Disclaimer: Right, don't own it, don't sue.
OOOPS!
Chapter Four
—Fight and Aftermath—
-Tsukino Usagi-
I dropped into a crouch as the last of the youma swung its sword, avoiding losing my head by mere inches. Taking advantage of the youma's confusion, I took a deep breath and then lashed out at its feet with my scepter, hoping to catch it off guard. I did, and it stumbled back, bewildered, looking around for its attacker. To my right, Ami cried out in pain. As it had moved, the youma had waved its sword carelessly and cut a deep gash into her leg. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a spot of white—the bone. I resisted the urge to vomit.
We had realized early on in the battle that while the youma were not getting any smarter, Kunzite most certainly was. Not only was he sending multiple youma to collect energy for the Dark Kingdom, but the youma he was sending seemed to be affected by physical attacks rather than those made up of magical energy. That eliminated everyone but Mina and me, and even our most primitive weapons (her Love Me Chain and my tiara) had little effect because of the energy that drove them.
All things considered, we'd fared relatively well against the first two, using an offensive tactic we had termed "distract and attack", but the last of the monsters had proved remarkably stubborn, and let's face it, we weren't exactly at the top of our game. You see, the "distract and attack" had a few minor disadvantages, such as the fact that those who did the distracting often got hurt. As a result, Rei was sporting a broken arm and Makoto, a broken ankle. It was possible, of course, that it was simply sprained, but that would have meant that Lady Luck was on our side, and gee, call me a pessimist, but that seemed rather unlikely given recent events. Ami, who had been working on hindering the youma with her Shabon Spray, had been suffering only from shallow cuts up until that point.
Mina, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky. A few minutes ago, the youma had finally figured out how to successfully stop the chain from contacting with its body. It had tried dodging, and it had tried growling at it, and finally, it grabbed the chain seconds before it made contact with its scaly exterior for the umpteenth time and pulled. Hard. Mina, who had been holding the weapon, was yanked of her feet and hit the trunk of a very thick and sturdy-looking tree. She was unconscious, and I couldn't even begin to guess the full extent of her injuries.
Like Ami, and unlike Mina, Rei, or Makoto, I was, so far, mostly unscathed. Of course when I say mostly unscathed, I don't mean what one would normally call mostly unscathed. See, when one deals with unearthly monsters everyday, one's definition of unscathed tends to become somewhat skewed. I mean, sure, I could barely move my left arm, was covered in small cuts, and had probably lost more blood than the average person did in their lifetime, but I wasn't dying, and I wasn't missing any major body parts, so I was mostly unscathed.
There was a loud whoosh, and something very sharp and pointy connected with my side. Okay, I thought, vaguely aware that I was screaming bloody murder, I was no longer mostly unscathed. As much as I hated to admit it, we were losing. Badly.
"Sailor Moon, get down!" Without thinking, I dropped to my stomach and rolled left, towards the sound of the voice (and hopefully to safety), ignoring the sharp pain in my side. To my right, the youma's sword connected with the ground. I didn't doubt that if I'd moved even a split second later than I had, I would no longer be breathing. Maybe Lady Luck was on our side after all, I thought, rolling to my feet while the youma tried, without success, to pull its sword out of the ground.
Wait a second. I closed my eyes and opened them again. No, it was still there—a very ugly looking creature, pulling without avail at a sharp piece of metal and paying absolutely no attention to us Senshi.
Perfect, I thought, smiling ruthlessly. I gathered the remainder of my energy and pulled my very battered-looking tiara off my head.
"Moon tiara action!" I hissed, flinging it almost carelessly at the monster. With a bright flash of light and a deafening scream, the youma turned to dust.
Wincing, I pulled myself to my feet and staggered over to where Mina was lying. Tuxedo Kamen was already there, checking her pulse. He looked up as I approached.
"You look like you need a band aid." I glared at him.
"You try fighting three youma at the same time and then we'll talk."
He nodded in reply. "I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier, Sailor Moon."
I shrugged. "It isn't your duty to protect me—you've made that clear on several occasions. Nonetheless, I am grateful that you were here today. If you weren't, I probably wouldn't be alive, let alone mouthing off to you."
His lips quirked and for a minute, I thought he would smile, yet he didn't. "You need to get her to a hospital," he told me, nodding his head towards Mina.
'Thank you Mr. Obvious,' Serenity murmured in my head, trying to disguise the fact that even she was worried.
"We all need to get to a hospital," Rei pointed out. She and Ami and Makoto had walked over while I had been talking. Or rather, she and Ami had walked over. Mako had hobbled over, Ami and Rei supporting her on either side.
"I'll call an ambulance," Tuxedo Kamen stated.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he spoke before I had a chance to say anything.
"You can't carry Sailor Venus, and you don't have enough energy to teleport. There's nothing else you can do."
"He's right," Ami put in. She flicked her wrist, and a piece of paper appeared seemingly out thin air. "Call this number," she instructed, holding out her hand. "Ask for Mizuno-san. Tell her the Senshi are hurt in the park, and that they need her help."
When he had gone to find a payphone, I turned to Ami.
"You told her, then?"
She nodded. "I was afraid that one day, we'd be hurt so badly my medical knowledge alone would be of no help, and I figured it was about time she knew the truth."
I nodded, sitting back against the tree trunk. "You did the right thing."
Soon after, Tuxedo Kamen returned, and we waited together, silence reigning among us, for the next few minutes. Now, if you want to get technical, we should have been waiting for a half an hour, considering how far Ami lived from the park, but Mizuno-san could be a frightening woman when she wanted to be, and no matter how withdrawn she seemed at times, she loved her daughter and was willing to break more than a few traffic laws to help her.
Mizuno-san's dark green van skidded to a stop in front of us five minutes after Tuxedo Kamen had made the call, throwing sparks across the paved walkway. Even before the van had come to a full stop, Mizuno-san, clad in a black sweat suit, jumped out, a dark green bag slung casually over one shoulder. Her icy blue eyes, a shade colder than her daughter's, flitted over us, as she surveyed the damage. Once she had decided who looked like they were badly hurt, and who was actually badly hurt, she immediately took charge of the situation.
"Broken bones on my right, cuts and gashes on my left," she said commandingly, kneeling down next to Mina and checking her pulse. Uninjured, Tuxedo Kamen didn't move. Mizuno-san noticed. "You there, with the top hat, make yourself useful!" she snapped. "There's a stretcher in the back of my car. Trunk's open."
Tuxedo Kamen nodded and headed toward the vehicle.
"She hasn't been moved," Ami stated before Mizuno-san could ask.
Mizuno-san nodded and continued checking Mina over. I'd attempt to describe the scene in more detail, but unfortunately, my knowledge of medical instruments was very much lacking.
Tuxedo Kamen returned with the stretcher just as Mizuno-san had managed to determine that Mina had a bad concussion and several broken ribs. Ami had taken Mako and Rei over to the side and was setting their broken bones. Her injuries had been mostly small and like mine, had already started to heal. Yes, Senshi healed faster and more effectively than humans. That's the only way we were able to be badly injured one day and still be well enough the next to fight another youma.
Still, despite our wonderful tendency to escape fatal injuries, I no longer had feeling in my left arm, and my side was still oozing blood. A sort of calm haze settled over me, and the things around me began to lose clarity. The world blurred, and a small voice in the back of my head screamed that something was wrong, that I should be doing something, but the part of me that welcomed the dulling of the pain told me to ignore the annoying thing.
I felt my knees buckle, and I swayed forward, only vaguely aware of a pair of strong arms going around my waist to steady me.
Mizuno-san had turned towards me and was saying something that I could not make out. I blinked repeatedly, trying to find something solid to focus on. There was nothing. Everything was slowly slipping away…and then the world went black.
(X)(X)(X)
-Chiba Mamoru-
I helped Mizuno-san gently lower Sailor Venus onto the unfolded stretcher and turned away as she began to bind her ribs. Sailor Mercury was tending to Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars, and Sailor Moon was standing a few feet away, looking off into the distance. Her eyes looked somewhat glazed, and she no longer looked like the calm, emotionless soldier I had seen fighting the youma. It seemed as if a battle was raging inside of her. A quiet battle, but a fierce one, nonetheless. Suddenly, her knees buckled, and she lurched forward. I lunged towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist before she could hit the ground. Her skin was unusually clammy, and her normally-white suit was soaked with thick, dark red liquid. Neither was a good sign.
"Erm…excuse me, Mizuno-san, I think Sailor Moon needs help," I said, gently lowering her onto the soft grass.
In reply, Mizuno-san rummaged in her bag for a few seconds and then threw a small box to me. I caught it effortlessly and opened it. Inside was a bottle of antiseptic, some cotton balls, a spool of thread, and a frighteningly large needle. I stared at her. Surely she didn't want me to…
"Clean the wound, and then sew it up," she commanded.
"But—" I protested feebly.
"If you can swing from a lamppost like an orangutan and still keep that monstrosity from falling off your head, then I'm sure you can manage something as simple as sticking a needle into somebody's side and then pulling it out again."
"Wh-what if it comes out crooked?" I asked, aware that it was one of the stupidest things ever to come out of my mouth.
"I'm sure she'll get over it," Mizuno-san snapped, her voice laced with annoyance and distaste.
I inhaled deeply and picked up the bottle of antiseptic. Might as well get this over with.
(X)(X)(X)
-Tsukino Usagi-
Sometimes, I pretend that I am a calm person. Whether it is to fool an enemy or because I'm bored and want to see how long I'll last, all I'm doing is pretending. I am not a calm person. I have never been a calm person. That's why I think I can be forgiven for not acting particularly calm when I woke up to find Tuxedo Kamen leaning over me and a large needle sticking out of my side.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snarled.
He glanced up at me, looking just a little bit panicked. Mizuno-san, who had been standing near him, explained.
"You had lost a lot of blood and needed stitches immediately. I was tending to Sailor Venus and couldn't help, so I asked Tuxedo Kamen to do it. He graciously agreed."
I stared at her. "But he has absolutely no medical training!"
Mizuno-san gave me a tired smile. "Actually, he's studying to be a doctor. He's taken numerous biology classes and regularly volunteers at the hospital." I had an awful feeling that she hadn't known this when she ordered him to give me stitches. "And besides," she added, "he's doing quite well, despite his inherent fear of needles."
"He's scared of needles," I hissed, "and you let him stick one in my side?" Mizuno-san shrugged. Tuxedo Kamen chose that moment to pull said needle out. "Ow!" I yelped and proceeded to give him my best death glare.
"Sorry," he grunted, cutting the thread and moving away, for fear I'd attack him.
I glanced at the wound. The stitches were crooked despite the fact that the wound had been perfectly straight. I wisely decided not to comment.
"How's M—Venus?" I enquired, catching myself before I could say something that would need explaining.
"I'm okay," said a voice from behind me.
I propped myself up on the elbow of my uninjured arm to make sure for myself. Sailor Venus was sitting back against the trunk of the same tree she had been thrown at, and besides looking very tired, with a few small cuts and bruises, she seemed to be fine. I frowned. Something wasn't right here. Mina had been thrown against a tree, while I had simply fainted from loss of blood. Why had I been out for so long?
"You didn't, by any chance stick me with something besides that needle, did you?" I looked at Tuxedo Kamen questioningly.
"You required stitches in your left arm and your side. Mizuno-san asked me to inject you with an anesthetic to numb the pain and slow the blood flow."
I tried to flex the arm in question. It didn't move. I looked up at him. "Did you, by any chance, overdose?"
He licked his lips nervously. "Maybe."
I rolled my eyes and thanked Kami I was still alive.
(X)(X)(X)
-Tsukino
Saturday Morning (11:15am); Tsukino Residence-
Saturday morning dawned bright and early, as usual, but fortunately, I wasn't awake to witness it. In fact, I was not aware of the existence of the beautiful day until about five hours after the sun rose although, had it been up to me, I would have remained blissfully unaware for a much longer period of time. It was not up to me however, as Luna had long ago decided that a good way to amuse herself was to wake me up at odd hours of the morning everyday and wait for a reaction. Today, she did this by throwing Shingo's pet snake at my head. Needless to say, I wasn't particularly pleased.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…get it off get it off get it off get it off!" were what the words coming out of my mouth sounded like as I jumped out of bed, tripped over my bunny slippers, and unceremoniously landed on the floor. I paused a minute to get my bearings and decide which way was up and righted myself into a more natural position. Yawning, I got up, slipped on the bunny slippers I had tripped over, and silently padded over to my bed.
There it was. Smack dab in the middle of my pillow—a small, spotted serpent, otherwise known as Jin, the ball python. With as much dignity as I could muster, I picked him up and deposited him in Shingo's room on my way to the shower. Unfortunately, I never got that far.
(Ring)(Ring)(Ring)(Ring)(Ring)(Ring)
More than a little annoyed, I pulled my hand away from the bathroom doorknob and turned back towards my room, where I had deposited the cordless phone the night before.
Despite the fact that it had been covered by a pile of clothing, the ring sounded loud and clear for the few seconds that it took me to find the irritating contraption.
"Moshi moshi?" I said, clearing my throat a couple of times to get rid of the hoarseness I had given myself five minutes before.
"How are you? Is everything okay? I didn't wake you, did I? You usually get up later than this, but I was worried sick. How was school yesterday? Did you get detention again? Did you do your homework? Did you get home from school safe? What did you have for dinner…you didn't try to cook, did you?"
As the questions went on, I rattled my brain for the name of the person I could be talking to. After a minute, it finally came to me. "Fine, yes, no, fine, no, yes, yes, leftovers. Oh, and Ohayo Gozaimasu, by the way."
"Gomen, sweetie, but you know how I worry. You've never been left alone for more than a few hours before."
"I know, Mama." And I really did know, no matter how oblivious I sometimes seemed.
"Where were you yesterday, Usagi? I tried calling at seven and later around midnight, but you weren't home."
"I was studying with the girls, and we lost track of time. Mizuno-san gave me a ride home so I wouldn't have to walk alone that late at night," I said quickly. Technically, I wasn't even lying. I had been studying with the girls…it just wasn't the kind of studying my mother expected I'd meant…and Mizuno-san had given us all a ride home afterwards. So not only did I have a plausible excuse, but I also had someone to vouch for me in case my mother got suspicious. I decided to keep this new development in mind and mention it to Ami the next time I saw her.
"Oh that's wonderful. I'll call Mizuno-san later and thank her. What are your plans for today?"
I shrugged and then remembered that she couldn't see me. "I'm not sure yet. I think the girls and I will get together and maybe go shopping or see a movie or something of the sort. Afterwards we have that sleepover at the temple that I told you about on Thursday. I'll probably be home sometime Sunday afternoon."
"That sounds good, hun."
"Okay, great. I'll see you Sunday, then. Say hi to Papa and Shingo-baka for me."
"All right, ja."
"Sayonara, Mama."
I hung up the phone and turned back to the task at hand; getting myself to look presentable in the next hour. This time, I got as far as the actual bathtub before Luna sauntered in with my communicator in her mouth. It was beeping. Rolling my eyes, I tugged the communicator away and turned it on.
"Ohayo, Usagi!" a cheerful voice called from the small screen.
"Mina?" I asked, wondering just how much coffee she'd had that morning. "How are you feeling?"
"Great. Mako just called me. We're organizing a shopping spree. You're in, right?"
"Yeah," I confirmed, still a little startled. Mina's ability to remain ever-cheerful never failed to amaze me. I mean, the girl had been thrown at a tree, for Kami's sake. She should have at least been grumbling.
"Okay, awesome! I'll call Ami, and Mako's already agreed to call Rei. We'll swing by your house around one, 'kay?"
"Sure." We said our good-byes and signed off, leaving me to my shower. I would have preferred a bubble bath, but I knew from experience that those were better left for evenings, when one didn't have to worry about falling asleep afterwards.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, forty-five minutes later, I actually resembled a human being (regardless of the fact that my hair was arranged in its usual style). I had picked out a white, bohemian, linen skirt and matched it with a sequined, calypso print, crossover V-neck top, and chocolate-colored sandals. It felt nice to be wearing something besides my school uniform.
I checked my watch. Perfect. It was twelve-thirty. Just enough time for me to fix myself a bowl of cereal and get some reading done for my Literature class.
I was just finishing my tea and the second chapter of Of Mice and Men, when the doorbell rang. I jumped up, dropped the book into my purse, grabbed my keys, and flew out of the house.
(X)(X)(X)
-Tsukino Usagi
1:10pm; Tokyo-
"So then Hikaru comes by to pick me up and sees Rokuro helping my dad in the garden. And he's home from university this month, so he's been hanging about the house a lot, and I guess Hikaru got the wrong idea because he glares at him and says, 'Don't you have any other houses to fix?' And I give him this look, like, what the hell's the matter with you? And he looks at me and tells me quite clearly that he doesn't think Rokuro's intentions towards me are 'pure'."
"But Mina," Ami reasoned, "Rokuro is your brother."
"Yeah. Someone should tell Hikaru," Mina replied, laughing.
"I can't believe he didn't realize it," Makoto laughed. "You two could be twins."
"Yeah, I think you've got to stop picking up guys in video game parlors," I added.
"Oh, you should talk," Rei told me. "You've had a crush on Motoki for how long?"
"Oh please, I am so over him." I waved my hand carelessly. "Motoki and I are just friends. And besides, he has a girlfriend. I respect that."
"Speaking of Motoki, does anybody want to swing by the Crown on our way to the mall and say hello?" Makoto suggested before Rei had a chance to comment.
"We can't," Mina reminded her, "the Arcade's closed this weekend, remember? Motoki's in the mountains, with his parents."
"If he's in the mountains, then who's that standing in front of the Arcade?" Rei asked. I looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, there was a tall, blonde-haired man standing in front of the entrance to the Arcade. The same entrance, by the way, that I had demolished on my way out, the night before.
"And what happened to the door?" murmured Mina.
"It looks like someone broke in," said Ami, taking in the wreckage.
"Come on, let's go see what's up," I suggested, not yet ready to confess that I was responsible for the damage.
"Konnichiwa, Motoki," Makoto called, once we were within earshot. Motoki turned and looked at her dazedly.
"Konnichiwa, minna," Motoki said, deciding it was easier to generalize than address each one of us in person. Then he saw me. "Usagi! What happened here? How did you get out?"
"Oh…that…" I laughed nervously. "That's a funny story, that is." I was painfully aware of the confused looks my friends were giving me.
He raised an eyebrow, silently urging me to continue.
"You see, Mamoru-baka and I were calling for help for quite a long time, and there was a youma attack here last night so on their way to the park, the Senshi were passing by the Arcade, and they heard us screaming and thought someone was in trouble."
"The Arcade's soundproof, Usagi."
"Yeah, it is, but with all those superpowers, is it any surprise that the Senshi can hear better than the rest of us?"
"Right, okay, so you expect me to believe that the Sailor Senshi demolished my door?"
I nodded eagerly. "Sailor Moon left you a note and a check for the damages." I reached into my purse and pulled out said items. "See?" I said, holding them out to him.
Motoki stared at them for a minute, and then looked up. "Uh-huh…so…what happened to Mamoru?"
"Oh, he was asleep when I left, and I really saw no reason to wake him…so—"
"—she left me there. Awful nice of her, don't you agree?" said a voice from behind me. I spun around and came face to face with a very ugly green jacket. I grimaced and stepped back.
"You deserved it, you fashion disaster," I told him as-a-matter-of-factly and very maturely stuck my tongue out. Mamoru rolled his eyes and then reached over and clapped Motoki on the back.
"How was your trip, mate?" he asked, grinning.
Motoki stared at the two of us incredulously, looking as if he was doing some very quick thinking. "Hold on," he said. "I thought you said that the two of you were calling for help. If that's true, then how come Mamoru was asleep?"
"We were calling for help," Mamoru confirmed. "But that was during the first five minutes or so. For the rest of the time, we were," he paused, licking his lips and raising his eyebrows suggestively, "otherwise occupied."
"Yeah, okay, we were playing cards," I snapped, feeling my face heat up.
"Really?" murmured Mamoru. "Huh. I seem to remember there being a conversation in which we both agreed that some very particular actions would have to be performed to improve your mood. But I suppose that was just my imagination. What happened to your arm, by the way?"
"What?" I asked, startled at how quickly he had changed the subject. After getting my brain back on track, I glanced at the arm in question. It looked a hell of a lot better than it had yesterday, something that was probably assisted by the fact that I had removed the stitches from the wound earlier that morning. Still, the cut looked relatively new, and I probably wouldn't be able to brush it off as something I'd gotten from falling down the stairs. I bit my lip and did some very quick thinking. "Oh, um, I tripped on my way out of the Arcade last night and cut myself on a stray piece of glass."
They seemed satisfied with the excuse despite the fact that there was no broken glass in sight.
"Okay, so how was it that you got out?" Motoki asked.
"Yeah, I'd like to know that too, Usagi," Mamoru chimed in.
"Look, I already told you. The Sailor Senshi got us out. I don't know how they knew we were in there. I only know what Sailor Moon told me; they heard us calling for help and decided to check it out."
"Yeah, right," Mamoru muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Why would I lie?" I demanded. "It's not like I broke down the door myself." I looked at him for a minute, an idea forming in my head. "Or maybe you think I did. Maybe you think I'm hiding something. Is that right, Mamoru?"
He gave a half-hearted shrug. "Perhaps."
I threw up my hands in annoyance. "Fine, you're right. You got me. I don't know how you figured it out, but you did, and I suppose now's as good a time as any to confess. I'm Sailor Moon."
TBC
A/N # 2: I realize that Mina didn't get the Love Me Chain until the 'R' season, but as none of the other Senshi had physical-ish attacks, I had to use that one. But I'm sure no one minds, right? And the part where Usa says that Tuxedo Kamen has made it clear it's not his duty to protect her, refers to the episode with them in the elevator shaft. I forget the details, but I'm pretty certain that he tells her the only reason he's helping her is because she keeps the Dark Kingdom away from the crystals, and that when it comes down to it, he'll fight her for them if he has to.
As for the medical stuff in this chapter…well, let me just say I did as much research on it as I possibly could and then improvised. Hopefully it at least sounds plausible.
Leave a review, and there might be a cyber cookie for you. :)
/Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said./ -coolsig