Goodbye LJ...
Feb. 20th, 2006 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windandwaterThis is just to make it official for those who don't know, but I'm leaving LJ completely. For the rest of this week at least. Tomorrow is the Bar Exam and it runs for three days, so don't expect to see me about at all until Thursday night. Or even until the weekend since I plan on spending Thursday after the Bar drunk and crying. No online time for me at all. *whines* It will be hard, but I know I can do it.
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:11 am (UTC)Duo leaned forward, his blue eyes tinted almost purple by the red light of the fading afternoon. “Half justice is better than none,” he whispered. “And what gives you the right to judge us? Chang Wufei. Scion of your so-proud noble line. The infamous Dragon. Scholar. Murderer.”
Wufei flinched back, as though Duo’s words had been blows. “I am not,” he said hoarsely, “a murderer.”
“Oh?”
The question, with a dozen hidden levels of invitation, hung frozen in the air for a long moment. Duo settled back, a strange look in his eyes. “What do you call the death of Treize Khushrenada, then?”
“Justice.” Wufei’s hand clenched into a fist, as remembered fury returned to him. “For crimes of his own, which he would never have come to trial for...”
He trailed off, and after a long silence Duo prompted him gently. “Why was it justice?” he said, his voice strangely soft.
Wufei looked quickly up at him, as though expecting mockery, but Duo’s face and eyes held unexpected sympathy. Unnerved, Wufei bit out in a surly tone, “What do you care?”
“I care.”
He sounded like he really meant it. Wufei swallowed against an ache in his throat. To tell... the whole damn story, would someone really listen? And what difference did it make now?
It mattered. Suddenly, it mattered very much to Wufei that someone know the tale. It had burned him, like a slow fire in his heart, that none of the men who so loudly called him murderer and outlaw would even be willing to hear -- much less care -- about why he had done what he did. Maybe in the long run it wouldn’t make a difference -- yes, he killed a man, and he was not sorry. But it mattered to Wufei. And maybe, just maybe -- it would matter to Duo, too.
He spoke in soft, even tones, and started from the beginning.
“It is the tradition in my clan that marriages are arranged by the clan elders, at a very young age. I was betrothed at age six. Meiran was only two years old. We grew up... not quite in the same household, but taking the same lessons, playing the same games. As we grew up, we grew closer together; Meiran was the only one who would
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:11 am (UTC)“Once she came of age, at seventeen years old, we were formally bonded. The ceremony was in the spring, just at the equinox. There were flowers everywhere, at the wedding field. Everyone was so happy, the whole clan was out in celebration. I remember Meiran looked glorious in red, she never stopped smiling. She was so beautiful...”
He had to stop for a minute, struggling against his emotions. When he spoke again, his voice had taken on harder tones. “The roads had opened not long before, just cleared enough for travel. Lord Khushrenada was making his rounds at that time, inspecting his territories after the last winter. He came... to our village, that day. I can only guess the crowd, the noise of celebration attracted him. He showed up just as soon as we’d both made our vows.” Wufei swallowed, and looked up at Duo, who was sitting, quietly absorbing this story.
“Have you ever heard of the Prima Nocta?” he asked, a little sharply
Duo frowned, then nodded. “The right of First Night? Yes, I’ve heard of it, but I’m not quite sure what it entails.”
“I’m not surprised you’ve heard of it. It is, after all, a western idea.” Wufei nearly spat the word. “The lord has the right to any woman’s maidenhood, on her wedding night. Lord Khushrenada took one look at Meiran, and invoked that right. I protested, our clan elders protested, but he had guards with him. Sixteen of them. He put her in front of him on his horse... she was still in her wedding dress. And then they rode away.
“For the rest of the afternoon, all that night, and the next morning... there was nothing. But the evening of the second day, one man came riding back. It was Khushrenada’s lieutenant, and he had Meiran’s... body strapped behind him on the saddle. He dumped her at our feet, like a sack of grain. She was covered with bruises, especially on her arms, and...” Wufei’s voice was wavering, and he fought to keep it from breaking. “The man made such filthy comments. I wanted to kill him. I tried to go for him, drag him off his saddle, but my father held me back. He told me there was no use in it, that there was nothing we could do to help Meiran now, except give her a funeral.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:12 am (UTC)“I went to the magistrate first, to report a murder. He would do nothing! He claimed that she must have attacked Treize, committing treason against her lord, and that he killed her in self-defense. Self-defense! One small, unarmed girl against a fully grown man, and all of his fully-armed guards?” His voice wavered between fury and pain, nearly lost again in his memories. “Treason? I would show them treason! Damn them, damn them all, they cared nothing for justice, nothing more than a group of self-serving money-bloated pigs!”
He broke off for a moment, breathing heavily, before resuming his narration in a slightly calmer tone. “I went to Treize’s manor, at Romafeller. He was holding some kind of competition, fencing with swords. Games. The guard at the gate didn’t want to let me in, threatened to cut my head off if I didn’t obey him. I took his sword away from him and killed him.” He frowned at this memory, as though it was something he hadn’t thought about much. “All I could think about was reaching Treize. More guards came to stop me. I killed... I don’t really remember how I did it. I was just so angry...
“I saw the lieutenant there, Treize’s lieutenant. I remember him. I cut his throat. That was when Treize came in, to see what all the clamor was. He saw me -- I don’t think he recognized me at first. I vaguely remember... shouting at him, demanding that he face me... face justice. Daring him to fight me, if he could. I don’t know what I was thinking, I had never been a fighter. I was a scholar. Even Meiran knew more of the martial arts than I did, but all her knowledge had not saved her...
“He must have been thinking that too. He agreed to duel me, like I was just another challenger in his little game. He let me keep the sword I had; it was too long for me, and the blade was rusted. His was in perfect condition, with gems in the handle. I remember the way they sparkled, in the sunlight in the courtyard. He was laughing at me, at the audacious little peasant who dared to confront him...
“And then I killed him.”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:12 am (UTC)“I’m sorry -- about your wife,” Duo offered softly.
Wufei smiled, but bitterly. “I’m sure you are,” he retorted. “But if every one of my clansmen for the next hundred years pooled every coin of their money, we still would not have had enough to buy justice for Treize Khushrenada.”
{Er... should that be “justice for” or “justice from?” or maybe, “justice for Meiran...”}
“Dammit, Wufei, I don’t --” Duo cut himself off, frustration evident in his stressed voice. “Don’t you think I don’t know about the faults in the system, about the innocents that get swept up with the real criminals? I’m not that blind! But the one thing you never seemed to learn, Chang Wufei, is that the real world doesn’t give a damn about justice. Life’s not fair -- in fact, life’s a bitch, and there’s nothing that we can do but swallow it anyway. I don’t have the power to change things.” He scrubbed one hand across his eyes. Wufei realized, with a sudden jolt, that Duo was close to tears.
“Don’t you realize,” he said, and the waver in his voice caught all of Wufei’s attention, “that if I could just let you go, I would? I don’t enjoy condemning innocent men to death. But it’s out of my hands, Wufei! If not me, then another -- those two thugs back in town are some of your better options. Zechs Merquise is a snake-cold bastard with a memory back to his tenth grandfather. He’ll never let you rest.” He inhaled deeply, blinking rapidly, his bright blue eyes made suspiciously brighter. Abruptly, he pushed himself to his feet and turned, pacing a little ways away, then leaning against a tree.
“This wasn’t supposed to ever happen,” he whispered, barely loudly enough for Wufei’s straining ears to catch. “I’m the Shinigami. I have to be. I’m not supposed to have feelings like this, not for a man who should be my prey...”
Wufei’s dark eyes widened, staring at Duo’s back and stiff shoulders. An impossible, crazy hope began to bloom in his heart despite all his protests, a hope mixed with black irony and despair...
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:12 am (UTC)Surprised, perhaps, by the unexpected change of subject, Duo turned and looked at Wufei. “What?”
“What Bella said, about you not liking her because she was female,” Wufei clarified. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Oh... uh...” A blush appeared across Duo’s cheeks, and he dropped his gaze. “Because I didn’t want to frighten you,” he admitted in a small voice, “and I wanted you to like me...”
Wufei let out a slow breath. “I like you, Duo Maxwell.” He managed to push himself to his feet, ignoring the aching protests of his wounds. “I like you a lot.”
He saw Duo blink suddenly, saw the startled emotions running in quick succession across his face before settling into one of mixed joy and skepticism. “Why?”
Wufei’s own mouth twisted, in bitter irony. “Because life is a bitch,” he sighed.
“Ha.” Duo snorted in good humor as he wiped the last of the water from his eyes. “You’re finally learning, Dragon.”
The last of the afternoon had faded into twilight, while they had been talking, and it was rapidly growing darker under the trees. By silent, mutual consent the two travelers had decided there was no point in pressing on after dark, and had managed to put together a fire. As tired as they both were, after the day’s exertions, neither one made any move to pull out the blankets. Instead, they sat and watched the fire -- not on opposite sides, this time, but sitting side by side. Wufei’s back ached, and his legs, and it was difficult for him to find a comfortable position. At last, he leaned against Duo, resting his shoulder against Duo’s black-clad arm. There. That felt comfortable... even... right.
He felt Duo take a deep breath, and start to speak. “Wufei -- I --”
“Don’t talk right now, Duo,” Wufei interrupted him gently. “We’ve talked more than enough for one day.”
It wasn’t quite true; there was so much more that still needed to be said, but his tongue was still tied in knots and he didn’t want to risk saying something he couldn’t take back. Not yet, anyway.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Unexpectedly, Wufei felt Duo bring his arm up behind Wufei’s back, and turned his head to the side just in time for Duo’s lips to reach down and brush against his.
The contact was soft, and tender, and set Wufei’s heart pounding like a rabbit’s. Shocked, he sat up straight, looking Duo eye to eye. “Duo -- what --”
The bounty hunter smiled. “You said, don’t talk, so I had to find another way to communicate.”
“Oh.” Wufei blinked and thought about that for a moment. “Why did you do that, Duo?”
Duo’s smile changed, becoming a little sadder, more wistful. “Because you’re a very beautiful man, Wufei. And because I wanted to kiss you, just once.”
“Just once...?” Wufei breathed. “Oh, don’t think you’re getting away from me that easily --”
Duo’s eyes widened almost comically. “Wha --” Whatever the garrulous man was about to say, though, was cut off as Wufei determinedly leaned in and mimicked Duo’s actions. Duo made a startled, aborted motion to push Wufei off his chest, but instead his hand closed gently on Wufei’s collar, and tugged him closer.
This kiss was much deeper than the first, unbearably sweet and intense. Neither was willing to relinquish the other’s mouth, only breaking off to snatch a quick breath before pressing forward eagerly. Seeking a better angle, Wufei shifted position until his chest was rubbing against Duo’s, sending a warm wash of pleasure through both of their bodies. Gasping into Duo’s mouth, Wufei rubbed himself against Duo again, until both of them were squirming like a pair of kittens in a heap.
Wufei knew what he wanted, even if he couldn’t find coherent words to express it; his hands crept between them, caressing downwards along Duo’s stomach until his fingers were curling under the waistband of Duo’s trousers. Duo gasped, and then jerked away. “No,” he said, although his tone contradicted his words. “Stop, Wufei...”
“Why?” Wufei whispered, stilling his hands but not removing them. “I know what I want.”
“I want it too, Wufei, but dammit... it’s not right. It -- it’s too much like me taking advantage of you.” He grasped Wufei’s wrist and pulled his hand out of Duo’s pants.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Duo bit his lip. “Wufei --”
“No.” Firmly, Wufei replaced his hand on Duo’s chest, pushing the troublesome shirt aside. “Do not deny me this.”
Duo’s resistance wavered, and when Wufei leaned forward and kissed him again -- clearly, the man was a sinfully fast learner, Duo barely managed to form the coherent thought -- it crumbled altogether. With a sigh, he gave in, his hands began to return the favor, sliding under the edges of Wufei’s clothing. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed Wufei down, and lowered himself on top of him -- his Dragon, his lover.
{*cough* No 2x5 lemon from me, I’m afraid... ^^;}
From there it was four days’ journey to Romafeller; every night they made love, and with a late start and a leisurely pace they stretched it to five.
On the last morning, Wufei awoke before Duo, before dawn. Today, he knew, would be the last time he would ever share with Duo, but felt no regret as he lay there and pensively stroked his lover’s hair. He was finding it very hard to regret the past few weeks, at all -- his sullen despondency towards death had been replaced by a calm acceptance. And the last month had been full of new experiences -- he had seen things, and done things, that he never would have seen and done had he stayed in his home village.
Duo still snored on, their limbs entwined. Wufei sighed noiselessly, and leaned down to press his forehead against Duo’s. “If I had one regret,” he whispered, barely a breath of air, “it’s for what I never got to say to Meiran. I cared for her, but I could never have told her what I tell you now. Wo ai ni, Duo Maxwell. I will carry that to my grave and beyond.”
His breath tickled over Duo’s face, and the sleeping man shifted and wrinkled his nose quite adorably, muttering something incomprehensible. Smiling slightly, Wufei settled back down, and watched the light slowly growing in the sky.
“He’s all yours, constable,” Duo drawled, grinning as he made the pronouncement. “The infamous dragon. He’s managed to escape you once, do you suppose you can hang on to him this time?”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Duo bit his lip. “Wufei --”
“No.” Firmly, Wufei replaced his hand on Duo’s chest, pushing the troublesome shirt aside. “Do not deny me this.”
Duo’s resistance wavered, and when Wufei leaned forward and kissed him again -- clearly, the man was a sinfully fast learner, Duo barely managed to form the coherent thought -- it crumbled altogether. With a sigh, he gave in, his hands began to return the favor, sliding under the edges of Wufei’s clothing. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed Wufei down, and lowered himself on top of him -- his Dragon, his lover.
{*cough* No 2x5 lemon from me, I’m afraid... ^^;}
From there it was four days’ journey to Romafeller; every night they made love, and with a late start and a leisurely pace they stretched it to five.
On the last morning, Wufei awoke before Duo, before dawn. Today, he knew, would be the last time he would ever share with Duo, but felt no regret as he lay there and pensively stroked his lover’s hair. He was finding it very hard to regret the past few weeks, at all -- his sullen despondency towards death had been replaced by a calm acceptance. And the last month had been full of new experiences -- he had seen things, and done things, that he never would have seen and done had he stayed in his home village.
Duo still snored on, their limbs entwined. Wufei sighed noiselessly, and leaned down to press his forehead against Duo’s. “If I had one regret,” he whispered, barely a breath of air, “it’s for what I never got to say to Meiran. I cared for her, but I could never have told her what I tell you now. Wo ai ni, Duo Maxwell. I will carry that to my grave and beyond.”
His breath tickled over Duo’s face, and the sleeping man shifted and wrinkled his nose quite adorably, muttering something incomprehensible. Smiling slightly, Wufei settled back down, and watched the light slowly growing in the sky.
“He’s all yours, constable,” Duo drawled, grinning as he made the pronouncement. “The infamous dragon. He’s managed to escape you once, do you suppose you can hang on to him this time?”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Duo’s grin turned sardonic. “I’m not handing over my good chains to you,” he said dryly. “Use your own damn restraints. You’re supposed to be paying me for this, not the other way around. And I do expect to be paid for this, constable -- what’s the holdup?”
“You’ll get your money, bloodhound,” the constable said coldly. He opened the large, flat book he’d been carrying, and pulled out a sheet of paper. Fumbling in his pocket for a piece of charcoal, he jerked his chin towards the guards, who looked rather bored. “Men, take this criminal to the prison and find a cell for him -- a secure one, underground would be best. Move another prisoner if you have to; he’s scheduled for execution in a few days anyway.”
“Am I to have no trial?” Wufei made his voice calm and dry, raising his chin in defiance and catching the constable’s eyes even as the armed guards moved in him. Each guard seized an arm, jostling him, and he wondered that the his pounding heartbeat wasn’t visible in his throat. Say something, Duo, he begged silently. Look at me, Duo...
The constable laughed nastily, scribbling on the paper. “Oh, you’ll get a trial all right. Not that you’ll actually get to attend, for all the good it will do you. Don’t worry, everything will be nice and legal at your hanging.”
Barbarians... Wufei swallowed the seething anger on his tongue, and glanced over at Duo. He looked faintly bored, his attention focused on the constable. “I’m waiting for my pay, constable,” he said, a faintly dangerous tone edging his voice. “And I’d better get all of it. It’s not wise to short-change the Shinigami.”
“Very well,” the constable said wearily. He handed Duo the sheet of paper. “Take this to the paymaster, you’ll get your money.”
Duo nearly snatched the sheet of paper. “I’ve already wasted too much time with this one mark. I’m heading up north to White Falls. I hear they have a problem with bandits.” He glanced at the sum listed on the paper, and grinned. “Always glad doing business with you, constable.” Giving the guards a mocking parody of a salute, he wheeled around, his braid flying out behind him, and started jauntily away.
Wufei stared after him, chest aching inexplicably, he allowed the guards to manhandle him towards the foreboding prison building. Duo never even once looked back.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Had it truly been only two days since he had entered this building? Wufei felt wearily surprised by the realization. It felt like much longer. Underground, indeed; his little cell had exactly two sources of illumination, the torch set into the bracket in the corridor outside, and the feeble sunlight that trickled down a ventilation shaft from high above. Much too narrow a shaft for him to wriggle through, even if the chain on his wrist, attached solidly to the wall, had allowed him more than two or three feet of turning room. Still, he supposed he should be grateful at least for the breath of fresh air and sunlight that made its way down the shaft. There certainly didn’t seem much else to be grateful for.
With a tired sigh, Wufei shifted on the worn padding of the bench, sitting with his legs folded on the bench beside him and his wrists resting on his knees. He’d finished with being angry, and bitter, the the first few hours of his incarceration; by the end of the first night, he was done with being frightened. Now he was resigned, and sought only to go to his death with all the dignity he could muster.
His ‘trial’ had been this morning, so the guards had told him. Wufei decided he was just as grateful he’d been spared having to actually go through with the mockery of justice that such a caricature of a trial would have been. Still, it would have been nice to see the outside world again.
Of course, he’d get to see it again this afternoon. Briefly. Hangings were done in public, so he’d learned, and were considered to be great entertainment by the cityfolk. Disgusting, but it seemed to fit in with the way things were done here in the west. Justice was a farce, and death was an show. All play-acting, here, and no substance to it at all. He could not help but wonder if Duo would be there...
But of course, Duo was gone.
He was trying -- very hard -- not to think about Duo. There had never really been any option of Duo forsaking the law, and fleeing with him into exile. The bounty hunters would have followed them anywhere they could run -- and it would have meant the end of Duo’s livelihood, and most likely his life.
Still --
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Had it truly been only two days since he had entered this building? Wufei felt wearily surprised by the realization. It felt like much longer. Underground, indeed; his little cell had exactly two sources of illumination, the torch set into the bracket in the corridor outside, and the feeble sunlight that trickled down a ventilation shaft from high above. Much too narrow a shaft for him to wriggle through, even if the chain on his wrist, attached solidly to the wall, had allowed him more than two or three feet of turning room. Still, he supposed he should be grateful at least for the breath of fresh air and sunlight that made its way down the shaft. There certainly didn’t seem much else to be grateful for.
With a tired sigh, Wufei shifted on the worn padding of the bench, sitting with his legs folded on the bench beside him and his wrists resting on his knees. He’d finished with being angry, and bitter, the the first few hours of his incarceration; by the end of the first night, he was done with being frightened. Now he was resigned, and sought only to go to his death with all the dignity he could muster.
His ‘trial’ had been this morning, so the guards had told him. Wufei decided he was just as grateful he’d been spared having to actually go through with the mockery of justice that such a caricature of a trial would have been. Still, it would have been nice to see the outside world again.
Of course, he’d get to see it again this afternoon. Briefly. Hangings were done in public, so he’d learned, and were considered to be great entertainment by the cityfolk. Disgusting, but it seemed to fit in with the way things were done here in the west. Justice was a farce, and death was an show. All play-acting, here, and no substance to it at all. He could not help but wonder if Duo would be there...
But of course, Duo was gone.
He was trying -- very hard -- not to think about Duo. There had never really been any option of Duo forsaking the law, and fleeing with him into exile. The bounty hunters would have followed them anywhere they could run -- and it would have meant the end of Duo’s livelihood, and most likely his life.
Still --
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)That last day, he had been like a completely different person. Some encouragement, some kind word from Duo could get Wufei through this nightmare. One word -- one look, for God’s sake! But instead, he ignored him completely, focusing only on the money he would get for hunting Wufei down. Acted like he wasn’t even there, or worse, that he was nothing more than an object. An animal.
Prey.
Had his actions and words to Wufei earlier been genuine? Had it all been some kind of sham? What for? All he needed to get the money was to drag Wufei back into Romafeller. He didn’t need to be Wufei’s friend for that, and he certainly didn’t need to be Wufei’s lover.
Unless, of course, that had just been a side benefit. A little extra pleasure he could get from the prey he was spending so much time with, a young and beautiful man completely at his mercy.
No, dammit! Wufei’s hands clenched into fists, pulling suddenly and sharply at the chain. Duo’s not like that! I was the one who insisted that we sleep together, not him. He never tried to hurt me, he was always kind and decent. Just because he wasn’t willing to trade his life for the prospect of certain death, doesn’t mean he was manipulating and using me the entire time.
Probably, anyway. Wufei dropped his forehead onto his knees. His chest hurt. His throat and eyes, too, were inexplicably aching...
A noise from the corridor outside startled him. Wufei looked up, and hastily forced all emotion out of his face, smoothing it into an expression of blank calmness. So. It’s time.
He was not prepared for the sudden darkness as the torch outside his cell was extinguished, or for the way the steel door was suddenly slammed open. A shadowy figure darted inside, and pushed the almost shut again, although Wufei did not hear the latch fall.
The mysterious shadow darted over to his bench, and Wufei gasped in disbelief as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Duo?!?”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Duo’s own voice was hushed but urgent, and after taking his hand away from Wufei’s face he fumbled with something that clinked metallically. “Damn -- why do they bother having separate locks for every cell, that’s what I want to know! It’s not like every prisoner needs his individual privacy...” Wufei’s manacled wrist was grabbed and lifted, and he felt the metal grate as a key was pushed into it. “Not that one -- not that one...”
“Duo, what is this?” Wufei hissed, quietly this time.
“What do you think it is?” Duo shot back, still trying all the keys in quick succession. “It’s a jailbreak, stupid! You didn’t honestly think I was going to leave you here?”
Wufei sat back, stunned. In less than a minute, not only had all his anguished doubts about Duo evaporated, but all his carefully marshaled preparation for death had gone up in smoke. Hope blossomed in his mind, and more wildly, painfully, in his heart.
Metal grated, and the cold weight on Wufei’s arm fell away. “About time!” Duo grumbled, and then he was pulling Wufei to his feet. Duo pulled something tiny out of his pocket, and squinted at it in the dim light. “D’you think this looks Chinese enough? It was the best I could find. Oh, hell with it, that idiot constable probably couldn’t tell Chinese from Arabic if he was sleeping with one of each.” He dropped the object on the bench, Wufei made an aborted attempt to study it.
“What is that?” he asked as Duo dragged the door open again.
“The pin you used to pick the lock of your manacle, of course. You wouldn’t have keys. Let’s see, no lock on the inside of the door, you probably had to tear off one of the hinges.” From the same pocket he pulled out a hammer and chisel, and, crouching by the door made, short work of mangling the hinges. “There, that’s close enough. Let’s go.”
Wufei scrambled out willingly enough, although he had to grope to find Duo’s hands in the darkness. “Duo, I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he said breathlessly.
“It has to look like you escaped on your own. I can’t be involved at all. If they find out it was me, then they’ll start to wonder about the other three.” Duo seemed to know the way; he pattered down the corridor, turned left at an intersection, and stopped at another door.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Duo’s own voice was hushed but urgent, and after taking his hand away from Wufei’s face he fumbled with something that clinked metallically. “Damn -- why do they bother having separate locks for every cell, that’s what I want to know! It’s not like every prisoner needs his individual privacy...” Wufei’s manacled wrist was grabbed and lifted, and he felt the metal grate as a key was pushed into it. “Not that one -- not that one...”
“Duo, what is this?” Wufei hissed, quietly this time.
“What do you think it is?” Duo shot back, still trying all the keys in quick succession. “It’s a jailbreak, stupid! You didn’t honestly think I was going to leave you here?”
Wufei sat back, stunned. In less than a minute, not only had all his anguished doubts about Duo evaporated, but all his carefully marshaled preparation for death had gone up in smoke. Hope blossomed in his mind, and more wildly, painfully, in his heart.
Metal grated, and the cold weight on Wufei’s arm fell away. “About time!” Duo grumbled, and then he was pulling Wufei to his feet. Duo pulled something tiny out of his pocket, and squinted at it in the dim light. “D’you think this looks Chinese enough? It was the best I could find. Oh, hell with it, that idiot constable probably couldn’t tell Chinese from Arabic if he was sleeping with one of each.” He dropped the object on the bench, Wufei made an aborted attempt to study it.
“What is that?” he asked as Duo dragged the door open again.
“The pin you used to pick the lock of your manacle, of course. You wouldn’t have keys. Let’s see, no lock on the inside of the door, you probably had to tear off one of the hinges.” From the same pocket he pulled out a hammer and chisel, and, crouching by the door made, short work of mangling the hinges. “There, that’s close enough. Let’s go.”
Wufei scrambled out willingly enough, although he had to grope to find Duo’s hands in the darkness. “Duo, I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he said breathlessly.
“It has to look like you escaped on your own. I can’t be involved at all. If they find out it was me, then they’ll start to wonder about the other three.” Duo seemed to know the way; he pattered down the corridor, turned left at an intersection, and stopped at another door.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:13 am (UTC)Out came the mysterious ring of keys, but this time, he seemed to know which one would work, since he wasted no time in unlocking the door and easing it open to reveal a steep dark staircase. “The other three that I brought in and then helped escape, of course.” As soon as they were in the stairwell, he pulled the door closed and locked it behind them. “Careful, Wufei -- the steps get kinda slippery sometimes.”
“Oh, of course!” Wufei had to save his breath for climbing the stairs -- they were, indeed, slippery, and steep as they were it was actually safer to use hands as well as feet. From the sound of Duo’s breathing and cloth scraping over stone, Duo was doing the same.
When they reached a landing, and rested, panting for a minute, Wufei could speak again. “What’s going on?”
Duo sighed, it sounded as much from resignation as from exertion. “We have to wait here awhile anyway,” he said. “When they find your cell empty, the alarm will go up, and for a moment everyone will run downstairs to see if it’s true. That’s when we’ll have to make a break for it.”
“Make a break for what?”
“To the docks. There’s a ship docked there, owned and piloted by some friends of mine. They’ll take you somewhere safe -- the Five Kingdoms, maybe. They’ve never been friendly to Oz.1 “
“But,” Wufei tried to make his mind work properly. “But you said that the bounty hunters would follow me. You said that there was nowhere I could run to that I wouldn’t be branded a criminal --”
“Ah, but that’s the beauty of it!” Wufei couldn’t see Duo’s expression, in the dark, but he could hear the grin of it. “As of your trial and sentencing, this morning, you are no longer a criminal. You’re a dead man in the eyes of the law, and since the law has never particularly cared what happens to dead men, it doesn’t care where you go.” He heard Duo sigh blissfully. “I love bureaucracy.”
“Merquise will still want me dead,” Wufei began uncertainly. “He can still hire...”
“Trust me on this.” Duo sounded amused. “He’s already put a price on your head once. If he tries to do the same thing again, no bounty hunter in the country is going to take him seriously.”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Some of the manic humor faded from Duo’s tone, and he added, low-voiced, “Believe me, Wufei. I know how the system works. Can’t you just trust me?”
Wufei reached out and, taking his hand in the darkness, scooted over until his side was pressed against Duo. He took a deep breath. “I trust you,” he said with certainty. “But I think you owe me an explanation. From the beginning this time.”
“Yeah,” Duo said shakily, and drew in a deep breath. “From the beginning, right. It’s kind of like this.”
And he told Wufei the story he had never told another living soul. About his mother, who had died when he was very young. About his father, a small but scrupulously honest trader, who drew the disfavor of some less moral merchants that he was undercutting. About the magistrate that some merchant had bribed into declaring his father a criminal, and the bloodhound who had run his father down and killed him before eight-year-old Duo’s very eyes. He told Wufei of the seven years he spent as a homeless orphan drifting from town to town on the edge of starvation, and the obsessive desire for revenge that drove him to steal a couple kitchen knives and teach himself how to kill with them. Of teaching himself stealth, and secrecy, and ways of intimidating people twice his size. Of finally returning to Romafeller, only to discover that the object of his revenge had died of syphilus six years before.
“I wanted to go after the magistrate, too, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t beat the system. So I decided to join it, to work from the inside. I thought, if I was a bounty hunter myself, then I could separate the real criminals from the innocent ones, from the ones who are just caught up in some idiot’s power struggle or vendetta.
“In the last five years, I have hunted down twenty-four men. I gave them the same choice I gave to you. I traveled with them, heard their stories, learned about them. I came back three times to take people away from punishments they didn’t deserve. You are the fourth.”
Wufei sat in the darkness, stunned to silence. He heard a shifting sound, and imagined Duo’s blue eyes turned to his face. “You are the twenty-fifth man I’ve put in prison, and the fourth I’ve taken out again. But you’re the only one I truly cared about, and the only one I made love to.”
“Love?” Wufei choked, unable to do more than echo back Duo’s words.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Wufei squeezed Duo’s hand, and gently urged him closer. He felt Duo’s warmth press up against him in the darkness, and felt Duo’s face press against his shoulder. When Duo spoke again, his voice was muffled. “D’you know how hard it was, wanting you, knowing that you saw me as the symbol of everything you hated? As the symbol of everything that I hated? I wanted to tell you the truth, Wufei -- I never lie. I swore to you that I would bring you to Romafeller, and I did. I also swore that you that you would face justice, and I promise you will. But I couldn’t let on what was going to happen, because if that constable had any hint that I cared for you at all, then I never would have been able to free you. I’m sorry for deceiving you. Can -- can you forgive me?”
“I did doubt,” Wufei said softly. “If you forgive me for that, then I can forgive you also -- for saving my life.”
Panicked, angry voices shouted from up ahead somewhere. Duo crouched down low in the blackness, flattening Wufei back against the wall. He kept his head craned out in the darkened corridor, staring down towards where it ended in an ancient wooden door. From a crack under the door, light streamed with quickly growing then fading intensity, as lightbearers passed in front of the door and then went away again without noticing it. Pressing Wufei back against the wall in a silent warning to stay put, Duo crept down the short length of hallway to crouch in front of the door. He stayed there for a moment, listening intensely, before straightening up and pressing his face against the tiny crack between the door and the frame. Whatever he managed to see must have reassured him, because a faint rattling sound reached Wufei’s ears and then light streamed in from the partly open doorway. Duo poked his head out of the entrance, then pulled it back in and beckoned to Wufei with one hand. Wufei scrambled out of his hiding place and joined Duo at the door.
“It’s clear,” Duo reported in a whisper. “For now.” They slipped out into the corridor; Wufei could still hear shouts echoing through the stone corridors. For the
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Once they were out of the jail itself, Wufei began to breathe a little easier, though Duo’s face stayed tense and drawn under his cheerfully reassuring smile. Maybe they weren’t safe, just yet, but at least out in the streets they had room to run, and to fight if they had to. And at least the noise he made would go unnoticed in the busy city.
{This whole escape seems kinda lukewarm to me. :p Think I should add a daring heroic fight scene or two? It might liven things up, but... action just for the sake of action didn’t seem immediately necessary.}
Not until they reached the docks area itself did Duo start to relax. He led Wufei down away from the merchant fleets, from the small army of fishing boats, to a section of the piers with a less reputable air. There was a small, unobtrusive boat moored at the end of a rickety-looking pier that was actually, on closer inspection, made of much sounder wood than first appearances would lead you to believe. Three large dockhands, dressed in poor clothing but surprisingly clean, were loading unmarked crates onto the boats; they looked at Duo and Wufei with suspicious hostility, at first, but Duo said something to them that Wufei could not quite understand and after that they were carefully ignored.
Duo turned to the boat and gave a low whistle; two rather shadowy figures appeared on deck, and Duo waved at them. He turned to Wufei. “Trowa and Quatre sail something of an unmonitored shipping run --” he smiled briefly --”in other words, they’re smugglers, but I don’t think it’s anything you’d disapprove of. Just some things that the authorities don’t like to have out of their control. Like you, for example.”
“And where does this mysterious ship sail to?” Wufei said softly.
Duo shrugged. “Anywhere you want, within reason. Sank, maybe, or the Five Kingdoms, or maybe even Cathay if that’s what you want. You don’t need to pay them, I’ve already worked out an arrangement. Trowa and Quatre are good men, good friends of mine. But they can’t stay in Oz with this cargo in their holds -- so once you cast off, you’re gone.”
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Duo smiled, but Wufei could see his eyes filling up with tears. “Probably not,” he whispered. “I mean, I hope not. As long as you stay away, you’re safe.”
Wufei could find no words, at the moment, that would work past the lump in his throat, but he smiled. He took Duo’s hands in his own, and then reached up to trace the outline of the other man’s face, memorizing the texture of the skin.
Duo forestalled him, by leaning in and capturing Wufei’s lips for a last, heartbreaking kiss. It was still sad and bittersweet, as their loving had always been, but at least now there was hope at the end of it, not the promise of death or betrayal. Wufei pulled Duo into his arms, and felt Duo wrap his own about Wufei’s waist.
When the need for air became too pressing, Wufei reluctantly released Duo’s mouth, but still pressed his body close. Duo nestled his chin on Wufei’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear. “I can’t have regrets either,” he confessed, his breath stirring wisps of Wufei’s fine black hair. “Wo ai ni, Chang Wufei. I’ll carry that with me for all the years of my life and more.”
Shocked, Wufei gripped Duo by the shoulders and pushed him back far enough to stare, disbelieving, into his face. Duo smiled back, his hope and regret and love showing clearly in his eyes. “You were awake?” Wufei demanded, feeling suddenly mortally embarrassed.
Duo laughed shakily. “Yeah,” he admitted, gently reaching up to wipe some traitorous wetness off Wufei’s cheek. “Old habits. How could I sleep when you were awake?”
“You --” Wufei broke off whatever he’d been about to say, and sighed. “Then you know I love you too.”
“Yeah.” Duo looked up at the ship again. “I have to go, you know. I’m supposed to be in White Falls right now.”
“I should go as well.” Reluctantly, Wufei pulled the rest of the way out of Duo’s embrace. “Well, good luck, then.”
Duo’s mouth twisted. “I hate goodbyes,” he admitted.
“Then don’t say goodbye.” Wufei swallowed, trying to work up the courage to ask -- then plunged ahead. “Duo. Won’t you come with me? I don’t want to leave you. I know it’s a lot to ask, for you to give up your life here and your job and to --”
He broke off. Duo was shaking his head. “Does it mean so much to you?” he said in a small voice.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Duo smiled, but Wufei could see his eyes filling up with tears. “Probably not,” he whispered. “I mean, I hope not. As long as you stay away, you’re safe.”
Wufei could find no words, at the moment, that would work past the lump in his throat, but he smiled. He took Duo’s hands in his own, and then reached up to trace the outline of the other man’s face, memorizing the texture of the skin.
Duo forestalled him, by leaning in and capturing Wufei’s lips for a last, heartbreaking kiss. It was still sad and bittersweet, as their loving had always been, but at least now there was hope at the end of it, not the promise of death or betrayal. Wufei pulled Duo into his arms, and felt Duo wrap his own about Wufei’s waist.
When the need for air became too pressing, Wufei reluctantly released Duo’s mouth, but still pressed his body close. Duo nestled his chin on Wufei’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear. “I can’t have regrets either,” he confessed, his breath stirring wisps of Wufei’s fine black hair. “Wo ai ni, Chang Wufei. I’ll carry that with me for all the years of my life and more.”
Shocked, Wufei gripped Duo by the shoulders and pushed him back far enough to stare, disbelieving, into his face. Duo smiled back, his hope and regret and love showing clearly in his eyes. “You were awake?” Wufei demanded, feeling suddenly mortally embarrassed.
Duo laughed shakily. “Yeah,” he admitted, gently reaching up to wipe some traitorous wetness off Wufei’s cheek. “Old habits. How could I sleep when you were awake?”
“You --” Wufei broke off whatever he’d been about to say, and sighed. “Then you know I love you too.”
“Yeah.” Duo looked up at the ship again. “I have to go, you know. I’m supposed to be in White Falls right now.”
“I should go as well.” Reluctantly, Wufei pulled the rest of the way out of Duo’s embrace. “Well, good luck, then.”
Duo’s mouth twisted. “I hate goodbyes,” he admitted.
“Then don’t say goodbye.” Wufei swallowed, trying to work up the courage to ask -- then plunged ahead. “Duo. Won’t you come with me? I don’t want to leave you. I know it’s a lot to ask, for you to give up your life here and your job and to --”
He broke off. Duo was shaking his head. “Does it mean so much to you?” he said in a small voice.
Re: THE DRAGON AS AN OBJECT OF PREY (cont.)
Date: 2006-02-21 10:14 am (UTC)Wufei sighed, his shoulders sagging. “I was afraid you would say that,” he said, defeated. “Duo, you can’t keep this up forever. Sooner or later they’re going to catch you in the act, or some frustrated jail officer is going to put two and two together and realize that all these breakouts have been of your prisoners. What will you do then?”
“What else?” Duo threw his head back and actually laughed. “Visit you in exile, of course.”
“A worthy pair of outlaws,” Wufei said, deadpan.
Duo laughed, then caught his breath, and the humor died. “You know,” he began hesitantly. “There’s -- there is a chance that I might not be able to come to you.”
“All the police in Romafeller aren’t match for the Shinigami,” Wufei said fiercely, and Duo half-smiled.
“Yeah, well -- one of them might get lucky. If --”
Wufei interrupted him. “Then I will return to Oz, hunt down every last one of the dogs, and see that justice is delivered,” he said firmly, “even if I lose my own life doing so.”
“That’s how I know I love you, you know,” Duo sighed. “I didn’t even have to ask.”
~owari~