(3rd Person POV)

"Rin, Rin!" Miyu's voice shouted and a pale hand grabbed the maid, pulling her to the side.

"Dwah?!" She yelped, surprised and almost bit her tongue.

"Shh~" Haru put a finger to his lips, grinning crazily.

"It's missing..." Miyu whispered, smiling as well.

"Come!" They said at the same time.

Miyu released Rin and together, the three of them made their way to the dining room. Miyu and Haru, their faces grim, opened the tall oak doors and ushered Rin though.

The butler, Dietrich, was standing by the window, looking out. "Where has it gone?"

"Missing, missing~" Miyu and Haru sang.

"Where happened to it?" Rin asked, urgently as she made her way to Kurogane and dumped a clothing basket at his feet. "Young master, your clothes. Please do something about them."

"We're in big trouble..." Rei wailed quietly, slumping at the table, her head on her chest.

"Time..." An unfamiliar girl with black hair and red eyes folded her arms across her chest. "Human days are passing even faster now. Those two sisters have one and a half days left by the looks of it. Unless we find it."

Haru yawned. "Danger, danger~"

"What of the spirit-seer sisters?" Miyu asked, leaning against the wall.

"What of theeeeem??" The other twin chimed in.

"I don't remember seeing them today..."

"I saw the older in front of the clock as I was coming here," Rin answered, dropping her duster down on the floor. "She was just sitting there, staring at the face of the clock. I think she's close to finding out the key if she hasn't already."

"Even so..." the man sitting at the head of the table said.

"...The play must go on!" Rei finished. "Such pretty girls...I feel so sorry for them."

Kurogane scoffed. "Don't talk like those two idiots, Mother and Father." He pointed at the blonde twins who just smiled back at him.

The girl with red eyes snickered. "Aww...as if you had the right to call someone else an idiot."

"Shut up, Akane."

"Akane means deep red!" Miyu and Haru said at the same exact time.

"You two need to shut up as well. You're getting on my nerves."

Miyu then skipped to the fireplace and pressed a hidden switch. The side of the empty fireplace opened outwards and Haru took a silver plated thick book from the otherwise empty shelf and starting flipping through it.

"Hey, the next pages don't seem to be there."

There was a sudden silence, which no one dared to speak.

Rin walked over to a table and opened a drawer. "Not here." She shut the drawer with a loud bang and turned to the wall behind it, opening a secret panel. "Or here."

The butler removed the center piece. "Not there either. What about there?"

"Not here! What about theeeeeere??"

"It could be anywhere! Search, search!"

Search! That's the reason why time has stopped! The only thing keeping the two sisters who can't be here. Not Time being stopped, not locked doors or pushy, scary people.

The pages.

If not found in time...

"What if..." Miyu started.

"...The stolen pages is something that no one wanted?" Haru finished, straightening.

Is it hidden?

Is it destroyed?

What about a strike from the other servants?

But why? For what reason?

"Those next pages..." Miyu said slowly, in a sing song voice.

"...Do they reveal the one?" Haru bowed, like he was at a play.

"Then how would they know?" Akane asked, kicking out her legs from under her. "Know what this journal contains?"

"Why, indeed," Rei said, putting her head in her arms.

Kurogane raised his eyebrow and sighed. "Use your brains for once. Could Aiko and Misaka be the culprits?"

Clap, clap, clap some more! The second act starts!

(Misaka's POV)

Distrust, distrust! 1, 2, 3, your time is almost done!

What are you?

A doll?

Or human?

Or half?

That's weird. I have 2 days left anyway. And what's with the crap of dolls and humans? Obviously I was a freaking human!

I climbed the steps, two at a time, intent on finding that stupid young master for whom I had questions for.

Everyone else wouldn't relent the location of the key. Maybe if I pressured (read: threatened) him enough, he would tell me.

Ha! As if. He didn't seem like one to cave in--especially to death threats.

"Rin!" I panted, tripping over the top step, barely catching myself on the banister. "Have you seen Kurogane?"

Rin stalled, a basket of clothing in her arms, her eyes blank. "...The young master? I think he's in his room."

"Where't that?"

Rin made a face, a strange look in her eyes. "Saki, it's indecent for a girl to enter a boy's room alone. Although I can understand why you'd want to do it; the young master is cute."

My face burned as I caught on to what the maid was implying. "Wha...?! No, I have to ask him a question, not--! Who said you could call me Saki?!"

Rin started snickering and then doubled over, cracking up. "Neither of you would do that. Just had to pull your strings...His room's down the hall, to the right and the second door to the left."

I sprinted down the hall, slipping as I made the turn. Taking a flying leap over a overturned table in the middle of the hallway (table?!), I tried to time my landing so I would skid to a halt outside the door, not past it.

Time to make it even more crazy! Beware, beware, older sister!

"Huh?" Two blue eyes were wide was they met mine.

"Oops." My face remained in a frozen smile.

Wham!

"ARGH!!"

AN: The picture is Aiko. Her hair isn't dyed, and nor is Misaka's.