Disclaimer for my own sanity:
I wrote this story back in 1999. I don't think it's too bad, but I don't know what I was thinking way back then either so don't be too harsh on me :P
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Chapter 8 will have this story finally wrapped up! PG.
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A Senshi's True Lies
- Chapter Seven (revised) -
Neptune closes her eyes and falls to her knees. Her entire life comes to a crashing halt before her, as her friend, partner, lover…her very soul and existence is stolen from her. One split second. A fraction of a moment has tragically ended the single reason she's cherished life; the person most dear to her; the only being she's ever loved. She doesn't cry; not out loud. Only inside is she completely destroyed. Outside, her only visible signs of pain are silent tears. It's all she has energy to do; all she feels she needs to; the only emotion left she has to feel is pain, despair, hopelessness.
'I've only one question to ask of you…of everyone…' Neptune thinks, never once letting her blind stare drift from the ground beneath her. 'Why?… Why was the one precious thing I cherish most in this world…taken from me in less than a heartbeat? What have I done to deserve this?' She pauses, staring into a burning flame with tear-soaked, blurry eyes. '… No…it was hardly only my loss… It was Haruka's. It was her life which was stolen. I still have a chance to go on…But how can one live a life filled with pain and suffering?… It's hopeless…hopeless… doushite?'
"Michiru."
Neptune looks up, surprised to be confronted with beautiful blue-green eyes. Her mouth gapes open, tears once again flowing due to this unbelievable occurrence.
"H-Haruka?… I-I thought you were…but Mamoru…"
Uranus laughs lightly, despite the pain resulting from her injuries. "Michiru, did you actually think I would leave you?"
"Demo…Mamoru…" Neptune peers to where her partner was laying, and sees no sign of their enemies. She then gazes far to her left and discovers Mamoru and Venus on the ground struggling to regain their composure.
Venus cries out, "Where the hell did that beam come from?"
Neptune searches Uranus' smiling face for the answer.
"There are two others you didn't know were spies as well, Michi." Uranus glances to her right and Neptune follows her stare to her friends.
"Sailor Star Healer!"
"Sailor Star Maker!"
Neptune, still crying heavily, runs to her fellow Senshi and hugs them fiercely. "Arigato, Yaten-kun, Taiki-san… Arigato."
"Just in time," Uranus weakly walks to her friends. "One more second and I wouldn't be here… Domo arigato."
Healer winks at her. "Hey, did you think we'd abandon you? You'd do the same for us. I'm just thankful we got here in time."
"And it's a good thing we did," Maker remarks. "We'd be reduced to a duo."
"Well, guys, Michiru knows everything… Looks like the beginning of a quartet of secret agents."
"Not if I have anything to do with it… Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
"Star Gentile Uterus!" Star Maker counterattacks Venus' unexpected attack.
"Stupid bitch!" Venus rages. Tuxedo Kamen now stands to her side. "We're not letting you off this island alive!"
"If a battle is what you want," Healer threatens, "then a battle is what you'll get… Star Sensitive-"
"Matte!"
"What is it, Neptune?"
"Uranus and I are far too weak to fight. Please don't commence another battle."
"Of course not. What was I thinking? We have to get off this island. C'mon!"
Healer leads them to a helicopter while Maker guarantees that Venus and Tuxedo Kamen don't follow. Maker attacks and catches up to them just as they're taking off, leaving their enemies alone on the island.
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Ten minutes later their helicopter lands in the midst of other fighter planes and police cars from their agency. The four Senshi had detransformed prior to landing, for they still need to keep their true identities a secret from their superiors. Haruka leads Michiru away from the commotion around the others, who are striving to explain the situation.
"We should be safe here," she assures her wife. She looks at Michiru's hands, which were around her neck, and notices she had switched her wedding ring. "Michiru, this is the wrong finger."
Michiru lays her head against Haruka's chest and holds her left hand out. Haruka, with a smile, gently grasps her hand and slides the ring onto the correct finger. She brings Michiru's hand to her lips and lightly kisses the palm. Michiru wraps her arms around Haruka's neck again and kisses her passionately. They are oblivious to Yaten walking up and coughing into his fist. He coughs louder, trying to get their attention.
"Hey! Settle down, I need to talk to you two."
"What is it, Yaten-kun?"
"Listen, one of our team's copters landed to check out the situation in Tokyo. That's when they caught up with about twenty other faction members… The terrorists are in Tokyo, taking up the twentieth floor of an office building. We've got cop cars down there and they've cleared off the area. They've got another nuclear bomb. Mamoru and Minako are with them. We're a little stuck as to what to do at the moment. We needed to ask you about it... Haruka, they've got a hostage... It's Hotaru."