Chapter 5
How the hell does Mako-chan do it? Minako wondered as she hovered in the doorway of the brunette's hospital room. There were three tall and handsome men hovering around her bed. All of them were pleasingly muscular, with attractive symmetrical features, luscious hair in almost a literal rainbow of colors, and faces that even models and celebrity athletes might envy.
All three of them were focused on Mako-chan with varying levels of intensity. One of them, a man with light blue hair and eyes to match, was holding her hand, brows furrowed with sincere concern as he said something to her Minako couldn't make out.
The boy crazy part of her brain shut off when she took in her friend's condition. Despite the irritation tightening the corners of her eyes, Jupiter looked sufficiently battered. Ami hadn't given much detail – just that she was in the middle of surgery and would Minako kindly please check in on Makoto. At the hospital.
Admittedly she hadn't asked many questions after that. Now though, she had a lot of questions. Attractive or not, these boys were all over Mako-chan. And Mako-chan looked like she might just be having a very bad day. Minako schooled her expression, painting a bright smile on her face as she cleared her throat and made her presence known.
Makoto looked up and flushed prettily at the sight of Minako, gently pulling her hand from the grip of the man next to her. The brunette smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
An expert on all her Senshi by now, Minako interpreted the anxiety hidden behind the politesse in Makoto's eyes. Something about the visitors had her friend uptight. Minako tossed her hair haughtily and moved forward with long confident strides, putting a bit of sashay into her hips.
"Mako-chan! I came as soon as I heard!" she said loudly, wedging herself right between a tall, quiet blond man and Makoto's bed side. She flashed the blue-haired man sitting across from her side of the bed a sharp grin full of speculative warning before turning all her attention onto Makoto. "What happened?" she asked, gently picking up Makoto's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
The relief on Makoto's face was subtle but obvious. "Mina-chan! I'm glad you're here, but don't worry – I'm ok!" she said cheerfully. Minako pursed her lips at that. On a scale of severely maimed and actually okay she'd put Makoto at about a six.
"She's not okay. She was injured and she needs rest," an exasperated male voice cut in. Minako studied the blue haired man across from her intently, taking the time to read him. His posture was slumped toward Mako-chan, his brows furrowed with concern and something else – anger?
"And you are?" she asked, her smile not doing much to detract from her combative intent. She ignored Makoto's wordless protest at the rude address. She didn't have time for niceties. Makoto had been attacked in her own place and now had three strangers hovering around her. And none of them seemed comfortable with each other.
"Oh right, sorry," the man flushed, his pale cheeks warming to a light pink that transformed him from cute grump to adorable puppy. "I'm Touma Hashiba, her neighbor," he said. Minako's curiosity inflated like a balloon. This was the lost neighbor? She got it now. She absolutely got it. She still felt like Mako-chan should have invited herself over to share his cookies, but she totally understood why Mako-chan wasn't thinking in terms of relationship when she talked about him.
He was absolutely a lost little lamb. And if circumstances weren't what they were, Minako absolutely would have had the best time matchmaking the two of them. Still, no harm in wedging herself in with a nice introduction, was there?
"Well then, Hashiba, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mako-chan's friend, Minako Aino," she said cheerfully, all charm now. He gave her an uncertain smile, clearly unsure of what to do with her sudden shift in attitude, and then gestured to the other two men in the room.
"These are my friends, Shin Mouri and Seiji Date," he added, gesturing to first an auburn-haired man and then the blond Minako had surreptitiously elbowed aside earlier. Both men murmured quiet greetings to her that Minako returned with full charisma.
So…Mako-chan's neighbor and his two friends were here? Minako was starting to get an idea about why there might be three men around Makoto's bed, and she eyed her friend sharply. Makoto had the grace to flush guiltily beneath the gaze, not making full eye contact. Mmm. That was interesting.
What exactly was going on here?
"Mako-chan, can you tell me what happened?" she coaxed gently, sitting on the side of the bed. Makoto's expression hardened, and she shot Minako a look. Jupiter never was very good with her poker face, but at this stage in their lives, Minako found that more refreshing than anything else.
"I got home from work, got changed, made dinner, and then got blasted before I could even see who was there," she said in a low voice. Minako translated that to ambushed - someone got to me before I could get to my wand. "I didn't see anyone when I came in, and my door was locked," the brunette added, raising her eyebrows.
Right. Another nasty monster, but this time it had showed up directly in a Senshi's living space. Minako tried not to let the wave of foreboding show on her face as it rolled through her gut. She'd be checking in with everyone else tonight, if Ami hadn't already done that.
"Mako-chan, are you awake?" came a quiet but familiar voice, accompanied by a light knock at the door.
Speaking of Ami…
The blue-haired woman peeked her head in and then froze with a deer in the headlights sort of look before she managed to school her expression into what Minako liked to think of as professional doctor face.
She walked into the room cautiously with a very polite smile on her face, still in her surgery scrubs, mask hanging around her neck. She picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed, smile fading as she furrowed her brows and read through whatever notes were there before nodding decisively.
"That's quite a lot of stiches Mako-chan. No broken bones I see, but your ribs are bruised and that's serious enough. I hope you plan to rest for a few days at home," she said, fixing Mako-chan with a particular expression all the Senshi were intimately familiar with. It looked like a smile. At first. If you maybe weren't paying attention. In reality, it was a frightening upward curve of lips that threatened a great deal of unpleasantness if the doctor's orders weren't obeyed.
Makoto gulped and quickly bobbed her head in agreement. "Uhh, yeah, I'll um, I'll make sure to get plenty of rest," she acquiesced.
"Do you have another place to stay Kino? You can't stay in your apartment – it's completely trashed," Hashiba cut in. Ami fixed him with a shrewd look before turning the same look onto Makoto.
Busted, Minako thought. Had Makoto really thought they'd drop her at the curb and walk? Still. Minako was nothing if not a kind and considerate friend. "She can stay with me," she announced magnanimously. Makoto and Ami both stared at her before Ami coughed delicately in her hand.
"Rei will probably have more room," she said calmly, her tone and facial expression implying that time spent at Minako's apartment would be the opposite of restful. Minako frowned, feeling peevish, and crossed her arms.
"Not right now she won't. It's Hinamatsuri, remember? Gramps has a whole thing going on there," she argued. Now Ami and Mako-chan both cringed. All three of them were well aware of the type of thing gramps might have planned for Hinamatsuri.
Ami sighed heavily. "You can stay with me Mako-chan," she said, gifting Makoto with a gentle smile. Minako frowned again.
"Last time I checked, you had one bedroom and the world's tiniest sofa in your living room," Minako argued again. Really, what on earth was wrong with her place? She could keep quiet for a few days. She knew how to play nurse when she needed to.
The expressions on both Ami and Makoto's faces suggested that they remembered her last stint as a nurse vividly, even if that had been a very long time ago at this point.
Man. You burn a few mouths and blow up a few stereos and no one let you live it down. Ever. Ami cleared her throat again. "I'll make it work. I have a spare futon," she said carefully.
"Aww Ami-chan, don't let me put you out like that! You need your sleep! I could always ask Usagi and Mamo?" Makoto tried. Ami coughed into her hand again delicately.
"Well, Mamo-chan is a doctor," she said diplomatically.
Minako couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Sure. That'll be super restful," she demurred once she managed to get her mirth under control. She wiped at the corners of her eyes carefully so she didn't smudge her makeup.
"She can stay with me," a male voice interjected. Minako stopped giggling, her gaze swiveling over toward Hashiba again. He wilted when every eye in the room fell on him.
"Or not," he muttered, waiving his hands, "never mind."
"Actually, if you don't mind, that'd work out really well. It's right next to my place, so I can make sure all the damage gets repaired without going too far. If you're sure. I don't want to put you out or anything," Makoto replied, furrowing her brow.
Minako swung her shocked stare over to Mako-chan now. What? Just what kind of relationship did Makoto have with her neighbor, and why hadn't she told anyone about it yet? Ami was staring at Makoto and Hashiba now – both of whom had gone quite red and were refusing to make eye contact with each other or anyone else. Hashiba's friends had gone perfectly still and were staring at him as if they weren't quite sure who he was.
Had they not even thought…? She studied them carefully, taking in their expressions and body language. They were still not looking at each other. Both of them had pink cheeks and fidgety posture. Minako sucked air in through her teeth and clasped her hands together over her heart as the realization struck her.
How precious were they? They both liked each other and had no idea. Minako's brain was flooded with images of Hashiba attentively sitting at Mako-chan's bedside, caring for her, tenderly telling her about his feelings...guh. Her heart couldn't take it.
"You know, I think that sounds like a great idea, Mako-chan. You'll probably be more comfortable so close to home and Hashiba can help get you anything you need from your apartment right next door. And if you have someone keeping an eye on things, you can actually get some good rest," she said, smiling with bright cheer at both of them.
Ami swiveled her shocked expression toward Minako now, her brow furrowing and her face very loudly asking what on earth Minako might be thinking. Minako winked in her direction. Mercury was super smart, she'd get it. A heartbeat later, and Ami's face fell into incredulity. There it was. She'd gotten the message.
"I really don't think…" she began, but Minako cut her off.
"Nonsense, this really is the best I think. Clearly the rest of us don't have the right space for her." Minako didn't give Ami a chance to protest. Makoto was making eye contact now, but she'd turned an extremely suspicious gaze Minako's way, face scrunched slightly as she tried to figure out what Minako was up to.
"So that's settled!" Minako said with finality before the strange tension that had invaded the room could settle. Hashiba and Makoto made hesitant eye contact and then looked away from each other again, and Minako had to bite her lips in an effort not to laugh out loud.
Ami looked like she wanted to protest but kept silent, looking toward Makoto for some idea as to how she should proceed. Makoto looked equally confused, but probably because the rest of them had made it weird.
Matchmaking accomplished, Minako pulled everyone's attention back where it belonged. "So! Mako-chan, you were telling us what happened?"
The diversion worked. Ami's face immediately shifted from hesitant suspicion to determined concern and Makoto refocused herself. "I'm not really sure what it even was. Like I said, it was very sudden, and I didn't get a good chance to look at it. It was…really strong. Pretty fast too. If Hashiba and his friends hadn't showed up, I'd probably be toast right now!"
Minako considered Hashiba's two friends, who, until now, had stayed silent.
Mouri – the boy with the red hair? – cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "I'm glad we were able to help Kino, but sorry we weren't able to get there sooner. We heard the commotion through the wall in Touma's apartment, but by then she'd already been attacked," he explained. He looked…almost apologetic. Why was he feeling guilty? Hadn't they saved the day?
And wait…how had three civilians managed to stop a monster that Salior Jupiter hadn't been able to beat?
What was going on here?