* * Mihoshi's thoughts

Chapter iii

Kiyone could not find Mihoshi in the vast ship.  In fact, whenever she ran through a hallway, the hallway seemed to stretch, never giving entrance to any of the rooms.  Frankly, Kiyone was getting tired.  Suddenly, she heard hoarse laughter and screams.  She ran toward it, toward some light, but she could not reach it because of those damn hallways.  But suddenly, she ran through the flash of light, entered the room, and…

…then everything turned black.

Kiyone woke up with a start.  She was sweating, everything was so hot.  She flung the blankets off and headed toward the kitchen clock. [3:25 AM] it told her.  She took a glass, poured cool water in it, and drank gratefully.  When she finished, she returned to the couch and sat down.  She sighed, then put her head on the pillow, but drew back when she noticed it was slightly damp.  Everyone must be asleep she thought.  I've never woken up in cold sweats before, so why did that happen just now?  Is it because Mihoshi is gone?  But I never felt that way before.  Every time I thought of her gone or as someone else's partner, I've always been happy or at least hopeful.  But now that she's actually gone, I'm waking up in cold sweats and thinking about her every second.  Have I been selfish all this time? She flipped over the pillow and laid her head down.  She brought her feet up and drew herself into the blankets again. I hope Washu can help me find her…

~*~

Kiyone woke up again to someone shaking.  At first she thought it was a dream and it was Mihoshi calling her name, but the voice got clearer and clearer as she woke up.  Sure enough, Sasami was standing by the couch and shaking her fitfully.

"Wha…?" Kiyone said groggily.

"Hurry! Washu's found something!"

Kiyone forgot her grogginess and flung the covers off again.  She raced to Washu's lab and ran in, once again startling the genius.

"You've found something?!" she gasped.

"Yeah…you're actually very lucky…" Washu started to explain.

"Please, just tell me already!"

"Ok, ok…you're very lucky because Yagami was able to pick up one small, and I mean small signal coming from that ship that was in the exact range of its radar.  If the ship was any further, it wouldn't have detected it.  It seems to be a faint radio signal…possibly to a leader or something.  Like I said, you're very, very lucky." Washu answered finally.

"So can you use the computer to find what kind of ship it was?" Kiyone asked almost excitably.

Washu frowned slightly, but continued. "It would take at most a day, but you're right about that.  The rest of it depends on how good the records are at Galaxy Headquarters."

Kiyone nodded her thanks. "Thanks so much Washu.  I couldn't have done it without you!" As Kiyone walked out, Washu frowned and thought about how weird it was that Kiyone seemed just like Mihoshi right then.

~*~

Mihoshi felt blindfolds being forced onto her.  Her arms and hands were painfully bound behind her back.  A gag was forced into her mouth when she gasped for air.  Ankles were bound together so tightly that Mihoshi could almost feel the ropes biting into her skin.

"This one's a beauty, boss!" Harsh laughter followed.

"It certainly is…" drawled one single, deep voice.

Mihoshi felt as if she was being put on trial, but she couldn't see the jury or the judge.  The feeling was actually more of an executioner and an audience *ewww…bad thought*.  Surprisingly, Mihoshi felt self-controlled.  She only allowed herself to be like this when no one was watching.  True, she was sometimes a ditz, but she actually was an accomplished first-class detective.  Just like the blindfold put on her now, she allowed everyone to see one side of her, but the other side was carefully hidden away. *Kiyone…I need you…*

End Chapter iii