Chapter 5


     "Are  you  sure  you don't want some  help?"  Usagi
asked again.
     "I'm  fine."  Akane  had been  carrying  Rei  since
they'd left the game parlor. Makoto limping along behind Usagi
couldn't  keep  her eyes from   straying  to  the charred hole in
the back of Akane's jacket.
     She  wasn't  happy about the situation but  didn't
know  what if anything to do about it. One the one hand, Usagi
seemed perfectly at ease with this Akane  person. And "Aka-chan"
seemed perfectly content to follow Usagi's lead.  Even to the extent
of accepting that nick name. "AKAchan".  How on earth could even Usagi
have given someone a name like that?  On  the  other hand Akane had, in
a matter  of  seconds, taken  out  all  four inner senshi. True  only
Ami  and Minako had been transformed, yet Makoto didn't think  it would
have  made any difference if all  four  had  been transformed. She
rubbed her sore belly and  grimaced  at how  easily  she'd  been
overpowered.  She'd  lost   to stronger opponents before, but this girl
was incredible.  Makoto   had  the  uneasy  impression  that  Akane
had identified her as an accidental nuisance rather  than  a serious
threat when she'd slugged her. She looked  again at  the  silent girl,
carrying Rei as easily as a  small purse.  A  small  empty  purse.
Akane  had  picked  the unconscious  Rei up to carry her at Usagi's
request  and Makoto  shivered  as she suddenly realized   that  Akane
would  twist  Rei's head off with as little  effort  and less emotion
if Usagi asked her too.  Makoto also didn't like  the way Akane would
suddenly cock her head  as  if listening to distant voices. And she
REALLY didn't  like the  way  she  would softly mutter to herself. . .
as  if answering the voices.
     "We're here."  Makoto  started  at Usagi's cheerful  announcement.
She'd  been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed how
far they'd come. Usagi started up the  steps of  the shrine when Akane
stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, shifting Rei to a one armed
carry with an easy indifference that told Makoto volumes about  the
girl's strength.
     "Who should be here?"  "Uh, what do you mean, Akachan?"
     "There  are  six  individuals in  the  shrine.  Two
appear  to  be Sailormercury and Sailorvenus,  powered down.
They  are located there." Usagi followed  Akane's pointing  finger.
"There are four  individuals  in  the outer shrine. Two men, one
small, between sixty five and seventy  years  of age and a younger
male  approximately sixteen  to  twenty  years of age. There  are
also  two females  one approximately sixty years old and a  second
in  her  forties." Akane went on to describe  "Grandpa", "Yuuichirou"
and two  women who were unfamiliar to  both Usagi and Makoto.
     "Go  check out the shrine." Akane's voice was  flat
as  she turned cold eyes on Makoto. " The Princess  will wait here."
     "Now  just a minute. . . " Makoto bristled  at  being
ordered by this stranger.
     "Akachan.   What's  wrong?  It  just  sounds   like
'Grandpa' has some visitors to the shrine." Usagi put  a restraining
hand on Makoto even as she spoke.
     "I have no hard intelligence on enemy intentions or
capabilities. They may be able to hide  themselves  from my  sensors
or they may have human agents.  I  will  not let  you go blindly among
strangers. Sailorjupiter will act  as  a  scouting element. If it is
an ambush  it  is better to trip it with an expendable unit."
     "Akachan!"  Usagi was appalled "Makoto-chan  is  my
friend.  I  won't use her like that! There's got  to  be another way."
     "There  are  two  alternatives. We can  leave  this
place. . ."
     "Or?"  "I  can  destroy  the Shrine and  everyone  in  it,
reducing the chance of ambush to zero."
     "There's  a  third  way,  Akachan."  Usagi  sounded
exasperated.  "I  can just walk up  the  steps  and  say hello."
     "Unacceptable!"  "Well,  you can't really stop me can you?
     I'm  the
Princess."  As  Akane opened her mouth to  speak,  Usagi continued,
"And I'm Sailormoon. I've been fighting  the bad  guys with my friends
for a long time now.  WITH  my friends, not behind them. I don't send
my friends to  do anything  I  won't do." Usagi looked up  at  Akane
with compassionate  eyes.  "They don't  like  to  see  me  in danger,
any more than I like to see them hurt. Any  more than  I want to see
YOU hurt Akachan. That's what  being friends is all about. You look
after each other. And I'd rather  have friends than all the kingdoms
and  crystals and palaces in the universe." With that Usagi bounded
up the shrine steps, shrieking happily.
     "Aaaammiiii. . . . Minnnnaaaaa-PPPPPPP.
Weeeeeee'rrrrreeeee  hhhheeeeeerrrrrreeeeee!!!"
     Makoto  looked  at Akane staring after  Usagi  with
stricken eyes and felt a moment's compassion.
     "You'll get used to her. It's a wild ride being her
friend, but worth every bump."
     "I  am  Blood  Guard."  Makoto  almost  missed  the
anguished whisper. "Blood Guard  have no friends."

***************************************************************************