Total Eclipse- Minako's Story

Part 11

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"The shells upon the warm sands have taken from their own lands the echo of their story but all I hear are low sounds as pillow words are weaving and willow waves are leaving but should I be believing that I am only dreaming"

-"Anywhere is Paradise" by Enya.

When I woke up the next morning, the world was a blur. Kunzite was sitting slumped in a chair next to the bed, he seemed to be asleep. I rolled over. The motion made me nauseous. So I settled in and stayed there until the feeling subsided. I wasn't about to try and move again. I felt hungry, but knew I probably couldn't eat anything. There was a knock on the door, and Kunzite snapped to attention. He got up and opened the door. I turned as much as I could without moving to much to see for myself.

"Yeah?" He asked quietly. Makoto looked in at me.

"She's up." Kunzite snapped around and looked at me. He left Makoto by the door, and she followed him in. He came by the bed and looked at me. I lay back down. Makoto stood beside me on the other side of the bed. Kunzite looked up to her and she looked back at him. "So…" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's my turn." She said finally. I felt him touch my back.

"How long has he been here?" I asked.

"Hey, you can talk!" Makoto said.

"Yeah?" I replied somewhat hoarsely. Kunzite gently rubbed my back. I felt so reassured knowing he was there. Makoto pursed her lips.

"How are you feeling."

"How do you think I feel?" I moved my arm and winced. I couldn't believe that I was so achy that it hurt to move. She looked at me, then up at Kunzite.

"I know you want to help, Makoto." He said. "But you really shouldn't be here, in case you're susceptible to it."

"I'm a big girl, Kunz." She replied.

"I've been through it…well not personally." He sighed.

"What if you're susceptible to it?"?

"I was immunized once we isolated it." I covered my head with my arm.

"Stop fighting over it!" I cried, but it was muffled under my arm. Makoto looked down at me. She sighed.

"Fine, but if anything new happens, I know first, got it?"

"Tell Rei." I said. She nodded, then left. Kunzite sat down on the bed. It bounced slightly with his weight. I flinched and tried to fight down the nausea again.

"Sorry." He said. He set his hand on my waist and I felt better, surprisingly. It was a strange sensation that swept over me. I closed my eyes again. I hate being sick. I always feel so helpless. "Jedite wants to talk to you." He said.

"Jedite?" My stomach grumbled. "What does he want?"

"He had it. I guess it's moral support or something." I sighed.

"But you didn't have it?" Kunzite shook his head. I tried to roll over onto my back. The nausea returned yet again. "How can you vomit with nothing in your stomach?" I asked frustrated.

"I can't let you eat anything till Catherine sees you." I blinked.

"Who?" Kunzite studied me.

"Uh, she's a healer, she's studying under the head medic, only difference is she's got…um…magic." He seemed distracted. "You know, you sound so much better than yesterday, yet somehow you look worse." He changed the subject abruptly.

"Gee thanks." I said. "Well where is this Catherine person?" There was a knock on the door. Kunzite raised his eyebrow at me. "Female intuition." I muttered. I was so irritable. He got up gently, trying not to bounce the bed. He reached the door and opened it, Jedite stood outside.

"Mam wants to see you." Kunzite nodded and they passed each other as one left and the other entered. Jedite walked over to the bed and looked at me. "Wow." I stared at him the way he was staring at me. "You look bad."

"Thank you." I grumbled.

"Oh, come on, I'm trying to be supportive." I sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." He pulled up the chair.

"Kunzite want's someone watching you all the time. He says that 'one can't be too careful with royal guests.' I have still yet to learn what makes you so special." My look changed. I looked at him skeptically now.

"Honestly?" He nodded and leaned forward.

"So what is it?"

"Venusian heir to the throne." I said bitterly. Jedite's features registered surprise.

"No wonder. You're his original allegiance."

"You can't have magic in you unless you come from some royal family somehow." Jedite looked at me.

"I'm not from any royal family." He said calmly. "Believe me."

"I don't believe it. You have to be. Unless you're some sort of weird experiment, or don't have magic." I sank into my pillow. Jedite decided to change the subject.

"Kunz's been here all night. He's really worried about you." I smiled a half smile at him.

"You know I'm glad you're so honest with me." He looked confused. "Well, I told you a secret, now you tell me one. Why are you here?"

"Rei'd be mighty upset if her best friend came home in a coffin. I might be the only one surviving willing to risk the chance of contracting that thing again who knows what to expect. You're going to be weak for a long time. And…It might get worse from here on in. But I know some tricks as to help you get better faster…Just don't tell Kunzite, 'k?" I looked at him confused. Kunzite slipped back in and Jedite leaned back in the chair. I looked to the window. I wanted to go home.

"Endymion wants her out of here." He looked at me. "Serenity knows." Jedite looked at Kunzite.

"You can't move her in this condition." My stomach grumbled again.

"Where's that girl so I can eat something?"

"If you didn't look like a zombie, I'd tell you to look for her." Jedite quipped. Kunzite shook his head and looked around the room.

"I'll go get her." He wasn't gone for more than a few minutes. Jedite tapped his fingers along the arms of the chair.

"He actually slept in this thing?" He mused to himself. I sighed and fluffed up my pillow. I was feeling increasingly better it seemed. Jedite then turned his gaze to me. I felt another presence in the room. "So what did you dream about?" Jedite turned around, looking for something behind him. "Not good." He muttered.

"Um…nothing happy." I replied. I watched the door carefully. "I don't remember much." I said softly. The feeling felt closer. I had a strange urge to get out of the bed. Jedite looked over to me then back to the door.

"So, can you think of anything specific?" He asked.

"Yeah. But I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay then." Jedite stood up and started walking around the room. I nearly envied him. "What's your favorite memory?" I closed my eyes. There was some nagging feeling in the back of my mind. And it was slowly surfacing more prominently. "Mmm…I'd have to say the first time I saw the Mare Serenitatis."

"Okay, good." He looked at me and his eyes were very clear. "Keep thinking about that." I nodded, and concentrated on the soft white beach with the sun glinting off the pale blue water, and the completely, calm feeling that I felt. "Damn, you're a target." Jedite said, interrupting my thoughts.

"What?" I felt foggy again. Kunzite came back in.

"Catherine's gone." He said, somewhat confused. "Mam's going to be here in a while." He sunk into the chair. We looked at each other. Kunzite seemed terribly stressed out. He sat up straight and looked behind him to Jedite. Then they both shifted their gaze to the door that adjoined the two rooms. "My room." He got up and walked to the door. I watched all this with guarded curiosity. He opened it slowly. I half expected him to loose his head. At first there was silence, we all held our breath as he edged into the room. A low hiss could be heard from in the room. I sat up and leaned forward, watching Kunzite's every move. Jedite glanced over at me, then followed Kunzite into the room.

"What is it? He asked. His voice echoed in the room, which sounded rather empty. I couldn't see Kunzite anymore, but I could see Jedite's back. The hiss grew louder. "Woah." Then I heard a growling. "That's no kitten."

"Jedite," Kunzite rebuffed him. I could hear him walk towards Jedite. "Well, it's not attacking." He sighed.

"What should we do?" Jedite asked. My curiosity got the better of me. I quietly moved off the bed and walked shakily towards the boys. I leaned against the doorframe and peeked into Kunzite's room. A small black creature that resembled both a kitten and a monkey was crouched in a corner, looking distrustfully at the two boys. I saw its eyes flash when it saw me, and I edged away from the door. I had almost made it back to my bed when my door opened. I stood staring at it, like a guilty child. Then my legs gave out underneath me. So I just sat on the floor as Mamoru approached me. I looked up at him when he was finally above me.

"I thought you were bed ridden." He said. I motioned for him not to say anything, but it was too late. Jedite turned around and stared, then nudged Kunzite in the back. Kunzite turned around confused and his eyes landed on me. Mamoru looked over to the two boys and the awkward situation ensued. "Weren't you the one who wanted her to be watched at all times?"

"Not the time, Mam." Kunzite said, and turned his attention back to the creature in his room. It was slowly advancing. I tried to get back up. Mamoru pulled me up. And held me up.

"You don't have to."

"For having that virus, you're pretty with it." He said, then paused while studying me. "Maybe it's not the virus." No one had seemed to think that yet. I guess they had all simply jumped to conclusions. I tried to pull out of Mamoru's grasp. He held me back. Kunzite yelped suddenly, and Jedite disappeared into the room.

"Uh A little help here?" He called. Mamoru and I looked at each other and he let me go. Then he walked into the room, not knowing what was going on. I followed, stopping at the door. Kunzite was holding his arm. And the creature was staring at him, and snarled.

"Damn!" He said.

"Do we have to kill it?" Jedite asked, almost innocently. Kunzite walked over to his dresser and pulled out a scarf and tied his arm. Mamoru stood, staring at it.

"I should hope not!" Kunzite barked. "I don't want blood all over my room.

"Well, how are we going to isolate it, and capture it, then. Do you have any ideas?" Mamoru said. The creature started crawling towards me.

"Minako, don't touch it!" Kunzite said. I looked at him.

"I've learned my lesson." I said weakly. It stopped in front of me. "Ew…they're so creepy!" Jedite started to move behind it slowly. It's tail lashed methodically. "Er…hi?" Jedite snatched it by the scruff of the neck. It struggled in his grasp and he hit a pressure point on the animal and it went still. He beamed over to Kunzite.

"Bet you couldn't do that, noble-boy!" Kunzite simply looked at him and held his arm tighter. Mamoru stepped between them.

"Alright you two. Jedite…put it somewhere…outside the palace walls. Kunzite, go get something for that." Then he looked at me. "You, back to bed." I sighed and managed my way back to the bed and sat down. The boys went their different ways and Mamoru looked at the chair. "So that's where he slept last night."

"I'm really hungry." I whined. Mamoru looked at me and cracked a smile.

"I thought you didn't eat anything but water. The forks issue is so intimidating."

"Ha ha." I said sarcastically. "No, really. I am. And they won't let me eat." We fell silent for a while.

"No, really. If you had that virus there is no way you'd be able to get out of bed."

"Maybe I'm just a superhuman." Another knock came at the door, I sighed, I was sick of the people going in and out and the constant movement. Makoto slipped in and shut the door behind her. I looked at her brightly, forgetting I wasn't enveloped in the bed.

"Mako-chan, do me a favor. Please, please get me something to eat." I pleaded with her. She looked as if she had been about to say something, but had lost her thought when I asked for food.

"You. Want to eat something." She said at last. Mamoru half turned around. "I don't believe it."

"That's what I said! The girl is as thin as a rail!" I sighed.

"Look, I'm really hungry and Kunzite won't let me eat anything until some Catherine chick shows up and okay it but…I'm so hungry!" I babbled. Mamoru looked at me suddenly.

"Catherine?" He said. I stopped whining and looked at him. "Why Cath?" He asked.

"I don't know, that's just what he said!"

"Catherine's not here, though." He said. Makoto shifted. She looked between us and sat on the floor next to the chair.

"Let's make a deal. You stay there and not exhaust yourself even if there's a battle and I'll get you something to eat." Her green eyes gazed up at me in a commanding way. I nodded. Mamoru sighed and leaned the chair back on two legs. Makoto stood up. "I'll get you some cereal then."

"Okay." I said, and sat up in the bed. Mamoru looked at me as I settled in. I played with the pieces of fabric on the quilt that was on the bed. The intricate designs told a story each piece had it's own part of the tale.

"You know…you do still remind me of Serenity." He said. "But she doesn't quite compare. Even being sick you're still beautiful." I looked over at him, somewhat flustered.

"Are you making at pass at me? That's at least the third time you've said that to me." I asked. He shook his head.

"No. No, My heart belongs to her…it's just, well… there's simply no denying the fact."

"As flattered as I am by this, It does make me slightly uncomfortable." He shrugged. I prayed Makoto would return with some food soon.

"Rei told me that the queen was most upset when she found out about your health. They're all worried about you. I'm almost envious. I don't think anyone would be too worried if anything happened to me. All the boys are so obsessed over their own great loves and trials. I'm just here to hold them back." He said it bitterly. As if the words burned as they were spoken. I actually felt sympathy for him.

"No, you're not. All of those boys are very loyal to you. They are willing to lay their lives on the line for king and country, are they not?" I heard him sigh. Luckily Makoto came back in just the right time. She held a steaming bowl in her hands, with a spoon and handed it to me when she got to the bed. I smiled at her. "Thank you so much, Mako-chan." I gingerly took the spoon and tasted the cereal. It was hot, but the flavor was good. She had even sprinkled blackberries on it. Mamoru gestured to it.

"You see this is what I mean. The girls bend over backwards for you and Serenity. My men wouldn't nurse me." I looked at him, and swallowed, there was a hint of darkness in my eyes.

"Men aren't really nurturing." I said before taking another bite. "I learned that early enough."

"Besides," Makoto jumped in on the conversation. "We need a healthy leader. And Minako's all we got." She grinned at me, hoping I didn't mind the tease. I had already eaten half the bowl. But then I began slowing down. The hunger had abated. And I was getting full as the thick substance settled in. I tried to finish it. "If you can't finish it, don't force yourself." She said, not missing a thing. Kunzite came back, then.

"What is this, a party?" He asked. His arm was now wrapped in a bandage. He was still holding it up. Makoto did a double take.

"What happened to you?" She asked. Kunzite turned to his bedroom for a second. Mamoru watched carefully. I knew he was thinking of an answer so she wouldn't flip out.

"A…cat…bit me." He said, slowly. Mamoru shook his head and looked away.

"Cat? Cats can do that?" She asked, incredulous.

"It was a big cat." I realized that Kunzite would see the bowl. But by this point I didn't really care. He sighed, and joined her on the floor. "So what's going on with the gaggle?" He asked. Mamoru stirred and looked at him.

"They're on their way, I was told, Selene is coming." My eyes widened. Makoto looked to Mamoru herself.

"What?" She asked softly.

"I told you she was worried about Minako." He said as if it was just common.

"But wait…" I started. "Who's going to be there to protect the kingdom, and…" The many possible bad events that could happen flashed through my mind.

"I'm sure she's leaving it in capable hands." Mamoru said. Kunzite leaned against the bed.

"I agree with the girls." He said. "It seems like a dangerous move, especially with the threats." Mamoru sighed.

"There are people going to be there. I'm not allowed to discuss it, alright?" Our trio was pacified. We sat in silence for a while.

"I've got an idea," Makoto said. "Let's play a game!" I flopped back on the pillows. "Games" with Makoto were scary things.

"You're joking, right?" Mamoru said looking at her.

"Hey grumpy, back off." Kunzite said. Jedite walked in with out knocking.

"It woke up half way." He said. He brushed off some grass on his arm.

"What did?" Makoto asked.

"The cat!" Kunzite said quickly. Jedite just nodded slowly. He joined the group on the floor.

"So, what're we all doing here?"

"Amusing Minako." Mamoru replied.

"It's a great game. Just ask me a bunch of yes or no questions. But you have a limit, which I'll tell you when you reach it. Then you have to guess what I'm thinking about." Makoto jumped back in. Jedite looked skeptical.

"Alright. Animal?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Is it a bunny?" Jedite asked.

"Don't waste your questions." She replied, eyeing him. He grinned.

"How about a flower?" Kunzite asked.

"Yes."

"Is it a pansy?" Jedite said.

"No, but I knew a few things that are."

"Does it have color?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Is it pink?" Jedite asked.

"This is lame." Mamoru said. Makoto shot him a look.

"Yes."

"Does it have three leaves per sprout?" I asked. Makoto looked stunned.

"Yes."

"An abundance of petals?" Kunzite asked.

"Yes."

"Sweet fragrance?"

"Yes."

"A rose?" Mamoru asked finally.

"Yep!" Makoto said cheerfully. The door opened again, and we all turned to see who it was.

~Notes from Zellie~

Wow. I know that wasn't the best place to end it, but oh well. This is the most recent part of Total Eclipse. I decided to end it there because it seemed monotonous other wise. And I really wanted a change of scene too. Oh well. guess that'll have to wait until chapter 12, I guess. Let me know what you think! E-mail- Lil_venus@hotmail.com. Thanks to all the reviewers on FF.net. Your support is much appreciated! Adios! ~Zellie.