The Wild Wind And The Scarlet Sea
By: Jaqui K
Chapter 4: Visits Part 1
Ami Mizuno found herself with a rather large puzzle on her hands and, perhaps rather counterintuitively, she was not pleased about it in the slightest. Those that only knew her through reputation, such as a sizable percentage of her classmates at school, would simply assume that she would approach any code, cypher, or mystery with a complete machine like lack of emotion. Those that actually knew Ami, like her friends and fellow Sailor Scouts who were currently with her in their hidden computer base located beneath the Crown Game Center, could attest to the strong undercurrents ever present below her calm appearing surface. And how strong they could become when events involved others being hurt.
"Ah, so this what possessed that girl," Luna commented while observing one of the large computer screens that had a picture of the monster from that afternoon. "Hmm, another atavism then."
"Atavism?" Usagi asked while Rei, Makoto, and Minako tilted their heads in confusion. Ami in contrast narrowed her eyes a few millimeters, although that couldn't be seen by the others as she was currently busy working at another computer station.
"Essentially, it's an evolutionary throwback," the cat-like advisor continued. "You would have seen it on the news this morning as well if you actually got up on time for once. It seems that last night another girl devolved into a monster. If I remember correctly, she was also a Mugen Academy student. That has to be a connection."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not," Ami muttered out, adjusting her glasses and pulling up another image on a different screen. While the picture was taken from a distance and was a bit blurry, the creature displayed looked almost exactly like the monster from before.
"Is that the one from last night?" Makoto asked.
"No. This occurrence was from six days ago," Ami said. "The creature here appeared on a beach approximately 3.7 kilometers from Hitachinaka." She then pulled up a school photo of a girl who looked to be around high school age and had brown hair in a helmet-like cut. "This is the girl the monster formed out of. Nabiki Tendo, just turned 18. Lives in the Furinkan neighborhood of Nerima. I was unable to find any record of her or her immediate family ever visiting Mugen Academy. There's a possibility that something else is going on."
"Well, you know what they say," Minako commented, "two out of three is worth one in the bush."
"What I believe Minako is trying to say," Makoto interjected while folding her arms, "is that we should still at least investigate Mugen Academy to see if anything might be going on there."
"I agree," Ami said. "However, I would first like to talk to Nabiki or her family to perhaps get more information. From what I have gathered, she is currently being held at Nerima General Hospital."
"Is she okay?" Usagi asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. That information is not available," Ami admitted. "I'll go and visit her tomorrow. Hopefully, she or her family will be able to provide some answers."
"Can I come with you?"
Ami turned to answer Usagi's question, but paused for a moment at the sight of the bun haired blond girl staring at the photo on the screen, her brow furled in what appeared to be deep contemplation.
"Well, I am planning on leaving quite early in the morning," Ami said. She preferred to make this visit alone so as to avoid unnecessary complications, and quite fortunately she had a guilt free excuse to offer her perpetually late rising friend.
"That's fine. I'll make sure to be ready," Usagi immediately responded, her eyes never breaking from the screen.
"Wow, things must be getting pretty serious if Usagi is volunteering to get up early on a Saturday," Rei sardonically stated.
Usagi did not rise to the bait, however. "I don't know," she said in a quiet tone. "I just have a feeling that I should be there tomorrow."
That one definitely gave everyone pause. After a moment, Ami gave a simple nod. "Very well, I'll meet you at your house then."
"Right, then it's settled," Usagi declared. "Ami and I will visit this girl in the hospital, then we'll all go and check out Mugen Academy together."
"Sounds like a plan." Makoto gave a quick look to Usagi, then a slightly longer one to Ami. "You two be careful. Nerima has gotten a bit of a reputation involving some rather nasty types."
"Oh, don't worry, Makoto," Usagi said with a big grin. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
For Usagi, everything was very much definitely not fine in the slightest. First, she found out that her Mamo-chan was taking that little brat to the amusement park instead of her! Sure, she'd be busy checking out Mugen Academy at the time, but it was still the principle of the thing! Then, once again no one bothered to get her up on time, so she had to rush super fast to get ready for Ami.
It didn't get better when they got to Nerima as they had to rush to avoid a crazy martial arts duel happening in the middle of the street between a boy and a girl that sort of looked related. The boy was wearing kendo gear and fighting with a wooden bokken, while the girl was clad in a leotard and using gymnastics equipment of all things. As Usagi and Ami hurried out of the battle zone, she could make out bits of the strange banter between the two. Something along the lines of 'that foul sorcerer's tricks shall not fool me' and 'actually knew about the red haired girl the whole time'. Just as they were getting out of the area, the name 'Ranma' reached Usagi's ears, causing her to pause and look back, only to be pulled along by Ami.
Luckily, they were able to make it to the hospital without any other incidents. They hid around a corner of the building, out of sight of everyone. "Alright!" Usagi boldly declared. "Now we just need to sneak in and get to this girl's room."
"Well," Ami began, probably about to go into a whole analysis thing about how tough it would be. "You see Usagi-"
Usagi quickly brought a hand up to cut her friend off. "Don't worry. I got this covered. Remember what happened when we first met?" She gave a little smile and with a flick of the wrist, a pen capped by a red jewel appeared in her hand. She lifted the disguise pen over her head and called out the words to activate it.
Moon Power! Change me into a cute doctor!
In a brief flash of light, Usagi's outfit was replaced by a dress with a doctor's coat over it and a stethoscope around her neck.
"Okay," the newly disguised girl said. "I'll go and infiltrate and then find a way to get you inside."
"Wait, Usagi. You don't-" Ami started to protest.
Usagi quickly held up a hand to interrupt. "Don't worry, Ami," she said with a reassuring smile. "This will be a cakewalk."
Before Ami could try to give any more complaints, Usagi quickly went around the corner and into the hospital. She strolled confidently up to the front desk and gave a smile to the receptionist. "Greetings, fellow medical professional. I have been called in to offer my very special doctor knowledge for a certain patient named Nabiki Tendo."
The receptionist just blinked in utter amazement at Usagi's amazing acting skills. "Um, yes," she said, looking through some papers. "Miss Tendo is in room 451. However, I don't see anything about a specialist being called in."
"Oh, well, it's a super private meeting. Doctor-patient confidence and all that," Usagi quickly added. "So make sure not to tell anyone, okay?"
"Um, right…" the receptionist drawled out as she continued to look over the papers on her desk. "Can I at least get your name and what hospital you are with, Doctor?"
Usagi froze at this unexpected development. No one had asked for her name while disguised before. "Uh, of course. My name is…"
"Oh, thank goodness. Doctor, I require your assistance right away."
Usagi turned to see a man in a doctor's coat run up. She blinked a couple of times as she saw the man had just a single tuft of hair right on the top of his otherwise bald head as well as the puffiest lips she had ever seen. "Um, help with what exactly?" she asked.
"I have a patient that refuses to take any kind of pill," the doctor explained. "Fortunately, you have just the qualifications needed to help solve this dilemma."
"I do?" Usagi asked before quickly giving a confident grin. "Oh, yes. Of course I do. Lead the way, fellow Doctor." She quickly followed along before the receptionist could make any protests.
As they walked through the hospital, Usagi's initial confidence started to falter as she remembered that she didn't actually have any medical expertise to share. Heck, it took all she could just to avoid failing biology. "Um, Doctor? On second thought, maybe I should-"
"Here we are," the doctor interrupted as he led her into a standard looking waiting room. There on the examination bed was a blond boy a few years older than her. The boy's eyes lit up at the sight of her.
"Oh, what a gorgeous young nurse!"
"Hey! I'm a doc…tor…" Usagi started to protest this kid just automatically assuming she was a nurse before remembering again that she wasn't actually either of them. "Uh, so I heard that you don't want to take your medicine, um…."
"Densuke," the boy responded.
"Okay, Densuki." Usagi gave a friendly smile. "Your health is a very important thing, and this medicine is needed for that. Is there anything that would change your mind?"
"Well," Densuke offered with a smile of his own," I wouldn't mind if I was given it by a beautiful woman."
Usagi blinked a couple of times, then turned to the doctor who was holding out a folded up bit of paper that must have contained the medicine in question. "You will help out, won't you, Doctor?"
"I…" Usagi looked down at the important medicine and very carefully took it into her hands before walking over to Densuke. "Okay. I do love to help people, so if you just need me to give you your medicine-"
"Mouth to mouth," Densuke quickly added.
"...excuse me?" Usagi froze and stared wide eyed at the boy. Wait, is he really asking…
"Oh such tragedy," Densuke melodramatically declared, placing the back of a hand against his forehead. "Even though I have been kissed by a girl, strange though she may have been, it was only while I was unconscious. In order for me to experience the joys of youth and start to truly live, I must first feel the warm touch of a woman's lips while awake."
Usagi turned to the doctor, then back to Densuke who was now pursing his lips in anticipation. What do I do? A kiss to save someone's life would be really heroic, but I'd be kissing a boy that wasn't my Mamo-chan! But it's still saving someone. "Well," she tentatively said, "if it's a life and death thing then…"
"Oh, it isn't really," the doctor casually said.
"What?!" Usagi spun to face the doctor, her twintails whipping into the face of Densuke who didn't seem to react at all.
"Well, I suppose it is possible," the doctor continued. "While he does only have acid reflux right now, there is a small chance it could increase to an ulcer and sepsis if he doesn't get those prescription antacids."
Usagi slowly looked down at the medicine in her hand, then turned back to Densuke who still had his eyes closed and his lips pursed, ready for the kiss. After a couple of moments, she quickly jammed her hand, complete with medicine, down the boy's throat and then stepped back. "Uh, I just remembered I have another doctor visit thingie to do!" she rambled before rushing out of the room.
Somehow before she even realized it, Usagi had managed to run up the stairs all the way to the fourth floor of the hospital. She dropped the disguise and was leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath. A sudden tap on her shoulder caused her to jump back in shock only to find Ami standing there with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
"Ah, Ami," Usagi squeaked out. "How did you manage to sneak in?"
"Usagi, that's what I was trying to tell you," Ami said in that teacher explainy tone of hers. "My mother is currently working at this hospital. I told her that I heard about the girl that got attacked in the news and asked if I could deliver some flowers to her."
"Oh," Usage responded, definitely not upset that her perfect plan wasn't actually needed. She then looked down at the flowers Ami was holding and started to awkwardly poke her index fingers together. "Um, I guess I should have brought something too, huh."
Ami in turn just gave a warm smile and handed the bouquet over. "Here, I'll let you have the honors."
Usagi smiled as she took the gift, then looked around the corridor they were in. "Uh, do you know which way is the room?" she asked with a slight chuckle.
With a light sigh, Ami led the way with Usagi following close behind. As they went along, Usagi kept looking around, seeing strange looking equipment placed against the walls, doctors and nurses hurrying along to different places, and the many different doors. Occasionally, one of those doors would be open enough for her to look inside, seeing various patients. Some seemed to be mostly okay, just lying back and reading or watching TV. Others, though, looked to be in bad shape, unconscious with a lot of things hooked up to them.
Usagi clutched the bouquet of flowers tighter to her chest as she looked to the blue haired girl in front of her. "Ami, your mom really sees all these people that are hurt really bad every day, huh?"
Ami gave a nod while not breaking stride. "Yes. She does her best to help her patients, but it's not an easy job. Still, it is one that I strive to have one day myself."
"Oh." After a few moments of silence, Usagi spoke up again. "Do you think I could help them too?"
"Well, I don't think that disguise you used would accomplish very much. Perhaps if you focused more on your studies though-"
"No, I mean…" Usagi looked down at the flowers in her hands before continuing in a low voice that only Ami would be able to hear. "Sailor Moon. Do you think she could heal them?"
Ami's stride faltered for just a moment, then she took Usagi's hand and dragged her to an empty side corridor. After a moment, she turned around, a look of sympathy behind her eyes. "Usagi, I…" she turned her head slightly away. "I've thought about this as well. I spent so many hours researching, but…" she slowly shook her head and turned back to Usagi. "These aren't youma, or mind control, or whatever this new enemy may be. The things affecting these people are a part of life, no matter how much we wish they weren't. You can purge the darkness from their hearts, but if that heart is faulty, or affected by cancer, or damaged in an accident…I'm sorry, but there's nothing our powers can do for that."
"I know," Usagi responded with a sigh. "I just wish we could."
No more words were spoken between the two as they continued on. Walking in silence, Usagi suddenly noticed the light hints of a song floating through the hallways. A gentle tune, like a lullaby. The warm, melodic tones grew as they went, and as they reached room 451, she realized that was where the song was coming from. Ami hesitated a moment before knocking on the frame of the open door. "Is it alright for us to enter?" she asked in a gentle voice.
The singing stopped and an answer came from the room. "Yes, I suppose so," Ami gave a nod and walked in. Usagi followed, but froze in the doorway as she took sight of the room itself.
She made a point not to stare at the girl lying unconscious in the hospital bed and instead focused on the other four people present, all currently looking at them. First was an older woman with dark red hair tied back in a braided bun. She was wearing a very lovely blue kimono that made Usagi feel very underdressed in just her school uniform. Next to the woman was a girl that closely resembled her, although her loose hanging red hair was much brighter and featured pretty blonde highlights. The simple forest green dress she had on wasn't quite as formal as her mother's(?). Sitting over on the other side was a slightly older girl with brown hair in a simple ponytail that went over her shoulder and a somewhat plain housedress that reminded Usagi of something her mother would wear.
It was the last person that truly caught Usagi's attention though. A girl with short blue hair that had bits of aquamarine in it. She was also wearing a school uniform, although one quite different from Usagi's. Most notably though was those dark brown eyes. Eyes that were staring right at her. Eyes that almost seemed to flash a deep, ocean blue…
Akane.
Before Usagi was able to say anything, Ami spoke up, introducing them as they went further into the room. "Greetings. My name is Ami Mizuno and this is my friend, Usagi Tsukino. I apologize if we are intruding, but we saw what happened to Nabiki on the news and wanted to offer our get well wishes to her."
"Oh, you are not intruding at all, dears," the older woman reassured. "We very much appreciate your sentiments."
"Yeah, it's nice 'n all," the other redhead drawled out, "but sorry ta say, it ain't gonna reduce what you owe her by a single yen."
"Ranma, be nice!" Akane chastised the other girl while Usagi blinked in surprise at the familiar sounding name. Akane then turned and gave a sympathetic look to her. "I do apologize though. It's a very lovely gesture, but I doubt my sister will reduce any of your debt to her because of it."
"Oh, no," Ami corrected. "We do not have any debt towards Nabiki. We actually never met her before. The truth is that my mother is a doctor, and I aspire to be one as well, so I do what I can to help out at the hospital, including visiting patients."
"Well, that's very noble and manly of you to do that, dear," the older woman said with praise in her voice. "Ah, my apologies. We should introduce ourselves as well. I am Nodoka Saotome, and this is my very manly daughter, Ranma." The girl with the familiar name gave a strained, embarrassed smile and a small wave.
"Yes, and my name is Kasumi Tendo," the brown haired woman said. "This is my younger sister-"
"Akane," Usagi interrupted with a cheery smile. "Yeah, we met yesterday at the ice cream place, remember? It's great to see you again!"
"Um yeah," Akane replied. "Likewise."
"Oh wow, tomboy," the blondish redhead said with a now cheeky grin on her face. "It hasn't even been a week and you already got girls pining all over ya."
"Hey!" Akane shot a glare at the girl, although it quickly melded into a smirk of her own. "Like you're one to talk. I seem to recall a certain gymnast spending several hours shouting out her newly found adorations towards her firefly haired beloved."
"Ah, come on. Ya know that anything a Kuno says don't count," Ranma said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, I bet she was just doing it to mess with you."
"Oh, I would be too sure," Akane responded in a sing-song tone. "She does go to an all-girls Catholic school after all."
"The heck does that mean," Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Now now, it's not polite to start rumors like that, Little Sister," Kasumi said. "I know a few girls that went to St. Hebereke's, and they…they were…huh…"
"That's right," Ami interected. "Our friend, Rei, goes to an all-girls Catholic school and she…well…hmm…"
As Ami and Kasumi were both lost in thought, Nodoka gave Ranma a chastising look. "Daughter, are you flirting with girls that are not your fiancée? That's not a manly thing to do."
"Aww, Mom, it ain't like that. Kodachi's just being-"
A quick knock caused everyone to turn to the door where an older, blue haired woman in a doctor's coat was entering. "Hello. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but…oh, Ami. You're here."
"Greetings, Mother," Ami curtly responded. "I'd like to introduce my friend, Usagi."
"Ah, it's wonderful to finally meet you," Ami's mother said with a friendly smile. "My daughter has said so many wonderful things about you, and I was so happy to hear that she had finally started to have friends after so long. I do hope she hasn't been a bother for you."
"Oh, not at all," Usagi said while giving a light laugh at the very beautiful doctor. "Ami's been an amazing friend to me. And many times," she added with a slight smirk, "she's been even so much more." She internally congratulated herself on her own cleverness, being able to praise her friend for everything she's done as a sailor scout without revealing their identities.
"I see," Ami's mom said, looking between the two of them. "Well, I am happy for you Ami, but maybe we should discuss this elsewhere." She started to give an apologetic look to the others in the room, but then froze and blinked several times. "Nodoka? Is that you?"
The older redhead looked back in confusion for a moment. "Yes, do I…Saeko?"
Ami's mom gave a warm nod. "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"It has," Nodoka said as she stood up. "I suppose congratulations are in order. I always knew you would achieve your dream of becoming a doctor."
"You were always rooting for me." The smile on Ami's mom's face dropped as she turned to the occupant of the hospital bed. "I'm sorry about what happened. This girl, is she yours?"
"I am a member of her family," Nodoka said. "Although it won't be official until my daughter does the manly thing and marries her fiancée."
"Mom…" Ranma grumbled out.
"Oh, but I shouldn't be bothering you right now," Nodoka continued unabated. "I'm sure you are quite busy with your doctor duties."
"I just finished my shift actually," Ami's mom said. "I was just grabbing my daughter before going to the cafeteria for something to eat. Would you care to join us?"
"Yes, I would love to," Nodoka answered. "Would it be alright if Kasumi joined us as well? She'll be starting college soon to become a doctor, and I'm sure there's some knowledge you could provide her for the start of her journey."
"Oh, I wouldn't wish to be a burden to you," Kasumi said. "You just got off work, so I'm sure the last thing you wish is to think about it right now."
"Nonsense. It's not a burden at all," Ami's mom answered. "I always love meeting young women interested in joining the medical world. Isn't that right, Ami?"
"Of course, Mother," Ami responded then turned to Usagi. "Do you want to come as well?"
"Huh? Me?" Usagi blinked at the invitation. Food did sound good right now, even hospital cafeteria food. However…
She gave a quick glance over to Akane who was remaining in her seat. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay here, uh, if that's okay."
Akane gave a nod. "Sure, I don't mind."
"Alright," Ami said, "I'll come back up to get you when it's time to go."
After the four left, Usagi suddenly found herself unsure about what to say. She simply glanced awkwardly between Akane and the blondish redhead with the familiar name that she was really starting to feel like she met somewhere before.
"Oh, Ranma," Kasumi said, poking her head back in. "Your mother wants to properly introduce you to her friend."
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure!" A warm grin was on Ranma's face as she stood up.
"Um, Ranma." Kasumi continued with an apologetic look. "Your mother said that she wants to introduce her son first."
Ranma froze and her smile slowly dropped. "Oh."
Akane stood up and started walking over to the girl. "Ranma, you don't have to…"
"Nah, it's fine." Ranma shook her head and gave a somewhat strained smile. "Guess it makes sense. Uh, just give me a minute, Kasumi." Kasumi nodded and left again as Ranma went into the bathroom and shut the door.
There were a few seconds where the only sounds were the regular ones of a hospital room as Usagi wasn't quite sure what to make of any of that, so she decided to simply shrug it off. "So, Akane. Like I said, it's really nice to-"
The bathroom door opened again, and Usagi turned only to blink in confusion at the boy with black hair tied back into a braid who was very noticeably still Ranma. The dress had been exchanged for a loose pair of pants and a red silk shirt that hid Ranma's curves amazingly well. All around, it was an impressive change. Heck, Usagi could almost swear that the person walking out of the bathroom was actually taller now. However, the most important thing was…
"Oh! You were the guy at the ice cream place. I thought you looked familiar." Usagi beamed, but managed to quickly catch what she said. "I'm sorry. Um, are you a guy?"
Ranma gave a slight smile and responded in a voice that was deeper than before. "Well, right now I s'pose I am. Though if Mom's doing what I think she is, I'll be a girl when I come back." A troubled look then crossed his face.
"How long?" Akane asked with a tone of worry in her voice.
Ranma took a breath before responding. "Seven and a half seconds."
"Half a second longer than last time," Akane muttered out. "Maybe we should see Cologne about this."
"Hey, I'm sure it's fine." Ranma gave a dismissive wave. "We'll find a way to deal with it, no problem. We always do. Right now, though, I gotta meet Mom's friend."
"Ranma, do you want me to come with you?"
"I'll be okay, tomboy," Ranma said as he left the room. "Besides, I'm sure the bun-head here could use the company."
"Dummy," Akane muttered under her breath just loud enough for Usagi to make out. She then went back to her seat and patted the one next to her as she sat down. "Sorry about all that. Here, why don't you relax for a bit."
Usagi started to walk over, only to remember that she still had the bouquet of flowers in her hands. She quickly looked around to see if there was anywhere she could leave them.
"Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Usagi blinked at the girl who was looking up at her. "No, I just…um…here." Unsure of what else to do, she handed the flowers to Akane. The blue-haired girl with the cute highlights just stared at the flowers for a few seconds before taking them with a tiny smile. Usagi gave a grin in return as she sat next to the girl. There was so much she wanted to talk to her about. First though, she had to deal with her curiosity. "So, is Ranma normally a girl then?"
There was a resigned sigh as Akane placed the flowers on her lap. She took a few moments, apparently trying to find the right words. "That's something he's been trying to figure out recently. Well, I guess she's been figuring it out for a while now, but he just didn't realize it back then, and well, neither did I. For now though, we can say that sometimes he's a girl, and sometimes she's a guy."
"Oh wow." Usagi's mind boggled at the idea. Sure, she had used the disguise pen to turn into a guy to save Makoto, and maybe a few times after out of curiosity. And yeah, she might have daydreamed a time or dozen about what her Mamo-chan would look like as a girl. But to just be one or the other whenever you want? "That's…so…cool!"
"Really?" There was a mixture of both surprise and relief in Akane's voice. "You don't think it's weird or that Ranma's a…well…you don't think it's weird?"
"No way, I think it's amazing!" Usagi's brow then furled as a new thought occurred to her. "Huh, I bet it's a lot of work for Ranma trying to be both a handsome guy and a really cute girl."
"Yeah, I should have known you'd say that about him," Akane responded with an eye roll and a note of rising anger in her voice.
"Oh no, don't get me wrong," Usagi quickly replied. "I mean, she is cute, but you are definitely much cuter."
Now Akane had a look of pure surprise on her face. "Wait, you really mean that? You think I'm that cute?"
"Sure," Usagi said with a big grin. "Trust me, I know a whole lot of cute girls, and none of them…well, I guess Rei would be up there…but you're still the number one cutie in my book."
"Oh, well that's…thank you." Akane blushed and turned away. Apparently the girl was very shy about receiving that kind of praise, even if it was well deserved. It reminded Usagi a little of her other friends when she first met them and how she would try to cheer each one of them up.
Heh, wouldn't it be funny if Akane turned out to be…nah, that's impossible. I've already been reunited with all my fellow guardians from my past and my future. It's too bad though. I bet she'd make a great sailor scout.
"Um," Akane continued, "you really don't find it a problem that I'm…" she paused and looked down again at the flowers in her hands. "Right, of course you wouldn't have a problem with that."
"Wait, a problem with what?" Usagi asked.
"Nothing, it's…nevermind," Akane muttered as she turned away again.
An awkward silence now hung between the two as Usagi wasn't quite sure what to say next. That lull caused her to finally focus on the person lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Her mind flashed back to the picture she saw on the computer monitor yesterday, and she couldn't help but compare the happiness and vibrancy of that girl with the one now in front of her. Pale skin, hair noticeably taken care of but still nowhere near as illustrious, and that medical tube stuck down her throat.
It took several seconds for Usagi to compose herself enough to say anything. "I'm sorry about what happened to your sister."
The following silence lasted long enough for Usagi to wonder if Akane actually heard her. She turned, only to find the other girl with a look of anger in her eyes.
"Damn it, Nabiki. She was always so reckless and uncaring, always getting by with whatever scheme or whim she came up with. Even when she got caught up in the middle of mine or Ranma's chaos, she'd always come out unscathed. Always perfectly fine. But then…that damned school…"
As Akane trailed off slightly, Usagi couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. "School? I thought it was a beach."
Akane let out a small huff. "Yeah, she…she got attacked at the beach, but I know that Mugen Academy is the cause of this. She bragged about how she visited the place. It was her big plan to get into a big prestigious university. She never told us she was going there beforehand. Heck, she didn't even tell the school that she was doing it. If she got attacked while she was there and none of us knew about it, I…I don't know what I…Usagi, I couldn't save her…"
Usagi offered a hand and Akane quickly grabbed onto it. "Hey, it's okay," she said in a quiet voice. "What happened wasn't your fault."
"Yes it is!" Akane squeezed Usagi's hand tighter. "I was right there, on that beach. I saw Ranma rush in to fight that…that thing, and I should have gone in right there with him. Instead I hesitated. I let my own doubts, my own fears take over. And because of that, Ranma was knocked into the water and I had to go and rescue her. By the time we got back, I was too exhausted to fight. All I could do was chuck a rock at the thing. Ranma was finally able to finish it off, but by then it was too late. And because of that, I don't know if Nabiki will ever wake up."
Usagi did her best to ignore the pain of her hand being crushed in order to offer her support. "Hey…I'm sure…you don't know that…"
"Yes I do!" Akane's voice was strained at this point. "I heard about the girl that was attacked yesterday. It happened in Minato, so those Sailor Senshi were able to get there. They defeated that monster immediately and the girl managed to recover shortly afterwards. But Nabiki, she…"
Akane's grip finally loosened as her tears started to fall freely. "I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't powerful enough. Dammit, I'm supposed to be a martial artist, a protector, and I couldn't even save my own sister."
Usagi reached into her pocket and took out her handkerchief, offering it to the other girl.
"Thank you," Akane said as she started to dry her eyes. "Sorry for dumping all this on you like that. I just…right now I would give anything for the power to help her get better."
There was the slightest moment of hesitation as Usagi's hand went up to her chest, closing around the heart-shaped brooch on her uniform. She prepared herself to fight back any internal doubts about her next action, but quickly found that none existed.
"Hey, Akane, can I trust you to keep a secret for me?"
Akane let out a small laugh. "Thanks, Usagi, but it's okay. You don't have to tell me some personal thing to try and cheer me up."
"Yes I do," Usagi responded, "because I may have a way to help your sister."
"Really?" Akane turned to her, a small gleam of hope now in her eye. "You can save her?"
Usagi felt her heart skip a beat. "Maybe. I don't know if it will work, but I'm willing to try at least, if you'll let me."
"Yes, of course!" Akane responded, the excitement in her voice growing. "What do I have to do?"
"Just close the door," Usagi muttered out, glancing down once more at the brooch attached to her uniform before turning back to Akane, "and promise me you won't tell anyone what you're about to see."
Akane stared at Usagi for a few moments, then gave a small nod. "I promise." She then went over and shut the door to the room. As she did so, Usagi also got to her feet and detached her brooch from her uniform. She stared at the item in her hand and the words came forward into her mind. Those words she first uttered almost a year ago. It would only take a moment to speak those words once more and allow that power to flow out and course through her body once more. However, she didn't do that.
Instead, with a quick flick of her thumb, she activated the release switch on the brooch, which then opened up to reveal the gem that was located inside.
"Oh wow, it's beautiful," Akane said. "Yeah, this might work. I mean, she didn't react to a 10,000 yen bill or Auntie Nodoka's engagement ring, but I'm pretty sure the diamond in it was fake anyway. If this is real, it must be worth a fortune."
Usagi gave a warm smile. "Yes, it is real, and it is priceless, but not for the reason you might think." She then pulled the gem out of her brooch, revealing the teardrop shaped crystal in all its glory. "This is the Ginzuishou."
Akane looked on in awe. "Ginzuishou. That…that sounds familiar."
"Huh?" Usagi tilted her head in confusion for a moment before remembering. "Oh yeah, people looking for this was all over the news a while back. It is very special after all."
"How special?" Akane asked, a tone of hope saturating her words.
"Let me show you." Usagi placed the crystal upon Nabiki's chest and a faint glow emanated from the crystal. However, even after a full minute of this, no change seemed to occur to the unconscious girl.
Undeterred, Usagi placed both her hands over the crystal and closed her eyes. Please. Please let this work. For Nabiki's sake. And…and for Akane's…
She concentrated on that wish as hard as she could, ignoring the sudden breeze through her hair and her skirt brushing against her ankles, instead directing all her focus on the warmth building in her hands. She had no idea how long she held that focus, but eventually, her strength gave out on her and she collapsed, leaning against the side of the hospital bed.
It took about a minute for Usagi to catch her breath and get back to her feet. Looking down at Nabiki, she could see that while the girl was still asleep, the color had very noticeably returned to her face. With a small sigh, she took the Ginzuishou and placed it back into her brooch. "I think it worked. Hopefully, she'll be waking up soon."
She turned to Akane, expecting her to be looking at her sister with relief. Instead the girl was staring right at her with a look of pure astonishment on her face.
"Who…are you?"
Usagi gave an embarrassed smile and she affixed her brooch back onto her uniform. "Well, I might not be a martial artist, but I am a guardian and a protector. Right now though, the thing that I want to be the most…is your friend."