She found him underneath the sycamores. Alek had his knees up to his chest, and was staring off into the distance. There was a shattered bottle a few feet away from him, but he didn't seem to notice or care. The hustle and bustle of the city was gone, and it was hard to believe that only a few minutes away was the imposing city of Japan. Alek's back was to her, and he hadn't heard her approaching. Deryn paused a few feet away from him, watching the way the midday sun caught the copper highlights in his hair. She took a tentative half step toward him, and a twig crackled beneath her heavy duty air-service issue boots. She froze.
"How did you find me?" Alek asked. Although he had not turned around, he knew without question that it was Deryn.
"Newkirk saw you running off. I thought you might come here," Deryn replied as she strode toward him, eliminating the space between them.
Settling down next to him in the long, wild grasses, she asked, "What are you doing here Alek? Why did you run off like that?"
When the Leviathan had reached Japan, Captain Rigby had granted all the middy's the day off, and Deryn had convinced him to let Alek out too. The pair had snuck out underneath Volger's nose, and had been enjoying wandering around the streets of Japan. Deryn had paused to look at a store window, and when she turned around Alek was gone. At first she had been petrified, fearing the Germans had captured him, but Newkirk had seen him running away.
Ignoring her questions, he replied, voice flat and devoid of emotion, "why didn't you tell me?" the silence in the air was palpable.
He swallowed hard, showing some emotion for the first time. "I was your best friend. I trusted you with everything. You couldn't have trusted me too"
Deryn's voice was thick with tears when she replied, "Alek, I -" her voice broke halfway through.
Alek interrupted her, his demeanor icy, "It doesn't matter anyways. I'll be leaving the ship soon, and then we'll never have to see each other again."
Rising to leave, he left her in that field, crying underneath the sycamores, never once looking back.