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The Road to Kindness	By : shinigamiinochi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7935 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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The Road to Kindness

Chapter 8

Part 9
　

　

The plane ride back to America was one of the longest experiences in Heero�s life. The only other times that had been as� hellish were sitting in the hotel room in Boston, Duo collapsed in his lap, counting down the minutes until he had to wake him up again, worrying that he wouldn�t be able to wake him up, and that time when he had had to drive Duo to the hospital after finding him in his bedroom bleeding internally. Every second multiplied in his mind to the point that he had forced himself not to look at his watch every couple of minutes in frustration.

Thankfully, when his mother had tried to get a flight back to Maine, they had been frustrated to find that there were no commercial ones for another two hours. Neither of them had had the patience to wait that long, not with the most terrible scenarios of what could be happening to Duo going through Heero�s head. It had been an easy thing getting a private jet to fly them back home, which was faster and less stressful than a commercial one would have been, but every minute away from Maine, away from knowing where Duo was and making sure he was safe was too long. It had made him feel like he was going insane, his skin crawling and he had to fight the urge to keep calling the house every five minutes.

They landed in Bangor at nine o�clock, which just gave Heero a headache, making him feel like no time had passed from leaving the restaurant to getting back to New England, at the same time it had felt like days. His mother had called a head of time and there was a taxi waiting for them at the airport, fortunately. Heero didn�t know about his mother�s emotional state, but he knew that if he tried to drive all the way back to St. Peter�s right now, he would get into an accident for sure. The drive was even worse than the plane, especially in Bangor on a Friday night. The cab driver kept trying to start up a conversation with them, but between Name�s pensive silence and Heero�s constant glare, he kept quiet. By the time they reached their house, it was past eleven and Heero was ready to start hitting things, but the urge was tempered as he looked up at the home that, in the dark, looked alien to him.

It hit him then, this terrible realization. He had left this place this morning. It wasn�t even a different day yet, but he felt like he had been gone for such a long time� Just this morning, Duo had been safe and happy, everything had been fine. Now, he didn�t even know where he was, if he was safe, if Wes or someone else was hurting him. He didn�t even know if he was alive. That thought made his stomach clench and his heart race, making him feel intensely sick. If Mizu hadn�t pulled this shit, Duo wouldn�t be missing! Heero would have been with him on the way home, he would have driven him, not let him walk around by himself! If he ever saw the man again, he was going to kill him! He didn�t even know who he was more pissed at right now, Mizu, Trowa, or himself.

There were no lights on upstairs, making the house look dark and uninviting. Looking up at Duo�s window and seeing only darkness, not the orb lit, or even a flash of light from the television, drove it all home to Heero in a devastating way. Duo wasn�t here. He should be here. He should fling open the door and hug the both of them, happy that they were home, and eager to know what had happened in London. As Heero walked up to the door, it didn�t open. There was no one waiting for them. Something dark and twisted settled in his heart, something that went beyond anger. He felt hopeless and depressed. Duo had gone missing twice before now and each time, they had gotten nowhere.

The first time Duo had run away because of that huge fight they had had, when Heero had learned about Zechs and how horrible Duo�s school life had been, he had only found him thanks to one of Duo�s friends. If it hadn�t been for that red-eyed man, Duo would still be lost. And the second time, when Duo had run away because of Noventa, if Trowa hadn�t spotted Toby, they never would have found his hiding spot. This time was completely different. He didn�t know where Duo was, if he had been kidnapped or if something else had happened. If he had been kidnapped, Heero didn�t know by whom, something that was vital to know if he hoped to find his best friend. Duo had too many enemies to assume it was Wes. Zechs or Relena could have easily done this, too, maybe even Chris or someone else that Heero had never met, just like how his own family had enemies that Duo had never met.

The worst, and most plausible, reason for Duo�s disappearance that Heero could think of, however, was that Wes had finally done what he had threatened to do. Relena would do anything to get what she wanted, but as much as he hated her now, she had been his friend once and he didn�t want to believe that she would be capable of seriously hurting or killing Duo. He didn�t think that Zechs had it in him, either. He might beat Duo up, or even rape him, but when it came to Wes, Heero knew that nothing was beyond his imagination. If it was Wes, Duo could be dead right now� Heero�s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his skin harshly. He couldn�t think like that, he had to believe that Duo was alive, that he wasn�t hurt. Otherwise� it felt like his heart was going to tear into little pieces inside his chest. He was already having a hard time trying not to throw up.

He didn�t even know where Wes lived. That was the one thing they had never been able to get out of Duo, and at the time it had never really seemed important. Recently, Duo had just brushed it off, saying that Wes wasn�t stupid, he wouldn�t bring him back to the apartment, it would be somewhere that the Yuy�s wouldn�t think to look. Now, Heero wondered if that were really true. There was something to be said about human nature and habits. All he really knew about Wes� apartment was that it was near a Chinese restaurant. In the first couple of weeks that Duo had moved in with them, Heero�s mother had made the mistake of bringing home Chinese food one night when she had been working late. Duo had taken one smell of it and had gotten violently sick, and had had a panic attack right on top of that. Duo didn�t have such an extreme reaction to Chinese food anymore, but he could never eat very much of it and always got quiet and anxious when they had it, so they never had it more than a couple of times a month.

But knowing that the apartment was near a Chinese restaurant was pointless. Even if Wes had taken Duo back to the apartment, there were over ten Chinese restaurants in town. Narrowing it down would take time, and Duo had never said how close the apartment was to any of those places, only that he had been able to smell the food. The only other tangible clue Heero had was what Duo�s friend had told him, that Duo�s address was fake, but if he hung around Park Street long enough, he would find him. But wasn�t that even more useless? The man had said that he would find Duo around there, not that he lived there. For all Heero knew, Park Street was where his� customers (he nearly choked at that word, even in his thoughts) had picked him up, or maybe it was just where the lot of them had hung out. He had no idea.

The door was unlocked for them, but when they walked inside, the hallway was dark and felt uninviting. After going to London, Heero had quickly realized that this place that he had hated at first, had thought would be so miserable and strange to him, had become home. But right now, it felt alien, as though the walls themselves didn�t want him here. Without Duo here� it just felt wrong. The lights in the hallway were off, but there was light coming both from the kitchen and the living room and Heero could hear a familiar voice murmuring, too low pitched to be Duo or Quatre�s. As Name turned the lights on in the hallway and brought in their luggage, Heero marched towards the voice he heard coming from the kitchen. Trowa was there, talking to someone on the house phone and pacing, looking like one of the big cats he and his sister had used to care for, back when they had worked with the traveling circus.

�Are you sure?� Trowa was asking, his voice tight and sounding strained, then paused, �Well, is your mom sure?� the tightness in his voice turning to a brutal mixture of irritation and frustration.

The tall boy realized he was being watched and finally noticed Heero standing there. In a split second, he went from pissed off and anxious, to pure relief. Heero could almost imagine Trowa as a soldier on guard, desperately waiting to be taken off point by a comrade. He looked tired and stressed, making Heero wonder just what had gone on in the last couple of hours.

�Ok, thanks, Wufei,� Trowa hung up the phone as Name strode into the kitchen behind Heero.

�Did he have anything to tell you?� she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Heero didn�t have anything to say to Trowa. He knew he should. There were hundreds of questions buzzing about in his head. The entire cab ride, he had had nothing but questions to ask, but now, looking at him, all he could do was glare. The Italian looked exhausted, but Heero couldn�t even muster up any sympathy for him. He was just� so angry. Some logical part of himself knew that it wasn�t really Trowa�s fault, that the only one really responsible for this was whoever had taken Duo, but right now, all he wanted to do was bash Trowa�s face in for leaving Duo all alone.

Was this what love was? Everyone talked about it like it was this soft, warm thing, and most of the time, it was. When he looked at Duo, it hurt a little, but mostly, it felt nice, caring about someone like that, so absolutely. But when Duo wasn�t here, when he was hurt, all that love turned into something dark and twisted. It made him want to destroy anything that could possibly harm him or make him sad. It made him furious at his own friends, far beyond any logic or reasoning. He felt frantic and insane and he knew it wasn�t going to go away until he knew Duo was safe.

�He hasn�t heard anything from Duo, either. I,� Trowa hesitated, as though what he was about to say was intensely unpleasant to him, �I asked Wufei to ask his mother to check all the local hospitals, just in case he was registered as a john doe, but she says that there�s no one matching Duo�s description.�

Name let out a strained breath. That was an avenue that she hadn�t even considered, that Duo might have been hurt somehow and brought to a hospital, but hadn�t been able to tell them his name or to call her. She was listed as Duo�s emergency contact, but that only worked if someone recognized him. Hearing that Duo wasn�t in any of the local hospitals both relieved and frustrated her. As much as she didn�t want him to be hurt, it would have been a relief just to know where he was.

�Tell me what happened,� she demanded, her tone becoming harsh, �The last time we spoke, I told you to keep an eye on Duo, to never let him go off on his own. This shouldn�t have happened!�

Trowa blushed and looked away from Name in shame, an expression that Heero had never seen on him before. It did nothing to soothe the anger he felt at his friend. Trowa hurriedly filled them in about everything that had happened that day, it being his and Quatre�s anniversary today, Duo being creeped out with the way Zechs had been staring at him all day, Duo wanting to go home alone, partially because he didn�t want to be the reason that Trowa and Quatre would have to cancel their plans, and partially because he felt that he needed to do it on his own, to prove to himself that he wasn�t as pathetic as he felt.

That admission helped dim the anger Name felt at him, just a little. She tried to reason through it, wondered if she would make the same decision, knowing how Duo had felt after Wes had almost killed Wufei in the woods. She knew that his mental health was just as important as his physical, and how low his self-esteem had been lately. It was important for him to feel proud of himself, that he wasn�t running away from Wes, from the threat he had suddenly become, but she still couldn�t admit that Trowa had made the right choice. Duo�s self-esteem was important, but nothing was more important to her than his safety. They should have waited to pull this when she and Heero were here! If Duo had done this on his own, maybe she could understand that, but Trowa knew how dangerous the situation was.

�I�ve called everyone who might know where he is,� Trowa nearly slammed the phone back down on its cradle, �Mr. Khushrenada said that Duo left school as soon as they were finished talking, so if he was taken, it wasn�t on school property. He� he also informed me that Mr. Williams was the one who tampered with Duo�s grades and that he fired him over it.�

�In other words, we now have one more suspect,� Name said testily, �If Duo was kidnapped, Wes is still my best bet. He has the means for it, and especially the will, but who else should we be looking for?� she looked at Heero, �Do you think that Relena or Zechs would go this far?�

Heero thought back to when Relena had paid those boys to assault Duo, and when Zechs had beaten Duo up so badly, just for telling him no. Meanwhile, Trowa remembered what Zechs had done in Boston, attacking Quatre just to get a key to their hotel room. They both nodded.

�Definitely,� Heero murmured.

�They�re both cut from the same cloth,� Trowa said bitterly as he internally mused if obsession could be genetic, �When Duo turned him down in Middle School, Zechs made his life a living hell, and when Duo broke off their deal, he got back at him by making Heero aware of that relationship. He doesn�t care about what happens to Duo or anyone else, as long as he gets what he wants. As for Relena� you have no idea how crazy she is,� he said with intense conviction.

Heero glared at him. He wanted to yell at the green eyed boy that he didn�t know anything about Relena. How could he? Heero was the one who had always born the brunt of her obsession, so Trowa didn�t have the right to say anything about her! He almost yelled that, but ignored the urge. Some part of him didn�t want to believe that Relena would kidnap Duo just to get at him. Some childish part of himself wanted to believe that she was still his friend, but that part was small in the face of everything she had done to him, everything she had done to Duo. He knew that Trowa was right, Relena was crazy. Whether she had always been that way or at some point in their relationship, she had just snapped, but he couldn�t deny how her obsession scared him. He just hated it when Trowa spoke about her with such conviction, like he knew something that he couldn�t possibly know.

�And what about Williams?� Name asked Trowa, wanting his honest opinion, �Or Noventa, or Zechs� friend, Alex?�

Trowa sighed, rubbing at the back of his head.

�Don�t forget Mizu,� he pointed out, �He must be pissed that he couldn�t get you demoted.�

Name raised an eyebrow at him.

�You�re assuming a lot,� she said dryly.

�I know you�d never let someone as pathetic as Mizu walk all over you,� Trowa replied with a shrug, �And I�ve never met Mr. Noventa, just Sylvia, but if he�s anything like his daughter, I think he, Mizu, and Williams are too cowardly to do this. Although, who knows what any of them are capable of if they get desperate enough?�

Name sighed again, heavier this time. She knew that Trowa was right. She didn�t think that either her brother or Noventa were stupid enough to try to hurt Duo just to get back at her, but Noventa, at least, had been very desperate the last time they had spoken. As for Williams, changing Duo�s grades had been pretty pathetic, but losing your job in this economy made people nuts. She shook her head.

�If Duo really was kidnapped, I certainly hope that Williams, Noventa, or even Mizu�s were the ones to take him,� she murmured, instantly thinking of the alternative.

Heero was thinking about that same alternative. He wished that any of them had taken Duo, even Relena, because as crazy as she was, as much as she hated Duo, there was nothing she could do to him that would be worse than what Wes was going to do to him, might be doing to him right now� The memory of watching Duo pinned to the wall by Chris, and remembering the look on his best friend�s face when Wes had shot him, and how helpless he had felt both times, and the anger he felt at Trowa grew into something sharp and hot in his stomach.

�This is all your fault!� he snarled at Trowa, �You promised me you would look after him, that you wouldn�t let anything happen to him, then you let him go home all by himself! He�s probably with Wes, being hurt right now, all so you could have dinner with your boyfriend!�

Trowa�s green eyes widened in pain and guilt at Heero�s verbal attack. It hurt, hearing one of the best friends he had ever had say those things, but he knew that they were all true. They could stand around and hypothesize about who had kidnapped Duo, or if he had been kidnapped at all, but they all knew what had happened. Wes had taken him. Trowa had promised Heero and Name that he would keep Duo safe, but more importantly, he had promised Duo that everything would be ok, to just wait until Heero got home, but now Heero was here and Duo was gone. If he hadn�t let Duo talk him into going to dinner with Quatre tonight, they all would have come home together. Duo would still be safe. Instead, he was probably terrified and in pain, and that was all his fault.

�Heero� I�m so sor-,� he tried to apologize, but Heero growled at him and pushed him against the refrigerator.

Trowa could feel the handles of the refrigerator digging into his back, causing pain to radiate slightly there. He felt shocked and hurt that his friend would attack him like this, but when he looked into Heero�s eyes, beyond the fury was an intense pain. Heero wasn�t just hurt by Duo�s disappearance. He was scared. Trowa tried to remember any other time the Japanese boy had looked this way that hadn�t involved Duo, but the only time he could recall was when he had visited him after his father had died. That look only made him feel more guilty and he couldn�t be angry at Heero for how pissed off he was. If it had been Quatre who had taken� he shuddered. If Quatre was kidnapped and he knew that Heero had made a mistake resulting in it, he would tear his head off, too.

�Heero!� Name scolded in alarm, seeing him slam his friend into the refrigerator, but Heero was deaf to everything around him.

�You let Duo go home all alone just because you wanted some alone time with Quatre! You didn�t care about how dangerous it was,� Heero accused cruelly even as tears were starting to prick his eyes, �You were happy to get rid of him!�

Trowa paled at Heero�s words, shortly before anger filled him. He shoved Heero away from him.

�Don�t you dare accuse me of abandoning Duo, of intentionally putting him in danger because he was in the way of me having a good time, like some kind of pest!� Trowa snarled, getting in Heero�s face.

Name watched the two of them in alarm, but didn�t know how to get either of them to back off.

�Duo is my friend, too!� Trowa nearly roared, his skin tingling with frustration and anger, �After everything that he�s been through, I would never put him danger like that! I know what it feels like to be scared every single day, to wonder if I�ll ever be safe, I understand what Duo�s been going through! Despite what you think, Duo�s like a little brother to me and I thought this through! He was supposed to go to the bus stop along with a bunch of other students, which would drop him off two blocks away from here! This shouldn�t have happened! If he really took the bus, like he was supposed to, then he had to have been taken from this street, but none of the neighbors remember seeing him, strange men, or strange cars from the time school got out!� the anger suddenly left Trowa and he seemed to deflate to Heero, �Yes,� he said in a quiet, depressed tone, �all I wanted tonight was to spend anniversary with the boy I love, and maybe that made me biased, maybe that made me agree to what Duo wanted to do too easily, but I never did it out of spite.�

As his rant started to wind down, Trowa looked Heero in the eye and saw a tiny bit of that fury ebb away. He felt like he eased down an attacking wolf, though by gentling or hitting it with a baseball bat over and over until it relented, he just didn�t know. Heero�s blue eyes seemed to search him for something and then, he backed down, still looking angry, but less like he was thinking of punching Trowa in the face. Name breathed heavily in relief. She had no idea how she would have stopped the two of them if they had come to blows. She might be the adult here, but she was shorter than both of them, and in the kind of state that Heero was in right now, she didn�t think he would listen if she just demanded he stop going after Trowa. In this situation, she normally relied on Duo and Quatre to soothe their counterparts. She supposed that wasn�t fair, but although Duo wasn�t Heero�s boyfriend, he had that similar affect on him like Quatre had on Trowa.

�Trowa,� she interjected before either of them could start in on each other again, �Where is Quatre?�

The comment served to finish defusing the tense atmosphere. Heero completely turned his back on Trowa to look out the kitchen window at the black sky. When he had left London, the skies had been clear and full of bright, beautiful stars. There were no stars here, the sky filled with clouds that Heero couldn�t see. His entire body was stiff and straight as he tried to find some control over his anger.

�If Duo saw me like this,� he thought grimly, �He would scold me for acting like a child. He always hates it when I lash out like this��

And just like that, it was as though someone had doused the flame of rage in him with ice water. He had promised Duo he would try to not lose control like this, but it was so hard� Everything Trowa said made sense, and the anguish in his voice was so much like his own, he knew he wouldn�t hurt him or fight with him anymore. He was still pissed, but the thought of him hitting Trowa was suddenly so repulsive.

�Hitting my friend for something like this� he might have made a bad choice, but it was Wes that took him, Wes that is going to hurt Duo, not Trowa. If I hit him for this� hurt him for something that, in reality, he had very little control over� how would I be any better than Wes, shooting Duo just to gloat?�

Heero swallowed roughly, fighting against tears. He couldn�t do it. As angry as he was at Trowa, the more he thought about how ridiculous it was to hit him, how useless being angry at him was and how it wouldn�t solve anything but just hurt more people, the more of that anger bled away. He couldn�t be that kind of person, not anymore, not when he knew the kind of cost that came with lashing out, just to make yourself feel good. He wouldn�t fall into that pattern ever again.

�Quatre,� Trowa sighed and rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand, pushing his light brown bangs up and revealing his other eye for a brief second, �He�s asleep in our room. Shortly after he called you, he realized what had happened, that Duo wasn�t just taking a nap at home and had forgotten to call. He wouldn�t even consider any other possibility except that Wes had kidnapped him and he� he didn�t take it very well. He was frantic with guilt and wouldn�t stop crying. His heart was racing and he was on edge. I realized pretty quickly that he was having a panic attack so I� I gave him a couple of the sleeping pills you have in your bathroom,� he said, looking at Name, �You don�t mind, do you?�

If Name wasn�t so composed, she wouldn�t have been able to stop a blush from forming. She did have a bottle of sleeping pills in the medicine cabinet in her bathroom, but she hadn�t actually taken them in years. When Alexei had died and she had had her emotional break down, she had had them prescribed to her because she hadn�t been sleeping. After that, every once in awhile she would have nightmares, or just be plain restless. It was something that widows never admitted to, but after years of sleeping next to her husband, laying down in that big bed, all by herself made sleep impossible to come. She had always thought that time would eventually heal that loneliness, but it never had, not completely. Every time she opened that cabinet, she debated throwing them out, not liking being chemically dependent, for any reason, but knowing that one of those restless nights would happen again, sooner or later.

�I don�t mind,� she assured Trowa, �They aren�t too strong, as long as you just gave him two.�

�I didn�t know what to do,� he confessed in a heartbroken voice, �Quatre was frantic and kept blaming himself� sedating him was the only thing I could think of,� his green eyes darted to Heero, who still had his back to him, then back to Name, �I�m so sorry� for what we did. I should have called you and told you what was going on. I never should have let Duo do this, he just looked so desperate��

Name put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.

�Enough of that,� she ordered in an authoritative tone, �I won�t say that I�m not angry at you for making that kind of decision, but I understand why you made it, and you blaming yourself isn�t productive right now. We need to find Duo, quickly.�

�What do we do?� Heero turned to look at his mother, suddenly looking hopeless, �This isn�t the first time he�s gone missing and each time, we have no leads about where he is!�

�Do you remember where you found him when he ran away from home?� Name asked Trowa.

Trowa nodded.

�It�s been awhile, but it isn�t too far from here,� he said.

�And I remember the street I ran into him when we were all looking for him that first time,� Heero chimed in.

�Good. I want you two to start looking anywhere he might be or go. We can assume that Wes took him, but we don�t know that for sure. For all we know, he could have just had a panic attack and ran away again. Trowa can take my car, keep in contact with each other with your cell phones,� she told them.

�What about you?� Trowa asked, sounding subdued.

�I�m still waiting for confirmation on the GPS,� she sighed heavily, �Right now, that�s still our best bet. I�m also going to go to the local police and file a missing person�s report.�

Both Trowa and Heero looked shocked at her admission.

�I thought you wanted to avoid the police knowing anything about Duo�s situation,� Trowa pointed out, �You always said that, even with your family�s name backing you, it would be difficult for the police to know that Duo is living here, and about Wes. We�ve never been sure if the police are legit, or that you�d be able to get Duo out of an orphanage if he becomes a witness to all the shit that Wes has been doing! You�ve always said that Duo living here, that the authorities being oblivious to him, was the best thing for him!�

�Duo�s gone!� Name argued, �Wes probably has him right now and we don�t know what he�s planning to do to him! I can�t continue to keep him secret when his life is in danger! If going to the police about his disappearance means that Duo is taken away by social services, I�ll fight that battle when we get to it. Right now, finding him is the only thing that matters.�

Heero ran his hand through his thick hair, feeling as though everything was spiraling into a black pit. He and Trowa nearly jumped as the sound of Name�s cell phone ringing startled them.

�About time,� she muttered as she saw on her caller ID that it was the phone company and answered it.

�Are you ok with going to the police?� Trowa asked Heero quietly as Name demanded the person on the other line to tell her if they had a read from Duo�s cell phone, their previous fight suddenly forgotten.

How he possibly be ok with his mother telling the police that Duo had been kidnapped by his past abuser, that Duo really didn�t have any family and was therefore supposed to be a ward of the state? Best case scenario, the police managed to find Duo and Wes, but, considering that Wes wasn�t clean by any definition of the word, there was going to be a criminal investigation. Duo would become a witness, and then sent to some foster home where he would get lost in the system. Heero wasn�t familiar with the American foster child system, but he didn�t think that someone Duo�s age, with his past and psychological problems had a huge chance of getting adopted. That pissed him off, realizing that someone who wanted to be a parent would look over someone like Duo, someone who was sweet and kind and smart, just because he was �too old� and higher maintenance than other kids.

He supposed that, if it really came to that, his mother would adopt Duo, but that would all depend on how an investigation would turn out. It probably looked a little� strange, if not suspicious, that they had been hiding Duo for so long. Mostly, he didn�t want Duo to have to go through all that. The worst case scenario of his mother telling the police about Duo�s disappearance� was what if the cops had been bought off, or blackmailed by Wes? In that case, instead of doing their job, they would just inform Wes that Name was desperate to find Duo, even that she was willing to do just about anything to find him. Maybe that information would panic Wes, maybe he would start to believe that killing Duo would make it easier for him to get away�

Heero choked that thought to death as quickly as possible. What use was it for him to think that Duo was dead, before they had even tried to find him? The police could help them, he tried to reason. His mother was right. All that mattered right now was making sure that Duo was safe. His fear of being separated from his best friend because he wasn�t technically supposed to be living with them, and had no one else to look out for him, was irrelevant when Duo�s life was at risk. But he couldn�t ignore the feeling that going to the police in this case was going to bite them in the ass sooner or later. Still� Duo needed them, and he would do anything that was necessary to find him. He just wished that he could know for sure that the police could help them find his friend.

�Whatever Mom needs to do,� he murmured.

�Thank you,� Name said, hissing �shit,� as soon as she hung up the phone.

�What�s wrong?� Trowa asked, a slight hitch to his voice.

�They can�t get a track on the GPS signal, which means that either his phone is off like it was in Boston, or his phone is broken,� she informed them in a very irritated tone, �If it�s just turned off, there�s a very small chance that Duo might still be able to turn it on and we can get a signal from wherever he is, if the phone wasn�t thrown away.�

�That isn�t going to happen,� Heero murmured in a depressed tone.

Name looked at him sharply, while Trowa just gave a small, distinct nod in agreement.

�What is that supposed to mean?� she demanded.

�It means that, in all likelihood, Duo�s phone was either intentionally broken, or thrown away as soon as he was taken. We�re never going to get a GPS signal off of it,� Trowa told her.

�We can�t assume that,� Name tried to protest, trying to cling to that one hope.

�Wes is nothing like Chris,� Heero explained coldly, remembering with distaste the large brunette that had kidnapped him and Duo, �Duo told me a long time ago that Wes is just as smart as he is cruel, if he wasn�t, he would have been killed a long time ago. He also told me that Wes keeps a tight grip on all of his contacts, partners, and anyone that works for him. I think that Wes is well aware that Chris left Duo and I in that room to die, instead of letting us go like Wes ordered him to do, and that we had outside help getting out of there, which should have been impossible unless it had been something prior to the actual kidnapping attempt, and GPS chips in cell phones aren�t exactly rare��

�You think that Wes guessed that I was able to track your location in Boston because of a GPS chip, and either broke or disposed of Duo�s phone to be safe?� Name asked in shock.

�I think that Wes is smart enough, and paranoid enough, to think of something like that,� Heero said with conviction, �He isn�t going to take any chances this time. If we find Duo, it won�t be because Wes screwed up.�

The already somber mood seemed to plummet with that comment. Name could feel it, that they were easily giving up the theory that someone else had taken Duo, or that he had run away. She knew that, in order to be thorough, she should be looking for clues to include any possibility, but deep down, she knew that Duo didn�t have that kind of time, and she just knew, in a way that had nothing to do with logic, that this was Wes. That belief made all these things that they were theorizing seem all the more horrible. She knew that her son was right. Wes was a careful man. He would have found the cell phone when he took Duo�s things away from him, and even if Wes had never thought of the GPS chip, he probably would have gotten rid of the cell phone just to make sure Duo could never contact them. From what Duo had told them about Wes, Name doubted that Duo would be given many chances to get away or have access to any way to let them know where he was, if any at all. If he even knew where he was.

�Can I have the phone book?� Heero asked his mother.

�What are you thinking?� Name questioned as she dug their phone book out of drawer and handed it to him, along with their house phone.

�Are you positive that Duo said he was going to take the bus home?� Heero asked Trowa, who nodded, �If you�re planning on going to the police, it�ll help if we know what actually happened to Duo before he was taken,� he told Name as he flipped through the phone book, �and maybe the bus driver actually remembers him getting on the bus. He has a pretty distinctive description.�

Heero found the phone number to the bus company and dialed, but it took him a couple of attempts to get through without a busy signal.

�Hi,� he said once he got a human voice instead of an automated one informing him of changing schedules and directory numbers, �I�m looking for the name of the driver of the bus that works the route including Hill Street, a couple of blocks from the High School, this afternoon.�

�What scheduled time are you looking for,� the bored, almost tired sounding male voice asked.

�It would be the 2:30, 2:45, or 3:00,� Heero told him.

There was a pause over the line, but it didn�t sound like the man was looking anything up over the computer or through papers.

�Are you missing any friends or family from that stop?� the man now sounded hesitant and weary, rousing Heero�s paranoia.

�� Yes,� he admitted suspiciously.

There was a heavy sigh over the line.

�I�m sorry, sir, but the bus that was scheduled to that stop at 2:30 was involved in a traffic accident and couldn�t make its scheduled stop. The driver and others involved in the accident have been brought to Mercy Hospital,� the man told him.

�Thank you,� Heero murmured and turned off the phone with a slightly shaking hand.

He felt cold all of a sudden, the man�s words ringing in his head. An accident� in any other situation, he would have laughed out loud at the incredible string of bad luck that had been stalking him the last twelve hours. If Duo wasn�t missing, he would have joked with Heero that he should lock himself into his room until this really bad day was over with. He wished it was that simple. He felt like his heart was stopping as he tried to piece together what could have happened with this piece of information.

�Heero, what is it?� Name urged, alarmed as her son lost what little color was left on his face.

�The bus was in an accident some time before 2:30,� he murmured, then looked at his mother, looking lost and horrified and a bit like the child that he had once been, �Mom, what if he got to the bus stop early? What if he was on the bus when it got into an accident and he�s� he�s��

Heero suddenly felt incredibly sick, on the verge of nausea and a truly bad headache. It was something that he hadn�t considered, that Wes didn�t have anything to do with Duo�s disappearance at all. In his mind, he only saw the remains of that bus, the metal twisted, resembling a discarded tin can. He should have asked the man how bad the accident had been, but the second he had told him about it, his mind had gone blank. What if Duo was lying dead in the hospital morgue, or in a coma? He barely realized that he had started to shake until he felt his mother grip his shoulder. He looked up into her kind, worried brown eyes. An old, childish instinct made him want to curl up in her arms, to let her make all the bad things go away.

�Heero, I�m sure that didn�t happen,� she said softly and calmly, �He was probably with Treize for a little while, I doubt he had gotten to the bus stop by 2:15, if the accident had even happened then. It might have happened before 2, for all we know.�

�Heero, Wufei had his mother check for anyone matching Duo�s description, including the morgue,� Trowa reminded his friend, �He isn�t there.�

Suddenly, it all clicked into place in Trowa�s mind.

�Oh, God,� he murmured.

�What is it?� Name snapped, tired of feeling so off balance by all these insights.

�Duo didn�t get on that bus!� Trowa theorized, �Think about it. He isn�t in the hospital, and none of our neighbors remember seeing him. He couldn�t have been taken from the bus stop to the house, someone would have noticed something. He must have gone to the bus stop after the accident had already happened and had decided to walk home on his own. Wes probably took him on his way back here.�

�But why would he do that?!� Heero demanded angrily, �Why would he risk his safety walking back here on his own when he could have just picked up the damn phone and called you to pick him up?!�

�Because� he wanted Quatre and I to have our anniversary together,� Trowa said dejectedly in realization, �He didn�t want to be the reason for us abandoning our reservations. He�s always hated being a burden to us, has always seen his problem as stupid, something he should just get over so he stops leaning on us. So, when he decided to go home alone, to prove to us and himself that he was capable of it, even though he knew it was dangerous, he probably decided not to rely on us for help anyway.�

Heero ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew very well about how self-conscious Duo felt about his mental and emotional issues, how he often worried that, one day, they would all give up on him, that he would become a burden. All Duo wanted was to be normal. And Wes just kept dragging him back down. It wasn�t enough that the bastard had destroyed Duo�s childhood, confidence, and health, every time he showed up, either in reality or Duo�s nightmares, he put cracks in that desire.

Heero had no idea how he could convince Duo that he didn�t need to prove he was strong and brave to anyone. He had survived almost ten years of living with that pedophilic asshole, had survived Zechs bullying and sexually harassing him with no one to help, had even survived living on the streets. How could possibly think that Duo was weak? And in the last few months, he had only shown that strength over and over. He had stopped doubting himself so much, had stopped having as many of those awful nightmares and panic attacks. And now, he was back with that monster. Heero�s second greatest fear, right after Wes killing or otherwise seriously, physically hurting Duo, was that Wes� actions would undo all that growth and good.

�Can we all agree that Duo walked home by himself, and that he never got on that bus?� Trowa asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

He knew that they shouldn�t assume anything at this point, but his version of events made sense and he didn�t want to waste precious time looking at this bus angle.

�Yes,� Name sighed, �That makes more sense than anything else.�

�I�ll start looking at the school, you should go to the empty apartments were you found him last time,� Heero told Trowa.

�No,� Name interrupted, �It�s eleven at night. I won�t have you arrested for breaking into the school.�

Heero opened his mouth to protest, but she was too tired to deal with it.

�I mean it, Heero,� she said sternly, �We�ll go there tomorrow and ask the cleaning staff to open it for us. It�s highly unlikely there�s going to be any clue about where he is there anyway. For now, go to the park and the street you found him last time. I want both of you back in no later than three to four hours.�

�That isn�t enough time!� Heero argued.

�You aren�t going to drive around all night long!� she snapped at him, �We�ve been going since four this morning. You need sleep, Heero. We won�t be able to question anyone tonight, so if you can�t find any sign of him in four hours time, I doubt you�ll have any more luck with six or seven.�

�I�ll make sure we�re back home by then,� Trowa promised, ignoring Heero�s heated glare.

�Give me the keys to the Jaguar,� Name told Heero as she tossed the keys to her own car at Trowa.

Heero got his key ring from his pocket and detached the key to the car he hadn�t used in month, handing it to her. Despite his current irritation at her, he was instantly glad that she was taking the Jag and not his Lamborghini. It would have twisted him up inside, driving around, looking for Duo in the same car he had all those months ago. He nearly shuddered, remembering how long it had taken him to clean Duo�s blood from the car. It looked fine now, but every time he got into that car, he could only see that blood, could only remember all the mistakes he had made at that time and the terrible guilt he had felt. He knew how illogical it was, but some part of him felt true fear at driving that car tonight, as though the past might repeat itself and he would find Duo, but he would make some terrible mistake and his best friend would end up hurt.

Name waited for Trowa and Heero to leave the house before sighing wearily. This was a nightmare, one that she had hoped to never live again. If Duo hadn�t gone missing, she and Heero would still be in London, packing to get ready to catch a flight back home. They would have gotten home tomorrow morning, when Duo, Trowa, and Quatre had still been sleeping. She would have made them a huge breakfast, celebrating both her victory over her brother and that tomorrow was the very first day of their summer break. She should be making plans to take the tarp cover off the pool in their back yard, buying Duo some swim wear and anything else he needed for the summer, maybe doing some yard work. When they had moved here, she had really wanted to plant some flowers, but had never had the free time to do it when winter had turned to spring. Instead, here she was, frantic and worrying that something horrible had happened, all because of a lapse of judgment, on both Duo and Trowa�s parts.

She slipped the key to Heero�s other car into her pocket and made her way up the steps. She had the urge to go to Duo�s room for some reason, though she knew that that was pointless unless she just wanted to feel more pain at his sudden disappearance, and had to force herself not to. She wasn�t a masochist. It would hurt to much, seeing the room empty, knowing that he was probably in a terrible situation right now because of her inability to keep him safe like she had promised. Instead, she walked as quietly as she could to Trowa and Quatre�s bedroom and opened the door.

Quatre was indeed fast asleep, curled up on his side facing her. At some point, Trowa had undressed him into his pajamas. One of his arms was thrown gently over Cassy, who was curled up a lot like Quatre, tucked against his chest, looking like a little kid with a stuffed animal. The tiger-striped cat looked up at her, her blue-grey eyes narrowing slightly, before closing her eyes again, snuggling against Quatre, judging Name as a non-threat. Name smiled at the picture they made and quietly closed the door behind her. At least one of them was going to get some sleep tonight.
*****
Name could never really decide if St. Peters was a small town or not. It had several indicators of one, with it�s tourist driven gift shops and underdeveloped public buildings, but just in terms of physical size vs. population, it wasn�t tiny. There were a fair amount of businesses, if not a lot of chains and the hospital was of a decent size. The police station, on the other hand, was barely bigger than some of the houses she had passed to get there, with only two cop cars in the parking lot, or maybe there were more out back. They looked fairly low budget, too. It was strange, since she knew that the town had a problem with crime, thanks to several comments and reflections Duo had given to her about what Wes did and who he associated with. Either the public wasn�t aware of such problems or there just wasn�t enough money for a better police force.

She made a mental note to do some research on that. If it was simply a matter of money, she could give them a donation, especially if they proved to be legitimate. If not, she would be giving them something else entirely. Wes might have power and money, along with the cruelty for any sane man to be scared of him, but she had her own connections. If she found out that any of these cops were on his side, she would make sure they would lose the badge that they didn�t deserve.

The entire drive to the police station, Name had rolled her decision to go to the police around and around in her head. Ever since Duo had told them about Wes while laying in that hospital bed, sobbing and in terrible pain by Wes and Chris� hands, she had struggled with that decision. At the time, she had been positive that her choice to simply take Duo in and ignore the legal element of it had been right. Duo had been too sick, mentally and physically, to deal with an investigation, and she had been scared of losing him in the system. It wasn�t that she couldn�t have used her influence to adopt him. She would have needed the Yuy name, too. Although she was a mother, the adoption system in this state was archaic.

Before adoption, she would have had to foster Duo, to prove she could take care of him. While she had the money to do that, it was illegal for a woman to foster a child while holding a job, so she would have had to work the system quite a bit to get around that. But, mostly, she had worried, not about the legal ramifications in having Wes arrested and Duo as a witness against him, and then ending up in the foster system with no parent to speak for him, but about the emotional strain it would have put on Duo. At the time, he had barely been able to make the decision to come home with them, let alone the stress speaking out against his abuser would have done. She still stood by that initial choice.

But now she wondered if she had made the right choice in not going through� less legal channels. She had believed that by going after Wes that way, she would be putting Duo in danger from Wes� partners. She had also worried about how Duo would look at her if he ever found out about her doing something so morally� grey. She had wondered, at first, if she ever went through it, if she could forgive herself for putting a hit out on another human being. She had always been against such things, believing that all human life was sacred, and since she was in a position of such power, she should always act beyond reproach. She had believed that, if she abused her power in such a way, she would be setting a bad example, not to others with similar power, but to her son who would, one day, take the company from her.

Then, the weeks and months had passed with Duo living with them and, day after day, she had started to love Duo more and more like her own child. Above all else, she had an intensely protective, maternal streak, that had always been a part of her personality. When it came to Heero, she had always thrown away logic, had always been capable of anything, so long as she could keep him safe. And as the weeks had passed, she had not only started to become more attached to Duo, more invested in his health and happiness, she had learned more about his past. Had learned about how horrible his childhood had been, the kind of monster that Wes was.

With every nightmare, every panic attack, every realization of how Wes� abuse had hurt him, that anger at the man, that protective streak had turned into a blazing fire in her. Then she had learned that that damage hadn�t just extended to Duo�s confidence and emotional growth. For the rest of his life, he had to wear contacts because Wes had nearly shattered his skull. For the rest of his life, he would be tired and would have to take iron pills because of the hundreds of times Wes had made him bleed and had failed to give him proper nutrition and health care. And for the rest of his life, Duo would have to take medication to do what his spleen should be doing, or risk serious illness, because of repeated, violent blows to his side and massive infection. And that wasn�t even considering the psychological damage the bastard had done.

After realizing all of that, and after Wes had shot Duo in the shoulder in the woods, Name had realized that she didn�t really care if that man lived or not, didn�t care about her morals or some sort of system of higher right and wrong. If she had found herself in a room with the man and someone had given her a loaded gun or a knife or, hell, just a heavy, blunt object, she would have taken him out, just on the principle of what he had done, not even considering the threat he was to someone she loved. What was more, she would have felt good about killing him, vindicated. Nothing anyone could say could convince her of otherwise. And now, with Duo missing, she realized that the possibility that someone might come after Duo for her having Wes killed, or him being taken away from them by the police and put into foster care didn�t matter. All that mattered was making sure that Duo was safe and alive, as far away from that monster as possible. She couldn�t take the chance that they would help Duo on their own. Even if they could, she couldn�t let Wes get away with this. Not anymore.

The inside of the police station was just as quaint as the outside. There was a large, wrap around desk in the lobby with four doors, one behind the desk, one to the higher-ups offices, the third led to holding cells and an interrogation room, and the last was to a stairwell. Name didn�t know if there was a lot more to the station than that, but it didn�t look like a very serious set up to her. The front area was mostly the desk and some chairs, making up a little waiting room, but the only other person there was an older man with a salt and pepper beard wearing a leather jacket and looking very pissed off. The cop at the front desk barely spared him a glance, so Name assessed that he was probably here because of an unpaid ticket or something just as mundane.

The cop looked fairly young to her, probably a trainee, with dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Considering how late it was, she wasn�t sure if he was simply on the night shift, or if this was late to him, but he flashed her a smile as she approached the desk. She saw a spark of recognition on his face and relaxed, hoping that that would make things go quicker. Normally it irritated her because she liked to keep a low profile, but in this case, throwing the family name around might do her some good.

�Can I help you, Mrs. Yuy?� the cop said, rather boldly, still smiling, but there was a tightness to his expression, as though he was wary of her, or maybe that was because of her sudden irritation at being address by her name without any kind of introduction.

�Yes,� she jumped right into it, �I need to file a missing person�s report. A friend of my son�s was sleeping over at our house tonight, but he�s disappeared. I assumed that he simply went back home to his father without informing me, but his father isn�t answering the phone either. I�m afraid something might have happened to them.�

�What do the boy and his father look like?� the cop asked, seeming hesitant or nervous.

�My son�s friend is on the short side, about five two or five three, long brown hair in a braid, fifteen years of age, violet eyes,� Name said as clinically as possible, feeling very glad that Duo was so� unique, �His name is Duo Maxwell. I�ve never met his father personally, but I know he�s tall, blonde, and has grey eyes. His name is Wes or Wesley.�

A childish part of her couldn�t decide if she wanted to chuckle or squirm calling the asshole �Wesley�. She watched as the cop dug out a pad of paper and started writing down the information. She almost felt bad about lying to him, but there would be a lot more unwanted attention drawn to the truth than just a mother concerned about her son�s friend. There was also a higher chance of someone spotting Wes than Duo at this point and she would take whatever information she could get.

�If someone could just check up on them and give me any kind of information, it would be really helpful,� she said, trying not to sound urgent or demanding, �I�d be willing to lend any resources to assist.�

That was as subtle as she could say that she was willing to bribe him to help her without actually giving him a blank check. To her relief he nodded.

�I�ll file a report and see if I can pull up their home residence. Typically, cases like these are just an issue of communication. Your son�s friend probably did go home and his father just won�t answer the phone this late at night. Can I have your phone number so we can call with any information?� he asked politely.

Name wrote it down for him, then reached over the desk to shake his hand, suddenly feeling more at ease. She had thought that this was going to be a huge chore, that she would be asked a ton of questions that she would be unable to answer without drawing suspicion. She still doubted that the police would be able to help beyond giving her a small clue about where Wes might be, since she wasn�t ready to tell them everything she knew about the man.

�Thank you so much,� she said.

�Thank you for the information, Mrs. Yuy. I�ll try my best to keep you in the loop,� he nodded to her.

The cop watched Name leave the station intensely. As soon as the door closed behind her, his head whipped around to look at the door to the police chief�s office, making sure that he hadn�t heard any of the conversation he had just had with her, but the door was closed and through the blinds, he could just barely tell that the man was still talking on the phone. He breathed in relief. The last thing he needed was for his superior to start asking questions. Another officer walked into the front room and gestured to the older man sitting near the desk, leading him out back to give payment for his outstanding parking ticket. The second the two of them disappeared from his sight, he dug his cell phone out of his pants and dialed a number from memory.
****
Wes made a low, snarling sound of irritation as, just before he completely succumbed to sleep, the phone rang. His hand blindly reached out to grab at the phone on the bedside table and he actually got it off its cradle before it finally registered in his brain that the ring tone wasn�t the one from the main line, but one of the cloned cell phones. Still refusing to actually turn a light on or open his eyes further than a bleary slit, he opened the drawer on the table and dug around until he touched a phone that was vibrating. He glared at the lighted display, registering the number of the caller with annoyance.

�What is it?� he snapped into the phone.

�Name Yuy was here. She�s looking for you,� a scared voice informed him, �She was trying to file a missing person�s report on some kid��

Wes snorted.

�So what? Just don�t file the damn report. Tell Phillips and Corsack what happened, so if the bitch asks what�s taking so long, you�ll all be on the same page. After awhile, she�ll just assume there�s no leads and won�t figure out you gave her the run around. This isn�t that fucking complicated, dumb ass,� Wes said in exasperation.

�But� the chief�� the young cop protested.

�Is an old pig on the verge of retirement,� Wes snapped, �As long as you keep Yuy in the dark, he�ll never know about any of this.�

Christ, he hated greenies. You had to lead them around like little kids and they didn�t have an original thought in their heads. Phillips and Corsack would have waited to call in the morning, only to tell him that they had it all under control. He should have just took this kid out and had him replaced with someone who could figure this shit out on their own.

�This is Name Yuy we�re talking about!� the cop suddenly sounded more frustrated than scared, �If she finds out, do you have any idea what she�ll do to me?! She� she was going to pay me to help find that kid��

Wes came to the conclusion of the cop�s statement instantly, feeling very annoyed. So, the kid thought he could jump sides because Yuy could pay him more? He sat up in bed and smirked in the dark. This boy really was an idiot.

�If you get caught, that really isn�t my problem now, is it? But, if you make trouble for me, you won�t have to worry about who pays you more� I�ll kill you,� Wes hung up the phone and tossed it back into the drawer.

�Fucking moron,� he muttered before rolling over and trying to find sleep again.
End Part 9

Because aff�s policy about lengthy author�s notes, I�ve created a topic forum posting of my review responses: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/21017-the-road-to-kindness-review-responses/
　
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The Road to Kindness