Meson and Gluon were once again in the glowing cavern, standing in the center of the chamber in a space free of stalagmites. Gluon was standing a few feet behind Meson, waiting patiently as her hands moved in a precise series of gestures. Three stalagmites on the edges of the clear area slowly began to glow with a sullen red light. Fiery lines crept along the ground, joining the stalagmites together until Meson and Gluon stood in a perfect triangle. The white glow of the floor beneath them changed into a bright crimson, and both immediately knelt. A voice filled the chamber, seeming to reverberate from the glowing pillars of stone. Arrogant and cold, it seemed to came from a great distance, the words distorted and echoing. "Report, Meson." "My Lord." Meson replied. "The Ryoujin...are gone. Zetsubou and Semeku are dead. Muon has taken Sheiki into his care, but he's not sure if she will ever be fit for battle again." "Let him keep her for himself, or destroy her." The voice replied. "She failed in her duties, and I have no use for her." "Yes, Lord Hadron." Meson replied. "My Lord Hadron..." Gluon said softly. Meson's face darkened at the sound of his voice. "May I speak?" "Yes, Gluon. Speak." "Didn't Muon fail in his duties as well? Should he not be held accountable for the destruction of the Ryoujin?" There was a long silence after that. Gluon began to look worried, and just then the stone beneath him began to glow a deeper red. "Gluon." Hadron's voice said. "I have killed those who have presumed to tell me how best to rule. If ever you do it again, you will be no different. Muon is not and will never be your concern. If I were to punish anyone for failure, it would be you." Gluon began to sweat, not because the ground beneath him had turned hot, but out of fear. The light slowly brightened back to the same shade of red as before. Gluon pressed his forehead to the stone. "Forgive me, Lord Hadron." "We shall see. Three World Anchors have been created and are ready for your use. They will be in your possession tomorrow. Use them well, if you wish to redeem yourself. Now, begone." Gluon stood. "Yes My Lord." He bowed deeply and vanished. Meson remained kneeling, waiting. "Lady Meson." Hadron's voice reverberated through the caverns again. "What of Tachyon's progress?" "So far, her tests continue to be promising. This could be the world we've looked for, Lord." "Perhaps...but we have been close before. I will not take anymore chances until the child is certain." "Yes, Lord Hadron." Meson smiled lightly. "If this *is* the world, what should I do about Gluon? The Anchors will be all but useless then." "Gluon is a fool. A talented fool, but a fool. Let him continue to fight the Sailor Senshi...he may be lucky enough to kill one or two. And if he manages to place even one Anchor, my entry into this world will be all the easier." There was a slight chuckle. "Make sure he remembers the penalty for failure. That should keep him motivated." "Yes, my Lord." Meson's smile turned cruel, then faded away. "And my Lord...Muon?" There was a slight grumbling sound from the pillars. "The loss of the Ryoujin irritates me. But Muon's studies have cost me valuable servants before, and the cost has always paid. Leave him be." The light faded then, and Hadron's presence left the cavern. Meson stood and left as well, her boots clacking on the eerily glowing floor. ------------------- Gluon returned to his headquarters, grinning at his good fortune. He appeared in the chair at the desk he had appropriated, leaning back lazily, his boots on the desk's surface. "Gylax!" The liquid daeva slid beneath the door and reformed herself in front of the desk. "Master?" "What is Muon doing now?" "We are not sure...he seems to be performing some sort of ritual. He may be creating something." Gylax replied, her silver skin rippling slightly as she bowed. "Excellent. Make sure to inform me if his activities change." He grinned again. "Lord Hadron will be giving us three World Anchors." "Three?" Gylax said, surprised. "Yes...this will be perfect. We'll launch three attacks at once, in three parts of the city. And we'll do it in the dead of night. The Sailor Senshi have been lucky to this point, but such luck cannot last forever." He smirked. "This city will be ours in the space of a single night." "Yes Master." Gylax replied. Gluon laughed threateningly. "After Muon's failure, my victory will be all the sweeter. Maybe I should thank him for killing the Ryoujin...I never liked them anyway." He continued to laugh as he considered the possibilities opening before him. ------------------- Despite the ease with which she initially went to sleep, the night after the battle turned out to be just about the most miserable life Minako had ever weathered. It seemed like every single time she managed to really get to sleep, Haruka, Michiru or Setsuna was there, waking her and forcing her to converse for five minutes or so before leaving again. Her sides, neck and head were throbbing agonizingly, and by the time morning truly rolled around, she would have screamed from sheer frustration if she hadn't been in so much pain. As light shone in through the windows, there was a small tap on the door. Minako pulled a pillow over her face and groaned. "I'm already *awake*!" She snapped as loudly and menacingly as she could manage. "M-Minako-chan?" Hotaru's voice sounded timidly from the other side. Minako grimaced. They had sent Hotaru up this time. "Dirty trick." She muttered, then sighed. "Come in Hotaru-chan." The young girl stepped inside cautiously. "How do you feel, Minako-chan?" She asked. "My whole body's killing me." Minako replied with a wince. "But my head's a lot clearer." Hotaru nodded. "Michiru-mama wanted to know if you felt like eating any breakfast?" Minako's stomach suddenly reminded her that she had never had dinner the night before. "Actually...that sounds nice, Hotaru-chan. But maybe just some toast?" Hotaru smiled and nodded. She departed and Minako leaned back against her pillows, trying to remember everything that had happened last night. The battle was crystal clear, but everything afterwards was extremely hazy. She had been in the hospital...and then she came here. She thought she remembered Setsuna singing her to sleep, and she smiled a bit at the fragmented memory. As if summoned by her thought, Setsuna entered at that moment, carrying a tray with some toast and butter and a glass of orange juice. "Good morning, Minako-chan." She said softly. "Still angry from last night?" Minako puffed out her cheeks and sighed. "No...it was probably for my own good in some way or another." Setsuna smiled and nodded a bit. "It was...but I'm afraid I have to do something else that's probably going to hurt." She took a small penlight out of her pocket. "Hold still." Minako took a deep breath, seeing what was coming, and braced herself. Setsuna gently held her eye open and shone the penlight in. The light seemed to hit her eye like a dagger, and Minako bit her lip to keep from crying out as the bright light stabbed into her head. Finally, Setsuna took the light away and Minako leaned back, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Well." Setsuna said gently. "Your pupils are dilating...that's a good sign. It means we can let you have a real nap this morning, and we won't have to wake you up." She put her penlight away and laid a couple of pills on the tray. "You can also take these...they're just non-aspirin, but they should help with the pain some." Minako nodded a bit. "Thanks." She forced a smile. "Really...thanks for letting me stay here and taking care of me like this." Setsuna smiled in return. "Of course." She replied. She stood up and walked out, giving a smile and nod to Haruka, who had come in at some point during Minako's examination and was now leaning against the door. Minako began to eat, washing down each bite with a large mouthful of juice to cut down on the amount of chewing she had to do. There was a desk standing against the wall of the guest room, and as Haruka stepped in, she pulled the straight-backed chair from there and spun it to the side of the bed. She straddled it backwards, leaning her hands on the back and resting her chin against them. "Good morning, Minako-chan." She said, smiling. "My pajamas look really cute on you." "Thanks." Minako replied with a smile and a wink. Haruka chuckled. Her face was still looking rather battered from her fight the night before, and there were a few bandages on her hands. "Well, it looks like you've got your spirit back, anyway. How much of last night do you remember?" Minako wiped her mouth with the napkin on the tray and paused to think. "I was just thinking about that...I remember the fight really well. But everything after that is really hazy." "Do you remember the hospital?" Minako nodded. "I see...did you remember that Ami was there? She refused to leave your side until she knew you would be okay." Minako blushed softly and nodded. "I remember." She said, almost whispering. "The other Senshi had to leave, but they were all worried too." Haruka closed her eyes, speaking with an exaggerated casualness. "Of course...Mamoru stuck around." She cracked her eyes open to watch Minako's reaction. She was rewarded, as Minako's face darkened angrily and her finger began tapping against the tray in an irritated fashion. "I remember." Minako said shortly. Haruka sunk her face behind her folded hands a bit, so Minako couldn't see her smile. "You seem so hostile." Minako gave an obviously fake bark of laughter that made her wince in pain. She closed her eyes indifferently and laid back against the pillow. "Whatever Ami and Mamoru want to do together is none of my business." She said loftily. "I really don't care at all." "Ami and Mamoru?" Haruka asked, feigning confusion. "He was there because he was worried about you!" "I'm sure that's not the only reason." Minako almost snapped. "He and Ami are *great* friends. They spend a lot of time together, you know." Her head began throbbing again, and she sighed. "I'm tired, Haruka-kun. Could you leave please?" Haruka didn't leave, but she was quiet for a long moment. When she finally started to speak again, it was in a quiet, patient tone. "When Michiru and I first started seeing each other, she had a friend who was in the same art program that she was. He was very nice, very handsome and Michiru spent a lot of time with him." Minako didn't reply, and continued to just lie there. "I got jealous." Haruka closed her eyes and chuckled a bit. "I got really jealous. I knew that I was the first girl Michiru had been with, and I was worried that this guy would pull her back to the other side. It got to the point that I would get angry anytime anybody mentioned the guy at all, and I couldn't stand to see him at all. Finally, I started spying on the two of them." Minako opened her eyes at that and looked over at her. Haruka nodded. "Oh yeah, I started following them everywhere they went together, just waiting to catch them. But I never did. They were friends, just friends. And I started to realize that just because I loved Michiru so dearly, not everyone who enjoyed her company felt the same way. And I learned that if I couldn't trust her enough to let her have friends, I didn't deserve her to begin with." "So what happened?" Minako asked. "I told Michiru what I did." Haruka smiled ruefully. "I think that's the angriest she's ever been with me. But since I came clean and I told her what I had learned from it, she forgave me...eventually." Minako was quiet then. Finally she sighed. "I get it." She said, in a slightly irritated tone. "I do get what you're saying." Haruka nodded and smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see the knock to your head hasn't impaired you *too* much." Minako stuck her tongue out at her and Haruka laughed. "Put that away if you're not going to use it." Minako turned bright red and sucked her tongue back in instantly. Haruka just smiled teasingly. Minako smiled back hesitantly, then laid back against the bed and sighed. "I guess I'm just confused." She finally said. "I mean...I know Mamoru would never cheat on Usagi, especially not with one of her best friends. He's just not that kind of guy." "But you're afraid Ami's that kind of girl?" Haruka asked, feigning surprise. Minako made an irritated face and glared at the short-haired girl. Haruka winked back at her. "No!" Minako exclaimed, then winced as the volume of her voice hit her head. "No." She said more quietly. "I just..." She sighed and shook her head. "I still don't know. I guess was just afraid that she felt that way about him." Haruka studied Minako's face so closely that Minako began to feel uncomfortable and squirmed in bed a little bit. "Well," she finally said with a smile, "Setsuna said that we could let you sleep until she calls from the university, so I suppose I'll let you get to that." Minako tilted her head questioningly. "Um...don't you have to go to school?" Haruka just waved her hand dismissively. "Hotaru's staying home today as well, so we'd stay behind to look after her anyway. Don't worry about it." She stood up, took Minako's breakfast tray and headed for the door. She paused for a moment and turned back to the bed, her face indicating that there was something more she wanted to say. "Haruka-kun?" Haruka just closed her eyes with a smile and shook her head slightly. "Never mind...have a nice nap, Minako-chan." She let herself out and gently closed the door behind her. Despite her deep exhaustion, sleep was a long time coming to Minako. As painfully as her head was throbbing, it couldn't keep her from thinking. She wasn't stupid...as hard as she had tried to deny it, she knew about her swiftly developing feelings for the Senshi of Water. And after looking at her reaction to Ami and Mamoru's friendship, well, her denials seemed very weak and pathetic. -If I had just admitted that I...that...I wonder if I would have gotten so jealous?- She wondered. -Maybe not...I hate that kind of jealousy, it's so stupid.- Even as she was thinking that however, an image of Ami and Mamoru having dinner together popped into her head and she found herself clenching her fists around her blanket. With a deep sigh, Minako laid back against her pillow. -I can't believe this!- She was jealous, frustrated...and scared. Terrified, even. Her initial anger was wearing off, and in it's absence, she found herself curling up tightly, almost on the verge of panic. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, trying to figure out what was scaring her so much. Was it...well, if she *did* feel that way about Ami, it kind of followed that she was gay. To her gratification, as soon as she thought that she just filled with a sense of pugnacious indignation, uncurling from her fetal position a bit. -And if I were gay, so what? I've never met a couple as close as Haruka and Michiru, and Chibi-Usa and Hotaru are beyond adorable when they're together! If I'm a lesbian, that's the way it is, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it!- With a small nod of satisfaction, she continued to think, her growing fear blunted somewhat by her internal declaration. "Okay, so it's not *that*." She muttered. Then what? Ami...she was very affectionate with Minako, probably moreso than Minako had seen her be with anyone else. But that didn't mean that she...returned Minako's true feelings. And if she didn't, that became the sort of thing that could spoil any friendship, never mind that they were both girls. Minako sighed. Yes, that certainly made her nervous. But that was assuming she planned to act on her emotions. And there was no guarantee of that. The thought of ruining her relationship with Ami disturbed her, but it didn't explain the cold knot of terror that sat in the pit of her stomach like a rock and made her feel like she was teetering on the brink of a bottomless pit. She wrapped her arms around her legs and turned her head towards her knees, clenching her eyes shut again. She could feel a few tears trickle down her cheeks, but whether from fear or pain, she couldn't tell. She sighed shakily. "I wish this could be easier." She whispered. "I don't understand this." As exhausted as she was, she couldn't remain conscious while lying down with her eyes closed, no matter her state of mind. She didn't so much doze off as pass out, her body finally shutting the lights off in response to her weariness and pain. ------------------- Minako woke up disoriented with an unpleasant jolt around noon, Haruka shaking her ankle, a worried expression on her face. When she saw Minako'a eyes open, the older girl smiled in relief. "There you are." She said. "You must have been exhausted, I've been trying to wake you up for about five minutes." Minako blinked heavily several times, trying to piece things together. Her head was throbbing dully, and as she tried to sit up a stab of pain made her lie back down with a small cry. Haruka quickly stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't try to move." She said softly. That was a little redundant as the pain had brought Minako's memory back with stark relief. With a tired smile, Minako looked up at her caretaker. "I guess I'm still a little fuzzy." She murmured. Haruka nodded with a smile. "You're doing great considering all that's happened to you." Minako grimaced. "I don't feel great...I feel like I was hit by a truck." "Oh come on...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." At that, Minako actually laughed a little bit. Haruka looked at her oddly, and Minako chuckled again. "Unless you're a Sailor Senshi." The Senshi of the Wind continued to look confused for a moment, then grinned and nodded in agreement. "Then what kills you probably makes you stronger too." She laughed as well. "Do you need anything?" Minako nodded and licked her lips. "I'm thirsty." Haruka was ready for that one, having a glass of water and a couple of pills ready on the nightstand. After draining the cup Minako leaned back and sighed deeply. "Thanks Haruka-kun." Silence reigned for a long moment, as Minako looked down at her folded hands and Haruka watched her silently. Finally, Haruka cleared her throat. "Do you want to talk about it?" Something in her tone of voice made Minako looked up suspiciously. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach she saw a familiar gleam in Haruka's eyes. -Oh, that's *exactly* what I need. A matchmaker. Karma really bites.- She shook her head a bit and forced a small smile. "No Haruka-kun." She said, leaning back and sighing. "No...I need time to think. I just...I need time." Haruka nodded a little bit. "Well, if you decide you need to, we're here." She said, offering her an encouraging smile. As she left the room, Minako sank as far back into her pillows as she could and closed her eyes. -We?- Her mind protested. -Exactly who is we? Michiru?- That would be bad...Michiru was far more subtle than Haruka. Minako probably wouldn't even notice she was being manipulated or cajoled if the green-haired senshi started in on her. -Setsuna?- Minako's eyes popped open at that thought. That was a worst-case scenario. She found the Guardian of Time somewhat intimidating to begin with. Who knew what would be unleashed if *she* was in a mood to match make? Minako groaned softly. Why did it seem like life had to become complicated all at once? Why was she being forced to deal with feelings she couldn't handle and friends who wanted to 'help' at the same time she was bedridden with injuries? "Perfect, just perfect." She muttered grumpily. There was a television in the room, and she tried watching that for a time, to distract her from everything else. But watching it just made her slight headache expand into a pounding one, so she stopped and tried taking another nap, but her mind was moving too quickly to allow her to sleep. Haruka came in several times to try to engage Minako in conversation, but Minako was unresponsive. Too worried about Haruka's intentions and too nervous about her own reactions, she made a very poor conversationalist. Finally taking the hint that she had spooked the girl, Haruka backed off and left her alone. Finally, Michiru poked her head in the door. "Minako-chan...Ami's here." Minako turned her head up with a feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. "She is?" She asked intelligently. Michiru smiled gently and nodded. "Are you feeling up to seeing her?" -No!- Minako's mind yelled, but the girl just smiled and nodded. "Of course!" Michiru withdrew, and Ami came in a few seconds later, a very sweetly concerned look on her face. "Mina-chan!" She stepped in. "How are you feeling?" Minako smiled bravely. "Oh, pretty beat up, but I'll be okay...it'll take more than this to keep me down!" Ami sat down gingerly on the side of the bed, as if afraid of breaking the girl lying in it. "I'm glad." She said with a small smile. Minako nodded in return. "Oh...I'm almost done!" Ami said, a small hint of pride in her voice. "There are twelve points in the city that the enemy could place those wedges, and I just need a little more time to find the last two! We should be ready to look out for them tomorrow." "That's great Ami-chan!" Minako gushed, not at all feigning her response. "Really, you've done an incredible job." "Oh..." Ami looked away, blushing. "It's really no big deal." "That's not even close to true!" Minako said firmly. "Nobody else could have done what you're doing. We all owe you big for this one." Ami blushed a bit deeper. "Thanks, Mina-chan." Silence seemed to stretch out after that. Minako felt it, and from Ami's rather uncomfortable expression, she did as well. -What can I say to her?- Minako thought. -Really, what can I say? How can I talk to her when I don't really understand how things are between us?- As the minutes stretched on, Ami tried a few little questions, but Minako couldn't force herself to make an answer of more than a few words. Ami stood up, at last, turning to hide a rather hurt expression on her face. "Well..." She said softly. "I guess you're tired. I'll leave you alone." She made for the door. Minako had a large sense of relief...she was off the hook! But almost immediately, that relief changed to guilt...and disgust. -Off the hook? Off the *hook*? Like talking to her is some huge chore? Just yesterday you were crying because you couldn't spend an afternoon with this girl, and now you're happy to see her go, even though it's obviously hurting her feelings?- Minako shook her head slightly. -This is too selfish, Minako. Maybe you're not ready to deal with these feelings, but that doesn't matter. You *have* them. And right now, they are telling you that the one thing you don't want to do is hurt this girl.- -I know that!- She furiously responded to her own mental reprimand. -It's hurting me too! But what am I supposed to *do* about it? I need more time to figure this out.- A moment later, the answer came. -Nobody's forcing you to figure it out right now. Nobody's going to make you talk to Ami about this. But your best friend in the world is leaving the room right now, and she probably thinks you're upset with her. Shouldn't you do something about that?- Minako jerked her head up. "Ami-chan!" She said quickly. Ami, who had reached the door in the time Minako's mental argument took, turned to look at her. "Please don't go." She said with a small smile. "Please...I want you to stay with me right now." Ami's answering smile was like the sun coming up. Minako's toes curled slightly under the blanket at her expression as she returned and sat back on the bed next to her. "So...think you're ready for that test tomorrow?" Minako said with a smile. "I'm probably feeling well enough to help you study a little more." Ami shook her head. "No...you already helped me so much. I'm positive that I'll do great, thanks to you." She giggled suddenly. "Oh! I didn't tell you what Usagi did at lunch today...she ate her lunch as soon as she got to school, and Makoto refused to share hers this time, so she snuck behind Naru and Umino and..." They began talking again, talking as they always did. Minako felt a familiar warmth building in her heart, and this time, it made her smile. -Ami-chan...- She thought as she watched the short-haired girl talking. -I love you. I don't know what I'm going to do about it...but I love you.- ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: And about time, I think! Of course, if you think it's going to be smooth sailing ahead, you're crazy! This is actually Chapter 8 Mk II, for anyone coming in to read this at a later point. The original chapter 8 seemed a little...off, so I went in for what I thought would be mild rewrites, but as I was doing it I got some new ideas for the future of the story, ideas I liked a whole lot better. I'll try to avoid these kinds of changes in the future, though. It's not fair to the readers. Thanks for bearing with me! Sailormoon and all the characters therein belong to someone else. All the original characters belong to me. Hopefully, we won't fight. :)
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