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**DISCLAIMER: All characters from Sailor Moon are the property of Naoko
Takeuchi, Pioneer, Cloverway and any other companies holding rights.
All other characters are the property of the authors of this story and
may not be used or reproduced without consent.**
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Fallen Stars
by
Lady Archanna & Archmage

~~~~~~~~~~
Part 4
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~


The alarm system Ami and Alex had set up to alert the Senshi of any
pending danger within the city had awoken the warriors before the sun
had fully risen. Tired and frustrated four of the warriors had elected
to go, seeing as how it seemed to be a small disturbance. Now, barely
an hour later, they were beginning to wonder at the intelligence of
their decision.

Nathan hit the ground with a curse, rolling to his feet and bringing
his spear up into the chest of an oncoming hell hound. "How's everyone
doing?"

"Alive." Rod brought his hammer around in a crushing shot, spatter the
remains of another of the insectoid monstrosities against the opposite
wall in a shower of black gore.

"These things are just ..." Venus's complaint was turned into a gasp as
she leapt into the air, just barely missing the razor-sharp claw that
impaled itself in the ground where she'd been standing.

The creature didn't have time to follow the golden senshi's movements;
a sparkling ball of lightning smashing into its midsection, scattering
its charred remains across the deserted street. "Disgusting?" Jupiter
said, finishing her friend's statement as she moved up beside the blonde
where she'd landed.

"That's one way of putting it," Venus grimaced as she pulled a piece of
the creature's armor-like skin out of her hair. "What ARE they?"

Jupiter shook her head, turning toward the end of the street. "I have
no idea, but there sure are a hell of a lot of them." Turning her eyes
toward Rod who'd just managed to finish off another of the seemingly
endless army. "We can't keep fighting like this ..."

Rod grimaced and nodded, sending a series of chain lightning into the
leading rank. "Suggestions, heart?"

Jupiter's eyes narrowed, watching as Venus sent a beam of golden
energy into the mass of on-coming beasts. It seemed that for every
one they destroyed, five more rose to take its place. She was about
to say something when suddenly she heard distinct cry of their enemy,
just second before its clawed feet slammed into the ground behind her.
At that moment everything seemed to happen in slow motion, Jupiter's
ears picking up Venus' attack phrase at the same time that she fell to
the ground, rolling out of the way as the crescent chain hit home.

"Jupiter ... some help?" Venus grunted as the creature pulled at the
golden restraints that wrapped themselves magically around it.

The brown-haired Senshi was on her feet in seconds, a bolt of electricity
ripping the creature in two. As her eyes left the charred mass, Jupiter
realized with horror that the area around them was quickly filling with
the beasts.

Venus noticed the same thing, and blue eyes traveled skyward. "We have
to get above them," Venus said gaze dropping and meeting Jupiters. "And
around them ... so they're closed in."

Nathan grimaced, a wave of fire reducing a flank of the enemy to ashes.
"There's an access shaft to an elevator tube 20 meters to our right."

"Let's do it." The air around them seemed to condense, a thick fog
cloaking their movement as Rod brought his weather-control powers
into play.

Venus was already on her way, mind working on the best way to deal
with the horde she could hear closing in around them. Jupiter was
only a few steps behind her, flashes of electricity illuminating the
fog as they moved through the shattered doors of what had at one time
been an office building.

Venus paused for a moment before the closed doors of the elevator,
momentarily at a loss as to what to do. "Move out of the way," Jupiter
said quickly, launching a small blast at the metal doors, blowing them
open.

"We could just transport up there," Venus pointed out as the brunette
moved into the body of the elevator.

"True, but we want to give them time to get here," Jupiter replied,
turning to the blonde. "Besides, this is just as easy .. Rod, can you
give me a hand?" Jupiter called past Venus to her husband, pointing at
the emergency hatch in the roof of the car.

Rod slipped a hand under his wife's foot, almost effortlessly boosting
her up to the emergency exit. "Nathan?"

Heat bloomed behind them, and then Dragon hit the car at a run as the
sound of a wall collapsing behind him filled the air. "That'll hold them
for a few more seconds. Let's move."

Venus followed Jupiter quickly onto the roof of the car, eyes narrowing
as she eyed the top of the shaft. Then, with a flash of light she launched
her crescent chain upwards, securing it around the beam going across the
top of the shaft."Meet you up top?"

Jupiter nodded, using the metal chord that held the elevator as a rope
to climb to the top. She saw and heard the explosion as Venus made short
work of the door leading to the roof, and within moments they were all
standing, looking down at the plaza.

"What now?" She asked, turning to Venus as they waited for the others
to join them.

Rod hit the roof running, Nathan on his heels. "Spread out, cover the
corners. They'll be coming up after us any minute."

As if on an unspoken cue, the sound of claws skittering on shaft walls
echoed up from below. Nathan's eye hardened. "Now."

Jupiter turned from her position atop a utility room just in time to
see the creatures beginning to emerge from the elevator shaft. Crouching
down low, she looked toward Venus, waiting for the signal to attack.

Venus moved behind the concrete pillar, looking down at the roof; her
heart pounding as she watched the area below her fill with the creatures.
'There are so many...'

Nathan's lips pulled back in a disbelieving frown. 'How many of these damn
things can there be?' Glancing across the roof, he caught Rod's eyes and
sighed. 'Hope we can handles this one, Thunderer. Really, really hope so.'

Venus glanced over at Jupiter, seeing the concern sparking in the other
warrior's green eyes. Biting her lip she felt her heart stop as one of
the creatures moved just below her. Holding her breath she held off the
attack that screamed to be released. This was not the time to act out of
fear.

Jupiter found herself amazed by the hard look she saw on her friend's face,
the determination set on her normally relaxed face. Even as the ground
beneath them began to vibrate and shake the blonde-haired senshi stood
her ground. Emerald eyes moved carefully back toward the shaft, noticing
that the flow of demons wasn't as constant as before.

'Rod, get the shaft,' Jupiter said into her lover's mind when she saw Venus
give the signal to attack.

Lightning erupted from the hammer in Rod's hand, shattering the shaft into
charred rubble as his friend stepped around the column shielding him and sent
a scythe of fire tearing into the massed creatures and incinerating a dozen in
seconds. As soon as their main route of escape was destroyed, Venus launched a
sweeping spray of golden energy across the roof from atop her perch. Jupiter
didn't have time to admire her friend's accuracy, she was too busy defending
her own position; a stream of silvery electricity blasting through the mob.

Nathan's spear smashed its way through enemy after enemy, working steadily
across the edge of the boiling mass of creatures. On his right, Rod's burst
of wind knocked hell hounds tumbling the thirty stories to the ground as
chain-lightning exploding among the creatures attacking Jupiter. Venus's head
snapped around as she heard Jupiter's cry of surprise and pain rise over the
commotion. She watched in horror as the green-clad Senshi was knocked from
her position down to the rooftop, amongst the creatures.

"Jupiter!" She cried, leaping off the pillar and landing soundly just behind
her friend. Using her Crescent Beam, Venus cleared an area around the two,
keeping the monsters at bay as Jupiter got to her feet.

Standing back to back with the blonde, Jupiter eyed the slobbering beasts
that surged around them. "What do you say we show them what we can really
do?" Jupiter asked, wincing as she put her full weight on an injured ankle.

Venus nodded quickly, powering up yet another blast as she shifted her
position so that she was standing beside Jupiter. A split second later,
an intertwined beam of electricity and golden energy began sweeping in a
broad arc across the roof, vaporizing all the creatures in its path.
Jupiter winced as she moved with Venus, bringing the attack around to
complete the circle. They'd destroyed quite a few, but they were still
surrounded. 'Some help ...' She called into Rod's mind, knowing that the
two Senshi were outmatched.

One of the creatures snapped at her, fangs and claws tearing into the air
above her guts before the thing exploded in a shower of black gore; a emerald
and black blur stepped into the breech opening in the circle of hell hounds with
war-hammer singing deadly power as it battered clawed hands aside with crackling
sparks of electricity. "Dragon!"

Black gore spattered wide as red and gold armor spun and sparkled with deadly
precision. "On the way, Thunderer."

Venus grunted as she felt something slam into her side, nearly throwing her to
the ground. Turning and looking, blue eyes hardened by necessity, she didn't
even hesitate to send a blast of energy directly into the mid-section of the
monster hovering above her. Turning her head back toward where Jupiter, Rod
and Nathan stood, Venus felt a weight rise from her shoulders as she realized
their enemy's numbers had been cut nearly in half.

'We're winning!' She thought triumphantly to herself, suddenly feeling a
renewed sense of determination wash over her as she continued to battle
those that were left. Realizing that having all four warriors in such close
proximity might only make things easier for the thinning ranks of hell-beasts,
Venus leapt into the air, soaring over the heads of the monsters.

"What-?" Jupiter gasped, not having time to call out a question before yet
another hound decided to try and use her for target practice. Grunting loudly,
Jupiter managed to knock the creature back with a hard kick to the head.
Unfortunately in an effort to avoid the flailing claws, she too lost her
footing and was once again down on the ground.

Rod side-stepped out of the path of one of the creatures, gutting it with the
spike of his hammer as he straddled Makoto's fallen body and laid about him with
desperate fury. Electricity crackled out from the hammer in all directions,
sending creatures twitching to the ground in their death throws, and from
behind him the sound of dying creatures redoubled as Nathan tore into the
creatures behind them with fire and his spear. "Watch yourself, Thunderer!"

Landing precariously atop the stone platform of one of many radio towers
fixed upon the roof of the building, Venus had only a moment to orient
herself before she was forced into action. She watched in horror for a
split second as two of the creatures bore down on Rod; Jupiter trying to
get to her feet while avoiding slashing claws that ripped through the air
around her. Then blue eyes caught sight of a creature, larger than most of
them, barreling toward the two already occupied warriors. Without thinking,
Venus let out a cry and once again took to the air, launching her Lovely
Chain at the beast; as she landed atop a pile of rubble near the center
of the roof, she felt the chain pull taunt as it secured itself around
the monster's neck.

Her arms screamed in protest as the creature pulled against its restraints,
trying to pull the blonde-haired Senshi toward it. Venus stood her ground,
using a slab of concrete to brace herself as she tightened her grip on the
chain. Although her hands cried in protest as the rope dug into her palms,
Venus stood firm, determined to finish the beast off.

"You're ... Not ... Getting ... Away!" She cried out, willing the chain to
tighten further, and with one final burst of strength Venus pulled with all
her might, cleanly separating the monster's head from its body. The chain
immediately disappeared, and the blonde suddenly found herself on her backside,
the jagged pieces of concrete and metal digging into her skin. As she got to
her feet, her attention was immediately drawn back to her friends.

Jupiter was on her feet once again, lightning crackling fiercely around the
brunette as she blasted creature after creature with her attacks. After a
moment, she stopped, emerald eyes widening in shock as she realized that
only a few of the beasts remained standing.

Nathan fixed another of the creatures with his spear, tracking his eyes
across the roof. Not too many more left now, but he needed to watch out
for any that were still.... "Minako, behind you!"

Nathan's warning reached Minako's ears just as she felt the pile of rubble
beneath her begin to shudder. She let out a surprised cry as a clawed hand
shot up just under her feet, slashing at the air. Reacting on instinct, she
tried to jump out of the way, but her timing was off. Just as her feet left
the concrete pile beneath her, it erupted in a spray of debris, slamming into
her as the creature emerged from the shaft below.

She should have been knocked out of the way, should have been thrown to the
ground under a shower of metal and stone. She would have been, if the
creature hadn't decided to latch onto her calf, digging razor sharp claws
into bare flesh. Her scream of pain echoed across the rooftop, Jupiter already
moving across the space that separate them.

"Let her go!" She screamed, a ball of sparkling energy issuing from her hand
and into he back of the beast that held her friend in its clutches. She didn't
see her error until it was too late. The creature died in mid air, but its
hold on Venus's leg did not release; and as its dead-weight fell back down
the shaft from which it had come, it took the screaming Senshi with it.

"NO!" Jupiter screamed, tears suddenly burning her eyes as she ran to the
side of the crater, peering down in time to see a flurry of golden tresses
as her fellow warrior plunged nearly twenty stories before landing atop the
ungiving body of the elevator car below.

Nathan bolted forward, communicator already in his hand. "Emergency medical,
priority call authorized by Lord Mars! We have a Senshi down; I repeat, Lady
Venus is down and needs emergency medical attention!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With a heavy sigh the blue-haired woman set down the bandages on the table
beside the window, casting one final glance toward the other occupants of
the room. It seemed as if she'd been treating injuries non-stop since all
hell broke loose with Reignfire's arrival. She'd become somewhat numbed to
the devastation their enemy was reeking, yet seeing one of her fellow
warriors laying so helplessly in a hospital bed still twisted her insides.
Looking at the intense expression on Sol's face where he sat unmoving beside
his soulmate's bed, Ami wished she could do more to ease his suffering.

Nathan reached out a hand and gently caught Ami's arm as she stepped out of
the infirmary. "How are they?"

"What?" Ami's eyes blinked as she turned to Nathan, exhaustion apparent in
her blue gaze. When she spoke, she did so with the professional detachment
she'd spent years practicing. "Minako's still unconscious. She suffered a
broken leg, several broken ribs and a massive blow to the head when she
landed..." Ami's voice cracked finally, her eyes falling away from Nathan's.

"Any idea when she'll wake up?"

Amy shook her head slowly. "Right now, it's a game of wait and see. I've
had Hotaru up here, she helped as much as she could. The rest is up to her."

Nathan looked over her shoulder into the room, taking in the white-wrapped
form on the infirmary bed and the slumped shoulders of the gold-clad man who
sat beside it. "How's he taking it?"

Amy looked up at Nathan helplessly. "How would you be if that was Rei laying
there?" She asked quietly.

Nathan grimaced, nodded. "Yeah." Taking a final look into the room, he turned
back to Ami and smiled wearily. "I'm going to go see how Rei's doing, come to
think of it. Thank you, Ami. For everything."

"I just wish everything didn't seem like so little ...." Amy said, a sad smile
on her lips as she took one last look into the cubicle where Minako lay.

Inside the infirmary, tear-blurred blue eyes focused on Minako's still face
and an elegant hand brushed her face with shaking fingers. "Come back to me,
my love. I need you. Please don't leave me. Please."

Normally pink lips parted slightly, a pale hand moving slowly upward, blindly
searching out the hand of her lover. 'Never...' The words nothing more than a
faint whisper in Sol's mind.

Shaking, he took her hand in his and spoke in a broken whisper. "You're awake.
Thank the gods, you're awake!" His arms were around her without a thought,
cradling her head against his chest. "My radiant angel... gods, I was afraid
I'd lost you, love."

Blue eyes fluttered open, the familiar warmth and scent of her husband
surrounding her in a blanket of safety. "Never...." She rasped, a muffled
cry escaping her lips as her sore body protested her lover's embrace.

Instantly gentling his touch, Sol's eyes looked down in his soulmate's
with desperate apology. 'I should have been there... shouldn't have let
this happen to you... gods, Minako, I'm so sorry.'

Minako shook her head, reaching up and gently touching Sol's face. 'No
apologies, my love. I am a warrior just as you are. You can't fight all
my battles for me.' She said quietly into his mind, her brow creasing as
a jolt of pain ran up her leg. "Just be here now," she said, her throat
dry and burning. "That's all I ask."

His lips dropped instantly to hers, pressing a gentle kiss onto dry lips.
'Of course, my love.'

Minako's eyes closed, returning the kiss as she fought off the sleep that
threatened to pull her once again into its dark embrace. She felt tears
rise in her eyes as her mind recalled the battle, the last moments nothing
more than a blur of claws, pain and fear. Instinctively her arms tightened
around Sol's neck, pulling herself closer as she tried to push back the
images. 'Gods...'

Automatically his hands went to her shoulders, his energy and love pulsing
into her to lend her strength. 'I'm here, love. I'm here. It's all right,
I'm right here...'

Breaking away from the kiss, Minako buried her head against Sol's chest.
"There were so many of them ... And ..." She looked up at him, lips trembling.
When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "And I was scared ...."

His fingertips brushed her lips, haggard features suddenly settling into a
comforting smile. "I know.... it's all right. You don't have to be brave all
the time, my love. Not when I'm here, you don't."

Suddenly she felt like a small child in his arms, and for a moment wished she
could just stay there and hide from the monsters she knew awaited her just
outside the palace walls. That jolted her back to reality, causing her tears
to stop falling, her eyes becoming uncharacteristically serious. "I can't be
scared. We can't afford it." She said quietly, pulling away from him, away
from the sanctuary he offered.

Sol's eyes tightened slightly, recognizing the passing of the moment and
knowing that Reignfire had taken yet another gift from him. "I suppose not."

As memories of the demons they'd already faced surfaced, Minako shivered
slightly, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Not since she'd faced
Metallia had Minako felt so utterly terrified of an enemy. She looked up at
her husband once more, eyes meeting his. "Just ..." Minako took a breath,
biting her lip. "Just promise me one thing..."

Sol's eyes locked on hers, lips gently lowering to brush hers. "Anything."

Minako took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she reopened
them, they met Sol's once more, shimmering with silent pleading. "Please don't
let me do it alone," she whispered. "Because I don't know if I can. I can't take
shelter from the things that are terrifying me ... But I also know I can't be
brave on my own. Not against this."

"I won't leave you, Mina-chan. Not for anything." Gentle arms held her close,
golden hair mingling with gold as he gently gathered her tightly against him .
"I will be right here when you need me."

Tilting her head back, Minako's lips reached up to meet his, lingering there
as she let his warmth surround her. "Thank you ..." She whispered, her lips
falling slowly away from his as she settled herself in his embrace. She could
feel her body demanding more rest, but the fear of what awaited her when she
closed her eyes forced her to fight the sleep that tried to claim her.

Sol's hands stroked her hair, guiding her head to rest on his chest as his
arms surrounded her. "Rest, my love. You're safe here; I'll watch over you
as long as you sleep."

Minako felt her body relaxing, her limbs growing heavy as Sol's calming
influence silenced the fears that had kept her from sleep. Her hands
moved upward, fingers intertwining with her lover's. "Just stay until
I fall asleep ..." She whispered, her words already heavy with sleep,
eyes closing slowly.

Gentle hands caressed her face as her soulmate surrounded her in his
love. "Always."

Sol's eyes were the last thing Minako saw before she finally surrendered
herself to the peaceful darkness. She knew that when she awakened in a
few hours her body would be healed and ready to fight once more. 'I just
don't want to...' She said quietly to herself as she finally slipped into
a mercifully dreamless sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Nathan finally found his wife she sat alone in her private shrine, a
great fire blazing before her. He stood in the doorway for a few moments,
simply watching her, his mind going back to Ami's question outside
the infirmary. What if it was Rei laying there helplessly? What if something
were to happen to her.

Shaking his head he ventured into the room; that was something he didn't
want to let his mind consider at the moment. "Any luck?" He asked quietly,
knowing Rei had been spending hours in mediation, trying to find something
that would help them find the enemy, and more importantly the Princess.

Rei shook her head, opening her eyes and looking up at her husband. "Not
yet ... but I'm going to try something else."

Nathan walked over to where she knelt on the floor, placing his hands on
her slim shoulders and gently working at the tired muscles. "How long have
you been trying?"

Rei sighed, hearing the concern in his voice. "Well, I haven't found
anything ... So obviously not long enough." She replied, a slight edge
to her tone.

Nathan's hand paused as he looked down at his wife, wanting to say something
more but knowing it was useless. Once she had her mind set on something, she
wouldn't stop until she reached her goal. Leaning down he kissed her lightly
on the top of the head. "You'll find something."

"I hope so," she said as his hands left her shoulders. Turning, she saw
him moving toward the doorway. Turning back to the fire, Rei closed her
eyes.

Nathan pushed open the door, then paused look back at her. "I'm going to
check in with Makoto on the guards, and then I'll be back. Hope the fire
doesn't die on you." The door clicked softly, leaving Rei alone with her
thoughts.

Deep violet eyes opened slowly as the door closed, focusing on the
fire before them. The flames leapt high into the air, the intense
heat an almost soothing sensation; familiar and safe. As she peered
deeply into the flames, Rei felt her breathing fall into a natural
rhythm as she prepared herself for a fire reading. Since the princess
had been taken, she'd spent countless hours before the fires, trying
to get some sense of where their Princess was, whether or not she was
still alive. As of yet, she'd found nothing, and because of this, she
hadn't told anyone of her efforts. It was better that she kept quiet
until she found something that would give them an answer, whether
negative or positive. Rei's hands rose before her and her eyes closed
as she began to chant, calling upon the spirits to guide her in her
search. 'Please, let me find something!' she pleaded silently.

At first, she feared that once again she would come up against the wall
of resistance she'd encountered every other time, but something was
different. The wall was gone, and Rei felt herself slipping easily into
the vision. An obsidian cavern rose around her, shimmering with mist and
shadows. A single figure stood in the heart of the maelstrom, razor edged
staff ready in her hand.

As the vision became clearer, the figure seemed to shimmer in the murky
light, silver armor shimmering as menacingly as the blade atop the staff.
As the figure shifted slightly, it became clear it was a woman, the silver
and black armor fitted perfectly to her slim form. Although the armor
appeared to be ungiving, sharp points jutting out threateningly, the woman
had no trouble moving in it, as if it were a second skin. There was no doubt
she would be well protected; even her head was encased in a protective helmet
of shimmering black. Something moved in the darkness beside her, and suddenly
a creature erupted from the mist and lunged at her, clawed hands flailing
wildly. It had been human, once; its distorted features still had the
distinctive sheen of a native of Crystal Tokyo. That was before someone
had grafted claws and fangs onto the man, and twisted his bone structure
in ways nature had never intended. With a howl of primal rage, it hurled
itself at the woman.

With a quick motion, the woman stepped back, bringing the blade of her
staff around in a deadly arch. The creature, unable to react, continued
its forward motion, right over her blade. There was a sickening thud as
creature landed in two bloody heaps on the ground. Something inhuman
howled, and another thing exploded from the ground beneath her to lash
out with tentacles grafted to the obscene hole of what had been a
child's torso and head. Tiny eyes sparkled with malevolence as massive
tentacles began to tighten around the woman.

The air suddenly crackled to life, black flames surrounding the woman,
scorching and incinerating the offending appendages. With a low grunt,
the woman pushed the writhing creature away from her, watching as it
was totally engulfed by the fire, its screams of agony ringing off the
walls of the cavern. A shambling hulk rose behind her, massive hands
grabbing hold of her shoulders and throwing her to the ground. The
monster, a conglomerate of human parts melded together into an obscene
parody of a man, moaned something unintelligible as it raised its hand
to strike. The sound of the woman's staff clattering to the ground
echoed through the cavern. As the creature's hand descended, she lay
still, unflinching. Instead, she waited until the last moment, and
then, with her free hand, she reached up, stopping the monster in
mid-stroke.

"No." The simple word echoed with unspoken power, and for a moment
it seemed all had stopped. For a brief second the two remained frozen,
then there was a sickening tearing sound, followed by a screech of
pain as the monster's arm was flung away, its other hand clutching
uselessly at the bloody stump.

Taking the advantage, the woman drew her legs back, shoving her feet
mercilessly into what would have been the monstrosity's torso, sending
him reeling backwards. Then, slowly she stood, shaking her head slowly
from side to side as she approached her fallen adversary. There was a
flash of light, and her staff was once again seated in her gloved hand,
the silver blade glinting above her head. Then, in a swift motion, it
came down, separating the creature's head from its thrashing limbs and
instantly silencing its deafening cries.

Space shimmered beside the girl, a shadow stepping from the mists to
set a dark hand on her shoulder. "Good work, my servant."

"Thank you, my lord." The woman's voice rose, her eyes still focused
on the still shuddering form of her opponent, not turning away until
it had stopped. "I'm glad you're pleased with my progress."

The dark laugh rippled over the room, red eyes gleaming. "Very much
so. I think you've done enough for today."

"I suppose ...." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice when
she spoke, twirling the staff in her hands. "Does that mean I get to
practice with some real targets soon?"

The red eyes sparked. "We'll see servant. We will see."

The woman stepped closer to him, resting a gloved hand on his cloaked
arm. "I know you have my best interests in mind." Her tone was one of
respect as well as adoration as she stood in front of the taller man.
"I'll trust you to decide when I'm ready."

Black gloved hands slipped around the slim waist, casually sliding
past the protruding spikes to settle on her hips. "The question is
more properly if they're ready for you."

An almost childish laughter rose from beneath the helmet, the woman's
hands moving up to grasp it. "Indeed." she said, sliding black covering
up and off, allowing a cascade of pink hair to flow down around her as
she moved still closer and her form becoming lost in the folds of his
cloak.

Red eyes rose abruptly, focusing fully on Rei's for the first time. The
voice that spoke in her mind was aflame with dark fires. "Those who pry
too much into the business of others can often get burned." Rei's eyes
went wide, her mouth opening in gasp of surprise and sudden fear as she
felt this stranger's presence in her mind. Red eyes seemed to expand to
fill her vision, and then the light and pain flashed in her mind like the
hand of God turned into a slap. Rei's mouth opened in an agonized scream,
the world before her exploding into a burst of brightly colored stars, her
head feeling like it was about to explode. When next she opened her eyes,
she found herself laying on the other side of the private shrine, her back
and head aching from where they had slammed into the wall. "What the
hell....?" she mumbled, her mind still burning from the attack.

The door slammed open a handful of moments later, Nathan rolling through
it with spear and armor sparkling as he scanned the room. He was at Rei's
side a moment later. "Love, what happened?"

"I ... I ...." Rei's hand went to her head, trying desperately to calm the
storm raging within her mind. "I was trying to find-"

"Rei? Nate? What happened?" Makoto's frantic voice cut her off before she
could continue. Emerald eyes fell on Rei laying in Nate's arms and immediately
were filled with concern. "Is she okay?" The brunette asked Nate as she knelt
down beside them.

Nathan lifted his soulmate in his arms, gently probing her mind as he lent her
his strength. "I don't know. It feels like someone hit her."

"Hit me?" Rei muttered, her arms moving around Nathan's neck as her eyes closed,
fighting back the wave of nausea that swept over her as she was lifted. "More
like slammed into me with a sledgehammer..."

Makoto looked at the raven-haired woman questioningly. "What do you mean? Was
someone in here?" she asked, her eyes quickly scanning the room and falling
upon the large fire in the center of it.

"No, I was doing a fire reading...." Rei's voice trailed off as the images
replayed in her mind, her arms tightening around Nathan.

Holding his wife close, Nathan sensed the flow of memory in his wife's
mind. "What happened?"

"I-" Rei looked over at Makoto, green eye focused intently on her,
awaiting an answer. "I was trying to see if I could get any readings
on our enemy, some sense of what they're up to," she began, telling only
half truths. "And, well, I found him. Reignfire to be more exact, and he
found me ..." Rei shuddered at the memory.

Nathan's lips tightened, sensing she was holding back but unwilling to
force her to speak. "He blasted you." It wasn't a question.

"He what?" Makoto gasped, her eyes moving from Nathan to Rei.

"Yes," Rei whispered. "It was my own fault, I shouldn't have stayed so
long. I should have been more careful."

"Rei, why'd you take such a big risk?" Makoto asked, shaking her head.
"We know this guy is strong; why would you try and find him on your own?"
Makoto shook her head. It wasn't like the fire senshi to take chances like
this.

"I wasn't planning on finding him." Rei muttered, resting her head against
Nathan's shoulder.

"Then who were you looking for?" Makoto pressed, seeing the pain in the other
woman's face.

Nathan whispered softly, looking down into Rei's eyes. "You were looking for
the Princess." Rei nodded mutely, hearing Makoto's sharp intake of breath and
bracing herself for the question she knew was coming.

"Did you find her?" Makoto breathed, the words echoing in Rei's mind.

Without looking up, without opening her eyes, Rei shook her head. "No, I
didn't. I didn't find the Princess."

Nathan's mind touched hers, a question in his thoughts. 'Then what ...?'

"But you were looking for her and you found Reignfire. Doesn't that mean
she had to have been close?"

"No!" Rei snapped, her eyes coming open, shimmering with tears. "What I
found was not the Princess. End of story."

Nathan nodded after a long moment, lifting her gently as he turned to the
door. "C'mon. Serenity's calling us to the briefing room, emergency meeting."

Rei silently watched as Makoto left the room, allowing Nathan to carry her.
'What I found isn't the Princess, not anymore.' she thought sadly to herself,
forcing back the tears. 'This is no time to be weak,' she scolded herself, her
grip on Nathan tightening unconsciously.

Nathan pressed her close to his chest, suddenly very aware of how small she
seemed in his arms. 'I'm here for you, beloved.'

Rei smiled up at him, not speaking, but simply allowing herself a moment of
safety in his arms. She didn't say a word until they reached the meeting room,
then she quietly asked Nathan to put her down, insisting she could stand. "I
will not be carried in there like some invalid, my dear." she said, some of
her familiar fire returning to her voice. "Besides, I'm feeling much better."

Nathan smiled gently, not moving. "Falling over as you enter won't impress
anyone, dear."

Rei glared up at him. "I suppose there's no point in arguing this with you,
is there?"

Nathan's voice sparked, steel in his eyes. "Not a chance."

Rei sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Then let's get in there already,
standing out here in the hall isn't going to do us much good."

The door swung open as they entered, and Mark glanced at toward them for a
moment before turning his attention back to Serenity as he moved to the
head of the table. Rei tried her best to ignore the eyes that fell on them
as they moved toward their seats. With and audible sigh of relief she sat
herself down, Nathan taking his place beside her, one of her hands still
clasped in his.

Mark walked up to the head of the table, leaning over the table to look
down at the Royal couple. "We had another batch of walking wounded today
from a small attack just south of Central Tokyo."

Serenity shook her head, tired blue eyes fixed on table in front of her.
"That makes it five within the past three days." Serenity's fingers dug
into the arm of her chair, frustration showing on her face.

Mark smiled grimly. "I'm about to add to your troubles." Reaching into
his belt, he extracted three plastic cylinders filled with a white
semi-fluid substance on the table. "Look familiar?"

Serenity picked up one of the vials, lifting it carefully so she could
more closely examine it. "I'm afraid not," she said quietly, putting it
back on the table and turning her eyes to Mark. "What is it?"

Endymion tapped the nearest cylinder, voice hard. "It's cocaine. They
used to use it at my college. One of my friends burned out on it; his
nervous system froze out and he died before he could reach a hospital."

"Cocaine? Where the hell did you find that, Mark?" Haruka's voice rose,
lacking some of its normal edge.

"Two of the wounded that were carried in were pumped full of it; those
were on their persons."

"But how did they get it?" Serenity insisted, her head shaking.
"Cocaine? That's something we haven't seen in over two millennia."

Mark gave her a grim little smile. "I'll give you three guesses,
and the first two don't count."

The queen's eyes narrowed, not appreciating Mark's mocking tone.
"So now the enemy's not only turning my city into a war zone, but
is turning my citizens into drug addicts?" Serenity's voice rose
slightly. "There must be something we can do, something we haven't
tried to get ahead of them."

"We find out dealer and shut him down. Permanently." Mark's voice
was razor-cold as he passed a card across the table to her.

Not taking her eyes off him, Serenity reached out and took the
card in her hand. "What's this?" she asked, a cool edge to her voice.

Mark's lips lifted in a quiet smile, voice taking on a note of quiet
triumph. "A calling card."

Serenity turned the card over, examining the name printed in neat,
concise lettering on the other side. "Lucifer. Quite appropriate..."
she muttered, her eyes rising once again to meet Mark's. "So, how do
you propose we go about shutting him down?"

Mark looked her squarely in the eye. "We find him, and if necessary
we kill him." Pointing to the card, he smiled grimly. "And it says
where we can find him right on the card."

The Queen flinched at Mark's blunt answer, her eyes dropping once
again to the small white card in her hand. Indeed, it told them
exactly where they would be able to locate him. "This has to be
some sort of trap." she said finally and shook her head, her eyes
not rising from the card.

Rod spoke up, voice harsh and angry. "I remember what college was
like when that stuff was used on campus. Not here, not in my city.
I'm in."

"Rod you're not going-" Serenity began, but her words were abruptly
cut off by Rei's voice.

"Trap or not, we can't just sit here and let this monster continue to
poison the city." Rei's tone was flat. "Unless you want to sit by and
watch it die."

Half the heads around the table snapped around, stunned by the harsh
emptiness in Rei's voice. Endymion leaned forward slightly, looking
into her eyes with concern. "Rei....?"

"I'm sorry, but if we sit by and do nothing because we're worried it's
a trap, then we might as well sit back and hand Reignfire Crystal Tokyo
on a silver platter." Rei said, her voice low. "He's an even more powerful
opponent than we first gave him credit for. Since the start it's seemed
that he held all the cards, and his hand just keeps getting stronger and
stronger. If we don't take every opportunity we can to try and weaken it,
we've got no hope."

Silence held across the table for a long handful of heartbeats, no one able
to find words to speak. Finally Rod broke the silence. "I'm going to go
check this out, now. Who's coming with me?"

Mark nodded, moving to stand beside the Knight of Storms. "I'm with you,
Thunderer."

Makoto rose from the table, her tone almost apologetic as she spoke. "I'm
coming as well." Gentle emerald eyes met Serenity's, trying to silently
explain why she was willing to take such an obvious risk.

Rod glanced at the other two, then turned to Serenity with a hesitant
motion he covered by clearing his throat. "With your permission, majesty?"

Serenity sat there in stunned silence, her eyes moving over each of the
warriors standing before her. "You may go," she said, sliding the calling
card across the table toward Rod. 'Just please take care of yourselves.'
she added silently as they began to leave.

Endymion squeezed her hand. 'They'll make it." Light flickered around the
trio, and they were gone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The street was dark, the lights having been knocked down or otherwise
destroyed weeks ago. The once towering pristine building now lay in
chaotic disarray, crumbling under the weight of twisted metal and
glass. The wind wove its way through the wreckage, howling as it
moved down an alley, swirling about the figures that stood hunched
over a small fire.

The firelight flickered dangerously low as the wind whipped about
it, then it flared again as the air once again calmed. The faces
of those crowded around it were pale, drawn and sickly looking.
Thin hands shook where they held jackets closed or hovered above
the warming flames.

"C'mon, Bri, I know you've got some more," a young man with wild
eyes said, turning toward a young woman crouching beside the fire.

"Relax. You'll get your share," the woman said, her voice sounding
off and her eyes concentrating on something in her hand. Orangish
light flickered off the sharp point of a needle as she slipped it
into the highly visible vein on her lower arm. The other youth
watched with undisguised hunger as the girl pushed down on the
plunger; they shifted uneasily, wanting it to be their turn.

Shoes clicked softly on pavement as a man walked into the firelight,
the flames flickering on gaunt cheeks and a thin smile. "Good evening,
friends. Been looking for me, I hear?"

"Lucifer!" The young man said, his voice filled with relief. "Damn
right we've been looking for you!"

"Jared, try a little self control," the girl with the needle managed,
looking up at him with glassy brown eyes.

"Easy for you to say, Bri; you've already had yours." Jared snapped
back, moving toward the older man with a look that breathed utmost
respect.

"Yeah, we want ours!" The other youth, a boy of about twelve, demanded
as he moved closer to the suited man on shaky legs.

Firelight gleamed on silver buttons as the man slipped a cigarette
from his coat and lit it, taking a long pull before responding.
"Now, Andrew, you know the rules. You want it, you have to give me
something for it."

Andrew stopped, looking at the man with confusion for a moment until
his drug-dulled mind registered the words. "Oh, you mean payment."
The boy smiled crookedly, turning back to where he'd been standing
and grabbing a tattered sack laying on the ground. With a look of
pride he offered it to the man. "Those are the pictures you wanted,
the one's of the guard detail around and inside the palace. I deserve
something extra for those; I coulda gotten myself killed."

Lucifer opened the satchel, scanning the pictures casually. "Of
course you do." Reaching into his case, the man slid out three
vials of white powder and then paused. "The payment." he smiled,
slipping a small envelope of pills out as well before handing
all of it to the boy. "And your bonus."

The sandy-haired boy's eyes lit up as he took his prizes, holding
them close to himself as he moved to the other side of the fire to
enjoy his spoils. Jared watched with silent jealousy as the boy
moved past him, then his once brilliant blue eyes rose to look at
Lucifer.

"I've held up my end of the deal, too." Jared began, but his words
were abruptly cut off as a flash of light drew the group's attention.

"I'm afraid this deal is going to have to be canceled." Sailor
Jupiter said as she stepping forward, emerald eyes sizing up the
group before her. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as
she saw the looks of utter terror she received from the all save
for the man in the suit.

The older man smiled smoothly at her, sharp eyes raking her face
as he languidly gestured with his cigarette. "Oh? You have
something you'd like to buy from me, dear lady? An aphrodisiac,
perhaps?"

Rod growled, fingering his war-hammer as he stepped up beside his
wife. "Watch your tongue, pal."

"I've done nothing illegal, dear sir. I'm just a simple businessman."
Smoke streamed into a slow spiral as the man exhaled another drag on
his cigarette.

Jupiter's eyes flashed with anger. "Simple businessman, my ass! What
you and that monster called Reignfire are doing is unforgivable, and
I will not allow you to continue hurting these innocents!" Jupiter
stepped forward slightly, her gaze locked on Lucifer's, challenging
him to argue.

With an off-handed motion, the man tossed his cigarette into the fire
and smiled at her with a shark's predatory gaze. "Indeed. I don't notice
these particular innocents asking you to help them, ma'am."

"Yeah!" Jared agreed, stepping up behind Lucifer, eyes burning into
Makoto's. "Why don't you stick to the way you've been 'protecting'
this city, and show up after it's too late?"

Jupiter flinched, her eyes darting to the face of the young man.
"We're doing-"

"Barely enough to keep this hell hole of a city together!" Bri said,
her words slurred as she stood on shaky legs. "You weren't there when
my parents were ripped to shreds. You sure as hell weren't there when
my sister was attacked and taken by an army of those beasts. So why
the hell can't you just go away now? Now that we've found something
that makes living here almost bearable; or is it your new duty as
Senshi to make sure our lives are as miserable as possible?"

Makoto took a step back, each word stinging like a physical blow.
'Gods, is that really what we're doing?' She asked herself silently,
her eyes moving from one set of glaring eyes to another. 'Is that
truly what we've allowed to happen?'

"These people are the ones we, as Senshi and Knights have dedicated
our lives to protecting." Jupiter spat, glaring at the thin man,
then turning her eyes back to the youths in front of her. "That
Queen you speak so lowly of has sacrificed her life a thousand
times over so you could have the chance at the lives you had
here in Crystal Tokyo."

Bri laughed bitterly, eyes burning into Makoto's. "Had is the
operative word there, Jupi. What we had! Now we need to learn
to survive with what we have, but it seems you don't want to let
us do that. You'd rather just keep us quiet, and make us sit
around and be killed until you people decide to get your act together
and actually do something to fix this mess!"

"I don't know about my friends." Andrew said, standing up, his eyes
blank. "But I'd prefer it if you just left and let us continue with
our business."

The shadows around the fire suddenly expanded, seeming almost to move
with a life of their own toward the three young men and women who stood
near Lucifer. Mark's eyes blazed as he walked toward them, the shadows
seeming to twist in reaction to his movements.

"I'm afraid your friend isn't going to be doing any more business, so
you can get out of my way or I can go through you." Shadows seemed to
solidify to near tangibility around Bri, tugging at her hair and
arms. "Get out, now."

"Hey!" Bri screeched, struggling to free herself from the tentacles
of shadow wrapping themselves around her limbs. "Let me go!"

The sound of her cries cause Jared to turn his head toward her,
his eyes widening in fear and anger. "Let her go!" His voice
rose, turning a fiery gaze on Jupiter, launching himself at her,
fists prepared to strike.

"What the-!" Jupiter cursed, moving to the side just in time, throwing
him to the side as he came at her. "Stay down," she breathed as he
fell hard to the pavement, looking up at her with a hateful gaze.

Rod lunged forward fast, catching the younger man with a blow just
hard enough to put him out without inflicting serious injury. The
air in the alley seemed to thicken, and static electricity crackled
over every metal surface. Rod spun his hammer smoothly into guard
position, advancing steadily on Lucifer. "All right, scum. Time to
surrender."

Makoto watched as Rod moved toward the man, but a sudden movement
to the side caught her attention. "No!" she cried, turning to see
Andrew heading toward Rod, a dangerously twisted piece of metal
grasped in his hands like a bat. Andrew's eyes were wild with anger,
his mind suddenly fixed on the idea of getting rid of the Knight
before him. With all the strength he could manage, he swung the pole
at the man's head only to find himself falling to the ground a second
later.

Makoto grunted as her shoulder came in contact with the boy, sending
them both to the ground and the weapon clattering across the pavement.
She winced as the boy's head hit the pavement. "Shimatta!" she muttered
as she got up, checking his pulse as she did so. "He's alive, at least."

The shadows constricted for a moment, and Bri suddenly slid to the
ground. Moving forward, Mark placed the long blade of his glaive a
fraction of an inch from Lucifer's throat. "Now, want to talk about
where we're going to find your boss?"

Lucifer smiled coldly, glancing around at the youths scattered around
them. "I think not." There was a sudden crackle of energy, and Lucifer
reappeared next to his briefcase with a mocking laugh. "I think I'll
leave you to play with a few toys." Energy writhed around him as creatures
rose into being, and he faded from sight with a smile as his lighter rose
to ignite another cigarette.

There was a hissing crackle as formless creatures rose, witch-fire eyes
glowing with blue light as they fastened on the trio of warriors. Energy
writhed once more and one of the creatures exploded as Sailor Pluto
stepped out of the shadows and smiled grimly. "Evening, all."

Rod looked relieved. "Sets, want to give us a hand?"

Mark broke into a wide smile, then suddenly froze. He couldn't sense her.
'Sets?' Reaching out with his mind, he tried to touch his soulmate's mind
and found... nothing. 'What the hell?'

Jupiter moved back toward Rod, her eyes fixed on the smoking remains of the
beast Pluto had just destroyed. "Pluto ... What are you doing here?" She
asked, turning to look at the green-haired senshi.

Rod shrugged. "Why does it mat-" He cut off abruptly as a young woman
leaned against the wall of the alley, tapping her toe slowly against a
fallen column. With a sultry smile, she waved at him. "Hey, stud. How's
it hanging?"

Jupiter's eyes went wide, turning towards the young woman, looking her up
and down. "Who the hell is that?" Makoto turned to Rod, raising an eyebrow
questioningly.

Rod went an icy shade of white. "Gods above.... Melinda?"

The woman walked forward, leather clad hips swinging seductively. "Damn
straight."

"But you're dead."

Parting red lips, the woman batted long black eyelashes at him. "Do I look
dead to you?"

Makoto's eyes narrowed as she took a step back. "You may not be now," She
muttered, "But I can fix that real quick ..."

"Don't worry about her, love." A hand reached out, landing on Jupiter's
shoulder, causing her to whirl around.

"Get you hand-!" Jupiter's eyes went wide, her words dying in her throat
as she found herself looking up into piercing blue eyes. "Aaron?"

A swift hand moved to her waist, a cocky smile spreading across the man's
lips. "In the flesh."

Jupiter pushed out of his grasp, staggering back a few steps, shaking
her head in denial. "Impossible ..." She whispered, staring at a man
she hadn't seen since before the rise of Crystal Tokyo.

Rod stepped back, eyes wide, as the woman pressed close to him. "What's
the matter, champ?" She licked her lips enticingly. "Wife keeping you on
too short a leash to kiss your old lover?"

Rod licked dry lips. 'She's dead! You saw her die in an auto accident;
the semi smashed her cycle flat. She's dead, she can't be here, she's
dead....'

Jupiter's hands were shaking as she continued to move backward, eyes
not leaving Aaron's. "Who are you?" She asked again, her voice barely
above a whisper.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Mako-chan ..." Something in his tone
changed, something that sent chills down her spine.

"No ... but ..." Makoto's words faltered as he reached out, gently
stroking her face, his eyes meeting hers. She gasped as her back came
up against a crumbling wall, his hand moving out and trapping her
against it.

"But nothing ..." He leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. "I
can tell you haven't forgotten ..."

'This isn't happening!' Makoto told herself, closing her eyes, hoping
what had to be an illusion would go away.

Mark looked over at Setsuna, eyes locked on hers. It registered that
he should have been looking around but wasn't, but he couldn't seem to
think about it.

Pluto's magenta eyes fastened on Mark's as she slowly walked toward him,
her staff held loosely in her hand. "Seems I came just in time ..." She
smiled at him, tilting her head slightly as she stopped in front of him.

Mark's eyes looked into hers, and he found himself smiling. "All part of
the service, heart?"

Pluto stepped closer, gently resting her hand on Mark's chest, a quizzical
expression on her face. "What service?"

Mark blinked, and suddenly everything fell into place. He couldn't sense
her. There was a flicker of shimmering steel, and the distinct sound of
parting flesh.

Rod pressed against the wall, frozen as the woman leaned up to kiss him
... and then she collapsed in a shower of blue hell-fire as a spinning
glaive-blade took her through the neck.

"Why don't I try and bring back some of those old mem..." Aaron's words
cut off as a blade was rammed through his gut. Makoto watched with a mixture
of fear and shock as the blade moved up, slicing him open, blue tongues of
fire lashing up at the blade as the body fell to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" She gasped, her eyes darting to Mark who stood in
front of her, glaive in hand.

Mark's eyes flashed. "I think it's a little illusion, courtesy of our friend
Lucifer." Noticing a puddle of blue flame still writhing, he jammed the glaive
through it and it stilled. "Care to guess what it would have done to us to kiss
those things?"

Jupiter eyed what was left of the creatures, her hands shaking slightly as she
moved next to Rod, standing close to him. "I ... I don't know .. But I'm
assuming it wouldn't have been good ..."

Rod's arms slid around her, clinging to her as though he were drowning.
"Gods...."

Makoto's hands moved over Rod's, still looking blankly at the remains of the
monsters. "Mark ..." Her eyes rose to his. "Thank you ... If you hadn't
sensed it ... We ..." Jupiter shook her head, not wanting to finish the
statement.

Mark smiled grimly, looking down at the remains around them. "Never try to
imitate someone's spouse. There's always too much you can't know about."
Bending down, he hefted one of the youth on the ground over his shoulders.
"Let's deal with these three and get out of here."

Makoto nodded silently, almost reluctantly stepping away from Rod, moving
to pick the young woman to take her and her friends to the hospital for
treatment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The atmosphere within the palace was tense, everyone's nerves were
on edge. Everywhere there were tired and drawn faces, eyes filled
with anger and frustration. It seemed for every inch they advance,
the senshi were shoved back a foot by Reignfire and his followers.

'We're getting careless....' Makoto thought to herself, inhaling the
sweet scent of the flowers that surrounded her. Taking a moment
to bask in the warm sunlight filtering through the glass walls
of one of several greenhouses surrounding the Crystal Palace, Makoto
tried to relax, but her mind refused to cooperate. 'We're getting
tired and careless ... We can't afford that...'

A grim laugh filled the room. "They're getting smarter, love. And we
aren't catching up nearly fast enough."

Makoto gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the pot of daffodils she
held in her hands. "Rod!" She breathed, turning to see him looking at
her, standing in the doorway. With slightly shaking hands she placed
the flowers safely on the counter, still looking at her husband. "You
scared me...." She said, looking up at him with strained emerald eyes.

The silver and emerald clad man slid from the wall and knelt down in
front of her, looking up into her face with a pained smile. "I'm sorry,
love. I didn't know if you'd want to see me."

"Didn't know....?" Makoto looked down at him, reaching out and gently
resting her hand against his face. "What on earth could possibly make
me not want to see you?"

Brown eyes closed, pale features aching with grief. "After what happened
today, I wasn't sure you'd still trust me after what I almost...."

"Hush.." Makoto's voice was soft, her fingers moving to Rod's mouth. She
shook her head gently. "Don't ... Please ..." Makoto lowered herself to
her knees, so she sat before him on the floor, her eyes meeting his.
"YOU didn't almost do anything ... And if you did, then so did I ..."
Her eyes fell to the floor in front of her, suddenly not wanting to meet
his gaze as she remembered the emotions that had rose within her when that
horrible clone had confronted her.

Rod's hands slowly lifted her face, eyes rising to meet hers. "Oh, love ..."

Green eyes rose to meet brown, tears shimmering within them. "Rod ..."
Makoto's hands began to shake again, the horrible memories flooding back
to her. How helpless she'd felt, how she hadn't fought back ... And even
worse, how she hadn't been able to.

Gently encircling her in his arms, Rod lifted her as he gently moved to
the shade of one of the tall pine trees, settling her in his lap. 'I
know, love.....' His hands stroked her hair, trying to ease the tide
of memory that washed over her. 'I'm here. You can tell me. I'm right
here...'

Makoto leaned against him, clinging to him as she tried to drive off
the fears that seemed to rise within her. "Gods ... Its like ... Like
they reached in a ripped the most heart-wrenching memory out of our
minds ..." Her voice broke, her eyes closing. "And then brought them
to life for us to face again ..."

Rod's voice ached with remembered pain as he held her tightly. "I think
that's exactly what he meant to do." Images welled up in his mind, a
flashed smile and a wave as a helmet was snapped into place, then the
usual roar as the motorcycle tore out of the driveway. Turning away,
just for a moment, and then the heart-wrenching sound of shattering
metal and ripping plastic from behind him.

She hadn't even screamed. The semi had hit her broadside at almost sixty
miles per hour, and what was left of her after impact was barely recognizable.
He hadn't gone to the funeral. She'd always been so vital and alive; the idea
of her cold and still had been too much to bear.

Rod's shoulders started to shake as he clamped down on his emotions,
refusing to let himself break down. 'Makoto needs you, you pathetic
idiot! Pull yourself together. Don't fail your soulmate like you failed
Melissa.'

Makoto drew back a little, wincing as she caught a glimpse of the images,
knowing what they were. She'd spent many nights sitting silently by his
side, just letting him know she was there. She also felt him closing off,
trying to lock the memories and the flood of emotion they brought with them
away.

"Rod ... Look at me." Makoto placed her hand under his chin, gently raising
his eyes to hers. "It's okay," Her voice wavered slightly, trying to fight
back the urge to just throw herself in his arms and cry. "I think ... I think
right now, more than ever ... we need each other ... We have to let the ones
that love us, help us." She took a deep breath. "I need you more than anything
in this world ... But I don't need your strength, your stubborn will, your
chivalry or your heroics. What I do need is you ... all of you ... anger,
fear, pain ... all of it. That way we can deal with it together, instead
of alone."

His eyes met hers, and as it always did everything else faded away. Taking
her in his arms, Rod kissed her gently and opened himself, letting her heal
his pain as he soothed her fears. They were together, as they always had
been and always would be, and time passed them by like a gentle breeze.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES

First I would like to apologize to all readers (all three of you ^.~) for how
long it took me to get Part 4 out. Since July ... things have been somewhat
topsy turvy for me. I'll be doing my best to get a Chapter out at least once
a month, but seeing as how I'm currently flying solo, I can't make many promises.

Special thanks go out to all those that have helped put this together and have
helped with the editing of this monstrosity. I'm sure seeing 300K worth of fic
in your inbox waiting to be corrected is intimidating. ^^;;;;

I'd also like to thank those that have encouraged me to continue, giving me
the support I needed to actually tackle this thing again. Without your words
and emails, Fallen Stars would probably still be collecting cyber-dust on my
hard drive.

Lastly, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of Part 4.
Fallen Stars has been over a year in the making, and I can only hope it lives
up to expectations and shows all the work that was put into it. Email's a good
thing people! My inbox won't bite!!

email: fallen_star715@yahoo.com
AIM sn: FallenStar715