Kiss from a Rose
By ShinraWepn


(Opening vocalization)

A full moon shines in the sky, spreading ghostly illumination over ocean swells that look black. A crumbling stone lighthouse sits upon a cliff and around it grow wild winter roses. New fallen snow blankets the ground, making the world look as if it had been drained of color. All things are either black, white, or grey save for the roses which are as red a freshly spilled blood. A lone figure stands with his back against the stone ruin, almost blending in with the shadows and moonlight that cover him. In his mitten-clad hand, he fingers a rose.

There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea.
You became the light on the dark side of me.
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.

A flashback begins. We see the same lighthouse only now it's a summer sunset instead of winter night. Treize, resplendent in his blue uniform, sits on the ground with his back against the structure. Beside him sits a bottle of wine and two glasses. One looks untouched but the other is half finished. Twined around his fingers is a lock of platinum blonde hair that shines starkly against his white gloved hand. He stares out at the sea without really seeing the sight and his eyes shine faintly with the hint of tears. Suddenly he starts as if he hears a noise, blinking rapidly and placing the lock of hair into a pocket. Wufei sits down next to the general and regards him curiously. Treize forces a smile and hands him the untouched glass of wine, taking the other one for himself. Wufei sniffs his suspiciously and then sips, his face lighting up with childlike delight before becoming an actual smile as Treize adjusted his position so he could slip and arm around the young pilot. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Wufei knows it is wrong to share this level of intimacy with an enemy, but the thrill, the taboo of the situation, is like a drug that sends his senses to a dizzy height.

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and,
The light that you shine can be seen?

The flashback ends as Wufei lifts the rose to his face and inhales the scent, so much like the scent of his dead lover. As he lifts his face and looks out over the sea, the moonlight is reflected in his eyes until they flash silver on obsidian.

Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah

Wufei's gaze moves higher to the stars that sparkle in the cold, clear night sky. Abruptly the scenes shift and now they are no longer stars but points of light reflected in Treize's eyes as another flashback begins. It's winter once again. This time the two sit before a crackling fire in what appears to be the library of a mansion. The general lounges on his side, head propped up on his hand as he watches Wufei reading out loud from a book of poetry. He is dressed casually in a teal sweater and brown slacks, slippers on his feet over white socks. Wufei's face is flushed with embarrassment as he stumbles over one of Shakespeare's sonnets. Treize scoots closer and pulls Wufei from his chair down to the floor. The Chinese boy opens his mouth to say something but finds it suddenly covered by the general's as he removes the book from suddenly limp fingers. Wufei's eyes close and he submits to the kiss, threading his smaller fingers with Treize's larger ones as the older man lays on top of him.
"So wrong..." Wufei mouths the words as he nibbles along Treize's chin.
"So right..." Treize responds silently, his expression rapturous.

And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey

The two figures grow fuzzy as the focus is pulled away from them and to a table beside a window. Frost makes lacy patterns on the clear surface that even the heat from the room inside cannot melt. Outside, snow is gently falling on red winter roses as they grow in a window box.

(Vocalization)

Slow shots of Wufei and Treize as they tenderly begin to make love. Wufei tosses his head back as Treize takes a taut nipple between his teeth and lightly tugs. Another shot, this time of Treize's face as Wufei, shirtless, straddles his hips and presses downward, making them both close their eyes and groan.

There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say

Wufei captures the tawny-haired general's face between his palms, staring deeply into eyes the color of the sea itself. His expression is pained as he opens his mouth to say something...and then closes his teeth to worry his bottom lip, looking away. Treize touches the boy gently, concerned. What's wrong? his eyes ask. But Wufei shakes his head, unable to voice the feelings that ache within his heart.

You remain
My power...

Khushrenada's eyes open wide as his hands are pinned by his head and the Dragon grins down at him with sadistic glee as clothes seem to vanish from their bodies. Though he could easily break free, the general has no desire to do so. He has been caught like an animal in a snare, utterly mesmerized by the golden-skinned pilot atop his chest.

...My pleasure...

A quick reversal, and now Treize is once again on top. Wufei squirms but quickly stiffens, arching his back into an intimate touch that makes his mouth open in a cry of ecstasy. Treize positions himself between the pilot's spread legs, holding him steady.

...My pain! Baby...
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?

The moment of entry. Wufei grits his teeth and clings to Treize who hushes him with soft kisses over his face and whispers words that hold no meaning other than to comfort his small lover. After a while, the Chinese pilot begins to respond to the kisses once again, his movements hungry and desperate all at once for the older man inside of him.
"So wrong..." he whispers again. Treize smoothes back tussled black hair that has come free of it's bindings from the boy's face.
"Shall I stop?" is the quiet inquiry.
"No...I want this, however wrong it is. I want...you."
Treize smiles, his expression filled with tenderness that holds only a hint of patronization. "Then I shall not deny you." He begins slow thrusting that sets Wufei's desire alight once more, making him into a fey thing that is all sensations and warmth, despite the chill of winter seeping through the floor. Black eyes find blue and hold, each side telling passionate lies that promise eternal love and friendship, as if it would last outside the heat of the moment.

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?

The firelight reflects in Treize's, heavy-lidded eyes as they finish. The focus switches to Wufei who is panting under the taller man, sweating slightly from the exertion, and his eyes that echo the light of his lover's.

Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah

The light shining in Wufei's black eyes slowly becomes the starry night sky once again as he returns to the present and the flashback ends. Though the cold wind whips at his scarf and ponytail, he doesn't seem to feel it. Instead he watches the turbulent waters below him that crash against the rocks of the cliff upon which he stands, imagining a pair of sea blue eyes. He shakes his head, trying to dispel the image but it's no use.

Now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the grey

He sighs and looks down at the rose in his hand. The focus is pulled into the flower until bright red fills the view. Another flashback begins as the focus is drawn away and the red of the rose transforms into the red of Zechs Merquise's uniform jacket. Wufei watches stealthily from outside a balcony window of the parlor as Zechs and Treize have a heated argument. The general makes some snide remark with a cold smile that seems to make Zechs flinch, going white under his mask with fury. He raises a hand and slaps Treize sharply across the face, knocking the other man back a few steps from the force. Wufei takes an involuntary step forward in defense of his lover, his hand reaching for the sword he hadn't worn since he'd given up trying to defeat the general. Treize slowly straightens his uniform and smoothes back his hair, quietly telling Zechs to get out. The second in command does so, slamming the door behind him with enough force to make small knickknacks rattle on table tops.

I've been kissed by a rose on the grey...

Wufei wonders if he shouldn't just leave, since this isn't the best of times for his visit. Treize goes to a cabinet and opens it, selecting a bottle of scotch. Surprisingly, he doesn't reach for a glass but instead pulls off the top and takes a large mouthful, swallowing hard. He begins to cough, as if unused to so strong a drink. He covers his mouth with the back of one gloved hand before using it to wipe away a single drop of the scotch that had escaped his lips and dripped down his chin. He is obviously upset and it tugs on Wufei's heart to see his lover in such distress. Silently he enters the room and comes up behind Treize, slipping his arms around the man's waist and laying his head against the broad back. Startled, the general half turns before he realizes who it is. Setting the bottle aside, he pulls Wufei into a fierce hug, seeking the comfort which the boy is offering him. But somehow, the embrace feels different to the Chinese pilot, as if Treize were secretly wishing that the arms that held him belonged to someone else.

I've been kissed by a rose on the grey...

The scene shifts to later that night. Wufei looks down at his lover who lies amidst tangled sheets and covers, already instinctively reaching out to the warm, vacant spot where minutes ago, the young pilot had been laying. Reaching to the vase on the nightstand beside the bed, he removes a single white rose and places it on one of the pillows, knowing Treize will find it when he awakes. Gathering his things, he silently slips from the room via the French windows that lead to the backyard terrace.

And if I should fall
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey

Another flashback. It's raining, but Wufei doesn't seem to mind as he gleefully sneaks past security censors and guards to his normal rendezvous spot. He sneaks onto the balcony by the parlor, clutching a small, waterproof package to his chest. Inside, it contains two finely crafted gold rings. He was going to wait until the actual meeting time they had arranged, however, he simply couldn't hold back the excitement until then. He had to see Treize tonight, to finally be able to admit to him that he had fallen head over heels in love with the man, and to vow that no matter what, they would have to try their best to survive the war. However, his shoes skid to a halt, almost making him slam face first into the glass doors as his mouth falls open in shock.
Zechs Merquise is there, on one knee before Treize as he sits in an overstuffed chair. The second's head rests in his lap, his eyes closed and a relieved smile on his face. Beside him sits the white mask he always wears. Treize's eyes are also closed as he strokes his lieutenant's hair like one does a favored pet. On his finger glitters a flash of gold that was not there during his last meeting with Wufei. Heartbroken, the Chinese boy disappears back into the night. Behind him, Treize jerks, startled, and Zechs asks what's wrong. "I thought I just heard..." He trails off as the blond man at his feet looks up at him. "No, nevermind. It was nothing."

There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say

The scene shifts to the final battle out in space between the former OZ general and the Gundam pilot. Anger and hurt fuel Wufei's attacks as he shouts at his former lover with a passion. His words are about justice and lack of honor but what they really speak of is the bitter sting of betrayal, of forbidden love that was doomed to die even as it was born. Treize responds calmly, giving no hint of understanding or even recognizing the true feelings behind the words snarled at him by the Dragon.

You remain
My power...

Treize makes a sloppy attack and in his anger, Wufei seeks only to lash out at the one man who has caused him so much pain. The weapon drives home into the Tallgeese II, sending a shower of sparks across the vid-camera installed in the former general's mobile suit. "Well done, Wufei," Treize chuckles, though there is pain in his voice. "I would have expected no less from a Gundam pilot."

...My pleasure...

Images flash across the boy's mind. Long talks...Walks on the beach...Dinner by candlelight followed by love making so sweet the rich deserts left abandoned on the table seemed but pale comparisons. All this and more is seen before coming to an abrupt end on the point of Shenlong's weapon.

...My pain!
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?

"Oh God! No! Treize!" Wufei cries out. But if the man heard him or not, he couldn't tell. The sound has been cut from the Tallgeese II as the wires and circuitry start to explode. He watches with raw agony as Treize breathes his last words. Though he can't hear them, Wufei reads Treize's lips, feeling a renewed surge of jealousy mingle with the pain in his heart.
"I will see you on the other side...my eternal friend," Treize says before the vid-cam goes to static and the Tallgeese II explodes in a tremendous burst of fire. Wufei screams loudly as the pain in his chest becomes unbearable. It feels as if his heart exploded with the other mobile suit. Tears seep uncontrollably from his eyes as he bows his head with utter grief.
"Damn it," he whispers. "I never expected to win...I never expected to win..."

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and,
The light that you shine can be seen?

The scene fades back into the present. Silver streaks of ice mar Wufei's face, frozen tear tracks from tear-bright eyes reflecting the moonlight. Reaching into his thick jacket, he pulls out the well-worn package from so long ago, still holding the rose in one hand. Carefully he unwraps the package and removes one of the two gold rings.

Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah

Gently, he slips the gold ring onto the stem of the flower. Though the gold loop is many sizes too big, the leaves and thorns help hold it in place. Bending over, he places the rose in a patch of untouched snow, the gold and the red being the only colors against a backdrop of greyish white.

Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the grey

"I think I truly loved you, Treize," Wufei says softly, a puff of steam accompanying his words as he stares the offering to the general's spirit, wherever it may be. For a moment, he looks like he wants to say more, but finally decides silence is best as he touches a kiss to his fuzzy, mitten-clad palm and places it to the petals of the bloom. "Sweet dreams, beloved."

Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey

The Chinese boy turns away from the ruined lighthouse, the glimmer of his eyes fading to an almost unnatural black as he is leaving.

Ooh, the more I get of you
Stranger it feels, yeah

I wish I could have told him what I truly wanted to say, he thinks to himself as he walks back towards where he parked his motorcycle. But somehow, I doubt it would have changed the outcome the slightest bit.

And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey

The scene shifts back to the lighthouse with it's darkness and light and the red of the roses. In the background can be heard the sound of a motorcycle ignition and the squeal of tires on ice as it drives away. A silent figure detaches itself from where it he had been hiding the entire time, approaching the single rose and it's gold companion. Zechs Merquise blends in perfectly with the night and moonlight, for in his black jacket and pants he looks like nothing more than a shadow. His hair could have been moonlight made solid. From his pocket, he removes his own gold ring, a duplicate of the one he had given to Treize. Lifting the rose Wufei had left behind, he slips it on next to the other band of gold before replacing it in the snow.
"I think he loved you too," the Sank prince murmurs, knowing the Gundam pilot will never hear his words. "Perhaps more then you'll ever know."

Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the grey.

Turning away, Zechs blends back into the night. All that can be heard is the sound of the surf crashing against the rocks. And with it comes an echo of the prince's words. "More then you will ever know..."

~Fin~