Chapter Four

Duo stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a towel wrapped around his hair. He was in his own little world but was startled when he saw Xiyuing kneeling by the doorway. He felt oddly self conscious. Her gaze was averted though which gave him some comfort. He turned his back to her and was about to walk back into the bathroom when she spoke.

"There is no need to worry sir. I have been well trained. I will not look as you dry and dress. Your Yukata is hanging in the closet. You will find a white Obi with it as well as white tobi and a pair of zori. Duo made a face he know she could not see. All these Japanese words she was saying he had no idea what she was talking about. He dried himself off, but with his back facing her and braided his hair, tying it off at the end with a black hairband. He then made his way to the closet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He found what he assumed was a Yukata there and a bunch of other items placed neatly on a shelf. The only thing that looked familiar to him was a pair of white boxers. His eyebrows perked up and he grabbed them and scrambled into them. That was the only thing he was going to be able to get on without any help and he knew it. He turned to the young women.

"Um, to be honest I have no idea what any of this is? Can you help me?" He felt silly, asking for help to get dressed. Xiuying peaked up discreetly to make sure he was decent before she looked up properly and stood. She made her way over to the closet and took hold of the Yukata.

"The Yukata is simply a casual summer kimono. It can be worn by men and women. It is worn with an Obi, or sash." She began to explain as she helped him into the garment and wrapped it around his body. She wrapped the white obi around his waist. "The kimono is more of a formal garment to be worn at weddings and formal events." She finished tying the obi behind him and grabbed the remaining items from the shelf. "Tabi are ankle high socks that separate the toes." She helped him into them, separating the big toe from the others. "They can be difficult to get used to at first but they are design to be used with the zori which are flat thonged Japanese sandals. These are the only shoes allowed to be worn inside the palace other then the slippers." She stood after he had slipped the zori onto his feet and looked him up and down.

"I wish there was a mirror in this room. I've never worn anything like this before." He felt weird. He was grateful for the boxers he was wearing but he still felt a little naked.

"I assure you Duo Xiansheng you look very striking. Black suits you, and the white is an amazing contrast. Heero Xiansheng seems to know you very well."

Duo's eyebrows perked up at that comment. He wondered what that meant, though it could have meant nothing at all. Xiuying was simply a servant girl who was only making observations after all.

"It is almost time for dinner, we should head to the dinning room."

"Lead the way." He smiled. He was hoping that some of his questions would get answered over dinner. He was excited not only for that but also to see more of the amazing architecture of the place. He wondered if he would see more Japanese design or Chinese design. As they made their way through the maze of halls he noticed everything had a Chinese design and architecture. He pondered why only his room was Japanese. They finally made it to the dining room. It was not nearly as big as he had expected it, though he was thinking of some vast viking hall with Chinese decorations and he had no idea why he was thinking this. The room was about double the size of his bedroom. In terms of dinning rooms it was a good size.

It dawned on him that it had to be the small dinning room as there was no way party's could be thrown in this room. There was a table in the middle of the room that could seat about six people comfortably. Wufei sat at one end of the table dressed in a modern black Mao suit. Heero sat at the other end dressed in a dark blue patterned kimono with black hakama. They both looked breath taking to Duo. They were talking quietly about something but stopped when he entered the room. They looked at him as he sat at one of the chairs. He ended up sitting closer to Heero, though that was not his intention. He couldn't decide who he had wanted to sit closer to and he had just sat down as quickly as possible. He wanted to know what they were talking about, but the conversation did not continue.

There was a moment of silence before dinner came out. It was some Chinese dish that Duo was not familiar with, but he was famished so he did not care. He payed close attention to both Heero and Wufei to pick up on how to eat properly and all that good stuff but it was difficult. Both men did wildly different things. It was no surprise as they were from two different cultures. Though China and Japan were close to each other they were two completely different cultures. There were similarities of course, but everything was different. Duo did his best to eat with his manners and not make a fool of himself. When he finished he placed his chopsticks beside his bowl.

Suddenly Xiyuing was beside him. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Are you finished eating, Duo Xiansheng?"

"Um, yes. Why?" He whispered back. She took the chopsticks and placed them on the bowl, parting them slightly to make a 'V'.

"When you are finished with your meal you must place your chopsticks like this to indicate it so that the server knowns you do not want more."

"Oh, thanks." Just as quickly as she appeared, the young woman was gone. He reminded himself to praise her. He had no idea where she had come from or where she went but she was good at her job. He definitely liked her, and he liked that she was so helpful and did not judge him. There were other things on his mind though. Questions that he wanted answered.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions by now, am I right Duo?" Wufei asked as he folded his hands in front of him.

"Yeah, actually I do."

"Would you like to retire to the tea room, Jueye?" A female servant asked Wufei before anyone else could speak. There was a moment of thought before he nodded his head and they all stood. Duo followed as they left the dinning room and moved to the room next door. It was decorated lavishly and the chairs looked comfortable. The chairs were arranged in a circle with small tables between them and a large circular table in the middle. There were a total of eight chairs in all. They all sat down.

"Would you like some tea Duo?"

"Oh, no thank you."

"Very well. Go ahead with your questions."

"Oh." It was almost like he wasn't ready or something. Here he was getting the opportunity to ask as many questions as he wanted and he was drawing a blank. Maybe it was the two handsome men sitting across from him. They had sat right next to each other and he had sat right across from them. How had he managed that? Wufei had a cup of tea in his hands and Heero was eyeing him, though Duo couldn't read the emotion in his eyes. There was something there, something that Duo couldn't quite place. He had seen it in Heero's eyes before, back at the hotel. It had bothered him then, but there had been so much going on that he hadn't thought much of it. Now, though there was so much he did not know, things had calmed down. What was that look?

"Duo?"

Duo looked at Wufei. He realized he was staring into Heero's eyes without noticing it. He hoped that it looked like he had only spaced out. He fought back a blush that was creeping into his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled before regaining composure. "I guess my first question is all of this. Where did all of this come from? Where are we?"

"We are in a province in China. Shortly after the war I found out I was a decedent of royalty and, after much debate, went on an adventure to find out more about my past. It led me here. This palace has been in my family for centuries, though recently I have made some modifications and renovations."

"Okay, next question..." Duo paused, wondering how he should word it. "I gotta know, are you two a thing?"

Duo could see a smile playing on Wufei's lips. "If you are asking if Heero and I are a couple then the answer is yes."

"Oh, okay."

"Why, does that bother you?"

"No, not all." Though he had to admit that it broke his heart a little bit. It meant he had no chance with either of them. "I just wasn't one hundred percent sure and I was tired of guessing."

"Okay, anything else you wanted to know?"

"Yeah, actually, what made you guys come looking for me?"

There was a moment, a pause and the two men looked at each other. Duo wondered if they had decided to tell him this yet or not. Wufei looked back at him and began. "It had been a long time since anyone had heard from you Duo, and we were getting worried so we used our skills and started looking for you. The easy part was finding the colony you were on. It was hard locating you after that, but we managed to track you down. What matters now is that you are out of that situation and safe. You can stay here as long as you want. We can get clothing that suits you and you can enjoy everything this area has to offer."

"Do I have to stay here?"

A shocked and hurt look flashed across Wufei's face before he regained his composure. "No, you do not have to stay here if that does not make you happy. You can go where ever you like Duo. You are a free man. If you tell me you want to leave tomorrow I will arrange for you to leave. However, I urge you to spend some time relaxing and reflecting. You have been through a lot in the past year and I think it would be good for you to get away from everything."

Duo thought for a moment. Wufei had a point. Not that he wanted to leave right away anyway. He was just asking the question. He didn't want to be trapped without a way out again. He needed to know he could leave whenever he wanted. That was enough for him. He would stay and enjoy everything the area had to offer. He had never been to china before, so it would be a new experience for him.

"I have no intentions of leaving any time soon, I just needed to be sure I could leave when I wanted to." Duo stated matter-of-factually.

He could see relief wash over Wufei. It bothered him though. There was something there that he was missing. Something he just could not figure out. There was something in Heero's eyes he could not figure out, and something about Wufei. He could tell that Wufei wanted him to stay, but he wasn't sure exactly why. What was he missing?

"Is there anything else?"

Duo thought. "I don't have to keep wearing this kind of thing?" Duo pointed at the Yukata. "I mean, it looks cool and all it's just I'm not used to it and I prefer jeans." Duo saw amusement in Wufei's eyes.

"We can take you out and get you some clothing more to your liking. In the mean time are you okay wearing the Yukata's? They are the only thing that will fit you right now."

"Oh, yeah that's fine. I mean, they look really nice. And that Kimono looks great on you Heero, don't get me wrong, I just don't know if this looks good on me is all."

"I think it looks amazing on you Duo," Heero growled. It sent shivers down Duo's spine and a warmth spread to his groin. He crossed his legs tightly to contain the feeling. He had a feeling he understood that look in Heero's eyes.

Wufei cleared his throat. "If there are no more questions I think it's time we all head off to bed."

"Great idea." Duo jumped up and spun around. Xiuying was there ready to lead him back to his room. He was grateful for the distraction. Heero had affected him in such a way he just wanted to go to his room and get some sleep and try his best to not think about it.

xxx

Heero pressed himself against Wufei, kissing him passionately and forcefully. Clothing was coming off frantically and they were quickly making their way to the bed. It was as if they hadn't touched each other in weeks, even though that had not been the case. They touched each other ever chance they got. They had been together for almost two years and the passion in their relationship was as hot a fire as when it began, if not hotter now. It was as if Heero couldn't contain the passion inside of himself.

"Heero, calm down." Wufei gasped, pushing the other man away slightly.

Heero nipped at Wufei's collarbone, eliciting a yelp from the Chinese man. "You know I can't."

"You can and you need to."

"I cant stop thinking of him. I want him. I want him with you. I want it so fucking bad." Heero thrust his tongue into Wufei's mouth. He laid him down on the bed and straddled him. Wufei stroked the Japanese mans muscular arms. Heero broke the kiss to position himself.

"I want him too you know," Wufei whispered, staring deep into cobalt blue eyes.

"I know." Heero bent down for another kiss before plunging into Wufei's entrance. There was a cry of pleasure from both men and they began to move against each other. The rhythm was frantic and they quickly grew closer to climax. Every thrust brought them closer until they could not hold it in any longer and they orgasmed together. Heero pulled out of Wufei and laid down next to him. They were both panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Im sorry. I didn't mean for it to be so quick." Heero apologized, staring at the ceiling.

"Don't apologize. It still felt as amazing as all the other times." Wufei rolled over and kissed him quickly before getting up to go to the bathroom and clean up.

Heero waited for the other man to return from the bathroom to continue the conversation. When Wufei finally walked back in, Heero was under the covers of the bed. "It's not going to be easy you know."

"I know. He is broken and he needs time to mend. I intend to give him that time, but I don't think it will take nearly as long as you think it will." Wufei climbed into the bed next to Heero and settled in.

"Why do you say that?"

"I noticed the way he was looking at you while you were staring him down. At first I thought he was spacing out, but he blushed when I pulled him out of it. And the way you were staring at him Heero, did you have to be so obvious?" Wufei gave Heero a disapproving look in the dim light of the room.

"I wasn't trying to be, he just looked so amazing in that Yukata. I couldn't take my eyes off of him."

Wufei sighed. They had a lot of work ahead of them, but he knew they could manage it. He just needed things to go according to plan and everything would fall right into place.

End Chapter