Yamato quickly stepped out toward the road and hailed the nearest taxi. He didn't even hesitate on what to do once he got into one. After giving the driver the address of the crime scene, he immediately called Saeko. "I desperately need you and Suki right now, that and the nurse who's helped out before." He tried to be careful what he said because the cabbie could hear him.
"We'll do anything we can," she replied, not hesitating.
"Minako is… injured. Only the two of you can save her." He wished he could be more upfront with her, but he believed she was smart enough to figure out his meaning.
As expected, that was enough to draw the driver's attention, and Yamato commented to him, "My girlfriend and her friend are two of the best surgeons in Japan." That satisfied the man, and he concentrated back on his call.
"How bad is it?"
He hesitated briefly and said, "I hope her neck isn't broken."
"Damn," she muttered. "You're going to make this ridiculously hard to hide." Saeko knew that meant that Minako's neck was indeed broken, and they would have a hell of a hard time making it look like that wasn't the case.
He wanted to comment that Minako walking around, very much not dead, would make things even harder to hide. Still, he conceded that he had come up with a better solution, but it was by no means easy.
Saeko, mind racing with a way to solve the problem, said, "Never mind. You have enough to deal with on your end. Good luck with handling the paramedics." He wanted to curse at that thought. He hadn't had time to consider them yet.
As the taxi driver approached the scene, he paid the fare and hopped out of the car. Before he made it far, he asked Saeko, "Can you call Zoisite for me? I'll need some help convincing them to listen."
"I'm on it," she replied. He could hear her shouting out orders in the background.
He hung up and dashed over to Artemis. He was relieved he beat anyone else to the scene. "Call for an ambulance. She might not be dead." That was as much as he was willing to say, afraid of anyone walking up to the scene he couldn't see.
Catching on, Artemis did as he was told. Once he hung up, he said, "And how is this plan going to work?"
"I'm winging it," Yamato admitted, muttering under his breath. "Saeko has her work cut out for her too."
Just then, Zoisite appeared visibly showing shock. He was able to tell what was under the sheet. "Tell me she's not…"
"Snapped neck," Artemis replied in a whispered tone, much to Zoisite's relief. He knew that would look horrifying to any first responders, but as a vampire, Zoisite would know that she could survive.
Yamato, hearing sirens getting closer, said, "We need you to compel all the first responders to believe that her life is in danger and that she needs surgery. However, they can't be led to believe…." He trailed off, his words confirming what Zoisite had come to realize. He looked around, worried that someone had overheard, and whispered, "It doesn't look good."
"On it!" Zoisite replied as the first of the paramedics arrived and jumped out of the Ambulance.
Usagi and Mamoru stood before Kunzite, not letting on the full impact of what was happening. Still, he knew something was up. He said, "I know it's Minako. What happened?"
"I hate doing this," Usagi said sadly.
"What?" Mamoru asked. He knew what predicament Minako was in, but not what Usagi was alluding to.
She looked at Kunzite with pain in her eyes and commanded him. "Freeze. You can speak but not move."
While Mamoru didn't know what had occurred, Kunzite did it instantly. He felt it. "You can compel vampires!? Did we know that?!" The shock that wasn't able to show on his face registered in his voice.
Usagi shook her head. "No. I haven't even told Mamoru that we can do this. I've never used it on a friend before."
"How bad is it?" Kunzite begged. "Please tell me she's not completely dead!"
"She will live," Usagi assured him, calming him down. He was incredibly relieved by that. "She followed Beryl without telling anyone. Luna was tracking her, though, suspecting that she'd try something. Luna was on the phone with Minako when someone snapped Minako's neck."
She watched his eyes, knowing he was struggling against the compulsion and losing. He gave up and said, "Where is she?"
"We had to fake the need for emergency surgery. Some bystanders videoed the crime scene, showing her neck at a strange angle. Luckily, they believed she was dead and didn't check her pulse on video. It's already circulating on social media. We're going to have to work to walk that back."
"Suki and Saeko are on this, right?" Kunzite asked.
"They are. She was loaded onto an ambulance, and Zoisite was with her. He is compelling everyone to believe her neck isn't broken. She's in fake surgery if not now, soon."
A tear leaked out of Kunzite's eye. "What was she thinking?! If they realized what she was, they could have killed her."
"Yes, they could have," she replied, not sugarcoating it.
Mamoru was surprised she was being that blunt when she obviously realized that Kunzite wouldn't take it well. She had compelled him, after all.
Usagi then said, "So you see why I'm going as far as I am?"
"I do," he acknowledged. "What comes next?"
"She will live. That said, it needs to be impressed upon her that this isn't okay." Usagi felt she was doing a lousy job of hiding her anger; she was wrong, but she didn't know that. "I am… This isn't okay," she reiterated, "And this will stop."
"How?" Kunzite asked in a pleading tone.
Usagi replied, "I hate compelling my friends, but I will if I have to. I'm hopeful that this will make her think twice next time."
"Think twice? Won't compelling her stop her?" Mamoru asked, confused.
She frowned and said, "I don't want to go as far as to force her will. What I'm doing with Kunzite goes beyond my personal boundaries. I wasn't kidding. I don't want to end up compelling her."
"What's going to make her think twice then?" Mamoru asked.
To answer that question, Usagi spoke to Kunzite. "She's lost my trust. I would make her my first in charge, but I can't do that now. She's no longer a part of the decision-making process until she's proven herself to me."
Kunzite struggled in vain against his compelled bonds. "That will break her heart!" He yelled in frustration.
"She almost broke mine!" Usagi screamed, losing control for real this time. "They thought she was fucking human, and they believed they killed her! She should be dead, and we should all be devastated right now!"
Usagi's hair began to float, and the furniture in the room started to rattle. "Now they will find out what she is. Do you think Beryl is going to let this rest?! Do you think she's going to refrain from sending someone after Minako to kill her now, knowing what it will take?"
Mamoru pulled her attention to him, trying to distract her from her anger. "Usako, she's going to live."
"Not because she was being wise! She's damn lucky!" Usagi screamed.
She then turned abruptly, looked into Kunzite's eyes, and spoke a command to release his compulsion. "Tell her I'm pissed!" She yelled once he could move.
Kunzite nodded abruptly and said, "So am I. Don't think you're the only one who loves her."
"I know I'm not," Usagi snapped. "But she's not here to yell at. All I have is you."
The power of the anger that Usagi was showing, something she had displayed for Mamoru earlier, actually pleased him. He realized Usagi's fury was based on fear and love for Minako. He understood that because he felt the same way. That got him to accept her earlier pronouncement. She knew it would break Minako's heart, but he strongly believed that it broke Usagi's too. He believed she wanted Minako as her right-hand woman.
"I'll get through to her," he promised. He hadn't been able to before, but this event had given him more to work with. His anger and fear were acute, too.
"Thank you," Usagi said, trying to calm down. The furniture stopped rattling, and her hair slowly returned to normal.
Mamoru was relieved that she didn't go on a killing spree again. "I want this all filtered through me. If she has to be compelled, I will be the one to do it, and that's final. I won't let Usagi break her personal boundaries again. I don't have the same qualms about it as she does. I'll compel Minako in a heartbeat to stop her from hurting Usako."
Kunzite added, "I'll have Zoisite meet with you instead of me for a while about the planning. He should take my role for the time being."
"We don't blame you," Usagi said honestly.
"It's strategic," Kunzite replied. "Mamoru made a good point. He will protect you from being hurt. We would all do that for our mate. Her actions hurting my position in the pack will help drive home to her how bad this is."
Mamoru frowned and nodded slowly. "I see your point. This doesn't go beyond this room."
"I promise," Kunzite vowed.
"Good," Mamoru said, "I want Nephrite as my first in command since you're stepping down. Zoisite is brilliant, but he has too many people's voices in his head. Saeko struggled to accept any of this, and I think that will neuter his opinions. He won't want to set himself against his future mother-in-law."
Kunzite said, "Makes sense. I won't explain the discussion around why Nephrite was chosen."
None of them even considered Jadeite. It wasn't anything other than respect for his chosen position. Everyone was assured that he felt his place was supporting Rei with his strength. He was in love with probably the strongest witch that ever lived, and she had zero sense of self-preservation. His personal quest and focus were to keep her from harming herself.
Kunzite tried not to think about that situation too much. He felt Jadeite was doing a better job of stopping Rei from going too far. In all reality, he wasn't. He was just better at yelling at her about it afterward.
Usagi turned to Kunzite and then said, "Move into her apartment with her. I don't want her and Yamato living in the same home. It doubles the chances of them both being discovered. Rei and Jadeite were talking about moving out and giving Grandpa and Suki space. I'll have them move into the house."
"It will make her feel more left out," Kunzite replied. "But that's probably needed. I thought we got through to her last time. It's good that this will be drastic."
Usagi hated how it was all progressing, but she had a more long-term perspective. In comparison to their lifetimes, this part would go by in the blink of an eye. Soon enough, Minako would be restored to her proper position.
Ultimately, Kunzite wouldn't be made to wait as long as Minako to regain his place. He would have to wait just long enough for Minako to really get the point.
"Tell Minako first," Mamoru said. "I'll tell the others in the next few days."
"Yes, my King and my Queen," Kunzite said, bowing. As much as it all hurt and as scared as he was, he firmly believed that they were looking out for Minako just as much as he was. He sincerely appreciated the support.
"When this is all settled, she's going to be the best General I could ever have," Usagi praised. "Once she's been made to see how wrong this was, I will build her back up. I need her by my side. She's not just better at the moment. I've never had anyone fill that position for me before. Not because I didn't trust people but because no one was as capable as she is. She just needs to learn to trust that I see her worth. She doesn't need to prove herself."
Kunzite replied, "I think it's not as much proving herself as she wants to protect you. "
Usagi cocked her head and said, "Yeah, that's still super weird to me. I've been cared for before, but someone hasn't protected me since my mother died. Don't get me wrong, I want to get used to it, but it's an adjustment after almost four hundred and seventy years since her death."
Mamoru kissed the top of her head and said, "Adjust quicker, My Love."
She smiled brightly up at him and said, "As you command, Darling. Happily."
A short time later, Kunzite left to pick Minako up from the hospital. Once the fake surgery was done, they would have her discharged from the hospital as soon as feasible. It would be classified as AMA, against medical advice, and he would take her to their apartment. It was the best way to hide that she was completely healed and not human.