A.N.: I know some of you were confused by the last chapter, but I promise that everything will make sense soon. And there will a fight scene in the next chapter! Just stick with me, people. Also, this is a MinakoXMalachite, RayeXJed fic. The others will be making appearances, but it'll be awhile (it'll be some time before Mal shows up, too, come to that.).
Oh, and I've finally gotten some forums up. They're still in the beginning stages, but check 'em out.
And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You're all amazing!!
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CHAPTER TWO: Getting Easier
Raye hadn't slept well, that night, and it was more than just her concerns for one dying old man that kept her awake. True, she'd come to care for Galin in the months since they'd met, and while she'd certainly be devastated when he finally passed on, this was hardly the first time she'd watched someone die. She'd lost so many, over the years, and the old chief would be just one more. Death simply couldn't hurt her as it once had.
Ah, but that was the problem, wasn't it? Death should never get easier. It should never hurt less simply because she'd seen it so often. If things continued as they were, would she eventually become so used to death that it wouldn't bother her at all? Raye was terrified of the possibility, because then she'd be no better than the enemies who'd caused all of this in the first place.
She sighed, knowing what Minako would say of such fears. This is war, Raye, and people die in wars. We'll save as many as we can, but never forget why we're fighting.
Minako certainly never did.
Of course, that was part of the problem, too. Minako had been fighting for a lot longer than anyone else, had given more and lost more, and sometimes Raye wondered if her leader had lost sight of everything but their cause. Raye knew the blonde protected those she could, but when the need arose, Minako also never hesitated to sacrifice everything and everyone around her. As long as they won, in the end, Minako didn't always care who got hurt along the way.
Minako sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Raye, but we're out of time, and we're out of choices. We're going to need everybody we can get, if we want to win this thing. We need them."
"And if they still refuse us?"
Minako's answering smile was cold and hard. "Then we force them."
Raye's eyes were just as cold. "Force them to die for us? You know it'll come to that."
Minako was already turning away, but she paused long enough to give Raye the answer she already had. "Yes," she said. "To both."
It hadn't been the answer Raye had wanted, though it'd been the one she'd come to expect. This is war, she often reminded herself during that sleepless night. No matter how much Minako's attitude scares me, I have to believe that she won't sacrifice anyone needlessly. I have to trust her.
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Dawn came, the thin light of the rising sun stealing over the desert camp. Minako was already awake to greet it, just as she had been nearly every day for the past one thousand years. She sat, legs crossed and fingers interlaced, in the field where she and Jed had dueled only the day before. Her eyes were closed, her head cocked as she listened to the trilling of a single bird. It's so peaceful here, she silently mused. If only…
She killed that thought before it could take root, but she couldn't help the slightly wistful smile that curled her lips. It had been so long since she'd been somewhere she could relax, somewhere she could feel even an echo of the peace she'd once known, but she knew better than to dwell on it. The might-have-been's are dangerous, she'd decided long since, and after everything I've done, this is probably the only life I deserve, anyway.
She sighed, finally opening her eyes. The sun was a little higher, now, though she still couldn't feel its warmth. Time to go back. She stood, brushing bits of wet grass and earth from her clothing, and then began the trek back to the camp.
She wasn't the only one awake, by this time, and she waved a little absently at those she passed, choosing not to linger for small talk or pleasantries. She'd never really gotten to know most of the tribesmen, and in any case, she was more concerned with finding Raye. They had so little time left, and she couldn't afford to waste even a moment of it.
She found Raye inside the chief's tent, just as she'd known she would. The chief was lying, pallid and sweating, on one of the thick rugs that passed for beds among this people. Galin was covered with several heavy blankets, as well, but Minako could see how badly his teeth were chattering. His entire body was shaking, in fact, though she couldn't decide if the trembling was more from cold or from pain. Raye was crouched beside him, one pale hand clutching his and the other pressed against the side of his wrinkled face. Her eyes were closed, her jaw clenched.
A healing trance, Minako slowly realized. Is it really so bad as that?
She grimaced, knowing Raye was channeling her own life energy into the old man, trying to keep him alive until his body could heal itself. This kind of thing was usually only a last resort, and she knew it would drain the mulberry-eyed senshi in turn. Why would she pursue something so dangerous? He's going to die no matter what she does, and this won't accomplish anything at all. Doesn't she realize that he's too far gone?
Minako's scowl deepened with every moment that dragged by. She cared for Galin, but her own feelings and her own plans aside, she'd been a leader for too long to ignore the consequences of Raye's actions. It's needed, this time, but she doesn't know that. She's acting on impulse, taking unacceptable risks. I won't always be around to protect her, and she has to understand that.
Raye, of course, was too deeply embedded in the trance to notice Minako's disapproval. Still, after a few more moments had passed, Minako could see that the old man's breathing had eased. He'd settled into a restless sleep, and Raye finally pulled her hand from his cheek. Her eyes opened, the flawless skin on her forehead unwrinkling. She turned, bringing weary eyes to meet Minako's.
Minako frowned, noting the lines around Raye's mouth, seeing the exhaustion there. She checked the reproach she'd wanted to give, deciding the words could wait for a time when Raye wasn't half-dead herself. "How long has he been like this?" she asked instead, wondering just how much she'd have to adjust her plans this time. I hadn't realized the disease had gotten this far, she thought tiredly. We might have even less time than Raye thought…and that's not good, because my Plan B kinda sucks.
Raye ran a tired hand over her equally tired face. "The tremors started some time before dawn, and his fever skyrocketed shortly after that," the healer finally answered, voice quiet. She glanced over her shoulder at Galin's prone form, wincing slightly. "At this rate," she added, "he won't live longer than two days."
Minako nodded, though her frown had deepened. Two days? That changes everything. "Will he be lucid until the end?"
Raye's eyes darkened. "Is this about the succession?"
Minako sighed, shook her head. "No," she answered truthfully. "It isn't." It's about not having him recognize me when I kill him.
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Raye had been every bit as drained as Minako had feared, and when her golden-haired leader told her to get some rest, she didn't protest too much. She only shrugged, waved a brief farewell to her friend, and then headed off to her own tent.
Raye had expected Minako to be gone by the time she returned a few short hours later, and she was. The blonde had always been incapable of staying in one place for more than an hour or so, and she'd only gotten worse in the centuries since Selenity's murder. Not that I blame her, Raye thought as she went to check on the old chief. If I'd spent the last ten centuries running from assassins and traitors and who knows what else, I'd be jumpy, too.
Still, Raye had noticed that Minako was acting…odd, lately, even for her. Her laughter had always been slightly false, but there'd been less of it, these past few days. She seemed more distracted than usual, as well, and she was a lot quieter than she should have been. Something was very obviously weighing on her mind, distracting her…and that made Raye very, very nervous. Anything bad enough to distract Minako, after all, was probably bad enough to get people killed. What isn't Minako telling me? Doesn't she trust me enough to let me share the danger?
Raye sighed as she entered Galin's tent, her mind still so caught up in Minako's strangeness that she failed to notice the big man crouched at the foot of Galin's bed. She'd tripped over him before she'd even registered his presence, and if she'd been a little more human, she probably would have landed in a graceless sprawl on top of him. As it was, even her too-swift reflexes would not have saved her from falling had Jed's hands not also immediately come to her waist to steady her.
Raye's eyes flew to his, her body immediately tensing under his touch, and his own expression was blank enough to make even the secretive Minako proud. His hands tightened briefly around her waist, but he pulled away the instant she was stable again.
She stared at him for a moment, knowing she should thank him for preserving her dignity but also realizing she'd only feel more awkward if she did. Raye wasn't used to feeling uncomfortable around anyone, especially men, and so she only frowned and stepped away. "How long have you been here?"
He shrugged. "Long enough."
His voice had been carefully neutral, but Raye's frown only deepened. "I see." She glanced over at the old man, the frown suddenly in her eyes, as well. "Has he woken up at all?"
"No." He looked up at her, concern suddenly sharpening his gaze. "Is that normal?"
She watched Galin for a long moment, making certain he was sound asleep before she answered. "Yes," she admitted, "though it's not a good sign." She grimaced, meeting Jed's gaze and not liking the pain she found there. I can't hide it from him, not now, she thought tiredly. Besides, if there's any chance that Minako's right about the succession, he should know this.
Jed was still watching her. "What aren't you telling me, Raye?"
She stopped hesitating. "I hadn't realized how far his disease had progressed," she admitted softly. "He's out of time, Jed."
He nodded, mouth tightening. "How long does he have left, then? Weeks? Days?"
Even if this wasn't really her job, she'd come to hate this part of it. "Hours. Before tomorrow night."
Jed paled, naked anguish replacing the concern.
Raye bit her lip, finding herself wishing she could offer the man some kind of comfort. Jed might have been a warrior, after all, but his people had never faced death on the scale she had. What did he really know about it? Still, he obviously loved the old man, and that would make the news hurt all the more. She knew what it was like to lose a parent, knew how great that kind of loss was. Though even that was on a different scale than this. Jed's losing a father, but I lost everyone.
She frowned again, suddenly appalled by her own thoughts. Does that even matter right now? I'm dismissing his loss because it's not as bad as what the senshi have gone through. I don't have the right to do that. She was still frowning as she settled herself beside him, close enough that he could reach out and touch her, but not so close that it would happen accidentally. "I'm sorry, Jed. I truly am."
Words seemed so inadequate, and she hadn't expected him to react to the platitude, no matter how sincerely she'd offered it. She was a little surprised, then, when, without looking at her, he nodded. "I know," he said.
The words were so heavy, so bent with grief, that when he reached out and took her smaller hand in his, it never even occurred to her to pull away.
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When Raye asked, hours later, where Minako had gone, the blonde only shrugged and refused to answer. Raye didn't push it—Minako had that distant look in her eyes again, and that told Raye a great deal. Something is going to happen, she realized, and whatever it is, Minako plans to deal with it on her own. Without me, just like always.
The thought might have been bitter, had anyone but Minako been involved. While Raye knew her friend and leader took too much responsibility on herself, there truly were some things that only she could do. Minako had always been a little different from the other senshi, but that was precisely why they followed her. Raye doubted that anyone else could have led the rebellion for so long, and if Minako felt that this danger was best dealt with on her own, Raye could accept that.
Still, she hated not knowing what was going on.
She took only a little comfort in the fact that Minako immediately went to see Galin upon her return. Minako's expression had been free of any emotion when she'd returned, but as she stood over the still-sleeping Galin, her features hardened, just a little. She looked…angry, and that made Raye uneasy. What could Galin have done to make Minako look so fierce, or had it even been Galin at all?
Galin hadn't spent any real amount of time awake since the healing, and neither Minako nor Raye felt too bad about leaving the old man long enough to track Jed down. With so little time left before the succession, they had to make certain Jed would be on their side.
They found him in what they'd all come to consider Minako's field, his legs crossed beneath him as he sat in the middle of the field. His hands were resting, motionless, on his thighs, his shaggy hair twisting a little in the wind. His back was to them, and he must not have heard them approach, because he jumped the instant Minako laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He spun, lurching to his feet, and only then did Raye notice the lines around his mouth and eyes. Her heart went out to him, and she might have tried to comfort him again, but she knew this wasn't the time for it.
Minako gave him a faint, slightly sad smile, gesturing for the big man to sit again. He did, curious even through his grief. "What is it?"
Minako's smile faded, but the war had made her rather blunt, and she didn't hesitate. "I know this is the last thing you want to think about, Jed," she began quietly as she and Raye followed him to the ground, "but we have to talk about the succession."
He frowned at her, clearly not understanding. "What about it? I don't have any say in that, Minako. You know I don't."
"No," she agreed, "I know that. Still, I've heard the talk, Jed. There's a very good chance that you'll be the next leader, and if you are chosen, we'll need your help."
He looked surprised and uncomfortable at that little revelation, and Raye couldn't blame him. How would she have felt, if someone had approached her like this? I'd feel used, she decided instantly, and I'd fight whatever it was just for the principle of it. We're lucky Minako has such a silver tongue, then…and we're lucky Jed is more trusting than I am.
"Help with what?"
Minako's eyes had become calculating as she watched Jed, and Raye knew she was deciding how much she should tell him. They'd been so careful, these past few centuries, to keep their natures a secret, but Minako wasn't above using the truth to awe people into submission. She'd done it before, and Raye thought she was about to do it again. "Do you know what we are, Jed?"
I knew it. She's such a drama queen.
Confusion had set in, and he only shook his head.
Of course he doesn't. She sighed and looked rather impatiently at her blonde friend. "Stop being so melodramatic, Minako," she muttered, "and just explain—"
The words had started out every bit as acerbic as Raye could make them, but long before Raye could finish, she'd realized they'd fallen on deaf ears. Minako had stiffened, her face suddenly becoming a trifle more pale even as her eyes narrowed. Something dark and angry crossed over her features, and as she shot to her feet, she began cursing.
Raye, too, paled. It has to be the enemy. It has to be…but why didn't I sense it?
Jed was glancing back and forth between the two women, a question in his gaze. "What's wrong?"
Minako didn't even look at him. "Get back to your people, Jed," she snapped, lyrical voice now so brittle with rage that Jed never questioned the order. Then..."Don't bother taking prisoners."
Something clicked in Jed's eyes, and Minako's fury was suddenly reflected in his own face. "Who?" he demanded, voice harsh. "Who would attack us?"
Neither of them answered. Minako seemed to have forgotten he was even there, and Raye was dutifully ignoring him. The healer was staring at her leader, mulberry eyes darker than usual. "Are they hers?"
Minako's snort seemed as out of place as she usually did. "You know they are." She turned to her companion, her nod another command. Then, without so much as a final glance in Jed's direction, she and Raye began to run…