Hey, a more-than-one-part-oneshot-because-I-have-no-idea-how-many-parts-I'm-gonna-have-yet oneshot!! Wow, that took forever to write XD. This one is going to be maybe a month or two after the defeat of The Dark Lord, so everyone has kind of been settling into the fortress (even some are leaving, like a few of the Darks who had homes to go to). 

~

Surprisingly, things were quiet and relaxing while Linda was strolling through one of the hallways in the huge castle. She didn't think she was lost, but a lot of the hallways were hard to tell apart. She hoped she wasn't lost, anyway. But even if she was, it didn't matter much. She could either find her way back or just scream Shintaro's name and he would come running. 

Which would probably be hilarious, because she could picture the look on his face as he scrambled toward her after rounding a corner. The image of his frantic expression made Linda smirk to herself as she advanced toward one of the many stairwells in the maze of a castle. 

If there was anything she loved about Shintaro (which she loved all of him, mind you), it was how adorably hilarious he was when he was flustered. She had gotten to see more of his flustered side ever since she had declared that they were together, because she could randomly jump up and kiss his cheek without it being too weird. His reactions were always hilarious - flustered embarrassment but happy pride as she strode alongside him with a smile on her face. 

Because he'd been so busy, though, she hadn't been able to see him as often as she would have liked. She didn't really like it when he busied himself with things that could be handled later or even without his help, but he would always rush off to see what he could do for anyone who needed it. Ever since a few of the Darks had left, many others had been trying to find places to go, and Shintaro was always trying to help them out.

Linda loved that he was that kind of man - the one that would help with anyone, including his previous sworn enemies - but sometimes it got to be too much. If he wasn't busy with the former Darks, he was trying to get some sleep or eating something. 

It kind of bothered Linda. Though she was aware that he had things to do, she wanted to spend more time with him. But she guessed that she would get in the way if she followed him around everywhere, and then he would get frustrated. 

And although it was adorable when he was frustrated, it was also awkward and uncomfortable for Linda. She knew that he was normally somewhat snappy, that it was just his personality, but when he got actually frustrated, it was strange. 

Sighing, Linda rounded the corner and slammed into Shintaro's chest with a grunt. She stumbled back a step and nearly lost her footing, but Shintaro quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulders to keep her standing. 

"Ow," she protested hotly, mostly to tease him. She tipped her head back and glowered up at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Watch where you're going, dolt." 

"Sorry," Shintaro said distractedly, lifting his eyes away from Linda and scanning the hallway behind her. His yellow eyes - Linda liked them this way, not oddly multicolored - darted over the area behind her, then settled onto something in the distance with hard impatience. 

Linda's playful mood left, and she quickly washed away the frown. "What's wrong?" she asked genuinely, listing her head to the right and uncrossing her arms. 

Shintaro didn't answer her, his jaw tight in thought. Which was strange to Linda, because she could always easily tell when people were lost in thought because she could hear what they were ranting about to themselves; but with Shintaro, she had to look at his face to find out if he was thinking. 

Not being able to hear him was probably something she would never get used to. 

"Hello?" Linda tried again, lifting her arm and poking his collarbone. "Earth to Shintaro?" 

Shintaro blinked quickly and tilted his chin down to peer at her. "Hmm?" 

Linda pouted, shaking her head once at him. "I asked you what was wrong. Something is bothering you, but I don't know what and I want to know what." 

Shintaro sighed through his nose and ran one hand through his long, thick hair. "No one can find Rachel," he said shortly, like he was afraid of putting to much detail into it so Linda didn't freak out. 

But that wasn't going to happen, because Linda felt the panic rise in her chest. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to tamp it down. Her sister could be anywhere in this darned maze of a castle. She was probably simply lost in the halls somewhere, and soon enough they would find her. 

She refused to think about anything else, although deep inside she knew she had a guess on what had happened. 

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere," Linda said smoothly, trying to give Shintaro a reasonable look. She tilted her head with a soft smile up at him, forcing herself to believe that Rachel was okay, that she was here. "I can help look for her mind, if that's what you need." 

Suddenly, before Shintaro could reply, Linda caught a snippet of Gabriel's distraught thoughts, heading straight for them. 

Where the heck could she be in the stupid, cursed building? She's got to be here, right? Why would she just walk off? When did she even disappear? he was thinking in a flurry, his thoughts circling again to his worry and confusion. His mind was racing, and it was making Linda's mind swim. 

Gabriel tended to make Linda's head spin a lot, because his thoughts were always so fast paced and blunt - even to himself. 

"Yes, do that," Shintaro said, and it took Linda a moment to remember where she was and that he was talking to her. 

"Right," Linda said automatically, regaining her bearings and trying to ignore Gabriel's string of panicked thoughts. 

Settling her own worried thoughts, Linda took a deep breath and readied herself. Slowly, she expanded the walls of her mind, letting the words of her friends and the former Darks spill into her mind. She could hear everything everyone - except Shintaro - was thinking, every word. 

Where did she go? 

This isn't really that good...

Is she lost? 

She could just be in the library, with a book. Right? 

Dang it, where in the world am I now? 

Linda grabbed onto the last thought with desperation on hearing the female voice, and she settled her brain into the mind of the woman, hoping with all her heart that it was Rachel. 

Well, hello there, the woman thought curiously, somehow realizing that Linda was in her head. 

Without a word, Linda plucked out the memory of the person's face from the girl's head and found herself staring at Cynthia's - Shintaro's sister-in-law- face. 

Linda cursed mentally to herself and allowed her mind to lean away from Cynthia's thoughts, leaving the woman to wonder what had happened in that moment. Preparing herself, Linda stretched out the range of her mind-reading abilities again, searching for Rachel's mind. 

But after what felt like hours, she found nothing. She even searched as far as she could outside of the fortress, which could only be a mile or two outside of it, but she still tried. 

And found nothing. 

"Linda," Shintaro's voice suddenly said, shattering the thoughts of everyone else around her. 

Suppressing a tired groan - she always got exhausted after searching directly for someone's head - Linda blinked away the haziness of looking for thoughts and found herself staring wearily up at Shintaro, who had her shoulders in his hands. 

"You've been looking for long enough," Shintaro said gently. "You didn't find her, did you?" He sounded like he already knew, but he wanted confirmation. 

"No," Linda admitted solemnly, closing the walls around her mind and trying not to wince at the dull throb in the back of her head. "She's not in the castle. She's not even in the fortress." 

And Linda unfortunately knew exactly what that meant. She didn't want to believe it and she hoped with all her heart and mind that it wasn't true, but there was definitely no other outcome. Why would Rachel simply have up and left? 

She wouldn't have. 

Someone had taken her. 

And Linda knew exactly who did. 

~