A/N: Another chappie out!!!! Yay! I have finsihed When We Were Young *squeal* so I can work on this more often now. Oh yah, and I got so many different answers on the QuatrexDorothy or QuatrexCatherine thing, and I don't wanna make anyone mad so I'm just leaving Quatre not "with" anyone. Sorry to all you 4xD and 4xC fans.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, but I DO own the right to put Wufei in a potentially deadly situation. Oops, I said too much, didn't I?

FYI...Pairings: main: 5xSally (they're my fav) Others: 2xHilde, 3xMidii, 6x9...and maybe a little 1xRelena.

"I Know Why The Phoenix Sings"

Duo glanced around the lobby of Winner Apartments. A lesser officer had already placed the customary yellow tape "Police Line Do Not Cross" all around the building. The braided man shoved a hand through his hair, accidentally loosening the braid. The small flyaways that came undone made him look quite irritable. However, this didn't stop the young raven-haired woman from approaching him.

"E-excuse me officer," she said, her face was pasty and her movement was shaky, "can I leave now?

Duo studied the woman critically. She had short, cropped black hair and cornflower blue eyes, except right now her eyes seemed sort of dull. He could imagine what they would look like if they were alight with emotion, though. He almost smiled at that image. Almost.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we can't let anyone leave the scene until everyone's been interrogated," he told her gently, but firmly.

Duo didn't have to imagine what her eyes would look like with emotion, because they changed at that moment from a dull blue to a blue flame alight with anger...at him.

"Well excuse me Mr." she studied his name patched onto his uniform. "Maxwell, but I didn't kill the man, I was the one who fucking _found_ him, so if you want me to stay here a moment longer you will have to chase me, and then shoot me down and drag my cold, dead body back!"

Duo's violet eyes widened. She had a lot of nerve...

Oh...she was the one who found the man.

Duo opened his mouth to say something, but she wasn't finished.

"I came here from up north. I had decided to rent an apartment here, so I checked in, and then went back to get some ice. The stupid machine wouldn't open, so I went to ask Mr. Sprague if he would help me. I found him lying on the ground with a huge-ass hole in his chest, his face slashed up and bruises discolouring his body..." she trailed off at the last part, her face growing pale again as the images reappeared.

Duo patted her shoulder reassuringly, but was unprepared for the impact as the woman threw her arms around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder, silent tears streaming down her face. Murder is a terrible thing to witness, especially when it's unexpected. Being the compassionate person he was, Duo rubbed small circles on the woman's back soothingly, and while he let her cry on him, he forgot about the murder and the dead man lying only a few rooms away...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wufei pulled up beside Winner Apartments, stealing a glance at the woman beside him. Sally was staring out the window, her expression unreadable. The duo hopped out of the car, ducking under the yellow police tape. Entering the apartment complex, the Chinese man tapped his partner's shoulder to get her attention.

"Check security," he told her quietly. "I'll find the officers on duty and get the status report so far."

Sally didn't like being told what to do, but she was in no mood to argue. After all, they had a job to do and she didn't need to get into a petty argument. Walking up to the lobby desk, she noticed a man with pale blonde hair and expressive blue eyes standing behind the desk anxiously. His nametag read "Quatre Winner," so Sally decided she could get security access from him.

::Could I see your security room, please?:: she inquired, flashing her badge in case he was a skeptical person.

"Sure, down that hall," he pointed to his left (Sally's right). "And at the end of the hall turn left. It's labeled 'Authorized Personnel Only,' so you'll need this to get in." He held out a key which Sally took with a nod of her head in thanks.

Sally walked down the carpeted hall. The carpet was blue, with black designs twisting all down the length of it. It was one of those complex patterns that you could stare at for hours and never quite comprehend. Sally averted her eyes upward...that carpet was dizzying.

The key turned easily in the lock, and Sally entered the room, quite unprepared for what she was about to witness.

A man in a blue security uniform was slumped in a chair, his head resting against a security screen. The screen appeared to be matted with a sticky substance, and as Sally got closer she acknowledged it as blood. Then she noticed a nasty bump on the back of his head. It had split his head open, but the wound didn't look fatal. Sally pressed two fingers on the man's neck. A steady pulse beat against her fingers, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Someone had gotten into security before the authorities got here...

'The tapes!' Sally thought frantically. Whoever breached security would have been caught on tape. Say cheese.

Flipping open the VCR-like device, Sally confirmed her suspicions. The tape was gone. Wufei would not be happy...

Shit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wufei clasped a notebook in his hands. Someone had written down the current evidence inside, and Wufei was displeased at the lack of information provided.

'Oh well,' he thought. 'Sally will have the security tapes by now.'

Wufei turned into the lobby, eyes scanning the area in a quick search. Maxwell was holding onto some woman; comforting her, no doubt. A blonde-haired man, Mr. Winner, was still standing behind his desk, composing his well-hidden shock. Ah, there: Sally was standing in front of the desk, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She looked agitated...she also had no tape...

Biting back a growl, Wufei hurried over to the two, fixing his partner with a level gaze.

::The tape is gone. Security guard's out cold.:: she signed, her face remaining strained.

Wufei could easily understand Sally's quick sign language, although she had to move slower on others. His mother had been born mute, so he had learned to adapt as a child. It seemed a pity that Sally couldn't talk, though. She had a lot of talent, and it would be so much easier if her voice could be used.

'She probably has a beautiful voice...'

That thought snapped out of Wufei's mind the moment he thought it. 'Dammit, Chang, concentrate.'

"The officers are taking care of the residents and inside investigating," he told her coolly. "We are to check outside for any conclusive evidence. Most importantly, a knife and a tape."

::and a blunt object:: she added ::for the guard::

Wufei nodded his acknowledgement, and the two turned and walked outside, leaving a still shocked Mr. Winner alone at his desk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lester sat on the roof of Winner Apartments, enjoying the view...and his recent victory. He lie comfortably on an old recliner chair, sinking into the old, yet still soft cushions. This had been his secret little get-away. Not even security knew he could climb up there. He loved the seclusion it provided.

Lester stood up abruptly as he heard someone approaching...actually it sounded like more than one person. Glancing over the side of the roof, Lester saw two investigators digging around the dumpster. One was a Chinese man, and the other was a blonde woman. The man was digging through a pile of old cans. The woman was about thirty feet away, sifting through some old newspapers.

Lester's eyes widened, lighting up with anger, and not a little insanity. He had buried the security tape in the pile of cans...

With strength he didn't know he possessed, Lester shoved his recliner to the side of the roof...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sally sifted through some newspapers, but, sadly, she just could not find anything of significance. She began to think her and Wufei were wasting their time. Sighing, Sally turned her attention to her partner, watching as he scowled while digging through the old cans. He was disappointed about not finding anything as well.

The blonde woman turned her gaze towards the sky, expecting to see the moon hanging in the sky, but the light of the moon was blocked out by a large object on the roof...a large object the was about ready to topple onto Wufei!

She only had a split second to react, but the choice she made was probably the most influential she had ever done...filling her lungs with air, Sally did something she hadn't done in years..

"Wufei, look out!!!!" she shouted, her voice ringing throughout the alley, echoing shrilly off the walls.

Time seemed to slow for the woman...she saw the recliner fall through the air, and Wufei saw it fall about the same time she did. He dove out of the way, away from Sally, crashing into some garbage cans that clamored loudly against the pavement...and then the chair landed with a loud "thump" on top of the cans, creating an even louder echo throughout the night. Sally stared at the place where Wufei had stood. Her legs became wobbly, and she tried to support herself as she ran over to the crash site. The recliner blocked the spot where Wufei lay...so she could only hope Wufei dove out of the way in time.

She didn't even consider the fact that she had spoken aloud...

A/N: Oopsies...forgive me for the cliffhanger. I really couldn't help myself. I will try and get the next part up asap for all you anti-cliffy people. Also, I'm sorry for the severe shortness of this chapter.

*****Please review, comments/suggestions/questions are very welcome!! Luvvies, KaT aka Mistress Shinigami