Weeee ^_^; See? You didn't have to wait another 3 months for this chapter!
Aren't you proud? Thanks to all of those of you who reviewed .::hugs
self::. I feel sooo loved ^.^ anyway you're not here to read my insane
musings, you're here to read my fic so away we gooooo! ^_______^
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Soft sobbing mixed in with the crackling of fire and the hushed voices of the girls as they sat in the Shinto temple trying to comfort their Princess while trying to keep their own tears at bay.
Rei sat in front of her flame chanting, trying to conjure up an image of their missing friend. Ami sat in the corner with Luna and Artemis using technology as her search medium. Minako and Usagi sat in the middle of the room, holding on to each other and silently sobbing, both feeling rather useless because they had nothing to offer the search.
Rei stopped chanting abruptly and turned to them, hastily drying her eyes so as not to upset them more. "I haven't found anything." She said quietly, as though if she said it any louder everything would shatter.
It had been two days. . .two whole *days* and no sign of Makoto. No more attacks. Nothing. Everyday they met at Rei's temple and did what they could. But with no leads and nowhere to start searching it was hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
They were all sad, all felt helpless, but Usagi was the worst. She blamed herself completely. 'If I hadn't been late. . .' She'd suddenly say. "If I hadn't been so vulnerable . . .'
"If I had been stronger, I could have saved Mako-chan." She said, turning her face to cry into Minako's shoulder. "I could have done something for her." She sobbed. "I could have helped her."
"You want to help me Usagi?" The strong, familiar voice startled everyone in the room. They stared up at the figure standing in the sliding doorway. A silence fell over them as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.
"Makoto!!" Usagi broke the silence jumping up and bounding over to the girl she had longed to see in those last two unbearable days. She tried to throw her arms around her but Makoto pulled away.
"Mako-chan?"
"You want to help me Usagi?" She repeated. Green eyes stared down in to blue ones that were wide with surprise. "Make this easy for me and hand over the crystal."
Makoto winced at the coldness in her voice. But she had to do this. She had to if she wanted to find happiness.
"What?" Usagi practically shrieked. Instinctively she stepped back and clamped her hand onto her compact protectively. She was just about to call out her henshin phrase when a hand came flying at her face, and before she could duck she felt herself slam in to the floor, her face throbbing and her cheek already gleaming red.
A simultaneous gasp depleted the room of all oxygen. Minako taking her role of leader instantly called out for them to transform, but they all hesitated. This was *Makoto*, damn it!
Usagi pulled herself to a sitting position as the girls ran to her side. The shock wearing off a look crossed her face Makoto had not expected. It was a look of pity.
"Makoto?" Her voice wavered slightly.
"It's not fair." Makoto answered sounding like a little child who wasn't getting her way. "You all have happiness, except for me. This is my one chance to find love and power. I need the crystal."
"Makoto what the hell is this about?" Rei yelled, she wanted to hit Makoto, to knock some sense into her but she knew that would be a mistake.
"Freddie and me need power. To make things fair." She said her voice flat and monotone. Some small part of Mako knew that this was all wrong, that she was just as horrible as the monsters she had thought for striking and defying her princess if not ten times worse. But she loved Freddie the rest of her argued. And this was their chance. Their turn for happiness.
"I'm tired of watching you all have happy lives and seeing what I could've had. What I'm missing." Tears rolled down from her green eyes. What was she doing? This was wrong? But for Freddie. . .she'd do anything.
"Ok." That startled everybody, even Makoto. Usagi opened up her compact and pulled out the crystal, dangling it off the chain she had had it put on so long ago.
"I'm sorry Mako-chan. It must be horrible for you without your parents there beside you. I'm sorry if we didn't think much of your feelings. You're right. It's your turn Makoto."
And Usagi stood on wobbly legs and draped the necklace over her friend's head. "I hope this at least gives you the happiness you deserve."
And that little sentiment, that little display of true kindness, the sincerity in Usagi's voice and the pureness of her heart was enough. And the jealousy that had made her heart cold and the sadness and loneliness that she had so carefully guarded as she went around for two years pretending everything was okay and that she didn't hurt inside were gone. She had dreamed of happiness and family for so long that she had been blinded by it and had not seen that she already had it, that Rei and Ami and Minako and Usagi and all the other senshi were her family and her happiness and her reason for living if for nothing else. And with these thoughts running through her head, she fell to her knees, the silver imperium crystal still hanging from her neck, she cried. And her friends, her family her happiness clung to her and comforted her and cried for her. And she had never felt so loved.
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Soft sobbing mixed in with the crackling of fire and the hushed voices of the girls as they sat in the Shinto temple trying to comfort their Princess while trying to keep their own tears at bay.
Rei sat in front of her flame chanting, trying to conjure up an image of their missing friend. Ami sat in the corner with Luna and Artemis using technology as her search medium. Minako and Usagi sat in the middle of the room, holding on to each other and silently sobbing, both feeling rather useless because they had nothing to offer the search.
Rei stopped chanting abruptly and turned to them, hastily drying her eyes so as not to upset them more. "I haven't found anything." She said quietly, as though if she said it any louder everything would shatter.
It had been two days. . .two whole *days* and no sign of Makoto. No more attacks. Nothing. Everyday they met at Rei's temple and did what they could. But with no leads and nowhere to start searching it was hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
They were all sad, all felt helpless, but Usagi was the worst. She blamed herself completely. 'If I hadn't been late. . .' She'd suddenly say. "If I hadn't been so vulnerable . . .'
"If I had been stronger, I could have saved Mako-chan." She said, turning her face to cry into Minako's shoulder. "I could have done something for her." She sobbed. "I could have helped her."
"You want to help me Usagi?" The strong, familiar voice startled everyone in the room. They stared up at the figure standing in the sliding doorway. A silence fell over them as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.
"Makoto!!" Usagi broke the silence jumping up and bounding over to the girl she had longed to see in those last two unbearable days. She tried to throw her arms around her but Makoto pulled away.
"Mako-chan?"
"You want to help me Usagi?" She repeated. Green eyes stared down in to blue ones that were wide with surprise. "Make this easy for me and hand over the crystal."
Makoto winced at the coldness in her voice. But she had to do this. She had to if she wanted to find happiness.
"What?" Usagi practically shrieked. Instinctively she stepped back and clamped her hand onto her compact protectively. She was just about to call out her henshin phrase when a hand came flying at her face, and before she could duck she felt herself slam in to the floor, her face throbbing and her cheek already gleaming red.
A simultaneous gasp depleted the room of all oxygen. Minako taking her role of leader instantly called out for them to transform, but they all hesitated. This was *Makoto*, damn it!
Usagi pulled herself to a sitting position as the girls ran to her side. The shock wearing off a look crossed her face Makoto had not expected. It was a look of pity.
"Makoto?" Her voice wavered slightly.
"It's not fair." Makoto answered sounding like a little child who wasn't getting her way. "You all have happiness, except for me. This is my one chance to find love and power. I need the crystal."
"Makoto what the hell is this about?" Rei yelled, she wanted to hit Makoto, to knock some sense into her but she knew that would be a mistake.
"Freddie and me need power. To make things fair." She said her voice flat and monotone. Some small part of Mako knew that this was all wrong, that she was just as horrible as the monsters she had thought for striking and defying her princess if not ten times worse. But she loved Freddie the rest of her argued. And this was their chance. Their turn for happiness.
"I'm tired of watching you all have happy lives and seeing what I could've had. What I'm missing." Tears rolled down from her green eyes. What was she doing? This was wrong? But for Freddie. . .she'd do anything.
"Ok." That startled everybody, even Makoto. Usagi opened up her compact and pulled out the crystal, dangling it off the chain she had had it put on so long ago.
"I'm sorry Mako-chan. It must be horrible for you without your parents there beside you. I'm sorry if we didn't think much of your feelings. You're right. It's your turn Makoto."
And Usagi stood on wobbly legs and draped the necklace over her friend's head. "I hope this at least gives you the happiness you deserve."
And that little sentiment, that little display of true kindness, the sincerity in Usagi's voice and the pureness of her heart was enough. And the jealousy that had made her heart cold and the sadness and loneliness that she had so carefully guarded as she went around for two years pretending everything was okay and that she didn't hurt inside were gone. She had dreamed of happiness and family for so long that she had been blinded by it and had not seen that she already had it, that Rei and Ami and Minako and Usagi and all the other senshi were her family and her happiness and her reason for living if for nothing else. And with these thoughts running through her head, she fell to her knees, the silver imperium crystal still hanging from her neck, she cried. And her friends, her family her happiness clung to her and comforted her and cried for her. And she had never felt so loved.