Total Eclipse- Minako's Story

Part 12

"One day, one night, one moment With a dream to be leaving One step, one fall, one falter And a new earth across a wide ocean This way became my journey This day ends together, Far and Away "

-Enya

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From the moment she walked into the room, she commanded our complete attention. Her silver hair cascaded to the ground as we stopped the game. Silence descended upon us.

"Minako," she said, "my, you are sick, child," I swallowed. She could tell this by just looking? Makoto and Jedite scooted over as Selene walked to the bed. She set a hand on my forehead. Rei peeked in from around the door and Usagi was just behind her. "We have to get you home," Mamoru sat straighter in his chair.

"How do you plan on being able to move her?" he asked. Selene looked at him sharply.

"The same way she got here." Makoto looked down.

"Um, about that…" she started. Jedite elbowed her. She didn't continue. Selene turned to the group on the floor.

"Mamoru, get some blankets. Makoto, get her stuff together. Minako, sit down!" I had stood up to get my bag. Selene gently shoved me down on to the bed. The group jumped into action. Kunzite helped Makoto pack up my stuff. Mamoru left quickly and Selene went to check on something. Jedite beckoned for Rei to come in. She scurried over and stood next to him in between him and the bed. He grabbed her hand.

"I want you to keep a close eye on her." Rei nodded slowly. "If she has that…virus, then she'll be pretty out of it for a while. If not, well, then we don't know what she has. She's been pretty wasted since yesterday. I'm guessing she will be for a few more days," He stopped and sighed. "I really think that she might not have that thing, but be careful all right?" Rei nodded again. She looked at me. I looked the other way. We sighed simultaneously.

"I don't want to do this," I said. "I can't submit an entire planet to a disease that they don't have. It could wipe out millions if it breaks out. And I will not be responsible for an epidemic," Jedite looked helplessly at Rei. She looked back at him. Makoto and Kunzite looked up from packing my stuff.

"That's a good point," Makoto commented. She set the bag down. "Oh no, what if I'm a carrier!" she cried.

"That's enough!" Kunzite said abruptly. "I don't think she has that virus. Different people have been saying it all day. She's not showing the same signs, besides she's been run down for a while and she had to break sometime. I think we're all over reacting," He looked at Jedite. "Jedite, you would know the most about what it was like. What do you think?" Jedite rubbed the back of his head. He sighed.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Mamoru came back in with a robe and some blankets.

"Oh this is ridiculous!" Rei exclaimed. "I can't believe we're arguing over what to do with Minako. Think about it. She'll do anything if we make her do it. And she's going home, so we can keep an eye on her!" Makoto blinked. Everyone else in the room remained silent, surprised by her sudden outburst.

"I guess we have no choice then," Makoto said finally. She picked up my bag and packed the rest of my stuff, then set it down again. It was like a party in my room. There were simply too many people. And they were all talking at once.

"She needs rest."

"How are we going to get her home safely?"

"I just don't know what's going on."

"It's my fault." It hurt my head to hear all their voices at once. I just snuggled under the covers and tried to drown them out.

"Enough, already," Mamoru said finally. He glanced at me. I didn't want to look at them, then. The room got quiet again. "You have to get up, Minako." I did so. He handed me the robe and held me up, just like he had earlier. I caught Usagi's glance from behind the door. She didn't look happy.

"Let me do that," Rei gently moved him over and took control.

"I don't need to be held up, Rei," I said. She eased up, but looked back at Jedite.

"Don't look at me. She said she didn't need help. She's the only one who knows exactly how she feels," he said responding to her glance. I sniffled. Makoto set down a pair of slippers. I stepped into them. Kunzite walked over to me and held me around the shoulders. Jedite looked at Rei, and I realized that she was pushing him away. He looked like he longed for her so much, but didn't dare touch her. Something had happened. Mamoru shifted, breaking my half concentration.

"We have to get her out of here. It's simply too cold here for her," Mamoru looked out the door just as Selene came back.

"We're ready," she said softly. "Makoto, you are to come back as well. They'll send your stuff to us." Makoto looked surprised. She hadn't expected to leave so suddenly, I think. Before I could get a word in, Kunzite picked me up and started walking out the door.

"Put me down," I said weakly. "I can walk."

"Yes," he replied, "but it'll take you forever." The conversations were hushed. Selene was a head of us, and I knew Usagi was close behind her. Rei and Makoto were trailing us. Kunzite had my bag as well. It was getting foggy again. I must have fell asleep in his arms.

The next thing I knew, Makoto and Rei were helping me out of the transport. We got to my room and I got back into bed. I just wanted to sleep. I don't know how long I was out for but the next time I was awake it was dark outside. My door was shut. The windows were shut and it felt stuffy. I didn't feel nauseous any more. I just felt like I had a really long nap. I got up, and I didn't feel shaky, I was still a little weak, but not shaky. I opened my window slightly. The cool air hit my face and it felt like home. I still had the robe on Mamoru had given me earlier. I didn't bother to take it off.

Next door was silent. I wondered what Rei was up to. I walked over and knocked on her door. "Reich?" I knew it wasn't late. It was just dark out. I had slept all day. I knocked a little louder. Rei came to the door.

"Minako?" she asked surprised. "Get back to bed," she commanded me.

"I'm feeling better," I said. She leaned against the door frame. "Have you had dinner yet?" Rei shook her head.

"And you're not getting dinner unless you're in bed. So get back!" She pointed to my room and I obliged and went back to bed. She followed me in. The stars twinkled out my window. She sat down on my bed. "So you're not feeling sick at all?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No, I just feel better." She nodded.

"I'll go talk Makoto in to getting something to you. I'll be back. Take it easy," she said. I nodded. She got up and left. Her midnight colored hair trailed behind her as she left. My room was dark. I could barely discern the colors in my room, and even then they were muted in the inky blackness. I knew just where all my candles were on my walls. I decided I needed the light. I picked up the starter and walked around my room lighting the candles until my room was brighter. It had changed so much from when I had first arrived.

The room had originally been a pale green with a pastel mint carpet. Green simply wasn't my color. The walls were bare and the bed was suitable but it needed some decoration. Through the years it had slowly evolved. My walls became a pale, fresh yellow color, with a light blue carpet. I had a vanity set against my far wall and it was a deep mahogany wood, as was my bed, which was a sleigh bed. My bedding had a blue and yellow quilt and a yellow comforter underneath. My bathroom had a deep bath in it, just like Rei's only mine was blue with splashes of yellow all over it and opalescent stones embedded in the floors and walls. I had big French style windows in my bedroom. But my favorite part of my room was my secret area.

There was one mysterious balcony at the palace that drove people crazy. This was because they couldn't find it. It was my balcony. I had a secret passage in my room that lead to this balcony. There was a whole other room on top of my own in which led to the balcony. In this room I stashed a lot of my personal objects and findings. I had writings up there and big cushy pillows that could be thrown anywhere and make it comfortable. This was my other hiding spot. My rainy day spot. And I wanted to go up there, now. But I had to wait for Rei get back, because I knew she'd find me missing and flip out. I was pleased at my now dimly lit room. At least I could see my colors now, as well as my other little odds and ends.

My door opened suddenly. Selene walked in with a bowl of food. "Minako?" she asked quietly. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Rei told me you were feeling better," she handed me the food. "I must say, you look better, but I still don't want you out and about for a while," I nodded. Selene gestured to the bowl of food. "Go ahead, eat a little," I didn't know that my food was heavily medicated. I took a few bites and realized just how hungry I was. I ended up eating the whole bowl. Selene leaned forward and gave me a hug. "Rest up, darling," she said. I was already starting to nod off. I hadn't even realized she called me darling. Just before I fell asleep I thought I head a cat mewing in the distance.

I slept soundly through the night. I awoke the next morning to someone coming into my room. I felt a gentle hand on my forehead. Selene was keeping a diligent watch on me. Ami bent over the bed. "Okay, get up," she said.

"Huh?" I mumbled incoherently.

"You have to wash up, Minako."

"mmmph." I replied snuggling down into the folds of my bed again. Ami sighed.

"Fine I'm giving you another half an hour. It's already 11:00." I nodded and fell back asleep. I didn't know that I had been so exhausted. I heard the door shut behind her as she left.

True to her word, a half an hour later exactly, Ami walked back into my room. "Now you're getting up," she said. I rolled over and looked at her.

"Okay," I said quietly. I'd been sleeping for days, but I was still tired. I got up slowly and pulled my whole 5' 9" frame up half of what I normally would. Ami slung her arm over my shoulders. I tried to shrug her off. "I'm good, really."

"I hope your kids aren't as stubborn as you are, Minako," she said off hand.

"What?" I asked. It was a strange statement, especially coming from Ami. She shook her head.

"Nevermind," We reached the bathroom. Ami let me go. She pointed to the bath. "Now get clean. You'll feel better." I nodded. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I shed my clothes and slipped into my bath. Someone had already pulled the cover off for me, so I didn't have to do it myself. They were really heavy covers, being solar insulated and all. I took a minimum amount of time in the bath. I really would rather be sleeping by this point. I got out and wrapped a towel around my self and got back out into my room. I changed and got back in bed. I was sleeping again before I knew it.

Not much long later Usagi slipped into my room. I hadn't heard her quiet knock, but I did hear her shuffling into my room. I was half asleep as she made her way to my bed. "Minako?" she asked. I didn't respond. "Are you really asleep?" she asked. She waited for a moment longer then set something on my bed. It mewed softly and walked back to her. "No, stay here!" She whispered loudly to it. It mewed again. I ignored the whole thing, drifting back into a deeper sleep. She reached over and set it on the other side of me, so I was between her and the creature. It mewed again, with a scared tone in it's voice. It paced back and forth for a few seconds, but couldn't see Usagi. She took the opportunity to leave. It cried for a few more minutes then curled up and slept next to me.

A soft, warm, fuzzy object brushed against my face and woke me up. My trip back to consciousness was slow and tedious. It mewed in my face. I snapped awake then. I jumped and sat up, trying to get my eyes to focus on it. It jumped into my lap and mewed again. It was a tiny, white kitten. "Where'd you come from?" I asked it softly. It closed its eyes and mewed. A curious golden crescent graced its forehead. I tentatively reached out and petted it. The softy baby fur was like silk. It began purring in the only way it knew how. It was a broken, rough purr, but I still managed to fall in love with the little thing. It licked my hand. I laughed softly. Its rough pink tongue tickled my hand.

"So what's your name little guy?" I asked it, picking it up so that it was eye level with me. It fit into my hand. It mewed at me. A knock came at the door. "Come in." I said. Usagi came in and I set the kitten down. It crawled up to my stomach and lay down.

"I see you found Artemis." She said when she came in.

"Is that its name?" I asked.

"His name," she answered. "I'll show you Luna later. Mom said that it would be a good idea to give Artemis to you because you're so full of love, and he was really shy," I looked at her confused. "Anyway, are you coming to dinner?" she asked, switching subjects with ease.

"I better not," I replied. She nodded.

"I'll bring you something to eat then," She handed me a small ball of string. "You might need this." I nodded. Then she left. I turned my attention back to the tiny ball of fur asleep on my stomach.

"Artemis huh?" I gently petted his forehead with only a few fingers. He slept soundly on my stomach. "I think you and I'll be great friends, Artemis."

*~*~Notes from Zellie*~*~

Well well. What have we here? A little tiny kitten? Mwah. Yes. Enter the Artemis. Sorry, guys, but I love Artemis. He's my favorite cat. And luckily we'll see a lot of him from here on in. Well, my computer's been down, so it's taken me a while to get this out. Sorry for the wait! I've already started part thirteen. So it shouldn't take too much longer. Oh yeah, shameless plug time. Go read VO1's As We Were, then read As We Are. Enjoy. They're some of the best written stories I've ever read. Trust me, they're good. Go read now! Questions, comments? Lil_venus@hotmail.com