Making Amends

~AIC

A/N- I was having severe issues with this... FF.N kept messing up the coding.... ~_~ Sorry! It should be all better now... :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, as you know already. :P

"...italics..." indicates thoughts

--"...words..."-- indicates dreams and/or flashbacks

~*~

--"That was beautiful, Wufei." Just like you, my dragon. Treize Kushrenada grit his teeth, fingers tight on the controls of Tallgeese II. He looked up and met the fiery, disbelieving black eyes of the young Gundam pilot who had so easily taken measures to end his life.

"No, Treize! How could you!?" Wufei shouted, a mix of anger, disbelief, and deep sadness swirled in his pained expression. "How could you?!" No... no... you tricked me...

"Goodbye... Wufei... my eternal friend." My dragon. The mobile suit cackled with loose, wild electricity and the metal sheets creaked with the stress of the blow that the Altron Gundam had so readily carved through the blue and white mobile suit.

"No! I won't let you! I won't!" How could you do this to me, Treize? How could you do this? It wasn't supposed to end like this!

"See you on the other side, Milliardo..." Treize murmured softly. He met Wufei's eyes once more, almost seeming to get amusement out of the dark boy's pain. Or of his own imminent death.

My dragon, please remain strong. I know that you can survive this war. I know that my Lady Une will survive and that you... you will someday take your place at the side of Mariemaia. Serve my daughter as you always longed to, but never could serve me.

The only sound other than his sobbing and tear trails was the explosion of Colonel Treize Kushrenada's Tallgeese. And Wufei's cry of anguish.--

~*~

"NOOOO!!!" Wufei shot up straight in bed, the loose, thin, and drably colored sheets tucked around his body at his waist, his bare torso slicked with sweat. Even now, he could feel the heat of the cockpit, the ache of his hands as he gripped the controls, the taste of tears on his lips.

He sighed shakily, tremors running through his body. He did taste tears on his lips. Looking up at the ceiling of his dark room in the Preventer's cruiser, he closed his dark eyes tightly, hands fisted. His bronzed skin was unnaturally pale.

"Damn you, Treize. I hate you..." Tears flowed more easily at that admission, even if it wasn't true. Voice thick with emotion, he continued, "I hate you so much. I hate you... I hate you..." He chanted it softly, repeating it until it had virtually no meaning. He stopped. It was foolish, he knew, to let this weaken him. But it did. And he hated himself for that.

Sliding out of bed, he walked out into the hall towards the small galley, opening the cupboard, pulling out a mug, a back of tea, and a teapot. Putting the water to boil, he set the mug on the small, two-person table, he stared blankly at the wall. Oh Treize. What is this? I don't understand.

Sally watched from the hall, sighing. The teapot had been whistling for two or three minutes, and went to turn it off before it boiled over. Wufei didn't seem to notice any more than he had when it'd first gone off. She went over to him and poured the boiling water over the teabag in his mug, then fetched herself a cup as well. Replacing the pot, she took a seat next to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and he jumped slightly, looking at her apologetically.

She waved it aside and sipped her tea after it had steeped, inhaling the delicious scent of it.

"Tell me, Wufei." She said after a healthy drink of it. "How long has it been since we've paid a visit to Lady Une and Miss Noin?"

"About eight weeks." His voice was plain and blunt, to the point as always. Sally looked at him.

"And miss Mareimaia? We haven't seen her for awhile. Or the other pilots."

Wufei looked at her. Judging by her expression, she seemed up to something. "What are you getting at, woman?"

"Miss Noin and Zechs are having something of a get-together. A picnic at a park in the Sank Kingdom."

"And you want me to go." He stood and pushed his chair in, dumping his half-empty mug in the sink.

Sally sighed and did the same, looking at him. "Wufei, they are your comrades. Even more so, they are your friends. Please?" Her voice and eyes were pleading, and he knew that she hated to beg.

He sighed as well. "Fine." He went back to his quarters.

~*~

Treize, Wufei thought to the darkness, I suppose I am to meet with your daughter again? Is this what you want me to do? He laid back in his bed, closing his eyes. The darkness closed in around him as sleep beckoned his weary mind. Treize... my heart is tired. I cannot live this life. A soldier with no purpose... you ask too much of me by expecting me to live after you'd died... and with that thought, he let the darkness overtake him. He dreamed.

~*~

"My dragon, how have you been?" A shadow moved in the corner of a dark room larger and far more comfortable than Wufei's own, and slowly stalked towards him. The zero-five pilot shifted, realizing that he was naked, his soft skin against silken, blood red sheets that smelled of roses. In face, the room and bed were covered in rose petals.

"Treize, what do you want?" Dark obsidian glared up into royal blue, challenging the handsome aristocrat. The boy unconsciously pulled the covers closer around him, but suddenly the former OZ commander was there, reaching down to pull the sheets gently but firmly out of Wufei's clenched fists.

"Stop it!" He hissed harshly, though finding himself unable to pull the bedclothes back.

Treize's eyes widened slightly with interest. "Why? Are you afraid, young dragon?"

He looked away, eyes closed, though he trembled as a gentle gust of warm breath tickled his throat.

~*~

"Hey Wufei!" Duo said, an arm wrapped possessively around Hilde's shoulders as he greeted the silent warrior. It was about a week later, and the sun was shining brightly over the beautiful green field that the picnic was held in. Only the pilots and their respective lady friends were invited, so the party was relatively small.

"Maxwell." Wufei said in acknowledgement.

Duo rolled his eyes and grinned, walking over to a long table covered in food. Hilde smiled and went along as he all but dragged her.

The Dragon pilot headed for the nearest corner, in this case a tree, and sat down to nestle between the roots. He closed his eyes and rested. Throughout the day he noticed that the pilots seemed to be having a good time. A sudden shadow fell across him and he looked up at the imperious form of Mariemaia Barton. He raised an eyebrow. The girl was about fifteen now, compared to his twenty-three years. He felt older just looking at her.

"Chang Wufei." She said as he stood, seemingly looking down on him even though he was most definitely the taller of the two -by at least half a foot, if not more.

He inclined his head. "Miss Kushrenada." When she extended her hand to shake his, he took it in his own, his lips grazing the back of her hand.

Sitting back down, he motioned for her to join him. She did and they sat in silence for several long moments. Then,

"Mr. Chang." She began.

"Wufei."

She blinked, her deep sapphire eyes reminding him so much of Treize; though bereft of his dark cunning and experience.

"Wufei, then." She sighed. "I wanted to know about my father."

This question took him completely off guard, though if it showed in his expression she didn't notice.

"Well, I've heard so much about him. Good things and bad." She attempted to drop the bred-in mannerisms and formality that bogged down her speech. "It's hard. Dekim... he told me things. Made me want to do things... he did control me."

Wufei saw how hard it was for her to admit this, and nodded, remaining silent.

She took this as encouragement. "I asked the others and they tried to tell me... they seemed to agree unanimously that you would best answer my questions. I can't believe anything Dekim said."

Wufei nodded again. "Your father... Treize. He was a very strong man. Stronger than me. The world was his, he could have anything he wanted, that was his personal power. Peopled loved Treize." His voice was soft, yet had underlying tones of power and sadness. "When we fought... and I swear he planned this... He angered me. I killed him. He knew I'd destroy him." He closed his eyes, blinking back the tears that threatened. He composed himself and searched for the words. "When we fought... he provoked me. He didn't block the move I made... he knew he was going to die. I was one of the few people who understood him."

Mariemaia looked at him, childlike pain, wonderment, sadness in the depths of her eyes. But they saw far more than any of the other pilots, perhaps even Heero, had seen.

"Did you love him?"

He stared at her. "You're out of your mind, woman. I didn't love him. Warriors don't love." Warriors love. I felt for him...

"Heero and Miss Relena love each other. Duo and Hilde certainly do." Wufei noted that she had learned the names and perhaps made a few friends. "Quatre and Dorothy have a mutual respect and caring for each other and, from what I've seen..." She blushed faintly here. "I'm wondering about Quatre and Trowa..." She sighed. "Heero had someone to protect, as did Zechs. Maybe... maybe my father died because he had no one left to protect. Maybe Lady Une didn't need his protection anymore." She paused. "Maybe you didn't."

He looked at her as she stumbled over ideas and possibilities, and he saw something in this girl that he hadn't in the brainwashed child he'd met all those years before.

She continued, resting a hand on his arm. "And perhaps, Wufei..." She met his eyes. "You aren't a soldier anymore." She stood, bowing, and bade him farewell."

"Wait." He stood and went to her.

"I..." He had no idea how or what he wanted to say. Then something of Treize flickered in her eyes, the small gold highlights in her fiery hair glinting in the sun. "Perhaps, Miss Mariemaia, I need someone to protect."

Understanding slipped between them and she nodded. Those few words held much meaning. "Yes, Wufei. And Miss Une can't protect me forever."

"Then, I believe, it's settled?"

"Yes." She smiled. So much like Treize.

The two did not go unnoticed; Sally watched from a distance, sighing. It was hard loosing him, but she knew that he belonged with His Excellency. Or some form of him, at least. She stood and slipped from the party unnoticed, leaving a signed apology that she'd had business to attend to.

THE END

A/N: yes, yes, I know it sucked! Nowhere near what I usually write. Sowwy.