AN – Sorry that this has taken me so long to get up here! I've been going through a rough patch in life and my writing took a bit of a backseat. Hopefully I'll be able to write a lot more now!
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of the reviews and comments that you all leave for me! I read every single one of them, and I try to shoot everyone a personal reply, but I'm a bit behind at the moment. Just know that I truly appreciate all of your comments and support! You guys are the best.
Warnings: Nothing too graphic in this chapter, just some naughty language.
I still don't own Sailormoon.
.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.
Fighting Gravity
Chapter 10: Gathering Forces
A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes
.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.
He really shouldn't have yelled.
At the time, it had felt right, good even. He was angry that this had even happened. He was angry at Usagi for not listening to him, for not staying away from the fighting like they'd all told her to. He was angry at Rei, for, yet again, throwing herself in front of Usagi and risking her life as though it were worth nothing. More than anything, he was angry with himself and his crystal for not being able to help her, for his brief moments of panic, and his stupid, insignificant feelings for her popping up once again.
But now, sitting in the dimly lit resident rest area on a rather uncomfortable cot and looking at his wife with her eyes glimmering with yet more tears, shoulders shaking uncontrollably, he knew. It had felt so, so good to release all of his pent up emotion, but he shouldn't have yelled. Not at her. No matter what she thought, it hadn't been her fault.
Rei had told him so.
He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself down so that he could speak to her the way he knew he should. No yelling. No blaming. He tried to come up with the words to make her feel better, to make the tears stop, but none came. Instead, he pulled her into his arms rather abruptly, not caring that he was probably squeezing her too tightly. After a split second of seeming shock, her arms grasped at him almost desperately as silent sobs shook her shoulders.
"I'm sorry," she was murmuring, over and over again; his heart broke more with each repetition. Why had he yelled at her, blamed her? He surely was, as Rei had told him a number of times, a colossal idiot.
"Stop it," he whispered, his voice harsh sounding from his earlier outburst. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's not your fault…" he said, pausing when she exhaled a deep sob. "You were doing what you thought was right; you saved that woman."
"But what if she dies, Mamo-chan? Again. Because of me."
His throat constricted, and he suddenly felt like he was gasping for breath. "She won't," he whispered, promising himself as much as her. "She's going to be fine."
He felt her nod against his chest, taking deep breaths to try and get herself under control. They stayed like that for quite some time, silently drawing strength from one another. It was a while before he realized that she had fallen asleep. Gently, he laid her down on the cot they had been sitting on, covering her with a nearby blanket.
He resisted the sudden, strong urge to curl up next to her. He was exceptionally tired given the day's events, but he really wanted to check in with Rei's doctor and see how she was doing, perhaps even sit in with her for a while. He was worried; he couldn't imagine what things would be like if she didn't pull through.
Would she just die, and be gone? She had died before, but it had always been during battle with the other Senshi, and the Silver Crystal had always brought her back. Now everything seemed wrong; the crystals weren't working the way they had before, and that made his vision seem even more terrifying. Is that why they couldn't win? We're their planets failing them?
What would happen to the Senshi? He doubted the rest of them realized it, but Rei was essentially the glue that held them all together.
Her calm, quiet demeanor easily balanced Usagi's over-exuberance. Her spirituality, although it occasionally clashed with Ami's love of logic and rationale, usually helped to give the bluenette a different perspective on things. She and Makoto had bonded over the loss of their parents, and he knew that Rei was the only one Makoto had trusted implicitly with the details of her parent's demise.
Then there was Minako, who Mamoru knew could barely function without Rei. He didn't fully understand their friendship and seemingly mutual dependence on one another, but he knew they were something like kindred spirits, able to understand and relate to each other with very minimal effort. They'd been like that even during the Silver Millennium, at least from what he could remember of it. Some of the most tense and unfavorable times with the Senshi were when Rei and Minako had gotten into an argument and were tense with one another.
Rei was the only one who'd really formed a friendship with the Outers. In their last battles, they had been wary of Usagi and her guardians. He wasn't sure how, but she and Haruka had struck up a friendship and was welcomed into the Outers circle of trust. Based on how Haruka was acting earlier, she was blaming herself from what had happened. He'd managed to figure out that it had been Haruka who had suggested a nice stroll around the park to help Rei take her mind off of things.
She and Minako had posted up in Rei's room, refusing to leave her alone for the night. He had to admire their dedication; he knew first hand how uncomfortable those so-called "lounge" chairs were.
Sighing, he slipped from the room as quietly as he could, sliding the "do not disturb" sign over as he left. He knew how much Usagi needed her rest, and he made a mental note to schedule an appointment for her to get Chibiusa checked out in the morning.
He easily flagged down Dr. Ohishi near the vending machines, looking complete exhausted. He couldn't blame the man; eight hours of trauma surgery would have had him drooling on the floor and sleeping for days.
"Thank you again for letting me sit in on her surgery," he said, announcing his presence and getting the attention of his much-respected colleague. "I know that wasn't exactly protocol."
The older man simple shook his head dismissively, offering him a genuine smile. "Don't mention it, Chiba. I know she's like family to you. I would have done the same thing."
"How is she?" he asked, grateful for the man's understanding.
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Well, she is stable, but still in critical condition. We'll have to keep her in the coma for a few days and see how she starts to heal. She'll heal better if she's not moving around and potentially tearing some of the internal stitches." He clapped a hand on Mamoru's shoulder when he saw the other man's concerned expression. "Don't worry too much about it, Chiba. I'm confident that she'll make a full recovery. There are just a lot of unknown variables that come with an injury like this."
Mamoru nodded; he had been thinking along those same lines, but it still was a scary situation. She had been incredibly lucky that she had gotten hit where she did. Her liver had sustained most of the damage. Any higher and she would be sitting on a transplant list for a new lung, and any lower would have shredded her intestines, and probably would have acquired a fatal infection from the damage. Her liver would be able to repair itself in time, but they had still placed her on a transplant list as a low priority in case she experienced any complications during her recovery.
He sighed. He couldn't even begin to image what kind of recovery she was in for when she woke up. He knew she wasn't going to be a good patient either, given her general hatred of hospitals and medicine and her inability to actually relax and not overwork herself.
He thanked Dr. Ohishi and ventured off in the general direction of Rei's room, intending to check in with Minako and Haruka and at least sit with the miko for a while. It also couldn't hurt to see how Yuichirou was doing; he had donated a lot of blood after all. He was just nearing her room when he suddenly hesitated. He knew that Rei wasn't alone right now, that she had two of her closest friends sitting with her, keeping watch over her.
She wasn't alone. She didn't need him right now. But Usagi did.
Without even glancing into her room, he headed back to the rest area to be with his wife.
.oO0Oo.
This just wasn't fair.
One of the things she loved most about their friendship was how comforting and reassuring she always was, even when she was struggling with something herself. One of the simplest ways she did so was with a calming squeeze of her hand. She even did it subconsciously, in her sleep if she reached for her.
So now, Minako sat holding Rei's hand in her own, waiting for the squeeze she almost thought would never come, completely despondent.
Still, she couldn't stop staring at their hands. Looking somewhere else meant that she'd have to see Rei laying in a rather uncomfortable looking cot, skin deathly pale with the faintest hint of yellow from her damaged organs, and oxygen mask harnessed on her face and more tubes than she cared to count sticking out of her arms. What was worse was how small she looked, completely fragile. Even when facing death Rei was always brave, comforting her friends first, not concerned about her own safety.
She just couldn't process the entire day's events; to think that her morning had started out with her being pissed off that Rei hadn't hung around for breakfast. She'd sent some less than nice text messages, and it killed her to think that those might be the last things that Rei ever heard from her. She knew that their friendship was stronger than that, and that Rei probably hadn't even cared that she was rude in the first place, but it was still upsetting her.
What made it worse was that she hadn't gotten the call. They'd called Ami and Makoto for help, but not her.
"Why didn't you call me?"
She hadn't realized that she had spoken until Haruka shifted from across the bed, clearing her throat quietly. Minako almost jumped; she had nearly forgotten the other woman was there.
"She had a vision of you getting hurt," she said, her voice rough from disuse. "She said she kept having the same one, and it was either you or Usagi who got hurt, so she was trying to keep you out of harms way." She sat up a bit in her chair, slouching forward. "That was why she came to our house; she was so paranoid that just being near to two of you would put you in danger."
Minako sighed, bringing her eyes up to study her best friend's face. "When did you stop telling me these things anyway?"
Haruka gave her a soft smile, reaching across to pat her shoulder. "At least she's telling someone, instead of keeping everything to herself."
Minako offered a small smile, swallowing the jealousy that would normally pop up in situations like this. "I guess you're right." As much as she didn't want to admit that Rei had more close friends that just her, she knew it was true, and when she was honest with herself she was completely grateful.
"It wasn't your fault, you know," she said quietly, tired of seeing the other woman fuming with herself. "We all knew this battle was coming sooner or later."
Haruka cracked a small smile. "And we all know Rei's too stubborn to sit back and let her friends get hurt."
Behind her, she heard Yuichirou groan quietly; finally waking up after donating so much blood to the girl he loved as his own sister. Minako rose on creaking legs to go and sit beside him for a bit, hoping to provide him with some sort of explanation as to what had happened. Haruka sighed as she did so, pulling her legs up to hug them against her chest, silently watching the little blips as they passed on the heart rate monitor.
.oO0Oo.
Kaneko Norio was pleasantly surprised to see that his new favorite bakery was in fact open at six in the morning as he headed off to a meeting with Senator Hino. He resisted the urge to grin as he pushed through the door, the chime pleasantly announcing his entrance.
Now, if only his new favorite pastry chief would show herself.
He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her attention as he surveyed the treats in front of him. His eyebrows promptly rose as he took into account the sheer number of treats that were resting just beyond the glass. There were at least twice as many as there had been the day before, piles and piles of them had been added.
A moment later, Makoto poked her head out of the back, looking as though she hadn't slept in weeks. She regarded him with a confused expression, as if wondering why in the world he was in her shop at such an early hour.
"Have you been up all night baking?" he asked, acutely aware of how stupid his voice sounded.
"How did you get in here?" she asked, her tone a slight bit harsh.
Dumbly, he pointed at the door, and idly wondered what it was about this woman that seemed to take away his ability to create clear and intelligent conversation.
A dark blush spread across her cheeks. "Shit, I forgot to lock up."
"So, does this mean I can't get some breakfast?"
She forced a laugh, bringing a hand up to push her bangs out of her eyes, and really only succeeded in filling her hair with flour. "Of course you can," she murmured, brushing her hands against her apron and unsuccessfully blowing her hair out of her eyes. "What would you like?"
He bit the inside of his cheek, looking at her closely. "Are you sure you're alright?"
She rolled her eyes at him, cocking one hand on her hip. "Yes. I have a big catering deal this evening and I'm just trying to get a head start."
He really didn't believe her, and it was clear that she wasn't going to tell him what was going on any time soon. He tried to ignore how irritated that small fact made him feel by reminding himself that they'd only been on one date. As politely as possible, he chose his overly sugared pastry and paid for it. As soon as she'd handed him his change, however, she turned and went into the back room once again.
Her behavior shocked him quite a bit, and he stood there for a moment, wondering if she was going to say anything else. After a moment, her finally muttered a 'goodbye' before heading back outside.
He grumbled, taking a deep breath to clear his head. He had a huge day ahead of him, and he didn't need to be worrying about a woman who clearly had no interest in him at the moment. Still, he couldn't shake the disappointed feeling nagging at him. She was different from all the other girls he had been with before, and he had hoped to see her again. He shook his head, digging into his pocket to check his cell phone.
Senator Hino was not a man he liked to keep waiting.
.oO0Oo.
Ami sighed, hopping out of the shower and trying to dry her hair off as fast as possible. She had immediately gone to the pool after her shift ended, desperate to avoid Yoshikazu. He had been beyond compassionate while they were waiting to hear about Rei's condition, but she knew she had made a complete fool of herself in the operating theatre. She'd managed to make it through her entire shift without seeing him, fortunately enough, but her nerves were completely shot. Swimming had certainly helped, but she had missed Minako's text message calling for an emergency meeting at their apartment.
She was doubtful that it had anything to do with Rei; she'd checked out the girl's file before she left the hospital and nothing had been out of the ordinary. Perhaps there had been another attack, but she doubted that as well. She had kept her communicator at all times after the last one.
She dressed quickly, not bothering to dry her hair, and called Minako quickly to let her know that she was on her way. A mere ten minutes later, and she found herself knocking on the door, ignoring the nauseous feeling pulling at her stomach.
She hated this. They were supposed to be done; they'd already saved the world, more times than she cared to remember. This was their time to liv their lives freely, and it was all crumbling down. Crystal Tokyo would happen before she even got started in medical school, and she'd never live out her dream to be a doctor.
She took a deep breath, trying to clear out her thoughts. It wouldn't help anyone if she felt depressed. They'd known all along what their destiny was; it was high time that she accepted it. Mamoru opened the door, looking completely warn, and offered her a genuine, albeit small, smile.
Glancing around the room, she took in the faces of the other girls. Usagi looked completely devastated, eyes still red and swollen from crying even now, a full day after they'd found out Rei was going to recover. Makoto looked downright pissed, and she made the mental note to suggest that she go to the gym to burn off her frustrations as soon as she could. Minako's expression was eerily stern, something they only saw on the eve of battle, completely focused and emotionless.
"So, what's going on?" she asked, settling herself onto the couch next to Usagi, who simply shrugged.
"Well, you all know that I've been spending a lot of time with Kei-Kunzite lately," Minako said flatly, causing a miniscule shiver to run up Ami's spine. It had been so long since she'd heard the girl use that tone. "I was with him when I got Usagi-chan's call, so he knew I was going to the hospital for some reason or another." She sighed then, biting her lip slightly. "He's been texting me a lot since yesterday afternoon, and I couldn't figure out what to say." She glanced down at her phone, staring at in intently.
"I told him that everything was fine and invited him and Ji-Jadeite to a friendly dinner tomorrow night. You need to get Nephrite and Zoisite to come too."
Ami sighed softly in shock. "You mean to tell them everything?" Makoto had a similar worried expression.
Minako nodded, her expression turning grim. "I don't want to; I don't want them to have to give up their lives for this, but we don't have a choice. If Rei and Mamoru's visions were correct, and we all know they usually are, we don't have much time."
She sank back into the couch, looking up at Mamoru. "How are we going to give them proof? They're not going to believe us."
"I know," Mamoru said, his tone quiet. "We can use the Silver Crystal to show them, just like how Luna and Artemis used to do for you guys."
"This sucks," Makoto said, blunt as ever. "Do we even know why this is happening?"
Minako shook her head. "Michiru-san and Haruka-san have been trying to get in touch with Pluto, but they haven't been able to."
"Do you think there's trouble in the future?" Ami asked, and Minako simply shrugged. "Whenever things aren't going as planned here the future seems to be at risk. A tiny change here would mess up everything."
"We still don't even know who's behind these attacks," Mamoru chimed in. "We don't know why and we don't know what they want. We don't know anything." He said, his voice beginning to sound frustrated.
"It's only a matter of time," Minako said glumly. "We'll know what they're after sooner or later."
.oO0Oo.
"I told you she didn't hate you," Keitaro said, nudging his brother slightly. He'd been so relieved to hear back from Minako after she'd bolted out of his office, and listening to Jiro mope about how he shouldn't have used the miko to make Miyako jealous had not improved his mood.
Jiro gave him a rather sour look. "And how would you know? She hasn't said anything to me for two days."
Keitaro rolled his eyes, waving his phone by his face. "Because Minako-san dropped her phone into the lake and she hasn't gotten a new one yet."
Jiro's face significantly brightened, but he still looked a bit bummed. "That just means she couldn't talk to me. She probably still doesn't want to."
Keitaro smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Quit moping so much, idiot. Would she have invited us both to dinner at their apartment tomorrow if she hated you?" He rolled his eyes at the mildly dopey grin that spread across his brother's face. "Didn't realize I had a lovesick little sister nowadays," he jeered, quickly vacating the living room before he could retaliate.
As soon as his brother was gone, he allowed himself to sigh in relief. He had been really worried that he had blown things. He hadn't really been able to sort out the feelings he had for the girl, being so fresh from his breakup with Miyako, but he knew that there was something special about her. Besides that, she had been astoundingly kind to him, a complete stranger, although his suspected that it was just out of respect to Minako. Plus, she was quite pretty and had a very interesting life so far. If nothing else, he wanted to get to know her better, to be friends with her, and he hated that he had almost ruined that possibility.
He smiled to himself, settling back down on the couch and attempting to turn his attention back to the television, well aware of the stupid grin that wasn't fading from his lips.
.oO0Oo.
Makoto sighed, tuning the business card over in her hands, revealing the personal cell phone number that was scrawled on the back. She doubted Norio would even answer her call; she had been a colossal bitch to him that morning. She glanced at the clock, wondering if it was too late in the evening to call him. It was nearly ten o'clock, and she knew that she probably should have attempted to call him before she took Ami's advice and went on a marathon gym session.
She did feel worlds better though.
Shaking her head, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number, assuming that if he were sleeping he would just ignore her call and no harm would be done. If anything, she really wanted to apologize for how she had acted that morning.
He picked up after one ring, sounding exhausted and frustrated, and she immediately questioned her decision to call him.
"Hi, Norio-san," she said, ignoring the shaking in her voice. "It's Makoto."
"Oh, hello," he said, sounding a tad bit more annoyed, causing a her to feel a fresh splash of guilt.
"I'm really sorry about this morning," she said quietly. "There's just been some…stuff going on lately, and I wasn't really handling it well. I shouldn't have been so rude to you."
She heard him sigh heavily, and she subconsciously bit at her lip, wondering if he was going to be too annoyed with her for him to come to the dinner tomorrow. She'd be damned if she was the one who held up this whole operation; she knew with Rei and Usagi both out of commission that they needed the Shittenou, as much as it sucked that they had to bring back their memories.
"It's fine, Makoto-san," he said, sounding particularly wary. "I could tell there was something more going on than a catering event, but it's not my business to pry at you."
She chewed her lip for a moment, trying to figure out a way to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them.
"Look," he said suddenly, "it's not a big deal; don't worry about it. We all have bad days."
"It sounds like you're having one right now," she said, the words slipping out of her mouth before she realized it.
He chuckled dryly. "You should tell your friend Rei-san that her father can be a real pain in the ass," he muttered, and Makoto couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Oh, trust me. She knows," she said, glad that the tension between them had broken.
"Listen, I was –"
"So what are you –"
They both started talking at the same time, causing Makoto to laugh again. She knew it wasn't terribly hilarious, but it felt so good to laugh.
"Are you busy right now?" Norio asked, his tone sounding much lighter than before. "Maybe we could go out and grab some drinks?"
She hoped he couldn't hear her sigh of relief. Going out for drinks gave her the opportunity to ask him to dinner tomorrow, and she could only hope he would accept. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips.
"I'd love to."
.oO0Oo.
"Ami-san!"
She nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn't have to work that morning since she usually had class, but she had headed to the hospital anyway in an attempt to locate Yoshikazu. She'd barely stepped into the building before he had spotted her.
She smiled, offering him a small wave as he approached. "I didn't see your name on the schedule for today," he said, smiling brightly. "I tried to find you yesterday but I guess I kept missing you."
"Oh, yea," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Sorry, I was really swamped yesterday."
"I was going to find Chiba-san to see how you were doing," he said, his tone mildly concerned. "I heard that your friend is doing really well. They're already impressed at how quickly she's healing."
"I know; Mamoru-kun called me this morning to let me know."
"So what are you doing here? Most people can't wait to get out of here, and you just keep coming right back."
She gave him a genuine smile. "Actually, I was looking for you," she said, hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she thought she did. "Some friends of mine are having a dinner together tonight. Mamoru-kun and his wife will be there, and I was wondering if you might like to join me?"
He tapped his finger to his head, feigning thought. "I don't know, Ami-san. This is all so sudden!" For a moment, she panicked, but then his face broke into a wide grin. "I'm kidding; of course I'll come along with you. You're not friends with a bunch of crazies though are you?"
She laughed lightly. "Depends on your definition of crazy," she said. "Come by my apartment around six?" she said, flashing him a genuine smile.
"Sure. Look, I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you then."
She nodded, finding it difficult to speak. She was relieved that he was coming, but a part of her felt immensely sad. She wished they'd never had to bring them back; she was dreading this dinner more than anything in her life.
.oO0Oo.
Makoto had showed up right on time, carting in an entire plastic tub of food that she was ready to heat up for the evening's events. Minako stood in the corner of the kitchen, watching her with great interest, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"You're hung over," she said bluntly, resisting the urge to laugh. Maybe it was because of everything that was going on, but it felt good to find the humor in something.
"Yea, yea," she grumbled, tossing some pans of food into the oven before placing some other dishes into the refrigerator. "Look, I got him to come tonight."
"Mmhmm, I'll bet you did. What else happened last night?" Minako teased, peering over her shoulder to see what else he had brought to eat.
"Oh shut up, Mina-chan," she said, giving the blond a dirty look. "I kissed him and went home and slept in my own bed."
Minako raised her eyebrow. "Alone?"
The dark blush that spread across her cheeks gave her the answer she wanted. "Nothing happened!" Makoto protested. "I swear. We were just talking and we fell asleep. Besides, I'm betting that you've slept with Kunzite at least twice by now."
Minako pretended to be offended, but she knew that her more promiscuous days in high school and the Silver Millennium preceded her. "Not once, actually," she said, shrugging slightly. "I didn't want to get to involved since he's probably going to hate me sooner or later."
Makoto patted her shoulder softly, pulling out a bottle of wine. "I guess we'll find out tonight."
A knock sounded from the living room, and Minako pulled away to open it, relieving Keitaro and Jiro, brandishing a delicious looking cake. She introduced them to Makoto, who delightedly took the cake into the kitchen.
"So, where's Rei-san?" Jiro asked after a moment, looking around the apartment like a nervous puppy.
Minako cleared the sudden lump that formed itself in her throat and smiled brightly. "Yuichirou-kun needed her to help out at the Shrine for a bit; she'll be here shortly," she said, the rehearsed lie slipping easily from her lips.
"Is she mad about what happened?" he asked, and for a moment Minako looked confused. She'd almost completely forgotten about the kiss incident.
"Oh, of course not. She was going to call you, but then I started teasing her and dropped her phone in the lake," she said, laughing slightly and attempting to blush. Keitaro was giving her a strange look, almost as though he could see through her story, and she felt herself beginning to panic. Fortunately, Mamoru and Usagi came through the door at that moment, and after some hasty introductions she bolted back into the kitchen.
Makoto immediately handed her a glass of wine, one of many on the serving tray that she had prepared to take outside, that she immediately accepted and downed.
"Relax, Mina-chan," she said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Keep it together." The blond nodded, refilling her wine glass and heading out of the kitchen behind her.
Norio, Ami, and Yoshikazu were arrive as they reentered, and Minako found herself taking a nervous breath as she locked eyes with Usagi. In a few moments, once everyone was settled, she and Mamoru would retreat to the kitchen as planned and restore their memories. She settled herself on the arm of the chair that Keitaro was sitting on, casually throwing her arm around his shoulder.
"Having fun?" she asked idly, and he smiled lightly, shaking his head at her. "We just got here," he said, laughing a bit. She planted a kiss on his cheek, smiling brightly when Jiro rolled his eyes at her.
She zoned out a bit as everyone introduced himself or herself, twirling a lock of her hair nervously. She noticed how Jiro's eyes kept drifting toward the door, and how Norio's hand had settled itself comfortably on Makoto's thigh. Yoshikazu and Mamoru were talking animatedly about something, and Ami kept laughing at along with them. Keitaro's hand had started rubbing light circles on her lower back, and she found the small motion to be incredibly comforting.
After a few moments of casual conversation, Usagi and Mamoru politely excused themselves to the kitchen. She caught Makoto's nervous gaze and offered her a reassuring smile, despite how quickly her heart had started to race.
"What the hell is that?" Norio asked, gesturing toward the kitchen, where a bright, silvery light had begun to shine. Suddenly, the light illuminated the entire room, blinding everyone inside. Minako heard a glass fall on the coffee table and break before Keitaro's arm suddenly fell away from her back and his head fell to rest on her arm.
As quickly as the light came, it faded, revealing the four men lying around the room, unconscious.
Minako took a deep breath to steady herself and Ami exhaled a soft sob. Without a word, Makoto stood up, moving around the room to collect the dropped glasses and readjust the seemingly sleeping men.
Minako and Ami soundlessly rose to help her, bring the room back to some semblance of order. Once they were finished, Minako leaned heavily against the wall, he eyes never leaving Keitaro's face.
"Now we just wait?" she asked, and Ami just nodded.
"Now we wait," Makoto murmured, chewing on her thumb nervously.
.oO0Oo.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that there's not a lot going on in here; I've had some monster writer's block with this story lately. Please read and review! You guys rock.