Disclaimer: Gundam Wing ain't mine. So don't sue me...please...
So without further ado, the curtain rises on chapter two!
Please read and review! :)
Preventers Headquarter
Belgium
"-And so my vacation was called on a count of hurricane." Sally leaned against the wall of a rather tastefully decorated office. She tossed her blond hair over her shoulder. "Not exactly the way I planned my week. So I figured that I'd just come back early and see if you can use me."
Colonel Une sat leaning against the front of her desk. Her face became thoughtful and after a moment she stood up and rounded her desk. "Actually, I do have something." She picked up a manila folder.
Sally cocked her head in interest and pushed away from the wall. Taking the file from the colonel, Sally began to flip through the file contents. Renegade militia refuses to disband… been involved in black-market weapons dealings… "Sounds…interesting."
"We received this report just before you came in." Une brushed her nut-brown hair behind her ear. "We managed to intercept a shipment of weapons and were able to trace them back to their origin. There is a black-market cartel working out of what used to be Switzerland. An informant within the organization in question claims that this is ground zero of their operation. And that the head man is holed up there."
Sallys brow furrowed. "Can you trust this informant?"
A ghost of a smile lit Une's features. "I believe so since I assigned him to infiltrate the group and gain information. Preventer Dragon and Duo Maxwell were sent to deal with the situation."
Sally quirked an eyebrow at her boss. "You sent those two? I hope for Duo's sake that Wufei left his katana at home."
Colonel Une smiled ruefully at Sally then shook her head "We are expecting another report in hour or so. This mission," she pointed to the folder, "Is the second step in their operation. But we need information before we can move in."
"That's where I come in…" Sally set the file down on the colonel's desk.
"Yes. The initial recon phase should only require one agent. But I'll send Preventer Dragon when his other mission is complete. Barring anything unforeseen, I estimate another forty-eight hours."
Sally smiled. Forty-eight hours with Duo for a partner… Wufei would be a nervous wreck. His buttons were too easily pushed. "I'll make radio contact in regards to setting up an RV point."
Une nodded her head. "Good luck, Preventer Water."
Zurich, Switzerland
The embers of the fire cast flickering light around the interior of the cabin. Sitting in one corner watching out the window, Duo fingered his automatic nervously. They were not expecting anyone, but it never hurt to be prepared. After all, that guy couldve been followed…He glanced over his shoulder at their guest.
"He's not here?" Irritation tinged Wufei's words.
The red haired informant nodded his head. "Al-Arish left shortly before you and your partner arrived. He was headed someplace east. There wasn't anything I could do to stop him. He went to personally meet with a client."
Wufei growled in the back of his throat. This complicates things. He and Maxwell had been assigned to cripple the black-market operation and specifically to arrest the guy in charge. Hypothetically, the concept was that without its head and if sufficiently hamstringed, the organization would simply fold up on itself. Hypothetically, anyway…but if he was not here?
After a moment of contemplation, Wufei spoke. "Show us where they are. We can at least sabotage their equipment. Then I'll get in contact with Colonel Une. She can send a team to watch for him."
Minsk, Russia
Seventy-two hours and counting…
Sally lay hunkered down behind a clumping of coarse grasses as she scanned the enemy camp through her binoculars. The place was impressive she had to admit.
It looked like it had been hewn out the rough countryside. Judging by the number of pre-fab shelters in the compound, whoever was in charge of this popsicle stand had a way with the common soldier. She estimated at least three thousand men stationed here.
The rumors were true. Apparently those unhappy with Relena Darlian's ideals had decided to throw a little party.
And I do so love to crash parties…She refocused her binoculars, mentally marking all the weapons cache stockpiles, and ammunition dumps. She would deal with those later. She shook her head in appreciation. Even the Mobile Suit salvage yard was impressive. These people packed some serious fire-power.
In the center of the clearing was the building she guessed to be the nerve center of the militia- no, army. After all three thousand men was pushing it by any definition of the word militia. The building had the feel of permanence. It was made of strong building materials. Concrete, if I could hazard a guess…and gracing the roof of the building was a satellite dish. The kind for sending and jamming signals.
I'll bet that isn't for the general's High-def TV. She whistled silently to herself. That baby set someone back a buck or two.
And it was worth the expense as Sally had found out. It was effectively knocking out all sending frequencies. She was not able to get through to HQ. She was not able to arrange an RV point to meet up with Wufei. And she had no hope of calling for an extraction. In short, she was up the creek without a paddle, and no hope of reinforcements in sight.
"Well, this sounded like a good idea at the time…" Sally sighed lowering her binoculars. She was about to shove them back in her case when movement in the camp caught her eye.
Sally squinted trying to make out what was going on. Quickly she raised the glasses to her face. Two men walked towards each other each flanked by what appeared to be body guards. Stopping several yards from each other they exchanged remarks. She growled in the back of her throat (a habit that she had picked up from Wufei) wishing that she could clearly see. She might have been able to read his lips.
The man on the right was Middle Eastern in origin and had a mean look to him. His long brown leather coat only served to emphasize his menacing demeanor. The filtered sunlight reflected off his bald head. That and the darkness of his low slung brows made him appear rather rugged and at home in the inhospitable landscape.
Sally had seen his kind before. He came across as a business man, but he would not blink twice at slicing your throat. Or stabbing you in the back, for that matter…
She watched as he held his coat open for the other man to see in a clear 'I'm unarmed' gesture. Suuure you are. If your cohort down there believes that then he deserves what he gets… The men once again resumed approaching each other. Speaking of cohort… Sally turned her glasses on the on the man to the left.
And promptly dropped them.
The blood roared in her ears like thunder as a nauseating wave of mind numbing fear washed over her. "No…It can't be…"
Suddenly Sally felt a terrible flashing pain and then blackness descended like a curtain…
Minsk, Russia
?
Sally came to cursing. It was damp and unbelievably dark. Her cold muscles cramped from lying on a stone floor and she heard the scuttling of rats behind the walls. She felt the condensation that could gather in only two places: a cellar or a cell. And if she was a betting woman she bet on a cell. Great. I've been captured.
Her head was pounding and the lump on her cheekbone was so swollen she could not see out of her right eye. A groan escaped from her dry cracked lips as she sat up. She growled as she cradled her head in her hands. Wufei would never let her live this down. I didn't need this. He's hard enough to work with as it is…
A wave of nausea assailed her as memory of what happened came rushing back to her. She remembered the two men approaching each other and her focusing on the Middle Easterner. Then she remembered glancing at the second man…She thought she had recognized him. Shuddering she prayed desperately that she was wrong, that it was only a coincidence. But if she was in fact correct? A cold fist settled in the pit of her stomach.
She had no way to know for certain whether the man was indeed who she thought he was but either way she was not sticking around to find out.
Rising carefully she set about the task of mapping her cell. After all, it is the captured soldier's first duty to escape. And in this case, it was a priority.
Pacing slowly with a hand on the cell wall, she determined that at most the cell was about twelve feet by twelve feet. All concrete… Three feet into the expanse of the right hand wall, she noted that the rough concrete broke off and her fingers felt the cold hardness of metal. She ran her hand across the expanse of metal and noticed that it went on for about three feet. If she had her guess, this was the door. She paced a few more steps and made a sobering discovery. In the corner was small pit. Sally wrinkled her nose at the evil odors that rose from it. She could hazard a guess just what it used for.
Hopefully, I'll be out of here before I need to utilize it. But it drove home the fact that she was indeed a prisoner.
She completed the circuit of the room and sat down in a slump on the cold floor of the cell. No chinks... no holes. Nothing…
She hissed in annoyance. How could I have been so careless?! She was just hacked off that she had been captured so blasted easily.
A sudden jangling at the cell door broke into her thoughts. Sally stood up slowly squaring her shoulders and raising herself to her full height. She vowed that whatever came through that door, she would not be cowed.
The door swung open, allowing a great square of light to silhouette the figure of a man. Momentarily blinded, Sally raised her hand to shield her eyes.
"Well, well. I see that my errant daughter has at last seen fit to return to her father." A bitter contemptuous voice spat. "Show me your respect, Sai Lien!" He ordered pointing to the floor before him.
Sally would not move, could not move. She remembered what true fear was. This is a dream, this is not happening. That voice was the voice of her nightmares. It was the voice of her father, Po Chen. She thought that she had escaped this man in her youth. Seeing him again froze her in utter terror.
For her entire life, he had belittled her, despised her, called her horrible cruel names, and had beaten her. Her and her mother both.
When Po Xiu had died, Sally had been barely ten years old. She then became a servant and cook enduring all of her fathers hatred and scorn.
Until she had turned thirteen. Changing her name from the hated Sai Lien to Sally, she had run away and never looked back. She had enlisted in the Alliance, lying about her age. And had excelled in her studies. By the age of nineteen, she had buried her demons, and was a skilled vascular surgeon.
Then the War effort had shifted and Sallys soldiering skills and battle scared reflexes from her childhood made her a strong ally to the Gundam pilots. She had become what her Mother had always wanted her to be. Free and accepted for who she was.
And now, just like that, all those years of success and independence vanished like so much mist in the morning sun. Sally was ten again and having to face the biggest most ferocious monster she had ever faced. And this time there would be no unknown benefactor to jump between her and her old tormentor.
"I said show me respect." He said again and Sallys inner voice hissed like a cat and recoiled from the orders.
She stiffened and her eyes flashed their old defiance. "I have no father and you do not deserve respect. Mine or anyone elses."
Chen backhanded Sally across the face so hard she crashed back into the wall with the force of it.
"How dare you, you useless pile of sheep dung! First your Mother dishonored me by whelping you." He spat at Sally's feet and sneered. "Then you continue to dishonor your family, woman. You join the Alliance against my wishes! Then I hear you are a rebel! Now this, this! Spying on your own father! You pitiful excuse for human flesh! How I ever sired such an appalling and ugly child I will never know." Chen yanked Sally's blonde braids. "Had I known your mother's blood had been diluted, I would never have married her. And you are no better. An abomination from birth! I am sickened by the impurities in you. Like mother like daughter."
Her soul splintered in agony as she thought back to her lovely dead mother. She had been the only one to love Sally as she was. There had only ever been one other person who had not treated her like she was a curiosity, a freak to be ogled and jeered at. A little boy with a beautiful sword and a determination to make her smile. Thinking of that courageous boy fueled the fire of boldness in her heart.
Her sky blue eyes narrowed in barely restrained anger. "There will come a time of reckoning for you, Po Chen. You are guilty of dealing with terrorists and the buying and the selling of weapons. This militia is in direct violation of section 5 paragraph four of the Disarmament Act. That, coupled with numerous illicit acts perpetrated over the last four years, tie you up good and tight. The Preventers will find you. They'll lock you up in the deepest dankest cell they have and throw away the key. And there is no Master Long to save you from justice this time…"
"Silence!" He backhanded her again, this time using his fist. Sally fell to the hard packed earth dazed from the strike in a haze of pain as blow after blow reigned down on her. Breathing hard, Po Chen spat on her again.
As her father leered down at her in hatred, her body and will betrayed her. All she could do was whimper on the floor as the man of her nightmares whirled and left. Her cell door was locked once more. The darkness of her confines emphasized the shroud of self-doubt that clung to her being and refused to let go.
Groaning and in pain, she pulled herself up and leaned against the corner of the cell. Now would be an excellent time to mount a rescue, Wufei…Sally hugged her knees and tried to block out the pain thinking instead of her partner.
She saw the good man he was on the inside. Irritating at times but, overall, good. They fought constantly, but it never came to blows.
Not the way her father treated her. She knew one thing, even driven to the point of madness Wufei would never strike her in anger.
If and when he fought, he fought for justice and integrity. Never for self-gain or purpose. For that one quality alone, Sally greatly admired him.
And at this particular point in time she wished with all her soul that he were here. He would lend her the courage she needed to face her father.
But Wufei was not here. All she had now was her own inner voice. And Sally was not sure that voice would be enough to see her through.
She sighed. Where was her partner now? Probably getting antsy at HQ … After all, her report had been at least twenty-four hours over due before she was captured, and she had no way of knowing how long she had been out. Wufei would be a handful to deal with … She smiled at the thought. Somehow just thinking it gave her courage.
She shifted slightly hissing as the pain neared intolerable levels. Her vision dimmed around the edges and she cast around desperately for something to relieve it.
Her mind latched onto the thought of Wufei and rescue. He would come after her, of that she was certain. He would be successful in finding her and in rescuing her like a dashing hero in fairytale. She smiled ruefully. If he's the hero, I guess that makes me the damsel in distress…
Being the damsel in distress always seemed so romantic in the storybook. In real life, it completely lost its glamour. But glamorous or not, she understood why the damsel fell for hero…Handsome, strong, and with a flare for showing up in the nick of time…Wufei filled the part of hero to perfection. She smiled as her eyelids grew heavy.
Sallys eyes bolted wide open and she realized with a start that she had been dozing. And that she had been casting herself and Wufei in the romantic lead of a fairytale. The kind that generally winds up with the words And they lived happily ever after… Her cheeks blazed and not from the bruising she was certain was going on.
As her head leaned against the wall and sleep descended on her again she let slip a thought she never would have allowed before. Could that really be so bad, Sally? * * * * *
?
?
Wufei stood surrounded by mist. He squinted into the inky blackness glancing left then right. Various grey and black values gave him the impression that he was standing in a grove of bamboo. He desperately needed to gain his bearings. Looking down in his hand he became aware that he was holding an unlit torch. Hoping that its illumination would allow him to see better, he lit it.
As the flame leapt to life and bathed the area with a golden light, Wufei saw that he was right. He stood in the center of a bamboo grove.
Somehow he knew that the grove was vast, and somehow he knew that he must traverse it. His heart told him that he had only one chance to defeat this maze and if he made a wrong turn, all was lost. Wufei stood still afraid to move.
"Little Dragon…" a disembodied voice called.
Wide-eyed, Wufei whirled around looking for the owner of the voice. But there was no one. "Who are you?" His eyes narrowed and he listened intently. Nothing… only the sighing of the wind.
"Little Dragon, come to me…"
Wufei's eyes widened. He had heard a voice. And it wanted him to come. He was not all that certain he wanted to. "What's my motivation?"
Silky laughter caressed his ears. "Come and find out."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He disliked being laughed at, but the tone of the voice put steel in his backbone. He knew it was baiting him. And he knew it was leveling a challenge. The question remained: dare he accept it? "What if I lose my way? I have no compass, no map."
"You have what you need, Little One."
"And if I make a wrong turn?"
"Come."
Wufei sighed realizing a command when he heard it. And for some reason, it was a command he simply could not ignore.
Taking first one step then another, he began his long journey towards… just what he did not know. All he knew was that he had been called.
For what seemed like hours Wufei walked. And as he walked he became aware of something rather unnerving.
What the voice had said was true. He had what he needed. In the times when he felt in need of direction, he only had to stop and listen to his own heart.
Time seemed to stand still as Wufei continued. His mind told him that the sun should have come up hours ago and dispelled the thick fog. But as he progressed, it seemed to be growing darker and the mists thicker until he at last stood in front of a crossroads.
The bamboo divided the path into a fork, one road leading to the left and the other to the right. And he was faced with a decision.
Wufei glanced down the left path. He noticed that it appeared wide and short easily traveled. He also noticed the glimmer of daylight at the end.
Then he looked to the right. The path was dark and treacherous with bamboo on the right hand and a bottomless precipice to the left. There was practically no room for a traveler to place his feet on the narrow ledge.
Surely there was no question about which path to take. You'd have to be nuts to take the right one.
He turned to the left and then hesitated as nagging doubt assailed him. His head told him that left was the correct one to walk. But his heart…?
His heart voted right. And so far it had not led him astray. He sighed taking one last lingering look at the faint sunlight and began his journey into the darkness.
Holding the torch up high, he sidled along the path. The ledge became more and more narrow making footing hazardous. Mist condensed on the cold stone and gathered in puddles, causing him to slip and slide.
And once, it nearly sent him careening off into oblivion. Fortunately, he had dropped his torch on the path in a fairly dry place. He pulled himself back up on the ledge and stood breathing hard. Glancing in the direction he had come, he considered the wisdom of turning back. After all, the path will only become more dangerous.
But even as he considered turning back, he rejected it. He had chosen the path he would walk. He would not go back now. Collecting his torch he forced himself onward.
It was almost entirely pitch black, and Wufei could barely see three feet in front of him. The only light he had was the weak flicker coming from the torch cluched firmly in his right hand. Ironically, he found himself grateful for the limited visibility. He had a sneaking suspicion that he didn't want to know how long it would take for his body to smash upon the jagged rocks that almost certainly were at the bottom of a long fall. His body pressed up flush against the cold stone of the ledge as he swallowed reflexively. He was beginning to question his sanity. Sweat began to bead on his brow as he inched his way along, each step more precarious than the first until the ledge began to widen.
He was so relieved that he did not mind the thickening of the mist. The night was chilly and as Wufei progressed the temperature continued to drop. The mists roiled about his feet and his breath chuffed out in clouds. He trembled with the cold. He was wearing only a light silk tunic over his black tank and it was poor insulation against the night. He pulled his tunic closer and continued walking.
Suddenly, he froze. Something's out there… Holding his torch up, he squinted into the darkness. A shiver ran down his spine. Wufei could not shake the feeling that something watching him. He took first one step and then another as he looked into the dark warily. Abruptly, he ceased his slow gait and stared his eyes going wide.
The silhouette of a fierce creature loomed before him.
Wufei's eyes narrowed and he held the torch up hoping to illuminate the beast.
And he froze as he caught the ripple of reflected light playing across iridescent scales gracing the massive shape.
Wufei swallowed. He had seen that particular silhouette many times in his childhood. If he did not miss his guess, he was looking on the ancestral Dragon, guardian of the Chang family.
"Little Dragon of my Clan. You have come."
Coming to his senses, he dropped to one knee in humble obeisance. Laughter rolled over him as the Dragon delicately touched Wufei with its snout. "Well done."
Wufei's eyebrow quirked. Was it his imagination or was that Dragons voice… female? Master Long forgot to mention that the family guardian was a 'she'…
Her ruby eyes twinkled as if she was enjoying a private joke at his expense. Wufei had a sneaking suspicion that she knew about his surprise at her gender. And it appeared to amuse her. A lot. Wufei growled under his breath. He did not like being the butt of a joke. Even one made by a guardian.
She cocked her head at him. "Rise and walk with me, my child."
Wufei stood, still carrying his torch, and fell into step next to the magnificent Beast. She was beautiful with the graceful contours of her muscled flesh. The length of her great serpentine body flashed an iridescent silver-blue while her scales danced golden in the torchlight. She was truly a magnificent Creature.
The Dragon led Wufei under a carved jade archway and into a clearing that resembled the gardens of the dojos on his home colony. And at the far end was a plain pile of wood in between two braziers.
Incense lightly tinted the air, a scent Wufei had smelled before. He inhaled deeply loving the soft delicacy of the perfume. His throat ached at the emotions it raised in him. It reminded him of something precious and wonderful… teased his senses and tickled his memory, but he could not place it.
Or could he…?
Where had he smelled it before? He breathed in the cloying fragrance deeply and closed his eyes desperate to place it in his mind.
It reminded Wufei of that day two years ago…the day he destroyed Nataku. The day Sally had invited him to join Preventers as her partner. She had offered her invitation and then laid a hand on his shoulder. Smiling she had leaned in close and Wufei got a deep whiff of her perfume…
Wufeis eyes went wide with recognition. " Sally…" It was her scent. He cursed.
The Dragon glanced at him knowingly. "This way, young one."
She led him to the woodpile and stood. Bringing her great head level with his own she spoke. "Where is your flame, Little Dragon?"
Flame…? Blinking in confusion, Wufei held out his torch. "Here, Mistress."
The graceful creature shook her head. "No. This is not what I mean. While this flame is strong it will eventually burn itself out and die. I speak of a flame that is all consuming; it defies time and outlives death itself. That flame has the potential to ignite an inferno so great that none can touch it or even approach it."
Wufei considered the torch in hand. It had not gone out all during the time he had walked in the forest. It had not even gone out when he had dropped it on the wet ledge. It still burned strong. "I dont understand."
The Dragon extended one graceful claw in the direction of the torch. She cocked her sleek head. "Light the wood."
He stepped forewords and thrust the lighted torch into the pyre. It caught and burned brilliantly. Then a strange thing happened. Wufei watched in puzzled amazement as the fire died before his eyes.
"The wood must be wet." He grumbled under his breath. But after taking a closer look he noticed the dry thirstiness of the pile. How could his torch not light that? Again he touched the fire to the wood and again the fire struggled and died before it could live. This is impossible. It should have lit.
The dragon turned her head so that he looked into one of her great ruby eyes. "It will not light with only that small flame, my child."
Wufeis dark brow furrowed as he attempted to process that. By all the laws of nature that pile should be a raging inferno by now. Stubbornly he lifted his torch to pile yet again refusing to accept defeat.
"Oh, You are a stubborn one. Very well. Why don't you try again?" the sleek serpentine voice was laced with amusement at his childish willfulness.
Females. Even guardian females. Wufei growled to himself as he eyed the massive creature. He could swear that she was laughing at him.
He thrust the torch into the pile this time leaving it until he was certain the wood caught. But just as before the inferno spit and sputtered eventually petering out.
"See even now how this tiny flame dies? It alone is not enough." The Dragon met the young mans eyes. "It was never enough by itself. It was never meant to be."
Wufei stared at the azure guardian knowing that there was a point to this. He just wasnt getting it.
"Light the pyre again." Her voice was strong and commanding and Wufei obeyed.
For the third time,Wufei thrust his torch into the dry wood. As before the wood caught. But before it died the Great Dragon wrapped two massive blue-golden claws around Wufei's shoulders. He gasped as something stirred in him at the contact. The lids of his eyes slid shut as the sensation of fire kindled inside him deeply in his secret heart. It flared and flashed growing in intensity…burning…almost consuming him. Flashes of memory…turbulent emotions…joy, sadness, fear, lonliness, the struggle for strength… all coalesced into one calm moment of peace…he gasped as shining blue eyes laced with sweet laughter flashed through his mind...
His eyes flew open wide in surprise as a great surge strength poured through him, flowing down his arms. Heat like a great firestorm roared through his limbs finally coming to rest in his hands. The awesome heat pooled and its aura erupted into physical form encasing them in pure white flame. Wufei gazed in wonder as his eyes glanced from first one hand to the second. He smiled wolfishly as he instinctively shifted the torch into a two-handed grip, thrusting it into the very center of the pyre.
The flame of the torch spurted and suddenly flared white hot in a pure magnesium inferno.
Wufei stood wide eyed watching in amazement as the tiny fire became a raging conflagration that consumed both the pyre and the braziers on either side of it. He recoiled from the heat of it and felt that he would have been killed had the Great Beast not extinguished it with the mighty blast of her nostril.
The Dragon again pointed to the torch in Wufei's hand. "Little one, that flame represents the fire of your spirit."The Great she dragon turned her massive head so Wufei could gaze into her gentle serpentine eye. The look was gentle like he was infinitely precious to her...and for some reason he could not explain, longing ache settled in his stomache. "My Little Dragon, I have watched you for some time wandering and looking for that thing that would stir those embers of your spirit. I have seen you as first one thing then another caused it to flare up. But none of those things can truly fill that ache and desire. For they are but a part and not the reason. You will always be seeking…but never finding…never fulfilled until you find the truth. Seek the source of this flame and nurture it. If you do it will become an inferno the likes of which you cant possibly imagine. If you don't, this tiny flame will never reach its full intensity…"
Wufei gazed up at Her from his particularily undignified position on the ground. His mind rushed to try to understand what had just happened as he took in her words. Shock ran through him as he realized that He knew. He had always known in his heart…his powerful desire to become stronger…it had come from somewhere deep inside of him driven by a desperate need…knowing that without it, his true purpose would sputter and die and simply fade away…He would lose it all..
The great She-dragon leveled her majestic muzzle inches away from his own disquiteded face. With a gentle nod of pride, she saw that the true seriousness of the situation was not missed by her little Dragon. "Know this. The source grows dim. You must save it before it dies… or you will be the Last of my Clan."
Wufei swallowed against the sudden dryness of his throat as her warning washed through him. Absolutely no pressure… Wufei shifted in frustration as his gaze dropped. "Sure I'll find IT. No problem…What the heck is it? What am I looking for anyway..?" He grumbled under his breath unaware that this thought had become audible.
The Dragon leaned down until Wufei was forced to meet her gemstone hued eyes. "You will know it. But remember, Little Dragon. Even though you are strong, the path to this point is riddled with peril. And once you begin to walk it there is no going back. The choice of paths is yours, young one." Her great ruby eyes twinkled. "But I have a feeling youre reckless enough to attempt the journey."
Wufei stared into the torch's fire. Laughter echoed and for the second time Wufei caught a flash of smiling blue eyes… Wufei glanced up and into the eyes of the beautiful beast. Just as quickly, fear was banished by a determination he did not fully understand.
"That's my Little Dragon." The Dragon eyes twinkeled as she vanished leaving Wufei with the distinct feeling he was being laughed at…
Adrenaline shot through Wufei as he sat up abruptly in bed, a cold clammy sweat had broken out all over his body. He glanced around the room recognizing his rather spartan apartment. No mist, no torch, no dragon…He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and ran his trembling hands over his face. It had been so real...his limbs tingled with the echo of heat and sheer weight of power. He exhaled shakily. Just a dream...
He was home.
He had arrived home with Duo over three days ago.
And he had been distinctly displeased to discover that Sally had come back and been sent out on another mission… this time alone. No partner, no backup. Nothing.
He had determined then and there that there was no way he was going to leave his partner out there, possibly in the thick of danger, without someone to watch her back. No. she would have backup and that backup would be him.
There was only one problem with that as Une so infuriatingly pointed out. They did not know exactly where she was. They expected her report any moment now and then he would be joining her at an RV point. So he had let himself be talked out of going until Sallys report came in.
That had been two days ago…
With a sigh he stood and began to pace the length of the room. He should have forced the issue. He should have insisted that he be allowed to go after the woman. Anything could be happening to her. She could have been caught or worse, killed…
Why? Why does it matter so much? He ran his hand through his black hair in exasperation. It mattered because she was his partner. His friend..
His...his...what?
Abruptly he stopped his pacing. The level of his worry surprised him. When had he come to care so much? Sure she was his partner and a coworker, and he should be concerned. But this went beyond concern.
He entered his bathroom splashing cold water on his face. The icy liquid was a welcome shock to his system. Looking up, Wufei ran his eyes over the reflection of troubled youth. His childish features had been replaced with the hard rugged planes of a man. His muscular build showed plainly under the loose tank top he wore. Without a doubt, he was no longer a boy of fifteen. He possessed the physique of a grown man.
But he was the same Wufei he had always been. Nothing was different… or was it? He took in the finely chiseled features haggard with worry. He noted the dark circles under his eyes… Obvious signs that he was not sleeping well.
His mind wandered back to his dream, unable to shake it. Somehow he knew that it was vital that he find out what it meant. And soon.
It had all seemed so real. He could feel the cold wispy tendrils of fog on his skin; the sensation of jagged rock beneath his finger-tips as he had struggled to climb back onto that ledge. He could clearly hear the Great Dragons distinctly female voice… And he remembered the cold of the mists and the faint scent on the air…The feel of fire in his hands…and too the feel of fear and dogged determination… He felt a deep sense of urgency and undeniable prompting that he was needed. That he was supposed to do something.
"The source grows dim. You must save it before it dies…"
His brown-black eyes closed as the Dragons words echoed through his heart. He had to succeed… That he was supposed to save something precious from being lost. And time was running out.
Wufei stood staring hard at the reflection in the mirror. Just what am I supposed to save? He demanded of his reflection.
And his only answer was silence…