Despite the fact that Quatre and I had both gone to sleep fairly early the night before, neither of us awoke before ten the next morning. Unfortunately, having slept so late, there was little time to do anything other than shower, eat, and pack before it was time to head home. Of course, we probably would have spent more time on the latter two had Quatre not surprised me into a quickie in the shower.

It amazed that, the morning after our first being intimate, Quatre was able to come back from all the traumatic things that had happened to him to be with me. Would it be vain to say I was somewhat proud of myself ? For he certainly bent over eagerly enough for me that morning in the shower, even though I offered him ulterior modes of release.

By noon we were sated, clean, filled, packed, and on the way home. In the car, despite previous protests that he was fine, Quatre soon drifted to sleep, slowly slipping until he lay across my lap, his head pillowed on the crook of my arm. The play of the sun through the trees as the limo hastened us through the dense forest made shadows play across his face, giving it an almost impish or elven quality. I smiled softly, entranced by his beauty and unsurprised by his sleep. These last few days had been emotionally, and somewhat physically, trying for Quatre. He had overcome a lot in a mere few days, and I was proud of the progress he had made. He deserved a little rest, especially now that we were returning. I had taken him away from the others when I decided to seduce him, not only to give him privacy, but also to escape the challenge aspects of the relationships between the slaves. Now, with the group dynamics abruptly changing again, I wondered how the others would react to this new, sexual side of Quatre.

Of course, though the next few days might create some tension, I had no doubt that the boys would overcome it. Something as slight as this would not break them apart, and perhaps it would even bring them closer. Whatever the outcome, I decided as I laid my head back against the seat, for now I would rest, just for a moment, and enjoy the quiet peace that the ride was offering.

It was the last bit of peace I would gain that day.

As we got nearer to home, we entered into a fierce downpour. Water was puddled inches deep along the side of the road, so I inferred that the rain had begun several hours early, probably sometime late at night or in the early hours of the morning. Looking back, I suppose I should have been forewarned by the omen, but it seemed that my weekend with Quatre had left my mind somewhat overly optimistic.

I had expected, perhaps somewhat vainly, that our arrival to the house would be met with warm greetings. If not for my welcome, I had expected that Trowa at least would want to welcome Quatre home. Even with the rain, I had thought they would at least be waiting at the door, though I had somewhat expected them to brave the storm to welcome us back. Saying that I was disappointed would be a little strongly worded, but I was certainly concerned.

Quatre, who had awoken a few miles away from the house, took in the scene with the same trepidation that I had, and I could see outright worry in his eyes. Quatre is far more astute than normal people about these kinds of things, and I trusted his intuition more than my own. Seeing the fear in his eyes, I was immediately up and out of the car, uncharacteristically leaving the driver to bring the luggage in. Quatre was only a step behind me, which was a testament to how in sync we had become.

I managed to keep the door from slamming against the wall as we entered, but just barely. In my haste to find the boys, I completely forgot to shut it, and would probably have left it standing open despite the rain had Quatre not closed it behind me.

"Boys?" I called, pausing to listen for their voices. The house was unnaturally silent. "Wufei? Heero? Duo? Trowa? Where are you?"

"Master?" came a voice from down the hall. It was a sopping wet and muddy Trowa who rushed to meet us, barefoot because of the mud and dirty from head to toe. In his hand was one of the small radios I kept in the basement for emergencies, and as I entered he raised it to his mouth and said something that I couldn't make out.

"What's happening? Where are the others?" I asked him as soon as I was close enough to be sure he was alright.

"I just called Heero and Wufei in," he replied, his tone calm and gentle as ever, though I saw his eyes shift to Quatre, who was flagging me nervously. "We can meet them in the kitchen. Did your trip go well?" he wondered, casually changing the subject, though I could sense a hint of nervousness. Whatever was going on, I could tell Trowa didn't want to face me alone when it was brought into the open.

"It was fine," I replied tensely, already heading for the front of the house.

"Did you... Did you accomplish your goal?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Quatre replied, interceding between the two of us. The last thing I wanted to do right now was give reassurances to an uncertain and possibly jealous teen. Perhaps Quatre could sense that, because he took Trowa by the hand and pulled him away from me, slowing their pace as I hurried ahead. I could hear Quatre murmuring reassurances that everything had turned out well even as I practically ran to the kitchen to meet with the other boys. But only Heero and Wufei, both just as muddy and worn-looking as Trowa, who were there to meet me.

Duo was suspiciously absent.

"Where's Duo?" I asked as calmly as I could manage. Their guilty faces made my heart sink and reassured me that I hadn't been merely jumping to conclusions. "What happened?"

"It's my fault," Heero said, stepping forward. I listened, but dismissed his words. Heero was willing to take the blame for almost anything if it would keep the other boy out of trouble. I wondered if that sort of attachment was healthy for this stage in their relationship, but quickly pushed the thought aside. There were more important things to think about. "We had a fight, and when I got up this morning he was gone."

"Have you checked the house?"

"Yes sir."

"What about the basement and the attic? You know Duo can fit into the crawl spaces."

"We check them twice."

"You checked the barn?"

"Yes sir... Master?"

"What?"

"...Bee is gone."

It took me a moment to realize what Heero was implying.

"Duo's on horseback?" I growled, grinding my teeth together to keep from losing my temper. I managed it, but only because I knew that flying into a rage at the boys, as with any troops, would only cause them to lose focus and panic. I needed to seem totally collected if we were going to have any chance of pulling this off.

"We think so."

"Why didn't you call me?" I snapped, just barely reigning my flaring anger. If Duo was on horseback, and if he somehow managed to get around the perimeter guards on the horse, he could be gone for good. Obviously, I should have been called regardless, and there would be severe discussions of exactly what actions were called for in such a state of emergency, but trying to catch Duo on foot was a lot less serious than trying to catch him on a horse.

"We were just coming to call you," Wufei said calmly, stepping between Heero and myself. "We only realized Bee was gone minutes ago."

"Heero, you've been showing Duo how to ride. How far could he have gotten?" I asked, looking over Wufei to where Heero nearly cowered behind him.

"Not very far. He isn't very good at riding, and he has a hard time keeping Bee from bolting when she's startled. There's a good chance, with all of this lightening, that he'll waste half his time trying to catch her."

"Alright, I want you four to wait here while I go make a phone call," I told them sternly, then turned and stormed into my office. Viciously I forced the switch on and pounded in the number for my head guard.

If I were honest, I would have to admit that it was more than worry and wounded pride that would make me behave in such a fashion. Yes, I was worried about Duo and my assignment, and yes, I was upset that Duo had dared to run away, but even I knew that the main reason for my anger wasn't so petty. It was betrayal that sat so poorly in my stomach, that festered in my heart even as I rushed to save the very thing that was causing me so much pain. The question haunted me, even as I impatiently waited for my guard to answer, as to wether he had merely been biding his time here and waiting for me to leave so that he could run off. Had it all been faked? His joy and his pain, could I trust any of it, now that he had shown how little it all meant to him? I had thought... well, I certainly hadn't thought he liked me, but I had wanted to believe that he was learning to tolerate me. Was his life here really so bad, that he would run off in a typhoon to get away from it? And what of the others? Surely he must have known what pain losing him would cause to them, even without my wrath falling upon them. And Heero? Did the devotion Heero had given him mean nothing, that he would let a petty squabble come between them? If that could be trusted as well, for if he had faked every other emotion he had shown so far then surely he could fake a fight realistic enough to put Heero at odds with him. Had he just been using Heero? Had he just been using all of us?

The time for such thoughts ended abruptly as the alert, watchful face of my commanding guard appeared on screen. His hair was dark with flecks of gray scattered about, and his face was clean-shaven but wrinkled. Still, his eyes held all the wisdom of an elder and all the energy of a youth, and I trusted his skills explicitly. So I could only pray that the news he gave me would be good.

"I have a missing slave. Duo, the one with the long hair, went missing early this morning. Have you apprehended him?"

"Negative," came his instant response, and my heart sank. "We were not aware that we should be tracking him."

"The information was just made available to me. Has the storm interfered with your equipment?"

"Negative."

"Has anyone crossed the property lines since last night?"

"No," he told me firmly. "All our equipment is running smoothly, and no person has walked onto or off of this property except for you yourself. Wherever the kid is, he's within the eighty acres that we're watching. Do you want me to deploy troops to search for him, commander?"

"Negative. Do not leave your post. The most crucial mission for now is to keep Duo from getting off the property. Triple patrols and make sure someone is watching the live feeds and alarms at all times. We can't let Duo get off the property."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll have my radio on the standard frequency. If you find him, notify me immediately. Dismissed," I said, then disconnected the line.

I sighed and rubbed at my temples. It was going to be a long day, I thought, but there was barely even time for the thought to cross my mind before I was heading to the kitchen to rally my slaves.

It was time to chase down Shinigami.