You raise your hand and hit the dog With all your strength and power, So, when you raise your hand again, Behold, the dog will cower. Give me the Passion Part 4 of ~12 Asynca "I can't! I can't..." Hotaru withdrew her hand and held it close to her, as if a snake had bitten it, bursting into tears. "There's too much!" "You must try, Hotaru!" Haruka was beginning to get frustrated. She took Hotaru's hand and put it against Michiru's stomach. Michiru gasped a little as Hotaru's hand brushed the sewn stab wound. Hotaru's eyes squinted, and her little face scrunched up with effort. At last, a dull glow, nothing like what had surrounded Setsuna's healing, began to emit from Hotaru's hand and cast eerie shadows on the three spectators. Michiru bucked a little, and Haruka could see her fighting the urge to clasp her stomach. The light began to flicker, and at last die away. Hotaru fell back, new tears falling onto Michiru's bed as her tiny fingers curled into a ball. Haruka leaned forward and pushed up Michiru's hospital robe a little, then let it slide back, shaking her head with disappointment. The stab wounds were still there, red under the mercurochrome antiseptic paint. Hotaru's sobs turned into wails. "I can't do it... I can't... I can't..." Michiru took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to mask the pain which she was experiencing, and pulled her own sheet up awkwardly, considering she had limited use of the arm attached to the dialysis machine. Haruka noticed Michiru was subtly trying to protect herself from Hotaru who looked as if she was about to collapse into tears on top of her. Predicting Michiru's next request, Haruka scooped up soggy Hotaru into her arms. "Maybe you're just tired from healing Setsuna. We'll wait a while and try again later." Hotaru put her arms around Haruka's neck, her sobs slowly becoming less violent. Setsuna rubbed her eyes and slid her feet out of the bed, toying with her hospital robe tensely, which had the consistency of cardboard. She began to speak, but barely managed a croak. After a few minutes of harsh wheezes that vaguely resembled coughs, each accompanied by a pained expression and a clutch to the ribs, she straightened. "I want my other clothes back," she complained, and then swung her hair over one side of her head stiffly and tried to make sense of the huge knot that her once flawless green-black hair had become. Eventually, Setsuna sighed with exasperation and make cursing gestures towards the roof, displaying exactly how badly her lipstick had smudged. "I can't stand it! I feel? disgusting!" Michiru smiled weakly, ignoring the urge to stare at the brace Setsuna had around her torso for her broken ribs. "If it helps, one of my fans sent me some complementary cosmetics. They're somewhere over there." Michiru gestured towards the piles of flowers Haruka had kicked into the corner earlier. Setsuna blindly hobbled towards them, nearly slipping with her stockings on the lanolin floor. After watching Setsuna's progress, Haruka was about to make a snide remark about the state of herself, when there was a light knock on the door. After a few moments, Haruka glanced at Michiru, and turned towards the door, "Come in." The door creaked slightly, and a small, shy girl supporting a bulging lap bag stepped to the room and sidled uncomfortably against the far wall from the beds, among the flowers. Politely, she ignored Setsuna who was groaning as she tried to find a comfortable way to reach down and fumble through the bunches and baskets like a bag-lady in a rubbish bin. Haruka raised an eyebrow at the quite girl. "Who told you??" Amy blushed slightly, her eyes dipping from Haruka's for a moment. "Mother said I should? bring you a new set of clothing, considering?. Considering what you have been through. Mako-chan had a key to your house, so I?" She reached into her lap bag and held out a pale blue silk shirt belonging to Michiru. Apparently, this was just a sample of the large number of clothes Ami had brought from Haruka and Michiru's house. "That was very thoughtful of you, Ami." Michiru put in quickly, before Haruka could say anything to the blushing girl about poking around in their droors. Haruka had yelled at the cleaner more than once for opening her droors for whatever reason, and undoubtedly Ami would have received the same treatment. Michiru made sure Haruka saw her forceful glance before the blonde approached Ami to take the bag from her. Haruka put Hotaru on one hip, and stepped forward, receiving the clothes with her other hand. Placing them on the bedside table, she leafed through them, discovering white suit pants and a matching jacket and shirt. Also included in the bag was a change of underwear, and a bra that was clearly Michiru's. Haruka stopped and looked up at Ami, whose blush had deepened to a ferocious intensity. Haruka, remembering Michiru's violent glance, said nothing, but raised her eyebrow and looked back at Michiru's slight frame, then at her own solid build, and back at Ami. "Thanks sooo for the clothes, Ami. At least now I can take this annoying parka off?" The inner Senshi blushed, casting her eyes on the floor as Michiru pinched Haruka lightly on the leg. "H-Hotaru was no trouble last time, if you need someone to?" "It's nice of you to offer, Ami, but I think Hotaru is happier here." Michiru looked pointedly at Hotaru, who wiped a watery eye with the back of her hand and nodded obediently. "I should be going, I have lots of homework to do." Ami reached into her bag and pulling out a modest bunch of vividly coloured wild flowers, placing them on Michiru's bedside table. "I'm sorry, Setsuna-san," her blush deepened. "I would have bought you some too if I'd know you were---" Setsuna smiled up at the girl from her awkward position on the floor. "That's okay Ami. I'm not really sick... I'm just---" "...there's just been a mistake." Haruka cut Setsuna off, giving her a pointed look which Setsuna could not have misinterpreted. Looked back at Ami, Haruka softened her expression a little. "Could you do us a favour, Ami?" Ami looked mildly surprised, "Yes, Of course." "Hotaru could use a short walk down to the cafeteria. Here," Haruka reached into her pocket, handing a few coins to Hotaru, who clutched them tightly in a fist. "Here, Hotaru. Could you please get me a coffee? There's enough for you to have a treat, too?" Hotaru nodded eagerly, shaken from her unhappy mood, and wriggled to get down. "You don't have to be long. Just give her a change of scene. Thank you." Ami nodded and held out her hand to Hotaru who buzzed up to her and proceeded to lead the girl down the corridor at full speed. It was rude, asking this sort of favour from Ami, but Hotaru was proving to be a small problem. Ami was clearly responsible, but Haruka wasn't sure that she would be powerful enough if it came to protecting Hotaru. And besides, forcing Ami to look after Hotaru for such a long time could only result the girl finding out the true nature of the situation, which was to be avoided at all costs. Including the inners with Vixen would have dire consequences. Especially since the psychotic and clearly sexually-oriented behavior of Vixen could and most certainly would touch the girls. Michiru sighed gently and closed her eyes for a few moments. Out of the watchful and worried eyes of Hotaru, she needn't mask the seriousness of her condition. "Haruka, could you please help me? No, no? change first." Haruka waited until Setsuna had angled her search away from the couple, and then changed as fast as she could into the clothes that Ami had brought; the buttons on the shirt ended up being mismatched. When she approached Michiru's bed, a hand darted up and grabbed hers, gripping her own hand with white knuckles. "Haruka?" Haruka's skin whitened underneath the pained grip, and her heart raced, fearing the worst. "Should I call a nurse?" "No, I'll be alright. I? sting a little." She winced, clearly understating the situation. Despite the cringed expression of Michiru's face, Haruka had become accustomed to translating Michiru and was able to detect a desperate invitation. Haruka leaned down and kissed Michiru lightly. Michiru's lips were dry and brittle, but there was an unmistakably familiar salty taste. Haruka leaned up, licking her lips. "You taste like blood." "That's because I've been spitting it up for the last few hours." Michiru's weak laugh died away only moments after it started. "Again, Haruka?" Haruka complied, leaning down again for a minute or so, before reaching over to pull a chair over to the bed. "She's? a monster, Haruka?I keep remembering." "Michiru? When I get my hands on her?" "Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Or leave me?" Haruka slightly misinterpreted Michiru's request. "With that? woman wandering around, I'd hardly leave you alone." Haruka didn't sound in the least tempted to leave the hospital, not that she had a car to, anyway. Haruka fingered the tow-away notice in her suit pocket. "Alone? What about Setsuna?" Haruka glanced sidelong at Setsuna, who was once again standing. However, obviously having finished touching up her makeup while the couple had been kissing, she had moved over to the window, and a struck a silent, frozen pose characteristic of her pervious attempts to look in place in front of the courting pair. Haruka sighed lightly, and returned her gaze to her lover. "Setsuna's a little confused at the moment," she whispered lightly to Michiru. Michiru watched Haruka's expression with a concentration that Haruka could always feel when Michiru was groping for truth. At last, Michiru's face crumpled into a thoughtful frown and she turned her head to catch Setsuna's eyes as the woman look suspiciously at the wisperer. "She wasn't lying, was she? She did take Setsuna's staff." "What about my staff?" Setsuna halted her attempts to conceal her interest in the conversation and held her hand, but her fingers closed around nothing. Setsuna's pretend calmness came to an end, and she hurriedly tried again, this time with her eyes closed, again, the same nothingness that she had possessed before. She stared at the air where were staff should be, and her eyes glazed over and her face fell into the black expression Haruka had come to recognise when Setsuna tried to do something that only Pluto could have done, or remember something the way Pluto should. It was almost as if using her abilities as Pluto made her slip into a void. Michiru's grip on Haruka's hand tightened. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly. "Why is she doing that?" "I'm not sure. But it first happened when you were still unconscious." Haruka realised that Michiru hadn't been around when Setsuna's first strange outburst occurred. "I don't like it, Haruka. It's like... she's lost Pluto." Lost Pluto? Suddenly, Haruka recalled holding her henshin stick up into the air, and having nothing happen. What on earth was this woman doing to them? Michiru still retained her powers, as far as Haruka could tell. But then again, feeling for truth might have been something solely personal to Michiru rather than personal to Neptune, like Rei's own strange powers. "Michiru. I think you should try for your mirror." Michiru reached out with her other hand, and for a second something shimmered, and then Michiru's hand closed over nothing. "It's... slipping!" She said at last, and made one last wild grab for it, catching only air. She brought her hand back against her, the pained expression deepening, before being replaced by frantic apprehension. "I can't transform, Michiru. It's her." Setsuna jumped back to reality suddenly and made a grab for her heart, not unlike the way Hotaru used to, and began make choking noises. As Haruka stood to help her, Setsuna recovered from her dramatic display, and took a couple of deep breaths, patting her chest as if her heart was still a little out of rhythm. "I'm sorry, I?" She let out a breath. "I think we're in some trouble. I should have known after Beryl appeared earlier?" Michiru shot a questioning look at Haruka. Haruka shrugged as Setsuna continued. "She's? an escapee from that group of animals. She didn't belong there anyway; They've all got feelings. Fear, joy, sorrow? she hasn't. She's in a constant state of ecstasy. It's disgusting." Haruka stepped forward in frustration. "Who, Setsuna?" "Sailor Copper Fox!" "WHO?!" The other two chorused, faces blank. "The woman who used to come and listen to Michiru play the violin!" "Setsuna, a million women come to hear me play." Michiru tried not to sound too conceited. "No, no. Her!" Setsuna leapt up, pointed at Michiru excitedly like a child who'd just achieved something, despite the fact a moment ago her movements were highly restricted by her broken ribs. "The one with the red eyes. The one that's been poking around here ever since her allies were destroyed. The one who attacked you!" The colour drained for Michiru's face so suddenly that it looked almost as if she'd spontaneously frozen over. Her hand dropped from around Haruka's wrist. "Vixen!" Haruka connected the two concepts in her head. Vixen was Sailor Copper Fox. That meant... that meant that as a Sailor Senshi, Vixen would most certainly be able to use the Time Key with her own powers, along with the Deep Aqua Mirror, the Space Sword and... "Hotaru, did that woman get Saturn's Silence Glaive?" She suddenly realised that Hotaru was no longer in the room. Blushing a little at her mistake, she rephrased her question. "Did Hotaru say that Vixen got her hands on Saturn's Glaive?" "I don't remember." Michiru shook her head, but Setsuna was clearly in no state to respond. It looked as if she was trying to free herself of the rib brace like a determined child. She showed no sign of the pain that she was apparently experiencing only a few minutes before. Haruka curled her lip in disgust. "Setsuna, I think they put that on you to help you recover." To illustrate the immaturity of trying to remove it, Haruka used condescending language to address the woman. "I have to get my staff!" Setsuna stopped fiddling with the cording and frowned deeply. "I have to get my staff!" She repeated firmly, making towards the door. Haruka half-heartedly tried to stop her, but she struggled past and headed down the corridor. Michiru was left speechless from Setsuna's sudden switch of temperament, clearly shaken by the whole event. Haruka rolled her eyes, "The Doctors should bring her back soon enough," she figured conclusively. Suddenly, Haruka found herself very close to Michiru's bed as Michiru pulled Haruka closer. Michiru looked the most frightened Haruka had ever seen her. "She's going to come back! She's got the Staff...for all we know, she might be Vixen from the future, and she might have already have done those things to you, Haruka, the ones that she was telling me about...!" Haruka was about to dismiss that theory as a paranoid conjuring, when she realised it could be true. "She's not laying a finger on me, Michiru. We won't let her hurt both of us." "But... you can't transform." "I'm hardly helpless, even without my Senshi powers." Haruka cracked her knuckles to prove her point. A minute or so after she had departed, Setsuna mysteriously returned, seemingly recovered from her strange outburst. Again, she was displaying the stiff, sore walk that Haruka had come to recognise as an attribute Setsuna's sensible side. "Setsuna, have you ever encountered Vixen before?" Setsuna looked a little puzzled as she bit her lip, trying to think. "I'm sure I've met her, but I can't think when. I'm pretty sure that I met her in the future, but? you have to understand?" She tapped her head light and hobbled over to her bed, and crawled in between the sheets weakly, favouring her right side. "What do I have to understand? What is this 'confusion' you keep mentioning?" Michiru looked at Haruka for an explanation. Michiru obviously expected to be told the complexity of Setsuna's latest displays at that moment. Glancing a little painfully at Setsuna, Haruka tried to explain. "Setsuna thinks Vixen may have interfered with her role as The Guardian of Time. With that go some problems with? Setsuna's own way of organising reality." "Problems?" The sensible Setsuna spoke condescendingly before Haruka could reply. "My mind doesn't work the same way yours does when it comes to perception of time, if it did then I wouldn't be able to cope with as much time travel as I do. It seems like?" Setsuna groped for an accurate description. "?someone's tried to cram all of my time keeper perceptions into a normal mind." Apparently a normal mind was looked down on distastefully by the Senshi of Pluto. Michiru frowned, trying to make sense of what she'd just been told. "But? you're alright, now." Haruka gave Setsuna a slightly annoyed look, not taking kindly to the treatment Setsuna was giving the pair. As a revenge of sorts, she made no attempt to soften the descriptions of Setsuna's behavior. "Not exactly. It seems situations which require Setsuna to remember events or people send her into a void, or into violent hallucinations." Setsuna looked a little surprised, but didn't oppose Haruka's descriptions. "I'm going to sleep." Setsuna told them firmly, in a so-keep-it-down-or-else tone, and with full use of patronising language. Finding herself to tired to argue with the older woman, Haruka felt the fatigue that had built up over the last few days slowly pile on top of her. Yawning, she looked apologetically at Michiru, who smiled forgivingly. "You should be sleeping as well." Haruka smiled appreciatively, and put her head in the gap between Michiru's hand and her body on the bed. Michiru's hand moved to stroke Haruka's hair. Haruka hardly noticed. "Scream if anything happens," were her last orders as she drifted off into some well deserved sleep. *^*^*^ "SURPRISE!!" Oh, no? God, no? "Ami told us you were sick, so we came to cheer you up!" Haruka considered trying to ignore the disturbance, but then realised that such a escape would prove futile, especially when it came to these little bundles of joy. Haruka wondered what she could have possibly done to deserve such insensitive allies with equally insensitive timing. As it was, she sat up, rubbed her eyes and tried with what energy she still possessed to look as grumpy as she felt. Setsuna, who was sharing a bed with returned Hotaru, both of which were still a little drowsy, also looked less than thrilled as they turned over to face their guests. Clearly, Haruka had slept through the afternoon as well as the night. She couldn't remember one of the nurses switching Michiru's drip, or Ami returning with Hotaru soon after. However, her sleeping habits were hardly the foremost problem. Five bright-eyed, energetic and excited young school girls crowded around the two beds, looking very pleased with themselves. Well, four of them, particularly Usagi, looked pleased. Ami looked as if she wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. Haruka felt a little angry that she had told her friends about their whereabouts, but at least she realised the trouble that she had caused by doing so. Haruka didn't bother to mask a full-faced glare aimed at the studious girl. Usagi held out an obscenely large and colourful bunch of flowers that she'd somehow managed to stash behind her back in Michiru's face. Michiru, forgiving as always, laughed without sound and took the flowers from Usagi, and was about to thank her when Minako snatched them back and produced a vase to put them in. A bunch of flowers was also offered to Setsuna, although it looked as if this particular bunch had been picked out of someone's garden on the way to the hospital; when Setsuna made to smell them, a rather large, green insect crawled out from the stalks to settle in the most prominent place it could find. Setsuna smiled politely and let Makoto deal with the bug. Finally, after some mindless chit-chat, Usagi stopped smiling and looked as if she was trying to concentrate on Michiru. "Michiru-san?" Serious tone. Very unusual. "What's wrong with you?" Michiru glanced at Haruka, who bit her lip. "I had little accident." Ami, who had been flicking through the medical notes at the foot of Michiru's bed raised her eyebrows, pointing to the initial report. "Your 'little accident' stabbed you three times!" Immediately, the inners froze, and Minako dropped the flowers and the vase she was trying to jam them into, which smashed loudly on the floor. Looking down, she blushed appropriately, before following the rest of the inners to crowd around Ami and read the report. "?sustained three stab wounds as described above. All three stab wounds will require reconstruction surgery, as the knife used appears to have been a kitchen bread knife. The preliminary STD and pregnancy tests have been abandoned as it appears the assailant used the handle of the bread knife to?" Ami's voice trailed off, and a blush crept up her cheeks. "To what? To WHAT!?" Minako grabbed the board and tried to find the spot where Ami had left off reading. There was a prolonged uncomfortable silence, broken by Usagi who had been reading over Minako's shoulder. "to? to? Ami-chan, what's that character?" Hotaru broke the silence in the most appropriate way Haruka thought possible. "Setsuna-mama, what time is it?" There was a silence, and Haruka answered her question. "It's eight-oh-three in the morning, Hotaru-chan." Before anything else could happen, Setsuna did the worst possible thing that she could have done under the circumstances. Quite loudly, she repeated vacantly, "Time? What time is it?" The inner Senshi turned en mass to watch her. After a second of staring absently at nothing, Setsuna swung her feet out of the bed, and stood up, pushing the covers aside as she exercised her full height over the inners. Haruka couldn't help but notice she was wearing nothing but an oh-so-flattering cardboard hospital robe and stocking socklets. The atmosphere in the room darkened as Setsuna pointed her finger at Usagi. "It's all your fault!" Lost was the sensible, condescending Setsuna. Usagi shrivelled visibly as she giggled nervously. "I didn't pick the flowers!" Haruka stood up carefully. "Setsuna, I think you should lie back in your bed." Setsuna didn't appear to have heard Haruka, focusing only on Usagi, as she donned the most malevolent expression Haruka had ever seen on her face. It only took her one step to reach forward and grab each of Usagi's wrists violently. The rest of the inners were too shocked to respond, frozen in their cowering positions. Hotaru began to cry. "Chibi-Usa advised me I should destroy you right away, but, stupidly, I delayed my revenge?" Usagi's eyes could have doubled in size. "I-I know Chibi-Usa and I fight? but I didn't know that she?she?" Usagi joined Hotaru in streams of tears. Haruka tried in vain to plough her way through the inners to stop Setsuna from hurting Usagi, as trampling over Michiru was totally out of the question. However before she could get to the scuffle, it was too late. "I promised I'd kill you, Wiseman? and your time is now?" "W-Wiseman?" Haruka pushed Ami brutally out of the way and pried Setsuna from Usagi, pinning her against the wall. Haruka was about to immobilise her when the vacant expression returned, and she collapsed on the floor. Michiru looked down at her, able to conceal her panicking from the school girls. "Ah?She's been having medication, Usagi. Pay no attention to what she says." "Um, guys, maybe this is a bad time to mention it, but Ami isn't moving." Makoto pointed gingerly to the pile of Ami in the corner . The inners swung en mass to regard Ami. "She's dead!! Haruka killed her?!" "Wow! I've seen my first dead body!" "Rei! How can you say that!" "Actually, I am moving?Stop that! I have a pulse!" "We're late for school!" "Well, let's wait another five minutes for Usagi." Haruka, realising that the inners wouldn't, helped Ami up and apologised for her rough behaviour, which only succeeded in getting a blush back on Ami's cheeks. Then, before anything else could happen, Haruka escorted the energetic group through the door. Michiru sighed deeply. "Well? they brought us some nice flowers." "They bought you some nice flowers." Setsuna, who had miraculously recovered from her display, picked herself up off the floor, and located her clothes folded neatly on a cabinet underneath the television on the facing wall, and returned to her bed with them, and squirmed into them underneath the covers of the bed. Michiru would have laughed, except that Setsuna would most likely be angry if she did; Setsuna never could laugh at herself. Hotaru, who had been upset by Setsuna's outburst, had removed herself from Setsuna's bed after she collapsed and attached herself firmly to Haruka, and crying loudly into Haruka's shirt. Haruka stroked Hotaru's hair, and stared coldly at Setsuna, who pretended that she didn't notice. At last, Setsuna stepped out of bed again, yawning. "So? I'm a little unclear about why Wiseman returned. How did we defeat him again?" Michiru and Haruka looked at each other, then at crying Hotaru. Haruka took a deep breath. "He didn't return, Setsuna. You were about to strangle Usagi." Setsuna frowned, then smiled stiffly. "You're joking, of course." "I'm not." Haruka gestured at Hotaru, who had left a large wet patch on Haruka's shirt. "I think it's time you went for another walk, Setsuna. Your impeccable timing when it comes to choosing your lapses is making me a little? irritable." Setsuna looked from Haruka to Michiru, and looked as if she was about to say something. At last, she headed silently towards the door, her face downcast. Later in the day, Dr. Mizuno returned to check on the patients, and noticed Setsuna no longer was attached the drip. After some careful thought, it occurred to Haruka that it might be safer to have Setsuna on the drip, since it was obvious she would be a danger if the inner Senshi came back. However Sailor Copper Fox had screwed with Setsuna's mind, it had definitely put Setsuna out of circulation, and if it came to a fight, Haruka doubted that Setsuna would be of any use in her currant state. "Could you leave us alone for a moment, Dr. Mizuno?" Dr. Mizuno smiled and told them she'd bring back some coffee for Haruka if she so wished. Haruka pulled the chair up to Setsuna's bed, glancing at Michiru, who nodded a little. Setsuna looked from Haruka and Michiru and frowned suspiciously. "What is it?" Haruka looked down at her hands. "You do know what has been happening to you?" Setsuna shook her head slowly, seemingly intent on the ceiling lights. "All these hazes keep happening in my mind. I was sure that Usagi was Wiseman. He even had that vicious smile like he'd won again. I was worried that he might hurt us?" Haruka took a deep breath, and said carefully, "The doctors put you on a sedative before, but I took it off. I believe it would be safer for you, and the rest of us, if that drip was replaced, at least until we can restore you to your previous self." Setsuna was about to protest, but Haruka cut her short. "This is nothing personal against you, Setsuna." Setsuna opened her mouth to refuse, but, reconsidering, shut it. It be safer if she was sedated? She turned her face away from Haruka, but couldn't hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Haruka hadn't meant her speech to sound like a rejection, but she knew that was exactly how it had sounded. "Replace the drip." Setsuna had been trying to steady her voice, but Haruka could hear the pain. Haruka nodded. "You made a considerate decision, Setsuna." Reaching down, she brushed a strand of hair away from Setsuna's face with enough affection to get Setsuna's attention. "We'll tell Dr. Mizuno when she returns." Dr. Mizuno entered the room almost half and hour later, politely giving the group ample time to discuss the 'important matters' Haruka had mentioned earlier, and, as promised, she returned with coffee for Haruka. When the sandy blonde relayed the decision to her, she raised her eyebrows, but kept any other comments to herself as she walked over to the drip that had previously been embedded in Setsuna's arm. Trying to ignore the tears on her patient's cheeks, she turned Setsuna's arm over to look for the scar, the vein which she obviously intended to re-use. Again, Haruka had to hand it to the women for not showing any sign of shock when she couldn't find the scar. Instead, she simply clamped the top of Setsuna's arm with her fingers, and waited until another vein was visible, then replaced the drip. Setsuna sighed, and stared at her arm, waiting for the sedative to affect her. Dr. Mizuno tapped the drip, and checked the level of the liquid in the diluter. "We'll need to change this very soon. Most of it is on the floor." She looked pointedly down at where the drip had emptied a small amount of fluid on the vinyl floor, before returning to the foot of Michiru's bed, and sifting through her medical records. She took a couple of numbers that were meaningless to Haruka from the medical equipment, and then smiled at the three pairs of eyes that were observing her progress. "Since Michiru's blood supply has returned to what it was previously, her right kidney seems to be coping sufficiently with the stress of twice the work. She may safely be removed from the Dialysis machine." She let the couple glance warmly at each other, before continuing. "However, this decision does not signify her immediate recovery. She's still vulnerable, and susceptible to infection. Please don't let her engage in anything strenuous." Haruka suddenly realised, somewhat belatedly, what Dr. Mizuno meant by 'strenuous' activities, and had cough into her fist in attempt to conceal her fast-reddening cheeks. Michiru was chuckling appropriately, remarks like Dr. Mizuno's never seemed to affect her the way they did Haruka. "Don't worry, Dr. Mizuno. I still ache enough to make the 'activities' unappealing." The two women smiled knowingly at each other and Haruka felt considerably left out. Eventually, Dr. Mizuno asked what the arrangements were about Hotaru, who was sitting patiently on a chair, and looked as if she was waiting for something to happen. Haruka confessed they had none, and Dr. Mizuno offered to let the girl stay at the Mizuno residence as she had before. Haruka, who was a little afraid that the spirit of Saturn might not be there to help Hotaru again if Sailor Copper Fox showed up, declined politely and hinted that they had already decided that Hotaru would stay at a relatives house, but had not made the confirming phone call. Polite as always, Dr. Mizuno offered to make the phone call herself, but Haruka insisted that she should call the relative herself. There was, in fact, no relative who would agree to mind Hotaru, as Michiru's parents were on a voyage, and Haruka had recently had a fight with her parents regarding her relationship with Michiru, and was not keen to drag up old pains. Setsuna might have helped, but she didn't seem to have any relatives, or, indeed, any friends that might assist. Haruka remembered catching sight of Setsuna's address book filled with numbers of men that had been scribbled out, perhaps a string of Setsuna's ex-boyfriends and lovers. Naturally, Haruka decided to keep silent about her little discovery. Dr. Mizuno nodded and requested that if anything needed attending to, they come straight to her, as she was honoured to assist the recovery of Kaioh Michiru, and happy to help any friend of her daughter's. After informing them that they would remove the dialysis machine from Michiru that very afternoon, she offered to get her daughter to fetch something from home to entertain Hotaru. Hotaru, who seemed to be trying to imitate Michiru's response to such offers, dismissed the offer, saying Ami must be tired from always wanting to help people. Besides, she told the doctor, it would make her a more patient person. Haruka smiled, glancing at Michiru, both proud that their moral teachings had affect. Dr. Mizuno laughed gently and left the room, closing the door behind her. ** Give me the Passion 5 of ~12 "?and count backwards from ten." "Ten?nine?Haruka?" "Eight? I thought you said I was a ten?!" Haruka rubbed Michiru's hand, smiling at her as the doctor removed the gas mask from her face. Michiru chuckled gently, staring wistfully at her lover as she sank from the general anaesthetic. Dr. Mizuno smiled at the display of affection before her, not at all eager to proceed. "We'll need to move her into the theatre very soon. I'm afraid you won't be able to witness the operation. The waiting ?" "I know, the waiting room is right outside the theatre. How long will you be?" Dr. Mizuno shrugged. "If we encounter no problems, perhaps a hour, two hours. But if we're longer, don't assume the worst. I may not be able to stay, since I have several appointments in the children's ward later this afternoon." Haruka nodded, and looked over towards the window. Hotaru had seated herself gently on the windowsill, and was gazing out at the attractive hospital garden beyond almost mournfully. Hotaru, before the incidents in the hospital had been a very energetic, happy child. Somehow, she had reverted into the previously living Hotaru in only a day or so. Feeling her heart pull, Haruka wished that they had kept Hotaru oblivious to mortality. "Hotaru? Would you like to go and sit in the waiting room?" Hotaru looked slowly back at Haruka. "But? who will look after Setsuna?" Haruka raised an eyebrow. No longer Setsuna-mama, just Setsuna. "Setsuna would get lonely. I would like to stay here and keep her company while she sleeps." Haruka was torn. She wanted to be as close to unconscious Michiru as possible, pressed against the wall to the operating theatre if they wouldn't let her in. However, Hotaru clearly wanted to remain in the room, and Setsuna wouldn't be able to look after herself, in her drugged up state. Her dedication for her lover soon confirmed her decision. "Setsuna's a grown-up, Hotaru. Grown-ups sometimes like to be alone." It was a shot in the dark, since Hotaru seemed to have lost her unconditional trust in adults along with her chirpy nature. Hotaru shrugged gently, an unmistakably adult gesture, sliding off the window sill and walking past Haruka to the doorway. She stopped pointedly, waiting for Haruka to follow her. Haruka glanced at Setsuna before continuing after the little girl. ^*^*^*^ Rolling clouds? Viscious warriors? A man's face, ferociously similar to the face of a lion? A gun is being held? The gun is pointed? BANG! BANG! BANG! Shot in the chest three times? Pain? PAIN? PAIN!! "NURSE? NURSE?" Setsuna rolled over onto her good side, gingerly clutching at her ribs, and blinking tears out of her eyes. Once clear, she opened them, staring through the mist at a dull blue shape of a woman. Her sigh of relief was apparent, she smiled gently and closed her eyes. "I think? Painkillers, I need Painkillers?" "Pain? Killers? Well you've come to the right person, Setsuna, my dear." A saucy voice, with undertones of laughter. Setsuna forced her tired eyes open and turned her head against the pillow sharply, causing the searing pain in her chest to return. Her eyes wouldn't clear? She rubbed them violently with her left hand, and then wished she hadn't. A short, sinister woman stood over her, long auburn hair and pale skin framed her face, in which wicked red eyes stared out of. Her teeth were perfect in her wide, mischievous smile. "Hello, Sugah. Are your ribs hurting you, dear? I'm soooo sorry about that. No, don't try to say anything?" Vixen held up a tray, supporting several objects. However, Setsuna could only see the long, impossibly large needle and an equally as large bottle beside it. At Setsuna's attention to the objects, Vixen laughed, using her whole throat. "That, my dear, is some sort of venom. I found in the medicine fridge. I'm not sure what it does, or what it's from, but we'll see?" Setsuna found the pain and fatigue in her body to great to do anything to stop the woman as she poked the needle through the seal of the bottle and filled it slowly and expertly. At last she discarded the tray and pointed the needle at Setsuna, threateningly. "No?" Setsuna managed out of her mouth, she was speaking through cottonwool balls? "Yes. You have to have your injection, sweetie?" Setsuna's arm was grabbed. She tried to pull it back, but the grip compressed her muscle. She hardly felt the needle piercing the skin of her elbow, nor the bitter injection entering her bloodstream. In the distance, she could hear soft, pleading yells, her own? and spiteful, victorious laughter?