Masks
By: Starlight-x
Chapter 2

"Welcome, state your name please."

Hilde looked up at the gates, sure her face would be caught by the security cameras. The pleasant female computerized voice began again.

"Welcome, state your name please."

"Hilde." The word was whispered.

"One moment please."

Hilde leaned against the wall. She was so tired. Her eyes felt swollen even though she hadn't shed one tear.

An electronic buzz. The gates opened partway and a slender man slipped through. "Hilde!" He reached her, grabbing one shoulder. "Where have you been?"

"I'm back." Hilde gave a half hearted smile and slumped against him. "I hope you didn't worry too much Asher."

"Come on, let's get you inside." He slipped an arm around her waist.

"Is he here?"

"Hmm?" Asher paused on the inside of the gate to reset the security code. He kept his grip on her waist the entire time. "No, the master isn't here right now."

"Okay." Hilde gave a sigh, part relief, part disappointment. She let Asher lead her into the building, depositing her onto a couch. It felt a little like she had a block of ice nestled right inside her chest making each breath a painful endeavor. She glanced up when Asher knelt in front of her, tears threatening.

"I started running a bath for you. Come on, you'll feel better when you get cleaned up. Do you think you can manage by yourself?"

Hilde let him tug her to her feet. She hadn't even noticed that he'd left her. "I don't need your help." She managed to insert a healthy dose of sarcasm into her tone, repressing the tears.

"I wasn't offering my services. Duo would have my hide." Asher responded dryly. "Alright, I'll let you be now." He left her in the bathroom with a final brotherly pat on the shoulder.

Hilde glanced from the tub full of steamy water to the towel and fresh clothes set out for her and felt the cold ease just a little bit.

0000

"Hello?" Quatre answered his phone on the first ring.

"She's back."

Those two words were enough to spur him into a frenzied rush to arrive home. "I'll be right there. Don't let her leave again until I get there. I don't care what you do Asher, just keep her there."

"Yes sir," Asher's voice turned hesitant. "You may want to hurry."

The hidden worry in the man's voice had almost been enough to send Quatre into full blown panic as he hurried to summon his car.

Hilde had been missing for days. Quatre had suspected she'd gone back to the Lower side of the city to look for her missing partner but there'd been no way to confirm it. He had wanted to search her out himself at first, reason had prevailed preventing him from tearing the city apart looking for his ward. After all, Elites didn't head down to the Lower side except on rare occasions for a dangerous type of 'slumming.' Instead he'd continued the rounds of parties, lunch engagements and soirees that served as entertainment for the Elites.

He needed to be back home now. This was taking too long. "Stop the car." Quatre tugged on the door handle, ignoring the warnings that issued from the speakers hidden in the cushions of the seat behind him.

"Don't be an idiot."

The irritated voice was accompanied by a sharp poke to his side. "If you do what you're thinking right now someone will almost certainly spot you. Remember, this area is filled with security cameras. Unless of course you were planning to give Dorothy more material to work with."

"Of course not." Quatre sat back, furtively massaging his side. He reached forward and pressed the privacy button, allowing the partition to rise, separating him from the empty front. He leaned his head back and forced himself to relax.

"I swear." There was amusement in Trowa's tone. "Every single time you adopt one of those humans you get so territorial about them."

"You were there when I found her." Quatre didn't attempt to curb the sharpness in his voice. "If she went looking for Duo then she was back in the Lower side. Who knows what might've happened to her."

"Yes, I was there when you found her. I know what she looked like. Quatre you know she's not a helpless little girl anymore, she's an independent young woman. Wasn't that the whole point behind you raising her?"

"Of course." Quatre ran a hand over his face. "I'll be alright, just give me a moment."

His concession to Trowa's remarks still didn't stop him from racing from the car the moment it had stopped.

Asher met him at the front door, looking more relaxed then he'd sounded on the phone.

His butler's demeanor calmed Quatre slightly. "Where is she?"

"Her favorite place." Asher took Quatre's coat and stood to the side.

Quatre shifted, moving quickly until he came to a set of doors, partially open. The sound of running water drifted out to him, mixed with the sounds of birds chirping contentedly. Taking a calming breath and pushing his feelings deep down he entered the room.

It was a charming recreation of a outdoor garden and had quickly become Hilde's favorite place in the entire house when she first came here as a small child. She'd been smitten with the replica of a small waterfall that flowed continuously in one corner of the room. Quatre moved through the greenery until he spotted Hilde on one of the stone benches that were tastefully arranged around the entire room. She sat, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes fixed on the waterfall. His heart seized for a moment, seeing again the hurt little girl he'd rescued in her posture.

She gave a sigh, glancing up at him and he noticed the projector she held gripped in one hand. "I'm sorry Quatre."

"Hilde." He came to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry I went to Lower side without telling you. I just had to find him." She gave a heartbroken laugh. "Guess what? I found him."

Quatre sat perfectly still, not speaking, attempting instead to radiate comfort.

Her breathing quickened. "I found him and he didn't even remember me." She had started to shake. "He told me he'd kill the next person who came after him. He meant it." She turned a haunted gaze toward Quatre.

"Hilde." Quatre gathered her close, unable to resist the hurt in her eyes. Once his arms closed around her she began to weep, heavy sobs shaking her body. A large tabby striped cat leaped up onto the bench and began to rub against Hilde in a comforting gesture, purring loudly. Hilde reached out and ran one hand over the cat's head. It pushed against her hand in response.

"I didn't mean to make you worry." Hilde's voice was somewhat shaky and she scrubbed roughly at her cheeks before picking up the cat and cuddling it.

"He was in the Lower side?"

Hilde glanced up from the cat. "Yeah."

"I think I'll need to pay a visit down there." Quatre gently wiped the remaining tears off her face. He smiled at the look of alarm she gave him. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Asher chose that moment to enter the room carrying a tray of food. "I have some of your favorites here Hilde."

"I'll take care of it." Quatre paused to run the back of his fingers down Hilde's cheek. "Don't worry anymore."

He stood and left her in Asher's care. Several steps down the hallway Trowa materialized beside him. "The Lower side then."

"That's where he is apparently." Quatre gave a sigh. "That boy sometimes doesn't have an ounce of sense in his body." He turned to glance over his shoulder and raised one eyebrow. "A cat?"

His guardian shrugged. "She was crying."

Quatre smothered a smile and continued down the hall.

"The hard part will be heading down there without Dorothy following." Trowa kept up easily.

"Yes." Quatre nodded. "I don't exactly want her tagging along while I try and figure out what happened to Duo."

"Have you thought about talking to Wufei?"

"Of course. But I don't want to bother him unless it's absolutely necessary. He's adapted the life of a recluse for a reason. You just concentrate on Dorothy for now, if we can manage to avoid her that would be the easiest solution."

"Of course." Trowa vanished.

Quatre sighed. "Duo, you really like to complicate my life don't you?"

0000

It had been a long day. Duo rubbed at his temple as he pushed open the door the small restaurant. The familiar smells and sounds eased his nerves. He'd been jumpy all day and his headache had just made it worse, drawing his temper to the snapping point. He moved to his normal table, sitting with his back to the corner while facing the entire room before finally relaxing slightly.

"Hey there hon."

"Cathy," Duo felt a smile lift his lips before he winced and rubbed at his temple again.

"Not doing so hot today are you?" Catherine's sky blue eyes held concern and she laid a soft hand gently on his forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"Nah, just a headache. It's not too bad." Duo lied.

"Macho, just like Jin. I'll bring you a painkiller." Catherine shook her head. "What do you want to eat? Your usual?"

"That'd be great." Duo glanced around. "Not too busy tonight huh?"

"Not really." Catherine didn't seemed bothered. "I'll be right back. Don't get in trouble." She shook one finger at him warningly before leaving.

"Of course." Duo leaned his elbows on the tabletop and let out a sigh. He hadn't been able to get that girl's face out of his mind. Deep blue eyes that held fear and the hint of another emotion. Duo sighed again. The blankness of his memory had been an annoyance that was rapidly escalating into a problem. All he could remember was waking up in a bed with Catherine bent over him. Her boyfriend Jin had found him collapsed in the alley behind small restaurant. Try as he might he hadn't been able to remember anything from before that. His name was the only link to his previous life that had he'd been able to salvage from his mind.

Still that girl had acted like she knew him. "You really don't remember me do you?" Her voice had been soft and when he'd held her she'd felt so fragile. Duo shook his head.

"Here you are." Catherine set a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. "It might taste a little different. Rashid's experimenting again."

"That's fine." Duo sighed and looked up at her. "Cathy, nobody's been in here asking about me have they?"

"You?" Catherine shook her head. "Not to me. I can ask Jin if you'd like."

"Nah, that's okay." Duo picked up his cup and took a careful sip.

Catherine eyed him carefully. "Did something happen?"

"Not really." Duo avoided her gaze and took another sip.

There was a scraping noise and Catherine slid into the chair across from him settling her arms firmly on the tabletop. "Come on, you know better then to try that with me Duo. Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"I don't know." Duo admitted. He kept his gaze focused the steam rising from his cup. "I've been followed a lot lately by lots of different people and I don't know why because I can't remember who I was before." He stopped abruptly. He didn't want to talk about the girl.

"Are you sure?" Catherine's forehead creased with concern.

Duo nodded.

The door opened and Catherine glanced around to see who'd entered. "I've got to help this customer. Jin'll bring your food out in a little bit." She patted his hand reassuringly. "We'll figure out what's going on, don't worry."

Duo watched as she bustled over to wait on the couple who had just entered. He took the moment to look around the small area. The tables were mostly vacant with only a few people eating.

Most were regulars that he allowed his gaze slip over easily, no threat there. Instead he found himself staring at a man sitting in a corner booth across the restaurant from him. His clothes made him seem Lower side but his mannerisms practically screamed "ELITE." Duo frowned. Why was such an obviously upper social class citizen down here?

A plate settled in front of him and Duo looked up to see Catherine's boyfriend next to him. "Hey Jin, what do you know about him?" He jerked a thumb furtively toward the blonde haired Elite.

Jin followed the thumb and shrugged slightly, resting his hands on his hips. "Don't know. He hasn't caused any trouble and he's not an inspector. If I had to guess I'd say he's down here slumming." He reached up and brushed back an annoying strand of black hair that insisted on falling into his eyes.

"Hmph." Duo risked another quick glance toward the stranger only to find him staring back, a quizzical expression on his face. The moment their eyes met the blonde smiled and waved. Duo dropped his gaze. "He's acting like a frigging tourist. Moron's gonna get himself mugged if he isn't careful."

"Not your problem." Jin said coolly. "It's probably one of those thrills they supposedly come down here for." He leaned one hand casually on the table and dropped his voice. "Everything okay with you?"

Duo grimaced. Catherine must've let slip her concerns when she was in the kitchen. "I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Okay." Jin straightened. "Just remember, we've got your back if you need anything." He clapped a hand on Duo's shoulder before heading back to the kitchen.

Duo sighed and concentrated on the food in front of him. Rashid would probably be out next. The big man wouldn't say much, just stare down at him and make him feel thoroughly uncomfortable. Out of habit he glanced about the room again and found the blonde stranger's eyes on him again. The man turned aside as if embarrassed to be caught looking.

Duo tried to brush it off, the guy was obviously a naive Elite looking for a good time fraught with just a hint of danger and he supposed he did look slightly worse for wear. He reached up and rubbed at his chin, frowning at the stubble there. He was generally more particular with his appearance especially since H...

The name whisked away before it even properly formed. Duo gritted his teeth. All the knowledge he needed was right inside his brain but he couldn't gain access to it. "Give it time, it'll come back to you eventually." That's what the doctor had said. But he didn't think he had that much time to waste waiting for it to magically reinsert itself. Too many strange occurrences along with his constant feeling of anxiety warned him that he was running out of options.

He met the blue eyes of the stranger again. Duo felt his hands clench into fists and he refused to look away. The other man seemed to have the same idea, watching him in what seemed almost a casual manner. Duo half rose, intent on confronting the man when a large form interposed itself between him and his target. He'd been right about Rashid after all. He glanced up at the tall man, noting that Rashid had his arms crossed over his chest in his normal manner. "Great meal," He watched the cook's face carefully. He never was sure of what the big man was thinking.

Rashid stared down at him calmly. "Don't be stupid. If you need help, ask." With that message delivered he headed back to his kitchen. Duo shook his head, before glancing again at the stranger. The blonde was gone.

Suspicious now and cursing under his breath Duo abandoned his meal.

"Duo?" He heard the concern in Catherine's voice as he brushed past her.

The door closed behind him and he glanced around quickly. The street was deserted, street lamps just starting to flicker on. "Damn." He turned around and nearly jumped back. The blonde he'd been chasing was leaning comfortably against the side of the building beside the door. "How'd you do that?" Duo shut his mouth with a snap, feeling his teeth click together sharply.

"So I wasn't imagining those antagonistic glares you were shooting at me in there." The man tilted his head slightly, examining Duo carefully. "I have to wonder what I did to make you hate me so much?"

"Damn it, stop screwing with me." Duo took two strides forward and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and slammed him back against the building. "You were staring at me the entire time I was in there. Who are you?"

Blue eyes stared into his for a long moment. "You really don't remember then Duo." The blonde's voice turned contemplative. "Which I suppose is a good thing for you, because if I found out you were fooling around with Hilde I would've had to, what is that phrasing? Ah yes, kick your ass."

Duo just stared, not sure what to make of that last statement, his mind instead seizing on the name the blonde man had spoken.

The door to the restaurant opened and Catherine came rushing out, followed closely by Jin. "Duo, what are you doing?"

"Let go of him Duo." Jin's voice was controlled.

"He knows something about me." Duo turned back to his captive only to find he didn't have hold of him anymore.

The blonde man straightened his clothes slowly and gave Duo a look that bordered on sympathetic. "I may have the answers to your questions, but I don't think you're ready to hear them yet." He dug into a pocket and then tossed something.

Duo caught it out of reflex and looked down at what he was holding. A miniature projector.

"You've been too stubborn for your own good." The blonde man spoke again. "Don't take it too far this time Duo. She's waiting for you." He turned and walked away.

Duo pressed the switch that activated the projector and stared at the picture it displayed. Him and that girl, he had his arms around her and they were both grinning, cheeks pressed together.

"She's pretty." Catherine had moved beside him to look at the picture. "Who is she?"

"I don't know." Duo ran a finger gently over the girl's face causing the image to shimmer. "And I guess I should." He turned the projector off and slipped it into his pocket feeling tired. "I'm going back to my place."

"Okay." Catherine gave him a quick sisterly kiss on the cheek. "Be careful."

Duo turned away, fumbling in his pocket for a crumpled carton. He fished it out and pulled out a worn looking cigarette that he held loosely while searching for his lighter. He gave up and turned back around. "Hey Jin, got a light?"

In response Jin tossed him a plastic lighter. It hit Duo on the chest and fell promptly to the ground.

"Thanks a lot." Duo bent over and picked it up.

"Go on. Don't smoke that around here." Catherine said authoritatively. She grabbed Jin's arm. "Come on honey, we need to get back in there or Rashid's gonna quit on me."

"See ya later." Duo walked away from the restaurant. Instead of heading back to the small room he rented he stopped instead at a rundown park with several grungy looking benches. He picked one, sat down with a sigh and lit his cigarette. After a couple drags he pulled out the projector and flicked it on again. The two in the picture grinned back at him as happy as before. He stared into his own eyes. "Damn happy bastard." He flicked a finger through his own image and leaned back against the bench. The familiarity of his face was on a stranger, someone who knew and liked the girl he held close to him.

"She really misses you."

"Damn it." Duo shot to his feet nearly dropping the projector, he fumbled for a moment before catching it firmly. His cigarette was another matter entirely. It landed on the ground. Duo turned his head to glare down at the blonde man who was sitting on the bench. "How the hell do you do that? No, never mind that, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to answer my questions."

"I said I didn't think you were ready for answers. That doesn't mean I'm just going to leave you alone. I promised Hilde I'd bring you back and I have yet to break one of my promises to that girl."

Duo sat down cautiously and pulled out another cigarette. He couldn't find Jin's lighter, it must've gone flying when he jumped up.

"Here." To his astonishment the stranger next to him pulled out a lighter and offered it to him.

"Thanks." Duo took it warily and lit up before handing it back. "What's your name?"

"You know me as Quatre."