Chapter iii <*Does she actually care for me?*> Mihoshi whimpered inwardly. She sat on the cold ground of the cave with her knees also drawn up and shuddered. <*I care for you, Kiyone, so deeply and for so long. You yell at me, treat me like a child, but you're beautiful, and you would love me too, if you could just melt the coldness in your heart*>. A single tear down Mihoshi's left cheek, but she knew there would be more. She sniffed, and the sudden noise awoke the guard standing outside her "cell." He peeked into the dark enclosure, and made a nasty grin when he saw Mihoshi looking right at him. Mihoshi blinked another tear away and turned her head. "Don't worry, your time will soon..." Mihoshi could almost hear the grin in his voice, and decided not to think about what he might have meant. ~*~ Kiyone tried to land the smaller ship quietly, but it was hard work. When she finally landed it and got out, she looked around and saw nothing but rock. Wet, glistening rock. Kiyone tried to take in a deep breath. The oxygen level at SatFE12 was lower than Earth's, and she had to get used to it. But for now, her main concern was to find Mihoshi. If she was on this moon. Despite all her training, Kiyone had no idea where to start. She had only landed on this moon with the faintest inkling that Mihoshi could be here, she could barely breathe, and felt as if she was stuck in a museum showcasing Neanderthals and their way of life. . She barely managed to gasp, because a gust of cold air had just brushed past her. Kiyone actually stood there for a while, staring into space. She was thinking of her feelings toward Mihoshi when they were first assigned together, Mihoshi's carelessness and how they always managed to make up in the end. Finally, Kiyone thought about the helpless and sad expression Mihoshi got whenever she knew she messed up. Kiyone managed to laugh and smile when she thought of the nights at the karaoke bar. Or maybe it was just the lack of oxygen. She didn't realize her feelings until...until she tasted the first salty tear slide onto her lips. Instinctively, she reached up to brush away the wet trail on her cheek. With newfound determination, she set off to find Mihoshi. ~*~ The rusty door of the cell opened to reveal two hefty men grinning from ear to ear. Mihoshi managed to catch exactly eight minutes of sleep. She had been there for four days now, she had not eaten anything, had drunken only a little water, and was so weak that she could not stand. "Tsk, tsk...we tried to convince you to eat...now come on," one of the men said. Both of them dragged her from her crouching position. Mihoshi failed to see the point of struggling, she was too tired at any rate. They led her to a sparsely lit chamber. They forced a tape onto her mouth. The man whom Mihoshi supposed was the "leader" stood from a rock and came from out of the shadows. He held a knife that gleamed in the light. He slowly approached Mihoshi, as his henchmen stood back for him. When he stood in front of her, he gave her the once over, smiled, and snapped his fingers. At this signal, his henchmen viciously tore the top half of Mihoshi's GP uniform to pieces. Mihoshi saw at once what was in the man's dark eyes and struggled to keep the tears back. <*Kiyone....*> But she had already lost all hope. ~*~ Everything was shining, the walls, the ceiling, the ground... Kiyone bent to pick up Mihoshi's red hair band (see Chap. 4, I added it in). She continued to kneel there, trying to look for footprints in the soft mud and dirt. She squinted and bent down farther... Her eyes wandered ahead of her, following the footprints. Still kneeling, she allowed herself to move forward quietly. The footprints led her to a dark opening that she would have easily missed. Kiyone sighed in relief, clutching the red band close to her. Kiyone forced herself to brace against the wall, even though it was glistening from the moisture. She flinched as the wetness eventually soaked through her uniform and onto her skin. Kiyone refocused when she heard footsteps approach her. A small, muffled "armph..." sounded before she covered the mouth with her hand and cracked the neck of the sentry. Quickly she glanced around her to see if anyone else heard. No one came. She saw a faint light at the end of a turn and proceeded down. Kiyone gasped at the sight that met her eyes. A group of about five men surrounded Mihoshi. The sight almost brought tears to her eyes. It looked like a scene from a BDSM video, [the author would like to interject that she's not into that kind of stuff...anyway] chains hung from the ceiling and around Mihoshi's wrists. The men were standing around Mihoshi, and Mihoshi's mouth was taped shut. It was obvious what they were planning to do. Kiyone glanced around. Stalagmites had formed out of the ground and Kiyone quickly hid behind one, moving closer to Mihoshi. She continued this until she was a mere twelve feet from her. She breathed deeply and pulled out two guns, thankful that she had brought an extra. She was just about to get up and start shooting when she heard Mihoshi give a muffled scream and heard the tearing of clothes. Kiyone closed her eyes for a second, breathed deeply again and took a small peek. Once again, the scene almost drove her to tears. She blinked rapidly to dry her eyes. Kiyone's first two shots broke the chain, and killed one man. Her next two shots killed the leader and another man. The next two finished off the rest. Kiyone had to work quickly. She had no idea who else might have been in the caves, and Mihoshi looked cold and in desperate need of medical attention. Mihoshi could barely lift her head to acknowledge the presence of her partner. Kiyone barely thought as she scooped Mihoshi up. She had to throw her over one shoulder to keep one free in case someone came. But they made it through safely. Kiyone carried her to the ship, and headed toward Yagami. Once they were on board, Kiyone programmed Yagami to land back on Earth, where she hoped Washu could save Mihoshi. Kiyone had put Mihoshi in her bed and covered her in mounds of blankets, but she was still shivering. Kiyone closed her eyes and knew what she had to do. Immediately, to avoid the possible onset of pneumonia, Kiyone stripped and slid into bed with her partner. She stayed there until Mihoshi awoke, ten hours later. ~*~ "Ki-Kiyone!?" Mihoshi's eyes were wide. "Why...?" she looked at Kiyone's bare body and she began to understand. Before Kiyone could react, Mihoshi pulled her into a tight hug. Kiyone blushed ferociously but did not try to pull back. She heard Mihoshi whisper, "You saved my life..." and felt a tear drop onto her shoulder. Amazingly, Kiyone found herself putting a hand on Mihoshi's back and whispering, "It's ok...I'm here..." Mihoshi sniffed. "It was so cold, Kiyone. And they tried to...to..." Both detectives found themselves tearing up. At that moment, a huge growl came from Mihoshi's stomach. Kiyone tried to hold her laughter in, but they ended up laughing anyway. "So, I guess you're hungry...I'll get us something to eat." Kiyone stood up and put her clothes on. Not wanting to embarrass her, Mihoshi turned the other way, and said, "Let me help you." "No, stay in bed, you're still too weak." Kiyone placed a hand on Mihoshi's brow and stroked the bangs out of her eyes. "Oh, I almost forgot...here." Kiyone handed Mihoshi her red hair band and walked out of the bedroom. Mihoshi watched her leave and smiled for the first time in four days. ~*~ Two days later, they returned to Tenchi's house. With Kiyone's reassuring arm around her, Mihoshi headed to Washu's lab to make sure everything was all right. "Well, a couple of minor scrapes and bruises, nothing more. You're lucky Kiyone got to you in time." Mihoshi looked right into Kiyone's eyes and said, "Yes, I am." That warm afternoon after lunch, Mihoshi asked Kiyone if she would take a walk with her. At first, Kiyone looked confused and Mihoshi was afraid she would say no. But Kiyone smiled and nodded. They walked silently in the forest for a moment. Mihoshi decided to stop and they both sat down on a rock. "So, did you want to talk about something?" Kiyone asked. Mihoshi nodded, and tried to keep from blinking too much. "I-I just want to thank you for saving my life, Kiyone." Kiyone started to say something, but Mihoshi stopped her, "no, hear me out. In the middle of all this, I had actually lost hope. I thought you wouldn't come, Kiyone." Her tears started in earnest. "All those times you yelled at me, they all played in my mind, I thought I would never see you again. I mean..." Mihoshi laughed softly, and looked up, blinking again. "I actually thought that, Kiyone. I was so foolish." Kiyone gaped at her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She placed both hands on Mihoshi's shoulders and looked straight into her partner's eyes. Mihoshi's looked at her, blinked, and started to blush slightly. Kiyone was a little startled by this, but continued anyway. "Mihoshi, I'm sorry for every bad thing I said to you...I-I never meant any of those things. I only said those things because I was angry...at that moment. But I've forgiven you for everything, Mihoshi, please understand I..." "Kiyone, I love you." Four words...it was only four words, and that was all that was needed to render Kiyone's brain useless. Once again, all she could do was gape. Mihoshi brought a hand up to her cheek and brought her face closer to Kiyone's. Kiyone finally managed to close her mouth. But she could not close her eyes, which were staring right into those of Mihoshi's. Kiyone did not know exactly when their lips met, but a wave of warmness passed over her when they did. Her hand reached up to touch Mihoshi's cheek. When the kiss ended, Mihoshi became limp in her arms and her hand reached further up to stroke Mihoshi's hair. "I've loved you for so long..." Kiyone smiled, and they both stood up, still in each other's arms. "C'mon, let's go home..." *~*~* THE END I hope to write more MihoKiyos in the future...hope you liked this one Comments or suggestions, email me!