A/N: Howdy! I know I'm uploading a second chapter pretty damn fast, but I just couldn't stop typing! I hope y'all enjoy this fanfic.
WARNING: Contains DARK THEMES! TURN BACK NOW IF THIS OFFENDS YOU! Still gonna read? That's on you now.
With love, Korrupted.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON. Because if I did, I would be rich. Let's just be honest.
Ami and Rei felt bolted to the floor the moment they entered the room, just looking at their injured friend and taking in the sight. Her left arm and lower leg were in casts, bandages wrapping around much of her limbs, her face darkly bruised in places, the bandages around her torso peeking through the gown they had her in. "It's very rude to stare." Makoto told them in a worn but playful voice, the sound breaking the spell that had them immobilized. Moving as one, the two girls swiftly walked to either side of the bed, smiling down at her shakily. "Mako-chan, how are you feeling?" Rei inquired, timidly stroking at the brown hair of her friend in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "Like I got hit by a fucking bus." Awkward giggles ensued, a bit at ease that the brash warrior hadn't lost her sense of humor. "How's Usagi? Is she... Is she okay...?" The words sounded timid, both Ami and Rei concerned. "Hai. She is recovering well. Just a few more days and she should be going home." Ami replied, earning a glare from Rei. The bluenette wanted to tell Makoto the truth, but the miko was willing to let Makoto remember at her own pace. "But... Usagi was... She... I heard her screaming..." Tears were flowing from her shaken green hues, Rei swooping in to sit on the bed and gingerly touch her cheek. "Mako-chan, it's okay. It's okay. Usagi will be okay. Everyone is making sure of that." Her words were purposefully vague, trying not to force memories that the Jupiter soldier may not be able to cope with to the surface.
Ami clearly wasn't taking the hint, however. "Makoto, please listen. Usagi is-" Rei stood, her aura almost a visible red as she walked over and grabbed the future doctor by the arm, dragging her out of the room and closing the door before rounding on her. "Ami, what are you doing? Even your mother said telling her was a bad idea." Ami tried to puff herself up to appear more intimidating, her eyes hard. "Mako-chan deserves to know. She should know the truth. What happens when she finds out we kept it from her?" Rei was scowling, her temper flaring. "Then we deal with it then! Don't rush this, we could do more harm than good. I know you mean well, but we need to keep her calm." Ami took a step closer, also angered. "Don't you think I know that? I won't lie to her, and you clearly don't even want to do what's best for Makoto!" Rei's eyes widened as her right hand reared back, her temper exploding.
The sound of her open hand connecting with Ami's cheek felt like it echoed through the entire hospital, but only they heard it, Ami holding her face and staring at Rei in shock, noticing the tears falling from her friend's purple eyes. "Rei-chan..." She whispered, the reply in a cold, shaking voice dripping with heart-ache and anger. "You aren't the only one that loves her, Ami. Don't presume to know if I am acting in her interests or not." Ami felt her stomach twist into a tight knot at Rei calling her out on having feelings for the tall fighter, looking at the shrine maiden's feet nervously. "How long have you known...? How long have you known I had feelings for her...?" She asked timidly, fidgeting. "Before you knew, I suppose." The bluenette then met the miko's eyes. "But what about Minako? I thought-" Rei shook her head, cutting her off. "Minako isn't like us in that regard. She... She and I spoke about it once. We will always be one step below in love, but one step above friendship. If that makes sense." She admitted, the medical student nodding in acceptance. "And Mako-chan...?" A shrug from the raven haired miko. "We both know she has been incredibly protective of us; you when you fell ill and I when I was going to stay with my father. But we will have to put that aside for now and just focus on her." She looked at the door sadly. "It's us who need to protect her this time, and I will do everything I can to keep her safe." A memory surging to life in her mind's eye.
-Rei was pacing restlessly in the shrine's fire room, uneasy for some unknown reason. Not even the warmth that the sacred hearth provided could soothe her agitated mind, her concern growing by the second. The miko had tried to gaze into the fire several times, but her worry continued to block her psychic ability. She had left the Crown a bit after Ami had, draping Makoto's jacket carefully over the sleeping warrior's shoulders for a bit of warmth as she passed her. Usagi had mentioned it being almost ten thirty and the place would close shortly, so she would stay a bit longer to try and wait for their friend to wake up. "Are you sure? That bar is a bit rowdy tonight?" Rei cautioned, earning her a broad grin and Usagi striking a tough pose. "I can take 'em, Rei-chan! Hiiii-yah! Eeeeeeekkkk!" She had tried to perform a kick and tripped to land on her face, the raven haired girl laughing. "You better wait for Makoto to wake up, then!" It had been innocent, funny. But it was now one in the morning and something was gnawing at her painfully. Her communicator went off and she lunged for it, flipping it open the moment she saw it was Nephrite. "What's ha-" "Rei! Come to the hospital, now!" Rei's stomach plummeted to her feet. "N...nani...?" His words trembled, but he spoke the earth shattering news, "It's Usagi and Makoto. They... Mako-chan's... Usagi was being attacked, and she tried to step in... Usagi is bleeding badly... Makoto's... She looks..." Rei's mind was reeling. Makoto hurt? She lost a fight? Impossible. Not her Makoto. Not her kind, beautiful friend. "Makoto-"
It was like her mind refused to hear the sentence, her eyes wide in horror as tears ran freely down her face, the communicator phone dropping from her numb fingers. "Ma...ko...to..." She had lived through this heartbreak before, when Minako had died during surgery before the crystal reset the world. She had hoped never to feel this pain again, dropping to her knees and screeching out her agony aloud, "MAKOTO!" She sobbed, screaming into the night as the fire crackled peacefully beside her.-
Ami touched her friend's shoulder gently, pulling her back to the now. She had rushed to the hospital as soon as she had stopped sobbing uncontrollably, only to cry in front of the others, but they were crying too, so it was okay in her mind. Six long, painful days ago she had screeched her sorrows into the calm night air of the shrine. Six horrible days ago, she had rushed here with bleary eyes and tear splotched cheeks. Now she was determined to spare Makoto any more pain at any cost.
Ami could almost feel the hurt echoing inside of the flame senshi; it was the same horrible agony that tore at her as well. How can you forgive yourself for failing to protect the one you love? She could clearly recall Makoto taking care of her when she was turning into Dark Mercury, that with the most gentle of care she had allowed the shy bookworm to use her own bed. Makoto had been her protector; kind, strong, gentle, loving. She had ignited a storm deep inside of the senshi of water, making it hard to breathe at times when she was near her, her cheeks perpetually flushed under the gaze of those strong emerald eyes. Her mother had noticed months ago that something had been on her mind, finally worming out that her daughter had affections for a person.
-"So, have you told them yet?" Saeko had inquired, a shy shake of Ami's head the answer before adding, "You know, Mako-chan is a nice girl. If you told her, she would be honest with you one way or the other."
Ami's jaw dropped. "H-how...?" Her voice was a tiny squeak, the knowing smile of her mother barely calming to her. "Ami, I wasn't born yesterday. You are always talking about her, and even taking care of her after you girls get roughed up. Ami, who you happen to fall in love with doesn't change who you are. I love you regardless of that." Ami felt her chin tremble with the force of her relief; it was typically frowned upon to love someone of the same sex. The fact her mother chose to not care was a very wonderful surprise. "Hush, child. Come here." Ami rushed into her mother's arms and cried her joy at being accepted, her blue eyes spilling over with tears of happiness.-
That moment had been so perfect, but now everything was marred. Her mother had accepted her, yes, but she knew better than to announce it to the world; it would likely be met with hatred, scorn, and ridicule. Why couldn't there be more people like her mother in this world? Ami had informed the doctor of who and what they were a year ago, after it had become almost a daily occurrence to see at least one of them at the house with injuries for her to mend. And like only Saeko Mizuno could, it was taken in calm and collected stride. It even seemed to make her feel better once she knew where and why they had gotten such injuries. She had taken to asking questions and taking notes on the various youma they encountered, Luna admitting that the information had proved invaluable to the senshi for finding weaknesses. The bluenette looked at the door mournfully, knowing that this was something her mother couldn't fix, not something she could find a cure for in her many volumes of medical information. Usagi and Makoto were injured, but even thought she knew her focus should be the princess, her mind was only on the battered warrior of thunder, shuddering as she recalled a memory.
-She couldn't sleep, which was rather normal during exams. But no matter how many volumes she leafed through, nothing she read would stick in her mind, as if she had simply stared at a single picture blankly for the last hour. Saeko had been working a night shift, the studious girl working diligently to follow in her mother's footsteps to be a doctor. But something was bothering her in the back of her mind, something nudging at her consciousness from her heart to make studying impossible. She sighed and set the textbook down, rubbing her eyes tiredly and glancing at the clock on the wall. Nearly one twenty in the morning. She needed to get some rest soon or she would doze during lectures for sure. Her communicator suddenly went off, startling the weary genius into nearly falling backwards in her chair, catching the edge of the table to steady herself once more before answering. "Moshi m-" The sounds of crying cut her off, recognizing the voice as Minako. "A-am...mi-chan..." The sound of their leader sobbing like this terrified her.
The bluenette leaned forwards, as if the motion would somehow help calm the senshi of love. "Minako, what's wrong...?" Her voice was even and slow paced, trying to help the famous singer on the other end collect her thoughts. She heard the blonde take a deep, shuddering breath before speaking again, "Usagi a-and Mako-chan... Th-they are in th...the hos... They are at the hospital..." Ami stood at the mention of Usagi hurt, but sat back down numbly as Makoto's name surfaced. "Nani...?" Her own voice seemed so far away, small and weak even to her own ears. "Usagi... Sh-she's in... In surgery... Makoto is... Oh Kami-sama... She-" Ami felt like the wind had been knocked from her lungs, unable to form coherent words; she voiced tiny squeals and whimpers, finally managing in a voice filled with pain, "I... I'll be right there..." As if in a haze, the genius shrugged on her coat and stumbled to her car, the keys almost slipping from shaking fingers several times as she tried to open the door and then start the vehicle. She couldn't even recall how she had arrived to the hospital, just that when she did, Minako had rushed over and hugged her, both girls sobbing loudly as the others began to arrive, Ami vaguely noting Nephrite sitting in a chair, staring at his hands in almost haunted horror.-
"Shall we go back in now?" Rei's words pulled her back to this moment. Six days ago, she had arrived here to sob on the floor with her comrade. Had it only been six days? It felt like a lifetime ago. Ami nodded and opened the door, seeing Makoto trying to squirm her way out of the slings that supported her broken limbs, both the water senshi and flame senshi gasping before rushing to keep her still. "Mako-chan, stop it. You'll hurt yourself more!" Ami urged gently, Rei frowning at the brunette. "Makoto, if you don't lay still, I will call the nurses to make you." They saw the emerald eyes study them stubbornly, before she obeyed with a sigh. 'Still the same, stubborn Makoto...' Ami sighed, Rei making herself comfortable once again on the side of the warrior's bed. "Makoto, you need to rest and recover. We know you hate being confined like this, but you must. If you strain yourself, you could..." Her words trailed off, not wanting to think about another woman she loved dying. Once was horrible enough, and the senshi of thunder had been through enough already. "Ami-chan...? Rei-chan...?" Both of the looked at the battered girl in concern, the sound of worried desperation in the fighter's voice. "Could you two stay with me right now...? I... I'm a bit... Scared."
Both of them could see how vulnerable the typically powerful girl was, nodding and pulling up chairs to their respective sides. It shook them to see just how human the girl they had thought to be invincible was, but they wouldn't leave her side until she was ready. They pitied the poor soul who would dare tell them to leave the room.
A/N: So, like it? Please be kind enough to leave a comment or review. I feed off of them, for they are sweet nectar to me. I FEED! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! If you have any questions about something I wrote, feel free to comment them. I don't mind clearing things up.