Disclaimers: I don't own anything except for any OC's… such as Cassandra, so there. Don't sue me, you'll only get a very messy picture of Duo that I ABSOLUTELY adore so, don't bother. Thank you all you good people for letting me work with you're Characters, even though you may not know, and it's not like I'm selling em…o.k, on with this…^.^
AN: This is just a sidestory o.k? But please, read and tell me if I portray Wufei good...^_^
~*~*~*~* Denotes flashbacks
'Blah blah' denotes thoughts

Lost, Found, And Lost Once More
Sidestory: Wufei's Thoughts


==Side Story, Wufei's P.O.V.==

I put my katana early the next morning, in a part of Quatre's large garden I claimed as my practice corner, under Quatre's permission, of course. As with every morning, before I practice, I sit and meditate.

Meditation is supposed to me quiet, done with a blank mind. But for me, it is a quiet time to think. And as I knew I would, I thought about what Duet had said to me. Her words ring loud and clear in my head.

"Had Father Maxwell given the 7 of us away, we would have been no different from you. Simply emotionless soldiers. He was no coward. He fought to the last moment. The soldiers were the cowards, fighting against him and a few children who weren't armed. Father Maxwell protected us to the last breath in his body. Even if he didn't do it physically, he saved us from the fate of dying in a battlefield."

She is right. No child should become a soldier. I know that first hand. It is one thing to practice martial arts, of any sort, for protection, interest, or simply to raise the chi of one's being. But being forced into battle is another.

"Simply emotionless soldiers."

Thse three words ring the loudest in my mind, for that is what I really am. I went as far as destroying my colony, my clan. My family. I believe I am not strong. I know I am not strong. Duet Maxwell is strong. She dealt with the loss of her family and memories at the mere age of 5. She dealt with losing her newfound family, dealt with training. She knows when to act, how to act, and does so without hesitation. She simply believes in herself, and others.

I stood, pulling my katana from its sheath. After a moment, I take the first stance, one leg back, holding the sword with both hands, the tip of the sword pointing to an unseen enemy, the hilt of the sword by my eyes as I crouched down slightly.

"If we had gone with them to train for OZ we would all have been experimented on. You think we would really have fought for what we believed in? We would have been manipulated to think what OZ wanted us to think, which was to take over the world. How would you like to have been responsible for 25 orphans?"

She's right. I wouldn't have known what to do because I was not responsible for 25 orphans. I made my first thrust.

"Do you think the young ones would have been allowed to live if they got us? They would have burned the church anyway! By letting all of us die then, at least we were together."

I am the coward. This man did the right thing and died an honorable death. This girl survived a lot due to her will to live. But I am a warrior. My death is most honorable on the battlefield.

And yet, despite this knowledge, I hurt Duet by break her wrist. I knew, deep down, that she would not hurt me. But I hurt her all the same. It was panic. A strong soldier would not have panicked. But I am not strong.

Duet pushed the right buttons. She reached my panic point, and it was her rightful advantage. I am weak. She is strong.

In the situation of this Father Maxwell, maybe I would have been stupid enough to hand over the children. Sacrificing 7 out of 25 orphans, this Sister Helen and Father Maxwell, makes 7 out of 20 lives. I would most likely have done that, without another thought. But now that I look again, OZ would not be humane enough to allow the others to live. And if they did live, they would have been traumatized. Seeing a young child of 4 shot in the head is an awful image. And they were also only children.

I take another thrust at the invisible enemy, and stop. OZ is inhumane. They are weak. Duet Maxwell is going to do everything to avenge them, even to her own death. I stood straight, my sword behind my back.

I will destroy OZ. For starting a war. For killing innocents. They are cowards. Cowards do not deserve so much power. They are only power-hungry killers. They have no care.

I'm also an emotionless soldier. I believe I am weak. I know I am weak. I dropped my katana.

A rustle of leaves crunching under another's foot makes me turn. It is the girl.

"Wufei, you aren't weak. You aren't an emotionless soldier." She picked up the sword, examining it, then looked back at me. She stood back, holding the blade up with both hands, one at the hilt, the other at the top of the blade, the sign of an offering. "It is war that makes one emotionless. You just have to believe." She said softly. "I just wanted to tell you sometimes, people rather die than to see the reasonable side of things. Father Maxwell knew we would want to die together."

I nod. "I understand now." The girl believes. That is what I lack. Belief in myself, believe in others.

"You are strong Wufei. Please, will you take me as your pupil, and teach me what I need to survive in ground battle?" Duet knelt down on her knees, her head lowered to face the ground, my sword still held in offering in front of her, above her head.

I pause a moment. Then, I take the sword into my own hands.

" Perhaps we will learn from each other. I'd be honored to teach such a strong one."











Saori: Did I portray Wufei good?? ^_^ I hope so!!! Please Review!! This is just a side story...of Wufei's point of view, of course, but it shows how he comes to accept Duet, and as what..which is pupil.