11 Days --------------- "Tell me why this was such a good idea again?" Mars grumbled, shifting her weight on her stool. "Because! We're kind of like the men. We need to go out and drink!" Uranus declared. "Speak for yourself." Jupiter mumbled. Mars frowned. "I don't know if I like the idea of us leaving the palace. What if something happens?" "You're just upset that we dragged you out of your little love nest." the brunette commented dryly. The fire soldier threw her a dirty look. Uranus laughed. "No one will attack. And besides, even if something did happen, Michiru could handle it. She's dangerous when she's mad." "Who is she so angry at?" Makoto questioned. "Me." Haruka admitted, hanging her head. "Hence the drinking." Jupiter and Mars face-palmed. Haruka shrugged. "Oh come on, it's not like I had to twist your arms. It's good to get away from the women every now and then." Mars crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well, except maybe for you. You're still new at the happy fun relationship thing. Just wait until you make her angry." Jupiter chuckled. "She has a point there, Mars." Rei blinked in confusion. "What, Mercury gets mad at you? I don't think I've even heard her raise her voice before." Makoto nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah, remember that night when I fell asleep while on patrol, and you found me outside, sleeping on a bench?" Mars nodded. "Well I didn't fall asleep on patrol. Ami and I got into a fight, and I ended up sleeping outside." "Damn. What did you do?" Haruka asked. Jupiter hung her head. "I called her Serenity." Mars scratched the back of her head and took a long sip of her rum. "That doesn't seem so bad." "...while we were in bed." Mars spit her liquor all over the counter. "Whaaaaaat?" Haruka burst into laughter. "Careful Mars. That's alcohol abuse." "Shut up Haruka! Tell me you didn't Jupiter..." "Hey! We had just started seeing each other! It was an accident! I was really tired, and she took it the wrong way!" the brunette cried. "Wonderful." Makoto blushed faintly. "Yeah, that would be the reason why I made up the story about falling asleep." "Man, both of you are new." Haruka snickered. "Well alright, genius. What did you do wrong?" Uranus stiffened, and downed the rest of her drink. "Hey hey, we can't hear you." Mars smirked. "I did the same thing." Haruka mumbled dejectedly. Jupiter shook her head. "She certainly has that effect on people, doesn't she?" Mars nodded. "Venus and I talked about it one time. We kinda pinned on the fact that we're trained our whole lives to die for her, ya know? Maybe you have to love someone an awful lot to die for them." "Well, would you die for the Queen?" Uranus asked. "Of course." "So, why don't you have wild fantasies about her? Wait! Maybe you do!" the wind soldier leered. "Don't do that." Mars grumbled. "It's creepy." "Sorry, sorry. Back to your theory now?" Mars shuddered. "I'm going to have that mental image for awhile." "Aw, why did you say that??" Jupiter cried, burying her face in her hands. "Now I have it too!!" Haruka laughed. "You guys are too much! I wish I could have seen you more often." They both glared at the legendary soldier. "What?" Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Anyway, finish the theory. It's starting to bother me." "So anyway, we're always reborn to protect her right? Who in their right mind would die over and over for the same person, for what, all eternity, without there being love involved?" "Ugh. It's depressing when you say it like that." Haruka commented. "Does that mean we can drink more?" Makoto asked, her eyes taking on a dark look. Mars was way ahead of them, and already ordering another round. "You know, " the wind soldier stated thoughtfully, holding her fresh drink in her hand. "all this talk about dying, women and love has got me to thinking." "This can't be good." Mars whispered to Jupiter. "No kidding." If Uranus heard them, she didn't let on. "Isn't funny, how all of us ended up together? I mean, everything got paired so nicely, you know? Not a male in sight." Mars scoffed. "Every male I've met couldn't hold a candle to Venus. I mean seriously. She's the Goddess of Love! How could anyone look elsewhere?" "...she's got it bad." Haruka mumbled. At the moment, Jupiter seemed more interested in reaching the bottom of her glass. Once she had successfully emptied it of it's contents, she slammed the glass down on the counter and sighed. "I've always thought it was bad luck to question fate. Especially such a good fate." "True." the blonde replied. "But isn't weird how no one says anything about it? Even the queen. She just smiles and nods." "Maybe she knows something we don't?" "Like what, the secret to life, the universe, and everything else?" Mars questioned. "Possible." The fire soldier winced. That horrid feeling was starting up in her arm again, and it was honestly starting to get worse every time. 'I've been so busy with Venus and trying to avoid the princess that I forgot all about it.. I really should get it checked.' Mars tenderly rotated her shoulder, trying to shake the feeling off. Makoto noticed her discomfort and gave her a worried look. "That still bugging you? I thought for sure with the fast healing and all..." "Nah, I'm good. Just gets a little stiff." the Martian commented, slamming back another drink. "Nothing a little alcohol won't cure." Uranus eyed her critically. "You sure? I mean, we all should try to keep in top physical form." "Yes, which is exactly why we're getting drunk." Mars laughed. Haruka swallowed hard. "I know it's not good for us, but..." Rei nodded silently. There was no need for her to finish that sentence, but the 'what if' hung heavily over their heads regardless. -------------- A few hours later. ------------- Jupiter fell off her barstool, and a rather wobbly Mars tried to help her up, weaving unsteadily on drunken legs. "Come on Jupiter. If we bring you home bleeding, Ami will kill us." "What's all this 'us' stuff?" Uranus drawled. "I'm an Outer. That makes you responsible for her." Rei blinked in intoxicated confusion. "But this was your idea. I think. You're supposed to be the mature one." Makoto found this to be particularly amusing, and burst into giggles, causing Rei to topple to the floor. Haruka closed one eye and studied the scene before her, which had become a rather undignified tangle of hair and limbs. "Huh. Maybe I am the mature one." "Shut up." Mars growled, struggling to get to her feet. She failed miserably and fell again, her face landing in Jupiter's chest. Makoto just grinned. "Hey Mars, I didn't think you liked me that way." "Oooh, good thing Venus isn't here. I think she'd beat you senseless." Haruka said with a laugh. That got Rei up on her feet and back on her seat in a hurry, her face a bright shade of red. "I hate you guys. I hate you guys so much." she cast a death glare at Jupiter, who had finally managed to get a grip on the counter and was in the process of pulling herself up. "And you. You're shameless." "Heeeey," Jupiter cried plaintively. "You were the one on top of me!!" "Oh yeah." Mars mumbled quietly. " It's ok." the brunette replied. "I won't tell Venus about our mad affair, and she won't have to beat you." The fire soldier's jaw dropped in comic disbelief. "Well this is going downhill rapidly." Haruka commented. "Hey! Shut up! And Venus wouldn't beat me!" Mars declared. "No?" The blonde questioned. "What, the whole 'lover not a fighter' deal? "Something like that." Rei replied, smiling giddily. "Tell me about it." Jupiter bemoaned. "I have to listen to those two carry on every night. It's been three days already! The rest of us need some sleep!" Haruka let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Damn. Who knew little Rei had it in her?" "Little?? I'm pushing twenty two!" Mars growled, blushing madly. "Hey hey, no need to get testy. We'll take you home to your little blonde. She'll help you unwind." the wind soldier said with a wink. Mars thumped her head on the counter. "I don't even know why I bother." "Because you love us." Makoto announced solemnly, patting her on the back. Rei let out a genuine laugh. "I suppose I'd have to, especially if we're having a mad hot affair." "Exactly." Jupiter replied with a sage nod. Mars couldn't fight the smile that plastered itself on her face. "Ya know, this wasn't such a bad idea after all." "See? You should listen to the mature one." Haruka said with a grin. "Like I'd listen to someone who's planet is all tilted." Rei retorted. The blonde pounded her fists on the table in mock anger. "Hey! Low blow!" "Truth hurts." Makoto commented. "And if we don't get out of here soon, our heads will hurt." Haruka nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, I think it's safe for me to start groveling now." "I don't know how you do it." Mars said. "Neptune is pretty intimidating." "It's all an act." Haruka replied, draining the rest of her glass. "She's actually very sweet." "Sounds like someone I know." Jupiter muttered dryly. Mars shook her fuzzy head in confusion and looked back at her comrades, who were staring at her rather strangely. "What?" ------------------ As the three soldiers made their way back onto palace grounds, Mars couldn't shake the horrid feeling that something was going to go very wrong. Her skin was crawling, and her shoulder throbbed., but she really didn't want to bring it up. She had enjoyed spending time with her friends and didn't want to ruin it by putting everyone on alert. "And this is where I depart." Jupiter announced, staggering slightly. "Do you need help back to your room?" Rei asked in concern. "Nope. And besides. You know how rumors fly around here." Mars laughed. "Rumors be damned. I don't need you bleeding to death because you knocked your head." "And that's why I would only have a hot affair with you." Makoto said with a grin. "See you guys tomorrow?" "Of course. Tomorrow I'm going to beat the hell out of all of you." Haruka replied. "Gotta check your training." "Fun fun." the brunette mumbled sarcastically, waving a hand and wandering off. "Hm. She's right you know." Uranus said after a moment. "About what?" Mars questioned. "The mad hot affair. I'd go after you." "Yeah, tilted planet remember? It would never work." Rei said with a laugh. "Oh well." the blonde replied with a shrug and a smile. "'Night Mars." "Night." Rei watched the wind solider walk away, no doubt contemplating all the sweet nothings she would whisper in Neptune's ear. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through her hair, and let out a tired sigh. 'Maybe I'm just overly paranoid. Maybe it's all stress, and everything will be fine.' Her shoulder twitched in response, and Mars bit back a frustrated growl. She raised her eyes towards the palace, and let her thoughts drift to Minako instead. Thinking of the blonde always seemed to cheer her up, and even now she could feel a smile tugging at her lips. ' I wish I could see her, but she's probably on guard duty now. Ugh. I've been lucky to get out of duty so far, but I can't avoid the princess forever. Three days later, and I still don't know what I should say to her.' Mars frowned slightly. A month ago, even in her wildest dreams, she couldn't picture herself in the situation she was in now. All the confusion and stress seemed to have brought down an enormous emotional toll on her friends, and apparently not even the sweet, naive princess was exempt. She wondered idly why Serenity had done what she had. Maybe she was just as worried as everyone else, if not, more so. The whole incident with Endymion definitely hadn't helped, that was for certain. Rei didn't even want to toy with the notion that her princess had developed feelings for her. It seemed too surreal. If she had, what then? She certainly wasn't about to leave Venus. In just the short time they had spent together since that fateful night of drunken mischief, Mars had found herself completely and utterly addicted to all things Minako, and she was certain that not even Serenity was going to tear her away from that. Her head swam. 'Argh. Mina's right. I shouldn't be so serious all the time. It's making me weird. Maybe a little walk would help?' She wandered aimlessly around the palace grounds and eventually found herself in the garden, in the exact spot where she and Venus had had their first kiss. She shook her head and had a laugh at the expense of her subconscious. 'Figures I'd end up here. Damn, I must be getting soft.' Out of habit, her eyes found the Earth and studied it carefully. Everything on the surface looked so calm and peaceful, but she knew from personal experience that it was dangerous to judge things by their outward appearance. "This is depressing! I thought for sure you'd have better things to think about." Rei snapped back to reality, only to find it had disappeared into the accursed nothingness. Her mind fumbled numbly for a moment while she tried to get a grasp on what had just occurred. The darkness. She was in the darkness. "Been a while, hasn't Mars?" "Not long enough." Rei growled. "Aw, what's with the attitude? After all our little discussions, I thought for sure we would become friends." "Shut the hell up. I know what you are now!" "Do you now?" the voice inquired mockingly. "The helper. You're the helper. I know you're here just to screw with my head, so just give it up already." "Ugh." the voice sighed in disdain. "Is that the only thing that pitiful man could come up with?" Mars felt her blood burn through her veins as it began to boil. "You know, this is getting old very quickly, and I'm starting to lose my patience." "Oh, excuse me. Has someone had a long day?" "I'll show you a long day!" the fire soldier snarled. "Settle down. We don't need you having an aneurism." Mars was sure something in her brain just exploded. Her skull began to throb tremendously, and she fell to her knees, clutching her head in her hands. "There now. Are you going to be quiet?" Rei tried to force out a reply, to show she wasn't going to play this little game anymore, but all she couldn't get anything out past her clenched teeth. "Ah! Much better! Now that I have your full attention, maybe we can finish this discussion like two civilized people. I have something to tell you that's been just eating at me for days! You know that wonderful little wound in your shoulder?" Mars shook. Her skull felt like it was about to split open, and she could barely comprehend any of the nonsense the helper was spouting out. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I should ease up a little, hey? I always come on a little strong." The pain ceased immediately, and Rei felt a sense of horror she had never experienced before run through her very soul. "Now! Where was I? Oh yes! Your wound! Do you want to know why it's still so terribly sore?" Mars remained silent, her breath still ragged and short. "I'll tell you why! That stupid beast that you had slain back in that dark, miserable little alley left a present for you! Do you want to know what it is?" Silence. "I'll tell you anyway. Right now, as we speak, dark poison is pumping through your veins. You can't slow it down, and you can't stop it. Gradually it will take over your body and soul, turning you into a mindless demon, only interested in destruction." The fire soldier's eyes widened in shock. "Liar!" she rasped out weakly. "You're lying!" "No, no I'm not. Do you not believe me? Here's an idea! Go visit that cute little doctor friend of yours. She'll confirm it. I bet you've felt it's effects already though, burning all your muscles. Tell me, have you had any violent urges lately?" Mars decided to ignore that last little comment. "And why should I believe you? What would you gain from telling me this??" "Let's put it this way. That's why they call me the Helper." Rei's stomach turned as her world shifted back to normal, and as her vision cleared, she found herself standing in front of the infirmary. 'What? What the hell am I doing here?' Her blood ran cold. This wasn't good. It was bad enough that she lost touch with reality whenever they had those little chats, but now she was up and moving while she was quite literally out of her mind. Before she could try to get a grasp on things, the door popped open, and Mercury came out, nearly running into the fire soldier. "Oh! Rei, you startled me!" Mars could only stare at her in a state of numb shock. Ami's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Is everything okay? Why are you so pale?" "Ami. I need help. Badly." "Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" "No. I just...need you to check me over." The ice soldier nodded. "Alright, I can do that. Come in." Once seated on the examination table, Rei let out a worried sigh. "I need you to check my shoulder. I think something is really wrong with it." "Still in a lot of pain?" "Yes. At times I get this weird feeling, like all my muscles in my arm are shaking." Ami frowned in confusion. "Could be nerve damage." Mars lowered her eyes to the floor. "I don't think so." "Any other symptoms?" "Yes." Rei swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. "What I'm going to tell you is going to sound like complete insanity, but I need you to believe me." Ami gave her a comforting smile. "With the lives we lead, I don't think anything could be considered insane anymore." Mars had to laugh at that. "Too true." The fire soldier told Mercury everything, from her encounters with the helper to the warning Endymion had given her. By the time she had finished, Ami was looking rather disturbed. "You believe me, don't you Ami?" Mercury nodded. "Of course I do. It would explain quite a bit, and I can't help but wonder if this phantom of yours is in fact responsible for the prince's behavior. Interesting thought. He claimed it stopped when we had him in custody, correct?" "Yes." "Then I wonder why it's affecting you so badly. I'd think that with your powers, and with being in close proximity to the Silver Crystal, you'd almost be immune." "You're the doctor. All I know is I feel like I'm going out of my mind." "Have you mentioned this to the others?" Mercury asked gently. "Of course not. Please don't, Ami..." "I wouldn't. It just makes me worry when you try to do everything alone." Mars smiled. "After what happened today, I'm pretty sure I'll never be alone." "Good to hear. I have to admit I was anxious about the lot of you running out to 'bond' as Uranus put it, but it obviously did some good. Now how about you loose the shirt?" Rei's eyes boggled out of her head. "Whaaaaaat?" Ami rolled her eyes at the soldier's antics. "Now I know for sure you've spent way too much time with Minako. Stop acting like a pervert. I can't very well check your shoulder with it on, can I?" "Oh." Mars complied, blushing faintly. "Sorry." "It's alright. Just let me see if we get a reaction..." The ice soldier murmured, picking up a smooth, clear crystal and running it inches above Rei's wound. She took a sharp intake of breath when the crystal shook in her hand and turned an ominous pitch black. "What? Is that bad?" Mars asked worriedly. Mercury swallowed hard. "It appears your little friend was telling the truth..."
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