A/N: Hello all! I'd just like to do some house cleaning and explain what going on here as briefly as I can. I am originally SmileysBasis. Feel free to go ahead and check out my other stories at that penname, most of which I will be editing and continuing. I'll be writing them under this penname because I cannot access my other one (stupid ).

If you could, I would urge you to review so I know whether or not I should further edit and continue these stories or whether no one really cares anymore lol. I feel like my fandom is clinging on for dear life :( Hopefully ya'll feel as invigorated as I do so I can keep updating these!

Sadekuuro: I really appreciate your review! I glad someone out there still recalls (albeit vaguely) my stories. I'm glad you liked the update, it was definitely a factor in me continuing to update with this next chapter. Thanks for your support!


Ascension

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Chapter Two: The descent

It was like being devoid of feeling. Eyes sewn shut in what seemed like eternal blindness, Rei could not see a thing. Her arms were wound tight around her legs, pulling them tightly to her chest in a forced fetal position. She was encased in a sort of thick fluid; it flowed through her body, her lungs, her eyes, and the very blood in her veins. It was her life support.

The only thing she could think of to name the slick substance was embryonic. She succumbed to its nourishments and felt it grow warm with motherly affection. Before she could fully absorb the balmy care, the case began to drain. It pulled her to the bottom in a slow suction action and drew her to the unseen floor.

The warmness of the case imbued with embryonic fluid flowed out and in gusted a cooler, lighter air. Once the case had reached equilibrium Rei could move her limbs, twitch, grasp some of the thick, gooey substance in her fingers. Her body lurched, now devoid of being surrounded by a care-giving sustenance and the fluid oozed from her nose and mouth.

She pushed herself up and heaved, fluid mixed with vomit pooling before her unseeing eyes and onto her splayed fingers. It dripped leisurely from her nose like a child with a cold and eventually the seal on her eyes began to dissolve. Rei, however, waited to open them. Her naked body shivered, embryonic fluid still coating her in a light sheen, as her clouded mind began to clear the fog.

It was…

Her lungs caved as a pressure built in her chest, momentarily putting her ability to breathe on hiatus. Her body jerked with the necessity for oxygen, begging for a breath. That yearning was lost, however, when a heat enveloped her body, not outside, but inside. It bubbled and flowed within her, pushing all desire for air aside. It felt like power, raw and unearthly power…

Rebirth.

"Rei!"

Rei gasped for her life, the level of her intake so drastic and deep that she sounded like a woman trying to take in all of her surrounding oxygen. The inhale was so extreme that her body lurched forward into a sitting position from the ground she'd been lying on. Heavily she breathed, shoulders bobbing up and down and up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes darted around like a petrified child, brow alive with sweat and dilated pupils analyzing her surroundings and searching for her comrades. It didn't take them long to settle on Ami and then on Minako, both watching her with worried expressions, cautious of her movements. Rei's body relaxed a bit, her tense back unclenching as she placed a hand to her forehead in bated nervousness. "What happened," she asked, brow creasing at the raspy weakness in her voice. She pulled her hand away from her forehead and it came back sticky with sweat, slightly trembling. Her chest burned, hot with an unknown force.

"You weren't breathing," Ami said worriedly, absentmindedly picking at a few blades of grass that tickled the tips of her fingers. She let them flutter to the ground before wiping her hands on her knees. "I woke up the same way, as did Minako."

Rei continued to pant, her head beginning to zing with a dull ache. She tried to regain some sense of balance but failed miserably to do so. The world around her spun, Ami and Minako's silhouettes twisting and melding into each other in a wheel of indiscernible colors. It was impossible for her to grasp anything in her confused state and it didn't help that she felt achy and nauseous. Rei squeezed her eyes shut and held up a hand, not precisely knowing why she did so, but it was the only action she could come up with to convey silence. Her other hand stayed fast to her forehead trying to suck the pain from her brain.

"It goes away in minutes," Ami explained as she placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. The raven-haired girl flashed a smile that was less than sincere but Ami didn't take it to heart. She'd awoken in the same fashion and simply meant to display a sense of altruism. She knew that her consoling attempt wouldn't dissipate the spinning, but friendly words could never hurt.

"Thanks Ami," Rei voiced as the buzz slowly began to fade. It hung in the back of her ears as if she'd been near a blasting speaker but the spinning leveled to a humming tremor. Her vision was alive, her sight was different, it was almost as if she were beginning to see things clearer. Her eyes felt like literal lenses; focusing, adjusting, and zooming to a level she felt unobtainable by mere human sight. Rei closed her eyes, rubbing them vigorously with her palms before opening them again. She still felt like her vision was sharper but the lens sensation had disappeared. A scowl marred her pretty lips. "This mission wasn't contrived very well," she complained angrily, taking a shaky look at their surroundings. They were on the bank of some shallow river.

Minako nodded in agreement. "Cursory, level 5."

Ami raised an eyebrow, surprised at Minako's heightened vocabulary. "Out of?" she questioned.

"Five," Minako frowned, feeling a bit of responsibility. She was supposed to assume the role of leader amongst her Inner Senshi. She should have said something, should have demanded to form a more concrete plan before they blindly sent themselves into what increasingly felt like a suicide mission. It was funny how only when they landed in the alternate dimension did she question what she was actually supposed to do.

Ami held up her hands, palms facing outwards as if to halt her comrade's worries. "We cannot panic," she said sternly. "We're only stressing because we've just arrived. We addressed the rapidity of our mission before we came here; it was a necessary haste due to our ignorance about where we were going."

Rei, still slightly reeling from awaking, looked confused. "Our ignorance, isn't that why we were carless?"

Minako's face looked grim. "Of course we were careless, that's how we generally operate. You know, heart over head and that sort of thing."

"No, speed was of the essence, you guys," Ami cut in. "A man reached Usagi in her dreams from another dimension threatening to destroy our own. That is alarmingly dangerous. Immediate extermination is our priority."

Rei's body and mind were on the mend. "I'm sorry to impose doubt," she said. "I'm just still not feeling well. It is starting to go away though. Maybe we should just transform and the pain will go away," she joked with a smirk.

Minako gave Rei a tight smile. "Yeah, about that…"


She knew that the descent had been hard and fast. It was unfathomable how she possibly could have survived such a fall but she'd blacked out on the way down. The reason she was still alive was unbeknownst to her. The dream that had claimed her mind blurred away in a puddle of unknown. Somewhere in the midst of the plunge she'd hit her head, and as a consequence she could now only faintly comprehend her surroundings.

With her vision unstable, the shapes of towering sentry-like trees muddied the landscape, accompanied by the blooming growth of hazy flowers. Makoto groaned and tried to push herself at least to her knees. Her efforts were weak, however and, at the trickle of warm blood down her neck, she knew she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She halted a groan in the depths of her throat at the spinning headache and pain that cultivated her mind and body.

She felt as if she were in a dream of swirling colors fading in and out of her mind. This made it all the more confusing when a pair of sneakers appeared before her eyes. Was she hallucinating? She moaned and reached for the sneakers, aching to feel some sort of concrete evidence that she hadn't somehow died and gone to heaven, that she could actually feel something tangible…


Orihime had been drawn out that night. She'd had plans to hang out with Tatsuki that evening but cancelled on her friend, making up a lame excuse and opting instead for a solo evening stroll. She couldn't explain what it was but it had happened so fast she almost hadn't realized what she was doing. One moment Orihime was putting on her shoes, preparing to walk out to door towards Tatsuki's place. The next moment she was picking up the phone and cancelling her plans with the girl. She'd put the phone down in a haze, not quite positive why she had done that. The only thing Orihime knew was that she needed to go for a walk. Almost in a trance the girl had gathered her keys and headed for the door.

Her stroll took her west towards a park, one of the only densely forested areas in Karakura. She briefly wondered why she was heading there, Orihime not generally one for lone nature walks, but she brushed off the feeling and quickened her pace. Though she'd never been there Orihime worked the park paths like a pro. She was smart enough to recognize that something supernatural was at work here based on her innate ability to navigate the wending trails but threw caution to the wind and let her body take her to its intended destination.

The buttery, yellow light of evening turned candy orange, its angle and luster highlighting the pollen and natural particles that filled the air. Orihime ambled down a hill, her arms out helping her balance as she stumbled slightly. She knew that this kind of light never lasted long and soon it would be night time but—

The sound of a rustle pierced her ears and the young girl froze. Her eyes scanned the base of the hill for movement, danger, anything. She slowly unfroze herself, walking cautiously down the rest of the hill's expanse with her head on a swivel for the perpetrator of the sound. She heard a groan and her eyes snapped right, landing on a huddled mass at the base of a giant tree. The tree's roots protruded through the forest's grassy ground in a protective pen as if guarding whatever lay there from anyone on the path—anyone except for Orihime.

Ordinarily the girl would have been wary but Orihime pushed through the brush and approached what remained beneath the tree. It's shape took form as she closed the space between them; clenching hands dug into the grass, legs slowly moved in an attempt to raise itself before falling helplessly back to the ground. It was a girl.

Orihime walked up to her and stood. Blood drenched the girl's back, a slice evidenced by the hair matted beneath her ponytail was the clear origin of her misery. Situation assessed, Orihime looked down, watching as the girl's eyes focused in an out on her shoes before reaching a shaky hand out for the white soles…

Orihime's eyes blinked as if she had been released from a spell. She saw the hand dangerously close to her shoe and squealed, taking a small step backwards. Gathering her wits about her, the young girl shook her head, remembering the blood, and quickly kneeled at the groaning brunette's side.

"Miss," she said gently, softly touching her shoulder. . "What happened, are you okay?"

The girl tried to focus on Orihime, looking up and making haphazard eye contact before her eyes glazed over and she closed them. "Fell…" came her strained reply.

Fell? Orihime looked up, noting the sporadic limbs that branched out from the grand tree she sat before. They were easy enough to climb. Looking back down she surveyed a backpack and came to the conclusion that the girl before must have been free climbing. She placed her hands above the girl's neck. "Just relax miss, everything is going to be okay."

A halo as orange as the sun encased her wound, Orihime watching as, in a matter of well concentrated minutes the slice disappeared and the internal damage healed. The girl's eyes went from hazy to clear with each passing minute and each repaired fiber until she felt completely healed. Orihime rolled back on her heel, watching as the amazed girl gently rolled her neck, feeling where there'd once been some serious damage.

Makoto still felt nauseous but held back the vomit. When what had just occurred ran through her head (falling; bleeding; healing; unknown universe) she sprung back, excitable and wary eyes staring wide at the seemingly innocent girl who'd jumped at her sudden movement but remained squatting before her.

Orihime was unfazed, hiding her face in the crux of her knees. "Are you okay?" she asked, shy voice muffled by her peach skin.

Makoto's body buzzed with the desire to bolt, to run away and hide. She didn't bother to hide her emotions on her face, the unpredictable nature of her whereabouts clouding any belief that postured bravery was permissible. She made a move to stand and bolt when something clicked in her head. Her body was as still as a statue, poised to stand but kneeling and she stared incredulously at the girl in front of her.

"You speak Japanese?!" she yelled, pointing an astonished finger.

Now Orihime was confused. "…of course I do," she responded slowly, "we're in Japan."

Makoto's mouth fell open. Japan? They were in Japan?! Had they screwed up the entire mission, had they gone through the wrong gate? Makoto panicked and her breathing came labored. What would Ami say? She asked herself, trying to remain calm and failing. We're in Japan, ok. Maybe it's an alternate Japan? A fourth dimension. A crazy planet called Japan?!

Orihime watched as the girl struggled with some inner monologue. Her head tilted to the side. "Are you American? Your Japanese is very good."

"American?!" Makoto balked before getting slightly offended. She knew about America?! "Am I on planet Earth?!" she let slip before zipping her lips tight. This girl was going to think she was absolutely nuts.

Orihime looked at her with pity. "You must have hit your head pretty hard," she said, confused as to why her powers hadn't helped with that. "Yes, we're in the universe, in the milky way, in the solar system, on planet earth, in Asia, in Japan, in Karakura Town."

Makoto's eyes narrowed sharply. Karakura?


At Minako's words Rei paled. She felt the spinning and the nausea hit her full force again. "What do you mean we can't transform?!" she yelled angrily, not helping the amalgamating sickness within her. In quick desperation she flicked her wrist slightly, hoping to feel the hard materialization of her symbolism for hope. No wand appeared however and no power fizzled in her palm. Initially shock washed over her as she realized that they were stuck in an alternate dimension with no power. She opened her mouth to express said alarm when a realization washed over her.

Ami watched carefully as Rei's once clear panicked look melted into a distracted one. Something was turning in her friend's mind, something she was sure she had thought of herself. Rei looked up and made direct eye contact with her and Ami knew that she'd come to the same educated guess. Rei voiced their shared epiphany. "The dream," she said.

Ami nodded. "That was my first guess as well."

Rei shook her head slowly. "But…then where did it all go?"

Ami opened her mouth to respond with her constructed theory but was cut off by Minako. Said girl waved her hands in front of herself. "Um, while I appreciate that you two are so brainy, perhaps you could fill in the one who got the good looks?" Rei leveled her with a stare and Ami rolled her eyes.

"I'm guessing you had the same dream as me before you woke up, neh Mina-chan?" Ami asked, watching as the blonde put a finger to her chin.

"Tank, warmth, no tank, cold, vomit, warmth?"

Ami sweatdropped at her brief description. It was no wonder the girl didn't parse through the meanings. "Yes," she confirmed, ready to divulge her idea. "I'm assuming that it was some sort of transfer of power." Ami inhaled and her two friends were well aware that they were about to be on the receiving end of a long string unguarded eloquent explanations. "The first warmth we felt was our Senshi powers, I believe. They were contained, something we knew well enough to use with our eyes closed. To be analytical," she murmured, "the fluid was the containment, the comfort, and our Senshi abilities."

"Wait, wait," Minako interrupted already. "I'm confused," she confessed, throwing up her hands in defeat. Though she'd first had a small grip on the situation, Rei couldn't help but agree with her blonde haired friend.

Ami hummed. "Well," she said, "if the fluid and the warmth resemble our Senshi powers and control of such powers then you have to realize that both the fluid and the warmth disappeared."

Minako's interested demeanor faded quickly into incredulity. "You can't be serious?" she cried. "Are you saying we've lost our powers?"

"Yes and no," Ami continued. "You have to realize Mina-chan that we're not in our dimension anymore. Our Senshi powers do not exist anymore. No longer can we transform into our alter ego's because the affinity we had with our planets back home does not exist here."

Rei leaned forward. "What are we going to do without our powers? How can we possibly face any amount of danger without reasonable defense?" Ami did not respond and chose to ignore her comment.

"Do you remember the second warmth?"

The two nodded.

"That, I believe, is what I mentioned first; a transfer of power. Instead of being contained within our wands or stretched between the relationships with our planets, all of our unbridled power has been forced within our bodies. The container isn't our wands anymore, but rather," she waved her hands in front of herself, "us. It's become a sort of spirit energy, if you will."

"So then this headache and the pain were side effects, symptoms of this 'transfer of power'," Minako supplied, placing her hand to her stomach. Now that Ami had explained her hypothesis it was like a dam of realization was unleashed. She could feel the power surging through her body in torrents.

"And how to use it?" Rei asked, looking down at her palms, remembering the way her eyes had felt like lenses. Could that have been a side effect? Were they powerful beyond their Senshi forms now?

"Unfortunately beyond my comprehension."

Rei figured as much. She sighed. "But we have more pressing issues at the moment," she said, her friends watching her as realization and worry slowly dawned in their eyes. "Like where the hell we are," she eyed their surroundings, well aware that there was no one near them. "And where the hell Mako-chan is."


It was almost like they were dead.

Usagi could not feel one trace of her inner Senshi and the bothersome fact itched at her mind for the rest of the day. If she hadn't known that they were in another dimension she really would have thought that they were gone. This was another worrisome thing. What if they did die? How would she know? Would she be able to get them back?

All of these questions consumed her mind and the mediocrity of her Senshi team against Galaxia when she first arrived also played out. What if they were too weak? Questions like these burned into her consciousness and she found that she would never be able to live on happily if one part of her heart, if one of her friends, disappeared.

A hand touched her head and she could smell Michiru's perfume.

"We're leaving, Usagi-chan," she whispered, setting a glass of water on the table by the couch her princess was sitting on. "Please try to get some rest. Have trust in them. If not from you, then where will that external strength come from?"

The question floated around in her mind for a mere moment before being lost with the other myriad questions that surged through her brain. "Everything will be okay," was Usagi's only response. She looked up and gave Michiru a steady smile.

"Right," the water Senshi said, less enthusiastically. With a pat to Usagi's head, she and Haruka left.

Usagi wrapped the blanket around her tighter and stared at the TV, not really comprehending the anime show she was watching. All she wanted was movement, something distracting and noisy to keep the empty house from seeming so lonely.

All she wanted was to get warm…

Curl up…

And fall asleep…

Her eyelids grew heavy almost as if her wish had been granted. Funny, she hadn't felt tired before Michiru left… but soon a weighted darkness fell upon her.

Usagi…

Her lip twitched.

Usagi…

There was a vision of a cool and calculating smile and fierce eyes. His deep voice reverberated in her dream.

Hello again, Usagi…

"Usako!"

Usagi awoke and jumped from her position on the couch. She grasped at her breast, clutching at her frantically beating heart. Her beady eyes shifted around the room until they landed on her worried looking boyfriend. His eyes were knitted together and his lips turned down in a frown.

"I've been trying to wake you for five minutes," he placed a soft hand to her head and it was almost like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked, brushing her bangs from her sweating forehead. He saw the tears in her eyes. "Usagi?"

"Call Haruka and Michiru."

Mamoru pulled out his watch. "Usagi it's two o'clock in the morning."

She shook her head vehemently. "Call them now!"

The room was quiet except for Usagi's overwrought breaths as Mamoru stared at her in a staid coolness. He put a hand to her forehead again and felt her burning skin. The only problem was that instead of being flushed, her face was unbelievably pale. He didn't need to be a doctor to knw what was going to happen next when she grabbed her stomach and groaned. Mamoru reached over and grabbed a wide vase that was sitting on the table next to the couch, chucked the flowers to the ground, and held it under her chin just in time to catch the vomit that spewed from her lips.

This had happened the first time that man had contacted her in her dreams.

"Mamo-chan…" she groaned before unleashing another wave of vomit. At first he thought she was hyperventilating when her shoulders began to shake. However when he saw the tears blemish her pallid face he recognized that she was crying. Her body shook and she let out the most horrendous cry he'd ever heard her scream. "They're going to die," she wailed, face contorted into an ugly mask of sorrow and pain before she threw up once more into the vase.