~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko had gone numb. The pain had been too much to bear and so she had retreated to a corner of her mind where it didn't hurt as much.
She had been vaguely aware when a couple of strong arms had reached around her and held her, but she couldn't respond, couldn't do anything.
It was ages later when she had heard Mi-chan's voice. "Mi-chan?" she asked weakly. Her own voice sounded distant as well. "Gomen nasai, Mi-chan."
"Shh, it's alright" was the faint reply.
But it wasn't. How could it be?! Neko kept apologizing. She couldn't help it; it was the only thing she could think of to say to Mi-chan. The only thing she could focus on enough to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mi-chan was worried about Neko-chan. Having a nervous breakdown was one thing, but having a mental breakdown was another.
"Neko-chan, it's going to be ok." She separated herself from Neko-chan, who didn't respond. She was still crying into her hands, apologizing.
*No, I can't lose you this way. Neko-chan?* No response.
She grabbed Neko-chan's hands away from her face. "Neko, look at me." Her eyes welled up with tears. She was already going to lose Jian-kun, she couldn't lose Neko-chan too. "Neko-chan, you've got to recover. I can't do this alone." Neko-chan looked up, but her eyes weren't focused on anything. "Neko! I need you to be ok! Onegai, be ok! Neko!" Her pleas ignored, Mi-chan started crying too. *Neko, please come back to me! Onegai!*
Finally, Neko-chan looked her directly in the eyes. "Oh, Michiru!" she cried and threw her arms around her twin's neck. Mi-chan hugged her back and they stayed there crying in each other's arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi and Jian-kun walked out of the warehouse and to the car (Tenshi had healed Jian-kun's ankle before they left).
"Ne, Tenshi-san? Could you take me home please?" Jian-kun asked quietly. "I promised my oba-san that I'd be home for dinner and I'm fifteen minutes late already. It's only about five minutes away."
"Hai." Tenshi wondered how much of Jian-kun's desire to leave had to do with his oba-san and how much had to do with Mi-chan's returned memory. She had left the black eye to heal naturally, as she felt that Mi-chan would probably have wanted the brand left on him.
"Demo shouldn't we check on Chibi and Kimako first?"
Tenshi coughed to cover her embarrassment. She had totally forgotten about the other two Senshi. "Good idea."
She called them and Kimako, already untransformed, answered her communicator. "Kimahou-chan, what's going on over there."
"Ara, we're actually at the hospital."
"Nani?!"
"Ano, we're ok, it's just we needed to help the people that we knocked out and, well, when the ambulance came and saw that we weren't unscathed ourselves, they kinda took us with the other people. How is everything there? Are you guys all ok? Is Tanzanite dead?"
"Hai. We'll be fine�" *�I hope.* "Yeah, Tanzanite's dead."
"Oh, good. Well, I should go. Good luck."
"Arigatou. Ja ne."
Tenshi looked at Jian-kun, who was staring at the ground looking upset. "Nani?"
"Well, I know she was evil, but Tanzen-san was the only family I had for a long time. I just can't help but be a little sorry she's dead."
Tenshi smiled kindly. "It's ok. I understand."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Mi-chan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the fight at the dance," Neko-chan said through her tears after a few minutes of crying together.
"It's ok, I forgive you."
"When I was evil, I did some bad things. Do you think it's possible to be forgiven for those too?" Neko-chan asked her twin in a tiny voice.
*Poor Neko-chan. Can you remember it all?* Chibi hadn't been able to remember anything he did, but he had been healed in a totally different way. "Hai, it's definitely possible."
Neko-chan still looked distressed. "I said some stuff to Night Angel. I hurt him. Do you think he hates me now?"
Mi-chan looked into her sister's eyes. She said softly, but sincerely, "Tenshi-san is so much in love with you. I don't think that he could ever hate you."
"Do you hate Jian-kun?" If possible, Neko-chan's voice had grown even smaller.
Mi-chan allowed herself a small smile through her tears. "Iie. I� I probably love him more now, actually."
"Oh good," Neko-chan whispered. She looked so relieved that Mi-chan didn't hate Jian-kun that she didn't bother to question the strangeness of Mi-chan's comment. *I've had 13 years to forgive him, Neko-chan.* She would tell Neko-chan about her nightmare. She wouldn't do it now because Neko-chan couldn't handle it now, but she'd do it tonight. Then Neko-chan would understand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi sat on the hood of her car, waiting for the Mizuno twins to come out after having dropped off Jian-kun and returning.
She was fighting the urge to cry.
Naturally, she was worried about Neko-chan. It wasn't that she didn't think Neko-chan would recover. She did. She had faith in Neko-chan and faith in the kindness of the universe. So she really felt deep down that Neko-chan was going to be fine in the end.
