Disclaimers: I don't own either Gundam Wing or Dragonball Z, nor do I own any of the characters (except for my adoption of Wufei, Trowa, the Gundam Kitties, and Juunanagou Kitty)
Warnings: AU, fantasy, citrus, maybe a little violence.
Pairings: 3x1, 2x4, 17x5 (look, I *still* get to use the numeric system!!), 13xR, 6xD
Additional Note: Heero, Quatre, Wufei, and Relena are neko-ningen (nekojin) in this story. Toldja it was fantasy =^_^=
"Where are we now?"
"Lost."
"Kitten, if you aren't going to be helpful, keep your mouth shut."
"Heero..."
The cobalt-eyed nekojin looked sheepish for a moment. "Gomen, oniichan," he murmured softly, shooting another look at the youngest of the trio.
The golden nekojin took the map carefully from his younger brother and sat down on the ground, unmindful of the fact that they were in the middle of the woods with nightfall fast approaching. After all, the children of Une had nothing to fear from normal humans!
After glancing over the map for a moment, Quatre nodded sharply and folded it again before handing it back to Heero. The turquoise-eyed nekojin then stood up and nodded towards the eastern path.
"There's a small town about two miles from here," he said, turning his head to blink at his youngest--and frailest--brother. "Do you think you can make it that far, Little One?"
The black-eyed nekojin frowned. "Of course I can make it," he said, glaring slightly. "I might be younger than you two, but I can still keep up with you!"
Quatre smiled. Despite the fact that Wufei was imperfect, he was just as spirited as their mother had been. That alone was reason enough to ensure that the exotic-looking nekojin survived.
"All right then," he said, smoothing his pale yellow tail before pulling his traveling cloak back around himself, "let's continue."
Heero and Wufei followed their elder sibling's example and wrapped their own cloaks around themselves. Nekojin usually did not travel far from Victoria, but in this case it was their only option.
These nekojin were outcasts, all because of the youngest's imperfection.
Amongst the neko-ningen race, perfection was achieved through purity in coloration: golds with golds, browns with browns, blacks and grays with blacks and grays.
Quatre was a golden beauty, with pale blond fuzz covering his body and a thick mane of deeper blond hair and pale turquoise blue eyes. Heero was also an excellent specimen, with tawny-brown fuzz and thick brown hair that constantly fell over his cobalt eyes. But Wufei....
Wufei was beautiful in his imperfection. Short tan-white fuzz covered his body and was like velvet to the touch, and intelligent onyx eyes peered out from beneath a long mane of jet black, silken hair.
The laws of the neko-ningen ordered that this imperfect creature either be put to death or cast out of Victoria. Heero had remained silent when the verdict was passed, but Quatre had been quite vocal in his protests. 'The children of Une will not turn their backs on one of their own,' he'd said.
And so they had all left Victoria together, outcasts forever.
Sanq was a beautiful town, filled with beautiful people. They were ruled by a kind prince who had a penchant for the exotic and unusual. His father catered to his every whim, even though some of his requests were a bit too exotic. Despite the fact that slavery was illegal in the kingdom, Treize had insisted on having servants from three different lands so that he could talk to someone who wasn't biased.
This was how he came to have the silent Trowa, and mischievous Duo, and the moody Juunana for friends and servants.
As night fell over Sanq, the four young men--if Trowa, Duo, and Juunana were old enough to be called men instead of boys--relaxed out on the verandah, waiting for the stars to come out. The night hours were amongst the few times that Treize was able to drop his spoiled brat attitude and act in a gentler manner. However, that did not keep him from expressing his somewhat exotic longings to his friends.
"Have you ever seen a nekojin?"
Trowa, Duo, and Juunana jumped slightly and swung their heads around to stare at Treize. The ginger-haired young man was looking up at the sky, unblinking. If it had been anyone other than Treize, they would have thought they were imagining things and let it drop.
However, they knew their friend far too well to think such things.
"Nani?!" Duo finally managed to say, violet eyes wide in stunned surprise.
"Have you ever seen a nekojin?" Treize repeated, gaze focused on the sky above.
Trowa frowned, blinking his one visible forest-green eye. "Nekojin are creatures of myth and legend," he said in his soft, somewhat monotonous voice. "How can anyone have seen a creature that does not exist?"
"I have."
This time, Duo and Trowa turned their shocked gazes to Juunana, who generally did not contribute much to conversation. The raven-haired beauty merely blinked icy blue eyes back at the pair and turned to look at Treize.
The eldest of the four leaned forward in his chair. "What did it look like?"
For a moment, Juunana looked as if he was going to respond with 'like a neko, what do you think?' but then he turned his attention back to the sky.
"I was very young, maybe four or five, when I saw them," he said, his voice smooth and soothing as always. "There was an adult--female, I'm sure of it--and three little ones. I think they were mother and kits. She was very beautiful, reddish fur covering her limbs and face, and longer, slightly darker hair on her head, and a long tail that she kept flicking. I wasn't close enough to see what color eyes any of them had.
"The kittens were pretty as well. One completely golden, one in shades of brown, and the last... ivory furred with hair like mine. I remained quiet and simply watched them until they were gone; I am not sure why nekojin would be so far from the mythic land of Victoria, but I am sure that I saw them," he concluded, adding a whispered "I could never imagine such beauty."
Treize was silent, eyes lit with delight. Trowa and Duo, who had also listened attentively, immediately recognized the look and braced themselves for the inevitable.
The demand/request wasn't long in coming:
"I want one."
"And people in hell want ice water," Duo quipped, a cheeky grin on his face, "but that don't mean that your daddy can get'cha one, Tre!"
"I always get anything I ask for," the ginger-haired young man said matter-of-factly. "And if I tell him I want a nekojin, then he will do whatever it takes to get me a nekojin."
Juunana turned and, for the first time that either Trowa or Duo could remember, actually glared at Treize.
"Nekojin," he said in a calm voice despite the anger that lit his cool blue eyes, "are beautiful creatures, but they are not made to be someone's pets. If that were the case, then they would not only live in Victoria."
Trowa frowned. "But you told us you've seen four."
"True. I also said that it was unusual to see them."
Trowa was about to say something--exactly what I'm not quite sure--when one of the maids interrupted.
"Lord Treize?"
Treize turned and quirked an eyebrow at the young maid. "Yes, Hilde? What is it?"
The blue-haired girl gave a short bow before speaking again: "There are three travelers by the gate who wish to speak with you. I do believe they need a place to stay the night."
"Thank you, Hilde. See them in at once."
Once the girl had gone on her way, Treize stood and started back towards the house. Two of the three servants stood as well.
Duo turned to blink at Juunana, who had remained seated where he was. "Hey, Juu-kun, you gonna come with?"
"Hmm?" The raven-tressed boy blinked up at Duo, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Gomen na, I'll be with you in a few minutes. I just want to wait until the first star comes out."
The violet-eyed boy nodded, a knowing smile gracing his features. In the land Juunana had come from, it was a tradition to cast a wish upon the first star of the evening. He himself had done so as a young child, but Juunana's people continued the tradition throughout their lives.
"OK, man," he said. "See ya inside."
Juunana nodded a thanks before turning his attention back to the sky above. His patience was rewarded soon enough as the first star of the evening twinkled to life in the sky. A tiny smile crossed the pale boy's lips, and he quickly uttered his wish for that night:
"First star, I wish that I might one day... that I might one day see that beautiful nekojin once more."
Treize frowned at the three travelers as Juunana finally joined them in the sitting room. They appeared to be quite young, no older than his servants it seemed, and the youngest of the trio kept looking around as if he'd never seen such an abundance of wealth in one place. Although, to be quite honest, he more than likely never had seen so many riches in one place.
And, judging from the wear and tear of their cloaks, it had been some time since they'd last rested.
"So," the ginger-haired gentleman said after simply watching his 'guests' for a moment, "you are seeking lodging for the night?"
The eldest boy quirked an eyebrow before nodding. "Yes... we haven't been in a town for several days, and if you would be most kind as to grant us lodging for the night, we can pay you well in return for your kindness."
Duo blinked in surprise. This boy impressed him with his educated manner, but to think that they could afford to pay Treize anything...!
"Oh?" Treize said, an amused smirk quirking his lips. "I very much doubt you could repay me in money--"
"Are you calling oniichan a liar?!"
All eyes turned to the darker of the three. His deep blue eyes were flashing, and, if Trowa wasn't mistaken, he growled low in his throat... much like an annoyed feline.
"Heero, calm yourself," the elder boy said calmly, reaching under his cloak to pull out a coin pouch. He tossed the small bag to Juunana, who caught it with one hand. "If you will look in there, I'm sure you will find that my offer is more than generous."
The jet-haired beauty raised one eyebrow, then opened the pouch and dumped the coins into his hand. His ice-blue eyes widened.
"Lord Treize, there's enough here to pay for lodging for over a fortnight!"
The lord of the manor raised one elegant eyebrow and turned a more admiring gaze onto the three young men, even the youngest who was currently examining the silk draperies.
"You seem like an honest man," he purred, blinking his crystalline eyes at the boy. "I humbly offer you my best room for the night."
"Domo arigatou, sempai," Quatre said, a tiny smile gracing his features. "You are very kind. Wufei, don't touch."
The youngest quickly slipped his arms behind his back, a look of pure innocence on his face. "I wasn't going to!" he insisted.
"And our mother was a kitsune," the golden beauty replied; Heero snickered at the comment while Wufei lowered his gaze and blushed slightly.
Too kawaii... Juunana thought as he watched the siblings interact. It must be wonderful to have family with you. For a brief moment, his thoughts turned to his own family back in New Hope: father, mother, sisters, brother.... It had been such a long time since he'd seen Juuhachi or Bura or Trunks or his parents that he almost forgot what they looked like.
He shook himself out of his thoughts just in time to peer into a pair of curious onyx eyes. Juunana took a step back, slightly startled that this stranger would be so bold as to slip so close without him even hearing...!
Those dark orbs blinked, and then a tiny smile flitted over the youngest traveler's face. "Gomen, you looked like you were lost in thought there for a minute!" he practically purred, stepping back a few paces and slipping his arms behind his back again.
Quatre laughed softly. "You'll have to excuse Wufei," he said fondly, glancing at his otouto. "He's more curious than most ne-young men his age are."
Treize smiled slightly and began to speak with the eldest traveler once more, offering to show them to their room himself. Duo and Trowa slipped off to one side to discuss their guests, while the younger two travelers resumed exploring the room.
Only Juunana remained where he was. He blinked several times, trying to process what he'd just heard. Did... did he almost say... nekojin??
In the meantime, another traveler had arrived in the town of Sanq. The few people who were still on the streets whispered to one another, awed that yet another stranger had arrived in their peaceful little town... and also by the fact that a woman was traveling alone, even if she was on horseback.
The young woman for her part ignored the stares and comments; she had been traveling for several days in an attempt to catch up with her friends. They would probably be upset that she had given up her birthright in order to remain with them, but Wufei would quickly forgive her and accept her just as warmly as he always had. Quatre would follow suit--after giving her a brief lecture on traveling alone--and Heero would probably give her THE LOOK and then revert right back to protective brother-figure mode.
Relena of Victoria shook her head slightly, thankful for the traveling cloak that hid her neko ears and tail. These people seemed to be the type that would be frightened of creatures such as herself.
But still, she needed to find out if the children of Une had passed through this town.
"Pardon me, good sir," she called out to a platinum-haired young man, "can you tell me if three young men have passed through this town lately?"
The man turned and blinked pale eyes at the young woman, seeming to think for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, there are three travelers staying with my brother-in-law this evening. If you would like, I can escort you there myself, young lady."
"Domo arigatou, sempai," the nekojin princess said, dropping her head in a polite bow.
"Do itashimashite," the young man replied with a smile. "By the way, my name is Milliardo of Peacecraft."
"Relena," the nekojin female replied. "Daughter of Darlian."
"Well then, Miss Relena," Milliardo said, offering a gentle smile to the girl, "shall we proceed?"
"Hai, and thank you again."
"Dear brother, have you seen Milliardo at all this evening?"
Treize shifted his attention from his eldest guest to quirk an eyebrow at his younger sister. "Iie, Dorothy, I haven't. I thought he had returned already."
The blond-haired girl frowned, blue-violet eyes concerned. "I thought he would be back by now, but I suppose he might have had more business to attend to," she said slowly, twisting a strand of her pale gold hair around one finger.
"Do not worry, imouto-chan," the lord of the manor said in a soothing voice. "Knowing Milliardo, he probably ran into a traveler and offered him room and board for the night. He should be home soon."
Quatre turned and blinked large turquoise eyes at the ginger-haired man. Although Wufei was by far the most curious of the brothers, each had a measure of curiosity. At the moment, Quatre's was piqued.
"Do you get many travelers out this way?" he asked, blinking and pulling his cloak around him a bit more; none of the brothers had removed their hoods, and they wouldn't until they were safe in their room for the night.
"Not often," Duo answered for his friend and lord, violet eyes focused completely on the golden young man before him. "But Lord Treize an' Lord Milliardo an' Lady Dorothy usually offer rooms to those who need them for the night."
"That we do," Milliardo said as he walked in, leading the young woman he'd run into on the way back to the manor. "I assume we have room for one more guest, do we not?"
Dorothy immediately brightened and flung her arms around her husband. "We always have more than enough room, Mi-chan," she said, eyes alight. Everyone in the room, including the four travelers, could see the love between the blond beauties just by the way they held onto each other for a moment longer than necessary.
Heero blinked as he suddenly recognized the newcomer. "Lady Relena," he said in an even tone, "why are you so far from home?"
"I ran away," she said shortly, shrugging her shoulders and pulling her traveling cloak around herself as if to ward off a chill. "I saw no honor in forcing you three to leave while I was allowed to stay."
"You're a princess, Lady Relena," Quatre said with a tiny frown, "we are commoners."
"No, you're the children of one of our greatest warriors, and if a minor imperfection is enough to force out such honored young men, then why should I be treated any differently?"
Treize, Duo, Trowa, Milliardo, and Dorothy exchanged a glance, unable to follow the conversation between their guests (who obviously knew one another). Juunana, however, narrowed his eyes slightly; he had the strangest feeling that his suspicions on the identities of these travelers were correct, and he cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Pardon the interruption," he said smoothly, "but may I ask what you are doing so far away from your home? You are from Victoria, are you not?"
The four travelers turned stunned wide eyes to the blue-eyed boy who had spoken before exchanging a look. As if coming to a mental consensus, they all reached up in one motion--
--and lowered their hoods.
Six pairs of eyes widened in shock--five because they had never really expected to see a nekojin, and one because he recognized three of the four.
Quatre, who was apparently the oldest of the four, truly was a golden beauty. Light blond fur, about the same shade as Dorothy's hair, covered him from head to tail, with slightly darker blond hair that threatened to fall over his turquoise eyes. From his stance, it was quite obvious that if anyone made one false move he would not hesitate to protect the younger three.
Heero unconsciously mimicked his elder sibling, cobalt eyes wary. His fur was a light, tawny brown, his tail tipped with slightly darker fur that perfectly matched his unruly brown tresses. He took a step closer to Relena and Wufei, as if he would be able to keep them from any harm merely by being in the line of fire.
Wufei blinked onyx eyes at the six humans, reaching up to brush a stray strand of raven-dark hair away from his face. His fur was much lighter than that of his siblings, a soft tan/white color that looked soft to the touch. He swished his pale tail from side to side, biting his lip a bit nervously.
Relena dropped her hands and stood quietly, her regal upbringing obvious despite her traveling garb. Her fur was a shade lighter than Wufei's, almost ivory, and her hair was a beautiful honey brown. Her fluffy tail--which was much like that of a Persian or Angora cat--was delicately tipped in the same shade of brown, and the only outward sign of her unease was the wary expression in her ocean-colored eyes.
The four nekojin remained silent, waiting for the humans to make the first move. After a moment, Juunana spoke again.
"So I was right," he said softly, almost awe-struck. "You are the three young ones that I saw when I was a child."
"You're from New Hope," Quatre said calmly, blinking his large eyes at the foreign boy. At Juunana's nod, the golden nekojin smiled wearily. "New Hope was one of the few places our mother ever ventured with us."
"Why?" Duo asked suddenly, overcoming his shock and blinking at the golden nekojin. "What's so special 'bout New Hope? Uh, no offense, Juu-kun."
"None taken."
It was Relena who answered: "For the simple reason that the New Hope and Victoria are, in a sense, sister cities."