This is a bit of a different fanfic than I'm used to writing. I thought it was an interesting premise, so I decided to write it. Here go the disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon, so don't sue me, yada yada yada…

Anyway, if you want to email me, it's at Guardian4@atlantic.net. However, PLEASE put Fanfiction or something like that in the subject line. I get a lot of junk mail and I may just delete it without reading it otherwise, though I won't mean to.

Onto the story…

Angelic Embrace

Part 11

Makoto woke with a pounding headache and she had no idea why. Lightning flashed outside and the daylight darkened over as thunderclouds appeared on the horizon. Why did she feel as if someone had run a bus over her three times? She couldn't remember. Then she started to panic; what if she didn't remember anything?

Forcing herself to breath deeply, she went over the necessary information in the most important order:

Princess Serenity was alive.

The princess was captured by Daray.

She was a Senshi.

She was Sailor Jupiter.

She was Kino Makoto.

She loved Nick Michael Canter.

She loved Nephrite, who was Nick.

She was a world famous street fighter.

"I remember everything, so what the hell happened?" she demanded in the silence.

"You were hit really badly by Daray yesterday."

The voice came from the doorway and her head whipped around. Immediately she wished she had not, for her vision went gray around the edges and a little blurry. After a moment of squinting and blinking, she identified a doctor in the door. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Ami.

"Oh." Her brow furrowed as she thought. Vague images entered her mind and she forced them to clearer clarity. "Now I remember. What happened after I went out?"

"The others were fairly bad off as well," the woman said, sitting down next to her patient and friend. "Mars nearly had a broken arm and Venus wasn't so good either. Uranus and Neptune disappeared shortly after that because of a daemon attack across town. I haven't seen them since. I'm sure glad that Nephrite is on our side." She shook her head in wonder. "When you went down, he went ballistic. He was moving so fast and using his attacks so quickly, the youma didn't know what hit him."

"Youma?"

"He had to go through a youma to reach Daray. Unfortunately, as soon as he killed it, Daray disappeared. Having Nephrite go through the youma gave him the time to disappear."

"Why did he leave when he had us by the, ahem, balls?"

"Because Pluto showed up. Whatever Pluto did ten years ago, it hasn't left him yet. He turned white and started shaking as soon as he saw her. And Pluto! She twirled her staff and looked murderous. If he hadn't left then, I would have bet anything that she would have killed him. When he disappeared, I heard her mutter that she wished she could wipe him from the Time Stream."

"Can she do that?" Makoto whispered, eyes wide.

Ami hesitated. "I think she can, yes, but also can't. I think it is possible for her to do it, but against all her rules."

"Oh. How are Rei and the others?"

"They're fine. No one had anything as severe as your concussion."

Makoto groaned and put her hand to her head. "I feel like crap."

"I know, but it should pass."

A knock on the door and Ami turned to it. An intern poked his head in. "Doctor Mizuno?"

"Yes, I'll be right there." He nodded and closed the door. Ami turned back to Makoto who had resolutely shut her eyes against the dreary light coming in from the window at the back of the room.

"I have rounds to do, but you do have visitors."

When Ami left, another entered. Makoto forced her eyes open and looked at the person. Her eyes widened. Rei.

"What's the matter?"

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying hard and she looked like she had lost a lot of weight though Makoto knew she couldn't have possibly lost that much within a day!

Rei flung herself on the chair and cried into Makoto's lap. "Oh, Mako-chan, I was so worried about you! And today I gave Yuuichirou the papers. He was so quiet about it and then he noticed my wounds from the other day, in the battle, and before I could stop him, he confronted Jace and attempted to fight him. Jace told him, when he had Yuuichirou on his back that he would rather die a thousand deaths over and over again than ever lay a hurting finger on me. Oh, Mako-chan, that's what I said to my father, the King of Mars, back in the Silver Millennium!"

Makoto patted Rei's head and ran her hands through the woman's hair to calm her. "What happened after that?"

"Yuuichirou asked how I got them then and Jace shook his head. We didn't know what to tell him. Then his eyes widened and mentioned the battle. We both thought that he had figured out who we were until he jumped up and said that I must have been hit when the warriors were fighting those monsters. His concern was almost too much, Mako-chan, I nearly broke down crying at it. After all that's happened, he still loves me. And I don't love him!"

"You can't help how he feels about you." Then Makoto felt steel meld with her spine. "He isn't affecting your relationship with Jace is he?" she asked sharply.

"No…well, Jace knows that I feel bad about Yuuichirou and we don't see much of each other anymore, because I guess he feels as if he is partly to blame for my feelings. Now I don't have him anymore or Yuuichirou. I ruined my marriage for Jace and now he won't even come around."

Makoto looked up at Nick, who stood silently in the doorway. She nodded behind him and he nodded back, leaving.

"Don't worry, Rei-chan. I think it will work out between you two."

Rei looked up at her and hope filtered into her eyes. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

Nick touched Jace's arm and the man looked up at him. He gestured to the door and the two left, wandering around the block that the hospital sat on. Finally Nick broke the silence between the friends.

"How are things between you and Rei?"

"Not good. She's upset at her marriage and I can't bear to be around her, seeing her cry and my presence doesn't help either. I think it just reminds her of what she did to Yuuichirou."

"Ah. And the fight between you and him?"

Jace sighed with frustration. "He attacked me and I mainly dodged. It didn't take much. After ten minutes, finally I knocked him to the ground so he would listen to me. He still loves Rei with a passion, the same way I love her. I tried not to hurt Yuuichirou, since he loves Rei so much and that would only hurt her."

"You do realize she thinks she's lost them both, right?"

"Huh?"

"She got a divorce from Yuuichirou and now you don't come around. She thinks she's lost you both. She gave up Yuuichirou for you and now that you don't come around, she thinks that now she's not only lost Yuuichirou but you as well."

"Oh gods above, what a mess I've made!" he cried, gripping his hair in his hands.

"It's not too late to fix it."

Jace ran off ahead when he saw the hospital door. "Don't forget the meeting tonight!" Nick called off after him.

"Tomorrow is the day," Minako said grimly at Michiru and Haruka's home. "Tomorrow is the day that we will free the princess and the prince. Mako-chan, how are you feeling?"

Makoto stood up and ground her fist in her open palm. "I'm perfect, Minako-chan. I will fight tomorrow."

A slight smile crossed the blonde woman's face. "I wouldn't believe we could stop you anyway. Haruka, Michiru, will you be there?"

The partners looked at each other and nodded back at their leader. "Though our mission that was given to us is different," Haruka began, "we will still fight for the princess first and foremost." Michiru nodded.

"And finally, Setsuna. Will you be fighting as well?"

All eyes fixed on the older woman and she stood up. "Yes. I will fight with you."

"Then that is all we need to know. I presume I don't have to ask if the Shitennou if they will fight?" she asked with a raised eyebrow at Keagan.

He nodded. "We will fight. For our prince, for his princess, for our loves, and for our planet, we will fight."

Makoto's eyes almost filled with tears, hearing those words that were said long ago at the fall of the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium. It was so, so long ago, she mused. If only it was still standing, would this have happened?

Setsuna gave her a speculative look, as if divining what she was thinking from her expression. Makoto stared right back, daring the woman to tell her what might have happened. Setsuna shook her head and looked away.

Only Minako and Keagan seemed to have noticed the exchange, but they said nothing, only broke up the meeting.

Rei and Jace went into the room they had shared the last time. Immediately Rei clamped her lips over his. Earlier that day, he had apologized profusely on his knees for his behavior. Rei had broken down, crying and hugging him. She had almost been afraid she had lost him there.

They fell on the bed for perhaps the last time in that lifetime.

Haruka and Michiru watched the couples split up to go to their guest rooms. Setsuna came and stood beside them.

"It just doesn't seem right," Haruka said softly.

"What doesn't?" her partner asked quietly.

"There should be five couples, not four."

Michiru nodded. Setsuna nodded at them and went to her bedroom. Haruka put her arm around her love and led her back to their room. Michiru smiled softly and allowed her to lead.

Ami and Zale entered their room, this one the most predominately colored blue than the others. Zale had agreed that the blue was nice, but with a little green would have made it better. Ami had jabbed his ribs, knowing he was teasing her.

Now the Mercurial princess typed furiously on her computer when Zale gently closed it. She looked up at him in surprise. He smiled down on her gently.

"Come to bed. No matter how many numbers you crunch, the outcome will always be the same: Unknown."

She sighed. "I guess you're right."

He took her chin in his hands and kissed her soundly. Her arms went around his neck as he led her to the mattress.

Makoto fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling while Nick closed the door.

"What do you think will happen tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

Nick looked at her. "I don't know, Mako-chan."

She curled on her side. "I want the princess back with me, Nick. I want to hold her in my arms and tell her how happy I am that she's safe. But I may never get that chance. I may die before I get to see her. The only thing I want to see before I die in this life is her beautiful blue eyes. Ones that can encompass the world with her love."

Nick sat down next to her stomach and ran his hand through her hair, staring into space. "You will survive this battle, Mako-chan. I shall make sure of that. You shall see your princess. In that way I guess we Shitennou were blessed over the Senshi."

Makoto sat up and took out the band in her hair. "What do you mean?"

He looked at her. "Well, we knew Mamoru, could talk to him, protect him. Even when he fell when the princess was taken, we had had the chance to see him and know him. You never had that feeling, never even saw your princess in this life."

She leaned against his shoulder. "You're right.  And it's tearing me apart, not being able to be there and protect her against the gods know what."

Nick rubbed his hands over her back, the comforting gesture turning into something more sensual the longer he did it. His lips descended on hers and he laid her back down. She made a sound of surprise, but didn't protest.

Keagan watched Minako pace. Normally she never indulged in such things, but he found that when Venus was about to go into an intense battle, she tended to do that to release some of her tension. She was fully Venus in mind, even if she wasn't transformed.

"Kunzite?"

His suspicion was confirmed when she called him by his Shitennou name. It was safe enough there, he supposed, to say it. "Yes?"

"What do you think he'll do?"

Keagan shook his head. "I don't know, Venus. We're both strategists, but we're not as good as Mercury or Zoisite, and even they weren't able to find a good one, only telling us to be defense until we saw how he fought. Even Pluto wasn't able to tell us anything. She said he ran away when she confronted him ten years ago."

She sighed and sat down next to him. He turned his head and looked down at her. "There's something else that's wrong, isn't there?" he asked shrewdly.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I should be concerned about the princess and the other Senshi, and I am, but I can't help but think about you." Shyly she looked up at him.

"I will be fine."

"That's not what I mean."

He cocked his head and asked, "Then what's the matter?"

Minako blushed. "Well, this may be my last battle, especially as leader of the Senshi. I may die and I don't want to leave this world without telling you just how much I love you. You brought me back from despair when my heart was broken most and I love you forever. I always will; I did then and I do now."

Keagan smiled and touched her cheek with a delicate finger. "And I love you, Minako; I love you, Venus. I love you both, for you are the same. I loved you then and I do now."

She smiled and he leaned down, hesitantly kissing her lips lightly. She immediately opened her mouth and he slid his tongue in gently. She pulled him down on top of her and turned off the light.

End part 11

Last part and then the epilogue. Woohoo! It's almost done!