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Missing
Part 5
By Usa and Emiri
Disclaimers in Part 1
**********


"Luna! Artemis!" Usagi cried, waking herself up from the nightmare. The strain of springing up into a sitting position, made her eyes water with tears.

Rei paused, hearing a noise. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered at the door.

Usagi didn't hear Rei at the door. She just continued crying from both the physical and emotional pain she was feeling.

Rei slid the door open. "Usagi-chan, daijobou?"

"Rei-chan..."

"Hai. What's wrong?"

She sighed, lying down again. "I had a horrible dream that Luna and Artemis were killed by Queen Beryl." 

Rei sat down beside Usagi and hugged her gently. "You know they'll come back safely, ne? And Queen Beryl is gone."

"I don't know... I just have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach for some reason," Usagi explained.

"Hmm." Rei bit her lip, pondering. "It's only after 4 am, do you think you can get back to sleep?"

"Maybe..."

"Do you need anything?"

Usagi nodded. "Another pill?" she asked.

"Okei." Rei got her a pill and a glass of water.

"Arigatou, Rei-chan," Usagi said, closing her eyes.

Rei nodded, and slipped out of the room.

************ 

"Is your pain all gone?" Minako asked Usagi, vainly hoping to play nurse once more.

Usagi smiled. "Arigatou, but I'm starting to feel a little better. The pain pills along with Mako-chan's herb tea helped it go away."

"Ahh." Minako nodded, then turned to Ami. "Have you been able to trace Luna and Artemis yet?"

"Gomen, demo, I just can't locate them! It's like they're in some isolated spot or something." Ami looked ashamed. "Gomen..."

"It's all right, Ami-chan," Usagi said, looking at her friend. "I'm sure we'll find them soon!"

"It's okei," Minako said dejectedly.

"Don't worry, Minako-chan," Mako said. "They'll turn up."

The phone rang, catching everyone by surprise. Rei ran to answer it. "Hai? Hino Residence..."

Rei nodded. "Hai, Aino-san, she's right here." She looked at Minako and mouthed 'Your okaa.'

Minako made a face, and answered the phone. "Moshi moshi."

"Minako, I've been so worried about you. Please come home."

"Well, I have to finish some homework, but I'll be home tonight." Minako was glad this was over the phone. Her mother couldn't see the weird faces she made as she lied through her teeth.

Sakura sighed. "Yokatte! I'm so glad you're doing your homework. Thank your friends for helping you and letting you stay with them. I don't want you home later than 10, is that understood?"

"Hai, Mama." Minako hung up the phone and sighed. "Well, Mama forgave me, I guess. We have to find Luna and Artemis today, minna!"

Rei held up her hand for everyone to be quiet. "I hear someone."

Suddenly there was a REALLY strong smell of seafood. "Mako-chan, you're not cooking anything we don't know about, are you?" Ami asked.

"Iie."

"Artemis, Luna!" Usagi exclaimed as the guardians entered the room. She gingerly got up from the bed and rushed over to hug them. "Ugh!" she cried, throwing them to the floor. "You're the ones who smell like fish!"

"Hai, Usagi-chan," Luna said, clearing her throat. "Artemis fell into a vat of tuna at the packaging center and guess who had to bail him out? Unfortunately, I got stuck in it too."

Ami's eyes widened. "You mean, you've been there this whole week??"

Artemis nodded. "Afraid so, why?"

Usagi shook her head, wincing as she sat back onto the bed. And Minako yelled, "What do you mean, why?! We were worried sick that an enemy had taken you!" 

"Yeah," Makoto added. "Usagi-chan was so worried about the two of you that she wasn't concentrating well when we were fighting a youma and hurt her back."

"Not that she concentrates often..." Rei muttered. 

Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei. "Shut up!"

Luna and Artemis looked at the floor. They had inadvertantly gotten their Princess hurt. "Gomen ne..." they whispered. 

"It's all right," Usagi replied. "I'll be just fine!"

"You two, however," Minako began, "need at least 20 baths!"

"So, why were you in a tuna factory?" Makoto asked.

"Eating, what do you think we were doing?" Luna said to her.

Rei just shook her head, and started to giggle. Artemis glared at her. "You girls have sick minds." He turned away from them. "We're leaving!"

"Good, tuna breath, don't come back until you smell like an ocean breeze!" Usagi shouted after them.

Once the fish smell had faded, Ami spoke up. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Same here," Makoto replied, looking at her watch. "Ne, Minako-chan, it's 20 after 9, shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Haaai, I suppose."

"Ne, I am a little tired..." Usagi said.

"Are you staying awhile longer?" Rei asked.

"I could probably head home... as long as Luna isn't sleeping under the same roof!"

"Try tomato juice," Minako suggested. "I'm going to use that on Artemis."

The girls laughed. "See you all tomorrow!" Usagi told them with a wave. "Oyasumi!"

"Oyasumi, Usagi-chan... minna!" Ami said.

"Oyasumi minna!" Minako said.

"Bai bai!" Makoto said.

"Ja ne!" Rei called.

**************

Usagi ran after Minako, who was just behind Luna and Artemis. "Minako-chan, matte!" 

"Hai?"

"What do you say, we help Luna and Artemis get wash?" she asked, with an evil grin.

Minako grinned. "Sounds like a plan..."

The girls, grabbed the respective cats (each somehow wearing latex gloves) and ran into Minako's house. "Konbanwa, Aino-san," Usagi exclaimed. "We won't be long."

Minako's mom didn't get a chance to comment as the girls zipped passed leaving a faint smell of tuna fish behind. Minako handed Artemis to Usagi and got the hot water ready, pouring in some REALLY good smelling bubble bath.

"You don't expect me to get into that, do you?" Artemis asked. "I mean, that stuff's for girls."

"Girls and stinky cats," Minako giggled

Usagi nodded in agreement. As soon as the water was ready, she dropped the tuna cats into the tub. "Now doesn't it feel better in a hot tub than in a huge cold thing of tuna?"