Lost

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Warnings: Ugh. Not much for this chapter.

A/N: To the reviewer who mentioned Maldorer's 'The Arrangement':

Yes, her fic has had major impact on the way I view Heero and Wufei's relationship, and this fic may even be heavily influenced by her, but I don't intend to copy her in any way. I think that the idea of Wufei running away to escape from Heero because of a misunderstanding (as Maldoror had written) is very interesting and worth further consideration by fellow authors, so this is merely my take on the possibilities. I apologize to those who feel that I have plagiarised by centering my fic around the mentioned idea (especially Maldoror, who I fully worship as the Goddess of 1x5), but I feel that this fic is uniquely mine and shouldn't be considered as a parallel story to 'The Arrangement'.

Anyhow, on with the fic!

Heero stood for a minute, stunned. Slowly, his brain registered the slight ache in his chest, and he reached up, massaging it vaguely.

His cell phone rang.

Heero snatched it from his belt and flipped it open.

"Oh my God I'm so fucking sorry, Heero, I don't know how it happened and I swear I was watching him but God-"

"Duo," Heero interrupted. "Shut up."

Duo's anxious barrage of words halted, and Heero took the opportunity to finally think. Inhaling deeply, he pursed his lips and automatically moved to shut the front door.

"Are the others with you?" he asked after a few moments, turning around to see what could be of use.

"Quatre is," Duo responded, sounding somewhat subdued. His voice had the echo of a tremor, though. "He's yelling right now."

Heero heard Quatre's voice grow in volume.

"Tell him to calm down and to call Trowa," Heero said briskly as he moved towards his living room. "We might be able to catch up with him before he leaves the country."

Duo didn't question him and repeated the instructions to Quatre, though he himself sounded strained.

"Do you want us to contact the others?" he asked as a precaution.

"No," Heero answered quickly, finding and shoving his tracker into a pocket. "They would only make him feel even more cornered. There's a chance that we could still find him without alerting anyone else."

"God, Heero," Duo breathed. "He could be anywhere by now."

"Did he leave his cell phone there?" Heero continued, ignoring Duo's worried words.

"He left everything."

Heero couldn't help but glower at what that implied. He stalked back to the hallway and grabbed Wufei's keys from the stand.

"Fine. Hack into all the local airports and train stations," he ordered as he left the house. "We need all sells records and security camera recordings. Tell me if you find anything."

"Wait," Duo cut in. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to follow him," Heero muttered, climbing onto Wufei's motorcycle. "He doesn't understand. I need to explain to him why."

Wufei was on a train heading north. He didn't know where he was going, even less why north, but it seemed as good a direction as any other. Of course, taking a train was a stupid idea in any case; it would make his escape route too easy to track, especially with Heero's skills.

Wufei wondered vaguely whether he really wanted to disappear or not. Maybe his subconscious actually wanted Heero to find him and to take him home, but since he was still feeling slightly drugged, he couldn't be sure. After his initial adrenaline rush, he'd felt tired... almost empty. Perhaps he was in shock. That would explain why he felt that time had been suspended, and that he was stuck in a horrible hallucination where nothing ended and nothing started, yet everything was happening too quickly for him to figure out. He didn't know what to think, to feel, to... do.

His back-up communication device beeped; Wufei jumped.

He moved to snatch it up from his duffel bag, but hesitated. What if it was Heero? He didn't want to be found.

"Wufei?" It was Trowa. His voice was soft enough to not be heard easily. "Wufei, if you hear me, please answer."

Trowa; he hadn't been at the banquet. Wufei still needed to ask, though. Shivering slightly, he quickly pulled the communicator from his bag.

"Were you part of it too?" Wufei demanded as he connected with the incoming signal.

Trowa paused.

"No, I didn't find out until Quatre called me," he replied calmly. "I couldn't go."

Wufei's eyes narrowed.

"Are you help-?"

"No." Trowa's answer was simple. The truth.

Wufei leaned back against the seat and sighed wearily as he closed his eyes.

"I won't make his excuses for him," Trowa continued slowly a minute later, "but please don't run too far or long. Being apart hurts." Wufei understood that it didn't include just him and Heero.

Inhaling deeply, he brought the communicator to his lips again.

"So many things have happened," he muttered, putting a hand on his stomach as it turned nauseatingly. "I'm not sure of the future anymore. I don't even understand the hopes I had anymore."

Trowa didn't reply right away, but Wufei knew he understood as well.

"Do you remember what Duo said, though?" Trowa spoke up a moment later.

Wufei winced at the mention of that name.

"'Like gum from the bottom of a running shoe,'" he quoted from memory, scoffing even as he felt his throat tighten. "'Even Heero's inhuman strength can't pull us apart.' Then again, Duo had always been optimistic." Wufei flinched physically as both names passed his lips.

"You will come back to us eventually." There was no uncertainty in Trowa's voice.

"Yeah," Wufei replied softly. "I will."

The other paused again.

"I can't promise you that I won't tell Heero," he said.

"Understood," Wufei replied tiredly. He wouldn't want any of them to be caught in a web of lies either. "Just... give me some time."

"All you have to do is ask, friend."

Wufei blinked and tilted his head up. His vision swam as a white fog misted his eyes.

"I know."

"You what?!" Duo's disbelief was enough to banish his anxiety for the time being.

"He's well," Trowa added, for Heero's benefit. "He's slowly coming out from the drugs."

Heero clenched his teeth, but didn't reply. Keeping his eyes on the road ahead, he let them bicker it out.

"Trowa, where is he?" Quatre demanded as he, too, connected to the line.

"I don't know."

"You didn't ask?" Duo spat.

"I won't betray a friend," Trowa returned heatedly. There was a pause as he gathered himself. "No matter what your values are."

For a moment, everyone was silent, each lamenting.

"Heero," Trowa continued quietly a while later. "It's important to give him some time, but he's going to break. You have to find him soon."

'I know,' Heero thought to himself, grimacing. It suddenly hit him how much effort the other ex-pilots were putting into helping him. They really didn't have to do this; this was his screw-up, and he knew it. However, having them there helped to ease his agitation. He silently reminded himself to thank them later - after he found Wufei.

"And now he's stuck between a rock and a hard place," Duo muttered wryly in response. The connection swam as Duo moved around. "I'm tracing Trowa's line now," he continued distractedly, and they could hear quick typing. "Got it! Thank you, Trowa! TR Train, heading north."

Heero abruptly lowered his hand to grab the handlebar and made a sharp right.

"Damn," Duo swore. "The train's already left."

"Name the scheduled stops," Heero ordered; his voice sounded harsher than he'd intended. He pressed his lips shut and scowled.

Duo listed them off quickly.

"Wait," Quatre cut in. "Lycetania? Isn't that-?"

"Yeah," Duo answered, sounding elated now. "It's worth a try."

"Would she hold him for us if we asked?" Quatre spoke up, needing reassurance.

"Her?" Duo's voice was incredulous. "You can just forget that idea. There's no use calling. You going, Heero?"

"Heading off," Heero responded.

"Don't screw up anymore," Trowa warned, speaking up before Heero could disconnect.

"That's not fair, and you know," Quatre objected darkly.

"You know what you have to do," Trowa continued, ignoring the other's comment. "I know I have no grounds to interfere, but bring him back."

"Same here," Duo added ruefully. "I need to tell him sorry. We all do."

Dorothy didn't seem at all surprised when Wufei arrived at her door.

"Come in and close the door behind you," she muttered crossly, wrapping her shawl tightly around herself. "It's hell out there."

Wufei did as she told and followed automatically as she led him to the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and sat down when she gestured at him to do so.

"The maids are all asleep," she continued, sounding distractedly sleepy. "You can only have tea and biscuits."

Blinking repeatedly, Dorothy padded around her dark kitchen in search of the hidden food. Eventually, she found the biscuits, but not the tea leaves. She finally made an irritated sound as she returned to her guest.

"Forget it," she muttered in exasperation, pushing a jar of cookies towards Wufei and moving to get a cup of milk. "Tea keeps you up anyway."

He obediently started eating - he hadn't yet asked for food, had he? - though his mind felt incapable of allowing him to function properly. But he managed to go through the steps - bite, chew, swallow, there you go. At times, the fragments got stuck in his throat and he had to choke it down with milk.

After forcing himself to eat half a dozen of the nauseatingly sweet treats, he couldn't continue.

"I'm assuming you need somewhere to sleep," Dorothy murmured, her chin leaning against her open palm. "If your silence is any indication, you're exhausted enough to fall asleep in your chair." Her gaze moved over him unhurriedly, taking the opportunity to finally perform a visual check.

Wufei turned to look at her, but his eyes couldn't focus.

Dorothy seemed to suddenly snap to attention as her eyes flashed to his.

"You-"

"It's wearing off," Wufei interrupted. "Nothing serious."

Dorothy's gaze now scrutinized him carefully.

"It's the thirteenth, and don't you dare ask me to count fingers." Wufei scowled lightly, narrowing his eyes to focus on her face.

Dorothy scoffed and leaned back in her chair, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she accepted this. His retort was satisfactory, then.

"At least your grouchiness hasn't deserted you," she murmured, raising a corner of her lips.

Wufei felt his ribs constrict at that unwanted reminder. His hand hovered over his bandages, but he suppressed the urge to touch it.

Dorothy's eyes drifted down.

"Fresh?"

"Healing," Wufei responded curtly, looking away.

"I'm not the kind to pry," Dorothy finally snapped at him, sounding offended. "I'm merely concerned."

Wufei tore his eyes from the tabletop and met hers for a moment.

"I know," he muttered despondently, though his eyes tried to convey to her all that he felt.

Dorothy shook her head in resignation.

"Forget it," she muttered, her voice veiled. "Just... come."

Feeling all the more tired, Wufei followed her as she led him to a guest room... and to sleep, an escape.

(To Be Continued)