Duo led him to the other side of the park passing by those huge fields of flowers. Heero started wondering why this park had such vast meadows and this many beautiful flowers. Nonetheless he enjoyed watching the silent movements caused by the wind and the color-play of the sun in these lovely plants. He caught himself imaging his search for the perfect flowers in these huge fields to create a big wonderful bouquet of them. He even imagined giving it to Relena!

He shook his head and accelerated his speed to catch up with Duo.

[No... Diana. Now he's Diana!]

Heero took a closer look on the boy's disguise.

A simple purple dress was complimenting the slender figure of the boy, matching perfectly with his eyes.

[How can I know the exact color of his eyes when I'm looking at his back?]

Of course Heero knew that Duo had violet-blue eyes. But he was surprised that he knew the *exact* shade of them, being even more astonished by the fact that he was sure what colors matched with them. Colors were something that did not seem important to him. Especially not during his training and the war. Colors were only good to recognize your enemies and allies. They don't have to *match* necessarily. And still he, the Perfect Soldier, knew which colors matched with Duo's eyes.

Duo's usually bottom-length braided hair seemed to be longer than Heero remembered, soft chestnut locks almost reaching the other boy's knees. The sunlight played gently with the silky strands, making them shine in different shades from light blonde via auburn to an almost dark brown. It tempted to be touched. But Heero was still too far away so he could only let his eyes touch the softness revealed before him. His look trailed up over the small back and rested a second on the pastel-yellow ribbon that hindered the rebellious locks from falling into Duo's face before moving on. The long bangs were curled up and as Duo turned his head around impatiently Heero totally forgot that this beautiful face was that of a male. The lovely creature had even put on some makeup that underlined the beauty of the heart-shaped face.

"HEY! What you're staring at?"

Dou's sudden question startled him. Again. Only his confusion prevented him from a reassuring smile.

"Nothing. Just admiring the perfect sight in front of me."

That caught Duo off guard. Heero could see `puzzledŽ written all over the wide-eyed face he was staring at only a few seconds ago. He walked on, leaving Duo behind him speechless.

Finally Duo found is voice again (or rather his fake girly one).

"That was a joke, right?"

He ran a few steps to catch up with the Japanese boy.

"No... that cannot be. Heero Yuy doesn't joke... So you really think I am beautiful?"

"No."

"HUH?"

"I was talking about the flowers."

He could see Duo blush as he turned his head away, maybe to hide the blush or to take a closer look on the things that caught the attention of his friend. He seemed to notice the vastness of the big fields for about the first time. They stood silent for a second, admiring the view.

"You're right... They're beautiful... Wait a sec! Since when does the Perfect Soldier like flowers?"

Heero sighed.

[Great. He found his old self again...]

With a grin from one ear to another Duo started teasing Heero.

"So our Perfect Soldier has a sense for romantic, huh?"

"Shut up!"

"Alright, alright! I got it!" Duo laughed, relieved to see his mate embarrassed now, too. "Hey, wait for me! You don't know where to go!"

Of course Heero knew where the senator's residence was. It lay only a few hundred meters away from where they were standing now. One could almost see the cast iron gates of it. Duo caught up with him, refusing to talk but grinning as wide as he could without bursting into loud laughter.

They reached the big house on the senator's premises without further perturbation. Duo was easily enough recognized by all the guards who let them pass after Duo smiled at them. Heero was not as blind as not to notice that the fake-girl's charm would let these idiots do everything for her. He shot his infamous Death Glare at them every time they had passed the checkpoint.

[Quite a big security for a mere senator...]

"...jealous?"

[...NANI?]

Heero stared at his companion in complete surprise.

"You seem to be jealous."

While an amazed Duo tried to read his face, thousand ways of how to kill the normally braided boy silently with his own hands popped into Heero's mind, feeling blood rushing into his cheeks.

"I *am* *not* *jealous*!"

"Yes, you are! If you weren't it wouldn't upset you this much."

[It will be a very painful death... oh yes! He *will* suffer!]

"Come on! I'll show you your room!"

Heero let out a grunt and forgot all the sweet thoughts he had about Duo's lovely appearance before, leaving only his need to kill the boy.

[It were the flowers. Flowers have this effect on me. They make me weak.] {1}

His room was quite big, even for a palace like this. Senator Secunda must have *huge* reserves of money to pay for all this luxury. Although OZ didn't exist anymore many people still fought in the name of this organization. A lot of them were wealthy senators and/or aristocrats who spent all their money to bring back something that had died over a year ago. Maybe all the stuff around this house had been financed with that dirty money the senator got in exchange for the weapons that were produced in the cellar of this building.

Duo eyed his friend. The frown on his face sent a trace of fear through him. He had seen that look before. It was when Heero was about to kill someone. This stern contemplative look, the look of a hunter thinking of a plan how to trap his prey. It really scared Duo. He chose to say something to distract his companions dark thoughts. Usually it worked.

"Hey, take a look around! Is it suitable for you?"

He waved around to show Heero the furnishings of his room. It had a big soft four-poster bed, like the one in his own room, old wardrobes, some antique table with matching chairs and big windows that were covered by heavy curtains. All together it looked like an ancient castle. His 'uncle' loved the old-fashioned way of designing his surroundings. Like all those OZ-people. {2}

Heero slowly looked around, scanning every tiny little bit of the room and finally putting his laptop on a table. It was furnished in the best of taste, classical but elegant. The big four-poster bed invited to take a nap in it although Heero was fully aware that he did not need to sleep right now. He felt totally rested and did not need recover. In fact he didn't need sleep for several days when he was on a mission like this. Though within the last year he found out that sleep was something nice when he was not chased by his nightmares.

He turned around to look out of the arched windows just to find a perfect view onto the mentioned flower fields. From where he stood they seemed to him like lakes, no, more like oceans of all colors one could imagine. He was almost afraid to lose his mind if he looked any longer into that floridity. Just the movement behind his back made him turn his gaze away.

Duo had put some cloths on the bed.

Answering the question in Heero's eyes he stated, "You would like to wear proper cloths when you meet the senator Secunda."

"What's wrong with jeans and shirt?"

"It's not very formal, you know?"

"Yeah, but he's your uncle, right? I don't need to be formal, do I?"

Duo gave a loud sigh.

"This *is* some kind of a formal meeting. I don't know this guy just as good as I could tell what he'd do if you walk in there like *this*. Maybe he'll laugh. Maybe he'll kill you. I just want to make sure you look appropriate. Please?"

Heero hid his snicker and examined the clothes he was about to put on. It looked like one of these old-fashioned school-uniforms. Black trousers, a white shirt, a frilled tie and a dark blue vest with golden laces and edgings.

"I guess it will be okay."

He saw Duo sighing in relief. Then he began to take off his shirt.

"Stop it!"

He stopped in mid-action, surprised by his companion's interruption.

"Don't get undressed in front of a lady," vituperated Duo with a wide grin and left the room.

Once he was gone, Heero allowed himself a little laugh and changed completely into the offered clothes.

~z~

He went back the way he had followed Duo just to find him in the big entrance hall. An old woman stood near to him. She seemed to be some kind of servant as Duo was ignoring her all the time. Instead he watched Heero coming down the stairs.

"As I might say so: This clothing matches you perfectly."

Heero noticed the change of Duo's style of talking that he would only show when someone of the senator's servants or especially the senator himself was around. Usually he used a lot of slang but now he spoke like a really educated person.

He chose to react like the perfect gentleman and bowed before the lovely girl, kissing her hand.

When he straightened himself he could see the astonishment at his actions in the blush on Duo's face. The eyes in it blinked several times before the long-haired boy found his voice again. Of course it was not his own but the one he used to speak with in the last 10 days.

"Please follow me to the dining room."

Without another word Heero was led to a door leading away to a nearby room. There he met the senator the first time in his life. He was about two heads taller than the boys and in his auburn hair was asserted by gray strands. Heero supposed they were coming from endless and frustrating debates in the senate. He saw Duo passing him by, running towards Secunda and hugging him like a huge teddy bear. A loving smile curled the clenched lips, making the whole body relax.

This time Heero was definately jealous. He thought that Duo was only able to cheer *him* up alone. That he might have this effect on other people, too, was perturbing something in the back of his mind.

"It is so good to see you again, uncle. I missed you!"

"It were only two days. How could you have missed me during this short time?"

"You're the only family I have left. How can I not miss you?"

He received a sad smile. Then the senator saw that Heero was still standing in the doorway. He softly pulled Duo away from him, gave him a kiss on the forehead and looked him deep in the eyes.

"Who's the shy boy you left standing there alone? Would you mind introducing him to me?"

Duo turned around and looked at Heero with guilt.

"Excuse me, I forgot. I told you he would arrive today. That's my close friend ... er... I seem to forgot..."

He shot a pleading look at Heero.

[You only forgot to ask me... And I didn't tell ya... This is my revenge for teasing me to be jealous.]

"Hino. Hino Yuichi. Pleased to meet you."

He offered his hand which was shook almost immediately though the other arm was still clenching Duo's shoulders.

"The pleasure is all mine. Little Diana seemed to be too excited about your visit to remember your name. She even did not mention it the last few days although she kept talking about your visit non-stop."

"I am honored to hear that," Heero replied. "I was excited as well to see my `old friendŽ again." He stressed `old friendŽ so only Duo would hear it. "Times have been boring on L12 without her cheering personality."

"Yes, that's my niece as far as I got to know her by now. Always smiling and joking. I am wondering how she keeps her cheering personality after all those cruel things."

Heero nodded in concern. That was exactly the way how he thought of Duo as well.

"I haven't figured out that fact either. But she was the one who caught your eye of all the other children in the orphanage."

Heero felt an elbow in his side.

"Yuichi!"

"What is it? I'm just telling the truth."

Content to see Duo blush he faced the senator again just to see him hiding his snickers. But before he could come up with anything else about the life on L12 the senator started to speak again.

"So you met her at the orphanage... What were you doing there?"

[That's a good question.]

"I visited sister Relena."

Heero knew Duo had to force himself not to laugh out loud.

"She took care of me when I was an orphan. She was the one to find new parents for me."

"So you are an orphan as well? Did you know your parents?"

"No, I never met them. To be precise, I never really had the intention to search them."

"I'm sorry." He saw real pity in the senator's face.

"You shouldn't be. As I said I never really wanted to know them. My adoptive parents and sister Relena gave me all the love I needed to grow up as the upright grown-up person I am."

Duo still fought against his laughter and was about to burst out when a little bell rang. Secunda looked to one corner of the room and saw several people with plates coming in. "I think dinner is served. Please sit next to me. I have a lot questions I like to ask you about my niece."

[Let's see what I can make out of Duo's real past and the things I read.]

He knew that Duo didn't like to lie so he guessed the disguised boy would have only altered his real past to fit it with the girl's. He made his way through the whole meal without receiving any glance from Duo that might have indicated he told something that altered from what Duo had mentioned to his uncle. Heero smiled inwardly because of the fact that he knew his companion well enough to tell the same things to somebody without even knowing what the other one had said initially. On the other hand he found out that the senator had been away on a two-day business trip to supervise the building of a new factory of his company. He was the head of a metal upworking company. It seemed easy for him to get parts for weapons anytime.

He noticed absent-mindedly that the meal was absolutely delicious so he supposed his laud to be given to the cook. Then he had to listen to the stories Secunda has lived through in his life, in particular his surprise to find out that his niece had survived although it was said that she had missed the trip because of a cold and thus died while staying at home on D9.

Both Heero and Duo raised their eyebrows in surprise. That was something that hadn't been in the information files for this mission. So Duo chose to tell the truth.

"But uncle, I hadn't been ill that time. Who told you that?"

The senator smiled his business smile. "Just rumors and the official information given to public. I guess the truth was altered on it's long way through space."

Heero nodded in confirm. Duo did the best he could do. The senator's question felt like a trap to him. If the disguised boy catered to the suggestion he would have easily revealed that he would say anything just to fit the senator's information. So not going into that question was the only way to hide what he was indeed: a spy. So the senator already was suspicious. He let out a small sigh.

"Are you tired, Hino-kun?" the fake-girl asked. "I suppose you had an exhausting day. You should go to bed then."

[Does he want to get rid of me?]

"If this is so, I'll accompany you," Duo yawned. "My room is next to yours."

Heero nodded his concern and said good-night to senator Secunda waiting for Duo who was giving a good-night-kiss to the older man feeling his jealousy rise again. Ignoring it he led the way out of the room having recognized the architect's plan of the building by now. Duo followed him, still yawning.

"Ne, Heero, we have to get up early tomorrow to go to school. Guess, ya don't wanna be late on your first day," he teased.

"Hn."

"Think we can talk tomorrow about what's going on here after school," the fake girl supposed. They had arrived at their rooms. "Have a good night then."

"Oyasumi," Heero said as he opened the door of his room. Entering the soft darkness and the thought of the big four-poster bed made him tired instantly. He pulled off his clothes, tossing them on a nearby chair, putting on his black spandex and another green tank-top {3} before throwing himself on the soft sheets of the big bed. It took him only seconds to fall into a deep sleep.

To be continued...
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{1} Okay, this is rather something Wufei would say...
{2} Just look at the uniforms. Or just look at Treize...
{3} Don't ask me where he has that from. It had been neither in his laptop nor in his jacket. Maybe Duo knew what Heero was wearing at night.
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