Chapter Seven-
Makoto came back into the waiting room, with a sadden expression on her face. The children hadn't returned yet, and both of her children were out there.
"It's beginning to snow. It looks like a snow storm." Makoto explained to the others, who were waiting for a sign of hope out of all this.
Lydia watched as her mother struggled inside. She knows she's hurting, Lydia can feel it inside her, but she does nothing to comfort her mother. She continues reading her book. Julia was sitting in her mother's lap, her arms wrapped around her neck, and her head on her shoulders, she was deeply worried about her sister and the other.
Rei tried to contact Annika on her communicator, but only got the snow falling down. Everyone was in a small silent panic as they tried communicating the four on the communicators. Hope was staring into her mirror, praying that it would show them being just fine, but she only got the snow storm.
"Hope you need to put that up, it's making you weak." Faith said to her sister, concerned.
Hope shook her head no, Michiru took it away from her. Hope collapsed into Faith's arms again, tears trying to escape from her eyes. Faith combed her fingers through Hope's hair. "It will be okay."
Meanwhile, Maggie, Daisy, and Annika were trying their best to find Erin, as the blizzard came down hard. They each had the same thought on her mind that she could be dead, and if they stayed out in this storm any longer they could be too. Annika sneezed. Maggie put her arm around Annika and said it was time to go find some sort of shelter. They try to go into a couple of different buildings, but they are locked up. They came across an abandoned playground, finding it to be their only hope; they get inside one of the closed tunnels and bundle up the best they can. Annika was in the middle of the two older girls.
Seven year old, Chloe Kino would not give up for anything. She trudged through the deep snow calling for Erin. Chloe fell down and the snow covered her up quickly, she used all her strength to get back up and continued on her search for her best friend. She was not going to let the storm cause her to quit. She was a Kino, a descendent of Jupiter, she would not give up, no matter the case.
Chloe's eyes started to water, and with it came tears. She tried to call for Erin, but she couldn't because she her throat was tightening. Chloe ends up tripping into the snow again, only this time it wasn't because she had become to weak, it was something in the snow that caused her to trip. Chloe quickly pushed the snow away, uncovering a little girl. Chloe froze up, it was Erin. She was afraid to touch her, not knowing if the weather had done her in or not. A faint cough came from the girl. Chloe sighed in relief, and got to her feet. She managed to get the six year old on her back and started walking toward the palace. She knew it was too far away, and the chances of her making it back in time to save Erin were slim.
"Hang in there Erin; please don't give up on me." Chloe whispered. She decided to call out for help, yelling for anyone to come to her aide. Unfortunately there was no one out on the streets; no one came out of their stores, or apartments.
Chloe tried to wipe the tears away, but they just kept coming. She reached down for her communicator. Taking it out, she contacted her mother, but got no answer back. She threw the thing down and asked it what good it was. Chloe looked toward the direction of the Palace, realizing for the first time in her life that she wouldn't make it time and no one would come to her rescue. She had become overwhelmed, and fell to the ground to weak to get back up, especially with Erin on her back still.
Chloe isn't sure when it happened, but someone had lifted Erin off of her and then picked her up. Chloe didn't bother to open her eyes; she just allowed whatever to happen. The only thing she knew was she was laying down on something, wrapped up in a blanket with the heater blowing on her. She falls asleep.
When Chloe had finally opened her eyes, she saw that Asai was holding Erin. He had Erin wrapped around in many blankets, trying to bring her back to the real world. Tears were spilling out of his eyes, as he was rocking his baby back-and-forth.
"Come on, alls you need is your father's love, please don't go Erin. I'm sorry for everything I've done." He sobbed. Chloe laid her head back down and closed her eyes, trying to swallow her tears. She hoped Erin was going to make it through, till the storm stopped.
Hours passed and the storm would not let up. At the hospital the parents were starting to get wrestles. Their daughters had been out there for more than six hours.
Sestuna escaped into the room alone with Ami, "Ami, what are the chances of the girls surviving in this kind of weather?"
Ami looked at Sestuna with a sad expression. "The only thing we can hope is that the girls found shelter."
"What about Erin?" Sestuna questioned, concerned.
Ami took a little bit longer to respond to that question. She fumbled around with some papers on her desk, "To be honest Sestuna in weather conditions like this, the chances of Erin surviving are slim, the way the girls put it she didn't seem stable enough to be left alone."
Sestuna sat down in the chair. "The children out there in the lobby are getting stressed out. Poor Hope has almost passed out many times."
"I should probably put her in a room." Ami reconciled.
Sestuna nodded. "May I go and see Minako?"
Ami nodded, and left out of her office. Sestuna went into Minako's room. Sestuna walked over to Minako's side, quietly. She gently tapped her on the shoulder. Minako turned over and looked at Sestuna. Isabella stirred around in the covers.
Sestuna leaned over, surprised to see Isabella in the room, and the fact that Michiru and Haruka hadn't gone stir crazy yet.
"How long has she been in here?" Sestuna questioned, quietly.
"Since I was brought in here." Minako replied.
"You know you have two children of your own." Sestuna reminded her.
Minako turned away from Sestuna. Sestuna put her hand on Minako's shoulder, "I'm sorry if that sounded a little bit curt, but Minako look at yourself, you don't even know where your children are right now do you?"
Minako slowly turned back to Sestuna and shook her head, her eyes started to get watery. "I didn't mean to lose track of my children."
There was an awkward silence before anymore was said, "Do you know where they are?"
Sestuna didn't know how to answer this one, she knew Minako was already in a bad position, but she had the right to know where her children were. Hotaru walked into the room.
"I overheard the conversation. Minako-chan, your daughter Gloria, she's right here in this hospital, but Erin is no where to be found. Everyone had gone to look for her, and some of the children are still out there. Sestuna's daughter, Maggie, is out there right now." Hotaru explained kindly.
Neither of them mentioned that it was storming.
"We want you to rest for the time being, you can see Gloria in the morning." Hotaru insisted.
"Is she alright?" Minako asked.
"She's coming through." Hotaru replied, hesitantly.
Michiru walked into the room, "Has anyone seen my youngest one?"
"Would that be Isabella?" Hotaru asked.
Michiru nodded. Hotaru pointed over to Minako. Michiru walked over quickly to check on Isabella, she was fast asleep.
"She really knows how to give someone a heart-attack." Michiru said.
"She can stay in here, if you want her too." Minako insisted.
Michiru looked up at Minako, as if she just realized she was there. "Yea, that will probably be best for her, since we are running out of room in the waiting room."
Minako nodded.
"Hey, is your Lydia going to sleep?" Michiru questioned Sestuna.
"Probably not." Sestuna replied.
"Okay, well, Ami's put Ariel, Maia, and a couple more of the younger ones in her office to sleep, most of the other children are cuddled up with their mothers." Michiru explained.
"What about Hope?" Sestuna questioned.
"Ami wanted to put her in her own separate room, Faith is in there right now. She won't sleep either." Michiru answered.
Maggie, Daisy, and Annika were shaking, they felt like they were going to freeze to death, but the some how managed to make it through the storm with their body warmth.
"I wonder what is going through our parents heads?" Annika questioned, as the girls begun to venture back.
"Same here." Daisy said.
The girls manage to make it to the hospital by day break. Lydia and Faith are the first ones to greet them, as seeing they did not fall asleep.
"You girls must be freezing." Faith says quietly so she doesn't wake anyone up.
Annika nodded. Faith hugged Annika, trying to warm her up. "Wow, you are freezing."
"What's going on with everyone?" Maggie asked.
"I think most everyone's sleeping. Hope ended up having to be put in a room, cause she continued to use her mirror and it made her grow weak. Gloria has no progress yet, and Ami and Hotaru are probably going to be wanting you." Lydia explained. "Oh, and Isabella is cuddled up with Minako in one of the rooms."
Daisy gave Lydia a funny look.
Lydia shrugged "No one understands Isabella or her reasoning."
"She's just a very loving girl." Annika said, sneezing.
Lydia wrinkled her nose. "Loving yes, mischievous yes, but there's something else about her too."
"Like what? She's five." Maggie asked, a little irritated.
Lydia shrugged. "You'll find out one day, Maggie." Lydia left the lobby and went into the waiting room.
Maggie, Annika, and Daisy followed. Faith was right behind them. Right when Ami saw the three girls she put them to rest right then, with a nice bowl of soup. Makoto came into the room, after Hotaru had told her that she was there.
"Daisy, was Chloe with you?" Makoto questioned.
"No.. I didn't know she was still out there." Daisy replied, tears coming to her eyes.
"It's okay," Makoto replied, "I think she's right out here." Makoto left, knowing that Daisy didn't believe her.
When she was out in the waiting room she broke down crying, "I don't know where my daughter is."
A couple of the other parents try comforting her.
Chloe woke up, coughing and throwing up. Asai was still rocking Erin in his sleep. Chloe wondered if she should wake him up.
"Uncle Asai, can we please get back to Aunt Ami's. Me and Erin need her." Chloe said, waking up her Uncle.
He looked down at her. "Yea." He said, getting up and quickly slipping into his shoes. He put a coat that was to gigantic for Chloe on her, and handed her a blanket as well. He got another blanket and put it over Erin's head. She was breathing slowly.
They head toward the palace, only to arrive shortly after. When he got there, everyone appeared to be in shock to see Asai. Chloe goes to her mother quickly.
"Mommy, I don't feel good." Chloe mentioned. Makoto felt her daughter's head.
"No you don't, your burning up. Come on lets get you to Ami." Makoto goes into the backroom, Hotaru comes out and takes the bundle of blankets off the small child.
Michiru walked over to her and softly rubbed Erin's arm. She was still freezing cold. She gently kissed her on the forehead and let Hotaru bring her to the ER. After Ami was finished with setting up Chloe, she went in and helped Hotaru.
"Aunt Sestuna, that's the saddest thing I've ever seen. Is she going to be alright?" Madelyn Tomoe questioned.
Everyone turned to Madelyn, tears were seeping through her eyes. Sestuna took Madelyn into her arms, letting her cry on her shoulder. "She'll be alright dear."
Asai who was sitting in the corner alone was joined by to of his fellow friends; Gary and Yuuichiro. Gary decides the best thing to do would be to take Asai out of the room to get some answers out of him, and so that the children wouldn't get upset, as the were already upset by this whole thing.
"What's been going on with you Asai, I've never seen a family so broken, like I've seen this one." Yuuichiro stated.
Asai turned his head away from the two guys.
"Asai he asked you a question, we expect answers." Gary insisted.
"When Minako was pregnant with Erin I told her there was no way we could raise two children with the threat of enemies all the time. I didn't want Erin, I was afraid of losing a child. You know how Haruka was afraid to lose the two youngest twins? Well, I know the feeling. I can't stand the fact that we can't live normal lives, and that our own children have to face enemies. They shouldn't have to go through that turmoil. I didn't want Erin to live that life, but it was too late, Minako ended up pregnant with her. And I walked out on her for a while, during the pregnancy, because I was too afraid. I came back eventually. After Erin was born, I don't know, I just became emotionally abusive toward my family. Erin's use to it, Gloria wasn't. The look on her face when I told her she was a mess up to the family, was so heartbreaking, but I didn't stop there, I lashed out on them whenever I found a mistake with them. When Erin was able to understand what I was saying she never showed any emotion, or at least I didn't see any. Minako on the other hand wouldn't listen to it, we argued about things, like Gloria's grades, her pranks, and normal things like that." Asai stopped; tears were coming down his cheeks. "They'll probably never forgive me either and I don't blame them."
Gary pulled Asai into a hug. "They'll forgive you."
After a couple days, everything starts to settle down. Hope was able to rejoin her family. Minako is able to come out of the hospital wing, but she doesn't go anywhere close to Asai. No one has left from the hospital. The snow victims are able to come out of their rooms every once in a while, but Ami wants them resting most of the time. Gloria and Erin are still in a state of a coma.
Authors Note: Last chapter awaits. It should be updated tomorrow.