A very special Thank You to Anne Olsen for Beta-reading. :-)

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Mages of Asmadur

Part 1

The large dining hall was filled with a jumble of voices and the clinking of silverware and dishes. Wufei let his gaze wander until he found the table where his friends were sitting. Duo waved at him and pointed at the empty chair between Heero and Trowa. The Chinese boy nodded. He picked up a tray and walked over to the buffet. The food was plentiful and scrumptious as usual. Wufei filled his plate with steamed rice, fish and vegetables, and walked over to his friends.

Duo had already three empty chocolate pudding dishes in front of him and was now curiously eyeing Dorothy's bowl.
"Don't even think about it, Duo Maxwell!" the blonde girl gave him a sharp look.
"Fine," the braided boy shrugged. "I'm too full to eat another bite anyway."
"Now there is a first," Heero remarked dryly, and Relena chuckled.

There was a moment of silence before Duo started to recall an event that had happened during potions class the other day. Somebody - Wufei was almost sure he knew who that somebody was- had switched one of the ingredients for a potion Mage J was brewing and the result had been rather "hair-raising". Wufei couldn't help but grin as he remembered the look on their teacher's face, which had been almost more comical than his crazy hairdo. Trowa, Dorothy and Relena who didn't have potions together with the rest of them, and hadn't heard about the incident, laughed out loud.
"Oh I would have loved to have seen that." Dorothy grinned. "Why do things like that never happen in our classes?"
As Wufei pushed his empty plate away and looked up he noticed Lady Une who had just entered the dining hall. The mage, who was not just their charms instructor, but also the headmaster's aide, was walking straight toward their table.
"Mister Chang, the headmaster would like to see you," she informed him curtly.
"Right now?" Wufei asked.
"Yes," Une replied. "He is waiting for you in his office."
The Chinese boy nodded in acknowledgement as he rose from his chair. He shrugged at his friends' questioning looks. He was just as clueless as they were as to what this was about.

*****

A few moments later Wufei knocked at the door to the headmaster's office.
"Please, come in!"
As he entered the room the boy noticed that the arch mage wasn't alone. In a chair across from his desk sat a tall man with ginger-colored hair. Wufei didn't recognize him.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" he asked.
"Yes, Wufei," Dermail confirmed. "I would like for you to meet Master mage Treize Khushrenada. Treize, this is Chang Wufei, the boy I told you about."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Sir," the Chinese boy said politely, and the mage returned his greeting with a curt nod.
Treize then turned toward the headmaster. "I assume that the battle room is not being used at the moment. I would like to observe the boy in a duel, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all. Go right ahead." Dermail nodded.

Suddenly Wufei felt a strange, yet familiar tingling sensation spreading through his body, telling him that the master mage had put a teleportation spell on him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Moments later the boy and Treize materialized on one of the dueling platforms in the battle room.

Wufei swallowed, waiting for the slight feeling of nausea to subside. Having your body's particles scrambled and then put back together was something that took some getting used to.
"Are you alright?" the master mage asked.
The boy nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just not used to phasing without a platform."

"Excellent. Let's get started then, shall we? Defend yourself!"
"What?" Wufei's eyes widened. When Treize had said he wanted to watch Wufei in a duel, the boy didn't expect that it was going to be a duel against the master mage. Until now Wufei had only fought against other students. He had no idea how powerful Treize was and where his strengths lay. But he didn't have much time to worry, because Treize's first attack came swiftly.
Wufei could see a wave of energy racing toward him, but he didn't have time to block it. He was barely able to dodge and avoid part of the hit. Still, the impact knocked the breath out of him for a few seconds. A full blow would have probably thrown him off his feet or even off the platform.
Wufei glared angrily at the man across the arena. "That was not fair," he accused. "You did not even wait until I was ready."

"I did tell you to defend yourself, did I not?" the master mage replied calmly. "How many warnings do you think you will get in a real duel? If you are looking for honor and fairness in battle you will die searching. If you want to survive you need to think on your feet. You have to be ready to defend yourself at any time. Does that make sense to you?"

"Yes, Sir," Wufei pressed through his teeth.
"Excellent! Are we ready to continue then?"

This time the boy was prepared. The moment he saw a small flame form in the palm of Treize's hand he reacted. He blocked the fire attack with a shield of defense. The invisible screen stopped the flames from reaching him, but Wufei could still feel the heat. Treize followed up with another wave of energy, but this time the boy managed to deflect it. Small beads of sweat formed on Wufei's forehead as he blocked one attack after another.
"Much better," Treize remarked. "Tell me, who is teaching Battle and Defense Magic these days?"

"Master mage Rashid," the boy panted, while trying to catch his breath.
"Oh, really? I'm surprised that he hasn't taught you any attack spells yet."
"What makes you think that he hasn't?" Wufei frowned.
"Well, so far you have been spending all your energy defending yourself, yet you haven't used a single offensive spell," the master mage replied nonchalantly. "Therefore I assumed you don't know how to use them."
Wufei's frown turned into a scowl. Then let me convince you otherwise.
He hurled a bolt of white lightning toward Treize. The mage managed to evade the attack, but almost fell off the platform in doing so. He gazed at Wufei, one eyebrow raised in surprise.
"Impressive!"
The boy growled as he repeated his assault, but this time the mage reflected the bolt, sending it back toward Wufei who was barely able to dodge it. The duel went on for a while longer. Wufei hurled spell after spell toward Treize and grew more frustrated by the minute when he realized that his attacks barely scratched the mage.
For his part Treize seemed to be holding back in his own spells. By the time Wufei realized that the mage was only waiting for him to tire himself out, it was already too late. He didn't even have enough power left to defend himself against the next attack. Treize broke through his shield with ease. Long tentacles of sparkling blue energy wrapped themselves around the boy's limbs, rendering him unable to move. For a moment Wufei hovered helplessly in midair, before he was hit by a bolt of white lightening just strong enough to knock him off the platform.
When Wufei looked up, the ginger-blond mage was standing over him.
"The match is yours, Sir." the boy said. Although he had known from the start that he had little chance of beating the master mage in the duel, admitting his defeat felt humiliating.
"As much as I would love to take credit for the victory," Treize replied. "I'm afraid you defeated yourself. You did remarkably well until you became angry. Anger is never a good ally in battle. You might want to think about that, Wufei. And while you are at it, think also about something else. What are you doing here?"

With that the master mage turned and walked away, leaving behind a confused and angry Wufei.

*****

When Treize materialized on the phasing platform in his study he still wasn't sure if he had made the right decision. There was a nagging feeling of dread deep within him. What if I fail again? What if…
He shook his head to banish the thought from his mind. No, this time it would be different, very different. Because this time, there would be nothing but a strictly master/apprentice relationship between him and his pupil.

The mage stopped in front of a door and looked up. Without realizing it his feet had carried him to Milliardo's bedchamber. Treize hesitated before he reached for the doorknob. He had not set foot into this room in more than five years. The door squeaked on its hinges as he slowly pushed it open. The air in the room smelled stale and musty. Books and papers were scattered all over a small table. The bed was unmade, just like Milliardo had left it that morning. Everything looked exactly how Treize remembered it. Only now a thick layer of dust covered the furniture, and the potted flowers beneath the window had died a long time ago.
The mage didn't turn when he sensed his servant approach.
"You are home, Sir," the old man said. "I did not hear you return."
"Alden, I want you to pack Milliardo's belongings together. Box them up and put them into the attic for the time being."

There was a long moment of silence before Alden answered: "As you wish, Sir."
"And have somebody clean up this room. A new apprentice will arrive tomorrow."
"We could easily prepare one of the guestrooms for him, Sir," the old man suggested quietly. "They are just as spacious and comfortable."
"No, Alden, Arch mage Dermail is right. It's time to move on." Treize turned on his heel and walked away without another look back. "I'll be in my study."

*****

"I swear, your bed is so much more comfortable than mine," Duo remarked. The braided boy lay sprawled out on Heero's bed. His head was propped on his friend's chest, as he skimmed through the newest issue of the school's paper. "Or maybe," he added with a grin. "It is because you make such a perfect pillow."
Heero gave an amused snort, but before he could reply the door flew open and Wufei stormed into the dorm room. Frustration and anger surrounded the Chinese youth like a dark cloud. He shrugged off the black robe that was part of his academy uniform and tossed it carelessly over a chair.
Heero and Duo exchanged a surprised look.
"Is everything alright, Wufei?" Heero asked.
"Arrogant Bastard," Wufei mumbled half loud.
"Hey, that was uncalled for." Duo glared at him. "There is no reason to call anybody a name just because he asks you how you are."
"What?" The black-haired youth turned his head and looked at his friends like he had only just noticed their presence. "Sorry, I wasn't talking about Heero. I was referring to him."

"Him?" the other two boys echoed together.

"Treize Khushrenada." Wufei's black eyes darkened even more. "Who does he think he is, anyway? He phases me into the battle room, challenges me to a duel, and knocks me around like some kind of a rag doll. Then he asks me what I'm doing here and leaves without another word." He snorted and called the mage a few names in his native language that didn't sound like complements.

Duo and Heero exchanged another glance. It sounded like the master mage had, intentionally or unintentionally, touched a really sore spot in Wufei. Everybody at the academy knew that the Chinese boy was fiercely competitive.
"I wonder if Trowa was right," Heero mused. "Maybe he is here looking for an apprentice."

Wufei gave another snort as he started to unbutton his shirt. "If that's the case he certainly didn't find what he was looking for in me." He changed into a sleeveless t-shirt and grabbed a clean towel from his locker.
"I'm going to take a shower and then I'll be in the garden meditating," he told his friends as he turned to leave.
As he opened the door the boy almost collided with the headmaster.
"Arch mage Dermail!?" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Ah, Wufei, just the person I came to see." Dermail said. "I would like to talk to you. Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, of course."
" Let's go to my office, shall we," the headmaster suggested.

*****

"Have a seat, Wufei."
The boy settled down in the same chair Treize had been sitting in only a few hours earlier. He still had no idea what the headmaster wanted to talk to him about.
"So, how did things go between you and the master mage?" Dermail asked suddenly.
Wufei tried hard not to grimace. "If you are talking about the duel, Sir, it went probably just the way he expected it to go."

"Actually, I meant more in general. I'm asking, because Treize has chosen you as his apprentice."
"Me?"

"Does that surprise you?"

Wufei nodded. "Yes it does, considering that he doesn't even think that I belong here."
"What gave you that idea?" Dermail frowned.
"That's what he said."
"I'm sure you must have misunderstood him, Wufei. Treize told me that he was very impressed with your skills. And he wouldn't say something like that if he didn't mean it."

"I know what I heard," the boy insisted. "I got the impression that the master mage doesn't like me at all. So, if I have a saying in this, I would prefer not to have him as my instructor, Sir."

"It seems like the two of you didn't exactly get off to a good start." The arch mage sighed. "Of course this is your choice as much as his. I would never assign an apprentice to a master he doesn't want to be with. But I'm asking you, don't judge too quickly and don't judge too harsh, Wufei. Take some time to get to know Treize. If in a few weeks you still feel the same way as you feel now I promise that you'll be assigned a different mentor."
"Thank you, Sir. "Wufei nodded. This seemed fair enough. "When will I be leaving?"
"Treize will be back tomorrow to pick you up." The headmaster told him.
As Dermail walked the boy to the door he laid his hand on Wufei's shoulder. "You are going to be just fine, Wufei. I have a lot of confidence in you and in Treize. I really couldn't think of a better teacher for you."

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

Check out my Sims companion website to this fic. It has not only background info but you can also take a virtual tour through the academy and look at photos of some of the characters. More will be added as the story developed.
I made 2 entry pages. If you have a slow computer or one that doesn't allow java applets please use this link

http://www.gundam-wing-fanfiction.net/sims/academy1.htm < p class="MsoNormal">
For java enabled computers use this entry page. The java version is a little cooler IMHO.
http://www.gundam-wing-fanfiction.net/sims/academy.htm

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)