Aftermath
The five figures stood silently in the semi-darkness. Too stunned to speak. Too horrified to move. Their leader had been defeated up by the last and greatest evil ever to face the senshi, and while they had avenged her, the emptiness still engulfed them as they stood staring, unseeingly at each other. The last few moments flashed through their minds. They once again heard the fight, the attack shouts, the sounds of the battle, the scream of terror as the one they were born to protect fell to her death...the anguished, silent cry of loss they all felt inside them, but only uttered by one. He lay there on the ground now, having lost his reason for living. What was he to do now? How could he go on without her? One girl stirred, as if awakening from a sleep, or coma. "Mamoru..." Rei whispered as he lay, shuddering uncontrollably "oh Mamoru." Her voice awoke the other girls, who looked around at each other as if wondering how they had gotten there, what they were doing, who they were. Rei looked at her friends. They had all failed their mission - to protect the moon princess from any harm. Usagi had perished at the hands of the Negaverse, and now it seemed they had no more reasons for anything. Hotaru fell to her knees beside the dark-haired man. He looked up at her, and what she saw in his eyes broke her heart. So much pain, longing...and shock. He collapsed, and she embraced him. "It's over." Minako whispered. They had defeated the Negaverse. at the ultimate price.
* * * * *
It had been a week since it happened. The girls had gone to school as usual, lived their lives as if trying to forget. But they couldn't pretend she wasn't gone, couldn't make out like it had never happened. One afternoon, they found themselves gathered at the temple with Luna and Artemis. Usagi's parents had continued to care for Luna, but she hadn't been eating, and her bones jutted out from her black fur. Makoto broke the silence. "I saw Naru-chan today," she said, hesitantly. They hadn't spoken to each other much; they could barely find anything to say. Ami looked up. "Did you...say anything?" she asked. Makoto sighed. "She looked so lost...I couldn't bring myself to even meet her eyes." Mamoru and Chibi-Usa had rarely coming out of their rooms. Hotaru had moved from the room she shared with Chibi-Usa in with Makoto and Ami. They would have thought it cramped if the circumstances were different. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa had gone for a walk the previous day, however. The girl stumbled alongside her father, leaning on him for support with tears streaming relentlessly down her cheeks. Mamoru hadn't been eating or sleeping, and it showed. He was gaunt and pale. and empty. A hollow shell with only the slightest sign of life...the pink-haired child hanging onto his arm. "We can't go on like this," Ami said. "We'll kill ourselves." "What can we do though?" Rei spoke up. "Act like it never happened? Like we never knew her? Like it wasn't our destiny to never let anything like this happen? How can we?" Rei burst into tears. "We failed her, and we failed Queen Serenity." Minako reached out to Rei and the dark haired girl leant against her, sobbing. There was more uncomfortable silence, with only the sounds of the wind in the trees, and leaves scattering across the temple steps in small whirlwinds. "Hotaru.why didn't you do it? Why didn't you use your attack to save her?" Minako asked suddenly. Hotaru looked up quickly, then her eyes softened. "I would have killed all of you, only she and I would still be alive," she answered quietly. "At least she would be alive, and that's the whole point!" Rei shouted through her tears. "Unless you wanted her to die!" The other girls gasped in horror. Hotaru stood up, angry. "I tried, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, and neither would you!" Hotaru shouted back. "You may be tough Rei but in the end that's not what matters. Unless you're so callous you would look your best friend in the eye and destroy everyone she cares about!" "Hotaru, Rei, please!" Ami cried. "We can't blame one another, this is a time we should be sticking by each other!" Hotaru glanced at Ami and then looked around at the other senshi. They looked back at her sadly, all except Rei, who stared at her with an unreadable expression, then looked away. Hotaru turned and ran, down the temple steps and out into the street. Not looking where she was going she stumbled and fell into the path of an oncoming bus. She lay staring, paralysed as the bus came towards her. Then someone grabbed her and pulled her off the road. Hotaru lay on her back on the sidewalk, eyes closed, hardly daring to breathe. "Hotaru?" a voice whispered tentatively. She opened her eyes. "Rei.? But." She sat up and Rei hugged her, crying. "I'm sorry Hotaru, I didn't mean what I said, I know you didn't want her to die, and. I understand that you couldn't have killed us for her." She held the younger girl tighter, they were both crying now. "I don't know what we would have done if we'd lost you too."
The five figures stood silently in the semi-darkness. Too stunned to speak. Too horrified to move. Their leader had been defeated up by the last and greatest evil ever to face the senshi, and while they had avenged her, the emptiness still engulfed them as they stood staring, unseeingly at each other. The last few moments flashed through their minds. They once again heard the fight, the attack shouts, the sounds of the battle, the scream of terror as the one they were born to protect fell to her death...the anguished, silent cry of loss they all felt inside them, but only uttered by one. He lay there on the ground now, having lost his reason for living. What was he to do now? How could he go on without her? One girl stirred, as if awakening from a sleep, or coma. "Mamoru..." Rei whispered as he lay, shuddering uncontrollably "oh Mamoru." Her voice awoke the other girls, who looked around at each other as if wondering how they had gotten there, what they were doing, who they were. Rei looked at her friends. They had all failed their mission - to protect the moon princess from any harm. Usagi had perished at the hands of the Negaverse, and now it seemed they had no more reasons for anything. Hotaru fell to her knees beside the dark-haired man. He looked up at her, and what she saw in his eyes broke her heart. So much pain, longing...and shock. He collapsed, and she embraced him. "It's over." Minako whispered. They had defeated the Negaverse. at the ultimate price.
* * * * *
It had been a week since it happened. The girls had gone to school as usual, lived their lives as if trying to forget. But they couldn't pretend she wasn't gone, couldn't make out like it had never happened. One afternoon, they found themselves gathered at the temple with Luna and Artemis. Usagi's parents had continued to care for Luna, but she hadn't been eating, and her bones jutted out from her black fur. Makoto broke the silence. "I saw Naru-chan today," she said, hesitantly. They hadn't spoken to each other much; they could barely find anything to say. Ami looked up. "Did you...say anything?" she asked. Makoto sighed. "She looked so lost...I couldn't bring myself to even meet her eyes." Mamoru and Chibi-Usa had rarely coming out of their rooms. Hotaru had moved from the room she shared with Chibi-Usa in with Makoto and Ami. They would have thought it cramped if the circumstances were different. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa had gone for a walk the previous day, however. The girl stumbled alongside her father, leaning on him for support with tears streaming relentlessly down her cheeks. Mamoru hadn't been eating or sleeping, and it showed. He was gaunt and pale. and empty. A hollow shell with only the slightest sign of life...the pink-haired child hanging onto his arm. "We can't go on like this," Ami said. "We'll kill ourselves." "What can we do though?" Rei spoke up. "Act like it never happened? Like we never knew her? Like it wasn't our destiny to never let anything like this happen? How can we?" Rei burst into tears. "We failed her, and we failed Queen Serenity." Minako reached out to Rei and the dark haired girl leant against her, sobbing. There was more uncomfortable silence, with only the sounds of the wind in the trees, and leaves scattering across the temple steps in small whirlwinds. "Hotaru.why didn't you do it? Why didn't you use your attack to save her?" Minako asked suddenly. Hotaru looked up quickly, then her eyes softened. "I would have killed all of you, only she and I would still be alive," she answered quietly. "At least she would be alive, and that's the whole point!" Rei shouted through her tears. "Unless you wanted her to die!" The other girls gasped in horror. Hotaru stood up, angry. "I tried, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, and neither would you!" Hotaru shouted back. "You may be tough Rei but in the end that's not what matters. Unless you're so callous you would look your best friend in the eye and destroy everyone she cares about!" "Hotaru, Rei, please!" Ami cried. "We can't blame one another, this is a time we should be sticking by each other!" Hotaru glanced at Ami and then looked around at the other senshi. They looked back at her sadly, all except Rei, who stared at her with an unreadable expression, then looked away. Hotaru turned and ran, down the temple steps and out into the street. Not looking where she was going she stumbled and fell into the path of an oncoming bus. She lay staring, paralysed as the bus came towards her. Then someone grabbed her and pulled her off the road. Hotaru lay on her back on the sidewalk, eyes closed, hardly daring to breathe. "Hotaru?" a voice whispered tentatively. She opened her eyes. "Rei.? But." She sat up and Rei hugged her, crying. "I'm sorry Hotaru, I didn't mean what I said, I know you didn't want her to die, and. I understand that you couldn't have killed us for her." She held the younger girl tighter, they were both crying now. "I don't know what we would have done if we'd lost you too."