WARNING!: This chapter contains mentions of NCS! It also has a death. well. sort of.

Disclaimer: The same old stuff. The bishonen pilots aren't mine. Damn. The story line however is and so is Sepia. She's my original character and you MUST ask if you wish to use her for ANYTHING! All rights of Gundam Wing go to their creators, and might I ad that I'm not making any money off of this. I don't have any money anyway, so don't sue. Author's rant: ~See Prologue~ ///_*

:: This means thoughts that are sent to each other.

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Chapter Ten

Dragon's Will

It was just after sunset. Duo looked down at the screen when it started to beep, alerting him that something was coming at him and the other pilots at a massive speed. He was about to turn to see what it was when the thing swiftly glided under his gundam with a low growl. He looked back ahead of him to see Sepia as they all had first seen her. In her silvery white dragon form.

He was a little surprised when he heard her voice in his mind. ::It feels good to fly again. I was starting to feel cramped after so long in human form. Are you all set for the upcoming battle?::

He heard all the other pilots reply as he did, over the com-unit. This really baffled him. He scratched his head for a second. "What is this?"

Quatre's voice came to him over the com-unit. "It's some kind of telepathy. She's speaking to us with her mind."

::Right you are young one. The Dragon Folk have always had a strong sense of mind. Since I do not have a com-unit and I prefer not to shout, I shall communicate with the four of you like this.::

The conversation turned a bit more serious after Heero's next statement. "The base is a little over 110 miles away from here. We should be there in about an hour if we continue at our current speed. Are you able to stay flying for that long Sepia?"

The dragon turned her head to stare at him with her black eyes. ::Young one, I have kept constant pace with the Dragon Child all of his life. Always close enough to see or feel him and know what he is doing. You know as well as I do that once he gets going he goes swiftly and does not stop until he reaches his goal. I have even followed him through space with the help of my magic. A simple hundred miles will not even give me a sweat.::

"Right. We fly low. It's best to stay undetected until we're close enough to make a big effect."

Duo gave his maniac Shinigami chuckle. "That'll be no problem for me and Deathscythe."

::When we get there, start your attack light. Duo you might consider using your ability to stay hidden and attack from the shadows. You all must cover me when I start to turn human. That is the time when all of my energy will be at it's lowest until I am fully changed. I will head into the base and retrieve my charge. If you are still there after he is safe, and you wish to destroy more, then you may do so. But we must get Wufei to safety. After that I will have no more part of the fray. You know my past. You know my nature.::

"Right! Let's go kick some Oz ass!" Duo shouted as they went to a lower elevation and his gundam slipped from the detection of the others. Sepia's glow dimmed but was still visible if you looked directly at her.

::I will keep in constant mind contact with all of you. If at any time you need to speak to me, simply think directly to me. I will hear no more of your thoughts than you wish me to.::

She felt acknowledgement from the four of them. The five of them remained silent for them then remained silent for the majority of the trip.

**********

As they neared the base, Sepia let out an anguished mental cry that the pilots didn't understand. She was flying it seemed on impulse now as she clutched her head and cried. ::No! Why did I let it happen? NO! Beloved! Noooo...!::

The last came out as a sob full of self-loathing. They all sent their thoughts of question to her. She didn't need to answer. Right after they sent their thoughts to her, they received feelings from another. They all knew from what they felt and heard next.

Their bodies went numb, then flared with reflected pain from Wufei. It seemed like there wasn't a part of him that wasn't racked with pain. They knew that this wasn't even a twinkle of what Sepia was feeling. She was completely in tune with her mate. As the feelings swept over them, they felt more, deeply beyond the physical pain. They felt the worst thing that any of them had ever felt.

Shame.

Horrible soul-shredding pain. Wufei felt dishonored and he hated himself for dishonoring his clan, his mate, and Chang the dragon who was the very beginning of his clan. They all agreed that Wufei should never be made to feel this. More so, they all knew what was happening to make him feel this.

They all were so deep in thought that only the dragon, who was accustom to observing, took note of what they all, including her, said at the same time. It was a harmonized echo of feelings so open and bared and freely given.

"Oz will pay!"

Sepia let out a silent animal growl of anger against Oz, folded her wings slightly and increased speed, propelled by magic. The four pilots followed and as they sped towards the line of imminent detection, they heard something that made their anger explode to the stars. They felt as well as heard mentally heard their imprisoned comrade and friend screaming with his mind and heart in overwhelming pain. They knew also that just as he screamed mentally, the pilot who never showed weakness, was screaming aloud as well.

The pilots jumped as Sepia let out a deafening roar of fury, spread herself to her full size and glow, and swept full speed over the base. The guns they fired had no affect on her magical shield as she ripped into one of the hangers that housed some of the mobile suits. She landed on her hunches, lifted her head and let out an echoing roar that obliterated the side of the base that she was on.

The pilots wasted no time in attacking the other side of the base. Sepia flew into the air and pinpointed the closest point of entry to Wufei. Once she had it, she smashed a hole in the outer wall, for quicker access. She looked over her shoulder then smashed three leos that were attacking from behind with her tail. Her eyes had a red mist around them that showed her fury. She was almost blind with rage as she felt Wufei becoming weaker and weaker with each passing moment.

She doubted that he could even fight them back any longer. She felt for his mind and found it almost shattered with pain and shame. He didn't even respond to her. She did however feel his shame well up. She turned her head to look at the rest of the pilots.

::Cover me now!::

She didn't wait for them to reply. As before the shimmering light around her brightened to block her from view. It shrank and a now human Sepia stood from where she had been kneeling. As always she didn't care nor notice that she was naked. They watched for only a moment as she disappeared into the building through the opening she had made.

Duo just lightly commented on it. "She really doesn't need clothes with that hair of hers covering her. At least from the back. Eh." He shrugged and went on fighting.

Inside Sepia walking briskly and purposefully through the halls following the feeling of Wufei. Whenever she came upon a group of soldiers she gathered energy in her hand and flung it at them. All were killed instantly.

"None shall be left alive for the injustice you have shown to the Son of the Dragon Clan. You shall all pay."

Nothing ever broke her stride. The halls where she had been, she left littered with the bodies of the dead. She came to the last door, which blocked her from her goal. She could feel the suffering radiating from it. She lifted her hands above her head for concentration. She didn't want to blast the door open and kill Wufei in the process. She noted where Wufei was in the room then directed the energy in the proper direction.

As the energy gathered in her hand, a mighty wind blasted up and around her and lifted her hair above her like a silver fury. She opened her black eyes and whipped her hands down throwing the energy and her rage at the door. She knew what she would see inside, but really seeing it nearly ripped her heart out.

Even though he was obviously too weak to scream or struggle now, Wufei was gagged and his arms were bound painfully behind his back. An iron collar and chain bound him to the wall like some dog. Blood seeped freely from his nose and mouth around the already soaked gag, and from the many gashes and cuts that covered his body.

Blood covered the small cot he was on and ran off to drip onto the floor. His offender was obviously occupied in his pleasure, because he didn't even look up when the door had exploded. Sepia stepped behind him and touched the back of his neck with her fingertips.

She instantly drained him of his life energy and he fell dead on top of Wufei. She watched Wufei's face as she pulled the man off of him. The only visible sign that he was still alive was the slight flinch of pain that crossed his face. She sorted through what she had learned from the mans mind and scowled.

Treize had told the troops at the base why he had not officially recorded the capture. He said that the pilot was to be used as an "outlet for sexual tension" and gave the soldiers free access to use and beat him as they see fit.

'And all because Wufei is my mate and he saved me from Treize. He thinks that if Wufei is used, that I will not want him. He is dead wrong! Treize will pay!'

She ripped broke the bonds holding Wufei's arms careful not to cause any further damage. The iron band around his neck took a little more energy. It finally snapped and fell away to reveal massive bruises and scratches on the smooth copper skin. She slowly turned him onto his back just as she caught a thought from Trowa.

::Sepia, They've called in a lot of reinforcements. Can you handle this on your own? We might have no choice but to fall back.::

She closed her eyes and calmed her thoughts to answer him. ::Yes. Leave. All of you! Go and take care of my child for me.::

The next thought was from Quatre. ::But there are too many! We can stay and help if you need us. My staff is taking care of your son. They are well able to do so.::

::Quatre it is not that I do not trust your staff. It is that I trust you more. Now do as I ask and go!::

She felt acknowledgement and opened her eyes. She slipped her arm under Wufei's shoulders and tilted him up to her. His body was completely limp and his head fell back on his shoulders. The whites of his eyes showed as his eyes flickered convulsively. Shallow rasping breaths that rattled and slipped from his slightly opened mouth bore witness to the internal bleeding in his body.

With her free hand she pushed his blood soaked bangs from his battered young face. She spoke in her language, which she always did when just speaking to him. "Dragon Child. Dragon Child! Wufei can you hear me? Oh, please answer me love! It is Sepia. You are safe."

She looked his nude body over with knowing eyes. "You are in a terrible condition Dragon Child. I cannot afford to heal you right now. It would do no good if I had no energy to get us out. You will have to hang on young one. Please hang on."

She gently slipped her right arm under his knees and stood up with him tucked close to her body. She pressed a soft kiss against his forehead and whispered through her silent tears. "It seems we have switched roles my Dragon Child."

She stepped out of the room with him and was immediately fired upon. Like she had before with Heero, she turned the bullets back on them. Only this time she didn't lift her hand or even look at them, and the bullets went not to their hearts, but to their heads. She stepped over the bodies and quickened her pace to an almost run.

'He does not have much time. He is so weak. I will make them pay for this Dragon Child! I swear it to you.'

A bullet hit by her feet and a soft voice called down the hall to her. "So you did come back dragon. He said you would."

She recognized the voice and turned around with hate showing clear on her face. Treize stared back at her with a smirk. "I see you found your little play toy. I hope you don't mind having shared him."

She spoke for the first time to him in a language that he could understand. "He is no more my toy than I am yours you vile beast!"

He stepped closer and raised an eyebrow. "So you can speak my language. How interesting." He looked down at Wufei. "So I see they did take what I said to heart. He helped them work out their. frustration."

He looked back up at Sepia who glared and growled deep in her throat at him. "You are powerful indeed. I watched your attack. If you join forces with me, I'll make sure this boy is taken care of and released safely."

Her eyes narrowed and she snarled. At the sound Treize collapsed with a howl of pain as blood flowed from his left eye and ear. While he was still screaming on the floor, Sepia gingerly set Wufei down propped up by the wall. She silenced Treize by lifting him by the throat with one hand.

She spoke softly as always but with venom in her voice. "Because you have tried to dishonor me with your words and you have tried to dishonor the one thing I hold sacred with your actions toward him, I leave you now, torn. You will be as half a man. Half your sight will forever be plunged into darkness as well as half your hearing be silenced.

"I know you have a daughter now, so were I you, I would treasure her. As I say you are half a man, so too will your future lines be torn from you. Never again will you be given children nor a son to carry forth your soiled name. Should I see you again, that day will be your last. I pray your daughter not be as you are. A vile unworthy creature."

She drew just enough energy from him to knock him out then let him crumble to the floor. She picked up Wufei gently and broke into a full run blasting through some walls but trying to save enough energy to get them to safety. Wufei's breaths were getting fewer in between and had a rattling sound (1) to them.

Sepia burst out of the opening she had made in the wall earlier and set Wufei on the broken ground. She almost gasped when she realized that none of the wounds on his body were going to stop bleeding anytime soon without help. She had to act quickly. She glanced up once to make sure she couldn't be fired upon and changed into her true form once again.

She spread her glowing wings and scooped her dying, fragile, mate into one of her immense claws. She jumped into the air and flew high and fast. She switched to holding Wufei cradled in her two front paws the way a child holds a butterfly. She felt Wufei slipping further away as his blood soon spilled between her fingers to the earth below. She could tell just from looking at him what kind of things they had beaten him with.

Boots, fists, whips, chains, maybe even a broken bottle since there was glass embedded in some of the gashes. She held him close to her face and whispered to him.

"Please fight Dragon Child. I will not break my promise to Chang. I will not let you die. I need you. Your son needs you. Did you hear that Wufei? You are a father! So do not leave us! Please? I love you." Her tears joined his blood as she flew as fast as she could back to the safe-house.

**********

"He is so cute. Yes you are!" Quatre said, then he chuckled as the two-day- old boy grabbed hold of Trowa's bangs. Quatre had given Trowa the baby to hold and that seemed just fine with the gifted youth. Trowa smiled slightly and detached the little hand before the baby could put his hair in his mouth.

The baby laughed and held onto Trowa's index finger. He blinked his black upon silver eyes and stuck Trowa's finger into his mouth to suck and chew on it with his gums. Trowa smiled again as Quatre stroked the thin bit of black hair the baby had.

Duo walked over from where he had been cleaning a minor cut on Heero's forehead and bent to look at the baby. The little boy's strange dragon-like eyes looked up and focused on his braided uncle while still sucking on Trowa's finger. He gurgled and kicked his feet.

Duo tickled those tiny feet, smiled and said, "You can definitely tell he's Sepia's."

Quatre looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean? Something besides the eyes?"

Duo nodded. "Usually babies can't focus their eyes until they're over a month old. They also don't grab onto things until they're around that old either. He's only two days and he's an expert at both. I looked the info up on the net. He does look like Wufei though. Doesn't he Heero?"

"Hn."

Duo looked back at his lover and stuck his tongue out. He was about to say something else when a dark shadow passed over the housed followed by a faint silver glow. The pilots gathered the baby up and ran outside just as the huge white dragon flew over the surrounding woods to the clearing where she could land.

There were marble benches surrounding a small pond at the edge of the woods and the four pilots stopped to wait in front of them. They could tell that something was off in the feel of the two parents. They saw the light, silver glow through the trees first. When they came into full view the four pilots gave gasps and shout of surprise and where frozen to the spot.

Quatre's hands went to his mouth in horror. He whispered, "Oh Great Allah!"

Sepia was carrying a naked Wufei, holding him under his arms and knees. Not a single part of him was clean of his blood. His head was tossed back and he was completely limp in hr arms. His eyes were closed and still now and his hair fell in wild, blood-matted tangles from his head. Sepia's head was downcast and smears of her silver tears were still seen on her cheek, just as the red of her mates blood was smeared on her body.

Duo was the next to speak as Heero put his arms around his braided lover's waist. It came out as a still whisper. "He looks dead."

Quatre with tears streaming down his angelic face and one of Trowa's arms around him closed his eyes and said quietly, "He is."

Duo's, Heero's, and Trowa's eyes widened in realization. Sepia gracefully stepped up to the marble bench that was closest to her. She didn't even look up at the other pilots as they watched. She dropped to her knees at the side, and slowly laid Wufei's body on top of it. As she carefully laid his shoulders down, his head rolled to face away from her and toward the other pilots.

The pilots could now see that Wufei was in fact not breathing and under all the blood, was deathly pale. The only sign that Sepia gave that she was still feeling anything was the slight tremble of her lower lip. She pulled his raven hair away from his cheek with a light caressing brush of her fingertips.

She laid her hand lightly over his heart and smoothed his hair back with the other hand, all the while never taking her eyes off of his still face. She leaned over and planted light kisses all over the side of his face, while whispering endearments to him.

"Dragon Child, you have done such a good job. Chang would be proud of you. I know I am. You are strong and gentle, and honorable like none I have met. You are beautiful and wise, and your integrity and sense of justice surpasses the best of them. You bring great honor to your clan, friends, your son and me, and to those who are lucky enough to meet you. You never gave up. I love you. But Wufei, I just. do not understand. why. you left me. "

The last sentence came out between half choking sobs. She stopped fighting them and collapsed on his still chest sobbing as hard as she could, and could not stop. Quatre told the others what she was saying and explained that he could understand her through his uchu no kokoro, that the heart spoke true words loudly. They too felt the pain of the loss.

Quatre was crying and Trowa had his eyes downcast. Duo had turned and buried his head in Heero's shoulder, and Heero hid his face in duo's hair while he rubbed his hands over the American's back. None of them were sure how long they stayed like that, but the pilots lifted their heads to look once again when Sepia abruptly stopped crying.

They watched as she slowly lifted her head and sat up. Silver tears and red blood mingled on her cheeks as she lifted her face to the clear night sky with a look of determination and anger on her beautiful face. She looked into the full, silver, moon and with her hands still on Wufei's chest, she slowly shook her head as if telling the moon "no".

Without lowering her eyes, she once again put her hand over Wufei's still heart and held one of his palms to her heart. Quatre once again told the others what she said. It was a simple sounding, yet complicated and powerful spell. This is a spell that all dragons knew, but no living thing in history had ever cast. Her words, though spoken in a normal tone, echoed and shook the ground with their power.

"Your soul, my soul, our soul!"

Once said, a bright burst of blinding light and immense power shot out from her. The next seemed to happen all at once. Sepia fell to the ground unconscious with her hand still in Wufei's. Wufei himself, though still unconscious and severely, but not fatally wounded drew in a gasping breath and started breathing again. And the only other sound was the wail of a baby ringing into the now still night. **************************************************************************** ************************

::Gasp:: Footnotes! My first! Well, I know my medical stuff. I'm a C.N.A. (Certified Nursing Assistant.)

(1) This rattling sound is known as the death rattle. It's when blood is in the lunges and starts to come up the tube when they breathe, and it really sounds like a rattle when the breath passes by. If this happens, you pretty much know the person is going to die.

Well, there you have it. Thank you for staying with me and reading this far. It's gonna kinda tame down from here on out, but hey, the last few chapters have been almost strait action. I'm deciding to give the little family a rest before harrying them again. But it should be good. I'm having so much fun writing this, but it's even better when I get FEEDBACK!!!!! I like reading your thoughts on my writing. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading it no da!!!!! Thank you for all your support and I'd like to hear more from you. Remember to only write if you have fun doing it. That's the main reason you should write fics in my opinion. That and for the enjoyment of others as well. If you're happy, I'm happy! JA NE NA NO DA!!! Luv Ya Lots!!!! -Celesta Hellewise Harman ///_*