Rating: PG-13?

Warnings: only spoilers & yaoi. there is nothing explicit in this except a kiss.

Spoilers: Yes, (though not much) for the last half of the series, also stuff from Wu's past, a'la Endless Waltz?

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. My stuff is mine. No money being made here.

Notes: This takes place after my previous fic The Frozen Colony. I wanted to keep as close to the series timeline as possible, but some elements are starting to diverge, so this may start sliding into AU shortly.

As with all my fics so far, this is the first time I am doing some characters, so, while my goal is to stay as in character as possible, any discrepancies are my mistakes.

This arose from the many (several?) fics I've read by other authors that have Wufei coming back to Treize for a rematch, some of those being funny, others serious. I wanted to see what would occur if I tried my hand at it. Thanks are owed to Lilie the mouse, and Tzigane, and Meiran Chang, and all the authors who write 13x5, I have been studying you like mad. I know I have neglected someone and I know I haven't even read all the good ones, but what can I say? It's tough to be ignorant.

Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.

The Rematch by Bonnejeanne

(After Frozen Colony: Wufei)

Wufei sat in the huge cavern, meditating, at the feet of the Altlong Gundam. It stood above him, his new Nataku, and at one time he might have felt as if its silence were disapproving, reproaching him for having brought it to the one place it could do no good in the struggle for justice: Earth.

However, surprisingly, such thoughts did not intrude on his meditations this time. His mind was a pure, open space, where energy moved, randomly, until it coalesced into thoughts that would direct him to his next goal.

The first thoughts that came were of his Meiran, and the L5 colony. The remembered screams and explosions as they sacrificed their lives rang in his mind. They had only waited long enough for he, Wufei, to return, receive permission to use the new Gundam, and leave to defend them. The pain and remorse, the guilt he felt at their deaths had stayed with him like a torque of blame, but as time passed a little, as he strove to be worthy of the sacrifice, he began to understand it. His master had understood what had happened to Wufei. He had not been selected randomly, nor had it even been, he realized at last, that he had defeated every other contender, in his zeal to give meaning to Meiran's death. No. It was time to accept what he had not wished to accept. He had been chosen because he was the right one to do it. Even with his flaws and failings, the elders sensed something in him that he did not know he possessed. Even now, Wufei was not sure what that something else was, but he thought that perhaps even Meiran had tried to tell him something like this, before she died.

I have never been fighting for myself, he thought, facing it. It has been for her... for the Colony... I thought I could be worthy merely by being a tool, but that was cowardice again.

Meditating, he accepted that the L5 colony had been sacrificed so that he would have no more excuses. So that he could no longer fight only for them, selfishly. He would have to find a way to reach something else... he would have to find true justice. That was the will of the soul of his clan. The Changs existed to provide a warrior for justice. He was their final attempt, and there would be no more. The soul of his clan would die if he could not find the truth and become it.

It no longer mattered that he was imperfect. All that mattered was finding the answer, and no cost to himself was too great.

'I understand what you tried to tell me, Nataku,' he thought. 'For a long time, I refused, but now I accept it. This isn't about me, and... it isn't about you either. Making it about you is the same as making it about my own failure. As long as I do that, my failure continues. I know you will be with me, always. Giving this up does not mean loosing you.'

Tears slipped down his impassive face, but he did not attempt to stem the flow. Continuing the meditation, another face entered his thoughts. Heero Yuy, the Gundam Wing pilot. In truth, Heero had rarely been absent from his thoughts, from the first time he became aware of the Japanese pilot's existence. Heero existed as an example of everything Wufei was not, or so he had believed for a time. His perfect sacrifice when Oz's Col. Une threatened the Colonies was something Wufei felt down in the bottom of his soul. It was Meiran's death... it was the death of the hundreds on his own colony... it was the death of everything true and worthy, while he remained with the rest. That Heero had somehow survived was a mystery he had never understood.

His meditation turned again, to the events that took place on the abandoned colony when Heero and himself had been stranded there. There, he had seen and accepted the spirit of Nataku in the eyes of the Japanese boy. Yes, Meiran had been there, and she had challenged him through Heero. Challenged him to expose his weakness, to give up what he had been hiding for so long from everyone... the truth that she had known about him without even a word being spoken between them. What followed had been a revelation to him.

Which was why he was here now, on Earth, when he should be out there, in space, finding the enemies of peace. Because he was not yet ready. He had one more weakness, one more fear, one more self-betrayal to face before he would be able to fulfill his mission. Once, he would have gone on anyway, refusing to confront the weakness in himself. And he would have been wrong. This was the next step to the truth path. Take it, face it. Live through it. Grow stronger. And go on.

When his meditation was over, Wufei stood, and bowed to the Altlong. "I will not take you with me," he said. "What I am doing now is for me only, and it would not be right to involve you. If I do not return, or someone discovers you, you will self-destruct. But I will be back. We have much to do and time is precious. You will not be waiting long."

It did not take long to find the one he sought. The former leader of the Oz Organization was in seclusion now, having resigned over the choice of Oz to escalate the use of Mobile Dolls in space and on Earth. It was not an easy task to gain entrance to the high-security fortress, but Wufei's skills were equal to it. He made it as far as an inner chamber, where he was stopped by a hand and voice print security system. As another pilot would do later, Wufei confronted it for a moment, then placed his hand on the pad. "Chang Wufei," he said clearly.

The security lock accepted this answer and the armored door opened, admitting him.

The room beyond was shadowed, with only the light from the setting sun entering in slanted beams of pink and orange. A chair at the desk was empty, though the screen of a small computer showed recent activity. In front of one of the tall windows, a silhouette stood, facing the setting sun, the light edging him in dull fire.

"I'd hoped you would come some day, Chang Wufei," the man said. "I thought it would be sooner than this. Have you come to duel with me again? To kill me?"

Wufei took a deep, but calm breath. "No," he said. "That would be pointless. You no longer have any power."

Treize Kushrenada turned, smiling slightly. "True," he said, looking down at the amazing young man before him. "In fact, for that reason, I would welcome such an opportunity to cross swords with you again. If you succeeded in killing me, it would be a way to die that would suit me better than this living death I'm experiencing now."

The slightest tinge of pity for the tall man touched Wufei's eyes. "You will have to endure it," he said quietly. "As I had to. "

Treize studied the boy. Something indefinable was different about him. "I hear a new tone in your voice, young warrior. Perhaps I should challenge you...?"

"That is your choice," Wufei said simply. "If you do, I will kill you."

Treize's nostrils flared slightly, and a smile curved his lips. "So confident..." he said softly, his tone admiring.

"No," Wufei answered flatly. "I could have done it before. You didn't beat me. I blinked."

The spark of interest in Treize' eyes grew into something warmer. "That's a bold statement, young warrior," he said. "Rather, I thought you underestimated your opponent - me. Should I become a teacher in my 'retirement'? I do know things about swordplay that most have never dreamed to aspire to."

"I am aware of that. And stop pretending to be the villain, I am not falling for it a second time," Wufei said calmly.

Treize laughed delightedly. "Are you not? Excellent. Then, Chang Wufei, tell me why you are here."

"To apologize."

Treize... blinked. He tried to control the smile that stretched his lips much wider than usual. It took a moment to succeed. "Then make your apology."

Wufei placed his fist in the palm of his other hand and bowed. With his head still inclined, he said, "Treize Kushrenada, I, Chang Wufei, apologize to you for the dishonor I have done to you. I did not give you my best as a warrior when we fought. I allowed my weakness to overcome me, thereby dishonoring your warrior spirit. I will accept my obligation to make it right. What do you ask to redeem the debt?"

Treize stood very still, listening and watching the boy. He concealed the fact that the Gundam pilot's words caused his heart to beat very fast. 'I thought there were no more of us left,' he thought. For a moment he considered asking that the redemption price be a rematch. What would it be like to duel with this beautiful warrior when he was fully committed? The very idea was incredibly intoxicating. Because he was so inclined towards it, Treize played the game with himself and denied this possibility.

"I have a question to ask, before I answer yours," Treize said aloud.

"Ask it."

"Why did you not give the fight your all when we met the first time?"

Wufei straightened and looked at the other man. He nodded to himself. This was what he had been afraid of, had run from. This was what he had to face.

"I think you know, Treize Kushrenada," he said softly.

Treize expression became disapproving. "Give me the honor of an answer, Chang, or add to your debt."

"I wanted to kill you. For the innocents you murdered, for the colonies you threatened, for us, the Gundam pilots, which you used... but when I faced you, I let a weakness conquer me. The weakness was that I... was attracted to you." Wufei finished, looking directly back at the taller man. It was clearly not an easy recital - a sheen of moisture was now visible on the boy's forehead.

My god, thought Treize. I suspected it, but I hardly dared believe he would manage to confront it in himself.

"And you find such an attraction... dishonorable," he said softly.

Wufei nodded, swallowing to relieve his dry throat. This conversation was taking every single atom of courage he could gather. Having these things spoken of, speaking of them with this man, a stranger, but one whom he knew enough about to both fear and respect, was like a page from the book of his nightmares.

"I always have," he said. "It is a weakness. I could not fulfill duties to my clan because of it. Someone I... loved... was hurt... died because of it, in a way. Because I am weak in this."

Treize shook his head, wondering how such ancient notions managed to survive and continue to ruin lives in this day and age. He thought about the L5 Colony from which the young pilot came, and nodded to himself.

"There are... cultures almost as old as yours, Chang Wufei, where such... weakness is revered as the highest form of ideal, one appropriate for a warrior such as yourself," Treize said in the same soft tone.

"I was not always a warrior," Wufei said, surprising Treize again. "And I am not ignorant. I know what you are talking about, but what the Greeks thought has no meaning for me. It is my own ancestors I must account to."

Treize inclined his head in mute apology. He walked slowly forward until he was very close to the young man, who had to tilt his head up to meet the taller man's eyes.

"A great enough attraction to distract you from your duty?" he said softly.

Wufei's eyes held pain but also determination. The courage this must be taking him caused Treize to feel unshed tears form at the back of his eyes.

"Yes," Wufei said simply.

"And now," Treize asked, his voice still calm and soft.

"I still feel it. You are... a beautiful man," Wufei said, his voice softening slightly in tone. "I also think you are insane, in what you tried to do with Oz. You are an enemy, even now, with your power abated. But yes, I am attracted."

Treize leaned forward very slowly, holding the boy's eyes with his own. He reached out with a graceful gesture and lifted the boy's chin. Then he lowered his lips to the mouth of Chang Wufei and took his first kiss.

Wufei allowed the tall leader to approach him... to touch his face... then allowed his lips to be kissed and taken. He parted his lips and allowed the young man to invade his mouth with tongue. He had to... move all the way through this... to find out...

The kiss was incredibly sweet on Treize's lips. He felt and sensed a deeply banked fire in this boy, and the thought of what that could translate into, either on the battlefield or the bed, aroused him extremely.

At last they parted, both breathing more deeply.

"That is all you may have," Wufei said softly. "That is all I can afford to give you, until this war is over. "

Treize shook his head, touching his fingers to his own lips for a moment. "Incredible," he said softly. "And if I wanted to take more?"

"You are too honorable to do that," Wufei said. "But if you tried, I would have to kill you. I have a mission to complete."

Treize nodded, of course. "You are full of delicately balanced contradictions, Chang Wufei," he said, then smiled. "But so am I. I'd rather keep you here a while... I could show you things about yourself that you can not yet imagine."

Wufei nodded calmly. "I sensed it. And if I were no more than merely Chang Wufei, I would do it. But I must be more. It is required of me. And... I require it of myself."

Treize smiled fully. "That... that is what is different about you this time, young warrior. You are coming to terms with your geas." [1]

Wufei took a step back and bowed. "May you accomplish as much with yours," he said unexpectedly.

Treize' eyebrows shot up. He suddenly felt as if he had had his breath taken away. My god, perhaps the child could have beaten me after all, he thought.

Wufei's dark eyes met his calmly as if to say, yes, Treize-sama, I could.

"My time is running short," Wufei said. "What is your answer?"

Treize took a deep breath, calling himself to order. "I accept your apology, young warrior, though I regret that you let yourself be weak. I would have cherished a true duel with one of your courage. The debt is cancelled."

Wufei looked at him for a moment, as if wondering why. Then he bowed.

"It shall be as you say, Treize Kushrenada," he said clearly. "And we have no more business with each other. You spared my life once. If we meet again in this war, I shall not be able to return the favor."

Treize smiled. "What makes you think that could happen?" he said. "I am off the board in this game now."

Wufei looked back, his expression serious. "I do not believe that. It is one of the reasons I had to come here now. I do not believe you are out of the game, Treize Kushrenada. If I am wrong..." he shrugged.

"Go, boy," Treize whispered suddenly. The tone was silk and steel, and Wufei understood immediately that he would go now or not at all. He all but vanished from the room, leaving behind the faintest scent. Treize stood for a long time, trying to place it. Not rose... but sandalwood. Alone again, Treize felt an incredible desire wash over him to pursue the child, find him... take him... but it could not happen. He would have to destroy his own sense of honor to do so, and that, Treize Kushrenada would not do. He smiled, remembering that Wufei had said he was 'insane in what he tried to do with Oz'. You are so very perceptive, my young warrior, Treize thought. The sun had completely set and Treize stood in darkness, lost in his thoughts for a very long time.