakes." He said wanting time to finish his own matters.

"I will send a runner immediately." Wufei said.

"Send one now." Milliardo said looking at his general. Wufei's eyes fell on the king and his concubine and jealously began to brew in his mind. But all he could do was bow and do as he was told.

"So you will leave me now?" he asked quietly as the door closed behind his consul. Meiran looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked in return.

"You have never been good at hiding things from me Meiran what makes you think I cannot see through you now?" he said sitting on the table.

"Does it show?" she asked sitting beside him.

"Only to me." he smiled.

"Are you angry?" she asked sheepishly.

"No."

"Will you let me walk away from you just like that?"

"What other choice do I have?" a silence fell between them.

"Are you happy Meiran?" he asked finally.

"More than I could ever hope to be." She smiled.

"Then I am as well." He whispered tucking her hair behind her ears. She was his friend. Perhaps that only that truly knew him. She alone knew of his love for Treize, she alone saw the sadness in his eyes as he came back that night, she alone saw his pain as he came back night after night hoping his lover would return.