Author's Note:
Yes, another fanfiction. As before, the disclaimers go as follows:
My email address is Guardian4@atlantic.net. If you want to email me about my story, please put fanfiction in the subject line. Sailor Moon was made by Naoko Tacheuchi, I don't own it.
Also, Rei and Mamoru never went out, k? And Kunzite and Zoisite are not lovers. I also used the relationship between the Shitennou from the manga, not the anime, which means they don't hate each other. I also use only the manga attacks for the Senshi. (Since in the Manga, Mars doesn't have Fire Soul and only talismans in the first season, I'm going to borrow a second season one, even though she doesn't have her Star Power transformation.)
Hidden Truths
Part 8
Venus had never been so happy to see Sailor Moon in her entire life, sitting safe and sound with her sleeping prince. She would have rushed forward, but she was so tired she could barely walk, making running out of the question.
"Minna!" she screamed and wrapped her arms in a chokehold around Venus' neck, the only one who had the endurance to withstand her bear holds right then.
"We're fine, now, Sailor Moon," she reassured, "but we have to get back to Jupiter's place as soon as possible."
Sailor Moon nodded and immediately tried to stop her sniffles. She nodded. "Let's go."
Easier said than done. It took the combined strength of Kunzite, Venus, and Sailor Moon to handle Endymion. The other Shitennou were busy holding up the other Senshi, unconscious, and Jupiter, who had just dozed off into a painful stupor.
Wish I could do that, Venus thought as she saw Nephrite finally give up and carry Jupiter, who was sleeping in his arms.
As they trudged along, Venus prayed, once in a long while. She prayed that the sun wouldn't rise just yet; that Sailor Moon didn't think to use the Ginzuishou on the Senshi to heal them; that it wasn't a disaster to trust the Shitennou.
When they had reached Jupiter's apartment door, Venus reached into Jupiter's subspace pocket and unlocked the door. She doubted that her friend would care at the moment; she was practically buried in Nephrite's embrace and her breathing was that of a tired child's.
The door shut with a grateful clack. There was only a few stretches left and Kunzite, Sailor Moon, and Venus managed to make it to the guest room. Oddly enough, the room was in neat order and she didn't think Jupiter had done it. They know how to keep a room. What did I expect? A total bachelor guy room?
They carefully set Mamoru down on one of the empty beds. He sighed in his sleep, but other that, did nothing more. Sailor Moon's face fell and she allowed herself to be gently led from the room.
Venus groaned inside when she saw her practically comatose friends. Jupiter was lucky; she lived there.
"Sailor Moon," she said wearily for the long job ahead. "I know that Mercury doesn't live near you, practically on the other side of town, but she's the lightest. You'll have an easier time of it. I'll take Mars back home."
"We can do that," Jadeite said from the corner of the room.
She looked over the Shitennou with a critical eye. Other than Kunzite, they did seem to be in better shape and more refreshed. Sailor Moon looked to be asleep while awake and on her feet. And considering her own state, it would be so easy just to give in to the boast and say yes…But…
There was always that 'but'. "Thanks, but no. There are specific things that must be done and it would just be best this way."
"You still don't trust us."
Venus watched as he looked away and out the window. There was such a bleak expression on his face… "What are you thinking about?"
"That this will never work."
The second-in-command of the Senshi turned in surprise to Nephrite, who had answered. "What won't work?"
"This."
"What is 'this'?" She forced herself to remain calm; her irritation was up with her loss of sleep and how tired she was.
"The whole situation. You'll never trust us; we were once your enemies. It is your right to deny us help. There will never be trust between us."
She had to admire his candidness. "Perhaps there can be. You must understand that we would prefer to take the slow route in that department. But right now, please just let us do this our way."
Nephrite nodded.
Venus tensed when a body fell against her and automatically her arms moved to catch whoever it was. Sailor Moon was completely asleep. She sighed. "I guess we'll have to have some help. Who will help me? I have to get Mercury and Mars home and now Sailor Moon."
"I'll help with Mercury," Zoisite volunteered, practically immediately.
Kunzite stepped forward, but Venus put out her arm and he stopped. "Not you. You're near dead on your feet. I should know, because so am I. We need someone else."
"Why don't I take Mars back and you take Sailor Moon and Zoisite takes Mercury?" responded Jadeite in the silence. "You are her second-in-command. It's only right."
She nodded in surprise at the simple solution. And it made her feel better, knowing that Sailor Moon would be completely safe. Not that her other friends wouldn't be out of her sight, she had to show them to their homes after all, but still…
"All right, let's go. We barely have an hour before the sun rises and I'd rather be home by then."
If there was one thing that Venus did not expect to see, it was Dr. Mizuno getting out of her car. She nearly panicked. Mercury had said her mother wouldn't be home until noon the next day. She must have gotten off early. Really early. Really very early. Heart-stoppingly early.
Venus gestured to Zoisite, who was hiding close behind her. He immediately flitted to her side, carrying Mercury in his arms. "We have to get Mercury in her bedroom before her mother gets in the house!" She handed Sailor Moon to Jadeite, who wrapped an arm around her waist. "If something happens to either of them, I'll kill you. Follow me, Zoisite."
They ran quickly, Zoisite keeping up with her easily, almost frighteningly so. Where the other Shitennou were bulk, he was more wiry and quicker. He was agility incarnate and she could only imagine how Mercury alone, quicksilver herself, could have dealt with him.
She jumped up to a branch in a tree that, while a fair bit away from the upper living room, was no problem for Senshi or Shitennou, who she knew couldn't have any trouble with this jump.
Another leap and she was on the small outside window ledge. Quickly destroying the lock with a small, well-placed Rolling Heart Vibration, she dragged the glass up, nearly losing her balance in the process. It was quite sticky and felt as if it hadn't been opened in many years.
She dropped into the room and looked around warily. There were dozens upon dozens of paintings. It must have been the father's art room. It was probably why the window hadn't been opened in a long while. They probably never came into the room anymore, a small break for her.
Venus gestured for Zoisite and with a graceful, breathtaking leap, he was inside as well. They hurried to the door, but when Venus tried the handle, she found it locked and nearly dripping with rust and dust.
Obviously they had locked the room, never to return. Venus nearly cursed her friend's family uncomfortability with her father. With a quick and silent kick, the doorknob busted off. Her wrist barely fit through the hole so she could unlock the door.
As soon as the door creaked loudly open (Venus winced at the sound), she heard a much more unwelcome sound. The sound of the front door opening and closing. Abandoning the need to move slowly, Venus and Zoisite ran as soundlessly as only beings descendent from gods could.
She burst open the door to the immaculate room of Ami Mizuno, college bound career woman. Zoisite wasted no movement. Darting for the bed, he laid her down while Venus zipped back down the hall to put the doorknob back on. When she returned, Zoisite was ready and waiting to go.
They opened the large window in Ami's bedroom and jumped out. The door opened then and Venus and Zoisite, sweating bullets, hung onto the edge of the outside sill.
They hadn't detransformed her and Venus cast Zoisite a petrified look. He seemed to understand, because he gave her a shoulder to put her foot on to give her the leverage to get back inside a bit.
Peeking inside, she saw Dr. Mizuno looking through the closets and such, making sure there was no one there, she guessed. Her own mother did much the same thing. She carefully reached a gloved hand inside, but couldn't reach her friend. She cast another nervous look at the tall woman, but she hadn't turned.
She tapped Zoisite's shoulder with her foot and, grunting silently, he shouldered her up a little farther until she was halfway through the window. Her arm extended to the fullest, she could just about reach the tiara on Mercury's head. One close look at her and Dr. Mizuno would know what Ami was and that could bring disastrous results.
Her hand waved frantically, as if she was trying to snatch something extraordinarily quick from the air. She pressed the balls of her feet down onto Zoisite's shoulder, her tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth.
Suddenly she went down, not in. Zoisite must have lost some purchase on the window sill. Giving up on stealth pretense, she used her other hand to drag herself silently into the room until her knees hit the window sill. Her fingers touched Mercury's jewel tiara with a satisfying feeling.
At least until she remembered the light from the detransformation. Blue light emerged from the glowing Senshi fuku. With a near soundless gasp, she shoved herself back out the window just as Dr. Mizuno turned.
However, with the speed of her hasty departure, she couldn't grab onto the practically nonexistent window sill. Zoisite's hand snaked out and grasped her gloved wrist before she could plummet to her death.
Dr. Mizuno looked out the window and up to the full moon. She shrugged and murmured as she closed it "Must have been the moonlight on the mirror."
Venus couldn't have said when she had been that relieved before in her entire life when she said that. Zoisite, his breathing heavy from excursion and tension, shook with near hysterical laughter. Thank all the gods he wasn't laughing aloud though!
There was a low, 'psst' from below and she looked down, immediately wishing she hadn't. Though it was only a two story house, it was a very TALL two story house. The ground swam in her vision for a moment before it sharpened on Jadeite's rather distant form.
She barely saw Sailors Moon and Mars hidden in the brush behind him. He held up his arms and gestured for her to let go. Venus looked up at Zoisite in concern; she wasn't quite sure he could catch her or hold her if he did.
Zoisite gestured with his chin to Jadeite in an affirmative way. It was at that moment that Venus let herself trust the Shitennou. Her life was in their collective hands right now and she hoped she didn't make the biggest mistake of her, then admittedly short, life.
Venus took a breath and let go. The wind whistled in her ears as she fell, her fuku skirt going up instead of down. She closed her eyes and waited for either the impact of a warm body or the unforgiving ground.
She hit the warm body. Her eyes opened as Jadeite set her on her feet. He smiled at her surprised expression and winked at her. He gestured for Zoisite and he dropped. Venus ended up getting thudded with the wiry man's torso while Jadeite got his feet.
They quickly got themselves sorted out and ran at high speed away from the house. The next thing that comes out of my mouth to dear Ami-chan will be to replace those God-forsaken window ledges, she thought as her feet spirited along the ground.
Dropping off Mars was uneventful, compared to Mercury's. They did have one close shave when her grandfather tiredly left the fire room and checked on her. But by that time, all they had to do was hide in the shadows until he left. And there were no such heart-stopping incidents when they had to detransform her.
Venus rubbed her shoulders as the Shitennou left her to return to Makoto's apartment. "Now all I have to do is get back inside the house quietly," she murmured.
"Aino Minako, where have you been??"
Venus froze in the shadows. Her mother stood before her, hands on hips and eyes flashing. "Do you know what time it is? It's 5:37 in the morning! Where have you been?!"
The Senshi didn't know what to say. After she had dropped Usagi off at her house, which had been a perfect maneuver, she had gotten a little lapse. She was too tired. But there was no way in which she could move. The slightest movement and Venus, not Minako, would be revealed.
But would that be a bad thing? All the time she had become a Soldier, she had always kept it a secret, never using it to her advantage. She had taken all the groundings and lectures for being out late, though she had been fighting, without a word. Wasn't it time for Venus to pay Minako back?
She stepped out into the light and her mother gasped. "I am Sailor Venus. Your daughter was a great help to us, but we still need her. We will make sure she goes to school tomorrow. I just came to pick up a uniform for her to use. You should be very proud of her. She saved the world tonight." Venus allowed a little vanity to get the better of her that night.
"Oh! OH! Is she all right??"
"She's fine."
"Well, by all means, go ahead. As long as she comes home tomorrow at the regular time, it's fine."
"Just one more thing, Mrs. Aino."
"Yes?"
"Do not ask Minako what she was helping us with. It is imperative no one knows. In fact, don't mention it at all. To anyone. Not even your husband."
"I understand. I promise."
Venus slipped up to her room, feeling gleeful. Finally Venus had paid Minako back for all those times. It was a heady feeling, but her training took over and forced herself to promise her princess and all those that mattered that she would never, ever do it again.
She grabbed a clean uniform, but she didn't know where to stay. She couldn't just sneak back into her room after she had left. Rei's? No, that was too risky. Ami's? After tonight, she couldn't stand to even think of the house, much less stay there. Makoto's? Impossible with all the people already staying there. She must feel like she'd been invaded.
That left Usagi's, she contemplated as she quietly slipped out the front door that was held open by her mother. There was no other choice. She couldn't sleep on the park benches.
She sprinted down to her princess's home and slipped into the bedroom. Usagi was asleep, but Luna and Artemis woke. Artemis had elected to stay with Luna that night because they had to talk about all the changes and grill Usagi. It was obvious they didn't do much grilling that night.
"Minako-chan, what are you doing here?" asked Luna in surprise.
Venus, as she detransformed into Minako, quickly outlined what had transpired at her house. Artemis groaned. "Oh, Minako-chan, I'm sorry I didn't warn you. But you were in and out when you brought Sailor Moon back."
"I know. I just need a place to crash for the night. I don't go to school with Usagi, though. Will one of you wake me so I can get to my school? It's farther from here."
"Of course," Luna promptly answered.
Gratefully, Minako sank down onto the bed. Usagi didn't even stir. Her blue eyes closed tiredly and in seconds she was out.
End Chapter 8