Pain. Pain. More pain. He flexed his leg, and grumbled. And, surprise...more pain. What in the name of Ares did I do to deserve this, he thought groggily. It was a question that had too many answers.

"Welcome back to the Realm of the Living."

Rubeus slowly opened one eye, hearing Miera's voice. For a moment, he thought they were in pitch blackness, until he opened the other eye. A paniced thought went through his mind, and carefully he raised his aching arm, touching his face slightly. His skin felt like it was still on fire, and even the small movement sapped his strength, but it confirmed his fears. His left eye could see the small room there were in, and could see that it was daylight. The right eye saw only blackness...it was blind.

"What happened?" he whispered, throat dry and sore. Summoning what little energy he could, he tried to sit up, but whimpered as a stab of agony ripped through his body.

A soft hand touched his forehead, reaching from the now dark half of his vision. "You're badly injured...and you've been out like a light for two days. Please try to keep from moving. My healing magick can't work otherwise."

"Miera..." Rubeus murmured, tensing at her unexpected touch, and the flow of energy that rushed over his senses. "Why are you bothering..."

Minutes passed in a slow, nerve-grinding torture. Her hand never moved, and the soothing wave of cool energy at once relaxing and unsettling. With a sigh, he gave up resisting the healing work, and withing seconds the aching faded into dull, throbbing pain. He nearly wept with relief, and finally, her voice returned to him.

"I help those to who I am called. You may have been an enemy to the Sailor Senshi. But I follow no such rules...I never have."

"So then...you know who I am."

"As surely as I know myself, child of the Dark Moon," she said quietly.

Carefully, he turned his head so that he could see her. Her body glowed a soft blue, radiating from her chest and arm. A mixture of anger, defeat and awe came over him as he looked into her green eyes. They were unblinking, and if her focused, he could barely see a thin, white film over them. Images flashed through his memory...images that she had given to him.

"Trust me," she said...How can I, when every Senshi I met only wanted my death...?

A small smile crossed her face, but it was hollow. "As for what happened...I had used too much energy to teleport to the ship. When I tried to make the orb, it wouldn't go fast enough...and I couldn't form a sheild. A flaming peice of junk got thrown from an explosion, and though the psi field around us slowed it down, it still hit you rather hard...We finally teleported out, and here. I tried to heal you best as I could, with what little power I had left, but..."

They both fell silent, lost in thought. Miera's chest felt tight; he was the only one who knew her secrets, and he was a potential enemy...she cursed herself, and her sympathy. Too often it got her into trouble...and now she was housing a member of the Dark Moon family in her own home. The feeling of anger faded quickly as she felt his hand touch hers. What was he doing...?

What am I doing, he wondered half-heartedly, reaching out to her. She's the enemy...

"Thank you," Rubeus started hesitently, watching her expressions. "You risked your life for mine. And...that is both surprising, and appriciated. I...only hope that we may trust each other, in time."

Miera blinked slowly, her gaze unmoving from the far wall. "...I hope so, as well."

An emotion rippled through him, and Rubeus looked away. His balance between stability and insantiy was teetering enough already. Unconciously, his tumb gently stroked her hand as he cintemplated. Miera felt his touch, and her chest tightened again. Gods, the Fates were sadistic...

"You gave me images, of you," he said suddenly.

"Yes."

Ruebus heard the strangled tone in her voice, and realized what he was doing, quickly pulling his hand back to his side. "I...want to know what happened to you. Maybe...maybe then, I can make heads or tails of all this."

He's just as lost as I am, her mind sighed. I don't know if I am blessed or cursed...

"If you promise not to use it against me," Miera muttered lowly, as if she was speaking to herself.

"...I won't," he promised quietly, taken aback by her words.

"You see..." she began, so softly it was almost a whisper. "It all began, before I was even born..."