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May 26, XA0029
Six o'clock. He
had been waiting for forty-five minutes.
Akao Satoru leaned against the velvet-cushioned chair, tapping his foot
impatiently. 'That red-haired witch,' he thought to himself mirthlessly,
his frown growing darker by the minute, 'Where is she?'
Satoru was beginning to have doubts about Hiromi's message. To be sure,
the handwritten letter certainly matched the redhead's penmanship, and
it certainly sounded her usual hostile way. And who else would dare
to make an officer of his rank wait for forty-five minutes as if she
were Queen Beryl herself?
Just then, the sharp clicking sound of high-heels against the cold marble
floor was heard echoing through the halls. Satoru recognized it as Hiromi,
and stood up slowly, the deep frown never leaving his handsome face.
Out of the dimly lit hallway came the tall, slender figure of the beautiful
redhead. Dressed in her laboratory gown, and a sophisticated pair of
rectangular eyeglasses perched daintily on her nose, she strolled casually
towards Satoru. Her sensuous, blood-red lips parted into a smirk as
she caught Satoru's dark expression.
"Why Satoru, it's been a long time," she greeted him, defiantly
ignoring the fact that he was a high-ranking officer and chief of the
operations.
"Not long enough for me, Hiromi," Satoru coldly replied, addressing
her the same way she did him, plainly by her first name.
"I can see you haven't changed at all," she remarked, rolling
her eyes. And he hadn't. He was still the exasperating, arrogant man
she had known long ago. And just as achingly handsome as ever, she thought,
as she took note of the tanned face, the long, silver locks, the perfectly
sculpted features, and of course, the unforgettable icy gray orbs.
"I guess you still like what you see," he drawled out, making
Hiromi instantly realize that her 'subtle' scrutiny did not go unnoticed.
This caused her to flush angrily.
"Baka!" she snapped. "Don't be ridiculous!"
He laughed aloud. "You haven't changed, either. Your hair's still
as red as carrots!"
"And you're still childish!" she shot back. "I don't
know how they put up with you!"
He tilted his head back and gave her a wry grin. "Now, Hiromi,
is that the way to talk to your commander?"
"Commander my foot! You may be chief of operations, but I'm still
head of the underground laboratory. I handle access to the factories,
and file all important research documents you can never get your hands
on unless I, or the queen herself says so." She arched a brow.
"In other words, you won't get anywhere without me."
After saying her piece, she turned her back to him abruptly, and gestured
for him to follow. But Satoru was not to be sidetracked, and walked
along beside her, saying, "I guess I should be seeing you more
often, then?"
"Wha--? Oh, no. No way. Absolutely not! Unauthorized persons are
not allowed inside the--"
"You're right, but I'm not an unauthorized person. Need I remind
you that, Hiromi?"
Hiromi's jaw snapped shut, her scarlet eyes flashing. "Very well,
Sir Akao," she said, ennunciating each word. "Point taken.
But if you so dare to make a mess in my domain" she pointed a finger
at his chest "you'll really get it from it me!"
"Heck, Hiromi! What are you so worried about? You're acting like
a child!"
At this, Hiromi mumbled something under her breath; quite inaudible,
although Satoru had already guessed what it was, and tried to feign
ignorance.
"What was that?" He queried, smiling sardonically.
"Nothing," she muttered. "Let's just go. Her Majesty
is waiting."
At the mention of the queen, Satoru sobered instantly. He had never
been summoned to do an important and specific mission by Queen Beryl
before, and he was quite honored, to say in the least. Hiromi smiled
smugly to herself, pleased that Satoru had silenced effectively. Was
it nervousness? Could be, but somehow, it was difficult imagining the
calm and confident Akao Satoru having the jitters.
As they continued walking through the hallway, the lavish furnishings
and elegantly painted walls disapeared. Only the gloss of the smooth,
bejeweled floor and faint, scattered lights, which resembled stars,
were seen.
The throne room was massive, and darkly beautiful. Mists of dark crimson
and violet glittered within its expanse. A strong and forceful aura
enveloped the entire area, and the light, yet strangely heady scent
of dark crystals filled their nostrils as Satoru and Hiromi walked further
on to face the Queen of the Dark Kingdom herself.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Sugoi!"
"Kirei..."
The sketches in charcoal were truly the work of a talented artist. Each
line and detail was well defined. The delicate features were penciled
in light, feathery strokes, that it would seem as if a
brush was used instead. The sharper details were drawn finely. Rei glanced
at the bottom of each artwork. They were all signed "Kenji",
with a date just below the name.
"You were right, Mako-chan," she said. "Miyamoto-san
is very talented. These works of his are wonderful!"
"I know," Makoto nodded.
Minako, who was peering behind Rei's shoulder, agreed as well. "I
have never seen more beautiful sketches! Don't you think so, Ami-chan?"
"Yes, he is undoubtedly talented," Ami replied, browsing through
the sheets Rei handed her. "Are these all?"
Makoto shook her head. "No. Those are only a few. You have to see
the others, they're really quite excellent."
Rei held one of the sketches in her hand. It was the one which had caught
her eye immediately, arousing her curiousity because it had seem different
from the other pieces. It was a picture of a
young woman, looking over her shoulder, as if calling to someone, her
eyes sad. There was something intriguing about that particular sketch.
"Wow," Minako exclaimed once again. "I think I like that
one best."
Rei glanced sideways at Minako. "Huh?"
"I think I like that one the best," Minako repeated, gesturing
to the sketch Rei was holding. "It's beautiful." She looked
thoughtful for a moment, before saying, "There's something about
it...I just can't find the words for it."
Rei nodded, for she understood quite well. "It's a hauntingly lovely
picture, isn't it?"
"Hauntingly lovely...yes, I think that describes it perfectly."
Minako leaned in closer to scrutinize. "I think it's in her eyes."
Makoto and Ami huddled closer to the other two girls to see what it
was that had held their interest so. Ami's eyes widened as they set
on the piece of art in her friend's hand.
"It's amazing how Miyamoto-san had captured such facial expression,"
she remarked in awe. "One can feel the girl's emotions and thoughts,
just by looking at her..."
Makoto took a closer look, before she realized that the young woman
on the sketch looked familiar. "Do you think she's Miyamoto-san's
girlfriend?"
"What do you mean?!?" the girls chorused, not really comprehending
their friend's words.
"That girl. She's also in some of his other works. I saw them myself.
Do you think she's his girlfriend?"
Minako eyed the woman on the picture once again. The woman looked young
and pretty, so it was possible. "It could be his sister,"
she said, shrugging. "Why don't you ask him?"
"Speaking of which," Ami quipped in, turning to Makoto, "Where
is Mister Miyamoto, anyway?"
"I don't know," Makoto shrugged. "I think I heard him
asking permission
from Kunzite to take off down town, for more supplies or something like
that."
"That reminds me," Minako suddenly said, moving off from the
bed to gather some parcels cluttering the bureau. She and Makoto had
been down the town to stock up as well, picking up things the girls
would need for the trip.
Standing by the side of the bed, she informed her friends with a grin,
"Mako-chan and I did a little extra shopping while we were there!"
"What do you mean?" Ami asked.
Chuckling, Makoto answered, as Minako shook the contents out of the
wrapping, "Oh, just a couple of new suits and garments..."
Shrugging, she added, "Hey, who am I to stop 'Hurricane Minako'?"
That remark earned her a sour look from the blonde girl. "Laugh
if you want, Mako-chan, but you know you'll have to wear one of these
sooner or later!"
Makoto merely shrugged in response, and admitted, "I don't think
they're bad..."
"Come on," Rei impatiently interrupted. "Let me see those!"
Makoto plopped back on the bed and sighed, as the rest of her friends
rumaged through the packages. She thought about the way things were
going for the inner senshi.
Everything had seemed so fast for them...one could easily see it with
the way they were "prepared". Not much formal plans were made,
and minor details such as clothing and the like were ignored in haste.
Even then, they hadn't forgotten what was most important, and it was
all they needed to survive on Earth...
"Ami-chan?"
"Hmm?" Ami distractedly looked up from her computer as she
heard her name. "What is it, Minako-chan?"
Minako walked towards her and peered over her shoulder. "Have you
already tried contacting Artemis?"
The blue-haired girl nodded in reply. "See here," she pointed
to the screen. "He's nowhere on the P065 tracer. He must've left
already."
"Do you think he got our previous message?"
"I don't know for sure, since he hasn't replied yet." Taking
off her glasses, she looked up once again at Minako. "What do you
think is best?"
Minako chewed on her lip for a moment, before she replied. "We
can't really do anything but wait. What about Luna?"
"Can't get a clear connection over here, so I haven't heard from
her as well."
"Damn. About how long do you think will it take us to reach Leon
Capital?"
"Depends on how we fare at the mountains. On my own opinion, though,
I don't think we'll be staying long if everything turns out alright.
Maybe about two days..."
Minako nodded. "I think so, too. That is *if* everything does turn
out right."
Ami merely shook her head and sighed. "Let's just hope for the
best."
Turning back to bed, Minako mumbled under her breath, "Seems to
me like it's the only thing we ever do these days..."
* * * * * * * * * *
"...that is
all, my lord."
After hearing the young man's report, Satoru straightened up on his
seat. For a moment, he remained silent, his knitted brows an indication
that he was in deep thought. The young man remained partly hidden in
the shadows of the dank room, waiting for his lord to comment.
Finally, Satoru spoke. "In Mikazuki? The mountains?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Are you sure that's all? Weren't you able to gather more information?"
Unseen in the shadows, the young man's eyes narrowed slightly as he
replied, "No, my lord."
Satoru let out a frustrated sigh. "What about the women?"
"The generals and the ladies keep their affairs extremely private,
and I was not able to pry more information. But General Kunzite was
said to have mentioned escorting the women to the Leons' and Granders'
kingdoms to arrange matters and negotiations concerning the bordered
lands."
"Bordered lands..." Satoru echoed. 'I'm not buying any of
it,' he thought to himself. 'It is unlikely of them to abandon their
mission just like that. What exactly are they up to?'
"Did they mention anything about the prince?"
"Nothing, my lord."
'Perhaps they're not involved, then. But I can't be too hasty. All things
are possible.' Satoru stood up. "You are dismissed. But I won't
be so tolerant next time. I want more information, is that
understood?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Good."
* * * * * * * * * *
Mikazuki Mountain,
May 29, XA0029
Kunzite looked
at his surroundings with a wary eye, especially taking note of the formidable-looking
mass of rocks blocking the cavern's entrance. The men were a already
bit worn out from the climbing and dashing in and out of the thick forest,
and now they had to dispose of these large boulders.
It was fortunate that they had decided to leave so early in the morning.
It was nearing noon, and reaching the cavern's entrance was so far the
only thing they have accomplished.
"Kunzite?"
The silver-haired general turned around at the sweet-sounding voice
which had called out to him. He was not at all surprised to see the
Lady Aino approaching, her lips parted in a brilliant smile, as always.
He then watched as she came nearer, and at the back of his mind, he
marvelled
at how she still appeared so gloriously beautiful and full of energy,
after all that they've been through this morning.
He was still confused by the strange effect this woman had on him. It
was riduculous to think that she had invaded his thoughts, his mind--yet
it was exactly what was happening. It was not so often, but it still
occurred enough times ever since she came to be under his charge that
it couldn't have gone unnoticed. Even her very presence was disturbing
him--not in an unpleasant way, exactly--but he couldn't understand why
it was so.
Minako smiled up at him, unaware of the slight turbulence she was causing
in the handsome general's mind. Kunzite returned her smile with a tight
one, not really surprising her.
"Hey, come on! We'd better get going or else we'd be spending the
night here." She looked up at him expectantly.
Kunzite looked at her bemusedly for a moment, looking at the barred
entrance, then shifting his gaze back to her.
Minako chuckled, and then explained. "Ami-chan found a tiny path
hidden beneath a pile of shrubs. We'd be able to get through from there."
Then with another chuckle as she pointed towards the entrance, she added,
"It won't be easy, but it's better than that."
For a moment, he wondered how they had come about the hidden path. Then
he remembered about Ami and her super-computer. He shook his head in
amazement.
"Well, come on!" Minako exclaimed impatiently. She took hold
of his arm, leading the way.
Kunzite was vaguely aware of what she was talking about, the moment
she clasped onto his arm. The simple gesture had him so surprised that
he momentarily forgot what he was supposed to say. He stared at her
oddly, unaware that he was doing so, but fortunately, she did not notice.
Then he remembered what he was going to ask her earlier.
"What about the rest of the men? We'll have a hard time squeezing
them all through this tiny pathway you're telling me about."
Minako paused in her tracks, and turned to look at him, her eyes serious.
"Kunzite, they can't come with us."
He looked at her, the puzzled look on his face unmistakable, so she
hastened to explain again. "It's too risky, and they won't be of
any help to us, trust me." Then in a much softer voice, "We
have to keep them strictly out of this."
To her relief, his expression read that he apparently understood. "You're
right," he finally said, his expression grim. "They wouldn't
understand. It would just complicate things, and we don't
need that."
She was thrown off guard as she saw the evident change in his demeanor.
Well sure, he wasn't exactly Mister Cheerful, but then the abrupt change
to his other self--the one who was entirely too serious and always deep
in thought--managed to surprise her. Still, she masked her slightly
surprised expression, and tugged lightly at the his hand...which she
realized she was still holding. Blushing a little, she reminded him,
"Let's go."
The clearing seemed
to go on forever. An hour and a half had already passed, and they were
still unsuccesful. Zoicite hadn't expected the cavern to be like this,
so hopelessly monstrous and with endless opposite pathways at every
turn. Fortunately, even though it was well-hidden from sunlight, there
was enough light from the glowing moss that had spread throughout the
walls. That had helped keeping them from getting lost, aside from the
lanterns Kunzite (who was walking ahead with Minako) and Nephrite (trailing
behind all of them, with Makoto) were holding. He struggled to contain
his frustration, and wondered how the rest of the generals were managing
it, when he, the least temperamental of them all, was beginning to run
out of patience.
So he asked the Lady Mizuno, whose head was bent over the tiny gadget
in her palm, if she would happen to know where they were now exactly.
In response, she shook her head forlornly. "I've been trying, Zoicite,"
she answered him. "But when I attempted to map out the area, the
monitor went blank. I tried again a few times afterward, but so far
I haven't picked out information that would help us find the crystal."
At this, she let out a small, frustrated sigh. Zoicite found himself
comforting her despite his own frustration. "Don't worry, Ami.
I'm sure we'll find our way."
Ami nodded slowly to thank him him for his assurance. Then she tried
to keep the weariness out of her voice, as she called out to her raven-haired
friend.
"Rei-chan, have you found out anything?"
She felt that Rei would be more succesful than her computer. After all,
Rei was gifted with many things, and one of them was being able to sense
the presence of evil, or the aura of danger. She could only hope.
For a moment, Rei remained silent. She continued to study her surroundings
more closely, before she paused in her tracks, and closed her eyes.
"There is something," she finally said. Opening her eyes slowly,
she continued, "I've been feeling something similar when we turned
left at the fork before, but now it's stronger. I'm not sure what it
is." She walked a few paces forward, before glancing back at the
others. "Look," she called out. "Can you see that tiny
glow ahead? That must be it!"
Jadeite squinted, in attempt to see better. "I don't see anything."
"Let's just find out for ourselves," Kunzite said, as he trailed
behind the blonde-haired girl who had already followed Rei.
Rei had already quickened her steps, the moment her eyes lit upon the
small, bluish glow she spotted ahead. When she finally reached it at
the end of the clearing, she was amazed to see the bluish glow was from
a pattern etched on a large stone.
She did not glance at her back to see if the others had followed her
behind, but instead, she looked closely at the pattern on the stone.
It was in the shape of a star. And the lines that formed it emitted
a pale blue glow. There were more markings inside the star, but Rei
could not make it out.
"It's a star...how beautiful," she heard Minako murmur beside
her. Tentatively, Minako stretched her palm just above the star-pattern,
and was awestruck as a stronger light emerged from within the stone.
And what seemed like glittering blue dust, rose above the markings at
the center of
the star, as if blown by the wind. She gasped delightedly at the mystical
sight.
Just then, a cry echoed through the narrow tunnel from which they came
through. Minako, Rei, Ami, and the rest of the generals, except for
Nephrite, turned around to see what had happened.
"Mako-chan,"
Ami called out worriedly, when she saw her friend on her knees, face
grimaced in pain. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Makoto answered back, rubbing her ankle.
Something had caught her foot, and she stumbled because of it. She bent
down to inspect closely to find out what it was, and saw that it was
something like a thick vine sticking out from beneath the ground. She
heaved a sigh of relief. For a minute there she had thought that something
had grabbed her foot. She called out assuringly, loud enough for them
to hear, "My foot just got stuck on something, don't worry!"
She struggled to get her foot free from the thick cord of vine. 'Strange',
she thought to herself. 'My foot apparently got itself wrapped in it!'
She tugged harder on her leather boot, but to no avail.
Just then, she heard an exasperated sigh beside her. She glanced sideways
only to see Nephrite, kneeling down beside her, shaking his head. "That's
what you get for being so clumsy. Here, let me..." And so he tried
pulling away the vine, but when that didn't work, he figured they could
just get the leg out first, then the boot next.
"I don't think this is working," Makoto remarked after he
tried pulling again. "You have to pull it upwards...hey, what the--?"
"Now don't get any strange ideas," Nephrite scoffed, as his
arms encircled around her from behind so that he could manage a tighter
hold on her leg and pull it upwards. "I'm just helping you out
here."
She did not say anything else, and in fact, helped him do the task.
Ami, however, was wondering what was taking them so long, and so she
called out again. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes, Ami-chan, I'm perfectly fine! I'll be alright just as soon
as I...wha--?!"
That last syllable was the last thing they heard from both General Nephrite
and Makoto before a low rumble, then a loud crash quickly following
it, was heard. Panicked, the others ran to where the two had once been.
Dust had fogged out their visions, but when it cleared after a moment,
Makoto and Nephrite were no where in sight.
"Kami-sama!" Minako cried out frantically. "What happened?"
The three other generals had immediately set out to light the area where
the two had last been seen, kicking away the rubble that was left behind.
Just then, Rei motioned for them to stop. "Wait," she whispered
softly. She pressed her palm on the ground, and concentrated for a while.
"I...I don't think they were harmed." Then she looked up at
them expectantly. "I can feel their breathing. What do you think
should we do?"
"They are alright?" Kunzite asked. When Rei nodded, he heaved
a sigh of relief. "Then we must go on. I have faith in Nephrite.
If you're worried for Makoto, don't be. She's in good hands."
Zoicite chuckled. "Just don't let him know you think him incapable.
Otherwise, hell will break loose."
"Oh, it's not that. I'm not worried," Minako admitted. At
least not anymore now that she knew they were unharmed. Besides, Mako-chan,
of all people? With General Nephrite, too? She sighed. "But how
can we go on our way without them?"
"If I know Nephrite...and I do, I'd say he's searching for their
way right now, like what we're doing now," Jadeite answered her.
"I'd say they're just as lost as we are, but that doesn't mean
we all won't find what we're here for."
Ami was biting her lower lip, but she slowly nodded her agreement. "You're
right. No sense in wasting our time, when we all know they'll be alright.
Come on, we've got to hurry and maybe we'll meet them on the way!"
"But where are we to go? This is the end of the clearing...."
Minako said. "Wait a minute...you're not suggesting we go after
them and slide down, are you?"
"No, of course not! Besides, how would we manage that? But I meant..."
"Let's check out that star-pattern on the stone over there,"
Zoicite supplied helpfully. Something's bound to come up."
The six of them huddled around the mystic-looking star. When Rei reached
out to touch it, Jadeite stopped her.
"Wait," he said, taking hold of Rei's arm as he took a step
forward beside her. "Are you sure about this?"
She looked him in the eye, and whispered, "Positive. What else
do you suggest we do?"
But she didn't even wait for his answer. With her free arm, she reached
out to touch the surface of the stone. When her palm made contact with
the star-pattern on the center, it glowed brightly, filling the area
with blinding light. When the glow had subdued a little, Minako saw
Rei, with General Jadeite still holding on to her arm, and both of them
were slowly fading right before her eyes!
"Rei-chan!" she yelled. She immediately clasped onto her friend's
free arm which was barely visible now. Suddenly, she felt warm all over.
Then she realized, that she too, was fading along with them. In alarm,
she glanced at her back, eyes searching for Kunzite. And then she saw
him...
"Minako, no!" Kunzite leaped to her side, held her by the
waist and covered her head in a protective gesture. And by then...
When the area had
finally dimmed, Ami brought down her arm which had shielded her from
the bright flash of light. But there was no one around. Trying to calm
herself, she glanced at her back, and saw that General Zoicite looking
just as bewildered as she felt.
"What happened?" he asked hoarsely. He closed the distance
between them and then held her arm tightly, as if frightened to let
her go, lest something should happen to her.
"I'm not sure," she answered, surprised at the sound of her
own voice. She was visibly shaken. Glancing at the beautiful star-pattern
etched on the black stone, she looked up at Zoicite. "I...I have
reason to think that they...that they..."
"...teleportation?" Zoicite stared at the stone. Then he shifted
his gaze back to Ami.
She nodded, understanding what to do. He caught her hand in his, and
together they reached out to touch surface of the stone's center.
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