I am back!
As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon or any characters but the plot is my own :) R&R!
Minako lay in her bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about her talk with Yaten the night before. What am I doing? I have my duty to Usagi, I can't go chasing Yaten around. It would never work anyways. At some point or another he will have to return to Kinmoku.
The Goddess of Love rolled out of bed, shook her head, and stared at her reflection in the mirrored doors of her closet. Her ribbon was on the nightstand next to her bed giving her hair freedom to simply hang down. She was wearing a silky white tee and a matching pair of shorts. Her eyes looked solemn and thoughtful, though it did nothing to diminish her beauty.
I better get up and get moving. Usagi said she wanted everyone to meet at noon.
She was just standing up when a knock interrupted her and her door flew open. Minako stood there in her pajamas as Yaten walked in with a tray laden with breakfast food. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Mina. He blushed furiously and looked at the tray in his hands.
"I.. er.. I'm sorry, I thought that you would have been ... umm.. could you cover up please?!"
Minako giggled and crawled back into her bed and hid under the covers. When Yaten heard the rustling of the covers stop he looked up. There she sat in the middle of a large bed with a soft orange comforter covering most of her body. She was sitting up and smiling at him with her big blue eyes. Yaten had never seen her with her hair down and was quite surprised at how much more lovely she looked in such a natural state.
"Umm, Yaten, did you need something," Asked Mina as Yaten continued to stare at her for several seconds.
Yaten felt himself blush harder still at not realizing that he had completely been caught unawares by her morning appearance.
"The guys and I figured we would do something as a thank you for letting us stay here. I hope you like breakfast. We're not Makoto, but it's still edible."
Mina chuckled as she watched him fight the blush on his cheeks and then set the tray over her lap. Pancakes, mandarin oranges, sausage, bacon, waffles, and eggs filled it. A tall glass of juice stood in one corner and a small cup of tea was in another.
"Yaten, I hope you can help me eat some of this," Mina laughed, "I'm not 16 anymore and my appetite isn't quite as voracious as it used to be."
"Umm, Okay." Yaten sat down on Minako's bed and picked up a spoon. He watched as she grabbed a fork and began cutting into her eggs, smiling the entire time. He scooped up an orange and was just starting to chew when Minako looked his direction.
"So who took breakfast to Ami?"
"Who do you think?"
Mina smiled, "Ami will be pleased, I'm sure. They are probably talking about something well above my comprehension level."
"Yeah, Taiki was pretty excited to have someone around who would actually care or understand what he was talking about."
"I'm sure Ami is too. That has always been difficult for her. She really enjoyed Taiki's company when he was here last time. She was very sad to see him go." Minako looked down at her plate. "We all were sad to see all of you go."
Yaten said nothing, but looked closely at Minako. She seemed to sense this and looked back up.
"So," she began, changing the subject, "Who took breakfast to Kakyuu? Seiya I assume?"
"Yes."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's going on there?"
Yaten chewed his bite of pancake slowly before responding. "I suppose, shortly after we returned, they just started becoming closer than before. Kakyuu has always treasured a soft spot in her heart for Seiya."
"And Seiya returns it?" Mina asked surprised.
"Yes, I suppose. But why did you ask like that?"
"Well, Seiya just seemed so, ummm, enamored with Usagi when you were all here last time. I can't believe his affections so quickly turned to Kakyuu."
Yaten smiled. "Taiki and I thought the same thing. When we pressed Seiya for info, he said that one of the things that had attracted him to Usagi was that she was so much like Kakyuu. But he said his heart had always been for Kakyuu. " Yaten hesitated and looked down at his platter.
Minako spoke softly, "You are concerned that his being around Usagi could be confusing for him and result in your Princess getting hurt."
Yaten felt his breath catch as Minako said everything he and Taiki had been worried about aloud. He looked up into her calm face shrewdly. "You certainly are much different than when we last left. Last time, you couldn't take a hint, no matter how many times it was shoved in your face."
The blonde blushed and hid her face under her bangs. She felt a warm hand envelope her own. She looked up, still blushing, into Yaten's green eyes. He had leaned toward her and his face was merely inches from her own.
"This time, things are different," Yaten breathed. His face was so close to hers. Mina closed her eyes and prepared for whatever was coming. Was she even breathing? She didn't know or care. Yaten's breath was warm against her skin when the door burst open once again and they jumped apart. Rei stood there with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Come on Mina, Usagi and the other scouts are here. You can suck face with him later! Where's Ami?"
A very red Mina barely choked out, "Probably in her own room."
"Thanks, see you in the living room in 5 minutes!"
"Maybe you should knock on her door!" Yaten yelled as the purple haired senshi turned to leave. Rei looked back and winked.
"Naw, I wanna see if Ami and Taiki will jump higher than the two of you did." She shut the door behind her and was gone. Yaten felt his blush creep up his scalp. He looked down at Mina who was still blushing. The pink on her cheeks was so innocent and more than anything he wanted to swoop down on the beauty, but he knew the moment to do so had been lost. He mentally cursed Rei, and decided that if ever a moment presented itself for revenge, it would be taken. Yaten slid toward the edge of the bed and stood up.
"Umm, I guess, I should go so you can ge-" a yelp from the hallway cut him off. Rei came bounding back into Mina's room and slammed the door behind her. She looked as though she had been very rudely surprised.
"So, did they jump?" Asked Yaten, fighting the urge to laugh.
Rei's eyes narrowed, "No, unfortunately Taiki's reflex on being interrupted is to throw whatever object is within reach. I barely dodged Ami's English Dictionary."
Yaten and Minako dissolved into laughter.
Minako, Rei, and Ami soon joined Usagi and Makoto in the living room. Usagi seemed tense and fidgety which immediately made Minako suspicious. The girls took their seats and waited for Usagi to speak. After a couple of moments, Usagi looked around at them.
"Girls, I need to talk to you all about something. Mamorou… has a request. A request he would like to see fulfilled before our wedding." She began.
The senshi waited in silence still. The Three Light's crept to the hallway's edge to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"I have already told Mamorou that I would put his request before you, but I could not guarantee it, since the nature of the request has personal meaning to all of you."
"Princess, just tell us what it is. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad," Makoto smiled encouragingly at Usagi.
Usagi looked around at her friends and then closed her eyes. The silence grew.
"He wants our help bringing back the Shittennou."
The senshi gasped for a moment and then the atmosphere changed from one of concern to deadly hatred. The scouts all stood up.
"He wants what?!" Rei hissed.
"After what they did to the Moon Kingdom?" Demanded Makoto.
"After what the did to us?!" Breathed Ami.
"After what they did to you and Mamorou?!" Shouted Mina. Everyone looked at her.
"They led the charge on the Moon Kingdom! They helped destroy their own planet! Then they hurt people we loved here in this time! No Way! Not happening! We can't go around reviving traitors! They are scum and deserve to spend the rest of their existence paying for what they did to us!" Tears were filling the corner of Minako's eyes as she relived the memory of that last faithful night on the Moon.
"I know, and I said all these things to Mamorou. But then he asked me why I felt that they didn't deserve a second chance when we have given so many other's one."
"I can think of a couple of really good ones." Snorted Makoto.
"The entire reason we had to come to this time period was their fault. They actively and hatefully ended the peace that our universe had been enjoying. They caused the Moon Queen to die." Said Ami quietly.
"I know, guys, I know! But he said that they did it to protect him. That Beryl had told them something that made them concerned the Moon Kingdom was taking over the Earth."
"Oh, please," Said Rei, "How about the fact that they just used us? We all have our memories. It's disgusting to admit now, but back then we were all involved with them; Nephlyte with Makoto, Ami with Zoicite, Minako with Kunzite, and myself with.."
"Jadedite," Makoto finished for her. The girls sat in silence.
The three lights looked at each other in disbelief. The senshi had past lovers? Yaten and Taiki felt a sting of jealousy pass through them as they thought of Minako and Ami smiling and holding hands with some stranger. Seiya frowned at them both, watching them both visibly tense at the last bit of news. He placed his finger to his lips and tapped each of them on the shoulder, reminding them to be silent.
Ami broke the silence. "I'm sure Mamorou has asked them all this question."
"I have."
Minako and Rei hissed as Mamorou entered the room.
"You have no right to be here for this meeting, Mamorou." Minako growled.
"Especially with the request you have made." Rei said coming to stand beside Mina.
"I think my request warrants that I be here. That way you can get answers first hand." As he spoke, he reached his hand inside his coat pocket and withdrew four stones. "My Shittennou have agreed to answer your questions."
The senshi blanched. Minako sprang forward, knocking the stones from his hand. "You dare bring them here? To my home! Unannounced? Unwanted!" She yelled shrilly.
A smooth voice interrupted the angry blonde; "You used to be delighted when I visited you unannounced." A tall tan man with silvery blonde hair and risen from one of the stones and chuckled at Minako's gaping expression. He looked like a ghost, yet somehow more solid.
Minako's eyes narrowed to slits and her face contorted to one of absolute loathing. "After everything you did, you think you can just come in here and talk to me like that." Minako's voice was a deadly whisper. Rage practically rolled off her body. She began to glow a soft orange. "You destroyed this solar system! My planet! The Moon Kingdom! You killed your prince and my princess. You helped to kill me!"
A look of pain and regret shot across his face at her accusations. "Yes, we did."
A man with short wavy blonde hair had risen from another crystal on the ground. "We didn't do it because we wanted to! We were brainwashed! Beryl and Metallia; the power they controlled was nothing we could stand against and we quickly crumbled under her mind torture." He looked pleadingly at Rei, who had turned her back on him.
"We don't care to hear your lies, Jadedite," Seethed Makoto.
"They aren't lies." A taller man with long wavy brown hair rose slowly, "They are the truth. Beryl planted in our minds a suspicion that the Moon Kingdom might use its formidable power to control the Earth. You know about duty. Our chief concern was to protect our prince and Beryl manipulated that."
"Nephlyte," gasped Makoto.
A fourth figure rose last. This last man had feminine features and soft curly blonde hair.
"We were each taken and tortured. Beryl told us that the only reason any of you Goddess's paid any attention to us mortal men was part of a plan to get information to plan a strike. It seemed like truth."
"We had that discussion many times, Zoicite," Ami said softly, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"And I should have believed you!" He cried desperately. "All I- all WE want now more than anything is to apologize and have things go back to the way they were!"
"It's too late for that!" Minako yelled.
"Minako," Usagi said softly.
"No! Do you remember how hard it was for you to fight Mamorou when Beryl brainwashed him? That's how it was for us! But without the happy ending. We didn't have the strength to resist them then," She turned her back on the generals, "But we do now."
Mamorou paled at the comparison, but quickly retorted, "But you knew it wasn't me in my right mind! The Shittennou weren't either! We can't hold them responsible when their minds weren't their own!"
"The initial part was a choice. They chose to believe Beryl over us even though they professed to love us," Mina retorted.
Makoto, who had been silently looking at Nephlyte suddenly spoke. "But all of us knew they had that little grain of self- doubt. If the roles were swapped, would we have so readily believed that God's could love us? Any dark force could have sensed and preyed upon that insecurity."
Mamorou looked hopefully at Makoto who was shrugging at the glares the inner senshi were shooting her. She looked at Nephlyte who was smiling at her.
"All I'm saying is that was the past and they weren't fully responsible. Reasonable doubt is there."
"We will never doubt again." Jadedite said to Rei's back. She whirled around angrily.
"What makes you think you will EVER have a chance like that again?! Makoto's right, if you were, as you say, brainwashed, then you are absolved, but do not immediately think that every detail will fall right back into place!"
"Do you feel that same way Ami?" Zoicite asked quietly.
Ami wiped the lone tear away. "Yes, things will never be as they once were. I will work with you when our duties coincide, but that will be the extent of it."
Minako nodded her head in agreement with Ami's statement. Kunzite opened his mouth, but Minako cut him off. "No. We are never ever EVER getting back together."
Usagi looked at Mamorou expecting him to be angry, instead his face had a huge grin on it.
"So, I can revive my Shittennou and you won't kill them?"
"Not until they give us a reason," said Rei coolly.
The Three Lights snuck back down the hall toward their rooms as the senshi meeting wrapped up.
"Well, what the hell do you think all that was about?"
Yaten looked at Seiya with a blank expression, "I haven't that slightest clue."
"All I could seem to gather from what we know of the senshi and this new information is that these must be the generals that were the first enemies the senshi fought when they awoke on this planet. But it seems like the hatred began in their former lives, during their Silver Millennium."
The two other Star Light's gaped at him.
"Ami and I talk a lot." He said defensively. "Though I never could get much out of her about that past time."
"Makes sense now, seeing as they were all involved and then betrayed" Seiya said thoughtfully. He regretted his words when he saw jealousy flash in his brother's eyes.
"Well obviously it's well over and done with now!"
"You bet it is," Minako and Ami smiled as the Three Light's jumped.
Ami stepped forward. "You must have a lot of questions."
What do you think?!
Sorry it took so long to post, I was on vacation!
What will happen now?! Stay tuned, chapters will come regularly again now that I am back!