Chapter Four - Necessary Questions
I don't own Sailor Moon
***
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"Ami! Ami, wait!" Masaya rushed after Ami, who was hurrying down
the bright hospital hallway to some other room in the palace's hospital.
Orderlies, candy-stripers, nurses, and other doctors softly and quietly
padded down the hallways of the hospital, pushing carts of medications
and gurneys with patients.

Ami whirled. Masaya was rushing urgently to her side. "What is
it, Masaya? I've got to see about this other patient, she's having an
exam today..."

"I know, Ami, it'll only take a second and it's really important,"
said Masaya. "I just talked to Aiyana...Ami, when she was in the
military up there, they...well, they..."

Masaya swallowed his words. He couldn't even begin to tell Ami
what Aiyana had told him.

"What, Masaya? They did what?" Ami turned to face the younger
man, concern etched in her face.

"Ami, they...forced her against her will."

Ami turned to fully face Masaya, her expression confused. "Wha...what?"
she asked seriously.

"They raped her, Ami!" Masaya exclaimed in a loud whisper,
flustered by his own reaction and somewhat frustrated that Ami hadn't
realized what he was talking about before.

"Oh, my..." Ami buried her face in her hands. "That poor girl."

Masaya stood by, watching Ami's reaction. He couldn't even
imagine what it would be like to be a girl and taken advantage of that
way. He gathered that other females could relate to those that were;
and he knew from reading newspapers and news reviews that women that
were raped were often traumatized for weeks or years afterwards. But he
never could really relate. And how could he be expected to? Even
though he was a sensitive person, he was still a man.

But Ami...Ami seemed very bothered by it. Ami was also a
sensitive person, and he knew that she was putting herself in Aiyana's
position. Maybe that's why Masaya felt closer to Ami and her family
than he did to his own. They were more like himself, and Ami was so
much more like he was than his mother.

"I was thinking that maybe what she's suffering from might be a
sexually transmitted disease," said Masaya.

"Good thinking," said Ami. "I'm really glad we have someone like
you in this hospital, Masaya. You think of everything."

"Only the few things you don't think of," Masaya said modestly.

"Still, I shouldn't not think of anything. These things are
important. Anyway, I've really got to get to this patient,
Masaya...meanwhile, you ask her the necessary questions."

"Necessary questions?" He knew what Ami meant, but she couldn't
possibly think he would be able to do that.

"You know what I mean," said Ami, and she actually meant it, not
just substituting the common saying for "you'll figure it out".

"Ami, I wouldn't feel comfortable asking her that!" Masaya
exclaimed. "How am I supposed to ask her that?!"

"You're a doctor," said Ami. "Go figure it out. I'll be there in
a few hours, okay?" And before Masaya could protest anymore, she had
disappeared around a corner.

Masaya sighed helplessly as he watched the place where she had
been. Then he sighed and retreated back towards Aiyana Khalidah's
hospital room.

***


"I am not asleep. You can come in."

Aiyana opened both eyes after stating this, seeing that it was
Masaya who was coming back again. Unless what she remembered was just a
bad dream, which she hoped it was. In that case, Masaya would be making
his first entrance into her room and he wouldn't know the horrible truth
about her, that she wasn't really the strong and collected young woman
that she portrayed herself to be--but was rather a weak and confused
teenage girl abused by her so-called comrades.

But then again, if her memory was just of a nightmare, then she
really hadn't felt Masaya's soft hands on her back, stroking her gently
and consoling her, and she had just conjured up the image of him
stroking her hair and comforting her to sleep...

The thoughts that battled in her mind, the part of her that wanted
to insist this was all a bad dream and the part that wanted to say that
it was real, made such a racket in her mind that she had to lay her head
down from a headache.

She moaned a little, but she wasn't sure she had really done it
until Masaya asked, "Are you all right?"

"I suppose so," said Aiyana. "As well as I will be." She thought
about her statement, then added, "Or not."

Masaya chuckled lightly, while Aiyana stared at him. 'He really
is very good-looking when he laughs,' she thought. '*Especially* when
he laughs.'

Masaya fell silent, studying Aiyana quietly, thinking about the
best way to go about doing this. Lying back in the bed, she looked to
be exhausted and certainly not very healthy. Thinking back to the first
day she came here, he thought about the way she had walked back to the
bed, swaying gently as if she were going to fall over. She didn't look
healthy then. She certainly didn't look much better now.

How could a man, looking at Aiyana and seeing how lovely she
was--Masaya had to admit to himself that he was attracted to
Aiyana--bring himself to lay a finger of pain and disgrace upon her? Or
even allow that to happen? How could a man, knowing he was much
stronger than this tiny piece of feminine matter, bring himself to use
his strength against her? What power and strength could he find in
beating on someone obviously weaker than himself?

"Masaya..."

Her voice startled him from his thoughts. He raised his head.
"Yes?"

"All of the things I told you...about when I was in the
military...was that real, or was it just a dream?"

"What stuff? You mean...about the horrible things they did to
you?"

"What horrible things?"

The two of them looked each other, and then Masaya burst into
laughter. Aiyana felt like she would have too, if she were feeling
better.

"I guess we can't figure out what each other's talking about
unless we're less vague," he said. "What I meant was...how they raped
you?"

Rape. The word was like a thousand beatings from the Gammas.
Aiyana nodded, incapable of speaking.

"That was real," said Masaya. "All too real...I'm really sorry,
Aiyana. I don't know what else to say. I really can't relate...because
I'm, you know, a guy. But Ami feels really upset about it."

"You told Dr. Amesuino?!" she exploded angrily, shooting up to a
sitting position. Her eyes flashed again, looking as if they were
on violet fire.

Masaya turned pale white. "Oh, Aiyana...I'm sorry, I really
am..." What a stupid thing for him to say.

"Why did you tell Dr. Amesuino that?" Aiyana asked, narrowing her
eyes at Masaya furiously. Her eyes were rapidly flashing back and forth
from blue to violet. It was disturbing.

"I...only wanted to help you, Aiyana..." Masaya bit his lip
nervously.

'Oh, why did you have to go and do that?!' Aiyana had never
seen Masaya do this before, and the sight was fascinating. It only made
him look all the more handsome.

"I thought...no, I *knew* Ami could help you," he went on
defensively. "I didn't mean to betray your trust...I mean, after all,
she is your doctor, and I thought she should know...it's very important
medical information...Oh! That reminds me!" Masaya shook his head as
if to clear it from apprehensiveness. "I have to ask you some
questions...please don't hate me forever for this, Aiyana. I didn't
know that you would be so angry about it..."

Aiyana felt her face soften a little, although she tried to keep
it taut with anger. But the anger was slowly draining away, making it
harder to keep that angry face. She saw that Masaya *had* only told Ami
because he really thought that it would be best for her, and he was
sincerely distressed that he had made her so upset. It almost gave her
a warm feeling, that the doctor actually cared so much for
her.

While thinking these thoughts she must have lost her grip on her
anger and the power to emanate her anger waves out into the whole room,
because Masaya looked back up at her face like a puppy with his tail
between his legs. "Will you forgive me?"

Aiyana sighed, laying back down on the bed. 'I hate men,' she
thought.

Masaya must have taken her sigh of defeat as an affirmative
answer, because he smiled weakly and looked back down at the bed with a
deep blush on his cheeks. The two of them remained silent for a few
moments.

"Aiyana, I don't want to bring bad memories back up," said Masaya,
looking up a little, "but I have to ask you a few questions to make sure
you're all right...and that that guy...didn't pass on anything to you."

"Anything?" Aiyana asked, confused.

"Diseases," Masaya affirmed. "Sexually transmitted diseases.
That's what could be making you sick now." He turned his eyes down
again, then back up to her. "Lately, how have you been feeling?"

"Different," said Aiyana, and Masaya laughed.

"Well, that should be obvious," said Masaya. "How different?"

"Very."

Masaya laughed again. "Could we cut the monotone answeres? Be
explicit. How do you feel different? What about you isn't normal?"

"Almost everything," said Aiyana. "I am not finished," she added,
when she saw Masaya's apprehension. He smiled.

"Lately...I mean, about a week after the incident, I started
feeling sick in the mornings. That is not the first time I have thrown
up in the morning...that is just the first time anyone has ever caught
me. I also feel very cranky sometimes, like I just need to snap on
someone. And I have been feeling really hungry, although I am never hungry.
Especially not for chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Masaya laughed. "You're hungry for chocolate?"

Aiyana smiled. Very faintly, very weakly, but she smiled.

"You're smiling, Aiyana," said Masaya, his eyes sparkling.
"You're actually smiling."

"I've been wanting to," Aiyana said, reddening with embarrassment
and turning her eyes downwards. "That is another strange thing. I have
felt my personality change a lot..I am not as quiet as usual. Like the
first day I came here, when I brought the sword to you neck...that was
one of my very cranky days. But other days I just feel like crawling
into a hole...like the second day I was here. Some days I just feel
like crying for no reason. And I have suddenly gotten very...what is it?
Careful. Careful about the things I do and the way I do them. Like I
would kill someone if I did something the wrong way, someone I care about,
although I've never remembered caring about anyone. And I have felt...
uplifted, sort of. More than once, I've felt like smiling or laughing."
'Especially at you,' she wanted to add, staring at him. "But I just...
couldn't for some reason."

Masaya smiled himself. Then his smile dropped. 'Wait a
minute...morning sickness...extended hunger...cravings...mood
swings...change in personality...extra carefulness...'

"Um, Aiyana, when this guy raped you, did he have a condom on?"

"Excuse me?"

"A condom. Do you know what that is?"

"I haven't the faintest clue."

"Wait...wait...wait..." Masaya jumped up and scrambled to the
nighttable dresser. He opened the top drawer, but he couldn't find what
he wanted. "Hold on, I'll be right back!" He dashed out of the door,
down to the gynecology and obstetrics wing of the hospital.

He couldn't go to Ami's room, she was examining someone. He ran
down the hallway to a doctor friend of his's room, Dr. Nakayashi. He
hoped Dr. Nakayashi wasn't examining anyone.

Suddenly the door swung open, nearly hitting Masaya in the face.
"Hi, Dr. Kogarashi," she said. "What brings you around to this wing of
the hospital? Didn't think I'd ever see you here."

"Funny," said Masaya sarcastically, panting. "You've got jokes."
Dr. Nakayama was about four or five years older than Masaya himself,
and was constantly teasing him about something or other. "Seriously,
Dr. Nakayama, do you have a condom I could use?"

Dr. Nakayama raised an eyebrow way, way up. "Masaya...?"

Masaya blushed deeply. "No...I'm doing a sex ed class. I'm not
going to use it."

Dr. Nakayama laughed. "Right...and what makes you think I've got
any?"

"The fact that you're married and you don't have any kids."

Now it was Dr. Nakayama's turn to crimson. She disappeared into
her room and came out holding a small package. "Here...use them wisely,
Masaya."

Masaya laughed. "I told you..."

"I know...I believe you..."

Masaya returned to Aiyana's room, and sighed in mock exasperation
as he walked in. "The things I do for you."

"What was the problem?"

"You don't usually walk up to anyone and just ask for a condom
without getting questions, Aiyana."

"What kind of questions?" She looked sincerely curious, but there was
a tiny grin brimming at the corners of her mouth.

He socked her lightly with the package, then opened it and showed
her one. She shook her head.

"No, he didn't have one of *those* on."

"Okay...did he...like, make you swallow a pill or something?"

"A pill? No. That's weird...what are you getting at, Masaya?"

Masaya shook his head. "Aiyana, this is going to seem like a
really weird question, but...were you...like, on your period at the
time?"

Aiyana blushed deeply, looking down at the bed again.
"Um...no...actually..."

"Actually what?"

"I...I don't feel comfortable talking to you about this."

"And you think I *do*? You have to tell me, Aiyana. It's
important."

"Why is it so important?"

"It affects your health, very, very much."

"How?"

"Just trust me! What was the 'actually' about?"

"Actually...I'm...late."

Masaya frowned for a minute, then his eyes opened wider when he
realized what she was talking about. "You're...late?"

"Late. Actually, you could count this as 'missed'. I was due two
and a half weeks ago, before I embarked on this mission. I have not even
gotten a hint of anything. No cramps, no bloating, not like usual. I
feel perfectly fine in that respect...aside from everything else that's happening to
me."

Masaya turned white and stared at Aiyana. "Oh, my god." He stood
up and took a hold on Aiyana's arm. "Come on. We've got to go. Now."

"Go where?" Aiyana's face contorted as she felt herself begin to
collapse. Masaya caught her before she hit the floor, then pulled her
closer to him so he could support her.

"To a testing lab. Somewhere. Anywhere where you can get
tested."

"Tested for what?"

Masaya merely shook his head.

"Tested for *what,* Masaya?!" Aiyana asked vehemently, slapping
his hand away and wobbling around to face him unsteadily. "*What is
wrong with me?!*"

Masaya turned to face Aiyana. "I...I think you might be
pregnant."
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