Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ After the Battle is Over ❯ Dealing with Death ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Same as for Chapter 1

Warning: talk of f/f relationships in this chapter but nothing explicit

Authors Notes: There's a first time for everything, so here's my first Author's note: I didn't really understand the idea of a story writing itself until I got to this one. I didn't intend to do some of the things I've done and I've done things in a different order then what I'd planned. However I think everything is working out okay anyway. Please let me know if there are any problems that you can find and I'll change things around. Thank

PS: Sorry this is taking so long but it's hard to get my mom to check these things over!

Chapter 5

Minako's POV

I watched Healer-chan as she wandered out of the living room, only giving a short glance to the food on the table. Something seemed to be bothering her. Without a second thought I followed. She slowly wandered down the hall and past the kitchen and finally ended up standing at the sliding doors which led to the back pool. I stoped, waiting to see what she would do and was finally rewarded with a sigh and opening of the doors. She walked out and sat down on the top step, which led down to the pool. I quietly opened the door and went to sit down beside her.

"What's bothering you, Healer-chan?" She started at my words and swung around to glance at me.

"Nothing, why?" It was said with conviction but was missing the normal 'Yaten' bite. If I hadn't been entirely sure of my instincts before, I was now.

"No, something is bothering you. I can tell. What happened in there with Usagi-chan that's bothering you?" Why wouldn't she admit it. It couldn't be that bad!

She sat silently for a few more seconds and then abruptly stood up and started pacing the length of the deck.

"It's you girls." she said flatly.

"Us?"

"Hai. How can you be so calm!?"

Okay, I have to admit, I was baffled. Calm! She thought we were calm? I started to laugh lightly.

"What's so funny?" Oops. The bite was back. I stood up slowly and walked towards her. She had to stop her pacing when I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"It's not you Yaten-chan. It's me."

"Nani?"

"We're not calm. All of us are scared nutty! But we're used to it. I mean, after all, this has happened regularly for a few years now. I don't know how you guys found out you were Starlights but our 'revelations' were completely out of the blue. Then, in order to find out about our Princess we had to die. Each time something has happened to us we've had to deal with it. It wasn't like we could write books about it to make ourselves feel better. We all deal with this sort of thing differently, but we deal with it."

"But doesn't finding your princess change things?"

"But we didn't just find her, we knew who she was before!"

"But she's here now!"

"She was always here, Healer. Usagi-chan may not have 'looked' exactly like our Princess but she always has been. Even before we found out she was Serenity, we protected her. She was too good a friend not too. Her being a princess just made us more determined. Usagi, when it comes down to it, was always Serenity. All the stuff that makes her such a good friend is what made Serenity such a good Princess. The only things showing up now are the things she'll need to prove to others she is a princess, the superficial stuff."

"But..."

"No buts Healer-chan. She is my Princess and my friend, always has been, always will be. Nothing has changed."

"But what about the fact that you were dead?"

"Oh that?" I flicked my hand. "Been there, lived through that." I said with a cheeky smile.

Yaten's POV

How can she be so flighty about this? She died!!! Before I quite realized what I was doing I had grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.

"How can you be so calm?" I shouted "You were gone! Dead! I watched you die for us. I watched you die...your shine went out." I was ashamed to feel myself tearing up and violently swiped at my eyes with my hand. I never cry! I quickly turned around and faced the pool once again. "I'm sorry Aino-san. I was out of line."

I stood there waiting to hear her foot steps retreating and almost fell into the pool in surprise when a warm body suddenly pressed itself up against me and arms came around my waist.

"It's okay Yat-chan. We're all here and it doesn't matter. I knew you'd keep Serenity-sama safe. I knew you'd help her."

I turned around sharply. "But how could you? I have been nothing but snobby, high handed and mean to you since I met you. Why would you trust me with something as important as your angel? Doushite?" I was desperate now. I had wanted to ask this question since the first moment I realized she was gone.

"Because, I looked in your eyes and saw me in them. You were scared, just like we were, only you had good reason to be. You knew what we were facing. I know why you were like that, you were just protecting yourself. My heart knew it, I understood it. After all, we each deal with death in a different way."

I stared at her in disbelief. Was this really the girl who was constantly ogling guys and who couldn't keep her sayings straight? No, this was the Princess, this was the Minako that she had kept hidden. Just as Usagi-cahn had hidden parts of herself, so had Minako, I suddenly realized. But unlike Usagi, the other girls would grow into themselves slowly.

"Arigatou, Venus." I bowed low and when I stood up again I faced her without the mask I had worn for so long. After all, there wasn't much use for it when a person could just look into your soul.

Mina just smiled at me. I stood there and stared at her. Then in a flying tackle I was being hugged. I have no idea why, but it felt good, I hadn't been hugged for a long time. I slowly brought my arms up and hugged her back. I have no idea how long we stood there but it doesn't matter. Things would be okay, I could just feel it.

Ami's POV

I followed Makoto silently into the kitchen. I knew her well enough to know that the first thing she would do after leaving Serenity would be go to the kitchen and clean up. She wouldn't touch the food, she's already snacked on enough to keep herself happy. Now she would clean.

I stopped at the door of the kitchen, knowing not to enter without permission. It may not be her kitchen but the rules still held. "May I help?"

She looked up at me in surprise but quickly nodded assent. I moved to the sink and started running the water while she continued collecting the dishes and stacking them on the side counter.

Makoto's POV

I'm surprised to see Ami-chan here. I would have thought she'd stay in the livingroom with the Starlights. I figured she'd be pumping them for information about their planet, and the ones they had visited. Then again, I could use the help. We'd made quite a mess cooking for Usagi, especially since Minako-chabn had been helping. That girl will never figure out how to make a meal without making a mess along the way.

We worked in silence for a while but just as I had finished piling all the dirty dishes I heard a noise. It was Ami sniffling. I slowly slid along the counter until I could just peek at her face from where she was hunched over the sink. No, she was crying. Silent tears were running down her face as she methodically scrubbed away at the dishes.

"Ami-chan, what's wrong?" She jerked at my question but turned and gave me a watery smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong Mako-chan. The waters just overly hot that's all." Yeah, right, like I'll believe that one. I gently reached out and took her wrists and moved her hands out of the water, in the process turning her to face me. She didn't look up at me once and her lack of response spoke more then words ever could.

"Ami-chan, please tell me what's wrong." I was almost begging at this point. It hurt so much to see her suffering and not being able to do anything about it. Most of the time when she had been hurt before I had been able to beat someone up to fix it. I didn't think that would be the case this time. This hurt seemed too deep.

Ami's POV

I couldn't tell her, I just couldn't.

"It's really nothing, please, it's nothing." I tried to pull my hands out of her grip. I knew she'd never hurt me but she is stronger then me and very stubborn.

"Iie, Ami, it's not nothing. I've only seen you cry a couple of times and all of them were for someone or something very important. Don't worry about Usagi, she'll be fine and you don't have to say anything to your Mom. Everything's fine."

"That's not it!" I often wondered how she could be so dense. I mean, to me it's totally obvious, and I think Usa-chan's figured it out, but she obviously hasn't.

"It's about dying, isn't it?" I flinched. Oh god...please don't say anymore.. please!

Makoto's POV

Jack-pot, I've hit it.

"Iie, that's not it." she tried to tell me, but she was crying so hard now she almost choked on the words.

"Yes that's it, isn't it. Please talk to me about it, it'll make you feel...." Suddenly she wrenched her hands out of mine and stood up straight. I can tell she'd lost it and stood waiting for the explosion. It wasn't long in coming.

"It not me! It's you!"

"Nani? What about me? What did I do?" I've caused her to cry. I never wanted to hurt her at all and here she is crying her heart out. "Nani?" I tried to reach out to her again but she backed up a step.

"YOU DIED!"

With that she collapsed. Her knees seemed to give out and she sank towards the floor. I made a desperate grab and managed to get to her before she hit it. I shuffled around a bit on the way down so that I eventually had her in my lap.

"We all died Ami, I don't understand." I was trying desperately but I just couldn't understand what had upset her so. She hadn't reacted like this the last time we'd died. Yeah, she'd been upset, we all had, but we were starting to just kinda accept this stuff as par for course. I never thought that she would be this upset this time.

"You died. I watched you die. You..." she was mumbling into my shirt and her face had turned a bright pink shade beneath her tears.

Ami's POV

Oh Kami, I can't believe I just said that. I promised I would never tell her!

I tried to push away from her hold but it just tightened and I couldn't get away.

"Why didn't you tell me Ami?" The question was asked softly but there was no trace of any recrimination or disgust in her voice.

"There was no point. It wouldn't have been fair to you. It was my problem." I guess I have a responsibility to at least explain. After all, now that I've dumped this on her she deserves to know what is going on. "I didn't want to cause problems, or change things. There was nothing you could do about it so I didn't say anything."

"Oh Ami!" Then I was being cuddled even closer. This wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to react like this. She was supposed to say things wouldn't change and then let go and pretend nothing had happened, or maybe drop me and go tell the others or I don't know... but not this.

"If only you'd said something. I never did because I thought you were still interested in Ryo-san. I'll have to die more often if it uncovers secrets like this!" I looked up to the most astonishing sight I had ever seen. Mako-chan was smiling down at me with a spark in her eyes I had never seen before.

"You mean....your not angry at me? Demo, I thought...after all you're always chasing after guys."

"Oh that. Well I had to do something with my time while I waited to find out about you and Ryo-san. I wasn't going to give up unless I had to."

Makoto's POV

I felt almost giddy with happiness. I finally had what I had been waiting years for. Ami.

"Give up? Give up what?"

"You, of course." I'm sure I looked like a complete idiot by now. My smile must have covered half my face. I looked down to find Ami gazing at me with a confused but hopeful expression. Hmm...she still wasn't convinced. Shifting her around a bit until she was facing me I asked gently, "Ami, why were you so upset that I died. You died too, shouldn't that have upset you more? Why Ami-chan?"

Her face flushed even more and I could almost see the gears turning in her pretty little head. Would she have the courage to tell me....

"Because I didn't want you to die. I love you too much." She wasn't looking at me now and although I wouldn't have thought it possible her face had gotten a little more red. I reached out and stroked her cheek, bringing her face up level with mine.

Ami's POV

Her fingers on my cheek gently urged me to look up. I couldn't resist her and finally looked up into her beautiful brown eyes. I was shocked to see them shining, not with anger or disgust or any other emotion I had seen in my nightmares. The light coming from her eyes was definitely something else and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my body.

"Oh, Ami." She stroked my cheek again and I reflexively leaned into her hand. It felt so good! "Aishiteru." Now my eyes were so wide I'm surprised they didn't pop out of my head. "When I saw you again after Beryl, before we got our memories back, there was something about you. I couldn't place it but it was so compelling, demo didn't make any sense. After all, I didn't even know you!. Then after Usagi-chan gave us our memories back I suddenly realized what it was...I loved you!"

Tears of joy started to run down my cheeks as I stared at her beautiful face. I would never had expected her to say that but now that she had...I was absolutely ecstatic. I flew at her and wound my arms around her waist tightly, I never wanted to let go. I felt her arms going around me and hugged her even tighter.

"Aishiteru Mako-chan, Aishiteru."

"I know Ami, I love you too, very much."

We sat on the kitchen floor a lot longer, sometimes talking, sometimes just savouring the feel of the other in our arms. Eventually we had to get up as we couldn't feel our legs anymore (they had fallen asleep) and decided to finish the dishes. After all. 'It wouldn't do to have the Tsukino's show up to a messy kitchen', Mako-chan's words, not mine!

Rei's POV

I took my seat in the living room, across from the Starlights and silently watched Hotaru eating. I had snacked in the kitchen (who hadn't, now that I thought about it) and I figured I'd give the Starlights and Outers first dibs. Haruka and Michiru joined their daughter and chose some food, even Princess Kakyuu took something, but the Starlights didn't touch a thing. Now that I think about it, only Seiya and Taiki are sitting across from me, where is Yaten? I had seen Ami and Makoto go to the kitchen but Mina and Yaten were missing. Hopefully they weren't together killing each other.

It seemed that only after everyone who wanted food had gotten some, did Taiki speak.

"How can you be so calm?" What a weird question. After all, she was sitting as calm as pie on the other side of the room. Why couldn't we do the same on this side?

"What do you mean, Maker?" asked Michiru in her beautifully modulated tones.

"You were all dead a few hours ago, and now you're here alive and ...well, you don't seem fazed by it at all."

I blinked. Not fazed? Was she blind? Hadn't she seen us crying our eyes out after it all happened?

"Taiki, we were a basket case after it happened, you were there! Didn't you see us?"

"Of course I did demo...was that it? I mean, if it had been me, and it very nearly was, I would still be shaking!" She stopped abruptly after admitting this, almost as if she didn't mean to say it.

"Oh, I see what you mean. I guess we're just used to it by now." I understood where she was leading now. They must never have been dead before, so I could see how our reactions would be puzzling. I was just about to explain a little of our past history to them when I was interrupted by Hotaru.

"Oh and this time wasn't that bad, at least we all have our memories and I'm not a baby! I mean, being a kid is okay, but I think I'd rather not go through diapers again!" she was grinning a wide smile that filled her face with a happy light. Looking at her it was hard to imagine that this little girl had gone through so much. To look at her you would think she was the carefree 14 year old her body made her look.

"Nani?" this came from Seiya who looked like she'd swallowed a bird. "You've been dead before? When? What happened?" Hotaru opened her mouth to start talking but Haruka quickly covered it.

"Hotaru honey, you better not say anything else, Fighter-san might have a heart attack before your done. Let Rei-chan explain for a while okay?" Hotaru nodded slowly and settled back into her seat with a small smile still on her face.

Okay, so maybe I'll get to do my explanation after all. And explain I did, I covered....

1) Our revelations, Beryl, her generals and the Princess revelation

2) Anne and Ail

3) Chibiusa's arrival, the 4 Strange Sisters and the Dark Moon family and the Doom Phantom

4) the asteroid incident and Usagi-chan dying and coming back to life (I'm still not sure what happened there but neither of the lovebirds would ever explain it, UGH!)

6) the introduction of the Outer Scouts

5) the Ice Witch

7) Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90 and that battle, and Saturn's rebirth

8) Pegasus showing up as well as the Dark Circus and Nehelenia

9) Darien leaving and then they knew the story from there.....

I didn't give the long version, that would have taken hours, (as it was it took hours anyway, but it would have been a lot longer) just enough information to get the point across. By the end of it, even Princess Kakyuu seemed to be in shock a bit. Luna and the Outers had added bits and pieces I hadn't known or had forgotten as I'd told it and now Luna spoke up again, "Quite the story isn't it?"

The three of them only nodded mutely.

Note: Events were not in a real order and please let me know if I missed any major event....

LoneMala@hotmail.com