Chapter 8 A Resolution
"Dammit!" Makoto hit her fist against the wall. The other three were sitting around a table worrying about Usagi again.
"Why didn't they leave?" Rei growled annoyed.
"They obviously don't want to go home," Ami said quietly, "There's something holding them here that they won't leave until it's satisfied. If they didn't have that they would have gladly left when we gave them the opportunity. I don't think it's just doing what their Princess says. I think we should find out completely what this is about," she was still tired from having to go against them like that, but her voice showed anger at their hurting her Princess.
"But how are we supposed to get anything out of them. The only ones who actually communicate in this whole deal is Usagi-chan and Seiya and neither of them will listen to us," Makoto turned around fists still clenched.
"That's not true," Minako said softly, and they all turned to listen to her, "Taiki and Ami speak often enough."
Ami looked away, she had been afraid someone would mention that.
"Ami-chan you can ask him," Rei persisted, and Ami nodded.
"Hai, I'll go tonight then," she stood and left not giving them another chance to speak. She ran into the night as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She didn't want to have to do this. She ran through the park and towards the river. She sat by the water's edge and cried into her hands. When she was calmer and able to look up she saw that the Three Lights were in front of her. She gasped and jumped up not sure what to say.
"What's wrong?" Seiya asked her.
"What do you think?" she demanded angrily.
"Usagi is only hurt by your stubbornness," Taiki shot back, and then it was just them standing there. It seemed that no one else was there and it was a battle between the two.
"No Usagi-chan is hurt because you refuse to let her see your hearts. The thing she bases her life on is helping other people and you refuse to let her help you. There's something here you're searching for I know, and she knows it too. She wants to help you find it, but she can't. It's like you searching for your Princess all over again, leaving her in the dark again, and it hurts her. We don't want that for our Princess, would you want it for yours?" she questioned looking intensely into his eyes.
"What we search for…" he stopped himself and looked away, "When the time is right you shall know what we search for. Until then tell Usagi that she is among friends."
They began to turn, but Ami spoke again, "True friends wouldn't turn away. True friends wouldn't beat Sailor Venus to a pulp. True friends wouldn't make Usagi-chan cry. I don't believe you will ever be true friends."
Yaten was about to turn and say you're right, but for love of his true friends he stayed silent as the other two turned around.
"When have you given us the opportunity to be true friends?" Seiya asked, and she was startled by the question, "You have always opposed us."
"I…" she wasn't sure what to say.
"When we are given the opportunity you will see how loyal we are," Seiya interrupted her thoughts.
"The senshi sent me, and I'm not going back to them without anything! You have to tell me what's wrong with you because if you don't I have failed. I don't like failing," she changed the subject back to them, and Taiki commented her strategy even in matters such as this.
"We are searching for something in our hearts that is missing. We don't know what it is, but we think the answer lies here. As soon as we find it you will know, but until then we have nothing more to offer as an explanation," Seiya told her, and she stepped back a little further; she was afraid of the look Yaten had. She knew if he were going to fight her he would kill her because she was much weaker than Mina-chan.
"O..okay," she stuttered then fled quickly trying to get away from those eyes. The two looked back at Yaten who shook his head innocently.
"I don't know," he shrugged, and Seiya too shrugged and walked away leaving Taiki alone watching her go and wanting to go after her. He muttered then walked after the other two.
~~~§§§
"What are we going to do with those three?" Makoto muttered to herself not for the last time.
"Well I'm not sure, but I know what we're going to do with you," Nightsky appeared before her, and she snapped up.
"Who are you? How did you get in my room?" she questioned, though she knew the answers to both of her questions.
"You mean your senshi pals didn't introduce me for you? Well my name is Nightsky, and I'm here to kill you," she put it simply.
Makoto clenched her fists then raised her hand, "Jupiter Crystal Power…" she couldn't finish because Nightsky had whips around her hands causing her to drop her power stick. She struggled to get to it, but Nightsky just laughed and disappeared with the girl in her possession.
~~~§§§
"Where's Mako-chan?" Minako asked when Makoto hadn't arrived at lunch.
"I don't know she seemed fine last night…maybe she wasn't feeling good this morning," Usagi-chan offered.
"That must be it, we should go see her this afternoon," Minako suggested, and the other two nodded.
"Good idea," Usagi-chan smiled, "We can take care of her, be her nurses."
"Oh no," Ami-muttered remembering Minako's skills at nursing, "Maybe um we should just make her some soup stop by and um…not bother her too much."
"Oh don't be silly Ami-chan she'll be glad to have us around," Usagi waved it off, and she and Minako walked off talking about what they would do.
Ami sighed and sweatdropped following them with her head down shaking it as she did, "I still think…" she didn't continue because Yaten was in front of her. Oh God, she thought, he's going to kill me right here.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night," he began, and she looked up at him. His eyes looked like he was being truthful, "I wasn't too nice, and I know you're just trying to protect your Princess like we do ours. It's not fair to punish you for that."
"It's okay," she smiled, and he smiled back.
"Arigato, that makes me feel better," he laughed and walked away leaving Ami baffled. She shook it off and went after the other two feeling a bit confused, a new feeling to her.
She heard a shriek and went running after it. When she found Minako and Usagi looking at the list of grades she sweatdropped, "I thought you were…in trouble," she muttered and walked forward. She smiled slightly seeing their grades, "Oh you are," she laughed. She felt someone standing behind her and turned, it was Taiki.
"That's not what we're talking about Ami-chan!" Minako shouted and pointed to a number two on the board.
"Taiki beat you by five points!" Usagi shrieked, and Ami looked up. She felt a sickening in her stomach, but smiled and turned around to him.
"Congratulations," she bowed, but they all knew the smile wasn't genuine.
"Arigato," he said softly, and wasn't surprised to see her smile quickly then leave even faster spinning on her heels.
"Ami-chan!" Minako called after her.
Usagi glared at him, then both went running after her.
"Ami-chan it's only one test," Usagi began, but Ami stopped her.
"You're right Usagi-chan, it doesn't matter," she smiled.
"Then with the new enemy…" Minako tried to make excuses.
"Don't make things up to make me feel better," Ami smiled, "It doesn't matter really."
"But Taiki beat you!" Usagi blurted out, and Taiki winced hearing them.
"I'll just have to work harder next time," Ami turned her head and walked to her next class, "I'll see you after school to go and see Mako-chan."
~~~§§§
"Mako-chan!" Usagi called walking into the seemingly empty house. It was so still, so quiet, something was wrong. They walked into the kitchen and didn't smell anything cooking. Even if she were sick Makoto would be cooking something, anything. There was no sign of life in the house at all.
"Weird," Minako muttered, and the others nodded in agreement.
They slowly approached the steps and walked into Makoto's room. There was no one there.
"Mako-chan?" Usagi whispered and tore out of the room searching desperately for their friend, "Mako-chan!" she ranted screaming desperately.
Ami looked around the room, and gasped when she saw the power stick lying on the ground the sign of Jupiter embedded in it. She bent down and picked it up showing it to Minako who couldn't breathe.
"Mako…" Usagi stopped when Minako grabbed her shoulders.
"Usagi-chan, she's not here, she's not here," she whispered as Ami showed her the power stick grimly.
"No!" Usagi screamed crumpling on the floor, "No! Makoto! Jupiter!" the tears were inevitable and soon the other two were crying as well.
Ami tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming, "Makoto," she whispered. She looked around and touched her bed gently. She thought she saw her face in the mirror, "No."
~~~§§§
"I have felt a disturbance, please guide me and tell me what it was," Rei chanted in front of the fire.
"You don't need a fire to tell you that," Nightsky knocked the fire down causing it to go out and the room to be pitch black.
"Who are you?" Rei demanded looking around for the person whoever it was, but she was pretty sure she knew.
"I am Nightsky, and you are Sailor Mars," she said quietly then began to laugh as she hit the power stick out of Rei's hands and wrapped them in a whip as she struggled fiercely trying to get away.
"Let me go!" she screamed, but was silenced quickly when Nightsky disappeared with her.
~~~§§§
"We should go find Rei-chan," Ami said softly, and they all nodded and ran out.
"Rei-chan," Usagi's voice was hoarse from crying as they walked into the temple. They saw the door was shut and thought that she was doing a fire reading. They opened it slowly and found the room dark with the ashes of the fire on the ground. Next to them lay the discarded power stick.
"Rei," Minako whispered and picked it up gently.
"No," Usagi didn't know what to do, two of her dearest friends were gone.
"We have to get them back!" Ami said determined.
"What if they're not alive?" Minako questioned tears in her eyes.
"They are, I know they are," her eyes were fierce with determination, and the other two nodded standing strong.
"Moon Eternal Make-up!"
"Venus Crystal Power Make-up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power Make-up!"
When they were fully transformed they turned to Ami who did readings of the area finding the enemy's tracks. When she picked it up she put it into her visor and ran out as the other two followed close behind.
"We will get you back," Ami vowed as they ran.
