Knowing not to panic, Mina held onto Mako and gently lowered them to the floor. Checking over Mako, Mina made sure she had a steady pulse and she was breathing. Taking a step back, Mina took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. She was scared, she was worried, and she knew that if she didn't do anything she would hate herself later on.
Placing Mako in the recovery position, Mina walked over to the linen press and pulled out a small sea green coloured blanket and placed it over the lower half of Mako's body. Brushing the loose strand of hair out of Mako's face, Mina placed a gentle kiss on her temple before she assessed the situation as best as she could. She knew that if someone didn't wake from passing out within a few minutes she should call for an ambulance but she knew there was no way they could explain an alien attack and foreign enzyme to the paramedics without them thinking they were crazy.
Grabbing her communicator, Mina opened it and took a deep breath in before talking. "Usagi, Luna, Artemis, are any of you there?" Trying to keep the panic out of her voice, Mina bit her bottom lip slightly and let out a sigh of relief when Luna replied.
"Minako, what's wrong?" Luna asked, detecting the change in the girl's voice.
"It's Mako, she passed out while standing up a few moments ago and she's still not awake. I put her in the recovery position and checked her pulse and breathing and they both seem okay. You said to call if things got worse and I think they have," Mina replied, not realising how quickly she was speaking.
"That's not good at all. We may have to run some tests on the barb you pulled out of her," Luna replied, keeping a calm voice.
"The barb has started to ooze yellow liquid into the bottom of the vial too, it looks kind of like it's shimmering," Mina said, making sure to add in what she could.
"I'm going to need you to bring me the barb immediately; I'm at control with Usagi. I haven't come across any kind of oozing in any of my research," Luna replied, her voice seeming a little more alert.
"I don't want to leave Mako alone, I'm worried that something bad will happen while I'm not here, she just seems so unwell," Mina responded as she checked on Mako and pulled the blanket up a little higher so it was sitting over her waist.
"I'm sorry to say but you're going to need to leave her for a bit. I need you to bring me the barb as at this rate every second counts."
"Okay, I can be there in fifteen minutes max," Mina said before closing her communicator and letting out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding.
Checking on Mako once more, Mina pulled out a pen and paper from her backpack and wrote Mako a quick note saying she would be back soon just in case she woke up.
Grabbing the vial off the coffee table, she shoved it into her pocket and went into the kitchen and grabbed the apartment keys off the table. Giving one last look over Mako, Mina exited the apartment and locked the door behind her.
Running down the stairs two at time, Mina rushed out of the apartment building and onto the street. The sky was dark and the moon was shining brightly. A few bats flew overhead but Mina paid them no attention. Heading down the long streets, Mina noticed there were only a few cars on the road and barely any people around her. Stopping at a somewhat busy intersection, Mina impatiently tapped her foot and waited for the signal to cross. Pushing past a group of slow walkers that were in front of her, she didn't bother to stop and apologise as she had other things on her mind.
Hurrying as fast as she could, she halted to a stop as she saw a flash of purple out the corner of her eye. Ducking into the alleyway, she pushed her back flush up against the brick wall and put her hand into her pocket, taking hold of her pen. Waiting to see if the flash of purple appeared again, Mina steadied her breathing and looked around.
Taking a step out of the alleyway, she kept her hand on her pen as she started to make her way towards the arcade. She had other things to do that were a little more pressing than waiting around for what she thought could be the creature that had injured her friend.
Rounding the last corner, Mina headed to the back of the arcade and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Artemis was standing there and waiting for her.
"Hey Mina, come inside, Luna and Usagi are waiting for us down there," Artemis said as he greeted the girl.
"Hey Artemis, I have the vial, come on," Mina replied, pushing the door open and heading inside and down the stairs into the control room.
Seeing Usagi and Luna at one of the computers, she went over to them and saw the information about the Vash on the screen.
"Minako, that was quick," Usagi said, looking up from the screen.
"I got here as fast as I could," Mina replied as Artemis jumped up onto the console.
"Put the vial in here please," Artemis said as he pressed a button next to him.
Watching as a thin tube slowly rose out of the console, Mina walked over to it and placed the vial inside of it, making sure it was centre. Just as slowly as it rose, it descended back into the console, the sounds of whirling softly coming from the tube as a soft white light emanated from it.
"It should only take a few minutes for the computers to analyse what's inside of the vial," Luna said, seeing the look of worry and concern on Mina's face.
"How are you doing, Minako?" Usagi asked, placing a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"I'm okay, I just hope that once we know what's coming out of the barb Mako will be okay," Mina replied, not really able to figure out how she was feeling.
Going silent, Mina watched as the screen showed a loading bar, the progress of it slowly going up as each second ticked past. After a few minutes the screen flashed saying that the analysis was complete. Watching as another small compartment opened with a white cube inside of it, Mina looked at it curiously.
"I'm pulling up the results now and it appears that the Vash that attacked you and Mako is a generic version, nothing new with it even after a millennia being trapped inside of a time bubble. I think that the enzyme is just hitting Mako harder. If she was feeling unwell her immune system could have already been compromised. The white cube the computer gave us is something to help with the effect of the enzyme. It won't cure it but it should help with the symptoms. Mako will need to chew it so hopefully she wakes up soon," Luna said, going over the information on the screen.
"Thank you so much, I need to head back and make sure she's okay," Mina replied, grabbing the chew and quickly heading up the stairs and out the back of the arcade.
Walking out onto the street, Mina made sure no one was around before she started running back to the apartment as quickly as she could. Rounding the corners and sprinting down the long sidewalks, Mina decided to cut through the alleyway and ran down its length before she jumped up onto a wooden crate and over the small wire fence that was at the other end.
Coming to the apartment building, Mina stopped running and looked around. The flash of purple crossed her vision once more. Holding her pen in her hand, she spun around and tried to spot it. Not seeing anything appear, she shook her head and headed up the stairs. Opening the door to the apartment she went inside and locked the door behind her.
Seeing Mako still lying on the floor, Mina went over to her and checked her pulse and breathing. Sighing in relief as everything seemed okay, she gently shook Mako, hoping she would wake up.
"What happened?" Mako groggily asked as she came to.
"You passed out when you stood up, you've been unconscious for roughly forty minutes," Mina replied as she pulled the chew out of her pocket. "I ended up calling Luna for advice and Luna, Artemis, and Usagi met me at control and we examined the barb and the computer gave us this for you. It's a chew tablet and it should help with the side effects."
Taking the white chew tablet off Mina, Mako placed it into her mouth and began chewing on it, making a face when she realised it had a chalky texture to it. "This does not taste good at all."
"I bet. Here let me help you up," Mina offered, noticing that Mako was still on the floor.
Taking the hand that was offered to her, Mako felt herself being pulled up and it kind of surprised her that Mina did that with ease. Stopping for a second as her head spun, Mako took a deep breath in and slowly released it. Feeling a warm hand on her back, she let Mina guide her over to the couch so she could sit down.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Mina asked, wanting to be there for Mako.
"Not really, I just want a bath or shower as I feel gross," Mako replied, still not feeling very well.
"Just sit down and relax for the next few minutes and I'll go run you a bath."
Quickly making her way into the bathroom, Mina went over to the bath and put the plug in. Turning on the hot water, she watched as the water started to pool in the bottom of the tub. Looking around the bathroom, she opened the small vanity under the sink and went through it to see if there was anything she could use. Finding a small basket of bath bombs and bath milks, Mina picked them all up one by one and smelled them, trying to find the right scent. Finally deciding on a blush pink bath bomb, she turned it over and noticed it was called 'Eternal' and was scented as rosewood. Taking note so she could get herself some later on, she took the plastic wrap off it and dropped it into the bathtub.
Checking the temperature of the water, Mina added some cold water into the mix and when it felt perfect she turned the taps off and looked down at the pink scented water. Hearing Mako get up, Mina wiped her hands dry and went back out into the living room. "Your bath is ready; do you need help with anything?"
"Thank you and I think I may. I need to find some clean clothes but every time I lean forward my head still spins," Mako replied. Taking hold of Mina's hand in her own, she led them into the bedroom and stopped in front of the set of drawers.
"What clothing do you want?" Mina asked, not sure what to get out.
"I kind of want my soft green pyjama shorts and a tank top, they're really comfy," Mako replied, walking over to the dresser. "I think they're in the bottom left drawer."
"We'll see if they are there," Mina replied as she went over to the dresser and found what Mako wanted almost straight away.
"Thank you," Mako said as Mina placed the items on the bed. "I think I'm going to go get in the bath."
"If you need anything just call out, I'll be in the living room."
"Okay." Making her way to the bathroom Mako stopped by the linen press and pulled out a clean towel before she entered the small room and closed the door behind her.
Letting a small smile grace her face as she smelt the rosewood coming from the bath, Mako walked over to it and looked down at the pink water. Quickly getting undressed, she gently lowered herself into the warm water and felt her body relax. Reminding herself not to get her arm wet as it was still bandaged up; she let it hang over the side of the tub as she closed her eyes and basked in the warmth.
Thinking about the events of the day as they didn't want to leave her mind, Mako could still vividly see flashes of purple. She knew not to kick herself over not seeing the Vash move but at the same time, if she would have seen it she may not have been injured. 'Just let it go, Mako, it wasn't your fault. Just because you got injured it doesn't mean you failed. But what if I did fail and it attacks someone else? What if Mina was the one to be injured and not me? I don't think I could forgive myself if that was the case. I need to get better as soon as I can so I can help make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else.'
Opening her eyes, Mako let herself sink a little lower into the water. Splashing some of it onto her chest with her good arm, she took a moment to gather herself and push the thoughts in her mind aside.
'It has been kind of nice having Mina here with me while I don't feel well. I think I feel a little better just because she's here. Every time she touches me I feel the butterflies in my stomach are doing a dance. She's so warm and I love spending time with her, I don't feel alone when I'm with her and the shine in her beautiful blue eyes when she smiles makes me warm.'
Grabbing the bottle of body wash from the small basket in the corner, Mako squeezed some of the lavender scented soap onto her hands and rubbed them together before washing herself as best as she could without getting the bandage wet. Rinsing herself off, she pulled the plug out of the drain and let the water rush around her as it was sucked down.
Getting out of the bath, Mako grabbed her towel and dried off. Not wanting to keep Mina waiting she wrapped the towel around herself and headed into the bedroom. Making sure she was dry, she got herself dressed and hung the towel up on the hook on the back of her door.
Hearing a knock on her bedroom door, she sat down on the bed. "I'm dressed, you can come in."
"I brought you a bottle of water to help keep your fluids up," Mina said as she entered the bedroom and handed the bottle to Mako.
"Thank you." Unscrewing the cap, Mako took a long sip of the water before placing it down on her bedside table.
"How are you feeling?" Mina asked with a concerned look on her face.
"A little bit better, my arm is starting to hurt though," Mako replied, trying to move her injured arm and regretting it.
"Come to the living room and we'll check it out and change the dressing and give you some painkillers," Mina responded, wanting to do her best to help.
Following Mina into the living room, Mako sat down on the couch as she watched Mina carry the first aid kit over to her. She was hoping that the bleeding had stopped and that the wound was okay but she wasn't going to hold her breath as today hadn't been her day.
Feeling Mina gently take hold of her arm, she felt the bandage being slowly removed, revealing the dressing over the wound. Watching as best she could as Mina removed the dressing; Mako could see that under it was stained red with her blood.
"The bleeding has thankfully stopped and none of it looks fresh. The butterfly stitches seem to be doing their job too. I think it looks pretty good, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it," Mina said as she got a closer look at the wound.
"That's good to hear, knowing my luck today I was half convinced it was going to be infected," Mako replied, feeling herself relax a little knowing that her arm was okay.
"I'll just put a clean dressing on it and I think that should do for tonight, what do you think?" Mina asked, wanting to do what Mako felt was best.
"I think just the dressing will do, we don't want to apply too much pressure to it," Mako replied, not really liking the restrictive feeling of having a bandage on.
Watching as Mina got to work and cleaned up the area a little before placing the new dressing, Mako felt a small wave of tiredness hit her. She kind of felt ready for bed but not ready for sleep. She wanted to spend some more time with Mina.
"You're all done, what do you feel up to doing?" Mina asked, facing Mako.
"I think I want to lie down in bed for a bit, will you join me?" Mako replied, letting herself be vulnerable for a moment.
"Of course," Mina replied, unable to keep the smile off her face.
Quickly cleaning up the coffee table and packing away the first aid kit, they headed into the bedroom and turned the lamp on so there was some light.
"I think I should change into my pyjamas, I'll be back in a moment," Mina said as she quickly left the room and returned dressed in a cotton pants and top set that was a soft yellow.
Curling up on the bed, Mako got comfortable and smiled when Mina laid down next to her. Turning onto her side so she could properly look at Mina, she felt a wave of giddiness wash over her as she noticed Mina was looking into her eyes.
"Feeling any better?" Mina gently asked as she softly brushed back a strand of Mako's hair and placed it behind her ear.
"I'm actually feeling a bit better since I had that chew tablet thing," Mako replied, feeling a warm flush on her face.
"That's good to hear, I've been really worried about you all day." Gently taking hold of Mako's hands in her own, Mina gave them a soft squeeze hoping that she could convey what she was feeling.
"I'm sorry I made you worry," Mako softly said, not liking making anyone worry about her.
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault you got injured, if anything it was kind of my fault for not seeing the Vash moving quick enough," Mina replied, still feeling a little bad for what happened.
"Mina, listen to me, it wasn't your fault either. The Vash disappeared and neither of us knew what happened. It's no one's fault so don't go beating yourself up, if anything you scared it off so it wouldn't hurt us more," Mako responded, trying her best to make Mina feel better.
"I just don't like seeing you hurt." Closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh, Mina moved a little and rested her forehead against Mako's, taking a moment to enjoy being close to her. "I'm still a little worried about you but being here with you makes it better."
"And with you here with me I feel safe and I know that if anything happens you'll be here to make sure everything is okay. Whenever we've been together over the last few months I've always just wanted to spend every waking moment with you, you make me feel special and make the butterflies in my tummy do back flips." Feeling like she could be honest, Mako took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, relaxing into the bed.
Opening her eyes, Mina looked into Mako's deep green eyes and saw the sparkle they held for her. She felt a soft blush starting to rise as emotion coursed through her body. Pressing her lips against Mako's, she gently kissed her and tried her best to convey how she felt through the intimate touch.
Slowly pulling out of the kiss, Mako smiled at Mina and touched her lips. "I've been waiting forever to kiss you."