/There are times when I'm just a shell
When I do not feel anything for anyone /

/All I feel is hollow and bruised
Used up and misused /

Kokoro o oni ni suru
By- j

"Duo?"

Quatre shook Duo lightly, "Wake up- Wufei and Trowa are back."

Duo bolted up from the couch, rubbing the corner of his mouth with a slight smile.

"Wufei and Trowa? Heero's not with them?" Quatre knitted his brow, shaking his head,

"I don't know yet. They just arrived."

He was almost like a little kid, Duo anxiously raced out of the bedroom to go reach the living room. He just had to see Heero. Even if Heero wouldn't greet him with an embrace, Heero's well being was enough to break a smile to his face. He didn't care if he seemed anxious. He was concerned dammit! He had a right to be! He nearly tripped as his toe hooked against the plain, navy blue rug, capturing his balance on the corner of the sofa. He jerked his head up, his attention falling now to Wufei and Trowa who stood by the door, as it slammed shut by the wind.

Duo paused; maybe the wind closed the door too quickly before Heero had the chance to get inside. Any second now, he'd open the door, he had to. Wufei didn't even look at Duo, his eyes were focused to a small yellow pad of notes. Trowa's eyes were focused to something, or someone behind Duo. Duo shifted his head; he was making direct eye contact with Quatre. The expression to Quatre's face briefly showed deep concern, but he quickly washed it away,

"Right, so you didn't find him. Can't expect to find him so quickly. I'm sure he's okay."

Finally that caught Wufei's attention,

"I'm not so sure about that."

Duo let loose a single laugh, shaking his head before gathering to his feet, "What do you mean you're not sure about that? You didn't find him, did you? So you don't know that for certain." Wufei grit his teeth, motioning to the table,

"Let me explain it."

Trowa remained standing, but Quatre nodded to Duo, agreeing that they should take a seat. Duo grasped hold of the thin, unstable, wooden chair. His violet eyes locked on Wufei,

"Well?"

Wufei dropped the pad on table, following the pad with a mask.

/Forced to be someone I don't want to be
Have I failed somehow or some way /

"We tried to retrace Yuy's steps. Barton recalled an area they used to meet frequently so we traced the path Heero would have had to take to reach the area. We found this. A receipt from the sushi bar near by. It has the exact orders Trowa and Heero placed at their previous meeting," Wufei explained.

Duo shook his head, "It could have fallen out of his pocket."

Quatre agreed, "A receipt doesn't mean anything."

"Maybe, but it showed he was there. On top of that, there were traces, seems a car made a fast get away. The gravel was unsettled looked like a struggle. Then we found this mask near the area Heero was last seen."

Duo pushed up from his seat, his voice still, and firm,

"That doesn't mean a damn thing!"

Duo couldn't understand why he was aching inside. He couldn't understand why he was so upset; Wufei was just trying to help.

"All you've got is a receipt! Heero could have passed by there and never encountered anybody!" Duo moaned.

"Shut up Maxwell and just listen. Yuy is not a simpleton. He is not late for his missions. He may not listen to any of us, but whatever mission is stated he follows. It's what he was created for. He was programmed to be what he is. It's all he lives for."

Is that so Heero?

"On behalf of his competence, according to the bar owner, he heard the car speed off right about the time you claim Yuy left. We'll handle it later. After the mission," Wufei stated.

Duo couldn't complain. He knew Wufei and Heero were the same when it came to being stubborn. Wufei's brows turned inward,

"Look, Duo- I'm sorry. We have our priorities, You know Yuy's tough, whatever trouble he's in, he can get out of it, or stay alive until we get to him. He knows how the plan works. We work in a risky business this is how it operates." Duo shoved the chair away from his body, grinding his teeth slightly before breathing out,

"The way it operates, sucks!" He calmly excused himself and headed towards his room, "I'm going to get ready."

/Will the weight of today finally pull me down to drown
In the depths of despair/

Duo tugged open the drawer of the small desk by his bed, searching through it viciously. It was Heero's desk. They shared the room, the space was limited, but there had to be someway to find Heero.

Programmed. You're not just a drone Heero, dammit, you're-

"Duo,"

Trowa called as he tapped on the door. Duo slammed the drawer shut, smiling slightly to Trowa.

"Yeah? What's up?" Duo asked casually as he slinked into the chair near the desk. Trowa dug a gum wrapper from his pocket, handing it to Duo,

"Is this yours?"

Duo glanced down into the wrapper. It was a red lollipop. The cherry candy had been sucked down some, but there was a curl of chestnut hair against it along with the fuzz from Heero's shirt.

"Trowa, where- did you find that?" "Same place we found the receipt."

Duo tucked in his lower lip. That was his. He knew it, he wasn't sure whether her wanted to tell Trowa or not, but now he knew for certain. Heero had kept it. It was nothing more than a sticky memento of their silly gatherings. A token to the remembrance of giving into the desires their bodies cried out so miserable for, but still- Heero had kept it. Had Heero dropped it on purpose? To let them know. Duo forced a partial smile,

"Yeah, it's mine."

The expression to Trowa's face didn't seem to change any. He placed the gum wrapper on the desk, leaving the lollipop to rest there. "Quatre is researching the mask. When he discovers the origin, Heero will be found." Duo's eyes focused to the mask in Trowa's other hand. His eyes seeming to study the mask intensely.

"Can I see the mask for a bit? I'll bring it back down," Duo tried to broaden his smile further, extending his hand. Trowa placed the mask in Duo's care,

"Put it on the table in the kitchen when you're finished." "Sure."

Trowa left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Duo jerked back open the desk drawer, digging his hand inside to pull out Heero's gun. He had a funny feeling that he'd need it. He tugged his black cap over his head, and shoved the mask, cell-phone and gum wrapper into the bag. Wait until after mission? Yeah right! Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands. He pushed open his window and crawled out, walking along the roofs edge, trying desperately to sneak past the lit windows of the neighbors. Quatre, Wufei and Trowa had more than enough information to complete the mission. Duo had a personal mission now.

/Where I am alone
Except for my rage.../

+++

Quatre tapped the keyboard lightly, his face flashing confusion,

"Trowa, look at this. I was researching that mask you found. In connection with the description there was only one place that sold those masks and it's out of business. It was a shop that used to belong to Tsuba Takayami. The same man we're supposed to be freeing from the Oz military camp."

Trowa leaned over, studying the information that flashed on the screen.

"We assumed that Tsuba was innocent if the colonies wanted us to free him, but Trowa- what if he really is a criminal? We never even checked his background, but here is says he's had countless offenses. The Oz forces had every right to lock him up!"

Wufei leaned over at this point, "We're supposed to be freeing a dishonorable man?"

"That's not the strangest part of it, according to these records Tsuba Takayami was executed three months ago-"

_________________________

Author's note: The sad thing is that I've had part2 done since April. Oh well! I suck! lol The lyrics are from the song "Darkest Days" by Stabbing Westward.

______________________