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"Pax Ultima"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, violence, language, sex Pairings: If you need to know, please email me
and I will be happy to tell you. Summary:They fought for peace, but peace took away what they loved the most. A very grim tale of suspense and betrayal, set post-canon and featuring character death. Thanks as always to the always fabulous Cuzo
for being my beta! "Pax Ultima " Chapter Twenty Three "I need a minute," Wufei said and stood up abruptly. "Was it -" "I need a minute," Wufei snapped, interrupting Duo's question. Trowa frowned and looked up at him, at the tense line of Wufei's shoulders, the sharp angles of the shoulder blades nearly cutting through the thin material of his shirt. Wufei walked out of the room and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Duo arched an eyebrow at Trowa. Trowa sighed and stood up. He hesitated. Wufei would have followed Trowa into the bathroom, would have shoved the door open and held his gaze until Trowa gave in. But Trowa was not Wufei, and Wufei was not Trowa. He knew he wouldn't be welcome in that room. He knew that when Wufei said he needed a minute, he desperately needed a minute. Duo, thankfully, stayed silent. It was more like five minutes, with only the sound of running water, two sharp, sudden thumps that sounded like Wufei's fist making contact with something inflexible. The bathroom door opened and Wufei stepped out, water beaded on his face, his eyes slightly wild. He walked into the bedroom and picked up the jacket that Trowa had discarded again. He pulled it on, and walked out of the room. "He just took your jacket," Duo said, probably had to say something after so much silent tension. "Yes, he did," Trowa agreed to the obvious. Duo, sitting on the desk chair, plucked at Wufei's jacket, draped over the back. Trowa shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know, Duo." Duo sighed. "It was him, wasn't it?" Trowa hadn't been around Treize much, wasn't nearly as familiar with him as Wufei had been, but the man in the vids - it was Treize or it was an impeccably talented actor. "I think so," he allowed. Duo nodded. He didn't seem surprised, didn't seem relieved or disappointed. Trowa frowned. "This has been about Wufei the entire time," he realized. "You needed him." Duo shrugged. "No one else knows how Treize's brain works - well, no one else except Une." And Une would have shot Duo on sight sooner than - Une. Une had been the one to tell Trowa that Duo had murdered Heero. Une had been the one to give him the folder of intel on Duo the day that Trowa turned in his badge and walked out of the Preventers HQ for the last time. "I have no idea if she's involved," Duo said, reading his mind. He'd been doing that for years - it had gotten to the point that they used to have entire one sided conversations during mission briefs, annoying the shit out of whatever poor suit had been assigned to go over the details with them. Trowa had forgotten about that too. "What do you know?" Trowa asked and he was proud of how even he kept his voice. "I know Winner Inc. owns forty-five percent of Futurum and I know that Une wiped Heero's security clearance within hours of his death - before I'd even gotten off colony." Trowa sighed and he laid back on the bed. Quatre. He'd known, he'd had a suspicion at the back of his mind, ever since he sat across the desk from the blonde man and tried to warn him about Duo. It was two hours before Wufei came back. Both Trowa and Duo regarded him warily as Wufei took off Trowa's jacket and draped it on the dresser. Wufei paced and Trowa could practically taste his anger and frustration, his rage at knowing that Treize Khushrenada was still alive. Finally, Wufei stopped pacing and he stared at Duo. "All of this happened two years ago." Duo nodded in agreement. "They spoke about the next phase. The tech said that they had adjusted the formula - that they were ready for the next stages of testing." Duo nodded again. "They've already done it, haven't they?"
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