Disclaimer: I do not own S-Cry-ed. That is all I have to say.

Kaoru4: Thanks for reading my story.

Parallel-Blue13115: You'll find out how Mimori's parents died in this chapter. Sorry I let them die in the story. I feel bad for Mimori too T.T

Sirith: Lolz, thanks for supporting my story.

Payne no Akuma: You'll find out in the next few chapters what happen to Mimori and Kanami. Thanks for supporting my story.

sippio: Thanks for reading my story. I hope you like it.

Aleera the Lioness: Thanks for supporting my story. I'll update a.s.a.p. when I have time.

Author's note: Ah… the power of fan fiction… lolz. You can make anything possible in the fan fiction… Okay, now continue with the story. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

The Lonely Hearts

Chapter 3

Why They Are Alone

Mimori and Asuka got off the airplane at the airport of mainland. She immediately rushed back to her mansion. She hadn't been back for years. In the letter she received this morning, she was informed that her parents died in a car accident on the way to visit her. Her parents had hired investigators and found out where she was living. The car accident was three days ago. She was told that the funeral would be today in the afternoon.

As Mimori walked into the garden of the mansion, old memories almost overwhelm her. She remembered playing with her father on the green grass near the water fountain. Her mother would be sitting at a chair under the big tree in front of the mansion. The mansion was four floors high. It was very luxurious because her parents were extremely rich.

"Mimori… You all right?" Asuka asked. She didn't follow them into the mansion because she seemed to be lost in thought. "We have to go in now." He came back out and pulled her arm so that she would follow him.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I was thinking about something." Mimori apologized.

"Miss! You finally came back!" An old lady ran toward Mimori when she saw her. She was wearing a uniform of maid. This old woman used to be the babysitter of Mimori when she was young. When she reached Mimori, she held Mimori's hand tightly. Tears wetted her wrinkled face.

"Aunty!" Mimori had always called her aunty, as a way of respecting her. She dropped her luggage and hugged the old woman back. 'It is so good to be with people who love me' Mimori thought. She had been too lonely for too long.

"Miss Mimori, I'll help you change. The funeral is in half an hour… we must be prepare…" Her voice drifted off at the thought of her kind masters (Mimori's parents).

"Right…" Mimori was about to follow her upstairs, when she realized Asuka was still standing behind her. "Oh, and this is my friend, Asuka Tachibana." She introduced Asuka to the old maid.

"Oh hello. Let me show you the guest room. Come with me please." The old maid said to Asuka very politely, with a smile.

"Oh thank you." Asuka smile back. He followed the old maid upstairs. Mimori went back to her room. She tried not to think about anything, so that the sorrow she felt would go away. She quickly changed into a black long dress, and then went back to the living room.

After five minutes, Asuka came down too. He was also changed into black clothing, because he decided to watch over Mimori, even at the funeral, so that she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Miss Mimori. The funeral would be at the back of the garden. That's where the masters will be buried." The old maid told Mimori.

"Yes… let's go…" Mimori said, with her eyes lowered in order to hide her watery eyes.

'I'm a bad daughter…' She kept on repeating the same sentence ever since she received the news of her parents' death in the morning…

Ryuho was sitting on his bed. He had green hair and crimson eyes. His green bangs hanging over his eyes. He was in a small wooden house, with four walls, one single bed, one wooden table, and two chairs, although he only needed one, since he lived alone.

Ryuho lowered his head, his eyes staring at the floor. He had been living here for about one year now. This small wooden house was built by himself, after he defeated the troops from the mainland with Kazuma and helped the Lost Ground gain its independence. Although they won, he still felt very empty in himself.

'Mimori…' Ryuho thought of the girl he loved dearly. However, he couldn't go back to her. He still remembered waking up and found only the shirt of Scheris left on the floor. Scheris Adjani had sacrificed her life just to save his life. He always knew that Scheris loved him, but he just couldn't return the same feelings for her, because of Mimori. He felt extremely guilty and sorry for Scheris to die for him. Therefore, he couldn't go back to Mimori. That was the least he could do for Scheris, besides crying for her, which he already did.

Ryuho still remembered the last time he went to see Mimori. She ran towards him and hugged him from his back. However, he rejected her. He could imagine how sad Mimori's eyes must be like when he told her that Scheris sacrificed her life to save his life.

'How are you Mimori? Where are you now?' Ryuho thought. He told her to go back to the mainland to her parents, but he wasn't sure what her decision was. 'Maybe you're happy back at the mainland, with your family…'

Knock! Knock! Ryuho's thought was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

'Who could it be? No one visits me for the past year…' Ryuho thought as he stood up and went toward the wooden door…

Kanami was standing on top of a cliff. There was a small wooden house in front of her. According to her Alter, Ryuho should be living in that small wooden house. It took her a while to get all the way up to the top of the cliff. She turned around and looked at the setting sun. It was dusk already. The sun was setting down at the horizon. The sky was now orange and red. 'It's such a pretty view, no wonder he chose to live her…' she thought.

'Kanami! It's no time to enjoy the view! Mimori was terribly upset!' She scolded herself mentally. Then, she walked up to the wooden door and knocked on it.

After a few minutes, the door opened. The tall and slender man was standing in the door. He had green hair and a pair of crimson eyes. His eyes flashed with shock, but only for one second, then it returned to a calm look.

"Kanami. I'm not surprise you can find me, with your Alter that is. You've grown up, I see." Ryuho said, with a soft smile. He loved Kanami like his own little sister. "So what brought you here?"

"Ryuho! You have to come with me!" Kanami exclaimed. She pulled on Ryuho's right arm, trying to drag him with her.

"Why? What happened?" Ryuho asked, confused. Then, his eyes widened at the thought of the 'her'. "Is… is Mimori…" He asked with a sign of fear. He was afraid that Kanami came to tell him that something bad happened to Mimori.

"Yes! Mimori is emotionally unstable! I'll explain everything on the way. Let's go!" Kanami pulled Ryuho again.

"Yes, of course!" Part of the cliff suddenly disappeared as Ryuho called out the third form of his Alter, Zetsuei. His body was now covered with purple armor. He held onto Kanami's waist and jumped high into the air. He was able to travel much faster with his Alter. "So, tell me what happened!"

"It all began this morning. Mimori got a letter from mainland saying that…" Kanami's voice drifted off as they traveled really fast toward the small village she lived.

When Ryuho got back to Tachibana's house, he immediately rushed into the room. But the house was dark. No one was home. Kanami rushed in behind Ryuho.

"Where's Mimori?" Ryuho asked. He searched in the house, but no one was home.

"I don't know. Asuka! Are you home?" Kanami called out. But no one answered. She frowned. "Why isn't Asuka here? Didn't I told him to watch over Mimori?" Kanami turned on the light. "That's right. Cammy went to the neighbor's house tonight to help out at a dinner party."

"No one's home." Ryuho announced after searching in the whole house. He frowned and anger began to build up in his heart. He was frustrated that he couldn't find Mimori when she had some troubles. He suddenly pounded on the wall with a very hard hit. Bang! Kanami jumped at the sudden loud noise.

"Ah! Look at that!" Kanami rushed to the table next to her bed. There was a note on the table. "It's a note! From Mimori!" She quickly glanced at it, but before she could finish reading it, Ryuho snapped the paper out of her hand. His red eyes quickly scanned through the letter.

Kanami,

Did you remember that the letter I received today stated that there will be a funeral for

my parents at my mansion? Well… I've been feeling much better now… So, I decided to attend the funeral. I don't know if I'm going to come back anytime soon… There's not much in the Lost Ground that could pull me back anymore… Besides, I needed some time alone. Asuka Tachibana agreed to accompany me back to the mainland. Don't worry about me… Take care. And don't come looking for me. Hopefully Kazuma will go back to you soon…

Love,

Mimori

Ryuho was grabbing onto the paper very tightly, wrinkling the piece of paper. He didn't like what he read on the note. He was a bit jealous that Tachibana accompanied Mimori back to her mansion. He never had the opportunity to go back with her to her mansion. (But then again, he refused to be with Mimori in the first place.) He also had a bad feeling about Mimori's trip back to mainland. The crime rate had increased tremendously over the past six years. Mainland just wasn't the same save place that Mimori was used to anymore. Ryuho wrinkled the note into a ball and threw it back to the table.

"Should we go find Mimori?" Kanami asked, with her emerald eyes looking eagerly at Ryuho.

"… I don't know where her mansion is located…" Ryuho lowered his head. He was angry at himself that he didn't even ask her before where she lived on the mainland.

"What?!? You must be kidding!" Kanami looked disbelief at Ryuho. "You knew her since your childhood!"

"… I never ask her about it…" he looked really upset.

"…Um… I'll try to sense her thoughts then… Maybe then I could find out where she is…" Kanami said, closing her eyes and concentrating. But nothing. She couldn't sense anything at all with her Alter. Kanami frowned. "Oh no! I couldn't sense anything! There's some signals blocking the use of Alter in the mainland… But why? I don't understand…"

"I see. The mainland must be afraid that the Lost Ground might use Alter users to attack or steal information from them…" Ryuho stopped for a few minutes. The silence became a bit unbearable, then he spoke again. "We should go to the mainland. Maybe if we ask the people there, they might know where the Kiryu family lives."

"Great! I'm coming too!" Kanami jumped up and ran towards Ryuho. Ryuho grabbed her waist and fly off towards the mainland. He was desperate to find Mimori. He must find her!

Near the headquarter of the government building on the mainland, a man with brown hair and a pair of brown eyes full of hatred was standing in the shadow. He was observing the activities of the government of mainland that used to give orders to HOLD and HOLY for about two months already.

'Those bastards! They will pay for what they did to my friends!' the man thought. He was Kazuma.

Kazuma had been wondering around in the Lost Ground for weeks after independence was gained for the Lost Ground. He seemed to have lost his purpose of living, because his friends died and he saved the people living in the Lost Ground. However, the memory of one little girl kept him alive. Although he missed Kanami very much, he didn't go back to see her. He knew that Kanami had grown up and must be a beautiful young woman now, but he just couldn't find the energy to go back to see her.

Then, one day the idea of avenging the deaths of his friends came to his mind. He felt that only defeating the mainland wasn't enough. The organization of the government that gave orders to kill or refine alter users was unforgivable. He heard news that those same heartless people who refined alter users were still trying to refine more people so that they could be the strongest nation in the world, and possibly gain control of the Lost Ground once more in the future. Therefore, he should go to the mainland and destroy those savages, and he did. He was standing on the mainland right now.

'Kanami… I promise that I will go back and find you after I avenge the death of Kimishima and Ayase.' Kazuma made a promise in his heart. He really did missed Kanami a lot. He wanted to eat her lunch box, no matter how awful it might taste. He wanted to see her warm smile. He missed the caring emerald eyes that always looked up at him with worry. 'I wonder how you are doing, Kanami…'

His thought was disrupted when he saw an official of the government came out of the building. The warmness on his face disappeared; it was replaced by a cold smirk. 'It will be your unlucky day…' He walked out of the shadow to follow the man, while the rocks around him disappeared to form his alter, Shell Bullet.

Author's note: Okay, this is it for chapter 3. I don't know if the title for chapter 3 is that good, because there isn't much about Ryuho and Kazuma's thoughts. There are more on Mimori and Kanami trying to her with Ryuho, but… oh well. The next chapter will be something that happen in mainland as the characters are mostly over there.