Opposing Protectors
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Sailor Moon.
Chapter 5: A Spark of Hope
In another part of the forest...
Rini slowly opened her eyes and rubbed a sore bump that she felt on the back of her head. She gradually made her way into a sitting position as she looked around to get her bearings and find out where she was. As she did so, she noticed two other people who were just coming to and were working on getting up. Rini stood up and ran over to see her friends Trista and Hotaru and to make sure that they were all right. After being assured that they were fine, Rini helped the two of them get up and then together they attempted to retransform, but to no avail.
Rini and Hotaru just stood there in confusion; they had absolutely no idea what was going on or why they couldn't transform. Trista, on the other hand, had a worried look on her face.
"What is it Pu, what's wrong?" Rini asked, getting a little worried herself. "I know it's bad that we can't transform back into Senshi mode, but it could've been worse. Right?"
"True, it could be worse. And I'm afraid that it might be. I'm not as concerned about the fact that we can't transform, but about the reason WHY we can't transform."
"Do you have any ideas about that, about why we can't transform?" Hotaru asked.
"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but I do know that Akuma's behind it. But there are two possibilities for our problem that I can think of. The first possibility being that he cast a spell to prevent us from transforming. The second possibility is the one that worries me though. You see, our powers are provided and strengthened trough the Silver Crystal. It's possible that through his use of the Crystal, despite the fact that he's using Serena's energy to power it, he may have poisoned it with negative energy to the extent that it no longer can provide us with the power to transform for it may no longer recognize our powers. I did feel a hint of negative energy when he blasted us with the Crystal, although that doesn't mean that this second explanation is the right one, it just means that we can't rule it out yet. (Rini's thoughts: So he used the Crystal to blast us, no wonder it was so strong. That must have been a major drain on Serena!) I just pray that the explanation for our problem is possibility 'A' and not possibility 'B'." They all shared this last sentiment.
"Wow, is that actually possible Pu...that the Crystal could get so poisoned as to not even recognize our planetary powers anymore? Yikes, that's kinda scary." Rini said after listening to Trista's explanations. Trista just nodded her head in response to Rini's question.
"But how do you know all this Trista, I mean about the Crystal getting poisoned and therefore stopping our powers and so on?" Hotaru asked, slightly in awe of the idea that this second possibility could actually happen.
"As the Guardian of Time, I know many things. Things about the past, present and future, including knowledge of the Silver Millennium and how many of the magics of that time work."
"So do you know how this is going to turn out?" Hotaru asked hopefully.
"No, unfortunately I don't. When I leave the time gate, my memories of the future are lost to me. That way there's no way that I could slip up and let out some vital information that isn't supposed to be known yet. I know only what I need to as well as sharing any memories that the others have from their trip to the future when they faced the Nega-Moon Family and the Wiseman(a.k.a. The Doom Phantom)."
"Oh well, guess we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." Hotaru said glumly.
"Pu, I have a question. You said that Akuma's been poisoning the Silver Crystal. If that's true, will it have any ill affect on Serena?" Rini asked, worried about what may happen to her future mother.
"The negative energy affecting the Crystal shouldn't do her any harm unless it is causing her to expend more energy to power up the Silver Crystal, because if Akuma over uses the Crystal, it will completely drain Serena and she'll die."
"WHAT!?" the other two cried out in shock and unison.
"Akuma using Serena's energy through magic is no different that Serena using the Silver Crystal herself. And, as we all know, she has died from using it before. And what's worse is that although he needs Serena's energy to power the Crystal and he knows that, if he's not careful he may kill her without even knowing it, just by over-using the Crystal. Even as we speak, Serena is growing weaker and weaker by the minute."
"But if Serena dies, then Rini will fade away out of existence!" Hotaru exclaimed in a fit of worry and panic.
"And that would totally suck!" Rini added in her two cents while trying to hide her own concerns and fears.
"I know, which is why we have to find the others and rescue Serena as soon as possible. Don't worry Sweetie (addressing Rini of course), we'll find her, but I want you to tell me the instant you start tired or weak, okay?"
"Mm-hmm, I will." She knew exactly why Trista wanted her to do this...if Rini started showing these symptoms, it meant Serena was getting worse and the probability of the future changing was increasing. Although she still wouldn't admit it, Rini was terrified. She didn't want to lose her mother and she didn't want to fade out of existence either.
After making Rini promise to tell them about any problems she started having, the three of them started heading off in a random direction hoping that it was the right one and that it would lead them to their friends. Unfortunately, that was all they could do, that and pray.
The trio had only been walking for little more than half an hour, although it seemed almost like days to them, when they suddenly began to hear strange growling noises. They looked around and noticed that they were slowly starting to be surrounded by a large pack of wolf-like looking creature. Trista quickly pulled Rini and Hotaru in closer to her body in a protective and motherly manner. Then, without warning, one of the creatures leapt at them in an unprovoked attack. Trista turned her back to the creature while using her body as a shield for the two younger ones. The other creatures soon followed suit and launched their own attacks. Trista gave screams of pain as each attack landed on her. She quickly recovered from the first few attacks, but was finding it harder and harder to do so. Her main goal was to protect Rini and Hotaru and to try and find a way to get them away from these creatures.
The two younger girls, for their part, were crying as they tried to escape from Trista's protective grasp so that they might help her, but Trista didn't give them the chance, despite their pleas. They knew that she was quickly losing this battle and that things were looking very bleak at this point in time. Despite Trista's protectiveness, they were still receiving some of the blows. All three of them knew that if they didn't find a way out of this soon, they would never have the chance to finish their mission and find their Princess.
Meanwhile...
Seiya and Darien had continued their journey in silence, not even looking at each other because of the anger they still had for each other. It had been well over an hour since they had stood in the middle of the forest arguing about Serena and the feeling they each had for her. As they were walking, a piercing scream filled the air and broke the awkward silence. For the first time since the argument, they looked at each other and spoke a few words.
"What was that, or rather who was that?" Seiya was the first one to speak.
"I don't know, but whoever it was needs our help. Come on, it sounded like it came from this direction." he said pointing in the direction in which they were already heading in. He then broke into a run and headed in the direction previously indicated.
"Wait a minute!" Seiya called after him and Darien paused for a moment. " How do know it's not a trap? How can you be sure that we won't be captured and killed if we go to 'help this person'?"
"True, it could be a trap, but it could also be one of the Senshi. If they're in the same situation as us, they could be in big trouble. And I for one am not willing to risk not going to this person's aid just to be on the safe side. I don't know if it was one of the Senshi of not, but if it was then they need my help."
"No, it's too risky. And besides, there is no chance in Hell that I'm going to risk my life based on your stupid instincts!" Seiya continued to protest.
"Look, I don't care what you do. Do whatever you want, but I'm going to go and help whoever it was that screamed." And with that, Darien took off running again in the direction he had headed in before.
Seiya just cursed under his breath. He had to make a decision and fast. Finally he decided that it would be better to stick together than to separate (as much as he hated the idea) and therefore headed in the direction that Darien had headed off in. So, for the next little while, he ran like mad to try and catch up with Darien.
Trista was on the verge of unconsciousness. Rini and Hotaru as well had taken a bit of a beating from the blows that Trista had been unable to block and things were looking down for the trio. From out of nowhere, a rock came hurtling at the lead creature and it hit him directly on the head between the eyes. The girls looked up to see Darien standing by a tree with another rock in his hand and a large stick he found on the ground along the way. They would have to do for now, considering they had no powers. Seiya showed up a few minutes later. Together, with much difficulty, they fought off the wolf-like creatures...each of them trying to out-fight the other. It was probably this competitive nature that allowed them to defeat the creatures. Eventually the creatures retreated in defeat, growling at their enemies with their displeasure at having lost. Ignoring their own wounds, which they had received during the battle, they rushed over to the girls to make sure that they were all right.
"Thank you." Trista managed to say weakly before blacking out.
Rini ran over and clung to her future father, clearly shaken by the experience. He returned her hug and reassured her that everything was going to be okay and that she was safe now. Although he was a little worried about the injuries that his future daughter and the others had sustained during the attack.
Thinking that it would be best to leave before the creatures returned, and possibly with reinforcements, Darien went over to Trista and gave her a quick examination before carefully picking her up and carrying her away from the scene. Tending to her wounds was unfortunately going to have to wait. Rini, of course, was staying close to her father's side and kept her hand tightly clutched around his jacket, only because his hands were full and unavailable. Hotaru decided to take Rini's other hand for both the child's comfort and her own. Seiya stayed a few paces behind and took up the rear. He grumbled to himself about how Darien had assumed the role of leader and that because the Senshi supported him, he didn't have a say in the matter, despite the fact that it was HIS planet that they were trying to save this time, not theirs.
The rest of the group, having had this little reunion, had a new sense of hope at finding the others and succeeding in their mission. So, with their newly found hope and renewed spirits, they continued their search to find the rest of their friends.
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Sailor Moon.
Chapter 5: A Spark of Hope
In another part of the forest...
Rini slowly opened her eyes and rubbed a sore bump that she felt on the back of her head. She gradually made her way into a sitting position as she looked around to get her bearings and find out where she was. As she did so, she noticed two other people who were just coming to and were working on getting up. Rini stood up and ran over to see her friends Trista and Hotaru and to make sure that they were all right. After being assured that they were fine, Rini helped the two of them get up and then together they attempted to retransform, but to no avail.
Rini and Hotaru just stood there in confusion; they had absolutely no idea what was going on or why they couldn't transform. Trista, on the other hand, had a worried look on her face.
"What is it Pu, what's wrong?" Rini asked, getting a little worried herself. "I know it's bad that we can't transform back into Senshi mode, but it could've been worse. Right?"
"True, it could be worse. And I'm afraid that it might be. I'm not as concerned about the fact that we can't transform, but about the reason WHY we can't transform."
"Do you have any ideas about that, about why we can't transform?" Hotaru asked.
"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but I do know that Akuma's behind it. But there are two possibilities for our problem that I can think of. The first possibility being that he cast a spell to prevent us from transforming. The second possibility is the one that worries me though. You see, our powers are provided and strengthened trough the Silver Crystal. It's possible that through his use of the Crystal, despite the fact that he's using Serena's energy to power it, he may have poisoned it with negative energy to the extent that it no longer can provide us with the power to transform for it may no longer recognize our powers. I did feel a hint of negative energy when he blasted us with the Crystal, although that doesn't mean that this second explanation is the right one, it just means that we can't rule it out yet. (Rini's thoughts: So he used the Crystal to blast us, no wonder it was so strong. That must have been a major drain on Serena!) I just pray that the explanation for our problem is possibility 'A' and not possibility 'B'." They all shared this last sentiment.
"Wow, is that actually possible Pu...that the Crystal could get so poisoned as to not even recognize our planetary powers anymore? Yikes, that's kinda scary." Rini said after listening to Trista's explanations. Trista just nodded her head in response to Rini's question.
"But how do you know all this Trista, I mean about the Crystal getting poisoned and therefore stopping our powers and so on?" Hotaru asked, slightly in awe of the idea that this second possibility could actually happen.
"As the Guardian of Time, I know many things. Things about the past, present and future, including knowledge of the Silver Millennium and how many of the magics of that time work."
"So do you know how this is going to turn out?" Hotaru asked hopefully.
"No, unfortunately I don't. When I leave the time gate, my memories of the future are lost to me. That way there's no way that I could slip up and let out some vital information that isn't supposed to be known yet. I know only what I need to as well as sharing any memories that the others have from their trip to the future when they faced the Nega-Moon Family and the Wiseman(a.k.a. The Doom Phantom)."
"Oh well, guess we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." Hotaru said glumly.
"Pu, I have a question. You said that Akuma's been poisoning the Silver Crystal. If that's true, will it have any ill affect on Serena?" Rini asked, worried about what may happen to her future mother.
"The negative energy affecting the Crystal shouldn't do her any harm unless it is causing her to expend more energy to power up the Silver Crystal, because if Akuma over uses the Crystal, it will completely drain Serena and she'll die."
"WHAT!?" the other two cried out in shock and unison.
"Akuma using Serena's energy through magic is no different that Serena using the Silver Crystal herself. And, as we all know, she has died from using it before. And what's worse is that although he needs Serena's energy to power the Crystal and he knows that, if he's not careful he may kill her without even knowing it, just by over-using the Crystal. Even as we speak, Serena is growing weaker and weaker by the minute."
"But if Serena dies, then Rini will fade away out of existence!" Hotaru exclaimed in a fit of worry and panic.
"And that would totally suck!" Rini added in her two cents while trying to hide her own concerns and fears.
"I know, which is why we have to find the others and rescue Serena as soon as possible. Don't worry Sweetie (addressing Rini of course), we'll find her, but I want you to tell me the instant you start tired or weak, okay?"
"Mm-hmm, I will." She knew exactly why Trista wanted her to do this...if Rini started showing these symptoms, it meant Serena was getting worse and the probability of the future changing was increasing. Although she still wouldn't admit it, Rini was terrified. She didn't want to lose her mother and she didn't want to fade out of existence either.
After making Rini promise to tell them about any problems she started having, the three of them started heading off in a random direction hoping that it was the right one and that it would lead them to their friends. Unfortunately, that was all they could do, that and pray.
The trio had only been walking for little more than half an hour, although it seemed almost like days to them, when they suddenly began to hear strange growling noises. They looked around and noticed that they were slowly starting to be surrounded by a large pack of wolf-like looking creature. Trista quickly pulled Rini and Hotaru in closer to her body in a protective and motherly manner. Then, without warning, one of the creatures leapt at them in an unprovoked attack. Trista turned her back to the creature while using her body as a shield for the two younger ones. The other creatures soon followed suit and launched their own attacks. Trista gave screams of pain as each attack landed on her. She quickly recovered from the first few attacks, but was finding it harder and harder to do so. Her main goal was to protect Rini and Hotaru and to try and find a way to get them away from these creatures.
The two younger girls, for their part, were crying as they tried to escape from Trista's protective grasp so that they might help her, but Trista didn't give them the chance, despite their pleas. They knew that she was quickly losing this battle and that things were looking very bleak at this point in time. Despite Trista's protectiveness, they were still receiving some of the blows. All three of them knew that if they didn't find a way out of this soon, they would never have the chance to finish their mission and find their Princess.
Meanwhile...
Seiya and Darien had continued their journey in silence, not even looking at each other because of the anger they still had for each other. It had been well over an hour since they had stood in the middle of the forest arguing about Serena and the feeling they each had for her. As they were walking, a piercing scream filled the air and broke the awkward silence. For the first time since the argument, they looked at each other and spoke a few words.
"What was that, or rather who was that?" Seiya was the first one to speak.
"I don't know, but whoever it was needs our help. Come on, it sounded like it came from this direction." he said pointing in the direction in which they were already heading in. He then broke into a run and headed in the direction previously indicated.
"Wait a minute!" Seiya called after him and Darien paused for a moment. " How do know it's not a trap? How can you be sure that we won't be captured and killed if we go to 'help this person'?"
"True, it could be a trap, but it could also be one of the Senshi. If they're in the same situation as us, they could be in big trouble. And I for one am not willing to risk not going to this person's aid just to be on the safe side. I don't know if it was one of the Senshi of not, but if it was then they need my help."
"No, it's too risky. And besides, there is no chance in Hell that I'm going to risk my life based on your stupid instincts!" Seiya continued to protest.
"Look, I don't care what you do. Do whatever you want, but I'm going to go and help whoever it was that screamed." And with that, Darien took off running again in the direction he had headed in before.
Seiya just cursed under his breath. He had to make a decision and fast. Finally he decided that it would be better to stick together than to separate (as much as he hated the idea) and therefore headed in the direction that Darien had headed off in. So, for the next little while, he ran like mad to try and catch up with Darien.
Trista was on the verge of unconsciousness. Rini and Hotaru as well had taken a bit of a beating from the blows that Trista had been unable to block and things were looking down for the trio. From out of nowhere, a rock came hurtling at the lead creature and it hit him directly on the head between the eyes. The girls looked up to see Darien standing by a tree with another rock in his hand and a large stick he found on the ground along the way. They would have to do for now, considering they had no powers. Seiya showed up a few minutes later. Together, with much difficulty, they fought off the wolf-like creatures...each of them trying to out-fight the other. It was probably this competitive nature that allowed them to defeat the creatures. Eventually the creatures retreated in defeat, growling at their enemies with their displeasure at having lost. Ignoring their own wounds, which they had received during the battle, they rushed over to the girls to make sure that they were all right.
"Thank you." Trista managed to say weakly before blacking out.
Rini ran over and clung to her future father, clearly shaken by the experience. He returned her hug and reassured her that everything was going to be okay and that she was safe now. Although he was a little worried about the injuries that his future daughter and the others had sustained during the attack.
Thinking that it would be best to leave before the creatures returned, and possibly with reinforcements, Darien went over to Trista and gave her a quick examination before carefully picking her up and carrying her away from the scene. Tending to her wounds was unfortunately going to have to wait. Rini, of course, was staying close to her father's side and kept her hand tightly clutched around his jacket, only because his hands were full and unavailable. Hotaru decided to take Rini's other hand for both the child's comfort and her own. Seiya stayed a few paces behind and took up the rear. He grumbled to himself about how Darien had assumed the role of leader and that because the Senshi supported him, he didn't have a say in the matter, despite the fact that it was HIS planet that they were trying to save this time, not theirs.
The rest of the group, having had this little reunion, had a new sense of hope at finding the others and succeeding in their mission. So, with their newly found hope and renewed spirits, they continued their search to find the rest of their friends.