A/N: XD I had a heckuva time looking up if birds or bats can dodge lightning. That might sound really wierd right now, but hopefully it'll make more sense. ^^ I didn't realize I actually dug myself in deep trouble writing this fic and adding it to the list of unfinished fics that I'm gonna have to work on, but this'll be my joy. XD Broaden my horizons and keep it up! :3 Thanks for sticking with me until this chapter and all the others, guys, really kept my spirits up among all the bad chase dreams I've been having after a three-year dry from those kinda dreams. *grin* First thing I looked it up and it said my unconscious was having me run away from problems, and it was gettin' close, since I couldn't shake it. ^^ There were some other interpretations that had me raising an eyebrow at. XD Enjoy, ya!
DISCLAIMER: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon! XD
Turn Me Into A. . . : Believer
Danger that came straight from the grave was after them, and Makoto floundered as her cursed body played havoc with her libido. It was insane, the brunette realized, to react at only such a close distance to Ami when the girl was undoubtedly not herself right now and unconscious.
Actually, not herself was an understatement.
When the brunette had picked her up, Ami's head turned on her arm, right where the large gaping bruise was, and Makoto realized her friend had no pulse! It didn't seem to matter, though, since Ami was breathing heavily, as if in a trance. She suddenly recalled a saying, 'It's not you, it's me.'
Snorting, Makoto tugged her friend not-so-gently through the tight crevice. Apparently this WAS Ami-chan's fault, not her own, 'cause Makoto sure as hell felt some kind of wierd pleasurable thrill from being near her best friend. In fact, it had always been like that, ever since the first time Makoto had met the blue-haired girl. There had been a thrill of electric current running through the brunette that day, and that simple graze against the genius' arm as she bent to tickle Luna's chin had all but revived her from her usual loss against the computer game she'd previously pounded on.
Shaking her head, Makoto frowned and finally got Ami and herself out of the crevice.
Wasting no time, Makoto called on the power of Jupiter and sent a sizzle of a pure cracking lightning bolt at the base pile of rocks. Ami jerked once in her arms, and Makoto suddenly remembered her conduction of electricity was beyond normal than other people's.
Beyond more normal than was comfortable for Ami.
Letting go of the girl, Makoto stared as the cave seemed to reverberate with a heartbeat as the rocks gathered around the entrance blew to millions of pieces and the cavern was flooded with lights- human-made lights.
Flashlights.
Squinting at the three dark sillhouettes against the moon's illuminating presence, Makoto picked Ami up and ran towards the opening. Rei and Minako ran to meet them as Usagi danced around nervously in the background, shuffling after them with her sceptor in her hand and waving it wildly over her head at a curious bat flapping its way out of the cave.
With a start Makoto recalled vampires could usually morph into some kinda of creature of the night. Raising her hand in a pointed position, the Senshi of Lightning took up a stance much like Rei's with her hand to her eyes and aimed it at the erratically flapping mammal, Ami still in her arms.
Focusing her attention into a little flickering point of white at the tip of her hand. Makoto dimly wondered if flying animals could dodge harmless little bolts of electricity. She's tried frying a frisbee once during a picnic when a random green disc came flying out of nowhere and she'd just reacted. Shaking her head, brunette knew she couldn't take the chance: Ami might turn into a zombie overnight and then she'd have to stay with her tonight at her place because her angel's mom would wonder at her daughter coming home with a hickey-looking gash on the side of her neck- Makoto faltered.
Her p-place?
H-Hickey. . . like?
And what was up with the wishful thinking it would be. . . her place, all alone, just seeking her angel's approval and her mom's. . .
But those words turned into a churning heat and Makoto shook as she threw that small sphere of lightning at the fuzzy flying bat.
"*squeak!*"
*BZZZT!*
"Waaaah!"
Makoto realized her mistake the minute she let her faltering bolt flow. Of course she didn't realize it, but Usagi was jumping up and down and waving at the bat with her moon stick- the flow of lightning was intensified through the sceptor and their Princess flew backwards, four feet, blonde odangos akimbo as she hit the ground hard, unconscious.
"No, Usagi-chan!"
Cursing herself to Hades when Rei rushed to her Princess' side, Minako heading over but hesitating as the Senshi of Love saw and heard Makoto's distress, the brunette's head hung down in shame.
The bat flew on, letting out a sense-splitting shriek as it flapped off into the night. And Makoto knew, right then, that it was the youma, and tonight would be her living hell.
"What? Reiko, we NEED to do this! Don't you trust me?"
"Minako, I DO, I trust you with all my love, but I. . . I. . .!"
"Think about Makoto! We accepted her- YOU accepted her! Why can't you trust me? I'm only trying to help!"
"Y'know, maybe it would be better if you didn't-"
"Don't you DARE, Reiko. Three of us are hurt, hurting, and we're going to go through a lot more. I'm the only one who can help, love. Just because your grandpa needs you for the shrine doesn't mean I'll take the time to hurt you, Rei. Please, trust me. Believe in me, because I love you."
"M-Minako, I'm so sorry, I- I trust you. It's just. . . I'm insecure about everything- and. . . hey. Don't you look at me like that! It's not my time of the month, and I do NOT get cranky!"
"Do too!"
"Don't!"
"Too!"
"Only when people are AROUND!"
"That's getting cranky, Reiko."
". . . I'm sorry."
"You're so cute when you're jealous, but since I'm the Senshi of Love and jealousy is that little green monster, I dub myself above that."
"Hmmm. . . jealousy's not cute and I really am sorry. I. . . I need to go."
"I love you Reiko."
Makoto felt bad.
Bad for Minako, bad for Rei, bad for Ami, and bad for Usagi.
All because of her.
Is this where I truly belong? Even when I'm blessedly happy, when I'm hurting and sad and just alone, do I really belong here?
Hearing the faint click of her apartment door closing, Makoto looked up blearily from tucking her fellow senshi and princess into seperate futons and fixing their clothes and belongings. Minako's blue eyes were dimmed, sad almost, and Makoto couldn't stand it. As host and fellow senshi and friend, she cleared her throat and stood.
". . . I didn't even ask her if she wanted hot chocolate, or even tea."
A shake of head and Makoto questioned the blonde's amused sigh; tired, but amused.
"Rei-chan would want chocolate, but I'd give her tea. It would calm her, and if she was in my shoes she'd do the same for me."
"Tell you to calm down?"
"Mm, no. Tell me to stop being jealous of our close friend. To just trust her. But it's so hard to trust, Mako-chan. So hard."
And Makoto started when Minako burrowed into her, hot tears spearing straight to her heart as the blonde leaned into her and just cried. Shaking with sobs, Minako clenched her fists into the front of Makoto's nightshirt, then wrapped her arms tight around the brunette's midsection, squeezing hard with every intake of sobbing breath.
Not knowing what to do, what to say, the taller girl just stood there, mouth opening, yet cursing herself inside as she tried to go with her instincts and conjure up some kind of kind words for her friend. She wasn't this good at comforting and holding, just telling others it'd be okay, because since she didn't believe in that herself, taking things for granted and the future would resolve itself, it came out strained when she did say it.
Makoto stood, frozen but providing a stable support for Minako to cry on, when she felt it- a touch on her right calf.
So cold that it immediately caught her attention, a frigid cold contrast to Minako's own blazing hot anguish.
Looking down Makoto met the icy blue eyes of Ami, her tired pupils dilated and contracting back in on themselves with a dull red ring around them. There was something different. . . And Makoto grit her teeth in pain when a small hand encircled itself about her ankle and protruding canines burned themselves into her flesh, right about her knee and ripping through to her thigh as Ami rose, suckling hard.
Her blood pulsed, pounded, rushed, ran, summoned into the fangs of a vampire itself.
Makoto roared in disbelief and pain, and electricity raged out of her, flickering havoc to all the lights in her apartment building. Even in the dark Makoto could see those red-rimmed orbs, and they seemed to mock her as she gripped Minako tightly in an effort to clench all the pain inside, keep it inside, let it boil, let it burn, let it hate. . .
" you know that I loved you? Yes, maybe it was a love born out of protection, of loneliness, of reciprocated need, but I guess it's gone now. Why? Because when I woke up, you had Minako-chan, and Rei-chan was hurting while Usagi-chan will remain petrified for most of the night and retain a tad touch of brain damage and I. . . I was alone.
Because of you.
Because of YOU, Mako-chan."
Darkness throbbed around her, and Makoto twisted and turned in the suffocating allure of poison. Ami was speaking, oh Kami-sama, she didn't mean to, hadn't, she HADN'T MEANT TO-!
"Thunder! Wake up! Thunder!"
Rei.
Poor Rei.
Makoto knew she'd never meant to hurt her stubborn fire-headed friend and she never would, but seemingly her loneliness had planted the seed of rivalry between them, Minako's innocent helping personality coming to every abandoned stray and Makoto had indeed been abandoned, so long ago. . .
"Yeah, right, Thunder. You're no match for me when it comes down to it, don't kid yourself. Open your eyes, damn you, and CALM DOWN! Unless you REALLY want me to get mad!"
Ha.
And here Rei was, trying to cover it up.
She didn't deserve such friendship, why had she lived during that whole plane crash? Why? So she could muscle her way into being a savior, a senshi, sacrificing the most precious people she'd ever met, ever know?
"Wake up, Mako-chan! We're here, we'll ALWAYS be here, come back to us!"
Ah, Minako.
Her voice sounded so strong, not like the crazy blonde from before. From before, where Rei had left.
No, don't, Minako.
Go away, away from me.
What you have with Rei is so precious compared to helping me, lost cause that I am.
Leave. . .
"WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!.!.!"
And Makoto jerked awake, thrashing as her eyes opened and her body betrayed her mind, fighting for the life she was willing to give up, taking in deep lungfuls of air, eyes leaking like cracked almost in a raining thunderstorm where it poured cats and dogs and everything was completely drenched, her spirit included, but somehow she'd survived, yet again. . .
"You IDIOT!"
And Makoto grunted when Minako pounced into her, burrowing deep in her hold and clinging, crying. Rei sat behind her, just now collapsing in pained relief at the lightning wielder's antics of unconscious suicide and glaring at her with burning black eyes, red-rimmed and tired.
Red-rimmed. . .
"Where's Ami-chan."
*Slap!*
"Ow! Mina-chan?.!"
And angry blonde towered above her, tears rolling down her cheeks and raving about angrily, pacing little baby steps forwards and backwards in front of her beside the hospital's little space beside Makoto's rolling bed, her blonde hair making the room seem to shine with its color.
"Is it so bad that you can't even know, Mako-chan, KNOW, what it FEELS like to be wanted?.! You're always here for us, Mako-chan, support us, the 'loyal strength-smusher' and destroyer with your lightning- do you NOT KNOW what it feels like for someone to WANT you, MISS you?.! WE'VE missed you, Mako-chan, miss snappity-picket fence lightning block, and if you don't know then you sure as DAMNED WELL DID good in telling us when you're UNCONSCIOUS and in the HOSPITAL for THREE DAYS and all you can think of is AMI-CHAN! If you're confused now, just take a HINT!.!.!"
"Th-Three days?"
Makoto's mind went in shock.
THREE DAYS?
How!
Why?
Suddenly she realized the white sterile floor, clean bed and sickening smell of the under-spiced hospital food. There were four big windows, and the Senshi of Lightning and Thunder looked out over the city, bright with morning sunshine.
"What. . . happened?"
"YOU happene-"
"Minako. Shh."
Makoto nodded, grateful to the miko, who gave her a terse nod, black hair shifting messily. With a start Makoto realized she'd never seen this side of Rei before, even in death and dreams. If she traveled back to when she'd first met her and told her past self that, Makoto would have considered it, since she knew you couldn't judge people by looks alone. But after so many years. . . heh.
Somehow the thought made her smile.
"No facial emotions right now, Thunder. I'm mad enough as it is. Three days ago, that night, Ami-chan bit you and drained too much blood. Apparently there's something in your family blood that's just fabulous, because normally-reserved Ami-chan just kept on sucking."
Recalling those cold blue-red eyes, Makoto dimly nodded, her attention still wandering as the call of fatigue and sleep warred with her unused bones that were popping and creaking.
"Squeezing people's arms off aren't a good way of release, Mako-chan. Next time just scream."
THAT pulled her back to her senses.
"What? Mina-chan, I'm so sorry-"
"No problem. Just take it easy when it comes Ami-chan's turn, 'kay?"
Makoto tilted her head, her groggy mind pulsing with confusion. Waking up from three days' worth of no excercise that her body was screaming for while her mind had been plagued with her wild unconscious had taken its toll, and the brunette didn't need word games right now. Nodding despite herself, Makoto forced her eyes to stay open.
Rei tensed beside the blonde, teeth grit.
"Thunder, have you ever tried talking to a psychiatrist or counselor?"
Eyes wide, Makoto shook her head. The miko frowned and shook her own head, dark eyes swirling with worry for her friend, yet still respecting the brunette's obvious carefully-built walls over the years, constructed with gentle smiles and a powerhouse attack.
"You. . . In your sleep, all the time, you. . . Just know that all of us trust and love you, Thunder. We NEED you. And if we ever leave. . . "
Black eyes met green as a warm head folded over hers on the bed.
". . . We'll all leave together, you with us. We promise."
Confused but feeling wonderfully secure, Makoto nodded sleepily, her eyes drooping. Raising her hand, she felt her words slur as she tried to smile at Rei and Minako's shadowy forms, their profiles already blurring as she fell back to the bed, exhausted. Makoto could tell that some kind of needle had wormed its way into her right arm and wrist, probably from blood transfusions, but it was gone now, only leaving a sore sting.
Still, brunette whispered her thanks, her own tears threatening to wet her eyes.
"You. . . I'm sorry. . . for making you worry, and I won't go to a quack's but only to you guys. . . A-Ami-chan. . ."
And for the first time in three days, Makoto had no dreams.
A/N: *grin* XD It seems to me that whenever I write the 'anst-y' kinda scenes, I revert to listening to 'feel-good' beat-kinda music. Ex: 'Body Language', 'Don't Stop Moving' ((S Club 7))- which both remind me of hilarious amvs that I've watched. So basically here I am reminded of laughable episodes, and here I'm having Mako-chan have a bad time. *grin* Sadistic, no? *laughs* But it gets done more quickly. XD ((I've got another idea to plop in this fic, but I figure I'll draw it out into another chapter. *grin* There's not much happening in this chapter, I know, and I'm REALLY mincing on description, but then- well, I always do, so in the next chapter I really hope to remedy that! XD)) Thanks so much for reading, jaaaa! ^^