It has been ten years since Lita had gone back to L2 but 
she didn't stay there long. She had since moved back to 
Japan and was attending Juuban Junior High. Right now it 
was summer time and Makoto (now that she is back in Japan 
she goes by her Japanese name) is 16. She and her friends 
(the Scouts) are at Rei's temple discussing what to do for 
summer vacation.

"Well I think that we should go to the beach! That is 
always fun. Whatcha' think?"

"We always go to the beach Usagi! Let's go to mall!!" 
Minako had a very determined look on her face. She had been 
wanting to go to the mall for the longest time 'cause she 
had just gotten her paycheck and wanted to blow it all on 
clothes.

" But we can do that any old time! Let us go the Library 
instead." (Bet you cant guess who said that ^_^) *everybody 
face vaulted*

"We can also do that any time." Rei thought for a moment 
and looked up into the sky when a shuttle leaving for one 
of the colonies caught her eye. "I got it!! Let's go to one 
of the colonies instead!! We can stay there for like a week 
and go shopping, the library, and to one of the pools!!"

Everyone seemed to be thinking this over when Ami voiced 
another question. "Which one would we go to?" This got 
everyone thinking again but Mako just frowned. She knew 
that they would want her opinion. The last place that she 
wanted to be during summer break was up in space.

" Mako-chan what do you think? You used to live on one of 
the colonies didn't you? Hey maybe we could go to that 
colony and you could show us all of the best places to 
visit!!!"

'I knew it! But I can't turn down Usa-chan like that. She 
looked so happy that she had gotten that idea. Well I guess 
that it wouldn't hurt to go back for a little while. I 
might even see-. Nonononono Mako don't think of him! You 
will just get upset.' Lita was so preoccupied with her 
thoughts that she didn't even notice that Usagi was talking 
to her.

"Ano..Makoto? Are you alright?"

Mako snapped out of her daze. "Uh yeah. Gomen Usa-chan. I 
would be glad to take you guys on a tour of L2." She tried 
to look like she really was glad but it wasn't working to 
well. Usagi noticed this but decided not to push the 
matter. Instead she just smiled.

"Well then lets go and get ready!"

*A week later*

"Wow I can't believe that we are on a colony out in 
space!!!!! I never thought that I would one day be 
here!!!!" Usagi was looking around excitedly. They had 
finally reached L2 and they were all tired and wanted to go 
to the hotel.

They got 2 cabs that took them to their hotel and once they 
were all unpacked Usagi was the first to speak up again. 
"So what are we going to do now? Can we eat? Are there any 
good restaurants around Mako-chan?"

Mako smiled at her friend. "Well there is a nice fast food 
place just down the road called Joy's Dinner. We can go if 
you are all hungry." The other girls shook their heads 
'yes' and they all walked out the door and down the street.

On there way there they the passed five boys that all 
appeared to be about a year older than them. Mako made eye 
contact with one that had cobalt eyes and what look like 
long chestnut hair that was pulled back. She thought that 
she had seen him somewhere before but she could not place 
him. He seemed to have the same thought on his mind for his 
eyes held some confusion as he looked back at her.

Once the group of boys had passed Makoto looked back at 
them and saw that the boy that she had made eye contact 
with's hair was not just pulled back but it was in a braid. 
Seeing this made Mako stop in her tracks.

She was about to call out to him when Usagi interrupted her 
thoughts.

"Hey Mako-chan? What's wrong? One of those bishonen catch 
you eye?" Usagi had an evil smirk on her face as she 
watched Makoto blush.

"Well not really.. It is just..well. one of them reminded 
me of an old friend of mine that I haven't seen in 11 
years." Makoto's eyes started to water a little but she 
pushed them away before they could become tears. " Oh Duo.. 
I wish that I knew where you were."

The girls all looked at Mako with stunned looks on their 
faces. They had never seen Makoto look so frail. Usagi, 
being who she is, couldn't keep her mouth shut and was the 
first to ask a question.

" Ano. Mako-chan? Who is this 'Duo'? Is he one of your old 
boyfriends?" Makoto looked up at her friend, " Yeah kinda'. 
We were only kids though. I was 5 and he was 6 but we still 
considered ourselves a couple. After the Maxwell Church 
Massicur though he disappeared. He had been staying at that 
church."

"But Mako-chan, I thought no one survived that. If he was 
there.you don't think that he would still be alive.do you?" 
Ami, after stating her question, realized that it was the 
wrong thing to say. She didn't mean do be so pessimistic 
about the situation she just wanted Makoto to be realistic.

"I know that it would look that way Ami.. but. I know Duo 
and he could get out of anything. I mean, you don't live 
out on the streets and not know how to take care of 
yourself in a sticky situation. I've seen him escape from 
an alliance base unharmed. He has gotten us out of many 
dangerous situations while I was living with him and 
Solo!!!! Besides, Duo was Shinigami. I know that he is 
still alive!!" Makoto looked as if she was about to cry but 
she didn't. After calming herself down she spoke to her 
friends. " I'm sorry for getting so emotional. Let's go and 
get something to eat now..I'm starved!"

With that the group went to Joy's Dinner. While they were 
there Makoto filled the girls in on some of the finer 
points of her time with Duo. All of the girls agreed to 
help Mako find Duo and so their quest/vacation begins.


Chapter 7

While the girls were eating and discussing the whole 
"Finding Duo" thing, the group of guys that they had passed 
on the way in were heading for the arcade with a somewhat 
similar discussion going on between them.

"I'm telling you guys that one of those girls looked really 
familiar!!! She was lookin' right at me with a look that 
clearly said that she recognized me from somewhere!!" The 
braided one of the group was ranting to the other four 
about the group of girls they had passed. He was convinced 
that he knew one of them but he couldn't put his finger on 
where he knew her from.

"Duo are you telling me that being able to interpret 
expressions in peoples eyes and on their faces is also one 
of your many talents?" The only blond in the group was the 
only one to speak. He knew that If he didn't then Duo would 
just continue to rant.

" I never said that I could read them. It was just really 
easy to see the emotion in her eyes. Those big green 
emeralds. *sigh* She was really hot. I think that I want to 
go and find her."

"Maxwell, I can't believe that you are turning down lunch 
and the arcade to go looking for some weak onna! Hell must 
be freezing over." The Chinese boy in the group cut in. He 
and Duo were always arguing and it always ended with Wufei 
chasing Duo with his katana and then Heero, the Japanese 
boy in the group, shooting off his gun to silence the two.

"I never said that I was going to skip lunch and the arcade 
Wu-man! What I meant was that after we were done with that 
I want to see if I can find her. There was just something 
about her the struck my curiosity. It was almost like I 
knew her from somewhere but I just can't put my finger on 
where I know her from." Duo went into deep thought (not 
something we see to often, ne?). He just couldn't shake the 
feeling that he knew that girl and he was going to do what 
he could to find out just who she was.

While all of this was going on in Duo's mind the rest of 
the group had moved on without him. It was Heero that 
finally went to drag Duo to the arcade..by his braid.

"ITAI!! Hee~ee-chan!! That hurts! Why you pulling so hard 
*ouchies* hey STOP!! Heero Yuy I am capable of walking by 
myself you know. It in not like I need you to pull me along 
like a lost puppy!"

"Well if I hadn't come back to get you, how long do you 
think it would have taken you to realize that we had gone 
on without you? Then you would have been a 'lost' puppy. I 
was just saving time, you know why delay the inevitable?" 
Heero had a very VERY slight smirk on his face at seeing 
Duo's frustration. It wasn't everyday that he got to have 
this much fun teasing the pilot of Deathsythe.

"Well I still say that you didn't have to pull as hard as 
you did. I mean really, it is not like the braid is not 
attached to my head." Duo followed Heero silently back to 
the arcade rubbing his sore skull.

When the pair reached the arcade, the rest of the gang were 
sitting at the bar talking to Motoki, a friend that worked 
at the arcade, waiting so that they could order lunch. 
Heero and Duo walked in and took two seats next to their 
friends.

"So, what will ya have? The usual?" The boys nodded to 
Motoki, but Duo just kept his head down in thought. This 
caught Motoki's attention. "Something wrong Duo?"

"Not really, I was just thinking about this one girl that I 
passed on the street. She just looks soooo familiar..."

With the mention of a girl, Motoki remembered something 
that he wanted to tell his friends. " Oh I almost forgot! I 
have a group of friends that will be visiting from Japan. I 
used to work at an arcade there and we just kinda got to 
know each other. When they got the idea to come here for a 
vacation they called me to see if we could hang out and 
stuff." (kk I know that I never mentioned this before 
butt..the idea came to me and well.. *pokes fingers 
together* *sigh* oh well)

Wufei cut him off with a question that was full with 
impatience. " So what does this have to do with us? Why 
tell us?"

"Well I thought that you guys might want to meet 
them..seeing that there is 5 of them and that there are 5 
of you guys.." Motoki trailed off. He realized the glares 
that he was getting from Heero, Wufei, and Trowa (yes Trowa 
is there ^_^). "Well I still think that you should meet 
them. I mean they are nice girls and they are not hard to 
get along with. You know what? I think that I'll call them 
and have them come over here! Yeah! Gimme a sec."

Motoki reached below the counter to retrieve his cell. He 
quickly dialed Mokoto's number.

"Hello?"

" Hey Mako-chan! Where are you guys now?"

"Umm we are just finishing lunch at Joy's Dinner. Why?"

"Well when you guys are done do you want to come to the 
arcade? It is right down the street, on your left. The 
names King. Do you think that you can make it?"

"Sure why not. We will be done in like 5 min. so I guess we 
will see you then."

"Yeah. Bye then Makoto."

"Bai bai!"

Motoki looked at the boys that were sitting down eating. 
Duo seemed to be eating rather fast almost like he was in a 
hurry to go somewhere.

"Why the rush Duo?"

Duo looked up from his plate. " Oh there is something that 
I want to do after I am done eating. So I just wanted to 
hurry up."

"Well my friends will be here soon. Don't you think that 
you could wait a bit longer before you went? I'm sure that 
they will be here very shortly." Motoki gave Duo a pleading 
look. He had been planning to get the singles sitting in 
front of him hooked up with the girls that were on their 
way here. And that wouldn't work if not ALL of the singles 
where present.

"Sorry Motoki. But there is just something that I have to 
do. The thought of a group of single gals is very tempting 
but right now there is only on girl on my mind." Duo stood 
up and placed his money on the counter. He turned around 
and headed for the door. As he was leaving he wasn't 
watching where he was going 'cause he bumped into a group 
of girls as they walked into the arcade. Maybe if he would 
have been paying attention, he would have stayed just a bit 
longer. The girls that he had bumped into where..

"Hey Motoki!!!!"

"Oh hey Makoto-chan!!"