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A Small Piece of Heaven - Part 17

Breakfast was a rather quiet affair, the morning after Milliardo had left for Saudi Arabia. Wufei stared at the plate in front of him, looking up only once, when he reached for the bread basket.
The boy felt uneasy. He couldn't explain it, and he would never admit it to anyone but himself, but Milliardo's presence gave him a sense of security. The blond had also become somewhat of a mentor to Wufei, who looked at the older and so much more experienced slave for guidance.

He wondered if their master had sent Milliardo away so that he could be alone with Wufei. The boy didn't like that thought at all.

Wufei finished his breakfast quietly, then excused himself. He walked outside into the garden to practice his morning exercises. The boy was about half way through his routine, when he looked up and noticed Treize sitting on one of the stone benches, only a few feet away. The duke was holding a book in his lap, but his eyes were trained on his young slave.
Wufei's brows narrowed slightly.
"I hope my presence isn't disturbing you?" Treize asked politely.

"Of course not," the boy lied.
Wufei closed his eyes and tried to ignore the man, but he wasn't able to shake the uncomfortable feeling.

Why is it bothering me so much that he is watching me? Milliardo watches me all the time.
Finally the youth decided that it was no use. He just wasn't able to concentrate. He finished his training early.
As he reached for his shirt, the duke rose from his bench.
"That was quite remarkable. You are very skilled. How long have you been practicing martial arts?" he inquired, as he and Wufei strolled back to the mansion side by side.
"Since I was five or six years old."

"Is that so? How interesting," the duke seemed impressed. "If I remember correctly, most of the traditional Chinese martial arts include the use of different weapons. Have you been trained in swordsmanship as well?"
The boy nodded silently.
"Would you do me the honor of giving me a little demonstration of your fencing skills, by joining me for a sword-fight later today?"

Wufei hesitated, but finally he gave a quick nod. "Sure, why not?"
"Excellent!" Treize smiled. "Why don't you get some rest and we will meet in the fencing room in, let's say, two hours."

***

Wufei was a little late, and the duke was already waiting for him in the fencing room.

"I was starting to wonder if you had changed your mind," Treize said, as he offered the youth one of the rapiers he was holding. "Shall we?"
Wufei hesitated.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's just that I have never used one of these before, but I supposed it will do."

"But, of course. Why didn't I think of that?" his master replied. "A rapier is not what one would call a traditional Chinese weapon. Forgive me."

"It will be fine," Wufei assured him.
"No." Treize shook his head. "Letting you fight with an unfamiliar weapon would give me an unfair advantage, and I wouldn't want that. Why don't you choose something more to you liking."

The duke wouldn't necessarily call himself a weapon's fanatic, but he did own a large collection of weapons, ranging from medieval broad swords to Japanese ninja swords. Many of the pieces were family heirlooms, others he had acquired while traveling.

Treize watched as Wufei studied the selection and after a moment of consideration, picked a slightly curved katana from one of the show cases. The boy took a few practice swings, apparently satisfied with the way the weapon felt in his hand.

Let's hope I'm right about the boy. Otherwise this could just be an unusual way of committing suicide.
The duke pushed the disturbing thought from his mind, as he raised his rapier. "En Garde!"

Wufei's movements were fluid and quick and his fierceness made up for what he lacked in strength and finesse.

"You are holding back," the youth growled a few minutes into the fight. "There is no need for that. I'm very well capable of holding my own against you."
"So I'm noticed," Treize laughed. "You are an excellent fighter. I'm impressed."
The boy snorted. "What did you expect? Now let me see what you really can do."

"As you wish!" The duke made a few, quick forward thrusts, and Wufei had to scramble to get out of the way.
"Is that better?" Treize smirked.

The boy muttered something that sounded suspiciously like"Arrogant Bastard!" Then he let out a low growl, and answered with an attack of his own.

Suddenly Treize had no more time for smug remarks; because he was too busy just defending himself. For several minutes the duke studied Wufei's pattern of attack, until he thought he was able to predict the boy's next move. When he expected another assault from the left, he reacted accordingly. To his surprise however, the young slave suddenly changed his tactic. He attacked his master's now unprotected right side before Treize was able to counter. The duke backed off swiftly, but not fast enough. He breathed in sharply breath as the katana cut through the fabric of his shirt and into his right upper arm. Reflectively he covered the wound with his other hand.

Wufei froze and lowered his weapon. His eyes went wide and he gave a surprised gasp, as blood started to seep through Treize's fingers.
"I'm sorry…," he stammered, shocked. "I didn't expect these to be anything but training weapons."

Treize smiled reassuringly. "I suppose I should have told you that I don't believe in training weapons. Besides, anybody who is careless enough to let his guard down, like I did, deserves to get hurt."

"I'll go and ask Evans to call the doctor?" the boy offered.
The duke shook his head. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. It's really not that bad. I have survived worst. But I'm afraid we will have to finish our match another time." He grinned wryly. "I would however appreciate if you would be so kind to get me a towel, so that I won't bleed all over the carpets."

***

After leaving the fencing room, Treize had retreated into his quarters. A short time later Wufei has seen Evans head for the duke's room. He had carried a first aid kit and a small stack of clean towels. The boy assumed that Treize had called the butler to help him tend to his injury.

By mid afternoon Wufei decided to pay his master a visit and see how he was doing.

I'm only going because it is the polite thing to do, and not because I'm feeling guilty, the boy told himself. I have nothing to feel guilty about. It was his fault, for being careless. He said it himself.

He knocked at the door to the duke's study.

"Yes?!"
Treize was sitting in a high-backed chair by the window, reading. He gave the boy a friendly smile, as he put down his book on a small table at his side. "Ah, Wufei! Please come in."

"I just come to see how you are doing," the youth explained, as he stepped into the room. "How is your arm?"
His master made a dismissive gesture. "It is nothing really; just a flesh-wound, hardly worth mentioning."
He was wearing a white shirt, and Wufei could see a bulk beneath the fabric where a bandage had been wrapped around the wound.
"I'm relieved to hear that." As the boy let his gaze wander, his eyes caught the book Treize had been reading.
Chinese poetry? Is he trying to impress me with that?
"I happen to like Li-Bai. It's a translation of course." the duke spoke, as he noticed the boy's look. "I don't suppose you have read any of his work…"

"Why would you say that?" Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Do you think just because I'm a warrior I can't enjoy poetry? To your information, I was a scholar before I became a soldier. I only traded my books for a sword after your people occupied my home colony."
One of Treize's eyebrows rose in a mixture of surprise and slight amusement. "You are quite a feisty today, aren't you, little Dragon? Do you always become defensive that easily or is it just I who brings out the best in you?"

"I'm not being defensive," Wufei insisted, still scowling.

"Let me assure you that I did not mean to offend you. Please, forgive me if I did."

Before the boy could reply anything, Evans knocked at the door. The old man apologized for interrupted and told the duke that his tea was ready to be served.

Treize thanked the butler and dismissed him before he turned his attention back to Wufei.

"Would you care to join me for tea? Perhaps we can talk some more about literature and what other things you like."

"If you wish," the boy nodded. He followed his master downstairs into the sitting room.
"So, tell me, are there any other poets you like aside from Li-Bai?" Treize asked, as he filled two cups with hot tea and he handed one of the cups off to Wufei, then settled in his chair.
The boy took a few careful sips from his tea before he answered. "I never said I liked him. I read some of his poems, but I favor the work of Du Fu and Wang Wei."
"Du Fu? He too was a scholar, wasn't he? And he wrote many of his most powerful poems while he was held prisoner by rebels during the An Lushan Rebellion."

"You seem to know a lot about Chinese poetry."

"Let's just say I love beautiful things; poetry, paintings, the color and fragrance of a delicate flower…," The Duke trailed off as he leaned back in his chair and draped one long leg over the other. "What do you like, little Dragon? Tell me a little more about yourself."

The young slave frowned. "Why are you calling me that?"
"Little Dragon?" The duke shrugged. "You are a descendant of the Long clan, are you not? Long, if my memory serves me right, means dragon. So it seems like a fitting name for you. Does the name bother you?"
"I don't really care."
"Then I shall continue using it." Treize smirked. "I do have to admit that I am a little surprised. I would have never pictured you as a scholar," he confessed.
"Things aren't always what they seem?"
"How true. Perhaps you will find that I too am not the person you might think I am," the ex-colonel spoke softly. When Wufei looked up he found the man's piercing, radiant- blue eyes trained on him.

*****

The next morning the duke announced that he ad Wufei would be going into town, shopping. One of the first stores they stopped at was a boutique that dealt in antiques and out of print books from around the world.
Treize asked the clerk to show him a book of Chinese poetry. It was a collection of pieces written by different poets during the Tang dynasty.

"What do you think?" te duke asked his young slave.
The poems were wonderful and the illustrations superb, but when Wufei saw the price his eyeballs almost popped out of his head. "Is that the cost of the book, or the entire store?"
Treize laughed softly. "It is a first print; you can't expect to find it cheaper anywhere."

"But it is printed in Chinese; you can't even read it, Master."

"True!" Treize's smile turned into a suggestive smirk as he leaned closer to the boy and whispered. "But I'm hoping that you might read it to me."

There was something in the duke's voice that made the hair on Wufei's neck stand up. Before he could say anything Treize had already turned away and was looking at some silk paintings.

"Look at these, Wufei. Something like this would look lovely on the walls in your room, don't you think? A little taste of home."

Wufei snorted. "These are Japanese," he pointed out, not without a certain amount of satisfaction. "Correct continent, wrong country."

The duke never even blinked. "But of course they are, and I'm sure Mr. Piermont will be happy to show us some Chinese paintings of a similar style."

"Of course, Sir. I have just what you are looking for." The clerk nodded. With his help, and Wufei's approval, Treize selected two floral paintings. He had them packed up together wit his book and taken to his limousine, while he and Wufei visited a few more stores.
For lunch they stopped at an elegant, French restaurant. When the waiter came to take their orders Wufei was still glaring at his menu. It was not that he didn't like French cuisine; the problem was that the menu was written in French as well.

For a moment Wufei wondered if this was payback for his remark about the Japanese silk paintings. He closed the menu and looked up. "I think, I'll just have whatever you are having, Master."

Finally Treize seemed to notice the boy's dilemma.
"Why don't you bring us your appetizer sampler to start with," he told the waiter. "We will need a few more minutes to decide on the main dish."

"As you wish, Sir. I'll be right back with your hors d'oeuvres." The man bowed slightly and retreated.
"Why don't you let me read the choices to you?" The duke suggested, as he moved his chair closer to Wufei - a little too close for Wufei's taste - and put the menu on the table between them. He read the list of main dishes to his young slave.

The boy decided to go with the rack of lamb with roasted vegetables. At least, he thought, that way he knew what he was getting.
When the waiter returned with their hors d'oeuvres, Wufei wasn't even sure if they would be able to eat a main dish once they got through with the appetizers.

"Help yourself, little Dragon." Treize gestured at the sumptuously filled platter.
The boy's eyes narrowed slightly as he checked out the selection. "Are those snails?"

"Escargots De Bourgogne," the duke nodded. "Try one! They have a delicious garlicky taste." He picked up one of the small snails with his fork and offered it to Wufei.

"I'd rather not."

"Just one," Treize insisted. "How will you ever know if you like it if you never try it?"
Wufei opened his mouth and cautiously accepted the bite. It wasn't anything like he had expected; not soft or slimy, but rather firm like a piece of well-done meat.
"What do you think?"

"It is alright," the boy admitted. "But nothing I would spend a whole lot of money on."

Treize chuckled softly. It was a deep and rich sound. "Try something else. How about this? Baked Brie with Cranberries."

Wufei opened his mouth almost instinctively, as his master fed him one tasty morsel after another. The fact that they were sitting in a fine restaurant, filled with people who might be watching them, didn't seem to concern the duke the slightest bit. The boy couldn't help, but think that there was something distinctively erotic about being spoon-fed - or fork-fed- by his master. A slight blush tinted his cheeks at that thought.

When Treize offered him a piece of bread dipped in melted garlic butter, a droplet of the sauce escaped his lips, and made his way down the corner of his mouth. Before the boy could clean it off, his master reached out and dabbed it away his napkin.

The color in Wufei's cheeks intensified. "We are in public," he remarked.

"So I've noticed," the duke replied with a hint of amusement. "That's why I used my napkin."

"I can eat on my own." The boy finally snatched the fork from his master's hand.

Treize shrugged, and gave a theatrical sigh of regret. "If you insist."

Wufei glared at him. Is he always like this, or does he justenjoy humiliating me?

*****

"I had a wonderful day," the duke remarked with a soft smile. "How about you, little Dragon, did you enjoy yourself?"
He and Wufei were sitting in the back of his limousine on their way home. After lunch the two of them had continued shopping until the limousine's trunk was stuff full with clothes, books, decorations for Wufei's room and a couple of presents for Milliardo.
The dark-haired boy hesitated just a moment. The question had caught him off guard. But no matter if he liked to admit it or not, he did have fun. "It was nice, thank you."

"But?" Treize asked.

"No but, really," Wufei assured him. "It's just that my legs feel like they are made of lead. How many miles did we walk today?'

"Oh I know just what to do about that," the duke's smile turned into a smirk.
Wufei looked at his master, a mixture of wariness and suspicion in his eyes. "And what would that be?"

"A nice, long soak in the hot tub. It does wonders, trust me."

"And of course, I would be sharing the tub with you?" the boy asked sarcastically.
"But of course," the duke looked at him innocently. "My legs are just as tired as yours are."

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass."
Treize gave a low and soft chuckle. "Even if I promise to be on my best behavior?" he asked, with a playful sparkle in his eyes.

The boy gave a quiet snort.

A few minutes later the limousine pulled up in front of the manor.

"You haven't answered my question yet," Treize said as they climbed out of the car. "Will you be joining me?"

"Fine," Wufei replied curtly.

"Excellent." His master seemed delighted.
Perhaps a little too delighted for Wufei's taste. But it was too late now.

"Let's go inside and get changed," the duke suggested. "I'll ask Evans to bring some towels outside. I need to make a quick phone call, so if you are ready, don't wait for me."

"What about the packages in the car?" the young slave asked.
Treize made a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. I'll have one of the servants bring them in."

Wufei went upstairs to his room to put on a pair of swimming trunks. In the bathroom he grabbed his robe, then he headed for the garden. The butler had left a stack of clean towels for them, on a chair next to the hot tub. The youth hung his robe over the same chair, before he climbed into the tub. He gradually reclined into the warm water and closed his eyes with a satisfied moan. Treize was right, this really feels good.

"How is the water?"
Wufei opened his eyes slowly at the sound of his master's voice. "It's perfect."

Treize slipped off his robe, and Wufei breathed a sigh of relief, as he noticed that the older man was dressed in a pair of speedos. For a moment he had been worried. He knew that normally neither the duke nor Milliardo wore as much as a stitch of clothing in the tub.

"Ah, isn't it just wonderful?" Treize slipped into the tub and settled down to Wufei's right.

"Yes, it feels good," the boy agreed. He leaned back against the soft headrest and closed his eyes again.

For a while they just sat their silently. A bird was singing in the nearby tree, the air was heavy with the sweet smell of roses.

Suddenly the feeling of tranquility was broken when Wufei felt his master's hand on his shoulder. His first reaction was to shrug it off, but he forced himself not to move.

"Try to relax, little Dragon," Treize whispered next to him.

Long fingers moved slowly, tenderly along his shoulders and the nape of his neck. The boy swallowed hard, and tensed even more. He couldn't say that the soft strokes felt unpleasant. But then the duke's hand moved a little deeper down his back. Startled, Wufei pushed the older man away and glared at him.

Treize shrugged and spread his arms in a gesture of confusion. "What?" he asked. "What did I do?"

The boy's glare turned into a scowl. "You said that you wouldn't try anything."

"And I wasn't," his master defended himself. "I simply wanted to give you a little massage. You are so tense little dragon. Your neck and shoulders have to be hurting."

"That's none of your concern," Wufei snapped. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned his head away.

"But it is," Treize objected. "I do care about you, little Dragon."
The boy snorted.

The duke gave a quiet sigh of resignation. "You really need to start trusting me a little, Wufei. My only intention was to help you to relax. Believe it or not, but a massage was all that I had in mind."
There was a slight trace of frustration and hurt in his master's voice, and Wufei felt a sudden sting of guilt. Perhaps he did overreact. And to tell the truth, a massage didn't sound so bad. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the duke.

"My neck and shoulder's only?" he asked, his voice still underlined with suspicion.

"If that's what you want," his master nodded.

***

Treize couldn't hide his satisfied smile, as the boy slowly turned his back toward him. This was a victory, a small one perhaps, but a victory nevertheless.

"Put your fingers any place I don't want them to be and I might break them," Wufei growled warningly.

The duke chuckled softly. "I'll make sure to remember that." Very slowly and tenderly he worked the boy's tens neck and shoulder muscles.

Wufei gave a quiet groan.
"Does it hurt?"

"Just a little," the young slave admitted.

"It will fell better soon," the duke assured him. As he continued, he could feel Wufei relax under his gentle touches. By now dusk was setting. The horizon was tinted blood red, and the evening sun was painting golden streaks across the sky. It looked so beautiful that it seemed almost like a painting, rather than a work of nature.
"Look up, little Dragon," the duke whispered.
Puzzled, Wufei raised his head and gazed into the sky. A gasp of amazement escaped his lips. "This is wonderful. I had been wondering why you chose this spot to build a hot tub."

Instinctively the young slave relaxed against the duke's broad chest, as the two of them watched the sun turn into a red fireball and slowly disappear on the horizon.
Treize smiled softly, as he ran his fingers through the boy's black, silken hair. It was starting to look as though he was not only winning the battle, but the war as well.
Wufei turned his head a little. A fait blush stained his cheeks as he noticed that his master was watching him.
Treize reached out and raised the boy's chin slightly until their eyes met. "May I?" he asked. His voice was soft yet somewhat husky.
The boy swallowed, and the color in his cheeks intensified. "Yes." He whispered, almost inaudible.
The duke dipped his head and pressed his lips against Wufei's. It was a chaste kiss, very soft and very gentle, but he could feel the boy's heartbeat quickening. A smile curved his lips when Treize pulled away.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after a moment of silence.
Wufei shook his head. "Not yet."

"Shall we stay a little longer then?"

The boy gave a quiet nod.

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T.B.C.

Author's Note: I also updated my SPoH sims companion site. I totally rebuild Treize's mansion and estate, and I also updated the photo album. Check it out.

http://www.gundam-wing-fanfiction.net/sims/spoh/sims_main.php

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)