Prologue
'I'll kill them all by myself if I have to' the old man said to himself as he held his rifle in both arthritic and shaking hands. His eyes, shining and red from age, wandered aimlessly across the mountains overlapping his small town. His vigilance was useless due to a white sheet of fog floating almost at the bottom of the valley, a very feeble orange flame could be seen from one of the watchtowers aligning the humble huddle of houses, if they could be called even that. The fist shaped clouds above parted only to present a very full and bone colored moon, presenting a gloomy view of the empty rangelands belonging to the modest inhabitants of those mountains. The stench of rotting cattle still roamed on airy nights such as this one.
"Come back into the fire old man, rain is sure to fall and you'll find yourself with a cold and in a grumpy mood" said a woman behind the old man. Her features were pleasant but tired, old age and hard times etched clearly on her face. She served some rice into a steaming bowl of water and set it on the table where she sat. She then proceeded to take a freshly cooked egg and set it on the rice, adding a tiny fistful of salt over it. She glanced sadly at the basket of eggs to her right, only six left, but decided to put it out of her mind and enjoy dinner with her husband.
"Hush Noriko! The wolves are at it again!" - the old man exclaimed as he readied his gun again at the sound of another howl - "We must be wary of another attack" he added shifting a little as his knees grew tired and swollen.
"Come eat with me. Mr. Tamura's son is at the watchtower and he has the best eyes the town has seen, best aim as well. Besides, there's barely any livestock as it is. The wolves have no business around here anymore" Noriko reasoned gently. She adjusted the wood in the fireplace with an old poker before serving some tea from their overused kettle.
The man, looking worn in the light of the moon, turned and sighed. He placed the rifle carefully next to the door, where it always was, and walked slowly to the table where he sat, stroking his pained legs as he did. "Young Tamura has grown into a fine man. But he cannot defend us alone. We may be old but we are still men" he said solemnly before swallowing his egg in one gulp and washing it down with his tea.
His wife, with a kind smile and glistening eyes, took her husband's wrinkled and wearied hand "These times will pass. Our youths will be back and our land will thrive again. The harvest will be ample, our spirits will grace us again. Winter always has us unsteady" she whispered with optimism before tucking into her own meal.
A darkness shadowed the two elderly couple, despite their generous fire. Like a growing tide thunder rumbled into their mists until lightning struck. Their small abode was suddenly filled with an unnatural blue light, making the two grown farmers jump in fright. In an instant their roof was filled with the loud tapping of pouring rain.
The man quickly got up and tightly closed both wooden windows exposing them which still clattered after he did so from the wind. "I'm afraid this winter will be much more difficult than before. The spirits are against us and only those who could protect us are long gone" he mumbled in despair.
"You've grown foolish and restless. Tomorrow will be another day just like today"
"I'm afraid not"
Noriko snorted "Oh? And why not?" she asked impishly.
"The wolves have been at it all day. Howling and fighting and the rain hasn't scared them away" the man said with a frightening seriousness before grabbing the rifle tightly in his hands.
Though they could run faster than any normal human being or even animal for that matter, they couldn't avoid the loud crunching under their feet, their heavy breathing or the trail of fresh blood left behind. The two girls raced between tree trunks and thicket, occasionally bumping into one or the other, until only dots of moonlight lit them from under the vast trees overpowering them. Relying on instinct and luck, they continued to flee into the unknown darkness of the mountain, each leap taking them further down the uneven ground. Only the faint sounds of howling and elongated sprinting behind them made it possible for them to keep going. Their luck seeped out into it's last drop when the shorter of the two girls tripped over an exposed root and fell over, breaking her fall with both hands and followed by a loud crack.
Sailor Jupiter skidded to a halt over dried leaves, almost making herself fall forward. She turned back and ran to her companion "Come on! We have to keep going!" she cried urgently as she scooped Sailor Mercury up and pulled her forward, causing the smaller girl to yelp.
"Careful! I think I've broken my wrist!" the water senshi whimpered between tears as she held her damaged arm. The sudden sound of howling made her react so suddenly that the pain was clear out of her mind. She grabbed the taller girl's hand with her own and they continued to flee. Drops of heavy, almost painful rain poured down on them breaking even the weight of the leaves above them. The roof of green opened to a powerful charge of lightning which for a brief second illuminated the soaking ground below them.
"Do you have anything to do with this!" Mercury yelled as another roar of lightning crackled overhead and helped her avoid a large root like the one before. She tightened her grip on her partner's hand, feeling a tinge of electricity run though it. With a shock of relief, the blue haired senshi noticed the blood covering Jupiter's back was disappearing with the rain and falling into the muddy ground, disguising it's crimson hue with dirt and overflowing water running down the mountain. Still, another howl from far behind made her uncertain of their escape.
"I don't know! We should keep going! There's a town in the valley! I can see a watchtower!" the lightning senshi growled back just loud enough to defeat the storm's harsh billowing, her head slightly turning to meet her companion's tired eyes. She took a few long strides forward before colliding into a tree. Jupiter hissed and closed her eyes before sliding down the rough bark and thumping onto the wet ground. She immediately grabbed her wounded back, despite making it more painful, and moaned.
"Come on! Get up Mako-chan!" Mercury insisted as she tried to pull the taller girl up, her words drowned by the rain soaking her face and her broken wrist too fragile to lift anything lighter than a small stone. The howling grew closer and fiercer which brought panic to both senshis.
"You go Ami-chan! I'll slow them down! Go...ugh...to the town and find Usagi-chan! Hurry!" Jupiter urged, her face twisted and pained, she tried to steady herself on the moss covered trunk but easily slipped back to the ground.
Mercury looked around despite the blinding shower and mismatched colors from the lightning. The beastly sounds were very close, as close as they had been since they first encountered the wolves. She was frightened and pressured, just right for her mind to work fast. She gently turned Jupiter on her side and ripped off the blood soaked part of her uniform, carefully but quickly soaking it with whatever blood was left from the wound, making the taller girl flinch in pain. She then made sure the crimson fabric was as dark as ever, despite the rain. Slowly, Mercury let the piece of red fabric ride along a small but flowing torrent of water leading down the mountain.
"Can you get up? Just walk a few steps with me" the blue haired senshi said calmly but hurriedly to her partner while she tried to pull her up, despite the pain in her wrist. Another bolt of lightning struck, sending a landslide of dirt and rain on them.
"I told you, just go!" Jupiter insisted but still got up holding her friend and the slippery tree.
"Get up you stubborn fool! You know I won't leave!" Mercury shouted desperately as she heaved the taller girl up and began dragging her up along the falling water and mud. With one hand piercing with unimaginable pain she held herself on tree trunks and thin roots and with the other she pulled her companion forward against the tide forcing them down. The howls grew fiercer as well as the rain, a force no single man could have handled. But like promised, in a few steps they reached a rather large tree stump and settled under there, the waterfall falling from it almost taking them down with it.
"You should have gone" Jupiter mumbled angrily, her breaths matching the sound of rushing water and rumble of thunder over them. Knees bent to their chins, the rain still soaked their boots and chilled their elbows; the moist earth under the tree stump ran down their backs but at least they were out of sight.
"Shh! Just let them pass us!" Mercury hissed before covering the taller girl's heaving mouth with her hand. The two stayed still, listening intently to the howling which grew closer and closer until it turned into drowned out voices. They both watched, with frightful eyes and thumping hearts, as three very large grey wolves stopped just a few feet in front of them, their noses sniffing urgently at the moving and shifting ground. Their ears were perked but the raging rain forced them to droop easily, even the muck of mud and leaves made it clear they couldn't sniff out a single trace.
"Awful smell come from human place and top" one of the wolves, the smallest, said without barely moving her jaws. This made both senshi, hiding just a few feet away, tense up. They watched as the largest wolf began to investigate the surroundings further down.
"Bad smell come from other two human spirits? Sun and blood human spirits? Night bears have scent of them. The bears eat them like fish, this is true?" the middle wolf, that is of size, asked the smallest.
"The bears eat and feed where human place, where large hole of water. No? The sun and blood spirits only at bottom where bears are. Bad smell from top from other human spirits. Water and tree human spirits up where we smell them before. Very sure" the young wolf barely mouthed out with a grin, her eyes trailing over the blue and green boots just barely showing under the cascade of rain falling from the tree stump where Jupiter and Mercury hid. She approached hungrily towards their hiding place, slipping an occasion from the pouring rain.
"Human spirits hide in human place! Blood of human take us to them! Found human trace! Find and eat them before sun come!" the largest wolf announced just loudly enough for both of his cubs to hear across the storm and distance. In his mouth he held Jupiter's torn and bloody piece of uniform.
The middle sized wolf did not hesitate and ran down to his father's orders but the smallest wolf hesitated and lingered closely to where the two senshi hid. Edging closer and sniffing excitedly, she almost reached the fierce waterfall between her and Jupiter and Mercury. The both stood still, Mercury readied herself to attack with whatever power she could, despite the fact that earlier attempts had not worked. She searched around blindly for a weapon and only found a slightly sharp and slightly thick branch by her thigh which was much too wet to be used as anything. She wasn't surprised to find Jupiter already placing herself in front of her, holding her fists tightly in attack. The senshi of water placed a cool hand on her partner's shoulder and settled her down as the wolf continued to approach them.
"Shi! Come to human place with father and brother! I bite off head if not!" the eldest and largest wolf cried harshly from close to where the fog was setting. The youngest cub growled in frustration, looked once again at the small cave under the tree stump and turned it's heel down to where it's father and brother were. The three wolves howled and strode fiercely down the mountain until they were far from earshot.
Mercury slowly took her hand away from Jupiter's mouth and breathed an air of relief. They both sat, drenched and cold, feeling the spike of adrenaline slowly wash away from them which meant their wounds were again feeling pain. The smaller senshi moaned as she laid her broken wrist gently on her lap.
"Oh Ami-chan, I'm so sorry" Jupiter whispered as she carefully took the damaged limb and laid a small but loving kiss on Mercury's pained hand.
The smaller girl sighed at the gesture, having wanted it for so long but regretting it was under those circumstances "I'm alright Mako-chan, it'll heal soon enough. Oh! But what about you?" she exclaimed quickly readjusting the taller girl and gently examining the wounds on her lower back. Just as she had feared, the slashes from the wolf were growing darker and darker around the cuts. Very thin but long lines of poison were tracing themselves around her sides and no doubt towards her heart.
"Are they very deep? Or infected? I'm sure our senshi healing will help, right?" Jupiter asked casually after her partner had not said a word in awhile but continued to touch her. It felt wonderful while it lasted but the silence had made her worried. She stared feeling confused at the dripping wall of dirt in front of her, waiting for a response, only to be startled by the touch of moist but gentle lips kissing her shoulder. The tall girl turned and found her face facing Mercury's.
The smaller senshi cupped Jupiter's face in her hand and smiled despite some flowing tears "Oh...I know I took too long to say it! And so did you!" - she cried between sobs and nervous laughter - "...we've been foolish, you and I" she whispered before giving the taller girl a peck just below her eye. Their foreheads gently connected as they stared into each other's eyes, the rain tracing lines down their faces.
Jupiter smiled, feeling her love's hot breath against her cheek "...I know we've been foolish, at least I have but I won't say anything until you're safe with me" she whispered back with a slight weakness in her voice. She winced a little, trying to hide it, as she held her left side. Worried, Mercury made a move to inspect but was held by the taller senshi as they resumed being face to face. Jupiter rubbed her forehead gently against the smaller girl's before giving her a peck on the nose.
"You...you wouldn't leave me, would you?" Mercury asked before taking a long breath and beginning to cry, her salty tears falling down Jupiter's cheek. She shook a little but tried hard to calm her nerves as her hand held the taller girl's strong jaw.
The senshi of lightning immediately grasped the severity of her wounds, she had seen it before. Two thoughts came to mind; running down the mountain, grabbing the largest wolf, holding it down and calling upon her Supreme Thunder Dragon. Sure, it might not kill the thing, as they experienced before, but it would surely damage it enough to keep it down. Her second option, which she despised, was if the time came, allow herself to be killed in anyway. In both she would die but only one could possibly save the one she loved.
A tingling caress to her jawline made Jupiter react away from her thoughts, Mercury was still hopefully staring up at her, their faces as close as possible. The strong girl nodded and smiled "I won't leave you, ever. But before anything, I'll protect you, okay?" she mumbled before giving the blue haired girl a peck just next to the right side of her lip. She stayed there, both girls feeling their anxious but hesitant breathes against each other, both their hearts pounding fiercely despite the thunderous rain.
Mercury, losing breath by the second, inched her mouth into Jupiter's. She held it there for a brief moment "I couldn't live without you, it doesn't matter" she mumbled her last breath before closing her lips into the girl's before her.
Sorry Mako/Mina fans but I've gotta say Mako/Ami pairing is a lot easier and better to write. Thanx to ringroad25 I've developed a liking to the other pairing. Obviously I've started the story kind of at the ending which I found really fun! The beginning of the story is very cool but I just thought it would be even greater to start with this chapter. A fun project, I hope people will like it and review to see if I go for it and I hope you enjoy! VAMOS BARCA Y MANCHESTER UNITED! CHICHARITO!