Almost as soon as Amethyst left, the vine released Night Angel. Eryx sat him against the bushes, and kneeling beside him, kept her tight hold on him.
"Please don't die. Tenshi-kun, wake up, onegai! Don't die!" She wished the healing process worked both ways. That she could give him her life-force the way he could her.
Night Angel opened his eyes. "Don't give me up for dead yet, Eryx," he requested faintly. "Look, I'm even still transformed. It can't be that bad."
"Yeah, you should rectify that. It's wasting your energy," she sobbed.
"I'm a fast healer, really. Besides, I shouldn't. Your friend is watching."
"I don't care!" She pushed back from him. "I only care that you're okay."
For the first time, he could see her face. "Oh, Koneko, she gave you a black eye." He instinctively reached up to it.
She grabbed his hand. "You even think about wasting your energy on me, and I'll kill you," she insisted, her voice breaking.
"That goes double for me," came Uranus' voice from behind her.
"Uranus-papa! Neptune-mama! You came to help."
Neptune knelt down to her Knighted daughter. "You okay, Tenshi?"
"Yeah. Eryx and I were working pretty hard, but now I'm spent. How about you Koneko?"
Eryx turned bright red. "Tenshi-kun!"
But both of the older Senshi chuckled. "You must be okay," Uranus said. "Do you need help back to the conference?"
"Actually, I want to talk to Koneko alone. We'll be back soon."
They nodded and left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sailor Electra! Wake up, please!"
Finally, Electra opened her eyes. "Ow," she complained, as her vision began to clear. She just hoped she didn't have another concussion.
Suddenly, she was being hugged. "Oh, Mi-chan, you're okay!"
"Hoshi-chan? How do you-?"
"I'd know you guys anywhere. Like those are such brilliant disguises anyway."
"If you say so." They had always worked before� well, not exactly always. "Oh, but I have to go kill something now."
"She's gone."
Electra looked around. Sure enough, it seemed Amethyst had gone for good.
"Ne, Mi-chan?" Hoshi asked hesitantly, as Electra untransformed.
"Hai."
Hoshi had seen the way Eryx had gazed at Night Angel. Seen the way she had used her own body to protect him. And how she hadn't let go even after the danger was gone. "Is Neko-chan in love with Night Angel?"
Mi-chan looked at Eryx and Night Angel. It was so obvious, how could she deny it? "Yeah, something like that," she admitted reluctantly. *At least she doesn't know-*
"And Night Angel and Tenshi-san are the same person?"
Oops. Mi-chan sweatdropped. "Wh- What are you talking about? Night Angel is a guy and Tenshi-kun's a girl," she pointed out, hoping Hoshi would take the bait.
She didn't. "They have the same face. The same annoyingly pretty blue eyes. Besides, what kind of coincidence would it be that a guy who just happens to looked exactly like a girl you hang out with a lot would also be a Sailor Senshi like you? Give me a break! She's like some kind of reverse Starlight, right?"
Mi-chan could only nod. Essentially, that was correct.
It made everything become so much clearer. The way Neko was always thinking about Tenshi. Why they had done so much together and knew so much about each other. Why she was so uncomfortable when talking about their relationship.
"So� Neko-chan's infatuated with Night Angel and� that makes her confused about her feelings for Tenshi-san?"
"Um, that's not exactly right�," Mi-chan replied uneasily. She glanced at Neko and Tenshi, who had decided to detransform as well. Oh, well, she already had it half figured out anyway. "Look, Hoshi-chan, maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you, but� Neko-chan loves Tenshi-kun, and that� that makes her confused about Night Angel."
"But it's just, like, an S relationship, right?" Hoshi said quickly. "I mean, she's just crushing, but she'll get over it and go on to something real later, right?"
Mi-chan shook her head. "This is the real thing. They are head over heels in love."
"Oh." Hoshi tried to understand. She really did. But it just wasn't something she was ready to hear. She frowned. "Then Neko-chan� She's� And she never told me."
"Would you have accepted it? Do you now?"
"I�." Hoshi looked away. It wasn't fair. How could she react this way to her best friend? "Maybe she's jut confused. Maybe if I-"
Mi-chan grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you dare!" she warned her. "Don't ruin this for her! If you can't accept it, that's your problem. But don't you dare try to make her doubt it. She puts too much stock in what you think for you to challenge her on it!"
Hoshi avoided her eyes. "But Neko-chan never knows what she wants�."
"Dammit, Hoshi! She's in love with Tenshi-kun! Just watch them together. They belong together. And she makes Neko-chan so happy."
Hoshi kept silent. She didn't want to hurt Neko, but she couldn't pretend that things were just going to be okay, either. And she couldn't lie about her feelings. Neko wouldn't want her to anyway.
She broke away from Mi-chan. "Go- Gomen nasai," she cried as she ran off.
Home
