Minako knelt by Ami's bed, resting her head in her folded arms on the mattress, watching Ami sleep with a gentle smile on her face. While they had spent some very enjoyable time lost in each other's arms after arriving at Ami's home, the blue haired girl found it difficult to pursue that distraction for long. She was still worried about her mother, and rather tired from her studying bender the night before. So they rested together in Ami's bed for some time, and when Minako left for the bathroom, she had returned to find Ami asleep, snuggled into the blankets her girlfriend had just occupied. Ami's sleeping face seemed a bit worried, and Minako thought that she must have trouble escaping her problems in her dreams as well. But when Minako couldn't help herself anymore and reached out to gently stroke the sleeping girl's cheek, she stirred, turning her face into Minako's palm and smiled, though she didn't wake. When Ami continued to smile after Minako removed her hand, the blonde girl got up and walked out of Ami's room, wandering silently through the living room and thinking. A picture on an end table caught her eye and she picked it up. It was a photograph of Ami and her mother, taken not too long ago. Dr. Mizuno stood behind her daughter, her arms draped over Ami's shoulders. Both seemed so genuinely happy...it sent a jumble of emotions though Minako's heart. She was a bit jealous, she had to admit, but at the same time she was happy for Ami's relationship with her mom. That brought up the usual melancholy about Minako's relationship with her mother, along with the anger and guilt left over from their last big fight, which had been the last time they'd said two words to each other. Then Minako thought of the painting of the snowcapped mountain that was hanging on Ami's bedroom wall. Painted by her father. Ami never talked about her divorced father much, but Minako got the feeling that far more warmth existed there than between herself and her father, who was still nominally married to her mother. The man was always away, in England or elsewhere, on business. He was at home as little as possible, and Minako frequently suspected that he had at least one mistress abroad. Knowing her mother, Minako couldn't really blame him...but she was always a little surprised that he managed to remember her name. Minako set the picture down and returned to Ami's room, leaning against the doorframe as she watched her love sleep. -Feeling guilty?- The little thought trickled through her head and almost went unnoticed before Minako recognized it and stood up straight, looking all around the room. -Who are you?- She called out in her mind, peeking out the door and looking around carefully. Of course, there was nothing out there and she felt a bit silly for the attempt. When that tiny mental voice made no reply, she sighed and decided to answer the question. -Yeah, I guess I am.- -Why? Ami's worried about her mom discovering she's a Sailor Senshi...she's really too preoccupied to think about telling her about the two of you. It seems like it's out of your hands for now.- -That's the problem.- Minako sighed again. -She's being silly, and I know it. If she wants to tell her mother about all of this, it shouldn't really matter in what order she finds out. But you know how Ami can get when she has a plan that isn't working out. Well, it *seems* like you'd know, anyway.- She finished on an accusing note, hoping to get some sort of response from this inner voice that sounded so like her. But whoever it was refused to take the bait. -So, what are you going to do?- Was all it asked. -I don't know...- -You're still afraid to admit that you love her.- -That's ridiculous.- -Have you told her that you love her yet?- -Well...no.- -You still think love is a weakness. Your parents, and then Alan and Katarina, have made you believe that loving someone will cause them to hurt you, intentionally or not. You're still afraid to love. And with how strongly you feel for Ami, you're very scared indeed.- -What *are* you?- Minako demanded. -How do you know all this? How are you doing this?- But the voice was gone, and again the blonde Senshi was forced to wonder if she wasn't just talking to herself a little too much. At that moment, Ami began to stir, and Minako quickly slipped into bed next to her, sliding her arms around her waist just as she opened her eyes. Ami smiled as she felt Minako land next to her. "You shouldn't have let me sleep." She murmured. "But you're just so cute when you're asleep." Minako whispered with a grin. Ami blushed sleepily. "What time is it?" When Minako told her, her eyes opened fully and she started to climb over the other girl to get out of bed. "We're going to be late for the meeting!" She exclaimed, then gave a little yelp as Minako pulled her back down, laughing. "Don't worry so much." She chided, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Remember...Usagi and her gang is out with Michiru and hers. Even if we take our time, I doubt we're going to be any later than they are." ------------------- That group was currently making their way through the park from the skating rink to Haruka and Mamoru's cars, and an interesting chain reaction was taking place. First Haruka, a slight, mischievous smile on her face, leaned down and whispered something to Usagi that made her eyes widen and her cheeks turn crimson. Not to be outdone, Michiru placed a hand on Mamoru's arm and asked him a question in a flirtatious tone that made him cough uncomfortably. In response, Usagi immediately seized Mamoru's other arm possessively and yanked him close, still blushing. That, of course, caused Chibi-Usa to take hold of his other arm and attempt to pull him away from Usagi. This tug-of-war continued for several seconds before Hotaru gently placed her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders. Chibi-Usa immediately blushed and let go of her future father's arm. "Sorry Hotaru." She said softly. Hotaru smiled. "It's okay." The two young girls shared a quick embrace and began walking again, hand in hand. Everyone else smiled at how cute the two of them looked, and when they resumed walking again Haruka carried herself with a posture that suggested she wanted everyone to believe she had planned the entire thing. Michiru simply smiled knowingly at her lover and slid her arm into hers. "Was that some kind of game humans like to play?" Diana asked Luna. "Sort of." Artemis supplied. "But it's sort of hard to follow unless you know who playing." Diana tilted her head curiously and looked up at the paired-off humans. "It looked like they were all playing." "There's a difference between playing and being played with, dear." Luna said. Ahead of them Mamoru rubbed the back of his head in sudden embarrassment. "So who won?" "Under the circumstances, I'd say Hotaru." Luna replied, and the young girl suddenly blushed as she walked beside the cats. Chibi-Usa smiled and gave Hotaru another hug. "What's going on over there?" Usagi suddenly said, pleasantly oblivious and using her free arm to point. Ahead of them on the paved walkway there was a knot of people gathered. Their posture suggested that they were looking at something on the ground. As the group approached, they could hear them discussing whatever it was. "Is it oil?" "I don't think so...why would oil be piped through the park?" "It stinks...maybe it's..." "No, it doesn't smell like sewage. Phew...it *does* stink though." And as the Sailor Senshi approached, they were all forced to agree, holding their noses as they crept closer to the source of the odor. It wasn't sewage, but it was an intense stench nonetheless, the smell of a swamp, of stagnant water and rotting plants. Finally, Mamoru and Haruka, the tallest of the group, were able to shoulder forward enough to see what it was. A thick, black liquid, almost like tar, was bubbling up from the cracks in the sidewalk. It had formed a slick over the concrete and frozen ground almost five feet wide already, and still seemed to be growing. Then, as they watched, the center of the puddle began to rise up on it's own. When it had lifted about two feet high, it was obvious that it was forming itself into a roughly humanoid shape. The crowd began to back up slowly, and then a voice came from what looked like the head. It was a wet, thick gurgle that sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well, and all it said was, "I smell blood." That was enough for Haruka and Mamoru, and for the rest of the crowd as well, who turned and ran immediately. The two looked at each other and nodded, turning and hurrying everyone off the path and into the trees. "Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked in a confused voice as she was nearly pushed into the trees. "What's going on?" "It's a daeva." He replied, glancing back over his shoulder. There was no sign of it through the fleeing crowd, but the stench in the air was thicker than ever. "You two get Diana out of here and call the others." Haruka said, glancing down at Luna and Artemis. The cats nodded and hurried off through the trees. The gathered Senshi all looked at each other and nodded. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" "MOON PRISM POWER!" "SATURN PLANET POWER!" "URANUS PLANET POWER!" "NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!" "MAKE-UP!" Transformed, the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen all leapt out of the woods. Everyone had left by now, and the daeva had pulled itself up completely. It was humanoid, looking like a person covered in thick, clotted mud. It had no visible facial features, and pulled itself along as if its feet were sticking to the ground. "Hey, daeva!" Sailor Moon called out, and it seemed like the creature turned to look at her. With no discernable feature, however, it was hard to tell. "You think you can come here and terrify innocent people? Whatever you're here for, we're going to stop you. I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" For a moment, it seemed like the daeva wouldn't react at all. Then, on the rough shape of its head, features finally appeared. There were two perfectly round, white eyes with tiny black pupils. And below that, teeth. No lips before them or mouth behind, just white, flat teeth. "Sailor Senshi..." It gurgled, its teeth moving up and down as it spoke. "How fortunate that I find you already." "Who are you?" Haruka asked, stepping forward threateningly. The thing made a wet, cracking sound and it took the Senshi a moment to realize that it was laughing. "My name is meaningless. Among my people, I am known as a Gu'tvak. And I am here for you, Sailor Senshi." Without warning it stuck, its body elongating into a snakelike form that whipped out towards Uranus with a screeching hiss. Uranus threw herself to the ground heavily, revealing Neptune standing just behind her. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" The Gu'tvak immediately reared backwards and twisted, narrowly avoiding the attack. A hail of roses flew out of the branches above the creature and struck in a line down the thing's length as it reformed back into its previous shape. But the projectiles went right through the Gu'tvak, hitting the ground covered in black goo. "Useless." It gurgled, and threw itself against the tree Tuxedo Kamen stood in. In seconds it had covered the entire tree like a second skin, its bizarre face appearing halfway up the trunk. The tree's branches grabbed for Tuxedo Kamen before he could leap away, holding him fast. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" The gleaming energy blade sped out and cut Tuxedo Kamen free, allowing him to leap nimbly to the ground. "Now, Sailor Moon!" Uranus called over her shoulder. "Right! MOON SPIRAL..." But before Sailor Moon could finish her attack, the black thing had left the tree, flying up into the air in a thin, amorphous sheet. Seeing a chance, Sailor Saturn leapt into the air, her Silence Glaive sweeping through the Gu'tvak. But the blade had no more effect than the roses had, save perhaps an increase in the fetid stench. Laughing again, the creature drifted away over the trees. "We have to catch that thing!" Sailor Moon shouted, running after it. "It's headed for the street!" Neptune called out as the rest began to follow. Sailor Moon sprinted through the trees, her eyes on the ominous black shape of the Gu'tvak through the leafless branches. As such, she was completely unaware of the rather large elm that seemed to jump out right in front of her. "Ouch! Ow ow ow ow ow!" Sailor Moon landed heavily on her back, clutching her face. Tuxedo Kamen stopped to help her up and another shape blurred right past them. It was Sailor Uranus, putting all her energy in her dash to head the strange daeva off before it could hurt someone. The rest of the group fought just to keep her in sight. Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus were crossing the street towards the brick wall that surrounded the park. Artemis was running ahead of them, the white cat having split off from the other two cats to collect Mercury and Venus, who had been closer than anyone else. "Mercury!" Just as Venus hit the sidewalk she stopped and pointed up. The Gu'tvak was swiftly drifting down towards them. "What is that thing?" Mercury had her computer on in an instant. "I think it's the daeva." She said tersely. "Good enough for me!" Venus said with a brash smile. "CRESCENT BEAM!" The golden beam sped out, but before it could hit the Gu'tvak it pulled itself into a ball, plummeting to the pavement behind them with a loud, wet smack that filled the air with its stink. It sat in the street in an unmoving pool, and Mercury and Venus cautiously crept forward to investigate. "Get away from it!" Uranus shouted, leaping over the high brick wall. Venus whipped her head around to look at the exact moment the Gu'tvak stirred, twisting out of its puddle form into a shape like some gargantuan, wide-mouthed eel that sped right for her. "No!" Uranus shouted, smashing Venus out of the way with her shoulder as she landed. The save cost her, however, as the Gu'tvak enveloped her instead. With a triumphant shriek the long black shape turned and, quick as thought, smashed through a manhole cover and vanished into the sewers. "Haruka, NO!" The anguished wail made Mercury and Venus turn back to the wall, where Neptune had arrived just in time to see the whole thing, a disbelieving, horrified expression on her face. ------------------- An hour later, the light began to fail and the Sailor Senshi began to gather at Rei's shrine. They had split into three groups to search the sewers, and were all rather the worse for wear. Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon, Chibi-Moon and Saturn were the first to arrive, followed by Venus, Mercury and Jupiter. Quite a bit later, Pluto and Rei arrived, practically holding Neptune up between them. They were all tired and filthy, and didn't even bother transforming back. "She's exhausted." Pluto explained. "She must have covered twice as much ground as we did." They carefully sat Neptune on the steps. She was conscious, but her eyes showed that she was a very distant and extremely unpleasant place. "You didn't find anything?" Sailor Moon asked Mercury, who sadly shook her head. "I couldn't pick it up again on my computer anywhere. It's probably in Tachyon's lair, wherever that is." She nearly wiped her eyes with her hand, but seeing the condition of her gloves, reconsidered. "I want to go back." Neptune said in a soft, neutral tone. "Neptune..." Sailor Moon said softly, her own face a mask of worry and sadness that was mirrored on everyone else. "We can't do anything more down there." Pluto said in a gentle tone. "We should get cleaned up and rest, and try to think of something else..." "There's no time!" Neptune said in a harsh, shaking voice. "Tachyon probably sent that thing, and who knows what she's doing to Haruka?" Biting her lip to hold back her tears, Neptune hugged herself tightly, her shoulders jerking with repressed sobs. Rei stood back from the group a short distance, watching. Her hands curled into tightly clenched fists and when Neptune finally broke down and began to cry, she turned her face away, her eyes closing to hide her own tears that were threatening to well up. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as she walked over and sat next to Neptune, placing a hand on the aqua-haired Senshi's shoulder. "Go on home..." She turned and looked at all the others. "All of you. Go home, clean up and rest for a bit. Then come back here. I have an idea." "Rei-chan?" Neptune asked, her crying fading as she turned to look at the dark-haired miko. Rei gave her a small smile. "Trust me." Rei stood and headed into her room. She could hear the Sailor Senshi leaving, muttering questions among themselves. "Rei-chan?" Rei turned. It was Jupiter. "What are you going to do, Rei- chan?" "Something." Rei said with quiet confidence. "Just like you told me to." Jupiter blinked in surprise, then smiled herself, and nodded. "Just be careful." She said, leaving Rei to her darkened room. Rei took another deep breath, then stopped with a cough. With the smell of the sewers surrounding her, she realized she should take as few deep breaths as possible until she was in the shower. She smiled again. Suddenly, she felt more purposeful and at peace with herself than she had in many days. For the first time since Tachyon had wounded her, she knew precisely who she was and what she had to do. Now, it was just a matter of doing it. Rei took a very long shower, both to remove all trace of the sewer and to clear her mind. She would need all her concentration for what was to come. Once she was out and her hair was more or less dry, she put on her white kimono and red hakama, and headed into the shrine. After feeding the flame a bit, she knelt down in front of it and began to chant. This idea had been percolating in Rei's head ever since Makoto had put her in her place. She couldn't become a Sailor Senshi thanks to Tachyon, it was true. But she was still a priestess, and that gave her abilities she doubted the little psycho was prepared to deal with. As she chanted, the room around her began to fade from her senses. Soon, she was all alone; the only things she was aware of were the fire and the soft sound of her own voice. She had driven herself to exhaustion like this once before, but then she had been trying to scry the future, which Tachyon had specialized in hiding from her and Setsuna's view. And seeing the future like this was always chancy, at best. But now, she was trying to find something that had been lost, and that was something Rei had always had a talent for. The fact that this 'thing' was the beloved of the woman *she* loved made no difference. Haruka was lost, and Rei *would* find her. With Rei's intense level of concentration, she didn't realize she was being watched by a figure crouched just outside the door to the shrine. This figure peered carefully through the crack between the sliding doors, watching silently. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and nearly jumped a foot in the air in shock. "Mako-chan." Michiru said softly, offering the smallest of smiles in greeting. Makoto caught her breath and nodded. "What are you doing here?" The older girl whispered. "I wanted to make sure she wasn't doing anything dangerous." Makoto replied, just as softly. "I did too...as worried as I am for Haruka, I didn't want Rei to be on my conscience again." Michiru said, looking into the shrine over Makoto's head. Makoto glanced up at her, the corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "It wasn't your fault." She offered softly. Michiru glanced down and smiled a bit. "Thank you, Mako-chan." They watched in silence for a long moment. "What do you think she's doing?" "Looking for Haruka." "Do you think it will work?" "I think she's not moving until it does." Rei had sunk into a kind of subspace. Even the sound of her own chanting had faded away, and there was only the fire before her. -Haruka, where are you...- Without warning, the image of Tachyon's laughing face appeared before Rei's eyes. -There!- Before, when she had been trying to find a vision of the future, she had seen that face when Tachyon had blocked her. Then, she had been unable to fight back against it, that block too firm a seal on visions of time. But now Rei wasn't trying to see through time. And now that wall that the child had put up had a substance that Rei could push back against. Rather than let that image slip away, Rei grabbed hold of it and tried to force her way through it. The fire suddenly sprang up twice as high, but Rei couldn't feel it as she bent the full force of her formidable will against Tachyon's shield. Now the fire was all around her, licking hungrily at her clothes. Her hair flew up in the hot wind of the flames, and still she fought. The heat was rising up to choke her, but she knew that it couldn't harm her unless she let her concentration wane. Then, just as she had reached the last of her strength, Tachyon's grinning face shattered like a mirror, and Rei's awareness was sent hurtling outwards. For an instant, she could see all of Tokyo spread out before her, glittering with lights in the night air. Then she was falling, falling...there was an mansion, an old, western style mansion, just outside of the city. And there, in a bedroom on the top floor...there she was! Feeling her will fading utterly, Rei quickly flew back to her own body, feeling the return of gravity with a suddenness that made her head spin. Michiru and Makoto had been watching her this whole time, and now they rushed in, catching Rei just before she pitched forward face-first into the flame. They laid her back against the floor, carefully. There was blood trickling down from her nostrils, and her eyelids fluttered. "Rei-chan? Rei-chan!" Makoto shook her shoulder firmly, and Rei's eyes cracked open. "Mako-chan?" She murmured. "I did it!" There was triumph in that whisper, and her eyes drifted over to Michiru. "I found her Michiru- chan...I know where she is...and she's alright." Michiru smiled, tears running down her cheeks as she nodded. "Thank you Rei-chan...thank you!" "We can go...when the others get here." Rei said, trying to push her way up. Makoto stopped her. "You should rest...it looks like that took a lot out of you." She said gently, but firmly. "No...I need to go, to make sure Haruka gets out safely." Rei said, too tired to do anything but protest weakly. Michiru suddenly looked down at her, an unreadable expression on her face. "Mako-chan...I'm sorry, but would you let me talk to her for a moment?" She asked, and Makoto paused for a moment, then nodded and left without another word, her face devoid of expression. Michiru helped Rei up into a sitting position and neither said anything for a long moment. "Rei-chan...I think I owe you another apology." The aqua-haired woman finally said. Rei blinked in surprise and looked over at her. "For what?" "For underestimating your feelings. This whole time, I've been passing this off as nothing more than a crush, but it *is* more than that, isn't it?" Rei, who had been cleaning herself up with a handkerchief, froze. "I...I don't..." She stopped and closed her eyes. "So you know." "I've known for awhile, Rei-chan." "I guess I sort of realized that." Rei said, standing up and walking a short distant away. "If you knew, why didn't you say something before this?" She demanded, turning back sharply. "That's why I'm apologizing, Rei-chan." Michiru said softly, and Rei blushed and nodded. To be honest, I thought it was just a crush. An angry flush appeared on Rei's cheeks and Michiru held a hand up to fend off Rei's retort. "Please let me finish. You have to understand, I had no way of knowing the depth of your feelings. And if it had been just a crush, telling you that I know would have just embarrassed you. And so I decided the best course of action was to let things run their course. All crushes fade away, given time." Michiru got up then and walked over to where Rei stood, and placed her hands on the raven-haired miko's shoulders. Rei looked up, her cheeks pink again, but not with anger. "I was wrong, very wrong." Michiru gave her a small, sad smile. "I saw it in your eyes, Rei-chan. What you've done here, you've done for me." Rei lowered her eyes, and Michiru smiled. "Why, Rei-chan?" She asked in a voice of soft encouragement. "I...I just want you to be happy." Rei whispered. "And I know...Haruka can make you happier than I ever could." Michiru saw a single tear trickle down Rei's cheek and fall to the wooden floor. "I love you Michiru-chan." Her voice began to shake. "But it's not just that...that's not the only reason I did this..." "Shhh, I know, I know. You would have done all you could to help, even if you didn't feel this way. But there's nothing selfish about doing something good for the sake of love. And sometimes love can drive us to do things that we normally couldn't. And I'm very grateful for that, Rei-chan." "I never had a chance from the beginning, did I?" Rei asked in a dull voice, staring at the ground. Michiru's expression was deeply sympathetic as she took her hands from Rei's shoulder and looked at her closely. "Because I think you need to hear it, I'll say it." Michiru finally said. "No, Rei-chan. You didn't. But..." Michiru slipped her hand beneath Rei's chin and lifted her eyes to meet hers. "I care for you, very much. Even among the Sailor Senshi, you're one of the people who are most precious to me. I know it's a poor substitute for what your heart longs for, but I want you to know how important you are to me." "I know, Michiru-chan..." Rei sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "I know." "It hurts, I know..." Michiru started, reaching out to Rei, but Rei gently deflected her hand. "No...please stop. I couldn't take it right now, and you don't have time. You have to go rescue the one you love, right?" Rei's voice gained in strength and she looked back at the fire. And at that moment, Makoto knocked softly on the door. "Rei-chan, Michiru-chan...everyone's here." Michiru smiled. "Well, are you ready to go?" Rei looked up in surprise, and Michiru nodded. "I don't have the right to tell you to stay behind if you're willing to come, Rei-chan. You're capable of taking care of yourself, and of looking out for the rest of us. Just as we'll be looking out for you. That's part of being a Sailor Senshi." A small, determined smile appeared over Rei's lips, and she nodded a bit. A very short time later, the doors to the shrine opened, and Michiru and Rei stepped out. The rest of the Sailor Senshi and Mamoru stood expectantly in the courtyard, and Rei looked over them all carefully. She took a deep breath. "I know where Haruka is." She said. "And tonight we're going to get her back." ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: If one was to look back at Chapter 29, you might notice that the little teaser at the end is gone now. That applied to the earlier version of this chapter which I realized absolutely sucked after I'd written about half of it. I like this new version much, much better. I'm hoping you like it too! I don't own Sailormoon or any of the characters thereof. I do own the original characters, though, so keep your hands off them!
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