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 18: Final Voyage
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"Are you absolutely sure, Mercury?"
The Soldier nodded unhappily at Pluto's question. "No doubt. But we have to disable the shield around this place first, otherwise Serenity and Endymion won't have the time to destroy the base. Otherwise they'll waste precious seconds needed to destroy this place before it destroys half the world."
"Where's the control panel to disable the shield?"
Mercury turned back to her computer at Venus' sharp inquiry. "Too far away for someone to run to it, turn it off, and get back here to teleport out safely."
"Then we'll all die here," muttered Nephrite, his face firmly planted on the floor as he hurt too much to move at all.
"No, everyone else leaves. I'll deactivate the shield."
"Kunzite, you can't! Not in your condition," contradicted Mars passionately. "You'd never make it there!"
"I'll do it."
The Soldiers all began to argue with Venus' statement until Kunzite's roaring "Silence!" quieted them down.
"Venus, you're in even worse condition than me and I'm doing this. Enough said. Now teleport out of here, all of you, and tell Endymion and Serenity to aim their crystals at this gods-forsaken base and destroy it. Where is the control panel, Mercury?"
The Senshi of Mercury was clearly unhappy about telling him the location and was about to argue the point when that hated voice came again, telling them that they had fifty seconds left to get out before the base blew. She described where he had to go and what it would look like, despite her urge to argue it out with him.
All through her directions, Venus pleaded from her position in her husband's lap, hoping to save him from going through with his obvious plan to deactivate the shield at the cost of his life.
Kunzite's resolve didn't waver and when he had the directions firmly fixed in his head, he stood, passing his wife into Saturn's arms. He nodded to them, kissed his wife goodbye, and ran ahead into the hallway that Demando and Sapphire had appeared from.
"Let's go."
Venus' voice was harsh and forbid any kind of speech. With 30 seconds left ringing in their ears, the Soldiers managed to get into some kind of circle and teleport away, tears fighting to fall from the Soldier of Love's eyes.
Serenity and Endymion, along with the other heads of the various countries, watched as the armies of the Black Moon falter and fall apart. The US president gave a "whoop" of satisfaction, saying, "They did it!"
But the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo felt fear settle in their guts. They hadn't had to use the Ginzuishou and Golden Crystal, hadn't once heard from the Senshi and Kunzite in the Dark Moon's base. Light shined from behind them and they whirled to see haggard warriors, Venus, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite among them.
Relief wanted to sweep through Endymion, like it obviously had for his beloved, but something was terribly wrong to him: All the Shitennou were there except for Kunzite. Where was the leading Shitennou?
"Where's Kunzite?" he demanded lowly, fear worming its way into his heart.
"Don't be celebrating just yet," Venus told them from her prone position on the floor. She fought to lift her head a bit, but despair and pain made it a difficult venture. With help from Mercury, she managed to sit up. "Your Majesties, please aim your crystals at the Dark Moon base and destroy it. It has a self-destruction spell set and will blow in 15 seconds. It has enough power to destroy half the Earth with it if you don't."
"Where's Kunzite?!"
She finally looked at her King. "He's still in the base, deactivating the shield."
"We can't destroy it, if he's still in the base," protested Serenity.
"Do it!" Venus snapped, her hand balling into a fist to hold in her emotions. "He'll never make it out in time before it blows. If you don't do it, his death will be in vain!"
"But Venus…he's your…"
"It doesn't matter if he's my husband," she screamed, startling the other presidents at the declaration, they who had not known of their relationship. "The Earth and you both are more important and if that base blows we all die! He's sacrificing his life because he loves you all and this planet. Are you going to belittle his sacrifice?"
Endymion glanced in the direction of the base, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces. He knew Venus was right, but he didn't want to admit it. The Golden Crystal glowed and shined its light in the room.
"Endymion!" gasped Serenity, shocked. "You're not going to—"
"Venus is right, Serenity. As much as it hurts, she's right. Kunzite would never forgive me if I didn't."
A beam of bright gold power slammed through the wall in the straightest path to the Dark Moon base. He could feel Serenity staring at him in horror and Venus yelling at her to "Do it!" But nothing could penetrate into the guilt of what he was doing. Maybe if he'd just been Prince Endymion, or the Tuxedo Kamen that Pluto had said he had become in that alternate timeline, he could have saved his friend, but he was King and had to think of his people first. Kunzite knew that as well and was putting the people first, instead of himself.
Ever so slowly, Serenity's power joined his and attacked the base. The power didn't encounter any resistance and as Mercury said "2 seconds left", the base was destroyed in a blast of light.
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Kunzite felt his fingers go numb and clunky with weariness as he put in the code Mercury said would deactivate the shield. 15 seconds left.
In his heart, he was saying goodbye to Endymion and his friends in a way that he could never say aloud, but knew that they would understand without speaking. His beloved, he knew, would do her duty to convince the monarchs to attack the base even though it would be tearing her up inside. He hadn't wanted to add anymore burdens on his wife's shoulders, but there had been no other way.
"7 seconds remaining. Please evacuate the base."
He didn't know what to do with the last seven seconds of his life. Glancing around, taking in the last things he'd see, he spotted an interesting diagram on the floor. Curiously, he approached it.
"2 seconds remaining. Please evacuate the base."
Just as he stepped on it, his world exploded in light.
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End Chapter 18.
Only an epilogue left.