Tinted Souls

Chapter One

Clump! Clump! Clump! These were the sounds of a petite six-year-old jumping down the marble stairs of the Cinq Kingdom Royal Palace.

The child was adorable in an understated sense of the word. Her shoulder length brown hair with natural blond highlights was pulled up into two ponytails on the sides of her head above her ears. From their oriental frame, her Persian blue eyes with specks of aqua in them shone brightly. Her skin was bronze tinted and contrasted well against the flaming pink silk pajamas she wore.

Suddenly, a grunt from the bottom of the steps caused her to look up from gazing at her feet. Her wrinkled old butler stared up at her with his sagging arms crossed loosely.

“Miss Taylor, might I ask what you are doing?”

She smiled hugely and cocked her head to one side, replying, “I’m exercising, Silly!”

“I can see that.” He said with amusement lacing his exhausted voice, “But I am afraid that exercising will have to be for later. Did you forget?”

“Oh,” she looked back down at her ground and scuffed one crimson-socked foot against the marble, “Piano lessons.”

“Yes, and Mister Winner will be here anytime now. So, go get on your dress before your Mother gets angry with the both of us.”

“Okay,” she turned but stopped while letting one-foot hover over a step. She looked over her small shoulder at the retreating figure. “Um, Pagan?”

He halted progress. “Yes, Miss Taylor?”

“Can I? Uh…”

A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Come here.”

Once again the large grin was on her face as she ran down to the lower level. When she reached the bottom, she gripped the old man in a tight hug. “I love you, Pagan.”

“I love you, too, Taylor. Now, off with you!”

At his words she scrunched up her nose, giggled childishly, and did as he commanded. As she rounded the corner at the top of the staircase, she left him to murmur, “She is just like her mother.”

* * * * *

“Hey, Duo.”

Duo Maxwell laid soundly on his cot with his hands behind his head and his braid snaking out from underneath him. He did not have to open his eyes to know who addressed him.

“Yea, Babe?”

Hilde Schbeiker was one of the few women of the prison and the last of the gossip chain just before news got to Duo. Duo was always the end of the chain for two reasons. One, his nickname was the God of Death and he had earned it respectively even though no one knew how. The other inmates feared him for this. Two, Hilde was the only safe passage to get to Duo only because they had once been and more than likely still were lovers. Even though bars separated them their cots were still pressed together.

“Word is you could be gettin’ a new neighbor.”

“You mean a new victim.” Duo chuckled under his breath at his own joke. No one knew how but the convict that had been in the other cell next to Death had committed suicide shortly after he had arrived. “When?”

“Don’ know. Word is he’s still in court.”

“Really? Does this guy have a name?”

“Yep! And you’ll never guess who!”

“Test me.”

“Heero Yuy.”

Duo’ s snapped open and the only words he could find were “Oh my God…”

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Author’s Notes: Sorry guys but Conspiracy is gonna have to wait a little while. I got this idea and it has got to come out. Of course as far as I know no one even read Conspiracy so maybe it is not a loss. I’m going to try to work with both of them, K? Please review! I love e-mail! Standard Disclaimers Apply although I do own Taylor!