Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter of Good Sense -- Revised ❯ Midnight Blooms ( Chapter 4 )

I make no claim to any of the Gundam Wing characters. This story is written for my, and hopefully others' enjoyment and not for monetary profit. A huge thanks to Diane and Anasazi for the beta.

A Matter of Good Sense
by Michalyn

Chapter Four

Glossary:

kala: lover/mate

kinah: life-force, essence, aura

Rossetti's arm was pressed hot against his side and Wufei wrenched free of it the moment they were outside and well beyond earshot. Something hard and bitter had crystallized in him over the past few days and Wufei embraced it now in his fury: Never again would he allow anyone to take from him what he was not willing to give.

"You despicable coward. Don't you ever try to impose yourself on me in such a manner again! Perhaps where you come from, bullying is the only way a man can gain respect, but you will find we are a bit more civilized in Eires." Wufei's hands were trembling, he was so furious.

Rossetti seemed amused. His gaze traveled from Wufei's glasses to his robes before returning upward, "Is that what you call it? I rather thought it smacked more of repression."

Wufei flushed. He pressed his lips together, "You know nothing about me and have no right to judge me. Maybe this is all just a game to you, but I have lost much in accepting this union." Wufei laughed harshly."A long time ago, I heard of a new city called Rossetti where men were free to choose their own destinies. Do you know I once hoped to meet the great leader who had made such a thing possible? I see now I was mistaken."

As much as he had not wanted this union, Wufei had believed Rossetti was a man of honor. It had been his single, shining thread of hope. A marriage would have been bearable if they had at least been of like mind. Now he saw that the existence ahead of him would be dreary indeed. Wufei turned to leave, his heart heavy with disappointment. He thought to head to the gardens to meditate.... Wufei's fists clenched. He would need a calm spirit for the night ahead.

"Prince Wufei, wait!" Behind him, Wufei could hear the crunch of Rossetti's boots on the gravel but he did not stop.

"Prince Wufei--" Rossetti touched his shoulder and Wufei stilled. He could feel the hesitation in the older man's hand, and when Rossetti spoke, his voice was low, "Forgive me. Please, allow me to redeem myself. I am not the ignoble boor you think me to be -- truly." Rossetti touched a hand to his chest in a gesture of sincerity when Wufei turned to face him.

Wufei did not bother to hide his disbelief, "Indeed?"

"Yes ... I ... I surprise even myself. It is a poor excuse, but there is something, here...." Rossetti gestured expansively at the grounds. "I have felt it since I arrived in Eires," Rossetti closed his eyes and Wufei watched as his brow furrowed. He seemed to be trying to locate the source of whatever "power" he thought was affecting him, "I don't know what it could be...." Rossetti stilled. His eyelids fluttered and he turned to Wufei with sudden intensity, "Of course...." He advanced on Wufei with deliberate steps, "It is you," Rossetti's accented tones had roughened to a purr.

"What? Don't be ridiculous," Wufei drew back in alarm.

"No," Rossetti stepped forward, "there can be no other explanation. This feeling-- It is strongest when I'm near you. I cannot name it, but something in your kinah responds to mine."

"You are mistaken--" Wufei gasped at the look in Rossetti's eyes. It seemed to scorch him. Wufei drew his robes tighter about him, his heart beating fast, "The day's excitement has obviously been too much for you."

Rossetti did not seem to hear him. "I cannot believe you do not feel it too. I saw the way your hands trembled when I touched you." He moved closer.

Wufei's stomach lurched."No! Rossetti, I think it is best we both return to our respective quarters. The dinner will begin in a few hours and it is clear you are not feeling yourself."

Rossetti shook his head, "Trey."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Trey."

"I think I will stick with 'Rossetti', thank you," Wufei said primly and Trey chuckled.

"Are you this formal with all your lovers?"

"Lovers!" Wufei spluttered.

Trey gave him a long, slow smile. "Or is it only singular, hmm?" He cocked his head to one side, "Yes ... you do seem to be the 'all or nothing' type. I do hope, however -- whoever the special man is -- that the relationship is long over," Trey's expression darkened, "I find that I do not share very well."

Wufei was indignant. Of all the, insufferable, arrogant-- " I could care less about your 'sharing policies'. Furthermore, do you think you could ever dissuade me from a previous bond? I have no lover -- nor have I ever taken one -- but if it were the case, not even an order from my father himself would make me betray it." Wufei's look was contemptuous."You insult me -- and the kingdom of Eires -- by suggesting otherwise."

Trey seemed stunned and Wufei felt a stab of satisfaction. So he could shut up. He squared his shoulders, "Only a dishonorable man would--"

"You are an innocent?" Trey interrupted softly. The quality of his gaze changed as it traveled the length of Wufei's form. When his eyes returned to Wufei's face, they widened as if seeing him for the first time, "How is that possible?"

Wufei swallowed against a suddenly parched throat. This was not the reaction he was expecting. Struggling to bring some kind of order to the situation, Wufei latched on to Trey's last comment, "Of course it is possible. I am a student of the Shenlong. Do you think I would fall prey so easily to such weakness?"

Trey frowned, "You are part of a discipline that requires celibacy?"

Wufei shook his head, "It is not required, but it is a discipline which spurns all frivolities."

Trey ran a hand through his hair, "What the devil does this have to do with frivolitiy? We all have needs that must be satisfied."

"I have no need of anything of the sort," Wufei folded his arms.

Trey stared at him in disbelief, then his lips curved, "Perhaps you simply haven't found the right lover."

His words vibrated with suppressed heat and Wufei froze, mesmerized. Slowly, slowly, Trey reached over and Wufei could only watch as the older man wound an arm about his waist and pulled their bodies together."Rossetti--" Wufei gave a little cry of surprise. The solid muscles of Trey's chest were pressed against his and Wufei could feel the vital heat of the older man's thighs even through his robes. His breath deserted him and try as he might, Wufei could not seem to escape: when he was not looking, his limbs had turned to liquid without his permission. "Trey...." Wufei struggled to find his voice.

Trey's arms tightened, "Let me assure you, kala, that I fully intend to claim my rights as your husband," he murmured huskily. Trey rested his forehead against Wufei's, "and I would not complain in the least if you decided to do the same. You might fool others, but I have seen enough to know you are sorely mistaken if you believe you have nothing to offer in the bed chamber."

Wufei's eyes widened, "You don't know what you're talking about. Let me go!"

"Don't I?"

Wufei frowned. "That is correct. Now, release me. I am not a child to be coddled. Besides which, you overstep your bounds. You are too familiar."

"Is that why your heart is pounding?" Trey stepped away. He shot Wufei a knowing grin when Wufei gasped and sprung away, his cheeks burning.

Wufei straightened his glasses. He raised a shaking hand to his hair. "You delude yourself."

Trey actually snorted. "If that is what you wish to believe.... Tell me, did you have any intention of informing me you had never taken a lover? Or was I to find out on my own?"

Wufei was exasperated, despite the color he knew was staining his cheeks, "Why is this such a fixation for you? I hardly see what difference it makes."

"It makes a difference, because we are to perform a mating ritual." Trey frowned, "Or were you so determined to not get any pleasure from the experience?"

Wufei flinched under Trey's all-seeing gaze. He lowered his head, "I must go. The feast will begin shortly."

Trey frowned, "All right."

Wufei turned away with relief but Trey's voice followed him as he hurried through the courtyard. "You may run, but don't think our conversation here is finished!"

Wufei paused, then quickened his pace. Goddess save him, how would he survive this union?

*

Instead of seeking his own toilet, Trey lingered in the gardens after Wufei left. Ivory roses were growing all along the walkway and their vines tangled about the trellises overhead. Trey's thoughts turned to Wufei and he collapsed onto the nearby bench with a sigh. What a bundle of contradictions his new mate was. He had never met another man so obviously passionate yet so fearful of his desires. He wondered what could have happened to cause Wufei to mistrust himself so. Trey remembered the feel of Wufei in his arms and his blood stirred. How wonderful it had felt in that moment of contact, their bodies molded so perfectly together that Trey had no difficulty imagining how Wufei would fit against him in bed. What would he look like, flushed with passion and his hair spread out like so much silk against Trey's pillows? A fierce wave of desire washed over him and Trey groaned. He could not afford to become impatient. If he had learned anything today it was that the path ahead of him would not be an easy one. Wufei would see to that.

Trey watched as Eires' second sun dipped below the horizon. Orange light was spreading all along the wide boundry between land and sky and high above, the clouds were mottled red and purple and glowing saffron. The evening was flung out before him, so marvelous, and yet to Trey there was something tragic about it: There would be no true night. Even as darkness hovered over the land, the first sun was steadily climbing in the east, fat and iridescent as a pearl. It was almost terrible, this eternal day of Eires. To be always exposed to the blazing sun-- Surely something was lost. How many times had Trey lain in the darkness drowsed with the luscious, secret dew of the night phlox trembling on the breeze? Yet, looking from his balcony in the morning he would find no flowers -- only little purses shut tight against the sun. Weren't men also part of nature? Like the flowers, did they not crave balance, each needing different conditions to bloom? Surely there were morning glories and daisies and moonflowers among us too?

What became of sensitive midnight-bloomers in a land of eternal sun?

Trey rose and followed the path back to the castle. There was a great bustle of activity in the halls as servants scurried past with dishes for the coming feast. It was dark enough that the sconces had been lit and firelight danced cheerily off the walls as Trey found his way to the staircase. Immediately a manservant was hovering at his elbow.

"My Lord Rossetti, shall I have someone prepare your bath?"

"I'd like that, thank you," Trey loosened his collar. "How long do you think will it be? I'm eager to get out of these dusty clothes."

"Of course, milord. I shall send the girl right away. Let me show you to your chambers," the man bowed. "Your trunks of course, were brought up this afternoon."

Trey nodded as the servant led him to the second floor. The hallway was long and wide and their footsteps were muffled in its thick carpeting. Trey looked at the heavy oak doors as they passed and wondered which room was Wufei's. What was he doing now? Were his thoughts on Trey and the upcoming evening -- or had he already reconciled himself to his fate? Trey recalled Wufei's sharp tongue and the quivering fierceness of his small body and he prayed Wufei was thinking of him too.

Trey's room was a lavish affair with a high bed and heavy curtains of a deep purplish-blue. On the table near one of his trunks, someone had left a plate of cheese and beside it a foreign, plum-like fruit which Trey rolled between his palms with interest. Biting into it, however, he recoiled with a grimace. The skin was not at all like a plum's but instead was rather tough and bitter enough to pucker the mouth. Trey almost thrust the fruit aside, but licking at the juice glistening on his palm he found it infinitely sweet. This time he bit deep into the pulpy heart and a luscious peach-plum nectar burst over his palate like a balm. A guttural sound rose deep in the back of Trey's throat as juice sprayed wet and sticky and staining his fingertips red. The more he ate the more delicate -- the more voluptuous -- the flavor seemed to grow. Trey moaned, almost in a swoon. His head felt full of wool and there was fire in his veins. He gobbled up the fruit like a starving man: nibbling on the rind-like skin, sucking at the soft, sweet centre -- even licking the black, stony seeds.... Afterwards Trey undressed in the candlelight and lay dazed amidst the gauzy curtains, unable to think or breathe or move. When there was a knock at the door Trey rose and pulled his robe about him, walking as if in a dream. "Yes?"

"Your bath, milord." Two pages stepped in, dragging a tub between them. The serving girl followed with a pitcher of hot water. She set it on the table. "The bath is already heated milord, but you may further adjust it to your liking."

"Thank you. I shall call when I'm done."

"It is my pleasure." She turned to the platter of cheese, "Was the meal not to your liking?"

"No, I ... just ...." Trey shook his head, still struggling to gather his thoughts "What was that fruit?"

"Do you mean the popof, milord?"

"Yes-- Is that what it's called? I've never tasted anything like it ... truly magnificent. "

The girl nodded, "They are rare, even in Eires."

"Really? Where does one get them?"

"The trees grow near the water so there are a few on the banks of the Aynan River but the fruits are mostly small and wild -- not very good. I believe the one you had, however was cultivated from Prince Quatre's private garden."

"Indeed...." Trey remembered Quatre's mystical robes, the undercurrent of magic he had sensed earlier ... and now his strange, almost ecstatic experience of the fruit and he was troubled. There was so much here he did not understand....

The pages had slipped out of the room after setting down the tub, leaving the serving girl behind. Trey nodded to her. "Thank you for your help. When you return downstairs, could you ask my man Heero to see me?"

"Of course, Emperor Rossetti."

Trey circled to the other side of the desk and sat with his hands steepled under his chin. The popof's sweet scent was still on his fingers and Trey frowned. What by the gods had he walked into?

*

Heero skirted the armory wall. He could hear the shouts of the men practicing on the inside and he waited, making sure the area was deserted before slipping around to the rear of the building. Water was dripping silently onto the moss and the tang of salt in the air told Heero he was close to the ocean. Heero stepped back to survey the armory's fortress-like battlements of stone and wood. He pulled out a square of parchment from his pocket and as he had done for the other courtyard buildings, he sketched the armory onto his map. He looked at his growing map with its scattering of buildings and Heero nodded to himself. He was determined to know every inch of this place before the day was done. He did not trust "benevolent" Eirean magic one bit and Heero was not about to take any chances. Rossetti's enemies could be lurking anywhere.

Heero remembered Prince Quatre's hand on his cheek and something stirred uneasily in the pit of his stomach. Something had happened in the throne room but Heero could make no sense of it. It was like he had been compelled by some hidden force. Not from Prince Quatre but inside himself.... Heero had been unable to resist it and his recklessness had nearly cost Rossetti everything. Already he expected Trey's censure and Heero knew he would have to beg his commander's forgiveness. Trey would not forgive another such mistake. Still, that was not the worst of it.... Life had taught him to trust no man but himself and to believe only what he could put his hand to. Today had made him doubt that and Heero would not forgive Eires for it.

There was a rustling behind him and Heero stilled.

"Lost?"

He turned to find a black-clad figure lounging against a boulder not five feet from him. The man was peeling the bright skin of an orange in slow, careful strips and the blade of his dagger glinted in the muted light. He was smiling but his eyes glittered in his pale face -- cold chips the same shade as the amethysts encrusting the dagger's hilt.

"Hn." Heero studied the other man, trying to assess his skill. The stranger seemed to know it and his grin widened. He stood and he seemed to uncoil like some great, black cat.

Heero stuffed his map back into his pocket and cursed himself for coming alone. It would be close.

The stranger twirled the dagger between his fingers. "Don't you know this area is off-limits to non-military personnel?" His gaze fell to the insignia on Heero's upper arm and his eyes narrowed. "Or maybe you're just the wrong kind of personnel?"

Heero tensed. If it came down to a fight, with his sword to the stranger's dagger it would be no contest. He was sure he could win. What he could not be sure of was that the stranger was not concealing another weapon. After the incident in the throne room today he could not afford another blunder. If possible he wanted to avoid any conflict. Heero saw the rings glittering on the man's white fingers and he could see that though they were plain, his garments were of the finest cloth. Heero surmised that he was a nobleman of some kind, but from curved, deadly blade of his dagger, it also seemed that he was linked to the Eirean guard in some way.

Deciding truth was the best strategy, Heero shrugged. "I am head guard of Trey of Rossetti."

The stranger 's eyes flickered. He put the dagger away and began tearing apart the sections of the orange with his fingers. His lips curved. "Then you are friend and not foe. Captain Heero Yuy I presume?"

"Yes."

"Ah ... that means you'll be at this evening's banquet?"

Seeing that danger seemed to have been averted, Heero relaxed. He peered at the other man, trying to make sense of him. What did it matter to him if he were at the feast or not? He frowned. "King Zechs has invited all of Rossetti's entourage."

"Great. I look forward to seeing you there, Heero Yuy." The man gave Heero one last, long, slow look before turning to leave. It seemed to burn right through him and once more Heero felt the stirring of strange power. His hand went to his weapon and he stumbled backwards. "Who are you?" Heero demanded harshly, his voice echoing in the stillness.

The man had already gone , however, his long braid swinging behind him as he disappeared into the shadows.

*

Wufei paused at the head of the staircase, a weight of dread sinking in his belly as he surveyed the festive decorations around him. He could feel the moisture on his palms and Wufei berated himself for not maintaining his composure. Determined to master his emotions, Wufei squared his shoulders and prepared to descend, but before he could reach the second step a wave of nausea washed over him. Wufei's stomach roiled and a cold sweat beaded his brow. He swayed and Wufei clutched at the balustrade, breathing heavily. Was he that anxious? Wufei frowned. When a tremor shook him and he had to lean against the nearby column for support worry flashed through him. He hoped he was not catching that stomach flu that had been going around lately. The last thing he needed was to add illness to his troubles.

Below him, Wufei could hear music and the excited chattering of the guests at the feast: a feast being held in his honor that he had no desire to attend. He could imagine the hungry eyes of the nobility and their derisive tittering when his father announced the engagement. Wufei's eyes closed. It had been one thing to ignore their barbs before but how was he to face them tonight? His pride had always saved him in difficult situations, but what was there to be proud of now?

Wufei did not want this union -- and he wanted his new mate even less. He thought of the charming emperor and cold crept through his veins. Rossetti's handsome, laughing face danced before him and Wufei scrunched his eyes even more tightly shut as he tried to banish the vision. No doubt Rossetti would embarrass him in some way before the night was over and compound his already very public humiliation.

Wufei gripped the rail as he began to make his way downstairs and with every step he fought the urge to flee. Adding to his discomfort was the lavish outfit Quatre had insisted he wear. Wufei scowled. He was sure the navy velvet looked ridiculous and more than anything Wufei wished he was wearing something else. Quatre had begged and Wufei had refused, he had cajoled and Wufei had balked -- then his father had walked in and ordered, settling the issue. And so, here he was: nervous, uncomfortable and an unwilling participant in an event not of his making. The closer Wufei got to the bottom of the stairs the more his dread increased. The aroma of food wafted over to him and his stomach churned.

Wufei inhaled a trembling breath. He stared over the sea of faces below and prepared for the disaster ahead.