Author's Notes: (Tensei) Okie!  Here is part 2 of my stuff.  ^^*  I'm so proud of myself! * grin *  The kudos from the previous chapter apply to this one…  ^^  * HuGz everyone*  PLEASE let me know what you think!

The song is called "Portrait of an Apology" by Jars of Clay.  I don't own them. * pout *

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tainted Dream

Chapter Four

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ring.

'Damnit…'

Ring.

'No!  Not this again!

Ring.

"Shimatta!" Wufei didn't care how many people he woke with his outburst.  It was three in the morning, and his phone was ringing – again!  He slowly made his way over to the phone, hoping that the caller would give up after too many rings, but by the tenth one, it became obvious that the person on the other line would not give up.

He slowly brought the receiver to his ear, and instead of the traditional "Hello." said what he sincerely wished for that person at that time.  "Go to hell."

"Wufei." The voice on the other end came as no more than a whisper, "Wufei, it's Quatre."

"Damnit, Winner." The Chinese man groaned and leaned back against the wall, "If you weren't usually such an honest and altogether good guy, you'd have my katana up your ass right about now.  What the hell do you want this time?  It'd better not be nothi-"

"Wufei!  You have to listen to me!" Quatre's voice was a little more desperate this time, and Wufei shut his mouth, "Wufei.  I'm at Renee's apartment right now."

Wufei growled and clenched his fist.  What in the hell was he doing there?!  If Musha found out, she'd have a conniption fit!  "Winner, I do not want to hear about this!"

"No!  Wufei!  Please listen to me!" He took a deep breath and paused for a moment, reassuring himself that it would be wise to tell him… it was okay.  "Tensei is alive."

~*~*~*~*~

Look what I've done

This picture I've painted

It looks like my heart

Or what still remains

Convinced of the weight

Your interpretations

Are not what I see

I wish they could be

I remember it much redder

I remember it much brighter

~*~*~*~*~

"Wufei.  What is the meaning of this?" Musha fumbled with her boots, trying to maneuver around Wufei's hands that were trying to pull her hair back for her, but the poor man couldn't get it through his head that working with long, curly hair was not the same as working with short, straight hair.  Nevertheless, Wufei succeeded in tying it all behind her head, even though it DID look like a rats' nest.

"Wufei!  Just let go of me!" Musha pushed him away and stood up, walking to the mirror and fixing her own hair.  "Why are you in such a rush?!  It's just lunch!  You don't have any reservations or anything, do you?"

"No, I just… well, we have to go."

Musha sighed and took her time, carefully placing the curls into a loose ponytail.  "Just calm down, all right?  I'll be ready in a few minutes."

She was right.  It was only thirty minutes later that they were finally seated, and handed their menus, but Musha just watched Wufei.  Something was off about him today.  He seemed… agitated.  He couldn't stop fidgeting, and every so often, he would open his mouth to say something, but close it quickly.  This lasted for about ten minutes when Musha finally decided to get to the bottom of it.

"What's wrong, Wufei?"

"Nothing."

"Something's bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me."

"Tell me."

"I don't want to."  Musha couldn't help but smile when she saw how the Chinese man crossed his arms and pouted like a child when he said that.  She had always known that inside that proud, sexist man, there was a child, with a bad temper too.

"Wufei… please.  I want to know what's going on."  Fine.  If he was going to act like a child, she would act as the scolding mother. 

With a sigh, Wufei moved his body forward and caught both of Musha's hands in his own.  His eyes locked on to hers and she could see that all stubbornness was gone, replaced with nothing but seriousness.  "Musha, I have to tell you something, and you're not going to believe me at first, but… just listen, all right?"

Musha looked at him curiously.  What could be so important?  She simply nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Tensei is living right here, in New York City."

Musha's eyes went wide as her heart started beating faster and faster, even her adrenal glands found it hard to keep up to produce the necessary hormone needed to sustain this girl as her mind raced.  It took her a moment before she could speak, but after a few tries, she managed to make a sound.  "How?  She's… she's dead."

"The receipt that you found was a decoy.  She had intended for us to believe that she was living in Japan so that she could never be contacted."  His eyes softened when he saw the expression on Musha's face.  He could feel her confusion and the urgency that seemed to radiate from her skin.  "Quatre called me early in the morning and told me all about it.  She was… drunk at the time, so he's going to take care of her until she's feeling a bit better, then I'll take you over to see her."

"No!" Musha jumped up out of her chair, ignoring the stares that she received from other people in the restaurant, "Take me there now!"

"Musha…" Wufei stood and drew her into his arms, "Now is not the time.   I just wanted to tell you first, okay?"

"When can we go?"

"In a few hours… Quatre said he was going to let her sleep as much as possible.  She got trashed last night, and she's going to have a lot of emotion to deal with when she sees you, all right?  Just give her a bit of time."

"No!  Wufei!  I want to see her now!  Otherwise, I can't believe you!  This is just too…" she shook her head, unable to find an appropriate word to express how she saw this as.  She just stopped, and took ragged breaths.  "It's… she's…" Musha was going into shock, and Wufei could see that clearly.

He took her into his arms and helped her to sit back down, dipping one of the cloth napkin in his ice water and pressing it to her forehead and neck as he whispered soft words.  "Musha, calm down… It's all right."  Still, the pale girl said nothing, just stared straight ahead into space.  "I could never possibly imagine what you're going through, but everything is okay."

~*~*~*~*~

Can you stay for a while

Try to imagine this

Could you be for a while

I can't remember it

Could you fall for a while

I can't escape from this

~*~*~*~*~

Duo groaned and shut his eyes, blocking out that damn light.  Had he forgotten to draw the curtains?  He never forgot… he thought that the light was unnecessary first thing in the morning, as anything that hindered his sleep was.  So why were the curtains open? 

'Don't even open your eyes…' he told himself.  'Get up, find the window, cover it and get back into bed…' he sighed mentally at the thought of snuggling back under is covers, and moved to get up, but found it hard as something was weighing him down.  "What the…?" reluctantly, he opened his eyes and glanced down at what, or who, rather was on top of him.  "Shit…"

A soft moan came from the body on top of him as the woman shifter closer into his arms.  It was that skin-to-skin feeling that confirmed his suspicions and his heart sank. "I'm screwed…" he voiced, unaware that Elizabeth was already awake.

"No." she corrected him with a soft laugh, "That was last night."

"Oh my gods…" he was going to pass out.  This was so many different kinds of wrong that he couldn't even pick just one to feel bad about.  "Liz, babe…" despite the situation, he used that nickname for her with such ease, "I know that the evidence is… kinda obvious, but… I have to ask.  Did we really do what I think we did?"

Elizabeth just grinned and moved herself over him, placing her lips over his.  To her surprise, he did not push her away.  He didn't even flinch, only moved his arms around her and pulled her closer into the kiss.

The only sound that could be heard was the faint ruffling of the sheets, but soon, a loud click sounded through the room, followed by a squeal, which was followed by Duo's name, then a gasp of horror.

The couple in the bed froze, almost afraid to move.  Duo finally worked up the guts to move his eyes to the left, where to his absolute dismay, he found his girlfriend, or, probably soon to be ex-girlfriend standing in the doorway, her face flushed with embarrassment or anger, maybe both?  It took him a moment to finally make his arms move, letting go of the woman in his embrace and pulling the sheets over the two of them.  He did his best to force a nervous smile, and pondered his predicament.  He could tell Hilde that this was nothing, and risk making Elizabeth mad, or he could tell her that he had feelings for the American girl, and make Hilde mad.  "Damn, I'm screwed." Were the words that came from his mouth, bringing a less than attractive shriek from Hilde.

"Damn right, you're screwed!" Hilde's shriek finally took the form of words as Duo merely cowered further under the covers.

Elizabeth just glanced from Duo, to the enraged girlfriend, then back again.  With a sigh and a slight shake of her head, she reached down to the floor and managed to recover Duo's robe – good thing he wasn't very tidy.  Wrapping it around herself, she stood, and carefully approached Hilde.  There was a certain calm about her that made Duo wonder if the alcohol still hadn't warn off – you don't just approach Hilde when she's like that. 

"You bitch!" Hilde shrieked, her face red with anger, "What the hell are you doing with MY man?!"

Elizabeth widened her eyes in mock surprise and looked back to Duo.  "Oh!  You mean MY man?  If I remember correctly, I was the one who slept with him!  NOW whose man is he?"

Duo couldn't believe his ears.  Any chance he had at survival was shot.  He glanced quickly to the window, considering that a fifty-story drop would be less painful than what Hilde must have in store for him.  But, being the lover of peace that he was, he worked up his confidence and raised a hand.  "May I say something?"

"NO!" both women shouted in unison, sending Duo back beneath the covers with an "eep!"

"How dare you!  You little tramp!  Didn't you KNOW that he had a girlfriend?!"

Elizabeth merely shrugged and glanced at her nails, as if she weren't even paying attention to the other woman.  "No.  He never said a thing about you."  She knew that that was a blatant lie, but she knew that Duo's relationship with this woman was already over.  Why not make it easier on them?

"No?!" Hilde demanded, stomping her foot on the ground and glaring at Duo.  "And to think, we've lived together for all these years!  I loved you!  I was there for you when you needed someone, and THIS is how you show me how much I meant to you?  I can't believe you!"

Duo forced himself to sit back up. "But Hilde-"

"Shut up!  I don't want to hear it!" she threw her purse back over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes once more, "It's over, and no, this was NOT my decision!  It was yours!  Have a wonderful life with your slut!  You can pick up your crap from the front lawn when you get home!"  A few exaggerated stomps and a door slam later, she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~

I'll try to explain

The way that the frame

Doesn't quite fit the image

Or surround the edge

It stands on display

What do you see?

Behold all the new grey

What's become of the old me

I remember it much redder

I remember it much brighter

~*~*~*~*~

Two sets of eyes watched the tiny creature as he squirmed in his bassinette.  The tiny squeals and giggles that he made were foreign to the ears of these two Preventers.  "So…" the woman finally spoke, pulling her hair behind her, "This is the baby."

The unibanged man merely nodded.

"And all we have to do is make sure that he doesn't… combust or something for two hours, until his mother gets back from her meeting?"

Another nod.

"Mission accepted!" Kashoku leaned back against the wall and sighed, "Look at this.  Babysitting suddenly becomes a 'mission'.  It sounds weird, but I kinda wish that I was active during the war.  Must have been exciting, huh?"

Trowa didn't answer her, just watched her.  He wasn't sure what to say.  What does one say to someone who has such little knowledge of war?  True, it was exciting, only because of the adrenaline though.  When it came down to it, war was just plain terrifying.  Being forced to fight for your life could be called exciting, but not meant in a good way.

Kashoku had actually expected him to reply.  No such luck.  Man, he was a tough nut to crack.  Even with the significant amounts of time that they had spent together, he still wouldn't open up.  Not that she was one for sentimental conversation anyway, but she would at least like to hear him speak once in a while, to reassure herself that he wasn't mute.  "Anyway…" she broke the silence and walked up to little Odin, reaching down into the cradle to pick him up, then laughing nervously.  "Heh… funny that!  I've never even held a baby before… I don't want to hurt him…"

Wordlessly, Trowa walked up to the small child, carefully scooping the bundle into his arms, holding him securely in his right while his left hand took hold of Kashoku's arms one at a time, positioning them appropriately before he deposited the baby carefully in the live cradle.  "Like that."

Kashoku nodded, not quite gracing him with one of her rare smiles, just looking down at the wide, curious eyes of the baby.  She knew that one day, Trowa would speak.  When?  Well, that was up to him.

~*~*~*~*~

Can you stay for a while

Try to imagine this

Could you be for a while

I can't remember it

Could you fall for a while

I can't escape from this

~*~*~*~*~

"Ow…" the young woman raised her hand to her forehead and clutched it tightly, fighting the headache that seemed to split her head open.  She shut her eyes and pulled the comforter over her face.  'Why in the world do I feel like crap?'  She had absolutely no recollection of the previous night.

The great debate began.  Should she stay in bed and hide from the light like a vampire?  Or should she venture through the dangerous rays that spilled through the window, hoping to make it all the way to the bathroom to get some aspirin?  Either option sucked.  With a sigh, she decided that the pain of getting out of bed would only be temporary, as the aspirin would soon numb the pain that coursed through her.

With a groan, she pushed the blanket off of her face to get up, but soon pulled it back when she saw, or at least thought that she saw something.  Not something… someone.  She immediately panicked.  What was he doing in her apartment?  In her room?!  How had he even gotten here?  All she remembered was coming home from work… and… and…

She didn't even have a chance to finish her thought when Quatre pulled the cover gently down, uncovering her face.  He just looked at her for a moment as she watched him in complete and total shock.  "Tensei…"

Her entire world crashed before her very eyes.  He knew?!  But… how?!  That was impossible!  While inside, she was screaming, she maintained a cool exterior.  Keeping her voice as level as she could, she finally spoke to him.  "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't lie." He scolded, "It doesn't suit you."

"I don't know what you're-"

She stopped when she felt his hands on her arms, pushing her down onto the mattress, his face only inches from hers.  This was all familiar… yes.  This is exactly what happened when he went for her in Ecuador.  He held her just like this, and spoke the harshest words.  But this time, there was no venom in his voice, no fire in his eyes, only a sad tone, with sincere orbs boring into hers.  "Why?"

She had honestly thought that it would take hours of yelling and screaming before she'd finally break, but that one word, filled with such sadness, such sincerity sent her spiraling.  She accepted her defeat before it was won, and closed her eyes with a sigh.  "Because… I had to."

He stared hard at her for a moment, silently commanding her to explain herself, but he knew that she never would.  She was stubborn as usual, and there was no way that he'd get anything out of her.  With an exasperated sigh, he let her go and shook his head, reaching to the nightstand and handing her some aspirin and a glass of water, which he had predicted she would need.

She took it gratefully, though she did not express her gratitude with words, merely tossed both pills in her mouth and took a quick swallow of the water.  She moved to get up, but stopped when a wave of dizziness overcame her body.  She was vaguely aware of the two hands steadying her, waiting to let go until she stopped wavering.

"Don't move…" Quatre told her, his voice a bit softer, but stern, nonetheless.  She wouldn't have listened, had she been anywhere near stable, but she had no choice.  Just sat there, and watched him as his eyes scanned the bedroom and located a hairbrush on the dresser.  Taking it carefully into his hand, he smoothed it through her hair silently.

Her eyes went wide.  This… was familiar.  This is what he did in Ecuador.  Was he trying to make the same point as before?  Did he feel that she hadn't learned her lesson from that time?

~*~*~*~*~

Calling, crying, ashamed of what I am not

Really failing, falling into this cage and I can't escape

I can't escape

~*~*~*~*~

Hiiro watched Duo levelly, mechanically raising his arm to sip his coffee, then rest it back down on the table.  He couldn't help but notice how quiet the other man was, and he easily deduced that it must have something to do with Hilde's state of being this morning.  He wondered if he was at fault.

Hilde had called him the previous night, telling him of her plan to surprise Duo for his birthday.  She was going to catch the next available flight, make a quick stop at Victoria's Secret and pay Duo a little surprise visit.

So, this was supposed to be that morning after.  Hiiro was a bit surprised at first when Duo called him and asked him to meet for coffee, then was even more surprised that the braided man hadn't said so much as a complete sentence since they met up.  He would have expected at least a grin on his face, but he got nothing.  The only clue he got was when they ran into Hilde.  She didn't say anything, just glared and walked away.  So, poor Hiiro was left to himself to wonder what in the hell was going on.

"All right." Hiiro broke the awkward silence, a little annoyed that Duo would make him actually ASK for an explanation.  "What happened?"

Duo sighed and pushed his coffee away.  No amount of caffeine could numb the sick feeling that wouldn't leave his stomach.  "Hilde just barged into my hotel room this morning…"

"And…?"

"And I was in bed."

"…"

"With Elizabeth."

Hiiro looked at him curiously.  "The friend of yours?"

Duo just nodded.  "We… kinda got drunk last night."  He could see the obvious disapproval in Hiiro's expression.  "We had a thing a few years ago, started with alcohol as well." He sighed and leaned back in his seat, absentmindedly running a hand through his messy bangs, "I thought that it was over between us, but apparently, I feel for her… a lot."

"And you couldn't have at least given Hilde a call?"

"I would have!  Had I known, but… I wasn't even expecting last night to happen.  It just… did."

Hiiro paused for a moment, before taking another sip of his coffee.  He wasn't quite sure what to make of this.  On the one hand, Hilde was a friend of his, and he hated to see her hurt like this, but on the other hand, Duo was his friend too, and he wanted Duo to be happy.  "So…" he didn't quite know what to say, "Do you… regret last night?"

"No." Duo said simply, almost as if Hiiro shouldn't have dared to ask, "I don't regret it one bit.  What I regret is the fact that Hilde found out in that way.  I would have broken it to her a bit more… gently."

"Well," Hiiro shrugged his shoulders, "What can you do?"

~*~*~*~*~

Look what I've done

This picture I've painted

Doesn't quite fit

Or surround the edge

I remember it much redder

~*~*~*~*~

Wufei glanced once more over to the woman beside him as they rounded the last corner before they'd reach their destination of Tensei's apartment building.  Musha had been silent ever since she regained her senses, but Wufei didn't press her to say anything.  He didn't even know what she could say.  Not until she saw Tensei, at least.

Musha on the other hand, was a different story.  She appeared to be taking everything with stride and grace, when deep down, her blood was boiling.  She wasn't quite sure what to feel, and at times like these, the anger usually won out.  She was so many things.  Relieved that her best friend was safe, sad that Tensei was gone for so long, but overall, hurt and angry.  Why didn't she at least call?!  How could she have let her suffer for two long years, thinking that her best friend was dead?!

Musha didn't even notice when they parked until Wufei had walked around to her door, opening it for her.  "Ready?"

The real answer was no.  In truth, Musha was far from ready.  Who is ever ready to meet a ghost?  Nevertheless, she followed along, walking in pace with Wufei.  Silently staring ahead, as if she was being lead off for her own execution.  She couldn't think… she couldn't breathe.  It almost seemed that te closer she got to Tensei, the farther she got from herself.  She had sent the last two years learning to live on, and now, everything was jumbled around once more. 

She wondered things.  Like, what is she like now?  Does she look the same?  Is she still as meticulous and perfect as she always had been?  Musha didn't even realize that she was torturing herself until she bumped into Wufei, who had stopped in front of a door which her confirmed to be hers. 

"We're here."

Musha just nodded and shrugged her shoulders.  This was it.  It's do or die, and Musha was a doer.  She wouldn't run now.

Wufei had taken the liberty to knock, and only a moment later did they hear a click, and the sound of a door being pulled open.  Musha watched attentively as two people came into view.  The first was Quatre, his face a bit sad, but more uncertain than anything.  The other was a strangely familiar girl, but not Tensei!  She couldn't be Tensei!  Tensei had blonde hair!  That was it!  She was off the hook!  Musha could now relax in the fact that her reality was still just that – reality. 

"This isn't Tensei." She voiced her thoughts aloud, to the shock of everyone else.

The girl in question just lowered her gaze to the floor.  She wasn't sure what to do.  Should she embrace Musha, and apologize for leaving like that?  Should she stay where she is, and mutter a simple apology, then hope for mercy?  Instead, she said nothing.  Just waited to see what would happen.

Wufei almost glared down at Musha.  Damn her and her stubbornness.  He shook his head and held out a hand to the brunette.  "It's nice to see you again, Tensei."

A simple "thank you" was all that she could manage until she gathered all the courage she could muster, and worked up the guts to speak.  "Musha… I'm sorry."

"Don't." Was all the girl said to reply, "Just… don't."

"But-"

"But nothing, Tensei!  Do you realize what I've been through in the last two years?  How long it took for me to move on?  How could you do that to me?!"

"Musha!  I'm sorry!  I just-"

She was cut off once more when Musha raised her arms in frustration.  "Tensei!  For the last two years, I've had to have someone to blame for my pain!  And you know what?!  I blamed you!"

The girl just nodded, understanding completely.  She WAS the cause of all this.  She just… didn't expect things to turn out quite this way.  She didn't say anything.  She didn't know what she could say.  Just waited, until Musha spoke again.

"I hate you, Tensei.  I mean that sincerely.  I was better off when you were dead."

~*~*~*~*~

Can you stay for a while

Try to imagine this

Could you be for a while

I can't remember it

Could you fall for a while

I can't escape from this

I can't escape, I can't escape, I can't escape