Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 3
"The general wishes you to know that the exercise courts and pool are now open for your use."
A soldier pulled open the doors of the dining room and stood in the entrance, bowing to Wufei and ignoring me, his figure silhouetted against the bright blur of the afternoon sun. The green of his uniform meant he was a Special, hand-picked to guard the general and those the general designated. Looking closer, though, showed me something strange, something totally out of kilter with what I expected to see. This 'man' had no aura - not a flicker, not a spark, not even the tiniest hint of color around his body - and that wasn't right.
All humans had auras, I argued with myself. There must be something wrong with my eyes. Humans couldn't suppress them and I couldn't help but see them, thanks to Trowa and the dragon god Seiyruu. I blinked and shook my head. Still nothing. Now a new suspicion was budding, something I didn't want to consider. If there was nothing wrong with my eyes, that meant that -
- this man wasn't human.
Blood rushed away from my face, leaving it tingling and cold. That leaden, familiar knot twisted in my stomach as my mind kept teasing the problem. If he was a Special, hand-picked by Treize, trusted to be close to Wufei - and he wasn't human - then logically neither were any of the Specials in the mansion.
Oh. GODS. The entire mansion was filled with those things. I was the only human here, because theoretically, Wufei wasn't entirely human, either.
Doesn't it make you wonder if things were ALWAYS like this ...?
The soldier saluted smartly, a certain smugness in his manner, then turned on his heel and left the room. Immediately, Wufei slipped out of his chair and headed out the door with no word or glance at me. Obviously, he was grateful to escape, and part of me didn't blame him at all; the tension between us now was intolerable. I was left alone with the remnants of breakfast and memories of conversations I'd rather forget. A slow burn simmered in my chest, the pressure making it difficult to breathe, smoldering embers of grief and rage threatening to overwhelm me. I hated being ignored; even more, I hated this gut-wrenching feeling of hopelessness and despair.
No. I won't - I won't give in to despair. I didn't before, and I won't now.
I hated that feeling. The last time I felt that powerless and that alone had been the night my parents were killed, over two years ago.
Push it away, Sally. Push it down. Deal with it some other time. Other things need your full attention.
Blinking, I drew myself up and took a deep, shaky breath. It was all right to mourn privately, but not publicly. Those non-human things were not going to see my grief - I could be as stoic as the next person. Squaring my shoulders, I thrust my chair away from the table and left, crossing the dining room as rapidly as I could manage. I had no idea where I was going, but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit in that room and brood.
I stepped into the hallway and closed the door, blinking against the light. The latch was cool between my fingers; I didn't let go for a few seconds as I hesitated, thinking. What I needed was a plan, at least for the next hour or so. Maybe I could find some regular clothes. And maybe - just maybe - I could even find some underwear.
Don't hold your breath, my inner voice snickered. This looks like a man's world. No women or humans allowed.
Yes, well, fuckall to that. I'm here to stay, or so I was told. I'd better get some serious underwear, and I don't mean lame G-strings.
Which way to go? It didn't matter. I turned and took one long stride to the left, sighing, then glanced down the corridor and nearly stumbled over my own feet as I stopped in shock.
Treize was standing in front of the window at the end of the hall, watching - and very obviously waiting - for me.
I stared at him for what felt like an hour, but in reality was probably only several moments. They were seriously long moments, too, uncomfortable moments where I was able to replay every syllable Wufei and I said to each other. Realizing that he saw Wufei practically run out the room and then me drag myself outside the door with no enthusiasm, I was sure that he knew what we had discussed.
Oh. Excellent. Now I had to deal with him.
I didn't want to. In fact, my preference was to turn and march the opposite direction, something in the 'I'll show you what I think of you' vein. My feet, though, refused to budge, keeping me planted in one spot. Fear, too, in the guise of shaking, sweating hands and an unfamiliar lump in my throat made it impossible for me to move.
Stop it, Sally Po. Stiffen your spine and show him you're not afraid of him.
Treize stood with his back to the window, calmly waiting for me to approach. Sunlight brightened his hair; he looked perfect, handsome, beautiful. With features that could have been chiseled out of stone and eyes the color of the sea he regarded me, his gaze pensive and reflective.
And he looked patient. Very, very patient, as if he could wait there for the next three days, if need be, until I walked over to him.
Good. Wait three days. So will I.
He smiled, shifted his weight and tilted his head to the side. "Henry Kissinger said that even a paranoid has some real enemies, Sally. Does that make you feel better?"
I swallowed. How - how does he DO that so quickly? "No, Treize. It - really doesn't," I said, defeated. I gave in and walked over to him slowly.
My terms, I thought, sullen. Mine. At least I'm going to control something.
Light played across his face, throwing shadows around his eyes, but the closer I came, the more confused I felt. Treize looked wary? - on guard? - as I approached, as if he was trying to make up his mind as to whether to trust me or not.
My eyes narrowed against the light; fear receded and annoyance pushed its way forward. Oh, please - he's making up his mind whether or not to trust me? He's wary? That's ridiculous! Which one of us is the immortal one, hmm?
Treize seemed to catch that thought. He raised one eyebrow as I came up to him in polite inquiry. "So, my dear ... who were you speaking to before you left the island?" Putting one hand on my shoulder, he murmured, "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"
I stiffened as Treize smiled pleasantly and turned me toward the garden.
He steered me across the hallway, then out into a hidden courtyard in back of the house. A well-kept English garden greeted us, with climbing roses and bougainvillea surrounding ivy and box hedges. It was lovely; the aroma of roses drifted across the hedges on the cool breeze, and the flowers bathed everything in bright, gorgeous color.
"Hai - YA! Ha, ha, HA!" Sound carried outdoors, too; I could hear Wufei shouting at his invisible opponent, practicing in the mansion's dojo.
Plus, it was cold outside. Without thinking, I crossed my arms in front of my chest, rubbing my forearms and shook my head, feeling cross. Why, oh why, did I always end up in pajamas or a nightgown, having these kinds of conversations with this man? Wasn't it enough that he caught me sneaking into his house - his bedroom, no less? Wasn't it enough that Wufei said 'no' to me not ten minutes ago? Did I need to be humiliated, too?
"Sit down, Sally."
Treize pressed lightly on my shoulder, pushing me down onto a small garden stone bench. It was set into an alcove of sorts, surrounded by small evergreens and box hedges. Pine scent, mingled with the aroma of roses, was subtle and calming, as was the sound of water splashing in a nearby fountain. It was ... nice. Soothing. Secluded.
"So. Let's talk," he said lightly, shrugging off his jacket and placing it around my shoulders.
Warmth stole along my arms, into my bones. Ahh, now that felt good ... "Um - right. Okay. Thank you," I replied, blinking, suspicious. "What - what do you want to know?"
"To whom did you speak before you left the island? We both know you had some sort of informative conversation before you ran, Sally. I would have never shown you what I did otherwise - although in retrospect it was rather juvenile of me." Treize's amused blue gaze bored into mine as he waited, his lips quirked in a small half smile. "So, again - to whom did you speak?"
I stared up at him, incredulous. "You want to know ...you want to know what? Who spoke to me before I left ...?"
Deafening explosions rent the air, ripping across the night sky, orange tongues of flame leapt from the ground, and above all the destruction was Treize, bronze wings spread, laughing, knowing I was the only one who could see him ... gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...
I swallowed and took a deep breath, glaring. That was not a humorous, entertaining memory, it was a nightmare. I had been petrified, and was still afraid. Treize was treating me like a simpering, whining poodle that wasn't properly trained to heel.
Juvenile of you? You were LAUGHING at me, because you can kill me like a flea without a thought in your freakish immortal head -
"Who spoke to me ?" I snapped, louder, feeling suppressed rage swell and burst in my chest. It flooded my veins, my heart, my lungs, then rose into my throat, nearly choking me. I wanted to leap and strangle him, the way my rage was strangling me. "You mean, besides Wufei? There aren't that many people I could speak to about you like that, are there?" - you incredibly insensitive immortal jerk -
"I can play this game all day, you know." His tone was light and conversational as he put his arm on the back of the bench and regarded me with more than just friendly interest. "However, if you keep putting it off, we'll have to wait until the next time Wufei is in hearing distance. Do you really want to drag this out?"
My lips tightened; I looked down and didn't answer him. Fear and anger had made me incautious, and I showed him what I thought; that had been stupid. Now my good sense, what little I had left, was telling me to keep my mouth closed before I said something else that got myself killed.
"Come on, Sally," Treize said, his voice gentler. "It's like an immunization shot; unpleasant but necessary. Best to get it out of the way. I could simply go in and take it -" and he ran his thumb across my forehead, gently, " - but I am not a monster. So, if you please - who?"
There was a long moment of silence. He was right, and I knew it. My permission wasn't necessary. If I wanted to keep any shred of dignity, I had to tell him, and I had to tell him voluntarily.
"T - Trowa," I finally said, hating both him and myself, looking at the ground, "I spoke to Trowa."
"Trowa?" Treize sounded mildly impressed. "Trowa spoke to you? My, my, my, that is interesting."
I shrugged inside his jacket, still not looking at him, feeling as if I had betrayed a valuable confidence. Or myself.
Soldiers never give up their information. They die rather than give information to the enemy. You're no soldier, Po. You never were. A deserter, and one who couldn't protect her charge. Useless, totally useless.
Sounding thoughtful, Treize mused, "'Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.' I wonder why ... that is so unusual ..." He moved, shifted his position, and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me.
I tried to move away from him on the bench, but there was nowhere to go. His kind of scrutiny - the type where he doesn't just look at your body, but at you, through you - was disturbing.
"There, now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Oh no, of course not. Especially not if you were into feeling small, withered and humiliated, then everything was just FINE.
"Consider yourself absolutely free as regards to the run of the house. As to walking in town ... well. That is still up in the air, pending your good behavior. All right?"
His hand, with its perfectly manicured nails glistening in the sunshine, was thrust out at me, palm outstretched, waiting for me to clasp it in that damned universal gesture of goodwill. I looked up slowly and stared at his hand.
He MUST be joking. I'm supposed to shake his HAND after that? No hard feelings, trampling on you was just part of the job, thanks for giving it up so quickly ...
But making him angry by refusing his hand would have been incredibly foolish. "Thank you, Treize," I muttered, stony, taking and shaking his hand. Stubborn, angry and afraid, I refused to look at him, preferring instead to gaze at the grass.
Then I tried to take my hand backHe wouldn't let go.
I swallowed and tugged harder, discreetly trying to slide my fingers around his.
No go.
I looked up and was shocked to find Treize studying me with an expression that I had only seen once before, as if he was seeing me for the first time. His clear blue gaze was powerful; like his grip, once I was caught, I couldn't look away. Gaaaaahhh ...
"Sally."
My heart skipped about two beats. I still couldn't pull away, and he had actually moved closer, leaning in. I couldn't say anything, my mouth was too dry; mute, I just stared at him and prayed he'd let me go soon, before -
"I'm not going to eat you. Cannibal demons are only from South America. A few migrated to Africa, but they don't belong there, and most of them have already moved back."
Did - did he actually say what I thought he said? CANNIBAL demons? How ridiculous is THAT? I scowled and tried again, unsuccessfully, to yank my hand back. "What? No!" I snapped with some asperity. "I didn't think you were going to eat me. Why would you say that?"
"Ah ... then perhaps you thought I was going to skin you alive and use you in some sort of voodoo ritual?" Treize leaned forward until he was inches away from my face, his gaze boring into mine. "Sally. Calm. Down."
"TREIZE!"
" - I. Will not. Hurt you."
Treize never looked away and I was caught again, breathing fast, gazing into his blue eyes, mesmerized by his intensity. Another part of my brain was screaming at me, albeit faintly - what kind of idiot are you? he's already hurt you, trampled all over you, and now you're allowing this to happen? The prey waiting for the predator to pounce, the deer in front of the headlights -
"Treize ... I -"
"TREIZE, STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE!"
The sound of his pounding feet and shouting broke the spell. In a rush, Wufei was upon us, intent on dislodging Treize, apparently believing that Treize was going to do to me the same thing that Treize did to him. And from the expression on Wufei's face, the boy didn't think that was healthy for anyone involved.
Treize, though, was in no mood to deal with Wufei's sensitivities. He didn't bother to look around and see where Wufei was - in fact, he didn't bother to act terribly human at all. As Wufei launched himself, Treize simply plucked him out of the air as if he was a child's ball, twisted him about and yanked him against his side in one smooth motion. Wufei's arms were pinioning to his side, held in place by Treize's greater strength.
"Hush, Wufei. Sally and I are having a -"
For one moment Treize looked very surprised, just as he brought Wufei against his side, as if something happened that he never expected. He was still inches away from my face, but the expression in his eyes was complete and utter shock.
" - conversation. So -"
" - the fu... Let me GO!"
"Nice save, Wufei," Treize said, his tone dry, never taking his gaze from mine. "Hush, now. Sally and I are talking." Some of his intensity and focus, though, had evaporated, replaced with an expression I hadn't seen before. It made me pull away from him slightly and breathe a little bit faster; it was happy and thrilled and much too hungry, too predatory, for my comfort.
"Treize!" Wufei exclaimed, angry, snarling, struggling to break free. "Let ... go!" Unable to twist out of Treize's grasp, the dragon bleated at him, a high-pitched, keening sound, something that did catch his attention.
Fondly, Treize smiled, reached out and stroked the back of the dragon, running his fingers idly across the spots where the creature would one day have large, plate shaped spines. The instant Treize touched the dragon, Wufei jumped, shuddered, then went completely limp, looking dazed.
"Perhaps ... after all ... we should continue this later. All right?" Treize's tone was gentle, caressing, something I never expected to hear when he spoke to me.
"Um ... sure. All right ... "
I realized why his tone had changed. It was patently obvious that Treize had lost all interest in me, as the force of his gaze was now on Wufei. He was doing something strange with his free hand, as well - he moved it about five centimeters above the contours of Wufei's body, as if he was feeling for something. Apparently he found what he was searching for, too, because his pleased, nearly orgasmic expression was definitely not subtle at all.
He stood, pulling a still dazed Wufei with him, then looked down at me.
"Questions?" he asked, raising one eyebrow, slowly petting the dragon. Wufei's knees gave way and he slumped against Treize, looking as if he had been shot with some type of tranq,
"Um ... noooo ..." I felt terribly uncomfortable watching him pet the dragon and seeing Wufei so limp and pliant, only upright because Treize was holding him. It reminded me of the last time I saw Treize touch the dragon and Wufei at the same time, immediately before we left the island:
Treize reached across him and started to pet the dragon before either one of us could react, before the dragon had the chance to hiss at him again, and he did it while he was looking right at me. Daring me to say something to him, to stop him.
"I thought free will was something you valued, Treize -"
"Oh, it is," he said, his voice soft and gentle, "but if if that privilege is abused ... whatever are you planning tonight, Sally Po? Nothing of which I would ... disapprove, I trust?"
"Of course not!"
Treize turned to look at Wufei. Wufei blinked, then dropped his gaze to the floor. I swallowed and glanced at Treize; he was studying Wufei's averted face, apparently coming to a decision.
"Sally," he murmured.
"Yes?"
"Perhaps," he started gently, "some things need to be stated clearly ... before any action is taken."
Faster than my eye could follow, Treize bent down, caught Wufei's chin with one hand and forced a kiss on him, petting the dragon with the other hand. Wufei's spine stiffened when Treize first touched him; but when Treize touched the dragon, Wufei relaxed into the kiss and responded.
Treize did - something - and quite suddenly the dragon flared, its crimson color filling the room, so bright I couldn't see. As the brightness died down, I saw Wufei, limp against the back of the chair, an expression of ecstasy on his face, obviously forgetting everything and everyone else in the room.
"The first thing, Sally, that you must understand ..." Treize spoke softly, nodding his head at Wufei and the dragon. " ... is that this - " and he stroked the dragon again, causing Wufei to shudder, "- is mine."
And the way he had said it, too, had been burned into my brain so that I'd never forget. 'Mine,' as in 'if you ever touch him, your life is over' type of 'mine,' not casual at all. He didn't appear casual at this point, either. In fact, that piercing, analytical stare was back, watching the smallest move I made.
"Then off you go, my dear." He said it lightly, but it was a pointed rebuke to me to get myself moving, the equivalent of 'go away, little girl, I have work to do.'
"Ah ... yes. Yes, of course, Treize." I stood up quickly and backed away, clutching his jacket around my shoulders. I didn't need to be told twice. My sixth sense had been shrieking at me to get the hell away from him, that it wasn't safe no matter what the man said. The gods above only knew what kept me from tripping over my own feet as I turned to hurry away.
Don't run away, moron. At least pretend to have a little dignity in front of him.
Unexpectedly, an enormous, dark presence, reminding me of shadowy, cavernous places filled with water burst into my awareness, flooded my senses and brought me to a halt, gasping.
STOP - THIS IS AN EMERGEN-
Golden bronze energy immediately responded, sweeping the gloom away in one breath that was mighty and strong and surprisingly gentle. I was still left reeling, but at least it hadn't knocked me off my feet.
Taru, PLEASE. I do not interrupt your privacy in YOUR home, do I? Then extend me the same courtesy and do not interrupt mine. Thank you.
The huge, dark presence was pushed out of my awareness in an instant, as if it had never been there.
I almost fell over from shock, realizing that what I had just felt - witnessed? - had been Trowa and Treize "talking," but on a level that was much more powerful than simple conversation. Essentially, Trowa had tried to communicate with me and Treize had intercepted that communiqué. Not only that, he had responded to Trowa, made sure that I heard the entire exchange, then pushed Trowa out and away. Whirling about, I stared after Treize and glimpsed his back as he half carried/half dragged Wufei into the main building.
But why? Why?
So that you know who's in charge, idiot. It's not Trowa, that's for sure.
But what was the emergency? It didn't make sense. Trowa hadn't spoken to me in weeks. What could be so terribly important that he felt the need to communicate now?
I had to think about this. I also had to put on something warmer, something other than Treize's jacket over silk pajamas. Dipping my arms into the sleeves and pulling the jacket closer to my body, I trudged up to the main building, turning things over in my mind.
Somewhere, in something he told me at some point, there had to be a clue to Trowa's behavior.
A pair of soft, brushed jersey pants with a long sleeved, baggy top, both in moss green, were lying on top of the bed Wufei and I shared when I arrived back at the room. Alone, I sighed, fingering the clothes, thinking about Trowa, what had happened to me and to Wufei up to this point and what, if anything, I should or could do.
It was usually true that getting something was better than getting nothing, and quite frankly up to this point I had received absolutely nothing. I had had no luck getting into this house undetected, plus I had had no luck in convincing Wufei to leave. Now, part of me felt completely foolish that I had even considered compromising my own safety and security to try and rescue him; a small part, true, but still, it was there. I started arguing with myself.
"He went back to Treize, after everything that happened. After all we discussed, after everything that Heero and Duo and Quatre and I did for him, after everything that everyone went through for his sake, he went back to Treize? I don't get it, I don't get it at all. He just - just went back to Treize and let him - let him - "
I couldn't finish, not even talking to myself - it was simply too painful to think about. We had all sacrificed for Wufei, each and every one of us. When Quatre learned I was going to search for Wufei, he stared at me for a long moment, then closed his eyes briefly and sighed.
"Good luck, Sally," he finally murmured, giving me a wan smile. It felt like he was saying farewell, as if he would never see me again. I sat on the bed and stared out the window, looking at the garden and all its riotous colors. Perhaps he saw the future when he said that; or, more likely, perhaps he knew more about Wufei and human nature than I did. Whether he understood the reason or not, Quatre intuitively knew he wouldn't see me again, not if I went chasing Wufei. Why? What was it that he saw when he thought about Wufei? Something that he knew from the time when he was Treize's prisoner? or something he knew about Wufei himself? What was it that Quatre told me - something like, if I went chasing Wufei, it would do no good, because -
" - because Wufei was chasing - argh, gods, why didn't Quatre tell me that if he saw it!"
Would it have mattered? Really? You were drawn to him as surely as metal is to magnets ...
I threw the bed pillows across the room in frustration, realizing too late that Quatre had seen something in Wufei that I had altogether missed. I felt like a fool. And I was the one who had come partway around the world to rescue him! Bet someone had a good laugh at my expense when they heard that one.
"Oh, right, there goes that Po woman. Don't go after her, Abernathy - she's doing us a favor. She's headed right toward the mark, believe it or not."
Vexation and anger flushed through me; damn, damn, damn! I stomped into the bathroom, ripped off my pajamas and hurled them against the wall, then viciously twisted the knobs for the shower and waited for the spary to assault my body, resentful, hurt and infuriated.
"Fat lot of good 'understanding' does me. Now I'm stuck, damnit, stuck here, of all places!
The ultimate insult. Captured by the enemy with no hope of escape, and not only did the the enemy not care if I was there, my intended rescue target didn't even want me there.
Go away, Sally. I don't want to be rescued. I want to stay here.
I can't go away, Wufei. That daemon lover of yours refuses to let me go. Talk to him if you don't want me here.
Depressed, discouraged, I leaned on the side of the shower and closed my eyes, letting the water beat on me, wondering what on earth could possibly constitute such an emergency to a power like Trowa that he would feel the need to tell such a fuckup like me.