Chapter 11 - Glimmer of Hope
Taiki have been running around a dark hallway for hours. Everytime he thinks that he's at the very end, the hallway starts again.
"You just have to help them." he jokingly thought to himself. He decided to stop in the middle and closed his eyes to concentrate. Then, he hears someone crying. He decided to follow the sound and it led him to a white door. He slowly opens it and saw a girl crying. He went in and comforted the girl.
"Are you ok?" he asked. The girl turned around, it was Ami.
"Ami...what happened?" he asked.
"It's all my fault. He left because of me. I'm weak." Ami sobbed.
"Who left?" Taiki asked again,
"M-my father...he left because I'm weak. I can't even save my friend." she replied. Taiki frowned. He never knew much about Ami. All he knew was that she's the smartest girl he's ever met and that she's one of the strongest fighter.
"Ami, listen to me. You're not weak." Taiki said. Ami shook her head and pushed him away.
"No! I am weak! Leave me alone!" Ami shouted. Taiki, having enough of this, grabbed her.
"Listen, you're not weak! You're father left because he gave up not because of you. You're one of the brightest soul I've ever met and we can still save the world and Usagi." Taiki said.
"Snap out of it...the world needs you...Usagi needs you...I need you." he continued.
Ami looked at him. She began to remember what really happened. Yes, her father did leave but her mother never told her all those mean things. She remembered how her mother explained to her what happened and the wonderful stuff that her mother did to make her feel loved. Slowly, she began to transform into a sailor scout again.
"Taiki..." Sailor Mercury started.
"It's no big deal...I kinda know how you feel." Taiki shrugged. Sailor Mercury leaned towards him and gave him a kiss. He blushed and cleared his throat.
"We better go...look for the others." he said. Ami smiled and agreed. They both leave the room and started to look for their other friends.
oo00oo
Yaten didn't know what to do. He has no idea where he is. All he can see are trees and he's getting really fed up. Plus he couldn't understan why he can't transfrom which means he's dead if a monster attack him.
"Finally...something other than trees." he thought as he saw a clearing. He stopped running when he saw the Hikawa shrine.
"What th...?" Yaten uttered. He looked around for signs of life and saw Sailor Mars near the wishing tree. She was sitting in front of the tree, staring at it.
"S-Sailor Mars?" Yaten asked. He walked towards her.
"Don't come near me." Sailor Mars warned him. He stopped and tried to reach for her shoulder but she avoided him.
"Are you ok?" Yaten asked.
"Don't come near me. I might hurt you." Sailor Mars replied.
"Hurt me? Why? What happened?" he grabbed her and tried to snap her out of the trance.
"I killed them." Sailor Mars pointed at the two bodies near the tree but all Yaten could see are two boulders with scorch marks.
"Yeah...I don't think they could more dead than that." Yaten said, confused at what Sailor Mars said.
"How could you say that? Look at them! They're..." Sailor Mars trailed off when she saw what she was pointing to.
"B...But, I saw them. I...I saw myself..hurting them...killing them." she continued. That was when Yaten understood what she was saying and going through. He placed his hand on her shoulders and looked at her intensely.
"I know that you fear for your loved ones and I know that you fear that the power you hold might one day hurt them...but don't. You have to know that you're not that person. This power that you have is just one thing that makes you special but the most important part of you is that you care so much about your family and friends. That's what you need to remember and all you need to know." Yaten said.
Sailor Mars looked at him. Tears falling from her eyes as she remembers all the wonderful moments she had with her family and friends. All those moments with her grandfather and Yuichiro. She wiped her tears and smiled at Yaten.
"Thank you." she said.
"You're welcome. Now, do you know how to get out of here?" Yaten asked. As if someone was listening to them, the surroundings become another dark hall.
"Sailor Mars...Yaten!" Taiki called. He was with Sailor Mercury.
"What is this? Some kind of game?" Sailor Mars asked.
"I've analyzed the surroundings. It seems like some kind of dimesional vortex. It's like a hallway full of doors." Mercury replied.
"Doors? What door?" Yaten asked. He looked around and all he could see was them being in a very dark place.
"They're hidden. I don't know how you two found us but somehow, we get to live our worst fears." Sailor Mercury answered.
"Oh no! Jupiter and Venus...we have to find them!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
"How? We don't know where they are." Yaten retorted.
"We don't have much time. The portals are made to drain one's energy. If we don't find them, they'll die." Sailor Mercury said. Worried, they began to look for the other scouts.
oo00oo
"Guys! There she is!" Sailor Mars pointed at the gazeebo.
"Makoto-chan!" Sailor Mercury called out. They run towards the gazeebo and sees Makoto lying on the floor.
"Is she?" Yaten asked. Taiki checked her pulse and shook his head.
"Makoto-chan, please wake up." Sailor Mars pleaded as she gently shakes her friend. Makoto began to stir and wakes up. She sees Taiki and mistakes him for Tokiya and began to cry.
"Makoto-chan, snap out of it!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
"Mars.." Yaten trailed off as Tokiya enters the gazeebo and kneels next to Makoto. Taiki stood up and stepped aside.
"Why? Why did you leave? Why don't you love me?" Makoto asked.
"Makoto...I had to leave but please understand that I love you and I always will. I was confused and I regret leaving you. You're the one thing that made sense and I let you go." Tokiya explained.
"But you told me...you told me those horrible things...I-I don't know what to do." Makoto sobbed.
"Look in your heart. You know that what you saw was not the real thing. Try to remember what really happened. You're stronger than this evil trying to get to you. Fight it. Believe in yourself, believe in your faith and believe that you are loved." with that, Tokiya vanished.
"Makoto-chan?" Mercury whispered. Makoto turned to them and smiled.
"We have to save her. We have to save this world. We can't let this evil defeat us." Makoto said and transformed into Sailor Jupiter.
They all agreed and began to look for Venus but as they got out of that dimension, they saw Sailor Venus.
"Venus!" Sailor Jupiter called out.
"Guys! What happened?" Sailor Venus asked.
"Weren't you sucked into a weird dimension?" Sailor Mars asked.
"I was...I saw Usagi and she told me that I left her. That because of me, she died. She said that I couldn't save her." Sailor Venus replied.
"Oh Venus." Sailor Mercury said.
"How did you get out?" Yaten asked. Sailor Venus looked at them, smiled and shrugged.
"I guess it was the optimist in me. At first I accepted that I won't be able to save her but then that's when I realized that I've given up. And I know that I couldn't give up. As long as I'm here and alive, I know that I could save Usagi and this world. There's still hope...there's always a light in the end of the tunnel, right." Venus explained.
"For the first time, you're absolutely right." Sailor Mars smiled.
"Let's go then." Sailor Mercury stated.
"You guys go ahead, we have to look for Seiya and the other scouts." Taiki said.
"No, we have to stick together. Besides, you two can't even transform. We'll find them, trust me." Sailor Mars suggested. Taiki and Yaten looked at each other. They know that she was right, somehow, they can't transform abd it might be dangerous for them to split up. They agreed and left with the inner scouts to look for the others.
"I will save you Usagi...I won't give up." Venus thought. They all disappear in the dark.