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"Pax Ultima"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, violence, language, sex Pairings: If you need to know, please email me
and I will be happy to tell you. Summary:They fought for peace, but peace took away what they loved the most. A very grim tale of suspense and betrayal, set post-canon and featuring character death. Thanks as always to the always fabulous Cuzo
for being my beta! "Pax Ultima " Chapter Three "Should we dry him off?" Trowa arched an eyebrow, let Wufei take in the scabs forming on his cheek, his lip, his forehead. He tossed a towel at Wufei. "Knock yourself out." He dared him. Wufei gripped the towel tightly and then, with an irritated sigh, threw it at their soaked, shivering prisoner. "How long have you had him in here?" Trowa checked his watch. "Twenty eight hours." It was Wufei's turn to arch an eyebrow. It had only taken him sixteen hours to get there. The other twelve hours, hours when Trowa had stared at the naked man who had once been a friend, hours when Trowa had laid out his knives, the one from Heero, the one he had long ago filched from Catharine, the one he had taken from the dead body of the merc captain who had raised him, hours when Trowa had remembered Heero, alive, choosing Duo over him. Hours that were unaccounted for. "He must be hungry," Wufei concluded and Trowa imagined that even Duo looked surprised by the words. Trowa wasn't shocked by the swiftness of his anger. If Duo was feeling a bit peckish after being tied to a chair for twenty eight hours it didn't fucking matter. "Better for his stomach to be empty anyway," Trowa snarled. "Less of a mess when he finally goes." Now it was Duo and Wufei who wore matching looks of deep concern about the fact that Trowa would know, would even consider it. Wufei jerked his head, motioning for Trowa to join him outside of the bathroom and Trowa followed him reluctantly. What did it matter if they moved out of earshot? Soon enough, whatever Duo knew and heard, would be nothing. "Can you do this?" Wufei asked him. Trowa stared at him. "Can I kill the man who murdered Heero? Yes. I can do that. Can you?" Wufei scoffed. He always hated it when Trowa questioned him, despised it when his questions were turned back at him. "Of course I can." "Then what the fuck are we talking about?" Wufei stared at him, dark eyes searching for something that Trowa knew he would never find. "I want to know why he did it," Wufei finally said. "He did it because he's a fucking psychopath," Trowa growled, furious at this delay. This was why he should never have called Wufei, should never had wasted those twelve hours before giving in and making the vid call. Wufei needed proof, needed to know. He needed reason and logic and Trowa knew there was none. "You respected him, once," Wufei reminded Trowa softly, his words bringing back memories of chess games, late at night, on Peacemillion during the war, in the mess hall at Preventers headquarters after, in the med bay while they recovered from injuries sustained in the line of duty. Yes. Trowa had respected him once. But that had been before. "You never forgave him. I knew it." Trowa closed his eyes. This was not the fucking time for this. "Wufei -" "You never understood why Heero chose him over you and that's what this is about," Wufei snarled. "This is about the fact that he murdered a man who saved both of our lives more times than we can count." Twenty three times, by Trowa's estimation, if he considered specific incidents. But it was impossible to account for the impact Heero had had - on the Earthsphere, on peace, on the Preventers protocols. It was impossible to calculate his value. "A man you never stopped loving." Wufei's voice was raw and Trowa wanted to hurt him, wanted to yell and push and he wanted to be free of this shit - of the weight and the darkness but Wufei never let him. "You never forgave Duo for taking him from you the first time. You never forgave Heero for making the wrong choice. You've never forgiven yourself for not being there, not being the one with him, not being able to keep him alive. You wouldn't have murdered him, and you hate yourself because you weren't enough for him and he chose Duo." This was the fight they had never had. The words that had driven Trowa to leave as soon as Heero's body was in the ground, as soon as the first data, the first ghost of Duo had been found. This was why Trowa had twelve hours, unaccounted for. Because he needed Wufei to do this. Because he wasn't enough. He never had been, and he needed Wufei to help him kill Duo. Heero had chosen Duo, had chosen the man who killed him and Trowa was unable to take that away. He couldn't kill the man Heero had chosen. Wufei touched him, his hands firm, his fingers warm and callused and the weight digging into his shoulders, reminding him to breathe. "I want to know why he did it. And then I will kill him." Wufei's eyes held his, forcing him to acknowledge the words, the weight, the darkness. Trowa nodded.
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