A/N: In this chapter there's a reference made by Wufei to what he was thinking 'last night' - the last-night-thoughts he's referring to are in Chapter 10 of 'Perchance to Dream'

CHAPTER FIVE: In Which Wufei Gets a Mission

Light had strange patterns when you looked up at the sun from beneath the waves

Sun, and the promise of air

made him struggle

fight against the bonds that were holding him down

he had to breathe

"...ufei..."

mind reeling as he tried to take in the meaning of the winch above the tank

tried to prepare himself for what he knew was coming next

they had fastened his wrists but not his feet and he kicked out at one of them, catching him in the chest and watching as he flew back

heavy weight on his ankles now and he couldn't do it again

The touch of fingers on his skin was delicate and light. "Wufei..."

and then he seemed to be floating above their heads, watching as they strapped Duo to those weights instead of him, and no please don't do that to him he doesn't deserve that

the face of his dead wife appeared in front of him, twisted up in mocking scorn over his weakness he couldn't protect her and he couldn't protect this boy

"...fei, wake u..."

swimming along the bottom of the lake and there were millions of concrete blocks settled on the bottom each block had someone chained to it and he knew all these faces his lover and his friends and meiran and his parents

he needed to free them but his wrists were tied and his ankles were tied

"Wufei! C'mon, man, please!"

He tried to force open heavy eyelids but he couldn't quite manage it - there was a hand stroking his hair and a warm body holding him close.

He couldn't completely wake up, but the dreams retreated and he sighed, relaxing in the arms that cradled him.

*

*

*

"Finally," Quatre sighed with relief when Wufei stopped struggling and relaxed in Duo's embrace.

Duo, who had been about three seconds away from panic, echoed his sigh and held Wufei just a little tighter. "Damn it, damn it all..." he said softly, unable to make his brain process anything else. "Damn pills. Damn Oz. Damn war."

"Damn Elders. Let's go back and work on the mission," Heero said.

His lovers and his best friend grinned at him.

*

*
*

Wufei woke up at twilight.

The room was warm and the person he was laying against was warm. His clothes felt like they were twisted around him and his face felt sticky. He sighed and sat up cautiously, waiting for pain to stab at his back. When it didn't happen, he stood up and wobbled toward the bathroom, his legs feeling shaky and weak.

Damn pills.

He was splashing cool water on his face when gentle arms went around him. "Feel better?" A familiar voice asked.

"Mmhmm," was all he could manage without getting a mouthful of slightly soapy water. He rinsed his skin and reached for a towel.

Duo quickly put one in his hand and waited until he had dried his face, then turned him around. "No more doing katas like that, okay?" he pleaded, big eyes getting impossibly bigger.

Wufei nodded. More at ease here than in front of the others, he was able to admit to his faults. "I just got wrapped up in them, Duo. I'm sorry."

"Back still hurt?"

"No. The anti-inflammatory pills helped."

"Hungry?"

"Not really."

Duo frowned slightly. "Come and try to eat anyway, huh? I don't think you've had anything today. Did you eat breakfast?"

Wufei thought back, frowning slightly. "Uh... no."

Duo stared to chide him, then suddenly swooped in and stole a kiss.

"What was that for?!" Wufei asked, flustered.

"You look so cute when you frown!" Duo crooned, grinning broadly.

Wufei rolled his eyes.

*

*
*

They were all sitting around the table, eating spaghetti and salad, when their laptops started beeping.

"Is it just me, or are all of our laptops going off?" Duo asked, a fork-full of noodles halfway to his mouth.

"It's not just you," Quatre grumbled, getting up to switch his on. "Great! I have a mission."

"So do I," Trowa said. "With you."

"Me, too," Heero said, "We have three hours. Finish eating."

"Hey, I'm going with you guys! Must be a hell of a base, to need all four of us in our Gundams. 'Fei? You with us, too?"

"No," Wufei said, "I have a surveillance mission."

"Aw..." Duo pouted, but knew better than to try and talk him out of it. At least surveillance was easy. "Who ya watchin'?"

"Some Colonel. The Doctors think he has a contact in our organization."

Duo scowled. "I hate traitors."

"So do I. Eat your dinner."

"You, too. You don't have to leave yet, do you?"

"I leave when you four leave."

"Good," was Duo's only reply. He dove back into his food.

*

*
*

Wufei was tucking an extra outfit neatly into his duffel bag when Duo came into the room. He didn't look up at his lover until he heard the door being locked. "Duo?"

The braided boy gave him a completely innocent smile. "Hey, 'Fei!"

Wufei trusted the innocence of that smile about as much as he trusted Kushrenada to be a closet clog dancer. "What are you doing?"

Duo's smiled broadened, and he strolled toward the bed, seduction in his every motion. "We've got an hour and a half, 'Fei-chan..."

Wufei swallowed, then attempted a frown. "We should be going over mission specs."

"I've got mine memorized, and I know you do, too." Duo reached out and slid the tie from Wufei's hair, letting the black silk tumble loose. "Since it wasn't last night's fun that bothered your back, how about some remember-me fun before we go?"

"As if I would ever forget you..."

"Aw, 'Fei!"

"...you're too much of a baka to forget."

"Oh, you'll pay for that!" Duo laughed, shoving the duffel off the bed and throwing himself on it. He grabbed Wufei's arm and tugged him down on top of him. "C'mon, just a little fun..."

Wufei opened his mouth to suggest a lot more than their regular fun, remembering his thoughts from the night before, but stopped. He didn't want their first time of going 'all the way', as Duo put it, to be some hurry-up moment before a mission. He wanted it to be special.

Anyway, Duo had taken advantage of his open mouth to insert his tongue, and it was hard to think when he did that.

*
*

"Do we have everything?" Quatre asked, standing with his hands on his hips and looking at the three bags on the bed.

"Yes," Trowa said.

"Everything," Heero said at the same time.

Quatre sighed. Such blabbermouths, his lovers - he just didn't know how he put up with it. He raked his fingers through his blond curls and turned to pick up his laptop.

Only to freeze when some rather unmistakable sounds came drifting down the hall.

"Allah... Duo should know better than to get that distracted before a mission. And I can't believe Wufei would..." he trailed off when he caught sight of his lovers' faces. "Uh..."

"I don't know," Trowa said softly.

"I think they have the right idea," Heero finished.

"Guys?" Quatre asked, his eyes going big as they closed their own door and started moving toward him.

He gave one quick thought to running.

And then they tackled him.

*

*
*

Wufei stood beside his motorcycle, watching as the four Gundams flew out of sight.

As soon as he was sure they were gone, he sat down on the edge of the walkway and buried his face in his hands.

"I can do this. I have to do this."

His mind went back over his mission specs - the ones he had purposefully not shared with the others.

To conduct surveillance on an Oz Colonel, and try to identify the traitor giving him information.

Their suspected meeting place was at a small marina just outside a small city.

Next to a very big lake.

And the Doctors' information suggested the meetings were held on the Colonel's boat.

In the middle of that lake.

Didn't matter. He could do this; he wasn't weak. He would not give in.

He got on his motorcycle and started driving... willing his heart to slow down.