Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I own the song "Storms in Africa." I am borrowing them for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made from the writing or reading of this story.
Pray for a Storm
©2000-2001 by Kei
Chapter 2
Cá fhad é ó
Tús na stoirm
Makoto couldn't believe what seemed like hundreds of beautiful people flowing into the ballroom while she watched from her chair beside Nephrite's throne. The women all wore sophisticated gowns of rainbow colors while the men dressed simply but handsomely in black tuxedos. The only man present not wearing a tux was Nephrite, and to Makoto he looked like some Greek god descended from Mount Olympus. His auburn hair was combed until it shined, matching his glittering russet eyes. He wore an outfit of pure white trousers, boots, and gloves, a deep forest green doublet decorated with gold braid, and his small but magnificent golden crown sat atop his head. Makoto couldn't imagine a more gorgeous sight than this, her love, reborn but not remembering.
Some music struck up, startling Makoto slightly. Nephrite must have seen her jump, for he chuckled lightheartedly and offered his gloved hand out to her in an invitation to dance. She stared for a moment before her face crinkled into a joyful smile and she accepted.
He led her down to the middle of marble floor and she could see herself in the endless mirrors that made up the walls and ceiling. She couldn't help thinking how right she looked there in Nephrite's arms.
The guests had all formed a circle around the couple to watch them dance, and Makoto feared their whispers as she and Nephrite swept past. She picked up a conversation between two snobbish-looking women.
"Look at her, limbs everywhere. Much too lanky to be even remotely pretty," the first hissed.
"How undeserving and unworthy of Lord Nephrite," her companion replied haughtily, eyeing Makoto critically.
The girl thought she would break down crying when Nephrite whispered in her ear, "You are a lovely dancer, Miss Mako. All the men will be scrambling to dance with you."
"I don't want to dance with them," she murmured, pink rising to her cheeks.
"Why not?" he asked confusedly, spinning her out away from him and bringing her back in.
"I only want to dance with you, Lord Nephrite," she answered softly, keeping her eyes away from his.
"Again I have to ask you why, Miss Mako. I have never excelled at dancing," he told her. "Of course, don't let that get around, please."
She giggled, partly out of nervousness and partly because of his playful secretiveness. "How well you dance doesn't matter to me, Lord Nephrite. Only you matter to me."
It was his turn to blush. He opened his mouth to answer when a page came running in, panting hard while clutching at a sword wound down his arm. Nephrite excused himself from Makoto and approached the young boy, placing a hand on his shoulder in concern. Makoto heard questioning voices in the crowd, all wondering and worrying what news the page had to bring.
"Please remain calm, everyone!" Nephrite announced. "Roewyn has just informed me that our enemies from Klesvigta are preparing to storm the castle! I request that all the women, children, and elders present be escorted to the dungeon for protection and that all men able to fight come with me!"
In a whirl of people, all the women, children, and elderly people were taken by a few servants down to the dungeons in order to keep them safe should the enemy overtake Ilndena Castle. Meanwhile, all the men were equipped with swords, shields, and various other weapons to counterattack. Nephrite threw out commands left and right to carry out his strategy to defeat the invaders. Makoto could see why he had been a general in his past life.
Suddenly, a hand grasped hers and she met eyes with Nephrite. He had a serious expression on his face and she found herself unable to speak.
"Miss Mako, I don't want you to take part in this battle. I know that you are Sailor Jupiter, but you are still injured from previously and you could be more fatally wounded if you tried to participate," he told her in a low voice.
"But I want to help you!" she protested passionately, squeezing his hand.
"Thank you, Miss Mako, but you will help me most by joining the others down in the dungeon," he said unwaveringly.
Makoto blinked her emerald eyes fast to keep from crying. She nodded and turned away from him, hurrying after the departing people. He looked after her for a minute but then shook his head and went to his troops.
"Don't fret about Lord Nephrite, dear," the nurse she had first met soothed her. "He has been in many battles and the worst wound he's received is a paper cut."
The tall brunette sniffled. "Thanks…" she began, realizing she didn't know the woman's name.
"Ayla," she provided with a smile. "And you're Makoto. My, my, Lord Nephrite certainly has taken a shine to you, I must say."
"What?" Makoto gasped, sucking in her breath so sharply she began coughing. Ayla patted her on the back until the episode was over before she answered.
"He acts very differently with you than he does with other women. He is usually quite cold and definitely never invites them to dance. In accordance with propriety, he dances with ladies who have their names down on a list that a servant reads off of. You are the first girl, or woman, who I have ever seen him smile and laugh with, or invite to dance. He never takes people down to the kitchens, either. I might go as far to say that he is in love with you," Ayla grinned, nudging Makoto in the ribs.
"He doesn't love me," Makoto frowned, her tone of voice downtrodden. "We're only friends," she sighed.
"Sounds like you want it to be more," Ayla remarked when they arrived in front of the big, wooden door leading to the dungeon. "What else do you want?"
"I want to help him in battle," Makoto admitted. "I'm a warrior! I can help him!"
"Prove it, Makoto. Go help him," Ayla urged, tugging lightly on the young woman's long ponytail. When she did that, Makoto got a distinct feeling of familiarity, but brushed it off, smiled gratefully at Ayla, and dashed upstairs. She stopped in the ballroom briefly to transform and then continued on to the battlefield.
She got to the open field behind the castle to see a bunch of people dressed in red like the group who had chased Nephrite earlier in the week. Most rode horses, giving them an unfair advantage over Nephrite's hastily-organized infantry. Not only that, but the party guests were vastly outnumbered. Makoto set her face in determination and rubbed her fist in her hand in anticipation of evening up the odds a bit.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she yelled, spinning around and releasing thousands of razor-sharp, thunder-filled oak leaves that took out a fourth of the attackers.
She searched through the throng and saw Nephrite taking on five soldiers by himself. One of them sliced the back of his left hand with the tip of his sword. It wasn't deep, but it was enough for Sailor Jupiter. For a moment she stopped being Makoto or Sailor Jupiter and became something else entirely. She didn't feel human anymore as she charged through the men, destroying the red-clad ones that stood in her way. When she reached Nephrite, blue-white lightning crackled around her flaming emerald aura and captured the five trying to hurt him. She sent trillions of volts through their bodies, thoroughly electrocuting them to the point that they caught on fire. When those men's comrades saw the enraged Thunder Goddess and what she'd done to them they turned tail and ran.
"Miss Mako!" Nephrite exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of her. Her face softened and the power of storms in her disappeared as she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Oh Nephrite, I'm sorry," she cried. "I disobeyed you and I'm sorry, but I had to help you. I need to help you. If I can't be at your side, fighting or otherwise, I can't be at all. Please understand," she pleaded.
"Mako…it's okay," he quieted her choked sobs. He stroked her back while she soaked the front of his jacket through with her tears.
She pulled away from him and took his wounded hand in hers, untying the pink ribbon from the back of her uniform with her free hand. She tied it tightly around the cut to keep it from bleeding and to prevent infection.
"Thank you," he said, bringing her back into his embrace and resting his head atop hers.
Nephrite's ragtag army had gathered themselves and started cheering for Sailor Jupiter. They were also cheering partly due to the fact that her skirt was obscenely short and revealed more leg than some of them had ever seen in their entire lives.
Makoto was deaf to the cheers as Nephrite pulled back a bit, brushed her bangs away, and kissed her forehead before putting his arms around her again. She put her head against his upper chest and sighed contentedly. If she could stay like this forever, she would gladly do so.
How long is it since
The start of the storm