Wufei POV

It was with a heavy heart that I returned to the palace that day. Seeing things that had been in my family for generations paddled on the street in such a manner... it seemed that even in death my family could not find peace. And it brought forth memories that I had attempted to bury. And then to realize that there was nothing to do, either to ease my pain or lay to rest my family, it was almost more than I could take.

My memories over took me as I stared out the window. Treize changed and left quietly, sensing that I needed time to myself, I think. It amazed me how well he knew me and, more than that,. How well I knew him. Of course the link that he had put on our minds might have helped.

But I wasn't thinking of any of these things while I sat at that window. My mind was far away, years ago, at picnics with my family, hunting with my father, or helping in the herb garden with my mother. Days when I was more innocent.

I don't know how long I sat there, reminiscing, but it was a knock on the door that brought me out of my memories. The person didn't wait for me to open the door, ignoring proper manners and barging into the room. It was a girl, probably in her mid twenties, with a sour expression on her face. She wore the uniform of a servant and didn't seem particularly refined, with her hair in a messy ponytail and her nails bitten to the quick. She glanced around the room once, then set her glare on me.

"Come. You are to await your master with the other concubines in the yard," she growled, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the door.

"But my shoes!" I protested. I had removed my shoes when I entered the room, they were now lying at the end of the bed.

"You should have thought of that before, you lazy whore! As it is you should already be waiting in the yard, but I had to be sent to fetch because you're lazy and stupid! Not even smart enough to follow your master's ass!" she continued to rant. I allowed her to drag me out the door and down the hall though I could have easily overpowered her. I just didn't have the will to fight her, to fight against the injustices wrought upon me. Fighting her would only cause more problems for me, so what was the use? Miserable and defeated as I was, I let her drag me down the halls, barefooted like a peasant, and into the yard.

There were three concubines already in the yard, all female, kneeling under large umbrellas. Several yards in front of us was a large, open structure. It sat in the middle of a large pond and was covered in roses. Only the red roof and the path leading to it could be clearly seen for all the beautiful flowers. I was pushed to the ground with the rest of the concubines and harshly told to stay there until my master came for me. The ground was damp and soaked through my pants in seconds, chilling me. The women had mats to sit on and heavy cloaks around them, I alone had nothing.

Just as I had no one.

I had no knowledge of what time it was or how long I knelt there, but eventually the rain started to pour, drenching my body with an icy rain. I began shivering instantly, but didn't move. Where would I have gone? I would have been sent back to my place in the rain. Besides, I think I was hoping that the rain would make me sick and I would die. So morbid were my thoughts.

The men came out of their meeting eventually. One at a time they walked passed us as they left, all carrying umbrellas. Two men stopped and took their concubines with them until only one woman and I were left. I looked at her for the first time. She was a small, delicate looking creature and I had to wonder how she had gotten herself into this position. She smiled at me when she saw me looking at her, but did not say anything. Shortly after that a man came by and stopped, helping her to stand and drawing her close to him in a very affectionate manner. I smiled, seeing them and thinking of how it could have been with Meiran and I, but that brought about sad thoughts so I stopped.

It seemed like a long time after that before Treize came out. My fingers and toes had gone numb. I could see my breath in font of my face every time I breathed. My shivers had stopped and I didn't feel quite as cold as I had, but I wasn't certain that was a good sign.

I was looking at the ground when I heard the footsteps and the startled gasp. I looked up to see Treize staring at me, shock written across his face. The umbrella fell from his fingers unnoticed as he rushed to kneel beside me.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked, pulling me to sit up. His hands felt like fire on my skin. I tried to sit up but I was feeling oddly sluggish.

"I was waiting for you," I told him, my voice softer than I had intended. Treize cupped my face with his hand and forced me to look at him.

"My god," he muttered, "your lips are blue," he whispered, running his thumb across said lips. The warmth of his hand felt good on my icy cheek and I leaned into his touch.

The next thing I knew I was being swept into Treize's arms and we were rushing into the palace and down the halls. I clung to Treize as he rushed down the halls, pushing startled servants out of the way in his haste. He burst into our room and didn't even put me down, just went straight into the bathroom and put me on the bench. He turned on the hot water in the bath tub and pulled off my shirt. This managed to startle me out of my daze.

"Let go of me!" I growled at him, backing away slightly.

"You have to get warmed up," he said calmly, despite his insistence that I get rid f all of my clothes.

"I can do it by myself! Get out!" I told him. He stepped back and I had the impression I had won.

"Can you?" he said slowly, looking at me in the way someone looks at a disobedient child. "If you can manage to take your pants off by yourself, I'll leave," he told me. I glared at him and my hands immediately went to my pants. I would still have my underwear on when I removed them and it wasn't like he hadn't seen me in less before anyway. Besides, despite the condition I was in, I needed to show that I was not weak enough to succumb to a little bit of cold weather.

However, as I tried to undo the button on my trousers, I found my hands to be oddly uncoordinated and uncooperative. I fumbled with the buttons but was unable to undo them. I could sense that Treize was getting impatient and hurried to do the seemingly simple task.

When the bathtub had filled and I had yet to undo the button or admit defeat, Treize's patience broke. Without warning, he lifted me and deposited in the bath, still close to fully clothed.

The water felt as though it was scalding me and I hissed in pain, clutching to Treize's arm as he lowed me into the water.

"Are you trying to cook me?" I hissed as he released me in the water and stepped back.

"The water is barely warm. Look, it's not even steaming. You're so cold that it feels hot, you're so cold your fingers are numb," he told me, running a washcloth up my arms, causing me to hiss as it burned my skin. I tried to sit up, but Treize held me back against the tub and started to rub my shoulders and neck with the washcloth. After a bit, I began to shiver so hard that I thought I would come apart.

I don't know how long I sat there, in a tub of luke-warm water, shivering, but Treize stayed with me the whole time. He continued to rub my skin with the washcloth until it didn't feel so hot. Eventually, the shivers lessened, but they wouldn't leave me entirely.

After a while I as just too tired to care what happened again. I had been fighting for so long... so long... and there was no rest in sight. I just couldn't seem to bring myself to care, even as Treize pulled me out of the tub and pulled the rest of my clothes off, leaving me naked on the bench while he went into the other room. I was just so weak... so tired...

Treize came back and dressed me in a large, soft shirt of his and my own underwear. I couldn't even bring myself to put my own clothes on. I must have looked so pathetic. Once dressed, Treize carried me out of the bathroom and put me into bed, covering me with the blankets and even going as far as to pull some extra blankets out of a trunk and pile them on me. I didn't fight him. I just didn't care. I was so very tired.

Treize quickly removed his own wet clothes and put on dry ones. I was surprised to see him put on a soft shirt and cloth pants, clothes he would only wear in the room. I was even more surprised when he came over to the bed and climbed in beside me, pulling me tight against his chest. Before I could stop myself, I had buried my cold and still shivering body in his chest, too tempted by the safety and warmth I felt when held by him. I could not bare to look him in the eye after my behavior, but felt that I needed to say something. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he held a finger to my lips. I was so surprised I finally looked him in the eye.

"Hush, little dragon, and sleep. You have fought a long and hard battle, but you must rest. I will fight in your place for now. Rest and you may take up your sword against your inner demons when you have the strength. I will fight beside you, when you have the strength. You are not alone, you need not act like it."

Somehow, his words soothed me. I had been so afraid that I would have to fight alone for the rest of my life, as punishment for not protecting my family. To have an ally... a friend... it was like a great weight had been lifted from me. I surrendered myself to Treize's care and was instantly asleep.

When I awoke later, all the blankets had been cast aside and I was sweating, though I was still shivering. I tried to lift my hand and retrieve my blankets from the bottom of the bed, but it felt as though my body was filled with lead. My hand moved slowly as I strained to reach my goal, but I was intercepted as Treize took my hand in his own and sat down beside me.

My hair must have come out of its holder, because it was streaming across my face. Gently, Treize pushed my hair out of my eyes, his hand coming to rest on my forehead. He frowned and removed his hand, replacing it with a cold cloth.

"Wufei," he called quietly, "Wufei, can you hear me?" I tried to respond, but could only moan. I realized that my throat was parched, but didn't know how to signal my problem to Treize. I didn't need to worry, though, because he seemed to sense my dilemma and brought a cup of water to my lips for me to sip. The water helped my throat, but made my stomach feel queasy. I closed my eyes, fighting the nausea and hoping to fall into the blissful ignorance of sleep, but was startled awake by the feeling of something icy running across my chest which, I now realized, was completely bare.

I jumped and tried to sit up, but Treize held me against the bed as he pulled the wet cloth across my chest. I felt like I was repeating something, only backwards.

"F-first you try to fry me, n-now you try to freeze me," I said to Treize, my voice fumbling as I shivered.

"Not a very honorable way to get rid of you, eh, little dragon?" he asked with a teasing grin on his face.

"W-what time is it? How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"It is nearly midnight. You have been asleep hours, but you still need to rest. You caught a fever in the rain and it has only gotten worse. I've called for a healer, but it would be best if you slept until he arrives. Things will look better in the morning, for now you should sleep."

I couldn't help but think that my next shiver was one of fear, not cold, and I hated myself for it. I hadn't forgotten what I had told Treize last night, nor had I forgotten what he planned to do with me. In the morning, Treize would leave and I would be burned at the stake. And in my condition, if I was too weak, I would probably scream and beg for mercy, forever tarnishing my family name. But what could be worse than having a monster for a son? Could I really make it worse by being a cowardly monster?

Above all, I was afraid. I had seen burnings before, when I was young, and I had cried for the people on the stakes. I had cried until my family had ushered me inside and then late into the night. It was so terrible, to die in such pain, such shame, such humiliation. I was afraid of dying like that, with all those faces laughing at me while I screamed in pain. And Treize would be long gone by then. Did he even know? Would he even care that he was leaving me to such a fate? I wasn't sure. He seemed to be a good man and I was even starting to find I enjoyed his company, but I knew that he would leave me. I was a sorcerer and someone as powerful as he could not be associated with the scum of the earth. I did not choose to be a sorcerer, but I was and that was all there was to it.

And suddenly, I found myself crying. It was too much, fate had dealt me too much and I simply couldn't take it. Treize had said I was not alone, but would he be able to tolerate me when I showed him how weak I was? I doubted it, he would probably walk away in disgust.

Which is why I was so surprised when he sat down on the bed beside me, pulling me into his arms and rubbing my back gently.

"What's the matter?" he asked me quietly. I had no intentions of furthering my disgrace by answering, but my voice betrayed me.

"Don't leave me," I whispered, surprised and ashamed of myself, "I don't want to be burned," I said, then bit my lips and forced myself to shut up.

There was a startled gasp from Treize and I looked up to see shock written across his face. So he hadn't known I would be killed.

"What? Wufei, how could you think that I would leave you here? What kind of a monster do you think I am? You are coming to Haven with me, it's already been arranged. I thought you would have realized... but I guess I was wrong. You have nothing to fear, Wufei, I said I would protect you and I am a man of my word. I will let no harm come to you."

"But," I said, my voice betraying me again, "I'm a sorcerer... you can't possibly take me with you..."

Treize leaned in close and whispered his next words into my ear, "In my country, it is not a crime to be a sorcerer. You have nothing to fear. Now, sleep."

It was almost beyond my comprehension, what he was saying. How could there be a place where sorcerers were not hated and killed? How could it be possible. But... still... his words, just the fact that he knew what he was doing and had control of the situation that was so far beyond my help, made me feel better and I relaxed my hold on consciousness. In seconds I was sound asleep and oblivious to the world. I trusted Treize to take care of me.

It wasn't long before I was awakened again. This time, though, it was Treize shaking me that brought me out of my slumber.

"Wake up, Wufei, the healer is here," he told me, pulling me into a sitting position. As I fought to focus my eyes, I found the healer that had been called was the same one that had given me the drugs when I was first given to Treize. He didn't seem nearly as unhappy as he had when I had first seen him, but he still didn't seem pleased.

The healer instantly set to work, taking my pulse and putting a thermometer into my mouth. But I was so tired, I could barely hold my head up. A few times I almost fell asleep and the thermometer fell out of my mouth. The second time Treize had to return it, he threatened me.

"You know, Wufei, if you can't hold this in your mouth we'll have to stick it somewhere less pleasant."

I glared at him, but made sure not to doze off until the thermometer was removed. Actually, I didn't doze off for the rest of the appointment, just to be safe.

I was amazed by how little respect the healer had for Treize, who was obviously a very powerful man. Instead of showing respect, the healer ordered him around like some kind of aid, fetching towels and rags and bottles. I was also amazed at how used to that kind of treatment Treize seemed. Any other noble would have been raving mad, but Treize didn't seem to mind at all.

"He will need to be bathed any time his temperature rises above 104 degrees," the healer finally concluded, "I will leave you with a syrup that should help calm his fever and put him to sleep. Give him one spoonful every hour until the fever breaks, then one spoonful a day for a week. Other than that he needs kept cool and to rest. We can only wait for the fever to break. You should bathe him now, I need to see to another patient. You may call one of the servants to bathe him for you," the healer said, packing his things.

"I will do it," Treize said, moving to the side of my bed and pulling back the lone cover I had been allowed. The healer paused in his packing, then frowned deeply.

"I don't know why you're bothering to save him. He's a sorcerer, after all. He should be killed," the healer spat finally, then returned to his packing with a vengeance. Treize deliberated over his reply until the healer was finished packing. His words seemed to strike something in the healer.

"Sorcerer he may be, but he is still a person. He does not deserve to be treated like a criminal for something he had no control over."

The healer paused, his hand reaching for the door knob. He simply stood there for a minute, like he was uncertain of what to do. Finally, he turned back to Treize, his eyes sad.

"It is said that in your country sorcerers are not hated or prosecuted. My name is Ottokiski Ki, my brother was... is Ottokiski Oko. He was a sorcerer. For many years I watched him fight those powers inside him, ever losing the battle. I grew angry at him, saying he was tempting the dark arts and trying to bring ruin down upon our family. We had a fight and I told him that if he practiced the dark arts again I would tell the emperor of his magic. The next morning I went to his room only to find that it had been burned, as though his powers had once again gotten out of hand. There was a note on the dresser saying that he could no longer disgrace our family and he was severing all ties. Saying that he was going to try and find a new life in you country," the healer's voice broke and there were tears in his eyes as he reached into his bag and pulled out a small parcel, "Please, if you ever see my brother, could you give this to him? And, please, tell him I'm sorry and I want him to come home."

Treize took the package with a solemn face, setting it on the dresser before putting a hand on the healer's shoulder.

"Your brother is a very good friend of mine. I don't know if he will return to you or not, but I know that he misses you dearly and will be happy to hear from you. I did not recognize the name at first, he prefers to be called Master O, but I will give him you message."

A smile broke out on the healer's face, "He always hated the name Oko. Thank you. Thank you for everything."

The healer dried his eyes, taking a deep breath before stepping toward the door again.

"Take care of that boy," he called to Treize and I assumed he meant me. I was a little insulted that he would think I needed taken care of, but kept my mouth shut.

"I will," Treize said before the healer closed the door and was gone. Treize then turned to me with a smile. "Well, how about that bath?"

I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do was eave my comfy bed for a cold bath, but I doubted I had any choice. Treize had promised to take care of me and he would, whether I liked it or not.

By the time the bath was over, I was cold, shivering, and exhausted, but Treize seemed pleased that my temperature had dropped to 101. When Treize put me back in bed, since I was still too weak to walk, I wanted nothing more than to sleep forever.

"I think we're forgetting something, little dragon," Treize told me. I looked up to see him holding a spoonful of thick, red liquid. I opened my mouth, having decided to take it and get it out of the way so I could go back to sleep. I didn't, however, know that it would taste so awful. I choked and nearly gagged on the stuff. Treize was holding a glass of water to my lips as I struggled to get the foul medicine down and I drank the water gratefully, trying to get that taste out of my mouth.

"Sorry," Treize said with a rueful smile while he took my glass away, "He warned me it would taste bad, but I didn't think it would be that bad. Get some sleep, we leave in a few hours."

I must have fallen asleep, because my memories become disjointed after that. It was like I was only seeing parts of a story and missing most of what happened. I remember someone sitting me up and giving me that awful medication again. I remember being in the bath again, shivering as Treize ran the washcloth over me. I remember being in bed, fully dried and dressed. I remember waking up to Treize's touch but knowing that I had already had my medicine, though I couldn't remember taking it. I remember throwing up in the toilet, though I couldn't remember how I got there or when I had eaten. I remembered Treize's voice saying he would have to leave me and I would meet him later, but I couldn't see his face.

When I finally fully awoke again, I was alone in the room. I was groggy and slow, still weak from the fever raging through me. I knew that something had awakened me, though I didn't know what. In the next instant the door opened and I realized that someone must have knocked, waking me.

"Is this him?" a tall, male servant asked. A female servant, the one that had taken me into the rain, trailed him in and nodded.

"Yeah, that's him. Lord Treize says he'll need carried down to the carriage, he's too weak to walk. I think he's faking, but that's just me," the girl said with a sneer.

"Better to do as his lordship says, even if he isn't sick," the boy said and I was relieved. I had thought he might have forced me to walk to the carriage myself. I wasn't sure I could.

The girl shrugged and left the room with a disdainful air. The boy simply shook his head and walked over to the bed. As he got closer, I could see that he was strong, though not particularly heavy, and well muscled. He didn't seem as sour as the girl and there was even a smile on his face.

"What a crock," he said, though I wasn't certain if he was talking to me or himself, "you couldn't walk if you wanted to, you wouldn't make it to the door. It's because of her attitude she stays in the kitchen, she's always bitching about something," the boy muttered and I almost smiled. At least I wasn't the only one that disliked her. "Man," the boy said, putting a hand on my head, "You're burning up. Better leave the blanket on, it's a bit cold outside."

Then, without further ado, the boy picked me and the blanket up in his arms and carried me out the door. It wasn't far to the carriage, but I was sweating and shivering by the time we got there. The boy climbed into the carriage and propped me against the side of the car, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Then he went out of the carriage and left me alone. After a few minutes, the boy returned with a glass of water.

"Here," he said, holding the glass to my lips, "I don't want you fainting on me or anything."

I drank some of the water, then turned my head away, signaling that I couldn't drink anymore. The boy took the glass away and just sat there in with me, sometimes humming, sometimes talking. It seemed like a long time before I heard the sounds of footsteps, but I couldn't quite let myself go enough for sleep without Treize around.

The boy left the carriage and I heard him talking with a voice I instantly recognized as Treize's a second later.

"My Lord, that boy is sick. You should really have a healer look at him or he could..."

"I've already had the healer to see him, but thank you for your concern. Did you stay with him this whole time?" Treize asked.

"Yes, sir. It didn't seem like a good idea to leave someone so sick all by himself."

"I thank you. I was a bit worried about Wufei, but I see I had nothing to worry about. Let me offer you a token of my gratitude."

There was the sounds of coins jingling and the boy let out a startled, "I can't accept that!"

"I insist," replied Treize, "I'll be insulted if you don't," he said, keeping his tone serious though I could hear the smiling undertone. What was the boy to do? He couldn't possibly refuse Treize's gift now and I'm not so sure he had wanted to in the first place. He said an awed, "Thank you sir," before I heard the patter of running feet.

In the next moment, Treize pulled himself into the carriage and sat beside me, automatically pulling me to lean on him.

"Are you ready to go, dragon?" he asked me. I think I may have mumbled a response, but I'm not sure. All I knew was I was so very tired and Treize was soft, warm, and safe. As the horses started forward and we started down the path to strange lands and my new home, I was already asleep.