Just Like That The only sound Rei was aware of for the last five minutes was the sound of her own feet hitting tile flooring as she ran through the labyrinth hallways of the hospital. She was fairly sure she had been by this particular T junction three times already, but it was difficult to tell since the entire place seemed to look the same to her. For a change of pace, she turned left this time. She wasn't the only one searching. The others who had been with her in the car were running around searching every room, and the rest of the Senshi had also gotten there to help in the effort. To make themselves as inconspicuous as possible for a group of people racing around the building, they were all untransformed. So far, they had turned up nothing. Or at least, Rei certainly hadn't. When her communicator started beeping, Rei came to a stop and took a moment to catch her breath before answering it. Minako's voice sounded tiny over the speaker, yet Rei could still hear annoyance in the woman's voice. "Any luck, Rei?" Rei shook her head. "No, nothing. It's been half an hour now since we split up to look for her and none of us have seen her. Maybe she's already made her getaway?" She wasn't sure, but Rei got the distinct impression Minako was glaring at her on the screen. "You mean like last time?" Minako narrowed her eyes and said, "Rei, do not let her get away. I don't know what your feelings for her are, and quite frankly I don't care because you need t --" "Good!" Rei growled as she interrupted her leader. "Because it isn't any of your business. Look, Minako, you don't have to worry. At the end of the day, she's still the enemy regardless of how I feel. I'll pound her into the ground if that's what it takes to prove to you we are still on the same side, all right?" "That's not the point." Minako sighed, then said, "Rei, she's not a substitute for me. You have to get over me because we need to be able to --" Rei tapped the screen on her communicator and said, "Don't flatter yourself! Why don't you try getting over yourself first! You just need to --" This time the screen divided in half and Ami's face appeared. "If she's in the basement levels, she's able to hide from my visor. I'm beginning to think Rei may be right. I don't think she's here." Minako said, "She's here, I know it." Another line appeared, dividing the image so that a narrow box formed across the bottom as Makoto's face flashed onto the screen. She said, "What makes you so sure, Minako-chan?" Minako said sagely, "Great minds think about eggs." A perplexed expression crossed Ami's face. "I beg your pardon?" Minako's image on the screen looked into Rei's eyes for a moment before saying, "We have something she wants. She's not going to go anywhere until she gets it." Rei rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, please Minako! You're making me sound like a piece of meat." The blonde said, "Oh, come on Rei, she let you go last time. It's clear she at least likes you." This time, Rei narrowed her eyes. "I never said she let me go." Minako replied, "Oh, just you try denying it to us." Makoto yelled in a mixture of anger and surprise, "Guys, knock it off! Let's just agree we're on the same side for now and leave it at that, all right? We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. We gotta find Dark Venus. Lets focus on that for now, all right? Now, where haven't we looked?" Now the screen split again, this time forming four even boxes as Haruka's irritated voice said, "Yeah, and by the way, we can all hear the two of you bickering. So knock it off before I find you both and knock you out." Rei said partially to herself, "Great. Just great." Ami ignored the conversation going on and looked at something off the screen as an idea formed in her head. Then she said, "Minako, if you were playing a game of hide and seek with us, where would you hide?" Minako smiled and said, "Well, that depends. Is the food free in the cafeteria? Because I could really go for --" Rei shook the communicator with both hands and yelled, "She's serious, Minako!" There was a long pause as Minako gave it serious thought. Finally she said, "Well, if I were in her shoes, first I'd --" Ami pulled her cell phone from her pocket and interrupted Minako, saying, "I am sorry, Minako. I think mom is checking in. Let's see if she has had better luck than we have." She put the phone to her ear, then her eyes went wide in shock and fear. Rather than say anything, she held her communicator up so that the others could hear. The voice on the other side of Ami's phone said calmly, "Can everyone hear me? Good. Now listen to me very carefully." ---------- After she finished talking, Dark Venus dropped Hana's cell phone on the ground and crushed it with her foot. Then she twisted Hana's right arm behind her back and resumed pushing the other woman up the stairs. Hana made a half-hearted attempt to struggle free, but yelled in pain when Mina twisted her arm just a bit more. Mina shook Hana roughly by the arm, and hissed, "I said not to try to get free. Do you Mizunos enjoy pain or something?" Hana stumbled up to the next landing and said, "No, I just don't want to wind up like those two nurses that had been trying to help you." Mina had broken both of the man's arms upon getting free, and after meeting the Sekkou in person only a few minutes ago, Hana got the distinct impression he was lucky to walk away with just those injuries. The other man would be in intensive care for at least a week from the beating he had received. They were both lucky to be alive at all. Trying unsuccessfully to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, Hana added, "You'll have to be patient with me. First time as a hostage and all, you know." When the Sekkou was on the step below the landing Hana had just stepped up to, Hana screamed and put all her weight behind her in an attempt to push them both back down the stairs. Dark Venus yelled in anger as she started to lose her balance, but rather than fall, she lifted herself into the air a few feet, twisting Hana's arm into an awkward and painful position. Hana gritted her teeth and tried not to give her captor the satisfaction of hearing her scream in pain again. It seemed to pay off, if only for a second. Mina shoved Dr. Mizuno in anger, causing her to take several steps forward from the momentum. Free of the Sekkou's grip, Hana turned and did her best to strike a fighting stance, ready to defend herself. She had managed to keep calm so far, but just beneath that calm was a sea of emotional terror. She had no idea what would happen to her once they reached the roof. She had never had to fight for her life before. Mina stood on the landing a moment and watched Hana as the doctor started to walk backward up the stairs, ready to take her on even though the odds were clearly against her. Then, Hana turned on her heels, and ran up the stairs for the door to the next floor as fast as she could. Dark Venus gave her another three seconds just for the fun of it before materializing her whip, sending it flying through the air to wrap around Hana's feet, followed by a vicious tug that sent Hana crashing to the stairs. To stop Hana's slide back down the stairs, Dark Venus jammed her heel into the center of Hana's back. Not because she was trying to be mean, but because she could only use one arm, so her foot would have to do. Even in Sekkou form, her other arm was in a sling and strapped to her chest to keep it stable. Healing powers or no, a bullet wound would take time to heal even for a Senshi or Sekkou. Once she was sure Hana wasn't going to keep sliding, she released her feet from her whip, then stepped back and growled, "Get up. And if you want any hope of surviving the night, you won't put up any more of a fight." As Hana started to stand, Mina added, "You and your daughter are so much alike, you know that? For people who are so intelligent, you really need a hard blow to the head to get it through your thick skulls that you are not in control of your lives." Despite her fear, a small smile came to Hana's lips. This creature had had to deal with her daughter before, and her child didn't back down without a fight, and neather could she. Something about that thought gave her a shred of hope about the situation. Hana turned around and started walking the direction the Sekkou guided her in without a fight. When they reached the top of the stairs, Hana looked over her shoulder and said, "No matter what happens to me, you won't get away with this." If Mina could use both her hands, she would have pressed Hana's face against the door just to work off some frustration. Instead, she grunted, "Just shut up and open the door while I decide whether or not you are going to survive the night." ---------- As the Senshi ran up another stairwell on the opposite side of the building leading to the roof, Hotaru found herself stopping to catch her breath. She groaned in frustration as her parents passed her with seemingly little effort, then said, "Stairs. Why stairs? Why does it always have to be stairs?" Ami stopped and said, "Because Tokyo is a major city, thus if you wish to build just about anything, the only direction one can build is up." She took a moment to stretch her arms and added, "Plus, elevators do not always reach the roof in public buildings, so the only way is up the stairs." Then she continued running after the other three outer planetary Senshi. Breathing even harder than Hotaru, Usagi took the moment to stop as well. After gasping for air, she said, "I don't understand why they insist on it. It just makes us that much more determined to beat them up for making us do extra work." The rest of the guardian Senshi stopped, but rather than wait for them to start running again, Makoto picked up Hotaru and started running with her in her arms. Rei and Minako grabbed Usagi's arms and started yanking her up the stairs as Rei grumbled, "Come on, you idiot! We're almost there anyway!" Despite carrying Hotaru, Makoto still caught up with Ami. As she ran alongside her, she asked, "Do you think she'll keep her word? I mean, I hate to be pessimistic here, Ami, but . . ." Makoto let her voice trail off. She didn't want to finish her sentence. Ami shook her head as she continued to run. "I am more than certain she will keep her promise for two reasons. First, Minako isn't a liar. While Mina is a twisted version of Minako, at her heart, she's still Minako. Second, I have something she wants too badly." Makoto nodded and said, "You mean Rei?" Ami shook her head and said, "No. I have something she may be interested in even more. A working pendant that would allow her to get home." Makoto stopped in surprise for a heartbeat, then hurried to catch up with Ami. "You mean you brought that thing with you? What if it goes off in your pocket or somethin' while you're runnin' around?" "Of course not. But she does not know that, and it gives her an incentive to cooperate until she gets it, as well as gives us a small amount of control over her in the meantime." Before Makoto could ask any more questions, they came to a stop at the top of the stairs. They waited in silence as Haruka climbed a maintenance ladder and started prying at the lock to the hatch with one of Michiru's hair clips. One of the conditions Mina had set with them over the phone for her allowing them to catch up was that they were to show up in 'civilian form'. The moment she heard the lock click loose, Ami pushed past the others and started climbing up the steel ladder. She didn't want the others to know, but she was nervous. The Sekkou had proven to be rather unpredictable, and despite her previous statement to Makoto, she wanted to know for certain that her mother was all right. When she reached the top, Haruka held out her hand and helped pull Ami up through the hatch, then did the same for the others. Ami looked around, but didn't see anyone. That was almost worse than finding out the Sekkou had lied and just killed her mother just to spite them. She wanted desperately to transform into Sailor Mercury so she could use her visor to scan the area, but she knew if there was any chance left, it would ruin it. The others started to move away from the opening, searching the roof for any sign of their adversary or her captive. After a few minutes, Ami said quietly to herself, "Where are they?" Makoto had stayed close by her, and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to be supportive. She knew what Ami was thinking, because she felt it was the same thing she was thinking. Perhaps Mina had used this as a way to get them all to the top of the building while she ran out the front door. In which case, it was up to the divine spirits to protect Hana at that point. She squeezed Ami's shoulder gently and said, "Maybe they just aren't here yet? Mina is injured, after all." Just then, they heard Mina swear angrily to herself a second before another woman screamed in terror from above them. Everyone looked up to see Dark Venus hovering in the air about 15 feet above their heads, right as she started losing her grip on Hana as she struggled to get free. Hana slammed into the tarred roof the instant she slipped from Mina's fingers. Ami was at her side before Dark Venus could react, and the other Senshi transformed, ready to take down the lone Sekkou if she didn't surrender. Aside from Ami fussing over her mother for several minutes, no one moved a muscle. Sailor Uranus yelled out, "So, are you going to come down and behave for once, or should we grease you now?" Dark Uranus laughed, then winced as she rubbed her injured shoulder for a moment. Then she said, "Oh, I think I'll take my chances up here, thank you very much." She was just about to dart away into the night, when Rei called out, "Where will you go if you don't come with us?" "I'm sure I can think of . . . what's it to you, anyway?" Sailor Moon called out to her, saying, "We're concerned about you. Not only are you . . . rather dangerous, but you're injured. We can help you, and all we ask is that you not kill us all for doing it. Come down and we can talk." As a symbol of good faith, Usagi de-transformed as she finished the last part. Mina hesitated. Part of her was screaming for her to run, but something in her made her stay where she was. Slowly, she turned her confused gaze toward Sailor Mars. She asked almost nervously, "What kind of help can you give me?" Realizing that something Usagi had said had somehow reached past the darkness that cloaked Mina's soul, Rei, Makoto, Hotaru, and Setsuna followed Usagi's lead and de-transformed. Ami was just about to suggest to Mina that they could have her home in moments, but Makoto walked over to her, quietly pressed a finger to her lips, and pointed at who Mina was staring at. Rei suddenly realized Mina was waiting for her to answer. She gulped and fidgeted, suddenly unsure what to say. Unable to come up with anything better, she said, "Just the basics, honestly. Help with your wound, food, and shelter until we can get you where you belong. That is . . . if you want to go back at all." Mina moved down a few feet, then shook her head and darted back up just a little higher than she had been. "You're trying to trick me." At the edge of her vision, Rei saw Setsuna nod ever so slightly. With that simple movement, Rei finally understood that this moment, not the day's previous events, had been what Setsuna had been trying to carefully set up. She held out her hand to the woman and said, "No, Mina, no tricks. Just come down, and we can go home and call it a night. It's as simple as that." Mina bit her lip as she fought to control an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. That of simple gratitude. She realized in the depths of her soul that, as pathetic as it was, what Rei had said to her had been the kindest words anyone had said to her for half her life. Gazing longingly at Rei, she whispered to herself, "Just like that?" Despite the fact that Rei couldn't hear her, she nodded her head slowly and said, just as quietly, "Just like that. Come with me." Mina started to descend toward Rei, like a reluctant pet returning home. Then, she started to feel the darkness claim her soul again. A voice inside her head that wasn't entirely her own screamed, 'No! They'll only use you like everyone else does! Don't trust them! Flee! Run!' Mina's expression changed to one of pure rage. She screamed, "LIAR!" Rei ran forward and yelled, "No! Don't go!" But it was too late. Mina spun in the air and started to move away quickly. Unfortunately for her, there were three Senshi on the ground who did not feel Usagi's actions were appropriate. A bright ball of energy followed up by a powerful wave of water slammed into Dark Venus just before she reached the building's edge. She cried out again, this time in pain. Unable to hold herself in the air from the impact, she crashed to the roof with a grunt of pain, and she didn't stop there. Her momentum caused her to roll off the side of the building, shrieking in fear once she realized she was too weak to fly. Minako ran to the edge of the building and stopped just inches from the edge, then yelled, "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" The ray of light wrapped around Mina's left leg as Minako gave her chain a tough jerk, causing her opponent to slam into the side of the building with an audible crunching sound. Then she hung there motionless, just swaying gently in the breeze. With the help of Sailor Uranus and Neptune, Minako started to haul up her prize like a victorious spider. Once the woman was back on the roof, Hana walked over and felt for a pulse. Rei asked nervously, "Is she all right?" "Yes, unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, save her wound to her shoulder and a possibly mild concussion. She's lucky to walk away with just that. She needs rest." Hana couldn't bring herself to look at Rei as she said, "Unless you intend to dispose of her. In which case, I'd recommend pushing her over the side and being done with it. The fall should kill even her instantaneously since she isn't able to control her landing. In her current condition, she wouldn't feel a thing." Rei stepped forward and pushed Hana away from her. "How can you suggest something . . . so . . . so . . . barbaric?" Minako stepped in between the two of them and answered for Hana. "Because that thing lying on the ground over there is nothing more than a sick, perverted, insane monster, and it's going to take a lot more than a psychiatrist and some happy pills to make her better. Besides, Dr. Mizuno is right. If she insists on attacking us, we are going to wind up eventually tearing her body apart with our powers. And that's assuming she doesn't do that to us first." Haruka stepped forward and said, "I can do it. Be a lot simpler this way. Besides, it'll give us the advantage for once the next time they show up to try to rip our heads off." She touched her foot to Mina's side, just waiting for any one of them to give her the word. "No," Rei hissed, then pointed at Minako and said, "You want her dead so badly? Then you do it." Minako glared at Rei, then said, "All right, fine. As you wish. Step aside, Uranus." Haruka said cautiously, "Look, Minako-chan, it would be a lot easier if I ju --" "I said step aside." Sailor Uranus stepped back and said dryly, "Be my guest." Minako put her foot on Mina's side, then looked at the woman's face for a moment. She looked like she was asleep. Despite her face being exactly like her own, Minako whispered, "You're nothing more than just another monster anyway." The instant she was about to kick her off the side, Usagi ran up and pulled Sailor Venus back. She cried out, "No! I won't let you all become murderers!" Minako started to protest, but Usagi said, "She's still human, Minako-chan. If it were up to her she'd be living a perfectly normal life. Just like the rest of us would be doing if it were up to any of us. If anything it's up to us to at least try to save her. Wouldn't you want someone to do the same thing for you if you were in her shoes?" Michiru walked up beside her lover, then regarded Mina for a moment as if she were some kind of strange work of art before asking the obvious. "What do we do with her?" All too quickly, Rei said, "I have room at my place, and Grandpa has no problems with taking in people in need. I can take care of her." Sailor Venus grumbled, "Like hell you will. You just want to sleep with --" Sensing another fight about to begin between the two friends, Hotaru stepped between them and looked into Minako's eyes. In a calm yet concerned voice, she asked the question that had been on her mind all night. "What is wrong with you, Minako-chan? This isn't like you at all." Rather than answer her, Sailor Venus huffed in frustration with all of them, turned around and walked away, lost in her own thoughts. Rei started to go after her, but a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Setsuna said quietly, "No, let her go. She has a few things to think about right now, and you currently have other responsibilities you must attend to." Hana nodded her head in agreement. "We've all had a rough day. I think now would be a good time to call it a night. We can deal with the consequences in the morning." Rei watched Minako until she climbed back down the opening, then slowly nodded her head before turning her attention to lifting Mina with more than a little help from Makoto. One by one, they made their way down from the top of the building in silence. It was time to go home.
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