It has come to my attention that a few things about my interpretation of the show need explaining, as follows:
*Relena and Heero do not live in Tokyo. They live in the countryside NE of Tokyo. That is why no one notices the gundams on Heero's lawn, because there's nobody else around.
*As far as records indicate, Trowa is the real Trowa Barton, even though he really is not. (See EW) I understand there has been some confusion over that. Mariemaia is the daughter of Treize Kushrenada and Trowa Barton's sister. Adoption generally follows next of kin (By all means, Trowa is Mariemaia's uncle). Lady Une only took Mariemaia to see Treize's grave because she basically had the biggest connection with him, and therefore needed to explain things to the girl about her father's will.
*At the age of 14, Wufei married a girl named Merian, because it is Chang tradition to marry at that age. Merian was a moble suit pilot who called herself Nataku, after a Chinese legend, and was killed soon after her marriage to Wufei. (This is actually something I had nothing to do with. It's the truth about Wufei's past before he piloted the gundams.)
So, anyway, here's Wufei and Phailin's story. It takes place in former China, where Wufei has made a living out of defeating people in the ring. When a woman after Chang blood defeats Wufei, why can't he stop thinking about her? Why does the word Nataku surface again?
AC 206: The Change Time Brings (Part IV)
Don't Call Me Nataku
"So you returned to your homeland?" implored Wufei with a kind of bitter smirk. [If you remember earlier, Heero was born not too far from where he, Relena and Akiko now live.]
Relena looked at him, a little shocked at the sudden expression on his face. "I suppose so. Heero wanted to be close to his family after they met. I think he's afraid of something happening to me and not having anyone close by he could trust. Is that right?"
Heero shrugged. "I like my parents. It may seem strange to you, but I never knew them until recently."
"At least yours are still alive," said Duo.
"Agreed," said Quatre.
"So I might as well take advantage of it, right? No, my mother and father are just like friends to me."
Relena looked around the room. "I think that's enough about us. Come on, you guys, you've had adventures these past ten years, I know it. Duo, Sophie, what about you?"
Sophie blushed and shook her head. "Our story's nothing special. I wasn't even a member of his fan club or anything. We just met one day under the right circumstances and he turned out to be charming . . ." She leaned against her husband, and he smiled. "It didn't matter to me that he was famous."
"And that indiscretion's what's kept us together," Duo admitted. "There's been some close calls. But enough about that."
Relena turned to Quatre, then Trowa. "What about you? Trowa, don't you have anything to say about Mariemaia?"
Trowa shrugged. "The experience of Heero destroying her aura of invulnerably and the pain from the betrayal of Dekim Barton humbled her greatly. From what I've seen in her, she's grown to be an intelligent but gentile young woman. Because her security was shattered, I think it took her ego with it." He shrugged. "She's become quite the pacifist, but she's nothing extraordinary. What were you expecting, Relena? She admires you greatly."
Relena smiled. "I'm honored, I think. All right, Wufei. I want to hear about Phailin."
Wufei shied away cautiously. "Forgive me if I decline. I— it's rather personal and not very, shall we say, honorable."
Heero snorted. "And ours was? I'm embarrassed for the way I behaved then. We're having an emotional dumping right now, you might as well join in."
Wufei shook his head. "No. The only person I dump my emotions on is my girlfriend, thank you very much."
"I didn't know a person could be so emotional, the amount of time you've spent on the phone while we've been here," Duo said tactfully.
Wufei slammed his fist on the coffee table. "You wanna take me, Maxwell?? Go ahead!"
"Oh, calm down, Chang," said a voice from the doorway. "Although I must say I've never been told about being an emotional dumping ground." A feline form leaned on the doorframe, her eyes narrowed in amusement and shapely body held proud.
Heero jumped out of his seat, his hand fumbling for a gun that wasn't there. The others all cried out in surprise and panic.
She held out her hands. "Peace. My name is Phailin. I suspect you know who I am?" She bowed, blue-black hair shimmering. "I apologize for startling you, but I was thinking of teaching my fiancé a lesson, as he seems keen to speak falsities of me."
"Fi . . . ancee?" Wufei said weakly as she paced behind him. "You aren't serious."
She dropped her arms around his neck. "Why not? Sounds good to me."
"Um, excuse me," interjected Relena, "but how exactly did you get in here?"
Phailin held up a thin piece of wire and a chip. "I'll repair the lock and security systems immediately. I just wanted to play a little joke on Chang."
"It worked," said Wufei, wilting.
Phailin smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Good." She stood up and walked out of the room.
Duo whistled. "Man, you're like butter in that girl's hands! Ma-ni-pu-la-tive."
Wufei shrugged.
"Never thought you would have been able to stand someone so controlling."
"She's beautiful, though," said Sophie. "And deadly, I bet."
Wufei nodded dumbly.
Quatre grinned. "Strong women for weak men, right Heero? Seems to be a pattern here."
"Something like that," replied Heero.
"She's usually not this high-and-mighty. She's showing off for you guys," Wufei said. "But she is very good at teaching me lessons."
"Hm? Do tell," said Relena, raising her eyebrows. "It sounds like it might be fun to listen to."
"Go ahead, Wufei," said Phailin from the doorway. "Spin our tale for your friends."
"I'm no good at telling stories and you know it," Wufei said pointedly.
She laughed. "I suppose you want me to tell it?" She came and sat on the floor by Wufei's feet, leaning against his legs in a surprisingly suggestive gesture. Wufei shifted nervously as the other men grinned.
"Ah, but it's a bit hard to understand what just happened, so I'll explain. My clan in Thailand celebrates me as a spinner of tales and teller of legends. My love's reluctance to tell the story was simply a hint that he should leave the honor of storytelling to my talent. I'm very flattered, by the way, Wufei. Clan traditions are hard for an outsider to understand and fully appreciate, but I'll do the best I can in explaining, for our story contains a lot about clan traditions.
"I will name this tale 'Don't Call Me Nataku.'"
~~@[~*,~]@~~
[Quatre: "Hey, wait a minute! Nataku as in your gundam, Wufei?"]
[Wufei: "Just shut up and listen. She will explain it."]
Chang Wufei, clad completely in the blue cloth of his traditional ninja outfit, caressed his sword, grinning beneath the heavy fabric. To the jeers and encouraging whistles of the observers, he struck down yet another challenger with the flat of his blade.
The Yensu training grounds near Beijing had been his home, as well as his major source of income, for well over two years, for his fans showered him with gold and jewels in exchange for a victorious battle. He gathered his new bounty before calling for the next challenger. If the others could see me now, he thought wistfully. [Trowa: "Okay, so we made it eventually."]
[Wufei: "I said shut up!"]
[Duo: "Tch, touchy!"]
He was known as the Cold Sapphire on the grounds, for he never showed his face. He was the Sapphire, not Wufei as long as he was here, and the change of identity pleased him greatly. The next challenger had also chosen to hide his face. Wufei assessed him quickly. He was slight, small-boned and likely very fast, although he saw very little a hint of muscle beneath his ruby wrappings. He had come armed with a sword like Wufei's own. Watch his hands and feet. Best tactic: block and strike quickly and lightly. Wear him down, Wufei told himself. Easy.
The challenger stood confidently, at ease, waiting for Wufei to make the first move. Fool, he accosted the man silently. Never let me go first. With a cry, he lifted his sword and brought it on a downward sweep. The man brought his up to block, but with a deft twist of his elbow Wufei changed his weapon's trajectory so it was down and moving up. Yet somehow, he found his way barred by his enemy's steel. He's too quick!
The two sparred, moving too fast for most of their audience to keep track of. Wufei found himself getting short of breath. He had never before found someone to equal his talents.
With a heavy, omniscient clang, the challenger disarmed him. It hadn't been easy for him, though. Wufei had sensed the move and although he could do nothing to regain his sword, he kicked up and struck the challenger on the wrist, paralyzing his long-fingered hand and causing him to drop his own weapon.
The other recovered with speed, lashing out with his arm, steel forgotten. Wufei blocked it hurriedly. After a moment of uncertainty, it appeared Wufei was winning. Using one of his specialty moves, he uttered a yell of triumph— and was abruptly cut off when his challenger dodged swiftly, blessed with unreal grace.
The small man laughed, his voice smooth and calm. "You are a Chang, are you not? I've seen that before."
Wufei didn't answer, only lunged at him again. His energy felt strangely depleted. Suddenly, Wufei felt himself being battered, first his head, then downwards until he fell to his knees in pain. The red ninja discontinued his assault as Wufei lay in shock on the ground. He'd been defeated so easily.
The victor did not laugh, only nodded to himself. "Changs are so delusional. You haven't won until you've won. You're men of too much honor." He paced back and forth as he was showered with money, though the one coin he picked up off the ground he dropped a moment later. "But I have earned my honor here, so I no longer hide."
Tossing his head, Wufei's challenger ripped away the mask of blood-red cloth. Wufei gazed coldly, angry at his arrogance, but then gasped. The cool brown eyes that stared back at him came from a face that was not in the least bit masculine. Her soft features were flawless, her skin tanned. Though her face spoke of her southern Asian heritage, did he see hints of Chinese ancestry? She did not smile, nor did she look angry. She stood proud, blue-black hair swept in the breeze, crimped as it had been under her mask. Wufei suddenly saw . . .
"Nataku," he whispered.
"Eh? Show your face, you coward. Stand by your defeat with honor!"
Wufei scrambled to his feet, all dignity forgotten. "No! She's dead!" Harassed by his painful memories, he fled.
On the grounds, the men stared at the woman who fought like a man. "Who was he?" she demanded of the mediator.
The man shook his head. "Oh, I don't think I should reveal something like that to a woman. You reek of dishonor. Your family would be offended of your attitude."
A sharp, long knife slid out of her sleeve. "I'll repeat myself—"
"I only know his place of residence!" The man recited it to her and she withdrew the blade. "Very good. I think my friend—" she knelt and caressed the twin-headed dragon on her opponent's sword— "would appreciate having this returned."
The unnamed female ninja returned to her own quarters and clothed herself in a white face-covering dress she had stolen from the wash of one of the concubines that ran abundant for the men that lived and trained at Yensu. Although the very suggestion of the fabric made her retch at the idea of giving herself to a man in the way its former occupant's had, she knew the man she had faced today would run from the sight of her red outfit. Though there was one advantage to the costume; she could finally take off the bind she had used to disguise her body. Sighing with relief, she removed it and rubbed at the numb skin she had wrapped it so tightly around. She studied herself in the mirror, pleased at being able to show her feminine figure again.
"I had best wait to return this," she told herself, placing his sword gently on her pallet. She sat down at the computer terminal that she had paid the rent for. She relaxed in the chair and accessed the World Wide Network. Then something occurred to her. "What was that he called me? Nataku, was it?" She searched on the word.
Several items turned up. Most were documents and fan literature on the Shenlong Gundam, called Nataku often by its pilot, Chang Wufei. But something caught her eye. It was a small link, a single page. Merian-Nataku, Chang.
The headline of the page read, In honor of the departed Chang Merian. Her curiosity piqued and intuition screaming, she read on.
Merian of the Chang clan, who called herself 'Nataku,' was born in the year AC 180, in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. After a rather uneventful childhood, she married according to clan tradition at the age of fourteen. She died when attacked by mobile suits soon after her reportedly celebrated marriage, moments before her husband would have saved her. Chang Wufei honored her by renaming his Shenlong Gundam after his wife.
Reportedly, Merian-Nataku was a strong capable young woman and a Mobile Suit pilot herself, though faithful to the Chang customs, which are often referred to as "sexist and harsh." No doubt Chang Wufei felt strongly for her.
Underneath the small paragraphs, there was a picture of the girl. The ninja stared, startled at a face very similar to her own. Realization struck her like a sledgehammer. "I defeated Chang Wufei?" she breathed.
She put her head in her hands after shutting down her connection. "What fate has brought me this far?" she asked, both appalled and strangely pleased. "Does the great Buddha wish me to lecture a Chang so powerful?"
She had defeated and even killed many Changs, who had fled their clan before they had been forced to relocate to the colony cluster L5. She had heard rumors of a powerful fighter with a Chang style and had come to Yensu, and had gained entrance to the training grounds by disguising herself first as a concubine and then as the fighter she was. Her family had a deep hatred for the Chang clan, for they had once been part of it. No idiotic tradition, she vowed, would ever control her honor. She was proud to be a woman.
The sun had begun to set before she finally made up her mind. I will visit him. He deserves my apologies as much as my wrath. She followed the winding alleys, hiding the sword within the folds of her outfit. She knocked on the door and fell down into a submissive posture, letting her hair fall to hide her face. "Honorable, brave fighter, I've come to return your potent weapon," she said when she heard the door open and saw his feet.
"Where is it, then?" he asked. How could she have misidentified that voice? She removed the sword from her clothes and held it up to him. Wufei studied it for a moment. Then he said, "I'm surprised she didn't steal it."
She felt her fist clench. She almost jumped up to teach him a lesson, but took control of herself barely in time.
"You may leave. Leave my thanks with the battle mediator for returning my sword."
"It was not he who sent it," she told him. "Oh, and I am sorry about your wife, Chang." She stood slowly, raising her face so that he could see her. "A terrible thing to go through, I'm sure, but it is not my fault I look like her."
The look on Wufei's face quickly changed from surprise to anger and then to amusement. "Your master must be quite liberal to allow you to train the way you have," he sneered.
"I have no master. This is a disguise because I couldn't get in here the way you people treat women." She felt her rage rise. "Pigs! Cowards! At least I hear that you, Chang, treat women with respect."
Wufei returned her hard stare with his own. "Not when they dishonor me in battle."
"Defeat is not dishonor!" Her temper flaring, she thrust her face so close to his that their noses almost touched. "Defeat is only a lesson to be learned, teaching you to correct a mistake! I stay with my earlier statement, you Changs are all delusional!"
Wufei continued to look at her intensely. "I will not stand here and be insulted by a woman!"
She stepped back. "Perhaps I was wrong. I came here to offer my condolences on your loss, Chang, I thought perhaps you were different from the rest of your clan. I came here to offer a favor with my apology, but I see you have no want of me. I shall leave now, but remember my words, Chang."
Wufei stood in his doorway as she stalked off down the street. "And if I decide I want to take advantage of that favor after all?" He called after her.
She stopped, although she did not turn. "My name is Phailin. I will be here for a while."
Wufei stared after her, watching her fine figure as it disappeared into the dusk. No, it wasn't just her face that reminded him of his wife. Phailin's strength and confidence, as well as her liberalism also spoke strongly of her. Once again, he saw Merian standing in front of him, her eyes pleading. "It is only that I wish you to marry me that I follow the old ways, Wufei," she had said.
As Phailin disappeared from his sight, he held out his hand to the face from long ago. "Nataku . . ." he whispered. "Come back to me."
~~@[~*,~]@~~
A week and a half passed before Wufei worked up the courage to go find Phailin. The time between he had spent in constant emotional turmoil, for what was probably the first time in his life. Seething both at himself and at the woman who had done it to him in the first place, he stalked about the grounds, finding her alone by a pond. She sat watching the fish swim by, clad in a tight black outfit he knew was foreign. He was surprised at how different she appeared; though her clothes were form-fitting, her breasts and hips were hidden somehow. Her hair was tied back in a knot that hid its length so that her face seemed sharper, less female.
"Isn't that painful?" he asked, referring to her disguised figure.
She nodded. "Very, but I have resigned myself, as any true woman would do for a cause she believed in."
Putting pieces together, Wufei took a stab at what she meant. "Why do you insist on chasing down members of my clan? Why does the Chang name anger you so?"
Phailin reached down and touched her fingertip to the water. A large white fish brushed up against it before moving on. "My grandmothers fled the Chang clan long ago, protesting the unfair treatment of the women in the clan, and for other reasons. They ran to Thailand to escape Chinese retaliation and started a new life. In my family, men and women are equal. I wanted to train in martial arts to prove to the boys I knew that were still angry at the idea of women having equal rights that I would triumph over anyone who tried to oppress me. I have held to that ideal for many years, and a short time ago I decided to spread it to the rest of the world. Chang traditions anger me for their unbending stubbornness to change. Also, for the way they treated my grandmothers. My ancestor's spirits are angry and restless, and I can feel their hunger for blood."
Wufei was silent. Though the two stories were radically different, their purpose was the same. Merian, too, had hated the discrimination the other women had shown her for being a pilot, which was a man's job. She had only been the quiet, complacent female because she didn't want to have to leave the clan while he still followed it.
Chin in his hands, Wufei said "Why?"
"Hmn? Why what, Chang?" Although her voice revealed no curiosity, Wufei heard a hint of inquiry.
"Why do you have to be so much like her? My Nataku . . . if I didn't know better I'd say she'd been reincarnated into your body."
This only seemed to anger her. Her face a carefully constructed mask, she turned to him. "Why have you sought me, Chang? I don't appreciate you coming to disturb my meditation, and it doesn't improve my opinion of you a bit. I won't stand for this." She stood and made to leave, but Wufei grabbed her wrist. He noticed that it was bruised from where he had kicked her.
"I have come to seek my favor now."
She turned to him. "Oh, have you? From the way you've treated me, I should think that it would be very conditional, Chang."
Wufei nodded. "Keep me company tonight. Just tonight."
Phailin's lip curled with something between disgust and disbelief. Her voice was heavy, threatening. "If you think, especially after the way I've known the Chang clan, that I would even consider surrendering my body to you, you are sadly mistaken. Perhaps you are more delusional than even I imagined."
Wufei blinked. She had completely misinterpreted him. "No!" He exclaimed, jumping up. "No, you misunderstand. I only want you to be my companion for the day and the evening. I have no friends here. I am lonely."
She turned to him, meeting his eyes again, only this time they were soft, gentle, even a little lost. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, she thought. After a moment's thought, she said. "I accept. However, you must promise me something, Chang."
"Yes?"
"Do not call me Nataku. Ever. I am not her, understand?" Phailin gripped his arm tightly.
Wufei nodded, although he knew it would be hard. They were so much alike. "All right."
"Very well then." Phailin sat back down. "I don't suppose you're going to go away now, are you?"
Wufei lowered himself beside her again, studying her profile, her body, imagining it as he had seen her in the concubine's clothing. She was beautiful, but so cold. Phailin had been ignoring him until she noticed he was examining her. "What do you want, Chang?"
Wufei, feeling guilty, turned away. "I have a question."
"Ask."
"Why do you keep saying my name?"
She laughed, although it was not a warm, welcoming laugh. "Finally noticed, did you? Is it starting to bother you? Your pride is a great shield, but it won't hold me off forever."
"I don't understand," said Wufei.
"Of course you don't. You're an ignorant Chang. In Thailand, one of our greatest superstitions is on the use of names. We believe that a person that says your name has power over you, in whatever way, good or evil, that they prefer. Even if it is just a story, the use of one's name can affect you psychologically."
Wufei pondered this. Then, he noticed. If she believes that, why did she tell me her name? Does she really trust me, beneath all that hostility?
Her beliefs and her emotions clash for you, a voice told him. Though she hates your clan, she likes Chang Wufei. Perhaps you should tell her the truth.
Perhaps I should, he thought.
"I have a confession to make," he said after a while, watching Phailin dangle her dainty feet in the water.
"Do you?" she said, hugging her knees. She did not look at him.
Wufei took a deep breath. "I know longer consider myself a member of the Chang clan."
Phailin turned to him. "Now I don't understand."
Wufei lay back in the grass, staring into the sky. "I keep my name only because I am satisfied with it. During the War, when I piloted, my clan betrayed me. After the war, I returned to those left of my clan, trying hard to forgive, only to find that no one seemed to know me. I learned that the clan elders were angered at my actions to keep the colonies with Earth, for one of their greatest crusades was to do exactly the opposite. They had not declared me an outcast only because I had satisfied her father's desire for vengeance on the men who had killed my wife. I had an argument with several of my old friends, all grown and turned into bitter, resentful men, and I left. Once I had left the colony for the first time . . . I found I had come to believe in things that my clan opposed. I was not so close to them that I would reject all I had learned and seen outside of my home."
Phailin looked at him. Her face was etched with puzzlement. "And they let you leave?"
Wufei watched a cloud drift across the sun. "They respected me too much to harm me, but they were also angry at me. To tell you the truth, I don't think I ever agreed with all of the clan doctrines. I only followed them so that I would not be separated from Merian . . . she, too."
"You really loved her, didn't you, Chang?" Phailin's voice was filled with sorrow.
"I did," Wufei confessed. "That is why I keep searching for you. I see the similarities, and, as I said before, I am lonely."
Phailin fell beside him and propped herself upon her elbow. She studied his face as he continued to gaze into the sky. "Do you miss space?" she asked.
"Misery loves company," he replied.
"M?"
"The emptiness of space filled the emptiness inside me, I suppose. It helped me forget the tragedy that had befallen me."
"Ah. And what do you do now?"
"I seek your company."
Was it a confession of affection? Phailin pondered her new suspicion, grasping it gently. "You barely know me."
"How much knowledge does it take? I am a good judge of character, and I see similarities in you and other women I have liked— or loved. From there, what more do I need to know?"
"You're very single-minded."
"I am well known for always seeing things in black in white. But suddenly last week I was intrigued, and my thoughts bounced back and forth. I think I maybe saw gray. I am unused to it, and it finally frustrated me so that I came to find you and set my opinion straight."
"Don't you ever change your mind?"
"Not that I can recall."
Phailin lay back, mimicking him. "I, unfortunately am unskilled in the area of relationships. I've never been in love, if you can believe that."
"Never?"
"Never."
"That's tragic." Wufei said, offering no further conversation. The two of them reclined together silently for a long while. It was easier than they both anticipated, for something had caused a bond of trust to come into existence. Neither of them felt that the quiet was uncomfortable. I've forgotten how good it feels to have a woman in my company, thought Wufei.
After a while, Wufei felt his stomach rumble and realized it was getting late. "Do you feel it is time to eat?"
"Perhaps, but there are few places to dine inside this compound, and I am no great cook."
Wufei sat up. "As men, we may enter and exit the grounds as often as we like. Did you not know that?"
"I know, but every time I pass by security I risk exposing myself."
Wufei stood and offered her a hand up. "You will be with me. They will not question you."
Phailin clasped it. "I suppose I'll have to believe you." She removed a wide strip of black cloth from an unseen pocket and wrapped it around the lower half of her face. "Lead on, Chang."
"Wufei, please."
~~@[~*,~]@~~
Wufei started to bid Phailin good night, but paused. "Will I see you again?"
Phailin reached forward and touched his hand. Wufei was surprised at her sudden gentleness. She smiled. "If you want to. You and I have many differences, but I think all they do is make for interesting conversation. I don't think respect will be a problem."
She bowed and was gone. Wufei soon discovered that he couldn't sleep. He knew it wasn't her body that he wanted, though she was beautiful, but her mind. He wanted to speak with her again, for she seemed to make far more sense than the prattling of his own mind. She was so unlike the other women he had known, willful, as Merian had been; tough, as Sally had been; but she was also highly intelligent and witty. It was a dangerous combination, and he was grateful to have her on his side. Her free spirit enticed him, seduced him, for she was like a war unto herself. Nataku, he thought, forgive me.
Late that night, the came an urgent knock on Wufei's door. Wufei opened it and heard hounds baying. Someone rushed in, shoved him aside and slammed and bolted his door. Breathing heavily, the visitor said, "I've been discovered!"
Wufei recognized the frightened voice as Phailin. He cursed silently. "What the Hell were you doing?"
"Searching through the laundry for something I could wear without being either eyed or taken off. There's not much, I can tell you."
"It's not going to help either of us much if they track you here."
She shook her head, hand against her flattened chest, face contorted in pain. "I . . . jumped in the pond, washed off my scent . . . I can't breathe in this wretched thing!" With a cry, she untied the sash around her outfit and ripped away the cloth and bits of plastic she had used to bind her body. She fell to the floor, clothes forgotten as she struggled for oxygen.
Wufei retrieved a towel and dropped it over her wet form. "You'd better stay here for now, then."
Phailin shivered and gathered the soft cloth around her, huddled on the floor. "Thank you."
After a while, Wufei still watching what little he could see of her in the dark room, Phailin stood and dried herself. She hunted through his drawers, looking for something she could wear. She found a very old outfit of his, from when he was much younger. He didn't fit into it anymore, but he kept it because of the memories. Dressed in his old blue tank top and white pants, she hung her soaking clothes in his shower and sank to the floor by his legs where he was sitting on his bed. "What do I do now?" she asked softly.
Wufei's feet disappeared. "We sleep. The new day will help us plan."
Phailin slid down on the floor. There was a rustle from above, then she was thrown one of Wufei's bed sheets. "Here. The night is cold."
"Thank you." Phailin wrapped herself in it gratefully. It was still warm from his body.
~~@[~*,~]@~~
A guard came to Wufei's door around sunrise. Phailin's eyes snapped open. She cursed softly. "Wufei, they're questioning residents! There's nowhere to hide me."
Wufei sat up, his eyes searching the room, thinking quickly. "Take off your clothes and get into my bed. Hide your face," he hissed. You know I could be executed if they find you? Damn, woman!"
Phailin nodded and did so shamelessly, letting down her hair.. Wufei messed with his clothes so that it looked like he had put them on hurriedly. He checked to make sure Phailin was still before answering the door.
The guard bowed. "I apologize for disturbing you this early in the morning, but there has been a disturbance. We are looking for a woman, disguised as a man that came through this area of the compound early this morning. It is the same woman that caused an upheaval at the dueling ground last week. Have you heard or seen anything?"
His face carefully impassive, Wufei said, "I have heard nothing."
The guard surveyed Wufei's apartment. "You have a woman in there?"
"She has been with me since last evening. I wish I had more to tell you. Good luck with your inquiries."
The guard bowed. "Have a good morning, sir."
Wufei watched the guard until he disappeared up the corner. "The coast is clear," he told Phailin.
She sat up and reached for her shirt. "That was too close. I hate to ask any more out of you, Wufei, but I need to get out of here."
"I realize that," Wufei sighed. "No, don't try on your own. I'll help. I don't have anything left for me here anymore, ever since you destroyed my reputation."
Wufei dug under his bed for a suitcase. He found it and began to pack. "Go put your wet clothes in a sack and give them to me."
"You're coming with me?"
"Why not? I have nothing here but you, and you have to."
"That was a quick commitment."
"I commit quickly." Wufei looked up. "Actually, I think if they're that desperate to find you they'll be closing the gates out of the compound. I'd better go check before we get out of here."
"Wait, Wufei." Phailin jumped up.
"Hm?"
"I don't think they know where I live. If you could drop by and maybe pack up my things . . . I don't want to leave here without my possessions unless it's absolutely necessary." She held a key out to him and described the location.
"I'll see what I can do."
Wufei returned in good time with her suitcase. "I was right, the gates are closed. We should wait a few days before trying to get out, at least."
"So I'm living with you know?"
Wufei, his foul mood gone, chuckled. "I suppose so. But you must stay here."
"Will you be going out?" Phailin sat cross-legged on his bed.
Wufei shrugged. "I don't know. I might just hang here."
Phailin grinned. "Well, I need a shower because I smell like pond scum, so you'd better behave yourself." She stalked into his bathroom and shut the door.
~~@[~*,~]@~~
That night Wufei left her for an hour to walk around and think. He questioned himself suddenly as he watched the horizon over which the sun was setting, orange and red. Was he jumping ahead of himself? No, he thought, for he knew if he let Phailin get away now he probably would never see her again. He decided that he needed to tell her, but when he returned, he found the only light to be two candles that had been set on his dresser.
"I was beginning to get worried," Phailin said, opening her eyes from what looked like a meditating position. She stood. "You can turn on the light if you need it. I just like the darkness when I'm meditating. Helps me concentrate."
Wufei, without replying, stopped her from walking past him. She turned to him questioningly and he lifted her chin with his forefinger and thumb. He studied the outline of her face in the candlelight. "You're very beautiful, you know."
"I know . . . thank you. Are you feeling all right?" Phailin gave him a strange look.
Wufei met her eyes solemnly. "Promise me something, Phailin?"
"That's the first time you've used my name."
"I know."
"What do you wish me to promise?"
"Don't leave me."
Phailin looked surprised. "Were you worried about that? I have nowhere to go."
"Say it." Wufei's voice was harder, more urgent. "I need to hear it."
"I promise." Phailin reached up and took his hand in both of hers. "Are you falling in love with me, Wufei?"
"I am."
"Or are you falling in love with Nataku again? You watch me like a predator."
Wufei was startled. Merian . . . he had forgotten entirely of her. "No," he said definitely. "It's you."
Phailin fell against him and closed her eyes. "It's good to hear that."
With a contented sigh, Wufei held her for the first time. "Did you set those candles up on purpose?"
"No, I meditate every day at this time. It's just a coincidence you're in this mood." Phailin melted against him, surrendering to her feeling.
"Sleep with me tonight?"
She laughed and looked up at him. "It sounds so childish when you say it that way."
"I am very much that way." Wufei brushed a strand of hair from her face. "So?"
Phailin met his eyes, and he felt her fiery gaze penetrating his mind, piercing his thoughts. "If you think, after everything you've said, everything you've done for me, that I would surrender myself to you . . . I wouldn't call you delusional."
His pulse quickening, Wufei kissed her. "I won't disappoint you."
"I would hope not, Chang."
*****************************************
Well, that's Wufei and Phailin's story. It's really kind of serious, in the mood of a story that would be told according to Thai culture. Little hints of how Phailin changed Wufei appear all throughout my fic, so it will help a lot when you're wondering why the hell he just said or did something.
In the next chapter of my story, Heero's been having nightmares again. He wakes up in a cold sweat, fearing for his daughter' life, and goes on a suicidal rampage toward Siberia. Is he really going to commit suicide, or is he just trying to scare everyone? Akiko, his five-year-old daughter, may be the only one that really knows. The next part of AC 206: "Guilt, Anger and Fear". Stay Tuned!