It was afternoon before I saw Zechs again. After breakfast I had gone to give Trowa his writing lesson for the day, and then went to practice my own skills when Duo had called him away. Despite all the interruptions, I actually felt that I was making good progress in comparing for the competition. Something about being such an atmosphere as this had sparked my creativity, and I was doing better at dance and chess than I ever had, coming up with better routines in dance and more intricate moves in chess. The others were less affected by my sudden increase in creativity, but still benefited from my abundance of enthusiasm. I was almost startled to find that I was having fun with things that had been like military drills to me in the past. Perhaps it was the lack of pressure from Zechs, or perhaps it was the atmosphere he had created in the house, but I felt more alive than I had in years.

Or, on the other hand, perhaps it was just all the pent-up sexual energy that I had been unable to release lately. It would soon be two months since Zechs brought me here from Collar and, except for one incidence of rampant passion, I had been celibate the entire time. I was beginning to feel like some kind of monk!

Perhaps I could jump him before dinner, I mused when I received a summons from Quatre to meet Zechs downstairs. The thought made me blush at my own uncharacteristic lust, but all the same I couldn't deny that the idea had some merit. By the time he retired at night Zechs was usually too tired and mentally drained to have sex, and he always rose too late in the morning for me to stick around. I could try waking him up to sex, I supposed, but even I wasn't so desperate as to be able to do something so kinky without being asked or at least given permission. I had contemplated trying to seduce him at breakfast, but seeing Duo mope around downstairs had reminded me that Zechs still had responsibilities with the other slaves, and having him sleep all day again would not be conducive to getting everything back in order. So, despite my uncommonly insistent libido, I hadn't tried anything at breakfast.

He was supposed to finish Duo's punishment earlier, I thought to myself as I neared Zechs' office, which means that his afternoon should be free. I couldn't help a small smirk at that thought. What a lecher I was becoming!

Unfortunately, upon reaching Zechs' office, all my plans of afternoon diversion were thwarted by Sally's presence. She was perched on the edge of the room's only bed, and Zechs was conspicuously absent.

"Hello Wufei," she greeted pleasantly, "Zechs is just checking on Trowa, he'll be here in a moment. You're looking much better than the last time I saw you. Much more… zen."

"You must excuse my behavior last time we met. I was, after all, having a horse."

"Cow."

"Excuse me?"

"You were having a cow. That's the saying."

"Ah, I see. Well, regardless, the labor is over so I have returned to my natural disposition."

"At least now you have a better understanding of what women go through. I warrant you'll treat them with more respect now."

"Actually, I haven't made up my mind yet. You're all either very brave or very stupid for willingly undergoing something like birth."

Sally laughed, putting her head back and chucking deep in her throat. There was nothing particularly feminine about it, but it was genuine and I felt my esteem of the doctor's personality increase. I wondered if we would get along were she to come around more often. After all, we already had common ground, with both of us constantly trying to restrain Zechs from stupid and irrational behavior.

Speaking of which, our playful banter was interrupted as said idiot entered the room, glancing at the two of us questioningly.

"What's so funny?" he wondered, and the open curiosity on his face relieved the lines of worry that had been chiseled into his face lately. I wondered if I would be able to convince Zechs to invite Sally over more often.

"Just comparing genders," Sally quipped, her laughter fading into an amused smile. "Now, does Wufei know what's going on or will you need to explain it to him as well?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could give us a few minutes to discuss this?"

"Of course," Sally sighed, hopping off the bed and stalking out the door, "Just send the doctor away. Not like she knows anything about it. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, raiding your refrigerator of anything that looks fattening."

"Would you tell Duo to stay out of the ice-cream while you're at it? I heard him bumping around the kitchen when I went to check on Trowa, but I didn't feel like yelling at him. You can tell him there are grapes in the fridge if he's hungry, but I don't want him making himself sick on ice-cream again."

"I'm on it," Sally quipped as she headed down the hall.

And then we were alone.

Well, as alone as we could be in a house of six, with four rambunctious teenage boys bumping around, fighting for attention, hormones raging, and trying to find joy in a world that had obviously decided to exclude them from all the happiness that it could. And Zechs, who was trying to ride out the storm as best he could while taming the wild creatures he found in the midst of it. And there was me, of course, the boat trying to hold Zechs afloat, or something like that.

And then Zechs came to stand in front of me, his tall form towering over me. I had forgotten how tall the man truly was, for it was rare that he would just stand over someone. As a master, Zechs could have been truly intimidating with such an imposing form. As it was he seemed like some kind of a lion; terrifying to enemies, but concerned mainly with protecting his pride.

True to form, Zechs only stood over me for a minute, staring down at me with those intense, blue eyes, before sitting down on the bed with a sigh and pulling me in front of him, so that we were face to face.

"It's been a long day, so I'm going to try to keep this short. You are not yet my slave," he told me, and my heart suddenly quickened with the accustomed reaction of fear. Even though Zechs did not seem angry nor had he made any violent moves, I was so unaccustomed to hearing him remind any of us of the Master/slave relationship that I immediately felt anxious. "You cannot truly be my slave until we return to Collar and finalize the transaction with the Owner," he assured me, assailing my anxiety. "However, I still think of you as one of mine, and you will become mine at the coming Collar," he said, but he didn't sound possessive, like other masters. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought I was joining a team or a squadron. "So now I am asking you, because I cannot tell you, to accept the tracer that I am putting in the other boys. Duo's misadventure has made me realize just how easily one of you could be lost or kidnapped. I want all of you to be safe, so I'm asking you; let me put a tracer on you, for your own protection."

It wasn't such a bad request. Actually, after Duo's attempt to escape, things could have gone much worse. Many masters, upset by the prospect of losing a slave, would choose to have the entire lot of their slaves branded or tattooed. And, while tagging was generally looked down on as weak in Collar, it wasn't something taboo enough to affect Zechs' reputation significantly. And the idea was probably pretty sound, based on the location of Zechs' house and the lack of staff to oversee the slaves, not to mention the freedoms we were allowed. Most masters had a full-time staff of bodyguards and babysitters to watch over the slaves when they weren't on display. And, of course, while our respect was higher for Zechs than for most masters, none of us had a true physical fear of him, as far as I could tell. All around, I couldn't say I disagreed with the idea.

However, the tags also showed a lack of trust in our abilities as slaves. It proved that Zechs did not feel that we could take care of ourselves, while Duo was the only one who had shown that to be true. Allowing the tags to be placed would be admitting to a level of weakness that I, personally, did not feel was true. And so, there only seemed to be one option, and Zechs wasn't going to like it.

"I will allow the tag," I told him, and Zechs sighed with relief, "if you are tagged as well."

"…What?"

"I will allow myself to be tagged," I told him firmly, glaring into his stunned and appalled eyes, "only if you accept the chip as well."

"Wufei… that's ridiculous… I can't just…"

"Actually," came a feminine voice from the doorway, causing us both to jump, "I think it's a great idea," Sally said, leaning causally against the doorframe, a cup of yogurt in her hand.

"How long have you been there?" Zechs snapped, his face flushed and flustered.

"Somewhere around, 'This is for your own protection.' But, regardless, Wufei is right. This would be a damn good way to save you from your own stupidity, as we often do. And you're just as likely to get kidnapped or hurt as any of your slaves. Twice as likely to get hurt, actually, if you keep up these foolhardy stunts," Sally told him, and I was a little relieved to see her taking up my cause. I had been somewhat worried about facing down Zechs over this matter. Although he could not make decisions regarding permanent alterations to my person yet because he was not technically my master, the Owner had given him full permission to punish me, so he was well within his rights to harm me, whether or not I had done something wrong. Not that I believed he would, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to the chip, which he could use against me once he was my master. I trusted Zechs, but the old fears of slavery were hard to overcome, especially in the face of a new fear, like choice.

"Sally, this is ridiculous. I don't need to be tagged…"

"Oh no? You damn well needed it the other day, when you went off half-cocked to find Duo in the middle of a hurricane without even turning on your radio," she growled, standing up and moving into the room to face Zechs, both of them looking more pissed off as the argument continued.

"That was different. You know I'd do anything to protect my slaves…"

"But you won't do something as little as get a tracer to protect yourself? You know what happens to them if you die, Zechs?"

"I am well aware of the risks, but I assure you I am perfectly able to take care of myself…"

"And they're not? You seem to have a rather big difference in standards between you and your slaves. Maybe you think they really are less intelligent or less skilled than the rest of us," Sally hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. But Zechs was pretty pissed too.

"That's completely unfair and you know it," he growled. "I want to be more careful with the boys because they're young and naïve and they make stupid mistakes."

"Everyone makes stupid mistakes Zechs, even you. Or are you still trying to deny that your little fiasco with Duo was one of the most brainless things you've ever done? Because I hate to tell you this, superman, but you are damn well as human as the rest of us, and just as easy to kill. Now, are you going take this chip like scholar-boy here has wisely suggested, or am I going to shove it up your ass?" she threatened, glaring up into Zechs face. Zechs' eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You had this planned all along," he accused.

"Actually, when I came this morning I was pretty sure there was no way I'd be able to convince your stubborn ass to be smart for once, but with Wufei here on my side I think we just might be able to bully you into this," she said, smiling and backing up to stand next to me, but losing none of the heat of her conviction. I straightened and leveled a glare at Zechs, who was seething stubbornly.

"I will keep my word," I assured him just as stubbornly. Sally beamed.

"There, you see? You said yourself that you can't force him, so if you want him safe, you have to stay safe yourself."

Zechs looked like he wanted to blow his top, and was only holding his temper together by force of will. He glanced at me, his eyes searing holes in my soul but doing nothing to my will. I am ashamed to say, however, that I don't think I could have held my resolve so staunchly had Sally not been there beside me, a silent assurance that I was doing the right thing. Zechs was such a kind person and a good master, that it felt wrong, traitorous even to go against his will, even knowing that I was right in the matter.

Zechs shifted his eyes from me to Sally, taking a step closer and dropping his voice to a low rumble that I doubt I was supposed to hear. "If things go badly, I don't want anyone getting killed for me," he told her, his steely eyes glaring down at her, but Sally was not fazed.

"And if things go well, I don't want you getting killed for stupidity."