Tie Four

He fiddled nervously with the Vid-phone control and almost jumped startled when the connection was made. A sleep rumpled Duo Maxwell regarded him with bleary violet eyes. He blinked then his mouth opened in surprise when he recognized exactly who was calling at, WuFei glanced at the clock at the corner of the screen and winced, 3AM on a saturday. The Chinese man's mind spun all sorts of excuses and apologies but dismissed them just as quickly. This situation was bizarre enough without adding to it by…being nice. He frowned. Realizing he typically wasn't when it came to Maxwell. He may as well hang up now and hope the braided agent thought he dreamed the entire episode.

The silence stretched on as those violet orbs watched conflict flick across his face. "Somethin the matter Fei? Duo asked finally. No smart-aleck remarks; Just those four simple words.

"I have a mission, I require your particular experience." WuFei heard himself say.

"No problem I'll be there in 20." Duo nodded running fingers through the wisps that escaped the confines of his braid.

"N-no, I…its something of a…," WuFei back-peddled awkwardly, surprised that his fellow pilot had agreed without further details.

"Top-secret I understand." Duo said placing a finger beside his nose, "Be there in a few ticks." The screen went blank.

"What have I done?!" WuFei gasped placing his face in his hands.

Ten minutes later there was a gentle rapping against his apartment door followed by the 'snick' of skilled picks working the lock. In walked Agent Shadow, dressed head-to-toe in trademark black, cap pulled low over his face, kit bag slung casually over one shoulder.

WuFei still sat on the stool elbows on the kitchen countertop facing the lifeless vid-phone. "I'm sorry Maxwell." He breathed.

"Why sorry Fei?" Duo asked coming up behind him.

"I got you here under false pretences." He admitted.

"Not a mission then? The braided agent raised an eyebrow.

WuFei shook his head no, "I…" he began then braced himself, like a child forced to take some foul tasting medicine. "Iwantyoutodyemyhair." He blurted out in one heedless rush.

"What?" Eyes widened unbelieving, "I'm not sure I understood. Would you mind repenting that?"

"I want you to dye my hair." He ground out through grit teeth.

"Why would I know anything about that?" Duo looked baffled stroking the chestnut braid as if he was attempting to comfort the thing from the mere idea that the stunning chestnut shot thru with copper and gold might not be 100% natural.

Now that the initial topic was broached, and Duo hadn't laughed in his face WuFei relaxed considerably "Pulleeze" he actually managed a passable impression of the braided one rolling his eyes as he said the word. "Your hair is very important to you…other-people's hair…not so much."

"I am un-familiar with that of which you speak." Duo prevaricated delicately.

"Don't try it Duo. You don't lie and I did attend the party at preventer HQ when Zechs returned from the Mars project. Don't you think his hair held just as many memories as yours does?"

"There are any number of reasons why Marquis might have arrived at that party with green hair." Duo observed obliquely.

"I can read Maxwell. The sign was rather obvious. 'Welcome back to our Martian Prince' I saw you hang it from the balcony fifteen minutes before he arrived.

Duo knew it was useless to deny it any longer. He grinned unashamedly. "Zexie might be on our side now but he was our biggest rival for a long time. Interplanetary jetlag is a wondrously entertaining thing. How could I not take advantage of that! Besides I left a big clearly label bottle of neutralizer in his shaving-kit. Mr. Jolly Green could go back to being the Platinum Princeling a trice if he had wanted too. In fact I don't know why he didn't. It isn't difficult I even left him directions."

"So you say. Which begs the question, Will you help me?" WuFei asked.

"Sure thing man, what do you have in mind?" Duo asked

WuFei tugged off the tie letting his jet back hair hang loose to his shoulders. "Can you just do the tips I want it accented a bit like Noin's except red." He pointed to the ominous bottle on the table "Those instructions are in six different languages, four of which I believed myself fluent, but I still can't makes heads-nor-tales of it. I don't want to end up bald."

"Not a problem, just place yourself in my hands." Duo's Cheshire grin gave WuFei serious second thoughts.

"You realize if this goes wrong I'm going to tell everyone it was just another of your pranks."

"Of course Agent Dragon, Mission accepted. I will officially disavow all knowledge of your complicity in this matter."

"Thank you Duo." He whispered casting dark-eyes to the tile floor.

"Not a problem buddy. Besides, I understand. I've a lot-o-memories tied up in this braid of mine. But change is good it helps remind us what we're living for. If I don't shake mine loose from-time-to-time it will loose the shine."

"Your ghosts are all right with that kind of thinking? You haven't forgotten them?" WuFei whispered his voice suddenly horse.

"My ghosts want me happy -- they remind me each and every day." Duo nodded solemnly, then gave his friend a wry grin, "and twice on Sundays."