Sailor Moon V * The Dark Adventures of the Sailor Scouts Episode Five * "Time Enough For Love" Mina stood before the apartment door with a frown on her face. Come on, she thought to herself, I know you're in there. She knocked loudly for a third time and listened intently. "It's not locked," said a faint, slurred voice from within the apartment. Mina blinked and opened the door. Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this? she thought as she stepped into her friend's apartment. She immediately stepped back out as a wave of fumes escaped outside. "Yick, Leda, what is that awful smell? You burning lunch or what?" The blonde took a deep breath of fresh air and went back inside. She stopped dead in her tracks as a horrid thought occurred. That better not be cigarette smoke or I'll kill her.... "Where are you?" she called out. There was the sound of something hitting a hard surface. "I'm over here, in the livin' room. Whazzat 'bout lunch?" came the oddly flat voice from the back of the apartment. The frown on Mina's face deepened as she walked towards the living room. She's starting to sound like Ami did when she accidentally got.... Oh, no. She bolted into the living room only to come to a sudden halt at what she saw. Leda was sprawled back on the couch, wearing jeans and a very loose tank top. On the coffee table in front of her was an impressive collection of shot glasses and colorful bottles. A small taper of incense was burning in a wooden holder at the far end of the table, producing a strong but pleasant odor. "Don't tell me," Mina said flatly. "You're drunk." Leda shook her head. "No' quite, but getting there." She picked up a shot glass full of some emerald liquid and held it out towards Mina. "Stupid question, but you want some?" She received an icy stare in response, shrugged, and drank it herself. "Can't say I didn't offer. Ick, that was a bad mix." "I don't suppose lecturing you would help," Mina said, still glaring. The brunette snorted. "You can try, if it'll make you feel better," she said as she proceeded to mix several of the liquors together in a tumbler. The end result was more of the emerald liquid she had offered Mina. She cautiously sniffed the drink and added a small dose of a dark blue liquid. Mina's curiosity got the better of her. "What exactly is that, aside from being green and toxic? And what's with the incense?" "Lethe, and the incense was Rei's idea. Supposed to help me meditate and focus my inner thoughts." Mina blinked. "Did you say Lethe, as in Water-From-The-River-Styx Lethe?" Leda chuckled. "Roughly. Same effect, only it tastes better than river water. Unless you don' mix it right. Then it tastes like sewer water." She waved Mina over to a chair on the other side of the coffee table. "If you're gonna stay put and glare at me all day, you might as well sit down." The blonde sighed as she sat down. "Leda.... Why?" Leda put the drink down and sat back. "Well, why would someone want to drink from the river Styx in the first place?" "According to the mythology, it would make a person forget their past." Leda nodded slowly. "Exactly." Mina's heavy sigh nearly extinguished the incense that was quietly burning in the holder. "Girl, I thought you already knew....." She took a deep breath and calmed down. "What is it this time?" Leda sat up and grabbed the tumbler. "Take a guess," she said as she took a sip of the emerald drink. She made a face and added another few drops of the dark blue liquid. Mina thought for a few seconds. "Memories of your parents?" she suggested softly. Leda shook her head and Mina thought again. She watched Leda take another sip of the green liquid and suddenly remembered another part of Leda's past. "Memories of Jenni, then." She barely had enough time to blink before Leda downed the entire contents of the tumbler. The glass made a dull thumping sound as Leda set it on the table. "That's only part of it." She raised her right hand and spread her fingers. "Five really close friends...." She raised her left hand and did the same, but keep her thumb tucked in. "Four couples. Get the picture?" Mina shook her head in confusion. "No, I don't. Do you think you can explain things to me, or do I have to be sloshed to understand?" Leda ignored the barb and made fists. "Ok. Serena...." she said as she extended her right pinky. "Darian," she said, this time extending her left pinky. She continued to extend her fingers one-by-one as she spoke. "Rei.... Chad. Ami.... Tolaris. You.... Maze. Me....." She trailed off as she stuck out her right thumb and took a close look at her left thumb. "Oops, looks like there's no one for me. Sucks, doesn't it?" Mina was very quiet as she considered the implications. She knew that Leda's parents were killed in a plane crash when she was thirteen and she has been living alone since then. She used to have a boyfriend, but she was dumped shortly after she lost her virginity to him. Deeply hurt, she found the love and comfort she needed from her classmate, Jenni Thorne. The two became lovers until Jenni died in a freak auto accident several months later. Not long after that, Leda was transferred to Serena and Ami's school where she became a Sailor Scout. She's right, she thought. Serena has her family plus Darian, I've got my parents and Maze, Ami only has her mother but she's got Tolaris, Rei's got just her grandfather and Chad, but Leda.... except for her friends, she has no one. Mina stood up. "Anything I can do?" she asked softly. Leda glared at the burning incense. "Yeah. Go away and leave me alone." Mina turned to leave and Leda spoke up again. "On second thought, do you think you could drop by tomorrow night for dinner?" Mina opened her mouth to tell her that Maze was taking her out that night but she decided that her plans could be altered. "No problem. You want me to bring Artemis or the others?" Leda made a face. "You can leave that smart-aleck furball at home, thank you. Rei can stay put as well since I don't need another lecture about this, and I don't think I'm going to want to put up with Serena." "What about Ami?" "No, the vampire can stay put as well. Just between you and me, I'm still quite pissed at her for that comment she made last week. You know, the one you slapped her for?" Mina made a face. "Yes, I remember quite well. Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow night, then." She turned to leave, then paused briefly. "Leda?" "Hmm?" the brunette said as she mixed another drink. "Keep in mind that we're your friends, and while we may not always openly show it, we still care about you. Just don't do anything stupid tonight, okay? The Sailor Scouts would be quite lonely without you." Leda remained silent for several minutes after Mina left. Eventually, she reached out and picked up another tumbler full of the emerald liquid. She held it up to the sunset, watching as the last few beams of light splashed rainbow colors across the rim of the glass. "Here's to friends and memories: Can't live with them, and can't live with out them. Cheers," she said and drained the glass. * * * * She no longer knew what time it was, save that it was night. The majority of the effects of the alcohol had worn off, leaving her feeling only slightly buzzed. But she knew that the hangover would kick in quite soon, leaving her with a headache the size of Jupiter. Perhaps there still is poetic justice in this world, she thought as she retrieved the carefully wrapped bundle from the depths of her dresser drawer. She paused in surprise as she noticed the green satin chemise neatly folded at the bottom of the drawer. Huh, she thought, when did I get this? She set the bundle down on top of the dresser and picked up the chemise. A small card slipped out between the garment's folds to land at her feet. She bent down and picked it up, noting that the card seemed oddly familiar. Curious, she opened the card and read it. To Leda: Hope it fits. Don't you own any clothes that don't have the size tags ripped out? I know you're rather shy about your figure, girl, but how am I supposed to buy you anything if I don't know what size you wear? Not that you'll be wearing this for long.... Congratulations on winning the Regional Cooking Competition, Thunderheart. Love, Jenni. Leda fell to her knees as the memories suddenly rushed back. Jenni had gone to the trouble of throwing a huge party for her, inviting several of her classmates over after class. The party lasted well into the evening before everyone went home for the night. Jenni, however, waited until the last of the guests had left before giving Leda her final gift. "Thought I'd save this for the private party," she had said, her emerald eyes twinkling mischievously. Leda cooed with delight at the gift, deciding it would be rude to not try it out. It fit perfectly, which Leda somehow knew it would, despite her best efforts to keep her figure size a secret. And just as she expected, Jenni's prediction came true.... Leda cried silently as she remembered why she had hidden the chemise from both her sight and memory. That night was the last night she slept in Jenni's arms and felt her soothing touch. What happened three days later would forever be imprinted in her memory and seared into her soul.... * * * * Leda frowned darkly as the phone rang. It figures, she thought as she scrambled out of the steaming bathtub. Just when I get all nice and cozy, some nutball has to call me. She dashed out of the bathroom, not bothering to grab a towel to hide her nude body. Living alone means never having to worry much about clothes, she thought as she grabbed the phone. "Hello?" she inquired, trying not to sound irritated at the interruption. I'll worry about the puddles later, she thought as she dripped water onto the floor. "Leda? It's Michael," said the familiar voice of Jenni's father. Leda smiled. "Hi, Mr. Thorne. What's up?" She decided that she could forgive the interruption of her bath. Had it been anyone else, though, she would have become rather annoyed. "Leda, I think you need to come over here," he said slowly, his voice starting to waver with an unknown emotion. Leda's smile faded as she sensed something was wrong. "Sure.... Umm, is everything alright over there? You sound kinda.... I don't know, odd...." The voice took a deep breath. "Leda.... There's been an accident...." Her blood froze as the voice continued. "And.... Jenni's been taken to the hospital...." She fell to her knees, only partially hearing what else Mr. Thorne said. ".... Car accident.... slid onto the sidewalk.... critical condition...." The puddles of bath water were soon joined by a puddle of quiet tears. * * * * Leda slowly got to her feet and wiped away her tears. The funeral had been a week later, but she remembered almost nothing of the time between the phone call and the church services. The only thing she had of that time period was a small index card with the instructions on mixing up an alcoholic drink called Lethe. Never did figure out how I got that, she mused as she placed the satin chemise back in her dresser. Guess it worked if I can't remember anything from that week. Finishing her task, she closed the drawer and turned her attention to the small bundle wrapped in black velvet, a new set of memories returning to her mind's ears.... "Hey, Ken! Welcome back! How went your trip to northern Japan?" "It was wonderful, Leda. Quite scenic. You should try to talk your Dad into taking you up there some time." "Well, you know how he is about travel...." "Yeah, I know. Listen, I got you a little something from a temple we ran across near the coast." "If it's another one of those stupid charms.... Oooh, feels heavy. What is it?" "Open it and find out." "Spoilsport.... A.... A dagger? Ken, I.... I don't know what to say...." "It's not just a dagger, Leda. It's an original 19th century ceremonial dagger used by the Shinto priests for special blessings and such. I guess you could qualify it as another one of those 'stupid charms' I keep giving you...." "Ken, I...." "Don't know what to say, I know. A simple thank you will suffice, you know. It's not hard to say 'Thank you, Ken'." "Thank you, Ken. But wouldn't something like this cost a fortune?" "Hey, what are best friends for? Just make sure it keeps a low profile. I don't want your parents coming after me for giving their twelve-year-old daughter lethal weapons." "Relax, Ken, I'll keep it hidden, and I swear I won't use it on anyone." "Glad to hear that one, Leda. Come on, I've still got a bit of unpacking to do...." Leda blinked as the present returned. She picked up the bundle and held it carefully, feeling its weight. She moved to unwrap it but stopped as she remembered the promise she made so long ago. Well, I guess I did swear that I wouldn't, my friend, and I'm not one to break my word. The unopened bundle was quickly placed back in its original hiding place. She did her best to forget what she had done but the newly awakened memories continued to haunt her. Not tonight, not now, she thought, but they simply would not be forgotten. She sighed to herself, then winced as a dull ache lanced through her head. So it begins, she thought. I can either overdose on aspirin and try to sleep this off or I can kill my memory with alcohol first, then overdose on aspirin and try to sleep it off. Either way, I'll be hating life in the morning. She sighed again and made a decision. I'll catch hell from Mina later about this, but right now I don't need any more reasons to be hating life. Walking slightly off-balance, Leda left her bedroom and made her way into the living room. She threw herself down on the couch, immediately regretted it because of the headache, and reached for the collection of bottles on her coffee table. * * * * Mina sat in her bed, smiling to herself as she listened to a cat scream somewhere in the city. You would think that after the lecture you gave to Ami and myself that you'd be more discreet than that, she thought. I know we all have our needs, Luna, but you don't have to announce it to the entire city. She almost jumped out of bed as the sound of thunder echoed loudly. She quickly got out of bed and checked the sky, but no sign of any sort of storm could be seen. Mina knew that the odds were very rare that a bolt of lightning would naturally occur in a clear sky, so that only really left one explanation. I'll bet Ami and Tolaris are at it again, she thought wryly as she looked out into the night. A bright flash filled the sky and was shortly followed by an extemely loud thunderclap. Makes me glad Maze doesn't lose control of his powers when we make love, she thought with a smile. Not that I haven't tried to make him.... Mina winced in pain as a third thunderclap split the night. Strange, she wondered, Tolaris usually isn't this loud. Curious, she pulled out her Sailor Scout communicator and turned it on. The rows of frequency-sigils lit up, indicating the available connections to the other communicators. She noted with mild interest that the Mars sigil was ghosted out, meaning that Rei had set her communicator to privacy mode. Mina knew that all incoming calls would be ignored in privacy mode, with the exception of any calls made on the Emergency frequency. She also knew that the only real reason anyone except Rei would use it was so that they weren't disturbed when making out with their boyfriends. However, she thought, Chad is still out on his concert tour of Northern Japan, so she must have some other reason for wanting privacy. Not that they wouldn't be going at it if he was back, she thought to herself. Mina laughed quietly, wondering about Rei's tendency to be turned on by being torn up in a fight. She had a basic grasp of the 'why' part, but she was lost when it came to the 'how' part. Oh well, to each their own. She was reminded of her original purpose when a crack of thunder rattled her bedroom windows. She turned her attention to the communicator and was surprised to find that the Mercury and Lightning sigils were still open. Odd, it's not like either of them to be that careless, she thought as she opened Mercury's frequency. She was even more surprised when Ami's image promptly appeared on the monitor. "Hi, Mina. What's up?" Ami asked. Mina smirked. "Half the neighborhood. Listen, some of us are trying to sleep here, so could the two of you try to tone it down a bit?" Ami looked confused. "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the lightning outside that's coming from a cloudless sky. Usually that kind of stuff only happens when you and Tolaris are getting quite cozy." The vampire blushed. "But we're not doing anything right now." Mina smiled and made a gesture. "Oh, yeah? Where's your blouse, then?" Ami's blush deepened by several shades. "In my lap because I'm getting my back scratched." Behind her, a hand popped into view, waved briefly, then went back to its task. The blonde blinked in surprise. "Okay.... So if it isn't Tolaris, then what's causing all the lightning?" Ami turned her head to look at Tolaris, who was out of Mina's field of view. "Any ideas?" she asked. Tolaris said something that Mina couldn't quite hear and Ami blinked in surprise. "Are you sure about that?" she said and was answered with an affirmative. Ami blinked again and turned her head back to face Mina. "Tolaris says it feels like its redirected lightning. It's first a cloud- to-ground bolt, then a ground-to-cloud bolt. He says he thinks he's felt it before, but he's not quite sure where or when." Mina thought for a second before the realization sank in. She closed her eyes and let her head smack into the communicator screen. "Oh, no, I think I know what it is now...." The blue-haired vampire blinked. "You do? What?" Mina sighed. "Leda's drunk, or at least she was getting there when I left her apartment a few hours ago." Ami's blue eyes went wide. "You serious?" Mina nodded. "Yeah. She was feeling really lonely for some reason and decided to get sloshed. Why, I don't know." She paused for a second to think. "I'm willing to bet that she's in the mood for a thunderstorm, and is trying to incite one herself. Problem is, she's rattling the windows with her Jupiter Thunder. Do you think Tolaris could cook up a small storm to keep her happy until she sobers up?" Ami turned her head to look at Tolaris, then turned back with a slight blush on her face. "Umm.... sure, but it'll take awhile for the storm to start to develop. Tolaris says that making it develop any faster will give the meteorologists a bad case of indigestion when they try to figure out how it could have sprung up. Not that they haven't already wet their pants about the current lightning storm...." Mina smiled. "Nah, we can just leak a rumor to the media that the Sailor Scouts had it out with some evil forces and that Sailor Jupiter got just a tad overzealous." Ami laughed. "I think that'll work. The storm should be noticeable in about ten minutes." Mina nodded. "Thanks, you two. Good night and sleep well." Mina paused long enough to give them a wicked grin. "That is, after you've finished making Tolaris lose control of his powers again." Her last view was of Ami blushing a deep shade of red before the frequency was closed. Mina chuckled to herself as she watched the Mercury and Lightning sigils ghost out a few seconds later. I love doing stuff like that, she thought with a smile. Her smile faded slightly as she noticed the Moon sigil ghost out as well. Odd, I didn't think Serena ever used the privacy mode, she thought. Mina watched as the Moon sigil faded completely, relit in privacy mode, then started to blink on and off. Mina frowned and queried the communicator's diagnostic hardware. Mina was puzzled at the reading she got from Serena's communicator. What is it doing? she thought as she sent another query to the diagnostics, asking it for an explanation. The blonde smiled as she finally understood. Looks like Serena managed to trip and land on her communicator again. Makes me glad these things are made to handle being dropped or stepped on. Though I often wonder if Luna didn't specially reinforce Serena's communicator for stuff like that.... Smiling to herself, she reset her communicator, took a deep breath, and opened Sailor Jupiter's frequency. I know you're there, girl, and I know you can hear it beeping at you, so you might as well answer it. Several minutes passed before the channel finally opened. The monitor hadn't even fully lit up before the channel closed and the Jupiter sigil ghosted out into privacy mode. Mina frowned. Well if that's how it's going to be, then I'll just let you have it tomorrow. An evil grin spread across her face as she contemplated ways of making Leda regret her behavior. I think I'll start off by making sure you won't forget the massive migraine you'll probably be nursing come morning.... The grin widened as her thoughts slid downhill from there. She quickly reset her communicator and opened up the Star frequency. She smiled as Maze's image appeared on the monitor. "Evening, love. What's up?" he said with a soft smile. "Vengeance. Listen, you busy tomorrow morning....?" * * * * Leda woke up from her sleep and regretted doing so as someone detonated a nuke inside her brain. She waited until her mind stopped burning before trying to think of something to describe the pain. If it were three feet lower, she managed to think, it would probably feel like child birth. She immediately decided that if it was an accurate assessment, there was no way on Earth that she would ever have kids. With her mind in some semblance of working order and the headache dulled to a mere freight train, Leda slowly realized that something didn't feel quite right. She tried to open her eyes but the effort brought a new rush of pain to her head. Moaning in pain, she abandoned the idea and tried to move her arms and legs instead. Her limbs moved briefly and Leda was suddenly aware of the fact that she was naked. This alarmed her for a full second before she remembered that she always slept in the nude. She briefly wondered why and an image of a girl with emerald-green hair came to mind. I'll bet it's her fault, Leda thought. Yeah, I learned it from the green- haired chick.... What was her name again? She racked her brain to come up with a name but the pain made it difficult. Oh, well. Sheets feel nice, though. I'll have to thank her for telling me about this. The sensation of something being amiss nagged her mind again and she continued to search for its cause. She moved her neck and discovered that she had a sizable crick in it. Aha! she thought, this must be it. She started to stretch her neck before discovering that she had a crick in her neck because she was lying on something rather hard. She gave serious thought to simply passing it off as a pillow in dire need of fluffing, but her brain had woken up enough to set off a small alarm. She turned her head to one side and forced her eyes open. She waited until she could focus on the wall before trying to identify the object she was lying on. She was surprised to find that it was an arm, and it wasn't one of her own. Leda's mind froze as it considered this new development. A third arm in bed usually meant their was a fourth lying around, and that both of the spare limbs belonged to someone else. Therefore, she thought, there is a rather good chance that someone else is in my bed with me. That conclusion set off several major alarms in her head and she started to sweat. Ok, she thought, quick summary: I'm in my bed, someone else is in my bed, I'm naked, and I have no memory of my activities in the past, oh, sixteen hours or so. All in all, I think I'm in some very serious trouble. Suppressing the sudden urge to scream, Leda rolled over. "I was wondering when you would get around to waking up," Maze said with a soft smile. Leda immediately noticed that Maze didn't appear to be wearing anything other than a pair of boxer shorts given to him by Mina. Leda hesitated, wondering if this was a bad dream or if she should start screaming now. She vaguely remembered inviting Mina over for dinner, but she thought that was supposed to be tonight. She could have sworn she didn't say anything about bringing Maze, or having him spend the night, but she couldn't be absolutely certain with a sizable part of her short-term memory missing. "Maze," she said slowly, her voice sounding like gravel, "Why are you in my bed?" "It was your idea," Mina said as she entered the room wearing a very tight and translucent nightgown. She sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arm around Maze, kissing the edge of his ear. "Mina, what idea?" Leda said slowly. The blonde wrapped her other arm around Leda's bare waist and hugged her close, moving her body suggestively. "Surely you remember last night," she purred into the brunette's ear. Every single thought in Leda's mind came to a complete halt as she felt a wave of dread wash over her. "Last night?" she echoed with a slight tremor in her voice, her throat suddenly going dry. "You mean you don't remember?" Maze said with a slightly hurt look. His expression changed as he reached over and traced the soft contours of her neck. "Don't worry, I'll remind you," he whispered as he kissed her neck. Mina pouted. "I thought you said it was my turn with her," she said in a very silky and seductive tone. The sound of Leda screaming echoed for several seconds afterward. * * * * "Quit smiling, girl, that wasn't funny," Leda said for the eighth time in as many minutes. She was sitting on her couch in her bathrobe, holding her head in both hands. Her fit of screaming had caused another nuclear device to be detonated in her brain, resulting in an occasional moan of pain. She was dimly aware of the sound of running water as Maze was taking a hot shower. Mina emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming cup of tea. She sat down on the opposite side of the couch from Leda and widened her smile. "Of course it was," she said cheerfully as she set the tea on the coffee table. "Not only was it supremely funny, it was also payback." "Payback for what?" Leda growled as she looked at the steaming cup. She decided she could use something of her own to drink and unsteadily rose to her feet. "What did I do to you to deserve being horrified like that?" she said as she made her way into the kitchen. "Well, you've got your choice: Payback for getting drunk, payback for ignoring me on the communicator, or payback for waking up half of Tokyo with your attempts to create a thunderstorm." "Eh? What was that about a thunderstorm?" Leda called out. Mina chuckled as she reached for the television remote. "Between Tolaris and myself, the best we can come up with is that you were in the mood for a good thunderstorm and used your Jupiter Thunder to try to start one." There was a muffled curse from the kitchen. "Tell me that's another bad joke, Mina. Please say it is...." "Nope," Mina sais as she turned on the TV. "You went ballistic, so I had to convince Tolaris to create a storm of his own to keep you happy." She set the volume to low and started to look for a news station. "Great. How did you get Tolaris to do it? I thought he preferred not to mess with the weather unless he needed to." The blonde giggled. "Simple. I just left him alone in a room with Ami." Leda burst into laughter for two seconds before it became too painful to handle. "Ow, that hurt. So I guess it wasn't a voluntary storm then, eh?" "Trust me, he likes losing control of his powers that way." Leda walked back into the living room carrying a mug of black coffee. "It figures. Most guys I know would. Is it the same with Maze?" she asked, making a gesture towards the bathroom and its occupant. She smiled to herself as Mina started to blush. "Yes, but he doesn't lose control of his powers." She watched with mild interest as Leda took the plastic spoon out of her coffee and tossed it on the table. "Umm, Leda, I think that coffee of yours might be just a little too strong for you to handle right now." Leda paused with the mug at her lips. "What makes you say that?" "It started to melt the spoon." Leda blinked in surprise and looked at the spoon. The plastic edges had started to warp and bend before it was taken out of the steaming liquid. She took a good look at the coffee she was holding before gingerly setting it down on the table. Mina smiled, then turned her attention back to the television. "Ahh, here we go. Mind if we watch the noon news?" she asked Leda. The brunette shook her head and Mina turned up the volume. "....So barring anymore unexpected weather patterns, it should be partly sunny today with a high in the mid 70's. Tonight should be clear and cool with the low dropping to the upper 50's. And the forecast for tomorrow is mostly cloudy with the high hovering around 70. "Recapping our top story, seventeen people are dead and over two hundred wounded in a tragic collision between two commuter trains this morning. No official reason for the incident has been released yet but on-site engineers believe the accident was caused by a malfunctioning switch gate which diverted the south-bound train into the path of the train headed north on a parallel track...." Both girls made faces as an overhead picture of the accident was shown. "All that damage and loss of life," Leda said slowly, "All because of a broken computer switch. Kinda makes you wonder what else could happen if some little microchip gets in a bad mood." "I try not to think about it much," Mina said, still looking faintly ill. "I find it's easier to sleep that way." Leda made a face as the phone rang. "Could you turn the TV down for a bit while I get this?" she said as she reached for the phone. Mina nodded and lowered the volume, still watching the scene of immense destruction on the screen. "Hello?.... Yes, this is she.... What can I do for you, Officer?" Mina blinked in surprise and wondered what the police would want with Leda. Oh no, I hope she didn't do something stupid last night.... Aside from the lightning barrage, but they wouldn't know it's her.... She blinked again as a towel was dropped in her lap. She looked up to see Maze smiling at her, still slightly damp from his shower. "Did you get your vengeance?" he said as he bent down and kissed her. "Very much," she said with a satisfied smile. "Yes, I know him.... His parents? They moved up north not too long ago. I think I have their phone number somewhere. You mind holding for a second while I look for it?.... Thanks...." Leda set the phone on the edge of the couch and started to search for her personal phone book. "Any particular reason the cops are calling you?" Mina inquired. "Yeah, they're looking to get in touch with Ken's parents." She found what she was looking for and started to search through it. "I don't know what they want, but I'm going to try to find out. Ahh, here it is." Maze frowned. "Cops?" Mina nodded. "Slang term for the local law enforcement." "Ah, I see." Leda picked up the phone again. "Officer Jackson? Yeah, I found it," she said, then gave him the address and phone number. "You're welcome. Umm, if you don't mind, I'm a close friend of Ken's and I was wondering if you can tell me if he's in any sort of trouble or anything...." Mina suddenly frowned, a sense of unease creeping over her. I don't like this, she thought as Leda listened to the voice on the phone. She was getting ready to ask Leda what the problem was when Leda's complexion went white. "No, it.... it can't be...!" Both Mina and Maze lunged forward as Leda collapsed to her knees. Maze kept Leda from landing on anything hard while Mina made sure that the steaming coffee wasn't splashed on anyone. "Leda, what's wrong?" Maze asked. Leda weakly waved him off. "A-are you sure?... Yes, I'll be fine.... Do me a favor and have them call me when they arrive.... I'll be okay, Officer.... Thank you.... Good-bye." She hung up the phone and broke into tears. "Leda, what happened? What was that all about?" Mina said, still keeping the coffee from falling off the table. "It.... It's about Ken.... He was.... He was killed in that accident this morning...." she managed to say before she completely broke down and cried into Maze's shoulder. * * * * Four hours later, Leda and Mina were standing in the lobby of one of the hospitals where the accident victims were being treated. Mina had finished talking to Ami on the communicator when Maze returned to the lobby. "It's on this floor, just past those elevators," he said, gesturing in the direction of the elevators. He turned to Leda and put a hand on her shoulder. "My deepest sympathies, Leda. I know what its like to lose close friends, both in accidents and in battle." Leda nodded and wiped away a tear. "My thanks to both of you. Come on, let's go." She let them across the elevator lobby to a set of reception rooms that were being used as a gathering place for the friends and families of the train accident victims. The old lady behind the reception desk nodded as they approached and pulled out a large record book. "May I get your names, please?" "Leda Kino." "Ah, I was told to give you a message when you arrived, Ms. Kino. You're invited to a private reception for the families tonight at eight. Mrs. Stone also wanted to see you as soon as you arrived. She's in room C-3, second door on your left." "Thank you, ma'am. See you guys in a bit," she said to Mina and Maze, then made her way down the corridor. "Can I get your name as well, young lady?" the secretary asked politely. "Mina Aino." "And you, young man?" Maze thought quickly. "Maze Aino," he said. "Older brother?" she asked as she scribbled on the record sheet. "Husband." The old lady looked up from her records. She first looked at Mina, then gave Maze a strange look. Mina was surprised by the answer as well but she pretended as if everything was perfectly fine. "Problem?" Maze said softly, giving the secretary a smile. "None that I know of. Room C-3, second door on your left." "Thank you, ma'am," Maze said, then headed down the corridor. Mina waited until they were out of the old lady's sight before coming to a halt. She opened her mouth to say something but was silenced when Maze gave her a thorough kiss. "Don't start," he said after they broke apart. "I had to think fast back there, and that was the first thing that came to mind. Unlike Tolaris, I don't know what my great-grandfather's name was so I couldn't use it as a last name." "Mmm, are you sure that's all it was?" Mina replied innocently. Maze blinked. Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be caught in a trap? he thought. "Umm, what exactly do you mean?" Mina smiled what Maze would call a predatory grin. "Oh, I just thought it might have been a Freudian slip or something by saying you were my husband." "Depends. What's a 'Freudian slip'?" he asked. "The long definition is fairly complex. In short, a slip of the tongue by which you say something that is on your mind or in your thoughts." The Dragoon blinked and thought carefully. Yes, this smells like a trap of sorts, he thought. "Umm.... Can we talk about this later? Leda's probably waiting for us, and you know how much moral support she needs right now...." Mina's smile only faltered for a brief instant. "Of course. Let's go, then." So much for that tactic, she thought. Guess I'll have to take another shot at it later. They entered the reception room and found Leda hovering just inside the door. "Hey guys," Leda said when she saw them. "Listen, Ken's parents said it would be less boring for me if I were to come for the eight o'clock reception rather than stay here, so unless you want to poke around for a bit, we can go." Mina shrugged. "Works for me. So how are you holding up?" "I'm fine," Leda said as they made their way out of the reception area. The blonde snorted. "Yeah, right. I can usually read you like a book. Try again." Leda sighed. "Ok, so I'm giving serious consideration to going home and crying my heart out again for a few hours. That better?" Mina nodded. "At least its the truth. Come on, we'll take you home. Besides, I'm supposed to be over for dinner tonight, remember?" "Yeah, I remember," Leda chuckled weakly. "I don't remember much after that, but I remember that part. Maze, you're also welcome to stay for dinner. I was planning on making some of my home-made chili." Mina giggled. "You mean the stuff the military uses to jump-start their nuclear reactors?" Leda gave her an amused look. "Okay, already, I won't use as much chili powder this time." Mina pretended to be in deep thought. "I guess that means they'll only be able to use that batch for jet fuel, then." "Hey, if you didn't like it then you wouldn't have eaten three bowls of it the last time I made some." "Well.... Okay, so I liked it. But what about him?" Mina said, pointing at Maze. Maze was busy smiling at the secretary as they left and failed to notice. "What about Maze?" Leda countered. "What about me?" the Dragoon said, slightly confused by the sudden turn of the conversation. "Well, keep in mind that his digestive system is different from ours, and that spicy foods are quite rare in the Negaverse." "What, you don't think he could handle my cooking?" "Well, let's just say that Artemis probably has a better tolerance for spicy foods than he does." "Am I missing something?" Maze asked. "Of course not," Mina said, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him. "We're just saying that my cat as a better stomach than you." "Oh, okay...." He trailed off as her meaning sank in. "HEY!" The girls burst into a fit of giggles. "Seriously, Mina," Leda said when she could stop giggling, "You don't think he could handle spicy chili?" The blonde shook her head. "Probably, but I don't want to risk it. I fed Artemis some of the chili you made last time and it wasn't pretty. I had to keep him outside for a week, and I swear he spent the first three days doing nothing but camping out on the litter box." "Why did you keep him outside?" Maze asked with the innocent curiosity of someone who had never owned a pet. Mina made a face at the memory. "He had to, umm, air out, so to speak." "Ah," he said, looking slightly surprised. "As much as I appreciate the offer, Leda, I think I'll pass on having my system flushed out." "Hey, I can understand that. Think you can handle some of my sweet and sour chicken?" Maze stopped dead in his tracks. "Umm...." Mina frowned as she reached up and lightly smacked him. "I could hear that thought from here, Lieutenant." "But that's what you said you were cooking that night we mmmppphhh!" he said as Mina clamped her hand over his mouth. She flashed an innocent smile at Leda and said, "I don't know what he's talking about. You want to accept her offer for dinner, right?" she said to Maze with a slight edge in her voice. Maze meekly nodded his head, not wanting to further upset Mina. "Right...." Leda said slowly, her eyebrows arched up past her hairline. "Well, then, if you two are finished doing.... whatever, shall we be going?" "Of course," Mina said, then turned to Maze. "You will behave yourself, won't you, Lieutenant?" He nodded again and she released his mouth. "Good!" she said, all smiles. "Well then, if that's settled, let's go." Maze watched her gracefully bound down the street. "Someone either wake me up or tell me what I've gotten myself into," he muttered to himself before setting off after the two girls. * * * * Leda smiled knowingly as she started clearing off the table. "Think he'll be okay?" she asked, gesturing towards the bathroom. "I tried to take it easy with the spices, but you can only do so much with Sweet and Sour Chicken...." Mina giggled. "I know. Don't worry about it, he'll be fine. I'm not sure if Ami ever told you this, but Tolaris ate some General Tso's Chicken on their first date and he didn't suffer too badly. Just stomach cramps." "I'll bet that was a fun date," the brunette replied as she carried the dishes into the kitchen. "It was when he was still a Negaverse agent, and that was the same night he found out she was Sailor Mercury," Mina said. "Need help with those dirty dishes?" "No, I got it, thanks. You know, I think I remember hearing Serena talk about that one night," Leda said, focusing most of her attention on cleaning the dishes. "I understand both she and Tuxedo Mask really got trashed." Mina nodded. "Something like that, yes. But it was his love for Ami that saved them, despite the fact that she was supposed to be his enemy. Love tends to do that," she said with a soft smile. The blonde blinked as Leda grunted and said something to herself. "What did you say?" Leda sighed quietly. "I didn't say anything...." "Sure you did," said Maze from behind her. Both girls jumped and the Dragoon smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you two like that." "I can see you're feeling better," Leda said darkly as she continued to work on the dishes. "Trust me, I am. Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Leda," Maze said. "You're welcome, I think. Though I can do without any more of your heart- stopping surprises tonight, thanks," the brunette replied as she finished her task. "Next week, then?" he asked innocently. Leda first glared at Maze, then at Mina. "If I ever wake up with either one of you in my bed again, I swear by Zeus I'll kill both of you." Mina blinked and exchanged a concerned look with Maze. "Umm, are you sure you're feeling alright? You seem to be a bit.... grumpy lately, and I don't mean because of this morning." Leda debated momentarily between sighing heavily and growling at them both. She finally settled on the sigh and busied herself with drying off the dishes. "Okay, so maybe I've been a grump all morning, but one of my best friends just died and I'm still rather shaken. Sorry if I seem to be out of it at times." Maze frowned lightly. "I don't mean to intrude here, Leda, but I think it runs a bit deeper than that. You've been acting rather odd for the past month or so and I've noticed that you don't spend as much time doing things with your friends as you used to." "Kinda hard to when they're always out with their boyfriends," she replied bluntly. "Leda...." Mina started to say but fell silent when Maze laid a hand on her shoulder. Maze nodded his head as he started to fully understand the situation. "I think I'm starting to understand, Leda. The five of you have been rather close friends for some time now and have been through a lot together, right?" Leda nodded. "More so than you would think," she said softly, giving Mina a meaningful look. The blonde caught on to her meaning and turned away, a dark red blush spreading across her cheeks. Maze failed to notice the exchange and continued. "People have the rather disturbing tendency to change after time. People go their own ways, live their own lives, and even close friends will drift apart after awhile." Leda suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Mina, didn't we get something like this from Luna last week? Something about maturity and change?" Mina nodded. "Unfortunately." "Leda, is your heart lonely?" Maze asked quietly. Leda blinked in surprise at the question. "What do you mean?" "I've learned over the centuries that there are many kinds of loneliness. Lonely for friendship is one, but lonely for emotional companionship is another form," Maze said softly. "I knew a cadet once who had all the friends anyone could want, but had no one whom she could...." He gestured as he sought for the words to convey his meaning. "Sleep with?" Leda suggested dryly. Maze shot her a dark look. "No, that she had plenty of, believe me. No, I mean someone she could sit down with and be totally at ease with just because they're there with her. If that makes any sense," he added with a shake of his head. Mina tilted her head at an angle, much like a bird looking at something of interest. "So you're saying you think Leda needs a boyfriend?" she said with a mischievous grin on her face, ignoring the look on Leda's. "Excuse me...." Maze shrugged. "Having a significant other does wonders for your state of mind and body. Look at Tolaris. I mean, you haven't known him as long as I have, but his disposition has changed radically since he met Ami." "Now wait just a second...." Mina giggled. "Yes, I think Leda could stand to have a sudden change of disposition. Mmm, I haven't done any serious match-making in a while. This could be fun," she said with a grin. Both Mina and Maze blinked as Leda made a rather profane statement about Mina's suggestion. "Not that I have any clue as to how that translates," the Dragoon said with a discreet cough, "But I take it you don't like that idea?" "About as much as I would like a poison ivy rash," Leda said icily. "You eat with that mouth?" Mina finally managed to say, her cheeks burning a vivid shade of red. Leda decided against her initial reply to the comment. "What I don't need right now is for anyone to try to get me a boyfriend, okay? If I ever get the urge to have one, I'll go looking," she said slowly. Maze nodded in understanding. "I see your point," he said and started to think about something. "Leda, this might sound bizarre, but when was the last time you went on vacation?" Both Leda and Mina blinked at the question. "We're Sailor Scouts, we don't have time for a vacation," Leda said sourly and Mina nodded in agreement. "Ever try to take one?" Maze suggested. Leda opened her mouth to answer, then paused and looked at Mina. "I.... never really gave it much thought, to be honest. I guess our trip to the Hot Springs Resort a few months ago could have been called a vacation." "Not really," Mina said. "I think the idea of a vacation is to get away from stuff like your jobs and most of your concerns for awhile. If you care to remember, our 'vacation' wound up becoming a lesson in Negaverse survival." Maze smiled at Mina. "I hope you don't mean to tell me you didn't get to enjoy any of it...." he teased and she blushed. "Not the part were we got sliced and diced by that catapult-type thing," she said. "The recovery was interesting, but I could have done without having to meet General Rune." "Ugh, I think I've still got a sore spot from that," Leda muttered as she rubbed the small of her back. "You know, if you had a boyfriend, he could rub it out for you...." "Shut up, Mina," Leda said darkly. Mina shrugged. "It was worth a shot." "A bad one at that," the brunette countered. "The point is," Maze said, laying a hand on Leda's shoulder, "That I think you should ask the rest of the Sailor Scouts if they could do without you for a few days. You can use the time to get away from everything and just relax, have some time to yourself to unwind and think about whatever might be on your mind." Leda blinked and thought about Maze's idea. "I'm not sure.... I mean, if something happens and I'm not here...." "Then we'll just have to deal with it like we always do," Mina interrupted smoothly. "Perhaps you do need a vacation, Leda. I mean, having a few days to myself would be a dream right now. No worries about school, no worries about what the Negaverse might do.... Well, okay, just a few worries," she admitted. "But I wouldn't let that get in the way of my relaxation." "Relaxation my butt," Leda snickered, "You'd probably spend most of the time curled up in bed with a pot of hot chocolate on one side and Maze on the other." "What's wrong with that?" Mina said, blushing a light shade of red. Leda waved her hand in the air. "Anyway...." she said and glanced at the Dragoon. "What are you smiling at?" "Who said dreams don't come true?" he said with a wicked grin. "You lovebirds make me sick," Leda sighed. Maze stopped grinning and nodded. "Humor aside, Leda, perhaps you should consider asking Serena if you can disappear for a week or so. You know, get away from everything and everyone just to sit down and think in peace." "Mmm, time to myself without having to watch the two of you drool over each other," Leda said with a smirk. She continued to consider the idea and sighed softly. "Alright, I'll talk with Serena. I'm not sure where I'd go, though." "May I make a suggestion?" Mina said. "I'll probably regret this, but yes," Leda said with a grin. "Try going someplace you've always wanted to, someplace out of the way." "Someplace where you won't have to deal with me, you mean," the brunette said with a snicker. "Not quite," Mina said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile. "It's more like so you won't have to deal with any of us." Leda blinked as an idea started to form in her head. "Hmm...." Maze smiled. "I smell something burning," he whispered loudly to Mina. "She's the blonde, remember?" Leda said as she pointed at Mina. "Not funny, girl...." Maze blinked. "Umm, did I miss something?" "Not really," Leda said with a smile. "What's the dominant hair color of the airheads in the Negaverse?" "Hard to say," the Dragoon replied. "Best guess is light green, but don't tell Captain Whisper I said that." "Maybe. The running joke over here is that blondes are the airheads," Leda said, giving Mina a large smile. Mina snorted. "But I'm not a natural blonde, or did you forget?" Maze blinked in shock. "You dye your hair?" he said incrediously. Leda burst into a fit of laughter, ignoring Mina's dark look. When she was able to regain her breath, she explained to Maze what a natural blonde was. When she was finished, Maze's eyebrows were arched up almost to his hairline and Mina was blushing a vivid shade of red. "He didn't need to hear that, thank you," Mina muttered darkly. Maze smirked and gave Mina a quick kiss. "Perhaps...." The blonde opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort when Leda coughed loudly. "If you two are going to get into a fight, take it outside. My kitchen is messy enough as it is, and it's going to get worse after dessert so what I don't need right now is for half of my cookware to become exhibits in a minor domestic disturbance." Maze and Mina blinked and exchanged glances. "Umm, what's for dessert?" Maze asked cautiously. Leda smiled and opened up her freezer. "Got your choice. A fruit pie or an ultra-dense triple-layer chocolate cake." "We'll take the chocolate," Mina said instantly, her eyes lighting up at the mention of chocolate. Leda gave Mina a curious look at her sudden enthusiasm as she removed the cake from the freezer. "Ease off, girl, you're scaring me. I would have sworn only Serena got that look in her eyes when someone mentioned chocolate." "She's discovered that chocolate acts much like a stimulant to denizens," Maze said with a smile. "It's sort of like how caffeine would affect a human." "Meaning you'll be wired all night," Leda said with a smile. Maze gave her an evil grin. "Something to that effect...." "Does Ami know about this?" Leda inquired as she started cutting the cake into rather large slices. Mina giggled. "You were there when she told us. Remember the night we came back from the Negaverse and had to spend another night in the cathedral because of the snow?" Leda snickered. "I'm surprised you remember anything, seeing how your sigil was glowing bright enough to give us all vision problems. Can't imagine why it was doing that, though...." "I'll bet you can't, either," Mina muttered beneath her breath, her cheeks burning a cherry red color. Leda paused in mid-motion, glaring at her friend. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" she said slowly in a dark tone. Mina sighed to herself. "I.... just.... oh, never mind, Leda. I'm sorry I even said it." The brunette frowned lightly as she put down the knife. "No, seriously, what did you mean by that?" "Here, go set the table for a few minutes," Mina suggested as she got the dessert plates out of the cabinets and gave them to Maze. Maze blinked in surprise at the hint. "Umm.... sure...." he said slowly as he left the kitchen, shaking his head slightly in wonder. "Quit stalling and out with it, girl," Leda said. "Okay, since being blunt seems to be your thing, I'll be blunt with you," Mina said, taking a deep breath. "In short, not only do you need a vacation, you need to get laid." Leda blinked in shock. "Say what?" "I said...." "I heard what you said, Mina," Leda said with a gesture, "I'm just wondering if you haven't lost your senses." She blinked as Mina stepped close and gave her a tight hug. "Leda, you need to trust me on this," Mina said quietly in her ear. "You can't judge life based on a few bad experiences. You have to get out more, try new things, look at life from another angle. Just because it was bad once doesn't mean it'll always be bad." Leda stepped back and regarded her friend carefully. "Keep in mind that the rest of the world isn't cursed with your level of curiosity," she said in a neutral tone. Mina shrugged. "More's the pity." Leda sighed heavily and returned to her task. "So what exactly are you suggesting that I do, aside from the obvious?" "Well, if you happen to go on vacation, just spend some time with a guy you think is cute and take it from there. If something happens between you two, ride it out. If nothing happens, no big deal." The brunette snickered. "Bad phrasing." Mina thought for a second and smiled. "Sorry. Just keep this in mind: they say that a one-night stand is probably the most honest relationship two people will ever have...." "Mina...." Leda said dangerously. "Just a thought...." was the innocent reply. Leda's dark reply was cut short as the phone rang. She sighed as she made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. "The cake is ready so you can take it out to the table," she called out before she picked up the phone. "Thank you," Mina said as she carried the mass of chocolate to the table. "Hello?.... Oh, hi, Mrs. Stone.... I'm doing fine, considering. How have you been holding up?" came Leda's soft voice from the living room couch. Maze smiled at the huge pieces of cake Mina started serving out. "Should I even bother asking what that was all about?" he said softly as he softly kissed her ear. "No, you shouldn't," she replied. "Here, have some chocolate." "Uh huh," the Dragoon said as he accepted a plate from her. "Does she really need a vacation that badly?" "Just listen to her voice," Mina suggested. "I can, but not right now. I have some friends over here keeping me somewhat sane.... Mina and her boyfriend. I think you've met Mina.... Yeah, that's her.... What?.... Umm, I'm not sure...." Maze nodded silently. "You may be right. I'm not sure which one she needs more, a vacation or someone to ease her heart." Mina gave him a funny look as she started to eat. "I'm shill no' shure wha' you mean," she said around a mouthful of chocolate cake. The Dragoon idly toyed with his cake, not much in the mood to eat. "It's like I said earlier.... She doesn't need a friend right now, she needs...." He waved his hand around as he searched for the right word. "A boyfriend?" she suggested. "No...." He blinked as he found the word he was looking for. "She needs a loved one. Someone more than a friend. Family, for instance." Mina sighed and looked down at the half-eaten piece of cake. "And now she doesn't have any left," she said quietly. She felt Maze's curious gaze on her and she looked up. "Her parents were killed in an airplane crash a few years ago, then her lover was killed in an auto accident, now this. Ken was like a brother to her and the only family she had left." Maze winced at the list of tragedy. "Poor girl," he said, glancing at the living room. "I know what it's like to lose friends and family, but not so close together.... You said she had a lover once?" Mina nodded. "In a sense...." "I can see why she wouldn't want another boyfriend after his death...." Mina coughed discreetly. "Her death," she corrected gently. Maze blinked in shock for a moment, then pretended to clean out his ears. "Sorry, love, I must have had something in my ear. I could have sworn you said Leda's lover was a she." "She was," Leda said quietly as she entered the room. "I can show you a picture of her if you like." She took Maze's stunned silence as a yes and went into the kitchen. She returned a few moments later with a large pitcher of milk and a small photo album. "Thought you two could use some of this," she said as she set the milk on the table. She sat down and poured herself a glass before she started to flip through the album. "Are you alright?" Mina asked quietly, noticing the faint trail of tears on her friend's face. "Probably. Here," she said and showed them a picture of a young girl with long, dark green hair and mischievous emerald green eyes. She had an impish smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes, as if she were saying something to the camera's owner. "She is beautiful," Maze said. "What was her name?" "Jenni. She was beautiful on the inside, too. Very friendly and caring. She tended to be up to something most of the time but it was never anything troublesome, just things like flowers or a card when you least expected it." Mina quietly stood up and went into the living room, coming back with a box of tissues. She set the box by Leda's elbows and took her seat, pouring herself a large glass of milk. "Mind if we ask what Ken's mother wanted?" Leda wiped away a tear and laughed to herself. "She just wanted to make sure I'd be at the reception tonight." "You are going, right?" Maze asked. "Yeah, I am. It's supposed to start at eight and I said I'd be there a few minutes early, so that gives me roughly an hour to get myself showered and all." Maze snickered. "If you take as much time to get ready as Mina does, you might want to start now...." His humor was short-lived as Mina discreetly kicked him beneath the table. "Keep it up and you'll be sleeping outside," Mina said as she went back to eating her chocolate cake. The Dragoon started to laugh. "I spent almost a full year living in the field during the Mintaka campaign. Trust me, love, sleeping outside is nothing new." "I think the point is that she won't be there with you," Leda said with a grin towards Mina. The blonde smirked and turned the majority of her attention on the cake. "But whom will wind up missing whom then?" Maze suggested. Leda blinked and looked at Mina. The blonde had paused with the fork halfway to her mouth and she was slowly looking up with a very dangerous look in her blue eyes. Leda pantomimed an explosion and started to clear off the table. "If you two are going to start, take it elsewhere. I've got better things to do tonight than to play referee to your little love quarrels," Leda suggested as she worked. "I can't wait to hear this one," Mina said softly, her voice laced with enough venom to make Leda worry about Maze's health for the next week. The Dragoon blinked as he realized that he just might have made a minor miscalculation somewhere. "Umm, perhaps you're right, Leda...." Leda grinned. "Go on, you two. I'll try to see you tomorrow afternoon. If you're still in one piece, that is...." "Do you think you'll need anything before we leave?" Mina asked, her voice regaining a measure of warmth to it. She blinked and turned to Leda, her expression changing from coldness to concern. "I'll be fine, really," Leda insisted. "Thanks for the company." "Anytime," the blonde said and impulsively hugged Leda. Leda returned the embrace with affection and smiled. "Don't forget that we're your friends and we're here whenever you need us," Maze said softly. "With friends like you, how could I forget?" Leda teased. They all laughed for a few moments while Maze and Mina gathered their things together. Maze waved good-bye and stepped outside while Mina held back for a moment. "Leda, about what I said with the vacation and all.... just promise me that you'll spend more than five minutes thinking about it, okay?" she said softly. Leda smiled and suppressed the urge to sigh. "Alright, already, I'll think it over. Sheesh, girl, it's not I'm lonely or anything." "Sure about that?" Mina said quietly and kissed her. Leda froze in place, taken off-guard by the gesture. "Good night, Thunderheart," she said and quietly left, seeming to disappear into the dark twilight within seconds. Leda continued to remain frozen in place for several seconds, the soft voice echoing inside her head like a ghost from her past. She blinked and shook her head, wondering if she was starting to go crazy. Still wondering, she went back inside her apartment and started to get ready for what lay ahead that evening. * * * * Serena smiled as she leaned against Darian. "Thanks for taking me to dinner tonight," she said as they walked along the dark streets on their way to the park. "Always a pleasure," Darian replied as he squeezed her hand. "You feel like taking a bit of a walk in the park tonight? The moon should be up by now and a full one at that." Serena laughed quietly to herself. "Full moon in two days. The only reason I know that is because Luna had asked Tolaris if he would make sure it would be a cloudless night." Darian frowned slightly. "Why did she ask him to do that?" he said, slightly puzzled. Serena shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I think she said something about collecting moon beams or whatever." She sighed softly to herself and rested her head against his shoulder. "Go figure," Darian replied with an equal shrug. He glanced up as he caught motion out of the corner of his eye and blinked. "Hey, isn't that Leda over there?" Serena blinked and looked around. "Where? Oh, I see her.... C'mon, we gotta go talk to her," the blonde said, moving to intercept her friend and dragging Darian along with her. "Hey, slow down, meatball head. Why the rush?" Darian asked as he tried to keep his balance at the sudden change in direction. "Didn't anyone tell you? Ken was killed in that huge train accident this morning...." "Who?" he said, momentarily confused. Serena sighed and slowed her pace. "Okay, remember that lion-type thing we had to fight a few months ago, the one that drained energy from people?" Darian nodded. "I remember now. He was the one we got the ambulance for after it attacked him and Leda insisted on going with him." "Yeah, that's him...." she replied sadly. "Ami told me this afternoon what happened. I've been meaning to call Leda about it but Ami said she'd be busy all night." "Are you sure we should talk to her now? She really looks like she wants to be alone now," Darian said hesitantly. Serena sighed to herself and tugged on his arm. "What she needs right now are her friends. Hey, Leda!" she called out across the dark street. Leda looked up from her thoughts and smiled sadly. "Hey, you two. What's up?" she replied. "Nothing much," the blonde replied. "Question is, how are you doing?" Leda sighed and looked back down at the street. "I'm doing fine, I guess. I take it Ami told everyone what happened?" "Yeah," Serena said softly. "Leda, if there's anything we can do for you, please tell us...." Leda chuckled to herself for a brief moment. "Funny you should say that. Not too long ago I had to pry Mina off my case about sending me on vacation for a few days." Serena blinked. "What? She thinks you should go on vacation?" Leda shrugged. "Yeah. Both her and Maze thought I could use some time away from everything to sit down and just get my thoughts together and all. Go figure," she added with another shrug. "I don't see anything wrong with wanting to get away from everything after something like that happened," Darian said quietly. "Don't forget that we'll always be here when you need us, but having some peace and quiet without any distractions might be what you need if you're having problems or anything." "That's pretty much what Maze said," Leda admitted. "I'm still a Sailor Scout, however, and I'm needed here in case General Rune tries anything again." "Leda...." Serena said slowly, "If you think you need to get away from all this, go ahead. I'm sure we'll be able to handle the Negaverse without your assistance for a few days." The brunette sighed. "I'm sure you could but...." "If something is bothering you, Leda, you need to take care of it before it affects your efficiency as a Sailor Scout," Serena interrupted. She paused as she thought about what she had just said and blinked. "Umm, is it just me or did Luna just come through here?" Leda shook her head and smirked. "No, that was you. Perhaps some of her training has finally sunk in," she said and Darian chuckled. "You hush," Serena said to Darian before turning back to Leda. "I'm serious, Leda. If you think you should go on vacation, then go. I mean, if one of my best friends died I'd probably want to curl up into a ball on my bed and cry for a week, and I wouldn't want to have to deal with anyone until I felt like I could handle it. I'm surprised you're out and around as it is." "Sorry if some of us don't like to cry like you do," Leda teased. "Not that I haven't done my fair share this afternoon," she added sadly. She looked up as she felt Serena's hand on her shoulder, a warm and reassuring grip that the brunette found oddly comforting. "Leda, are you sure you'll be okay?" Serena asked, her tone growing soft as she spoke. Leda sighed and nodded her head. "I guess I will be, given time. It's not like I haven't had anyone die on me as it is...." She blinked as she suddenly found herself wrapped in a hug by Serena. "Don't you dare think about doing anything like that to us," the blonde whispered in her ear almost inaudibly. "We'd miss you entirely too much. Go on your vacation when you get the time and seek the guidance you need to ease your heart." Leda blinked and stepped back, a look of surprise on her face. How...? she thought and looked into Serena's blue eyes. She blinked again when she saw not Serena but the Moon Princess looking back at her. The blue eyes blinked and Leda found herself looking at Serena again. "Alright, I'll go on vacation already," Leda found herself saying. "Any ideas where to go?" Darian asked. Leda nodded slowly. "As a matter of fact, yes. Serena, unless you happen to change your mind, I'll probably leave sometime tomorrow morning. You think you can spare me for four or five days?" "Sure," Serena replied. "I'll have to run it by the others just to make sure, but if Mina's pressing the issue, I don't think Ami or Rei will have any objections." "Thanks," the brunette said and looked up into the sky. "Yeech, it looks like it's getting ready to downpour. I don't know about the two of you, but I'm not in the mood for getting drenched tonight." Serena made a sour face. "Darian and I were planning on taking a walk in the park, but I think we'll skip it if it's going to rain." "You could always go sit in the gazebo," Leda suggested. Serena blinked at the idea and considered it for a full two seconds. "I think we can handle that," she said, leaning against Darian with a smile at the corners of her mouth. Leda laughed. "That's it, I've had it with the lovebirds tonight. I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow before I leave. Good night, you two. Oh, and Serena?" "Mmm?" "Thanks for everything." Serena smiled. "You're more than welcome, Leda. Good night." "Night, Leda," Darian echoed with a nod of his head. He watched in silence as Leda walked down the street, disappearing from sight as she turned a corner. "Darian," Serena said softly, "Do you think she'll be alright by herself for a few days?" Darian shrugged. "I don't see why not. You know how strong she is." "Question is," she replied in a soft, odd tone, "Does she?" He looked skyward as he felt a drop of rain brush across his face. "I'm not sure, but what I do know is that if we don't move and soon, we're going to get more than slightly wet. Come on, the park is this way," he said, taking hold of her hand and leading her towards the park and temporary shelter from the elements. * * * * She looked up towards the sky as she felt the first drops of rain start to fall on the city. Beside her, her thirteen-year-old companion's attention never wandered from the group of figures gathered on the street below the rooftop they were standing on. "So this is the beginning, then?" she heard her ask. She looked away from the sky and regarded her friend's daughter very carefully, once again overcome by how much she had changed from when they last met over a thousand years ago, in another world. "It is," she replied softly. She glanced down in time to see the group split up, the individual going her own way and the couple making slight haste towards the direction of the park. "And you're sure you can't show me the rest?" her young friend asked, looking up at her with hopeful amethyst eyes, eyes that had once been a deep shade of black in the past. She shook her head sadly and adjusted her grip on her staff. "I'm sorry, Helen. The rest takes place in another dimensional time stream. All I can show you is what happened here, in this time stream." Her companion nodded slowly, her dark purple hair starting to sway in the slowly building wind. "You said more happened later?" she asked softly, doing her best to hide her disappointment. "Yes, but that won't happen until quite some time from now," she replied, brushing a stray lock of her dark green hair out of her face. "I can take you there, if you like." Her companion blinked as the rain gently started to fall. "Does this storm have anything to do with what happened?" she asked. "I know Mother had a thing for storms...." A soft smile spread across her face. "This storm will help deepen a bond between two people, but it won't be the ones you seek. That storm lies in the other time stream." Her heart started to feel heavy at the look of sadness on her young friend's face and she reached out to brush a few stray strands of dark purple hair back into place. "One of these days, I'll find a way to access the other streams and you'll see the rest," she said softly. "Thank you," the other replied, only partially cheering up. "Come now, we have to go before we get soaked. I don't want to have to explain to your mother how we both caught colds when we're supposed to be in the Lunar Library on the Moon," she said and held out her staff. "True," her friend replied as she reached out and touched the staff. She nodded and concentrated briefly. The gems in the staff seemed to twinkle ever so slightly before they were both enveloped in a temporal vortex and vanished, leaving no trace of their existence. * * * * The sun was slowly rising in the east when Leda walked up the ancient stone pathway that led to the cathedral. She paused for a second to marvel at how ordinary it looked from the outside, seeming to be just another small, old cathedral forgotten by the rest of the world around it. Ordinary my butt, she thought with a snicker as she resumed her pace. Very few people knew that it once served as the hidden base for a Negaverse general, and fewer still know that it now serves as the hidden retreat for the Sailor Scouts and their Negaverse denizen allies. Leda paused at the side door to the cathedral, momentarily shifting her backpack as she looked around for any signs of life. Okay, let's see.... she thought to herself, Maze and Mina should still be asleep, and Ami and Tolaris are over at Rei's temple doing some type of meditation training-type thingy. That just leaves Whisper and Ra'vel, and I don't see why they would be awake yet so this should be simple.... She blinked in surprise as the door opened in front of her. Who...? she thought before her mind locked up at the sight of the giant crystalline spider standing in the doorway, chiming happily at her. "Umm, hello, Dyvach," she said hesitantly. The weaver chimed back a response and stepped aside, waving several of its legs in a motion to come in. She entered the cathedral and the weaver closed the door behind her, still chiming away in its native language. Leda knew that the weaver was harmless, but it still tended to make her slightly nervous on occasion. She blinked as it tapped her foot several times before making a few odd chiming noises. "Sorry, I have absolutely no clue what you are saying," she apologized. The spider chittered to itself for a few seconds before it suddenly turned a medium shade of purple. Leda shook her head in confusion at the weaver's odd behavior. She then blinked as she heard a soft voice echoing inside her mind. said the more than slightly grumpy voice. Leda blinked again as Dyvach started to rapidly change colors, going from crystal clear to purple and back. "I really wish I knew what you were doing right about now...." she said softly, unsure of the weaver's sudden activity. A momentary disturbance of the air around her was Leda's only warning before she found herself standing face-to-face with a rather sleepy Captain Whisper. Whisper looked at her fuzzily for a few seconds before she grunted softly and cinched her robe a little tighter. "Morning, Leda," she said softly. "If you don't mind my rudeness, what is so important that Dyvach has to start screaming in my synaptic ear at this hour of the morning?" Leda blinked. "Umm.... Nothing that I know of.... I didn't ask Dyvach to do anything, really, he just started turning this weird shade of purple...." Whisper sighed and glared at the weaver. "This had better be good." Dyvach immediately started chattering away, sounding like a set of crystal windchimes caught in a bad hurricane. After a few seconds, Whisper sighed and made a gesture towards the weaver. "Slow it down, already. I can barely understand you when you use single- syllable words. Try to keep it simplistic this time?" she said, still not fully awake yet. It chimed the weaver version of a sigh and suddenly turned a dark purple color. Whisper blinked as a stream of fragmented thoughts entered her mind. She blinked again as the images fell into place and she finally understood what Dyvach was trying to tell her. "I see.... Yes, this is worth it, Dyvach. Thank you," she said quietly in a very odd tone. The weaver chimed back briefly before it skittered off to some remote part of the cathedral. Leda cleared her throat quietly. "Should I ask what that was about?" "Dyvach tells me you're planning to take a bit of a vacation," Whisper replied, ignoring Leda's question. The brunette suddenly became self-conscious of the backpack's weight on her shoulder and she nervously shifted it. "Umm, yeah...." "He also told me that you need to borrow the Silkworm crystal to get to your destination. Is this correct?" Leda twitched as she felt a cold sweat break out across her back. "I had given it some thought...." she started to say. Whisper suddenly straightened and looked into Leda's green eyes. "Of all of the places for a Sailor Scout to take a vacation, why the Negaverse?" she said softly. "I have my reasons," Leda replied, her voice equally as soft. Whisper snorted. "I don't suppose you'd care to share them with me before I let you use the one and only gateway we have between this world and the Negaverse?" she said darkly. Leda chewed on the edge of her lip for a few seconds as she debated the matter. She reached a decision and took a step closer to the telepath. "It would take too long to explain it, so you'll just have to read my mind," she said. Whisper arched an eyebrow and her and said nothing for several seconds. "Very well," she said at length and reached out to brush her fingertips across Leda's temples. Leda expected to be drawn into her own mind again like the last time she let Whisper into her mind, but she only felt the lightest of ethereal brushes. After a few seconds, the sensation faded and Whisper withdrew her hands. Whisper made a gesture and a chair skidded across the room, coming to a halt behind her. She sat down, her face a blank mask as she thought about the situation at hand. "Captain...?" Leda prompted gently. "I can't let you have the crystal, but I can open the wormhole for you," Whisper said distantly. "I will reopen the wormhole in the same place six days later so you can return. Will that be acceptable?" Leda blinked at the sudden turn of events. "Uh.... yeah, that'll work." Whisper stood up and started walking. "Follow me, then," she said, not stopping to make sure Leda was behind her. The two of them walked in silence through the halls of the cathedral, each lost in their own thoughts. They had almost made it to the cathedral's central vault when they were almost run over by an overexcited weaver. Dyvach spat something out on the floor and chimed happily at them. Whisper sighed and picked up the Silkworm crystal. "You could have told me you were getting this," she said dryly. Leda blinked. "Captain, how does he keep doing that?" "Doing what?" "Well, first he knew about my vacation plans in the Negaverse when I made sure no one else knew, and now he gets the crystal before you agree to let me use it," she said, giving the weaver a curious look. Whisper gave the weaver a strange look and it chimed back at her quietly. "I don't know, Leda, but I think that's one question that should be answered soon. As soon as Ra'vel wakes up, the three of us are going to have a bit of a psionic conference. Hopefully that will answer a few questions." "Thanks," Leda replied as she set her backpack on the floor for a minute. She reached into her Lunar Space pocket and retrieved her Jupiter Wand. "Just give me a minute to transform and I'll be ready to go. JUPITER POWER!" she yelled, holding up the wand. Both Whisper and Dyvach took a step back as the energies surrounded Leda and transformed her into Sailor Jupiter. "Mmm, that feels slightly better," Jupiter said with a smile as she tucked her Wand back into her Lunar Space pocket and picked up her backpack. "Okay, I'm ready." Whisper gave her a strange look. "Do you really want to go into the Negaverse, Jupiter? Keep in mind that it's not the most ideal of vacation spots." Jupiter sighed. "I think you know my reasons, Captain." "Unfortunately," Whisper replied, drawing a puzzled look from Jupiter. The telepath cleared her mind and focused her thoughts on the small, iridescent purple gem, unleashing it's internal energies. The energies lashed out and ripped a hole in the dimensional fabric of space, forming a wormhole that led into the Negaverse. "Six days, Jupiter," Whisper reminded her as Jupiter walked up to the swirling vortex. "And.... good luck with whatever it is you're going to do." Jupiter nodded. "Six days, Captain. Please don't be late. And.... Thank you. For everything," she added, and stepped into the wormhole. She felt the slightest of dizzy spells before she found herself standing at the edge of a forest. Not too far off in the distance was a mountain peak, it's base shrouded in perpetual fog and it's peak ravaged by an eternal storm. Mmm, looks to be about a good six hours distant, she thought to herself. She glanced behind her to just in time to catch the vortex close in on itself and vanish. She sighed as she realized that she was indeed trapped in the Negaverse for the next six days. Might as well start walking before the sun goes down, she thought, and hope the natives don't discover me and decide to throw a welcome party. Taking a deep breath, Sailor Jupiter set off towards the mountain and her ultimate destination. * * * * He looked up from his work as a soft beeping noise filled the cave. He blinked as he realized it was the sound of an urgent flash traffic message being received by his communication system. Interesting.... he thought as he rose up from his stone table and walked over to the tiny message panel hidden in the wall. He opened up the panel and hit the print button. The receiver instantly started to print using the thin strips of paper reserved for the highest priority flash traffic messages. He frowned to himself, remembering that the last time such a message came across was when the Sailor Scouts had entered the Negaverse. The printer stopped and he tore off the paper, noting with mild amusement that it didn't do so at the perforations. It never fails, he thought as he held the paper up to the light to read. HINTERLAND CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS, WILL RETURN WITHIN 1 STANDARD YEAR. He reread the message to make sure he hadn't misunderstood it. So they've finally won that after four thousand years, he thought to himself. And now that the war is over, it means that she'll be coming back. Most interesting. He sat down on the cold, hard stone floor, trying to remember everything he knew about the Hinterland Campaign and the almost mythical general who led it. A great many of the Negaverse's past generals had been referred to as dark-hearted, but there was only one Dark General. Nop'tera. He sighed as the very thought of her sent a small shiver down his spine and made his short, black fur stand on end. It was a reaction shared by virtually everyone who knew of her and of her dark powers. He had gotten to know her rather well when she briefly returned to the Negaverse on leave, which made it all the more worse. Few can claim they had a relationship with an eternal vampire, he thought. Of course, even fewer would want to. He was saved from further memories when the beeping noise filled the cave once more. Odd, he thought as he stood up. Two messages in one day? Very, very odd. He reached out and hit the print button, blinking in surprise when it started to print using the strip-paper again. He knew that the odds of two priority flash traffic messages back-to-back were extremely rare. The receiver stopped printing and he tore off the paper to read. SAILOR JUPITER HAS BEEN SEEN NEAR MOUNT ARACHEN. He blinked as a dark chill swept through his bones and he sat down again, all thoughts of General Nop'tera gone like a faded dream. So she has returned, he thought. Interesting. He read the message again to make sure he understood it correctly. And she's around here? Most interesting. A word surfaced in his memory and slipped past his tongue, almost as if he had no control over it. The word seemed to echo softly inside the cave for a very long time, haunting him once again as it did in the past. "Leda...." * * * * Ami's computer was in several pieces, all still connected and carefully arrayed in a small, neat arc around her. Her communicator was in a similar condition, with the exception of having most of its major components gathered together in a careless pile. She sighed quietly as she held up the communicator's tiny transmitter, a device the size of her thumbnail and as flat as a penny. It's about time I found you, she thought to herself as she reached for a miniature screwdriver. She carefully used the edge of the 'driver to pry open the edges of the transmitter, revealing a set of near-microscopic circuits and pair of logic chips. Now, where are the connecting wires on this thing? she thought as she started to look for the tiny wires that connected the chips to the circuits. Ami smiled as she found what she was looking for in only a few seconds. This might be easier than I expected, she thought as she picked up a pair of tweezers specifically designed for very small-scale computer work. She then proceeded to disconnect the wires and carefully pull the chips out of their sockets. She breathed a sigh of relief as she finished the task without damaging anything. Now for the easy part, she thought as she carefully plugged the chips into a pair of unoccupied ports on her computer's daughterboard. Making sure the chips were seated firmly in the ports, she reconnected the 'board to the computer's main power supply and pushed a button on her keyboard. The speaker beeped once to let Ami know that it was running the special program she had written for her task. She relaxed and leaned back against the wall, knowing that the computer would take several minutes to reprogram the logic chips. She glanced toward the other end of the room, wondering what sort of spiritual trick Tolaris was teaching Rei this time. The priestess was in her usual meditative position, resting on her knees before a burning fire, eyes closed, and her face a blank mask of concentration. The only difference today was that she was holding her boku-toh with both hands in front of her, the tip of the wooden weapon almost inside the fire. Tolaris was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the fire, talking to Rei in a low, soothing monotone. Ami couldn't hear what he was saying even with her vampiric hearing, but she knew that he was guiding Rei through some sort of spiritual exercise. The Dragoon's voice trailed off and Ami blinked as a dark, sudden chill swept through her bones. It was the same kind of chill she got whenever Rei had used her spiritual wards against her. She focused her attention on Rei and her jaw almost hit the floor with surprise. Tiny blue motes were gathering at the tip of her boku-toh and were lazily making their way down the length of the weapon to the hilt. Even from across the room, Ami could feel the intensity of the energy that was being focused together. She knew instantly that if Rei were to touch her with that energy, the results would be highly destructive to her vampiric nature. She blinked as she saw the beads of sweat forming on Rei's forehead and noticed that her hands were starting to shake slightly. She must be pushing her concentration to the breaking point, Ami thought. I wonder how long she'll be able to keep it up? Even as the words formed in her brain, Rei's spiritual focus slipped and the energy dissipated with a sharp crack. She sighed heavily and tried to calm herself, letting the boku-toh hang limply in her grasp. "That was...." she tried to say, but was rather out of breath. The Dragoon nodded. "You did excellent, Rei. It took me the better part of a decade to learn how to do that, and you just did it in three weeks." Rei opened her eyes slowly. "Has it been three weeks? It feels like it's been forever," she admitted. Tolaris smiled. "I've been keeping track. Three weeks to the day." "Dear, what exactly are you teaching her to do?" Ami asked as she rose from her position and moved over next to Tolaris. "Teaching her how to focus her spirit to use as a means of defense. In theory, once she masters energy projection, she'll be able to project a type of energy shield similar to the one Maze uses." Rei nodded. "He's teaching me to use a physical focus first. And believe me, this stuff ain't easy," she added. "Judging from the way you looked after you lost it, I believe you," Ami said. She glanced down briefly and blinked. "Umm, I think your sword or whatever you call it is smoking." Rei looked at her boku-toh and suddenly jerked it up. She had let the tip of the weapon rest in the outside edge of the fire, and now the wooden blade was indeed starting to smoulder. She sighed and blew on the tip, causing a tiny ember to flare up briefly before being extinguished. "Great, all I need is to be setting this thing on fire," she muttered. She looked up at Ami and frowned lightly. "You alright? You look kinda.... I don't know, spooked or something." Ami sighed and stared into the fire. "That energy you were projecting was having the same type of effect as when you use your wards," she said quietly. Rei's face became an unreadable mask of emotion, her bottomless black eyes revealing nothing of what was going through her mind. Ami sighed to herself, wishing not for the first time that she could see past that mask, and that she could put up one of her own. Her computer suddenly beeped to itself and she moved back over to her array of electronic parts. She sat down and disconnected her computer's daughterboard from the power supply. "Should we ask what you're doing to that poor thing this time?" Tolaris asked with mild amusement. "It seems that every time I turn around, you've got that thing taken apart." Ami smiled. "Just reprogramming the ROM on the logic chips to handle some of the upgrades I've put into the transmitter array." Rei frowned, her grasp of computer technology not being the greatest among the Sailor Scouts. "I thought by definition, you couldn't reprogram ROM," she said hesitantly. "You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish with sufficient voltage," was the vampire's reply. "Let me guess," Tolaris said. "Wiping the chips of their old instructions before flash-burning new ones in?" "Of course. The only trick is getting the voltage right. Route too much through the chips and you'll wind up with a silicon puddle." Rei smiled, finally understanding something. "Is that why you were in a really foul mood all of last week?" she teased. The corner of Ami's mouth twitched. "Okay, so I made a mess of the first pair of logic chips. But I did just fine now. See?" she said, holding up one of the tiny chips. The priestess shrugged. "Just as long as you know what you're doing." "Trust me, I do," Ami replied as she started to reassemble the miniature transmitter. She heard Tolaris mutter something and glanced up. "What was that, dear?" "Just something Raijen once said. If they say 'trust me,' all the more reason not to," he said with a grin. Ami snorted. "Love you too." Rei stood up and stretched, trying to get a kink out of her shoulder. "Has anyone ever wondered if there's ever been a cross-pollination of schools of thought between human and denizen philosophers?" she said as she rubbed a sore spot. "That sounds awfully human to me." "If there were, then you humans would have gotten it from us," Tolaris said with a small smile. Ami looked up, one eyebrow arched up. "And what makes you so sure?" "Simple," the Dragoon replied with a shrug. "Our society has been around long before humans evolved to the level of sophistication needed for schools of philosophy." "I think he has a point, Ami," Rei said. Ami nodded as she snapped the outer casing of her communicator shut. "I think so, too. There, that should do it," she said as she flipped the device over and reset the memory. She watched as the communicator's tiny CPU reloaded its instructions from the logic chips and warmed up the transmitter array. Almost instantly, the communicator sent out a millisecond transmission on all of the frequencies programmed into it. As the transmission reached the other Sailor Scout communicators, they replied with their own unique signal, verifying that the transmission was a clear one. Ami watched as the rows of sigils lit up on her communicator, showing an available channel to each. She blinked when the Jupiter sigil failed to light up. Bad circuit? she wondered as she pinged Jupiter's communicator again. "Problem, love?" Tolaris inquired as he watched Ami's expression darken. "Not sure yet," she said with a frown as she queried the communicator's diagnostic programs. Ami blinked at the results. Lost carrier? she thought. Impossible. How can it lose the frequency when they're hard-wired? "Rei, can you do me a favor and ping Leda's communicator?" "Sure," Rei replied as she pulled her own communicator out of her robe. She tried to transmit the query and blinked at the results she got. "Ami, what does it mean when it says 'lost carrier?' And what's with the 'no carrier' for your computer?" "It means we have a problem," the vampire replied. Tolaris looked at his own communicator and frowned. "Could it mean that Leda's communicator got turned off?" Ami shook her head. "They can't get turned off, unless you pry it apart and disconnect it from the power source. When that happens, it gives a 'no carrier' message, meaning the carrier wave has stopped transmitting, which is what my computer is doing since I've disassembled it. However, there is a transponder wired into each communicator that tells the others that it still exists. The transponder is an integral part of the power supply so there's no way it can ever be turned off or shut down." Tolaris felt a ball of ice form in his gut. "So what does this 'lost carrier' message mean?" "Well, it means that the transmitter can't find the transponder in Leda's communicator, which is bad since it means one of two things has happened. The first is that her communicator could have been taken out of the transponder's range, which is not very likely. We would have gotten a weak signal warning before we lost it entirely," Ami explained. Rei frowned, an uneasy feeling settling over her. "What's the range on the trans-whatever?" "Roughly two thousand miles." "Too far for her to have gotten out of range since this morning," Tolaris said. "What's the other explanation?" Ami closed her eyes. "Total communicator destruction. I don't mean it being broken into fragments, I mean totally obliterated. Given the toughness of the transponder casing, you'd almost have to use atomics to destroy it." "Can you use your computer to home in on the transponder's last known location?" Tolaris asked. Ami made a face. "Part of the upgrade to the communicators allows them to be tracked by my computer. Otherwise you couldn't pinpoint them. They were designed to be untrackable. And right now, my communicator is the only one that can be tracked." "So Leda's communicator just vanished?" Rei asked softly. "Or was destroyed," was the equally soft reply. Tolaris stood up. "I think we need to talk to the others...." * * * * Jupiter looked up at the clouds as a stiff wind sent a chill across her exposed skin. Great, she thought darkly, all I need is for it to rain when I'm in a short-sleeved blouse and mini-skirt. The wind changed direction for the sixth time in as many minutes and she gave up trying to figure out if it was going to rain or not. She leaned against a large rock for a few moments while she regained her bearings. She was not quite halfway up the mountain and only several dozen feet above the fog line. Ahead of her was a winding path that led up the mountain, something that made her rather wary. She had already had a narrow miss with a patrol on a path in the forest, an event that made her day worse than what it was before. The wind changed yet again, and this time Jupiter could feel the first cold drops of impending rain on her face. And me without my umbrella, she thought sarcastically as she sighed and stood up to move. She froze as she suddenly got the odd sensation that she was being watched. She glanced around without moving her head, looking for any signs that she was being watched. There's no one around, girl, so you can calm down, she thought as she took a few steps forward. She halted again as the sensation returned, this time stronger than before. I don't like this, she thought as she turned in a slow circle. Nothing here but rocks, something that looks like dead cactus, rocks, a thin clump of trees about a hundred yards down there, a large rock, dying grass, and more rocks.... hold it.... rocks.... She glanced up at the top of the large rock and felt her blood turn to ice. The creature was shaped vaguely like a panther, but was much bigger. It was crouched down on all fours, studying her intently like a cat studies its next target. Jupiter wasn't sure which unsettled her more, the pair of black gauntlets on its wrists or the way the almond-shaped purple irises were looking at her. Jupiter sighed and prepared herself to be torn apart. Here I am, alone in the middle of a foreign land whose inhabitants all want my blood, and my only company is a giant black panther who looks hungry. Makes being killed by a lightning bolt almost sound pleasant. Her heart nearly stopped beating as she heard the creature speak to her. "So we meet again, Sailor Jupiter," he said in a deep, resonant voice. Her hands started to shake. I've heard that voice somewhere before, she thought in a haze of mild panic. But where? C'mon, girl, how many talking panthers have you met before? "Or would you prefer I call you Leda?" he continued, carefully gauging her reactions. He saw her eyes widen even more than before and he knew that she finally remembered. Jupiter became perfectly still as she remembered her last trip into the Negaverse.... ....she was grabbed from behind and held in a tight grip, one arm pinning her arms at her waist while the other keeping her from making any sound. The impulse to scream had just reached her brain when her captor started whispering in her ear. "Forgive me, but this was the only way to get your entire attention. Stop struggling and listen to me.... There is a small scouting party headed towards your friends' location, and I believe they are aware that you are the Sailor Scouts. You must return to warn them and quickly. I did what I could to delay them but they should be here within minutes." She stood still while he spoke, not sure of what she should do. She noticed with some unease that the arms holding her were formed like those of a giant cat, with short, dark fur and recessed claws. The thought of being a prisoner of a giant panther didn't sit well and she furiously thought of a plan of escape. "I know you have no reason to trust me," he continued, "But the lives of your friends are in danger." He paused for a moment and Leda felt something soft and fuzzy brush her cheek. "I hope we can meet again under different circumstances, Leda. Now go...." he said, releasing his grip and giving her a small shove, just enough to set her slightly off-balance. She recovered as fast as she could and turned around to look, but he was gone.... "So you remember," he said after a few seconds. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice wavering. "My name is Reish'id. Tell me, what brings a lone Sailor Scout this far up Mount Arachen?" he asked. "The Negaverse is a very dangerous place and Mount Arachen is even more inhospitable." Jupiter paused to choose her words carefully. "I'm not looking for any sort of trouble. I just came here to study the storm at the peak." Reish'id blinked. "You want to study it at this time of year?" "Yeah...." Jupiter said hesitantly. "Is there a problem?" "Aside from the fact that you've got a death warrant signed by General Rune, yes. It's getting close to winter in the northern latitudes and the temperature of the jet stream that brings moisture to this area has dropped almost to the freezing point." Jupiter blinked, unsure of what his words meant. "Meaning?" she asked, knowing that it would probably be bad. Reish'id gave her a curious look. "Meaning that the temperature of the moisture cloud at the peak is dropping just as fast." He looked up at the sky and frowned as a fine drizzle started to fall in the area. "Where is your shelter?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. Jupiter regarded Reish'id carefully. "Why?" "Because in less three hours, this whole mountain will be layered with a large amount of snow," he replied. He saw Jupiter's eyes widen again and his frown deepened. "You haven't built a shelter yet, have you?" She made a decision and told him the truth. "No, I was going to wait until it started to get dark." "How far away is your point of origin?" She blinked. "My what?" "How long did it take you to get here?" he asked slowly. "Six, seven hours, give or take," she replied cautiously. Reish'id sighed and stood up on his hind legs, startling Jupiter. "You'd better come with me then," he said as he leapt off the rock to land several feet away from her. He turned and started walking up the dirt path. "Why should I trust you?" Jupiter asked suspiciously, still surprised by the fact that he could walk upright. So much for the giant panther theory, she thought to herself. He paused and turned around, his tail lashing back and forth. "A small blizzard is coming and you are alone with no adequate means of defense or protection against the elements. Do you think you have a choice, Leda?" he said softly. His use of her name sent a shiver down her spine. She considered her options and could only come up with one acceptable one. "Since you phrase it that way, I guess not," she said. "But if there's a bounty on my head, why not let me freeze out here?" He gave her a strange look, one that she wasn't sure she liked but one that she wasn't sure she didn't. "Do you wish to die?" "Not yet," she replied truthfully. "Then come with me," he said, turning on his heel and continuing up the mountain path. She remained in place for a few seconds before a gust of cold wind brought her attention to the storm overhead. Already it seemed that the drizzle was getting colder on her skin, and she could tell that the storm was ready to break soon. I really hope I don't regret this, she thought as she followed her strange acquaintance up towards the base of the mountain peak. * * * * No one was surprised at what they saw when they entered Maze's quarters in the cathedral. The Dragoon lieutenant was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants as he worked out on the compact exercise equipment he had set up a corner. Mina was still curled up in bed sleeping, wearing a rather loose nightgown made of green silk. On the night stand beside her was the coffee machine that she had Maze redesign to brew hot chocolate instead of coffee. Rei took one look around the room, shook her head, and headed back towards the kitchen. Ami and Tolaris exchanged looks and the vampire shrugged. "So, what can I do for you two at this hour of the morning?" Maze asked as he flipped upside down on a bar and started doing sit-ups. "We were hoping both of you were up and unoccupied so we could ask you a few questions," Tolaris said as he glanced at the still-slumbering figure on the bed. Maze shrugged. "So she likes to sleep late. Nothing wrong with that." Ami smirked. "We won't discuss why she does, though." Maze grinned. "So that's a given, but if you care to recall, she had a habit of sleeping in before she met me, correct?" "True...." "And you know what they say about old habits...." "That they die as hard as stubborn Dragoons?" she replied with a smile at Tolaris. "You'd better believe that one," Tolaris said with a smile. Maze chuckled, still doing sit-ups at a solid pace. "Bet you weren't so confident of that one after Mintaka," he said, only half-jokingly. Ami blinked as she felt Tolaris's sudden change of mood. "If I recall, Lieutenant, you weren't in the greatest of conditions afterward," he said softly with a slight edge in his voice. "Granted, boss, but I wasn't the one who almost had his k'vesan blown off by someone with a talent for plasma," Maze teased, unaware of Tolaris's change of mood. Ami saw Tolaris tense and for a moment she thought he was going to go ballistic. She blinked as his hands clenched into fists for a moment before relaxing. Do I really want to know...? she thought. Tolaris gave Maze a small smile. "We've all had our little embarrassing problems during campaigns, haven't we, Lieutenant? I seem to recall a rather amusing incident where a sniper with a crossbow ripped you a new ptanka." Maze flushed a dark green color. "You heard about that?" "It's in your medical files." Ami sighed. "Tolaris, I don't care if I have to tie you to a chair and tickle it out of you, but you are going to tell me about this Battle of Mintaka you keep talking about. And don't you dare say it's nothing because you've woken me up twice with your nightmares about it." Tolaris's skin turned as gray as his blood and Maze blinked, only now fully understanding Tolaris's problems with the Mintaka campaign. "Boss, you still haven't gotten over the nightmares from that?" he asked softly. Tolaris shook his head. "No, but they don't come as often as they once did. But you still have nightmares about Asleen, right?" Maze nodded silently. "Yeah, but it's funny in a way. Just when I got rid of them the first time, Mintaka rolled around and that nutcase popped the fuser over the valley. Brought them back big time and I still haven't gotten rid of them yet." Ami reached out and grabbed Tolaris's arm as the Dragoon leaned against the wall. "I really didn't need to be reminded of that, Maze...." he said. "I don't get it.... What happened?" Ami asked. Maze sighed and lowered himself to the ground. "The short version is that someone detonated a thermonuclear device in the middle of a valley where a suspected rebel stronghold was. Problem was, something went wrong that we'll never figure out and the blast effect was enhanced tenfold. Wiped out every living thing for fifty miles and turned the whole valley into a smoking glass crater." Tolaris looked ready to cry. "Maze, did anyone ever tell you how that thing got launched? It's rather simple," he said, not pausing for a reply. "We had a tactical warhead within range as per Queen Beryl's orders and she sent a message to the unit giving them launch instructions. As luck would have it, I was the highest ranking officer in the general area. So guess who had to give the final launch order?" Maze's complexion turned a ghastly shade of white before it hardened into a neutral mask that would have made Rei envious. "You really didn't need to tell me about that, Commander," he said evenly. Tolaris winced. He knew that Maze only used his rank when he was being formal or when he was angry with him. "I didn't have a choice, Maze," he said, referring to the launch of the warhead. "You know that as well as I do that I had to obey the order." "I don't know, Commander, I wasn't there." "Maze...." "But of course you know that I've always trusted your judgement," Maze said as he laid down on the floor and started doing push-ups at a furious pace. "Not to change such a wonderful topic of conversation, but what exactly were the questions you wanted to ask?" Tolaris sighed, knowing that it would probably be several days before Maze would speak to him in something other than a detatched business tone. "We were just wondering if Leda told you where she was going to go before she left. We can't seem to be able to locate her communicator transponder signal, which is a small cause for concern." Maze grunted. "Nope, can't help you. She made quite sure no one knew where she was headed before she bailed out this morning, Commander." Tolaris sighed. "Thank you, Maze," he said and turned to leave. "One question, Commander." The Dragoon paused and turned his head to one side, avoiding the curious look that Ami gave him. "I'm listening." "You know what I have nightmares about and why," Maze said, still using an even tone. "What disturbs your sleep at night?" Tolaris's mouth hardened into a thin line before he spoke. "You honestly have to ask that, Maze?" He heard silence in response and he sighed. "Tell me, do you think I would have nightmares about plasma bolts and infertility when I have that sitting on my conscience for three hundred years? You only destroyed a village of about two hundred. They never bothered to count how many were in that valley," he said bitterly before he left the room. Ami glanced back at Maze in time to see the mask crack, his expression one of someone trying to imagine a degree of horror beyond his comprehension. She hesitated only for a moment before she ran off after Tolaris, catching up with him in the hallway. She slid her hand in his and guided him through the depths of the cathedral to the quarters they shared. She closed the door behind them and led him over to the bed, working at the buttons to his tunic in the process. He gave her a look that clearly said 'not now,' but she gave him a reproving look in return and continued her task. Once that was finished, she quickly stripped off her blouse and bra. Tolaris sighed heavily and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Ami stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. She then laid down on the bed and drew Tolaris down on top of her, cradling his head between her breasts like a mother does an infant. The Dragoon sighed softly and yielded, closing his eyes and doing his best to ignore the memories. The feel of the ultra-soft flesh beneath his cheek and the sensation of Ami's fingers running through his hair eventually calmed him to the point of drowsiness. He was dimly aware of the rhythmic sound of her heart beating almost directly beneath his ear, a soft and soothing feeling that further added to the effect. "Will you be okay?" she asked quietly some time later. "Maybe in another few centuries," he replied softly. "Do you.... do you think you can tell me about it?" He sighed and turned his head slightly, brushing his lips against her bare breast. "I'll tell you tonight. I guess it's about time I got this off of my chest. Not that it'll do any good...." "Don't think about it now," she said as she brushed her fingertips across his back. "I know it's not much past sunrise, but you look like you could use a nap...." He chuckled briefly. "Held like this, anyone could fall asleep." Ami smiled, knowing perfectly well that was the primary reason she was holding him like that. "Well, go ahead and snooze for a bit. I'll still be here when you wake up, and at this rate I'll probably be asleep too." "Mmm," he said, brushing his lips across her breast again. "First one up gives the other a wake-up call?" "Deal," she said. That was the other reason she was holding Tolaris like she was. Her smile widened as Tolaris unconsciously sighed the same sigh he usually made just before his brain shut down to sleep. And with any luck, she thought to herself, he'll wake up before I do.... Still smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and settled back, her mind already in the process of shutting itself down for a nap. * * * * Jupiter grabbed onto the dead tree just as her legs gave out. She leaned against the tree as the bitter cold caused her to shiver uncontrollably yet again. Already the snow was ankle-deep and she knew it was just going to get worse. She looked up as she felt something grab her arm. "Are you okay?" Reish'id asked with concern. "Just.... tired...." she said as she tried to stand up. She only partly succeeded before her legs gave out again and she collapsed, her whole body numb with cold and shaking violently. She protested weakly when she felt him pick her up and started to carry her further up the mountain. "Put me down.... I can make it...." she managed to say, despite the fact that her teeth were chattering rather loudly. "Of course you can," he said as he moved as fast as he could. He focused his mind inward long enough to gather together enough mental energy to use his powers. "Dark Energy Surround," he intoned as a shimmering black forcefield enveloped them. He immediately noticed a temperature difference as the shield blocked the icy, howling wind and allowed their body temperatures to warm the surrounding air. He had only taken about a dozen steps when his fur stuck straight out as a field of unknown energy surrounded Jupiter. He froze in place and looked down, his eyes going wide at what he saw. Her powers are fading! he thought as he watched her Sailor suit dissolve into tiny motes of light, revealing the brown and white school uniform she usually wore. This is not a good sign.... he thought as he resumed his fast pace up the mountain side. Just a little farther, Leda.... Leda cried out as her transformation finished reversing itself and the shock of the outside temperature hit her full-force. She knew that her suit was designed to lessen the effect of extreme temperature exposure, but she didn't realize just how cold it was. The combination of her weakened state and the shock of the cold caused her to quickly slip into unconsciousness. Reish'id glanced up at the terrain and breathed a tiny sigh of relief when he spotted the cave entrance. He quickly carried her inside, hitting the door control panel with his tail as he passed it. A loud grinding sound filled the small cave as a massive granite slab slid along a hidden track to block the entrance. The slab had barely settled into place before the back 'wall' of the cave slid aside to reveal the entrance way to a much larger and warmer cave. Reish'id only needed to glance at the color of Leda's skin to know that he had to get her warmed up and fast. He carefully carried her into the back of the cave where a thermal pool had formed centuries earlier. The pool was kept at a constantly warm temperature by the steam vent at the far end of the pool. Hopefully this will do it, he thought as he entered the naturally-formed chamber. He carefully set her down on a stone bench and considered his options for a moment. He found that he didn't have many, so he chose the one that he believed would work the fastest. She can kill me later, he thought as he began to undress her. His task was complicated by the fastenings on her skirt and blouse, both being of an Earth design that he had never seen before. He decided that she didn't have much time, so he extended his claws and carefully slashed the odd fabric away from her body. He worked as fast as he dared, trying to keep the damage to a repairable minimum while refraining from slashing her bare skin. He managed to remove her panties intact, a task which he thought would have been difficult at best. That done, he carefully picked her up and carried her into the thermal pool. I sure hope this works, he thought as he carefully lowered her nude body into the thermal pool. He submerged most of her body, keeping only her head above the waterline. He kept her near the edge of the pool for a moment, the water temperature there being only a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air. He then carefully worked his way closer towards the steam vent, the water temperature increasing slightly as he moved. He was halfway between the steam vent and the pool's edge when Leda moaned softly as she returned to semi-consciousness. Reish'id paused and checked her pulse, giving up after a few seconds when he realized that he had no idea what was a normal pulse for a human. At least she has a pulse, he thought as he resumed his slow journey towards the steam vent. He stopped several feet away from the steam vent, the water temperature there being a few degrees cooler than what he guessed to be the usual human body temperature. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as he noticed that her color was returning and that most of her muscles had stopped shivering. Leda moaned again and tried to move, her mind still hovering on the edge of unconsciousness. "Relax, you're going to be fine," he purred into her ear. "Don't try to move, your muscles are still recovering from the shock." Her lips started to move and he bent his head down, the tips of his ears brushing against her lips. She muttered a single syllable before her mind succumbed to the strain of the shock and slid back into unconsciousness. Reish'id straightened back up and blinked, wondering what significance the name had to her. He sighed to himself, knowing that he would find out in due time. But she will be fine, he thought to himself. The knowledge that she would recover was enough to allow him to relax. He studied her closely, not having the time to have done so earlier. She is quite beautiful, he thought to himself as his gaze wandered up and down her nude body. Strange that both humans and denizens feel the need to hide their bodies behind fabrics and such, he thought. He understood most of the reasons why they wore clothes, but as he had no need for them himself, the overall social significance of clothing continued to escape him. He bent his head down again, sniffing her carefully for any signs of something being amiss. Her skin still smelled cool to him, but he knew that it was still in the process of warming up. She smells nice, he thought. Pity most denizens don't smell as good. But then, any species which needs clothes to survive anything stronger than a cool breeze.... When he was satisfied that her body temperature was close to normal, he quickly made his way back to the edge of the pool and lifted her out of the water. He then carried her to what passed for his bed, a large mass of strange fur pelts piled in front of a burning fireplace. He carefully laid her down on a large askiri pelt and proceeded to bundle her up in several others. Between the fire and the furs, she should keep warm until she awakens, he thought. As to when that will be.... He sighed heavily, not exactly sure what to do next. He glanced down at her and saw her expression change as her mind switched over from unconsciousness to sleeping. Perhaps that isn't a bad idea, he thought as he debated the merits of a few thoughts. He arrived at a decision and unwrapped some of the furs around her. He laid down and gently cradled her against his chest before wrapping a pair of large pelts around the both of them. If the combination of the fire, the furs, and my own body heat can't keep her warm while she sleeps, he thought, then I doubt anything ever will. He blinked as Leda shifted against him and instinctively snuggled closer, her back slowly rubbing against the fur on his belly. This should be interesting, he thought as he carefully stretched his arm and leg muscles before settling down to take a nap. She shifted positions against him again and let out a soft sigh, almost as if in contentment. Yes, this should be most interesting.... he thought as he too slid into a world of sleep and dreams. * * * * Ami awoke to the cool sensation of fingertips lightly brushing against her face and neck. She kept her eyes closed and focused on the sensation, letting it slowly awaken her senses one by one. The fingertips brushed against the tops of her breasts and she made a soft, almost silent moaning sound. "Morning, dear," she said softly, enjoying the touch. "It's actually afternoon," said a voice that clearly wasn't Tolaris. Ami sighed darkly and opened her eyes. "Should I bother asking you what exactly you think you're doing?" Mina smiled at her and moved her fingertips back up to Ami's forehead. "Sleeping people are fun to play with," she said simply. "Especially when they're half-naked. It was either you or Tolaris and he might have taken it the wrong way, so I decided on you." Ami's eyebrow arched up. "Oh, and how should I take this one?" she asked with an edge to her voice. Mina's voice dropped to a whisper as she brushed her fingertips across Ami's neck. "Any way you want." Ami blinked, not sure anymore of what Mina was up to. "Uh huh.... Didn't we have a discussion about this awhile back?" "I remember one with Leda, but not with you," Mina said honestly. "Isn't Maze enough for you?" Mina smiled. "Most of the time, yes. But every now and then I wake up one morning and find myself wanting a bit of variety." Ami blinked. "And what does Maze think of this?" "We've worked it out already. As long as I let him know beforehand and get his approval, everything's fine. It works both ways, but he's said several times that he's had enough variety for a few centuries." Ami blinked again, not entirely surprised by her statement. "And what of him?" she asked, making a gesture towards Tolaris. The Dragoon was still sleeping on her chest and showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. "He's welcome to join the party," Mina said with an impish grin. This time, Ami was totally surprised. She tried to think but was rather hampered by the shock. "Umm.... I'll have to discuss this with Tolaris, of course. After he wakes up, that is," she said slowly, stalling for time to get her brain straight. "I can wake him up for you...." Mina suggested. "Only if you want to get electrocuted," Tolaris said softly, causing both Ami and Mina to jump. "And believe me, it won't be as pleasant as the last time I electrocuted Ami." Mina made a face. "And how long have you been awake?" "Doesn't matter," the Dragoon replied, only the sound of his voice and the movement of his lips giving any indications that he was awake. "Of course, you don't have any room to talk, since you were awake when Ami and I talked to Maze earlier." Mina blinked. "You could tell?" "Closed eyes aren't always sleeping," he said as he opened his eyes and started to stretch. Ami sighed, wondering if the rest of the day was going to be as much of a headache as it had already been. "Well, now that we all know you're awake, you want to share your opinion on this?" "My opinion is of no concern, but I will say this: If the two of you want to start something, that's fine with me as long as you leave me out of it and I don't wind up hearing about it sometime later. With regard to the reversal of that, I would sincerely hope that I'm not so disappointing to you, Ami, that you would consider seeking out someone else for sexual comfort." Ami laughed softly and embraced him. "You know me better than that," she said softly. Tolaris grunted. "In the intelligence field, there is no such thing as knowing a person better than something. Raijen himself once said you shouldn't put anything past anyone. However, in this case I would have to agree with you on that particular topic," he said dryly. "Your faith is overwhelming," she replied sarcastically. "Is this sufficient for your purposes, Mina?" Tolaris said. Mina nodded. "Works for me, Commander. Thanks.... I think." "Good. Tell me, you came in here for a purpose other than for disturbing the sleep of the innocent, correct?" he asked. Mina nodded. "I talked with Serena and Darian about half an hour ago. Neither of them has any idea where Leda might have gone off to, but they both said not to worry since they think she knows what she's doing." "Thank you," Tolaris said. "Now unless you have something further to say or ask, I would like to try to get some more rest. I have the dark feeling that I won't be getting much of it for awhile, and I don't mean because of amorous feelings." "I understand completely," Mina said seriously. She paused and looked up at him with a curious look in her eyes. "I have two questions, however." Ami sighed and closed her eyes, not really wanting to know. Tolaris only grunted softly. "I'm listening," he said. "Do you think you can tell me about Mintaka one of these days?" The Dragoon allowed himself a small smile. "Actually, I was planning on telling Ami about it tonight. I guess I could tell it to a small audience." "Thanks." "And the other question?" he said, slightly wary. "How exactly did you electrocute Ami?" Tolaris glanced up at Ami and she nodded. "It's easy," he said as he reached out and trailed his fingers across Mina's throat. "It kind of felt like this...." he said as he summoned a very weak lightning bolt. Mina's blue eyes widened as the electric current danced across her skin. "Ohh...." she breathed, her voice turning husky. She grabbed his hand and held it in place, his fingers just below her voicebox. "Please, don't stop doing that...." Tolaris blinked and exchanged glances with Ami. She nodded fractionally and he kept up the electric current, sending Mina into a mild state of arousal. "This feels so.... so.... God...." the blonde moaned. "Ami, is his touch in bed always like this?" "On occasion," Ami said cautiously. Mina shivered, thoroughly enjoying her body's reaction. She tightened her grip on Tolaris's hand and moved it down, pressing it between her breasts. "Can.... Can I borrow him tonight, Ami? Please?" she said, her voice now a bare whisper. "I think not," Ami said firmly and gave Tolaris a look. He immediately stopped electrocuting Mina and gently tugged his hand free from her grasp. Mina blinked at the sudden loss of pleasure and gave them both a sad puppy-eye look. "Can I keep you two company one night? That feeling.... It could drive one insane." Tolaris nodded. "It has, too," he said. He glanced at Ami and smiled at the blush creeping across her face. "As for keeping us company, I think we'll have to pass for the time being. That sort of concept requires a great deal of conversation beforehand and would have to include everyone involved." "I understand," Mina said. She brushed her fingers against her throat and shivered at the memory. "Tolaris, don't take this the wrong way or anything, or you too, Ami, but if you ever get bored, just come and see me." Both Tolaris and Ami arched an eyebrow at the statement. "Uh huh," Ami said. "I don't think he'll be getting bored anytime soon." Mina nodded. "Me neither, but still...." She shivered again and gave Ami a strange look. "I hope you know what you have here, Ami, because if you let him get away, I think there are a great number of women who would love to get their hands on him." "And one would suppose that would include you?" Tolaris asked dryly. Mina shook her head. "No offense, Commander, but I wouldn't be able to keep you around for long." "Oh?" Tolaris asked, giving Ami a slightly confused look. "With a talent like that, I'd probably rape you to death," she said. Tolaris blinked as he felt a twinge of pain in his chest. Here we go again, he thought. Ami smiled sweetly as she wrapped her arms around the Dragoon. "Just so we understand each other, Mina, he's mine. Touch him and I will drain your blood in a very unpleasant manner." Mina smiled back. "Sounds fair. Just means I'll have to go for you," she said as she leaned over and gave Ami a kiss. She found no resistance and deepened it, gently pressing Ami against the pillow. She ended it after several seconds and leaned back to gauge their reactions. Mina blinked as she realized that she had never seen Tolaris look so surprised before. His eyes were still wide with surprise, shock, wonder, and something else she couldn't immediately identify. Ami looked equally as stunned, her blue eyes reflecting surprise and disbelief. She blinked several times and gave Mina a strange look before she closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "That's it, Mina, I give up trying to figure out how you think," she said in a weary tone. Mina smiled, satisfied in some way that she wasn't sure about. "If you say so. Well, I'll let you two go back to sleep now. Will you let me know when you plan on telling us about Mintaka?" she asked Tolaris. The Dragoon was still too shell-shocked to do anything more than nod his head slowly. Mina smiled again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay, thanks. Bye!" she said cheerfully as she got up and left the room, making sure the door was closed behind her. Tolaris and Ami just looked at each other for several minutes. Tolaris eventually managed to scrape together enough mental power to speak coherently. "What was that about?" he said slowly. Ami just shrugged. "It's Mina. Go figure." "I'd rather not, if you don't mind." "I doubt you could even if you wanted to," she replied with a sigh. "There is that. Do I want to ask what you think about her offer?" "I'll let you know when I figure it out myself. You?" "Likewise." A pause. "Can I ask a question without it sounding like an ego problem?" She shrugged. "Shoot." "Why does everyone want to rape me?" She blinked. "Say that again?" "You said you were ready to that one night, and now this...." She thought carefully. "Hormones." "That's it?" "Well, you are rather sexy...." He laughed. "Biased." "A complaint?" "Of course not." "Good. I'd hate to think that I'm the only one who finds you sexy." He blinked. "Come again?" "Maybe later." She laughed. "What I mean is, if other people find you sexy too, then it means I've really got something and it's not just my own skewed perceptions." "Oh, thanks a lot. If that's the case, I might take her up on her offer." "Not without me you don't." He blinked. "You serious?" She nodded. "Yes. However, you have to prove to me first that you can handle more than just me. Wouldn't be fair for you to concentrate on just one person, now would it?" He laughed softly. "And how do I prove that one to you?" "Well, we'll just have to see how much of me you can handle...." "That shouldn't be too hard...." he said softly as kissed her.... * * * * Reish'id grunted softly as something disturbed his sleep. He stretched cautiously, making sure he didn't disturb the soft form in front of him. He blinked as he realized that she was shivering for some reason. Odd.... he thought as he carefully sniffed the back of her neck. His breath caught in his throat as he smelled sickness. He sat up and carefully unwrapped the fur pelts around her and gave her a closer look. Her body was bathed in sweat and she was shivering as if she was cold. He brushed his fingertips across her forehead and blinked at how high her body temperature had gotten. She stirred slightly, her consciousness trapped inside the dreams of the ill. He stood up and growled softly. I can't help her this time, he thought to himself. But.... Perhaps I know one who can.... He swiftly moved over to the tiny communication system he had hidden in the wall. He opened the panel and entered a series of numbers into the keypad beneath a hard-wired commlink. He waited for the secure link to be established between his system and the one on the other end. The speaker finally chittered softly as the two systems agreed on an encryption method and opened the link. "Maq'i," he said softly. He was answered by an equally soft voice, asking what he wanted. "My companion is ill and needs your immediate assistance." The voice was silent for a moment before asking a few specific questions. He replied to the best of his knowledge, carefully leaving out any clue to Leda's identity. The voice gave him a time estimate and the link was closed. He cleared the settings on his panel before closing the cover. Just a few moments, Leda, he thought silently as he moved towards her and knelt down. His fingertips brushed across her face and he shook his head at her temperature. He blinked as an odd light filled the cave. He turned around in time to see the withered figure of Healer Maq'i step out of a wormhole. The vortex collapsed behind her and she nodded her head in greetings. "Well met, Reish'id," she said softly, her voice dry and brittle. "Not so well, Healer," he replied. "Her illness is sudden and I don't know what I can do for her." Maq'i nodded as she stepped over to him and knelt down by Leda. "There are so few warriors left who will admit a weakness, Reish'id, and many have died from pride. How long has she been ill?" she asked as she held Leda's hand in hers. "Not even four hours." Maq'i blinked and carefully scrutinized the slender figure on the furs. "Four hours?" she asked, her voice betraying her disbelief. Reish'id explained that she had been caught outside in the snows and what he had done to save her from exposure. "Perhaps that helped the illness along. I am no healer, so I can only guess what happened," he said. The venerable healer looked Leda over once more before frowning. "I need to ask you something, Reish'id, and I need a truthful answer." "Ask, Healer." "She is not a denizen, is she?" Maq'i asked quietly, looking up at him with inquisitive gold eyes that belied her age. Reish'id hesitated only for an instant, knowing that she had to know the truth if she was to save Leda. "No, she is a human," he said softly. Maq'i nodded. "As I suspected. Here," she said as she drew a small cup from her medical satchel. "Fill this with the water from the pool while I tend to her. I suspect there may be something in the water that you are immune to, but that she may not be." He nodded and started to walk towards the thermal pool. He paused for a moment before glancing back. "You will still try to help her, won't you?" Maq'i's eyes flashed with anger. "Are you suggesting that I would let her die just because she is a human? I took an oath to help the sick and wounded, no matter who they are or where they came from," she said coldly. Reish'id bowed his head. "Forgive me, Healer, I meant no insult," he said and left to gather the sample. Maq'i sighed quietly to herself and turned her attention back to Leda. So this is a human, she thought as she placed her hand on Leda's chest. It took her a moment to realize that her heart was in a different spot that where it would have been for a denizen. No matter, she thought as her experienced fingers found the spot directly over Leda's heart. The healer then closed her eyes as she extended her powers outward, directing the curative energies through her fingers and into the core of Leda's life-force. She blinked at how fast Leda's life-force responded. Ahh, so it is a mere infection, she thought. Bacteria, most likely. She looked at the smooth lines of Leda's face, remembering how her own face was that smooth once. Well over two thousand years ago, she chided herself. I wonder what it feels like to be so young, she mused. She blinked as she noticed something strange. She took a closer look at Leda and blinked again as she saw a strange sigil glowing a soft green color on her forehead. I've seen that sigil somewhere before, she thought as she tried to remember where. A book from... Earth? No, it was from the other place.... The Moon Kingdom? Yes.... something our 'diplomatic delegation' brought back from their library.... The healer looked up as Reish'id entered the room. "What color is the fourth ring on the bottom?" she asked without preamble. Reish'id flipped the sealed cup over to look at the underside. He counted the rings until he came across the one he sought. "Bright green." She nodded. "Bacterial infection, then." "You can deal with it?" he asked cautiously, looking down at Leda. He blinked when he saw the white glow from Maq'i's healing powers spread across her bare chest and the soft green sigil glowing on her forehead. Maq'i smiled. "Something as simple as an infection? You insult me," she said in a mock-offended tone. She looked down and noticed a vast improvement of Leda's breathing, pulse, and body temperature. "A few more minutes should purge the infection from her body." Reish'id nodded and knelt down next to her. "You have my thanks, Healer," he said softly. "If there's any way I can repay you...." The healer laughed softly. "Come now, my friend, the times for payments between us are long since past." She thought for a second, trying to remember just how long it had been. She blinked as she felt a surge of energy beneath her fingertips and she gently withdrew her hands. "She responds much better than I would have thought possible," she said softly and drew a nearby pelt over Leda's body before rising to her feet. "There is nothing more to be done, Reish'id. She is already recovering and will probably awaken within the hour, two at most," she said. She glanced down once more at her patient and sighed. "We must speak now, but not here. You still have that demonstrosity you call a couch near your kitchen?" Reish'id laughed quietly. It was nothing more than a pile of furs on a natural stone shelf, but he jokingly called it a couch for the benefit of the rare denizen visitor. "Of course, Healer. Would you care for something to drink while we talk?" Her gold eyes twinkled with a past memory. "Ma'cha, if you please. Just without the spirits this time." He laughed again as he went into the small corner of the cave he used for cooking while she made her way to the couch. She was not in the least bit surprised to find that nothing had changed in the cave, despite the fact that her memories of it were two thousand years old. He returned in short order with two steaming cups of ma'cha. He handed her one and they both sat down on the couch. She took a sip of her ma'cha and nodded in satisfaction. "You always could brew a good cup of ma'cha," she said with a smile. He nodded. "Forgive me, Healer, but I don't think you wanted to talk about times long since past," he said slowly. Maq'i sighed and set her cup down on the edge of the stone shelf. "As you wish." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I was never one to pry into anyone's business, Reish'id, but.... what is Sailor Jupiter doing here?" Reish'id blinked in surprise. "What makes you think that's her?" The healer snorted. "Come now, I may be old but I am not a fool. I got the flash traffic message too, you know. The only humans remotely capable of entering the Negaverse are the Sailor Scouts, and one of them was seen near here not too long ago. Then there was the sign of Jupiter on her forehead when I was treating her." He said nothing in response, the only betrayal of his emotions was the way his tail lashed back and forth. "How did you know she was human?" he asked. "You are evading the question." "I will answer when I know myself," he said simply. She sighed, knowing he was telling the truth. Ever since she had met him, she had never known him to tell a lie to anyone. "As to how I knew, it is very obvious. Anyone with a basic grasp of biology could tell, my friend." He blinked. "How?" She smiled. "You really don't know?" "I wouldn't be asking if I knew, Healer." She laughed softly. "Very well. The difference is the hair." He blinked again. "Her hair?" "Tell me, in all your experience with denizen females, have you ever met one with any hair on her body except on her head?" she said mildly. Reish'id blinked when he realized that she was correct. "Indeed, I have not.... But denizen males have body hair, correct?" "Yes, but only to a very minor degree, and very few have any pubic hair. Unlike your human friend." She chuckled briefly. "Gave me a bit of a shock to see that. You really didn't notice?" He gave her a look. "The majority of my attention was focused on keeping her alive, not wondering about how she looks naked." "And do you plan on wondering?" she asked as she sipped her ma'cha. He have her another look, his eyes narrowed to the point where it made it difficult to see the purple irises within his yellow eyes. "What do you mean, Healer?" She smiled gently. "Forgive me, my friend, that was uncalled for." He sighed and shook his head rapidly. "You are confusing me." "I may be old, but I am not a fool," she repeated. "I know you, Reish'id. I still remember how we were lovers, so long ago. That time is long past now, and I am old. Far too old to seek a new lover or to pursue an old one. You, however, are still young." He laughed, a good hearty laugh whose sound filled the cave from one end to the other. "I am a thousand years older than you are, Healer," he said. "Your species has a longer lifespan than mine does," she said. "So? You are only as old as you feel, Maq'i." Now it was her turn to laugh. "Look at me, my friend," she said as she stood up and held her arms out. "My skin looks like parchment, my voice is soft and weak, and you cannot tell what color my hair was once," she said as she held up a lock of her faded white hair. His response was to stand up and nuzzle her neck, much the way he used to back in the past. "Age is a state of mind," he purred. She leaned against him, a soft smile on her face. "Our time is past," she said softly. "Tell me, do you plan on starting a new one with her?" "I.... do not know quite yet, though I have seen her in my dreams for some time now," he said. "Tell this old woman how it came to be that you were so entranced by a Sailor Scout," she said, her voice filled with amusement. Reish'id told her of how he had first seen her when the Sailor Scouts had entered the Negaverse with Tolaris, and the events that took place after that. He then told her of his dreams, something which he would have never told anyone except for her. She only smiled when he was finished. "The diagnosis looks quite clear to these old eyes, Reish'id." He blinked. "What diagnosis?" "You are going to fall for her and fall hard, if you haven't already." "Thank you, Healer," he said darkly. The smile fell from her face as she turned to look him in the eyes. "I must tell you something, however. There is a balance in each of us, a balance between body, mind, and soul. Her soul is quite troubled, I'm afraid." He gave the healer an odd look. "Can you explain?" She shook her head. "I am no telepath. I cannot read her mind to see what troubles her soul. What she needs, Reish'id, is someone to help her put her soul at ease. If it is in your heart to seek hers, do so carefully. She is both very tough and very fragile right now, and having to deal with possibly unwanted attention could make her troubles worse." He finally nodded in understanding. "I have always trusted your wisdom, Healer Maq'i, and will continue to do so. You have my gratitude for both your assistance and your advice." She nodded and embraced him, rubbing her cheek against his more out of reflex than of passion. She carefully gathered everything together in her satchel and turned towards the main entrance of the cave, her mind already focusing on the Silkworm crystal she carried. "Maq'i, I have to ask you something...." She turned and smiled. "Come now, I have been keeping healer-patient confidences since I was two hundred. I came up here to treat a denizen female with a severe bacterial infection, nothing more." Reish'id nodded. "Thank you, Healer." "Be careful, Warrior. For her, if not for you," she said, then stepped into the whirling vortex that opened in front of her. She had barely stepped across the portal when it collapsed back in on itself and vanished. He turned around and walked into the den, wondering what he was going to do next. His thoughts were interrupted by a low moan, followed by a grunt. He looked up to find Leda doing her best to sit up and failing. Perhaps I should figure out what to do next, he thought as he laid down in the corner of the den to keep an eye on her. He blinked as he realized that her eyes were open and she was looking at him, her face a mask of uncertainty. Yes, now would be a good time to know what to do next, he thought.... * * * * Leda moaned in pain as she woke up, her entire body feeling like it had been used for a punching bag. What have I gotten myself into now? she thought before grunting as a sudden wave of pain swept through her chest. I haven't felt this bad in a long time. She tried to sit up but was only partly successful. Might as well get this one over with, she thought as she carefully opened her eyes and braced herself to be blinded by light or overcome with more pain. Or both. She blinked when she realized that no pain was forthcoming, and the only light came from a fireplace. It took her a few seconds to register the fact that she was in a cave of some sorts, and it took even longer to figure out that she was lying on something rather fuzzy. What is this place? she wondered as she looked around. Her eyes caught motion and she focused on it. She immediately recognized the dark silhouette of a giant panther with yellow eyes. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly. "Like roadkill," she replied, her voice dry and harsh. She blinked and tried to swallow, but her mouth was like cotton. "Do you have any water?" He nodded and rose to his feet, walking off towards one end of the cave. She sighed and laid back down, wondering what exactly happened to her. She started to stretch and was shocked to discover that she was naked. Oh, great, she thought. I can't wait to hear what happened to me this time. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something soft and fuzzy brush against her shoulder. She looked up and blinked at the sight of Reish'id kneeling next to her, his face not six inches away from hers. "Here," he said as he held a cup up to her lips. She took a cautious sip at first, then quickly drained the cup. The cool water immediately helped ease the dryness in her mouth and throat. "Thanks," she said, her voice still slightly raspy. "What happened? Last thing I remember is being outside in the snow." He set the cup down and spent the next ten minutes explaining everything that had happened to her, what he had done, and most importantly, why. He carefully left out the details of his conversation with Maq'i, only saying that she had known she was human. She sighed softly and nodded. "Under the circumstances, that was probably a good thing. Umm, what exactly did you do with my clothes?" she asked. She frowned slightly as she noticed the way his whiskers twitched when she asked him about it. "They are here, but are.... unuseable," he said carefully. "Wonderful," she replied. "I'm glad I brought spares, though. Where'd you put my backpack?" Reish'id blinked. "What backpack?" "The backpack I was carrying when I ran into you?" she prompted. He frowned. "I don't remember any backpack, Leda." She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had done with it. Okay, had it with me up to the mountain.... took it off at the pond to rub my shoulder.... had it with me later 'cuz I snagged in on the tree.... took it off to rest against the rock.... He blinked as Leda spat out a string of cuss words. "Dare I ask what that is supposed to translate as?" he asked curiously. "It means it's still sitting by that rock where we met," she replied. "I think it means something else, but I get the message." He made a face as he thought about the weather outside. "The good news is that it's still probably right where you left it. The bad news is that there's most likely a good foot of snow there, too." Leda felt another headache coming on. "So when should it melt?" "Roughly in five days, more if another cold front passes through." He blinked again as his ears were assaulted by a lengthy and very profane litany of curses. "Do all humans speak like that?" he asked when she calmed down. "Only when they're butt-naked and alone inside a strange world where the vast majority of its inhabitants wants them dead and their only company is a giant talking panther whom they've just met," she replied darkly. "But you are not alone, Leda," Reish'id said softly. "As for the matter of clothes, I apologize for damaging yours but you know why I had to. I can attempt to construct some new ones for you, but I fail to see why you would need them, as the temperature here is always warm and it would be a shame for you to hide your beauty behind mere furs and fabrics." She blinked at the last part of his statement. That's what Maze said to Venus that one day, but as far as intentions.... "What do you want from me?" she asked bluntly. He blinked. "What do you mean?" "Surely that translated. What do you want from me?" Reish'id sat back on his hind legs and frowned. "I do not understand what you are asking," he said slowly. She sighed and sat up, keeping the fur pelt tucked under her chin. "You knew I was in the area and went out of your way to meet me. You knew I was alone and without shelter, yet you warned me of the storm and brought me here. I got sick and you had a doctor come out here to save me. Why?" "Tell me, is kindness unknown in your society?" he asked. "No, but it's not very familiar in yours," she shot back. "I know how your people think. You don't be 'kind' to one another unless you plan to get something out of it. Am I wrong?" He sighed quietly. "Yes and no. You are correct in the respect that such behavior is common in denizen society. Your fault lies in your stereotypical judgement, as I am not, technically speaking, a denizen." She blinked. "What are you, then?" "There is no direct translation. Felinoid is the 'official' term for it." "You mean like avian is the term for Ra'vel's species, right?" He nodded. "Precisely. How is the lieutenant doing? The official story was she was seriously wounded from an experimental weapon test gone bad. I know the truth, however, but am still concerned for her well-being." Leda raised an eyebrow. "She's mostly healed now and she's on Earth to let her body heal the rest. You haven't answered my question, by the way." "Nor have you explained it to my satisfaction." She resisted the urge to growl at him, not entirely sure how he would have reacted to it. "Look, you obviously brought me here for a purpose, right? So tell me what it is you wanted me here for." "What I want is of no concern, Leda. Let me assure you I intend you no harm. One might ask your purpose here, and don't bother trying to tell me it was to study the storm. There is little to be gained by lying to me." "What makes you think I was lying?" she asked. "Come now, if you really were here to study the weather patterns, you would have understood what I told you earlier about the jet streams," he said mildly. "Since you are the one who intruded into my domain, perhaps you should be the one explaining your actions." "Your domain?" she asked suspiciously. He nodded. "Everything on Mount Arachen above the fog line is mine, and it has been registered with the throne for the past three thousand years." She blinked. "Three.... thousand years? How old are you?" He laughed. "Ahh, now there is a question. A moment to think, if I may," he said and starting doing mental calculations. "Three thousand, two hundred and forty-four years old, I believe. You tend to misplace a few years here and there, but that should be the rough estimate." Leda's jaw fell open with a soft crack. "Great Zeus...." she said. "And how old are you, if one may ask?" he said curiously. "Fifteen." He blinked. "Fifteen?" he echoed, more than slightly stunned. She nodded. "Yeah, I know I'm young, even for a human. You okay?" she asked when she noticed that he appeared to have trouble breathing for a brief moment. "Of course," he replied. "However, now you are evading my questions." Leda sighed. "Alright, already. I came here to get away from everyone while I figure out what to do with myself." "Interesting. Would you care to elaborate?" he asked as he laid down and got comfortable. "My best friend just died and.... I'm not sure I can handle it anymore." Reish'id blinked, not liking the way she phrased that. "Handle what?" She sighed and drew her knees to her chest. "Death. You might think it likes to follow me around. First my parents die in a plane crash, then my.... well, lover gets herself killed in a freak auto wreck, and now a bizarre train accident kills Ken. It's.... it's...." she trailed off, her body starting to shake with emotion. She blinked as she felt something fuzzy wrap around her wrist. She looked down to find Reish'id tail curled around her wrist, the tip of it brushing against the palm of her hand. She looked up and saw a strange emotion deep within his cat-like purple irises. "I understand what you are feeling," he said softly. "I have been in many battles and have lost countless friends. I have also seen some of them grow old and die of age before my eyes. One does not live for three thousand years without having met the Archangel of Death and having learned how to manage the pain and anguish he leaves in his wake." His hand slid under her chin and held her head up to look at him. "I'm not sure why you came here, Leda, but know this: If you came to deal with the Archangel, you won't have to do it alone," he said softly and drew her close. She blinked as he embraced her, his arms sliding across her bare back and holding her against his chest. For some reason, she found the embrace to be oddly comforting and suddenly felt the emotions she had suppressed inside her welling up to the surface. The emotions burst forth like water from a broken dam, the grief at the loss of her parents, the shock and loneliness after Jenni's death, and most recently the news of the death of the person she called her brother. Her emotional control shattered like glass and she started crying into Reish'id's shoulder, softly at first, then harder as the emotions released themselves in an uncontrollable rush. Reish'id was puzzled by the sudden onslaught of tears, but he continued to hold her until the tears abated several minutes later. He brushed his cheek against hers impulsively, not quite sure why he was doing so. "You sound like you've kept that bottled up for quite some time now. Do you feel better?" he said softly in her ear. She sniffed and nodded, her face still buried in his shoulder. "Some." "Then that is a start." He would have said more but his sensitive ears picked up the soft sound of her stomach growling to itself. "Tell me, when was the last time you had eaten anything?" She thought about it for a moment. "Several hours, I think." "You are hungry, then?" Her stomach grumbled a little louder and she almost giggled. "You might say that," she said with a bit of a smile on her lips. He brushed his cheek against hers again. "I'm not sure if I have anything that you would be able to tolerate," he said. "Got any tl'azza?" He blinked. "How do you know of tl'azza?" She laughed softly, a gentle sound that Reish'id found very pleasing to listen to. "Tolaris discovered a small stash of denizen foodstuffs on Earth and I got a crash-course in cooking them. I could have done without the ertu eggs, but the steaks were good." "I guess I can spare a steak or two," he said mildly. "That will cut my supply of tl'azza down to around seven hundred pounds, but I think I will be able to manage." She blinked and pulled away with him, a distant part of her brain making note of the fact that he released her almost reluctantly. "You have seven hundred pounds of steak?" "Only of tl'azza," he replied. "Only.... Umm, what other kinds of steaks do you have?" He laughed softly. "There is an ice cavern several dozen feet beneath the bottom of my cave. I use it to keep the meats relatively fresh from when I go hunting. That's where these pelts come from," he said as he held up one of the furs. "I've never really bothered to count how much I've got now, but I would guess close to four thousand pounds of various edible meats." Leda's green eyes went wide. "Two tons of steaks? Whatever for?" He shrugged. "Game is scarce up here, so I have to save what I can find. Also, when the winter snows come to the central flatlands, I am often trapped inside this cave for weeks at a time. My supply is enough for most winters, though it becomes dangerously depleted in long or heavy winters." She nodded in understanding, then blinked when her stomach growled yet again. "Alright, already," she muttered to herself. He laughed and rose to his feet. "How do you want your steak prepared?" "Charcoal that sucker 'till it's nice and brown," she replied with a gleam in her green eyes. He shook his head. "You are very much like a denizen, Leda." She arched and eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah? How so?" "Only a denizen would want to cook a steak instead of enjoying the taste of meat as it should be." Leda frowned, not sure she wanted to know. "And how is that?" He grinned at her, causing her to blink at the sight of his razor-sharp canine teeth. "Still living," he said and went off towards the entranceway to the underground cavern. She sighed and adjusted the furs around her. "Lovely. Of all the people to save my butt, I had to get a blood-thirsty panther," she muttered, trying not to wonder just what other surprises fate had in store for her. * * * * He returned a short time later, one hand holding a steaming plate, the other holding a set of silverware, and his tail wrapped around a small bottle. "I hope this suits your expectations," he said as he handed her the plate. She accepted the plate with one hand, the other keeping the pelt beneath her chin. "Thanks. Mmm, smells good," she said, smiling. "Since you don't possess any claws or teeth worth mentioning, I managed to discover where I had stored these," he continued, holding out the silverware. Leda hesitated, wondering how she was going to eat and preserve what was left of her modesty at the same time. He's already seen me naked, so might as well forget it, she thought dourly as she released the pelt and accepted the silverware. A distant part of her mind took note of the way one of his ears twitched briefly as the pelt settled into her lap. "A friend of mine re-introduced me to the concept of having a drink to go with a meal, so I thought this might be appropriate," he finished as his tail arched around his body to present her with the bottle. She blinked at the dark red contents of the bottle and examined the tiny hand-written label attached to it. The spidery symbols were drawn slightly different than what she was used to, but she recognized it just the same. "Blood-wine, eh? How old is that stuff?" she inquired. He blinked. "You know of it, then?" She nodded. "Part of the stash Tolaris found. Good stuff, by the way." A sudden thought came to her and she gave him a curious look, her head tilted at an angle like a bird. "Should I ask why you're giving me alcohol?" His whiskers twitched. "Perhaps I have erred in judgement. What sort of effect does alcohol have on a human?" "Same as a denizen, maybe worse." He blinked. "Perhaps this is not wise, then...." She grinned and plucked the bottle out of his tail's grasp. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you on that." She worked the cork out of the bottle and took a cautious sniff. "Oy, das' som' strong stuf'," she managed to choke out as her eyes started to water. She took a deep breath to clear her head. "How old is this?" He bent down to peer at the label. "I'd say it's been in the lake for the better part of a century." "What lake?" she asked as she took a tiny sip of the blood-wine. Her eyes went wide as her throat seemed to catch fire for a brief instant. "Ohh, yes, this is the good stuff...." she said with satisfaction. "There is a small lake of supercooled water at one end of the ice cavern. I use that to keep the various bottles cold enough to preserve their contents, but not so cold that they could crystalize and ruin the taste. I take it that I made a good decision with regards to the blood-wine?" he asked. She shrugged. "I have no problem with it, at least not now." She gave the bottle a measured look as she tried to calculate how much she could drink before she wound up getting plastered. She took a second sip and decided that it probably wouldn't take much. With a day like this, I just might want to, she thought as she set the bottle down and fairly attacked her steak. "Mmm, this is good," she said after her first bite of tl'azza. "You a telepath?" He blinked. "No. Why do you ask?" "This is just the way I like it," she said. "I thought you might have read my mind." He chuckled softly. "If I could read your mind, Leda, I wouldn't have had to ask what you are doing here," he said pointedly. She paused as she thought about it. "True. If you don't mind my asking, what sort of powers do you have?" "Not many, I'm afraid. My claws can scratch up solid rock rather badly, I can move very small objects with my mind, and I have a measure of control over Dark Energy," he replied. He blinked as Leda's face lost some of its color. "That disturbs you?" She set her steak down and picked up the bottle. "Yeah, reminds me of someone I met awhile back. You ever hear of Malachite?" She blinked as his ears flattened themselves against his head. "If you mean General Malachite, then yes. He could control Dark Energy?" She nodded, a sour look on her face. "Yeah, and he would have whipped our butts with it, too, if Sailor Venus hadn't dropped in to say hello." She took a small sip of the blood-wine and seemed to relax fractionally. "What exactly is that stuff, anyway?" "Scientists call it a quasi-negative field of energy. As to what that means, I haven't a clue. I just know that I can use it to project a shield that is almost impervious to other forms of energy." He paused as a memory bubbled to the surface of his mind. "I used it earlier, when we were out in the snow to protect you against the wind, and your transformation reversed itself." He jumped back as she scrambled to her feet, almost knocking the bottle over in the process. "Great Zeus, how could I have forgotten about that?" she said as she reached behind her and pulled her Jupiter Wand out of her Lunar Space pocket. "JUPITER POWER!" He first blinked in confusion, then again at the look of horror on Leda's face. "Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously. "It's not working," she said in utter disbelief. She took a closer look at the crystal bubble atop the silvery cylinder and gasped. Normally the sign of Jupiter slowly spun inside, but now it was empty. "It's not there...!" she whispered. "What's not there, Leda?" She looked up at him, her eyes filled with horror and despair. "The power of Jupiter.... It's gone!" She fell to her knees, her body starting to shake with emotion. He sat down next to her, his arm resting on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "Are you sure?" he asked. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Wait, let me think about this. Perhaps not.... M.... Mercury said something awhile ago about how she thought the Negaverse was having some sort of side-effect on our powers. What was it she said...?" she thought aloud as she tried to remember.... Keep in mind that the Negaverse is a separate dimension than ours, she had said. Our powers come from something in ours. I think the only reason we kept our powers when we entered the Negaverse was because the powers had already been 'given' to us when we transformed. If we were to lose those powers, we couldn't transform back. Mina shook her head. You and I both did that on our last trip, remember? Ami nodded. That's the only flaw. My only guess is that the Imperium Silver Crystal had something to do with it. But what about me? Darian asked. When I was brainwashed by Beryl, I was able to become Prince Darian. But were you able to become Tuxedo Mask? Ami asked. He blinked. Now that you mention it, no.... Prince Darian is part of your soul, Darian, just like the Princess is part of Serena's. But Tuxedo Mask's power is different, and since that power comes from this dimension, you could only transform here.... Leda sighed and muttered a toxic curse beneath her breath. "I remember now. I can only transform into Sailor Jupiter back on Earth," she sighed. Reish'id said nothing, only squeezing her shoulder lightly. "This sucks, you know?" she said, fighting back the tears. "I just wanted some time to myself. A little peace and quiet to try to help scrape my life back together. So what happens? I wind up almost freezing to death, then I wind up butt-naked without so much as a change of drawers, and now I find out that my only real means of defense just took a hike." She gave him a murderous glare as he started laughing quietly. "And what exactly do you find funny about this?" she snapped. "You are still alive, correct?" he said. She snorted and looked away. "I'm not entirely convinced that's a good thing right about now." She jumped as he snarled and grabbed her throat with one hand, the claws splayed and digging into her skin. He saw how her eyes widened with fear and he nodded, releasing his grip. "You were frightened when I did that, Leda. It means that you are not quite ready to die yet," he said softly. She blinked in shock, still trying to get her heart under control before it exploded in her chest. "Scare me like that again and I just might croak," she said breathlessly. "Do you understand my point?" She brushed her fingertips across the tiny dents on her throat from his claws. "I understand several, thank you." He blinked and studied her throat. "My apologies," he said and bent his head down. She gasped as she felt his tongue brush across the tiny marks. She jerked back, her hand coming up to touch her throat. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to ignore the strange sensation in her nerves that he had caused. Reish'id looked abashed for a moment. "Forgive me, that was an impulse. Among my species that is a way to tend to wounds and to show an apology. I didn't intend to upset you." "I'm not upset, just.... surprised." She paused for a moment and touched her throat again. "It felt like wet sandpaper, in a way...." She looked up at him and smirked. "And I'm not one of your species, in case you hadn't taken the time to notice." She blinked when she received a low growl in response. "Trust me, I've noticed," he said rather dryly. "If you'll excuse me, there are a few things I need to take care of. Out of curiosity, do you like the pelt you're sitting on?" he asked. Leda nodded. "Kind of. The fur is a little coarse for my tastes but I have no real complaints. Why do you ask?" "Which type of fur do you prefer?" he asked, ignoring her question. She glanced around at the array of furs around her. She spent several minutes stroking each of the pelts, trying to decide which one felt the best on her skin. "I can't decide. This one feels good," she said as she made a gesture at the askiri pelt. He nodded. "Which other ones do you like?" She blushed. "Well, your fur is very soft, too." His whiskers twitched as he thought. "Given a choice, which would you rather wear?" She blinked. "To wear? Umm.... No offense, but probably yours. The fur is rather long on this one and would probably be a nightmare to keep clean if I had to wear it." He nodded again. "Very well," he said as he rose to his feet." She gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you ask?" "Let me know when you've finished eating and I'll show you," he replied as he left the room. She blinked, not entirely sure what that was about. "Guess I'll find out soon enough," she muttered to herself before she went back to eating the steak. She gave the bottle of blood-wine a wary look as she decided if she wanted to drink any more of it. No, she decided, but I'm going to keep you handy for later. If the rest of today is just as bad, I might not want to remember what happened. Mmm, this is some good steak.... * * * * She had just finished off the last of the steak when she heard the sound of something being scraped across the stone floor of the cave. She turned around to see Reish'id carrying a sizable amount of black fur pelts in his arms and dragging a medium-sized case behind him with his tail. "That tail of yours must come in handy at times," she observed. "You have no idea," he replied as he tossed the pelts onto the ground. "I take it you're finished eating?" "Yeah, but now I have to use the can." He blinked. "The what?" "Toilet," she explained. "Ah. It's at the end of the corridor," he said as he pointed behind her. "Thank you," she said as she wrapped the furs around her before she stood up. She took a step towards the corridor and abruptly jumped back on the fur pelt she had been sitting on. "Yii, that floor is cold!" she squealed. Reish'id chuckled. "Perhaps you might wish to wait for awhile, as the toilet is also made of stone and hence as cold." He burst out laughing at the dour look on Leda's face. "Oh, great," she muttered. "Just what I need, a frozen 'pot." "One moment, if I may," he said as he held up a small pelt. He extended his claws and proceeded to slash away at the pelt, one hand gripping the edge of the fur while the other mutilating it in some sort of pattern. "Perhaps this will be of some use," he said as he held the remains of the pelt towards Leda. She took it and hesitantly unfolded it, blinking in wonder at what it now was. "Ooo, a fur toilet seat, eh? You're a butt-saver," she said as she stood up on her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Be back in a few," she said and quickly headed down the corridor, cursing the cold floor as she went. His ears twitched as he preened the spot where she had kissed him. He then sighed and opened the case, revealing some leather and the appropriate tools. He hunted around inside the case and frowned when he couldn't find any sort of measuring tape. Oh, this should get interesting, he thought as he sat down and waited for Leda to return. He was mildly surprised when she returned several minutes later, having expected her to have taken longer as the majority of his female company had in the past. "Do you feel better?" he inquired. She nodded. "Very much. And thanks for the toilet cover. If that thing was as cold as this floor, I'd be in a world of hurt. What kind of toilet was that, anyway?" "It's nothing more than a simple stone pipe over a deep crevice. A crack in the thermal pool basin allows water to run through the crevice and into a small river several miles away. It makes for a perfect toilet, as it had been created by nature thousands of years before I arrived here. All I had to do was construct the seat out of stone for convenience, and there it is." "Ah. Umm, is it safe to assume that those tiny fur squares you had by it were supposed to be used as toilet paper?" she asked hesitantly. "Exactly," he said and was amused to see the relief on her face. "Good. I would have hated to think I was clogging the works with them." He shrugged. "That happens every few centuries, but it's nothing a little mathia won't fix." "Mathia?" she echoed. "I think 'dynamite' is the appropriate translation." She blinked. "Ooookay." She glanced around and noticed the array of tools in front of him. "Should I ask what you're going to do?" "You'll see," he said as he laid a large pelt on the ground in front of her and placed a rectangle of leather on top of that. "Put your foot on the leather, please." She gave him a curious look as she complied. She blinked as he held her foot securely in place with one hand and extended a single claw on the other. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously. He only partially heard her, most of his mind focusing on the current task at hand. He carefully traced the outline of her foot with his claw, cutting the leather in a pattern to match. A remote part of his mind noticed that her skin seemed very soft and smooth, almost silky. He finished his first task and removed the excess. He visualized the necessary pattern on the pelt and started cutting into that, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from Leda. When that was done, he carefully held the resulting flaps of pelt against her leg to see how accurate he was. She blinked as she realized what he was doing. "You're making fur boots for me?" she asked in amazement. "Since I destroyed your other clothes, it seems only fair that I make you some new ones." He paused and looked up at her, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. "Or would you prefer to go naked?" She blushed. "By all means, work away." He laughed as he searched for a large needle and some suitable threading. "Explain something to me," he said as he started to sew the leather to the bottom of the pelt. "What is the.... obsession, if you will, with clothing?" She blinked. "What do you mean?" "Your society, and denizen society as well, seems to feel the need to be wearing clothes all of the time. I understand the need for protective measures against the elements, but I fail to see why they continue to wear them inside structures and such." She shrugged. "Modesty, I guess." He snorted. "A waste," he commented. "What do you mean?" she asked him, puzzled. "If I may use you as an example?" She nodded and he continued. "You have a very beautiful body and I don't understand why it should be hidden when it doesn't have to be." She blushed at his comment. "I'm not sure I can explain it. Our society has been doing it for thousands of years and it's something that's been a part of civilized life." He paused for a moment, listening to the tone of her words. "Tell me, you don't quite seem to agree with that, correct?" She shrugged. "When I was living alone, I had no problems being naked around the apartment. Of course, I got dressed whenever I went out or when I was expecting any sort of company." "And with your lover?" She blushed. "Well, we both wore clothes most of the time, but they did have a tendency to get lost every now and then...." He nodded as he started to stitch together the sides of the boot. "But what about with others around?" "Well, almost everyone associates nudity with intimacy, and since no one really wants to get intimate with strangers or even friends, that's why we wear clothes. At least, that's partly how I look at it." He laughed softly. "Finally, an answer that makes some sort of sense. Tell me, what do you make of your current situation?" Leda blinked. "What do you mean?" "Well, technically we're both naked, thought I don't see how I could be otherwise as I have no need for clothing," he explained. "These gauntlets are designed to assist me when I'm hunting and don't have any other use," he said as he tapped the black metal wristbands he was wearing. He glanced up and his whiskers twitched as he saw her blushing furiously. "Well, I don't think there's anything all that intimate about this whole deal. I mean, you're not my species, my nudity doesn't seem to bother you, and I don't think.... well.... truth is, I really don't know what to think about this," she admitted. He suppressed the sudden urge to growl softly. "What does species have to do with matters?" he asked quietly, trying to focus his mind on his task and not on Leda. "Well, I'm a human, and you're what most humans would call a giant black panther. I don't think that makes for a good intimate story, if you know what I mean." Now he had to suppress the sudden urge to smile. "You'd be surprised," he said softly. She blinked. "Oh? Umm, do I want to ask?" "The differences between a human female and a denizen female are mostly cosmetic. I understand a few internal organs are in slightly different places, but everything else is where it should be," he said, mildly amused. Leda felt a dark chill creeping around her. "Meaning?" He stopped working and looked into her green eyes. "I happen to know of several 'intimate stories,' as it were, between my species and denizens." She was suddenly made very self-conscious of her nude body. "I see," she said slowly. "So you think one could happen between a human and someone from your species?" "Perhaps," he said softly. "There is only one way to tell, as speculation can only accomplish so much. Tell me, does this fit well enough?" he asked, gesturing to the boot that was now firmly together. She blinked at the sudden change in conversation. "What? Oh, yeah, it feels snug enough." "Good," he said and quickly set up what he needed for the other boot. "Question," she said slowly, still debating on the merits of asking the question she had in mind. "I'm listening. Put your other foot here, please?" She put her other foot in the center of the leather rectangle and took a deep breath. "You said there was only one way to tell if something could take place between your species and mine, right?" she asked nervously. He grasped her foot with one hand and started to trace the outline with the other. "That's correct." "Umm, what way would that be?" "If a human and a Felinoid were to actually try," he replied calmly. He paused as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Why do you ask?" "I was just wondering what the answer could have been, that's all," she said softly. She blinked as she felt his hand tighten on her foot and heard a soft growl fill the room. "What is it?" "Nothing," he replied and resumed his work. He quickly finished the rest of the outlining and started to work on the pelt, carefully judging where he needed to make his cuts. After a few minutes of silent work, he held the pelt flaps up against her leg and nodded approvingly. "This should suffice," he said. Leda shook her head. "How can you do that so well with out any sort of measuring tools?" He shrugged. "Practice. Keep in mind I've been doing this sort of thing for over two thousand years," he said as he began to sew the various components together. He quickly finished and stepped back. "Does that fit well?" She wiggled her toes and nodded. "Feels nice and snug." "Walk around for a moment to make sure they don't rub or chafe." She nodded and started pacing around the room. The boots came up a few inches past her ankles and were remarkably comfortable. As she walked, she noticed that the leather made an excellent cushion and was surprised to notice that nothing rubbed. "These are great, Reish'id. I won't even need socks or anything," she said with an ironic smile. "Not that I currently have any socks, but still." He nodded. "Can you remove them easily enough?" She shrugged and sat down, carefully tugging on one of the boots. They resisted at first, but she quickly learned how to slip them off without doing any damage to either her skin or to the boots. She smiled at him. "They're perfect," she said as she slipped the boots back on. "What else can you do?" She blinked at the predatory grin her question evoked. "Do you really want me to answer that, Leda?" he said, his voice dropping low enough to make her shiver. "Umm...." He laughed softly and unfolded a sizable black fur pelt. "Lay down on this," he said. She took a close look at the fur pelt and blinked. "Hey, that looks like the same type of fur you've got." He shrugged. "So it is." Her eyes widened as the implications sank in. "You mean.... this fur is from one of your species?" "We all have our enemies, Leda. If their fur can be made useful after their demise, then I don't see any reason not to use it," he said casually. "But that's.... that's...." "Barbaric?" he suggested. "Well.... yeah...." she said, still slightly horrified. Reish'id shrugged. "It's our way. A denizen philosopher several thousand years ago once referred to it as an evolutionary flushback. I think his skin now resides in some museum somewhere in the east, but that is not the point." Leda blinked, still rather upset. "And what point is that?" "If you evolve as a hunter, you use whatever is available to survive," he said with a shrug. "For us, using the pelts of our prey and our enemies is as much a part of our society and tradition as clothing is a part of yours." She nodded her head. "I think I understand." He smiled. "I asked what kind of fur you wanted to wear, correct?" She blushed. "Well, I didn't think you were serious about that." "Do you wish to change your mind?" She blinked and ran her fingers over the pelt, noting how soft the fur felt to her. She took a deep breath and made her choice. When in Rome.... "No, I think I can handle the thought of wearing someone else's fur," she said softly. "At least, I think I can...." "Then lay down on it, please," he said. She sighed and stretched out on the fur. Reish'id laid down next to her and started making eyeball judgements. He muttered something untranslatable under his breath as his tail arched around to wrap around Leda's ankle. She sat up and blinked. "What are you doing?" "I seem to have misplaced my measuring tape. Since I will need rather accurate measurements of your dimensions, I have to resort to using my tail as a makeshift measuring tape," he explained as he carefully worked his tail up her leg. She had to bite her tongue as his tail slid across her bare leg. Ooo, this tickles, she thought as she stifled an audible reaction. She couldn't keep her leg muscles from reacting, however. He looked up at her, a curious look on her face. "Is there a problem?" "Your tail just feels funny, that's all," she replied. He shrugged and remeasured the diameter of her leg directly above and below her knee. He made a few scratch marks on a scrap piece of askiri pelt and curled his tail around her thigh. This is going to get interesting, he thought as he worked. Although his tail was mostly composed of bone and muscle, evolution had also bestowed it with a complex network of hypersensitive nerves. This not only enabled him to determine the almost precise diameter of her thigh, but it also allowed him to feel her muscles' reactions beneath her soft skin. "Are you sure there's not a problem?" he asked. "What makes you ask that?" she said nervously. "You're trembling." She smirked. "Like I said, it feels funny." He frowned slightly, sensing something was amiss. He cautiously and discreetly sniffed at the air, trying to discern her emotions. He blinked in surprise as he smelled the beginnings of desire. "Tell me, what does it feel like to you?" he asked cautiously. Leda paused. "Umm, it feels like something soft, warm, and fuzzy wrapped around my leg and sliding across my skin. Does it feel different to you?" He shrugged. "Different nerve construction, I would guess." "Mmm," she said softly. "Do you like it?" he asked. "Umm.... yeah...." she said hesitantly. He said nothing as he finished his measurements. He sighed and looked up at Leda. "Now comes for the sensitive part. I need to make a few measurements for the underseams." Underseams? she thought before it dawned on her what he needed. She gave him a uncertain look. "How long will that take?" "Only a few moments, but as I said, this is going to be sensitive." She blinked and wondered if she really wanted to have his tail brushing across her skin there. She didn't quite have a solid grasp of the mechanics of tailoring, but she knew that it was a rather important measurement. "Alright, just be careful," she said warily. He nodded as he scratched a few measurements into the scrap pelt before he carefully looped his tail around her hip and between her legs. The feeling of his tail fur brushing against her pubic hair caused him to growl softly and her to gasp. "Sorry," he apologized. Leda wasn't paying attention. She was busy trying to cope with the sudden stimulation her body was receiving. Great Zeus.... she thought as she tried to remain perfectly still. She had discovered some time ago that her pubic hair made her extremely ticklish in that region, and the sudden sensation of his fur brushing against her down there set off major alarms in her head. Oh, boy.... she thought, let's try not to lose it, not now. Jenni had learned how easily she could arouse Leda by toying with her pubic hair and had ruthlessly used that knowledge to her advantage. Not that I minded, Leda thought, but this is another story entirely.... Reish'id frowned as he noticed Leda's state of distraction. Hmmmm, he thought as he carefully moved his tail. He saw her eyes widen and something clicked into place in his mind. So that's it, he thought. "I take it you're ticklish?" he asked. "You could say that," she managed to say without moaning. "One more adjustment," he warned before he moved his tail once more. He blinked as his sensitive ears heard her nearly inaudible moan. Perhaps she is more ticklish than I thought.... he thought as he finished scratching his measurements onto the scrap pelt. He paused for a moment as he thought, trying to decide if he should try a little experiment. He focused his mind on a small coin he had lying on the counter in the kitchen. He flipped it into the air with his mind and used his limited telekinetic powers to determine which side had landed face-up. Well then, here goes nothing, he thought as he let his tail slide off of her hip and deliberately let it slide across her sheath. He gasped as Leda grabbed his ears in a death-grip, whimpering softly and her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "What.... are.... you.... doing?" she said with agonizing slowness, trying to cope with the sudden fire sensation of every single nerve in her groin. She blinked as she was suddenly thrown backwards, landing on the pelt without injury. She shook her head to clear the sudden profusion of cobwebs and focused on Reish'id. His ears were twitching violently and there was a pained look on his face. He rapidly shook his head and carefully massaged his ears. "Forgive me, that was a reflexive action," he said as he moved to stand next to her. He reached down and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" "I'll let you know in a few," she said fuzzily. She blinked and gave him an accusing glare. "You wanna explain what you were doing with your tail?" "An accident," he said. His ears twitched involuntarily and he sighed. "Why exactly did you grab my ears like that?" "Sorry, it's just what when you did.... that.... I.... sorta lost it," she said sheepishly. She blinked as she felt Reish'id's hands take a firm hold of her wrists. "And what exactly did you lose?" he asked softly. She blinked as she felt his tail wrap around her waist. "Hey, let me go," she protested as she tried to pull out of his grasp. She blinked again when he refused to budge. "I want to know something first, Leda." "What?" she said, suddenly aware of the situation she was in. "I want to know what exactly happened and why," he said slowly. "Will you cooperate with me to find out?" She paused, not entirely sure what to make of the situation. Her insides still burned from the sudden onslaught of stimulation his tail had caused, and she suddenly didn't want to trust her judgement. "What do you want me to do?" she asked cautiously. "Just hold still...." he said as he brushed the tip of his tail against her pubic hair. He blinked as she started squirming in his grasp with a level of strength that took him by surprise. "Stop it...." she said hoarsely. He growled softly as he fully understood her reaction. "Why, Leda, one would think you like it...." he teased. "Please...." she whispered, her eyes closed and her breathing ragged. He let his tail fall free from her and she sagged into his arms. He carefully laid her down on the fur pelt, carefully sniffing the air for any sign of her reaction. The smell of her arousal was enough to elicit a soft growl from him and he impulsively nuzzled her neck. "What do you want from me?" she asked softly. He paused, her question now having a different meaning then it had a few hours ago. He sighed quietly as it also had a different answer. "What I want is you," he said softly in her ear. "Why?" He nuzzled her neck again. "I don't know, Leda. I wanted to get to know you since I first saw you several months ago. I can't explain what I'm feeling or why. I can't explain the dreams I've had of you, of being with you." "And now?" she said, her voice a bare whisper. He growled softly in her ear. "And now that I have you? I want to hold you, to feel your soft skin against me. I want to hear your voice in my ear, to feel your touch. I don't know why I feel this way, but I just know that I don't want to let go of you." She closed her eyes, the sense of helplessness and despair taking control of her mind. I'm alone in a hostile world, without any help or friends near, and now I'm in the hands of someone who has the hots for me, she thought bitterly. "So what are you going to do with me?" she asked softly, her mind surrendering to depression and hopelessness. He paused as he sensed her mood swing. "Are you alright, Leda?" "It doesn't matter," she replied quietly. "You want me? Go ahead and take me. It just doesn't matter anymore," she said bitterly as tears started forming in her eyes. She heard a low growl and her eyes snapped open as she felt his claws digging into her skin. She looked up to find him giving her a very dark look. "Somehow I am not convinced that you believe that," he said flatly. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, Leda. I am not going to do anything you don't want me to do, and I will use every means necessary to make sure that you don't do something you'll have cause to regret. Are you still with me?" Leda blinked, totally lost inside a chaotic world. "Reish'id, what is happening to me?" she asked softly. "Am I starting to lose it? Everything seems so confusing to me now." He sat back and sighed. "Let me tell you what I see. I see a girl who has been forced to grow into a woman before her time, and the effects are taking their toll. You are too young to have to deal with the Archangel, yet you say he has visited upon you three times now. "You tried to escape your nightmares and have found yourself plunged into a worse one. My desire for you has added to the effect, and for that I beg your forgiveness. You ask me what I want, and now I finally have an answer for you. "What I want is your companionship. I am old and lonely, and have been without any real friendship for too long. I want to share my mind and my heart with you. I want to give you passion and pleasure, but I see now that you are not yet ready for that. Yet you were at one time, and I wish to help you heal the pain in your heart. "There is a lot we can teach to and learn from one another, stories and tales about your culture and mine. There is so much to be gained from a relationship between us, and it can be of any level you wish. But the key is that is has to be mutual. I can help you with your troubles if you help me." Leda blinked as his words started to make slight sense of the chaos in her mind. "Help you? How?" He smiled. "Show me what it is to be young again." She blinked again. "I don't understand." "Just be yourself. You would be surprised at how contagious youth can be at times," he said with a soft smile. "But for that to work, you have to be happy first." She sighed and drew her knees to her chest. "Great." He laid a hand on her bare shoulder and looked at her curiously. "You have a problem with that?" he asked. She looked up at him and laughed. "Yeah. Can't remember what happiness is," she said sadly. He blinked. "Surely you were happy at one time." She nodded. "Yeah, I was. I was so happy in her arms," she said as she stared off into space. "I mean, I was almost in heaven." She laughed softly. "When we made love, I WAS in heaven. And since she died, I can't remember that feeling anymore. Don't get me wrong, I got that pleasure feeling with Mina one night, but only the feeling of pleasure, and only that one night." "Sounds to me like you just need something to jog your memory," he said as he sat down behind her. "You said you liked being in her arms?" Leda smiled. "Like fish like being in water." Reish'id wrapped his arms around Leda's waist and leaned her back to rest against his chest. "Would you mind if I held you like this for awhile?" She shrugged, still beyond caring. "If you want." He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder, his cheek against hers and his fur brushing against the edge of her ear. He purred on impulse and was surprised when she shivered lightly. "You like that?" "Feels weird, and I mean weird," she said. "But do you like it?" he asked, purring softly into her ear again. She closed her eyes and relaxed. "Are you sure you're not just a big, warm, fuzzy kitten?" "Quite sure," he said firmly. He paused for a moment and purred again, this time quite sure of her reaction. "Why do you shiver like that?" She giggled. "Just the way your chest vibrates against my back." She paused for a moment and added, "I guess you could call it a really bizarre sort of turn-on, in a way." "Well, in that case...." he said as he started purring softly.... They lost track of all time as they laid there, she against him, her hands resting on the paws that encircled her waist. His tail was curled around her wrist, the tip slowly brushing back and forth along the back of her hand. The only sound in the room was of him purring softly in her ear, and the silent sound of two individuals lost in their own thoughts and memories. * * * * Tolaris blinked as he entered what was generally agreed to be the living room of the cathedral. Wonderful, he thought to himself as he looked at each of the room's occupants. Darian was sitting on the couch with a mug of something in his hands and Serena leaning against him, using his shoulder as a pillow. Luna was sitting in her lap and was being petted absent-mindedly by Serena as the three of them talked quietly among themselves. Maze and Mina had claimed the loveseat and gave the appearance of being very comfortable despite the rather questionable position they were in. They had somehow managed to both be sprawled out over the loveseat and each other, a feat that Tolaris wasn't sure he wanted to know how they had managed to pull off. He wasn't surprised in the least to notice that Mina had a rather large pot of hot chocolate and some cups within easy reach. Rei was tending to the fireplace with a large poker while carrying on a conversation with Ra'vel and Artemis. Ra'vel seems to be doing rather well, Tolaris thought, considering the extent of her injuries a few months ago. He made a mental note of the fact that she also seemed extremely happy to have Artemis around and was forever playing with his white fur. Not that he seems to mind the attention, he thought. He blinked as he noticed that Dyvach seemed to be highly agitated for some reason. The weaver was having a telepathic conversation with Whisper and kept gesturing wildly with its many crystalline legs, its usually clear carapace flushed a deep shade of purple. Tolaris blinked again as Dyvach spat out a strange gem at Whisper's feet and skittered off to some part of the cathedral. He felt Ami's hand in his as she came up behind him. "Mmm, looks like we've got a full house tonight," she commented. "I wonder why," he replied dryly as he walked towards the oversized black armchair. "You set me up, didn't you?" he accused Mina with a small sigh. She shrugged. "Well, you said you guessed you could tell your story to a small audience, so I set one up. Trust me, I think everyone wants to hear about this." Tolaris sighed and sat down. "You may think otherwise once I'm finished, Mina. Despite what you think, this isn't going to be one of your 'campfire tales,' if I understand the term correctly." Serena sat up and frowned. "What exactly is it, then?" Rei sat down on the floor next to the loveseat. "Afraid of ghost stories, Serena?" she teased. "This isn't a story, Rei, it's the truth," Tolaris chided her. "And as for ghosts, you can't put me through three hundred years of nightmares and then tell me that they don't exist." Rei blinked. "What do you mean?" Tolaris sighed and scooted over to make room for Ami. There wasn't enough space for her to sit down as well, so she sat perched on the edge of the chair. "Let me give you a bit of background on the campaign before I begin. Maze, Ra'vel, Captain, if any of you want to add to this at any time, feel free to jump in. I know we all have our perspectives of this." The denizens nodded and made themselves as comfortable as possible, with Whisper and Ra'vel sitting down on the other side of the couch. Whisper still held the strange gem Dyvach had spat out and she toyed with it idly. "The whole campaign started as a plot to have Queen Beryl removed from the throne. A small but influential political faction spent many years gathering together a support base from which they could launch their initial political campaign. As you can guess, Queen Beryl didn't take it too well once they did and ordered in a military strike team to send a message," Tolaris said. "Black Knights," Maze said quietly. "An elite team specially trained to handle small-scale demolitions and covert operations." Tolaris nodded. "What went wrong was the reception Queen Beryl's message received. After the rest of the faction woke up one morning to find a few key member's heads nailed to the walls, they decided to fight fire with fire." Whisper snorted. "To this day, we're still wondering how their combat team managed to breach the castle's security network. Popular opinion was that it was an inside job." "But nothing was ever proven," Tolaris said. "Anyway, the only thing that managed to keep Beryl's head on her shoulders was the coincidence that a young Imperial Guard Captain named Rune happened to literally trip over one of the intruders on her way to the bathroom outside the Inner Chambers." Maze snickered. "They probably never knew what hit them. All I know is that it took a solid month to get the blood stains out of the stone flooring and she got an instant promotion to General." "Oh, ick...." Serena said, making a face. "You might have liked it," Maze said with a grin. "I once saw one of your kindergartner's finger-painting. Didn't look all that different, with the various colors of showing the assorted colors of blood and all." "Oh, ick...." Mina echoed. Tolaris gave Maze a reproving look. "Needless to say, Beryl took that very badly and declared open warfare on the faction. What surprised everyone was how well-prepared the faction was for such an event. They had somehow managed to assemble a small but powerfully-equipped army without our knowing about it." Ra'vel chirped briefly and Whisper grinned. "Ra'vel says that's partly because of the fact that the commander of the Dragoons at the time was an inept moron who couldn't find his own butt in the dark with both hands and a large glowstone, let alone an army hidden under some rock." Tolaris and Maze both sighed. "That is an unfortunate truth," Tolaris said. "Fortunately for the Dragoons, our damage control kept his lack of true judgmental capability from doing any serious harm." "You mean even the Dragoons weren't as efficient as everyone thinks?" Rei said with a grin. "Look at the American CIA or the Russian KGB," Tolaris pointed out. "No intelligence organization has ever existed without a few bad moments in an otherwise efficient history of operations." Darian snickered. "Point taken." "So what happened next?" Serena asked. She blinked as the denizens all seemed to become depressed in the same instant. "What happened next was twenty years of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of the Negaverse," Tolaris replied sadly. "I don't know which was worse, the fighting or the political uprising that the campaign caused." Darian frowned. "You mean it's sort of like Vietnam?" Maze shook his head. "I read about that. I guess you could say it was like that, but on a scale fifty times worse. Vietnam didn't use indiscriminate plasma strikes or tactical nuclear warheads, not to mention rogue strike teams going on wholesale killing sprees just for kicks." "And then there were the weapons you humans never dreamed about," Whisper said softly. "Imagine using your mind to torture and kill your enemies in ways that would have made your worst barbarians lose their lunches. I speak from the experience of someone who almost had their mind physically fried by a telepath, and Ra'vel can no longer speak coherently because of it." The humans frowned as the information sank in. "You have nukes?" Rei asked incrediously. Tolaris grunted. "We've had them for roughly four thousand years now." "Did you use them when you attacked the Moon Kingdom?" Luna asked. "I seem to remember hideously large explosions in the northern parts of the kingdom during the initial assault." Tolaris shook his head. "According to the records, no. I would think that it would be pointless to conquer a kingdom only to turn it into a large collection of radioactive craters in the process." "Makes sense," Darian said, still frowning. "What exactly was Mintaka?" Ami asked. "Mintaka was a small village in the middle of a huge, open plain several miles from Beryl's castle. The ongoing war had taken a severe toll on the sanity of the faction's leaders and they decided to throw everything they had at the castle in a last-ditch desperation attempt. Their army and the majority of ours clashed for the final time on that plain. The battle lasted a week, and historians took to calling it the Battle of Mintaka, later referring to the whole mess as the Mintaka Campaign." "What happened to the village?" Serena asked. Maze snorted. "Between the mortar fire, the plasma strikes, and the stray shots from hundreds of thousands of armed and dangerous denizens, it got turned into a nice stain on the landscape." "Is that what happened to Asleen?" Mina asked quietly. Maze sighed. "Yes and no, but Asleen was something different, way before Mintaka rolled around. Where did you hear of that?" "Tolaris mentioned it this morning," she replied. "You and I are going to have to have a talk about this," he said softly. "Will you tell us about the valley?" Ami asked. "What valley?" Serena inquired with a small frown. The Dragoon commander sighed and leaned back against the chair, feeling every bit as old as he was. "Beryl suspected that the valley was their secret stronghold. A scouting party discovered a small fortress there and called it in. Beryl didn't wait to get the background report from Intelligence before she ordered a tactical warhead into the area. Turns out that the fortress was part of a neutral political faction that had tried to keep out of the fighting. Needless to say, they didn't take kindly to the unprovoked destruction of their keep and allied themselves with the hostile faction. With new allies and fresh supplies, they were able to sustain a lengthy siege against Beryl's castle before being driven back. That led to the final battle at Mintaka several days later." "Launching the warhead was a mistake," Maze said icily. "I told you what happened, Maze," Tolaris replied softly. Whisper blinked. "Am I missing something? I thought Beryl herself had launched that thing." "Not quite," Maze said, glaring at Tolaris. The telepath frowned. "Tolaris, could you explain this one to me?" He didn't bother looking up as someone placed a mug in his hand. He quickly downed the contents, not noticing the alcohol until it was too late. He set the mug down on the floor and sighed. "It went like this...." * * * * Dragoon Lieutenant Tolaris looked out across the landscape just as the battery of mortars started firing. He could trace the path of the projectiles as they sailed through the sky and rained death down on the targets several miles away. Of all the bright ideas, who came up with the one of sticking a Dragoon in the middle of a field artillery unit? he asked himself. "Left three degrees!" a gunnery sergeant called out. "Better make it four," Tolaris said. "There's a bit of a crosswind." "Left four degrees, check, sir," the sergeant replied. Just then, a series of flashes could be seen on a ridge downrange and suddenly everyone tensed. "Incoming?" Tolaris asked as he crouched behind a large boulder. "Most likely," the sergeant replied. "Everyone hit the dirt!" The other soldiers wasted no time in complying, but the action proved to be unnecessary when the mortars exploded well short of their position. "Is that their maximum range?" Tolaris asked incrediously. The sergeant grunted. "Shouldn't be, but if that's all they're going to do, then I not going to argue. Next volley ready?" he called out. "Jus' a sec, sarge, got a problem with number three," a crewman called back. "Gimme twenty seconds and it'll be ready." The sergeant grunted and Tolaris gave him a look. "Relax, Sergeant, you seem to have a good crew here." He nodded. "Yeah, I know, but that's not what I'm worried about." "Worried about the return fire?" Tolaris inquired. The sergeant snorted. "Nope. The day I'm worried about return fire is the day I turn these in," he said as he gestured to the set of rings on his rank patch. "No, my worry is the ordinance we've got right now, or in this case, the stuff we don't have." "Up!" the crewman called out. The sergeant looked at Tolaris and the Dragoon nodded. "Let 'em have it!" the sergeant called out. Everyone winced at the sudden series of ultrasonic booms from the heavy artillery behind them as the next volley of mortar fire was sent downrange. "Our ordinance?" Tolaris said when his ears stopped ringing. "Yeah, it seems that our high and mighty Queen has decided to trade one of my better pieces for some sort of missile platform," the sergeant replied with a snort. Tolaris smirked. "What, you don't like missiles?" "Don't get me wrong, sir, I don't mind having them around, as long as they aren't in place of one of my batteries and as long as I can use them when I need to, unlike that bird there," he said with a gesture behind them. Tolaris blinked and glanced back. "What's wrong with that one?" "My boys say it's got some sort of launch-cipher wired into it. It can't be launched without the cipher. Not that I would launch it just yet, since no one can tell me what type of missile it is." The Dragoon frowned. Launch-cipher? But those are only wired into.... Uh-oh. "Perhaps you'd better let me look at it, Sarge," he said cautiously. "Just a moment, sir. Next volley should be ready right about...." "Up!" Tolaris grinned. "You have an excellent crew, Sergeant." "I'll tell them you said that when this is over. By the numbers!" he called out. "One!" The ground rocked with the concussive blast of the number one battery being fired. "On the way!" a crewman called back. "Two!" Another blast. "In the air!" "Three!" A third blast rocked the terrain. "Flyin' high!" "Four!" The fourth battery fired, sending another cloud of smoke into the sky. "Outgoing!" "Five!" The reply the sergeant got was the crewmen cussing in unison about the fact that their fifth battery was still sitting in a storage bay because of Queen Beryl's orders, a fact they expressed in very colorful terms. Tolaris laughed. "It's so nice to see someone with a sense of humor these days," he said to the sergeant. "Gotta keep the troops entertained somehow, sir. The platform is behind the battery line," the sergeant said. Tolaris nodded and quickly moved back behind the artillery line. He found the missile platform almost immediately, it being set several dozen feet away from the rest of the artillery. You know, this looks like one of the big ones, he thought as he carefully examined the control panel for the missile. He paled slightly as he saw the sigils on the cipher keypad. Only tactical nuclear missiles have these three sigils on the keypad, he thought with a sigh. Makes me wonder what Beryl had in mind. "Up!" "Hold fire!" the radio operator shouted. "I'm getting a Flash signal!" Tolaris blinked and hurried over to the operator. "What band is it on, sergeant?" The radio sergeant looked at the display on his unit and blinked. "EAM, sir. The printer is working on it now." Tolaris felt a ball of ice form in his gut. I don't like this, he thought to himself. Someone assigns a nuke to an artillery unit, and now we're getting an Emergency Action Message. Somebody is about to have a very unpleasant day, he thought ironically. The radio operator took one look at the message and his face lost all of its color. "Lieutenant, I think this is for you...." he said quietly. Tolaris sighed and took the message from the sergeant. Do I have to read it? he thought as he scanned the message. LAUNCH TACNUKE AT COORD 31.554N/49.232W/00200A - FREQ AGH FOR VERIFY She didn't, he thought as he felt the blood leave his face. He re-read the message and tried not to contemplate what was going to happen. "Sergeant, dial in frequency Aerce-Gaish'an-Hytha," Tolaris said slowly, his mind automatically doing a mental review of the exact steps he would have to take according to proper launch protocols. The radio operator nodded and carefully adjusted his dials to match the frequency he had been told. Once he got an amber light on his console, he turned on his commlink and held it out to Tolaris. "Frequency open, sir." Tolaris sighed and pressed the button on the commlink. "This is Dragoon Lieutenant Tolaris with the 44th Artillery Battery, requesting tactical launch verification." "This is Imperial Guard Captain T'shal," a female voice replied at once. "Stand-by for launch verification." Tolaris sighed again. "Standing by, ma'am," he said and gestured to the radio operator. "Come with me," he said and walked over to the tactical missile platform. "Sir, what is going on?" the sergeant asked nervously. "Please don't ask so I won't have to explain," Tolaris replied sadly. "Lieutenant Tolaris," said a distinct and familiar voice over the radio commlink. "Can you hear me clearly?" Tolaris reflexively straightened his back. "I hear you loud and clear, my Queen." "Excellent. Have you received the launch coordinates?" she asked. "Yes I have, ma'am." "Good. Enter them into the computer console," she ordered. Tolaris stifled another sigh as he opened the keyboard cover and started entering the coordinates. "Reconfirming coordinates as thirty-one-point-five- five-four north, forty-nine-point-two-three-two west, detonation altitude at two hundred feet," he spoke slowly and clearly as he typed. "Confirmed, Lieutenant," Beryl said. "Prepare the platform for launch." "Stand by, ma'am," Tolaris said as he opened the cipher keypad cover. "Ma'am, I am ready to receive the cipher code for missile launch." Beryl rattled off a short string of characters that Tolaris typed into the keypad. He entered the last character and hit the 'commit' button. A red light lit under the master firing switch and he took a deep breath. "The missile platform is now active, I repeat, the missile platform is now active," he said. "Remove the firing cover," she ordered. "One second, ma'am. Sergeant, what did you just hear?" Tolaris asked. The sergeant blinked and swallowed. "I heard Queen Beryl order you to remove the firing cover of the missile, sir," he said nervously. "Thank you, sergeant," Tolaris said as he flipped up the red cover to the launch trigger. All it would take now is a few pounds of pressure to move the toggle and the missile would start the automatic launch sequence. "The cover has been removed, my Queen." "Launch the missile," Queen Beryl said. "Please repeat," Tolaris said, closing his eyes. "I say again, Lieutenant, launch the missile," she said clearly. "Sergeant?" The radio sergeant looked ready to dig a grave for himself. "Sir, I heard Queen Beryl order you to launch the missile." "Thank you, sergeant," Tolaris said quietly and flipped the toggle. A loud klaxon went off as the missile platform's hydraulic systems went active and started to align the missile with its target. "Missile launch in sixty seconds," Tolaris shouted into the commlink. "I repeat, missile launch in sixty seconds! We are now retreating to protective cover!" "Excellent, Lieutenant. Good luck," Beryl said and the channel closed. "Now what, sir?" the radio sergeant asked in a terrified panic. "Now we run for cover. Set that radio on automatic and start broadcasting an atomic alert on every frequency you can," Tolaris said. "Everyone fall back and look for something to hide behind!" he yelled up to the front line. "Check!" the gunnery sergeant called back and started issuing orders to his troops. "Tac-Nuke! Tac-Nuke! Tac-Nuke!" the radio operator started yelling into his microphone. "Outgoing tactical nuclear device, hit the dirt NOW!" The gunnery sergeant hit the dirt next to Tolaris and gave him a horrified look. "Tac-Nuke?! Is that what that thing is?" he asked as he gestured to the missile platform behind him. "Unfortunately," Tolaris sighed as the ten-second warning klaxon sounded on the platform. "My God...." the gunnery sergeant breathed as he pressed his helmet to the ground. "Someone could use his help right about now," Tolaris muttered to himself as he too pressed his helmet into the dirt. "And its not just the people who are about to be on the other end of this thing...." The last of his words were drowned out by the sound of a tactical nuclear missile being launched from its platform. * * * * The silence was stunning as Tolaris glanced around the room. Ami, Mina, Rei, Serena, and Luna all wore the same horrified expression on their faces. Darian's arm was around Serena's shoulder almost protectively and his eyes reflected back the dark emotions he was experiencing. Artemis was curled up into a tight ball in Ra'vel's lap, appearing only to be a mass of fur and two very wide eyes. Maze's face was a blank mask of controlled emotions while the look of shock on Whisper's face made the Dragoon commander wince. Ra'vel chirped softly as she sought to unruffle her feathers, which were sticking out in all directions. She glanced down at Artemis's condition and started stroking his fur soothingly, making soft chirping noises at him. Rei was the first to break the silence. "What.... what about the blast?" Tolaris sighed, something he found himself doing with great frequency as of late. "It dropped into the center of a valley with sleep slopes. Those slopes buffered the outside from the majority of the shockwave, but at the same time they allowed the shockwave to rebound several times inside. The initial blast did what it was designed to do, but something caused a chain-reaction to occur and the blast multiplied itself tenfold. The end result was that the entire valley was turned into a glass crater and a wave of radiation swept across the region out to a radius of fifty miles. Needless to say, everything within that radius was dead before nightfall," he added softly. "How.... how many...." Luna managed to ask before her voice failed her. "No one knows, Luna," Tolaris replied. "Beryl never got a good estimate before she ordered the launch and now we'll never know. I'm sure one of these centuries, some brave soul with a hardsuit will venture into the area and make a count of the flash-burns on the landscape that was once living denizens, but until then we can only speculate." "The last 'guesstimate' is well over a hundred-thousand between the group in the valley and the villages scattered throughout the area," Maze said icily. "My God...." Serena said, her blue eyes filled with tears. Ami laid her head on Tolaris's shoulder. "No wonder you hardly seem to sleep at night," she murmured softly in his ear. "Are you satisfied now, Lieutenant?" Tolaris asked Maze. Maze sighed and looked away. "I'll tell you when I know for sure." Tolaris nodded. "Well then, I would say that it's your turn to unbury your nightmares, Maze," he said softly. Maze snorted. "Yeah, right." "We all have our nightmares, Maze," Whisper said softly. "I don't know where Tolaris found the courage to tell us his story, but we should use it as an example to search for our own. I don't know what disturbs your sleep at night, but I would like to listen to what you have to say. Who knows, the key to my nightmares may lie in what happens in yours," she added. Maze grunted and stared at the floor. "I'll think about it." Mina adjusted her position and started whispering quietly in his ear. No one heard what she was saying, but the effect it had on Maze was startling. His face lost most of its color and suddenly lurched upright. "No...." he started to say but fell silent when she laid her fingers on his lips and continued to speak softly. She spoke for several minutes, the others exchanging curious glances and wondering what she was saying to him. She finally fell silent and sat back, watching him intently. Maze sighed darkly. "You would do that, wouldn't you?" She nodded and he started cussing softly, stringing together various words from six regional and three temporal dialects, making entirely new and unique combinations of words and rewriting the proper grammar for most of them. Amazingly enough, he never repeated himself throughout the whole litany. Everyone blinked in surprise and waited patiently for him to calm down. After several minutes, he let loose with a particularly complex string of words and sat back, fuming quietly to himself. Tolaris delicately cleared his throat. "Lieutenant." "Don't ask, boss, and I won't tell you. Besides, I keep telling you that you have a horrible accent with the Ancient Eastern Frontier dialect, so don't bother asking me to translate half of that." "Do you feel better now?" Maze sighed heavily. "I guess so, but hold onto that thought for a bit. Ami, I want you to do me a favor." Ami blinked. "Umm.... what?" "Either Mina or myself needs to be killed. Just flip a coin and decide who gets to become part of the landscape." "Hey!" Mina protested. "Umm, why don't you tell me what she said and I'll decide from there," Ami said cautiously. "No," Maze and Mina chorused simultaneously. Ami blinked. "Okay...." Maze carefully extracted himself from the tangle on the loveseat and picked Mina up in his arms. "Excuse us for a few, we need to talk. You mind if we talk on the upper balcony?" he asked Mina. The blonde shrugged. "I don't really care right now," she said. "We'll be back," Maze told the group and carried Mina out of the room. Everyone exchanged concerned glances. "Should I ask....?" Rei said. Tolaris shrugged. "You can, but I don't think anyone has an answer just yet. Umm, why don't we all take a bit of a break? I've got to go get rid of whatever it is I just drank and the rest of you look like you need a stiff drink as well." "Don't tempt me," Whisper muttered. "Ten minutes be enough?" Tolaris asked and got a round of nods in reply. "Okay, ten minutes it is, then," he said and got up, being careful not to dislodge Ami from her precarious position on the edge of the chair. He paused and turned to Darian. "What was it that I drank, anyway?" Darian leaned down and held up the bottle he had hidden from Serena's field of vision. "Scotch. You want some more?" "I'll think about it," Tolaris replied and headed off to the bathroom. "Ahem," Serena said. "Hey, I'm old enough to drink," Darian replied. "Not that I do much of it, but still...." Rei snickered. "If Leda were here, she'd probably ask you to share the wealth." He shrugged. "I'd probably let her have it, too." He caught the look in Rei's bottomless black eyes and he smiled. "Why, you want some?" "Darian!" Serena yelped. "I don't think that's a wise idea," Luna cautioned. "Actually...." Rei said slowly. "What exactly is that stuff?" Whisper asked as she walked over. "Earth alcohol," Darian explained as he held the bottle out to her. The telepath made a face. "Alcohol? No thanks, then. Trust me, alcohol and psionics make for a really, really bad headache. Not to mention the wide array of collateral damage done by a drunk telepath." Ami made a face. "Umm, we'll skip that one, thank you." "You're not serious, are you, Rei?" Serena asked. Rei chewed on the edge of her lip. "I'm still debating...." Darian shrugged. "I'm not pressuring you or anything, Rei. I'm just saying it's here if you want it. Same goes for the rest of you ladies." "I'll pass, thanks," Serena said. "Hel-lo!" Artemis said cheerfully as he leapt up on the edge of the couch. "No you don't," Luna said firmly. "I remember what happened the last time someone gave you alcohol." Artemis blinked. "When was this?" Luna sighed. "Uranus's sixteenth birthday party, remember?" The white cat blushed. "Oops, forgot about that...." Serena blinked. "Uranus? You mean Sailor Uranus?" Luna nodded. "Yes, of course." She blinked and sighed a thought occurred to her. "Oh, that's right, you don't remember the Moon Kingdom...." Rei frowned. "Wait a second.... How many Sailor Scouts were there?" Luna sat down, her tail lashing back and forth. "Many years before the Negaverse attack on the Moon Kingdom, there were eight Sailor Scouts, one for each of the planets in the solar system with the exception of Earth." "What happened to the others?" Darian asked. The black cat sighed. "Sailor Saturn took ill and died before Serena was born and the other three were lost in the attack on the Negaverse." Everyone was silent as they thought about the new information. "How is it that the five of us were reborn on Earth after the attack and they weren't?" Serena asked. "Probably because we survived the attack and were sent into the future by Queen Serenity," Rei suggested. Artemis coughed delicately. "I hate to break this to you, Rei, but you guys didn't quite survive the attack." Rei made a face. "Great. You mean we died again?" "I'd say so, seeing the way your blood was splashed on the wall...." "Artemis!" Luna screeched. Ami looked vaguely ill. "We didn't need to know that, thank you." "Back to the original question...." Darian said quickly. Luna sighed. "I don't know why, Darian. I can only say that Saturn wasn't reborn on Earth because she had died long before." "Messy?" Rei asked Artemis. "Very," the cat replied with a shudder. "Alright, pass it over," Rei sighed as she held out an empty mug. Luna looked ready to have a fit. "Rei, I don't believe you...." "Call it curiosity, if nothing else. Whoa, easy, cape boy!" she said as Darian poured a good amount of scotch into her mug. "You trying to get me drunk here or what?" "Well, I thought you'd want enough to appreciate the taste as well as a few of the more milder effects," he explained. "You don't have to drink it all if you don't want to, you know." He set the bottle down and ignored the dark looks he was getting from Serena and Luna. Rei took a hesitant sip of the scotch and blinked. She ran her tongue across her lips and thought for a few seconds before she took a second sip. She grunted and made a face, holding the mug out towards Darian. "Nope," she said sourly. Darian shrugged and took the mug. He looked up to find Ami giving him a slightly curious look. "What, you want to try it?" he asked as he held the mug out to her. Ami took the mug, causing Serena to raise an eyebrow at her and Luna's tail to coil into a tight knot. She cautiously sniffed at the amber liquid before she took a small sip. "This isn't too bad," she said after a few seconds. "Not that I'm going to rush out and get my own bottle or anything, but this isn't bad at all," she admitted. Luna muttered something acidic and curled up into a ball in Serena's lap. "Someone wake me up when someone with sense walks into the room," she muttered with a heavy sigh. * * * * Maze sighed as he leaned against the wooden railing, doing his best to ignore the itchy spot between his shoulder blades where he was sure Mina was staring at him. "Let's make this short and sweet, love," he said, slightly stressing the last word. "What in your God's name were you thinking?" "I'm thinking that I love you very much and I want to know what keeps you up some nights," she replied. "This isn't something simplistic like insomnia because you fall asleep well enough, only to wake up with this horrified look on your face and your sweat drenching everything around you." He snorted. "So what's with that navidshi you told me about going into the Negaverse to find out what it was?" "That wasn't a bunch of manure," she said firmly. "If you won't tell me what is haunting you like that, I'll go into the Negaverse and not come out until I know what's going on." Maze growled darkly and started in on another long litany of inventive curse strings, this one mostly dealing with Mina's biological lineage as well as some of her ancestors' preferences for various activities in life. She merely sighed and tapped her foot, waiting for him to vent his anger and frustration. "Are you finished?" she asked when he fell silent. He sighed. "For now." "Good. So you'll tell us what's on your mind?" He glared at her. "Who is this 'us' you're referring to?" She smiled sweetly. "I'm talking about the rest of the people gathered in the living room. If Tolaris has the stones to tell all of us about his worst nightmares, then I would like to think that you have enough to do likewise." Maze blinked and just stared at her, too surprised for words. "You know, four hundred years ago I would have tried my best to decorate the landscape with your entrails for that insult," he said slowly after a lengthy pause. "Too bad you love me, eh?" she inquired. She jumped when his hand barely twitched and a slew of neon-red projectiles imbedded themselves in the wooden flooring not three inches from her toes. "You have no idea how close you are to pushing it," he hissed. "Wanna bet?" she lied, trying to keep her mask of calm in place. Maze closed his eyes and desperately tried to think of something other than killing her. "What did I ever do to you?" he sighed. "You kicked me several times in bed with your nightmares," she replied. "Not to mention the time you lashed out and bruised my shoulder rather badly." Maze blinked. "I thought you said Leda did that to you in training." "She gave me a small bruise. You just made it seven times worse." "And you didn't tell me?" She sighed and shrugged. "I thought you had enough on your mind already and I didn't want to bother you about it. However," she added, "I think now is the time to get it off your mind." She blinked as Maze whirled around and started to unleash a virtual storm of his projectiles out into the open air, almost literally making toothpicks out of a few trees off in the distance. He kept up the barrage for several minutes until he grew too exhausted to throw any more. He leaned against the railing and glared at the glowing mass of projectiles, watching silently as their kinetic energy slowly dispersed and they disappeared. "Feel better now that you've made splinters of the woodline?" she asked. Maze sighed. "Would you have preferred I used you as the target like I initially wanted to?" Mina blinked. "Not particularly...." He sighed again and turned around, feeling an intangible but heavy weight on his shoulders. "Alright, I'll tell you about it, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm still shaken by Tolaris's recollection and I don't want any sort of bias in my mind when I tell you about Asleen." She merely smiled and gave him tender but passionate kiss that lasted for a number of minutes. "Thank you," she said when they finished and turned to head back into the cathedral. "Just one thing, though...." Maze grunted. "What's that?" "I don't think my grandmother ever did anything remotely close to what you said she did," the blonde said with a small smile. The Dragoon blinked before flushing a dark green color. "Sorry." "It was inventive, I'll give you that, but totally inaccurate...." He laughed. "I'll try to be more accurate next time I cuss you out," he said dryly. "No rush...." she said lightly as she rested her head on his shoulder. * * * * Everyone looked up as Maze and Mina entered the room and reclaimed the loveseat in the same manner as they had the first time. "How do you two do that?" Rei asked. Mina shrugged. "We both like to stretch out when we get comfortable, so we just have to make a few minor adjustments so we both fit." "You two are comfortable like that?" Darian said with disbelief. "Of course," Maze replied. "You and Serena ought to try it one day," Mina said with a smile. "One thing, however. This was something that took us the better part of an hour to figure out how to do correctly and required a fair amount of compromise. Not to mention an understanding sense of humor," she added with a giggle. "You have entirely too much time on your hands, Lieutenant," Whisper said with a shake of her head. Maze shrugged. "Sorry if I don't have mental exercises to keep me busy like you and Ra'vel, or whatever it is that keeps Tolaris occupied. What does he do, anyway?" he asked Ami. Ami shrugged. "A lot, actually. He spends a good deal of time at the library reading up on various topics like biology and chemistry. Then there's the project he's got going on Nephlyte's computer, whatever that is." Whisper frowned. "Do you know what sort of project?" "I try not to disturb him when he works, so I don't get to see that much of it. He's mostly writing some sort of computer code. I only saw a page of algorithms once, and I think it had to do with biochemistry, but it was way over my head," she admitted. Serena giggled. "What, the school genius finally admits that something is beyond her comprehension?" she teased. Ami shot her a dark look. "Oh, please. There are people with doctorate degrees in biochemistry who don't fully understand that stuff, and you expect a mere high school freshman to know everything?" Rei grumbled. "Relax, Ami, we don't have to start high school until next month." "Sorry if I like to be prepared," Ami replied. "Feel better?" Darian asked as Tolaris walked into the room. "Much," Tolaris replied as he sat back down in the oversized armchair. "I don't know if it was lunch or that scotch you gave me, but whatever it was flushed me out good." "Trust me, it was lunch," Maze said with a wry grin. "Ahem," Mina said. "Oh great, here we go again," Luna muttered. "I take it you have a problem with my cooking?" Mina said, her voice deceptively soft and calm. "What I think the Lieutenant means is that even though your cooking is excellent, you still need to be careful about the spices you use," Whisper said diplomatically. "After all, our digestive systems weren't designed to handle a variety of spices like yours were." Mina blinked and glanced at Maze. "Perhaps I shouldn't have used so much paprika, then...." she said slowly. "No real harm done," Maze assured her. He blinked when he heard Whisper's voice inside his head. He glanced over in her direction and nodded fractionally. Everyone sighed silently as the potential emotional bomb was defused and they could relax. While Mina was usually good at keeping her temper in check, one of her major weak spots was when it came to her lack of decent culinary skills and the negative comments her cooking usually evoked. "So, what's next?" Artemis inquired. Everyone looked at Maze and Mina. Maze sighed and rubbed his temples. "Alright, I already told Mina I'd tell you about the.... incident at Asleen, but I want to wait until tomorrow evening. The boss's little recollection of the valley incident has given me a massive headache and I don't want to add to it tonight." "One headache at a time, eh?" Darian quipped. "Oh, you had better believe that one," Maze shot back as he rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Ra'vel chirped something behind him and he grunted. "Yeah, I'm tracking." Ra'vel launched a small bottle in the air and it went sailing over Maze's head. Without looking up, he reached into the air and plucked it out of its projected arc. "Thanks," he said as he examined the bottle of aspirin. Almost everyone blinked. "How did you do that?" Mina asked, her eyes wide with wonder. "Do what?" he asked as he managed to remove the child-proof cap without losing his temper and ripping it off. "You caught the bottle without looking to see where it was going!" Maze shrugged. "Motion tracking. One of my special 'powers,' I guess." "Could you explain that one to us?" Ami asked. "In a few seconds. Anyone got anything to drink?" Maze asked. He heard Mina reach for the pot of hot chocolate and he grunted. "Not tonight, love, I have a headache." He looked up in surprise as the humans all started to laugh. "What?" "That was classic," Rei snickered. Maze blinked, his tan eyes mirroring his state of confusion. "What?" Mina smiled. "I'll explain later." "Perhaps this could be of some use," Darian said as he held out the bottle of scotch. "It's alcoholic, so you might want to be careful." Maze smirked. "Darian, you are a true friend," he said as he accepted the bottle. He popped a pair of aspirin in his mouth and chased them down with a large gulp of the scotch. He blinked as the alcohol passed the point of no return and he made a face. "Yeech, perhaps not...." Darian shrugged. "So it was a cheap brand." "I'll have to introduce you to some mak'eta one of these days," Maze said with a grunt. He frowned and looked up at Tolaris. "Or is that stuff still on the 'illegal rotgut' list?" Tolaris just sighed and leaned his head against Ami's shoulder. "It still is, and with good reason. You do know how it's distilled, right?" Maze nodded. "Unfortunately. I don't let that ruin the taste, though." "I'm not going to ask where you get it, Lieutenant," Whisper said darkly. "Haven't had any in three hundred years, Captain, I swear," Maze replied. "Should I bother asking?" Darian said. "Do you like butterflies?" Tolaris asked. Darian blinked at the question. "I guess so...." "Then don't ask." Darian blinked again and decided not to ask. "Okay...." Mina smirked. "It's a shame Leda's not here to talk shop with you." Maze blinked. "Talk shop?" The blonde shrugged. "It's my understanding that she has a better-than- average understanding of alcohol. She might be able to introduce you to a few halfway decent alcoholic Earth drinks." "That's it, I'm going to bed," Luna muttered as she leapt out of Serena's lap and started wandering down the hallway. "I'll see you all tomorrow." "Night, Luna," Ami said and her sentiments were echoed by everyone else. "Mmm, bed might not be a bad idea," Serena said with a yawn. She blinked and sat up as a thought occurred to her. "Where is Leda, by the way?" Rei shrugged. "Vacation, as far as anyone knows." "She's busy trying to get her mind and her life back in order," Whisper said softly. "She'll be back in six days." Tolaris looked up at her. "Do you know something we don't, Whisper?" The telepath sighed and rose to her feet. "I just know what her thoughts were before she left, Commander. As to exactly where she went, I haven't a clue. All I know is that she'll be back in six days. Good night, everyone," she said before she abruptly shimmered out of existence. Ra'vel chirped quietly and rose to her feet. She looked over at Artemis and chirped a question at him. The white cat shrugged. "Of course I don't mind," he said. Mina blinked. "Artemis, did she telepath at you?" Artemis blinked in shock. "No, she didn't, I just understood what she asked me," he replied. He glanced at Ra'vel and she chirped at him again. "Umm, I didn't quite catch all of that, but yes, I did understand what you were saying," he said. Tolaris smiled. "Who said you can't teach an old cat new tricks?" "It's supposed to be an old dog, dear," Ami said quietly. "Whatever." Ra'vel walked over and gently picked Artemis up in her arms, chirping softly at him. She telepathed a good night to everyone and they shimmered out of existence. "Okay, so back to the motion-tracking thingy...." Rei said. Maze nodded. "If I focus my mind well enough, I can detect any sort of motion within a radius of roughly fifty feet, provided there isn't any large amount of solid material in the way." "How accurate is it?" Mina asked. Maze smiled. "Well, I can feel the air displacement caused by someone breathing forty feet away, though I have a rather severe problem adjusting for the wind. It works just fine indoors, but then you have the solid-matter problem, so it's not the greatest of powers." "How come you never told me about that?" Mina pouted. The Dragoon lieutenant shrugged. "You never asked and it never occurred to me to tell you about it. It's just one of those things that you never think about except when you actually use it." "So what else can you do?" Rei asked. "Let me think," Maze said. "Electro-magnetic shield, focused tactical kinetic energy strike...." "Those are the darts," Tolaris interrupted. "Yeah, that, and the motion tracking. I think I've got one more so-called 'power,' but it escapes my mind at the moment," Maze finished. Tolaris said something in an obscure denizen dialect and Maze blushed. "Oh, yeah, that's it," he said. "What's it?" Mina asked, her eyes burning with curiosity. "The unnatural charm necessary for getting a noticeable percentage of the female population into his bedroom," Tolaris translated with a smirk. Eyebrows rose at the statement and Maze blushed a darker shade of green. "Thank you, boss," he said darkly. "You're more than welcome, Maze," Tolaris cheerfully replied. "Might we assume your nightmares are caused by a guilty conscience?" Rei asked cautiously. Maze sighed and leaned back. "Rei, you have no idea how much I wish it was something as harmless as that. No, my nightmares are like Tolaris's in the respect that it was something I did that had severe and permanent effects." "It was an accident, Maze," Tolaris said softly. "Doesn't help one k'vesi bit, boss." Mina kissed the back of Maze's neck. "C'mon, I'll toss you in bed and hopefully you'll feel better in the morning. Sure you don't want any hot chocolate?" Maze snorted. "Quite sure. I want to sleep tonight, not have most of my nerves hyped up on whatever it is in that stuff that affects me." Mina nodded as she reached down and grabbed the pot of hot chocolate. She peered inside and made a face at how much was still in there. "Anyone want any hot chocolate?" Serena smiled. "We'll finish it off for you." Darian blinked. "We?" Mina giggled. "Thanks," she said as she started to extract herself from the tangle of arms and legs on the loveseat. "C'mon, Lieutenant, get your butt off the cushions and into bed." "My, you're rather forceful today," Maze commented as he rose to his feet. "First you pull that little stunt of yours earlier, now this." Rei muttered something and Darian burst into laughter. "Oh, Rei, that was harsh," he said when he managed to calm down. Mina shot Rei a dark look. "And what, pray tell, did you say this time?" Ami coughed delicately. "She said something about being a dominatrix." Serena frowned. "A what?" she whispered to Darian. "I'll explain later," he whispered back. Mina merely smiled. "You know, Rei, since Chad isn't around to slice you up with his knife, you might find it worth your while to submit to someone else for pleasure. I'm sure my skills with a dagger might be worth your time and I probably won't make you beg as much," she said casually. Her smile widened as Rei's bottomless black eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "If you ever get that lonely, you know where my room is," Mina said and tugged on Maze's arm. "Come on, let's go to bed. And pick your jaw up, okay? It's rather unsightly," she said as she led him out of the room, ignoring the wide array of shocked looks on the others in the room. "Well...." Ami said, her cheeks still burning a bright shade of red. "And we thought Leda was blunt?" Darian said with a shake of his head. He glanced over at Serena and poked her in the shoulder. "C'mon, Serena, stay with us...." "I really don't want to know, do I?" Serena said distantly. "No, you don't," Ami replied. She glanced over at Rei and frowned. "Rei, do you think you'll need CPR or anything?" "N-n-no...." the priestess stammered back. "Then close your mouth, please." "Sorry," Rei said as she struggled to calm down. "You know," Tolaris said thoughtfully, "I thought I read somewhere that it was supposed to be the human males who had the hormone problems." Darian sighed. "Trust me, we do." "Then explain that," Tolaris said, gesturing to the hallway behind him. "It's Mina," Darian, Serena, Ami, and Rei chorused simultaneously. Tolaris sighed. "Poor Maze...." "If you don't mind my asking," Darian said cautiously, "I take it that Maze was one of those ladies' man types?" The Dragoon sighed again. "Since he was eighty-something years old." "And how old is he now?" Rei asked. "Let me think.... Somewhere in the neighborhood of four hundred and ninety seven years, give or take about a decade. You really do tend to lose track of your age once you get past three hundred," he said. "Ouch," Darian muttered. Rei tried to suppress a yawn and failed rather miserably. "Okay, I guess I'm going to go to bed now." "Alone, I'll bet," Darian snickered. She shot him a dark look. "Of course.... Unless you want to tag along." Darian blinked and Rei smiled. "That was a joke, cape boy." She paused and she glanced around the room. "Speaking of jokes, does anyone know just how serious Mina was? Can it, Darian, before I make you regret it," she said when Darian opened his mouth to make a smart-aleck comment. "Ahem," was all he said. Ami and Tolaris traded looks. "After this morning, I'd have to say she was somewhat serious," Ami said carefully. "Oh, just wonderful," Rei grumbled. "I really wouldn't worry about it," Tolaris said. "I'm sure it was just one of her more unusual mood swings." "That's what I was afraid of," Rei said as she got to her feet. "Is it just me, or has she been having a fair number of 'mood swings' as of late?" Everyone exchanged glances. "You know...." Ami said slowly. "We'll look into it for you," Tolaris said. "Thanks," the priestess replied before she yawned again. "Alright, I'm going," she muttered to herself. She looked up and waved at everyone. "I'll see you all tomorrow, and thanks again for the spiritual lesson, Tolaris." "Anytime, Rei. Good night," the Dragoon replied as everyone else wished her a good night as well. "Are you alright, Ami?" Serena said as she poured herself a large mug of hot chocolate. "You look kinda flushed." Ami smiled and leaned against Tolaris. "I think it might be the alcohol. I swear my blood feels warmer than usual." "Off one sip?" Darian asked incrediously. Ami gave him a wry grin and showed him the empty mug. "Not quite." "Oops...." Darian said, looking at the empty mug. "Umm, how exactly are you feeling right now?" "Worried about having a drunk vampire on your hands?" Ami smiled. "No offense, Ami, but.... yes." Ami shrugged. "I'm not offended, Darian, and I don't quite think I've had enough to be drunk. At least not seriously drunk," she added. "Ami...." Serena chided her. "Well, so I liked it. But I think I like this feeling even more. Don't give me that look," she said when Serena glared at her. "It's just that I can feel the blood in my veins. It's almost like a soft buzzing feeling." "I think that's why they call it 'getting buzzed,'" Darian smirked. Ami shook her head. "Trust me, that's a different feeling. Don't tell anyone this, especially my mother, but I got drunk once when I was twelve." "AMI!" Serena fairly yelled. "Calm down, Serena, I was curious as to why Mother liked the taste of stuff prepared in cooking sherry. That was one of the bigger mistakes of my life and I haven't touched anything since then except for today." Darian made a face. "You got drunk off cooking sherry? Yeech." "Like I said, it was a mistake." "And so what about the scotch?" Serena asked. Ami gave her a patient look. "Your concern is appreciated as it always is, Serena, but I think I am competent enough to make my own decisions," she said pointedly. Serena sighed and held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, I get the picture, Ami, I'll leave you alone," she said as she drained her mug of hot chocolate. "You want some of this?" she asked Darian. "Nah, I'll pass for tonight. Like Maze said, I wanna sleep tonight and I don't need to be wired on caffeine," he said as he stretched. "Suit yourself," she said as she poured herself another mug of the dark brown liquid. She looked at it for a moment before setting it down with a sigh and rising to her feet. "I'll be right back," she said as she headed off to the bathroom. "Darian, I've got a personal question for you," Ami said quietly when she was sure Serena couldn't hear them. "What went through your mind when Rei made that joke about following her to bed?" Darian blinked and frowned. "What kind of question is that?" "An intellectual one, believe it or not." Darian sighed and leaned back against the cushions. "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I was still kinda shell-shocked from Mina's earlier statement." "Let me put it to you like this," Ami said. "When she said it, did you initially think Rei was serious or not?" Darian thought for a few moments. "I'd have to say serious," he said slowly. "Ami, do I want to know what train of thought you're working on?" "Just adding another piece to an old puzzle," Ami replied softly. "And what's the overall picture look like now?" Darian prompted. Ami glanced back at the hallway before looking down at the carpeting. "Tell either Serena or Rei this and you will die, but I think that Rei still loves you," she said softly. Both Tolaris and Darian blinked in surprise. "You know, I'm not really sure I wanted to know that," Darian said. Ami shrugged. "You asked." "Unfortunately. Umm, is this anything I should be worried about?" "I don't know quite yet," Ami said. "And keep in mind that this is only a conjecture. I don't have any solid proof or evidence yet, and I'm not going to go looking for any. I'm just keeping track of whatever puzzle pieces I happen to run across." "Just how many of these 'puzzles' are you working on?" Tolaris asked. Ami looked down at the carpeting again. "Too many to name." "A regular Sherlock Holmes, eh?" Darian quipped. Ami shrugged. "I just put together what I see, that's all." "You aren't by any chance keeping track of Mina's state of mind, are you?" Tolaris asked. "Sort of." "And what do you see?" Ami sighed. "Not enough to make any sort of reasonable conjecture." "See what?" Serena asked as she entered the room. "Mina's state of mind," Ami replied. "Try 'emotional,'" the blonde suggested. Darian smiled. "Now there's the pot calling the kettle black." Tolaris blinked. "Could you translate that?" "Speaking of translations, you never told me what a 'dominatrix' was," Serena said to Darian. Ami and Darian exchanged glances. "Time to go to bed?" Darian asked. "Sounds like it," Ami said as she rose to her feet. "Come on, dear, I'll explain on the way to bed." "Good night, you two," Serena said. "Night," Tolaris replied as he stood up and followed Ami down the hall towards their quarters. Ami kept her word and explain to him what the slang term meant as they walked. "Thank you," Tolaris said as he gave Ami a kiss. "You know, just between you and me, I don't envy Darian in having to explain that term to Serena." Ami nodded wryly. "I know. I had to explain to her what 'bisexual' meant, and trust me, it wasn't pretty." He chuckled. "Let me guess. Leda and Mina?" Ami blushed. "Not quite." He shrugged as he opened the bedroom door. "I don't want to know, then." "You probably don't," she said as she followed him in, closing the door behind her. She smiled as she stepped over to him and gave him a kiss. "I'd like to thank you for telling me about Mintaka tonight," she said softly. He grunted and started to unfasten his tunic. "I'd like to think you're welcome, but that will have to be seen in the morning. Something tells me that my dreams tonight will not be pleasant in the least." Ami nodded as she stepped out of her dress. "Anything I can do?" "If I happen to wake you up, don't hesitate to wake me up. If that means I only get ten minutes worth of sleep, then so be it. I'd rather be tired all of tomorrow than have to spend a few hours in hell again," he said wearily. "Is it that bad?" she asked as she helped him remove his tunic. "You know how I sleep," he said softly. She smiled as she gave him a tight hug. "Just keep in mind that I'll be right beside you whenever you need me." Tolaris smiled and felt his heart lift ever so slightly. "Thank you, my love," he said as he gave her a passionate kiss. "Mmm, and I thought you said you wanted sleep," she said after a moment. "So I do," he replied. "So what's this?" she asked mischievously. He sighed. "That's biology for you," he said dourly. "Looks like we'll just have to fix that...." He laughed. "I'm already fixed. Plasma strike, remember?" She shivered. "Ick, don't remind me. A surgical procedure is one thing, but to have it done like that.... The thought of that gives me the shivers, and I'm not even a guy." "Fortunate for me," he said softly as he drew her down on the bed.... * * * * Dyvach waited until Darian and Serena had gone back to their room before it quietly skittered into the living room and picked up the strange gem that it had asked Whisper to hold for awhile. It then quickly carried it to one of the more remote and unused portions of the strange cathedral. She was leaning against the wall, waiting patiently for it to arrive. It spat the gem into the floor in front of her strange black boots before it began chiming at her. "Thank you, Dyvach," she said as she picked the gem up and reattached it to the strange silver staff she was carrying. "Just remember that nobody can ever know I was here, and when you meet me again, I won't know who you are." The weaver chimed back its understanding. It turned to leave but paused when a strange thought occurred to it. It chimed its question at her and patiently waited for her to mentally translate. "That's a good question," she replied as she brushed a stray lock of her dark green hair out of her face. "No more than a year, I would guess, but I'm not sure on the exact date. It took me a few weeks to reacquaint myself with the flow of Time after that little incident," she explained. Dyvach chimed its understanding and left the room. She watched him go and shook her head, remembering her initial encounter with the weaver. Not bad for an oversized crystal spider, she thought to herself before she concentrated on her staff and disappeared in a temporal vortex of silent energy. * * * * Leda had already given up trying to control her reflexes. She just sighed again as her leg muscle twitched from the sensation. "And you're sure there isn't a way to do that without tickling me?" she asked. Reish'id gave her a patient look. "Unless you want me to shave all of my fur off, which isn't an option, then the answer is no," he said as he resumed sewing the pelt flaps together around her leg. "I am doing my best, Leda. Be patient." "Patience isn't the issue here. The problem is your fur is driving me up the wall," she said as she watched him work. He had sewn several strips of fur pelt to the boots to extend their coverage to just above her knees. He was currently in the process of adding another strip to the suit and the new part came to just below her underseam. He laughed softly. "Just a few more stitches, Leda, then I can finish up on the other leg." She sighed. "And then?" "And then I attach them to this," he said as he held up a section of pelt with his tail. Leda blinked. "And where does that go?" She received a growl in response and she sighed. "That's what I thought. How ticklish will that be?" "If you hold perfectly still, it shouldn't tickle at all." Yeah, right, she thought. Just one little twitch down there and I'll be all over the place. "Maybe if I tried sewing that part on...?" He looked up at her. "If you really want to try. Keep in mind that it will be a very awkward angle and that you could easily poke yourself with the needle," he said with a gesture of the bone needle in his hand. She carefully weighed the shreds of her modesty against the possible consequences of missing with the needle and sighed yet again. "Lovely," she commented. "Indeed you are," he murmured as he finished the last stitch. "What was that?" Reish'id smiled. "I said that you are indeed lovely, Leda," he said and watched her blush. "You just want to get me into bed," she muttered, knowing it was a lie. She looked up when she felt his tail coil around her wrist. "I will be honest with you, Leda. The thought has occurred to me more than once, but if it does happen it will be by your choosing," he said softly. "You are very beautiful, but I am not one to try to change who you are or how you think. If I can help you with your problems, then that is good, but I won't add to them by trying to pursue something that you do not wish to take place." He sighed darkly and double-checked the seams. "Does this fit well?" Leda nodded. "Yeah, fits like a glove and doesn't cut off any circulation or anything. You really do good work," she said. "We'll see when I'm finished," he said as he slid his hand under her knee. He lifted her leg just high enough to slide the next section of fur pelt under her thigh and lowered her leg back down. He quickly wrapped the strip of fur around her thigh and started sewing it to the rest of the suit. Leda sighed and laid back against the askiri pelt, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the feel of his fur against her bare skin. This had better be worth all of this, she thought darkly. She felt his hand brush across her leg as he made an adjustment and she shivered lightly. Not that this is really all that bad, she added, but still.... She opened her eyes as she felt his tail brush lightly across the smooth expanse of her stomach. The sensation reminded her of the time Jenni had somehow gotten hold of an ostrich feather and had used it to intimately tickle her. Ohh, that was a fun night, she thought wistfully. Unbelievably messy, but what a night.... Her thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of Reish'id's tail toying with her belly button. "May I ask you a question, Leda?" he asked softly. "Yeah, sure." "What were you just thinking a few moments ago?" he inquired. Leda blinked. "Why do you ask?" "Idle curiosity, if you will," he said as he resumed his work. "Well, I was just thinking about the time Jenni had nearly tickled me to death with an ostrich feather. I think it resembles one of your vep'teras." "I see. And if I may ask what brought this on?" She blushed lightly. "Just the feel of your tail on my belly. Umm, what made you think I was thinking anything, anyway?" "I have a highly developed sense of smell and can discern most people's emotional state from how they smell. In your case, your smell was a mixture of contentment and arousal. I just wanted to make sure I understood the cause for that," he said as he finished a complex stitch. Leda remained silent as she thought about his words. She glanced down and noticed that his tail was still slowly brushing across her belly. She thought about asking him to move it, but wasn't quite sure if she wanted to. It does feel rather nice, she thought as she closed her eyes. She imagined the feeling was caused by the feather and she sighed. Ohh, yeah, I could definitely get used to this feeling, she thought. She let the sensation relax her and she found her mind wandering back to the times she spent with Jenni. She could imagine the mischievous look in those emerald green eyes as she drew the feather across her body, teasing her in just the right spots as only she knew how.... A low growl brought her attention back to the present and she quickly sat up, only to bump heads with Reish'id. "Ow, that hurt!" she exclaimed as she flopped back down, pressing her hand to her forehead. Reish'id grunted as he sat back on his haunches and shook his head back and forth. "And what did I do to you?" he grunted. "You had your face hovering over restricted airspace," she growled back. "What were you doing, or should I ask?" "I was checking to see if it was a good idea to wake you up so I could start the next part of your suit. I couldn't see your face from my angle so I had to adjust my viewpoint," he replied. She glared at him but decided that he was telling the truth. "Why do I seem to have trouble staying mad at you?" Reish'id blinked. "I have no idea. Are you ready for the next part?" She sighed and looked down at the askiri pelt she was lying on. This is going to drive me insane, she thought. "Only if you promise not to try to take advantage of me." He blinked again. "Take advantage of you?" "Yeah, you heard me. I already know that this is going to turn me on like a light switch, and I don't need to be fighting you and my hormones at the same time," she said darkly. Reish'id paused and tilted his head to one side. "It really bothers you that much?" "Bother isn't the word." She sighed and made a gesture. "It's just that my hair is ultra-sensitive down there and I have a hard time dealing with it." "I see," he said. "Of course I will not take advantage of you." "Thank you," she said dryly. "Here," he said as he handed her the section of fur pelt. She took it from him and unfolded it. Mmm, looks like a rather nice pair of panties, she thought. She quickly slipped it on and blinked at the strange feeling it produced. "Ooo, this feels nice. Snug, too. You ever think of opening up your own tailor shop?" He shook his head. "The business would be too demanding on me. I am a warrior, not a salesman. Are you ready?" he asked as he picked up his needle and threading. She laid back and took a deep breath. "Let's get this one over with," she said. The words were barely out of her mouth when she felt Reish'id grasp one of the edges to her underseam and hold it against the top of her suit. Her eyes went wide as the fur of the pelt brushed against her pubic hair. Reish'id had done something to all of the pelts so that they were furry on both sides, but of unequal length. The hairs on the inside of the suit were far shorter than the ones on the outside. That helped avoid chafing inside the suit but also had one minor drawback. She closed her eyes as the stimulation sent her hormone levels through the proverbial roof. She felt her nipples turn into rocks and she wondered if she was going to be able to walk inside her suit without making a hideous mess. I bet the furry punk did that on purpose, she thought. She knew he was being careful as he worked, but the slight movement of the fur as the needle repeatedly passed through it was just enough to keep the fur in motion, slowly teasing her like nothing ever had before. She tried to say something to him but it came out as a low moan instead. "Halfway there, Leda," he said quietly as he continued to work. "Please stop...." she whimpered as the sensation clouded her thoughts and sent her down a spiraling path of pleasure. Another moan escaped past her lips and she knew that a loss of control was imminent. Reish'id raced as fast as he dared, doing the stitches with one hand and his tail while his other hand tried to keep the pelt absolutely still. "Almost done," he promised. Leda was on the edge of insanity. She knew that the sensation alone would not be enough to give her release. A distant part of her mind remembered the time that Jenni has tortured her for hours before she finished the job, and that was something she wanted to avoid having to experience again. "Reish'id," she said, her voice a bare whisper. "Finished," he said as he released his hold on the fur and took a step back. He laid his needle down on the ground and cautiously watched Leda, his nose twitching as the smell of her state of arousal reached him. She immediately started to struggle out of the suit, her efforts hampered by her current lack of coherent thought and motion. He carefully reached out and helped her ease out of the suit, wondering what exactly she was up to. She laid back on the askiri pelt and curled up into a ball, her whole body quivering from her current condition. "Reish'id...." she whispered again. His ears twitched as he cautiously approached her. "I am here, Leda." "Help me...." He blinked. "How?" "Just.... hold me." He growled softly and carefully wrapped his arms around her. He blinked as she twisted in his grasp and embraced him hard, like a drowning person would clutch at his savior. She was shaking rather badly and he wasn't quite sure what she wanted him to do, if anything. He purred softly in her ear and he noticed that she seemed to calm down just a little. He carefully repositioned himself for comfort and tried to relax, realizing that his own muscles were tensed up. "Relax, Leda, it's over now. The rest of the work won't be nearly as ticklish, I promise," he said. "You are going to have to put some sort of lining in there," she managed to say several minutes later. Her breathing was still ragged and she was still shivering lightly, but she had managed to calm down considerably. "As you said before, shaving is not an option, and I need something in there so I can walk without blowing my mind every dozen steps." She shivered vigorously for a bit before her muscles relaxed and she stopped shaking. "Great Zeus, now I know what Mina went through that one night...." "What happened?" he asked, curious. Leda sighed. "Our resident vampire supercharged her hormone levels and then made her sleep alone. She looked like something a hurricane had dragged in the next morning. Needless to say, she wasn't a happy camper." "Vampire?" Reish'id whispered. She looked up and blinked as he seemed to pale. "What?" "Tell me, what is your vampire's name?" he asked with concern. "Her name is Ami," she replied cautiously. She blinked again as Reish'id seemed to relax. "What is it?" "I knew a vampire rather well once," he said, looking down at the askiri pelt. "Her name was Nop'tera. I was just worried that the vampire you spoke of might have been her." "Trust me, it's not. Umm, I take it this Nop'tera friend of yours is a Negaverse vampire?" He nodded. "Worse. When she was taken during the BloodMoon Conjunction, her body transformed and never changed back once the conjunction was over. She is what the legends call an eternal vampire." Leda frowned. "That sounds bad." Reish'id shrugged. "They say she is immortal, and I have no reason to doubt that. She told me she was born over four thousand years ago, back in the days of Raijen and Queen Metallia. She doesn't look to be much older than five hundred years old, which would be an impossibility if she wasn't immortal. As for being bad, I cannot say. She has mastered the bloodlust in her veins and only feeds when it suits her to." Oh, boy, Leda thought, Ami's not going to like hearing about this. I can imagine the crying binge she'll have when she discovers that she'll outlive everyone around her, including Tolaris. "Where is she now?" she asked. He sighed. "When Queen Metallia promoted her to the rank of general, she gave her the task of conquering the other side of a dimensional rift found in the Hinterlands. The other dimension is similar to ours and didn't take the invasion sitting down. The campaign has been going on for three thousand years and I just received word yesterday that she has finally been victorious." Leda blinked. "Umm, what does that mean?" "It means that the Dark General will be returning within a year." "And from the look on your face, this is a bad thing, right?" Reish'id grunted. "It depends. General Rune is in charge now, but that may change as Nop'tera outranks her. I.... know Nop'tera rather well and I think I can predict how she will react if Rune doesn't yield command." "Let me guess. A bloody rampage?" Reish'id glanced at her. "Not quite how I would imagine it would be, but you are correct in the sense that it will not be pretty." Leda frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Umm, I just had a really bad thought. Rune's policy towards Earth is to ignore it until she gets most of the kinks straightened out under her command. Say Nop'tera takes control and learns about Earth. What do you think'll happen?" He sighed. "Hard to say, since her policy will be based on a variety of factors. Best guess, however, is that you Sailor Scouts had better brush up on your training and to quietly prepare for a massive invasion." "Oh, swell," she muttered. "I gotta get back to...." She finished her train of thought with a loud and vicious string of curses. "Problem?" he asked when she calmed down again. "Yeah, my butt is going to be stuck here for another five days," she grumbled, "And I need to tell the others about this, and fast." "I'm afraid there is little I can do to help you, Leda, except to finish your suit and ensure your well-being here," he said softly. She glanced over at the suit and shivered again. "Not without a lining," she said firmly. "That should be taken care of easily enough," he said. He blinked as he suddenly realized that he was still holding her close to him. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he released her and took a step back. She sighed. "Like a towel that's been wrung out to dry." He purred softly. "Can I try something to make you feel better?" She blinked and gave him a suspicious look. "Like what?" "Would you care for a body massage?" he replied. She blinked again and gave the idea some serious consideration. "I think I've finally got you figured out," she said after a few seconds. He frowned. "How's that?" "You find a way to make your actions seem harmless or helpful while your real intentions are something else," she said wryly. "Very clever." "I'm not following you." "Okay, let's take this massage for instance. On the surface, it looks like you want to help me relax, and you might even mean it that way. However, it is also an excuse to put your hands or whatever on me," she said. She smiled as the sound of his laughter filled the cave. "Do you really believe that, Jupiter?" he said, still laughing. "It makes perfect sense." "Only if you're paranoid," he replied as he calmed down. "Let me assure you on my warrior's honor that I have never done anything with intentions such as you have described." Leda blinked and regarded him carefully. If there's one cosmic truth to this godforsaken place, she thought, it's that I've never met a denizen who swore upon his honor and turned out to be a liar. "Well, seeing how you put it that way...." she said slowly. "I promise not to do anything unprofessional," he said seriously. "Unprofessional?" she said. "Just exactly how much do you know?" He shrugged. "I have lived for over three thousand years, and in that time I have tried to better myself by learning whatever skills and trades I can. Physical therapy is something I learned along time ago from a healer." "Maq'i?" she inquired. "Does it matter?" he asked calmly. "Not really," she said with a shrug. "I kinda know a bit about massage techniques, too, but those I picked up from Jenni so you can take a guess as to what they're geared for," she said with a hint of a blush. His whiskers twitched as he nodded. "Nothing wrong with that. The end result of relaxation is still the same, but the methods of achieving it are merely different. I take it you don't object to a massage?" "Not if you're as good a masseuse as you are a tailor," she said. "Then if you would lay down...." he suggested. She complied and rolled over onto her stomach, tucking her arms beneath her head for support. "Out of idle curiosity, do you use any oils or lotions when you work?" she asked. She blinked when she heard a bizarre series of sharp pops as he cracked what passed for his knuckles. "Usually no, since oil and fur don't mix and lotions are either too messy or smell too strongly to be of any relaxing use," he said. "I do have a little of each, if you feel you need it." She shrugged. "Nope, I was just curious." He laughed softly as he place his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them lightly. "Hmm," he said softly. "Problem?" "Just a different muscle structure, that's all," he said as he spent the next several minutes lightly rubbing the various muscle groups in her back, trying to get a feel for how they were arranged and what the best method of relaxing them might be. "Keep in mind I've never done this with a human," he said as he worked. She sighed blissfully and closed her eyes. "Hey, take your time." "I intend to," he said as he started the massage. "Oooooooh," she sighed. "That feels wonderful...." She jumped slightly when she felt his wet nose brush across her shoulder. "Don't talk now," he purred. "Just let your mind drift and I'll handle the rest." "Mmmmm," she said as she let her mind start to wander. The feeling of his hands expertly working her muscles was enough to make her slightly drowsy, and she knew that she would soon fall asleep if he continued his work for any great length of time. He continued to massage her back, taking mental notes of the way her back muscles were structured. Her skin really is soft and smooth, he thought as he worked. He nodded to himself when he felt her muscles relax and loosen up even further. "Dark Energy Electrify," he muttered to himself. His hands were enveloped in a faint purple aura as he very carefully sent a faint charge of Dark Energy through her muscles. The negative energy siphoned off some of her muscle's own energy and they became rather fatigued, allowing them to relax even more. Her body tried to compensate for the energy loss by drawing small amounts of energy from the rest of her muscles, having the overall effect of making her more tired than she should be. He continued to use the Dark Energy in small, controlled amounts as he massaged her, his mind estimating that she would fall asleep in about fifteen minutes. He paused after thirty minutes of work to see how she was doing. A soft smile crossed his features as he heard the gentle, rhythmic sound of her heart beating slowly over the sound of her even breathing. He gently rolled her over and picked her up. Much to his surprise, she remained asleep, only stirring slightly in his arms before drifting back off. He studied the soft contours of her face and neck for a few moments before he carried her over to the pile of furs in front of the fireplace. He carefully laid her down and covered her with another askiri pelt. Wonderful creature, the askiri, he thought. They are fun to hunt, they taste great, and you can use their pelts for almost anything you need. Leda started to stir and he carefully rolled her back onto her stomach, arranging her arms the way she had them earlier. She sighed in contentment and settled back down, her breathing becoming even again after a few seconds. He looked at her curiously, trying once more to define what he felt for her and why. He shook his head and gave up after several minutes. One of these days I will know, Leda, and then I will be able to tell you, he thought. He returned to the pile of black fur in the other part of the cave and sat down, picking up the half-finished suit in the process. He blinked as he realized that the inside of the suit was wet and that the smell of her arousal still lingered strongly in the air. She wasn't kidding, he thought with a soft chuckle. He examined the damp patch of fur inside the suit and made a rough mental calculation. Okay, I'll need a strip of padding this long and this wide, he thought to himself as he looked around for a suitable piece of fabric to serve as a lining. He paused as a thought occurred to him. Well, she's not going to be able to wear them anymore, he thought as he searched for the remains of her previous clothes. Ah, yes, he thought as he held up the tattered remains of what was once a blouse. This should work nicely, he thought as he sat back and got to work. * * * * Reish'id awoke to the smell of something burning. A fire? he thought in a momentary panic as he leapt to his feet. He paused and sniffed the air a little more cautiously. No, not a fire, he thought with a glance towards the fireplace. He blinked when he realized that someone had thrown a few more logs on the small fire. A quick glance at the pile of furs confirmed his suspicion. What is she up to? he thought as he spent several minutes sniffing at the air. Not fire, not something burnt.... but something being.... baked? He sighed and headed towards the kitchen, trying not to imagine what sort of mess she was making. He paused at the archway and blinked at the sight. "Morning," Leda said as she held out a freshly baked loaf of bread. She was wearing the half-made suit and had a fur pelt wrapped around her upper body to cover everything else. "The suit fits perfectly and the lining works just fine. Thanks." He accepted the loaf and blinked at the warmth of the bread. "You're welcome, of course. How long ago did you make this? And what is it?" "It came out of the oven about ten minutes ago. As to what it is, I'm not entirely sure, since I don't know what kind of yeast you had. It should be regular white bread, thought it might taste odd because I had a bit of trouble identifying what I was using." He studied the loaf for a moment before carefully sniffing at it. Smells good, he thought as he took a careful bite. Most humans would have called the taste bland, but Reish'id's tastebuds were structured differently and to him the bread was delicious. Leda blinked as he opened his mouth and took a sizable chomp out of the loaf. "I take it that you like it?" she asked, part of her mind taking note of the way his sharp teeth had easily torn into the loaf. Not that fresh bread is difficult to bite into, she thought, but still.... He nodded and swallowed. "Yes, I do. Your cooking skills are excellent." She blushed at the comment. "Thanks. I've always liked cooking for some reason and I just had the urge to cook something for breakfast when I woke up. You did a wonderful job with the massage last night. I don't remember falling asleep." He smiled. "That was the whole purpose. You looked like you were having a rough time and I figured the sleep would do you good." She smirked. "Rough time indeed," she said as she turned back to the various utensils she had been using. "When do you want to finish working on this suit? It feels like it's ready to fall off my butt at any second," she said as she tugged at the fur. The suit only came up to her navel in the front and just past her buttocks in the back. She blinked as she felt the fur pelt slide off her shoulders and heard a soft growl in her ear. "And that is a bad thing?" she heard him say as his muzzle brushed against the back of her neck. "It can be," she replied. She blinked as she felt him brush her hair away from the back of her neck. "Umm, what are you doing?" "I want to thank you for making the bread," he said softly. She gasped as she felt his tongue brush across the back of her neck. She started to pull away but stopped when his arm wrapped around her bare waist and held her against him. "Yeech, don't do that," she said, "I'm not your species and I'm in desperate need of a bath. A water bath," she said quickly when he growled in her ear. He paused for a moment to think, his tail lashing back and forth. "Maq'i said there was some kind of bacteria in the thermal pool, so I'm going to have to clean that out before you can use it. It'll be awhile, though. It takes four hours to drain the basin, another hour to sterilize it, and a sixth hour for the spring to refill the basin," he said as he nuzzled her neck. "Mmm," she replied. "Think you can finish the suit in six hours?" "No, but I can get the easy parts taken care of," he replied. "It will probably take me a full day to construct your gloves as it won't be a simple matter of wrapping fur around your fingers." She blinked. "Oh? What do you plan to do?" He growled softly in her ear. "You'll see," he said as his tongue brushed across the side of her neck. "Hey, watch where you put that thing...." He chuckled and nuzzled her ear. "Does that really bother you?" She sighed. "Not really, but I do need a bath something fierce." He sniffed her skin. "You smell fine to me." "Yeah, but I don't feel that way. I may not be all that dirty, but you just can't beat the feeling you get just after a nice, relaxing bath." He nodded. "True." She turned around to look at him. "I wouldn't think you would like taking a bath in water," she said. He shrugged and released his hold on her waist. "I usually don't, but I have to take one every now and then to keep the various mites out of my fur." "Ahh, I see." He leaned forward and briefly rubbed his cheek against hers. "I'll start draining the pool for you and then we can work on finishing your suit." She smiled. "Thanks," she said as she turned back to the task of washing the dishes. "Oh, and Leda?" "Yeah?" she said as she turned around. She blinked as she felt the fur pelt settle around her shoulders. "You really are beautiful when you're not hiding behind furs," he said softly before he turned around and left. She blinked and ran her fingers across her neck where his tongue has been. You know, she thought, when Freddy's kitten did that, you didn't think that anything was unusual. It was just something cats did to be nice. Hmmm.... she thought before she turned most of her attention back to the dishes. She paused when another thought occurred to her. However, I don't think Luna or Artemis ever did that.... Not that I know of.... Hmmm.... * * * * She was sitting by the pile of black fur pelts, waiting for him to finish with the thermal pool when her nose was assaulted by a strong smell. "Oh, ick," she moaned as she covered her nose. Reish'id entered the room and frowned. "What is it?" he asked. She glanced up at him and saw that he was still dripping wet. "You can't smell that?" she gagged. He blinked and sniffed the air. "Smell what?" "Wet cat fur." He sighed and sat down. "So sorry," he muttered as he wrung out his tail. He blinked as a sizable amount of water dripped onto the stone floor and he sighed again. "Phew, what exactly did you do?" she asked, still holding her nose. "I had to seal the thermal spring so the water could drain out, and the actual location of the spring is at the bottom of the pool," he explained. She coughed. "Do me a favor and go park your butt in front of the fire until you dry off, or at least until that smell goes away." "See if I do you a favor again," he muttered as he headed off towards the fireplace, leaving a trail of catlike paw prints behind him. Leda eyed the puddles of water on the floor and sighed. "Hey, you got a mop somewhere around here?" she called out. "There should be one in the closet next to the toilet," he called back. She shrugged. "Makes sense," she said to herself as she walked down the corridor. She found the mop in short order and returned to the pile of furs, carefully mopping up the puddles of water as she went. She paused halfway through her task as a thought occurred to her. Why am I doing this? she thought as she looked at the remaining puddles. It's because he's doing you a favor by cleaning out the pool, she told herself. She shrugged and went back to her work, finishing up the task several minutes later. She returned the mop to its original location and had just sat down on a large askiri pelt when a dried-off Reish'id walked back into the room. "Is this better?" he asked. She sniffed the air and nodded. "Much. You look like you're still a bit damp but at least you don't reek." "Thank you," he said dryly. "You're welcome. Ready to start on the suit again?" He nodded and sat down next to her. "I still haven't discovered what I did with my measuring tape...." he apologized as his tail coiled around her wrist. She sighed. "Alright, just be careful." "As always," he said as he looped his tail around her hips. She blinked at the feeling. "I must be ticklish everywhere," she said. "It might be my fur," he said as he picked up his scrap piece of askiri pelt and made a few scratch marks on it. "Do you remember being ticklish this way before?" She thought for a moment. "Not really. I mean, Jenni had a light touch that she used to drive me insane, but that was more of an acquired reaction rather than being ticklish." He nodded and moved his tail up higher a few inches. "I don't know much about human figures, Leda, but if you were a denizen you would have a very nice figure." She blushed and looked down at the pelt. "Thank you," she said softly and felt the tail squeeze her lightly. She blinked as she felt Reish'id slide the pelt she was wearing off of her shoulders. "One more measurement for now," he said as his tail unwrapped his tail and coiled it around her chest, his tail brushing her just below her breasts. He caught the sudden flood of color to her face and frowned. "What is it?" She smiled shyly. "You've had relations with other women before, right?" "Yes." "Just how badly did you drive them up the wall with your touch?" He blinked. "I don't understand what you mean." She giggled. "You must be as dense as a brick. Haven't any of your other 'guests' had problems controlling their reactions to the feel of your fur on their skin?" He shrugged as he made a few more scratches on the pelt. "Most found it to be mildly pleasurable, but none were as sensitive as you are." He let his tail fall free of her body as he unfolded a large section of Felinoid fur pelt. She glanced at the pelt and shivered lightly. "That still kinda bugs me to think about that," she said. "The pelt, I mean." He looked up at her. "I offered you other choices for your suit." She nodded. "I know, I know. It's just that this one looked to be the most comfortable," she said as she tugged at the fur she was wearing. "I mean I can live with it, just as long as I don't dwell on the thought too much." He nodded as he extended the claws on his hands and started to cut the pelt to fit the necessary specifications. "Tell me something," he asked softly as he worked. "Do you find my touch to be pleasing to you?" She blushed and looked down at the fur pelt. "Sometimes," she admitted. "Then why do you turn away from it?" She looked up at him and blinked. "What do you mean?" He paused his work and looked back at her. "I keep getting the feeling that you like it when I touch your skin, yet you try to pull away from me when I do. It is most confusing to me." She sighed and looked back down at the pelt. "I.... don't know, Reish'id. Part of me likes the feeling, but part of me still thinks of you as a giant panther who has ulterior motives." He laughed softly as he brushed his tail across her throat. "I do, Leda, but I don't think they are the same motives as you think they are." She looked up at him. "And what exactly are your motives?" "I don't quite know." She blinked. "What do you mean, you don't quite know?" He sighed and set the section of pelt down. "I know some of them, yes. I want to get to know you better. I want to make love to you and to give you pleasure. I also want you to be happy. I know that you are still coming to terms with your friend's death, and I want to help you with that. But as to why I want to, I can't answer that because I don't know." She said nothing as he picked up the pelt again and quickly made a series of minor adjustments. He held it up in the air to look at it briefly before he reached over and wrapped it around her waist. "Does it rub or anything?" She shook her head. "Nope, none of it does. You did a good job making sure it didn't either. Except for the one," she said with a faint blush. The corner of his mouth twitched. "I didn't quite see that one coming." She giggled. "Bad phrasing." He thought about it for a moment before he growled softly. He picked up his bone needle and started to sew the bottom edge of the pelt to the rest of the suit. A back part of his mind started to run in a small circle of its own accord and he found it difficult to concentrate on his work. He finished his stitching and sat back, using the tip of his tail to try to scratch the back part of his ear. "Does that fit well?" he asked. Leda blinked and glanced down. "Umm, aren't you going to sew these two flaps together?" she asked as she tugged on the open section of her suit. "Not yet. I'm going to put a zipper there so you can get in and out of your suit with relative ease," he replied. She nodded her head in understanding. "Ah, I get it. Good thinking." He made a low growling noise in response as he sat down and used his hind leg to scratch furiously at the base of his ear. She blinked. "Problem?" "Itch." She smirked. "Doesn't it hurt to use your claws like that?" "Not really. They work just fine," he said as he scratched. "Here, let me get it," she said as she reached over and started to scratch him behind his ear. He was amazed to discover that her short fingernails worked much better than his sharp claws did. The sensation caused him to close his eyes and to purr loudly. She blinked as she thought someone started up a chainsaw. "Goodness," she said as she worked. "You must like this." His response was to press his head against her chest, still purring quite loudly. She giggled and used her other hand to start scratching his other ear. "Oh, yeah, you're nothing more than a big kitten," she teased. She smiled as he rubbed the top of his head beneath her chin, a gesture she knew that only cats routinely did. "Now who's teasing who?" he growled as he continued to purr. Oops, she thought. She blinked as his head pressed harder against her chest and she almost fell backwards. "Hey, easy there...." she said as she used one hand for balance while still scratching with the other. He sat back and shook his head rapidly. "Sorry," he apologized. His leg came up briefly to scratch his ear a few times before he stretched and started to lay out another section of fur pelt. "Feel better?" she asked with a grin. "Very much, thank you," he replied. He finished the prepatory work and turned to her with an apologetic look on his face. "Now we come to another sensitive part...." he said. Leda thought about it for a moment and her eyebrow rose. "Bust line?" He nodded and she sighed. "Thirty-two-C, if that helps." He blinked. "What is that?" "Bra size." He shrugged. "If you could translate that into the Negaverse equivalent, I might be able to construct something from that, but I also need to measure the areas around your breasts," he said pointedly. He blinked as she muttered something beneath her breath. "What was that?" "I said you just want to feel me up," she replied dryly. "Can I?" he asked casually. He caught the look on her face and burst into laughter. "I was making a joke, Leda." "I wonder," she muttered, still blushing. He nodded and sighed quietly. "Perhaps. If you are ready...?" he asked. She sighed and glanced at the ceiling of the cave. "Alright." He nodded again and carefully wrapped his tail around her chest, directly below her breasts. He saw the way she blinked as his fur brushed against her and he sighed quietly. "You alright?" "Just feels weird," she said. Her breath caught in her throat as his he moved his tail upwards to rest level with her nipples. The sensation of his fur brushing against her there caused her nipples to tighten instantly, sending small electric shocks through her body. He quickly made a few more scratch marks on his scrap pelt and adjusted his tail up further, coming to rest on the tops of her breasts. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" he inquired. "I'll let you know in a minute," she said evenly. "Hold your arms out like this," he said as he demonstrated. She complied and he looped his tail under her armpits, writing down the measurements as he did so. "You can relax now, I've got the measurements." She relaxed her arms and closed her eyes, fighting the sudden impulse to whimper for no apparent reason. She gasped when she felt the tip of his tail brush against her throat. She then sighed softly as she listened to her body protest against the series of unsatisfied stimulations she had been receiving lately. Maybe.... she thought briefly before grinding that thought to a halt. No, I think not, she decided. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly as his tail brushed back and forth across her throat. He blinked as his tail felt a soft vibration in her throat caused by her making an almost inaudible sound. "I'm trying to decide if I want you to keep doing that or if I should tie your tail in a knot and shove it someplace unpleasant," she replied. He laughed softly. "In that case, please let me continue." "Why?" she asked softly. He bent his head down to nuzzle her ear. "Because it gives you pleasure," he replied, equally as soft. "And you as well, I would imagine." He purred softly. "I don't think I receive as much as you do," he said as his tail stroked her jaw. "Why do I bother putting up with you?" she asked. "Is it because you trust me?" he said cautiously "Do I?" she said thoughtfully. "Do you?" She tilted her head back as his tail brushed across her throat again. "I think I do," she admitted. "I'm not quite sure how far, though." "You trust me not to harm you, correct?" he purred softly. She shivered lightly as his whiskers brushed the edge of her ear. "Yes." "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said slowly. "I'm not sure I can or will answer, but you can ask," she said simply. "What is love?" he asked softly as he nuzzled her ear. She laughed quietly. "Of all the questions...." she said as she shook lightly with her laughter. He tilted his head at an angle. "I didn't think that was a question that should be met with mirth," he said gently. "Forgive me," she said as she stroked his tail with her fingertips. "It's just that I've tried to explain to everyone who asks what I view it as and I can't seem to explain it well enough so they understand." "Surely you can try," he said. She shrugged and laid down on the pelt, still toying with his tail as it brushed across her neck. "To me, the short-short definition of love is Jenni." "I'm afraid you've lost me already," he said. "Hold on, I'm working on it," she said patiently. "Well, I never really had much in the way of feelings for anyone except for her, Ken, and my parents, and although I loved all of them, it was a different kind for each." "I know how one feels for their parents," he said. "But I do not quite understand when it comes to feeling for another." "Well.... Love is a number of things. It's how you feel when that person is there in the room with you, or when you hold her in your arms, or feel her lips on your own...." "I assume when you say her, you mean the one you have feelings for?" he asked cautiously. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Granted love is 'supposed' to be between a guy and a girl, but ours was a rather special case." He nodded. "Such a thing is not uncommon in the Negaverse." "So I've heard." "Please go on," he said softly. She sighed. "Well, all I can to is try to explain what I felt when I was with her. A significant part of love is how you view one another. I mean, she would have done anything I asked her to do, and I would have done anything she asked me to do. We both knew that, and we both knew that we would never ask the other to do some things because we knew that we would do them, regardless of our own feelings on the matter. If that makes any sense," she added. His tail brushed across her lips. "It does," he said. "As for doing some things, we would do them anyway because we each knew that it would please the other. She always used to bring me flowers at odd moments, just because she knew it would make me happier than I already was. And then there were the things we did for mutual pleasure." "Like making love?" he suggested softly. She smiled. "Not the example I had in mind. I love to cook, but I also loved cooking for her. She liked giving massages, but she also liked giving me massages even more. Things like that, you know?" "I understand." "Part of love is the feeling of knowing that someone cares for you and is waiting for you when you get home. I could have had a very bad day and all it would take is for her to smile at me and I'd feel better." She sighed softly as his tail continued to brush across her throat. "I guess you could call it a give-and-take relationship, insofar as that we give almost everything we have and take only what the other wants us to take, which is almost everything she has to give." "You were happy then, weren't you?" She laughed softly. "That is an understatement. Given a choice I would have spent the rest of my life with her, and she with me. At least, that's what we wanted to do...." she trailed off. She sighed softly as he nuzzled her neck. "If I may ask, how did you two happen to fall in love?" A soft smile came to her lips. "Well, I had just lost my virginity to my ex-boyfriend and got dumped for my efforts. I was an emotional wreck and she took me to her home to try to get my mind off things. She wound up seducing me and things went pretty quickly from there." "How long did that take?" he asked curiously. "What, seducing me? Not even an hour," she chuckled. He laughed softly in her ear. "I meant falling in love." She sighed as she thought about it. "Probably not even a week." "Tell me, does that usually take longer?" She shrugged. "Depends. Some people take awhile to fall in love, some don't. I've even got some examples for you. Tolaris courted Ami for awhile before they fell in love with one another, while Maze and Mina seemed to hit it off almost as soon as their eyes met." He blinked. "Isn't that a little fast?" She smiled and opened her eyes, looking up at him. "It's called 'love at first sight,' and it's not as rare as you would think." He purred softly as he laid his head on her shoulder, the rest of his body in the process of lying down to get comfortable. She gave in to a sudden impulse and started to scratch his ears again. She laughed softly as the chainsaw-like sound of his purring filled the cave again. She looked into his eyes and discovered that they had narrowed almost to the point of being closed. "You really like that, don't you?" she asked. "Is it that obvious?" he said as he pressed his head against her. "Not really, unless you count the earthquake your purring is causing." He growled softly as he twisted his head to one side, his tongue flicking out to brush across her throat. "Hey, we've been through this before," she protested softly. "And?" he murmured as he continued his work. "And I thought we already established the fact that I need a bath," she replied, trembling softly. He growled softly as he turned his head to look into her green eyes. "If you think I am concerned with a little dirt, Leda, you might want to readjust your thinking," he said. "Besides, the pool won't be ready for another four hours or so and I want to take a bit of a break from working on your suit." "Reish'id, please...." she whispered. "Do you truly wish me to stop?" he inquired, looking into her eyes again. She looked back into his purple irises and suppressed a soft moan. "I..." "Do you?" he repeated. "Or are you afraid that if you let me give you pleasure that you won't be able to control your response?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know," she whispered back. He bent his head down and drew his tongue once across the full length of her throat before settling back and resting his head on her shoulder. He could feel her body shiver from the sensation and he growled softly to himself. She sighed again and resumed scratching the back of his ear, trying to figure out the slew of emotions running through her head. "I don't know," she repeated softly and laid her cheek against his. * * * * They both sat up a short time later and resumed work on her suit. "Umm, I don't suppose I could convince you to hurry this part up," she said as her arms grew tired from being held out at a right angle to her body. He gave her a mildly annoyed look. "The major objective of this is to avoid puncturing you with the needle while I work, and for that to work I can't quite rush things. Just another few minutes." "Can you take a break, then? This is killing my arms." He sighed and secured the needle in the pelt. "Okay, just don't move your arm too far back or you'll stab yourself." "Thanks," she said with relief as she let her arms fall to her sides. She glanced over at her shoulder and briefly tugged on the strap. "This is turning out quite nicely," she said in approval. "What's this going to wind up as, a full-body suit?" He nodded. "Yes. The sleeves will come down to about here," he said as his tail coiled around her wrist, "And I will later give you gloves for your hands. I might start designing a hood or a cowl for you, but such a project would take weeks with the design I have in mind." She blinked and looked up at him. "Huh? What kind of design?" He smiled. "It would make you look like a Felinoid from a distance. It probably wouldn't work if they got too close, but it could help you avoid any casual detection." "Cool. Umm, why would that take a few weeks?" He stretched and yawned. "Well, I thought that if I was going to make a sort of disguise for you, I might as well add a few useful little things into the design." She frowned. "Like what?" "Like external optics that mimic living eyes, enhanced audio receptors in the ears, perhaps a miniature sensor web for whiskers, stuff like that." She blinked. "Wow...." "The electronic aspect of that is easy enough, but the time-consuming part is the miniaturization necessary to have it fit into something as small as a hood," he explained. She smirked. "Will I have a tail that works like yours?" she asked. "Not quite, but what I can do is put a miniature anti-gravity device in the tip and set the controller somewhere either inside the hood or inside one of your gloves. You won't quite have as much control over your tail as I do over mine, but it can be made to seem to be an independent appendage." "Cool. A few weeks, you said?" He nodded. "Longer if you want the tail modification." She shrugged. "I'm in no real rush to return here once I go back." He gave her a look. "Not even to see me?" he said softly. She blinked. "Well.... umm...." "It's not important," he said. "Hold out your arms again?" She sighed as she complied, keeping a wary eye on the needle as he pulled it back out and resumed his fast-paced work. "Reish'id, how exactly do you feel about me?" she asked suddenly. He paused for a moment. "What do you mean?" "I mean, what are your feelings towards me?" He tilted his head at an odd angle and sat back on his haunches. "I'm not quite sure I can define them for you, Leda. I've never quite experienced any emotions on this scale before." "Take a potshot," she suggested. "I think I love you," he said. He blinked when she suddenly took a deep breath and sat down hard on the stone floor. "Is something wrong?" "Maybe," she said slowly. She looked up at him and sighed quietly. "It's just that love isn't something to be taken lightly, and I'm not quite sure if you know what it means." He nodded. "I know I'm not sure I know what it means, but that seems to be the best explanation I can come up with so far," he admitted. "But there is something else that disturbs you about that, correct?" Her gaze fell to the askiri pelt before she spoke. "Well, I'm not quite sure if I feel the same way about you.... I mean, I like you and all, and you seem to be a good friend, but.... I don't know what I feel for you." "Does love have to work both ways?" he asked softly. She shook her head. "No, it doesn't, and believe me, that can cause all sorts of messy relational problems. Not that it always does," she added as the image of Rei suddenly came to her mind for no apparent reason, "But there is always the potential for something ugly to happen." "I see," he said slowly. He carefully reached out and picked up the bone needle. "If you can hold still, I can finish these last few stitches." She blinked and nodded, watching him silently as he worked on the seam on her shoulder. She glanced down and noticed that her hands were shaking despite her best efforts to keep them calm. Why is it I'm upset all of a sudden? she thought to herself. Reish'id also noticed the movement of her hands as he quickly finished the last few stitches. "You are upset," he said as he tied off the final knot and cut the thread. "S-so?" she said, her mind starting to whirl out of control. "Why is that?" he asked softly as his tail coiled around her wrist. He blinked when she grasped his tail in a tight grip, her hands starting to shake even worse than before. "It's just.... that.... you said you.... love.... me...." she stammered. He frowned as he sensed something was wrong. "Is there anything wrong with that?" he asked cautiously. "Yes, everyone who's ever loved me has died," she blurted out before she reached out and embraced him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "My parents, Jenni, and now Ken.... anyone whom I ever loved in return, all dead," she said bitterly as the tears started to fall. Reish'id said nothing as he tried to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close while his tail squeezed her wrist lightly. He held her like that for several minutes while she cried, the flow of tears slowly seeping into his fur where they fell in a slow but steady trickle. "Will you be alright, Leda?" he asked softly when most of her tears had dried up. "I don't want you to love me," she sniffed, "I don't want anyone to love me anymore. It's just too dangerous...." "You're not being reasonable," he said. "The deaths of those you loved was only a coincidence. A dark coincidence, I'll grant you that, but still only a coincidence. Your love for them or their's for you couldn't possibly have had any effect on matters," he explained. She pulled away from him and sat back, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She blinked when his tail brushed against her face, helping her dry up the tears. "But...." "But nothing," he said as he pressed his tail against her lips. "It was all just one horrible coincidence, Leda." He moved closer to her and rubbed his cheek against hers. "I think I know now that I do love you, Leda, and to see you in such pain brings pain to my old heart as well," he said softly. "Please let me love you, and to try to bring some of the happiness back to your heart." She started sobbing again as she embraced him, the tears flowing once more but for a different reason. "Reish'id...." "Hush now," he said softly. "Just let me hold you for awhile and try to let your heart be warmed by mine," he said as he gently nuzzled her neck. She nodded and yielded to his embrace, letting the strange feeling of his fur on her skin comfort her in a fashion she didn't fully understand. Could it be...? she thought before mentally shaking her head. No, it's not possible. No, I can't be falling in love with him. Or can I? she thought as she closed her eyes and started crying again. * * * * Ami paused at the bottom of the steps leading to the temple and sighed. She glanced down at the line of cement where the steps met the sidewalk. To the casual observer, it seemed just like any other cement joint, slightly cracked from years of use and tiny tufts of grass growing amid the cracks. But to her, the cement line held a different meaning. It defined the edge of the temple grounds, and hence the edge of the ward's area of effect. I wonder if anything else has ever had this problem, she thought as she could feel the invisible barrier pushing at her. The ward was only designed to prevent the casual transgression of evil, so she would be able to pass through it with only a little extra effort. But the psychological effect was still very much the same. Let's get this over with, she thought with another sigh as she crossed the line and started to walk up the steps. Her sigh deepened as she suddenly felt a dark chill around her. It felt like a thousand pairs of eyes staring at her like she was an unwanted intruder on the sanctified grounds. She stifled the impulse to turn back and continued on the path towards the temple. There was a small amount of pedestrian traffic along the path, but no one gave any indication that anything was unusual. She bowed her head back at those who nodded their heads towards her in the way of complete strangers offering casual greetings to one another. In short time she came to the temple proper, an ancient but well-built structure where those of the Shinto religion came for blessings and to say their prayers. A few people were here to admire the scenery as well as the view from the hilltop, but most were inside the structure, taking care of their religious business in their typically quiet and reserved fashion. She paused again before the symbolic gateway to the temple. She casually glanced up and was not surprised to see the pair of ravens sitting on top of the wooden beams, cackling softly to one another. For some strange reason that no one had managed to figure out yet, the ravens had decided to use the temple as their hunting and nesting grounds. Not that anyone minds, Ami thought, seeing how I've never seen a bug or a rodent around this place yet. Rei seems to like them too, seeing how she keeps tossing out old bread and birdseed every now and then. The thought of Rei reminded her of her original purpose and she resumed walking with a soft sigh. "Hey, Ami," said a voice from just inside the temple. Ami smiled. "Good morning, Rei." Rei shrugged as she set her broom down. "I'm not quite sure about the good part yet, but the morning part seems to be working fine. So what's up?" Ami gave her an odd look. "Who said anything? I do try to get out and socialize every now and then, just like Mina keeps harping on me to do." Rei smirked. "Yeah, we do need to get you out more often." "Thanks," was the dry response. "Umm, I've got a bit of work to take care of first, so it'll be a few before we can sit down and chat," Rei said as she picked the broom up again and resumed her sweeping of the walkway around the temple. Ami nodded and stepped back, trying to keep out of the priestess's way. "That's okay, Rei, I'm not in any big rush or anything. I'll be around here somewhere, so you can just track me down when you get the chance." "Hey, this shouldn't take that long. You can go ahead and use my room to sit down and relax for a bit, if you want. You look a little tensed up about something," she noted. Ami smiled nervously, acutely aware of the dark chill surrounding her. "That should work. Thanks, Rei." "No problem, Ami. See you in a few," Rei replied as she started walking along the walkway, sweeping vigorously as she went. Ami sighed and made her way along the narrow path that led from the temple to the smaller building next to it where Rei and her grandfather lived. The building was composed of a combination living and dining room, a small pantry for food storage and cleaning supplies, three small bedrooms, a good-sized bathroom and a small back room that Ami had never been in nor had ever bothered to ask about. She would suggest her room, she thought darkly as she removed her shoes and opened the silk screened doors to the building. She stepped inside and slid the doors shut behind her, noticing with mild interest that it looked like Rei's grandfather had the Oriental rugs either cleaned or replaced. Ooh, they look nice, she thought as she walked down the small corridor. She stopped when she came to a silk screen with name-sigils written in ancient Japanese calligraphy in the bottom corner of the screen. She took a closer look at the sigils and blinked. If I didn't know better, she thought, I'd swear that these have been repainted. She glanced around at the rest of the silk and shrugged. Everything else seems okay, she thought. She carefully reached to touch the frame of the screen and suddenly froze. She could feel the presence of at least a dozen other wards on the other side of the screen. They were dormant and inactive for the most part, but she could still feel them, sitting there and waiting to unleash their power on whatever happened to cross their path or set then off. Why did I have to become a vampire? she thought, not for the first time since she had been transformed. She sighed darkly as she knew no answer would ever be forthcoming. Maybe I can be human again, one of these years, she thought sadly as she opened the screen. "Does it always take you five minutes to open a door?" Rei asked softly from behind her. Ami jumped and whirled around, her eyes wide with surprise. "Rei!" The priestess smiled. "Yeah, that's me. Seriously, you have a problem with sliding doors?" Ami sighed. "You know what the problem is, Rei." Rei nodded. "Just wondering," she said as she pushed the screen open all the way and went inside. She paused and turned around. "Are you going to come in or what?" Ami sighed again as she stepped across the track and into Rei's room. She tried to remain calm as she felt the wards pushing against her like invisible hands, passively trying to turn her away. Rei closed the screen behind them and walked over to the small fire she kept burning in the center of her room. She knelt down in front of it and folded her hands in her lap. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she closed her eyes and tried to relax. Ami carefully sat on the opposite side of the fireplace. "Well, I'm not quite sure how to say this...." she said slowly. Rei's bottomless black eyes snapped open, a small alarm going off inside her head. Uh oh.... she thought darkly. Granted Ami doesn't like to talk about a number of things, there are very few she can't readily discuss without having to stop and think about what to say, she thought. "Well, you can always do what Leda does and just blurt it out," Rei suggested carefully. Ami shook her head. "Not this time," she said and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you mentioned Leda, though. She sort of choose a bad time to take an unannounced vacation. Not that I have any objection to her reasons for doing so, but I would have liked to had the chance to talk to her before she left." Rei nodded. "Yeah, I kind of wanted to talk to her, too." "I know, but I have different reasons," Ami said carefully. Rei frowned as a sudden sense of uneasiness settled around her. "Am I allowed to ask what those reasons are?" she said softly. Ami looked into the burning embers of the fire. "I'm getting hungry." Uh oh, Rei thought again as her blood suddenly turned to ice. "If we had kept to our 'schedule,' if you will, I was supposed to have drained her sometime today. However, as she is elsewhere right now, I'm in a bit of trouble," Ami explained. "Umm, can't you drain someone else?" Rei suggested. Ami sighed. "Mina is still recovering from the last time I drained her. Denizen blood is toxic to me and Darian is a guy, so that means I can't use any of them. That leaves you and Serena, and I'd rather not drain Serena unless I absolutely have to." Rei started to get nervous. "Ami...." "I know how you feel about it, Rei, but I would rather ask you now than to have to ask Serena later." Rei frowned. "Why not ask Serena?" "Because she'll say yes," Ami replied. The priestess blinked. "Wait a second, you just lost me...." Ami sighed again. "Rei, it's a little difficult to explain." "Try." "Her blood is the sweetest thing I've ever tasted in my life," Ami said softly. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to resist taking as much as I can instead of as much as I need. If I took too much it could hurt her, maybe even kill her," she said, closing her eyes and trying not to visualize the scenario she was describing. She opened them a few seconds later and looked at Rei. "That is why I'm asking you," she said softly. Rei's expression hardened into an emotionless, expressionless mask. "So you're asking me if I'll let you drink my blood?" she asked neutrally. Ami winced. "That was harsh, Rei." "That is essentially what you're asking, isn't it?" Rei prompted. She saw the way Ami couldn't meet her gaze and she nodded her head. "I thought so." "Rei, please...." Ami said, still staring into the fire. "A simple yes or no will suffice." The priestess sighed darkly and looked into the heart of the fire, seeking counsel from the burning embers. "I'll have to think about it," she replied softly after several minutes of silence. "Please don't take too long, Rei," Ami said quietly. "Every two weeks is stretching things as it is and I don't have much time left." "Can you wait another day?" Rei asked, still looking into the fire. "Yes, but not much longer." "Then I'll have an answer for you tonight," Rei said and closed her eyes. Ami sighed and rose to her feet. "Thank you," she said simply and left the room. Rei waited until the silk screen had shut again before she opened her eyes and let them reflect the sudden chaos inside her mind. So the time has come, she thought as she struggled to calm the whirling of her mind. And what will the answer be? she thought as she closed her eyes and tried to meditate on the dilemma at hand. * * * * Darian grunted softly as the sound of someone knocking on the door woke him up from a rather pleasant dream. Huh...? he thought fuzzily as he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Ten-thirty already?" he grumbled softly to himself as he heard the knocking sound again. He sighed and climbed out of bed, making sure he didn't wake Serena up in the process. He quickly crossed the room and unlocked the door. He opened it a crack to see who was the impatient soul on the other side. "Morning, Darian," Mina said quietly. "Umm, I didn't wake you up, did I?" He grunted and opened the door wider. "Yeah, but it's late enough in the morning that we should be up already," he grumped. "So what's up?" Mina smiled and unconsciously tugged a little tighter on the sash to her soft green robe. "Well, I'm not quite sure if you and Serena are into this kind of stuff, but I was wondering if you two could use this," she said as she held out a small bottle. He took the bottle and peered at the label, blinking in confusion when he realized it was written in the denizen language. "What is it?" he said when he could only translate two of the spidery sigils. "Denizen massage oil. Maze found some in the back of a linen closet last night. He took one whiff and threatened to make me sleep alone if I came near him with this stuff again. Said something about the smell reminding him of someone he really hates," she explained. Darian frowned as he unscrewed the lid and took a cautious sniff. "Hey, this smells kinda good. What exactly is it supposed to smell like?" Mina shrugged. "Ky'thra blossoms, whatever those are. But you're right, they do smell good." Darian blinked as he got the feeling that he should know what they were. He took a second sniff of the oil and shrugged when nothing came to mind. "I don't have a problem with it, and I'm sure Serena won't. Thanks, Mina." Mina smiled. "You're welcome. Do me a favor and say hi to Serena for me when she wakes up." "No problem." He blinked as he saw a dark spot on her throat when she turned to leave. "Hey, I thought Ami didn't leave marks when she bit people." Mina paused, a confused look on her face. "She doesn't." "Then what happened here?" he asked as he pointed to his own throat. She ran her fingertips over the mark and suddenly blushed. "That wasn't made by Ami," she muttered as her cheeks burned a cherry red color. Darian stifled a laugh. "So I see," he said neutrally. "Well, then, I'll see you later, Mina." "Thanks," she said and quickly went back to her room, tugging on the top of her robe as she went. Darian chuckled softly to himself as he closed and locked the door. Go figure, he thought to himself despite the fact that he already knew the answer. He walked over to the bed and carefully sat down. "What was that about?" Serena muttered as she rolled over and buried her face beneath a large pillow. "Just Mina," he said as he lifted the pillow off of her face. The morning sunlight spilled across her face and she grunted. "Tell if this smells okay to you," he said as he held the bottle under her nose and squeezed gently, causing a tiny puff of scented air to form above the lid. She sniffed cautiously at first, then inhaled deeply. "Mmm, that smells wonderful," she said as she opened her eyes. "What exactly is it? I've never smelled anything like that before." "It's from the Negaverse. Ky'thra blossoms, I think she said." "Mmm. The Negaverse, she said?" Darian nodded. "Yeah. Maze found this stuff hiding in the back of some closet last night, only he won't let Mina come near him with it." She blinked. "Why's that?" "He hates the smell with a passion for some reason. Go figure." She smiled and closed her eyes. "Makes you wonder what else Nephlyte has lying around." She opened one eye and looked at Darian as a thought occurred to her. "Umm, what exactly is in that bottle, anyway?" He smiled gently. "Roll over and find out." Her other eye opened and she blinked at him. "Huh?" He laughed softly and gave her a gentle kiss. "It's massage oil, meatball head. Now do you want me to test it out or not?" "Hang on a minute," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a lengthy and thorough kiss. "Mmm, that's better," she said when they broke apart. "Good morning to you, too," he replied softly. She smiled. "It's been a good morning so far. All five minutes of it," she said as she released her hold on his neck and twisted around to lie on her stomach with her arms crossed beneath her head. "It's actually early afternoon," he commented as he pulled the sheet off of her, revealing the off-white bra and panties she usually slept in. He gave her a smile as she twisted her head to give him a curious look. "What, you want me to rub oil into the sheet?" She smiled back. "Point. Not that I mind...." He laughed softly as he reached out and gently twisted her head back to rest on her arms. He glanced down and briefly wondered about the best method of going about his new task. To start with, this has got to go, he said as he tugged on the strap to her bra. He frowned lightly when he realized that the hooks weren't in the back like on most bras. Which left one location. "Problem, Darian?" she giggled. "You did that on purpose," he said softly as he kissed her ear. "Of course." "You're a wicked tease, you know that?" he said as he kissed the side of her neck. She made a purring noise in response and he smiled. "Well, if you want to play that way...." he said as he slid his hands under her. She closed her eyes and moaned as his hands slid across her breasts in search of the elusive clasp. He knew precisely where it was, of course, but he gently rubbed her breasts for a few minutes before 'finding' the clasp. She sighed softly as he slipped the bra off of her shoulders and tossed it into the pile dirty clothes in a corner. "I love your touch, Darian," she said softly. He kissed the back of her neck in response and she sighed again. "Fair warning," he said as he readjusted his position on the bed both for comfort and for accessibility, "I've never really done this before." "What, a massage?" "Yeah. I'm afraid this isn't going to be anything more than a simple back rub, since I don't know anything about doing anything else," he explained as he he picked up the bottle of oil. "And?" He shrugged. "Just thought I'd let you know in case you had any high expectations." "I think you'll do better than you think," she said softly. "One way to find out," he said as he poured some of the oil into his cupped palm. He set the bottle down on the nightstand with his other hand and rubbed his palms together. A quick glance was all he needed to be sure he was ready and he carefully placed his hands on her back. She felt his hands touch her shoulder blades before rubbing the oil all across her back. His touch sent a tingle down her spine as it always did, and the frictionless feeling of his hands gliding across her back added to the effect. "Mmm, this is wonderful," she purred into her arms. "Somehow I knew you'd like it," he replied softly as he worked the oil into her skin. A part of his mind analyzed the physics of the whole effort and a thought came to his mind. "You know, perhaps a lotion might be better suited for this," he thought aloud as he worked. "Oil is great for massages, but if all you can do is a simple backrub, then wouldn't lotion be better for your skin as well as having a rather short surface effect?" If her eyes were open, they would have blinked. "Huh?" He smiled and rubbed the base of her neck. "Never mind, meatball head." She shrugged. "Whatever. Oooh, that feels good," she cooed as his hands worked on her shoulders. "I kinda think you're right about the lotion part of whatever it was you just said, though." "Live and learn," he replied as his hands glided down her back. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he felt her quiver beneath his fingertips. "I take it you liked that?" he inquired as he repeated his movements. "It sorta tickles," she said as she shivered again. He continued to move his hands up and down her back and she began to moan softly. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" he teased. "Keep this up and I'll be just fine," she said. "You have no idea how good this feels." He shrugged. "I've had backrubs before, so I know what you mean." "Mmm. Leda?" "Nope. This was before we met and before I started having the identity crisis thing with Tuxedo Mask," he replied softly as he worked. "Who was it?" she asked, curious. He grunted. "Just a friend, Serena." She sighed softly. "Can I ask what happened between you and her?" "Nothing serious that ever worked out, I think we were both finally glad to learn," he said. "We were both seventeen, and it was the first relationship for both of us. It was fairly awkward and we eventually broke up after nothing really clicked between us." "Mmm," she said as she relaxed. "Didn't mean to dredge that up." "No problem," he said as his hands slid down the sides of her body, which resulted in a soft moan from Serena. "Darian, please don't stop," she whimpered. He chuckled. "I didn't intend to, not for awhile at least." "That's good," she purred. "Rub lower?" He bent down and kissed the small of her back before sliding his hands down to work on the area. He smiled at the way she moaned and how her body responded to his touch. I can see that this is shortly going to become a routine diversion, he thought. She purred lightly and stretched her legs out. "I don't suppose I can convince you to do my legs," she said. He chuckled as he placed his hands on her thighs. "Of course." Her purr changed tones. "Missed a spot on the way down." Darian glanced at her body and blinked. Uh oh, he thought, knowing that the area she was referring to was beneath the off-white cotton and nylon mix of fabric. "You know...." he started to say. "They do come off, you know," she said as she reached down and hooked her thumbs inside the waistband. "Problem is, if I do it, I'd have to move," she complained seductively. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his chest across her back. "Maybe later," he said as he kissed her ear. "Aww...." she said, more than slightly disappointed. She reached behind her and took his hands in hers, wrapping them around her and holding him down on top of her. "You understand why, Serena," he said as his lips teased the rim of her ear, causing her to moan softly and to shiver lightly. "I know," she replied softly. "Do me a favor and hold still?" He blinked. "Umm, sure...." He blinked again as she suddenly twisted around to face him. "Much better," she said as she tilted her head up to kiss him. She ran her fingers through his chest hair and he sighed softly, kissing her back with increased passion. "What's better, the position or the turn?" he teased, referring to the last time she had tried such a manuever with him hovering over her. She hadn't kept her knees tucked in enough and the end result had been quite painful, at least from his perspective. "Both," she said as she leaned back and pulled his head down to her. He moaned softly as he brushed his lips across her throat, eliciting a louder moan from her. Her head tilted back, giving him more room to work at giving her pleasure. "I love you," she sighed as he kissed his way down to the hollow of her throat. "And I love you, Serena," he said as he continued to kiss her throat. She moaned again and wrapped her hands around his neck, gently pushing his head down farther. Her moans turned into gasps as he kissed her nipple gently before drawing it into his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair as he teased her nipple with his tongue and teeth. He gently worked his way over to her other breast and she whimpered in anticipation. "And you call me a wicked tease?" she moaned. He laughed softly and held her arms down at her sides while he continued his work. As he expected, she started to lose control and tried to loosen her arms from his grip. "Problem?" he said as he captured her coral-pink nipple between his lips. "Let me go," she said softly. He complied and she massaged the back of his neck briefly before her hands slid down the length of his shoulders. "I want you to do something for me," she whispered as her fingertips rubbed his chest. "What?" he asked as he kissed the side of her breast. Her hands slid down to her panties and she began to pull them down. "I want you to...." she trailed off as someone knocked at the door. She sighed and tugged her panties back into place. "To answer the door," she muttered dourly and she yanked the sheets up to her chin. He laughed softly as he kissed her before getting up and walking over to the door. As before, he unlocked it and opened it a crack to see who their visitor was. The weaver chimed a brief greeting at him before it slowly chimed twice. Darian nodded. "I understood that one, Dyvach. Thank you." Dyvach chimed back something Darian couldn't translate before it waved a pair of its crystalline legs and skittered off to go knock on someone else's bedroom door. "Dyvach?" Serena said as Darian closed the door. She sighed softly to herself when Darian didn't lock the door, a subtle sign that it was time to get out of bed. "Yeah, he said that lunch will be ready soon." She blinked. "You understood him?" "Only those two words he said slowly. 'Lunch soon,' I think is what they meant," he said with a shrug as he hunted around for a clean towel. "I guess that means I have to get out of bed, right?" she said wearily. "If you want to eat, yes," he replied. She grunted and slowly eased out of bed. She noticed him watching her out of the corner of his eye and she walked over to him, smiling softly. "You like what you see?" she said as she embraced him. "Always," he said as he bent his head down to kiss her. Her hands roamed across his chest and he sighed softly. She giggled. "You seem to have a problem," she said softly as her hand lightly brushed across his boxers. He captured her hands with his and kissed her. "That's why I'm going to take a shower before lunch," he explained. "Can I join you?" she said impulsively before she thought about it. He laughed softly. "That would be counterproductive. Besides, I thought you hated cold showers." She shivered. "I do." "Well, then...." She suddenly embraced him, almost knocking him off-balance. "Darian...." she said softly, "Can we take a shower together one of these days?" Darian thought the matter over briefly. "One of these days," he said cautiously. "But not now. We've got things to do before lunch." "I know," she said as she kissed him again. "Save some hot water for me?" He smiled. "Trust me, there'll be plenty left." "Thanks," she said as she gave him a final kiss before starting to search around for a clean dress and a set of underclothes to wear. Why do I keep getting into these situations? Darian thought as he entered the bathroom and quickly stripped down. He set the towel down on the sink and stepped into the shower, drawing the curtain closed behind him. She seems to be eager enough, but it just doesn't feel like it's time yet, he thought as he reached for the blue water knob. This is probably going to hurt.... That was his last thought for awhile as the stream of chilled water came surging out of the showerhead and rained down over everything in its path. * * * * Leda looked up as Reish'id finished tying off a complex knot and cut the threading with a quick snap of his teeth. "So that's it?" she asked. He gave her a measured look. "The zipper?" he prompted dryly. She glanced down and blushed. He hadn't sewn the zipper on yet, so the front of her suit was open from her throat to her navel. "Oops, I guess that a zipper would be nice," she said. "But aside from the zipper it's all done, right?" He nodded. "I still have to design the gloves and later the hood, but for now everything is done. However, you are still going to have to hold still for another five minutes while I sew this on," he said pointedly as he held the black zipper up in one hand. She blew out her breath explosively and sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with," she said impatiently. His whiskers twitched briefly as he rethreaded his bone needle. "If you insist," he said mildly as he held the base of the zipper against the bottom joint of the two flaps. "This may get a little sensitive...." She blinked. "Hold it. What's going to tickle this time?" His response was to brush his tail against her breasts and she sighed. "Okay, I get the picture, furball. Now move your tail before I really do decide to tie it in a knot and shove it up your ptanka." He blinked at the crudeness of her language. "And where did you learn that part of our language, if I may ask?" She smirked. "Oh, just from a Dragoon lieutenant I know who happened to zap himself with a hundred and twenty volts while rewiring a coffee maker." Reish'id thought about it for a moment. "Out of idle curiosity, did it sound something like this?" he asked, his words being followed by a rather obscene slew of curse words that would have made an Earth sailor blush. She blinked in amazement. "Yeah, that's it exactly, word for word. How'd you do that?" He chuckled. "It's no big secret. Dragoons do it all of the time. Sort of a tradition, they say. It's actually part of their initial training." She blinked again. "Part of their training? What is it?" "Standard Dragoon default cuss-string," he replied mildly. "It's what they usually resort to when they have to cuss, but don't have the time or the mental capacity to come up with something unique or inventive." "And this is part of their training?" she said, her eyes wide with wonder. He nodded and she shook her head. "And I thought the United States Marine Corps had weird training...." "Most Dragoons I've talked to find it amusing, if nothing else," he said. "Hold still," he cautioned her. She sighed and kept a wary eye on his movements. His hand brushed against her breast twice, but she saw both times that he didn't have enough room to move his hand without touching her. At least he's being somewhat professional about this, she thought as he made the final few stitches on the top of her suit. "Halfway there, Leda," he said as he made the knot and cut the threading. "Just have to finish this other side." "No problem," she replied, still keeping an eye on him. "Just between you and me," he said conversationally as he rethreaded his needle, "I wouldn't try sleeping in that suit." She blinked. "Why not?" "You'll probably get very warm in that if you sleep by the fire, which I recommend you do since that is the only source of heat for the cave at night, aside from the thermal spring. And that only has enough heat in it to warm the water around it, and only out to a certain radius." "How cold does the cave get at night?" she asked uncertainly. "Roughly to the outside temperature, plus a few degrees due to the minor insulation properties of most of the rocks," he explained calmly as he started sewing the other side of the zipper onto the remaining flap of fur pelt. "Lovely," she commented. "So what use is the suit at night?" "Well, if you found yourself outside for some reason, it would keep you warm at night while you slept," he said. "And what about inside?" He gave her a dark look. "Inside the only use for this suit is for your modesty, Leda. That's why I was making the suit in the first place because I accidentally shredded your clothes and you forgot to retrieve your backpack." "Oh...." she said quietly. He sighed to himself and resumed his work, doing his best not to brush up against her bare skin and failing miserably due to the close confines of her suit. Well, at least I know it's snug enough, he thought. Leda had to bite her lip to keep from whimpering as the back of his hand brushed against her nipple. "Careful," she said between clenched teeth. He looked up at her and gave her an odd look. "Problem?" "Yeah, fur tickles like mad." "Tough," he said as his hand brushed against the bottom of her breast. "Hey...." she growled. "Calm down, I'm working on it," he said. "Yeah, I know what you're working on, too," she muttered darkly. He sighed and sat back. "You want to do this?" he said with an edge to his otherwise calm voice. She sighed as well and calmed down. "No, go ahead and finish it. I'll bite my tongue," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her as he reached out and resumed his work. His hand accidentally brushed against her breast again and he caught the look in her eyes. "If I meant to be stimulating you, Leda, I assure you I could be doing a far better job," he said as he worked. "Trust me, I know," she replied with an ironic smile. "There," he said as he tied off the knot and cut the threading. "Now your suit is finished," he said as he stepped back. Leda glanced down at the fur suit admiringly. The sleeves came down to just over her wristbone and the collar came up to the very base of her neck. Everything else was surrounded by the short, black fur of the Felinoid pelt. She pulled the zipper up to her throat and noticed how snugly the rest of the suit now was. "I like," she cooed as flexed. "I want to test the overall manueverability of the suit, so if you'll do what I do...." he suggested and held his arms out. She complied and he led her through a simple but thorough series of bends, twists, and stretches. When it was finished, Reish'id carefully looked the suit over for any obvious tears or loose threading, nodding his head when he couldn't find any. "I believe it's safe to assume it was constructed well," he commented. "That it was," she agreed. "Nice series of warm-up stretches, too. I'll have to remember that next time I work out with the rest of the Scouts." He opened his mouth to say something but paused when his ears heard a soft sound that Leda's human ears didn't have a chance of hearing. "Interesting," he commented as he started to pack his leatherworking tools together in the case. "I haven't had timing this good in decades." She gave him a strange look. "What is it?" "The thermal basin is finished draining," he said as he closed his case and set it in a corner of the room. "Now all I've got to do is sterilize and refill it, and then you can take your bath." "Cool," she said. "Mind if I watch you work on the basin?" He paused as he considered it. "You may, but you will have to keep a fair distance away. I'm going to use Dark Energy to eradicate anything living in the basin and I don't want you to get too close." She blinked. "Dark Energy, eh? Trust me, I'm going to stay as far away from that stuff as I can. Did I ever tell you what that stuff did to Mars's Fire attack?" "No," he said as he walked towards the now-empty thermal pool. "It ate it up like candy. I mean, her fire was absorbed at first, then it started raining fireballs down on us. Took a long time to heal from that one," she said with a shiver. They stepped into the naturally-formed cave and she blinked. "Whoa, this place looks different when there's no pool here," she commented. "It usually does," he said as he carefully stepped into the basin. There were still small puddles of water lying around and he made sure he didn't slip in one of them. "Hey, what's that?" Leda asked as she pointed at something silvery at one end of the pool. "That's the seal I put over the spring. Over here is the crack that lets the water drain through the crevice and into the river," he said as he pointed to a six-inch wide gash in the stone floor. He glanced around to get his bearings and moved into the approximate center of the basin. "Might want to step back," he cautioned. She nodded her head and retreated to the cave entrance, unsure of what he was about to do. He closed his eyes and held his hands up. "Dark Energy Eradicate," he intoned as he was surrounded by a whirling globe of purplish energy. The Dark Energy slowly expanded outward, evaporating the pools of water it touched and turning the exposed rock surfaces a sickly dark gray color. Leda remained silent as she watched the sphere of purple energy continue its slow outward expansion. Looks just like the dome Malachite used on us, she thought darkly. Her eyes fell on a puddle of water a bare second before the edge of the sphere touched it. She blinked as she could hear the hissing noise of the water as it flashed into steam. Yeah, real nasty stuff, she thought with a shiver. She took note of the slow rate of the sphere's expansion and made a rough mental calculation. Yeah, it should take about an hour for it to reach the far edges of the pool at this rate. So, what to do in the meantime? Her question was answered by a twinge in her guts. Okay, she thought with a mental shrug, solves that problem. She glanced around the cave once more before she turned around and headed off to the toilet. Time to see if I can get out of this kitty suit easily enough to use the can. She blinked as her insides twinged again. Hmm, must be the tl'azza, she thought dourly. This could take awhile.... * * * * She returned to the thermal pool cave awhile later, mildly regretting the small amount of blood-wine she drunk with the tl'azza. Forgot that little unfortunate side-effect, she grumbled. Stuff works as well as the last batch of chili Mina tried to make. She unconsciously shivered as she thought about the other unpleasant side effects that had occurred in the aftermath of the culinary disaster. Poor Artemis, she thought as she peeked around the corner of the entrance. She noticed that the sphere of Dark Energy had boiled away the remaining few puddles of water and was almost at the very edge of the pool basin. Shouldn't be too much longer now, she thought as she settled against the wall to wait. She watched with mild interest as the sphere continued to slowly expand. It reached the edges of the basin and stopped, the stone beneath it turning a dark gray color as the energy drained away any positive energy it encountered. Wonder what that'll do to a living target, she thought before she decided she really didn't want to know. She blinked as the Dark Energy dissapated with a sharp crackle, leaving Reish'id alone in the center of a dark gray basin. He sighed heavily and dropped to all fours, panting slightly from the effort required to create and maintain a Dark Energy field of that magnitude. He felt something brush up against him and he looked up to see Leda standing next to him with a look of concern in her green eyes. "Hey, you alright?" she asked. He smiled weakly at her. "I will be," he said as his tail arched around his body to coil around her wrist. She smiled and stroked the tip of his tail. "You sure? All I need is for you to conk out on me and leave me stranded in the middle of this place just because you decided to get the soap scum out of the bathtub." "I've done this before, and I assure you I will be fine," he said. "If you say so," she said with a shrug. "Well, I don't know about you, but I don't think anything is alive in here anymore." "That was the point," he said with a small grin. "Okay, so what's next?" she asked. "What's next is I unseal the spring, and you had better go stand by the entranceway unless you want your new fur suit to get drenched." He caught her confused look and he explained. "Well, the spring should have a considerable amount of back pressure by now, and when I unseal it, the water will come out like a geyser." "Ah, I see," she said as she gently tugged her wrist free of his tail. "Since you put it that way, I'll go stand by the entranceway, if you don't mind." He waited until she had moved out of range before he walked over to the steel seal he had placed over the thermal vent. He carefully unlocked each of the four clamps before pushing down on the handle and twisting. Even with his immense strength, the seal was almost blasted out of his grasp by the back pressure wave of steaming hot water. His eyes reflexively closed as he was immediately soaked by a four-foot geyser of water. He stepped back to the edge of the basin and shook himself rapidly, creating a small storm of flying water droplets in the process. "Hey!" Leda protested as she was splashed. "Sorry," he apologized as he wrung out his tail. He blinked as he felt his feet grow warm and he glanced down to discover that he was now standing in a quarter-inch of water. "It should completely fill up in about an hour," he said as he carefully shook more water out of his fur. "Thanks. I.... Oh, ick!" she moaned as the smell of wet cat fur reached her and she quickly pinched her nose shut. "Hush," he said as he soaked his hand in the puddle of water before making a throwing gesture in her direction. She gave him a dour look as a noteworthy collection of water droplets splashed against her suit. "Oh, brillant. I complain about you stinking up the place, and you get my fur wet just so we both smell as bad. Some friend you are." "I thought you were going to take a bath," he said. The pool of water was already starting to come up to his ankles and he laid down, getting his body thoroughly wet. She gave him a look. "Now what are you doing?" "I figured that if you were going to take a bath, I might as well too," he explained as he flipped over on his back and started squirming. "It's one of those things that I keep putting off since I'm not entirely fond of using water like this." She sighed and looked at the damp spots on her suit. "I don't suppose it would be a good idea to get this wet on the inside, would it?" "I wouldn't," he said. "Got a towel and some soap around here?" she said tiredly. "There should be a jar of liquid soap in the same closet where you got the mop. As for a towel, I don't have any readily available as I don't use them, so just grab one of the askiri pelts from the living room and use that." "Thanks," she said as she went off to get the soap and the pelt. She returned in short order with a sizable askiri pelt and an even larger ceramic urn filled with a whitish liquid. "This is your idea of a jar?" she grunted as she hefted the urn into the room. He shrugged. "Depends on your point of view." "Remind me not to take you with me when I go shopping," she said as she set the urn down and peered inside. "Looks nasty, smells good. Go figure." "At least it works," he said as he rolled over onto his side. He looked up at her and his ears twitched. "You coming in or what?" She shook her head. "I'm going to wait until there's enough water in there to make it worth the effort. I gave up playing in kiddie pools a long time ago." He grunted and flipped over, splashing water everywhere around him. "Then could you do me a favor and give me a hand?" She gave him a suspicious look. "What do you need?" "Set the jar over there," he said as he pointed with a claw. "That way I can get to it without making too much of a mess." "Sure," she said as she started dragging the heavy urn across the floor. She moved it to where he indicated and sat down, wondering what was next. She blinked as he came over to the edge of the basin and scooped out a sizable handful of the soap. He sank back down into the pool of water and started to rub the soap into the fur on his arms. "You're supposed to use big gobs like that?" she asked. "It's the only way I can really get it into my fur," he replied. She watched him work the soap into his fur and wondered how he got the fur on his back. Her question was answered as he dipped his tail into the urn and started rubbing it across his back. "That doesn't look to be very efficient," she commented. He looked back at her. "Well then, how about if you come down here and give me a hand with it?" She thought about it for a moment before she glanced into the basin. The water was easily six inches deep by now and looked to be quite warm. She bent down and ran her hand through the water before she made up her mind. He watched with interest as she took a step back and unzipped the front of her suit. She slid the top half off of her before she sat down to take off the rest. She neatly folded the suit and set it aside before she scooped out a handful of soap and carefully jumped into the pool. "Oooh, this is warm," she said as she walked over to Reish'id and smeared the soap on his back. "It is a thermal pool, after all," he said as he continued working on his arms. "Thank you for helping me out," he said as she started to work the soap into his fur. "No problem. I know how hard it is to get those spots in the back." He blinked as she started to massage his back, gently working up a lather with the strange-looking soap. "That feels good," he said as he felt a kink in his shoulder unwind itself. She smiled. "Call it payback for the massage last night." She blinked when he paused his own work and started to purr softly. "Hey, now, don't get excited, it's just a backrub." "But it's in a good spot," he purred. His tail dipped in the water for a moment before coming up to rub behind his ears. "Besides, it's been almost a century since I had someone wash my back for me." She paused and blinked. "A century?" He shrugged. "So I haven't been very social as of late." "Obviously," she said as she reached up and rubbed his ears. She laughed as he made the odd chainsaw-purr sound once again. "Out of idle curiosity, what exactly is this doing to you?" "Major nerve cluster," he said as he sat down. Leda blinked as his movements created a ripple of water that splashed up against her knees. "Boy, this water is coming in fast. What keeps it from overflowing the basin?" "The pressure of the water above the spring keeps the amount of water that comes in equal to the amount of water that flows out through the crevice," he explained. "It's a strange balance, but it must work since I've never been flooded once in three thousand years." She shook her head in wonder. "That is an awful long time," she said. He said nothing as he leaned back, still enjoying the feeling as she continued to rub his ears. His tail coiled around her wrist and gently drew her hand down to the sides of his neck. She giggled as she started rubbing his neck. "Yeah, nothing but a big Negaverse kitty," she teased. "It's the same with all cats: You be nice and rub their ears for a bit, and before you know it, they're sprawled out in your lap and demanding your full attention, saying 'Rub me here!' with their soft meowing and purring." "I do not meow," he said so darkly that she had to laugh. "Yeah, right," she said. "I'll bet you do it all the time." She blinked as his tail slapped down hard on the water, splashing a fair amount of water all over her. "Hey!" "As I keep having to remind you, I am not one of your Earth cats," he said as he gently pulled away from her. "You might want to stand back for a bit," he cautioned. She gave him a curious look but took a few steps away from him. "What are you up to this time?" she asked. She blinked as he suddenly leaned forward and did a modified belly flop into the water. She squealed and backpedaled as fast as she could, but it wasn't enough to avoid the sudden deluge of water caused by his movement. The water caused her to lose her balance and she fell backward into the water with another squeal. She sat up and spat out the water she had almost inhaled, giving him a dark look. "Great going, furball," she said acidly. Reish'id was lying on his stomach in the basin. There was now enough water to cover him up to his shoulders, so all that could be seen of him was his ears, his tail, and the broad expanse of his back. There was a quick flurry of motion underwater and a small stream of bubbles rose to the surface, carrying with them the last few traces of soap. "You said you wanted a bath," he said as he lifted his head up out of the water. "Yeah, but this isn't how I wanted it done," she grumped. She looked down and made a note of how much the water covered her body now that she was sitting down. "I forget. Just how high does this pool get?" "About up to here," he said as he held his hand up another eighteen inches from the surface of the water. She sighed and stretched her legs out. "Well, seeing how I'm wet already, I might as well continue." She looked up and gave him a measured look. "Well, since you're closer to the soap pot than I am, could you pass me a glob of that gunk?" "In just a moment," he said as he flipped over onto his back. He wiggled back and forth briefly, causing the soap in his fur to dissolve and float free in a collection of tiny air bubbles, taking most of the dirt with it. He then stood up and waded over to the urn full of soap. "You look awful when you're soaked like that," she grinned. "Reminds me of a drowned rakketh." "Thank you," he said dryly as he scooped out a handful of the soap. He walked over sat down behind her. "Hold still," he said. "I can bathe myself, you know...." "I know, but this is much more fun," he said softly as he started to rub the soap all across her back. He grunted softly when he realized that the soap was spreading itself out instead of lathering up since she didn't have any fur to keep the soap in place. "Problem?" she asked when she heard him grunt. "Too much soap, I think. It's not lathering right. Probably because you don't have any fur." She blinked as a thought occured to her. "Hang on for a sec," she said as she reached behind her and scraped a bit of the goo off of her shoulder. She sniffed at it cautiously before she started rubbing it into a lock of her hair. "Yeah, that's what I thought. This isn't soap, it's shampoo." He shrugged. "Is there a difference?" "Slight," she said. "Soap you use for your body, shampoo for your hair. Shampoo will work in lieu of soap, but like you said, it's a little difficult since it can't really catch on anything." "So this means I'm going to have to spread this out really thin for it to work, right?" he said carefully. She shrugged. "Yeah, I think so." She blinked when he suddenly growled. Uh oh, now what? she thought. She blinked again as she felt him start to work the shampoo onto her arms. "Leda, will you let me wash you?" he asked softly in her ear. "As I said before, it's been awhile since I've had the chance to do this." Her mind went back to the times she and Jenni had taken showers together. Granted they hadn't really placed much of a priority on actually getting clean, but they did wind up accomplishing the task somehow and usually in a most pleasurable fashion. Her train of thought was disrupted by the sensation of his tongue brushing across the back of her neck. "You got a problem keeping that tongue in your mouth or what?" "Sorry," he purred in her ear as he started to rub the soap across the back of her neck. "Yeah, right," she muttered. She blinked as his hand started to work on the sides of her neck. "What are you doing?" "Getting you clean like you said you wanted to," he replied as he worked. "Leda, I want you to just close your eyes and relax while I do this, okay?" She gave him a hesitant look and he leaned forward, brushing the rim of her ear with his whiskers. "Please, Leda," he purred softly as he gently leaned her back against him. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. "Alright," she said softly. She inhaled sharply as his tongue brushed across the rim of her ear. "Thank you," he said softly as he started to massage the soap into the skin of her throat. She sighed softly at the feeling and her muscles started to relax a little. She leaned back a little more until her neck was resting against his shoulder. Her sighs turned into quiet little moans as his hands worked their way down to the top of her chest, still spreading out the whitish soap across her skin. Her moans became slightly louder as his hands reached the tops of her breasts and gently began to massage them. "Yeah, you just wanted a cheap feel," she breathed softly. "You don't seem to mind," he replied, his voice just as soft as hers. She gasped as his fingers brushed across her nipples and slowly began to tease them. She felt them harden under his touch and she sighed at the feeling of pleasure. His hands cupped her breasts and she whimpered softly, her own hands coming around to cover his in a reflex. "You like this," he purred softly into her ear, causing her to moan softly in reply. He purred again as he rubbed his cheek against hers. He slid his hands down to continue rubbing the soap into the skin of her abdomen and she made a plaintive whimpering noise. "Relax, Leda," he purred in her ear, "I've still got some more work to do." She sighed as he massaged her belly, wondering what he was planning. "Do I want to know?" she asked softly. "You'll see," he said as his hands rubbed her skin all the way down to the waterline, which was up to her navel at this point. He carefully reached down into the water and lifted one of her legs up into the air. She leaned back even farther and moaned softly as he began to work some of the soap across her leg. He paused after a few seconds when he realized that he was at a bad angle for the task. "Stand up for a minute?" he asked softly as he rose to his feet. She sighed and slowly stood up, enjoying the strange feeling in her back muscles as they stretched out. She opened her eyes and blinked in surprise when she realized that the soap was causing her skin to tingle slightly. "Is something wrong?" he asked when he saw the expression on her face. "That stuff is making my skin feel weird. It's like a very light but pleasant tingle all over," she said. "It's a chemical reaction with your skin," he explained. "It helps keep the dust mites from making a home in your fur. It's completely harmless and nothing to worry about." "Mmm, that's a pleasant thought," she said as his hands returned to her back and started rubbing again. She blinked when his hands swiftly worked their way downward, collecting a small amount of the soap as they went. "One of the minor drawbacks to having fur," he said as he started to rub the soap on her buttocks. He smiled softly when she squealed and started to squirm beneath his touch. "Sensitive?" "Mildly," she said as she struggled to hold still. "Must make life difficult," he commented as he knelt down to work on the parts of her legs that weren't underwater. "Depends on what you're doing," she replied. She sighed softly as his hands gently worked her thighs from back to front. "Mmm, that feels good." "Question," he said softly as his hands glided up the front of her thighs to just below her navel. "You said this 'shampoo' is better suited for hair and fur rather than for skin, right?" "Yeah," she said as she closed her eyes and leaned back against him. A thought suddenly came to her mind and her eyes snapped open. "Wait...!" she tried to say, but her breath froze in her throat as his hands moved down and started to rub the soap into her pubic hair. "Problem?" he asked softly as she moaned and slumped against him. "God...." she breathed as she closed her eyes. His fingers continued to rub her, working up a light lather in the process while his tail arched around to brush against her throat. She reached up and grasped his tail, holding onto it with a firm grip. His hands quickly worked their way back up her body, pausing briefly to rub her breasts for a few seconds before continuing up to gently rub her neck. He purred in her ear softly before he stepped back and picked her up in his arms. "What are you doing?" she asked softly, her eyes still closed. "Time for the rinse," he said as he knelt down and lowered her into the now hot thermal pool. He gently released her as she took a deep breath and let her body submerge itself beneath the surface, letting her hands briefly wander across her body to loosen the last traces of soap. He smiled softly as she surfaced a few seconds later, floating calmly in the thermal waters. "Do you feel cleaner?" he asked softly. She nodded. "Much better, thank you," she said as she closed her eyes and let every single muscle in her body go limp. She sighed patiently when she heard him lie down in the water next to her and felt his tongue brushing across her throat. "We've been through this one before," she said as she reached up to scratch his ears. He growled softly in response. "Do me a favor and don't stop doing that," he said as he continued teasing her throat with his tongue. "Cats," she said mildly. "Honestly, Leda, does this disturb you?" he asked as his tongue slid along the full length of her throat. She sighed. "Not really. It's feels weird, though." "Is that a bad thing?" "I guess not...." He purred softly. "Then why not enjoy it as much as I enjoy the softness of your skin?" he suggested. She laughed softly. "You really enjoy it all that much, eh?" He purred softly in her ear. "I'm not sure if I understand your social interpretation of the gesture in my society, but we don't show affection the same way as most humans and denizens." Leda opened her eyes and looked at him. "That's your idea of kissing?" she said as a thought occurred to her. He blinked. "That depends. What is kissing?" Her eyes went wide for a moment before they blinked in surprise. "You don't know what a kiss is?" she asked incrediously. He shrugged helplessly and she smirked. "Wait, let me guess. No lips, right?" she said as she reached up and touched his muzzle. "None worth mentioning," he said wryly. "Mmm," she said as she debated the idea of kissing a giant panther. Well, I kissed that creep Freddy, so it can't be all that bad.... "Hold still and I'll teach you," she said as she leaned towards him. Her lips brushed against his and he blinked, not sure of what to do. She sighed softly after a moment and leaned back to float in the water. "Yeah, I can see why your species never developed it," she said. He sat back on his haunches as his tongue flicked across his lips and whiskers. "Interesting...." he said after a moment. "What was that supposed to accomplish?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "Nevermind." He shrugged and leaned forward, his tongue lightly brushing against her throat. She sighed softly and gave up. Okay, so he's a terrible kisser, she thought, but that's not entirely his fault. Still, this doesn't feel like a bad replacement for a kiss, she thought as she relaxed and let the strange sensation of his sandpaper-like tongue sliding across the softness of her throat soothe her in an odd way. She felt his tail coil around her wrist and she reached across with her other hand to stroke the furry appendage. They remained in that same position for several minutes, she half-floating in his lap and stroking his tail while he gently held her against him and continued brushing his tongue across her throat. For some reason that neither fully understood, they both found the situation to be comforting and they took no small amount of pleasure from being in the other's company. "Mmm," she said awhile later as she gently pushed him away. "Something tells me that it's time to get out of this pool," she said with a soft smile. He blinked and gave her a curious look. "What?" She smirked. "I'm starting to turn into a prune here," she said as she lifted up her leg. He peered closely at her toes and was surprised to see that they had started to wrinkle with the water they had absorbed. "Perhaps you are correct," he said slowly. "Is that common?" "If you soak in a pool of water for too long, yes," she said as she slowly got to her feet. She held her arms up towards the ceiling and stretched, her stomach muscles rippling slightly with the effort. "Oooh, you have no idea just how much better I feel." "You'd be surprised," he said as he too rose to his feet and stretched. Leda blinked as she saw how many muscles he had all along his abdomen and arms. "Ooo, a regular bodybuilder, eh?" she said with admiration. "Just how strong are you?" He gave her a patient look before he put his hands beneath her arms and almost effortlessly held her into the air. "Strong enough for the majority of tasks I need to perform," he said mildly. She nodded, her eyes wide. "I can imagine. Put me down now?" He laughed softly as he lowered her back into the pool. "Thanks," she said as she briefly rubbed at her armpits. She glanced down and let her hand trail through the thermal pool. "This sucker is really getting warm now." "That's because the source is over there," he said as he pointed to an almost invisible disturbance in the relatively calm water. "The pool cools off some as you move further away from the spring." "Ah, I see," she said as she moved to the edge of the thermal basin and climbed out. "Okay, where'd I leave the towel?" "Over here," he replied as he got out of the pool. He bundled up the askiri pelt and tossed it over to her. "Thanks," she said as she started to dry off. She glanced up as she heard a sharp cracking sound. "What are you doing?" "Anchoring myself," he said as he extended his other claws and drove them into the stone flooring. After he made sure all four sets of claws had a firm purchase on the stone, he began to shake himself rather violently. Leda cussed and held the fur pelt over her head as a massive amount of water started to rain down inside the naturally-formed cave. "You trying to cause a flash-flood or what?" she demanded when the worst of the downpour had abated. "Sorry," he apologized as he lashed his tail back and forth, sending another sizable amount of water airborne to rain down in random locations. "That's it," she growled, "Go park your caboose in front of the fire and dry off that way. All I need is to be wringing water out of my towel that I didn't wipe off my body." Reish'id gave her a look of patient suffering before he slowly walked in the direction of the fireplace. "And to think I had forgotten why I haven't had any company for this long," he muttered. "And look what you did to my suit!" He sighed and wondered what the rest of the evening was going to be like. For every moment of pleasure, there will be an equal moment of pain to deal with somewhere along the line, he thought dourly. I just wish it didn't have to come so soon.... * * * * Serena was lazily spralwed out over the couch, a large plastic cup full of orange juice resting on the floor beside her and her collection of Sailor V comic books strewn out all over the immediate area. She glanced up and smiled as Mina entered the room and cleared off a small section of couch for her to sit down on. "Hey, Serena, what'cha up to?" Mina asked. "Just reading about your adventures," Serena replied as she gestured with the comic book she was holding. "Is this Sailor V stuff for real?" Mina smiled. "Yes and no. You see, V sort of saved the life of this guy who drew comic books for a living and he begged her for permission to draw her in a new series. Of course she agreed to it, and the end result was a small pile of money and a lot of recognition," she said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. Serena's own blue eyes lit up at the mention of money. "How much money?" Mina shrugged. "I don't know, really. I arranged for it to go to some of the various charity groups for children. That got V even more fame." Serena sighed. "You didn't keep the money?" she asked, disappointed. Mina made a gesture. "Artemis wouldn't let me, so I had to do something useful with it." "Spoilsport," Serena muttered. She glanced at the comic book and looked up at Mina. "So how accurate is this stuff?" "Not too accurate, really, but close enough to some of the actual events. Sailor V would occasionally drop in to visit this guy to tell him the 'true' story when one of her little adventures made it into the newspaper." Serena glance down at the current page she had been reading. "So you mean that this part where you go careening off the wall because he ducked really did happen to you?" Mina made a face. "Unfortunately," she said as she glanced down at a panel to see Sailor V calmly dispatching a bad guy with a stylized kick. "But this part didn't quite happen like that," she said as she tapped at it with a finger. "So what happened?" Mina shrugged. "Blew his face off with what little Crescent Beam energy I was able to gather together at the time." Serena made a face and glanced down. "Oh, ick...." "Ick was right. These comic books never show you how much blood I usually had to wipe off my sandals at the end of a rough day." "Ick!" "You have no idea how badly the colors clashed, too. Especially when it was dark green, like Maze's. Orange sandals and green smears simply weren't very stylish, even two years ago." "I get the picture, Mina," Serena said with a faintly ill expression. "So what happened to the bodies?" Psi-Corp Captain Whisper asked casually as she walked into the room holding a large, steaming pot. Mina shrugged. "They had the disturbing tendency to vanish before any of the various law enforcement officials could arrive on the scene. Artemis and I think that the other agents were hiding them so no one would discover that they weren't human." Whisper nodded. "Standard tactics. Do you have any idea how much of a mess you made of our operation plans?" She shrugged again. "I never really figured out your overall goal until I hooked up with Sailor Moon, but I knew I was throwing a big wrench into the works." "That is an understatement," Whisper said dryly. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything, Mina, but you did the Psi-Corp a favor by eliminating Lieutenant A'kel. He was an inept moron who deserved a blast in the head, something we couldn't quite manage to do without causing a bit of an uproar." Mina blinked at the backhanded compliment. "Uh, you're welcome, I think." Whisper smiled. "Of course. Anyway, dinner is almost ready, so if one of you would be so kind as to go get the others?" "I'll do it," Serena said as she sat up. "I've got to go use the bathroom anyway, so I'll bang on their doors on the way back." "Thank you," Whisper replied and returned to the kitchen. "Hey, Serena, you mind if I poke through these for a bit? I wanna see how badly that guy screwed up what I told him," Mina said as she picked up the nearest Sailor V comic book. "Sure," Serena replied as she got up and walked towards the bathroom. She finished her business in short order and crossed the hall to knock on the door to Mina and Maze's room. The door opened and Maze stuck his head out. "Hey, Serena. What's up?" "Whisper asked me to tell everyone that dinner is almost ready," she said. "Great. Tell Mina I'll be out in a few minutes," he said and ducked back in to finish up his evening exercises. Simplistic enough, she thought to herself as she went further down the hallway and knocked on Rei's door. "What?" Rei said somewhat grumpily from the other side of the door. "Chow time," Serena said back, making sure she was loud enough for Rei to hear her through the closed door. She blinked as the door opened and she was almost run over by the priestess. "Oh, good, I'm hungry," she said as she brushed past Serena. "You're welcome, pyro," Serena said beneath her breath as she walked down towards the room she shared with Darian when they were spending the nights in the cathedral. She knocked lightly before she opened the door and went in. "Dinner's almost ready," she said as he looked up from the book he was reading. "Great," he said as he marked his place in the book and closed the cover. "Who's turn is it to cook tonight?" "Whisper's," she replied as she gave him a hug. "I guess that means the food will be edible this time," he teased. "Hey, I did just fine last time," she protested. "You did, for the most part. Just don't try making tapioca pudding again, okay?" he said with a chuckle. "Okay, so that was a bit of a mess...." she admitted. "But Ra'vel seemed to like it well enough." "Keep in mind that Ra'vel's species has radically different tastes." "True," she said before she gave him a kiss. "Anyway, you might want to hurry up before Rei pigs everything down. I think she's in one of her hungry moods tonight, seeing how she almost ran me over at the mention of food." "You mean the same way you react when someone mentions chocolate?" "Hush," she said as a mild blush spread across her cheeks. "Part of your charm," he murmured as he kissed her forehead. "Anyway, I've got to go hunt down the others and tell them that dinner is ready," she said as she gave him a final kiss and left the room. She hadn't taken six steps past her door when she heard the sounds of a frantic commotion behind her. She turned around and blinked at the sight of a mouse running full-tilt down the hall at her. She squealed and scrambled into her room, watching the mouse with wide eyes. The tiny rodent blazed past her, not slowing its pace for an instant. She stuck her head out the door and watched it scamper down the hallway. That was odd, she thought when she heard a series of loud noises behind her. She barely had time to turn around to look before a pair of blurs shot past her. "I got it, I got it!" Artemis said as he ran. "No, this one's mine," Luna growled, only half a step behind him. Serena blinked and shook her head. Cats, she thought. Go figure. Her train of thought was interrupted by a hideous mixture of rapid high-pitched screeches and the sound of a set of windchimes caught in a very bad gale. She turned her head to look and was almost run over by Ra'vel and Dyvach, both running full-steam down the hallway and each yelling something in their native languages, a series of chirps for Ra'vel and a really bizarre chiming sound for Dyvach. Yeah, it's dinnertime, she thought with a soft sigh as she walked towards the last room on her mental list. She knocked on Tolaris's door and waited for a response. She blinked when she didn't hear anything and she knocked again. Maybe they're taking a bit of a nap, she thought as she debated whether or not to try opening the door. The sky is clear, so that means that they aren't making out, she thought, and I don't know about them, but I would want to be woken up for dinner. So.... she thought as she reached for the doorknob. She blinked as she felt a slight tingle run through her hand and halfway up her arm when her fingers brushed against the metallic doorknob. Experiments with lightning bolts again? she wondered as she twisted the knob and slowly opened the door. She blinked again as a mass of fog spilled out into the hallway. That's strange, she thought as she stepped inside and felt her skin start to crawl. It almost feels like there's a static charge in the air, she thought as she shivered lightly. I wonder what a fog bank is doing indoors.... Her mind locked when she glanced up and saw why. Oops, she thought as she felt fully half of her blood supply rise into her face. It took her a few seconds of mental effort for her to tear her eyes away from the sight on the bed and to quietly make a hasty exit. She closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, unable to get the mental image out of her mind. So that's how it's done.... she thought. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she nearly screamed. She glanced up with guilt and panic in her eyes to see Darian giving her an odd look. "Whoa, calm down, meatball head. What's got you all worked up?" he asked. She swallowed and tried to calm down. "N-nothing, Darian. No one is answering the door and I got a shock when I touched the doorknob," she said, somehow managing not to stumble over her words. He reached out to touch the doorknob and blinked when he received the same electrostatic feeling that she had gotten. "Mmm, feels weird. Well, I think it's safe to say that they're in there, and if they're not answering the door, it means that they're busy with something," he explained. No kidding, she thought. "Well, I tried," she said with a nervous shrug. He shrugged back. "Tolaris knows how we usually do things around here, so they should be out before dinner is over. C'mon, let's go eat," he said as he took her hand in his and led her down the hall towards the living room. "Do you have any idea what's for dinner tonight?" "Umm, I think it's fish tonight, but Whisper said she was also making a denizen dessert," she replied distantly. Darian gave her a curious look. "Hey, you alright?" She sighed. "Just have a bit on my mind, that's all." He nodded. "Hey, I understand. We all have those days," he said as they entered the dining room. "Mmm, something smells good...." * * * * They were halfway through dinner when a slightly embarrassed Tolaris and Ami sat down at the table. "Sorry, we got sidetracked," Tolaris apologized. Maze shrugged as he passed over the still-warm plate of baked fish. "Mind if I ask what it was this time?" "More experiments with lightning," the Dragoon commander replied. Maze shook his head. "You've been playing with lightning bolts for over seven centuries now. How many experiments are there that you haven't done?" "Well, it's not a matter of new ways of using them, it's a matter of how precise a control I can keep over them while doing various tasks," Tolaris explained as he started scooping various foodstuffs onto his plate. "And that is something that I have to keep practicing at." Maze just shrugged and resumed eating. "That makes sense." Rei frowned. "You have to keep practicing your powers?" "Of course," Whisper replied. "Granted we're born with them, but they don't develop until around puberty and they don't exactly come with instruction manuals on how to operate them correctly. Especially psionics," she added with a grumble. "So how do you learn how to control your powers?" Mina asked. "Trial and error," Tolaris said with a sigh. "And nine times out of ten, it's not a pretty process," Maze said softly. "The major reason we don't have a population problem given our lifespan is that a significant portion of our children don't live past fifty due to accidents caused by powers gone out of control." "Not to mention the usual casualties caused by petty conflicts," Whisper said dryly. "We usually have some sort of insurgency every, what, seventy or so years?" The humans all exchanged glances, the same faintly ill expression on each of their faces. "Do I want to ask what the infant mortality rate is?" Ami said softly, the medical part of her mind taking emotionless notes. Whisper shook her head. "No. Besides, I think it's impolite to depress everyone at the dinner table." "Too late," Maze muttered as he drained his glass. "So does anyone have any cheerful news to share with us?" Darian asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm not sure if this is good news or what, but I think it's safe to say that this cathedral won't ever have a rodent problem," Serena said. Rei looked up. "Artemis and Luna find something?" Whisper snickered. "Dyvach found the nest first, and that got Ra'vel's attention. It wasn't long before word reached Artemis and Luna, and the four of them have spent most of the day pursuing the mice all over the place." "Oh, ick...." Ami said with disgust as she looked at her plate for a brief moment before leaving it untouched for the time being. She blinked and glanced around as she thought she heard something. "Umm, does anyone else hear an odd noise?" she asked. Everyone fell silent as they strained their ears to try to hear the noise she was referring to. The noise got slightly louder and Whisper sighed. "Oh, great...." she muttered. "What is it?" Ami asked. "Incoming," the telepath replied and looked at Maze. "Tell me, does your shield still work?" Maze nodded. "Of course." "Then I suggest you put it up around the table and quickly." He blinked in surprise before he nodded and closed his eyes. A shimmering shield of electromagnetic energy sprang into existence around the table and everyone traded glances. There was the almost inaudible sound of tiny nails running across the floor before there was a small squeak as something slammed into the shield and bounced off in a random direction, trying valiantly to get some sort of control over its trajectory. The sounds were followed by the louder sounds of larger claws hitting the floor. There was a muffled curse as both cats tried to apply the brakes but failed miserably as they slammed into Maze's shield, causing the energy field to emit a curious hum for a moment. Luna managed to roll in one direction while Artemis actually skidded up and over the shield, landing hard on his rear on the opposite side of the table. "I'll bet that had to sting," Darian commented. There was an even louder sound as Ra'vel and Dyvach came charging into the room. They immediately tried to slow down upon seeing the glimmering shield, but they simply had too much forward velocity. Ra'vel shrieked something in the ultrasound range before she teleported while Dyvach suddenly curled up into a featureless crystalline ball. Maze winced as the weaver slammed into his shield. The electromagnetic barrier briefly bent into an oval shape and emitted a very peculiar noise. Dyvach's momentum caused it to roll off towards the kitchen, smacking into the side of the refrigerator in the process. The Dragoon lieutenant sighed and let his shield collapse in on itself with a soft pop. "I'm sure glad that thing can handle straight kinetic energy without overloading," he said as he rubbed his temples. "Are you alright?" Mina asked Artemis as she reached down and scooped him up in her arms. "Ow," he groaned. "Who put that wall there?" "Maze did to keep you from doing too much damage. I don't know why you weren't watching where you were going, but it serves you right for charging in here like that," she chided him. "I told you that we were headed towards the dining room," Luna grumbled as she rose to her feet and tried to unkink her tail. "But he was so close...." Artemis protested. Just then, Dyvach wandered into the room. It was still reeling from its encounter from the refrigerator and it showed in the way it kept swaying back and forth as it walked. It chimed a question uncertainly as it tried to verify the fact that it still had all of its legs securely in contact with the floor. "Of course it got away," Tolaris replied. There was a brief displacement of air as Ra'vel teleported back into the room. The avian made a face as she finished pulling a few leaves out of the feathers on her wings and made a distasteful chirping noise. Whisper chuckled. "That's why when you have to teleport blind, you try to do it above the treeline since you can fly." Ra'vel telepathed back, causing Whisper to burst into a fit of laughter. Tolaris blinked, knowing that Ra'vel had telepathed something. "What did she say?" he asked, once again cursing the fact that he was psi-mute. "She says she did, but she couldn't get her wings to work properly before gravity pulled her down to below the treeline," Whisper said with a smile. "Well then, barring any further disturbances," Tolaris said, giving Ra'vel a reproving look, "I think we should finish dinner while it's still warm." "Good idea," Darian said as he took another bite of baked fish. "Umm, you guys do have fish in the Negaverse, right?" Tolaris laughed briefly. "We have medium-sized oceans at each of the magnetic poles. We don't quite have as many different species of fish that you human have on Earth, but we do have a fair number of them." "Just checking," Darian said. "So what do you usually serve with fish?" Tolaris shrugged. "Nothing specific, really. Some people like having a bit of fried alkan to go with it, but I never cared for the taste." "Alkan is a smallish purple vegetable," Maze explained. "I think it might be close to your eggplant." "Those are nasty," Rei said with a shudder. "Tell me about it," Maze said with a grunt, ignoring the mildly perturbed look he got from Mina. She had tried serving him eggplant a month ago, and he still thought dark things about the aftertaste. "As far as drinks go," Tolaris said with a small smile, "I personally favor a glass of wine to go with seafood. It helps smooth the taste." Whisper blinked. "Now there's a thought.... Dyvach, you've been in the cellar lately, right?" The weaver chimed back an affirmative and she nodded. "Good. Do you remember seeing a wine rack down there?" Dyvach chimed back something cryptic in response and skittered off to the kitchen. "Did you understand any of that?" the telepath asked Tolaris. Tolaris shook his head. "Nope." She shrugged at first, then blinked as Dyvach came back to the table with a chilled bottle carefully clamped in his jaws. She took the bottle from him and read the label. "Huh," she said. "This was in the 'fridge?" Dyvach chimed back an explanation and she shook her head in wonder. "What is it?" Maze asked. "Wine of some sort," she said as she studied the label again. "I can't read the dialect it's written in, though. It's quite old, I think, probably bottled a good seven centuries ago." "Let me see," Maze said, and she handed him the bottle. He glanced at the ancient label, did a double-take, and turned a ghastly shade of white. "Ay'cha navidshi," he breathed. Mina blinked. "What's wrong?" "Where did you get this?" Maze demanded, fixing the weaver with a dark look. The weaver spent the next three minutes explaining something in its native language, which meant that Maze only understood one word in nine. Whisper blinked. "What do you mean, you knew what I was cooking?" Tolaris shook his head. "Am I missing something here, Captain?" "I think it's time Dyvach and I sat down for a bit of brain-picking," she said darkly as she reached out and touched the weaver. Dyvach's usually clear carapace immediately turned a dark purple hue and it sat down, folding most of its legs beneath it. "Are you as lost as I am?" Serena asked Darian. "Probably," he replied. "Umm, Maze, are you okay?" Maze sighed and set the bottle on the table. "For the most part." "What is that stuff?" Mina asked as she picked up the bottle and tried to read the spidery lettering on the label. "It's just a vintage of wine that is no longer produced," he said. "It's more than that, Lieutenant, isn't it?" Tolaris said softly. Maze sighed and closed his eyes. "It's from Asleen." Tolaris winced and glanced at the bottle. "Are you sure?" He received a derisive snort in response and he spread his hands. "Just asking, Maze." "That's it," Mina sighed as she set the bottle down with a dull thump and turned to face Maze. "I want to tell me about Asleen right now," she said in a firm tone. "Mina...." Tolaris started to say but fell silent when Maze waved him off. "It's alright, boss, I'll talk. Just give me a minute first," he said as he uncorked the bottle. He poured a good measure of the wine into his glass before he poured another glass for Mina. "Might as well enjoy the wine while we're at it," he said as he passed the bottle to Tolaris. Tolaris said nothing as he poured himself a glass of the ancient wine. He looked up at Ami questioningly and poured her some when she nodded. "Do you know what they're up to?" he asked as he gestured to Whisper and Dyvach. Both of them had frozen in place and gave no indications of being alive execpt for their slow breathing. Ra'vel chirped something back and shrugged, not really sure of what they were up to. "Just thought I'd ask," Tolaris said as he passed the bottle to Darian. Darian took a cautious sniff of the bottle before he poured himself a glass of the amethyst wine. "Smells good," he commented. "You want some?" he asked Serena. "Might as well," she said as she held out her own glass. Darian poured her some of the wine and held the bottle out towards Ra'vel. The avian shook her head and he held it out to Rei. "I don't think I've ever seen purple wine before," she said as she took the bottle from Darian and poured herself a small glass before handing it back to Maze. "I think she'll want some when she's finished with Dyvach," Maze said as he leaned over and filled the glass in front of Whisper. "As for color, it comes from our version of grapes. The ones that this stuff is made from are about the size of one of your oranges and is a bright purple in color." Mina blinked. "A grape as big as an orange?" Darian shook his head. "I'll bet that makes for some serious raisins." Maze made a face. "Trust me, they taste terrible when they dry out." "Can I have some?" Artemis asked hopefully. "Nope," Mina said. "I'm going to go with what Luna said about you and alcohol, so that means you can't have any." There was a muttered curse as Whisper suddenly sat up and sighed. "Guess what, Commander? Dyvach is precognitive," she said without preamble. The Dragoon blinked. "What?" "What's precognitive?" Serena asked. "It means he can see things before they happen, which is essentially predicting the future," Whisper said. "That explains quite a lot of things Dyvach has done in the past." "And you never told me this?" Tolaris asked the weaver. "Dyvach didn't really know," Whisper said sourly. "The distinction between what is happening and what will happen isn't clear from its point of view, so it just made the assumption that they're both the same." "A psionic pet?" Rei asked. She blinked as Dyvach made a harsh chiming sound in her direction. "Dyvach isn't a pet, Rei," Tolaris said mildly. "It just as sentient as you are, with the same emotional and mental capacity." "That's questionable," Serena muttered, earning her a dark look from Rei. "Oh, please, let's not start in about mental capacities, meatball head." "I told you to quit calling me that," Serena snapped. "Well, if you got rid of the spagetti inside your head, you wouldn't need the meatballs on the outside!" the priestess shot back. "Not at the dinner table," Ami said quietly as Tolaris prepared to send a small lightning bolt between them. "Any suggestions?" he said softly with a glance at the arguing girls. He blinked in surprise as they both suddenly winced and pressed their hands to their heads. "If you two are finished?" Whisper said mildly. "You didn't have to yell like that," Rei said as the headache faded. "Or would you rather I had let Tolaris use his lightning?" Serena frowned and looked at the Dragoon commander. "Point." "Nice to know some things don't change much," Darian said dryly as he took a sip of the wine. He blinked at the smoothness of the taste. "Hey, this is some really good wine." "It was from a good decade," Maze said as he glanced at the bottle. He blinked as he felt Dyvach tugging on his pants leg and chiming a question at him. "You want what?" The weaver repeated itself slowly and Maze blinked. "Uh, sure," he said as he took the cork out of the bottle and gave it to the weaver. Mina was keeping an eye on Dyvach's movements when he did something she didn't expect and she blinked. "It ate the cork!" she said, her eyes wide. Tolaris shrugged. "Weavers have the odd tendency to like things made out of wood. They usually won't eat things like furniture, but heaven forbid if you should plant a sapling and don't give them instructions not to eat it." "The voice of experience, Commander?" Whisper said as she took a sip of her wine. "Unfortunately." "What else will they eat?" Mina asked, still keeing a wary eye on the over-sized crystalline spider. "Just about anything, if they get hungry enough," Tolaris said as he took a sip of his wine. "Wood, crystal, rocks.... Dyvach, you said cement gives you indigestion?" The weaver chimed back a sour affirmative and Tolaris smiled. "So that's where my sculpture went...." "They can also reconstruct objects from the things they eat," Maze added. "Just give them a blueprint of what you want and a healthy snack of suitable raw materials, and they'll rework them into whatever you specify." "No kidding?" Mina asked, looking at the weaver in wonder. "Where do you think I got the parts to modify that coffee machine?" Maze said as glaced at the weaver. "How to they assemble the raw materials?" Ami asked. Tolaris shrugged. "Some questions are better left unanswered," he said. "Okay...." "Speaking of answering questions...." Mina said slowly. "Alright," Maze sighed as he picked up his wine glass. "I'm going to give you the short-short version. Asleen was the village where I was raised by my parents and I accidentally obliterated it," he said as he drank half of the glass in one gulp. "What?" Mina said slowly, her eyes wide with shock. "But.... how?" "Remember what was said earlier about learning to control your powers?" he said. "Well, I had gotten the electromagnetic shield part down just fine, only I didn't discover what happens when it overloads until a bunch of bullies attacked me. I put up my shield and they started blasting at it with their powers. The shield held until it took too much energy and it overloaded." "What happened?" someone asked, and Maze was mildly surprised to hear Rei asking the question rather than Mina. "The energy resonated along the lines of the shield before it collapsed and the raw energy was blasted outwards in a 'reflex' action," he said as he took another sip of wine. "Now imagine a wall of energy radiating out in all directions for about half a mile, with roughly the same intensity as a small nuclear explosion. You can fill in the rest," he said as he drained his glass in a final gulp. The glass made a dull thumping sound at it was almost slammed back onto the table. "Maze...." Mina said softly. "Everyone. My parents, my friends, the whole village, everything within that radius was suddenly turned into so much air pollution within an instant. Nothing left but char marks on the rocks. All because I hadn't learned how to disperse the absorbed energy before it reached a critical mass, if you will." "Not your fault, Lieutenant," Tolaris said, not for the first time since he had learned of the incident so long ago. Maze sighed and reached for the wine bottle. "Doesn't help, boss. Never has, and probably never will," he said as he refilled his wine glass. Everyone sipped their wine in silence, contemplating the newest relevation into the denizen society. "This really is good wine," Darian said softly. Maze nodded. "I wasn't kidding when I said it was from a good decade. I think they had had record crop harvests for eight straight years in a row when this stuff was bottled. This stuff might actually be older than Tolaris." "But not by much," Tolaris said as he studied the date on the label. "Would anyone care for some dessert?" Whisper said. She sighed softly to herself when she saw the collection of looks and glances from everyone else. "Let me guess. No one has any appetite anymore?" "Sorry, Captain," Maze said. Whisper shrugged. "It'll keep in the freezer until tomorrow." "Dinner was excellent," Serena said, and her sentiments were echoed by everyone around the table. "Thank you," the telepath replied with a small smile. "Is there any of that wine left?" Ami asked. "Sure," Maze said as he refilled her glass. "Anyone else?" He held out the bottle to Darian when he nodded, and was surprised to see Serena nod as well. Mina blinked as Artemis suddenly sat upright in her lap, his ears moving back and forth like radar antennae. "Hey, Luna, you hear what I hear?" Luna frowned and perked her own ears up. "No.... Wait, I hear it. Quiet little sucker, isn't it?" she said with a grin. Ra'vel and Dyvach exchanged glanced and the avian chirped happily. Ami frowned as she thought she heard a noise hovering on the very edge of the limits of her vampiric hearing. "What's that scratching noise?" she asked after a moment. "Dessert," Artemis said as he jumped to the floor, quickly followed by Luna, Dyvach, and Ra'vel. "Excuse us." "Here we go again," Serena sighed quietly as they hastily made their way down the hall in pursuit of yet another small, helpless mouse. * * * * Ami sighed quietly to herself as she leaned agains the wooden railing, her hands unconsciously gripping the railing hard enough to cause it to groan ever so softly as it was compressed by a trememdous force. Her mind was running in small circles as she fought to think of a way to do her task as painlessly as she could. "Any reason you're trying to snap the rails?" said a soft voice behind her, causing Ami to jump and whirl around. "Just thinking, Rei," she replied as she turned back to lean on the rails once again. Rei leaned on the railing next to her. "So what's got you so worked up that you're ready to stress out and break something?" "Hey, you two!" Mina called out as she stepped out onto the balcony. "Her," Ami said softly. "Excuse me?" Mina blinked, wondering what she had walked into. She heard a soft creaking noise as the wood started to give way to Ami's inhuman grasp. "Whoa, calm down, Ami. What's bugging you?" Ami sighed as she made up her mind and turned around. "Close the door, Mina. It's time we had a talk about your curiosity." "In that case...." Rei said as she started to leave. "Stay put, Rei. This involves you too," Ami said softly. Rei and Mina both blinked in surprise before exchanging glances. "Okay," Mina said slowly as she closed the door behind her and moved to lean against the wooden railing. "I've noticed that you seem to be having a bit of a problem keeping your skirt up lately," Ami said. "Your curiosity seems to be getting out of control and I think it's time we put a lid on the excess." Mina blinked. "Excuse me?" Ami sighed and turned to face her, unconsciously going vampiric in the process. "I'm talking about the little incident yesterday morning where you entered our room without asking and put your hands on me. Plus there was that little proposition you made to Tolaris, and later that evening to Rei." "Ami...." Mina started to say but was cut off by a sharp gesture. "Let me finish," Ami said with an edge to her voice. "Your suggestion to Rei is none of my business, granted, but you were out of line when you asked to sleep with Tolaris." Rei blinked in surprise. "I don't need to be hearing about this...." "Stay put and listen," Ami growled. "Mina, I want to make a few things explicitly clear to you and Rei is my witness. First off, don't ever enter our room without permission. It's a violation of privacy and I won't stand for it anymore. "Second, if you try to touch or kiss me like that again, I promise you a great amount of bodily harm. I like you Mina, and you are a good friend, but I don't like you that much. The same goes for Tolaris. Neither of us has any interest in seeking another for intimate company, and I won't tolerate anyone trying to interfere in our relationship. Besides, there's not a thing you can do to pleasure me that Tolaris can't do. And more," she added darkly. Mina's head snapped up as if she had been slapped. "So what about Rei?" she asked softly, her blue eyes showing the hurt she felt inside at Ami's harsh words. "As for your proposition to Rei, it's like I said, none of my business. However," Ami added, her voice dropping in tone and acquiring an edge that no one had ever heard from her before, "If I ever hear of you making any sort of suggestion or invitation to Serena or if she says anything about you making a pass at her, you had better pray that Venus will have mercy on your immortal soul because I won't." Mina looked into Ami's steel-blue vampire eyes and saw no warmth in them, only cold anger. "I would never do that to Serena," she said, her voice being only a whisper. "She is too innocent and beautiful. How can you stand there and suggest I would do anything to spoil her innocence like that?" she said, the tears starting to form in her eyes. She glanced towards Rei but found no comfort in the priestess's emotionless mask. "You tried to do that to me and Rei," Ami said darkly. "I know how you are, Mina. Your curiosity started with Leda, and when that was satisfied, you started to wonder about the rest of the Sailor Scouts, about how unique they could be in giving pleasure to one another. First Leda, then me, and then Rei. That just leaves Serena, correct?" "Ami...." The tears were falling now, but the vampire took no notice of them in her darkest mood yet. "I will not let you do anything to corrupt her innocence," Ami said, her voice as hard as steel. "You have been warned, and Rei has witnessed the warning. The rest is up to you," she said and turned her back on Mina, leaning against the railing and staring out into the fading twilight. She heard the sobs start softly, then the footsteps as Mina fled back into the cathedral, presumably to her own room to let the tears fall in isolation. "You enjoyed cutting her heart out like that, didn't you?" Rei said after a few minutes of heavy silence. The wooden railing splintered with a thunderous crack as Ami slammed her fists down on it. "How DARE you say that!" Ami hissed. "I did what I thought was right, and I took no pleasure in hurting her like that." "Then why'd you do it?" Rei asked softly. "It needed to be done," Ami replied. "Her suggestions to me and you were way out of line and I couldn't allow that to continue." "Perhaps you should let me be the judge of her suggestion to me?" Ami's head snapped around to glare at Rei. "You really want her making suggestions like that to you?" The vampire's eyes narrowed as she added, "Or do you like the idea of crawling into her bed as much as you would Darian's?" She saw the way Rei's head snap up like Mina had done earlier and she sighed softly, wilting against the wooden railing as the sudden burst of anger faded as soon as it had come. "Rei, I'm sorry, that was completely uncalled for," she apologized softly. Rei said nothing as she turned around to stare out into the night. "So like I asked earlier," she said when she was sure Ami had calmed down, "What's got you stressed out enough to lash out like that?" "I have a lot on my mind, Rei, and she picked a really bad time to pull stunts like what she did yesterday," Ami said softly. "I'm willing to listen if you're willing to talk," Rei said quietly. Ami sighed and leaned against the destroyed railing. "Tolaris was really upset lately about Mintaka, and I guess that sort of rubbed off on me as well. Then there's the fact that we still can't locate Leda's transponder signal from her communicator, which has me more than slightly worried. Plus there's this little research project I've got going that's moving slower than rakketh turds trying to crawl uphill on a very cold day in December." Rei smiled. "That was colorful." Ami blushed lightly. "Sorry. It's a habit I think I'm getting from our collection of Dragoons. Were you around when Maze zapped himself while working on Mina's coffepot?" Rei nodded, her own blush starting to spread across her features. "Not quite, but I could hear him all the way down the hall." She paused as she thought about something and gave Ami an uncertain look. "Umm, rakketh turds don't usually move, do they?" Ami giggled. "No, it was just a figure of speech." "Just checking...." Ami sighed softly and stared back out into the night, trying to figure out for herself why she had been harsher with Mina than she had intended to be. "So what else is on your mind?" Rei asked gently. "I know your mind is capable of handling more than three major distractions...." Ami sighed. "I was in a bit of a rush last time I drained Mina so I didn't quite take as much as I usually did." "Which means you're hungrier than you should be," Rei finished the thought for her. "The scotch I drank last night probably isn't helping any," she admitted. Rei gave her a measured look. "And how much wine did you drink tonight?" "Three glasses." Rei blinked and sighed. "Great. You drunk yet?" Ami shrugged. "Doesn't feel like it, though my blood feels weird." "Learn anything from that yet?" Rei asked pointedly. Ami snorted. "Yeah, people are unusually nosy about alcohol around here." "Sorry...." Rei said as she held her hands up. "We're just concerned...." "About having a drunk vampire on your hands, I know," Ami said softly. She looked up at Rei and gave her an inquisitve look. "I don't suppose you've made a decision yet, have you?" she asked gently. "I thought I did, but now I'm having second thoughts," Rei replied as she turned to stare out at the almost invisible woodline. She glanced up and saw the outline of the full moon slowly rising above the treeline. "You really hurt Mina tonight," she said. "Not to mention scaring the daylights out of us with your sudden temper." "Surprised me, too," Ami said as she also studied the full moon. "But did you sense any evil in me when that happened?" "No, and that's what scares me the most," Rei said so softly that Ami would have missed it if it wasn't for her vampiric hearing. She looked up to find Ami giving her a curious look. "I just don't know what you are anymore," the priestess said. "Rei...." "Are you good? Bad? Evil? Dangerous?" Rei shook her head. "I simply don't know anymore." She looked up when she felt Ami's hand on her shoulder. "Am I still your friend?" she asked softly. Rei nodded slowly. "Yes, you still are, despite what you have become." Ami blinked, the words having a strange calming effect on her troubled mind and soul. "You have no idea what that means to me," she said softly. The priestess looked up into Ami's steel-blue vampire eyes. "I think I do now," she said quietly as her hand came up and loosened the top button to her blouse. She gently tugged open the collar and let her hands fall loosely by her side. Ami blinked and looked into Rei's bottomless black eyes, seeing for the first time the tide of emotions within her. "Are you sure?" she asked softly. Rei nodded silently before she closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. Despite her calmness, her breath caught in her throat as she felt Ami's lips brushing against her throat for a few seconds. Then she heard the vampire take a deep breath before she bit down. Rei gasped as the pain shot through her body for a brief instant, followed by a strange calming effect descending on her like a heavy blanket. A remote part of her mind noted the fact that she had fallen to her knees and that Ami was helping to keep her from falling over. Rei tried to stand but was taken aback when her body refused to cooperate. The feeling of calmness thickened as she tried to make her body respond in any way. I've lost control, she thought as the calmness numbed her body to the sensation of the outside world. Ami has complete control over me and I can't do anything.... she thought before she realized that it suddenly didn't matter anymore. Her mind succumbed to the feeling of utter calmness, a feeling that she had only been able to reach in the deepest of her meditations. It was the feeling she had longed for since her first experience with it so long ago. And now, after all this time, I found it with her help, she thought. Please, don't let this end.... Ever. Ami sighed softly as she was able to discern Rei's mental state from the taste of her blood. It's like she's suddenly surrendered, she thought before it hit her. She IS surrendering. This isn't good.... she thought as she carefully drained Rei's blood. She continued for several minutes before she felt Rei's heartbeat waver ever so slightly as it adjusted to the decreased blood pressure in her veins, the sign that she was getting close to the point where the blood loss could potentially be damaging. She carefully withdrew her fangs from Rei's throat and leaned back, still supporting Rei and keeping her from falling over. She carefully lowered her to the ground and brushed a stray lock of black hair out of her face. "Rei?" she asked softly. Rei's eyelids fluttered slightly but remained closed. "Ami.... Please don't stop...." she whispered. "I can't, Rei, I've already taken as much as I safely can," she replied. "I don't care.... I don't want this feeling to end...." Ami sighed softly and took Rei's hand in hers. "I'm sorry, Rei, but I'm not going to hurt you because of the feeling," she said softly. "If it feels that good to you, I can drain you again once your blood supply is back up to normal, safe levels." She blinked as Rei's eyes snapped open and her hand came up to grab her shoulder with a startlingly powerful grip. "You don't understand," she said almost desperately, "I've been searching for this feeling for years now. You can't just let it end...." I hope I didn't loosen a screw, Ami thought as she regarded Rei carefully. "Rei, listen to me. I can't continue without hurting you, and that's something I won't let myself do," she explained. "Please, Ami...." Rei said softly as tears started to form in her eyes. Ami sighed and sat back, her hand gently prying Rei's off of her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rei," she said. Rei sat up with a sigh heavy enough for Ami to feel the weight on her own soul. "I understand," she said as she struggled to keep herself from crying. She looked up at the vampire, her black eyes betraying the depth of the pain she felt at the loss of the utter calmness. "You said you could do this to me later?" she asked hopefully. Ami nodded. "It'll take about a month for your red blood cell count to return to normal. I can drain you then, but not before. It would be too dangerous for you and I'm not going to risk it for anything." "Thank you, Ami," Rei said softly as she got to her feet and rebuttoned her blouse. Ami also rose to her feet and guided her to the door. "Perhaps I should be thanking you," she said softly as she opened the door. Rei let her fingers brush across the not-quite healed puncture wounds on her neck. "I'd say we're even, then," she replied. "Even for what?" Serena said as she walked out onto the balcony. She first glanced over at the destroyed railing and then at Rei's hand. "Whoa, Rei, lose your temper again?" "What makes you say that, meatball head?" "The smashed railing and the blood on your hand," Serena replied evenly. Rei blinked and looked at her hand. She blinked again as she realized that there was indeed blood on her fingertips. She thought about where it could have come from and made the connection instantly. "Umm, the railing wasn't something I did, and neither is the blood...." she said softly. Serena first blinked in surprise as she looked at Ami, then blinked in shock as she saw the mark on Rei's throat. "You mean.... you let her bite you?" she asked incrediously as she glanced back at Ami. "Yeah.... so?" Rei shot back, her temper flaring. She blinked as Serena smiled oddly as stepped forward and gave the priestess a hug. "Thank you, Rei," the blonde said softly. Rei blinked and took a step back. "For what?" "For finally having the courage and bravery to face something you have tried to avoid facing for quite some time," Serena replied softly. "I know how you feel about Ami's vampirism, and whatever happened that made you take a chance with her could only have come from within." Rei was mildly stunned to hear Serena say such a thing and Ami wasn't much better prepared herself. "Problem?" the blonde asked after she saw the looks of surprise on their faces. "I do have a few brain cells, you know," she said with a grin. "Pity you don't use them," Rei said as she walked past Serena and into the cathedral. She glanced up in time to see Serena's expression darken and she smiled. "Lighten up, meatball head." "See if I ever compliment you like that again, pyro," Serena muttered. "Don't start," Ami sighed. "In my current mood, I'll probably just kill the both of you and be done with it." Serena and Rei blinked before exchanging glances. "We can talk about this later," Serena said hastily. "Good idea," Rei said, just as quickly. Ami smiled. "See? I knew you two had matured enough to be past those pointless arguments of yours." Serena raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh.... Speaking of your current mood, Ami, you wouldn't happen to have any idea why Mina almost ran me over as she was flooding the hallway with her tears, would you?" The vampire sighed heavily. "We needed to get a few things straight and I was harder on her than I had intended to be." Serena frowned. "Anything I should be aware of?" "If you don't know, then believe me, you're much better off in the dark," Rei said softly. "Just trust me on this one." Serena glanced back at the destroyed railing before looking over at Ami. "Umm.... okay," she said slowly. "Well, I guess I'll see you two tomorrow morning, then." Rei smirked. "Tomorrow afternoon, you mean." Serena grinned. "Probably." "Lazy bed slug." "So what of it?" "Ahem," Ami said icily. "SeeyatomorrowAmigoodnight!" Serena said as she turned around and fairly ran towards the relative safety of her bedroom. Rei blinked and looked over at Ami. "You need to calm down." Ami sighed. "Probably." "Mind if I make a suggestion?" "Sure. Worst I can do is ignore it," Ami said with a shrug. "Actually, the worst you could do is laugh in my face before you ignore it," Rei replied. "True. So what's your suggestion?" "Have Tolaris make love to you before you go to bed." Ami blushed. "We did that before dinner," she said softly. "Who was on top?" Ami's eyes went wide as her blush deepened by four shades. "REI!" Rei smiled, her own cheeks turning pink. "Just answer the question." "Well.... I was...." Rei nodded. "So he shouldn't be too badly exhausted then. Just tell him to be gentle and to take it slowly. Very, very slowly. And after your brain reassembles itself later, you should be all nice and calm." Ami gave her friend a curious look. "You've only made love to Chad once, and now you're suddenly Dr. Ruth?" Rei blushed and looked down at the floor boards. "Okay, so it's only a theory. But I don't see why it wouldn't work. Not that I know anything about having it done gently," she added, her face losing some of its color. "But that's something I plan to have fixed once Chad gets back and I explain a few things to him. Probably with a large stick," she added with a wry grin. Ami nodded. "Okay. Just don't beat him up too badly or he won't be able to do anything," she said, only half-jokingly. "Depends on where you hit him," Rei said with a gleam in her eye. "Good night, Rei," Ami laughed as she turned to walk toward her room. "Ami?" Ami paused and turned around. "Yes?" She blinked as Rei gave her a hug. "Thanks for everything," the priestess said quietly. Ami returned the embrace and nodded. "You're welcome, Rei." "Good night," Rei replied and headed off towards the kitchen for a light snack before bed. Hopefully it'll be a good night, after the day I just had, Ami thought as she walked down the hallway to her room. She knocked softly on the door before she opened it. "Oh, good, you're still up," she said with a smile as she shut the door behind her. Tolaris's eyebrow rose as the sound of the door being locked echoed around the room for a moment. "Dare I ask what sort of plot is hatching inside your mind?" he said softly as he stretched out on the bed. "Oh, just another little experiment with lightning...." Uh oh, the Dragoon thought. "Which one this time?" Ami smiled sweetly as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Doctor Rei made an observation of my state of mind and made a little suggestion on how to calm it down some...." * * * * Serena quietly locked the bedroom door as she glanced over at the bed. He would be asleep, she thought with a small sigh. So much for talking about it tonight. Guess I'll go for a warm shower before bed. She slowly walked towards the bathroom, shedding various articles of clothing as she went. She paused and leaned against the doorway as she reached down to remove her socks. I really wanted to talk to him tonight, too. Guys. It figures they would go to sleep on you just when you could use their help. Did I just hear a squeak? I hope it wasn't a mouse.... She jumped slightly when she felt a pair of hands finish tugging the sock off of her foot. The hands tossed the sock into a corner before they slowly brushed their way up her bare leg to her hips, pausing for a moment to gently trace the faint scar on her thigh that she had gotten from their recent journey into the Negaverse. "So you're awake after all," she said softly as his hands slid across her back. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as he unclapsed her bra and drew the fabric off of her shoulders. "Did you think I would go to sleep without you?" Darian said softly as he kissed the base of her neck. "You'd be surprised." "Hey...." he protested softly as he massaged her shoulders. "Darian, I need to talk to you," she said quietly. "Uh oh.... What'd I do now?" She smiled in the darkness of the room. "It's nothing like that. I just ran across something today that I need to talk to you about," she said. "But it's one of those things I really don't feel comfortable talking about." "I see," he said softly and kissed her neck again. "So what is it?" She shook her head. "There's a few things I want to do first. One is get a really warm shower, and another is to get a good look at you." She could almost hear the sound of him blinking in surprise. "Get a good look at me?" he asked, slightly confused. "Naked," she said softly. "I've never seen you naked before, and I don't think you have seen me naked before, either." "Not entirely," he admitted. "And as for the shower, I want you in there with me." "Serena...." he said softly. "Only to wash my back, if nothing else," she said softly. "You know how it is with those really hard to reach parts. And to talk, of course." "Of course," he said softly as he kissed her shoulder. "Please, Darian?" He sighed quietly and let his lips wander across the back of her neck. "Alright, Serena," he said softly and followed her into the bathroom. "Watch your eyes," he said as he reached for the lightswitch. "Wait," she said as she turned around and caught his hand before it could flip the switch. "I don't want a bright light for this one," she said softly as she reached out and turned on the tiny nightlight. They both squinted slightly as the dim light flooded the bathroom, giving it the appearance of being lit by a candle. "This'll work," she said softly as she opened the small cabinet and got out a pair of towels and a bottle of shampoo. The towels were placed on the back of the toilet while the bottle was placed on the edge of the bathtub. She made sure the bathmat was securely attached to the inside of the tub and laid out a small towel to absorb the water they would drip when they stepped out of the shower. She turned around and blinked when she saw that Darian had removed his sweatpants and now stood in the dim light wearing only his boxer shorts. She smiled softly as she stepped over to him and kissed him. "May I?" she asked softly. He nodded and she tugged on the elastic waistband to his boxers. They only resisted for a brief second before falling free of his body, becoming a small pile of synthetic cotton on the floor. He took a step back to free his legs and regarded her carefully. Even in the dim light, he could see her faint blush as she glanced up and down his body. "You look wonderful," she said softly as her hand went to her waist. "My turn," he whispered as he leaned forward to kiss her. She sighed softly, first at the warmth of the kiss, then at the feeling of his hands tugging her panties free from her body. They fell to the floor in the same fashion as his boxers had, and she carefully stepped out of them. "You're beautiful, Serena," he said softly as his gaze wandered up and down her nude body. "Thank you," she said, her blush darkening by a shade. She blinked when she noticed the odd look on his face. "What is it?" "It's nothing, Serena," he replied. "It's okay to laugh, Darian, but not to point," she said mildly. "Tell me, what is it?" He shrugged and kissed her. "You don't have any pubic hair." She giggled and kissed him back. "Genetics. Not my fault." "True," he said, kissing her again. She made a soft moaning sound as she embraced him, pressing her body against his as they kissed passionately. "Mmmm," she purred when they broke apart, "I do love you." "And I love you, Serena," he said as he stroked her cheek. "C'mon, I hear a warm shower calling," she said softly as she turned around and stepped into the shower. "I'll stay here for a moment, if you don't mind," he replied. She blinked as she reached for the shower controls. "Why's that?" she asked as she twisted a knob, not paying attention to which one she was turning. Darian smiled as her yelp of shock echoed around the bathroom briefly. "That's why," he said as she quickly turned on the hot water. He counted to ten before he stepped into the shower. He was immediately drenched by the stream of water, but it had warmed up considerably since it was first turned on. "I don't mind the occasional cold shower, Serena, but one a day is quite enough," he said as he tugged the shower curtain closed. She smiled wryly as she adjusted the water temperature to suit her mood. "You could have warned me," she said as she tilted the showerhead down to let the water cascade over her. "And miss the fun?" he teased as he embraced her. She shivered lightly as the combined effect of his touch on her bare skin and the feeling of the warm water had a strange effect on her. "Ooh, this feels nice," she said softly. He smiled as he reached up and undid her hairstyle, running his fingers through the small buns until they unwound themselves and spilled over her shoulders like the water. "So what's on your mind?" he asked as he rubbed her neck and shoulders. She sighed and leaned against him, letting the feel of his touch relax her muscles. "Remember when I was telling everyone that dinner was ready?" "Yeah...." "Well, Tolaris and Ami didn't answer their door when I knocked, and since there wasn't a thunderstorm outside, I thought they were just taking a nap and so I...." she trailed off as the mental image returned to her mind. "You went in?" he finished for her softly as he kissed her neck. "Yes...." "Keep talking, Serena," he said quietly as he reached for the soap. "Well, I opened the door and all of a sudden there was all of this fog spilling out into the hallway. I wondered what sort of experiments they were doing and I went inside. The air must have been charged with something because I can still remember the way it made my skin crawl," she said softly. She sighed as she felt him rubbing the soap across her shoulders and back. He reached up to tilt the showerhead sideways, allowing him to work on her back without having the water wash off the soap before he was finished. "So what were they doing?" he asked, taking a guess at the probable answer. His guess was confirmed by the way she shivered before she spoke. "They.... they were making love on the bed...." she said hesitantly. Oops, he thought as he spread the soap across her lower back. "I think I can see how that would be a bit of a shock," he said neutrally. "Do you want to tell me what has you so upset?" She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I could see everything, Darian. Everything. I saw how he was aroused, and how she was lying on top of him.... how he was inside of her and how she moved back and forth against him..... how he touched her breasts as she moved and.... and...." "Go on," he said softly, trying not to dwell on the mental image she was describing for him. All I need to be getting turned on when we're both at close range in the shower, he thought. "And the look on her face," she whispered softly. "I.... I think that is what.... threw me off the most. The look on her face was.... rapture. Bliss. Pure pleasure," she said as she twisted her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "And I couldn't help but wonder what exactly she felt that gave her that amount of pleasure." Uh oh, Darian thought silently. "Serena...." "I'm not going to ask you to make love to me just yet, Darian," she said. She giggled softly when she heard him breathe a sigh of relief. "Does the idea of making love to me bother you all that much?" "Of course not," he replied in her ear. "I am very much looking forward to the day when we do. It's just that neither one of us are ready for that right now," he explained. "You were at one time," she said softly. He blinked, a small drop of icyness making its way down his back despite the warmth of the shower. "What?" She sighed and leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder. "I'm not that much of a fool not to notice, Darian. It's the small things that give you away." He blinked again, the drop of cold suddenly becoming larger. "I'm not following you." "You've made love before, Darian, or at least have been in a position to. I can tell by how you do certain things, like when you removed my panties. You did it without any hesistation or clumsiness, like you've already done that before. Except you've never done that with me," she explained. "Or when you first kissed me. I had no clue what I was doing, but you did, which meant that you had kissed before. Or when you touched me that one night when Tolaris materialized on Earth. Or when you first unclasped my bra...." "I get the idea," he said softly. "And...?" He sighed heavily. Might as well get this over with.... "And it's true." She closed her eyes. "How much of it?" "All of it," he said softly. "Except for one detail." "Which one?" "The part where you said I was ready for sex. I wasn't, and neither was she. It was what Leda said, one big mistake made in judgement," he said. He could feel her trembling now, and he moved the showerhead back into position to allow the warmth of the water to flow over the both of them. "How.... how did it feel?" she asked softly, her voice wavering. He sighed. "It's nothing I can ever really explain, Serena." "Can you try?" He sighed again. "It's hard to describe. I was inside of her, and the feeling was incredible. It was as if the only thing my nerves were capable of feeling was pleasure, and there was a lot of it to go around. For both of us," he added. "However, it really wasn't worth it, Serena. Not without the feelings behind it, and there really weren't any between us when we did it." She said nothing as she pushed the showerhead away and reached for the bottle of shampoo. She felt Darian press against her as he reached past her to grab the bottle. She blinked as she suddenly felt his hardness rub briefly against her body. "Sorry...." he apologized softly as he kissed the back of her neck. He blinked as she started to tremble softly. "Serena, what's wrong?" She didn't hear him, her mind whirling in a small circle with the image of Ami and Tolaris making love. If he's ready, she thought, then all I would really have to do is turn around and.... Darian grabbed her waist as she suddenly twitched and stumbled. "I got you," he said as he carefully lowered her into the bathtub. "Serena, what's wrong?" "I'm sorry," she gasped as she stood up under her own power. "I.... I was just thinking about.... about Ami and Tolaris.... and.... and...." "Calm down, it's okay," he whispered soothingly as he caressed her neck. "Don't stop that," she whispered as she leaned against him. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him pressing against her again. "I think I should leave now," he said. "No," she said as she grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her waist. "I want you to stay right there and to just hold me." "Serena...." "Please," she whispered. He sighed softly as he kissed her ear before adjusting the showehead to rain warm water down on them. He then knelt down in the bathtub, drawing her down as well. She moaned softly as he hugged her tightly, his hands crossing over her waist and his chest pressing hard against her back. She was mildly surprised when she couldn't feel his hardness against her and it took her a few seconds to figure out where it could be given their current position. "Darian?" she asked softly. "Yes?" "Can.... can I touch you?" she asked hesitantly. He frowned lightly. "That may not be a wise idea," he cautioned. "You touch me sometimes, and I don't think it's fair you don't get to feel my touch in return," she said softly. "We've already talked about this, Serena." "I know, and I understand why, Darian, but...." He paused. "But?" "But I'm curious to know what it feels like." He laughed softly. "Just like any other part of my body, Serena." "But there are differences," she said softly. She took his hand and held it to her throat. "Like here," she said and held his hand to her breast. "And here." She moved his hand over her breast, rubbing his palm with her hardening nipple. "Serena...." "And I want you touch me in return," she said softly as her other hand took hold of his other wrist. She blinked when his wrist refused to budge. "Please don't do this," he said softly as he kissed her ear. "What are you afraid of?" she asked. "I'm afraid of losing control," he replied. "That's what happened the first time, we both lost control and went with our hormones. It wasn't worth it, and I don't want that to happen with you." "I trust you," she said as she pressed his hand against her breast. He could feel himself starting to shake lightly. "Serena...." "Please, Darian," she whispered. "Let me think about it," he said softly as he reached for the bottle of shampoo that had gotten dropped when she had stumbled. He flipped open the top with his free hand, mentally thanking the inventors of the flip-top. He paused in mid-thought as he realized that he needed two hands for his task. Oh, well, thanks anyway, guys, he thought as he tugged his hand free from hers. He poured a fair amount of shampoo into his cupped palm and snapped the top closed with his free hand. He put the bottle back on the edge of the tub and rubbed his hands together briefly before he began to rub the shampoo into her ankle-length hair. "Oooooh," she cooed as she felt his fingers working the shampoo into her scalp. "You've never washed my hair before. Sure you can handle it?" "One way to find out," he replied as he worked. He surprised himself at how fast he figured out the proper method for washing overly long hair. Duh, you start at the top and work your way down, he thought. "Darian, have you ever washed long hair before?" she asked hesitantly. "Nope," he replied honestly. "First time I've ever worked with hair that wasn't tacked on to my head." "You're doing a wonderful job," she purred as she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers running through her hair. He finished up in short order and worked his hands back up to her scalp before he stood up to readjust the direction of the showerhead. He quickly knelt back down as the water splashed down over her and he started the rather tedious task of rinsing all of the shampoo out of her hair. "I'm going to have to have you do this more often," she sighed happily. "That good, eh?" She smiled. "That, and it saves me the trouble of doing it." He laughed softly and kissed her ear. "Lazy." "I can wash your hair if you want," she offered. "I'll think about it." She leaned back against him and captured his hands in her own. "You're only supposed to think over one thing at a time," she said softly as she guided his hands down to her breasts. She shivered lightly as he kissed the rim of her ear while his fingertips gently teased her nipples into hardening. "Who says I can't think of different things at the same time?" he said, whispering into her ear even as he teased it with his tongue. "I'm saying you shouldn't," she replied with a soft moan. She rubbed the backs of his hands briefly before she gently tugged one free of her breast and guided it down her stomach. "Serena...." he said warningly. "Just for a moment, Darian," she pleaded. "Just enough so I know what it feels like. I trust you to keep control. Please...." she whispered. He sighed softly and kissed the side of her throat, his one hand still gently teasing her nipples while he tugged his other hand free from her grasp and slid it across her skin to her sheath. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingertips gently rubbed across her, carefully tracing every intimate contour of her. She moaned softly as her hand came down to cover his, her fingertips resting on his fingernails. "This feels wonderful," she said, her voice a bare whisper. He chuckled almost inaudibly as he tilted his head to one side to kiss her throat. "It gets better," he cautioned softly. She closed her eyes as his touch stirred new feelings within her. "How?" "Like this...." he whispered as a single fingertip slid down the length of her sheath before gently sliding inside her. He probed for a brief moment before he found what he was searching for and gently began to massage the most sensitive part of her body. She arched back against him as a low moan escaped past her lips. "My god, Darian...." she whimpered. His touch was having a profound effect on her and she found that she wasn't able to think of anything other than the feeling of pleasure she was receiving. "Is that a good moan or a bad moan?" he inquired lightly as he kissed her throat again. She began to tremble as she felt an intangible feeling of pressure start to build within her sheath. "Darian, if you have any love for me, please don't stop doing that...." she moaned. Darian blinked as he suddenly realized why she was shaking. Great, he thought, do I really want to do this to her or not? She'll want to try to return the favor if I do, and I have no idea how badly she'll react if I don't. Talk about being between rocks and.... Her eyes opened slightly as he started to laugh. "What's so funny?" she managed to ask through the haze of her pleasure. "Nothing, just a really bad mental pun," he said with a grin. Her reply was interruped by an intense wave of pleasure racing through her body. She leaned back against him and started to moan, her body starting to shake rather badly from the stimulation. "Darian, I feel so.... so...." He sighed as he made his decision. "Relax, Serena," he whispered as he carefully continued to massage her sheath. "It's called an orgasm. Don't try to fight your body, just let the feeling take care of itself." Her eyes snapped open and her breath caught in her breath. "Oooh, don't stop, don't stop, d-d-d-d...." she trailed off as her body suddenly tensed up before it let loose with a tremendous spasm. She cried out as her muscles overloaded and she started to fall backwards. He carefully caught her with his free hand and gently leaned her back against him. He waited until the worst of her tremors had passed before he carefully withdrew his hand from her sheath and used it to balance the weight of his body. He blinked as the sign of the Moon suddenly started to glow a soft golden color on her forehead. She closed her eyes and went limp, relaxing against him and letting the combined feelings of the water flowing over her and her muscles unwinding take her to the edge of consciousness. "Darian...." she breathed softly. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "I'm here, Serena." "That.... that was wonderful...." she whispered. "Does it always feel like this when you touch me there?" He smiled. "Only when I work at it." She summoned enough willpower to force her hand to reach up and grab his, guiding it down to her breast. She squeezed his hand, which in turn caused his hand to gently squeeze her breast. A soft sigh escaped her lips at the feeling it produced, more relaxing than stimulating. "We are going to have to try this again one of these days," she said dreamily. "Perhaps, but not anytime soon," he said firmly. She sighed softly again and decided she was in too good of a mood to argue the matter. "So that's what an orgasm was?" she asked. "Unless you're a good actress," he teased. He saw the look in her eyes as she opened them and he suddenly got the feeling that he had said the wrong thing. "That was a joke, Serena...." "I'm not laughing," she muttered. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he gave her another kiss. She moaned quietly as she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down closer so she could savor the kiss without straining anything. She made a soft moaning sound as she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and letting her tongue brush against his lips. She blinked in surprise as he quickly pulled away and sat down, sighing softly to himself. She sat up and turned around to face him. "Darian, what's wrong? What did I do?" "It's nothing like that," he said softly. "It's just that.... you were starting to arouse me again." She glanced towards his lap and blushed when she saw he wasn't joking. "Sorry," she apologized. She leaned forward and gave him a warm hug, sighing in contentment at the feeling of his arms around her and of the warm water splashing against her back from the showerhead. Darian sighed darkly as the feeling of Serena's nude and wet body pressing against him made his state of arousal worse. "Serena, please," he said as he gently pushed her away. He saw the hurt look on her face and it cut into his heart like a knife. "I'm sorry...." She sat back and regarded him carefully, her glance alternating between his eyes and his state of arousal. "Darian, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "What would happen if you did lose control?" she asked softly. He sighed. "Either we get to know each other really well really quickly, or...." he trailed off with a faint blush. "Or?" she prompted with a curious look in her eyes. "Or things get messy," he said with a darker blush. She reviewed her knowledge of human biology and blushed when the answer made sense. Perhaps.... she thought for a moment before a second part of her mind wondered if she really wanted to find out. He caught the look in her eyes and shook his head. "No, you don't." She sighed and nodded. "I was just coming to that conclusion myself." She looked up at him with a faint gleam in her eyes. "Although you never said anything about washing your hair...." He chuckled. "If you really want to," he said as he turned around. She smiled oddly as she reached for the bottle of shampoo. She poured a small amount into her hand and, after closing the bottle and setting it back on the edge of the bathtub, began to massage it into his scalp. He leaned back slightly with a smile on his face. "I see what you mean by how good it feels," he said softly as she worked up a good-sized lather. He enjoyed the feeling for a few minutes before he blinked as she started to rub the shampoo into his armpits. "Uh...." She giggled. "Relax, I know what I'm doing. You've still got hair in there, and having it cleaned couldn't hurt anything, given how bad they can get at times. Especially after you work out," she said as she made a face. He grunted and nodded, knowing what she meant. "You're telling me." She added a bit more shampoo into her hands before she started to work it into the sparse amount of chest hair he had. She made a low noise in her throat as she could feel the muscles moving beneath her touch. "Been working out, I see," she said with a smile. "All the better to give General Rune problems," he said with a laugh. "She's been awfully quiet as of late," Serena commented as she worked on his stomach. "Hey, don't argue," he said. "Means more time to enjoy life before we have to heal from the next set of cuts, scrapes, bruises, and the like." "Mmm...." He blinked as something set off a small warning flag in his mind. "Umm, Serena? What exactly are you...." He gasped as her fingers started to rub the shampoo into his pubic hair. "Just washing your hair," she said innocently. She sighed as he felt his hands tighten around her wrists and yank them away from his body. "Darian, please...." she said softly as she tugged her hands free and rubbed his neck. "You don't know what you're doing...." "Sure I do," she interrupted softly. "I'm washing what hair you've got. It's not my fault I don't have any other hair for you to wash, other than what I've got on my head. Besides," she added, "I let you touch me, so now it's my turn." "Serena...." he said tiredly. She leaned forward and let her lips roam across the side of his neck while her fingers toyed with the muscles on his chest. "I promise not to ask again for a while, Darian," she said softly. "Please, just this once let me touch you like you did me." She could felt his shoulders heave with his heavy sigh of resignation and she kissed his ear. Her hand strayed down to his lap and she resumed her work of rubbing the shampoo into his pubic hair. She blinked and marvelled at the feel of the skin beneath her fingertips. It was so soft and tender at first, then slowly changed as her touch started to arouse him. She could feel the blood flowing at an increased pace as she lightly brushed her fingers across him, feeling every small coutour on his body as he had hers. "Serena...." he whispered hoarsely as he closed his eyes, his entire body starting to quiver from her attentions. He could feel his bloodstream start to heat up from the sheer volume of hormones being dumped into his system, a sensation that he both relished and feared at the same time. She leaned him back against him as she teased his ear, her lips brushing against the outer edge before she gently nibbled on it with her teeth. She heard him gasp from the feeling and she moaned softly, her free hand coming up to stray across the base of his throat. Darian was rapidly approaching a point of no return, this one being the point where a cold shower would have absolutely no effect on him other than to cause his body to tense up and shiver. "Enough, Serena," he whispered as he took her hand in his and drew it up to his chest. She sighed softly and decided that her curiosity was satisfied. "Thank you," she whispered before she bent her head down to tease his throat with her lips. He moaned softly and turned halfway around to wrap his arms around her. She sighed at the contact and pressed against him, her arms around him and her lips roaming across his throat. Darian sighed softly to himself as her passion continued to push him closer to the 'no-return, shower' mark. She moved her head up and kissed him, her tongue sliding between his lips to brush against his with a soft moan. The combination of the intimate kiss and the feeling of her nude and wet body sliding slightly against his set off a red light in his head as his hormone levels went up another notch. "Serena, please...." he whimpered softly even as he kissed her back. She leaned back and looked into his dark eyes. "Problem?" she asked, her voice as soft as a feather. "There will be in about ten minutes," he replied. "It's time to stop and go to bed. To sleep," he added when she smiled softly. "Alright, just let me rinse you," she said as she stood up and readjusted the aim of the showerhead. She knelt back down and started to rub her fingers through the lather in his hair. He blinked as he felt her fingers start to work on the hair under his armpits. "Umm...." She smiled and kissed him passionately. "Trust me," she said as her hands brushed across his chest, removing the last few traces of shampoo. Her kiss deepened as she ran her fingers through his pubic hair again, getting rid of the last of the suds and further adding to Darian's problem. "Doesn't this hurt after awhile?" she asked softly. "Big time," he said. "Especially if you don't do anything except use cold water to make it go away," he added without thinking. He glanced up at her smile and he suddenly knew the extent of the mistake he had just made. "Well, in that case...." He grasped her hands before they could move. "No," he said firmly. "Darian...." "No." She sighed softly and kissed him gently. "Another time, then?" she asked quietly as her lips traced a line from his lips to his ear. "Perhaps," he said slowly, still trying to calm his hormones down before he did something he would have cause to regret later. "But for right now, you should leave and get ready for bed while I finish taking my shower." She looked up at him. "Cold water?" "Unfortunately," he said, already knowing it would probably be a futile and painful effort. "Well then, just let me warm you heart before you chill everything else," she said softly before she suddenly climbed into his lap and gave him a kiss that sent shocks through both of them. She could feel him tense beneath her and she decided she had done enough for one night. She started to move but slipped and lost her footing. He blinked as she slipped and fell on top of him. His eyes went wide, first at the shock of the contact, then wider at the realization that she was accidentally in a very intimate and inviting position. Oh, no, he thought, please don't let her try anything, not now.... he thought as more red lights went off in his brain. She looked up at him as she realized her accidental position. Her mind flashed back to Tolaris and Ami, and how they had been. It's that easy, she thought, all I have to do is move slightly.... Almost of their own accord, her hips moved slightly and she felt his hardness brush against her sheath. There, she thought, all that has to be done is.... no. She straightened up and quickly moved off of him, her body starting to shake with the realization of what she had almost done. She watched as Darian sat up and scooted a few inches away from her, his eyes also wide at the sudden realization. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. "Yes...." she said. "Darian, I.... I'm sorry, I...." He shook his head. "It's alright, Serena." "No, it's not," she said softly. "I almost...." she trailed off. He reached out and took her hand in his. "But you didn't, and I'm glad that you had the maturity to know not to, despite what you were feeling." "Darian, I'm sorry," she said as she hugged him. They held each other for several minutes, letting the slowly cooling water of the shower wash over them both. Eventually they broke apart and looked into each other's eyes. Darian smiled softly and she smiled back, leaning forward for a brief kiss before she rose to her feet and carefully stepped out of the shower. "How long do you think you'll be?" she asked as she closed the shower curtain and reached for a towel. At this rate, a few seconds, he thought before he realized that he had calmed down entirely. Huh, he thought as he got to his feet and rinsed a few soap suds out of his hair. Funny things, hormones. They burn like wildfire one second, then calm the next. Definitely on the 'go figure' list. "Actually, I'm done," he said as he turned off the water knobs and opened the shower curtain. He caught her surprised look and shrugged. "The cold water wasn't needed for some reason." She shrugged and tossed him a towel. "Go figure." She paused for a brief moment before looking up at him with a strange look. "Umm...." "Nope," he said with a mildly amused look. "Just wondering," she said as she started to dry herself off. He smiled as he watched her, enjoying the sight of the water droplets on her naked body. "Have I told you lately that you're beautiful?" he said softly as he took the towel out of her grasp and began to dry her with it. "Yeah, you did before this little adventure started," she said. "Mmm, this feels as good as the shower," she said softly. "Let's not start this one again," he muttered. "I take it that means you want to dry yourself?" she said knowingly. "That would probably be the wisest idea," he said dryly. He blinked as a small grin crossed her face. Uh oh.... "Tough," she said as she picked up the remaining towel. She blinked in surprise as he reached out and plucked the towel out of her grasp. "Aww...." "Sorry, I don't need to take another cold shower tonight," he said as he finished drying her off. He took a step back and regarded her hair carefully. "Umm, I'm up a tree now. What do I do about your hair?" She giggled and snatched the towel back. "I'll worry about that. You just dry off and I'll meet you in bed," she said mischievously as she quickly wrapped the towel around the top portion of her hair and left the bathroom. He sighed and started to dry himself off. One of these days I'm going to have a heart attack when my hormone level exceeds my red blood cell count, he thought dourly as he worked. He finished his task and looked around for what he did with his boxer shorts. He blinked when he suddenly realized that they weren't in the bathroom any longer. Oh, great, he thought as he wrapped the towel around his waist. Now what is she up to? Guess I'll find out, he thought with a sigh as he turned out the nightlight and entered the bedroom. "This is probably a stupid question, Serena, but did you see where I put my drawers?" he asked. He blinked when he realized that every single piece of dirty laundry was piled together in one corner and that Serena was wearing only a towel in her hair as she stretched out on the bed. Yeah, just great, he thought with a mental sigh. "They're in the laundry," she said. "You know, Leda once told me about how she always sleeps in the nude and how good it feels. I asked Mina and Ami about the subject and they both agreed that it was a mildly pleasant feeling whenever they did it." "Wait, let me guess," Darian said tiredly, "You gonna try it tonight?" She smiled. "Why not?" "Because that will probably drive me up the wall in my current mood," he said as he went over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. He got out a clean pair of boxer shorts and slid them on. Yeah, few things in life feel better than a clean pair of drawers after a warm shower, he thought. "Any objections to me sleeping like that?" she asked as he walked over to the bed and laid down. He shrugged. "None that I know of," he said. "Of course, I have plans on sleeping tonight and I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me try to." She pouted. "What makes you think I'd keep you up? I like sleeping too, you know," she said pointedly. "Maybe because you'll be awake for another few hours?" he suggested. She blinked. "What makes you say that?" He smiled as he leaned over to kiss her. "Trust me," he said, and rolled back over on his side to sleep. It wasn't five minutes before he was snoring softly, much to Serena's disappointment. "Hmph, like I'll stay awake," she muttered as she stretched out and laid her head on her pillow. She sighed quietly after a few minutes before she realized that her mind was starting to work in small circles as she went over what had happened earlier, both the observation of Ami and Tolaris as well as the shower she had just taken with Darian. Oh, great, she thought darkly. I'll be up, alright, but he has to roll over and conk out just when I want to talk about what happened. She sighed softly and stared at the ceiling tiles. Men, she thought. Go figure. * * * * Leda sighed contently as she finished the last of her oratu steak. "That was excellent," she said as she stood up and started collecting the various plates and utensils. "Oratus usually are, provided you can catch them," Reish'id replied. "How fast can a cow move?" she asked as she carried the dishes into the kitchen and set them in the sink. I'll get them in the morning, she thought as she got a large cup from the clean side of the dishrack. "You'd be surprised," he grumbled. "You wouldn't think that an animal weighing upwards of eight hundred pounds could be so maneuverable." She walked back into the room and nodded. "Ah, so it's more a question of agility than speed, right?" He made a gesture with one hand. "Those armor plates go for a lot, too." She frowned as she sat down. "But with those claws of yours...." "Which is a rather unique power," he interrupted. "The vast majority of my species don't have a claw-strength factor capable of carving up rocks. Not without breaking and making a painful mess, at least," he explained. "So how do they usually drop one of those puppies?" "Their armor is biological, which means it isn't perfect. If you can get a tooth or a claw under a joint at a certain spot, the plates can be torn off quite easily. Problem is, they only have a small number of weak spots, and tiny ones at that." She grinned. "Ooh, a challenge. Is that why your species enjoys hunting them down and turning them into dinner?" "Of course," he said as he preened a spot on his shoulder. "Figures," she said. "Got a question for you." "I'm listening," he said as he started to stretch in place. "What happened to that bottle of blood-wine you had out yesterday?" He thought about it for a moment. "I put it back in the lake." "As I thought," she said with a small smile. "Next question is how cold is that lake?" "Cold enough to give you serious problems if you dipped your hand in it," he replied truthfully. "I still haven't figured out why the water hasn't been frozen like the rest of the ice cavern." "But your fur protects you, right?" "To a limited degree," he said. "It works as long as I reach in and grab what I need without fumbling around. I'd say three seconds before my muscles start to freeze up." "That'll work," she said as she held out the cup. "I want you to do me a favor and go get me a glass of blood-wine since I can't do it myself." He gave her a patient look as he stood up, pointedly ignoring the cup she was offering him. "In that case, I'd say it is time to do a temperature-impact test on your suit," he said. She blinked. "What?" "I want you to follow me into the cavern to see how well the suit protects you against cold," he explained. "Lovely," she said with a faint shiver. "And what if it fails?" He shrugged. "Then I toss you back in the thermal pool like I did the last time you almost froze to death." "Oh, joy," she said, her voice almost dripping with sarcasm. She sighed and stood up. "So where is this ice box?" "Follow me," he said as he led her towards the back of the cave and to an almost invisible stairwell. He started immediately started to walk down the stairs while she paused for a moment at the top. "Yeech, I can feel the chill already," she said. He paused and glanced up at her. "How do you feel?" She snorted. "It's just a cold breeze, furball. Relax." "We'll see," he said as he resumed his downward journey. She sighed to herself and followed him down, muttering something about ice cubes as she went. They weren't halfway down when she noticed her breath starting to steam in the rapidly cooling air. "Getting just a wee bit nippy," she said, causing a small cloud to form around her head. "Nippy?" he asked curiously as he walked. She smirked. "Don't ask me where the word came from, but I think it has to do with the typical female reaction to cold weather," she said as she tucked her unprotected hands under her armpits. He paused and turned back to give her a curious look, two small tendrils of steam rising from his nostrils. "And what might that be?" "Our tits turn into rocks," she said with a smirk. He blinked for a moment before she shrugged. "Okay...." he said slowly before he turned around and resumed his journey. "And would it be safe to assume that the same applies to you right now?" "You'd better believe it," she said as she rubbed at her ears briefly. "Great Zeus, this is getting cold. How do your ears handle the temperature without freezing off? Mine are like ice cubes now." "Very badly," he said sourly. "The fur helps some, but I really wouldn't want to be down here for any great length of time." She blew out her breath and watch tiny ice crystals form on the wall where the warm air met the cold stone. "Well, I'm doing fine except for my hands and head, which are starting to hurt now." He nodded. "Almost there. If you had gloves and a hood available, you probably wouldn't be feeling much of anything." "Except a frozen nose as I try to breathe," she added sourly. He nodded. "There is that," he said as he reached an archway at the bottom of the staircase. "Here we are," he said as he gestured for her to go inside first. She stepped through the archway and stopped suddenly at what she saw, her green eyes going wide. "It's beautiful!" she breathed, her voice echoing slightly throughout the ice cavern. "One of nature's little-seen sights of beauty," he said softly as he came up to stand beside her. "If it wasn't for the cold, I would have spent a great deal of my time down here, just enjoying the view." There was a large crevice somewhere inside the depths of the cavern, which allowed the sunlight to reflect and refract across the massive sheets of ice. The cavern was filled with a splendid soft blue light as the ice seemed to glow from the scattered rays of light. Tremendous icicles hung from the top of the cavern, a result from thousands of years of ice melting one drop at a time only to be refrozen before it could hit the floor. At one end of the cavern they could see the lake, a medium-sized pool of supercooled water that had somehow defied the freezing temperatures to remain in a liquid form. The water was a crystal-clear blue shade, allowing them to see the small rows of bottles submerged at one end of the lake. "Ami would definitely like this," she said after a few moments of silence. "Your vampire friend?" he asked as he walked over to the pool of water. He knelt down and plunged his hand into the still waters. He quickly grasped the bottle he sought and withdrew his hand, shaking the excess water loose as he did so. Leda watched in silence as the ripples from his movements slowly spread across the surface of the lake. She blinked suddenly when she thought she saw one of the ripples move differently than the others. She took a closer look but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Hmm, must've been seeing things, she thought with a mild shiver. Probably the cold killing a few brain cells. "Yeah, that's the one. She seems to have a thing for cold weather and this ice cave would probably appeal to her sense of beauty," she said as she looked around her. "I wouldn't want her to try to wear a skirt in this place, cold-weather loving vampire or no, but still.... she would probably like it." "Interesting," he said. He glanced down at the ice crystals forming on his wet fur and he sighed. "Perhaps it might be wise to return to the warmth of the cave before we start to freeze," he suggested. She took one more look around the cavern before she nodded. "Shame to have to leave this place, but I agree with you on the cold part," she said as she blew her breath out. She heard a soft tinkling sound and blinked when she realized that it was ice crystals from the cloud of steam falling to the floor. "Yeah, time to go," she said. "This way," he said as he led her to the stairwell. They climbed back up to the top in silence, relishing the small increases in temperature as they got further and further away from the ice cavern. "Brr," she said when they got to the top of the staircase and headed back into the living room. "That was one cold ice box." "At least we know the suit works," he said mildly. "Thank goodness for that much, though I really could have used a pair of gloves back there," she said as she rubbed her hands together. She glanced down and made a note of their pale color. "Let me see," he said softly and took her hands in his. "You should be fine," he said as he gently rubbed her fingers. "I know, I've been half-frozen before," she said softly. "Japan gets just as cold as the rest of the planet some times." "But not as cold as that ice cavern, I'll bet," he said, lowering his voice to not much more than a soft rumble in his chest. "True. Umm...." she said hesitantly. "Yes?" "Could I have my hands back?" she asked softly. He smiled softly and released her hands with a soft purr. "Sorry." "No problem, I just sort of need them to hold the cup while I drink since I don't have a tail like yours," she explained as she sat down and got rather comfortable. "A pity," he said softly as he removed the cork and poured some of the dark red liquid into her cup. He replaced the cork in the bottle and set it off to one side before he laid down and stretched out. "Perhaps," she said as she took a sip of the blood-wine. "Mmm, this is good stuff," she said with a small smile. "Thank you." "You're welcome," he said as he rolled over onto his back and stretched all four legs into the air, the claws splaying as the muscles tensed briefly. "I want to ask you something," he said after a moment. "Sure," she said as she took another sip of the wine. "Tell me about your friend, Ken," he asked softly. She sighed heavily and took a large gulp of the blood-wine, ignoring the unpleasant taste of too much of it at once. "Well, what do you want to know?" "Tell me about your friendship," he said as he rolled over on his side to look at her. "Well, we've known each other since we were real little. He was like me in the respect that we were both only children, and I guess we sort of adopted each other as brother and sister," she said quietly. "It was a wonderful friendship. We used to go play at each other's house all the time and our parents got along really well." "You make it sound like that was unusual," he noted softly. She shrugged. "It was, sorta. Dad never was the overly social type and Mom wasn't that much more outgoing herself. They still had friends, of course, but weren't the social-type of people that most adults their age were. So it was a bit of a surprise to everyone that they were so openly friendly with Ken and his parents." "So what did the two of you do together?" he asked. "Not a whole lot, really," she said as she sipped her wine. "We mostly just sat around and talked about things. Sometimes it was just grade-school gossip, sometimes we'd talk about stuff we heard on the news or heard our parents talking about. It was kind of fun, in a way. It got better when Mom got me hooked on cooking and I would often bring cookies or something like that with me when I went over to his house to talk." He tilted his head at an odd angle. "If I may ask, how did you feel about him? I mean, what were your feelings for him when you two talked?" She shrugged. "You could say I loved him. Not in the same way that I did with Jenni, but like I said, he was like a brother to me. Always there when I needed someone to talk to, or an occasional shoulder to cry on when things went bad." "And you were the same way for him?" he asked softly. She smiled at a memory. "Of course. I don't think he ever cried on my shoulder or anything, but there were times when he needed someone to talk to instead of the other way around." She laughed softly. "I was even around one day to save his life when one of your energy-stealing monsters dropped into town for an unwelcome visit. Boy, I had fun turning that lion's butt into so much dust...." she said as she stared off into space and sipped her wine. "I had a bit of a problem breathing after that 'cuz I had donated some of my blood to save Ken, but it was well worth it...." She felt his tail coil around her wrist comfortingly as her mood visibly changed. "It wasn't that long ago, either...." she said distantly. "It was after we destroyed Queen Beryl, so it had to have been one of General Rune's ideas. What was it, four months ago that I saved his life?" She shook her head. "Seems like only yesterday.... And now.... now...." He reached out to her as the tears started falling again. She set the cup aside before she accidentally spilled it and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight as she started crying once more. "All that pain and effort to save his life," she sobbed quietly, "And he has to die in something as simplistic as a train wreck a mere four months later...." He held her close while she cried, one hand gently rubbing across her back in a gesture of comfort. "Accidents happen, Leda," he said softly. "I should have been there," she said quietly. "I should have been there when he needed me...." He nuzzled her ear for a moment. "Leda, you can only do so much for someone. It was an accident, which meant that nothing could have been done to prevent it." "But I don't know that," she sniffed, "I wasn't there...." He sighed softly and rested his head against hers. "Leda, believe me when I say that some things can't be helped. I have lived for over three thousand years, and even though some parts of the past still hurt, I have learned to live with the realization that I couldn't have done anything. That's something you're going to have to learn to realize and accept," he said softly. "But...." "But what? What could you have done to prevent the accident?" She sobbed quietly and rested her head against his shoulder, her body still shaking lightly from her emotions. "I don't know...." she said after a few minutes of silence. "Then how can you blame yourself?" he said softly as he stroked the back of her neck. "Part of life is learning to deal with the pain and sorrow that such instances bring about, Leda. You can't blame yourself for something that no one had any control over," he said as he continued to comfort her. She eventually calmed down and stopped crying. "Why does it always have to be accidents when I'm not there?" she asked softly as she leaned against him. "I mean, it feels like I should have been with my parents on that plane. Or I should have walked Jenni home that one night. Or should have been there with Ken...." "And then where would you be?" he asked softly. She buried her face in his shoulder in response and he stroked her neck. "See what I mean?" "It's not fair...." she said. "Life is never fair, Leda, you know that," he replied. "Yeah, I do...." she sighed. "But I still don't like it." "Few of us do," he said as he softly nuzzled her. She sighed softly as the gesture brought her a measure of comfort that she found that she badly needed. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For what?" he inquired. "For everything. For saving my life, for keeping me safe in your cave, for letting me cry on your shoulder, and just for being a friend," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He returned the embrace and held her like that for several minutes, his tail slowly brushing back and forth across the back of her hand. She sighed and let the warm feeling of his fur on her exposed skin calm her down enough for her to start to become sleepy. "What time is it?" she asked softly. "Probably an hour or two past sundown," he replied. "Mmm," she said quietly. "I think I need to go to bed now." "Are you going to finish your blood-wine?" he asked as his tail wrapped around the base of the cup and held it up to her. She leaned back and gave the cup a measured look. "I drank that much?" He looked into the cup and noticed that it was almost empty. "It would seem like it," he said. "I take it you didn't plan on drinking quite so much of it?" "Not really, given how much alcohol is in that," she said. She glanced in the cup again and sighed. "Might as well finish it off," she said as she took the cup from his grasp and downed it in one small gulp. He gently took the cup from her grasp and set it on the floor. Her eyes went wide as the cup started to float up into the air and drift off towards the kitchen. "That's spooky," she said, still slightly wide-eyed from his use of his telekinetic powers. He shrugged. "It's convenient sometimes," he said. "I'll bet," she said as she stood up and stretched. She suddenly grunted as something popped in her lower back. "Ow, that hurt." "No doubt, since I could hear that from here," he replied with a small frown. An idea crossed his mind and he looked up at her. "Would you care for another backrub?" She grinned at him. "Isn't it a little late in the evening for those?" He blinked. "For what, a backrub?" "No, for stupid questions," she said as she reached down to rub his ears. "Of course I'd love a backrub, 'specially after seeing how good you were with the one you gave me last night." She paused and looked at him curiously. "Was it last night? I'm having a bit of trouble keeping track of time here." "It was last night," he confirmed as he stood up and led her over to the pile of furs in front of the burning fireplace. "Now you know how I feel after a few years of being alone." "I know the feeling," she said softly as she knelt down on a large askiri pelt. "I've been living alone since my parents died." "But you've had company since then, right?" he asked. She nodded as she unzipped the front of her suit. "Yeah, kinda. I mean, Jenni and I spent a great deal of time together there, mostly on the weekends, and I've had some of the other Scouts crash for a night, but those were all temporary." He sat back and watched as she wriggled out of the suit. "Are you sure that you can get in and out of that suit comfortably?" he asked. "Sure," she said with a small grunt. "Trust me, if I can fit into a gold bikini that's two sizes too small without doing any damage, I can fit into a tailor-made suit without any sort of problem." "That should have been interesting," he commented. "It was, up until the point where Mina made me sneeze," she said dourly as she finished sliding out of the suit. She folded it up neatly and set it off to one side before she laid down and got comfortable. "What happened then?" he inquired as he cracked his knuckles. She sighed. "Let's just say that she got to see more than I had wanted to have showing," she said darkly. She blinked and closed her eyes as she felt his hand slowly rubbing across her back. "Ooooooooh," she said softly. "Which muscle popped?" he asked. "Dunno, something right around here," she said as she reached behind her and rubbed a small area along her lower back. She felt his hands slide down to work on the area and she felt a small pressure build in her back. "Umm...." "I know, I'm working on it," he said softly. He probed the area for a bit before he found the kinked muscle. "Umm, this may hurt for a moment...." "One of those kinks?" she asked, having a great deal of experience in the matter of kinked muscles from her relationship with Jenni. She had them in the weirdest places, too, she thought. Go figure. "Unfortunately," he said as he positioned his hands. "Ready?" "Yeah, go ahead before I change my mind," she said as she steeled herself against the expected sudden pressure and pain. He pressed down and twisted at the same time, causing the muscle to momentarily tighten up even more before it forcibly relaxed itself with a sharp pop. "Aii!" she squealed as her eyes widened. The pain quickly faded to a dull ache, and that left her body as Reish'id continued to gently work the muscle. "Oh, yeah, that's muuuuuuch better," she cooed as she closed her eyes. "Do me a favor and don't put me to sleep yet. I wanna enjoy this for awhile." "Of course," he said mildly as he worked. He continued to work on the muscles to her back and shoulders, his attentions occasionally eliciting a soft moan from her. "Tell me, is there anything else that bothers you, aside from that one spot on your back?" he asked softly. She purred to herself for a moment before answering. "Mmm, depends on how much work you feel like doing." One of his ears twitched as he carefully massaged the tension out of the muscles on the base of her neck. "I'm listening," he said cautiously. "How good are you at full-body?" she said lazily. He considered the thought for a moment. "I am a little out of practice," he said slowly. "About as out of practice as when you gave me that massage last night?" "Well, yes...." he admitted. "Trust me, I don't forsee any problem then," she said with a smile. He growled softly. "Very well...." he said as he leaned over her to work on the muscles in her arms. The combination of his hands on her muscles and his fur brushing across her back gave Leda a mild feeling of comfort and pleasure. In another time and place, she thought, I could definitely get used to this. She felt his tail coil around her wrist and she sighed softly in contentment. Then again, who's to say I haven't already? "Problem?" he asked softly as she made an odd noise. "Nothing," she said. "Are you sure?" he said as he leaned across her back to nuzzle her ear. She shivered lightly at the contact. "Yeah, I'm sure," she replied. "I'm not convinced," he said softly as he nuzzled the back of her neck. He brushed his tongue across her skin and she made an almost inaudible sound. "Hey, now...." she said softly. "Forgive me, it was an impulse," he purred softly as he resumed massaging her shoulder muscles. "I'll bet," she replied softly, enjoying the feeling of his hands slowly rubbing the tension out of her shoulders. "You seem to have that 'impulse' an awful lot." He said nothing as he slowly worked his way down her arm to her wrist and back up to her shoulder. "I take it you exercise somewhat frequently?" he asked as he noted the way her muscles were developing. "Yeah, sort of. Luna keeps running us through these exercise programs to help keep us fit. It's a pain most days, but it does have its moments." "Not to mention its advantages," he said as he gently squeezed her arm. "Yeah, those too," she sighed. "Although there have been days where I would have been willing to trade those advantages for a few moment's worth of protective armor. All the muscle flexibility in the world doesn't mean squat when you've got ten thousand free-flying crystal shards headed towards you with your name on them." "Mmm, I thought I had heard something about a few 'campers' wandering into a secret weapons testing area. That wouldn't have happened to have been you and General Rune's new prototype crystal fragmentation grenade, would it?" he asked curiously. "Unfortunately. I've still got a scar from that. See?" she said as she pointed to a faint line on her leg. "I was wondering what that was from," he said as his hands slid down her body to start massaging her leg muscles. "You have nice legs, Leda." "The better to kick the tar out of whatever pisses me off. Ooooooh, that feels good," she cooed. He purred softly to himself as he worked his way up and down her legs, carefully massaging each muscle into a state of relaxation. "And what about this scar?" he asked softly as he lightly traced the outline with a claw. "Mmm, lemme think.... Oh, that," she said with a shudder. "What?" he asked as he rubbed her leg soothingly. "Just our last and fortunately final encounter with General Malachite," she said with a heavy sigh. "That punk cut us up pretty good with those razor boomerangs he had. Those took awhile to heal, too." "I can imagine," he said softly. "Did a number on Venus, too. I'm surprised she was able to walk after what had happened to her ankle. But then again, we always did manage to heal whatever damage we received," she said with a shrug. She sighed softly as his hands worked up her thighs and across her buttocks. "Mmm, that tickles, sort of," she said as she involuntarily squirmed under his touch. "Sorry," he said as he worked his way back up to her back, wondering if he wanted to ask her to flip over so he could continue his work. She did ask for a full-body massage, he thought. However.... He looked up as she twisted her head to one side to look at him. "Yes?" "I know what you're thinking," she said softly. "Oh?" he said neutrally while he rubbed the back of her neck. "You're debating on whether or not you want to ask me to flip over so you can continue your work," she said. She smiled when he blinked involuntarily at her words. "Well?" she prompted. "How did you know?" he said simply. She shrugged and laid her head back down on her arms. "Well, you just finished with everything on my back and that just leaves the front. It's what I would be thinking right about now if I was doing a full-body," she added. "True," he conceded. "So what'cha going to decide?" she said impishly. "It depends on what kind of cooperation I can get from you," he replied. She thought over the matter for a moment. "Only if you agree to keep it to a professional level," she said finally. He nodded and nuzzled the back of her neck for a moment. "Agreed." She sighed softly as she rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms out by her sides. "Just don't make me regret this, okay? I haven't had a good full-body in a long time and I don't want anything to spoil it." "You can trust me," he said softly as his tail came up to brush lightly against her face. She blinked before she closed her eyes at the contact. "Umm...." "I can't quite do facial massages effectively," he explained. "Best I can do since my hands weren't quite built for that kind of manuevering." "Okay...." she said softly as his tail gently brushed across the contours of her face. "You are very beautiful," he said softly as he started to massage the base of her throat. "Mmm, I'll bet you say that to all the girls you have in your cave," she replied softly. "Not true," he said as he worked outwards to her shoulders, his tail still gently brushing across her face and slowly down towards her throat. She sighed softly as his tail brushed across her lips, feeling to her like an ethereal kiss. "I wonder," she whispered. "What do you wonder?" he asked softly as he started massaging the front of her arms. His tail brushed across the side of her face to slowly rub the edges of her ears, eliciting a gentle sound from her. "I wonder a lot of things," she said. "I wonder how I got myself into this mess in the first place, I wonder how I let you talk me into rolling over for the rest of the massage, and I wonder why your fur feels so good against my skin all of a sudden." He purred softly as he gently worked on relaxing the muscles attached to her elbow joints. "The first you should already know the answer to, the second is because you like the feeling, and the third is beyond me," he replied. "Perhaps," she breathed as his tail brushed across her throat again. He slowly worked his way down to her wrists, gently relaxing each muscle as he went. Once that was finished, he quickly worked his way back up to her throat and slowly began to work downward. "Professional," she said softly when his hands started working on the tops of her breasts. "Will you trust me?" he said, equally as soft. "Do I have a choice?" she said with a faint smile. He paused his work. "Of course you do." "Perhaps. Keep working, just be careful," she said quietly. "Always," he said as he carefully worked his way across her chest. He gently massaged her chest muscles before sliding down and carefully working on her breasts, making sure he didn't rub anything too hard. "Mmm," she purred when she found his touch to be more relaxing than it was stimulating. "That feels nice...." "I told you I would keep it professional," he said softly as he continued to work his way lower. He started massaging her stomach muscles and she sighed softly at the soothing feeling. "Speaking from a professional standpoint," she said slowly, "What do you plan on doing when you hit bush country?" "Standard policy was to avoid the groin entirely," he said softly. "It was a rather sensitive issue in school and rather than debate the ethics of it, they just decided that it was off-limits in professional circles." "Makes sense," she said as he continued to work lower. "Why do you ask?" "Just wondering...." she replied lightly. He purred softly. "Trust me," he said as his hands slid across her waist to the tops of her thighs. She sighed and relaxed, concentrating on the sensation of his fingers slowly and methodically working the last bit of tension out of her legs. She sighed again as he reached her ankles and began to quickly work his way back up towards her throat. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked quietly as he paused long enough to massage her breasts again for a few moments. Don't stop that, she thought silently. "I'm not sure there is any more you can do," she said. "That was one of the better full-bodies I've gotten in a long time." She shivered lightly as he leaned across her to let his whiskers brush against her ear. "There is always more," he purred softly. "Not necessarily from a professional standpoint, true, but there is always more...." "Like what?" she said, not entirely sure she wanted to know but asking anyway to satisfy her suddenly burning curiosity. "Area covered, for example," he said softly. "Or length of time spent on each muscle group. Or massage method...." he trailed off with a soft growl. "Massage method?" she echoed. "You mean technique?" "Technique, yes, but also the means of the massage." She paused, not entirely sure what he meant. "What do you mean by the means of the massage?" she said, her voice a bare whisper. "There are several ways to do a massage," he explained. "One is like this," he said as he briefly massaged the base of her throat with his hands. "Or like this," he said as his tail replaced his hands and gently rubbed her throat. "Or this," he whispered as he bent his head down and slowly brushed his tongue across her throat. Leda shivered lightly and looked up at him as she fathomed his meaning. "I see...." she said, her voice wavering slightly. His tail slowly brushed across her throat. "As I said before, there is always more if you want it," he purred softly in her ear. She closed her eyes and suppressed the sudden urge to whimper. "Can.... can I get back to you later on that? I want to think about things first," she said softly. He smiled gently. "Of course," he said as he briefly ran his tongue along the length of her throat once before he straightened up. He reached over to the side and drew another askiri pelt over her, gently tucking it in around her body. "I'll be here if you ever decide anything," he said softly as he laid down a few feet from her and rolled over onto his side to sleep. It wasn't a full five minutes before he was peacefully sleeping, snoring softly like a rusty but quiet piece of old machinery. What do you do when your body wants to say yes but your mind says maybe? she thought as she sighed softly and snuggled deeper into the pelt to try to rest. Does he really care for me or does he just want my body? What does he really feel for me? And what is with this tongue business? She sighed again when she realized that it would be awhile before she knew the answers to her questions. Why is it that falling in love with Jenni wasn't this difficult? she thought before the effects of the full-body massage started to shut her brain down and she dozed off. * * * * She knew it immediately when she woke up in the middle of the night. Oh, just great, she thought with a soft sigh. It's probably not even two in the morning, and my body suddenly decides it's time to get up for some reason, she thought as she sat up. She blinked as she realized one of her problems. Okay, so maybe I have a good reason for being up all of a sudden, she grumbled as she stood up and took a step. She hissed and quickly jumped back on the fur pelt as the cold stone floor sent a shock through her bare foot. Almost as bad as those American 'redneck' jokes, she thought as she looked for her suit. You might have a problem if going to the can at night requires a cat suit just to walk thirty feet down the hall, she thought as she found the suit. She only drew it up to her waist, knowing she would just have to take it off again once she reached her destination. Why me? she thought darkly as she silently headed off towards the stone bathroom. She took care of her business in a timely fashion and made her way back to the pile of fur pelts, mentally cursing the cold temperature the entire time. I could feel that through the fur toilet seat, she mentally grumbled as she sat down and slid out of her suit. This is a nice place and all, but I can't wait until I get back to regular plumbing and decent toilet paper. She moved next to the fire and tossed another pair of logs into the small blaze. That should keep for the rest of the night, she thought as she went back over to her fur pelt and laid down. She sighed heavily when she realized that sleep wouldn't be forthcoming anytime soon. Lovely, she thought. It's bad enough I can't figure out what's going on inside my noodle, but to have it keep me from getting sleep is really getting on my nerves. She sighed again as she flipped over onto her side to stare into the fire. I wonder what Rei sees inside the fire sometimes, she thought. Is that where she gets her emotional calmness from? Does it help ease her thoughts at night so she can sleep like the rest of us? She almost jumped as she felt something soft and fuzzy coil around her wrist. She sighed and rolled onto her back, her free hand absently coming up to gently stroke the furry tail. "What's bothering you?" she heard his voice ask from the relative darkness of the cave. She turned to look but couldn't find his dark form among the sea of shadows thrown across the cave by the fireplace. "I wish I knew," she replied softly. "Would you care to try to talk about it?" he rumbled softly. "I'm not sure what to talk about," she admitted as she looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, I think I know what the questions are, but I have no clue as to how to get the answers." "Ask your questions, then," he said softly. She sighed quietly. "What do you want from me?" she said. "I believe you asked me that before and I answered to the best of my ability," he said softly from within the darkness. "Well.... That's not quite what I wanted to ask," she said. "I guess the real question is, what am I willing to give you if you ask?" She heard a soft growl from a corner as he rolled over, becoming visible in the light of the fireplace. "So it is the introspective questions tonight, is it?" he asked softly as he opened his eyes to look at her, his fur almost brushing against her skin. "Yeah, and I got a whole boatload of 'em, too. It's getting to the point where it won't let me sleep much anymore," she said softly. "What other questions do you have?" He noticed the way she hesitated and he softly added, "I can't help you answer a question I don't know. There is no dishonor or shame in admitting uncertainty in understanding your emotions." "I don't know what I feel for you," she said softly. "Or why I feel so strange when you touch me. Or how I would ultimately react if you made any serious move on me. Questions like that." "Some questions can only be answered by making an active attempt to get results," he said softly as his tail slid across her arm to brush against her throat. "Like how you feel when I touch you. Have you tried just letting me touch you and let your mind take it from there?" "Well, of course...." "Or has your mind been preoccupied with other matters?" She blinked. "What do you mean?" "Concern over being accidentally tickled, perhaps, or trying to cope with feelings of loss and sadness," he said softly. "Have you ever sat down and tried to think about my touch just for the sake of being touched?" She closed her eyes as she thought about it. "No, I haven't," she said. "Would you like to try that now?" he suggested softly. "Just lay back and let me touch your skin without any other concerns in your mind?" "Would that work? I mean, only thinking about your touch?" He shrugged as his tail brushed against her throat again. "It appears that there is only one way to find out," he said softly. "Will you let me touch you, Leda?" She thought about the idea. It feels so relaxing when he touches me, yet it feels as though there's more to it than that.... "What do you plan to do?" she asked softly. "Just use my fingers and tail on your skin here," he said as his tail brushed across the part of her body where her neck and throat met her upper chest. "All you have to do is relax and let your body react naturally." She nodded and leaned back as she closed her eyes. She felt his tail start to lightly brush across her skin and she unconsciously sighed at the feeling. "How does that feel to you?" he whispered in her ear. "It's calm and relaxing," she replied softly. "Like the touch of the feather Jenni used on me that one night...." "And this?" he asked as his fingertips trailed along the curves of her neck, lightly brushing across the skin. "The same feeling," she said. "I.... I like it...." "And this?" he murmured as he brushed his cheek against hers, causing her to make a soft sound. "It's slightly ticklish, but in a good way.... Not quite enough to make my nerves tingle...." "And do you like that feeling as well?" he asked softly. "Yes...." she breathed. He growled softly as he brushed her throat with his tail for a moment before he bent his head down to brush his tongue across her neck. "And how does this feel to you?" he said softly as her breath caught in her throat. "It's.... like sandpaper.... but it's.... nice...." she said softly. "Do you like it?" "I.... yes...." "Do you wish me to stop?" he purred softly as he continued to brush his tongue across the softness of her throat. "N-no...." she sighed. "Tell me what it makes you feel inside." "It's.... a warm feeling.... like when Jenni would hug me...." "Does it bring you happiness?" "I.... don't know...." "What emotions does it bring you?" he asked softly as his tail coiled around her wrist as he continued to gently brush her throat with his tongue. "It's.... relaxing and stimulating at the same time...." "It arouses you?" "A little...." He paused his motions for a moment while he thought. "Is that a good or a bad thing right now?" "I don't care right now.... It just feels good...." she replied softly. "Leda," he said softly, "What would you do if you became aroused?" "I.... don't know right now," she breathed. "Do you want to find out?" he said, his voice a bare whisper. Her eyes opened slightly to look at him. "I.... I'm not sure," she said hesitantly. "Part of me wants to know, but part of me isn't sure about it." He thought about something for a moment. "Tell me, do you remember what we talked about earlier when I said there was always more to a massage if you cared to ask?" She nodded. "Yes, I do." "I want to try an experiment, Leda," he said softly. "I want to resume the massage again, but this time I want you to tell me what you want me to do. Do you think that would work?" "I.... I don't know...." "Would you care to try?" he said quietly. She closed her eyes and thought it over. If nothing else, she thought, another massage just might be enought to put me to sleep. "I think I can manage to suffer through another massage," she said with a faint grin as she started to roll over. She paused when she felt his hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down onto her back. "I want to start here," he said softly as his tail came up to brush across the soft lines of her face. "I'm going to do exactly what I did the last time, only I want you to tell me what you want me to do differently." "Okay...." she sighed as his tail slowly brushed across her face, the tip lightly tracing a random pattern as it moved. Her sigh deepened as she felt his hands on her shoulders, slowly reworking the muscles as he had done a few hours before. "Do that again?" she asked as his tail lightly brushed across her lips. He repeated the movement and she sighed softly at the feathery feeling. "That feels good...." He allowed his tail to keep her lips occupied while he slowly worked his way down her arms, teasing each muscle into going limp with relaxation. He reached her wrists and paused as she made a soft sound. "Can you work the finger joints?" she asked softly. "I can try," he replied just as softly. "Please let me know the instant things get even remotely uncomfortable for you, since I've never really done that sort of small-scale massage before." "Just try," she whispered, making a soft sound as his tail continued to brush across her lips like an ethereal feather. He purred briefly in response as he carefully begain to manipulate the tiny joints in her fingers. Perhaps.... he thought as he focused his mind and started to use his telekinetic powers. He quickly discovered that it was far easier to work the tiny muscles if he used his mind in conjunction with his somewhat stubby fingers than if he relied on his fingers alone. "That feels wonderful...." she breathed softly as he worked on her hands. She gasped slightly as he carefully twisted a muscle slightly and the joint made a soft popping noise. "Mmmm...." "That feels good to you?" he asked softly. "Yes," she said. "It's more relaxing than you would think." He said nothing as he methodically popped her joints one by one, taking his time to make sure he did it correctly and didn't hurt her in the process. He purred softly when she reached up with her other hand and gently tugged his tail down to her throat. She whimpered quietly when he leaned across her body to start working on the joints to her other hand. "Your fur feels good that way," she said softly as his tail slowly moved back and forth across her neck. He silently resumed his work, using his telekinetic powers to assist him as he slowly popped each joint in her hand. Once that was finished, he slowly worked his way back up along her arms to her shoulders. He started to gently work his way down the top of her chest but paused when she made a soft sound and said something too softly for him to hear. "What was that?" he asked softly as he bent his head down to better hear her quiet response. "Slowly," she repeated slightly louder, her voice still no more than a bare whisper on her lips. "Of course," he replied as his tail came up to brush across her lips once more before returning to her throat. He slowly started to work his way down her chest, paying much more attention to each individual muscle than he had the first time. She moaned faintly at his touch, enjoying the feeling of relaxation as his hands gently worked the muscles. She felt time slow to a crawl as he worked his way lower, inch by inch, gently rubbing the tender skin as he massaged the mass of muscle beneath. "Gently," she breathed almost silently as she felt his fingertips glide across the tops of her breasts. "Slowly and gently." She sighed as his touch became impossibly light, barely seeming to brush her skin as he worked. The feeling was every bit as relaxing as before, but she also found the sensation to be slightly more stimulating. He gently massaged her breasts for a few minutes before he started to work lower. He blinked as her hands came up to brush against his. "Don't stop just yet," she said softly. He growled quietly as his hands came back up to massage her breasts some more, still using the feather-light touch he was using earlier. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked quietly as he worked. "Press a little harder," she whispered. She moaned quietly when he did so and the increased pressure added to the feeling of stimulation. She noticed after a few minutes that he was slowly working in small circles as he tried to avoid brushing against a certain part of her. Her hands came up and gently guided his fingertips over to her nipples. He began to brush his fingers over them and they slowly hardened, sending small shocks of arousal through her body. "There," she whimpered as she felt the first tendrils of desire start to work their way into her bloodstream. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked softly as he continued to gently tease her nipples. She moaned quietly in response and he growled in return, carefully massaging her breasts for a few minutes before he resumed his slow journey downward. She whimpered and stirred slightly as he carefully kneaded the flesh and muscle of her abdomen, spending several minutes on the task. He continued to work lower and in due course reached the tops of her thighs. "Reish'id...." she said softly. "Yes?" he said as he continued his work. He blinked as he felt her hands touch his and slowly guide them up to the mass of auburn curls. "Here," she whispered. "Are you sure?" he said softly. "Gently," she said as one hand brushed against his while the other came up to stroke the furry tail still brushing across her throat. He nodded once and carefully began to massage her groin muscles through the small patch of her pubic hair. He paused momentarily as she stiffened and started to whimper at his touch. "Leda...." "Don't stop...." she breathed as her hand continued to stroke the soft fur of his tail. "Slowly, but don't stop." His breath rumbled silently in his chest as he resumed his work, carefully working the tender muscles beneath his fingertips. She started to moan and tremble slightly as his touch sent new tendrils of desire and arousal coursing through her bloodstream. "Does it tickle?" he said softly as he worked in slow circles. "N-no...." she breathed. "It's much better than that...." "I see," he said quietly. He continued to massage her groin muscles for a few minutes before he carefully worked his hands downward to work on her thigh muscles. He was only remotely surprised when she didn't ask him to continue massaging her there, causing him to consider the possible meanings. He quietly worked his way down to her ankles, giving careful attention to each muscle in turn. He carefully worked the joints in her ankles for a few moments before he started his slow journey back up towards her throat. She moaned quietly as his hands briefly passed over her sheath as they continued to move upwards. Her moan grew slightly louder as he gently rubbed her breasts once more, his fingers briefly teasing her nipples before they finally slid up to her throat and massaged her collarbone. She gently pulled his tail away from her throat before she reached up and pulled him down to her, burying his head in her shoulder as she started to rub at the base of his ears. "Thank you," she whispered softly in his ear. He purred softly, causing her to make a soft noise as she felt the rumble in his throat as it pressed against hers. "Are you sure that is all you want?" he asked softly. "There is always more, if you care to ask." She sighed softly in contentment as she continued to rub his ears, causing him to make the strange chainsaw-purr sound once again. His chest vibrated against hers as he did so, causing his fur to rub against her nipples. "Oooh," she breathed. "Don't stop doing that...." He managed to growl softly and to continue purring at the same time as he turned his head to one side to brush his tongue across her throat. She made a soft whimpering noise as she held him tighter, enjoying the sensation. She began to rub his ears slowly, her fingers pressing hard against him as she worked. He continued to growl and purr softly as the sensation of her rubbing his ears started to arouse him. His tongue continued to slowly paint broad strokes across the softness of her throat, causing her to whimper in reply. She sighed as the feelings of arousal continued to build in her. She made a soft moaning sound as she gently pulled his head closer to her and downward at the same time. She then gasped as she felt his tongue slide across her skin to brush across her hardened nipples. "Please don't stop doing that...." she whispered as she felt her blood turn into fire with passion and pleasure. Her hands moved of their own will, rubbing the base of his ears with a gentle but firm pressure. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him growl in a different tone and gently pull away from her. "Please don't stop now...." she said softly. "If I don't stop now, Leda," he growled softly in her ear, "Then I will have no choice but to make love to you...." "Don't stop...." she said, her voice a bare whisper. He growled quietly as he nuzzled her ear. "Leda...." She opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes slightly glazed over from the burning desire in her blood. "Don't stop," she repeated slowly. "Try to hold off as long as you can, but don't stop," she whispered as she tilted her head up and kissed him. He growled in return as the feeling of her lips pressing against his triggered a reaction in his own bloodstream. He let the feelings of arousal take control as he did his best to kiss her back, learning after a few seconds how that was best accomplished. She whimpered at the sudden increase in the intensity of his reactions. He continued to tease her nipples with his tongue for a few minutes before he slowly and carefully shifted positions. She suddenly stiffened as she felt him brush against her. "Reish'id...." she whispered, her voice wavering slightly and her body starting to tremble with the realization of what was about to occur. "What is it?" he growled softly as he noticed her sudden reaction. "Just.... be gentle," she whispered as she closed her eyes and kissed him again. She sighed as she felt his tongue brush hard across her throat for a moment before he moved slightly. He froze as she cried out. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly as he started to move back. He blinked in pain as she suddenly grabbed his ears in a death-grip, her eyes wide and her breath caught in her throat. She slowly exhaled and blinked slowly. "Don't move...." she whispered. She began to breathe normally again after a few seconds had passed and she was able to adjust to the sensation. "Are you alright?" he asked again. She blinked and looked into his eyes and saw how his purple irises were wide enough to block out most of the yellow coloring in his eyes. "Reish'id, you have no idea how wonderful this feels," she whispered as she closed her eyes and relaxed her grip on his ears. "It just.... took me by surprise." He purred softly and nuzzled her neck. "I understand," he said as he moved slowly again. He blinked as she clamped onto his ears with a painful grip again. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked slowly. "Oh, yes...." she breathed. "Why?" "Can you let go of my ears now?" he said, acutely aware of the waves of pain that were rippling down his spine. "Sorry...." she apologized as she released her hold. He shook his head rapidly to clear his ears. "Perhaps you don't quite realize just how painful that is...." He blinked as she reached up and laid her finger over his lips. "I don't mean to be rude here," she said softly, "But can we talk about this later?" Had anyone ever asked him, Reish'id would have openly confessed to not being the most intelligent of life-forms to have ever walked across the plains of the Negaverse. However, even he was able to grasp the concept that, while there were times to talk about things, this certainly wasn't one of them. He growled softly in response as he started to move in a slow and gentle rhythm. It wasn't very long before he discovered that he wasn't able to talk, even if the impulse had somehow managed to cross his mind. Had anyone ever asked him, he would have said he didn't care, either. * * * * He opened his eyes to look at her as she sighed quietly for the fifth time in as many minutes. She had her back to him and he carefully stroked the back of her neck as his tail arched around to coil around her elbow. "Is everything alright?" he asked softly. "Of course," she said distantly. He blinked and frowned as he heard the flatness in her voice. "Are you sure about that, Leda?" he asked softly as he wrapped his arm around her bare waist and gently pulled her to him. "Of course I'm sure," she said, her voice still oddly flat. "I'm not convinced," he said quietly. "What's bothering you?" "Nothing." She blinked as she felt his hand pressing on her shoulder, gently forcing her onto her back. She glanced up to see a guarded look in his purple cat-like eyes. "I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" he asked The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "No, you didn't. Trust me, it felt wonderful." "Then why are you upset?" he asked softly as he studied her face. She sighed and closed her eyes. "It's nothing." Her eyes snapped open as she felt his claws splay and start to press into her skin. "Talk to me, Leda," he said quietly with a soft edge to his voice. "I gave you what you wanted, Reish'id. Isn't that enough?" she replied. He blinked and rolled over onto his feet. "What do you mean?" She sighed. "You wanted to take me to bed, right? Well, I guess I just let you do that. Not that it was anything difficult. You're only, what, the fourth person to seduce me within a year?" she said bitterly. "So I guess I'm just an easy lay for anyone with the right moves." He blinked again. "Leda...." She sighed and rolled over onto her side again. "Leave me alone," she said softly. "Is that it?" he asked mildly. She said nothing and he sighed quietly. "Leda, do you honestly mean to tell me you think that all I wanted from the time we first met was to have sex with you?" "The thought had crossed my mind...." She blinked as he rolled her over onto her back again and glared at her. "That wasn't it," he said darkly. "Honestly, Leda, are you telling me that all you felt an hour ago was just the pleasure from making love?" She gave him a measured look. "And what did you feel?" "Just what we were doing: making love," he replied. She blinked. "You just lost me." He sighed quietly and nuzzled her throat. "Leda, I love you," he said softly in her ear. He sat back on his haunches as she suddenly sat up and looked at him with wide green eyes. "I had feelings for you before we made love, but that all changed in that moment," he said quietly. "I suddenly understood just what love was, and that I love you. I've never felt this way before, and it feels just like what you told me about your feelings between you and your friend Jenni." She felt something inside her chest squish at his words. "Reish'id...." "It was more than just sex to me, Leda. We were sharing more than our bodies, we were sharing our souls," he said quietly. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sudden sensations as her body started telling her something was wrong with her heart muscle. "You.... you really mean that, don't you?" His tail coiled around her wrist as he tilted her head up. He waited until she opened her eyes to look at him before he nodded. "I do, Leda. I love you," he said softly. She felt the tears forming in her eyes as her chest seemed to catch fire. "Reish'id.... I'm not sure.... I feel the same way for you...." she said very quietly. He slowly leaned forward to brush his tongue across her throat. "You said yourself that love doesn't have to work both ways," he said softly. "All I want from you now is for you to let me continue to love you." She felt her heart melt in her chest as she wrapped her arms around his head and leaned back, pulling him down on top of her. "I.... don't know what to say...." "Then say nothing for now," he replied softly as he got comfortable and slowly started to nuzzle her neck. "Just let me enjoy my feelings for you and the rest will take care of itself." She closed her eyes and let the tears start to fall of their own accord. Why? she thought silently to herself, Why am I falling in love with him? She sighed as she felt the roughness of his tongue sliding across her throat. And why is it I can't seem to tell him how I feel? She thought back to the strange feelings she had felt just an hour ago. Did making love really change things between us? Granted things simply can't get more intimate than that, but what exactly was I feeling...? And most of all, why? She sighed softly as she absently reached up and started to scratch his ears. She blinked as the sound of his chainsaw-purr rumbled through his chest and against hers. Now why am I doing this? she wondered as she continued to scratch his ears. What am I thinking? Does it matter? She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Reish'id," she said softly. His ears rotated like miniature radars for a brief moment before his head came up to look into her eyes. "Yes?" "Did making love really change your perspective on what love is?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded slowly. "With you and the emotions I felt, yes." "Mmm," she said slowly as she glanced down at the askiri pelt. He blinked, a small tendril of unease crawling down his back. "What?" She looked back up at him with an odd look in her green eyes. The light from the fireplace cast a strange shadow on her face, rendering her expression rather unreadable. "I just was wondering...." her voice faltered. His tail coiled around her wrist as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "What were you wondering, Leda?" he asked softly. "Would.... would you make love to me again?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He blinked and tilted his head at an odd angle, much like a bird. "If I may inquire...." he said slowly. She reached up and stilled his lips with a finger. "Don't." He grunted softly. "Very well," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck. She sighed as she closed her eyes at the thought of making love again. Well, I'm still quite satisfied from the last time, so now that my body is happy, I can listen to what my soul has to say about this.... It wasn't long before she heard her soul start to talk about Reish'id and the sudden sensation of pleasure he was sharing with her.... * * * * General Rune grunted softly as she rolled over and sat up in her bed. She cast a dark glare at the softly glowing clock on her nightstand and she grunted again. "This had better be good, Moirah," she said sleepily. The aquamorph nodded her head. "I assure you it is, General," she said as she held up three pieces of paper. "High-priority flash traffic from the comm center that requires your acknowledgement." Rune grunted again and accepted the first piece of paper. She managed to read the spidery text in the dim light of her room and sighed. "Three months, is it? She moves fast for a woman of her age." Moirah shivered. "They say she is immortal...." Rune waved a hand. "So she has an unholy lifespan. I know all about the 'immortals' with their seemingly endless lifespans. I also know that if you blast their heart out the other side, they die just as easily and as messily as anyone else would." The aquamorph raised a slender eyebrow. "The voice of experience?" she ventured hesitantly. "Of course. Tell the communications officer that I'll have a sufficiently worthy reception ready for her and her soldiers when they arrive," Rune said with a distainful glance at the message. Moirah nodded. "Understood, General." Rune eyed the two remaining pieces of paper in her bodyguard's hand. "So what's the second matter?" Moirah glanced at the condensed report. "We have been detecting a strange carrier wave for the past two days. We cannot identify its source nor can we pinpoint it, but Communications said that it started shortly before we got the report of Sailor Jupiter's presence near Mount Arachen. They theorize that it could somehow be caused by her." General Rune grunted and leaned back against a pillow. "Wonderful. They can monitor the carrier wave but cannot determine its location?" Moirah made a gesture with the report. "I have no clue, General. The technical specifics they cited in the report is beyond my comprehension." Rune sighed. "Tell them to keep searching and to monitor it for any signs of activity. If that is her, then we need to locate her as soon as possible before something happens. Make sure you explain to them that the first person to pinpoint her location makes rank upon her capture." The aquamorph nodded. "Understood, General." Rune yawned and cast another irritated glance at the clock. "And what of the third matter?" "The Wasteland coordinates you requested," Moirah said softly as she held out the short report to Rune. Rune took the report and blinked in surprise. "That was fast." "They said that there was a small section of terrain that had been.... melted, if you will," Moirah said slowly. "They started their search around that area and was able to locate the objective within days." Rune thought about the cause of the destruction and grunted. "Of course, they were frozen not too far apart. That makes sense," she said, thinking aloud. She looked up at her bodyguard and nodded. "Tell them they did an excellent job and will be rewarded accordingly." "Understood, General," Moirah said with a nod of her head. "Now, unless there's anything on your mind you'd care to discuss, I'd like to try to go back to sleep," Rune said as she stretched her weary muscles. She frowned lightly when she noticed Moirah hesitate for a brief moment before she cast a quick glance at a darkened corner of the room. "What is it, Moirah?" Rune asked softly. "Nothing, General. Pleasant dreams," the aquamorph said quietly before she bowed and quietly left the room. Rune thought about a few things for a moment before she looked at the dark corner of her chambers that Moirah had glanced at. "Tell me something," she said to the darkness. "Do you happen to know what is on her mind?" The shadows seemed to shift slightly. "I have no idea," said the voice that reminded Rune of dry leaves whispering across stone. "Come now, V'Kreeth, you expect me to believe that?" she said mildly. The shadows moved again. "She is a very complex woman to understand, and while she is sometimes as predictable as anyone else, there are often times when I have no clue what she thinks," V'Kreeth said slowly. Rune pondered his words in silence. "Very well then," she said quietly as she laid back down and tried to return to sleep. She knew that it was now a futile effort, especially now that she had several things to think about, but she tried to calm her mind anyway. The next three months should be most interesting, she thought. However, wouldn't it be a shame if I didn't have to yield command.... She smiled to herself as the beginnings of yet another plan formed in her tactical mind. Yes, these next few months should be very, very interesting..... * * * * Leda stretched as she rolled over onto her side, delighting in the odd sensation deep within her that resulted from her movements. So very strange, she thought. She glanced up as she felt rather than heard a deep rumble. "Going to sleep on me already?" she teased softly. Reish'id grunted as he opened his eyes. "Keep in mind that it's been a very long time since I did anything like this," he said softly. "I'm afraid I've fallen out of practice." She smirked. "I'd love to see what happens when you are 'in practice,' then." "I'll bet," he murmured as he rolled onto his side to look at her. "You seem to be in better spirits all of a sudden," he commented. Her smile faded as she glanced down at the askiri pelt. "Pleasure goes for a lot," she said. "Am I to believe that is why you wanted to make love a second time?" he inquired softly. "Or was there another reason?" She sighed. "Another reason." "And if I may inquire...?" She sighed again and laid her head on his arm. "The first time was more my hormones talking and not me. The second time was for me to try to see what I really felt inside." "I assume you mean more than in a physical sense?" he said mildly. A small smile came to her lips. "Pretty much," she said softly. "And what did you feel inside, Leda?" The smile fell from her lips as she glanced down at the askiri pelt again. "I like you a lot, Reish'id. You're a really good friend and I enjoy being in your company and all." "But?" he prompted. She sighed and glanced away. "But I still don't know if I love you." "You don't necessarily have to," he said quietly as his tail came up to brush across her throat. She sighed again as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the stone ceiling. She blinked as she felt the odd sensation inside her again and a thought came to her mind. "Reish'id, what is your normal body temperature?" He blinked at the question. "I don't think our system is remotely like yours is. What do you use in your thermometer?" "Elemental mercury. It's sort of like a liquid metal," she explained. He nodded. "We use alt'an, which is a reddish liquid." "Sounds like bromine," she shrugged. "Whatever that is. As I said, the measurements don't convert, but I know that my body temperature is significantly higher than yours." She smiled. "So that's it." Reish'id blinked. "What's it?" She rolled over onto her side again, smiling as she felt the odd sensation inside her once more. "Your seed is more than slightly warm, and I can feel it still moving inside of me." He chuckled softly as he nuzzled her throat. "Sorry." "Hey, I've got no complaints. I couldn't have your kid if I tried, so its nothing to worry about," she said softly. She blinked as he suddenly grunted. "What is it?" "Just one of those realizations about life," he replied quietly. "Let me guess. No kids, eh?" He nodded. "Precisely. Never had the urge to have them." She smiled. "You and I should get along well then. I don't want any of the rugrats myself." He gave her an amused look. "I'll bet you're just saying that because you're young and haven't had the chance to let your maternal instincts develop properly." "'Maternal insticts' my butt," she snorted. "Trust me, this body may have been designed for child-bearing, but my mind has changed the specifications some." He laughed quietly as he nuzzled her neck again. "You would almost think you were planning to be my lifemate with talk like that," he said mildly. "Hey, I like you alot, but I'm not sure I'd want to marry you," she said, and paused as she thought about what she just said. "What are you thinking about?" he inquired softly. "Well, I was just thinking about how Tolaris said something once about having Ami as his lifemate," she said slowly. "I don't think he realizes that she just might outlive him if her vampirism really does make her immortal." "That's why they're called lifemates," he said with a soft smile. "Until death do they part, I believe is the phrase." She looked up at him and blinked. "Is that from your world or mine?" He blinked in return. "Mine. You have something similar in yours?" She nodded. "Yeah, same exact phrase. We call it being married, but the theory is that they remain together for the rest of their lives." "Theory?" he said, mildly amused. She shrugged. "Couples get divorced if they can't live together well." "I see. I think we have something like that here, but it is rather rare as both potential lifemates usually make quite sure they want to spend the average fifteen hundred years together," he said. He growled softly as he reached over and brushed his tongue across her throat. She blinked. "What was that for?" "Just because," he replied. "Uh huh...." "You don't seem to mind," he noted. She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said softly as her hand came up to scratch at his ears. "Much like you're doing now?" he purred. She blinked. "What?" "I take it you have a reason for doing that?" he said softly as his eyes closed and he leaned into her hand. She blinked again as she realized what she was doing. "I guess so.... I mean, I really wasn't thinking about it." "Just because?" he suggested. She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." "I do it because I care about you and I like giving you pleasure," he said very softly. "Why do you do it?" She paused as she realized that she really hadn't given it much thought. "I'm not sure...." She blinked as his whiskers brushed against her ear as his head came up. "You don't have to love me in return, Leda," he said softly. "It's the little things like that that make loving you all the more pleasing." It's the little things.... she heard his voice echo in her mind. Is that it? she thought. Why did I love Jenni? It was the little things we did for each other. The looks, the smiles, the simple touches, the simple words.... The little things in life.... "Leda....?" he asked softly as he noticed her gaze going vacant. It's the small things he does, she thought. The way his tail wraps around my wrist, the way his ears twitch when he's mildly upset, the feeling of his chest vibrating when he purrs, the way his tongue slides across my throat.... "Are you alright?" he asked softly as she stared off into space. "I.... I think so...." she said distantly as several things fell into place in her mind. She looked up with a strange look in her eyes as she felt his tail coil around her wrist. "It's the little things in life...." she said softly. "I.... I understand now, Reish'id...." He said nothing as he saw the thoughts being reflected in her eyes. He saw how they progressed from confusion to realization to understanding and then into something else entirely, something he was sure he had never seen before in another being but recognizable all the same. "Leda?" he asked softly. Her eyes focused on him and she smiled softly. "You know...." she said slowly, then let it hang in the air, unfinished in words but not in thought. He nodded. "I think I do now," he said simply. He saw the tears start to form in her eyes again and he instinctively reached out to embrace her. She returned the embrace and buried her head in his shoulder, the tears starting to fall of their own accord as they had done in the past, but with one difference. This time, her tears were the tears of love. * * * * "I see someone had a rough night," Darian said softly as he came up beside Ami on the cathedral's upper balcony. Ami glanced over at the destroyed railing and blushed. "I guess you could call it that," she said. "I got a question for you," he said slowly as he carefully leaned against the wooden railing, not entirely sure about the structural integrity of the rest of the rails. "What's up?" she asked as she glanced out at the horizon. Although the sun had risen two hours ago, the dense woodline created the impression that it was just now rising on the cathedral. "I've just been noticing some odd things going on as of late, and I wanted to know if I could use you as a sounding board while I tried to figure them out," he explained. She shrugged. "Sure, go ahead." "To start with," he said slowly, "Is it me or has Rei been just a little bit on the crabby side as of late?" She sighed and stared out into the woods, watching a bird fly from one tree branch to the next. "Well, she has been a little on edge lately." "Chad being out-of-town for so long have anything to do with it?" he said quietly, carefully watching her for any obvious reactions. "Probably," she said slowly. "But keep in mind that she's been getting a few spiritual lessons from Tolaris recently, and learning to control that kind of power tends to put a strain on her." He blinked as he realized he hadn't considered that. "That might explain a few things. Thank you." She smiled. "No problem. So what else is on your mind?" He shrugged. "Mina seems to be a little out of it too, for some reason, but then again, we don't really sit down and talk about much so I don't quite have a baseline to use for her mental state." Aha, he thought as he noticed her shoulders twitch briefly. "Mina is just Mina," Ami said with a sigh. "With as long as I've known her, even I don't have a good idea what is 'normal' for her." I'll bet, he thought silently. "Since you seem to know her better than I do, could you tell me what you thought of what she said to Rei last night?" "That's not for me to say, but it's been dealt with," she said flatly. Darian blinked at her sudden change of moon and wondered if bringing it up had been a mistake. "Anything I want to know about?" he said cautiously. She shrugged. "That's between Rei and Mina, not anyone else." Calm down, he thought nervously. "You know...." he said slowly, "You seem to be a little strung-out yourself lately...." She sighed heavily. "Yes, I know. I almost wound up killing Mina last night because of it and the strain is starting to take its toll." He gestured towards the demolished railing. "Your handiwork, then?" "Unfortunately." "Anything you feel like sharing?" he asked cautiously. She sighed again as she debated the merits of spilling her guts to him. She knew he wouldn't speak of it to anyone unless they asked him about it, and even then he would be as evasive as possible. "It's several things, actually. The biggest thing was how badly Tolaris was upset over Mintaka. That sort of rubbed off on me since I'm the one who puts up with him waking me up at ungodly hours in the morning with nightmares." Darian smiled at that. "I know what you mean. I occasionally get woken up by Serena's nightmares. That usually only happens at times when there is a heavy thunderstorm in the area." Ami blushed. "It's not my fault he can't keep a lid on his powers," she muttered. She glanced back at him with a curious look. "Umm, how often is that?" He paused to think about it for a moment. "Actually, not even twice a month, which is surprising since we seem to get at least two thunderstorms a week." He noticed her blush deepen by several shades and he chuckled. "Now that I think about it, it seems she only has nightmares when it's a regularly 'scheduled' thunderstorm, the kind that Mother Nature coughs up." "That's a mild relief," she said, still blushing. He coughed discreetly. "If you don't mind my asking, why'd you almost have to kill Mina? Not that we all haven't been tempted to do so at one point in time or another, but...." He blinked as her expression darkened instantly. "It's nothing you really need to know about, Darian," she said, her voice calm despite the frozen edge to it. Whoa, mood swing, he thought. "Ami, are you sure you're alright?" She sighed and fought the urge to go vampiric. "Let me get back to you on that. Too many things have happened within the past week for me to say it was any particular one. But do me a favor and keep the alcohol out of sight. I didn't want to say this in front of either Serena or Luna, but that scotch was rather good, and I'm sure getting mildly toasted on that stuff wasn't helping my mood any." "I see," he said with a smile. She glanced up at him. "What?" He just shook his head. "Of all of the Scouts, I'd never have thought you would be the type to like drinking alcohol." She shrugged. "I'm not the only one, you know," she said pointedly. He nodded. "I know, Leda asked me to take her bar-hopping a few months ago. I wasn't quite old enough then, so I had to turn her down." He chuckled and added, "Besides, I thought you wouldn't like alcohol because of what it did to your blood." She made a wry face. "I think that's why I like it," she said dourly. He smiled. "You like the feel of red blood cells dying a screaming death in your veins?" He saw the look on her face and quickly added, "Don't answer that, please." She giggled and turned her gaze back out towards the woodline. "Well, it is a pleasant feeling," she admitted. "Especially when it's someone else's blood?" he suggested softly. She blinked and turned around, giving him a strange look. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Well, I don't know that much about blood chemistry, but can't you taste the alcohol in a person's bloodstream when you drain them?" he said cautiously. She shrugged. "I don't know, I never drained a drunk person before." "Rei was mildly tanked last night," he said softly. Ami blinked and looked at him oddly. "Where'd you hear about that?" "Serena spent five minutes telling me about Rei's inner courage for what she did last night," he said. "Just between you and me, I don't think courage had anything to do with it, but it did sound rather noble." She grunted and leaned against the railing. "That's what I was thinking, now that you mention it." "That she did it so you didn't have to ask Serena?" he said softly. "Yes," she admitted. "You know how overprotective Rei is of Serena at times. Despite their near-constant arguments," she added humorlessly. "There are alternatives," he said slowly. Something clicked in her mind and she turned around to face him, leaning her back against a solid section of railing. "Spit it out, Darian." "You could use me," he said quietly. She shook her head. "Nope. You're a guy, and I've already learned the hard way how I react to draining a guy's blood: Badly." "I remember, I was there. But I was also thinking.... That soldier was a guy, true, but he was also a denizen. Have you ever drained a human male's blood before?" he said. Ami blinked as she considered the idea. "No, I haven't," she admitted, "And I know that there is enough of a difference between the two, but I still don't want to run the risk of going ballistic like that ever again." "We could do it under controlled conditions," he said. "There is that practice room in the basement. You couldn't get past those bulkheads with an M1A2 Abrams tank, so we know you couldn't get loose if you went off again." She gave him a wary look. "Great, lock me in a closet while my blood slowly destroys itself. Thank you, Darian, but no." She paused and gave him a measured look. "Why are you suggesting that, by the way?" "Well, curiosity for one," he admitted. "I mean, everyone else around me keeps talking about how wonderful it feels to let you drink their blood." "Uh huh," she said dryly. "I don't suppose the Carpathian legends that Mina keeps talking about has anything to do with matters, eh?" Darian blushed a faint shade of red. "Not really...." She shook her head. "Sorry, Darian, I'm not about to find out if I really would want to wind up in bed with you if I were to drain your blood." He blinked. "That's not it, Ami, and I think we both know it." She sighed. "True, but that's just one more risk I don't particularly feel like taking at this point in time. Maybe in a few years," she said. "Excuse me?" Serena asked as she stepped out onto the balcony. "Do I want to ask what I just walked into?" Ami grinned. "Not particularly, but if you really want to know, Darian was just trying to offer his services as a blood donor and I was explaining to him the reasons why I'm not going to accept anytime soon." "Aww, that's sweet...." Serena smiled as she walked over to Darian and gave him a gentle kiss. "Depends on his motives," Ami said pointedly. Darian gave her a dark look. "See if I make that offer to you again," he muttered. Ami sighed. "Sorry, Darian, but you know why I'm not interested." He shrugged. "Just thought I'd offer." She smiled. "It is appreciated, believe me, but it's just not viable." "Anyway...." Serena said, hopelessly lost in the conversation. She looked over at the destroyed section of railing and shook her head. "You really did a number on that railing, Ami." Ami glanced over at the damaged area and blushed again. "Well, I told you I had a really rough night last night...." "Today probably isn't going to be any better," Rei muttered sourly as she walked onto the balcony. "It's Mina's turn to make breakfast." Everyone exchanged glances as their appetites suddenly died. "Well, I don't know," Serena said slowly, "She can make a few good things every now and then...." "Just don't let her make pancakes," Darian said quickly. Rei nodded as she rubbed her stomach. "I know, I think I can still feel the last batch she made." Ami shrugged. "It's not that bad, for the most part." Rei gave her a dark look. "Oh, hush, you just ate last night." Darian and Serena traded concerned looks while Ami raised an eyebrow. "That was for the vampiric part of me, Rei. I need to eat just like the rest of you do. I am still human, after all. For the most part," she added almost sadly. Rei nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about that." Ami looked like she was going to say something when she glanced behind Rei and blinked. Everyone saw her expression change and turned to look at the cause. "Breakfast is ready," Mina said quietly, giving Ami a dark glare. "Ami, you got a minute?" Rei, Serena, and Darian all traded uncertain glances before they quickly and quietly left the balcony and headed off towards the uncertain smells coming from the kitchen. "Mina...." Ami started to say, but was cut off by a gesture. "Stuff it, vampire," Mina growled. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before she opened them and glared at Ami. "Let me guess, you were going to apologize for last night?" she said with an edge to her voice. Ami blinked. "That was the general idea...." "Okay, that'll work," Mina said and turned to leave. "Mina, wait," Ami said. Mina sighed and turned back. "Listen, if you're gonna apologize, save your breath 'cuz I'm not ready to hear it just yet." Ami blinked again. "Then why....." "Just to see if you intended to apologize in the first place," Mina said, cutting her off. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't that much of a bitch on purpose before I thought about what to do with you," she said darkly before she spun around on her heel and left. Oh, yes, today is going to be even worse, Ami thought with a heavy sigh as she set off after her and towards breakfast. * * * * Why do I keep coming out here? Ami thought as she leaned against the balcony railing. She winced again as another wave of nausea swept through her and she debated the merits of leaning over the railing to heave her guts. So much for breakfast being the way to start your day, she thought dourly. What exactly did she do to those pancakes? She heard soft footsteps behind her but she didn't feel like moving just then. She squeezed her eyes shut as her stomach started to rebel, forcing her to concentrate on keeping it down. "Problem, vampire?" Uh oh, Ami thought. Bad enough she hardly spoke to anyone at all during breakfast, but if she's pissed enough to keep calling me that.... "Just a case of indigestion," Ami grunted softly. Mina leaned against the railing to watch Ami fight her nausea. "Perhaps. Or maybe Grandma was right about wolfsbane and belladonna." Ami's eyes snapped open. "What?" she asked slowly, despite the fact that she suddenly realized what happened. "Grandma told me how vampires can't stomach certain things. Excessive garlic, for instance. She said that wolfsbane had a much better effect on lycanthropes, but that it also gave vampires a few problems as well. Same with belladonna," Mina said slowly and flatly. "You poisoned the pancakes?" Ami said just as flatly. Mina winced. "Poisoned is such a strong word, Ami, and implies an attempt at killing someone. I was just curious as to how you reacted to it...." She jumped back as Ami's hand lashed out, missing the blonde's throat by mere inches. She took a step back as she bent her wrist backwards in a very deliberate manner, triggering the special sheath she wore on her arm. The dagger was ejected out of the sheath by a spring mechanism and slid perfectly into the palm of her hand. Her hand was halfway through its upwards arc when there was a blur before her and something slammed hard into her wrist. Mina yelped in pain as the dagger flew out of her grasp, spinning wildly in the air before landing point-first on the wooden floorboards a few feet away. She looked up just in time to see Ami's arm swing back before she was slapped hard by someone. Mina blinked and shook her head. Things had happened too rapidly for her to have followed and her mind was trying to play catch-up. She blinked again as she saw Ami sitting on the ground with a stunned expression on her face, a handprint slowly darkening on one cheek. Mina focused on the figure standing over her and blinked hard yet again. "Serena?!" Serena looked up at her, her blue eyes blazing with such anger that Mina suddenly became frightened of her. "This is IT!" she seethed as she reached down, grabbed Ami by the arm, and hauled her to her feet. Her other hand grabbed Mina's upper arm in a grip tight enough to make Mina wince in pain. "Let's go," Serena hissed as she literally dragged them through the cathedral towards a vacant bedroom. The door was closed but she kicked it open without any hesitation. Once inside, she almost threw Mina into a corner and fairly tossed Ami onto the bed. She whirled around, slammed the door shut, locked it with a sharp twist of her wrist, and turned around to glare at them. Ami grunted softly as she sat up and tried to regain her bearings. "Umm, what just happened?" "You tell me," Serena said darkly. "I step out onto the balcony for a bit of fresh air, and the first things I see are you going for Mina's throat and she going for her dagger. Now, what is going on?" Ami growled. "Ask her. She's the one who poisoned the pancakes," she said with a jerk of her head towards Mina's direction. Serena glared at Mina and sighed. "Yes, the pancakes were awful, but they weren't quite poisoned on purpose." "Then explain why she put wolfsbane and belladonna in them," Ami snapped. Serena blinked and gave Mina a hard look. "Well?" Mina snorted and looked away. "Well, what?" "Did you put whatever she said in the pancakes?" Serena asked archly. "Yes," Mina said calmly and without any trace of remorse as she rubbed at her wrist. She looked down and saw the beginnings of what was probably going to be a nasty bruise forming on the joint. "Why?" Serena demanded. Mina tried to look at her but found that she couldn't, so she settled for glaring at Ami. "Partly to see if they worked against her like the legends said, and partly for payback for the pain she caused me last night," she said with a quiet growl. Serena gritted her teeth and visibly tried to calm herself. "So, would one of you mind telling me about last night?" she asked in a deceptively soft voice that had an edge sharp enough to cut throats. Ami took a deep breath and told her about what was said between her, Rei, and Mina last night about Mina's suggestions as of late. When Ami fell silent, Serena turned to Mina with a guarded look in her eyes. "You have anything you want to say about this? Agreement, disagreement, anything?" she said, her voice somewhat more calmer than before. Mina shrugged. "No, Ami told the truth about everything that was said," she replied, her voice utterly calm and relaxed like she was having a normal conversation. Serena counted to ten before she spoke again. "And so you decided to try to poison her? That's a yes-or-no question, Mina," she added as Mina took a deep breath. She watched as Mina blew out her breath explosively and looked away, not saying a word. "And then you tried to kill her?" she said, turning her gaze on Ami. Ami said nothing and lowered her gaze, unable to look at her friend in the eyes anymore. "Damn it, can't you two act your age and work things out without having to start World War Three in here?!" Serena yelled as her temper finally reached its breaking point and her facial expression went beyond demonic. Ami and Mina exchanged looks of shock, both of them stunned beyond words. Neither of them had ever heard Serena cuss before, not even when she had been torn up by General Rune's fragmentation grenade, which was an occasion that had elicited profanity from everyone else. Serena took a deep breath and tried to calm herself again. "Listen," she said tightly, "I know Rei and I argue way more than we should, but at least we don't try to kill each other. I'm not quite sure I understand what sort of problem you two have with each other, but you had better work it out in a hurry and in a CIVILIZED fashion. We're Sailor Scouts, not street thugs, and we simply don't act that way," she said. It was several minutes before either one of them dared to speak. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Serena?" Mina asked quietly. Serena glared at her. "I'll feel a lot better when you two quit sniping at each other and make up. Look, you're both Sailor Scouts, and you both have too much in common to be anything other than good friends. And good friends are supposed to save each others butts, not try to punch holes in them with daggers and sharp, pointy teeth," she said. Ami sighed and looked up at Mina. "Well?" she said tiredly. "Well what?" Mina snapped. Ami shrugged. "I was ready to apologize to you up until ten minutes ago, Mina," she said softly as she rubbed at a tender spot on her cheek. Mina snorted. "And?" "So maybe we were both wrong," Ami said. "I know I was when I said what I did back there, but only in the way I said it. I still won't let you do anything to corrupt her, Mina, but I didn't intend to be as harsh as I was. And you know you were out of line when you entered our room while we were sleeping." Mina sighed and looked down at her wrist. "Yeah.... well.... Okay, so I was wrong. But so were you when you when it came to Rei." Ami shrugged. "Like I told her, that's her problem and not mine. Just as long as we established that you and I weren't going to share a bed and that there would be consequences if you asked again. Which I made quite clear, I trust." Mina sighed again. "Yes, you did, Ami, as well as a few other things." Ami looked at her. "Well, if you and I are in agreement on that, then I don't have any reason to be upset with you. Aside from the pancakes this morning, but I'm willing to write that off if you agree to let this whole mess drop." Mina chewed on the edge of her lip as she looked at Ami and did her best to ignore the feeling of Serena's blue eyes staring at her. "Well...." she debated. "Think about this, Mina," Serena said softly. "What do you stand to lose if you keep fighting? Your friendship with her and quite possibly with the rest of the Scouts as well. Not to mention your life if things get bad again. And what do you stand to gain by peace? Your friendships, certainly, and that is the second-most valuable thing to have in life." Mina blinked and looked at her. "What's the first?" Serena smiled. "Love." Mina made a gesture. "Duh," she said with a giggle. She glanced over at Ami and sighed. "Alright, Ami, I'll let it drop if you will. Just don't do that again, okay?" "Deal," Ami said as she slid off the bed and walked over to her, holding her hand out. Mina grasped her hand and shook it without hesitation for a minute before she impulsively wrapped Ami in a hug. Serena smiled at the sight, and only then did the full weight of the whole situation hit her. She leaned back against the wall as her hand started to shake. "Speaking of letting things drop, please don't do this to me again," she said as her voice started to come apart. "I really didn't like losing my temper like that and I certainly d-didn't like the thought of losing t-two friends such as you...." They both reached out and caught an arm as Serena's legs started to shake and she had problems standing up. "C'mon, sit down before you hurt something," Mina said. She felt a twinge in her wrist and added, "Not that you haven't done enough damage to us today...." Serena looked up with a blush. "Sorry about that, but all I saw was your hand coming up with a dagger and I just.... acted," she said as she sat down on the bed. "I'd compliment you on doing a good job if my wrist didn't hurt so much," Mina said with a grin. "Speaking of which, how's your headache, Ami?" Ami smiled. "At least I can see straight now." Serena's blush deepened. "I didn't hit you that hard.... did I?" "Well, let's just say that if I wasn't able to regenerate tissue damage, I'd probably still be sitting there with this hideous palm-print on my face," Ami said. "Umm, I understand your reasons for doing what you did, but...." "But don't do it again, I know," Serena said with a nod of her head. "Trust me, if you stop to think about it, slapping a vampire would probably be a very unwise decision under most circumstances." Ami smiled, despite the fact that she still had a sore spot on her jaw. "Just so we understand each other." "Yeah, we do," Serena replied with a grin. "Okay, so now what?" Mina asked with a look towards Ami. Ami made a face as her stomach reminded her of her current predicament. "Well, give me a few minutes and we can probably take another crack at breakfast again.... something without pancakes, heavily spiced or no," she added. Mina's mouth twitched. "You have a problem with my cooking?" Serena sighed. "Wheat pancakes are a little dense first thing in the morning," she said. "Scrambled eggs are much easier on the system." Mina blinked and shrugged. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard...." Ami sighed and stood up. "Excuse me," she said and made a beeline for the nearest toilet. "Sorry!" Mina called out to her. Serena just shook her head. "Not even nine in the morning and already it looks like it's going to be another one of those days...." she said tiredly. * * * * Leda woke very slowly and savored each second of the lengthy process. Oh, man, she thought, I haven't slept this well in months. She thought about it as she stretched in place, trying to avoid disturbing the mass of warm, black fur that was pressing against her back. In fact, I haven't slept this good since I became a Sailor Scout. There was a soft grunt behind her as a fuzzy black tail coiled around the nearest part of her body, which in this case happened to be her ankle. He yawned for a moment before he grunted again and drifted back off to sleep. She smiled and carefully leaned against him, enjoying both the feeling of his fur against her bare skin and the strange-yet-familiar emotions that she experienced at the contact. The smile slid off of her face as the realization hit her. No, the last time I slept this good was the last time I slept in Jenni's arms, she thought with a soft sigh. Wonderful. Now I'm really starting to miss her.... She blinked as Reish'id stirred in his sleep, rumbled softly to himself, and rolled over onto his other side. The only problem with that was that she was in the way and suddenly found herself buried beneath a rather heavy set of legs. "Hey, furball, wake up," she grunted as she poked the nearest patch of black fur. "I don't mind sleeping next to you, but I'm not quite up to being used as a pillow right now." She blinked as he yawned, showing a mouthful of extremely large and sharp teeth. "What?" he grumbled as he lazily opened an eye. "Either get off of me or roll back over, one of the two," she said as she tried to shove a hind leg off of her stomach. The other eye opened as he quickly rolled over and sat up. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "I'm still getting used to the idea of having someone lying next to me while I sleep." "Yeah, well.... Give me a few days and I'll be out of your fur," she said. "Got to get back to what's left of my life on Earth and all." "Do you really have to do that?" he asked softly as his tail coiled around her wrist. She sighed and laid back down. "You know the answer as well as I do." "Unfortunately," he said as he stretched. "I trust you slept well?" She smirked. "Up until about two minutes ago, yes." "Sorry," he apologized again as he leaned over and rubbed his cheek against hers. "I think I'll forgive you this time," she said with a smile. "Mmm...." he growled. He looked up at her with an odd look in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something and blinked when a soft chiming sound filled the cave. Leda blinked and looked around. "What's that?" He stood up and walked towards his hidden communications panel. "That is my communications system," he said as he opened the panel and checked the tiny display screen. "Odd...." he frowned as he opened the channel. "Yes?" Leda blinked again as she heard the speaker make a high-pitched scratchy sound. Reish'id listened to it for a few seconds before he replied, "Of course she is. I would have called you otherwise." The speaker hissed some more and he blinked. "Are you sure?" He blinked again as the static started to scold him gently and he smiled. "Of course, Healer, forgive me. Yes, you can stop by, but give me a few minutes first." The static said a few final words before the channel closed. Reish'id shook his head back and forth as he reset the communications circuit before he closed the panel. "What was that about?" Leda asked. He made a face. "Healer Maq'i merely wishes to do a follow-up examination of her patient, and has asked permission to stop by here to see how you are doing." Leda sighed. "A doctor is a doctor is a doctor," she grumbed to herself as she started to put on her fur suit. "I swear, even on vacation I can't seem to get rid of them. First Doctor Gonzales for fifteen years, then Ami to some degree, now this Healer friend of yours." "Who is this Doctor Gonzales you speak of?" he asked curiously. "She's been my family's physician since before I was born. Back when I had a family, that is," she added quietly as she zipped up the front of her suit. She blinked as a dimensional vortex suddenly appeared at the far end of the cave and a figure stepped out. "Well met, Reish'id," Healer Maq'i said mildly as the wormhole collapsed into nothingness behind her. "Well met, Healer," Reish'id replied as he stepped forward to greet her. "I trust everything is well with your other patients?" She gave him a soft smile. "It never is, but they will all heal, given time and caring." She turned to look at Leda curiously. "Well met, Sailor Jupiter," she said quietly. Leda blinked. "How do you know who I am?" Maq'i made a gesture. "It matters not, though you may rest assured that no one but myself and Reish'id knows of your identity." She tilted her head at an odd angle as she studied Leda's suit. "Tell me, dear child, that suit is made of Felinoid fur, is it not?" Leda glanced down at the suit. "Yeah, it is, but it was his idea," she replied, pointing at Reish'id. "A replacement for the clothing that was accidentally destroyed," he said to Maq'i. "I see...." the healer said as she walked over to Leda. "Would you mind if I gave you a few minor physical examinations to check the progress of your recovery?" "Just as long as it doesn't require blood work," Leda quipped. Maq'i smiled. "Heavens, no, dear child, I don't need to do anything as drastic as that. Hold out your hand, if you will," she instructed, and Leda complied. Maq'i took hold of the slender wrist and closed her eyes, sending her healing powers inward to gauge their response. Leda blinked as her wrist started to glow faintly. "Umm...." Maq'i opened her eyes and smiled. "Relax, Jupiter, I am merely seeing how your life-force responds. Quite an improvement over the last time I checked, if I may add." She released Leda's hands and looked into her green eyes. "And your soul is not as troubled as it once was...." she said softly to herself. Leda blinked at that last one. "Excuse me?" Maq'i smiled. "It is nothing, child. You are as healthy as you will ever be, Sailor Jupiter." "That's a relief," Leda replied. Maq'i turned to give Reish'id a curious look. "If you will excuse us, Jupiter, my ancient friend and I have a bit of unfinished business to attend to," she said quietly. Leda nodded and headed off towards the bathroom, deciding that now would be as good a time as any to take care of her own personal business. "What is it, Healer?" Reish'id asked softly when Leda was gone. "Her body, mind, and soul are almost in complete harmony," she replied. "That is a very difficult feat at best, and I believe you have something to do with it." "And what of it?" he replied warily. She smiled. "You care for her, don't you?" He said nothing in response and she shrugged. "Very well, Warrior, but be warned that she cares just as much for you as you won't admit to me about her." That caused Reish'id to blink. "Are you sure, Maq'i?" he asked softly. She shook her head. "I am no mind-reader, so I cannot say with any great accuracy, but I can read her soul. She is happy for the first time in what is for her a great long while. If you are involved with that happiness or not, it matters not to this ancient healer. But don't do anything to upset it, my friend, for I don't think she would live long enough to find the opportunity to rebalance it again." Reish'id blinked again at her words. "It will be as you say, Healer." Maq'i laughed softly. "Goodness, but you are a cooperative one," she said mildly. "Usually I have to fight most of my patients to get them to at least hear my advice, let alone follow it." "Experience speaks for itself," he replied and she nodded. "There is that," she said. She heard a sound behind her and she turned around to see Leda walking back into the room. "I trust you are well?" Leda nodded. "Very much so, except for one minor complaint." "Oh?" Maq'i said, one eyebrow arching up to her hairline. "Reish'id, you have got to do something about that toilet. It is simply too v'tek'ka cold to use comfortably," she said. She paused for a moment and added, "Or did I translate that right?" Reish'id looked mildly amused while Maq'i laughed out loud. "Oh, dear child, I think you translated that fine. You have a good accent, too. And as for you," she said as she turned around and poked a finger in the middle of Reish'id's chest, "Two thousand years of me complaining about that toilet seat of yours and you STILL haven't done something about the temperature?" "It doesn't bother me, so there is little to remind me of it...." he said with a faint note of apology in his voice. "Why is it you can construct a suit for me in two days, but it takes you two thousand years to fix a toilet?" Leda demanded with a grin. "Perhaps I should leave now so she can deal with you accordingly," Maq'i suggested dryly as she pulled the Silkworm crystal out of her pocket. "Oh, one more thing, Sailor Jupiter. A personal question, if I may." Leda blinked. "Umm.... go ahead." "Would you mind if I asked your name? Sailor Jupiter sounds more like a title than a proper name for an Earth Warrior," the healer asked quietly. She saw Leda hesitate for a moment and added, "You don't have to fear it becoming public knowledge, as that information falls under the healer-patient rules of confidentiality." Leda nodded. "Very well. My name is Leda, but I'm not a warrior." "Leda...." Maq'i repeated softly. "That is a very beautiful name." "Thank you," Leda replied with a faint blush. "As for being a warrior, it depends on one's point of view," Maq'i said, giving Reish'id an odd look. "Well then, if you two will excuse me, I have to return to my other patients," she said as she held up the Silkworm crystal. Leda blinked at the gem. "Hey! That looks like one of those crystals that Tolaris used to open those gate-type things." Maq'i paused. "It is. It is called a Silkworm crystal." "Silkworm? Umm.... what's the translation?" Leda asked quickly. Maq'i thought for a moment before she said an oddly accented word that rang a bell in Leda's memory. "That's it! That's the kind of crystal that can open a gate between the Negaverse and Earth!" The ancient healer gave Reish'id a confused look. "Yes, but...." Leda cut her off with a gesture. "Look, I'm trapped here for another few days or so and I got some information that needs to get back to the others as fast as possible. Could you please open up a gate to Earth so I can go home?" Maq'i blinked hard, first at the urgency of Leda's request, then again at the look of sadness on Reish'id's face. "Well.... I think I can...." "Must you go so soon?" Reish'id asked quietly. "Maq'i has other patients to attend to now, but she can return later this evening if you really want to go back to Earth today." Leda paused. "Umm.... I guess I could wait, if you want...." Reish'id nodded and turned to Maq'i. "Healer, would you be so kind as to return here this evening to assist my companion in returning home?" Maq'i was more than mildly confused by the sudden change in events. "Of course I could," she said, not quite sure of what was going on. "Is there anything that I should be aware of?" Reish'id shook his head. "No, I think you are already aware of all that should be said." Maq'i blinked. "Of course, Warrior. Then if there is nothing else...?" "No, there isn't. Again you have my thanks for your services," Reish'id replied softly. "You are more than welcome, Reish'id, and you as well, Leda," Maq'i said. "I shall see you both this evening, then." She turned around and opened the wormhole without another word. She stepped through and the vortex collapsed in on itself behind her, leaving no trace of its existence. Leda blinked. "What was that all about?" He sighed softly. "I didn't want you to leave so soon, Leda. In one respect, I still have to fabricate a pair of gloves for your suit, and that will take up most of the day." "And the other?" she prompted. "Keep in mind how I feel for you, and I am in no great hurry to see you leave," he replied softly. "For once you do, I have no idea when or even if I'll ever see you again." She smiled gently. "Trust me, we'll see each other again. I might have to twist a few arms to get Tolaris to let me drop in for an occasional weekend every now and then, but I think I can manage." He nodded. "Thank you, Leda. If it would help, please tell Commander Tolaris that an old friend from the South Field Division sends his regards." Leda blinked. "South Field Division, eh? I'll have to remember that." "It relates to the Mintaka Campaign, though I'm not sure he would remember me as he was barely alive when my unit picked up what was left of his division and carried them over to Medical," he explained. Leda shrugged. "Whatever that means, I'm sure he'll understand." "Hopefully. Now as to your gloves...." he said as he started to look around the room for his suitcase full of leatherworking tools. "That much of a rush, eh?" she said as she sat down. "If you intend on leaving tonight, then yes," he said. "It will take me several hours to finish the gloves, as it involves a rather complicated design process. That doesn't give me a whole lot of time to waste, so we may as well put that time to good use." Leda shrugged. "Sounds like a plan. So wha'cha want me to do?" He laid out a medium-sized section of Felinoid fur pelt. "To start with, I'm going to need a baseline measurement of your hand. So if you'll place your hand here...?" * * * * Serena sighed quietly to herself as something continued to nag her from the back of her mind. What is it? she thought again as she looked around the living room to see if she anything was amiss. Mina and Rei were sitting down in the far corner of the room with Mina's synthesizer taking up most of the space. Both were wearing headphones as Mina was trying to teach Rei how to play something, but it took a few seconds for an observer to realize that things weren't going quite as smoothly as the blonde had intended. And Rei calls me a klutz? Serena thought with a smile as she watched the priestess stumble over her own fingers. At least I can play an ocarina with some skill worth mentioning. Not that I can use Mina's synthesizer either, but still.... Serena glanced over at Ami and blinked. She was lying down on the couch looking slightly pale, and Serena could see that her facial expression showing a few small signs of discomfort. Huh, perhaps the rest of breakfast isn't sitting very well, either. Hmm.... She stood up and walked over to the couch. "Hey, Ami?" "Yeah?" Ami said quietly, keeping her eyes closed. "You alright? You look kinda pale and all," Serena said cautiously. Ami grunted before she opened her eyes, startling Serena as she did so. Vampire eyes, was all Serena was able to think at first before she got over the shock of seeing those steel-blue eyes. "Still a little queasy from the wolfsbane and belladonna," Ami said. Serena blinked, a small alarm going off inside her head. She's hiding something, she thought suddenly, then mentally blinked as she had no idea where that thought had come from. "Umm, are you sure?" Serena asked as she backed off a little. "I mean, you've been looking slightly ill since you threw up, but I would have thought that your color would have come back by now." It's more than you realize, Ami thought as she felt her instincts starting to try to take control. But Leda's not here, and I can't lie to you about this.... "When I threw up, I lost most of Rei's blood with breakfast," Ami said quietly. "My body had started to absorb some of it, but its nowhere close to what I need." Serena blinked as the realization set in. She cast a quick glance back at Mina and Rei but they were too preoccupied to notice anything going on that wasn't wired into the synthesizer. Which means that she's hungry again, Serena thought as a faint chill spread through her body. "And so now you need more blood...." Serena said softly. Ami nodded. "Yes, but not now," she said as she saw the look in Serena's blue eyes. "I want to make sure this nausea has passed completely before I try to take anyone else's blood." "Good idea," Serena replied. "You know, Rei's not going to like hearing about this," she said as she cast another glance at the priestess. Ami shrugged and closed her eyes. "She'll live. It's Mina's fault, if you want to point fingers, but it's a moot point now." "Are you sure you'll be okay for awhile?" Ami sighed. "No, that's why I'm lying down for now. As I said, I don't want to take anyone's blood until I'm sure it'll stay down this time." Her breath caught in her throat as she felt Serena's hand on her shoulder. Oh no, she thought silently as her hypersentitive vampiric senses could feel her pulse through her skin. "Serena, please move your hand...." she whispered. Serena blinked and withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry, Ami, I didn't mean to upset you or anything...." "It's not that...." Ami tried to explain, but fell silent when she opened her eyes and saw the expression on Serena's face. "I understand," the blonde said quietly. "Darian's at work, so I've got the room to myself. I'll be in there when you need me," she said as she rose to her feet and headed off towards the corridor. She said 'when' instead of 'if,' she thought with a small sigh as she closed her eyes. It's strange how this vampirism has changed people, made them change their ways of thinking and their level of acceptance. Ami sighed again and wondered, not for the first time, if her transformation into a Negaverse vampire had been a blessing or a curse. She opened her eyes and looked across the room as she heard a heavy sigh of impatience and the sound of something being tossed onto the floor. "That's it, I give up for today," Rei said. Mina smiled as she removed her headphones. "It's not that tough, Rei." "Look, you're just saying that because you've been at it for years." The blonde made a gesture. "Well.... true, but it was just as hard for me when I first started. All you need is practice." Rei snorted. "That and you'll have to cut off my hands and glue new ones on, ones that can stretch like you say they're supposed to." She glanced up in time to catch the mischievous look in Mina's eyes and added, "And if you come near me with your dagger, you'll regret it just as soon as I heal." Mina giggled. "Alright, I get the picture, Rei." "Would you play something for us?" Ami asked softly from the couch. Mina blinked as she considered it. "Actually...." she said as she glanced down at her synthesizer. "C'mon, I want you to show me just how much practice I'll need," Rei said with a smile. Mina shrugged. "If you insist...." "Just sit down and prepare to kiss your ego good-bye, Rei," Ami said. "Nothing new around here," the priestess muttered as she sat down. Mina sat cross-legged in front of the somewhat imposing collection of keyboards, speakers, recorders, mixers, and a few other electronic odds and ends that made up her synthesizer. "Give me a few seconds to reprogram it," she said as her hands suddenly became a blur over the mixer controls. Ami supressed a soft grunt as sat up and leaned against the corner of the couch, still feeling vaguely ill from the pancakes from breakfast. "Which one will it be this time?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "It's one from America that I heard not too long ago," Mina replied as she powered up her speakers and ran a few diagnostics. "From some singer named Meat Loaf." Ami and Rei traded glances. "Meat Loaf?" Rei echoed. The vampire shrugged. "Only in America." "If the choice be vampirism or death, bite me," said an electronic voice from the speakers and Mina turned a deep shade of crimson. Ami blinked. "Umm...." "Random tagline program I wired in for kicks," Mina muttered, her face still burning a bright shade of red. "It spits out a random tagline when it gives me a green status board on boot-up." "Uh huh...." Ami said, mildly amused. "What other embarassing things does it come up with?" Rei teased. "Ahem," Mina said as she powered up the rest of the equipment. "We can discuss this one later, if you don't mind." "Of course, far be it for me to come between a girl and her taglines," Rei said, grinning from ear to ear. Her expression settled into something a little less smug as Mina played a quick warm-up on the keyboard. Mina nodded to herself at the results and cracked her knuckles, causing Rei to cringe at the unholy popping sound. "Oh, I'm sorry, does that bother you, Rei?" Mina said sweetly. "Just play," Rei grumbled. Mina smiled briefly before she turned her full attention to her master keyboard. She set a few controls and started a slow, deep tempo with one hand while she fiddled with the bass volume with the other. She reached a balance that suited her tastes and brought both hands down to the keyboard. She began to play a fast-paced introduction piece in the upper ends of the scale before she added a slower-paced bass section. The pace gradually slowed until it was half of what it was before and she began to sing, her voice unusually deep for what she usually sang. "And I would do anything for love... I'd run right into Hell and back... I would do anything for love... I'll never lie to you and that's a fact... But I'll never forget the way you feel right now... Oh no... No way... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that... Anything for love... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that!" As she sang the last word, she started playing a powerful series of bass and high-powered electric guitar chords at a quick tempo, changing the mood of the song in an instant. "Some days it don't come easy... Some days don't come hard... Some days it don't come at all and these are the days that never end!.. Some nights you're breathing fire... Some nights you're carved in ice... Some nights you're like nothing I've seen before or will again!.. Maybe I'm crazy... But it's crazy and it's true... I know you can save me, no one else can save me but you!.. As long as the planets are turning... As long as the stars are burning... As long as your dreams are coming true, you'd better believe it!" The tempo suddenly slowed down and both the power of the guitar and her voice faded back down to softer levels. "That I would do anything for love... And I'll be there until the final act... I would do anything for love... And I'll take a vow and seal a pact... But I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way... Tonight... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that!" Mina's fingers were a blur on the keyboard as she picked up the tempo of the music as well as dialing up the speaker volume to accomodate the powerful effect of the bass guitar. "I would do anything for love... Anything you've been dreaming of... But I just won't do that... I would do anything for love... Anything you've been dreaming of... But I just won't do that!" Her voice fell silent as she let her fingers dance across the keyboards, creating a powerful mixture of electric guitars and somewhat heavy bass drums that the other in the room could feel gently throbbing in their bones. The instrumental lasted for several minutes before her voice filled the room once again. "Somedays I pray for silence... Somedays I pray for soul... Somedays I just pray to the gods of Sex and Drums and Rock 'N Roll!.. Some nights I lose the feeling... Some nights I lose control... Some nights I just lose it all when I watch you dance and the thunder rolls!.. Maybe I'm lonely... And that's all I'm qualified to be... There's just one and only, the one and only promise I can keep!.. As long as the wheels are turning... As long as the fires are burning... As long as your prayers are coming true, you'd better believe it!" Her fingers slowed down the tempo once more but her voice and the music continued to remain as strong and as powerful as before. "That I would do anything for love... And you know it's true and that's a fact... I would do anything for love... And there'll never be no turning back... But I'll never do it better than I do it with you... So long... So long... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that!" Once more the tempo increased as she applied even more power to the main speakers on her synthesizer. "I would do anything for love... Anything you've been dreaming of... But I just won't do that... I would do anything for love... Anything you've been dreaming of... But I just won't do that..." The power of the bass and the guitars faded as she slowed the tempo down again and resumed singing softly. "But I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life... No way... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that..." Her voice suddenly resumed its normal crystalline pitch as she continued to sing. "Will you raise me up?.. Will you help me down?.. Will you get me right out of this godforsaken town?.. Will you make it all a little less cold?" Her voice dropped back down as she sang, "I can do that... I can do that!" She sang again at her normal pitch, her voice alternating as she sang the opposing parts of the song. "Will you hold me sacred?.. Will you hold me tight?.. Can you colorize my life, I'm so sick of black and white?.. Can you make it all a little less old?... "I can do that... I can do that!... "Will you make me some magic with your own two hands?.. Can you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?.. Can you give me something I can take home?... "I can do that... I can do that!... "Will you cater to every fantasy I got?.. Will you hose me down with holy water if I get too hot?.. Will you take me to places I've never known?... "I can do that... I can do that!... "After a while you'll forget everything... It was a brief interlude and a midsummer night's fling... And you'll see that it's time to move on.... "I won't do that... I won't do that!... "I know the territory, I've been around... It'll all turn to dust and we'll all fall down... And sooner or later, you'll be screwing around...." Her voice almost became a whisper and the music faded almost to the point of being inaudible. "I won't do that... I won't do that!.. Anything for love... I would do anything for love... I would do anything for love... But I won't do that... I won't do that...." Silence filled the room for a few moments before Mina's synthesizer made a soft beeping noise, signaling the end of its pre-programmed cycle. She absently reached out and closed down the speakers and most of the external systems while gauging her friends' reactions to her music. "Ami, are you alright?" Mina asked softly. Ami smiled slightly as she discreetly wiped the tear out of her eye. "Are you sure this is someone else's work and not your own?" Mina blinked. "Of course. Granted I might have either reworked some of the original score or screwed it up entirely, but the lyrics and overall tempo were written by that American. Why do you ask?" "It just seems to fit perfectly with your mood as of late, and I do mean perfectly," Ami replied quietly. Mina gave her a strange look before she glanced over to Rei. "And what do you think?" Rei sighed. "I think I've got my work cut out for me." Mina giggled. "Oh, relax, Rei. It should only take you ten or twelve years of work before you'll be able to play something like that with your eyes closed and a bad circuit somewhere between your secondary keyboard and your mixer." Ami smirked. "Technical problems?" The blonde made a face. "Yeah. I know what it is, but I just can't pin down where exactly the little bugger is hiding. Detailed electronic repair skills just can't be picked up off the street like so many other fun skills." "Depends on where you look," Rei said. Mina shrugged. "So I steer clear of certain alleys these days, Sailor V or no. Now getting this little baby here was an adventure," she said as she patted a small circuit board wired in to her primary mixer console. "I don't think we want to hear about any black market connections that you may have happened to make as Sailor V," Ami said tiredly as she adjusted her position and laid back down on the couch. "Oh, please, Ami, it was on the gray market and I was able to get it at a very reasonable price, thank you. I do know what I'm doing. For the most part," Mina added with an impish grin. "Anyway...." Rei grumbled as she picked up the pair of headphones she had discarded earlier and reconnected them back into an auxilary port. "Okay, so this is where we left off...." Mina said as she reconnected her own set of headphones and reset the primary keyboard to something simplistic. She held her hands over the keys and waited for Rei to mirror her movements on the secondary keyboard. She gently pressed down on the keys in a certain pattern, waited for Rei to do the same, and then quickly switched to a second chord pattern. Rei was able to match the movements with relatively little clumsiness and the lesson resumed. * * * * Ami's mind surged into consciousness a half-second later than her body's reflexes. The end result was that her hands were gripping someone's throat in an iron grip before she fully woke up from her nap. What? she thought fuzzily before everything registered. "Urk...!" Darian gasped out as he struggled to breathe. Ami blinked and released her grip. "Darian? What happened?" Darian sat back on his heels with a harsh cough. "You were having some sort of nightmare and I was just seeing if you were okay. Next thing I know, I see nothing but sharp teeth and suddenly my lungs are screaming that they're going to implode," he said, his voice still slightly raspy. She blinked again and sat up. "I didn't mean to do that...." "So I was hoping," he replied. "Umm, are you alright?" She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. "Let me get back to you on that one. I sort of remember the nightmare, but that seemed like hours ago." Her vampiric hearing could still detect a slight rasp in his throat and she added, "Umm, are you okay? You're still rasping slightly." He made a face as he rubbed his throat. "I think I will be for awhile. See if I ever try to wake you up again," he said ruefully. Ami sighed and tiredly rubbed her eyes. "Darian, I'm really sorry about that. I wasn't aware of anything until I woke up." She froze as a thought occured to her and she glanced up at him. "What time is it, anyway?" He glanced at his watch. "Quarter past five." Her steel-blue eyes nearly doubled in size. "In the evening?!" Darian blinked. "Last time I checked, yes. Rei said you had been asleep for most of the day," he added. "Are you sure you're okay?" She sighed. "No, I'm not. Did you hear about the little incident we had this morning?" "Nope." "Okay, I'll just give you the condensed version then. The pancakes made me throw up, and since I wasn't finished absorbing Rei's blood, I'm still very hungry now," she said quietly. Uh oh, his expression said quite clearly. "That could explain why you were going for my throat," he said neutrally. She sighed heavily. "Probably." "You know...." he started to say. "No," she said with a gesture. He smiled. "You taking mind-reading lessons from Whisper?" She gave him a wry grin. "Some things are obvious." "Fine. Then I want to be there when you drain her," he said. Ami blinked. "Run that by me again?" "I want to be there when you drain Serena's blood," he repeated. "Umm...." she said slowly. "Oh, good, you're up," Serena said as she walked into the room. "I was wondering whether you were going to get up before sundown or not. Evening, dear," she said as she gave Darian a kiss. She turned back to Ami and blinked at the expression on her face. "Umm, you are awake, aren't you?" "Trust me, she is now," Darian said. Serena knew that look in his eyes. "Alright, who did what to whom?" she said with a sigh. "I was having a nightmare and he tried to wake me up. Problem was that my reflexes woke up first," Ami explained with a faint blush. "Which meant she tried to crush my throat before siphoning the blood out of it," Darian added. "It was an accident," Ami said sheepishly when Serena gave her a look. "What are we going to do with you?" Serena sighed as she leaned against Darian. "You're asking me?" "That was a rhetorical question, Ami." Darian started rubbing Serena's shoulders. "Perhaps the more immediate question is what are we going to do with her now?" Both girls gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?" Serena asked. He sighed. "Well, you are blood-hungry right now, aren't you?" he asked Ami. He saw her glance away at his words and he continued, "In that case, I think the answer is somewhat obvious, and since you don't want my blood, you'll have ask Serena for hers, right?" "You can watch as long as you don't interfere," Ami said quietly. Serena blinked. "Whoa, back up. What did I just miss?" "For some inexplicable reason, Darian wants to watch me drain your blood," Ami explained softly. Serena blinked and gave Darian a curious look. "You've never seen her do that before?" He made a face. "I didn't think watching her rip out that one denizen's throat counted." Ami sighed heavily. "Did you have to remind me of that?" "Sorry," he apologized. He gave Serena a curious look as she muttered something cryptic beneath her breath. "What was that?" "I said this is one of those days, alright," she replied. Ami sighed. "And you think you're having a rough day?" Serena smiled ruefully. "I would have called a rough week for you." "That, too," Ami added. "Either of you two want anything to drink while I'm headed towards the kitchen?" Darian asked as he stood up. He paused for a moment and gave Ami a measured look as he added, "And no, I don't think that would be a good idea." She blinked in surprise. "How...?" He smiled. "If I were in your position, I'd want a stiff drink, too." Serena blinked and gave Ami a dark look. "Don't tell me you're starting to make friends with Jack Daniels." She sighed heavily when Ami blushed in response and she added, "What are we going to do with you?" "Hot chocolate, if there's any readily available," Ami said to Darian. Darian smiled. "Is Mina still awake?" Ami blinked. "Umm.... she should be...." "Then trust me, there is some readily available somewhere around here," he said and walked off towards the kitchen. Serena smiled. "He has a point, you know." Ami giggled. "Believe me, I know all about Mina and her addicition to any and all forms of chocolate. Although you seem to have an overly large sweet tooth yourself," she added. "Perhaps, but I didn't corner my boyfriend into rewiring a coffee machine to brew hot chocolate instead for instant chocolate gratification," Serena replied. She blinked when Ami smirked and a delicate blush spread across her features. "Umm, what's so funny?" "You got the gratification part right, but it wasn't for chocolate," Ami said with a grin. Serena thought about it for a moment. "I don't want to know, do I?" "Nope." "Just checking...." They both looked up as Darian returned with three steaming mugs in his hands. "Here," he said as he carefully balanced two in one hand while he used his free hand to pass a mug to Ami. "Thanks," Ami replied. "Need a hand?" Serena asked. He nodded. "The one on the right is yours," he said as he quickly got a grip on the remaining mugs. Serena waited until he had everything under control before she reached out and took the mug from his grasp. "Thank you, dear," she said as she sipped at the steaming contents. She made a face at the taste and almost spat it out. "Ick, maybe not. Why'd you get me coffee?" "Oops, that's mine. This must be yours," he said as they switched mugs. "Don't like coffee, Serena?" Ami inquired as she sipped her hot chocolate. The blonde shrugged. "It's an acquired taste I haven't taken the time to acquire just yet. Mmm, much better," she said as she tasted hot chocolate instead of coffee. "Rough day at work, Darian?" Ami asked as he took a large gulp of coffee. "Sort of. Coffee machine conked out before lunch, so I didn't get my usual dose of caffeine before having to deal with the afternoon paperwork," he explained. "Poor baby," Serena said with a smile. "You hush," he replied. "Just wait until you get a job and then we'll see who could use a caffeine kick-start after lunch to keep going." Serena opened her mouth to deliver a retort when she glanced at Ami and blinked. "You know, that's still slightly spooky when you do that," she said. Ami blinked in confusion. "Do what?" "When your eyes go from their usual shade of blue to that steel-blue shade when you become vampiric," Serena explained. Ami carefully ran her tongue along her gums before sighing heavily. "It's getting to the point where I no longer feel the transformation taking place. I mean, one second I'm fine, the next my fangs are protruding from the gum line, and I'm not sure when exactly it happens. Or why," she added quietly. "I think the 'why' part is somewhat obvious," Serena replied equally as quietly as she set her mug down on the coffee table. She paused for a moment and looked up at her friend. "Umm, you are hungry, right?" Ami nodded. "Yes. But not here," she said when Serena's hands started to move up to her collar. Serena shrugged. "No problem. You mind if we use our room?" she asked Darian. "I don't see why not," he said with an equal shrug. "Alright. Come on, then," Serena said as she took Darian's empty coffee mug out of his hand and set it on the coffee table before taking his hands in hers and leading him down the hallway. Ami quickly finished the rest of her hot chocolate before she set the mug down on the coffee table and rose unsteadily to her feet. Mmm, balace would be nice, she thought as her legs wavered for a brief second before she stabilized herself. She sighed heavily to herself as she set off down the hallway after Serena and Darian. The door was left open for her and she walked in. She glanced around the room and stopped when she didn't see Serena. "Umm, where'd she go?" Darian leaned against the wall and shrugged. "She said she had to change first for some cryptic reason and dashed into the bathroom. Go figure." Okay.... Ami thought before her vampiric hearing picked up on the soft creaking noise of the bathroom door opening. She turned to look and froze in surprise. Not surprisingly, she was able to hear the quiet popping sound Darian's jaw made as it fell open. "Problem?" Serena asked as she adjusted her nightgown. It was made out of a soft shade of pink satin that gracefully draped down to her ankles. The sleeves came down to halfway between her elbows and her wrists while the sash was made of an almost transparent ribbon of dark pink satin. "Does that neckline go low enough?" Ami said, mock sternly. "Depends on who you ask," Serena replied as she glanced down. The cut of the neckline ended just below the bottoms of her breasts, revealing a rather substantial portion of her feminine anatomy. "I'd ask Darian, but his jaw looks to be unhinged right now...." "Hey, I'm fine," he protested. Ami smiled. "Darian, I can hear your heart pounding from here, and I'm a good ten feet away." "And...?" he asked with a sidelong glance at Serena. Ami just sighed. "Nevermind." "In case you were wondering, Ami, I wore this because I have very serious intentions of going to bed afterwards," Serena explained as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Ami raised an eyebrow. "Why so early?" Serena shrugged. "Partly because I want to just relax with the feeling I get when you bite me, and partly because it's been one of those days and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible." Ami giggled at that. "Now that one I can relate to," she said as she quietly walked over to the bed and sat down next to Serena. "Umm.... just out of idle curiosity, where did you get that?" Serena blushed. "Victoria's Secret." Ami just sighed quietly. "Mina's catalog?" "Actually, Rei and I went shopping one day...." Darian and Ami exchanged glances. "Do we want to ask what Rei got?" Ami asked cautiously. Serena's face went crimson and Ami just shook her head. "Nevermind, then." "So where's the outlet store?" Darian asked. "Don't encourage her," Ami said tiredly. Serena giggled. "You know, Ami, we saw this lovely blue chemise that Rei thought you would like. Satin with synthetic pearl buttons, stunning lace pattern on the hem lines, comes down to here and...." "Ahem," Ami said, her cheeks turning pink. "But I thought Tolaris said he likes blue satin...." "That's none of your business" Ami said, her blush darkening and her voice turning to ice. Serena blinked and held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, Ami, calm down. It was just a thought." "Some thoughts we can do without for the time being," Ami sighed. A small smile spread across Serena's face. "Does that mean you want me to tell you about it later?" "Perhaps you should discuss that topic at a later date, Serena," Darian said quickly as Ami's features started to darken. Serena blinked. "Ami, are you alright?" Ami just sighed again. "Not really. Perhaps going straight to bed is a good idea after all." "After you slept all afternoon?" Serena said incrediously. Ami shrugged. "Like you said, it's one of those days." Serena nodded. "No argument there. You ready?" she asked softly. Ami nodded and leaned forward. "Thanks, Serena." Serena said nothing and closed her eyes, ignoring the quiet sounds Darian was making as he moved next to the bed to get a better viewpoint. She sighed softly when she felt Ami's lips on her throat, searching for a suitable vein. All thoughts fled as she felt the pair of tiny fangs pierce her throat. The pain only lasted for a moment before she felt her blood being drawn out and a haze of pleasure settled around her body. She unconsciously sighed as her muscles relaxed and she went limp. Darian watched the scene in silence. Interesting, he thought as his gaze alternated between Serena's throat and the expression on her face. Usually she only looks that peaceful when she's sleeping. How is it that it's so calm and peaceful for one person, but drives someone like Mina up the wall? He blinked as the sign of the Moon started glowing on Serena's forehead and Ami suddenly staggered back, her breath strangling in her throat. He stepped forward and caught her before she could fall. "Ami, what's wrong?" he asked quickly, noticing the tiny rivulet of blood escaping out of the corner of her mouth. Serena opened her eyes and Darian could see that they were still slightly glazed over. "Ami, what...?" she tried to say. The sigil on her forehead started to glow a brighter shade of gold, causing Ami to shrink further back. Darian carefully edged Ami away from the bed, still keeping a solid grip on her. "Ami, are you alright? What happened?" he asked. He blinked when she made a strangled hissing noise in response and grabbed his wrist in an iron grip. "Hey, what are you...." Time seemed to come to a complete halt as a searing pain lanced through his entire arm. Did she break my wrist? he thought before the pain faded and he was aware of his heartbeat, the rhythmic sound echoing loudly through his body. He could feel his arm going slightly numb as his blood was slowly being drawn out of the pair of tiny puncture wounds in his wrist. She bit me, he thought as time seemed to start again at a slow crawl. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on what he was feeling. The sound of his heart beating continued to echo through his body, but he could hear the distant sound of another heart beating. He listened to it and was amazed to discover that it was slowly synchronizing with his own pulse. An eternity seemed to pass for him before they fully synchronized and the sound of two hearts beating in unison seemed to reverberate through his body, producing a very strange but pleasant sensation. He could feel his other senses start to reawaken and time seemed to speed up a little. He realized that he was still holding Ami, one arm around her waist and her hands holding his other arm up to her lips. He could still feel her tiny vampire fangs embedded in the vein in his wrist and the sensation of his blood being drawn out was indescribable. He tried to think but discovered that his brain didn't quite work like it usually did. All he wanted to do was hold her as she slowly drank his blood. He opened his eyes and blinked when he was nearly blinded by a golden light. The sign of the Moon, he thought. Serena.... Time suddenly returned to normal. He looked up at Serena and saw the look of concern in her eyes. "Darian...." she said softly. Ami suddenly made a low moaning sound in her throat and withdrew her fangs from his wrist. She closed her eyes and leaned back against him, pressing his arm against the base of her throat. "Ami, are you alright? What happened?" Serena asked, her eyes still wide with confusion and concern. "I.... don't know, Serena...." Ami replied quietly. "Your aura suddenly went ballistic and forced me away.... And then I felt Darian pulling me away from you and.... and...." She trailed off, her explanation ending in another low moan. Serena blinked, her gaze alternating between Darian and Ami. "Darian, are you alright?" He nodded slowly. "I think I am, but give me a few minutes to make sure." Ami sighed quietly. "Darian, I need to know what's on your mind. And be honest," she added softly. He blinked. "Why do you ask?" "I need to know if you're feeling what I'm feeling," she explained. He paused for a moment to think. "If you want to continue draining my blood, by all means, go ahead." He paused again as a thought occured to him. "Should I ask what you're feeling?" She shivered briefly. "To be honest, if Serena wasn't sitting on the bed, you and I would probably be making good use of it right now." Serena and Darian exchanged concerned glances. "I don't suppose I can convince you to skip that part...?" Darian said cautiously. "So the legends were right?" Serena asked. Ami shivered again and nodded her head slowly. "Yes, but it seems that only I am.... affected. If I remember, the legends said that both of us should be worked up right now." Serena frowned. "Are you okay?" "I will be." "And what about now?" Serena asked. Ami sighed quietly. "Let's just say that I'd be in some serious trouble if Mina were to come across me like this. Or anyone, for that matter." "Ami, did you get enough blood?" Darian asked quietly. "Yes, I did. Thank you," she said quietly. "C'mon, Ami, let's get you off to bed so we can get this day over with," Serena said as she rose from the bed. Ami hesitated for a moment. "I.... don't want to move just yet." Serena blinked in surprise before she straightened her nightgown and walked over to her. "Umm, Ami?" she asked softly as she laid her hand on Ami's shoulder. Ami closed her eyes at the contact. "W...what?" she breathed, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that was sweeping across her shoulder. "You're a good friend and all, but if you don't let go of my boyfriend real soon, I'm going to have to injure you," Serena said quietly. Ami opened her eyes as she slowly let go of Darian's arm. "Sorry," she apologized as she took a step away from him. Serena looked up at Darian curiously. "You still with us?" Darian flexed his wrist and briefly studied the fading puncture marks. "Yeah, for the most part. That really felt weird, in a good sort of way." "S-speaking of weird feelings, c-could you move your hand before I'm driven insane?" Ami said quietly to Serena. Serena blinked and quickly took her hand off of Ami's shoulder. "Umm, are you feeling alright, Ami?" Ami blew out her breath slowly. "Let me put it to you like this. My skin is hyper-sensitive right now and the rest of me isn't in much better condition. I'm either going to sleep this off or Tolaris isn't going to get any sleep for the next three days and will wind up summoning a hurricane by accident." Darian gave Serena a concerned look. "Can those weather shields handle hurricane-force winds?" he asked as he jerked a thumb towards the open storm shutters on the windows. Ami smiled weakly. "I thought I heard Tolaris mention that those things were rated up to low-level atomics, provided that Ground Zero wasn't within three miles." Serena blinked. "Nephlyte built this thing to last, eh?" "Wouldn't you?" Serena shrugged. "True. Now come on, we've got to get you to bed before you coerce Tolaris into demolishing the city by accident." Ami's reply was cut off by the piercing sound of an alarm klaxon going off and a mechanical voice repeating something in the denizen language. It took her a full second to translate the metallic words and she let loose with a string of profanity when the translation sank in. "What?" Darian yelled, his eyes nearly double their usual size. "Ami, what is it?" Serena said quickly, her eyes slightly under triple their usual diameter. Ami was already running for the door. "I think it's an intruder alert! C'mon, let's go!" she snapped as she threw open the door and bolted down the hallway, almost running over a very confused Rei. "Now what surprise does life have in store for us?" Serena muttered as she ran after the others. * * * * Leda blinked as she slid the gloves onto her hands. "Nice," she breathed as she flexed experimentally. "Fits just right. Cozy, too." "That was the general idea," Reish'id replied in an amused tone. She giggled. "Yeah, I know. But still...." She paused as she discovered a slight resistance in the gloves when she flexed her hands in a certain way. "What's this?" "Flex your fingers like this," he said as he held out his hands and demonstrated. She did so and jumped when a set of razor-sharp claws protruded out of the tips of the gloves with a sharp click. "Whoa, what have we here?" she asked, her green eyes wide with amazement. "You would be surprised at how easily a set of claws can solve a rather significant amount of your problems," he explained. "Granted evolution had survival in mind, but I've discovered many ways to use my claws for utility purposes. Cutting fabric or carving stone, for instance." Leda blinked. "These can carve stone?" He nodded. "I occasionally shed a few claws here and there, and since I know how useful they can be, I save them whenever I can. And since my claws retain their enhanced composition when shedded, they can still carve through almost anything." She smiled. "Coolness. Umm, how long will they last?" He shrugged. "If you plan on digging through a mountainside, not very long. However, if you only cut through soft or weak materials, like cloth or most living things, they should last for several decades." Leda blinked and looked down at her gloves. "Living things?" she echoed. She looked back up when she felt his tail coil around her wrist. "You may not use them as such, but they are designed for lethal defense," he said softly. "I know that my claws have saved my life in more battles than I can remember." "I'll keep that in mind," she said as she flexed her fingers. "Umm, how do I get them to fold in or whatever?" "Same way as before. They're built on a fixed switch-like device that is activated when you flex your fingers like that. That way, you can keep full mobility while the claws are out and not have to worry about having them fold in on you by accident," he explained. She nodded. "Makes sense." "Are you sure they fit well enough?" "Yup," she said. "Just one small, itsy-bitsy problem." Reish'id blinked. "What?" "I can't crack my knuckles without setting off the trigger," she said as she positioned her hands. She moved in slow motion and stopped halfway through when she was on the verge of extending the claws. "My heart bleeds for you," he said dryly. Leda laughed and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks." "You are more than welcome, Leda," he purred into her ear. "I do hope I'm not intruding...." said a voice from across the room. Both Leda and Reish'id jumped slightly and turned to their sudden guest. "Of course not, Healer," Reish'id said mildly. Maq'i smiled. "That is fortunate, then. I would have hated to have interrupted anything of any remote importance." "Tell me," Reish'id asked as he tilted his head to one side, "Am I to assume that my communication system is in need of repair?" The ancient healer laughed. "Either that, or you need to close down the circuit once you are finished," she replied mildly. Reish'id frowned as he walked over to his communications terminal and opened the concealed panel. A soft beeping noise filled the cave and he sighed heavily. "My apologies, Healer," he said sheepishly as he cleared the line and shut the circuit down. "We all forget to do that every now and then, my friend," Maq'i said with a gentle smile. "Forget to hang up the phone?" Leda teased. "In essence," he replied. Leda laughed. "I know the feeling. Jenni was talking to me on the phone one night and fell asleep without hanging up. I must have spent ten minutes trying to wake her up from halfway across town just to get her to hang up." "Now where does that one sound familiar?" Reish'id said with a smile. Maq'i's face turned a delicate shade of orange. "I don't know what you're talking about," she replied. Leda raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh.... Should I ask?" "No," they replied simultaneously. Leda blinked and shrugged. "Hey, just asking...." Maq'i smiled at her. "It usually never hurts to ask, Leda, it's that you might not always get a reply." Leda nodded. "True." "If you will pardon my abruptness, I don't have much time available," the ancient healer said gently. "I told the staff nurse that I had to step out to use the bathroom, so I am expected back real soon. Not that I was lying, mind you, but still...." Reish'id nodded. "We understand." Maq'i smiled. "Thank you," she said as she headed down the hallway. Leda sighed. "Well, seeing how my backpack is sitting somewhere out in the great unknown, probably still a frozen lawn ornament, I don't have any packing to do. So...." "At least you can give me a minute to say good-bye," Reish'id said softly. Leda smiled and gave him a tight hug. "Of course. And to thank you for everything." "You are more than welcome, Leda," he said softly in her ear as his tail coiled tightly around her wrist. "You said you would return for a visit one day?" "Of course," she replied, trying to keep the sudden waver of emotion out of her voice. "It might be awhile, since I can't just hop on the bus and ride it down here, but I promise I'll drop in one day." He said nothing as he held her, trying to ignore the steady flow of Time and wishing he could hold her forever. He concentrated on remembering the feel of her body in his arms and the sound of her heart beating against his, trying to etch it into his memory. His ear twitched as he heard the almost silent footsteps of Maq'i walking back down the hallway. With a silent but heavy sigh, he gently tugged himself free of Leda's embrace and let his tail fall free of her wrist. "Are you ready?" Maq'i asked softly. Leda nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah, I am. Thank you, Healer." "It is my duty to help those who need it," she replied as she held out the iridescent Silkworm crystal. "You will have to open the wormhole, as I do not know where you need to go." Leda blinked as she accepted the gem. "Umm, how does it work?" "Just concentrate on where you need to go," the healer said softly. Leda nodded and took a deep breath. She fixed her mind on a certain point in the cathedral on Earth and concentrated. The gem started to tingle in her hand as its internal energies lashed out and ripped a hole in the dimensional fabric of space. Leda's eyes snapped open as the wormhole flared into existence. I guess this is it, she thought. "Thank you for everything, Healer," she said as she handed the gem back to Maq'i. "Take care, Leda," Maq'i replied. Leda looked back at Reish'id and smiled. "See you later, furball." Reish'id almost smiled. "I'll be here, Leda. Take care," he said softly. Leda nodded her head once before she turned around and stepped into the wormhole. The dimensional vortex closed in on itself after her and vanished without a trace. "She is not the only one who's spirtual health has improved since my last visit," Maq'i observed quietly. "Has it ever been ill, Healer?" he replied equally as quietly. She paused for a moment to think. "No, but it has seen better days." "Perhaps," he said softly. "She cares very much for you, Reish'id," she said. "As do I." He sighed quietly. "I know, Maq'i. And you know how I feel as well." She said nothing as she concentrated on the Silkworm crystal and opened a wormhole back to her medical facility. "One question, Reish'id." He said nothing in response and she continued. "If we still care for each other, why did we ever stop seeing each other?" "Did we stop?" he said quietly before he turned and left the room. Maq'i paused to ponder the matter briefly before shaking her head and stepping into the wormhole. Behind her, the vortex collapsed into nothingness, leaving behind a room devoid of everything but memories. * * * * Maze ran into the cathedral's central hallway just as the dark figure emerged from the wormhole. "Freeze!!" he yelled as he brought his arm up, ready to unleash a barrage of his kinetic energy projectiles. The figure froze in place. The wormhole vanished into nothingness and Maze was able to get a good look at the intruder. A Felinoid? he thought with a mental grimace. Great, that's all we need to have to deal with, a Felinoid warrior.... with brown hair?! "Maze?" said the figure in a very familiar voice. Maze blinked. "Leda?" Leda turned around and smiled. "Hey, long time no see!" She paused for a moment and added, "What's with that loud siren?" The Dragoon just sighed. "That is a type of security system that goes off whenever a wormhole opens and it isn't one of ours. Hang on," he said as he walked over to a nearby control panel and entered a code string. The klaxon faded and Leda blushed. "Sorry about that." Both Leda and Maze blinked in surprise as there was a mad scramble at the main archway as Ami, Serena, and Darian burst into the room only to come to a screeching halt. "What is it?" Ami asked, panting slightly. Leda laughed. "Just me seeing if everyone's paying attention." "Hey, you're back!" Serena said as she stepped forward and gave Leda a hug. The embrace only lasted for a few seconds before she stepped back and stared at Leda's suit. "Whoa, what is that you're wearing?" "Oh, just something a friend of mine made for me," Leda said with a grin. Maze frowned and stepped forward, peering closely at the fur. "Umm, this looks like Felinoid fur." Leda nodded. "It is." Maze suddenly straightened up. "You were in the Negaverse?" "WHAT?!" Serena said, her blue eyes doubling in size. Leda blinked. "Well.... yeah...." "You went into the Negaverse all by yourself without telling anyone?!" Leda started to edge away from her. "Umm.... well.... yes...." Everyone turned around as Tolaris, Whisper, Ra'vel, Mina, and Rei entered the room at a near-run, braking hard to avoid hitting anyone. "Relax, boss, it's just Leda returning from the Negaverse," Maze explained before Tolaris could open his mouth to ask any questions. "WHAT?!" Leda sighed. "I can tell this is going to take some explaining." She looked up to see Serena giving her a dark look. "You've got that right," the blonde said firmly. Leda sighed. "Alright, just give me a few to change first and I'll sit down with everyone and explain it. Nice nightgown," she added. Serena glanced down at her nightgown and suddenly remembered just how much of her it left exposed. "Howaboutifwetalkaboutthisinaboutfiveminutes?" she blurted out as she made a hasty exit towards her room to change. Rei blinked as a small pink tornado shot past her. "Why is it she can never move that fast when we need her to?" she asked as her hair settled back into place. Mina shrugged. "We all have our priorities. You might want to tie that robe a little tighter," she suggested. Rei glanced down and turned a dark shade of red when she realized that her robe wasn't quite closed all of the way and she was showing as much of her feminine anatomy as Serena had been. "Gee, I take it I caught everyone at a bad time?" Leda said as she watched the small red tornado blaze a trail down the hall. Mina shook her head, sending water droplets everywhere. "Some of us were in the shower when you decided to wake up the entire cathedral." "Why don't we meet in the dining room in ten minutes?" Tolaris suggested. "That should give us enough time to get everything in order and to finish up some last-minute business. You still have that dessert in the refrigerator?" he asked Whisper. She nodded. "Of course. I take it you want me to thaw it enough to serve with something like hot chocolate and ma'cha?" Tolaris nodded. "If you wouldn't mind." "This should be interesting...." Mina said as she eyed Leda's suit. "You know, that looks awfully comfortable." Leda just smiled. "You don't know the half of it...." * * * * It took Leda almost three hours to explain everything that had happened to her during her 'vacation' in the Negaverse. The only thing she didn't try to explain in detail was the extent of her relationship with Reish'id. After she was finished, Serena and Luna spent the next fifteen minutes chewing her out about her decision to go into the Negaverse alone and unannounced. "I trust we have made our point sufficiently clear?" Luna inquired. Leda sighed and slumped in her chair. "Yes, Luna. Next time, I promise to tell you when I'm going on vacation." "And that was your idea of a vacation?" Serena said around a mouthful of the wispy denizen dessert. Leda just shrugged as she sipped at her hot chocolate. "Not at first, but you have no idea how much better I feel. About a lot of things," she added. "I'm glad you are feeling better, Leda," Artemis said carefully, "But you really should have told someone where you were going first in case we needed to get in touch with you in an emergency." Whisper cleared her throat gently. "Actually, she sort of told me where she was going before she left." Everyone turned to look at her. "And why didn't you tell us that she was going into the Negaverse, Captain?" Tolaris asked neutrally. Whisper sighed as she set her cup of ma'cha down on the table. "Namely because her reasons were personal in nature and she had her reasons for keeping them secret. If she wants to tell them to you, that's her business, not mine." Everyone's attention turned back to Leda. "So what were your reasons?" Luna asked. "None of your business," Leda said bluntly as she took another sip of her hot chocolate. "Leda...." Serena said quietly. "Which part of 'none of your business' doesn't translate?" Serena just sighed and looked down at her hot chocolate. "Alright, Leda, calm down now," she said as she picked up her spoon and idly toyed with the strange denizen dessert. "Leda, are you sure you're feeling better?" Mina asked quietly. Leda blinked. "What do you mean?" Mina sighed. "Well, I'm not sure, really. I mean, you do seem to be more than a bit happier since before you left, but did you really find what you were looking for in the first place?" Leda sighed heavily. "Not really, but while I was in the Negaverse, I finally decided I didn't want to find what I was looking for because I found something else." "Or someone else," Ami said softly. "Which sort of reminds me. I want to take a look at your communicator before you go to bed. Routine diagnostics and all." Leda gave her a wary look. "Routine diagnostics, huh? I don't suppose I have any sort of alternative to this, do I?" Ami smiled sweetly. "An alternative? Of course you have an alternative. I'll even sum it up for you in two words: cold metal." Everyone blinked as both Leda and Mina suddenly shivered for no apparent reason. "Do I want to ask?" Serena said cautiously. "No," Leda and Mina chorused. "It's sort of an inside joke," Ami said, still smiling. Mina groaned. "Oh, god, that was awful." Ami blinked. "What?" "The pun. Just think about it," Mina explained with a sour look. Ami thought about it for a moment before it hit her. "Oops." "Are you sure I don't want to ask?" Serena said. Mina just sighed. "If you insist...." she said as she leaned over and started whispering in Serena's ear. It only took five seconds to explain the subject in sufficient detail to cause Serena's eyes to widen and for her to shiver lightly. "Whoa, sorry I asked!" she said, still shivering. "What?" Darian asked, giving the girls a confused look. Leda made a face. "Just be glad you're a guy and leave it at that, okay?" Darian blinked and took another look at the expression on Serena's face. "Umm.... yeah, whatever." Ra'vel stood up and fluffed her feathers, chirping softly to Tolaris. "Going to be already?" he asked, and received a series of chirps in response. Tolaris shrugged. "Trust me, I've had those days too. Good night, Ra'vel." His sentiments were echoed by everyone around the table as Ra'vel reached out and scooped up Artemis before teleporting out of the room. Whisper stood up and stretched, trying to work a small kink out of her shoulder blades. "I think the lieutenant has a good point. I don't know about the rest of you, but it has definitely been 'one of those days' for me as well," she said with a small sigh. "I'll get the dishes before I go to bed," Rei said. Whisper nodded. "Thank you. See you tomorrow, everyone," she said and teleported. Darian smirked and checked his watch. "Just a little past nine in the evening and everyone's heading off to bed?" Ami nodded. "It looks like everyone has had a rough day." Leda yawned. "Yeah, it sort of was." She looked over at Ami and sighed heavily. "C'mon, Ami, let's get this 'diagnostic' over with so I can go to bed." Ami kissed Tolaris briefly before she stood up. "I wasn't kidding about wanting to look at your communicator, Leda. I'm going to reprogram some of the logic chips in everyone's communicator, and since I already tested it out on my communicator, we can start with the upgrades." Leda blinked. "So why mine first?" Ami shrugged. "Several reasons. I want to reverify your communicator's transponder frequency as well as the integrity of the frequency matrix." She saw the blank look on Leda's face and added, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." "Yeah, whatever," Leda said as she finished the rest of her hot chocolate. "Let's just get going so I can go crash. Good night, everyone." "Good night," Rei said as she watched them leave. "Umm, something tells me that Ami plans to do more than check out her communicator." Serena shivered again. "Believe me, you don't want to know." Rei just shrugged. "Whatever," she said as she stood and started to collect the empty cups and plates. Darian leaned over and kissed the back of Serena's neck. "You said you wanted to go to bed early?" Serena nodded. "Yeah, might as well." "Rough day, Serena?" Luna inquired. "You could say that, Luna," Serena replied as she briefly scratched Luna behind the ears. "I'll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon." "Lazy bed slug," Rei muttered. "What's wrong with being a bed slug?" Mina pouted as she leaned against Maze. The Dragoon lieutenant wisely decided to stay out of the conversation. "Not all of us like to get up at the crack of dawn like you do, Rei." "Please, Commander, not at the dinner table," Luna said when she heard a soft crackling sound coming from the tiny lightning bolts arcing between his fingertips. Rei gave him a dark look before she carried the dishes into the kitchen, muttering something about bed slugs and lightning bolts. Mina and Serena exchanged looks before they both shrugged. "C'mon, dear, time to go make our nightly transformation into bed slugs," Mina said as she gave Maze a brief kiss before standing up and heading off towards their room. Maze caught the amused look from Tolaris and shrugged in response. "When in the Outreaches...." he said as he rose to his feet and followed her down the hallway. "Sleep well, Commander," Darian said as he and Serena stood up and headed off down the hallway towards their bedroom. "I wish," Tolaris said softly to the room. "Problems sleeping again?" Luna inquired. The Dragoon commander sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Yes and no. I mean, yes I'm having problems sleeping, but it's more on the order of 'still' as opposed to 'again'." Luna looked up as Rei returned with a steaming mug. She wordlessly set it down in front of Tolaris and finished up her task of clearing the table. After the dishes were safely stored in the kitchen sink, she quickly wiped off the table with a damp cloth and went off to bed. Tolaris gave Luna a mild look before he picked up the mug and peered at the contents. "What's this?" he asked as he sniffed at the mug. Luna craned her neck to look inside. "I think that's one of her herbal teas. The one she gave to Mina last week for insomnia, if I remember the smell correctly." Tolaris blinked. "Do I obviously look like I'm having trouble sleeping at night?" he inquired. "Well, you do look that way sometimes," Luna admitted. The Dragoon shrugged and took a sip of the tea. "Mmm, not bad. A bit strong, perhaps, but most human drinks are." "Might I inquire what keeps you up at night?" Luna asked gently. Tolaris sighed. "More often than not its Mintaka, but the last couple of nights have been.... odd. I don't know how to explain it, really, but it sort of feels like.... kind of like something is here, in the cathedral. I mean, I woke up last night and I could have sworn I felt.... a presence of sorts. It only lasted for a moment, and I wasn't sure if I had dreamt it or not." He took a deep sip of his tea and looked up at Luna. He paused for a moment when he saw the look in her eyes. "Luna, what is it?" Her tail lashed back and forth. "A presence, you say?" Tolaris blinked. "Yes, at least that what I thought it felt like." Luna closed her eyes, her tail still lashing back and forth. "This.... may sound strange, but I could have sworn I felt a presence myself not too long ago. As you said, it was only for a brief moment, but it felt.... almost familiar." Tolaris frowned. "I find it odd that two of us should feel something similar like that, and I don't believe in coincidences of that nature." Luna nodded. "I'll have a talk with Artemis tomorrow about it and see if he has had the same experience. I might believe two of us as a coincidence, but not three." "That should work. Thank you," he said and drained the mug. He stood up and took it into the kitchen where it was placed with the other dirty dishes. A quick glance around assured him that everything was fine and he returned to the dining room. Luna yawned as she stretched. "Goodness, it appears that I should be going to bed as well. Please tell Ami I said good night, and I wish you pleasant dreams, Commander," she said as she hopped off of the table. Tolaris nodded. "I'll tell her that, and thank you, Luna. Good night," he replied and walked down the hallway towards his room. He was almost to his bedroom door when something in the back of his mind told him to stop. He blinked and looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He turned around to continue, but again something didn't feel quite right. He was about to ask himself if he was starting to go insane when something caught his eyes. He frowned lightly as he reached out and removed the single strand of hair that had gotten caught on the bottom edge of a denizen painting hanging on one of the walls. His frown deepened as he held the strand flat against the white paint of the wall to get a better look at the color. Dark green? he thought. I know Captain Whisper has pale green hair, but I don't think her hair gets this dark, or this long. Odd.... He made a mental note to ask Whisper about it in the morning and headed off to bed, the frown still on his face and a question in his mind. * * * * Ami's gaze wandered back and forth between the disassembled remains of Leda's communicator and the disassembled remains of her computer. This is going to get interesting, she thought as she started the program that upgraded the logic chips. Can I do this and use the sensor suite at the same time? Leda was looking over shoulder with mild interest. "And what did you say you were doing again?" "I'm reprogramming your communicator to emit a coded signal that will allow me to track it with my computer, but will not allow anyone else to track it," Ami explained as she carefully picked up the titanium-steel alloy casing of her sensor suite. "Sit down over here," she said. Leda sighed and sat down. "I really don't need this, you know." "Never hurts to be sure. Besides, if a regular doctor was doing this, you'd be in the stirrup position and she'd have the probe ready. This way, all I have to do is bounce a few energetic rays off of you and let my computer interpret the results," Ami said. "Now hold still." Leda sighed again and watched as Ami carefully passed the sensor suite over her abdomen. The scan took longer than usual since the suite wasn't directly connected to the computer's main CPU and since most of the computer's attention was devoted to reprogramming the logic chips. Leda saw the way Ami's eyebrows rose up and she frowned. "What?" "Nothing to worry about," Ami assured her. "No tissue damage, no sign of any virus or bacterial infection, and most importantly, no sign of pregnancy." "Which is what I told you before you started," Leda grumped. Ami shrugged and carefully set the casing down. "True, but it never hurts to double check." "Unless you use the probe," Leda said dourly. "Still, what did you find that was so interesting?" Ami's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Just the composition of some genetic material that wasn't yours." Leda chuckled. "So I fell into bed with him as well as falling in love with him." "I remember a particular sleep-over party along time ago where you once said that sex with a guy wasn't worth it without the emotions," Ami said slowly. "Can I assume that you feel that it is worth it if you love each other?" Leda smiled. "You don't need my opinion to know that, Ami." Ami shrugged. "Just checking. Was he cute?" Leda laughed. "You're not going to believe this...." "I know looks aren't anything, Leda...." "He was a giant panther." Ami blinked. "What?" "You know how Ra'vel looks like a giant owl? Well, Reish'id was sort of like a giant panther," Leda explained. Ami blinked again. "You're kidding." The brunette shrugged. "Nope. You remember that suit I was wearing when I came back from the Negaverse? That was the same type of fur he had." She saw the look on Ami's face and quickly explained the Felinoid viewpoint on fur pelts. Ami sat back. "That's barbaric." Leda just shrugged. "That's exactly what I said, but he just shrugged it off and said it was their way of doing things. I didn't lose much sleep over it, and the fur is very cozy...." "I'll have to give it a closer look one of these days. Ah, good," she said when her computer finished reprogramming the logic chips and beeped. "So what's been happening around here?" Leda asked casually as she watched Ami start the process of reassembling her communicator. Ami laughed quietly. "Oh, the usual. Tolaris and Maze told us a few war stories about their lives in the Negaverse, Mina and I tried to kill each other the other day, I had to take Rei's blood since you weren't here...." Leda suddenly blinked. "Whoa, you're right. Umm, how hungry are you?" Ami laughed humorlessly. "I'm fine. The little incident with Mina made me throw up Rei's blood, so I had to take some of Serena's. Problem was, her aura went off again and I somehow wound up taking Darian's blood." Leda blinked again. "You took Darian's blood? When was this?" "About ten minutes before you set off half of the alarms in this place." Leda chuckled. "Sorry about that. Still.... how was it?" Ami sighed. "Let's just say I won't be taking his blood again." Leda frowned. "You went ballistic?" "No, nothing like that. It's just that Mina was right about a female vampire and a male host," Ami explained softly. Leda blinked. "Umm, you didn't.... do anything about that, did you?" Ami shook her head. "Not with Serena sitting on the bed watching us." "And if Serena wasn't there?" Ami sighed. "I don't want to think about that. There, that should do it," she said as she reconnected the logic chips to Leda's communicator and quickly reassembled the casing. She ran a quick diagnostic and nodded to herself when she received the expected checksums. "Everything checks out," she said as she handed the communicator to Leda and started to reassemble her computer. "Thanks, I think," Leda replied. "I don't mean to dredge anything up, Leda, but in case you were wondering, Mrs. Stone called me the other day and told me that the funeral was still scheduled for Sunday," Ami said slowly. Leda nodded her head. "Okay, I was sort of wondering about that." Ami snapped the computer's outer casing together and ran a few diagnostics just to make sure she didn't leave anything disconnected. "If you don't mind my asking, you are feeling better, right?" Leda smiled. "Yeah, I am. Reish'id taught me quite a lot about dealing with life, and it's helped me immensely. I mean, Ken's death still hurts, but it doesn't hurt me as much as it did before." "That's good. Umm, just out of pure curiosity, how old is he?" Leda smiled. "Three thousand some-odd years old." Ami blinked hard. "Three thousand?" she echoed. Leda shrugged. "His regeneration skill has a lot to do with it...." She trailed off as a memory surfaced. "Umm, Ami? I don't know if this would be the case with you, but the denizens have proven that anyone with any sort of regeneration skill has a significantly longer lifespan than those who don't have it." She sighed as Ami's blue eyes widened in shock, just as she had expected. "Don't get too upset, Ami, we don't know how it could affect you, or even if such a thing would...." "It already has started to," Ami whispered. She looked up at Leda with the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I've noticed my menstrual cycle starting to slow down within the past few months, and my computer scans are showing a decrease in the rate of celluar decay. According to my calculations, my cycle should stop completely within three years and my celluar decay should virtually cease. And if what you say is true, then I don't see why my calculations would be wrong." "Not having to put up with PMS is a bad thing?" Leda inquired. "You don't understand. If my cells don't die, new ones can't replace them and I won't be able to grow anymore, which means I'll look like a fifteen-year old all of my life. And if my menstrual cycle stops completely, I won't be able to have any children," Ami explained. Uh-oh, thought Leda, who knew how much Ami wanted to have a child when she grew older and most likely married Tolaris. This is not good.... "Ami, please keep in mind that you're human, not denizen," Leda said. Ami sighed and tried to keep the tears from falling. "I know, but...." "But nothing," Leda said as she stood up. "Listen, you need to go talk to Tolaris and bounce your ideas off of him. If anyone around here knows anything about denizen physiology and such, it'll be him. Besides, you look like you could use a good hug right now, and as much as I like the idea, I don't think I'm the right person to be giving you that kind of comfort." Ami smiled slightly as she stood up. "Thanks," she said as she gave Leda a quick hug. "I take it we'll see you sometime tomorrow morning?" Leda nodded. "You bet. Breakfast at eight?" "That'll work. Sleep well, Leda," Ami said as she left the room. "You too!" Leda called out before the door closed. She sighed heavily as she looked around the room and a feeling of emptiness descended around her like a heavy cloak. Great, she thought as she started to strip down for a shower. I spend a few months getting used to sleeping alone, I finally get it right, then I wind up spending almost a week using a giant panther as an intimate pillow. And now that he's back there and I'm back home, I'm back to square one. Am I feeling better? she thought as her panties slid to the floor and she walked into her bathroom. Now that I'm sleeping alone? Not anymore, she thought with a heavy mental sigh. She looked up from her thoughts and a grin crossed her face. But at least the toilet here isn't as cold as stone.... * * * * * EPILOGUE * The shadowy form floated through the darker shadows that made up the dimensional neo-void known as The Dark, aimlessly wandering from one ghostly point to another. The shadow possessed neither physical form nor gender, but nevertheless it thought of itself as a she. It was by sheer coincidence that she was in the spot she was when the tattered remains of the soul drifted across her consciousness. She was busy thinking of something and would have missed it if it wasn't for the fact that the remaining tendril of the soul's lifeforce had passed through her, causing the tiniest of tickling sensations. She paused her motion and cast about, finding the burnt-soul after a few seconds. What's this? she thought as she examined it. She almost lost her interest when it appeared to be nothing more than the remains of a once-living soul, a very common object found floating around in The Dark. But what kept her attention was the tiny tendril of life-energy still attached to the soul, keeping it from fading altogether. Finding a drifting soul with some of its original lifeforce still attached was not a very rare event, but the lifeforce usually didn't last longer than a few days. She studied the soul and was amazed to discover that it was quite old. Amazing, she thought, a soul this old still in possession of some of its life- energy? Most interesting. She carefully gathered the soul together and shifted to another section of the demi-plane. They materialized within the small confined of the lair she had secured for herself quite some time ago, a place that afforded her the one thing that most of the other residents of The Dark didn't have: a sense of security. Once inside the confines of her lair, she felt herself relax almost immediately. Life, as it were, in The Dark was quite harsh and she had seen some of the things that had happened to the unwary or unsuspecting. She had no intentions of letting herself be trapped into slavery or worse, and so she had always kept up her guard when she was out of the one place where no one else could ever enter. She let her mind bask in the sensation of security for a moment before she turned her attention to the mysterious soul she had found. She was able to take the time to examine the soul much more closely and was shocked to discover just how old it was. A thousand years! she thought. How could a soul have kept its lifeforce together for a thousand years? She took a closer look at the tendril of life energy and mentally frowned. Almost all of the soul's lifeforce had been stripped away, probably to be used as food by the inhabitants of the neo-void, but that one tendril remained. She carefully weighed her options and tentatively tugged on the tendril, trying to detach it from the soul. She blinked when the tendril not only refused to budge, but resonated an immense feeling of strength back at her. What is this? she thought with amazement. She took a deep breath and yanked on the tendril with all of her strength. The result was that she almost tore herself apart when the tendril remained firmly attached to the soul. This is most unusual, she thought. It's almost like something is.... protecting the soul. She blinked as she thought about what she just thought. Could something be protecting the soul? How strange.... She was considered to be a weakling among her species, but few would ever dispute her intellectual prowess when it came to analyzing a problem or a situation. She not only considered the soul to be a special problem that she needed to be solved, but she felt it was more than that: it was a challenge. So, my little soul, she thought to the tattered but still living soul, let us see what we can learn about you. You seem to be determined to remain attached to your spark of life-energy. So what happens when we give you some? She reached deep inside her, tapping into the pocket of life-energy that she had consumed recently but hadn't absorbed yet. She withdrew a tiny tendril of energy and transferred it to the soul. She jumped back in surprise when the tendril was greedily absorbed by the soul almost instantly. She looked closer at it and noticed that the soul seemed to be a little less tattered and burnt-out than before, and that the tendril of original life-energy seemed to be somewhat stronger than before. Her mind raced as she pondered this new development. Souls shouldn't be able to do that, she thought. The energy should have wrapped itself around the soul, not been absorbed by it. What if...? She sat back and shook her head. Impossible, she thought. A bodyless soul can't be revived. It just can't happen. She looked up at the soul and extracted another strand of life-energy from her reserves. She transferred it to the soul and carefully watched it's reaction. This shouldn't be happening, she thought as she watched the soul absorb the energy and visibly grow stronger. What if.... what would it do if I gave it as much energy as I could spare? She thought about it for a brief moment before she made a decision and transferred most of her energy reserves to the soul. The reaction was immediate. She leapt back as the soul began to glow. Before her eyes, the tendrils of life-energy started to condense into a sphere with the soul at the center, becoming a dark green ball of light. She tentatively approached the soul, carefully examining it for any signs of anything unusual. As if this could get any more unusual, she thought. Her eyes widened as she realized that the soul was starting to stir. Impossible, she thought. A bodyless soul cannot revive itself. This is simply impossible. Slowly, carefully, she reached out and touched the soul. Her eyes widened even more as she discovered the impossible from a dead soul: consciousness. It was in a deep sleep, but it was definitely there. Have I gone insane? she thought before she gathered her wits together and tried to think straight. Wait, I need to make sure it's really a living consciousness and not just a phantasm. Taking a deep breath, she carefully held the glowing soul close and probed it with her mind. <..............?> She nearly dropped the soul with shock. Impossible, she thought again. A living consciousness.... and it was waking up! She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as she probed the consciousness again. <.....?......???......!> She fell to her knees in awe. A living soul with a living consciousness, she thought, and it is starting to become aware of itself. This is.... is.... amazing. she thought at the consciousness. <........who?> <.....name? Name.... my.... my name is.... is....> She waited patiently for the soul to become aware of itself enough to answer her question. It's awake, and it can talk. Amazing, simply amazing. <....my name is.... Pluto....> * THE END *