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All You Wanted
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( All you wanted was somebody who cares, )
( If you need me, )
( You know I'll be there. )
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-- *Chapter 11: Family Reunion* --

"Things really mixed up then, huh?"

"Yeah. In my head, too."

"Things were mixed up in your head?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. You were so great at confusing me."

-- ** --

Minako's eyes fluttered open. Stray beams sunlight filtered through the blinds and fell majestically onto the six beds. Minako looked at the empty one, and her thoughts turned to Rei. She had to hand it to the girl, she seemed torn down about the whole possession thing, but Minako had to admit she would've have gone crazy at this state. Rei seemed, for the most part, still together. Minako was filled with a sudden admiration for one of her best girl friends.

Her eyes glanced over each of the other four members of her party.

Ami was utterly worried for Rei. Minako often heard her reassuring Rei that everything was ok, when in fact she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Minako smiled at the thought of her and Zell. When they had to go back home, Minako knew Ami would be torn. They had made a home here on Gaea, in Balamb Garden. Tokyo seemed far away, like a distant memory.

Zell was probably the most out of control guy she had ever met. Minako smiled at him in his sleep. He was so protective of Ami it made Minako laugh. Sometimes that overprotectiveness overflowed to Minako and Rei. He was probably the closest thing she ever had to a big brother. He was wary of Seifer, which also counted for something in Minako's book.

Seifer was still a jackass to Minako. She didn't like him much, still, but her opinion of him had improved. Rei had admitted that she was in love with Seifer, and Rei had proved more than once to be a great judge of character. She wondered if he returned the feelings for Rei. Minako had to admit that he showed a lot more concern for Rei than Squall or Zell did. He sniffed in his sleep. Minako had an uneasy feeling that he knew she was looking at him, so her eyes shifted to the next bed.

Squall! That guy was probably a bigger jackass than Seifer could ever hope to be. He pushed absolutely everyone away because he was afraid of being hurt. He utterly infuriated her to no end! Nevermind that he was the best kisser Minako could ever recall knowing, that that one single kiss set her skin on fire. Nevermind that she felt a rather delightful twinge in the lower areas of her body when she thought of him, that she had found herself thinking of him on this mission more than ever. And nevermind that her eyes were hungrily raking over his half-naked body now, soaking up every part of him. A sheet covered the lower half of his body, but Minako's eyes took in his broad chest and lean torso. He shifted on to his side, facing her.

"I can feel you looking at me," Squall whispered suddenly.

Minako jumped. "Oh. Sorry." Squall's lids opened to reveal his deep brown eyes.

"No one else is up?" he asked in a quiet voice. Their conversation was in low tones.

Minako shook her head. "Just me and you."

Squall sat up, pulling the sheets over him. He rubbed his arm. It was colder in Esthar than it had been in Balamb. He looked to the blind. Bits of light fell over the other three in his party. They all appeared to be soundly asleep.

"Are you going back?" Squall asked, abrupty breaking the silence that had formed between them. He wasn't looking at her, but at the window, which was partly shielded by the plastic blinds.

"Back to the lab? Of course I am-"

"No, I mean to...Tockyou or wherever it is you say you came from," he said.

"Oh, Tokyo, you mean..." Minako started. She had meant to answer promptly, but she started thinking about it. "I- I don't really know anymore. I mean...Tokyo is my home. I have friends there. Friends that need me. But..."

"You've grown used to Balamb Garden," Squall finished.

"Yes...grown to love Balamb Garden," Minako said slowly. She looked at Squall and added, "Grown to love Balamb Garden and the people in it."

Squall shrugged. "If you go..." He shut his mouth, opened it and shut it again. He took a deep breath and sat forward, taking a sudden interest in his hands. He turned to get up, but Minako stopped him.

Minako glared. "Oh, out with it."

"If you go, we'll be losing a valuable SeeD member," Squall replied. "Cid will be furious."

A bit put out, Minako replied, "Oh. I see, well, tell him I'm sorry."

-- ** --

As Squall put on his shirt and jacket, he took sidelong glances at Minako, who was still in her bed, wrapped up in a sheet. He wondered about their conversation, what he would have said had he not caught himself. He would have told her that he would miss her, and that would have been a lie.

Right? Because there was no reason for Squall Leonhart to miss someone as annoying and bubbly as Minako. Someone as unserious and careless as Minako. Someone as...as...as distracting as Minako. Yes, she was distracting, that was for sure. He had been in class when he noticed it- he had been thinking about her. Thinking of the kiss on the Ragnarok. He had not meant to kiss her, but he did, and it changed things. It made the situation weird. But the kiss...he remembered it vividly and it made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long while. Presently, his stomach gave a great, nervous, almost painful lurch and he had a distinct feeling that it had something to do with what he felt for Minako.

Nothing.

Right? Ok, he had to admit, that after two years of knowing her, Minako had...grown on him. More than grown on him, maybe Squall kind of had feelings for her. But he had kept them at bay, for what he felt like was a good reason. Had the circumstances been different, Squall might have considered a relationship with her. Still, he knew that sooner or later, she would leave him just like everyone else seemed to do. He knew that for sure now- Minako and the girls would undoubtedly ask Doc Odine for help on getting back to their own dimension. She would leave. Again, there was a painful twinge in his stomach. His chest was tightening in an unfamiliar way.

Hyne damn it!

He jerked on his jacket. He threw a glare at Minako (Damn her for this) and left the hotel room without word.

-- ** --

Minako took the glare from Squall in silence, but when he stormed out the door, she got up off her bed and followed him.

"Hey, what was that for?" she asked, following him down the hall.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll meet you guys back at the lab," Squall said.

"Not until you tell me why you're so pissy all of a sudden. I swear, you're the moodiest guy I know!" she exclaimed, catching up to him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Nothing is wrong. I glare at you because I feel like it. Are you happy now?"

"No, I'm not happy, because you're lying. You like me too much to glare at me for no reason," Minako said.

Squall rolled his eyes to the side. "Don't flatter yourself-"

"I'm not, you idiot!" Minako exclaimed angrily. "Don't even try to deny the fact that you have feelings for me! I know you do, because if you didn't, you wouldn't have kissed me."

"I told you that it shouldn't have happened-"

"But it did...And...and...you enjoyed it, as much as I did, right...?" What was supposed to be a statement turned into a question. She looked at him uncertainly. What if he didn't feel anything? What if that- that extremely wonderful feeling was one-sided? Does that mean I'm a bad kisser?

"Of course I enjoyed it," Squall replied honestly. He neglected to tell her exactly how much he enjoyed it, how much he had been thinking of it. She obviously didn't notice that he was staring at her full, pink lips now. "You're a woman, I'm a man- things happen."

Minako glared. "You know, you're pushing me away again. And I just wish you would...."

Squall glared at the floor as Minako went on. He had earned this, he shouldn't've said anything in the first place. He looked up at her. She was staring at him angrily, still speaking. He wondered- were those tears he saw forming in her eyes? Minako was gonna do it again, she was going to cry and Squall hated that. Squall was suddenly overcome with anger, and Minako's preachy voice was becoming unbearable. He wanted her to stop, to shut up. Anything to stop her from saying what he didn't want to hear--

Squall's lips tumbled down onto hers, fueled by fury. Minako gasped in surprise, and Squall took the opportunity to pass his tongue through her lips. His hands moved to the small of her back, while hers were putting pressure on his shoulders. Their tongues intertwined passionately- he kissed her like he was starving for it. Minako responded as magnificently as she could, her skin was already burning with that intense heat and her head was swirling hurricanes. Finally, he pulled away from her, taking in air.

It worked, Squall thought, smirking to himself. She shut up-

Minako slapped Squall.

"What was that for?!"

"Kissing me! Really, Squall, what is your problem?! One minute you're denying your feelings for me-"

"I didn't deny anything. Look, Minako- yeah, I feel something for you. There. What else do you expect?"

Minako looked to the side and crossed her arms. She shrugged. "I don't expect anything from you," she said quietly.

"Then why are you so set on making me admit that I've got feelings-"

"Because I've got feelings for you, you big idiot!" Minako exclaimed. A tear had fallen down her cheek. "And I don't know the custom here, but on Earth, when one person has feelings for another, they usually want that person to feel-"

"Hey, what're you guys talkin' about?" Zell asked groggily. He was leaning outside the door, only half-dressed. "Quiet down, will ya? Ami's still sleepin' and I don't want to wake her just yet."

"Sure thing, Zell," Minako replied brightly. He went back into the room. Minako turned to Squall. "Let's forget about this, huh?"

Squall nodded.

And for both of them, that proved harder than they thought.

-- ** --

Upon arrival at Odine's Laboratory, Ami noticed a heavy tension between Minako and Squall. She kept throwing glares that bordered on murderous at him. He promptly ignored most of these, and the ones he didn't, he returned with his own icy glare. Ami wondered what had gone on that morning. She heard them yelling, but chose to stay asleep, deciding it was a lover's quarrel. Which it obviously was. Ami had noticed since the Trabia mission had ended, Minako and Squall seemed to make a beeline for each other. She shrugged, hoping they would get over it before they returned home.

She walked through the glass doors of the lab, to be greeted by Odine himself. He was holding something in his hand, something silver and blue- her communicator! He had repaired, and it looked to be in tip-top condition.

"My communicator!" Ami exclaimed happily. To Minako, she explained, "I asked him to have a look at it. He nearly tore mine apart."

"And I have repaired, plus made some changes," Odine said. "Zey have been refined! Ze transmitter is now stronger zan it vas, as vell as ze reciever in it. You should be able to pick up broadcasts and messages through several times and dimensions! Vell? Try it out!"

Ami hesitated. She waved Minako over and opened up the communicator. It was exactly as she remembered it.

"Wait..." Ami said, "should Rei be here? I mean, if we- we might- if we make contact, well, she should be here. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Doctor Odine? Could we see Rei for a few minutes?" Minako asked.

Odine understood that they wouldn't try out the communicators without Rei, and he really wanted to see if his latest improvements to it had worked. He motioned for two assistants to get Rei. They disappeared on the elevator.

"What will we say?" Minako asked.

Ami shook her head. "I-I don't know. I suppose we'll tell them where we are. Rei's story. Ask them how they've been...I hope it's not too awkward."

"What's not awkward?" Rei asked, coming down from the elevator. She saw the communicator it Ami's hands. "Did we- is it working?"

"Doctor Odine refined it. It might work. We wanted you to be here," Ami explained.

Rei hurried over and took a spot on Ami's other side. "Well, let's see..."

Ami punched in a few buttons. A red light in the corner was blinking, and the screen began to fuzz, like tracking on a VCR. And very suddenly, the screen flickered and an unfamiliar image blinked onto the screen. It was an old man with wild gray hair and a stubbly beard.

"Who are you?" Rei exclaimed. Odine was jupping up and down excitedly("IT VORKS! IT VORKS!").

"Me...? My name is Sir Pembleton Von Dastabod, but most people call me Pemble. And you?" he asked with a heavy English accent.

"Pemble? Where is Usagi?" Ami asked, a concerned look on her face. Horrible things were going through her head.

"Usagi? Usagi! You are a friend of Usagi's? Well, then let me get her!" Pemble exclaimed. He turned to the side and began calling out a name that the girls didn't recognize.

"Who is this guy?" mouthed Minako to the other girls. They shrugged.

A familiar figure appeared on the screen. Minako, Ami and Rei froze, which was a good thing, because if they didn't, Ami would've dropped the communicator. Usagi's odangoed head was smiling at them, a tear falling down her cheek. The three girls smiled back. Tears were forming in their eyes, and they were suddenly at a loss for words.

"...You're alive?" Usagi asked breathlessly. "You're right there!"

Ami nodded. "We're alive alright!"

Minako squealed, "Usa-chan!! I'm so...happy to see you!"

"You have no idea- I have to get Makoto! PEMBLE! Get Makoto, get her quick! Where are you- are you ok?" A look of concern took over Usagi's face.

"We're fine, just fine," Rei replied. "You? Is my grandfather ok? How are things in Tokyo?"

Usagi's face turn dismayed. "A lot has happened since you guys disappeared, but- We'll talk about that- later- I mean, this might not last long, we have to use the time-"

"What's up, Usa?" a voice asked. Rei couldn't contain her excitement.

"MAKOTO!!" she shouted into the communicator. Seifer, Squall and Zell, who were silently watching all this, winced. She could really yell. "Makoto! It's me! Rei! And Ami and Minako, too!"

A tall brunette with green eyes looked at them. She squinted and then rubbed her eyes, a disbelieving look on her face. She shook her head.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "It's you three! We thought- everyone thought you were- *gulp*- dead. But Usagi and I...we knew you weren't! We knew you weren't!" Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was bouncing up and down, causing the communicator to fuzz a little. She stopped, afraid she had broken it.

"Phew...ok, where are you guys?" Makoto asked. "We have to get to you!"

"But how? We don't even know where we are!" Minako replied.

"We're in another dimension," Ami stated. "A place these people call Gaea. Ask Setsuna for help. She should be able to get you through the right time gates."

"Right, right! Ouch- Usagi- let go of my hair!"

"I want to see them!" she cried. A hand jerked the communicator out of Makoto's hand and dropped it. The screen fuzzed a little, but they were still there. Usagi picked it up, breathlessly staring at the screen. Ami, Rei and Minako giggled.

"You guys- you have to tell me all about where you are! I mean, are there any hot guys there? Is the food good?" Usagi asked curiously. Minako squeezed in beside her. They must've put the communicator on a table or something.

Ami smiled. People don't change. "Yes, there are hot guys here-"

"Ami even got one for herself," Rei put in.

"WHAT?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Oh my goodness! Ami! Who? Is he there? Let me see!"

Zell, who had heard the conversation, started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He was shaking his head, but Ami had moved the communicator to face him. He smiled and waved sheepishly.

"Oooh wow! Total hottie! Does he have friends?" Usagi asked.

Minako giggled, "Ok guys, time for you to meet the other half of the Sailor Scouts." She took the communicator from Ami and walked to Seifer. "Girls, this is Seifer. The blonde, ditzy one is Usagi."

"Hiya!" Usagi greeted.

"Hey," Seifer replied flatly.

"The brunette is Makoto."

"Pleased to meet you," Makoto said.

"Pleasure's mine," Seifer said tonelessly.

Minako arched an eyebrow at him and whispered to the communicator. "He's a little worried over Rei, so don't mind him."

"Rei? What's the matter with Rei?" Makoto asked. Minako shook her head.

"I'll tell you about that later. This is Squall, you guys. Squall, this one-" She pointed on the screen. "-is Makoto. That's Usagi. They're back home, in Tokyo. Do you believe our story now?" He shrugged.

"Pemble said you guys made contact with the other Scouts on the communicators," a voice said. Minako ran back to the girls, mouthing 'It's Setsuna!'.

The elegant form of Setsuna appeared on the screen. She smiled at the three girls. "We knew you weren't dead," she said, "we just didn't know where you were."

"Long time no see, Sestuna-san," Rei said.

"I'm going to use the tracker on this communicator to take the rest of the senshi over there," she said. "I'll be able to find out where you are with it. Then you can do your own thing to get back."

Ami, Rei and Minako nodded. One of the senshi's prized abilities was being able to travel through time and dimensions when the five of them were together.

"See you in a bit!" Usagi shouted from behind Setsuna. Sestuna smiled, and the communicator clicked off. The room fell into silence.

"THEY'RE COMING!!" Minako exclaimed, embracing Rei and Ami in a hug. "We're finally going home, girls."

"Like I said before, not until we find out what's going on with Rei," Seifer said. "A sorceress could ruin your tme."

"Vell, vell, vell," Odine clucked, "I zink you girls have some explaining to do, zough I zink zat I got the gist of it."

Ami, Rei and Minako explained the story of the spider, Gravija, and how the ended up in the forest. They did not, however, mention the fact that they could transform.

"Time travel!" Doc Odine exclaimed excitedly. "It is a very great zing...dangerous, yes, but great! Vhat vas it like? Your whole body obviously came vith you- vhat did it feel like?"

"Terrible..." Ami sighed, rubbing her arms. She recalled grimly what it felt like to dissolve into nothing. "We were just...dissolving into thin air..."

"I see....zat is very, very curious. But you see, I have researched time travel for many, many years. It is ze only thing out of my reach, yet I know much about it. Vould you like to hear?"

Zell rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go again..."

"I would," Ami and Rei said together. Minako nodded to Odine, who looked rather pleased.

"Vell, time travel is a very strenuous process on ze body, mind and soul. Passing zrough several times is not somezing easy for any kind of energy. So, ze human being goes in pieces."

"Pieces?"

"Yes, pieces. Not in ze sense you are zinking of, but rather ze spiritual self goes first, and zen ze physical self follows. I know zis because of Ellone. She vas able to send a conciousness, ze spiritual self of a human being, vithout sending ze body."

"But why?" Ami questioned, obviously interested in what the doctor had to say.

"I do not know! It is a puzzle, even for me! So you say Gravija sent you here? Ze reason for zat is obvious. You say zat in your world, magic is uncommon? Vell, zen it's also obvious that to use magic in your dimension, one vould have to be incredibly strong, zerefore ze magic would be strong as vell. Ze monster zat attacked you probably had tremendous power to use an attack like Gravija, a Time magic attack. It vas so powerful, zat it caused a temporary warp in your dimension, vich is unused to such force, such energy. You simply fell into it and ended up- here."

There was a knock on the door of the lab. Ami's, Rei's and Minako's heads turned in that direction.

"You're kidding me!" Rei exclaimed, walking to the door. She opened it, and a figure bounced onto her, hugging her head.

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End of Chapter 11 |
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