1 CHAPTER NINE
Raye watched Malachite's ancient face as the four generals carried Mina's funeral liter through the streets of the city. Thousands, if not millions, of soldiers and commoners flooded the area around them, grief etched onto their faces. Many of the people around them were crying openly. The queen and her children, along with the human prince, followed closely behind. The senshi of each major planet trailed along behind them.
The procession stopped as they came to the huge field just beyond the city. The four generals placed Mina's litter on the dais in the middle of the field. One by one, each of the senshi stepped forward to pay homage to their friend.
Omara, senshi of the planet Uranus, came forward first, tossing a small, beige flower onto Mina's body. "May your soul be as swift as the wind on its path," she murmured. Michiru of Neptune was next, placing a large, blue sea flower on the body. "May your peace be as deep and calm as the ocean," she said. Setsuna, senshi of Pluto and keeper of the time gate, too, stepped forward. She placed an exotic green flower on Mina. "May you know that your time in this life was well-spent." Lita was next, her fierce green eyes filled with tears. Instead of a flower, though, she placed the flowering twig of a tree on her friend's body. "May you carry with you the peace and strength of the forest." Raye carried a red flower that burst into harmless flames at random intervals. "May the fire in your soul burn as strongly in death as it did in life." The last of the senshi, Amy, placed her blue ice flower on her leader. "May your wisdom linger with those you leave behind."
Artemis, Mina's former guardian, came forward. Grief was etched into every line of his face. He added a brightly glowing yellow flower to the others on the pile. "May the light and love of the goddess guide you on your journey through the stars." Prince Tranquility silently placed Mina's crystal sword in her still hands. "We loved you, cousin," he said simply. Finally, Serenity came forward. She carried a tiny white flower, which Malachite absently recognized as the official flower of the moon. "Cousin, sister of my heart, your soul shone as brightly as the sun during your short time in this life. May your love, wisdom, and strength carry us through the hard times ahead. No one will ever take your place, and we will miss you sorely. Farewell." She returned to her place beside her mother. The queen shuddered with grief, and then called out, "Aramina, daughter of Venus, beloved leader and friend, we salute you."
At her words, thousands of swords were lifted into the sky as soldiers from every race in the solar system honored their fallen leader. The six remaining planetary senshi formed a half-circle around Mina's body. As one, they stretched out their hands. Six points of light formed in their palms, finally shooting off beams of different colored light. The beams hit the pier, which promptly burst into flames. As the flames licked closer to Mina's body, Raye felt the sorrow of the crowd escalate until it weighed on her like a ton of lead. Much of the grief came from Malachite. He will not live much longer, she thought. So much grief and pain will quickly kill him.
As the flames ate into Mina's clothes, the pain of the crowd became so great that Raye collapsed, holding her head in a desperate attempt to block out the agony of the people around her. Jedeite quickly moved to support her, but she couldn't bear even his touch. "Goddess, please help us!" she cried as her pain only increased. She knew that unless she managed to block the mental voices around her, she would quickly go insane. Her only chance was to involve Mina's patron, the goddess of love. She alone might understand.
The air in front of Mina's pier began to shimmer with golden light, and the goddess of Venus appeared. She gave a gentle wave of her hand, and the pressure exploding in Raye's head evaporated. She waved her hand once more, and the flames of Mina's pier subsided into nothingness. Raye stood shakily, leaning on Jedeite for support. She felt as though she'd been drained by a youma. Still, she knew that the worst wasn't over yet. She still had to reckon with the goddess.
The goddess, however, seemed to know what Raye wanted even before the Martian could open her lips to speak. "You know I can't raise the dead, child," the goddess said gently. Raye hung her head in defeat. A single tear rolled unchecked down her cheek. She didn't see the goddess smile.
"Look at me, little one," the deity called softly. Raye lifted her chin, staring at Mina's ancestor with bleak eyes. The goddess smiled again. "I only said that I couldn't raise the dead. I never said that you couldn't."
Thousands of eyes whipped around to stare at her. She chuckled. "Mina is dead, and nothing that we do can change that. Still, since she died saving the galaxy, the gods have decided to give her a second chance. She can be brought back."
Malachite gazed at her, confused. "You said you couldn't raise the dead. How, then, can she be brought back?" The goddess smiled cheerfully at him, and Malachite was painfully reminded of Mina.
"The gods cannot raise the dead. To do so would be a violation of all that we stand for. And yet, there are so many here with great power. Together, you can pool your abilities and bring her soul back. She must have a new body, of course, but I would be happy to provide that. It's the least I can do for one who is as dear to me as my own child."
Raye thought furiously for several moments. Suddenly, she shouted to the soldiers around her, "What do you say, my friends? Shall we bring Mina's soul back to this plane?" The crowd around them erupted into cheers so loud that Raye was momentarily deafened. Shaking her head in an effort to stop her ears from ringing, Raye shouted in an echoing voice, "Mars Planet Power!"
All around them, the soldiers of the Silver Alliance followed her example, shouting out the various names of their planets. Power filled their auras, sparkling with enough light that even a human could perceive it. The power flew toward Mina's pier, collecting around her body in a light so bright that not even Raye could look at it. The light slowly lifted into the air, carrying Mina's body with it, until both were hundreds of feet in the air. A deafening explosion that followed the sudden disruption of the light knocked them all to the ground. As soon as they had climbed back to their feet, each member of the crowd stared up into the sky.
Mina floated high above them, glowing brightly. Her eyes were open, and she was staring at her hands in wonder. She grinned down at the people below her, letting her body descend slowly to the ground. Her feet touched the surface of the planet, and she was instantly surrounded by thousands of tearful, happy faces. She gently pushed her way to the group around the pier, hugging each of them in turn. She pulled away from the last of her friends, and turned to face Malachite. She gazed at him, uncertain of her reception, until he rushed forward and enclosed her in his arms. He pulled away just long enough to kiss her as hard and passionately as he could. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.
She hugged him again. "I love you," she answered back, just as softly. "I won't leave again." He laughed shakily. "See that you don't," he murmured before he kissed her again. She wrapped her arm around his waist as she turned to her goddess. "Thank you," she said softly. The goddess smiled at her. "You deserved a second chance."
Mina smiled sadly. "Will you tell my parents that it'll be a little longer until I join them?" she asked the goddess, still in her quiet voice. "We already know, love." Mina whirled to face the two hazy beings standing behind them. Her parents gazed at her, love written across their faces. They held hands, clearly at peace with their fate. Mina smiled and nodded, understanding. She was finally absolved of her guilt. Her parents were free at last. Remis and Aphromina wavered and disappeared, still smiling at their daughter. Mina turned to her lover, tears of joy in her eyes. She went on tiptoes and kissed him again.
A.N.: That's it. I've had this story on my laptop for months, and I just didn't get around to posting it. I didn't even take the time to re-read it, so feel free to inform me of any plot holes that I need to revise. Also, I would normally end each chapter with some clever remarks, but since I just came from a particularly grueling mid-term, I don't feel intelligent enough right now. I'll probably need at least three weeks before I'll even be able to look at a computer again!
Venus Smurf
Raye watched Malachite's ancient face as the four generals carried Mina's funeral liter through the streets of the city. Thousands, if not millions, of soldiers and commoners flooded the area around them, grief etched onto their faces. Many of the people around them were crying openly. The queen and her children, along with the human prince, followed closely behind. The senshi of each major planet trailed along behind them.
The procession stopped as they came to the huge field just beyond the city. The four generals placed Mina's litter on the dais in the middle of the field. One by one, each of the senshi stepped forward to pay homage to their friend.
Omara, senshi of the planet Uranus, came forward first, tossing a small, beige flower onto Mina's body. "May your soul be as swift as the wind on its path," she murmured. Michiru of Neptune was next, placing a large, blue sea flower on the body. "May your peace be as deep and calm as the ocean," she said. Setsuna, senshi of Pluto and keeper of the time gate, too, stepped forward. She placed an exotic green flower on Mina. "May you know that your time in this life was well-spent." Lita was next, her fierce green eyes filled with tears. Instead of a flower, though, she placed the flowering twig of a tree on her friend's body. "May you carry with you the peace and strength of the forest." Raye carried a red flower that burst into harmless flames at random intervals. "May the fire in your soul burn as strongly in death as it did in life." The last of the senshi, Amy, placed her blue ice flower on her leader. "May your wisdom linger with those you leave behind."
Artemis, Mina's former guardian, came forward. Grief was etched into every line of his face. He added a brightly glowing yellow flower to the others on the pile. "May the light and love of the goddess guide you on your journey through the stars." Prince Tranquility silently placed Mina's crystal sword in her still hands. "We loved you, cousin," he said simply. Finally, Serenity came forward. She carried a tiny white flower, which Malachite absently recognized as the official flower of the moon. "Cousin, sister of my heart, your soul shone as brightly as the sun during your short time in this life. May your love, wisdom, and strength carry us through the hard times ahead. No one will ever take your place, and we will miss you sorely. Farewell." She returned to her place beside her mother. The queen shuddered with grief, and then called out, "Aramina, daughter of Venus, beloved leader and friend, we salute you."
At her words, thousands of swords were lifted into the sky as soldiers from every race in the solar system honored their fallen leader. The six remaining planetary senshi formed a half-circle around Mina's body. As one, they stretched out their hands. Six points of light formed in their palms, finally shooting off beams of different colored light. The beams hit the pier, which promptly burst into flames. As the flames licked closer to Mina's body, Raye felt the sorrow of the crowd escalate until it weighed on her like a ton of lead. Much of the grief came from Malachite. He will not live much longer, she thought. So much grief and pain will quickly kill him.
As the flames ate into Mina's clothes, the pain of the crowd became so great that Raye collapsed, holding her head in a desperate attempt to block out the agony of the people around her. Jedeite quickly moved to support her, but she couldn't bear even his touch. "Goddess, please help us!" she cried as her pain only increased. She knew that unless she managed to block the mental voices around her, she would quickly go insane. Her only chance was to involve Mina's patron, the goddess of love. She alone might understand.
The air in front of Mina's pier began to shimmer with golden light, and the goddess of Venus appeared. She gave a gentle wave of her hand, and the pressure exploding in Raye's head evaporated. She waved her hand once more, and the flames of Mina's pier subsided into nothingness. Raye stood shakily, leaning on Jedeite for support. She felt as though she'd been drained by a youma. Still, she knew that the worst wasn't over yet. She still had to reckon with the goddess.
The goddess, however, seemed to know what Raye wanted even before the Martian could open her lips to speak. "You know I can't raise the dead, child," the goddess said gently. Raye hung her head in defeat. A single tear rolled unchecked down her cheek. She didn't see the goddess smile.
"Look at me, little one," the deity called softly. Raye lifted her chin, staring at Mina's ancestor with bleak eyes. The goddess smiled again. "I only said that I couldn't raise the dead. I never said that you couldn't."
Thousands of eyes whipped around to stare at her. She chuckled. "Mina is dead, and nothing that we do can change that. Still, since she died saving the galaxy, the gods have decided to give her a second chance. She can be brought back."
Malachite gazed at her, confused. "You said you couldn't raise the dead. How, then, can she be brought back?" The goddess smiled cheerfully at him, and Malachite was painfully reminded of Mina.
"The gods cannot raise the dead. To do so would be a violation of all that we stand for. And yet, there are so many here with great power. Together, you can pool your abilities and bring her soul back. She must have a new body, of course, but I would be happy to provide that. It's the least I can do for one who is as dear to me as my own child."
Raye thought furiously for several moments. Suddenly, she shouted to the soldiers around her, "What do you say, my friends? Shall we bring Mina's soul back to this plane?" The crowd around them erupted into cheers so loud that Raye was momentarily deafened. Shaking her head in an effort to stop her ears from ringing, Raye shouted in an echoing voice, "Mars Planet Power!"
All around them, the soldiers of the Silver Alliance followed her example, shouting out the various names of their planets. Power filled their auras, sparkling with enough light that even a human could perceive it. The power flew toward Mina's pier, collecting around her body in a light so bright that not even Raye could look at it. The light slowly lifted into the air, carrying Mina's body with it, until both were hundreds of feet in the air. A deafening explosion that followed the sudden disruption of the light knocked them all to the ground. As soon as they had climbed back to their feet, each member of the crowd stared up into the sky.
Mina floated high above them, glowing brightly. Her eyes were open, and she was staring at her hands in wonder. She grinned down at the people below her, letting her body descend slowly to the ground. Her feet touched the surface of the planet, and she was instantly surrounded by thousands of tearful, happy faces. She gently pushed her way to the group around the pier, hugging each of them in turn. She pulled away from the last of her friends, and turned to face Malachite. She gazed at him, uncertain of her reception, until he rushed forward and enclosed her in his arms. He pulled away just long enough to kiss her as hard and passionately as he could. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.
She hugged him again. "I love you," she answered back, just as softly. "I won't leave again." He laughed shakily. "See that you don't," he murmured before he kissed her again. She wrapped her arm around his waist as she turned to her goddess. "Thank you," she said softly. The goddess smiled at her. "You deserved a second chance."
Mina smiled sadly. "Will you tell my parents that it'll be a little longer until I join them?" she asked the goddess, still in her quiet voice. "We already know, love." Mina whirled to face the two hazy beings standing behind them. Her parents gazed at her, love written across their faces. They held hands, clearly at peace with their fate. Mina smiled and nodded, understanding. She was finally absolved of her guilt. Her parents were free at last. Remis and Aphromina wavered and disappeared, still smiling at their daughter. Mina turned to her lover, tears of joy in her eyes. She went on tiptoes and kissed him again.
A.N.: That's it. I've had this story on my laptop for months, and I just didn't get around to posting it. I didn't even take the time to re-read it, so feel free to inform me of any plot holes that I need to revise. Also, I would normally end each chapter with some clever remarks, but since I just came from a particularly grueling mid-term, I don't feel intelligent enough right now. I'll probably need at least three weeks before I'll even be able to look at a computer again!
Venus Smurf