What's there to disclaim? Another chapter unfolds and all I own is a laptop and a Wii. You guys inspire me, it drives me back to write more and faster, hope you guys enjoy cause I know I enjoy your words too. I try my best to keep everything true to the original Japanese version though I'll also do my best to not over do it using all kinds of Japanese words. Mostly I use the Japanese names and titles.

Color My Heart in Two

Chapter 3

Missing

Strolling through the bustling shopping districts, bags in one hand and fruit smoothie in the other, two friends walk side by side and enjoying the sunny day. Despite it being the last day of November, the sunshine warms the chill out of the air, allowing the patrons of Juuban to venture out without more than a sweater and jeans. Winter coats, hats, mittens, and scarves tucked away for a colder day. The weather itself with such a clear blue sky, in stark contrast to the last few days of thunderous storms and howling icy winds.

“Has anything been heard yet?” Ami inquires tactfully, swirling her drink with her straw to avoid eye contact. Wishing deeply in her heart that good news is coming.

Tossing her emptied cup into a nearby trash bin and then rolling up the loose sleeves of her green v-neck sweater, Makoto sighs sadly, only wishing this subject didn't have to exist. “Minako-chan hasn't shown up at home for two nights in a row now. To say the least, I'm really worried about her,” she murmurs quietly, keeping her emotions in check, slinging her bags over her shoulder.

Stopping in front of a storefront as they pass, Ami stares longingly at an item resting on the display. Made of ice-blue crystal and surrounded by a bed of delicate, artificial snowflakes, the figurine on top moves in enchanting circles upon its fixed pedestal. Gracefully arched from its position, the image of a frozen Princess, lost in time and reaching for the world she so desperately longed to embrace and protect. Her blue gown of like color flows to the base of the piece and her hair is short and framing her serene face. Two butterflies, as if suspending in mid air, flutter behind her enchanting form and so the dancing Princess turns, the music of her world tingling in Ami's ears.

Two storefronts ahead and murmuring about what the worlds become - Makoto turns back only to realize she's left her dear friend behind. Sighing and dropping her bags down beside her, she moves back to Ami's side, unnoticed as she remains transfixed on the music box in the window. Standing just behind her, she too watches the beautiful turning piece. “Gorgeous,” she breathes out, admiring it's enchanting allure. “It reminds me of the Silver Millennium.”

“It reminds me of home,” Ami whispers back just as lightly before blinking her drying eyes and turning to face Makoto, the same dazed look dancing across her eyes. Clearing her throat lightly, she looks up to her friends shinning green eyes. “I know Minako-chan has only been living with you a few months, but that makes it harder for you then all of us. I'm still scared to tell Usagi.” She sniffs back a cry, dropping her eyes, and attempting to hide the crack in her voice.

Blinking to clear her own vision, Makoto looks down to her distressed friend, resting both her hands on her shoulders. “She'll show back up,” She reassures, stroking both their hopes. “Maybe she only had an assignment out of town and stayed over in a hotel.” Attempting her best to give her most hopeful smile.

A sob escaping against its will, Ami falls forward into Makoto's arms, hiding her eyes in her plush sweater, finally allowing her feelings to be freed. “Rei-chan believes it's something much worse,” she sniffles.

“Hey.” Makoto urges more gently. “Cheer up, Ami-chan,” she insists, squeezing her shoulders gently. Keeping one arm around Ami's shoulders, she leans down and grabs her bags as well before leading her own down the sidewalk. “Tell you what, since this is one of our rare days off at the same time, let’s go pay our favorite Miko a visit. Maybe she'll even have more news for us.” Grinning more convincingly, she nudges Ami to agree, pressing the pixie-haired doctor-to-be to nod her approval before hopping the sixth street bus together, making their way to the temple.

“Artemis is missing too.” Ami informs, calming her voice while still startling Makoto with the new information, both of them moving towards their favorite seats at the back of the cross town bus, their bags falling to their feet once they arrive.

Hope. It often all many of us has to go on, day to day.

Where has the wind and snow gone. No sign of a single cloud in the vast sky, just past noon and sun at its highest point in the sky, it reflects down on the white and red bus rolling through the city streets and filtering to the patrons rocking with its movements safely inside. Wheels absorbing most of the bumps the street has to offer, the hand holds sway in unison with each other, only moving more severely when the bus comes to a temporary halt to welcome new customers and bid others adieu. To think a normally crowded bus ride could be so serene, seem so luxuriously.

Sitting alone at the back of the bus and staring out at the scenery as it passes by in wisps, Hotaru hugs her writing tablet to her chest as her bag rests on the seat beside her. A dreary school day now behind her, she has her trip to see her dear friend to look forward to. A soft sigh escapes her thin lips as she's consumed by the dull bus ride, the gift she'd worked so hard on lies hidden withering the pages of her book. The book no one is allowed to touch.

Glimpsing at the secret pages she worked so long on, she quickly snaps it closed when someone drops their things on the floor of the seat beside her. Flushing at her blatant distraction, she dips her head and clutches her dark purple book to her chest, not daring a glance to the new comer. Her like colored sweater wrinkling with her motions, she begins to pull her bag into her lap when her name is heard dancing on the wind.

“Hotaru-chan!” A cheery, familiar voice floats to her, drawing her eyes to the new comer. “What a surprise!”

Looking up in delighted surprise, Hotaru smiles modestly, but her true happiness evident in her bright eyes. Having not seen her friends in so long and after seeing them all in one day reminds her of how much they really mean to her. “Mako-chan, Ami-chan!” She greets, completely abandoning her previous mood. “Where's Minako-chan?” Grinning happily, she awaits their answer, not catching the distress hidden within their eyes.

It's that burning feeling again, the one deep in your chest.

Biting her lip nervously, Makoto glances at Ami, wondering how to respond, how she will react. Not wanting to lie but not really knowing the truth, she thinks quickly on what to reply. A trip or work perhaps? Building the courage within herself, she readies for the impending answer, and just when she's ready to answer the bright eyed keeper of silence, Ami drops down in the seat beside her. A small smile still touching her lips, Makoto can only watch as she snakes her arm around Hotaru's shoulder.

“School's already out for the day, Hotaru-chan?” Ami asks gently, turning the tides on the younger girl, before that damning question can take hold in her mind. Smirking a little more when a nervous look crosses the smaller girls face, she glances up at Makoto with a smile reflecting in her eyes.

Looking down to her hands cupped in her lap, Hotaru blushes slightly, embarrassed to reveal the truth herself, temporarily forgetting her own question. “I...”, she begins, hers words failing her in her plight. Stumbling again, she tries once more to explain. “I was the..Um...the...”

“Ami-chan!” Makoto scolds humorously, dropping in the seat beside her blue haired friend. “You're embarrassing our firefly with such a question.” Crossing her legs and leaning back comfortably, before glancing back to the other two, she's just in time to catch a glimpse of Hotaru's grateful eyes.

Sighing in unison, Ami draws back her arm and leans back too, crossing her feet at the ankles and crossing her arms. “I suppose you're right,” a hum of false dejection lingering on her words. Facing forward, she only watches Hotaru out of the corner of her eye, for any hint of reaction. “I suppose firefly and I were never really close anyways, what, with four planets between us and all.”

“And don't forget a belt off rocks!” Makoto joins in on the teasing, reading her blue haired friends intentions.

“ Let’s not forget all those incessant moons as well,” sighing dramatically, Ami leans her had back against the back of the seat and closes her eyes. “Perhaps our firefly would prefer to tell Haruka-san, since they're so close an all...Seeing as how I'm just a speedy little drifter, hogging all the sun.”

“No!” Hotaru squeaks out, her voice echoing through the half empty bus. She quickly bites back her tongue though, realizing just how loud she was. “I mean to say...it's OK,” she murmurs, feeling her cheeks warm two shades. “I don't mind telling you.” Speaking softly, she sinks back in her seat, as both of her older companions turn to look to her. “I had a doctor’s appointment this morning... Michiru-mama let me skip the rest of the day.”

Glancing at one another for a fraction of a second, Ami and Makoto both lean in further towards Hotaru, closing off her space. Even when the bus begins to stop and the bell rings to signal the station, the girls remain fairly still. The intensity of their stare bringing shivers up and down the young girl’s spine, watching her swallow back that lump in her throat.

Slipping her bag into her lap and hugging it close along with her writing book, she looks back to them pleadingly. “I just wanted to visit Rei-chan and everyone else for a change,” she whispers meekly.

Rocking forward, the bus continues from the stop and the driver announces the next destination. In the same jolt of movement, Ami and Makoto both cheer happily, pouncing Hotaru in an aggressive hug, unable to hold the charade any longer. All three laughing together, they nearly roll off the rear seat, bumping around the bags Ami and Makoto had picked up down town. Their laughter only grows lauder when Ami finds herself trapped between the other two with no way to wrestle free.

Two steps forward to take one step back, how fragile the silence can be. Are secrets worth their pain?

Walking up the long sidewalk from where the bus dropped them, the three chat idly about anything and everything. Finding no reason to waist such a nice day on stress and frustration. The bright, spring-like sun still shines down on them, though a cool breeze is starting to pick up as the afternoon treads on. Clutching her open purple sweater around her, bag slung over her should, Hotaru covers her mouth to suppress a laugh as Ami mimics her professor from the previous days lecture.

“And of course he couldn't even pronounce my name,” Ami laughs as well, telling her story. “ 'Ms. Mezoana! I will not tolerate sass in my classroom. If you don't pay attention, you will repeat this class with another professor at a later date.'” Dropping her voice from the low screechy impersonation of her teacher, she chuckles again, Makoto and Hotaru both break into a fit of laughs again.

Tisking, Makoto shakes her head, face flushed from laughing. “Ami-chan, you're such a trouble maker!”, she scolds playfully.

“Don't you mean Mezoana-chan?”, Hotaru laughs as well.

Stopping in her tracks, Ami puts one hand on her hip and with other places her glasses on, pushing them up her nose. “That's Mizuno-san, thank you.” Clearing her throat, she laughs again, removing her glasses and continuing with the others as they round the last corner leading up to the Hikawa shrine. “I was only trying to tell him that we were the Organic Biology class, not the French class.”

Wiping a stray tear from her eye, Makoto pats her on the back, still carrying both their bags since leaving the bus. “Aww Ami-chan, we all know your dirty secret. You're really a French major and your dream is to move to Paris and become a French liaison.” She speaks the last part in an overly fake accent, drawing a blush from the blue haired girl.

Laughter is the best medicine. But some things are masked easier then cured.

Giggling as the approach the long steps leading up the shrine, their pace slows as quiet washes over them. The humor they felt only moments ago drifts away from them into the silence. Four steps up from the bottom, broom in hand and dressed in the traditional crimson and white, Rei stares off into the distance, her long hair raven hair blowing like waves in the wind. A look of deep reflection setting on her features, she doesn't move or openly even notice the presence of her friends.

Stepping forward, hands clasped in front of her chest, Ami moves up one step and ahead of her companions. “Rei-chan?”, she calls softly, uncertain more than ever for the words to come. The wind picking up around them in stronger gusts, she brushes her bangs back and out of her eyes before glancing back momentarily to the two behind her.

“Something ominous is here. A dark presence,” Rei whispers softly, her lips barely moving, words carried by the wind for her friends to hear. Each of them looks up to her, her glassy eyes reflecting an all seeing knowledge.

“Rei...” Worry in her voice, Makoto is about to step towards her as well, when Hotaru pushes past both herself and Ami.

Running up the steps, she calls to their priestess. “Rei-chan! Rei-chan!!” Enthusiasm in her voice, she grins widely, stopping one step down from Rei as she looks up to her expectantly. “Have you see Minako-chan today? Where she is?”, she inquires hopefully, not wavering, unaware of the uncomfortable looks crossing the faces of Makoto and Ami.

The wind howls deftly in the silence, so different from the weather they had been experiencing, as dark and gloomy clouds begin to roll in from the distance. The drastic nature of the weathers change would make any sceptic believe, that only those three small words brought on the torrent of the now approaching storm.

Blinking her eyes slowly, Rei turns to face the younger girl, a distant look still lingering in her eyes. She lifts a steady hand and gently grasps Hotaru's chin in her soft finger tips, looking deeply into her matching violet eyes, perhaps even searching her soul. “Minako-chan is no longer part of this world,” she speaks vacantly, her voice toneless and hollow.

“Minako-chan's gone?” A new voice interrupts the group, surprise and confusion lingering in their voice.

All four look up and turn at the same time to view the new comer, caught unaware of her presence. Each of them searches for the courage to speak those dread words. Strength building, Makoto is the first step up and speak. Bags forgotten, she moves towards the newcomer, hands clasped together. “Usagi-chan...”

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And thus another chapter for you all. I love all your reviews, they're inspiring. And I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. This story is very amusing for me, though a mildly sombre mood, I enjoy all of your reactions. Reviews are my candy so to speak.

The next chapter may be a little short, or it may not. It's a necessary part but I don't know if I should combine it with the next scene. If combined, it could make for too long of a chapter.

And I failed to mention the guy’s ages last chapter, though I know you all could do the math. But they're all approximately 22.

And I wanted to mention too. Time is going to pass differently between the two times. Only because I have a lot more time to cover for the Senshi with less to do.

And I can promise, I won't disappoint my faithful when it comes to pairings. But that's all I'll say.

Oh! And I implore you all to go read Xiao-chan's works and also “The Abyss” which was just completed, that story was wonderful too. All so inspiring.

So let me know what you all think so far.

Tchusen!!

-Tunks