DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to Love In A Ruined World, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read Love In A Ruined World, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.
Reviewer Thanks-
Sonar de Mercury: Well, she certainly will try! Hope you like this chapter!
MWD: Hmm... right now, Trunks is a bit incapacitated, don't you think?
Erica: Yes, very poor Trunksie... but at least it's him and not Ami getting hurt! Trunks would much rather himself be in danger than Ami... She'd rather herself be hurt than him too, though...
Zyppora: Yeah... I needed to have someone BESIDES Ami getting captured. She's my fave character and I'm so mean to her!
---
After Ami and Bulma had returned to the living room and informed the others of their plan, all of them seemed eager to go... all of them except one, that is.
"Patrick, what's the matter?" asked Cammy, looking at Patrick's worried expression with concern. "Don't you want to go help out Trunks?"
Patrick shook his head, and an angry frown appeared on Rei's face.
"I know why he doesn't want to help!" shouted Rei, still quite untrusting of the recently converted Patrick. "You're still with them, aren't you? You're just waiting for a situation like this so you can-"
"No, that's not it!" Patrick replied angrily. "You don't even understand what Pandemonium and Nikashi can do, do you? No, but I bet Trunks does!"
"Stop it, please!" Ami shouted, her hands flying up to her ears. "We can't fight like this... not if we're going to have any chance of rescuing Trunks from those... those... those vicious monsters!"
"Ami's right," said Serena, looking around to the rest of the group. "If we're going to fight the strongest warriors that the Galactic Research Armada has to offer, we're going to have to function as a team... because when we work as a team, we're impossible to beat. But if we're fighting like this, we're going to lose in no time!"
"I know, Serena..." Rei said, still glaring coldly at Patrick. "But are you really sure we can trust this guy, especially now that we're going back into the bad guys' headquarters? He might be leading us into a trap!"
"And he might be the only one who can help us rescue Trunks," said Cammy, also looking over at Patrick. "He knows the place inside and out... so if anyone can help us find Trunks wherever they've hidden him, it's Patrick..."
"Cammy, are you sure about this?" Rose asked, walking over to Cammy and whispering in her ear while pointing at Patrick. "I mean... everything he did to you..."
"Rose, you can't possibly understand what's in my head right now, okay?" Cammy said quietly, gently nudging her sister away. "I saw something in him today... the look in his eyes... he apologized to me, and I've accepted his apology... and I really think Patrick can help us."
"Trust me or not, it doesn't matter," said Patrick, leaving the group and starting to walk up the stairs toward the guest room. "If you want me to stay here and not go with you, that's fine with me. All of the things I've done... I don't deserve to be trusted."
"Wait," said Ami, gently grabbing Patrick's wrist and beginning to tug him back over to the group. "I've known Cammy for quite some time, and... I think she's quite an excellent judge of character. Plus, Patrick does probably know the place inside and out... if Cammy can trust him, I can trust him."
"Thank you... Ami... and Cammy," Patrick said, walking into the living room and flashing Cammy a brief smile. "I will try to assist all of you as well as I can."
"I know that you will," replied Cammy, smiling back to him.
"Well, now that everyone's ready, I think you should all get going," said Bulma, pressing a button on the teleportation wand and opening a large, swirling black energy gate. "This gate will take you to the roof where you launched the capsule ship when you went to the station the first time. Ami, you know how to operate the wand, right?"
Ami nodded, and Bulma handed her the small device.
"Once you're in your own dimension, you can use the wand to warp to the space station back here in this dimension," said Bulma. "Please... all of you, be careful..."
"We will," said Ami. "And we won't come back without Trunks."
"Wherever he is, we'll find him and we'll bring him back!" said Serena determinedly. "Is everyone ready? Then let's go!"
"Please, Trunks... wherever you are, be safe..." Ami thought as she and the others disappeared into the swirling gate.
---
Nikashi stood just outside the door of Trunks' prison room, her hand wrapped around the doorhandle. A smile was on her face as she pondered whether or not to enter the room where Trunks was held captive. As she debated, Pandemonium began walking down the hall, also headed for the prison room. With a squeak of surprise, Nikashi let go of the door handle and leapt out into the hallway as Pandemonium walked toward her.
"What were you doing, Nikashi?" asked Pandemonium, his eyes glancing back and forth from Nikashi to the door.
"Um... nothing, really!" Nikashi said, rapidly shaking her head back and forth. "I'll just, um... be going now!"
"Exeter thinks the Senshi are going to come for Trunks," said Pandemonium, walking toward the door and turning the handle. "I think they'd be foolish to... but Ami does love Trunks quite a lot. Maybe we'll just be seeing her here."
"I'll kill the Senshi if I see any of them!" Nikashi said, eagerly rubbing her hands together. "Pandemonium, would it be okay if I... if I just came in and took a little peek at Trunks? Please?"
"No," Pandemonium said as he pushed open the door to Trunks' cell. "I don't want to see you anywhere near here."
"Fine, I don't want to see Trunks anyway!" Nikashi whined, angrily storming off down the hallway. Once she had turned the corner, Pandemonium entered the dark room and walked over to Trunks, still chained to the back wall. Though his injuries were extensive, Trunks had remained conscious the entire time he'd been imprisoned, and when Pandemonium reached out to him, Trunks lifted his head and stared straight into Pandemonium's eyes, his own eyes fixated in a gaze of hatred.
"Defiant to the end, I see..." said Pandemonium, stroking his hand across Trunks' bloody face. "Tell me, Trunks.... what would you say if I told you that your pathetic girlfriend and her equally pathetic Senshi friends are coming to save you right now?"
Trunks didn't even try to talk, knowing that the gag in his mouth would muffle any angry words he had intended to say. Instead, he continued to stare into Pandemonium's eyes, his gaze becoming angrier and more furious by the second.
"And what if I told you that I just commanded Nikashi to kill them all on sight, including your beloved Ami? They're all going to come, you know they will... or at least Ami, by herself. What if she did come by herself? I'd kill her quickly, but you never know what Nikashi will do... she's quite vicious, I'm sure you know that for a fact."
Again, Trunks continued to stare, his eyes narrowing as he thought of all the things he would do to Pandemonium if he could just get free and regain his strength. He tugged at the chains weakly, but the pain that resulted from even his tiniest motion discouraged any thoughts of revenge that might have been brewing in Trunks' mind.
"What if Nikashi brought her here, Trunks? Think if it... her blood on the floor, just like yours... her body battered, just like yours... her cries mingling with your muffled screams, her eyes filled with tears... and you helpless to do anything about it! Trunks, they're going to die trying to save you! They're all going to die! Ami's going to die because of you!"
That did it. Trunks let out a loud, muffled scream of anguish that filled the entire room, and several tears began to fall down the sides of his face. Pandemonium smiled approvingly, and then punched Trunks in the ribs, causing Trunks to scream again, though this time it was a scream of physical pain instead of emotional anguish. The pain Trunks was feeling in his body was nothing compared to the mental wounds inflicted by Pandemonium's words. As the tears continued to fall, Trunks knew exactly how true those words might soon become.
"Ami... if you can possibly hear me... don't come for me... I don't want anything to happen to you... Ami, please don't!" Trunks thought.
Satisfied, Pandemonium left the room, closing and locking the door and leaving Trunks alone once more in the darkness.
---
Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina had transformed back into the Sailor Senshi and were now standing on the roof with Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick. Ami held Bulma's transportation wand firmly in her right hand.
"So this is where you guys blasted off from when you went to rescue me..." Cammy said in a fascinated tone, looking around. "Cool! We're up pretty high..."
"Hopefully this wand will get us to the space station just as quickly," said Sailor Moon.
"Or quicker," replied Sailor Mercury. "Much quicker... Trunks is counting on us, and every second is important..."Sailor Mercury held out the wand and pressed a button. Suddenly, a swirling black gate was created, similar to the one Bulma had made. Mercury handed the wand to Patrick, who placed it in the pocket of his jumpsuit.
"Well... we'd better get in there," said Sailor Jupiter, slowly walking toward the gate.
"I'm coming, Trunks..." thought Sailor Mercury. She stepped into the gate, followed by the other Senshi, the sisters, and finally, Patrick. Then, the gate closed. Sailor Mercury knew that her life, as well as the lives of her friends, would be put in more danger than they ever had before. But she also knew that somewhere deep within the space station, Trunks was suffering, and he desperately needed her help. "If I fail... at least I'll still be with you in the afterlife... no, I can't think about that! I have to save you, Trunks! I will save you!"
---
The nine warriors appeared in a hallway near the center of the space station. Sailor Moon noticed a direction sign on the wall that indicated that one way down the hall led further toward the center, while another way led into one of the spokes.
"We should probably head toward the center of this thing, since that's where Trunks probably is," said Sailor Moon. "Ami, didn't Trunks say he was going to fight whoever ran this place?"
Ami nodded.
"Let's hurry," she said, running down the hall in the direction that led to the center of the station. "C'mon!"
"She certainly is in a hurry," said Angela, following Sailor Mercury down the hall. "I just hope she knows what she's doing..."
When the Senshi got to the end of the hall, they reached a large room similar to the one where Trunks had fought Pandemonium. It wasn't the same room, but it did have the same purpose. It was a room for giving instructions to large amounts of troops at once, before they began their missions. Unlike the room Trunks and Pandemonium had fought in, this room had another way in (or out, if need be), a large opening at the very back. When Sailor Mercury charged into the large room, she ran straight for the opening, knowing that Trunks was somewhere beyond the large room she was currently in. As she reached a point about halfway into the room, she could see someone else entering the room from the other side. A glance at the glowing red whip being carried in the person's hand immediately indicated their identity to Sailor Mercury.
"Nikashi!" shouted Sailor Mercury, stopping in her tracks. The other Senshi, as well as Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick, stopped behind her. Nikashi cackled and leapt the great distance from the back of the room to the center, where she stood just a few feet from the group of heroes as she began to speak.
"Pandemonium was right... you did come for him," said Nikashi, a sadistic smile on her face. "This certainly will be interesting..."
"Where's Trunks?" Sailor Mercury shouted furiously. "What have you done with him?"
Nikashi began cackling again, and Sailor Mercury's fists began to glow and pulsate with magical energy.
"Oh, that's really none of your concern, now is it?" Nikashi asked. "Your boyfriend just received the beating of his life from a far superior fighter. I tried to warn him that his pathetic ki was no match for our magical energy, but he just wouldn't listen... you should have heard him scream. Oh, wait, you're not really into that sort of thing, are you? Figures. Nerds like you are just no fun!"
Nikashi's eyes scanned the group until she spotted Patrick, standing toward the back of the group, next to Cammy. An angry look was on his face.
"So, the prodigal son has returned, has he? I thought the Senshi destroyed you, just like Pandemonium's other pathetic soldiers. Well, I'm sure Pandemonium will be absolutely glad to see you. I'll have to tell him you're here... no, maybe I'll just deliver your treacherous corpse. I'm sure he'll understand."
"I'm never working for Pandemonium again," said Patrick. "I've realized that everything I did has had terrible effects on the people I've harmed, and I almost made a mistake that I could never take back, no matter what. That's when I realized that I had to stop all of this... stop all of this evil... I'm here to put an end to all of your wicked ways!"
"Is that... is that it?" Nikashi shouted, beginning to laugh yet again. "Like I said, you're just like all of Pandemonium's other soldiers... pathetic and weak. Just like Trunks! Oh, Ami, you missed such a wonderful beating... I held him while Pandemonium beat the life out of him, every ounce of energy he had! He was screaming, and crying, and begging us to stop, but Pandemonium just kept hitting him, and hitting him, and it was absolutely delicious!"
Sailor Mercury's body trembled as Nikashi told her of the horrors Trunks had suffered at Pandemonium and Nikashi's terrible hands. She could feel an incredible rage overtaking her entire body, which began to glow with an awesome blue light. Her arms lit up most of all, as she began concentrating energy in them for a large blast. As Nikashi began to laugh, a high-pitched, ear-shattering, screaming laugh that rang the Senshi's ears like a bell, Sailor Mercury could no longer stand still, her rage threatening to explode. Finally, she herself began to scream.
"Shut... the hell... UP!!!" Sailor Mercury shouted, and suddenly, Nikashi could feel her lips quickly freezing shut as an ice wave flew out from Sailor Mercury's body and engulfed the powerful witch, freezing her entire body solid. Her cackles quickly became muffled squeaks, and then only silence. The glow around Sailor Mercury's body became even more prominent, and the others could only watch in shock as their friend prepared to attack. Suddenly, an explosion of red light burst forth from Nikashi, and the ice around her was vaporized in an instant. In a second instant, her whip lashed across Sailor Mercury's stomach, creating a large gash and knocking the blue-haired Senshi back into the arms of her friends.
"Sailor Mercury!" shouted Sailor Moon as she caught her friend, careful not to aggravate the gash across her stomach. "Are you alright?""Let me... go... Sailor Moon..." Sailor Mercury groaned, quickly standing up and retaining her energy glow, completely ignoring her injury. "I'm going to destroy Nikashi, and everyone else that harmed Trunks!"
"We're right behind you, Sailor Mercury!" Sailor Mars said, stepping forward. "Don't think we're gonna let you do this alone!"
"That's right!" said Sailor Jupiter, her own body beginning to glow with magical energy. "We're taking Nikashi down together!"
"We want to save Trunks just as badly as you do!" said Sailor Venus, leaping forward and preparing her own attack."That's right!" said Rose, running up to face Nikashi alongside her sisters and the Sailor Senshi.
"Don't forget about me," said Patrick, stepping forward. "I can atone for my sins only after you are defeated!"
"The Sailor Senshi and their allies can never lose!" declared Sailor Moon, pointing at Nikashi. "And in the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!"
Nikashi began to cackle again, debasing the seriousness of the Senshi's speech.
"Oh, you're going to punish me? How kinky! But nine on one really isn't fair, is it? Oh well... I guess I'm just going to have to compensate by fighting as dirty as I possibly can!"
Nikashi pointed her arms at the Sailor Senshi, Patrick, and the sisters, and began firing magical energy blast after magical energy blast, quickly engulfing all nine heroes in a gigantic energy cloud. Suddenly, a blast of ice energy emerged from the cloud, hitting Nikashi squarely in the arm and freezing it instantly. The cold energy blast had been fired by Sailor Mercury, who then ran out of the cloud at Nikashi and punched her in the face as hard as she could, her fist glowing with a bright blue aura. The punch caused Nikashi to recoil for a split second, but she then responded with a punch of her own, striking Mercury in the chest and knocking her down to the ground, flat on her back. Just as she'd shaken off Sailor Mercury, three more Senshi, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, ran out of the cloud, each of them firing flurries of magical energy blasts. Nikashi leapt away from the blasts and the charging Senshi, watching as the mass of fire, lightning, and energy exploded harmlessly just a few feet away. She barely had time to take a breath before a cloud of razor-sharp flower petals washed over her. The petals sliced by quickly, none of them strong enough to damage Nikashi as they had done with Pandemonium's lieutenants. The girl who had fired the petals, Angela, stepped back when she realized her attack had been futile, trying to get away from the now annoyed Nikashi as quickly as possible. Suddenly, Nikashi's whip tightened around Angela's ankle, and with one quick, flinging motion, the girl was flung all the way across the room and into the back of the room, her body making a loud thud as her back and the back of her head collided with the hard, metallic wall. As she slumped helplessly against the wall, Nikashi pointed her arm at the weakened girl and began to charge an energy blast. Suddenly, a long, thorny vine wrapped around Nikashi's ankle and began tugging strongly, trying to pull her off of the ground.
"Let's see... how you... like it..." said Rose, straining to budge the powerful Nikashi with her magical vine. Nikashi looked down and began to laugh until she saw a tiny stream of blood trickling down her ankle, made from one of the thorns on the vine. With an angry cry, Nikashi blasted Rose away with a powerful sphere of magical energy, knocking the poor girl to the ground and creating a large, smoldering burn on her stomach.
"Didn't I ever tell you that I don't like the taste of my own medicine?" asked Nikashi, smiling as she walked over to the incapacitated Rose.
"Then I don't think you'll like this!" Cammy shouted, blasting Nikashi from behind with a flurry of small, green energy spheres. The blasts quickly engulfed Nikashi, who turned around and growled, the blasts making tiny burn marks on her skin wherever they made contact.
"Those blasts are like pin-pricks to me... but they're still annoying!" shrieked Nikashi. Suddenly, she was blasted from the other direction with a frigid, icy energy wave. The attack did no real harm to Nikashi with the exception of making the air around her body very, very cold. Immediately suspecting Sailor Mercury of the attack, Nikashi was very surprised to see an angry-looking Patrick standing behind her, charging up yet another attack.
"I see Cammy's caused you a bit of damage," said Patrick, noticing the tiny burns on Nikashi's skin. "Allow me to cause you a bit more."
Patrick lunged forward at Nikashi, only to get her deadly whip lashed across his forehead, knocking him down to the ground in an instant. As his head hit, he nearly passed out, then shook his head, stunned by the whip's power. He felt blood dripping slowly down his forehead, and let out a loud, pained groan.
"I always knew Pandemonium's servants were weak," said Nikashi, walking over to Patrick, her whip firmly grasped in her right hand. "I'll do him a favor by finishing off the last one."
"Don't you dare!" Cammy shouted, intensifying her rain of blasts on Nikashi. Without a word, Nikashi turned around and blasted Cammy with one large ball of fire, knocking the green-haired girl all the way back into the wall, next to her sister Angela, who had just stood up from Nikashi's last attack on her. When Cammy hit the wall, she let out a loud scream, and Patrick winced and clenched his teeth, not wanting to see Cammy hurt again. He rapidly rose to his feet, gathering up a large amount of magical energy in his fists.
"Leave her alone, she's been through enough!" Patrick shouted, angrier than he'd ever been.
"Oh, really?" Nikashi replied. "What's she been through that's so bad? Oh, wait... I think Pandemonium told me. Yes, I remember now... you tortured her, didn't you?"
Patrick's face softened, and his lip began to quiver. Nikashi smiled.
"Of course you did, Pandemonium told me all about it," Nikashi said, enjoying the effect her words were having on the remorseful Patrick. "You tied her to a pipe, and-"
"Stop it..." Patrick said, starting to shake his head. "Stop it...""And then you hit her in the face, didn't you?" continued Nikashi, her smile becoming larger and larger. "My goodness, you're almost as sadistic as I am, you know that?"
"Stop it..." said Patrick, his fists tightly clenching. "I'm sorry, Cammy... I'm so sorry..."
"I think he said stop," shouted Sailor Moon, appearing out of nowhere in front of Nikashi. Her fist crashed into the side of Nikashi's face, causing Nikashi to stumble back, having not expected the punch at all. Sailor Moon followed up the punch by pointing her henshin stick at Nikashi and releasing her magical energy.
"Moon... Purification..."
Concentrating as much energy as she could, Sailor Moon blasted Nikashi at full-force. A brilliant white light engulfed Nikashi, who let out a loud scream as the white-hot blast engulfed her entire body, bathing it in purifying magical energy. When the light had disappeared, Nikashi could still feel a lingering pain, which emanated throughout her entire body for just a few seconds before finally subsiding. When Nikashi looked up again, she could see all nine heroes standing around her in a circle, all of them glowing brightly with powerful magical energy auras. Cammy was now standing next to Patrick, still shaken after Nikashi had brought up the horrible things he had done to Cammy. She glanced over at him and immediately noticed that his body was trembling."What did she say to you?" Cammy asked him.
"Nothing," said Patrick, shaking his head. "It was-"
"It was something... please, tell me," said Cammy, reaching her hand out to Patrick and walking closer to him. "Please... it was about earlier, wasn't it?"
Patrick nodded, but didn't say a word.
"Don't let her do that to you, okay? It's over, I've already said it's over, and that's the only thing that matters. Right now, the important thing is beating Nikashi and rescuing Trunks, so stop thinking about the past and let's focus on this fight right now!"
Patrick nodded again. Cammy's frown changed into a smile, and Patrick replied by smiling back at her. The whole time that exchange was going on, Sailor Moon had been speaking to Sailor Mercury, who was standing next to her in the circle.
"I can't leave you guys, not now!" said Sailor Mercury, looking around the circle at the rest of her friends. "You guys need me to use the Sailor Planet Power attack, which is probably the only chance we have to beat Nikashi!"
"I know, but right now, Trunks needs you too... and we can use the Planet Power attack without you, Ami... it won't be too much weaker!" replied Sailor Moon. "You heard what Nikashi said about Trunks... he's been beaten, and they're probably holding him captive somewhere! You've got a psychic connection with him, Ami... if you get close, you'll be able to ask him where he is..."
"But Serena...."
In her heart, Sailor Mercury knew that Sailor Moon was right. She had to get to Trunks as soon as possible... he could be dying, even as she spoke. But Nikashi was an incredibly powerful foe, and if Sailor Mercury left her friends now, they would be in an enormous amount of danger.
"The Sailor Senshi fight as a team... I have to stay with them, as long as I can!" thought Sailor Mercury. "But Trunks... he's in so much danger... so much pain... what should I do?"
Just then, a large blast of magical energy exploded right next to her, engulfing Sailor Moon in a cloud of burning red smoke. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing Sailor Moon protected by a glowing barrier of her own magical energy.
"Ami, go!" shouted Sailor Moon through the barrier. "We'll stall Nikashi... you have to find Trunks, now!"
Again, Sailor Mercury hesitated.
"Oh no, you're not leaving!" shouted Nikashi, cracking her whip in Sailor Mercury's direction. "You're staying right here and-"
Suddenly, Sailor Mars flew in front of the whip before its tip could hit Sailor Mercury, causing her own wrists to be encircled in its deadly and painful grasp.
"Sailor Moon's right, Ami... you have to get to Trunks," said Sailor Mars, gritting her teeth as the whip dug into her flesh. "We'll be alright..."
"Sailor... Sailor Mars..." said Sailor Mercury weakly, reaching out toward her endangered friend. "No... no, they're right... once I find Trunks, we can both come back and help the others! I just hope they can hold on until I get back..."
With a great deal of trepidation, Sailor Mercury dashed away, running through the large opening at the back of the room which led even deeper into the center of the space station.
"Thank you all so much!" Sailor Mercury shouted back to her friends as she left. "I promise I'll find Trunks soon and come back to help you all! Please be alive when I get back..."
As she continued to run, tears began streaming down Sailor Mercury's face as the guilt of leaving her friends began to sink in. She slowed down her running, and finally came to a stop at the entrance of another large, wide-open room. Outside the room, there was a long hallway to the left, another to the right, the hallway behind Sailor Mercury, and then the large room itself. This was the room where Trunks and Pandemonium had done battle, though Sailor Mercury didn't find that out until she saw the large pools of dried blood on the floor, still there after the great battle, several hours before. She recognized the smell of Trunks' blood from his other battles, and immediately gasped when she realized where she was.
"This is where... oh my God, there's so much blood here... so much of Trunks' blood..."
Sailor Mercury collapsed in the middle of one of the dark red puddles and put her head in her hands, sobbing violently.
"Trunks!!" Sailor Mercury cried, her tears falling like streams into the sticky puddle of Trunks' dried-up blood. "You... you must have suffered so much... oh, Trunks... I'm so sorry... I should have gotten here earlier... I should have gotten here when I first felt that feeling that something was happening to you... why didn't I recognize it earlier? Trunks..."
For nearly thirty seconds, Sailor Mercury continued to cry, screaming out into the empty expanse of the room, screaming Trunks' name, futilely hoping that her tears would somehow bring him back.
"Well, well, well," came a loud male voice from the entrance of the room. "Look who came to swim in the blood of her beloved."
Sailor Mercury knew the voice immediately to be Pandemonium's. She stood up and turned around, rage once again overtaking her usually calm and gentle expression. Her tears continued to fall, even as she clenched her fists, overcome with anger and grief.
"All you can ever think of is hurting people..." Sailor Mercury said through her tightly clenched teeth, her blue aura swirling like a torrent around her body. "You've caused Trunks so much pain..."
"Nikashi's the one who thinks about hurting people," replied Pandemonium. "I simply wish to kill them. If it was up to me, Trunks wouldn't be suffering right now, he'd be dead."
"Shut up!" shouted Sailor Mercury, as loud as she could. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Trunks! I don't care how much stronger you are than me, I will find a way to make you regret ever hurting the man I love!"
Several large beams of blue magical energy flew upward out of Sailor Mercury's body, then turned and zipped across the room, all slamming into Pandemonium at the same time and creating a gigantic blue explosion. As Sailor Mercury looked into the cloud of destruction thrown up by the attack, she could see Pandemonium casually walking out of it, coated in a thin layer of ice. His energy aura appeared, dissolving the ice completely. Then, he flew at Sailor Mercury and swung his forearm into her face before she could react. The blow knocked her to the ground and created a large, purple bruise on her cheek where Pandemonium's arm had impacted. Then, Pandemonium pointed his arm at Sailor Mercury and fired a small energy blast at her. Undaunted, Sailor Mercury fired a small blast of her own. The two blasts met in the middle, pushing at one another and allowing Sailor Mercury to stand as she kept up the strength of the blast. As soon as she had stood up, Pandemonium's blast overtook her own and blasted her back several feet. She remained standing, but she now had a small burn on her hand caused by the blast.
"I sense a great power coming from you, Sailor Mercury..." said Pandemonium, slowly walking toward her. "You're quite determined to save him, aren't you?
Sailor Mercury slowly stepped back as Pandemonium continued toward her, keeping a glowing magical energy aura around her body at all times.
"I thought he was the one that was supposed to be saving you," said Pandemonium. "He saved you from Frieza, didn't he? You must have felt so pathetic and weak, watching him fight so hard to save you. What were you thinking, Sailor Mercury, or should I say Ami, as you watched him being pummeled to within an inch of his life?"
Sailor Mercury continued to step back, trying her hardest not to let Pandemonium's words shake her confidence and determination. She knew that if she failed to defeat Pandemonium, she would never see Trunks again. That thought brought a tear to her eye as Pandemonium continued to speak.
"Mercifully, he's not watching you now... but I'll be sure to tell him once you're dead," said Pandemonium. "How it was all his fault that you died so horribly. How you had to suffer because he was so weak."
Sailor Mercury stopped, holding her ground and Pandemonium continued to walk toward her. Her fists clenched again.
"Because of him, you're going to suffer. Because of him, you're going to die."
Sailor Mercury's fists shined brightly with light. She now knew what she had to do.
Lunging toward Pandemonium, she screamed, "I would go through a million years of torture just to be with Trunks for a single second!" and then struck Pandemonium in the jaw, as hard as she possibly could. As he stumbled back, Sailor Mercury shook her fingers in the air, as her blow had sent a wave of pain coursing through her delicate hand. When she looked back at Pandemonium, she saw something that caused her to gasp. A thin stream of blood was trickling down the side of his lip, where Sailor Mercury had punched him.
"I can't believe I hit him that hard..." she thought, looking down at her hand. A tiny rip had appeared on her glove, over the knuckle of her index finger. A tiny cut had been opened in her skin under the rip. "I think my knuckle might be broken..."
When Pandemonium felt the stream of blood coming down his chin, he was furious. He turned around and blasted Sailor Mercury in the chest with a lavender energy sphere, knocking her up into the air and then crashing down to the ground on her back. She screamed and took in a sharp breath when she hit the ground, but quickly rose to her feet and prepared to attack again.
"I expected to bleed when I fought Trunks, but... not from a weak little punch by a pathetic little Sailor witch like you!" shouted Pandemonium, his own energy aura pulsating as brightly as Sailor Mercury's. "Now you're going to die!"
Pandemonium pointed his hand at Sailor Mercury and fired off several large, lavender spheres, the same attack he'd used to absorb Trunks' ki blasts. Sailor Mercury glanced up at the spheres for a brief moment before pointing her hands toward them and charging up an attack.
"I hope this works..." Sailor Mercury thought. "Mercury... Infusion..."
A large sphere of energy appeared just in front of Sailor Mercury's outstretched hands. Suddenly, she ran straight at Pandemonium's blasts, stopping just short of them before finishing her attack.
"MAELSTROM!!!" Sailor Mercury shouted, releasing the stored energies of her attack in a huge explosion that engulfed all of Pandemonium's spheres, disintegrating them and creating a huge dome of magical energy around her body. Pandemonium stared into the dome for a few seconds as it continued to glow and then slowly faded away. When the attack was finished, Sailor Mercury was standing just a few feet away from Pandemonium, completely unharmed. She pointed her hand at him and fired a blast of ice magic, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back. Then, she fired several blasts into the air just above Pandemonium, creating large spikes of solid ice that hung just over his head. When she lowered her hand, the spikes dropped, slamming into Pandemonium and shattering on contact, bathing him in both shards of ice and magical energy, creating temperatures of nearly two hundred degrees below zero in the immediate vicinity around his body. The attack finally ceased, leaving Pandemonium shivering on the ground, on one knee. Sailor Mercury was breathing heavily just a few feet away, exhausted from using her attack, which had taken far more energy to use than she had anticipated.
"Your little blizzard was quite impressive," said Pandemonium, shivering slightly as he stood up. "But as you can see, I'm completely unharmed..."
"I wouldn't say that," Sailor Mercury said, pointing directly at her opponent. "You're still shivering..."
"Hurt and cold are two different things, my dear," said Pandemonium. "I'm cold. You're hurt."
As soon as he'd finished his sentence, Pandemonium blasted Sailor Mercury with a lavender energy sphere. She had no time to dodge, and was knocked flat on her back by the deadly blast. When she fell, her ankle twisted slightly under her, and she could feel a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower leg as she impacted the ground.
"Damn, that's probably a bad sprain..." Sailor Mercury thought, her hand instinctively clutching her injured ankle. "I can't let this faze me... Trunks has fought with injuries far more severe than this!"
Sailor Mercury stood up again, grimacing in pain as her ankle throbbed within her large, blue boot. Pandemonium could tell that Sailor Mercury's ankle had been hurt, and he immediately tried to take advantage, firing another sphere of energy, this time directly at the injured appendage. Replying almost immediately, Sailor Mercury countered Pandemonium's blast with a magical blast of her own. The two blasts nullified each other, causing Pandemonium to give an annoyed groan.
"Just because that blast didn't get through doesn't mean the rest of them won't," said Pandemonium, charging up two more energy blasts in his hands. "This battle will soon be over!"
"You're right, Pandemonium... and soon, Trunks will be free and in my arms again," replied Sailor Mercury. "I promise, Trunks..."
---
While Sailor Mercury had been fighting Pandemonium, the other Senshi, the sisters, and Patrick had been struggling against Nikashi, trying their best to hold off the powerful witch so that Sailor Mercury could find Trunks in time to save his life. Though all the heroes had fought hard, Sailor Moon was the only one who had been doing any real damage to Nikashi. She was the one who had freed Sailor Mars after Sailor Mercury had left, and soon after, she'd been able to knock Nikashi to the ground. Nikashi soon recovered, however, and was now once again facing all eight Senshi, her energy aura radiating stronger than ever.
"I can't believe you fools are still alive!" shouted Nikashi, frustrated that she hadn't yet been able to exterminate her persistent opponents. "I just hope I'm not getting rusty..."
"We'll fight until you're defeated, Nikashi!" Sailor Moon shouted back. "We'll never surrender!"
Sailor Moon fired another blast from her henshin stick at Nikashi, this time directed straight at her head. Nikashi smiled and ducked down, thinking that the blast had passed harmlessly over her. But when the blast slammed into the wall, the huge explosion created by its impact hit Nikashi squarely in the back, knocking her forward and sending her straight toward the other Senshi.
"Mars Flame..."
"Venus Love Chain..."
"Jupiter Oak..."
The Senshi concentrated their energies and blasted Nikashi simultaneously, at point-blank range. At the same time, the three sisters pointed their hands at Nikashi and blasted her with a powerful array of magical energy beams. The six beams all hit Nikashi at the same time, exploding and sending her flying back into the wall. Patrick then lunged forward and sprayed a powerful icy mist, covering Nikashi's torso and lower body and freezing her arms and legs to the wall.
"What in the... damn you!" Nikashi shouted, gathering up her energy to break free. "I'll show you..."
But before she could even move, Sailor Moon pressed her henshin stick into Nikashi's chest and released an incredible energy blast, which pushed Sailor Moon backward as it expanded out from Nikashi and the wall. Nikashi began to scream as the potent blast burned away at her flesh, more powerful than anything she'd felt since she'd fought Trunks a few days earlier. The blast ceased, and Nikashi slumped over, her head drooping to her chest. The large, smoldering burn just above Nikashi's stomach indicated the severity of Sailor Moon's attack, and Nikashi appeared to be unconscious as she hung lifelessly from the wall.
"Is it... over?" Sailor Moon said, stepping back and letting her arms fall to her sides, her henshin stick still clutched in her right hand.
"I don't think so, Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mars, pointing at Nikashi. "Her energy... it's still strong!"
"Sailor Moon, look out!" Rose screamed, pointing at Nikashi, who was suddenly alert and looking straight at the oblivious Moon Senshi. Suddenly, the ice holding Nikashi to the wall shattered, and her whip swung out, encircling Sailor Moon's neck and tightening, pulling her in close. Nikashi tugged the whip again, choking Sailor Moon even tighter and causing a thin stream of blood to begin sliding down her lips.
"Let her go, right now!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. She prepared to blast Nikashi, but stopped when she realized Sailor Moon was being held right in front of the evil witch as a choking, gasping human shield. Nikashi smiled and reached around her helpless captive, blasting Sailor Jupiter in the stomach with a small blast of energy and knocking her back into the arms of Rose and Angela, who had been standing just behind her.
"Patrick, we have to do something!" shouted Cammy. Patrick was standing next to her with a look of intense worry on his face, as if he knew something she didn't. "Patrick?"
"I've seen Nikashi decapitate someone with that whip before..." Patrick thought, recalling a horrific incident from years past. "If she squeezes on Sailor Moon's neck much tighter, it will easily happen again..."
"Tell me how it feels now that you're the one in pain, Sailor Moon!" shouted Nikashi with a smile on her face. All Sailor Moon could do in response was choke out a few garbled sounds, and with a giggle, Nikashi pulled the whip even tighter around Sailor Moon's neck, causing even more blood to drip from the rapidly choking Senshi's lips. Sailor Moon's face was beginning to turn blue, and it was clear she could pass out at any moment. Her arms fell limp, and her henshin stick fell to the ground.
"If I don't think of something, I'm going to choke to death!" Sailor Moon thought, trying desperately to escape Nikashi's grasp. "Didn't Trunks get in a situation just like this? Ami told me Nikashi tried to choke him... what did he do? How did he manage to escape? Maybe Ami helped him... maybe it was a bad idea to let Ami go..."
"Guys, the only way we're going to save Sailor Moon is if we attack Nikashi now," said Patrick. "Otherwise, Nikashi's whip will slice Sailor Moon's head right off."
"Attack now, with Sailor Moon right in front of her?" Sailor Mars shouted. "You're crazy!"
"Our attacks will hit Sailor Moon!" Rose yelled. "We'll be hurting her just as much as Nikashi!"
"We don't have a choice," said Patrick, readying an attack to fire at Nikashi, knowing full well that it would hit Sailor Moon as well. "At least this gives us a chance..."
But before Patrick could attack, Cammy leapt in front of him, her arms outstretched. Patrick stopped his attack and lowered his arms to his sides.
"What's wrong?" shouted Patrick, looking past Cammy towards Nikashi and Sailor Moon. "It's the only way to-"
"Let me," said Cammy, turning back toward Nikashi and Sailor Moon. "Forgive me if this hurts too much, Serena..."
Suddenly, Cammy fired a large magical blast directly at the two girls. The huge green beam barreled straight toward Sailor Moon's chest, and Nikashi began to laugh, thinking that the beam would barrel right into her hostage. Just before it reached her, however, it scattered into dozens of tiny beams, which billowed outward from the main beam, looped around Sailor Moon, and slammed into Nikashi at the same time. Nikashi screamed when the blasts hit her, releasing her hold on the whip and at the same time loosening it from Sailor Moon's neck. Sailor Moon pulled the whip from her throat and ran back toward the other Senshi, stopping just in front of them and collapsing to the ground, blood streaming from her mouth.
"Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, rushing toward their fallen princess. "Are you-"
Sailor Moon nodded and waved them off, slowly climbing back to her feet.
"I think.... I'll be fine..." she said in a raspy voice, stumbling back to the front of the group while still clutching her throat.
"That was my new Scatter Beam attack," whispered Cammy to Patrick, who had smiled as Cammy's beams took their toll on Nikashi. "I've never used it before, so that's why I wanted to try it out here... it looks like it works pretty well, doesn't it?"
"That was amazing," Patrick whispered back, still smiling at Cammy. "I never knew you were so talented at creating attacks... if you'd used that on me during our battle, I'd probably be dead right now."
Cammy shook her head.
"Give yourself a little bit of credit," Cammy replied, pointing at Nikashi, who had shaken off the effects of Cammy's attack and was now hopping mad. "It wasn't really that powerful of an attack..."
"I'll destroy you pathetic Senshi, once and for all!" shouted Nikashi, her whip once again clutched menacingly in her right hand. "I'll start with that little green-haired girl who ruined my plan to kill the leader of the Sailor Senshi!"
As Cammy began to shiver, her older sister Rose stepped forward with an attack of her own. She pointed her arm at Nikashi and fired a long, thorny rose vine, aimed at Nikashi's midsection. Nikashi smiled and sidestepped the vine, then pointed her arm at Cammy yet again.
"Nice try, but don't worry... you'll get your turn to die soon enough! Right now, it's your little sister's turn, and she looks awfully scared..."
Suddenly, the vine came back, looping around behind Nikashi and then flying forward again before coming back around, making several full circles around Nikashi. As Nikashi began to wonder what was going on, the vines constricted, tightly pinning Nikashi's arms to her sides."Damn you!" shouted Nikashi, beginning to tug free from the vines' grasp. "I'm going to make you pay, now!""Now!" shouted Angela, rushing forward and bombarding Nikashi with magical energy blasts. Cammy did the same, and soon, Nikashi was engulfed in a large cloud of fire and smoke, created by dozens of blasts all hitting the same target at once.
"I think it's time for a Planet Power attack, girls!" shouted Sailor Moon, the strength in her voice having returned. Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus nodded, clasping hands in a circle around Nikashi, still trapped in Rose's vines and the smoke from Angela and Cammy's energy blasts. They quickly began focusing all of their energies, hoping that their attack would still be effective, even without Sailor Mercury's help.
"I hope this works..." thought Angela, still bombarding Nikashi with blasts while being careful not to hit the chanting Senshi.
"SAILOR... PLANET... POWER!!!"
A shining column of energy crashed down on Nikashi, knocking all four Senshi away and blasting Angela and Cammy to the ground. They stood up and gasped as they saw a brilliant pillar of light, emanating from the spot where Nikashi had once stood.
"Is she... is she dead?" asked Cammy meekly, squinting into the light and trying to make out anything resembling Nikashi. Suddenly, she could hear Sailor Moon calling something out from the back of the room.
"She's probably not dead, but she's definitely distracted now, and that's all we need!" shouted Sailor Moon, beckoning the others toward the exit. "We've got to go help Sailor Mercury now!"
"But what if Nikashi's still alive?" asked Sailor Mars, darting toward her leader.
"It doesn't matter, we have to go see if Sailor Mercury's alright!" replied Sailor Moon, dashing out of the room. "Everybody, hurry up!"
---
A large wall of ice was the only thing protecting Sailor Mercury from Pandemonium's energy blasts, which bombarded the thick ice barrier she'd erected to protect herself while she thought up a plan of attack.
"I can't stall this fight forever!" Sailor Mercury thought. "Trunks needs me... I have to incapacitate Pandemonium somehow! I can't freeze him, I've already tried that... what can I do?"
Sailor Mercury's thoughts were rudely interrupted when one of Pandemonium's energy spheres shattered the barrier and slammed into her, creating a explosion that sent her tumbling across the room, her back and sides hitting the floor several times before the water Senshi finally came to a stop, moaning in pain on the ground as Pandemonium slowly walked toward her. She'd been knocked into one of the dried-up puddles of Trunks' blood still present in the room, and the thought that all of that blood represented so much of Trunks' pain made her sick to her stomach. She dry-heaved once, but managed to keep her nausea under control as she rose to her feet, continuing to ignore the pain in her limbs.
"I will do this..." she said to herself, repeating it several times. "I will save Trunks... I will not let him suffer any longer..."
"What are you talking about?" asked Pandemonium as he walked right up to Sailor Mercury and stood just a few feet away, preparing to attack her again. "I think I'll shut you up for good!"
Pandemonium's fist came screaming toward Sailor Mercury's face. As it did, she could feel an incredible strength, filling her entire body and giving her a prodigious sense of confidence that she'd been lacking the entire fight. Suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, she reached up and caught Pandemonium's fist in her right hand, squeezing it as tightly as she could. Blood ran down her knuckle, the wound she'd sustained earlier by punching Pandemonium in the face opening up as her fingers clamped down tighter and tighter on Pandemonium's fist. She'd stopped one of his punches cold, and was determined to inflict pain on him like he'd inflicted on Trunks, her protector, her light, her beloved, her life... all of the anger, all of the pain came boiling to the surface... Sailor Mercury... no, Ami Mizuno, would not lose this fight... not now, not ever!"Ami!" shouted Sailor Moon from the room's entrance. "Ami, we'll take over from here! You have to look for Trunks!"
Pandemonium pulled his fist out of Sailor Mercury's grasp and turned to face his challenger. There, standing all the way across from him at the front of the room were Sailor Mercury's teammates... her companions... her friends, all just as determined to see Sailor Mercury save Trunks as Sailor Mercury was about saving Trunks herself. She also turned toward her friends, and slowly shook her head.
"No, Sailor Moon... I can't... I can't let you fight Pandemonium..."
"But... we got past Nikashi, didn't we?" asked Sailor Moon, stepping slowly into the room as the others trailed silently behind her. "Let us take care of this guy... you've got to help Trunks!"
"No!" shouted Pandemonium, kicking at Sailor Mercury's head as fast as he could. Sailor Mercury reached up with both of her hands and caught Pandemonium's foot, catching him off-balance. When she released his foot, he fell to the ground, giving Sailor Mercury all the time she needed to dash past Pandemonium and into Sailor Moon's arms, wrapping up her friend in a tight, grateful embrace.
"Serena... I'm so glad you're alright... I'm so glad everyone's alright!" said Sailor Mercury, tears beginning to come to her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Thank you all so much..."
"You're welcome, Ami... now go save Trunks like we all came here to do, okay?" Sailor Moon replied happily, returning the hug as tightly as she could. After several seconds of hugging, Sailor Mercury slowly released her friend and ran toward the entrance of the room.
"Thank you!" she shouted back at her friends, a relieved smile on her face. "I don't know how you beat Nikashi, but I'm really glad you did... thank all of you so much! I'm so glad you're safe!"
As soon as Sailor Mercury left the room, she looked to the left, and then to the right, sure that Trunks was somewhere down one of the hallways. After a few seconds of deliberation, something deep within her heart told her to run to the right. She did, and after dashing past several doors and turning a couple of corners, she could begin to hear a faint sound, echoing inside of her head.
"Ami..."
The voice sounded faint and weak, and Sailor Mercury immediately recognized it as Trunks, calling out to her with his thoughts. Before she could reply, even more words came.
"I'm sorry.... Ami... please be safe... Ami..."
"Trunks?" Sailor Mercury replied, dashing down the hallway as fast as she could. As she ran, she could hear the voice becoming stronger and stronger within her head. "Is that you? Are you alright?"
"Oh my god... is that... is that really... can it be?" Trunks replied, his thoughts reflecting a sense of hopeful desperation. "Please... please let it be..."
"It is Ami, Trunks... it's me... I'm coming, don't worry!" Sailor Mercury thought. As she reached the end of the hallway she was in, she could see an old metallic sign pointing to the right, leading toward what appeared to be a much more ancient section of the space station. As her eyes scanned the sign, she gasped when she read the words 'Prison Rooms' engraved on its surface. "So they do have him locked up..."
"Oh, Ami... I'm so glad you're alright..." Trunks thought, his thoughts continuing to call out to Sailor Mercury as she ran though the dirty and decaying halls toward the cell where Trunks was being kept. "Did you get past Nikashi and Pandemonium?"
"Sort of..." Sailor Mercury thought, not wanting to tell Trunks that her friends were still in great danger. "I'll tell you all about it once I've found you..."
She stopped in front of a rusty, metallic door. She could feel his presence behind its frame, and could sense that Trunks was in an immense amount of pain. This made Sailor Mercury wince, and her lip began to quiver. Steeling herself as much as she could, she turned the knob on the door.
"Dammit, locked..." she cursed silently. "Figures... hold on, Trunks..."
Sailor Mercury pointed her arm at the hinges and froze them all solid, shattering them and causing the door to fall from the frame. She leapt out of the way as the door came crashing down, and then stepped over the fallen door into the dark, dank prison room. The stench of blood immediately hit her nostrils, and when she heard the muffled moan from the back wall, she knew immediately where she'd find Trunks. She looked up and gasped, putting her right hand over her lips. Her entire body began to tremble, and streams of tears fell rapidly from her eyes.
"Trunks..." Sailor Mercury sobbed, slowly walking up to him, her legs trembling as she walked. She was barely able to stand, or even breathe as she slowly tried to fathom the horrible agony that Trunks must have been suffering.
His body was still chained to the wall, blood covering his arms, legs, and chest, which was bare after he had discarded his shirt in the fight with Pandemonium. He was covered in cuts, burns, and bruises, some large, some small. Blood continued to drip from his body, though a good deal of it had dried, caking onto his skin, his hair, and his remaining clothing. The cloth tied in his mouth as a gag was completely stained with blood, and it took several seconds before Ami could compose herself enough to slowly move her trembling hand toward his face to remove it from his lips. Finally, she did, pulling down the cloth and letting it hang around his neck like a blood-soaked scarf, her own glove becoming crimson red as it became drenched in Trunks' blood. Slowly, she removed her gloves and let them fall gently to the floor, stroking her hand across Trunks' ravaged face, speechless as she tried desperately to alleviate Trunks' pain.
"Ami...." Trunks gasped, his voice a raspy, animalistic whisper. "I... I'm so sorry... you were right... I should have listened..."
Sailor Mercury continued to stroke Trunks' face, unable to speak. She weakly shook her head, choking out a few sobs from her quivering lips. Her eyes glanced up to Trunks' own, where she could see a tear falling down the left side of his face, a clear glisten against the red mask of blood that had matted on Trunks' cheek. She gently stroked away the tear and leaned her head against Trunks' chest, not caring that her head and face would be stained with his blood.
"No... Trunks... no..." sobbed Sailor Mercury, looking back up at Trunks as she gently brushed her fingers across his lips. "I... I should have gotten here sooner... oh, Trunks... I can't believe I let this happen..."
"I guess... I guess now... we're even, huh?" Trunks said with a slight chuckle, trying to say something that would cheer Ami up, something to help both of them overcome the terrible situation both of them had befallen. Ami flashed Trunks a brief smile, trying her best to look happy so he'd at least feel better emotionally, if not physically. "I love you, Ami..."
"I love you too, Trunks..."Sailor Mercury looked up and saw the shackles locked around Trunks' wrists, and looked down to see the ones binding his legs."They're magically infused, Ami... that's why I couldn't break them..." Trunks whispered, knowing Ami would try to break the shackles herself.
"It takes magic to beat magic..." said Sailor Mercury, placing her hands on Trunks' leg bonds and charging up a magical energy blast. "This might sting for a second..."
She concentrated as much energy as she could, and quickly, the shackles began to freeze, and then shatter, chilled severely by the intense burst of cold.
"That was quicker than I expected," Sailor Mercury said, reaching up to Trunks' arms. "Now to free you completely..."
With her left hand on Trunks' right arm shackle and her right hand on his left shackle, she began charging up her energy once more. Finally, after nearly fifteen seconds of constant cold, the chains shattered, and the freed Trunks began to fall to the ground. Before he could hit the cold floor of the room, however, Sailor Mercury caught him in her arms and fell to her knees, holding Trunks gently, as she would a small child."Ami..." Trunks said weakly, looking up into the eyes of his beloved. "I was... so scared that... something would happen to you..."
"Shhh..." Sailor Mercury whispered, her hand gently stroking the side of Trunks' face. "I'm here... and I'm alright... and you're going to be better soon... I promise..."
Once more, Sailor Mercury began to sob, her tears falling onto Trunks' body, seeping into the cuts in his flesh. Though her tears could do nothing to heal the battered half-Saiyan, he felt as if all the pain in his body was floating away while in Ami's arms, just like she'd told him she had felt after Trunks had rescued her from Frieza.
"So this is what it's like... to be saved by the love of your life..." Trunks thought, trying to conceal it so that Ami wouldn't hear. She had heard, however, and replied simply by kissing Trunks gently on the lips. She could taste blood as she kissed him, but that didn't matter, and she began to kiss Trunks deeper, her tongue slipping slightly between his lips as she became caught in the passion of the moment. She began to feel guilty about kissing Trunks so intensely before he was healed, but when his lips enveloped hers, she knew that the kiss was right... that her love, if it wasn't healing Trunks' wounds, was still taking away his pain, even if for only a brief moment...
Finally, after several more seconds of kissing, and then about a minute of composing herself, Sailor Mercury knew what she had to do. She had to find some way to heal Trunks, as soon as possible... his wounds were severe, and though he wasn't unconscious yet, she knew that if he passed out, he could easily die soon after from the immense loss of blood she'd suffered. She picked Trunks up off of the ground and carried him out of the room, his body stretched out over both of her arms. Though he must have been quite heavy, Sailor Mercury realized that because of her magical energy, she could carry him easily in her arms.
"If you hadn't trained me, I probably wouldn't be able to do this..." said Sailor Mercury as she continued to carry Trunks back down the halls toward the room where her friends were fighting Pandemonium. "I'm so glad you're alive, Trunks..."
"And I'm glad you're safe, Ami..." Trunks replied, smiling despite all the intense pain still filling every inch of his body. "I love you..."
"And I love you, Trunks... always and forever..."
---
So Ami has finally rescued Trunks, and not a moment too soon! But questions still remain. Will she reach her friends in time? Can she find some way to heal Trunks before he succumbs to his injuries? And even if she can heal Trunks, will he be able to defeat Pandemonium, the warrior who caused him to suffer his worst loss ever? All those questions will be answered in the next exciting chapter!