Chapter 20 – A Stranger In The Land Of Men
The trip back to Kane's house had been remarkably silent. Minako had been fuming from the moment they'd shifted back from warrior to civilian guises and she first spotted the all too recognizable form of the silver-haired Kane when he transformed.
"You!" she'd hissed accusingly, pointing a finger. "Urgh! Wretched cop!"
Kane's amused grin hadn't improved her mood any either, as she realized that he had known who she was all along. If there was anything Aino Minako hated it was being left in the dark about something and being played for a fool.
"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," Kane chuckled, stroking her honey blond mane, drawing an icy blue glare and a delicate cold shoulder for his trouble.
"I can't believe you lied to me," she snarled, batting his hand away.
"Technically, Minako, it was merely an omission."
"And I always thought cops loathed technicalities. Call me Aino-san, if you don't mind, officer." Rivers of glacial ice held more warmth than her words. "Only my intimate friends are allowed to call me Minako. Or touch me."
The emphasis on the word intimate made Kane scowl, but he otherwise refused to take the bait.
Makoto and Rei had stared at the pair engaged in the frosty exchange, then at each other, then back again. "You know each other?"
"He almost arrested me," ground out Minako, crossing both arms over her chest. "On Valentine's Day, no less, may the goddess smite him for spoiling that blessed day! He threatened to have me charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and goddess only knows what else. I'm sorry Mamoru-san, I don't know what or who he is to you, but I just knew I should have Crescent Beamed him straight to Hell!"
"Arrested? Over the handcuffs, right?" asked Jed, before laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. "And throwing the jar full of keys out on the lawn? Gad! I thought you looked familiar. Should've guessed it because of the bow. Hah! You're the party queen!"
"It's not that funny!" Perturbed, Rei flexed her fingers and called up an ofuda from somewhere on her person. "Stop laughing at her. Don't make me purify you!"
"I'm afraid he's already beyond that help," Zarek observed, eyeing the ofuda-wielding priestess with caution. "But I'm sure he's sorry."
"What he is is convulsed with hilarity," was Minako's sour response. "He didn't need handcuffs. He needs a gag!"
"Oh well, I'm glad Kane didn't wind up arresting you, Aino-san. But if he does, we'll testify on your behalf, won't we Jed?" The irreverent blond man, who was still wiping the damp away from his eyes, nodded as he tried to control himself. Neil grinned and squeezed Makoto, who let out a squeak. "After all, we were there and we aren't complaining."
"Yeah. Best party ever," wheezed Jed in agreement, his eyes lingering appreciatively on Rei. "You should've been there, Endy."
"I was otherwise occupied that night." Mamoru smiled, thinking back to the private romantic evening he'd had with Usagi until fate interrupted. Although he'd been very upset at the time, the results now appeared to be looking up. Funny how fate worked that way.
"Oh yeah?!" Minako's brows had drawn together in a scowl at Neil's words. She looked like she was contemplating severing at the wrist the be-ringed hand that held her friend. "I'll just bet you aren't complaining." She locked eyes with her friend, refusing to look away. "Kino Makoto, as soon as we're where we're going, we need to talk. I want some explanations from you and Rei."
Makoto winced as Minako used her whole name like a disapproving parent. No good conversation ever comes of the words, "We need to talk," and everyone present knew it, so it was a true conversation killer. There was nothing left to do but leave.
Chastened, the tallest woman boarded the SUV without a word. Minako shoved Rei in after her and then hopped in beside them, her look of death demanding that no man join them. The Shitennou, save Kane and Mamoru who were in the front, were left to squeeze in as best they could, wherever they could.
The uncomfortable silence continued to reign as they packed themselves into the SUV and made their way across town toward the Kazuhiko compound. No sooner had they arrived, then Minako grabbed Makoto and Rei by the arms and dragged them into the nearest room with a lockable door, which happened to be Kane's study, to let the interrogation (and possible butt-chewing) begin.
Finding himself locked out of his own study, Kane sighed and left to dismiss his housekeeper for the night and check on the little girl, who was still fast asleep. Mamoru and Zarek made themselves comfortable on the living room couch, while Jed and, especially, Neil, hovered near the door and tried to overhear the conversation…at least until Mamoru, with regal intensity, ordered them away, stating that the women deserved their privacy and a chance to work matters out between themselves.
Inside the closed room, Makoto cringed and went pale as Minako attacked. "How could you marry that man?! After everything you said he did, what in the hell were you thinking?!"
"We-ell," whispered Makoto meekly, feeling the onset of a killer tension headache triggered by the outraged shrieking of her leader. The throbbing behind her eyes and in her temples made her feel vaguely nauseous. "It's not like we ran off and eloped…I don't think. Honestly, I don't even fully remember it."
"What in Cupid's name do you mean by that? Are you ARE, or are you NOT married to him?"
"I…" Makoto slumped against the wall, at a loss to explain why it felt right. "I believe so. What I've seen…it's in my dreams. Bits and pieces, like a puzzle not put together. It would have been before, in my past life. But I don't think he's lying."
"Dammit!" There was a loud bang as Minako slammed her fist against the wall beside Makoto's head, cracking the plaster and rattling some very old, very valuable maps in their frames. "You said yourself he killed you and you were clear as the ginzuishou about that fact! That's gotta void a marital agreement."
"Don't yell at me," grumbled Makoto, picking the blonde's hand out of the dent in the wall and shoving it aside so that she would have room to slink past. "I've had a very, very hard day, Aino Minako. And a very long one. I'm too tired and it's too late to be bitched out by you."
"Help me out here, Rei-chan. Please!" Minako shot a furious look over her shoulder at the silent raven-haired woman behind her. It occurred to her that Rei had looked suspiciously unfazed by the pronouncement that her friend was wed. "Or did you know about this too and didn't tell me? Nobody tells me anything!" She stamped her foot, scuffing the teakwood floor and getting a certain charge out of knowing it was her enemy's home she was damaging. "Did someone declare this official 'Minako's a Mushroom' Month? Keep her in the dark and feed her shi…"
"Oh for the love of Serenity!" Sailor Mars cut off Venus's oath. "Calm down, Minako before you burst a blood vessel. I'm supposed to be the diviner here, remember? I sense things. So I knew something was going on already. Just not exactly what."
"And you're not even a little shocked?"
"I've already done the 'what day, what month, what year was this?' thing before, if you recall." The fire senshi gave an airy sort of wave, batting her hand about in the air before she used it to smother a yawn. "Of course we were all of, what, fourteen at the time? That was shocking. Then. Remember, dear heart, she is of age."
"And he is a murdering traitor! And so is the blond one who's stuck on you Rei." Minako didn't hesitate to point out the brutal facts. "I don't know how you can forget any of this stuff. Let alone forgive it. They're threats to us all!"
"Look," barked Makoto suddenly, shoving her hand before Minako's eyes so that the woman could see her unblemished, no longer reddened skin. "All I know is that since he put this ring on my finger I don't feel so…empty anymore. Or itchy, dammit! He said it was a soul bonding! A Venusian Soul Bonding, to be specific." The tall girl watched in satisfaction as her friend's cornflower blue eyes bulged dangerously at the news. "So if anyone's to blame, maybe it's you, Miss Perfect Princess of Venus! BUT I DON'T REMEMBER!!!" she thundered at the last, before letting out a pitiful whine, covering her eyes with her arm and slouching against a bookcase.
"Ow…my head hurts."
"Mine too," Rei moaned, rubbing her temple and slumping into one of the desk chairs. "Can't we table the screaming until we've gotten some rest? Please, Mi-chan? Please."
It was the closest Rei had ever come to begging and it shocked Minako out of her temper, forcing her to take a good long look at the Rei's bloodshot, weary eyes and Makoto's ghastly pallor.
An avatar of love couldn't help but be moved by the misery of her oldest and dearest friends, no matter how confused or angry she was at them. Minako shoved herself away from the wall and patted soothingly on the shoulder a sniffling Makoto, then reached up and plucked the beaded rubber band from her hair, fluffing out the mass of reddish curls. It was an unspoken apology.
"There…that ought to help some. You always wear your hair too tight. It can't be comfortable."
When Makoto didn't answer but her tensely held shoulders shook as if she was fighting back tears, Minako struggled to find something positive to say. Lamely she added, "I guess…it's good your hair is back to normal, Mako-chan. And Rei-chan's too. I guess a day can't be all bad if it was a good hair day, ne? Right?" she pleaded.
There was a weepy sniffle from Makoto, who spun about suddenly and hugged Minako tightly, laughing weakly through tears. "I guess you're right. And who would know better than the fashion and beauty maven of…of…"
"Of every place?" Relieved beyond words, Minako hugged Makoto back and flashed Rei a V for victory sign. She gave Makoto a gentle push into one of the chairs and then seated herself.
"Now, I shouldn't have jumped down your throat and I'm sorry about that. I was just so worried for you both and somehow it turned into screaming. I guess I must be more like my mother than I thought." She looked disgusted with herself for it.
"I know you're tired, but would you tell me what happened to you both, slowly and thoroughly, if I promise not to rant and rave and carry on like Artemis on flea dip day. But I have to know if we're going to protect one another and…"
"We'll not fail her," Rei vowed, knowing that Minako was speaking of Usagi. "Whatever happens, she'll be protected. We'd die for her…have done. And will in the future if we have to. You know that." In deference to her headache, Makoto only gave a tiny nod of agreement. But it was in its own way just as heartfelt as Rei's assurances.
Minako looked relieved. It was all she could have asked for.
Outside the study, Mamoru was staring at his assembled Shitennou. It was a bit eerie to not really know them, but to know that they knew him. Of course he knew them in another sense. His powers of psychometry, augmented by the kinzuishou, and aided by the ability to directly touch them, had assured him of one thing. The Shitennou meant no harm to him or the senshi.
"So," he began tentatively. "Does anyone want to explain to me why Venus and the girls all seem to think you are dangerous?"
Kane, seated on open windowsill, listened with interest. Having no answers, he was willing to take them where he could find them. Mamoru wondered if the man had consciously realized that even in his home, he was still 'on guard', his body a formidable physical barrier through which hostile outsiders would have to get to get at his prince. And were these the actions of the cop or the guardian warrior or were they one and the same?
Neil and Jed exchanged worried looks with Zarek. Finally Neil spoke. "Makoto won't tell me. She's been actively avoiding me."
"Rei said I killed her," Jed admitted, looking very pained before he hastily blurted out, "but I swear to you, I never, EVER raised a hand to her. Not even when she attacked me."
"Me either," Neil added. "We immobilized and put them to sleep them the other night because we were trying to protect ourselves and them from further harm. They weren't thinking rationally. They just went off on us."
"Well, they seem to recall that you destroyed the Silver Millennium. And betrayed me as well."
That drew a shocked hiss from Kane and rousing denials from the other three.
"That's not true!"
"We would never!"
"Betray you? I'd sooner die!"
Mamoru cast a speculatively look his men. "So they're lying then? Rei and Makoto are making up their stories you four marching against the palace. Of Zarek slashing Mercury's extremities with his daggers until she had bled so much she could no longer stand, and then stabbing her in the heart with a crystal? Of your double-edged sword, Jed, being shoved into Mars' gut and twisted so that she'd die slowly and painfully from internal injuries. Of Neil shattering the bones in Jupiter's knees and hands so that she couldn't continue to fight, then slitting her throat to finish her. Her last memory being of him licking the hot blood off his blade. Of none of them knowing what became of Venus because they'd already died first at your hands, gentlemen? Are these all falsehoods?"
"They said…that?" His facing having gone an unattractive shade of green, Neil looked like he was going to be sick any second. If that was what she really believed, it was no wonder she wouldn't talk to him about it. It made him ill just to hear it. "No…no…no. I loved…love my wife. I wouldn't hurt her."
Jed had broken out in a sweat and he was pale grey as a disembodied spirit. His fist clenched and unclenched spasmodically. "I didn't. We didn't. I know it."
"Oh god," moaned Zarek, swallowing hard. The sadism inherent in Mamoru's litany of charges made the very gorge rise in his throat. "Does Ami think this is so?" He turned on Jed and Neil, demanding, "Why? Why do they believe this?! What did you do?"
Seeing the pained response of the men to Mamoru's cruel charges, Kane couldn't help but speak up. "Milord, from what Neil-san told me earlier, Mars and Jupiter were completely distraught…not even rational at the time. While I am sure that they would not lie about such things, having no reason to do so, surely their memories, if that is what they believe them to be, cannot be taken as fact."
"So you think they're crazy then?" Mamoru frowned at that. "Suddenly and with no explanation at all."
"No. Not crazy," Neil mumbled, raking his fingers violently through his hair. "Not like temporary insanity. Just maybe…confused…or under a spell or something."
"There was so much happening so fast," Jed passed a hand over his face feverishly as he recalled that night. "There was a monster to battle. A big, ugly bat-winged thing. And then this pink haired freak of a demon showed up. He had to be kin to the one that attacked Mars at school. Maybe he exposed them to something that made them ill or tampered with their memories. Hell, I'm no doctor or mage, so I couldn't say. But I sure as hell know that I didn't kill Mars."
"Well I never killed Jupiter," Neil said heatedly. "I'd swear it on..." – his face contorted as he tried to figure out something strong enough to swear by – "…on Terra itself. I risked angering you, Kunzite and the entire Jovian and Silver Alliance armies to marry the woman I fell in love with. I…could…not…hurt…her." Each word was spaced out and given special emphasis.
As the pony-tailed Shitennou opened his mouth to add in his protestation of innocence, Mamoru raised a hand. Zarek's mouth worked silently for a moment, before he shut it, forced to settle for giving Mamoru a pleading look.
"As it happens," the Terran prince informed them matter-of-factly, "I believe you."
All four Shitennou blinked. Truly, this was unexpected. Heartening, but unexpected.
The dark-haired man smiled. "Yes. I read each of you when I touched you. I saw you. Your hearts. Your dreams. Your hopes. I now would beg each of you pardon for prying, but I had to be sure. The senshi have been good and loyal friends and I had to do it for their sakes. I was already fairly convinced I could trust you, but I needed to use the kinzuishou's power to be completely without doubt."
"It is not for us to question your decisions on such things," Kane said gruffly, fairly daring the others to object in any way. However, the other three were so relieved to actually be believed that they wouldn't have dreamed of doing so.
"But," Mamoru reminded them. "That means we have a mystery on our hands. Why do the senshi believe what they believe? Because I know them. They wouldn't lie about what they think happened."
There was a pregnant pause. Finally Jed spoke, sounding uncertain. "After Rei was attacked by that demon yesterday, she collapsed and starting having what looked like a seizure. Scared me half to death. And then in the middle of it she began speaking, or rather, something began speaking through her. She made a prophecy of sorts. Perhaps the clue is in there."
"Well, that would make sense that it came from her. She always was the psychically gifted one. Tell me about it."
The men all sat back and listened as Jed laboriously recited the prophecy word for word. "…and that's all it said," the blond man finally concluded his recitation. "Clear as mud, right?"
"Actually," Mamoru said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I do get some of it. A lot, really. The crystal future makes sense, but I'll have to explain it later. It's just too much to go into tonight. Obviously the part about blue Terra's lord waiting for his men would be about us." He gestured around the room. "And the elements most likely refer to the senshi. Water would be Mercury. Flame, Mars. Earth…well, if you twist it to refer to not the planet, but plants and dirt and such it fits Jupiter, sort of. She's the gardening nut and has some plant based attacks. And Venus…well, her attacks calls are mostly metal or love based, but they generally manifest themselves in light.
"But what about the Selene's daughter part? And why would the senshi be bound to her?" Zarek looked puzzled. "I'm no scholar on mythology, but wasn't Selene a name for the moon goddess? Which is usually either Diana or Artemis, depending on which pantheon you're talking. But they were said to be virginal. I don't know about either having a daughter." He scowled. "I wish my memories were clearer. They're getting there, but not fast enough."
That drew a chuckle from Mamoru as he thought of his favorite lunar bunny. "Oh yes, Selene did have a daughter. And the senshi are most devoted to her. Ser…"
Just then there was a loud snapping sound and a squawk at the window, like the screech of an angry alley cat. Neil and Jed flung themselves at Mamoru, heaving him over the back of the couch for cover and protecting him with their own bodies, while Zarek and Kane transformed, each brandishing their weapons while they scanned around for the threat. After a long moment, Kane peered out the window and made a motion with his hand before reverting to civilian form. "Just a stray cat. No real threat."
"A cat?" muttered a voice, muffled from being pressed into the floor and smothered by two heavy bodies. With the all clear given, Neil and Jed let a rather bedraggled looking Mamoru up, grimacing when they noted just how disheveled and dusty his clothing was. Evidently, Kane's housekeeper had skipped a few spots when she cleaned.
"Oops," Neil muttered, looking embarrassed as he tried to dust off his prince. "Guess we kind of overreacted, but better safe than sorry, right?"
When Mamoru didn't answer, the dark haired man groaned. Kane sliced a quick, glare at him that promised punishment later if he'd offended their master.
"We were just doing our jobs," he reminded his superior.
"Stay here," Mamoru ordered them. "I'll be right back."
"But where are you going?" Jed queried with great boldness.
Kane automatically began to protest. "Prince, I really believe I must advise that…"
"Just sit tight, all of you. I'll be right back," Mamoru repeated. "It's just that I love cats."
He jogged out of the house and into the night, grinning as he spotted the bright yellow-green gleam of two reflective feline eyes beneath a car parked street-side. He knelt down low until he was nearly face to face with the fuzzy white animal. "Morning Artemis. Fancy meeting you here. Just out for a walk?"
Dull spots of red stained the white coat as the little guardian cat actually blushed. "Good morning, Mamoru-san."
"Doing a little spying this fine evening, were we? You know, I'm sure that there were Terran laws against Silver Millennium agents. I'm quite sure of it."
Artemis' fur stood out like a brush as bristled and unsheathed his claws. He glared at Mamoru and hissed angrily, "My Minako is in there, and some of the others as well. I would be remiss in my duties as a guardian if I did not try to keep an eye on their welfare."
"Keep your fur on, Artemis," responded the prince with a chuckle. "I know why you did it and I won't bust you for it. In fact, if you'll calm down and play like a simple house cat, I'll bring you in with me so you won't have risk falling off the windowsill again to get your report. It's pretty narrow, what with Kane sitting in the way."
Torn between scratching him for the 'simple house cat' crack and getting a front seat view to everything, Artemis twitched his tail for a few moments before he emerged from beneath the car with a surly snarl. Leaping into Mamoru's arms, he growled. "That man of yours has too big a behind. It took up the whole space on the windowsill. I was forced to perch in the bushes instead and that's why I fell when a branch broke."
"I don't know about that," Mamoru laughed, carrying the feline back toward the glowing lights of Kane's house. "I'd swear I caught Minako checking it out a few times this evening, and she seemed to like his butt alright. Ouch! Ow…okay, no claws and I won't tease."
Removing his claws from Mamoru's arm, Artemis licked his paw and bared his fangs. "Let's do this thing."
"Just try to remember that you're a guardian," Mamoru reminded him, pushing open the door, "not Rambo. And for now, you're just a normal cat."
Four sets of wide eyes, full of questions, met Mamoru's when he reentered the living room. "Are you quite alright, Mamoru-san?" Kane was determined to be sure.
"Oh yes. I just like cats is all," Mamoru responded by taking his seat and stroking Artemis. "I hope you don't mind my bringing him in Kane-san, but whenever I know they're around, I just have to pet them. A little quirk of mine, I guess. Didn't I always like cats, even back when?"
"Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you," mumbled Artemis under the cover of a loud, loud purr. The pressure of Mamoru's hand increased in warning until the little white creature subsided, though he did use his claws to prick Mamoru's leg in gentle warning to ease up.
The Shitennou exchanged glances. Their lord had a thing for cats. That was…odd. But who were they to question it? Shrugging, they re-took their seats, though Kane firmly shut the window. He personally wasn't wild about cats, especially of the alley variety, and he didn't want any more in his house.
"So we were talking about the prophecy, weren't we?" Mamoru hinted, hoping to get the discussion back on track.
"Yes," Neil answered. "And if we go by what you said, I think there's no doubt about the last part. Golden jade and priestess of fire would have to be Mars and Jadeite." He tapped the man's shining curls as evidence. "He's as gold as they get. And if Jupiter is, as you say, 'earth', then the next part would obviously refer to us. Nephrite's a type of jade also, and I'm the star reader. And we're definitely bonded…though I don't think she desires it yet." That last thought had him looking distinctly forlorn.
Mamoru thought he heard a snicker from Artemis and pinched him lightly. "I noticed Zarek getting pretty jealous over Mercury and I know for a fact that she has an Aqua Lyre. It's sort of a talisman. But the prophecy mentioned tanzanite, not zoisite."
"Tanzanite is another name for zoisite, specifically that of the blue-violet color variety found on Tanzania," said Zarek.
When the others gave him a strange look, he shrugged. "I'm a scientist. It's basic geology. And I wasn't jealous."
"Liar! His eyes are still green with it," Jed laughed, pointing out the obvious. "And he went after that goof in the tux with a vengeance. Overdid it a bit, maybe."
"You're one to talk," Kane reminded him. "You were ready to rumble with him too. Allow me to quote you. When you're done, Kunz, I want a few words with him." To the surprise of all, Kane was quite a good mimic, offering up a reasonably decent impression of Jed's voice and tone, complete with the knuckle cracking punctuation of the original, making Neil laugh and slap his knee.
"Aw, when I saw how pathetic ole' Tuxy was, I had to change my mind," Jed snorted. "No need to be jealous when Mars wouldn't have him on a bet." He let out a braying laugh. "I thought the guy was going to wet his cape there at the end. If that's the only ally they've had all this time, it's about time they got some real men around to help."
Seeing the perturbed look on Mamoru's face, Artemis, swatted the prince with a paw to remind him that now was not the time to get defensive about his alter ego's masculinity or lack thereof. With a glare, Mamoru commented, "I don't think the senshi would approve of you making fun of a friend of theirs."
"Our apologies, my prince," chuckled Kane. "It's just that I…that is, we were relieved to see that he is not likely the sort of person that the senshi would be attracted to. It makes things much simpler, you see."
"What he means to say," Jed interjected, elbowing Kane in the ribs, "is that now we only need to worry about the first part of the prophecy explaining the fall." His voice dropped low, as if uttering a great secret for the first time. "Because old Silvertip here has a pinky rose stone symbol, has always liked Venus, and wants the way clear, so that he can bathe himself in 'Amor's' sweet light and then some, eh…"
His words were cut off as Artemis, with a feral growl, leaped from Mamoru's lap and lashed out with his claws, slashing deep enough to leave a pattern of bloody claw marks all the way down Jed's bared forearm. No man, not even that of a Terran prince, intimated things like that about HIS sweet, innocent ward and went unscathed. Never!
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Vicious animal! Turn loose!" Jed hopped up like a jumping jack and shook his arm, trying to peel off the incensed cat which was now clinging to him with all four paws. He was yelping at the top of his lungs, as Artemis' teeth were functioning like an automatic hole punch, digging in, releasing, only to dig in elsewhere a second later. "Call Animal Control and tell 'em we've got a mad cat here! Ow!"
The Shitennou made to forcibly remove the furious feline, but Mamoru bounced up shouting, "Don't hurt him!" Zarek and Neil froze in their tracks. Kane, who hadn't lifted a finger to help, was actually faintly sneering as if he was on the cat's side. Jed alone continued to shout and bounce around the room.
The senshi could not overlook the din outside the study for long. Minako flung open the double doors, stalking out into the room followed by two rather bleary-eyed brunettes.
"What in the name of all the forbidden planets is going on out here?!"
Without any warning whatsoever the cat dropped off from Jed's arm, hissed and swatted him in the legs, and then streaked toward Minako, who was staring in disbelief. She opened her arms reflexively and caught Artemis as he leaped toward her, clasping him to her breast. She'd been shocked to see him inside the residence, but figured it best not to let on that she knew him, let alone that he was hers.
Kane was on his feet in an instant to shout a warning, not wanting to see her getting slashed to ribbons by the aggressive little cat, but his words stuck in his throat as the beast went from feral to adoring in a heartbeat. Artemis purred loudly and climbed up onto Minako's shoulder, draping himself bonelessly around her neck like a fur collar.
"What did you brutes do to this poor animal?!" she shouted at Jed since he was the one making the most noise.
"Me?! I didn't do anything and that crazed beast leaped up and bit me. It ought to be put down for the safety of everyone." He cradled his wounded arm, surveying the bloody scratches. "Hell, it's probably got rabies. I'll have to get shots. Lots of shots." Both he and Mamoru shuddered.
"Poor widdle kittykins. Did that big, nasty meanie frighten you?" Minako was cooing at Artemis, scratching his ears and he was, in turn, nuzzling her neck and looking smug as only a cat can.
Minako shot a dirty look at Jed. "For your information, cats do NOT just attack for no reason. Since you all obviously do not know the first thing about cats, I am taking this poor defenseless creature home with me when I leave. Obviously you men can't be trusted with a pet."
"Defenseless?!" sputtered Jed indignantly, holding up his arm. Angry red scratches and bite marks ran the lower length of it. "Does this look to you like it's defenseless?!"
The whole conversation put Neil in mind of one he'd had with Zarek a few days earlier. The brunette man turned and silently mouthed, 'rabid badger', which nearly put the other man in hysterics.
Confusion reigned for a few more moments while Zarek composed himself enough to not break into outright laughter when he attempted to treat Jed's scratches. Minako employed herself with continuing to berate Jed to anyone who would listen, and the others watched.
Neil took the opportunity to go to Makoto, though he hesitated for a moment, still repulsed by what Mamoru had said that the senshi believed he'd done. Finally he decided it was best to show her his true character rather than simply plead his case. How could he disprove a negative, after all? But perhaps, with time…
After steering her toward the couch, Neil tugged his tired, stressed wife down to sit in his lap. She resisted for just a moment before surrendering, excusing the moment of weakness by telling herself it would just be for a little while and then she'd get up. Surrounded and warmed by body heat, supported by strength, Makoto leaned back to relax, her head tucked beneath Neil's chin and pillowed against his broad chest. One arm looped lightly around her waist, his fingers toying with her own. With the other hand he stroked her unbound cascade of curls as he would have a small child's, until her breathing slowed and steadied, the signs of strain eased from her face, and her eyelids finally fluttered shut in sleep despite Minako's scolding and Jed's nasal whines.
"Keep it down, would you?" he finally grumbled. "She's sleeping."
Minako turned to blast Neil, only to find herself struck silent. To say that she wasn't happy just then would have been one of the world's great understatements. It was with a brooding eye that she studied one of her strongest senshi, cuddled up against a man whom she could not bring herself to trust. Artemis was visibly no happier, his tail switching rapidly back and forth.
The words were on the tip of Minako's tongue to demand he unhand Makoto when Mamoru decided an intervention was called for.
"Everyone please. Be seated."
Stiffly, Minako sat, but she couldn't help but notice what happened next. Kane…no…Officer Kazuhiko, sat perched on the only windowsill in the room, keeping his body firmly between Mamoru's and the outside world. His casual pose was just that…a pose. However, with her warrior's experience Minako could see what was really going on. Evidently Kane's level of paranoia for his lord's wellbeing possibly exceeded even Minako's own. It was a daunting thought.
Jadeite, still grumbling about his wounds, had nonetheless, drawn Rei to sit beside him, keeping well away from Minako and Artemis. It wasn't exactly what Minako would have chosen for a seating arrangement, but what could she do unless she sicced Artemis on the miscreant again.
"Now," said Mamoru, "we're going to have to join forces, I believe, to get anything worthwhile done. Allies are always better than enemies and it seems that, as you senshi appear to have attracted a new foe, Minako, I would like to offer my men's services. I'm sure that you, Minako, as leader of the senshi, and you, Kane, as leader of the Shitennou, can work together with Usagi and I on the best method to defeat this new enemy and protect the public and the senshi in whom they appear to be interested."
Artemis hissed and Minako shot a dirty look at Mamoru for mentioning Usagi at all, however he remained unruffled. Kane noted the interplay and asked the obvious.
"Endymion-sama…"
"Please call me Mamoru-san."
Briefly disconcerted, Kane nonetheless nodded. "Alright, Mamoru-san. Who is this Usagi you wish us to work with?"
Mamoru grinned. "Congratulate me. I'm an engaged man. My fiancée's name is Tsukino Usagi. You might remember her."
The Shitennou looked quizzical.
Minako's glare, which just then flashed, of all things, golden, could have peeled paint and she could feel the prick of Artemis' claws on her shoulder as he fought the urge to rake them over the loose-lipped Earth Prince's face. "Shut it, Chiba!" she hissed under her breath. "They don't need to know about her."
"Mamoru-san," Rei began warningly, "I don't think that…"
Undeterred, Mamoru continued. "She's Serenity, the Princess of the Moon Kingdom. And of course, Kane-san, you've met her personally. She's also known as Sailor…ow…Minako! Don't hit!"
The irate blonde's fist was caught in an iron grip by a frowning Kane who put it all together. "Sailor Moon. Of course." To his credit, he didn't wince, though he certainly felt like it. He settled for shooting Minako a baleful look. "I'm going to have to ask you to restrain yourself from assaulting the prince, despite your predilection for such violence."
"Violence is it? I'll show you violence. I'm going to have to ask you to remove your hand from my person, Officer, before I'm forced to knee you in the…"
"Time out!" called Mamoru loudly, making a T with his hands and reestablishing silence. "Hold it, you two. First, Kane, that wasn't an assault. Coming from the avatar of Venus it was more of a…a love tap." He grinned amused at his own word play. "Isn't that right, Minako-san?"
"If you say so," muttered Minako darkly, yanking her wrist. She was visibly bristling when Kane continued to hold fast. "I'll love tap him so hard his whole family will feel it."
"And second," continued Mamoru with a smirk, "do you two want a moment alone for your clinch, or can we finish up first?"
Kane and Minako shared a moment of perfect synchronicity as they both blushed painfully, glared at Mamoru and jerked apart, stalking toward different sides of the room. Minako, however, turned back and, pulling a folded newspaper from her sub-space pocket, slapped the item against Mamoru's chest. Her upper lip curled in a sneer.
"Perhaps before we senshi make any hasty decisions about accepting help, our princess should see what you're going to do about your men's attention seeking behavior. After all, we can't afford to take any risks, and your men have already caught the attention of the press. Not to mention inflated themselves up with new and, frankly, stupid titles."
With that tart speech delivered, she stomped back to her seat.
"Puffed," Rei mumbled sleepily, "not inflated."
"Whatever."
Mamoru scanned the newspaper, then passed it without comment to Kane, whose face went stony as he sped through it. It was a special edition of the college press and though most of the articles recapped senshi history and battles, the headline story was about a sensational incident at the school's theater that had involved an incapacitated Sailor Mars, massive property damage, and a romantic and mysterious new hero they labeled a…Guardian Knight, protector of the senshi.
"So that's why she called us that," he said, tapping the paper. Kane passed it to Jed. "Care to explain this?"
Puzzled, Jed scanned it, his face scrunching up in disdain as he read the main article. "The baka reporter must've misunderstood me when I snarled at her in English. I said, good night, not guardian knight." Carefully he enunciated the words.
"Why would you even talk to the press at all?" Zarek looked disgusted.
"I didn't mean to," was Jed's quick defensive response. "But there was no quiet way out. The crowd was there and tugging at me. They wouldn't get out of my way and since she'd had that seizure I told you about, I was much more concerned about getting Mars to safety than with worrying about yellow journalism."
"And it's not my fault the reporter was there. I think she was part of the performance troupe." He frowned as he tried to recall. "She was dressed for it, in some costume. I was saying 'no comment', 'no comment', and then she asked me some damn fool question and I just barked at her loudly enough that she fell back and then Mars and I got the heck out of there."
Mamoru looked very grave. "This is serious. The press has always speculated about the senshi because it's hard not to when you've got a lot of pretty superheroines running around in mini skirts fighting mysterious monsters. But they've never, EVER said a word to the press, so the stories have mostly been colorful trash from the tabloid rags and everyone treats it as such. But if real reporters start thinking they can get a quote from someone in the know, no matter if it's just an off-the-cuff remark, they'll start hounding the senshi. That puts both the reporters, as civilians, and the senshi, who have to defend them, at considerable risk."
"I'm sure that's the last thing any of you want," he added pointedly, his gaze flicking over the women.
"Hah!" muttered Minako through clenched teeth, garnering a stern look from Kane. She smiled blandly in response, though a muscle ticked in her cheek.
Jed's defensive posture before his prince wilted into a more submissive one. "I'm sorry, Endym…er, Mamoru-san. I won't allow it to happen again."
Mamoru turned to Minako. "I think I understand your concerns, Minako, and I think you had a point. If you'd meet with Kane tomorrow, and Usagi and I will come too, I think we can sort everything out. Would you be willing to do that?"
There was no good way to get out of it, Minako realized. She nodded. Kane, of course, was willing to do as his prince asked.
"Okay then," Mamoru announced with a smile on his face. "Then I guess it's settled. Tomorrow morning at the Crown. Usako won't mind missing one day's worth of classes for something so important, I'm sure." Mamoru knew his fiancée pretty well.
He glanced over at Makoto, who was fast asleep in Neil's embrace, and at Rei, who was now slumping sideways toward Jed's shoulder and looked as if she was ready to succumb to slumber's call while sitting not-quite-upright. Deliberately, he yawned. "Why don't we call it a night?"
"I'll drive you home, Endymion-sama," Zarek immediately offered. "My car is here."
"Sounds good," Mamoru agreed, rising. "I'm beat. Good night all."
"Can you drop Rei-chan off if I give you directions?" asked Jed, staring at Zarek.
"Sure. The more the…well…the more crowded my car," the slender man replied, thinking of the little compact he used to get around the city. It was a lot more economical than it was spacious. Three men and one woman would be a tight fit. "But there's room enough for two if you need a ride too."
"Thanks." Jed poked Rei. "Wake up, baby. We're going home and then you can get some more beauty sleep."
"I wasn't sleeping," a groggy Rei lied, blinking owlishly as he slid an arm around her waist and steered her toward the door. "I was just resting my eyes. And don't call me baby, baka."
Jed chuckled at her grumpy tone. "Whatever you say, Firebird."
"You and your lady can spend the night here," Kane offered to Neil. "The little one is here anyway, and Makoto-san will want to see that she gets home first thing in the morning."
Neil nodded agreeably, adjusting his hold on his slumbering bride before somewhat awkwardly rising to his feet. Cradling Makoto against his chest, he bid everyone a good night and disappeared down the hallway.
As Minako watched, she bit her lip, nearly splitting it once again. It had taken considerable willpower to refrain from dragging her friends from the men's grasps and demanding to know where the daggers were that they'd used before. She just didn't understand how, given their pasts, Makoto and Rei could have given in to these…men.
'Traitors' her mind insisted on whispering.
It was not that Minako didn't understand the basic attraction. A quick glance around the room earlier had been enough to explain that part. For each man, no matter how strikingly different, was ridiculously attractive, each seemingly more handsome than the last. Heck, each time her gaze came to rest on the somber figure who was a study in stone and silver, she again felt her breath hitch.
Yes, she understood the physical attraction.
What she did not understand was the rest of it. For a wary warrior such as Makoto and an emotionally isolated type such as Rei to nod off in the arms of any man bespoke trust on a very deep, instinctive level. They had exposed themselves at their most vulnerable to these men. But to do so with those whom they themselves had said had betrayed them in the most fundamental way…it was inconceivable. It spoke of a level of trust of which Rei and Makoto most likely weren't even consciously aware. So how to explain it?
"Oh hell," she muttered, rubbing her eyes which were beginning to feel like they had sand in them. "Maybe it'll make sense after a night's rest."
As the room vacated Minako became eerily aware that she was alone with Kane, who was eyeing her, and particularly Artemis, speculatively. She tensed and she could feel Artemis's tail again began to swish agitatedly beneath the fall of her hair. "Yes?"
"You never once inquired as to whether that was my cat or not." It was a statement, not a question.
"I didn't have to," Minako said, staring at Kane appraisingly, "You are so totally not a cat person. More like a dog."
When he looked first stunned, then very offended, she attempted to explain. "You're the most canine type I've ever seen, like you'd have a big fierce Akita or a Malamutt…or…maybe a hunting wolf."
He burst out laughing at her mangling of Malamute, and then at her audacity. "You're probably right about that."
She couldn't help the pout that twisted her lips. Kane slowly composed himself, though a hint of a smile uncharacteristically flitted around the corners of his mouth. Very formally he offered, "May I see you safely home, Aino-san?"
The blonde bit back the urge to growl, 'I don't know, can you?', but instead gathered the battered remnants of her dignity around her like a protective cloak. After deliberating for what seemed like forever, Minako condescended to nod in a regal fashion. "Very well. I accept your offer, Officer."
She marched out of the room like a queen, Kane following in her wake. She would have died if she'd known just how much he appreciated the view. Artemis, however, knew, and stuck his head out to bare his fangs at Kane, who seemed to show his own teeth back challengingly at the little guardian.
He drove her back to her lodgings in silence. When they had arrived, he slid from the car and, much to her surprise, opened the door for her and held out his hand to help her down in a bit of good, old-fashioned gallantry. At the touch of his hand, though, Minako felt an electric jolt go through her and her toes curled inside her shoes.
"Here you go," he announced. "Safe and sound"
The moon, full and round, shone down on them and showered the pair in a soft, silvery light. Artemis nipped Minako sharply on the ear, least she get caught up in romantic moment. She let out nearly silent yelp and reached up to her shoulder, flicking the cat with a finger as she appeared to pet him. He spat angrily and leapt from her shoulder, darting off through a gap in the high fence hedge.
"Thank you for the ride, Officer Kazuhiko, and goodbye," Minako bit out, fishing a key out of her pocket as she made her way up the walk.
"Good night, Aino-san," he called softly after her. "I'll pick you in the morning."
As the security gate closed behind her and she heard his SUV start up, Minako let out a shuddering breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. She'd be seeing the infuriating but definitely drool-worthy man in all his glory first thing in the morning, and that he'd be coming to the door where all her man-hungry sorority sisters would see him.
"Mighty Aphrodite," she moaned, "how am I gonna survive that?"