Power Transcendent
Sailormoon Fanfiction by Jessica
-------------------
Chapter 8
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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