Hello again! Ah, after a much need break from writing FanFiction so I could focus on my studies, I graduate from High School this Saturday! Whoot! And with summer about to be in full swing, I'm going to be updating this story a lot more often and starting a new FanFiction for Gundam 00. I'm super excited to be able to jump back into writing! And I know some of you said that the last chapter was a bit short, but that was a really good stopping point for me. Plus, I was running into a slight case of writers block. But it seems to be gone now since I wrote over 5,000 words in the last hour or so to get this story up for you guys. It's currently 1 AM and I have Graduation Rehearsal at 9. XD Call that dedication? Anyways, enough about me, I'll let you guys read!(: Don't forget to R&R! I love hearing what you guys have to say.
Chapter 11: A Cry for Help
A week passed and everything was quiet and peaceful. A few days after the initial meeting between Mamoru and Kira and the Koi siblings, Kira began a daily training routine with Chibiusa to help the children conquer and master their abilities. It was difficult, not having Michiru and Haruka there to help them, but they tried their best with what they could do. To make matters worse, Mizuki showed no signs of recovery. The doctors were baffled by her lack of improvement and began to supervise the poor girl around the clock. Chibiusa and Ren were constantly worried about their sister, and for the most part, Lyle stayed with Mizuki almost full time.
"Do you think she will ever wake up?" Ren asked, kicking a rock at his shoes.
Chibiusa didn't respond, she sat on the last step of the small staircase that led up to the small patio behind their house. She sniffed and sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. She looked worn and tired, and bags circled under her eyes. She had not been sleeping well since the incident, and with the constant strain of training, her body had begun to deteriorate. She looked thinner, Ren had noticed, and her hair didn't shine as much. The cone shaped buns she normally wore were in disarray and pieces of hair were falling into her face.
"Chibiusa, you should go eat something," Ren suggested and nudged his twin's shoulder. She moaned softly, her once shining blue eyes now pale and distant. She stared at the grass below her, a soft wind blowing against them. Upon her legs were small bruises, yellowed in color. She had received these bruises from the battle on the pier. Ren had similar ones on his arms and torso.
In the distance, a phone rang out. Ren and Chibiusa looked off in the distance towards the sounds but neither of them bothered to move towards it. A few moments later the phone went silent. The two turned back to their mopping and the silent, bliss of the mid-afternoon air. Within a few minutes, they heard footsteps racing towards them. One of Rei's daughters, Kaia, her long black hair billowing behind her, stopped behind the two sitting siblings and bent over, out of breath from the sudden exertion. The young girl wore her Sailor Fuku still, remnant of this mornings training. Her eyes were tired and weary, and bore something akin to shock as she glanced up at the siblings before her.
She took a shuttering deep breath and strained to enunciate without gasping for air: "Y-your sis-" she panted, "your sister! She's awake!"
Chibiusa and Ren jolted out of their seated positions and rushed through the house and out the front door. Chibiusa shouted for Kira to come with them, as she was old enough to drive now. Kira rushed forward, grabbing her key ring off the counter and the three burst through the front door, rushing down the narrow walkway towards Kira's green car. It wasn't a spectacular car, but it was nice. Chibiusa slid into the front and Ren, without complaint climbed into the back. Kira quickly started the car and backed out of the driveway, heading for the hospital which was more than a 10 minutes drive away from the suburban area of Tokyo. Chibiusa fiddled with her skirt, nervous for her sister. How much damage has she actually taken from those beasts? Would she ever recover, or would she have ailments like their father for the rest of her life?
Kinmoku
Seiya writhed from his dreams, his body contorted by the pain that wreaked havoc on his mind. He tossed and he turned, his body drenched in sweat. The pain had been so much, his body had been reverting between his human form and his female form, native to Kinmoku. Usagi watched on in agony, wishing there was some way should could help her dear husband get through this pain. The last time he had an attack in this degree was shortly after Mizuki was born. It was late one night and Usagi was startled awake by a bone-chilling shrill that erupted from her partners lips. The sound had made Mizuki cry and both Mizuki and Seiya wailed for what seemed like hours before finally they both calmed down.
This attack however was much different, Seiya didn't utter a sound as he twisted and turned on the bed, his hands clutching his skull. Usagi clasped a hand over her mouth. She moved forward and touched Seiya's shoulder, but the contact made him roll away, as if her touch sent millions of tiny daggers shooting through his skin. "Oh Seiya! How can I help you!" she shouted and backed away from him, tears welling up in her cerulean gaze.
Taiki and Yaten burst through the door, closely followed by Princess Kakyuu and several Healers, as they were called here. Kakyuu gripped Usagi's shoulders, and Usagi turned to the Princess burying her head in the Princess' bosom. Behind the two women, Taiki and Yaten held down the flailing Seiya, gripping his arms and legs so that the Healers' could sedate him. It took several tries but finally one of the healers got the needle into the neck of Seiya, sedating him almost immediately. Seiya continued to struggle for several more minutes, but his movement was slowed and sluggish until finally, it stopped all at once.
"This sedative is not just for his muscles to relax, but is also keeps his mind calm. It sedates his consciousness, putting him into a coma-like state. He will not wake up until we give him an anti-sedative. Miss, if you wish to stay while we perform the exams, you may. If not, the Princess will accompany you to another part of the castle."
"I want to stay here." Usagi sobbed, clutching the elegant dress of Kakyuu. The beautiful, tall and slender Princess lifted the chin of the girl below her and smiled.
"I think you and I need to start discussing the issue that presents a danger to the whole Universe. My healers are well trained, and they will help Seiya. I promise you have nothing to worry about."
Usagi stepped away from her. Her blonde brows were furrowed in a deep scowl as she glared. "What can these healers do that Ami could not! She is a Sailor too! Even the doctors on Earth couldn't help him! What can you do! I… I…" she slumped forward, Kakyuu stepping towards her to catch the blonde girl in her arms. Usagi continued in a sob, "I ju-just want Seiya to be okay again…"
"And he will be. He will be."
Usagi, still sobbing, allowed Kakyuu to lead her out into the bright hallway, lined with golden arches, tall windows, beautiful paintings and exotic plants, of the like Usagi had never seen before. Kinmoku was a vast planet, but beautiful. It made Earth pale in comparison to its extravagant colors, fresh, clean air and clear, transparent waters. Kinmoku was astoundingly beautiful and captivating. Usagi wiped the tears and her nose on the sleeve of a kimono that Kakyuu had lent her. She took several sniffling breaths before she felt her voice was calm enough to begin talking.
Her eyes burned red for a while longer, and when ever she focused on her nose, it to was still the color of blood. Kakyuu found the distress in Usagi somewhat alarming, and also reassuring. Kakyuu could see that when she left Earth with the other two Starlights, she made the right decision in allowing Seiya to remain on Earth. The bond Usagi shared with him was the strongest she had ever seen. It was incredible how much aversion she had to Seiya's love when they first met, and how much it grew and blossomed since then.
"Do you believe we can defeat these beasts?" Kakyuu's bell like voice rang forth in the silence of a garden. Usagi was startled from her thoughts and had yet to realize they had walked almost halfway across the huge palace to a secluded garden, Kakyuu's personal garden. Kakyuu tended this garden herself, no one else helped her. It was her personal wish to raise the exotic flowers herself. She asked again, after pulling Usagi from the darkness of her thoughts. "Do you believe we can defeat Chaos once and for all?"
"I-I don't… know…" Usagi trailed off and fiddled with the silk edge of her kimono. "I honestly don't know anymore. Chaos seems so strong… and his beasts nearly killed all of my friends… that was just one beast… I don't know if we can face an army of these without more help. I don't know how much you can offer… or if you even will but I beg you. Please help us. I left my children back on Earth… and I've been desperate to get a hold of them… I want to know if they are alright."
"We have a communications room that you can try to contact them on. I can't promise you that it will be a solid connection… That's the problem with trying to contact someone from another Galaxy entirely. There may be another way, using your broach. We've been able to do it between parent and child sailors before. I wonder if it'll work."
"I'm willing to try anything, please. I just need to make sure they are okay. It's been bothering me since I left… I hope everything is alright, but I can't shake the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong there. Just everything feels… off."
"That's just your body adjusting to this planet. You'll feel that way for a while, let's just finish up talking about this war and then we will try and figure out a way to contact your children. I'm sure the other Sailors with you would like to hear from their children as well." Kakyuu smiled, her radiant glow calming Usagi almost instantly. Usagi didn't quite understand exactly why Kakyuu had such an effect, but she seemed to have that effect on everyone around her. Maybe that was why the Starlights were so intent and focused to find her when they came to Earth.
Earth… the word seemed so foreign to her now. They had been gone for a week or two… but was that really all? It seemed so hard to focus on that green planet in the Milky Way when multiple Galaxies now stood between here and their home. Her mind wandered, trying to remember the smells and sounds of the world she grew up in. She couldn't help but recall a date that she and Seiya went on before Mizuki was born. Before she was conceived even. Before the two groups of Sailors knew each other's identities.
Usagi woke to a tick tick sound on her window. It would stop for a few moments, and then it would sound again. Tick tick. She groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow over the top of her head. It was hard enough for her to sleep these days with school and all. She didn't need stupid sounds to keep her awake till the last hours of the night.
Tick tick. She threw off the covers and trudged over to her window, her face masked in an irritated, half-asleep scowl. She rubbed her eyes and glared out the window at the lighted street below her second-story window. She blinked rapidly, unsure of if she was seeing exactly what she was seeing or if she was dreaming. She leaned closer and gasped, it was! She quickly opened the latch to her window and thrust it open, her voice filling the air with a hushed yelled. "What are you doin' here Seiya?!"
"Shhh dumpling! C'mon, you should come down and go out with me."
"Are you crazy! It's like 3 in the morning! And I… WE have school tomorrow!"
"Pfft, who needs school when you could be at the beach or watching a movie!" he teased and winked up at her. The wind picked up his long black hair and it waved softly in the air. His face was relaxed and the only thing that contorted that image was his wide, toothy smile. His blue eyes shined with the artificial lamp lights above him. Seiya wore a simple blue t-shirt, a ball-cap and a pair of jeans. It was way more casual than the usual rose-red suit he wore for performances or the black and blue get-up he wore in public or during school. He was such a goof ball.
Usagi backed away from the window and pondered, with her hand beneath her chin. She schemed and thought, pouted and contemplated, and sighed heavily as she wandered over to her dresser. She quickly dressed in a long pair of pants that were high-waist, a crop top and put on a light jacket over the top. She stood still for a moment, thinking, and after a few she grabbed her favorite bikini too. He did mention going to a beach, so she would hold him up to that. She rushed to her bathroom to tame her hair and put it up in its usual bun and tails, brushed her hair and hurried back to the window. Seiya was now leaning up against the light pole, looking at his watch and tapping his shoes. He looked up and smiled, approaching her front door. Usagi's eyes widened in horror as she realized he intended to catch her. As if she would ever jump out her own window!
"C'mon dumpling! Jump!"
"You're insane!" Usagi gasped and backed away, but not enough that Seiya disappeared from view.
"C'mon you'll be fine! I'll catch you!" he called up, a reassuring smile on his face. "It'll be fine!"
"I don't trust you!" she chided and folded her arms across her chest. "I'll climb down!" Usagi sidled up to the edge of the window and shimmied her slim body across the window sill. She managed to get both legs out of her bedroom and the crisp morning air bit at her legs through her pants. She shivered against the cold and about lost her grip on the window. She bit her tongue to keep from squealing but Seiya noticed her distress.
"Just drop down Usagi, I'm right here," he had moved closer to the wall, standing right below Usagi's hanging form. Usagi looked down and realized just how far up she was. She clutched to the sill for dear life, a scream welling up inside her chest. "Just let go!" Seiya whispered harshly, holding up his hands to reassure her.
"You're sure you'll catch me?" She shrieked in a hushed tone. Seiya nodded and opened his arms even wider. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Oh man, I'm gonna be so dead…" she released the sill and dropped quickly, air rushing past her ears and howling. The plung only lasted a few seconds before she was cushioned by Seiya's tone arms and pulled tightly against his chest. Seiya had to take a step back to regain his balance, but he held the tiny girl in his arms easily. Usagi regained her steady breathing and regained her own balance after Seiya sat her back onto the cold hard ground of her front porch.
"I told ya, I was gonna catch you," Seiya teased and patted the girl's head. Usagi wasn't amused by his chuckling and stalked off towards the empty streets.
"I could have died," she sulked and rolled her eyes at his continued laughter. "It's not funny!" She whispered in a shrill voice, her cheeks turning red from the rage.
"Oh c'mon Dumpling, you're fine! I'll make it up to you, I promise. Let's go though, the beach is a bit of a drive, and we should make it there before sunrise."
"Why?" Usagi questioned, unable to comprehend why they would want to make it to a beach while it was still dark out. The water would be so cold!
"Just c'mon, you'll see," he motioned her to follow him to a parked car just down the street. Usagi followed after him, pulling her jacket around her middle to shield against the softly blowing wind. It was not cold by any means, just slightly chilly in the early morning air. Seiya slipped into the driver's seat of his sleek red car and waited patiently for Usagi to hesitantly crawl into the passenger seat and buckle up. They both took care to shut their door softly, making as little noise as possible. For Usagi, that was extremely difficult to do. The raucous from Usagi closing her door should have woken up the entire neighborhood. Seiya cringed and put his car into drive, rolling down the street as a crawl before putting his foot to the floor and speeding off down the street.
"Hey! You're supposed to be quiet," Usagi shrieked and glared at the laughing man beside her. "You could've woken my parents up!"
"If your parents would have woken up, you'd have been caught already. Just relax okay? There is nothing for you to worry about, I promise," he said as he flashed a reassuring smile but Usagi wasn't convinced.
"I shouldn't have listened to you, I should be at home, asleep, in my bed, but no, I'm sitting here with you," she muttered grumpily and folded her arms across her meager chest.
"And are you really complaining?" Seiya chuckled with a flirtatious allure to his voice.
Usagi stammered and quickly turned her reddening cheeks away from the sight of Seiya. Seiya laughed harder at her reaction and smiled brightly at her. "See, I knew you'd not complain about being with me."
"Yeah, but why do you wanna hang out with me? You're a famous Idol and I'm just a high school dummy."
"I don't think you're dumb, nor am I really that famous."
"Sure, that's why all the girls in town swoon over you," she muttered and pouted.
"You don't swoon over me," he retorted with a soft sigh.
"I'm not dumb like some girls, I can see you for who you really are," she commented and turned her gaze back to him. Seiya tensed up for a moment, unsure exactly what she meant by who he really was. "You're just a player," she finally said after a few short moments of silence.
"I am not," he said back, flabbergasted that she would think such a thing about him. "What makes you think that?"
"You are always with a girl."
"That girl is usually you."
"You always have girls hanging all over you."
"Those would be your friends…"
"And I saw you flirting with some girls at one of your concerts!"
"I was being nice," he grumbled and looked straight ahead. Usagi didn't seemed to be convinced though and he sighed. "Look, there is only one girl in my life that I really like, okay? I'm not some sick guy who likes to play with girl's hearts. But you wouldn't be able to see that, you can't even see someone love you if it were right in front of your face, written in big black letters across their face."
The words cut Usagi deep and she lowered her gaze and folded her hands in her lap. Her lower lip pursed and her long ponytails fell on either side of her face, obscuring her face from Seiya's view. Her words came out slow and heavy, melting Seiya's heart with each syllable. "You're right," she sighed before continuing. "I honestly can't see it even if it smacked up upside the head. I couldn't see it with Mamoru… and he and I have know each other for more than… well a long time. And I never saw how much he loved me until he promised me with that ring before he left. I loved him of course, and I still do. Mamoru is the love of my life, but I can never tell when someone loves me. I can't explain why either, maybe its because of my past, or I'm just dumb. I don't know…"
"Usagi…" Seiya breathed and looked at the girl with a soft gaze. He turned his head towards the road again, keeping what he was going to say to himself. His heart sank from her words, and not in sympathy, but they actually hurt him. Cut him directly to his core. He came to Earth for one thing and one thing only, and that was to find his princess. Putting up this rouse of being a popular teenage idol was all apart of the plot to find her. But he never imagined that he would end up with someone else he would begin to seek. Tirelessly and hopelessly fumbling over his feelings while trying to hold a resolve of a Senshi and keep his head on track with the plan. However, every time he came across Usagi, his heart swayed and suddenly, that light he followed all the way across the universe, dwindled in comparison to this blonde haired human.
He did not like to admit it, but his Princess paled in comparison to Usagi's light. A mere human paled the Princess of Kinmoku. It was impossible, yet there she sat, radiating like the sun with warm brilliance that drew him in and blinded him yet he could not stay away, nor could he look away. He was completely captivated. Captured by her elegance, destroyed by her innocence. It was so wrong yet it just felt so right to be with her.
They drove for the better part of an hour in silence. They passed by many houses on the way out of the Tokyo city limits. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon to the East. It was just a faint light blue color at the moment. Usagi watched as the heavily populated Tokyo area turned into an suburban metropolis and the Bay of Tokyo sped by. They approached an area called Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. By the time they made it there, it was nearing 5 AM. Seiya parked his car in a parking lot just outside of a park that contained the Kannonzaki Lighthouse. It was a beautiful area, with lots of trees, foliage and birds chirping in the cool morning air. Seiya grabbed a blanket and a basket, a bag and locked his car before he headed down the trail towards the grassy, seaside park. Usagi stuck close to his heels, eyeing the dark shadows that lurked around every corner and against the trees. She had to admit she wasn't exactly one hundred percent comfortable being out there alone, with him.
Seiya set up the blanket in silence and settled down onto it, setting the bag and basket off to the side. He patted the space beside him and Usagi hesitantly sat down. She left plenty of space between her and Seiya to fit another person of her size between them. She pulled her legs close up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. She eyed Seiya out of the corner of her eye and found him staring at her with a soft smile. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and she stammered: "Why are you looking at me like that!"
"You're just so cute, Dumpling."
"Oh c'mon you creep," she grumbled and looked away.
"I'm serious, Usagi, you're really pretty. I can't wait to see how the sunrise shines on your eyes…" he trailed off and looked off towards the East, across the bay.
"Sunset…" Usagi trailed off and looked towards where he was now looking. Her eyes lit up as she finally noticed that the sun was starting to peek out from the horizon of the bay. With a wide gaze and ajar mouth she tracked the colors as they grew stronger and stronger and melted into one another. She had seen the sun rise many times, but never like this, never had she actually watched one, on a beach where the city didn't obscure her view. The silhouette of the lighthouse was the only thing that blotted out any of the magnificent colors. However, the image was to beautiful for her to dislike this small little occurrence.
Seiya turned his gaze away from the Sun rise and just about fell backwards from the sight of Usagi, radiating with an incredible warmth as the tendrils of faint light began to trickle across her skin. Usagi was rather pale, but her skin looked tanned, soft and beautiful in the orange morning light that the sun shed on the park they sat nestled in. Seiya moved slightly closer to Usagi, brushing his hand against her's intentionally to see what kind of response he could draw from her. She was to wrapped up in the beautiful of the changing sky to notice the slight spark that shot up her arm. All she registered was a slight tingle and a warming sensation as something laid on top of her hand.
"You are beautiful," Seiya breathed with a faint smile. His heart sank once more, but the way Usagi shined in that moment made him appreciate all the time he has managed to spend with her since meeting her on that fateful day in the airport.
Usagi turned her head to Seiya and smiled, as if she didn't hear him at all. "It is so beautiful, thank you for showing me this."
Seiya smiled and took that as a sign she hadn't heard him. Perhaps it was for the best that she hadn't. She was so innocent and pure that he was afraid she would become confused and frightened had she heard him. He sighed and stared up at the sunrise with her. Thoughts ran wild in his head and he couldn't help but feel a deepening sadness welling up inside his chest. He would not be able to stay here when he found his Princess. That is why he really wanted to spend as much time with Usagi as he could before that happened. He had no idea what his life would be life when he returned home with Taiki and Yaten and their Princess. Would he be happy to have Kakyuu safe and sound? Or would there still be a hole, unable to be filled. Empty and hollow for the rest of eternity. Perhaps that was his destiny.
Usagi couldn't help herself, and she felt some kind of tug at her heart strings. She yearned for Mamoru at almost all hours of the day. But for once, she had troubles wishing for Mamoru to be there instead of Seiya. She couldn't visualize Mamoru there, sitting beside her, close enough for her to smell the cologne on his shirt collar. All she could see was Seiya. And how the sunlight shone on his brilliant features. It lit his blue eyes up into their own galaxy. So deep and complex and something else that Usagi couldn't quite put to words. Was he sad about something? The look was not happy, nor was it depressed… maybe a little bit of both? Was he missing someone? Maybe it was the woman he always talked about finding. His true love?
Usagi cupped her hands over her chest and placed her palms against her heart. It beat softly, but yet she felt an ache. That was weird… she didn't feel sad in that moment. She didn't yearn for Mamoru. So why was her heart aching? What exactly was she missing in that moment?
"Do you want to go anywhere else, or would you like to stay here longer?" Seiya asked, pulling his hands by his side once more. He didn't look at her while he asked.
"Uhm, I would like to stay here a bit longer," she murmured and slid a bit closer to him. "This place is beautiful," she whispered and laid her head on his shoulder. An act of a lover but with the most innocent and friendly of intentions that Seiya found himself in utter confusion by all of it. He didn't move away from her, but he also didn't accommodate her into a more comfortable position for the both of them. He sat rigid and tense almost, unsuspecting of the contact, but at the same time thankful for it.
Why did he have to love this girl so much?
"Usagi?" A soft voice pried into the deep consciousness of the sleeping sailor. Usagi yawned, opening her eyes and groaning as she slowly sat up, her back aching and cracking with the exertion. She looked around groggily and rubbed her eyes. The scent of hundreds of flowers filled her senses all at once and all she really registered was thousands of plants surrounded her from where she sat on a bench. Beside her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. The princess of this planet, Kakyuu. The woman who first held Seiya's heart.
"Did, did I fall asleep," Usagi asked and looked around some more. She was still in the gardens, she remembered that much.
"You passed out, I'm not sure if it was from the stress or from the overwhelming sensation of my garden. It is quite potent to people who are not accustomed to the plants of this planet. Are feeling better now?"
"I guess so, all I remember is dreaming about a date I had with Seiya a long time ago…" she whispered and rubbed her head. "How long was I asleep?"
"A few hours."
"How's Seiya?" Usagi asked, suddenly very alarmed about her husband's condition.
"He's stabilized for now. My healers are working on what exactly is causing his symptoms. There is something wrong with his consciousness. Something damaged it quite some time ago and never fully healed. Do you remember him getting any kind of head trauma?"
"Yeah, he was trying to protect me when one of Galaxia's soldiers tried to kill me… he blocked a beam of pure energy… it struck him in the back. I knew he would have some kind of issue from the injury… but I never imagined it went so far as to permanently damage his consciousness to the point he writhes in pain for hours on end."
"How many years has he been suffering from this?"
"Since he was injured. He coped with it, but when Mizuki was born it got really bad, for months he was unable to do much more than eat and sleep. I thought he would never come out of it. And then, he had no more attacks that were to this magnitude until just within the last year. When we fought the Chaos Beast in the alley way in Tokyo, that's when they came back full force. He hasn't been the same since that battle. He's always complaining about headaches and that he feels almost 'foggy'."
Kakyuu put her hand up to her mouth, her eyes had widened throughout the story but now they were the size of a plate.
"What's wrong?" Usaig pressed.
"I think Chaos is attacking Seiya from inside his own mind…"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well you see, Chaos isn't actually a living, breathing, individual. Chaos is a mass of energy that happens to be capable of intellectual thoughts. It's sentient. You've seen it before, how Chaos can harbor a body. Galaxia is a perfect example. Sailor Galaxia was the strongest Sailor during the Sailor Wars. When she fought Chaos, she sealed it inside of herself. We all thought it worked, that she was strong enough to fight Chaos internally the the rest of her life. But things went from bad to worse quickly. She began to struggle with her temper, and would lash out at any one around her without any prompting.
She was an intelligent being, so she fled from her home and resided in the deepest parts of the Universe in Hopes that Chaos would never again be able to hurt anyone using her. She lost that battle within days of leaving. She turned upon every planet she could find, and under the control of Chaos, enslaved thousands of Senshi, brainwashing them to be her minion. Chaos told her that if she wanted more power, she would need to find pure star seeds. She found thousands in Sailors but she never found any more pure than the ones she found on Earth. First with Prince Endymion. The golden star seed, as she called it. Of course, she was also in pursuit of me, for she wanted my star seed. But she found one that was so much more… pure than mine. She found you. It's no surprise that she even went so far as to try to kill you to get her hands on it. She would do anything, including planting a piece of Chaos into someone you hold head, in order to hurt you."
"Do you think that is what happened to Seiya? He received a piece of Chaos while trying to protect me? Oh my god this is all my fault!" Usagi shrieked and hid her face in her hands, hot tears streaming down her face.
"Usagi, this is not your fault. Seiya willingly blocked that blast. Neither you nor him knew the consequences of that. It is no one's fault. Right now we should be more concerned on how we will be able to extract Chaos from his consciousness without harming him further. Do you understand? For now, let us try to contact your children. Perhaps they have come across new information concerning the Chaos beasts. Maybe they can give us an idea of how to help Seiya. Your children are resilient and bright. I'm sure they know at least something."
"Okay, yes. Let's try to contact them," Usagi agreed shakily grasping her broach in between her hands. She looked up at Kakyuu, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Kakyuu took her hands in her own and whispered something soft in a language that Usagi had never heard before. It was a beautiful ancient language, that somehow, felt familiar to her. It warmed her heart and her ears, and she closed her eyes as the warmth engulfed her. Suddenly she was floating in a white abyss. She looked around, and saw no one.
She tried calling out but her voice was soundless. She bit her lip and thought hard, focusing on Mizuki, Chibiusa and Ren. Maybe if she thought hard enough about them, one of them would hear her call. She begged, pleading with her own consciousness to be strong enough to reach out, and feel the consciousness of at least one of her children. She wanted so badly to hear them, to speak with them. If anything, just to know they were okay. Her heart ached as the minutes ticked by and drew out into what seemed like an eternity.
At the other side of the white, she thought she could see a light. Was this a consciousness? Or… what?
She focused on it, willing it to come forward.
"Who's there," she called out in the confines of her own mind.
"Usagi…" A familiar voice sounded out followed by another voice echoing it, this one too familiar.
"Haruka… Michiru?" she asked, surprised to find that there were now two orbs of light, a deep blue hue and a turquoise one. "Is that you?"
"Yes… Usagi… we are not able to speak long…"
"What's going on? Is my children okay?"
"They are okay…" Michiru began.
Haruka finished with a bone chilling statement. "But we are not…"
"A Chaos beast killed us.."
"... And we managed to transfer our powers to your daughter, Mizuki."
"She is in critical condition right now…"
"... A coma that she might not awake from."
"What do you mean?! Is my baby going to be okay?!"
"Her consciousness is… lost…"
"... Just as Seiya's is…"
"Chaos is coming…"
"... She must wake up soon."
"But how!" Usagi begged but she noticed that the lights were starting to fade. "Michiru! Haruka! Please! I'm begging you! Tell me how I can help my baby girl!" Usagi cried out and collapsed to her knees, suddenly in reality once more. "No!" She screamed and pounded the ground below her. Kakyuu knelt beside her and rubbed her back. Usagi cringed at the touch and wailed, wrapping her arms across her chest.
"What news?" Kakyuu asked simply, attempting to soothe the hysterical girl.
"Michiru and Haruka are dead… and my… and my baby is… hurt! Oh god please spare my poor child!" She wailed and gripped her forehead, lifting her head up towards the sky and weeping.
"Usagi, you need to calm down, you're going to cause yourself to have a panic attack."
"Oh my poor babies!" her breathing was becoming irregular, sporadic. She panted, unable to fully catch her breath. "I… I have to help them…" her sight went black suddenly and she collapsed onto the hard cobblestone pathway they resided on. Kakyuu yelled for help and several of the Senshi of Earth rushed in moments later, followed by a medical team and a stretcher.
"What happened?" Makoto barked at Kakyuu, standing several inches above the short Princess.
"We tried to contact her children and she ended up hearing from Michiru and Haruka. They are dead, according to Usagi. And Mizuki… Mizuki is in critical condition. Something has gone terribly wrong on Earth. We need to prepare to move out in the next day or so. Send word to the other colonies, war is upon us." She ordered several guards who stood at the back of the group. The medical team scooped up Usagi onto the stretcher and hauled her off towards the medical wing.
The full force of this news hit the Senshi all at once. Rei, Ami, Minako, Makoto, Setsuna and Hotaru. Tears filled each of their eyes as the sudden loss of their dearest friends hit them like a train colliding with a brick wall. Chills traveled down their spines and their hearts ached. "This isn't fair," Hotaru stammered. Setsuna placed a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't fair! Why does this have to happen! We can't save them… we can't save them this time…" She placed her face in her hands and wept. "We have to get back!"
"We have to get back to our children…" they all agreed.
"We can't leave Usagi and Seiya here though…" Rei sniffed and fought the urge to cast the teleportation magic at that exact moment.
"She's right, they need to see their children again too… can we try to use our powers to contact our children?" Minako asked, shaking from a mix of anger and shock.
"We can try, there is no guarantee that we will be able to reach them without the help of an experienced sailor on the other end," Setsuna explained. "But, I'm willing to give it a try, if to just hear my sweet children's voice once."
"Everyone hold hands, we will need to combine our powers to reach out across this galaxy and into the next." Hotaru stated flatly, her face was empty of emotion. The Senshi listened and clasped their hands together. Each of them chanted the words of their planets in their heads and one by one, the each were surrounded by soft light colored respectably to their planets.
"If anyone of the Next Generation Sailors residing in Tokyo, Japan of Earth please respond." Setsuna called out as soon as they felt the connection reach the Milky Way. They waited patiently for what seemed like an eternity until finally a weak voice called out.
"Please… Please help me…"
Alrighty! How was that? Did I focus on Usagi and Seiya a little bit more this time? I hope so, because it's hard to focus on them when this story is supposed to be about the Next Generation. And I know you guys hate me for killing of Michiru and Haruka, but everything will be explained in the next chapters. So far I have a total of 20 chapters planned for this story and possibly and epilogue. But we'll see how things go and how long I can drag this out before you guys murder me. XD Anyways, i hope you enjoyed this Chapter! Until next time!
-Hanna Karima