Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter of Good Sense -- Revised ❯ Shadows ( Chapter 11 )

This story is dedicated to Lili for her kindness and her wonderful support. Thanks so much, my dear! Huge thanks to Diane for the beta.

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 Matter of Good Sense
Chapter Eleven: Shadows

Treize heard Wufei's cry and bolted down the hall. What could have happened? Treize banged on the door to his husband's new room. "Wufei? Wufei, are you all right? Answer me!"

Knowing how they had parted that afternoon, the last thing Treize wanted was to barge in unwelcome. Wufei would only see it as another example of his overbearing insistence. Yet, what if the younger man was in trouble? Treize remembered the last spell Wufei had suffered and how vulnerable he had been. Even then Wufei had not cried out in such distress. What if this were something worse? His husband might despise him but Treize could not stand around doing nothing when he needed help.

"Wufei!" Treize banged on the door again. When Wufei still did not answer, his alarm grew. This was serious. He could not afford to waste any more time. Bracing his shoulder against the oak, Treize rammed the door open. He stumbled into darkness and for a moment was completely disoriented. Slowly though, his eyes adjusted, tracking feverishly about the room. Moonlight spilled onto the bed, and he saw that the covers were pulled back but there was no sign of Wufei. Treize's gut clenched as something horrible occurred to him. Had someone managed to breach the palace defenses? Mueller had visited hadn't he? What if meeting Wufei had been the precursor to something even more sinister? Was not his aim to rob Treize of everything most precious to him?

Please god no! Wufei was strong but there was no telling what would happen to him if he fell into Mueller's clutches. A wounded cry tore from Treize's throat. He spun, ready to don his armor and rouse his best men, when he spotted a lump near the window. Just at the foot of the bed was a crumpled form. Was it...? Treize froze, torn between hope and fear. Over the blood pounding in his ears, he finally heard the soft moans coming from the corner of the room--soft moans that were unmistakably Wufei's. Treize's knees went weak with relief. Wufei was alive and safe. Whatever happened, he had made it in time. Treize scrambled around the bed and lifted Wufei, cradling him in his arms. He placed him gently on the mattress, his hands roaming Wufei's body as he checked for injuries. In the moonlight, Treize could see the younger man's tangled hair and his strained features. He looked stunned, though Treize could not locate the source of his pain.

"Kala, are you hurt? I heard your cry. What is it? Is it another spell?" Treize hovered over Wufei. While the younger man struggled to catch his breath, Treize lit the sconces nearest to the bed. He returned to Wufei's side and pressed a hand to his forehead. He wasn't fevered, neither did he display any of the tell-tale symptoms Treize had seen when Quatre first explained Wufei's gift to him. Though Wufei was clearly shaken, his breathing was not shallow, but regular, and in the light of the candles, Treize saw that his husband was pale rather than flushed. He held Wufei close, brushing his hair back from his forehead.

"Kala, how did you fall? Are you ill?"

Wufei was still disoriented, and for an agonizing second, he was without all his usual defenses. He relaxed into Treize's touch, his small body molding naturally to Treize's side. Wufei's warmth, his weight, the cool silk of his hair brushing Treize's arm sent a yearning through him as sharp as pain. Their bodies were made for each other, so why were their hearts so misaligned? He just wanted to hold Wufei; not make love to him or even kiss him. He just wanted to press Wufei close without the younger man fighting him. He just wanted to prove that he deserved his husband's trust.

Treize's hands trembled. He hadn't even begun to reach out to Wufei before the walls were back up again and Wufei was pushing away from him. His folded arms and his hardened expression said that even though they were inches away, the gulf between them could not be greater. Treize closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had erased all evidence of his pain from his expression.

"Should I call the physician?" he asked Wufei without inflection, though inside, he wanted to grab the younger man and shake him for giving him such a scare. Not to mention he was still worried since he didn't yet know what had caused Wufei's fall.

"No... I'm just a little dizzy," Wufei answered.

Treize pressed his lips together. "Is that why you collapsed?"

"Yes. Maybe something I ate at dinner didn't agree with me. I was in bed when I started feeling nauseous and stood too quickly."

Wufei stared at Treize defiantly, daring him to challenge what they both knew was a lie. Wufei was one of the most stubborn men Treize knew. Would a little nausea leave the younger man so shaken? Would a little nausea cause the cry that had made Treize's blood run cold? Wufei was hiding something from him and there wasn't a damn thing Treize could do about it. Even though his heart was still gripped with fear, even though his every instinct screamed that this was something important, Treize knew pushing Wufei would only make things worse between them. He clenched his fists.

"All right, then. If there's nothing you need I'll return to my room. You know where to find me if you need help," Treize forced himself to say slowly.

"Don't worry," Wufei said, already turning away from Treize as though he'd never existed. "I won't."

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Wufei collapsed against the pillows as soon as Treize left. It had taken everything in him to act so indifferently. Now he struggled to catch his breath as a wave of intense dizziness broke over him. Wufei groaned. He'd been fine all day, so why had he fallen? If he didn't know better he would swear something had rushed into him while he was staring at the moon. Wufei flexed his fingers. Grandmother Long claimed moonlight would be key to unlocking his power, but he had nothing to show for it except a bruise on his leg and this damnable light-headedness. And what had he seen moving in the darkness? He felt sure something had been there, though the more he thought about it, the less certain he became. Perhaps it had only been Treize all along. In his dizziness he must have gotten confused. Yes, that had to be it. Nothing else made sense.

There was still a faint tingling in Wufei's limbs, a residue of the pain that had seared through him as he fell. Even now, his hands felt strange, he noticed as he flexed his fingers again. Maybe he would call on the palace physician tomorrow, before his practice with Meiran, just to be on the safe side. It would be his first session with the Dragon Clan heiress and Wufei was looking forward to it. As an introductory lesson, the exercises would hardly be strenuous, but he still wanted to be in top shape. If the strange numbness in his hands persisted, it would be difficult to show Meiran the subtler hand movements. Wufei sighed. He would just have to hope for the best.

Wufei's eyes drooped. Now that he was in bed, he realized the toll that trying to access his powers had taken on him. He was exhausted. The candles Treize had lit flickered, and Wufei tried to summon the energy to get up so he could blow them out. If only he could turn them off without getting up. Ah well, there was no helping it.

Wufei was just about to sit up when the lamps abruptly gutted. He frowned. Strange, he hadn't noticed a breeze. He turned towards the window and just as he thought, the curtains were still. The wicks must be defective. Snuggling back under the covers, Wufei made a mental note to have them replaced tomorrow. For now they'd saved him the trouble of getting up and that was just what he needed.

As Wufei closed his eyes he thought he felt the faintest of caresses on his cheek--soft, cool and as gentle as the breeze that had eluded him. By then though, he was too tired to give it much thought. He fell asleep, thoughts of tomorrow's training with Meiran lulling him into sweet dreams.

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"Keep your chin up. Don't lose your stance. Ready? One ... two ... three!" Wufei nodded as he surveyed Meiran's footwork. They had only been practicing in the courtyard for a little over three hours, but Meiran was progressing quickly. Usually the introductory katas took students at least a day. Already, they had moved from the warm-up exercises to the basic foot patterns. Meiran was still having a bit of difficulty coordinating the balancing hand movements with her footwork, but even so she was clearly one of the most gifted students Wufei had taught in years. Now he saw what a fool he would have been to refuse her.

Wufei walked over to Meiran and repositioned her arms. "Shoulders back," he said gruffly. "Now try pivoting. Step, two, three ... excellent!” He watched as the girl turned and perfectly finished the move. When she was done, her black loafers were scuffed with dirt, but Wufei could see the pride burning in her eyes. It had taken her all of an hour but she'd gotten it right.

"Awesome! " Mimicking a fighting stance, Meiran punched the air. "When will I get to do some more complicated moves? I want to try one of those roundhouse kicks I saw you doing the other day. Hyup! Hyup! Take that ... and that ... and that!" The little girl executed a flurry of kicks that actually weren't that bad.

Wufei couldn't help chuckling. "There'll be time enough for that later. Those kicks take years to learn," he said when Meiran pouted. "It may seem hard to believe, but the pivot you learned today is the foundation of that and many other techniques. You must master it first before you can move on to something more difficult. Eires wasn't built in a day."

"Huh?"

Wufei shook his head. "Never mind. No kicking. Now, or any time soon. The only things you should be doing are one, listening to me; two, being disciplined and practicing these katas for two hours every day; and three, listening to me," Wufei finished off the list with a smirk. "In fact, let us take it from the top again."

"What? But I just spent the whole afternoon doing that!" Meiran whined.

"Make that five extra repetitions for insubordination!"

"But..."

"What is your top responsibility?" Wufei barked.

"Listening to you," Meiran grumbled.

"To whom?"

"To you, Master Wufei."

"I can't hear you!"

"My top responsibility is listening to you, Master Wufei!"

"Good. Now let us begin with the stretches." Meiran took her position on the grass again, and Wufei stepped back, feeling more invigorated than he had in years. "From the top!" he called. "Chin up; shoulders back! One ... two ... three..."

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Wufei was still smiling as he finished his own exercises and packed up for the day. The cook had prepared Meiran a meal and when the little girl had eaten, Wufei saw to it that she was escorted home by three of the palace's best female guards. Now it was his turn to unwind. Wufei made his way across the courtyard. On a whim, he decided to take a shortcut through the nearby orchard instead of following the usual gravel path back to his rooms. The sun shone gently overhead and a fresh breeze was blowing. The day was so beautiful that he couldn't resist stretching out in the grass under one of the apple trees.

As Wufei stared up through the canopy of leaves, his thoughts turned to the previous evening... and Treize. He remembered the older man's panicked expression and wondered how someone who seemed to care so little for his feelings could hold him with such tenderness. Wufei sighed. It was all so confusing. To top it off, while he was adjusting to life in Rossetti, he still missed home very much. It went without saying that his difficulties with Treize contributed significantly to that. No matter how hard Wufei tried, he just couldn't seem to find his footing.

Wufei wanted to be more active - wanted to be more involved in Rossetti's political affairs, but it was tough. The marriage had shaken his self-confidence. As Eires' ambassador, he never doubted his abilities, but now he wondered if he had not been as capable as he believed. Besides, no matter how much King Zechs urged him to keep up his duties, realistically, they both knew it was impossible. How could he objectively represent his father's interests in his husband's empire? His loyalties would always be divided. He might be at odds with Treize, but honor would not allow him to betray his new home. Wufei could only assume that for whatever reason, his father had no need of him anymore. A painful truth, but he could no longer deny it.

Wufei rubbed a hand over his eyes. All this, for some unique gift he supposedly possessed. Gift indeed... He hadn't had a serious spell since they arrived in Eires, and despite what Quatre said, he refused to believe it had anything to do with Treize. How could being near a man he despised be anything but bad for him? If he improved his meditation techniques and could convince Grandmother Long he was worthy of instruction, before long he wouldn't need Treize at all. Wufei was sure it would be a relief for both of them.

Wufei closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze while his mind wandered. His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sudden darkening of the sky above him. Wufei blinked. Odd; he hadn't thought it would rain today. Even more strangely, the shadows seemed to be concentrated only around his tree. In fact, beyond his darkened circle, the sunlight seemed to shine with almost preternatural brightness.

Something was very, very wrong here. Wufei's senses prickled and his fighter's instincts whispered he was not alone. He sprang to a crouch. Yet, he could see no one and nothing--nothing except shadows and swiftly multiplying darkness. Wufei twisted. It was almost as if the shadows were closing in on him... but that was impossible. Wufei felt something crawling over his hand and irritated, he began to swat the insect away when he gasped. Gods... gods... gods... Backpedaling, Wufei slammed into the tree.

That was no insect.

Shadows swirled about Wufei's arms and crawled up his legs. He rose and they rose with him. He punched at them and they coalesced about his fingers in a cool velvet gauntlet. He chanted a warding spell and they surrounded him in a midnight shield.

Wufei shuddered. Gods, what kind of magick was this? Had he been cursed? Perhaps an enemy of Eires sought his demise, or was this linked to Mueller? He didn't think there were mages in this area, but Mueller could have hired a foreigner to do the job. How was he supposed to fight this? Wufei grew more agitated yet instead of attacking him, the shadows rubbed against his legs, slipping under his clothes and brushing against his skin in cool gentle touches. If Wufei didn't know better, he would almost say they were soothing him. He frowned. What was this and what possible purpose could someone hope to achieve by it?

"Prince Wufei, there you are. I have a message from--What the fuck...?"

Wufei spun at the sound of Duo's voice. As soon as he heard it, the shadows seethed around him, twisting and churning violently at his feet. "Maxwell! Stay back!"

Duo slowly raised his sword. "What ... what ... is that thing?"

"I don't know." Wufei swallowed. "I think it's some kind of spell. It hasn't done anything to hurt me yet, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous."

"I can't just leave you like this. There's no telling what that thing will do!"

Wufei grimaced. "It doesn't matter. You forget, Rossetti is not a place of magick. Who would you call? The only thing we can do is send for a mage and hope for the best. I've already tried a warding spell of my own. It's not powerful enough."

"There has to be someone. We don't have time to write to Eires." Duo growled.

"Who?" Wufei asked simply.

Duo cursed. He stared in horror at the shadows around Wufei, which had solidified even further. About half of the thick coiled tentacles waved menacingly toward the Eirean nobleman while the others crept closer to Wufei.

Wufei fought down a surge of panic as one of the limbs--slick, black and inhuman--slithered toward him. It reached for his arm, and he couldn't help crying out.

"God damn it, get away from him!" Duo immediately surged into action. He lunged at the creature, sword raised high.

Wufei felt the sudden change of energy in the writhing mass around him and his eyes widened.

"Duo, no!"

The shout was barely out of his lips before the entire mass of shadows merged into a single body and turned, aiming straight for Duo's chest.

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Duo saw the shadows rushing toward him and knew he didn't have a chance, but fuck if he was going to give up without a fight. He slashed at the writhing monster, and it broke away from the single body it had formed and split once more into countless tentacles. They circled him and Duo ducked and jumped, sidestepping the murderous black limbs. A razor-thin tentacle aimed for his stomach and he rolled to the side at the last minute, barely avoiding what would have been a fatal gut wound. With a cry, Duo vaulted forward, hacking at the monster again. Yet, for every arm he slashed, it seemed like four more sprang up in its place. Out of the corner of his eye, Duo could see Wufei trying to make his way over to him, but the prince was having some trouble of his own as the sinuous limbs tried to hold him back. That did not mean good things for either of them.

Duo panted as he surveyed his handiwork. His lungs were burning and his sword hand trembled. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer. When he was forced to dodge yet another attack, he faltered. The moment of weakness was all his enemy needed to close in on him. A tentacle coiled around his neck, lifting him off the ground. Slowly, slowly it tightened. Duo choked, struggling as his air supply was cut off. He heard Wufei shouting, heard the other man's footsteps running toward him but the world was already going dark. Shit ... shit ... shit. Of all the ways to die why'd he have to choose something so damned stupid? He wouldn't even get to tell Heero goodbye.

"No! Stop it!" Wufei was yelling but his voice seemed farther and farther away. Duo's eyelids fluttered shut. It seemed his luck had run out. If there was any kind of god up there he was going to have a serious talk with him about this when he woke up on the other side.

Luckily, he never got his chance.

One minute Duo was fighting for his breath, the next, he was flung to the ground. A keening sound filled his ears as a powerful gust of wind blasted through the trees. Heavy, mottled clouds were racing across the sky, and the world became shrouded in shadow. Yet, though the wind howled and the thunder moaned, it did not rain. There was only darkness, deep as the blackest night. The sun winked out and a luminous moon, larger than anything Duo had ever seen, rose in its place. Nature had reversed itself. It was so dark that Duo could barely make out the tentacles that only a minute ago had been his biggest threat. Now he could not tell whether the danger had been eliminated or doubled. Nothing, however, could prepare him for what he saw next.

In the midst of it all was Wufei, hands raised in a fighting stance. His body was limned in silver and his dark hair streamed around him so that Duo could not tell where the shadows began and where the dark locks ended. But it was Wufei's eyes that sent a chill through Duo. They were completely blank. Gone were the dark irises. In the swirling shadow, the orbs of Wufei's eyes gleamed as silver as the moon overhead.

"Gods ... gods..." Duo croaked, scrambling backwards. What the hell was going on?

Wufei's head slowly swivelled towards him and that preternatural gaze held him in place. It was only then that Duo realized what was happening. The keening sound he could hear was not the wind at all but the howling of the tentacles themselves as they were sucked toward Wufei at incredible speed. Duo could hardly credit what his eyes were telling him, but Wufei seemed to be absorbing the shadows through his raised hands. Transfixed, he watched as the last of the tentacles wriggled violently and disappeared into Wufei's waiting palm.

There was a moment of utter stillness and then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the darkness dissipated. Every cloud in the sky dissolved into a radiant azure. The sun shone gently overhead and even the birds resumed their trilling songs.

Duo clutched at his throat. He looked at Wufei, who was staring at his hands in shock.

"I ... I... don't think that was a spell," he said.