*****

First week back at school. Back to the grindstone. Yay. At least I don't have to worry about having time to write! All's I need is a suitably mind-numbingly dull class and a notebook to keep me going!!! Just don't tell this to my teachers... --Lady PhoenixDagger *//.^*

Although I'm constantly forgetting to say so, I don't own Gundam Wing. A corporation who could easily afford to hire very large goons to beat the daylights out of me and burn my house down if I decide to call GW mine owns it. Everything else in this story, however, is mineminemineminemine!!!!!! So no stealy-stealy!

*****

"She wants to see you, you know."

Wufei looked up from his soup, wincing at the sudden, previously unknown pain in his neck. Trowa handed him another ice pack, but it was waved away. "What do you mean?"

"Kari. She's worried about you."

Wufei snorted. The raid had been a week ago and since then he had been in bed, nursing numerous bumps and bruises and a few choice gashes. Everyone had seen him at least once, with the exception of Kari. She hadn't come to see him even once. "Bullshit. If she's so worried about me, then why is she so dead set against coming here and telling me herself?" He sat back, satisfied. He sat back up in a flash, however, the numerous cuts and gashes on his back complaining about being pressed against the headboard.

Trowa rolled his eyes. "Because she feels humiliated. She thinks she failed the mission." He pursed his lips. "Kind of like a certain pilot I used to know."

"Ah." Wufei took a spoonful soup, blowing softly on it to cool it. "Send her in, then."

*****

Knock, knock.

It was barely audible.
"Come in!" Wufei called, and then cursed as a white hot twinge of pain shot up his chest.

The door opened and slowly Kari let herself in, quietly shutting the door after herself. Fiddling nervously with the thought-speech jewel she wore on the chain around her neck, she didn't come any closer, reminding Wufei sharply of a cornered animal.

Did you want to see me?

Wufei nodded and beckoned to her. "Come over here. I won't bite," he said kindly.

Warily, she crept to the chair by Wufei's bed and eased herself into it. Wufei noted she had left off her blindfold today. In what he hoped was a friendly manner, he gestured to a basket on the bedside table which was full of crackers, cookies, fruit, dried meat and cheese. "Help yourself. The kids in my homeroom sent it to me." He grinned. "They think I fell down the stairs while carrying a couple of empty wine bottles."

Gingerly, Kari selected an oatmeal cookie, nibbling at it, taking miniscule bites. Thank you.

"You're a guest. It's the least I can do." Wufei smiled and helped himself to a spice cracker. "I save your life and I give you a cookie. Quite the sweet deal, eh?" He laughed and took a bite of his cracker, forgetting about the one tooth that had been knocked loose. He clapped a hand to his cheek, cursing loudly.

Kari smiled softly. Two favors for nothing. A sweet deal indeed.

The conversation died a moment, as the both of them realised they weren't really saying anything. After a while of sitting in uncomfortable silence, Kari set down her cookie. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I owe you one. She stood and made to leave.

"You owe me nothing!" Wufei shouted at her back, making her stop and turn, her alabaster eyes narrowing. "A true gentleman does not accept payment for his actions," he explained.

I thought you earlier to be a spoiled child, Kari admitted, making her way back to her chair by the bed. I see I may have been wrong.

Wufei nodded slowly. "Perhaps. I'd say I've had a pretty tough life."

Join the club. Kari ate the rest of her cookie and reached for an apple. She bit into it and licked daintily at her lips with the tip of her tongue. My life wasn't a good one, either.

"Yeah?" Wufei sat gingerly back. "If I tell my story, will you tell yours?"

Kari sat back as well, still chewing. You first.

"Fair enough. At the age of thirteen, I was wed to a girl I had never met named Long Meiran." Wufei smiled wryly. "She insisted on being called Nataku after a warrior woman of legend. She was a soldier, I a scholar in training and a pacifist, if you can believe that. We lived almost as brother and sister for a year. We fought often and bitter words were almost all that we said to each other." He shook his head. "In hindsight, I suppose we both could have tried harder to make it work, but we were both too stubborn. By the time I realised that I had at least some feelings for her, it was far too late."

What happened to her?

"She was killed in battle. I found her and she drew her last breath in my arms. After that, I took up her mantle and became a soldier myself, slowly losing myself in an obsession with fighting and war. To avoid the disgrace of being captured by the enemy, my entire clan destroyed themselves and the place of my birth, making me an orphan at the age of fifteen. After the war ended, I floated around, a soldier without a war. I ended up falling into a militant order which was bent on reviving the very war I had fought to end. The ideals of the order ended up forcing me to fight against my friends and only before Heero almost ended his life –again- I realised what I was doing was stupid. I then became a Preventer – a sort of policeman- until the day I came here."

Kari nodded slowly. I see. She folded her hands demurely in her lap. I suppose it's my turn, then. I was born in a Detroit branch base of Black Hood to a woman known as "Aletha the Render". She is a high-ranking officer of the entire Black Hood corporation, second only to the CEO himself. Among other things, she is in charge of the Ring, assassinations, and shall I say "harsh discipline". The only difference between her and other officers is that she loves what she does. Lives it. Revels in it. Kari swallowed. Aletha's name is feared all over Black Hood inner society. She prowls the halls in dyed black outfits made of the hides of the freaks that couldn't meet her insane standards. She carries a studded whip and she's been known to kill without the slightest provocation.

"And your father?" Wufei asked quietly.

He was killed right after she learned she was pregnant with me. He'd served his use, so she killed him and feasted on him for days afterwards.

"Ah." Wufei set down his half-eaten cracker, no longer hungry.

As soon as I could walk, I was surgically enhanced as Walker and Darien were and then I was sent off to train as a Ring fighter. At the age of five or so, my training was completed and I was sent off to the Ring. I averaged a kill a day until the day I turned twelve.

"And then?"

Aletha decided I was pretty. She had me stripped of my daggers and had me made into a Wife.

Wufei looked at her in surprise. "You were married as well?"

No. "Wife" is the word Black Hood slang uses to refer to the human female equivalent of public property. Her smooth face darkened. Suddenly I belonged to everyone.

Gazing at the beautiful face before him, Wufei realised with a start that Kari looked like she was about to cry. "Say no more about that," he said gently. Not having anything to console her with, he did the best he could with what he had and handed her another cookie. "Here."

Thank you. I stayed a Wife for about a year until I became unfit to be one. I'll show you.

Squirming a little, Kari began to pull off her sweater. Alarmed, Wufei turned away. Rather forward, isn't she? he thought to himself.

Look at me.

"I'd really rather not." I thought she liked Trowa!!

I'm wearing a shirt underneath, Wufei, Kari said tiredly. Calm down. You're not that irresistible.

Slowly, Wufei turned back to look at her. Kari wore a white sleeveless shirt with a scoop neck that left a large portion of her throat and shoulders bare, not to mention all of both arms. Without thinking, Wufei reached out and touched a fingertip to a small part of the forest of black-stained scars that crisscrossed her milky skin. Immediately Kari jerked away.

One of the men – an officer I was sent to serve- did that to me. She shrugged an ivory-pale shoulder. He said later that he was just bored. The black stain in my skin is called Compound Grey. He rubbed it in after cutting me to make it scar and poured the rest of it into my eyes. I was robbed of my beauty and so was sent back to face the horrors of the Ring.

"I see." Actually, Wufei didn't see what the problem was. From what he saw, Kari was an exceptionally beautiful girl.

I was picked up when I was fourteen during a Keep raid and the rest is history.

"Does the Compound Grey hurt you?" Wufei asked gently, watching Kari wriggle back into her sweater.

Kari shrugged. Headaches on occasion from light sensitivity brought on by the Compound Grey in my eyes. That's one reason I wear the blindfold.

"Ah." Wufei nodded sleepily and yawned. When did he get so sleepy? He tried to say something more, but the next yawn came and almost split his head in two.

Wufei?

"Hmmmm?"

A slight blush crept up her cheeks. Would you…would you…tell Trowa what I told you? For me?

The matchmaker delivering a message to the fair maid's sweetheart. The Solitary Dragon smiled as Kari left her seat and strode to the door.

Sleep well, Wufei.

The smile became a grin. "Sleep well, Kari."

*****

Awww, how sweet.

Wufei: *scowls* Why did the monster have to pick me for chewing on?

That's funny, as I recall, you jumped into her path to save the fair damsel in distress.

Wufei: *blushes* Kari's fully capable of pulling my arms off without any real effort. I seriously doubt she qualifies as a damsel in distress.

Heh, heh, "women are weak", eh, Wufei?

Wufei: Shut up. And stop fluttering your eyelashes at me, woman!

Whatever. Anyway, minna-san, don't forget to review!! --L.P.D. *//.^*

Wufei: *sweatdrops* Uhm, who exactly are you talking to?