~~Dragon Quest ch 6~~

"Fine." Usagi breathed shakily and walked inside the hallway. Once inside she found herself walking into a very dark rock make pass way, closing her eyes she wiled the crystal out of her. Immediately the Silver Imperium Crystal appeared in front of her, giving her soft light it illuminated the path. Walking even deeper into the cave she reached a large hall. Before she could do anything, however, the walls drizzled out and Usagi found herself on a large plane. Black clouds hovered over her; suddenly she heard something that paralyzed her completely. Fear, no, terror filled her body.

"Oh Gods, please no." Usagi covered her ears. Again the sounds made her look up just in time to see the sky being illuminated by a long snake of electricity. "AAAHHHH!!! I hate storms!" Usagi sobbed while trying to find a place to hide. Another thunder crashed not too far away from her. "I-I can't go on thru this.(sob) I hate thunders!" Usagi shut her eyes, falling to the ground.

"I know you can do it" A soft voice whispered from inside the crystal. Little by little a small light separated itself from the crystal forming the figure of Queen Serenity; barely five inches tall with a pair of translucent fairy wings that changed of color each time a lightning touched the sky. Her hair was adorned by the royal hairdo of the Moon Kingdom and a small crown between the 'odangos'.

"What? Mo-mother?"

"Yes little one. You are strong, I know you can get to the other side if you will yourself to." The miniscule Queen looked kindly at her daughter.

"But I'm scared. I-I don't think I can." Usagi sobbed while bringing her knees to her chest.

"Believe in yourself Usagi, you have the Silver Crystal and you have your friends at your side all the time. If not in body, they are with you in spirit, as I am with you right now." Queen Serenity smiled at her.

"Yes I have them, and I will not let them down. I have to help these people." Usagi stood shakily on her feet. "I have to do this for them, I will not give up. I can do this." Queen Serenity nodded and disappeared inside the Silver Crystal again. Gathering all her courage Usagi put one foot in front of the other blocking the sounds of the thunder and lightning, putting them behind her. Before she knew it a doorway stood in front of her. Quickly she entered the door. Giving a sight of relief she looked at her surroundings. Six large Dragons stood on a circle. Letting a little yelp she considered diving into the doorway again, but looking at them better she realized that they were statues, and besides them there where six doors, one of which she had just come out. Peering on the one next to her, she could make out Rei with Wufei walking down a path.

~~$@~~$@

Rei rolled her eyes after hearing Wufei keep ranting about weak onnas and the injustice of being stuck with one for five minutes straight. Leaving the stubborn man behind, she walked forwards but stopped abruptly. Wufei noticed that he was now alone, looking at where she had left, he started walking after Re when he saw her stop abruptly.

"What's wrong onna?" Wufei narrowed his eyes trying to make out an enemy while reaching for his katana.

"It's too dark in here." Rei frowned.

"What?" Wufei visible relaxed and took his hand off the hilt of his sword.

"It's too dark to continue. Now wait." Rei reached into.thin air (FD: of course we know she got into her subspace pocket ^-~) and retrieved a flashlight. Wufei stood there wide-eyed, looking at the flashlight. Gaining his composure quickly he walked after her.

"I think Maxwell's right. Are you by any chance related with Yuy or can all Japanese people make things appear from out of the blue?" Wufei asked sarcastically more to himself than to Rei.

Ignoring him Rei kept walking. Suddenly a low rumble came from under her. "Wha-what was that?" Rei asked nervously. Another quickly followed the first rumble, bigger this time. The ground began to shake making cracks as big as a cannon. The aperture kept growing leaving them both with no place to run.

"We have to get out of here!" Wufei yelled taking Rei's hand, but Rei kept frozen, glued to the ground. "C'mon onna! Move!" Wufei tugged Rei's hand until she snapped out of her panicked state. Nodding weakly she began to walk. Wufei let go of Rei's hand trying to stay on his feet; however, the ground beneath him shook violently and gave way.

"Wufei!!!" Rei glanced down to see Wufei hanging over the edge of the pit. He had caught the edge of the riff with one hand, gripping it for dear life. Under him a river of lava ran burning away whatever was unfortunate enough to fall into it.

"Wufei! Give me your hand, I'll pull you out!" Rei reached for Wufei trying to grip his hand.

"No!" Wufei snapped trying to get a hold on some roots besides him.

"C'mon, I won't let you fall! We don't have time to be stubborn right now! Now give me you're goddamned hand!" Rei growled.

"Baka onna, I won't take your hand because I don't want both of us to fall into the lava! At least one of us has to get out of- AAAHHHH!!!" Wufei's hand slipped from his hold on the cliff. He felt himself falling into the abysm; he waited for the impact on the sizzling lava. However he felt a hand grabbing him with a firm grip.

"Got ya!" Rei smiled.

"I told you to get out. There is no way that yo-Ahhhh" Wufei felt himself being hauled up. With a last pull Rei threw Wufei safely away from the edge. Sitting Rei panted from exhaustion.

"Well, it seems that all those years fighting youmas and Makoto's arm wrestling contests paid off." Rei smiled.

"You ok?" Rei asked. Nodding Wufei looked at Rei with new eyes, actually it looked very much like.respect. Standing up he reached and pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you." Wufei half bowed "for saving my life." He straightened. Suddenly everything changed. The ground stopped shaking, and walls appeared revealing a door. Quickly they walked to it.

"The exit." Rei breathed in relief; walking thru it with Wufei behind her they finished their trial.

~~~$@~~~$@

Rei walked inside a large cavern just to be attacked by a pair of 'odangos'.

"Oh Rei! Thanks Kami you're alive!" Usagi hugged Rei, inspecting her for any scratches. "I thought you two would fall." Usagi's eyes shined with unsheathed tears.

"Of course I'm ok! I was worried about you!" Rei tried to pry Usagi off her.

"Ha! I ace it! I even came out before you did." Usagi pouted, then she turned to Wufei. "Are you ok?" Usagi asked timidly.

"Yes." Wufei answered before turning to examine the cavern, leaving the two girls alone. Rei raised an inquisitive eyebrow to Usagi.

"I could see you." Usagi shrugged showing Rei the next door where they could see Minako and Duo coming thru the path.

~~~$@~~~$@

"So.we just have to find the exit, right?" Minako eyed nervously her surrounds.

"Yup!" Duo walked confidently although staying alert for any enemies. Minako stayed as close as she could to Duo.

"Do you know where to go?" Minako asked.

"Well, if we go straight we have to at least get to a wall." Duo started to get nervous too. They had been walking for a long time, and they hadn't come across any wall or door; it seemed like they where walking on a big void ready to drop into an endless pit. Their only light was that of a small lighter that Duo had brought out before going into the dark hall.

Suddenly several voices echoed startling Duo and Minako. Duo strained to hear the faint voices that to his surprise, called him. Paying close attention to them, Duo could make out phrases that after several seconds, became louder and louder.

"You let us down."

Duo's eyes widened. "No, it-it can't be. Fa-father Maxwell?"

"You let us die without trying to help us." Another voice appeared close to Duo's ear.

"N-no! I-I tried to help all I could Sister Helen!!!" Duo covered his ears trying to block the voices.

"No, you just watched us die. You just watched them as they were burned alive! You saw me die slowly being taken by the plague!"

"You're wrong!!! I-I did all I could! I tried to help you Solo!" Duo fell into the ground covering his hears while sobbing. "I-I tried, I couldn't do anything!!! The church was already burned!!! I wasn't able to do anything."

"You were too late. You let us burn alive!" Father Maxell's Voice echoed again, this time closer to Duo.

"Now we're here in hell, and you're alive, smiling and happy. You condemned us to be strayed without any chance of going to eternal sleep. All because of you." Sister Helen's voice snapped reproachful.

~~

Minako looked alarmed as Duo screamed to invisible people all around them, sobbing and saying that he was sorry. *Sorry for what? What's happening here?* Looking around she tried to see what was the thing that had put Duo into such state. Within seconds Minako hears voices coming, surrounding her.

"Minako no baka, you're worst than odango. Always ditzy, you can't do anything right! I have no idea why you are second in command, you're a good for nothing." Minako jumped in surprise. *Now who's that, no it couldn't be.Rei?*

"What are you talking about?" Minako looked wildly around.

"You're a disgrace for the senshi's, you can't do anything without screwing it up."

".Makoto?" Minako stammered while forgetting completely about Duo who was now looking at his hands sobbing, mumbling about a church on fire.

"It's your fault that everybody died. If it wasn't for Usagi we would be dead now."

"Ami? Bu-but how can you say that!!" Minako screamed.

"You weren't a good leader. You lead us to our deaths. Why can't you be more intelligent? Why didn't you prevent us for dying by Metallia's and Beryl's hands?"

"Queen Serenity.I-I didn't know, I didn't think." Minako sobbed.

"Precisely, you didn't think. You shouldn't be Sailor Venus; It's your fault that the Silver Millennium was destroyed. With your impertinence, you let the enemy wiped the Moon out. You let me die, you let my mother die, you let my Endymion die. Now is your turn to die." The voice said with venom.

"U-Usagi? No, no it can't be. She couldn't, you couldn't, no. You are not Usagi. What ever I had done, she forgave me. You can't be Usagi!!! Usagi is kind and loving! She wouldn't have reproached anything to anybody!!! I have done all I could! I-I am the way I am to cheer everybody up in the time of need, to make them feel at ease on stressful situations! To remember that there is always a way! To show them that there is always HOPE on dark times!!!" With that Minako heard a low rumble putting all the other voices to silence, to never be heard again. A lone tear ran down Minako's cheek before she turned around. Looking besides her, Minako saw Duo still kneeling on the ground.

~~

Voice after voice Duo felt them coming at him, accusing him of being alive, being the way he was while everything around him was in war. Feeling as if there was no way out, Duo kept chanting to himself. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't, I-I it wasn't my fault!!!'

"You irresponsible little dimwit, crying as the weak man you are. How dishonorable, you aren't fit to be a gundam pilot. You're a disgrace of a warrior!" A voice spat every word with loathing.

"I do my job! I do it the best I can! You can't complain Wu-man!!!" Duo cried pitifully.

"But your best is not enough. You put us in danger more than once already."

"Oh c'mon Trowa, it wasn't my fault. Those damned Oz soldiers weren't supposed to be there!" Duo tried to defend himself.

"You take everything as a joke. How can you joke when millions of lives depend on us?"

"Not you too Q-man, not you too. Don't I deserve a little credit here?"

"Yeah, you deserve credit on letting yourself being caught. I had to go get you out before you opened your big mouth and tell them about our gundams. But everybody is expendable."

"He-Heero? You blame me too? Well is not like I told them 'come here and get me!!!' Like some stupid blonde girl I know and I don't want to say her name. I didn't just give up!" Duo yelled into the void. "I-I didn't do it on purpose! A-and I didn't ask you to rescue me." Duo whispered. "But you did, you came back for me, you found me and took me away from the torture, you said that I was needed." Duo's eyes hardened. "Heero said that I was needed, that not everybody was expendable! Did you hear?! He wanted me alive! You are not Heero! My Heero said that I had to stay alive! That he wouldn't let me die by Oz hands! You're just playing with my mind! Wu-man's always threatening of killing me, but he knows that I give everything each time I fight on Death Scythe Hell!!! Trowa knows of the dangers of being a pilot. Quatre knows that I'm fighting for those millions of people too! And Heero.Heero knows that I wouldn't give up on anything. Now I know that you're not them. Did you hear that?!?! I know you aren't my friends!!! I've got to get out of here for my friends!!! I've got to stay alive for my friends.I've got to stay alive for Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, and Solo, I know that they would have wanted me to stay alive, and.I've got to stay alive for.for him." Duo whispered letting a deep breath feeling a great weight being lifted from his shoulders.

~~

Minako watched as Duo fought his inner demons just as she had. She didn't dare to interrupt him, this was his trial and she knew that she couldn't do anything for him. Feeling helpless Minako waited to see the outcome. Suddenly Duo straightened, his eyes became cold and whispered something to himself. Minako smiled *He did it. He came thru!* It was just as hers had been, Duo had conquered his fears.

Duo blinked several times before noticing Minako standing next to him. Picking himself up, he turned to see his surroundings. He was standing in the middle of a small room, with a door in front of him and a door behind him.

"So.I think we made it." Duo said in a tired voice before smiling widely.

"Yup, we made it." Minako smiled. "Now lets get out of here. This place gives me the creeps and I want to know if the others are out yet." Minako pulled Duo's hand. "Say, I hope that you weren't talking about me when you say 'that dumb blond' back there." She pouted playfully.

"Never." Duo smiled, letting her go thru the door first. Looking one more time back, a single tear ran down his cheek. "I promise, I'm gonna stay alive for all of you." He whispered before going thru the door himself.

~~~$@~~~$@

Minako came out of the door just to be tackled by Usagi and Rei.

"Oh thanks the goddess you're alright!" Usagi hugged Minako. "We saw you in there, just standing staring at nothing when you started to scream, and I was so worried!" Again Usagi inspected Minako for any kind of scratches.

Minako's eyes glazed with unshared tears. Taking Usagi and Rei at arms length, she looked at them. "U-Usagi, Rei, I-I'm sorry for not being stronger, for being such a ditz, I swear I did everything I could to prevent Queen Beryl's attack, but.but-" Minako fell to the ground when Usagi got a hold on her shoulders and lifted her chin to see her eyes.

"Minako, listen to me, it's ok. I don't blame you for anything." She smiled kindly at Minako.

"R-really?" Minako looked hopefully to Usagi.

"Of course I don't." Usagi smiled.

"And I don't think you're a ditz.all the time." Rei smiled, kneeling to be face to face to Minako.

"You don't?" Minako asked, watching as the girls nodded their heads she hugged them. "Oh thanks you guys!" Again Minako hugged them feeling relieved.

~~

Wufei hearing the commotion approached the girls. Seconds after Minako started crying, Duo came outside the door and moved to give the girls their time. Stepping close to Wufei he gave his famous grin.

"Fancy meeting you here Wu-man." Duo smiled, however Wufei didn't take notice of his ever-hated nickname since he watched the girls.

"What's wrong with the weak onna Maxwell?" Wufei crossed his arms looking at the scene.

Hearing this Duo went serious. "If that girl went thru the same of what I went thru, she's the strongest girls I've ever met in my life." Duo said with a serious face, and with that he went to inspect the cavern leaving a very perplex Wufei behind him.

Wufei blink, blink Shrugging he went after Duo.

~~

"Now who's next?" Rei looked at the doors left. Pointing the next Usagi and the girls moved to the Earth Door.



~~~$@~~~$@~~~$@

Fire Dragon "Well, what do you think?"

Duo "Why so much angst?"

Wufei "And why did I have to be rescued by an onna?"

Fire Dragon "Hey! We woman can be strong!"

Wufei "Riiiigght.keep telling that to yourself onna."

Fire Dragon "Grrr.just for that I'm gonna make you do terrible things. Maybe I'll embarrass you in all the other chapters.

Wufei " #.# Nooooo!!!! Anything but that." -falls to knees and begs-

Fire Dragon "Then be a good character and don't complain."

-Wufei walks out muttering about injustice and weak onnas.-

Fire Dragon "Yeah Wuffie, I love you too! ^-^ Now please review."