11 | Third One Down
Usagi loudly heaved a massive sigh as she fell onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling. Sure, her classes were difficult and she had a full day of them, but that wasn't the issue. Nor was it depression. No, the emotion she felt was far worse. She glared at the white surface as distress, disdain, and raw anger flowed through her mind and soul. Those negative feelings were prompted by the conversation initiated by her trusted advisor and, more so, by the suggestion that black feline offered her.
"Why should I?" Her tone carried more than a hint of petulance. "Why should I even bother to meet with either of them anytime soon?"
"Well, for one, Usagi, they're your senshi, and you need them if you ever hope to defeat the Dark Kingdom," Luna replied.
"I know that."
"I understand you still feel hurt by what they did to you, but you can't carry a grudge like this."
"I'm not carrying a grudge. I'm just…" The memories of that night made her shudder. "I'm still a little uncomfortable being around the girls who willingly tried to kill me."
Luna shook her head in despair. "That was a grave mistake, one that they've readily admitted to and one for which they have apologized. You've forgiven Ami and Makoto, so why not do the same for Rei and Minako?"
"That was different," Usagi whispered. "Ami-chan apologized of her own free will and told me everything they were planning to do to me. Furthermore, she never attacked me the same way the other girls did. Even then, it was clear that Mako-chan didn't hate me as much as the other girls did, or at all, really. She could have hurt me very badly with her lightning. Easily. But, she merely went through the motions. Now that I know what she was thinking and how conflicted she was I understand why she attacked me and at the same time why she didn't want to actually hit me. Not only that, she also apologized and felt bad for what she did without anyone forcing her."
Soft drumming of fingers against the mattress filled the air for a few seconds, followed by a deep sigh. Or, rather, a surprised cough, one prompted by the sudden weight Usagi felt land on her stomach. That weight then padded up her frame to stop squarely in the middle of her chest. Curiosity prompted her to lift her head, where she met Luna's piercing gaze.
"What makes you think there's anything different with Minako and Rei?"
Silence reigned once again. Something about the far wall seemed more interesting to Usagi at the moment.
"You do remember they continued to believe I wasn't their princess up to the point I nearly killed myself, right?"
"Yes, but now they know you're their princess. They know it, and they sincerely regret what they did to you when they idiotically believed otherwise." Luna pressed forward, almost stuffing her nose directly into Usagi's face. "And, you still haven't answered my question."
A strange chuckle escaped Usagi's lips. "You really think Minako's sincere when she says she's sorry? The past few weeks has shown me she can be prideful to a fault. On top of that she's a good actress and is capable of manipulating the way others see her if you don't know her very well or if you're not careful."
"I… I can't believe what you're saying. Are you seriously suggesting that Minako would lie about something so vital, or that her sadness the last time she saw you—which, I'll have you know, was a few weeks ago by now—was fake?"
"I'm not quite saying that. I just don't know if she feels sad for betraying in me and attacking me or for making the wrong choice and appearing less of a leader as a result."
Luna leaped off her charge and onto the mattress. Ducking her head into the cushion and covering it with her paws was far easier that way. It was the best she could do to vent her intense frustration.
"Okay… There's an easy way to resolve this issue, and that's for me to contact Artemis. He'll know whether Minako's actually depressed or if she's making it all up as you suggest. I have a strong feeling that he'll agree with me."
Usagi pushed herself into a sitting position and gazed at the irate feline. "I don't know if you can trust him either."
"What? Now you're saying that Artemis is scheming along with Minako?"
"No, no, no! It's nothing like that." Swift waving of her hands before her chest punctuated her denial. "It's that we still don't know what Sazaratha did to him."
"Did Makoto mention any particular problems with him the last time you two talked?"
"As far as she knows he still acts normal, but how can we be sure?" She turned her eyes to the ceiling yet again and hummed softly. "If that demon did something to him, I just might be able to help him. I should go with you."
Luna nodded. "That would be nice. You have the unique ability to cure him, assuming there's anything to be cured. But, I think there's one thing you should do if you accompany me that I'm sure will help us even more."
"And that is…?" She slowly leaned toward her advisor with an eager stare.
"You have to speak with Minako. She'll likely be there with Artemis, and it would be pointless to have the two of you in the same location without you saying a word to her."
"Luna…"
"I'm not saying you have to forgive her or anything like that. Just talk to her. Maybe you can overcome your irrational hatred of her and the two of you can come to some agreement if you refuse to forgive her outright."
"But, I don't hate Minako."
"Well, what do you call it, then? Undue distrust? Whatever it is, it's not helping you, and it's certainly not helping her. I don't know if you know it or not, but your refusal to see either Minako or Rei is deeply hurting them."
Usagi opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it as she further reflected upon Luna's words. What on earth could she say, after all? Her eyes dimmed slightly as she gazed at the unadorned wall behind the feline.
"So, please, just promise me you'll speak with Minako."
She remained in thoughtful silence for several moments, but she eventually relented and gave her reply. "Okay. I'll do it."
"I'm glad." Luna leaped from the bed and began to walk toward the door but stopped midway to the threshold, turning a cautious glance to the girl. "What about Rei? Do you plan to speak with her at any time?"
"Unlike for Minako, I believe she's sincere." Usagi exhaled an apprehensive sigh. "The problem is that she hated me so deeply and for so long that it's hard for me to believe she could just turn on a dime and stop feeling utter contempt for me. I don't know why, but I feel really scared whenever I think about Rei and her emotions."
"I'm sure Rei doesn't hate you anymore, and I'm very sure she doesn't want to kill you, if that's what you're afraid of."
The blonde sighed yet again, its tenor the same as before despite her desires. "I absolutely hope you're right."
—|1|2|3|4|5|—
"This is the house? It's not really all that impressive to be honest."
Haruka ran a hand through her hair as she slowly drove past the two-story structure. As was typical when she took the wheel, her focus was on the road in front of her, so it was her companion in Michiru who had uttered that statement. Nevertheless, she had managed to sneak a peek at the house as she passed it, and that transient glance was enough for her to nod her head in agreement. It also prompted yet another question, one she found more pertinent to the situation.
"Can't we just blast it from here and be done with it?"
The woman sitting in the rear passenger seat behind Michiru shook her head. "You do remember what I said just a few days ago, right Haruka-chan?"
"But, Setsuna-san, it's right there. All I would need is one or two good strikes and it would be over."
Setsuna heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid it's not that easy. Besides, I don't feel any of that mysterious negative energy right now, which means that the true threat would survive your attack."
"Dammit! Well, can't we wait for him to show up, and then take them down?"
"Come on, Haruka-chan. I know you're impatient, but this way is a lot more fun."
What Michiru had seen as amusing, judging by her giggling, instead made Setsuna somewhat anxious.
"Fun or not, we need to be able to figure out who this new Shitennou-like individual is, lest you end up killing the wrong person by accident. Heaven forbid some random bystander wanders to the house and you assume that he's the one."
"Okay, I get it. So, what do you want me to do?"
"Simple. Find someplace to park where we can keep an eye on the house."
"Heh. That's easier said than done, especially with these narrow streets. I'll probably have better luck dropping you guys off somewhere and parking in a garage."
"Don't be so negative, Haruka-chan." Michiru pointed off to the side with one hand while tightly grasping the door handle with the other. "Besides, there's an empty spot right there."
"Right wh—oh, I see it."
It was a vacant space in a small lot, both shrinking ever smaller in Haruka's left wing mirror. As such, she needed to act immediately, lest that valuable piece of real estate disappear. A light tap of the throttle pitched the car forward with ease, marking the prelude to a series of movements she would execute with perfect coordination. She intended to follow up with a slight twist of the steering wheel in one direction before rapidly swiveling it the other way. As the car slid rearward and sideways, she would then flatten the throttle pedal, stopping the slide and driving the car forward. She would complete the maneuver in mere seconds if all went to plan.
Of course, reality had other ideas.
As soon as she started to accelerate she saw the nose of an approaching police car as it rounded the bend in front of her. Rather than pull of an impressive yet patently illegal work of driving magic right in front of law enforcement, she jabbed the brake pedal. The car slowed well below the legal speed limit just in time to not draw the suspicion of the passing officer. Once it left her vision, she slowly reversed the car down the road and into the lot where she found the empty space awaiting her. She ensured the transmission was shifted into neutral and the parking brake was engaged before she sighed and slumped forward across the steering wheel.
"That was a close one."
Michiru grinned. "I'd say. You avoided the massive embarrassment of driving head-long into a police car."
"I would imagine that the legal ramifications would be far worse," Setsuna said.
"Maybe, but that could be chalked up as a simple accident. On the other hand, once the news spread around the paddock, she would never be able to live it down."
"Anyway, we're here," Haruka interjected. She did little to hide her displeasure with the topic previously being discussed. "I hope we don't have to wait for very long."
If one thing went right for the blonde that early evening, it was that fate granted her wish. A few minutes after parking, the trio saw a black Honda Civic drive past. Though distance and awkward angles made spotting the car difficult, it clearly had stopped in front of the house. Setsuna exited the car and slowly walked across the street in order to get a better view. In doing so she was able to witness Grayson and another individual, a woman with long black hair as far as she could tell, enter the Honda. She hurried back to Haruka's car and hopped inside, though she was courteous enough to not slam the door when pulling it shut.
"I think it might be a good idea to follow that black car you just saw," she said.
An eager grin pulled at Haruka's lips as she released the parking brake and pulled the lever behind the steering wheel to shift the car into first gear. "You don't have to ask me twice."
She pulled straight out, the Lexus IS F shuddering slightly as it hopped over the low curbs but otherwise incurring no real damage. It took her less than a minute to catch up to the Civic, staying behind by a few car lengths so as to not draw their suspicion. In the several minutes that the trio followed their quarry, it soon dawned on them where they were headed.
"It looks like we're in Minato," Michiru said. "Why on earth would they be heading this way?"
Setsuna let her gaze wander between a few of the shops she saw through the passenger-side window as they drove past. "I imagine it has something to do with the senshi who still live here, though why they would be so conspicuous about it is beyond me."
"I wouldn't call it that when those girls hardly know what to look for," Haruka said.
Michiru slowly nodded in understanding. "Well, they surely can't be up to anything good over here. We probably should notify them and let them know what's going on."
"I disagree, at least for right now," Setsuna said. "If they were foolish enough to attack one of the senshi, then I feel sorry for them. Even though the girls are weaker than us, I strongly believe they can hold their own in a fight. Look at how well Makoto-san did when she accompanied us to the Dark Kingdom's lair."
"That's when we launched a surprise attack against them, and they were completely unprepared. Even without magical powers, if those people were to do the same against the girls, they could still do serious damage."
"In that case, it's a good thing that we're here monitoring their activities. An ambush would be difficult to pull off if we notice them preparing one. However, I strongly believe we should leave those girls out of this for now. They have enough of their own problems to overcome."
"It looks like they're stopping," Haruka said, drawing to her both women's attention as she maneuvered the car to the far-left lane so that they could turn off of the street. "One of them left the car and entered that building over there."
Setsuna shifted forward in her seat to gain a better view through the windshield. "Which one was it?"
Haruka shrugged. "I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine. He didn't look like Grayson though. The man was far too old."
"That's no good." She leaned back toward her seat and reached for the door handle. "You two wait here. I want to have a closer look."
"Maybe I should go instead," Michiru said, gesturing with one hand while reaching for her own door handle with the other. "After all, it wouldn't be a good thing if Grayson spots you, or any of us for that matter."
A grin played with Setsuna's lips. "Who knows? Maybe that would help us more than you think, especially given how smitten he is with me. Besides, I'm certain by now he already knows that I work in this district, so my presence here should not be a complete surprise."
"Don't bother. The old guy's getting back in the car." A loud growl from the engine, the consequence of Haruka tapping the throttle pedal, signaled her readiness to resume the pursuit.
"Haruka-chan, should we, for good measure, also light flares so that we could more readily announce our presence?" Michiru smirked as she faced her lover. "I'm sure Setsuna-san's Garnet Rod is up for the job."
The blonde merely rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever. We're moving."
Indeed they were, albeit at a crawl. As they approached the building in front of which their targets had stopped, they could more clearly see just how perplexing their mission had become. Michiru's question neatly summarized their confusion.
"What were they looking for in an arcade?"
—|1|2|3|4|5|—
Mou… What the heck…? Who's calling me, and why now of all times?
Resonant beeps emanating from her purse shattered Minako's intense concentration and drew the blonde away from the homework she attempted to comprehend. It annoyed her. After so long, she had finally shoved that last battle and the mysterious fate of that young girl to the back of her mind, only to be horribly distracted mere minutes later. She had enough difficulty learning the intricacies of Japanese history when she fully focused on it, as her abysmal grade on the last quiz had proved. Improving that grade was vital, if not to avoid her mother's ire yet again. Besides, not receiving an allowance and being completely broke was a huge pain.
With a huff, she grabbed her bag and reached for her cell phone with the intent to inform whoever had called that she was far too busy to go out. That irritation swiftly transformed into confusion when she saw that it was not the phone making all that noise.
Duh. Of course it's the communicator. I should know that by now.
That thought caused her to shake her head even as she placed the phone aside and pulled the communicator from her purse. Her mood soon improved and a smile tugged at her lips upon reading the message it displayed.
I'm so happy I get to see Ami-chan again. It's strange she wants us to meet at the candy store near the park, but I guess I can't blame her. Besides, who doesn't love candy?
Feeling upbeat, she stood from her chair and strolled toward her bedroom door. Her hand had barely touched the handle when it slowly opened, startling the girl and causing her to shuffle backward a few paces. She immediately froze when she saw her mother standing in the doorway.
"I just wanted to make sure you were actually studying and not goofing off as you are apt to do," Akiko said, her tone somewhat callous to Minako's ears. "I don't want you making a poor grade like that on an exam and failing your class as a result."
Minako's breath hitched in her throat for a second before she managed to compose herself. "I am studying."
The reply elicited a disbelieving stare from Akiko. "So why aren't you at your desk?"
"I was just going to the toilet." She averted her eyes as she spoke, a curious action her mother immediately perceived.
"Well, when you get done I hope you don't mind me going over the homework with you."
"Y-you don't have to do that."
"Why not? Are you saying that I shouldn't take an active interest in your academic wellbeing, especially when it's clear you don't share that same interest?"
Minako shot her mother a piercing glare, doing her best to squelch any tears. "I work as hard as I can at this." Almost unconsciously she clenched the hands at her sides into tight fists. "It's not my fault I'm not the smartest person alive and that I don't immediately understand everything. But it doesn't mean I'm not trying."
"Well, you could've fooled me, what with that poor performance of yours," Akiko said, unfazed by her daughter's frosty gaze. "I'm going to make sure you do well in school whether you want me to or not. And that means I'm going to make sure you're doing your homework and that you're doing it properly. If it seems to you I'm treating you like a baby in doing this, then all you have to do is prove to me you have the responsibility to take care of it yourself."
Those harsh words incensed the senshi. She tried desperately to steady her trembling body and suppress her urge to say something incredibly nasty to the woman. The repercussions of such a response would have been severe, much worse than the lack of money and, as a result, lack of freedom she had at the moment. Instead she took several deep breaths that she slowly exhaled, and that appeared to do the trick of calming her rage. Then, without saying a word, she walked to her desk, grabbed the notebook containing her homework, and extended it toward her mother. Her eyes remained pointed at the ground when she felt the weight of the notebook disappear from her hand.
"You see, this is all I'm asking you to do," Akiko said, her tone more encouraging, as she flipped through the pages. "This isn't perfect, but it's clear you're putting in far more effort than you demonstrated on that quiz. All you have to do is keep this up."
Minako only gave a nod in response to what she considered rare praise from her mother. She then shut her eyes and pondered her next move. It was imperative that she leave the house in order to meet with Ami, but she did not know if Akiko would let her leave so easily. On the other hand, the woman seemed to possess a far better temperament than she exhibited even a few seconds ago. Besides, sneaking out of the house carried far too great a risk at that juncture. So, despite its improbability, she bet on her mother's generosity.
"Do you think it's okay if I could go meet with Ami-chan?" She refused to let her dim eyes meet her mother's. "She called me just a few minutes ago, and I really want to talk with her."
"I don't see why not. You still have some work to do, but you've shown a willingness to do it. Also, it's Mizuno-san, so I don't have to worry about you getting into trouble."
The affirmative reply stunned the blonde, but she recovered quickly enough to respond. "Thanks. I'll be back in an hour or two at the longest."
Akiko nodded and, after returning to the girl her notebook, calmly left the room. It gave her an opportunity to grab Artemis, which was another strange request from Ami, and place the feline inside her shoulder bag before running down the stairs and out the door.
—|1|2|3|4|5|—
Haruka was never fond of following another person, especially when driving. For the twenty minutes their targets led them aimlessly about, she excelled at doing exactly that. However, two specific locations informed the women that what seemed random at first in reality was anything but. Hikawa Shrine seemed odd by itself, but recognition fully hit them when they saw the Honda Civic park in front of the house formerly inhabited by the Mizuno family.
That was several minutes ago. Now, the Civic had stopped in front of an unfamiliar two-story house. Stopping her Lexus several car-lengths behind, Haruka and her companions saw the same older man exit the Civic, stalk about the sides of the house for about a minute, then return.
"It appears they're visiting the locations frequented by the guardian senshi, but they're only spending a minute or two there before leaving," Setsuna said.
Michiru lowered her head and sighed wearily. "Don't they already have youmas tracking those girls? This is completely pointless."
"I wholeheartedly agree. If I could read their minds I would be able to tell you the meaning behind all of this, but I lack that ability."
As they began to move, Haruka spotted a yellowish object streak out of the house and into the street with barely any hesitation. Closer inspection revealed the object to be a person. Fortunately for that poor, oblivious pedestrian, her Lexus's large brakes and a rather slow forty-kilometer-per-hour speed ensured she stopped well before she hit the girl.
Well before being a relative term, in this case.
Barely half of a meter of air existed between the car's front bumper and the girl's legs, a fact which left her frozen in place. Not even the heady growl of the car's engine prompted her to move. If she had any reaction at all to the car reversing and swerving around her, tires ever close to nipping her toes, nobody was the wiser. Maybe not even her.
"Dammit. That was annoying as hell."
"I'm just happy you did not run that poor girl over," Michiru quipped, pulling her lips into a playful smirk. "That would have been very bad indeed for our future efforts."
Haruka first raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, but did not turn to acknowledge her lover's grin. "Hmm… maybe so."
Thirty minutes of sneaky follow-the-leader brought the trio into the heart of Katsushika. It was imminently familiar territory for Setsuna, given that her home was located there. The other two were less knowledgeable about the locale, but that was of little importance to their immediate goal. Nevertheless, realizing when they approached certain waypoints provided a boost to their mission. That was especially true when they discovered they were in the vicinity of the largest park in the ward. Given the large number of civilians typically present, the idea that the Dark Kingdom would have interest with the park indubitably unnerved them.
"I have a bad feeling about what these guys are planning." Michiru slowly turned to face Setsuna, and the latter woman could clearly sense the gravity in her expression. "There has to be several hundred people here right now."
"It's as prime a target for gathering energy from people as any. I can't blame them for at least investigating this place as a target."
Haruka shut the engine off after locating a parking spot in the nearby lot and opened the driver-side door. "It still doesn't make sense though, as there're more people at a sports event or a race compared to this."
"They have to have some semblance of method behind their madness," Setsuna said as she exited the car. "Otherwise, it's just madness, and as much as we despise them for their attempts to harm our princess, we can't really suggest they act without initially thinking through the consequences. So, it's just a matter of figuring out their endgame."
Michiru smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt as she stood from her seat and shut the door. "I'm sure we're able to do at least that much. It's just a matter of doing so before time runs out for them… and for all of us."
They cautiously entered the park, making sure to keep a fair distance between them and the quartet they surreptitiously followed. However, despite their best-laid plans and desires, they were not able to maintain that level of secrecy for long. Almost on a whim, Grayson stopped and turned around. In doing so, his eyes immediately lit up with recognition. After a brief word with his compatriots, presumably telling them not to wait for him, he started to approach the three anxious women.
"I think he spotted me," Setsuna whispered.
Michiru lightly ran a hand through her hair and offered a tentative smile. "Well, we just have to stay calm."
"I think I could take him on if needed," Haruka said, her eyes narrowing as she gauged her opponent.
Though it was delivered with deadpan seriousness, her expression of confidence more amused Setsuna and allowed her to feel at ease. "Maybe so, but something tells me that won't be necessary." She smiled, which helped to create an upbeat mood when Grayson finally arrived.
"I'm pleased to see you again, Meioh-sensei," he said while bowing.
Setsuna returned the gesture. "Ah, Grayson-san. I see you're taking advantage of a calm evening to stroll through the park."
A playful grin came to his lips. "I can't think of a better time to do so. Or better weather for that matter." He turned his attention to the other two women and offered a more proper smile. "I assume you two ladies are friends of the doctor. My name is Grayson."
Michiru was the first to respond to his quasi-introduction, and she did so with barely any hint of emotion on her face. "I've heard. She's told us quite a bit about you." A sly glance in Haruka's direction was enough to tell the blonde to prepare to move. "I really hate to be rude, but I don't think it's my place to intrude on your conversation with our dear friend. So, we'll let you guys enjoy some privacy while we take a nice, long walk all the way over there."
Before Setsuna could complain or Grayson could make any meaningful reply, the pair scampered off in the opposite direction at a brisk pace. She exhaled an almost inaudible sigh and shrugged, while he chuckled lightly at their antics before turning a more remorseful expression to her.
"I hope I didn't scare them off."
"Hardly." She shook her head and smiled. "It's more likely that they're trying to set us up."
"Oh?" He began walking toward the gargantuan open space, and she wasted no time in accompanying him. "Is it working?"
"Quite miserably. I did say when we first met that I was uninterested in dating anyone, and that fact has yet to change."
"Even after our third meeting thus far?"
She muffled a laugh in the palm of her hand. "I also said that we would see each other again, and that seems to have borne itself out one way or another."
A large group of people, mostly of college age, stood out among the relative calm that surrounded them as they alternated rampant cheering and frustrated groans. She could not quite make out why they acted that way, but it certainly captured her attention. While that crowd was on the other side of the park from where she and Grayson stood, each step the pair took gradually closed the distance. During that time, they engaged in friendly small talk and a fair amount of banter, up to the point where she could clearly see the other three Dark Kingdom associates standing near the edge of the tree line. They were joined by a fourth person, a sharply dressed blond-haired man who for the moment was engaged in an intense conversation with the black-haired woman she recognized from before.
"Ah, there they are. I hope you don't mind if I introduce you to a few friends of mine." He pointed in their direction, even as Setsuna was already looking that way.
"As long as you don't give them the impression we're a couple, I have no qualms with it."
A mirthful chuckle and nod. "Fine. Though, if we keep this up—"
Her glare could have melted steel. For his sake, he recognized as much and immediately shut his mouth. Nevertheless, his recklessness wasn't necessarily the cause of her suddenly foul mood. More blame rested on the intense aura of negative energy she felt when she got within ten meters of the tree line. It was a feat of both physical and mental strength that she remained upright, but she knew that any outward indication of weakness would spell trouble. She also knew that she could not continue walking in the direction of that aura lest she reveal her own. But, with Grayson standing right next to her, how could she possibly not fall into a dangerous trap or look incredibly suspicious while attempting to avoid it?
"Meioh-sensei?" He looked at the stationary woman with concern. "Is there something wrong?"
Fortunately, the answer to her quandary popped into her mind the moment he asked his question. She hurriedly reached into her pocket and removed her senshi communicator, which to anyone else appeared to be a normal cell phone. Her fixated stare at the screen, punctuated by a few instances where she tapped on it, seemed normal in that light. After a few seconds, she returned the communicator to her pocket and heaved a massive sigh of disappointment before looking at him with a rueful expression.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to do that another time. There's an emergency at the hospital and they're calling me back into work. I really have to go now."
He shared her feelings of regret even as he smiled. "Don't worry about it. I figured it was bound to happen at some point."
"Thanks."
She nodded once before pivoting on her heels and dashing in the opposite direction toward the parking lot. Only when she reached Haruka's car did she stop running, but with that came yet another surprise.
"Oi? Was the date that terrible?"
"I figured she would have found a way to escape from him at some point, though I didn't imagine it would be this soon."
Her initial gasp of shock was swiftly replaced first by a confused look and then an annoyed shake of her head as she pulled open the rear door and sat behind Michiru. "I discovered something extremely important, but I think we should leave here first."
The engine roared to life with a melodious growl as Haruka stabbed at the throttle. "Back to your place, I imagine."
"Absolutely." The deep breath she slowly exhaled soothed her nervousness, as did their growing distance from the park. "It seems there definitely is another Shitennou member after all. I didn't stay around for much longer as he would have detected my energy. However, I did manage to take a picture of him before escaping. I figured Kunzite would know something about him."
"That's brilliant," Michiru said before suddenly frowning. "But, how on earth did you manage to get away from Grayson without looking suspicious?"
"I am a doctor after all." She did nothing to stifle her devious grin, nor did she want to. "Sometimes we get called in at the most inconvenient times. As far as he knows, this just happened to be one of them." The smile faded and she fell into apprehensive contemplation. "I just hope being called in doesn't become a frequent occurrence, as I don't know if I'll always be able to leave in time."
—|1|2|3|4|5|—
"Where could she possibly be?"
The woman who asked that question searched the length of the brightly lit boulevard with narrowed eyes for any sign of her late cohort. Fortunately, it was not long before she spotted the golden hair and distinctive red bow of the very person she had been waiting to meet for fifteen minutes.
"Gah! Sorry for being late." All the running had left behind an exhausted Minako, and she hunched over her knees to catch her breath. "My mother was being a pain and kept me from leaving home on time, and I almost got run over as soon as I left the house."
"Whatever."
"Ami-chan…?" Minako flinched, then turned up at the woman a wide-eyed stare.
"Don't be mistaken." First the abrupt masculine voice, then recognition of his form as the man approached from the street, left Minako even more bemused. "Now, could you join us? There's a lot that needs to be done but very little time to do it."
"S-sure."
"Good. Now, let's get out of here. Follow me."
Upon his command, the trio began to walk along the sidewalk. As the store and nearby Juuban Park faded into the distance, Minako played the events over again in her mind. Still, nothing made sense to her, and every step she took she felt even stranger about the whole situation.
"Um… what's going on? Where are we—ow!"
The sudden sharp pain in Minako's ribcage coincided with the woman's curt voice, and even she had no doubt that the two were related.
"Shush! We'll tell you when we get there."
About a minute later the trio walked down a side street and stopped in a deserted alley. That much had already left Minako thoroughly bemused. So, what on earth was she supposed to do when the man extended his hand toward her? Was he pointing at her, or offering her to shake it? Conversely, the woman seemed to know exactly what to do when she grabbed hold of his other arm, and seemed annoyed that she couldn't figure it out.
"W-what?"
"Grab his hand already."
"Ah."
She wasted no time complying, if only because of the woman's aggressiveness. Gold light flooded the walls of the alley in an instant. She blinked, wondering what had just happened, before noticing that her surroundings had drastically changed. The alley was gone, replaced by what appeared to be the inside of an abandoned warehouse. The stark difference in environment only further befuddled the girl.
"W-where are we?"
"Somewhere none of us live," the woman said. "Anyway, where's Artemis?"
Minako reached into her bag and pulled out the white feline, cradling him in her arms but disturbing his brief slumber in the process.
"Um… Minako…? What's going on?"
"Hmm… I don't feel anything strange about him." The comment came not from the woman or her taller companion but from the cat she carried in her own bag.
"Luna?" Minako anxiously stared at the black cat as it leaped from the bag and sat at the woman's side.
"Don't worry, Minako."
"But, I'm confused. What in the world are Ami-chan and Kunzite-san doing and why have they dragged me all the way out to God-knows-where?"
The woman shook her downward-turned head and exhaled a weary sigh. "I thought it would be pretty obvious that I'm not Ami-chan."
Blinding pink light filled the warehouse. When it dimmed, Minako could see that, indeed, the woman had told the truth. Ami's hair was a neat shade of blue, not blond. Also, while it felt like forever to her since she last met Ami, she knew that girl never wore long pigtails.
"Usagi-chan…?"
If Minako had expected a friendly welcome from her princess, she ended up both sorely mistaken and extremely disappointed. Instead, the frosty glare she received told her everything she needed to know about the status of the relationship between the two girls. A miserable frown tugged at her lips as she let her gaze fall to her feet. Usagi's mood was also far from bright, but unlike for her fellow blonde it was not sadness that gripped her.
"Let's go over there so that Luna can speak with Artemis."
"A-about what?"
"Something private." Despite its brevity, her furious scowl achieved her intended effect, leaving behind a shaken Minako. "But, until then, we really should talk. And, trust me, there's a lot we need to discuss. So, could you give Artemis to Kunzite and walk with me?"
Minako carefully placed the cat within his waiting arms before joining Usagi in a slow walk to the other side of the warehouse. As she did so the grief and despair that had built within her soul for the entire time she was separated from the girl whose friendship she sorely missed bubbled to the surface. Her wobbly voice and teary eyes seemingly competed against one another to express the full depth of her sadness.
"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I'm so sorry. What I did to you was completely idiotic."
"Stop. I know that. You've said it before, so you don't need to say it again." It wasn't anger but eerie calm from Usagi, and that frightened Minako. "What I want to hear from you instead is, as supposed leader of the senshi, why you commanded the girls to attack me and why you were so enthusiastic in doing so."
Minako remained silent for several seconds as her tears slowly dried. It wasn't that she no longer was depressed, but she was far too startled to even cry properly at that point. Furthermore, her mind was fixated on solving the almost impossible problem of how to tell her princess the reasoning behind her foolish decision.
"At the time, those ancient memories I received convinced me that you couldn't have been the princess, only a senshi." Her voice barely surpassed a whisper as she spoke. "I know you are my princess now, but then… then I had severe doubts. I, like all of us, recalled that the Moon princess was the only one who was not a senshi. Given that you were a senshi, I reasoned that it was impossible for you to also be that princess."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"U-um…" Minako gulped at the harsh response, then hanged her head as she delved deeper into her troubled mindset. "When I made that order, I had lost any confidence that you were on our side. I had come to believe that you were fighting against us. There were all those little things that came before, such as your clumsiness that impeded our battles. However, I really began to doubt your allegiance to us and what we thought was our princess after Rei's injury."
She took a deep breath held it for a second before gradually exhaling it with the hope of suppressing the nervous tremors that racked her body.
"But it was really the battle with Zoisite that sealed the deal in my mind. I thought you had sold us out and told the Dark Kingdom when and where we were meeting. Then, after Zoisite attacked Ami-chan, I thought you deliberately showed up late to ensure she had died. After that, you had become the enemy, and I began to hate you like I hate any youma or Shitennou general from the Dark Kingdom. It was clear to my mind that you had done something awful to the 'true' princess and had taken her figure and the Silver Crystal. I ordered that attack to get the crystal back and to destroy that so-called threat."
Usagi nodded slowly but continued to direct her fierce glare at her counterpart. "Why did you continue to believe that I was not the princess even after Mamoru-san pointed out otherwise?"
"I guess I picked up that same stubbornness and senseless pride that my mother always shows." Sadness dominated her voice, though it was the hint of nonchalance that really made her subsequent nervous chuckle sound even more awkward. She then fell silent for a few seconds and shook her head in disgust. "I'm sorry. That's nothing but a weak excuse that really doesn't answer your question."
"So, if that's not it, then what is?"
Minako's shoulders slumped as she sighed, yet during that time she had somehow escaped her sullenness to reply in a calmer, more stoic tone. "The reason I continued to believe you weren't my princess was that, as leader of the senshi, I couldn't let myself think I was wrong or that I had made a bad decision. I felt that it would have been a sign of weakness or incompetence that would make the other girls lose their faith in me. However, when I was in the throne room, even before any of the action had begun, I realized I had made a terrible mistake."
"Heh. You can say that again." Usagi's chuckle was dry and full of cynicism. "You very much were incompetent to continue to think that for so long."
"I'm sorry." Minako took another deep breath and found the immense courage to stare directly into her princess's icy gaze. "I'm sorry. I truly am sorry. Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me for my stupidity?"
Several seconds passed, but only silence and a stony glare met her plea. She lifted her arms, feeling an urgent need to wrap her arms around her body. But, the chill that made her shudder didn't originate from her unheated surroundings. Only one solution made sense, and cocooning herself wasn't it. Lowering her arms, she found her voice once again.
"I… I understand how shameful and… repulsive it was for me to attack the one person who was my first true friend. When I realized that my horrific actions had pretty much ruined our relationship I felt sick to my stomach. The only thing I could really think about was what I could do to repair the damage I had done, and the knowledge that I was powerless to do anything without being able to see you or contact you depressed me. Because of that, I will do anything—anything at all—to prove to you that you can trust me not only as a senshi but as a friend. A true friend."
Still no reply from Usagi, though her cold visage had softened. She excused herself and walked over to Luna and Artemis, who by then had finished their conversation, leaving the other blonde to ponder her fate. Several minutes later she returned, and it was clear her attitude had changed considerably since speaking with the two advisors. Her more relaxed posture and gentler features made it evident she was far more accepting of Minako.
"I guess I have an apology of my own to make." She took a deep breath and turned her head downward before continuing in a soft voice. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long before I finally realized you were being honest. And I'm sorry for making you feel so terrible even up to tonight."
"Usagi-chan…" Minako's eyes widened in shock. "You don't have to apologize to me for anything. I can see why you wouldn't trust me. I attacked you, after all."
Usagi shook her head and smiled, though that latter gesture was remarkably hesitant. "Anyway, I want you to know that I forgive you, Minako-chan. I absolutely forgive you, and I'm willing to accept you as a friend again, though I can imagine it will take some time to fully repair our friendship."
"Thank you so much, Usagi-chan. Thank you so, so much!"
The tears that started to stream down Minako's cheeks seemingly contradicted her otherwise complete elation, topped by her resplendent smile. She moved tenderly to embrace the person whose love and friendship she valued more than any other, but that was not yet meant to be.
"However, I can't let your actions go without some form of punishment," Usagi said, stepping backward to evade the hug. "From this point on you will no longer be the leader of the guardian senshi as far as I'm concerned. I'll make sure the other girls know this as well."
"I don't care about that. You've forgiven me, and I have hope in becoming friends with you once again. That's far more important to me than some silly thing like whether or not I'm the leader. I'll gladly follow whoever you choose to replace me."
Upon hearing that, all hesitation fled from Usagi and she happily returned the hug that the senshi of love had initiated. A few seconds later they separated and began the slow journey to meet with Kunzite, Luna, and Artemis. Along the way, Minako risked destroying any semblance of contentment by broaching a subject even more delicate than that of her own ordeal.
"So, um… Usagi-chan… Do you have any plans of speaking with Rei-chan soon?"
Usagi sighed. "Not really. I still don't feel like I'm prepared to approach her."
"But, she's probably the one person who possibly feels more miserable than me ever since that time. It's killing her to think that she might never be friends with you again."
"I know that. It's not that I hate her or that I enjoy putting her through that misery. I just… I don't know. It's very complicated."
"You know, Rei-chan's birthday is coming up soon, and we're planning to hold a party for her." Minako suddenly looked askance. "Err… well, okay, I'm planning one, but I haven't had an opportunity to talk about it with the others yet. That's not important." Her gaze found its way back to Usagi, and she ensured it was one that was as forceful and persuasive as she could muster. "Anyway, it might actually be a good time for you to meet with her and talk with her. I know it will be very hard to see her, judging from the difficulty you had in being around me, but I strongly believe it will be better for both of you in the end."
"I don't know…"
"Please, Usagi-chan. All I'm saying is talk with her. Even if you don't end up immediately forgiving her, it'll do wonders for her psyche and maybe pull her from her constant depression. She does her best to hide it and tries to act normal, but I know she's hurting badly because of what she did and because she can't see you or contact you in any meaningful way."
Usagi suddenly stopped walking and stared into space for several moments, catching the other blonde off guard. "I'll think about it."
That was a good enough reply for Minako. She and her princess soon reached the other three members of the group and prepared to exit the warehouse. As they linked hands, one last question came to her mind.
"Usagi-chan, I don't mean to impose, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… where do you live now?"
Usagi turned a playful smirk to her fellow blonde, one that mightily confused the girl. "You know, instead of telling you, how about I just show you. Then you can meet another person who'll probably be very glad to see you again."
—|Author's Note|—
Hi all! Thanks for reading! If you've followed the story this far, or even if not, please let me know what you think of it. Whatever opinions or comments you might have—good or bad—I welcome them. Don't worry, I can take it.
