Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Gloria awoke the next morning feeling strangely refreshed. She stretched and then spied some clothes laid out for her. She slipped into them and then raced down the stairs. The Queen was waiting for her. She opened her arms and hugged her grandchild.

"Hello, little one. Feeling refreshed?"

Gloria nodded, "Yeah, do I get to look for Annika?"

Alina smiled. Her daughter's child was very loyal. She shook her head. "You'll need all the power you can get. I'll show you have to unlock the force of Venus in your blood."

Gloria nodded excitedly. She would need power, she needed power, and she wanted power.

"When do we start?"

Crystal Tokyo

Rini sighed. She had a few weeks left of school but the other girls had been off for a time. They had a few summer projects but nothing really intense. She couldn't wait until school was out. Then she could help all day. She had done it for that one week but they had found nothing.

Raye and Chad were a mess as were Mina and Asai. Rini saw her mother was breaking. Serenity was pulling out all the stops to find the two girls but they had turned up nothing. Raye was so hysterical; Amy had threatened to put her on force-feeding if she didn't start eating.

"Rini?"

The pink haired Princess turned as her mother opened the door. Rini smiled as her mother sat down by her on her bed.

"How are you doing?"

Rini shrugged. "I'm alright. Hope, Ariel, and Madelyn are a mess. Faith, Daisy and Maggie are coping better but they're all worried. And I can't seem to find anything."

The queen hugged her daughter. "We'll find them."

Rini nodded. She and her mother talked a few more moments and then Rini knew what she needed to do.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"The Silver Crystal. Tonight, let me borrow the Silver Crystal, please."

The queen considered and finally nodded, "All right, Sweetie. But take care of it."

"I promise."

That said, the queen took her daughter into her bedchamber and removed the sacred stone. Pressing it into her daughter's hands, she cautioned,

"Don't use too much power, darling."

* * *

Magellan Castle, Venus

Chibi Venus ran along the course the people of Venus had laid out for her. She had been training for nearly two weeks but was still no closer to finding Annika or getting power. She needed power like her mother and the other soldiers. The Chibi scouts received their power from outside sources. Even Annika's fire was drawn from outside first and then channeled through her fingers. Her mother said when they powered up; they would receive powers that came from within, like her Chain of Love or Jupiter's discus of lightning.

The senshi of love leapt up and ran across a wooden frame. It was fairly high up and over an ice-cold lake. The thought of that water made her think of Annika. It made her heart ache and throb.

"Annika," she whispered. The empty wind and the pain in her heart was her only reply.

"Go for it, Neo-Princess Gloria!"

"You can do it, little one!"

Gloria smiled. She easily dodged the first few youma used for training. Then one knocked her off the frame and into the ice-cold water. It burnt like fire and made her shiver uncontrollably. She knew now what Annika had felt. She could not believe she had done this to Annika. Her heart ached with pain. She let the tears come. Softly, she thought,

"I'm sorry Annika. I'm sorry, if it took my immortality I'd reverse that."

Soon after that she heard,

"Princess!"

Gloria forced her head up and as she was pulled up, her pen shimmered. It changed, becoming a heart with her symbol. She stared at it and then lifted it high,

"Venus Celestial Power! Make–Up"

Two circles of stars, overlapping each other, sprung around her and then exploded, leaving her in a new fuku.

It was white, with shimmery sleeves and two strips of color on the bottom of the skirt, one, the thinner one, was orange and the thicker one on the bottom was navy blue. Her ribbons were the same, longer and with two strips across the bottom. The center bow was made of a white shiny material and connected to an orange heart in a darker orange star. Her shoes were the same, only white and with higher heels.

Super Sailor Chibi Venus felt the warmth of the powers of Venus rushing through her blood. She pointed her palm straight up and called out,

"VENUS HEARTBREAK CHAIN!"

An orange chain made of connected hearts and stars flew out and connected to the frame above her. She swung upward.

She had awoken the forces of Venus.