His head pounded painfully but he found it near impossible to slip back into the oblivion he’d awoken from.  With a slight groan he forced himself up and blinked owlishly at his surroundings, searching his mind for the information to tell him where he was but found nothing on hand.  He tried to remember why he was laying on his back in the middle of a forest, but again he came up with nothing.  Slightly panicked he tried to remember his name, thankfully he could, his name was Wufei… and at least he had that if nothing else.
     Pushing himself to his feet he waited until the dizziness passed before dusting off his white silk and moving along what appeared to be a deer path.
     As he walked he gazed around himself in an attempt to find something that looked familiar but nothing sparked a memory.
     Wufei kept moving slowly, trying to force himself to remember something, anything but he had no such luck.  He wasn’t sure of how long he’d been walking but it must have been for an hour or more before he actually came to the forest’s edge, only to find a small farm before him.
     At first he didn’t see anyone around but an elderly woman struggling to carry what appeared to be a water pail to a small, run down house.
     Silently he moved forward and cleared his throat when he was only about five feet away.  “Would you like a hand, Ma’am?”
     The woman jumped, dropping the bucket and it’s contents to the ground.  There was real fear in her eyes but here face took on a stubborn expression.  “Another one of you bandits!  Well I don’t care if you harm me, I won’t give up the home my husband and I have slaved for without a fight!”  Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides in anger.
     Wufei blinked in surprise and held his arms up, palms up.  “I’m sorry to have startled you Elder but I was merely trying to offer you my assistance, I know not of these ‘bandits’ you’ve spoken of.  My name is Wufei… I, um, seem to have gotten… lost.  Forgive me for any inconvenience I’ve caused you.”
     The old lady cocked her head to the side, using a withered hand to brush away stray curls that had escaped the bandana on her head, her eyes narrowed, as she looked him over.  “Now that you mention it, you don’t look or act like any of those hooligans.”  She paused before smiling slowly.  “I apologize for jumping to false conclusions… Wufei.  My name is Mira, Mira Eglet.  You got a last name son?”
     Wufei felt himself frown as he tried to remember and had to raise a hand to the sudden throbbing in his temples.  “I-I’m not sure, I can’t seem to remember… I’m sorry Elder but it appears as if my memories are eluding me.”  He backed up quickly when he felt hands on his face.
     Mira smiled at him gently, her brown eyes warm, “It’s alright son.  I just want to look at you a moment… that’s all.”  When he hesitated she laughed lightly.  “Now Wufei do you honestly think a lady of my age could hurt you?”
     Wufei wasn’t sure why but he nodded, “It is only a fool who underestimates what others are capable of.”
     She eyed him a moment before nodding, as if in final decision, “You’re right to be cautious, it shows you’ve got something in that head of yours, but I give you my word I won’t hurt you.”
     Something in the way she spoke the words made him nod his dark head in agreement and hold still as her hands undid his ponytail and gently probe his hair, making him hiss slightly as she brushed a tender lump at the back of his head.  She clucked her tongue as she pulled away, concern in her eyes.
     “That’s quite a bump you’ve got there.  It wouldn’t surprise me if you have amnesia.  Poor boy, don’t worry, Mira will take care of you… Just let me get another pail of…”
     She stepped when Wufei took her arm gently in his hand and the empty bucket in the other.  “Allow me.”
     Slowly Mira smiled.  “Alright, the well’s just back there a few lengths.  I’ll wait for you in the house.  But do be careful, there’s been trouble around here as of late.”
     “Yes Elder.”
     Her eyebrow rose in a stern but kind scolding.  “Call me Mira, Wufei.  Or Gran.  No one has ever called me Elder.”
     “Yes, Mira.”
     Wufei watched as she nodded in satisfaction and walked towards the house before turning to the well and beginning his task.
…………………………………….
     Mira had stood over him until he’d finished two bowls of stew, saying he was too skinny and that Dolf, her grandson, wasn’t eating proper at the Academy and that if she couldn’t see that he was eating properly at least she could ensure at least someone was.
     He could tell she’d been alone for quite some time.  The place had started to look run down, though it was obvious that she’d tried to maintain it.
     “Mira?”
     She looked over at him from the stove.  “Yes?”
     Swallowing hard he met her gaze.  “I was wondering, if I worked around here, helping you tend to the farm and everything.  Would you allow me to stay here?”
     Mira eyed him up and down for a long moment.  “It works only one way Wufei.  You work around here and I’ll give you free room and board… Is that fine with you?”
     Wufei smiled slowly at her and held out his hand.  “It is a deal Mira.”
     She shook his hand firmly.  “Then let’s get to bed, it’ll be an early day tomorrow.”
…………………………….
     Duo paced the safe house as he watched Heero running searches on his laptop, Quatre drinking his tea and going over reports and Trowa fixing a panel for Heavyarms.  Finally he couldn’t take it anymore.  “Where is he?”
     Quatre looked up eyes tired.  “We’ve been looking for him Duo.  There doesn’t seem to be any trace of him anywhere.”
     Duo felt his mask give way to Shinigami.  “Well you keep up what you’re doing.  I’ve got an idea myself that I think I’ll try.”
     “What are you going to do Duo?”
     Quatre sounded worried and Duo smiled a manic smile at him.  “I’m going hunting.”  With that he was out the door and at Deathscythe before any of them could even get up.  No one bothered trying to follow him because like him, they all knew that it would be a useless effort.  If Duo Maxwell didn’t want to be found, you wouldn’t find him.
……………………..
     Wufei woke up before Mira and had gone outside.  He didn’t exactly know what he was doing but let his body flow in a way that seemed to be almost as natural to him as breathing.  He believed what he was doing was called katas, but he couldn’t be sure.  It just felt right, comforting.
     When he finished he went back inside the house and began breakfast.  He hoped Mira didn’t mind him making her something to eat, but it seemed as if no one had taken care of her and that she’d taken care of everybody else so he thought it might be a nice change.  When the food was ready he went to her bedroom and knocked lightly on the door.
     “Yes?”
     “I have made you breakfast, will it be alright if I bring it in to you?”
     There was a pause and Wufei wondered if he hadn’t crossed a line somewhere.  “Yes.  Thank you.”
     Pushing open the door he gave her a smile and put the tray down on her lap.  “I hope you enjoy it.  While you eat I will go and fix the fence.  The tools are in the shed?”
     “Yes.”  She smiled at him, “Thank you Wufei.”
     “It is my pleasure.”
…………………………….
     Duo hated walking but if he was tracking Wufei, then it was more likely the Chinese boy had abandoned his Gundam and went on foot.  If he hadn’t they would of heard some type of report on Gundam 05 being spotted.
     He’d started his search in the area around where they’d received his last transmission.  Which was basically out in the middle of nowhere.  The good news, the only bit of good news was that he hadn’t found anything to indicate a crash landing… but then he hadn’t found Shenlong yet either, when he did it could turn out to be a completely different story.
     Shaking the foreboding thoughts from his mind he once again focused on the surrounding landscape and tried to keep in a positive frame of mind.
…………………………….
     Wufei wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead before gripping the axe’s handle once more.  He had a few more trees to chop into logs small enough to use in the stove and fireplace.
     At the thought he smiled.  Mira’s farm was something out of an older time, there was nearly no technology at all around the farm, everything was done by hand.  The only thing they had that didn’t quite fit was a 4x4 truck that she used to go into town to get supplies.   She’d done that yesterday while he’d cut the fence post and placed them in the ground.  When she’d come back she’d brought enough supplies so that he’d be able to completely finish fixing the old place up.
     He looked up as he heard her approach from behind him and returned her smile.
……………………..
     Duo almost shouted gleefully when he finally spotted Wufei’s Gundam.  Running up to it he quickly found footprints leading away and with a wide grin on his face, began following them.
……………………..
     After Mira had turned in for the night, Wufei had gone out onto the porch and had found himself gazing up at the stars, a faint ache in his chest. He quite place it but something was missing.  A part of himself that belonged to those stars so far from where he was.  He could remember something about war, but it was vague, like a distant dream that he didn’t want to remember.
     Who exactly was he?
……………………
     Duo was grumbling to himself as he trudged through the dark forest, hugging himself to try and stay warm despite the chilly wind that insisted on plaguing his every movement.  Earlier he’d seen signs of a struggle… like Wufei had been in the middle of a huge fight.  But the worst part was that he’d found a scrap of white silk, stained red with dried blood.  He was pretty sure it hadn’t been OZ or Romefeller… a one-on-one fight wasn’t exactly the military’s still.  They seemed to prefer the mobile suit battles to anything else.
     And though he knew how good a fighter Wufei was, he had to admit that even the pilot of Shenlong couldn’t defeat more than a handful of men by himself and escape unscathed.  All Duo could hope for was that his friend hadn’t been hurt too badly.
…………………..
     Wufei sat bolt upright in bed, hand reaching automatically for a sword that wasn’t there.  Silently he climbed out of his bed and moved to the window to see a couple of shadowy figures moving around outside.  Determined to keep Mira safe he slide out of his room and down the hallway, grabbing the broom on his way and quietly unscrewing the head.  He might not have a sword or gun handy but there was no way he was stupid enough to engage an enemy without some kind of a weapon.  So the headless broom would just have to do.
     Letting himself out the back door he backed into the shadows and waited to make his move.
…………………
     Duo was nearly at the edge of the woods when he spotted a small farmhouse, and more importantly, a group of thugs moving around it and the sheds.  Grinning maliciously he stalked forward, it was time for Shinigami once more.
………………….
     Wufei swung his make-shift bo and connected with the man’s knees, sending him sprawling before readying himself for the attack he knew was coming.  When one of the other goons charged he did a simple roundhouse kick and sent him right back to where he’d come from.  He once more fell into a fighter’s crouch and was about to ready himself for another attack when a voice came from behind the bandits.
     “Ah, that’s not fair Wu-man!  I wanna have some fun too ya know.”
     Wufei blinked as the person came into the light of the moon.  And things began to fall back into place.  “D-duo?”
     The braided boy winked at him.  “In the flesh Wu-man.  Did ya miss me?”
     Trying to take advantage at the lack of attention one of the men charge at Duo but as if by magic a scythe was suddenly in the other pilot’s hands and the unlucky fellow was soon on his knees clutching his side a few feet in front of him.  And Wufei found himself smiling.  “The name is WUFEI, Maxwell.  Not Wu-man, not Wu-baby, not Chang… WUFEI.”
     The other laughed loudly as he sliced another man down.  “Sure thing Wu-man.”
     Wufei dodged a fist and sent his foot into the man’s gut sending him flying at Duo who grabbed a hold of him and tossed him into the shed’s wall then turned to punch another guy without breaking the fluid motion he seemed to be fighting in.  Driving his own fist into another attackers gut Wufei looked around only to find that there was no one else left.
     That’s when light flooded the house and the door opened with a surprised Mira framed in the light.  “Wufei?  What the heck is going on out here son?”
     Looking around at the unconscious bodies littering the ground then at Duo he shrugged his shoulders.  “Would you believe I was cleaning up a most undesireable mess?”
     Mira shook her head.  “Why don’t you tie those bandits up while I call the police, and then you can explain everything.”  With that she disappeared into the house.
……………………
     Duo looked over at Wufei, “We can’t let the police find us here, Wufei.”
     The other pilot looked suddenly sad before he answered, “I know.  We’ll tie these guys up tight.  Then we’ll go.”
     Duo put a hand on his shoulder, his face serious.  “She means a lot to you doesn’t she?”
     Wufei met Duo’s gaze and nodded.  “She gave me a chance to just be a normal person.  Not a soldier, or a Gundam pilot, just Wufei.”
     “Sometimes we get lucky and meet people like that.  But it doesn’t change who we are or what we have to do… and staying…”
     “Would just endanger her life.  I know.”  Wufei smiled slightly.  “You know, until you showed up I didn’t remember anything short of my name.  It made it easy to be…. Lost.”
     Duo laughed bitterly.  “Yah, I know.  Now give me a hand.  The sooner we tie these guys up the sooner we can get back to the war and the sooner we can get peace.  Then maybe you and me and the other guys’ll be able to REALLY get lost.  Normal… we may never be, but we can lose ourselves to a peaceful existence.  And maybe you can visit your friend when we do.”
     “That I most certainly will, Maxwell.  That I most certainly will.”