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ship_manifestoThe Knight and the Dragon
Title: The Knight and the Dragon
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_dw
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Treize Khushrenada/Chang Wufei
Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing.
Warnings: Major spoilers for the whole series and Endless Waltz. Also, it's pretty image-heavy and long, and may take some time to load.
A big ‘Thank you!’ toarabianprincess, corruptionsgift, kono_doukeshi for reading over this, pointing out mistakes, giving out encouragement and enduring my endless ranting about this. Also thanks to michalyn for giving recs!
Yes, I know I'm 2 days early, but better early then late, no? Anyway..
Introduction
I fell in love with the pairing of Treize Khushrenada and Chang Wufei when I first watched Gundam Wing. I admit, I didn’t fall in love with the pairing; rather, I fell in love with the characters. Treize and Wufei are very complicated men with different values and beliefs and ideals that are similar at the same time. Both are proud, honourable swordsmen who fought in a devastating war.
I always had a fondness for star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, for a cliché example. Treize and Wufei are star-crossed lovers, warriors, enemies, in a battlefield, but are they enemies anywhere else? Personally, I don’t believe so, and here, I wish to convince you on my point of view. But first, let me introduce them. And I promise not to be fangirlish about it.
[The Knight of the Rose]: Treize Khushrenada
“I remember everyone who’s sacrificed their lives for battle.”
Treize, Episode 48, Takeoff into Confusion
Name: Treize Khushrenada
Ethnicity/Origins: Aryan, presumably born on Earth
Age: 24
Treize Khushrenada is a man of high ideals and standards. He is noble, believing in honour and chivalry. Treize is a man born in an entirely wrong era, for the time he’s born in is entirely too immature to accept him. The world thought his values and beliefs to be old-fashioned, and tossed them away and took up mechanized warfare with mobile dolls.
Why does Treize hate mobile dolls? Simply, it is because Treize loves humans, he loves humanity. War is beautiful only because it shows the beauty of the human soul when it is encountered with conflict. The mobile dolls eliminated the humane part of the equation, turning war into a game fought by soldiers behind controllers.
Treize is also a charismatic man who inspired great loyalty in his soldiers. This is shown easily in Episode 18, where he went against the mobile dolls in a Leo suit. His soldiers was willing to assassinate Tsuberov, even though he was their commander at the point of time, from an order from Treize. The Treize Faction was formed due to him. He stirred loyalty in his soldiers when commanding as the Sovereign of the Earth Sphere United Nations. Treize is a natural leader, building his strength not by domination, but by surrounding himself with loyal and respectful soldiers. He easily captured the admiration and respect of people.
Why did Treize, who had retired from the fight when he went to Luxemburg, rejoin the fight as the Sovereign of the ESUN? Simply put, it was to be Zechs’ foil. Zechs took on the role of the Lucifer when he joined White Fang and tries to destroy the Earth. Treize must play God against Lucifer, and he must also die. For Treize committed suicide when he forced Relena from the throne. He had become the symbol, the figurehead, for war. When he had died, the war ended as Lady Une surrendered, for there was nothing more to fight for.
Treize believes in the perfect soldier, one who can fight for their beliefs without losing their humanity, someone like the Gundam pilots, particularly Wufei. However, he doesn’t believe in his own self-worth, in that he is that ideal soldier. He is not satisfied with himself, believing that he could do better, that the future has more for him. That drove him to create Epyon, a machine that could help shape himself, at first, into the perfect soldier he wanted to be. Or, if they did not happen, it would help other soldiers to achieve his ideals.
Treize is an idealistic man, having faith in humanity. He is also noble, honourable and charismatic, a man who should have been born during the times of the knights. Treize is an elegant, charismatic leader. He is one side of the proverbial coin, the other being…
[The Solitary Dragon]: Chang Wufei
“I shall determine Justice!”
Wufei, Episode 35, Return of Wufei
Name: Chang Wufei
Ethnicity/Origins: Chinese, L5, colony A0206
Age: 15
One of the most common mistakes that people makes of Wufei is that he is a misogynist and a justice-ranting idiot who went around screaming ‘Onna!’ and ‘Injustice!’. That, however, is also one of the biggest mistakes they could make. Wufei is a member of a large Chinese clan, and was raised as a scholar. He is also a widower, married at the age of fourteen, and lost his wife in the same year. Meiran, his wife, was dedicated to freeing the colonies from the chokehold of the alliance, and believed greatly in justice and honour. She called herself Nataku, after a demi-god warrior in Chinese mythology. Wufei was just the opposite, a cynical realist at the age of fourteen who believed more in surviving then jumping into battle for no reason.
They hated each other, but when the colony they were living in was attacked, Meiran was one of the first to jump into the fight in a Prototype Leo. Wufei followed her in an incomplete Shenlong, claiming that ‘I’m not so much of a coward that I would sit by and watch my wife die!’. He managed to take out most of the soldiers of the colony, but one of the last soldiers nearly killed him, and would have if Meiran had not jumped in the way, saving Wufei from a fatal blow. She died in Wufei’s arms after they had returned to the colony, and from then on, only Wufei called Shenlong Nataku, for ‘She protected this suit once. Her spirit is in it now.’ He also fights in her name, taking up her ideals as his own.
So why do people think Wufei hates women? Yes, he did call Noin a weak soldier, and claimed that he does not kill ‘bleeding hearts or women’. However Noin was a weak soldier then, for she judged him simply by his age and underestimated him. She hesitated in killing him just because ‘he’s just a baby!’ Wufei knew the pain of losing a wife, which is why he did not kill Noin, but merely incapacitate her suit, so that she would not join the battle and put herself in danger. Wufei believes that the strong should protect the weak, and, in his own way, he protected Noin.
Wufei also came from a large, Chinese clan. The Chinese believe firmly that the men should protect the women, and be strong enough to shield them from danger. As a Chinese myself, I know that in a traditional Chinese clan, it is stated, as an unspoken law, that fighting is a man’s job and that the strong must protect the weak. Actually, this mindset is not uncommon with the other cultures as well.
Why does Wufei fight? In the beginning, I believe, he fought for the honour of his clan and to redeem himself for not being able to save Meiran from death. He blamed himself for her death, for she died to save him, and if he was stronger, she didn’t have to. However, over the course of the series, I believe he fought to find his own answers, on whether or not justice exists. Before Meiran’s death, he didn’t believe so, but he took on her ideals as his own after she died. This causes a conflict as two very different beliefs clashed with each other. This may be a reason he joined Mariemaia during Endless Waltz, which I’ll talk about later.
Wufei is a very complicated character, with many issues in his past that he has to get through, including the death of his wife. He could not be pigeonholed easily, nor could he be labelled.. Wufei believes in that if you are right, you must be strong, and if you are strong, you must protect the weak. He is also exceedingly honourable, with a fiery temper, a dragon of fairy tales. Who else better to be the other side of Treize’s proverbial coin?
[When We First Met]: Sword Duel
“Kill me now or I’ll come back until I kill you!”
Wufei, Episode 8, The Treize Assassination
Treize had tricked all of the Gundam pilots, with the exception of Wufei, into killing the Alliance pacifists, headed by one Marshal Noventa. They were under the mistaken impression that the pacifists were, in fact, Oz leaders. This was a clever rumour planted by Lady Une. However, after Heero attacked the shuttle, Wufei arrived and told the pilots that they’re fools and that they’re wrong and they had effectively declared war on Oz on the colonies’ behalf, and ruined the chance for peace. After that, he rushed off to assassinate Treize, with Trowa backing him up.
Wufei arrived at the ship after a few difficulties, including Lady Une. However, instead of crushing Treize like an insect with his Gundam, Wufei accepted his challenge to a duel and rushed out to fight Treize, armed only with a sword. Wufei seemed to be confident of his ability, of his righteousness (the right have to be strong) that he did not doubt that he would win.
During the fight, Treize remained cool and calm, while Wufei seemed to be driven by emotion. This is rather ironic, for he had told Lady Une that her getting emotional was a ‘Stupid move’. Treize seemed to defeat Wufei easily, placing his sword at Wufei’s throat, seemingly to kill him. Here is when the subtext begin:
“The duel is mine.” I have won this round.
“Kill me!” Death before dishonour! Kill me, end the war for me!
“It was a good fight.” Don’t give up just yet.
“Kill me now or I’ll come back until I get you!” I’ll never give up. I will come back again!
“That sounds interesting. I hope we can battle again.” I look forward to that. I have only won this round, after all.
After that, Wufei left the ship, sinking into the sea, shocked beyond compare that he had been defeated. I believe that this was such a blow to him because he thought that he was right, again, it came back to his belief that ‘the right have to be strong’. Wufei was shaken, as he believed himself to be weak, that’s why he kept saying that he was not worthy of piloting Nataku during Episode Twelve.
On Treize’s point of view, he had let a potential assassin go even after he had made an attempt on his life. He knew that it wasn’t practical, that it was dangerous, but yet he let him go. Lady Une asked him,
“Treize-sama, how come you let that pilot escape?”
He replied,
“He’s the pilot of a mobile suit. I thought it’d be fair to give him another chance. It was honourable to leave the mobile suit to duel with me. I can see why he makes such a good Gundam pilot. Next time, we’ll fight with his specialty, the mobile suit.” He intrigues me, not many would leave their mobile suit to fight a battle in which the odds were lowered against them. I want to see him again, even if it means that he attacks me.
Isn’t that rather like Trowa and Quatre? Of course, it is just my interpretation of the scene, but for Wufei and Treize, you have to look deep between the lines, for the surface is extremely superficial. The two of them were a story that’s hidden between the scenes and between the lines, for the characters themselves are very complex and deep.
[One Last Time]: The Last Battle
“I wasn’t supposed to win!”
Wufei, Episode 48, Takeoff into Confusion
It was during the last battle between the World Nation, White Fang and the Gundams that we saw Treize and Wufei meet again. Libra had blown a chunk out of Earth, courtesy of Milliardo Peacecraft. Treize was leading the forces of the World Nation against White Fang when Wufei appeared to challenge him.
It may appear to people that, during the last battle, Wufei hated Treize, or else why would he attack and kill him? I believe not. Treize, as I have said earlier in the essay, is a man with extremely high ideals, values and beliefs. Wufei understood him, understood his ideals and beliefs, which is why he was so angry when he attacked Treize. Treize betrayed his ideals, and consequently Wufei, when he rejoined the fight as the Sovereign of the World Nation. He spoke of conquering, of justice, of false peace that came of dominance in order to be able to have an army to lead against White Fang, against Milliardo. Treize had truly become God to Milliardo Peacecraft’s Lucifer and Wufei didn’t understand. I believe that he thought that Treize had lied to him, had betrayed him. This is, of course, assuming the fact they were involved during the war.
Wufei went after Treize, abandoning the other pilots to search for him. They found each other on the battlefield, Wufei said,
“Treize! When I’m done here I’ll test your integrity!” You lied to me.
Treize did not answer, and the two fought mobile dolls, apparently allies for the time being. When there were no more distractions, however, Treize shouted,
“Poor aim! I’m over here!” Come and get me!
“Silence!”
“There was a time when battles could be lost and won with the push of the button. These mobile dolls are the root of that detestable spirit. And their extension is that Libra. When wars are dehumanised, victory and defeat become miserable and God no longer lends a helping hand.” This battle has no meaning.
“Enough with the fancy speeches! Too many people had died for nothing because of the battles you fought! If you’re going to fight, then fight only me!” Then people had died for nothing then? You’re a hypocrite! Fight me!
“You’re absolutely right.” Yes, they had.
“Are you prepared for the worse?” Fight me, then!
“Of course. This time I won’t go easy on you.”
“Enough talk!”
Treize then smirked, and the scene changed. However, when we see them again, they’re engaged in battle. Treize said,
“What’s wrong? Why not use your dragon?” Why hold back?
“Because I want to fight you fair and square! That’s why!”
“That’s not like you. Why the hesitation?”
To me, this is important. Treize obviously seemed to know Wufei well enough to know that it was uncharacteristic of him to hold back in battle, to give himself a handicap. The subtext of one sentence is huge, actually.
“Look who’s talking; why didn’t you kill me earlier?”
“I couldn’t kill one of the few people who understands me.”
Treize implied here that he thought that Wufei knew him well enough to understand him, or he thought he did, anyway.
“Give me a break! I despise you!” You liar! I thought I understood you!
“Then come and get me!” You do understand me.
“You’re only capable of looking down at people like this! You’re only fighting to satisfy your own ego? How many people do you think have died for you? ” Stop lying to me! Or have you never stopped? You treat wars as games, and people as pawns!
“Shall I tell you? As of yesterday, 98, 822 people.” I have never lied to you.
“What?”
“Lady, how many fatalities today?”
Lady Une replied, “We have confirmation of 82 White Fang soldiers and 105 of our own.”
“I see. Give me their names later today.”
“Yes, sir, I will.”
“Damn you!”
“I remember everyone who’s sacrificed their lives in battle. Noventa, Septem, Ventei, Darlian, Walker, Otto, Bundt…How could I forget them?” Wars are not games to me, nor are people pawns. You are not a pawn to me.
“How could you be so…?”
“I can only grieve over the lives lost by those who fought. But at least try to understand this. Not one of those people died in vain. And…” I’m sorry, Wufei.
Treize rushed towards Wufei then, with no visible weapons drawn. It was suicide, or rather, assisted suicide.
“That was beautiful, Wufei.” Thank you.
“Treize! How could you…?”
Tallgeese II exploded then. Treize allowed himself to be killed by Wufei, and I believe that it’s not just coincidence. Treize wanted his death to be remembered, and he wanted to go down in a blaze of glory, to die by the hand of a worthy opponent. Treize considered himself honoured to fight with the pilots, and Wufei himself, and chose him to be the one to kill him. For who better to kill him then his lover? I doubt that Wufei would do any different if he was in Treize’s position.
Now come the crux of the whole essay. When Wufei saw Tallgeese II exploded, he cried. Wufei had never shown such a significant amount of emotion than in that scene. He shouted that he “never expected to win”, why? Treize was supposed to be his ultimate enemy, the one he was supposed to kill in the end, but he didn’t expect to win against him. I suspect that Wufei didn’t truly want to kill him, no matter his anger. Wufei found that he was wrong, and that Treize did not lie to him. And the implications of him killing Treize grew even larger, because he no longer had betrayal and hurt to cling onto.
This is, of course, assuming that they were together during the war.
[I Can’t Stop Thinking About You]: In Between, Endless Waltz
“Don’t expect that to defeat me! You won’t even come close to Treize!”
Wufei, Episode 41, Battleship Libra
One odd thing in the whole series that had caught my attention was that quote up there. It seemed rather strange, doesn’t it, that Wufei would suddenly bring Treize’s name up in the middle of a battle. He isn’t one to sprout things off without reason, much less his ‘enemy’s’ name, so why? In my opinion, I believe that Wufei had been thinking about Treize, about the duel. Treize was the first person to defeat him, yes, but was there more reason for him to remember his ‘enemy’?
Also, when Wufei went to fight in Zero, the first person he saw was Treize. True, he saw him as his enemy, but why him first, if Wufei was not thinking about him in the first place anyway?
During Endless Waltz, Dekim Barton plotted to take over the Earth Sphere, using the puppet Mariemaia Khushrenada, seven-year-old daughter of Treize Khushrenada. The Preventers, still a relatively new organization, were unable to stop the takeover. The Gundam pilots came in to help, all of them, except one. Chang Wufei, who had joined Mariemaia’s army and fought against the other pilots.
I do not believe that Wufei truly thought that Dekim Barton was right, that Earth had to be conquered and eliminated. The last we saw of Wufei in the series was he handing Heero his buster rifle, so as to demolish the last of the Libra fragments. If he did not believe in Barton’s plans, why did he join Mariemaia Khushrenada’s army, which has plans to conquer Earth on the threats on dropping a colony onto Earth?
Wufei had felt that soldiers had no time in peace, and no place in Relena Peacecraft’s way of Total Pacifism. He said that there are warriors in the world that could do nothing but fight, and in the new era of peace, they’re thrown away like garbage, unwanted. As they fought, Wufei began to sound more and more like Treize, repeating his ideals that humans need conflict to unleash their full potential. It was then Heero said,
“Just remember, Wufei, Treize is dead, you have already defeated him!”
“You’re wrong! I still continue to fight him, even now.”
Wufei could not forget about Treize, could not forget that he killed him. I suspect that Wufei joined Mariemaia not only because it gave him a cause to fight for, but also, possibly, to absolve his own guilt on killing Treize. Perhaps he thought that by fighting for Treize’s daughter, he would be able to forgive himself, and that Treize would forgive him, wherever he is.
As mentioned before, I believe that Wufei had never meant to kill Treize, much less expect him to commit assisted suicide on his Gundam’s trident. Possibly, he wanted Treize to kill him, because Treize was superior to him in all ways, or so he thought. It was rather like Meiran and himself, blaming himself for her death because he was not strong enough to protect her. However in this case, it was more of him not being worthy enough to die at Treize’s hand. Thus, he felt guilty, inferior, and believing that the only thing he could do is to fight. That may be why he joined Mariemaia and fought against the other pilots.
[Together Again, In the End]: Conclusion
Art by Ponderosa, used with permission.
Treize and Wufei is a story of between the episodes, between the lines. The two of them have the least screen time compared to the other pilots, so why is it not plausible that they were together, behind the scenes? I don’t believe that Wufei would not go back for a rematch after Sally stoked back up his spirits, nor do I believe that Treize wouldn’t be fascinated that Wufei’s spirit and integrity.
Treize and Wufei fit together, two sides of a coin. Treize is the handsome, chivalrous Knight on the white horse, cool, calm and elegant. He is a gentleman, honourable to the last degree. Wufei is the hot-tempered, fiery Dragon who has the same sort of thinking as he does, who understands his honour and chivalry. So how could the Knight not tame and grew to love the fiery Dragon, and the Dragon not love the Knight?
[To See You Once More]: Recommendations and Links
Art by Ponderosa, used with permission.
I am, quite luckily, not the only Treize/Wufei shipper out there. There are many others, and they have written great fics and beautiful art for us to enjoy. This list also contains Treize/Zechs/Wufei fics, as well as non-worksafe fics.
13x5’s Journal -– A community for all Treize/Wufei fans.
The Warrior Who Fights For Justice –- The idol reflection essay for Chang Wufei. It is much, much better than this one.
Nostalgic Tango -- The Treize/Wufei fanlisting.
The 13x5 Mailing List -- Thank you,cicer!
The Knight and the Dragon C2 -- Contains the best of Treize/Wufei from the Pit. A good fic to start with is Kisses by Beliel. Managed by myself, helped by Michalyn.
Asylum! -- Fics by Kat, alone or with Tzigane or Kumiko. I can’t say anything about this. It’s too good for words. Contains Treize/Zechs/Wufei and Treize/Zechs also.
Ashkara’s Fanfiction Vault -- In the ‘Evil Onnas?’ section, there is a gem named ‘Changing Allegiance’. Treize/Zechs/Wufei, and one of the best fics I’ve read, even though the threesome isn’t the main focus. The Role-playing Series is also hilarious. Her Darkness at Dawn epic cannot be described with words. It's focused more on Duo and Heero, but Wufei and Treize gets their highlights too.
December, by Ann -- Treize’s POV, slightly altered reality where Treize is alive after the war. Very sweet.
Destiny, Interrupted -- Begin Again is absolutely beautiful and thought provoking. And her art is delicious too. Click on the link. You need to.
Dragon Love -- Azzie writes for many different pairings, including Treize/Wufei. Angel Emotion is good, but is seconded by Bound by Strings of the Soul.
Higashi Mado> -- Some of the best Treize/Wufei and Treize/Zechs/Wufei fics I’ve ever read. The site’s down for the moment, though
KC’s Fanfiction Lair -- Her Willing Slave Arc is stunning, set in a medieval-like setting. Treize/Wufei is one of the main pairings, and is the focus for Corazon.
KatiKat and Others -- KatiKat writes quite a lot of fics, and a few of them feature Treize/Wufei. Jingle Bells and the Chink are my favourites among the lot, although I may be biased. DRL’s Contemplation Indigo series is also archived here, as well as Resolution and it’s sequel, Confrontation.
Rouge11’s Member Profile in Gundam Wing Universe -- Treize/Wufei, Treize/Zechs, and Treize/Zechs/Wufei are all here. She’s on a hiatus on her fics, I think.
Roo -- Absolutely delicious lemons of both Treize/Wufei and Treize/Zechs/Wufei. The Prize is a personal favourite.
Sweet Romance -- Michalyn’s fics. She is the one who lured me into this pairing. Aestheticism is my personal favourite, and there’s many luscious fanart too! DRL’s Contemplation Indigo is also hosted there, and it’s worth a look.
Tapestry, by Summoner -- Incredibly compelling read. A manipulative Treize, an oblivious Wufei and a worried Sally. Wow doesn’t cover it.
Gundam Wing Addiction
These are the Treize/Wufei fics that I’ve found in the archive. Some repetition may occur.
Bonne&Von – The Frozen Colony Arc -- Although there are many, many pairings in the whole Arc, the 13x5 bits are worth a mention.
Kuwabara no Miko -- A Beginning à Wufei dresses up as a male prostitute to assassinate a Romefeller leader. However, he met someone unexpected. Also,
- Improbable Outcome -- Wufei loses a duel, and has to pay the consequences.
- The Wilmington Stories -- The normal high school fic with a lemon twist.
Jade – Intervention -- Very erotic Treize/Zechs/Wufei lemon, among others. Relena fans beware, though.
- Four to Tango -- Another beautiful lemon featuring Treize/Zechs/Wufei and Heero/Duo/Trowa/Quatre.
Jay – Long December -- Fashioned like the Little Match Girl, yet with it’s own distinctive twists. Beautifully sad, with an unhappy happy ending, depending on how you see it.
Talya Firedancer - The Price to Pay -- It will never be completed, but a good fic nonetheless.
Yoiko, with Tzigane - Wufei is WHAT? Productions, Veiled Paradox -- Simply stunning, a deliciously dark fic with a great plot. “I see dead people.”
There aren’t as many fics for Treize and Wufei than say, Quatre and Trowa, but there’s still a sizable amount. I would appreciate any recommendations, because, seriously, I can’t get enough of Treize and Wufei.
Title: The Knight and the Dragon
Author:
the_dwFandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Treize Khushrenada/Chang Wufei
Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing.
Warnings: Major spoilers for the whole series and Endless Waltz. Also, it's pretty image-heavy and long, and may take some time to load.
A big ‘Thank you!’ to
arabianprincess, corruptionsgift, kono_doukeshi for reading over this, pointing out mistakes, giving out encouragement and enduring my endless ranting about this. Also thanks to michalyn for giving recs!Yes, I know I'm 2 days early, but better early then late, no? Anyway..
Introduction
I fell in love with the pairing of Treize Khushrenada and Chang Wufei when I first watched Gundam Wing. I admit, I didn’t fall in love with the pairing; rather, I fell in love with the characters. Treize and Wufei are very complicated men with different values and beliefs and ideals that are similar at the same time. Both are proud, honourable swordsmen who fought in a devastating war.
I always had a fondness for star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, for a cliché example. Treize and Wufei are star-crossed lovers, warriors, enemies, in a battlefield, but are they enemies anywhere else? Personally, I don’t believe so, and here, I wish to convince you on my point of view. But first, let me introduce them. And I promise not to be fangirlish about it.
[The Knight of the Rose]: Treize Khushrenada
“I remember everyone who’s sacrificed their lives for battle.”
Treize, Episode 48, Takeoff into Confusion
Name: Treize Khushrenada
Ethnicity/Origins: Aryan, presumably born on Earth
Age: 24
Treize Khushrenada is a man of high ideals and standards. He is noble, believing in honour and chivalry. Treize is a man born in an entirely wrong era, for the time he’s born in is entirely too immature to accept him. The world thought his values and beliefs to be old-fashioned, and tossed them away and took up mechanized warfare with mobile dolls.
Why does Treize hate mobile dolls? Simply, it is because Treize loves humans, he loves humanity. War is beautiful only because it shows the beauty of the human soul when it is encountered with conflict. The mobile dolls eliminated the humane part of the equation, turning war into a game fought by soldiers behind controllers.
Treize is also a charismatic man who inspired great loyalty in his soldiers. This is shown easily in Episode 18, where he went against the mobile dolls in a Leo suit. His soldiers was willing to assassinate Tsuberov, even though he was their commander at the point of time, from an order from Treize. The Treize Faction was formed due to him. He stirred loyalty in his soldiers when commanding as the Sovereign of the Earth Sphere United Nations. Treize is a natural leader, building his strength not by domination, but by surrounding himself with loyal and respectful soldiers. He easily captured the admiration and respect of people.
Why did Treize, who had retired from the fight when he went to Luxemburg, rejoin the fight as the Sovereign of the ESUN? Simply put, it was to be Zechs’ foil. Zechs took on the role of the Lucifer when he joined White Fang and tries to destroy the Earth. Treize must play God against Lucifer, and he must also die. For Treize committed suicide when he forced Relena from the throne. He had become the symbol, the figurehead, for war. When he had died, the war ended as Lady Une surrendered, for there was nothing more to fight for.
Treize believes in the perfect soldier, one who can fight for their beliefs without losing their humanity, someone like the Gundam pilots, particularly Wufei. However, he doesn’t believe in his own self-worth, in that he is that ideal soldier. He is not satisfied with himself, believing that he could do better, that the future has more for him. That drove him to create Epyon, a machine that could help shape himself, at first, into the perfect soldier he wanted to be. Or, if they did not happen, it would help other soldiers to achieve his ideals.
Treize is an idealistic man, having faith in humanity. He is also noble, honourable and charismatic, a man who should have been born during the times of the knights. Treize is an elegant, charismatic leader. He is one side of the proverbial coin, the other being…
[The Solitary Dragon]: Chang Wufei
“I shall determine Justice!”
Wufei, Episode 35, Return of Wufei
Name: Chang Wufei
Ethnicity/Origins: Chinese, L5, colony A0206
Age: 15
One of the most common mistakes that people makes of Wufei is that he is a misogynist and a justice-ranting idiot who went around screaming ‘Onna!’ and ‘Injustice!’. That, however, is also one of the biggest mistakes they could make. Wufei is a member of a large Chinese clan, and was raised as a scholar. He is also a widower, married at the age of fourteen, and lost his wife in the same year. Meiran, his wife, was dedicated to freeing the colonies from the chokehold of the alliance, and believed greatly in justice and honour. She called herself Nataku, after a demi-god warrior in Chinese mythology. Wufei was just the opposite, a cynical realist at the age of fourteen who believed more in surviving then jumping into battle for no reason.
They hated each other, but when the colony they were living in was attacked, Meiran was one of the first to jump into the fight in a Prototype Leo. Wufei followed her in an incomplete Shenlong, claiming that ‘I’m not so much of a coward that I would sit by and watch my wife die!’. He managed to take out most of the soldiers of the colony, but one of the last soldiers nearly killed him, and would have if Meiran had not jumped in the way, saving Wufei from a fatal blow. She died in Wufei’s arms after they had returned to the colony, and from then on, only Wufei called Shenlong Nataku, for ‘She protected this suit once. Her spirit is in it now.’ He also fights in her name, taking up her ideals as his own.
So why do people think Wufei hates women? Yes, he did call Noin a weak soldier, and claimed that he does not kill ‘bleeding hearts or women’. However Noin was a weak soldier then, for she judged him simply by his age and underestimated him. She hesitated in killing him just because ‘he’s just a baby!’ Wufei knew the pain of losing a wife, which is why he did not kill Noin, but merely incapacitate her suit, so that she would not join the battle and put herself in danger. Wufei believes that the strong should protect the weak, and, in his own way, he protected Noin.
Wufei also came from a large, Chinese clan. The Chinese believe firmly that the men should protect the women, and be strong enough to shield them from danger. As a Chinese myself, I know that in a traditional Chinese clan, it is stated, as an unspoken law, that fighting is a man’s job and that the strong must protect the weak. Actually, this mindset is not uncommon with the other cultures as well.
Why does Wufei fight? In the beginning, I believe, he fought for the honour of his clan and to redeem himself for not being able to save Meiran from death. He blamed himself for her death, for she died to save him, and if he was stronger, she didn’t have to. However, over the course of the series, I believe he fought to find his own answers, on whether or not justice exists. Before Meiran’s death, he didn’t believe so, but he took on her ideals as his own after she died. This causes a conflict as two very different beliefs clashed with each other. This may be a reason he joined Mariemaia during Endless Waltz, which I’ll talk about later.
Wufei is a very complicated character, with many issues in his past that he has to get through, including the death of his wife. He could not be pigeonholed easily, nor could he be labelled.. Wufei believes in that if you are right, you must be strong, and if you are strong, you must protect the weak. He is also exceedingly honourable, with a fiery temper, a dragon of fairy tales. Who else better to be the other side of Treize’s proverbial coin?
[When We First Met]: Sword Duel
“Kill me now or I’ll come back until I kill you!”
Wufei, Episode 8, The Treize Assassination
Treize had tricked all of the Gundam pilots, with the exception of Wufei, into killing the Alliance pacifists, headed by one Marshal Noventa. They were under the mistaken impression that the pacifists were, in fact, Oz leaders. This was a clever rumour planted by Lady Une. However, after Heero attacked the shuttle, Wufei arrived and told the pilots that they’re fools and that they’re wrong and they had effectively declared war on Oz on the colonies’ behalf, and ruined the chance for peace. After that, he rushed off to assassinate Treize, with Trowa backing him up.
Wufei arrived at the ship after a few difficulties, including Lady Une. However, instead of crushing Treize like an insect with his Gundam, Wufei accepted his challenge to a duel and rushed out to fight Treize, armed only with a sword. Wufei seemed to be confident of his ability, of his righteousness (the right have to be strong) that he did not doubt that he would win.
During the fight, Treize remained cool and calm, while Wufei seemed to be driven by emotion. This is rather ironic, for he had told Lady Une that her getting emotional was a ‘Stupid move’. Treize seemed to defeat Wufei easily, placing his sword at Wufei’s throat, seemingly to kill him. Here is when the subtext begin:
“The duel is mine.” I have won this round.
“Kill me!” Death before dishonour! Kill me, end the war for me!
“It was a good fight.” Don’t give up just yet.
“Kill me now or I’ll come back until I get you!” I’ll never give up. I will come back again!
“That sounds interesting. I hope we can battle again.” I look forward to that. I have only won this round, after all.
After that, Wufei left the ship, sinking into the sea, shocked beyond compare that he had been defeated. I believe that this was such a blow to him because he thought that he was right, again, it came back to his belief that ‘the right have to be strong’. Wufei was shaken, as he believed himself to be weak, that’s why he kept saying that he was not worthy of piloting Nataku during Episode Twelve.
On Treize’s point of view, he had let a potential assassin go even after he had made an attempt on his life. He knew that it wasn’t practical, that it was dangerous, but yet he let him go. Lady Une asked him,
“Treize-sama, how come you let that pilot escape?”
He replied,
“He’s the pilot of a mobile suit. I thought it’d be fair to give him another chance. It was honourable to leave the mobile suit to duel with me. I can see why he makes such a good Gundam pilot. Next time, we’ll fight with his specialty, the mobile suit.” He intrigues me, not many would leave their mobile suit to fight a battle in which the odds were lowered against them. I want to see him again, even if it means that he attacks me.
Isn’t that rather like Trowa and Quatre? Of course, it is just my interpretation of the scene, but for Wufei and Treize, you have to look deep between the lines, for the surface is extremely superficial. The two of them were a story that’s hidden between the scenes and between the lines, for the characters themselves are very complex and deep.
[One Last Time]: The Last Battle
“I wasn’t supposed to win!”
Wufei, Episode 48, Takeoff into Confusion
It was during the last battle between the World Nation, White Fang and the Gundams that we saw Treize and Wufei meet again. Libra had blown a chunk out of Earth, courtesy of Milliardo Peacecraft. Treize was leading the forces of the World Nation against White Fang when Wufei appeared to challenge him.
It may appear to people that, during the last battle, Wufei hated Treize, or else why would he attack and kill him? I believe not. Treize, as I have said earlier in the essay, is a man with extremely high ideals, values and beliefs. Wufei understood him, understood his ideals and beliefs, which is why he was so angry when he attacked Treize. Treize betrayed his ideals, and consequently Wufei, when he rejoined the fight as the Sovereign of the World Nation. He spoke of conquering, of justice, of false peace that came of dominance in order to be able to have an army to lead against White Fang, against Milliardo. Treize had truly become God to Milliardo Peacecraft’s Lucifer and Wufei didn’t understand. I believe that he thought that Treize had lied to him, had betrayed him. This is, of course, assuming the fact they were involved during the war.
Wufei went after Treize, abandoning the other pilots to search for him. They found each other on the battlefield, Wufei said,
“Treize! When I’m done here I’ll test your integrity!” You lied to me.
Treize did not answer, and the two fought mobile dolls, apparently allies for the time being. When there were no more distractions, however, Treize shouted,
“Poor aim! I’m over here!” Come and get me!
“Silence!”
“There was a time when battles could be lost and won with the push of the button. These mobile dolls are the root of that detestable spirit. And their extension is that Libra. When wars are dehumanised, victory and defeat become miserable and God no longer lends a helping hand.” This battle has no meaning.
“Enough with the fancy speeches! Too many people had died for nothing because of the battles you fought! If you’re going to fight, then fight only me!” Then people had died for nothing then? You’re a hypocrite! Fight me!
“You’re absolutely right.” Yes, they had.
“Are you prepared for the worse?” Fight me, then!
“Of course. This time I won’t go easy on you.”
“Enough talk!”
Treize then smirked, and the scene changed. However, when we see them again, they’re engaged in battle. Treize said,
“What’s wrong? Why not use your dragon?” Why hold back?
“Because I want to fight you fair and square! That’s why!”
“That’s not like you. Why the hesitation?”
To me, this is important. Treize obviously seemed to know Wufei well enough to know that it was uncharacteristic of him to hold back in battle, to give himself a handicap. The subtext of one sentence is huge, actually.
“Look who’s talking; why didn’t you kill me earlier?”
“I couldn’t kill one of the few people who understands me.”
Treize implied here that he thought that Wufei knew him well enough to understand him, or he thought he did, anyway.
“Give me a break! I despise you!” You liar! I thought I understood you!
“Then come and get me!” You do understand me.
“You’re only capable of looking down at people like this! You’re only fighting to satisfy your own ego? How many people do you think have died for you? ” Stop lying to me! Or have you never stopped? You treat wars as games, and people as pawns!
“Shall I tell you? As of yesterday, 98, 822 people.” I have never lied to you.
“What?”
“Lady, how many fatalities today?”
Lady Une replied, “We have confirmation of 82 White Fang soldiers and 105 of our own.”
“I see. Give me their names later today.”
“Yes, sir, I will.”
“Damn you!”
“I remember everyone who’s sacrificed their lives in battle. Noventa, Septem, Ventei, Darlian, Walker, Otto, Bundt…How could I forget them?” Wars are not games to me, nor are people pawns. You are not a pawn to me.
“How could you be so…?”
“I can only grieve over the lives lost by those who fought. But at least try to understand this. Not one of those people died in vain. And…” I’m sorry, Wufei.
Treize rushed towards Wufei then, with no visible weapons drawn. It was suicide, or rather, assisted suicide.
“That was beautiful, Wufei.” Thank you.
“Treize! How could you…?”
Tallgeese II exploded then. Treize allowed himself to be killed by Wufei, and I believe that it’s not just coincidence. Treize wanted his death to be remembered, and he wanted to go down in a blaze of glory, to die by the hand of a worthy opponent. Treize considered himself honoured to fight with the pilots, and Wufei himself, and chose him to be the one to kill him. For who better to kill him then his lover? I doubt that Wufei would do any different if he was in Treize’s position.
Now come the crux of the whole essay. When Wufei saw Tallgeese II exploded, he cried. Wufei had never shown such a significant amount of emotion than in that scene. He shouted that he “never expected to win”, why? Treize was supposed to be his ultimate enemy, the one he was supposed to kill in the end, but he didn’t expect to win against him. I suspect that Wufei didn’t truly want to kill him, no matter his anger. Wufei found that he was wrong, and that Treize did not lie to him. And the implications of him killing Treize grew even larger, because he no longer had betrayal and hurt to cling onto.
This is, of course, assuming that they were together during the war.
[I Can’t Stop Thinking About You]: In Between, Endless Waltz
“Don’t expect that to defeat me! You won’t even come close to Treize!”
Wufei, Episode 41, Battleship Libra
One odd thing in the whole series that had caught my attention was that quote up there. It seemed rather strange, doesn’t it, that Wufei would suddenly bring Treize’s name up in the middle of a battle. He isn’t one to sprout things off without reason, much less his ‘enemy’s’ name, so why? In my opinion, I believe that Wufei had been thinking about Treize, about the duel. Treize was the first person to defeat him, yes, but was there more reason for him to remember his ‘enemy’?
Also, when Wufei went to fight in Zero, the first person he saw was Treize. True, he saw him as his enemy, but why him first, if Wufei was not thinking about him in the first place anyway?
During Endless Waltz, Dekim Barton plotted to take over the Earth Sphere, using the puppet Mariemaia Khushrenada, seven-year-old daughter of Treize Khushrenada. The Preventers, still a relatively new organization, were unable to stop the takeover. The Gundam pilots came in to help, all of them, except one. Chang Wufei, who had joined Mariemaia’s army and fought against the other pilots.
I do not believe that Wufei truly thought that Dekim Barton was right, that Earth had to be conquered and eliminated. The last we saw of Wufei in the series was he handing Heero his buster rifle, so as to demolish the last of the Libra fragments. If he did not believe in Barton’s plans, why did he join Mariemaia Khushrenada’s army, which has plans to conquer Earth on the threats on dropping a colony onto Earth?
Wufei had felt that soldiers had no time in peace, and no place in Relena Peacecraft’s way of Total Pacifism. He said that there are warriors in the world that could do nothing but fight, and in the new era of peace, they’re thrown away like garbage, unwanted. As they fought, Wufei began to sound more and more like Treize, repeating his ideals that humans need conflict to unleash their full potential. It was then Heero said,
“Just remember, Wufei, Treize is dead, you have already defeated him!”
“You’re wrong! I still continue to fight him, even now.”
Wufei could not forget about Treize, could not forget that he killed him. I suspect that Wufei joined Mariemaia not only because it gave him a cause to fight for, but also, possibly, to absolve his own guilt on killing Treize. Perhaps he thought that by fighting for Treize’s daughter, he would be able to forgive himself, and that Treize would forgive him, wherever he is.
As mentioned before, I believe that Wufei had never meant to kill Treize, much less expect him to commit assisted suicide on his Gundam’s trident. Possibly, he wanted Treize to kill him, because Treize was superior to him in all ways, or so he thought. It was rather like Meiran and himself, blaming himself for her death because he was not strong enough to protect her. However in this case, it was more of him not being worthy enough to die at Treize’s hand. Thus, he felt guilty, inferior, and believing that the only thing he could do is to fight. That may be why he joined Mariemaia and fought against the other pilots.
[Together Again, In the End]: Conclusion
Art by Ponderosa, used with permission.
Treize and Wufei is a story of between the episodes, between the lines. The two of them have the least screen time compared to the other pilots, so why is it not plausible that they were together, behind the scenes? I don’t believe that Wufei would not go back for a rematch after Sally stoked back up his spirits, nor do I believe that Treize wouldn’t be fascinated that Wufei’s spirit and integrity.
Treize and Wufei fit together, two sides of a coin. Treize is the handsome, chivalrous Knight on the white horse, cool, calm and elegant. He is a gentleman, honourable to the last degree. Wufei is the hot-tempered, fiery Dragon who has the same sort of thinking as he does, who understands his honour and chivalry. So how could the Knight not tame and grew to love the fiery Dragon, and the Dragon not love the Knight?
[To See You Once More]: Recommendations and Links
Art by Ponderosa, used with permission.
I am, quite luckily, not the only Treize/Wufei shipper out there. There are many others, and they have written great fics and beautiful art for us to enjoy. This list also contains Treize/Zechs/Wufei fics, as well as non-worksafe fics.
13x5’s Journal -– A community for all Treize/Wufei fans.
The Warrior Who Fights For Justice –- The idol reflection essay for Chang Wufei. It is much, much better than this one.
Nostalgic Tango -- The Treize/Wufei fanlisting.
The 13x5 Mailing List -- Thank you,
cicer!The Knight and the Dragon C2 -- Contains the best of Treize/Wufei from the Pit. A good fic to start with is Kisses by Beliel. Managed by myself, helped by Michalyn.
Asylum! -- Fics by Kat, alone or with Tzigane or Kumiko. I can’t say anything about this. It’s too good for words. Contains Treize/Zechs/Wufei and Treize/Zechs also.
Ashkara’s Fanfiction Vault -- In the ‘Evil Onnas?’ section, there is a gem named ‘Changing Allegiance’. Treize/Zechs/Wufei, and one of the best fics I’ve read, even though the threesome isn’t the main focus. The Role-playing Series is also hilarious. Her Darkness at Dawn epic cannot be described with words. It's focused more on Duo and Heero, but Wufei and Treize gets their highlights too.
December, by Ann -- Treize’s POV, slightly altered reality where Treize is alive after the war. Very sweet.
Destiny, Interrupted -- Begin Again is absolutely beautiful and thought provoking. And her art is delicious too. Click on the link. You need to.
Dragon Love -- Azzie writes for many different pairings, including Treize/Wufei. Angel Emotion is good, but is seconded by Bound by Strings of the Soul.
Higashi Mado> -- Some of the best Treize/Wufei and Treize/Zechs/Wufei fics I’ve ever read. The site’s down for the moment, though
KC’s Fanfiction Lair -- Her Willing Slave Arc is stunning, set in a medieval-like setting. Treize/Wufei is one of the main pairings, and is the focus for Corazon.
KatiKat and Others -- KatiKat writes quite a lot of fics, and a few of them feature Treize/Wufei. Jingle Bells and the Chink are my favourites among the lot, although I may be biased. DRL’s Contemplation Indigo series is also archived here, as well as Resolution and it’s sequel, Confrontation.
Rouge11’s Member Profile in Gundam Wing Universe -- Treize/Wufei, Treize/Zechs, and Treize/Zechs/Wufei are all here. She’s on a hiatus on her fics, I think.
Roo -- Absolutely delicious lemons of both Treize/Wufei and Treize/Zechs/Wufei. The Prize is a personal favourite.
Sweet Romance -- Michalyn’s fics. She is the one who lured me into this pairing. Aestheticism is my personal favourite, and there’s many luscious fanart too! DRL’s Contemplation Indigo is also hosted there, and it’s worth a look.
Tapestry, by Summoner -- Incredibly compelling read. A manipulative Treize, an oblivious Wufei and a worried Sally. Wow doesn’t cover it.
Gundam Wing Addiction
These are the Treize/Wufei fics that I’ve found in the archive. Some repetition may occur.
Bonne&Von – The Frozen Colony Arc -- Although there are many, many pairings in the whole Arc, the 13x5 bits are worth a mention.
Kuwabara no Miko -- A Beginning à Wufei dresses up as a male prostitute to assassinate a Romefeller leader. However, he met someone unexpected. Also,
- Improbable Outcome -- Wufei loses a duel, and has to pay the consequences.
- The Wilmington Stories -- The normal high school fic with a lemon twist.
Jade – Intervention -- Very erotic Treize/Zechs/Wufei lemon, among others. Relena fans beware, though.
- Four to Tango -- Another beautiful lemon featuring Treize/Zechs/Wufei and Heero/Duo/Trowa/Quatre.
Jay – Long December -- Fashioned like the Little Match Girl, yet with it’s own distinctive twists. Beautifully sad, with an unhappy happy ending, depending on how you see it.
Talya Firedancer - The Price to Pay -- It will never be completed, but a good fic nonetheless.
Yoiko, with Tzigane - Wufei is WHAT? Productions, Veiled Paradox -- Simply stunning, a deliciously dark fic with a great plot. “I see dead people.”
There aren’t as many fics for Treize and Wufei than say, Quatre and Trowa, but there’s still a sizable amount. I would appreciate any recommendations, because, seriously, I can’t get enough of Treize and Wufei.
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Date: 2005-10-13 03:55 am (UTC)