They finally arrived at a hotel. Trowa and Quatre shared a room, Trowa and Quarter shared and room, and Mineko and Sally shared a room. Mineko would have rather of been by herself, but Sally insisted she stay with Mineko.

Mineko didn’t say much that night, and neither did Sally.

As soon as Mineko and Sally got to their room that was in between Heero and Duo’s, and Quatre and Trowa’s, Mineko hit the shower. She still felt so dirty. But it helped a little bit.

When Mineko got out of the shower, she was still drying her hair. Sally was lying on one of the beds reading a newspaper. Mineko glanced over to a clock on a little table on the other side of Sally. It was near midnight, and Mineko was tired. They had been out patrolling for Wufei for hours, but it didn’t seem to be enough. Then she had to waste her breath and tell al of what she did before she met back with them all. Mineko let out a heavy sigh.

“What the matter?” Sally asked as she out her reading material down on the bed. Mineko sat on the bed on the other side of the bathroom door. The beds where divided by the bathroom door, so this room was defiantly not for couples. “Is it about Wufei?” Listen, we’ve done all we can for today. We where searching for hours. And we had extra men out on the search. They went from home to home asking around. Asking questions.”

“But it still doesn’t seem like it was enough!” Mineko shouted as she threw her brush down on the ground.

“It never seems like it’s enough for the one you love.” Mineko put her head put slightly and looked at Sally a bit surprised. Sally got up and walked over to Mineko, sitting down beside her on the bed. “I knew you loved Wufei from the first moment I saw you together. Even if you don’t admit it to anyone else, let alone yourself, I can still see it. I never said anything to him, because I wanted him to live knowing one day he will get the chance to tell you himself that he loves you too. I didn’t have anything to do with Wufei in a relationship that was more than just friendship.” Sally put her hand on Mineko’s shoulder reassuringly. Pausing to give Mineko a chance to say something.

“I…you think he loves me?” Mineko looked up at Sally. Sally wasn’t to much taller than Mineko, maybe a few inches.

“I know he does. But he can’t tell you if he’s locked up, now can he. Go to sleep.” Sally said nudging Mineko to lie down. She didn’t give Mineko a chance to say anything back. “Just remember the faster you get to sleep, the faster tomorrow comes and the faster we can get back to searching for Wufei.” And with that, Sally got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

“Right.” Mineko said quietly to herself. Mineko got under the covers and closed her eyes, but the only thing she could see was Wufei. It was like his picture had been etched onto the back of her eyelids. Mineko finally drifted off to sleep though.

Mineko woke the next morning to the sound of Sally coming out of the bathroom. Mineko got up half way and looked at Sally’s bed. It was messed up which meant she went to bed sometime that night which also meant she wasn’t in the bathroom all night either. Mineko then got herself into a sitting position.

“Where are you going?” Mineko asked with one eye half open. Her hair was bed tousled and her voice was groggy.

“I was going to get us all some breakfast. The others are all out on the patio by the pool playing cards, what have you.”

“Oh.” Mineko got out of bed and stretched. Her tank top rose up to show a good portion of her stomach. And the tank top wasn’t quite as baggy as she remembers it to be, so that meant it was actually getting small on her. It was, after all, a few years old.

“I’ll be back in a little I’ll meet you on the patio. If you don’t show…I’ll understand.” Sally walked to the door.

“I’ll be fine.” Mineko went into the bathroom. After she was sure Sally had left, Mineko threw up in the toilet. She couldn’t quite remember what she had the night before, but whatever it was, it decided it just didn’t like her and it wanted out now. So it came out the hard way. The way it came it.

Mineko sat back against the small tub in the bathroom and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nothing wants to stay down, does it?” Mineko asked as she looked at her stomach. “What’s your problem?” Mineko got up and flushed the toilet. She left the bathroom. She put her shoes on but didn’t bother to tuck in her tank top. She then slipped out the door.

Mineko walked aimlessly down the halls. She didn’t have the slightest clue as to where she was going. She knew where she wanted to go, but she didn’t know how to get there.

She finally ran into a maid.

“Um, can you tell me where the patio is?” The lady was kind of short. She seemed to be in her early forty’s. She appeared to be Puerto Rican. She had dark brown-ish, golden skin and had her long, dark brown hair up in a messy bun. She was a welcoming site to see, a normal person for once. She smiled at Mineko. Mineko smiled back. It was hard to do considering she just threw up not even ten minutes ago.

“Yes. Go down end of hall. Make left, and fallow stairs. Or take elevator down to last floor.” She had a bit of an accent and didn’t speak very good English. “You look like can go for a swim.”

“I don’t have a bathing suit though.” Mineko shook her head.

“I help.” The lady took Mineko by the arm and brought her down the hall into a storage room. “In here. Me found bathing suit left in a room. Here.” Mineko took the suit.

“Um. Thanks, I think.” It was a dark blue bikini with light blue polka dots.

“Go change.” The lady pushed Mineko into a bathroom.

“Right. A bathroom in a storage room?” Mineko asked herself. “Oh well.” She shrugged a shoulder. Mineko out the suit on and folded her clothes.

When she came out the lady was standing waiting for her.

“Good. Now go swim. You look good, but skinny. You diet?”

“Huh? Oh no. I’ve just had a bad, month I guess.”

“Oh. I see. You’re boyfriend leave you?”

“Well, yeah, something like that. Hey, thanks.” Mineko walked off and waved. She found a cart in the middle of the hall and a room door was open. It appeared that the owner of the cart was busy. She decided she would kind of borrow a towel since she didn’t have anything to dry off with any way. Well, the cart was right tin the middle of the isle for crying out loud. It was like an invitation. Mineko thought.

Mineko walked down the hall and found the stairs. And then went down them, not wishing to upset her stomach more with a little elevator ride. At the present moment, her stomach was already going “WEEEE!” doing little cartwheels.

When Mineko got out onto the patio. She took in everything that was going on. It was real early in the morning, so there weren’t but a few people in the pool. Quatre and Trowa where talking on one side of the pool with there feet in the pool. Ever so often splashing a little girl that kept bother them. She would occasionally splash them back and giggle a little. On the other side of the pool, under the shade of an umbrella like thing that came out of the building and over a few chares, Heero and Duo where playing cards. Or, more like Duo was playing and Heero was watching. Heero was sitting on one of those long chairs that you lay on, and Duo was sitting across from him. Both sitting the wrong facing each other and a little table in between them.

“Got any Jacks?” Duo asked as she looked at his cards then at Heero. Heero just sat there and stared at Duo. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Mineko stopped stalling and walked all the way out onto the patio. She looked at herself in the doors. “Ugh.” She said. She really was skinny. You see each of her ribs and her stomach was so flat you could have laid a vase on it and it wouldn’t fall over. Or it wouldn’t have moved for that matter.

“Well look who it is. Wow.” Duo said as he looked up to see who came out the doors and saw, well, who else but Mineko. Heero turned his head slightly too look, as did Quatre and Trowa. Quatre’s eyes went wide. He knew Mineko was skinny, but this. He had no idea.

“Mineko!”

“I know, I know. Good but skinny.”

“Well, yeah.” Quatre kind of calmed down a bit. Mineko walked over to Quatre and Trowa and sat down next to Trowa. She put her feet in the water.

“So where’d ya get the suit?” Duo asked ash he gave Heero the five he requested.

“One of the maids found it left in a room, and when I asked for directions to get here, she suggested I got for a swim and gave this tome.

“Small Puerto Rican lady?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, she was weird.” Duo went back to his game.

Heero, Duo, Quatre ad Trowa where all wearing the same thing, white undershirts and short khaki shorts.

Mineko finally slipped into the water carefully. The water was fairly warm for the time it was in the morning. Mineko didn’t know the exact time, but it felt like it was somewhere around nine.

“Have a good sleep?” Quatre asked.

“Yeah.” Mineko kind of sighed. She turned so she was facing the wall and landed against it. She put her elbows on the ground and rested her head on them. Mineko closed her eyes to relax for a few minutes when there was a little tap on her back. Mineko lifted her head and turned around in the water.

“Um.” It was the little girl that had been begging Quatre and Trowa. She didn’t seem to have a problem with them being as close as they where. And neither did her parents that had had just walked out either. “I mommy!” Kind of gave it away. And when they walked by and waved to Quatre and Trowa who where hugging, instead of giving them the most disgusted glare, said that they where good people that didn’t care about two guys in love.

“Hi honey. Are you having fun?”

“Yep.” The little girl turned back to Mineko. “I dropped my dolly at the bottom of the pool, can you get her for me?”

“Sure.” Mineko said as she started to head toward the middle of the pool. “Where is she?”

“She’s right down there.” The little girl pointed to the middle of the pool. The little girl gave Mineko her goggles and she slipped them on. Mineko then dove down the bottom of the pool and grabbed the doll. She then noticed something shining over in right, just in the corner of her eye.

What the… Mineko swam over to the shining object. It was a golden chain with a silver dragon on it. It was red rubies for eyes and a fiery orange tale. Mineko picked it up and headed for the surface. She came out any immediately took a deep breathe of air. Of coarse, Duo had to say something about it.

“Mineko! You ain’t a fish. You can’t stay down there forever you know!” Mineko stuck her tongue out at him. Then had a come back of her won. Duo absolutely hated it when she corrected him.

“Ain’t isn’t a word.” Duo put a finger up to object and stopped mid gargling noise. He had his mouth open and was staring at Mineko. “Don’t do that!” Mineko told him smiling. You’re gonna get a fly in your little trap there!” The little girl laughed. Mineko swam over and gave her the doll and the goggles.

“Thank you!” The little girl swam over to the edge of the pool, just barely. She was only about 6 or so and wasn’t very good at swimming. “Lookie, lookie. Mommy. The nice girl helped me get my doll.” Mineko smiled and swam over to Quatre and Trowa and got out of the pool, sitting next to Trowa again. Mineko untangled the mass of chain in her palm. She let the chain hang over her hand and through her fingers and the dragon was perfectly set in her hand, shining in the early morning sunlight.

“What did you find?” Quatre asked.

“I don’t know. It’s a necklace that looks like something Wufei would wear.” Mineko moved her hand and watched the necklace glitter in the sun. Trowa took the necklace and examined it carefully. He found a shape of some sort on the back. It was a little star with two dots on the bottom spikes, and one on the top spike.

“It doesn’t seem to be too rusted.” Quatre said looking at it. “It must have been dropped recently.”

“I’m not surprised.” Mineko said taking it. “I’m sure these people clean the pool at least every day. It might have been dropped last night for all we know. I’m sure it was just someone necklace. People loose jewelry ever day.” Mineko out the necklace on and got back into the water.

“Mineko.” Quatre said quietly, so Duo wouldn’t hear. Mineko swam over to the edge by Quatre. “You still haven’t told Duo, have you?”

“No.”

“You need to tell him. It’s probably gonna come as a shock to learn that he had been with us so long and didn’t know that you loved his best friend.”

“Aa. But I don’t even know if Wufei loves me. We went out a few times, but that was it. It’s no use in telling him if Wufei doesn’t love me back.”

“I know. I suppose we’ll play it by ear, see what happens. But I’m just telling you for your own good. Sure, Duo might laugh about it and wish you luck, but he might also be hiding the hurt of knowing that his friends, his only family can’t even tell him the truth.”

“I know, I know.” Mineko sighed and turned around to face Duo and Heero. Duo was arguing with Heero about something, but Mineko couldn’t quite hear what was going on. But it was just a simple little argument. Mineko shock her head. Just then, Sally came through the door with a few bags of what looked like McDonalds.

“Hay. Mineko. I see you decided to join us.” Sally looked at Mineko, taking in the fact that she was in the pool. “How’d…” Sally had to say not more. The confusion was clear on her face.

“A cleaning lady let me have it. She said she found it left in a room. And hey, it fits.”

“Oh.” Sally set the bags down on a table near the door she had come out onto the patio from. Mineko got out of the water and got the towel she had brought out off the same table.

“Where’d you get that?” Duo asked ash he and Heero came over.

“It was an invention. I swear. It was sitting right in the middle of the isle. Unguarded. Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna take it home. It’s too small to fit around me anyway.” Mineko rapped the towel around her as a demonstration. Duo saw the problem. It rose up and showed a great deal of thigh, not to mention a small porting of her bathing suit in the back. “See?”

“Yeah. I see now.” Duo sat down and dug into a bag.

“I got three egg McMuffins, two bacon egg and cheese, and one hash brown. Are you sure you didn’t want any more Trowa?”

“No.” Trowa said quietly.

“If he does he can have some of mine.” Quatre said looking up at Trowa, a bit angry that he wasn’t eating much. Trowa merely looked down at him and nodded in acknowledgement.

The breakfast was split up so the three egg McMiffins went to Sally, Mineko and Heero, the two bacon eggs and cheese’s went to Duo and Quatre, and the hash brown went to Trowa.

Later on Quatre offered part of his bacon eggs and cheese to Trowa. Trowa took a few bites, then said that was enough.

“So where’d the necklace come from?”

“I found it in the bottom of the pool. Cool Dragon, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. People drop things like that all the time. I once found a fourteen karat gold ring. Then I found out it was my neighbors. It actually explained at lot considering I found it near my house. It was nice day took. So much for good luck.”

“You find some you loose some, right?” Duo asked.

“Yeah.” Mineko went back to eating.

Once they where done, they all headed back to there rooms and got a few things, then left the hotel. They didn’t’ know if they where going to come back or not, so they told the people at the desk to hold their rooms just in case. They would call as soon as they could. The manager agreed and they where out the door.

Once they where back at the scene where Wufei was last seen, they all went into the warehouse. They already knew that they where on the right track and being led there, so why not accept their invitation, it would be rude not, right?

“So, which way do we go?” Duo asked.

“Heero, Duo and Sally go that way.” Mineko said pointing left. They where standing in a two-way only hall. “And me Quatre and Trowa will go right. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” Everyone agreed and went the way they where supposed to go.

“Mineko. You have to…”

“I know. I’ll try and tell him before we find Wufei, if I can help it. If we find Wufei first, I guess I’m just shit out of luck, huh?”

“Well. I guess.” Quatre sighed. “Are you avoiding it?”

“No. I just haven’t gotten around to telling him. I want to tell him when we’re alone, but that’s hard to do. We haven’t had a free moment.”

“Oh.” Quatre and Mineko stopped the conversation there. And like the good little boy he is, Trowa tried to stay out of it.

They all searched for hours and hours. They couldn’t find anything. They had split up three times. Got lost five. Found each other three. And had regrouped six. It was a mess. Mineko, Quatre and Trowa went walking off a little ways away from the gang.

They where near the front of the building now, at the corner where the ally and the sidewalk meet. Mineko looked at the walls like she had been doing for hours, trying to find something, anything that could lead them in the right direction.

“Hey.” Mineko said as went by a door they had to have passed a million and one times.

“What is it?” Quatre asked as he and Trowa walked over to her. “I think I may have found something. “Hey guys!” Mineko shouted. Her voice echoed in the empty hall. “I found a clue!” Mineko wasn’t sure if it was a clue. It could have been the star on a door that said, “JANITOR” for all she knew. But she said it any way.

“What?” Sally asked as she Duo and Heero rounded the corner. Mineko pointed to the door.

“It has a symbol, so what?” Heero asked. Mineko hit him on the head.

“Idiot.” She said quietly before turning back to the door. “It could be a clue. It has something on it, but I can’t tell what.” Mineko tried to look hard at the door, but it as to dark. Light was just barely coming through a window in the ceiling. But it wasn’t bright. It illuminated the hall to be more a dark blue. The cause was that the window was tinted. So the light that came in wouldn’t be to bright.

“Hmmm.” Duo stood and pandered for a minute. I think I might have a matchbook I swiped from the hotel. Duo reached into his left boot and pulled out a matchbook with two fingers. He opened it. Then frowned. “Mmm. Only a few left.”

“It will have to do.” Mineko took the matchbox and struck a match. She put it up to the door and tried to see it. She could just barley make out a punctured shape, a star. “I think it’s a star. And it has a shape around it, but I can’t make it out.” Mineko tried to concentrate on the shape a little longer. “Itai!” Mineko shouted. She burned her fingers on the match.

“What?”

“The match.”

“Oh.” Mineko sighed and leaned against the wall next to it. She put her head down and tried to think. Heero stood in front of the door and squinted to see it. He couldn’t make it out. And It was no use in using another match. They all saw it, but couldn’t make it out.

About a half an hour passed and Mineko was still in her thoughts.

“Wait!” Trowa almost yelled. It scared Mineko. Trowa walked up to Mineko and reached in her shirt.

“Trowa!” Mineko shouted and Quatre stepped forward. He grabbed the necklace and tore it off her neck. He then slammed it into the door back first.

“Hey!”

“You can fix it later.” Just then, the door opened. The door went up, instead of opening to the side. And it went into the wall above it. It opened to a staircase. The wall in front of them was all bright orange, like flames where coloring it.

They all walked down a short flight of metal stairs. It was spiraled.

When they arrived at the bottom, what greeted them wasn’t what you’d expect to find in the bottom of building. But then again, if you where more towards the center of the Earth, it would be exactly what you would find.

They where standing on solid rock. A patch the solid, bumpy ground that connected on side of the cave to the other. In front of them was a pit. A pit of moving lave and molten rock, steaming with its hot rocks. It was ever flowing and bubbling. It was a bright red and orange. And in some parts, it was even a yellow color. Mineko walked in aw to the edge.

In the middle of this huge pit, was a ropewalk? It seemed to be very, very old. It seemed to be at least a hundred or so years old.

“Wow.” Mineko stopped at the edge as she looked down. She suddenly got a little dizzy and stepped back. The hot steam hit her face and truly woke her up. Until then she was just barely holding onto a stretch of consciousness. Then the realization that within the next few hours, they would find Wufei and everything would be ok again. She felt it. She knew it. “Hey guys.” Mineko turned and looked at the others. “So near yet so far. Fallow the nearest star.” Mineko took the necklace from Trowa. “It was the star. The back of the necklace was it. We had the key and we didn’t know it.”

“It must have been planted for us.” Heero stated coldly.

“Very good work children.” A voice came through some kind of intercom and was echoed throughout the pit.

“Who the hell?” Duo asked as he looked around in confusion. The transmition was slightly slurred with static.

“How do you like my hologram?”

“Your…hologram?” Mineko asked.

“Yes. See for yourself that it isn’t real.” Mineko walked to the edge of the pit and bent down. She stuck her hand down as far as she could and a piece of rock flew up. It looked like it had jumped. At first Mineko was afraid that it was going to burn her, but then it went through her hand.

“The ladder’s real.” Heero said as he stood on the very beginning of the ladder.

“Yes it is. I will show you why. Besides, the hologram is interfering with my intercom transmition.”

“I can tell.” Heero said in his still cold voice. Was he ever going to get over it? Mineko thought. She doubted it.

Just then, the scene around them flickered. It turned to a rather large pit of nothingness. Just a black hole. Mineko gasped and backed away. She didn’t have a fear of heights, she wouldn’t be a Gundam Pilot if she did. But she wasn’t too fond of big, black, bottomless holes. If Mineko couldn’t see where she was falling, she didn’t like it. With good reason of coarse. Who would like to tumble to their Death and not be able to see where they where going? Mineko sure didn’t.

“You like?” The voice came again, but not battered by static.

“No.” Mineko said just barely peering over the edge, but tried to stay as far away as she could.

“Aw. Now that wasn’t nice.’

“It was so real though.” Mineko then said in astonishment.

“I know. It was nice and warm.” Quatre added. “Now it feels like a freezer.” And that it did. Everything around them was now metal. Mineko noticed that when she had taken a few steps back, he those made a clinking noise.

“Why, thank you. My dear fellow. I try to be as warm as I can. But ti’s hard when my ‘clients’ are giving me a hard time.” At that point Mineko had had enough of the little chitchat session.

“Who the hell are you?” Mineko demanded.

“Well. I suppose you will find out soon enough. Don’t get pushy.”

“I’ll damn well get pushy if I fucking want. Where the hell’s Wufei. And who the hell are you?”

“Go Mineko!” Duo called.

“Duo this is no time for cheering on cussing.” Sally said.

“Is this guy a little strange to you guys?” Quatre asked. Trowa nodded in agreement.

“Ok. Now that was just uncalled for. That wasn’t nice at all. Boys. Get ‘em.” Mineko pulled out her gun and the others did as well. Pretty soon the room was shaking. Doors where opening in the walls and platforms where coming out of the ground.

“Shit guys. What should we do?”

“Take out as many of them as we can.” Heero stated aiming his gun. “Then all hell broke loose. They all fired at one another. Heero took about as many guys as he could before he was shot in the leg, but it wasn’t significant enough wound to stop the Perfect Soldier.

Through the chaos of the little war, Sally managed to leave and get more ammo.

Mineko weapon ran out long before though. So she was left with her fists, feet and PMS to get her through until Sally got more ammo. Mineko had to jump on one guy to get him off Duo. Duo’s gun had run out too. Duo seemed to be the most hurt. He was bleeding more than the others, and was about to fall over.

Once Sally got back, Duo decided to take out the troops coming firm the ladder.

“Trowa!” You could hear Quatre just over the gunshots.

“I’ll be just fine!”

“Duo! Be careful!” Heero shot at more and more soldiers, but was starting to get a little dizzy from the loss of blood. He had been shot twice ion the led, and once in his arm.

Mineko was still firing at every moving thing that she couldn’t categorize as a friend.

Mineko was heading to the bridge to help Duo. She put her gun away from a second and kicked a man over the bridge just before he could shoot Duo in the back.

“No one shoots my friends in the back and lives!” Mineko shouted into the black hole. “I hope you can hear me mister, cause your goons are going down!” Mineko shouted as she looked up and around the room.

“Curse you child!” The man’s voice came back. Mineko smirked, then turned to Duo. A man came up behind Duo and pushed him over the edge, just a quick and skillful grab of the side rope saved his life from a fall that would have surely have claimed his life, had he fallen. Mineko took her gun out and shot the guy. She then dropped her gun and grabbed Duo’s arm.

“Duo!”

“Mineko! I’ll be fine!” They had to shout over the gun shots. But the gun shots became more quiet as the others killed more. Or where being killed. Mineko was leaning towards option number one, one hundred percent all the way.

Mineko managed to get Duo half way up and as soon as he was close enough that she didn’t have to yell, Duo said something she wasn’t expecting in a million years.

“Mineko. Go to Wufei. He needs you.”

“What?! Mineko was more surprised than she had been in a while.

“Don’t think I didn’t know. You guys never acted it in public, or around the others, but we all knew. Even me. You don’t think you can leave the God of Death in the dark, do you?”

“I guess not. Mineko said as she pulled Duo up the rest of the way. Then picked up her gun and ran off to the other side of the pit.

“Where the hell are you?” Mineko shouted as she entered a small room. It had a staircase that led deeper under ground. Mineko cautiously took that route, seeing that there was no other way to go, but back. “Show yourself!”

“Hahaha! You’ll have to find me child!” The man’s voice was slightly filled with anger and annoyance. And Mineko sensed it. She mentally gave herself a point.

“Gladly. Then, you know what?”

“What?” The guy asked slightly amused.

“I’m gonna KILL you! You’re going to die!” Mineko actually said it a lot more calmly than she had any right to be.

Mineko continued down the dark, cold steps that led to the deeper underground portions of the building.

“Here I come.” Mineko practically sang. “I’m gonna kill you! You know, you can’t, escape my wrath!” Mineko as singing to the tune of what sounded to her like the old nursery rime “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring”.

Mineko finally found herself in a dark dungeon type room. But she did not let the comfort of the darkness evade her guard. She kept her gun out at all times.

Mineko walked around a bit, and found what she was searching for. What she had longed for since the end of the war.

“Wufei!” Mineko shouted as she ran to Wufei. Tears stinging her eyes. Half from knowing that she had found him, and half from the way he looked.

Wufei’s shirt was missing, and his paints where a little worn for wear. He didn’t have shoes on, and his hair as down. He was chained to the wall with his arms behind him, and his feet where shackled to the floor beneath him. He was sleeping.

Mineko sat down next to Wufei, fresh blood soaking into her pants and numbing her legs. It was so cold. Mineko touched his bruised and bloody face to wake him. Or at least, that’s what she wanted.

Wufei opened his eyes and carefully looked up. “Who? What in the hell are you doing here, onna?” Mineko only smirked. Typical.

“I’d like to ask you the same thing. Don’t you have a home to be at?”

“Only the Preventers HQ.” Wufei looked at Mineko. Not much had changed. Save for the fact that she sort of resembled a bored. Or in Wufei’s more polite terms, “You look like a stick.”

“I know. A stick with a hard head and a big mouth, huh?.” And an aching heart. Mineko added to herself mentally.

“Aa.” Wufei said weakly.

“I see you could make it. How nice of you to join us.”

“What?!” Mineko whirled around with her gun to see a rather tall man, but not too much taller than Mineko. He had black hair and a black mustache, his eyes where dark brown, and he had on a black business suit.

“What the hell do you want?” Mineko asked, taking the safety off her gun.

“Why, not much. Just you. It’s not that hard really, you and the power of the Universe.”

“For what? What’s the catch. You want something in return.”

“Not really. I just want to rule the universe. Me, king of the Universe, yay!” The man almost sang as he jump around in circles.

“Eeeg. How much sugar did you put in you’re coffee this morning?” Mineko asked lowering her gun. She was very confused. How could anyone as hyper and stupid as him, rule the Earth. But she tried not to underestimate him.

“Don’t listen to him, Mineko. It’s an act. He’s trying to fool you into thinking he acts this way so you put your guard down.” Wufei tried to say in between gasps of air. He was bleeding worse now. His lips where chapped, and broke open from his talking. His throat was dry and his voice was raspy.

Mineko reached into her hair and pulled out a hair clip, he threw it at Wufei and he caught it. “Here. Use this to pick the locks.” Wufei raised an eyebrow. Mineko sensed he would. “Only thing I got.”

“It’ll work.” Wufei said. He spit a little blood out of his mouth.

“I want you dead.”

“I know, I know, but there’s nothing you can do, now is there?” Mineko checked her gun, she only had two bullets left. She narrowed her eyes.

I gotta make ‘em count, for Wufei’s sake. “How do you know., I have a gun. I have ammo. I have hope.’

“Yes. But how much ammo? From the look on your face you don’t have much. And your hope? You’re running out of hope. You feel that you will loose this battle and loose whom you care about, your friends. You have a fear you will loose your friends.”

“Stop it.” Mineko said a bit angrily, but calmly.

“You know it as well as your friend here.’ The man ignored Mineko’s plea.

“Mineko, don’t listen to him.” Wufei said struggling with his restraints, and consciousness. Mineko ignored Wufei.

“Come and hit me. You know you want to. For what I’ve done to your friend. Why don’t you.’

“I only hit one if they have hit me first. It is the honorable way to fight.”

“And what do you know about honor?”

“Enough. After living with Wufei here as long as I have,” Mineko turned to face Wufei. He flipped her off. Mineko smirked. “I know enough.”

“Ok then.” The man took out his gun and headed toward Mineko. Mineko got her gun ready to fire. She could have taken him out then, but he hadn’t fired. He hadn’t done any real harm. He hadn’t killed anyone everyone is still alive. At least, she hoped. “I guess it’s my turn to go first.”

“Looks like it, idiot.” Mineko was trying to get him mad so he would fire at her, which would give her a reason to fire back. “You know. For someone who is trying to take over the world, you sure are stupid.”

“And how do you suppose that?” Mineko didn’t answer. The man was mad now. He fired at Mineko but she dodged it.

Wufei was nearly done. He had gotten his arm restraints and was working on his ankle restraints. “I’m almost done here.”

“That’s good to hear. Then you can help me.” Mineko said. The man took off in the other direction. Mineko took off after him. Mineko stopped as she thought she heard something from behind her. “I know you’re in here! Just come out and I won’t hurt you as badly. I don’t bite! Hard.” The man laughed at Mineko little joke. Mineko turned a corner to find the man standing facing with his back to her. He was half hidden behind a stack of metal poles. Mineko smiled.

“Oh, shit.” The man said as he ran behind the bars. Mineko shot one of the chains that held them down, it snapped and the other did as well. Some of the poles came toward Mineko, and the rest fell on the man. A mistake that couldn’t be helped. But Mineko would get over it.

“I don’t think my leg is broken, I hope not.” Mineko tried to get up, but it was a bit of a challenge. She walked the long trek back to where Wufei was seated on the floor. He was struggling with his left ankle chain. Mineko got a little thought in the back of her head to put the restraints back on him, but she erased it from her mind. After all, she was just as eager to get out of here as Wufei, no use in waiting more time.

“I can’t get it off.” Wufei said struggling with it. Mineko already had bruises on her legs, so it hurt when she crouched down.

“Ow.” Mineko grasped her right ankle. “I think I sprained my ankle.” Mineko stopped complaining and reached down to Wufei restraint. She pulled on it a few times as an experiment. “It’s too rusted.” Mineko then tried pulling on it harder. Her hands where bleeding after a while. And her face showed pain. Mineko pulled away and fell back, blood running down her hands. Mineko stood up and looked around for something to pry the thing off.

Mineko wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as a thought crossed her mind. It became very important suddenly to be worried. Very worried. “That was just too easy.”

“Mineko!”

“Indeed it was.” Mineko turned just in time to face the man. But she was slow. Too slow. Mineko’s whole world stood still as she was shot in the lower right stomach area. Pain welled inside her stomach. Mineko coughed blood, and suddenly her knees became to week to hold her weight.

In the next second, Wufei was behind her and had caught her before she hit the ground. “Onna?” Wufei looked down at Mineko.

“I’m surprised…you call me by my name?” Mineko coughed out more blood.

“You.” Wufei looked up at the man.

“I wouldn’t have had to shoot her, had she listened to me. It was only a minor obstacle in out way.”

“Our way?” Mineko asked.

“Shh.” Wufei growled. He put a hand on her sweated streaked forehead. Her bangs stuck her to head, and more beads of sweat dripped down her face.

“Yes. Our. Me and my brothers path. His dream. His dream to rule the world. We just had do to get rid of you Gundam Pilots first. Since you didn’t cooperate.”

“I don’t get it.” Mineko tried with all her mite to sit up, but she couldn’t.

“You see. You guys where sent to Earth to get rid of Treize. He was ‘trying to take over the Colony’s and Earth’, right?”

“Yes.” Wufei said. Mineko barely nodded.

“Well, if we tried the same, you would try to get rid of use? Right?”

“Aa.” Heero said walking in the room, the others fallowing.

“Well then, we had to kidnap one of you, in order to get you all here, so we could talk to you. But by the time you got here, my brother already decided to kill you all off and not let you work with us. Seeing as how he thought you wouldn’t anyway.”

“Why did you kidnap Wufei, though?”

“What where we going to do. Go on TV and say “Hey, we want to talk to the Gundam Pilots about helping us take over the Earth Sphere Unified Nation.” I don’t think so. That’s just outright stupid.”

“Just like you.” Mineko coughed more.

“SHH!” Wufei commanded her. Mineko didn’t listen.

“Yes, well, you think what you like. You won’t live long enough to back up your words anyway.”

“I won’t?” Mineko practically shouted. She winced in pain. She held her stomach. Her throat was raw and her voice was horse. She had done too much screaming earlier.

“No, you won’t.” Mineko sat up, but only a little. And with Wufei’s help. “How can you be getting up after being shot?”

“I’m…not going to give up. That’s why.” Mineko got up and just barely stood. The man was too shocked. He shot at Mineko. He luckily only shot her in the left shoulder. “AAH!” Mineko fell back. Wufei stood on his knees and caught her again; he then set her down again.

“Baka onna!” Wufei shouted.

“Kisama!” Mineko shouted back, laughing slightly. Duo went to take a step forward and give the man a piece of his mind; a very large piece but Sally stopped him. “This is between Wufei and him.” Duo got the hint, as did the others. That was the only thing keeping them all from jumping on this guy and beating the living shit out of him.

“Mineko?”

“I’ll be fine. But, let me tell you…” Mineko paused for a second. She swallowed and winced a the pain in her throat.

“Aw. Why do I have the feeling a warm, touching moment is coming up?” Everyone ignored the man. “I’m gonna be sick.”

“Ones love for another, is greater than that of even life itself.” Quatre was caught off guard. After all, she was the one that said, “There isn’t anything more precious than life itself in this universe. Sandrock made that clear to me.” Mineko head fell to the side. Wufei’s head immediately snapped up and his eyes narrowed. The man was scared now. The look on Wufei’s face. It was Anger itself. It was Hatred. And Death. The man’s Death. Even Duo could see it, but he wasn’t going to interfere.

Wufei stood and picked up one of his chains. The adrenaline rush inside him was rushing like a wild river. Wufei hurled the chain at the man with his entire mite. The man tried to run, but was in the side of the head. He died before he hit the ground.

“No!” they all heard a shout. They looked around to try and find the source of the power. Wufei fell to the ground, unable to stand up any longer. A man came out from behind a wall. He didn’t look too happy and he had a really, really, big gun. It was aimed strait at Wufei. “You killed my brother. You…you’re gonna die.”

“It was only a obstacle in our path to putting you behind bars.” Duo said stepping forward. No one had any objections. In fact, the others stepped forward. “I also think you are mistaken. ‘You’ will die. For I am… Shinigami. I am…The God of Death. You have destroyed our friends. You will not live in freedom. I will not kill you here. Nor will the others. But you will rot in prison, and forever be tormented by the souls of those you have killed today, and tortured by your cellmates. Duo smirked. The man looked at him confused.

“I haven’t killed anyone.”

“Yes you have. You had your brother send out your men. You sentenced them to their Death’s by making them fight us. We killed them. We killed them all.” Duo was having a fun time torturing his conscious. The man was nearly in tears.

“I did not…kill anyone.” The man’s voice caught in his throat. “I..no! You, killed my brother! It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We where supposed to kill you! He was supposed to dispose of you! All of you! No!” A tear streaked down the man’s cheek. He shot at Duo, but missed. He emptied his gun out on trying to hit them. But only succeeded in hitting Quatre ankle as he dogged behind a wall. He dropped his gun and took off in the other direction. Duo took off after him. As did Heero and Quatre. Trowa wasn’t too far behind.

“You!” Sally called to the men that had joined them not to long ago. They where some of the odd workers at the Preventers HQ. Some volunteer workers. And some were old members of OZ who had worked for His Excellency Treize. “Get her to a doctor! Now! There mite still be a chance for her!” She turned to Wufei. “Will you be ok?” But he did not answer. He was already on his way to fallowing his friends.

“Yes ma’am!” They immediately picked Mineko up carefully. Blood dripped from her wounds. And her clothes had long since soaked up the cold liquid. Her outfit was a hopeless mess of cold, sticky, drying blood.

“He shouldn’t be armed. So we have a little bit of an upper hand. But we don’t know him. We don’t know if he has other tricks up his sleeve. It was different with his brother. He was a silly fool.” Duo said as they all ran down hallways and turned corners sharply. Quatre on the other hand, was stuck way behind them trying to catch up with them.

They all stopped at a big room. It was smaller than the room they had entered the hologram, but it was still rather big. The man stood in front of a control console. Heero examined it. It seemed to be the control of the hologram machine his brother had projected.

“What are you doing?” Quatre asked as he finally joined them. He only found them because someone had left a nice trail of blood for him to find. It actually made him sick. He only had a trail of blood to find his friends, and the blood just happened to belong to one of his friends his friends. And there was a nice amount.

“We’re trying to figure that out ourselves.” Duo said.

“Why didn’t you guys listen to my brother? Two of your friends wouldn’t be dead.”

“Mineko’s not dead, neither is Wufei” Sally said as she took a step forwards. “And you won’t be either if you just cooperate with us.” Wufei stepped forward. He had just gotten here, him to fallowing the trail of blood.

“Wufei!” Quatre shouted.

“We have other things to worry about.” Trowa said quietly.

“Stop this right now. This serves no purpose. What you’re trying to do, it’s foolish.” Heero said coldly.

“Yes! I will rule the world. I will own the Colony’s and the Earth. I will own the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. It will be under my power. And you will have to say hello to my brother for me.” The man smiled. He picked up a gun off the console. He aimed it at Heero, and then moved to Quatre, then Wufei, Sally, and Trowa. “Which one of you should I kill first?” By this time they all had their guns out.

“You won’t succeed.” Wufei said. “I went to Earth to get rid of its Evils. I failed. Now I am here, and I will get rid of the evils here. I will not loose. I will not fail.”

“I will succeed. You will die. You killed my brother, and then accused me of killing my own men. I didn’t kill anyone yet. But I will. I will kill you. Then I will kill myself. You know why? Because my brother was the last of the family I once had.” The man got his gun ready; he aimed it strait at Wufei’s head. He was the one who killed his brother, so he decided that was a good enough reason to kill him first.

“You won’t kill anyone.” They heard a voice from behind them.

“ONNA!” Wufei shouted.

“What the hell are you doing here? I told them to take you too the hospital!” Sally screeched.

“They tried. But they had to take a little nap first.” Mineko said smirking.

“Then I’m’ going to kill you next.” The man said, he was getting tired of all these people showing up.

Mineko was leaning against a wall, her eyes just barely open. He hand was under her shirt, holding her stomach. Her other hand was on the wall, trying to steady herself.

“What are you going to do to be anyway?” the man asked. He started to laugh.

“Mineko, go back, now. We can handle this. He’s right…”

“You don’t have any weapons.” Trowa finished Heero’s sentence.

“Onna, go now. You’re to weak to fight right now.”

“C’mon, Mine-chan.” Quatre said. “I’ll take you back.” Quatre held his arms out a little as he walked toward Mineko. Mineko pushed the wall and rammed into Quatre slightly, off balance.

“I’m not going.”

“But Mineko!” Duo protested. You’re the most injured here. You’re completely helpless. Please. This is suicide.’

“Oh is it?” Mineko asked as she steadied herself by bending over and resting a hand on her knee.

“You don’t have any weapons, yes it is.” Quatre said.

“You should listen to your little friends. Unless you want to see them all die here. I ‘will’ kill them.”

“Omea o korosu.” Mineko said coldly as she stood up strait, still holding her stomach. She was getting very tired from the loss of blood. Any normal person would have died. But she wasn’t a person. She wasn’t human. No one could tell unless they knew her life story, the first time you’d see her and talk to her, say on the street, you’re first guess is that she has a family and she’s just going out to meet her friends at the mall. But no. Once you get to know her, you find out, she has no family, and she isn’t even human.

Mineko pulled her hand out of hr shirt to reveal the man gun.

“My gun!” He shouted. He then smiled. “But it has no ammo.”

“Yes it does. One little bullet. That bullet will end it here and now. This is for trying to kill me.” Mineko raised the gun ever so slightly. “This is for kidnapping Wufei.” She raised it even more, but slowly. “This is for trying to take over the world.” Even more. “This is for trying to kill my friends.” Mineko raised it the rest of the way, and aimed it at the man’s head. “And this…this is just because I don’t like you.” Mineko fired before the man even got a chance. Right in between the eyes. He was dead within seconds.

“You did it!” Duo shouted. Mineko held her shaking hand out. She dropped the gun. She then fell to her knees. Then on her face.

“My mission…” Mineko breathed in slowly. “Is completed.” Mineko closed he eyes, hoping she could finally rest in peace. And something about it was oddly reassuring. But then a thought ran across her mind, She needed to tell Wufei.

The others were already around her helping her up. Quatre held Mineko’s head in his lap.

Paramedics entered the room with boxes and stretchers.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Sally said greeting them.

“Wufei. What I…said earlier.” Mineko swallowed, her throat hurt a little as she did. “Ones love…for another…” Mineko breathed in and out in between words. “Is greater…than life…itself.” Mineko coughed up blood. The men tried to put her on a stretcher, but she wouldn’t let them put take her to the truck until she finished wait she had to say. “What I mean…is that,” Mineko paused trying to find the right words. “Is that I love you guys.” She blurted out. “You’re the…best friends…I’ve ever had. I love you all. And…Wufei.” Mineko paused and looked Wufei in the eyes. He was nearly in tears. “I risked my life you, and them. Because…I love you. Wufei…I love you.” Wufei’s eyes widened, and Mineko’s head fell to the side. There was a tiny smile planted on her face. “Ai shiteru.”

They all ran down the small halls and got to the Ambulances. They put the air mask on her and tried to keep her breathing. They sped as fast as they could without running over other cars. The hospital wasn’t even a mile away, that’s why they got there so fast.