Haruka opened her eyes.  With some effort, she swept her gaze about, trying to sort out her surroundings.  With some surprise, she realized that she was in the cave.  She had never been in the cave before, and now that she was, Haruka wanted a better look around.  But when she tried to move, pain laced through her body.  Haruka groaned, and after some thought, decided that her injuries—which centered mostly on her spine and collarbone--had come from her fall, not from the boars.

            "You're awake."

            Haruka looked to her side, where she saw Mamoru, crouched a foot or two away from her.  He was wearing his signature black shirt, and gray slacks.  She noticed with a start that his jacket was cushioning her head.  Before she could think to thank him, Haruka noticed that his breathing was labored.  Her eyes trailed to his left shoulder.

            "You're bleeding!" ignoring the pain shooting through her back and neck, Haruka jumped up and crawled closer to him, all other thought disappearing.

            "I'm fine."  Mamoru replied, trying to put up a brave front.

            "How..." Haruka closed her eyes, trying to gather her scattered thoughts and form them into a semi-coherent sentence.  "What happened?"

            Mamoru sighed, knowing that the only way to appease her was to answer, and to answer honestly.  "When I grabbed you, the boar got me in the shoulder."  Noticing Haruka cringe, he added, "I didn't notice that I even had it until I got you back to the cave...I was too worried for you."  Then, blushing, he turned away.

            Haruka blinked, strange emotions stirring inside her.  Mamoru had managed to outrun the boars, carrying her, and make it back to the cave...and he was still more concerned for her then he was for himself.  In the midst of all this feeling, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "See...I knew that you liked me."

            Mamoru turned back to her, surprise and hurt shining in his eyes.  "I always liked you."  He blinked and looked down.

            Berating herself for insensitivity and a stupid remark, Haruka inched closer to her rescuer.  "Let me see."  She knew that if nothing was done about his wound, infection could set in.

            Mamoru's head snapped up.  "But..."

            "No buts, you took care of me, and now it's my turn."  Haruka crossed her arms, attempting to look stern.

            Mamoru sighed, and turned partially, giving her a better view of his shoulder.

            "Take your shirt off."  *Never thought that I'd say that to a man.*

            Mamoru opened his mouth to protest, but then decided against it.  He slipped off his black shirt, feeling self-conscious.

            Haruka cringed.  It was a jagged puncture, no telling how deep.  The blood had dried, but she could tell that it had probably severed muscle.  If it didn't get washed soon, infection would set in.

            "C'mon." she got up, even though nausea accompanied her quick movement.

            "Where are we going?"  Mamoru asked, reaching for his black shirt.

            "Leave it."  Mamoru put his shirt down.  "We're going to the lake, to wash out your wound."  The lake was a few yards away, making the cave a choice home.

            "But..."

            "I don't want it getting infected."  Haruka interrupted.  "You're all I have out here."  Then, realizing the sentimentality of her words, Haruka turned way, blushing.

            "Okay."  Mamoru complied, and the two of them started walking toward the lake.

             "Here."  Haruka soaked Mamoru's black shirt in water--they had gone back for it--and touched it gently to his shoulder.

            Trembling, Mamoru gasped as the cold water was pressed to his wound.  He clenched his jaw tightly, trying not to cry out, although tears stung his eyes.

            "I'm sorry."  Haruka murmured.

            Surprised by her tenderness, Mamoru turned his head slightly, looking her in the eye from over his shoulder.  As their gazes met, Haruka's breath caught in her throat; his eyes were beautiful.

            Lowering her own eyes self-consciously, Haruka mumbled, "It doesn't hurt too much, does it?"

            "No, it doesn't."  Mamoru turned his head back into a forward position.  "Not anymore, at least.  Thank you."

            Haruka opened her mouth, starting to decline his gratitude, but stopped.  "You're welcome."  

            Haruka was walking around the cave a week or two later in the evening.  She turned the bend and saw Mamoru, sitting Indian-style; eyes closed, and arms balanced on his knees.

            "Whoa."  Haruka raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh too hard.  "Do do do do, do do do do." she sang, remembering the theme from an old episode of the Outer Limits.

            No response.

            Haruka raised both her brows.  "Mamooruuu..."  she called, her voice becoming sing-song in a way that it never would have with Michiru.

            Nothing.

            Haruka belched loudly.

            "What is your problem?"  Mamoru asked, his voice a passive monotone.  "I heard you the first two times."

            "What's *my* problem?"  Haruka wheezed, all thought of that night a few weeks ago banished.  "Look at you! What'er you high on?"

            "I am meditating."  Mamoru answered.

            "No," Haruka argued, "You are not abbreviating.  There's a difference."

            "Would you like to join me?"  Mamoru asked, his voice still flat.

            "Sure."

              "So, Mamoru, what's your favorite color?"  Haruka asked.  They had been meditating for twenty minutes, and although she didn't feel like moving, Haruka was definitely getting bored of the whole ordeal.

            No answer.

            "Mine's navy blue."  Haruka answered for his future reference.  "What about your favorite food?"

            Still no answer.

            "Salads."  Haruka informed him.  "I love salads.  Any kind will do...what's your favorite subject?"

            No answer.

            Haruka growled in annoyance, then grinned as an idea came to her.  "What's Usagi-san's favorite subject?"

            "Home economics."  The reply was instantaneous and Mamoru gave it no more thought than he would breathing. Then, more reluctantly, he added, "Mine's physics."

            "Cool."  Haruka answered, even though she really didn't think it so.  "Mine's Phys. Ed."  She grinned.  "Michiru's is music."

            Mamoru grinned, keeping his eyes closed.  "Usagi likes music, too.  She hates math and English, though.  I like all subjects."

            Haruka wrinkled her nose and levered herself down onto her back.  "You like all subjects?  Creepy."  A grin, then, "Michiru likes all of her subjects, too.  I don't, though." She added. "I can't stand Modern Japanese."

            Mamoru smiled, his eyes remaining closed.  "My favorite food is chocolate.  Usagi likes peanut butter and jelly," now his smile turned to a grin, "Oh, and anything sweet."

            "Michiru likes Mikurage Mushrooms and Sashimi."

            They both sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about their girlfriends.  Then Mamoru stood up with a swiftness that belied muscles stiff from sitting.  "Haruka," he started, his face uncertain.  "Let's go back."

            "How?"  Haruka asked, then froze.  "Do you know how to get back?" she jumped up, hope and excitement written all over her face.  "Tell me!"

            Mamoru shook his head, indicating a negative on her last question, even as he answered verbally.  "I don't know how to get back...but I still think that we should try.  I mean, we've never let these villains get the better of us before, so I don't think that we should start now."

            Haruka nodded slowly.  "You're right." Now she raised brows that were just dark enough to appear to exist.  "So... what do we do?"

            "Well, I think that we should just start walking." Mamoru suggested evenly.  "If experience has taught us anything, they'll find us eventually--they always do."

            "Mamoruuu..." Haruka warned, her brows beetling lower still.  "Just start walking?  How smart is that?  I mean, we have all we need to survive right here.  Who knows what could happen to us if we leave this place?"

            "You're wrong."  Mamoru whispered, and lowered his gaze.  "We don't have all that we need: my Usako is alone somewhere, and she could be in trouble.  I don't have all I need to survive unless she's by my side."

            Haruka swallowed, then grinned.  "I agree."  She fairly crowed.  "Unless I have Michiru by my side, I can't survive."

            Mamoru had to be certain: "We set off?" her asked.

            Haruka nodded.  "We set off."  

             "Ha ha ha ha." Diablere cackled as he watched the two Senshi via a magicked pocket watch.  When opened, the small mechanism could be used as a spying device.

            "Foolish mortals," he continued, "...Oh, we'll find you alright."

            A knock sounded on his door, interrupting a vigil that had started the day that he had attacked Tokyo and scattered the Senshi, interrupted only to have messages delivered or food brought; although he ate very little - so great was his excitement at their impending doom.

            "Enter."  Diablere commanded.

            A tall, powerfully built man entered the room, his blond hair hanging in war braids down to his hips, even though they were long out of date.  Diablere recognized him at once as Captain Leladonn Meknasson, one of the many leaders/powerful figures that her had pulled from Time.

            "Greetings, Captain," Diablere spoke first, as the Captain's archaic protocol demanded that he must.  Although unnecessary, he continued, "I trust that you being me good news?"

            The Captain met his electric pink gaze as few did, and ignored the question, jumping instead ahead to his message; as none did.  "Sir, the Guardian of Mercury has found means of breaking through your Time wave, and is in the process of breaking her companions out."