Duo stared out the window, his face set in an uncharacteristically dour expression. As the intercom crackled and the captain's voice announced that the plane would be landing in half an hour, Duo's frown deepened. He looked unhappily at his reflection in the window and angrily plotted the death of his best friend.

The face staring back at him was not one he would have recognized in a photo. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that the face staring back at him belonged to a very attractive young woman. His violet-blue eyes had been made to look even larger than usual, his lips had been painted some awful shade of burgundy and his cheekbones were lightly brushed with rouge. His skin felt heavy and strange under all that makeup, and he wondered idly how real women put up with it. Not that the makeup was the worst of it.

His hair had been pulled back from his face in some ridiculously complex sort of braid, which Duo suspected he would never be able to undo, much less replicate. It was done mercilessly tight, and made him feel as if his scalp was about to rip off any minute. But that wasn't the worst of it either.

Duo squirmed uncomfortably and tried to take a deep, relaxing breath, only to be hampered by the tightly laced waist of the black leather dress he was wearing. His waist had been squeezed to maybe two thirds the size it should be, and he was finding it increasingly hard to breathe in the corset-like outfit. He also doubted his ability to walk in the annoying boots that he had been ordered to wear. The damn things were made of black leather and went all the way up to mid-thigh. The three-inch heels made it nearly impossible for him to keep his balance for very long. But even the dress and boots weren't the worst of it.

No, Duo decided, the worst of it had to be the underwear. He hadn't even known that they made black leather underwear. And it was tight as Hell. No need to worry that an untimely erection would ruin his disguise, since the insanely tight underwear allowed absolutely no room for any growth. Of course, he'd probably be sterile for the rest of his life after this, but at least keeping his voice an octave higher than normal was a piece of cake.

Duo squirmed again and hissed in discomfort. He couldn't believe he had let Heero talk him into this. He looked down at the panorama beneath him and continued making plans for revenge.

Two Weeks Ago

"But why do I have to do it? Why not someone else?" Duo whined.

Heero stared tranquilly back at the American pilot and said "Because you're the most suitable. Of the five of us, only you and Quatre would be able to look the part well enough, and Quatre is too soft-hearted to pull it off."

"But why do I have to... to... wear that?! The file says that this guy is bi, so why can't I just be me?"

"First of all, your face is too well-known. Secondly, he's really into feminine men, especially cross-dressers." Heero stated calmly.

"And that brings up another point, Heero. Why in the Hell do I have to do this at all? Can't you just sneak in there and kill him yourself?"

"No, security is too good. Nobody gets into the Palace without an invitation. And he's too cautious anyway. The only way to get to him is to catch him off-guard."

Duo glared angrily and muttered "I still think this is a stupid plan. I think you're just doing this to indulge some sick sense of humour."

"Think what you like, just go get changed." Heero said.

One Week Ago

Heero looked Duo up and down, his face remaining stoic as usual. "Not bad, but you still need to work on walking more like a woman."

"Look, it's hard enough to walk at all in these shoes, much less walk like a woman." snapped Duo, his temper frayed far beyond the breaking point. For the last week he had been doing nothing but practising for his " mission", and it was really wearing on his nerves. It didn't help that he had caught Trowa and Quatre snickering about his "training" on more than one occasion.

Heero just stared silently. Duo sighed angrily and went back to practising his "seductive" walk, muttering to himself all the while.

"Duo."

"What?!"

"Smile."

Duo glared at Heero and continued muttering under his breath. "Lousy stupid perfect soldier. Wouldn't know a smile if it bit him on the ass. Can't believe I'm doing this. Stupid plan, stupid plan, stupid plan."

The Present

"We will be landing in five minutes, please fasten your seatbelt and return your tray to it's upright, locked position."

Duo glanced up at the stewardess who was leaning over him. He shoved his dark broodings out of his mind and smiled at her. Reassured that he had heard her, the stewardess moved on to check on the only other passenger in the small jet, a handsome man who looked to be in his mid-thirties.

Duo looked at the man and thought idly <<He's kind of cute, but a bit old for me. Ah well.>> His face darkened again as he wondered, not for the first time, if he had been chosen for this mission because Heero had somehow figured out where his sexual preference lay. If that was so... things could be very awkward next time the five pilots decided to head to the bathhouse.