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"Honor Betrayed"Written By: Yanagi Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to
[Gundam Wing]. Those rights belong to Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu
Agency. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However,
this story does belong to me. Please don’t snitch it. Warnings: the usual Pairings: 1x2 But it's Wufei centric [very] Beta note: I think the days in the trip to Shanghai
are messed up. They fly east so they'd arrive in late
afternoon/early evening and Yet another note: There are a lot of FAQ at the
end of the epilogue.
"Honor Betrayed " Chapter 6 It took them nearly two hours to do all this, then Wufei sat back in his chair and started to shake again. He realized that he was crying when Duo reached out one slender, calloused hand and wiped away his tears. “Wufei, we're sorry. We're such bad friends. We should have tried harder, pushed more. We should have ... done something. But ... I'm so sorry.” Heero's hand appeared with a cup of tea. “Drink. It's sweet so don't choke.” Wufei sipped at the hot, sweet tea and struggled to get himself together. He finally managed. “I'm sorry. I'm such a girl. But ... I made some mistakes, bad ones ... but I didn't deserve that. Did I?” Heero shook his head. “No one deserves that kind of treatment. That was the kind of thing we were fighting to prevent. Now we have ... more of this kind of thing to deal with than I like to think about. We'll get them. You'll see.” Wufei broke down completely, weeping as if his heart was broken, in a way it was. Heero just settled on one end of a couch, pulled Wufei into his arms and started patting his back. Duo joined them, putting Wufei's legs in his lap and rubbing his calves. They just petted him until he sobbed himself hoarse and ill. Duo sighed finally, he whispered to Heero, “He's not calming down. We need to get him into bed ... give him something. I'll go get my kit.” Heero nodded and just stood up, picking Wufei up gently. Duo led the way to the elevator and punched for the top floor. Heero took Wufei into his bedroom while Duo went back down to get his kit. Heero stripped Wufei down, keeping all expression off his face. Wufei was too thin for one. And Heero refused to speculate on where he'd gotten some of the scars that he'd never seen before. He left Wufei standing in the middle of his room as he went to find pajamas. He opened a drawer and found them right where he expected, Wufei was a creature of habit. “Here, pajamas. Lift your foot.” Wufei obeyed this order and every other that Heero gave. He seemed dazed. Duo came in just as Heero finished buttoning Wufei's jacket. “There. PJ's all buttoned, into bed now.” Wufei moved to the bed and sat on the edge, still nearly in a trance. Duo handed him two pills and a glass of water. Wufei shook his head. “No, no pills. I don't want them. They only make me sick.” “These were prescribed for me. And I do know what I'm doing. I passed my Med Tech. I'm certified to give these and a few others out. Now take them. You're still shocky.” “Shocky? I'm not wounded.” Wufei shook his head. “I don't ... why would I?” Heero took the pills from Duo and handed them to Wufei. “Take the damn pills. Chang, do not argue with me. We failed you once, we won't do so again. Even if you don't like it.” Catching a look at his face, Heero added, “And we'll be here when you get up. I promise. So take the pills.” Duo nodded, catching Wufei's still dazed eyes. “It's either pills or a shot. And Heero will hold you down while I stick you. So ... pills, or shot.” Wufei lifted his hand to his mouth with two pairs of eyes following the gesture. He put the pills in his mouth and swallowed them dry, following with several swallows of water. Duo glanced at Heero who nodded, he turned back to Wufei. “Open.” Wufei obediently opened his mouth and lifted his tongue, proving that he'd swallowed the pills. “Thanks, man. Now get flat and go to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning.” . The next morning Wufei woke feeling well. He felt so much better than he'd felt for a long time. He slid out of bed and ambled into the bath. He showered, shaved and dressed; picking jeans, trainers and a shirt that said, “The voices in my head don't like you.” He was torn between that one and one with a picture of two vultures sitting in a tree with a caravan in the background, the slogan was, “Fuck patience, I'm gonna kill something.” He shrugged, stuffed the shirt back in a drawer and went out to the kitchen to wonderful smells. Heero was making pancakes while Duo scrambled eggs and watched bacon to keep it from burning. Wufei felt like one of Pavlov's dogs, he was actually drooling. “Mnnn, pancakes. Yes. And I want lots of butter and syrup. Eggs, bacon, coffee. Toast? Do I have bread?” Duo turned around and frankly stared. “Excuse me? Who are you and what have you done with Wufei?” “I'm Wufei and I'm hungry. I don't have to keep myself in perfect condition anymore. And I got the stick out of my back. Prison teaches you to re-prioritize.” Duo looked shocked. “Um ... Wufei?” Wufei slammed a hand down on the table. “Do not avoid the subject. Don't dance around. I was in prison. I was abused. Enough! I will have Justice and I will get over it. Now. I want my pancakes.” His expression softened. “Please?” Even Heero had to smile at his wheedling expression. “Ok, dude, pancakes it is. And bacon, eggs, toast, coffee. Anything else, oh, most honorable Chang?” “Yes, after we're done eating, I want your opinion on a few things.” “Ok, here you go.” Duo used a plate to catch the pancakes Heero flipped into the air. He added the rest of Wufei's breakfast and plopped the plate down in front of him. “There. And, Wufei, you've got to do some more shopping. There isn't a treat in sight.” Wufei swallowed a mouthful of pancake with an expression of bliss. “Mmmmm, my big treat is to go out and get coffee and a roll or something. If I eat that sort of thing alone, I just get depressed.” Heero gave Duo a cup of coffee which he placed near Wufei's hand. “So, you'll just have to visit us when you want a treat. Or we'll visit you. You need friends. I'm so sorry we left you alone. Une convinced us that you needed time to ... adjust. Neither Duo nor I liked it but she insisted, so we figured ... she knew what she was doing. Seems she didn't as the experts ... shrinks, see ... took one look at your files off that chip and had fits. Said you needed all sorts of ... stuff. She vetoed most of it and insisted that we hook up with you a-sap. But we had three assignments in a row. So ... we fucked up.” Wufei looked up from his breakfast and frankly grinned. “I have friends. Joe, Mike, Olaf, Peter and Avery.” He noticed that both Heero and Duo's faces fell. “And you two. Idiots. More?” He held out his plate with real apatite. Heero just put more food on his plate. He'd kept some back just in case. After they finished breakfast, Wufei ordered both Heero and Duo to stay out of his way, saying, “You cooked, I'll clean up. That way everything will get back where I can find it.” Duo made a rude noise but Heero just shrugged. He wasn't too fond of having his kitchen disarranged either. Wufei made short work of the clean up, filled the dishwasher and wiped his hands. “Ok, this way to the questions. I know you're both just busting to find out what I'm up to.” They all ignored, with varying amounts of dignity, Wufei's breakdown. . Duo's opinion, on seeing the foundry, was that it was way to filthy for words. His advice was to get in professionals to clean it up properly and make sure that all the equipment was in working order. Wufei admitted that he'd spent more than he'd intended and was going to have to be careful or he'd be relying on his pay from the dojo to make it for a while as his investments paid quarterly. He didn't bother to tell them about the rest of his money, that was still back money. Duo just grinned, put one finger beside his nose and said wisely, “Sweepers, dude, sweepers.” And it wasn't long until a crew of about ten men showed up. Wufei, Heero and Duo discussed what needed doing and Heero obligingly knocked a hole in the wall from the nook into the garage. It turned out that knocking a hole from the interior of the shop wasn't possible, but this was nearly as good. He could still get from the shop into his home without getting out into the weather. It was all good so far. The crew cleaned the shop, knocked out the floating wall and someone was sorting the scrap metal that littered the floor into the bins. Wufei noticed that they had even sorted the steel into high carbon and low. He jumped a bit when a man walked up from the side to ask him what he wanted to do about a divider between the forge and the sharpening room. “Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. So, here's a sketch of the floor. You've got a decent basement under here but you'd probably want good, natural light to work in. So, we've got two places that would do. But one's going to need a skylight. The other is here in the front, there's a window in the wall opposite of your house and we could get some more light with mirrors.” Wufei went to look at the area, Duo trailing along out of curiosity. Wufei looked up, then examined the window. “Why can't we put in a skylight here? I like the idea of having the sharpening room here, I could hear the door. I'm thinking about a show room. Not a big one and in Japanese style. All I need is a big table and a few zafu/zabuton combinations. A chest to hold the ones not in use and a big sword safe to hold finished swords. Maybe a rack on the wall?” He looked at Duo who nodded. “I think that's all. Any suggestions?” The sweeper thought for a moment then shrugged. Duo cleared his throat. “Maybe have a Japanese theme all through the shop. Put in shoji instead of a wall between the sharpening room and the show room and cover the wall between the front and back with false shoji, except for the actual door, that one could be real.” He thought for a moment. “Or at least cover the real door. Might want to consider using some kind of sealing door to keep the mess out. Or in.” He grinned at Wufei who nodded and smiled back. This suggestion brought about a flurry of checking, one man got on the phone to find shoji and a woman went onto the roof to see what they would be cutting through. Duo bit his lip then asked, “Wufei ... um ... I thought you might ... not trust us to help you with this ... after the way we, well, not abandoned you, but sort of...” Wufei took Duo off the hook. “I trust you. I have meditated on things and I realize that you did the same thing I did. You trusted the administration to know what was best. I think ... we just start anew from here. That means I trust you until you prove that you're not trustworthy. See?” Duo started to hug Wufei then drew back. Wufei reached out and dragged him into an awkward hug. “You'll have to teach me how to do this. My people weren't very demonstrative but ... I find I like hugs. Please?” Duo hugged Wufei back, murmuring in his ear, “You're doing good. Hug Heero. He'll blush and stammer but he likes it too.” “Ok, now, back to work. I really want this done soon. I need to get to work...” Wufei knew his face had paled. “tomorrow. Damn, and none of my materials have come in yet. Shigung is going to be unhappy.” Heero came up just then, and asked, “And that's bad?” “Yes, he's the man who hired me. I'll be busy tomorrow catching up. But after than, I've got to get to work on those swords.” “Well, then, I think you're going to be happy. There's a delivery truck at your place. Driver says that he has several packages but you have to sign for them. Might be all the parts or whatever you're waiting for.” Wufei dashed out to see and was very happy to find that everything he'd ordered had arrived. He signed for the packages and a couple of the sweepers helped him carry them into the shop. He was astonished to see that the shop was completely clean, he knew he was going to keep it that way. Cleaning up as he went was a habit he had no intention of breaking. He put the boxes on the big central table and started unpacking them. He put all the wood in one place, the cords and leathers in another. Then he realized that they'd made a big mistake. “Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!” Wufei ran a hand over the top of his head in frustration. Luckily, no cutting had been done in the roof yet. “Heero! I need all work stopped right now.” Heero whistled and yelled for everyone to stop what they were doing and gather in the central area. The man who seemed to be the general contractor came over and said, “Ok, guys what's the problem?” Wufei explained that he needed a clean place with good lighting to wrap the tsuka, and another place to do woodworking. The contractor just nodded, plopped a big piece of paper on the table and started muttering to himself. It took him a bit of time but he finally stepped back and announced, “Ok, I think I've got it. We'll have to move all the bins into the basement, but that's good. And we need to move a few bits of the forge around too but I have a layout that's more efficient, fewer steps between the forge and the anvil, or the trip hammer. Less chance of someone getting burned or the metal cooling too much. So ...” He measured and figured. “If we move this and that...” He talked to himself for a few moments then showed the final plans to Wufei. He'd moved the forge, trip hammer and anvil into the far back corner with the forge between the trip hammer and the anvil so that one was on one side of the furnace and the other across from it. This left enough room to put the smelter and the foundry in the same area to they didn't have coal scraps and dust all over. Wufei realized that the man had managed to get the foundry, forge and any other hot process confined to a fairly small but very efficient area. He had even managed to get in a hoist so that he could handle the heavier crucibles by himself. He didn't bother to tell the man that he probably wasn't going to pour anything larger than tsuba, kashiri, menuki and such. He figured that he'd probably never pour more that 6 oz., if that, but he was glad for the consideration. All this moving of equipment left room to put in a tidy woodworking bench and an area for first sharpening a sword then polishing the blade. There was plenty of room for the tools and things needed for the simple woodworking needed to make Saya, sirasaya, ho and even netsuke. He liked the idea of a peg board behind the workbench to keep the tools organized and the sharp edges from being damaged. The area under the bench was reserved for the lacquers and varnishes he would put on the saya. He even saw a wonderful clean box to put the still wet pieces in to keep even a mote of dust from settling on them. The sharpening area was a bit larger than he'd hoped for and had a large box to keep the stones in and a rack to keep containers of different oils in. He smiled remembering the man asking if he really used clove oil. He did, and a different oil for each step in the sharpening and polishing process. He did it kneeling on a cushion in the traditional style and was pleased to see that there was allowance made for handling the length of even the longest blade while kneeling. Walls were to be shoji or solid depending on function. The walls between the forge and foundry area and the woodworking and sharpening area were solid to keep the mess from the forge and foundry from getting into the woodworking/sharpening area. He was looking for the wrapping bench when a woman came by to ask how many colors of cord and leather he was going to offer. “Excuse me?” “Oh, we're trying to organize the macrame area.” Duo snickered from the door. “Shut it you.” Wufei just laughed. “It is a bit like macrame, isn't it. But it's called Tsukamaki. Show me.” The woman led the way into the area set aside for the work. Wufei was impressed, they had set a large, low table in the middle of the room. Beside it was a rack for spools of cord and leather lacing, the materials he would use to wrap the tsuka. There was also a traditional tool box on the other side of where he would sit. “It's great but would you move the tool box underneath the spool rack? I think the rack is very nice and just the right size. I wouldn't want it any taller as I would have to stand up to reach. I'll keep the spools I'm not using on my current projects somewhere else.” “We could set up another box right behind you and stick a pad on it so you could lean back when you get cramped. How's that?” “Wonderful. Where are you getting these furnishings? They look traditional.” “Donnow, Yuy's coming up with them. I gotta got. They're working on the show room and I need to check that the cabinets are right. Bye.” Wufei glanced at his watch and realized that the day was almost gone, his shop was nearly done and he was starving. He got out his phone and called the local deli. He talked to the owner and asked for a 'party for 40' package to be brought to this address. He gave his information over the phone and hung up. A loud crash from the front made him jump, he realized that someone had just enlarged the door in the wall out front. Wufei wondered how much longer it was going to take, and marveled at what was already done. He knew that, with any other crew, this would have taken at least a month. He wondered how many favors Heero and Duo had pulled in for him. He vowed that they wouldn't regret it. The deli delivered, the sweepers descended like locusts and Wufei had to laugh. Duo ambled over, one sandwich clutched between his teeth and two more in his hands. He gave one to Wufei and settled to eat the other two. Heero joined them with a sandwich of his own and they ate in companionable silence. When they were finished, Duo asked, “Do you like it?” “I do. How long before everything is finished?” Duo looked around, gauging the progress. “Probably tomorrow. But, I think we need to quit soon. We've been at it for ... jeeze, ten hours. No wonder I'm tired. Why don't I send the crew home for the day? Someone's going to get hurt, I'm afraid.” Wufei nodded. “Sounds good to me. I'm beat.” So Duo went to speak to the foreman and he called everyone together and dismissed the crew, telling them to be back at 7am. Wufei sighed as he wandered around, examining the work. He realized that the crash had not been the door in the wall but the skylight being cut. The crew had set up a scaffold to catch the mess as the areas beneath were already finished. He wondered why they'd done it that way but decided not to worry about it as it was a fait accompli. “Wufei? We're leaving now. You need anything, anytime, you call. Or else.” Duo's grin made Wufei laugh. “Ok. But, or else what.” Duo grinned back at Wufei. “Or else I'll go Shinigami on your ass. Got me?” Wufei held up both hands in surrender. “Ok, ok. I'll call.” Heero walked up behind Duo and wrapped an arm around him. “Promise?” “I do.” Wufei bowed formally to both his friends. “I swear, if I need you for any reason, I'll call.” Heero just grunted and headed for the door, but Duo gave Wufei one of his brilliant smiles and said, “Great. Night.” and scampered after Heero. Wufei followed them out, glancing at the hole in the wall where the door was to go. He smiled as he realized that Duo had probably marked it. It was just where he would have put it himself, near the back of the entryway. This put the other side more or less in the middle of the garage wall. He was very happy with the way everything was going. As he rode up in the elevator, he made mental note of the things he was either going to have to order or make himself. He decided that the several stands needed for hilt wrapping and storage of projects in the works was his first concern. He took a shower and went to bed, very well pleased with Duo, Heero and himself. . Breakfast the next morning seemed lonely but Wufei ate quickly so he could get to the dojo. He was anxious to start work so that he could get caught up. He jogged to the dojo, glad that he'd only eaten rice and miso for breakfast. He entered the dojo, checking in with Yang-Lao Shi,
who smiled at him and handed him a list. Wufei bowed slightly. “Thank you. I probably wouldn't have forgotten anything but it's better safe than sorry. I'll get right to work.” With that Wufei went to begin cleaning the dojo. It wasn't filthy by any means but the floor was dusty and the tatami needed a good sweeping. He started by polishing the floor which was accomplished by placing a long pad of cloth in the floor then bending over and pushing it along the grain of the floor. He was almost done, sweating and disheveled when a group of men he'd never seen came in. They were talking in a manner that Wufei found disrespectful but he didn't say anything, if the masters allowed it, who was he to object. He returned to his work. “Here, boy, get me some water.” Wufei ignored the man as he still had work to do and he wasn't a servant. But it wasn't to be that easy. “Hey! I said, get me some water.” Wufei stood up and bowed. “I am not a novice student, nor a servant. Excuse me, I have duties to perform.” “Your duties are what I tell you they are.” The man was getting angry. His fellow students were trying to get him to lay off but he wasn't listening. He was getting ready to push things to another level and Wufei was ready to push back. “My duties are what Yang-Shigung tells me they are. He told me that I'm not a servant. If you want water, get it yourself.” “Now see here, you little shit...” Wufei glared at him, eyes flashing. There was something about this man that bothered him. It came to him when his tormentor opened his mouth again. He reminded Wufei of the guards who'd turned their heads and refused to help him or even acknowledge that there was a problem. Someone had called his type a passive bully. Wufei just sighed. “If you think I'm going to let you bully me, you're wrong. Now, I have things to do.” “I'll have your job.” “You couldn't do it. Let me pass.” Wufei started to walk around the man, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked down on the hand then up into Anderson-Sensi's face. “Got a problem?” “Only if he makes it one.” Wufei stilled under the gently restraining hand. “I see.” He turned to Wufei. “I have to ask ... do you have any skills? I know you didn't sign on as a student but the way you move makes me think you're competent at least.” Wufei made a life changing decision. “I have skills.
I just ... I don't ...” He sighed and rubbed his face. “Well,
let's get this over with. I was hoping to avoid something like this.” Wufei shrugged, turning his head to look at the sputtering junior student. “If that's the sort of students you have, I don't know.” “He's one of the one's that I warned you about. Shigung seems to think that there's something redeemable about him. I don't see it myself. So, bare hand or swords.” “I wouldn't sully a boken with his sweat, never mind a sword.” Wufei smirked at Andersen-sensi. “But you might politely ask someone to set up a few cutting targets. Tamashigiri was always a passion of mine.” The sensi nodded, “You got it. Bare hands, tamashigiri later. Ok.” So Wufei stepped into the middle of the mats and waited, his opponent bowed to the sensi then announced, “I am Jason Phelps. I challenge this person to a match to see whether he is worthy to attend the school.” Wufei snorted then introduced himself to the growing crowd of observers. “I am Chang Wufei. I work here. I clean the dojo, meditation room and tend the inner garden. I am not a student. I reply to the challenge only to please myself.” There was a bit of muttering which quickly stilled when Wufei nodded to Phelps. Phelps bowed grudgingly while Wufei returned it gracefully. Phelps attacked first. Wufei just batted his blow aside with the back of his hand and returned to his defensive position. They stood face to face and stared at each other for a few moments then Phelps tried again. He used a two punch, side kick combination that Wufei could do by the time he was eight. This disgusted him, so he swarmed all over Phelps like a bad rash. He didn't use a fist nor even the edge of his martial arts hardened hand, instead he curled his ring and pinkie fingers into his palm and used his index and middle finger. He tapped Phelps here and there so quickly that he couldn't even begin to block. These taps were over all the nerve nodes on the front of his body. Wufei finished by hopping back nearly three feet from a standing start. “Now, enough. I'm done.” Wufei bowed and started to step off the mats. Phelps had different ideas so he snapped, “Are you ceding the match?” “No, try to move.” When Phelps did, he yelped in pain. Wufei had used pressure points to stiffen all Phelps' muscles like he had heavy cramps. “If I'd hit you any harder, you'd be paralyzed. There are other nodes that could kill you. Excuse me, I have a demonstration to do.” With that Wufei did leave the mats, to the astonishment of the observers. Wufei moved with such dignity that no one felt they had the right to deny him. They all moved into the larger front garden and that was when Wufei realized that most of the students entered from the back of the dojo. The front entry way was actually a temple dedicated to the Shinto religion with a narrow, winding path from the outer gate through the garden and into the temple. There was a sand garden off to one side and in the middle of that a platform that could be seen from every direction. A wide path snaked around the whole of the garden, making it easy to see, without spoiling the looks of the gardens. Wufei noticed that not only were several targets set up but there were several rolled mats ready to replace the rolls he had cut. He wondered which sword he should use. As he started to turn to ask one of the sensi which sword he should use he heard a soft voice near him say, “Please, allow me the honor.” It was Yang-Shigung and he was extending his sword to Wufei. Wufei took the sword with both hands, bowed and said, “The honor is all mine. Thank you, Shigung.” With that, Wufei stepped into the sand garden and walked across it to the platform, mounted it and walked into the middle of the arrangement of targets. He glanced to Martin-sensi, who was standing by, then unsheathed the sword. He handed the saya to Martin-sensi, who took it with a bow and removed it and himself from the stage. Then everyone was shown the skills of The Chang of Chang. Wufei cut the first target low down, then cut the still falling bundle into three pieces with two slashes of the blade. He smiled in a fashion that wasn't reassuring, more like a war face than the face of a peaceful scholar. He turned to the next target and slashed it from top to bottom vertically then horizontally. He continued on in this fashion, showing all the different cuts that comprised one of the most difficult kata's in existence. All in all, he cut nearly three dozen targets, moving from one area of the platform to the other, leaving devastation in his wake. The three men who'd agreed to help set up targets with Martin-sensi scrambled to keep up. Martin-sensi called a halt when they ran out of targets. Wufei blinked, lowered his sword and smiled. “That was nice.” He turned to Yang-Shigung and bowed. He accepted a piece of special oiled paper from Martin-sensi and wiped off the blade, slipped it into the saya and walked back to his employer. He held out the sword with both hands and bowed. “Thank you so much for allowing me to use your personal blade. I am most honored.” “You are most welcome. Come, I want to talk to you.” He took the sword, bowed and turned; he looked over his shoulder once to make sure that Wufei was following him. He was. They knelt on the same zafu as before, during the meeting in which Wufei was hired, and had the same tea. Wufei sipped his tea calmly and waited for his employer to speak. “How did your search for materials turn out?” “All the things I need have been delivered. And, I'm pleased to say, I have access to a complete shop. It seems that, right next door to me, is a foundry and forge complex. I've already taken possession. I would like your permission to take the swords that need work home with me. It will be easier for me to work in my new shop.” “Very well. That was what I wanted to speak to you about. How soon do you think you'll have at least one of them done?” “I can have the two damaged blades done in a week. The only thing wrong with them is the blades need regrinding and polishing. Everything else will take me between three and six weeks each.” Yang-Shigung nodded calmly. “Excellent. Now ... I'm truly sorry about that ... young fool Phelps. He's on the verge of being asked to leave the school. He causes small difficulties and leads some of the ... follower types into discord with the rest of the students. If I had realized exactly who you are, I would have done things differently.” Wufei gasped softly, was the shigung going to ask him to leave? Yang-Shigung smiled gently, as he was sure he knew what Wufei was thinking. “You'll always have a place here, as long as you want one. I might hope that your place would be slightly different now. Martin-sensi wants to start a dojo of his own, in his home town. I find that I am going to be in need of another sensi. I know that you need to keep a job in order to satisfy the terms of your release so it will be a paid position. If you are willing?” Wufei only stopped himself from gaping by drawing on centuries of Chang pride. Instead of gaping, he drew himself up straight, bowed in his most elegant and formal manner then said, “I would be proud and honored, sir. But, due to my level, I am entitled to the honorific of sifu. If you have no objections.” Yang-Shigung tut-tutted softly, “Of course not. If it is not impertinent of me, what is your level.” Wufei graced Yang-Shigung with one of his irritable snorts. “Not at all. I have reached the highest levels in shinkendo, akido, karate, and mixed martial arts. I'm also more than competent with the bo, rope dart, shiriken and several other light weapons as well as with the dao and dadao.” “You seem to be very well rounded.” “I was a scholar.” “Ah.” They sipped tea in silence for a few moments then Yang said, “I hope you might offer all your talents to the dojo.” “Of course.” The result of this was, Wufei's morning classes were very much in demand. And the school hired someone else to clean, although Wufei made all his classes polish the floor as punishment if they did something foolish. They polished the floors a lot the first month. . Wufei checked his computer as he did every morning and evening. He had permanent searches going for information on certain names and ID numbers. He'd finally learned the names of all his tormentors, including the names of the guards who'd either turned a blind eye or participated. He'd just gotten a hit on the head guard. The man was currently in Bulgaria. Wufei decided that it was time for him to take a sick day. This man was one of the six. Wufei would have Justice. So he called in sick, telling the girl who answered the phone that he'd eaten something that had made him ill. She replied that she'd tell the master and make arrangements to get a substitute. He hung up feeling vaguely dissatisfied with himself. He shook it off, packed his war bag and walked to the bus stop a few blocks away. He waited for the bus and thought dismal thoughts. He took the bus to the train station, boarded a train for Bulgaria and settled into his seat. Lorn was about 10 hours away. He was tempted to sleep most of the way but he knew that 10 hours was going to leave him logy and grumpy. He couldn't afford that so he checked for a connection and found that the whole train was 'hot'. He opened his laptop and ran a search on the town to learn what he could. He checked to see if there was a map to his final destination and learned that the address was in an area that had been bombed flat during the wars. The high rise apartment complexes that had risen were identical and sterile. He wasn't impressed with them but their anonymity was going to be helpful. He printed out a paper map, folded it and put it in his pocket. He continued his researching just for something to do. . Heero snarled and pushed away from his desk. “He's on the move.” “Where?” “Bulgaria.” “Well, fuck.” Duo pushed away from his desk too. “What the hell is in Bulgaria?” “I don't know, but I suggest we find out quickly.” “Another target?” “Might be. I'd still like to know how that bomb went off. The detonator was dead.” Duo snorted. “I'd have died of shame if I'd built that thing. I ... No, on second thought, I do not want to know how it got were it was.” “But ... why?” Duo gave Heero a look that made even him shudder. “After all that was done to him, I'm surprised he's not nuttier than he is. Revenge. Revenge served cold as ice.” “Oh, um ... we better go talk to Une.” “Ok. Bet she says to let it go.” Une did, in fact, say to let it go, she also told them that Wufei was carrying out his first assignments. Heero gave her a cold look that left her shuddering slightly. Then he said in a dead voice, “This is not good for him. You will not put pressure on him to join. Understand?” Une nodded, glanced at Duo, who was giving her a similar look then turned to her work, dismissing them with a shrug. This was one of the drawbacks of working with people like Heero and Duo, they took very careful handling. And, like big cats, you dare not show fear. . Wufei had checked his research, found nothing new of interest and turned to email as a time passing activity. The email from Heero simply said, “Mission on. Don't get caught.” Duo's email was a bit odd, only saying, “Go for the gold. Love, Shinigami.” He thought about that for a while, then realized that, while they might not know everything they knew enough. He was going to have words with Une about her sharing habits. Black ops shouldn't be so very ... public. He sat for the rest of the journey, thinking about things he'd rather not have. He couldn't avoid himself so he was stuck. He realized that his Justice was becoming more of an obsession than anything else. And that Une knew what he was doing. She must approve or she'd have called him in and told him to stop. Heero and Duo knew also, he didn't know if they approved or not, but they understood. Now, he wasn't sure if he understood himself. What was he doing? Why? How could he justify taking justice into his own hands. He shook his head. If he didn't get justice for himself, no one else would do it. Who was going to grant Justice to Chang Wufei, loser in the Eve War, convicted war criminal. Who? Other than Chang Wufei. He leaned back in his seat and forced himself into a restless doze. He dozed off and on for several hours then gave it up, he wasn't resting so he might as well be doing something. He decided to find something to read. He wound up reading Lao Tzu. He hadn't read philosophy for years. He read until the train pulled into the station. When the train drew to a full stop, Wufei stood up, gathered his pack and made sure he had everything. He got off the car and walked into the station. It was old fashioned and quite beautiful. He stopped to admire the architecture and gather his wits. If he took a taxi to his destination it could be tracked. If he took a bus, he risked getting lost. He decided to risk getting lost and went to an information kiosk to ask for a map. Map in hand with the location carefully marked by the Information lady, he boarded the correct bus. He knew it was correct because he'd shown the map to the driver. He settled right behind the driver and rode in silence. He was more than ready to get off the shuddering, cold bus when the driver turned and said, in heavily accented English, “Mr. Chang, here you are getting off, yes.” Wufei compared the writing on the street sign to the street name on his print out, they matched so he nodded and handed the man a folded bill before he got off. He was sure the man would remember him, but he was also sure the man wouldn't say anything. Bus drivers weren't supposed to accept tips and the bill was big enough that the driver wouldn't want to lose it. He hopped to the ground and started up the street. It took a while to get the the proper complex then a while longer to find the correct building. It was well after 10pm when he got to his target sight. He buzzed two or three apartments on each floor until someone let him into the foyer, there being no doorman to let him in. This was necessary because the modern design of the building made it impossible to climb the outside. Wufei found the elevator was broken so he had to climb six flights of stairs, not that he'd have used the elevator anyway. But he was disgusted by the building. It was only four years old, but it was already decrepit. The paint was pealing, elevators didn't work, some of the doors showed evident signs of being broken in. And it stank of sewage and urine. Wufei shuddered. He found the apartment and just knocked, as he waited he reached into the pack and took out his side arm. His tanto was stuck in his thigh pocket and he was ready. A weary looking woman opened the door. She stared at him for a moment then one tear welled up in her eyes and dropped to trickle down her cheek. Wufei just looked at her. “You've come to kill him, haven't you.” It was not a question. Wufei continued to look at this woman, frozen. “Just don't do it in front of the kids.” With that she turned and disappeared in the dark hallway across the living room. He stepped into the living room and looked around. His quarry was seated in a lopsided lounge chair just looking at him with a dismal expression on his face. Wufei stared at him for several long moments then just said, “You're a family man. Why?” His quarry didn't insult his intelligence by asking, 'Why what?' instead he just rubbed his face, trying to rub away the sadness. “Because they threatened my son. He was running with a bad crowed and they could get to him. And, in the end, it didn't even save him. He got killed in a drive by six months ago.” Wufei looked at this sad, broken man, shook his head and said, “I was seventeen.” “I thought you were older. My god, you're younger than Lonny.” He looked devastated. Wufei heard a choking sound from the dark hallway. He realized that the woman was standing just out of sight, listening. “Lonny? Who's that? The son who got killed?” The woman stepped out of the hall, holding a little girl about seven. The girl shook her head. “No, Lonny's next brother. He's working. Daddy got no job. He got fireded. Who are you?” “No one important. Just ... a debt collector.” He looked at the woman. “She should be in bed. Don't worry. I think I'll ... take her to bed. Nothing's going to happen.” The woman nodded and turn to take her daughter to bed. The little girl smiled at Wufei over her mother's shoulder and waved good-bye. Wufei turned to his target. “I don't think I'll kill you after all. I think you'll punish yourself more than I ever could.” The man gave a miserable nod. “Just one question. How did you lose your job?” “They found out. I'm facing charges too. I may wind up in your old cell.” Wufei just nodded, turned and left. He felt strangely – annoyed. His journey back was exhausting, he spent part of it doing some different searches to find out how many of his targets were under investigation. If they were being arrested, he would just keep an eye on the proceedings. If they were escaping justice, he would take a hand. He found himself strangely reluctant. After completing his searches, he turned his mind to more pleasant thoughts. He began to plan all the different tasks he needed to do to repair the six swords Yang-Shigung had entrusted to him and also the first sword he was going to forge himself. This sword was going to be made by him, by hand, from saya to blade, from kashiri to tsuka. He fell asleep. ~ * ~ tbc... |
