Chapter 45: Makenai

Sapphire's eyes flickered as he slowly awakened from his sleep. He groaned at the brightness in the room before snapping his eyes shut again. He then slowly opened his eyes and turned to see Sailor Star Shooter sitting next to the bed with her arms and legs crossed. "How long have you been sitting there?" he questioned.

"For a while now." She answered simply. She got up from her seat and kneeled next to the bed. She reached up and brushed some sweat off of his forehead before placing her gloved hand on top of his.

"You shouldn't be here." He muttered.

"Why not?" Star Shooter demanded.

"Spending time with me just causes trouble." Sapphire muttered. She could help but chuckle at his statement.

"Trouble follows me everywhere." She explained softly. "There wouldn't be much of a difference." She added with a sad smile. The two of them sat in silence for a couple of minutes before he sat up in his bed and mentioned for her to take her seat back in the chair.

"Wouldn't your boyfriend be upset that you're in here with me?" he broke the silence. Sailor Star Shooter crossed her legs and regarded him with a hard look.

"Seth is not my boyfriend." She snapped. "I don't like him." She insisted.

"Yes you do." Sapphire responded.

"No I don't." she shook her head in anger.

"Are you worried about being with him because you still have feelings for me?" he pressed on.

"Have you ever stopped to think that you are the only one I can talk to without being judged?" Shooter quickly answered.

"Call it whatever you like." Sapphire shrugged and took another look at her. "You're afraid aren't you?" he changed the subject.

"Yes, of a lot of things." She admitted quietly. "But I can't let anyone know especially Demando; they could use it against me." She added. "And I'm not strong enough to deal with all of this pain and hurt which is why I hide all of my emotions besides anger.

"Don't worry. Makenai." He answered.

"Huh?" Shooter raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Makenai, it means don't give up." Sapphire explained calmly.

"Shooter," Usagi knocked on the door frame before taking a step inside. "Sailor Kakyuu sent me to find you. She really wants you to get some sleep." A surprised look set on her face and then she quickly flushed in embarrassment.

"Okay," Shooter nodded and turned back towards Sapphire. "I'll come in and check on you later." She reassured him.

"Don't worry about me." He shook his head slowly. "Just get some rest and try to get better." He added. Sailor Star Shooter got up and headed towards the door. Usagi bowed politely to Sapphire and turned to hurry to catch up to the small starlight.

"You shouldn't have brought him here." Luna hissed as Usagi and Sailor Star Shooter headed down the hallway.

"Luna, I didn't bring him here." Sailor Star Shooter clarified.

"But he knew that we were coming." Artemis added.

"And?" she questioned.

"And it means that Demando might know where we are." Usagi grabbed a hold of her upper arm to mention that she should stop walking and pay attention. "Shooter this is bad." She added.

"How is this bad?" Shooter demanded.

"If Demando knows we're here he can strike and kill either you or Usagi at any given moment." Luna explained.

"He will not hurt us, anyone of us." She insisted. She blew out an impatient sigh while running a gloved hand through her hair. "I'll make sure of it." She added.

"How can you do that with the current state you're in now?" Artemis questioned. "You can hardly walk." He added while nodding at the scars, cuts, and bruises all over her arms and torso.

"Does no one here trust me because I used to be dark?" Shooter demanded. "Or that I tended to Demando's orders?" she glared at the three of them.

"No it's just that-"Usagi started.

"Then when I say trust me, actually trust me." Shooter interrupted before shaking her head. "I don't need to be walked back to my room; because I'm sure that's the main reason you came to fetch me. I'll be fine." She sent the blond a soft smile before heading down the hallway.

"Makenai…don't give up." She muttered to herself while ascending the staircase.

Sailor Kakyuu shot up in her bed. She was panting heavily as a cold sweat rolled down her back. She shakily reached up and wiped the beads of sweat off of her forehead. "My god." She whispered.

Sailor Star Fighter yawned loudly and sat up in her bed. "Are you alright?" she whispered while rubbing her eyes. Her long black hair cascaded around her shoulders. Her hair tie lay next to her on the bed. "I was just about to wake you. You were talking in your sleep."

"I'm fine." She shook her head quickly. "Just a bad dream."

"Was it like the other ones?" Star Fighter tried to look concerned but the lack of sleep made her look nervous instead. Sailor Kakyuu couldn't help but smile but it soon faded as her thoughts drifted back to her dream.

"No, it was darker." She explained. "It felt more real."

"Maybe you should get your mind off of it." Star Fighter suggested. "Take a walk or go and get something to eat. And come back and try to sleep later." She added. "It works for me all of the time."

"You're right. " Sailor Kakyuu nodded while pushing the covers off of her and climbing to her feet. "I'm going to go check up on Star Shooter." She said while heading towards the door. "Go back to sleep." She added.

"Good luck." Star Fighter yawned and rolled over onto her side and fell back asleep. Sailor Kakyuu quietly exited the room and headed down the hallway. She came to a stop outside of Stephie-chan's room and noticed the light was on. She raised a gloved hand to knock but stopped herself.

'Maybe I should wait a bit longer to talk to her.' She thought. Her thoughts were soon interrupted when she heard guitar strings being strummed and soft sinning. Sailor Kakyuu reached up and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Star Shooter called out. Sailor Kakyuu opened the door, stepped inside of the room, and closed the door behind her. "What are you doing up?" she questioned.

"I should ask you the same question. You should be resting." Sailor Kakyuu scolded her lightly.

"I couldn't sleep." She muttered before writing something down on a notepad. She then put the pencil into her mouth and started to strum some notes on the guitar.

"What are you working on?" the red haired senshi questioned while taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"A new song, it's called Makenai." Star Shooter answered while setting the guitar aside.

"Don't give up?" Sailor Kakyuu questioned.

"Yeah, Sapphire gave me the idea." She admitted. Sailor Kakyuu noticed a very faint pink tint to her cheeks but it immediately disappeared. "Through all that's been happening you won't believe how many times I wished I could just end it all but something or someone told me to keep fighting and to never give up. So I decided to write a song about it." She explained.

"May I hear it?" Sailor Kakyuu asked.

"This is all I have so far." Star Shooter nodded and placed her guitar in her lap. She picked up her green pick and got into position. "Ready?" she asked. Sailor Kakyuu nodded and she started to play the notes. She hummed for a couple of seconds before starting to sing. The song was entitled Makenai, meaning Don't Give up!

"That's really good." Sailor Kakyuu nodded.

"Thank you." Star Shooter responded while placing her guitar on the floor before turning back towards the red head. "Listen about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it." She apologized.

"I understand." She shrugged

"No you don't." Star Shooter shook her head slowly. "You and everyone else in my family were able to meet my mom but not me. And being abducted by Demando I didn't think I would ever understand what love was. But in reality you've always tried to share it with me but I just kept pushing it and you away." She explained.

"It's understandable actually." Sailor Kakyuu insisted.

"Why didn't you want me to finish reading the book?" Star Shooter questioned. "And I want the truth." She added. "I'll be able to tell if you're lying." She added.

"I don't know if you'll be able to handle it." She whispered.

"Please." Star Shooter begged.

Sailor Kakyuu took in a deep breath and closed her eyes before slowly opening them again. "The truth is…your mother killed herself." She admitted.

"What?" she gasped.

"To protect herself from you." Sailor Kakyuu continued."The truth is one in every 100 people born on Kinmoku is born with the powers of a certain animal and until they control the powers they're on a rampage."

"So I was the silver beast?" Star Shooter asked quietly.

"Yes, but you didn't kill your mom." She quickly re-assured her. "You were close to injuring her and she knew about your prophecy. On Kinmoku you can delay a prophecy with a sacrifice. So she delayed yours for a couple of years but Demando was still able to find you."

"All of those lies he told me." Star Shooter spat in anger. "Now I really want to kill him." She seethed.

"It will be hard, but there is a key to defeating any darkness." Sailor Kakyuu responded. Star Shooter sent her a confused look. "Light and love; you and Usagi are the two main people who can defeat the darkness. She has and always will have light with her wherever she goes."

"And I need to supply the love," Star Shooter stuck out her tongue in disgust. She sighed and then lowered her head in shame. "…I already hurt him more than once. He won't listen to me." She added.

"Makenai, when the time comes it'll work." She gave her a small hug. This time Star Shooter actually returned it.