[Log] Missing him
Characters: AU Chang Wufei, AU Quatre Winner
When: A little after this post.
Where: Om Okto
Summary: Quatre goes to comfort Wufei after her post about Toushiro's absence.
Warnings: None, really
Wufei sat in her bedroom, leaning on the rickety desk and gazing out the window at the Obex in the distance, head on arms. Her hands were improving daily but they still hurt. She didn't feel much like taking a walk today. She didn't feel like doing much of anything at the moment.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Quatre's hesitant voice. "Wufei? It's Quatre.... may I come in?"
Wufei started a little and peered over her shoulder. "Winner? Oh, sure," she sighed. Was it time to change her bandages already?
Quatre pushed the door open, and he was holding the usual armful of medicines and clean bandages, but his purpose this time went much deeper. As he walked into the bedroom, peering around the corner cautiously, the strength of what he felt increased. Quatre could also see a muddy, grayish-brown fog obscuring the bright greens and reds of her aura. However, the blond kept his features neutral as he greeted her.
"Hello, Wufei. Sorry to bother you, but we do need to change your bandages."
"Sure, Winner," she murmured.
He smiled and began his work, not having to think much about it. Quatre had been cleaning her wounds and changing her bandages now for a few weeks, so the movements had become almost automatic. He was far more focused on what he could see and feel from her. Also, there was the matter of treading carefully on what could be dangerous ground.
"Your burns seem to be healing up alright." he told her, "How are they feeling to you?"
"They still hurt, but it's a different sort of pain now," she replied, not really looking at him. "I think it's an improvement."
"I hope so." He regarded her narrowly, but without appearing to. "Your face has almost completely healed...there's just that patch on your cheek, but it's nearly gone now." That had been a sore spot for a long time.
She nodded. "That feels much better."
The blond continued to make quiet small talk, but it was clear enough that he would have to bring up his real reasons for being there very soon. But he didn't know exactly how to begin, and feared hurting her, so he kept stalling. As he finished bandaging her left hand, and went to start on the other, his face pinched slightly with concern. Before he could chicken out again, the words came out.
"I....I heard your message." Quatre told her quietly, staring at her hand, rather than at her.
She stiffened and looked up at him sharply, meeting his eyes for the first time since he arrived. "What--what message?"
His eyes met hers for a moment, but consciousness made him look away again. "Your...your message about Toushiro." Quatre bit his lip.
Wufei frowned. "I thought I screened that. Damn machine! I said that was going to happen! I just knew it!"
"Wufei...it's alright...please..." Quatre took both of her hands gently in his own and held them still, as her anger had made them start to shake. "I...I did have to hack into it....so it wasn't exactly 'open'." Face flushing scarlet, he managed to meet her gaze once more. "I...probably shouldn't have, but....I was worried. You wouldn't have bothered to deal with the PDA in your condition, unless it was something serious."
She dropped her eyes. "It's not serious," she murmured. "I'm being stupid."
Quatre was going to automatically negate this comment, but chomped down on the words, choosing a different tactic. "Why do you think it's stupid?" he asked her quietly.
"Because I should know better," he sighed.
"You should know better than what?" he prodded mildly.
She fixed him with a dark glare a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "He was a friend. Just a friend. But he was everything I admire. And his sword...his sword was a dragon. Did you ever get to see it?" Her eyes trailed to the bed where her Hyorinmaru plushie sat.
"I'm afraid I never did." Quatre ignored the glare, and continued to talk to her in a mild voice. "It must have been very special...he must have been very special." After all, Wufei didn't give out compliments lightly, if ever.
"Yes, I suppose so," she said. "But he wasn't human. I never had any illusions about him...because I'm not stupid," those words were bitter and tasted like a lie. "I'm not a little girl. I don't get crushes. I understand these things."
Quatre couldn't help smiling a bit, inwardly, though it wasn't at her pain. "I never said anything about a crush." Realizing then that he had not finished her right hand, he began to do so. His movements were as soft as his words.
"Did I accuse you?" she asked. "I'm telling you the story. But now that he's vanished, I miss him, and I'm sorry he's gone. That's all. There's nothing deep and complicated about it."
"No. No, there isn't." he shook his head. After a moment, he added, "I never got to meet him.... What was he like?" Besides a genuine interest in someone Wufei thought of so highly, talking about him might help her as well. He hoped it would, anyway.
"He was strong," she replied. "He looked like a boy but he wasn't. He was an amazing swordsman. He was a shinigami, I don't know what that means in his world, but he had a sword, and it was somehow the embodiment of a dragon spirit named Hyorinmaru. Don't ask me to explain. I got to see it when Noin was a dragon, and it was very beautiful."
Quatre listened to this in silence. It was clear to him, even without the help of his 'abilities', that Wufei had fallen pretty hard for Toushiro. He felt badly for her at Toushiro's disappearance; who knew if he would ever return? In this place, it was hard to say. However, there was a certain amount of relief in his heart as well. Quatre knew what a shinigami was, and therefore that Wufei's feelings for him could never have born fruit. At least, not as she was. But he kept this to himself, not sure that telling her what he knew would do any good. It was best to let her have good memories of him, and let it rest.
"Did you ever have a chance to spar with him?" he asked her after a pause.
"Yes," she said, smiling at the memory. "He beat me soundly, but I managed to hold my own well enough."
"I thought you would." Quatre smiled as well. "If you're anything like the Wufei I know." He finished binding her other hand, then went to put a little salve on the side of her face. There was a spot there that was still healing, though it was nearly done. "How did you and Miss Noin end up meeting him? Was it because she was a dragon?"
"Yes. Noin crashed when she was cuffed for flying too high, and he helped me move her." She sighed. "I'm not a fool. I know he wasn't human. I'm not a little girl," she repeated like a mantra. "I understand how things were. But..." she pressed her arm to her eyes a moment. "Maybe I'm not as strong as I think I am."
Quatre pulled his hands back from her face as she did this, and watched her with a look of deep concern. He could feel, and see, the turmoil of emotion that writhed like an angry dragon around her. Clouds of gray dimmed the verdant green, and the strands of orange and red. As if to chase them away somehow, he placed one hand on her shoulder. "You're stronger than me." He murmured quietly, truthfully.
She lowered her arm and looked up at him, lips twitching. "You think so, Winner?"
"I do." he replied, no hint of irony in his voice. "But you're human, too. If you didn't feel, I wouldn't think you were strong at all."
"It isn't the feeling," she sighed. "It's...it's listening to that foolish part of me that wanted to act on those feelings."
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Quatre looked down for a moment, "...because now it's hurting you." His teeth clenched as anger began to move about in his chest. "This place....."
"Don't look like that, Winner," said Wufei with surprising softness. "I'll manage. I've survived far worse, I assure you."
"I know you will." He replied, looking up at her again. Aside from the muscle that twitched in his jaw, there was no outward trace of what he felt inside. That emotion would never fully leave him, not while he was stuck in this place, watching his friends get hurt. "And I know you've been through a lot, even before you came here." That's what made this so much worse. It wasn't just the pain of 'unrequited love'. The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently. Quatre kept feeling the urge to pull her into a hug, but kept himself in check. he didn't want to upset her more.
Now it was her turn to lower her eyes. "I have, but I've always been strong enough to continue on. More than anything, I just hope he's all right. I just hope..." Her sigh was tremulous. She shouldn't let her emotions overwhelm her like this!
Quatre bit his lip, wanting to do what he could to help, but didn't know what was best. Rather than say anything, he applied the gentlest amount of pressure to her shoulder, as if to guide her forward into an embrace if she wanted. He could feel all the pent-up emotion inside her, ready to burst forth.
She felt the pressure, his silent offer to hug her, and normally she would blow him off, tell him to go find someone else to hug, but, at the moment, in this place, everything was different, she leaned forward to rest her face on his shoulder. "He said...he wanted to split open the sky," she murmured.
Gently, he brought his arms around her, letting her know it was alright if she wanted to cry, or remain silent herself. He would talk, or remain silent, whatever she needed.
When was the last time anyone had hugged her? She couldn't even remember. "I hope he's all right," she sighed. She didn't really feel like bawling her eyes out, but just for a moment, she could let herself wallow and be comforted just a little.
"I'm sure he is." Quatre told her, rubbing her back a little. "If he's strong enough to earn your respect." He could feel the tension easing somewhat, and the gray cloud wasn't as strong. At least he was helping, even if it was a little bit.
Wufei took a shuddering breath. "Thanks for saying so..."
Quatre just nodded. They had tied her hair back and away from her face the first time they changed her bandages, but several strands were loose, and fell across her slender neck. He reached up to smooth them away, taking a mental note to ask her later on if she wanted her hair re-tied.
"Did he tell you about his world?" Quatre asked her, after a long silence. It was best if she could remember and linger on the good things.
"No," she murmured. "He didn't talk much at all. But...he would complain when I complimented Hyorinmaru. He said it was fine for me to say he was beautiful, because I didn't have to listen to him preen," she sniffed a shaky laugh. "But I always got the impression it pleased him, as well..."
"He must have cared greatly for his sword." Quatre smiled quietly. "Did the dragon in the sword talk, then?"
"Only to him," she replied quietly.
"Did he call on the dragon to talk to Miss Noin?"
"To move her," Wufei replied. "We couldn't on our own," She leaned a little more heavily on his shoulder. "He didn't want any thanks."
Quatre smiled a little at this description; it sounded very much like Wufei. "It was very kind of him to help you...both of you. I'm glad he did." He couldn't help reflecting with some shame on his own conduct, hiding himself away when he might have helped them himself. After all, his strength had been increased with his own transformation. It would have been enough. He shook his head. "Did Toushiro see you and come to help? You were on the roof...but then, I suppose Mss Noin was hard to miss." He had seen her up there himself from the ground.
Wufei sighed. "By the time he found us she was on the ground. I was feeling...somewhat responsible for her at the time and didn't want to leave her; I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't come. "
"I'm glad he did." Quatre hesitated, curious about how Noin had gotten on the ground in the first place, but thought better of it. "And he summoned his dragon to lift her?" As Wufei leaned into him, he held her a bit more tightly, though his arms were gentle. He couldn't crane his neck far enough to look at her, so he settled for resting one cheek lightly on the top of her head, so lightly that he seemed to be feeling her out, to see by her movements if it was alright. Just another phase in the embrace.
Wufei sighed and let Quatre hug her tighter. "Yes," she replied. She closed her eyes. "You're right," she murmured. "It's this place. It makes us weak."
Quatre just held her for a moment and turned these words over in his mind. In a way, perhaps it was true, but that couldn't be the end of the matter...could it? They were suffering...all of them.... But they had suffered at home. Did that make them weak? Or was it just not being able to change anything?
"...and I will make weak things become strong unto them..." he found himself murmuring, before he was even aware. It was an old saying of Rashid's, taken from scripture. At least, he supposed so. He had never actually picked up the Qur'an himself... But it seemed to fit, somehow, just like the Chinese mantras he had learned from Wufei. 'His' Wufei. What would he have done in this place? All Quatre could do was hold the girl in his arms and stroke her hair gently.
"What happened to us? I know you aren't from my universe but I can see my fellow pilots in all of you, and it's...distressing to see us like this. Are we falling apart? Or does it just feel that way at the moment?"
Quatre bit his lip, not exactly knowing the answer at the moment, but not wanting to say so. He was SUPPOSED to be comforting her, and giving some assurance that everything would be alright. Would it? He didn't know himself. Quatre closed his large eyes. Even though she couldn't really see his face, he didn't want her to catch what was in his eyes at the moment. She was already worried about them enough; she didn't need more to be worried about.
"We're used to fighting against tough odds." he murmured at last, slowly. "And we've survived this far. Even here, we seem to have good times mixed in with the bad... "
"Hmm. Perhaps it'll be better when I can do more," she said. "And occupy myself. Right now there's nothing to do but dwell on the negative." Like how much she missed Toushiro and worried about her fellow pilots.
Quatre nodded a little against the top of her head. "I know it's helped Heero to be able to 'do' things...even if it's just fixing things around the apartment." He stroked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. "You'll be back to yourself again, soon. And when you're ready, I'd like to ask a favor."
Heero. He had looked so defeated last she saw him. The girl she had known was so solid, so strong...this boy was... Well, like all of them, really. But Quatre's words made her frown some. "What favor?" she asked.
"When you can....I want to train with you..." His lips curled upward slightly, "If you could stand having me as your pupil."
Wufei pulled away just a little to peer at him. "Train with me?" she asked.
Quatre nodded. He still had his arms around her, but they would easily part if she wanted them to. "Tim has been teaching me how to use the bo-staff, but I also want to learn hand-fighting and defense. And....how to use a Chinese-style sword." Quatre did want to do all of this, but he had an ulterior motive. If Wufei had something to focus on, that might help her as well.
"I don't know," she said slowly, but there was amusement in her voice. "Are you sure you can handle a broadsword?"
"There's only one way to find out." he smiled a bit more. The idea seemed to have taken.
She nodded. "Well, fine, Winner. We can give it a try."
"I really appreciate it." He smiled. Unconsciously, one hand reached out to brush the hair out of her eyes. "You're really incredible with a sword."
She smiled and leaned into his touch unconsciously. "Yes, and the skill is quite useful against giant orbs of energy."
"It must be, if it can help me survive an attack." He smiled back, allowing his hand to linger at her cheek. "And giant orbs of energy aren't the only enemies we have to face." Wufei's calm radiated through his fingers, and her skin was warm, and very soft. His own feelings of peace flowed through his fingers, and back to her. She would be able to feel it- a gentle, bright sensation, like sunlight through a thin, white curtain.
"I suppose," she murmured, feeling her mood lighten some. It was peaceful here with him at the moment.
Quatre stayed exactly as he was, holding the connection between them and allowing it to feed both. It made him happy, very happy, to be helping her, and to see her at peace. Even if it was only for a moment, such a simple thing would provide strength for the future.
"Thanks, Winner," she sighed after a few long moments of silence.
A golden ray of sunlight beamed then through the window to one side, melting through the jagged, gray clouds and illuminating the room for a few moments. In this light, Wufei looked almost healthy again, and her large, dark eyes shone with a veiled intensity that Quatre both recognized, and was seeing for the first time. The eyes were just like the ones he knew back home, but then they weren't. Somehow, they were different.
He shook himself a bit and brought his hand down very slowly, allowing the moment to pass. "You're welcome, Wufei." Quatre replied, smiling gently. There was a tiny pause, in which he realized he had nothing else to do that he could think of, so he added, "Is there anything you'd like to do now? Like take a walk?"
Wufei smiled and chuckled quietly. "A little later," she sighed. "I think I'd like to rest right now. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
Quatre regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "I might be able to help you with that." he offered, tilting his head very slightly to one side.
She quirked an eyebrow at that. "Now see, the Winner from my world, he would have said the same thing, but meant something completely different."
Quatre's eyes widened slightly, not quite understanding what she meant, then flushed to the ears once he did. "I....I didn't mean it like that..." he mumbled, deeply ashamed for his other self.
Wufei smirked, amused by his reaction. "I know you didn't. But you've already helped. I am feeling better."
"Alright." he nodded slowly, half wanting to insist on his point. He repressed the impulse, and gathered his things quietly. Of course, it still continued to niggle, and he couldn't help asking, "Are you sure?" as he stood up. He didn't want to push, but also didn't want to leave quite yet. He wasn't sure why...
"What's the matter?" she asked him.
He smiled sheepishly. "I'm worrying too much again...." Gathering his things up, and smiling softly at her, he continued. "I don't want to wear out my welcome."
"Don't act like a fool and you won't," she said. "If you want to stay a while you can," she told him.
Inwardly, Quatre grimaced, feeling like he WAS acting like a fool. He seemed to dither a bit, but made up his mind and just shook his head. "You need to rest. But if it's ok..." a tiny pause, "...I'd like to bring you to the roof sometime to look at the stars. It's warm enough now…and maybe Brooklyn will be there, too."
"I would like that," she said quietly.
He stood where he was, and smiled at her without saying anything. Then, recollecting himself, made a soft goodbye, exiting without another sound.
Wufei started to get into bed then suddenly leaped up and ran to the doorway. "Quatre!" she called. "Thank you. You're stronger than you let on, you know." She turned away without waiting for an answer and went to curl up and get some much-needed rest.
Quatre stopped in the living-room as she called out to him. Though he didn't turn, and his steps resumed the next moment, there was a curious kind of smile on his face.
When: A little after this post.
Where: Om Okto
Summary: Quatre goes to comfort Wufei after her post about Toushiro's absence.
Warnings: None, really
Wufei sat in her bedroom, leaning on the rickety desk and gazing out the window at the Obex in the distance, head on arms. Her hands were improving daily but they still hurt. She didn't feel much like taking a walk today. She didn't feel like doing much of anything at the moment.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Quatre's hesitant voice. "Wufei? It's Quatre.... may I come in?"
Wufei started a little and peered over her shoulder. "Winner? Oh, sure," she sighed. Was it time to change her bandages already?
Quatre pushed the door open, and he was holding the usual armful of medicines and clean bandages, but his purpose this time went much deeper. As he walked into the bedroom, peering around the corner cautiously, the strength of what he felt increased. Quatre could also see a muddy, grayish-brown fog obscuring the bright greens and reds of her aura. However, the blond kept his features neutral as he greeted her.
"Hello, Wufei. Sorry to bother you, but we do need to change your bandages."
"Sure, Winner," she murmured.
He smiled and began his work, not having to think much about it. Quatre had been cleaning her wounds and changing her bandages now for a few weeks, so the movements had become almost automatic. He was far more focused on what he could see and feel from her. Also, there was the matter of treading carefully on what could be dangerous ground.
"Your burns seem to be healing up alright." he told her, "How are they feeling to you?"
"They still hurt, but it's a different sort of pain now," she replied, not really looking at him. "I think it's an improvement."
"I hope so." He regarded her narrowly, but without appearing to. "Your face has almost completely healed...there's just that patch on your cheek, but it's nearly gone now." That had been a sore spot for a long time.
She nodded. "That feels much better."
The blond continued to make quiet small talk, but it was clear enough that he would have to bring up his real reasons for being there very soon. But he didn't know exactly how to begin, and feared hurting her, so he kept stalling. As he finished bandaging her left hand, and went to start on the other, his face pinched slightly with concern. Before he could chicken out again, the words came out.
"I....I heard your message." Quatre told her quietly, staring at her hand, rather than at her.
She stiffened and looked up at him sharply, meeting his eyes for the first time since he arrived. "What--what message?"
His eyes met hers for a moment, but consciousness made him look away again. "Your...your message about Toushiro." Quatre bit his lip.
Wufei frowned. "I thought I screened that. Damn machine! I said that was going to happen! I just knew it!"
"Wufei...it's alright...please..." Quatre took both of her hands gently in his own and held them still, as her anger had made them start to shake. "I...I did have to hack into it....so it wasn't exactly 'open'." Face flushing scarlet, he managed to meet her gaze once more. "I...probably shouldn't have, but....I was worried. You wouldn't have bothered to deal with the PDA in your condition, unless it was something serious."
She dropped her eyes. "It's not serious," she murmured. "I'm being stupid."
Quatre was going to automatically negate this comment, but chomped down on the words, choosing a different tactic. "Why do you think it's stupid?" he asked her quietly.
"Because I should know better," he sighed.
"You should know better than what?" he prodded mildly.
She fixed him with a dark glare a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "He was a friend. Just a friend. But he was everything I admire. And his sword...his sword was a dragon. Did you ever get to see it?" Her eyes trailed to the bed where her Hyorinmaru plushie sat.
"I'm afraid I never did." Quatre ignored the glare, and continued to talk to her in a mild voice. "It must have been very special...he must have been very special." After all, Wufei didn't give out compliments lightly, if ever.
"Yes, I suppose so," she said. "But he wasn't human. I never had any illusions about him...because I'm not stupid," those words were bitter and tasted like a lie. "I'm not a little girl. I don't get crushes. I understand these things."
Quatre couldn't help smiling a bit, inwardly, though it wasn't at her pain. "I never said anything about a crush." Realizing then that he had not finished her right hand, he began to do so. His movements were as soft as his words.
"Did I accuse you?" she asked. "I'm telling you the story. But now that he's vanished, I miss him, and I'm sorry he's gone. That's all. There's nothing deep and complicated about it."
"No. No, there isn't." he shook his head. After a moment, he added, "I never got to meet him.... What was he like?" Besides a genuine interest in someone Wufei thought of so highly, talking about him might help her as well. He hoped it would, anyway.
"He was strong," she replied. "He looked like a boy but he wasn't. He was an amazing swordsman. He was a shinigami, I don't know what that means in his world, but he had a sword, and it was somehow the embodiment of a dragon spirit named Hyorinmaru. Don't ask me to explain. I got to see it when Noin was a dragon, and it was very beautiful."
Quatre listened to this in silence. It was clear to him, even without the help of his 'abilities', that Wufei had fallen pretty hard for Toushiro. He felt badly for her at Toushiro's disappearance; who knew if he would ever return? In this place, it was hard to say. However, there was a certain amount of relief in his heart as well. Quatre knew what a shinigami was, and therefore that Wufei's feelings for him could never have born fruit. At least, not as she was. But he kept this to himself, not sure that telling her what he knew would do any good. It was best to let her have good memories of him, and let it rest.
"Did you ever have a chance to spar with him?" he asked her after a pause.
"Yes," she said, smiling at the memory. "He beat me soundly, but I managed to hold my own well enough."
"I thought you would." Quatre smiled as well. "If you're anything like the Wufei I know." He finished binding her other hand, then went to put a little salve on the side of her face. There was a spot there that was still healing, though it was nearly done. "How did you and Miss Noin end up meeting him? Was it because she was a dragon?"
"Yes. Noin crashed when she was cuffed for flying too high, and he helped me move her." She sighed. "I'm not a fool. I know he wasn't human. I'm not a little girl," she repeated like a mantra. "I understand how things were. But..." she pressed her arm to her eyes a moment. "Maybe I'm not as strong as I think I am."
Quatre pulled his hands back from her face as she did this, and watched her with a look of deep concern. He could feel, and see, the turmoil of emotion that writhed like an angry dragon around her. Clouds of gray dimmed the verdant green, and the strands of orange and red. As if to chase them away somehow, he placed one hand on her shoulder. "You're stronger than me." He murmured quietly, truthfully.
She lowered her arm and looked up at him, lips twitching. "You think so, Winner?"
"I do." he replied, no hint of irony in his voice. "But you're human, too. If you didn't feel, I wouldn't think you were strong at all."
"It isn't the feeling," she sighed. "It's...it's listening to that foolish part of me that wanted to act on those feelings."
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Quatre looked down for a moment, "...because now it's hurting you." His teeth clenched as anger began to move about in his chest. "This place....."
"Don't look like that, Winner," said Wufei with surprising softness. "I'll manage. I've survived far worse, I assure you."
"I know you will." He replied, looking up at her again. Aside from the muscle that twitched in his jaw, there was no outward trace of what he felt inside. That emotion would never fully leave him, not while he was stuck in this place, watching his friends get hurt. "And I know you've been through a lot, even before you came here." That's what made this so much worse. It wasn't just the pain of 'unrequited love'. The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently. Quatre kept feeling the urge to pull her into a hug, but kept himself in check. he didn't want to upset her more.
Now it was her turn to lower her eyes. "I have, but I've always been strong enough to continue on. More than anything, I just hope he's all right. I just hope..." Her sigh was tremulous. She shouldn't let her emotions overwhelm her like this!
Quatre bit his lip, wanting to do what he could to help, but didn't know what was best. Rather than say anything, he applied the gentlest amount of pressure to her shoulder, as if to guide her forward into an embrace if she wanted. He could feel all the pent-up emotion inside her, ready to burst forth.
She felt the pressure, his silent offer to hug her, and normally she would blow him off, tell him to go find someone else to hug, but, at the moment, in this place, everything was different, she leaned forward to rest her face on his shoulder. "He said...he wanted to split open the sky," she murmured.
Gently, he brought his arms around her, letting her know it was alright if she wanted to cry, or remain silent herself. He would talk, or remain silent, whatever she needed.
When was the last time anyone had hugged her? She couldn't even remember. "I hope he's all right," she sighed. She didn't really feel like bawling her eyes out, but just for a moment, she could let herself wallow and be comforted just a little.
"I'm sure he is." Quatre told her, rubbing her back a little. "If he's strong enough to earn your respect." He could feel the tension easing somewhat, and the gray cloud wasn't as strong. At least he was helping, even if it was a little bit.
Wufei took a shuddering breath. "Thanks for saying so..."
Quatre just nodded. They had tied her hair back and away from her face the first time they changed her bandages, but several strands were loose, and fell across her slender neck. He reached up to smooth them away, taking a mental note to ask her later on if she wanted her hair re-tied.
"Did he tell you about his world?" Quatre asked her, after a long silence. It was best if she could remember and linger on the good things.
"No," she murmured. "He didn't talk much at all. But...he would complain when I complimented Hyorinmaru. He said it was fine for me to say he was beautiful, because I didn't have to listen to him preen," she sniffed a shaky laugh. "But I always got the impression it pleased him, as well..."
"He must have cared greatly for his sword." Quatre smiled quietly. "Did the dragon in the sword talk, then?"
"Only to him," she replied quietly.
"Did he call on the dragon to talk to Miss Noin?"
"To move her," Wufei replied. "We couldn't on our own," She leaned a little more heavily on his shoulder. "He didn't want any thanks."
Quatre smiled a little at this description; it sounded very much like Wufei. "It was very kind of him to help you...both of you. I'm glad he did." He couldn't help reflecting with some shame on his own conduct, hiding himself away when he might have helped them himself. After all, his strength had been increased with his own transformation. It would have been enough. He shook his head. "Did Toushiro see you and come to help? You were on the roof...but then, I suppose Mss Noin was hard to miss." He had seen her up there himself from the ground.
Wufei sighed. "By the time he found us she was on the ground. I was feeling...somewhat responsible for her at the time and didn't want to leave her; I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't come. "
"I'm glad he did." Quatre hesitated, curious about how Noin had gotten on the ground in the first place, but thought better of it. "And he summoned his dragon to lift her?" As Wufei leaned into him, he held her a bit more tightly, though his arms were gentle. He couldn't crane his neck far enough to look at her, so he settled for resting one cheek lightly on the top of her head, so lightly that he seemed to be feeling her out, to see by her movements if it was alright. Just another phase in the embrace.
Wufei sighed and let Quatre hug her tighter. "Yes," she replied. She closed her eyes. "You're right," she murmured. "It's this place. It makes us weak."
Quatre just held her for a moment and turned these words over in his mind. In a way, perhaps it was true, but that couldn't be the end of the matter...could it? They were suffering...all of them.... But they had suffered at home. Did that make them weak? Or was it just not being able to change anything?
"...and I will make weak things become strong unto them..." he found himself murmuring, before he was even aware. It was an old saying of Rashid's, taken from scripture. At least, he supposed so. He had never actually picked up the Qur'an himself... But it seemed to fit, somehow, just like the Chinese mantras he had learned from Wufei. 'His' Wufei. What would he have done in this place? All Quatre could do was hold the girl in his arms and stroke her hair gently.
"What happened to us? I know you aren't from my universe but I can see my fellow pilots in all of you, and it's...distressing to see us like this. Are we falling apart? Or does it just feel that way at the moment?"
Quatre bit his lip, not exactly knowing the answer at the moment, but not wanting to say so. He was SUPPOSED to be comforting her, and giving some assurance that everything would be alright. Would it? He didn't know himself. Quatre closed his large eyes. Even though she couldn't really see his face, he didn't want her to catch what was in his eyes at the moment. She was already worried about them enough; she didn't need more to be worried about.
"We're used to fighting against tough odds." he murmured at last, slowly. "And we've survived this far. Even here, we seem to have good times mixed in with the bad... "
"Hmm. Perhaps it'll be better when I can do more," she said. "And occupy myself. Right now there's nothing to do but dwell on the negative." Like how much she missed Toushiro and worried about her fellow pilots.
Quatre nodded a little against the top of her head. "I know it's helped Heero to be able to 'do' things...even if it's just fixing things around the apartment." He stroked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. "You'll be back to yourself again, soon. And when you're ready, I'd like to ask a favor."
Heero. He had looked so defeated last she saw him. The girl she had known was so solid, so strong...this boy was... Well, like all of them, really. But Quatre's words made her frown some. "What favor?" she asked.
"When you can....I want to train with you..." His lips curled upward slightly, "If you could stand having me as your pupil."
Wufei pulled away just a little to peer at him. "Train with me?" she asked.
Quatre nodded. He still had his arms around her, but they would easily part if she wanted them to. "Tim has been teaching me how to use the bo-staff, but I also want to learn hand-fighting and defense. And....how to use a Chinese-style sword." Quatre did want to do all of this, but he had an ulterior motive. If Wufei had something to focus on, that might help her as well.
"I don't know," she said slowly, but there was amusement in her voice. "Are you sure you can handle a broadsword?"
"There's only one way to find out." he smiled a bit more. The idea seemed to have taken.
She nodded. "Well, fine, Winner. We can give it a try."
"I really appreciate it." He smiled. Unconsciously, one hand reached out to brush the hair out of her eyes. "You're really incredible with a sword."
She smiled and leaned into his touch unconsciously. "Yes, and the skill is quite useful against giant orbs of energy."
"It must be, if it can help me survive an attack." He smiled back, allowing his hand to linger at her cheek. "And giant orbs of energy aren't the only enemies we have to face." Wufei's calm radiated through his fingers, and her skin was warm, and very soft. His own feelings of peace flowed through his fingers, and back to her. She would be able to feel it- a gentle, bright sensation, like sunlight through a thin, white curtain.
"I suppose," she murmured, feeling her mood lighten some. It was peaceful here with him at the moment.
Quatre stayed exactly as he was, holding the connection between them and allowing it to feed both. It made him happy, very happy, to be helping her, and to see her at peace. Even if it was only for a moment, such a simple thing would provide strength for the future.
"Thanks, Winner," she sighed after a few long moments of silence.
A golden ray of sunlight beamed then through the window to one side, melting through the jagged, gray clouds and illuminating the room for a few moments. In this light, Wufei looked almost healthy again, and her large, dark eyes shone with a veiled intensity that Quatre both recognized, and was seeing for the first time. The eyes were just like the ones he knew back home, but then they weren't. Somehow, they were different.
He shook himself a bit and brought his hand down very slowly, allowing the moment to pass. "You're welcome, Wufei." Quatre replied, smiling gently. There was a tiny pause, in which he realized he had nothing else to do that he could think of, so he added, "Is there anything you'd like to do now? Like take a walk?"
Wufei smiled and chuckled quietly. "A little later," she sighed. "I think I'd like to rest right now. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
Quatre regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "I might be able to help you with that." he offered, tilting his head very slightly to one side.
She quirked an eyebrow at that. "Now see, the Winner from my world, he would have said the same thing, but meant something completely different."
Quatre's eyes widened slightly, not quite understanding what she meant, then flushed to the ears once he did. "I....I didn't mean it like that..." he mumbled, deeply ashamed for his other self.
Wufei smirked, amused by his reaction. "I know you didn't. But you've already helped. I am feeling better."
"Alright." he nodded slowly, half wanting to insist on his point. He repressed the impulse, and gathered his things quietly. Of course, it still continued to niggle, and he couldn't help asking, "Are you sure?" as he stood up. He didn't want to push, but also didn't want to leave quite yet. He wasn't sure why...
"What's the matter?" she asked him.
He smiled sheepishly. "I'm worrying too much again...." Gathering his things up, and smiling softly at her, he continued. "I don't want to wear out my welcome."
"Don't act like a fool and you won't," she said. "If you want to stay a while you can," she told him.
Inwardly, Quatre grimaced, feeling like he WAS acting like a fool. He seemed to dither a bit, but made up his mind and just shook his head. "You need to rest. But if it's ok..." a tiny pause, "...I'd like to bring you to the roof sometime to look at the stars. It's warm enough now…and maybe Brooklyn will be there, too."
"I would like that," she said quietly.
He stood where he was, and smiled at her without saying anything. Then, recollecting himself, made a soft goodbye, exiting without another sound.
Wufei started to get into bed then suddenly leaped up and ran to the doorway. "Quatre!" she called. "Thank you. You're stronger than you let on, you know." She turned away without waiting for an answer and went to curl up and get some much-needed rest.
Quatre stopped in the living-room as she called out to him. Though he didn't turn, and his steps resumed the next moment, there was a curious kind of smile on his face.