The Makaiju Arc
Chapter 9 – The Makaiju's Will
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 this site 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.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
The Makaiju had some type of will. That was now clear. It had purposely torn itself away from their home planet and was now floating away into the depths of space.
Once they had landed on top of the canopies of the Makaiju, Ail and En sat down together along sturdy and thick branches, holding onto some vines as they glanced around.
They stared in awe as they realized a giant bubble had formed around the tree itself, shielding and encasing itself along with them for the ride.
Sitting together, watching their planet, Ail and En squeezed each other's hands. A form of reassurance that they were still alive and not completely alone. They still had each other. But it was also a painful reminder of what they had just lost.
That's when their eyes widened in shock, when they realized that their planet began to emanate a very powerful and dangerous energy and before they knew it, they watched as their planet exploded.
Space looked foreboding and ominous now. They had no planet. They had nowhere to go and were at the mercy of the Makaiju's will. Wherever it was going, they had no say or control. Whatever it would do to them, they had no voice or objection. And honestly, they could care less. They were alone. They had lost Fiore. They had Lost Zahi and Hiba. And now, they had lost the planet they once called home.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Ail and En had just found several branches with lush leaves that were thick enough to support their weight and comfortable enough for them to sleep on before their fatigue finally settled in. There was no point in worrying about the future. They were at the mercy of the Makaiju. As soon as their heads touched the soft and lush leaves of the spinel-colored leaves, they were overcome with sleep.
For how many days, they had no idea. They remembered waking up and realizing that not only were they no longer in space, they were in a strange area in what could only be described as a dimension. In that dimension, nothing else existed except for the Makaiju tree, themselves, and in the opposite direction along the roots of the tree, there seemed to be a beautiful looking curtain.
"Where are we?" En whispered, as they made their way down the Makaiju tree along the sturdy and giant bark. As they descended and made their way to the roots and buttresses, Ail and En both jumped down, landing on the soft ground. They still had no idea where they were or what was going on. As they slowly and carefully examined their surroundings, they also approached the beautiful blue and white looking curtain.
But as they got closer to the curtain, they realized something. The curtain was actually not a curtain, it was actually a waterfall.
They were stumped.
They were in some type of dimension. What they thought was a wall of curtain turned out to be a wall of an actual waterfall. And behind them was the Makaiju tree - the only other thing in existence within that realm.
"I don't understand any of this." Ail said, as he looked back to the Makaiju.
Ail then extended his hand, and touched the water. It was cold. He pushed his hand further through the water and then abruptly pulled his hand back. There was a breeze on the other side. Just beyond the waterfall. Ail had also just noticed that none of the water was entering the dimension they were in. It was as if, the waterfall was an entrance and an exit.
En watched intently, looking around cautiously. After seeing Ail's reaction to putting his hand through the waterfall, she couldn't help but voice what was running through her mind. "What's on the other side?"
Ail shook his head, not sure himself. But decided that if they were to survive this new place, they had to face their fears; and while he wanted to just go back up and fall into an eternal sleep in the canopies up above, a part of him also wanted to live.
"Let's find out." Ail said, as he laced his hand with En's and the two of them stood before the waterfall, taking a deep breath before walking through it.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Apprehension. Dread. Fear. The desire to run back. These were all overpowering emotions that ran through them. Somehow, Ail and En were on another planet. They shivered a bit, slightly from being drenched from walking through the waterfall, and slightly from the fear of their new surroundings. It was a gloomy, dark, and murky planet. Swamps, vines, low hanging trees, and many caverns surrounded them. Looking over their shoulder, they were standing directly in front of the waterfall.
En let go of Ail's hand. She gave him one reassuring look before walking once again through the waterfall. A few seconds later, she reemerged.
"The Makaiju is still there." En said, confusion but also understanding beginning to seep in.
Somehow, the Makaiju had brought them to this planet, and by some magic, was able to create another dimension behind the waterfall. Standing there now, looking along the edges of the waterfall, one wouldn't even think there was a possibility for anything beyond rocks to exist behind the cascading water. But somehow, the Makaiju created that dimension behind the waterfall and they were able to freely pass between the two dimensions.
Ail continued to scan his environment. He reached his left hand behind him and En's right hand quickly met his. They held each other's hand as they started to slowly and quietly make their way around their new territory, examining each crevice and cavern around the waterfall.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
It was hard to tell what time of day it was. This planet was murky, dark, and incredibly cloudy. Rain dropped from the sky intermittently and at various levels of intensity.
They spent several hours silently and cautiously making their way around the waterfall. There was no need to talk, they both communicated with their eyes.
They lost track of time, having walked several miles around the waterfall but found nothing. They were grateful that they didn't encounter anything. Despite their sleep, the amount of energy they had used during their last moments on their home planet had indeed used up most of their energy. They both felt fatigued and weak. They had to stop several times to catch their breath.
Dizziness overtook both of them several times.
When Ail stopped and promptly sat down to recover, En was his guardian. When En stopped and had to recover, Ail was hers. They felt it in their bones. They had indeed finally reached their limits. Sooner or later, they would collapse and the possibility of never getting back up was a very real one.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
"I think we should head back." En whispered, as she stopped in her tracks. She could feel her body struggling. Ail was just thinking the same thing. They had walked far enough already and had yet to encounter any other creatures. Just as Ail was nodding in agreement, they heard a horrifying shriek that was all too familiar to them.
Ducking down behind several large boulders, Ail and En locked eyes.
They weren't alone.
Damn! Ail was angry. En was livid. First their planet and now this one.
Slowly crawling around the boulders, the two of them made their way behind some thick bushes and peeked through. Their eyes widened in fear as they watched in the far distance several monsters with razor sharp mandibles tackle a large feathery creature. The pack of monsters easily overpowered the feathery-like creature and tore it down, shredding it to pieces and devouring it within minutes. The cruelty of the matter scared them. And the brutality of the attack only fueled their fear. This planet was worse than their previous one.
It was a testament to their synchrony. Ail and En simultaneously grabbed each other's hand, turned around, and ran. They knew they were in danger. Running as fast as they could and as silently as they could, the two kids longed for nothing more than to get back to the safety up in the canopies of the Makaiju. The Makaiju would protect them. It just had to.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
They would soon learn that their mistake was allowing their emotions to get the better of them. Fear had taken hold of them once again. It propelled them forward but also blinded them to their weakness. They were drained of all energy. Their only thought was to put as much distance between themselves and the monsters but it also clouded their judgement. They should have stealthily made their way back, trying to preserve whatever energy they had left. Instead, they ran. And this was their mistake.
En gasped as she struggled to keep up with Ail. His iron grip on her hand pulling her forward. Her vision blurred. Her sight faded. She remembered seeing the back of his hair, flowing as they ran forward. And all she could remember saying was his name before darkness engulfed her.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
They had been running. They had to put as much distance as possible between them and those monsters. Ail had hoped that whatever sleep they had from their journey to this planet would give them the strength and stamina to make it back to the Makaiju…he was wrong. His sight blurred. His dizziness was worse. And he could feel En dragging behind. His grip on her hand tightened as he pulled themselves forward. He wasn't sure how much further he could keep going. He was struggling to keep his body moving forward. That's when he heard En say his name.
"Ail…"
Glancing quickly to is side, Ail stopped and opened his arms just as En collapsed onto the ground. She had lost consciousness.
"En!" Ail whispered, struggling to hold her up and instead, collapsed down onto the ground with her. He held her in his arms as his eyes darted back and forth, cradling her closer. His vision swam and he shut his eyes tight, trying to remain calm and master his emotions.
He was afraid. He was terrified of those creatures. The idea of those mandibles tearing them apart filled him with a terror he never knew before.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
It began to rain again and this time, the downpour was incredibly strong. Ail knew they had to have been there on the ground for at least an hour. His legs were numb. His body was shivering. And En had become unusually warm. She must have developed some type of fever, but try as he might to wake her, her body was unresponsive.
He still held her close. Guarding her with his body. The monsters never pursued them so to some degree, he was relieved that they were still alive. But if they were to die from fatigue, he'd rather die with En back on the Makaiju. It was strange. He hated that tree but also knew that it was also where they belonged.
Looking up into the cloudy skies above, Ail watched as the dark black clouds thundered and rained. The water cascading down his face was a little helpful. It helped cool his body. But he knew he too was at his limit.
Turning back to En, he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face so he could stare at her. His resolve renewed, Ail knew what he had to do. If they were to die, he would want to die with her in his arms, but definitely not out here. He would get her back to the Makaiju.
Pushing himself up, Ail positioned En on his back piggy-back style, before grunting and finally standing up. He would make it back to the Makaiju. He would most certainly protect her until his dying breath.
As he stepped forward, pain shot up his leg. He would have to hurry. His arms were already stinging from the exertion. Focusing on one step at a time, Ail soon found himself in front of the waterfall. He turned around one last time, scanning his surroundings. He wanted to make sure nothing would follow them. Once he knew the coast was clear, he walked through the waterfall.
They were once again back in the dimension with the Makaiju. Ail never thought he would be so grateful to see the cursed tree again. He slowly made his way to its base. He had no energy left so he maneuvered En down onto the ground. He positioned her along one of the buttresses before he too lowered himself so that he was directly by her side. He spooned up against her and no sooner had he placed his head by the crook of her neck, his eyes closed and he fell into a deep slumber.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Additional Notes
Alright. Another chapter complete. What do you think? Don't forget to leave me a review and if you like the story, please add me to your favorites. Just to give you guys a timeline of where I am in the storyline, I would say we are two chapters away right now from Ail and En arriving on Earth. Hope you're as excited as I am. Until next time!
