The Makaiju Arc
Chapter 1 – Goodbye
By Lebnaniya

Disclaimer
I do not claim any rights to the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon series in the animated format or the manga books. All copyrighted materials belong to their respectable owners. The following story is entirely fictional and pays tribute to the amazing characters developed by said owners. As a fan, I am writing this out of respect to the owners as well as to elaborate on this couple because I don't think the series gave Ail and En enough attention.

Commentary
I'm excited about this story but I will admit…I'm a little nervous because I don't know many people who are fans of this couple. Take note, that lists them as "Ali and An" but if you watch the subtitled anime, the actual spelling is "Ail and En" – the creators did this as a play on the world "Alien," so I'm going to follow their example. I know some of you have been waiting a long time for me to update this story and I am sincerely sorry. But, I am pleased to say that I am finally in the process of finishing up this story. To those of you who have followed, reviewed, and encouraged me to continue, I thank you very much for your support.

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They were running as fast as their small feet would carry them but at each frantic glance over a shoulder or a quick look to the side, they knew they were still being followed. They knew they were outnumbered. And the most frightening aspect of all was the knowledge that if they were caught, they would be killed.

Ail cursed, tightening his grip on En's wrist as he sped through the forest with their friends not too far behind. He knew En was exhausted but he wouldn't let her go. She was panting, a thin layer of sweat covered her brow, as she clutched one hand against her chest, the other holding onto his hand like a vice, knowing that if she let go, she would never be able to get back up.

Zahi yelled out a warning as the five of them split up just in time as a giant energy blast impacted the ground they were running on just a few seconds ago.

Zahi grabbed Hiba's arm as he yanked her to the side and fell into a nearby brush. Fiore quickly glanced behind him, as a deathly silence filled the air for a brief second before he leapt forward, barely dodging the attack.

Ail abruptly twisted around, opening his arms in the process, as En was unable to stop her momentum and ran right into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kicked his feet as hard as he could, back flipping onto a higher tree further away from the blast. As he landed, he clutched En tighter as his eyes scanned their surroundings; his eyes desperately searching for their friends. He noticed Fiore right away, but Zahi and Hiba were missing.

Why? En wondered, as she shivered and struggled to regain some control of her now shaking body. She was terrified. She couldn't hear anything after the blast; it was all too damn quiet. She was still struggling with the idea that anyone would want to kill them. They were children born into a war-torn world, their people fighting and killing one another for the sake of the Makaiju. She still didn't understand what it was, only that it was a tree responsible for life… and in their situation it was also responsible for death.

Slowly, she willed her body to breathe; she begged her body to still as she pulled slightly away from Ail. He let her move only so far, but his arms were tightly wrapped around her, refusing to let her go. He had seen far too much death already, he wasn't willing to risk En's safety. He needed her by his side. After all, they were destined for one another.

Fiore was the oldest of the group, just a few weeks older but that gave him more knowledge and experience in everything. He had seen far more than they had within those few weeks. His betrothed had been killed and he was left to fend for himself the moment he woke up from his capsule from the petals that was their mother. Fiore had informed him, that the Makaiju encompassed the entire planet but the mother tree was somewhere they could never get to because of all the fighting. In any case, their mother, the Makaiju, would pair individuals together, so when they all woke up, their first sight would be the one they were destined to be with. The one they were destined to love. And the one they were destined to die with.

Fiore had a bitter look in his eyes as he had relayed this to Ail, knowing that his life was already destined to be empty. He would be alone and that knowledge in and of itself was painful enough.

Ail's acrimony was palpable… the Makaiju… the tree of death.

Ail glanced to the side as Fiore landed by them and they scanned their surroundings. Fiore brought up a finger to his mouth, indicating that they remain quiet as they looked down. The group that was chasing them earlier stopped at the crater in the ground that was the result of their attack. Fiore nudged Ail as he pointed further up the tree. Silently, the three of them began climbing even further up the tree, hiding in the thick leaves as they quietly made their way to safety. Once they were up in the safety of the canopy, En tugged on Ail's arm. He turned a questioning gaze onto her soft eyes before she silently mouthed the names of their friends who were still missing. Ail held her gaze. What could he say? Zahi had warned them of the incoming attack, giving them the few precious seconds it would take to get to safety, but now he and Hiba were missing.

Grimly, Ail shook his head, relaying to her silently that he had no answers. Her eyes widened slightly in understanding before grief clouded her eyes and she lowered her gaze, staring at nothing in particular. Ail felt helpless, it was a feeling they were all growing to hate and loath with every fiber of their being. They were gentle by nature as was proof that most of the children refused to partake in any violence and preferred to huddle together in groups, run and hide from the raging adults, and form groups in order to survive together. Unfortunately, there were more adults than children and as the laws of nature eventually took over, it was survival of the fittest.

Movement to his side informed Ail that Fiore had noticed something. He had been silently watching the adults as they searched the area but they abruptly stopped their search and retreated back to wherever they came from. Scrunching his face, Fiore sat on the branch and crossed his arms. He was trying to decide on what to do next.

Did he risk going down to check for Zahi and Hiba? What if the adults were waiting for them? At this rate, they were all too exhausted to keep running. They were safer up in the trees but not for long. Eventually, they'd need nourishment which came directly from flower petals – nectar, they had discovered was the sustenance of their life. They had been running from the violence for so many days, that even Fiore lost count and couldn't remember when was the last time they had any nectar. The flower petals were difficult to find, especially when the main priority was surviving from the adults instead of finding food.

Fiore was angry. He wasn't sure what the appropriate next step would be.

En had been staring at nothing in particular while Ail stared at her. He was worried about her; she was so very fragile and shy, why did they have to suffer to be born into a world that was completely contradictory to her nature?

Ail yelped before glaring daggers as Fiore had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close so he could whisper into his ear. Deciding he wouldn't leave his friends, Fiore instructed the two of them to stay up in the canopy as he would go down and check on Zahi and Hiba. Ail nodded in acknowledgement, before they all climbed back down to a closer branch to watch as Fiore made his way down and onto the ground.

He carefully and silently searched the clearing before he moved towards the brush. He poked his head in several bushes before he started checking small openings underneath a few other trees. Noise to the side indicated that something was moving, and from the foliage emerged Zahi and Hiba, covered in dirt and grime but otherwise unharmed.

Fiore pulled them both in a tight embrace.

Ail couldn't suppress the ridiculous smile he had on his face as he turned to En. She too had seen the entire thing and closed her eyes, a beautiful and serene smile on her face.

"En." Ail whispered, his voice uncharacteristically soft, as he extended his hand towards her.

En smiled, extending her hand and intertwining their hands together. Ail moved forward, hugging her delicately before she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him even closer. They survived another day. They and their friends survived another horrible day of pain and suffering. But their brief moment of respite turned to their next obstacle: they needed nourishment in order to survive and outrun the adults.

The trio on the ground looked up. Hiba grinned, flashing one of her most spectacular smiles while giving a thumbs up to Ail and En. Zahi just plopped on the ground, rubbing his back and arms. Fiore looked up and nodded at Ail and En, urging them to come back down to the ground before he walked in the same direction of the adults.

As Ail and En climbed down the tree, Hiba stood at the foot of the tree, tapping her foot impatiently. When Ail landed gracefully on the ground next to her, Hiba playfully punched his shoulder, indicating that they were alright. Ail gave her a look that practically said, 'try that again and you'll be back in that hole you crawled out of.'

Hiba arched an eyebrow before turning her attention to En. Ail took that opportunity to approach Zahi. He was still on the ground, rubbing his back. As Ail took a seat on the ground next to him, he took one last look to the side just as En made her way down before Hiba crushed her in a heartwarming embrace.

"How's your back?" Ail asked, giving Zahi his full attention now that he knew En was safely down the tree.

Zahi sniggered. "You try having something as heavy as that…" – Zahi pointed at Hiba - "…land on you without passing out or complaining." Ail and Zahi laughed softly before Hiba stomped her way over and tackled Zahi. He yelped in surprise – or was that more pain – as the two started playfully rolling around.

En knelt down next to Ail as they watched their friends tussle on the ground. She tilted her head, so that her head was leaning on his shoulder. Instinctively, Ail tilted his head so that his was resting on top of hers. They were alive. That's all that mattered.

"Ail?" En's soft voice whispered.

"Hmm?" Ail responded, he was listening, but he found his eyes had started to close on their own accord, feeling perfectly at east with her by his side.

En felt her cheeks blush. She knew that she owed Ail her life since the moment she opened her eyes. How could she possibly thank him enough? How could she possibly show him how much she cared about him? What was this feeling inside her chest that kept hurting at the thought of losing him? She was trying to formulate words to tell him how much he meant to her when Fiore came running from the path he had taken earlier, sheer panic and fear etched in his eyes.

Immediately, the children were no longer able to just be children. They knew they were not out of danger yet. Fiore looked around, before nodding towards the east as he ran forward. Hiba had sprung onto her feet before grabbing En's hand and yanked her to her feet just as Zahi did the same to Ail. They followed Fiore's lead, hoping he could lead them to safety.

Unfortunately, they were in so much of a rush to just keep moving forward, that when they made it to a clearing, all of their hearts plummeted. They were standing over a ledge that fell several hundred feet down to a raging river below. Fiore groaned before falling to his knees as his mind raced to figure out what to do. They couldn't climb down nor could they turn back – they could hear the adults approaching.

En closed her eyes as Hiba encircled her in her arms. Zahi was looking around, trying to find something, anything they could use as a weapon. Ail stared at Fiore. What could they do? They had no means of protection. Suddenly, Fiore jumped up and turned to his friends.

"Everyone. Get behind me!"

They nodded and followed his instructions just as seven adults made their way into the clearing. They looked fanatical and wild. Almost, as if they were two completely different species. Fiore turned to them.

"You are the most precious to me since I lost her."

"What are you doing?!" Zahi demanded, as he took a step forward. With that one step, Fiore raised his hands and a bubble encased them. Zahi ran right into the barrier and fell back onto the ground. Hiba ran forward, banging the barrier with her fists, trying to break free. En had ran forward as well, running her hands on the smooth surface, trying to find a way out. Ail picked Zahi up from the bottom of the bubble, bringing him up onto his feet. He turned questioning eyes to Fiore before he moved forward and started sending blow after blow trying to break free. Zahi followed suit; the four trying to get out.

The adults were laughing maniacally now as they approached, talons extending from their fingertips as they closed in on Fiore and the others.

"This is my choice." Fiore said, tears staining his eyes as he raised his hands and the four found themselves falling on their knees as the force of the levitation shot them up, the bubble rising so very quickly up and further away from the ledge, taking them to safety.

"FIORE!" Zahi cried, tears streaming down his face as he got back up onto his feet and began hitting the barrier again.

"FIORE, NO!" Hiba cried out, shaking her head as tears glistened down her cheeks.

Ail remained on his knees, watching as Fiore's teal hair floated around him, his gold earrings levitating with the power he was emitting as a white shimmer encased his black and gold body suit. He was using whatever energy he had left to get them to safety. Ail felt the tears fall but he could care less. He was losing his friend. He felt En embrace him from behind, her arms moving to clasp in front of his chest, as she buried her face in Ail's hair. Ail was too weak to do anything else, but raise one hand and rest it on top of her clasped hands. He let the tears flow. He couldn't stop them even if he wanted to.

Fiore could see his bubble take them far away, to what he hoped would be safety.

"Goodbye my friends," Fiore whispered, as they disappeared from his sight.

Fiore turned around just in time as the adults came crashing on top of him. His only thought at that point was of his friends, as he closed his eyes, submitting to his fate.

Unbeknownst to Fiore, the white shimmer that was radiating off of his body had intensified and would take the brunt of the attack, but not before he would lose his most precious memories as his body instinctively took over and encased him in a bubble that would float off into space…into the black sea of the void that was known as the Milky-Way Galaxy where he would one day meet with a boy named Mamoru.

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Additional Notes
I had to include Fiore in this first chapter because his story is so very tragic. When I first saw the Sailor Moon R movie, I realized that his entire character was based on the concept of friendship. Xenian was able to easily corrupt him because his weakness and strength revolved around friendship. It was also very sad to see that he was alone for so very long, another weakness that Xenian was able to manipulate in order to get what she wanted. So, when I first decided to write about Ail and En, I knew I had to give tribute to Fiore as well.