Author's Note:

This is a sequel to Angelic Embrace. I thought about doing it, but I didn't until someone told me they thought a sequel was possible. You will really want to read the first one to find out what's going on.

As we all know the names of the Senshi, there's no need to go there, except to say that I use the Japanese names.

For a review, I'll list the names of the Shitennou:

Keagan Kris MacNeal (Kunzite)

Nick Michael Canter (Nephrite)

Jace Daniel Taencer (Jadeite)

Zale James Indiano (Zoisite)

You can contact me at Guardian4@atlantic.net.

I guess I should mention this, in case it gets confusing about how long it has been since the epilogue of Angelic Embrace. It's been six to seven months, not another year and a half.

The Last Journey

Chapter 4: Compounded Knowledge

"Senshi, we're going home!"

Serenity hadn't been this excited since they left Crystal Tokyo. She practically bounced around the room, and Mars could feel the happiness oozing out of her every pore.

"It will be a relief to see people who don't look on us with distrust," commented Zoisite quietly. "It's been the week of hell."

Endymion, standing next to him, smiled. "I would say you don't know the half of it, but then you were there, so you know more than the half of it."

"I've missed Pyralis," Jadeite murmured. "I can't wait to see him."

"Neither can I," Mars told her husband as they got in the car that would take them to the private jet.

As they were about to board the plane, a young man came running up. "Your Majesties," he managed to gasp out, clearly unfamiliar with the phrase among its more contemporaries, "I have a message for you. From President Bush."

"What is it?"

"He asked that you stay another week and for a few private conferences."

"I'm sorry," Endymion responded, "but please tell President Bush that we are ready to leave. He should have told us earlier about this. But tell him if he truly wishes to speak to us, he may come to Crystal Tokyo and we will see him there."

The man nodded and glanced nervously at Mars and her companions. Obviously the news, and rumors, of their powers had gotten out.

They made their way up the stairs to the jet just as he pulled out a gun. It was so crowded on the staircase, there was not much movement to be had. As if it had a will of its own, the bullet managed to find one of the few crevices of Nephrite's armor as he jumped in front of the King.

Learning from past mistakes, Jupiter, the closest to him, kicked out and knocked the gun from his hand. He attempted to run, but could not best the green Senshi in speed. She drug him back, kicking and screaming, her face set as stone when she looked upon her husband, bleeding on the stairs.

"Two assassination attempts? In the same week?" Mars said incredulously as they, with their prisoner, took off in the jet.

"Do you think that the message of Bush's was true? Or just a way to get close enough to Serenity and Endymion to attempt another assassination?" questioned Mercury worriedly.

"I have no idea, but I'll be getting some answers from him soon enough," growled Kunzite, with a pointed look at the bound and gagged man who watched them fearfully.

"We have to get him to Crystal Tokyo and to the med room in the palace immediately," Zoisite reported with a harried voice. "He's losing a lot of blood." His statement said directly to Jupiter, who merely looked back at him with no emotion.

"Jupe-chan?" Serenity asked delicately, putting a hand on her arm. "Are you all right?"

"No, but I'll have to be."

"Uranus?"

"Yes, Venus?" responded the voice over the intercom.

With a glance back at the man bleeding in Endymion's arms, she said, "We're going to land in two hours. Get a stretcher ready and bring Saturn to the medical room."

"Stretcher? Saturn? What happened?"

"Tell you later. You might actually want to be present when Kunzite—" She shuddered as she remembered the look in her husband's eyes. He had truly frightened her for a moment, she who was not only a Senshi, but would never fear her significant other in her life.

"Just be ready."

"Affirmative."

There was quite a fuss since the King and Queen were to return, but they did not expect to see an ambulance and a stretcher come out, guided by two Senshi, Uranus and Neptune. It was near panic when the injured Shitennou was loaded into the ambulance, followed by a limo to the palace.

Saturn was calm as ever. When the stretcher, Mercury, Zoisite, Uranus, and Neptune surrounding it, entered the medical room she only set her glaive to the side and began her healing. Jupiter was suspiciously missing from the room.

"Where is she? Her husband is here and where is she?" demanded the tall Soldier, pacing outside the room.

Mercury and Zoisite exchanged glances, remembering what she had said on the jet. "I think she's staying away for a reason," temporized Mercury.

Neptune put a hand on her partner's arm. "Think about what you just said, Haruka. It's her husband in there. How would you feel if it was me in there? Wouldn't you want to be away in case…I died? She's afraid to know…"

The tall Senshi stopped pacing. "You're right. I think someone should go find her, though."

"I think Mars already is," Zoisite commented. "Those two are really close. Do you want to be there when they question him?"

"Question who?"

Mercury smacked a hand to her forehead. "I forgot; you don't know. There have been not one, but two assassination attempts on Serenity and Endymion. The first one was…vaporized by Venus' attacks, but Jupiter brought in the second with minimal damage. Kunzite is going to question him later."

Uranus' fist slammed into her other palm. "Love to be there."

Saturn left the room, closing the door behind her and locked eyes with them, her gloves off and wiping blood from her hands. "He'll be fine, for the time being. Let him rest and then, Mercury, you'll have to bring him in to surgery to take the bullet out. But I can't do that and I wouldn't attempt it now, not when he's in a rather weak state of shock."

The medical Senshi nodded.

"I'll go tell Jupiter that her husband is all right," Neptune whispered and slipped away.

"Jupiter, look at me."

She didn't move, simply stared out the window. Mars touched her arm, but she shrugged off her hand. The only one she wanted touching her was her husband and he may not make it. The bullet wasn't what worried her; that hadn't been a fatal shot, at least from what she could tell.

The blood loss she did worry about.

"Jupiter?"

Slowly she turned to the aqua Senshi. "Yes?"

A smile lifted the woman's lips. "He'll be fine."

She hadn't realized how tense and worried she'd been until she collapsed backward into Mars' arms. The Senshi of War stumbled a bit in surprise. "Mako-chan!"

"I'm so glad…" she murmured.

"Why would there be an assassination attempt, let alone two, when Crystal Tokyo hasn't been around for even a year?" pondered Neptune.

"I suppose they told you," Mars said flatly.

"Yes, Mercury told us. I think it's rather imperative to get some answers."

Kunzite wiped his hands on a cloth once the door was locked behind him. He faced his friends grimly. "All right, here's the bad news: he's working in a group. Apparently they heard about our monarchy and decided that it wasn't right. They feel democracy, dictatorship, everything that isn't a monarchy ruled by a king and queen is fine. But ours isn't. They feel that a monarchy had its time and died out thousands of years ago."

"It would figure we'd get a cult on us not a year after Crystal Tokyo's been up," Venus muttered.

"I did find out where they're located. The man was new to the group apparently, they haven't got a name, and they sent him on a suicide mission. With a little…persuasion I managed to find out that their base is somewhere in the Middle East, probably around Turkey."

"We'll get on it," confirmed Uranus, after a glance at the rest of the Outers.

"Saturn, Venus, can I talk to you?" Jupiter asked lowly.

Venus' confused look didn't lessen as the Jovian Senshi singled out the two unlikely Soldiers to pair together. "What is it, Jupiter?"

"Venus, you said you couldn't have children, right?"

Her leader's face set as stone. "Yes, what about it?"

"You just might be able to."

"What?"

Saturn bowed a bit, drawing the blonde's attention. "I might be able to heal you. A minor injury, probably when riding a bicycle, caused a bit of damage. It would be no problem for me to heal it."

"Really?" She looked as if she didn't dare believe it.

"Of a certainty. But not now, however. The matter of this group that is sending assassins after the King and Queen must take precedence."

Venus looked away into the distance for a moment. "Agreed, that does take precedence. Jupiter, did you tell anyone else about Saturn's thought?"

"Only Pluto, she was already there, and Nephrite because I had to tell someone or explode keeping it in."

She smiled. "All right, but don't tell anyone else, especially not Keagan. Not until Saturn is sure that she can heal me."

Jupiter smiled like a gleeful pixie, which elicited smiles from the other two.

"Are you coming, Saturn?" called Uranus from down the hall.

"Yes."

The two Senshi watched her walk away.

End Chapter 4.

I know all you fans are going 'finally!" for getting another chapter of The Last Journey, so here it is. Interesting stuff is coming soon!! Couple plot twists…hehe.