Disclaimers; I don't own WuFei or Sally. They both belong to Sotesu or Sunrise... whichever.
SINS OF SILENCE.
Epilogue 1
Like a Dragon.
The year is AC 200....
*I know all about, your reputation....*
Sally stood still for a moment, at the entrance to his gym.
He was in there, she saw.
Practicing, as she was supposed to be there as well.
A year ago she had asked him to allow her to understand him. He had offered to teach her some of the Wu-Shu he was so adept at. Under the pretense that she was so weak that she would need all the help she could get.
Sally had seen the laughter in his eyes as he had said that though. It ruined any affect of condemnation from her partner. It had been year since she had first realized how much Chang WuFei truly meant to her.
It seemed so much longer to her now. The times learning to understand the dark Chinese were some of the best in her life. Each time she discovered something new about him, she would learn something about herself too. The scholar he had forgotten was showing himself more and more. But that did not mean he had lessened in his physical training. Training that now involved her as well.
He was a hard taskmaster, but he was also a good teacher. Sally could now manage some of the finer points of shu fa, thanks to her tutor. But that time spent in each others company had revealed something else to Sally. The desire to know him on a more. To understand WuFei on an intimate level. That he was gorgeous to her eyes did not help, but Sally enjoyed their banter as well. She loved it when he laughed. She loved it when his eyes darkened with anger, the fire leaping within their depths.
She had no idea whether her partner felt the same way though..... Until that fateful event a month ago.......
*And now it's bound to be a heartbreak situation.*
( Up... down... swoop... return... kick... push... return.
Block.... block... strike.... return... kick... push... return.
Are you going to stand there watching me all night?" The Asian youth's voice held the lilt of amusement- though his face did not change. He moved through the form with grace and ease, not pausing to look over his shoulder to where he knew she stood. Already aware she was there... For the previous five minutes.
"Actually... I was thinking about it." Sally replied flippantly. Watching as her partner mover from one pattern to another- pausing only to take a breath and resettle himself in between. Mentally following along with the graceful movements that were deceivingly deadly.
"But I could join you...."
His eyes did not waver from their gaze, but he said. "Then I could correct you when you make a mistake."
His voice betrayed no emotion this time, but instead, in the sudden turn that was part of the next move Sally caught the whisper of a smile teasing the Chinese's youth's lips.
With a tiny smile of her own, Sally moved into place beside her Asian partner. WuFei spared her a glance, another small smile, and then commenced the pattern.
"The Dragon," WuFei murmured softly, his right hand drifting up and down from his thigh to the level of his hip. Then drifting back down to his thigh.
"This was the first form I ever learned."
The movement was repeated, his hand drifting up to his chest.
"My father taught me. I was five."
The bronze hand swept up, clutched the air over his head..... then fell back to place beside his hip.
"His voice... was... peaceful... patient.... gentle... as he walked me through it..."
He was silent for a moment, as he rose his arms, bending elbows back. His fists clenched then he brought them up to chest level again.
"The Dragon is grace and beauty he told me.... But also deadly ability. He is swift, elusive, but fierce and light with hidden movement. He is ancient wisdom and powerful force, combining knowledge and strength to overcome his enemies."
Opening his hands, WuFei rotated them, palms down and slowly pressed them downward until his arms were fully extended along his sides.
"It is said, he who knows the Dragon, feels the fire of inner power. He is one with that fire.... One with the wind which fans that flicker to a flame."
Then he stepped forward to assume a lunge stance; at the same time he closed his hands and extended them as well.
"The Dragon is renowned for his ferocity and stealth.... He stalks, then attacks, and counters swiftly."
His hands curled slightly as he moved his arms in a wide sweep moving backward at his shoulders.
"Similar to the tiger, but he prefers the direct approach, moving into an opponent on an angle - to better control and avoid a direct confrontation of force...." He finished.
They continued the rest in silence, Sally found herself unable to speak after those words, or unwilling.
The pattern ended eventually. Both settling - bringing their hands up, clenched fist to open palm, bowing slightly, sweating lightly. WuFei turned to Sally, breathing deeply - his eyes alight with something Sally did not recognize.
*But I can't help it if I'm helpless...*
Sally was warm. Far warmer than she had been practicing by herself or with him before. It was as if the very air was burning around them. It confused her. WuFei had kept the pace of the pattern slow.... Slower than Sally had ever practiced. And the energy around her partner, the energy he was radiating... was simply resonant.
"I am like the dragon," WuFei said softly.
"I stalk..."
His eyes searched those of his partner but found only wonder, confusion and something else there... something far deeper. The same feeling he himself was experiencing.
"I attack..."
He took a step closer, effectively closing the little space that distanced him from Sally.
"Directly approach."
Onyx eyes fell from the blue gaze that had transfixed and bewitched him - fell to lips that were slightly apart as they took in life-giving air.
"I take...." He whispered, a hand snaking out to find it's way to Sally's neck, his thumb playing over the sensitive skin of her throat. He felt Sally's breath quicken... and gently, he exerted force against the fragile neck, drawing her closer.
He was mere centimeters from her lips when he paused.
Then he stepped away.
"I need a shower." He said softly, and turned away, grabbing his shirt from a vacant chair and leaving Sally standing there.
Alone and completely breathless....)
*Every time that I'm where you are...*
.......And every time Sally saw her partner now, her heart would quicken and she would experience that same feeling of breathlessness as she had that day.
The memory of his strong hand on her neck.
The soft but irresistible pressure there....
Drawing her closer to him, to his lips....
Those dark eyes alluring...
The closeness she had never experienced before with him.
WuFei had not mentioned it again, but neither had she. She was not sure why he had stopped when he had.
She had felt the desire so strong in him. His eyes had been afire with his feelings.
She had been confused at the time and her only explanation was that he had taken her confusion for hesitation and had stopped because he believed she wanted him to.
That had been Sally's last desire.
But she knew that unless WuFei was certain that this was what she wanted, her partner would not proceed. His honor prevented him. She understood this from long experience. And so Sally would show WuFei exactly how she felt.
He understood actions far better than words.
Pushing the door in slightly, silently, she searched the gym for her partner. It did not take her long to locate him. Sitting near one of the walls in a lotus position, obviously taking a quick break. He was unaware of her presence yet. He was too busy enjoying his favorite food....
*You walk in and my strength walks out the door.*
Sally watched as WuFei's fingers bit deeply into the skin of the mandarin and peeled away a large chunk releasing the pungent aroma of bitter-sweet orange into the still air. Each piece was meticulously peeled from the fruit it protected, leaving slices vulnerable to his slender bronze fingers.
Coated with sticky juice she could only imagine the mere smell from across the room. Sally watched his fingers pry the slices apart before he separated one and bit into it.
His teeth sinking into the tender flesh as juice trickled down his chin despite the swipe of his already coated hand.
She wondered then, not for the first time, if the acidic flavor would pick the flavor of cloves and allspice that seemed to cling to his exotic skin. It seemed she had always wondered if his skin was that dusky tan due to the saturation with spice.
Today, however, Sally was determined to find out if her speculations were true.
*Say my name and I can't fight it anymore.*
She ignored his quietly seated figure as she strode across the room to take up a defensive stance. Her intention was to totally ignore his presence, so she carefully kept her eyes straight ahead....
Even as she noted each bite of orange he took in her peripheral vision.
Carefully she worked through her chosen pattern. One just out of her range and knowledge. She knew that her bumbling efforts would eventually enrage him enough to interfere.
Slowly she pivoted, and cringed inwardly as she realized she just fumbled her roundhouse kick.
She could feel how far her timing was off, far more than she anticipated. Those obsidian eyes, sharp as shards of jet, were cutting into her concentration and undermining her confidence.
She had known it would be difficult, but she didn't realize that her true incompetence at that particular pattern would make her feel like as fool as well as look like one.
The soft rustling of silk chipped her mental anguish like a china cup dropped onto tile. She concentrated and punched forward as the pattern called for, when she felt his arms reposition her hands.
That was what she was counting on.
His need to correct, to instruct in the proper manner.
She pulled away from him roughly then resumed what she was doing.
Again she was halted.
WuFei repositioned her hands as well as grasping her waist as he centered her balance. She could feel the difference in her stance and behind her punch, but it was a different lesson she wanted today and so she jerked from his helping hands and marched to the other end of the large room, turned to face him before taking up the pattern again.
*Oh, I know I should go...*
The look of displeasure on his finely featured face told Sally that her strategy was working. Soon enough, she knew, WuFei would declare her incompetent and would decide to show her how weak her defenses were.
He had done so before.
Sally knew she would have to be ready. Her meager stash of knowledge should be enough to keep her standing and pain free for a few moments.....
But only if she saw it coming.
She frowned at him as he calmly headed towards her again, although the scent of oranges now clung to her from his touch, making her stomach clinch for the taste of him.
The grace and elegance with which he was walking, was enhanced by the fact that it was completely natural to him.
Sally was constantly amazed how WuFei could be so unaware of the sensuality he radiated It was in his stance, his face, those dark eyes. The cat-like ease with which he moved. He was constantly at the receiving end of women flirting with him. But he always seemed oblivious.
*But I need your touch just too damn much.*
She flung into the punch that seemed to bother him so much and watched the frown settle between his sleek eyebrows as his bright ebony eyes sparkled with fire. That fire she loved so much.
Resolve firmly planted on his face, he strode forward and declared.
"If you are going to learn a pattern, you should learn it in such a way that you can actually use the knowledge."
Then he demanded, "Take up your stance," as he planted his feet shoulder width on the rosined floor.
Excitement poured through Sally like the sunlight through the windows as she raised her arms into a defensive gesture.
Waiting.
Her partner's lightening moves battered against her simplistic defense, which was holding... for now.
However the forceful barrage forced her backwards into the wall and her unprotected head bounced off the solid surface making her see stars. The abruptness of her collapse backwards seemed to galvanize him into action, but her own pain ridden mind screamed 'defend' as he loomed before her.
*Loving you... Isn't really something I should do *
She heard WuFei's soft gasp as her knee slammed blindly into his side. She knew it was from surprise rather than pain.
It was a lucky shot.
His quick grip held her leg in place above his hip as he batted away Sally's hand from her chest. She blinked tears from her vision and flinched as his hand appeared in her line of sight.
Instinctively defensive, with one of the most powerful martial arts masters holding her off balance against a wall on one foot, Sally froze and realized WuFei had as well.
So far, nothing had turned out the way she had planned, except that she was close enough that she could smell the heavy fragrance of mandarin orange mingled with the spices that clung to his dark skin.
That hand still held in front of her wide eyes would taste like the Chinese's lips if she just leaned forward and touched a tongue to his fingers.
Sally eyes stared out from under spiky damp lashes as she assessed the reason for his stillness. The enigmatic quirk of his lips followed the darting tongue that was dampening her own lips.
*Shouldn't want to spend my time with you.*
His rich voice was tangy on her nerves as he queried. "Are you hurt?""
And his knuckles sticky still, touched Sally's raised chin, letting his thumb tug lightly at her lower lip producing a sharp surprising sting.
She had not noticed the cut.
She licked at it again brushing against WuFei's thumb, still there, tasting the blood mingled with the essence of orange. She was still looking into his eyes and so she was able to see the well of heat the feel of her tongue flooded through his body.
Made bolder by that fire she could see licking at the edges of his perfect composure, she slowly leaned forward flicking her tongue across his thumb.
Before drawing it between her lips sucking lightly on the tip as she swirled her tongue against the pad. When his tongue slowly swept out in an unconscious imitation of her actions, she pulled him closer with her lower leg.
*I should try to be strong.....*
WuFei's slow smile clearly said, that although she may have started this, he would finish it.
Gradually, she used both of her hands to hold his, so that her famished tongue could lap at the elusive flavor embedded in his skin.
With each swipe of her taste buds across the sensitively callused ridges of his hand, WuFei's body moved a millimeter closer to her own until their breath was mingling through their interlacing fingers.
His toned stomach pressing her spine flat to the wall as his tongue brushed across her own as it snaked around a juicy ring finger.
The electric thrill that shot through Sally at the contact was sparked into a raging flame by the answering nudge of WuFei's hips.
That small encouragement was enough for her to risk the consequences. Slowly she drew his almost clean finger into the depths of her mouth and suckled it cradled on the soft bed of her tongue.
She closed her eyes just at the taste of him. The feel of his finger in her mouth. His close proximity making her heartbeat race.
*But, baby, you're the right kind of wrong.*
Shock forced her eyes open then.
Sally raised her pale orbs to his own fiery gaze as she watched her own finger disappear into the hot cavern of WuFei's mouth.
The light graze of his teeth sending her already overworked heart into overdrive. The distinct feel of him against her and the hard fingers holding her leg up, keeping her body open to his arousal against her made her feel vulnerable. Their position was completely erotic to her eyes and it send Sally over the edge.
She snatched her finger from his possession and buried it instead in the long ebony hair, caught at the nape of WuFei's neck, still in it's severe tail, but loosened now. She pulled him towards her, needing to drink at those lips in front of her.
But he stopped her with the erotic control of his body, his hands on her neck.
"You're playing with fire, Sally Po." WuFei whispered seductively.
Her own voice was shockingly out of breath to her ears.
"I'm not afraid of getting burnt...."
With a low growl, he tilted her face so that he could sip at her lips, frustrating her hunger to no end. The delicious flavor and sting of his lips and tongue as he bathed the small wound on her lower lip from her earlier unconscious bite. Gently he licked the tiny trickle of blood, cleansing the cut and spirit with this uncharacteristically tender touch.
*I might be a mistake... A mistake I'm making.*
At Sally's soft sigh, WuFei turned her head and melded his lips to hers and she was smothered by the scent of mandarin oranges and spice.
Drowning in the taste of him, exotic and alluring on her tongue.
His mouth was firm and sure. It did not gently persuade, it unarguably possessed.
Her fingers plucked at the white silk as she tried vainly to pull him closer, only to cry out as he dipped, breaking the contact or their mouths.
He startled her then, raking the feel of his hardness down her stomach as he yanked her remaining leg around his waist and pressed upward to pin Sally against the wall again. Then swiftly WuFei crossed her legs around his waist. Moving his head forward, he sealed their mouths back together as he stole the breath from her body and all she could think to wonder was if mandarins were aphrodisiacs......
*But what you're giving, I am happy to be taking.*
Sally closed her eyes and her head fell back against the wall behind her in a gesture of complete abandon as WuFei's lips fastened on her vulnerable neck. The rush of excitement at being held up completely by him was overpowering, a sense of such hidden strength that was not her own.
The moist feel of that questing tongue, those lips, brash and sensitive as they explored her neck, drove her into a quiet frenzy.
Again her partner surprised her as Sally dipped backwards at the sudden loss of the wall behind her.
But she was saved by his arms snaking around her shoulders, and she responded in kind, her own moving to around him and her fingers were cradling the nape of his neck, stroking softly.
Then WuFei was kissing her again, even as he moved away from the wall, and she was lost. A deep slow shudder went rippling through her, leaving in it's wake a quivering ache that only he could heal. She was lost in the feel and the taste of him and the spicy scent that was only him. Her blood was racing, her heart thundering, her body melting against his.
*Because no one's ever made me feel the way I feel, when I'm in you arms. *
She was aware that WuFei was lowering her onto one of the practice mats littered around the room. When his mouth at last released hers, her choked cry of protest came from the sheer pain of depravation. They stared feverishly into each other's eyes. Then abruptly she was kissing his face, his neck, with a kind of fiery restraint.
Sally was overcome by the long awaited closeness of him, she began determinedly tearing at his white silk over-tunic. Unable to undo the small buttons she ripped the cloth when it too stubbornly resisted. That done she grabbed the dark top WuFei wore inside it and dragged it over his head in a swift movement.
The sudden sight of WuFei's bare shoulders and chest with their unconscious beauty, their intriguing interplay of smooth skin and solid muscle beneath, was again too much to bear. Her hands snaked down to grasp the waistline of his pants, struggling to loosen it.
Sally was brought up short when she realized that he was laughing.
*They say you're something I should do without.*
It was a sweet sound and one she loved to hear coming from him. Always so reserved. She could lose herself to that sound....
WuFei caught up her hands, held them still, then softly, in an amazing gesture of tenderness, he pressed them to his lips. She idly wondered in a contented haze, what she had done wrong now...
His laughter calmed to a sensual chuckle, "Slowly," he said. His eyes met her own.
Obsidian and sapphire.
"This is not a battle."
"Oh?" Her own voice was breathless and tinged with humor.
He watched her, and marveled at the look Sally gave him. Those blue eyes were alight with mischief, signaling that she wanted to play; yet at the same time, they were fogged with carnal passion.
He reached out to caress her face, and he said, "Yes, there is a notable difference between a bed and a battle."
She frowned with mock puzzlement. "Really."
WuFei nodded. "What happens in battle hopefully ends quickly. This, I hope, not so quickly."
Sally nipped the hand that stroked her cheek.
*They don't know what goes on, when the light's go out.*
WuFei gave her an alluring smile and his hand brushing lower, then he stopped, his head lifted and he appeared to be listening.
There was a sound of a door slamming outside and a moment later a recognizable voice shouting, "Hey... Wu-man.... Where are you?! Quatre's going ballistic! You'd better hope you remembered the barbecue, or he's gonna kill you....."
They looked at each other.
"I know we're kinda early, but I've brought some extra food. The guys are just parking their cars."
Sally gave a soft groan beneath him and whispered, "That was today...?!"
WuFei swore softly. He wanted her so desperately to be thwarted now, it was almost more than he could bear. It set his teeth on edge. It made him want to scream with loss and anger. The feeling made him want to hurt someone.....
"Maxwell...." He growled
Sally was frowning as she gazed in the direction of the door, silently praying that Duo would not walk in. "But it's set for the twentieth...."
When she received no answer from WuFei she glanced up at him. His eyes were closed in pure frustration, his breathing controlled, he said softly.
"Today is the twentieth."
"......Oh...."
*There's no way to explain.....*
With another soft growl, WuFei rose to his feet in a fluid motion, pulling Sally up beside him. He bent to retrieve his top from the floor, ignoring the button-less white tunic. Drawing it over his head quickly he turned to her and said very deliberately.
"We'll finish this later."
"Later...?" Sally echoed, still a little breathless from WuFei's previous administrations.
"Woman... I never start anything I don't intend on finishing." His voice was still soft and low and Sally had to catch her breath at the wealth of promise hidden in those words.
"Sally." She corrected absentmindedly. Her own voice was gentle and there was no rebuke in the word.
"Sally..." he whispered huskily, before planting a parting kiss on her startled expression and disappearing out of the room.
She shivered in the empty room, her eyes still wide. The intimate way her name rolled off his tongue sent tremors through her.... Maybe she should have stuck with woman...
Then she shook herself out of the daze, still not quite able to believe how wonderful her name sounded when it was uttered from WuFei's lips.
Drawing a deep breath, she turned and went to join the growing gathering of friends.
*All the pleasure is worth all the pain....
I should try to run...
But I just can't seem to.
Every time I run,
you're the one I always run to.
Can't do without...
What you do to me..
I don't care if I'm in too deep....*
To Be Continued...
Tee Hee... Anybody else wanna kill Duo.....? ^__^
I use 'pattern' and 'form' instead of kata, because kata is a Japanese terminology, the moves Sally were trying to perform were Chinese in origin.
Don't you just love mandarins! ^_____^
The song in this fic is a really great piece, it has really beautiful guitar and string music, kind of soft rock.... It's from the 'Coyote Ugly' soundtrack. It's called 'The Right Kind Of Wrong', sung by Leann Rimes, who has an amazing voice.
Okay, WuFei may seem a little OCC here... But it a year later and he's been hanging around Sally and the rest of the pilots a lot (Explain in the next chapter.) ^_^
Not much left to go..... Two parts maybe... I'm not exactly sure, so bear with me.
Ja ne,
Orin.
SINS OF SILENCE.
Epilogue 1
Like a Dragon.
The year is AC 200....
*I know all about, your reputation....*
Sally stood still for a moment, at the entrance to his gym.
He was in there, she saw.
Practicing, as she was supposed to be there as well.
A year ago she had asked him to allow her to understand him. He had offered to teach her some of the Wu-Shu he was so adept at. Under the pretense that she was so weak that she would need all the help she could get.
Sally had seen the laughter in his eyes as he had said that though. It ruined any affect of condemnation from her partner. It had been year since she had first realized how much Chang WuFei truly meant to her.
It seemed so much longer to her now. The times learning to understand the dark Chinese were some of the best in her life. Each time she discovered something new about him, she would learn something about herself too. The scholar he had forgotten was showing himself more and more. But that did not mean he had lessened in his physical training. Training that now involved her as well.
He was a hard taskmaster, but he was also a good teacher. Sally could now manage some of the finer points of shu fa, thanks to her tutor. But that time spent in each others company had revealed something else to Sally. The desire to know him on a more. To understand WuFei on an intimate level. That he was gorgeous to her eyes did not help, but Sally enjoyed their banter as well. She loved it when he laughed. She loved it when his eyes darkened with anger, the fire leaping within their depths.
She had no idea whether her partner felt the same way though..... Until that fateful event a month ago.......
*And now it's bound to be a heartbreak situation.*
( Up... down... swoop... return... kick... push... return.
Block.... block... strike.... return... kick... push... return.
Are you going to stand there watching me all night?" The Asian youth's voice held the lilt of amusement- though his face did not change. He moved through the form with grace and ease, not pausing to look over his shoulder to where he knew she stood. Already aware she was there... For the previous five minutes.
"Actually... I was thinking about it." Sally replied flippantly. Watching as her partner mover from one pattern to another- pausing only to take a breath and resettle himself in between. Mentally following along with the graceful movements that were deceivingly deadly.
"But I could join you...."
His eyes did not waver from their gaze, but he said. "Then I could correct you when you make a mistake."
His voice betrayed no emotion this time, but instead, in the sudden turn that was part of the next move Sally caught the whisper of a smile teasing the Chinese's youth's lips.
With a tiny smile of her own, Sally moved into place beside her Asian partner. WuFei spared her a glance, another small smile, and then commenced the pattern.
"The Dragon," WuFei murmured softly, his right hand drifting up and down from his thigh to the level of his hip. Then drifting back down to his thigh.
"This was the first form I ever learned."
The movement was repeated, his hand drifting up to his chest.
"My father taught me. I was five."
The bronze hand swept up, clutched the air over his head..... then fell back to place beside his hip.
"His voice... was... peaceful... patient.... gentle... as he walked me through it..."
He was silent for a moment, as he rose his arms, bending elbows back. His fists clenched then he brought them up to chest level again.
"The Dragon is grace and beauty he told me.... But also deadly ability. He is swift, elusive, but fierce and light with hidden movement. He is ancient wisdom and powerful force, combining knowledge and strength to overcome his enemies."
Opening his hands, WuFei rotated them, palms down and slowly pressed them downward until his arms were fully extended along his sides.
"It is said, he who knows the Dragon, feels the fire of inner power. He is one with that fire.... One with the wind which fans that flicker to a flame."
Then he stepped forward to assume a lunge stance; at the same time he closed his hands and extended them as well.
"The Dragon is renowned for his ferocity and stealth.... He stalks, then attacks, and counters swiftly."
His hands curled slightly as he moved his arms in a wide sweep moving backward at his shoulders.
"Similar to the tiger, but he prefers the direct approach, moving into an opponent on an angle - to better control and avoid a direct confrontation of force...." He finished.
They continued the rest in silence, Sally found herself unable to speak after those words, or unwilling.
The pattern ended eventually. Both settling - bringing their hands up, clenched fist to open palm, bowing slightly, sweating lightly. WuFei turned to Sally, breathing deeply - his eyes alight with something Sally did not recognize.
*But I can't help it if I'm helpless...*
Sally was warm. Far warmer than she had been practicing by herself or with him before. It was as if the very air was burning around them. It confused her. WuFei had kept the pace of the pattern slow.... Slower than Sally had ever practiced. And the energy around her partner, the energy he was radiating... was simply resonant.
"I am like the dragon," WuFei said softly.
"I stalk..."
His eyes searched those of his partner but found only wonder, confusion and something else there... something far deeper. The same feeling he himself was experiencing.
"I attack..."
He took a step closer, effectively closing the little space that distanced him from Sally.
"Directly approach."
Onyx eyes fell from the blue gaze that had transfixed and bewitched him - fell to lips that were slightly apart as they took in life-giving air.
"I take...." He whispered, a hand snaking out to find it's way to Sally's neck, his thumb playing over the sensitive skin of her throat. He felt Sally's breath quicken... and gently, he exerted force against the fragile neck, drawing her closer.
He was mere centimeters from her lips when he paused.
Then he stepped away.
"I need a shower." He said softly, and turned away, grabbing his shirt from a vacant chair and leaving Sally standing there.
Alone and completely breathless....)
*Every time that I'm where you are...*
.......And every time Sally saw her partner now, her heart would quicken and she would experience that same feeling of breathlessness as she had that day.
The memory of his strong hand on her neck.
The soft but irresistible pressure there....
Drawing her closer to him, to his lips....
Those dark eyes alluring...
The closeness she had never experienced before with him.
WuFei had not mentioned it again, but neither had she. She was not sure why he had stopped when he had.
She had felt the desire so strong in him. His eyes had been afire with his feelings.
She had been confused at the time and her only explanation was that he had taken her confusion for hesitation and had stopped because he believed she wanted him to.
That had been Sally's last desire.
But she knew that unless WuFei was certain that this was what she wanted, her partner would not proceed. His honor prevented him. She understood this from long experience. And so Sally would show WuFei exactly how she felt.
He understood actions far better than words.
Pushing the door in slightly, silently, she searched the gym for her partner. It did not take her long to locate him. Sitting near one of the walls in a lotus position, obviously taking a quick break. He was unaware of her presence yet. He was too busy enjoying his favorite food....
*You walk in and my strength walks out the door.*
Sally watched as WuFei's fingers bit deeply into the skin of the mandarin and peeled away a large chunk releasing the pungent aroma of bitter-sweet orange into the still air. Each piece was meticulously peeled from the fruit it protected, leaving slices vulnerable to his slender bronze fingers.
Coated with sticky juice she could only imagine the mere smell from across the room. Sally watched his fingers pry the slices apart before he separated one and bit into it.
His teeth sinking into the tender flesh as juice trickled down his chin despite the swipe of his already coated hand.
She wondered then, not for the first time, if the acidic flavor would pick the flavor of cloves and allspice that seemed to cling to his exotic skin. It seemed she had always wondered if his skin was that dusky tan due to the saturation with spice.
Today, however, Sally was determined to find out if her speculations were true.
*Say my name and I can't fight it anymore.*
She ignored his quietly seated figure as she strode across the room to take up a defensive stance. Her intention was to totally ignore his presence, so she carefully kept her eyes straight ahead....
Even as she noted each bite of orange he took in her peripheral vision.
Carefully she worked through her chosen pattern. One just out of her range and knowledge. She knew that her bumbling efforts would eventually enrage him enough to interfere.
Slowly she pivoted, and cringed inwardly as she realized she just fumbled her roundhouse kick.
She could feel how far her timing was off, far more than she anticipated. Those obsidian eyes, sharp as shards of jet, were cutting into her concentration and undermining her confidence.
She had known it would be difficult, but she didn't realize that her true incompetence at that particular pattern would make her feel like as fool as well as look like one.
The soft rustling of silk chipped her mental anguish like a china cup dropped onto tile. She concentrated and punched forward as the pattern called for, when she felt his arms reposition her hands.
That was what she was counting on.
His need to correct, to instruct in the proper manner.
She pulled away from him roughly then resumed what she was doing.
Again she was halted.
WuFei repositioned her hands as well as grasping her waist as he centered her balance. She could feel the difference in her stance and behind her punch, but it was a different lesson she wanted today and so she jerked from his helping hands and marched to the other end of the large room, turned to face him before taking up the pattern again.
*Oh, I know I should go...*
The look of displeasure on his finely featured face told Sally that her strategy was working. Soon enough, she knew, WuFei would declare her incompetent and would decide to show her how weak her defenses were.
He had done so before.
Sally knew she would have to be ready. Her meager stash of knowledge should be enough to keep her standing and pain free for a few moments.....
But only if she saw it coming.
She frowned at him as he calmly headed towards her again, although the scent of oranges now clung to her from his touch, making her stomach clinch for the taste of him.
The grace and elegance with which he was walking, was enhanced by the fact that it was completely natural to him.
Sally was constantly amazed how WuFei could be so unaware of the sensuality he radiated It was in his stance, his face, those dark eyes. The cat-like ease with which he moved. He was constantly at the receiving end of women flirting with him. But he always seemed oblivious.
*But I need your touch just too damn much.*
She flung into the punch that seemed to bother him so much and watched the frown settle between his sleek eyebrows as his bright ebony eyes sparkled with fire. That fire she loved so much.
Resolve firmly planted on his face, he strode forward and declared.
"If you are going to learn a pattern, you should learn it in such a way that you can actually use the knowledge."
Then he demanded, "Take up your stance," as he planted his feet shoulder width on the rosined floor.
Excitement poured through Sally like the sunlight through the windows as she raised her arms into a defensive gesture.
Waiting.
Her partner's lightening moves battered against her simplistic defense, which was holding... for now.
However the forceful barrage forced her backwards into the wall and her unprotected head bounced off the solid surface making her see stars. The abruptness of her collapse backwards seemed to galvanize him into action, but her own pain ridden mind screamed 'defend' as he loomed before her.
*Loving you... Isn't really something I should do *
She heard WuFei's soft gasp as her knee slammed blindly into his side. She knew it was from surprise rather than pain.
It was a lucky shot.
His quick grip held her leg in place above his hip as he batted away Sally's hand from her chest. She blinked tears from her vision and flinched as his hand appeared in her line of sight.
Instinctively defensive, with one of the most powerful martial arts masters holding her off balance against a wall on one foot, Sally froze and realized WuFei had as well.
So far, nothing had turned out the way she had planned, except that she was close enough that she could smell the heavy fragrance of mandarin orange mingled with the spices that clung to his dark skin.
That hand still held in front of her wide eyes would taste like the Chinese's lips if she just leaned forward and touched a tongue to his fingers.
Sally eyes stared out from under spiky damp lashes as she assessed the reason for his stillness. The enigmatic quirk of his lips followed the darting tongue that was dampening her own lips.
*Shouldn't want to spend my time with you.*
His rich voice was tangy on her nerves as he queried. "Are you hurt?""
And his knuckles sticky still, touched Sally's raised chin, letting his thumb tug lightly at her lower lip producing a sharp surprising sting.
She had not noticed the cut.
She licked at it again brushing against WuFei's thumb, still there, tasting the blood mingled with the essence of orange. She was still looking into his eyes and so she was able to see the well of heat the feel of her tongue flooded through his body.
Made bolder by that fire she could see licking at the edges of his perfect composure, she slowly leaned forward flicking her tongue across his thumb.
Before drawing it between her lips sucking lightly on the tip as she swirled her tongue against the pad. When his tongue slowly swept out in an unconscious imitation of her actions, she pulled him closer with her lower leg.
*I should try to be strong.....*
WuFei's slow smile clearly said, that although she may have started this, he would finish it.
Gradually, she used both of her hands to hold his, so that her famished tongue could lap at the elusive flavor embedded in his skin.
With each swipe of her taste buds across the sensitively callused ridges of his hand, WuFei's body moved a millimeter closer to her own until their breath was mingling through their interlacing fingers.
His toned stomach pressing her spine flat to the wall as his tongue brushed across her own as it snaked around a juicy ring finger.
The electric thrill that shot through Sally at the contact was sparked into a raging flame by the answering nudge of WuFei's hips.
That small encouragement was enough for her to risk the consequences. Slowly she drew his almost clean finger into the depths of her mouth and suckled it cradled on the soft bed of her tongue.
She closed her eyes just at the taste of him. The feel of his finger in her mouth. His close proximity making her heartbeat race.
*But, baby, you're the right kind of wrong.*
Shock forced her eyes open then.
Sally raised her pale orbs to his own fiery gaze as she watched her own finger disappear into the hot cavern of WuFei's mouth.
The light graze of his teeth sending her already overworked heart into overdrive. The distinct feel of him against her and the hard fingers holding her leg up, keeping her body open to his arousal against her made her feel vulnerable. Their position was completely erotic to her eyes and it send Sally over the edge.
She snatched her finger from his possession and buried it instead in the long ebony hair, caught at the nape of WuFei's neck, still in it's severe tail, but loosened now. She pulled him towards her, needing to drink at those lips in front of her.
But he stopped her with the erotic control of his body, his hands on her neck.
"You're playing with fire, Sally Po." WuFei whispered seductively.
Her own voice was shockingly out of breath to her ears.
"I'm not afraid of getting burnt...."
With a low growl, he tilted her face so that he could sip at her lips, frustrating her hunger to no end. The delicious flavor and sting of his lips and tongue as he bathed the small wound on her lower lip from her earlier unconscious bite. Gently he licked the tiny trickle of blood, cleansing the cut and spirit with this uncharacteristically tender touch.
*I might be a mistake... A mistake I'm making.*
At Sally's soft sigh, WuFei turned her head and melded his lips to hers and she was smothered by the scent of mandarin oranges and spice.
Drowning in the taste of him, exotic and alluring on her tongue.
His mouth was firm and sure. It did not gently persuade, it unarguably possessed.
Her fingers plucked at the white silk as she tried vainly to pull him closer, only to cry out as he dipped, breaking the contact or their mouths.
He startled her then, raking the feel of his hardness down her stomach as he yanked her remaining leg around his waist and pressed upward to pin Sally against the wall again. Then swiftly WuFei crossed her legs around his waist. Moving his head forward, he sealed their mouths back together as he stole the breath from her body and all she could think to wonder was if mandarins were aphrodisiacs......
*But what you're giving, I am happy to be taking.*
Sally closed her eyes and her head fell back against the wall behind her in a gesture of complete abandon as WuFei's lips fastened on her vulnerable neck. The rush of excitement at being held up completely by him was overpowering, a sense of such hidden strength that was not her own.
The moist feel of that questing tongue, those lips, brash and sensitive as they explored her neck, drove her into a quiet frenzy.
Again her partner surprised her as Sally dipped backwards at the sudden loss of the wall behind her.
But she was saved by his arms snaking around her shoulders, and she responded in kind, her own moving to around him and her fingers were cradling the nape of his neck, stroking softly.
Then WuFei was kissing her again, even as he moved away from the wall, and she was lost. A deep slow shudder went rippling through her, leaving in it's wake a quivering ache that only he could heal. She was lost in the feel and the taste of him and the spicy scent that was only him. Her blood was racing, her heart thundering, her body melting against his.
*Because no one's ever made me feel the way I feel, when I'm in you arms. *
She was aware that WuFei was lowering her onto one of the practice mats littered around the room. When his mouth at last released hers, her choked cry of protest came from the sheer pain of depravation. They stared feverishly into each other's eyes. Then abruptly she was kissing his face, his neck, with a kind of fiery restraint.
Sally was overcome by the long awaited closeness of him, she began determinedly tearing at his white silk over-tunic. Unable to undo the small buttons she ripped the cloth when it too stubbornly resisted. That done she grabbed the dark top WuFei wore inside it and dragged it over his head in a swift movement.
The sudden sight of WuFei's bare shoulders and chest with their unconscious beauty, their intriguing interplay of smooth skin and solid muscle beneath, was again too much to bear. Her hands snaked down to grasp the waistline of his pants, struggling to loosen it.
Sally was brought up short when she realized that he was laughing.
*They say you're something I should do without.*
It was a sweet sound and one she loved to hear coming from him. Always so reserved. She could lose herself to that sound....
WuFei caught up her hands, held them still, then softly, in an amazing gesture of tenderness, he pressed them to his lips. She idly wondered in a contented haze, what she had done wrong now...
His laughter calmed to a sensual chuckle, "Slowly," he said. His eyes met her own.
Obsidian and sapphire.
"This is not a battle."
"Oh?" Her own voice was breathless and tinged with humor.
He watched her, and marveled at the look Sally gave him. Those blue eyes were alight with mischief, signaling that she wanted to play; yet at the same time, they were fogged with carnal passion.
He reached out to caress her face, and he said, "Yes, there is a notable difference between a bed and a battle."
She frowned with mock puzzlement. "Really."
WuFei nodded. "What happens in battle hopefully ends quickly. This, I hope, not so quickly."
Sally nipped the hand that stroked her cheek.
*They don't know what goes on, when the light's go out.*
WuFei gave her an alluring smile and his hand brushing lower, then he stopped, his head lifted and he appeared to be listening.
There was a sound of a door slamming outside and a moment later a recognizable voice shouting, "Hey... Wu-man.... Where are you?! Quatre's going ballistic! You'd better hope you remembered the barbecue, or he's gonna kill you....."
They looked at each other.
"I know we're kinda early, but I've brought some extra food. The guys are just parking their cars."
Sally gave a soft groan beneath him and whispered, "That was today...?!"
WuFei swore softly. He wanted her so desperately to be thwarted now, it was almost more than he could bear. It set his teeth on edge. It made him want to scream with loss and anger. The feeling made him want to hurt someone.....
"Maxwell...." He growled
Sally was frowning as she gazed in the direction of the door, silently praying that Duo would not walk in. "But it's set for the twentieth...."
When she received no answer from WuFei she glanced up at him. His eyes were closed in pure frustration, his breathing controlled, he said softly.
"Today is the twentieth."
"......Oh...."
*There's no way to explain.....*
With another soft growl, WuFei rose to his feet in a fluid motion, pulling Sally up beside him. He bent to retrieve his top from the floor, ignoring the button-less white tunic. Drawing it over his head quickly he turned to her and said very deliberately.
"We'll finish this later."
"Later...?" Sally echoed, still a little breathless from WuFei's previous administrations.
"Woman... I never start anything I don't intend on finishing." His voice was still soft and low and Sally had to catch her breath at the wealth of promise hidden in those words.
"Sally." She corrected absentmindedly. Her own voice was gentle and there was no rebuke in the word.
"Sally..." he whispered huskily, before planting a parting kiss on her startled expression and disappearing out of the room.
She shivered in the empty room, her eyes still wide. The intimate way her name rolled off his tongue sent tremors through her.... Maybe she should have stuck with woman...
Then she shook herself out of the daze, still not quite able to believe how wonderful her name sounded when it was uttered from WuFei's lips.
Drawing a deep breath, she turned and went to join the growing gathering of friends.
*All the pleasure is worth all the pain....
I should try to run...
But I just can't seem to.
Every time I run,
you're the one I always run to.
Can't do without...
What you do to me..
I don't care if I'm in too deep....*
To Be Continued...
Tee Hee... Anybody else wanna kill Duo.....? ^__^
I use 'pattern' and 'form' instead of kata, because kata is a Japanese terminology, the moves Sally were trying to perform were Chinese in origin.
Don't you just love mandarins! ^_____^
The song in this fic is a really great piece, it has really beautiful guitar and string music, kind of soft rock.... It's from the 'Coyote Ugly' soundtrack. It's called 'The Right Kind Of Wrong', sung by Leann Rimes, who has an amazing voice.
Okay, WuFei may seem a little OCC here... But it a year later and he's been hanging around Sally and the rest of the pilots a lot (Explain in the next chapter.) ^_^
Not much left to go..... Two parts maybe... I'm not exactly sure, so bear with me.
Ja ne,
Orin.