A/N: Here my second Gundam Wing fic. I haven't decided yet if I want to make this a multichap or not, so I'll just have to wait for your opinions. I'm working on multiple fics right now, so be on the lookout!
I have nothing else to say but enjoy!
Water and the Dragon
Always love your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
Wufei frowned, his head turning to the source of his annoyance. Someone was knocking on his door, interrupting what would have been his very quiet evening, immersed in one of his favorite books.
Despite that, he uncurled his legs from under him and lifted himself off the couch, not bothering to remove his glasses from the tip of his nose as he walked over to the door slowly. He spotted the handle of his Glock and retrieved the gun from where he'd tucked it, safely in his uniform jacket.
The person at his door was making a very real attempt at knocking through it, and Wufei wondered who it could be, especially at this time of night. And though he knew that security in Preventers HQ was strict and well-organised, he clasped his gun tightly in his hand as he opened the door.
He was surprised to find Sally Po standing just outside his quarters, dressed in a black tank top and equally black sweat pants. A small bag was slung over her shoulder and her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, so that it was out of her face.
She smirked when she saw the gun in his hand, shaking her head ruefully. Wufei straightened, frowning at her while wondering what the hell she was doing at his door. Slowly, he lowered the gun and pushed into the back of his sweat pants, which was, by chance, also black.
"Hello Wufei." She greeted, her voice holding a tint of amusement. Her lips were curved in a mischievous smile that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Wufei decided to open the door a bit further, his brows drawn together as he watched her shift onto her other foot. The sneakers she was wearing, he noted absently, looked quite old, and at the same time they seemed very comfortable.
"Is something wrong?" Wufei questioned, thinking that if he ended this conversation he could continue his reading, and find out where the story was leading to. Really, he hoped that there wasn't some emergency he needed to attend to.
"Wrong? Oh no, nothing is wrong." Sally conceded quietly, innocently, still smiling. It was beginning to seriously irritate him. Wufei glanced back inside at the book, lying open on his coffee table, before turning back to the woman that was refusing to hurry up and tell him what she wanted.
"Well, then what is it?" His voice was tinged with unmasked annoyance, and his expression showed that his patience was running thin. Instead of displaying the guilt he was expecting, she just sighed, as if it were obvious what she was doing here.
"Are you coming?" Sally asked, pushing her bag further onto her shoulder. Wufei realized he probably looked as confused as he felt, but he honestly didn't care. What the hell was she talking about?
"Oh don't look at me like that. Just follow me, okay?" Without waiting for his answer, she turned and started to slowly trot away from him. He shook his head, debating what to do. Though he was curious as to what she had meant, he also felt it very tempting to just close the door and ignore that feeling.
But, he soon found that his feet were slipping into his sneakers, which were placed near the door. As he stepped outside and entered the seemingly endless hall, he peered to the left and then followed her retreating form.
The door fell into its lock behind him automatically, and he moved slowly down the corridor, attempting to look casual and not too eager. It was bad enough he was actually giving into a weakness like curiosity, but to be caught while chasing Sally Po was simply dishonourable.
His footsteps were barely audible, his gait nearly soundless from years of intensive training and field experience. While walking, he began to seriously doubt the wisdom of his decision, especially because it was a mysterious, inventive woman, who leading him down a path to an unknown destination.
Eventually, he saw her form disappear into what he recognized as the training room. With a shake of his head, he scoffed mentally at his own stupidity. Of course; she had been wearing her 'training gear', as she was wont to call it.
Wufei hesitantly approached the opened door, not sure what to expect from this woman. He had been working with her for about two years now, had even grown to know her a bit better, but he wouldn't call them friends. So, what did she want?
Despite all the reasons why he shouldn't have followed her, despite his doubts, he entered the room and leaned against the doorframe. The room was quite large, and void of any colour but shades of grey, benches lining one side, where Sally was putting her bag down and retrieving items from it.
He crossed his arms, watching as she walked steadily over to the large closet at the far wall, opening it and retrieving two Jo staffs from it. These sticks were comprised of about five feet of hardwood, with an intricate pattern hand carved along its length, its thickness about one inch. You could seriously harm another person with it, if you used it correctly, but at Preventers it was mostly applied for training.
Without another word, she walked back over to her bag and threw the Jo staff at him. He caught it swiftly, out of reflex, and copied her as she kicked off her sneakers, leaving them both barefoot. He followed her as she stepped onto the large mat that was in the middle of the room.
She turned around when she was at the opposite end of the soft mat, holding the stick vertically and setting its end on the ground. Her expression was serious now, and his eyebrows rose at her, wondering if she was really determined to fight him.
Admittedly, he'd never trained with her before, so he didn't know her style very well, but he'd seen her on missions. Sally Po was a good fighter, never a move too outrageous or daring, mostly controlled and nearly always accurate. And though it was slightly impressing that she fought so well, at least for a woman, he highly doubted that she was any match for him.
"I challenge you, Chang Wufei." Sally spoke, her eyes meeting his black ones, and she smiled in that peculiar way again. He remained quiet, which was just as well, because she continued speaking. "The one and only rule: there are no rules. Anything is possible. Whoever gets the other on the ground with both shoulders pressed against the floor first is the winner." She illustrated her words by gesturing at their environment, and he nodded in acknowledgement.
"Do you accept this challenge?" She lifted up the stick as she said this, throwing it into her other hand and watching as her fingers wrapped around the firm wood. Her eyes met his expectantly, and he smirked arrogantly in reply.
"Yes." Wufei answered, and started stretching a bit to loosen his muscles. Sally just stood waiting for him, and he absently wondered if she'd already stretched, or if she was stupid enough to start this fight without a warm-up. Considering that this was Sally, he suspected she came prepared.
It wouldn't help her, though.
After a little while, he straightened and nodded. Quietly, they bent at the waist and bowed curtly. For a moment, their eyes held each other. Wufei thought he saw amusement flicker in her blue eyes, along with determination and secret intent.
How he was able to read her so well, he did not know. All he knew was that he didn't take lightly to mockery, especially from her.
And then, suddenly, Wufei attacked her, his hands wrapped firmly around the stick as he struck. His attack was blocked by Sally, the clang of wood against wood echoing in the room loudly. They circled each other with slow movements, his mind trying to find manoeuvres with which to draw her out and, in effect, leave one or more of her body parts unguarded.
Behind her eyes, he could practically see her thinking, and he watched closely as she moved forward for the first time in this tryst of theirs. Three blows were exchanged this time, each time blocked by his accurate moves. They ended up very close to each other, their Jo staffs pressed against each other as in a cross formation.
Sally's face was right in front of him, mere inches from his. Her breath was hot on his face, her eyes were slanted, and she was smirking at him. Wufei looked back at her, narrowing his eyes. He didn't even realize that they had been standing in the same position for quite some time.
Unexpectedly, her lips pursed and she blew softly at him. He blinked, before frowning and pushing her away abruptly. To his absolute surprise, she laughed at him, closing her eyes briefly. "You're so tense." Sally said, looking far too amused for this situation, in his opinion.
Taking a deep breath, Wufei spread his feet and assumed his customary stance, ignoring her comment sternly. Sally sank back into her own position, and he watched as the muscles in her arms tensed.
With a clang they met again, exchanging blows with more force than before. Wufei felt sweat forming on his forehead, and he absently noted that her skin began glistening as well. He was confident in his abilities, but he had to admit that Sally knew how to handle a stick.
"Come to think of it," she continued, between breaths and strikes, "you're always tense. When someone nears you, you contract. Just like now, only you do it emotionally." Another blow, and he frowned, wondering what she was planning to do.
Was she attempting to distract him with her nattering, in the hopes of defeating him in this way? Well, she had said that anything was allowed.
Deciding on a different tactic, he held his weapon at one of its ends and swung it horizontally at knee's height. The move was meant to floor her, but she jumped just in time, like he'd expected. He retracted and twisted the wood just in time to block one of Sally's high hits.
"You intrigue me, Chang. It seems like you're constantly waiting for someone to come along and give you a real challenge, mentally as well as physically. Why, I think you crave it like nothing else." Her words were said in an irregular rhythm, her chest moving with every breath as she spoke almost conversationally.
"And I suppose you are going to tell me that you can challenge me?" Wufei replied, feeling his muscles straining as he continued to fight her. The room was filled with their heaving breaths as Sally smiled innocently.
"That is not what I said." She quipped as she struck out, before twisting around to hit again. He took advantage of that, seeing his chance and seizing it with both hands. Her body didn't move fast enough and she left her back open to attack for a second.
A second too long, he thought smugly as the sound of wood against skin was heard. It hadn't been a particularly hard hit, because he didn't truly want to hurt her, but she lost her balance nonetheless and quickly placed her foot in front of her to correct her mistake.
"I thought so." Wufei said, watching as she pulled her bent arms backwards, stretching and thus thrusting her chest forward. His smirk was unstoppable, and she tilted her head as she looked at him curiously. He glanced from her chest at her face, trying not to let it show that he was embarrassed to be caught looking at her in this way.
They assumed their stances once again.
Within seconds, he attacked her, then blocked as she reiterated harshly. Wufei noticed that Sally was placing more force behind her blows now. Her skin was flushed, and some strands of hair had come out of her bun, giving her a slightly ruffled appearance.
He felt that his hair had come out of its elastic band as well, but he could care less about that. Naturally, he felt comfortable on fields of battle; the exhilaration and focus it brought made his mind clear. Therefore it was no surprise to him that he hadn't noticed before that he was breathing quite harshly as well.
"I remember when we first met, and you said something about me being a woman and thus being weak or something like that." Sally recalled, even as the two of them fought aggressively. Her voice had gotten a bit raw and throaty, now a lower octave than when she'd stood at his door.
Wufei blew a strand of dark hair out of his face, his annoyance growing. What the hell was she attempting? "Are we here to fight or talk about the past?" He snapped, wishing she would just shut up, instead of jabbering on about him. As if she knew him so well.
"I was quite insulted by that, by the way," she went on, ignoring his irritation and his words, "but that's okay. I've forgiven you. After all, we all make mistakes." Sally punctuated the last word by slashing at him sideways.
Unfortunately for him, he had landed with one foot slightly in front of the other after the previous blow, and his side was rendered vulnerable. Damn her for reacting so swiftly, he thought as he felt pain emanate from his left flank. He shifted a bit to the left in reaction to the blow, and his eyes riveted to her amused ones.
"You know what your problem is, Chang? You don't want to be known." They stood across from each other as she pointed that out, both trying to recapture their breath. Wufei frowned at her, breathing deeply.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked impatiently, a bit offended, but still curious as to what she implied. Sally placed a hand over her heart, smiling as she closed her eyes before reopening them. Enjoyment was there, in her fiery orbs, gazing at him defiantly.
"Exactly what I said." They both raised their weapons again, preparing themselves for the next round. Sally studied him for a moment, then elaborated, "I think that for some reason you have this notion that you can't let anyone get too close to you. For example…."
Before he could fully let that sink in, she attacked in a peculiar way, nearly throwing herself on him. Their weapons hit each other again in cross-formation, their noses nearly touching. Wufei didn't know what to think or do as he stared into her eyes. His first instinct was to thrust his weapon forward and re-establish a distance between them.
"Like so. You want to push me away, don't you?" A mere whisper, her breath floating across the skin of his cheek. Wufei felt the curve of her breasts touching his chest, the heat emitting from her body washing over him as he gazed into her knowing eyes.
"Then why don't you?" She asked him, one of her eyebrows raised as she looked back at him patiently. He didn't feel like he was in his own body anymore; none of his limbs were listening to his commands. Frozen like that, he stood, waiting for something, until Sally took a step back and sighed. That wasn't exactly what he'd expected.
Feeling awkward and not like himself, he cursed himself mentally for what had just happened. She had hit too close to home with her comments, for him in any case, and he didn't know whether it was his fault for blithely laying his weaknesses bare, or Sally being able to read him so well.
Either way, it didn't matter. He would just have to see to it that it never happened again. Suddenly, he just wanted to be anywhere but there, away from Sally, who appeared to know him better than he did himself. To himself he could admit, that that made him very uncomfortable.
Sally quickly attacked him, knowing that now that he was so deep in his own thoughts, he was more unguarded than ever. He had just enough time to raise his Jo staff to block, but it was in vain as she threw herself onto him with such force that it knocked him back onto the soft mat, with her on top of him.
Their bodies made full contact from toe to chest, her nose now touching his lightly as he looked at her with undisguised shock. Her eyes flashed smugly, and she smirked, their wooden weapons lying above their bodies, forgotten.
"Hm," she mumbled, her breath brushing against his lips, "I win." It was said with a hint of victory, though she didn't sound too surprised or excited. Sally adjusted her position on him, in the process making Wufei blush faintly. It took him a minute to realize that he had lost, to a woman no less. Why did it seem unimportant at this point in time?
"Perhaps I am your match, eh?" She tilted her head to the side, and his eyes widened as he inhaled the air she just exhaled, before her lips were placed gently on his. A soft, warm mouth pressing very lightly against his, undemanding and brief.
Then, after a moment of nearly painful anxiety for Sally, his hands came up to cup her face and effectively prevented her from pulling back. Sally quickly placed a hand on either side of his chest for leverage and deepened the kiss.
Hesitantly, she parted her lips and darted her tongue out to lick along the seam of his mouth. Wufei groaned softly and gave into her, drawing her tongue into his mouth. They kissed passionately, timelessly, trembling in each other's arms.
Sally moaned low in her throat as his fingers caressed her jaw, drinking in his body heat and his touch and everything about him. The kiss lasted forever and not long enough, she thought as she pulled away and looked down at him.
He was so baffled that he could only look on as she stood and stretched. Realizing that he was just laying there on the floor like an idiot, he sat up.
When he looked up, he saw her outstretched hand, but he ignored it and stood up by himself, a frown on his face. The only honourable thing to do, was to shake her hand. Wufei held his hand out, but Sally shook her head. She looked disappointed in him.
Soundlessly, she walked over to her bag and her water bottle, picking both up and taking a few sips from the bottle. He watched, even more astounded, as she moved over to the open door, where she turned around momentarily.
"I'll see you tomorrow." With that parting comment, she left him standing there. As he picked up their weapons, he wondered what the hell was going on with him. Why had he allowed her to kiss him?
Perhaps she was a match for him.
Hope you enjoyed that! Comments and criticism as always appreciated, and if you tell me to, I will consider adding some chapters or perhaps make a sequel!