( A/N - Yep, I haven't fell of the face of the earth and died, even though my story has now formed a greenish-black mold on it. Sorry for taking so long, I realized I should crawl out of the dark cave I have seemed to coop myself up in (This chapter will be in different point of views by the way). I was reading through my previous chapters and realized that some of the ideas did not connect. Mainly, because I am basically making this up as I go, and I tend to ignore some of the things I have said which I don't like. Anyway, on to the story! )

The Screen Behind the Mirror - In the Shadow, In the Light

Thoughts (without quotes)

"Talking"

Hotaru

I can remember laying in the stillness of the night…but maybe that was a dream. I remember Ami always saying, I'll always be there for you… but maybe I dreamt that too. All I know for sure is that all I have is myself and no one else, not even Ami can change that. From this point on, I cannot think in the past or the present there is only the future, if there will be one.

I tried to stand up but I couldn't. My legs had a lot of cuts and bruises on them. My black dress was tattered and torn, and blood slowly trickled all over my body.

When I tried to heal myself, nothing came… my powers must be taking a while to come back sinceI was just ressurected…I think.

"What am I going to do… my powers have took a vacation, and I feel so weak that I cannot even get up…how can I be reduced to this."

I casually crawled against a tree and tried to seek shelter from the only world that I will destroy.

Ami

The gundam pilots split up at the park. Trowa, Quatre and Wufei stayed behind to search for Hotaru. Duo and Heero took me to my apartment and sat at my small table talking about who knows what. I found myself looking at the television lost in thought. Everything that has happened so far seems so much like a dream. Who would of thought that both of us knew everything about each other from the start?

Gosh Hotaru, what can be keeping you… I just hope you are all right, it is already midnight, and we haven't heard a word from you or the other gundam pilots.

In the pit of my stomach, there was a huge wad of guilt for leaving Hotaru behind. I kept on running through my mind ways I could of avoided this mess and saved Hotaru.

They would of shot me with a tranquilizer gun the minute they saw me chanting one of my spells. That would of done me no good, but I can't just sit here like a bump on a log!

I shifted a little to loudly and immediately felt the tranquilizer gun on my back.

"Geez, think I'm going to run off."

"Knowing you, yeah," Duo said with his stupid smirk.

Yep, that's why I'm still here… this is not the best time to be hit in the butt with a sedative.

Hotaru

I woke up from my light sleep when I heard footsteps in the distance. I saw a figure getting closer and closer. It turned out to be Wufei. He looked at me and suddenly lost his composure. He stood there like a deer caught in the headlights with his mouth open from shock…and maybe worry?

"Oh my gosh… Hotaru, what the hell happened to you!"

"Be careful Wufei, you sound a little too worried there."

He regained his composure in his own way, and came closer to me…closer than I wanted.

"Hmph, I'm serious… Quatre, Trowa and I have been looking for you all day. Now, when I find you, you're all battered up and your dress is even torn…I demand to know what happened!!"

"Hmph, don't try now to act like you care, because I know you don't. Anyway, I am still alive, but more importantly, where's Ami?"

Wufei was silent for a while and looked at the ground, a dark shadow prevented me from seeing his eyes. It seemed as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself. He looked up a little, and I saw his eyes… it looked like he was annoyed. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a thin strip of paper. I took the paper (slightly hesitantly) and read it. Wufei spoke again, after it seemed like a long silence.

"That's are mission in a nutshell, Duo and Heero are watching over Ami at her apartment."

It all makes sense… all along they've known...

Ami…is this really the end…?

Ami

"What are you going to do to Hotaru andme when this mission is over?" I was tired of the silence and thinking which got me nowhere with trying to figure out how to help Hotaru.

"Don't know," Heero stated bluntly as Duo walked over to the counter and rested his elbow on it.

"You see, right now we know just about as much as you do," Duo stated with his famous grin.

"I don't know anything," I stated without thinking, then suddenly realized what they were trying to say. Duo read my mind and for the first time smiled gently at me.

"Then why do you even try to go through with this if you don't even know what you are protecting me from."

"Hehe, kinda futile isn't it?" Duo said with his normal smirk.

"It's all just a mess, and we're supposed to be the ones to figure it out… that's where you and Hotaru come in" Heero again stated bluntly.

"Maybe now you can shed a little light on us about Hotaru's power," Duo stated walking a little bit closer to me.

"It's all about Hotaru… Are you implying that you all are protecting me from the only person I trust in this whole damn world!" I don't know why I got angry…maybe deep inside me there was a voice that said they were right… I just don't want to admit it.

"Maybe those are the ones you have to watch out for," Heero stated a little quietly.

Finally, when the puzzle seems to come together, I feel that I have no idea what to make of it. It doesn't matter…I trust Hotaru with my life… she will never do anything to hurt me…right?

Hotaru

"Now that's cleared up, tell me-"

"Wait, who gave you this mission, was it Jerry?"

"Dr. J…how did you know!?"

I see… the teacher said that he had no intention of turning Ami and I into any of the organizations, but the pilots always did missions for him in the past. Why didn't we piece this together. Even though the organizations wanted him to turn us in, he wouldn't. He had his own personal objective on what to do with us…how could I be so blin-

"Hotaru!" A voice broke my thought when I saw Quatre and Trowa jogging over to me. I looked down at myself and finally realized that I looked really bad…How am I going to get myself out of this one.

"Wufei what happened here?" Trowa stated with a hint of concern when he reached me.

"Don't ask me, she refused to tell me…" Wufei stated as he looked to the side as if something caught his attention.

Quatre bent down and looked at all my cuts and bruises, then at my eyes. His eyes looked worried... like the rest, except for the fact that he didn't even bother trying to hide it.

"This is bad…I promised Ami I would not let anything happen to you and now look…" Quatre looked at Wufei and Trowa to see if he knew anything and both just shrugged their arms. Quatre looked at me straight in the eyes with a stare filled with pity. He spoke again in a very gentle tone as if trying not to startle me, almost like I was a Gazelle fixing to run off at the slightest sound.

"So what did happen…Firefly…?"

Ami

As I turned my head to the TV, of course not watching it, mind kept on tracking back to what Duo and Heero said.

What reason would Hotaru have for betraying me…it just doesn't make any sense.

Ami, are you just going to stare at the TV, or tell us Hotaru's power." Duo said as he walked straight over to the couch and sat really close to me.

"Tell you what?" I asked forgetting the previous conversation.

"Hotaru, everything or at least what you know about her," Heero stated in a tired voice.

"Can we forget about that for a second and go to the park, or at least call Trowa or someone and ask if they have found Hotaru; they have been there all day!" I know I sounded angry, but at this moment, I didn't care… I just wanted to see if Hotaru was all right.

I looked at both of them and knew they agreed with me. Heero walked over to the phone and dialed a number (silence). He put down the phone and did the same thing two more times…(more silence). He put the phone down for good and shook his head.

Never had I felt so worried about someone…never.

Hotaru

Trowa, Wufei and Quatre looked at me intently waiting for me to say something. For the strangest reason, I trembled again, and looked down as if I just wanted to go away forever…all three of them picked up on the message and Trowa spoke.

"Let's just go, I'm sure Ami has worried enough about you," Trowa said again in a slightly worried, but mostly tired voice. The rest nodded their heads.

"Can you walk…?" Quatre said again gently, yet with a worried and curious voice.

I looked down at the grass…I did not want any of them to know that I was weaker than a newborn kitten at the time. It's just so unlike the cold-hearted, world-hating Hotaru.

I sighed again, and suddenly felt a pair of hands (gently as they could) scoop me up like I weighed an ounce. I looked up nonetheless to see none other than Wufei.

The rest looked at him with wide eyes, as if they had never seen this type of contact from him before.

Again he looked away and said "Lets just go, this isn't the best place or time to have a conversation."

Quatre looked at his friend curiously, then smiled and said almost quietly "You do care…don't you…?"

Wufei just sighed and kept on walking like he never heard Quatre's comment, even though I knew he did.

I, for the first time, listened to hear a retaliation, but surprisingly, I heard silence. Trowa just kept on walking, but I detected a slight smirk forming on his mouth. I suddenly felt a little worried and finally spoke again, seeing as my cold-hearted reputation was going down the drain.

"W-wait, don't I have some kind of say so on this matter… I barely know what happened?" I said squirming slightly in Wufei's arms.

"You want to see Ami... right?" Trowa said as he glanced at me from the corner of his eyes with a smirk that was not like him at all.

"Don't worry, when you get back we'll bandage you up so you and Wufei don't have to get used to this," Quatre said for the first time with another gentle smile on his face.

"Then maybe we could see who did this to you…it might finally give us a clue so we can finish up this mission," Wufei stated and looked down at me then looked back up… I looked at him, Trowa, then Quatre. I felt Wufei hold on to me again a little tighter…never had I felt so awkward…so...small...

For the first time since I met these guys, I suddenly came upon a realization…

These guys, except Quatre ( the onlyperson in the group who does not fear to admit his feelings), are maybe a step above jackasses…

Just a step…

(A/N: yeah, I know I probably overplayed the romance part in this chapter, but as I read it without it, it sounded…blah. (yeah…I know they were probably out of character…but oh well) I think it made the chapter more interesting, but still, I will not put couples in this story…romance maybe…but no couples. Hoped you liked it, and also hope it doesn't take another century to get the next chapter out.)

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