Note: As I finished my morning read of this chapter I literally declared "Cool! Good enough!" Anyway, for the second update in a row I have no buffer. I got this. We got this. LET'S GO!

This chapter includes events that may be difficult for some readers. Take care.

Chapter 77: And Response

Pushing Duo and the distant gunfire from his mind, Wufei focused on his assailant. An outright gunfight wouldn't end well. They were in close quarters, and with both of them armed there was a high likelihood that neither would make it out alive, or without injury. He wasn't about to take a chance on his opponent's will to live, and as much as he trusted Duo's words about guns being present but not typically used on L2, it was obvious whomever orchestrated all of this didn't abide by those rules.

He had to assume this lackey was comfortable with the idea of death.

The kiosk was low enough to the floor that he couldn't crawl beneath it, but he could track movement via shadow. He needed to disarm this assailant as quickly as possible. Without too much thought he stashed his gun in the planter and grabbed his retractable staff. The gun would require a clear line of sight, but with his bo he could swing in a way bullets couldn't curve.

His weapon whipped out to its extended form. The distinct and rapid shifting and clicking of metal adjusting into place made the shadow stalking him pause. This was good. He was certain no one would recognize the sound enough to anticipate what was coming.

He attacked low. Using his legs to force his momentum forward from behind cover, he struck the man first in the shins and second up high in the face. He man was built like a fighter, with short locks of bright red, fashionably dyed hair. But something about him was off. He didn't carry his gun like someone familiar with the weapon. He carried it like a rookie. So when he was immediately struck in the face the gun in his hand went off, shooting just once in a random direction. That information, that slip, gave Wufei a plan.

Before Red could regain his footing, he put his plan into action.

With feet in a wide stance, he used his staff to strike in quick successions of left right left, all while using his arms and waist to power his fluid movements. Finally, feeling the blows he dealt to the man's midsection should have loosened Red's grip, Wufei struck his hand. The gun dropped to the floor with a clatter and he swiftly batted it away with his bo, but any relief or triumph he may have felt was short lived. Red pulled a large knife and easily blocked his subsequent attacks. He didn't appear to have formal training, but he carried himself with a frenzied aggression similar to Duo's.

For a brief moment Wufei wondered if that particular fighting style was a byproduct of the L2 streets, but he didn't dwell on it.

He continued to advance forward and attack. His target backed up towards a storefront while the sounds of gunfire still echoed from the cafeteria below. In the back of his mind he felt an urgency to get to Duo, but he knew he needed to deal with his own fight first. If he simply ran to aid his friend, there was no guarantee Red wouldn't have another weapon or cause more trouble after following him. At least the relentless gunfire was a good sign. They wouldn't keep shooting if Duo was dead. Still, he couldn't shake the idea that Duo needed him. On top of that, the sound of a large automatic weapon did nothing to ease his mind.

He needed to get to Duo.

But strike after strike the man held up his arms and blocked Wufei's blows. It was impressive. Red had to be in severe pain. He was not using the blade to take any part of the force of impact. At some point his arms, held up in a defensive position, would break or fracture under the force of the bo, right?

Wufei swung again as they entered the store, and his weapon caught on a display.

Their change of direction suddenly became clear. He realized that while his mind drifted to Duo's well-being, he forgot to consider his surroundings, like a goddamn rookie. Red was smart. He backed them into a store where the setup would make a longer-range martial weapon clumsy.

Switching tactics, he pulled his body inward and used his bo to forward thrust into Red's midsection as he triggered the weapon to collapse upon itself. Red didn't anticipate his swift approach, expecting the bo to keep them at a distance a little while more. With the staff retracted, Wufei clipped it back onto his belt in one fluid motion while he landed a roundhouse kick to his opponent's chest.

Red stumbled back but did not fall. Instead, he shook off whatever ailed him and immediately was in a loose boxing stance, hands up and feet moving. It was menacing, because under all of Wufei's attacks he'd never dropped the knife. Instead, he held it a steady reverse grip so he could punch with one hand and slash with the other.

Wufei was in his own stance, ready to engage. The man before him certainly held himself similarly to Duo, and that was something Wufei could work with. He learned quickly in his youth that fighting a boxer or a street fighter was very different from fighting within the construct of a martial arts academy.

It was a lesson he learned the hard way, back on L5, after he'd won many fights in an academic setting and thought himself proficient enough to win an actual fight. His cousin, the one that Duo reminded him of, got in trouble with some tough kids. Wufei couldn't stand by idly and watch his cousin get beaten when he hadn't done anything to deserve it. At least not when he was so sure he could make those kids think twice before coming for his family. After all, he was a skilled fighter in his own right, so he didn't think common thugs could best him.

He was dead wrong.

He came away from that encounter furious, wondering why all his years of training failed him. Eventually he realized it was simple: In an all-out fight, the rules of his martial arts school didn't apply. Punches were faster than kicks. And when you've actually had your ass handed to you, the way you deal with a fight changes into something much more primal rather than cerebral. Most everyday people who have been in an aggressive fight don't go looking for them again. But those same people, when thrust into another fight with no way out, often find their prior experience lends a more animalistic quality to their movements.

He considered himself incredibly lucky to learn that before Operation Meteor commenced. The lesson likely saved his life a few times during the wars, beating out some of his pride and forcing him to evolve.

By the time he faced Duo in their first brawl he was able to adapt his techniques enough to perform effectively and win. It amazed him how Duo, unfamiliar with formal martial arts training, assumed his years of perfecting his skills caused him to win so easily. To Duo it must have seemed like he arrived an expert in all things hand to hand combat solely based on his schooling. Later he pieced together that this was in fact true. Having little experience with schools of any kind, his friend was susceptible to making the broad assumption that a formal education was superior to his life experiences.

He never admitted to Duo how badly he'd have lost their fight if his only life experience was still with his Sifu and fellow students. And he never let on how there were a few moments he could have lost that encounter had Duo done something differently. He saw those openings, but his friend missed them.

Duo was casual when he didn't take an opponent seriously, and he didn't initially think they'd really go after one another given they were allies. That attitude gave Wufei an advantage as he studied and learned his particular street brawler style until Duo finally shifted attitude and became serious about their fight.

And when Duo finally became serious? The man was downright feral.

If Wufei stuck purely to his martial arts techniques and had not applied further experiences, Duo would've handed him his ass. He'd never tell him that. It was good to keep his friend on his toes, and he liked the respect losing instilled in Duo for his craft.

As it was, he felt prepared for whatever was coming, and didn't think twice when Red finally threw his first punch.

Their encounter started easily enough. All he did was stay light on his feet and dodge Red's punches and slashes. He shifted and ducked, dancing his way between displays and racks as he got a feel for his opponent. Red wasn't fast, but he wasn't overly slow either. He appeared to be an average but experienced fighter. Taller than Wufei, not quite as tall as Trowa. Muscular enough to be in shape, but not overly buff. Strong enough to be a decent brawler, and also smart enough to back them into a spot where Wufei's weapon would be rendered ineffective.

Not too hard to size up.

Once he felt he had a grasp of the man's capabilities, he threw his first punch to attack. It was his first mistake.

Wufei was fast. Faster in hand to hand combat than any of the other pilots, though he didn't have Heero's brute strength or Duo's frantic nature. Perhaps if he had Quatre's planning, or his ability to read others, he might have anticipated Red grabbing him by the arm, fingers clenched tightly in the fabric of his sleeve. Perhaps he would have seen the man pulling him forward to brutally headbutt him. Perhaps he would have realized that, like Duo, this man knew how to hide. And he'd quite effectively hidden his actual speed and agility.

While he was stunned from the blow, Red ducked low and punched him twice in his kidney, then slashed up high. Like an idiot he dropped his hands from their protective position and Red got in a hit across his chest. Thankfully, a lifetime of training gave him excellent balance. Even stunned, he twisted his body at the hips to move with the blade and minimize contact.

His skin stung where cut open, but it wasn't too deep. Enough to draw blood and create discomfort, but not enough to impede his movement.

He stepped back to center himself. The job he took with Preventers was only partially field work and it'd been a long time since he'd been in a real fight. Most of his work outside of the office was recon, arrests, extraction, or raids. He was out of practice so many years after the war.

"Why are you doing this?"

Red glared at his question, still light on his feet, moving continually.

"What is Duo to you?"

He ducked when another slash was his only answer. It was then he noticed some people hiding behind a display of toys towards the back of the store. There was no time to deal with them, and they wouldn't be in danger so long as Red didn't have a second gun. But when his eyes shifted, Red's followed. And Wufei used that as his opportunity to strike.

That was his second mistake.

He stepped forward, shifted weight onto his right foot, and reached for Red's arm. For a moment he rendered the knife briefly ineffective when he held it still and twisted it partially behind his assailant, landing two swift punches to the man's stomach. It didn't take more than a second for Red to reveal another secret. He might not be overly muscular, but he was strong.

With a swift reach, his free hand latched onto Wufei's shoulder. Skill born of experience reversed Wufei's hold on him into his own grapple. The he shifted his hips and torso to leverage their positions and toss the ex-Gundam pilot straight into a display rack.

It knocked the wind out of Wufei, and the pile of t-shirts still mostly attached to the metal rack underneath him limited traction and made it difficult to regain footing and stand. He slipped, and braced himself for the impact of another assault when he heard a clatter.

Someone threw something.

Red whipped his head around to the civilians. A woman was standing, terrified, holding one of the boxes displayed on a shelf behind her. In a shaky voice she ordered "Leave him alone!"

Ignoring her, Red turned his attention back to Wufei and was awarded with another box thrown. This time it hit him on the back of his neck. His eyes flashed in anger.

"I said leave him alone!"

The woman was more confident now. Wufei had to hand it to the citizens of L2, they were a tough bunch of people. Later, he'd recall Duo's words about the population. How they were poor, but not criminals. They struggled, but overall didn't tend towards violence against each other. For now he simply registered bravery when he saw it.

She was scared, but she acted in spite of her fears. That was bravery.

Wufei was given the opportunity to stand only because Red turned back around and rushed towards her. He felt a surge of panic he hadn't experienced in a long while. He couldn't let a civilian be harmed. He wouldn't let a civilian be harmed.

He didn't have a choice.

The sound of her scream was the first evidence Red got to her. Wufei picked up a metal bar that was formerly part of the display he'd been thrown into, and smashed it into the back of Red's head. Because of the color of his hair, blood was only visible on the improvised weapon, but he knew the hit was good. Over Red's shoulder he saw the woman crumble to the floor, shaking. Her arms were up high to cover her face and they'd been slashed several times.

Another patron felt a rush of courage and threw merchandise at Red, yelling something. That action was ignored, and didn't change Red's swing or trajectory as he lunged towards Wufei.

This time, it all happened so obviously.

Red took a step forward, shifted his weight, and extended his arm. His knife aimed for Wufei's neck. Instinctually, Wufei countered with his own shift. He stepped forward, directly into the man, and blocked the strike by grabbing his wrist. At the same time, he snaked his other arm under Red's. He swung up and used his forearm to pull Red's elbow until his whole limb straightened and over-extended in an unnatural way. He'd effectively locked his opponent in place.

Red attempted to claw his way free with his other hand, and between the frenzy and the pain he finally dropped the knife. The sound was loud, and signaled to Wufei that the shooting stopped in the food court below. His blood ran cold and his grip loosened.

Duo. He needed to get to Duo!

Taking advantage of the distraction, Red freed himself and attempted to grapple him from the front. When his wrist was seized, the Chinese man threw an arm around Red's shoulder, reversed that grip, pulled up, stepped in, and used his hips and back to throw Red forward. The man rolled over his back, flipping head first onto the floor. He landed on top of the same pile of clothes Wufei was sprawled over just moments before.

Wufei wasted no time in putting a choke hold on the man. To his credit, Red struggled hard. As he began to weaken, his air supply running short, he bucked more desperately. That was when Wufei heard Duo whistle again.

He whistled! He was safe after all that gunfire!

All at once Wufei's heart felt like it could explode with relief. He trusted Duo's competency in the field, but after years of not working together he just needed to see for himself how his friend handled things. HQ was an anomaly. This was a mission. He couldn't describe how good it felt to have his worry alleviated, because it was all he could do to hold in his joy.

Without hesitation he took a deep breath, puckered his lips, and whistled back five quick notes.

Halfway up the stairs he heard it, and his heart raced.

Wufei was alive.

He was alive!

And from the sound of it, he was fairly nearby.

Duo ran to where he heard the whistle, which was followed by the faint sound of a struggle. He discovered Wufei subduing a man with misplaced fire in his eyes. That fire died upon Duo's arrival, when he saw the large, semi-automatic monstrosity the former Deathscythe pilot picked up from the shooter downstairs. Seconds after Duo's arrival, the man with shocking red hair relaxed, and was soon unconscious.

Wufei tested to make sure he wasn't playing possum, then pulled something from his back pocket to reveal a bundle of zip ties. He ignored Duo's amused look as he restrained the man.

"When did you get those?"

Scoffing, he answered "After your little stunt at HQ I added them to my standard gear. They're useful if you make sure he can't leverage strength to break them. I saw how thoroughly you tied up the men you encountered, they'd never get the leverage to break free."

Duo looked down at the assailant, now docile. He was impressed the man lasted as long as he did. Going toe to toe with Wufei was no easy task.

"We gotta get outta here before the cops come. They'll hold us up and demand bribes we don't have time for."

Wufei nodded and stood, and Duo saw for the first time what he looked like.

"You're bleeding!"

"So are you. But we're both good, yes?"

"Yeah."

Wufei turned to the civilians who aided him and bowed.

"Thank you. I am in your debt."

"Honey," the woman began "it ain't nothing. We're tired of this shit. Just wanna have peace, yanno?"

The way she said yanno reminded him so much of Duo. He nodded to her and recommended having the slashes on her arms stitched by a professional. Then he turned back to Duo, whose eyes held a softness he'd not quite seen before. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to decipher it. He knew the clock was ticking.

"Let's go." Wufei paused before adding, "You keeping that thing?"

He gestured to the large gun held loosely in Duo's hands, slung across his shoulders with a strap. His friend hesitated just a moment before he emptied the weapon of its ammunition, scattered the bullets across the floor, and ditched it. There was no reason to keep it now, and the man Wufei subdued was no threat. The commotion here was over, and bringing the gun with them would only cause unwanted attention on the street. They made eye contact and then abandoned the man, running through the shopping center and straight for the stairs.

Duo didn't think twice when just before descending Wufei stopped and grabbed a gun from a planter. It was what it was. When he tried to exit in the direction where entered the building, he was stopped by a tug on his sleeve.

"I brought a bike. This way."

It was just as well, because they were starting to hear sirens in the distance. Unsure if it was a good or bad sign that Duo was silently following him, Wufei proceeded through the west entrance doors. As soon as they were outside he felt a tug on his own sleeve. When he turned, Duo simply embraced him so tightly it almost hurt. His hands came up automatically to encircle his friend, though he was much more gentle.

"I love you, damnit! I was so fucking worried when I heard those shots! I was so sure he planned to kill you, I just..." The restrained agony in Duo's voice hit him like a mobile doll, but it was quick, too. So fast, that before he could process the words, before he could even say that he loved him back, Duo moved and held him at an arm's length. His eyes darkened, and something intense and stormy flashed behind them. His whole demeanor shifted, and his voice dropped into a low growl. "The guys will need our help, let's get outta here."

They were running again, towards a spot where several bikes were parked. Wufei gestured to his and for a moment worried about the lack of any helmet that came with his rental. He didn't like the idea of Duo being without. When they were nearly in reach, he tossed the key fob to his friend.

"You're up front!"

The words got him a quick, confused look.

"You know where we're going. I trust you."

Without waiting, Duo mounted the bike and Wufei hopped on behind him. Experience told him Duo was about to ride like a bat out of hell, and he held on tight. He clenched his stomach in anticipation for the speed, the weaving, the unexpected twists.

He fully expected a ride worthy of being dubbed Shiraz Part Two.