November 6, 2000
Well - I've gone and done it! I've done a non Heero and Duo fic! Non-yaoi! Het even!
And some of you are probably gonna kill me....*sweatdrops*
Anyway - here's to the odd couples of the world - and please excuse the roughness of this fic. It is going to be under *heavy* revision and reposted in the future, but I'd love some feedback on this! Maybe a prologue to something else, but for now, it's a one-shot with no sequel plans in the future.
Please ignore any timeline inconsistancy's - I've seen everything, but I made a few minor changes, that if redone, it will be expanded on another time, but I think it's fairly close to normal.
Tile: Two Sides
Author: Stormy
Warnings: Het, light angst, sap
Pairings: implied 1x2, possible 5x..D? Eheheh...
Archive: If you want this, ya must be desperate for fics! Frankly, I'm not
happy with it yet - hence the need for heavy revisioning. But take it if you
want.
Onward!
Wufei glared around the room, daring anyone to try and speak to him. He hated these social functions with a passion - hence the reason he never showed up for them. He winced - he was breaking his own rule being there, but both Sally and Quatre had threatened him with bodily harm if he did not show up.
The Preventer Ball was an annual event - meaning it was the first time, Wufei growled internally. Why he had to show, he'd never fully comprehend...
" As one of our top agents, you have a responsibility to show up in support of our fund-raising event," Sally had told him in that no-nonsense tone she had recently adopted when dealing with the stubborn Chinese pilot. Wufei scowled.
" How does my being there help in anyway?" he snapped at her. Sally crossed her arms, staring levelly at him.
" It shows your commitment to our organization," she said. " It shows your dedication, and loyalty to helping us raise the funds needed to outfit our agents with up-to-date resources and materials." She had then leaned forward until she was right in Wufei's face. " You're also going because I'm your boss, and I said so."
Blasted onna!
" Fine, I'll go," he growled. " Are you satisfied yet?"
" Not yet." Sally got quite the speculative gleam in her eye as she coolly appraised Wufei, raking her eyes over him boldly. Wufei tried to blush and scowl at the same time.
" Sally!"
" And you're going to be dressed decently for a change!" she said decidedly. Confused, Wufei glanced down at his spotless, white dress pants and immaculate dark blue tanktop with his white over-jacket.
" What is wrong with my wardrobe, woman?"
" Nothing, my dear Wufei," Sally reassured him blandly in what Wufei decided had to be the most patronizing tone he'd ever heard coming from his superior. " But for this social function, you're going to have to wear something a little more....elegant." Her eyes lit up. " And I've brought in reinforcements."
Wufei had froze when she waved someone in the room. He took in the cream-colored khakis, the pink shirt and the vest. " Kisama...."
" Hi Wufei!" Quatre waved happily. " Sally told me what was up - we'll have you looking ready for that party in no time!"
There was no justice.....
Against Sally, he might have stood a chance. But when she was paired with Quatre.....Wufei knew it was over before it had even begun.
Speaking of which, the blond devil was currently laughing and talking with several important members of state, mingling with them with an easy air that seemed almost second nature to him. Slightly behind him, but never far away, Trowa trailed after his social butterfly of a partner, never letting him get out of sight.
Wufei irritably reached up and tried to loosen his tie, silently vowing revenge against Quatre for making him dress this way - if Nataku could see him, he'd never be worthy of her again. Across the room, he saw Duo and Heero talking with Hilde and her fiancee in front of the punch bowl. Every now and then, the violet-eyed pilot of Deathscythe would sneak a look in Wufei's direction, snicker slightly and wave enthusiastically. Wufei's scowl, if possible, grew even more pronounced. Duo was wearing an open-necked shirt that was both stylish and casual - with no tie. Where was the justice in that?
The tie refused to loosen its stranglehold on the Shenlong pilot's throat and he gave it up as a lost cause, swearing under his breath. A quiet chuckle came from behind him, and he whirled around, eyes shooting daggers at whomsoever would laugh at his misfortune. His eyes widened fractionally as he saw who it was.
" Masaka..."
" Hello Chang Wufei," purred an elegant-sounding voice. Said voice was attached to a young woman with long, golden-blonde hair. And the most familiar eyebrows...
" Dorothy Catalonia."
" I'm pleased you remember my name," Dorothy smiled at the young dragon, one hand languidly holding a long-stemmed wine glass with barely a splash of the beverage within.
" How could I forget the one who stabbed my friend and teammate," Wufei glared at her. Dorothy read his expression, and her own grew even more delighted.
" It was a splendid match, Wufei," she said, lifting one shoulder in an elegant shrug. " And he did accept."
" Hmphf." Wufei scowled and resolutely turned away from her. It did no good. He could feel those forked eyebrows drilling holes into his back.
" Oh come now Wufei - would it really be so hard for you to be sociable?" Dorothy glided up next to him, stopping at the fringe of his vision. Wufei laughed shortly.
" Yes. What reason do I have to be sociable with a backstabbing onna like you?" he growled, swinging his gaze to pin hers in place. " You betrayed the Sanq Kingdom by siding with Zechs - you tried to prolong a war that did nothing but bring death to *thousands* of people, soldiers and civilians alike. Why Relena allows you within sight of the Kingdom is beyond me." He finished up his rant by turning his back on her again, hoping she'd get the hint and leave. Again, no such luck.
He could feel the temperature drop as he sensed her stiffening, muscles growing taut beneath the silky fabric of her ballgown.
" Spare me!" Dorothy spat out, bristling with sudden anger. " You're one to talk about betrayal to me."
Wufei turned back and was surprised to see the vehemence in her blue eyes.
" You sided with Dermail and Mariemaia, the ones who kidnaped your precious Queen and tried to take over the world!" Dorothy set her wineglass down deliberately gently, a remarkable feat as her hands were suddenly shaking. " Before you try to find fault with me, I suggest you take a look in the mirror!"
Wufei could scarcely believe his ears - she *dared* to compare her crimes with his...mistakes?
" I sought justice," he hissed. " I saw Treize's daughter, orphaned because of me, and thought I could repay the blood debt I owed. I thought she was the one, the way to bring peace to myself. Only through battle is a warrior useful - and Mariemaia's cause made me useful. I was confused, I admit that - and I came to my senses. You, on the other hand, KNEW what you were doing from the start."
" And what makes you so sure you know me?" Dorothy asked him acidly. " I never knew you to be a mind reader - you assume the worst of me without bothering to look beneath the surface!"
" You stabbed Quatre!" Wufei snarled. " Weak or no, the boy is a friend of mine, and you tried to kill him!"
" He accepted the challenge I threw before him," corrected Dorothy. " And if you'll notice, the boy is very much alive."
" Thanks to Trowa."
" Thanks to ME! If I had truly wanted to kill Quatre, I would have stabbed his heart, and not his stomach!" Dorothy glared furiously at the Chinese pilot. " All of you think you're so superior - but without those Gundams behind you, you're as human as the rest of us! Yes I love war - I love the fighting, the adrenaline, the logic and power behind it all!"
" Logic?" Wufei asked incredulously. " War is logical to you?"
" Tell me something Chang Wufei," Dorothy said, calming herself somewhat. "We've turned to peaceful ways now. Look to your history - what happens to those who settle their kingdoms?"
" Others will challenge their right to rule," Wufei admitted, wondering where she was going with her train of thought.
" Precisely. Relena Peacecraft, preaching her Pacifism views. She fights Noin and Une on security measures - the Preventers Organization is as close as she'll come to having weaponry at Sanq's disposal. If another organization like the Romefeller Foundation or even Oz resurrected, we'd be helpless!"
" You are speculating," Wufei waved her arguments aside. " Anyone can try to predict what the future has to offer - but how do you know it will happen?"
" How do you know it won't" challenged Dorothy, her eyes lighting up with fire as she and Wufei verbally fenced each other. " If the war had continued, Oz or Romefeller would have won out over Relena's right to rule because of superior fire power. It was only because of you and your Gundams that the Queen is still on her throne."
" How is this a bad thing?" Wufei snapped, frustration starting to wear thin on his nerves.
" Because at least with THEM in charge, it would be secure!" Dorothy shouted. " They know the value of defense, the intelligence in having a full army behind them. Anyone foolish enough to rise up above their fear, would be crushed! Peace would be preserved in a way that's much stronger and more stable then pacifism!"
" Peace through tyranny?" Wufei arched an eyebrow. " That isn't peace Dorothy - that's dictatorship."
" Which works."
" To a point. What would prevent them from being more of a destructive force then the war itself?"
" Zechs had honor," Dorothy said quietly. " I believed in him, believed in his cause. For a brief moment, I believed. Now he's like the rest of you."
" What do you believe in now?"
" Nothing." With that curt response, Dorothy flagged down a passing waiter and snagged another glass of wine. " I will stand on the sidelines and clap and cheer as Relena-sama parades through life with her crown on her head and her head in the clouds. And I will be the first to smile and say I told you so when the peace is shattered. All rule is challenged in the end."
Wufei stared at the miserable blonde, who stood there proudly, flaunting her beliefs, unyielding in her conviction. It was...admirable, the way she, as Maxwell would say, stuck to her guns.
" You have forgotten that I am a member of the Preventers," he said quietly, watching Dorothy turn her eyes his way again. " I am almost insulted at the lack of faith you have in my partner and myself."
" One man against the world, huh?" Dorothy smiled weakly at him. " I doubt I could seriously insult you, Chang Wufei."
" My name, onna, is Wufei." He bowed slightly to her. Dorothy studied him for a moment, a faint hint of mirth dancing at the edge of her lips.
" Weren't we just arguing fit to kill a moment ago?" she asked him gravely. Wufei straightened and nodded.
" Aa, we were. You made some very valid points, Miss Catalonia. Just because I do not agree with them, doesn't mean I ignore them completely." Wufei smiled at her.
Dorothy nodded, amused, and held out her hand. " I see. And please, call me Dorothy."
" As you wish." Wufei shook her hand. A strange sense of mutual respect flowed through them, solidifying them as something resembling friends. Wufei found that his anger at being shanghaied into coming to the Preventer Ball had faded during his verbal exchange, and he held out his arm to the blonde woman.
" Shall we?" he asked, motioning towards the dance floor. Dorothy accepted his arm in a manner befitting her station and they walked towards the swirling couples arm in arm.
Duo looked up from his conversation he and Heero had been having with Hilde and her fiancee, Chad. Duo approved of the soft-spoken young man, wishing the two of them the best of luck. As he looked up, he caught sight of something very strange. He nudged Heero eagerly.
" Hee-chan - look!" Heero followed Duo's pointed finger until it rested on Wufei. Dancing. With Dorothy Catalonia.
" Is that...?"
" Uh-huh!" Duo bounced up and down, trying to get an even better look. " I don't believe it! I wonder what kind of power that girl's got to convince Wu-chan to get on the dance floor?"
" Hn."
" I wonder what they could possibly have in common?" Hilde wondered, her and Chad joining Heero and Duo at trying to spy on the odd couple. " I never saw this coming!"
" Well, they're talking," Duo shrugged. " I bet Wufei's talking her ear off about justice and honor. What else?"
Meanwhile...
" So Dorothy - have you ever used a traditional sword in place of a fencing foil?"
*OWARI*
Whatcha think? Scrap it or save it? Your call - C&C craved. I'll beg if necessary - I left my shame back at the call center with my patience and my temper....
Stormy