It had been a few months since Makoto had eaten dinner with Minako and her parents. Things had gone smoothly that night, she got a big kick out of seeing Mina get mad at "herself" while playing the Sailor V game. That isn't to say when Makoto had a go she wasn't screaming at the controller or the screen. It had been fun. School was out for summer break and everyone just seemed to be relaxing. Everyone passed their courses, even Usagi with the help of Ami's tutoring. Makoto now sat on her bed holding a small box in her hands. It was past midnight and she was continuing a routine she started the day after that dinner. The box was covered with soft dark-green velvet and had a thin pink ribbon around it. Being careful as she always had been she slowly slid the ribbon off making sure it hadn't lost its shape. She then gently lifted the lid and peered inside. There lay the necklace that Minako was admiring in the mall. It turned out to be white gold, not silver, and the middle circle was really a heart which held the diamond. In the lid of the jewelry box was a small card with beautifully written script. "For My Angel, With All My Love." Makoto gazed at it in the moonlight for a few moments longer then carefully closed the lid and slipped the delicate ribbon back into place. She placed it back in her nightstand drawer and laid back on her pillow. 'I wonder if I'm ever going to have the courage to give it to her,' Makoto thought. Just then her communicator started going off. Her brow furrowed as she answered it. Rei didn't wait for pleasantries and straight away told her there was a strong amount of negative energy coming from the park and that all the scouts were needed to investigate. Makoto nodded and turned off the communicator and grabbed her transformation pen. She started towards the park transforming on the way. Sailor Moon arrived just after the rest of them with Luna trailing behind. Mercury took out her computer and scanned the entrance to the park. "I'm getting some high level readings of negative energy coming from deep inside the park. We should proceed with the utmost caution." Everyone nodded in unison and Sailor Moon spoke up. "Ok let's charge in there and blast this thing." She clutched her crescent wand and started stomping through the gates. Mars and Jupiter grabbed her by her arms and pulled her back while they all shouted no. Mars went on a rant, "No Sailor Moon, we can't charge in there without knowing what exactly we're up against. Don't be so stupid. You never listen to what any of us tell you." "Oh alright, we'll go in slow. But I just want to get back to my nice warm bed, I was having the most wonderful dream about Tuxedo Mask and-HEY. You can wait for me ya know, I am the Moon Princess!" She hurried to catch up with the others who had left her standing there in her ramblings. Mercury was still watching her scanner following the trail of negative activity. It was leading them to the middle of the park, where the playground was. Mars had her eye's closed and was trying to feel where it was exactly. Jupiter and Venus were flanking Sailor Moon watching for any suspicious movement. "Well it looks like nothing's here, lets go back too-" "Shhhh Sailor moon," Jupiter put her hand up silencing her, "I think I hear something." Everyone stopped and listened. "I think its coming from the slide, Mercury try to run a scan on it." Venus instructed. "That's where I'm receiving the strongest readings from. Should we try and surround it?" The others nodded and spread out, heading towards the slide. They took a defensive stance, knowing that with youma, nothing is certain and no matter what, Sailor Moon had to be defended. Mercury shook her head. "Really, it should be right here, I don't know why we're not seeing it, but my calculations indicate-" Before Mercury could finish, a branch snapped and fell not two inches in front of her. She screamed and fell back, her visor cracked. Sailor Moon rushed over to her, to see if she was alright. Mercury nodded, then suddenly Mars, Venus and Jupiter yelled for them to look out. The youma, a hulking, ape-ish type creature with razors for claws jumped down from a branch of the tree above them. It roared, baring its lethal mouthful of fangs, its insidious breath doing more damage than the branch it had snapped previously. "Jupiter Thunder CRASH!" the attack came swiftly, before the youma could do any more harm. The bright flash of light distracted the youma long enough for Mars to pull Mercury and Sailor Moon to safety. The youma, quickly recovering from the assault, rubbed its black eyes and shook its small head. "Venus Crescent Beam SMASH!" Venus attacked before it had a chance to regroup and disabled it. Mars finished it off with her Mars Fire Ignite attack. Jupiter turned toward Mercury and Sailor Moon to make sure they were ok though Mars was already with them. She looked over at Venus who was watching the youma disintegrate about ten paces from her. Suddenly she heard rustling above her and looked up to see another ape-like youma ready to plunge down upon an unsuspecting Venus. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She felt herself running at Venus and shouting for her to move. She saw the youma hurl itself at the blonde scout, swinging its long claws down at her head. She knew it would be close as she sprang forward off her last step and leapt through the air. Jupiter felt her body collide with the other girl's and they were both careening towards the ground. Almost simultaneously she felt a solid thump on the side of her head, and then there was nothing but black. Mercury saw the whole thing unwrap and attacked just when Jupiter knocked herself and Venus out of the way. Sailor moon finished the assault and dispatched the youma with her Crescent Moon Power attack. The creature disappeared just as the first one had. Mars was busy looking through the trees making sure no more of its kind were lurking above head. She didn't feel anymore negative energy emanating from them and knew those were the only two there tonight. The three were collecting themselves and started slowly heading over to where Venus and Jupiter lay. Venus was dazed, the wind had been knocked out of her when Jupiter had landed on top of her. She remembered seeing the monster's clawed palm coming at her and then a flash of green and brown before hitting the ground hard. She titled her head back trying to find where they had landed and she saw the swing set. Though shaken she was alright and she knew they were out of danger. Jupiter was still laying on top of her in a protective position. Venus smiled remembering the day they played on the swings She reached up and shook Jupiter shoulder chuckling, "Looks like it was your turn to catch me off guard with a flying tackle eh Ju-" She noticed her friends wasn't moving and shook her shoulder a little more vigorously. "Jupiter? ... Jupiter all you alright? ... Jupiter?!? ... You have to be alright! ...Please, say something ... Makoto!" She carefully rolled Jupiter off her so she was laying on her back. The others had just gotten close enough to hear Venus' fearful pleas and rushed over to her side. She was carefully brushing Jupiter's bangs away from her face. She pulled her hand back and held it up to the moonlight and saw what she already knew was there in the darkness. Her white glove was covered with blood. She looked closely at the shadowed side of the brunettes face and saw the dark smear running down from above her ear down her neck. Mercury knelt beside her and examined the wound. "It looks worse than it really is. The claws of that beast must have just grazed her. I think the worst of the damage she took was from its heavy paw. The bleeding has already slowed considerably, when just need to get her home so her body can recover. She should wake up soon." Venus looked at her skeptically. She was near tears and feeling an enormous amount of guilt. Mercury placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "She's going to be alright V, don't worry," she said softly. Artemis who had been with Luna throughout the battle now nudged Venus' hand with his head. "Come on now Sailor Venus. The sooner we get her home the better she'll be." "He's right," Luna piped in. With worried looks on their faces the girls proceeded to find a way to get their fallen scout home. * * * * * Makoto lay in bed, a bandage around her head, still unconscious. She had been that way for two nights and the others were very worried. Ami tried to console them saying she would wake up when her body was ready, but it didn't give them much comfort. Minako had carried her back to the apartment on her back with the others standing ready to keep them stable. She was the only one tall enough to pull off the task because of Makoto's height. Once in Makoto's apartment they transformed back from their senshi identities and went about the task of cleaning her up. Minako was the most vigilant of all the scouts. She felt it was her fault that Makoto had this injury and she would stay near her side as much as she possibly could. Artemis tried to calm her fears the best he could and alleviate some of her guilt. It was easy enough to tell her parents that she was staying the night with Makoto, they just believed that it was another random sleep over that the girls always had. That excuse had come in handy more often than not. On the second night Minako had to stay home so Usagi stayed over with Luna. Makoto had been showing some signs of recovery. Sometimes she would mumble and get restless while she slept, like she was in a nightmare. Only Minako could calm her when she was in that state. She would speak very softly saying she was safe and there beside her. Makoto would relax and drift back into a peaceful sleep. When Usagi was there her and Luna just had to wait the nightmare out. It was like Makoto was doing battle with a huge nega-deamon. She would mumble Minako's name and groan no. Usagi would tell her that Minako, or Venus; whichever the agitated brunette called out; was safe and that there were no more youma around to harm her. After repeating this a few times Makoto would again rest quietly. It was going on the third night with Makoto's conditioned unchanged. Minako had gotten permission to stay the night again and sat beside her friend on the bed. Artemis lay on the couch in the front room knowing he would just be in the way if he stayed in the bedroom. Minako gently brushed Makoto's bangs off her forehead. She had just removed the bandage and was seeing how the wound was doing. Makoto's dark hair wasn't matted with blood anymore, Minako shivered from the memory of having to clean it when they got her home. There seemed to be so much blood, but Ami was right. The wound hadn't been that deep or very long. There was a large lump beside the laceration though. Minako lightly ran her fingertips over the sleeping girl's forehead. "Please wake up soon Makoto, I don't know how much more of this I can take," she whispered softly. Sighing after the was no response, she picked up the cloth that was laying in the bowl of cool water. Wringing it out she carefully placed it against the egg sized bump behind her ear. Though she was as gentle as she could possibly be, Makoto whimpered softly. At first Minako thought it was pain that caused it, but then brunette started to thrash slightly and her face changed. Minako watched all the emotions fly across her sleeping friends face and tried to sooth her. She mumbled Minako's name again and began thrashing more. "Shh, it's alright Makoto, I'm safe. I'm right here safe with you." Makoto struggling lessened and her features relaxed. "That's right Mako-chan," Minako whispered softly, her eyes filling with unshed tears, "I'm safe with you now. You saved me, you kept me safe." Makoto passed back into a dreamless state again, her breathing becoming deep. Minako gazed down at her, "You're so strong Mako-chan, but you seem so frail now. And it's my fault you're like this now." All the guilt, the worry, and emotional stress she had been through in the last few days came to the breaking point. Minako Tried to be strong like Makoto always was, but it was just too much. She laid her head down on Makoto's stomach and began to weep softly. She didn't know how long she had been like that, and she didn't realize what pulled her out of her emotional state right away. She began to feel warm, her tears calming. She wanted to stay in that warmth which was soothing her. When she had more control and could think she noticed that her hair was lightly being stroked. This was where the comfort was coming from. It took her a second more to realize it was Makoto stroking her hair so softly. She looked up and saw Makoto laying there with her eyes closed making almost soundless shushing. "Mako-chan?" Minako whispered breathlessly, almost afraid to make a sound or disturb her thinking she might slip back into that awful dream world. Makoto slowly opened her eyes and gave a weak smile. She whispered softly, "Don't cry Angel. You know I never want to see you cry, I don't ever want you to be hurt. Please?" Minako nodded and sniffed, her tears already dried from her soothing touch. Makoto smiled again and closed her eyes drifting to sleep once more. Minako didn't know if she wanted to jump for joy or cry in frustration. But something inside her told her everything would be ok now. She sat up calmly and gently took the cloth away from her head. As she went to set it back in the bowl the corner dragged across the top of the nightstand knocking Makoto's rose earrings to the floor. Minako bent down and picked up the earrings studying them for a moment. 'I better put these somewhere where they won't get lost.' She looked around the room quickly, 'But I shouldn't put them where Makoto won't find them either.' She looked back to the nightstand and saw the drawer. She opened it and set the earrings inside. Her brow furrows as her fingers brushed against something soft. She opened the drawer further and saw a dark-green jewelry box with a thin pink ribbon tied about it. She was going to close the drawer again, it wasn't her business to know what was in the box. But something nagged at the corner of her mind. Curiosity getting the better of her gently lifted the box out of the compartment. Minako looked back over to her friend wondering if she should open it. The peaceful smile on her face only encouraged the blonde to take a peek. 'Mako-chan will be better soon and I can ask her about it. I wonder who gave it to her,' she thought. She delicately slipped the ribbon off and placed it on the nightstand. 'But if someone had given it to her, why hasn't she said anything about it. She wouldn't keep something like that a secret. Only time she keeps secrets is when she's going to surprise us with something.' Minako held the box in her lap staring down at it thoughtfully. 'So it must be a gift, right? I wonder what it could be and who it's for.' She sat pensively for many minutes occasionally looking from the box to Makoto in search for an answer that the sleeping girl wouldn't give. 'Well if you were awake you would show me right?...right.' Nodding to herself she made up her mind to find out what the surprise was. Feeling a mixture of guilt and insatiable curiosity Minako slowly lifted the lid and peered inside. She gasped softly and sat in shock for a moment. It was the necklace she had wanted, right there in her hands. She gently ran her fingertips over the delicate chain and the beautiful gems. 'Why does she have this? She wouldn't wear anything like this... a gift? It's supposed to be a gift, but who would she possibly give it to... its so intimate.' She titled the case back a little so the jewels would catch the moonlight and sparkle. It was then she noticed the script in the lid. She looked again at Makoto making sure she was still sleeping. Mina felt like a sneaky letch but she had to know. She tilted if back farther into the light and read the inscription quietly under hear breath. "For My Angel, With All My Love." A crease formed between her eyebrows as her brow furrowed trying to make sense of all this. 'Angel couldn't be me could it. I mean she knew I liked that necklace, And just now when I was crying she called me Angel. But this isn't a gift you gift to a friend, and the inscription says that. But then why...' Minako's face seemed to open and everything clicked into place. Gazing down at the necklace she whispered, "She loves me." Mina sat on the bed dazed. She didn't know what to do. Without thinking she carefully closed the lid. She stared at Makoto trying to sort everything out, but her friend couldn't help her now. Time passed but Minako had no idea how much, when suddenly she decided to act like nothing happened. She needed some serious time to think and if Makoto knew it would just complicate things all that more. She gently grabbed the delicate ribbon and slid it on again like it had never been disturbed. She placed it back in the drawer and took out the earrings. She set them back on the nightstand where they were before. 'I'll just pick them up if I keep knocking them off,' she thought to herself. She gathered the cloth and the bowl of water and took it into the living room. Artemis was asleep at the end of the couch. Setting the bowl down she grabbed the blanket off the back of it and laid down at the opposite end curled in ball. Her thoughts raced back through time to when they first met. She searched her memories from there trying to find signs of Makoto's love. She remembered back to near three months ago when she had caught her friend staring at her a few times. She didn't think anything of it then. There was two weeks of her acting strangely after that, all nervous and skittish when ever she was around, but Minako was never alone just with her so she never thought it could be her. Then there was the day she mentioned the boy she had a crush on. Looking back now that had obviously been a cover because she never mentioned him again, after the day... the day she had taken care of her. Closing her eyes she thought about those three days. 'She had been blushing like crazy the first day, every time I looked up her cheeks were pink. We went to the park after study group, the swing set. Did she call me angel during that tickle fight? I can't recall. I remember laying there and feeling a soft caress on my arm... why didn't I wonder about that before. It felt so nice I almost dozed off. When I came out of that wonderful goopy state I was in, Mako-chan was all tense and looked like she was ready to bolt at any second. She gave that lame excuse when I asked her about. Gosh I'm so dense at times. Why couldn't I see it? The next day she was all depressed and zoned out. Why was she like that suddenly after the day we spent together. That night I went back to her place... she had a nap... I made her a sandwich when she woke up.. she was so nervous then too. And then I gave her that back rub.' Her eyes got big again and her hand covered her mouth. 'That explains why she was so uncomfortable with the idea of me doing that. If she loved me then, oh goodness, that must have been... like torture for her. Oh Minako you really have to open your eyes,' she told herself. 'Ok what happened next. She fell asleep and I left and then the next day it was like she was her old self... but not... it was like she had come to terms with something. What was it she told us. Her crush was with another person... but that doesn't make sense cause if I'm right there was never another boy. Usagi started crying over something she said. Come on brain work! Something about it would never happen, having to loving him from a distance. Oh no,' Minako grimaced as it made sense again. 'Could it be all this time she was talking about me?' She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. 'That day we went to the mall, she wanted to go alone, I know she was standing behind me when I was looking at that necklace. Then we had dinner at my house. She was very polite. But now that I think about it when we were alone she seemed to be watching over me, not really staring like before... but almost like she was making sure I was having the most fun, enjoying the time. And since then it has always been like that. She has always gone out of her way to make sure I was happy, always watching over me. How many times in these past two months has she made my favorite kind of cookies? How many times did she take me out for lunch, or agree to go with me to the mall when I know she would rather go to the arcade. Why didn't I pick up on these things before? I am so blind.' She closed her eyes tight. 'And then with the youma... with every youma she had been there protecting me it was needed, just like she always had with everyone, but since the mall she's always made sure to be near me in battles. And then, that thing came crashing down on me the other night, I didn't have a chance. If Jupiter hadn't been there...' she didn't want to think about it. 'Now because of me she's injured and fighting off daemons in her nightmares probably trying to save me again. Then I start crying like a baby and she wakes up to sooth me. She's taking care of me and it's supposed to be the other way around. You are such an idiot Minako.' She pulled the blanket tight around herself. 'Well you better figure out what you're going to do now baka head. Since Mako-chan thinks you're an angel it would be nice if you started acting like it.'
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