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@cox.net.

The Last Journey

Chapter 9: Painful Reminders

They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Pyralis tucked his head into the crook of her neck, his bright sky blue eyes nearly hidden by his dark black hair.

"Yuuichirou? What are you doing here? Where did you go…when you left?"

Her voice cracked slightly, but she resolutely kept her eyes on him. The man shifted and looked around him, anywhere but at her.

"I went to America. I've had a few relatives locate themselves in Chicago and I found a place to stay there. I…only heard now about who the…the Sailor Senshi were..." She winced, but he continued in a soft voice. "Then it all clicked in my head." He gave a deprecating smile. "I remembered seeing that red warrior, Sailor Mars, with that male fighter…and…"

"Yuuichirou," she began when he didn't finish, "nothing that I did when the Sailor Senshi showed up was meant to hurt you. This is just how…destiny played out. I wish it hadn't worked out like this, that you were hurt so and that I did the hurting of you, but when I…awoke as a Soldier, my duty and my mind was set on what had to be done. I had to rescue Serenity at all costs."

"And this Jadeite?"

Rei's hold on her son tightened. "I told you when you left…that I love him. And I always will. I'm…sorry, Yuuichirou, but that's the way it is."

Yuuichirou's gaze fell on Pyralis. "Is he…our son?"

From the tightness around his eyes and mouth, the desperateness in his whole appearance, Rei could see that he wanted for the child to be his with all his heart. Perhaps it was his only way of holding onto the woman he loved…Rei didn't know, but suddenly she just couldn't look at him. Mutely she shook her head.

"I see."

His ragged voice made her look up. "Yuuichirou, why did you come here?"

"I don't know…I don't know, Rei. I guess…when I found out that you were Sailor Mars, there was something in me that had to know."

"Know what?"

"Did you ever really love me?"

She set Pyralis down and straightened her shoulders, piercing his gaze with her own. "Yes. I did once."

"Then that's all I want to know. I guess…I can let go of us."

"Yuuichirou, I still care for you…just not the way it once was. Perhaps we can't be friends like in all the movies and books, but there is still an emotion in my heart for you."

"Rei?"

She caught sight of Nick just over Yuuichirou's shoulder. "Nick?"

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"No. Yuuichirou, this is Nick Michael Canter, Mako-chan's husband. Nick, this is Yuuichirou Kumada."

Nick held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Yuuichirou."

Guardedly, Yuuichirou returned the sentiment. "So…you're Nephrite, right?"

He nodded. "You must be paying attention and have inside sources. Not many people outside our country know who we really are and we rather like it that way."

"I understand." He glanced again, down at Pyralis, who was occupying himself quite well with a loose piece of threading from a curtain. "It's been a…pleasure meeting you, Nick, and Rei…" His eyes finally met hers for the last time. "…I wish you well."

Nick watched him go and when he was gone, turned to Rei. "Venus wants a meeting again. I didn't know he would be here; why did he come?"

"He said he had to ask whether I ever loved him."

"You say it as if you don't believe that was the only reason."

Rei looked away. "It's not as if I don't believe that was the reason, but…I don't know, but…I'm suddenly afraid."

"Of what?"

"That perhaps he might get hurt or someone I know will. It almost sounded, when he asked me if I ever loved him, the way someone would ask something just before they died. Almost as if it was the last thing he wanted to know before he passed away. Do you think that I'm just being paranoid?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know him very well and all I'm going on is what you've told me. Come, let's get to Venus' meeting."

She nodded. Yes, let's go. But I hope my bad feeling doesn't come to anything. Nothing could happen to Yuuichirou, could it? Rei picked up her son and got into Nick's car, ignoring the niggling at the back of her mind.

"We were gratefully notified," And Endymion put heavy sarcasm on the two words, "that the World Council has voted on its position regarding us."

"Really? And what is that?" questioned Haruka derisively and propping up her feet on the table.

"Yes. After 'heavy debating', they have decided to recognize our form of government. Senshi, Shitennou, we are, in their opinion, a country on their World Council."

"WHAT?"

Endymion looked rather pleased at the twelve shouting voices. "That's what we said."

"But…but…but how can that be?" stuttered Zale. "They acted like we were a plague in that room when we were at that stupid council!"

"Are you sure this isn't some sort of joke?" questioned Luna skeptically as she entered the room with Artemis and Serenity. Both felines jumped onto the table top for a better view of the people sitting there.

"Joke? I doubt it," Setsuna muttered. "I don't think it's a joke, but after so many years that I've lived and looked over the timeline, it isn't just in the goodness of someone's heart to be on our side. Something else is behind this; something I don't know about. And I don't like not knowing."

"I bet you don't," murmured Jadeite.

"I don't like not knowing either," Minako stated. "It makes me quite irritable and jumpy not knowing. Is there any way we can find out?"

"Well…"

Setsuna trailed off.

"This is turning straight back into a Silver Millennium thing," Michiru remarked tiredly. "All those wandering in different circles, bandying words and trying to find out who did what in the government so they might counter it. It was always tiresome then, and it's tiresome now."

"I somehow didn't think that establishing Crystal Tokyo would be this way," Nick said sadly. "I thought it would be free of intrigue, and that the recognition of our government wouldn't be built on lies and deception."

"You couldn't expect that," Hotaru told him softly. "We had no right to expect that. What country isn't built in a council on that? While our government is built in and of itself on free will and…purity and innocence for a better world, in the political circles, one must lie, cheat, and betray others in order to go further ahead for the better interests. That is what someone is doing now: they are trying to go further ahead for the better interests, and those interests lie in having Crystal Tokyo recognized for a legitimate government to be on that very much said same World Council."

"Well, Hotaru, you may not talk a lot, but when you do, gold comes out of your mouth," Jace commented. She simply looked at him and he shrugged. "Any ideas on who that would be?"

The Soldier of Destruction shook her head. "Why should I know? It was the King and Queen's guard that went with them to the World Council. Surely you all, of any of us, would know better."

That gentle rebuff only accentuated her words, but kept most of the sting out of them. Her pale violet eyes were haunted, but yet at the same time calm. It was almost as if, through some way, she were teaching them. But she was the same age as them, even if she had grown up a little harshly, caught in the middle of a war between the recently deceased Death Busters and the Sailor Senshi.

"She's right," Keagan told them gravely. "We would know of any of us."

"A background check is first," Ami said reluctantly. "We'll need to inspect as much as we can about the various heads of states and their future aims for their countries."

"Can you do that? Isn't security on that kind of thing really tough to crack?" Serenity asked worriedly.

"It will be hard, and Zale and I will be doing that for the majority of our time as it will be long, but it can be done with the technology that we built Crystal Tokyo from. Our own Silver Millennium technology can do just about anything. After all, that was what we made them for."

"Right," Minako told them. "All right, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, I need you to continue your outer perimeter guard as much as humanly possible. I also want a close watch on who is coming in and going out in our country. If someone is coming in, I want to know about it, people, and who that person is and where they're coming from."

The four older Senshi nodded gravely.

"Exactly," Keagan picked up. "In the palace, Zale and Ami will do what they can with their computers, find out the information we need. Rei, you need to keep a watch on your senses and an eye on your sacred fire. If there is any, and I mean any, strange feelings you have, I want them checked up on. That goes for you too, Nick. Any and all feelings and keep a weather eye on the stars. If you think anything out of the ordinary or importance, bring it to our collective attention immediately. Jace, I need you to watch the outside political world as much as possible. I wouldn't be asking you to do this, but Minako and I need to watch our guard. I don't want the possibility that someone can infiltrate their way close to Serenity and Endymion with the intent of harm on them." Jace nodded, his face serious as stone. "Makoto, do you think you contact your acquaintances in the street fighting community, see if they know anything?"

The brunette cocked her head. "I don't really know. I didn't know anyone when I was street fighting. The unwritten rule is that you don't really get to know another street fighter because you'll probably end up fighting them."

"But could you try?"

"I'll see what I can do," she responded, "but don't expect much."

"It's a long shot, but it's worth something, same as when we asked Setsuna to look at the timeline."

"Serenity, Endymion, you need to concentrate as much as you can on maintaining a calm front and keep control of the kingdom, while all the time also trying to keep in the center of the political arena. Jace can only see so far on the fringes." Minako drilled her words into their minds with her eyes. "I won't lose you. Either of you. After all that we've gone through, I can't go through it again. We need you to be strong for our people and for the press."

Endymion and Serenity glanced at each other and concurred.

"Luna, Artemis."

The cats looked in surprise at Setsuna's sudden outburst. "Keep an eye on everything going on the palace as well. There are bound to something that we missed. Also, watch the staff hard. Even in Crystal Tokyo, there might be rebellious people, or betrayers in our midst. Your eyes are the keenest of us all, your ears the sharpest. You both may pick up things that we very well can't. Also, always listen in if we find something. You might be able to read a pattern that we can't see."

"Very good," Artemis stated as they broke up the meeting. "I think we might actually pull this off.

End Chapter 9.

Not much Luna and Artemis action until now. Had to bring them in though. They play a big part in the upcoming…situation.

**Update: Thanks to Kourui for pointing out to me that I had forgotten Mako-chan! I guess my mind wandered when I was trying to remember something else. Sorry! Thanks Kourui!