Quatre opened his eyes to find Duo leaning over him, staring at him. He did what just about anyone in the same position would do. He let out a long, loud yell.
"Duo! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded afterwards, taking deep breaths.
"Hero told me to wake you up," Duo replied lazily, straightening up, "he didn't say why, though. Sounded kinda worried, if you ask me. Well, worried for Heero, anyway."
Giving him a searching look, Quatre brushed a few bangs out of his face. He yawned then diligently got to his feet. He was wearing a pair of fuzzy pajamas with little kitties on them. Duo snickered to himself, then went to go ask Heero what was so urgent.
Heero was standing in the kitchen, next to the table. His brown hair was sticking up at odd angles because he hadn't gelled it yet.
"So…" Duo mused, "where's the fire?"
"Its-" Heero started, but Duo interrupted him.
"No! Let me guess! CJ set fire to something again!" he exclaimed excitedly, then collapsed into laughter at the thought of the stupid joke.
"A s I was saying," Heero continued, as if Duo was not rolling around on the floor, "I have bad news about-"
Quatre entered, followed closely by CJ, Wufei, and Trowa. His eyes were wide.
"What's happened? What's going on? Where's Amber? She wasn't in her room?" he pleaded.
Heero frowned, "AS I WAS SAYING!" he yelled, and then in a calm voice said, "Amber is missing. I found a bloody knife in the bathroom. Does anyone think there's a possible connection?"
Quatre's face paled and he gasped.
CJ's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure she's gone? That's not like Amber."
Heero sighed and whispered, "I'm positive. She wasn't in her bed and the front door was open. I couldn't tell how badly she was hurt, though, because its raining, and that probably washed away any blood."
"So she's gone?" Quatre cried, "She just left us all? What should we do?"
"I might be able to track her…" CJ said softly, "We're connected by a special bond…that of sisters. Twin sisters."
"Then find her now!" Quatre begged, "she could be dying!"
"She's not responding to my telepathy…" said CJ after a few moments of silence.
"Then try harder!" Quatre pressed, anxiously.
"I can't seem to sense her thoughts, okay?! Just give me a minute!" CJ screamed at him, eyes flaring dangerously, "You're not the only one worried, Quatre, so just SHUT UP!"
Heero stared at her, shocked. It was not at all like CJ to lose control. Something had to be seriously wrong.
"Ceej…it'll be okay…" he said reassuringly, "we'll find her…I know how you-"
"I don't need your empathy, Heero, because you have no idea how I feel," she interjected coldly, "its not like she's actually dying. I would know. She probably ran away, or some other stupid thing."
"How can you talk about her like that?" Quatre persisted, "she's your sister. You're supposed to care about her. You're supposed to protect her."
With a final glare at the five pilots, CJ walked to the door.
"I'm leaving. I'm going to find my sister," she said callously, "don't you dare follow me. And that means you, too, Quatre."
She glared at them from the doorway, for a moment, then ran out into the storm and was gone. A small whimper escaped Quatre's throat.
"I think we should get the Gundams and follow her," he said solemnly.
Heero nodded and said, "You're right, Quatre. They might need help. Trouble always seems to find CJ. Besides, she said not to go, so obviously she's going to need our help."
"Can the rest of you hold down the fort 'til we return?" Quatre asked cautiously.
Trowa bobbed his head energetically and saluted him, "Aye, aye, 'Master Quatre'," he grinned.
Wufei shrugged and turned away, calling over his shoulder, "I'll stay by the phone in case they call, or you call for back up."
"I wanna come, too," Duo challenged Heero.
"We don't have time for this, Duo. Stay here," Heero said threateningly.
Duo shook his head defiantly, while his long braid thrashed back and forth, "I wanna go, too, Heero."
"No," said Heero, a little more sternly.
"CJ and Amber are my friends, too!" Duo exclaimed, "and CJ was right! You're not the only one who's worried!"
He folded his arms decidedly and began to pout.
"Heero…" Quatre said impatiently, "You know he'll just follow us if we leave him, Amber could be in trouble, please say yes and lets go."
His voice held a hint of a whine, and Heero could tell he was eager to be on their way.
Grudgingly, he gave a slight nod and said, "Fine, do whatever. Just don't slow us down."
A minute later, the three were out in the hangar, preparing to get in their Gundams.
"What, exactly, are we looking for?" Heero questioned Quatre, since he had suggested the idea.
"Something unusual. Anything unusual," he replied thoughtlessly.
Duo sent Heero a quick look that said, "he's nuts," but Heero ignored it. He, instead, hopped into the cockpit of Wing Zero and gripped the controls. Quatre did the same. Duo followed their example skeptically, loudly recalling many of Quatre's previous ideas that had led them to get him a psychiatrist. When they were all settled and ready to go, they took off.
In the parking lot of an abandoned church, CJ found what she was looking for. Muddy footprints could be seen on the ground in places that were sheltered from the rain by the church roof, and there were bloody handprints on the glass doors.
"Amber, what are you feeling?" CJ said aloud, "where did you go to escape?"
She closed her eyes, feeling wet the asphalt beneath her bare feet, and knelt down. By now, her boxers and tank top were completely soaked through. She grinned as the rain on the ground around her began to evaporate, leaving small clouds of steam behind. When the pavement was dry, to the point where any rain that landed three feet around her evaporated, she spoke in a soft voice.
"Gaia…Mother Earth…tell me what has become of the water child…tell me where she has been sent…"
At each pause, the echo of her whispered words became a loud cry. The blacktop glowed bright green in the circle around her, and a hole appeared beneath her.
CJ lifted a hand to the sky and said, "Take me too."
In a wisp of fiery smoke, she was gone. The only remains of her presence was a small circle of glowing ashes, in the place where she had been only moments before. The ground was still so hot that the rain evaporated when it fell within the boundaries of the ash circle. This was all Heero, Quatre, and Duo needed to know that CJ had been there.