Tengoko: I know that it has been too long since I've updated this story. However, as of now, the previous chapters have all been edited for grammar and spelling mistakes. I have also modified the descriptions of the Zodiac Senshi. I have posted new art work on my Deviant Art account of the Zodiacs so if you want to see them you can find the link on my main profile page. I shall try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. This chapter was a little hard to get going for some reason. Hopefully the coming chapters will come to me a lot easier. Well, I won't take up anymore of your time with Author's Notes except to request that you please review. Thank you and enjoy!

Rated M

Chapter 10: Miles Away

--

Minako wished whoever was knocking on the door would just go away. At first she'd tried to bury her head under her pillow to drown out the noise, but the person was persistent. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She didn't want to get up. She looked at the clock. She had three hours before she had to go to Physics. Why couldn't whoever was at the door just let her sleep? With a groan, she forced herself to sit up and walked over to the door. She yanked it open and was about to yell at the person on the other side until she realized it was Usagi.

"It's about time you opened the door," Usagi said, walking in with bags of food. "I'm going to have to microwave our lunch. It got a little cold." She walked over to the microwave and ignored the confused look on Minako's face. "I got you the chicken sandwich… Hope that's okay."

Minako's head was spinning. She closed the door and sat on the end of her bed. "Usagi-chan… uh…" She paused and looked at the bags of food just as her stomach growled. "Yeah… the chicken sandwich is fine. But you didn't have to… What exactly are you doing here, Usagi-chan?" She doubted this was a spontaneous meeting. Earlier that morning, Makoto had tried to get her out of bed to get some fresh air, and before then, Rei had been calling her non-stop asking if she wanted to go out for the weekend. They were trying to cheer her up, and she knew it. The fact that it irritated her was a surprise to her. She didn't know why she didn't want to be bothered right now, but she really just hated feeling like everybody was tip-toeing around her as though she was going to break.

"Well, I was on campus and I have some time to kill before Physics. So, I thought I could come over here and hang out with you and Mako-chan, and then we could all go together. Mako-chan isn't here though. I don't know what I'm going to do with her food…" she said thoughtfully, as though she was considering the prospect of eating it herself. That probably wasn't too far off the mark. Minako actually smiled knowing that her friend would see nothing wrong with eating two meals in one sitting. Hell, Minako wasn't the type to turn down food either. At least, not usually.

"I also heard about what happened yesterday." Minako groaned inwardly. She had dared to hope for a second that Usagi had come for the reason she'd stated: because she had time to kill. It was because she was worried about her, and that made Minako feel like crap. "I came to make sure you were okay. That's a nasty cut there," Usagi said, sitting down next to her and titling her head as though doing that would make it easier to see. "Does it hurt?"

"No… it feels like sunshine and gum drops," Minako said sarcastically. That surprised her. Minako hated when people were sarcastic with her, so why would she be sarcastic with Usagi? "I'm sorry…" she said sincerely. "I don't know what came over me. No, it doesn't hurt too much. Just stings a little." She put her finger over the mark and cursed under her breath. She remembered when Kunzite had been examining it. He had seemed so worried about her then. Of course, Minako knew better. Kunzite didn't care. He made that clear more than once.

Usagi nodded and looked down at her pink converse shoes. Minako was starting to admire them. She wondered where she could get a pair of shoes like that. "Minako-chan." Minako looked up at her, waiting for her to say something else. But Usagi seemed lost in her own thoughts. That, or she was trying to find the right words to say.

"Yes, Usagi-chan?"

"Are you okay? I don't mean from the attack. But just in general. You don't smile as much as you used to smile. And you don't laugh either. Is there something wrong?"

Minako didn't know what to tell her. Yes. Something was wrong. Everything seemed to be going wrong. But she didn't want Usagi to worry about her. "I've just hit a rough patch in the semester. It's nothing I can't handle on my own," she said. Well, at least it was a little true. Actually, the truth was… Minako didn't know what the truth was. She could imagine that she was starting to get on people's nerves with this new attitude she seemed to have. But it's not like she liked acting this way. She, more than anybody, wanted to figure out why she was so miserable all the damn time so she could figure out how not to be miserable. "Usagi-chan… I… I don't know what's wrong with me. It sounds so stupid, doesn't it? To be sad for no reason at all." She felt a tear fall down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away. "I'm being a drama queen. I'm sorry…"

Usagi's eyes widened when she saw her tear and she reached out to hug her. Minako's reaction was instantaneous; she burst into tears. "Nobody thinks you're being a drama queen. And nobody thinks it's stupid," Usagi said.

"Your husband does," Minako pointed out.

Usagi frowned. "Well, he doesn't count."

"Kenji-san does."

Usagi glared at her. "He definitely doesn't count."

Oh, but he did. God, why did he? Minako had been trying to figure this out for days now. Why was it so important that she have his approval? At first, it hadn't mattered, but ever since he and Nephrite had rescued her from Sailor Libra, she couldn't stop thinking about him. What could she do to prove that she was just as good as he was? That she was just as capable of leading them as he was? When had she strayed from being dependable and strong to insecure and unreliable? She just wanted him to say that she was doing a good job. That she was getting better. If she could get him to say it, then she knew it would be true.

"Minako-chan…" Usagi began, rubbing her back gently. "I think you are the only person who doesn't see how much you mean to us. We're all worried about you. We just want you to be happy."

Happy? She wanted to be happy, too. Really, who chose to be miserable? "I am happy, Usagi-chan," she lied, putting on the same smile she used to fool the world. It, however, did not convince Usagi.

--

The sound of screams had been echoing from the hallway that led to the cellar. For three hours, their comrade in arms had been wailing, moaning in pain. None of them felt sorry for her. She got what she deserved. The nerve of her going against orders just to get a taste of battle. Did she think she was the only one who longed for the fight? Did she really think that the others who had not appeared to the senshi weren't counting down the days for their time to have a go? She deserved worse that whatever punishment Taurus was doling out to her.

The youngest of the Zodiac Senshi sat against the wall cracking her knuckles slowly. Her blue eyes stared at the women sitting at the table across the room. They had all settled into this house in the country where the nearest neighbor was more than a mile away. They hadn't furnished it aside from a few chairs and tables. They slept on the floor; they had no use for beds. Nothing that suggested permanence. They even refused to adopt civilian names. They had one name: the names they carried with them for over a millennium. They had no reason to invent Earth, or Terran, names as they had no intention on remaining here for long.

Pisces rose slowly to her feet, brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear. Aside from the two long strands that framed her face, her hair was very short and brown. The strands were colored a light blue. Slowly, she approached the table and ignored the glares that the others shot her way. She knew why they were condemning her. She had failed to kill Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars. She had been overpowered by Sailor Venus. It never should have happened and she deserved to be punished.

Capricorn was the first to look away and went back to reading her book. She was the seventh of the Zodiac Senshi, the little sister of Sailor Scorpio. Her hair was short and raven black and her eyes were a deep violet color. Unlike her sister, her skin was fair. Yet, her eyes held the same intensity as Scorpio's. "Relax, Pisces. Leo has been in a generous mood as of late. Perhaps she will look upon your failure with mercy and sympathy. At any rate, even if she chooses to punish you, be comforted by the fact that it won't nearly be so bad as what Libra is getting."

"Libra is getting off light," Gemini hissed, continuing to sharpen one of her katanas. "If it were up to me, she'd—"

"But it's not up to you, is it?" Capricorn cut in, not even looking up from her book.

The blonde warrior set her katana down on the table and glared. Her green eyes seemed to flash with anger, but when it seemed Capricorn was going to go on ignoring her, she merely picked up her sword again and continued to sharpen it. Gemini did not like being ignored; that was no secret to any of the Zodiac Senshi. Many of them actually took advantage of this fact and ignored her on purpose. Capricon was the only one of them that did that without fully meaning to, and that is why Cancer found it so amusing.

The red-head sitting next to Gemini laughed. This seemed to gain the attention of the other woman sitting next to Capricorn. "What is so funny?" asked the platinum blonde. Aquarius was always the curious one, having to know what was going on with everybody. However, in retrospect, she probably should have addressed the sixth of the Zodiacs with more respect than that.

Cancer didn't seem to mind and her blue eyes twinkled with fiendish delight. "I never thought I'd see the day when Gemini would be at a loss for words." She put her hand over her shoulder. "What bothered you more? That you were ignored or that you were interrupted? I'm dying to know."

Gemini clenched her teeth together to keep from arguing with her. This prompted Aquarius to laugh along with Cancer who laughed even harder. "I guess all things are possible. Though, you know the reason. Would she really have bit her tongue had Virgo or Pisces told her the same thing?"

"I think not," Cancer said. "I think that Gemini is too intimidated by Capricorn's rank to actually tell her off. But Virgo and Pisces are below her… It is a matter of ranking, is it not?"

"Of course it's a matter of ranking!" Gemini yelled. "Her tone was clear: I was to let the subject drop. However, you two prats refuse to let me fume in silence."

Pisces was glad that the conversation was on Gemini now and not on her. She silently thought the whole dialogue was pointless. Even if Gemini would snap at Virgo or her, they would never mouth off to one that out-ranked them, even if it was merely by one or two ranks. Pisces personally hated angering the tenth of the Zodiac Warriors because Gemini tended to be hard to reason with when she was furious.

Libra screamed again and Pisces felt her blood run cold. For her failure, it was possible that soon, she would be the one screaming. She shuddered at the thought and felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. Cancer must have realized this because she kicked out a chair and ordered her to sit. "Where is Virgo?" she asked. "Hiding from Leo, I presume?" She said it as a joke, but Pisces didn't find anything funny about it.

She shook her head. "No. She told me she wanted to take a nap. She said that if she was to be tortured later for the failure, she at least wanted to be well rested."

This made them all laugh. Even Capricorn, who had seemed lost in her book, found it amusing. "Are you sure it was that?" she asked. "Or is it possible that Sailor Venus just wore her out?"

"Dear God! Doth my ears deceive me?" Cancer asked, feigning a look of shock. "Aquarius! Make not of this event! Capricorn made a joke."

Aquarius laughed and put her hand on Capricorn's shoulder. "Are you all right? Do you need to lie down? Ones first joke can often be exhausting."

Capricorn looked up from her book and into the pale blue eyes of Aquarius. "No. I think I'm all right. Of course, I shall remember to go light. I think I'll cut myself off for the day until I know I can handle more than one joke."

Gemini rolled her eyes, refusing to join in on the raucous laughter, and set her sword down again. She looked at Pisces who looked as though she might be sick to her stomach. "I don't think Leo will torture you two," she assured her. "You were outnumbered five to one. Two of the Terran warriors had come to their aid. Retreat was the only option."

Cancer agreed. "And retreat is not always cowardly, Pisces. Leo knows this better than we all do."

"What does Leo know better?" The five women turned to look at the front door just as three women crossed over the threshold. The tall blonde stood and looked at Pisces with some degree of confusion. "Why are you back? Were you quick to complete the mission I assigned to you?"

Pisces rose from her chair and shook her head, careful not to meet her leader's blue eyes. "I am sorry, your grace. Virgo and I had them. We were so close to killing Mars and Jupiter. But then the snotty little blonde showed up… Venus. And we were going to get her, too. She was nothing but a mere distraction. What changed the tide of the battle was the arrival of the Terran Warriors. I apologize for my failure, Leo... I will understand if you wish to punish me for it."

Leo exchanged glances with Scorpio before looking back at the young girl. "Though I understand the reason behind your failure, it cannot be taken lightly. You were given orders to dispatch Sailor Jupiter and you failed. For this you will pay a price. But not to worry… I shall have Taurus go easy on you and Virgo."

Cancer stood up and put her hand on Pisces' shoulder to comfort her. "Leo… what is the plan now? Obviously we cannot individually take on the Terran Warriors. Perhaps it is time for a join attack?"

"It is too soon to say." Leo walked passed them towards the hallway. "We shall discuss this now. Scorpio… Aries… come with me."

The two women that had been standing beside her nodded and followed her down the hall. The door at the end led into a dark bedroom that was furnished only with a small, round table and four chairs. This was the meeting room of the four top-ranking Zodiac Senshi. Leo was the first to sit, turning the chair backwards to lean her arms across the back of it. Scorpio sat gracefully, crossing her legs at the ankle and setting her Tarot cards down on the table. Aries removed her red cloak and hung it over her chair before sitting.

"What do you propose we do?" Leo asked Scorpio.

"Cancer was right. It is nearing the time when we must all fight together." It sounded easier than it was. The lower ranking senshi all had different styles. Some of them did not compliment the others. The Zodiacs were not a team, as some might think. They never referred to themselves as such. They all had their own ways of fighting, their own ways of conducting battles. For so long, they'd fought on their own, rarely ever calling upon the aid of the other Zodiacs. When they did fight as one, it was after careful planning on the part of the top ranking Zodiacs to ensure that they all did so seamlessly.

"The Terran Warriors are the only obstacles standing in our way," Aries pointed out. "And it seems that they hold the cards right now. We cannot hope to defeat the Senshi while the Terrans are still alive. The solution is simple. These Terrans are weak because they are driven by their emotions. It is simply a matter of finding what matters to them. What they care about most. Obviously, they care about the senshi or they wouldn't bother defending them. But I think we can do one better than that. If we could find out what matters to them, who matters to them… we could use them against them, weakening them. That would be the time to strike."

Leo nodded. She liked the idea immensely. Of course, it would mean having to blend in with these pathetic Earth dwellers. She shuddered at the idea of wearing what they dared call clothes. "Perhaps we can assign Gemini to that task. Cancer could help her if it comes down to it."

"I think they would enjoy that," Scorpio said with a smirk. "They've been yearning to be useful."

"Meanwhile," Aries began, leaning against the table, "I think it is time that we remind the Outer Senshi that they are no match for us. We nearly killed them the last time. I think if given the chance, we could eliminate them from this battle before it has even begun."

Leo stood up and smiled. "I shall leave that in your capable hands, Aries. I, however, will not be able to join you three during this next attack. I have a little dissenter who needs some seeing to." She, of course, was referring to Libra. The rebelliousness on her part was no surprise. Libra was always the one who defied Leo on some occasions. But in this instance, Leo was having none of it. "I shall relieve Taurus. You three can then work out a plan." With that, she left the room and started towards the cellar. As she opened the door, the loud scream of Libra sounded through the entire house. It was a good thing the nearest neighbor was more than a mile away.