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.
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The Last Journey
Chapter 15: Into the Storm
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"How are they?"
Mercury looked up at Uranus' tense face and glanced back at her four patients. "Nephrite and Jadeite will make it, but I'm not sure about Zoisite or Venus." And she could only imagine how much effort it took the woman to say her husband's bleak chances in the bright light of day.
She slammed her fist into her palm. "I'm going to kill that bastard when I get my hands on her! How's Serenity?"
"Shaken, but no injuries."
"Do you think she'll be able to go through with the war?"
A wry smile touched the Soldier's lips. "If anything, this attack made her more determined to go through with the war."
She glanced around the room speculatively. "Where's Kunzite?"
"He hasn't been in here since I told him that Venus was pregnant."
"She was what?"
"She's pregnant…and I don't think he could handle that fact coupling with that she might not survive."
"And how is yours?"
Mercury touched her stomach, which after the few months had managed to bulge a bit. "I hope that the child will have a chance to know its father."
Uranus nodded a bit and left the medical room to find Kunzite.
~~~~~
The man was going to wear himself into exhaustion, which was obvious to her eye. She had watched him from the shadows for nearly twenty minutes and he had yet to slow down and take a deep breath.
"If you don't rest, you'll collapse," she said, striding up next to him.
He didn't seem surprised to find her there. "Right now, resting is a low priority. The city was hit badly and we're still reeling. If the Dark Moon strikes again, the war will be over and the Earth will have lost. I refuse to let that vision of Mars' come true."
"While you have a point, I concede that, you still won't do any good if you wear yourself out. But if you refuse to listen to reason, why should I waste my breath?"
"Uranus?"
She turned to see Serenity in the doorway. A true smile broke out on her face at the presence of the queen. "Hey, Koneko-chan."
"Did you visit the infirmary yet?"
Glancing away, she nodded, her smile gone.
"How are they?"
Her eyes trained on Kunzite, she answered, "Nephrite and Jadeite will be fine, but Zoisite and Venus may not make it."
She gasped in dismay and a tear slid down her cheek. Gently, Uranus approached her queen and pulled her into a comforting embrace. "I wouldn't worry; we have the best doctor in the world with them and Saturn will do her level best once she recovers from healing Nephrite and Jadeite. I'm sure they will be fine."
And she absolutely believed it. What Mercury could not do, Saturn could. They made an incredible, unbeatable team when it came to healing someone. As long as Saturn recovered her energy as quickly as possible, there was almost a surety that Venus and Zoisite would survive.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Kunzite slid from the room and went in the direction of the infirmary.
~~~~
"Mars?"
The Soldier of War turned around, her eyes haunted. "Yes?"
Pluto strode up to her and whispered, "You are the second-in-command of the Senshi; now the leader. What are we to do?"
"I'm only the leader if Venus dies," she replied in a tight voice.
The older woman gripped her arm and forcefully turned her to face her. "Venus might not make it and you need to be a leader. Even if she does make it, right now she isn't in a position to make any decisions and you have to do it. If we fall apart right now, your vision will come true!"
Her words were like a slap in the face and Mars straightened. "I won't ever let that happen," she vowed.
"Then act like it; Kunzite can't do it all and right now, he's wearing thin what with two of his men critically injured, another near death's door, and his wife may be dying. You need to help him out."
She nodded and hiked herself out the room. There was no way she was going to let that vision come true…and if she didn't do something while Venus was injured, she would never be able to look at herself again when Venus did get better. And the best way to make Venus get better was if they were winning the war.
~~~
Having finally decided that it was their turn to strike and where, Jupiter stretched her muscles. She was going to make the Dark Moon pay for injuring her husband…
Due to the fact that four of them were still injured and Mercury and Saturn had to stay behind to heal them, it would only be Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Mars, Kunzite, and herself that would be assaulting the Dark Moon's base.
"I just hope that the United States' army holds up its end at the right time," Mars muttered beside her. "Our personal survival depends on them."
"I'm more worried about France's army," she replied as she gathered in the teleportation room and fixed on their headsets that would link them directly to Serenity and Endymion, telling them when and where to aim their crystals.
"They do seem kind of flakey," the priestess reluctantly agreed.
Kunzite strode into the room, adjusting his headset accordingly to their frequency. "Ready?"
"Absolutely," hissed Uranus, with the expression that Jupiter had only seen once before: during the final battle with Daray, she had looked like that, like she was a stone-cold killer; someone that didn't feel the slightest bit of emotion when going after their set goal.
She felt in complete accord with her.
They joined hands tightly and focused on their goal, implanting the image of the Dark Moon base that was somewhere in New Zealand firmly into their minds.
"Teleport!"
Bright colors filled the room and leaked through the cracks of the closed door. Mercury and Saturn glanced up as they felt the teleportation and switched on their headsets, hoping that they would not be needed there. If they were, that meant…
That meant everything had gone to hell in a hand basket.
~~~
"Be careful where you step," cautioned Neptune. "There's nearly a 90% chance that there are traps all over this place."
"Do you think they felt our power signature and that we're here?" questioned Jupiter, glancing around.
The walls were a dark stone jade color and seemed to absorb light, instead of reflect it. Under her feet, it seemed like the flooring was obsidian crystal and yet transparent at the same time. She shuddered a bit and looked away. There what appeared to be cells all along the walls. Cells? What on earth would there be cells for?
"I wouldn't doubt it, that's nearly a given," replied Pluto.
Mars had gone to investigate the cells and let out a horrified cry as she peered into one of them.
"What is it?" snapped Kunzite as they crowded around her.
"Yuuichirou! Somebody help me open this door," she told them as she frantically tugged on the handle.
With their combined strength, it opened with a screaming protest of hinges. The Soldier of War dragged him out, but by her shocked dismay and pained expression, there was no pulse. Tears fell down her cheeks as she wept, rocking herself back and forth in despair.
Neptune knelt next to her and comfortingly held her, though there was little she could do to stem the woman's grief.
"They're going to pay for this."
They looked up at Pluto's quiet, but emotion and determined filled voice. Mars' eyes changed from despair to rock-hard hatred. She would never let them get away with this, if she had to rip them apart with her bare hands.
~~~
End Chapter 15