Hope everyone has a happy year of the Quatre(04)! ^^
BTW, Wufei...ah...He is...How do I put this...slightly disturbed still by his recent past. In my defense, they never showed him directly after his wife died, so I'm having a bit of fun here...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned here. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
***
October 27, on the East Road
"Mr. Chang." Noin turned her black horse off the paved road, onto a faded dirt path. "Stay close." She glanced back to make sure he was still behind her, then continued on. He looked distastefully down at his own horse, identical to the one in front of him, then kicked it into a trot, catching up with Noin and riding next to her. "You seem to know a lot about me," He caught her eyes, "But you haven't told me anything. Who is your master in Lórien?" She broke eye contact, staring directly ahead. "Why do you wish to know him? I think most people would ask who I am, not who I work for." He snorted, "Who you are? Woman, you can't be of importance, running errands for the man behind the curtain. He's the one with strength. Who is he?" She avoided the question, answering instead, "Call me Noin. I live in the city of Lothlórien, I have been sent to meet you and bring you back." There was a silence, in which Wufei again fell back, to ride behind the taller woman, ignoring her. After riding in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, Noin spoke, "How long were you in Bree? I didn't see you there before yesterday." He guided his mount over a fallen branch. "That's because I wasn't there. I just arrived in Bree that morning." She nodded, "That makes sense. It is a long journey, from the southern coast." He glanced sharply at her, his guard suddenly raised, but did not say anything. The rest of their ride went by in total silence.
***
By the time the sun was going down, the two riders had reached a small clearing in the middle of the wilderness. Dusk was falling as the sun sank behind the trees in a spectacular display of reds and golds. Within a minute of getting their camp set up, it was completely dark, save for the first few stars. "Wufei," Noin called, walking away from her bedroll, "I'm going to get some firewood. Stay here." She disappeared into the forest, blade glittering in the faint starlight, as the young man glared after her, before starting to spread out his own bedroll and mutter to himself.
"...Telling me what to do, like I'm a child. She thinks she has power, hah! That master of hers, he's the strong one. She's just obeying his orders, following along, like she should--" His head snapped to one side and he fell silent for a second before continuing his rant, but this time the words were faster, louder.
"...She carries a sword, like she's a fighter. No possible way in hell. Women don't fight, I was supposed to fight. Like her commander, he should have come, not sending some weak female, going to get--" He turned around, staring towards the trees now in front of him, quickly picking up his place, nearing a yell.
"...Killed, you hear me?! That's what's gonna happen--" His head snapped around again, turning back to face past where Noin had vanished to search for firewood, he continued.
"...And that's what will happen to you! Justice!" His eyes widened, the white showing all the way around the irises, a past memory making itself present.
"I told you, didn't I?! I told you, what did I say?! Did you listen!? Did you ever listen?! There _is_ no justice!"
Smoke...burning...fire...the heat...burning...
"You had to prove yourself, you had to be the best! Better than anyone else! Look what happened!"
Arrows...where did she go? The flames...
"Look at what happened!" He whirled around, not seeing anything around him. "Look at what happened! I told you!"
Has she...no, she wouldn't, not against these odds...even she isn't that arrogant...
"`The women and children are leaving, Meilan!' `Go with them, Meilan! Let the men do the fighting!' No! You wouldn't even let me do that!"
The smoke...so hot...burning...the smell of ash is in the air...
"I told you!" Grinding out the words, they fall upon still air, "There is no justice. Do you hear me!? No justice! The weak fight and the strong die!"
Fighting...swords...flaming arrows falling from the heavens...
"You should have listened to me! I was going to get you to safety! You had to go back! You had to disobey me that one last time! Forcing me to lose to you, just once more! Idiot!"
The figure standing in front of me, black hair around her shoulders, sword in her hand, soot coating her face...
"You! I could have saved you, but you had to prove me wrong! Always wrong! Is this your right?! It isn't! It's the same! Nothing has changed!"
She takes a fighting stance, broad curved sword clasped in both her hands...
"You thought you could change the world all on your own! You thought you were invincible! That by fighting, the world would be different! Well, I ask you: Has it changed?! Is anything different!?"
...And falls...Falling, falling...always out of reach...she hits the ground, her body disappears...
"Did the world change?! Did it?!"
The flames rise...higher and higher...consuming everything...the heat becomes unbearable--
"Nata--!" Wufei looked around. He was sitting up, it was late at night, the stars brightly visible overhead. A warm fire was crackling next to him, his right side uncomfortably hot with it's presence. He lay back down on his back, shifting, so as to move further away from the fire. "That's it. It was a dream." Closing his eyes, he lay awake for several minutes before finally drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
Noin smiled, her dark hair covering half her face, as she slowly turned over on her side to face away from the young warrior. Zechs was right. He really was strong. With a past like that, he would have to be, or be dead.
She had left to collect firewood, and upon returning, found him asleep. She sat up, first making the fire, then simply watching him, as he muttered phrases in his sleep, arguing with himself.
With her.
He had tossed, rolling closer to the fire, and though he lashed out in his slumber, his eyes darting behind their lids, and sweat breaking out over his body, he remained asleep, letting the unpleasant memories wash over him.
He was strong.
And Zechs was right.
He would be perfect.
BTW, Wufei...ah...He is...How do I put this...slightly disturbed still by his recent past. In my defense, they never showed him directly after his wife died, so I'm having a bit of fun here...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned here. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
***
October 27, on the East Road
"Mr. Chang." Noin turned her black horse off the paved road, onto a faded dirt path. "Stay close." She glanced back to make sure he was still behind her, then continued on. He looked distastefully down at his own horse, identical to the one in front of him, then kicked it into a trot, catching up with Noin and riding next to her. "You seem to know a lot about me," He caught her eyes, "But you haven't told me anything. Who is your master in Lórien?" She broke eye contact, staring directly ahead. "Why do you wish to know him? I think most people would ask who I am, not who I work for." He snorted, "Who you are? Woman, you can't be of importance, running errands for the man behind the curtain. He's the one with strength. Who is he?" She avoided the question, answering instead, "Call me Noin. I live in the city of Lothlórien, I have been sent to meet you and bring you back." There was a silence, in which Wufei again fell back, to ride behind the taller woman, ignoring her. After riding in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, Noin spoke, "How long were you in Bree? I didn't see you there before yesterday." He guided his mount over a fallen branch. "That's because I wasn't there. I just arrived in Bree that morning." She nodded, "That makes sense. It is a long journey, from the southern coast." He glanced sharply at her, his guard suddenly raised, but did not say anything. The rest of their ride went by in total silence.
***
By the time the sun was going down, the two riders had reached a small clearing in the middle of the wilderness. Dusk was falling as the sun sank behind the trees in a spectacular display of reds and golds. Within a minute of getting their camp set up, it was completely dark, save for the first few stars. "Wufei," Noin called, walking away from her bedroll, "I'm going to get some firewood. Stay here." She disappeared into the forest, blade glittering in the faint starlight, as the young man glared after her, before starting to spread out his own bedroll and mutter to himself.
"...Telling me what to do, like I'm a child. She thinks she has power, hah! That master of hers, he's the strong one. She's just obeying his orders, following along, like she should--" His head snapped to one side and he fell silent for a second before continuing his rant, but this time the words were faster, louder.
"...She carries a sword, like she's a fighter. No possible way in hell. Women don't fight, I was supposed to fight. Like her commander, he should have come, not sending some weak female, going to get--" He turned around, staring towards the trees now in front of him, quickly picking up his place, nearing a yell.
"...Killed, you hear me?! That's what's gonna happen--" His head snapped around again, turning back to face past where Noin had vanished to search for firewood, he continued.
"...And that's what will happen to you! Justice!" His eyes widened, the white showing all the way around the irises, a past memory making itself present.
"I told you, didn't I?! I told you, what did I say?! Did you listen!? Did you ever listen?! There _is_ no justice!"
Smoke...burning...fire...the heat...burning...
"You had to prove yourself, you had to be the best! Better than anyone else! Look what happened!"
Arrows...where did she go? The flames...
"Look at what happened!" He whirled around, not seeing anything around him. "Look at what happened! I told you!"
Has she...no, she wouldn't, not against these odds...even she isn't that arrogant...
"`The women and children are leaving, Meilan!' `Go with them, Meilan! Let the men do the fighting!' No! You wouldn't even let me do that!"
The smoke...so hot...burning...the smell of ash is in the air...
"I told you!" Grinding out the words, they fall upon still air, "There is no justice. Do you hear me!? No justice! The weak fight and the strong die!"
Fighting...swords...flaming arrows falling from the heavens...
"You should have listened to me! I was going to get you to safety! You had to go back! You had to disobey me that one last time! Forcing me to lose to you, just once more! Idiot!"
The figure standing in front of me, black hair around her shoulders, sword in her hand, soot coating her face...
"You! I could have saved you, but you had to prove me wrong! Always wrong! Is this your right?! It isn't! It's the same! Nothing has changed!"
She takes a fighting stance, broad curved sword clasped in both her hands...
"You thought you could change the world all on your own! You thought you were invincible! That by fighting, the world would be different! Well, I ask you: Has it changed?! Is anything different!?"
...And falls...Falling, falling...always out of reach...she hits the ground, her body disappears...
"Did the world change?! Did it?!"
The flames rise...higher and higher...consuming everything...the heat becomes unbearable--
"Nata--!" Wufei looked around. He was sitting up, it was late at night, the stars brightly visible overhead. A warm fire was crackling next to him, his right side uncomfortably hot with it's presence. He lay back down on his back, shifting, so as to move further away from the fire. "That's it. It was a dream." Closing his eyes, he lay awake for several minutes before finally drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
Noin smiled, her dark hair covering half her face, as she slowly turned over on her side to face away from the young warrior. Zechs was right. He really was strong. With a past like that, he would have to be, or be dead.
She had left to collect firewood, and upon returning, found him asleep. She sat up, first making the fire, then simply watching him, as he muttered phrases in his sleep, arguing with himself.
With her.
He had tossed, rolling closer to the fire, and though he lashed out in his slumber, his eyes darting behind their lids, and sweat breaking out over his body, he remained asleep, letting the unpleasant memories wash over him.
He was strong.
And Zechs was right.
He would be perfect.