A Private Search

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Sir Winston Churchill

The Chinese Preventer stalked down a hallway in the main Preventer building with a scowl in place. Most of the other Preventers hung out of his way, still not quite sure how one so young could be among their ranks but smart enough to realize that he was very dangerous when provoked.

He just could not understand how Duo Maxwell could remain hidden so well. There were no traces of him anywhere. Even Heero Yuy had slipped up but he had been long gone by the time any Preventer had been able to get there and he had not come up since. At least it was evidence that he still existed. But Duo Maxwell had no records and had not popped up on Preventer radar or on Chang Wufei's personal searches. It was amazing that Duo could keep such a low profile; he just could not believe it.

But then again he knew that Duo was a chameleon, perhaps not even he had seen all of his personality. It was a pretty safe bet that no one had. He was so caught up in his musings that he did not even notice the footsteps coming up behind him and if he had he probably would have walked faster or even run.

"Chang," Lt. Noin came up beside him, keeping pace with him and he felt a sudden dread creep up into his throat at her appearance.

"Noin," Wufei acknowledged her even though he wanted to get back to the safety of his office.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked politely.

"Actually there was something I needed to take care of, will this take long?" Wufei had no desire to speak to the woman but he had no desire to get into an argument with her either.

"It won't take long at all," Noin promised him with a slight frown. "If you'll just follow me please."

Wufei barely held back his sigh of dejection but he followed after her despite the overwhelming desire to come up with some excuse. He wished to get this conversation over and done with; he only hoped that it would be so easy. He knew that since Noin was the one pulling him off to the side for a chat it would most likely involve some complex situation and he had a good idea of the other party in that situation. He wanted to curse the day he had taken Zechs Merquise's offer but he made a good partner and he was easier to get along with than most of the people Wufei worked with.

"Now Chang," Noin said closing to door to a small conference room behind them. "Why is Zechs avoiding me? He's never done this before and I think that you know why and I want to know right now."

She glared at him and he bit back the acerbic reply he so longed to give. Insulting the woman would only earn him more trouble with her in the future than if he just tried to stay out of the whole mess.

"I honestly have no idea," Wufei lied convincingly and he even managed to look somewhat confused. "He doesn't confide in me about very many personal issues. I'm merely his roommate."

"Somehow I don't believe that Chang," Noin glared at the Chinese Preventer and he wondered if she could sense that he really was lying. "He has to have told you something. You'd be better off telling me whatever it was here and now rather than in the future."

"All he said was that he did not want to discuss you in any way," Wufei finally admitted, although it was only the partial truth since Zechs complained about Noin whenever something happened. "I don't know why and I don't care why to be honest. It's none of my business."

Noin said nothing as Wufei moved for the door and opened it to escape to freedom.

"If you're keeping something from me Chang I'll find out," Noin promised, her lips pressed tightly together in anger.

Wufei said nothing in response. He was not afraid of a mere woman with a grudge against him. But he was not afraid of much having been a Gundam Pilot and fighting in two wars. He continued on to his destination ignoring the looks he was receiving now from curious Preventer personnel. He knew what they were all thinking but gossip was never something he had put much value on.

He made it into his shared office with Zechs. The other man was away back at their apartment with the evening off. Wufei shut the door behind him and sat in his desk, back ramrod straight.

Now was not the time for anger even though he could feel it coursing through his body. It was time to do a little more digging on the elusive Duo Maxwell. Thinking about Duo got him back on track and he punched a number on his vid-phone for an automatic call to L2.

"Hello this is Hilde," The young purple haired woman said with a smile before she saw who it was and then the smile fell from her face to be replaced with a look of uneasiness. "Oh, hi Wufei. What can I do for you?"

"You've still heard nothing from Maxwell?" Wufei questioned her, not even bothering to say hello.

He watched as her face crumpled slightly as she fought to hold back her tears but her tone was angry and upset, "No, how many times do I have to tell you? If that's all you ever want to talk about please don't call me anymore because I can't take it. I have enough trouble dealing with Duo's disappearance as it is. I don't need you to remind me of it every week like clock work. I don't need a reminder that my best friend is gone and hasn't made contact with anyone and that I don't know how he's doing. I remind myself more than enough times every single day."

"I am sorry," Wufei bowed his head feeling guilty for hurting her with his callousness. "I did not mean to cause you pain. It's just that something doesn't sit right with me. Duo has not once slipped up, even Yuy has done so and he had the best training out of all of us."

"You won't find any trace on Duo unless he wants you to," Hilde shook her head clearing her eyes with her fingertips before going on with a smile that she seemed to keep in place through sheer will. "He's too good for that. He's from the streets Wufei, he can bury himself back in them and you'd never stand a prayer of finding him."

"Well do you have any ideas where he might have gone to?" Wufei pressed her with another much asked question.

"For the last time I don't," Hilde snapped, suddenly angry and defensive. "Duo doesn't have any family left alive, only people he considered to be family. He can fit in anywhere he chooses, be it on Earth or in the Colonies. He obviously doesn't want to be found Wufei, just let him go."

Hilde gave him a look that said she pitied him but understood and slammed the connection shut before Wufei could say anything else.

He leaned back in his chair putting his hand over his eyes. Wufei felt tired and drained after dealing with both Noin and Hilde at once, mostly from Hilde though.

He could not blame Hilde for her anger at him. He was always pushing her, always making her relive her pain from Duo's disappearance and never offering to be a friend. If he was a friend, any kind of friend he knew that he should call back and apologize and he promised himself that was what he would do the next time he called, he always made that promise. He would finally apologize to her but somehow the words never came out.

Wufei looked over at the calendar that was tacked up on his part of the wall. He had a five day vacation coming up in a month. He decided he would spend it and take a short trip to L2 after he cleared it with Une. He would apologize in person and maybe then the words would come out right. Hilde deserved no less for all the pain he had been putting her through with each and every call he made.

He wrote a reminder to himself to look up shuttle times to L2 and to also call Hilde ahead of time to let her know to expect him. He would need a place to stay; perhaps she could recommend one for him.

"Chang?" A voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head quickly towards the door. "I've been calling to you for a while now. What are you thinking about that's got you so occupied?"

"Nothing woman," He scowled over at Sally Po and her intrusion. "Don't just stand in the doorway, either come in or get out."

Sally merely smiled at his rudeness. She was used to it and if Chang suddenly stopped she would have definitely known something was wrong with the young Chinese man. She knew that he was only rude to people he knew or liked so she took it as a compliment most of the time.

Sally Po entered Chang and Merquise's office, shutting the door behind her and taking Zech's chair across from Wufei. He watched her but made no comment about her choice of seating.

"What is it Po?" Wufei said with a slight scowl as he watched her. "I'm busy here."

"Lady Une wants the two of us and Zechs too," Sally gave a slight smile. "To be in her office tomorrow morning because Relena is coming by to talk about Dorothy Catalonia. I have a feeling that we're going to be asked to join in the Princess's crusade to free Dorothy."

"I would not be opposed to joining with Relena to speak out on Dorothy's behalf," Wufei stated.

"That's good to know," Sally said in relief. "I wasn't sure where you stood on that issue."

"I thought Une would have told you Po," Wufei said with a slight look of confusion that quickly passed from his face. "I've been to visit Dorothy in prison to speak with her."

Sally looked somewhat surprised but Wufei did not make an issue of it. There was no reason to harass Sally about what he had or had not done concerning Dorothy and her imprisonment and upcoming trial.

"Good," Sally smiled. "She needs people to visit her, people that she knows. I'll be doing a check-up on her in a week after I spend a few days with Marimeia."

"How is Marimeia?" Wufei asked curiously and out a general desire to know how the red-haired girl was doing.

"She's making a fast recovery," Sally smiled fondly. "She has a strong spirit and she's doing quite well. I imagine that by next year she'll be able to attend boarding school. Right now Une is having her tutored privately while she's in the hospital."

Wufei nodded in approval, "Keep me updated on Marimeia's condition please Sally."

"I will Wufei," Sally stood and left.

The young man turned his thoughts inward again, thinking of his time serving Marimeia. They had been confusing days, all seeming to blur together except for the start of the rebellion. That he remembered all too clearly and some memories can only be dimmed by acts of goodness.