Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, but it's not for a lack of trying. ^.^;;
Oohhh....minna! I'm getting close to the end! I'm really proud of how "Umbroso Estrella" is turning out. ^_^ It's VERY different from what I normally write, though. *shrug* I usually don't write death and stuff, or not as much as has been in this. Ah, well, you can't stick with the same things over and over again or you won't grow as an artist, ne?
I wanted to say, though, that I probably wouldn't have gotten this far without so much
support from you guys who are reading this. *bows in gratitude* It's all your reviews and
encouragement that keep me writing, really.
And here I am back home again.
Mercury sighed sadly and looked around what had once been her- and her mother's- apartment. Now she could be almost certain that her mother was dead, and the apartment itself was practically useless....but it wasn't on the ground floor so it had escaped the worst of the firestorms and other related destruction; mostly, it appeared to have been though an earthquake. Most of the furniture was even still functional, and she knew she was lucky at that. She'd seen the mess most of the ground-floor homes had ended up in.
I should be thankful.
Feeling distinctly uncomfortable with being in her senshi form at her home- or, her former home- she quickly de-transformed. It didn't matter anymore, really....her mother wasn't around to discover her, so there was no danger.
Still....
Glancing around her at her possessions; books, childhood toys and photos- Ami reached down into the jumbled mess of belongings on the floor and pulled a worn wooden picture frame from under what had at one time been a medical textbook.
She, herself, stared back from under the glass. Smiling happily, with Minako on one side and Makoto on the other....Usagi and Rei were arguing in the background, probably about something trivial. The entire scene was a painful reminder of happier times. Times that were gone and could never be returned.
Minako was dead, Rei and Makoto were Tsumetai.
Things would never be the same again.
"Ami...." Taiki's hand came down on her shoulder, gently, and his eyes strayed over the photo she was holding. "You know everything will be alright."
"....alright....yes. I do believe that." Ami nodded, her voice betraying her sadness as she spoke to him. "I really do believe that we'll find a way through this, but....it will never be the same again, Taiki-san. Some of us are dead and...."
He waited for her to finish, and after a long moment of silence prompted; "and?"
Shaking her head lightly, the bluenette stepped away from him and set the frame carefully on what was left of the ruined coffee table. The picture was still special to her; it held memories of the things that had been.
Before the Oscuridad.
"Ami-?"
"Even if we manage to drive the Oscuridad away," she told him, walking to the shattered glass of the balcony doors and gazing out across the dead city. "Tokyo will still be gone, EVERYONE will still be gone."
"Hm." Taiki made a soft sound of agreement, following her to the balcony. "That's not all, though, is it?"
"....no....I'm worried...." Ami turned to look at him; "Minako-chan and Haruka-san are already gone....and if we were to destroy the Oscuridad....all of the others....Rei-chan and Mako-chan....Michiru-san, Setsuna-san and Mamoru-san....they've all become Tsumetai, they've all already died. It's only the Oscuridad that's keeping them alive, now...."
Understanding dawned on him then, and Taiki took a deep breath. "If we destroy the Oscuridad they will die as well."
A nod and Ami was silent for a long moment. The pain in her voice cut deeply into him when she spoke again, again turning from him to survey the blackened landscape that was laid out in front of her. "Usagi-chan, Hotaru-chan and I....we'll be all that's left...."
"And us." Taiki said softly.
"I-" she blinked in surprise and spun to face him again. "N-nani?"
"And us," he repeated carefully, gaging her reaction as he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. "We'll always be here, Ami; Yaten and Seiya and I. We may be from another planet, but we'll always be here for you. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course...."
"Then we will ALWAYS be here."
Ami managed a smile. "Doumo arigato." She sighed, then, and turned to look over at the photo she had set down, considering. "Minako would kick me for being so down, I think." She chuckled weakly. "There HAS to be a way to fix all of this, ne?"
Taiki nodded. "I'm sure there is."
"Hai....so let's get working."
"....." a short hesitation. "We're safe here, for the time being at least." He frowned, "and you're tired, I can see it in your eyes- emotionally AND physically. You know me, so you know I would never willingly tell you to put something so important aside, but....we should rest for a little while, while we are still safe here."
Ami couldn't stop herself from staring, "but-"
"You're TIRED, Ami, and I admit that I haven't dealt with this particular situation for as long as you have, but I'm tired as well. We both know that you can't work as well when you're exhausted." Taiki sighed, motioning to the circles under her eyes, "I don't mean to make light of this, but we have a better chance of coming up with the CORRECT solution if we rest first."
He's right....
Ami closed her eyes for a second. Hearing her condition from someone else had made her realize just HOW tired she really was....it was important to work quickly for an answer, but the logic behind Taiki's statements was all too obvious.
"Ami?"
"Hai." The bluenette nodded finally, "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am." Taiki chuckled, "so-?"
Raising her arm, Ami massaged the bridge of her nose and gestured vaguely with her other hand; "the bedrooms are in there....I don't know how bad off they are, though."
"Well, then. Shall we check?"
She wasn't sure she really wanted to KNOW, if she was honest with herself; did she want to look around the apartment? See the destruction that had once been her home? Ami was fairly sure she didn't want to....but then, she really had no choice. There was nowhere in the livingroom that could serve as a bad, after all....
....so she followed Taiki's tall frame down the hall.
The bedrooms, at it turned out, varied in their appearance. The room that had once been her mother's was in fairly good shape; but her mother hadn't kept very many things in her room in the first place, since she was away for most of the time. When they reached Ami's room, however, the bluenette was dismayed to discover that it was in a barely recognizable shambles.
I shouldn't have expected much else....
Stepping into the room, Ami sighed sadly as she surveyed the mess. Books were scattered, pages torn out and thrown about the room....the headboard of her once-comfortable bed was broken in two....the dresser had been knocked forward, sealing the drawers against the carpet. Windows were shattered and glass littered the floor....and photos that she had hung on her walls, or propped on end tables were broken, frames snapped.
"Gomen ne, Ami-san."
Shaking her head, Ami favored Taiki with a half-smile. "It's okay. I can't say that I'm surprised by this."
"Still-"
"It's fine, really." Waving away his concern, she turned toward the door again. "I suppose my mothers room is the best one."
"Agreed, and I think we should sleep in shifts," Taiki nodded, glancing down the hall before following her across the corridor and into the other bedroom. "You sleep first- you've been dealing with this longer than I." And when Ami looked uncertain, he paced over to stand by the window. "I'll keep watch for the Tsumetai, and you get some rest."
"Hai." Sitting down, Ami tried to make herself comfortable. "Arigato Taiki-san."
"Just Taiki is fine."
"Hm?" She blinked at him, surprised. "What was that?"
"You don't have to keep calling me 'Taiki-san'. You've known me long enough, and we're friends, so just Taiki is fine."
"Oh." Despite herself, Ami couldn't help being embarrassed at his words, and quickly closed her eyes as he went back to looking out the window. There had always been something about Taiki that she had found....attractive....but it certainly wasn't a good time for thoughts along those lines.... focus, Ami, she thought to herself, glancing back over toward Taiki, he only meant it in a friendly way....
"Oyasumi, Ami."
Starting, the girl forced down the flush that rose in her cheeks. "A-arigato...."
Taiki chuckled softly, his eyes still focused on the city beyond the broken glass. He didn't have to be looking at her to know that she was embarrassed, and even though that hadn't been his intent he had to find it mildly amusing; he had known for quite some time about Ami's- softer- feelings toward him.
And given HIS feelings toward HER....
I hope she'll be able to sleep, at least a little. She needs it.
He had to at least TRY to convince himself of the necessity of it. Mostly because he was slightly embarrassed HIMSELF....which was why his eyes were glued on the streets outside of the apartment.
Because she's sleeping only a handful of steps away. Sighing, he turned from the window and leaned against the wall. I'm more tired than I thought....this whole thing has been very draining on me. His eyes flicked toward Ami; her breathing had leveled out, and he had to assume she was asleep. If it's been hard on ME, I can only imagine what it's been like for her.
A few feet away, Ami mumbled something in her sleep, whimpering, and scrunched her eyes shut even more tightly than they had been. She was probably dreaming....and there was much for her to have nightmares about....
And Kami-sama help me, I just can't leave her like that....
Mentally cursing whatever-it-was inside himself that was telling him to do so, Taiki walked over and sat carefully on the free side of the bed (in full view of the window and the streets beyond), then gently rested a hand on Ami's side, steadying her in her sleep. After a minute or two the nearly-inaudible whimpers subsided and she returned to the depths of her dreams, this time calmly. It seemed that his somewhat nervous gesture of comfort was doing just what he had intended.
I'm glad.
Smiling softly at her sleeping form, he leaned against the headboard behind him and again turned his eyes to the outside world, though quite reluctantly; there was something peaceful and soothing about being where he was, and with Ami at that, that was helping to calm his soul....and looking back out into the devastation that was left of Tokyo just wrenched him back into the awful reality of the situation....
Deep violet eyes surveyed the street below.
There's nothing out there. Not now, anyway.
Another weary sigh, and he found his eyes closing despite himself....
In the long time of silence that followed Taiki's drifting off, no sounds came from the dead city outside; they were lucky in that respect. Had anything happened while both senshi were sleeping, they would have had no way to defend themselves....there would have been no reaction time....and the two of them would have been lost as well....
But there was nothing....
"Hmm...."
Ami woke feeling surprisingly warm and comfortable- given that the world had fallen into darkness- and for a brief moment her still-sleep-fogged mind entertained the notion that she had dreamed the entire thing....but as her eyes cracked open and flitted over the room, her heart sank back to it's previous position, deep in the shadows created by the Oscuridad.
And yet....she was still warm and comfortable....
Nani-?
Movement on the other side of the bed answered her mentally-asked question, and she blushed brightly when she realized that Taiki was the reason she was so warm....he was laying closely behind her, his arm draped loosely over her waist, and seemingly asleep. His breath tickled the back of her neck and her heart raced.
Oh my-
Having no idea how her current situation had come to be, Ami's mind raced....but, her nervousness aside, she had to FORCE herself to move, breaking his sleepy embrace. She was so comfortable....and so warm....and, though she didn't know Taiki's intentions and had to assume that- in his sleep- he didn't know what he was doing, she felt safe and loved....it had been so long since she'd felt any kind of internal peace....
But....I can't....
Moving slowly so as not to disturb him, the bluenette slipped out from under his arm and wandered to the window that she had THOUGHT he was going to stand watch by. There was nothing outside, still....dead trees and broken sidewalks....but-
Slight movement there....
Ami's eyes narrowed. What is that? A leaf....a tumbleweed...?
A flash of red....purple....black....
No! Gasping, Ami stepped back, hiding herself out of view of the window; Rei!
It wasn't just the senshi of Mars, either. The raven-haired Tsumetai was joined by Sailor Neptune of the sea, and both of them were walking purposefully toward the building Ami and Taiki were in. The Tsumetai knew they were in there. They KNEW....
Kami-sama! Please, give us one break! Please! Automatically calling her transformation pen, Ami whispered harshly to Taiki, trying to wake the sleeping Nagareboshi. "Taiki! Wake up! Taiki, it's the-"
"Hm? Nani-?" Waking with a start, Taiki sat up quickly, his eyes still only half-aware.
"The Tsumetai-"
"What?!"
The brunet was on his feet in an instant, Star Yell clutched in his hand, and strode toward the window; his gaze lit on the two former-senshi who were approaching from outside, and his eyes hardened. Next to him, Ami watched with concern....Rei and Michiru were terribly close to the apartment building....
"Upstairs," Taiki stated. "They're heading for the main entrance, and there's no doubt that they'll see us trying to leave....so we make a break for the roof. Since the power is out and the elevators don't work, we'll have more time to figure a plan while they're climbing the stairs after us."
"Hai!"
There were no words as they ran, dashing up the remaining flights of stairs between them and the roof; both senshi holding their transformation devices tightly, knowing it would only be a matter of time before they needed them.
The soldier's training came in handy, Ami's mind told her. If she hadn't been trained as Sailor Mercury so long ago....or if she hadn't kept her training up....she wouldn't have been able to run that many flights up to the top of the building. Ahead of her, Taiki wasn't even out of breath, which spoke well of his own senshi training.
"Here!" Slamming the final door open, Taiki ushered her through and shut it behind them, using the bolt to lock it tightly. "We should have a few minutes before they get to us, which means we work fast. You have your computer?"
"Of course-"
The brunet gestured hurriedly, glancing toward the door; "our limit is less than ten minutes, Ami, which means less than ten minutes to figure out where the center of the damned Oscuridad is."
Ami was already calling her computer, but had to ask; "what will that do?"
"Once we know," Taiki stated, "we fight. We plan, contact the others, and go send the Oscuridad and it's Tsumetai back to where they belong. We have to drive it away from Earth, you know that. But first we need to know where it is."
Hopefully....it's as simple as that....but if it was, wouldn't we have managed it before? I
hope....I can only hope that Taiki's right.... The blue-haired girl was already working furiously
at her computer when the first pounding of the Tsumetai sounded at the roof door.
___________
Me: Oh. *blink* So....I guess there's going to be one more chapter than I though. Huh. Um, so three more chapters after THIS, k? I guess some people won't be too unhappy about that, but it wasn't what I planned. Anyhow, I decided that I don't dislike the chapter about Hotaru, Yaten and Luna as much as I though. I don't, however, think this chapter is all that good....*sigh* There's always one that I don't like....oh well....