Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Shinigami's Gem ❯ Amethyst ( Chapter 4 )

Warnings: Language, shounen-ai, confusion. The usual stuff. Nothing fancy.

Pairings: …

Disclaimer: I don't own the g-boys or their affiliates and I don't make any money off this fic.

Chapter 4: Amethyst

It was at dinner, later that night that Shinigami got the first comment on his hair.

The day hadn't been all that bad when he disregarded how it had begun. Wu Fei had decided his body servant needed to be able to defend both himself and Wu Fei, so they'd gone down to the local smithy and a sword for Shinigami weighted, balanced and sized. The few hours it took to make, they'd spent sparring in the courtyard of the store and had managed to gather a crowd. Shinigami had instantly begun playing up to the gathering, throwing in flourishes and complicated sets of movements that nine times out of ten went awry and lost him the particular bout, but on the infrequent occasion he pulled them off, looked spectacular.

The sword, when it was done, was the most beautiful thing Shinigami had ever seen. Braided silver encased the hilt instead of leather and an amethyst, beautifully worked into the head of a vicious dragon, took the place of the pommel. The blade itself was thin and perfectly honed, the metal somehow tinted to make it black with silver flecks.

Shinigami had actually hugged Wu Fei, then he'd remembered he hated the lordling and pulled away again with a stiff 'thank you'.

Lost in these thoughts, hand resting casually resting on the dragon pommel of his sword - the weight of which he'd missed since his capture - Quatre's gasp hammered into him and shattered his fragile happiness.

"Shinigami! Your hair! What happened to it?" the blonde cried, green-blue eyes wide.

Shinigami blinked at Quatre, what was left of the small happiness dying as he flopped into his chair. He gathered a plateful of food before answering.

"A bastard merc happened to it," he growled.

Wu Fei sighed and shook his head slightly as he watched. Of all the things to say, Quatre had picked the very worst one. The beginnings of trust that Wu Fei had been fostering all day shattered and anger was built on the remains. Wu Fei could tell that without even having to be near them.

Hopefully, though, the anger was only temporary and the trust would endure.

The lordling smiled slightly as he remembered the look of joy on Shinigami's face while he piggybacked a little girl around in circles. Wu Fei had been taking a break at the time, but Shinigami seemed to have an endless supply of energy, so he'd given in to the little girls pleas to 'play horsey' and lifted her up, galloping around the courtyard and making horse noises, always careful to be sure the little girl wouldn't fall.

When the sword had appeared, Shinigami had hugged Wu Fei tightly, then seemed to remember he didn't like him and pulled away again.

Wu Fei tingled at the memory of that touch, but his pleasurable thoughts were interrupted by his father's voice.

"What is he doing with a sword and what did you do to his hair?!"

Wu Fei blinked, forcing himself back to the present.

"The hair is a long story and is between myself and Shinigami. As for the sword, I feel somewhat safer knowing there is always one at my side who will defend me if the need arises."

Heero's voice cut in before the lord's.

"What guarantee do you have that he will defend you and not stick that sword in your back?"

"That is a question to which the answer is obvious and I shan't dignify it by giving you one," Wu Fei replied, fingers ghosting across the sapphire slung around his neck.

"None of that matters. What did you do to his hair?!" Zechs asked from his place on the other side of Heero, evidently having missed the lord's identical question. "Why, it was his best feature! I mean, he is still a gorgeous little thing, but - ow!" The 'ow' was generated by a kick under the table delivered by Heero.

"I cut it," Wu Fei said simply in reply to Zechs' question, casually taking a few bites of the roasted rabbit on his plate.

"Why?" chorused Lord Chang, Catalina and Zechs together.

"He asked me to…" Wu Fei said truthfully and refused to elaborate.

"He asked for you to cut all that hair off?" Zechs said in disbelief, fingers twisting protectively in his own hair, the action drawing a snigger from Heero.

"Yes. He asked for me to cut all that hair off," Wu Fei replied before going back to his food.

"He cut it off? Your braid? All of it?" Quatre asked in astonishment for roughly the fifteenth time.

"Yup. Just like that," Shinigami said between bites, making a cutting motion with his eating knife.

"Why?!"

"He says I asked for it. Pass the lamb."

Quatre passed Shinigami the requested platter in a daze.

"You asked for it…? Did you?"

"I don't think so. But these lordly merc types. You can never tell."

"He's not a merc," Quatre said almost inaudibly before continuing with his questioning. "What happened then?"

"He took my braid and locked it up safe, then bought me this beautiful piece of craftsmanship here." Shinigami patted the sword at his hip before again going back to his meal, hiding well the anger he felt.

"I don't understand…" Quatre said miserably.

"I do," Trowa said softly, making Shinigami laugh.

"Of course you do," he said.

"You do? Tell me then!" Quatre broke in.

"It's not my place to tell you, Quatre," Trowa murmured before taking a bite from his leg of chicken.

"Why?"

"It's not even my place to tell you that."

Shinigami glanced Wu Fei's way while the other two argued back and forth across him. The lordling was standing and he waved for Shinigami to leave also. The thief snarled an insult under his breath - gaining a soft reproof from Quatre before the blonde went back to his argument - then left as he was instructed and met Wu Fei at the door to his rooms.

"If you're only going to bed, why do you need me?" Shinigami asked sarcastically.

"A sparring match. If you beat me, I let you sleep in tomorrow," Wu Fei said solemnly.

"If I don't?" Shinigami said warily, not wanting to lose any more hair.

"You tell me your real name. Nothing more. You don't have to tell me why you go by the name Shinigami, just what your given name is." Wu Fei's eyes met Shinigami's and read fear there.

"I… can't…" Shinigami whispered, berating himself internally for his weakness at the same time as he was shaking at the thought of bringing back memories he'd fought so hard to forget.

"Are you afraid to fight, Shinigami?" Wu Fei wondered softly. "So afraid to even face me? It's true I am more than likely a better swordsman than you, but I didn't think-"

"I'll show you!" Shinigami snarled, fear swamped and drowned by anger at Wu Fei's talk.

Wu Fei smiled.

"Good…" He turned and led the way to training rooms in the lower levels of the keep.

* * *

Two hours later, the two were still sparring and, though neither had drawn the agreed-upon first blood, they had drawn a small crowd.

It had been Heero who found them there when he went for his own hour's workout, Zechs walking with him he 'was headed to the stables just a little further on'.

Somehow, word had travelled and half the keep was now watching the two battle back and forth across the arena.

Wu Fei and Shinigami were oblivious to the watches. The whole time they were sparring, Shinigami was trying to get Wu Fei to agree on something other than his real name if he happened to lose to the lordling. Time and time again, Wu Fei refused. And so they fought back and forth, Shinigami wasting breath by offering different things, Wu Fei giving only a shake of his head in reply.

They were well matched in weight, height, skill and speed, but Wu Fei's swordplay was crisp and perfect where Shinigami constantly threw in flourishes and improvisations of his own.

This was his undoing. A complicated set of movements was hampered by his fondness for a flourish and he went sprawling to the sandy floor. Wu Fei smirked in triumph and, though it was obvious Shinigami was beaten, sliced him shallowly across the shoulder, drawing the required first blood.

"Oh! Shinigami!" Quatre cried, and made to go to him, but Trowa held him back.

"Our Lordling knows what he's doing," he said softly, and with Heero and Zechs' help, swiftly cleared the arena of every single onlooker. That done, they left themselves, so Wu Fei and Shinigami were totally alone.

Wu Fei dropped to his knees beside Shinigami, who hadn't moved from his position face down in the sand.

"Up now," Wu Fei said gently.

Shinigami had no choice but to get to his knees also, though he kept his head bowed and his eyes fixed on the sand.

"My real name will always be Shinigami. Death. It's what I am, Wuffie…" he said softly, hand reaching reflexively for a braid that wasn't there.

"Wu Fei is my given name… not Wuffie. Yours isn't Death."

"My real name is Shinigami… My given name… Duo. Duo Maxwell…"

Wu Fei stood then and offered his hand to Duo, who took it and let the lordling help him to his feet. Wu Fei didn't release the hand for a moment.

"I won't tell anyone, Duo," he said with a small smile before letting go of Duo's hand. A shudder wracked Duo's body, but he gave a slight nod of thanks, unable to meet Wu Fei's eyes.

"'Kay…"

"We both need to clean up, Duo. We will go to the keep baths. That way, you don't have to do anymore work before we go to bed," Wu Fei said.

Duo just nodded and followed along like a lost puppy, adrift in remembered pain.

~ ~ ~

"That's not fair and you know it! …Sir."

"Don't you ever take that tone with me! I don't know how my sister-in-law treated you, but I won't take any insolence!"

"I'm not being insolent, I'm trying to explain to you what happened!"

"I know what happened!"

"I'm sorry, but no you don't!"

"Just because your family used to have a high standing doesn't mean you can push me around, boy. The Maxwells are dead and gone and you would do well to remember that."

"You bastard!"

"Enough!"

"Don't say that about my parents!"

"I'll say what I like, boy."

"Not to me you won't. I'm gone!"

"Don't you walk you that door! You walk out that door and you can never come back through it again!"

"I won't! Duo Maxwell doesn't need a bastard like you or your family! I hope-

~ ~ ~

"No!" Duo forced himself back to reality, not wanting the memory to advance any further.

Wu Fei just watched him, realising the last thing Duo wanted was comfort right this moment. Duo focussed on the warmth of the water (though he wasn't sure when exactly he'd undressed and climbed in) and the smell of the bathing salts and the like. He opened his eyes and caught Wu Fei's, using those two dark pools shamelessly to ground himself, totally unaware at the moment of the effect his intense gaze was having on the lordling.

"Duo…?" Wu Fei asked, clapping a tight hold on his hyperactive hormones and emotions.

"My fault…" Duo murmured, still looking deep into Wu Fei's eyes.

"What's your fault?" Wu Fei ventured tentatively.

The shift in Duo's face and eyes from a dreamy look to one of hurt anger was sudden and told Wu Fei Duo was back in the present.

"Certainly not this," he spat venomously, touching two fingers to the cold band of metal around his neck. "This was all you, merc, and I sure as hell hope you're happy, because I'm not." With that, Duo stood, giving Wu Fei a mouth-watering look at his lithe, well-toned body. Water streamed off him, glinting and flashing in the fire- and candle-light, which was all that lit the deserted baths at this time of the night. Wu Fei dared to imagine the picture if Duo still had his hair and had it free flowing about him. That was a bad idea. He reflected on how bad an idea that had been to keep himself from staring openly at Duo's naked form until the thief had left the room.

Wu Fei groaned. He didn't like wanting someone so far below his own station, but he couldn't control it. There was something about the other youth that drew Wu Fei to him. He was one of the tastiest looking people the lordling had seen in a while, it was true, but there was something else. Something indefinable about Duo Maxwell that drove Wu Fei Chang almost insane with desire. The worst part was, he couldn't let a single person know.

~ ~ ~

Author's Notes: Wow… I'm tired. Prolly because it's nearly 11. ^^'