Disclaimer: All rights for characters, places, and concepts belong to their owners. [Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu own Gundam Wing]
They moved cautiously, stopping to check for hostiles and at unfamiliar sounds. It was one such sound that held them in place, a sound coming from the very room they meant to enter.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
There was muffled scuffle and then more screaming.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Obviously, someone was being tortured. Heero and Trowa looked at one another and nodded. They would have to be especially careful, but they would use the poor bastard's screams to hide their passage.
So when the next scream started, they quickly entered the room and dove for cover.
From their place in an old ratty boot, they saw what tortured the poor soul they heard just moments earlier.
A wooden table on the far side of the room held something golden. It walked about shrieking and pulling at its hair. Beside the table stood what could only be described as the most grotesque thing Heero had ever seen. It had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and was covered in pink. *Shutters ran through both boys.* In the giant's hand was a container of gold glitter.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, hold still!" the giant boomed.
"I will not!!! Keep that stuff away from me." The tiny figure tried to escape from the tabletop only to have the giant quickly scoop it up into its hand.
"That's quite enough!" with that the giant gave the figure a little squeeze.
The tiny thing fell silent and limp in the giantess' palm.
"It's about time. Screaming, yelling, running all around the place. Well, I'll make you into the perfect harp yet."
The giant laid the harp down and finished painting it with gold glitter. She then pulled over a golden harp frame. She paused a moment in thought and then quickly shot up and ran to the side cupboard. From it, she took a roll of gold wire twine and a pair of needle-nose pliers. She brought them back to the table. She took the little harp and started to arrange it on the frame. Its arms were secured to the top with the wire. She untwined the harp strings and arranged for them to fall down behind, securing them to the base arm. Once done, she stepped back and admired her work.
"Much better. I can't wait to show Dorothy."
She brushed her hands off on her apron and then left the room.
Heero and Trowa left the hiding spot.
"The Golden Harp was one of the target items, yes?"
"Hn."
"Then let's go get it."
"It's not it."
Trowa looked at Heero, looked to the harp on the table, and back to Heero again.
"What do you mean it's not it? It's a harp. It's golden. It's a Golden Harp." Trowa looked back at Heero with an "it's blatantly obvious" look.
"True. But it's only golden because of the glitter. The giant made it. There must be another and this is the decoy."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because 36 hours ago, I received missions specs clearly stating the retrieval of the Golden Harp and the Goose Who Lays Golden Eggs. That *points to that newly manufactured golden harp* was just made. Therefore, it cannot be the one laid out in the mission."
Trowa looked at Heero and saw the logic of the argument. He nodded his agreement.
"That maybe so, but it might know where the real one is located."
"Hn." Heero grunted his assent.
They cautiously made their way to the table. Concern about how to scale it was swiftly brushed away upon seeing a tiny spiral staircase lead to its top. In minutes, they were on the table's surface and making their way to the Imitation Golden Harp.
Said harp was currently rousing from its fainting spell.
"Ugh."
The harp tried to open its eyes, but had to close them again when a wave of dizziness overwhelmed it.
"Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick." With that, the little harp did. The poor thing whimpered some more. It was unable to move, unable to stop the world from spinning, and unable to clean the puke from its shirt. All in all, it was a rather pitiful sight.
Heero was not moved. He walked over to the harp, pulled its head up, and started his interrogation.
"Where's the Golden Harp?"
The little harp was able to open its eyes a bit to see who held it.
"Oh, Heero, thank god! Get me loose! Look what that fucking bitch did to me!" the harp pleaded with Heero.
Heero pulled the harp's head forward and then smashed it back into the pole it was tied to.
"Where's the Golden Harp?"
"WHAT THE FUCK!!!!" the harp and Trowa screamed.
Trowa pulled Heero away from the harp, restraining him.
"THE FUCK, YUY!!! GET A FUCKING HOLD OF YOURSELF!!! THIS IS NOT REALITY!!! FUCKING OPEN YOUR EYES BEFORE I FUCKING OPEN THEM FOR YOU!!!"
Trowa threw Heero to the ground and stood between him and the harp.
"Look at him!" Trowa point to the harp.
Heero did, but did not see his point.
Trowa let out a frustrated sigh.
"Long chestnut hair, large violet eyes, black priestly garb,..." Trowa looked for any signs of recognition. There were none.
"Duo Maxwell... a.k.a. Pilot 02... a.k.a. Shinigami...a.k.a your partner!!!" Trowa looked back to Heero.
"You're my partner."
The harp let out a string of curses and then looked to Trowa.
"Trowa, just get me the fuck loose!!!"