The Plague of Madness
Chapter 3: Hidden Spirit
Disclaimers: Damn I hate doing this! What a waste of time! Basically to cut a long story short so that hopefully I might have a shred of a leg to stand on if I got taken to court - I OWN NOTHING!!! including the characters of this story! the only thing I own is the twisted plots my sick little mind comes up with! Okay? well it better be!
Warnings: .....
A/N: for the person that wanted to archive this - would you really? Cool! can you email me and tell me where you gonna put it? 2x5 FOREVER. hmmm well here's the next bit folkies....now we finally start to see the sparks of 2x5!
Back in Duo's rooms, Hilde listened rather tiredly to the knights rantings about the selfishness of nobility, in paticular Lady Dorothy and Baron Treize.
"...The selfish prig, He doesn't care about his slaves at all Hilde! He doesn't even consider them human beings! And don't get me started on his attitude toward the effect the plauge is having on the pesants! He is such an arrogant Bastard - people like him shouldn't be allowed to live, He seems to get more stuck up by the Day, He even had the cheek to-"
But Hilde never found out exactly what it was that Treize had the cheek to do because she stopped him with a cough, a glare and a nod in the direction of the door. In the door way stood Wufei with a carefully masked expression on his face. Duo bit his lip, drawing blood. He knew that the boy cared for his master, and verbally berating the man he was loyall to was probably not going to be the best way to win his heart!
"You're horse is ready Sir Duo" His tone was carefully even, but there was something by the way of defiance in the manner that he said 'Sir Duo' The fact that he had deliberately ignored the knights request to call him by his first name spoke volumes to Duo.
Duo decided to overlook and pretend he hadn't noticed it
"Thank you Wufei"
Gods I hope he doesn't mention this to Treize! As much as I am taken with him I don't know whether he is trustworthy or not, and he is obviously very devoted to the Baron
"Why don't you go down and wait by the stables, Hilde and I shall join you in a moment" Duo said
"Yes Sir Duo"
//Sure, so you can finish abusing my master behind his back - I should tell Treize about this!//
Wufei walked back down the stairs to the stables, battling with his consious and desperately trying to push the notion out of his mind that what the beautiful knight had been saying was to some extent true, . //I shouldn't be thinking like this, I'm loyall to Treize, I should speak no evil, nor think no evil of him! - Yet still... what Duo says ... it rings true to some extent! No! Treize doesn't know any better and he doesn't desearve to be backstabbed by his court. I wont let Sir Duo say such things and get away with it... I love Treize... don't I ? ...//
He continued the argument inside his head as he settled himself on a bale of straw to wait for his 'slave sitter'. When Hilde and Duo arrived 15 minutes later, discussing the places in most need of help rather loudly, Wufei was no closer to the end of the internal battle of loyalties V's truth than he had been when he had begun.
"Hey Wu-man" Duo waved from across the room. Wufei facevaulted. //WU-MAN!!!! WU-MAN????//
Sir Duo, sighting the look on the slaves face chuckled and said "Don't you like the nick-name?"
"Ahh - I, well" Wufei stammered wondering how best to put this " No, I don't, My name is Wufei" he said in a strong hardened voice. One he hadn't used for many a year. One he hadn't used since he was the strongest in the clan - their champion Warrior.
//Oh my GOD! did I just say that, He's going to kill me! What was I thinking taking that tone with a noble?//
"Really?" Duo had a touch of amusment painted on his face "Well if you feel that strongly about it then simply 'Wufei' it is!"
Is that the real you Wufei? Is that the warrior that has been pushed out of sight. Is this what you replaced with the meek obedient child-slave? Is this the strong, proud spirit that I saw the first time I looked into your eyes? Duo almost teared up at the thought of the Warrior that had been slaughtered so ruthlessly from inside
I promise you Wufei, I'll find the strength buried deep withing you and bring it out, I promise
"Well should we get going then?" Hilde put in nervously shifting from foot to foot. She was a little unnearved at the drawn out silence in the room and the way that the Knight and the slave were staring endlessly into each others eyes. The atmosphere made her feel like she was intruding on a private moment.
"Hm?" Duo sounded like he had been in another world!
"Time to get going?"
"Hm?... Oh yes - we should."
Hilde nodded then jumped up onto the chestnut mare that her and sally owned, while Sir Duo climbed into his horse Shinigami's saddle. Shinigami was pitch black and a trained war steed. He had recieved him as a gift from queen relena after stopping an assasination attempt.
He turned round then suddenly remembered Wufei.
"Oh shit! I forgot - Wufei doesn't have a horse do you?"
//of course I don't! Slaves aren't exactly allowed them!//
"No Sir"
"Ah well no helping that, hop up astride me, we'll ride double"
Wufei facevaulted. He had expected that he would have been made to ride with Hilde.
"Yes - sir..." Duo offered a hand to help the boy up saying "Here-", but Wufei ignored him and jumped astride the beast with trained grace.
//I'd forgotten I knew how to do that!//
Duo regarded him with a grin and a tilt of his head.
"Or...not here!"
He turned stealth around and caught sight of Hilde's surprised expression.
"Later hil" He said - meaning he'd answer her questions later.
She raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
The three ambered out into the sunlight, down the hill using the road to the village.
When they were just about at the village something darted across the path in front of the horses. Hilde blinked, then screamed when she saw what it was. A snake! Her mare reared and Hilde held on for dear life. Shinigami backed up whickering nervoulsly, Sir Duo began whisphering soothing words to the animal, but it didn't appear to be doing much good. Wufei's hands tightened unconciously around the knights waist.
Suddenly the snake darted forward, Shinigami reared and Duo let out a yell as he was thrown from the saddle and at the mercy of those flailing hooves. Wufei wasted no time. Making a grab for the reins he pulled using all his weight to force the terrified beast away from where Duo had landed. His muscles were screaming in protest but he held fast. Gradually the animal calmed, and Wufei jumped down and ran across to where Duo was lying. Hilde was beside him having already gotten her mount under control.
"Are you okay?" Wufei frowned down at Duo
"Ah" Duo grimaced "Yeah, I feel like I've just been trampled by Queen Relena's armed forces though - but I'll live" Wufei grinned, then fell back into an impassive mask. He wasn't supposed to be on good terms with the knight after the whole Treize thing.
Hilde helped him to his feet and he brushed himself off. He looked up to thank Wufei but the slave was already sitting astride the horse with a grim look on his face. Duo sighed
You're just full of surprises aren't you wufei?
"Shall we go back?" Hilde asked
"Nah- I'll be fine, I'm not like them other sissy nobles, they think they're on their death bed if they break a nail!" Wufei hid a smile behind his hand as Duo came over, a little scruffed up but still Sir duo none the less!
He fished around in his tunic for a while before pulling out an apple and feeding it to the horse.
"Tell ya what Wufei, since your so good with horses, you can take the reigns" Wufei went bug eyed *again*, he seemed to do this a lot when he was around Sir Duo...
"But-" Wufei stammered - shocked
// He can't! What if someone sees us, slaves aren't allowed to ride horses !!//
"Why so shocked - you can obviously handle a war mount just as well as I can, If not better and I'm still a little shaken up after the snake incident. You can handle him."
" But, you can't, what would Master Treize say?" Wufei whispered
And were back to *Master* Treize again! Joy oh joy
"Okay - lets get this clear, No.1 - *Master* Treize isn't here to see it, so he can't exactly comment on something he doesn't know a thing about No.2 I can tell you want to take the reigns, No.3 If anyone sees us we can just make the snake incident out to be worse than it was, say I'm in shock and you had to take the reigns because it was an emergency, and No.4 If worst comes to worst - you can always blame it on me, your under my charge and you have to do as your told" Duo finished his rant and took a deep breath.
"But-"
"If you won't take the opportunity as an offer then you will take it as an order."
"Yes, Sir Duo" Wufei hung his head in that way that made Duo wince and a lump formed in his throat.
// I shouldn't have been fooled by him, he's not out for anything more than a pretty little slave to run around and follow orders. He didn't mean anything he said last night//
Damn it I shouldn't have said that, when people give him orders or pull rank on him he seems to withdraw back into that meek little slave shell
Duo jumped up beside his crush and turned to look at Hilde. She was astride her horse, and openly staring at the conversation the two had been having. Sir Duo smirked, he knew something that would really shock her - He leaned in to Wufei's neck and murmerred "Thank you - you saved my life, I am in your debt, my friend" Then he pressed a light but tender kiss to the boy's caramel jaw line.
Wufei froze.
Uh oh - not a good sign
//He kissed me!That felt so nice...warm and tingley...so tender...He kissed me!Oh my god what will Treize do? He kissed me! What if he gets me alone? Would he...? He kissed me! What am I supposed to do - help! He kissed me! He kissed me! He kissed me! He kissed me!//
"Wufei? are we going to move, or was I wrong in thinking that you could handle a horse?" Wufei gulped and flicked the reigns starting Shinigami off at a trot.
"N-no Sir Duo"
Duo turned back to motion with his head for Hilde to follow behind. She was looking at duo as if he was an alien. Duo winked at her grinning then turned back to face forward.
Wufei's back was as strait as a rod as they made their way down the last stretch of road, The kiss obviously had him very freaked out. His head lowered as they entered the village, Duo noticed this and lent forward to talk into his ear.
"Don't hang your head, hold your chin up and be proud, you are a warrior." Wufei shook his head remembering his masters words the night before
"Oh yes you are, you proved that today when you calmed my horse. An ordinary slave couldn't do that - you have the spirit of a warrior. Don't hide it."
//NO! why does he always do this to me, why did he have to come along and dig up all these scars just when I was begining to accept my new way of life?//
"I used to be a warrior of my clan - I am not any more. I am a slave now. The past is the past" Wufei's voice was barely a whispher
"You know thats not true. You are much more than a slave."
"No"
"Yes, You were born a warrior and you always will be"
"I was born a baby too, Sir Duo, does that make me one now?"
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust - You were born a baby and you will be born again, a baby. You were a warrior and you will be one again."
Wufei bent his head lower, fighting the urge to cry. Duo leaned forward again.
"Please wufei, don't hang your head... you should be proud, please? for me?"
Wufei raised his head a little.
"Thank you" Duo whisphered and wufei felt a strange tingle run through his body.
They made theyre way slowly into the town center. People stared openly at the sight of a slave riding a horse, and wufei lowered his head again, blushing. But when the people saw it was Sir Duo behind him they stopped staring and ran up to him, laughing and crying.Wufei looked round at Duo worridely as over a dozen hands reached up to help them both down. Duo just smiled and yelled over the noise, "Don't worry, they are just happy to see me again." Wufei didn't look like he was all to reasurred.
Soon they were all off their horses and Duo had about 5 kids hanging of various parts of his body .
They were ushered inside a house and made to sit down while people fetched food and drink for them. Wufei didn't look like he was enjoying this all to much...
