~~ Oi! This little ficcie has some self-insertion in it. Just a forewarning. I still don't own Gundam Wing, just the DevAngels and Myself. Hopefully no one hates it, just don't go expecting me to ask forgivness for this!
Oh, yeah, and the title for this fic came from Pearl Jam's Better Man. Just givin' credit where it's due! 0^_~0 ~~
(Stage Three)
I watched for a moment, surprised, as Wufei paused in mid-move and looked around. I glanced around as well, but saw no one. When I looked back to where Wufei had been, he was gone. I tensed when I felt the harsh, heavy gaze upon me from below. I looked down, my loose hair falling foreward, almost into my eyes.
Wufei was staring at me from below, his loose raven hair falling gracefully down his back. I gave him a weak smile to show both embarassment and non-threat.
~~~~~~~**~~~~~~
Wufei watched as Marelle climbed to the lowest branch and drop near soundlessly to the ground. She stood straight, her head bowed in a show of submission. A tiny smile flitted across his face.
"So, do you enjoy watching me going through my Kanatas?" She looked up at him, over the rim of her glasses, surprise flashing in her eyes. She bowed her head, her loose hair rippling with her small nod. "Your own are interesting, as well. And done in a tree? Why ever for?"
Marelle's head snapped up, her eyes wide in a mixture of astonishment and fear. "I just...I, uhm...dammit." She took a deep breath and began again. "It's the best way to focus the mind for me. Fear of falling keeps me balanced well enough to go through the motions of the Choptanas. The discipline isn't enough."
"Choptanas? I didn't see any kind of weapon in your hands, I thought you were just going through motions." Marelle scowled at him and held her fist up for his scrutiney. Wufei noticed she held what appeared to be two ivory chopsticks. "What are they?"
"I don't actually know. I only know how to fight with them, not what they are or their history, but for this pair. Moue-Moue taught me how to fight with them. She told me her cousin looked down on her choice of weapon, but that he didn't really know what weapon she had chosen. She could have told you all about these, she was quite the scholar, took in everything, like..." She trailed off as she noticed the look on Wufei's face. "Chang?"
He snapped out of the trance he was in at the sound of his name. He looked at Marelle sharply and she looked at the ground. He turned away from her and started to walk away. As fast as lightning, his hand grabbed for her arm and drug her with him.
He took her farther from the camp than where he had been practicing. When he decided they were far enough away, he stopped and turned to his captive. Her reddish-blonde hair fell past her shoulders, longer than his, but not as long as Cherish's. Her hazel eyes were wide with something akin to fear in them, but she looked like she was trying to struggle to kill the fear. "Prepare yourself." was the only warning he gave her as he turned away. She nodded and pulled one of the black bands around her wrist to wrap her hair in a low and loose ponytail. She looked up at him and, noting he didn't pull his hair back, changed her mind about the ponytail, pulling the restraint back out and putting back on her wrist.
When Wufei turned back to Marelle, she was in a stance to fight him, her hair tucked behind her ears, yet falling over her shoulders. In her hands she held her 'choptanas', poised and ready for anything. So anything is exactly what Wufei gave her.
~~~~~~~**~~~~~~
Wufei moved towards me without warning. I had no time to anticipate how his katana would strike at me, I merely reacted and struck out at the same time. I was rewarded with a small clinking noise and a curse. I smiled slightly and fell back, waiting for the agressor to attack again. I was not disappointed.
I moved fluidly and rapidly as I had been instructed, blocking every move and parrying with my own. My eyes never left the bare chest of the man before me, allowing me to see where the next strike would come from. Both of us getting hits on the other, but neither of us relenting, we continued until Wufei stopped suddenly. He stood upright and bowed to me, and I mirrored his actions. We both stood bolt upright when the applause hit our ears.
We both spun around, our backs against each other, eyes searching the forest for the source of the applause. I gasped as I spotted the man walking towards us and Wufei spun around to face him, as well, casting a glance at me.
"Well done! I hadn't realized how far you had gotten, both in lessons and from us. Now, come MAJ, I must take you back with me. I.C. is waiting and, I'm sure, getting impatient." I backed away as the man approached. I backed into a tree as he neared Wufei and where I had been. He cast a glance at Wufei, who promply shouted in surprise and fell to the ground.
"It's time to go home. And you're going to come with me, aren't you?" I knew there was fear in my eyes as I tried desperately to become one with the tree at my back. I glanced at Wufei, writhing slightly on the ground.
"No. I'm not going back. Never." I whispered at the man fast approaching me. He laughed. "Never." I repeated.
"Get away from her!" was shouted and a figure bolted out of the forest and tackled the man before me. The two bodies skidded across the floor of the forest, stopping just past Wufei. It was then that I saw the blonde hair.
"NO!" I screamed. But before I could run over to stop him, a hand rested on my arm. I turned and looked up into the green eyes of Trowa. "He'll get hurt!" I exlaimed to the taller man. Trowa wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him.
"No, I doubt he will. I wonder if the man will even be able to get off the ground when Quatre is finished with him. You forget that Quatre used to be, and is, a Gundam Pilot." His hand soothed down my hair and his arms stayed firmly around me as more bodies filled the small clearing.
I heard a faint, feminine "Wufei!" and guessed that it was Cherish, his love. I couldn't move and I couldn't see, Trowa had me turned just so and was holding me firmly but gently, his fingers toying with my hair. There were more sounds of struggle and then a 'SNAP', and I knew someone's neck was broken. I just prayed to whatever God or Goddess would listen that it wasn't Quatre.
A tender hand touched my shoulder and I jumped in Trowa's arms. He chuckled softly and allowed me to turn in his embrace. Before my eyes was a very weary looking Quatre. His aqua eyes shone with worry. "Are you alright, Marelle?" I nodded, not trusting my voice. Then I remembered.
"Wufei!" I squeaked, my cheeks turning red at my own sound.
"I'm here, Marelle. I'm fine." I turned more in Trowa's embrace, since he hadn't deemed it acceptable to release me, and saw Wufei, resting against another tree, Cherish and Fallyn supporting him as best they could. "What was that he did? He looked at me and suddenly I felt like I was bound with a ton of ropes." I groaned and my head fell back against Trowa's chest.
"They're coming for me." Was all I managed to say before the events of the morning exacted their toll and I fell, limply, into darkness.
~~~~~~~**~~~~~~
Trowa reacted quickly, having anticipated this. His arms caught the falling girl as she tried to slide down his body to the ground. He then swept her into his arms and carried her in the direction of their camp, Quatre at his elbow and the others following him closely.
