While Ami had continued on to Minako's house, Makoto had turned her feet towards the Hikawa Shrine. In truth, Rei's attitude of late had been a source of increasing alarm to Makoto. First there had been the thing with her and Michiru...which told Makoto that Rei's feelings towards the Senshi of the Sea were deeper than she had suspected. Makoto was still trying to decide how she felt about that... But anyway, there had been that. And then, just when it seemed like Rei had been getting over it, this had happened. Rei's spirit had always seemed so indomitable, but now that her identity as a Sailor Senshi had been stripped from her, Makoto worried. The brunette girl shook her head angrily as she walked along the icy streets of Tokyo. -She's *still* a Sailor Senshi.- She thought to herself. -I have to remember that because...I think maybe she's forgotten.- She climbed the steps up the shrine carefully, watching for any icy patches. When she reached the top, she saw Yuuichirou relaxing on the shrine's wooden steps, drinking something hot and steaming out of a bowl. The young man noticed her and waved. "Hi there Makoto-chan!" He smiled broadly. Makoto smiled and waved back. "Hi Yuuichirou-kun." She looked over at Rei's room. "I'm here to visit Rei." Yuuichirou's smile fell away. "Oh...you missed her. She went out for a walk." He scratched at his head. "Rei-san's been acting kind of...strange since she got out of the hospital." With a sigh, Makoto nodded. "Yeah...I was going to try to cheer her up. I don't guess you know where she went?" Yuuichirou shook his head. "No...I was busy sweeping up. But she didn't leave very long ago." A small breeze sprang up, knocking a lock of hair out of the baseball cap Makoto was wearing and into her eyes. She blew it out of the way with an irritated expression. "Well, thanks Yuuichirou. I guess I'll go see if I can find her." She turned with a wave and headed down the steps again. When she hit street level she kicked idly at the bottom step. "How I'm gonna find her I don't know..." She muttered. More out of a sense of futility than anything else she tried to get Rei on her communicator, but as she had suspected there was no answer. Makoto paced up and down the street a few times, keeping an eye out for Rei's approach. With evening coming on the street was emptying quickly but there was no sign of the dark haired miko. Finally, in a spirit of sullen stubbornness, Makoto sat on the steps and settled in to wait. It wasn't until the streetlights started to flicker on that she heard footsteps on the sidewalk and looked up to see Rei coming home. The girl stopped a short distance away, surprised to see someone sitting on her steps, then blinked as recognition set in. "Mako-chan? What are you doing here? Did something happen?" Makoto shook her head. "No...I just wanted to talk for a little while." She smiled. "Have a nice walk?" "Um...yes..." Rei said, looking around with a distant expression in her face. Then she looked back down at Makoto sharply as a thought struck her. "How long have you been waiting out here?" "Uh...Yuuichirou said I just missed you..." Rei's mouth opened and closed again. "You've been out here this whole time?" She asked incredulously. She stepped closer and held out her hand. "Give me your hand." She demanded imperiously. Blushing a bit, but feeling rather relieved to hear some 'Rei-ness' in the other girl's voice, Makoto did as commanded. Rei sucked in her breath and her hand tightened around Makoto's. "Mako-chan you're frozen!" She exclaimed. Without a backwards glance she started up the stone steps, yanking the taller girl along behind her. "What were you thinking? You're gonna get pneumonia like this!" Makoto smiled ruefully and tried to keep her balance as Rei pulled her along. -Well, you wanted to see her back to normal...- She reminded herself. The shrine's courtyard was dim and empty as Rei resolutely dragged Makoto across it. They entered Rei's room and Rei closed the screen firmly behind her. "You, sit." She said, pointing to her bed. She finally released the other girl and hurried to a small coffee maker she had on a shelf. "I'll make us something hot to drink." Before sinking onto the mattress, Makoto rubbed her backside, which had gone completely numb after sitting on the cold stone for such a long time. As the smell of brewing coffee filled the bedroom, Makoto felt warmth sinking into her extremities once again. After a few minutes, Rei tapped her on the shoulder and handed her a cup. Makoto took it gratefully, holding it both hands to get the most out of its heat. Rei took her own cup and sat at her small table, looking down at it. After a moment, Makoto left the bed and joined her. It was quiet for a few minutes as they each sipped their coffee, and Makoto noted with distress that Rei had that brooding, defeated expression on her face once again. Finally Rei spoke in a low, sad voice. "I don't need you to feel sorry for me, Mako-chan." Makoto looked up in surprise. "Sorry for you?" She said with a small, confused smile. "Yes...I don't want you to feel like you have to come here. You had a long day, and you shouldn't be obligated to see me out of pity." "That's not why I came." Makoto said firmly, her hands tightening around her cup. "I don't feel sorry for you Rei-chan...but I am worried about you." "Just as bad." Rei muttered sullenly. Makoto put her cup down and folded her arms on the table, leaning forward a bit. "Hey, Rei-chan...we're friends, right? After everything that's happened, why wouldn't I be worried? Wouldn't you be worried about me?" Makoto thought it was a good point, but Rei didn't seem in the mood for reason at the moment, and just shook her head quickly. "That's not the point." She said, letting out a long, frustrated sigh. "Look Mako-chan...like I said before, I *hate* all of this. I hate not being able to do anything to help the rest of you while you're all trying to help me. It'd be better if you all just forgot about me." "What?" Makoto said, leaning back quickly. "Rei-chan, that's ridiculous! We're not gonna just forget about you...and whether you like it or not, we're going to help you." Rei opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again. The flash of anger seemed to vanish as quickly as it had appeared, and the girl just seemed to wilt without it. "Just leave me alone." She said listlessly. "When you're acting like this?" Makoto said in disbelief. "I don't think so." "Well, how am I supposed to ask?" Rei said, looking down at her half- empty cup again. "I don't know." Makoto said, waving her hand in an enthusiastic, if rather vague gesture. "More like...you! Hino Rei shouldn't just roll over and take something like this!" "And do *what*?" Rei demanded, slamming her hands on the table as she stood with such force that her cup tipped, spilling what was left of her coffee over the wooden surface. "Don't you get it Mako-chan? I can't *do* anything! She beat me...I'm not even a Senshi anymore. I can't fight, I can't help you guys..." Her voice caught and she suddenly sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I can't do anything." She repeated miserably, sinking her head down into her folded arms. There was a short pause. "I can't believe this." Makoto said in a disgusted tone. Rei lifted her head, a hurt expression on her face. "So Sailor Mars gets knocked down and she just lies down and dies? She doesn't even try to get up?" "But I can't..." Makoto made a sharp chopping motion with her hand and cut Rei off. "No! I heard you the first couple of times, Rei-chan." She placed her hands on her cheeks and spoke in a whining, listless tone. "Oh, I can't do anything. I'm weak. Poor me." Rei bristled. "How dare you..." "How dare I?" Makoto snapped, cutting her short again. "How dare I?" Makoto was getting well and truly angry now, not really at Rei herself, but at this weak, whiny persona that she had assumed. "No, how dare you let the rest of us down by giving up like this! I've got news for you, Rei-chan...you don't find out how strong you are when you have power. The test is to be totally powerless and still find the strength to fight!" Rei looked away sullenly. "As if you'd know..." Makoto slammed her fist down on the tabletop with a force that seemed to shake the room. Rei's gaze snapped back, her eyes widening with just a hint of fear. Makoto leaned forward until she was right in Rei's face, and Rei couldn't do anything but tilt her head back nervously. "I know." Makoto said in a tight, dangerously quiet tone. "You don't. You have no idea what it was like to grow up all alone with no family and no friends in a world that seemed totally against you." Normally Makoto would sooner get on a plane than talk about her childhood, but at the moment she was past caring. "The world's a terrifying place when you're a little girl who doesn't have anything. I still have nightmares about some of it. And when you're all alone like that, nobody thinks you're worth anything. For a while, neither did I. But then I decided to fight...powerless and all alone, I decided to fight it, until I was able to *make* myself worth something." Her voice trembled and cracked. "So don't tell me I don't know!" She shouted, turning her face away as her eyes welled up with tears. Rei's eyes softened and she made as if to reach out to the other girl. "Mako-chan..." She stopped as Makoto lifted her hand in a sharp, warding gesture. After a moment Makoto took a deep breath and steadied herself. "You're still the same person." She finally said in a much more composed voice. "And you're still a Sailor Senshi. Tachyon can't defeat you the way you think she has...you're the only one who can do that." Those words seemed to hang in the air in the silence that followed. Rei could only meet Makoto's fierce gaze for a moment before having to turn her eyes downward again. "I...I don't know what to say." Rei finally said in a faint voice. "Sat that you're going to school tomorrow." Makoto said intently. "Say that during the meeting you won't just hide in the corner with that broken look in your eyes. It's not you, Rei-chan. And we all miss you." Rei puffed out her cheeks and let out a long breath. "I'm...sorry." She said, looking like the words were sticking in her craw. "I'm sorry." She repeated, the words coming easier. "I didn't want to put you through...something like that." She looked up and gave Makoto a wan smile. Makoto returned it. "I might have overreacted some." She admitted, shrugging a little bit. "But seeing you like that...it really got to me." She blushed suddenly as she truly realized just how much she had let it get to her. Rei actually chuckled a little bit. "Well...you're really good at spoiling some really good self pity." Makoto laughed a bit at that as well. After another short pause, the brunette stood. "I should go home...I have to make dinner, and I still have some homework." Rei nodded. "Right. I have some things to think about...but I'll see you tomorrow." Makoto nodded back and turned to leave. "Mako-chan..." Makoto turned back. Rei was biting her lip, looking at her with eyes that showed a new understanding. "I don't want to embarrass you, and I don't want to push you. But, if you ever feel like you need to talk about...things...I'm here, and I'll listen." Makoto gave the dark haired girl a sad, tender smile and nodded. "Thanks Rei-chan...maybe someday I will." Makoto wrapped her scarf around her throat and left Rei's bedroom, heading to her small apartment. Sometimes she felt a little desolate about returning to her empty home, but right now she thought she could use the solitude. She had a lot of things to think about herself, and her emotions were a churning mess in her gut. She never talked about her childhood, not even in the oblique way that she just had spoken of it to Rei. To talk about it was to invite the memories of it back, and the feelings those emotions engendered. And Makoto fought hard to keep those memories away. But at that moment, what was even more disconcerting was the massive surge of frustration and anger that had driven Makoto to speak of it in the first place. She hadn't planned on it, not at all. But something about seeing her fiery, passionate Rei so defeated had inspired a protective impulse so strong that nothing else had seemed to matter at the time. "I guess I'm not as over you as I thought." Makoto whispered into the still, cold air. Then she smiled resignedly. -Well,- She thought, -If it helped bring the real you back, Rei-chan...I guess this time it was okay.- ------------------- When Setsuna returned home later that same night the house was dark, save for a dim light coming through the living room window. Warned by some sixth sense, or perhaps just previous experience, the tall woman entered the house through the side door leading to the kitchen rather than the front, leaving her white lab coat on a hook by the door. And sure enough when she entered the house she could hear muffled murmurs from the living room, ending with a surprisingly girlish giggle that could only have come from Michiru. Rolling her eyes with a fond smile Setsuna turned on the kitchen light and made her way out to the living room. Several dozen candles were set all around the room, filling it with a dim golden glow. Michiru was standing there on the other side of the couch, her body wrapped in a thin blanket. Her aquamarine hair cascaded down her bare shoulders, looking quite tousled. Despite that, her serene and graceful smile remained quite unruffled. "Setsuna." She said in way of greeting, her voice sounding just a bit breathless. "We didn't hear you pull up." It was a sight to give any lesser observer a nosebleed, but Setsuna just smiled a bit sardonically. "I wonder why?" She murmured, and there was a chuckle from the unseen occupant of the couch. "Haruka?" She asked, and an arm appeared over the back of the couch in a lazy wave. Setsuna lifted an eyebrow. "You only brought down one blanket?" She asked. "Combined body heat is a more efficient way of generating warmth." Haruka's voice said casually from the couch. "Under the circumstances I should think so." Setsuna said with a deadpan expression, and Michiru's cheeks actually turned a shade pinker at that. The Guardian of Time glanced up at the stairs. "Hotaru is spending the night with Chibi-Usa?" She guessed, and Michiru nodded. "And we weren't expecting you back from the university for quite some time yet...obviously." Michiru said with a light smile, glancing down at where Haruka lay. "Did something happen?" Setsuna shook her head and sighed a bit. "No...I just couldn't concentrate." There was a shifting from the couch and suddenly Haruka appeared, folding her arms on the back of the couch and looking at her. Her short blonde hair was mussed heavily in all directions and it was fairly obvious she was...underdressed. But her expression was serious as she looked at Setsuna. "Setsuna, you need to let it go. We had to go, and the only one who knew that Tachyon's knife had been knocked off the building was Minako. And she was out like a light." By the time the Outer Senshi had returned to the sight of Tachyon's attack on Venus and Mercury, the knife was nowhere to be found, and they had been forced to conclude that the child had sent someone back to retrieve it. "Yes..." Setsuna said with a long sigh of dissatisfaction. "I know you're right...but it just seems like such a wasted opportunity. I could finally have gained some ground against her." "You're not being very fair to yourself." Michiru said gently. "You've blocked us from her foresight, and derailed her plans on two occasions now." "And besides that, it's obvious she's terrified of you. Something about you really rubs her crazy the wrong way." Haruka smiled. "You're doing fine." She paused for a moment. "But don't think she's your sole responsibility." Michiru nodded. "It's true that you're our best chance against her, but she is an enemy to all of us, and we're all ready to help you fight her." Setsuna was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I know." Suddenly, she even chuckled a bit. "Of course, it would be easier to take the two of you seriously if you were wearing...anything." Everyone laughed at that and Haruka nodded. "Alright, get into the kitchen for a moment and we'll head up to get dressed. Maybe we can all go out to eat?" Michiru nodded, and Setsuna smiled softly. "I don't want to spoil your evening together." She said. "I can just as easily get something to eat on my own." "Don't be silly Setsuna." Michiru said with a smile. "Dinner sounds lovely, and I think we could all use each other's company." Haruka slipped back down behind the back of the couch. "We were almost done anyway." She drawled. Michiru looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "We?" ------------------- Late that night, Tachyon sat in her favored armchair in the sitting room of her mansion. There were no lights on in the room, and it was lit but dimly from the starlight coming through the windows. But Tachyon was not asleep. Tachyon did not sleep, ever. The energies that empowered her denied her the peace of slumber. Her glittering eyes stared out at the darkened room as thoughts, broken and fragmented, climbed over one another in her mind. Her loss of control during the battle earlier disturbed her deeply. It had been such a long time since she had done such a thing, not since Hadron had found her and taught her a measure of control over her wild temporal powers. Tachyon's existence before Hadron was a nightmarish blur. How old was she? When and where had she been born? Who was her family? She knew there were answers to these questions, but they had been lost to her long ago. Time had stripped the answers from her mind. "Time..." The word hissed through the room like a curse, and Tachyon couldn't tell if she had spoken or not. As if in response, she felt the invisible bonds that were wrapped across her entire body tighten. The threads, the tendrils, sticky and slimy, that held every being in thrall to the ultimate tyrant, Time. The others, pathetic, ignorant sheep that they were, couldn't feel them. But she could...she could. How could she not? It was these chains that held her frozen in a child's body. These chains that had pulled her back and forth through the timeline during her early existence. She could have been born at the creation of the universe, during its distant end, or any time in between. She had seen both, she knew. The chaos of being yanked from one era to another, the agony of being torn through time again and again had built and built until her mind had snapped under the strain. All she could remember from before were the kills, standing out in the chaotic screaming of her past life like bright, cold jewels. Oh, how she loved to kill...it satisfied a gnawing, terrible need inside her. It was her revenge, both against Time and all the disgusting creatures enslaved by it. She hated them all, sailing through their lives, protected by their ignorance. For Tachyon knew that it was her awareness of Time that had incurred Its wrath. It feared her knowledge, and had punished her for it. Hadron could seek to rule the universe, but Tachyon knew there would never be a tyrant as great and terrible as Time. But killing...Tachyon shivered in her seat and drew her fingertips along the blade of her knife. Killing was like tearing free a fragment of Time's dominion and casting it into the void. When she took a victim, that thing became hers, her plaything. *She* ruled over its passage through time. *She* became it's master, not Time. And when she finally took it's life, she denied that thing to Time forever more. Suddenly her bonds tightened around her body, and Tachyon couldn't breath. Fighting for air, Tachyon scrabbled at her throat, trying to free herself, but it was no use. She rolled off the chair, and the chair vanished. Eyes open wide, she looked around. The room, the mansion, everything was gone. Instead there was just a great spider web hanging in the blackness, and she lay in its center. Still fighting for every breath she tried to tear herself free, and she felt her flesh rip as the noxious smelling threads held her tight. The web began to shake violently, and the child looked up in terror. There was the spider, a vast, bloated creature whose black fangs dripped steaming venom. Its stench was everywhere and despite her lack of breath Tachyon gagged and choked. Though it caused her blinding agony she tore free from the threads holding her in place and tried to run. But bound up as she still was, the spider was faster, coming at her with unbelievable speed. This was the true face of Time the tyrant. It had come, It had come for her at last. And now It would devour her, drinking down her mind, body and soul to punish her for defying It. She screamed, fighting to get away. "Lady Tachyon?" The door to the sitting room cracked open, and a daeva, too foolish and new to Tachyon's service to know better, peered inside to find the source of the disturbance. His eyes widened. The little girl was scrabbling frantically at the other wall as if trying to climb it. But when his voice sounded through the room, she stopped, spinning around and staring with wide eyes that saw nothing. The daeva never saw Tachyon's approach. One moment she was on the other side of the room, the next she was right in front of him, her knife slicing across his chest in a glittering arc. He had no time to scream before the knife swung back and sliced deeply through his throat. The daeva fell to the ground, and Tachyon leapt atop him, the knife coming down again and again. Several minutes later, Tachyon's eyes cleared and the child returned to herself. Her breath coming in ragged sobs, she looked down at her blood- coated form and then down at what was left of the daeva beneath her. Glancing up, she saw her knife in her upraised hand and watched, entranced, as the blood dripped from its needle-like tip. Suddenly she shuddered heavily as a wave of deep pleasure washed over her, followed by a smaller wave of regret that the kill had come so quickly. Tachyon wiped her blade clean on her victim and stood, still breathing heavily. Her waking nightmare was quickly fading to the back of her tortured psyche, and in the aftermath of her victim's death she felt her mind growing clearer and calmer. The threads of Time, her chains, were still there...if she lifted her hand to her face she could smell their stink beneath the blood. But their sensation had faded to a bearable point once more. With a clearer mind, she could summon the cogency to make a new plan. Meson, she knew, was very eager for her to complete her true mission. And truth be told, so was Tachyon. Hadron's promise to her had always been that once her mission was completed, she would have the power to achieve her heart's desire. But before she could do that, things had to be settled with Sailor Pluto. Sailor Pluto...the little girl hated her like she hated nobody else. She *knew.* Tachyon was positive that she knew the truth, as Tachyon herself did. But rather than fight against the cruel dominion of Time, she had sold her soul to her. Such a betrayal was more than Tachyon could ever forgive, and she swore to punish Sailor Pluto for it. And she would...nobody would ever suffer the way that Sailor Pluto would suffer. And Tachyon would begin by stealing away those close to her and using them up until there was nothing left. Perhaps Sailor Pluto could stop Tachyon from taking them herself, but that was what servants were for. And there was one servant in particular...Tachyon giggled softly. "Oh yes...tomorrow it really starts." She chirped, turning back to her armchair and sinking into it, ignoring the grisly mess that still covered her, and the crumpled corpse of her victim. She sat, toying with the blade of her knife as she waited for the dawn, a sunny smile on her angelic, blood-spattered face. ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: Busy night for everyone involved, eh? I wanted to give a little more insight into Tachyon's madness, so I hope everybody enjoyed that! Well, tomorrow should be even more exciting! Stay tuned!
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