Orion Saga
Part 2
Celestial Battle
Chapter 11: Unwanted Help
Zentora is placing the ring on a chain when the phone rings. Placing the chain around her neck, she goes to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Is Zentora there?"
"Usagi-san?" The small eyes widen in surprise and then narrow. "What is it?"
"Rei and I were talking last night."
Zentora glances over to see her parents in the kitchen. She lowers her already soft voice. "Did she see something?"
"She did."
"It sounds pretty important."
"Yeah. I was hoping you could come over to Rei's family temple a little later."
She doesn't want to, but something in the older woman's voice worries her. "I'll be there in thirty minutes."
"All right. Bye."
Martin watches his daughter as she hangs up the phone and walks into the kitchen. He stands over the table with plates in his hands. "So who was that?"
The long bangs are pushed away from her face as she refills Pup's water dish. "Just a friend. She needs me to come over today."
Jalise looks at Zentora. Her kind face takes on a look of concern. "Is anything wrong?"
The soft brown eyes are cast on her mother. "I'm not sure. I'll be going after lunch."
*~*~*~*~*
All of them are in the temple when Rei tells them what she saw. "Somehow I know it involves Zentora."
"Me?"
"Yes. And I don't think that she should go it alone, Usagi-chan. These people are dangerous."
Makoto's green eyes are cast on her. "Why Rei? What did you see?"
The violet eyes avoid Makoto's expectant look.
Minako looks at her. "Is it that bad?"
Silently the young woman nods.
Ami looks at her. "Rei-chan, is this a battle we can win?"
"Eventually, but there will be sacrifices."
Usagi looks at her. This was a piece of information that she had not been given with the previous night's talk. "What are you saying?"
"I-Usagi. It's going to be dangerous. I told you-"
"No. You didn't say that."
Makoto's eyes narrow. "Do you mean some of us won't be coming back?"
"Yes."
Haruka and Michiru glance at each other and then over at Zentora. She is sitting in a far corner with her head lowered.
The young musician is the first to speak. "This isn't good, Haruka."
The blonde racer keeps her eyes on the girl. "No. It isn't."
Zentora stands. "Usagi-san?"
Usagi looks up.
"Usagi, I don't want you to get involved. Not if it's this serious."
Makoto looks at the girl. "But all battles are this serious. We can't leave you to it."
Shaking her head, Zentora turns to walk out of the room.
Minako looks at Usagi. "You can't expect us to risk our lives for her. Not this time."
Makoto looks at the leader of the inner senshi. "Mina-chan. Calm down."
"Usagi if you think for one minute think for one minute that I'm going to-"
Minako is stopped by the sound of her own cry. She looks at Usagi with surprise as does everyone else. She places a hand on her cheek where she'd been slapped. The normally beautiful face takes on an unreadable expression and the blue eyes harden.
"If that's how this is going to be, then I won't have any part of it."
The others watch Minako as she storms out of the room. The enraged Senshi of Love does not see the silent Senshi of the Stars as she rushes out of the temple.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that."
The opaque brown eyes glance up to see Makoto leaning against the wall.
Sighing, Makoto slides down to sit alongside her. Zentora lowers her head and rests it on her knees. Makoto looks at her for a few minutes before the younger woman breaks the silence.
"You shouldn't apologize to me."
Makoto continues to look at her.
"Minako-san's right. I've been forgiven too easily."
"I don't think so." The brown eyes dart over at Makoto's response. The older woman is looking at some point on the other side of the temple. "I think that Minako is having a difficult time of things. But she's going to have to work through it. As senshi, each of us has things to deal with. Her anger is her trial. And until she can handle it, she won't be an effective leader."
"Makoto. Odango's made a decision."
Haruka's legs are seen as she stands in front of both young women.
The two of them stand. as Makoto walks into the room, she turns to look at Zentora. "Remember what I said."
The young woman nods.
Haruka watches Makoto until she enters the room. The blue-gray eyes are turned on Zentora. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah..." She looks at the temple door. "I guess I have to be."
The blonde senshi leader looks up when she sees the quiet girl enter the room with Haruka. "Zentora-chan. It's good to see you're still here."
The fuchsia head dips in recognition of her attempt at pleasantness. However, when offered a seat, she remains standing.
"Well." Usagi's worried eyes are cast on Minako's empty seat. "I've decided that we will help you."
"I appreciate that. But I think that I'm ready to agree with Minako-san about this."
Usagi looks at her. "What do you mean?"
"With What Rei-san said, I'm not so sure that it's a good idea."
Rei stares at the table in front of her.
Ami speaks up. "Zentora-chan. the odds of your succeeding are much better with the rest of us. To go off and get yourself killed helps no one."
Usagi nods. "She's right. Now's not the time to be selfless."
"Who's trying to be? I've been on thin ice with all of you since the beginning." With some exceptions. The translucent eyes drift over to Haruka and Michiru.
Usagi folds her hands in front of her. Carefully, she weighs her words. She wants to make Zentora understand. "That may have been true-"
"It still is."
"I don't think so. We've finally reached a level at which we can call each other friend."
Zentora's full lips crease into a smirk at Usagi's words. "Again. I appreciate that.. But obviously, this battle's not going to end well for us. Can you really afford to take that risk? And what are the rest of you going to think of me when one of your own winds up dead? How many of you would be willing to call me friend after that?"
The room is silent. All eyes are either on Usagi or the table between them.
Haruka looks at Zentora, but the girl refuses to meet her gaze. Instead, she chooses to stare at an invisible spot on the floor.
Usagi stares at the table with a hand propped against her head. "I don't know what to tell you. I honestly want to help you. In my eyes, it would be wrong to even think about letting you go alone. Regardless of the outcome."
The bright blue eyes are cast up at the girl.
At the sound of her wavering voice, Zentora looks up, her eyes meeting with Usagi's. Tears are shining within them, trapped against the older woman's resolve not to let them fall. Usagi lowers her arm.
"I, for one, plan to be there. And even if it will cost me your friendship, I'll help you."
The opaque eyes become even softer at Usagi's words. "So I guess I can't stop you."
The other senshi looks up to see Zentora's back as she walks out of the temple.
Standing, the petite senshi leader walks over to Rei and places a hand on her shoulder. "Is there any way of knowing how this will go?"
