Duo woke up and found himself in a bed that was comfortable beyond belief. He was also wearing a shirt that was way too big for him. A dull headache also found it’s way into his skull.
He tried to ask where he was, but found he couldn’t speak.
//What?! I can’t talk? Oh, great. Too bad Hilde really didn’t warn me about side effects. Oh, well, I’ll manage. Besides, Heero is somewhere around here! //
Suddenly the door to his room creaked open, and Duo sat up, surprised. He saw it was Heero.
Heero looked at him. “I’m glad you’re finally awake. What is your name?” he asked kindly.
Duo tried to speak once again, but it just wouldn’t work. He pointed to his throat and made a motion explaining he couldn’t speak.
Heero raised his eyebrow. “You can’t speak?” he asked. Duo nodded vigorously.
“Oh, well. I’ll figure out your name somehow. Well, I think lunch is ready, will you get dressed and come down with me?” Heero asked.
Duo nodded again. He pulled away the covers and stepped off the bed. As soon as he got to his feet, he let out a silent cry of surprise, and his knees buckled as he fell to the floor.
Heero rushed over. “Are you ok?”
He couldn’t understand it. There was nothing wrong with the boy’s legs. In fact, they were quite nice-looking.
Duo looked up at him, his eyes filled with tears. How could these people walk? He felt like a thousand daggers were stabbing at his legs.
Heero helped him up. “What happened?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
Duo’s eyes spilled over with tears as he shrugged.
Heero sat him back down on the bed. “You can’t walk either? Well, don’t worry, you’ll learn.”
The pain in his legs had lessened, and Duo shook his head in agreement.
About two weeks had passed, and with many movements and gestures, Heero had figured out the boy’s name: Duo. What an odd name…but then of course, Duo really wasn’t all that normal anyway. Duo had also gotten used to walking and was quite the energetic jumper as well.
Heero never had so much fun with anyone. He completely forgot at times that the horrible Relena and Catherine here.
Duo’s first bath had been hilarious. Disgusted with his long hair being dirty and salty, Duo had tried to clean it by dumping his glass of water on his hair at dinner. With that, Heero decided Duo should take a bath.
The laundry room had a large wooden tub that Heero decided the maids could give Duo a bath in with him supervising. The castle had a bath, but Heero wisely thought that Duo might make a bit of a mess.
Later that night, the maids dragged a very shocked looking Duo into the laundry room, took off his clothes, and threw him in the tub filled with hot water and bubbles. Heero stood in a corner watching with muffled laughter as Duo kicked around in the water, splashing the maids.
“Please, sir, this is to make you clean! Please stay still!” begged the maids.
Finally, to Heero’s great amusement, four maids had to hold Duo down while the others scrubbed him. His hair took up more than two bottles of shampoo.
By the end of the bath, ten very exhausted maids soaked to the bone and covered in bubbles collapsed on the floor, exasperated with Duo, and Heero was rolling on the floor in laughter. After the bath, a few brave maids braided Duo’s hair (it took a while to get him still enough), leaving him ecstatic at the result.
As Duo spent more time with Heero, Heero found that Duo absolutely loved the ocean. Duo could always find the smoothest shells, and seemed to know endless things about everything, at least that had to do with the ocean. Heero also noticed Duo’s necklace of incredibly rare shells, but Duo didn’t seem to find his necklace as interesting and rare as everyone thought it, and Heero found this rather odd.
Even Trowa found a good friend in Duo. Trowa spent long conversations with Duo, telling him his thoughts, theories and whatever happened to be on his mind.
“Duo, you always seem to listen to me,” Trowa said one day to Duo. “You may not be able to talk back, but you make me feel like you are.”
And Duo would listen. Trowa would talk about the one who saved his life, an angel with golden hair, blue eyes, and an exquisite voice. These conversations left Duo very shocked, when he realized Trowa was talking about his cousin, Quatre.
Everyone noticed Trowa wasn’t eating and sleeping all that well. Everyone thought he was sick, and royal doctors were called in, but they couldn’t understand what was wrong. Heero began to get very worried when Trowa was bed-ridden, too weak to do anything.
But Duo understood what was wrong. It was simple, really.
Trowa was heartsick.
He couldn’t get Quatre off his mind, and would slowly but surely die if he didn’t see him again, and this is what Duo managed to explain to Heero. Heero was worried to point of nervous breakdowns. He loved his brother, and if he died, carrying on would be too hard.
One day Duo sat on the shore alone, fiddling around with some sand, when he heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, Duo!”
Duo looked up in surprise, and then grinned. // Quatre! Wow, I sure didn’t expect you…how’re things going? //
Quatre grinned back. “Great. And you?”
Duo’s face became troubled. // Not well. I’m fine and Heero’s great, but Trowa can’t stop thinking about you. He got himself so sick he is bed-ridden. //
Quatre looked very shocked. “Me? No, really Duo…don’t joke about stuff like that…”
// I’m serious Quatre. He’s always telling me about you. He’s so in love… // Duo did a silent sigh.
Quatre opened and closed his mouth noiselessly, apparently forgetting his ability to talk.
// Quatre, you have to take what I took and become a human. He needs to see you. //
Quatre, regaining his speaking abilities, shook his head. “No way, Duo. I wouldn’t be able to talk, and besides, even though I really want to see him, I couldn’t put him in danger. You know how angry father gets when I’m gone for a long time.”
// Quatre, don’t you understand? Trowa is going to die without you! You’d be putting him in worse danger if you didn’t come! Besides, your dad won’t really miss you. He’s got twenty-nine other sisters of yours to become queen, anyway. //
Quatre went sheet white. “Die? Are you saying he would die if I didn’t come?”
Duo nodded his head solemnly.
“I can’t let that happen!” Quatre bit his lip. “O—k. I guess I’ll see you on land.”
Duo grinned, and Quatre swam off.
“Oooh, what I let Duo talk me into,” Quatre thought angrily. “Now I have to go to those horrible sisters to become a human, and I don’t even know if I won’t die by becoming a human and not being able to reach the surface with those leg things. Oh, well. At least I know what’ll happen.”
He swam to the sister’s cave, and, as before, the door opened before he even touched it.
“Come in, come in,” Dorothy purred.
Very nervously, Quatre gulped and swam inside. Before he said anything, Hilde handed him the bottle that Duo had drunken from.
“Drink away,” she hissed.
Quatre took the bottle with a shaking hand, and drank a little from it.
Suddenly a scream erupted the silence. His scream. He watched as his mer-tail agonizingly split into a pair of legs, and he couldn’t breathe.
Swimming up to the surface (more slowly than usual, with the lack of his tail) Quatre fought unconsciousness. He could hardly breathe, and surely his lungs were going to explode. His head was spinning; he could hardly tell if he was going to the surface in the first place. Much to his relief, he got to the surface, collapsed on the shore, and blacked out.
Not too much longer, Quatre regained consciousness, and looked around blurrily. Right next to him, he saw some cloth half hidden under the sand. A sail from Trowa’s ship!
He picked it up, and even though his head spun extremely badly, he wrapped it around himself. As soon as he finished wrapping it around himself, he felt very lightheaded. He then collapsed onto the sand, blackness enveloping his mind once more.
Extremely wary with his health, Heero had insisted Trowa take a walk on the beach. The fresh air would clear his head, and the sea air he was so used to would bring back good memories. Trowa agreed this was a good idea, even though he didn’t think it would help, and heaving himself from bed, he walked outside and walked around the castle.
Humming the beautiful melody he had heard his rescuer sing, he walked around the beach. He turned the corner and saw something that wasn’t a sea animal—but then, it wasn’t…
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. That was a person! He ran over, and when he turned the boy over, he nearly had a heart attack.
It was the boy who saved his life!
He must be unconscious. Trowa thought, unable to avert his eyes from the young boy who made it possible for him to be there. He wished the boy would open his eyes, so he could see the clear, innocent blue again.
Suddenly, to his great surprise, the boy stirred, but didn’t make any noise. Trowa immediately knelt down and cradled the boy’s head in his arms. Soon after a few shivers, Quatre opened his eyes to Trowa, the boy who he had secretly been thinking about ever since the shipwreck.
// What? Am I… // Quatre tried to say, but nothing came out. He had forgotten you couldn’t speak if you took that potion.
“Are—are you ok?” Trowa asked, uncertain he wasn’t imagining this gorgeous vision.
Quatre nodded painfully, and using motions, explained that he couldn’t speak.
Trowa looked confused. “Are you a mute?”
Quatre hesitated, and then nodded.
“I see. Well, I think you should come back to the castle with me. Would you like to?” Trowa inquired politely.
At this, Quatre started back on the sand. Was this boy a prince? Odd.
Trowa thought the boy was afraid. “There isn’t any reason to be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
Quatre smiled at the boy’s benevolence and began to stand up. A soon as he was on his feet though, he let out a silent cry of pain and fell to the ground.
Trowa gasped and ran over, helping Quatre up. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Quatre, his face tear stained, wasn’t at all sure himself. Duo hadn’t told him about this particular side effect. It felt like razor sharp edges of the coral back at home was slashing against his legs, and he felt dizzy from the pain.
Trowa’s worried emerald eyes focused on the beautiful blond creature for a moment, then without a second word he scooped Quatre up and carried him to the castle. Quatre couldn’t help but color at the sudden contact.
That’s really odd. Trowa thought to himself as he headed towards the castle with Quatre. I don’t see anything wrong with his legs. God! He has legs some girls I know would be jealous of! Trowa shook his head. Whatever. That’s gross. Why am I thinking about that? Oh well…and yet…I don’t feel sick anymore. I guess Heero really was right.
Trowa glanced at Quatre. Quatre was turning every which way and looking at completely ordinary things with amazement.
Soon Trowa got to the castle, and as soon as he came in the door, Heero and Duo were walking past. Heero stopped and looked at Trowa with interest, while Duo froze, and with a silent yell, ran over to Trowa and Quatre.
Quatre’s eyes widened and he grinned.
// Duo! //
Duo hugged him.
// Q-man! I missed you! How the hell are you? //
// Fine. But Duo, but I think you forgot to tell me about some certain side effects…. // He nodded towards his legs.
Duo grinned, looking foolish with embarrassment.
Heero and Trowa paused, bewildered.
“Do you two know each other?” Heero asked.
Quatre and Duo nodded vigorously.
Heero and Trowa exchanged glances.
“How do you know each other?” Trowa asked, as he got to a huge room full of squashy armchairs, various musical instruments, and huge stained glass windows.
Quatre opened his mouth, but then remembering he couldn’t talk, shrugged helplessly.
Duo let out a silent chuckle.
Quatre glanced around, and he saw a pen and paper. He had learned about these in school and how to use them. He had been trained as a prince and he had learned things others had not had the chance or privilege to. He could understand the human language, and write in it too. Grabbing the pen and paper, (he had to fiddle with the pen a bit before he remembered how to hold it) he wrote down: DUO AND I ARE COUSINS.
Trowa and Heero looked shocked. “You are?”
The two ex-merboys nodded. (Duo could read and understand Human too, but not write.)
“What is your name?” Trowa asked.
QUATRE.
“Quatre? Nice name.” Trowa mused aloud.
Quatre colored slightly and smiled.
“What happened to you and Duo? You have the same symptoms.” Heero asked.
Quatre and Duo glanced at each other, and nodded.
Quatre scribbled something down on the paper, and showed it to them.
SHIPWRECK. DON’T REMEMBER MUCH ELSE.
Trowa and Heero nodded, but this left Trowa confused. This was the boy who had saved him. Or maybe it was. If it wasn’t, the resemblance was uncanny. But then, the boy who had saved him had been singing, while this one couldn’t make a noise. But Trowa still felt something familiar about this boy…
By now, Quatre had been with Duo, Trowa and Heero for well over a month, and had learned to walk very well, although at times he stumbled. Quatre and Trowa grew into very close friends, the same with Duo and Heero. Though by now the boys had gotten used to most of the odd things on the surface, they didn’t know many animals, being used to animals of the sea only.
So one day Heero and Trowa decided to introduce the two boys to their horses.
The boys led the two to the stables. Being princes, there were many horses to choose from.
Quatre cautiously walked over to a stable which held a pure white horse. Long silvery hair came down upon the mare’s neck, with silky tail of the same color. It was a beautiful horse, to say the least.
Trowa stepped forward. “Quatre, I wouldn’t touch Sandrock. No one can control her. I’d be very careful around her.”
Disregarding him, Quatre patted the white mare’s muzzle, and the horse whimpered softly, apparently enjoying Quatre’s company.
Heero and Trowa stared at Quatre, then Sandrock, completely winded.
“Quatre—how—?” Trowa faltered.
Duo laughed silently. Geez! He even has a talent with animals on the surface!
Trowa helped Quatre get on the beautiful horse. Quatre patted Sandrock’s head and Sandrock whinnied gratefully.
Still goggling at Quatre, Heero showed Duo into the stables, Trowa and Quatre, still on Sandrock following.
An all black stallion with glistening black hair and a white blaze on its forehead reared back and neighed loudly at the sight of Duo and Heero. Duo walked up to it.
“Don’t, Duo! You and Quatre are choosing the two most dangerous horses we’ve got! That black horse is named Shinigami, but we all call him Shini. He was found in the woods, so he is a wild horse. My horse and him are mates…Duo—wait! No…” Heero faltered when he saw Shini immediately calm down as soon as Duo stroked him.
“What is it with you and Quatre?” Heero managed, as he was completely stunned. He wasn’t the only one either. Trowa looked astounded. Quatre didn’t seem too fazed though.
That’s funny, thought Heero, that horse has practically the same personality as Duo does! Both are carefree, fun loving, and—beautiful. Maybe that’s why they’d get along.
After Heero and Trowa had recovered, Heero went off to get his mare, everyone following him. Soon they came to a stable. Heero walked over and opened the door. A slender horse trotted out to greet him. This horse had a starburst of different colored speckles covering the ivory body. It was such a lovely horse, it almost looked as if it could just sprout wings and fly. It neighed impatiently, waiting for Heero to mount it.
Heero jumped on, and introduced his horse to the others. “This is Wing,” he said, “And she is my horse.” He patted her head. Everyone nodded and followed Trowa, who was finding his horse.
Finally they got to a stable, which Trowa ran over to and opened to the door. A reddish-blonde Clydesdale with feathered hair around her hooves stepped out, showing enjoyment at seeing her master again.
“Hey old girl,” murmured Trowa, running his hand through his mare’s silky mane. Trowa’s horse pawed the ground, and Trowa stepped on. “And this is my horse, Heavyarms.”
With everything said and done, everyone trotted off on a gorgeous path in the woods.
For a little bit, everyone—even Duo—was still and quiet as they walked through the woods. The big, majestic tree’s green leaves dripped off sparkling dew, fresh from a beautiful morning. Warm wind blew gently through the leaves. The air was fresh with the breathtaking smell of nature.
Walking at a slow trot, Quatre and Duo gaped at everything in awe. They had never seen any of this before, nor had they learned in class that the Earth above them was so dazzling.
Pulling Sandrock’s reins gently, the horse came to a stop. Everyone stopped their mare, and glanced at Quatre, who had been the one to stop in the first place.
Trowa found it impossible to keep his eyes off Quatre. Quatre was facing upward at the clear blue sky, his eyes closed. The wind blew around his flaxen hair gently. Trowa couldn’t have found anything more delicate and unique if he had tried.
// Something wrong, Quatre? // Duo asked.
// No. It’s just so wonderful here and I wanted to enjoy it. // Quatre answered.
Duo nodded understandingly. He looked around at what he had been missing in his underwater world. His hair blew around his face, the silky chestnut strands beginning to loosen from his braid. Heero wisely kept his jaw shut.
“Is anything the matter?” Heero asked, trying to pull his attention away from the beauty more stunning than any flower in front of him.
Duo shook his head.
Quatre opened his eyes and pulled the reins on his mare, and everyone began at a trot again.
They continued like this for a while until a low rumble was heard in the sky.
Duo looked up nervously. This was the sound he’d heard when Heero’s ship was attacked.
Heero trotted to Duo’s side, seeing his worry.
“Its ok,” he said, “Just a little storm.”
But it really wasn’t all that little.
As if someone had a spilled a massive bucket in the heavens, sheets of rain began to pour down.
A little storm, eh Heero? This is no storm…it’s a deluge! Duo thought.
Indeed, Duo was quite right. Silvery sheets of rain teemed down mercilessly. In zero to flat, the boys were completely soaked to the bone. The horses didn’t seem too happy either.
Suddenly a huge blaze of lightening flashed right in front of Sandrock. She reared back, Quatre holding on for dear life, and then galloped deep into the woods, taking him with her.