A/N: This is a TESOW side oneshot. I wrote it as a separate story mostly because I forgot to add it in TESOW. It takes place during chapter 6 but it can stand alone. It was late when I wrote it so please forgive its crappy quality. Also it's not cracky like TESOW, sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I shall forever own nothing. *cries*

Lost and Found

Mirage wandered around the streets, scared, alone, and lost. He knew he shouldn't have left his servant's side while she was buying ingredients for tonight's dinner, but the sight of turbo-puppy caught his optic and proved too hard to resist. After he had pet the turbo-puppy, he found that the servant was no longer there.

Poor thing had been wandering the streets for half an hour when he noticed something moving in the corner of his optic. He turned and saw a trash can moving. Mirage slowly approached the trash can and gave it a gentle tap on the side.

"Hello!," called out a voice inside the trash can. "Anybody there!"

The voice sounded like it belonged to a sparkling like him. "Are you okay?," asked Mirage, confident that the other mech wouldn't harm him.

"No, I'm stuck. Can you help me out?," asked the young mech.

"Okay," said Mirage. He began to shove the trash can at the same time as the other mech.

On the first try, they tipped it over and the sparkling tumbled out. Mirage ran over to the other and took in his appearance. The sparkling was a bit bulky and a dark green color under all that garbage.

"How did you end up in there?," asked Mirage.

The sparkling looked a little upset. "The bigger younglings put me in here because they didn't want me to follow them."

Mirage frowned. "That's not nice," he muttered. "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. I'm Mirage, nice to meet you," he added, holding out his servo.

The mech smiled. "I'm Hound. Thanks for helping me," he said, shaking Mirage's servo.

Mirage grimaced at the gunk on his servo. "Sorry," said an embarrassed Hound.

"That's all right."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hound spoke.

"Mirage?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you alone?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," replied Mirage.

"I live just down the street and my creators can find me easily if they want me back home," answered Hound. "What about you?"

Mirage looked at his pedes. "I'm lost. I wandered off and I lost my caretaker."

Hound grabbed the blue sparkling's servo and said, "Don't worry. I'll keep you company until they find you."

Mirage gave him a look of gratitude.

xxx

For the next half an hour, Hound showed Mirage all of his picture books and even showed him a few holograms he had of turbo-foxes. But alas, the fun was not meant to last. Mirage's servant found the two playing jacks on Hound's stoop.

"Mirage there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," cried out the servant. "Your creators would have scrapped me if you have gotten hurt."

The servant then noticed the grime covering Mirage and the dirty sparkling with him.

"Look at you!," she exclaimed, "You're filthy! That's no way for a Towers mech to look. I need to give you a bath before your creators come home."

She then pulled out an antibacterial wipe and wiped Mirage's servo before grabbing it and pulling him away from Hound.

"Hound!," he cried out.

Hound was shocked that his new friend was a noble but he didn't care, he just didn't want him to leave. "Mirage!"

"I promise, I'll find you again!," swore Mirage. Hound was the closest mech he had for a friend and he wasn't going to forget him so easily.

XXX

And he didn't. After that little incident, his creators fired the servant and wouldn't allow Mirage to leave the Towers. Instead of going to private school like all the other Tower younglings, his overprotective creators hired tutors to teach him and bodyguards to follow him around.

When Mirage was old enough to be on his own without a bodyguard, he began his search for Hound. He would spend hours looking through archives for any mech that resembled his old friend.

Then one day he found the right file and read it. It turned out that not long after he last saw Hound, his family moved to the city of Vos and he was to attend a public high school there soon.

Mirage smiled. Now all he had to do was convince his parents to allow him to go to Vos for a few years. That wouldn't be difficult. His creators quickly became less overprotective, almost careless, about his welfare when their company became even more successful.

Mirage was a little hurt about that, but overall he didn't mind; it gave him the perfect opportunity to reunite with Hound.

XXX

Hound was cleaning up his room while his creators worked when the phone began to ring. He put down the mop and answered. "Hello, Hound speaking."

"Hello Hound," said a cultured voice. "It is so good to hear your voice."

Hound's optics widened. "Look, I don't know who you are but I'm going to hang up now and don't you dare call me back."

"Hound wait! It's me, Mirage!," the voice cried out desperately.

"M-Mirage," Hound stuttered.

"I told you I would find you again," he chuckled.

"It's been so long," Hound whispered.

"It has. But I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of each other very soon," Mirage said mysteriously.

"What do you mean?," asked Hound.

"I am going to attend the same school as you," replied the Towers mech.

"How did you do that? And why?," asked Hound, amazed that Mirage still remembered him and wanted to rekindle their friendship.

"That's my little secret," Mirage said. "Also, you're my closest friend. I've been lonely since that day and I missed you."

"It's my turn to make a promise to you Mirage," said Hound. "I swear I won't leave you alone again for as long as I am online."

Mirage couldn't help but smile at his friend's words. All his work and determination was worth it.

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed. I wrote this oneshot to explain why Mirage, a Towers mech, would ever attend a public school, which he will in chapter 7 of TESOW.

Please review but no flames.

Now if you excuse me, I have to get back to work on chapter 7.