Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dragons and Roses ❯ The Black Dragon ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A thin figure clad in a Chinese style navy blue outfit of tank top and
pants slid silently from shadow to shadow. A light flickered on
nearby, and the figure pressed itself further into the shadows. A
short ways off, a dog began to bark. The figure remained motionless.

"Shut up, baka!" a voice hollered. There was the sound of a door
opening, then the dog yelped in pain. It stopped barking. "There. Now
no more of that, or next time I'll make sure that you can't bark!" The
door slammed shut. All was silent once more.

The figure continued on, moving swiftly. It stopped when it reached a
large mansion; all but one window was devoid of light. The figure made
his way up to that one lit window, careful to avoid making any sound
as it climbed.

A few moment later, the figure had reached its destination. It stopped
on the window sill and peered into the room beyond the glass. There
was movement inside.

Pacing inside the room was a tall man with ginger-colored hair. He
looked very elegant in his military outfit, complete with knee high
black boots and white gloves. He didn't look very happy at the moment.
The figure outside waited for the man to face his back towards him,
then pressed his ear against the window.

"What's troubling you, sir?" a muffled voice asked. Another man walked
into sight in the room. He had long, pale blonde hair and stunning
blue eyes, and was also wearing a military uniform. The design of the
uniform made it clear that he was lower in rank than the pacing man,
but still high up.

"A prisoner escaped this morning, and has yet to be recovered." Came
the reply. The voice sounded frustrated.

"I see. I take it then that this is no ordinary prisoner. This one
causes you much worry. It was one of the Gundam pilots, perhaps?"

The pacing man nodded.

"Ah. The Chinese one, I presume? Chang WuFei, I believe his name is?"
The blonde young man inquired, raising one eyebrow.

Another nod. "You know me well, my friend. But tell me, Zechs. How did
you know which pilot it was?"

"You would not work yourself into such a state were it any of the
others. I have yet to decide exactly why, but that one... catches your
interest." A slight frown appeared on the blonde's face; he didn't
look as though he was pleased with his superior's interest.

"You are right. And fret not about your inability to discern my
interest in the boy; I myself do not know just why I find him so
fascinating." The ginger-haired man frowned as well; he did not look
pleased with the situation.

"Please, sir, sit down. You're not doing yourself any good pacing
about like that; all you're doing is using up your energy."

"I find no lack of energy in myself, Colonel Zechs. Quite the
contrary, in fact; I am simply keeping excess energy from building up
and making me snappish."

"General Treize, forgive my insubordinate behavior, but I feel I must
insist." His voice was so low that the figure at the window had to
strain just to be able to barely hear him at all. Zechs reached out
and grabbed Treize by the arm, halting his movement.

"Zechs, I..." the general stammered, apparently taken off guard.

"Please, sir. You need to rest; you'll need your energy tomorrow if
you plan on surviving the day." He gently pushed his friend over to a
couch, sitting down and pulling Treize down next to him.

"All right, Zechs. I shall concede to your victory... This time. Next
time, I shall win the battle."

Zechs smiled, his blue eyes sparkling and shining brightly. "Thank
you, sir. Now, let us move on to more pleasant subjects. I believe
that a ball is scheduled to be held later this week, and I was curious
as to whether or not..."

The silent figure backed away from the window and quickly climbed back
down, jumping the last few feet to the ground. The moment it hit the
earth, it melted into the shadows, fleeing from the mansion and
gracefully ascending the wall surrounding the property. As it stood on
top of the wall, it looked back one last time, then jumped down. A few
moments later, the loud roar of an engine was heard.

***

"Hey, Wuffie! Ya look half dead, man!" Duo chirped cheerfully as his
friend descended the steps from the sleeping quarters into the main
living area. The American pilot was seated in front of the television,
its glow flickering on his face as he lifted a spoon of soggy cereal
to his mouth. "Where were ya?"

WuFei made no response other than to glare. He walked past the braided
boy and into the kitchen, the smells of tea and rice beckoning.
Apparently Heero had made breakfast this morning.

As the Chinese pilot entered the kitchen, he quickly discovered that
he was correct in his assumption. Heero was seated at the kitchen
table, a steaming bowl of rice in front of him, a pair of chopsticks
in one hand, a small cup of hot tea in the other.

The two boys grunted their greetings as WuFei immediately headed to
the rice cooker. He spooned out a generous helping for himself, then
poured a cup of tea and went to join Heero at the table.

"You didn't get back until early this morning, and the skin at your
wrists is chafed. I assume that you're all right now, however?" Heero
inquired stonily.

"I was taken captive by OZ forces; I was careless, and missed a second
ambush after escaping the first one. It took longer than I expected
for the guards to let their guard down long enough for me to escape
with a minimum amount of notice. I made sure that I wasn't followed."
WuFei replied. Heero nodded, and all was silent as the two ate their
breakfast. The silence was short-lived, however.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha doin'?" Duo asked as he bound into the room. WuFei
sighed, and Heero looked almost as if he wanted to do the same.

"Eating breakfast. What does it look like?" the black haired pilot
snapped. Duo made a face but seemed otherwise unfazed.

"Hey, Wuffie, with you, there's no tellin'!" he replied with a shrug.
He pulled a chair from the table and turned it around, straddling it
as he faced his two companions.

Heero finished the last of his rice and stood, pushing away from the
table. He placed his bowl in the dishwasher, refilled his tea cup, and
headed towards the kitchen's exit, cup in hand.

"Where ya goin', Hee-chan?" the American asked, his head turning to
keep the Japanese pilot in his line of sight. He received no reply as
his friend continued on, not even turning around. Duo shrugged and
stood.

"See ya, Wuffie. M' gonna go follow Hee-chan to make sure he isn't
going to lock himself up all day with that baka laptop of his again."
He called over his shoulder, hurrying after the retreating figure of
the Japanese pilot. "Oi, Heero! Wait up, man!"

WuFei smiled and shook his head as his friend ran out of the room,
trying to get Heero's attention. It was actually quite comical, their
whole situation, although he still felt sorry for them, especially
Duo. All that dancing around each other, and Duo the one doing all the
fancy footwork to avoid ruining their friendship...

WuFei quickly finished his meal, then headed out to the hangar where
Nataku was resting. His spirits immediately lifted as he spotted his
beloved Gundam.

"Ah, Nataku... We must talk." He murmured, climbing into the cockpit
and closing the door once he was inside. If any of the other Gundam
pilots, except perhaps Quatre, would have heard him, they would have
thought him crazy. Although Duo might have understood; WuFei had heard
him talk to Shinigami on several occasions...

For a few minutes, WuFei simply sat, letting his mind clear itself as
he focused. He had come here to think out a problem he was having, and
he had plenty of time to make sure that he did so properly.

His entire problem could be summed up in one name: General Treize
Kushrenada. Lord Treize, leader of the OZ empire. His ultimate rival,
the man he wanted to challenge again so that he could repair his
damaged honor and pride. The creature he most desired.

WuFei growled, frustration beginning to rear its ugly head. The
Chinese pilot quickly suppressed the emotion, struggling to calm
himself. He was here to think about things, not to avoid thinking
about things. He cautiously released the smothered feeling.

It was beyond frustrating, what he was feeling. At least Duo was in
lo... had feelings for Heero. He was on their side. He was okay.
WuFei, on the other hand, was in love with Treize. The enemy. And not
just any enemy; he was the leader of all their enemies. Not exactly
the best type of guy to fall in love with when you and all your
friends were actively fighting against your enemies.

"Be reasonable, WuFei. Even if he weren't the enemy, there would still
be problems. First of all, he's in the public eye; you'd only bring
dishonor on him. Secondly, he's male. Not that there's anything wrong
with homosexuals... But think of the ancestors! They'd be eternally
disgraced!" the Chinese boy scolded himself.

A little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. "Really? Heero and
Duo aren't disgraceful, Trowa and Quatre aren't disgraceful! If they
were, we wouldn't continue to be friends with them!" the voice
protested. WuFei paused in his internal ranting to listen to the
comment. It was the truth.

"Still, I mustn't. It would make things extremely difficult for both
of us. People would be using us against each other, or they'd try to."

"Rise to the challenge, then!"

"There's no guarantee that he'll feel the same. He has Lady Une. And
even if he does like other men, I'm sure that Zechs would be more than
happy to fill that roll, if he's not doing so already."

"Go find out. It can't hurt to tell him how you feel."

"He could take me prisoner or kill me if I got anywhere close to him."

"Write a note."

"He'd know my real name, and give it to all his soldiers."

"Many could do that. If you're that worried about the possibility,
however, just use an alias. A code name."

"Like what?"

"Hmmm.... How about this..."

***

"General Treize Kushrenada,

Long have I admired you from afar, my eyes, my soul, my hands all
wishing for that which they can not have. Although I know that this
inaccessibility will remain even after you have read this, I feel that
I must put my feelings into words, regardless of how they will affect
you. If I could only fight against you one last time, I would be a
happy man, even if it brought on my death at the hands of your men.
With this said, I wish to challenge you to a duel. If you care to
accept, meet me at the Hy-Rule Training Grounds in China on the second
Wednesday of this month. I pray that you will accept my challenge, as
I long to catch another glimpse of your magnificence.

Your Respectful Admirer,

The Black Dragon

***

WuFei surveyed the letter critically, making sure that it was as he
wanted. Detecting no flaws, he placed the paper inside an envelope,
sealing it with a drop of black wax. The wax had come from a black
rose-scented candle; WuFei thought of Treize's fondness for roses and
smiled at the irony.

The letter was written. All he had to do was deliver it and his fate
was sealed, one way or another. The truly difficult part would be
getting it to Treize without getting discovered or captured; no easy
feat, considering the fact that security would likely be increased
after the escape of himself, an `armed and highly dangerous' prisoner.

"Hmm... I suppose that I need I good challenge; all my missions have
been considerably less then challenging..." he mused to himself, a
smile appearing on his face. He gazed out the window and raised one
eyebrow in thought; it was only a few hours until nightfall... "I'll
go as soon as it gets dark, but I should start getting ready now."

WuFei walked over to his dresser and rummaged through its contents,
searching for dark colored clothing. Pulling off his clothes, he
strapped a knife to each leg, then changed into a black long sleeved
Chinese shirt and pants like he had been wearing earlier, only black.
He slipped the envelope containing the letter into his clothes, then
began to wait.

***

"Where are you going, Wuffie?" Duo called after his friend, who was
just climbing out his bedroom window.

"Maxwell! What are you doing in my room?!?!?" WuFei shouted, enraged.
His face was quickly turning a shade of red that did not look like it
was good for him.

Duo shrugged. "Just wanted to see if ya wanted to come watch a movie
downstairs with Heero and me." He replied, grinning. "Why? Am I
interrupting something?"

"I was just going out." WuFei snarled, edging closer to the window.
All he needed was one good chance and he could jump out; after all, it
wasn't all that far from the third floor to the ground... It would be
just the same as he had planned on doing... Only less controlled.
Another challenge, that's all.

"Oh... Out to town, huh? Meeting someone, Wuffie? Some pretty girl? Or
maybe a gorgeous guy? Heh... I don't even know your preference, did ya
know that?" A cheeky grin appeared on the American's face as he shook
his head in mock disbelief.

"What right do you have to ask me such things? I have no intention of
telling you any of that, it's none of your business!" WuFei stuttered,
growing even more enraged.

A strange look appeared on Duo's face. "I'm your friend, that's what
right!" Then his grin reappeared, bigger than before. "It's a guy,
isn't it! I can tell by your reaction!"

"You have no proof of that!"

"I bet it's someone I know, isn't it? Now, who could it be? Hey, get
away from the window, I'm not letting you leave until I figure this
out!" He pulled the Chinese pilot away from the window, blocking it
with his own body.

"What are you doing?!? Let me out of here!" WuFei almost-shouted,
trying to shove past his friend.

"Hmm... Let me see. Could it be... That store clerk at the Oriental
food store down the street? He seems to like you; he stares at you all
the time, and that look in his eyes...! Nah, he's too boring, even for
you. Don't get mad, I'm just telling the truth! Okay, this is my last
try. If I'm wrong, I'll let you go. Okay, think about the area, what's
nearby? Not much other than that big mansion... That's it! It's
whoever owns it! And there's always a bunch of military people going
in and out of it, so... It's Kushrenada, isn't it? Treize Kushrenada!"

WuFei froze, and Duo knew instantly that his last guess was correct.
His friend denied it, however. Of course.

"Why would I be consorting with the enemy?" WuFei stuttered, a blush
appearing on his face. He scolded himself silently; he had better
control than this!

"Hah! I'm right!" Duo crowed victoriously. WuFei blushed again. "Hey,
man... That's not exactly the right outfit for a date, ya know?"

"I'm not going on a date with him. I'm just delivering a challenge to
him. I'll be back within an hour." He was admitting that Duo was
indeed correct. He walked over to the window again, and this time his
friend moved out of his way.

"Ah. Okay then. Well, go deliver your `challenge.' You want us to wait
for you to come back before we start the movie?"

"Wouldn't that be a bother?"

Duo shook his head. "Not at all. So, you want us to?"

"What will you do while you wait?"

An evil grin appeared on the American's face. "Oh, I'm sure that I can
come up with something to entertain Heero for an hour... I'm creative
remember?"

WuFei chuckled. "I'm sure that you can. All right, wait for me." He
turned and began to lower himself out the window, then stopped,
hanging from the edge. "By the way," he called, "What are we
watching?"

"I dun' remember what it's called... But it's something to do with a
prince and some roses." The braided boy replied. He heard WuFei
chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing... I'll tell you later. I have to go." He dropped down,
grabbing a tree limb halfway and climbing said tree the rest of the
way down.

***

WuFei reached Treize's mansion within ten minutes; he had `borrowed'
Heero's motorcycle, making the trip a good deal faster. The
infiltration of the grounds was harder than it had been the last time
he'd come here, but it was still easier than he had expected.

He headed immediately to the room where he had seen Treize last time;
he was there again, and this time the window was open a crack. He
climbed up to the window, peering through. It was easy for him to hear
the conversation going on inside.

"Really, Lord Treize, is something wrong?" a female voice asked. WuFei
shifted a bit and saw that Lady Une was in the room with Treize.

"Nothing, my dear lady... I suppose that my mind is simply
preoccupied." A charming smile spread onto his face, but WuFei thought
that it was a forced smile.

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, Lord Treize. Is there something I can
do to help?"

"No, no, it's nothing that won't soon solve itself." Treize turned to
the window, sighing. WuFei quickly dodged back out of sight, almost
falling off the ledge.

"Ah, my dear Zechs, come back to me soon..." WuFei heard the OZ
general whisper under his breath. He doubted that Lady Une heard him,
and it was a good thing too.

A surge of jealousy flared up in WuFei's chest; how he wished that his
name was in the place of Zechs in that statement!

Treize turned away from the window and walked back over to Lady Une.
"My dearest Une, I have no intention of being rude, but I am extremely
fatigued and would like to retire for the night."

"Of course, Lord Treize. I'll be seeing you in the morning then, at
our briefing?"

"Indeed, my dear lady. Indeed."

"Goodnight, Lord Treize."

"Goodnight, Lady Une."

Lady Une walked out the bedroom door, looking behind once before she
closed it. The moment the door was shut, Treize walked over to the
couch and collapsed on it. WuFei leaned forward as the other man's
eyes closed; he wanted to be able to hear this.

"Oh, my dear, dear friend Zechs, you must come back soon. You must
help me find that Chinese pilot, that lovely boy." The ginger-haired
man stretched out and placed his hands behind his head, a soft sigh
escaping his lips.

WuFei stared, halfway disbelieving. "Why does he want to find me so
badly? It doesn't sound like he wants to kill me, so..." he thought to
himself, blinking. He wasn't sure, but truth be told, this wasn't
exactly the best place to figure it out. He quickly slipped the
envelope through the window, then rapidly climbed back down to the
ground.

"What's this?" Treize asked as his eyes opened a few minutes later. He
walked over to where the envelope was laying and opened it, reading
the letter inside. By the time he processed what it said, WuFei was
already back to the safe-house, sitting on a couch, watching a movie
about `a prince and some roses.'

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters and such are NOT mine. They
belong to Sunrise, and whoever else owns them. I'm just borrowing them
for a while; WuFei torture seems to be a hobby of mine. C&C is always
welcome.