The Guardian, Part 5
Secret
By Taerir

All Sailor Moon references are the property of their respective owners. Any concepts, characters, world names, plotlines, and so on not found in the Sailormoon television series or manga are the sole property of the author, Taerir, copyright 1999. No duplication is permitted without written permission from the author.

Asami woke up bleary-eyed the next day. It was the one day of the week when she had no school at all, which meant plenty of free time to contemplate her grief.

What fun, she thought wryly, clumsily making her way to her kitchen. Finally, with a bit of effort, she managed to get herself ready for the day. As she finished getting ready, there was a knock on her apartment door.

She opened the door, getting her false smile ready, and then paled. Kensaku stood in the doorway, looking worried. Stepping back, she almost closed the door again before deciding that was not such a good idea. Kensaku was still her friend.

"Asami, we need to talk," he said quietly. "Can I come in?"

He watched her. There was such pain on her face that he wanted to hold her and tell her it would be alright, but he knows he would not be welcomed. Why was he having these feelings, he wondered, when he couldn't have her?

Asami stepped aside, and Kensaku walked into her apartment.

"Asa-chan," he said, knowing he was rambling. "I don't know what's wrong, but I'm sorry. .. for what happened yesterday. I don't want to destroy our friendship, and I think you need to get out and have some fun. Why don't you come to the park with me? You can bring some friends if you want, so that we don't have to be alone together..."

Asami stopped him and smiled, but Kensaku could see that she wasn't truly happy. Her voice still trembled slightly as she spoke. "I'd like that...Let's go."

In another part of the park, Usagi and her friends had taken rowboats out on the lake. Usagi, seated with Rei and Ami, gazed out over the waters. It was such a beautiful day, and it would have been perfect with Mamo-chan, if he hadn't been out of town.

"Usagi! Pay attention! This boat won't row itself!" Rei snapped from the other end of the boat.

Usagi glared at her friend. "We could just let it float - hey!" Unannounced, the boat had capsized, toppling the three into the water. Nearby, Makoto and Minako had met a similar fate in the other boat. Usagi thrashed about for a moment, not at all enjoying the experience.

Rei grabbed her arm. "Swim, you idiot! There's an enemy over there!"

Looking toward the middle of the lake, Usagi realized with shock that Rei was right. Floating above the lake was a seemingly normal-looking woman, laughing at the ousted rowers. Half-dragged by Rei, Usagi made it to the shore. The others had done the same.

Usagi was still watching the woman carefully, and paled in fear. "Guys, I'm gonna call Asami..." She looked around to see her friends already heading to an out-of-the way area to transform. Rushing to catch up, she discovered Asami was nearby by some bit of luck.

"We need your help," Usagi called, still chasing after her friends.

Asami frowned up at Kensaku. "I've, um, got to go." Following Usagi and the others, she transformed with them and headed back toward the youma. She never noticed Kensaku following her curiously.

The group arrived back at the lake.

"Mercury aqua rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury called. The attack, surprisingly, caused the seemingly water-based woman to falter. The enraged enemy threw back a wall of water, forcing the senshi back momentarily. Sailor Mars and Taerir were the first ones to their feet.

Sailor Taerir grinned at Sailor Mars. "A pairing of abilities has got to be a safe bet. Are you willing to try it?"

Sailor Mars laughed. "Let's do it!"

"Mars flame sniper!"

"Taerir psychic blast!"

The enemy stepped back, apparently injured. "I'll be back!" she yelled. Strangely, before the senshi could do anything else, it disappeared. The senshi were silent.

"Well," Sailor Taerir finally said. "That out of the way, I've got a friend to catch up to. We don't need him getting suspicious. I'll keep my eyes open."

She walked away and detransformed. Turning, she came face to face with Kensaku and gasped. He looked like he was suffering from some sort of shock.

Asami frowned. "Kensaku, what's wrong?"

He watched her solemnly. "Asami, I know."

She knew exactly what he was talking about, but tried to cover up. "Know what?" she said brightly.

He shook his head. "Please, Asami, don't play games with me. I know about you...and Sailor Taerir. If you're in some kind of trouble, I want to help next time."

Asami gasped for breath, trying to figure out how she wanted to reply.

She finally shook her head at Kensaku. "Kensaku...I can't let you do that. We all have powers and know what to do. I don't want you to get hurt."

Kensaku looked frustrated. "Asami, I don't want YOU to get KILLED!" he said. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Let's continue this discussion on the way home."

"Please, promise you won't try to help, even in the future," Asami begged. "I'll be fine."

"Maybe," Kensaku said, and nothing more. "I won't promise anything."

When they reached their apartments, Kensaku stopped her.

"Asami," he told her quietly. "I've got to do this." He kissed her gently, and then pulled away. Asami, unsure what to do, entered her apartment and shut the door, leaving him standing in the hall.

Kado looked at his new underling. "You failed this time."

"I'm sorry; I tried my hardest," Midori responded. She grinned evilly. "Next time, I will not fail you."

Kado remained expressionless. "You had better make sure you don't, or you will not have much to worry about any more at all."