Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

I'd like to thank everyone for reading and especially reviewing. Sorry about the major cliffhanger but at least I'm updating quickly, right? Anyway, this may prove to be my unlucky chapter 13. As I warned at the end of the last chapter, this one is a bit of a shocker. But I hope you won't hate me for it and you continue to read.

Checkmate

Chapter 13

Milliardo wasn't sure why, but when he woke up he knew he would regret it. His first clue was the raging hangover. Everything was blurry and loud and bright and blinking caused him pain.

It took him several minutes to decide he had to get up from bed. He rolled over and sat up, his elbows on his knees, his hands grasping his head tightly so as to contain the throbbing. He wasn't surprised to find himself alone in bed. Wufei was a very early riser and well, even without a hangover Milliardo typically did not get up until around eight. He could have at least left me some water and aspirin. Probably his way of punishing me for being so stupid and getting drunk in the first place. Why did I get so drunk anyway? He finally pushed himself off the bed with a groan and stumbled towards the bathroom door. As he leaned into the doorframe he noticed his hands.

"What the hell happened to my hands?"

They were spattered with blood and his knuckles were scabbed over. A drunken fight? That doesn't sound right. I've never been a violent drunk.

As he came to stand in front of the bathroom mirror he cringed at his reflection. He looked like he should after a night of massive drinking, but what alarmed him were the small smears of blood he found on his face.

Deciding he had probably gotten them from rubbing his face with his own bloody hands, he started to peel off his clothes. He'd slept in his clothes which he only remembered doing twice in his life.

"What? More blood?" He found his jacket and pants were splotched with blood. There's no way my hands bled this much. And I'm not injured anywhere else. Whose blood is this?

As he tried to remember what happened last night, he only got vague images of shouting and feelings of…..rage….betrayal. As he stepped in the shower flashes of Lady Une's shocked face, Wufei's face twisted in pain and Treize's dead body appeared.

He shook his head free of the images and let the cold water wash over him. He was shivering horribly, but that was good. His mind temporarily occupied by the cold water, Milliardo washed and changed into clean clothes.

He took some aspirin, dried his hair, and left his room to face the facts of last night. As he walked down the hallways, he was very aware of personnel passing him and averting their eyes. Whatever I did, news about it sure traveled fast. He continued on to his office and noticed that not only were people avoiding eye contact, they were giving him a wide birth to walk past. They almost look….afraid of me.

Milliardo made it to his office and started sifting through some leftover paperwork. When he looked up to rest his eyes for a moment, he noticed what time it was. Where is Wufei? He's never late. A smirk made its way across his lips as he pictured the unstoppable Chang Wufei sidelined by a hangover. Is it possible he got drunk too and passed out in his own bed? Is the proud dragon too ashamed to face me in the morning?

With mischievous thoughts dancing through his head, Milliardo made his way to Wufei's room. He knocked, but didn't wait for an answer.

"Rise and shine you----"

Milliardo stood frozen just a few steps into the room. It was empty. Not only was Wufei not there, but none of his belongings were there either.

"What the hell is going on? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

Milliardo went to the communicator on Wufei's desk and found the commanding officer. "General Hazuma. Where is Commander Chang?"

The normally calm and genial General looked haggard and there was an edge to his voice. "Chancellor Peacecraft. Would you be so kind as to join me in my office please?"

And just like that, the screen went blank.

Milliardo didn't know if he was confused or angry or what mix of both he was. What he did know, is that if General Hazuma didn't have some answers, someone was going to pay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Milliardo entered General Hazuma's office and found the man smoking a cigarette as he gazed out the window into space.

"General Hazuma." The older man didn't turn around to face him or acknowledge him in any way and Milliardo thought it extremely out of character for the courteous and professional General. Milliardo cleared his throat. "I didn't know you smoked, General."

"I rarely smoke. I promised my wife years ago that I would quit. And for the most part, I have kept that promise. But sometimes I need to take the edge off and I can't drink or beat people into a bloody pulp like some others around here."

The General turned hard eyes to the Chancellor and for the first time, Milliardo was truly worried about what he did last night.

"I try not to judge people too harshly because I haven't been in their shoes. Nor do I pass judgment on other's lifestyle choices." He snuffed out his cigarette in a crystalline ashtray and sat down with a heavy sigh. "I don't know all the details of what happened yesterday. But I cannot imagine you being able to justify beating Commander Chang into a coma and then drinking yourself into oblivion."

Milliardo felt his knees give way and he landed on the floor hard. He was having trouble functioning. "Wufei?...I….What?...no. No, that's not possible."

"I wish that were true but there were witnesses."

The General saw Milliardo desperately trying to maintain some sort of control, but he seemed to be failing. He seemed genuinely shocked by the news. Did he drink so much he just can't remember? Or did his mind just block it out, unwilling to accept what he did?

"I don't mean to pry, Chancellor, but…..I was under the impression that you and Commander Chang had an intimate relationship."

"Yes. We….we're together. How is he?"

"He's in a coma. Although the coma has been partially diagnosed as self imposed by Commander Chang's mind, the major cause was a result of numerous blows to the head. He also has a fractured forearm and bruised ribs."

"Oh god." Milliardo was down on all fours now, trying not to get sick. I couldn't have done that to Wufei. They're wrong. There's no way I would hurt him.

"What I can't figure out is how he managed to sustain so much damage, and yet you walk away with nothing more than skinned knuckles. Do you know why that is? Commander Chang is an excellent fighter and there's no way you should have walked away unscathed."

"I have to see him." Desperate blue eyes looked up at the General who, despite prior claims, seemed to be condemning his soul to hell. "Where is he?"

"Gone."

"What!"

"I contacted Commander Une who authorized the immediate transport of Commander Chang, once he was stabilized, back to earth. He left three hours ago."

Milliardo hung his head again, not wanting to see the General's face, and wanting to hide his own mounting anger. He had to get up onto his feet, get back to his office and make some calls. He had to speak to Lady Une. He had to get to Wufei.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Milliardo sat in front of the screen for several minutes before the image of Lady Une appeared on the screen. Her brown eyes were fixed on him and he could see her tightly clenching her fists in front of her.

"Lady Une---"

"I really don't care what excuse you think you might have for what you did."

"Lady Une, listen to me. I don't know what happened."

"I would say it's pretty obvious what happened, Chancellor Peacecraft."

Milliardo sighed and rubbed his temples. His headache had only gotten worse since waking up and he knew no amount of aspirin was going to help.

"Just shut up and listen to me." He saw the brief shock on the woman's face and he took the moment to speak. "The last thing I remember from yesterday was talking to you. The next thing I know, I wake up in my bed with a raging hangover, blood on my clothes and General Hazuma telling me I beat Wufei into a coma. Now any information you might have to help me put the puzzle pieces together would be most appreciated."

Lady Une stared at the desperate man on her screen. Was he serious? Could he have possibly drank his memory away? She cleared her throat and bowed her head slightly.

"What do you remember of our conversation?"

"Not much. I believe we were talking about Wufei's mission status."

"I see. Well, I think I can help you then. I expressed my disbelief at your relationship with Chang since he was the one that killed Treize."

She saw all the color drain from Milliardo's face. There were so many emotions running through him it was almost comical to see his face try to figure out which expression it should use.

"Then the screen went blank. The next call I received was from General Hazuma."

"He killed….Treize…"

Suddenly everything came slamming back into Milliardo's mind.

flashback

"Are you telling me that you're in love with the man that killed Treize?"

Those words echoed in Milliardo's head as he raced for the training rooms. He would be there. He was always there. Maintaining those skills that he used to kill Trieze. Milliardo rounded the corner and plowed into two people, scattering papers everywhere. He barely missed a step, not stopping to apologize or even acknowledge their presence.

Why didn't you tell me, Wufei? You sat right there and listened to me tell you about Treize. I never knew you could be such a deceitful coward! He saw the doorway up ahead and he picked up speed. He killed Treize. He ran his sword right through him and left his dead body for me to find.

Milliardo came crashing through the doors and everyone stopped to look at him. He was standing there, chest heaving, eyes wild. He immediately found his target and the rage within him surged even more.

"You killed Treize!"

Wufei felt the stab of panic in his heart.

"Everyone! Out! Now!"

The few people left in the training room quickly followed Wufei's orders, leaving the two men to resolve their own issues. It was a known fact that the two men had a relationship, but it wasn't something that was seen. This was the first time any emotion had been publicly displayed.

"Milliardo, please calm down. I wanted to---"

Milliardo didn't wait to hear what his lover had to say. He let go with a right that sent Wufei to the floor, a small trickle of blood coming from his mouth.

"You sat right there and listened to me talk about how much I loved him! You! His murderer!"

Wufei slowly stood up, wary of the enraged man before him. He tried not to yell back, keeping his voice as calm as possible.

"Milliardo, I'm so sorry….I was too weak to tell you. I, I was afraid. Please, Milliardo, ca---"

Milliardo let out an anguished cry and lunged for Wufei, wrapping his hands around his lover's throat. They fell to the floor and as Wufei tried to free himself, Milliardo raged on.

"You must think yourself rather ingenious to murder a great man like Treize and then deceive me into thinking you loved me so you could fuck me!"

Wufei was beginning to see stars and knew he had no choice but to risk hurting Milliardo to free himself. He planted one foot on the floor and pushed up letting his free foot kick his crazed assailant in the head. Milliardo fell to the side and Wufei rolled away a few feet, coughing air back into his lungs.

Milliardo fell to the side but came right up in a crouched position, then stood as he watched Wufei trying to get some air back in his lungs. He looked down at his clenched fist and found Wufei's golden dragon dangling from its chain. He growled and threw it aside, his anger fueled even more at the reminder of Wufei's deception and the depths he had driven Milliardo.

"Mill…Milliardo…I'm sorry I…."

Wufei made it up to his knees and looked over for Milliardo, but all he saw was a black boot heading straight for him. The kick caught him in the ribs, lifting him off the floor. Any air he had in his lungs was gone. He tried to pick himself up, but he was met with another kick. He tried to get up three times, each attempt halted by a boot to the ribs. Each kick was punctuated with Milliardo's screaming.

"Why did you do it! Why did you make me think you loved me! What kind of sick revenge are you after! Or is this merely a game to you!"

Wufei tried to look up at Milliardo. His arms were shaking too badly and his ribs were screaming in pain. He stayed on the floor, trying to get air into his lungs, hoping his whispers could be heard.

"Not a game….I do love you Mill---"

"Shut up!"

Milliardo used his foot to roll Wufei over and then he sank to his knees, his right knee coming down on Wufei's forearm and the man screamed out in pain. Straddling the hurting man, he let the rage completely take over. He was yelling and crying as he delivered blow after blow upon his lover.

Wufei didn't fight back. He tried to protect himself as much as possible from the blows being reigned down upon his head and torso, but Milliardo was a very powerful fighter in his own right, especially when fueled by rage. This is my karma. This is my punishment for killing Treize and deceiving Milliardo. He deserves his revenge on me for everything I've done. For my cowardice. For my weakness.

Suddenly the blows stopped and Wufei was barely aware of the sound of people shouting before everything went black.

Milliardo kept punching and punching until his knuckles were scraped and bloody. He was stopped by several men who had been curious enough to see what was going on between the two lovers. They quickly raced to Wufei's side and dragged Milliardo away and called for medical assistance. Milliardo broke free of his would-be captors and took one last look at the unconscious man on the ground. His rage suddenly disappeared as he took in the sight of the bloody face of his lover. Wufei was not responding to the men at his side and Milliardo honestly couldn't tell whether or not he was breathing. Oh gods, what have I done! Wufei…..

Milliardo took a step towards Wufei but three men stepped in his path. He took a few steps back and felt something under his foot. He looked and reached down, picking up a now bent golden dragon charm. My dragon. Wufei.

He remembered calmly walking back to his room and pouring himself a drink to steady his shaking body. He figured it wouldn't take long for General Hazuma to show up with some guards and arrest him. I'll just sit here and drink until they show up.

end flashback

"I have to see him." His voice broke with the emotion behind it but he didn't care if the woman saw how desperate he was. He had to see Wufei. He had to beg his forgiveness.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Due to the seriousness of his injuries, no one is allowed to see him."

"Then I'll wait in the hospital until they let me see him."

"I don't want you coming near him."

"You cannot keep me from him! I am---"

"You're the man who put him in the hospital."

Milliardo's words died in his throat at Lady Une's words. She's right. It doesn't matter who I am. Lover, friend, commanding officer…. I almost killed him. He hung his head, trying to maintain his composure. He knew he would get nothing further from Lady Une. Milliardo disconnected the link and covered his face with his hands. For the first time since holding Treize's dead body, he cried.

To be continued…..