Tapestry, Chapter 27

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"War? What do you mean, war?"

Wufei merely pointed to the screen and sat down on his bed, shaking his head. Following his gaze, I saw a uniformed reporter, his pale face superimposed across the vivid orange and black of a blazing fire, describing the scene in grisly detail.

".... reporting from L6. For those of you just joining our broadcast, the colonies wish to reiterate they had no prior knowledge - that is, NO prior knowledge - of any attack. All damage was inflicted by an individual or individuals working without the knowledge of and not under the auspices of the colonies - "

I sat straighter in the chair, not believing what I heard, staring at the screen in undisguised horror.

"Sources revealed that at least one gundam, possibly more, attacked the A quadrant in the L6 sector. At this time not all reports are in and evidence is extremely sketchy. However, information gathered has shown extensive damage in the northern and western sections of the quadrant, so much so that all surviving colonists have been gathered and evacuated to the Hayabusa-Kariudo center near Hogo. They will be ..."

The announcer droned on. I ignored him. My gaze was riveted on the carnage at the scene - what looked like a city was blasted to oblivion on a dead, smoking plain. Without warning, another image was superimposed across mounds of oily, thick black smoke and jets of crimson flame. It was a machine that was large and formidable, unaffected by lasers or energy cannons. Power crackled across its hull, shining an incandescent, brilliant blue. There was so much excess energy that the machine's own circuits had no use for it.

That fearsome machine was a gundam. In fact, it was Sandrock.

The only sounds in the room were the reporter's bland voice and my labored breathing. Wufei appeared to have himself under control, but just barely. We both were stunned, speechless, staring at the vidscreen.

"I don't understand." My voice sounded hoarse and rusty. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. Sandrock was Quatre's gundam, and Quatre's gundam was - somewhere else.

"Neither do I."

I slowly shook my head. "Duo said - Duo said he knew where Sandrock was ..."

"So do we - and so does the rest of the world. And that's Quatre inside."

"Wufei. That can't be. That's impossible. What's going on?" I asked, my voice breaking a little.

"I don't know," he responded, his own voice low. "But you'd better put on some good clothing."

I frowned at him, not understanding. "What? Why?"

Sharp, insistent rapping interrupted us. Treize opened the door and strode into the room, his keen gaze locked on Wufei. "Are you both ready?"

I turned and stared, quite beyond masking any reaction. Here was the Treize from the news broadcasts; strong, stern, and completely in control, dressed in full military regalia. He was even wearing that ridiculous side cape thing.

Yes, and it goes quite nicely with the rest of the outfit, wouldn't you say?

I blinked and swallowed. That voice - that voice was in my head again. Gads, I was NOT going to think about that at all.

"I - I'll get ready now ... Treize ..." I stood, not finishing my thought as I stared at him and his - aura.

Aura? Well, not quite. I didn't even know what to call it, since Trowa told me he wasn't human, and only humans had auras. Whatever it was - his presence, for lack of a better word, I suppose - filled the entire room.

And no, I'm not exaggerating. That would be the entire room.

It was an amazing color; there wasn't a word to describe it. Mostly it was bronze with gold and red intertwined, swirling gently. It looked nothing at all like a human aura; it was beautiful and mesmerizing at the same time. No human could possibly produce something like that.

Treize nodded, then looked at us. "Please hurry. The debriefing is in twenty minutes." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

Breathing deeply, telling myself to be calm, I looked down at my hands and had another shock. That lovely, powder blue color surrounding my body was now tinged with Treize's color. I flexed my hand a little. Sure enough, his bronze hue splashed the edges everywhere, even between my fingers.

Not Wufei's aura, though. Wufei's aura was untouched by Treize's color. Totally. Untouched.

Gods.

"We have to appear with him?" I tried not to sound plaintive, but failed miserably.

"Sort of. We have to be present - as part of the proof of a peace offering. This attack is without either colony or OZ approval." Wufei's expression was closed, his mouth a tight, hard line. "This is possibly the worst thing that Quatre could have done."

"I can't believe Quatre did it. In fact, I don't believe it." I glanced at the doorway, looking after Treize. "I'd better hurry. I'll meet you downstairs."

Wufei grunted, his attention back on the screen. I closed the door softly on the way out.

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Treize was still in front of me as I made my way back to my room. So were his Specials; they littered the hallway like so much flotsam. It was obvious that something out of the ordinary was happening, but those soldiers were too well trained to give any indication as to what that was.

I paused at the stairway and watched Treize stride past his soldiers, speaking quietly with several of them, including Une, looking as if everything was completely normal.

For me, though, it wasn't normal. My newfound sight was a blessing and a curse; a blessing, because now I could see why certain things happened the way they did, and a curse because I couldn't act on that knowledge. I had to pretend as if I knew nothing at all, could see nothing at all.

But I could see - and what I saw was frightening.

Treize's 'aura' mingled with anyone else's who was near him, to the point where theirs were overwhelmed. Very little of their own color was left; most of it was Treize's. All his Specials' auras were similar - brown or gray streaked through with varying shades of green - but when Treize passed, theirs took his color almost instantly. Not only that, but I could tell that their emotions were affected as well as their auras. Those shining, devoted gazes staring at the general as he passed gave them away.

And explained a lot. How many times did I feel as though something odd was happening to me whenever he was close? Gods. I thought I was going crazy, or having a high hormonal day ... and all the time, it was this. I felt both cheated and vindicated, somehow.

Une, trotting next to him, managed to look both officious and devoted at the same time. Her normal aura was a thick, dull gray, one that resembled smoldering ash. Treize inclined his head and spoke softly to her; she immediately stopped, nodded, made a notation on her clipboard and watched him walk down the hallway toward the front door.

Everyone else's aura lost Treize's color the farther away they were from him, even mine. I glanced at my hand - the edges of my aura were solid blue again. Not Une's, though. Even though Treize wasn't there, his color still stained her smoky color, heavy bronze mixing with mottled gray.

Realization hit me in a moment. No wonder Une was so completely devoted to Treize. In that instant, I felt sorry for her. It explained so much - she had absolutely no control over what she did or how she felt about that man.

I hurried up the stairs to my room, figuring I only had about five minutes to change before I needed to be out with Wufei. Somber navy blue was the color for the day; I yanked the pantsuit out the closet and stuffed my legs into the trousers, my mind reeling from a new realization -

- Treize didn't know I could see auras.

Seeing auras wasn't something that was terribly surprising to me on a gut level; after all, I had had those feelings all along. Now I had a visual statement, a confirmation of my suspicions. It was nice to know I wasn't crazy, even if I was the only one who knew. The fact that Treize didn't realize this was an advantage, and I hoped to keep that advantage for a little while. He's going to treat me the same way, I reasoned, so I'll still have the same 'freedoms,' as dubious as they were. It was small, but at least it was something.

And something, I had learned, was infinitely preferable to nothing.

Rummaging for my shoes, I mused about Wufei. Why, I wondered, why wasn't his aura a dragon, as Seiryuu's was? His colors weren't even the same. Plus, Trowa mentioned something about 'awakening;' I had no clue what that meant. Scowling, I looked under the bed for the other shoe, thinking that it was all very cryptic and frustrating and I just didn't have TIME to focus on it now. It would simply have to wait.

Snagging my shoe, I shoved my foot into it and literally tripped outside, only to be surprised by Une standing outside my bedroom door. She grabbed my upper arm and dragged me through the hall. That woman would have yanked me through the halls by my ears like a recalcitrant child if she thought she could get away with it. I stumbled next to her, my previous sympathies evaporating into thin air. All my old antipathy stormed back. Gads, she was such a bitch.

Still not saying a word, she shoved me out the front door, down the path and right to the waiting black helicopter, her attitude frosty and cold. Thrusting me forward into the hands of the waiting Specials on board, she hissed, "You two are here for the express purpose of proving that Lord Treize is in control. If either of you do anything to shame him, I will personally tranquilize you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Une," I spat out, glaring at her, "that's perfectly clear."

Several large soldiers hauled me into the helicopter and pushed me unceremoniously into a seat across from Treize. He was talking on his cellphone; he didn't acknowledge me, but did wave one hand to his staff. All at once, the soldiers immediately found somewhere to sit; as I strapped myself into the seat, the engines roared, the rotors sprang to life, the ship leaped skyward and we were airborne.

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"It seems as if your comrade has killed somewhere in excess of four million people."

Treize snapped the lid of his cellphone closed and turned to look at Wufei and me. He looked tired; shadows under his eyes were more pronounced, and his general demeanor was weary. But his aura, if that's what it was, filled the entire helicopter with its glow. It hadn't changed; if anything, the color had deepened and become more robust. Everyone was affected - all the Specials, the support personnel - even me, to a lesser extent.

Everyone except Wufei. He was sitting across from Treize; pristine, pure, uncontaminated, his aura swirling red and black, tension and strain in every line of his body.

"Gods," Wufei whispered, closing his eyes.

"I - I can't believe it," I murmured, shocked.

"Believe it. That's the conservative estimate." Treize closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat. "I know that was not what was intended. Something has gone wrong."

"What - what do you mean?" I asked him, frowning.

He opened his eyes and looked directly at me, his blue gaze penetrating. "You. The pilots. Are not like this. This ...." He sighed again, shaking his head slightly against the upholstered seat. "Something is wrong."

I tried not to stare at him, but I couldn't help it. He knew - somehow, he knew what was wrong, and he was simply acting the part of the perplexed autocrat. There was no sign of regret at all in his aura; in fact, it simply glowed a little brighter.

"Quatre..."

Wufei murmured softly, almost to himself. I dragged my gaze away from Treize and looked at him, concerned. His aura - that vibrant, pulsing red and black aura that encircled him - had a thin line of what looked like purple bruising winding through it. And if that wasn't enough to raise my hackles, the poor boy was shaking from tension, his eyes huge and dark.

I put my hand on his arm, trying to give him some reassurance, some encouragement. "Wufei ..."

He didn't answer me; silent, he looked out the window and sighed. Bowing my head, I glanced at my hand on his arm, and saw something interesting.

He didn't move at all. His aura, though, did.

From what I had observed, auras really didn't interact with each other. Everyone had their own, and their own stayed around their bodies, even when people were in direct contact with each other. However, that's not the way Wufei's acted; his actually moved toward me, the entire amorphous mass shifted in my direction.

I smiled a little, my gaze lowered. That meant that he knew I was there for him, and he not only needed my support, but welcomed it. Instinctively, I knew it; I felt it before, but this gave me a visual confirmation.

Triumph. Joy. I was right. Wufei did need me. I could help him.

I glanced up at that point, right into Treize's eyes.

And was caught again.

I looked back helplessly as Treize regarded me with a piercing, thoughtful gaze, a small smile playing about his lips. Could he see into my mind? I swore there were times when he could, and this felt like one of them. Plus, that feeling I had whenever I was close to him - that constant need my body had to sway into him, the ache for him to touch me, was back in force. It was almost a weird submission thing; it would be so much easier if I simply stopped fighting and gave into that feeling.

"Wufei," Treize murmured.

The muscles in his forearm tensed as Treize said his name; I could feel it. At the same time, his aura flared, and dear gods, if I thought mine was large in comparison to the average person, Wufei's was huge. It exploded outward like a solar flare, then settled about him, waving slowly like a flame in the wind.

"You may have to speak against your fellow pilot."

"Why?"

"Because otherwise you will be condemned as a group."

"That's ridiculous," I snapped, leaning over Wufei toward Treize. I hadn't any intention of pushing into his conversation, but I didn't like what he was doing to Wufei. At all. And I certainly wasn't going to let him do it to Wufei in front of me.

"I'm surprised. You are a student of mob psychology, Ms. Po. Between four and seven million people have just been murdered by a gundam pilot. I think this should be clear, even to you." Treize refused to drop his gaze, instead holding mine for a long moment. "If you wish, Sally, we will wait - but if the pilots as a whole are condemned, my word alone will not save them."

I sucked in my breath, ready to do battle, but then realized what he said was ... right.

Wow. My fingers curled. I hated him more now than I ever had before. He took my automatic reflex - my anger - away from me so thoroughly and completely that it left me speechless. There was nothing I could say in rebuttal to him, nothing that would make sense, nothing that wouldn't sound petty and ignorant - certainly nothing that would help Wufei.

"You have no idea why this pilot went insane, do you? Then why couldn't it have been someone from your own organization piloting that piece of machinery? Why are you so positive it was Quatre?"

"Because no one from OZ knew where that particular piece of machinery was, and I would have no reason to order an attack on the colonies."

"Fuck you," Wufei muttered, not looking at him. He didn't mean it, though. His aura retreated from Treize, drawing tight around his body, a sheath around a sword.

"Wufei. Please." Treize's voice was gentle but he was relentless. "Unless you want your fellow pilots condemned - and I know you do not - "

"I'll do it. Shut up."

Treize sighed and leaned back with a long-suffering, weary expression, closing his eyes for a brief moment. To everyone else, he looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders; the leader of OZ in an unguarded moment.

But I knew better. Inside, that bastard was laughing. I could see it in the reddish-bronze glow of the ship, in the way he tilted his head, the way his eyelashes shadowed his cheeks. Laughing at the pain and misery in our world.

Laughing, damn him. Laughing at us.

My hatred grew. I thought it would burst out of my chest and strangle me, it was so strong. I wished it would strangle him. If there was anything as evil and horrid in the world as Treize, I had yet to meet it. Trowa never did tell me exactly what he was, but I had ideas, and none of them were pleasant. All of them involved a being terribly strong, one that could squash either Wufei or me in an instant.

It was hard to catch my breath. I felt like I was hyperventilating, rage at him and pure adrenaline pushing my system into overdrive. Well, fuck him and everything like him. I didn't care - I was never going to stop fighting. That was a promise I intended to take with me to my grave. Just let him try to touch me or Wufei. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I was going to do something, and I wasn't going to be put off by his not being human, either.

We were landing. I felt my stomach lurch with the change in pitch of the rotor sound, synchronized perfectly. Flickering blue light sparkled on the edge of my vision; I thought it was some kind of guidance beacon, and glanced through the window on Wufei's side to see.

I blinked. There was no beacon, only the beginnings of dusk blurring the edges of the sky. Then what did I see? Frowning, I looked down at my arm, lying next to Wufei's, and stared in shocked surprise. My aura looked like seaweed caught in a violent underwater storm, undulating wildly back and forth, nearly giving off sparks itself. Its color was as clear and pure as the sky on a bright summer's day, untouched by that pervasive bronze cast that surrounded everything else.

I frowned a moment and I looked down, thinking. My mind cleared and I felt more like myself when I was angry. Anger. Did that mean that -

Treize leaned forward suddenly and put his hand over mine and Wufei's, dwarfing both in his grasp.

Wufei snapped his head around and stared at Treize, horrified; he tried to yank his hand back, but Treize held him as easily as he held me.

"Please. Be on your best behavior." He squeezed my hand and Wufei's, then rose and left us immediately, disappearing into a sea of Specials. I could see flashes of bright light winking outside the craft, throwing odd, grotesque shadows against the hull.

Wufei stared after him, his jaw set, his lips a tight, compressed line. "Let's go," he snapped, rising and pulling me to my feet at the same time.

Waiting Specials pulled on my arm, thrusting me from the darkness of the helicopter into a cold ocean of bright lights and bristling overhead microphones. Straining, avaricious reporters, eager to snag a story, shouted questions at Treize, then me, and finally at anyone they saw, hoping to goad someone into making one angry slip.

Right. As if his no-necked soldiers were going to answer them. And big fat chance that I'd be allowed to open my mouth at all. One look at Treize's back reminded me in whose company I was and who was in charge. I narrowed my eyes and kept walking.

Once they saw Wufei, though, they forgot about anyone else and surged toward him, flashbulbs popping. A general hum and murmur rippled from one side of the crowd to the other, touching everyone. Phrases like "it's that gundam pilot Treize is reforming" and "he's so generous to those people" sprang across the out at me. I could feel them staring, malicious and hostile, and squared my shoulders. Fuck them. They were the sheep and Treize was the border collie, nipping, goading, and maneuvering them wherever he wanted.

Hate - that's what I felt for Treize. Nothing but pure hate and damned impotence at being able to DO nothing. I glared from the safety of my Specials escort, wishing that something would happen to make that man spontaneously burst into flame.

No such luck. In fact, what I did see made me ill.

Treize waited for silence, standing behind the microphone, a commanding, imposing figure. As he started to speak, his presence - a sinuous, dense cloud - crept over everyone in the room, staining human auras with that peculiar bronze hue and mesmerizing those it touched. Mine, however, was a clear, pure blue. My anger was keeping me company as I watched those around me smile and nod with him, entranced.

He was extremely good at making speeches, and this one was no exception. It was witty, clever and moving; he said exactly what the crowd wanted to hear, and they loved him. Treize wasn't saying anything objectionable. In fact, he was reminding everyone that even if misguided, the gundam pilots had been fighting for the colonies with the blessing of the colonies.

It was awful. There was no natural defense against him; only Wufei appeared to be immune. Even I was vulnerable. Slowly, slowly, I felt my resistance and antipathy toward him start to slip away, replaced with confusion and chagrin.

After he finished, he calmly looked at the crowd. "Questions?" he invited.

Eager hands shot up; shouts of "General! General!" came from every corner of the room. Treize fielded them all, effortlessly.

Finally, someone asked The Question.

"General Khushrenada - what about this gundam pilot you're supposedly reforming? What does he have to say about all this? And does his opinion affect you?"

"Wufei. Come here, please." Treize looked at Wufei and beckoned him forward.

Wufei swallowed once and left his cadre of Specials, walking steadily through the crowd toward the dais. His aura was tightly controlled, leashed like a hound - but he was absolutely calm as he threaded his way to the microphone. It struck me at that moment that he was fine. In fact, he had been fine when he was living there with Treize before I woke up, and he was fine now.

I shook my head a little to clear it. Then what was this irrational desire I had all the time to protect him, especially from Treize? I squinted a little bit and watched.

"I am Chang Wufei, from L5."

The muttering stopped completely when Wufei ascended the stairs to the stage. Another low, murmuring rumble skimmed across the throng; and this time, there was nothing friendly about it.

"I piloted the gundam 05," he continued. "I would pilot it again, if given half a chance, to fight OZ. But I would never do what this ... person ... has done. None of us would. I don't know who the pilot is, but he's not one of us."

The crowd stared back at him, not sure how to react. Treize laughed softly, relieving some of the tension.

"As you can see, HIS mind is obviously unchanged," he said, speaking directly into the microphone, his tone droll. Laughter tinkled around the room. Treize smiled disarmingly and continued. "However, I think you can see where this leaves us ..."

I stopped listening at that point. Wufei's aura looked like black and red paint spilled on a bronze canvas, a dark smudge completely untouched in a sea of burnished copper. He was edging back from the crowd, obviously not wanted to be there. Treize glanced once in his direction; he stopped moving immediately.

" ... I cannot emphasize enough that the guilty parties will be found and punished. Our people will not be slaughtered and held hostage by terrorists and rebels with no conscience ..."

Finally, Treize turned the balance of the briefing over to Une. He acknowledge the applause from the crowd and left the podium.

"Come along, Wufei," he said as he passed him. Wufei turned and walked after him, scowling.

"Whipped little cur, isn't he?" one man smirked as they passed.

Wufei automatically started after the man, his aura flaring nova.

"Wufei," Treize said evenly without turning around.

Glowering, Wufei turned and fell in step behind Treize. My escort pushed me after them, and we walked briskly back to the helicopter.

"You were superb, Wufei," I murmured, catching up with him.

He only glanced at me, saying nothing, his jaw clenched. We strode back to the landing pad in silence and were hustled inside behind Treize. The door had hardly closed when the craft leaped smoothly into the air, pushing us back into our seats.

"Well. That wasn't a bad two hours, was it?"

Wufei refused to answer, pointedly angling his shoulder and body toward the window of the helicopter. Treize studied him with a thoughtful expression.

"Wufei."

The boy turned from the darkness outside and looked at Treize. " ... yes?" he asked, barely civil.

"Meet me in the training room after we land. I think we both have some stress to work off, and I would like to talk to you about something."

"Whatever," Wufei muttered, snorting slightly. He turned back to the window, dismissing Treize from his thoughts.

I wished I could do that as easily. I quickly looked at Treize through lowered lashes, just to see his reaction; a tiny smile touched his lips, one I almost didn't catch.

"You did well, Wufei. You were honest."

"Of course I was," Wufei snapped back, annoyed, his aura flaring just a little.

"I appreciate that. I know I can trust you to be true to yourself."

Now Wufei gave Treize a long, slow glare, obviously incensed. "I am true to the truth."

"Hai," Treize answered, doubt coloring his tone.

Wufei blinked, his aura flaring more. "I am."

"And that is ...?"

A small hiss through his teeth was Wufei's only response.

I wasn't looking directly at Treize; I couldn't. The burnished glow that filled the ship deepened in color as he spoke to Wufei. What on earth was he doing, goading Wufei like that? And what could he possibly want to discuss with Wufei, especially since he said they'd be chatting after Wufei tried to kill him yet again?

There would be no point. Wufei would get all worked up, and ...

Then it hit me. I knew what Treize wanted to talk to Wufei about - in fact, I knew what he wanted to do, probably during that little 'sparring' match and certainly afterwards. I shifted my gaze and tried to keep my expression carefully neutral. Wufei was glaring out the window at the dark sky, his aura steady and bright. He had no suspicions about what Treize had in mind.

No suspicions whatsoever. And that's because Treize was 'always honest' with him. Always honest, indeed.

Treize crossed his legs, sprawling slightly against the leather seats, a heavy, feline grace about him. I felt a shudder work its way down my spine; he reminded me so much of a lion before feeding time that it was uncanny. A large, hungry, predator cat sitting in the seat across from me.

"And you, Sally? Any opinions on the night's proceedings?"

A frosty glance in his direction was my initial response. Feigning unconcern, I turned my attention to my hands and murmured, "No. I thought Wufei was quite eloquent and succinct."

So there. And so was I.

"Which I appreciate," Treize nodded, agreeing, another small smile on his lips. "I do believe it was fairly obvious he had not been affected by Me."

Oh, I heard that capital letter. Involuntarily, I snatched my gaze back, rattled. "Ex - excuse me?" What kind of 'Me' was he talking about?

"Pardon? Is something not clear?" Treize tilted his head and looked at me, waiting politely for a response.

A beat passed as we stared at each other. "Ah ... no," I finally said, looking away. "Wufei does have his own opinions, which do not appear to have been affected by yours."

Treize nodded. "As I said ... a wonderful thing. Of course, they might wonder if MINE had been affected by HIS. However, I do believe that ... well." He seemed to consider for a moment. "Perhaps it's false. I wonder, though ... "

"I doubt very much, Treize, that anyone believes you could be influenced by anything at all," I retorted, stiff. I was lucky I didn't roll my eyes at him. What absolute drivel. He couldn't actually think I believed his innocent act, could he?

"Indeed?" His tone and inflection made me look at him involuntarily; and there I was, caught again by the intensity of his gaze. "Many have said such things over the years."

Nonchalant - act nonchalant, Sally. "They've said you've been influenced by outside sources?" I shrugged. "Were they correct?"

"Of course. I am always learning, always growing. I had already changed my opinion on the gundam pilots."

"Oh? In what way?" It was his dime - if he wanted to spill it, I'd listen.

"Their nobility - their strength - their singularity of purpose. I have wondered, at times, if I am wrong."

Right. Oh, of course, I believed that. "Well, I'm sure that time will tell whether or not you're wrong." I smiled easily, keeping my emotions in check. It wouldn't do at ALL to be in the middle of one conversation just to find that the true conversation was concerning something else.

"Time will always tell. It is the harsh judge that man can never escape, no matter what his personal philosophy."

I blinked slowly, staring at him. "Very true. We will all die one day - there is an end to everything, eventually..."

"Yes - although some feel that an ending is really just a beginning - a new beginning. There is no ending, no mourning ... it simply begins something new. And new does not necessarily mean wrong or evil."

"I - suppose ... " I said guardedly, feeling cold. This was actually making sense, in a weird way, and I didn't like that. I didn't like agreeing with him.

"You have not had that experience, Sally? I am sorry for you."

He sounded completely sincere, and that confused me even more. "What - what do you mean? Having one phase of my life end, and another begin - start my life again from ashes?" How incredibly bizarre - what on earth did he think I was doing?

"Yes, that's just what I mean," he answered, leaning forward, looking fervent. "The process of the phoenix."

"But of course I've had that experience. None of us are what we were when we began this journey."

"Exactly," Treize nodded. "So many think that change is the 'end.' That simply because something is different or new that is it somehow WRONG. But Sally," he continued, leaning toward me, looking directly into my eyes, "I do not believe that this is true. Life would have no meaning, otherwise, because life requires change."

I wasn't going to let him draw me into whatever plan he had. "Some people feel that any change is justifiable - when, in fact, the true reason for the change they want is to end their own ennui." Like you, I nearly screamed at him.

"Absolutely. Many do feel that way. I think it is those people who make the rest of us feel threatened by change." His response put himself neatly outside of those who wanted change for change's sake, or just for themselves.

"I'm not sure if 'threatened' is the best word for the way people feel about change. Possibly, it's also the type of change and upheaval in their lives that affects their outlook." I was calm, collected, trying a different tack to get my point across.

"Excellent point! Especially when so often that change affects what they view to be unchangeable. Morality, or beauty, for example."

Gads - how annoying was THIS? Now the man was agreeing with everything I said, no matter how carefully I stepped around and over his words. I couldn't disagree with him now - I'd look like a complete idiot, and in front of the helicopter crew, his people, again. His supporters. His audience.

~~Ah, well ... limit it to that in your mind, if you wish. But you're privileged to witness this Project, one of the largest in quite a long time.~~

I stared at my hands and felt the blood rush away from my face. Treize continued to prattle on about morality and beauty and such, but the only thing I could think about was that voice in my head. I was sure it was Treize, especially after what Trowa told me. I didn't have concrete proof, but I was fairly sure. Outwardly I was calm, but inside I was freaking out.

The helicopter landed. Wufei was still staring out the window, and Treize was still talking.

"I had no idea how much we thought alike, Sally," he said, patting me on my knee, smiling. "I need to rethink my policies. Such noble people cannot all be wrong." Treize rose, touching my shoulder, then turned and left. "Fifteen minutes, Wufei," he called over his shoulder. "Don't forget."

Wufei sighed and rose, looking as if he'd been told to take out the garbage. "Hai."

I stared after Treize, then looked up at Wufei in horror. He didn't get it - he seriously did NOT get what was going on.

"Wufei," I hissed urgently, "Wufei, listen -"

"Yes?" He stopped and looked at me, staring quizzically.

"Um ..." I rose from my seat and walked off the aircraft with him, accepting help down to the tarmac from the waiting Specials. "Wufei, you have to be terribly careful tonight with Treize. I - I have a bad feeling about this," I finally said as we walked back to the main building. "If you get the opportunity - TAKE it. Don't hesitate."

"Of course I will," he replied, automatic, not looking at me.

I stared at him. He was tired, physically and mentally - emotionally drained because of this mess with Quatre, physically tired because of the stuff going on with me, and mentally exhausted from the combination of all circumstances. That wasn't good.

"Wufei, you must be sharp." I tried again, desperate. "Don't let him take advantage of you."

"As if he hasn't already?" he asked, his eyes closed for a moment. "I'm just his - his mouthpiece to the world."

Exasperation rolled over me, right into my stomach. "No, no, no ... you don't understand -"

" -so explain," he snapped, curt. He banged through one of the back doors and headed for his room, striding down the hallway.

"Not in the hallway!" I trotted next to him, scowling at the soldiers on his other side. Gads, he wasn't THAT stupid, was he?

"Fine," he shrugged, not noticing my glance. We walked in silence for a few more moments, just until we reached his bedroom. One dark glare at the Specials had them turning around and marching down the hallway; and it was only after they left that I started to speak, and speak quickly.

"Look - Wufei. What if you told him you were too tired to fight right now? That you'd have a better fight in the morning? Don't you think that would be better for you?"

He gave me an odd look. "But I'm not too tired to do this."

I was becoming more upset by the moment. "No - but Wufei, you'd have more of an advantage if you fought him when you were fresh. If you fight him now, you're giving HIM all the advantage -"

"No, I'm not," Wufei responded, clearly puzzled. "He's more tired than I am."

I strove to keep my voice calm and not let my agitation show. "It's just - it's just that the press conference was exhausting, whether you realize it or not - and the news about Quatre was awful - and ..." I couldn't keep it in anymore. I finished vehemently, "and I just don't think you should fight with him tonight. At all."

Wufei frowned slightly, then looked down, thinking. "You think I can't win? Is that it?" He wasn't accusing; it sounded as if he was asking for information.

"No - no, Wufei, that's not it at all. I think Treize is taking advantage of you by making you fight tonight."

Wufei rolled his eyes a little at me. "What's he going to do, pump me for information? Sally, we've done this before. It's called stress relief." He peered a little closer at me and frowned. "Tell me what's wrong. You know something I don't."

What could I say? Don't go fight him, because he's going to seduce you? How ridiculous was that? "I ... I have this feeling, Wufei, that he's going to do something - awful - to you tonight. Don't go. Please, don't go."

He stared back at me, his look piercing, his entire aura self contained, giving nothing away. "And what makes you think I deserve to be saved from him?" he asked softly, never looking away.

A beat passed as we stared at each other. I felt my stomach lurch. "Wufei ... Wufei, you do," I answered, my voice as soft and low as his. "I feel it. I know it. I would protect you with my life -"

"No," he snapped, wincing. I watched another purple line trace through his aura. "That's not necessary."

"You have protected me countless times -"

"I said, that's not necessary." He raised his voice slightly, just slightly, at the end, emphasizing every word. Apparently, this meant something to him, enough that he felt he needed to stress his prowess to me.

"I understand, Wufei." I nodded and stepped back, my head down. "Please - please be careful tonight."

"You are NOT dying for me! NOT for this!" Wufei was glaring at me, a combination of miserable and furious.

Blinking, I looked at Wufei. I couldn't remember seeing him this upset in a long time. "No - Wufei, I won't. I'm not going to die right now. It's not my time."

"Good." Wufei nodded again, then turned and marched into his bedroom and closed the door.

I stared at it a few moments, then went to my own room, discouraged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thinking about Wufei made me feel absolutely crazy - was there nothing I could do, nothing that would stop whatever Treize was going to do? Leaving my clothes in a heap on the floor, I yanked dark blue shorts and a tee shirt out of my drawers, glad to be out of the formal clothes and into clothes that fit the weather. It wasn't 'balmy,' exactly, but it was pretty close.

I walked onto the balcony and stood, motionless in the dark, listening to the waves tumble and crash on shore. Over and over, the rhythm soothing in its sameness and unvarying intensity, the sound of the surf lulled me. It was soothing. Calming. Something that helped clear my head, helped me understand what I needed to do.

Even the training rooms in Luxembourg had observation windows and platforms. Maybe I couldn't be right there, but I'd certainly be there, in case Wufei needed me. I wasn't going to leave him undefended.

I closed the door softly on my way out. I needed to hurry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luck was with me - no dogs were patrolling the hallways, nor were any Specials. I thought I heard Trowa's voice in my mind once or twice, reminding me of other ways to approach the training facilities. I ducked into those corridors without question, continuing toward the gymnasium. Sparring sounds - sharp, short breaths and feet moving rapidly across the floor - were more pronounced when I moved in those directions, meaning I was getting closer and they were still fighting. I wasn't too late.

I reached the main doors, padded quickly past them and over to a side alcove. It was completely dark on that side; I pushed a pair of glass doors open and slipped into the training area, unnoticed by either Treize or Wufei. My gaze darted around until I found tall, deep shelves built into the wall . Given that there wasn't anything else for me to hide in or on, I slithered up the wall and onto the highest shelf I could reach, about seven feet off the floor. Surprisingly enough, there was plenty of room for me in there; enough that I could stretch out, move my legs, and still be able to feel reasonably comfortable. An excellent turn of events, especially if I needed to stay there for any length of time.

After I situated myself, I turned my attention to the sparring partners on the floor; and after watching them for several minutes, I realized it certainly WAS a good thing that my shelf was so accommodating. I was going to be there a long time, if their behavior was any indication.

Treize was in no hurry to end their sparring match. He was not teasing Wufei, nor was he baiting him, nor was he trying to overpower him. Treize was working him, continuing the match, keeping it going as long as he could. Wufei, for his part, was going all out - he simply knew no other way to fight. He either fought completely, heart and mind and soul, or not at all.

I watched them for some time before I felt my eyelids start to droop. It was dark, and warm air circulated on the shelf; it was easy enough to doze, just a little. Sounds of fighting drifted up to me; I heard them stop several times to catch their breath, and then resume. Once it sounded as if they actually paused long enough to drink some water. Their attitudes seemed to indicate that it wasn't unusual at all.

By the time I realized I had dozed off for a short while, it was clear that they had stopped sparring and were talking quietly. Soft speaking became part of my dream, the same as when I fell asleep in the back of a lecture hall. I really was tired, honestly; but there was a tangible feeling in the air, something that also seemed part of the dream. Words that, for one reason or another, didn't stay in the background as others did; words that, oddly enough, came through clearly.

" ... for a purpose."

"...But I'm ... I don't understand WHY," Wufei responded. Not arguing, either, simply looking for information.

I felt comfortable; my eyes closed, listening.

"Wufei. You really believe yourself to be worth so little?" Treize asked, his voice gentle.

There was a long silence. Wufei did not answer. I stirred, feeling restless, the pit of my stomach responding for him.

Soft laughter from Treize turned my blood cold. "Wufei. You know me by now. When have I ever spent my time on something not worthwhile?"

Now I was feeling definitely uncomfortable, as this sounded familiar and I couldn't place why. It felt as though my heart pounded faster than normal. I opened my eyes and looked down at them.

"But what do you see that you think IS? Just raw potential, or something? I'm hardly worth anything."

"Failure does not change your worth, Wufei. The only thing failure indicates is that you encountered circumstances or individuals stronger than you."

He turned his head and refused to look at Treize. Treize gave him a small smile, but didn't back off. They were sitting next to each other on one of those portable stretchers next to the main sparring area, quite a bit closer to each other than normal. Wufei's aura looked thoughtful and slightly confused, but not wary; it was wavy and tremulous, but not overtly so. Treize's, on the other hand, was frightening precisely because it was absent; there was no bronze color at all anywhere in the gymnasium.

But behind him, deep in shadow, it looked as if there was ... were .... other things that ... no, really, I couldn't be sure, because that would just be ridiculous ... I leaned forward anyway, squinting, peering into the gloom, my heart definitely beating faster now. I clamped my jaw shut to stop my teeth from chattering. My hands were shaking at this point.

"You are worth much more than you know, Wufei," Treize continued, his voice a low rumble. "Much, much, more. I would gladly level entire civilizations to have you."

Wufei turned completely around to stare at him, searching his face. Looking for truth, I knew. Treize let him look and stared back - open, honest, having nothing to hide, no mania in his gaze.

"I ..." Wufei started, then stopped, staring.

"...you," Treize finished. "The last descendant of the dragon god Seiryuu. Inheritant of the Dragon Clan and all its beauty - and you are beautiful, Chang Wufei." He reached and touched Wufei's cheek once, sliding long fingers from the top of his cheekbone to the bottom of his chin.

Wufei's eyes widened appreciably and he jerked his head back, his hair flying forward then back with the motion of his head, his indrawn breath showing his shock at Treize's caress.

"You're - I'm - not."

"You are," Treize purred.

"Those are just legends," Wufei protested, his voice cracking a little.

"They are?"

The question hung, heavy in the silence that followed. The tension was almost unbearable. I had an excellent view of Wufei; and even though he was consciously denying everything that Treize said, it was obvious that deep down, on some level, he wasn't capable of denying what he felt was true.

And there was a shock for me. He knew. Not only could his people recite the legends, they believed them.

Reaching across his body, Treize took Wufei's chin in one hand and held his gaze at the same time. "One of your caliber, Wufei, has not existed for generations. Most with the dragon's blood die in the womb or burn up not long after birth."

Wufei blinked at him. "... burn up?"

"You know this, of course. Probably your mother, or your grandmother, or someone in your family did in your recent memory." As Treize continued, he turned the boy's face a little, inspecting it from a variety of different angles. "The difficulty is, of course, that a balance must be made - and held - between the dragon fire and the human genetic structure. Usually, that does not not hold past the age of six, at the latest. The fact that you have not only lived this long, but suffered no ill effects, indicates that the balance is perfect."

"Stop it," Wufei snapped, pulling his chin away from Treize's hand, glaring at him.

"Even those who survive, often as not are weak, sickly things subject to fevers at all times of the year -"

"I said STOP it."

"But you, Wufei ... I doubt you have even BEEN sick a day in your life, have you?"

"I said STOP IT!"

Harsh, panted breathing was the only thing I heard for the next minute or so. I watched from my perch as Wufei faced off against Treize, his hands balled into fists, his aura flashing around him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Wufei grated out, his voice rough.

"Because, Wufei ... you wanted to know."

"But -"

Treize put a finger on Wufei's lips, effectively silencing him. Wufei's eyes became as round as saucers, but he made no sound.

"Shh. There is no 'but.' You know that, Wufei, as well as you know your own name." Treize's voice took on a chiding note. "I grow tired of these childish games at times, and I think ... that you do, too."

Huge, large, dark, irregular shapes were looming behind Treize, pushing their way into my consciousness, shouting to be identified. They looked like ... wings. Like shadow wings. And they were moving, gods help me. Shifting. Unfurled. Bigger than me. My hands were shaking and sweating.

Wufei pulled his head back, staring at Treize. "St..stop that. Don't touch me!"

My attention snapped from the shadow wings to Wufei. Help him help him help him, my emotional mind screamed at me. Jump down, run over, grab him away from Treize and get him out of here, for pity's sake, and do it now!

'Rational me' swatted 'emotional me' on the head and pointed to the large shadow wing things behind Treize - then reminded 'emotional me' that Treize wasn't human - and wouldn't it be a good idea to see if Wufei was actually going to be IN danger before giving our position away?

Treize tilted his head to one side and smiled at Wufei. It was a condescending smile.

"Wufei," he said softly. "Do you also believe I will not touch you? Or perhaps ... that I do not have the right?"

See? See? Get DOWN there! My emotional mind was freaking out - I was certifiably schizophrenic, trying to hold onto my rational mind by my metaphysical fingernails.

Wufei was silent for a long moment. Dawning horror and resignation on his face showed he was close to something he knew, but didn't want to know.

"Answer, Wufei."

"I don't ... GIVE you that right."

"Very good. And what is to prevent me from taking it?"

" .. your own - mask."

"Mask?" As Treize said that word, he slid closer to Wufei, so much so that Wufei was literally in the shadow of those shadow wings.

I was rocking back and forth on my shelf, literally trying to keep myself from flinging myself off the the ledge and onto the floor.

"If you take that away, then that image is destroyed. I'd never buy it again. Are you willing to risk that?" Wufei was trembling; his aura was trembling as well, and his brain was very obviously on overdrive.

"Very good, Wufei," Treize said, his voice soft. "An excellent answer. But what if my answer is yes?"

" ... then ... then I couldn't stop you. But you wouldn't have ME." The last was said viciously, his voice low.

Treize smiled. "A true son of Seiyruu. He was always a stubborn thing."

I was half-on, half-off the shelf at this point, watching them, when Treize did something that was not only unexpected but that made little sense. Without any warning at all, he reached forward and ran his hand down Wufei's back.

But looks can be deceiving. He did not simply 'touch' Wufei's back, not by a long shot.

Wufei gasped and arched back, looking absolutely shocked. At the same time, Wufei's aura coalesced, disappeared, and in its place - through him and above his head, was something that was brilliant orange. It had a long, sinuous, shape. I could make out a head - it was arched back, in exactly the same position as Wufei, with its mouth open - then it faded and was gone.

I sat up so quickly that I nearly smacked my head on the ledge. That was the dragon! But there were no scales - simply pure color. And Treize brought it out ...for an instant, anyway. It's not there now ...

Wufei sat next to Treize, panting and dazed, almost as if he's going to fall off the stretcher. Treize was watching him with a critical eye, his brow knit slightly, as if he was evaluating something.

"Do I do it now, I wonder ..." Treize murmured, looking at Wufei. "Premature, yes ... but there ARE benefits to that." He reached out and stroked Wufei's back again; and this time, Wufei cried out. The look on his face was one normally reserved for ecstasy or pain. The dragon-aura appeared for a full two seconds, and there was no doubt - it mimicked Wufei and was completely smooth, without detail.

My fingernails had dug permanent crescent moons into my palms to keep me from crying out. Each time he did something to Wufei, I felt it. I didn't know why or how, but I did. It tingled from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, and I hated it. I was panting and shaking and praying that he didn't do that to Wufei again, no, not again, because if he did it again, then I'd be off the shelf and attacking him, wings or no wings.

The dragon faded, and Wufei almost collapsed. Treize reached over and casually pulled Wufei against him so he didn't fall off the stretcher. Wufei didn't resist and didn't seem aware of where he was at all. He reached up and rubbed his face.

Treize looked down at him, considering. "Perhaps I should, Wufei ... what do you think? Not when I planned it, certainly ... but I do grow tired of waiting. It would be too early ... but you are so tempting, Wufei ..."

That. is. IT.

Everything in me - emotional and rational parts - agreed. I'm getting Wufei, and I'm getting him NOW.

I slithered off the shelf and dropped down, not bothering with the steps. Exploding across the floor felt wonderful after hours of inactivity - finally, something I could do, and something I did well.

Treize had tilted Wufei's head up, and was regarding him with an expression that was a cross between lascivious and reverent. The poor boy couldn't even focus yet; his face was flushed and his eyes were mostly closed. His head was resting on Treize's shoulder; as I pounded toward them, Treize bent down, closed his eyes and kissed Wufei thoroughly. At the same time, he lifted his hand and started to do that ... thing ... to his back at the same time, making Wufei wriggle.

"Stop! Stop DOING that to him!"

I slid to a stop in front of them, sparks practically coming out of my eyes, I was so incensed. Treize stopped and looked up at me, smiling. "Doing what, Sally?" He kept stroking Wufei's back, and Wufei whimpered, arching against him.

"Stop that! I can FEEL it! You're hurting him! STOP IT!"

"Can you? Interesting ..." He looked at me, raising his eyebrow, but didn't stop me when I lunged at him and took Wufei out of his arms. "That was fairly pleasant, I was led to believe. However, I won't impinge on your sensibilities."

I snarled at him and started to drag Wufei away. Wufei, unfortunately for me, was no help - he was practically dead weight.

"You - are - horrible," I gasped out at Treize. "You take advantage of him - in every possible sense. What are you?"

Treize tilted his head, looking at me, amused. "What am I, Sally? What am I doing that is so horrible?" he asked, his voice gentle

I was scuttling backwards and glaring at Treize at the same time - and that wasn't easy, because Wufei was heavy.

"I could help you," Treize offered, obviously teasing.

"Don't TOUCH him!" I snapped immediately.

Treize laughed softly. "I do believe we were having that conversation before you arrived - unless you arrived sooner and I simply didn't notice. If you did, then - well. My congratulations. I do believe I'll have to be more careful in the future."

"You do that," I puffed, hauling Wufei over to the side of the room, glaring at Treize.

"You won't remember this in the morning," Treize promised, his voice even.

Yes, you will, Trowa said softly in my head. But he does not need to know that.

My eyes widened in response. Damn right he didn't need to know that. I surely wasn't going to tell him.

"Leave us alone," I snarled at Treize, being unpleasant for good measure. I hated that man with every fiber of my being.

"There IS a gurney to your left," Treize said mildly, watching me.

I glanced over; sure enough, there was a gurney, just like the one near the sparring floor. "Come on, Wufei," I said with relief, pulling him over. "Here - lay down."

"Wh - Sally?" He was dazed, and acted almost as if he was drugged as he stumbled into the gurney, trying to find his seat.

"Lay down, Wufei. You'll be fine."

" ...kay..."

Wufei had no balance; he rolled onto the gurney and was asleep before his feet hit the bottom of the stretcher, utterly relaxed.

I sighed in relief and smiled wanly down at Wufei, glad that at least he was at peace. When I looked up, I found that Treize was still there, looking at me thoughtfully.

"Could you see the dragon, Sally?"

He caught me off guard. "What?" I blinked.

"Yes. It was beautiful, wasn't it?"

I took a deep breath. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," I said, giving the gurney an angry push across the floor, hoping the darkness hid my face.

Treize said evenly, "I haven't seen one quite like it in at least three thousand years."

Slowly I turned my head and stared at him.

He paused, and gave me a wolf's grin. "Just kidding. See if you can talk to him about overtraining, Sally, since he obviously did it again tonight. It happens far too often, ne?"

He stood - and as he stood, the wings in back of him shifted. Those things were REAL - and ye gods, they belonged to him .... Even though I couldn't see them very clearly, it was completely obvious to me that they were real. I felt all the blood rush away from my face as I involuntarily looked up, up, up, and gripped the edge of the gurney to keep my hands from shaking. Those - those things were just enormous .... gaaaaah ........

....calm .... stay calm ....

"I think you're seeing more than you ought, Sally Po."

For three seconds, I stopped breathing as I considered Treize's words. They weren't exactly a threat - not quite - but just close enough. Then I decided what I was going to do, and I started to breathe again.

"We're leaving, Treize. Good night." I shoved my chin in the air, sniffed at him, decided that I was acting as if I owned the place, prayed that he was going to let me leave, and stomped out of the room, pushing Wufei in front of me.

Treize laughed as we left. He kept laughing as we walked down the hallway; that laughter echoed off the walls and bounced back at me, making me want to run down the hallway with Wufei instead of walking with him.

We reached his room without incident; I transferred Wufei to his bed, then pushed the gurney outside and left it in the hallway.

NOW my hands were shaking. As I walked back into Wufei's room to check on him, I couldn't help but notice how young he looked. Smoothing some hair back from his forehead, I frowned a little, puzzled. What was that expression on his face? Relaxed; contented, extremely. He opened his eyes briefly, smiled at me, sighed, and went back to sleep; and for all the world, I could have sworn that he looked like someone who just had sex.

I frowned. With all the odd things going on here, I didn't question why I thought that. I just added it to the catalog of oddities and filed it away.

Grabbing a blanket from Wufei's closet, I kicked off my shoes, curled up in the chair next to Wufei's bed, and tucked myself in, loathe to leave him alone again. I dozed, waiting for the morning sun.