General's Hour
by Renee 
http://udel.edu/~flare/index.html

 Part 3 -

         Outside of Healer Hall, a battle raged.  A seriously irate Captain
 of the Royal Army had most of his attention focused on a different, far
 more important battle.  "It's just a scratch!  For goodness' sake, people!
 You didn't need to snatch me off my post!  There's a war going on out
 there!  Or hadn't you noticed?" seethed Captain Roland.
         A green robed Healer suddenly looked up from her station nearby,
 "Roland?  That you?  What'd you do this time?"
         Roland gritted his teeth, "Nothing.  Nothing  It's just a scratch.
 There's nothing wrong with me.  Nothing."
         The Healer smiled, "You sound so sure of that.  Why don't you let
 me take a look so we can clear it up, hmm?"
         Roland opened his mouth to object and then closed it.  He had
 enough of a latent Healer's Gift to know that his wound actually _would_
 need a Healer's attention, for all that it was just a scratch.  He
 acquiesced.
         The Healer walked over and pulled back the blanket.  Roland's left
 leg sported a nasty looking gash from hip to ankle.  The Healer placed her
 hands on his left leg, under his knee.  She whistled through her teeth,
 "Man, Roland!  You sure don't do things by halves, do you?  It's a good
 thing they _did_ pull you off your post!  Another hour and you might have
 bled to death!"  She started massaging the back of his knee, encouraging
 the Healing to start.  Within minutes the wound had begun to close.  Her
 Healing finished, the Healer grabbed a roll of bandages and began to dress
 what remained of the wound.
         Roland relaxed, much of the pain gone.  "Thanks Leea.  I appreciate
 you helping me, but is it possible-"
         Leea's pace didn't slow, but she smoothly interrupted with a firm,
 "Not on your life, pal.  I didn't patch  you up to have you go run off and
 destroy my handiwork.  General Zoisite can do without her Head Captain for
 the rest of the battle.  I mean, what would she think?  A MasterHealer,
 specially trained by herself, who let a wounded man go back out to fight,
 mere minutes after being Healed?  Uh-uh.  No way."  She shook her head for
 emphasis.
         Roland growled, "Somehow, I didn't think so."  He let his body
 drop back onto the cot.
         Leea allowed herself a sly smile.  Crossing her fingers behind her
 back, she assumed an innocent expression, "You know, Roland, I think I may
 have something for you to do around _here_, if you're up to it..."
         He sat straight up, "Anything, Leea!  Anything would be fine!"
         She laughed at his eagerness, "Don't like to sit around idle, do
 you?  Just as well.  I need someone on comm duty.  We had to recruit our
 normal communications officer to cut bandages.  It's a bit inconvenient not
 having someone monitoring the channels for "Mayday" calls.  You game?"
         "Count me in!  Anything to keep busy."
         Leea laughed again and dragged an armchair and footstool over to
 the comm station, "You'll probably be here awhile, so you may as well be
 comfortable," she arranged him carefully in the chair, "If you need anything
 just yell."  He nodded enthusiastically.
         Leea smiled and turned to leave, when a totally unexpected sight
 assaulted her eyes.  General Nephlyte and Captain Zafir had burst through
 the main door carrying a wounded man.  She ran over and tried to reach their
 unconscious burden.  The sudden press of people wouldn't allow her access.
 She stared, helpless, from the fringes of the crowd.  She caught Zafir's
 eyes and sent a silent plea for help.  He caught her gaze and tugged on
 Nephlyte's sleeve.  He pointed at her and said something to Nephlyte that
 she didn't catch.  Nephlyte nodded and quite suddenly the crowd parted.
 Nephlyte didn't often use his telekinetic powers, but he certainly knew how
 to put them to work effectively when he did.
         The General motioned for her to come over.  She walked through the
 parted crowd and knelt down.  She let out a small gasp.  The half-dead person
 at her feet was none other than General Malachite, himself.  Leea suddenly
 didn't feel up to the task.  Zafir caught her hesitation and put a hand on
 her shoulder, "What's wrong, Leea?"
         She gulped, "I can't do this, Zafir.  I'm not good enough to Heal
 something this bad!"
         "We need Zoisite," he stated bluntly.
         She nodded, unable to speak.
         "Damn," he whispered.  He walked over to Nephlyte and explained
 the situation.  Nephlyte knelt next to a trembling Leea, "Can you keep him
 stable until Zoisite can get here?"
         She shook her head slowly, "Not for more than a couple of hours."
         "That should be enough," he reassured her.  He looked out a window,
 "And it looks like the fighting is breaking up for some reason.  Maybe
 it's over."  He turned to Zafir, a conflict in his eyes - find Zoisite or
 stay with Malachite.  At this point he didn't know which to do.  Seeing
 the problem, Zafir volunteered to look for Zoisite.  Roland piped up from
 the comm console, "Can't we just call her over the comm channels?  Oh
 wait, she usually turns off her comm unit if she's in the thick of the
 fighting.  Damn."
         Zafir walked over to him, "You've got the right idea, though,
 Roland.  Put a continuous call through for her on the emergency channel.
 I'll go out and look for her at the same time.  One of us will eventually
 get to her.  OK?"
         Roland nodded, "Sounds good."
         "Great," Zafir unsheathed his sword and jogged out towards the now
 emptying field of battle.
         Nephlyte picked up his friend and carried him into the nearest
 room with Leea in tow.  As soon as Malachite was settled on the bed, Leea
 set to work trying to keep him alive until the cavalry could arrive.

         Zoisite carefully took stock of herself and her surroundings.  *No
 major injuries.  That's a blessing.*  She turned around and slowly dropped
 to the ground when she saw the carnage around her.  Dead and dying people
 lay strewn over the field of battle like toys dropped by an irresponsible
 child.  She crawled over to the nearest person and felt for a pulse.  She
 didn't find one.  Taking a closer look at the man's face, the General
 realized that the man was one of her Lieutenants.  She swallowed, hard.
 *I think I am going to be sick,* she thought.
         She stood up and began searching for her Head Captain.  He was
 nowhere to be found.  She added a vocal call, hoping that whatever state
 he was in, Roland would hear it.  "Roland!  Where are you?  Roland!"  She
 continued looking, hoping to find some clue.
         A low groan drew her attention to the right.  She bent down near
 the young woman, "Diana?"  Zoisite put her fingers to the woman's neck and
 found the pulse was strong, "Captain Diana?  Can you hear me?  It's
 General Zoisite."
         Diana cracked an eyelid open, "Huh?  I'm up, Mom.  Don't worry.  I
 won't be late for school..."
         Zoisite laughed, in spite of the dire situation, "Diana?  I don't
 have any children.  And even if I did, you're not young enough to be one
 of them."
         "General Zoisite!" Diana sat bolt upright, cracking her head on
 the bottom of the General's chin.
         Now it was Zoisite's turn to groan, "Owww..."
         "Sorry, sir," Diana was all remorse, "I didn't realize you were so
 close."
         "That's all right, Captain.  One more bruise won't kill me.  Do
 you think you can stand?"
         "Yes, sir.  I think so."
         "All right.  Just take it slowly, Diana.  You've got a minor
 concussion.  You'll feel dizzy for awhile," Zoisite cautioned.
         "No problem, sir," Diana replied.  Once the Captain was on her
 feet, she had a brief fight with her own nausea, "Oh Great Jupiter!  Are
 any of these people alive?"
         "Yes.  If you think you can stand on your own, now, then I should
 call Healer Hall and get the trauma teams out here."
         "Yes, sir.  I think I can manage that."
         "Good," Zoisite pulled her comm unit out and switched it on.  The
 emergency light started flashing.  "Damn," she swore, *I wonder how long
 that's been on.*  Quickly, Zoisite opened a channel to Healer Hall.  To
 her immense relief, her Head Captain's friendly face stared back at her
 over the channel.
         "General?  That you?  We've been callin' you for hours!  What the
 heck happened to you?" he yelled.
         "Berate me later, Roland.  This field is literally littered with
 wounded and we need to get the trauma teams out here as of yesterday.  Got
 it?" she paused, "And what are you doing on comm duty in Healer Hall,
 anyway?  I've been worried sick about you!"
         He held up his left leg so it was in the field of view, "The dear
 Princess took a slice at me when she had Mercury coat the area with her
 fog bubbles.  I remembered to warn my men to get out of the way, but I
 didn't move fast enough myself.  Pretty slick, huh?" he grimaced.
         "Does it hurt?" Zoisite asked.
         "No," he said sarcastically.  Then he made a face at her,
 "Literally littered, General?"
         "I'm sorry for the terrible alliteration, oh high king of grammar!
 I'll do better next time!" Zoisite looked up when she saw the trauma teams
 begin teleporting in.  "Oh good, the teams are here.  Now why were you
 calling me on the emergency channel?"
         Roland's cheerful expression dropped from his face, "We need you
 here.  Big time.  General Nephlyte and Captain Zafir just brought General
 Malachite in.  He got trashed pretty badly.  Masterhealer Leea is keeping
 him stable, but she's not good enough to actually Heal his wounds.  That
 was about four hours ago, and he's not lookin' so good, anymore."
         Zoisite went pale, "Oh great Mother Goddess!  I'll be there as
 soon as I can teleport in."
         She ended the communication and looked up
 at Diana.  Diana's face was grim.  Zoisite answered the question in her
 eyes, "I'm going.  Now.  Everything else can wait.  It we lose Malachite,
 we're all screwed.  And you need to have that head looked at, so
 you're coming with me."  With that, she grabbed Diana's arm and teleported
 to Healer Hall.

         Upon arrival at the Receiving Yard, Zoisite grabbed a green robe
 off the rack and ran into the main building.  She "looked" for Leea's
 power signature and teleported directly to it.  Even her macabre thoughts
 had not prepared her for the awful reality of General Malachite's wounds.
 She sat down quietly on the bed.
         Leea didn't look up, but she noticed Zoisite's presence, "Zoie?  I
 need help here," she gathered her thoughts, "He's got a massive gut wound
 - looks like the work of a mighty sharp sword.  I think he got clipped by
 some sort of laser beam-"
         "Or a 'Venus Crescent Beam'," Nephlyte interjected, bitterly.
 Diana put a comforting hand on her General's shoulder and he reached up a
 hand to give her a pat, "Glad to see _you're_ OK, Diana.  Wouldn't want to
 have to train a new Head Captain with all that's going on."  His voice was
 rough with suppressed tears.  Diana gave him a hug.
         Leea cleared her throat, "Anyway, he's got a host of internal
 injuries, he's lost a lot of blood, and he's in shock.  I don't know what
 else to do for him - I didn't know if I should risk any drugs..."
 Zoisite took over, "You did the right thing, Leea.  From here you can
 leave him to me," she glanced around the room, "Would you mind leaving me
 alone with him?  It's hard for me to concentrate with everyone else in
 here."
         Everyone, except Nephlyte, left the room.  Zoisite frowned, "That
 meant you too, Nephlyte."
         "Perhaps.  But I don't intend to leave him, again.  I did once,
 and look what happened.  Besides," he shrugged, "You'll need me to Call
 his mind back.  If you hadn't noticed, it and his soul don't seem to be
 keeping house in his body at the moment."  He settled back into his chair
 as Zoisite stared at him in shock.
         "What?" she spluttered.  "How do you- ?"
         "How do I know that?  Come on, Zoisite.  You don't spend
 thirty-some-odd years soul-bonded to a person and not be able to recognize
 when his soul is not in residence," he said dryly.
         "Oh right," she blushed, "You guys were raised as brothers,
 right?"
         "His mother died in childbirth, as far as we know.  As for
 Maloreon, his father... Well, when Malachite was about 2 years old, an
 "unofficial" legion of Palace soldiers ransacked his home and killed
 Maloreon.  My mom passed by and heard him crying - the soldiers had missed
 him in the general confusion.  She brought him home with her, and that, as
 they say, was that."
         For once, Zoisite was speechless.  Her own home and loving parents
 sprang suddenly to mind.  To think of growing up without their gentle care
 - it was unthinkable.  The thought of what it would have been like for
 him, not to know his own parents...  She covered her unease by setting to
 work.  Gently placing her hands on either side of the gaping wound in his
 stomach, she tackled the internal injuries.
         Nephlyte took Malachite's hand in his own and kept vigil over them
 both.

 ~~~~~~~                  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *                 ~~~~~~~

         The dawn
 was quiet.  Calm.  Most families lay sleeping in their beds.  Never wake before
 the sun - it was an old superstition.  If one awoke before the

         The dawn was quiet.  Calm.  Most people lay sleeping in their
 beds.  Never wake before the sun itself, the sun would be insulted and
 hide its face in the covers.  One young man snorting in disgust at the old
 wives tale, stared out at the splendor of the rising sun.  He, alone, of
 this village knew the truth behind that old wives tale.  *All it takes is
 one solar eclipse and a scared young Bard... Pah.  What fools.*  He stared
 up at the sunrise, a sunrise that shone through atmosphere alone.  No
 crystalline forest to reflect its fiery radiance.  No Terran sunrise could
 compare to a Lunar one in full splendor.
         The young man had cursed the turn of fate which had exiled him to
 this primitive planet.  That was before.  Now, nearly three years later,
 he was forced to reevaluate his opinion.  Earth had its own natural
 wonders - warm, vibrant, and comforting.  Not like the icy cold beauty of
 the Moon.  She had loved Earth.  Only her station in life had prevented
 his only love from uprooting and moving there.  Ironic that it should be
 he, the aloof, condescending outsider, who should settle in the midst of
 this rich planet.  No, he certainly did not curse his fate anymore.  His
 son deserved a chance at a real life.  He deserved to run through fields
 of grass and apple trees before the pressures of life under the rule of
 Queen Serenity claimed him, too.
         The young man heard a stirring in the house, *Ah, Relli must be
 up.*  "Relli!  Come here, girl!"  With a bound and a leap, a graceful
 golden dog raced out of the house.  She jumped up and licked the man's
 face.  He laughed and petted her.  "Easy girl, we don't want to wake the
 baby, right?"  She took up her usual spot, guarding at his feet.  Relli
 had been a last present from his love when he left for Earth with their
 baby.  Trained with the Guardian Dogs and Great Cats of the Moon Kingdom,
 Relli would probably die before she let anything happen to himself or his
 son.
         A piercing wail shattered the dawn silence, *Oops.  Woke him up.*
 He went into the house and slipped into his son's room.  *Wow, he's got a
 powerful set of lungs.*  He went over to the bed and lifted his son.  He
 started crooning to him, "Easy.  It's OK.  Daddy's here.  Daddy will
 protect you.  It's OK.  Easy."  His son's crying soon diminished and then
 ceased.  He heard a light giggle in his ear and his son started wriggling.
 He uttered the one word that he seemed to love more than anything,
 "Rell-i!  Rell-i!"
         The young father sighed at his son’s fickle nature and put him
 down.  The pair instantly scampered off to play in the apple orchard.  He
 sat wearily down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair.  *One more
 day to face.  One more day without my love.  Why us?  What was so wrong
 about us being together?  My rank was high enough.  I had titles, lands,
 Royal Honors - what was so wrong about me?  Why did they deem me so
 unworthy?  Why must she never know her son?*  He lay down and closed his
 eyes.
         A loud bang echoed in the stillness.  The young man shot up off of
 the bed and grabbed for his sword - which no longer hung at his side.
 *Damn!*  Before he had time to plan an escape route the men were in the
 room.  He tried to fight free, but they outnumbered him nearly twenty to
 one.  Two soldiers forced him to his knees before their commander.  The
 commander looked down at him.
         The man glared back.  The commander laughed, "So, the great
 General Maloreon, first General of the Royal Army of the Moon - captured
 at last!  What a great jest!  We thought to find you in the home of what
 passes for "nobility" and "royalty" on this planet.  And instead we find
 you in some dirty, little hovel on the edge of a backwater village.  What
 a great joke!  Tell me, where is that little bastard brat of yours?"
         Maloreon stared back at him, *My son!  So that's what they want.
 Damn!  My life is already forfeit, but there's no way I'll hand over my
 son!*  He looked Captain Torin straight in the eye and said simply,
 "General Maloreon, First of the Royal Four, Serial Number 784-35-G."
 The smile dropped from his former Head Captain's face, "Not funny,
 General.  We're going to find him with or without your cooperation.  If
 you cooperate, I'll give you a merciful death.  That's the best I can
 offer you, now."
         "General Maloreon, First of the Royal Four, Serial Number
 784-35-G," was his only reply.
         The laughing, cruel mask of the Captain cracked, "Dammit,
 Maloreon!  Don't make me do this!  Don't make me haul you before the
 Tribunal!  You know what you're charged with - Crimes against the Sanctity
 of the Royal House of the Moon!  You know the punishment!  They _hate_
 you.  They'll want to make an example of you.  The very least they'll do
 is sentence you to be tortured for three days before they let you die!"
 Torin cried, "I don't want to see you brought so low.  None of us do.  The
 Army is still yours at its heart.  We don't want to see you suffer, but
 justice must be served."
         Torin knelt down next to Maloreon, who stared straight ahead.
 Torin pleaded with him, "If you tell me where the child is, I'll give you
 a merciful death - to Hell with Justice!  I'll say it was an accident -
 you fought us and it happened during the fight!  No one will know!"
         Maloreon looked at his Captain, his eyes filled with an infinite
 sadness, "I knew what my actions would bring when I took them.  I was well
 aware of the consequences.  My son makes it all worth it.  I _can't_ hand
 him over to you.  He's my son.  To Hell with the consequences."  He turned
 away from the Captain and stared ahead.
         Torin stood up and looked down at the General at his feet.  He
 pleaded, "At least tell me his name."  Maloreon shook his head.  Torin
 uttered three words, "So be it."  He motioned to the two soldiers and they
 hauled General Maloreon to his feet and out of the house.  When they were
 well away from it, Torin raised his hands and called lightnings down on
 the house.  Those who witnessed it swore that he was crying as he did so.
         Only two other souls saw the tragedy take place - a small boy and
 his faithful, golden dog.  Relli stared after Maloreon, anguished.  She
 knew she could not save her Master, but she believed that she could save
 his son.  She gave one mournful howl that sent shivers up the spines of
 the retreating soldiers.  Then she grabbed the boy's collar and dragged
 him to the front of the house.  She saw a woman walking down the dirt road
 in front of the house.  She sniffed and wagged her tail ever so slightly.
 She knew this woman - she had a pup of her own who often came to play with
 the Master's boy.  She nosed the boy into the ruins of the house and
 started to bark.  The woman heard and ran to the house.
         "What's the matter, girl?  Where's Loreon?" she asked.  Just then,
 the boy started to cry.  The woman caught her breath and ran into the
 house.
         Satisfied that the boy would be safe, Relli ran to a secret room
 in the back of the house.  It still stood, she saw with relief.  Her whole
 being was screaming at her to return to her First Master - the Master's
 love.  Endless repeats of the drill had made activating the teleporter
 easy.  She stepped onto the platform and back to the Moon.  When her First
 Master saw her, and realized what must have happened to the Master - she
 broke down and cried, "Maloreon!  No!  Oh Goddess, no!  My love!  My baby!
 Oh please, no!"
         After that night, she was never the same.  Her mind began to
 dwindle and lose its vivacity and rebellious nature.  All she could focus
 on were simple things, like balls, and parties, and dresses.  She slowly
 became what she had always feared becoming - a petty and ordinary noble
 lady.
         The boy, whose very name was unknown to his noble mother, grew in
 the protection of the Earthwoman, and eventually took his father's place
 as First of the Four Generals of the Royal Army of the Moon Kingdom,
 though he did not know it.

 ~~~~~~~                 * * * * * * * *                          ~~~~~~~

         All of this flashed through the drifting mind of the adult who had
 been that boy.  He cringed in horror when he finally saw the face of the
 woman who was his mother.  What this would mean, he couldn't possibly
 know.

         She drifted, exhaustion accentuated in every line of her being.
 *I've never performed such a massive Healing before.  I think I
 overreached myself.  I feel so drained.*  Something nudged her.  And
 nudged her again.  She heard a hard thump.  Something must have fallen on
 the floor.  When an ache began on her bottom, Zoisite realized that _she_
 was the something that had fallen on the floor.  She pried her eyes open.
 She was sitting straddle-legged on the floor next to Malachite's bed.
 Nephlyte still kept his silent vigil.  She looked about, trying to figure
 out _how_ she had fallen off the bed - and encountered a pair of golden
 brown eyes set in a golden furred face.  A face with _teeth_.  She
 screamed.
         Nephlyte jerked up out of the chair, his sword drawn.  The face
 slammed into the floor and paws descended over its ears.  Nephlyte looked
 over at Zoisite and the poor dog moaning in front of her and began to
 laugh.
         Now that she had her bearings, Zoisite saw the humor in the
 situation.  She'd been so drained after Healing Malachite, that the dog
 had managed to shove her right off the bed.  She reached out her hands and
 scratched behind the dog's ears, "I'm sorry, girl!  I didn't mean to scare
 you.  Are you all right?"
         The dog wagged her tail once or twice and lolled her tongue out.
 She whined and looked up at Malachite.  After giving Zoisite's hand a
 lick, she jumped up on his bed.  He looked like the Master and the First
 Master.  Of that, there was no doubt.  This was the pup.  He'd grown into
 a fine, young man.  She sniffed around his face, rememorizing his unique
 smell.  She had tried to tell the First Master that this was her pup on
 several occasions.  She hadn't been successful.  She settled down across
 his legs.  To her canine nose, the family tie between them was obvious.
 Stupid bipeds and their weak noses.  Hmph.
         With Sailor Pluto's help, Relli had managed to show the pup the
 events of his sire's last day on Earth.  He deserved that much.  And she
 didn't remember the pup being as dense as his mother, maybe he'd figure
 out who his mother was from that dream.  She sighed, She sure hoped so.
 She picked her head up and looked at the pup again.  He sure didn't look
 good.  That color might be healthy for a poodle, but she doubted it was
 for a human.  She licked him once and jumped off the bed.  The
 Healer-Woman would care for him.  She ran off to find her First Master,
 leaving the pup in capable hands.

                         *               *               *

         Sailor Jupiter slowly stood and stretched.  She had checked the
 field from one end to the other - no sign of any of her fellow Scouts.
 She swallowed a sudden lump of tears in her throat, *They aren't fellows,
 not anymore.  They haven't been for quite some time.  Jupiter, was I
 blind!*
         ~Maybe next time you'll _listen_ when I tell you something!
 Humans.  Puh.  Think they know everything.  Hmph.~
         Sailor Jupiter smiled, "Good to know you care, Jupiter!"  The she
 sobered herself, "By the way, I never got a chance to thank you."
         ~For what?~
         With a sweep of her hand, Lita indicated her new uniform and the
 Starsword, "For this.  I wouldn't have had a chance out there without
 this.  Thank you."
         Jupiter smiled, warmly, ~You, of all the Scouts, have earned the
 additional power.  Enjoy it!~
         Lita felt her God's presence fade from her mind.  *You old softy,*
 she smiled, *Not that you'd ever admit it.*  She sighed, *Guess I'd better
 go find out what everyone plans to do about all this.*

         Another hour found Sailor Jupiter wandering the Palace halls in
 search of another living being.  She finally found one in the Ball Room.
 Queen Serenity sat blankly on the floor, rocking back and forth.  Jadeite
 sat about five feet away, staring at the Queen.  Lita walked over to him
 and put a hand on his shoulder.  He jerked up, then relaxed when he saw
 who it was.
         "Lita!  Thank the Gods, you're all right!  I need your help,"
 Jadeite suddenly grabbed Lita's hand, "What's wrong with her??  Why won't
 she get up??  She hasn't spoken or anything since the Crystal shattered!
 What do I do with her?"
         Lita pried her hand out of Jadeite's grasp, "Take it easy!  Let me
 go take a look.  OK?"  Jadeite nodded.
         Lita slowly approached the Queen, "Your Majesty?  Queen Serenity?
 Please, talk to me."  There was no response from the Queen.  Lita tried
 again, "Your Highness?  We need you now.  Please, snap out of it."  There
 was still no response.  *It's as if no one's home to answer me.  What the
 heck happened?*
         ~She has been steadily declining for many years.  Her daughter's
 betrayal was merely the last straw that pushed her over the edge.~
         "Jupiter?"  Lita was surprised.  It wasn't like Jupiter to contact
 her twice in such a short time.
         ~No, Little One.  It is not Jupiter with whom you speak.  We _all_
 look over the children of the Moon.  The start of this problem was an
 affair of the heart, and such is _my_ specialty.~
         "Venus!" Lita breathed, shocked.  "But why speak to _me_?"
         ~Because you are the only Scout left with us - other than Pluto,
 who is busy elsewhere.  You must forgive the rest of us if we meddle in
 your life more as a result.~
         *Oh great!* Lita thought, *That’s just what I need - 6 more gods
 meddling in my life!  Wonderful.*  Out loud she said, "Whatever works best
 for you.  I’ll be here if you need me - I don’t plan to go anywhere."  She
 turned to the Queen, "What happened originally?  I mean, what could cause
 such major damage?'
         ~An affair of the Heart - what else?~ was Venus’ cryptic reply.
 *Oh that helped,* Lita grumbled.  "OK, so what do I do with her _now_?
 She looks like she’s a mental vegetable!"
         ~Bring her to Healer Hall - it is possible that with rest, she may
 someday recover.~
         Lita felt Venus’ presence lift from the room.  She turned to
 Jadeite, "According to the Goddess of Venus, we have to get Queen Serenity
 to Healer Hall.  Think we can manage that?"
         Jadeite rose and took one of Serenity’s arms, "Ready whenever you
 are."
         Lita took her other arm and they hauled the Queen to her feet.
 After a few steps Lita stepped on one of Serenity’s pigtails and fell flat
 on her face - taking Jadeite and Serenity with her.  Jadeite piped up from
 the other side of the Queen, "Uh... Jupiter?  What was that maneuver
 supposed to accomplish?"
         Jupiter growled a response, "Absolutely nothing."  She grabbed her
 Starsword out of its sheath and hacked Serenity’s hair off at the
 shoulders.  "All right, stop staring.  You see short hair on people every
 day.  Get over it," she got to her feet and mumbled, "It’s not as if she’s
 awake enough to care, anyway."
         Jadeite said nothing.  He grabbed one of the Queen’s arms and
 dragged her back to her feet.  Lita took the other arm and they slowly
 made their way out of the Room.

         Something was shaking her.  Something was shaking her again.
 MasterHealer Leea growled something unintelligible and took a swat at the
 something.  The something yelped in surprise.  Her head felt all fuzzy and
 she was comfortable - she had no intention of moving.
         That all changed five seconds later.  She sat up spluttering and
 jumped up, desperately shaking her robes around.  Finally the ice cube
 dropped out of the back of her robe and onto the floor.  She spun around,
 glaring, trying to pin the culprit in place with her eyes.  Roland sat on
 the floor shaking with laughter.
         He managed to gasp, "You should’ve seen the look on your face!"
 before he collapsed into giggles, again.
         Leea was fairly shaking with rage, "You!  You!  Oh!!!!  I can’t
 believe you...!  AAAAHHHH!!!!"  She put her hands to her face, trying to
 calm her anger.  She felt all kinds of bumps on her cheek - bandage bumps.
 *Oh dear, I must’ve been sleeping on Roland’s leg!  I must’ve been hurting
 him!  No wonder he wanted me to get up!* she thought in a panic.
         Roland finally sobered up, "Don’t worry sweetheart - I won’t take
 it personally.  Beautiful women fall asleep in my lap all the time!"  Leea
 turned up her nose and stalked off.
         She soon found herself in front of General Malachite’s room.  She
 opened the door, determined to check on her former patient.  She slipped
 inside and found Zoisite and General Nephlyte still sitting on either side
 of Malachite’s bed.
         She dared to speak, "Has there been any change?"
         Zoisite slowly shook her head back and forth, "Not enough to
 warrant any kind of celebration or anything."
         Nephlyte piped up, "I _do_ feel a change.  He seemed to be in
 distress before - maybe he was dreaming - but now, he's calm again.  He
 should wake up sometime today or tomorrow."
         Zoisite stared at him, "A day or two?  Don't you think that's a
 little unrealistic?"
         Nephlyte raised an eyebrow, "You don't know General Malachite very
 well, do you?"
         She blushed and looked down, "I guess not."
         Leea saw the blush and thought to herself, *But I bet she'd like
 to!*  Out loud she said, "Where's everyone else?  Diana and Roland are in
 the lounge, you two are in here, but where's everyone else?"
         Nephlyte counted on his fingers, then tapped one finger against
 his chin, "We're missing Zafir, Jadeite, Lita, Queen Serenity, and Prince
 Darien.  You know, Leea, that's an excellent question."
         A sudden commotion interrupted the conversation.  A not so quietly
 muttered oath brought a blush to Leea's cheeks.  She turned towards the
 door and said, "Now who could that be...?"
         Nephlyte, shaking in silent laughter, said, "I think I know - I
 can at least make an educated guess..."
         Zoisite growled, "Well, whoever it is, they're making too much
 noise!  We've got wounded people in here - they need their rest!"  She
 rounded on Nephlyte, "If you know who it is, go tell 'em to shut up!"
         Nephlyte put his hands up in submission and ran from the room.  At
 Leea's questioning look, Zoisite clarified, "The distraction will do him
 good."  Leea joined Zoisite in the helpless fit of giggles that followed.