Interlude

By MG

Don't own sm…

"Malachite!" He attempted to shout as loud as he could, his voice hoarse and scratchy from disuse. In moments his friend was before him, a worried look on his face.

"You're awake." He smiled.

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

"Usagi…where is she?"

"She isn't here."

"She---she was here…I know it." Malachite walked over curiously and covered his nudity with the sheet that had been pulled back.

"I don't remember pulling that sheet-"

"Damnit where is she?" He demanded this time.

"Mamoru calm yourself…you've been asleep for quite some time, let me get you some water, and then we'll talk."

"G'damnit!" He hit the bed hard with his fist before allowing his body to fall back towards the bed, his eyes looking at the window towards the smiling moon; he couldn't have been hearing things.

~*~

He allowed the cool liquid to slide down his parched throat, hydrating him, refreshing him. He handed Malachite the empty glass.

"You want something to eat?" He asked him.

"No—no thank-you." Malachite sighed as he handed the glass to Minako who was standing behind the foot of the bed. "And stop doing that!" He bit.

"Stop doing what?" Malachite narrowed his eyes at him slightly.

"Stop trying to read my mind. Stop trying to see things through my eyes that you have not been given permission to see!"

"Sorry my friend…old habits die hard." He replied. "Now that you are feeling better, care to explain what you were shouting about earlier?"

"You think I am lying…but I swear to you, that she was here."

"I wasn't able to sense her coming or going-"

"You ever though for a moment that perhaps that is because she is stronger than you?"

"Perhaps…"

"She was here…I know she was…I couldn't have been both hearing and seeing things."

"What do you mean by that?" He looked at Mamoru skeptically.

"For the past week and days…I have been hearing her. Sometimes she would say nothing and I would just feel her presence, other times she would talk about how stupid I had been, it was a very exasperating speech…but I thought I was dreaming, so I just lay there…but tonight…tonight she was different." He paused, he hadn't really wanted to tell them what she said, he more wanted to approach her first. "She said the same things…but it was different…so I—I woke up…and she was there."

"My friend…I don't know what to tell you, but you ever thought that perhaps you were hallucinating? Look what she did to you, only a fool would-"

"SHE SAVED MY LIFE!" He roared, his chest heaving up and down as he looked at Malachite with hard eyes.

"She what?" Now it was beginning to make sense.

"She didn't do this to me, one of her servants did…. Damnit! Is that the best you can think of her?" He sat up quickly and swung his feet to the sides of the bed, not caring that the sheet now fell to the floor.

"You love her…you really love her." Malachite whispered. "You said it was all a game, but you actually do."

"She's my mate for life…" He murmured. "Even if she's in love with some man named Richard." Without warning Malachite pushed him back down to the bed and looked him over with discerning eyes, Minako approached quickly from the other side.

"Where did you hear that name? Did she say that to you?" He quickly asked.

"What?"

"The name Richard…did she say that to you?" He demanded.

"Yes, but I don't know who-"

"Enough." Minako broke in as she looked up to both men. "He doesn't remember…but it doesn't matter…because it's him." She looked up from the imprint over his ankle.

"What are you talking about?" Mamoru quickly asked.

"You are Richard…and lets just say that seeing you again has scared the living 'shit' out of her."