| I don't own any gundam stuff in any way shape or form. Rebirth As Michael looked out the door at the cloaked, hooded figure before him, he was tempted to turn the gentleman away. But Master Quatre said that all guests were to be admitted and every courtesy was to be extended. It was the holidays after all, and Master Trowa and the children always delighted in having company for the festivities. Not to mention Master Quatre�s many sisters, who would love to have another man around the house to fight over. Taking the cloak from around the traveler, Michael almost gasped in shock. This couldn�t be the person who he thought it was. Michael had seen master Wufei several years ago, full of life, energy, and anger. The man before him had the same black hair, the same lean, muscled form, but the look on his face plainly showed he had been broken, and the black eyes didn�t sparkle, but instead looked completely� dead. Disturbed, Michael slowly led the strange man towards the game room. �Yes?� Quatre said, looking up from the puzzle he was helping his niece put together. �Sir, there is a gentleman here to see you.� Michael stated, then turned and left the room, leaving a shadowed figure abandoned in the hall. �Please come in, it can�t be comfortable standing out there.� Quatre coaxed with an angelic smile. Standing up, he froze in shock as the guest suddenly entered the room. Wufei looked terrible, his hair hanging in lank strips around his face, his lips were cracked and peeling, and he was even more pale than Quatre remembered him as being. �Wufei!! I can�t believe you�re here! Are you alright?� he looked on in concern as Wufei wearily made his way over to a nearby chair and sank into it. �I didn�t have anywhere else to go� Wufei whispered, as he unbuckled the scabbard of his sword, and set it across his knees. �I thought you were going back to your family to help rebuild?� Quatre walked over and put a hand on the tired man�s shoulder. Wufei reached up and put a hand on top of Quatre�s. �They all died in the war. There is no one left in the Chang clan but me.� Staring blankly across the room, he completely missed the strange look Quatre�s niece was giving him. �I cannot rebuild it. I tried for these past few years. There is nothing left for me to give, nothing left to start with.� Quatre looked horrified. �Wufei, you know you can stay here as long as you want. I�ll have a room made up for you immediately. Do you want the dragon room you had before? He turned and hit a button on the wall to summon a servant. A look of extreme pain flashed across Wufei�s features. �No, any room but that one.� Gathering up his meager possessions, he numbly followed the servant to his new room, and his only home. �Andrell, I�m sorry I didn�t introduce you to him�. he�s just changed so much..� Quatre began, and stopped as he saw the strange look on his niece�s face. She stood there with an expression of extreme concentration, one hand held over her heart. �You need to get cousin Jarin to come here.� Andrell announced, then suddenly left the room. Putting his hand over his own heart, Quatre walked over to the phone and started dialing. Taking the older man�s hand in his own, Trowa noted that Quatre�s cousin hadn�t changed at all since he had last been here to visit. The same wicked green eyes leered over the same smirk that Trowa had never seen him without, and his dark blond hair looked tousled, like he had just stepped out of someone�s bedroom. �It is good to see you Jarin, surprising though, since you said you were going to be out of touch until next winter.� Jarin shrugged. �You know Quatre, he could track someone lost in a jungle down if he really wanted to, much less one innocent cousin off having some fun on vacation.� Trowa snorted at the last statement as Jarin grabbed his bags and started walking towards the wing he stayed in every time he visited. �The dragon room isn�t open, isn�t it buddy? I heard your old friend Wufei was visiting, and Quatre always said he got first dibs on it.� �It�s open. Wufei didn�t want it. I�m really not sure why. He�s hardly spoken to anyone since he got here.� �Maybe he�s just a loner, like me.� Jarin shrugged, opening the door to the suite and looking around in appreciation. �Of course, living like this could take the loner out of me fast.� With a feral grin, he jumped onto the bed and assumed an expression of bliss. �So, tell me how you and that ruthlessly angelic cousin are doing? I was worried something was wrong, with the marching orders I received. That�s the first time I�ve Ever heard Quatre order anyone around like that, least of all me.� �We are doing wonderfully. Quatre has been worried about Wufei, but other than that he�s been perfectly happy.� Trowa said with a vague smile that was the closest to a dreamy look as he ever got. �Well, I�m glad to hear it. I�m going to get unpacked and go grab some food. It was a loooong trip. This holiday stuff better be worth it!� after shooing Trowa out, Jarin started unpacking his clothes. He couldn�t help but wonder why anyone wouldn�t want this beautiful set of rooms. The dragons carved into all of the furniture gave it a wild, masculine grace. The outdoors balcony opened up on a startling view of the mountains� a view that was meant to be shared. Sighing, Jarin flopped back down onto the bed. Why was it that everything reminded him of how alone he was? How everything in his life seemed so empty without someone to love? �So, cousin, what was so very important you had to drag me halfway across the known universe for?� Jarin said with a wicked smirk. �Surely you couldn�t miss me that badly, specially with Trowa nearby.� Pulling him over to a nearby corner, Quatre silently pointed to Wufei, who was working out in the gym across the hall. �Do you see that man in there? Well you always complained how you had no match with a sword, and that all your sparring partners aren�t worthy of your greatness.� Quatre�s voice sank to a whisper. �I know for a fact, he can beat you. Hands down.� Rolling his eyes, Jarin stared at Quatre in disbelief. �Cousin, you mean to tell me that this half-dead looking gundam pilot could beat me in a duel? You must be losing your mind!� As his voice rose, Wufei slowly approached the arguing men. �You will not dishonor myself or Quatre.� Wufei stated in a whisper, as a sudden fire seemed to take root in his eyes. �I will battle you. I will defeat you..� Slowly drawing his sword, Wufei marched towards the gym. �Well this might just be fun.� Jarin mused, drawing his sword and causally following Wufei. As they entered into a traditional battle stance, Wufei seemed to become more alert, more Alive, than Quatre had seen him since he had arrived. As the fight began, he couldn�t take his eyes off of them, they seemed perfectly matched, Wufei�s pale skin flashing against his cousin�s deep tan, flaring silver light dancing in between them� Quatre couldn�t believe the purpose of this display was to hack each other to pieces. Just as it seemed that Jarin had Wufei defeated, somehow Wufei was suddenly standing over him, his sword barely touching Jarin�s throat. �Do you regret insulting your cousin now?� Wufei said, his chest heaving, and his eyes afire. �Not really.� Jarin said, pushing Wufei�s sword to one side and slowly standing up. �Now I have a new sparring partner.� With an insane grin, Jarin kissed Wufei�s cheek and sauntered off, leaving a shocked Quatre and Wufei staring after him. �Dishonor..� Wufei said with a questioning tone. �Well Wufei, do you want your old room back now?� Quatre asked, a look of suppressed mirth on his face. �Yes, I believe I do.� Wufei said with a bemused smile, taking the offered key and walking off. �You�re a bad man, Uncle Quatre� a teenage voice said from behind him. Quatre simply gave her a not-so-angelic grin, and walked off to go find Trowa for some celebrating. Wufei entered the Dragon suite with a feeling of accomplishment. It felt completely amazing to fight again.. to fight for his friend�s honor. To pay Quatre back for everything he had done for him. Smiling, Wufei didn�t notice as a blond, tanned man stepped out of the shower, and froze, watching the gundam pilot set his bags down and head out towards the balcony. �Ahem. I thought you were going to be my sparring partner, but I didn�t realize you would volunteer for anything else.� A voice came from behind Wufei as strong arms wrapped around him. Shocked, Wufei spun around to find himself staring into wild green eyes. As those eyes completely captured him, lips captured his and held him motionless with a sweet but passionate kiss. Afterwards, as Wufei stood there, completely stunned, he heard that deep voice rumble �This is too nice a room to not share it.� Suddenly laughing with a cheer Wufei hadn�t felt in years, he agreed, and stood watching the sun fall against the purple mountains, full of new life. |