WARNING:

Cursing, a bit of gore, explicit battle scenes, strong language, lesbian relationships…yeah just the good stuff in this fanfic xD.

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N/A:

Thank you and to my Beta-reader arandomshipper. Dude you are awesome! I have no way to thank you enough!

Tanto(tantō):A small traditional Japanese dagger or a small sword. They were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.

Ofundas: Those enchanted little pieces of paper Mars throws to wipe out the evil spirits.

"The howling"

By: Deyo-chan

PART I

…

The dying men, painful howling could be heard, overwhelming stench of smoke, and the dust ashes infused the air around us with the nauseating reek of fresh blood surrounding the sacred and secret Shrine located behind a hidden mountain. The named Prayer Room, where Queen Serenity was gathering her full energy one last time in order to use the Silver Crystal, was guarded by her most reliable soldiers.

The Queen's advisor, Luna of planet Mau, was with the Queen, calling the Outer Senshi. The most important thing in this last mission was that Sailor Saturn OUGHT to be there before everything on the Moon goes to hell.

The once deep gray colored grass, surrounded by roses and other vegetation, the one long ago was so alive that was sad thing to even think to wrest its flowers, that night, the same silver-old grass had been colored a deep crimson red color, the sky mirrored the same deep crimson color. Earth above the sky was surrounded by a bright line of shiny stars, unaware of the imminent end. The entire civilization known outside that blue-planet surface was about to disappear in just a few more minutes. The Silver Millennium Era has come to its end. The Princess of the Moon had committed a desperate act at the last moment, forcing Queen Serenity to use her last resort and most powerful and dangerous resource in order to save what remains of her people.

Luna was trying to discourage any idea of using the Silver Crystal, but she kept getting negative answers from Queen Serenity. She decided to join her Queen in the prayers inside the hidden Shrine behind the sacred hill close to Sea of Serenity.

The sound of swords clashing against swords resonated from afar. The Senshis' leader was holding carefully her arm, heading to the cave where she sat against the cold wall for a bit, trying to regain some of her strength after being injured. Kneeling next to her was her second in command, helping her with the injury. The Fire Senshi, Sailor Mars, nodded grimly at her commander after tying a makeshift tourniquet on her left forearm.

Sailor Venus caressed Mars' face with her good hand and smiled softly. The raven-haired girl smirked back at her with that particular smile that was reserved just for Venus. They both knew this was the last moment of ease together before things got ugly. The soft whispers from the trees around them, the soft caress of the wind wrapping their bodies carried with it screams of countless people that were attacked by the horrifying foes that had invaded their land. It was the calm before the storm.

Only one thing was sure that night, and it was that The Moon Kingdom was doomed. The sailor senshi had failed. They failed to protect their Princess, failed to fulfill their duty to their Queen, and failed each other, shockingly.

Venus smiled sadly. A reflection in her blue eyes told Mars that she had so much more she would like to say, so many things she wouldn't get the chance to share with the raven-haired woman. Sadly, the words got stuck in the blonde's throat in a huge lump. The Fire Senshi created a small fire to illuminate the dark place in order to take proper care of her commander's wound. They were hidden inside a small cave at the top of the narrow mountain before the Shrine.

Mars hugged tightly her blonde commander against her, trying to give her some of her own body heat after helping her with the wound. Venus had turned slightly pale because of blood loss. Mars still didn't understand how her leader hadn't passed out. Damn Venusians; so stubborn and loyal to their cause until the very end, she smiled bitterly at the thought.

Resting her forehead against her lover, Venus Minako, Mars helped her to stand on her feet. The blonde slightly winced at the movement she made with her left arm, the one that was tied in the injured area. Her second in command helped her restore balance, holding her arm around the blondes' waist. The blonde quickly shook her arm to get used to the discomfort of moving it, nodding and walking away gently from her subordinate to check the grounds.

"It's a shame I won't get the chance to see that precious scar on your bicep." Mars said in a nonchalant tone.

"A shame? I think the only good thing at the end of all this freaking war is that I won't have to put up with Mercury's stitches without anesthesia." Venus rolled her eyes, pointing to her arm, shivering playfully at the thought.

Mars chuckled softly, nodding. Mercury could be a bit raw when it came to stitching a deep wound; she wanted to close it as quickly as possible so her friends could heal properly.

A sudden silence gripped their moment. Both women, Mars and Venus, were trying to evade the topic in hand. Mars was who eventually followed her instinct and spoke, approaching and embracing gently her leader and former lover from behind, holding the blonde from her back and placing her hands on the toned belly, burying her face between the shoulder blades, smelling her essence.

"I promise I'll wait for you, my love. No matter what; no matter whom, I'll be looking for you."

"Reiko," Venus whispered, placing her hands on Mars's, tightening her grip on her hands, stifling a sob that wanted to break free.

"Ne, Minako…" Mars called her, helping to turn her blonde around, looking directly into her eyes. Delicately, she helped Venus to raise her face 'til both of their lips brushed against each other, their foreheads pressed together. "I loved you since we met as children, I will love you now and always Venus Minako, no matter what comes our way. Not even losing this battle, nor the destruction of this Kingdom will keep my feelings for you apart. Not in our previous existence and surely not in our next life could I forget you... mark my words when I say: I will find you, my love. I won't let you go; I will fight for you, Minako," Blue eyes were at the edge of tears, meeting Amethysts ones. "Queen of Venus and Co-Queen of Mars." Mars finished kissing her lover softly with sly smile on her face.

The blonde nodded, barely holding her tears, touched by Mars's meaningful words.

She gently separated herself from her beloved, looking into her eyes once more, "You make it sound like a threat that I'd rather escape from, and we both know that that's not going to happen. It didn't happen in this life time, it certainly didn't in our previous one and of course I wouldn't let it happen in the ones to come. Good thing you convinced me to enjoy your beautiful body last night, Reiko." The blonde said, jokingly and tenderly caressing the raven-haired girl's cheek with her right, earning the eyebrow. "Okay, okay I convinced you, but I must say I didn't hear any complaint about it, not last night," She kissed Mars' jaw, "and certainly I didn't hear any complaint this morning either." The raven-haired woman was smiling tenderly. Venus could be very persuasive.

Both women knew Venus making those kind of jokes was her coping mechanism, trying to mask her frustration at the imminent losing battle.

A flush appeared in Sailor Mars's cheeks, but she nodded slowly with a small smirk on her face, "It was the least I could do for you before this happened, My Queen...I don't know when I would be able to have you, to touch you, to kiss you again." Mars was holding both of Venus's cheeks with both of her hands, muttering her words against her lips, pressing her forehead to Venus's.

"At least the fire let you know that we shall meet again. My Queen of Fire."

"Yea, it did, but the sight of that union Mina... it focuses during a lifetime and place that I do not recognize, it could be in hundreds or thousands years ahead in the future."

Venus went quiet for a moment, not moving away from Mars' embrace, thinking hard, staring back at beautiful Amethyst eyes before her. Suddenly, a pinch of guilt came to her mind, "Mars, d'you think we did wrong by not telling our Princess that we-?" the blonde asked overwhelmed, clutching her left hand where the symbol of love she shared with the raven-haired woman rested.

Mars knew she was talking about their marriage, which had remained as a secret to almost everyone in the Galaxy, and they both knew that by getting married, both will automatically became the highest authority in their home planets. A ring was set on her left ring finger underneath her senshi gloves, hidden from alien eyes. Queen Serenity and her court only knew they were a couple, and no more information was needed. In the privacy of their shared bedroom, the two of them called each other My Queen. No one in the whole galaxy was aware that the Princesses of Venus and Mars had escaped one day, after several years of sharing a life together, and got married behind closed doors. Only their other two Senshi comrades knew this, and witnessed them in a low-key ceremony at a temple in the home planet of Sailor Mars. Even Queen Serenity was unaware of this event.

The Fire Senshi wore her ring on the right ring finger. According to Martian traditions, the wedding rings should be on the non-dominant hand to not interfere while managing a weapon during a battle, Mars was left-handed. Martians never took their wedding rings off no matter what. They considered the act of removing their wedding rings as an announcement of the end of the commitment they shared with their partner and lover, some kind of a silence divorce. They were devoted and loyal beings to their partners and soulmates, because a Martian never married unless they were sure they had found their soulmate. Venusians, on the other hand, they considered wedding rings an unnecessary accessory, and to always carry a symbol of attachment to just ONE person was a waste of their time. They were free spirits, and it was hard for them to be devoted to just only one individual. They didn't like to feel like belonging to someone like a piece of furniture. To them, a ring, wristband, or necklace meant they belonged to someone. Still, those who wore a wedding band were highly respected and admired in the Venusian society, because only a few Venusians managed to accomplish the hard task of finding their soulmate. Much like the Martians, Venusians were faithful to their partner no matter what.

Mars' ring was made of the scarcest and strongest metal that planet Venus could provide. It was the same metal Sailor Venus's chain was made of. When Mars wore it for the very first time on her right hand during a particular battle, she tried to stop a powerful blow with that hand, and the resistance was stronger. She repelled almost immediately the shock. Sure enough given the strength the material the ring was made of, it provided her great resistance.

In Venus' case, she wore her wedding ring on her left ring finger (she was right-handed). This ring in particular was forged by Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury helping her. The wedding band of Venus was made of a metal with amazing healing properties and huge fire resistance inserted in its core just in case Venus could be attacked with fire she couldn't fight. The metal would absorb the fire attack when the hand that wears the wedding ring attempts to stop the damage. The rings were bonded to the core of each planet and their magical protection. Most of the planets in the Milk Way had been destroyed a few hours ago, and therefore the rings had lost their magical powers.

Both girls held hands, feeling their rings under their gloved hands. A sudden explosion, close to the mountain where they were hid, shook the ground beneath their feet, forcing them apart reluctantly.

Venus immediately positioned herself protectively in front of Mars as a human shield.

"We have to hold them a bit more, Reiko. We need to gain some time for Luna and Queen Serenity; they will need as much time as we can give."

Mars nodded, moving out from behind Venus. She stepped outside the cave and took a look around before closing her eyes. When she felt it was safe to read the Astral space before them, she instructed Venus to follow her. "Don't worry they will arrive up here most likely in ten minutes. Let me enjoy you a few more minutes My Queen." She said, sixth sense focused on reading the distant battlefield where her other comrades were. "Oh Goddess, Venus... Beryl already has..."

Venus nodded, removing herself from the embrace, and sighed without making eye contact with her lover and companion. She moved aside from her in the dim light. She understood perfectly what Mars was trying to say, Moon Castle had fallen, and the earthlights had claimed it under Beryl's command.

The Moon Princess, a bit more than an hour ago, had plunged her own sword into her chest when she saw her lover –Prince Endymion- die before her eyes. By taking this choice, Princess Serenity had forced the four remaining Sailor Senshi to protect and gain their Queen a few more minutes on her quest to reach the maximum power of the Silver Crystal back in the Prayer Room. The Prince of Earth's escorts seemed to have come against him as well, and he had been attacked and killed by his own Generals, the four Shittenou.

The Prince's Terran escort seemed to have become evil, because an instant ago the blonde and raven-haired Senshi barely managed to escape the reach of a pony-tailed blond guy and another Shittenou with white hair. Zoisite and Kunzite were their respectively names, as Venus remembered.

Sailors Jupiter and Mercury were still fighting another guy with short blond hair and a tall brown long-haired guy, Nephrite and Jadeite. The four Senshis had split in two teams. Mercury and Jupiter remained and guarded the Moon Palace, asking to their leader and Mars to go and protect their Queen.

Jupiter and Mercury were fiercely fighting two Generals, holding them far away from the Prayer Room, helping Mars and Venus to guard the Queen and Luna's back in the Shrine. In an instant, the Senshis' leader and her second in command had narrowly escaped Zoisite and Kunzite's hands, along with Queen Serenity, by the secret tunnels of the castle. The thunder and wisdom Senshi remained at the castle fighting Nephrite and Jadeite, allowing them to escape.

The Sailor Senshi team kept fighting with the only purpose of avenging the death of their fallen Princess. They sought to take as many earthlight soldiers as they can.

The Shittenou Generals at the service of Beryl did not ease in any of their actions.

"Mars... sweetheart ,you should turn off the torches in the cave, save your fire for the bad guys out there," Venus said mockingly with her back turned to Mars, and, popping the Holly Sword in her right hand, "Mercury and Jupiter... babe, can you feel them?" She asked in a whisper barely audible.

They came out to the destroyed camp in front of them, standing in the center of it, as far as possible from the path of the temple where the Queen and Luna were busy waiting for the imminent.

Venus held her sword tight and kept an eye on Mars while she contacted with her comrades and friends' Auras. They were weakening for sure but she could find them. A silent tear rolled down her cheek and a terrible chill ran down her spine at the feel of the despair the Princesses of Jupiter and Mercury were facing. They were being attacked mercilessly by the two of the Shittenou at the castle. Venus knew that the raven-haired Senshi in front of her was witnessing something terrible, yet she emboldened herself, placing her hand on Mars' left cheek, using her empathic powers to witness herself the same vision as Rei. The bond between the two lovers was so strong that they could perceive what the other saw in their visions by touching each other.

In the very moment Mars' vision displayed in her mind, Venus regretted it instantly. The so vivid images were the worst seconds of her life, and she felt useless. She was prevented to help on the other side of the Moon where her two best friends and subordinates stood fighting. She was forced to watch how her friends were defeated one by one by the cowardly Shittenou Generals.

Very stirred and bloodied, Mercury stabbed her Glace Sword into the blond and youngest General's right chest, Jadeite, according to Venus's memories. She stabbed him just before the guy aimed to damage Mercury with his sword on the neck. Princess Mercury fell back with a heavy thud, the blond's limp body on top of her. For a second, she was prevented from moving and reacting quickly when she saw the brown-haired General chase one more time after the Jovian.

Jupiter was fighting heartedly in melee with the tall Shittenou, barely avoiding the fast punches and strong kicks he addressed her with. The guy took advantage of the brief distraction from Sailor Jupiter and grabbed her by the ankle, throwing her against a big rock behind them with such a strength that it caused the huge rock to crack in the middle, half of it falling over the Jovian warrior squashing the woman's waist, crushing her waist down.

Mercury saw this and howled a painful yell at the sight of her fiancée being caught by a stupid rock. The Jovian struggled violently, trying to get out from under the rock that prevented her from moving. Despite the horrendous pain she felt by being suffocated by the weight above her, she kept fighting against the rock.

Nephrite quickly took Jupiter's Spear from the ground, aiming Jupiter's chest. Ami's small frame pushed quickly out of her way the dead body on top of her and, with an incredible speed, took a sprint towards the Jovian, tackling down the threatening brown-haired man away from her lover. He was about to stab the auburn-haired Senshi with her own Spear when a huge tackle in his left side make him drop the Spear and harshly hit the ground.

The Spear fall with a thud in the soil just an inch away from Sailor Jupiter's grasp. The Jovian kept searching for a way to escape from her hefty trap and help Mercury. Nephrite was kicking her fellow senshi in the ground; the smaller Senshi could barely cope with the incessant attacks from the brown-haired guy, until she shot a sharp-cold blow that imbalanced him, sending him confounded to the ground for a moment. Mercury took the opportunity and moved away, stumbling towards her captive lover.

The Jovian was breathing hard, rock removed finally. She tried to stand up, but failed. Mercury knelt beside her, holding her by the waist, trying to help her get to her feet.

"I can't, it's useless love, I can't move them." The Jovian muttered.

"C'mon Mako, hold on my should-"

Mercury didn't finish speaking when Jupiter's voice shouted loud, "WATCH OUT AMI, NO!"

The Senshi of wisdom turned her face to see the brown-haired General, enraged, aiming himself at her neck with a tanto sword, trying to behead her. She closed her eyes waiting for the attack to snatch her existence away, but the pain never came. Instead of physical pain, what she felt was a strong and familiar embrace enveloping her on her torso, and strong arms holding tightly to her sides. Ami opened her eyes and saw horrified Jupiter's body falling limp on her back, the tanto short-sword piercing her back all the way up to her chest, just in the middle of her breasts. The hectic General was kneeling behind Jupiter holding onto his side that was profoundly bleeding. He stumbled back and collapsed on the ground almost unconscious from blood loss.

Mercury held Jupiter tight before laying her softly on the ground, raising Jupiter's spear from her side. She walked calmly towards the brown-headed Shittenou, pausing in front of him. Tears wetting her cheeks, she raised above her head determinedly the Spear. Howling in pain at the sight of her fallen lover and fiancée motionless behind her, Mercury didn't give him the chance to stand or defend himself. In one quick motion, she pierced his right thigh with Jupiter's Spear before kicking him with her knee in the jaw, sending him heavily to the ground again.

The brown-haired Shittenou was barely breathing, but it didn't matter to Mercury. She was pouring her grief on him for taking away her best friend, lover, and future Queen. She continued hitting him incessantly, punch after punch till her knuckles bled, tears and blood running down her cheeks and fists. Suddenly, the guy wasn't moving anymore. She held his motionless body by the shirt collar, and in her right hand appeared Mercury's sword. She stopped the cold blade on the unconscious guy's neck.

Venus and Mars gaped at the vision. Princess Mercury was out of character, but for a really good reason. They watched Mercury hesitate for a second in cutting his throat. Nephrite opened his eyes and, faster than she, pulled another tanto short-sword from his sleeve and plunged it through Amis' neck.

Something inside Venus crumpled at seeing her subordinate and blue-haired friend choking in her own blood. The fall of her body to the soil took an eternity before her eyes, and the noise made when Mercury's Sword fell with a heavily thud to the ground sent shivers down to her spine.

When the bluenette felt Jupiter's Spear behind her left hand, she grabbed it slowly, pressing her right hand on her neck, holding on the wound. The last flicker of life in Mercury's bright blue eyes lasted a bit longer when she noticed the auburn-haired woman take her last breath, closing her green eyes with a soft smile on her face, in her civilian clothes now. The bluenette smirked at her, throwing the Spear with all her might, sticking it directly in Nephrite's heart.

Mercury glanced once again into Makoto's peaceful face and a soft smile adorned her features. She looks like she's sleeping, the bluenette thought before clicking a few times on her right earring, making herself, and everything in five hundred feet around them, to explode.

Away from the exploded battlefield, the hand on Mars' cheek was suddenly gone. She opened her eyes and saw Venus fall and kneel on the ground with one knee, hugging herself in sorrow and distress. Her best friends had fallen in battle, and they weren't close to them to help. In less than five seconds, Venus's grief changed and was replaced by anger, hatred, and bloodthirst.

She quickly stood up, looking angrily to the Martian before her, tears numbing her sight, "Listen and listen to me carefully Mars, don't you dare to do something as stupid as Jupiter did for Mercury!" The Venusian demanded with shaky voice, tears falling from her eyes, "You hear me Mars?"

Venus roughly took Mars by the elbow and pushed her, forcing her to take a few steps back.

Mars opened her eyes and kissed rather roughly Venus' lips before materializing in her left hand her fire bow, "I can't promise you that, My Queen. I love you so much to just let you die before my eyes…" she said holding Venus' chin in her right hand.

The sound of a horse and rider approaching quickly to where both Senshi waited was heard. It was just the single black horse of the leader of the Shittenou Generals.

The sound of galloping and feet hitting the ground around Venus cut through any answer she had for Mars.

One man was standing before the two women a few meters away. A tall, white-haired man was smirking directly at both Senshi. He was General Kunzite.

Suddenly, the area where the two remaining Senshi stood was surrounded by at least a hundred dark shadows. Apparently they were under Kunzites' command.

...

::TBC::

Dear readers, whats up?

If you like it so far leave a Rv or send me a MP and let me know what you think of this new fanfic!

Here's another story. It was suposed to be a one-shot but I realized that it was about 8K words so I split it in two parts.

Let me know what you think about it! It is already finished, I'm just publishing first part now and the final one in the next couple of days so bare with me. I really enjoyed writing this!

Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end :S but it just...it just seemed appropriate to ending it there!

'Till next update (2 or so more days I guess...)

LATERS!

*Deyo-chan*