(Chapter Ten)
"Rei! Please, tell me. What did I say?" pleaded Van. Why were women always so damn confusing?! Rei turned back to Van. "I told you. It was absolutely nothing. I think someone's trying to play us like puppets."
"What… what are you talking about?"
"You. Coming on to me."
"I… I what?" he asked rather blankly as the more up-to-date vernacular flew right over his head.
"You want a demonstration or what?" she snarled, at the end of her tether. She did not want someone toying with her feelings and the person who did was going to go up against a priestess/psycho bitch ready to rip out the guy's testicles [1] (she knew for certain it was a guy).
"Sorry…"
She breathed in deeply and attempted to keep her cool. "Someone's been playing with fate I think… and I don't like it."
"Fate…" sudden comprehension dawned on the guy's face. "Oh no, not that damn thing again…" he groaned. She raised an eyebrow, "So I see you've been fooled before?"
"Not me… Hitomi." He looked away, his face suddenly crimson. Rei smiled, she was no Minako, but what girl didn't love matchmaking? With the exception of Ami of course… but she needed to know more. "Well, what happened?" He gritted his teeth and began to tell her what had happened "last time".
"Then when I got all worried about her and ran out to look for her in the rain…" he noticed Rei's faint smile. He never knew the thought floating in her head, Aw… the guy's a romantic! "Hey! She would've been freezing out there!" he interrupted himself defensively as he stopped physically from walking as well, mistaking her smile.
"Go on."
"Well… I went out looking for her… and I found her, right at dawn, on the bridge, and her and Alan…" he lapsed into silence.
"I see…" Rei bit her lip. "You know what I've got to say?"
"What?"
"I'm not Love Goddess like Minako-chan back home, but I can tell you something I've noticed. Hitomi doesn't know it yet, but I'm pretty sure she's crazy about you."
"But Alan—"
"Alan, I think is a rather confused man. A hot, cute, adorable, charming man, but one with a past that I don't think he likes. And I'm pretty sure he's got his hands full with that Millerna girl we met in Asturia."
"She's married."
"I know. You told me… but he's found love once, and lost it. I'm psychic. I should know. And the thing didn't work on me because they tried to put a second gravity on a girl from Earth… or the Mystic Moon in your words. Too bad it'll only work on a girl from Earth… I'm originally from Mars." At his shocked look, she shook her head, smiling.
"Don't you see? It's hard for people to admit to themselves the truth. Hitomi is a girl of fate herself, and to be manipulated by fate… it's impossible. Nothing that wasn't there already can't appear out of nowhere."
"So she really loves Alan then." The young man looked crestfallen, and his gloved hand on the hilt of his sword tightened.
"She does. But it's doubtful her love for him is that strong… those people simply brought out that emotion directly towards that one person." Shrugging, she added, "It's complicated, but don't rely on everything I say is true… it's just that I've noticed a lot."
Van nodded slowly. "I think I understand… a little." He flashed a rare smile… he always seemed so serious. "Thanks."
"No problem. But if I don't survive this, I'm dragging you to court."
"What?"
"Nothing… absolutely nothing." Then she, in all her sailor-suited splendor burst into a sprint, and he found himself staring at the very short skirt that flew up and down according to her rhythm. He immediately averted his eyes and held his nose, just waiting for the nosebleed. Thankfully, it didn't come. Rei would probably have smacked her if she had noticed. Keeping his eyes on the ground, he followed her, soon catching up. (Who wouldn't, really? She's wearing high heels. Those things were made to wrench someone's heel off.)
"Well, well, well, Alan Schezar, knight of Kaeli." One of the burlier guards stood over the tied up knight. Alan found this disgraceful, and he glared up at the guard as the big man yanked at his long hair, calling him a girl. "You shameful coward, fight me like a knight instead of this cowardly behavior." he growled at the guard, he had come to and found that he was absolutely defenseless… his sword was thrown carelessly on the floor several meters away. Impossible to get to.
"Well… I would, but I know very well that I am not willing to take you on, and perhaps lose you… Lord Dilandau would not be pleased."
The door opened, and another guard appeared in the doorway, dragging someone kicking and making muffled sounds that sounded like screams in a gag. "Found this little lady along the way back home… the guy was easy to take care of." Alan's eyes nearly burst out of his skull. When the young woman was flung into full view, and the light blonde hair shone in the square of sunlight from the window, he gasped. Princess Millerna!
"What the hell are you doing, bringing a girl here? She can't fight!"
"Better not let the boss hear you saying that… or near the twins."
"The twins? Are you kidding me, I could take them any day."
"Take them in what way, hmm?"
"In any way I want to." bragged the first soldier, puffing out his chest in pride and Millerna, even behind the gag, grimaced at the dirty comment. She looked up at the other prisoner, and her eyes, if it seemed impossible to widen them before, there was no comparison to how wide they were now.
A warning look, made her look away quickly, and she looked back worriedly at the guard. "Well then, you haven't told me what you're going to do with her. We're in the middle of a goddamned war if you still haven't noticed." The other guard looked slightly ashamed before lashing out at the first guy in the way all men do when cornered. "Well what else could I do?! Their ship caught sight of us and we had to destroy it. This lady got loose, and I just brought her along!"
"No need to bring her INTO the fortress!"
"Then let's just throw the two into the dungeon and be done with it!"
"In the same cell?"
"Hey, this guy's one of the more 'honorable' knights. I don't think he'd try anything… besides, even if he did, why do you care?"
The other guy shrugged, "No reason, just thought it better to leave a lady some respect."
"Hey, she's a stupid little girl who managed to get caught. There's no use wasting sympathy on her. Let's go."
The two of them were dragged rather uncomfortably through several long corridors until they reached an metal door, shod with iron nails. "No way you can get out of this one you two. Have a nice stay!" cackled the guard at the door, shoving them both in and locking it behind them. Footsteps, many of them, signaled that all three were gone… they had better things to do.
"Mmmf, mmff!"
"Come closer, I might be able to work that gag of." She managed to half-crawl her way over and he managed to stand up (not an easy feat, I assure you) and worked his hand at the not-too-clean cloth that tied around the back of her head. This was not an easy task, especially when your hands are tied behind your back, giving you minimum leverage, and the inability to see what you're doing.
"MMFF!"
"What!"
"MFF MFF MF MMMF!"
"I pulled your hair?"
"MMF!"
"I apologize." After many attempts, the gag was off, and Millerna took a deep breath. "Now will you tell me what you're doing here? This place is dangerous and I was assured that you knew so!"
"Hey, it wasn't my idea, Dryden dragged me along!" tears suddenly seemed to flood her eyes as she spoke the other man's name. "What happened to him?" asked Alan, a sudden fear lancing through his heart. "That guard… he… he went and shoved his sword through Dryden's chest. I couldn't even get close enough to see the damage. Then they flung him over the edge of the ship and… well, knocked me out." Only then did Alan see the bruise forming on the delicate skin, just at the base of her neck, her hair having been pushed up over her shoulder from the fall.
"Well I told you why I was here… it's your turn."
"I was trying to help Van save Merelu."
"The cat?"
"Yes."
Millerna frowned, "I saw her just before I was thrown into the same room as you… she was walking around wearing some white bodysuit thing with these two other cat-women."
"WHAT?!"
"Shh! Not so loud!"
"What are you talking about? She's not hurt, tied up or anything?"
"I didn't think so… not from what I could see." Alan lapsed into silence before he noticed Millerna fidgeting, appearing to get in a better position. "It won't help if you struggle, they were experts at tying the knots. If only I had my sword…"
"That's what I'm trying to get, silly!"
"You have my sword?" he asked dumbly, wondering what she was talking about. "No! But I do have a knife… that I can't reach."
"Where is it?"
"I'm not telling." Millerna crimsoned and looked away. "Princess Millerna, now is not the time to be hiding things from me, where is it? I might be able to get it."
"It's not modest." She sniffed, still not looking at him… the blush was quite visible now.
"Please, it could be our only hope." She turned to face him, "Think Alan… where on a woman's body would a guard fail to check over for weapons?" Alan looked rather dumbfounded and remained silent. She sighed in impatience. "It's in the front of my corset, silly! That's why he overlooked it!" she hissed, rather fed up.
This time it was Alan who crimsoned. "Oh." He muttered beneath his breath. "In that case… never mind."
Silence was prevalent for a few minutes before Millerna finally said, "Fine Alan, get it out."
"It's not decent."
"Please?"
"You're married."
"Never stopped you from touching Sister, did it?" she muttered spitefully. His eyes widened, "What did you know about that?"
"A diary. And the little Prince… it was quite obvious. Now… back to the issue in question…"
"Princess Millerna…"
"Okay fine. Listen up Alan Shezar, I'm taking a leaf out of Hitomi's book. I am sick and tired of being tied up like a hog, and the only way to get me free is if you would give up your stupid ethics, reach down my blouse and my corset and get that knife and get us free!"
He turned red now, and he couldn't seem to meet the blue fire that was flaming in her eyes. "But…"
"As long as you watch what you're doing, I'll be fine with it."
"I… very well." He sighed heavily, wondering what this little encounter would do to his self-constraint. Hesitantly, he stood and turned his back, so that his hands could um… work. As he reached, trying to look over his shoulder at what he was doing and failing miserably, he touched her skin, and she stifled a yelp. "Did I not tell you to watch where to put your hands?!"
"I can't see!" he protested, defensively. She gritted her teeth and finally said, "Fine. I'll direct you." Staring at her own chest while a man, much less Alan Shezar, the man she'd loved for so long and had spurned her every approach, was never one of her favorite things to do. "A little to the left… yes there." he reached downwards, but felt the fabric of her dress, and the soft lace of something else against her skin. "It's underneath my corset."
Finally, after man attempts, and several movements that went awry, he was finally about to get out the knife in its little scabbard. With a flick of his hand, he unsheathed it, flinging it up in the air and strategically placing his hands (with Millerna watching in half-fear, that he would be stupid enough to have a wrist impaled on a small knife). The blade sliced through the ropes and buried the tip in the floor. Most of the robes had been cut through, and he was easily able to rip the other ones (tied by only a few strands in the twisted rope) apart. He rubbed his wrists… those guys knew how to make good knots.
"Forgetting someone here?" asked a rather sarcastic voice. He smiled, his crew didn't call her a tomboy princess for nothing. "Of course not." he said gallantly, as if the past few minutes hadn't happened. She hid her face from him, careful so he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks. She was quickly out of the bonds and she rubbed her wrists, wincing as she noted the red chafing that had appeared. She hadn't been wearing gloves when they'd attacked.
"So… how do we get out of here?" she finally as quietly, looking out the one small window at the bright sun. It seemed to be the only cheerful thing in that room, and she didn't know whether or not to be pleased or displeased over it.
"I don't know…" he grew silent. Soft, muffled footsteps were approaching and he quickly silenced the beginning of a question from Millerna. A queer scratching came at the door, "Alan? Is that you?" the queer little-girl voice was strange in such a gloomy fortress. "Merelu?" he exclaimed as quietly as he could.
"It is you!"
"I have… friends here now. I don't want you to get hurt… if I let you out… will you go?"
"Merelu, we can't leave you." stated Alan, standing at the door. "You know it's impossible to leave you in a Zaibach fortress!"
"I know… but Lord Folken… I really do think he still loves his brother, and Lord Van still loves him too… if I stay, maybe they can be family again."
Alan was silent for a moment before reasoning, "Van would never leave and you know that. He's set on getting you back!"
"I can't leave… not yet. Naria and Aeria trust me now… more. And… well… I trust them. I'm finally with… family."
"Merelu!"
"Shh! The others will come soon. Go quickly!" the door was unlocked silently, and they found her standing there, strangely different from the scruffy little kitty they'd known before. Perhaps it was the clothes, but she looked like she'd grown several inches, wearing something white, similar to those that the Intensified Luck Soldiers wore. Her dark pink hair, previously flaring around her face in an unkempt tangle, was now smooth and straight and fell down her back making it look longer than it truly was.
"Now hurry! Or they'll begin to suspect." She bounded out of sight. Alan smiled, even with the new clothes and everything… she still refused to run and walk normally. "At the least if I can't get her out… I will save you no matter what." he told Millerna, picking up the sword lying on the ground that Merelu had so graciously found and brought.
"Then we'd better… go?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to leave Merelu. "The little one's made her choice… and I'm sure she'll be fine." The two of them ran for it down the opposite way that Merelu had gone… no need to stick her with the blame just yet.
~*~*~*~
What seemed like a bolt of lightning zinged through his brain, making his eyes widen despite himself. He literally collapsed against a large column, holding his head, and between the gloved fingers and behind the white domino mask, they saw his blue eyes widened and straining as if with some internal pain.
"Your Highness!" gasped Pluto running to him, her chain of keys jangling at her waist. The Royal Guardian of Time had never seen him like this… it was like his entire soul was being torn apart. "Sere… no… you can't… you can't leave me."
Chibi-Usa, in all her princess glory, playing with both Saturn and Hotaru (she never did forget about their friendship) in the garden fell amongst the flowers, her face masked in the same shocked expression. "No… Usagi's stronger than that… MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She began sobbing her little heart out on Hotaru's lap (she was closer) and the older girl hugged her, like she had always used to. "Shh… don't cry Princess… you must be strong now… be strong… because soon enough, you might not exist. No more tears now, we have to find your father." Saturn and Hotaru both levered the sniffling princess to her feet. They understood her grief… minimally. They were not she. They would never know that kind of grief.
"What has happened?!" gasped Mercury, falling to her knees in front of her King. "Tell us… what happened?" the worry in her eyes was more than enough for her, and the flash of attraction that always accompanied any look at her disappeared in the ocean of his grief. "It's Sere… she's gone." he responded dully, the pain disappearing, but leaving him strangely empty. Her presence was gone.
"No… no… not the Queen…" Pluto hid her face behind her glove-covered hands… she wouldn't let them see her tears. Without her Time Staff, she could not change the direction the river of time was flowing…
The air around the city of Crystal Tokyo thickened and started to quiver, as if seen in the heat of a desert. The people ran out of houses, stared around them, and began panicking, running towards the castle and crowding around the gates, the guards barely able to keep them from running in, being more than a little frightened themselves. "ROYAL SENSHI! HELP US! SAVE US!" the cries were hard to bear, and they were even harder to know that there was nothing they could do. "What's happening?!" gasped Minako staring around her, leaning heavily on her future counterpart.
"The future as we know it is disappearing. We're trapped in it." replied Pluto and Setsuna dully. The tall, graceful arches of the castle towers of the royal palace were already disappearing slightly, and they could only see a transparent mist of what was left of them.
"Could you two be able to freeze time? Stop it? Perhaps if we right this somehow…"
Setsuna frowned, "It is possible to slow it down… not to stop it. But… the Neo-Queen and the Princess is still dead."
"She would never die like that," Endymion finally spoke, "her body is gone… but her soul still lives in the crystal. If somehow, we can make her find herself, find her body… and well… she only has a slim chance…" he trailed off.
"Then there's no time to lose. If even a slim chance remains…" Pluto grasped Setsuna's hands. "Transform." She ordered her duplicate, and with a few gestures, the two were standing there, exactly alike, except for the chain of keys on the waist of the Royal senshi.
Twin symbols flared on their foreheads, igniting and glowing as what seemed to be images of clocks, hourglasses, sundials… anything related to time seemed to flow around them, distant images like wisps of fog. With a flare of light, the entire scene seemed to freeze, and the disintegration slowed. Everyone present saw suddenly a huge hourglass, and the golden grains of sand flowing downwards began a trickle.
"We have to hurry… we don't have much time." With a snap of her fingers, Pluto took a key from her belt. "It's very risky… and without my Time Staff…" she shook her head. "CRYSTAL KEY! TAKE US TO THE QUEEN!" with a glowing of pink, clouds formed above them, and they floated towards it. Hoping, all the way, that they would find her, despite the vortex of time that would always be pulling them away.
~*~*~*~
"USAGI! Shit, where the hell did she go?!" yelled Trunks in frustration. After finally driving all the monsters away, they had returned to where they'd hidden Usagi's body, to find that the entire place had been ransacked, plants and trees ripped from their roots. And her body gone.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" a shrill shriek came literally landing in their ears. "What the—OOF!" came the reply as a rather disgruntled Minako was dumped unceremoniously on top of Gohan. "OW! Hate to tell you, but you are not a pillow!"
"I never advertised myself as one. Mind getting off?"
"OH! Sorry." Minako managed to scramble up off him, and trying to catch her balance while not upsetting any of her wounds at the same time. "Whoa… what happened to you?"
"Got into shit with a youma… Mamoru-san?!" she gaped at the sight of him. The young man looked up wearily, his eyes ringed with despair and a crumpled rose in his hand.
"Usako's gone." He told her bleakly. Minako found the tears had returned to her eyes and she wiped them furiously away, "Yeah… I know." She answered softly.
Gohan, who had been so ingeniously forgotten turned his attention to the other people still getting up from their short falls onto the grass just a little away from a jagged patch of rocks. He grimaced, if they'd come only a few meters closer to where he was standing…
"WOW! He is so CUTE!" squealed one of them, with hair pulled hurriedly into a ponytail staring dreamily at Trunks (who had come over to see who they were, and play innocent bystander). He looked back at her rather confused. "I'm sorry… what?" He was quite used to be admired by the female half of the world, but usually not in the middle of a pile of groaning people on the ground from a fall from the sky. "Hi, I'm Sailor Jupiter, Royal Senshi and Protector of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion, sworn enemy to the Negaverse, and fighter for Crystal Tokyo." She held out her gloved hand and he shook it rather slowly, wondering how she fit all that in a mouthful.
"Uh… yeah… I'm Trunks."
"Trunks? Really? Wow, that's such a cool name! You know I once knew a guy named Trunks, he was actually kinda cute but then he dumped me so I guess he doesn't look so cute after all, so you look much better!" He blinked. And blinked again. "I'm sorry… what?"
"Oh Mr. Trunks, Mr. Trunks!" Within seconds, he found the green-swathed Amazoness beauty shoved out of the way and was replaced by a blue-haired water sprite. "You look like a very mature and wondrous example of the male species, and I noticed that you have exceptional strength from what we have heard, do you mind if I make a case study of you—!" this one was immediately shoved out of the way as well.
"Shut it Ames, he's no biology project! Oh Trunks-baby! Hi, I'm Sailor Venus, V for short, it's so nice to meet you! What do you think about-hey! MMFFF!" The next one had a more passive (relatively speaking) approach and had simply placed a hand in front of V's babbling mouth in order to silence her. He looked at her, and noticed the same flare of attraction in her violet eyes as the others had. By this time, he was fair well dizzy by all the chatter (as the sailor senshi, no matter from what time are apt to do) and he blinked several times.
"I'm sorry… what?"
"Name's Rei. Sailor Mars. Nice to meet you." Now this Mars-girl has mellowed out a bit. She has always been a little (a little) more serious than the others (perhaps except for Ami) and she smiled. Trunks bit his lip, pushing his glasses upwards. Not that he needed them really, they were usually just for show. "Uh… yeah. Nice to meet you too."
"REI! DON'T STEAL ALL THE GUYS!" shrieked the rest of them, all of them pouncing on her, and to Trunks' amazement, she fought back like a wildcat, in a cloud of smoke. He slowly but surely began to back away, before all four of them pounced on him… well, six senshi actually, several of the injured ones had joined in.
There was only one thing left for Trunks to do.
"GOHAN!!!!!!!!!! A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE!!!!!!!!"
"Right!" he called back, ignoring him. "You know you like it!" And indeed Trunks did, being a guy. Come on, every reader knows much about guys, right? Having the girls fawn all over them is a major ego boost… plus Trunks is buried under a pileup of girls. Now… we all know Trunks has a little ecchi side buried in him… and what better excuse than flailing your arms around trying to breathe? (Of course… he wasn't thinking about it at the time… he was too busy actually trying to breathe)
Pluto laughed, seating herself rather delicately on an outcropping of stone and crossed her legs. "Now then… Endymion-sama, Small Lady, please sit down as well." The King and the little princess (now dressed in a small blue school uniform) sat down and she faced Gohan. Setsuna seated herself on the grass.
The eight other Outer senshi then approached, and remained standing. They were used to it. "So… uh… what's this all about?"
"It's about Usagi-chan." Gohan bit his lip. "Y'know, given time I think I could fall in love with her…" Pluto raised an eyebrow but nodded, understanding. The Queen had always had that gift. "I know… anyone who knows her long enough usually does… anyone male that is." Endymion coughed and Pluto smiled at the King. "Which is why you are so absurdly jealous of every male servant in the castle, Majesty." Endymion turned away, barely managing a smile. Chibi-Usa sniffed. "I want my mommy."
"Who's the kid's mom?"
"The girl in question."
"Hold on… you don't mean USAGI?!" Gohan looked doubly shocked. That kid? Usagi's daughter? And she was sixteen, and the kid looked about nine, which would have made Usagi around seven at the time… it didn't work!
"From the future."
"Oh." It made absolutely no sense at all, but hey, if they were stuck in the Twilight Zone, what else could he do? "I see."
"GOHAN! HELP ME OUT HERE!!" yelled Trunks, probably being crushed under the Inner senshi pileup. Minako was perfectly fine in simply sitting there. Despite the cute guy meters away, she preferred to work on her own healing abilities.
"We need to ask you something as the… er… prince is a little… beside himself at the moment." Indeed, Mamoru-san was still sitting there where Usagi's body had been… before it had been sucked away by some portal from the Negaverse. He was the most morose, being firstly completely head over heels in love with the woman, and secondly, being able to do absolutely nothing to keep even her body safe from the Negaverse. He was now in the "depths of despair" as Anne [2] would say.
"Yeah uh, sure. There was this redhead Queen lady… Queen Bee or something like that…"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on there… Queen BERYL?! The psychotic queen that Usagi-chan already kicked her Negaverse behind? THAT Queen Beryl?"
"Well she was certainly psychotic… whether she got her ass kicked or not I don't know." Minako's head literally fell into her hands. "This is not happening, this is not happening, I'm just going to wake up and everything will be back to normal…"
"GOHAN!"
"All right, all right. GIRLS!" yelled Minako, with her very loud, very high-pitched (admit it) voice. "GET OFF THE HOT GUY AND GET OVER HERE! BITCH QUEEN BERYL'S BACK AND WE'LL NEED TO BUST THAT REDHEAD'S PLAN BEFORE SHE KILLS US ALL!"
It took two seconds for all of them to assemble and Trunks to be singularly hugged by a victorious Venus. Then, she dragged him towards the meeting, Trunks plowing through the dirt like a worm.
"Now what the hell was that all about Beryl?" asked Rei smoothing her hair (and eyeing the new split ends with narrowed eyes), "You nearly scared us all with that gathering technique."
"TECHNIQUE?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! Beryl is BACK!!!" Two seconds later, a loud commotion filled with questions, attempted answers, "SHUT UP!" 's, and other vocal messages of the sort. Pluto stayed silent, and if she had had a cup of tea handy, she would have sipped it serenely. It was not her place to get caught up in these things.
~*~*~*~
"Merelu? What is wrong little one?" The little cat almost jumped several feet in the air when she turned to face Naria. "Nothing…"
"You're worried about your friends."
"Yes… I don't want to fight them."
"We'll take care of them. Don't sully your claws with blood of those who trust you." replied Naria.
"Sister!" exclaimed Aeria shocked, "Why shouldn't she fight? She is loyal to us and Lord Folken now… she has to follow orders!"
"She has friends there… and I do not want her to be forever ashamed of killing those who trust in her."
Aeria muttered something under her breath but sighed. "You are right… quite right." She murmured in an entirely different town. She crouched down beside Merelu. "Don't worry little kitten, everything will resolve itself soon."
"Van! Rei-san!" the cloaked figure running towards them surprised them for a moment. The other appeared just behind the first panting, and found a ball of fire awaiting them in the palm of one hand, and a sword, unsheathed in the other's.
Alan pulled off the hood of the cloak. "It's me."
"And me!" added Millerna, pulling off her own and shaking her hair out. "This thing's itchy."
Rei looked rather concerned… "Where's Hitomi?" She would wonder about this new girl later. Alan looked rather shocked. "You mean… you mean she's not with you two?!" he looked almost panicked and Millerna sighed, as any memory of her would've vanished from his mind at the mention of, even as a fresh wave of panic swept over her… it was a big fortress, Hitomi could be anywhere!
"She's right here, Lord Van." A soft mewl came from behind the red-shirted youth and he whirled in amazement to see Merelu, not the same little cat he'd known all his life, but a cat swathed in white, making her movements seem even less effortless than before. She looked like… "like the Fortified Luck Soldiers." finished Hitomi for him, appearing from behind her. He was amazed to realize that for some strange reason, in a matter of days, Merelu had topped Hitomi in height.
"What are you… what are you…"
"Going anywhere I please? To bring Hitomi back… and that's it." she swiftly turned and began running, and he noticed many more long leaps than short pounces in her gait than she used to. "MERELU!" he yelled, forgetting where he was for a moment and already beginning to run after her when Alan's iron grip enclosed around his arm, jerking him into an abrupt stop.
"What are you doing?!"
"Let her go Van, she has her own decision to make. Don't be so selfish or that foolish!" the younger man, no the boy, looked up in a rage. "You think I'm selfish and foolish if I don't want to keep Merelu safe from that MONSTER?!"
"She has not been harmed in any way, Van, and you can see it!"
"You don't know that! I won't believe for one second that was Merelu! It was probably one of those Luck soldiers! They're cats too!" Rei raised an eyebrow at his babbling excuses and looked towards Hitomi. Despite herself, she rolled her eyes. Rei smiled shortly before walking towards Van, stopping a little way away from him and looked him directly as he continue to spout reasons that couldn't be Merelu.
Delicately, she raised a gloved hand, her slim hand held in the air as if almost to caress his face and he stopped, wondering what on Gaia she was doing. Then with a dainty flick of her wrist…
*SHMACK*
"HEY! What in the name of Atlantis was that for?!" he yelled, rubbing his cheek which was already turning red. For a flick of a wrist, that hurt.
"That was to bring you back to your senses." She replied grinning and Hitomi smothered a giggle. Van, with his bruised pride reacted the same as any male… he got mad. "Don't lecture me! I've got to find Merelu!" Rei sighed… this was going nowhere.
"All of you, get your butts back to the Crusade ship, I'll take care of him." By this time, she was forcefully holding back the young man from charging after the cat girl. "What are you going to do?" asked Millerna, half-curious, half-alarmed.
"I'm going to follow you guys, and drag him along… don't worry, I'll beat you in this race." She grinned and make a shooing motion with one hand while gripping Van with the other. "Oh no you don't lover boy, I'm going to make you pay for that kiss… don't sample unless you're willing to buy."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed everyone present. Hitomi especially had a rather strangled look on her face before Rei laughed. "When I find out who made that fate changing machine, they're going to have hell to pay."
"You mean…" Rei looked at everyone with a raised eyebrow. "So it hit hard last time huh? Well, they'd better get their bearings and their planets straight 'cause I'm no Earth chick." She grinned and shooed them off before releasing one iron grip on Van to hold up her hand. When Van saw the bright red light coming from her, he would've yelled in shock had the guards that appeared 'round the corners not done that for him. Mars turned just in time to see them, "Sorry boys, this plane's already lifting off… see ya!" then they were gone. And the guards stood there for a few seconds blinking in shock. Then they turned and ran yelling things along the lines of, "It's the curse of the Mystic Moon!"
"SORCERESS!"
"A WITCH!"
"They disappeared!"
"A meat bun!" [3] And such of the sort.
Van had the curious sensation of floating in a bubble of warm fire… not hot, not scorching, but soothingly warm. In a few seconds, it was over, and he landed, rather unceremoniously on his ass on a very hard floor. "OW!"
"Sorry about that… I'm a little rough on the landings," came the tired voice from a red-suited senshi that had flopped into a chair close to him. He found, when he turned to look at her that she was looking rather drawn and faint. She noticed the question in his eyes and smiled a little, tired smile. "I'm not used to doing that by myself… I'm a little tired." The anger flared up again in Van, "You'd better be tired because you did all that for nothing! I'm going back in there!" Rei sighed, "I don't want to scorch poor Alan's floor so…" She held up an ofuda to her forehead and closed her eyes and as it suddenly straightened of its own accord, her eyes snapped open. And with an "AKURYOU TAISAN!" the slip of paper landed on the back his head. He was paralyzed in a rather uncomfortable position with one foot on the ground, and the other pulled back, stopping him in mid-dash.
So when the rest of them appeared in the doorway and the ship was making its hasty getaway, they entered to see a frozen Van who had been gagged. (Because the paralysis didn't extend to those of the cheek muscles or the vocal chords, and he had a rather… colorful vocabulary.)
"Um… Van?" asked Hitomi tentatively, poking him inducing a muffled noise to emit from him. "Why is he all… frozen and everything?"
"I didn't want the birdie to fly the coop." returned Rei, as Millerna began examining him from all sides with what she considered a "medical breakthrough" and if not, it soon would be.
Hesitantly, Hitomi removed the gag from Van's mouth and he exploded. "What the hell is wrong with you people?! You have NO honor! Merelu is trapped in that fortress with my coward of a brother, and you run away!" if he could've moved and run towards the nearest open window, he would've.
But he couldn't and Hitomi contemplated replacing the gag. Rei caught the look and smiled, as did Millerna. Rei gestured, still rather drained. "Hitomi, would you do the honors?" Hitomi smiled… she knew how pig-headed the young King could be… she'd seen more than enough of that side of him back on Earth. "Sure…"
"Good. Oh, and we won't take offense to any shouting… or any other sounds in there, okay?" Rei winked and Hitomi felt her face turn red, lowering her head, so that her bangs hid her face. Rei grinned, "Good! Now… I'll uh, get up and help you drag him if that's what you want…"
"Can we just… unfreeze him?"
"Won't he run away?"
"I don't think so…"
"Will he fly away?"
"Maybe…" she admitted and Van seethed. They were talking about him as if he wasn't even there!
Alan sighed… this was getting nowhere. "I'll help. You can rest a little more." He told Rei and she looked rather thankful as she sank back into the chair. As Millerna approached, she gave the princess a weak smile. "Remind me never to try that on my own again."
"You'll probably remember that all on your own." The princess of Asturia flopped down on the ground and disposed of the itchy brown robe that she'd had to endure throughout their escapades in the fortress.
"So… I've been wondering about something… who are you, really?" asked Millerna. She of course, hadn't been present when Rei had introduced herself, and she'd been quite shocked when she'd noticed a new girl with a skirt even short than Hitomi's.
"My name is Hino Rei… another girl from Earth-um… the Mystic Moon." she curled her lip at the thought of the beautiful blue planet that she'd come to live on being compared to like a simple satellite…
"But you have… you have… power. Power perhaps greater than Hitomi's!"
"Um… I was already like this when I was on Earth… not since birth of course, but since I met my leader."
"Leader?"
"A soldier for peace. And a princess with immeasurable power."
Rei sighed, "I wonder when I'll get to see them again… who are you by the way?"
"Me? I'm Millerna, a princess that is too tomboyish for her own good." she frowned as she realized that, now that she was free, she would be shipped back to Asturia as fast as possible. Again. "You have no idea how much I envy Hitomi, being around Alan all the time." Her face was wistful and rather dreamy.
"Are you the one who's married?"
Millerna's eyes suddenly blurred with tears at the image that appeared in her mind. Her husband, protecting her, killed by a shoulder, being dragged away with no medical attention…
"Maybe not anymore…" she whispered and Rei silently pitied her. "Do you know for sure?"
"No…"
"Why not ask Hitomi?" Millerna sighed, "Because the last time I asked her to do that, she blamed herself for a catastrophe." Rei grimaced, "Yeah, I can see where that would lead to… she's like me, we take too much on our own shoulders."
"I think so."
"I can show you something though…"
"Hmm?"
"We can scan for his soul… I think I can do that, at least. It won't be as easy as Hitomi's card reading, but we can try…"
"How?"
"I'm psychic… and if I drag you along for the ride, we might find him. I have no idea how his psyche feels like."
"How am I supposed to know?"
"Well… you've known him a lot haven't you?"
"Yes…"
"Well then, what feeling do you sense whenever he's near?"
Millerna looked rather thoughtful, "A rock lying in the warm sun… someone I can depend on I think." Rei grinned, "There, perfect! Now let's go…" she grasped Millerna's hand and held her hand up into empty air. To the two of them, it was like a vortex of absolute nothingness and Rei had to struggle against the forces of Chaos to find the right path. Within seconds, they were through and walking a path, marking by red gossamer threads attached to Millerna. "What in the world?" she gasped staring at them, reaching to touch them.
"You should feel which ones they are attached to…" Rei stopped as she noticed a thread that had been severed and was currently floating in the air. "Oh no…" she whispered, positive she knew who it was.
Millerna paled and grasped it, her astral body reeling in shock as a gruesome scene flashed in front of her, and she shuddered despite herself at her husband's repeated wishes that she be happy, that she be safe. And despite herself, she screamed, "DRYDEN!" Her scream echoed through the cosmos and the entire universe that they were in shuddered at her grief. She had not known how much she had really cared for him until then. Rei placed a consoling hand on the woman's shoulder as the tears that had been threatening to spill, did.
In a moment, they were back in the Crusade, floating in the middle of some grotto again, and MIllerna collapsed at Rei's feet, sobbing into her lap. Rei looked rather uncomfortable, but for only a moment, a feeling akin to the friendship between herself and the princess of the moon settled on her and she stroked Millerna's hair, trying to at least ease the pain. And that was how Alan found them when he reentered the room, stopping in shock at the sight.
Hitomi was having a slightly harder time as she tried to reason with Van. Brought to his room, she had removed the ofuda from the back of his head and was now physically holding him back from the window. Only the fact that he didn't want to hurt the girl kept him from struggling to violently against her, as the anger slowly drained from him and he collapsed onto the bed.
Hitomi sighed, standing over the bed, "Stop it now." She told him sternly, "you don't look half as cute when you're sulking." She blinked and slapped a hand on her mouth as soon as the words exited her traitorous mouth, and her cheeks turned red. Van immediately stopped struggling. "What?" he asked in a rather amazed voice.
Hitomi hesitated for a moment before going for it. Rei's appearance had affected her own attitude as well. "You heard me."
"I…"
"Now listen, if Merelu decided that she wants to stay there… would you move heaven and hell to drag her back? Because you'll destroy her if you do that Van, please don't." her eyes were welling up with tears again and she brushed them away furious at herself for crying all the time. "H-Hitomi…" he looked awed at her sudden outburst.
"What?" she sniffled, "You must've known that."
"Hitomi…" suddenly, she found herself crushed against his chest, his lips on hers, and his arms around her waist. Her eyes widened, before, as he continued kissing her, they felt heavier than anything, and she let them close as her own hands reached up to his neck to find a hold on him. She had no idea where this had come from… but it sure as hell felt right!
There was no more conversation from that corner of the room, but a variety of other sounds that accompany a pair making out.
It was the next morning already. Millerna had been in a terrible state and only the combined forces of Rei and Alan could help her to her bed. Alan had looked rather shocked at the news of Dryden's death, and he had to 'think' somewhere on the ship… slicing open blocks of wood to take out his anger, was more like it. Rei had helped Millerna undress, handing her a nightgown from Hitomi's store (that duffel bag she'd brought held a lot more than it looked) and helped her into it. Rei remembered smiling, "It's all right… I'm sure it'll be better in the morning." Millerna had nodded rather bleakly and turned away from her, trying at least to hide her tearstained face from a friend.
Well, it was morning, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, and Rei woke to find it closer to a pit in Hell rather than the paradise it was. "Iiiiiiieeeeeeeee!!!!" her shriek could be heard throughout the entire Crusade as people rushed to the door to see what was the matter. They found her floating in the air, a glow of red aura spilling from her as a feeling of absolute desolation filled her. "USAGI-CHAN!" No… it just couldn't be… the red glow faded and she dropped like a stone towards the floor, her eyes rather lifeless with despair.
A few inches away from the ground, Alan's arms closed around her and set her own her feet, steadying her as much as he could. It couldn't be true… it just couldn't. Usagi couldn't die… it was impossible! She was their princess! But Pluto was coming for her… how she did not know, and she had to be ready. Was it possible to bring her back? She would sacrifice everything for that girl to be alive again. She wrenched out the small communicator she'd been given and pressing several buttons (to the amazement of the crowd that she was vehemently ignoring) the static disappeared to be replaced by a small image of Setsuna. "What the hell happened?!" she yelled, anger overcoming the sorrow. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!"
"She tried to battle Queen Beryl again by herself… and she killed her. Beryl killed her." Setsuna looked still too much in shock to be able to say much more.
"HOW DARE YOU! You people were supposed to protect her while I'm stuck here! You were supposed to keep her safe!" Setsuna looked pained, even though she knew the heated words were nothing more than Rei's attempt to ease her own pain.
"The princess is dead, Rei. And the only way we can bring her back is to find her soul and restore her. That means we have to delve into the Crystal created of magic far beyond our time, and find her. There is only a slim chance that we can ever find her, and return safely. Beryl will try everything she can to stop us, and with her armies of demons…"
Rei breathed outwards as she finally said slowly, "Gather all the senshi and attend to their injuries, heal them as much as possible, and gather the warriors that can help us… all who might be able to kill those youma. Then come and get me if possible."
Setsuna nodded curtly and signed off, as Rei turned off the fuzzy screen. "Well, I'm going." She told the crowd, which she finally acknowledged. "The only person I ever need to fight for is dead, and in a last battle, we will all either die, or we somehow find her and bring her back. I guess… I'll be saying good-bye soon enough… I've bothered you all too much as it is."
"Is there any way we can come with you?" asked a rather soft voice from the doorway. They all turned to see Millerna standing at the door, leaning against the doorjamb. "You? You want to come?" asked Rei, amazed. "What can you do?"
"You said your friends are injured… someone has to help them… why not me?"
"But princess!" interjected Alan. "You can't go to different worlds and battlefields! You'll be killed!"
"Such faith you have in me," snapped Millerna, and Alan literally backed up a step from her. He'd never known her to get angry like that. Rei bit her lip, "I'll address the question to everyone. Do you want to come and save the world?" The question was quite true… the affects of Usagi's death would penetrate the core of every delicate world built into the cosmos. She was too important to die there, to die then.
It was surprisingly Hitomi who spoke up, "If there's anything you think I can do, Rei, I'll be happy to come and do it." Van, looking as if to say otherwise to Hitomi's offer sighed and said, "I'll come too."
"I will come." It was Alan, and the rest of his crew roared their agreement.
"Yeah! Who wouldn't give up a chance to see another world!" and such and such. [4] Soon enough, all were assembled, and when Pluto appeared, in a cloud of pink, she found herself staring at not only a red-suited senshi, but a crew of people, and two large, hulking machines. "What in the world?" she gasped, staring at them all.
"They're coming with us." Mars told the older soldier firmly, "They want to help." Pluto nodded slowly and joined her hands with Mars'.
"PLUTO ETERNAL POWER!"
"MARS POWER!" an explosion of both red and dark violet exploded into the air from their bodies and encompassed the entire crowd of people. The small Time Key, previously used by Small Lady herself, floating in the circle their arms made. With a roar, the pink clouds appeared again, and they all floated into it, heading for the dimension gap between this world, and the one next to it. The one where Usagi had died at the hands of Queen Beryl, and where the warriors waiting to destroy that evil queen for good were assembled. A fallen Lunarian princess would rise again there, they hoped and wished, and clung to what seemed impossible. But perhaps… a miracle might happen.
~*~*~*~
[1]= This is what Usagi once called Rei in real life… Of course, this particular episode was never filmed because Naoko refused to let her character receive such a title as a 'potty mouth'. Therefore, no mention of this in the manga or anime was ever made… till now. (fictional, fictional… We all know Rei can fly off the handle… being a bloodthirsty lunatic isn't too far down her alley. ;))
[2]= Anne as in Anne of Green Gables.
[3]= Cardcaptor Sakura, the one with the Illusion card… and Tomoyo's version of it. I couldn't resist!
[4]= I resisted it this time! Yes I did! Be proud people, be proud!
End of Chapter. Hey, one more left till the end! I'm thankful actually, this fic was starting to drag along behind the rest of the ones I'm working on. I've got six fics I'm working on, all at one time. Bit off more than I can chew? Yeah, probably. REVIEW ME!
