Wow, I have a chapter 9. It's kind of amazing, I usually stop writing by this point, sort of lose interest. Oh well, I guess this is better for you. Just a time line this is happening at the same time as Makoto's little breakdown and her running into Yosshii (reincarnated Ami). Also sorry for the late update; but I think you will enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 9

Minako walk up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. It was still raining and the steps were wet and slippery. Even after all these years Rei still hadn't installed an elevator, though Minako had even suggested an escalator. Rei had fumed something about the shrine needing to be kept in its old traditions. Minako thought that Rei was just being lazy.

Minako reached the top and spotted Midori cleaning much like Rei used to in her youth. Minako had to smile. Though Midori was an android, Minako had grown to love her as a niece that she never had, or would that be her grand-niece?

Midori looked up and saw Minako approaching, and bowed to the other woman.

"Good evening Minako-sama. Grandmother is with the Sacred Fire, she is waiting for you." Minako laughed.

"Good evening Midori-san. Your grandmother better be expecting me. It was she that called me." Minako came up to the android and hugged her. Midori wasn't expecting the hug and stood there as Minako embraced her. Midori blushed when Minako released her and patted her head. "You're cute when you blush Midori-san." With that said Minako walked past the blushing girl and into the shrine.

Minako opened the door to the Sacred Fire. Inside knelt Rei with her back toward the door. Minako walked around and knelt beside Rei. She knew better than to interrupt her. When Rei was ready she would stop and talk. Minako sat there feeling her feet go numb and her mind started to wander.

****

Minako had followed Rei back to the shrine after visiting Usagi in the mental hospital. Doing so was always such an exhausting experience, but she would do it everyday if she could. Rei had remained silent for much of the visit, only answering questions directed to her. Minako watched Rei walk up the stairs— her back stiff and ridged. Midori was sweeping when they had reached the top. She had said some sort of greeting to her grandmother and friend, but Rei just walked past her. Minako nodded her head at the young girl.

Rei walked into the room of the Sacred Fire, as Minako walked in and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, Rei hadn't moved from standing in front of the fire. Minako had expected Rei to kneel and to pray as they would do after every visit, but Rei made no move to kneel. Minako reached out, but before she even touched the miko, Rei exploded. She threw her head back and bowed her back and screamed. She stopped screaming and started to throw anything she could get her hands on— antique pottery, chairs, cushions, the harder the object the better. Minako watched in horror as Rei destroyed the small room. Finally Rei ran up to the one wooden wall and punched a hole through it. Rei seemed to stop at this point. She slowly pulled her hand out, bloody and broken. She started screaming again and beating the wall with her other hand until the sobs overtook her body, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Minako rushed to her, jumping over the disaster Rei had created. Minako took Rei into the arms slowly rocking her back and forth as she cradled her. Rei was sobbing so hard, clinging to Minako like a scared child. As suddenly as she began, Rei stopped. She took a large intake of breath and let go of Minako but didn't move from her embrace. She pulled her broken hand up so that she could examine it. It was bleeding profusely, some of the bones showing through the skin. Rei watched as her senshi abilities started to mend the hand. In a few days it would be as if nothing had happened.

"I'll call Hotaru and ask her to come and heal you." Rei shook her head no.

"Let me have this pain. This is physical. I can work around it." Rei said and stood. Minako remained on the floor and looked up at Rei. Rei looked down at her and then went to the fire and knelt before it.

"Oh, fire forgive us…"

****

Rei's stirring brought Minako out of her day dream. Minako looked up at the wooden wall. The hole was still there. Minako turned to Rei and watched as she struggled to the surface of her vision. Rei opened her eyes and gasped. She fell forward and put her head against the floor waiting for the dizziness to subside. Finally she lifted her head and turned to Minako. She smiled at the blonde and stood. She beckoned Minako to follow her to the kitchen. When they got to the kitchen, Rei told Minako to have a seat and asked if she would like some tea. Minako said yes, and Rei brought back two cups of tea to the table. She placed one in front of Minako and then sat down. Minako sipped her tea, then looked up at Rei.

"What did the fire say?" Minako asked. Rei took a drink of her tea, put some more sugar into it, then took another drink. Finding it satisfactory, she placed it back on the table.

"Last time the fire showed me the awakening of Mercury."

"Yes and we found Yosshii." Minako interrupted. Rei gave her a hard look, and Minako quickly apologized.

"This time it showed me the arrival of Jupiter, but she was being consumed by the darkness." Minako stared at her.

"Was that all?" she asked after several moments of silence from Rei. Rei sipped her tea and shook her head.

"I fear that her darkness was also trying to consume our new Mercury." Minako watched Rei take another drink. "Jupiter has returned. Her spirit will search out for Mercury even if she doesn't realize it. And when she finds her, Mercury will reach out for the hurt spirit of Jupiter and become infected with the abyss."

Minako just stared at Rei. "What do you mean Jupiter has returned?" Rei finished her tea and looked at Minako.

"She came here a few days ago." Rei stood and put her cup in the sink. She turned around and leaned against the cabinet crossing her arms over her chest. "She's not the same." Rei put her head down. "There is something eating her from the inside. I don't know how, but Makoto is probably lost to us now more than ever before."

Minako just sat there. She was gripping her tea cup so tightly, she wondered if she would break it. She looked down at the hot brown liquid, watching the small ripples on its surface caused by the slight tremble in her hands. She took a deep breath and slowly released the defenseless tea cup. "Makoto has returned." She whispered. Minako raised her eyes to Rei's; in that look Rei saw anger and hatred so intense that Rei wasn't sure if it was still Minako that sat in front of her. "It's not a new girl that has been awakened like Yosshii is it? It's the same Makoto of fifty years ago. That bitch!" Minako screamed suddenly standing causing her chair to be thrown behind her. "How dare she just get up and leave. She abandoned her Princess. She left her duties. How dare she return." Minako was fuming.

She was pacing the kitchen floor, and Rei watched as the blonde carried on for another five minutes about the injustice that Makoto had done. Rei grabbed Minako and shook her from her rant.

"Minako, the past doesn't matter. She's here now, which means there is a new enemy." Minako stopped and looked at Rei turning those angry eyes on her. Rei wanted to turn away from those eyes, but that would be giving into Minako's hatred and right now they needed to think beyond the anger.

"Do you think I haven't thought of that Rei?!" She screamed at her. "Do you think I'm some teenager still, that I don't know how to do my job. I'm the leader of the inner senshi. I know how to do my job. Maybe you should remember how to do yours. You are the Princess' most cherished bodyguard aren't you? You love her don't you? But where is she Rei? Oh yeah, she's insane. The woman that is supposed to lead us into utopia is nuts. You couldn't protect her from that could you Rei? All your training and meditation couldn't help Usagi. So don't tell me how to do MY job."

Rei threw Minako against the wall. She didn't use senshi strength, though the thought did cross her mind. Minako bounced off the offended wall. She fell forward on her hands and knees because of the sudden movement. She lifted her head and stared at Rei. "To think I loved you once." She spat at Rei's feet.

Rei chose to ignore that statement. "Call up Yosshii, tell her to come to the shrine. We need to warn her about Jupiter." Rei turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Minako slowly stood, and walked to the chair she had thrown down in her angered state. She picked it up and placed it back at the table. She sat down and put her head on the table trying to calm herself. She needed to be in control when she communicated with Yosshii. Minako lifted her head and fixed her hair quickly. She pushed a button on the communicator around her wrist that she had worn for most of her life. She took even breaths as she waited for Yosshii to answer her. Finally Yosshii's image came on.

Minako stared into the face of her lost friend and almost convinced herself that these last fifty years were just a dream and that Ami was still alive, at least until Yosshii spoke.

"This better be good, I'm busy." Yosshii said in a hushed voice. Minako mentally shook herself.

"We need you to come to the shrine."

Yosshii shook her head no. "I can't. I have company."

Minako suddenly became very interested.

"You have a guy over?" Minako asked. Ami would never have done that.

"No, it's a girl." Yosshii said. Minako could see the light blush cross her face. Minako had a sudden bad feeling.

"Yosshii what does she look like?" Minako said with some urgency. Yosshii's blush disappeared and her face became stern. Yosshii had detected the change in Minako's voice.

"What does that matter?"

"Yosshii, if she is who I think she is, you need to get away from her now." Yosshii became very angry with Minako.

"Mina-san, you are not my mother. I will have who ever I want for company. I'm leaving now and I don't want to hear from you the rest of the evening. Understood?" With that Yosshii closed the communication.

Minako sighed and closed her communicator. She stood and left the kitchen in search of Rei. She found her next to the old tree in front of the shrine. The rain had stopped, leaving everything soaked. Minako watched as Rei attached another prayer to one of its limbs. The tree was large in Minako's youth, but now it was huge. Rei turned when she heard Minako approach.

"Did you get a hold of her?"

"Yes, but she won't come. I fear that Makoto could already be with her."

Rei sighed.

"I feared as much." Rei walked away from the tree and sat on the porch of one of the near by buildings. She looked at Minako waiting for her to follow. Minako crossed her arms over her chest and walked to the porch, but she did not sit and stood in front of the miko.

"What do we do now?" Minako asked.

Rei shrugged. "Hope that history doesn't repeat itself."

****

In another part of the city far away from the shrine, Fujiwara was closing up his office when he felt the presence of one of his minions enter his mind.

"Report." He ordered in his mind.

"The thunder senshi will not be a problem sir. I have spent the last fifty years with her. She believes that I am her." Fujiwara grinned at his driver and stepped into the car.

"That is good." Fujiwara took out a cigar from the center console in the back seat as the car started to pull away from the building. "Make sure she does as ordered."

"She will try to kill you my lord," the voice informed him. Fujiwara took a long drag of the cigar.

"I know, and when she does I will have a surprise for her. Now be gone." The other voice left Fujiwara's head as ordered. Fujiwara took his calendar out of his jacket pocket. He flipped through all the political meetings he was to have until he came to a lunch date with his niece. "Yosshii, my dear, uncle needs your help."

~~~~

Ok that's all of this chapter I hope that it was worth the wait. I decided that I needed an enemy, this one was probably obvious, but I swear you'll love what I do with it. Ok one more thing ::gets on knees:: please review. It really makes me feel much better when you review. Thank you