Love in Chains

By DragonMage

Chapter 8

Duo wiped his eyes one last time as he folded the last of Wufei's clothes. He had found the discarded basket of clothing and managed to get it washed in time so that Wufei wouldn't realize there was something wrong. His fingers were useless but he managed to get the clothes folded neatly and put away. He took a deep shaky breath as he struggled to clear his mind with the night's fresh air. He had spent all day with Quatre, talking over everything. Then they spoke with Zechs.

After a while they finally managed to come to a conclusion. Now, Duo only had to pray that he had enough influence over Wufei to pull it all off. Then everything would be okay. Or at least as okay as it can be for a person with a broken heart.

"Duo?" Wufei's soft tenor reached Duo's ears, crushing his heart. Gods, he loved that young man so much but he couldn't have him. The world was so unfair sometimes.

"Yes?" Duo congratulated himself when he didn't hear the tremor in his voice that he felt in his body.

Wufei walked into the room, carrying something rolled up with a red ribbon tied around it. His beautifully handsome face was lit up with a sweet smile as he approached Duo.

"I have something for you," he said sweetly as he walked over to Duo and wrapped his arms around Duo and kissed the back of the braided boy's neck. He held it out in front of Duo as he rested his chin on Duo's shoulder. "Open it."

Duo numbly took the scroll and turned around in Wufei's arms. He looked straight into Wufei's eyes.

Wufei pulled back, worry etching itself in his exotic features when he saw the pain in Duo's eyes. "Duo? What's wrong?"

Duo pulled out of Wufei's arms completely and looked at the Chinese noble. "Wufei, I need to ask something from you."

Wufei nodded slowly, his expression and eyes troubled as he wondered what was wrong with his beloved. "You can ask almost anything from me. You know I will give it to you."

Duo nodded as he took in a deep breath and tried to calm his unsteady nerves. Not much help but at least he got some oxygen into his lungs. "Wufei, I want to be set free. I don't want to be a slave anymore. I want to be free."

Wufei stood frozen for a moment. He stared at Duo incredulously. "Wha--Duo." He shook his head and looked away in shame and frustration. "You know I can't do that," he finally said in a low voice.

"Why not?" Duo demanded quietly. Why can't you love me? Tell me that you love me? Or don't you? Duo wanted to ask Wufei all the questions running through his head but he couldn't. He couldn't ask Wufei that, Wufei might think that he was listening in business he wasn't suppose to. And he probably was. If he hadn't heard what he heard maybe he would still be happy. But...if he found out when IT actually happened he would have probably died.

"I just can't," Wufei said, finally looking up at Duo's face. His eyes were filled with sorrow but they were unrelenting. "I just can't. It's not fair to the other slaves if I just let go of one. I might need to let go of the rest of they think of it unfair and start a rebellion."

"But--Wufei, if you care for me you will let me go!" Duo knew that it was a low blow but he would do almost anything to get out right now. "It can be done quietly."

"Duo! I can't! I must be honorable and fair to everyone else! I can't let you go!" Wufei shouted, anger rushing through him. Angry at Duo for asking for such a thing and angry with himself because he couldn't give Duo what he wanted. He wanted so much to free Duo but if Duo was free didn't that mean Duo would leave him? Wufei didn't want to think of such a possibility. He didn't want Duo leaving him. He loved the young man too much to think about letting him go. It just hurt too much to think of it.

"No! Wufei this isn't fair! I don't want to stay in this hellhole! I want to be free! I was free before all of this! Free! Do you know how it feels to be trapped somewhere--" Duo stopped talking as he watched the horror and sorrow fill Wufei's eyes.

"Somewhere like this place. China. I never knew you felt like that, Duo. I would have never wanted you to be trapped," Wufei said quietly as he looked down at the carpet. "But I'm sorry. I can't release you."

Duo shook his head and tried very hard not to cry. "You're just another bastard master treating his slave unfairly! You never cared for me!" All his anger and hurt were thrown into those words as he ran for the door. Just before he left he turned around and gave Wufei his most venomous look. "I hate you." Then he threw open the door and ran out.

Wufei stood there for a moment, hurt, anger and something even deeper running through him as he took in Duo's words.

He hated him.

Wufei closed his eyes and struggled not to cry as he stumbled over to his bed and sat down hard on it. He buried his head in his hands and sighed shakily. Duo hated him. He never loved him. Wufei's heart was torn apart and there was only one thing he could do...

He stood up and walked slowly over to the door. He signaled a servant passing by with something in his hands.

"Get Lady Meiren," he told the servant before closing the door and leaning against it with his eyes closed as he waited for his sister to come. He sent out a psychic message to hurry his sister's arrival. Then he walked over to his bed and sat back down.

~*~

"He won't let me go," Duo sobbed as he sat in the gardens with Quatre, Trowa, and Ming who had found Duo running blindly through the slave quarters.

"Of course not," Trowa murmured, his green eyes filled with something that no one could pin down. He was always such an enigma.

"Stupid! Why should I believe he would acutally let me go!" Duo buried his head in his hands and tried to hold back more tears.

Ming reached out and placed a firm hand on Duo's shoulder. He squeezed gently. Anger coursed through his veins as he watched his friend cry. "Don't worry, Duo. We'll do something."

"We have to do something," Quatre whispered. "We can't...Duo, do you think there's any way you can persuae Wufei to let you go?"

"He said that it wasn't fair to the other slaves if he let's me go." Duo wiped away his tears and looked at his friends. "I'm sorry for bringing you into this but I don't think there's anything we can do about it. He's stubborn."

Trowa sighed softly and knitted his brows in thought. "Maybe I can talk to Heero..."

"No, we don't want you to get into trouble with Heero. Remember, Heero and Wufei are friends," Quatre said sharply.

Trowa's green eyes hardened as he regarded Quatre coolly. "I don't think Heero's like that..."

"We don't know anything about them!" Quatre took a deep breath as he controlled his anger. "I'm sorry. But, think about it. They don't know what it's like to be a slave. They don't understand."

"Of course not, they're the masters," Ming said bitterly.

"We'll find a way. I swear it," Quatre said firmly as he laced his fingers with Duo's. "We will."

Ming suddenly stood up, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"Where are you going?" Quatre asked in shock as he half stood up as well.

"Someplace. Excuse me." Then Ming disappeared into the shadows before they could say another word.

~*~

Wufei closed the door behind his sister's back. He felt completely drained and he needed a long bath and some sleep. He hadn't been getting much sleep lately. He walked over to the tub and fingered the empty thing. Where was Duo? He just ran off. Where did he go? Was he safe? Wufei didn't want any more servants beating on the beautiful boy.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door.

Wufei turned around, hoping beyond hope that it was Duo. But Duo might have barged right through. Of course, Duo hasn't been Duo these past few hours.

"Come in."

The door swung open and Ming strode in. He was dirty in old ratty clothing but he looked so angry and determined that Wufei decided to hear out whatever this young slave had to say.

"Yes, Ming?"

"Why, Lord Chang? Why can't you grant Duo one thing you can give him to make him happy?" Ming demanded instantly, not even bothering to be smooth about it. He was angry and he wanted answers! "He's hurting. He needs to leave."

"Sometimes, Ming, I can't do everything. I'm not God," Wufei said quietly. *And even the Gods have their limits, don't they? Because if they could do anything I would pray for Duo to always be at my side forever.* "Besides, what's the point of running from something? Why won't Duo stay and deal with it?"

"Because, sometimes, Lord Chang, you just can't deal with this kind of hurting," Ming said, glaring at the young lord. He didn't care if he got beated for his insolence. He cared for Duo and hated seeing the boy hurt. He tore at him.

"Why are you here, Ming? Wait, I know. You want Duo's freedom. Don't you want your own, Ming?"

"Of course but Duo needs this more than me!"

"What an honorable young man you are. But can you tell me how honorable are the other slaves?" Wufei walked over to the desk and picked up a piece of paper and glanced at it before looking at Ming, who began to look a bit doubtful. But then the determination came back.

"Please, I bet of you, Lord Chang. Give Duo his freedom," Ming pleaded.

Wufei looked thoughtful and Ming almost hoped that he would give in. Then the Chinese noble shook his head sadly. "No."

Ming nodded stonily before turning and walking out of the room with hard steps.

~*~

Duo was sleeping in slave quarters with Quatre and Zechs when he was woken up by a gentle nudge to his side. His eyes flew open and he was immediately alert, a habit from his days as a thief. His eyes focused and adjusted to the darkness until he was finally able to make out a familiar face in the pale moonlight. Wufei?! His heart stopped for one moment before it eased when he realized that it was actually Meiren, Wufei's twin sister.

"Meiren," Duo murmured in confusion.

"Duo, follow me. Wake up Zechs and Quatre as well," Meiren whispered in hushed voice. "Please, hurry. We need to do this quickly."

Duo nodded, not knowing what was going on, but he woke up Quatre and Zechs and they followed Meiren out of the slave quarters and into the vast garden.

"Meiren, what's going on?" Quatre asked, looking just a bit sleepy as he leaned slightly against Zechs while the older man wrapped an arm tightly around the blonde's shoulders.

"I need to get you three out of here," Meiren whispered as she glanced around the garden to make sure no one was around. "Hurry." She shoved some heavy cloaks into their arms with heavy pouches filled with money and food. "This will get you far. I'm sorry to do this in a hurry but I couldn't tell you right away. I didn't want any suspicions to be raised while you three look nervous about it. It was a risk I coudln't take."

"Meiren, what are you doing?" Duo asked. She truly wasn't making any sense. Everything she said was heavily cryptic. Or at least that's what Duo seemed to hear. He was too tired to think properly after all the emotional abuse he had taken this past day.

"I'm helping you escape, stupid," Meiren hissed, looking very afraid as her dark eyes widened like tea saucers. She was pale and trembling slightly as her breath came in fast. A clear sign of fear. "I heard your argument with Wufei and I thought my brother was being VERY unfair. You deserve to be set free, Duo. Especially with...--I'm sorry, Duo. I truly am. I don't think my brother ever wanted it to be like this but it happened anyways and that idiot didn't know how to take care of it. I do though."

"Thank you," Quatre breathed in relief. He reached over and laced his hand with Zechs who was smiling in relief.

"I though I'd never be free," Zechs whispered in awe as excitement danced across his pale features. "Life here was all right but...Being free is something that was so far away."

"Yeah, well, stop being in awe and get moving. I can only give you so much time and distraction to get past the guards," Meiren whispered. She motioned for them and led them to the gates. Then she motioned for them to stand back as she approached the guards and shouted about something she heard in the back. The guards immediately dashed off with some more encouragement from Meiren. Ex: Shrill shouting and threats.

"Come on," Meiren whisper-shouted to the three as she motioned for them. They ran out and waited with Meiren. Then Ming appeared with some horses.

"Ming!" Duo whispered in shock. "Are you coming with us?"

Ming shook his head. "I'm sorry. But I need to stay behind and help Meiren cover up everything. We can't have too many slaves disappearing on us. We don't know what Lord Chang could do. Remember what he did to the servants who beated up Duo?"

They all nodded slowly before mounting the horses. Duo looked down at Ming. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," Ming said, shaking his head.

Quatre reached out and tugged Duo's shirt. "Let's go!"

"Hurry," Meiren urged them.

Duo nodded and kicked the flanks of the horse and followed Quatre and Zechs into the night.

~*~

Meiren tiredly walked back through the gardens. As she passed by Wufei's house a figure stepped out of the shadows.

"You did it?"

Meiren looked up into identical eyes, but her brother's eyes were filled with so much pain that it almost broke Meiren. Quickly she hurried over to her brother and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Wufei. But I'm so proud of you," Meiren whispered through her tears. She hated seeing her brother in so much pain. It hurt her as well since they had a very strong connection. She knew what her brother was going through and it was horrible. So much pain, anger and remorse. "I'm so proud of you."

"I'm not," Wufei whispered as he hugged his sister back.

It was Wufei's whole idea to plan this "escape". Meiren had thought her brother insane when he had suggested it but in the end she knew why. They had went to Heero and asked him if he knew why Duo was acting the way he was. Trowa had been listening and he told them what had happened.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth, Wufei?" Meiren had asked Wufei when Trowa revealed to them why Duo had wanted to be set free.

But Wufei had merely shook his head and said that he was going to let Duo go anyways. He didn't want to keep Duo a slave forever. He was meant to be free and happy and content with his life. Meiren decided not to argue with her brother anymore when she saw the determination in Wufei's eyes and went along with the plan that Wufei had. Now Duo was free with Quatre and Zechs. Trowa had decided to stay behind with Heero, naturally. The two was obviously very deeply in love and Wufei had released Trowa that same hour so he and Heero could have a peaceful life together.

Meiren pulled back and looked into Wufei's dark eyes. "Go to sleep, brother. You need to rest."

Wufei nodded and gently kissed Meiren on the cheek before he turned and walked into the house.

Meiren stood there for a moment. Then she turned and headed back to her own quarters. Her heart heavy as she knew what kind of burden her brother was carrying.

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Finally! Done! Tell me what you think!